Kirby Star Allies Releases This March on Switch and Introduces New Copy Abilities

This was the most exciting first-party game of the Direct, despite being announced over half a year ago. What does that tell you?

This is gonna be a must buy for me.

Yeah that Kirby game is looking amazing.

Can't wait to play this with my kids

@thesilverbrick
Tells you that we’re in for a slow year ! Not even the new fire emblem game was announced :S

My man. Day one.

@Hobbesyall Seeing as they didn’t announce anything past summer, I imagine they’re saving some big guns for E3, but Nintendo still should have at least had something else new in their pocket for the first half of the year besides Mario Tennis.

@Hobbesyall A slow year in terms of first parties?

Can't wait!

@Galenmereth It tells me they made a poor choice. Things have gone very quiet as far as first party releases are concerned. Now is the time to play some big, important cards, especially if you want to sell 20 million consoles this year. It’s not the time for a “mini” anything.

@thesilverbrick Honestly the new Pokemon RPG should be all the sales incentive they need this year.

Looking forward to this so much! March isn't too far away either!

@JayJ I heavily doubt that we will see a full fledged Pokémon RPG on Switch this year. And even if we will, we know nothing about it. Again, I don’t have any doubts that Nintendo has holiday games planned, but we needed something brand new with a release date to be excited about, and on the first party front they failed to deliver with this Direct.

@thesilverbrick
I had the same hopes you, there is nothing breathtaking until E3! That a bit underwhelming

@Nintendoforlife Yes I own a Wii U and everything nintendo ever released after N64 so yeah i’m Not very excited with this announcements XD

@Hobbesyall Yep, at least I can take some time to financially recover from last year. And more that I think about it, I’m hoping they don’t go charging 60 bucks for a remake of Tropical Freeze (which was only $50 on Wii U) and Hyrule Warriors (which is being released for the third time).

@Hobbesyall Ahh ok, ok

@thesilverbrick only purchase for me is going to be dark souls XD

@thesilverbrick Well Bayonetta 1 & 2 are out in February. So it's not like they have no releases earlier than Kirby.

The problem seems to lie with the fact that they announced stuff a lot earlier than their actual release dates. Whereas Kirby looked like it was ready to come out soon, Yoshi still had some polishing to do (based on the trailer, animations still needed work), and frankly Prime, Fire Emblem, and Pokémon were most likely still in their planning phases.

What are they going to announce, that they wouldn't save for E3? Pikmin also seems like something they'd mention there as well. Only thing that would make sense are titles that are coming up soonish (things we'd have known about or would be easy to put together fast) and ports (since those are generally outsourced).

They are going for the shrewd business approach. Everyone on this site is already out of the ordinary compared to the run of the mill gaming consumers. Wii U ports will not interest most of us. However, can we say the same of the majority of Switch owners? Probably not. Most of these people are either coming from the 3DS or are gamers who used to have time for gaming and invested in a Switch for being able to play anywhere.

Combined with the more core Nintendo fans' tolerance, this is much less of a mistake and more of a well thought out business decision.

@thesilverbrick True, the Wii U remasters are definitely not doing it for me.

@Galenmereth I’m aware of this. And I wasn’t expecting major first-party titles to be released in the next month or so. I’m saying now was the time to play some big cards. And I’ve already said that I think Nintendo has plenty planned beyond E3 and that’s why they didn’t announce anything beyond the summer. Now is not the time to “warm up.” The first party game scene on Switch is essentially dead and quiet at the moment, and the only new titles from Nintendo we have to look forward to in the next six months are a Kirby game we knew about last June and Mario Tennis. Sure, there might be more coming, but what we know about now isn’t exactly going to push people without a Switch to run out and buy one. When you predict to sell 20 million units in a year, I certainly don’t think I am unreasonable to expect a software lineup for half the year to back that up.

@Ernest_The_Crab I’m aware of Bayonetta, but I was referring to Nintendo‘s first party software, which arguably is their biggest selling point. Announcing only two brand new games for the next six months isn’t a great business decision. Sounds an awful lot like Nintendo’s Wii U release calendar, and that’s not particularly reassuring. Do I still think Nintendo will have a good year? Undoubtedly. There’s probably some wonderful surprises in store at E3, but I’m just simply arguing that they blew it with this Direct.

I know what I'll be asking for my birthday from my wife. Something I could actually get her to play with me too.

@thesilverbrick They have already announced this years release cycle is gonna be even bigger than last years, their is another direct inc.

Did anybody see Suplex return? Sold!

Loved planet robot. And this looks much better, but I think mario tennis edges it for me.

@Zeskyplays Again, I fully expect many more games this year, but they really needed to announce more here and now. Cherry picking Wii U games to remaster doesn’t quite give me anything to look forward to. I was left completely bored by this, and who knows when the next Direct is coming.

Psst...
Don't forget about this Youtuber & gamer.
She might be Over Excited to see her favorite games on Switch with more details.

Not a huge Kirby fan, but I was on the fence about this title before. Even though the trailer looked good, the announcement that Tropical Freeze is coming to the Switch just a month and a half after this just solidifies a no-purchase from me. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze is one of the best 2D platformers I've ever played, so having it on the go is exciting to me. Sorry Kirby; your new game looks good, but DK is where it's at for me!

@thesilverbrick You do realize then, that Mario Tennis is not actually 1st party? Kirby is the only 1st party title in that list that's coming out soon. It's essentially barren from a true 1st party point of view.

And like I was saying before, these releases don't seem to be targeting most of us here on Nintendo Life. They did not "blow it", as you put it, once you realize that.

EDIT: Also, everyone was too hyped up in the first place. The only reason our Direct was so big last year in January was due to them prepping for the Switch launch in February. That being said, NoA really didn't help matters by adding fuel with their fooling around.

I don't like Kirby games but this one looks good.

@thesilverbrick that it was a Mini Direct and all the games are coming between now and May meaning Nintendo still hasn't show us everything they have store for 2018. So be excited!

@thesilverbrick Tells me that this game looks amazing.

@Ernest_The_Crab Mario Tennis is a first party title in that it is published by Nintendo and features a first-party IP belonging to Nintendo itself. Let’s not split hairs.

Let’s face it, the casual gamer doesn’t watch Nintendo Direct presentations. These are targeted at Nintendo‘s biggest fans, and they should be presented as such. They usually are, to be fair. But given how little we know about 2018, they under-delivered, especially when it comes to new first party games.

@thesilverbrick In the span of one year, we get the best Zelda ever made, the best Mario ever made, the best 2D Metroid ever made, and what appears to be the best Kirby ever made. Oh, and a bunch of great games ported from a system few people bought to a system lots of people are buying. NINTENDO IS DOOMED!

I think they took the right decision in making this a mini Direct.
There is already plenty of games announced for 2018, they need to consider first and 3rd parties, cause overall not everyone can buy so many games in so little time.

I'm sure Nintendo will reveal much more throughout the 2018, big events like E3 will be coming up, and for sure more N directs as well.
I think there's a big chance that another Direct will take place in March to celebrate Switch 1st birthday.

I doubt It would be so smart to reveal everything in just the first 2 weeks of the year, also this means that we can look forward for more announcements later on.

@Muddy_4_Ever I need to clarify that I don’t think Nintendo is “doomed” or anything. I’m simply saying this Direct was a bust.

And the best 2D Metroid was released in 1994.

Who doesn't love the Kirbs?

Looooooove me some Kirby. Yay! Super excited about a new Kirby.

@Krisi Right on.

How much is this going to cost? Looks pretty good, but will need to be the right price.

@justin233 it's showing up as a full priced title every where I looked so the standard $60 it would seem

@SuperTeeter64 I was just asking. They’ve released certain first-party games at less than $60 before.

Ive got to have my Kirby. Day one for me.

Day 1.

I am BEYOND excited for this!!!! OMFG I LOVE Kirby and cant wait for this game. Artist kirby is giving me a nice throwback to dreamland 3 and 64. In addition you can be mother freakign spidah man with Spider Kirby. Game of da Century right here folks!

It really looks good

@thesilverbrick <--- this guy gets it.

@Muddy_4_Ever NDF status confirmed.

@gatorboi352 Haha, I never dreamed I’d see the day where I would get validation from you. Thanks, my friend.

@thesilverbrick don't worry too much. Last year we had a Direct on 1/18/17, and Nindie Showcase on 2/28/17, and another direct on 4/12/17, all before e3. Hopefully we get something similar this year. I also have a feeling that e3 will be the best year for variety in a few years.

@idrawrobots So if the past is any indication, we won’t know anything else for at least a month and a half, and even then it will probably be small scale projects. Not exactly reassuring. I’m certain they will have some amazing announcements at E3, but as it stands, the first half of this year looks pretty bad. Not exactly the best half year for a console that wants to sell 20 million units.

Bayonetta in February and Kirby the next month after. Looking forward to both.

@thesilverbrick I mean you're literally taking the words right from my brainz, even on your replies! lol well done for not drinking the kool-aid. There are real concerns here that I echo as well.

There was a day when I would gloss over them or convince myself they weren't real concerns. Then the Wii U happened and we all know how that ended up.

People need to realize, Nintendo does not handle success very well. This was yet another opportunity to change that perception.

Kirby is perma-day one

@gatorboi352 Nintendo gets overconfident when they hit any kind of success. They rest on their laurels and let it all fall apart. I saw a real effort last year with a major first party title being released just about once a month. As it stands now, seeing as Xenoblade was their last first party retail release (in early December), Nintendo is going quiet for nearly four months until they release Kirby in March. And that’s unacceptable, especially if they expect to push 20 million consoles. And they’re not exactly tied up with 3DS development anymore. Now is not the time to coast, Nintendo. Let’s sustain the momentum.

@thesilverbrick I definitely agree with you. After calming down a bit from my Kirby Hype I do have to say that this direct was alright. I mean for the First Halfish of 2018 we have

January:??? (I'm betting nothing for this month) besides Celeste on the 25th

Feb: DQ Builders-9th
Bayo 1 & 2 , Fe (eShop)-16th

March: Kirby Star Allies-16th

April: Shantae: Half Genie Hero Ultimate Edition-3rd
Hopefully Mario Tennis Aces and Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition lauch here since they both have Spring releases

May: Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze 4th-
Dark Souls 25th
SF 30th Anniversary

All in all it seems like things will be picking up around May. There are some great titles here but I'm not entirely sure if most of these have the pull power of a Zelda, Mario, or Splatoon game.

I'm still fairly satisfied with the line up but I dont think this is a 20 million systems sold type of line up

Edit: Not all of these games were at the direct. I'm just listing release dates for games that have been previously announced/confirmed

@thesilverbrick so far Nintendo has only made 6 games for the Switch. 2 of those are not exclusive to the Switch. If you want to talk Publishing they have Published 10 games so far. I am very confident those numbers will be much better this next year. Don't worry so much.

@AlternateButtons I’m aware this was a “mini” Direct. What I’m arguing is that it should have been a full-fledged one. Nintendo hasn’t released a first party game since early December and since Kirby isn’t due until mid-March, we are talking over three months without any first party retail games. If that sounds familiar, it’s because a gap like that was fairly common during the Wii U era. We have a fairly blank release schedule for the next six months leading up to E3 and this Direct was their chance to put those concerns to rest. Instead they went with a very light update that only gave us one new first party game. Not a great move.

Yeah I don't get the complaints personally but probably because a lot of the games announced I have never played so the pickings aren't as slim for me.

@thesilverbrick I completely agree with you. Since Nintendo stopped making games for Wii-U, I have been expecting that they would be able to fire with big guns for the switch, especially with the prospect of a unified library. For about 1.5 year we got zero games. Last year I was a bit disappointed in januari, but in the end 2017 was a very good year for Nintendo.

But the most important thing is, that they need to keep this momentum alive. I almost know that they wil provide us with some surprises down the road in 2018, however I feel that they had to announce more exciting first party stuff.

If they announced something like diddy kong racing 2, or a new 3d donkey kong, or some other big game i wouldn't feel like I completely bought the wii-u for nothing. I understand that this isn't the place for first time pokemon switch or mp4 footage, but i wan't to get that exciting feeling like when the remaster of majora's mask was finally announced.

I hope there will be a full direct before the end of february, where they can surprise wii-u owners with something nobody is expecting, but what everyone wants.

If this is it for the first half of 2018, I clearly can't see the full potential of a unified library. If they can make the most of this potential than that would be AMAZING.

...

...just a big LOL in general to "Nintendo blew it with this direct", and all these comments about what Nintendo is doing wrong, or how Nintendo is disappointing them, or whatever. Nintendo didn't lay out a red carpet of every "AAA" title you've ever wanted to see, so now you're kicking sand in the sandbox? Get real. The gaming community that bothers to post on the internet sure is a fickle bunch.

Why not just enjoy the ride? There's already a ton of great content to play on it, more is coming, and amazingly, it hasn't even been on the shelf a year yet. Go grab your switch, maybe even a friend or two, and enjoy it. Every time you sit down at your computer screen to female dog about what you think they aren't doing, grab your Switch instead. It's far more enjoyable.

Oh yes, and Kirby? Can't freaking wait.

@AlternateButtons And if it does, then great. But it should’ve been done first.

Definitely getting Kirby. Leaning towards DK, even tho I have it on the WiiU. The Easy Mode appeals to me. Tennis looks like it might be decent also.

@thesilverbrick

Each to their own, but I thought this Mini Direct was great. Granted, I'm factoring in the Direct as a whole and not just the 1st party titles.

Oh wow. People complaining just for the sake of complaining.

Why am I not surprised

@thesilverbrick I assume the next direct will be super soon tbh

@Zeskyplays Let’s hope.

Paint Kirby is no New Copy Ability, it like Clean Kirby has just been absent from the franchise over the past decade.

Looks quite charming, but we've had a bit of a surfeit of Kirby games in recent years.

Good to see a proper Kirby game coming for the Switch and not 3DS. The Wii U got that Rainbow Curse gimmick, and 3DS got the decent Triple Deluxe.

I am not feeling it just yet, but that was also the case with the first Triple deluxe trailer I think. And MAN was that game good! And then came the awesome Planet Robobot. It will definitely be better then the last couple of "small" Kirby titles, that's for sure!

Oh, and the yoyo is back!