Today, Nintendo held a Nintendo Direct, showcasing new software (and hardware) coming out within the first half of 2018.
The Nintendo Direct presentation kicked off with Nintendo 3DS announcements, highlighting some of the releases coming later this year. Wario Ware Gold was the first one to be shown off. Releasing August 3rd, Wario Ware Gold contains a collection of micro-games from past Wario Ware titles, all combined into one for the New Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Nintendo 2DS XL. From there, Nintendo went on to announce a re-release of the Nintendo Gamecube’s Luigi’s Mansion, a re-release of Mario & Luigi: Bower’s Inside Story, and a brand new title called Dillion’s Dead-Heat Breakers.
Nintendo didn’t stop there, as there were plenty of announcements to go through for the Nintendo Switch. Bandai Namco’s Dark Souls will be receiving a network test in the near future, where gamers can receive their first hands-on playtest of the game for the Nintendo Switch. The company also announced that a Solaire of Astora amiibo will launch alongside the game on May 25th, giving players the ability to “praise the sun” with a brand new emote in the game.
We also received some really surprising news from the Nintendo Direct, including the announcement of Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy coming to the Nintendo Switch on July 10th, Undertale releasing later this year, and Ubisoft’s South Park: The Fractured But Whole releasing on April 24th with the game’s DLC available for purchase. All three of these games were unexpected announcements but goes to prove that Nintendo is gaining its third-party trust again since their Nintendo Wii U flop.
Mario Tennis: Aces looks like it is Nintendo’s main focus for this Summer, with the game taking up a third of the Nintendo Direct. They showcased a lot of the game’s new features including Zone Shot, an ability that lets you aim with precision and give the chance to break the other player’s racquet. There will be more than 15 new characters available to play when the game launches, including the ability to unlock more characters through online multiplayer. Specific details on how this functionality will work have yet to be announced, but we are expecting to hear more information leading up to the game’s official launch on June 22nd, 2018.
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido will launch for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS on June 8th with Okami HD arriving later this Summer. Besides that, some gameplay was shown for Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, but no specific details regarding its release or price has been announced as of yet.
Release date announcements were also made for select upcoming games. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition will launch for the Nintendo Switch on May 18th, Little Nightmares: Complete Edition will arrive on May 18th, and Octopath Traveller (Formally Project Octopath) will see a release on July 13th, 2018, alongside a special edition of the game which includes some physical goodies.
Splatoon 2 is receiving a hefty expansion later this year, including paid content named the Octo expansion. This expansion includes a brand new single-player experience in where you play the new character Agent 8. As you complete challenges and tasks, you will assist Agent 8 in regaining her memories. No price or release date has been given for this expansion, but Nintendo mentioned it will arrive this summer. A new update will also be headed to Splatoon 2 which will include a new rank, new stages and costumes for use in multiplayer.
The announcement reel ended with a teaser of Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo Switch. It is not yet known if this game will be a port of the Nintendo Wii U version of the game or its own entity. So far, all we know is that the Splatoon characters will presumably make an appearance along with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s Link. We expect to hear more information of this announcement closer to this year’s E3.
What was your favorite announcement from the Nintendo Direct? Are you excited for Super Smash Bros.? Let us know in the comments below!
