Full of wonder
Welcome to Nintendo Dissect. Is what I would have said if this was a thing I planned on doing regularly moving forward. Let’s not beat our collective meat around the proverbial bush here. This will likely be the only content I create for a few months. Enjoy it, I guess…
Remember when Nintendo announced that Sonic Superstars was (obviously) coming to Nintendo Switch? No, neither do I….
So, while everyone else was fluffing Geoff Keighly and further inflating his already overly obnoxious ego, Nintendo didn’t join the Summertime Bukkake fun and instead do what they do best and held a good ol’ fashioned Direct. The June 21st Direct, to be exact. I’m not going to break it all down and list everything shown, along with timestamps and opinions on the content, that’s not what I’m here to do. Though I will embed this here because it’s just so fucking great!
What I will do, however, is state that, while the content shown was equal parts charming and eclectic, we’re truly in the end days of the Nintendo Switch now. There are no new Smash reveals, no The Sequel to the Breath of the Wild mysteries. We’re even almost done with Mario Kart DLC. At this point, it’s mainly ports and platformers. And Wario!!
This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but everything now SCREAMS new hardware in late 2024. Metroid Prime IV and the next 3D Mario title are almost certainly being developed for the next console. The Nintendo Switch has had a wonderful run, delivering some truly special, deeply personal and at times barely believable video games.
Now, it’s time to say sayonara, enjoy the rest of the ride and prepare for whatever the Switch 2 Electric Boogaloo brings. But first, I’m genuinely looking forward to sitting down with the family, getting lost in Pikmin 4, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Detective Pikachu this year, while next year will bring an all-new Princess Peach title and a Luigi’s Mansion 2 remake. It’s the perfect swansong. Just good, wholesome family fun. All of the aforementioned titles should shift decent numbers. With over 100 million hybrid systems in the wild, the install base is sizeable. However, it’s pretty safe to say that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is going to sell like hotcakes. An all-new 2D Mario title. The first in over a decade. No “New” moniker. Furthermore, everyone and their Gran loves Mario! Genuine scenes.
Note to self. Buy some hotcakes.
The days of sprawling, epic showpieces are (likely) over. Let’s all just take a moment to appreciate what a behemoth of a games console the Nintendo Switch has been. From Mario to Metroid, Zelda to Xenoblade. And the Indies! So many beautiful, intimate experiences delivered via the convoluted eshop storefront (and for $50 on a cart from heinous opportunists, but, another time). The games have been just wonderful (Pokemon titles aside, obvs) and beyond the concept and ease of understanding of the Switch have helped them keep the unbelievable momentum going for well over SIX years now.
But, I digress. This post wasn’t even supposed to be about the games. It was about the last big direct. After years of Wii U drudgery, scrapping every barrel – and Star Fox Zero – it sure was nice to have plentiful directs that hit harder than a Zonai-beam-ultrahand-war-machine-contraption. As Sony and Microsoft bumble around fluffing Geoff, one thing is for sure, Nintendo continues to make great gaming experiences and they’re a cut above the rest when it comes to a digital showcase. As we enter the era of the the Super Nintendo Switch, long may it continue.