I think this was a nice Direct Mini.

- I'm impressed with how Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition is turning out (just preordered the Definitive Works Edition)
- Ninjala looks interesting for a FTP game
- I am looking forward to playing the BioShock, Borderlands, and XCOM collections (though not all at the same time and at the same day as Xenoblade, mind you)
- I am excited that ARMS will get a rep in Smash Bros. Ultimate! Although its sort of an afterthought at this point, ARMS is a fun fighting game and new Nintendo IP with incredible charm and great mechanics! I don't really care who it will be but I'm glad that Nintendo and Sakurai are taking on the challenge of implementing ARMS as game into Smash Bros.
- Good Job! looks fun
- Panzer Dragoon looks fun and its cool that its out today
- Bravely Default II seems to catch my attention
- I'm interested in Trails of Cold Steel III, but I heard that I need to play the other games to make sense of III..
- Catherine looks good, but my relative has it on PS4 so I might take my time in getting it later (laughing at the $999.99 price, albeit placeholder price, at GameStop)
- The Ring Fit Adventure update looks cool and likely "fitting" (sorry, no pun intended) considering the state of world is in
- Star Wars content looks cool as I've never played Racer or Jedi Academy
- Shinsekai looks interesting
- I actually want to get Clubhouse Games. Always like tabletop games since I was a kid so getting it on Switch would wet my appetite.

I am not surprised of any updates on BoTW 2, Bayo 3, or any news of upcoming big Nintendo first party games, considering it is a Direct Mini, I think their message on COVID-19 speaks for itself. Release dates, production, localization, marketing, person-to-person meetings, and even some aspects of software development (if workers are not completely locked out of their offices) are affected by the virus. NoA has allowed its employees from California and Washington state to work from home and are noted to have someone diagnosed with the virus, the first noted case from anyone working in the gaming industry. It should be taken seriously. Hopefully we will get more news in the coming months or weeks.

If you think Xenoblade is not a remake, you're 100% clueless.

Still bummed no Bayonetta 3. I like seeing Panzer Dragoon and I will get the physical version of that remake. Good direct tho.

Good start to the day! Bioshock was all I needed.

Well that's a pleasent surprise. My expectations weren't high considering it was tagged "Mini" but it was certainly a strong showing given that moniker. Games/announcements that stood out:

Borderlands Bundle - one of my top 3-5 games of last gen, so I'm excited to be able to play that on the go. And still haven't played the pre-sequel so nice to get that all in one package. Obviously price would make a difference but if they launch the 3 game bundle at 30-40 then that's pretty solid. $50 would be a bit steep but still fairly reasonable given all the content in those games. Would also depend to what extent there are any additions, refinements, etc.. But I'll be honest, I'm getting it regardless heh, tough to turn down a top-tier last gen game bundle for me on the go.

Clubhouse Games - Funny enough, this actually looks like it could be cool. I feel the tabletop aspect of the Switch is underutilized, and love the wide range of game selections there. My cousin and I had a great time playing Wii Tanks back in the day, and I definitely got those vibes with the Clubhouse Tanks game. Half of those games I don't even know how to play lol, but never too late to learn I guess!

Xenoblade Chronicles - May be a good time to give the original an honest to god try. Got roughly a 3rd of the way through the Wii game, then tried to pick it back up years later and was utterly confused as to how to play or where to go. Maybe if I pick it back up from scratch, especially with what seems to be more streamlined gameplay, I can get back into it on Switch. Played the sequel to death and loved the battle system.

Ring Fit Additions - the dance thing could be neat in the sense that it might be a way I can finally get my mother in on the game. Her head was spinning when I tried to show her the mechanics of the main game but the rhythm game seems like something she can get into. And I've been wanting a way to just focus on cardio so the jogging-only additions are appreciated.

Burnout Paradise Remastered - Been wanting a Forza Horizon experience on my Switch but at least Burnout Paradise is close, so may pick that up. Burnout 3 is still the best in the series though, so if we're talking Burnout I'd much prefer to have that game remastered for the console.

XCOM - Might be a good time to see what the hype is about, and seems like it'd make a good handheld game. Could be something to turn to after I finish Mario + Rabbids which I hear is similar. Could be a good introductory experience leading to that game. 

Ninjala - I played a demo at E3 and actually had some fun once I figured out what's what. If I recall correctly it was a free-for-all game which was a little too chaotic so it probably makes sense they changed it to team battles, it'll all probably flow more smoothly - though I could be remembering that incorrectly just b/c there was so much going on and it felt a bit overwhelming at first. Definitely Splatoon vibes as someone here said, but more close-range. The stuff you can do with your gum, the unique physics and such definitely gives it a unique feel though also. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that will be free to play.

That's about it for me. I like that Braverly Default's battle system somewhat resembles Octopath but I just cannot get invested in another RPG, especially a sequel to a game I've never played.

Overall, not bad - though I do feel like Nintendo was reaching a bit and sort of cobbling things together to fill in the recent gap/drought to carry them to E3. As I've said, I'm more than covered with Switch stuff at this point, though I certainly know this isn't the case for everyone, especially single-console owners which I am not.

Damn even the last mini direct announced new games, but I'll give em a pass this time due to virus. Glad there's new content in the Xenoblade remake but I doubt it's substantial enough to make me wanna play the whole 100 hour game over again. Bravely Default looks great, but otherwise not much in this direct for me. I guess ARMS in Smash is cool, but believe it or not I still don't have Smash yet.

The madlads! Shadowdropping a Direct...Not bad for a Mini. I guess all Nintendo needed was to cover games coming now to the end of May and then let their E3/June presentation carry the rest of the year.

No. Remastering is updating the audiovisual quality of a product (a movie, a song...), and in the case of videogames, the gameplay. The result is the same game as the original, but with improved assets. Wind Waker HD is a remaster. Ocarina of Time 3D is a remaster. Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a remaster. Shadow of the Colossus (PS4) is a remaster.

A remake on the other hand takes heavy inspiration from the original product to create a new version of said product, but with a different take or taste. They are the same, yet different at the same time. Metroid Samus Returns is a remake, Pokémon HeartGold is a remake, Final Fantasy VII Remake it's... a remake.

A reboot is basically taking the name of the original work and some basic aspects of it to create an entirely different thing. Tomb Raider (2013) is a reboot, DOOM (2016) is a reboot, DmC: Devil May Cry is a reboot.

This game is a REMASTER. And just to clarify, I don't want to downplay it for being a remaster. Being a remake is not better or worse than being a remake. They are just different things. And you guys have to learn to adress things by what they are.

Xenoblade Definitive Edition confirmed for end of May was all I needed to see, plus some bonus content. Lots of other nice surprises like Panzer Dragoon being released, Trails of Cold Steel III, Bioshock collection, Catherine. Bravely Default 2 looked great and I'm glad there's a demo. Never played any of the Mana games, but the snippet of gameplay from the Trials remake looked nice, so I hope there's a demo for that too.

All in all, very nice for a mini direct out of nowhere. Not many good surprises of late, so all the better.

But why in this case? Whether you call it a remake or remaster, it gets across the fact that it's a better version of the original, that's all that matters.

Spyro and Crash are remakes, the marketing team wrote it for"remaster" for people (like, in this case, you) who can't tell the difference between a remake and a remaster and think "oh that's a remaster, then it must be the same game with new graphics" despite the fact that the games were made from the scratch and 0 code frome the original PS1 versions were used.

 And the cinema is indeed a good example. To remaster a film to make a blu-ray version, you take the existant film and polish it with higher resolution, clean up tje brightness/contrast/colors and that's it. That's what a remaster is.

For a remake, you have to do it from scratch. New textures, new engine, new menus, new systems.

But yeah, kudos for you to try to reopen the case but it's still closed.