#apparently the character can mean several things that may vaguely relate to a dragon but I don’t think it’s that intentional

[dollsinvogue]

I can’t be the only one thinking they wrote her initials like that to resemble the character 兀 right??

[gascon-en-exil]

Dark Deity Pre-Release Character Opinions

This isn't actually a tier list, but someone helpfully created a template for this game and it's as good a way as any to do a little visual showcase for this cast. Characters are listed by their class sets, which are fixed but offer a nice variety in terms of promotion options. My opinions on each are as follows, from left to right in each row. Most characters have introductory profiles written up on the DD subreddit, if you'd like to check them out yourself.

Warriors

Alexa

You know those buff female blacksmiths in Echoes and Three Houses that some people wish were playable characters? That's pretty much Alexa. Can't say I'm too hyped about her myself, but warrior + tomboyish female character will do that for me...or not do it, I suppose.

Benji

Seems to have been written to become a meme, and I still can't decide whether that's clever or stupid. Kind of like Raphael only with a bigger emphasis on training than on eating, and with brotherly devotion replaced with brotherly angst that might theoretically go somewhere if the character isn't reduced to being a goofy joke all the time.

Fenton

Doesn't have a character profile, so as far as I know he's just a generic dwarf because DD swaps out its inspiration's loli dragons and other vaguely fetishistic shapeshifters for the two most cliché non-human races in Western fantasy. I wonder whether his VA will voice him with a Scottish accent, to go all in on the (ironic?) laziness. There are a handful of elves in the playable cast, but Fenton is the only dwarf so for better or worse he's representing.

Helena

She's the embodiment of the FE exotic swordswoman archetype, but curiously DD seems to have turned that broad ethnic brush inward. Helena's last name is apparently a Japanese verb, her art shows her with a spear (as in the association of the naginata with women), and she studied and trained in a monastery that seems to blend elements of Buddhism and Shintoism. Not sure how all that fits into the larger setting yet, but at this point she's still got more background development than Petra.

Irving

Our Hero, the one front and center on the cover art. He sounds a bit on the blander side as far as lords or lord equivalents go, with his most promising hook for me being his established friendship with Garrick (see the ranger section). At best I can hope for a bit of a romantic friendship dynamic, although they sound a bit rougher overall as they're military academy schoolmates I wonder why DD went with that instead of lordlings of different territories.

Rogues

Brooke

Looks like Camilla; has a backstory like Niles. Cleavage aside though the sexual element of both is toned down here, and there might be some sapphic bodyguard shenanigans to be had as her current employers are a pair of highborn sisters further down this list.

Cia

For some reason she reminds me of Tressa from Octopath Traveler, only bustier and a bartender rather than a merchant. She's still just a small town girl with big city dreams, and this being a tactical war game following those dreams will inevitably involve stabbing people.

Corvan

Hard to judge him at the moment, as his profile was only the second written and so isn't terribly detailed. He's a moon elf with scholarly interests, apparently. Still, as of right now he's the only rogue who doesn't slot loosely into either a ninja/assassin or pirate aesthetic, so that's kind of neat. Also, he's one of several characters to have FEH-esque beach fanart made of them already, so clearly someone's into elf twinks.

Ford

A former officer at the military academy Irving attends and a smuggler who dotes on his niece, Ford has major dad energy. Per developer reveals he's also bi, and as I mentioned before I'm totally fine with that. More bear sex, please - but what guy in this cast would hop in the sack with Ford? Only time will tell. His personal skill makes him extra dodgy, which combined with the mug of booze in his art makes me think of WoW brewmasters who dodge-tank through the power of being wasted.

Wren

Like Brooke, he's an assassin from a foreign nation - in his case the same one as Helena so presumably he's a not!Japanese ninja. I'm not really feeling him at the moment. What is it about Hao'Fen (the city/territory he and Helena come from) and massive families? That comes up in both their backstories.

Rangers

Caius

I feel like this is the third or fourth character to grow up in some slum or other; at least they've all been in different towns so far. The relative rarity of noble characters is certainly different from FE, but it reduces the political stakes which leaves me wondering a bit about the story. Anyway, Caius is a small town desert hunter who learned how to make arrows out of animal bones. How aerodynamic is bone, I wonder?

Garrick

Irving's BFF and seemingly the Hector to Irving's Eliwood, only with more flirting (his intro doesn't specify that Garrick is flirting with women, but I'm not going so far as to say that indicates anything). He's the academy headmaster's son, with a strained relationship with his father for some of that hotheaded lead tension. Notably, his VA is the one I'm most familiar with in this cast, as he's the voice of Revali from Breath of the Wild as well as love interests in two different erotic gay dating sims I've played. In other words, I know what this guy sounds like making awkwardly simulated sex noises...and I have no idea what to do with that information.

Maeve

She's a half-elf with a very storied background, so much so that it's all rather hard to follow her exploits when little of what's being described has been fully revealed yet. I'm expecting her to be a mid/lategame recruit, unless she's dropped in early on to reveal that (sun) elves exist or something.

Rose

Imagine if Bernadetta were a commoner, although we can only hope they'll be less screaming. Alternatively, Neimi without an obvious boyfriend. She won the beach contest so now she has official swimsuit art, which I guess makes her a top-tier waifu in the eyes of players who care about such things.

Sophia

A ranger in the "has animal companions" sense, although whether that will come into play mechanically aside from her personal skill - Butter the ferret can attack with her! - remains to be seen. Her preference for the company of animals is explained by a lack of social graces, so prepare for klutz-related humor. Of note to those interested in F/F is that her introduction specifically brings up her connection with Sloane (see the mage section) and how close the two of them are.

Clerics

Faust

Doesn't have a profile yet, so not much to go off other than his decidedly unhinged look. The cleric class set does feature some darker-flavored options, so presumably he's more naturally aligned with those. His VA was announced to be the YouTuber behind So This is Basically Fire Emblem and other similar videos, so I'm picturing a kooky and somewhat demented Henry type.

Lincoln

Also lacks a profile at time of writing...clerics get so little love. The Discord has identified him a bland blond paladin sort, but as we know from the likes of Perceval and especially Dimitri that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be boring (or not gay).

Maren

The soft-spoken healer type, and also a childhood friend of Garrick although her intro sibling-zones him but then this game is inspired by FE so who knows if that'll stick. She may have some interesting thoughts on the theology of the setting, as there seem to be several faiths and she's said to have a complicated relationship with her own. I will be utterly shocked if she's not either Irving or Garrick's eventual love interest.

Samara

One of two princesses of the country of Aramor, which appears to be loosely inspired by the Middle East. Heaven help us if the Khalidstans ever get wind of this game. Unfortunately aside from her bond with her older sister (in the mage section) and the knowledge that Brooke has been hired as their bodyguard there's not much to Samara at the moment. Hopefully the clerics all do some comparative theology in their bond conversations, and this isn't like Sacred Stones where none of the clergy characters from different countries ever compare notes. The succession crisis involving Samara and her sister vs. their less-loved cousin the king's son might be a major plot hook? It's still too early to tell.

Vesta

Much like Maeve her backstory has entirely too much going on to really follow at the moment. Basically she's a human who grew up in a sun elf city because Reasons (seriously, I don't know what they are) and was called to a clerical vocation and also something about taking a journey. Has an unfortunate case of silly boob armor, which unlike a certain other character probably won't be rectified this close to release.

Mages

Alden

Maren's precocious younger brother, also basically Ricken up to and including the comically oversized hat. As a unit he follows the tradition of Donnel, Mozu, and Cyril of having a personal skill that buffs his stat gains, so it's safe to say he's a growth unit. At least he'll probably join early.

Liberty

Comes with dead brother angst and a connection to the "aspects" system that will hopefully make more sense once I've played the game and know how it functions both mechanically and from a storytelling perspective. Otherwise she looks to be a busty older - as in, not a teenage - mage in the vein of Calill.

Monroe

Got the first ever character profile, so it's really short. He's the son of a duke and sounds like a bit of a snob, albeit one that can make explosions happen to back up his haughtiness. He's got some scarring around his eye that surely must come with a story. Someone also made featured fanart of him in Heroes summer banner style, so I guess he's got somebody horny already.

Sara

Samara's half-sister, with comparable fantasy Middle Eastern flavoring. Has an interest in discovering magical artifacts and being a just ruler in the event she winds up on the throne (so, almost definitely), and she and Samara travel around with the assassin Brooke as their bodyguard. There's maybe some lesbian possibilities there? Either way, Sara has enough development where I could see her as a major supporting character.

Sloane

Comes with a genuinely fascinating backstory involving manipulative double-crossing parents, an education in the cruelties and deceptions of social life (reflected in her personal skill), and disinheritance - and yet it's all likely to be overshadowed because she may go down as DD's equivalent to Fates's face-touching. Her initial art is even more revealing than Camilla's, and while the developers later gave her a more modest redesign after negative feedback I get the feeling that this controversy may live on. Her introduction mentions her hunting for both heirs and heiresses and she's now been linked to Sophia, so safe to say she's another confirmed bi character.

Adepts

While the other class sets are standard fantasy fare adepts require a bit more explanation. They have innate magical abilities and appear to be feared and distrusted most places in the setting. Functionally they remind me of adepts from the Golden Sun series, if anyone is familiar with those games. The classes in the adept group tend more toward physical/magical hybridization than those of other sets, so that will probably be their mechanical niche. Oh, and their default weapon type is lances, which is a plus in my book.

Aurima

Along with Caius and the royal sisters, he's another one from the desert nation of Aramor. An arena fighter who got touched by a god in what I assume was a non-sexual way and came out of it with a new appearance and adept powers. Also, he's confirmed to be over 40 - how often do you see that in games like this?

Bianca

Looks like a more carefree Mathilda from Echoes. She's a ranking officer in the Delian army which sounds like it'd sit uneasily with her adept powers. Her profile describes Lincoln as her close friend, which is still about the most we know about him at this point.

Elias

This guy's writing plays more into the fairly standard coding that comes with adept powers, as we know they manifested shortly before he was going to confess his feelings to a male paramour and afterwards he was forced to flee his homeland and wander the world. He also spent time among dwarves, so insert short bear jokes here? In the present he's attached to Cia in what seems to be a platonic way; maybe she's a fruit fly, or maybe she just likes having a friend who can light drunken assholes on fire? Elias is definitely into guys, but I would still be a little surprised if he turned out to be totally gay as that's such a rarity in these sorts of things.

Iris

Oof, another lengthy and rough backstory. Iris had better parents than Sloane, but she also had to deal with permanent facial scarring (hence the mask) after a bandit kidnapping and the stigma of manifesting as an adept pretty much eliminating the prospects of her making a good political marriage. Also, she and Elias both come from Neullais, which is prominently featured on the continental map on the DD subreddit but doesn't seem to come up all too often in backstories. I think it's a not!France? Hard to tell.

Thae'lanel

A World of Warcraft blood elf, flowing anime hair and apostrophe'd name and all. I like WoW so that's not terribly grating, but as he has no profile yet there's little else I can say. Thae'lanel is mentioned in Maeve's introduction as a member of a sun elf group called the Exiled, which I'm guessing is tied to his adept status in some way. He and Maeve form yet another adventurer/bodyguard duo.

[bardic-inspo]

hey! just saw your stuff on AO3 recently and was wondering when you realized Deacon had grown on you like a mushroom? i'm also wondering about your approach to writing about trauma and mental health. not really a specific question, just wondering if you had any thoughts/resources/processes!

Hey there! Happy Friday!! 

Hahahaha. This made me cackle. I don’t think I’ve ever read something so accurate. He crept in on me!!

I started rough drafting Bring the Gasoline about a year ago, very shortly after finishing Fallout 4 for the first time. I traveled with Deacon a little bit at that point, but I couldn’t let go of Mac for very long. It was a while before I got his full story, and I was a good way into my fic by the time I did. BUT what really won him a place in my heart is @electricshoebox‘s incredible DeaCready fic, A Line in the Sand. I cannot recommend it enough for all of the reasons. It’s great. It’s amazing. Words are just...hard right now for some reason apparently haha. So, what I’m saying is, my love for Deacon is mostly their fault. <3 

I finally get to the point in my longfic where Natasha and MacCready meet him and...to quote a melodramatic elf from Dragon Age, I “felt the whole world change”. The dynamic between the three of them just caught me. So now, naturally, I’m helplessly in love with them and ship them in a happy OT3 in the post-game.   As far as my approach to writing mental health/trauma....ah....Just to be overly cautious, I’m gonna put this below a cut in case someone doesn’t want to see this content. I do talk a little about my own experience, but only vaguely.

To be a bit painfully blunt, I do write what I know to some degree. Without really meaning to, I realized that Natasha might have very different reasons for her trauma, but I projected a lot of the symptoms I’ve experienced as someone with an anxiety disorder and some traumatic family experiences, onto her. It was sort of jarring to realize this, because it wasn’t my intention. But I’m...okay with it. It’s helped me explore some themes in a safe way. It’s also helped me explore how those symptoms affect others who love the affected person.  When I’m writing characters with anxiety or trauma, some lessons that I’ve learned personally and try to keep in mind include:

Healing/Recovery isn’t linear. Even when life, overall, gets better, someone can still have bad days. And that doesn’t mean they aren’t trying, or they aren’t growing. A lot of mental health conditions have lapses or cycles. Certain things might trigger these days (or weeks, or months). Sometimes it just happens.

Love doesn’t fix everything. Falling in love does not fix or erase or heal someone from their trauma. But having that support can certainly help someone weather those trials. Sometimes you have a lot of great things or people in your life, but you still feel shitty. 

Trauma and mental health conditions manifest differently in different people. I’m using trauma/mental health to refer to a massive variety of conditions or experiences. But even with two people who have had the same experience or condition, that can look massively, incredibly different. They have different backgrounds that cause them to respond or react differently to those experiences. They may be at different stages of coping or treatment. They may respond differently to the same types of coping or treatment. 

Mental health conditions and trauma can be incredibly physical. This can be so many different things. Stomach aches, lack of appetite, fatigue, restlessness, so many more things. They may or may not be related to the source of the trauma. When my anxiety is at its very worst, I get choking sensations. I’ve never had an experience of suffocation (thank goodness!), but I have since developed some aversion to even having shirts or other things too tight to my neck, because that reminds me of choking, which reminds me of how I feel when I get way too anxious. When people are starting to recover from big, big emotions, their body is often exhausted (and dehydrated) and as a result, they can feel very achey and tired. That much emotion takes so much energy.

People who are struggling with mental health or trauma will not always tell you that. (Or, they will. But not with words). I’m going to use Natasha as an example here. When we meet her, she’s clearly leaning too hard on drink as a crutch. On top of that, she seems to be throwing herself into situations she seems to have at least some sense that she really cannot handle. People who are not ready or willing to face their current state will often express those sentiments in unspoken behaviors. Natasha is a character who seems to repeatedly endanger herself. She gives reasons for it, she’s even defensive about her choices when others try to broach the subject. When someone isn’t taking care of themselves, it speaks to how they view themselves. (Another character that comes to mind is Caleb Widogast from Critical Role, who often purposely dresses in filthy clothes and allows himself to be unclean).  But Nat’s situation is far more severe than my own. And I have not experienced any of the violence or physical trauma she (or any of the other Fallout characters) encounters on a near daily basis. This is something I need to do more research and take special care with as we move deeper into the fic. If you are anyone else knows of good resources for writing mental health conditions or characters who have suffered trauma, please always feel free to drop me a message. I have a lot to learn, too!

[ramajmedia]

Yu-Gi-Oh!: 10 Things About The Anime That Don't Make Sense

Yu-Gi-Oh! was an anime that kicked off a card game and world-wide brand that spanned generations and is still popular to this day. However, no matter how loved it is, the show has its flaws. It was a kid's show trying to figure out its own voice. Of course, it could get a little messy at times.

No one will ever forget the icon that is Seto Kaiba, or the fantastic devotion Yugi and his friends had for one another. There are a lot of absurd things about the story (not even including the card game!).

Here are 10 things about Yu-Gi-Oh! that just don't make any sense.

RELATED: Yu-Gi-Oh!: The 10 Most Powerful Yu-Gi-Oh! Characters (And The 10 Weakest)

10 Serenity's Disorder

Joey's motivation for trying to win the Duelist Kingdom tournament was always his sister, Serenity. Though they were separated when their parents split up, they cared deeply for one another. Right before the tournament, he got a message from Serenity that she needed to see him soon. If not, she'd never see him again because her mysterious disorder would make her blind soon.

While mysterious disorders already are a typical, nonsensical part of stories, hers is extra absurd because of how much her sight-saving procedure costs. Yes, surgery is expensive, but, apparently, hers costs 3 million dollars! Between the price and the lack of information behind it, her vague "illness" doesn't make sense.

9 Friendship As A Magical Shield

Yu-Gi-Oh! already has a lot of inexplicable magical things happening, from Yugi's puzzle box to Pegasus' eye, and more. Yet, the already-confusing magic mythos only gets worse past the Egyptian artifacts. After all, Yugi's friends have the ability to protect him with the magic of friendship.

Several times during the series, their magical friendship shield has protected him from the artifacts themselves. Pegasus' infamous eye, which can look at people's cards, has even been blocked by their friendship.

Yeah, there's no good sense to it. The magic of friendship is not to be questioned in anime—and many children's shows.

8 Banished To The Shadow Realm

This break in logic is very specific to the American dub of Yu-Gi-Oh!. When the show was popular, the English dubs were always heavily censored for any sort of violence and threat of danger. So much so that they created something called the "Shadow Realm" that people got sent to after losing a fateful battle.

In the original story, it was their life on the line, not banishment. While dark and dangerous, that makes more sense than some bizarre, inexplicable realm that people never come back from. It's like Marvel's superhuman prison The Raft, but without any explanation and sense to go with it.

RELATED: Yu-Gi-Oh!: 16 Biggest Differences Between The Anime And Manga

7 Tristan, Joey, and Yugi's Friendship

Early on in the series, the writers revealed that Yugi and the others didn't start out friends. Instead, Joey and Tristan used to bully the small Muto kid. Worse, they didn't change their minds out of the goodness of their own hearts; they did it because Yugi took the beating from different, bigger bullies to protect them.

Maybe it makes sense that the goodhearted Yugi would want to protect anyone from pain, but making friends with bullies who didn't really apologize is a little too far. Moreover, when they talk about their past, Joey still makes fun of Yugi. That kind of dynamic doesn't make that much functional, healthy sense.

6 Pegasus' Powers

The artifacts give people fairly well-defined—if not a little overpowered—abilities. Pegasus', though, can get pretty confusing.

At the core of his powers, they let him see through people's eyes to see their cards. It helps make him a powerful duelist that can defeat almost anyone he comes across. However, he also has some freakier abilities. For example, his capability to abduct Grandpa Muto's soul from his body and hold it hostage. That's a little more seriously otherworldly than some of the others and has little explanation and understanding behind it.

5 Kaiba Changing KaibaCorp's Focus

All of Seto Kaiba's young life, he had been plotting to take over KaibaCorp from his questionably moralized adoptive father. Manipulating other members of the board, Kaiba eventually takes over the powerful company. Though they previously focused on militarized ammunition, he wanted to change that. To what?

Games.

While demilitarizing the company is admirable and makes sense for Kaiba's personality, it doesn't make sense for a huge company. That large shift would completely nuke all their investments, factories, and partnerships. The fact his plan worked so fluidly is astonishing, if not unbelievable.

RELATED: Yu-Gi-Oh!: 10 Things About Seto Kaiba You Didn't Know

4 Believe In The Heart In Cards

While fans 100% love this phrase and it's become a serious meme, the true meaning of Yugi's catch-phrase doesn't make any sense. Not because Yugi shouldn't believe in his cards, but because it works. All he has to do is say that phrase and he seems to always pick up exactly what he needs.

Maybe it's part of the power of the puzzle box, but that's some wild faith. A lot of the magic going-ons in this show don't make a lot of sense, but this is one of the silliest. Does it make it any less fun to say? Absolutely not. True fans should use it forever. Maybe there is some great, although absurd, power behind it.

3 Tristan

Of all of Yugi's friends, Tristan is the least necessary. The show has so many side characters and little subplots, and Tristan never really does something important on his own. Joey already covers the old bully and best friend role. Tea is already a top tier lesser duelist and Yugi cheerleader. It's great for Yugi to have more friends. The important point though is that if Tristan never was there, nothing would really be different.

No hatred for the guy, but the show doesn't give him anything unique and important to do. If only he had a more important role, he would make sense in the story. Otherwise, though, he just doesn't need to be there. He just kinda takes up space.

2 Using VHS To Communicate

This anime may be from the late 90s, but it has one really bizarre aspect to it: VHS messages. And, not like serious, posthumous messages. The characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! like to send invitations, threats, etc. all through VHS tapes. Phones exist, mail exists, notes exist. Moreover, this is a semi-futuristic world; they could probably do a sort of Skype-esque thing or hologram messages. There are so many better, less complicated ways to communicate.

But, nah, we're all just going to use VHS tapes. This doesn't make much sense, but, more importantly, the writers were just being super lazy. Anything more futuristic could have been so much cooler and fit better with the world around it.

1 The First Episode

If someone started Yu-Gi-Oh! with season 1, episode 1, they would probably be very confused with what was happening at all. The series actually had a season 0, but it was created as a sort of pilot to pitch the anime and give important exposition on the world. The first season jumps straight into the action with Seto Kaiba kidnapping Grandpa Muto, forcing a duel with Yugi, losing to the apparently mythical and power Exodia, and then ripping up his Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Think this sounds illogical and kinda crazy? You are not alone. This show, while so much fun, can be dramatic and a lot sometimes.

NEXT: Yu-Gi-Oh!: 15 Most Valuable Cards You Need To Add To Your Collection

source https://screenrant.com/yu-gi-oh-things-dont-make-sense/

[eggoreviews]

13 Nintendo Direct Predictions! - 13.2.19

In case you haven't heard the exciting news, Nintendo is giving us a lovely 35ish minute direct tonight, which is all regarding viddy games for the Switch (I'm not crying over the 3DS you're crying) So below you will find my best attempt at picking out 11 predictions for this direct, all of which I've probably gotten wrong. Enjoy! Note: These are in no particular order, but I'm more confident about some over others. Also, Fire Emblem Amiibo Festival Three Houses news is absent here because we already have confirmation that's happening.

Luigi's Mansion 3 news

I think this one is almost a given, considering it's a title that we know is dropping in 2019 we know basically nothing about. Everyone wants to know what kind of direction the game will take this time around. Will the third in the series take the route of the first and have one big ol spooky mansion for Luigi to navigate? Or will it be a much more fast paced, moment-by-moment experience with multiple mansions to explore akin to Luigi's Mansion 2? Or hell, maybe they'll go down a whole new road with it, it really is all up in the air. All I'm sure of is that they'll be plenty of ghosts and also probably amiibo support. Weird request, but I'd love a King Boo amiibo. Animal Crossing news

Another (almost) given, Animal Crossing is a title we haven't even seen gameplay for yet. This means we've got arguably less of an idea of what kind of mechanics will return. But now the series is finally making its return to a powerful home console, it makes sense to take how the game itself plays into the next gen too. A popular request I've seen thrown about a bit is the ability to customise your town however you want, with the option to build literally anywhere you like. As a newcomer to the series, this would definitely draw me in, as I'm waiting for this title to experience AC for the first time. In any case, I'm sure Nintendo have cooked up a game with plenty of fishing, digging and also amiibo. Trailer for Bayonetta 3

One of my more risky picks, I think we're pretty likely to get our first proper glimpse of the Bayo threequel that isn't just a vague teaser. Whether this will kick off the direct or will be something they'll sneak in the middle, a tentative release date and a cheeky look at gameplay I feel are more likely than some may think. I think the basic rule is that if it's anything like 2, it's gonna be pretty darn brilliant. So watch this space, and if it isn't this direct, I'd expect it soon after. SNES for Switch Online

Another slightly risky pick considering Nintendo haven't confirmed any classic console support on Switch beyond NES, alongside the fact that they're still releasing NES games on the system, it could be that SNES is just that bit further away. But with the recent datamine leak listing 20+ games for SNES online that I feel to be credible enough to keep in mind, this could yet be something Nintendo surprises us with. And if it's true that'd be a little bit too exciting. As for the N64 Classic, I'm gonna go ahead and say we aren't getting that here. Or maybe not at all. Who knows at this point. NO Pokemon

Yep, you read right, this prediction is more of an anti-prediction, but I firmly believe that Pokemon will be entirely absent from this direct for a number of reasons. With this direct focused around Fire Emblem and seemingly other announced but yet to be detailed games, I feel that any games we don't know about yet will either get a small trailer or they'll be saved for something bigger, like E3. It's that and to be honest, I've just got a gut feeling that they're not quite ready to show off the new Pokemon just yet, Let's Go is still relatively new so I think Nintendo will let it simmer for a while longer and focus for the most part on games we already know about. But you know, we'll see. Super Mario Maker

Considering how well Mario Maker did as a whole on the Wii U and 3DS, and seeing how the business of Wii U ports is looking pretty spicy at the minute, I think either a Mario Maker enhanced port or even a sequel could be imminent. The versatility of the Switch would be perfect for a game like Mario Maker and I believe it makes a lot of sense for them to wait this long, as a game like Mario Maker would've very much undermined their recent port of New Super Mario Bros. U. It's either this or they'll have to think about Mario Golf Aces so I reckon they'll take this route. Pikmin

As the list of fairly current Nintendo IPs yet to be represented on the Switch grows ever shorter, fans seem to be turning their attention to the likes of Pikmin. Knowing that Pikmin 4 was finished a while back, but was unannounced as to what system it would appear on, makes a Pikmin 4 trailer pretty darn likely. However, if ResetEra leaker King Zell (who correctly leaked the date for this direct by the way) is to be believed, we could even be seeing a port of Pikmin 3 instead, although personally I find this a bit less likely, especially if 4 is already apparently finished. Zelda HD Port(s)

Continuing the theme of Wii U ports, Nintendo seemed to have wholly recognised that not many people actually owned a Wii U in the grand scheme of things and there's a heckton of people who are eager to play some of the games they may have missed on the last console. I certainly think this extends to the relatively recent HD remasters of Twilight Princess and Wind Waker, both of which I would basically swallow up if they were announced. While this isn't a certain pick, I'd say it's a fairly safe bet with the surprising amount of demand I've seen for this titles. In a really ideal world, this would be bundled alongside a brand new shiny HD remaster of Skyward Sword, but I guess we'll see. Oh, and going back to King Zell for a sec, he's said a new 2D Zelda is happening. As much as I'd love this to death, I'm also going to be saying that won't happen either. Smash Bros. Ultimate Joker Gameplay

Seeing how there's probably been a couple of dedicated months of development for Persona 5's Joker since he was announced at the 2018 Game Awards as the first DLC fighter, it's not outlandish to think that he might be at a stage that a gameplay showcase could be possible. Hell, maybe they'll even give us a rough release date for him, which would get me heckin excited bc I am V E R Y hyped to play as my best boi. Alongside this, a possible stage reveal or a music track list is gratefully very plausible. And although I could see yet another Smash reveal as unlikely but plausible, I think they'll get Joker done and dusted before they drop another one on us, but again, it's certainly not out of the question. Metroid Prime Trilogy

Here it is, the prediction I'm arguably most confident about. Since Prime 4 was halted this month, and the growing rumours around an imminent Prime Trilogy release refusing to go away, I reckon this direct is finally the time for a whole new generation to experience what brought Metroid into glorious 3D. As always, nothing's certain, but part of me would be unusually surprised if this gets skipped out on, especially since this direct is so close to the recent Prime 4 announcement and Nintendo will likely be looking for something to give to the Metroid fans to make them a little more patient. And, you know, to get everyone else excited too. DLC for Mario Odyssey/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

As I've mentioned in previous posts, these two are basically DLC goldmines waiting to happen. And to e perfectly honest with you, I wouldn't be mad at all. New worlds to explore in Odyssey, perhaps even based on previous 3D Mario games, would definitely elicit some excitement, while the addition of even more tracks and characters to the already great MK8 would help to draw a bit more attention back to the launch titles that got the Switch its initial sale spike. And, you know, in a lovely dream world where BotW wasn't already announced as finished, there would be a DLC pack 3 for Zelda but I'll keep that locked in the hopeless dream box. Dragon Quest XI & Persona 5 for Switch

The latest installment in the long running, critically acclaimed Dragon Quest series has already been confirmed to be coming to the Switch at some point, with Switch exclusive content to boot, but we don't really have any indication when. This direct I believe is incredibly likely to finally deliver a release date. As well as this, Atlus' weird cryptic Persona trailer they released a little while back could very well point to a Switch port on the horizon and, even if it didn't, I still think it'll happen anyway. Especially now Joker's been Smash'd. And these are both must plays if you haven't had a chance to get hold of them yet!

Final Fantasy VII drops immediately after the direct

With the recent announcements of release dates for FFXII and X/X-2 for April this year, we’re still in the dark on when Square Enix plan to release VII and IX. Considering that FFVII has started appearing in Switch adverts, it feels like it’s getting close and I can definitely see them taking us by surprise and dropping this imminently.

Something Kingdom Hearts related?

For those who haven’t seen, Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto, co-creator of the Kingdom Hearts series and producer for several of the Final Fantasy games, retweeted the Nintendo Direct announcement TWICE. While this could just be a prelude to more Final Fantasy news, there’s a chance it could be something relating to Kingdom Hearts too. Reeling off the list of slight possibilities here, we could be seeing a 1.5. 2.5 and 2.8 port for the Switch, the announcement of a future Switch port for KHIII or, if we really want to dream big here, the reveal of Sora for Smash. But that won’t happen. So I’m trying to push down my hype as far as I can.

And that's all my predictions for tonight's direct! Want to see my personal wants for this direct? Check it out here and let me know what you think! Whatever happens, keep your expectations tempered to avoid disappointment, because I think we've all been guilty of getting a little too hyped at one point or another. But above all, I hope the game you want gets announced! Unless it's a new F-Zero, because that really isn't gonna happen. Sorry friend.