Nintendo’s Direct presentation this morning had a lot riding on it: with the Switch 2 delayed until next year, they are no doubt saving their best ideas for that machine. So what could they throw us in 2024 that was satisfying enough? Plenty, it turns out: the return of Mario & Luigi, a new Zelda WITH EMPHASIS on the “Zelda,” and maybe, possibly, a certain sequel starring an armored galactic bounty hunter.
Nintendo Switch Online New Mature Section — Today
I assumed we’d never see anything above T in NSO, due to Nintendo wanting to keep everything relatively clean for kids, but they surprised us with a Nintendo 64 “mature” section that includes the original Turok and Perfect Dark (in WIDESCREEN)! This means the odds of Conker appearing here are no longer zero.
Super Mario Party Jamboree — October 17
Nintendo claims this is the “biggest Mario Party yet” despite there being just seven boards (five are new). They probably mean the fact that some minigames support up to 20 players at once.
The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom — September 26
Not only was a new Zelda game announced just three months before its release date, not only does it use the “toybox” aesthetic popularized in the Link’s Awakening remake, but for the first time you play the game as the princess the entire series is named after. We’ll devote a larger article to this later, no doubt.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD — January 16, 2025
I know, it’s not even the first time it’s been ported, bur believe it or not, we need this. It’s a great game and the only way to play it right now on a TV is to dig out the Wii and use annoying motion controls. All the bonus levels from the 3DS version will be included. It’ll be $60! Just kidding, we don’t know the price. (It’ll probably be $70.)
Dragon Quest HD-2D Remake — November 14
Square announced this a while ago, but didn’t give us a good look until now. It looks great and today they confirmed Dragon Quest 1 and 2 will be remade the same way. Why did they make 3 first? Because its story chronologically takes place before 1.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership — November 7
We’re happy to see the Mario & Luigi series return but…who’s making this? Developer Alphadream, who made all the previous M&L games and was responsible for their quirky humor, no longer exists. No answers yet. Whoever these new people are, they have to be FUNNY or this won’t work.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection — September 6
There were many objections when Capcom refused to release Investigations 2 on the DS back in the day. It will finally be crossing shores officially through this combo pack that also republishes the first Investigations.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — 2025
This is the big one; the one everyone has been impatiently waiting for since 2017. The question is, are we seeing a Switch game or a Switch 2 game?
