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Nintendo Direct: These Switch highlights should be on your radar

Domagoj Belancic
14-9-2023
Translation: machine translated

Nintendo presents upcoming highlights for the Switch in a Direct presentation. There are also a few surprises. And lots of remakes.

September is Nintendo Direct time. This year, Nintendo is once again delighting us with a short presentation. As a Switch owner, you can look forward to these games in the coming weeks and months. Spoiler: There are quite a few remakes and remasters among them.

"Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door": The Gamecube cult hit returns

In a complete surprise, Nintendo has announced a remaster of the Gamecube classic. The game was originally released in 2004. The Switch spin-off is to feature revised graphics. Compared to the latest "Paper Mario" title for the Nintendo Switch ("Paper Mario: The Origami King"), "The Thousand Year Door" is a classic RPG with turn-based battles. I missed the original and am looking forward to the opportunity to catch up on this classic.

Release: 2024

"Super Mario RPG": The remake of the SNES classic looks superb

"The Thousand Year Door" was not the only Mario role-playing game at the Nintendo Direct. Nintendo presented a new trailer for the remake of the SNES role-playing game "Super Mario RPG". It shows the turn-based battle system. The game looks beautiful and cuddly. I didn't play this classic when it was released in 1996 either and am delighted to be able to fill this gap in my knowledge.

Release date: 17 November 2023

"Princess Peach Showtime": I don't understand it, but it looks great

In the last Nintendo Direct in June, Nintendo already teased a new game featuring Princess Peach. No title at the time. Now we know what it's called: "Princess Peach Showtime". What exactly this game is is still a mystery to me. It looks damn fun, though. Peach fights her way through enchanted theatre stages and transforms into different characters with the help of costumes. The trailer features: Swordsman-Peach, Detective-Peach, Patissier-Peach and Kung-Fu-Peach?! Shut up and take my money.

Release: 24 March 2024

"Mario vs. Donkey Kong": And another remake

Nintendo is apparently in remake fever. The Gameboy game "Mario vs. Donkey Kong" is also being remade for the Switch. But don't expect a classic Mario platformer. "Mario vs. Donkey Kong" is a rather slow 2D puzzle game.

Release: 16 February 2024

"Another Code Recollection": Surprise, another remake (but what a remake!)

This announcement surprised me the most. "Another Code Recollection" is a remake double pack consisting of the Nintendo DS game "Another Code: Double Memory" and the Wii game "Another Code R". Both games have been completely reworked graphically. I loved the DS game back then. In the role of a 14-year-old girl, you investigate an abandoned estate in search of your deceased (?) father. In the process, you make the acquaintance of a ghost boy and solve all kinds of tricky puzzles. The DS game and its Wii successor were not huge commercial successes. Nintendo is giving these adventure gems a second life,

Release: 19 January 2024

"F-Zero 99": The cult racing game lives on as a battle royale

It's been 19 years since the last 'F-Zero' game. The announcement of "F-Zero 99" seems all the more bizarre. It is a new edition of the first "F-Zero" game from 1991, reinterpreted as a battle royale game. 99 drivers compete against each other at the same time. Nintendo has already realised a similar principle with "Pac Man 99" and "Tetris 99". The game appears exclusively in the Nintendo Switch Online plan.

Even if it's not the game that "F-Zero" fans wanted, it raises hopes of a proper successor. Here are even more Nintendo games that desperately need a successor:

  • Background information

    Ten Nintendo classics that have to make a come back

    by Domagoj Belancic

Release: As of now

"Tomb Raider I-III: Remastered": Lara Croft jumps and shoots on the Switch

And another remake. Or rather a remaster. The new "Tomb Raider" collection includes the first three games with Lara Croft. The graphics have been slightly adapted for the new edition. The result looks... strange. At least you can switch between the remastered graphics and the original graphics at any time.

Release: 14 February 2024

"Trombone Champ": Last year's most annoying game is coming to the Switch

Okay, I don't know if I can really call this a "highlight". After all, Phil and I briefly tried out the annoying music game on the PC last year. We lost our nerve within a few minutes:

On the Switch, you can now control your trombone with motion control or an IR sensor. My ears hurt again from the short trailer. But somehow I still want to try it out...

Release: Available now

"Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown": The Prince looks better than ever in 2D

The Persian prince returns to his roots. "The Lost Crown" is a hard-hitting 2D action game. The trailer gives new impressions of the game's levels and enemies. I played it at Gamescom and was thrilled.

Release: 18 January 2024

More games and updates

Nintendo also presented the following games and DLCs at the Direct. The games are sorted by release date

Nintendo Direct

Which Switch game are you most looking forward to?

  • "Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
    23%
  • "Super Mario RPG
    21%
  • "Princess Peach Showtime
    9%
  • "Mario vs. Donkey Kong
    5%
  • "Another Code Recollection"
    5%
  • "F-Zero 99"
    9%
  • "Tomb Raider I-III: Remastered"
    14%
  • "Trombone Champ"
    4%
  • "Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown"
    11%

The competition has ended.

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My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.

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