This was originally in OP, but decided it was too long. So, I’m posting here:
I too must confess that upon closing the Nintendo Direct this morning, the first thing I did was go onto VGChartz and share my grievances with the presentation—too much DLC, too many Amiibo, no system sellers, weak “one last thing,” etc. But upon having taken a moment to step back and reflect, I think there is a very important observation to make. Here is Nintendo’s first-party (and Pokémon) lineup between now and Spring 2026:
- DKBananza (DLC) [Today]
- Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 [October 2nd, 2025]
- Pokémon Legends Z-A [October 16th, 2025]
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment [November 6th, 2025]
- Kirby Air Riders [November 20th, 2025]
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond [December 4th, 2025]
- Mario Tennis Fever [February 12th, 2026]
- Virtual Boy NSO [February 17th, 2026]
- Super Mario Bros Wonder (DLC) [Spring 2026]
- Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream [Spring 2026]
- Yoshi and the Mysterious Book [Spring 2026]
And even if you do not want to include DLC nor ports (e.g. Mario Galaxy 1+2), this is a thoroughly dense line-up of releases by Nintendo standards (and especially for this time of year. Nintendo typically avoids releasing anything during the months of December & January). I mean… Pokémon, Zelda, Kirby, and Metroid are all 2w away from each other. How could anybody possibly be upset with that?? That all being said, I believe this Direct could’ve been improved in many ways. In particular, why was info so scarce? E.g. (i) No info on the single-player component of Mario Wonder DLC; (ii) No info on Tomodachi Life nor Rhythm Heaven; (iii) Next-to-nothing regarding the Mario Galaxy Movie; (iv) Nothing more than some brief snips of gameplay from MP4B; etc. And maybe this is a personal taste thing…but why was FE the closer? And why was a Yoshi game announced as the big Mario 40th Anniversary title?
But looking past what are nothing more than logistical screws up, what more should we have realistically expected from this presentation? Why do you feel let down? Glancing back at the NS1 generation, such a lineup during the interlude period of December through February would’ve been unheard of, and I wouldn’t want Nintendo to be spoiling everything post-February 2026, otherwise then the February 2026 Direct a lot of its steam. This truly was a very solid Direct as far as its contents are concerned, though maybe doesn’t hold up quite so strong to the quality of June 2024 nor April 2025 (which, I’d argue, were among Nintendo’s two strong Direct presentations of all time).
Last edited by firebush03 - on 12 September 2025
