As Nintendo has done in recent years, it skipped the stage in favor of a live stream event. The Big N kept it short and sweet, showing off little more than a handful of titles. With a mix of titles we already knew about it and a few welcome surprises, Nintendo managed to have an impressive showcase that centered almost solely on the Nintendo Switch. And yes, after years of waiting and wishing, Nintendo finally announced that Metroid Prime 4 is in development (no, really). Here’s everything Nintendo showed during its E3 live stream.
Metroid Prime 4
Let’s get this one out of the way first. Almost ten years after Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, we now know that a proper followup is on the way for Nintendo Switch. The brief teaser trailer shows a camera panning back through space, before the number “4” appears. Thankfully, Nintendo didn’t troll us, and soon after, “Metroid Prime” cemented itself on screen. That was it, though — no cinematic, no look at Samus Aran. All we know is that it’s in development for Nintendo Switch. But after many E3s came and went without any word on the Metroid game everyone wanted, Metroid Prime 4, in name alone, stole Nintendo’s E3 showcase.
Pokémon RPG for Switch
A close second in terms of exciting reveals has to the core Pokémon title in development at Game Freak for Nintendo Switch. According to Nintendo, the title may be more than a year away, and there wasn’t even a teaser trailer, let alone a title. Nevertheless, a Switch Pokémon is bound to make fans excited, especially those who were disappointed and confused by the Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon 3DS reveal earlier this month.
Kirby
The lovable pink blob will make his debut on the Nintendo Switch in 2018 in a cooperative sidescroller. A specific title was not provided, but the reveal trailer showed off gameplay that emphasizes teamwork. Players can either team up with up to four human or AI characters to make their way through vibrant levels, and solve puzzles along the way. While we don’t know much about the game at this time, the trailer did show our favorite tree, Whispy Woods.
Yoshi
In the same vein as the Kirby reveal, Nintendo unveiled a currently untitled Yoshi platformer for Switch, set to launch in 2018 as well. While the most recent Yoshi console platformer had a hand-spun flavor (Yoshi’s Woolly World), Yoshi for Switch feels more like Paper Mario, with environments looking as if they were handmade out of cardboard. The main twist of this Yoshi adventure is that there are two sides to each level, meaning that Yoshi can walk vertically to the other side of set pieces to complete the sidescrolling levels.
Super Mario Odyssey
In a new trailer for Mario’s highly anticipated return to the open world, Nintendo finally showed us what Mario’s sentient hat does in Super Mario Odyssey. When thrown, Mario can inhabit and become other characters and objects. From Goombas, to Cheep Cheeps, to taxi cabs, to NYC pedestrians, to dinosaurs, and more, Mario can take the form of a vast assortment of characters and things in Odyssey. You can hop around New Donk City and beyond on October 27 on Nintendo Switch.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC, new Amiibos
Nintendo gave us our first glimpse at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s first expansion pass, “The Master Trials.” Featuring a large fortress, Link battles waves of enemies (essentially a horde mode) in the Trial of the Sword portion of the expansion. If completed, your Master Sword permanently inflicts double damage. The Master Trials expansion also includes a hard mode when it launches June 30. New items like Majora’s Mask, and a Korok mask, will also be added to Breath of the Wild for owners of the season pass.
The second expansion pass, “The Champions Ballad,” was briefly teased. The Champions Ballad will add additional story content to Breath of the Wild when it launches this holiday. It obviously pertains to the four champions who help Link take down the divine beasts — Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa. Additionally, Nintendo revealed that all four champions will be available as Amiibos later this year.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
The massive sequel to the 2010 Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles was on display during Nintendo’s Spotlight event. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 concerns itself with the quest for a mysterious place called Elysium. The new trailer, which gave us our first hints at the story, starts off by chronicling how the Architect, a powerful entity, lived amongst commoners in Elysium. Rex apparently has to make his way there, for unknown reasons at this time. With a mix of exploration, and fast-paced action scenes, it’s apparent that Chronicles 2 will be a grand adventure with a large scope. We don’t have an exact release date yet, but Xenoblade Chronicles 2 arrives this holiday for Nintendo Switch.
Fire Emblem Warriors
A new trailer for Koei Tecmo’s Fire Emblem spin on Dynasty Warriors set up the premise for the upcoming Fire Emblem Warriors. An evil dragon looms and wreaks chaos across the lands. In order to rid the world of the threat, a brother and sister set out to vanquish the beast. Characters from the Fire Emblem universe will join in the epic hack and slash battles. Fire Emblem Warriors arrives this fall for Switch, though an exact launch date was not provided.
Rocket League
Psyonix’s incredibly popular cars playing soccer sim Rocket League will come full throttle on Nintendo Switch this holiday. The Switch version will have all of the same content as other platforms, and it will be playable cross-platform online with Xbox One and PC. On Switch, your car can don Mario and Luigi hat toppers.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Officially unveiled at Ubisoft’s press conference, Yves Guillemot popped into the Nintendo Spotlight with a brief trailer that showed off the tactical battle system in a more digestible format. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle launches on August 29 for Switch.
For more of our E3 coverage, tune in here.
