[NEWS] 5 BEST ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THIS WEEK’S NINTENDO DIRECT

Along with most Nintendo fans, I eagerly logged onto Twitch on Wednesday for a 40-minute presentation from the House of Mario on what to look forward to over the next few months for my Nintendo Switch. As with most Nintendo Directs, I received a mixed bag of remakes, ports, and DLC announcements with a few surprises thrown in. While ultimately I would have preferred some bigger reveals than we received, there were a few things that tickled my fancy and got me excited for the coming months. So, let’s dig right in with what I consider to be the five best announcements from this week’s Nintendo Direct.

As we go into this list, please keep two things in mind: first, this is a very subjective list. There were a lot of things announced, and these were just the things I found super exciting. Second, these items are in no particular order, so please don’t infer value judgement based on the little number next to the entry.

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1. New DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

I’m not super into Smash Bros. as a series, but I know a lot of people who are. The Smash community is very dedicated to these games, so it continues to be nice to see Nintendo give back to that community. In this Direct, they announced the release date for Banjo-Kazooie DLC, Terry Bogard as the next DLC fighter, and that more DLC fighters are in the works. Overall, this move continues to show that Nintendo is determined to keep the game going long after its release. And that’s a good thing.

2. Tokyo Mirage Sessions

I think Nintendo realizes that the Wii-U was, by and large, a rough spot in a long line of successful consoles. We get proof of this in how often Nintendo chooses to port a Wii-U game to the Switch. The biggest port announcement this Nintendo Direct was Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE Encore, a port of the quirky hybrid role-playing game about monsters who harvest happiness energy from humans, and the teenagers from a talent agency that try to stop them. As with most Wii-U games, the original release was skipped over by a lot of people along with the console, but it remains one of the most highly-regarded games from the system. It’s good to see that it’s going to get some new love on the Switch.

3. Super Nintendo on Switch Online

Okay. I have Super Metroid in, like, four different formats. I’ve played the game multiple times, including one playthrough on my SNES Classic just a few months ago. It still remains one of my favorite games of all time, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to be up in the middle of the night exploring the ruined world of Zebes from the comfort of my bed in the coming weeks. Overall, Nintendo announced this new functionality with a host of really, really good games, like Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Breath of Fire. I’ve really enjoyed the NES games they’ve uploaded to the service, so this is a great addition.

4. Return of Obra Dinn

The Switch has become a destination console for indie games, showcasing a great place to play big indie titles you may have missed from the PC. For me, The Return of the Obra Dinn falls into this category. I didn’t play it for the PC, but I was very interested in it. I think the Switch will be a great way for me to experience this.

5. Little Town Hero

I don’t know what this game’s deal is. It’s a brand new IP from the company that makes Pokémon, and it features an interesting battle system centered around ideas, rather than direct actions. I’m not sure what that means, but I am always up for new IPs that try something different. Plus, music from Toby Fox, creator of Undertale? Yes, please.

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Overall, I found the Nintendo Direct a little underwhelming. There are definitely things I’m happy to see, and there were plenty of other announcements in the Direct that didn’t make my list because, honestly, I just didn’t find that stuff very interesting. That said, I realize I’m probably in the minority here, so let’s hear from you. Comment below with anything you saw in the Nintendo Direct that excites you!