I don't talk about video games often on here, but I wanted to make an exception today to discuss this past Friday's Nintendo Direct.
Starting off, we got Nintendo's plans for Mario's 40th Anniversary. I thought the first trailer shown was for a new 3D Mario at first, but it was actually for the next Mario movie, which is called The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I'm not a big movie watcher, but I did see the first Mario movie (animated, I should clarify), and I thought it was solid. I'm glad they're bringing back much of that movie's cast as well.
Tying in to that, Nintendo is releasing a combo pack of Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2. These are, in my opinion, two of the best Mario platformers ever made, and I'm glad a new generation of fans has a way of experiencing these games. That said, I think the $70 price tag for this combo is a bit steep for me, especially since I still have my digital copy of Super Mario 3D All Stars which has Galaxy 1 on it. I'm more hyped that Rosalina's storybook from the game is getting a physical release.
In addition, a new Mario Tennis and Yoshi game are also coming early next year. Mario Tennis is one of my favorite series of sports games, and the new entry (called Mario Tennis Fever) looks to have plenty of content to enjoy with its variety of game modes and characters. The new Yoshi game also looks charming with its cute visual style, though I don't know if I'll pick it up. There's also a Switch 2 upgrade coming for Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Kirby Air Riders is getting amiibos and another dedicated Nintendo Direct. This game still looks awesome, and I still want to play it.
Nintendo is also adding a new console game library to their online service. Unfortunately, it's the Virtual Boy. It's cool seeing these games available to play in the modern day, but I probably won't play them, especially if you need to buy a separate accessory to play them.
The next major Nintendo announcement was the release date for Metroid Prime 4. I'm glad fans can rest easy that the game is releasing this year in December. The recent gameplay looked a little boring to me, considering it mostly consisted of Samus riding a motorbike through mostly empty desert. Not the most inspiring of trailers.
On that note, the Pokémon announcements that followed weren't very inspiring either. Pokémon Pokopia looks very much like Dragon Quest Builders with a Pokémon skin. You play as a Ditto who befriends other Pokémon to help it gather resources and build various structures on your island. It's fine, but I'm not sure I'll play it. The same goes for Pokémon Legends ZA. I know I previously said the game looked interesting with its real time battles, but considering I didn't like the first Legends game I don't know if I want to buy it, even though it has multiplayer battles now.
Between those two announcements was the Donkey Kong Bananza DLC. I already knew this was coming at some point, but I was curious what form it would take. The main attraction is a new Emerald Rush mode, where you explore DK Island and collect as many emeralds as possible over the course of several rounds. There's a bit more to it than that, but it is an interesting spin on the game, and you unlock more layers to play Emerald Rush on as you play the mode. It's not qute what I had expected, but it is a nice bit of fun.
Nintendo's final game announcement was that of the next Fire Emblem game, Fortune's Weave, due out in 2026. I'm personally not a big fan of the series, but I know people who like these games and will likely enjoy this entry, too.
I think I was more excited for some of the third party stuff than Nintendo's first party offerings this go-around. Fina Fantasy VII Remake Integrade is the title I'm most excited to play, and that releases on January 22nd, 2026. I also want to give Virtua Fighter 5 REVO a try. It turns out this is an updated version releasing on all the major platforms with new modes and cross-play functionality. It's also cool to see Resident Evil: Requiem come to the console. The one third party game I didn't like was Dragon Quest VII's remake. The visual style is what is throwing me off. I understand replicating Akira Toriyama's visual style is a bit of a tall order, but I feel these visuals fail to stick the landing for me. Besides, I already have the 3DS version of this game.
Overall, I wouldn't say this Direct was bad, but it could have been a little more considering the presentation's runtime.
Mathew GX
I don't talk about video games often on here, but I wanted to make an exception today to discuss this past Friday's Nintendo Direct.
Starting off, we got Nintendo's plans for Mario's 40th Anniversary. I thought the first trailer shown was for a new 3D Mario at first, but it was actually for the next Mario movie, which is called The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I'm not a big movie watcher, but I did see the first Mario movie (animated, I should clarify), and I thought it was solid. I'm glad they're bringing back much of that movie's cast as well.
Tying in to that, Nintendo is releasing a combo pack of Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2. These are, in my opinion, two of the best Mario platformers ever made, and I'm glad a new generation of fans has a way of experiencing these games. That said, I think the $70 price tag for this combo is a bit steep for me, especially since I still have my digital copy of Super Mario 3D All Stars which has Galaxy 1 on it. I'm more hyped that Rosalina's storybook from the game is getting a physical release.
In addition, a new Mario Tennis and Yoshi game are also coming early next year. Mario Tennis is one of my favorite series of sports games, and the new entry (called Mario Tennis Fever) looks to have plenty of content to enjoy with its variety of game modes and characters. The new Yoshi game also looks charming with its cute visual style, though I don't know if I'll pick it up. There's also a Switch 2 upgrade coming for Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Kirby Air Riders is getting amiibos and another dedicated Nintendo Direct. This game still looks awesome, and I still want to play it.
Nintendo is also adding a new console game library to their online service. Unfortunately, it's the Virtual Boy. It's cool seeing these games available to play in the modern day, but I probably won't play them, especially if you need to buy a separate accessory to play them.
The next major Nintendo announcement was the release date for Metroid Prime 4. I'm glad fans can rest easy that the game is releasing this year in December. The recent gameplay looked a little boring to me, considering it mostly consisted of Samus riding a motorbike through mostly empty desert. Not the most inspiring of trailers.
On that note, the Pokémon announcements that followed weren't very inspiring either. Pokémon Pokopia looks very much like Dragon Quest Builders with a Pokémon skin. You play as a Ditto who befriends other Pokémon to help it gather resources and build various structures on your island. It's fine, but I'm not sure I'll play it. The same goes for Pokémon Legends ZA. I know I previously said the game looked interesting with its real time battles, but considering I didn't like the first Legends game I don't know if I want to buy it, even though it has multiplayer battles now.
Between those two announcements was the Donkey Kong Bananza DLC. I already knew this was coming at some point, but I was curious what form it would take. The main attraction is a new Emerald Rush mode, where you explore DK Island and collect as many emeralds as possible over the course of several rounds. There's a bit more to it than that, but it is an interesting spin on the game, and you unlock more layers to play Emerald Rush on as you play the mode. It's not qute what I had expected, but it is a nice bit of fun.
Nintendo's final game announcement was that of the next Fire Emblem game, Fortune's Weave, due out in 2026. I'm personally not a big fan of the series, but I know people who like these games and will likely enjoy this entry, too.
I think I was more excited for some of the third party stuff than Nintendo's first party offerings this go-around. Fina Fantasy VII Remake Integrade is the title I'm most excited to play, and that releases on January 22nd, 2026. I also want to give Virtua Fighter 5 REVO a try. It turns out this is an updated version releasing on all the major platforms with new modes and cross-play functionality. It's also cool to see Resident Evil: Requiem come to the console. The one third party game I didn't like was Dragon Quest VII's remake. The visual style is what is throwing me off. I understand replicating Akira Toriyama's visual style is a bit of a tall order, but I feel these visuals fail to stick the landing for me. Besides, I already have the 3DS version of this game.
Overall, I wouldn't say this Direct was bad, but it could have been a little more considering the presentation's runtime.
2 months ago | [YT] | 3