So, for the past two weeks I have been presenting myself as female whenever I go out, and doing so had felt rather.. odd to me. On one hand, I feel as if I am doing nothing different at all, seeing as how I started feminizing my voice years ago, and started altering my walking patterns several months ago. It truly feels as if I am doing nothing different as I was when presenting myself as male, except now I have a feminine, if swollen, face, and my hair is a bit longer and nicer. I guess you could say the change does not feel as massive as I initially thought it would, but that’s okay, considering I am more comfortable with myself than I have been in many, many years.
Considering how it is still early into the year and most companies are getting back into the swing of things while closing out 2017 and getting ready for the new year, news was a bit light this week. However, Nintendo finally held another Direct, and announced a number of noteworthy title that only made the Switch that much more enticing of a system.
Starting off strong, the Direct began by announcing The World Ends With You: Final Remix… Now, I have loved and been a big fan of the World Ends With You since I first played the DS game back in 2009, and have spent the better half of a decade waiting for a follow-up after Square Enix released the mobile port, The World Ends With You: Solo Remix, which ended with an incredibly annoying teaser image that promised that more was to come from the series. So finally seeing the game be brought up like this in the form of a newly remastered version due out exclusively for the Switch later this year, with a new epilogue chapter that will follow-up on the original teaser image, it spurred up the kind of excitement that I rarely ever get the opportunity to feel. Plus, now I get to play the game again on a more modern system. Hopefully this time it has multiple save slots.
Kirby: Star Allies was shown once more, and continues to look like a joyous and happy-go-lucky romp through a beautifully colorful world with solid quality level design, a series of fun to use powers and, of course, the return of friends, 4 player co-op, and combination abilities. As expected, the game is going to be a Q1 title for Nintendo, with the game due out on March 16th.
Mario Tennis Aces serves as the latest entry in the longest running Mario sports spin-off series, and includes what one would expect from the series after oh so many entries. Tennis, but with more Mario characters who, unlike previous outings, properly dress for the part, with each character adopting spiffy tennis themed clothing to wear while playing the king’s game. This entry will also feature the return of a story mode, though it looks to be more of a series of level based Mario themed challenges than any proper story, like the Gameboy Color entry of the series, which was basically an RPG and had nothing to do with Mario until the very end. The game is due out sometime this spring.
Following the resurgence of SNK, development of new 3D models for a plethora of classic characters, and the release of King of Fighters XIV, it was inevitable that the developer would repurpose their newly created assets and release some sort of spin-off. That spin-off takes the bizarre form of SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy. The game is presented as a more casual fighting game, with items, one button specials, power-ups, and an absurdly detailed costume system that make this game’s target audience clear. It is a sparkly and silly title that is due out for both Switch and PS4 this summer.
Moving away from the newly announced titles and to the subject of ports, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition will combine the content released across the Wii U and 3DS entries of Hyrule Warriors in one absolutely stuffed package with 29 unique playable characters, two player co-op, and even some extra costumes for Link and Zelda to mirror their appearances in Breath of the Wild. All of which will be available this spring.
While the cult classic platformer, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, will be coming to the system with a newly added character in the form of Funky Kong who, with his super roll, double jump, hover, and immunity to spikes, makes him seem like a character built around both making the game easier for players and allowing for some nifty speed running through levels. This mode also increases characters’ health, which should help broaden the game’s appeal, seeing as how the prior two entries were a bit too hard to garner much attention from the more casual audience. The game will release on May 4th.
Fe, the independent 3D platformer published by EA, not the element, is due to launch on the Switch amongst other platforms on February 16th. Payday 2 will be releasing on the Switch on February 27th, which is an odd title Nintendo to promote as the game is literally about robbing banks and killing cops. Ys VIII: The Lacrimosa of Dana is also scheduled to be brought to the system this summer, long after NIS America fixes the original poor translation that Ys VIII had at launch, and still has until January 30th.
Meanwhile, the final port announced for the system is one that is actually coming to all of the major systems, including PC. That game is none other than Dark Souls Remastered. Yes, after being so heralded and beloved, the well established and indisputably classic title will be receiving an extra dose of polish from its developers while all the games in the trilog are made available on modern systems, including PC. The game is due out on May 25th, and the other two Dark Souls titles are allegedly going to make their way to the system in due time.
Overall, this Direct proved to be a very dense series of announcements that honestly made me really excited for the future of the system, though that is mostly because of TWEWY. However, Nintendo has still not addressed their plans for their online service or the Virtual Console, which has me both confused and worried. I seriously cannot figure out what the delay could possibly be, unless Nintendo themselves are indecisive about how online features will work on their systems, but if they are, I just hope they get rid of that stupid app and let people use a real headset with their Switch.
As for a Nintendo related announcement that was not included in the Direct, remember the Detective Pikachu game that released in Japan in 2016 for 3DS? I always assumed the reason why it stayed in Japan and was not updated after its initial launch was because the game was being delayed and reworked for the Switch, but no. Instead the game is releasing as a retail title, simply called Detective Pikachu due out on March 23rd exclusively for 3DS, and complete with an English dub that gives Pikachu a deep manly voice, which just makes him so much cuter. I have already expressed my continued frustrations with the 3DS though, so don’t expect to hear another peep about this title from this blog. Hopefully, I will not need to talk about the 3DS ever again.
Like clockwork, Square Enix is bringing over yet another title to PC after it was released on consoles several months ago. The game in question is Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, which has become a sort of fan favorite title despite how the game lacked the same lasting impact as other entries in the series, likely due to how it came out right around the start of a new console generation and took things in a wildly different direction. Still, its lack of mainstream focus has always left me curious about this entry, and I will likely check it out whenever Square Enix chooses to put it on sale for more than 50% off.