Very disappointing. Predictable, safe, and the same usual stuff we're already getting tired of. Sure, a Metroid Prime 4 release date is nice, but that could have been announced much earlier. I'm honestly fed up with Nintendo's "leave everything in the dark until the last minute" communication strategy. It only creates unnecessary anxiety among fans, uncertainty about the Switch 2's release window, and doubt about the consistency of future titles and their launch schedules.
Nintendo has fallen into the habit of relying on a very cautious formula: recycling the same franchises, keeping announcements painfully safe, and avoiding risk at all costs. This is a far cry from the ambitious, groundbreaking Nintendo that once reshaped the industry with bold ideas. By insisting on revealing everything at the very last moment, they not only fail to build meaningful long-term hype but also alienate part of their own community, leaving fans frustrated and constantly second-guessing what's coming next. This strategy might work for short-term marketing bursts, but in the long run it reflects a lack of ambition and transparency — two qualities that used to define Nintendo's strength.
Safe is the right word. I know hyperbole and hot takes are all the rage these days on the internet, so let me preface this. The Switch is by far my favorite system ever. I really truly enjoy a lot of games, first and third party, that came out for the system. Many of them are at or near the top of their franchises. But I have to ask myself, after the 1-2 punch of BOTW/Odyssey, how many first party game announcements truly wowed me on their first reveal? I can think of only two. Astral Chain and Pokemon Legends Arceus.
Again, I don't like hyperbole. Nintendo innovates more than their critics give them credit for. And I
get it. Nintendo is blessed to have an absurdly large amount of franchises that people want to play. And other than Mario Party, they don't really overmilk them; it's basically a one new game a generation thing. And with a generation being 8 years, is it really wrong to have a new Mario Tennis or Yoshi every 8 years? They have their fans waiting for them. It's not too soon. I get it. But is that all that Nintendo has? Print out a giant sheet of their franchises at the start of the generation and just start putting checkboxes next to them?
When Metroid Dread or Pikmin 4 or whatever was announced, I was happy. Just as I was to see Fire Emblem today. I am really really glad those games exist. But I already know what to expect coming in. Oh sure, I don't know the particulars. I didn't know Dread would end up being really linear but also work really well as a linear game. But it's still Metroid. Astral Chain? Brand new. Dramatic in scope. Ambitious. I suck at third party action games, I never played DMC or Bayonetta or the like, and I don't even care for anime. But it looked cool enough that I wanted to try it for myself, and ended up loving it. Pokemon Legends Arceus? I like the concept of Pokemon more than the turn based RPGs, and leaning into the experience of just adventuring and exploring with them rather than looking for the next gym was a dream. Ambitious. Along with BOTW, these are the type of games that stand out to me as being an
experience on the Switch, rather than just being good or even excellent games.
I mean, I've never played Xenoblade X and I know I won't like it even if I do, but I still kinda think about playing it. It just seems like such a big statement game that I kinda should. And that's the feeling I want more of. That's why I still cling to that concept art from Monolithsoft. Not because I can envision a perfect game from that one picture alone; I don't even care if they don't use it. I just want something new and ambitious from them that doesn't feel like Xenoblade. They have the chops to pull off a "wow" game, they just didn't do it yet. It's why a Startropics game is one of my pipe dreams. Do I care about the NES game? Not really. But because there hasn't been a game since the NES it means they can do whatever they want, and the idea of a new adventure in an essentially new IP is good enough. I'm not necessarily looking for a big 3D 80 hr adventure, but it does need to be ambitious. I don't need it to be a completely brand new franchise, but it should be novel (Pokemon Minecraft may be a new spinoff, but it's still Pokemon Minecraft). It doesn't have to be M-rated (preferably not!), but it should still target someone who's played more than 2 games in the past. And I don't expect 12 of them a year. But maybe more than once every three years please?
Heck, it doesn't even have to be first party. This is a problem with all the major publishers. I may play a half a dozen Metroidvanias a year, so yeah, I'll take generic ones that feel like everything else as long as they are good too. But I still want stuff that will wow me as well.
