What were the highlights at the Nintendo direct?

What were the highlights at the Nintendo direct? | Team Talk

1/4/2025

It’s Nintendo season, and with the Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct only days away, the iconic Japanese gaming company has already spoiled us with another Direct talking about software coming to the original Switch.

Not only that, but theory talked about an interesting software update coming to the Switch in April, which gives us an indication of what the Switch 2 experience might be like – and how they are going to succeed in convincing you need one day one.

What stood out for you at the Direct? What are your predictions for the Switch 2 update? Let us know in our Discord.

by Team PTC

@pass_controller

Virtual Game Cards | James Parry

Dear reader, I’m getting old. As the Direct fired up with a delightfully Nintendo reveal, that Dragon Quest I&II are getting a 2.5D HD remake, following Dragon Quest III getting the treatment last year, I settled into the show like a warm blanket in the winter.

However, it wasn’t the game updates that really piqued my interest, though I will always remain optimistic about Pokémon and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond also had some interesting stuff to show. In fact, it was an update about game sharing: the introduction of Virtual Game Cards.

In short, the movement of digital games on the Switch up to now hasn’t been great. While you can take game cards from one Switch to another fairly easily, and even share your save data if you have Nintendo Online, transferring digital games has all sorts of caveats and hoops to jump through.

Until now, since now Virtual Game Cards will allow you to lend and transfer games more easily. For families too there are some great quality of life benefits, as you can lend one game at a time to linked Switches for up to two weeks, before they automatically snap back.

Better still, once you’ve set up the link in person, all the sharing and management of these options can take place over the internet, and give a far more robust offline experience for Switches on the go.

It’s a very Nintendo initiative, and one which, if it works, is going to encourage a lot of people to use their existing Switches more, as well as potentially shell out for a new one knowing the move will be more seamless than ever before.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion and Shadow Labyrinth | Chris Brand

Upon first seeing the trailer, I was surprised that Marvel Cosmic Invasion doesn't already exist. It seems like an obvious idea that should have been done many times before, but here we are with a brand new Marvel beat 'em up.

It seems like The Avengers and X-Men will make up the bulk of the roster, but there's room for a few lesser-known characters outside of the usual suspects.

It's an even more attractive package with the promise of 4-player co-op, despite me lacking the required number of friends to really make the most of it, but at least I only need to find 3 more to give it a go.

This may have flown under my radar and landed quietly in the corner without me even noticing, if it wasn't for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge being the absolute best that the genre has to offer.

The other thing that caught my eye was Shadow Labyrinth. When it comes to boring, tedious, soul-crushingly dull games, Pac-Man is unmatched. But the pointless yellow circle has been completely reimagined in, what I'm calling, a reboot of the series.

The story of Shadow Labyrinth eluded me each time I rewatched that section, though I assume it doesn't differ all that much from the original: you swallow hundreds of pills and fight ghosts. But this time, Pac-Man is known as Puck and he's more of a side-kick or a pet. Kind of like how Tintin has his stupid little dog, or how Elon Musk has Donald Trump.

Thankfully, they've kept the only good aspect of the franchise which is, of course, the iconic waka-waka noise.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond | LiaM ANDREWS

I’m a big fan of Metroid Prime. I enjoyed the original back in 2002, and the 2023 remaster was my personal game of the year, so it’s no surprise that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was my highlight of the Direct.

The gameplay shown off looked great, and I really like the look of the new location, Viewros, with its lush jungle setting. The opening few moments of the trailer nailed that Metroid Prime feeling, especially with the melancholic operatic music and I can’t wait to go exploring.

Combat looked as satisfying as ever, and the new psychic abilities seem very interesting, being able to control projectiles with them seems like a very cool idea. No solid release date was a bit disappointing, but I am still very excited to play this, hopefully not too much later in the year.

Elsewhere I enjoyed the reveal of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. I was aware of how popular the first Tomodachi Life was on 3DS, but I never played it. It’s a shame it’s coming in 2026 as I’ve been looking for another relaxing game to play after dropping Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but it at least looks like it’ll be worth the wait.

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