#1: Inkling (Splatoon)

#2: Porky Minch (EarthBound)

Now for a not so obvious one. Ever since Porky's inclusion as a Subspace Emissary boss in Brawl, it got me thinking on why he wasn't included as a playable character. I get that he would be rather large in that spider mech he rides in Mother 3, but what about the "Heavily Armed" one in EarthBound? It's a fair bit smaller, 'bout the size of Bowser in terms of relative size, and would provide a much needed villain to represent the EarthBound series. Just give him his attacks and devices from EarthBound and Giygas's "Inexplicable Attack" as a final smash and he'd be set.

#3: Takamura (The Mysterious Murasame Castle)

#4: Krystal (Star Fox Adventures)

Probably one of the best characters to be added to the Star Fox series, and it probably helps matters that fans have wanted her in the game since Brawl. We need more varied Star Fox characters in the games. Fox and Falco are far too similar, and Wolf adds to the pile because of him having the same final smash and special moves as the other two. Krystal would bring some much needed originality through her staff skills and the help of her cloudrunner mount. Plus I don't think anyone could handle another Fox clone...

#5: Paper Mario

Think there are too many Mario characters as is? Nonsense! Besides, Paper Mario is different enough that he could be a rather unique character. Compared to regular Mario who is known for jumping, Paper Mario primarily uses a hammer when fighting. Just make Paper Mario's attacks mostly hammer based and make his specials based around the badge attacks and "curses" from The Thousand Year Door and he would be a perfect inclusion to the roster.

#6: Abraham Lincoln (Code Name S.T.E.A.M.)

#7: Captain Syrup (Wario Land)

#8: King K. Rool (Donkey Kong Country)

#9: Vaati (The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap)

#10: Isaac (Golden Sun)

#11: Black Shadow (F-Zero X)

#12: Ridley (Metroid)

This is the last villain, I promise. Now I know the memes that has spawned from Ridley not being in Smash 4, but there IS a way to incorporate him into the roster and still make him big, but not "too big." The way I see it, Ridley wasn't notable because of his size, but because of his ferocity and primal fighting instincts. Give his movement some girth to it and he could feel big while still being around Bowser's size. I've seen hacks and mods of Brawl that have Ridley being playable and they all make him into a beast because of his heavy claw swipes and footsteps. Sakurai could do the same if he had thought of that as well.

#13: Saki (Sin & Punishment)

#14: Zoroark (Pokemon Black/White)

#15: Simon Belmont (Castlevania)

Well I would like to say that that's the end of my list, but I've had some issues with how some pre-existing characters play and I believe that a few of them could benefit from some minor modifications. So here is an additional 5 characters that are already playable in the games, but I think could use a little bit of tweaking.

#1: Lucina

She is a clone of Marth in the purest sense and to me, that is EXTREMELY lazy game design. Either get rid of her in the next game, or turn her into an alternate costume for Marth. Either or, this is unacceptable in her current form.

#2: Dark Pit

Yet another clone character, but of Pit this time. A slightly slower and slightly stronger variant of an existing character does not a good fighter make. He had so much potential to be good as he had his own exclusive arsenal in Kid Icarus: Uprising with even a weapon named after him. This needs to be fixed in the next game.

#3: Ganondorf

Now even though Ganondorf is technically a clone of Captain Falcon, he's a special case as he's actually a pretty good clone. But given this fact, he's still a clone. Now with the newest games, I don't understand why he doesn't have his sword now, or why his special moves aren't more like his dark magic from Ocarina of Time or any of the games where he's Ganon. It would make him so much more interesting.

#4: Jigglypuff

To be completely honest with you, I am not a fan of this character in the slightest. She plays weird, her final smash is garbage, and Smash 4 doesn't take her new Fairy-type in to account for new attacks at all. She needs a new moveset that takes advantage of her new type; her final smash especially.

#5: Wario

There isn't much wrong with Wario as of right now, but I do have a few issues with a couple of his special moves. His upward special doesn't gain enough air to be a viable recovery move, so why not move his down special to his up one and make it so you can manually charge it? And to replace his old down special, make it is quake punch from Wario Land: Shake It! While we're at it, bring back his side smash from Brawl as well. It's starting to feel like Sakurai is trying to make people forget that Wario was in a series other than Wario Ware.

Well, that's my list folks, if you disagree with my choices, tell me why in the comments and what you would have chosen instead. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

(Please keep in mind that my opinions may or may not reflect your own, this list is entirely biased.)

Yoshi Topsy Turvy (Game Boy Advance)

While I like a fair majority of the games in the Yoshi series, I'm not entirely sure what was going through their collective minds when they developed this abysmal game. There are times in the game where it hardly ever feels like an entry in the Yoshi's Island series and those spirits that give you missions to do in order to up the difficulty don't even feel like they were meant for a Yoshi game in the first place. In addition, the gyroscopic controls are stiff and unresponsive; the motion sensors in Warioware Twisted were of much better quality and that game came out before this one. Luckily they haven't made a sequel to this drek so they must have taken notice of its poor design choices.

Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival (Wii U)

An unusual board-game spin off of the Animal Crossing series, but I honestly think it should've been left on the drawing board. It is a retail game that downright REQUIRES the use of amiibo to play effectively, you only get one randomly chosen board to play on and you can't get a new one without erasing your progress, the minigames (which require the amiibo cards) are non-existent through normal play and can only be accessed from the plaza, and online play doesn't exist which would've helped a game like this even if it wasn't by much. If you still want to get it I can't stop you, but just to warn you I actually got so bored playing this game that I almost fell asleep.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS)

As you all know, I love The Legend of Zelda series and will often go out of my way to get anything Zelda related, but when I got this entry in the series, I feel like maybe this game might have been nothing more than one expensive experiment. This game seems to focus mostly on co-operative battles and player interaction over puzzle solving which completely misses the point of the series. Plus this game is damn near impossible when playing solo and since its online multiplayer is region locked, finding anyone who will play with me is a challenge in and of itself since I usually only have time to play late at night. That, and the unnecessary inclusion of the "doge" meme, made this a rather unpleasurable experience overall.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS)

Compared to its successor, Paper Mario: Color Splash, this game was an absolute snore. The dialog was uninteresting and bland and Bowser didn't have a single speaking role throughout the entire ordeal, the worlds were uninspired and just rehashed ideas that had been used in past entries in the main series Mario games, and everything done when in battle were only through the use of consumable items and fights yielded no experience of any kind. I actually got so tired of this game's shenanigans that I basically just did a speed run of everything after the halfway point. Overall, this game was such a disappointment to experience.

Metroid: Other M (Wii)

Metroid has been one of those series that I enjoyed just about as much as The Legend of Zelda and I was quite excited for Other M when it was originally announced, but after playing it again recently, it left such a sour taste in my mouth. First of all Samus's official height in every other entry in the series is 6'3" where as she's around 5'9" in Other M. While not too much of an issue on its own, when I found out that the devs shrank her so she specifically was shorter than Adam, her old commanding officer, I saw that as a stupid and petty design choice that demeans her as a strong female character. And while the gameplay isn't too bad, I think I can pretty much sum up all the problems this game has in one quote directly from the game...

"Samus, activate the Varia feature on your suit to protect yourself from heat damage."
- Adam Malkovich, roughly 20 minutes after entering the sector that requires the Varia Suit

Pokemon Dash (DS)

This game baffled me. It was a foot racing game where the only playable character was Pikachu, and you played by repeatedly swiping the screen in the direction that you want to go. If this game was released for iOS or Android devices for free, people would thing nothing of it, but since this was a retail game on the DS that got very stale and repetitive VERY quickly due to there being only one playable character, there was no reason to keep playing after you beat the first grand prix. Once you've played one map, you've pretty much played them all. Not even the ability to make new maps from the GBA slot could save this one.

Kirby Squeak Squad (DS)

As far as the Kirby series has gone, I've had pretty much no complaints with any game that has been released in this series so far, barring this particular one. Despite the baffling story to the game where it revolves around Kirby trying to recover a stolen slice of cake, it plays pretty much like what you would expect from a Kirby game, but compared to the other games in the series, this game is far too easy, even by Kirby standards. Plus some of the sound effects sound a bit off with the sword being the biggest offender having this horrendously high-pitched ding happen whenever you perform a combo attack. While this is a decent first game for newcomers to the series, this is in my opinion the weakest in the series due to its unchallenging gameplay (by Kirby standards) which ultimately renders this game forgettable to me.

Alleyway (Game Boy)

An attempt at making a Breakout clone with heavy emphasis on "attempt." Unlike Arkanoid, a much better Breakout clone which had been out on NES earlier, this game had no power-ups or enemies to destroy and extremely limited options for gameplay alterations. The stage progression was also very predictable and the difficulty was unfair for what type of game it was. I suggest if you want a good Breakout clone on the Game Boy, just play Kirby's Blockball. It is so much more unique and a helluva lot more fun.

Wii Fit series (Wii, Wii U)

I feel that a good number of us gamers can probably agree that fun and exercise can mix well when its done right, but one thing I can guarantee is complete and utter bullcrap is Nintendo's attempt at making a fun fitness game. Personal fitness is not a game, nor should it be treated like one. While I agree that if you want to get back into shape that you need to find your own personal workout regimen that works for you with some fitness games sometimes falling under this category, this "game" series is pretty much just torture and insulting to anyone that wants to lose weight or improve their health. The way this game uses your ideal BMI as an "endgame goal" is an absolute joke and it doesn't even take into consideration skeletal build or total muscle mass. You need to have an accurate measurement of all three, otherwise its just a demeaning experience. The fitness games on XBox Kinect look more fun and effective than this.

The Virtual Boy

And the pièce de résistance, the one thing that almost made me completely lose faith in Nintendo's ability to make a fun gaming console: The Virtual Boy. This red and black monstrosity had an astoundingly short lived run and had a library of games that barely exceeded 20 titles in all regions combined. But how could that be? I'll just cut to the chase and tell you that it was the godawful screen colors when you looked into the apertures of the device. On a monochrome screen, you should never EVER use a display color scheme that can induce headaches even after short periods of play. It's just a shame that none of the good games that were released on this thing ever got ported to a later system in Nintendo's repertoire of systems.

Being a hardcore Nintendo fan, these stains and marks on Nintendo's image physically hurt me as I know that they are capable of doing so much better. But I also know that they are only human and they likely learned a lot from making mistakes like these. They took features from Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival and just added them to New Leaf as an update, they built upon Paper Mario: Sticker Star and made a somewhat better entry as Color Splash, and after the failure of the Virtual Boy, they didn't experiment with 3D imagery again until the 3DS. Hopefully Nintendo won't continue make any mistakes this bad in the near future, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

The video is centered almost entirely around the 3DS, but like always here's the short recap for you folks out there that don't have the time to watch the whole thing.

• Two things were revealed in Pokemon Sun & Moon; Alolan Rattata being one and a special Munchlax as an early purchase bonus being the other.
• A slightly watered down version of Super Mario Maker is being ported to the 3DS that lacks the costume mushroom and the ability to upload stages you made to the internet, but you can make collaborative stages with other people and complete special challenges in the pre-installed stages. It is set to be released on December 2.
• Some more info was shown off for Mario Party: Star Rush. It is stated to have 7 game modes, three of which are entirely different board game each with their own unique rules. The game will be released along side the second wave of Mario series amiibo on November 4.
• Animal Crossing New Leaf was stated to be getting a major update after being out for 3 years. This update will add amiibo functionality to the game and 50 new amiibo cards will be released along side it. In addition to this, a special version of the game, called Animal Crossing: New Leaf Welcome amiibo will also be released this holiday season that will include the update on the cart.
• The 3DS's Mii Plaza was given a new update which adds 5 new games (1 free plus $2.99 for each after or $8.99 for the full bundle), a special quick-start plaza, and a new queue for Mii's encountered via streetpass which bumps the total from 10 to a whopping 100. This update is available now.
• A new eShop exclusive title called Tank Troopers was revealed to be in the works which would have up to 6-player versus and customizable tanks where the abilities change depending on who's manning the vehicle. No release date was shown at the time of writing this article.
• Picross 3D: Round 2 was also shown for the eShop and was launched following the Direct.
• The Nindies Summer Jam started on the same day the Direct aired and revealed that 5 anticipated indie titles would be released over the course of 5 weeks with Axiom Verge being the first game on that list followed by Jotun, Noitu Love: Devolution, Severed, and Azure Striker Gunvolt 2.
• To celebrate The Legend of Zelda's 30th anniversary, four new amiibo were announced being 8-bit Link, Ocarina of Time Link, and a 2-pack that has Toon Link and Toon Zelda. They will all be compatible with Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
• Nintendo also teamed up with Darkhorse to make three new Zelda books with the first being an artwork collection with over 2,000 images spanning the 30 year history of the franchise. The first book is also available to pre-order.
• Zelda: Skyward Sword was also released on the Wii U eShop.
• The New 3DS XL now has a new galaxy themed color and the regular New 3DS has a new Mario themed bundle that comes with Super Mario 3D Land and two sets of Mario themed faceplates.
• Hyrule Warriors Legends showed off a new weapon for Toon Link being the Sand Wand and a new playable character being Toon Zelda among other things like a new adventure map based on Phantom Hourglass.
• Phoenix Wright: Spirit of Justice got a release date of September 8 exclusively for the 3DS eShop.
• Dragon Quest VII for the 3DS release date was revealed as well being September 16.
• Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits/Fleshy Souls showed off some new gameplay elements and a special bonus medal for those that buy the game physically. They will both launch September 30.
• Disney Magical World 2 was also shown off with some Nintendo 3DS themes based around it being shown as well.
• Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice for the 3DS finally got an official release date being September 27 with a special launch edition which also includes a DVD containing 3 episodes of the TV that it's based on.
• Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse for the 3DS got a release date being September 20.
• A special version of Yoshi's Woolly World is being ported to the 3DS that will include a bunch of new stages where you play as Poochy and 30 stop-motion shorts featuring the two. Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World will be released February 3, 2017 along side the new Yarn Poochy amiibo.
• The new IP Ever Oasis had some gameplay shown off and will be released for the 3DS some time in 2017.
• Mario Sports Super Stars for the 3DS was revealed and was shown to include 5 different sports being Soccer, Tennis, Golf, Baseball, and of all things Horseback Riding. It will also have the ability to be played online or in local multiplayer. It will release some time in Spring of 2017.
• In a big surprise, it turns out that the Pikmin series is getting a 2D spin-off game on the 3DS. Judging by the gameplay shown, it looks like it might play similar to Kirby: Mass Attack. No official release date was revealed, but it is scheduled for 2017.

Well that's all of it. Out of all these, I'm probably most excited for the Pikmin spin-off, but only time will tell if it is any good. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

To celebrate the Pokemon series 20th Anniversary in Japan, Nintendo announced that the 7th generation Pokemon games, titled Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, were in development and would be released by the holiday season of 2016. In addition to this, they also revealed that the eShop versions of Pokemon Red Version, Pokemon Blue Version, and Pokemon Yellow Version would be compatible with Pokemon Bank so you could transfer the pokemon you trained in those games to Sun and Moon when they're released. Here's hoping for a great new addition to the Pokemon series, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

#1: Gallade

Gallade is the male equivalent of the effeminate Gardevoir, but unlike her whose design is based on a ballroom dancer, his overall design appears to be based on sword dancers and samurais. I think a fighter of this type could be a very nice speedy combatant that combines psychic blasts with twirling sword strikes and capoeira like dancing.

#2: Tyranitar

When I saw Garchomp as a playable fighter, I immediately thought of the kaiju Gigan, and because of this, I think Tyranitar who was likely inspired by Godzilla would compliment Garchomp quite nicely. A slow, powerful, tank of a pokemon like that would really add some unusual fighting strategies, especially since most pokemon in the game are pretty quick or rapid-hitters. Just give it Hyper Beam and it would be the perfect Godzilla clone.

#3: Zoroark

Now this pokemon would certainly make for an interesting fighter. Zoroark can use illusions to disguise itself to look like other pokemon, but once it uses its first attack, its illusion is broken. What I think could work with it would be a very technical fighter that would be something similar to Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat, but with a few specific special moves instead of just transforming into a different pokemon. It's not Ditto after all.

#4: Greninja

Super Smash Bros anyone? Greninja certainly stole the show when it was announced for Smash Bros back in 2014, probably because everyone thought it was actually Mewtwo, but that's beside the point. Considering that it was the only generation 6 pokemon that made it into Smash as a playable character, it makes me wonder why it wasn't considered for Pokken. I think Greninja would make for a very speedy fighter and since there is only one other Water-type fighter in the game, I think it could add some much needed variety.

#5: Heracross

For some reason, there aren't any Bug-type pokemon in this game and that genuinely confuses me. Although, out of all of the bugs in Pokemon, only a fraction really stand out and Heracross is probably the most iconic of them. Since it changes into an entirely different type of beetle when it mega evolves, it could have an entirely different fighting style for burst mode. Definitely could be a fan favorite if executed properly.

#6: Hawlucha

I'm pretty sure everyone would have preferred this pokemon over Pikachu Libre anyway. Being both Fighting and Flying types, it could have a very aerial-based fighting style that could also be inspired by professional wrestling. The wrestling aspect about it could also lend itself to a good selection of grappling moves that could open itself to a more technical close ranged battle strategy.

#7: Swampert

Come on people. Pokken has both Blaziken AND Sceptile, but no Swampert? I was honestly a little disappointed by this. Swampert is a beast of a fighter being both Water and Ground types, and the fact that there aren't any Ground-type pokemon outside of Garchomp would allow it for more visual appeal with moves like Muddy Water, Mud Shot, and Mud Bomb. Plus it would fill in the emptiness regarding Water-type fighters as well.

#8: Meowth

Considering how long the TV series has been going on, it was quite the surprise that Meowth was missing from this game in its entirety. Even though he's a Normal-type pokemon, I feel that he could make for a rather silly fighter that takes his moves from the traps that he and Team Rocket have tried to use to capture Pikachu in the show. Plus he of course could use his species signature move Pay Day to round out his moveset a bit more.

#9: Hitmonchan

Yet another pokemon that I'm sure that everyone wanted in the game because of how obvious he would fit in, but that's because HE'S A WRECKING MACHINE! Why didn't Namco even think of this? Hitmonchan is a natural born pugilist and would fit perfectly within the game's narrative. He's strong, nimble, and can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. Maybe he'll be one of the first new characters to be added if DLC is confirmed? Who knows.

#10: Abomasnow

Bet you weren't expecting this one were ya? Well you see by my logic, I want to see pokemon that have type combinations that are unusual, and can synergize well on the battlefield. Since Abomasnow is both Grass and Ice types, it can offer an unusual and creative moveset that can take advantage of freezing plant-based attacks to create environmental hazards or by creating makeshift weapons. Plus it can mega evolve, so there's that bonus.

#11: Kangaskhan

Betting you weren't expecting this one either, but hear me out on this. By itself Kangaskhan is pretty generic in terms of move selection in the main games, BUT when it mega evolves, the young one in its pouch jumps out and fights as well. THIS is what I think could be used for its fighting style in the game. It could be pretty slow and generic to start with, but it could charge its burst meter more quickly than the other pokemon allowing it to go into burst mode sooner and fight with a partner. Could DEFINITELY make for an interesting technical fighter.

#12: Genesect

The Team Plasma equivalent to Team Rocket's Mewtwo, and in my opinion, equally cool. A heavily modified Steel/Bug-type with a giant modular laser cannon on its back. This cannon gives it a ton of power that would otherwise be unavailable to it, and its attack type changes depending on which disk is installed into it. This disk-swapping mechanic could theoretically give it a pretty good selection of moves that could mix up fighting strategies quite significantly.

#13: Deoxys

A pokemon like Deoxys that is capable of changing forms each of which that is designed for combat? You bet your ass that it should be in this game; it could probably be a potential boss fighter as well. Because it has four different forms, each based on Normal, Attack, Defense, and Speed-based skills, it could be all four fighting traits as well being Normal, Power, Technical, and Speed respectively. And if it were to be an easy fighter to learn, I think shifting between forms at the press of a button would be the best way to go.

#14: Lopunny

As much as I hate to admit it, if there were to be a fighter based around a kick-boxing style of combat, I think Lopunny would be a much better choice than Hitmonlee. It offers a more unique look about it and it becomes more combat oriented when it mega evolves. Plus it would probably help the non-existent "gender ratio" for the game because of its feminine appearance. You gotta hit all those points for the fans after all.

#15: Hydreigon

Probably one of my favorite fifth generation pokemon, Hydreigon is a monster on the battlefield. Not only is it a Dark/Dragon-type, it looks like a more evil version of King Ghidorah. Plus it can learn one of my favorite attacks that so few pokemon can learn, Tri-Attack. This could be one of the more powerful Power-Based fighters in the game if done correctly, but only time will tell if Namco will actually add more characters to the roster.

Well, that's my list folks, if you disagree with my choices, tell me why in the comments and what you would have chosen instead. Until then, I'll be seeing you.

Gameplay

The Pokemon Rumble games are somewhat unique to the Pokemon franchise. Unlike their predecessors, they do not use the traditional Pokemon gameplay mechanics. For those of you who are unfamiliar with how the classic Pokemon games are laid out (you poor souls), the traditional game always has you play as a brand new Pokemon trainer who must choose their very first Pokemon and set out on a grand Pokemon adventure. During your adventure you must capture and train your Pokemon and then use them to defeat gym leaders, crime syndicates, and eventually The Elite 4. Pokemon Rumble World, on the other hand, is essentially nothing like this. Instead of playing as the young hero of the Pokemon world you will be playing as your Mii, as well as a variety of wind-up toy Pokemon. In Pokemon: Rumble World you will have to unlock hot air balloons in order to explore new and exciting dungeons, most of these balloons are purchased with poke Diamonds that can be obtained in game or by purchase with real money. Once you have traveled to a dungeon you will use A and B to hack, slash and bubble beam your way through hoards of Pokemon, this is quite different from traditional Pokemon games which utilize turn based combat. There is also a dramatic change in how new Pokemon are acquired; instead of throwing a Pokeball at that lowly weakened caterpie you will have to rely heavily on luck and a little bit on timing to put it into a "wobbly" state and then KO it. You are only able to befriend Pokemon that have been knocked out while wobbling or sparkling. Aside from the dungeon crawling aspect of this game, there is a King who will provide you with daily quests. These quests vary, and they range from more dungeons with a boss that must be defeated to an arena style match where you must defeat all of your enemies in a limited amount of time. By completing the Kings quests you can earn diamonds which can then be used to purchase hot air balloons. One of the more unfortunate aspects of this free to play Pokemon game is that it is entirely funded by micro-transactions and this, as a result, heavily influences the pacing of the game. For example: the hot air balloons have cool down periods, that range from a couple of minutes to over an hour, during which they cannot be used, unless you use diamonds. Once you have used your hot air balloon you will be randomly placed in one of several levels, each of which have unique Pokemon, but it is often the case that you will play every level except the one you want, possibly several times (this becomes incredibly frustrating with the cool down times that are over an hour). In the non-free Rumble games levels can be selected, this is likely because they do not utilize micro-transactions in the same way that Rumble World does. The online features in this game are also minimal. Streetpassing with players who also play Rumble World will generate the passed players Mii in a dungeon, you will then have to complete the level while keeping the rescued player alive. Once the level is complete you will see the rescued Mii's in the kingdom where you can then talk to them, sometimes they will offer to take you to a specific stage for a small amount of in-game currency. You can also set rescued Mii's to play the roles of the characters in the kings quests. The short and sweet of the gameplay for Pokemon: Rumble World is simple but addicting. 

Story

There is a minimal amount of story used to progress Rumble World, the biggest driving factor that will keep a player going is their desire to collect as many Pokemon as they can. Non-collectors will grow bored of this game quickly. At the start of the game you will be introduced to a king, who's only Pokemon is a pikachu, and basically this king is jealous of a magician who has more Pokemon than he does and so he asks you to upstage the magician by obtaining a bunch of Pokemon. The rest of the quest narratives are of a similar nature.

Aesthetics

All in all this is a good looking game for what it is. Now we can't expect Witcher 3 quality graphics from a free to play Pokemon game, but given the context the visuals work well. While I was playing through Pokemon: Rumble World I got the sense that this was a playful game that did not want to be like other Pokemon games, and instead of trying to address deep questions like whether or not forcing Pokemon to fight was ethical or not (Pokemon Black/White) it simply wanted to be fun, cute, and a little bit whimsical. During my play through I was brought back to my childhood and the games I used to play with my little Pokemon figurines, and I believe that this is what the developers of this game intended. As for the dungeons, I found the map layouts to be fairly simple, but the maps looked good for a free to play game.

Overall Impression 

Overall there are some less than amazing aspects to this game. The story is lacking and the game play is simple. There are some redeeming qualities however. I personally enjoyed the cutesy sprites and the simple levels. One of the biggest turn offs for me was the waiting in between balloon uses, but I am also the kind of person who likes to binge watch/play/read just about everything. Despite its flaws I did enjoy Pokemon: Rumble World enough to play for over 10 hours, and enough to consider buying other games in the Pokemon Rumble series. This is not a game for someone who is looking for a heavily detailed narrative, this is not a game for someone who needs complex gameplay to enjoy a game, this game is for someone who has a Nintendo 3DS and no money who really wants to catch all of the Pokemon. 

The music certainly fits the theme of the game very well and it can be pretty catchy at times, but unfortunately it is hardly what I would call memorable as I hardly ever remember how any of the tracks go, especially when the fights sometimes drown out the music. Also, when playing I've noticed that the pokemon don't use their 4Kids officiated voice overs and instead use their original Japanese VA's. In all honesty, this is probably a smart move as hearing those obnoxious American voice overs in a competitive fighting game would drive me nuts. That's not saying there isn't any English voice acting though. On the contrary, there is English dialog spoken from the trainers and key characters shown in the Single Player campaign, although you're going to want to turn it back to Japanese or even completely off as the "voice acting" (if you want to call it that) is absolutely abysmal; No personality at all. It's like they were just blandly reading their lines from a script and waiting to get paid. But that's beside the point.

Now the game has sixteen playable fighters (two of which that need to be unlocked), fifteen pairs of support pokemon (only three pairs to start with), nineteen arenas (eleven of which need to be unlocked), and six "cheers" that Nia, your guide, will use to boost your support pokemon and/or your synergy gauge (only one to start with). Just about all of the locked content can only be unlocked by playing through the single player campaign and it gives you a decent idea on how some fighters would play online, but at a much more beatable skill level. Now each playable pokemon plays very differently from each other as many of them have various combos that naturally link into each other, but the game does offer much more complex combos for more experienced players. I've been victim of these harsh combos when playing online. Needless to say I'm not very good against fiercely competitive players. But alas.

Now, where this game really shines (in my opinion) is the Phase Mode mechanic. During battles, when you take or deal enough damage, the phase of the battle will shift between Field Phase: where you roam around the arena in 3D space and combat is mostly ranged; and Dual Phase: where combat is restricted to a 2D plane and most of the fighting is done in close-quarters. These two phases drastically change the attacks and combat mechanics so mastering the constant shifting between phases is crucial to winning a match. In addition to this, pokemon can also gain experience and level up which in turn can be used to increase their stats such as attack or defense. You can turn this feature off in Versus mode if you wish, but I'm still uncertain if it is possible to turn it off during online play.

All in all, this game is an excellent first entry in what I hope will be a permanent spin-off series for the Pokemon franchise. While it's a bit light on playable characters (and it pushes this fact in your face as there is VISIBLE space on the roster for at least four more fighters), they all play very uniquely and each stands out as a whole. And if they wanted to, they could always add more through updates and/or DLC. Also, if you have the extra cash, definitely get the fight pad to go along with it, even if only works with one Wii U game. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

Score

First of all, all of the game's battle mechanics are the same as they've always been: Your and your opponent's pokemon take turns attacking each other until only one is still fit to fight; there is the usual pokemon type match-up system where certain types are weak to or strong against certain other types; and there is the 3 starting pokemon that you have to choose one of being of fire, water, or grass in element. So with all of this formulaic stuff that has been virtually unchanged since the series beginning back in 1996, what makes this one so special? Well let me tell you because it's actually a pretty significant alteration.

Unlike the previous 6 generations of Pokemon games, Sun & Moon do not have gym battles or a Pokemon League. Instead of gym battles, "Island Trials" exist in their place where you must complete a unique task presented to you by a trial captain and then fight a special boss fight with a "Totem Pokemon" which has the ability to permanently boost one or more of its stats before a battle starts and can summon a fixed number of pokemon to help it fight. And if that wasn't enough, after you finish each trial on the island, you then need to fight the island's strongest trainer, called the Kahuna, who was specifically chosen by that island's guardian deity or "Tapu." This provides a much needed change of pace and it keeps it from getting stale too quickly.

Now when a trial captain or Kahuna is defeated, you are presented with a Z-Crystal as a reward for successfully completing the challenge. This is where the game's new battle mechanic is introduced: Z-Moves. These crystals have the ability to greatly boost the ability of the moves that your pokemon has available, assuming the move's type matches the type of the crystal AND for only one time per match. This adds an unusual new kind of strategy to the game that makes it battles much more interesting and more stressful if you don't expect them to happen. I especially like Z-Splash because it makes the original move no longer useless.

In addition to Z-Moves, a new battle style called Battle Royal is introduced where 4 trainers with 3 pokemon each face each other in a no holds barred competition to see who knocks out the most pokemon before one trainer loses all three of their fighters. This is a very interesting inclusion to the series and I would love to see it expanded upon in future installments of the series. While we're at it, another thing from this game that I want to see return in a future installment are the ride pokemon which completely replace HM moves from the previous games. HM moves were moves that you could teach your pokemon that allowed you to better traverse the world map. This was extremely annoying and I'm so glad this game got rid of them.

Now as for the villains this time around, what pokemon game would be complete without an evil crime syndicate for the player to face? Well things feel a bit more realistic this time around as Team Skull isn't your usual villainous affair. All members, with the exception of Guzma, are all trainers that attempted the Island Trials when they were of age, but bailed when it started to overwhelm them. It makes them feel more believable and pitiable this time around. It is a very nice touch overall.

Now the one feature that enjoyed the most about this game was the Poke Pelago. After you get the ability to fly to anywhere you've already been, you can visit this place at any time from the pause menu and I don't think I've ever been this enthralled before by a feature that feels like a mobile game. All of Poke Pelago is based around waiting for various actions to finish and it usually takes around 24-48 hours for anything to get done, but the beauty about it is the multitasking. It streamlines everything that was annoying about the previous generations into this compact waiting game system. While that sounds bad at first, I love it so much because of the ability to train and level up pokemon WHILE THE GAME IS OFF. As someone who rarely has time to play through RPG's any more, this feature was sorely needed.

Now I know I've only touched upon a fraction of the game's content in this article, but if I were to cover absolutely everything this game had to offer, we'd be here all day. I mean, I didn't even touch upon the Alolan form pokemon, Ultra Beasts, or the Aether Foundation, but I think that's best left to be experienced yourself. All in all while it isn't completely perfect, I haven't been into a Pokemon game this much since Pokemon Diamond on the original DS. The music is quite catchy, the graphics are splendid to look at, the battle mechanics and new game modes are top notch, and the story starts to get wonderfully dark toward the end of the third act. I give this game very high praise and I hope this marks the start of a new trend of mixing up the Pokemon formula every once and a while. So until next time, I'll be seeing you.

Score

• On day one they mostly showed off some indie titles that were going to be released on the Wii U's and 3DS's eShop. Some of these games were Jotun: Valhalla Edition, Runbow Pocket, Axiom Verge, and Severed.
• Also, while not shown by Nintendo themselves, Noitu Love: Devolution was confirmed to be coming to the both the Wii U and 3DS eShop this July.
• On day two they started to get out of first gear and showed their more anticipated stuff. Some new pokemon were shown off in Pokemon Sun & Moon and some new gameplay elements were shown off in the form of Battle Royals in which you and three other trainers face each other in a free-for-all battle.
• In the Zelda department, the new Zelda title that had been in development since 2013 now has an official name, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. More info about the game was shown off in great detail during Nintendo's live Treehouse stream during the second day and they talked about many new features about the game such as rock climbing, hunting, weapon and armor crafting, amiibo support, and a world and story that are VERY non-linear. An official release date hasn't been announced yet, but I would estimate that it wouldn't be released until at least late spring of 2017.
• A bunch of new amiibo were shown off as well, three for Zelda (Archer Link, Rider Link, and a Guardian with posable arms) and seven for Mario (Wario, Waluigi, Daisy, Rosalina, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and a glow-in-the-dark Boo).
• Paper Mario: Color Splash now has an official release date of October 27, 2016.
• On day three they decided to wind down with some smaller info in the form of portable titles. Mario Party: Star Rush was announced for the 3DS and features a rather unusual gameplay style in which all players move at the same time on an open board while you recruit other Mario characters to help you in the game.
• A brand new IP was revealed for the 3DS called Ever Oasis and judging by the gameplay video, it looks like it might be an action RPG hybridizing the gameplay styles of Animal Crossing and Monster Hunter.
• Pokemon Go Plus is shooting for a July release with the wrist add-on costing around $34.99USD.
• Both versions of Yokai Watch 2, Dragon Quest VII for the 3DS, and BoxBoxBoy!! were all confirmed for localization.
• And finally, Rhythm Heaven Megamix was released later the same day as an eShop exclusive title on the Nintendo 3DS.

If you wish to watch the recorded Treehouse stream that Nintendo did for E3 in its entirety, you can watch the above video, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

The New Nintendo 3DS

In my personal opinion stat wise and as an owner of this console, it doesn't deliver what it should. At about a $200 price point it doesn't even come with a high speed charger, and stat wise it doesn't actually give much variety. In truth you're really only paying for a slightly larger screen and a smoother feel to the edges. From my personal experience I have trouble with the hinges. They work great for like a month (maybe two) of competitive ORAS gameplay, then they become loose which inevitably affects the power saving option because repeated opening and closing. The 3D and camera is nicer then the original 3DS and 2DS model and the 2DS doesn't offer 3D. That, and about the only other way it differs aside from the improved gyro sensor and an extra hour of game play, is it has the luxury of folding and still being the heaviest of all the systems!

Lets now focus our attention on the original 3DS.

This in my opinion is a delightfully middle of the road system and is still an all time great. Personal feelings aside lets dive in shall we? This system's low-light camera and facial tracking system leaves much to be desired but it is pretty much the same in most categories as its successor the New Nintendo 3DS XL. It has the same battery life, the 3DS XL only has a slightly improved stereo sound component. While the processors are massively different the 3DS XL boasting a 804 MHz ARM11 MPCore quad-core + extra weaker single-core (one reserved for OS) and the original 3DS's ARM11 MPCore 2x at 268MHz (one reserved for OS) 2x VFPv2 Co-Processor, 128MB FCRAM, 6MB VRAM, PICA200 GPU @ 268MHz, Now what does these numbers actually mean when playing your old favorites? Absolutely nothing because the GPU still clocks in at the same speed on both systems not giving the New Nintendo 3DS the edge it should to increase the frame rate on all the classics and most common 3DS games. Its price point is pretty nice and will get better around the holidays so it definitely should be considered.

Now lets focus on the awesome rock star of this article (and my personal favorite) The Nintendo 2DS.

Lets just start off by saying, you really have to try hard to break this thing. I've dropped it on the side walk and it got rained on which it survived and it got ran over by a robust man trying to ride a ten-speed bike which it also survived. Sure freak occurrences happen but I've dropped this thing down a flight of stairs and it survived. Sure there is always the random chance it can break but this thing is built like a child proof otter-box. Cons on this though, it lacks the ability to fold which I don't mind (original gameboy throw back can I get a hell ya) the stereo isn't as powerful but with ear plugs it delivers stereo quality sound. It doesn't have 3D capability but that's more of a style choice in my opinion due to 3D being optional on every other console anyway. Pros, it shares the exact same specs as the original 3DS system but was built child proof and get this, its only $79.99 new at Gamestop with a pre-loaded game $90 at Walmart. It has a dedicated sleep switch, so no problem there. The tracking is practically nonexistent. The camera can be unwieldy but remember its built kid tough. With Christmas being around the corner, sure it doesn't have the ARM11 processor to play the New Nintendo 3DS XL's very limited exclusive game list, but if you've got a family of budding handheld gamers then this is the console to buy. Its battery life is pretty much the same as the original 3DS at around 5-6 hours for 3DS games and 9 hours for DS games. you can essentially get two for the price of one 3DS XL which we know won't make it six months or will get stolen at school and still be able to afford one copy of Sun or Moon. At least then you're not out of a crazy amount of money. When in line for Black Friday or Christmas, aim for this system; you won't be disappointed! It plays all the 3DS games and DS games (excluding their bogusly short list of 3DS XL exclusive games) and also comes with a charger.

To wrap this up, if you want a system with middle of the road specs that will last, get a 2DS. If you want a 2DS that folds and has 3D, get a 3DS original. Want a bulky $200 investment that offers a larger screen, get The New 3DS XL.

Thanks for reading!

-Silvercrow12

EarthBound Trilogy HD

No matter what forum or gaming site I visit, the one game I've seen that everyone wants on Virtual Console is Mother 3, and to tell you the truth, I'm one of them. I've played through the fan translation in its entirety and I loved it. But don't think that a Virtual Console release is what we need. Because the fan translation patch is already readily available to the public for free, I propose that a collection of all 3 Mother & EarthBound games redone with HD graphics would be the best way to go. It would breath new life into a series that had been neglected for such a long time.

Metroid Prime 4

We desperately need a proper new Metroid game, I think we can all agree on that. Now I'm not saying that Federation Force was bad; I actually enjoyed that game quite a bit. But I do think we need a new entry in the series where you play as Samus. There is so much that can be done with the game on the Switch, especially since both Prime 3 and Federation Force ended in a way that alluded to the enemy hunter, Sylux. I would think that if Prime 4 were made, you could have the ability to switch between the two characters and they would each have their own unique abilities and story line. Just a thought.

Hyrule Warriors Complete Edition

Hyrule Warriors was a helluva lot of fun despite its simplistic gameplay, but I think that Hyrule Warriors Legends on the 3DS was a little lackluster compared to the Wii U version. I think that combining all the features, content, and DLC of both games and releasing it on the Switch would make for a great collectors pack. But then again, since it would technically be the third iteration of the same game, I think a "casual mode" where you gain rupees, materials and EXP at a greatly accelerated rate would make the game much more enjoyable for those that lack the time to do all of that grinding.

Super Smash Bros for Switch

This situation would be similar to the Hyrule Warriors idea from the previous paragraph, but since both the 3DS and Wii U versions of Smash have vastly different content, I propose that having all of the characters, most of all the stages (with obvious duplicates removed), both Smash Tour and Smash Run, and the inclusion of Tag-Team Battles. And while we're at it, maybe bring back the Ice Climbers and Wolf. I was understanding of Ice Climbers being removed, but I was a little shocked that Wolf never came back.

Final Fantasy Hexology

This is another collection much like the EarthBound one I said earlier, but unlike EarthBound this wouldn't require a lot of work to do as the HD remakes already exist. Now the "hexology" I'm referring to is the first 6 Final Fantasy games on the NES and SNES which to my knowledge were all remade for iOS and PC in some form. Just port all of those to Switch and sell it for $40-50 and you're set.

Super Nintendo Land

I'm probably one of the few people that wished that Nintendo would make a sequel to Nintendo Land. The game was fun, so sue me. But as fun as it was, it was kinda lacking in the variety department. So I think a "deluxe" version of the game that has a few more attractions based around other games like Splatoon or Star Fox would probably make the experience more enjoyable in the long run. I personally think there should be around 20 attractions total, even if that means recycling the ones from the previous game.

Bayonetta 3

THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN. This series is criminally underrated and has been the subject of a lot of unnecessary backlash because people can't handle how the main character looks or acts. But the thing is, the series is one of the most fun, most polished games I've played in a very long time. And since the Switch seems to have a minor focus on paid online play, I think the online multiplayer this time around should be a MOBA of sorts where you make and customize your own Umbran Witch/Lumen Sage and play as them during the great war that happened 500+ years before the series starts.

Kirby Air Ride 2

Kirby Air Ride for the Game Cube was one of the most fun and most replayable racing games I ever owned. There was so much to do despite how little there was actually in the game. Now since the original game had a lot of focus around randomly selected events and challenges, I think a sequel could amp that up quite significantly if they also made the City Trial map and the race courses procedurally generated as well. And of course add more characters, air ride machines, and challenges as well.

Pokken Tournament Deluxe

I really liked the original Pokken; it gave me and a lot pokemon fans what we've been asking for for years. But I am a little disappointed that ONLY the arcade version of the game had been updated with 4 more characters since the release of the Wii U version. So I think the game needs to have a rerelease on the Switch with all of these new characters available, and maybe 3-6 new characters and a tag-team game mode to make it more worth your money to double dip.

Digilux: The Complete Art Style & Bit Generations Collection

I may like my fair share of difficult and challenging games, but that doesn't mean I don't want to kick back and relax with a simple game every once in a while. That's why I think a compilation of all the games from the Art Style and Bit Generation series would be perfect. These games have all but fallen completely off the radar in the past 7 years and I think a revival is in order. There's 15 games in these series each with their own gameplay styles and some of them even have multiplayer game modes; they would be perfect. (By the way, if you're curious about the name Digilux, it was a prototype name that Nintendo was originally going use before Art Style)

Well, those are my opinions on the matter. The Switch has a lot of promise for a great lineup of games, but only time will tell if devs will take advantage of the system's features. While just about none of these game ideas of mine actually do that, they are desperately needed regardless of what features they lack for the new system, even though this is just wishful thinking for me. So until then, I'll be seeing you.

As you can see not a lot of news can be announced in an 8 minute long video, but what can be said is certainly dense enough for a recap. That being said, let's begin.

• First of all, the first half of the Direct was presented in a blog/documentary style which showed a man on his way to visit his brother and give a few gifts to his nephews, but all of this was just a framing device for presenting the news in question.
• Pokken Tournament DX was confirmed to be coming to the Nintendo Switch. It was shown to have all of the content from the previous version of the game on the Wii U plus all 4 characters that were added to the arcade version after the Wii U's release and a brand new character in the form of Decidueye. A new pair of support Pokemon (Popplio and Litten) were also confirmed as well as Team Battles (3-on-3 matches), Ranked, Group and Friendly matches (when playing online), and daily challenges. Battles were shown to work in split screen when not playing wirelessly, but it is still unconfirmed if the official Pokken Tournament controller will work with it when in TV mode. The game will launch this year on September 22.
• Shortly after that, they showed off the new 3DS Pokemon game that was in the works being Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon. The story this time around is much different that what would be expected. Instead of it being a third version of the game or a sequel like what they did with Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2, the plot is said to be an alternate take on the events of the original games; much like an alternate timeline. The game will launch November 17.
• And finally, the Game Boy games Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver were confirmed to be coming to the 3DS via Virtual Console and will be compatible with Pokemon Bank. The games will launch on the same day as Pokken Tournament DX, but it is uncertain whether or not Pokemon Crystal will eventually be released on Virtual Console in the future.

Well that's the skinny folks. I for one am certainly happy as I said in a previous article that I wanted Pokken Tournament DX for the Switch, although I'm also a bit confused on the premise for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon. All in all though I'm excited all the same. So until then, I'll be seeing you.

Even though the video is much shorter than what Nintendo has done for E3 in the past, there was a LOT of new stuff shown off with only a few teasers that didn't actually have any gameplay. But as always I'll recap what I can, and as a bonus I'll even recap some of the news that Nintendo showed off in their live streams after the Spotlight video ended. So let's get started.

• After the preview for the video had ended, there was a new trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for the Switch which showed off a small bit of some actual gameplay and more story elements. A definitive release date wasn't yet confirmed but it has a planned release for the holidays at the end of the year.
• Next a brand new Kirby game was shown off for the Switch and it appears to run on the same engine as the past three main series games. It appears that the game is already pretty far in development as gameplay footage of Kirby recruiting enemies as helpers and fusing abilities together in the trailer. It has a projected release of 2018.
• A brand new core series Pokemon game was revealed to be in development for the Switch. No other info about it was announced at this time.
• In an amazing surprise reveal, it was confirmed that Metroid Prime 4 is currently in development for the Nintendo Switch. However it was also confirmed that Retro Studios will not be working on this entry in the series meaning the game that they're currently working on for Nintendo is still unknown at this point in time.
• A brand new Yoshi game is in the works for the Switch and it was confirmed that it is being developed with Unreal Engine 4 of all things. It has a similar look and feel to the previous Yoshi game, Yoshi's Woolly World, but it has this new gameplay feature where you can flip the environment backwards when you ground pound and even throw eggs at enemies in the foreground and background. This game is also set for a 2018 release.
• Gameplay and story footage was shown off for Fire Emblem Warriors. A full voice cast will also accompany the game giving an official English VA for the character Marth. It was also shown that it will not feature characters from the entire series, but rather just the games Shadow Dragon, Awakening, and Fates. It is slated to launch this Autumn.
• Content for first DLC pack for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild called The Master Trials was shown off preceded by the announcement for amiibo support in the Switch port of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The first DLC pack will go live at the end of June. In addition to this, a preview of the second DLC pack for Zelda was teased and the official name for the story that it will tell was revealed to be called The Champions' Ballad. DLC pack 2 will launch some time this holiday season. 4 new Breath of the Wild amiibo based on the 4 champions Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa were also announced for the game. No official release date the amiibo was announced at the time of the conference.
• Ubisoft revealed new info for their brand new crossover game for the Switch, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle which features Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi stopping an invading force of rabbids with the help of 4 "friendly" rabbids that are dressed like them. The gameplay footage shown off is a turn-based strategy game with heavy emphasis on cover-based shooting; much like X-Com. It will launch August 29 of this year.
• Psyonix revealed that their hit game Rocket League is coming to the Nintendo Switch with special Nintendo themed content exclusive to the Switch version. In addition, they confirmed that the game would have cross-platform multiplayer with the XBox One and PC versions of the game when playing online. Its slated for a holiday release.
• And finally, new features were shown off for Super Mario Odyssey. In the new gameplay footage, at least 2 new worlds were shown off (one being monochrome and one being prehistoric); Mario was seen to have the ability to ride certain vehicles and turn 8-bit to move around wall paintings; and through the use of Cappy, the spirit that is occupying his hat for this adventure, Mario can possess a plethora of different objects and enemies to help him on his quest to save Princess Peach. Also, after the Spotlight presentation, it was confirmed that the game would have Co-Op play where player 2 plays as Cappy. It will be released on the 27th of October this year.
• Now after the Spotlight was over, a few more things were announced. One of them being that we're getting not one, but two new Metroid games. The second one they announced was Metroid: Samus Returns for the 3DS and is being developed by MercurySteam. According to Yoshio Sakamoto, the game is said to be a reimagining of Metroid II on the original Game Boy. The remake will be adding many new features such as melee countering and amiibo support, and will use the original game as a base (I guess now we know why AM2R got hit with a cease and desist so soon after it was finished). It will be released on September 15th. New Metroid series amiibo were also confirmed to be in development for the game in the form of Samus in her Metroid II boxart pose, and a metroid with a soft, squishy outer membrane. These new amiibo will launch alongside the game.
• Separate from the E3 streams, Nintendo announced that a remake of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was being made for the 3DS with updated graphics and new content in the form of a strategic battle mode where you take control of Bowser's minions. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions will launch on October 6th of this year.
• A rather unusual new IP called Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido was revealed for the Nintendo 3DS and is being developed by Indieszero of NES Remix and Retro Game Challenge fame. Judging by the gameplay shown, it appears to mix the concept of match-3 puzzle games with real-time combat in a frantic style of game where you need to eat as much sushi as possible, collect the plates that the sushi was sitting on, and then use the plates as ammo to knock out your opponent. No release date was confirmed, but it will be released some time in 2018.
• More amiibo were confirmed to be in development. Mario, Peach and Bowser in wedding garb were shown off as well as a Goomba and Koopa Troopa for the Mario series set. In addition to those, Chrom and Tiki from Fire Emblem Awakening were also shown off in amiibo form. The new Mario, Peach and Bowser amiibo will launch alongside Super Mario Odyssey and the Goomba and Koopa Troopa will be released at the same time as Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions. No date has yet to be confirmed for the Chrom and Tiki amiibo but I would imagine that they would be released around the same time as Fire Emblem Warriors.
• More of Miitopia was shown off in detail. Movement in dungeons appear to be mostly automatic with occasional input from the player and combat is turn-based with the option for auto-battling. Amiibo support was also confirmed and would be used to gain Nintendo themed equipment. As for the miis in the game, all of them come from the system's internal memory or you can import them from Tomodachi Life. Miitopia will launch July 28th of this year.
• A bit more info for the 3DS game Ever Oasis was revealed. It will give the player the ability to customize their own oasis paradise and go dungeon crawling for more loot and experience. The overall combat appears to be similar in design to the Mana series of games which makes sense considering it was conceived by the same creator. The game will launch incredibly soon on June 23rd and a demo of the game is now available to download from the 3DS eShop.
• And last but not least, the first DLC character was shown off for ARMS in the form of the one of the game's previous champions, Max Brass. It was shown that he has skills that mirror the abilities of both Spring Man and Master Mummy. The new character, along with a spectator mode, will be patched into the game later this month.

Well that's all the info I can muster up for now. I can certainly say that if you are a Nintendo fan like me, then their announcements this year probably made you a very happy camper. Metroid Prime 4 and Metroid: Samus Returns were certainly a welcome surprise for those that were disappointed by Metroid Prime: Federation Force, but only time will tell if they are in good hands. So until then, I'll be seeing you.

Despite the video being less than 15 minutes long, they managed to show off a lot of new info for games we already knew about, and some brand new Switch games to be released on the horizon. Here's the info below.

• First off, there was a rather surprising reveal that The World Ends With You for the Nintendo DS will be receiving a port with some new content. The World Ends With You: Final Remix will be launching some time this year.
• Pokken Tournament DX will be receiving DLC in the form a 2 wave pass called the Battle Pack which will contain the playable pokemon Aegislash and Blastoise and the support pokemon pairs of Mega Rayquaza & Mimikyu and Mew & Celebi. The Battle Pack can be pre-order for $14.99USD right now, which will also contain some new Avatar equipment, with wave 1 being released on January 31 and wave 2 being released on March 23.
  
• New abilities were shown off in Kirby: Star Allies being the Artist and Spider abilities and team abilities that allow access to new areas. This game will launch on March 16 of this year.
  
• The demo for Dragon Quest Builders was released on the Switch eShop after the direct.
• Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition was confirmed to exist and would have all of the content from both the Wii U and 3DS version of the game and two additional costumes for both Link and Zelda based on their appearances in Breath of the Wild. It will launch some time this Spring.
  
• A new entry in the Mario Tennis series is being developed for the Switch under the title Mario Tennis Aces and would be the first Mario Tennis game to feature a story mode since Mario Tennis Power Tour on the GBA. It will also launch this Spring.
• Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was revealed to be getting a port on the Switch and will be released this Summer.
  
• A free update for Super Mario Odyssey was revealed and would add a new distraction to the main game called Luigi's Balloon World which is pretty much a glorified game of hide & seek. The update will also add new costumes for Mario and filters for snapshot mode. The update will be available in February.
• Another fighting game by SNK was revealed featuring an all female roster of charactes from past SNK games, all of which can be customized with different outfits. SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy will be available this Summer.
• Neo Geo's Art of Fighting 2 was also released on the Switch eShop as well.
  
• The new character that was said to be coming to Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was officially confirmed to be Donkey Kong and will be available some time this Spring.
• The Switch version of Payday 2 will have some timed exclusive content in the form of a hacker-themed character named Joy. The game will launch on February 27.
• The unusual new platforming game inspired by Nordic mythology called Fe by Zoink was revealed to be coming to Switch on February 16.
• Another game by the name Celeste was also confirmed to be coming to the Switch on January 25 and seems to focus heavily on precision platforming and dashing through the air.
• Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze was revealed that it was being ported to the Switch with the addition of a brand new game mode where you play as Donkey Kong's surfer mechanic brother, Funky Kong who seems to be geared mostly toward speed runners. It will launch on May 4.
  
• And finally, it was revealed that Dark Souls Remastered will be coming to the Switch on May 25 of this year.

Now I would say this was a pretty good direct overall. Not too bad, but had just enough new info to keep me satisfied. No info on the newly revealed Bayonetta 3, a possible Switch port of Smash Bros, or even any new amiibo though. One step at a time I guess, but until then, I'll be seeing you.