Welcome to the SwitchArcade Roundup for June 12th, where we’re running down all the Nintendo E3 Direct reveals! You have Fortnite and Hollow Knight to play today, and the Nintendo holiday lineup was revealed. Plus, there’s plenty more beyond that. Heck, even today has a few new releases including Paladins, but we’ll catch up on those tomorrow. Today, let’s run down what happened at the Nintendo E3 Direct, even if most of it was dedicated to one title in particular.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate revealed
It’s Smash 5! Nintendo revealed the latest Super Smash Bros. game, and it’s not just Smash 4.5, but a brand-new game that adds all of the playable characters from the series. Every single character, including crossover characters, is back, and yes that means Snake is back after not being in the Wii U/3DS versions of the game. Characters will be seeing tweaks to their moves and Final Smash attacks, but the goal of the game is to get everyone in here at once. Eight-player matches and online play are returning, as is the ability to create a custom Mii fighter. Two new characters are in the game: the Inkling from Splatoon and Ridley. Yes, people have wanted Ridley from Metroid in Smash for so long, and finally Samus’ greatest foe is playable.
We’ll see if this is enough to get the Smash community to finally give up their precious Melee in exchange for a game on a system where they’re not running out of controllers and have weird debates about the Smashbox controller. But, GameCube controllers are compatible with this version and PowerA has those GameCube controllers of their own coming, so you don’t have to let go of the past entirely.
This does look like Nintendo kind of went with making this a sort of compendium of the series up until now, so maybe when Smash 6 comes along, it’ll be willing to discard some familiar elements of the series for fresh elements. Or maybe this is what we need: just throw the kitchen sink and a few new things into Smash every single time. I’m excited for the release on December 7th.
Fortnite out now on Switch
The worst kept secret in gaming is no longer secret: Fortnite’s out on the Switch today! This is just the Battle Royale mode, no Save the World here, unfortunately. Of course, the reason people care is exclusively because of Battle Royale, so while I’m sure Save the World is cool, it’s not exactly necessary.
Look, do you need me to really say anything about Fortnite that you haven’t heard already? Switch players get their own servers, and can cross-play against anyone except for PS4 players because…IDK, Sony’s being weird lately. You also can’t link your account if it’s linked to PlayStation, but you can if you link to Xbox. C’mon, Sony.
However, I also have to call out Nintendo, because Fortnite supports voice chat on the Switch, through the console itself. Yes, use a standard TRRS headset, and you can use it to voice chat in Fortnite. Yes, that means the ridiculous app solution for Splatoon 2 is even more baffling.
This version of Fortnite doesn’t look as good as the PS4 version, but it looks better than the mobile version on the iPad Air 2, and it runs and plays smoothly. No motion controls, though. Really, the fact that this is Fortnite on the Switch and it’s so ho-hum is kind of revelatory. Developers: spec your games so you can get on the Switch if necessary.
Hopefully Sony plays ball with Epic Games accounts soon, but otherwise…where we droppin’?
Hollow Knight gets surprise release today
EA pulled this stunt with Unravel 2, but I guess that was a new, unannounced title. Nintendo pulled the “out now!” trick with two titles: Fortnite, and the port of this Metroidvania. It’s got your standard Metroidvania setup, but features gorgeous art and sound, a lengthy first playthrough, and a ton of stuff to discover. The reviews on the PC version were overwhelmingly positive, so this should be well worth your time on Switch.
Super Mario Party comes to the Switch…es…this year
Yes, not only is a Mario Party game coming to the Switch, but it’s going to support playing with multiple Switch systems. They can link up in unique ways, such as a game where the only way to cross between screens is at the point where the systems intersect. I didn’t know the Switch had those kinds of sensors inside of it, I’m kind of impressed! Anyway, if any game was ever made for the Switch, Mario Party is it. It releases on October 5th.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses revealed for next year
Fire Emblem fans ought to be excited, because the next game in the series is coming to Switch, and it’s looking mighty impressive. Formations of troops help out the individual characters in battle, and it makes for some impressive-looking battles, though the standard grid-based battle system is still here. Expect this one in spring of 2019.
Killer Queen Black coming to Switch
The unique arcade game Killer Queen finally comes home, with a tweaked home version, that also supports online play. The one key concession is the shrinkage of the game from 5v5 to 4v4, but that makes a lot of sense based on four controllers being the base for most consoles. This should be a fun one, and it’ll hit Switch this winter.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Revealed for Switch
Not a huge surprise if you followed some of the E3 leaks, but good news! Arc System Works’ acclaimed fighting game based on every middle school boy’s favorite anime ever is coming to the Switch. Fight with multiple variations of each character throughout the series’ history, and an original character in Android 21, if you play through the bonkers story mode. With Capcom striking out on Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, this is the madcap team-based fighter of choice nowadays, and Arc System Works is just cranking out those solid fighting games one by one at this point.
Overcooked 2 brings new challenges and online play to the Switch
The first Overcooked is one of those games where I’m surprised that it got to be popular. It’s fun, but I feel like it just hit a certain cultural zeitgeist to rise up among other local multiplayer games. Weird how that happens with some stuff. Anyway, Overcooked 2 looks like more of the same goodness, but they’re throwing in online multiplayer, in case you can’t round up friends locally. Hermits for life!
Daemon X Machina brings mech action to the Switch next year
So while we aren’t getting Metal Wolf Chaos XD yet, Nintendo is one-upping that by getting former FromSoftware producer Kenichiro Tsukuda of Armored Core fame to work on an original mech combat game, called Daemon X Machina. And it looks like it’s got some stylish, over-the-top mech action. Give it to me…next year!
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country DLC announced
Enjoy your time in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and want more? Well, Nintendo just revealed the expansion that takes place centuries before the main plot. Expect this DLC on September 21st.
Octopath Traveler gets new demo and release date
This Square Enix RPG, harkening back to the old days of the publisher, has had a demo on the eShop for a while, but a new one featuring the first chapter of each of the game’s eight characters, starting on June 14th, this Thursday. The full game releases on July 13th. Also, the save data will transfer to the full game!
So yeah, don’t worry about the Switch not having any major new titles in the coming year or so. Plenty of titles are on the way, even if you don’t check the eShop daily like I do. Be sure to check back tomorrow for more E3 reveals, and to catch up on the world of Switch outside of E3!
