Meaty Direct.
Nintendo dropped a fairly big Direct today. So let’s give a rundown of everything they showed off.
Pokémon Scarlet And Violet DLC: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero
First up was DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The first part, The Teal Mask, sees players take a school trip to Kitakami. Among the things showed off were non-school-uniform costumes and cosmetics, as well as “The Loyal Three” – a trio of pokémon designed after the animal companions from Momotarō. In addition, there is an enigmatic pokémon seemingly wearing the titular mask.
Part Two, The Indigo Disk features multiple environments in an undersea dome. There are multiple returning pokémon, as well as a new, mysterious glowing one unique to the DLC. The Teal Mask will be available Fall 2023, while The Indigo Disk is slated for Winter 2023.
Sonic Superstars
While already announced by Sega, there were some tidbits revealed here. For one, the chaos emeralds you collect each unlock special powers unique to them, such as the ability to summon a bunch of clones or unveil hidden platforms and rings. Set to release Fall 2023.
Palia
A free-to-play fantasy/adventure farming sim. Launches this Holiday season.
Persona 5 Tactica
The recently announced Persona 5 tactical RPG spinoff. Available November 17th this year; physical pre-orders open now.
Mythforce
A unique-looking first-person roguelike. the big deal is that everything is designed to look like fantasy cartoons from the 80’s. And you can definitely see the influence of He-Man, Thundercats, Dungeons & Dragons and more at play here. Coming this year.
Splatoon 3 Splatfest: July 2023
The upcoming splatfest is a brutal bloodsport deciding the king of the ice creams: vanilla, strawberry, or mint chocolate chip.
Detective Pikachu Returns
Sadly, no Danny Devito. But you can still grab yourself a coffee and solve another mystery with the great pokémon detective. I was wondering when it would get a sequel. Launches October 6th, with more information to come in the future.
Super Mario RPG Remake
One of the big surprises for this direct. A full 3D remake of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is on the way. Would’ve been nice a couple years ago for the Geno in Smash people. Still, great game. Launches November 17th, 2023, with eShop pre-orders open now.
Untitled Princess Peach game
Really just a teaser, almost nothing is shown. Still it’s nice to know that they’re giving her another standalone title, considering Super Princess Peach was… 18 years ago. Launches next year.
Luigi’s Mansion 2: Dark Moon
A port of the 3DS game is coming to the Nintendo Switch. Launches next year.
Batman: Arkham Trilogy
The trilogy is coming to the Switch, complete with DLC included with your purchase. Likely to be the final time you hear the late Kevin Conroy in his most iconic role. Fall 2023.
Gloomhaven
An adaptation of the tabletop game of the same name. Features tactical RPG card battles. Available September 18th 2023.
Just Dance 2024 Edition
Launches October 24th.
Silent Hope
An action RPG with the major twist being none of the characters are able to speak. Available October 3rd, 2023.
Fae Farm
A multiplayer farming sim RPG. Launches September 8th.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 Turbocharged
Launches October 19th.
Manic Mechanics
Features frantic 4 player co-op in addition to single player. Launches July 13th.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope DLC 2: The Last Spark Hunter
Sees Mario and party heading to a musical planet filled with new areas and enemies. Available now.
DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS: The Dark Prince
The first new DQM game in a while. This time around, they’re doing the same thing they did with the first game and Caravan Hearts, in that it’s technically a prequel to a mainline game, This time, you’re playing as Psaro from Dragon Quest 4. Launches December 1st, 2023.
Pikmin 4
One of the big cornerstones of the show. Shows some of the new Pikmin in the Glow Pikmin, which can only be found at night, as well as the fact you can go on night missions, which feature more aggressive enemies. Also covered was Oatchi; the dog like rescue buddy not only features a number of abilities, like being able to ferry Pikmin across water, but can also be trained between missions. Launches July 21st.
Pikmin 1+2
HD versions of the first two Pikmin games. Now the children will know about 2’s random bullshit. Available now on the eShop.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Volume 1
Collects Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater in one package. It also includes the original MSX version of Metal Gear and its canonical sequel Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, as well as the NES version of Metal Gear and the non-canonical (due to actually being a different game) Snake’s Revenge. You also get the Metal Gear Solid digital graphic novel, as well as its sequel, screenplay books and master books, as well as strategy guides for each game, as well as a digital soundtrack for the collection. Launches October 24th, 2023, preorders on the eShop open now.
Worth noting that the physical release for the Switch version only features part of the collection on the cart, requiring a download for the remainder.
Vampire Survivors
The Award-winning game lands on Nintendo Switch, with couch co-op. Available August 17th.
Headbangers Rhythm Royale
Literally Trash Doves the rhythm game. Play as your floppy-ass bird against up to 30 players across 20 rhythm games. Available October 31st.
Penny’s Big Breakaway
A new 3D platform game from the team that made Sonic Mania. Having upset Emperor Eddie in an audition that went awry, Penny is on the run from Eddie’s Penguin squad. Luckily, she has her newly sentient Yoyo to help her make a getaway. Launches early 2024.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass Wave 5
Introduces:
- New course: Squeaky Clean Sprint
- New character: Peaty Piranha
- New character: Wiggler
- New character: Kamek
Available Summer 2023.
STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R
The previously leaked remake of Star Ocean: The Second Story. It’s finally getting the same treatment the first game got a fairly long time ago. Which is a good thing as The Second Story is generally regarded as the best in the series. Available November 2nd (hah!) 2023.
WarioWare: Move It!
A new Warioware that challenges you to get up on your feet and move around. Makes use of the gyros on the joy-cons. Launches November 3rd, 2023, pre-orders on the eShop open now.
Nintendo Live 2023
Nintendo’s live event offers fun for the whole family, with character photo ops, live music performances, and of course, games. There will also be game competitions for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 3. Takes place September 1-4 in Seattle, Washington. Admittance is free, but you need to register at the official website. You only have a chance of getting tickets, attendees will be selected from the registry.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Zelda and Ganondorf Amiibo
Exactly what it says on the tin. The Zelda and Ganondorf Amiibos will each give out a unique paraglider fabric, among other goodies once scanned in the game.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Not only does it have talking flowers, not only does it have playable Daisy in a mainline game for the first time in forever, not only does it have a ton of new stuff to speculate about, not only does it have new transformations and powerups. It’s the first new sidescrolling Mario game to not have the word “New” in the title. This is gonna be a great game. Launches October 20th, 2023.
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