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Nintendo Direct Mini June 2022: All the big announcements, including Persona 5 and Mario + Rabbids
The latest Direct live-stream comes just a week after the last one
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Your support makes all the difference.Since the events started in 2011, Nintendo Direct live-streams have become the gaming giant’s favourite way to announce new titles and show off gameplay.
It’s also a great opportunity for the company to showcase some of its third party publishers and the games they’re working on. We were already treated to news about the upcoming JRPG, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – making this the second Nintendo Direct this month.
We’re particularly fond of the format as it gives us a much better idea of what Nintendo is willing to share more publicly and narrows down what we can expect in future announcements.
During today’s Nintendo Direct Mini showcase, we saw over 25 minutes of new footage for third-party titles, including the surprise announcement of three Persona titles making their way to the Nintendo Switch later this year.
Nintendo also makes a habit of releasing some games and demos on the e-shop immediately after the event has ended, and that was the case with this Direct as a demo for Live A Live is now available for free.
To find out how to watch the showcase and which titles we’re looking forward to, keep reading the rest of the article below.
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How to watch the Nintendo Direct June 2022 event
Nintendo recently confirmed that today’s Direct event would be a third-party showcase, known as a Nintendo Direct Mini event. It aired on 28 June 2022 at 2pm BST.
If you missed it, fear now, as you can watch the live-stream back on Nintendo’s official YouTube channel as well as via the video above.
As this Nintendo Direct was a “partner showcase”, we weren’t expecting to hear about any of Nintendo’s own projects, such as the delayed Breath of the Wild 2, but we did hear more about projects from Capcom and Ubisoft.
The last Nintendo Direct we saw was on the 22 June, which focused exclusively on Xenoblade Chronicles 3,an upcoming JRPG from Monolith Soft.
Pre-orders for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 are available now.
What we saw during the Nintendo Direct Mini showcase
One of the biggest announcements we saw as part of the event was confirmation that three Persona games would finally be making their way to Switch after heavy speculation. We had previously written about Persona 3, 4 and 5 making their way to Xbox, Playstation and PC so their inclusion on Nintendo’s own handheld is welcome news.
There were plenty of other big announcements, so we’ve rounded up some of our favourites below that you can buy and pre-order right now.
‘Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak’: £34.99, Nintendo.co.uk – available 30 June 2022
In addition to a new storyline, this new expansion for Monster Hunter Rise will introduce new monsters, new combat options, new locales, the Master Rank quest difficulty and other exciting features. Sunbreak will also introduce numerous other monsters and even fan-favourite species from previous Monster Hunter titles. Pre-orders are available now on the Nintendo eShop for £34.99.
‘Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope’: £49.99, Nintendo.co.uk – available 20 October 2022
The follow up to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, this sequel sees Mario and friends return in an XCOM-style tactical shooter. Lead a team of three heroes and use a variety of tools to navigate the battlefield, flank your foes and find opportunities to thwart them. The game is now scheduled to release on 20 October with pre-orders now available on the Nintendo eShop.
‘Live A Live’: £39.99, Nintendo.co.uk – available 22 July 2022
Receiving the HD-2D treatment, this modern remake of Live A Live is coming to Nintendo Switch on 22 July, but a demo with the beginning of three chapters will be available to try on Nintendo eShop. In other news, your save data from the demo can be transferred to the full game once purchased.
‘Portal: The Companion Collection’: £13.49, Nintendo.co.uk
Including Portal and Portal 2, the Companion Collection comes to Nintendo Switch with all the groundbreaking gameplay, dark humor, and exploration that earned the series hundreds of awards.
In Portal, you’ll use a highly experimental portal device to solve physical puzzles and challenges. Maneuver objects and yourself through space to puzzle your way through the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories.
‘NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition’: £34.99, Nintendo.co.uk – available 6 October 2022
When machine lifeforms from another world attack without warning, unleashing a new type of threat, mankind is driven from Earth and takes refuge on the Moon.
This version of NieR:Automata comes with previously released DLC, plus costumes exclusive to the Nintendo Switch version.
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If you’re looking for discounts on technology or videogames, then try one of these codes:
Want to get the best deal on Xenoblade Chronicles 3? Read our full buying guide to find the best pre-order deals