So look, I said I’d write a Nintendo roundup, but honestly it’s mostly about Pokémon Let’s Go, because that’s really what I played while at E3.
So here we are.
Pokémon Let’s Go
Me. A Switch. A Nintendo tech guy. A Pokeball Plus. A booth at E3.
The demo took place entirely within Viridian Forest which, even for me, instilled a lot of nostalgia right off the bat. A team of Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Eevee (the best one) was waiting for me to give the order to slaughter their kin for Pokedollars and GLORY. So we did.
Catching works like GO, battling works like real Pokemon. That’s all I want to say about it really, because teh joy of rediscovery will be among the best parts of this experience. I will say that the Pokeball was WAY too small for my adult hands, and I kept accidentally moving up while using the A button (both are the ball’s button), causing more Growls than Tackles.
Overall though, the ten minutes I spent wrecking Bug Catchers was a blast, and I’m looking forward to reliving 1998 very soon.
Super Smash Bros
Oh yeah, this. I am apparently incredibly bad at Smash, losing 3 of 4 games to the AI. However, going back to good old Mewtwo was a lot of fun, and the whole roster looks diverse enough to give even the most skilled players a challenge to hit that skill ceiling. It looked and felt fun, despite my embarrassing losses, and I truly cannot wait to see how badly wrecked I’ll get by some eight-year-old Welsh kid online when it releases.
Mario Tennis Aces
I also played a good deal of Mario Tennis Aces at the E3 booth, but I got to play even more when I reveiewed it here. Probably best to read that.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas
Skylanders and Amiibo just aren’t for me, so I wasn’t hopeful heading into Starlink, which I played on Switch at Ubisoft’s booth. Then I played it and fell in love. Building your ship on the fly while battling giant enemy mechs felt fun and vital to the experience. While I shudder to think how much this will cost in the end (all toys to life games end up costing a fortune), and the lack of swapping while out and about on the Switch, my E3 experience was absolutely stellar.
Also, the devs said I was the only person to beat the boss without landing, and were very impressed. Just don’t tell them it’s because I didn’t know I COULD land…
Overall, I was impressed with Nintendo’s lineup. They’re really leaning into some of the more unique aspects of the Switch, and I am super stoked for the coming months.