Everything you need to know from September’s Nintendo Direct
By Gieson Cacho // The Mercury News (TNS)
Nintendo Direct always take over the internet. It’s how the company makes major announcements when there isn’t a gaming event.
The early September Nintendo Direct was headlined by these major releases:
Overwatch for the Nintendo Switch was something that leaked earlier in the week. From the trailer and screenshots, the game looks good despite the limitations of the hardware and appears to have all the features found in the console and PC counterparts. Why would fans pick it up? The immediate access to one of the best online games is a strong reason. You can take Overwatch with you and have a fun experience. The game is scheduled for release Oct. 15.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 is Nintendo’s flagpole for the month of October and more details were offered for the long-awaited sequel, including the concept of themed worlds within the hotel. Players can expect pyramids, disco floors and a pirate themed restaurant. Nintendo also showed off the multiplayer mode called ScreamPark, which supports two to eight players. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is fittingly coming out on Halloween.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is a remake of the Game Boy title released in 1993. The game for the Switch appears to retain the feel of the original but updates several aspects of the classic. The Nintendo Direct showed how the game references other Nintendo franchises such as Kirby and Super Mario Bros. It also showed off the idea of Chamber Dungeons that can be uploaded to a Zelda Amiibo and shared with friends. Link’s Awakening and its Amiibo are coming out soon on Sept. 20.
Nintendo offered more details for Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. The upcoming role-playing game lets players customize the look of their trainer. That was something Game Freak introduced in Pokemon X and Pokemon Y. Although that’s a nice perk, the bigger change appears to be the Pokemon Camp. It’s a place that can be set up anywhere and it allows players to interact with the pocket monsters in their collection. Nintendo said playing with the Pokemon will improve them for battle and they can also visit other player’s Pokemon Camps. It seems to be a replacement for Pokemon -Amie feature that the team developed for the Nintendo 3DS versions of the game, and this could mean that there will be some support for Pokemon Go. Pokemon Camp reminds me of the Pokemon Let’s Go Safari Zone. The games are scheduled for release Nov. 15.
The last big piece of news is the Super Nintendo Entertainment System games being added to Nintendo Switch Online. That gives players even more incentive to subscribe to the service. Players have access to 20 titles including classics such as Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Star Fox, Pilotwings, Breath of Fire, F-Zero and Super Ghouls’n Ghosts.
