Originally published on Switch Weekly

Issue #319

December 2, 2023

That Direct was GREAT

Hey , Chris here with issue #319 of Switch Weekly — your Nintendo update.

I’m sure you’ve already seen it, but boy, that felt like a really solid Nintendo Direct . I’ve linked the 40 minute presentation below, along with a link out to a list of highlights. I was thrilled to see more of Pikmin 4 ( even if that new dog seems a little creepy ), also really happy to see that Advance Wars finally has a date. Game Boy and Advance games are great to have, and I’ve enjoyed checking out the GBA stuff this week. The big show ended with another look at Tears of the Kingdom — and although I’m grabbing that game day one, I gotta say, that trailer didn’t do much for me, especially when compared to the impactful 2017 BotW one (also Nuts and Bolts vibes sprung to mind, which is odd…)

Anyway, there’s just under 35 games coming to the Switch over the next week — the full list is below.

Finally, putting all things videogames to one side — I’ve made a donation to the Turkey-Syria Earthquake appeal. The loss of life is so staggering, and it continues to rise. If you’re in a position to donate, I’d encourage you to do so here , here , or here .

Cheers ,
Chris ✌️

🎮 Currently Playing : Kuru Kuru Kururin, Hi-Fi Rush (on Steam)

▶ Nintendo Direct: February 2023 — A nearly 45-minute presentation that was packed with sweet announcements . There was a ton to like about this one, and it’s definitly one of the better Direct’s of recent memory. Hit reply to this email and let me know what your favourite reveal was.

Nintendo of America // YouTube

A strong Nintendo Direct also showed why the end is in sight for the Switch

Kat Bailey // IGN

Nintendo’s investor Q&A promises Switch isn’t dead after Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Jim Norman // Nintendo Life

▶ Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Trailer 2 Analysis — If you like super deep dives of trailers look no further. This is a half hour look at what we can glean from the latest TotK trailer.

Zeltik // YouTube

Tears of the Kingdom lets you customize Link’s glider with throwbacks to Zelda history

Nicole Carpenter // Polygon

REVIEW Metroid Prime Remastered: The definitive version of a timeless masterpiece — ” the perfect version of one of the few truly perfect video games “. See also: John Rairdin for Nintendo World Report shares some side-by-side comparison shots with the GameCube original in his YouTube review: ” calling this a remaster, as the title screen so humbly does, vastly undersells the visual overhaul Metroid Prime has received “. The game is out now digitally ( love that they shadow dropped it ), but the physical release ( which I’m waiting for ) is due later this month.

Ewan Moore // Gaming Bible

Metroid Prime’s scanner is the original detective mode

Eric Switzer // The Gamer

Nintendo announces 10% pay raise for all Japanese employees to drive long-term growth — This is notable considering all the recent layoffs at big tech and various gaming companies . President Furukawa said: ” It’s important for our long-term growth to secure our workforce “. Nice .

Evgeny Obedkov // Game World Observer

Nintendo Switch clears 122m to outsell Game Boy, PlayStation 4 — The latest sales figures from Nintendo put the Switch at a huge new milestone, surpassing Nintendo’s very own Game Boy. The stats shared also revealed the Switch is closing in on 1 billion games shipped(!), and that the latest Pokemon games ( you know, those ones that launched in a rather buggy state ) has already sold a staggering 20 million units in just six weeks.

Andy Robinson // VGC

Nintendo has finally given Advance Wars 1+2 a new release date

Tom Philips // Eurogamer

2023 looks to be a great year for mystery game fans

Katelyn Mitchell Jewett // GameRant

Nintendo just reissued one of the most important games of all time — ” WarioWare, Inc. is an absurdist masterpiece that deconstructs gaming itself ” — This GBA punk classic is well worth experiencing.

Oli Welsh // Polygon

Kaizo Super Mario: Death By Shell Jump — A lil history lesson on Kaizo Mario games and how to get started if you’re curious.

Jessica Mullane // Superjump

🎮 Upcoming Releases

All releases are digital, Europe & U.S. unless otherwise stated.
Release data sourced in collaboration with Switch Scores .

⭐️ = Ones to Watch · 📦 = Physical release · 🎮 = Demo available

Mon

Souls of Chronos — An isometric, chibi JRPG. (Feb 14 in U.S.)
Spy Bros. — A retro arcade action platformer. (Feb 14 in U.S.)

Tue

⭐️ Blanc — An emotive co-op adventure featuring a wolf cub and fawn.
Chess Maiden — A chess game with a ‘mysterious and alluring’ virtual opponent.
Ten Dates — A live-action interactive romantic comedy post-pandemic follow up to Five Dates. (M for mature.)

Wed

Ein’s Sword — A basic 3D action game. (Feb 16 in U.S.)
Elderand — A ‘gruesome’ 2D action platformer with RPG elements. M for mature.
Pocket Witch — Budget pixel platformer with a witchy-theme.
Verdict Guilty — A 90’s style 2D arcade fighter set in ‘Neon Seoul’. Has two player support.

Thu

Cyberheroes Arena DX — A “mecha-themed auto battle roguelite”.
⭐️ Dust and Neon — A twin-stick roguelite shooter set in a post-apocalyptic Wild West.
Geometric Sniper: Blood in Paris — A paired back, simple shooter.
Hopping Girl Kohane EX — Pogo-stick action puzzle game.
Lucie’s Potager — Plant-based shopkeeping sim/RPG.
Montezuma’s Revenge: 8-Bit Edition — 80s arcade game comes to Switch.
Prizma Puzzle Prime — A colection of tile-based isometric puzzle web games.
Sniper Strike 3D — A budget 3D sniping game.
The Legend of Gwen — Witchy 3D action platformer.
⭐️📦🎮 Theatrhythm Final Bar Line — Final Fantasy rhythm action game with nearly 400 tracks.
W.A.R.P. — 140 stages of space-themed arcade action.

Fri

4×4 Offroad Driver 2 — 3D action racing.
Dr Smart Space Adventure — Cosmic edutainment.
📦 Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart — A 3D kart racer for four players.
📦 Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society — Expect 50+ hours of dungeon-exploring adventure. M for mature.
Mosaic Chronicles Deluxe — Fantasy puzzle game.
Non-Stop Space Probe — 40-levels of arcade action.
Piano: Learn and Play — A piano learning app.
Rise of Fox Hero — A 3D platformer with a sword wielding fox.
Rooftop Renegade — A futurisitc action platformer where speed and flow are all important. Looks interesting.
⭐️📦 Tales of Symphonia Remastered — A remaster of the much-loved GameCube action RPG. [ Physical release. ]
Tama Cannon — Basic arcade action game.

⚡️ Quick Links

Remember that ‘leaked’ Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED? Well, here’s some more evidence pointing to it being real.
The Mario movie marketing machine is in full swing, as proven by this website for the Mario Bros plumbing service , complete with its very own ad .
Retro Studios worked on a pitch to make a Star Fox game after wrapping up work on DKC Tropical Freeze.
Tears of the Kingdom has the largest file size of any first party Switch game.
Tiny Thor is a recently announced 2D pixel art platformer from German developer Asylum Square coming to the Switch later this year.
Konami is selling its latest baseball game for just a buck to try and reach a global audience. I’ll give it a go.
Here’s how to unlock all cheats and extra characters in GoldenEye 007.
Sure they drift, but the Joy-Con are great actually .
The weapon durability debate is back for the Zelda sequel. ( I’m in favour of it. )
Golden Sun is coming to the NSO GBA at some point — here’s why it matters .
Remember, Metroid can’t crawl, not even in the new remaster .
ICYMI: Last week this article about Triforce tattoos and this piece on queer Fire Emblem characters proved popular with Switch Weekly readers.

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That Direct was GREAT

🎮 Upcoming Releases

⚡️ Quick Links

Nintendo’s financial results reveal Switch 2 hits 10 million units sold

Former Nintendo employees reveal what it took to launch the NES in America

The NESBOOK is a Nintendo Entertainment System Companion Coffee Book