Sports

Today’s Nintendo Direct was a big one. Countless awesome games or updates to existing games were announced, and gamers everywhere couldn’t be more excited. Many gamers were nervous that Nintendo was beginning to wind down their efforts on Nintendo Switch as the company had done on previous Nintendo home consoles.

Today, Nintendo eased gamers’ worries with a slew of new games and updates scheduled straight through 2024. Of all the announcements in Nintendo Direct, three truly stood out. Let’s get the Elephant Mario out of the room first.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

While Super Mario Maker 2 offered 2-dimensional Mario fun back in 2019, we haven’t had a 2D Mario refresh since 2012’s New Super Mario Bros. U for the Wii U system. Nintendo has finally quenched this drought with the announcement of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which looks absolutely phenomenal! This 2D Mario platformer takes the series in a novel direction with a plethora of innovative gameplay elements. There are environment-changing items, new powerups, a multitude of playable characters, talkative plants, a completely revamped art style, and an overall tone that’s distinctive to classic Mario games. This latest entry in Mario’s long-running series of 2D platformers, Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks to be a wacky multiplayer blast, coming in October!

Super Mario Bros Wonder Official Announcement Traileryoutu.be

WarioWare: Move It!

The WarioWare series is back on Nintendo Switch with WarioWare: Move It! Players use both Joy Con controllers to take on a variety of zany microgames! Break out of jail, chop bamboo, shake hands with a dog, all in quick succession as you take on a gauntlet of microgames one after another! In WarioWare’s second entry on Nintendo Switch, Intelligent Systems shakes players up using the Joy Con controllers’ motion controls. Not only does this new WarioWare game offer 200 new microgames, but it also includes 2-player co-op as well as 4-player party modes! After the bundle of fun that WarioWare: Get It Together! brought players in 2021, WarioWare: Move It! will be a blast to play when the game launches in November.

WarioWare: Move It! - Nintendo Direct 6.21.2023youtu.be

Pikmin 4

On July 21st, Pikmin 4 will launch on Nintendo Switch although it was unceremoniously announced in 2015. It’s been an agonizing 8 year wait for dedicated Pikmin fans, but info revealed today has a ton of thrilling features for curious players. The major reveals are new Night Missions as well as the mysterious Glow Pikmin, which will assist the Player Captain as they fend off ferocious monsters which have been frenzied by nightfall. Additionally, a variety of fascinating environments were shown, including a human house and Pikmin 2-style caves. With a mission to repair the Rescue Corps’ spaceship and save all castaways a player finds, Pikmin fans and new players alike are in for an electrifying adventure when the sun rises on July 21st.

Pikmin 4 - Nintendo Direct 6.21.2023youtu.be

Today’s Nintendo Direct was certainly exciting, with rapid fire announcements and assurance that the Nintendo Switch system still has much life left in it. Plenty of other announcements brought smiles to gamers’ faces, like a remake of Super Mario RPG and an ice cream-themed Splatfest for Splatoon 3. The future of Nintendo Switch is looking bright as the system blasts through its seventh year on the market!


BONUS: high-definition versions of Pikmin and Pikmin 2 are releasing on Nintendo Switch today, allowing Nintendo Switch owners to play the entire main series on the system!
Frontpage Popular News

Formula 1 Is For The Girls

I started watching Formula 1: Drive To Survive thanks to a short blurb in The New Yorker boasting a “Real Housewives” atmosphere, but with fast cars. As a fan of both sports and drama, I couldn’t find a reason not to give it a chance. Plus, it’s ranked in Netflix’s Top 10 shows and with five seasons already, how bad could it be?

Keep ReadingShow less

On February 1, 2022, Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL. His retirement lasted…all of 40 days. Brady went on to play another season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, got divorced from wife Gisele Bundchen, and was ultimately eliminated from playoff contention in the Wild Card Round.

Keep ReadingShow less

Forget awards season, don’t even think about NFL playoffs, fashion’s version of the Super Bowl just announced their co-chairs. May 1, 2023 marks the 75th Met Gala, where the top-of-the-top celebrities are invited to wear the most egregious outfits in the world – all for millions to critique.

Keep ReadingShow less

Updated 1/30/2023

Both number one seeds from the NFC and AFC are headed to the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles, led by Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni, will meet the Kansas City Chiefs, with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, on February 12.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sports

NFL Player Damar Hamlin of Buffalo Bills Critically Injured

Monday Night Football - Breaking News

The Buffalo Bills players react to Damar Hamlin (3) being injured making a tackled against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half of play at Paycor Stadium on Monday, January 2, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky.

John Sommers II/UPI/Shutterstock

In a tragic turn of events Monday evening, 24 year-old Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills collapsed on the field during the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. After stumbling immediately after a tackle, Hamlin suddenly collapsed to the turf. He received CPR on the field, then was transported to a Level 1 trauma center at 9:25pm ET, where he is in critical condition.

In what will surely have long term implications for the NFL, the game has been suspended. An hour after he left the stadium, the players and coaches from both teams remained on the field, taking a knee, hugging, crying.

In a sport with a long history of controversy regarding player health, and the prevalence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) - severe brain injury - among retired players, this event will surely result in a reckoning for a business built on a foundation of immense athletes colliding with each other at top speed.

© 2020 Popdust Inc. All Rights Reserved.