Nintendo Direct February 2022 live report Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Nintendo Direct February 2022 live report Three Houses gets the musou treatment! More Mario Kart - but! And so much more besides - everything as it happened. Blog by Martin Robinson Editor-in-chief Updated on 9 Feb 2022 363 comments That was fun, wasn't it? Nintendo rattled off some fun surprises for its first Direct of the year, revealing Salmon Run in Splatoon 3, EarthBound coming to Nintendo Switch Online and... Oh there's so much more. Watch on YouTube Our live coverage of this event has finished. Coverage 20:27 pm UTC Hullo! Nice to see some you here already! – Martin Robinson 20:28 pm UTC I'm not ready myself, I'm afraid - I'm about to watch the last episode of that Star Wars thing before picking up the report. It sounds dreadful. I can't wait. – Martin Robinson 20:28 pm UTC Catch you all back here in an hour! – Martin Robinson 21:34 pm UTC That was bloody awful. – Martin Robinson 21:35 pm UTC Kami: You expected anything else, Martin? I expected nothing, and still it disappointed. – Martin Robinson 21:36 pm UTC But hey forget all that, we're here to videogame! – Martin Robinson 21:36 pm UTC I'm expecting a *bit* more from tonight's Direct. – Martin Robinson 21:36 pm UTC But as ever it's best to brace for disappointment. – Martin Robinson 21:39 pm UTC What I'd love: Mario Kart 9 reveal, Metroid Prime, Xenoblade X and Wind Waker on Switch, Pilotwings 64 and EarthBound coming to the N64 and SNES apps, Breath of the Wild title reveal and release date. And screw it, why not a new F-Zero and also that Star Fox GP game that sounded so promising. – Martin Robinson 21:41 pm UTC More likely: teaser for the Mario movie that reveals the full horror of the project, a 20 minute apology about the state of the toilets at Super Nintendo World followed by news that the Breath of the Wild sequel is delayed for another year. – Martin Robinson 21:41 pm UTC Hopefully reality will meet somewhere in the middle. – Martin Robinson 21:42 pm UTC vert1go: Xenoblade Chronicles X would instantly bring a game that lasts hundreds of hours back, with a framerate. But hopefully the ability to TURN OFF THAT GODDAMN CITY MUSIC. This and this, basically. Oh I'd love the excuse to play that again though. – Martin Robinson 21:43 pm UTC Saltedfish: (I'm not a fanboy I promise) *waves* I'M A FANBOY! – Martin Robinson 21:43 pm UTC Kami: Xenoblade Chronicles X is the only reason the Wii U still even remotely exists. It's the main reason I regret selling mine. – Martin Robinson 21:43 pm UTC That and not having Mario Chase close to hand anymore. – Martin Robinson 21:47 pm UTC This is the first Direct since September, and given we're expecting a fairly busy year for Nintendo this should be a reasonably busy Direct. – Martin Robinson 21:51 pm UTC Jimjamyaha: Did we ever get an ETA for working comment notifications again? It won't be for a few weeks, I'm afraid, as the tech team's flat out on some big changes behind the scenes. Sorry it's not sooner! – Martin Robinson 21:52 pm UTC This all seems quite reasonable to expect. Hang on - don't you work at Nintendo Miyamotosan? – Martin Robinson 21:52 pm UTC Honoured by your presence, but honestly - SPOILERS! – Martin Robinson 21:53 pm UTC Is that off the back of Itoi giving a shout out to this Direct? I hope it's true! – Martin Robinson 21:54 pm UTC Miyamotosan: [throws a Pikmin plushy at Martin and runs away] With all due respect, we're not falling for that Pikmin bait again. – Martin Robinson 21:54 pm UTC Maybe it finally is Pikmin 4's time. – Martin Robinson 21:55 pm UTC Excuse the unprofessionalism, but I'm a bit excited by this. – Martin Robinson 21:56 pm UTC After a turbulent month in the world of videogames, the prospect of some nice straightforward surprises is quite refreshing. – Martin Robinson 21:59 pm UTC Well, here we go! – Martin Robinson 22:00 pm UTC I HEARD ENGINES DOES THAT MEAN MARIO KART! – Martin Robinson 22:01 pm UTC Oh wait let's get straight in there with some Fire Emblem Warriors - the musou spin-off of the series - getting a sequel. – Martin Robinson 22:01 pm UTC I second this statement, with much enthusiasm. – Martin Robinson 22:02 pm UTC It implements the Fire Emblem stuff lightly but it all fits the map cleaning template, and musou stuff is just straight up fun. – Martin Robinson 22:03 pm UTC So yes, I'm really up for this - building off the soap opera of Three Houses, which makes it seem an even better fit for musou theatrics. – Martin Robinson 22:03 pm UTC Advance Wars! Here's an update on the remake of the first two games. – Martin Robinson 22:03 pm UTC It looks chunky enough, but I'm still not convinced by the art style. I'm old and crusty though so what do I know. – Martin Robinson 22:04 pm UTC It's out April 8th! – Martin Robinson 22:04 pm UTC And a nice surprise - No Man's Sky is coming to Switch. – Martin Robinson 22:04 pm UTC I have no idea how that's going to work, but if they can pull it off the Switch would be a lovely place to play No Man's Sky. – Martin Robinson 22:05 pm UTC vert1go: Norman's Sky? Will it have a framerate? Framerates are for try-hards. Just chill out to some 12fps gameplay. – Martin Robinson 22:05 pm UTC Oh, Mario Strikers! – Martin Robinson 22:06 pm UTC This is a surprise - though has Mario Strikers been good recently? – Martin Robinson 22:07 pm UTC I find it hard to keep up - but Nintendo's sports output has been decent recently. Well, Mario Golf: Super Rush was decent. – Martin Robinson 22:07 pm UTC Eventually. – Martin Robinson 22:07 pm UTC When they added more courses in. – Martin Robinson 22:08 pm UTC You're right, I'm an idiot! – Martin Robinson 22:08 pm UTC Oh, no - we're both wrong. There was a Wii version. – Martin Robinson 22:08 pm UTC This has been a fun journey of discovery together! – Martin Robinson 22:08 pm UTC Now I'm on firmer ground, though - SPLATOON! – Martin Robinson 22:09 pm UTC It's easy to forget what a standout success Splatoon has been, especially since hitting the Switch. This is going to be HUGE! – Martin Robinson 22:10 pm UTC And this take on Salmon Run, the grungy co-op mode introduced in Splatoon 2, looks incredible. – Martin Robinson 22:10 pm UTC FrozenMetalHead: This music sure is something... It's a proper flipside to the sunniness of the rest of the game. – Martin Robinson 22:11 pm UTC Well, I was expecting a bit more on Splatoon 3. Still, great to see Salmon Run returning, and that all just means there's room for more surprises. – Martin Robinson 22:11 pm UTC LIKE HOLY HOLY HOLY THIS FRONT MISSION FIRST REMAKE! – Martin Robinson 22:12 pm UTC And yes, lol - wanzer. – Martin Robinson 22:13 pm UTC Tiel: No comment on the no notificatication on comments comment I just commented? It's a known issue - unfortunately our tech team are slammed with a big change going on behind the scenes (that I think this was an unfortunate byproduct of) so they can't get to it for a few weeks. Sorry it's not any sooner! – Martin Robinson 22:13 pm UTC Here's a Disney take on Mario Kart. – Martin Robinson 22:13 pm UTC Which they can't have included in a Direct with *actual* Mario Kart in it, can they? Because that's some kind of crazy shade if so. – Martin Robinson 22:14 pm UTC Also we've Final Fantasy Kart soon. – Martin Robinson 22:15 pm UTC And here's some ports - Force Unleashed, Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection (which is out sooon) and one for weebs like me, SD Gundam Battle Alliance. – Martin Robinson 22:15 pm UTC Did my edibles just kick in? – Martin Robinson 22:16 pm UTC Ah, Chrono Cross - which sadly I've never played, but I know is well-loved. – Martin Robinson 22:16 pm UTC I'm just here for Kirby though. – Martin Robinson 22:16 pm UTC Kirby does The Last of Us is a game I never knew I wanted. – Martin Robinson 22:16 pm UTC But it looks just wonderful, doesn't it? – Martin Robinson 22:17 pm UTC Also I'd like to see Joel eat a rusty sedan then grow four wheels. – Martin Robinson 22:17 pm UTC That's real horror right there. – Martin Robinson 22:17 pm UTC Miyamotosan: Best Direct in years. You would say that. – Martin Robinson 22:18 pm UTC This looks so bloody delightful. Kirby's been on a good run of games, and this looks next level. – Martin Robinson 22:18 pm UTC It's been fantastic so far. – Martin Robinson 22:19 pm UTC He's *my* pink puffball. – Martin Robinson 22:19 pm UTC Here's another quick dash of headlines - MLB: The Show leading them. – Martin Robinson 22:20 pm UTC A PlayStation Studios game coming to Switch. – Martin Robinson 22:20 pm UTC Which is surely a precursor to a Knack on Switch announcement next. – Martin Robinson 22:20 pm UTC Come on. – Martin Robinson 22:20 pm UTC Do it. – Martin Robinson 22:20 pm UTC Choose chaos. Choose Knack. – Martin Robinson 22:21 pm UTC Or Kingdom Hearts. Which is somehow worse? – Martin Robinson 22:21 pm UTC Especially these awful cloud versions, where you pay a decent whack for the privilege of streaming these games. – Martin Robinson 22:21 pm UTC KLONOA THO – Martin Robinson 22:22 pm UTC Portal on Switch - that's a surprise! – Martin Robinson 22:22 pm UTC Funny timing with Steam Deck imminent. – Martin Robinson 22:23 pm UTC This really is going at a proper lick. – Martin Robinson 22:23 pm UTC Live A Live! What a gorgeous thing this is. – Martin Robinson 22:24 pm UTC It's new to me too - but I'm looking forward to finding out more about it. It looks INCREDIBLE. – Martin Robinson 22:24 pm UTC A slice of classic Square I can't wait to be educated on. – Martin Robinson 22:24 pm UTC Oh god. – Martin Robinson 22:24 pm UTC Hold me. – Martin Robinson 22:25 pm UTC I wasn't expecting this - Wii Sports gets a Switch outing! – Martin Robinson 22:25 pm UTC But wait! – Martin Robinson 22:25 pm UTC What have they done to my Miis. – Martin Robinson 22:25 pm UTC They murdered our poor kin. – Martin Robinson 22:25 pm UTC This looks like that Konami knock-off of Wii Sports. – Martin Robinson 22:26 pm UTC Ah, it's basically taking the Wii Sports brand and merging it with something like Ring Fit Adventure. – Martin Robinson 22:27 pm UTC It's Koizumi! He's about to play sports, and we're here to watch! – Martin Robinson 22:27 pm UTC What a thrill this is. – Martin Robinson 22:27 pm UTC This is awful. I love it. – Martin Robinson 22:28 pm UTC It's all good. The Miis are in. – Martin Robinson 22:28 pm UTC At ease. – Martin Robinson 22:28 pm UTC This is unexpected but totally welcome! – Martin Robinson 22:29 pm UTC ChrisOTR: Now that we have VR controllers that actually do what Wiimotes always b pretended to do, this kind of thing feels a bit silly to me. The JoyCons are a big step up from Wiimotes (though not quite the same fidelity as proper VR controllers). – Martin Robinson 22:29 pm UTC There's an online play test coming in a couple of weeks time for Nintendo Switch Sports. – Martin Robinson 22:29 pm UTC There's 11 minutes left! – Martin Robinson 22:30 pm UTC Taiko no Tatsujin is coming west! – Martin Robinson 22:31 pm UTC Triangle Strategy! – Martin Robinson 22:31 pm UTC It's out soon - there may well be something on the site on it all soon too. – Martin Robinson 22:32 pm UTC Cuphead DLC! I'll always be too terrible at games to enjoy these! – Martin Robinson 22:32 pm UTC A Metroid Dread update! – Martin Robinson 22:32 pm UTC Which makes it even harder! – Martin Robinson 22:32 pm UTC C'mon, give me an even easier mode you cowards. – Martin Robinson 22:33 pm UTC Oh, you have - there's a Rookie Mode too. Thanks Nintendo! – Martin Robinson 22:33 pm UTC A boss rush mode coming in April too. – Martin Robinson 22:33 pm UTC Here it is. – Martin Robinson 22:33 pm UTC EarthBound, one of the all-time greats, is coming to Nintendo Switch Online. – Martin Robinson 22:34 pm UTC Which is exciting, but we did also have it on Wii U and 3DS and Nintendo's taken their sweet time getting it out on Switch. – Martin Robinson 22:34 pm UTC Still, play this game - it's a whole mood. – Martin Robinson 22:34 pm UTC Oh! – Martin Robinson 22:34 pm UTC EarthBound Beginnings is also coming - and they're both arriving today. – Martin Robinson 22:35 pm UTC I can't wait to play EarthBound again before dozing off later. – Martin Robinson 22:36 pm UTC Lego Brawls, Two Point Campus, Zombie Army 4 - games, games and some more games. – Martin Robinson 22:36 pm UTC Here's the Mario Kart news! – Martin Robinson 22:36 pm UTC It's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC... – Martin Robinson 22:36 pm UTC Which I'm actually hugely happy about - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is perfection. – Martin Robinson 22:36 pm UTC But still. – Martin Robinson 22:36 pm UTC lol – Martin Robinson 22:37 pm UTC 48 new courses! – Martin Robinson 22:37 pm UTC Ok you have my attention. – Martin Robinson 22:37 pm UTC Does this mean... That the Mario Kart 8 team are really making Arms 2? – Martin Robinson 22:38 pm UTC One final announcement. – Martin Robinson 22:38 pm UTC I'm still tickled by the Mario Kart news. – Martin Robinson 22:38 pm UTC This'll be a new Xenoblade. – Martin Robinson 22:39 pm UTC Which looks like it's toned down the anime excess of Xenoblade Chronicles 2... a little? – Martin Robinson 22:39 pm UTC There's still *a little* bit of anime excess in there though. – Martin Robinson 22:39 pm UTC Just a little. – Martin Robinson 22:40 pm UTC Xenoblade Chronicles 3 coming September, and it ties the previous two games together. – Martin Robinson 22:40 pm UTC Still nowt on X though *sadface* – Martin Robinson 22:41 pm UTC Nowt on Breath of the Wild 2 either, but I think that's to be expected. – Martin Robinson 22:42 pm UTC And it's hard to be disappointed after what was an excellent Direct. Really pacey, some good surprises and just a load of promising looking games. – Martin Robinson 22:42 pm UTC How lovely. – Martin Robinson 22:42 pm UTC vert1go: As always THANK YOU MARTIN for joining this nonsense. Thanks for joining me - it's always lovely hanging out! – Martin Robinson 22:43 pm UTC Saltedfish: So in conclusion: nothing we asked for, but a bunch of cool stuff we didn't! And that's more than okay with me. – Martin Robinson 22:43 pm UTC I'm off to play EarthBound. And maybe a little bit of OlliOlli World too. – Martin Robinson 22:43 pm UTC Thanks for being here tonight - now go and play some video games! – Martin Robinson Comments Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! 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