Reaction - Nintendo Direct September 2025
Metroid Prime 4 Release Date News and More
Metroid Prime 4 and the Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finally has a release date! I personally love the 4th of December’s date, as it gives me plenty of time to wrap up other games before the end of 2025. It’s also a perfect way to end the year, with the latest entry to my favorite video game franchise. The trailer didn’t reveal much beyond a new motorcycle. For some reason, I saw some people complain about the bike, but maybe that’s just the internet being the internet. There’s something about Samus on a bike that just feels right. The lack of trailers and info doesn’t bother me because it just means I’m going in blind with more surprises in store. Samus’s latest adventure can’t come soon enough.
We also got information on Nintendo’s celebration of forty years of Super Mario Bros. I’m going to level with you guys, I never expected this and thought the rumors would be wrong. But nope, I was wrong. We are getting a new Mario Tennis game, Super Mario Galaxy 1+2, a dedicated Switch 2 edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and we got the announcement of the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The movie did trick me at first, as I thought we were watching a teaser for the next 3D mainline Mario game. I still think the game is coming, but I now believe we're looking at a late 2026 or early 2027 release, as it’ll be a from the ground up Switch 2 game. There’s also been a lot of debate around Mario Galaxy’s pricing and I do agree it was done in a crappy way. I would’ve re-released Super Mario All-Stars 3D, adding Galaxy 2 for a Switch 2 edition, and offered current owners the chance to upgrade for an additional $10. That being said, this does end Galaxy 2 being stuck on the Wii ecosystem, which is a good thing for preservation purposes. My advice is, if you really want these games or at least part 2, go ahead and buy them and don’t let anyone stop you. If you aren’t comfortable with the pricing, wait for a sale or don’t buy it.
Also, one point that I wasn’t crazy about was the Donkey Kong Bananza DLC announcement. The content feels like the type of endgame content I was expecting to see in the game, similar to the endgame content in Super Mario Odyssey. Unfortunately, Nintendo used it to create paid DLC, adding more revenue to the game. I really wish this wasn’t the case, but this era of Nintendo is willing to suck money out of their customers more than even the Yamauchi era. I will not be getting the DLC since the area looked so good, which is a shame.
The Third Party Partners
The third-party partners came out strong for the most part, although many of the rumored games from well placed insiders still didn’t show up. I think many of the big titles they’ve hinted at, such as Forza Horizon 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, will likely be shown next year rather than this year. Until then, we still have some bangers on the way. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined completely blew me away, and I’m seriously considering making it my first time playing the series. The RE Engine Resident Evil titles, including Requiem, are coming to the system as well, and looked good from what they showed us. I know many are pumped for Hades II, but I’m not really a fan of the genre, so I can’t participate in the hype for that game, but I’m happy for the people who are looking forward to it. Overall, the third part showing here could’ve been better, but the Resident Evil and Dragon Quest announcements made it for me.
The Virtual Console
I was keeping my eye on NSO announcements, hoping they would announce Luigi’s Mansion for the upcoming spooky season. Instead, Nintendo surprised us with the Virtual Boy joining the service. This will feature many games that were previously at risk of being lost, now playable for modern gamers. As a fan of game preservation, that makes me very happy. However, that’s where the good news ends. They are requiring you to buy a $100 model of the infamously failed system or buy a pricey cardboard setup. I am not in any way a fan of that. I’ve played Virtual Boy, and those games do not require something like that to play. There’s a reason many were disappointed with the system, and the main reason is that it wasn’t really a VR product in the way we think of it today. Another greedy decision from the company, but I know collectors are going to want the hardware, and curious young gamers are going to want to experience the games.
The Fire Emblem Ending Debate
Lastly, the “one more thing”, something Nintendo tends to hit out of the park compared to its competition, was a new Fire Emblem game - Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. Look, this has blown up into a lot of yelling and debating online, with fans of the series defending it and non-fans saying the ending left them dejected. I think fans of the series should defend the games they love and be excited about them. I understand being excited, and I see that many people are disappointed. That being said, and with all due respect to the fans, I was personally dejected as well. I’ve never tried a Fire Emblem game before; it’s on my bucket list, but I don’t consider the series a “one more thing” pick. I see why many Nintendo gamers are getting tired of Fire Emblem these days, primarily due to Sakurai’s unusual obsession with it in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If you are a fan of the game, don’t let me or others stop you from being excited. I’m just saying, in my personal opinion, that was not worthy of ending a Nintendo event.
Overall
In the end, this was a really solid Direct and I feel continued Nintendo’s slow drip around upcoming Switch 2 games. Nintendo obviously can’t go full on Switch 2 only as the economic factors won’t let them, but I do see that future creeping in over the next year or two. Was this perfect? No. Did I have fun? Yes. Even the things that weren’t for me, I was happy for those who were excited. I got the main thing I wanted, the Metroid Prime 4 date, so that’s a win.
I remember well when Metroid Prime was shown for the first time and everyone threw up their arms in dismay at it being from a first person perspective. Claims of Nintendo/Retro losing their minds and ruining Metroid were everywhere. But it turned out that they knew better than the general population and it became a critical hit and one of the best games ever.
Which is a long winded way of saying I'll reserve judgement about Samus's new bike, I'm sure it will be fine.