The most interesting parts of each direct for me are usually the first and last announcements. Not to say that headlines are bad, but I usually tune out a bit during those parts (except for Metroid Prime Remastered -- that was a big "WAIT WHAT?" moment). Anyways, the opener and closer get their own dedicated trailer instead of being crammed in with all the other headlines. They leave the biggest impact. I started thinking, which direct had the best opener/closer combo?
I gotta give this one to the September 2018 direct. Right out of the gate they opened with Luigi's Mansion 3, and then they ended with Animal Crossing, which was heavily requested at the time. While neither of those games came out until over a year later, they were exciting announcements for major franchises. With Smash Ultimate coming out only a few months after that direct, I felt like the switch was really entering its prime.
Looking back, it feels like some openers and closers were predictable. Smash character reveals took one of those spots a couple times, and more recently we had Tears of the Kingdom taking the closing spot in the past two directs. I think the next one will be a lot less predictable. We have some ideas, such as 2D Mario, Fire Emblem Genealogy Remake, Metroid Prime 4, Paper Mario Remaster, etc... but we don't know for sure exactly where these games will land on the calendar, and some of these aren't technically confirmed yet. I don't expect them to make the best direct ever at this point in the switch's life, but it seems like they have the tools to make a really solid showing... and that showing would be even better if it happens this month!
