Our 5 biggest predictions for the September Nintendo Direct
Following months of Nintendo-related leaks and a third-party showcase in June, the second full-fledged Nintendo Direct of 2022 is finally happening. February’s show had neat reveals of games like Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Mario Strikers: Battle League, Xenoblade Chronicles 3and Nintendo Switch Sports. Now, Nintendo Switch players hope the September 2022 Nintendo Direct will give a clear idea of what to expect throughout the rest of this year and into the first months of 2023.
Ahead of the showcase’s announcements, rumors about a couple of key Nintendo classic remasters heavily circulated. There are also delayed Nintendo Switch titles that we hope finally get release dates. Although there’s a chance that none of the following predictions will come to fruition tomorrow, it’s still fun to guess what might pop up. As such, here are five announcements we hope to see at the September 2022 Nintendo Direct.
Metroid Prime returns
Metroid fans ate well last year with the release of Metroid Dreadbut they’ve still waited since 2017 for the long-delayed Metroid Prime 4. Although there’s nothing to suggest that Metroid Prime 4 will pop up here just yet, a remaster or remake of Metroid Prime seems much more likely. A Nintendo Switch version of the GameCube classic was subject to rumors for years, but rumblings of the game’s existence really ramped up in 2022.
From Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb to prolific Nintendo leaker Emily Rogersthe more reliable parts of the gaming rumor mill say that some sort of Metroid Prime rerelease project is in the works at Nintendo. Grubb even claims that it’s coming this year, so Nintendo would need to reveal it very soon if that’s true. If it is real, the biggest question surrounding Metroid Prime on Nintendo Switch is just how much of a reimagining it is. Will it be an HD port, a more substantive remaster, or a from-the-ground-up remake? Hopefully, we won’t have to wait much longer to find out.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess get rereleased
Metroid Prime isn’t the only Nintendo GameCube title rumored to make its way to Nintendo Switch. Grubb and GamesBeat’s Mike Minotti claim that Switch ports of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesswhich were rumored last year, are finally coming to fruition during this Nintendo Direct. While both saw rereleases on Wii U, a Switch launch would ensure that a lot more people could give these remasters a shot.
Many people expected these HD remasters to come during The Legend of Zelda’s 35th anniversary last year, but they didn’t. Still, it’s better late than never to get two amazing Zelda games on Nintendo Switch, so if these ports are real, they will serve as a pleasant surprise that could round out Nintendo’s 2022 lineup.
Nintendo embraces live service
While its approach to supporting games post-launch is far from flawless, many of Nintendo’s big titles this year have post-launch plans already mapped out. We’re still waiting for Nintendo Switch Sports to get its golf mode and would like to know which sport is coming after that. Mario Striker: Battle League’s roadmap says that two more major updates are in store this year, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s Expansion Pass will add a Challenge Battle, Hero Character, and new quests and outfits to the RPG before the end of the year.
Splatoon 3 also just launched, and Nintendo might want to use this Direct to talk about its first major update or Splatfest. Overall, it’s clear that many Nintendo games aren’t one-and-done releases anymore, and this showcase might emphasize that if all of these updates and DLC show up. The September 2022 Nintendo is the biggest stage that Nintendo can reveal this DLC on, and if it doesn’t have a ton of brand new first-party content to show, these announcements could pad out the Direct nicely.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp finally releases
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp was supposed to be a cute little remake that would occupy Nintendo’s 2021 winter lineup, but it turned into one of its most controversial games. It got pushed from December 2021 to April 2022 so developer WayForward could have a little more time to polish the experience, but Nintendo then delayed it indefinitely once Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started.
While the Russian invasion of Ukraine is still ongoing, Nintendo is likely sitting on a finished game and needs to decide when it wants to release it. A Danish retailer lists Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp with a February 23, 2023, release date , but it retains a TBD release window on the Nintendo eShop. At this Nintendo Direct, we’d like to learn whether or not that date is accurate and finally get a clear idea of when we can play Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp.
Breath of the Wild 2 blowout
While the internet cries for more information about the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild anytime Nintendo holds any sort of presentation, there’s actually a decent chance of the game popping up here. It’s currently slated for spring 2023, and depending on how well development is going, Nintendo may feel that this Direct is finally the time to give us more concrete details about the game.
We still don’t even have an official title for the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildso getting that confirmation, at the very least, would be nice. We’d never turn down another glimpse at gameplay, too. Nintendo may decide to hold off on revealing anything more about the game until it knows exactly when it will release next year, but we think a Breath of the Wild 2-related surprise alone would make September 2022’s Nintendo Direct a memorable one.
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