Nintendo just unloaded a bunch of announcements and trailers during its September 2018 direct. Most were expected but there were some that threw fans into a crazy. It’s a 38-minute long video, so if you don’t have time for that, here are the Highlights of the recent Nintendo Direct.
Nintendo 3DS Highlights
Let’s start off with the titles that graced Nintendo’s mainstay handheld. Yes, folks, Nintendo is not yet killing its precious handheld. So, here were the announcements for the 3DS.
Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn
- First released on the Wii, the 3DS will now be graced by a Kirby world made in Yarn. Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn brings in new features to the classic Wii game as well as those we already loved and cherished back in 2010.
Luigi’s Mansion
- Luigi is going back into a spooking mansion, only this time, he’s able to bring a friend. The original Luigi’s Mansion is heading to the 3DS this October 2018. This time it will bring in a 2-player co-op mode via download or by having two copies of the title.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey
- Fans of the 2009 game Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Story are in for a treat as the game receives a reboot to the 3DS. Apart from the improved graphics and refined gameplay Bowser Jr. joins in on the mix for a different storyline.
Yo-kai Watch Blasters
- Yo-Kai watch returns to the 3DS in two new flavors — Red Cat Corps and White Dog Squad. The game allows you to team up with three others locally or online to take on Yo-Kai and big bosses. A new free update on September 27 will bring in new missions, bosses, Yokai, and link bonuses as well as another squad.
Nintendo Switch Highlights
Alright, now let’s move on to the big guns, the titles that graced the Nintendo Switch. We’ll be taking a look at freshly announced titles as well as the reveal dates of previously mentioned ones.
New Titles and Ports
Let’s kick it off with the important new titles and new ports heading to our beloved hybrid.
Luigi’s Mansion 3
- Luigi’s Mansion finally gets a sequel — Luigi’s Mansion 3. Nothing much was revealed about the upcoming title only that it’s coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2019.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
- The New Super Mario Bros. U is getting the deluxe treatment for the Nintendo Switch. Mario, Luigi and Toad make a return to the side-scrolling format but they’re bringing in two new characters — Nabbit and Toadette. Both have their own special powers that’ll make for a more immersive gameplay. Not to mention, the title also has New Super Luigi U, which means there is a total of 164 courses to play.
Town (Working Title)
- Gamefreak, the developers behind the core Pokemon series, are back at it again as they tease a new project RPG called Town. The story revolves around a once peaceful town that gets attacked by monsters. It features strategic turn-based combat and very colorful art.
Yoshi’s Crafted World
- We finally got our first look at the 2019 Yoshi game Nintendo’s been planning. By next year we’ll be able to get our hands on Yoshi’s Crafted World. The world is artsy and craftsy with paper buildings and toys. It also features co-op play and even a means to reverse the map to look at it in a whole different perspective.
Cities Skylines
- Cities Skylines, the critically acclaimed city building sim has built its way into the Nintendo Switch. It’s currently now available on the Nintendo e-shop along with its two expansions — After Dark and Snowfall.
Final Fantasy arrives on Switch
- This is it, for long time fans of the series, we’re finally getting a slew of different Final Fantasy titles on the Switch. Starting off with FFXV Pocket Edition HD, which is now available on the e-shop at an “introductory” price. Then it’ll be followed by various other titles such as:
- World of Final Fantasy Maxima
- Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon Everybody!
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition
- Final Fantasy VII
- Final Fantasy IX
- Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster
- Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age
Just Dance 2019
- A year is not complete without an update to the world famous Just Dance franchise. As such, Just Dance 2019 will hit the shelves on October 23.
Team Sonic Racing
- Speed through with a car, no matter how absurd that sounds since we are talking about Sonic here, with Sonic and his friends in Team Sonic Racing. The new racing game is set for a winter release.
Lego DC Super-Villains
- Get to play the villains of DC comics in this lego spin-off of DC Super-Villains. The game comes out October 16th.
Tabletop gaming heads to the Switch
- In a surprising turn of events, you can now enjoy world-renown tabletop boardgames virtually thanks to Asmodee. The well-known, tabletop manufacturer is bringing in three board game titles to the hybrid (see below). That’s not all though, Asmodee has promised more titles for the Switch with the next project being Catan and a dungeon crawler version of Munchkins.
- Carcassone
- The Lord of the Rings Living Card Game
- Pandemic
Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle
- Fans of the classic beat em up are getting a treat from Capcom. Some of the developer’s iconic beat em up’s are heading to the Switch in what they’re calling the Capcom Beat em Up Bundle. The bundle includes Final Fight, Captain Commando, The King of Dragons, Knights of the Round, Warriors of Fate, Armored Warriors, and Battle Circuit. There’s support for four-player local and online multiplayer, as long as the game being played is supported.
Animal Crossing for Switch
- To cap off the entire presentation Nintendo finally gave fans what they’ve been clamouring for ever since the Switch was released and that’s an Animal Crossing for the hybrid. Nintendo didn’t divulge any details but come 2019 we’ll surely get our hands on an Animal Crossing.
Nintendo Switch Titles that now have a launch date and a few extras
Let’s now take a look at titles we’ve been eagerly awaiting to have a release date. We’ll also be taking a look at the new Nintendo Switch Online Service and some new bundles.
Warframe
- Warframe for Nintendo Switch will be released on November 20th.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection
- The Nintendo Switch port of Diablo III will hit shelves on November 2nd.
Nintendo Switch Online Features
- Nintendo Switch Online will kick off on September 18, with it comes five features:
- Online Play
- NES Support — Players will be able to play through a glossary of old NES games. Those with multiplayer support can be played locally or online too.
- Save Backup — While in an active subscription with the Online services, your save files will be automatically backed up to Nintendo’s servers.
- A dedicated Switch Online companion app — Nintendo is creating a companion mobile app for the Switch Online service, which will have voice chat support and even supplementary services for some games.
- Special offers — Nintendo promised they’ll be revealing more goodies in the coming days but for now, they’re calling the 5th feature as special offers.
As for the costs, here they are:
Individual
- 1 Month — $3.99 (~Php 215)
- 3 Months — $7.99 (~Php 431)
- 12 Months –$19.99 (~Php 1,079)
Family Membership (up to 7 other accounts)
- 12 Months — $34.99 (~Php 1,889)
Super Smash Bros Ultimate bundle
- As we’ve said before, Nintendo will surely milk the cow out of Super Smash Bros. As such, they’ve finally revealed the special package for the game that comes with a special dock, a set of JoyCons, and a download code for the game.
Special NES JoyCons
- To be able to truly experience classic gameplay of the NES era, Nintendo created new JoyCons that are pretty much like the classic NES controllers. They’re not your typical JoyCons as they only have the necessary buttons for playing NES games but they can be docked on the console for charging. A pair costs $59.99 (~Php 3,238).
And there you have it! These are the highlights of the recently concluded Direct. If you wish to watch the entire live stream, as well as the other titles announced, you can click on this link here.
