Nintendo kicks off the year with some big surprises
Today’s Nintendo Direct has concluded, and dang, that was a pretty good Direct. From known upcoming games to complete left-field reveals, it felt like it flew by at a blistering pace.
The company has become quite good at pulling a few surprises out for every stream, but usually a few items leak out ahead of time. There were certainly rumors around this one, same as any other, but the lineup is honestly still baffling to look at.Ā Live A Live, Chrono Cross, Front Mission; heck, even a Wii SportsĀ follow-up! And some of the best meme fuel in town thanks to Kirby’s new Mouthful Mode.
l'm sold pic.twitter.com/Kk1iMPcwuA
— šš„ KĆ©kĆ© š„š (@Kekeflipnote) February 9, 2022
With all that in mind, let’s run down the quick list of what got shown today.
Nintendo Direct February 2022 news recap
- Fire Emblem WarriorsĀ is back, and with aĀ Three HousesĀ setting in a new version calledĀ Three Hopes. It arrives on June 24, 2022.
- If you wanted more tactics thanĀ Warriors,Ā Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot CampĀ arrives on April 8, 2022.
- The infinite void ofĀ No Man’s SkyĀ comes to Nintendo Switch this summer.
- Soccer is back in style forĀ Mario sports spin-offs whenĀ Mario Strikers: Battle LeagueĀ hits the net on June 10.
- No firm date yet forĀ Splatoon 3, but we did get a Summer 2022 window alongside a new trailer for this game’s take on the co-op Salmon Run mode.
- The first twoĀ Front MissionĀ games are getting remade. Giant robots? Tactics? I’m in. The first one’s out this summer.
- Disney SpeedstormĀ arrives this summer for Nintendo Switch, putting beloved Disney characters behind the wheel of their very own karts. Surely no other kart racer will show up in this Direct to steal Elsa’s thunder.
- A few ports are in store: Star Wars: The Force UnleashedĀ is coming to Nintendo Switch on April 20,Ā Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio CollectionĀ hits the Switch on Feb. 17, andĀ mobile suits roll out when SD Gundam Battle AllianceĀ hits Switch later this year.
- Chrono CrossĀ is alive and well in 2022, and it’s coming to the Nintendo Switch on April 7.
- Kirby shows off his, uh, “Mouthful Mode” that he’ll get inĀ Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The internet will never be the same. That’s still set for March 25.
- MLB The ShowĀ cover star Shohei Ohtani showed up to spotlight this year’s iteration, which is coming to the Switch.
- A few game collections are on the way. We already knew aboutĀ Kingdom Hearts, butĀ KlonoaĀ andĀ PortalĀ are also getting Switch collections.
- Live A LiveĀ is finally coming to North America on July 22. Seriously, I’m still shocked this is happening.
- Wii SportsĀ is back to break more televisions withĀ Nintendo Switch Sports on April 29. There are even some more sports packed in with this version, like Soccer and Badminton.
- The latestĀ Taiko no TatsujinĀ game,Ā Rhythm Festival, is coming to Switch this year. It has “Megalovania” from UndertaleĀ in it, so that’s pretty rad.
- Triangle StrategyĀ has a Prologue demo out today, and it will let you carry save data over into the full game.
- TheĀ Delicious Last CourseĀ ofĀ CupheadĀ hits Switch on June 30.
- Metroid DreadĀ is getting two new difficulty modes, Dread and Rookie, later today. A Boss Rush mode is coming April.
- BothĀ EarthBound andĀ EarthBound: Beginnings are coming to the Nintendo Switch Online service today. Mother 3 hold-outsĀ are still suffering.
- Next up is a sizzle reel of upcoming Switch games. Zombie Army 4: Dead WarĀ arrives April 26,Ā GetsuFumaDen: Undying MoonĀ is out today,Ā theĀ Demon SlayerĀ game arrives June 10,Ā Lego BrawlsĀ is coming in June, and Two Point CampusĀ hits on May 17.
- Mario Kart 8 DeluxeĀ has been an incredible seller for Nintendo, and it’s finally getting an influx of new content. A ton of remasteredĀ Mario KartĀ courses are coming to the Switch racer, 48 in total.
- Finally, Nintendo closed the show with the reveal of Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
There was nothing new on Breath of the Wild 2, but overall, it was a pretty exciting Nintendo Direct. Let us know what you thought below!
Published: Feb 9, 2022 07:22 pm