It was inevitable that a Nintendo Direct would be coming sooner or later, and one had indeed recently aired. Wednesday night gave viewers a packed event of game announcements, and I was surprised at some of these reveals. It was certainly enjoyable watching and reacting live as part of the GRcade Twitchcast (even if I was about a minute behind the rest), but now’s the time to get some deeper thoughts down.
And first, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t talk about this one right away. Aspyr are once again bringing a new Star Wars game to the Switch, and it’s a surprising one. We’ve had the Jedi Knight games, Episode 1: Racer, and Republic Commando all appear on the Switch. Games which were from the N64 and Gamecube eras. Yet now we have The Force Unleashed making an appearance, despite so many games from those other eras that are just as deserving of a port.
What’s also surprising is that the version of The Force Unleashed we’re getting is the Wii version. It’s odd that such is the case. Why not treat Nintendo owners to something they’ve never had? After all, the HD and SD versions of the game – while following the same story – have numerous differences between them. There’re also the motion controls of the Wii version, which… yeah. Maybe I’m remembering wrong, but I don’t remember them being all that special here.
However, would I take the HD version over this one? The Wii version is the better version for the Switch for precisely one reason, so in this case I’d say no. Multiplayer. It might not be much, but getting to play as the heroes and villains of the saga in a one-on-one arena duel was a lot of fun back when it first released, so many are sure to have some good experiences of it with this port. The PSP version had even more extras, but I can’t really expect Aspyr to be adding those to a version that never had them.
It’s releasing in April, which already has LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (which didn’t feature in the Direct), so it will be a great month for fans of Star Wars. In fact, this Direct featured quite a few games that are releasing in April – or near enough to it. Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp we already knew about, but now have a date for. I’m excited for this one, but moreso for the player-created content. Specifically, my created content.
See, I loved this series for precisely one reason. The fact you could create your own maps. I started with the first DS game and spent a lot of hours just in that creator, messing around and creating who knows how many maps that I would endlessly play on. Oh, I certainly progressed in the campaign, and it will be fun to see how far I get with these two, but such was never the focal point of why I loved the series. I’m sure I’ll be spending plenty of time doing so with this one. When I’m not busy with my blocky galactic adventures, of course.
A new trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land showed off ability evolution – which enables far greater use of copy abilities than seen before in the series. There’s also Mouthful Mode, which was interesting to see. Various large objects are strewn across these forgotten lands, and Kirby can inhale them just the same as enemies. To then wrap his body completely around them. It looks weird yet wonderful, but also has a use.
Becoming a car – or Carby, as the internet has come to call it – will give the ability to zoom around at speed, breaking iron boxes and other impassable barriers. Or use a vending machine to fire soda cans like an automatic rifle. There’s plenty to find and use in this adventure, and it’s one that is looking to be one of the best outings yet for the pink sucker. The late March release puts it very close to that blocky galactic adventure, but I’m sure I’ll have played a lot of it before then.
Another at the end of April was also a surprise. Nintendo Switch Sports! The greatest from the Wii – that became even greater with Sports Resort, now on the Switch. Kind of. Of the original, only Tennis and Bowling return (but those are the best of the bunch), with Swordfighting – now under the name of Chambara – coming from Sports Resort. New sports of Volleyball, Badminton, and Football make up the other three featured here.
It’s not Mii Resort Paradise. Nowhere close. But it is the Nintendo classic in new form, which means I can get to more bowling without having to fire the Wii U up. The new characters might not be Miis, but they certainly are a lot more expressive. Miis do return, which is a plus, but I think these new characters already are Miis. Look at the promo shots, get in the Mii creator, and see if you can recreate one of them. Pretty easy thing to do. This could very well be the second generation of Miis we’re looking at.
Now, I won’t just be getting it for the bowling – even if I do use it as a fitness tool, since those other sports in the package are going to be fun, too. Well, the tennis and swordfighting will – as will golf when it arrives later in the year, but I’m not sure the others will be as good. Badminton certainly has potential, but the other two don’t really seem fit for the motion-controlled gameplay the series offers up. We will see.
And even if the football of Switch Sports doesn’t feel all that great to play, there’s Mario Strikers which is sure to be a more accurate representation of the sport. He says, knowing full well what the previous games offered. Yes, after missing out during the Wii U’s reign, Strikers is back, and it’s looking to bring zany ball kicking to the Switch. It’s not on the same level as seeing Metroid Dread, but it sure is a big surprise to see.
Of course, I can’t end without talking of the biggest surprise of them all. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is getting DLC. Almost five years after it released. Now, you could get all negative over the fact they seem to have done nothing more than rescale and port the tracks from Tour, but the fact is – it’s 48 tracks that we haven’t had in Mario Kart 8 before. An entire game’s worth of tracks for half the price of one.
Sure, the two art styles clash very noticeably. Mario Kart 8’s more realistic style compared with Tour’s flatter, vibrant one will be odd to go between in races, but it looks good. There’s still a personality to each track that comes through very visibly just by looking at them. Besides, we’re getting the Tour-exclusive tracks as well, which I’ve enjoyed from those I have played.
Across the next two years, we’ll be getting these 48 tracks, with them released eight at a time in six waves. Nintendo have gone through the series history to grab new icons for the cups, which has produced some fun cup names. Who would ever have thought the Turnip Cup would be a thing, after all? I’ll be getting another article up talking in more detail of this one, including my hopes for the tracks that will appear.
This Direct has given me a boost of excitement for those games we already knew of, along with getting me excited for those that were announced. Other things, such as LEGO Brawls escaping the confines of Apple Arcade and that Disney Speedstorm game, are also of interest to me, but not enough to talk of in any detail. It will be a very busy period for me, and that’s just on the Switch side of things. I also daresay this is gearing up to be the best year the Switch will ever have.
Images Taken From:
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Announcement Trailer
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp Trailer
Nintendo Switch Sports – Announcement Trailer
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass DLC Trailer
