Here Are The Highlights From Today’s Nintendo Direct!
This afternoon, a good portion of the gaming community tuned in to the latest Nintendo Direct presentation. For just a second shy of 11 and a half minutes, Nintendo bombarded fans with news of upcoming games for both the Switch and the 3DS. On the off chance you missed it, perhaps you had adult things to do or were napping, you can find the entire Nintendo Direct just below this sentence.
The video covered a ton of content so rather than go through it piece by piece, let’s take a look at the heavy hitters!
The headliners were ARMS and Splatoon 2. In the ARMS segment of the video (that I think kind of dragged on a bit), viewers were introduced to a new combatant, the Eastern culture-flavored Minmin. Along with Minmin, fans got a glimpse at different fighting strategies, such as equipping two different weapon types, as well as additional modes of play, like the 2-versus-2 matches. More information was also released about what makes each fighter different. Minmin, for example, can deflect projectiles with a timed kick as well as make use of a powered-up dragon arm to unleash extra damage. ARMS has a release date of June 16.
Out of all the games shown, I think Splatoon 2 is the one likely to produce the most buzz. The game’s segment showcased new gameplay mechanics, like reviving a teammate. The new mode shown was called Salmon Rush and focused on acquiring orbs dropped by enemies upon defeat. It looks like the big boss baddies yield the orbs needed to complete the main objective for the level. Splatoon 2 will ship on July 21 on the Nintendo Switch with an additional Direct leading up to the game’s release.
The Pikmin series makes its inaugural voyage to the Nintendo 3DS in Hey! PIKMIN. Players can expect the same alien-tossing and puzzle-solving they love but in a side-scrolling format. And for those amiibo maniacs out there (we are looking at you, Jonathan!), a special Pikmin amiibo will be sold the same day as the game’s release, July 28.
Speaking of amiibo, twelve additional figures are scheduled to be released this summer. First, The Legend of Zelda gets three more versions of Link on June 23. Those versions are Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword. And on July 21, there are amiibo for the three Super Smash Bros. fighters, Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta. There will be two versions of each of those three characters. Also coming in July are three Splatoon 2 amiibo, featuring an Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy, and you guessed it, an Inkling Squid.
One game I am particularly excited about is Ever Oasis, heading to the Nintendo 3DS on June 23. It is an Action-RPG by Koichi Ichii, the brain behind the Mana series. Nintendo will reveal more about this title as we get closer to June.
What announcements got your blood pumping? Let us know in the comments!
