Well, that certainly spiced things up. At the end of a rather unexciting E3, Nintendo decided it was a good time to go all out this year, and boy did they bring the heat. In under an hour, Nintendo announced plenty of surprises and updates fans have been hungering for nearly a year. Let’s review what they had to show us and judge how they performed.
Dragon Quest Makes Its Way to Super Smash Ultimate
Luigi’s Mansion 3 Gets The Spotlight
We finally got another home console Luigi’s Mansion game and this entry looks pretty dang ambitious. The main setting takes place in a towering haunted hotel with each room representing a different atmosphere and setting. Some rooms contain unique ghosts and storylines. Luigi’s vacuum arsenal has also been expanded upon, allowing room for some additional strategy during gameplay. Co-operative play with the gelatinous “Gooigi”, a green, gummy-bear like Luigi partner, in addition to an extra game mode is well suited for a party. While no date has been given, you can expect this to be an October release to coincide with the spooky Halloween season, like how PlayStation’s MediEvil remake is launching close to the holiday.
Panzer Dragoon is Resurrected Exclusively on Switch
This really took me off guard since we haven’t got a Panzer Dragoon game since the OG Xbox days. Panzer Dragoon has been revived by Nintendo with a remake of the original built from the ground up. With stunning visuals, orchestral music, and faithful gameplay, fans of the series will relive the enjoyment they had all the way back in 1995. You know what’s even more exciting? It’s coming later this year! Winter to be precise!
No More Heroes III Has Been Confirmed
Travis Touchdown is back with the third mainline No More Heroes game. This time the series is taking a far more science-fiction, futuristic approach and is hitting store shelves on April 2020. Here’s hoping Touchdown withstands the daunting Cyberpunk 2077 launching in the same time frame.
Astral Chain and Daemon X Machina Have Release Dates
The two obscure-but-cool-looking Japanese games have release dates, and both of them are rather soon. Astral Chain, the cyberpunk-inspired action game from PlatinumGames is arriving on August 30th, while Daemon X Machina has a September 13th release. Man, September is getting very crowded now. I hope it doesn’t get more popula—
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is Arriving in September
Well, that certainly doesn’t make things any better. Regardless, Link’s Awakening still looks adorable and even more footage has been unveiled. Details on a collector’s edition has also been revealed, with an amiibo figure coinciding with the game’s release. Players have the ability to create their own dungeons and complete challenges and earn rewards while beating them. Of course, the entire campaign is included in this remake in beautiful HD graphics. Let’s not forget the gorgeous cover art that accompanies it. Now that should be enough for September rele—
Spyro Reignited Trilogy Heads to Switch on September 3rd
Me and my big fat mouth. In a packed sizzle reel, Nintendo announced a plethora of third-party and indie titles getting the Switch treatment. Among them is Activision’s Spyro Reignited Trilogy, marking it the first time the original trilogy has graced a Nintendo platform. There’s a hell of a lot more than Spyro in that sizzle reel, with games like Alien Isolation (not September), Ni No Kuni 1 Remastered (September), and Dead By Daylight (SEPTEMBER!!!). Let’s also not forget The Witcher 3 of all games that are getting the Switch treatment as well. So yeah, lots of third-party love for sure.
Animal Crossing Gets Delayed but Revealed
We got our first major delay from Nintendo, folks, and it’s Animal Crossing. Fortunately, we got a healthy amount of information regarding this new entry, with a title! Animal Crossing: New Horizons! Players find themselves on a tropical island courtesy of Nook Inc. and you have to build a happy little village on it. With a fresh coat of HD paint, players will partake in a multitude of charming activities and even join in on people online. While the delay is disappointing, we got a defined release date this far out, which is March 20th, 2020. 2020 is not going to be kind on our wallets. New Horizons was also featured on the Nintendo Treehouse, so for a much deeper look into the game, you know where to go.
Banjo-Kazooie is the 3rd DLC Fighter in Smash
If that Dragon Quest announcement didn’t tickle your Smash fancy, this reveal show give you a heart attack of sheer hype. Microsoft and Nintendo will not stop playing with each other as Banjo-Kazooie are coming to Smash Ultimate. Banjo-Kazooie look absolutely stunning with the remade character model and completely washes away the negativity that was N*ts and B*lts. Players can enjoy this iconic N64 duo this fall.
Breath of the Wild is Getting a Grittier Sequel
Oh, by the way, that wasn’t the last thing Nintendo had in store. Breath of the Wild is getting a sequel and we even got a decent amount of footage which covers the premise of the plot. Zombie Ganon is implied, a playable Zelda is possible, a reshaped map is hinted, a darker plot is heavily emphasized, and the same engine is clearly used meaning we could see this as early as first-half 2021. Is it epic? Yes. Did we scream? Yes. Did it cause Nintendo to win E3? (sans Kinda Funny) Absolutely.
Overall
This is about the same level of excellence as E3 2017, which is saying a lot. We got revivals, surprises, and awesome, delicious, satisfying gameplay. It’s what E3 should’ve been, but it was surely lacking from most conferences. Nintendo is fueling the Switch with insatiable excitement and people cannot get enough of it. This is why Nintendo is beloved and gaming as a whole is cherished by millions.
What did you think? Were you stoked, or did you want something more from a certain power-suited woman in outer space? Please chat with us in the comment section below and there’s more content concerning E3 and beyond from Sick Critic coming up, so stay tuned for that!

News and feature writer for Sick Critic since 2017. Undergraduate studying English. Writes stories on: PlayStation news and analysis, general video game industry affairs, the film industry affairs, and the streaming wars.