Remember last time I did a write-up of a Nintendo Direct, and I wasn’t really interested in most of what they showed off? Well, there was another one yesterday afternoon and it was a whopper. This time, I found myself profoundly interested in nearly all of the titles shown. That said, let’s take a more detailed dive into the presentation.
The first slew of games are all for 3DS, pretty much confirming my theory that Nintendo intends to keep riding the 3DS train until the end of time.
Wario Ware Gold – Yeah, I’m very interested in this. I haven’t played a Wario Ware game for what seems like forever, and they’re always super fun. But I don’t think I’m actually going to buy it. Since my budget is a lot tighter these days, the fact that I already own all the Wario Ware games I need is reason enough to take a pass on this “greatest hits” version.
Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers – I tried to get into the first Dillon game, but it was just so brutally difficult that I gave up on it less than halfway through. This one -the third in the series- really does look incredible, but I’m going to assume that it’s just as unforgiving as the original and save myself the trouble. I do really appreciate the unique combination of action and tower-defense, though.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story – I skipped the remake of Superstar Saga, but I may just bite on this one. BIS is far and away my favourite game in the Mario & Luigi series, and I’ve never gone back to replay it. However, I do still own the original cart, so there isn’t a lot of incentive to drop $50 on the remake, even if it does have a bunch of extra content. In fact, that may be less incentive, because my main complaint with the last couple M&L games is that they’re way longer than they needed to be.
Detective Pikachu – My brother has already confirmed that he’s buying a physical copy, so I’m just borrowing that once he’s done with it. That said, I cannot wait to play this! Pokémon + adventure game + gruff Pikachu is like the perfect formula for me! I have no interest in the giant Pikachu amiibo, however.
Luigi’s Mansion – I adore Luigi’s Mansion, I really do. But I’d rather play it on my TV, so the GameCube version will suffice. Besides, the paltry addition of a boss rush mode is not enough reason to double-dip on any game.
So, I probably won’t actually be buying any of the announced 3DS games, but I think it’s a really solid lineup! If I had more disposable income, I would absolutely be disposing it into the 3DS eShop in the months to come. And now we get to the much more enticing part of the show… the upcoming Switch games.
Kirby Star Allies – After playing the demo that came out last weekend, I had firmly convinced myself that I could pass on this. But now they tell me that the animal friends and friggin’ Marx will be playable characters coming up in free DLC. Way to strike me right in the weak point, Nintendo! Oh well, I guess it’s just my destiny to play all the Kirby games.
Okami HD – Okami is a beautiful and very fun Zelda-esque adventure. But I never finished it on PS2, haven’t played the PS3 HD version at all, and barely touched the DS sequel. It would be very irresponsible of me to purchase it again. However, being a Capcom game, it will inevitably go on sale for $5 in six to nine months. That’s when I will strike!
Sushi Striker – Literally nothing about this appeals to me.
Octopath Traveller – I’ve been really excited about this classic-style JRPG from the Bravely Default team since it was originally revealed. But now that it has been revealed that you can mix and match your characters’ job skills (each combination resulting in a different costume), I am frothing with anticipation. Frothing, I tell you!
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes – At present, this is my most hotly anticipated Switch game. I am a huge No More Heroes fan, and even though the gameplay is radically different, it’s still got that NMH style to it. Plus there’s a cool two-player mode, and it’s looking like a riff on different video game genres, so I’m even more hyped than ever. Punk’s not dead!
Dark Souls Remastered – I was joking with my brother yesterday morning how silly it would be for Dark Souls to have amiibo support like Skyrim, and how impossibly crazy it would be to announce actual Dark Souls amiibo. AND THEN THEY WENT AND DID JUST THAT. GET OUT OF MY BRAIN, FROM SOFTWARE.
Mario Tennis Aces – Unlike the last few Mario Tennis games, this actually looks really good. Lots of interesting new risk/reward mechanics, and Chain Chomp is somehow a playable character!? But knowing me, it’s still a sports game and I’ll still get bored of it after like a week (at best).
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – I am still unclear whether this is a whole new game, or just a port of the Wii U version. If it’s a new game or if the additional content is substantial, I’ll definitely go in on it. Captain Toad is an amazing game and I’d love to get my hands on more. But if it’s just a straight port with a handful new levels, I’ll just play it on Wii U again. Funny story: I correctly predicted this one too.
Undertale – About friggin’ time! I mean, I don’t think Undertale is the kind of game that I want to play more than once (it would kind of ruin the point), but I’m happy that it’s here for anyone else that wants it.
Crash Bandicoot: N-Sane Trilogy – I don’t like Crash Bandicoot games. I don’t care.
Little Nightmares – I have no idea what this is, but it looks so cool. The creepy monster design is exactly the kind of thing I love. But I’m not sure if it actually looks like it’s fun. So that’s something I’m going to have to look into. I have a very bad habit of buying horror games on the aesthetic alone, and it turns out that they’re kind of balls to play. Something I need to stop doing.
South Park: The Fractured but Whole – I’m super happy that this is coming to Switch, but I have no intent on actually playing it. It looks like I’d really enjoy it, but I’ll get back to you once I get around to playing The Stick of Truth (which may very well be never).
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition – We’ve been over this. As much as I enjoy it, and as much as I want to be able to play it in HD, I’ve already puchased this game and all of its DLC twice now, and I just cannot bear to buy it a third time.
Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion DLC – All the free content updates for Splatoon 2 have been great, so I really don’t mind that they’re rolling out a paid DLC expansion. It’s a whole new single-player campaign, along with something I’ve been wanting from the very start: the ability to play the multiplayer modes as an octoling. And I’m super excited about it! The 80 new stages and new story content are really just icing on the cake for me.
Super Smash Brothers – Forget Travis, this is my NEW most hotly anticipated Switch game! SMASH! SMAAAASSSH! I was literally jumping up and down on my couch in glee as I watched this reveal. The inclusion of Splatoon’s inklings is awesome, but the itty-bitty teaser created more questions than it answered. The biggest one: is this a new game or an updated port of Smash 4? The most important one: is Mega Man going to come back?
Well, that’s it. It was a pretty even split between expected announcements and surprises, but one thing is for sure: looks like my bank account is going to be hurting bad over the next few months. Oh, and for good measure, I’ve embedded the complete Direct below.