5 Big Announcements From Today’s Nintendo Direct Mini

Wow, this really snuck up on us. In all the hustle and bustle of quarantine life, I had completely missed that a Nintendo Direct Mini was coming out today. Despite being a mini, it definitely had some major announcements. There's some awesome stuff coming soon or now to the Switch, so let's break down our five favorites.

As someone who missed out on the Xeno games the first time around, I'm not planning on making that mistake again. Starting with Xenogears in 1998, the series takes a sci-fi look at at the traditional Square-Enix RPG. Fun fact: The story for Xenogears was originally pitched as Final Fantasy 7! After Xenogears came the Xenosaga games through the 2000's, and finally Xenoblade Chronicles in 2010. Now, the Nintendo Switch is bringing the remastered Xenoblade Chronicles back with a new story campaign added onto the end. You can check it out May 29th.

The Switch is amping up its library with some beloved series. The 2K Collection is officially coming to the Switch on May 29th, and includes Bioshock, Borderlands and XCOM. Bioshock is a first person shooter game with horror vibes. The first two games in the series take place under the sea in the Utopia-turned-Dystopian nightmare city of Rapture. The third game in the series, Bioshock: Infinite, takes us above the clouds to the city of Columbia. All three games are included in Bioshock: The Collection.

Borderlands fulfills your looter shooter needs meanwhile, taking place in a wasteland filled with crazy people and even crazier weapons. You'll be able to get the Borderlands Legendary Collection, including the original game, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands The Pre-sequel. Everything you need to get ready for Borderlands 3. Lastly, if you're craving a little more strategy, then the XCOM 2 collection has your back. Less about shooting, and more about planning, XCOM pits you in a fight for survival as aliens invade earth. All three collections will be available on May 29th.

This was one of the quickest announcements in the presentation, but it got me excited! Two games are coming to the Switch and one of them is already here. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is an awkwardly named, but very fun entry from an era when Star Wars games were usually good. Players create their own Jedi and learn from Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, and yes, the 16 player multiplayer is here as well. Secondly, one of the best things to come out of 'The Phantom Menace' will be releasing on Switch soon. Star Wars Episode 1: Racer originally debuted on the Nintendo 64 as a pod racing game. Players can customize their own pods, and as silly as it was, it was a hell of a lot of fun. No set date yet, but it'll be releasing soon on Nintendo Switch.

I didn't know how to feel about Bravely Default II until now. I was an avid fan of the original Bravely Default, and while it wasn't as good, I even liked the sequel Bravely Second. So when the new game was announced as Bravely Default II instead of Bravely Third, I was furious. The naming system was so confusing, but now I get it. The new title boasts a brand new worlds with all new characters, and in that, the naming choice finally makes sense.

Bravely Default is a series you should really go back and try if you haven't. It punches all the right buttons for those of us looking for a turn-based RPG from yesteryear. The unique Brave/Default system gives a nice quality of life enhancement from old systems and the job system is a welcome return to classic gaming. If you want a slightly more forgiving Final Fantasy V, this is the series for you. Not to mention, it's got some great twists! Bravely Default II has a demo out today on Nintendo Switch and will be releasing in full in 2020.

Full disclosure, I chose to pass on Pokemon Sword and Shield. I've played my share of Pokemon games, most notably Red, Yellow, Gold, X, and Let's Go. While I got Sun and Moon, it didn't really enthrall me the way games of the past did, and so I decided to take a pass on Sword and Shield. Nevertheless, seeing a large dump of content post-launch is new grounds for Pokemon and is pretty exciting.

The new expansion pass will take players to The Isle of Armor and later on The Crown Tundra. In Isle of Armor, players will be able to train at a dojo with a new Pokemon Kubfu. They'll then get to climb either the Tower of Darkness or Tower of Waters, which will teach their Pokemon a new move. It's a pretty sizable post-launch content drop, but it's not free. Nevertheless, The Isle of Armor will be available by the end of June if you're interested.

It’s March and our Video Game Bracket Challenge is on! You and a friend could win a Respawn Gaming Chair and all you have to do is cast your votes for which games are the best of all time. You can have six chances to win by voting throughout the month. Check out the bracket here.