New main Mario revealed!
The wait for a new Mario seemed like a long time (2D or 3D), so seeing the initial reveal for Super Mario Bros. Wonder at the end of June Direct was a feeling unlike any other. Of course, there have been some rumors that Nintendo is preparing something else for its mascot, but to see the game that is actually new (but not ‘New’) it really was something special.
Let’s not forget that this is the first time we’ve seen that expressive animation, talking flowers, amazing effects! It was also the first time we saw Mario the elephant, but you can’t have too much of a good thing, we guess…
Surprise! F-Zero 99 exists!
F-zero was one of those franchises Little Icarus and Star fox to hear people throwing themselves in front of Direct and think to yourself, “No, no way.” As it turns out, it was some time.
F-Zero 99 may not be the complete remaster or new entry that many loyal fans of the high-octane racing series were desperately hoping for, but is F-Zero, too is good. The September Direct announcement took us a bit by surprise — “That’s our kid. In Battle Royale?” — but it was one of the few true surprises of the year, and we were pleased to see it pay off.
Paper Mario is on his way
This is another one that has been covered quite a few times in the past. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Switch started out as a pipe dream before it hit Direct in September earlier this year.
Of course, that 2024 release date means we don’t yet know if it’ll live up to our expectations (it probably will), but we’re still damn happy with the announcement.
The best moments of the Switch game
Metroid’s new rain
The first landing on Tallon IV in Metroid Prime Remastered is likely to be a different memorable experience for different people. For some of us at Nintendo Life, this was the first time we’d stepped into Samus’ world in first-person, and the moment was filled with excitement for what lay ahead. However, for those of us more knowledgeable about the game, the excitement was about something a little more niche: rain.
The fact is that Nintendo managed to make one of the most beautiful remasters we’ve seen on the Switch, so to see something as standard as the rain skin this one good really said something. But come on, watching those drops ring out of Samus’ Arm Cannon is really ace.
The tears of the epic opening of the Kingdom
There is no messing around with Tears of the Kingdom’s opening. The black screens from ‘Nintendo Presents’, ‘The Legend of Zelda’, ‘Tears of the Kingdom’ are carried over from Breath of the Wild, yes, but they still exude confidence. This is a company that knows they’ve hit the ground running.
From there, it just gets bigger and better. A walking tour through the tunnels under Hyrule Castle, music gradually increasing in volume, weird goofy things on the walls (no, we didn’t know about Gloom at the time). Everything is great. Forget 2023, as we say below — this opening is one of Nintendo’s best ever. Ever.
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