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

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Despite a slightly antisocial start time in the UK (11pm), Nintendo has once again graced us with a Direct to share trailers and announcements about their upcoming releases.

This time though, the headline-grabbing news wasn’t about games at all. In fact, stealing the tweets and coverage was the voice casting news for the upcoming Super Mario-themed film, which will bring us Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi and Anya Taylor-Joy in 2022.

Of course, we’re dedicated to games first around here, so we’ve got a few thoroughly playable highlights from the show for you. What are yours? Let us know in the comments.

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by James Michael Parry

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@James_Parry

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by Team PTC

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@pass_controller

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Liam

Although I missed the Direct, waking up to all the reveals the next morning was quite enjoyable, with Kirby and the Forgotten Land probably the standout moment. It reminded me a bit of Super Mario Odyssey, which was loads of fun, so if it's anything as good as that we’ll be in for a good time.

I was glad to see other console generations coming to Switch Online, though the N64 launch list was a little underwhelming. I am looking forward to finally giving Majora’s Mask a try, however, and I was very happy to see WinBack included.

I played WinBack when I was younger and was impressed by its gameplay and story (I think you had to locate scattered crew members and try to work out who had betrayed you). In later years I forgot its name and assumed I would never come across it again, so news of it coming to Switch was a very welcome surprise.

​KOTOR coming to Switch was also welcome news, as I think it’ll be the easiest way to finally play what I know many consider (wrongly) to be the best Star Wars game (it’s the Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, in case you were wondering).

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Sam

Like Liam, Kirby and the Forgotten Land was my September 2021 Nintendo Direct highlight. There was a time when the Switch first came out where it felt like Nintendo was going all out on rejuvenating it’s biggest franchises. After starting the generation with daring titles like Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey, however, Nintendo quickly settled back into its groove of playing things safe.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land recaptures that initial excitement. The franchise is going full 3D and already looks to have been lavished with far more care and attention than (the admittedly enjoyable) Kirby Star Allies. It’s the next big step for the franchise and I’m 100% here for it.

It was also great to see Platinum Games’ Bayonetta 3 in action several years after its announcement. This closed out the show in the right way, notably giving fans their first glimpse at the game’s enormous kaiju battles. Just when players think that the series can’t get any crazier, the Umbra Witch ups the ante all over again.

Additionally, Nintendo 64 games are finally coming to the Switch Online service - with a big caveat. Accessing them requires subscribing to a new higher tier, so, rather than adding (much needed) value for existing subscribers, Nintendo is putting the squeeze on its most dedicated customers.

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James

While the addition of N64 has been long-begged for by fans, the inclusion of it as an “Expansion pack” (see what you did there Nintendo), rather than a free addition, (like Sam), I found it quite disappointing. Slipping Sega Genesis (or MegaDrive) games into Switch Online as well doesn’t quite tip the balance, despite the draw of playing Streets of Rage 2 for the umpteenth time.

Will Bayonetta 3 be the installment that finally gets me to try the series? Considering I own the original on the 360 at this very moment and still haven’t got to it two generations later, chances are slim. Still, the game looks great, in a rare example of Switch games really feeling like they show off some visual finesse.

Kirby is a character I’ve never had any run-ins with, outside Super Smash Bros. stages, so the potential for an expansive adventure is definitely appealing – given Breath of the Wild 2 still feels such a long way away.

In all there was a fair amount packed in, but not a lot of content which really seems to make the most of the Switch’s form factor. The shining light amongst it all is Splatoon 3, which I really hope gives a tasty singleplayer experience from the off, after it passed me by as DLC last time around.

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What was your favourite part from the Direct? Let us know.