What were the highlights from the February 2023 Nintendo Direct? | Team Talk

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It doesn’t feel like the gaming year has really kicked off until we’ve had a Nintendo Direct, so lucky us that Ninty decided to grace us with a slew of updates, including a few surprise reveals which we could dive into right away.
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We’ve picked our own personal highlights, this time summarised in the form of the overarching emotion the show evoked for us,  but what stood out for you from the update? Let us know in our Discord.

by Team PTC

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​@pass_controller

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Surprise | Liam Andrews

Thanks to a combination of the Direct starting at 10pm and knowing my hopes for a Wind Waker HD Switch port would likely be dashed once again, I didn’t actually bother to watch the show live this time. However, I think I preferred catching up on everything the next morning, as I could skip over all the stuff that didn’t interest me and easily find the announcements that did.

There were still plenty of pleasant surprises as well. I was not expecting to see a Metroid Prime remaster listed amongst the deluge of announcements, let alone a shadow drop for it on the eShop. This was one of my favourite GameCube titles, and I am looking forward to exploring Talon IV once again.

GameBoy and GameBoy Advance titles coming to Nintendo Switch Online was also a bit of a surprise, despite persistent rumours suggesting they’d be added at some point. The first batch of titles still aren’t enough to get me to sign up, however. I think it’ll take GameCube games being added before that happens, but it’s still good to see the service being expanded with new systems.

I was hoping for more from the TotK trailer, as the new flying machines didn’t really do it for me. I expect we’ll get a dedicated Zelda direct closer to release day, which’ll hopefully shed some light on the game’s dungeon/boss situation.​

Disappointment | Chris Brand

I'm rather disappointed that there was no mention of Pokémon, as I've had to shoehorn in this link to a wormhole I'm slowly building. I'll get around to playing it man, just give me some time.

Running with the theme of disappointment, there seemed to be very little variety on offer, with many titles blurring into one huge mass of retro-styled RPGs and more than a handful of actual retro games that are finding a second home on the Nintendo Switch. My lack of interest may stem from the fact that I don't own a Switch, though this didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the one game we were all surely waiting to see.

Liam's most anticipated game of 2023, Tears of the Kingdom, single-handedly carried the show. We didn't get a ton of info or an extended look, but after the success of Breath of the Wild we didn't really need to, everyone had already made up their mind.

The idea of playing third-party titles on Nintendo's hardware just doesn't do it for me, but seeing Mario or Link in a new outing often fills me with excitement. A restrained excitement, given that I probably won't ever play these games, but excitement nonetheless.

Ninty do make the occasional blunder (Labo, again) but when it comes to first-party games their creativity and innovation shine through. Not enough to make me fork out for a new system, yet enough that I would consider picking one up if the price was right.
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For now, I'll live vicariously through others, waiting patiently for TotK's release and for one of the team to review it. Or for Ubisoft to announce a sequel to Immortals: Fenix Rising, which is about as close as I can get.

Optimism | James Parry

While, like most Nintendo fans, I appreciated a brief respite in the long wait for Tears of the Kingdom in the form of a trailer, though I am still waiting to be wowed quite as much as its predecessor. If it ends up being more of the same though, that will still be a fantastic experience, and one I’m looking forward to.

What I did love was that the opening of the show was given over to a fairly extensive look at Pikmin 4, a series which I feel like I frequently rave about, often by myself. The game is looking as adorable as ever, and I’m excited to jump in in July.

Like Liam, I found the reveal of Metroid Prime Remastered a pleasant and welcome surprise, particularly at a price point that isn’t ridiculous. I expect Splatoon 3 will be keeping me busy for a fair while yet, especially with the new expansion pass looming, so I doubt it will make it onto my Switch, but I’m excited for the series to attract new fans ahead of a brand new instalment.

Seeing Samba de Amigo return raised a smile, though I know it more by reputation than personal experience. In fact it was seeing those GameBoy and GBA games which were the biggest nostalgia hit, and it makes me optimistic for them finally getting around to adding more systems, so Nintendo’s complete back catalogue can finally be available all in one place.

Finally, it was nice to see the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Courses add a brand new track, and a Yoshi-themed one at that. Despite my inconsistent performance in multiplayer, a new course does tend to level the playing field…at least for a while.