Topic: Nintendo Direct Sept. 9, 2026 Thoughts

[Khushrenada]

Who needs 3D Mario? 3D Kirby is here!

Boy, 2027 has the potential to be one heck of a year for the Switch 2. I'm hyped up for Metroid Ravenous and Kirby and the World Beyond which are coming early. Pokemon Wind/Water will likely launch in the holiday season but could be sooner. Maybe Mario does get a new game in the back half. If so, that seems to me like 4 big games even if Metroid and Samus don't do the sales numbers Mario and Pokemon can.

On top of that, the third party support is there are as well. FFVII Revelation, Persona 6, and Tomb Raider plus other previously released games on XBox X/S and PS5 are being ported on over. Feels like the Switch 2 is just picking up more and more steam now and game overload is on its way.

One other thing thing, I'd never heard of Meccha Chameleon before but that game stood out to me as something I'd like to try. That was a neat spin on just the simple game of hide and seek.

[Evan_B]

I liked a lot of what I saw in the Direct but this did feel like “Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition” a bit and I’d be lying if I said Nintendo didn’t have the best showing here.

Some RPGs to get me excited, sure, but Metroid and Kirby were the stars for me. I’ve been dreaming of a 3D Kirby game that focused on copy abilities for traversal since I I was a kid and I always felt that collect-a-thon gameplay and structure made a lot more sense for Kirby than Mario. Metroid just looks like Dread cranked to 11, especially in the aesthetics department, and I loved that game.

Marvelous’s new RPG Eternal Anima looked very neat, so I’m tentative about it. Same with Bloober’s Onyx: The Dark Grip, if only for those unique controls and mania mechanics. Outside of that, some cute Nintendo Switch 2 editions that don’t entice me all that much as someone very lukewarm on Pikmin 4 and who did not finish Age of Calamity, though I’d welcome the performance boosts. I want to support Capcom the way that they are supporting the Switch 2 but these multi-drop Resident Evil packs that are close to/over 100 dollars are hard to stomach.

Zelda is growing on me slightly. Hoped for Xenoblade Genesis news, I can’t imagine it will be close to next holiday, but Xenoblade 2 occupied a similar slot. Man, there’s a lot of open world games out there to enjoy.

[Khushrenada]

Talk about out of sight, out of mind. How could I forget about Xenoblade:Genesis? 2027 really is shaping up to be one heck of a year. I can see Genesis being a middle of the year game being released around June/July.

I was talking about my missed predictions with Level-5 but even though I was wrong about Layton being delayed, I'm glad to see it is coming out. (It better not be digital only like Fantasy Life 2). World of Steam is the game I'm probably most hyped for in regards to 2026 releases still to come. I do wonder what the puzzles will be like without the touchscreen and stylus that the DS/3DS could allow for in design. Likewise, I assume the tapping around for hint coins and other points of interest will be changed or will they just have us move a curser around screens with the analog stick? I'm hoping it'll be designed differently from that.

[Evan_B]

I missed the boat on Layton and my previous postings on The Outer Wilds, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, etc should be proof enough that the furthest I’m willing to go in the realm of puzzles (or logic sequences) is Sokoban or Picross. But, I’m glad that the new one is finally releasing (and that Curious Village is getting a modern remake!).

I would assume they want to get all the Xenoblade Upgrade Packs out of the way before they start talking Genesis, and boy, the new modes in each of these games are… something. Maybe I’ll go back to the old Monolith Makes Worlds thread to give my impressions of these things but a part of me loves that Monolith has decided to try out new game genres by building them into old games and another part of me thinks these modes might be seeds sown for future systems and ideas in Genesis. I can’t imagine things like XCX’s new Skell, mounts in XCDE, and enemy wave encounters are things that they want to use again in the future. On the other hand, we never saw Tiger, Tiger! reappear.

Kirby’s transition to 3D has been a long time coming but it’s occurring rather smoothly with Triple Deluxe/Robobot, Forgotten Land, and the World Beyond. I do wonder if they’ll have multiple “Truman Domes” or if Kirby’s just going off into the wild blue yonder, and how progression works in a more freely explorable Kirby game.

Looking at the upgrade pack for Age of Calamity is making me Calam up- I’m a bit surprised they decided to make it so steep. I guess it is technically the price of the original game’s DLC + your standard Switch 2 upgrade pack, but even so. I don’t like how Pikmin 4 really removed all traces of Dandori from the environmental exploration (and caves, which have limited resources but no real time constraints) and instead leaned into Dandori challenges and this new mode as the only means of encouraging economical play. Maybe that’s just me.

[ejamer]

Context:

My son bought a Switch 2 with his own money a little over a year ago. He hasn't been thrilled with the purchase - so far, there just hasn't been content on it that interests him (that isn't available to us elsewhere already) so the console largely went unused until he bought Pokopia a while back. Pokopia is good... but maybe too cozy, and didn't hook him as much as he hoped it would.

Thoughts and Reaction to the Nintendo Direct:

"Finally, it looks like it'll be worth owning a Switch 2 before long!"

He's really excited about Kirby. I think the game looks fantastic too - some parts remind me of Amazing Mirror (which I think got short-changed a bit because nobody played multiplayer, dulling some of the puzzle/teamwork aspects) but this design looks like it'll be more modern and easier to dive into.

Xenoblade Chronicles is a favorite game for both of us, but we missed all Switch entries. Reported backwards compatibility issues saw us hold out for official Switch 2 releases - and weak reviews of the upscaling for the first game had us a bit worried. But the reviews for XC2 seem better, and we're particularly keen to give 3 a shot.

Fire Emblem isn't a series my son cares about. I think it'll be a great exclusive to look forward to.

A new entry in the Professor Layton series should be fun. I haven't touched that series since the 3DS releases years ago; my son wants to try the original DS trilogy to decide if these games are his wheelhouse or not.

Metroid hasn't thrilled us with recent releases - but we'll never say no to a new entry in this classic series.

Persona games are wonderful. I think I'd rather pay less than $20 for the existing Steam version of P4 than pay $100 CAD for an upgrade locked to Switch 2 though...

Beyond that, nothing really got us excited outside of just the fact that Switch 2 is finally the main ticket. There was a ton of software support announced, and it's exciting to know that (after a fairly long dry stretch) Switch 2 will soon be coming into it's prime!


Hot Take: Although we understand why remakes and enhanced versions get released, good lord we're sick of them taking up announcement space and dev resources. Give us new, exclusive games to get excited about, please!  (This won't happen in the current game dev scene. We're an odd case, owning tons of games and older systems to play them on... Totally understand why others might disagree here.)

Bonus hot take: neither of use enjoyed the art style in Zelda Ocarina of Time remake. It's fine... but everything had a weird, shiny plastic look that turned me off. Characters designs all have odd and off-putting proportions. The game will be great... but between doubts about the art design and owning older versions on a bunch of other platforms, we don't see any value in spending that much money for this revision.

[M.K.Ultra]

Overall I thought the Direct was well rounded with a little something for everyone. In terms of new game announcements, I thought there were more than the last few. Metroid was probably the game of the direct for me. Thinking of all the games mentioned, here are the ones I plan to pick up (or have already pre-ordered): Fire Emblem, Ocarina of Time, Xenoblade 3, Metroid, Stage Fright, Mega Man. That is more than enough Switch 2 games for me as I juggle my backlog and other consoles. Layton is a wait and see for me. The updates to Mario Kart and Star Fox were also welcome additions. Was Duskbloods mentioned? Why didn't they announce the Zelda movie cast members? In regards to Ocarina of Time, this was in a recent IGN store email

I knew it was going to be big, but I didn’t know just how big. IGN’s commerce team saw roughly as much interest in the Ocarina of Time remake as we did in GTA 6 preorders. This game is going to be a massive hit

"

[lolmonade]

One other thing thing, I'd never heard of Meccha Chameleon before but that game stood out to me as something I'd like to try. That was a neat spin on just the simple game of hide and seek.

It blew up on PC, some 10M copies sold.  Wild success story, makes perfect sense to be on Switch.

[Khushrenada]

Was Duskbloods mentioned?

It was not. After the failed network test, I'm beginning to think the game may need more time in development and may end up in 2027 now which is why I made a prediction along those lines in the prediction thread.

Why didn't they announce the Zelda movie cast members?

Probably to give the internet less time to look up the entire history of those actors and then start hate campaigns and boycotts about them.

[Khushrenada]

Hot Take: Although we understand why remakes and enhanced versions get released, good lord we're sick of them taking up announcement space and dev resources. Give us new, exclusive games to get excited about, please!  (This won't happen in the current game dev scene. We're an odd case, owning tons of games and older systems to play them on... Totally understand why others might disagree here.)

Not so much a hot take as a shared take for longtime gamers. I realized back in June or so when Nintendo had announced by then the remake of Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time that, while its disappointing for someone who's long played those games, they weren't being made for us in mind. It's for today's kids who won't be as familiar with those titles. If some of us want to buy these games because of the shiny new paint they are in then Nintendo won't mind but this is about reaching newer generations who may not want to play older stuff because they're used to current game design and graphics. It sucks because we're always hoping that development efforts will be put into new things to play but Nintendo's always going to be looking at how to leverage their past and give old titles a new chance to shine.

[Caterkiller]

I thought the direct was pretty darn solid. For me it was a Solid B+ to an A-. Kirby, Metroid, Zelda and more Star Fox stages are A tier announcements in my book. Plus I get to enjoy the other Resident Evil Remakes, Tomb Raider, new Fire Emblem and a new Xenoblade? Count me the eF in! The things that aren't for me aren't for me. Not into Monster Hunter any longer or a whole host of other 3rd party offerings but that's ok, we got an open ended Kirby!!!

Back in the N64 days I was so disappointed when Christal Shards was just a 2D platformer. It was fun but not what I dreamed about. Then so many generations passed before we got Forgotten Land! When Forgotten Land was shown for a moment I thought it was the open ended Kirby of my dreams. Of course right away we could all tell it was pretty linear, but a wonderful step forward as far as I'm concerned. Now the copy abilities give quick speed across great distances and are used to interact with the environment with significant effect? HOLY MATRIMONY!

Metroid look amazing. Though still waiting for more 3D 3rd person metroid like Other M. I think Sakamoto has learned his lesson this time around. I mean I can just tell from Dread and this new trailer. No more weird controls and strange story bits and people will bite for ninja Samus.

Star Fox's additional multiplayer. You all just don't know what that multiplayer means to me! And now on a single Switch my son and daughter can join me as we take on a team online! Yes!!!!! Give me those new arenas and goals!

And friends you gotta think, Nintendo is really letting their smaller tier franchises get first crack. Aside from Mario Kart, we don't have the super biggies of the Switch 1 era yet. No brand new Zelda, 3D Mario, Animal Crossing, Smash or Pokemon. What else am I missing?

Donkey Kong, Kirby, Star Fox, Fire Emblem, Metroid and Xenoblade or getting the first go of it. Mario, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Splatoon and Zelda are there but it's the spin offs, side games or remakes. Though I could also argue Ocarina of Time is almost as big of a release as a new open world Zelda. Almost. Whatever the case I really enjoy this current strategy of allowing the smaller franchises the chance to be the big stars. Donkey Kong, Metroid, Star Fox and Kirby have definitely been given that chance to win over new fans before all eyes are on new Mario, Zelda etc.

I'm banking on these franchises getting this early exposure before Mario, Zelda, Smash, etc as a way to build their brands. If they get more sales then there is a good chance their future releases will be relatively healthy.

When it comes to updates of older games. You know I could care less about Animal Crossing, Mario Wonder, and like 50 other things getting a Switch 2 edition or something close to it. But boooooy when Donkey Kong Country Returns got that Switch 2 update?! I was jumping for joy! It was free and gave more value to a game that I absolutely love! I can't be mad at that. It gave more value to something I thought I was more or less done with. I can't imagine how Xenoblade fans must feel! That stuff is great in the long run. I don't have to like it but I know there are those out there who do. The Switch 2 gives more value to what came before as we don't have to start perfectly fresh with no games and old controllers that are incompatible.

I'm loving Nintendo's strategy right now.

[Evan_B]

It’s funny, because I listened to a podcast (not RFN) that spent a lot of time complaining about Nintendo’s focus on B-tier franchises and how none of the exclusive Switch 2 games have been “system sellers,” which made me realize how distant I am from the toxic gamer discourse channels and how relatively grounded in reality I am about video game sales. These folks were saying that any game that sells less than 10 million copies was not a substantial release… which is insane, right. Right?

[Order.RSS]

It’s funny, because I listened to a podcast (not RFN) that spent a lot of time complaining about Nintendo’s focus on B-tier franchises and how none of the exclusive Switch 2 games have been “system sellers,” which made me realize how distant I am from the toxic gamer discourse channels and how relatively grounded in reality I am about video game sales. These folks were saying that any game that sells less than 10 million copies was not a substantial release… which is insane, right. Right?

Yeah those are wild numbers to expect. On the first Switch I think there's maybe 20 games max which sold over 10 million copies? I don't think Nintendo has many series besides Mario/Zelda/Pokémon/Smash Bros./Mario Kart/Animal Crossing which can reliably bat those kinds of averages.

I'm also more interested in the "B-tier franchises" if you will, so to see Metroid, Kirby Air Riders, and Starfox all present already/soon is good news for me lol. But I'm especially happy to see robust third party support continue, since those are the bulk of the games I play. Might need to try one of those Resident Evil remakes someday.