I took a trip to Nintendo’s UK HQ to go hands on with Smash Bros Ultimate, Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Starlink.
Script
C1: Hey guys, welcome to P Myth Gaming. A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to go down to Nintendo’s UK headquarters and go hands on with a few of the games they spotlighted at E3.
Naturally the first game I jumped on was Smash Bros Ultimate and holy cow is that game fast.
VO: It was clear from the in-depth analysis of each moveset during the E3 presentation that this game is pitched directly at the hardcore Smash fans and the gameplay absolutely bears that out.
C1: I thought Smash Wii U was fantastic, but I was really taken aback by just how quick the gameplay is in Ultimate. It really is Melee levels of intense, and I was dodging and rolling like mad trying to rack up the kills.
It took a little getting used to coming off the back of the Wii U title, but those Gamecube muscles soon kicked in.
C2: Leading me to victory, naturally.
C1: I played two matches, the first as an Inkling and the second as Ridley. The Splatoon character is a great all-rounder with a really unique moveset.
VO: The different attacks bring out different weapons, and you can use the standard B to shoot ink, covering opponents which results in greater damage from your other attacks. You also have an ink meter that you have to keep topped up.
C1: Making sure I had enough ink to unleash the attacks I wanted to made for some really strategic moments as I had to retreat from battle to top it up. It’ll be cool to see how this effects one-on-one gameplay in the final release.
Naturally, I couldn’t pass up the chance to play as Ridley either.
C2: I still can’t believe Sakurai included him. I actually agreed with the guy when he said he was too big to be implemented properly.
C1: He’s a bit of a powerhouse, with a sweet side-B move that sees him lunge sideways, grab an opponent, and then continue gliding to launch them off the edge of the map.
C2: I spammed that move a lot
C1: Sakurai’s brought him into the game really well. He’s been shrunken down a little bit, but it works.
The two stages I played, Moray Towers and Great Plateau Tower were cool too. The Splatoon stage gave me a little trouble with it’s zig-zagging ramps, but the Tower was awesome.
C2: It’s basically Final Destination with a roof
C1: Both matches I played were really intense and I can’t get over just how fast paced the matches were. It really is pitched as a Melee killer, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the final version.
After Smash I went hunting for Pokemon in Viridian Forest, courtesy of Lets Go Pikachu and that game is gorgeous.
VO: It’s incredible to see a proper Pokemon in high def, and having the pokemon wander around in the overworld fulfils a dream many of us have had since the days of Red and Blue.
The Pokemon Go capture mechanic works well enough, and I also got to play with the Pokeball Plus.
It feels really good in the hand, not cheap or plasticy, although it did take me a few seconds to get it orientated properly so that I was running in the direction I wanted to.
What I thought was interesting was that the reps pitched it as a combination of the original games, Pokemon Go, and the anime. Nintendo and the Pokemon Company are clearly looking to snare those people who grew up playing the original games and ran home from school to watch Ash Ketchum try to become the very best, like no-one ever was.
C2: Or to put it another way, me.
C1: In other words, they’re aiming it directly at those lapsed Pokemon fans who went nuts for Go.
It’s a smart move, and while capturing pokemon is different, the questing and battles are still the same. It’ll serve as a great stepping stone to the full title releasing next year, and it’s shaping up brilliantly.
Speaking of re-engaging with lapsed fans, we were also treated to a demo of Super Mario Party, and while we didn’t get to play it ourselves, the gameplay looks pleasingly reminiscent of the N64 originals.
The mini-games look all kinds of fun too, and a great showcase of some of the JoyCon’s tech.
C2: Essentially 1 2 Switch with added actual gameplay.
C1: Finally, I had a quick blast on Ubisoft’s Starlink.
This game could be the Starfox game we’ve been waiting for since Lylat Wars
C2: That’s Starfox 64 to non-Uk dwelling folk
C1: Flying around a huge open area in an Arwing was all kinds of cool, and messing around with the toys to life stuff was ace as well.
It reminded me of No Man’s Sky rather a lot
C2: In both good and bad ways
C1: But if it can fulfil it’s potential, it could turn out to be one of the must-have third party games for Switch this year.
C2: And as someone with 1 or 2 amiibo, the toys-to-life, ship construction stuff has me rather worried. It was so fun to do.
That about wraps it up. I will be writing up some more in-depth analysis for Nintendo Village throughout the week, so make sure to keep checking the site for that. My Smash Bros Ultimate article is live now, so go and check that out!
C2: I’ll leave all the various links in the description.
C1: Fire away with any questions you might have about these games in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer!
Thanks a bunch for watching, don’t forget to like this video, hit subscribe if you’re new around here, and check out all the other videos too. I’ll see you all next time!
Phil Myth 