The first Nintendo Direct livestream in over a year needed to deliver, and it did. Nintendo announced sequels, remasters and DLC that should excite Switch owners. It wasn't perfect, though. Heavily anticipated games and long dormant franchises were nowhere to be found during the presentation, some of which stand out more than others. Here are five major games that were noticeably absent from this week's Nintendo Direct.
Metroid Prime 4
The latest game in the influential 3D Metroid spin-off series was originally announced at E3 2017. In 2019, Nintendo executive Shinya Takahashi revealed that the original version of the game (reportedly being developed by Bandai Namco Studios, had been scrapped), and Retro Studios, which developed the first three games in the series, was being brought in to restart development on the title.
Nintendo has been tight lipped about the game since then. The only source of news about it has been through Retro's hires. A steady stream of talent (including developers of games like God of War, Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty) have joined the Texas based developer. Fans can take heart in Retro beefing up its staff as it works on the game. However, it's still not enough to keep fans from feeling like the game has completely disappeared.
Bayonetta 3
Bayonetta 3 was also announced in 2017 during that year's Game Awards. It will be the second game in the over-the-top series to be published by Nintendo. Hideki Kamiya, the director of developer Platinum Games, said he was optimistic that more would be revealed about the game in 2021. However, he's also indicated that fans should "forget about" Bayonetta 3 for the moment.
While that sounds harsh, it seems to be more of a matter of managing expectations. Kamiya seems to want any announcement to be pleasant surprise for fans, saying "when something finally does happen, it will be a nice surprise, won’t it?" It's likely that Nintendo is holding back a substantial reveal for another Direct, or possibly another appearance at The Game Awards.
The Legend of Zelda's 35th Anniversary
The Legend of Zelda wasn't shut out of the latest Direct. An HD port of Wii game Skyward Sword and DLC for Breath of the Wild spin-off Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity were both announced. But while those were welcome, it's understandable why fans were left wanting more. February 21 marks the franchise's 35th anniversary, and an anniversary collection of classic Zelda titles, similar to 2020's Super Mario 3D All-Stars, would be a no-brainer.
Fans would also like to know more about Breath Of The Wild's sequel, which was announced during E3 2019. Nintendo hasn't released any information about the game since its reveal. Anticipating disappointment, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma appeared in the Direct to apologize for the lack of BOTW 2 news, saying there should be more to say later in the year.
New Pokémon Snap
Gamers anticipating New Pokémon Snap have more information at their disposal than fans of the other games missing from the Direct. The game's April 30 release date has been announced, and fans know the game's plot, setting and how its mechanics will work. All of that makes Snap's absence from the Direct conspicuous. It covered games set to be released in the first half of 2021, which would presumably include Snap.
However, this doesn't mean the game is delayed; it's more likely that there is a Pokémon-themed Direct coming to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary later this month. Pokémon has always preferred to make major announcements independent from larger Nintendo Directs, and it would make sense to give it the spotlight for this major milestone.
Star Fox
While the preceding games are all in some form of development, it's been mostly quiet on the Star Fox front for years now. The last major release was in 2017, when the previously unreleased Star Fox 2 was included as part of the SNES Classic. Fans haven't had seen a new console Star Fox game since 2016's Star Fox Zero on the Wii U. Fox McCloud and his Arwing made an appearance in Ubisoft's 2018 toys-to-life game Starlink: Battle For Atlas on the Switch, but that's not a substitute for a dedicated Star Fox game.
Star Fox fans would love to be thrown a bone on the Switch, whether it's a new title or a collection. At this point, even a standalone Switch port of Zero would be welcome. For now, they'll have to be content with the SNES games being part of Nintendo Switch Online.