Destructoid Changelog: Long Live The Nintendo Direct

Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest issue of Destructoid Changelog. This week, we’re romanticizing the Nintendo Direct while we wait for the big one next week, and wondering just what makes them so special.

Farewell, sweet prince

While we’re all understandably excited about a new Nintendo console being revealed in just a few days time, this week’s Nintendo Direct actually ended up feeling a little bittersweet as a result.

The tide turned from “Why have a Switch 1 event?” to “I’m going to miss these,” and Nintendo has promised the Direct format (which has been going since 2011, can you believe?) will continue.

But for anyone whose attachment to the company came from the current console generation, it’s going to be strange to see the little red and blue (or grey) system shuffle off into the sunset.

This event had a little of everything that makes the Direct so special, between bizarre new takes on established franchises (don’t pretend you expected a sci-fi Pac-Man Metroidvania) and gorgeous indies.

There was even time for another look at Metroid Prime 4, and the new “Virtual Game Cards” that make it clear Nintendo is trying to make it easier than ever to upgrade, but with enough games coming to the current console that means it’s not mandatory.

As much as Microsoft’s Developer Direct and Sony’s State of Play are becoming staples of the gaming landscape now, there’s just nothing quite like a Nintendo Direct event. From the grins of the presenters to the eclectic mix of games and that iconic “click” sound, we’re so glad the format is primed to continue into another generation.

Long live the Nintendo Direct!

Switching gears

It’s an all-Nintendo week this week, with the Switch 2 reveal just days away. With some retailer leaks suggesting you’ll be able to order the new console right after the presentation, we’d imagine Nintendo will be going all-out to convince us it’s worth the price of admission (whatever that price ends up being).

Thankfully, the company, perhaps more than its console rivals, knows it has a whole host of franchises you can’t get anywhere else—even PC.

That means while we’ve got a sneak peek of Mario Kart 9, the company could just as easily roll out a 3D Mario platformer, a new Zelda remake or remaster, a fresh Fire Emblem title, or just about anything else.

That could make the Nintendo Direct on April 2 just as exciting as getting the console itself, and we can’t wait.

A Link Between Words

Just as we were wrapping up this newsletter, Nintendo leaned on its new-fangled mobile app to tell the world how its Legend of Zelda movie, which will be a live-action project, will launch on March 26, 2027.

The movie getting a release date is great, but we still have so many questions. Casting for characters with decades of fan expectation aside (surely not Chris Pratt again), there’s working out which game(s) in the series it could be inspired by and how to solve a problem like Link.

Outside of some grunting and exertions, the character hasn’t said a peep since he was created, and that’s unlikely to make for a very fun protagonist in a movie. Whoever is cast as Link will (unless the character remains mute) be the de facto voice of the character forevermore—so it’s a risky choice.

Still, we’re hopeful for a post-credits scene where our hero steps through a portal to find Mario, Sonic, and Pikachu waiting for him, teeing up a Super Smash Bros. movie. We can dream, right?

That’s all for today, but we’ll be back next week. Thanks for subscribing!

Destructoid team