With all the news, information, announcements, surprises, reveals, and Smash at E3, it’s no surprise us in the Source Gaming team have so many thoughts and opinions. We’ve gotten more Smash news than we could have ever expected especially. So a number of other staff members have contributed their thoughts on Smash, the Direct, and Nintendo at E3.
Beforehand, though, we have also collected a substantial amount of information everything related to Nintendo this year – so much that we’ve split it all into two articles.
- The Nintendo E3 2018 Direct, along with all other Nintendo-relevant information released at E3 this year
- Everything we know about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
First off, we’ve got a live reaction and post-reveal discussion from out own Nirbion and NantenJex.
Along with them, we also have a number of written reactions and thoughts.
Talking about the direct first and foremost, there was unique titles in there like Super Mario Party and the new Fire Emblem game. However, for the most part, without Smash, E3 from Nintendo felt a bit stale. There’s definitely still room for more reveals during the treehouse, but overall, I was a bit underwhelmed.
Now… when factoring Smash into the equation… that’s when things take a WAY better turn. Honestly, what can I say. This game was literally made with the ballot in mind. All of the fan feedback the community has given over the years are finally coming to fruition. No cuts, everyone returning is honestly amazing. The way they are presenting this game is fantastic and I am definitely looking to get my hands on it December 7th.
That Mech game trailer right at the start was hype as hell, a bit long though. Looks super Armored Core like, and I’m probably gonna grab that because it looks freaking amazing. Leading into a bunch of stuff we knew about was fine, sorta wish there were more actual Pokémon details but I can’t complain.. LOVE the way they showed off Mario Party with the switches connected, that’s so cool and roped me into the whole idea of it.
But of course the thing I was most excited for was SUPER SMASH BROS. ULTIMATE. It took a bit for it to sink in how amazing this game is going to be: every single character, heaps of revamped characters, way less “ECHO FIGHTERS,” and just shiny and new everywhere. A bit disappointed by the lack of newcomers, but there’s so much content and characters that it doesn’t matter. So much fan requested stuff was added, they really brought back Snake and all the other veteran fighters. It’s really just…So exciting being a competitive player leading into this next game; there are so many choices and so much new stuff I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I wish I could say I was as excited for Ridley but he wasn’t even on my wishlist of characters at any point. Glad he made it for the fans who wanted him; I can’t believe he murdered Mario and Megaman in his trailer. He looks extremely powerful right now and honestly really intimidating right now. Can’t wait to see more Smash, super excited for another announcement later on.
Nintendo’s E3 was more underwhelming than it should’ve been. I understand why they’d keep away Prime 4 until they wanted to give us a strong first impression, but at the same time there wasn’t any particular bombshells until the end. I was pretty excited for what looked like an Armored Core-ish game shown at the start, but that’s about it.
Smash, though, good lord. They really outdid themselves this time. This is truly looking like a game they plan to make the definitive Smash for at least the next 5 or so years. I need to get my hands on it already.
Let’s start with the Direct itself. Honestly, my biggest highlight from the direct, outside of Smash, is Super Mario Party. This looks like an extremely exciting entry in the Mario Party series, and the roster also looks amazing. I’m very excited to see more from it, and from the look of the game we got already, it seems closer to normal Mario Party than both 9 and 10 were. Moving on, getting a new look at the Fire Emblem game on Switch was also exciting; it looks interesting and I’m very curious to see more. Overall, I personally feel this was a great Direct, but I can understand some folks being upset by wanting to see more.
Smash, though? Oh my gosh, I’m incredibly hyped for this game. Everything shown of it excites me even more. Inklings look to play really well, Ridley straight up killed Mario, and Daisy’s here as an “Echo Fighter!” I think that’s all actually really exciting, and I’m looking forward to trying it over at Nintendo NY! Seeing not just Omega versions of stages, but also Battlefield versions is incredible, and I’ve seen some very nice stages. Great Bay is back! Temple again! Great Plateau Tower! A Splatoon Stage! So many returning stages, too! There’s a ton of stuff here, and while I wish it would come sooner than December 7th 2018, I’m completely fine with giving this game the time it needs to be as perfect s it could be.
I have no idea what that first game was, but it looked amazing! Not just the artstyle, but those mech designs were absolutely stunning and captivating! I’m so ready for 2019 due to that title alone! With Xenoblade 2’s Torna DLC, it looks very interesting as we have a completely new story for the game! It makes me want to buy Xenoblade 2 even more, but I’m very confused on how it works. In Japan, there is a retail version, so can I play the expansion without the normal game? Super Mario Party is great as it stands as a return to the normal Mario Party formula, on a console, after 10. A lot of stuff that was on my bingo was in the presentation! Fire Emblem Three Houses looks great, but that is definitely a name that doesn’t make me want to play the game. Not only that, but 2019? Well, the FE Direct did say PLANNED for 2018, not definitely 2018. Fortnite, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Hollow Knight, Octopath Traveler, Starlink: Battle for Atlas, and Mega Man 11. That sizzle reel definitely opened me up to more titles I’ll be picking up. Also, at the Splatoon World Championships – Octo Expansion will be coming out tomorrow!
NOW FOR SMASH! OHHHHHH MY GOSH! I ALMOST LOST MY VOICE AGAIN! There was nothing from that Direct that was Smash related I didn’t like. This game looks amazing, the returning characters are amazing, Daisy is actually in, and pretty much the game has changed for the better. I don’t have any other words:
I went into Nintendo’s E3 Direct more or less assuming that Smash would not only be its centerpiece, but also the only title I’d be excited by. And, honestly, while I was perhaps a tad too pessimistic, I was nevertheless overall pleased with the program. Nintendo’s indie sizzle reel showcased a few enticing titles – I really should try Hollow Knight someday – and I was even moderately interested in Super Mario Party.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s formal unveiling was, of course, the highlight. While I do have some mild concerns regarding how much new content will be offered by the final product, Ultimate made an incredible first impression by dropping over sixty characters on me in one sitting, including every series veteran. Seeing old favorites like Wolf and even Pokémon Trainer Red back was a treat (though I hope all three of his party members aren’t robbed of a fourth special attack like they were in Brawl) [EDITOR’s Note: unfortunately that is the case], and I finally scored Ridley, my second most wanted newcomer.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was finally shown to the world. Overall, I think the game looks fantastic and I’m extremely excited to get my hands on the next generation of Smash. I’m beyond happy that all the vets, including Pokémon Trainer and Snake, are back! Never in my wildest dreams did I expect these characters to all come back, let alone Young Link and Pichu! After my purchase of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate I will perform a ritual burning of all the other Smash games, as I will have (almost) no reason to really revisit them (well, maybe if I wanted to see some earlier trophies…). Almost all the stages from every game seem to be coming back. NantenJex has been keeping a helpful tally, and I think we are missing less than 30 [EDITOR’s NOTE: it is thirty, though three of them have been strongly hinted at being there]. I complained a bit about the stage selection in Smash for 3DS & Wii U…it felt like it was split among two versions. Having the majority of the content back, and in a complete HD package that’s also portable…it’s a fan’s wildest dream. In addition, a lot of the content has been reworked or updated. All the Zelda characters represent different games in their franchise. While we may not get a new Zelda representative, I’m really stoked to see most of the characters get a significant update. Wario has his shoulder bash back as well! Truly, this is a game for the fans. Some may call this game a port, but in my mind, there’s no way. There’s a ton of “new” stages from older games that weren’t in Smash for Wii U, new fighters, engine changes, and the content that was in Smash for Wii U has been altered or updated. Anyway, props to the team at Bandai Namco and Sakurai for the new Smash. I’m truly looking forward to it!
I wasn’t disappointed by the Direct. To be frank, I felt fairly strong Prime 4 and Bayonetta 3 wouldn’t have been anywhere near the level Nintendo is comfortable showing off, though I did expect Fire Emblem. The thing with Nintendo at E3 is that they do thirty to forty-five minute shows; they show off some big games, but the conference isn’t the be-all and end-all nor the time to showcase stuff that’s years away. It’s an immediacy that’s kind of commendable, honestly. They’ll probably have one or two large Directs later this year (along with some smaller stuff). This wasn’t a great performance overall, and I wish we could’ve spent more time with these games (Daemon X Machina in particular), but there was a lot of information, both in and out of this Direct. There are a huge number of great indie titles in particular, and getting immediate releases for both Fortnite and especially Hollow Knight was wonderful. If you look at the list of games we’ve compiled, it’s massive. And speaking of massive…
It’s hard for me to fully wrap my head around Smash. How can I? We just got what’s probably eighty-five, ninety percent of the entire cast shown off in a matter of minutes. The confirmed list of stages is nearing the eighties, and that doesn’t even disconfirm other past ones. I’m struggling to figure how many new fighters or stages I’m expecting to see, or what modes I think will be in the game, or what else I can possibly expect. Like, Cart Boy, I’m also a tad concerned about how much new material we’ll see. I mean, there is still more to this, and at least some of it’s stuff we wouldn’t likely expect. And I’m loving it. It’s not just that Sakurai has managed to do the unthinkable yet again, but that we are now in waters more uncharted than I think we’ve ever been. That’s so, so wonderful.
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Whoa, Ultimate took me by surprise for the same reason as everyone else, the roster. Every single fighter from previous installments added in one game and presented in the first minutes, that was a very good first impression. Never cared much for Ridley but glad Sakurai finaly did the right thing and threw the ‘too big’ nonsense out the window. Speaking of Ridley, him murdering Mario and Mega Man in his cinematic trailer was a bit of shock but pretty cool at the same time. Its been awhile since I played a Smash Bros. game and I must admit Ultimate makes me more tempted then ever before to get it on release day. I’m a bit curious at how low number of newcomers there will be (of course that wouldn’t, and doesn’t, stop me from getting the game) since, as Sakurai himself stated, we shouldn’t expect too many of them. Putting aside the Inklings, Daisy and Ridley, my guess is that Ultimate will have at best 2 or 4 newcomers, including DLC.
As for the rest of Nintendo’s E3 presentation, it was decent. I personally didn’t find it any worse then certain previous E3 Direct presentations but also nothing worth giving two thumps up for (but if I have to choose one game that piped my interest even a little bit it would be Daemon X Machina). Some new details on Metroid Prime 4 and/or Bayonetta 3, or my personal requests new Wario Land or Kid Icarus title, would have done the trick but I guess Nintendo are saving those for the next major Direct presentation(s). The indie game lineup was nice but most of them were titles I knew were coming prior to the presentation.
I was happy to see an interesting Mario Party experience. Fire Emblem is something I’ll reserve judgement on for now.
When it comes to Super Smash Brothers, I was happy to see the theme of “everyone is here,” and seeing some old favorites like Young Link return. I also quite like the design they went with for Zelda herself, among other things. As for newcomers, I will hold onto hope that Ashley may be available as a playable character, but of course this is not a demand or expectation in the slightest. A lot of love and work has clearly been put into the game, and there’s nothing more I could ask for. : ) It’s just a wish that I will not be disappointed by if it’s not true! (Which, unfortunately, may not be the case for others…)
Daemon X Machina looked awesome and i’m very excited for both Mario Party and Fire Emblem Three Houses! they all looked great! but like everyone, Smash bros was the best part! everyone is back! all the Zelda Characters have redesigns! Ridley is finally playable and Daisy is in Smash as a Echoes character of Peach! do you guys think that with the Echoes thing we’ll get characters like Celica, Dixie Kong, Megaman X, Ken, Shadow, Mrs. Pacman in the roster? there’s also the fact that on the Website thier are two empty spots after Ridley which means that their are going to be two more characters? i’m rather hoping we get 4-6 new characters but what do you think?