So we got a Nintendo direct yesterday.
Hurray! And it was... ok. It was nothing that blew me away (For that
I would have needed footage of Zelda U), but it was a solid direct
with some new announcements, some deeper insights and some surprises.
Let's start of with the big hitter Star
Fox Zero. It looks great. The artstyle reminds me of The Wonderful
101, one of my favourite Wii-U games, so I can't complain about that.
And the action looks really intense. However it also looks like an
updated version of Star Fox 64, which already was a updated version
of Star Fox of SNES. Although Miyamoto says that there is a new
story, this shows his lack of ambition in that department. While
there was never a huge focus on Stories in Nintendo games a little
bit more variation in that department wouldn't hurt. Still gameplay
wise the game looks top notch. Especially the branching paths should
add a lot of replay value. The only thing missing now is a good 4
against 4 mulitplayer.
Also Amiibo Support has been confirmed.
Touchign a Fox Amiibo will give your Airwing the looks from the SNES
classic and change the music to fit that change. It's purely cosmetic
and as such I don't mind it.
Star Fox Guard seems like an enjoyable
little game and I'll definitely try it out. It's not enough to be its
own game, but as a download title it fits perfectly.
Next up was Splatoon and surprise, it
will receive more content. This is great, but please fix the map
rotation and replace it with a Mario Kart 8 like selection. You have
enough maps to do that now.
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games
doesn't really interest me, but it looks like an enjoyable party
game. A big selection of playable characters, fun looking sports...
There is nothing wrong with this iteration of the series, and I'm
sure it will sell well. Also the HD graphics look really good.
Mario Maker also gets new content. Yay!
The addition of spike pillars, but more importantly key, key doors
and pink coins, will allow you to create even more devious levels.
After seeing some of the puzzle levels already created for Mario
Maker I can only dread what will await us on March 9th
when the update hits.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE already wins
the title for most convoluted name in 2016. This game is breathing
Japan with every pixel on screen. The whole Idol theme isn't
something we Europeans can relate to, but I'd like to give it a
chance. I haven't tried a Persona or Shin Megami Tensei Game so far,
but only heard good about them, so I think this could be the perfect
opportunity to get into these kind of games. The decision to keep the
original Japanese voice acting and only provide subtitles will make
purists happy, and was probably done because of the less then stellar
sales figures in Japan. Still it's miles better than only having an
english dub, like with Fire Emblem: Fates. Speaking of Fire Emblem,
let's hope that the censorship happy guys at Nintendo will spare
Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE. Their recent track record doesn't fill me
with confidence, so I will keep this game on my radar but remain
cautious.
Finally we're getting the Paper Mario
Game I predicted for last E3, and many fans aren't to happy about it.
Maybe because, according to them, it looks like Sticker Star 2. I
can't share this resentment, because I have never truly played a
Paper Mario game. So as an outsider to the series the game looks
rather appealing to me. I really like the cardboard look of the
environment, although it clashes a little with the flat paper
characters. The colour feature, if used well, will bring an exciting
new layer to puzzle solving and combat. About the fear of a Sticker
Star 2 I would advise everyone to remain calm and wait for new
information about the game. From this one and a half minute trailer
however, I would say that this game looks promising.
Oh and can we talk about how that Shy
Guy straight up murdered the Toad in the trailer by draining his very
life essence?
After that we got some information on
My Nintendo, which we already knew and release dates for Animal
Crossing Amiibo before finally heading to...
Hyrule Warriors Legends. I still think
that this game is mostly a cash grab and that a full fledged Cartoon
Hyrule Warriors with characters from Handheld Zeldas and Wind Waker
would have been better, but at least they are providing some new
content. I can't approve the download code that unlocks all new
characters and stages for the Wii-U Version. Why can't owner of the
Wii-U Version download that content from the e-shop? Why do we have
to buy a completely new game? A game which runs horrible on the
regular 3DS and is practically a New 3DS exclusive?
Also there is a season pass, but the
season pass for the Wii-U original was ok, so I don't mind.
And to end this small rant on a high
note. Yay we're getting Medley for free on both versions of the game.
Ok first. Shibatas Yokai Dance was
amazing. Also this game, which is currently replacing Pokemon as the
King of Japan, will probably won't do that here, because it's to its
very core Japanese.
Disney Art Academy: Skip!
And now let's talk about the biggest
thing of the Direct. Metroid Prime: Federation Force isn't cancelled.
I personally don't hate Federation Force. I don't even dislike it. In
fact I think it looks like a fun and enjoyable game. But it comes at
the completely wrong time. If it wouldn't bear the Metroid Name all
would be good. It wouldn't draw the huge attention it does now, but
much more people would approach it level-headed. The game itself
looks like a fun co-operative shooter with RPG elements. I'm sure it
will be a ton of fun with a group of friends. The only complaint I
can objectively find about this game is it's artstyle. The chibi
characters just seem out of place in such an environment, and Metriod
Prime: Hunters already showed a better artstyle on the old DS.
But now let's talk about the biggest
problem of the game. That it bears the Metroid Name, even though it's
only a spinoff. It releases at a time, when the last real Metroid was
already six years ago, and even this wasn't received all too well by
the fanbase. Federation Force releasing this spring with a true
Metriod Prime 4 on Wii-u coming later this year wouldn't be a
problem. Spinoff games are there to complement the main series and
offer a fresh look and new perspective on the world. They are not
suited to replace a main game, if the series is on a long hiatus.
Many fans are just bitter about the fact that this is probably the
only Metroid Game they'll get in 8-10 years. And I completely
understand that.
And yet it would have been so simple.
Release Metroid Prime 4 on Wii-U and a classic 2D Metroid in the
spirit of Super Metroid on the 3DS. Everybody's happy.
After
that we got a look at some third party, or to tell the truth, indie
games coming to Wii-U. I'll probably take a look at Lost Reavers. It
looks like it could be fun with some friends and even if not, as a
Free to play title nothing of value if lost.
Yeah I
already talked enough about Fire Emblem fates and why I won't buy it.
As
someone who hasn't played Dragon Quest nor Monster Hunter I can't say
much about these games, apart from that I'm happy for fans that
they'll get them.
And now
for the last part of the direct. A completely new announcement. And
the picture above these letters already spoiled it. Kirby: Planet
Robobot. On first, and second, glance it falls under the ''More of
the same category'' of games, but with the excellent Kirby: Triple
Deluxe as it's predecessor I don't mind. It provides everything you'd
expect from a classical Kirby platformer. New Abilities and a new
main gimmick. While it were the Ultra Abilities in Return to
Dreamland and the Hypernova in Triple Deluxe, this time it's the
Mecha Suit, which can also use different abilities. And to be honest
this looks like a lot of pure simple minded fun. There will also be a
group of new Amiibo, and I'm ok with their integration. The game is
compatible with every Amiibo, which will give you power ups depending
on the Amiibo you use. For example Link gives you the sword ability
of Kirby. The special Kirby Amiibo will also give you an ability, but
on top also a costume. Met Knight awards you with the sword ability
and his look. These are completely cosmetic changes and I'm ok with
that.
And
like every other Kirby game there is a second mode, which looks like
even more fun than the main game. This time you and up to three other
players can band together in an RPG style battle mode.
All in
all this was a good direct. It provided a healthy dose of everything,
gave us some new announcements and further insight into upcoming
titles. With a small tease of Zelda U at the end this would've even
been a great direct. But for now I'm pretty happy.
So what
are your thoughts about the direct? Did it meet your expectations?
Were you disappointed?
And as
always
thanks
for reading
Source of all Pictures: Nintendo Direct 03.03.2016
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