After an 18-month-long gaming drought, Nintendo fans were finally blessed when a new Nintendo Direct was showcased on Feb. 17.
Nintendo Direct is a virtual presentation where Nintendo unveils new games and content Nintendo fans can look forward to in the future. Nintendo fans were in the dark when it came to any new content coming from Nintendo for quite some time; the last Nintendo Direct was over a year ago, on Sept. 4, 2019.
Many fans even went as far as making Twitter accounts dedicated to remembering the last time the company had unveiled such a huge event. Finally, their prayers were answered.
Although many “Legend of Zelda” fans were disappointed by the lack of news regarding a “Breath of the Wild” sequel, Nintendo unveiled a HD re-release of “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” for the Switch.
Nintendo is granting pre-orders for the game’s special edition Joy-Con controllers. The design features a sleek dark blue on the right side and lighter blue left side, representing the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield. For those who put in their orders now, they will ship by July 16.
Nintendo has also announced that Pyra and Myrtha from “Xenoblade Chronicles 2” will be joining the “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” roster. Previous downloadable content (DLC) additions to the “Fighter Pass,” a purchasable collection of playable characters, included “Minecraft” characters Steve and Alex, “Final Fantasy VII” villain Sephiroth and Min Min from “Arms.”
Just in time for the summer, Nintendo will be releasing a reboot of “Mario Golf,” originally released on Nintendo 64. On June 25, “Mario Golf Super Rush” will be released, a golfing game that features Mario and friends putting on various Mario-themed courses. Since it will be released on the Nintendo Switch, it will feature new story modes, tournaments and improved motion controls.
“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” will be dropping a ton of Mario-themed items in its new update on Feb. 25. Players will be able to customize their character to look just like Mario, Luigi and even Waluigi — mustaches included! The update will also feature Mario-themed furniture, paying homage to series favorites like the iconic Super Mushroom, Warp Pipe and even the Thwomp block. All this and more will be available to purchase in-game at the Nook Shop on March 1.
Last summer, the gaming community was hit by the overnight phenomenon “Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout” on PC. Filled with colorful little blobs racing to the finish line to be the last one alive, the game will be making its first-time appearance on the Switch. Unfortunately, there is currently no set release date. Fans of the game can expect more information some time this summer.
Nintendo ended its presentation with the announcement of a third installment of its beloved franchise “Splatoon.” In the colorful third-person shooter, players will continue to pose as Inklings and rid their world from the evil Octolings. New moves and weapons are sure to come. Although the trailer shown didn’t give away too much information, “Splatoon 3” is said to be released some time next year.
Beside these main knockouts, Nintendo made announcements regarding several smaller game franchises, such as an expansion pass for “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.” There will also be a Nintendo 3DS RPG reboot of “Miitopia” in May, two “Famicom Detective Club” games will be on their way soon and a dodgeball game called “Knockout City” will make its debut. Classic Square RPG “Legend of Mana” is also coming to the Switch soon.
Last but certainly not least, Nintendo announced that a Switch version of free-to-play, first-person shooter “Apex Legends” will be coming to the platform on March 9.
Following the first two weeks after launch, players will receive double XP points to welcome Switch players.
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