Today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct was full of surprises. Nintendo just casually dropped a 2025 release window for Hollow Knight: Silksong; the most anticipated game possibly ever finally received a release window – of this year, no less – in a two-second sizzle reel spot. There’s a spiritual successor to Bloodborne, set in Victorian London, with vampires.
There was a lot to take in. Though I predicted Mario Kart World would take the Forza Horizon approach to racing, I never expected an open-world Donkey Kong game. I didn’t expect to see Kirby Air Ride return, nor the Game Boy Camera. There were a lot of expected appearances – Elden Ring, Breath of the Wild HDR, etc. – but Nintendo has even come up with its own version of Discord.
Despite all this, the best announcement of the hour-long presentation was a GameCube game. And not even the one I thought it would be.
The GameCube Had The Best Library
I’ve been hoping to see The Wind Waker and Majora’s Mask release on Switch for so long that I stopped believing it would happen. My two favourite Zelda games are inaccessible on modern hardware, and barely accessible on older kit. My GameCube doesn’t output sound any more, and my Wii is gathering dust in some attic or another. How am I meant to sail the seven seas aboard the good King of Red Lions?
Naturally, I got very excited when The Wind Waker popped up during the presentation. That game is so nostalgic for me, some of my most treasured memories are passing the pad in my university house’s shared basement (which doubled as both living room and kitchen), taking turns navigating platforms and battling bosses with my late best friend. But somehow, even The Wind Waker announcement was overshadowed.
As the presentation scrolled through all the games that Nintendo is adding to its Switch Online service in June, I noticed a Pokemon game. Not Stadium, although that is also making an appearance. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2. This is the Pokemon game that all other Pokemon games should aspire to be, it’s the blueprint that modern games should analyse and the winning formula to creating a near-perfect 3D rendition of the iconic series.
Pokemon XD: Gale Of Darkness Is Coming To Nintendo Switch 2
This isn’t a remake or remaster, it’s a straight-up port. And that’s perfect. This game doesn’t need better graphics, its framerate is fine. It just needs to be accessible. And now millions of Pokemon fans are going to get the chance to experience it for the first time. Frankly, I’m jealous.
For everyone who played it at the time or in the two intervening decades, we get a chance to go again. 20 years on from its initial release date, I can’t wait to jump back into this magnificent game and capture Shadow Lugia all over again.
Now the physical version will hopefully go down in price as well. Because hot damn that thing is still disgustingly expensive.
Many people believe that Pokemon Colosseum is better than Gale of Darkness. Many people would be wrong. A major factor in that assessment is Shadow Lugia, but you must also remember that I am currently wearing my finest pair of nostalgia-tinted glasses. I preferred Gale of Darkness as a kid, so I have fonder memories of it now. However, both incorrect Colosseum Enjoyers and correct Gale of Darkness Stans are being served by Switch Online, as both games are hitting the subscription service in a one-two knockout blow.
This double pack not only blew everything else in the Direct out of the water, but has blown away my expectations for Pokemon Legends: Z-A away, too. I was trying to be positive about the spin-off launching later this year, but the dreary modern graphics and real-time battle gimmick weren’t exciting me nearly enough.
Now, I don’t have to worry about Z-A. It could be the worst Pokemon game ever made, and I’d still be happy with our offerings this year. My summer will be spent pretending I’m 12. I don’t need to pay £60 for a fake GameCube controller in order to relive my youth, all I need is an online subscription and two excellent 3D Pokemon games.
By the looks of things, I won’t even need to shell out on the new Switch to enjoy them. With the sole launch title of Mario Kart World (and Donkey Kong arriving a month later), I can give it a miss until there’s a Black Friday deal. To be able to do that and still get to play with the best games announced in today’s Direct is a treat, and one that I’ll be dining out on for the rest of the year.
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There is no love lost for Mario Strikers: Battle League.