Topic: Next Nintendo Direct?

Wait a minute the Kalos starter Megas are locked behind online? I mean, they've been doing mystery gifts for years and all that, but I'm still not the greatest fan of things like that. Still won't stop me from playing the game though.

@VoidofLight Just a small correction: the Legends ZA DLC is $30, not $35.

Oh it's worse than just needing online, they're rewards for Ranked Battles. In other words, you can only get them by battling other players in multiplayer. So they're basically an eSports trophy. Not only that, but supposedly they're only for a limited time too, so there's also FOMO at play here.

That definitely deflates this announcement for me, I hate PvP content and having an exclusive reward doesn't make me more inclined to engage with it, it just makes the game less fun.

While I wouldn't call this Direct a failure, I was still a bit more disappointed than usual. Not due to them not announcing any new games I'm interested in (I'm fine with that), but due to going all-in on additional purchases for games I don't even own yet - it's a bit upsetting to have to shell out an extra $50 combined to have the complete versions of DK Bananza and Legends ZA. And I hoped they would announce S2 upgrades for more 1st-party titles other than Mario Wonder.

And although I'm not in any rush to sign up for the Expansion Pack, it's still disappointing that the Virtual Boy app seemingly requires an accessory. How will that even work? Do they use something to detect if you're using the thing? I don't see what's stopping those games from being played without it otherwise.

Sad but we will have to wait 2026 for this or even 2027 for Xenoblade chronicles 2 DE as part of 10 years anniversary

Mario Wonder S2E spoiler:
Rosalina seems to be playable! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/agcAS9z4vbk

@Bolt_Strike,

"I hate PvP content and having an exclusive reward doesn't make me more inclined to engage with it, it just makes the game less fun."

I don't necessarily hate PVP, but I don't like the idea of locking in-game content behind it. Rather disappointing, I wonder how much PVP you'll have to do to get the Mega Stones.

@Bolt_Strike I'm sure that these mega stones won't be hard to get ahold of. They know not everyone who's buying the game are into competitive play- so they'll probably make it a low threshold to get it.

The Nintendo Direct was pretty all right all things considered. Here's what I liked...

I'm looking forward to what they'll do with the Switch 2 edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. I was a bit concerned at first because it looked like it was just gonna be a multiplayer pack of sorts, but it seems like they'll be having a new story as well, so that's good. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book does look interesting, would like to know more about it sometime. I'm happy to see that Metroid Prime 4 got a release date, and it's voucher-eligible too... good for me since I have one voucher left. Donkey Kong Bananza DLC was a nice surprise. I'm still working through DKB's base game however, so it can wait. I'm kind of surprised that this game, and not Super Mario Odyssey, ended up getting DLC.

And here's what I'm a bit mixed on...

Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 is a maybe for me. I dunno... I think it's a bit overpriced for what it is, and I played the heck out of those games on the Wii. Maybe if it'll have a good amount of bonus features or something, and if I can get it for a good price, then I may consider it. I do like how Super Mario Galaxy 2 is back, and they don't seem to be limited-time releases, so that's good at least. I think it's cool that Virtual Boy games are coming to Nintendo Classics, but I don't like how you're required to have a peripheral to play them. Can't they be played on a TV or in handheld mode? It just seems silly to me.

But yeah, not everything in the Direct appealed to me, but I thought it was a decent showing for what it was. Would have liked to see more content for Mario Kart World... maybe they're working on it now, and it was too early to show? I can't be sure. What's also strange is that the Mega Man Star Force collection did not make an appearance anywhere in the Direct... it was a completely separate announcement. I'm looking forward to it though, I've finished all the Battle Network games this year and I've not played much of the Star Force series.

I'm not entirely convinced of this, I don't think it was true before this Direct and the Direct adding more stuff doesn't change it. If anything it put to bed some of your claims before this Direct that games like Hyrule Warriors and Metroid Prime were 2026 games

Also, in order to say that this is well under what Switch delivered in its first year how are we counting that? I'm counting off the top of my head the lineup of games headed to Nintendo's platform from Switch 2 launch to mid next year and I see:

• Mario Kart World
• DK Bananza (and DLC)
• Metroid Prime 4
• Pokemon Legends Z-A
• SMB Wonder DLC
• Mario Tennis Fever
• Yoshi and the Mysterious Book
• Kirby Air Riders
• Tomodachi Life
• Hyrule Warriors
• Dynasty Warriors
• Monster Hunter Stories
• Dragon Quest 7 remake
• Resident Evil Requiem
• New Fire Emblem

That seems pretty favourable in comparison to what was delivered in the first year of the Switch. And I know what you're doing in your head here, you're discounting some of these because some are Switch games or cross platform or multiplatform. Maybe you're comparing that to a list of Switch early releases that stacks in its favour by including Wii U ports. You're getting ready to play the "this doesn't count, this does" game. "Metroid Prime 4 doesn't sell the Switch 2 because it's on Switch also, Tomodachi Life doesn't count that's Switch only".....

..... what do you care though? Why does that matter? As an end user I'm looking at Directs as a way to show me what games there are. However they come. In my mind Switch in its first year was Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Arms and having to buy Mario Kart 8 and Bayonetta again in order to make them portable. It was great, sure, but that's the end result I saw as an end user. Switch 2 in the first year is Mario Kart World, DK Bananza, getting what was to me a no-additional-cost resolution upgrade for Tears of the Kingdom and then probably 2 or 3 of Kirby Air Riders, Mario Tennis Fever, Metroid Prime 4, DQ7 with Rhythm Heaven on the horizon. Also with NSO existing and expanding to both GameCube and apparently Virtual Boy. Also definitely getting Hades 2, which I have on Steam but I'll certainly buy again for Switch 2 given I'm going to get a better experience here than I do on Deck.

I don't see the problem, June 2025 - June 2026 is clearly a better year than calendar 2017

@skywake, I have to agree. Though I certainly don't like everything about the Switch 2, I do agree that the launch year of Switch 2 has had an amazing amount of interesting software, and is nowhere close to a game drought.

Seems like our next Direct is a 2nd Kirby Air Riders Direct, absolutely cannot wait to see what else we have in store!

I suppose that the difference is that the Switch 1 is far from dead, where the Wii U shambled into 2017 like a zombie corpse.

It's just not a like for like comparison, and the Switch 2 has to deliver a lot more to distinguish itself from its predecessor.

It'll get there eventually though, and that Fire Emblem game looks like a big stride in the right direction, for me at least.

@PikminMarioKirby Ah yeah, I forgot they're making a second Direct for that. Perhaps we'll get to see what Top Ride mode would look like, or maybe some more courses for Air Ride mode?

That's kinda what I'm getting at though, why? I get that the age-old console warrior bit is to lay out the sales, the appeal, the games, play the include/exclude game, assign weights and get out the tape measure. But at end of the day it's just a question of what content do you have, what's new, what's interesting, how does it run, how does it play. What and how are they releasing and how am I as an end user interacting with it. And the goal of a Nintendo Direct is just to say "hey, here are the things coming to our platforms"

To me it doesn't really matter that Metroid is "a Switch game". To me it's just a new game that's coming out, one that looks pretty good, one that benefits from extra power of Switch 2 and also exists on Switch 2. The fact that it's also playable on Switch doesn't diminish the release. And I would say that if I didn't have a Switch 2 the fact that the Switch is still being supported is great. I don't see how it's a bad thing, from a consumer perspective, that Switch is not immediately dead on the release of Switch 2

There's this kind of mentality that the Switch 2 "needs" to do more. It "needs" to have a bucket of exclusives and pull the Switch down in order to justify itself. I don't get that. IMO, if a game is small enough in scope that it's still possible on Switch without significant compromise/effort? If a game is small enough in scope that Switch 2 doesn't really offer any advantage. Then it should come to Switch also. I'm not a Nintendo shareholder^, I don't really care what their hardware sell through is. All I care is that we get content playable on it and that it isn't a dead end. I think it's clearly not a dead end and, frankly, I think there's plenty of content here. So I don't see the problem

^I guess technically my super is fractionally invested in Nintendo but that works out to be well under $100

I think there will be a Prime 4 direct also at some point. The trailer in this direct showed just enough to raise questions but not really enough to answer them.

@Azileron I agree. Played it in handheld at PAX, thought it was fine…but a little optimization before release won’t hurt. I’m in no rush, too many games on the horizon

@skywake I'm counting new, original Switch 2 exclusives and it matters because those are the games you specifically buy a Switch 2 for. Otherwise you could either just buy another platform, stick with Switch 1, or replay the old game on the original console. And when you filter all that down... you don't really have much, especially not in terms of major IPs that sell well.

Now year to year you may have a point and thinking back I am applying a double standard here because some of the big games in 2017 were Wii U ports/cross-gen titles. However, there's actually a logical basis behind this double-standard that explains why it feels worse for Switch 2. The issue is that the Wii U sold poorly and the Switch sold like hotcakes, so Wii U ports on Switch offer far more value than Switch 1 ports on Switch 2. It's far more likely that someone buying a Switch in 2017 didn't own a Wii U, meanwhile most people buying a Switch 2 probably have a Switch and already played the original versions that the S2Es are based on. There's much more value out of a game like MK8D or BotW when you've never played the original and everything's new to you as opposed to these S2Es when you've probably played the original and are just here for whatever the Switch 2 adds. The Switch 2's lineup is held under a far more critical lens because it's coming off the success of a previous generation so recycling content is less compelling. Is it a fair comparison to make? You could certainly argue no. But listing out a bunch of games rings kind of hollow if you look at that game and think "Ehh, I already played that one" and you largely know what you're getting into.

EDIT: @Matt_Barber beat me to it and pretty much hit the nail on the head here.

The problem is why dump $450 into a console to play games that you can play on the console you already own? It makes for a poor value proposition to own a console just to have minor enhancements for games you already own or can play on an existing console. That's what that "bucket of exclusives" does, it sends the message "we're making bigger and better games that wouldn't be possible without the Switch 2, so you need to go out and buy one to play them". That's the main issue here, they're doing an okay job of showing why you need a Switch of some kind with these games, but they're doing a poor job of showing why you need a Switch 2 specifically over a Switch 1.

Another Air Riders Direct? Really? I'm sure it's great for the folks who are excited for it, but as someone who was hoping Sakurai's new project would be a Kid Icarus game (an Uprising port or something new) it just feels like salt in the wound 😭 I am sure the OG Air Ride has fans for a reason, and I bet ppl will love Air Riders, but it doesn't look appealing to me personally at all.

@Bolt_Strike
You haven't answered why it matters to us as end users though. You've answered why you think it matters for Nintendo as a company. You're argued why you think it matters for people yet to get a Switch 2 in order to get them over the line. But you've failed to answer why it matters to someone who just wants to play some games that these games just happen to be on Switch also

A game is a game. If it runs fine limited to Switch specs or has a patch of some kind that opens up performance on Switch 2, frankly, I don't care. Content is content. I couldn't care less about how many units Nintendo moves beyond just the raw "will this platform move enough to be supported". And I don't think that's a concern. So I don't see what the complaint is