Nintendo Direct June 2024 - Reactions and Thoughts
Posted on 2024.6.18
So. Nintendo Direct, huh? Yeah...
I knew before going in that this one would be a little different. We’re very much at the end of the Switch’s lifespan and things are clearly starting to slow down. Regardless, I was curious to see what Nintendo had in store for us this time. I didn’t have a lot of expectations for this one; in general I like to keep expectations low so that when something cool happens, it’s a big surprise. And surprise it did! Even though there was nothing mindblowing for me (the majority of the games shown were not for me), there were still a couple of cool announcements. I’ll elaborate as I go, so without further ado, here are my reactions and thoughts to some of the announcements made during this Nintendo Direct presentation. It may be the last Switch-only Direct, who knows?
> THE STUFF THAT APPEALED TO ME
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NEW MARIO AND LUIGI GAME?!?! I say that as if I've ever properly played a M&L game lol. Truth is I just recognize the artstyle and the fact that people love it. I really enjoyed the other recently released Mario RPGs (Super Mario RPG, and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door), so maybe I’ll enjoy this one as well. I’ve heard good things about this series, and of course when I opened Twitter my timeline was flooded with people freaking out about this game. I think I’ll give it a shot, count me in! Also that artstyle and animation looked really good, just sayin’.
Super Mario Party Jamboree
YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH NEW MARIO PARTY WOOOOOOOOOOOO
I am instantly looking forward to this one, no question about it. I love Mario Party and loved the previous entry, Superstars. I’m a little bit cautious considering they’re using the Super Mario Party branding (a game which I didn’t really enjoy all that much), but hopefully NDCube has learned their lesson from Superstars, which was already a great step in the right direction and just needed a few more tweaks. I’m very excited for this one, so please allow me to take a closer look.
At a glance, all the new boards look pretty good, it seems like they’ve taken their lesson from the old games and how well they were received in Superstars. Roll ‘Em Raceway stood out to me in particular for having a unique gimmick that affects gameplay at all times (and is not just a board feature in a corner of the map). I also like how they’re bringing back two retro boards. Not only does this give us even more boards to play on (since lack of boards has been a common criticism for a while, including from myself), but maybe it will start a trend of bringing back classic boards in future entries, kinda like Mario Kart? I hope so… or maybe this is scrapped Superstars DLC that was repurposed and we will never see classics again. Who knows? Moving on, 110 minigames is a lot! That’s an impressive amount considering it’s potentially all new minigames, unlike the compilation games. There are some motion control minigames, which… ehhh, but according to a website they’re optional so that’s fantastic. Always good to provide options so people who want it or don’t want it can be happy. One thing I’m curious about is the extra side modes. They showed a few of them but said that there’s even more (and also saying this is the “biggest Mario Party yet”. What kind of modes will we see? Will they be worthwhile or useless filler? Will we get a proper single player mode? So many unanswered questions, so all we can do is wait until the party starts October 17th. I’m really looking forward to this one, I just really hope they don’t mess it up. Please learn from previous entries and what they did right and wrong. Please please please don’t screw it up. Also please get better names for these Mario Party games LMAO. Anyway yeah, day 1 purchase for me.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
NEW ZELDA GAME!! AND YOU GET TO PLAY AS ZELDA FOR THE FIRST TIME*!!!!
This one’s… kinda interesting. First of all, a return to top-down Zelda, which is nice. I like how they kept the Link’s Awakening remake artstyle (off topic: I should probably finish that game…). Getting to play as Zelda is really, really cool. It’s something fans have been wanting for years and it finally happened. As for myself, I’m curious to see how it plays out. The whole echo gameplay seems interesting, though I’m cautious on its execution. If done well, it could be fun to play around with and make up your own solution to problems. But if done poorly, I can see it ending up as a gimmicky distraction or obstacle. I will miss the traditional combat style, but hopefully its replacement (with the whole summons thing) does a good job with it. In general, if it keeps the whole feel and vibe of any other Zelda game, then I’m down for it (by this I mean I hope it doesn’t end up feeling too spin-off-y). I think I’ll be getting this one, but I’m not 100% sure. Maybe I’ll wait until after release and opinions have gathered.
*those games will not be acknowledged. :)
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
THE METROID PRIME...
THE METROID PRIME 4 IS REEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAALLLL!!!!!
After 7 long years, we finally get a glimpse of this legendary game that awaits us. I’m not the craziest fan of Metroid and even I understand how monumental this announcement is. I’m probably gonna get it. I enjoyed Super Metroid and Metroid Dread, they’re both excellent, and I also have Metroid Prime Remastered but only played like 5 hours of it. I guess now’s the perfect chance to get back into it so I can get properly hyped for Prime 4. I’m not crazy now, but who knows if I’ll go crazy later? Anyway this was a really cool trailer. Fans can rest easy now.
> THE STUFF THAT DIDN'T APPEAL TO ME
(Titles where I don't give any good comment are grayed out to make the ones where I do stand out)
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition - This was already announced, but it looks neat. Don’t think I’m interested enough to get it though. Unless people blow up talking about it, but that seems unlikely.
FAIRY TAIL 2 - not interested
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension - not interested
Nintendo Switch Sports - LMAOOO THEY'RE ADDING ANOTHER SPORT TO SWITCH SPORTS (I AM STILL NOT BUYING THIS GAME). I really hate how they handled this game with the limited content and the rollout of updates. I honestly thought they stopped supporting this game, so this announcement was a bit of a surprise, but it just feels like too little too late (especially for a sport that was already in Wii Sports Resort). I refused to buy it 3 years ago and I refuse to buy it now. If I ever need a sports fix, I’ll just play Resort, which is still peak all these years later. Sorry for the tangent, moving on...
MIO: Memories in Orbit - not interested. Looks like something some of my friends would enjoy, so I’ll tell ‘em to take a look.
Disney Illusion Island - not interested
Hello Kitty Island Adventure - not interested
Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports - not interested
Among Us - not interested, but I will say, good on the devs for still supporting the game even after its massive blow up. I hope fans of the game will enjoy this one
Farmagia - not interested (lol another farming game (jk))
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD - This is the second time they’re porting Returns LOL. I’m not crazy for Donkey Kong so I’ll probably skip this one.
DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake - not interested, but I will comment that it looks pretty good from an outsider POV. Seems like something fans of the series have been wanting, so good for them, hope they enjoy it.
Funko Fusion - not interested (BRO WHAT THE HELL IS THIS)
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD - Also already announced but still cool to see. I liked Luigi’s Mansion 3, but being honest, I don’t know if I’ll get this one. Probably not unless I get magically convinced somehow.
THE NEW DENPA MEN - not interested (the little dudes look like Katamari cousins lol. also i thought this was gonna be tomodachi life for like 0.3 seconds ;w;)
METAL SLUG ATTACK RELOADED - not interested
Darkest Dungeon II - not interested
Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack - not interested. I don’t have the expansion pack cuz I think it’s overpriced. Even if it’s more worth it now that it’s been a while and there’s way more games than launch, I’m still not super interested. This is something I’d probably end up getting only if there’s a drought of new games (and even then, I’ll probably just replay games I already have)
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero - not interested
MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics - not interested, but this seems like it would be a big deal to fans of the series so congrats to them. Collections are always cool.
Just Dance 2025 Edition - not interested. “‘Just Dance is back!’ Did it ever leave?” - Scott the Woz, 2021
LEGO Horizon Adventures - not interested
Stray - not interested. I thought this game was on Switch already tbh, but I’m glad more people can play it now, I heard it’s good.
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings™ Game - not interested
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection - it looks cool, and fans seem excited. I’ve never played an Ace Attorney game, but it always seemed like something that I would like, based on the clips and videos I’ve seen. I actually bought a bunch of those games on my 3DS (they were on sale as the eShop was shutting down), so I just have to find the time to sit down and play them.
The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy - not interested
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven - not interested
> THE STUFF THAT WASN'T IN THE DIRECT
Really my only two wishes coming in (keyword: wishes, not predictions) were a Tomodachi Life sequel and a Rhythm Heaven sequel, but alas, neither happened (as expected, sadly). I would really like a new Tomodachi Life that expands upon everything and fixes the few problems with it. Rhythm Heaven fans will continue starving for official content until the end of time. Also, no Splatoon? Not even a Splatfest announcement? GGs this game is cooked.
> CLOSING THOUGHTS
Overall, this Direct was pretty good! Nothing mindblowing, as I said in the beginning, but that was to be expected. The last Direct was already an indication of things slowing down due to the imminent successor to the Switch, but just like that last one, this Direct still managed to put together quite some bangers. It’s honestly impressive how amazing the Switch library has been from start to finish, where even in its last breaths it’s still giving care and passion. Not every announcement was for me, but a lot of them were definitely someone else’s. General opinion on this Direct was positive (but not crazily) and I agree. I’ll give it a solid 3.5/5. I’m happy with what I got. I still can’t believe Metroid Prime 4 is real.
Summary on my favorite announcements (and my excitement level as stars):
- ★★★ Super Mario Party Jamboree
- ★★ Mario & Luigi: Brothership
- ★ Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
- ★ The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom