Nintendo E3 2018 Conference Recap

By Zero OmegaThe last of the E3 conferences is finally upon us this year and as usual Nintendo is going to cap it off. Nintendo is sitting fairly pretty a year after the release of the Switch, while it may not be getting all of the triple A third-party games, it is definitely getting a lot more love and traction than its predecessor the Wii U. So what exciting news does Nintendo bring to us this year? Let's recap!Daemon x MachinaNintendo decides to start off their conference (a pre-recorded Nintendo Direct as has become their go-to for the past couple years) with a wild and exciting looking cel-shaded mecha game named Daemon x Machina. We don't know much about the actual game outside of the fact the action looks intense, it has a vague 2019 release date, and will be out for Nintendo Switch (spoiler alert, all games showed off this Direct will be).[arve url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxPlBdk4HXY" /]Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna the Golden CountryThe long awaited next big DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 finally gets a new trailer and release date of September 2018. It looks to be a great expansion to the game![arve url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EP6XV1BmOk" /]Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu & EeveeWe get some further information about the newest iteration in the Pokemon franchise and the first game we'll see on the Switch. The big takeaways are that you'll be able to transfer your Pokemon to Pokemon Go and that the new Pokemon Plus Controller will come with Mew. This will release November 16, 2018.Super Mario PartyNintendo is finally taking the next leap into ruining family and friendships with Super Mario Party for the Switch. It looks like the same classic Mario Party action with a few twists for the Switch's portability and Joy-Cons. We can expect it October 5, 2018.[arve url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pu9t5AL1Ss" /]Fire Emblem Three HousesThis absolutely gorgeous looking new entry in the Fire Emblem series looks to take the original top-down strategy RPG and turn it on its head, or at the very least give beautiful looking full on scenes to the attacks that are done. Knowing Fire Emblem's long storied history for story-telling and great strategic game play we can only assume this will be another fun entry into the series. It releases Spring 2019.[arve url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkux5h0PeXo" /]FortniteFortnite is finally available for the Switch! It is out today, so download now!Octopath TravelerA release date of July 13, 2018 and a demo will be available on June 14, 2018!Games A-PlentyA quick highlight reel plays of all the games we can expect on Switch, including: Arena of Valor, Ark Survival Evolved, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, Carcassonne, Crash Bandicoot: N-Sane Trilogy, Dark Souls Remastered, Dragonball FighterZ, Fallout Shelter, FIFA 18, FIFA 19, Hollow Knight, Just Dance 2019, Killer Queen Black, Mario + Rabbids: Donkey Kong Adventure, Mario Tennis Aces, Megaman 11, Minecraft, Monster Hunter Generation Ultimate, Ninjala, Overcooked 2, Paladins, Pixark, SNK Heroines, Splatoon 2: OctoExpansion, Starlink: Battle for Atlas, Sushi Striker: Way of the Sushido, The World Ends With You Final Remix, Wasteland 2, Wolfenstein IISuper Smash Brothers UltimateGoing into this E3 we knew that Nintendo was going to have to tell us more about Super Smash Brothers and I believe that our expectations were completely and utterly blown out of the water. Normally as speculate and wonder for weeks, months as to which characters will be joining the next Smash Bros game, not so much this time as they announce that every character from every game will be available. You'll start off with a small roster and then grow from there. Furthermore, a lot of the characters have gone under a re-design, or have had some quality of life improvements (e.g., Cloud's limit burst meter will always be visible in his damage area). All the stages will have a battlefield and omega modes! Along with some new stages: Moray Tower and Great Plateau Tower from Breath of the Wild. There are also thousands of game play changes such as shield dodging having diminishing effectiveness the more you use it in a row, and directional air dodging. There is a lot of information to go through, so the best way to really go through it all is watching their presentation on it.By the way, two other huge announcements: Ridley will join the fray! And the game will release on December 7, 2018![arve url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93H7YC-83o" /]ThoughtsNintendo certainly showed off an incredibly exciting Direct and really, really wanted to emphasize Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, dedicating 25 out of the 45 minute presentation to it. As a fan of the series, this is an absolute joy and gave us everything we needed to know. To that end, the conference was a rousing success! However, looking at it completely objectively, there wasn't a whole lot to take in if you aren't a fan of Smash Brothers. We got a new IP announcement with Daemon x Machina, a new Fire Emblem announcement, and a new Mario Party but otherwise a lot of it was very small updates to things we already knew were in the works. As much as I personally enjoyed the Direct, it is something that I do have to admit would be a let down for others.That being said, Nintendo has mentioned (and frankly shown) previously that they don't consider E3 the showcase where they need to present everything they have. They firmly believe in showing off things that will be coming out in the near future and when they are ready to show off more things of interest they don't want to wait for E3, they will host a Direct on their own time and hold their own events. So to those waiting for more information about Pokemon, Metroid, Yoshi, Animal Crossing, and other big games, keep an eye out, because I'm certain we'll see another Direct within a few months.