Summer is traditionally the dead part of the video game calendar.
It’s almost as if companies understand people are spending more time outside in warmer weather, so they don’t necessarily plan blockbuster releases to keep folks from soaking in some sunlight. Fortunately, for those of us waiting for the colder months, summer is also the time of year when game companies start diagramming their upcoming slates like Microsoft recently did for the Xbox.
It’s like going to the movies and enjoying every second of the 20 minutes of trailers but for video games!
On Tuesday, Nintendo showcased its latest Nintendo Direct, highlighting its plans for the rest of 2024 and the near future. And hoo boy, was it an absolute barnburner. I don’t care how cynical our world has become. If you love video games, Tuesday’s presentation definitely made you feel something.
Let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from the June 2024 Nintendo Direct. All featured images courtesy of Nintendo unless noted otherwise.
1. Winner: Anyone who has wanted to play as Zelda for years
In almost every entry of The Legend of Zelda franchise, you step into the boots of Link, the “link” between the player and the game world. You are almost always following the story beats of the “damsel in distress” trope to save Princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil Ganondorf in some fashion. The games have remained fun and inventive even though they’ve left a lot of meat on the bone with other potential protagonists.
Nintendo is finally flipping this formula on its head.
Coming later this year is The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Without me saying anything else, I’m sure that sounds really cool and like a bog-standard mysterious Zelda game title. (What are the echoes? Whoa!)
The catch is that this top-down adventure puts you in Zelda’s shoes this time as she tries to rescue Link after he loses to Ganondorf in battle. Gasp! Perhaps more importantly, Zelda will not actually play like Link in swinging a sword or shooting arrows around. Instead, she’ll utilize a magical “Tri Rod,” an all-encompassing item that creates and copies different objects in the world.
The 2D-esque Zelda games have been somewhat due for a shake-up for a while. It certainly looks like Echoes of Wisdom will provide that creative opportunity. It’s coming later this fall in September.
2. Loser: People holding their breath for Hollow Knight: Silksong
Admittedly, this isn’t only on Nintendo, as the next entry in the instant classic Metroidvania Hollow Knight series will be multiplatform. So, theoretically, any one of Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, or even developer Team Cherry has the keys to giving us a morsel of information that the highly-anticipated sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong is on the horizon.
Still, in a press event featuring several Nintendo heavyweights bringing their best, it would’ve been nice to finally get any inkling that Hornet’s solo adventure was still coming. I would’ve taken a smattering of screenshots, a 10-second teaser with no gameplay footage, anything!
I blame Team Cherry first and foremost, but c’mon, Nintendo, pull some strings here.
3. Winner: The most patient Metroid fans
It had been 17 years since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the last entry in Nintendo’s primary 3D series for its Metroid franchise. Seventeen very long years and two separate console generations since we had last seen Samus Aran’s colorful, dynamic first-person perspective on a strange alien planet.
Our long wait is mercifully over.
To cap this Nintendo Direct, the company revealed a comprehensive look at Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in a remarkable announcement trailer. While it’s still not coming until sometime in 2025 (grumble, grumble), at least we got this taste to stave us off until then.
4. Loser: Gamers who wanted a proper NEW entry to the 2D Donkey Kong franchise
Look, this is more of a personal gripe, as I consider myself one of the biggest fans of the Donkey Kong Country franchise. They are simultaneously some of the most challenging and vibrant games I’ve ever played. They perfectly capture that arcade feel with any one of the Kongs in your control.
So, with that being said, it’s been over a decade since the release of Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze … a game that came out for the Wii U and was remastered for the Switch a few years ago. It has been over a decade since we last had some fresh new platforming worlds for DK and Co. to navigate.
Our reward? Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, another remaster of a great game, this time from the Wii, but it’s nothing new or inherently fresh. Don’t get me wrong. I’m probably gonna play the heck out of this game and squeeze out every last drop until I can’t feel my fingers come January 2025. But I’ve been waiting for DK to embark on a new 2D story for years!
And I can’t imagine I’m the only one.
5. Winner: People who only break out their Switch when they have company
I love the Mario Party franchise. There’s nothing quite like this mini-game-based, virtual board game centered almost entirely around laughs and random luck in the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s chaotic and rowdy in the best possible ways.
But, like most folks, I really only play Mario Party if I have friends or family over who are willing to join in on the frantic fun. That happens maybe several times a year at most. (Side note: Have you ever played Mario Party solo? It’s not a rewarding experience!) Anyway, for us gamers who are occasionally social with their video games comes Super Mario Party: Jamboree, the latest full-fledged entry to Nintendo’s flagship party series.
It will feature five new boards, 110 minigames, and an online component that will let you play with up to 20 people (!). I’m not sure how the logistics of that will work, but I’m excited to find out and broaden my horizons by stealing stars from strangers I met 15 minutes ago.
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