It’s been a few months since we had a massive news dump from Nintendo, and we were overdue for another. The latest Nintendo Direct happened on the 14th of September, and there were plenty of exciting surprises. Remakes of classic titles, games never before released in the West, and even some oddball surprises made this an exciting show. But 40 minutes is a long time, and not everyone can watch game announcements as soon as they happen. We here at Couch Soup have taken it upon ourselves to break down and highlight the biggest surprises from the September 2023 Nintendo Direct.
Like every Nintendo Direct, A handful of games are given a bigger spotlight. This time, four games got a little more attention. The first is a remake of a cult classic mystery series, Another Code with Another Code: Recollection. This remake not only includes the remade original DS game, but it will also include the Wii sequel that was never released in the West. The game will be released in January of next year. The next game to get more attention was Princess Peach: Showtime!, the new game starring the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. We got our first look at gameplay, including some of the power-ups that Peach will use throughout the game. It will launch in March of 2024.
Staying on the Mario train, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD received another look, and the HD facelift has done a fantastic job. As someone who played the original on the 3DS, I look forward to running through the multiple locations again with some quality-of-life improvements. The game will be released sometime next year. Finally, the last game the Direct spent time on (aside from the previous game they showed) was a new F-ZERO game! After years of silence, F-ZERO is finally back as a battle royal game (that’s some monkey paw shit). Jokes aside, the game seemed fun enough and hopefully brings more attention to the IP. F-ZERO 99 is available now and is free for Nintendo Switch Online members.
It wouldn’t be a Nintendo Direct without headlines, and this show had plenty. One that stood out to me was the new Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. This game resembles a combination of Metroid‘s gameplay and the aesthetic of Assassin’s Creed (I know Prince of Persia came first). This wasn’t the only game that caught my eye because the new Spy x Family game caught me by surprise. Spy x Anya: Operation Memories is based on the Spy x Family series and will follow Anya as she takes pictures for a school project. I need them to have an English dub, and I’m all in. A Tomb Raider remastered collection was also announced, and it’ll include the first three games in the series. I never played the originals, so I’m excited to experience the tank controls of a bygone era.
Out of all these headlines, the game I was most intrigued by was Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes. The game is releasing on April 23rd next year, and I’m already curious to learn more. The combat looks like your typical turn-based combat system, but with over 100 heroes that can join your party, there’s bound to be some crazy combos. Speaking of which, each of the titular 100 heroes has their own backstory and unique abilities, allowing you to have a unique experience whenever you switch party members around. I’m curious to learn more about this game in the coming months.
It wasn’t just all games in this Direct; we also got some fantastic non-video game news. The big one is that a Nintendo Museum is being built in Kyoto, Japan. This new museum will contain various products and memorabilia from the long history of Nintendo. Hopefully, they’ll also display playable games from each console to add some interactivity to the museum. Construction of the building is set to be completed by March next year, with an opening date to come soon after.
We also got updates on upcoming amiibo figures. The Zelda and Ganondorf amiibo from Tears of the Kingdom are set to be released on November 3rd. Seeing as I already have the Link amiibo, I’ll probably pick these two up. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is also getting some amiibo, with a two-pack including Noah and Mio being released on January 19th. Finally, Sora will be receiving his Super Smash Bros. amiibo at some point in 2024. This means every Smash Bros. character has an amiibo, which is a little crazy. Now, if they could only rerelease the older ones, so I don’t have to pay these stupid prices anymore.
To close out the Direct this time, we got the reveal that Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will be getting a Switch release with updated visuals. People have been begging for the fan-favourite to the remastered treatment, and Nintendo has finally listened. I never played the game when it was first released, but I’ve heard it’s one of the best games from the GameCube generation. Nintendo is going all in on remaking/remastering these older Mario games. But I’m not complaining because now more people, including myself, can experience these fantastic games without finding an older console. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will be released in 2024.
And that’s all the major announcements from this Nintendo Direct. There were minor updates on the previously announced games, such as Detective Pikachu Returns and Super Mario RPG, but we already knew about those games. You can check out the full Direct below and stay locked to Couch Soup for all the latest Nintendo news.
You can check out the full show below.
Did you watch the Nintendo Direct? What did you think? What game caught your eye? Let us know in the comments where we can discuss all things Nintendo.
