Nintendo shared a wealth of details about Pokemon Sword and Shield during last week's dedicated Pokemon Direct, but that didn't mean Tuesday's livestream didn't have some new information about the upcoming Pokemon RPGs. During its E3 Direct, Nintendo revealed that Pokemon Sword and Shield will be compatible with the Poke Ball Plus.
The Poke Ball Plus is the Poke Ball-shaped controller that released alongside last year's Pokemon games, Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. As we learned during the Direct, you'll be able to send some of your Pokemon from Sword and Shield to the Poke Ball Plus and take them with you on walks, just as you could in Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. Nintendo teases that something good may happen if you bring your Pokemon with you.
However, it doesn't appear you'll be able to use the Poke Ball Plus as a controller for Sword and Shield. The Let's Go games could be played entirely using the Poke Ball Plus, but it seems its functionality with Sword and Shield is limited to taking monsters with you on walks. The Poke Ball Plus retails for $50 USD / £45. If you use it with Let's Go Pikachu or Eevee, you'll also receive the Mythical Pokemon Mew.
That wasn't the only Pokemon news we got. During the Treehouse livestream that followed the E3 Direct, Nintendo shared some new details about Raid Battles in Sword and Shield. These Raids are cooperative battles in which up to four players can team up to battle a giant-sized Pokemon. You'll be able to take part in Max Raids either locally or online.
Pokemon Sword and Shield launch for Switch on November 15. We learned a lot about the games during last week's Pokemon Direct. We met some of their new characters, as well as a handful of new Gen 8 Pokemon. We also got a glimpse at a new battle mechanic called Dynamaxing, which can supersize Pokemon for a limited time during combat. You can read more about the games in our Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-order guide.
Those attending E3 will get a chance to preview some of Nintendo's upcoming games first-hand, but for those of us not at the event, there's still a huge Nintendo Eshop sale to take advantage of starting today. The sale just kicked off, and it will run through June 18 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET.
The Nintendo E3 sale includes markdowns up to 50% or even more on both first-party Nintendo games and indie titles. My Nintendo members will also earn My Nintendo points on eligible purchases.
Luckily, you have about a week to check out these deals, and we highly recommend you do, as the Eshop currently has some of the best discounts we've seen on certain Switch games. That includes critically acclaimed titles like Super Mario Odyssey, which is only $40.19, and Hollow Knight, which is down to $7.50.
During its E3 2019 presentation, Nintendo announced a title and a new release date for its Switch Animal Crossing game. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is coming next spring, signifying a delay out of 2019. While the presentation covered the basics, Nintendo revealed even more details in its post-show Treehouse presentation.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons will feature couch co-op, according to the company. You can share your Joy-Con controllers to play with a friend, letting you gather resources, do chores, and live in the Animal Crossing world together. It supports up to four players locally, and up to eight players online.
In this game you're charged with helping to establish a town from a deserted island. As a result you start out in a tent, but with a little elbow grease you can make it into a bustling burg. Animal Crossing: New Horizons will launch on March 20, 2020.
One of the biggest third-party announcements to come out of Nintendo's 2019 E3 Direct presentation was that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be coming to Switch later this year. Right on cue after the reveal, CD Projekt Red lead PR manager Radek Grabowski tweeted out a still of one of the game's most infamous moments, captured on Switch: Geralt taking a bath from the game's beginning. Behold him (and his feet, if you're into that), in all his glistening glory, as lovingly-rendered for Switch:
First released in 2015, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt brought the Polish fantasy series to massive new audiences, and put developer CD Projekt Red on the map in a big way. Its subsequent expansions, Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone, were also critically acclaimed, and will be included with the Switch port, set to release at an unspecified date later this year. CD Projekt Red's main project at this E3, however, is the hotly-anticipated Cyberpunk 2077, which a surprise Keanu Reeves revealed would be coming out in April 2020 during Microsoft's E3 event.
Nintendo packed a load of other announcements into its Direct presentation, such as Banjo-Kazooie and Dragon Quest characters coming to Smash, more details on Link's Awakening, and an initial tease of Breath of the Wild 2. Check out everything Nintendo revealed during E3 2019 here.
During a Nintendo Treehouse Live segment directly following Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct presentation, we learned more about Pokemon Sword and Shield's Max Raid Battles. The games' producer, Junichi Masuda, and director, Shigeru Ohmori, were on stage detailing some of the features we were first introduced to during the June 5 Pokemon Direct; this included a demo of a Max Raid Battle, in which four players team up to take down an incredibly powerful Pokemon.
In Sword and Shield, Max Raids involve Dynamaxed Pokemon, or Pokemon who have become huge in size and more powerful. Up to four players can queue up to Raid, and once they're all ready, they each choose one Pokemon to take into the battle. In this case, the Max Raid Pokemon was a giant Steelix, who was shown in silhouette before the battle.
Once in the Raid, each player chooses their next move like any other Pokemon battle. Previews of these attacks seem to appear in the top-left corner of the screen, signaling each Pokemon's next move--they're icons representing things like attacks or defensive moves like Reflect. This seems to be a feature designed to help players strategize during the Raid.
Additionally, we saw that the Max Raid Pokemon can (or will) put up a barrier shield at some point in the battle. A five-section meter for this barrier appears under its HP, and the Pokemon will not take damage until the barrier has been broken, like how a Substitute works. The barrier seems to be unaffected by the involved Pokemon's type advantages or stats, so even weaker Pokemon can contribute to taking down the barrier. In this particular demo, once the barrier fell, Steelix's defense and special defense harshly fell, making it easier to take it down. After the Max Raid Pokemon's HP is knocked out, each player has a chance to catch it.
A new Astral Chain trailer was shown at Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct presentation. It offered another glimpse of the game in action with some over-the-top combat and boss fights.
In Astral Chain, you play as one of two special forces soldiers who partner with a living, robotic weapon called Legion for combat and solving puzzles. While swords and fists flew, dialogue from various characters played alluding the melodrama of the Astral Chain's plot. There still wasn't much to go by, unfortunately, but what we heard certainly got us excited to play.
Astral Chain is the latest game from renowned developer, Platinum Games, who is most known for Bayonetta, Nier Automata, and more. The game is set to launch for Nintendo Switch on August 30, 2019.
For the latest news, previews, and gameplay from E3 2019, be sure to check our E3 hub. If you're interested in the other press conferences, be sure to check out our full E3 2019 press conference schedule, which includes links to everything shown so far.
Nintendo once again began the first official morning of E3 2019 with a Nintendo Direct presentation that outlined its own plans for the coming year--and beyond, considering we got a teaser for a Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel. While it was chock full of numerous announcements about games, DLC, and updates for this summer, holiday season, and beyond, the company included a few surprise releases of games you can download right now. Here's what you can find on the Eshop beginning today, along with a Zelda spin-off game arriving later this week.
Contra Anniversary Collection ($20)
The Contra Anniversary Collection was previously announced, but its stealth-release still came as a surprise. It includes a wide array of games from the notoriously difficult shooter series, including both the NES and Arcade versions of Contra, Super C, Contra 3: The Alien Wars, Hard Corps, and more. For true completists it also includes the Europe-only Probotector games.
Collection of Mana ($40)
For fans of Japanese RPGs, the Seiken Densetsu series is a lost treasure. With the release of the Collection of Mana, players can play these games again, or even try some for the first time. It includes Seiken for the Game Boy--previously released in America as Final Fantasy Adventure--along with Secret of Mana and the hard-to-find Seiken Densetsu 3--aka Trials of Mana. Separately, Nintendo also revealed an HD remake of Trials of Mana, coming next year.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Expansion Pass ($20)
While not exactly a game, you can start to prepare for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 by pre-ordering the Expansion Pass. The DLC will include franchises including Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Marvel Knights. The game will launch on July 19, and the extra content will follow after.
Cadence of Hyrule ($25, Releasing June 13)
Nintendo is lending its iconic Legend of Zelda characters and music to Crypt of the Necrodancer developer Brace Yourself, for a rhythmic Zelda spin-off. Though it isn't available to download quite yet, it is coming on Thursday, June 13 to close out the E3 week festivities.
There's something very familiar, and yet very different, about Wolfenstein: Youngblood. The budget-priced spin-off carries on the dark-but-absurd sci-fi Nazi-fighting story of BJ Blazkowicz, but makes enough changes that it feels like something new. Playing a couple of Youngblood's levels ahead of E3 2019, the differences were a bit jarring.
The jarring part is that, as a spin-off game, Youngblood isn't always exactly what you expect from MachineGames' Wolfenstein series. Youngblood overall has more of an arcade bent than the series that spawned it (although it also goes harder on RPG-like aspects--more on that in a minute). As a cooperative game, Youngblood also feels a little less strategic about blasting Nazis than Wolfenstein: The New Order or Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus did. It's delivering a different kind of shooter experience, one that's more about tag-teaming to clear a room and revive each other, while high-fiving along the way.
If you're not familiar, Youngblood is a spin-off cooperative game in which you take on the role of one of BJ's twin daughters, Sophie and Jessica, who battle together throughout the campaign. The other twin is controlled either by another player through online co-op, or by the game's artificial intelligence, but the relationship between Jess and Soph is central to what MachineGames is doing. The two daughters have the fighting spirit and training that made their parents such effective Nazi-fighters, but they're young, inexperienced, and a little goofy. Luckily, they both have Wolfenstein's spiffy power armor, which means they can go toe-to-toe with anything the Nazis can throw at them.
In an interview with GameSpot, executive producer Jerk Gustafsson said the studio is going for a more adventure feel with Youngblood. The game is lighter in tone (as well as in content compared to the main Wolfenstein games--it's a budget title with a $30 price tag) than its predecessors, and its protagonists reflect that.
"It's more of an adventurous type, you know, where we use movies like The Goonies as a reference, for example," Gustafsson said.
Finding Blazko
In the cinematics leading up to the levels MachineGames previewed, you get a sense of Jess and Soph's upbringing and their wide-eyed optimism despite living in a Nazi-dominated world. The twin teenagers are eager to get into the kinds of scrapes and adventures they've heard about from their parents--apparently BJ's tortured warrior-poet vibe has been lost on his offspring. When they discover their father is missing, Soph and Jess come off like a pair of Nancy Drews or the Hardy Boys (they even refer to each other using the names of the two boy detectives from an in-universe novel series they read). They quickly team with Abby, the daughter of FBI head Grace Walker from The New Colossus, to track BJ down.
Soph and Jess's relationship is constantly on display in Youngblood; their back-and-forth adds a lot of character to the game. Of course, they're a great deal younger than BJ and lack that simmering sense of the horrors of war that has informed MachineGames' take on the character. That lends to the arcade-like Nazi-blasting feel of Youngblood--Soph and Jess are wrecking crowds of Nazis and having a great time doing it.
"We always try to find that sense of humor in everything, even if it's dark," Gustafsson said. "It's also, of course, a serious subject that we have to be a bit careful about, but I do like that dark humor that we have managed to integrate into this. But this being a spin-off, and the way that we're doing it with the '80s [setting], I think it makes sense for us to try to have a little bit lighter tone to it--and try to make it a spin-off in that sense as well, and not always stick to what we have done previously."
From a gameplay standpoint, co-op adds a new dimension to MachineGames' Wolfenstein formula of creating lots of options during combat. Most rooms have multiple entry points, allowing you to slip in steadily or blast your way in, or any combination of the two. With a second person, Youngblood provides you a lot more opportunities to coordinate and work together as you take slightly different paths to the same place. But this is still Wolfenstein--Youngblood is tough, requiring you to take down enemies fast, keep an eye on your health and armor levels, and help each other out. If you get dropped, your teammate can revive you as in other cooperative games. Jess and Soph can also offer each other "pep ups" with a button push; hit it, and the sisters shout some encouragement to one another that results in a small stat boost.
You Got Your RPG In My Nazi Shooter
Youngblood marries its fast co-op combat with several RPG systems that further push it away from the more linear single-player experience of the mainline Wolfenstein games. Once you fight through the first few early levels, you reach a hub area that lets you choose which missions to attack and in what order. Soph and Jess level up as you play the game, and missions are marked by their level difficulty--you can take on the ones above your level if you want, but they're going to be a lot tougher (and award more experience points), Gustafsson explained. Enemies also have levels akin to what you might see in something like Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, along with big health bars that let you see how hard they are to take down.
Like The New Order and The New Colossus, Youngblood also has a perk system that lets you unlock new abilities as you play, but it doesn't function in quite the same way as in the mainline games. Here, the ability to dual-wield guns, throw knives, or execute stealthy takedowns are unlocked piecemeal with experience points, and you can amp up your guns and equipment with Silver Coins you find throughout the game. That makes Youngblood more customizable than the past games, because you can pretty much get whatever you want as you soon as you have the currency required to unlock it. That also lets you give Soph and Jess differing but complementary abilities.
In the two levels we played, working together in levels filled with Nazis was a lot of fun. Wolfenstein's difficulty and quick, responsive gunplay mean that you feel powerful throughout the game, but you also have to work together with your partner in every encounter. Youngblood does a great job of capturing that feeling of two people kicking down a door and wrecking everyone inside, but its largely run-and-gun nature is balanced such that you have to talk to your teammate and work together, or the baddies are going to wallop you with their superior numbers.
Still, the RPG focus and arcade-style action are very different from other Wolfenstein games and take a little getting used to. Youngblood feels a great deal more "gamey" than MachineGames' other titles. That's part of the point here, as Gustafsson said. MachineGames started from the standpoint of wanting to build a co-op game and went from there--but it also wanted to take a different path than it did with The New Order, its spin-off The Old Blood, and The New Colossus.
"The main reason that this game is very different is that we all as a studio, we want to try to do something new and do something different, right?" he said. "And not to say, we might just go back to exactly what we have done previously for the next game, but it's also refreshing for the team. It's fresh air to some extent. We really enjoy it. I think this will probably be our most entertaining game, and it's fun to play."
With a competent friend, Youngblood is a lot of fun thanks to MachineGames' strong handle on its twitch shooter mechanics. That said, with its RPG aspects and more arcadey gameplay, it's different enough that it might put some Wolfenstein fans off who want more of the broodier BJ. Those folks will be missing out on two great characters in Soph and Jess, though; Youngblood might take some getting used to, but Wolfenstein's two new protagonists are worth putting in the time.
The company saved a few of the biggest surprises for the end, though. A new trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate revealed Banjo-Kazooie is joining the fray, and then the presentation ended with the first look at a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Check out the trailers below, and keep up with all of the news out of Nintendo from E3. We'll be adding additional trailers as they become available.
A Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel Is In Development
The biggest piece of news from Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct was the reveal of a Breath of the Wild sequel. Not much is known about the game, and Nintendo didn't provide a release date or window, but at least we know the company's hard at work on another adventure for Link and Zelda.
Animal Crossing (Finally), But It's Been Delayed
Yes, it's been delayed to 2020, but we finally know the game's name--Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The upcoming installment will take players to uncharted territory as you board the Nook Inc. charter, which travels to a deserted island. At present, the game is set to debut on March 20, 2020.
We finally got a look at Luigi's Mansion 3. The ghost adventure came with both a release window and a gameplay trailer showing off lots of frights and ghost-wrangling action. Luigi's Mansion 3 will spook the Nintendo Switch sometime this year.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Gets Release Date
Link will embark on another adventure in the beautifully-reimagined Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. In addition to the game announcement, Nintendo is manufacturing a cute little Link Amiibo for prosperity. Both the game and Amiibo are set to launch on September 20.
Astral Chain Release Date Revealed
PlatinumGames' third-person, anime-action game Astral Chain has received a release date. Developers of the Bayonetta series, NieR: Automata, and more showed off an electric trailer highlighting the game's combat and boss fights. It will launch on August 30.
The Witcher 3: Complete Edition Revealed
While it was previously rumored, developer CD Projekt Red and Nintendo have confirmed the Nintendo Switch existence of The Witcher 3. No definitive release date has been given, but Nintendo did state that the third-person action game will arrive on the Nintendo Switch sometime this year
In a Nintendo Direct that kicked off the first official day of E3 2019, Nintendo confirmed the name and release date for Animal Crossing's highly anticipated debut on Nintendo Switch. It'll be called Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and unfortunately, it's delayed. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was initially planned to launch in 2019, but now, the title will release on March 20, 2020.
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, your character will be ferried (via the Nook, Inc. charter) to a deserted island, where they can set up a tent and start growing their own town through many of the same activities seen in previous Animal Crossing games: crafting items, shaking trees, fishing, and more.
As the new release date for Animal Crossing: New Horizons draws closer, we're sure to receive additional information about the game and get more of a look at its gameplay, but for now, Animal Crossing fans can at least be satisfied knowing a full game title and date. Pre-order listings are already starting to go live for the game, so if you already know you'll be buying Animal Crossing: New Horizons on day one, you might as well go ahead and secure your copy below.
Pre-order Animal Crossing: New Horizons standard edition
The standard edition will come with the base game and any pre-order bonuses announced later.
Nintendo followed the teaser with a short statement that read, "The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now in development." No release date, title, or further details were announced. The teaser trailer, which you can watch above, showed Link traveling with Zelda herself on horseback. The video also featured some eerie music and a stunning landscape similar to the one seen in the original game.
The first game was released as a cross-generation launch title for the Nintendo Switch. It received universal acclaim, including a 10/10 in GameSpot's Zelda: Breath of the Wild review. Our critic, Peter Brown, wrote: "No matter how gorgeous its environments are, how clever its enemies are, and how tricky its puzzles get, the fact that Breath of the Wild continues to surprise you with newfound rules and possibilities after dozens of hours is by far its most valuable quality. It's a game that allows you to feel gradually more and more empowered yet simultaneously manages to retain a sense of challenge and mystery--which, together, creates a steady, consistent feeling of gratification throughout the entire experience. Breath of the Wild is a defining moment for The Legend of Zelda series, and the most impressive game Nintendo has ever created."
It's not exactly Banjo-Threeie, but this announcement might be just as exciting. Confirmed today at the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct, Banjo-Kazooie, that is, Banjo the bear and Kazooie the breegull are coming to the greatest crossover in video games: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The duo will be rubbing shoulders and trading fists and feathers with the likes of Mario, Link, and Pikachu, as well as other guest characters like Joker from Persona 5 the Hero from Dragon Quest, who was announced at the same presentation.
In traditional Nintendo fashion, the reveal didn't come without a rustle. The announcement trailer began with Donkey Kong and his pal Diddy are chilling with their nemesis King K. Rool, when they're startled by something. It appears to be a bird--but it's not a breegull, just the duck from the Duck Hunt duo. Your guard is let down, but just for a second--Kazooie and Banjo pop out and all is right with the world.
If you're familiar with Banjo-Kazooie, their fighting style in Smash Bros. Ultimate won't have too many surprises. Banjo will throw punches, Kazooie will both fire eggs and use heris wings to help Banjo float and return to stage. Banjo-Kazooie will be available in Smash Bros. in Fall 2019.
Banjo-Kazooie wasn't the only character announced today--Japanese RPG fans can look forward to the Hero from Dragon Quest, who will arrive in Summer 2019. Hero will fight with a sword, shield, an assortment of magical spells, and his trusty Slime buddy.The hero can take the form of the protagonists from Dragon Quest 3, 4, 10, and 11. You can find more about him in our story.
In our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate review, we said "An inconsistent online mode and situational downers don't stop Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from shining as a flexible multiplayer game that can be as freewheeling or as firm as you want it to be. Its entertaining single-player content helps keep the game rich with interesting things to do, as well as bolstering its spirit of loving homage to the games that have graced Nintendo consoles. Ultimate's diverse content is compelling, its strong mechanics are refined, and the encompassing collection is simply superb."
During Nintendo's press conference at E3 2019, the company showed a sizzle reel of games coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2019 and beyond. Although it only appeared briefly, one of those games was a port of Creative Assembly's horror spooktacular, Alien: Isolation.
Originally released back in 2014 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, Alien: Isolation is a horror game set within the Alien universe of Xenomorphs, facehuggers, and bad-ass women with flamethrowers. The game sees you take on the mantle of Ellen Ripley's daughter Amanda, as she seeks information on her mother's disappearance aboard the Sevastopol, a derelict space station thrown into disarray due to a particularly frightening stowaway.
The reveal of Alien: Isolation's move to Switch is another feather in the cap for Nintendo's hybrid console, giving Switch owners the opportunity to play a triple-A horror game while out and about. It will be interesting to see how the port holds up.
Kevin VanOrd reviewed Alien: Isolation for GameSpot in 2014, awarding it a score of 6/10 and concluding his review by saying, "At least the ending brings with it a sense of relief. Some of this relief stems from the lingering fear of the alien's presence. You have left the game and its creature behind, never to smell the alien's putrid breath, never to witness its syrupy saliva, never to seek refuge in a claustrophobic locker and wish the beast away. More relieving is that you won't have to trudge through the same duct-lined corridors for another however-many hours, or have to repeat ten minutes of switch-pulling and keycard-searching after firing a bullet into a friendly's head because you presumed she might attack you, as so many dwellers do. Alien: Isolation provides us a glimpse into a future that holds the Alien game you've always wanted. It is not, however, the vessel that carries you there."
Alien: Isolation is due to arrive on the Nintendo Switch in 2019.
The trailer showcased more of the Legend of Zelda-themed Crypt of the Necrodancer game, including gameplay. As previously established, you can play as Cadence, Link, or Zelda in the music-based dungeon crawler. Move around and attack in time to the music and you'll be rewarded. Failing to do so will see you punished.
Cadence of Hyrule is coming to Switch in just a few days. The game will be released on June 13, which is right around the corner. Made by the same folks behind Crypt of the Necrodancer, Cadence of Hyrule is a roguelike and borrows most of its mechanics and features from Necrodancer. It will feature 25 remixed classic tracks from the Legend of Zelda series of games.
This is just one of multiple Switch games releasing this week. In fact, multiple games launch on the Eshop today, following the Direct.
In our Crypt of the Necrodancer review, Britton Peele wrote, "Regardless of your musical tastes, Crypt of the NecroDancer takes a proven but basic recipe and improves it with a seemingly simple twist. It would have been a fine roguelike game without its musical side, but the rhythm mechanic makes it a truly special experience."
The move sees Spyro follow in the footsteps of fellow original PlayStation mascot Crash Bandicoot, who returned in the remastered N. Sane Trilogy in 2017 on PS4 before that game was also ported to Xbox One and Switch. The Spyro Reignited Trilogy is also rumored to be coming to PC, but that is as yet unconfirmed.
We enjoyed the trilogy here at GameSpot, and critic Justin Clark awarded it an 8/10 in our Spyro Reignited Trilogy PS4 review. "The Reignited Trilogy is the best kind of collection that not only brings a beloved series up to current visual standards but also proves just how well-built the original titles were," he wrote. "Granted, the originals were done by a little studio called Insomniac, and it's not exactly surprising something that team did is a fine example of the genre. But the Reignited Trilogy's developer, Toys for Bob, deserves major kudos for bringing Insomniac's vision to life in the way we could've only dreamed in 1998."
The Contra franchise returns this year with a new Nintendo Switch game called Contra Rogue Corps. Announced during Nintendo's E3 2019 briefing, Rogues is a third-person, behind-the-shoulder title that also features moments that are presented from a top-down perspective and from the side. You can play solo or fight against other humans with online or local multiplayer.
The Contra series debuted all the way back in 1987, and since then Konami has continued to release new instalments, though releases have slowed in recent years. 2011's Hard Corps: Uprising is the latest instalment in the series, serving as a prequel to Contra: Hard Corps for the Sega Genesis.
Contra Rogue Corps is due for release on September 24, 2019
Nintendo's E3 briefing is the final major press conference of E3 2019. The end of the press conferences signals the opening of the E3 show floor later on Tuesday, June 11. The show runs through Thursday, June 13, and GameSpot is on-hand at the event to bring you all the news and videos from the show all week, so keep checking back for the latest.
One of the most anticipated games heading into E3 2019 was Animal Crossing for Switch, and now we've finally gotten our first look at it during Nintendo's latest Direct presentation. Now officially dubbed Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the upcoming installment has been pushed back to 2020, and it'll take the life sim series to uncharted territory--literally.
New Horizons begins with players boarding the Nook Inc. charter, which will ferry them to a deserted island where they'll set up a tent and establish their own town. As you settling into your new home, you'll do traditional Animal Crossing activities, such as shaking trees and catching fish. You'll also be able to craft tools and furniture using the materials you collect on the island at Tom Nook's workbench.
Nintendo first officially announced Animal Crossing: New Horizons during a Direct broadcast last September, after revealing that Isabelle would be joining Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's roster as a playable fighter. At the time, the game was slated to launch in 2019, but it'll now release on March 20, 2020.
Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct presentation brought us plenty of Switch news, and one of the upcoming games the publisher showed off was a new Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. The new entry will celebrate the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Mario and Sonic will be joined by friends from their respective universes, and they'll compete in sports such as surfing, skateboarding, sprinting, climbing, boxing, horse racing, swimming, fencing, soccer, baseball, hurdles, long jump, basketball, shot put, volleyball, BMX, and gymnastics. Though publisher Sega previously stated the game would arrive in the winter, Nintendo announced it will exclusively appear on the Nintendo Switch this November.
The Mario and Sonic series has become a mainstay of any Olympic tournament in recent years. The first title in the series was centered around the 2008 Beijing summer Olympics, and subsequent titles have taken the two mascots to Vancouver, London, Sochi, and Rio de Janeiro. The new Tokyo edition will, however, be the first time the series has come to Nintendo Switch.
Once again, Nintendo has ditched the typical livestream format adopted by most of the press conferences that precede E3 and is streaming a special E3 2019 Direct. The company has made plenty of announcements during the Direct, including the identity of the newest Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC fighters, the release date for the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and Breath of the Wild 2. Nintendo also revealed a new trailer and post-launch DLC details for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, the upcoming Nintendo Switch sequel.
In The Black Order trailer, we see a bunch of Marvel heroes and villains that will be featured in the game, including Hela, Surtur, Magneto (who somehow gets his hands on the Reality Infinity Stone), Miles Morales, Doctor Octopus, Ghost Rider, Elektra, Kamala Khan, Gwen Stacey, Thor, Scarlet Witch, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Avengers. The trailer also showcases The Black Order's main antagonist, Thanos, will be rocking his original comic book look in the game.
The trailer also reveals that The Black Order will launch with a DLC expansion pass that adds additional playable characters to the game. With the pass, you'll gain access to characters from the Marvel Knights, X-Men, and Fantastic Four.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is the long-awaited sequel to the superhero-focused series. The original Marvel Ultimate Alliance established the origins of a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol that calls in every hero, regardless of affiliation, to work together in order to take on a world-ending threat. In the case of the first game, that threat was Dr. Doom. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 continues the story by loosely adapting the Civil War storyline, dividing the ultimate alliance of heroes into two opposing sides, with supervillains also joining the fray. It's still unclear whether The Black Order continues this storyline or not, but the threat this time around is Thanos and his lieutenants, The Black Order.
Releasing on July 19, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is a Nintendo Switch exclusive. It's one of two big Marvel games at E3, with the other being Square Enix's game Marvel's Avengers, which releases next year and has received some heat on the internet.
During Nintendo's E3 2019 presentation, it announced a new Contra game called Rogue Corps. But alongside that announcement, the company also revealed that the Contra Collection is available in the Nintendo eShop starting today.
The Contra Collection brings together an array of 10 classic Contra games, including the European Probotector games. The full collection includes Contra for arcade and NES, Super Contra for arcade and NES, Contra 3: Alien Wars, Contra: Hard Corps, Operation C for Game Boy, and the Probotector versions of Contra 3 and Hard Corps.
Panzer Dragoon, a remake of Sega's classic on-rails shooter, was announced for Nintendo Switch during the company's press conference at E3 2019.
Developed by Forever Entertainment's Megapixel Studio, the newly announced game is a remake of the first Panzer Dragoon, originally released for the Sega Saturn in 1995. "On a far, lone planet, you encounter two dragons awakened from the ancient times," the game's press release explains. "Armed with a deadly gun from the past, and the guidance of your armored blue dragon, you must fulfill your destiny and keep the Prototype Dragon from reaching the Tower, or die trying." Forever Entertainment promises the game will be true to the 1995 original, with improved graphics and controls placing it more in line with modern gaming standards.
The publisher initially announced its intentions to remake Panzer Dragoon and its sequel back in December 2018. This is the first we've heard of it since then, however, with Panzer Dragoon set to be released for the Nintendo Switch in winter 2019.
The sequel, Panzer Dragoon 2 Zwei, was originally released on the Sega Saturn a year after its predecessor, in 1996. Panzer Dragoon Mini also arrived that year, giving the Game Gear its own take on the series, followed by Panzer Dragoon Saga in 1998. The latter is a fan favorite, gracing the Saturn's twilight years with an RPG many consider to be on par, if not better, than the likes of Final Fantasy VII and Parasite Eve. It's unlikely we'll ever see a remaster of Saga, though, considering Sega reportedly lost the source code for the revered title.
The most recent entry in the series is 2002's Panzer Dragoon Orta for the original Xbox. Greg Kasavin reviewed it for GameSpot, rewarding it a 9/10 and saying, "Overall, Panzer Dragoon Orta is an outstandingly well-executed game, featuring gameplay that's easy to grasp but rewards continued practice, exceptional graphics and sound, a good story, and a lot of worthwhile extras. While the gameplay itself couldn't be called revolutionary, it draws on the conventions that once made shooters the most popular gaming genre in existence and refurbishes them with a few keen, new twists and a terrific presentation. This makes Panzer Dragoon Orta a game that almost any gamer would really like, while those who've kept up with the Panzer series over the years should be especially pleased that the series has evolved this well." You can currently play Orta via backwards compatibility on Xbox One, where you'll also find spiritual successor Crimson Dragon.
During its tradition E3 Direct, Nintendo revealed a brand-new trailer for Daemon x Machina. The trailer ended with a release date announcement: September 13.
Daemon x Machina is directed by Kenichiro Tsukuda, who previously worked on the Armored Core series. In this upcoming game, you pilot giant high-powered mech suits called Arsenals. You have a choice with how your suit is outfitted, switching between a variety of weapons for different playstyles. Your mission is to defend humanity from an army of robots, all of which are controlled by a rogue AI. The game will support both local and online multiplayer.
Travis Touchdown is coming back. Following rumors and teases, No More Heroes 3 was officially announced for Nintendo Switch during the Nintendo E3 2019 briefing today.
In No More Heroes 3, Travis Touchdown is the last hero around. He now has an armored suit and a new katana, so he seems to be more powerful than ever. The franchise's signature humor and general outlandish tone appears to remain intact with this third game for Nintendo Switch.
No More Heroes 3 launches in 2020. A specific release date was not announced.
Today's announcement is no big surprise, a. As designer Goichi Suda AKA Suda51 of developer Grasshopper Manufacture teased an E3 announcement back in May. The ending to the recent No More Heroes spin-off Travis Strikes Again very strongly suggested that a new No More Heroes game was in development.
The No More Heroes series has a come on Nintendo consoles. The franchise started with 2007's No More Heroes for Nintendo Wii. It was followed up by No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, which was also released on Wii. The spin-off Travis Strikes Again came out in early 2019 for Nintendo Switch. All of the games were published by Ubisoft in North America.
Nintendo has had a fairly busy E3 2019 Direct, the company's version of an E3 press conference. Among the many announcements that Nintendo made, the company revealed two more Resident Evil games are coming to Switch this fall.
The two ports are for Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6. Neither game is bad, but the majority of the Resident Evil fanbase considers both titles to be inferior to cult classic Resident Evil 4. Both games are a bit more action-focused in comparison to their more survival horror predecessors.
In our Resident Evil 5 review, Lark Anderson wrote, "Having a partner introduces new degrees of gameplay depth and dramatic tension that make the game that much more exciting to play. Though the slow, deliberate movement and shooting may not appeal to everyone, this new sequel's frequent large-scale battles and co-op play still offer a fun and exciting adventure."
In our Resident Evil 6 review, Kevin VanOrd wrote, "Series faithful might stumble through for the sake of story, and perhaps to appreciate those few moments that recall when Resident Evil was at its peak glory. But this long, poor sequel is the ultimate test of patience for even the most dedicated."
Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct has seen the company make several announcements for some of its most anticipated games, including Luigi's Mansion 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake. We were also treated to a new story trailer for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
Three Houses takes a Harry Potter approach to Fire Emblem's tactical role-playing, choice-driven narrative formula. You play as Byleth (either male or female), a teacher at the Officer's Academy. The academy is divided into three houses, each led by a powerful individual who hails from one of the three nations that make up the continent of Fódlan. Edelgard is the princess of the Adrestian Empire, Dimitri is the prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and Claude is the heir to the leading house of the Leicester Alliance.
At the start of Three Houses, you'll have to choose which student to take under your wing. From there, you're tasked with guiding them and their classmates as best you can. As soon-to-be leaders of their respective countries, your students must take part in real diplomatic negotiations and battles between their studies. Your actions and dialogue choices influence the type of leader they become and this in turn changes the direction of the overall story. Sometimes, your decisions might even lead to the death of a student.
Three Houses is a change of pace for Fire Emblem, as most of the series' previous titles put you on relatively equal footing with your followers as friends or lovers. In Three Houses, you're much older than the other main characters. Because of the age gap, there's an implication that Three Houses will not feature romance in the traditional sense. It would be a little odd for the game to allow a teacher to romance one of their students.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is scheduled to come to Nintendo Switch on July 26.
Update: The Link's Awakening release date wasn't the only big piece of Zelda news to come out of Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct. The company closed out the presentation with a huge surprise: a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in development for Switch. Nintendo didn't share many details about the game yet, but the reveal trailer gave us a look at Link and Zelda exploring an eerie, cavernous area. The original story follows.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake that was announced earlier this year was featured in Nintendo's E3 2019 briefing today. Nintendo had a pair of big announcements to make, including the reveal of a new mode and the game's release date.
The new mode is a dungeon-creator that looks and sounds pretty excellent. As its name suggests, the mode allows players to create their own, custom-made dungeons by placing chambers earned in the adventure mode. Once created, players can explore the dungeons. Conquering the various chambers will yield various rewards, Nintendo said.
As for the release date, Nintendo announced that Link's Awakening will launch on September 20.
Link's Awakening was originally released for the Game Boy all the way back in 1993. The new remake is the second major update to the title, following 1998's Link's Awakening DX, which was released for the Game Boy Color and featured color graphics and other new features.
Unlike most other games in the series, it isn't set in Hyrule, but rather the mysterious Koholint Island. After being shipwrecked, Link washes ashore the island and can only escape by retrieving eight magical instruments and waking the isle's guardian, the Wind Fish.
It had been rumored, but Nintendo made it official during its E3 2019 broadcast: CD Projekt Red's acclaimed role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming to Nintendo Switch. It's the Complete Edition heading to Switch, and this features the game's two substantial expansions--Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.
In terms of a release date, Nintendo confirmed that The Witcher 3 will be available on Switch sometime later this year.
The Witcher 3 was celebrated upon its initial release in 2015 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, so Switch owners are getting something special to play at home or on the go. With its mature content, The Witcher 3 is not exactly a natural fit with the Switch's younger-skewing, family-friendly audience, but it's not the first mature-themed game for Switch. The console also has M-rated titles available such as Skyrim, Bayonetta 2, Doom, and L.A. Noire.
CD Projekt Red's next game is Cyberpunk 2077, which launches on April 16, 2020 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The title hasn't been announced for Switch, though if The Witcher 3 does well on Nintendo's console that could--in theory at least--lead CD Projekt Red to at least consider bringing the title to Switch if it is technically possible.
During the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct presentation, the company revealed a new game from Square Enix that revives a lost gem. Trials of Mana is an HD remake of Seiken Densetsu 3, the notoriously unlocalized third game in the Mana series. It's coming to Nintendo Switch in early 2020.
Meanwhile, that wasn't all for the Mana series. The Nintendo Direct also revealed a compilation, Collection of Mana, which compiles three games in the classic series together. It compiles Seiken (released in America as Final Fantasy Adventure), Secret of Mana, and Seiken Densetsu 3. So if you want to try SD3 in its original incarnation before trying the remake next year, you can. That compilation is available on the Nintendo eShop starting today.
During Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct today, the company gave us a closer look at the upcoming Luigi's Mansion sequel, Luigi's Mansion 3 for the Nintendo Switch. The series gives Luigi his rightful time in the spotlight as he deals with the terrifying, real-world problems his famous brother just doesn't have the guts to handle: ghosts, and lots of them.
The demo Nintendo showed set up the premise of the game, and we saw Luigi invited to a gorgeous hotel with Mario, Peach, and others. Naturally, the hotel is more than meets the eye and things take a very spooky turn--surprise, it's ghosts. And they're mad.
Luigi dons his trusty Poltergust vacuum cleaner and we see him use this familiar strobe ability to stun ghosts, but we also get a peek at some new techniques. Luigi can now slam enemies to cause area-of-effect damage, a suction shot that allows you to destroy furniture, and a burst shot that lets you create some breathing room by pushing ghosts away.
Professor E. Gadd makes a return, as does Gooigi, Luigi's aptly named goopy doppelganger from the 3DS remake of the original game. Gooigi can be summoned and controlled to solve puzzles--expect things like slipping through bars, walking on spikes, and dying as soon as he touches water.
Luigi's Mansion 3 will also feature an online and local cooperative multiplayer mode called "ScareScraper," which will see you defeating ghosts, racing to find toads, facing new challenges and clearing floors. Luigi's Mansion 3 will be available sometime in 2019.
No comments:
Post a Comment