Gaming Influence: Thoughts - Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase 2.21.2024

Hello everyone, 

Welcome to Gaming Influence, a reboot of the same name I created in WrestleCorp. However, not only will I be giving my thoughts on certain video games and video game series, but also video game movies, video game anime, video game digital presentations, etc.

For this edition of Gaming Influence, I'll be giving my thoughts on the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase which happened on February 21, 2024.

Before I start, not every game that was shown in this presentation will be talked about as I will mainly talk about games that I care about and am interested in. If the games you care about and are interested in don't show up here, don't take it personally, have nothing against the games, but they're not just for me or it's just that I don't have much to say about them except cool. However, if you are happy with the games that you care about and are interested in I'm not or have nothing to say about it, good for you and I'm happy for you.

Anyway, let's get started!

This Nintendo Direct will showcase games coming to Nintendo Switch from their partners that are coming out this year so let's get to it!

Grounded is a survival action-adventure game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game will be coming to Switch on April 16, 2024.

Well, Xbox announced that four of their games will be coming to other consoles and it looks like Grounded is one of them. So far, it looks like the port of the game looks to be having some frame rate issues, but not to the point where it's extremely bad so that's something. Really cool to see another Xbox game on Switch and I believe Grounded should do very well on the console as it'll be coming out in two months on Switch.

ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist is the sequel to the action role-playing game developed by Adglobe and Live Wire and published by Binary Haze Interactive, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, as it will be coming to Switch later this year.

Holy crap! Didn't expect a sequel to ENDER, but here we are and it looks great. ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights was such a great game as it was a pretty action RPG that has a really dark story to it which was done quite well. If you love action RPGs with dark stories, would recommend checking out this game once it comes out and play ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights as well as ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist comes out later this year.

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is a puzzle adventure game developed and published by Furniture & Mattress LLC as the game is coming to Switch this summer.

This game caught me off by surprise as I think the game does look pretty interesting and unique in its own way. Really love the artstyle of this game and I love the gameplay mechanics in this as it looks to be unique and fun where you have to solve puzzles while moving in a certain direction to get to one location to another. I'm very curious to see how this game will turn out as it'll come out this summer.

Unicorn Overlord is a tactical role-playing game developed by Vanillaware and published by Atlus. The game is set to be released on March 8, 2024.

Every time I see more of this game, the more I'm intrigued by it as it continues to look great visually in terms of graphics as well as gameplay. Graphics are pretty much like the Vanillware artsyle which I enjoy and the gameplay looks to be pretty much Fire Emblem as it's pretty much a strategy game which I'm totally down for. The fact that we get a demo for this game as it's available now and that is also nice. Hope this game turns out well when it comes out in a few weeks.

Monster Hunter Stories is a remaster of the role-playing game developed and published by Capcom that was released on Nintendo 3DS in 2016. The remaster is set to be released on Switch this summer. 

Oh my god, yes! I've been waiting for this game to be re-released on Switch ever since Monster Hunter Stories 2 came to Switch and now we finally got the first game coming to Switch. This remaster looks to be a lot more than just making the game HD as it also added full on voice acting which is really appreciated and they also add in an art book and a music track to listen to in the game as that's pretty sweet. Glad to see this game finally coming to Switch and looking forward to replaying it once it comes out this summer.

Disney Epic Monkey: Rebrushed is a remake of the action-adventure game developed by Purple Lamp and published by THQ Nordic, Disney Epic Monkey, as it was released on Wii in 2010. The game is set to be released on Switch later this year.

Oh wow! Didn't expect Epic Monkey to get a remake of all games, but that's great. Disney Epic Mickey was pretty fun back in the day on the Wii as it was pretty much a 3D platformer, but with a lot of action and adventure along with it. Still can't believe that they're remaking this game as it's looking great so far. Looking forward to seeing how the game turns out once it's released later this year on Switch.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is a role-playing game developed and published by Atlus. The game is set to be released on Switch on June 21, 2024. 

Well, it was only a matter of time before we get a definitive edition of Shin Megami Tensei V and we finally got it in Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. The original Shin Megami Tensei V was great, but it was definitely lacking in the story department so adding extra story content with Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is much appreciated. Looking forward to trying out this expanded version of Shin Megami Tensei V once it's released in four months.

STAR WARS: Battlefront Classic Collection is a collection of two games including STAR WARS Battlefront and STAR WARS Battlefront II which were released on PS2 and Xbox 360 in 2004 and 2005. The collection is set to be released on Switch on March 14, 2024.

Oh wow! Didn't expect the STAR WARS: Battlefront games coming to modern platforms, but very much appreciated as these games back in the day were great. The fact that they added new characters and maps in these games is quite astonishing as well as they're adding new content to the game which is great. Looking forward to seeing if this collection still holds up and the collection will be released in a few weeks.

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream is an action game developed and published by Bandai Namco as the game is set to be released on Switch later this year. 

Cool to see another Sword Art Online game coming to Switch as this game is looking to be pretty good with the trailer we've seen here. The fact that this game can have up to 20 players to play online is insane. Really hope that the servers don't crash when that happens, but it's cool that the possibility of that happening is there. We'll see how this game turns out as it'll be released on Switch later this year.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a platformer developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. The game is set to be released on Switch on June 25, 2024.

Holy crap! We're actually getting a new Super Monkey Ball game! My god! Glad to see that the remasters and ports of the older Super Monkey Ball games sold well for us to get a new original Super Monkey Ball game which is nice to see. Really like Aiai's new design and the fact that you can play up to 16 players online is awesome. Granted, don't know how the servers will be able to handle that, but it'll be interesting to see. Regardless, great to see Super Monkey Ball back in full swing and looking forward to playing this game exclusively on Switch once it comes out in four months.

World of Goo 2 is a physics-based puzzle game developed and published by 2D Boy as the game will be released on Switch on May 23, 2024.

This game was announced back in the Game Awards last year so I'm still shocked that we're getting a new game in the series sixteen years later which is insane. The game still looks to be fun with its physics on solving puzzles as I think it'll also be fun with other players to play with as well. Looking forward to seeing how the game will turn out as it'll be released exclusively on Switch in three months.

FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a role-playing life-simulation game developed and published by Level-5. The game is set to be released on Switch on October 10, 2024.

Ever since this game was announced at the February Nintendo Direct last year, I was hyped for this as it's been twelve years since the last game and we're finally getting a sequel after so long which is great to see. The game continues to look great and the customization that you can do in the game continues to impress me. I'm really looking forward to this game when it finally comes out as it'll be released on Switch in eight months. 

Another Crab's Treasure is a soulslike adventure game developed and published by Aggro Crab as the game will be released on Switch on April 25, 2024.

It's been a long time since we last this game as it was showcased in an Indie World Showcase last year. This is basically a soulslike game, but you're playing as a crab which is awesome as you gain more skills and abilities as time goes on. I really like the concept of the game and the combat looks pretty smooth. Makes me wonder how hard this game will be, but regardless, looking forward to playing it once it's released on Switch in two months.

Penny's Big Breakaway is a platformer developed by Evening Star and published by Private Division. The game is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Holy crap! This game is available now?! Didn't expect that, but that's awesome. Ever since this game was showcased back on the September Nintendo Direct last year, I was excited for this as the game is developed by the same team who did Sonic Mania where I love that game so I have high expectations with this one. Plus, this game has a lot of potential as it's pretty much a 3D platformer so I'm intrigued on how this game will play and we don't have to wait as it's available now on Switch.

Suika Game Mult-Player Mode Expansion Pack is a DLC expansion pack for the popular Japanese puzzle game developed and published by Aladdin X, Suika Game. The DLC expansion is available now on Switch.

Another big surprise here that I didn't see coming as I believe that they were planning to have DLC for the game having multiplayer, but it looks like we got it sooner than expected and that's great to see. This is such a fun puzzle game and now that we can play against other people online and together is awesome. If you love puzzle games, you'll enjoy Suika Game as it's available now on Switch.

Pepper Grinder is an action-adventure game developed by Ahr Ech and published by Devolver Digital. The game is set to be released on Switch on March 28, 2024.

This was another indie game that was showcased back in an Indie World last year and we finally got a release date for the game which is nice to see. In some ways, this game reminds me of Steamworld series due to digging underground in terms of gameplay, but it also has its own flavor to it as well. Not only that, we also got a demo for the game which is nice so looking forward to seeing how the final game will turn out once it's released next month.

Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! is a card-based game developed and published by Game Freak. The game is available now on Switch.

Oh heck yes! We got the sequel to the first Pocket Card game and it's finally on modern consoles now! Yes! I love the first game on 3DS and this game was originally on Apple Arcade so glad to see this game on consoles now as it's basically a combination of horse racing and Solitaire which works extremely well. If you're looking for a different gaming experience from Game Freak, would recommend checking out this game as it even has a demo for players to try out as it's available now on Switch.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is an action-adventure game developed by Surgent Studios and published by EA. The game is set to be released on Switch on April 23, 2024.

We saw this game back at the Game Awards last year and it continues to look great. This game looks to be a really great Metroidvania with its own interesting skills and beautiful environments to explore. Hope to see more of this game in the future as it'll be coming out on Switch in two months.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! is a party game developed by Aniplex and published by Sega. The game is set to be released on Switch on April 26, 2024.

Oh wow, we're actually getting this game on Switch, but that's cool to see. If you want to know what this game is about, it's basically Mario Party, but with Demon Slayer characters which is awesome. I'm very curious to see how this game will turn out on Switch once it's released in two months.

Contra: Operation Galuga is a platformer shooter developed by WayForward and published by Konami. The game is set to be released on Switch on March 12, 2024. 

We also have seen this game back at the September Nintendo Direct last year and it definitely looks like Contra, that's for sure. Very curious to see how this reimaging of the first Contra game will turn out. Luckily, we got a demo available now to try to see how this game is so hopefully, it delivers. Looking forward to seeing how the full game will turn out once it's released in a few weeks.

Pentiment is an adventure role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game is set to be released on Switch on February 22, 2024.

Well, this is another Xbox game that is coming to Switch and the fact that it's coming out tomorrow is awesome. Granted, by the time you read this, it's already available on Switch, but I digress, great to see this game coming to other consoles. If you're into adventure RPGs, would recommend checking out Pentiment as it's probably available now on Switch by the time you're reading this.

Five games from Rare are coming to Nintendo Switch Online including Snake Rattle 'N' Roll on NES, R.C. Pro-Am on NES, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs on SNES, Killer Instinct on SNES, and Blast Corps on Nintendo 64. These games are available now on Nintendo Switch Online.

Holy crap! Didn't expect these five games to come to NSO, but here we are! Granted, there are other Rare games that I want to come to NSO like Banjo-Tooie, Diddy Kong Racing, Conker's Bad Fur Day, etc., but the selection we got here is pretty good especially for the SNES and N64 games here. Hope to see more Rare games come to NSO in the future as we can get to play them right now and would recommend doing so if you never played these games before.

Endless Ocean Luminous is an adventure simulation game developed by Akira and published by Nintendo. The game is set to be released on Switch on May 2, 2024.

Oh my god! We got a new Endless Ocean game! Holy crap! The last Endless Ocean game we got was Endless Ocean: Blue World which was released in 2010 on the Wii so it has been fourteen years since the last Endless Ocean game. That's insanity. Plus, it's a new original Endless Ocean game as well and not a port, remaster, or remake of a past Endless Ocean game which is more shocking to me. The fact that this game can support up to 30 players online is awesome. Very curious to see how this game will turn out as it'll be released on Switch in three months.

Overall, this was a good presentation from Nintendo. Granted, it's not the best Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase that they've done, but it has some very nice surprises as well as some shadow drops which is much appreciated. Granted, we did get one first-party game in Endless Ocean, but it's very niche/obscure so it won't make a big impact compared to other first-party Nintendo games. Not only that, I feel like this presentation showcased the third-party and indie games quite well which I appreciate too. We'll see how Nintendo will do throughout the rest of the year as I think their time with the Switch is coming to an end soon.

You can catch the full presentation of the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase yourself with the link below:

What are your thoughts on the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase?

What were your highlights and what games do you really want?

Let me know in the comments below and thank you for reading.