It's crazy to think that E3 2021 is squarely in the rearview mirror after so much hype leading up to it. While there were definitely some messy parts of E3 the overall consensus for the Nintendo Direct has been a positive one. The Japanese gaming company showcased a long list of new Switch games, a new Super Smash Bros. fighter, and revealed some exciting news that, quite frankly, had me happily screaming.
This is not the Zelda you're looking for
Source: Nintendo (screenshot) and Nintendo
To start things off, I think Nintendo intentionally trolled us. The first thing we saw was someone carrying The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time version of Ganondorf and tossing him off of a cliff. With all of the buzz surrounding a potential Zelda 30th Anniversary celebration and everybody expecting new Breath of the Wild 2 info, the hype was building and then deflated quickly when we learned this was just the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter reveal for a Kazuya of Tekken fame.
Of course, people were still excited and the reveal was hilarious as Kazuya continued to throw several other Smash characters over the edge. As you can imagine, the internet was quick to turn Kazuya's cliff tossing into memes. While it wasn't Zelda news at all, this E3 intro made it so Nintendo E3 opened and ended with Zelda.
Party time
Source: Nintendo and Nintendo (Screenshot)
The next couple of reveals worth mentioning, while smaller, are exciting nonetheless. Both WarioWare: Get It Together! and Mario Party Superstars were announced for Nintendo Switch. Anybody familiar with older titles in these respective series know that these are fun party games. It's been a while since the last WarioWare came out and longer still, in my opinion, since a good Mario Party released. WarioWare brings a new two-player mode while Mario Party Superstars features five boards from the N64 era and 100 minigames from previous games.
I'm sure they'll both be perfect for game night and I especially can't wait to revisit some of the visually upgraded Mario Party elements from my youth. They're both releasing later this year, just in time for one hilarious Halloween party.
Samus returns to 2D
Later into the show, Shinya Takahashi, general manager at Nintendo, told us the company didn't have any new Metroid Prime 4 information to show, but that they are "working hard" on it. He then continued to surprise everyone by announcing a new 2D Metroid game: Metroid Dread.
In this 2D sidescroller, Samus is chased around by relentless E.M.M.I. robots while platforming around. Considering how many Metroid fans there are, it's really boggling that the last new 2D Metroid game before this released about 19 years ago. So even though we didn't get a new Metroid Prime 4 trailer like some had hoped, Samus Aran fans have been somewhat satiated. Plus those Samus and E.M.M.I. amiibo launching alongside Dread in October are seriously killer collectibles.
Closest thing we're getting to a Zelda's 30th celebration
While bulding to the eventual Zelda update, Nintendo revealed that a new backlit, full-color Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda device is coming out this November and includes three classic Zelda games: The Legend of Zelda from NES, The Legend of Zelda 2: Adventure of Link from NES, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening from Game Boy. If you're a Zelda fan, or at all familiar with how the Game & Watch helped Nintendo grow into a household name in the 80s, then you'll understand why this is such a cool collectible. Sadly for anyone who had been hopeful for a Zelda's 30th celebration, this seems to be the only thing we're getting.
Hold your screams until after the presentation
Nintendo knows how to do an E3 presentation and it ended this one with a bang by showing brand new footage for a Breath of the Wild 2 trailer. To say seeing this new information made me ecstatic is an understatement. I was screaming throughout the minute and 40 seconds shown. Despite being somewhat short, the Zelda team managed to pack the trailer full of new Breath of the Wild 2 information, including Link using brand new powers and exploring floating islands in the sky.
In all honesty, the Zelda trailer left us with more questions than we started with, but that's a good thing. It's clear that this sequel is going to be very different and offer unique elements from the first game while still providing plenty of familiar features. At any rate, it's nice knowing it's not just a rehash of the first one. The Zelda team is hoping to release it in 2022, though that could change.
At this point, you might have noticed that despite the incredible hype for the fabled Switch Pro leading up to Nintendo E3, no new Nintendo hardware was announced. I've honestly been surprised about Twitter's silence on the matter considering people were so vocal about it beforehand. I think everyone got Switch hype burnout and found plenty of other exciting news from Nintendo.
Well, that's it for this week's update. With all these awesome games heading our way, I might need to get a bigger micro SD card for my Nintendo Switch. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend filled with fun video games and pleasant weather.
Until next time.
- Rebecca Spear
