Unfortunately I could not post live updates as I was hosting an E3 viewing party as part of BourneNintendo as well as manning the E3 Bingo Board. I’ve decided that, instead of posting all the updates in multiple posts, I’ve decided to just talk about everything, along with my reactions, in this one post. Not only will it save us bandwidth (not a total issue), but you don’t have to keep loading new posts! Win win!

Anywho, I swear I always start off with the same statement, or similar, either way, that was definitely an interesting Nintendo Direct. I was pleasantly surprised by a lot of announcements as well as impressed, though there have definitely been better Nintendo Directs in the past. Heck, the Nintendo Direct before this one felt more like an E3 Direct!

Without further ado, if you missed out on the direct, you can find our recap after the break!

Daemon X Machina

The 42-minute direct opened up with an adrenaline pumping trailer for a brand new game coming out for Nintendo Switch in 2019, Daemon X Machina. Not much was revealed about this title other than the fact you can take your fully customisable mechs out into battle to kick some mech butt.

Daemon X Machina will suit up for battle on Nintendo Switch during 2019

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country

A brand new story based expansion was announced for Xenblade Chronicles 2. Torna ~ The Golden Country tells the story of Jin and the fall of his homeland, 500 years before the events of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. This expansion can either be downloaded for no extra charge for those who own the Expansion Pass, or you can choose to purchase a stand-alone version at retail.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country tells its story on Nintendo Switch from 14th September 2018.

Pokémon Let’s GO Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee

Reggie came on show and reiterated that Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee are coming out soon. For those who do not know, this new title will allow you to travel across the Kanto region with either Pikachu or Eevee constantly by your side. You can catch wild Pokémon, and then build your own team to battle other trainers. You can also bring in another player with same-console coop to help catch those wild Pokémon.

You can play the entire game with a singular JoyCon or even the Pokéball Plus accessory. Additionally, every Pokéball Plus comes with the mystical Mew to use in-game. Finally, you can transfer the Pokémon you catch in Pokémon go to LGP/LGE!

Pokémon Let’s GO Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee will train you to be the very best like no one ever was on 16th November 2018!

Super Mario Party

Reggie then went on to announce that a brand new Mario Party game is coming to the Nintendo Switch. Want to know what instantly sold me on the title? The fact that it looks like Super Mario Party will be going back to it’s roots pre-Mario Party 9 with individual board progression and Star findin’. The trailer also showcased some brilliant new features, such as the ability to combine two Switch consoles together to create a playingfield.

Super Mario Party will be the life of the party for Nintendo Switch from 5th October 2018!

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Fire Emblem fans rejoice, as a brand new mainline Fire Emblem game has been revealed. We all knew one was coming, but today we got our first look. Explore the story of Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude in this new epsiode of the Fire Emblem world. New gameplay features arise, such as the ability to freely roam areas of the game to build relationships, and the ability to bring squads into battle to aid your in the fight for victory.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses will tell a new story on Nintendo Switch in Spring 2019!

Fortnite

The worst kept secret for this year’s Nintendo E3 event has officially been confirmed. The Battle Royale phenomenon, Fortnite, is out now for Nintendo Switch. Create your own squads or go it alone in massive 100 player battles. Mine, build, and fight, as long as you know those three skills, you’re all golden.

Fortnite will drop off the battle buss on Nintendo Switch from today!

Overcooked 2, Killer Queen Black, Hollow Knight

Reggie goes on to reveal a few Nindies to look forward to for the Nintendo Switch. Overcooked 2 lets you play as a range of chefs who have to save the world from bad cooking. Prepare to cook your way to victory in zany new kitchens which can transform in the blink of an eye from the 7th August 2018.

Redesigned from the ground up, the acclaimed arcade extravaganza that became a multiplayer phenomenon is coming to Nintendo Switch. We are, of course, talking about Killer Queen Black. Players can hop on a snail, hoard berries or wipe out the enemy’s queen to claim victory for their team later this year.

Finally, venture through the beautifully hand-drawn, mysterious landscapes of a vast forgotten kingdom in Hollow Knight, an action-adventure filled with gripping combat and haunting secrets. Hollow Knight on Nintendo Switch also includes the new items, areas, characters and bosses from the currently released content packs. Yet another title which is available to download from today!

Octopath Traveler

Yet another demo has been revealed for Octopath Traveler, the exclusive RPG title for Nintendo Switch from Square Enix. The demo can be downloaded from Thursday 14th June, and you can then transfer any progress you make to the full game when it launches next month.

Octopath Traveler wanders onto Nintendo Switch from the 13th July 2018!

Sizzle Reel

No E3 presentation is complete without the good ol’ sizzle reel, and this one in particular goes through everything to expect for the Nintendo Switch in the upcoming months. Take control of the cosmos with Star Fox in Starlink: The Battle for Atlas from the 16th October, battle hoards of enemies in Arena of Valor in Autumn 2018, take on those creepers in Minecraft‘s Physical Edition from the 21st June, become a master of Sushido in Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido right now, get up to some monkey business with those pesky rabbids in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle’s Donkey Kong Expansion on the 26th June, mine even more blocks in Pixarc in Autumn 2018, dance the night away in Just Dance 2019 from the 26th October, take on the anime-styled fighter in Dragon Ball FighterZ later this year, enter the underground testing facility in Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion later this Summer, track some treasure in Captain Toad Treasure Tracker on the 13th July, go totally n’sane in Crash Bandicoot N’Sane Trilogy on the 29th June, take one the bubble gum based ninja brawler in Ninjala from Spring 2019, build your own kingdoms in Carcassonne from Winter 2018, enter the world cup in the new FIFA 18 update right now, then dominate the field in FIFA 19 from the 28th September, survive the wild in Ark Survival Evolved from Autumn 2018, take on the apocalyptic tactical RPG in Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut in Autumn 2018, take on the medieval shooter Paladins right now for free, take the lead as overseer in Fallout Shelter right now for free, prepare to smash your Nintendo Switch into a million tiny little pieces in Dark Souls Remastered in Summer 2018, join the heorines in a tag team battle in SNK Heroines on the 7th September, hunt those beasties with your friends in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate from the 28th August, bash some nazi skulls in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus on the 29th June, stop being erased from existence in The World Ends With You: Final Remix in Autumn 2018, return as the blue hero in Megaman 11 on the 2nd October, and take on the courts in Mario Tennis Aces on the 22nd June!

Phew… can I take a break now?

Everyone is Here!

More than half of the direct was led by Masahiro Sakurai with, of course… Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! The upcoming entry will be the biggest Smash Bros. ever, featuring all 66 fighter from all previous games, including the triuphant return of the Ice Climbers, and Snake… SNAAAAAAAAAAKE! Truly this is the most ambitious crossover… take that Infinity War. Not only that, but a new fighter has been added to the roster, one which has been requested by many fans for many years… Samus’ arch nemesis, Ridley!

Expect plenty of stages, both old and new, in Smash Ultimate. Many of the retro stages have been remastered to look as stunningly beautiful on the Nintendo Switch as all the new stages. Did I mentions that Moray Towers from Splatoon and Great Plateau Tower from Breath of the Wild will be making an appearance? All stages will also have a Battlefield and Omega for too, for whether you’re playing for fun, or for glory.

There will also be an array of new techniques. Hold the attack button, and you’ll perform a barrage of rapid attacks. Cancel your dashes with a smash attack. Attack while climbing ladders. Dodge in in different directions mid-air. Receive more damage in 1 on 1 battles. There are plenty of new techniques, and there are likely more which have yet to be uncovered.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will smash it’s way onto Nintendo Switch on the 7th December 2018!

Reaction

Like I said before, and like I will probably say many times in the future, this was definitely a very interesting Nintendo Direct. Out of the new game announcements, I particularly am looking forward to Super Mario Party. Not long ago, I was talking with someone from my BourneNintendo group how I wish Mario Party would go back to it’s roots. It seems like Nintendo have been listening to many of us on this matter. The new modes of play with combining Switch consoles definitely looks interesting so, after the disappointment of Mario Party: The Top 100, Super Mario Party looks like it will rekindle my love for the series.

I’m also pretty excited for Fortnite. I gave it a little try a couple hours ago, and I was confused as heck, but I look forward to delving deeper into the Battle Royale. What’s pretty cool is the fact that you can use voice chat through the conventional microphone headset, none of that splitter or app nonsense. It was a bit of a disappointment however, to find that the Save the World mode isn’t available to purchase on the Nintendo Switch, but maybe this is something to be added at a later date. Additionally, it seems that if you linked your Epic Games account to a PS4, you will not be able to use it with the Switch version of Fortnite, instead you’ll need to create a new account.

I guess we will have to talk about the elephant in the room at some point. I am, of course, talking about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. First of all, it looks absolutely amazing, and a true love letter to Super Smash Bros. fans around the world, especially with how they are including every Smash Bros. fighter in this brand new entry. That said however, I feel they spent way too much time in the Direct talking about Smash, it’s a bit unfair for those who aren’t really fans of the game, yes they exist apparently.

I honestly was hoping to hear some more details regarding Metroid Prime, Yoshi, and maybe a couple more new game reveals. Of course, Nintendo isn’t quite finished with E3 2018 quite yet. There are still two more days of the Nintendo Treehouse Live, and if we have learnt anything from the past, Nintendo do like to sneak in a few announcements during these segments, such as the reveal of Metroid Samus Returns!

Overall, it was a pretty good E3 Direct, though at the end of the day, I was kind of expecting a bit more variety. What do you all think of this years E3 Direct? Tell us in the comments below!

Leon Fletcher

I am a huge Nintendo fan, hence why NintyBuzz exists. I especially love all things Zelda and Metroid. NintyBuzz was started by me back in the Summer of 2014, it started out mainly as a hobby, though the site has gradually grown, and I hope it grows for many years to come!