Major announcements from Nintendo Direct March 2018

 
Yesterday Nintendo held a Nintendo Direct event, the second of 2018 so far, the core focus of which was Mario Tennis Aces. However, a number of other announcements were also made for both the Nintendo 3DS and the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo 3DS

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story | Bowser Jr’s Journey – TBA 2019

The beloved and very well received by critics Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story will be releasing for Nintendo 3DS at some point in 2019. The game will be a remake for the handheld console and feature new mechanics that allow players to alternate between the Mario brothers within Bowser, as well as controlling Bowser himself in the outside world.

Dillon’s Dead Heart Breakers – May 24, 2018

A new game in the Dillon’s Rolling Western series, Dillon’s Dead Heart Breakers will allow the game’s character to team up with your own Mii. A player’s Mii will join the team as a gunner. The game will have a demo available to play on the 10th of May.

WarioWare Gold – August 8, 2018

In news for Nintendo’s handheld console, the 3DS, Warioware Gold will be releasing on August 3, 2018. Warioware gold is, much like previous Warioware titles, made up of a number of different mini games, 300 to be exact. Warioware Gold will collect both new and classic mini games from the series together, all of which make innovative use of the touchscreen, microphone, and much more.

Nintendo Switch

Okami HD – Summer 2018

Okami HD, originally released for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii and has already had two remasters on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, will be coming to Nintendo Switch. Players will be able to control Ameratsu’s Celestial Brush with the Switch’s tablet touchscreen, or with Joy Con Controllers. The game will feature a tabletop and TV mode, releasing digitally on the Nintendo eShop this summer.

Dark Souls Beta and Amiibo – Dark Souls Remastered Launching May 25, 2018

Dark Souls Remastered was a complete surprise to everyone when Nintendo revealed it was coming to the Nintendo Switch back in January. Now Nintendo has confirmed that a network test beta will go live at some point before the game launches on May 25th, but that’s not all. Nintendo also revealed that a Knight Solaire Amiibo will be launching alongside Dark Souls Remastered for Nintendo Switch. The Amiibo will unlock the Praise The Sun gesture earlier in the game for players to use in both PVP and PVE.

Sushi Striker: The Way of the Sushido – June 8, 2018

A new title for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS which tasks players with matching colored plates with different types of sushi is releasing on the 8th of June. Sushi Striker: The Way of the Sushido will feature a story and online multiplayer, meaning players can batter their friends and enemies alike with plates full of sushi.

Octopath Traveler – July 13, 2018

Upcoming role playing game, Octopath Traveler, had some new characters revealed at this Nintendo Direct event. Tressa, a merchant, and Alfyn, an apothecary, were revealed as characters players will enjoy in the title when it launches. A special edition of Octopath Traveler has also been announced, including a pop-up book, map, replica coin based on in-game currency, and the game’s soundtrack on CD.

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes – TBA 2018

More details around the next installment in the No More Heroes series, Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, were given at the event. The game will include seven different game mode types, as well as a co-op multiplayer mode in which players share Joy-Con controllers in order to play the game together.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – July 13, 2018

The beloved puzzle title for Nintendo 3DS is finally going to release for Nintendo Switch. In the new version of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, players can find a Super Mario Odyssey-themed area, which is modeled on New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey. The game will also feature multiplayer in which players use a Joy Con Controller each to shoot turnips at enemies. A new version of the game with similar features and multiplayer support is also planned for Nintendo 3DS.

Undertale – TBA

No firm details on what the Nintendo Switch version of Undertale will include or when it will release were given, but Nintendo did announce that the game is on it’s way to the console. This isn’t surprising given how popular the game has been on other platforms, leading to DLC expansions.

Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy – July 10, 2018

What has been a PlayStation 4 exclusive title up until now will be releasing for a number of other platforms, including the Nintendo Switch. Crash Bandicoot: N-Sane Trilogy for Nintendo Switch will include all three original Crash Bandicoot titles, and possibly even the DLC released for the game separately, containing levels deemed too hard to release.

Little Nightmares: Complete Edition – May 18, 2018

Little Nightmares is a small horror puzzle title with frightful visuals and an eerie setting. The Nintendo Switch version will include the games past DLC, and allow players to unlock a special mask for us in-game by scanning the Pac-Man Amiibo.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole – April 24, 2018

The hilarious new south Park title, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, will be coming to Nintendo Switch in just a couple of months. The game will come with all available DLC as a pack or individual downloads.

ARMS US & Canada Online Open Tournament

Nintendo will be holding an open online tournament in the game ARMS, beginning now and ending on March 18th. The top eight players from this point, the preliminary rounds, will go forward to the finals on March 31st.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition – May 18, 2018

A port of the Wii U exclusive, Hyrule Warriors, will be coming to Nintendo Switch very soon. The Switch version will include all previously released DLC, including characters, maps, and missions, and will support local two player co-op using two Joy Con Controllers.

Mario Tennis Aces – June 22, 2018

The next Mario Tennis game, a very popular series of games, and the focus of this Nintendo Direct will launch on the 22nd of June 2018. New gameplay footage was shown as well as how the game has evolved in its transition to the Nintendo Switch.

Splatoon 2 Version 3.0 – April 2018

Nintendo is releasing an update for Splatoon 2 this April, and it’s going to be a big one. The update will add new gear, stages, playable characters, and a lot more. This update is also the precursor to the game’s first Paid for DLC expansion, releasing summer 2018, which will expand the single-player content of Splatoon 2.

Super Smash Bros. – TBA 2018

The final announcement of the event was a Nintendo Switch version of Super Smash Bros. The game will be coming to Switch later this year, though Nintendo were keen to say that it isn’t too far away. The teaser trailer shown for the new game revealed at least one Splatoon 2 character has been added to the roster.