The 9/4 Nintendo Direct managed to come with enough strong announcements to pack a punch, even if a few of the surprises were spoiled beforehand.
Nintendo decided to kick off yesterday’s 40-minute Direct with Overwatch, which will finally come to Switch owners on Oct. 15. On its own, Blizzard’s first-person hero shooter coming to Switch could have been a megaton reveal, but a few leaks from before the Direct’s premiere dampened what could have been a serious impact.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Pokémon Sword and Shield also got a few updates in anticipation of the games’ release dates on Oct. 31 and Nov. 15 respectively. Luigi’s Mansion will receive a party game-type mode that will allow for eight players to play on one Nintendo Switch, while the Pokémon update showed off the game’s dense customization and Pokémon care options.
Nintendo also took the opportunity to thoroughly describe most of the new mechanics and features coming to the Animal Crossing series when Animal Crossing: New Horizons launches March 20, 2020.
Deadly Premonition fans perhaps walked away from the Direct as the biggest winners, as fans of the cult-classic series got a 2020 sequel announcement alongside a Switch remaster in the form of Deadly Premonition Origins, with the latter released shortly after the Direct aired.
Yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, as with many Directs in the past, served as a means to shadow-drop more than a few surprises. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s third DLC character — Banjo-Kazooie — was certainly one of the more notable “out today” reveals. However, do not forget to check out free-to-start title Super Kirby Clash and Larian Studios’ critically successful RPG, Divinity: Original Sin 2, as these both are now suddenly available on Switch too.
Starting today, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will have a little less to gripe about after Nintendo includes SNES titles in its digital subscriber library. That’s right — classics like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and plenty more will become available to players later today, with more SNES titles coming later down the line.
Return of the Obra Dinn, an artsy investigative narrative-driven title from developer 3909 LLC, is getting its very own Switch port, too, with a planned release of autumn of this year.
While some of Pokémon studio Game Freak has had its hands full with Sword and Shield, it still found some time to show off more of its original IP, Little Town Hero. This quaint RPG is coming on Oct. 16, 2019.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is bringing Tokyo Mirage Sessions and more Fire Emblem to Nintendo Switch owners in the form of a lively crossover on Jan. 17, 2020.
Bethesda made an appearance in the Direct, bringing with it a DOOM 64 reveal that is set to launch Nov. 22 of this year.
Hi-Rez Studios announced its new IP, Rogue Company. This game is set to come sometime in 2020 and looks like one of the more visually impressive offerings on Switch yet.
Nintendo’s “one more thing” announcement of the day was Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, which promises an upgraded version of the original Wii game.
Something to note that was only shown off in the Japanese version of the Direct is Dragon Quest I, II, and III were all revealed to be coming to the Japanese eShop on Sept. 27.
Following the Direct was a Smash Bros. presentation that went in-depth with details on Banjo & Kazooie. The presentation also housed a few more reveals, like the return of fan-favorite mode Home-Run Contest and a new Mii Fighter outfit for Undertale’s Sans. This also gave franchise mastermind Masahiro Sakurai more time to talk about newly announced Fatal Fury newcomer Terry Bogard and Nintendo’s decision to continue to produce more Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC past its originally planned Fighters Pass.
Check out the full Nintendo Direct and its accompanying Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation down below.
