[Let’s Talk] September 2016 Nintendo Direct reactions

Prior to this week’s Nintendo Direct, we had gone several months without a major presentation. March was the last time when we saw a broadcast with new announcements in a prepared video. Most people have been expecting that we’d hear something about NX soon, but Nintendo first decided to share news about the 3DS.

Quite a bit was shown during the Nintendo Direct on Thursday. Not all of the games themselves were new, but it at least showed that the 3DS will continue to receive support into next year. Super Mario Maker is heading to Nintendo’s portable in December, followed by Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World next February (with a Poochy amiibo of course), Mario Sports Superstars in spring, Dragon Quest VIII, and a Pikmin side-scroller. Let’s also not forget about Ever Oasis and Tank Troopers. Nintendo also unveiled new Zelda amiibo, released new Hyrule Warriors DLC, Picross 3D: Round 2 (in North America, December 2 in Europe with a physical option) and Zelda: Skyward Sword digitally, and teased Animal Crossing: New Leaf’s update (with new amiibo cards and a Nintendo Direct to come).

Now that our brief recap is out of the way, what do you think of this week’s Nintendo Direct? Were you pleased with what was shown, or were you let down? Have any thoughts about particular games? Let us know in the comments below.

Highlights from last week’s topic: Your dream NX game

Señor Cardgage

My first wish is for a great 3D platformer, preferably a sequel to Mario 64 or DK64.

Secondly, a great, exclusive online shooter with split-screen. I want to be able to sit down with one to three friends and shoot strangers over the internet without each of us needing a separate console. I don’t care if it’s a new IP or a third-party game, I think it’s what the NX needs to draw in some of the gamer crowd that’s left Nintendo. It doesn’t need to be M-Rated, keep it Teen and make it wacky. Ideally, something in the vein of Timesplitters.

R.Z.

First of all I would like to see Nintendo making ambitious solo/adventure games again, the latest ones I would define as such across Nintendo platforms are XCX and Kid Icarus Uprising (big surprise, fresh, impressive, tons of depth and replayability). I feel the WiiU cruelly lacked those, which was a big disappointment for a supposedly gamer focused console.
There’s already the next Zelda filling that role, but as a cross gen title it probably won’t be completely using the NX hardware, so it’s not satisfying in itself. I’m hoping for something like a new Metroid, a NOT dumbed down 3D Mario game (Why would you try to cater to people who can’t find their way in a 3D world or master a free cam in a game that is (somewhat loosely, sure) the continuation of the very games that introduced these elements), a new episode of Kid Icarus or, best of all, something totally new.

Second, and that’s something that will stay vague as long as no more is known about the precise nature of the NX, I want to see these ambitious games actually make use of the big new features the system will supposedly rock (as long as they make sense for the games, sure).
It’s no wonder the WiiU bombed when the features that made it so expensive proved superfluous in most of the (few) productions catering to the gamers who were supposedly the target audience of the console.
If you wanted to see a demonstration of what made the console unique, interesting and innovative, you had to play an underwhelming mini games collections called Nintendo Land, a product which I can guarantee was nowhere near what any Nintendo fan imagined first hearing that title.
Sure, there was Zombi U and Lego City Undercover, but a niche survival horror game and an open world parody aren’t exactly system sellers either (though both were pretty good for their genre).
So yeah basically what I really want to see are ambitious system sellers that demonstrate the features of the system, and I think they are necessary at launch and early on in the system’s life.

Third, but that’s only something that came to my mind while writing this, I’d like to see a new extreme sports game such as Wave Race, 1080º, or even Pilotwings, but ambitious, rocking career/adventure modes besode the usual single player/multiplayer, up to date multiplayer features, polished gameplay etc.
Maybe something like what Ubisoft showed last E3 (can’t remember the name), but you know, Nintendo good.

That’s all for now.

nemo37

Well there are many games I would like to see on the NX. For example I would be very happy to have new entries in the Metroid Prime, Xenoblade (if NX is portable, I can live with a port of XCX), Luigi’s Mansion, Kid Icarus, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Star Fox, mainline Pokémon, and other similar franchises. From second-parties and third-parties I would love to see new entries in the Final Fantasy games, Dragon Quest (which has already been announced), Hyrule Warriors, Pokken, Tomb Raider, a good 2D and 3D Sonic game and some sort of collaboration with Valve that includes Portal 2 (especially if this is a portable system; hey, at least, I can dream).

However, something that I have not seen in a very long time from a major video game developer is an exploration-based somewhat collect-a-thon-like 3D platformer. I would love to see a new 3D Mario (like Mario 64 or Mario Sunshine) game built in that style again. However, they can keep the exploration aspects while also adding linear levels. Super Mario Sunshine did this by creating linear levels in each of the worlds, but these linear levels were a bit bland. I envision a game structured similarly to Sunshine, but with the bland linear level missions in the worlds being replaced with more creative levels similar to some of the levels of Super Mario Galaxy (2) or Super Mario 3D Land/World.

Kenshin0011

Open world 3D Mario game.

I mean, Super Mario 64 and Sunshine were kind of an open word type of experience. I want a spiritual successor to that game. A large, open to explore environment with more succinct levels spread throughout.

I also want another proper Paper Mario game very badly…

Melatelo

I always get most excited for new IP’s, so that’s all I really wish for! I have no doubt Nintendo will continue to produce unique and creative games that can’t be found anywhere else. In the end, I guess I just want to be surprised. Continue the unexpected, and I’ll be happy.

donut

i don’t really have a specific dream game i want. if anything i just want to be surprised. i want something nobody sees coming, like the revival of a dead series, or an unexpected crossover, or a new (and good) megaman game, or maybe even a remake of one of the 3 (preferably first) mother games. even a new original game with a fun concept would work, as long as its a pleasant surprise i’ll be happy.

the only games i know i want are pikmin 4, botw and a new monster hunter, but those all either exist, or will eventually exist so they’re not really worth mentioning.

Hero of Legend

For me it’s the following and always has been:

Diddy Kong Racing 2
Donkey Kong 64 2
Pokemon Stadium 3
Sonic Adventure 3 (as an exclusive or at least definitive on NX)
3rd Orre Pokemon RPG after Colosseum and XD

Diddy Kong Racing 2 has been rumored for four years to be by Monster Games. First for Wii, which changed into Excitebots instead, then revived for Wii U, and now supposedly moved to NX.

Camelot once said the IP of Nintendo’s they’d want to make the most is DK64 2, I’ve wanted them on a DK64 sequel for well before that. This is amazing.

Stadium 3 is unlikely as the team’s likely scattered (between EPD Kyoto and Tokyo for one) and of course TPC and GF don’t see the series as viable. :/

A 3rd Orre game is less likely as Genius Sonority heavily downsized after Battle Revolution came out and is now only making Denpa Men games and the occasional 3DS eShop Pokemon spin-off (like the awesome Pokemon Battle Trozei). They could team-up with 8ing like they did for Dragon Quest Swords for a new Pokemon RPG.

SA3 who knows at this point. With Sega trying a million different things and some are better than others, and with Takashi Iizuka now just a producer (he directed the Adventure-era and last directed M&S 2010 Wii), it just doesn’t seem likely to happen, even if he claims he might make it someday.

Also I really hope we see a huge amount of JRPGs on NX. Ports like Tales of Berseria, Persona 5, and Kingdom Hearts 3, and exclusive entries, and not just of the expected like the eventual Etrian Odyssey 6 or Yo-Kai Watch 4.

Like Bandai Namco can make Tales of Symphonia 3 and maybe even revive Sword of Legendia, remember that? 🙁

Atlus will likely also have Shin Megami Tensei 5.

The biggie and very likely is Monster Hunter 5 as the BIG exclusive from Japan. I just got back into MH3U on 3DS and I’m hoping so much that this happens. That’s going to look INSANE on NX if it really is even more powerful than the Wii U.

I hope we might actually see a 3rd version of Pokemon Sun and Moon on NX like Eclipse or something since it’s rumored Game Freak are on a Pokemon game for NX I believe.

For Mario I just want Sunshine 2 already, and I mean from EPD Tokyo, not by an outside dev like Next Level Games (as much as I like them). I want it by the original team!

I’m excited for Pikmin 4 on NX, even if I wasn’t terribly fond of Pikmin 3 after adoring the first two games.

I also hope we see more of Sonic of course. Not just Project Sonic 2017 but also Sonic Mania for launch, and maybe Sonic Unleashed HD and Sonic Generations HD as Definitive Editions. Nintendo systems still never got the console version, just the very underwhelming 3DS version by Dimps.

I also hope for some western support. Like from THQ Nordic with Darksiders 1 and 2 on NX, and maybe Destroy All Humans when they bring that back, etc. And also for Activision, they MUST bring the Crash Bandicoot Remastered trilogy to NX. Crash has done really well on Nintendo systems and he’s a mascot platformer for crying out loud. Hopefully Skylanders Imaginators makes it also. Maybe even with an NX Crash pack also since that exclusivity bit with PS3 and PS4 will be long over then.

That’s my two cents. 😛