By: CHRIS CAMARGO, Contributing Writer
February 21, 2019
This month's Nintendo Direct occurred with various things announced. To start off, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is getting a new update that will nerf and buff some characters, fix some glitches, and add Joker from Persona 5 to the roster. The update will be available this spring. This update is good since not only does it help make other fighters useful, but it allows you to play as a brand new playable character. Next up is Tetris 99. This is basically a battle royal version of the beloved game. After playing a few matches, despite having a bizarre concept the game is very enjoyable. Tetris 99 is fast paced with responsive controls. Definitely a must play.
Also, a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was revealed. The graphics along with the game play look similar to A Link Between Worlds, however that’s not a terrible thing. It looks very detailed, causing the world to feel alive and expansive. Not only that, but the gameplay looks fun with some strategic puzzle solving elements. I can’t wait to get my hands on it and have an amazing experience.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Daemon x Machina, Astral Chain, and Oninaki are other brand new titles releasing on the Switch. Each one feels unique enough to make it stand out on its own and offer a fresh, entertaining experience.
While there were a lot of good games announced, there were also some pretty weak ones. Super Mario Maker 2 is just Mario Maker, except with new features. Box Boy and Box Girl are just ports with some new levels. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker got new DLC (Downloadable Content), containing 2 player mode with new courses. Starlink added a new patch, allowing more Star Fox characters to be made playable with brand new missions to try out. Ports of Dragon Quest XI S: Definitive Edition and Dragon Quest Builders 2 were confirmed, but are already available on other platforms such as PS4. Yoshi’s Crafted World is yet another wooly world styled game. In addition, there was a port of Deltarune Chapter 1. These all feel weak since they’re either just ports of an already existing game on other consoles, games that feel like the same game with features that should have been DLC for the original, lackluster DLC, or just look uninteresting.
Furthermore, you have games that will most likely end up in the bargain bin. These being Disney Tsum Tsum Festival and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. They just look like cheap licensed mobile games made for a home console with a price tag of $60. Overall, not great.
Amadeo Gutierrez, senior at NBTHS, stated “I personally like the Nintendo Direct. It had so many great games that I look forward to. I want to play Dragon Quest Builders 2 since it’s a cool Minecraft inspired game”.
This Nintendo Direct as a whole was decent. There were numerous good/intriguing games announced while also having some okay ones.