Games Inbox: Which was the best game in the Nintendo Direct?

The Thursday letters page gives its view on the second Nintendo Direct of the week, as one reader falls in love with Onimusha: Way Of The Sword.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Mama mia!
Considering it was September I didn’t think that Nintendo Direct was too bad. They never announce anything really big at this time of year, but I was surprised by Metroid Ravenous and the new Kirby game.

I don’t care about Kirby, but Metroid looked really good and hopefully will take away the bad taste of Metroid Prime 4. To be honest, I’m surprised they even made a new game, but I suppose they started years before they realised what a dud Metroid Prime 4 was.

As usual for the Switch 2 generation, the real question is where are all the big names? We’ve had two Kirby games before we’ve had even a hint at a new Mario (I think that’s two Directs in a row where he wasn’t in any game at all) and there’s still no word on Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros., Luigi’s Mansion, or Splatoon 4.

Whether you like these games or not the priorities Nintendo is showing are just absolutely baffling. I can only assume that something has gone wrong with the development of all these games and the ones that are coming out are quicker to make and didn’t have any problems. But it really is weird. It almost feels like Nintendo’s lost the rights to Mario or something. And where is the new IP?!
Xane

Anything but Mario
A-woo-hoo! Super Mario and the world beyond! Ahem, joke, it’s Kirby isn’t it…

You know what? No one can say there wasn’t a lot of incoming titles in that Direct, most of which I probably wouldn’t get.

Back in the N64/GameCube eras, they were my only consoles so I would of bought and traded almost all of these titles and convinced myself that Eternal Darkness, Star Fox Adventures, and Blast Corps were better alternatives to Tomb Raider, Metal Gear, and Resident Evil. But on the flip side I was playing Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, and F-Zero GX; so swings and roundabouts.

Anyway, choice is always a good thing and there was certainly lots of choice packed in there.
big boy bent

All in good time
What surprised me about the Nintendo Direct was the sheer volume of games. It’s almost too many. I’m joking of course.

It seems the Switch 2 is going to become the indie machine. My Switch 1 is already full to the brim with games for my commute and this is pushing me more towards upgrading. This and Zelda: Ocarina Of Time.

Also, it appears, if you don’t mind waiting, then most games are going to end up on here. Maybe even GTA 6. Never say never.
Rob Taylor, Attorney at Brid Law

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Portable Legend
What a nostalgia bomb the Zelda update was, brought back great core memories as a kid. Running onto Hyrule Field for the first time, it felt unreal. Up there with Super Mario 64 for the sense of awe for the first time.

Tempted me to get a Switch 2 for sure, between being a grown-up and having kids there is just hardly any free time, so I think being able to play on the sofa while kids asleep and the Mrs watches whatever on Netflix is the only way to squeeze all these games in.
Rich

Portable Christmas
I’ve bought my little nephew a 3DS for Christmas, as he’s getting into Pokémon a bit. Would you have a list of must play games on the system? Something for him when he gets bored with Pokemon. He’s seven if it helps.

Thanks for any advice you can offer. It’s a system I’ve never used and Google just gives the same list of Mario, Metroid, etc.
Bobwallett

GC: Well, Super Mario 3D Land and Metroid: Samus Returns are very good but there’s also Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D, Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, Fire Emblem Awakening, Fire Emblem Fates, Luigi’s Mansion 2, Pushmo, Mario Kart 7, Etrian Odyssey 4, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and Kirby: Planet Robobot.

Another great game
I’d never played an Onimusha game before, but thought the recent demo looked interesting, so decided to give it a go. I was also slightly influenced by the excellent work Capcom has done over recent years with the Resident Evil series and Pragmata, all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

The demo was impressive and piqued my interest enough to put in a pre-order, leaving me excited to know more about how the mechanics of the game and how the story might develop. Playing the final release has been a real eye-opener. Not only is it graphically stunning, with some of the best character models and animation I’ve ever seen, it offers deep and varied gameplay and the mythology, and gradual opening of the map and widening of the story, have been a joy to experience.

The swordplay is so satisfying, with a strong sense of physical connection, and the more fantastical areas of the map are so full of detail and imagination, it has really been an absolute joy to play. It has become an instant classic, sitting amongst the best games I have ever played. I highly recommend it. Thanks for the great work GC team.
Rob

GC: Thank you.

Autumn harvest
That was a disappointment after yesterday’s Zelda one. The only two games I am really interested in are Metroid Ravenous and Danganronpa 2×2, but both are next year so I try not to think of anything that far off.

Really wish we had had even a hint of a new Mario, although I guess they want to do Zelda first and then reveal it maybe.
Simon

Familiar song
Hey Listen! Firstly, that full orchestra montage of Zelda melodies that preceded the Zelda news certainly give me a tingle of excitement and damn near brought a tear to my eyes.

Secondly, Ocarina Of Time reborn looked absolutely phenomenal and a dream come true for myself, that cherished the original growing up. This is exactly how I had hoped it would look in the modern era.

Honestly, though, I was pretty surprised navigating through some of the negative comments out there, attempting to paint some sort of portrait of ruin regarding the new visuals.

It’s like Star Fox 64 remake all over again, particularly the fastidious scrutiny of the character art. But less we forget, there has been a harmony of dissonance in the Zelda fandom’s idea of the ideal artistic direction, ever since The Wind Waker’s whiplashing cartoony aesthetics were unveiled.

Fortunately, many have come to accept that Fox McCloud and co.’s initially polarising new designs actually looked just fine in the finished article, and I believe that’ll be the case here.

For me, new Ocarina Of Time’s art direction is like an amalgamation of organically evolved assets from the N64 original, that Space World 2000 Zelda technical demo, the 2011 Wii U HD Zelda technical demo, and perhaps a hint of some of the more impressive Unreal Engine Zelda interpretations on YouTube; but a thousand times more considered, artistically nuanced, and resplendent.

Sure, I would’ve loved an additional dungeon or two – although such an accommodation technically hasn’t been ruled out yet and I am about as hopelessly idealistic as you can be – but I didn’t set myself up for disappointment because I was fully expecting a virtually 1:1 remake, so anything extra was a wishful bonus.

What Nintendo have delivered, though, looks transformed and more grand courtesy of the quantum leap in visual fidelity. I’d liken the Ocarina Of Time remake style to Resident Evil remake in some ways, which for my money is still the finest remake to date. In that it’s beautiful and extremely faithful to the original, with a healthy dosage of new quality of life features.

Admittedly, Resident Evil remake did also have new mechanics, lore, enemies, and a brand new area, so I don’t know where I’m going here. Just wanted to give Resident Evil remake a shout out I guess.

Visually though, new Ocarina Of Time impressed me almost as much as GTA 6’s proper reveal did, because I just wasn’t prepared for just how stunning it’d be. Which is truly a testament to the talents of Nintendo’s in-house, or out-house (?!), developers.

Watching the footage, the remake is probably how Ocarina Of Time looked like to my 12-year-old mind all those decades ago. It spoke directly to the inner child in me. That sense of wonder and childlike glee it invoked was just magical. Now I await the sand in the phantom hourglass to run its course!
GG

Inbox also-rans
Really liked the look of Metroid Ravenous in the Direct and there were a few other good things too like Fright Night and Onyx: The Dark Grip. Who knows how they’ll turn out but I liked the idea of them.
Taylor Moon

I really wish Onyx: The Dark Grip wasn’t by Bloober Team or I’d really be looking forward to it, because I love the idea of the character becoming aware of you as the player. I hope they pull it off.
Focus

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: Did the Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake live up to expectations?

MORE: Games Inbox: What will be in the Zelda Direct today?Games Inbox: What will be in the Zelda Direct today?

MORE: Games Inbox: When will GTA 6 be released on PC?

Comments


Add as preferred source