Nintendo surprises with Metroid, Kirby, Yoshi
E3 showcase reveals Super Mario Odyssey release date, a proper Pokemon game is in development for Switch, Zelda DLC details
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Nintendo took the less-is-more approach to its E3 showcase video this year, and while it wasn't quite as brief as last year's installment (which consisted of a single trailer for Zelda: Breath of the Wild), few would accuse it of overstaying its welcome. The 24-minute series of clips included new looks at a number of games we already knew were coming, as well as a few welcome surprises.
Surprises
- Metroid Prime 4 was shown off with a logo and literally nothing else. [Update: During Nintendo Treehouse: Live at E3, Nintendo announced Metroid: Samus Returns, a modern reimagining of the 1991 Game Boy adventure Metroid II: Return of Samus. It's coming to 3DS on September 15.]
- Kirby makes his first appearance on the Switch with an action platformer that sees him not just swallow enemies to assimilate their powers, but recruit up to three of them to his side. The game is set for 2018, and will also support at least one other player.
- GameFreak has begun developing a core RPG Pokemon title for Switch. It won't be out for at least a year, but it should come as welcome news for fans of the series who have wanted the mainline Pokemon games to jump to Nintendo's consoles for some time.
- Yoshi's Woolly World is also getting a sequel on Switch simply called Yoshi. Set for release in 2018, the gimmick this time is that every 2D world has a flipside that players will be able to jump behind.
- There was no mention of the Virtual Console, eShop, or online subscription plan, and the numerous indie developers Nintendo had touted in the days before the Switch launch were entirely absent.
Zelda
- Select Legend of Zelda items like the Master Sword will appear in the Switch version of Skyrim.
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC was shown off in greater detail, including new items, the Trial of the Sword and Master Mode from DLC pack 1, which arrives June 30.
- The second DLC pack is called "The Champions' Ballad" and will apparently focus on the four champions of Hyrule rather than Link. Each champion will also be getting an amiibo of its own.
A big 2017 lineup
- Monolithsoft's Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was featured with a trailer showing off the game's anime-style cinematics along with some snippets of RPG gameplay. It's set for release this holiday season.
- Fire Emblem Warriors was featured in a trailer and will release this fall.
- Ubisoft's E3 conference show-stealer Mario and Rabbids: Kingdom Battle received a preview hosted by Yves Guillemot. The game launches August 29.
- Rocket League on Switch will have exclusive customization items (like a Mario hat) and battle cars, as well as cross-network play. It launches this holiday season with all the features and modes from other versions of the game.
- Super Mario Odyssey closed the show with a trailer showcasing Mario's anthropomorphic hat and a variety of settings, including prehistoric cliffsides, a Mexican-inspired town, a modern metropolis, and more standard Mario locations. It launches October 27.
