by Jayce Ham

February was a controversial and tense month for video games with the release of Hogwarts Legacy on February 10. Fortunately, however, Nintendo surprised us with a Nintendo Direct to get our spirits up and gain some excitement for games coming to the Nintendo Switch this year.

Pikmin 4 was the first game to receive an update at the Nintendo Direct. The Direct showed off a new trailer as well as a release date for the title, which is set for July 21. A DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was announced and released on February 15. Fans of the series were excited to see fan favorite characters returning in this DLC. Several expansion passes for Fire Emblem Engage were announced with one releasing that same day. The critically acclaimed game Dead Cells is set to release a DLC in partner with Castlevania on March 6. And to end the DLC side of the direct is a Splatoon 3 DLC which releases in Spring of this year.

Several Japanese titles were announced that has fans buzzing. The first is Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, a popular game created by the creator of the famous Ace Attorney series, is receiving a fresh coat paint with a new game set to release in Summer of this year. DECAPOLICE is another Japanese title set in a detective environment and is set to release sometime this year. Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, another game in a series created by the creator of Ace Attorney, is set to release sometime this year.

After months and months of waiting, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp finally has a release date: April 21. Viewers were also happy to see more details on Octopath Traveler 2, set to release February 24, as well as a demo of the prologue which released later that same day.

However, the announcement that everyone watching was on the edge of their seat waiting for was more details on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, set to release on May 12. The Direct ended with a lengthy trailer detailing the story of the game as well as some familiar voices voicing popular characters.

While the month started out tense and stressful in the gaming world, it ended on a high note with a Nintendo Direct that has everyone buzzing.

Jayce Ham is 30 years old and an ongoing contributor. With a love of all things nerdy, they are right at home covering entertainment.