Yesterday was like a video game presentation holiday. We got another Nintendo Direct featuring games coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2023 and 2024. I know that I’m usually only interested in playing about 50% or less of the games revealed during any Nintendo Direct, but I’m always 100% excited about new games and gaming news. We also got some new info on some games coming to the PlayStation 5 in another PlayStation State of Play.

Since we had both a Nintendo Direct and PlayStation State of Play in one day, I decided to include my Top Five Topics from the 40 minute Nintendo Direct which covered over twenty-five games, followed by a short summary of the shorter PlayStation State of Play.

Let’s start with the TOP FIVE:

[1] More on Anticipated Games

This Nintendo Direct featured a couple of games we already know are coming, but have been waiting to learn more about (including planned release dates).

Finally, a release date for Ubisoft’s new Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (January 18, 2024). We were originally waiting on a Prince of Persia remake, but I much prefer this all-new take on the classic franchise. The game features a new hero, Sargon, in a 2D action platformer.

Next, we got to see some more of Super Mario RPG, which will bring with it both new and returning features from the classic game. I’ve been playing Sea of Stars lately, which is another retro-inspired turn-based RPG. I see many similarities between these two games. The original Super Mario RPG came out over twenty-five years ago, and I remember renting it and not understanding the game. I’m ready to give it another shot on November 17.

The third game on this list is the one we knew the very least about — Princess Peach: Showtime! ( previously known as The Untitled Peach Game). I’m not entirely sure whether a Princess Peach game would be closer to a Yoshi/Kirby game in simplicity or more like a Mario game. I do like the abilities being disguised as different “costumes” for different themed shows. We also now know that this game is coming March 22, 2024.

[2] New Originals

This next group consists of some brand new game reveals featuring characters we already know and love.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong features a fresh new take on the classic feud that started it all. The game features 2D platforming puzzles. Mario must find his way to the key in order to make his way out of each level. You can go solo or play with friends with local co-op. The game releases on February 16, 2024.

I grew up playing Contra, in fact I still own some of those classic cartridges. I love the new aesthetic of Contra: Operation Galuga, along with the classic gameplay style. This game is coming from the original developer Konami next year. Plus, I trust WayForward to turn any co-op game into a great time.

My nephew loved the last Paper Mario game when I gave it to him for his birthday. I have never played one myself, but this reveal has me wanting to borrow my nephew’s copy of Paper Mario: The Origami King. This new game is a remaster of the GameCube game and looks great.

[3] The 99

This section is dedicated to one game and one game only. After the success of Tetris 99, I loved seeing where Nintendo would take this new 99 player online battle royale series next. We’ve seen Tetris, Pac-Man, Super Mario, and now F-ZERO get the 99 treatment. F-ZERO 99 is out right now, and free for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.

[4] I’m Waiting…

Now let’s talk about a few games I’ve been waiting on.

Last year, I played Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, a prequel to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. Rising was created to give players a taste of what to expect from the full Hundred Heroes game. I had a good time with this short action RPG, but I’m worried about whether or not I will become fully hooked once it comes to a larger version of that world. I remember being a fan of the game’s combat system, although there was little combat in Rising overall.

A new game showed up during this Direct that I had no idea I was waiting for — Wargroove 2. The funny thing is I started playing the original Wargroove just a few weeks ago. I believe I picked it up on sale on the eShop after watching it for a few years. I’ve only played a bit of the main campaign so far, but I like the variety of gameplay in Wargroove. There’s co-op, custom battles and so much more to do. I was not initially aware that a sequel was on the way, but since it is coming next month, I now have a new sense of urgency to beat the Wargroove campaign — or I can always take my time and wait until a Wargroove 3 is about to be announced.

Dave the Diver is a game that I heard a lot about when it was released on PC. I was thinking of trying it on PC, but it looked to be a game that may make its way towards the Nintendo Switch very soon. Now it is coming to the Switch some time next month. I like the idea of connecting these two totally different worlds — the deep sea and a sushi restaurant.

[5] League of Legends Stories

This last group on the list is one that I’m excited about the idea of these games more than the actual games themselves. However, I would totally try both of these out.

There were two games set in the League of Legends universe unveiled during the Nintendo Direct. Although I’ve only played a few matches of League of Legends (whenever my buddy needs me) I love what they are doing with these League of Legends Story games. It’s such a great concept that I always hope to see other properties try out.

Previously, Star Wars games were all licensed to EA. In recent years we’ve seen Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney games coming from different studios and publishers. When your property is so vast and full of characters from different worlds, it makes more sense to have different studios working on multiple iterations. We’ve seen this over the years with Warhammer 40,0000.

The mainline League of Legends game is created by Riot Games. It’s great to see Riot lend out their characters to studios working on totally different games. The two games we saw during this direct looked completely unrelated.

First we saw Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story, a crafting RPG set in a cute world with cuddly little characters.

The second game Song of Nunu is a single-player adventure where Nunu is in search of his mother with the help of a sasquatch-looking creature.

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If you missed the Nintendo Direct you may watch the full version right here:

There was a lot of great news and new games in that Nintendo Direct. My initial plan was to create a separate post focused on the PlayStation State of Play which happened later in the day. I instead decided to add the full video below with some highlights.

Yesterday’s State of Play didn’t really reveal anything new. It mostly focused on games we already know about.

It began with Baby Steps, which looks like Human Fall Flat with more of a story. This game looks interesting. We also now know that ROBLOX is coming to PlayStation. I know it is one of the biggest games, even though it’s more like a marketplace of free user-generated games. Actually, I’m not really sure how to describe ROBLOX, I just know that my nephew plays it all the time. Next, we got to see some new PSVR2 experiences, Resident Evil 4: VR Mode and a new Ghostbusters game, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghostlord.

The second part was mostly more info on games we already know about Spider-Man 2, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and a Foamstars Open Beta coming soon. This wasn’t a bad State of Play, but a 40 minute Nintendo Direct taking place earlier in the day with more than twice as many games didn’t help.

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What were your top announcements of the day? There were a lot of announcements when you put both presentations together.