The Big List of Nintendo NX Games: September 2016 Update

I think we’ve reached the point in the pre-release hype cycle where Nintendo fans believe they can make the consolemaker reveal more information about the NX through sheer force of will. And with PAX West happening literally in Nintendo’s backyard, it seemed like a great time to officially pull back the curtain. But the west coast’s biggest gaming convention came and went without a peep from Nintendo (though they had a lot to say about Nindies on the 3DS and Wii U).

So now those same desperate fans turn their attention towards next week’s Tokyo Game Show. Surely, the company must be planning a blowout presentation for Japan’s premiere gaming convention… right? They have to; there’s only six months to go! But Nintendo’s presence at the Tokyo Game Show, if they attend at all, has always been low-key, and there’s the distinct possibility that most of the NX’s secrets will remain hidden until we have it in our hands this March.

Those secrets were alluded to recently in a new round of rumors that focused on the console’s inner workings and its controller. According to several “inside sources,” the NX Controller will closely resemble a Wii Remote, with motion control features and force feedback. However, the controller might also have a “Split D-Pad” and a Share Button, which should generate comparisons to the DualShock 4.

Much more surprising is the (second) round of rumors that state the NX will use cartridges instead of optical discs. This would be a major break from the last two decades of console manufacturing tradition, but it does lend credence to the console/handheld hybrid rumors. Or maybe it’s all a part of Nintendo’s plot to make the NX appeal to “people who like games” and “moms.”

So while we still don’t know anything new about the NX itself, at least we recently learned more about its upcoming lineup of games.

Officially Announced

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo has unloaded a near-constant barrage of mini-trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild since Gamescom, and they seem to be leading towards some sort of major announcement. Or possibly they’ll just lead to more mini-trailers… you never can tell with Nintendo. Either way, Zelda fans have learned quite a bit more about the game and some of the locations and treasures that Link will encounter, including a crumbling Temple of Time, the Magnesis Trial and other Runes, the Woodcutter’s Axe and other Weapons, Bomb Arrows, the Paraglider, and the mischievous Koroks.

Nintendo also recently announced another set of Zelda-themed Amiibo figures that’ll work with Breath of the Wild in some way. Like most things connected to the NX, the game’s Amiibo features will be announced at a later date.

Tank It!
Bplus is a small Austrian developer that’s previously worked on a few games released through Nintendo’s eShop service, including Bit Boy!! (2009) and Bit Boy!! Arcade (2014). They recently announced that their next game, Tank It! (I guess they really love exclamation points), will be released for the NX in 2017. The developer described Tank It! as a “realistic and bloody war simulation game designed to show how brutal and dangerous war really is,” and we’ll likely learn more about it after its PC launch later this year.

In Development, But Unannounced

No New Titles for the September 2016 Update

Rumored

Dragon Quest Builders
I love the idea behind Square Enix’s Dragon Quest Builders, especially because the game also goes back to the franchise’s roots and tells a story that parallels the destruction of Alfegard in the original Dragon Quest, which was released for the NES all the way back in 1989 (why yes, I did have a Nintendo Power subscription). Even though it’s received a little flak as something of a Minecraft knock-off, the art style and the nostalgia factor really resonate with me.

During this year’s Gamescom convention, Square Enix’s Noriyoshi Fujimoto said the publisher might bring Dragon Quest Builders to the NX because its “family-oriented” nature would make it a perfect fit for the console. The Dragon Quest franchise has always found a home on Nintendo platforms, which also bodes well for a Dragon Quest Builders port.