All eyes were on Nintendo on the very last day of E3. I’m happy to say that they did not disappoint. However, I am a bit surprised that they relegated most of their time in showcasing the new Super Smash Bros as opposed to other titles, but the game more than deserved the amount of attention it received.
I will admit that it was mildly disappointing that most of the time was taken up by Smash, considering that there were still a plethora of amazing games that Nintendo promises to grace the public with. One example? Well, that would have to be the upcoming Fire Emblem for the Switch which is set to release in spring of 2019; a strategy title that just about every Nintendo fan should know of.
One thing that you should take note of is that Nintendo was pretty much direct (heh, get it?) without any intermissions or disturbances that could disrupt the flow of their showcase. They steamrolled through and went straight to the point with whatever they had to offer – something I greatly appreciate.
As one would expect, there were a number of first-party games such as a port of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker as well as a new Mario Party. Not only that, but there was also DLC for titles such as Xenoblade 2 which would greatly enrich its already high-quality content. This most likely made a lot of people happy.
Another big surprise is that Nintendo went as far as the DS in terms of ports as The World Ends With You is making its new home into the portable console.
While it is great news, it definitely would have been nice to have more new games. But I, and probably many others aren’t going to complain if these are all well developed titles – which from the looks of it, they are.
It’s also pretty clear that Nintendo is taking further steps in terms of appealing to other audiences as it was shown that Dragon Ball FigherZ and even Fortnite is coming to the Switch. These two alone are both popular in their own right – as well as belonging to totally different genres – and it’s amazing seeing what the big red company is trying to do to appease different types of gamers by adding both titles to their library of purchasable games.
While this all sounds well and good, the biggest downside was that titles in which a lot of people expected to be announced during Nintendo’s E3 presentation were nowhere to be found. Most were hoping and expecting the announcement of a new Animal Crossing or even the supposed Metroid Prime game for the Switch but alas, nothing. But hey, we got Reggie Fils-Aimé to go a little in-depth with the upcoming Pokemon: Let’s Go! titles….that’s something right?
Despite that, everyone was all hyped up for the new Smash and eagerly waited for it. And when it was finally revealed? It was Glorious.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – a fitting name for the new entry into the franchise – is bigger, badder, and just plain awesome. Sure it took up most of the time slot, but I can honestly say that it was worth it. I know a lot of people are going to disagree and I do admit that it went longer than it should have. Still, one cannot fault Nintendo for this considering the amount of time and effort that was contributed to one of their flagship titles.
Masahiro Sakurai – the game’s creator – said that it was the most ambitious Smash Bros ever created. And boy, he wasn’t kidding. All characters from previous Smash games, along with a couple of stages, are unlockable and playable; and mind you, there’s a lot of them. Not only that, but there’s new and improved fighting mechanics, more attention to detail, additional upcoming characters and much more. The best part? You don’t have to pay for ANY OF THEM. While it’s expected that there will be DLC in the future, Nintendo almost always makes them optional; meaning that you don’t need them to get the full experience.
What this shows is that Nintendo is a company that won’t lock things behind a paywall. They’d rather let you work your way into getting what you want rather than buying it. It just proves that they want their loyal supporters to have fun and enjoy whatever they’re willing to offer and that they won’t just cheat you out of your money for unnecessary DLC.
With that said, I’m more than pleased with Nintendo’s showing at E3 and I truly think that they have shown how much love they put in their games and to their fans.
