A number of things you need to know from Nintendo’s E3 Direct | E3 2018

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Always a company to go against the norm, they’ve been delivering their E3 showcase as a video rather than a stage show for a few years now, and this year was no exception. Without a puppet in sight, read on for a handful of highlights from Nintendo’s E3 Direct.

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by James Michael Parry

@pass_controller

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Smash Bros. Ultimate has ALL of the characters

If you’ve ever played Super Smash Bros., you’ll know the variety of the characters on its roster is part of the appeal. The party-friendly beat-em-up has been endlessly successful thanks to both its simplicity and the fun of mashing up characters from different franchises together - and that’s something Nintendo is holding onto for this iteration. In its 25-minute (!) teardown, we find out about tweaks to gameplay down to individual characters, amiibo compatibility and more support trophies. The endless character reveal may have given some of us goosebumps, but did we need to spend all that time on one game, Ninty? Ready your smash for release on 7 December 2018.

Fortnite is now literally everywhere

In a move that surprised next to no one, worldwide phenomenon Fortnite is now available to play on Nintendo Switch, and you can even carry over your items from other versions - unless you’ve been playing on PS4, then your account is locked and won’t sync... oops. The game itself is as colourful and over-the-top as ever and we can predict some Nintendo-specific cosmetics being introduced in the future. Want to jump out of the battle bus right away? Good news, the game is available to download (for free) right now.

Mario Party comes to Switch as Super Mario Party

If you’re noticing a theme of unsurprising announcements forming, then you’ve cottoned on to Nintendo’s E3 strategy for this year (and, arguably, every year), as Mario Party coming to Switch is such a no brainer that we’re surprised it’s taken this long. Fortunately, you won’t have to wait much longer for your fix of ridiculous and addictive minigames, as the title drops on 5 October 2018.

Fire Emblem gets tactical

Looking like a combination of Dynasty Warriors, XCOM and the series itself, Fire Emblem: Three Houses looks to be a mixture of thoughtfulness and chaotic combat as you command forces as well as getting into the fray yourself.

A rich anime visual treatment, complete with classic JRPG text-based conversations, gives the game a clear sense of style and presentation and might prove to be more accessible than some of the other more traditional games in the genre. The adventure begins in spring 2019.

Stick the oven on - it’s Overcooked 2

While it’s not exclusive to Nintendo, fans will be pleased to hear that the sequel to the frantic cook-em-up Overcooked is coming to the Switch. New features include the ability to throw food between players and there are new chefs, kitchens and recipes to get stuck into. There’s not long to wait until you can get back into the kitchen either, as the game is open for business on 7 August 2018.

A whole host of games… you may have already played elsewhere

The fact that a lot of games are ported to the Switch is well-known, but the sheer number of games we thought must have already been released on the system (Wolfenstein II, anyone?) was quite staggering. Still, there are some quality titles to look forward to, if you’ve been waiting to be able to play them easily on the go. Twenty-five games, ports and expansions were highlighted in the montage, including first party games we already knew about like Mario Tennis Aces. But when will we have enough time to play them all?

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Phew, that’s the last of the press conferences from E3 2018 - can you Adam and Eve it? What’s been your highlight from  all the excitement of the past few days? Leave us a comment below or in the forums, and if you’d like to check out the Nintendo show in full, then you’re in luck, as there’s a video down there waiting for you.