What we expect from today's Nintendo Direct
Zelda! Metroid! Pikmin!
Everybody's talking about it, but what's going to happen in today's Nintendo Direct? Is it Zelda time? Is it Metroid o'clock? Dare we even speculate about Pikmin 4? Today, we'll find out.
The 40-minute Nintendo Direct broadcast begins at 3pm UK time. Note that Nintendo UK will not be broadcasting the stream because of the period of national mourning that's ongoing here. But you can watch it via the Nintendo US stream embedded in this piece.
So, let's speculate. Ready, steady, go.
Tetra's Trackers
Two words: Tetra's Trackers. I never played the original, which was a sort of Wind-Waker aside in which you connected Game Boy Advances to GameCubes and hunted for treasure. It was the sort of oddity Nintendo was into at the time - a la Pac-Man Versus, which was brilliant. At the time weird stuff like this was seen as a sign that Nintendo was losing its way a bit, and actually that's why I think they should bring it back now, when the Switch is such a success and they can afford to return to bizarre experiments. Four Switches can be a lot like four GBAs, and there's no need for cables! Tetra's Trackers please, and after that maybe Pac-Man Versus?
Chris Donlan
Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters
It's been over a year since the Pixel Remasters began rolling out on mobiles and PC, so it's about time for the Switch releases, right? That said, Square Enix's decision making is often an enigma - see its NFT strategy for example - but I have a good feeling about this one. Final Fantasy 1 to 6 deserves to be on Nintendo, after all. And if it doesn't show up today, well, I'll just have to be content with listening to Pixel Remaster's sublime take on the FF4 map theme on repeat until it does.
Matthew Reynolds
Wind Waker and Twilight Princess remakes
It feels as if there's still six months at least to go before we get our hands on Breath of the Wild 2, or whatever Nintendo decides it will finally be called. So, in the time-honoured tradition of having at least something Zelda-related out every year, it seems we could see the long-rumoured Wind Waker and Twilight Princess remakes to fit the gap. With at least a year of BOTW2 expansion content likely planned, this is the last moment in some time Nintendo can monetise these fan-favourite games - and there's certainly an appetite as we all wait for Breath of the Wild's next chapter.
Tom Phillips
Breath of the What is it called?
We have got to get Breath of the Wild sequel's actual name. Surely, this is the time. I know Nintendo has said that the name will give too much about the game away, but I'm tired of writing "the fan-dubbed Breath of the Wild 2". Some new footage would also be nice, Nintendo, if you please. Oh and also, like Tom says, Twilight Princess and Wind Waker remakes. Let's make this Direct a Zelda-palooza!
Victoria Kennedy
We need more Samus on Switch
Last year's Metroid Dread reignited a passion across the Nintendo community for Samus and her jellyfish friends, but was this just a taster of what's to come? Between the long-rumoured Metroid Prime (trilogy) remake and the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4, we need more Samus on Switch. Surely that remake is primed and ready to launch? Today, preferably. And surely it's been long enough since its move back to Retro Studios that we're due some Prime 4 news? If the supposed Zelda re-releases are stirring excitement for BOTW2, surely Metroid fans can have the same? Please Nintendo, I'm on my knees, begging, ready to morph ball.
Ed Nightingale
Pikmin 4 must be ready now
Dear Nintendo, in 2017 you promised one Mr Tom Phillips that Pikmin 4 was "very close to completion". Miyamoto-san himself gave his word. Five years later and my crops are unwatered, my Pikmin are wilting. Pikmin Bloom brought some attention back to the series, but it lacks the depth and charm of a full game. Pikmin 4 must be ready by now; it's been years since you sowed the seeds and put the roots of development on the ground. It's 2022 - let me throw my Pikmin!
Liv Ngan
Tunic
Seeing as the little fox that could is making its way to PlayStation consoles at the end of the September it seems almost inevitable that Tunic will get a Switch port - so why not make my autumn dreams come true and let me solve some of the best puzzles in gaming on the go? Being so inspired by early Zelda games, it's a natural fit for the best indie machine Nintendo has made, and if the rumours are true, a natural fit to this "Zelda blowout" direct.
Jessica Orr
Radiant Silvergun
Treasure's been teasing a comeback for a short while, and it doesn't take too much internet sleuthing to discover exactly what shape that will take - a fresh outing for Radiant Silvergun, the studio's delightfully tricksy shooting game that debuted on Sega's ST-V and Saturn hardware, and arguably one of its finest games. Its successor Ikaruga has a higher profile, though part of me's always preferred the original - in part because of the stirring Hitoshi Sakimoto score, but also because of its ridiculously deep weapon-levelling system that's in stark contrast to the stripped back firepower at your disposal in Ikaruga. What a delight it'd be to have this on the Switch - and dare we dream for news of Project RS3 too to boot?
Martin Robinson