Nintendo’s latest Direct has been missing news on some major franchises. Here are some important games and series that were not present at the presentation.
The first Nintendo Direct livestream in over a year had to deliver, and it did. Nintendo has released sequels, remasters and DLC that should excite Switch owners. However, it was not perfect. Heavily anticipated games and long dormant franchises were nowhere to be found during the presentation, some of which stood out more than others. Here are five key games that were noticeably absent in this week’s Nintendo Direct.
Metroid Prime 4
The latest game in the influential 3D Metroid spin-off series was originally announced at E3 2017. In 2019, Nintendo CEO Shinya Takahashi revealed that the original version of the game (apparently developed by Bandai Namco Studios) had been deleted, and Retro Studios, which developed the first three games. in the series was introduced to start the development of the title again.
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Nintendo has been tight on the game ever since. The only source of news about it was through the rental of Retro. A steady stream of talent (including game developers like God of war, car theft and Call of Duty) joined the developer in Texas. Fans can speak their minds about Retro strengthening its staff while working on the game. However, that’s still not enough to keep fans from feeling that the game has completely disappeared.
Bayonetta 3
Although it sounds harsh, it rather looks like managing expectations. It looks like Kamiya wants any announcement to be a pleasant surprise for fans and says, “if something finally happens, it’s going to be a pleasant surprise, right?” It’s likely that Nintendo will hold back a significant revelation for another Direct, or possibly another appearance at The Game Awards.
The legend of Zelda’s 35th anniversary
The legend of Zelda was not excluded from the latest Direct. An HD port of Wii game Skyward Sword and DLC for Breath of nature spin-off Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity were both announced. But while it was welcome, it’s understandable why fans wanted more. On February 21, the franchise’s 35th anniversary is celebrated, and a commemorative collection of classics Zelda titles similar to 2020s Super Mario 3D All-Stars, would be a non-brainer.
Fans also want to know more Breath of nature‘s sequel, which was announced during E3 2019. Nintendo has not released any information about the game since its release. Awaiting disappointment, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma appears in the Direct to apologize for the lack of BOTW 2 news and said there should be more to say later in the year.
New Pokémon Snap
Players expected New Pokémon Snap has more information than fans of the other games that are missing in the Direct. The game’s release date on April 30 has been announced, and fans know the game’s plot, environment and how its mechanics will work. Make it all Cut‘s absence of the Direct is striking. It covers games that will be released in the first half of 2021, which will presumably also include Cut.
However, this does not mean that the game is delayed; it is more likely that there is a Pokémontheme Direct comes later this month to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise. Pokémon has always preferred to make big announcements independent of larger Nintendo Direct, and it would make sense to give it the spotlight for this important milestone.
Star Fox
While the previous games were all in some form of development, it was mostly quiet at play Star Fox now for years before. The last major release was in 2017, when the previously unreleased Star Fox 2 was recorded as part of the SNES Classic. Fans have not yet seen a new console Star Fox game since 2016’s Star Fox Zero on the Wii U. Fox McCloud and its Heir made an appearance in Ubisoft’s 2018 toy-to-live game Starlink: Battle for Atlas on the switch, but it is not a substitute for a dedicated Star Fox games.
Star Fox fans would love to be thrown a leg up on the Switch, whether it’s a new title or a collection. At this point, even a standalone Switch port of Zero will be welcome. For now, they have to be content with the SNES games that are part of Nintendo Switch Online.
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