In all of gaming, there is no event that generates the attention and hype that a Nintendo Direct does. When a Nintendo Direct is announced, usually the day before the presentation, I feel like a five-year-old on Christmas Eve. I snuggle into bed that night, unable to sleep because of my excitement for what awaits me the next day. What games will be announced? What juicy details will be divulged? Well, a Nintendo Direct was announced this morning for tomorrow, February 8, and considering Nintendo’s upcoming slate of games, I might actually be dealing with some serious, sleep-inhibiting anxious excitement. It doesn’t help that I’ve been playing Fire Emblem Engage right before I sleep.
A Nintendo Direct in February is something of a given. Since Directs started in fall 2011, there has only been one February without a Direct (2018, for some reason), which means every year of the pandemic had a Direct in February. That’s dedication! Gaming Twitter was prepping itself for a Direct announcement yesterday, and when it didn’t come, people were worried there would maybe be no Christmas this year. But gotcha, Nintendo made the announcement on Tuesday morning. Those cheeky fiends!
The Direct will air Wednesday, February 8, at 2PM PT/5PM ET. It will be about forty minutes long and “mostly focused on Nintendo Switch games launching in the first half of 2023.” The world “mostly” is really interesting, isn’t it? So let’s see what we might be able to expect! As always, you’ll be able to watch the Direct unfold on Nintendo’s official YouTube channel.
Extended trailer for ‘Tears of the Kingdom’
The only series I love nearly as much as One Piece is The Legend of Zelda, and for us Zelda fans, Nintendo Directs have been characterized by giddy anticipation followed by crushing disappointment, for years. Ever since a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild was announced during Nintendo’s E3 presentation in 2019, nearly four freaking years ago, I have been losing my mind. But finally, FINALLY, Tears of the Kingdom has a release date, and it’s less than 100 days away. So … they have to talk about it, right?!
The only reason I can think of that we wouldn’t get an in-depth trailer for Tears of the Kingdom tomorrow is that a separate Zelda Direct is being planned. Nintendo often pulls this trick when its biggest franchises have upcoming releases—Splatoon and Animal Crossing are recent examples—in which case, bare minimum, the Nintendo Direct will announce the Zelda Direct. We’ll still almost certainly get a new trailer tomorrow in this case, too. It would just be more like the previous ones: shorter and enigmatic.
Looking at historical precedent, a Zelda Direct would take place one to three weeks after tomorrow’s Direct. I’m fine with waiting if it means pure, extended Zelda bliss down the road.
Twilight Princess and Wind Waker ports??!
For at least a year, there’s been a very aspirational rumor swirling: Nintendo is re-remastering Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, the Zelda GameCube games, for the Switch. Please, for the love of Din, Nayru, and Farore, let this be true. My most shameful missed entry as a Zelda fan is Twilight Princess. I need this.
It’s possible that this announcement would be saved for a Zelda Direct. Or that it’s completely untrue. But given the success of the Skyward Sword remaster, I can’t see how Nintendo wouldn’t benefit from hyping Zelda up as much as possible this year. Please, o gaming gods, give us these ports!!
A nod to The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Super Marios Bros. Movie was announced during a Nintendo Direct. We all found out that Chris Pratt was playing Mario during a Nintendo Direct. As much as this week’s SNL made me want a gritty Mario Kart series with Pedro Pascal as Mario and a punk Bowser like Dennis Hopper’s in the ’90s Mario movie, this is the Mario movie we’re actually getting—and we’re getting it very soon: April 7. So, I expect the Direct to bring it up. Whether or not we can expect a new trailer is hard to say, however.
A wink to Pikmin 4
Earlier this week, an alleged leak oozed that Pikmin 4 was coming out on May 26th. Given that date’s proximity to Tears of the Kingdom‘s May 12th release date, I find that very hard to believe. It simply strikes me as a bad idea to release two huge, incredibly long-awaited games that close together. But the leak could mean that more information on Pikmin 4 is on the horizon. The game was only officially announced in September 2022, with a promise only of a “2023” release date.
Finally Maybe Something About ‘Metroid Prime 4’
Metroid Prime 4 was announced six years ago at E3. Six. Years. Ago. To give you some perspective: It was announced alongside Pokémon Sword and Shield, and the Pokémon series is now on its next set of core games. Metroid Prime 4′s development has been fraught, with Nintendo opting to restart the game from scratch and move the precious title to Retro Studios in 2019. But that was four years ago! Surely there’s something to be said about it now?
More on Bayonetta Origins
Alongside Hades 2 and a sequel to Death Stranding, one of the announcements from the 2022 Game Awards that no one saw coming was a Bayonetta prequel. Given the drama around and divided reaction to Bayonetta 3, a complete reimagining of the series could be a nice breath of fresh air. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon lets us play as Bayonetta before she was called Bayonetta. The game’s play-style and art direction are totally different from the Bayonetta mainline series. Bayonetta Origins comes out March 17, so the Direct is sure to address it.
Another look at Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
While I’m over here making summoning circles for a Twilight Princess port, Kirby fans have been having a damn good time in the last year. Last year saw the release of Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Kirby’s Dream Buffet. On February 24, they’re getting a remastered version of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, a 2011 game for the Wii. I really, truly envy Kirby diehards. They are so lucky. Anyway, given that this release is only a few weeks away, I bet a closer look is inevitable.
Nintendo Directs always bring some surprises, so who knows what tomorrow will truly bring. The biggest surprise of all would be a successor for the Nintendo Switch. “Switch 2” is trending on Twitter today, as it often does ahead of Nintendo Directs. Wouldn’t it be wild if the Switch 2 were released before Metroid Prime 4? Hahaha … sigh.
(featured image: Nintendo)
