On March 26, Nintendo surprised most of its fans by broadcasting a new Nintendo Direct Mini event without dropping any pre-announcement info.
Despite being labeled as “mini”, this most recent Nintendo Direct actually made a whole lot of announcements, some of them actually being quite big. Here’s a rundown of all the new games and updates mentioned in the video presentation.
New Games
A handful of new game titles were announced during this 28-minute video presentation. One of the major game announcements was for a remastered version of the critically-acclaimed RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles. This Nintendo Switch port will also include a new additional epilogue story, Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected. The new addition will introduce a fresh area in Bionis’ Shoulder and will have Shulk and Melia as its playable characters.
Nintendo is also porting three popular titles from developer 2K Games: Bioshock, Borderlands, and XCOM 2. All three games will be offered as collections. Bioshock: The Collection will include all three remastered games from the franchise. Borderlands Legendary Collection, on the other hand, will include the first and second game plus Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Lastly, XCOM 2 Collection will include the base game, four DLC packs and the War of the Chosen expansion pack. The base game can be played with or without activating the additional DLCs or expansion pack.
The event also introduced the arrival of remakes for a couple of fan-favorite games like Panzer Dragoon, Burnout Paradise, and Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.
Additionally, Nintendo is making the full version of ARMS free to download for all Nintendo Switch Online members. This will include trial users as well.
- Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – May 29, 2020
- Bioshock: The Collection – May 29, 2020
- Borderlands Legendary Collection – May 29, 2020
- XCOM 2 Collection – May 29, 2020
- Bravely Default II – 2020
- Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics – June 5, 2020
- Good Job – Available now
- Ninjala – May 27, 2020
- Catherine: Full Body – July 7, 2020
- King’s Bounty II – 2020
- Shinsekai Into the Depths – Available now
- Panzer Dragoon Remake – Available now
- Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy – Available now
- Trials of Mana – April 24, 2020
- FUSER – Fall 2020
- The Elder Scrolls: Blades – Spring 2020
- Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus – May 2020
- Vigor – Closed Beta, April 9
- Burnout Paradise Remastered – 2020
- Saints Row: IV Re-Elected – March 27, 2020
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III – June 3, 2020
- Mr. DRILLER DrillLand – June 25, 2020
- Minecraft Dungeons – Spring 2020
- ARMS – Available now. Free for Nintendo Switch Online members
Updates
New information was released for the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield’s first expansion pack, The Isle of Armor. In this first expansion pack, trainers are paired with the new legendary Pokémon, Kubfu, to undergo different challenges in either the Tower of Darkness or the Tower of Waters. Only one tower can be chosen per player. Upon finishing the towers, Kubfu will evolve into one of its final forms. The form is determined based on the tower chosen. Additionally, your original starter Pokémon will be given a new Dynamax form as a reward for finishing the challenge.
The recently released Animal Crossing: New Horizons also receives a new update. Downloading this will trigger the April Easter event which will officially start on April 1 and last until April 12. During this time, a new quest, as well as new items, will be made available. Another update will be available later on in April which will focus on the next event for the game, Earth Day. More details to be released soon.
A new expansion pass is coming to Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. With it, three new DLCs are added: Curse of the Vampire, Rise of the Phoenix, and Shadow of Doom. All of these DLCs include new characters as well as new game modes in addition to the main game. The latest DLC, Shadow of Doom, adds members of the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom to the roster of playable characters. It’s now available for digital purchase.
Ring Fit Adventure
The Ring Fit Adventure update brings a couple of new features. A newly added Rhythm Game Mode utilizes the controller in a Just Dance-type of gameplay. With 17 music tracks to choose from, players squeeze and twist the Ring Fit controller as prompted. Some of the included music tracks come from popular Nintendo games like Splatoon, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario.
The update also provides an option to use a female voice for your companion, Ring. Additionally, a new Jogging Mode has been included for a much-relaxed workout experience. This update is available now for download.
Super Smash Bros.
This is much more of a teaser than an announcement. Nintendo teases a new fighter from the game, ARMS, alongside a hint saying “This fighter’s arms can exteeeend!” Nintendo then playfully says that their development time, too, needs to extend and will be announcing the next fighter this June
It’s important to note that all of these release dates are subject to change due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic, as Nintendo announced before the video started.
If you want to watch the full Nintendo Direct Mini presentation, you can check it out below.
