Let's get the biggest announcement out of the way: The biggest game coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2018 was finally given an official name ("Super Smash Bros. Ultimate") and an official release date (December 7, 2018). Fans were thrilled by what they saw.
Unlike most presentations we've seen at E3 2018, Nintendo spent the vast majority of its presentation on this single game — in fact, it spent 24 out of the 42 total minutes of its Nintendo Direct video talking about "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate."
The most notable highlights:
— The new roster will include every character from past "Super Smash Bros." games, as well as new characters like the Inklings from Nintendo's newer "Splatoon" franchise and the long-awaited Ridley from the "Metroid" games.
— Plenty of levels from other "Super Smash Bros." games will return, but there will be new maps as well.
— You can play the game with any Nintendo Switch controller, or any Nintendo GameCube controller (sold separately).
— Nintendo made "tens of thousands" of updates to how the game actually plays, from level-design tweaks, to changes in how characters look and play, to the many items available to be used in the game, to "Final Smash" attacks, and more.