Nintendo

Zelda news and Metroid Prime Remastered, you say? All the news from the Nintendo Direct February 2023 showcase.

This included a look at the next wave of The best bit about Tears of the Kingdom’s presence in the February Direct was that there was no much-feared news of a delay to the release date. Coming in two waves, the first arriving in Spring, players will get to revisit the original game’s Inkopolis hub, complete with some familiar shopkeepers. Splatoon 3’s single-player portion was good fun, but we were hoping something a bit meatier would arrive down the line and ‘Side Order’ looks like it could fill that void. While packed with gameplay footage, Nintendo is still keeping the game’s finer details shrouded in secrecy. More importantly, we met the space dog Oatchi ( After watching the best trailer for the game yet at least 10 times, we can’t wait any longer than that. More titles for both platforms will be added in the future. It’s been a long time coming, but Nintendo Switch Online is finally getting Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles. Retro gamers were very well catered for, and as expected, we got our meatiest trailer yet for the sequel to what many consider to be the best video game ever made. We were blown away by the Intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran’s legendary first 3D outing has been high on the need-for-Switch list for years.

The latest Nintendo Direct has revealed new information on much-anticipated games, updates and even surprise releases, as Kieran Webb reports.

Choices and decision-making play an enormous factor in the outcome of the game. Not only are great titles like Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4 releasing, but players are receiving the chance to buy an overwhelming amount of new content for all their favourite games. Nintendo confirmed that a collection of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games became available via Nintendo Switch Online after the Direct concluded. This includes the introduction of a new hero called Masha and rogue-like challenge battles in the Archsage’s Gauntlet. The new Deluxe remaster of the 2011 Wii game includes a newly revealed epilogue after completing the main story. Players follow Yuma, a trainee detective, and Shinigami – the spirit haunting him. The World Party mode also allows players to challenge others from around the world in dance battles. A glimpse of two usable vehicles was featured in the gameplay trailer, showing off a large land vehicle and an even larger aircraft capable of hovering. A new Amiibo of Link was also announced, granting access to materials, weapons, and special fabric for Link’s paraglider. An enigmatic look at the Wave 2 DLC, titled Side Order, showed off a cryptic single-player experience but did not reveal a release date. These vehicles could both be the same piece of some new Sheika technology Link will use to navigate a massive new world featuring a heavier focus on sky gameplay. Time will tell if Ganon is the villainous voice featured in the trailer, as it is not confirmed whether he will return as the game’s antagonist.

Of course, we recap last night's Nintendo Direct and discuss what we thought about Pikmin getting a dog and whether Zelda really will be playable in Tears of ...

But where does this leave Nintendo later this year, and next? For fans of Nintendo, there's plenty still to enjoy - even if it is now slanted to nostalgia, such as with Game Boy games, Metroid ports and a Baten Kaitos remake. Of course, we recap last night's Nintendo Direct and discuss what we thought about Pikmin getting a dog and whether Zelda really will be playable in Tears of the Kingdom.

Plus new trailers and games revealed for Pikmin 4, Bayonetta, and Harmony: The Fall of Reverie.

The best part of any showcase is sitting back and enjoying the trailers, and Nintendo delivered the goods. Called Harmony: The Fall of Reverie, it’s out this June and is another twist on the time-travel game. Anticipation has been high for the game since it was announced in 2019 with a surprise teaser trailer. Access to Advance games requires the Expansion Pass, but good news: more games have been promised for the future. In addition to several Game of the Year Awards, it has also sold more than 30 million copies – something [Nintendo](/topic/nintendo) will no doubt be attempting to replicate with its sequel. It teased new monsters, more of the game’s aerial theme, and the return of Link’s antagonist Calamity Ganon, who seems to have been resurrected after his defeat at the end of Breath of the Wild.

It was confirmed yesterday that Tears of the Kingdom will cost $10 more than Nintendo typically charges for its Switch titles. However, in a statement to Game ...

[confirmed the $69.99 price for Tears of the Kingdom](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/confirmed-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-is-the-first-70-switch-game/) shortly after its [Nintendo Direct](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/events/e3/e3-2019/nintendo-direct/) presentation on Wednesday. [published its latest financial results](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-switch-clears-122m-to-outsell-game-boy-playstation-4/) on Tuesday, in which it said fluctuations in foreign exchange markets had contributed to a decline in sales and profits, despite strong sales of Switch games and hardware. [Nintendo](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/nintendo/) has stated that [The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/games/the-legend-of-zelda-series/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-2/)‘s $69.99 price point won’t be the standard for all first-party [Switch](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/nintendo/switch/) games going forward. [Amazon](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/amazon-games/) tends to honour the lowest price a product reaches during its pre-order period. [Sony](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/sony/) began [charging $70 for first-party games](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sony-considered-pricing-ps5-games-even-higher-than-70-report-claims/) when [PS5](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/playstation/ps5/) launched in 2020, while [Microsoft](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/microsoft/) started [charging $70 for first-party Xbox Series X/S games](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/microsoft-says-first-party-xbox-series-x-s-games-will-cost-70-starting-in-2023/) this year. [Game Informer](https://www.gameinformer.com/nintendo-direct/2023/02/08/update-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-costs-70) Nintendo claimed this isn’t the beginning of a new permanent price increase for its games.

All the GB and GBC games, ranked by you - Nintendo's announcement that Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles were now availab...

[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (GBC)](games/gbc/legend_of_zelda_links_awakening_dx) [Link's Awakening](games/gbc/legend_of_zelda_links_awakening_dx) is a game of contrasts: sadness and joy, bleakness and whimsy, dream and reality, confusion and comfort. [Metroid II: Return of Samus (GB)](games/gameboy/metroid_ii_return_of_samus) [Metroid II: Return of Samus](games/gameboy/metroid_ii_return_of_samus) expands on the original NES title nicely. The difficulty is a bit on the easy side, but it's still one of [the best Game Boy titles](https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/best-game-boy-games) ever released and a testament to just how capable a game system the Game Boy truly was in the hands of talented devs. [Game & Watch Gallery 3 (GBC)](games/gbc/game_and_watch_gallery_3) [Game & Watch Gallery 3](games/gbc/game_and_watch_gallery_3) mostly sticks to the formula of its predecessors, and it does a fine job of offering up some simple handheld gaming classics in a more convenient form, with a large number of games and a good, varied selection to boot. That's not to say GBC's [Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare](https://www.nintendolife.com/games/gbc/alone_in_the_dark_the_new_nightmare) is the pick of the ports, of course. There have been countless ports of this addictive puzzler made available for just about every electronic device in existence, but the Game Boy version is arguably the most beloved and its clear visuals, responsive controls, and that theme tune make it easy to appreciate why. [Grezzo's Switch remake](games/nintendo-switch/legend_of_zelda_links_awakening) might have prettified Koholint Island, but the joyous, quirky characters, melancholy, and beauty of Link's first portable adventure were there right from the very beginning. Technically a [Ghosts ‘n Goblins](games/nes/ghosts_n_goblins) game, it actually plays much more like [The Adventure of Link](games/nes/zelda_ii_the_adventure_of_link), with top-down overworld gameplay giving way to side-on platforming battles. [Games Database](https://www.nintendolife.com/games/browse), we can point you in the right direction if you're struggling to know where to start. Please note that that this ranking is not set in stone and will automatically fluctuate over time depending on assigned User Ratings — and, over time, new additions to the NSO library, of course. The various Game Boy — the OG, Pocket, and Color — have a vast library of excellent games, the best of which hold up very well today, so seeing some of those gems finally come to Switch is a real treat. What are the best Game Boy games on NSO?

Although The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom costs $70, Nintendo says that will not be the new normal for future game prices.

Clearly, the company knows that Tears of the Kingdom is going to sell well at virtually any price point, so it’s not really taking a gamble here with this price hike, making it a great testing ground for something like this. In response, Nintendo said, “We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis,” as to why Tears of the Kingdom cost this much — a classic non-answer. We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”

Game Boy and Game Boy Colour games available now include: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins; Zelda: Link's Awakening DX; Metroid 2; Wario Land 3; Tetris; ...

Last year, [Nintendo](https://www.nme.com/brands/nintendo) president [Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed that Switch’s online service would continue to expand its content offerings](https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/nintendo-president-confirms-more-will-come-to-switch-online-this-year-3223863). The first run of Game Boy Advance titles, meanwhile, features: Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. [Rumours of new emulators for games from the old-school consoles emerged in 2021](https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/game-boy-games-may-be-coming-to-nintendo-switch-online-soon-3033872). [increasing the production of Switch consoles](https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/nintendo-to-increase-the-number-of-switch-consoles-ahead-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-3384499) ahead of [The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom launching on May 12](https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-2-release-date-trailers-gameplay-2978376). 3; Kuru Kuru Kururin; WarioWare Inc.: Minigame Mania; Mario Kart: Super Circuit; Zelda: Minish Cap, and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. [Game Boy](https://www.nme.com/tag/game-boy) and [Game Boy Colour](https://www.nme.com/tag/game-boy-color) titles have officially launched on [Nintendo Switch](https://www.nme.com/tag/nintendo-switch) Online.

The latest Nintendo Direct showcase has revealed an impressively busy release schedule for the Nintendo Switch over the next six months.

The second game wasn’t released in Europe and was called Baten Kaitos Origins in the US, if you’re wondering where Baten Kaitos 2 came from, but we can only imagine the card-based battling was more popular in Japan than it was in the West as this seems a surprising amount of effort for such an obscure franchise. Ultimately, it neither confirmed or refuted rumours that Nintendo’s schedules will start thinning out after that, in preparation for a new console, but either way there seems to be plenty of interesting new games to tide you over for now. Since there were no farming sims this time the theme for this Direct seemed to be detective games, which is fine by us, especially as Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE continues to look like a lot of fun. It was hard to tell if there was actually any detective work going on in the game, or if it really was just a straight role-playing game, but it looked fun and a new IP is always welcome. Unlike the previous game, Octopath Traveler 2 is also multiformat and we already knew going in that it would be out on February 24. It still seems to be roughly the same type of graphic adventure but with a much greater emphasis on branching narrative and some neat new animated visuals. Each new emblem will feature a new story mission to obtain them but the real meat of the pass is Pack 4, which features a new story campaign epilogue entitled Fell Xenologue. For obvious reasons, Nintendo never mentions if games are multiformat or not but while Harmony: The Fall Of Reverie will be ‘first for consoles’ on Switch it’ll also be released on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Apparently it will be the biggest DLC expansion so far for Dead Cells, with two brand new levels, classic Castlevania weapons, three bosses, and a lot of fan service – including 51 songs and 12 covers. Dead Cells: Return To Castlevania was the first thing to be revealed at The Game Awards in December and very welcome it was too. Although there were no megaton announcements during the Direct there were a number of unexpected new game reveals, including Samba De Amigo: Party Central – the first proper new entry in Sega’s rhythm action franchise since the Dreamcast era. Which can’t help but fuel theories that they don’t have anything major planned after that and are getting ready for a reveal of the