Shack Chat: What was your favorite reveal from the June 2023 Nintendo Direct?

This week saw Nintendo host its latest Direct presentation, and boy howdy was it saucy. New Mario games galore were revealed alongside a wealth of other cool announcements. With that in mind, this week’s Shack Chat looks back at the event and we share which reveals ended up as our absolute favorites. Check it out!

Question: What was your favorite reveal from the June 2023 Nintendo Direct

Super Mario RPG - Ozzie Mejia, Like You Have to Ask

I don't do this, you guys. This isn't me. I'm not the guy who watches a trailer and bounces off the walls in a flurry of excitement. I'm not the person who screams so loud over a reveal that the neighbors call out of concern. I'm not the guy who cries at a trailer.

But, you don't understand. This is Super Mario RPG. Do you understand what a big deal this is to me? Do you understand exactly why I never believed this day would come? Why I believed I would never see Mallow, or Geno, or Frogfucius, or Booster, or any of those wonderful characters again?

For a long-time Mario fan in 1996, this was completely different from anything that came before it. I'm talking about genre, gameplay, story, characters, everything! Musically, it's still one of the greatest soundtracks ever made. Visually, it remains a standout on the Super Nintendo, one of the 16-bit console's last great tricks before the switchover to the Nintendo 64 and 3D gaming. Narratively, it made everybody look at Bowser and Toadstool (right before her permanent name change to Peach) just a little bit differently.

A remake is something I never believed I would see, just because of the headaches that had to be involved with rights issues. To see it actually happen makes me believe in gaming miracles.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R - TJ Denzer, can’t get enough 2DHD

There was a lot I really enjoyed out of the June Nintendo Direct. I thought the reveal of all of the Mario games, including the shocker that was Super Mario RPG and the delight that was Super Mario Bros. Wonder, were dope as heck. I also really like the look of Penny’s Big Breakaway, which is an original 3D platformer from the Sonic Mania team.

That said, the one that really just floored the holy heck out of me was Star Ocean: The Second Story R. The latest effort in Square Enix’s 2DHD remake, this was the one that sent me over the moon. I loved that RPG back in the PS1 era and have the honor of saying I beat not only the main campaign, but its ridiculously tedious secret dungeon and bosses. I was absolutely thrilled to see the new character art, fully voiced dialogue, and features like being able to utilize benched party member skills in combat.

Star Ocean: The Second Story is an incredible childhood flavor to me and I can’t wait to experience it again. It looks like it’s on track to be one of my favorite RPGs in a year stacked to the gills with them.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder  - Asif Khan, Shacknews CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Still thinking about HIM. 🐘 #NintendoDirect pic.twitter.com/84fviqKwbu

— Shacknews (@shacknews) June 21, 2023

As the resident Super Mario Maker expert on staff, I absolutely love 2D Mario games. While the New Super Mario Bros. series can be fun at times, it is very exciting to see a brand-new take on the genre Nintendo helped perfect in the 80s and 90s. Everything about Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s art style seems to indicate that this is going to be a fresh experience for 2D platform players, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the game this October. Also, Mario turned into an elephant.

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon - Sam Chandler, Spooky

I really enjoyed Luigi’s Mansion 3 and I’ve never had the chance to play Dark Moon, so seeing it get a lovely port to the Nintendo Switch is quite exciting. The visual upgrade from the Nintendo 3DS is bound to make this look fantastic, and no doubt it will handle better, and feel more comfortable, using a Switch Pro controller. Also, shout out to the next Splatfest reveal. I’m a big sucker for those events.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince - Donovan Erskine, Zenithian

I’m patiently waiting for DQ12 news, but was pleasantly surprised to see the Monsters franchise show up during the Direct. It’s essentially like DQ’s version of Pokemon, with you commanding the creatures in battle instead of participating yourself. Plus, this one looks like it’s going to have some strong story tie-ins to Dragon Quest 4, which is a ton of fun! The USA has missed out on a good deal of Dragon Quest spin-offs over the years, so I’m elated that The Dark Prince is going to be a simultaneous worldwide launch.

Super Mario RPG/Wonder - Steve Tyminski, Stevetendo Show host, It’s Mario Time!

I woke up earlier than usual for the Nintendo Direct and it didn’t disappoint me at all. There were all kinds of reveals that made me excited. There was more information about the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC coming out this year. There was info about Dragon Quest Monsters and a new Detective Pikachu game. Silent Hope looks like an RPG that I could and probably will put hours into. Nintendo also showed off the next wave of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC too.

However, all that gets blown out of the water by all the Super Mario-related stuff shown and thus was my favorite reveal. Princess Peach is getting a new game that looks like she is in a play. Maybe that pays homage to Mario 3 being like a stage show. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, the 3DS installment, is coming to the Nintendo Switch as well. I didn’t play that much of the 3DS Luigi Mansion so I’m looking forward to that.

Then we got the heavy hitters from this direct. A brand new side scrolling Mario game and Super Mario RPG with cleaned up graphics. If you have ever watched the Stevetendo show, then you know that I love Super Mario RPG and play it at least once a year. It’s great to see Mario RPG come back after all these years and if it does well then we might get the Mario RPG sequel we all want. Also, Super Mario Brothers Wonder, the new sidescroller, has an elephant power up. Anyway, my pick for best reveal is a tie between Mario RPG and Super Mario Bros Wonder.

And there you have it. Those are our picks for the best reveals from the Nintendo Direct June 2023 presentation, but what were yours? Let us know in the Shacknews Chatty section below!

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.