Gaming
Nintendo Direct: The Summer of Games Kicks Off With a Blaze Following the Long-Awaited June Showcase
With the boundless hype surrounding the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, what will gamers be in store for throughout this year and beyond?
This Tuesday, Nintendo held its much-anticipated digital showcase, which gave gamers a glimpse into what upcoming titles we can expect for the second half of 2024. What’s more, this Direct confirmed some long-held rumors while laying others to rest. Even though Nintendo previously indicated that there would be no mention of a successor to the Switch console, some fans still held onto hope. Nevertheless, the reveals that we did get during this Direct still shaped up to be pleasantly surprising.
Among the lineup of games that we saw were Mario & Luigi: Brothership, Super Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Additionally, fans of the Dragon Quest series will be happy to know that the first three titles are getting HD-2D remakes.
That said, the showcase covered much more, so let’s dive into all that was revealed and highlight what I think stood out the most.
All Releases Shown at the Nintendo Direct
Below is a list of every title that was revealed at the showcase, along with their release dates:
- Mario & Luigi: Brothership — November 7, 2024
- Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition— July 18, 2024
- Fairy Tail 2 — Winter 2024
- FANTASIAN: Neo Dimension — Holiday 2024
- Nintendo Switch Sports: Basketball (Free Update) — Summer 2024
- MIO: Memories in Orbit — 2025
- Disney Illusion Island (Free Update)— June 2024
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure — 2025
- Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports — Fall 2024
- Among Us (Free Update) — June 2024
- Farmagia — November 1, 2024
- Donkey Kong Country Returns HD — January 16, 2025
- Dragon Quest III: HD-2D Remake — November 14, 2024
- Dragon Quest I & II: HD-2D Remake — 2025
- Funko Fusion — September 13, 2024
- Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD — June 27, 2024
- The New Denpa Men— July 22, 2024
- Metal Slug Attack Reloaded — June 18, 2024
- Darkest Dungeon II — July 15, 2024
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Four Swords — June 18, 2024 (Available for the Nintendo Switch Online+ Expansion Pack members)
- Metroid: Zero Mission — June 18, 2024 (Available for the Nintendo Switch Online+ Expansion Pack members)
- Turok: Dinosaur Hunter — June 18, 2024 (Available for the Nintendo Switch Online+ Expansion Pack members)
- Perfect Dark— June 18, 2024 (Available for the Nintendo Switch Online+ Expansion Pack members)
- Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero — 2025
- Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics — 2024
- Super Mario Party Jamboree — October 17, 2024
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom — September 26, 2024
- Just Dance 2025 Edition — October 2024
- LEGO Horizon Adventures — Holiday 2024
- Stray — Holiday 2024
- Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game — Holiday 2024
- Ace Attorney Investigations Collection — September 6, 2024
- The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy — Early 2025
- Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven — October 24, 2024
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — 2025
My Highlights
Overall, I thought this was a great lineup of future releases. More specifically, I’m very excited for Mario & Luigi: Brothership. Usually, these two are starring in their own individual series, which is why it’s so cool to finally see them collaborating once again. In fact, the last time we saw Mario and Luigi featured in the same game was nine years ago, in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.
There’s this running gag in the gaming community that Mario gets more exposure than Luigi. So, every now and then, the developers have to throw out a bone. Jokes aside, though, with November 7 not too far along, it’ll be refreshing to tackle this new world with both brothers side-by-side.
The next title on my list of top three reveals is MIO: Memories in Orbit. Memories in Orbit is a metroidvania-style game that will have you assume the role of an android by the name of “MIO”. As the trailer for this game showcased, MIO will be exploring a large technological ark known as the “Vessel,” which is overrun by rogue machines. While exploring the Vessel, MIO will be rescuing fellow residents of the ark and discovering new abilities to enhance itself.
My excitement for MIO comes from the fact that it’s being developed by the indie gaming studio Douze Dixiemes. This developer is also responsible for the well-received Shady Part of Me title, which was released in 2020. I have a special fondness for indie studios, especially after my experiences with the likes of Furi, Transistor, and Limbo. They always manage to capture the true essence of gaming without falling victim to the practices of AAA developers. As such, I have high expectations for the 2025 release of MIO.
Last on my list, we have The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. This game will be a major first for the series, because despite having her name in the title, Zelda has never actually been a main character before. So far, we know that the plot of Echoes of Wisdom will focus on Zelda having to save Link after he mysteriously vanishes. Additionally, based on the comments from Producer Eiji Aonuma, we know that the combat system will differ from what we usually see.
Aside from the game itself, though, fans of the series will also be treated to an exclusive Hyrule Edition Nintendo Switch Lite. With its golden frame and Triforce emblems on the front and rear of the console, this Switch is bound to add a layer of sacredness to your upcoming holiday celebrations. Personally, with more news of a Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, I won’t be buying anymore handhelds any time soon. However, there’s never a downside to upgrading your current collection if that’s what you choose to do.
Conclusion
Nintendo made sure to pack a lot of excitement into this Direct, and I’m glad to say that there are many future releases that I’m looking forward to. Even though there weren’t any details on a new console at the showcase, we still got plenty of titles to pad out the rest of the year. That said, I fully expect people to be preoccupied with these launches while Nintendo sorts out the finalities of their next major reveal.
Wrapping up, I’d love to hear what you all thought about the showcase. Are there any games that you’re excited for? Were there any remakes that you were or weren’t expecting to see? Do you plan on picking up the Hyrule Edition Nintendo Switch Lite? Where the heck is Mario Kart 9?
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