This week's Nintendo Direct was an absolute triumph, introducing us to a huge selection of great games. On top of Breath of the Wild 2, have Nintendo just redeemed themselves?
When it comes to surprise announcements, Nintendo have been at a bit of a loss in recent years. Time and time again, we have been met by a new character in Super Smash Bros., or some tiny game announcement that (sadly) no one really cares about, when we tune in to one of those coveted Nintendo Direct videos. It's certainly a better way of doing things, the Nintendo Direct videos that is, but they all too often fail to yield any kind of excitement or emotional response from viewers. After last week's Nintendo Direct, however, one thing has been made certain: it isn't the format that's the problem, it's the content.
As of writing, Breath of the Wild 2 has only received two trailers, both of which are less than two minutes long. In fact, this year will be the third E3 to run since the original teaser trailer dropped in 2019. It has been five long years since Breath of the Wild dropped alongside the Nintendo Switch in 2017. Five successful years, though, but also five years without a brand new main-line Super Mario game, seeing as Super Mario Odyssey also saw a 2017 release date. In that time, there have been numerous other releases – such as the aforementioned Super Smash Bros. – a remake of Mario Kart 8, a bunch of fantastic smaller-scale titles (Monster Hunter Rise was absolutely fantastic), and of course Animal Crossing: New Horizons, our Game of the Year in 2020.
The fact is that Nintendo have had a good few years, but have faltered when it comes to providing a reliable supply of Triple-A Platinum releases like Mario and Zelda to the Switch. Nintendo recently released Pokémon Arceus, which has garnered a relatively positive reception, but even that doesn't have the gravitas we would expect from Nintendo, a level of gravitas that I would dare to say hasn't blessed the company since the Nintendo Gamecube or the early Nintendo Wii days. With the Steam Deck about to launch into the hands of American consumers, even their cornering of the handheld-console market seems to be in jeopardy.
It's in this context that Nintendo need to make 2022 their year. The Nintendo Switch OLED was an unexciting reveal last year, and was truly something that would be hard to recommend to anyone, so we imagine that a Nintendo Switch 2-equivalent console will be on the cards for 2023, or early 2024 at the latest. Thus, 2022 is the year to start building that hype, start releasing bangers after bangers to get gamers hyped and ready for the next generation of Nintendo Hardware. That's where this week's Nintendo Direct comes in – could this be the turn-around moment?
I'm not going to be as bold as to say that Nintendo's 2022 is a make-or-break situation, they are in a great place right now, and last week's Nintendo Direct is not a game-changer by any stretch of the imagination, but it has certainly put a swing in my step. Listen, here are the announcements.
- 48 new courses coming to Mario Kart 8 – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is already the best version of Mario Kart to ever be released. Now we are getting the biggest DLC in Mario Kart history, the equivalent of an entire new game.
- Mario Strikers: Battle League – Basically, Nintendo's take on Mario Football and game's like FIFA and Rocket League.
- No Man's Sky – After six years of No Man's Sky, the complete game is finally coming to Switch, bringing the best version of this magnificent game right into the palms of our hands.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – This game's predecessor is one of the best game's on the Switch already, so if they get this right it will be a real banger.
- Splatoon 3 – This long-awaited sequel will be an absolute blast (pun intended) and has broad mainstream appeal.
- A flippin' Wii Sports Sequel – What is there to be said about this? Wii Sports is one of the most successful and beloved party game of all time, a sequel could prove to be very lucrative.
- Portal and Portal 2 Remastered – These are two classic puzzle-platformer games, and the Switch would be the absolute perfect place to play them. They will also look gorgeous on the small screen.
- Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes – The successor to 2019's Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Houses, this one stars familiar faces and is sure to be a success.
- Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp – This is a remaster of a number of Game Boy Advance games, looks pretty cool, but is unlikely to make much of a splash.
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Mouthful Mode – A brand new trailer for this year's Kirby game has dropped, and it looks just as adorable as we expected. This will be a must-buy for the young-uns.
- New DLC for Metroid Dread – New content for one of the best games to come out last year, and certainly the best Nintendo game to come out last year, is an exciting prospect, and certainly a reason to keep playing.
Out of the eleven announcements detailed above, ten of them are due to come out in 2022. On top of that, it is expected that Breath of the Wild 2 will drop this year – though we didn't see anything from that game at last week's Nintendo Direct. With the exception of perhaps Advance Wars (which could well be an excellent game, don't get us wrong), this is a winning streak of releases, all for different audiences but most of which have a wide appeal. For the hardcore, we have things like Xenoblade, Portal, Fire Emblem, Zelda and Metroid Dread. For the casuals we have Mario Kart, Mario Strikers, Splatoon, Wii Sports and Kirby. For everyone, though?
Well, that's the appeal of Nintendo, isn't it? A good Nintendo lineup will be appealing to not just the hardcore gamers and not just the casuals and family-gamers. It will be appealing to everyone. Games like No Man's Sky, Kirby, Mario Kart, Portal, Mario Strikers and Splatoon have a huge cross-appeal, and will be must-plays for any Switch owner that's out there. At the same time, though, we do have those more hardcore games like Xenoblade and even Zelda that will keep people like me and you happy. It's the perfect lineup for this year, and a stronger lineup than we could have possibly imagined given the last few years. Hell, Pokémon has just come out, that's another bloody Nintendo game with the 2022 date plopped on the box.
With any luck, Nintendo will also jump into the buying race that has been going on for the last few months (you know, that whole thing of Microsoft buying Activision and Bethesda, and Sony buying Bungie?). If Nintendo acquire someone like Sega, or Capcom, or something similar, and then follow that up with a big powerful new console that also has handheld capabilities? Nintendo could, if they play their cards right, end up in another golden age. There is a way for Nintendo to compete with the big boys. It might seem unlikely, it might seem like a bit of a stretch, but it's possible. For the sake of my boy's over at Nintendo, and for the sake of my own sanity, I hope that I'm right, and I hope that Nintendo pushes through.
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