What to expect from tonight's Nintendo Direct: Switch Online, Smash Bros Ultimate, rumours, and more
For the September 13th Direct
After a brief delay, Nintendo's next Direct is happening tonight at 11pm UK time, leaving everyone asking the same question - what on Earth does the company have left to announce?
With two Directs already released in the past month or so, it feels like Nintendo has already given up the secrets of every single upcoming game in its arsenal. Surely it doesn't have anything else to say, right?
Well, there's 35 minutes of new games planned for tonight's Direct, so there'll definitely be something. We have a few ideas as to what they'll announce, so click through to find out more.
News about Switch Online
The big announcement you can expect is that Switch Online is launching next week. The paid-for online subscription lands in the US on September 18th and the UK and Europe a day later.
We already know how much it will cost, that it'll come with a library of NES games, and that you can now save games to the cloud. But maybe there's more we haven't heard yet.
In particular, we'll surely find out the exact list of NES games that will come with the subscription, as well as which games will have cloud saves - some Switch titles have been dropped due to fears of their potential for cheating.
Outside of that, there could well be a surprise announcement about the service we hadn't seen coming. Maybe a tease for SNES games on the service? Or maybe the weird companion app is being dropped in favour of a more useful friend system? Only time will tell.
The #NintendoSwitchOnline paid membership service will start on 19/09. You can sign-up for a 7-day free trial from Nintendo #eShop at launch! We will introduce more information during the #NintendoDirect on 14/09.
?? https://t.co/ARYs17QckG pic.twitter.com/BGY9HmNmtY— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) September 12, 2018
Another Smash Bros Ultimate reveal
Despite already announcing every character in the game in its first reveal, then adding two more characters at the last Direct (RIP Luigi), there's probably room for some more Smash Bros Ultimate news in tonight's Direct.
We wouldn't be entirely surprised if another new character was revealed for the game - there seems to be a villainous theme running through the current additions, so perhaps one of the none-Ganondorf bosses from a Zelda game? Or maybe someone truly left-field, like Sniper Wolf from Metal Gear Solid?
This could also be the chance for Nintendo to unveil the much-rumoured Story mode which has been hinted at through Luigi's untimely demise and the other character reveals killing off pretty much everyone in the series.
Either way, there'll likely be some news about new music tracks and stages - because we can't get enough of those - along with a handful of items, Assist trophies, and what have you.
Super Mario Party update
Super Mario Party was revealed earlier this year but has mostly vanished off the map since. That said, it's now appearing at consumer shows in the UK like EGX, so it's probably time for Nintendo to start showing off more of the game.
If that's the case, you can expect a showing of new mini-games, particularly ones which utilise multiple Switches to create new game boards, like in the tank mini-game shown in the game's reveal.
The game's due out at the start of October, so there's not much more time for Nintendo to drum up interest in it. Expect this to be a fairly strong focus for the Direct.
3DS games
Remember the 3DS? Nintendo finally has. The company has already said that there'll be 3DS games on show in this Direct, though who knows what they might be.
You can almost certainly expect some word on what's happening with Luigi's Mansion on 3DS, even if it's just a reminder that the game's coming out. It's due out at the start of October, after all, and we haven't heard much since its first reveal.
Other than that, we honestly haven't got a clue what will be revealed. Most likely there'll be some third-party stuff that looks vaguely interesting, and maybe even a first-party reveal. Smash Bros Ultimate for 3DS, perhaps? Stranger things have happened.
Sorry, I could only find a French version of the Luigi's Mansion trailer on an official YouTube channel. But learning a new language is fun!
Other bits and bobs
You can pretty much guarantee that a third-party game will be landing on Switch shortly after the Direct ends - it happens every time. There are already rumours running around about one or two games you can expect to see - not that we could comment on them, of course (because we'd get shouted at).
So yeah, expect at least one surprise release, and maybe a couple of others if Nintendo is feeling that way. Followed by us scrabbling to get review codes so we can let you know if the games are any good. Naturally.
Other than that, past Directs have brought us a range of newer indie titles and ports of bigger games from PC and other consoles, so you can bet your bottom dollar that some of those will crop up. Maybe an officially licensed F1 game? Or some sports titles from EA that aren't FIFA? Ooo, what about Unravel 2? That would be genuinely perfect.
Speculation aside, we really don't know what to expect. Just prepare your wallets. There are always at least five good things announced.
Ooft, what about Ooblets? God I'd lose my mind if Ooblets was announced.
