It was Feb. 17, and I, like many Nintendo fans, was excited.
The first Nintendo Direct in over a year came to us on Wednesday, ostensibly to reveal new information about some of the revered video game company’s most highly-anticipated new content, following a lengthy hiatus from announcements since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Needless to say, many were expecting some big announcements.
So why was it so…underwhelming?
The first announcement made during the 50-minute Direct was a longish cinematic featuring characters from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It meanders a bit, but one character, Pyra, exclaims playfully: “I got an invitation to join Smash!” Soon after, it’s revealed that her counterpart, Mythra, will be joining at the same time. While I think it’s neat that two DLC characters were announced simultaneously for Smash (which hasn’t been done so far for Ultimate), and I’m sure that Xenoblade fans are thrilled, I think I speak for many when I say that I was hoping for a more iconic character to join the roster of one of my favorite fighting games.
Next on the list of exciting new announcements: Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs)…a lot of them.
Bravely Default 2, “Project Triangle Strategy,” a Legend of Mana remaster, World’s End Club, and Miitopia are just some of the RPGs that had revelations during Nintendo’s presentation. While RPGs are great for people who enjoy strategy, their somewhat repetitive play style and anime-based art direction is uninteresting to a lot of the present audience.
One of my personal highlights from the Direct was the trailer for the upcoming Mario Golf: Super Rush for the Switch. Mario sports games feel almost as if they’re tailor-made for hanging out with friends and having a blast. No matter your age, there is something about seeing a little plumber or massive ape drive a ball 150 yards downrange that contributes hugely to a friendly competitive atmosphere.
There were other games announced that I am genuinely interested in. Neon White, a card-based RPG featuring Heaven as the setting, has you play as a demon exterminator, presumably to protect paradise from corruption. Another game that piqued my interest was a collection of three Ninja Gaiden remasters slated for release in the coming year—Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge—which seems like it will be a good chance to revitalize the once venerated-for-its-difficulty series, which isn’t talked about much today.
Next…DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power. When this game was announced instead of something like a rumored Bayonetta 3 or Pikmin 4, I had to check if I was in a really detailed fever dream; while I love and wholeheartedly support the idea of games for kids, this was as far as humanly possible from the Direct that I was expecting. The endowment of DC Super Hero Girls upon the masses truly cemented the idea that this was not a stellar Nintendo Direct. But I was internally begging to be proved wrong.
Then came the end of the Direct. One last announcement. The screen faded in to reveal Eiji Aonuma, the well-known producer of the Legend of Zelda series.
This is it, I thought. This is where Nintendo finally reveals how hard they’ve been working on the sequel to their 2017 masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild—which they have previously said nothing about besides confirming its existence—and slap a release date on it.
“We apologize. Development is proceeding smoothly, and we should be able to bring you some new information this year. For now, we’ll have to ask you to wait just a bit longer,” he said, regarding Breath of the Wild 2.
Ouch. Instead, Nintendo pump faked us, revealing an upcoming HD remaster for the 2011 Zelda installment Skyward Sword.
I like Skyward Sword; a lot! But with the absolute famine I had for Breath of the Wild 2 news, along with the only news being “there is no news,” really disappointed me. I love Nintendo, and yes, I am certainly going to partake in some of the content announced. However, being that the most exciting announcement from such a widely talked-about and anticipated presentation is Mario Golf, maybe that’s a sign Nintendo could’ve given a little bit more than this overall lackluster Direct.
IMAGE TAKEN from Screenrant
