New Ninty Direct

SuperBowserWorld

I think the world is ready for a new 2D Mario. Especially after the SM movie success.

Also, Sonic Superstars is out at the end of this year ...

Perfect timing.

Irish Halo

Tomorrow 3pm

https://twitter.com/NintendoUK/status/1671156261256298497

sligeach

Ya, I couldn't remember if it was 2 or 3pm when they make these announcements. I meant to check again at 3. Well anyway, there it is. Hopefully some big announcements. I'd love to hear about Switch 2, but that's probably not very realistic.

sligeach

Nintendo Direct – 21/06/2023

https://youtube.com/watch?v=fFOJa8YOP9s

Less than an hour to go until it starts.

sligeach

The new 2D Mario game will ditch the "New Super Mario" tagline, have a surprising new visual style, will feature online multiplayer, Rosalina, Daisy, Waluigi and Wario may be playable and I think "Wonder" is in the title.

My thoughts on what a new 2D Mario game could do. What about a Mario/Metroid 2D hybrid? I hate the term Metroidvania. There's no need for Castlevania to be piggybacking on Metroid. Anyway what I mean about the Mario/Metroid hybrid is a Metroid game but with Mario and he gains new abilities to access otherwise restricted areas. It would be a fully explorable Mushroom Kingdom with different terrains.

Like Mario could gain the fire flower ability and he would keep it. It's not like a one hit and it's gone. The fire flower could destroy certain enemies and melt ice blocks blocking your path to open new areas. He could gain the frog suit which will allow you to swim underwater. A bee suit could allow him to hover briefly. Ice flower could create platforms on water, freeze enemies for platforms, use the Ice Flower and Fire Flower in conjunction to destroy specific enemies. Hammer Bros suit could again break certain walls and defeat enemies. Mini Mushrooms could let him fit in small pipes which allow access to new areas. Have boss fights for each region. Just a thought. Mario has so many power ups from different games. I think it could be good to try this and maybe stack them together.

I don't know if Nintendo would want to have Mario play in a genre and mimic a franchise that already does this. If Mario did it, it could help the Metroid series grow as well. Nintendo could say if you liked that game there's a whole catalogue of them already, it's called Metroid.

Fysh

It's very on-brand for you to declare that the term metroidvania is "Castlevania piggybacking on Metroid", sligeach 😁

I don't think Nintendo have ever done a Mario game with full-on metroidvania mechanics like you describe, but tbh going away from the existing approach from SMW etc of "replay levels having unlocked new switches or abilities" feels like an odd move for a 2D Mario game. (Fully explorable Mushroom Kingdom etc sounds like a better fit for a 3D title, IMO).

sligeach

There has to be something about hardware that is coming up soon. Probably not in today's Direct, maybe in September. But I feel like it's influencing what can and cannot be shown. Why we know very little before today's Direct what's on the horizon besides Everybody 1-2-Switch! and Pikmin 4. Who knows, maybe today will blow that out of the water and they'll continue with Switch for another year or 2.

I think they'll do it next year, release it around May or June perhaps, it will be a gradual changeover to the new platform, with initially some cross platform games. They will want to do it while the Switch brand is viewed positively and not drag it out like they did with the Wii brand where it was too late and the changeover was confusing. They can coexist alongside each other for a year, or a little longer. Have price cuts on the original Switch models.

So for today, I think we've heard many of the rumours, Mario, Donkey Kong, F-Zero, a SNES remake(indications are it could be Super Mario RPG). Pikmin 4 obviously, Persona 3, probably Prince of Persia and Sonic. Probably some cloud versions of games(BOO!!!) like maybe Resident Evil 4 Remake.

It will be interesting to see if Zelda DLC is announced today and will they show off Metroid Prime 4. Both of which I feel they might want to keep alongside the announcement of new hardware at a later date.

sligeach

1 minute to go.

"Pegi 18." Then opens with Pokemon. 😂

sligeach

Finally, the first bit of good news. Super Mario RPG Remake. It looks great. So many familiar scenes there.

o1s1n

Mario RPG remake! that I did not see coming.

pixelburp

Super Mario RPG remake; a nice surprise, coming 17th November.

sligeach

Another Mario game. Except it's Princess Peach who's the star.

sligeach

Ooh Batman! Trilogy of Rocksteady games. Nice.

pixelburp

Oh sweet; the Arkham trilogy. Ok now I'm interested. The first was a fantastic Metroidvania mixed with a brawler. Arkham Knight I can pass on, mind you. "Autumn" release date.

sligeach

Pikmin 4 looks nice. It's had long enough t have a tonne of content.

Pikmin 1 & 2 are available on the eShop today.

johnny_ultimate

Vampire Survivors is pure digital crack cocaine - absurdly stupid, wildly satisfying. Glad to hear Switch owners will soon get addicted too.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120745243#Comment_120745243

Interesting to see it'll have local co-op play too, that'll be great fun.

sligeach

Those leaks about the new 2D Super Mario Bros game were spot on. They clearly seen the game. They knew so much. Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

CastorTroy

Well that's certainly a different non New Mario.

The small Mario model seemed similar to the RPG model.

Retr0gamer

Super Mario Wonder looks great. Looks really inventive like the best Nintendo Mario platformers.

Also glad Dragon Quest Monsters is getting a release, those games are really good. Some good stuff shown there. The Princess Peach game looks interesting.

sligeach

Some parts were interesting. The 1st party stuff looked great for the most part. Couldn't care less about Pokemon and there was a fair bit in there. Pikmin 4 looks terrific. The 2D Mario game is different, a bit weird. Need to see more. We didn't see much of the Princess Peach game or Luigi's Mansion 3DS. The Super Mario RPG looks really nice, it seems like a carbon copy of the original, except in 3D, similar to what Link's Awakening did on Switch.

There wasn't much 3rd party stuff. The Batman Trilogy was a nice surprise, but they're old games and I have 2 of them already. There was Sonic. Lots of Indie games, with one YouTuber I know won't be happy, asked for there not to be farm sims and cosy games again in this Direct. Didn't get his wish. Oh there was that Dragon Quest Monsters game, but it's not for me.

But there was no TOTK DLC and no Metroid Prime 4 which only adds to my earlier theory for future hardware at a later Direct.

SuperBowserWorld

Super Mario Wonder, developed with LSD.

Looks good. But maybe looks and sounds a bit too like NSMB for me. Still, it's a new Mario game, so, can't complain, and it's out this year.

Also, the Sonic game looks like a good update for 2D Sonic.

Lot of fun stuff in that direct.

Can you imagine what they will show as launch games for Switch 2.

johnny_ultimate

The yo-yo platformer Penny's Big Breakway from the Sonic Mania team (Christian Whitehead included) looks really cool. Hopefully it plays as good as it looks - will be great to see what they can do when liberated from franchise shackles!

https://twitter.com/EveningStarStdo/status/1671527134324465669?s=20

BadTurtle

Never got very far into Mario RPG without losing interest so the remake doesnt really do much for me.

Wonder has potential, but it will need to do more than the trailer showed to convince us that's it's not just New New Super Mario Bros. I think they knew that, by the fact they showed so many elements - the different playable characters, the elephant power-up, the obstacles and villains etc. The trouble is that NSMB Wii U did quite a lot of that kind of thing too.

Will be getting the Metal gear collection, that will be a nice retrospective.

Retr0gamer

I'm kind of amazed they are including the NES games in the collection. I suppose with Kojima gone they can stop pretending they don't exist. I kind of should go back and try and play Snake's Revenge but that opening area is horrendous and I'm not convinced it gets better.

tbahh

I thought it was a good Direct that was not necessarily needed but appreciated all the same. It could have easily been one of those Mini ones focusing on Pikmin 4 along with a few reveals and save the rest for a September Direct.

I suppose the announcement of the Peach and Luigi games was to say that the Switch has games in 2024. The footage from Luigi's Mansion 2 was the 3DS, right? Because I was not impressed with Luigi's teeth given how detailed they are on the cover of Luigi's Mansion 3.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder doesn't really roll off the tongue. Would have been cool if they had changed up the 'super Mario bros' part to make it more quirky.

pixelburp

I wonder if Metal Gear Solids infamous Memory Card 4th wall break will persist into the Switch? Seems unlikely I suppose, but it'd be cool if they recorded some new lines for the re-release.

Never played number 3 so am curious, though 1,000 minutes of cut scenes would put me off.

Mr.Saturn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120745350#Comment_120745350

Surprised we've heard nothing about the remake of DQ3 but I'll certainly take more DQM if it's going.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120745638#Comment_120745638

The start of 3 is codec and cutscene heavy but after the initial set up it largely leaves you to your own devices.

Greyfox

Excellent direct, delighted with Mario bros wonder.

SuperBowserWorld

This was strangely in the Japanese direct only ..

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/06/yoshi-and-kirby-developer-good-feel-reveals-new-3d-action-game-for-switch

CastorTroy

The American and European ones were different in one part as well. Where we got the bit about tournaments, they got a bit about Nintendo live and some tournaments.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120747956#Comment_120747956

This is meant to be a spiritual successor to the excellent goemon games with a lot of the ex developers on board. It looks incredible. Really hope this makes it to the west.

Doodah7

Personally I think every new Direct is now a case of papering over the cracks of how old the Switch is getting. To my eyes, most of the games looked babyish and trite and the constant re-heating of old classics in the Nintendo library is starting to wear thin.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120752481#Comment_120752481

They looked colourful and fun to me which honestly I'd take over ray traced bleakness while moving towards icons on a map.

I think this showcase shows that Nintendo are taking the Switch into 2024 and taking it with confidence. They've way more excellent looking first party games coming out than Sony or MS combined. It probably means the Switch 2 is at the very least well over a year away. Nintendo are being very clever here with the US theme park and runaway success of the Mario movie I'd say they are expecting a bump in holiday Switch sales so will need to support the console for at least a year.

And I'm ok with that. The Switch is home to so many good things right now that just can't be gotten on PC or Playstation.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120752481#Comment_120752481

I mean, it's Nintendo. When has their aesthetic not been skewed towards more cartoony styles, bold colours and general avoidance of Gritty McGrim beloved of the Games Are Serious Art brigade? Not sure what the age of the machine has to do with all that though - if the Switch left the PS5 in the dust for horsepower, Nintendo games would still look like Nintendo games. There's no evidence they need to change their ways TBH. The Switch still sells quite healthily & the Mario movie made a billion dollars - "Babyish" seems to be doing well for them.

If you've tired of that aesthetic that's understandable, but nothing says the Switch is struggling where it counts. And if you're waiting for Nintendo to do a Last of Us, we'll be waiting a long, long time.

CastorTroy

And if you're waiting for Nintendo to do a Last of Us, we'll be waiting a long, long time.

Retr0gamer

Nintendo has already done Earthbound and Mother 3. They don't need to chase after Last of Us when they have already wiped the floor with it before it even came out.

Doodah7

But surely if they had a more capable console, they could have the best of both worlds: the Nintendo IP's that everyone (including myself) know and love but also the possibility of getting ports of the more demanding (power/graphics-wise) games that are available on the other consoles.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120753347#Comment_120753347

Again though, where's the indication they need to? Nobody's ignorant about the Switch's borderline technical obsolescence, but the hardware's still selling strong, TOTK continues to dominate charts, indie support remains solid - but if customer frustration at the lack of 3rd party parity was that strong, sales would have tapered off long ago.

And as the Steam Deck shows by its own lifespan, the mobile hardware price-point to support modern games would immediately kill off the Switch's appeal to the mass market it (and Nintendo's hardware generally enjoys), while even top-of-the-line mobile hardware isn't immune to performance problems. The Switch's success is partially because even in 2017 it wasn't exactly bleeding edge; the choice was made to trade performance for portability, good battery life & low heat.

Nintendo has been punished by bad choices before, but nothing in the Switch's cycle shows their strategy hasn't paid off - handsomely at that.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120753347#Comment_120753347

Nintendo tried that. It didn't work. So they took a different approach and is outselling the competition.

CiDeRmAn

And, if you are after fancier visuals, just buy an Xbox Series S, cheap as chips and will run those games you are after.

I have most consoles and the Switch gets most of my time.

sligeach

https://twitter.com/NintendoUK/status/1696524772769948067

3pm Irish time on Thursday. Hopefully that’s making more room for other games in a September general Nintendo Direct.

sligeach

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct – 31/08/2023

https://youtube.com/live/yPaXffV3F9w

20 minutes to go.

BadTurtle

Enjoyed that, looks very charming. It still has a slight whiff of NSMB but certainly more impressive and original than the final games in that series. The design is very nice. Cool power ups too, and the badges is a neat idea.

RocketRaccoon

Well that looks absolutely fantastic. It would be an easy day one purchase for me except the fact my son is getting a switch off santa so I'll package that game in with it for him/myself.

Len_007

The main playable characters all have the same abilities.

I guess the days of Mario & Peach having different but complimenting abilities are gone.

I wonder why that decision was made?

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121055532#Comment_121055532

Just came across this article that explains why ... there is a badge system in this game ...

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/super-mario-bros-wonder-nintendo-interview-1234814207/

sligeach

Nate the Hate says to expect a Nintendo Direct this week, with Thursday the likely day.

sligeach

I haven't been on my phone since this morning. Half expected to go online and read about a Direct announcement for Thursday. But there’s nothing, tomorrow is fine for a broadcast on Thursday. It might have been overshadowed if it was announced today because of Apple's event.