Yes, I know. It's awful and everybody's sad and so on (I'm being a little facetious, but maybe you do feel sad or frustrated or fed up? Sorry to hear it). But here's some reassurance and some reasons to be cheerful:
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2020 is going to end soon: We're nearly in the final third of the year, folks. It's been awful. And I mean it in every sense of the word - personal, professional, political - things have been real bad. Life as we know it has been brought to a halt. A friend of mine has permanent lung-damage thanks to Covid-19 and the dream job I landed in March is in serious jeopardy, throwing my whole future into question, so I know first-hand how terrible things are.
And new Nintendo games are thin on the ground. I'm not here to tell you to get a grip. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't seem important, but I get it: when things are bad and you need a refuge, you retreat into a hobby or past-time that brings you comfort, excitement, distraction. So it's frustrating when you don't have those things when you feel you need it most. But every day that goes by, we're getting through the year. Top scientists continue their research all over the world and move closer to finding treatments and potentially a vaccine which will allow us to go about the fuller patterns and behaviours of our lives. So hang in there.
- Super Mario 3D All-Stars will be confirmed soon: Now the Partner Showcase threw us all for a loop, and maybe we should've listened when Nintendo warned us we'd see more of those presentations, but let's not throw the Mario Collection baby out with the general Direct bathwater (and I'll get to the 'general Direct' next). Nate, Jeff Grubb, Tom Phillips have all hinted at a reveal coming in soon - probably either shortly before or shortly after next weekend. Why's that reassuring? Multiple reasons, friends!
a) It'll put an end to the 'is it real' talk.
b) For those of you who are sick of speculating about it, it'll be out the way. We can move on.
c) For those of you who've never played the games and want to play them on Switch, congratulations!
d) Maybe you want to share them with someone special - a sibling who remembers them, a partner new to your hobby, a child who's never experienced them. Well, you'll have your chance soon.
e) Maybe you're like me and an old friend like Mario feels pretty welcome this year. Let's-a-go with some reassurance gaming.
- Maybe, just maybe, there's a September presentation that isn't a Partner Showcase: Now, we're twiced burned, once shy, thanks to the Partner Showcases. But Jeff Grubb still seems to think some sort of first/third party presentation is in-coming and let's be fair, Jeff was right to be cautious this week. On top of that, when E3 was canned, the original timeframe we had for the next Direct - according to multiple outlets - was September. We've been misdirected (no pun intended) in July and again this month, so I think caution is sensible - but stranger things have happened and there are still some signs we get some sort of presentation for first-party news. And what's more, this is an idea we can put to rest very quickly - the window we've got is the next couple of weeks.
- Indies World was banging: No seriously, I'm still full of buzz after this. Want a short, sweet game with stop-motion animations, about making a turn-based RPG for your ill younger sibling? That's a shadow-drop. Want a short, sweet, relaxing game about being a strange bird person who takes a hike around a beautiful island? That's a shadow-drop. Want a Prince of Persia style action-adventure game based on Indian mythology? That's a shadow-drop. How about a first-person game full of beautiful geometric architecture and mind-bending puzzles? Oh, you better believe that's a shadow-drop. Indies are helping to rescue 2020 on Switch with a wide array of inventive, moving games. Want a bunch of other stuff? Indies World has you covered.
Want something more traditional? How about an action-RPG that combines meta-storytelling, a Xenoblade like approach to MMO style sidequests, great 2D visuals, Secret of Mana style action combat, Golden Sun & 2D Zelda style puzzles, and pretty funny writing? Cross Code has you covered and from what I've played, it's shaping up to be something special. And indies might have you covered later in 2020, too - Axiom Verge 2
might make the year, and there's another great looking take on the RPG coming in a couple of months - Cris Tales (take a look at it, it's on the eShop!). And, just this weekend, Windbound and The Last Campfire launched. I've no idea if they're good, but man are indies trying to bring us the good stuff.
Now, a warning: look away if you don't like speculation and you're feeling especially cautious, or if you hate lists:
- Smoke suggests more good things are coming, so hang in there! Monster Hunter Switch talk gathers pace, potentially for a reveal soon. New 2D Metroid has been rumoured for
ages and development timelines suggest it might be due for 2021. Skyward Sword HD is almost certainly a thing. Development on the next Xenoblade is advanced, and they may have been recording the soundtrack over the summer. Multiple EPD groups have been quiet for a while now and may have their next games ready for 2021, including EPD 8 (the 3D Mario team), EPD 9 (the Mario Kart team), and EPD 10 (2D Mario, Pikmin). EPD 4 (Labo, Ring Fit) normally have a Switch game every year and we're yet to see the next madcap idea from those folks. Studios like HAL Laboratory and Camelot Software Planning have been quiet since 2018, too. Bloomberg say Nintendo always planned to go big on 2021 and, even though we can say right now 2021 games have certainly been delayed too and won't have gone to plan, it won't be difficult for 2021 to be a better year. 2020 projects are being shunted into 2021, new Switch hardware is in the works, and great games are in the works too.
Other things
are coming, even if the picture is really unclear right now: Detective Club remakes are happening in Japan and by Zeus I hope they happen outside Japan too. Bayonetta 3 is (still) in development and so is Metroid Prime 4. Bravely Default 2, No More Heroes 3 and Doom Eternal are, right now, still set for 2020. Switch even has a handful of other multi-format third-party games in the works, like Empire of Sin and Gods & Monsters. After 20 years, New Pokemon Snap is a thing! Who the fuck saw that happening? Detective Pikachu Switch is another thing (and hey, kudos to Creatures Inc, who gathered information on user-interface design on social media - the game's afoot, gang). Pokemon Unite is a thing, but let's move on because third-party games like Little Nightmares 2, Balan Wonderworld, and LEGO Skywalker Saga are coming in 2021. And guess what? So is a remaster of Shin Megami Tensei 3 and, after Metroid Prime 4, Switch's second most-nebulous game is landing
globally in 2021: Shin Megami Tensei V. And guys, I don't want to alarm you, but
the sequel to Breath of the Wild is in development and our gal Zelda turns 35 in 2021. Doesn't she look great? And I haven't forgotten Samus Aran, Space Warrior, who deserves a big 35th birthday bash too. Here's hoping Nintendo know it.
And, most importantly of all, if the GameBoys come to Nintendo Switch Online, we can all play the Wario Land series together. Kumbaya, my friends.
[tagging our friends
skittzo0413 and
Raccoon because they seem to have checked out due to fatigue and I want to share my warm fuzzy feelings with them]
