My Favorites from the Latest Nintendo Direct

Waiting for Nintendo’s next Nintendo Direct was starting to become a meme, and at times it felt like the company was even trolling us on Twitter with their nonsensical imagery. Yesterday, with practically no announcement at all, they dropped a ‘mini’ Direct on us with lots of great games and details.

I’m just going to touch on a few of my favorites and stand-outs, but you can find all of the games and info on Nintendo’s official site for the Jan 11th Direct.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

The DK franchise makes its first step onto the Switch with a rerelease of the 2014 Wii U game Tropical Freeze. Generally well received, the game was known for being brutally difficult. I can honestly admit that even after growing up with the SNES versions of the Donkey Kong Country games (which were no cake walk), I was still getting my bananas kicked by the levels in Tropical Freeze.

With the port to Switch, Nintendo is introducing a beginner-friendly mode, and the ability to play as Funky Kong who gets to double jump and do infinite rolls and corkscrews. He’s basically Uber Kong… and I will probably use him exclusively.

This is great for the Switch and for Donkey Kong fans. The game was trapped on the Wii U, which all things considered was a poorly performing console. I hope this exposes a much broader base of players to a great game and franchise, and sparks the continued creation and evolution of the games.

Mario Tennis Aces

Mario sports games are always way better than you might think. I remember the soccer games and past tennis games being loads of fun. I’m excited to get my hands on the Mario Tennis Aces and see what kind of fun it can bring to the Switch.

There will be a story mode with boss battles, and certainly lots of familiar faces from the Nintendo properties.

My biggest hope is for online multiplayer. I know that the past games did, though I’m not sure you could create friend rooms. Without online multiplayer, this will be a huge disappointment for me.

Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition

I haven’t played any of the past games like Hyrule Warriors. I know Graev is super into them. He’s played this style of game for Fire Emblem, some Anime, and definitely Hyrule Warriors.

What’s cool about this one is that it’ll combine the Wii U and 3Ds DLC/content all into one game making it, well, definitive.

I’m also hoping beyond hope for online multiplayer for this one.

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There has never been a better time to own a Switch. I keep saying that. I’ve convinced 3 friends to get one, and now they all play way more than I do. If you haven’t given the console the fair look it deserves, hopefully some of these games will change your mind.

  • I don’t own a switch, but some of those titles are pretty cool. I’m a sucker for Kirby, so seeing a new one puts a smile on my face. Seeing the Dark Souls remastered on Switch is going to make a lot of people happy. Unfortunate it’s not the original Demon Souls, though.

    More stuff to do in Odyssey seems great (and a little crazy) and continues to support my need to purchase a Switch. Hyrule Warriors, if its anything like the Dragon Quest ones I’ve played, would be a good buy as well.

    Lastly, a new Mario Tennis game will be a lot of fun. Especially since my six year old is getting pretty good at games. This will be a fun thing for her and I to play together. I also never got the chance to play Tropic Freeze, so seeing that re-release will be pretty cool to grab once I get my Switch.

    The others (especially the SNK heroine battle thing, which seems funny-and-cool) don’t really appeal to me, but seem like pretty good additions to the already robust line-up Nintendo has been pushing.

    Good for them, honestly. I was worried about Nintendo with the Wii, and even more so with the Wii U.

    • Oh man you gotta get a Switch if you can afford one. Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild, and now all these games…. the problem is quickly becoming there are more games than I can afford.

      Having it all be mobile too is immensely cool.