Summer Game Fest and Summer of Gaming are now officially in the books. We received about two weeks worth of new content: game trailers, world premieres, exclusives, sneak peeks, and demos from small indie teams to big AAA titles. There were extended showcases from each of the big three companies (PlayStation, Xbox, and now Nintendo). Geoff Keighley held his Summer Game Fest events and many other showcases (Wholesome Games, Devolver Digital, and Guerilla Collective) were seen.
There was so much new content that I am happy I took notes during most of these events. Now, I can go back and make a list of all of the upcoming games on my “hype list.” During the first wave of events we did receive some Nintendo news, but the company decided to hold out until yesterday to release their full Nintendo Direct. We now know about some new first-party projects in the works, others that are coming soon, and some more news on projects we’ve seen before.
Strategy-wise, Nintendo held their showcase at the best time. Waiting until everything was over gave them a chance to show all that hadn’t been seen before, and others that had. PlayStation had an interesting plan of coming out before everyone else, which also made their showcase quite memorable. The Xbox showcase happened in the middle of Summer Game Fest, but since it was Xbox it was also a big deal.
Nintendo announced this Direct as one focusing on titles mainly releasing this year (which was true) and some new details on the upcoming Pikmin 4 (also valid). Overall, this was a great Direct with some good announcements.
Let’s go over my TOP FIVE, and a few more:
TOP FIVE
1 | Super Mario RPG
I remember playing the original Super Mario RPG on my Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I’m not sure if I owned the game or if I just rented it at some point. At the time, I didn’t understand RPGs and turn-based combat in games.
I’m excited to give Super Mario RPG another try now that I’ve had more experience with RPGs and turn-based combat in games. I know some people who remember this as their first RPG which kickstarted their love for RPGs, and then there’s those like me — who didn’t understand it at the time and moved on to other types of games.
This Super Mario RPG remake is coming to the Nintendo Switch on November 17, 2023.
2 | Manic Mechanics
As I mention all of the time, my girlfriend and I are always looking for our next couch co-op adventure. After beating both Overcooked games, we’re always on the lookout for our next game. In the last two years, we became obsessed with mostly side-scrolling beat ’em ups (like TMNT Shredder’s Revenge).
Manic Mechanics seems to be something close to Overcooked, but instead of preparing meals you get to repair vehicles. We’ll definitely try this out when it releases next month on July 13, 2023.
3 | Vampire Survivors
A few months ago I finally played Vampire Survivors (on Steam and iOS). This made me write to them, asking them to bring this game to the Nintendo Switch, where it belongs.
It’s great that they are adding four player local co-op play to the game. When Brotato showed up in a recent Nintendo Indie Showcase I thought, “Great, another Vampire Survivors game is coming to the Switch.”
Vampire Survivors is coming to the Nintendo Switch on August 17, 2023.
Let’s see if it makes it before Brotato.*
*After playing Brotato this week, I now know that the games are a bit different and I think it would be cool to have both on the Switch.
4 | Penny’s Big Breakaway
What makes this 3D platforming adventure exciting is that it’s made by the same people behind Sonic Mania. I trust this team because of their ability to create a brand new, classic-inspired Sonic the Hedgehog game that felt like it could have just been old levels, even though it was full of new content.
I’m excited to try out Penny’s Big Breakaway in Early 2024.
5 | Super Mario Bros. Wonder
This is the great, big (one more thing) reveal of the Nintendo Direct, and the thing I’ve been waiting for — along with many others. For the longest time we’ve been waiting for the next Mario game, and now we know what it is. Also, it happens to be coming later this year.
I was hoping for the next Mario Odyssey game, but this looks like a great new game. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a 2D side scroller with a brand new look, music and some great new abilities. The game also features co-op play, changing levels, and new power ups — like Elephant Mario!
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is coming to the Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2023.
5.1 | Untitled Princess Peach Project
*I’m including this as my 5.1, because I am super excited to learn more about what exactly this new Princess Peach game will be,
but they didn’t show enough to put it on the top five list.
I guess the popularity of Bowser’s (Jack Black’s) “Peaches” song from the Super Mario Bros. movie has really paid off. Now Princess Peach is getting her first starring role in a Nintendo Switch video game. It looks to be something like a recent Yoshi game, but with it’s own unique style.
This is some very exciting news, but due to it being only a quick teaser with no real news on gameplay or a title, I decided to include this at the end as more of an honorable mention to the list.
We don’t even have a name yet, but some sort of Untitled Peach Project will come to the Nintendo Switch some time in 2024.
This Nintendo Direct was full of big announcements. Some I did not include in my Top Five since we first heard of them earlier this month, during Summer Game Fest. Sonic Superstars brings a new look to that classic 2D Sonic gameplay, and four player co-op. MythForce is another one we recently heard about, and is inspired by classic Saturday morning cartoons in a first-person adventure game.
We got word of some DLC coming to existing games, along with the next Splatoon 3 Splatfest happening next month. We participate in every Splatfest. The main feature of this Nintendo Direct was more info on Pikmin 4, which I’m looking forward to, but I can also wait to play it later. It’s nice that as of yesterday Pikmin and Pikmin 2 were added to the eShop.
When it comes to remakes, remasters, and re-releases we saw two big collections: The Batman Arkham Trilogy featuring all of the previously released DLC, and the Metal Gear Solid Collection: Vol 1 featuring games, graphic novels, screenplays and soundtracks.
If you missed the Nintendo Direct, you can watch the entire presentation right here:
A rumor that was going around prior to this presentation was that they would announce the new Nintendo Switch 2 (whatever that may end up being named). I know people want a more powerful Nintendo Switch, but I am definitely not ready for that just yet.
I still have a lot of gaming to do on my current, first generation Nintendo Switch console.
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