I’ve considered a rating system based on what I want in a Direct.

1. Announcements - are there announcements (games, game features, other deals) done in a way more exciting than an announcement off a list or press headline?

2. Features - Did I learn anything interesting or compelling about the game?

3. Experience - Did I learn anything interesting about the experience of the game?

4. Entertainment - was it entertaining?

5. Rewatch - would I watch it again?

For this latest Direct, I’d probably give it a 0.5 or 1 out of 5.

The 0.5 or 1 is because I think the Mario RPG and Star Ocean announcement made a difference. But O.5 because it’s hard to justify a full 1 when Mario RPG and Star Ocean combined to about 5% of the Direct. Other than that, the answer would be no for every question.

Now, that’s not to say I didn’t like the games shown. But I didn’t like how they were shown. The Direct felt anemic and bloated at the same time.

Some examples of 5 out of 5 for me would be the Breath of the Wild, the Switch unveil, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I’m not a Pokémon fan, but I’d also score those Directs highly because they got me buying multiple Pokémon games when I’d never have considered them before. The Switch unveil was short (around 5-7 minutes long), but I watched it again multiple times, it was entertaining, it explained the experience, it explained the features, and it was basically packed full of announcements that made a huge difference. But in short, I feel I got substantially more out of that 5-7 minute Switch unveil than I did out of the last 30-45 minute Direct.

Nintendo: Look do you want to see what games are coming out or not? Cuz we'd just as well not show you shit until one day before any of this stuff launches.

That skit of Koizumi wriggling just like the characters in Wario Move it had already more même/charm potential than most presentation we've got this year so can't say they've lost their spirit there.

Nintendo makes the best presentations already. Each bit shows gameplay and is informative. No CGI or pretentious voice-over trailer. I don't have to listen to some "the long dark has come and it needs someone to show the light, I will be that light" and blah blah blah from so much AAA bullshit. They show the game. Show the mechanics. Give a release window. Perfect.  The switch is in hospice. The era of big Switch reveals is over. They are just feeding it through a tube long enough to reveal a successor.

The Direct format does work but it is plain aside from an occasional small gag. At least Nintendo still puts some character into their presentations unlike many others though I do miss when they had elaborate skits like Reggie fighting Iwata.

That was a Smash trailer for Mii fighter, not one of those non sequitur skits that they used to do. 

The point of a direct is only to aggregate news of the games coming in the next months. In a visual way because it's more appealing than publishing a list on a website

It's not about detailing the games. If that was the point the directs would last hours

I think you over thinking it as this is more a general overview direct so it s quick here is what's coming. They do seem to have dedicated directs where they want to show case ore about a new game. In any case you will find most people are so busy with work and life, they are happy with this format as it's a very quick summary to let them know how much money to save for games or fuck this will be a dry year. The nuts and bolts can be put into focused directs.

Also the word Mario will mean it will automatically sell at least 5 million, so how much effort do they really need to sell it?

For all these third party game packs they announced, I would much rather know if the whole game will be on the physical release, or will I have to download something to be able to play it. That is the biggest selling point to me,

Needs more farming simulators. I counted only two in the last direct, down from three or four in the previous one. This is unacceptable.

Also, the dub saying "So, what do you think? :D" after underwhelming games always gets me good, so I hope they always keep it. What's life without a little troll here and there, right?

Oh fuck :)
I crossed my wires on two threads. The post was supposed to be a response to another thread. Not an original topic.
Although, I did have a brief paragraph or so written that I abandoned for what was supposed to be this topic. You can imagine my 1-2 seconds of sheer panic when I saw that I’d posted the topic, and that it had several responses.