Nintendo brings Metroid and Zelda across two Directs, plus, a January problem

Hi there! Nintendo recently held not one but two Direct presentations focused on what players can expect in the months ahead, and there's a fair bit that has my attention. Unfortunately, there's also a big problem brewing for January next year...well, at least for my taste in games.

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Going back to a classic

On Tuesday, Nintendo held a special Direct focused entirely on the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda franchise. Outside of a quick mention for the upcoming film that hits theaters next April, the meat of the presentation was reserved for the recently announced remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which first launched in 1998 on the Nintendo 64.

Saying that Ocarina of Time is a special game is a laughable understatement, as it's widely held up in what passes for collective industry memory as one of the most important games of all time, introducing numerous mechanics that are taken for granted.

Certainly it's important to me, as it was the very Zelda game I ever played. I was extremely young and barely knew what I was doing, but the dark and fantastical world of Hyrule was captivating all the same.

Yet I also acknowledge it hasn't aged well. It's a product of its time, with numerous issues inherent to when it was created, and it simply doesn't feel good to play all these years later. There was a remaster for the Nintendo 3DS, but even that version fell short of fully updating Ocarina of Time the way it truly needed. All that in mind, I was extremely curious just how Nintendo would try revisiting this considerably-aged classic.

From everything shown, it looks good! The remake's art direction did take me off guard at first, but the more I sat and watched, the more I saw a fair bit the original whimsical setting, translated through modern technology.

Of course, all the quality of life changes are the real selling point, as Link can now do basic things like jumping freely as he navigates through dungeons, as well as being able to move the camera freely instead of relying on fixed angles. There are some subtle changes to the layout, but perhaps less than I had imagined in my head, and that's not a bad thing.

Overall, I'm excited to return to Hyrule and revisit a game I loved as a kid. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on Nov. 5, 2026.

Nintendo followed up on Wednesday with a second Direct, this time more focused on general games that Nintendo Switch 2 owners can look forward to.

It was mostly expected fare, with plenty of ports like Capcom's Resident Evil remakes and Monster Hunter Wild, as well as Nintendo Switch 2 updates for games like Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Hyrule Warriors.

While a new Kirby game capped off the show, Nintendo's main man Mario meanders, and is still missing in action. 2027 will mark ten years since Super Mario Odyssey, and I'm curious to see just when the plumber will make his 3D return.

By far the biggest announcement for me in this second Direct, however, was Metroid Ravenous, a new 2D game in the series that seems to be following up 2021's Metroid Dread. Developer MercurySteam returns, with Samus Aran once again facing strange alien threats. This time, she's apparently consuming them, gaining power from the foes she defeats and eats.

I loved Metroid Dread, so I'm absolutely in, and I'm happy it'll help open the floodgates for 2027's games.

There's just one small problem.

PlayStation announced last week that the horror title Until Dawn 2 from developer Firesprite is set to launch on Jan. 28, 2027. It looks good, following a new cast that can all live or die based on player choices. Most intriguingly, the story has been developed in partnership with AdHoc Studio, the team behind the phenomenal superhero narrative game Dispatch.

I was already interested in Until Dawn 2, but knowing the narrative has AdHoc's fingerprints has made me ecstatic.

And now, Metroid Ravenous is also launching on Jan. 28, 2027. I recognize there's a fair lack of overlap in the general audiences that would be drawn to both titles, but I'm in that overlap!

Normally, the solution would be to simply pick one first and then get to the other after, but February isn't going to help. The following days and weeks don't look any clearer, with tons of big games launching soon after including God of War: Laufey, Fable, and Metro 2039.

It looks like "there are too many games" isn't going to stop being a threat in the new year.

Assorted news

Blizzard is also in the news this week for more than one reason, and I'm certain I'll have more to say on both fronts shortly.

• BlizzCon 2026 is set to commence this weekend, kicking off on Saturday, September 12 at 10:30 a.m. PT / 1:30 p.m. ET. Ahead of the show...
• Blizzard Entertainment workers have ratified a massive contract, gaining significant wins like guidelines around AI usage, recall rights, a hybrid work week, and much more. This applies to all the union units, not just one particular team.