Famichatting: Nintendo Direct (March 8th/9th 2018) - TheFamicast.com: Japan-based Nintendo Podcasts, Videos & Reviews!

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Monday, March 12, 2018

Famichatting: Nintendo Direct (March 8th/9th 2018)


A surprise Direct happened right as we were recording Famicast 121 (Famicast blessing/curse strikes again!). In this edition of Famichatting we will reference the Japanese version which actually had a couple of exclusives that the other regions didn't get, but it was mostly the same otherwise. Anyway, on with the snarky comments!



James: Jesus they're still making 3DS games? Let it die already. Japanese title: Made in Wario GORGEOUS though, lol. 
Danny: Tons of mini games in here. I’m kind of surprised they haven’t moved this series to mobile yet, honestly. 
Sairus: My fiance was just saying how much she really wanted a Wario Ware game, so I think I’ll actually end up getting this! 
Ty: Wario Ware is cool and good.



James: I love how unimaginative the titling of this series is in Japan. Also a 2019 3DS game, whut!?
Danny: I guess they’re going for getting the entire series on the 3DS. Good luck to ‘em!
Ty: I played one of these once and decided the whole series was bad.



James: Should have been on Switch as a double pack with the sequel. Absolutely ridiculous.
Danny: I can see this as a realization of something that the devs always wanted to do since the game’s inception. There was talk about how stereoscopic 3D was originally planned to be a part of this game on the GameCube. Obviously, with pretty much no 3D televisions being on the market at the time, the feature was nixed. It’s cool that Nintendo will finally be able to release the game with this feature that they wanted to include all those years ago.
Sairus: This one is definitely a little weird. Why isn’t this on the Switch? Really genuinely bizarre.
Ty: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.




James: For my feelings on this game listen to ep121 of the Famicast or watch my stream of the demo! /plug
Danny: Nice touch! I’m sure Kirby super fans will be happy to see that they’ll be getting some extra support for the game. Unfortunately, I am not one of these people.
Sairus: Having classic characters from previous games in Kirby is a cute touch, but I don’t think more characters added post-release is going to sell people on this game. A fun bonus for folks who already plan on buying it I guess!
Ty: These cute little animals curb my blinding, endless contempt a little bit, I guess.



James: Took its time didn’t it. Anyway I bought this on Wii and barely touched it, I don’t really know why, but not inclined to try again somehow. Sorry Kamiya, block me if you want.
Danny: I bought the collector’s version of this game when it came out on the PS2. I played for about 4-5 hours and never went back for whatever reason. I’m a little bit interested in this, but it’ll just depend on what I end up prioritizing as a game purchase.
Sairus: The closest I’ve ever come to playing Okami is Marvel vs Capcom 3. I’m sure I’d like it if I played it, but I just don’t think I’ll ever get to it at this point. I know folks have been clamoring for this to be on Switch though, so it’s nice to see that box ticked.
Ty: I once heard this was the best Zelda game.



James: Oh great a game coming to 3DS AND Switch!
Danny: This game better have some mega depth considering the price. Looks fun, but not Y5,000 fun.
Sairus: I love how committed this game is to its bonkers storyline. I only have room in my heart for one Match 3 game on Switch though and Ironcast is not letting go any time soon.
Ty: Oh.



James: I should really play that demo that’s been on my system for months now.
Danny: Like James, I haven’t played the damn demo for this game yet either. I love the visual style and the combat and story look interesting.
Sairus: The demo was interesting, but I think it actually convinced me not to buy the full game. This trailer did turn me around a little on that with the job systems they showed off though. I adore the special edition pop up book!
Ty: This is definitely a video game of some sort.



James: Hype! This looks nuts! Love how they have so many game styles. The vague release date has me worried though. Pull your finger out Suda.
Danny: I’ve always liked the looks of this series. Looks like it could be fun. I also love lightsabers.
Sairus: I was terrified for a few seconds that this was a minigame collection when they saud 7 different games! Using different games as a framing device for different stages is a pretty clever actually.
Ty: I really like how this has embraced the “video game” aesthetic.




James: Finally, a way to make Sairus play Dark Souls! But seriously though, whut?
Danny: I have this amiibo pre-ordered. It was just too ridiculous to NOT get it. I’m about 90% sure I’m going to pick this up at launch. The ability to be able to try the game out before release, following in the footsteps (on Nintendo systems at least) of Splatoon and Arms, is a nice touch. I will definitely be getting in on that as soon as it drops!
Sairus: I feel this amiibo was specifically designed so they could make fun of the useless additions amiibo usually give games. The game is looking pretty sharp though! I’ll totally be giving that Network Test a shot, though despite the amiibo I don’t know if I can stomach a DS game.
Ty: Solaire would be a tempting Amiibo, if I were an Amiibo-buyer.




James: I like this new habit of Nintendo’s to have free online beta tests of their 1st party games. It’s the only way, and the only time I’ll be playing this game for sure.
Danny: More beta tests before we can buy = good. At first, seeing all of the goofy power-ups and trick shots made me almost automatically dismiss this game. After the Direct revealed that you could turn this stuff off, I’m optimistic. It does look like you’re going to need to do the goofy stuff that I hate in the single player “story” mode or whatever, so that might be a no-go for me.
Sairus: I’ll be honest, I actually skipped through most of this part of the direct when I first got to watch it. A really neat observation I saw was how Nintendo have almost turned Tennis into a fighting game at this point. Health bars, meter management, just impact parries and super attacks. That actually made me a lot more interested! Also playable Chomp.
Ty: See me in Virtual Boy Mario Tennis.



James: An expected and oft-requested port for sure. I have already played this to death on Wii U though. Heck I didn’t buy Mario Kart 8 twice, definitely not buying this again! Good game though if you haven’t played it.
Danny: I adored Captain Toad on the Wii U. My wife also really enjoyed watching me play, but found it a little bit difficult to wrap her head around the controls. The addition of the two player mode looks perfect for that. I’m really thinking about double dipping on this one.
Sairus: I’ve always loved Captain Toad, but never got to play this title! I’m sticking this on my “pick up eventually, but I’m in no rush” list. Tying it together with Odyssey is a really clever cross promotion.
Ty: This game looks kind of neat, I might play it someday.






[Japan Only]
James: Taiko Drum Master with Gal Metal controls (sorry Tak).
Danny: Taiko Drum Master is always fun to play, but I don’t know if I’d ever be willing to drop the big buck on the game to play it at home. Even without the Odyssey tracks, I can usually get my fill in an arcade.
Sairus: I feel Gal Metal was on a time limit waiting for a Taiko game to drop. RIP. Even if this isn’t localized, it’s neat that thanks to region free eShops it’ll be simple to get this overseas!
Ty: It’s just not the same without the big ass authentic arcade drum.



James: I guess I’ll finally get round to playing this then, and Ty can finally shut up.
Danny: Always been interested in this. So much so that I ALMOST bought it on my Vita over the holidays. Kinda glad I didn’t. Too bad for my Vita as it will unfortunately continue to collect dust.
Sairus: I’ve had this installed on my PC for years. I don’t think a Switch release will be enough to get me to play it. Definitely happy to see it on the system though!
Ty: Joke’s on you, I actually never shut up. This is actually a great game. I know because I played it more than two years ago like everyone else

.


James: *backs slowly out of room*
Danny: I like RPGs, but I usually only buy on once every year or two. This doesn’t look like one that I’ll be getting. It seems a little unoriginal and not very interesting. But as The Dude would say, “That’s just, like, my opinion, man.”
Sairus: It actually bugs me to see a Japan only turn based RPG in this Direct. There’s very few of them in English and the Switch is crying out for more! Neat to see SaGa back on a Nintendo system though!
Ty: If I ever see another Japanese video game with a bunch of dragons and floating numbers and shit, it’ll be too soon.





[Japan Only]
James: They stuck Link in Skyrim, so why the hell not stick him in PSO2!
Danny: Free to play Phantasy Star Online on Switch? Neat. It’s apparently running off of the cloud, too? Sure. Okay. I might try this out just for the hell of it. The price is definitely right. And I haven’t played a PSO game since the Dreamcast era.
Sairus: I forgot PSO2 was coming to Switch, so this reminded me that was a thing at least.
Ty: I suppose it’s cool that PSO2’s fans have kept it alive for so long.



[Japan Only]
James: Friends of the show Flyhigh Works look like they’ve localised it up pretty good. Also even after Mario Ace(s) releases, this will still be the only golf game on Switch with an RPG mode.
Danny: I was kind of surprised it took them this long to get this out here in Japan (available right after the Direct). Still looks great, but I find myself wishing there was a tennis game like this instead.
Ty: A man chooses.



James: *barf*
Sairus: I won’t be picking this up, but I was really impressed with the care and attention that went into these remakes. It’s always cool to see well known characters make their debuts on Nintendo systems so I’m not opposed to it!
Ty: Crash came out on GameCube, though? I didn’t play it then, either.
Danny: Just for clarity, this is the first time THESE THREE GAMES have made it to a Nintendo system. I just as interested in them as I was when they came out on the Playstation all those years ago. As in, not at all. 







James: Holy shit, get your towels ready, the hype levels are cranking up! New items and stages, woo, always welcome, but this new story mode DLC looks legit! I’m more than happy to pay 20 squids / 1,800 yen for that. SOLD!
Danny: I’m shocked to see Nintendo add anything meaningful to story mode! Good for them. Maybe I should finally play through the vanilla story mode in Splatoon 2.
Sairus: 3.0 update was whatever. New items and stages are to be expected, but holy crap that DLC. Considering what was announced directly after this, it’s pretty incredible that Splatoon 2 DLC was still my most hype announcement from this direct! Though honestly, after having a little time to think about it, I hated Splatoon 2’s Hero Mode and I really hope this isn’t more of the same. I’ll still be locking in that preorder as soon as I get home though!
Ty: Splatoon is such a huge, amazing phenomenon over here, but I remain steadfast in my ever-hardening conviction to not buy games with progression systems or play on wireless.




James: The Smash hype cycle has begun once again! Expect more teaser trailers like this leading up to E3. Next up has to be Springman from ARMS right? Or another three Fire Emblem characters.
Danny: Who DOESN’T want Smash on Switch? I was surprised that they didn’t save this reveal for E3, but at the same time happy that they just got it out there. I just hope that they have a single player mode worth a damn.
Sairus: This was such a fantastic reveal. It’s almost a running joke at this point for people to ask “Is this the Direct they finally announce Smash Switch?”, so I don’t think anyone was actually expecting it. Now the questions start: Is this a Deluxe release of Smash 4? Will it be more like the Splatoon 2 sequel/upgrade style? Is it a brand new from-the-ground-up game? Interesting that they zoomed in on Link to show he’s in his BotW gear, but they also zoomed in on Mario to show he’s not wearing Odyssey’s Cappy.
Ty: The real question is, will they ever make a Smash as good as Melee? Spoiler: probably not.

Western Exclusives



[West Only]
James: Not the rumoured double pack, but still great news! Have been dying to play these games as I’m a huge SP fan, this is an instabuy from me!
Danny: Why not dig up those Acclaim South Park games for the N64 and throw them in with the package, too? Seriously, though, this game looks visually fantastic. There’s just so much stuff on my radar that this one might have to fall by the wayside.
Ty: Yeah okay? I think I got this for four dollars on Xbox.




[West Only]
James: Another Testpunch for all those stingy scrubs who haven’t bought it yet, how generous!
Danny: Okay then.
Sairus: Like how I have to periodically go back to watch Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon to remind myself how much I dislike that movie, I will probably get this Test Punch to remember how little I like playing ARMS, no matter how cool Dr. Coyle is.
Ty: No.



[West Only]
James: This short trailer gave me nightmares, fuck if I’m buying this.
Danny: Creepy as hell. This nightmare fuel is going nowhere near my Switch.
Ty: I can no longer summon any enthusiasm for another “charming” indie puzzle-platformer unless it pays out a solid 1000 achievement in under six hours.



[West Only]
James: Weird how this wasn’t in the Japanese Direct. That’s the only comment I can give on this game.
Danny: Well, the Japanese version won’t feature JUST Japanese. Foreigners rejoice! ...if you speak Chinese or Korean. Yes. The Japanese version features Japanese, Chinese and Korean language options.
Sairus: I guess this wasn’t in the JP directs because it’s releasing in March over here. The delay for the west is all that’s notable about this.
Ty: Grbrbalkdghjdfjhavvvravvf

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