A new story trailer was shown off in Nintendo’s E3 Direct for the upcoming Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
We get to see the central premise of the game with what is set to be an epic war between former friends and classmates — ‘sweet memories, twisted by time’s cruel hand’:
Three Houses has been in development for quite some time, so we’re hoping the delays are justified. As the first authentic home console Fire Emblem since 2007’s Radiant Dawn, expectations are high.
These days a game isn’t even released before some DLC is announced for it. That’s the case for Fire Emblem Warriors on Switch and New Nintendo 3DS – out on the 20th of October.
So without further ado, here’s all the new DLC that’s been announced for Warriors.
Fire Emblem Warriors DLC
Fire Emblem Warriors Season Pass (20th October, £17.99 / €19.99). The big one – the Season Pass will give players access to all three DLC packs as soon as they’re released. Each DLC pack will contain new playable characters and weapons for you to use.
As a bonus for purchasing the Season Pass now, for either the Nintendo Switch or New Nintendo 3DS, you’ll get a bridal costume for Lucina – see below!
Fire Emblem Fates DLC Pack (December 2017, £8.09 / €8.99): The content in this pack is inspired by Fire Emblem Fates. Expect some fan service here if you’re a Fates enthusiast.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon DLC Pack (February 2018, £8.09 / €8.99): Many of the characters and other items in this DLC are from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. If you’ve played the original, gold star for you!
Fire Emblem: Awakening DLC Pack (March 2018, £8.09 / €8.99): Fire Emblem: Awakening, the game that revived the entire series and made it a key IP for Nintendo, has some exclusive content coming. Rejoice!
More details about each DLC pack will be revealed in the future. We’d imagine, primarily, this will be about getting those much-requested characters in the game. Let’s just hope swordmaster Lon’qu makes it in there…
While we’re at it, don’t forget the limited edition bundle of the game too: it’s got three CDs, with more than three hours of music, and 25 character art cards.
The Nintendo Switch has been around for a few months now and there have been some big games to drop on the popular hybrid console. With the new Zelda on the shelves and making history, and a new Mario Kart addiction created, what’s next for the Switch? We’ll take a look at some of the more popular and upcoming Nintendo Switch games we’re hoping to see by the end of 2017.
Super Mario Odyssey
Release Date: October 27th
The new Big N console has had a successful launch and with it came one of the company’s most praised games, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Soon after, the face of the company made his appearance in his newest kart racer classic, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. So now, the gaming world is anxiously awaiting the release of the next actual adventurer from the Italian plumber franchise, Super Mario Odyssey.
The entire Nintendo realm is pulsating with impatience to get their eager paws on this huge Mario sandbox-style game. Levels themed from re-vamped classic Mario-like worlds to life-like cities and jungles, Super Mario Odyssey looks to introduce the Mario franchise to the next layer of 3D platforming greatness. Look for this one to come out at the tail end of 2017 during the holiday season.
Splatoon 2
Release Date: Out
Third-person shooters are in rare form in the realm of the Nintendo Switch but Splatoon 2 brings just that, and in cartoony, Nintendo fashion. The sequel to the hit Wii U title brings back multiplayer fun in this team-based shooter. Use your Inklings to alternate between humanoid form to shoot coloured ink at opponents and accomplish objectives, and squid form to swim through ink, replenishing your ink ammunition.
Splatoon 2 will bring much more multiplayer fun to the list of Nintendo Switch titles providing exactly that. With team-based strategy and a lively story mode, again featuring the Squid Sisters, this is sure to fill homes with non-stop ink-shooting action.
Arms
Release Date: Out
Arms brings whacky, stretching, flailing boxing to Nintendo’s hybrid console. Taking a route away from the serious boxing games with complex button combos and precise movements, Arms pins you one-on-one between two fighters equipped with incredibly stretchable boxing gloves. Jumping, punching and dodging across the 3D boxing arena gives you more to think about when facing off against your prestigious foe.
The first real experience with the Joy-Con motion controls, Arms provides a loose, fluid swinging motion, unlike tight, exact jabs in your more realistic fighters. Punches floating across the screen, giving you the option to fight any way you choose, Arms looks to be a perfect fit to utilize the Switch’s motion-controls.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Release Date: December 1st
The sequel to the critically acclaimed Xenoblade Chronicles will be hitting Switch consoles everywhere sometime this year (we think!). Off on a journey in an open-world adventure/RPG, your character embarks to search the lands for “Elysium”. Unsure of “what” or “who” Elysium might be, all we can do is wait for more on this fantastic JRPG.
Nintendo’s E3 conference will be a solid one to watch this year, as we can expect many of these games to be featured, especially the new Xenoblade title. After the success, the first title saw on the Wii, expect die-hard fans and newcomers alike to be waiting restlessly for this one.
Shakedown Hawaii
Release Date: Q4 2017
The successor to the 16-bit classic Retro City Rampage is coming to consoles this year and it’s called Shakedown Hawaii. This open world gunner will have you shooting down enemies and running past rows of bullets in old-school fashion. In the tropical setting of Hawaii, you’ll not only run and gun, but take the wheel on the streets of the Aloha state. With flashbacks of the old Grand Theft Auto style games on the original PlayStation, Shakedown looks to reignite that classic sandbox feel.
With loads of powerful weapons and a huge open world to discover, smash your way through the destructible environment while constructing your empire in Shakedown Hawaii.
RIME
Release Date: November 14th NA / Europe November 17th
Beautiful 3D puzzle-adventure games give players a rewarding journey in vast, mysterious settings. Games like The Last Guardian or Ico (Team Ico) use vague dialogue and rich settings to unfold emotional stories in a gorgeous, fantasy world. RIME creates settings like these other titles but in a cartoon-like fashion, and with the help of an adorable, friendly fox.
Use puzzles to progress through the story and find the truth behind the mysteries that surround RIME with the help of your friendly fox. This indie release will see a Switch release, hopefully coming sooner rather than later!
Fire Emblem Warriors
Release Date: October 20th
Hack ‘n’ slash games offer loads of addictive fun, and the Fire Emblem series has adopted this play style beautifully. With four confirmed players – two originals and two Fire Emblem classics – the next Switch/3DS title in the series is starting to open up about its details. Chrom makes his return from Fire Emblem Awakening (2012) as the prince of The Halidom of Ylisse. Going back to the original Fire Emblem, the protagonist Marth is also confirmed for Fire Emblem Warriors.
The Fire Emblem games always give dedicated gamers the option to grind with hundreds of hours of gameplay. Bringing this game to the Switch and having the ability to take it on the go sends chills down every action-RPG player’s restless spine.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Release Date: November 17th
Ok, so this game may be over 5 years old and yes, most of us are tired of hearing about Skyrim and the ‘Dragonborn’, but with all that aside, this game still provides gamers with a long, immersive adventure with a huge map begging to be discovered. Dry plains and giant camps, rushing rivers surrounded by sprawling trees and snowy mountain trails will look gorgeous on the Nintendo Switch, and stand equally impressive next to the hit Zelda launch title.
Bringing Bethesda’s critically acclaimed RPG to the Switch console will not only finally give Nintendo fans the ‘Skyrim’ experience, but for the first time ever, you will have the mobile Dragonborn RPG wherever you go. With the impressive HD graphics on the Switch, the Elder Scrolls port should stand up pretty solidly, at least compared to the original console release of the previous generation. Your Dragonborn adventure begins this Fall 2017.
While this is just a few games on the huge list of titles coming to the Switch this year, 2018 doesn’t seem to be letting up either. As the months pass by the games will release and we’ll see just how Nintendo’s new, big hybrid console stacks up against its competitors.
Let us know which Switch games you’re looking forward to in the comments below!
A Fire Emblem Warriors Limited Edition was announced for the Switch during Nintendo’s Direct and it’ll have you reaching for your purse or wallet. *Sighs*.
Warriors’ Limited Edition includes:
A copy of the game
Character cards
3 gorgeous CDs of the original soundtrack
Return of Lyn
A throwback and classic heroine from Fire Emblem: Blazing Blade, the seventh in the series but the first to be released for Western audiences, Lyn was announced as a playable character in Nintendo’s Direct – this was a nice surprise for followers and long-time players of the Fire Emblem series.
Lyn back in the day. She’s slaying it.
Both the limited edition and the Fire Emblem Warriors game are available to pre-order now from Amazon for £64.99 and £41.99 respectively. The game will be released on the 20th of October.
The release date isn’t far away, will you be buying it?
‘An evil dragon appeared bringing chaos and destruction’, cue the Fire Emblem Warriors announcement trailer at Nintendo’s Spotlight E3 conference.
Let’s face it, Fire Emblem fans have been spoilt for choice this year with Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (on Nintendo 3DS), the mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes and now Warriors. I’m all for more Fire Emblem as a fan, but is it too much at once?
Back to Fire Emblem Warriors for a second. It’s being developed by Intelligent Systems, and Koei Tecmo and it’s an homage to fans of the franchise, chock-full of easter eggs and characters (Marth and the lovely Chrom to name but a few) from different worlds and time periods. It’s a hack and slash action game much like Hyrule Warriors in terms of gameplay and the fact you’ll be taking on hordes of enemies.
The weapon triangle, leveling up, special moves/critical hits and the pairing of characters, which are famous in the series, are back in Warriors. Aesthetically, the special moves look glorious as you slaughter enemies with sword strokes (obviously this will depend on your character!).
The story follows two twin siblings, embarking on a journey to kill an evil dragon in order to protect their people. Standard stuff, but it’ll work. Here’s Nintendo’s short synopsis on the E3 Trailer:
Clash with legions of soldiers and fierce monsters as Marth, Xander, Corrin, and other Fire Emblem heroes unleash over-the-top-powerful Dynasty Warriors-style moves.
I’m happy to see Warriors shaping up so nicely and I think it will be great fun to play, although, again, I’m surprised at how quickly they got this game out (granted that it’s not your average FE). Hopefully, the Fire Emblem series won’t be churned out every year like some franchises though…
I understand that Fire Emblem is a big IP for Nintendo (now it is, thanks to Awakening), but what about other grid-based games and IPs? A new Advance Wars game would be welcomed and I’d like to see Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. on the Switch too. Can you imagine how good that would look? Drools. (Maybe that’s just me?) I think it’s time to take a few more risks again basically – the biggest strength the company has is their creativity and innovation after all.
Overall, I was very pleased with Nintendo’s E3 Spotlight, it must be said. I just want to see Nintendo go full-out with their creativity, and hopefully that’s the path they’re going down. Maybe less Fire Emblem in the future and more Advance Wars (something, please!) would scratch my itch.
What do you think? Am I right to worry about the Fire Emblem IP being used to much? Let me know in the comments below.
Fire Emblem Warriors will be released on Nintendo Switch in Fall 2017.
