That certainly was an odd Nintendo Direct (YouTube)The Friday letters page worries that PlayStation is ashamed of its multiformat releases, as one reader lays out his hopes for Rocksteadys new Batman game.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukA good lifeWell, that Nintendo Direct was definitely one of the weirder ones weve ever had. Even the fact that it happened, just days before the Switch 2 one, is crazy and Im still not sure what the thinking was. I guess if the rumour was it was supposed to be in February something got delayed and this was just the latest they could push it back without having a Switch 1 Direct coming out after theyd just been talking about the Switch 2.I think it was good overall though and definitely worth watching. The start and end was weak, when normally theyre the biggest games, but there were plenty of nice surprises, including stuff like that multiformat Marvel game.Im still not sure why Metroid Prime 4 was randomly in the middle. Does that mean they were saving other stuff till the Switch 2 Direct or is that really going to be it for now, like that other rumour said? It was right about it being shown this week, so the source obviously knows something.I really wish the niche comeback game had been something more interesting than Tomodachi Life but what are you gonna do? At this point I dont feel theres really anything you can criticise the Switch about, given what a good life its had.GrackleHalf committedI certainly didnt have two PlayStation ports on my bingo card for the Nintendo Direct. In fact, Id have to say I didnt get anything right, except Metroid Prime 4. A weird showcase but in a good way, but the strangest thing to me is that the PlayStation Blog makes no mention of either Patapon or the new Everybodys Golf both of which are on PlayStation 5 and published by Sony.If Sony are that embarrassed about releasing multiformat games, why are they doing it? Somehow, I dont think remasters of two ancient PSP games is going to tip the scales of their back balance but apparently they want to release them but also dont want to tell anyone they exist? Its the same with Xbox and making Forza Horizon 5 physical only.These companies have got to embrace multiformat or its not going to work. You cant be ashamed of it and also have it be the cornerstone of your business. I get its not that yet for Sony, but clearly they thought this worth doing. But apparently only by half-assing it.CranstonWrong nicheWe all thought the Switch had a good line-up last year, even though it was its last big year, but its days from retirement and its still announcing games that will come out in 2026? Nintendo said it would last 10 years and now its only one year away from that and the chances of it being the best-selling console ever are even greater.All well deserved Id say, even if this latest Direct was a bit of a disappointment for me. Yes, it had a lot more games than I expected. But two niche franchises to bring back and they went for Rhythm Paradise and Tomodachi Life?! Is F-Zero really dead to them?I get it, theyre cheap games to make and not much of a risk, but its still a shame. But Ill let them off because Metroid Prime 4 looked good. At least we know F-Zero is definitely next. Right, right?!LouieEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukPlease explainSo there it is, in Nintendos own words: there will be upgraded Switch 1 games on Switch 2. It seemed obvious that they would (or rather should) do that, so Im glad to see that Nintendo isnt avoiding an open goal just because it seems obvious.Theyll probably charge too much for the upgrade, but we can only deal with that problem when they announce it properly. Im fascinated to know whats going on with Metroid Prime 4 because I agree the graphics seem impossible on the current Switch but surely Nintendo wouldnt show the upgraded version in a Direct that was specifically meant to be Switch 1 only?Maybe Retro are just even more talented than we thought but Im definitely interested in finding out more. Although Im not sure I trust Nintendo to explain it all that clearly. Thats not been their specialist subject normally. Especially that weird virtual game card thing.CustardUlterior motivesNintendo virtual game cards cant help but remind me of the Xbox One launch, when they tried to explain their convoluted sharing process, followed by Sony making fun of them. Admittedly that was worse, but not by much. The idea family members need to loan a game to each other is somewhat ridiculous.Apple came up with the easiest solution a decade ago, where family members just get access to shared purchases and to avoid abuse the organisers credit card gets used for all purchases in the family.Obviously, Nintendo are making it hard, to get people to buy multiple copies of a game, but as thats the case why even bother with virtual game cards in the first place?TimDirect analysisYou have to give it to Nintendo, they definitely know how to do an online showcase. They invented the concept of a Direct and theyve got it down to a fine art, even when theyve not got much to work with. It seems to me the secret is not lingering on anything for too long, having lots to talk about, and having a few cameos from people but no waffle or marketing talk.This Direct did all of that but compare that to a Microsoft one, which tends to have only four or five games and is filled with beauty shots of developers pretending to be happy and spontaneous, while going on for so long you just start tuning it out. Theyre also constantly doing that thing where the camera is filming them looking at a different camera, which I hate.Sonys problem is that they also dont usually have enough games, and they have no presenters at all. Often there can be no sign of a human being at all, just some AI-sounding voiceover babbling away. State of Plays are often shorter than a Nintendo Direct but they feel longer because all the segments are too long and theres too much time spent being bored.If youre not interested in something in a Nintendo Direct, like a farming sim, it doesnt matter because itll be replaced by something else thats completely different in a minute or two. Anyway, thats my analysis. I give this weeks Direct a 7/10. Lets hope next weeks is an 11.Terry GoldFake retroA good Nintendo Direct, considering its only for the current one, but the game that caught my attention the most was Marvel Cosmic Invasion. I love a good beat em-up and I am fully behind this recent spree of fake retro games with their amazing 2D animation. Marvel games can be hit and miss, in terms of whether they sell, but I hope this is a hit, mostly because itll encourage other companies to do similar things.Im still sore that amazing looking Power Rangers one didnt turn out to be as good as it looks, but Id love to see the Marvel one and others do more sprite-scaling racing and the like, to homage things like OutRun and After Burner. I love all that old stuff. Next step DC Cosmic Invasion and then Marvel vs. DC!Taylor MoonBat-slopI really hope Rocksteadys new Batman game works out, for obvious reasons of not wanting them to go bust and wanting a decent game again. Im for them starting a whole new canon though. I dont see any point in going back to the Arkham series, because then theyd have to account for all the nonsense that happened in Suicide Squad, including the non-explanation of why Bruce Wayne is back.I thought Batman Beyond was the perfect idea, but this new rumour seems to say thats not happening, which is a shame. The most important thing is just to let Rocksteady do whatever they think makes sense and dont interfere. Suicide Squad might even have worked if there wasnt all the executive interference.Although I guess Im kind of glad it failed, because that means theyll never try again and it was the quickest route to getting a proper single-player game again. I wouldnt say that if a load of people were laid off, but I dont actually think they were (most of the top staff left years ago, instead).Lets just hope theres not some other pointless gimmick or buzzword that gets big in the next few years, that will see the new game derailed as well. AI-designed Batman game, anyone?CardiInbox also-ransI knew GC would be excited about that Gradius compilation as soon as it got announced. M2 ports and a brand new game on top? I think Im pretty jazzed for it too.GalenGC: Hideki Kamiya will also be pleased, Salamander is one of his favourites.Only one farming game in the Nintendo Direct?! You can definitely tell the Switch is winding down.PrestonMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Readers Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.You can also leave your comments below and dont forget to follow us on Twitter.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy