Nintendo's E3 Direct this year focused primarily on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which is the name of the upcoming Smash Bros game for the Switch.  It's called Ultimate for a very good reason as in many ways its a best of, with all characters returning alongside many stages, Assist Trophies and a wealth of new stuff.

We were introduced to a showcase of all the characters from previous games and they just kept coming and coming...until Smash Bros director Sakurai confirmed that all characters from the previous Smash titles would be returning.

The characters are not just returning though, they have been tweaked and improved to keep things fresh. Some changes are cosmetic, such as Mario's wedding and building outfits, Link's Champion's Tunic and 8 different little murderous Villagers.  Others have had moves changed, such as King Dedede's new cage fight Smash and Ryu facing opponents directly during 1-on-1 fights.  There have been other changes, such as a female Pikachu and Pokémon Trainer (who no longer will face a penalty for sticking with one Pokémon), 12 voice options for Mii Fighters and Samus can now charge in mid-air.  However one thing is still thankfully the same - Kirby is its "usual puffy self".  Phew!

After years of campaigning, Ridley joins the fight.  Samus' nemesis is finally a playable character and looms above the other characters.  We expect more details over the coming days about how Ridley plays, but it was confirmed that they drag the opponent against the bottom of the stage to cause damage.

Nintendo also introduced a new(ish) concept - Echo Fighters.  These are characters that are essentially reskins of others.  Dark Pit and Lucina are two examples from the existing games, but now Daisy will join the fray as a Peach Echo Fighter.

Of course these fighters need somewhere to brawl, and many classic stages returning including Big Blue, Shadow Moses and many other classics.  There's also new ones, including Moray Tower and Great Plateau Tower.  Each stage also has a Battlefield and Omega forms.

New Assist Trophies were also shown, including Rodin from Bayonetta, and you can now attack certain Assist Trophies and earn points when you do.  There are now over 50 Assist Trophies on offer.  Similarly, new items such as Black Hole were shown off and we expect more details soon.

More tweaks have also been introduced to change the gameplay, including ladder attacks, directional air dodges, a short hop attack and others.  One-on-one damage is now greater than in groups, to help speed things up, and the winner will occasionally flash so everyone knows who to attack.

Ladder attacks, directional air dodge, dodge too much and open oto attach, short hop attack (a and jump), perfect shield (release shield button) - time it carefully, 1-on-1 damage is greater than in groups, winning player will flash.  8 player battles also make a return, ensuring the action remains frantic.

The beloved GameCube controller will also be coming back (hopefully Nintendo will make more than last time they tried that) and of course the Smash amiibos work to provide extra bonuses.  Characters who have multiple amiibos, such as the Odyssey range, will also work providing the character is in Smash.  A new Ridley amiibo will also be available, as well as new Inkling and Daisy amiibo too.

Of course the game will feature online play when it releases on December 7th.  More info about the game can be found on the official website.  You can rewatch the 25 minute(!) Smash Bros segment below.