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‘Mario Tennis Aces’ and tons of Switch ports revealed in sudden Nintendo Direct

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Nintendo Direct Mini 1.11.2018
Nintendo released a surprise “Nintendo Direct Mini” presentation Thursday morning, focused on upcoming games coming to the Switch in 2018. Though the presentation didn’t reveal many new Nintendo exclusives, fans are sure to be excited about the a new wave of Switch ports on the way. If you’ve been waiting to praise the sun on the go, now is your chance.
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Developer From Software’s name was included on Nintendo’s third-party partners list when the Switch was announced in late 2016, and we now know what the company has been working on. Dark Souls: Remastered, a remake of the original  Dark Souls, will launch on Switch May 25. The remake, which is also coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC, will include the original Dark Souls and its Artorias of the Abyss expansion, and supports up to six players via dedicated servers. No gameplay was shown during the event, but Nintendo promises the game has been “beautifully remastered.”

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Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, an underrated gem on Wii U, will be the next game from Nintendo’s last-gen library to make a comeback on the Switch. Launching May 4, the re-release adds a new beginner difficulty that let’s you play as the double-jumping, corkscrewing Funky Kong — it’s an incredibly tough game on the default difficulty, so this should allow more players to enjoy it, as well.

Also returning from the Wii U catalog, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition includes every character and map from both the Wii U and 3DS hack-and-slasher, as well as downloadable content, and new Link and Zelda outfits inspired by Breath of the Wild. It’s scheduled to arrive this spring.

There was one wholly new game announced during the Direct — Nintendo will bring its first Mario sports game to the Switch, Mario Tennis Aces, this Spring. Aces will be the first Mario Tennis game since the Game Boy Advance era to feature a story driven single-player mode. In general, it sounds as if the game may be a little crazier than past Mario Tennis title: In a press release, Nintendo described the game’s matches as “tennis battles,” and said it will feature “a variety of missions and boss battles.” It isn’t clear if Alex, the protagonist from the Game Boy Color game, will be making a return, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.

Nintendo announced release dates and details for a litany of previously announced games, including the EA Originals title Fe, which launches on February 16, and Payday 2, which launches February 27. Nintendo’s first Kirby game for the Switch, Kirby Star Allies, will come to the platform on March 16. Nintendo also announced Switch port of the DS cult hit The World Ends With You, which is coming later this year.

Lastly, If you’ve been looking for a reason to jump back into Super Mario Odyssey or Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, we have good news, as well. In the former game, beat the main story after a free update in February and you’ll unlock “Balloon World,” an online activity that tasks you with hiding balloons and finding balloons hidden by other players. The latter game will add Donkey Kong as a playable character in a DLC pack this spring.

For a full list of announcements, check out the Nintendo Direct video embedded above.

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Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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