Quantcast

It was a quick 25 minutes long but Nintendo packed in a lot of content regarding upcoming games for their systems, especially the Nintendo Switch, in their Nintendo Spotlight stream presentation at E3 on June 13, 2017.

The pre-recorded presentation (which has become the standard for Nintendo over the last few years) kicked off with a short montage of some upcoming multiplayer-focused titles for the Switch. These included ARMS and Splatoon 2, both due out this summer, as well as EA’s Fifa 18 and the popular indie game Rocket League. Rocket League got a spotlight later on in the presentation that revealed that it will have Switch-exclusive customization options for the cars, such as Mario hats, and it will arrive during the 2017 holiday season.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was highlighted with a big trailer that revealed some more of the story as well as a lot of the gameplay, which seems to carry over much of what was used in the first Xenoblade for the Wii. The epic JRPG by Monolith Soft will be arriving during the holiday season this year as well.

A new Kirby adventure for the Switch was revealed, and is due out in 2018. Featuring classic Kirby gameplay as well as some multiplayer aspects, the trailer showcased new powers as well as cooperative gameplay.

Tsunekaza Ishihara made a brief appearance during the presentation to mention Pokken Tournament DX, which was revealed last week during the Pokémon Nintendo Direct for the Switch. He emphasized that the game will feature a handful of new characters not seen in the Wii U version. More importantly, Ishihara mentioned that a “core Pokémon title” is currently in development for the Switch; fans were in somewhat of a tizzy last week following the announcement that Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon will be exclusive to the 3DS, and it can be assumed that Ishihara’s announcement was made to relieve some of that stress. No release window was provided for these new core games.

The big surprise of the day, though, was Metroid Prime 4 for the Nintendo Switch. All that was revealed was a logo and the fact that it is currently in development, but given that the last Metroid Prime game released a full decade ago, it’s safe to say that this was the highlight of the presentation for many fans who have been craving new content from this big Nintendo franchise.

A new Yoshi game was also unveiled for the Switch. While some recent previous Yoshi entries have used a yarn aesthetic, this new title looks to be more cardboard-focused. The cute, family-friendly platformer showcased the 2D gameplay, which also seemed to incorporate a cooperative mode, and will be arriving in 2018.

Fire Emblem Warriors was then shown off. The spin-off from the Fire Emblem franchise features heroes from multiple eras of the series, including Marth, Chrom and more, and plays in the style of Dynasty Warriors games. It arrives on the Switch in fall 2017.

Eiji Aonuma then took over for a look at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild related content. First up was a quick reminder that Breath of the Wild items will be coming to Skyrim’s port to the Switch when that arrives. Then, the DLC packs for Breath of the Wild itself were discussed. The first pack, called “The Master Trials,” is essentially a challenge pack featured a number of trials to be completed, extra armor, extra boss battles, and the “Heroes Path Mode.” Then, a teaser for “The Champions’ Ballad,” the second DLC, was shown; it is supposed to be an expansion of the story itself. Finally, amiibos of the four champions from the game were unveiled.

Another look at Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was shown, following its premiere at Ubisoft’s press conference. The tactical adventure combines the Rabbids with classic Mario characters and will be a family-friendly title.

Last up was Super Mario Odyssey, the latest adventure for the flagship Nintendo character. This 3D, open-world adventure features some new powers for Mario himself, including the ability to possess enemies with his magical cap. The jazzy soundtrack was also shown off, and in a surprise, Pauline – the original damsel in distress Mario had to save way back in the original Donkey Kong game – has returned to the franchise. It comes out on the Nintendo Switch on October 17.

Nintendo continues their showcase of gameplay of multiple games via their Nintendo Treehouse presentation this week, and that can be seen online.