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E3 2021 was capped off on the final day with Nintendo Direct, in a fitting end to a week of non-stop game reveals. Here’s what we saw throughout the hour-long showcase.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Super Smash Bros Ultimate is quickly becoming just a massive fighting game crossover, with Ryu from Street Fighter and Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury already becoming staples in the Smash roster.
Now they can welcome another poster character, as Kazuya from the Tekken series makes his debut in Smash. With a moveset that’s extremely combo heavy and lots of familiar moves carried over, Kazuya will look to shake up the entire game, and possibly hurl the entire roster off a volcano if he could.
Super Monkey Ball
Super Monkey Ball is 20 years old, which is almost unbelievable. In celebration of that milestone, Banana Mania is an HD remaster of the first 3 Super Monkey Ball games, so now you can roll around with them on the Switch.
Mario Party Superstars
A new Mario Party? Sign us up. A new Mario Party with some of the best levels and minigames from its N64 era? Just take our money. A new Mario Party with online play??
You get the idea. Mario Party Superstars looks to mix the old and the new together, with a fresh coat of paint on some of the most memorable stages, while constantly improving on its core mechanics. Definitely look forward to Superstars when it drops this year.
Metroid Dread
Some of you may not know this, but the Metroid Dread name has been around for the past 15 years. It was first teased in the mid-2000’s as a Nintendo DS game, but was cancelled due to technical limitations. A true return to the style of 2D action platforming that shaped the early years of Metroid, Dread is technically the 5th main Metroid as it takes place after the events of Metroid Fusion (which is now 19 years old)
It looks great, and the EMMI bots constantly following you to try and stop you certainly fills you with a sense of dread. No specific release date, but do expect it to launch on Switch this year.
Mario Golf: Super Rush
I mean, it’s Mario Golf, what more needs to be said?
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
This is probably the 3rd time we’ve seen Monster Hunter Stories 2 during E3, but at least we now know it’s heading to Switch, and we aren’t gonna say no to a Monster Hunter game as long as the story is solid.
Warioware: Get it Together
If you don’t know what Warioware is, allow me to enlighten you.
Its basically a minigame rush where you get a new minigame every 10-15 seconds to complete, and some of these can get absolutely nuts, like squeezing toothpaste out of a bottle the fastest, or getting a windmill to spin. Warioware returns with 2 player local play as well as a host of characters who play uniquely, bringing about creative ideas to solve minigames.
Shin Megami Tensei V
The meme is well and truly dead, as we finally see gameplay of Shin Megami Tensei V. And boy does it look absolutely gorgeous. Battle demons, exploit their weaknesses, negotiate for items or new party members, and enjoy the brutal difficulty as SMT V drops on November 12th this year.
Danganronpa: Decadence
Danganronpa, the murder mystery visual novel adventure finally makes its way onto the Switch, with the first 3 mainline games available in this collection. If you are into solving murder mysteries and find Monokuma strangely adorable, this is the collection for you.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Contrary to what most people believe, Maiden of Black Water is NOT a new Fatal Frame, but a port of the Wii-U exclusive title that released all the way back in 2015. Of course, because it was on the Wii-U, that explains why a lot of people haven’t heard of it.
Fatal Frame has always been a solid horror franchise, and if this does well in the eyes of gamers, I think it’s safe to say we might even see a new Fatal Frame game in the near future.
Advance Wars 1+2 Re-boot Camp
I love Advance Wars. I love its style, I love its gameplay, and I love its story. So how does a HD remake sound? Absolutely wonderful. An upgrade of the first 2 Advance Wars, with sprites being replaced by full 3D models, this is one that Advance Wars fans do not want to miss.
The Legend of Zelda
First things first, there was a lot of Legend of Zelda. So we’ll go through them one by one.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity gets its first wave of updates, courtesy of the Expansion Pass. Pulse of the Ancients adds new, challenging enemies, an expanded roster, new weapon types and new challenges in the Royal Lab. Look forward to it when it drops later this month.
Alongside that we also got the announcement of a Skyward Sword HD remaster, as well as a Zelda Game & Watch, featuring Zelda 1, 2 and Link’s Awakening on the device.
But we all know what the biggest piece of news was.
The Breath of the Wild sequel looks to be bigger and better than ever, as both Link and Zelda seem to have a host of new abilities and transport options and we can’t wait to rejoin their adventures when it finally drops in 2022.
Verdict: 8/10
This was probably one of the best ways to close out E3. A whole week of frankly disappointing showcases, Nintendo shines out like a beacon of hope to all those who love video games. New Zelda, new Metroid, new Shin Megami Tensei, it’s hard to find anything to fault with this showcase, despite a few weaker titles.
It’s not as good as Xbox/Bethesda, but it cuts damn close.
Want to know more of our thoughts on E32021? Join THE MAGIC RAIN on Facebook tonight for our final episode covering all things Nintendo!
