Every old character and a handful of new ones are coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
As promised, Nintendo's E3 2018 became a showcase for December ensemble piece Super Smash Bros. Universe, backed by three fellow exclusives in Super Mario Party, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and the Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion.
Nintendo's idiosyncratic take on the fighting game genre, Super Smash Bros., has seen a number of challengers over the last few years -- Brawlhalla, Rivals of Aether, and Towerfall on PC and other consoles -- but the console company is on home turf with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The latest iteration of this platform-based multiplayer, in which players whittle away one another's stamina and end up punting one another out of an arena like an all-star baseball pro at batting practice, will include every character used throughout Super Smash Bros. history.
In appearance, it looks to be building on top of the pair of Super Smash Bros. games for Wii U and 3DS, while Nintendo supported its credentials as a competitive prospect with a live invitational E3 tournament.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses was another important inclusion in order to cement Nintendo's current console among long-term fans.
The franchise is considered to be one of the best tactical role-playing adventures going, and Three Houses represents a significant step-up in graphical fidelity since 2006's acclaimed Radiant Dawn.
It's due on the Switch in 2019.
October's interactive, digital board game Super Mario Party has been reconfigured to take advantage of the Switch's portability, allowing two Switches to line up alongside each other for some of its motion and reaction-based minigames as, turn-by-turn, players make their round a themed circuit.
In contrast to the previous two titles, which focus on content, the "Super Mario Party" trailer pitches its game as a means for social interaction on a broader scale, much like the Switch was in the first place.
And Splatoon 2, whose subject matter is a successful, accessible, and family-friendly reinvention of the team shooter genre so vital to other consoles, is adding an 80-mission single-player story adventure to its colorful armory in an Octo Expansion launching June 13.
