Well, that was certainly a Direct. I guess we'll see the next one in January/February. It improved the picture for the rest of 2017, so in that sense it did its job adequately.
- Highlight of the show for me was easily Octopath: despite the lack of a finalized title it looks like it's closer than we think (February was the old slot for the Bravely series, depending on region), the text is localized, we're getting a demo, it's gorgeous, and it's the most exciting game on the table right now as far as JRPGs go. I'm actively dreading the possibility that I won't have enough time to get the most out of Xenoblade 2 before Octopath clears it off the table.
- I need to hear price/release information on Snipperclips Plus, but in any case I'm glad it's receiving content, as concerns about the original game's brevity were the only thing holding me back from picking it up.
- Back in January I was sure we'd really be getting Xenoblade 2 in 2018 in Japan, maybe 2019 for the localization, just based on how little time had elapsed since XCX and how prone this series was to delays. By E3 it was clear I was wrong, and I am still happy to be wrong.
- Odyssey has already made its case several times over, so I can't say I was even that attentive to its segment. I've seen too much.
- The Arcade Archives selections are nice to have for local play (depending on price), but I do wonder about redundancy with the eventual online-enabled retro package for the subscription plan next year, where we are also getting Balloon Fight. Subtle differences between the arcade and NES games won't matter much for most players.
- Among new surprises: first-party content would have been more relevant to me than Doom or Wolfenstein (and in either case I want to hear about motion aiming before I'm at all interested), but Bethesda's commitment to the platform before Skyrim has even been market-tested is an encouraging sign in many ways, and I'm sure many others will be happy.
- Good lord, that Tenta Brella.
- I'm a little relieved I won't have to budget for more 3DS software past Metroid (though I'll note we didn't hear about Sushi Striker).
- No Platinum anytime soon, I guess, but it doesn't change the knowledge that they're working on something.
- No Stardew or Hollow Knight, but both of those games are on their own schedules depending on hold-ups like certification, and we'll hear from the developers (or the eShop on short notice) soon enough.
So: on par. Maybe a little slimmer than usual with the lack of a retail-scale first-party announcement, as we typically get at least one.
My Switch looks to be continuously busy through December (and probably beyond given how long XB2 is likely to be), and that's what matters.