Going into E3 2018, we knew Nintendo was planning on centering its livestream on Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch. Even so, we’re somewhat surprised at how much of Nintendo’s stream — roughly half of it — was dedicated to Smash. Still, Nintendo announced a few new games to keep all Switch owners happy. The Nintendo 3DS wasn’t mentioned once, so it appears almost the entirety of Nintendo’s attention is set on its thriving new platform.
Super Smash Bros. on Switch is officially titled Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a fitting name for a brawler that seeks to collect nearly 20 years of Smash history into one package. Game director Masahiro Sakurai went into exhaustive detail about the character roster, stages, and technique changes. What you need to know is that every single fighter that has appeared in the series thus far is in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. So far, the only new additions are the Inklings from Splatoon and Ridley from the Metroid franchise.
Not much was said about modes, but we know eight-player battles return. Ultimate will also support all Amiibo figures and have GameCube controller support (via the adapter that originally launched with Super Smash Bros. on Wii U).
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches on December 7 exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
Part of the allure of the Switch is its innovative, portable design. Nintendo will capitalize on that with Super Mario Party, the next entry in the long-running party game series. The trailer showed that you can combine two Switch consoles in tabletop mode to play on two screens. Each player only needs a single Joy-Con to play the mini-games, some of which also will take advantage of motion controls. Up to eight players can play at one time.
Super Mario Party launches October 5 on Switch.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé offered a new detail about the optional Poké Ball Plus controller. Each Poké Ball Plus will come with the rare Pokémon Mew for use in Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!
The new Pokémon experience, which has cross-functionality with Pokémon Go, launches November 16 on Switch. The Poké Ball Plus controller can be purchased separately or in a bundle with the game for $100.
Nintendo teased a proper Fire Emblem game for Switch when the console was initially unveiled, and now we know what that game looks like. Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the first mainline entry in the series for console since 2007’s Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, looks to have the same enticing grid-style combat from recent handheld entries. The power of the Nintendo Switch makes the animated action sequences pop in a way that hasn’t been possible on the 3DS hardware.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses launches in 2019 on Switch.
From the producer of the Armored Core franchise, Daemon X Machina is a gorgeous flying mech game with a neat art style and fast-paced combat filled with lots of explosions. Daemon X Machina, developed by Marvelous Games, launches in 2019 on Switch.
The massive 2017 RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is getting even more DLC in September. Torna – The Golden Country, by the looks of the trailer, seems to be more substantial than the previous two DLC packs released in March. Torna – The Golden Country threads a new narrative into the game and will be available to those who purchased the season pass.
The outrageously popular battle royale game, Fortnite, has finally arrived on Switch. Available right now, you can play it both in console and portable mode.
Octopath Traveler, the Switch-exclusive RPG with a gorgeous retro-aesthetic, arrives on Switch on July 13. A demo has been available for a while (it’s great), but a new demo will land on the eShop on June 14.
The frantic and fun cooking party game, Overcooked, is getting a sequel. Overcooked 2 lands on Switch August 7. This time around, you can play multiplayer online, a huge plus for this co-op experience.
Yes, the brunt of Nintendo’s conference focused on Smash and the other titles above. A slew of additional titles were briefly highlighted in a packed sizzle reel, though:
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.