Nintendo has presented a brand new Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase that features such games as Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Rings of Ruin. You can find a breakdown of each announcement below, and we will be updating this article throughout the show!

Monster Hunter Rise Announced

Monster Hunter Rise was announced, and it will be released on Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021. It features a grappling hook system that let's you swing along like Spider-Man, and such monsters as Aknosom, Tetranadon, Great Izuchi, and Magnamalo were shown.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin Arrives on Switch Next Summer

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin will arrive on Nintendo Switch in Summer 2021.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Heads to Nintendo Switch Later Today

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/10/ori-and-the-will-of-the-wisps-review"] Ori and the Will of the Wisps will be released on Nintendo Switch later today and iam8bit is also selling a collector's edition that features a stained glass piece, both Ori games, a glow-in-the-dark display box, an enamel pin, and much more.

Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny Come to Nintendo Switch Exclusively in Summer 2021

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/disgaea-6-defiance-of-destiny-announcement-trailer"] Play as the boastful zombie, Zed, in this new Disgaea adventure that will arrive exclusively on the Nintendo Switch in 2021. Furthermore, Disgaea 5 Complete will be available to try in a special Game Trial event for Nintendo Switch Online members from September 23-29.

Balan Wonderworld Brings a Wondrous Adventure to Switch Next Year

Embark on a wonderous adventure in this new game from legendary creators Yuji Naka & Naoto Ohshima! Don over 80 costumes and wield a variety of abilities across 12 dreamlike stages. #BalanWonderworld makes its grand entrance on #NintendoSwitch, March 26, 2021. @balanwworld pic.twitter.com/WcKRpXka3w

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 17, 2020

Balan Wonderworld will be released on Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021 and has you equipping over 80 costumes and wielding a variety of abilities across 12 dreamlike stages.

Rune Factory 5 Will Be Released on Switch in 2021

Build a new life amidst a grand adventure in the heartwarming RPG, #RuneFactory 5! Protect your town as a peacekeeping ranger, harvest crops, go fishing, and find romance! Your new life in a fantasy world begins in 2021. pic.twitter.com/5ProQ8UTaL

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 17, 2020

Protect your town as a peacekeeping ranger, harvest crops, go fishing, fall in love, and so much more when Rune Factory 5 is released on Nintendo Switch in 2021.

Hades Arrives on Nintendo Switch Later Today

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/18/hades-v10-launch-trailer"] Supergiant Games' Hades will be released on Nintendo Switch later today.

Sniper Elite 4 Announced For Switch

Sniper Elite 4 will be released on Nintendo Switch in Holiday 2020 and brings with it "genre-defining ballistics and exciting third-person actions." Developing...  

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin has been announced for Nintendo Switch by Capcom as part of today's Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase. The cel-shaded story-led RPG releases Summer 2021, and casts you as a monster rider rather than a hunter. As the descendant of a legendary monster rider known as Red, your story will start with the investigation of mass disappearance of Rathalos from their natural habitats. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/monster-hunter-stories-2-announcement-trailer"] It's promised that you'll be able to ride and forge bonds with a variety of well-known Monster Hunter beasts. From the trailer, we know that the Rathalos and Anjanath will be among them. In addition to Wings of Ruin being a story-led RPG in the Monster Hunter universe, Capcom has also said that there will be 'compatability' with the upcoming Monster Hunter Rise on Switch. It's not yet clear what that connectivity will be. The previous game in the series was well received by us; our Monster Hunter Stories review praised the 3DS game as being a spin-off that does the series proud. It did away with the RPG grind and used a novel turn-based battle system for a true JRPG experience. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Monster Hunter Stories 2 Wings of Ruin has been announced for Nintendo Switch by Capcom as part of today's Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase. The cel-shaded story-led RPG releases Summer 2021, and casts you as a monster rider rather than a hunter. As the descendant of a legendary monster rider known as Red, your story will start with the investigation of mass disappearance of Rathalos from their natural habitats. It's promised that you'll be able to ride and forge bonds with a variety of well-known Monster Hunter beasts. From the trailer, we know that the Rathalos and Anjanath will be among them. In addition to Wings of Ruin being a story-led RPG in the Monster Hunter universe, Capcom has also said that there will be 'compatability' with the upcoming Monster Hunter Rise on Switch. It's not yet clear what that connectivity will be. This story is breaking...

Capcom has announced Monster Hunter Rise for Nintendo Switch. It will arrive on March 26, 2021. The game resembles a traditional Monster Hunter, but with far more freedom of movement, and the Rise title is meant to communicate the idea of verticality, which will be a major part of the game. Players will be able to use new Wirebugs, which act as a grappling hook. The Wirebug can be used in combat too, to allow for more versatile, fast-paced combat. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/monster-hunter-rise-official-announcement-trailer"] Areas in the game will be seamless, open locations, as in Monster Hunter World. Your base will be Kamura Village, which will be filled with characters to meet, who will form the basis of the story. Rise also includes a new dog-like companion character called a Palamute, that can be ridden through the environments, and will aid you in combat. Palicos also return and act as support characters. In single player, players can bring two companions (in any combination of Palamutes and Palicos), and in multiplayer players bring one. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=monster-hunter-rise-screenshots&captions=true"] Monster Hunter Rise features a number of new monsters, including fire-breathing bird Aknosom, inflating amphibian Tetranadon, the wolf-like bird wyvern Great Izuchi, and what seems to be the game's headline monster, the Chinese dragon-like Magnamalo. Arzuros will also return from previous games, with many more returing and new monsters to be announced. As in Monster Hunter World, monsters can encounter and fight each other without the player's input. Alongside the game, three new amiibo will also be released, of Palamute, Palico and Magnamalo.The game will come in standard, deluxe, and collector's editions. The deluxe edition features the base game and a bundle of DLC including armour, gestures, and cosmetics. The Collector's edition will include all of the above, as well as a Magnamalo amiibo, a sitcker pack, and a Kamura mark enamel pin. Pre-order bonuses will be offered, adding some (tremendously cute) layered armour sets for Palamutes and Palicos, as well as a talisman item to help novices in the early game. Pre-orders for the digital versions of the game will open today. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=monster-hunter-rise-amiibo-packshot-editions-and-preorder-bonuses&captions=true"] The game appears to feature more English language voice acting than previous installments in the series. It's just one of two new Monster Hunter games announced today, along with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin - both games will be compatible with one another in some form, although Capcom hasn't yet said exactly how. Technically, we had two Nintendo Directs today - you can check out everything announced and shown in them right now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Capcom has announced Monster Hunter Rise, a new game in the Monster Hunter series for Nintendo Switch. It will arrive on March 26, 2021. The game resembles a traditional Monster Hunter, but with far more freedom of movement, and the Rise title is meant to communicate the idea of verticality, which will be a major part of the game. Players will be able to use new Wirebugs, which act as a grappling hook. The Wirebug can be used in combat too, to allow for more versatile, fast-paced combat. Areas in the game will be large, seamless locations, as in Monster Hunter World. Your base will be Kamura Village, which will be filled with characters to meet, who will form the basis of the story. Rise also includes a new dog-like companion called a Palamute, that can be ridden through the environments, and will aid you in combat. Palicos also return and act as support characters. In single player, players can bring two companions (in any combination of Palamutes and Palicos), and in multiplayer players bring one. Monster Hunter Rise features a number of new monsters, including fire-breathing bird Aknosom, inflating amphibian Tetranadon, the wolf-like bird wyvern Great Izuchi, and what seems to be the game's headline monster, the Chinese dragon-like Magnamalo. As in Monster Hunter World, monsters can encounter and fight each other without the player's input. The game will come in standard and deluxe editions. The deluxe edition features the base game and a bundle of DLC including armour, gestures, and cosmetics. Pre-order bonuses will be offered, adding some (tremendously cute) layered armour sets for Palamutes and Palicos, as well as a talisman item to help novices in the early game. Pre-orders for the download version of the game will open today. Three new Amiibo will also be released, of Palamute, Palico and Magnamalo. The game appears to feature far more English language voice acting than previous installments in the series. It's just one of two new Monster Hunter games announced today, along with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin - both games will be compatible with one another in some form, although Capcom hasn't yet said exactly how. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Roaring onto Netflix on Friday, September 18, is the latest entry in the Jurassic Park franchise, titled Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. Here's how Netflix describes Season 1 of this new animated adventure series: "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous follows a group of six teenagers chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a new adventure camp on the opposite side of Isla Nublar. But when dinosaurs wreak havoc across the island, the campers are stranded. Unable to reach the outside world, they’ll need to go from strangers to friends to family if they’re going to survive." For an exclusive look at the upcoming series, check out the exciting clip featuring a giant Mosasaurus in the video below or at the top of the page: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-exclusive-official-clip-2020"] "From day one, our directors and board artists have been encouraged to think beyond traditional children's television animation visual tropes and to approach each episode as if it were a live-action feature film in the Jurassic World franchise,” showrunner Scott Kreamer told IGN, adding, "Our story teams always strive to achieve a polished feature look with regards to shot choice, composition, and editing." Be sure to stream Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous when it premieres on Netflix on September 18, 2020. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-gallery&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Roaring onto Netflix on Friday, September 18, is the latest entry in the Jurassic Park franchise, titled Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. Here's how Netflix describes Season 1 of this new animated adventure series: "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous follows a group of six teenagers chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a new adventure camp on the opposite side of Isla Nublar. But when dinosaurs wreak havoc across the island, the campers are stranded. Unable to reach the outside world, they’ll need to go from strangers to friends to family if they’re going to survive." For an exclusive look at the upcoming series, check out the exciting clip featuring a giant Mosasaurus in the video below or at the top of the page: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-exclusive-official-clip-2020"] "From day one, our directors and board artists have been encouraged to think beyond traditional children's television animation visual tropes and to approach each episode as if it were a live-action feature film in the Jurassic World franchise,” showrunner Scott Kreamer told IGN, adding, "Our story teams always strive to achieve a polished feature look with regards to shot choice, composition, and editing." Be sure to stream Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous when it premieres on Netflix on September 18, 2020. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-gallery&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Update: IGN can now exclusively reveal the final cover art for the first chapter of Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Series III. Check out the new image from artist Olivia Samson below: The first issue is now slated for release on February 10, 2021. The original story is below: [poilib element="accentDivider"] Dark Horse Comics is continuing to expand on the massively popular web series Critical Role. IGN can exclusively reveal first details on the latest Critical Role prequel comic, dubbed Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Series III. The latest entry in the Vox Machina Origins series reunites the full creative team from last time around, with series creator/host Matthew Mercer co-writing with Jody Houser, Olivia Samson drawing the book, MASSYK coloring and Ariana Maher lettering. Unfortunately, the final cover for issue #1 hasn't been released yet, but we'll update this story once Dark Horse makes it available. For those unfamiliar with Critical Role, the weekly web series features Mercer acting as host and Dungeon Master for a long-running Dungeons & Dragons campaign, with a group of professional voice actors and recurring celebrity guests taking part in the game and helping flesh out the fantasy realm of Exandria. The original Critical Role campaign spanned 115 episodes between 2015 and 2017, while Mercer and his cast have been slowly making their way through a second campaign since 2018 (with the series temporarily going on hiatus earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic). So where does the comic fit in? As the title suggests, the various Vox Machina Origins books have focused on the titular cast of fantasy adventurers from the original campaign, with these books fleshing out their early adventures before the events of that campaign. Series III opens with our heroes enjoying a well-deserved vacation in luxurious Westruun. Unfortunately, a lack of funds forces the group to join an underground fight club, which then puts them on the hunt for a missing child. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-comics-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Series III #1 is scheduled for release on December 9, 2020 [update - the release date has now been pushed back to February 10, 2021]. If you need to get caught up on the previous two volumes, Dark Horse will be collecting both in an oversized hardcover called Critical Role: Vox Machine Origins Library Edition Vol. 1, which hits comic shops on November 11 and bookstores on November 24. Critical Role has grown to become a full-fledged multimedia franchise in recent years. Wizards of the Coast released a Critical Role-themed D&D book earlier in 2020. The Critical Role team also successfully Kickstarted Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina animated series, which earned over $11 million by the campaign’s end and an eventual two-season series order from Amazon Prime Video. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/05/critical-role-kickstarter-breaks-records"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Update: IGN can now exclusively reveal the final cover art for the first chapter of Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Series III. Check out the new image from artist Minttu Hynninen below: The first issue is now slated for release on February 10, 2021. The original story is below: [poilib element="accentDivider"] Dark Horse Comics is continuing to expand on the massively popular web series Critical Role. IGN can exclusively reveal first details on the latest Critical Role prequel comic, dubbed Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Series III. The latest entry in the Vox Machina Origins series reunites the full creative team from last time around, with series creator/host Matthew Mercer co-writing with Jody Houser, Olivia Samson drawing the book, MASSYK coloring and Ariana Maher lettering. Unfortunately, the final cover for issue #1 hasn't been released yet, but we'll update this story once Dark Horse makes it available. For those unfamiliar with Critical Role, the weekly web series features Mercer acting as host and Dungeon Master for a long-running Dungeons & Dragons campaign, with a group of professional voice actors and recurring celebrity guests taking part in the game and helping flesh out the fantasy realm of Exandria. The original Critical Role campaign spanned 115 episodes between 2015 and 2017, while Mercer and his cast have been slowly making their way through a second campaign since 2018 (with the series temporarily going on hiatus earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic). So where does the comic fit in? As the title suggests, the various Vox Machina Origins books have focused on the titular cast of fantasy adventurers from the original campaign, with these books fleshing out their early adventures before the events of that campaign. Series III opens with our heroes enjoying a well-deserved vacation in luxurious Westruun. Unfortunately, a lack of funds forces the group to join an underground fight club, which then puts them on the hunt for a missing child. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-comics-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Series III #1 is scheduled for release on December 9, 2020 [update - the release date has now been pushed back to February 10, 2021]. If you need to get caught up on the previous two volumes, Dark Horse will be collecting both in an oversized hardcover called Critical Role: Vox Machine Origins Library Edition Vol. 1, which hits comic shops on November 11 and bookstores on November 24. Critical Role has grown to become a full-fledged multimedia franchise in recent years. Wizards of the Coast released a Critical Role-themed D&D book earlier in 2020. The Critical Role team also successfully Kickstarted Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina animated series, which earned over $11 million by the campaign’s end and an eventual two-season series order from Amazon Prime Video. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/05/critical-role-kickstarter-breaks-records"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

With Xbox Series S now finally out in the wild, we're learning more about exactly what form Microsoft's lower-priced next-gen console will take, and how the company thinks of it amid the growing Xbox family of consoles. In a presentation by Xbox System Architect Andrew Goossen and subsequent interview with Xbox director of program management Jason Ronald, we learned a number of new details about Series S, from how it's always been a part of the plans for Microsoft, to the new features it will continue to get post-launch. Check out the new details we've learned below:  

• Planning for Xbox Series X and S began in 2016, and Microsoft planned to release two consoles at different price points from the very beginning of that process.  The idea was always to have both offer the same core experience, while allowing developers to scale games to work on both models
• Games on Xbox Series S should be around 30% smaller than their Series X equivalents due to reduced texture resolutions.
• Microsoft doesn't think Series S will limit developers as the console generation goes on, because of how the "core capabilities are the same between the two consoles" (per Jason Ronald), as well as the number of options developers have for how to allocate resources on the console.
• While the console aims for a 1440p resolution, it's capable of outputting a full 4K signal, and developers can choose to use that capability if they wish. They can also output at a lower resolution in order to utilise more complex graphical effects.
• Series S and X will launch with Dolby Vision support for Netflix, Disney+ and Vudu, with Dolby Vision support for games coming to both consoles in Spring 2021.
• Series S is capable of running the same ray tracing effects as Series X, rather than a limited version, but developers can choose to turn it off to allow for other effects.
• Microsoft has no plans to stop supporting Series S later in the generation, seeing the Xbox Series consoles as a single family of devices.
• Ronald reiterated that, while Series S will not run Xbox One X enhanced games, it will apply its own improvements to last-gen titles, including "improved texture filtering, higher, more consistent frame rates, faster loading times, and even things like auto-HDR." The team will also be looking at further enhancing specific games from the Xbox One back catalogue for Series S, using new techniques to enhance resolution, and potentially double frame rates.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] Xbox Series S arrives alongside Series X on November 10, coming in at a $299 / £249 price point. Xbox preorders begin on September 22. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.