I was definitely pumped up for Nintendo’s announcements at this year’s E3 in particular. This being the year of the pink puff’s 25th anniversary, I came in with high hopes for seeing some Kirby action (despite the fact that he’s been notably absent from or pushed aside in almost every one of these presentations that I can recall). And, well… I most certainly got it!
So, without further ado, let’s get right into my thoughts on the best and worst at this year’s showing!
(Note: These opinions are based solely on first impressions of what was shown at Nintendo’s E3 events. The games shown may turn out to be completely different from how I originally thought, but my opinions are just based on what they look like to me from what they showed at the presentation.)
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THE GOOD:[]
Kirby for Nintendo Switch[]
Wow. This wasn’t what I was expecting. I was thinking there’d just be news on that new Kirby 3DS game; but they chose to drop a bombshell on us unsuspecting Kirby fans. And what do I think?
What else? That this is clearly my favorite announcement of this E3.
I have so much to say about this, but I’ll try to keep it somewhat brief. The game looks beautiful, and even more like Kirby GCN than KRtDL ended up being. The return of mix abilities definitely excites me, and it will be interesting to see how they re-incorporate Helpers into the equation (here’s hoping that heart item isn’t too restricting!). I’m also interested in how multiplayer will work; will there be other playable Kirbys, or just Helpers? But, in short, the game looks like it’ll be classic Kirby platforming refined to a tee, with few gimmicks. Essentially, one of my dream Kirby games looks to be becoming a reality. 2018 can’t come quickly enough. Now, to save up for a Switch...
Metroid: Samus Returns[]
Two Metroid games were announced this year, which is pretty incredible by itself. But this is the one we got to see more of, and I’m certainly liking what I saw. Samus Returns looks to be a great return to the classic, simple Metroid gameplay, which I’m sure is exactly what they were going for. Hopefully, the full version of this remake will be faithful to the original, but yet improved and modernized at the same time. It’s good to see, for sure, that Nintendo have finally stopped neglecting the Metroid series.
Honorable Mention: Super Mario Odyssey[]
THE BAD:[]
Mario + Rabbids: Battle Kingdom[]
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this is clearly an ill-thought out concept. I’ve thought that this was a terrible idea ever since it leaked that this was a thing. Of course, I should try to keep that from coloring what I think about the game… but Rabbids? Come on. While the visuals are pretty good, the strategic gameplay doesn’t exactly excite me. Crucially, it doesn’t feel particularly Mario to me, either, for the most part. This could just as easily be a Sonic/Rabbids crossover. It’s probably not going to be terrible, and for all I know, it’ll end up being acclaimed, but… eh. I just ain’t loving it.
Dishonorable Mention: Yoshi for Nintendo Switch (not that it’s bad, just doesn’t look too original to me. Will wait for more info.)[]
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Whew. That’ll be all for my opinions on this year’s relatively Kirby-ful E3. There wasn’t too much to complain about this time around, in my opinion. What are your thoughts? Let me know what you think!