Since E3, Nintendo has been keeping its fans happy with a steady stream of games for both the 3DS and Switch. During this time, they have had quite a few video spotlights showing off content for upcoming games and a Nindies presentation showing off games coming from small developers. They haven’t had a proper Direct for a while, but that changed on Wednesday when we got almost 45 minutes of what Nintendo has coming up in the next twelve months. They separated the Direct into highlights for both the 3DS and Switch, and then spotlighted four games by going into more depth. Let’s go over a few of the highlights and surprises from the Direct that will be sure to keep Nintendo’s momentum rolling.

3DS:

Game Spotlight: Pokemon Ultra Sun/Moon – Nov. 17th

The presentation started with showing off the new features for the ultra versions of Sun/Moon. Showing a few of the new story features, game play elements, and new Pokemon. I’m not the biggest Pokemon fan, but the changes didn’t seem that significant. If you have held off on buying the original version of the game, I think this is the edition to get. The bigger piece of news was that Pokemon Gold and Silver are being released for download on the 3DS. These are two of the most beloved games in the series and fans are eager to play these games over again.

Highlights:

Mario Party 100 – Nov. 10th

Once again, Nintendo has a great game but does something unfathomable with it. This game is a collection of the top 100 mini games from the Mario Party series. I’m hoping there is still a board game element to this game because, while I enjoyed the mini games, I still think that needs to be there to complete the experience. What I don’t understand is WHY IS THIS ONLY COMING TO THE 3DS. Sorry for that outburst… I just don’t see why they would only put it on a system that would require four sets of hardware to play with friends. The game would be perfect for the Switch at home or play the game in tabletop mode anywhere. This would lead to a much better experience than playing these games by yourself or trying to coordinate with other DS owners. I’m hoping this means something else is coming down the line for Switch and Mario Party, but the decision has me scratching my head.

Kirby: Battle Royale – Jan. 19th

Instead of fighting against creatures in the Kirby universe this new game will have Kirby fight his greatest opponent, himself. Players will battle in different environments and modes to see the best Kirby around. The game takes a new spin and I’m looking forward to learn more about it in the coming months.  

Minecraft – Available now digitally with physical copy out at a later date

If there is a console out there, Minecraft needs to be on it. This will be great for builders on the go who don’t own a Switch.

Switch:

Game Spotlight: Xenoblade 2 (December 1st) and project Octopath Traveler (2018)

Both of these JRPGs got time in the spotlight during the Direct and I decided to lump them together. I never played much in terms of JRPG throughout my life, but between these two, I might have to give one of them a try. People were not sure Xenoblade 2 would see a release in 2017 but Nintendo managed to do it. The game has an interesting looking battle system and unique worlds to explore. However, it’s not the RPG I want to play and that honor goes to project Octopath Traveler. This game allows you to choose one of eight champions with different special abilities. These allow you interact with the world in various ways and have a different viewpoint of the story. The art style looks great and I got the chance to play the game via a demo on the Eshop and enjoyed it immensely.

Game Spotlight: Mario Odyssey – Oct 27th

A few more story elements and other tidbits were revealed about Mario Odyssey and it is making me more excited for the game to get here in just over a month. I can’t wait to explore the unique sandbox worlds trying to find all the hidden thing scattered throughout. There isn’t single thing I’m worried about with this game and plan on playing the entire launch weekend. Sorry kids. What amazes me is that we will, more than likely, have two of the top games of the year contenders coming from Nintendo.

Highlights:

Bethesda Studio announcements

We finally got a release date of November 17th for the Switch version of Skyrim but that wasn’t the bigger announcement. Bethesda is releasing Doom and the new Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus to the system. I’m hoping that more third-party developers will follow suite and start bringing their games to the system. We will have to see what compromises are being made to have this happen but it’s exciting regardless.

Mario Odyssey Switch Bundle

We have found the hot item for the holiday season from Nintendo besides the SNES Classic. No discount, but you get the red joycon controllers, a digital version of Mario Odyssey, and a slick looking carrying case for the system. The most interesting thing about this bundle that it would be a digital only download of the game. Not sure why this is the case, but will be interesting to see if this is a trend that continues for Nintendo.

While there were a lot out little announcements of updates and new information about upcoming games, there wasn’t much earth shattering news. We don’t need that every Direct and it was good to get an update on what is coming down the pipe. The future of Nintendo is strong with a diverse lineup of games for both systems.

If you missed the Nintendo Direct, you can watch the full video below: