The Nintendo Direct for Wednesday, September 4 was 40 minutes of familiar fun and dreams made real. OK, that second part may be a little bit of an overstatement, but it's not every day you find out that your raccoon landlord is about to start paying you for picking weeds in Animal Crossing Switch and that cult horror game you love is getting a sequel. Here's a rundown of all the biggest news from the Nintendo Direct.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons gets 5 minutes of heartwarmth
Though Nintendo said this presentation would be mostly about Switch games for 2019, we still got a 5-minute look at some Animal Crossing: New Horizons gameplay in advance of its March 2020 arrival. The new video showed how Tom Nook will help you get set up on your own new deserted island, and how you'll be able to share your space with friends in up to 8-player multiplayer. You can even snap pictures to remember the good times, complete with Instagram-style filters.
Pokemon Sword & Shield go camping and make curry
The most British-est Pokemon game ever will let you make curry with your Pokemon. More than 100 kinds of curry, depending on what ingredients you use, and once you fill up you can head out into the wilderness and camp to interact with your own Pokemon as well as those of your friends. Speaking of which, there's a new Pokemon that lives in a broken teapot, so there's that.
Overwatch takes the fight to Switch
Blizzard's six-on-six hero shooter is coming to Nintendo Switch, with the Overwatch Switch release date set for October 15. On top of the basic appeal of queueing up for a competitive match from your bed or on the toilet, you'll even be able to use motion controls to direct Junkrat's RIP-Tire or aim down the sights with Widowmaker. It sounds like the kind of silly fun that could be surprisingly handy.
SNES comes to Switch Online
Nintendo Switch Online's selection of free retro games is about to move up a generation. Starting on Wednesday, you'll be able to play 20 Super Nintendo games as part of the subscription service, including Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and even more eclectic fare like 3D racer Stunt Race FX. Oh, and there will be a SNES wireless controller for Switch, naturally.
Deadly Premonition 2 and Origins pour onto Switch
The cult classic horror-mystery-comedy game Deadly Premonition is getting a sequel on Switch in 2020, subtitled A Blessing in Disguise. No idea what I'm talking about? Head to the eShop and pick up Deadly Premonition Origins, a new Switch version of the 2010 original, and you'll understand what all the excitement is for.
Luigi's Mansion 3 throws an 8-player party
Luigi's Mansion 3 is coming as a Halloween treat, and you'll be able to entertain a whole porch full of trick or treaters with the new ScreamPark games (though they'd probably rather you just gave them candy). They pit Luigis against Gooigis in up to 8 player battles on a single system, which sounds like a perfect recipe for seasonal chaos.
Smash Bros. gets Banjo today and Terry Bogard in the future
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster keeps on growing: eager fans finally got their claws and feathers on Banjo and Kazooie, as the Rare pair finally made their way to the game as DLC. Next up in the Challenger Pass is Fatal Fury's Terry Bogard, and Nintendo has confirmed that it's working on even more fighters after the pass's final mystery contender arrives.
Super Kirby Clash is a MonHun-inspired online battle
Four Kirbies join forces to take down big bosses in this free-to-start platformer. Beating bosses will earn you crafting materials that you can use to make more powerful weapons. If that sounds like the exact same loop as Monster Hunter, just with an adorable puffball instead of a musclebound hunter, you are not wrong.
Return of the Obra Dinn docks on Switch
The mysterious, first-person adventure from the developer of Papers, Please is coming to Switch this fall. Return of the Obra Dinn is a strange, haunting game with a non-linear story that goes in some very novel directions, and Switch seems like a perfect place to play it.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 brings your Steam saves to Switch
The sprawling, customizable RPG adventure of Divinity: Original Sin 2 is playable now on Switch. Already halfway through a campaign on PC? Even better! The Switch version lets you carry your saves back and forth between it and the Steam version as long as your all online connected! Man, sometimes living in the future is OK.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore gets the band together on Switch
The unlikely Wii U crossover of Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei that was Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE will live again on Switch. The updated port will include a new song and some other features you couldn't find in the Wii U original, and you can start playing on January 17, 2020.
Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast is your instant lightsaber fix
Suddenly I don't care that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order isn't coming to Switch, because the official Best Lightsaber Game, Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast, is coming to Switch on September 24. Unfortunately it won't include the beloved multiplayer mode, but you can still chop through stormtroopers as much as you want.
Hoist the Black Flag with Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is still some of the best fun you can have with a hood and hidden blade, and it's coming to Switch in Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection on December 6. It's accompanied by its fellow naval combat enthusiast, Assassin's Creed Rogue.
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition hits Switch in 2020
Xenoblade Chronicles first hit Wii in 2012 then 3DS in 2015, and now a fully remastered version is coming to Switch in 2020. Follow the adventures of Shulk and his friends and see how it all came together for Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
Find even more to play in our list of the best Switch exclusives.
