"I caught my first Nintendo Direct last year, just before E3. It was somewhat…unexpected. Instead of crazy editing, hipster quips and frenetic sizzle reels, Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata stood beneath a picture with the Japanese characters for a phrase that he explained meant “creating something unique,” addressing viewers in English and speaking slowly with long pauses at the end of sentences. You might even have called the tone struck as he introduced and elaborated on the Wii U something approaching “dignified.” This was Nintendo working to define itself as definitively unlike its rowdier rivals.

The latest of these briefs aired this morning, a full 30 minutes packed with information about several upcoming games, some of it stuff we already knew, some of it stuff we didn’t, but none of it significant in the “Look, a new Super Mario Galaxy game!” sense. We heard a little about some new Sega games (a lovely-looking Mario and Sonic Winter Olympics game that made me think Diddy Kong Racing meets SSX; plus a new Sonic-series action/adventure/platformer dubbed Sonic: Lost World), were walked through snippets of upcoming or recently released games including Mario & Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move and Animal Crossing: New Leaf, finally got a release date for The Wonderful 101 (Sep. 15), learned about a Luigi-based rethink of New Super Mario Bros. U that existing owners of the latter can download on June 20 for $20 (or, if you don’t own New Super Mario Bros. U, buy standalone on Aug. 25 for $30) and had a fairly detailed look at Pikmin 3, Shigeru Miyamoto’s forthcoming real-time strategy opus.

And yet I wonder how many people watching today’s show walked away disappointed, like the dopamine-starved blogosphere after some press-concocted Apple fantasy part fails to materialize during a WWDC keynote. Judged as such, you’d probably find most of these Nintendo Direct videos boring. You’ve tuned in hoping to spy something jaw-dropping instead of merely explanatory (or, you know, insightful), something like footage from a new Zelda game, Shigeru Miyamoto decapitating a Master Chief mannequin with his mock Link-sword or some wildly unexpected add-on upgrade that renders the Wii U The Most Powerful Console in the Universe.

That’s not what Nintendo’s about, and I hope it never changes. These Direct videos aren’t perfect, mind you: at times they feel overly scripted, and I’m not sure gamers need as much time devoted to re-explaining retro titles set to resurface in Nintendo’s Virtual Console, say the Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons games. But with all the shallow, splashy game trailers pouring through our pupils that tell us next to nothing about how a game actually plays, I think Nintendo deserves a hand (slow clap) for turning down the volume and approaching us more like even-tempered adults than excitable little children."

This article seems to be right about Nintendo's intentions with the ND's.

Not too surprising. We've had a few megaton-like NDs in the recent past, but it would probably be unreasonable to expect every single one to blow Nintendo fans' minds.

To me Nintendo Directs are the new Nintendo magazine or something

I wonder if gaming media hates these things. i mean look at say IGN's Nintendo team. What are they to talk about? Nintendo basically just had a 30 minute article they presented to everybody.

It wasn't a special interview or insider informatino or anything that IGN can write up an article and have something no other place has. They would be basically just copying down word for word what we all saw and is available online for all to see.

It's like Nintendo has taken over the jobs of a gaming journalist.


personally I like them. It's not just a cliche trailer or stuff. I mean look at the Pikman and Olympic games they showed. He talked about each new feature, and showed it and explained why they added it and so on. Feels like I'm watching a movie dvd with director commentary playing. I don't need any third party journalist to give me his opinion on what he saw, I got first hand knowledge from iwata myself on everything. There is no speculation on "omg there was a guy in bobsled, skies, snowboard, ect all at once, how does that work" No iwata explained it while it was showing, ect.

That was the case with this particular Nintendo Direct, sure. Some of the past ones featured spiffy teaser trailers, which was at least something for the press to pour over and speculate on.

The problem is that ever since Bayonetta 2 reveal (although that wasn't a ND) people are expecting a megaton on every ND. 

I like how ND is presented. Iwata's awkward, embarrassed approach is genuinely refreshing in contrast to all the stereotypical cocksure CEO rubbish.

They kind of set people up for disappointment though. There wasn't really anything shown today that warranted a worldwide stream. A couple of sequels that everyone knew were coming, and some tidbits of info on already announced games,

Nintendo should reduce the frequency to a few times a year to make the shows more worthwhile.

this is the magic behind NDs you never know what to expect and the BOOM everything is upside down

I think they wanted to get some things out of the way that would get lost in the shuffle during the big E3 ND and the Sonic announcement was so we had at least one new announcement

It's also possible that the announced Sonic games will be at E3, but I don't think any promises were made in that regard. :/