After many long months of waiting, Nintendo finally dropped a Direct. Well, a “Direct Mini.” Our last Nintendo Direct Mini was over two years ago on January 11, 2018. At just over 28 minutes long, today’s Direct was twice the length of that one.
I’m beginning to wonder exactly how Nintendo defines their Directs internally. What differentiates a Direct Mini from a standard Direct? Today’s Direct wasn’t what I would call short. Sure, there were no groundbreaking announcements. Nintendo didn’t announce any heavy hitters. I’m assuming a Direct Mini just implies the caliber of announcements are on the lighter side.
Anyway, here are my thoughts on Nintendo’s latest updates.
COVID-19. The Direct opened with a COVID-19 message, letting us know that release dates and other information might change. I think this goes without saying for the industry at large, but it was nice to see Nintendo acknowledge the situation with full transparency.
Xenoblade Release Date and New Epilogue. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is arriving May 29, further reminding me that I have yet to play through any of these games, despite owning them all. An epilogue will be included called Xenoblade Future Connected, making a long game even longer.
More 2K Ports. Want more games you already own on other platforms? (Yes, yes I do.) 2K is here to make that happen. BioShock, Borderlands, and XCOM 2 are all coming to Switch. *unzips wallet*
Out Today! Reviewing my notes from the Direct, I was rather surprised just how many of the announcements were for games, DLC, and updates coming today. Here’s what you can expect to see today.
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance is getting its final DLC today. This one is about the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom. Now that all the DLC is out, I may have to get back into this one.
- Shinsekai: Into The Depths from Capcom is out today. At first, I was under the impression that this was a brand new game, but it actually already launched on Apple Arcade. Reviews look good though! It’s a deep sea exploration game, if that captures your interest.
- Animal Crossing update out today. If you’re like me, you’ve been doing nothing but playing New Horizons since it launched. As highlighted in today’s Direct, Bunny Day is coming. And I can’t wait.
- Good Job! is out today. It’s an office-themed puzzle game. I’m eager to see how the reviews play out on this one. Looks like a lot of fun. I’m always up for a charming puzzle game.
- Ring Fit Adventure is getting an update with a rhythm game mode. I am ecstatic to say the least. You can fully expect my impressions once I try this out. Oh, and Ring gets a female voice so that’s nice.
- The Panzer Dragoon Remake is out today.
- Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is out today. More importantly, Episode I: Racer is coming soon. Now this, my friends, is podracing.
Catherine: Full Body. It’s not Persona 5 and it’s not SMTV, but it’s something Switch-related from Atlus. I’ve still yet to play Catherine so this might finally be the time to check it out.
King’s Bounty 2. The sequel to the 1990 classic is coming in 2020. 30 years later. Three decades. That’s uh, older than me.
New Smash Fighter! The next Smash character has been revealed! Sort of. The character is coming in June and they’ll be from Arms. I’m not exactly thrilled about Arms, but I can’t say I’m upset about it either. With the roster being as large as it is, I’m getting to the point where I care more about the potential of a character’s moveset than franchise favoritism. An Arms character will make for a fun fighter.
They showed the entire roster of characters, so maybe they’re going to pull a Bowser Jr. and feature eight different characters under one fighter. Also, Spring Man is an Assist Trophy. If he’s playable, does that mean Assist Trophies are on the table for full fighters? I still want Shadow as Sonic’s Echo Fighter…
Bravely Default II Info. The hilariously-titled Bravely Default II (did Bravely Second just not happen?) received a short info dump today. The demo, I’ve just checked, is out now. There’s going to be a survey coming later, similar to the initial Octopath Traveler demo. It’s coming out this year.
Clubhouse Games. This was one of the highlights of the Direct for me. It’s a follow-up to a Nintendo DS title featuring 51 traditional tabletop games. I won’t lie, this looks awesome. It’s out June 5.
Ninjala Release Date. The free-to-play multiplayer game is launching May 27. I’m getting a Splatoon vibe from this one. It’s free so hey, I’ll check it out.
Highlight Reel. There was a highlight reel featuring games like Saints Row IV and Trails of Cold Steel III. Most importantly, it revealed that Burnout Paradise is finally coming to Switch. I recently bought the remaster for my Xbox One X. but if there’s any game I’m going to double (triple) dip on, it’s freaking Burnout. I have very fond memories of playing Burnout on the PSP. Hopefully this can recapture some of that magic.
Pokémon Expansion Info. This was our last bit of news for the day. There wasn’t a lot here, but what they did show looks awesome. It’s fantastic that these new areas are going to be just like the Wild Area. The Isle of Armor is still set to launch by the end of June. I can’t wait.
And that’s all!
Overall, this was a solid Direct. Like I said, nothing groundbreaking was revealed, but it was nice to get some updates. I could have gone for just one announcement that felt a little bigger, but I’ll take what I can get. A bigger Direct will arrive. Nintendo surely plans to fill out their calendar with some big first party titles. It’s just a matter of when.
With E3’s cancellation, I have to wonder if the next Direct will still air around that period of time (early June). Or perhaps plans will change? Only time will tell.
What did you think of the Direct Mini? What was your favorite announcement? Let me know in the comments!
Wyatt Mode 