Nintendo’s nostalgia nod
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▶ Nintendo Direct — June 2026 — A 50-minute presentation, highlighting some stellar third-party support, a closer look at the new Fire Emblem, a new Xenoblade, and the (sadly spoiled) Ocarina remake. I thought this was rock solid. If you’d rather a text round-up VGC have you covered. Nintendo // YouTube I didn’t care about the new Star Fox until I found out who’s making it — New York-based Velan Studios, developers of Knockout City and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, are the team behind the spruced up 64 remake. Mark Delaney // GameSpot ▶ Ocarina of Time Remake Trailer Analysis — Somehow, Zeltik manages to get 11 minutes of analysis from the teaser trailer. Every possible detail covered with context. Zeltik // YouTube A list of weird little guys in Ocarina of Time I want to see in the remake Rebekah Valentine // Kotaku Ocarina of Time remake, Call of Duty 4, and more: Nintendo Direct proves the Switch 2 can finally be your only console — He ain’t wrong. Jordan Minor // PCMag Nintendo fans don’t know what they want — Those of us of a certain vintage will remember the Celda furore when Wind Waker was first introduced. Well, following a round of ‘hire this man’ discourse Alan asks whether Nintendo fans’ tastes have changed or if they just don’t know what they want. Alan Wen // GameSpot ▶ It’s 2026 and Nintendo just got fined millions for Joy-Con drift Hanafuda Report // YouTube Four years later, we finally got another look at Kingdom Hearts 4 (and it’s coming to Switch 2 at launch) — This was a big surprise after such a long absence, and quiet the get for it be showcased in the Direct first. Although, the actual trailer didn’t look overly exciting to me… Dom Peppiatt // Eurogamer Nintendo is playing things too safe Andrew Webster // The Verge I don’t know if we need all these remakes, guys Luke Plunkett // Aftermath Is our obsession with video game remakes hurting the potential for new ideas? — Not a new piece, but one that seems relevant again after all of those summer announcements. Jordan Oloman // NME INTERVIEW Big Walk’s creators reflect on their six-year journey — Big Walk is from Melbourne-based developer House House – the same team behind 2019s hit Untitled Goose Game. It’s arriving on Switch 2 in August. Ignas Vieversys // GamesIndustry.biz Video game ratings icons aren’t enough anymore — Whether ESRB, PEGI, or other, Katya claims that “age, as the crux on which the whole system rests, is the ratings’ biggest weakness“. Katya Ryabova // Crossplay PREVIEW Alien Isolation 2 feels like exactly what fans want – more of the same Jordan Middler // VGC PREVIEW Nintendo Switch owners are still eating good in 2026 thanks to Rhythm Heaven Groove — “I walked out of my hands-on session with a huge smile on my face and, honestly, can one really ask for anything more?” Dashiell Wood // TechRadar One year later, Switch 2’s biggest gimmick has failed to make an impact Giovanni Colantonio // Polygon INTERVIEW Naoki Hamaguchi on bringing Final Fantasy back to Nintendo — As Brian notes on Bluesky there’s something rather poetic about FFVII being the game “that took the series from Nintendo to PlayStation, and now, nearly 30 years later, the remake of that same game seems intent on bringing Final Fantasy back to Nintendo“. Brian Shea // Game Informer REVIEW Tetris: The Grand Master 4 — Absolute Eye — “a fine version of Tetris that is tailored to those who are looking for the highest possible challenge“. Willem Hilhorst // Nintendo World Report Nintendo’s Switch 2 pricing strategy keeps getting smarter and smarter Oli Welsh // Polygon Mikhail Madnani // RPG Site By definition, Pokémon TCG is no longer a hobby Alan Lopez // Nintendo Life How music brought the new James Bond game to life — Yes, the Switch 2 version ain’t here yet, but this is worth a read for any Bond fan. Mark Savage // BBC News
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