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While it was short on blockbuster announcements, Nintendo included a lot of fun surprises in their E3 presentation. Here’s everything we learned.
The event started with the announcement that Nintendo is adding Kazuya from the Tekken series to Smash Bros. Ultimate. Kazuya is the character owned by Bandai-Namco, the co-developer of Ultimate, to be added as a fighter to the game. He’s also the third fighter added in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, following Ken from Street Fighter and Terry from Final Fight. Lead developer Masahiro Sakurai shared a short video highlighting Kazuya’s moveset and said a presentation focused solely on Kazuya will air June 28.
Square Enix’s Guardians of the Galaxy is (somewhat surprisingly) coming to the Switch, which may explain why the graphics weren’t as impressive as expected when it debuted at the Square Enix Presents showcase. Square Enix is also bringing Life is Strange: True Colors and the Life is Strange Remastered Collection to Switch.
Super Monkey Ball Mania, a remastered collection of the first 3 Super Monkey Ball titles, is coming to Switch October 5.
Mario Party Superstars brings back 100 fan favorite minigames and 5 boards from the Nintendo 64 era. It’s scheduled for October 29.
The title brings back 100 fan favorite minigames and 5 boards from the Nintendo 64 era. It releases October 29.
Nintendo wasn’t ready to show footage from the long-in-development Metroid Prime 4, but shared the first look at Metroid Dread, from Metroid: Samus Returns developer Mercury Steam.
It’s described as an endnote of the overarching story of the 2D Metroid series, following up the events of the Game Boy Advance game Metroid Fusion. The idea first materialized 15 years ago, but Nintendo gave up on it due to the limitations of technology available at the time. Only when Mercury Steam got involved did they figure out how to realize their vision. You can learn more about the game by watching the Nintendo Treehouse stream.
Metroid Dread comes out October 8. A deluxe edition featuring a steelbook case, an art book, and cards will be offered for. A pair of Metroid amiibo release the same day.
Nintendo offered another look at Mario Golf: Super Rush, scheduled for June 25, featuring its 4 modes: Standard Mode, Speed Golf, Battle Golf, and Golf Adventure. The game will also provide free updates, one of which seems to be a course set in New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey.
WarioWare: Get it Together was announced with a trailer showing off some of its many microgames. Nintendo revealed that it includes a co-op mode. The new WarioWare comes out on September 10.
Nintendo followed up WarioWare pair of JRPG’s, Shin Megami Tensei V and Dangan ronpa Decadence.
Nintendo’s beloved military turn-based tactics franchises returns with Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, which remakes the first two games in the series using 3D models. That comes out December 3.
The E3 Nintendo Direct ended with a series of Legend of Zelda announcements tied to its 35th Anniversary. First, Nintendo shard new info about the expansion pass for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The first expansion, titled Pulse of the Ancients is available starting June 18. Nintendo also reminded viewers that Skyward Sword HD is releasing on July 16.
Additionally, Nintendo is releasing a Zelda-themed Game & Watch similar to the one Mario received last year for his 35th anniversary. The new Game & Watch includes the original The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and the Game Boy version of Link’s Awakening. It releases November 12.
The Nintendo E3 Direct ended with new footage from the long-awaited sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that showed off some of Link’s new abilities and teased the threat he and Princess Zelda will face.
The series’ lead developer Eiji Aonuma revealed that the setting of the game has been expanded to include not just Hyrule but also the skies above it. Aonuma says the team is “aiming” for a 2022 release, so don’t expect to have the game in your hands any sooner than next Fall. It’s a long time to wait but if it’s half as good as Breath of the Wild it should be well worth it.