Nintendo Direct: Mario Kart, Disney Speedstorm - what were the big announcements?

Nintendo general manager Shinya Takahashi guided the announcements on Nintendo Direct

Nintendo just announced a load of new games, updates and more in a packed livestream.

Nintendo's Shinya Takahashi guided people through the announcements in a 40 minute 'Direct' presentation.

It gave fans a glimpse of new games like Disney Speedstorm and Mario Strikers: Battle League as well as DLC courses for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and updates to Splatoon 3.

Here are some of the big announcements.

New courses for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Courses in the first wave of releases include Coconut mall

One of the biggest announcements was a Booster Course pack for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The paid DLC courses, include some courses from past Mario Kart games.

Eight courses will be released at a time over six waves, ending in 2023, a total of 48 new courses.

Courses like Coconut Mall Mario Kart Wii, Choco Mountain from Mario Kart 64 and Tokyo Blur from Mario Kart Tour will be included in the first wave which launches on18 March. Those who have a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership can get the DLC at no extra cost.

Disney Speedstorm

In Speedstorm players can choose which Disney or Pixar character they want to be

Disney Speedstorm is Mario Kart meets Disney with racetracks based on classic Disney/Pixar films.

According to the trailer each Disney character also has a unique strength - for example Mickey Mouse for speed, Sully from Monsters Inc for power or Mulan for explosive manoeuvres.

Disney Speedstorm will be free-to-play with new seasons added regularly.

Mario Strikers: Battle League

In Battle League players can put on gear which not only changes their appearance but also their stats

The third in the Mario Striker series, Mario Strikers: Battle League was also announced at the livestream.

Like the other Mario Striker games, it's Mario meets Fifa with an arcade-style association football match. There are no fouls and players can use items.

In Battle League, players will now be able to collect gear which not only changes appearance but also your stats like speed and accuracy.

Another new feature, Hyper Strike, can be activated by picking up an Orb on the field if unleashed on your opponent's goal you can pick up two points instead of one.

Mario Strikers: Battle League will be released on 10 June.

Nintendo Switch Sports

Volleyball is one of the new sports coming to Nintendo Switch Sports

Wii Sports is being revived for Switch as Nintendo Switch Sports which is due out 29 April. The trailer revealed six sports: tennis, bowling, chanbara (swordplay), plus three new sports football/soccer, badminton and volleyball.

A free update will arrive in the summer, enabling players to play football matches with a Joy-Con controller and the leg strap accessory.

And a second free update planned for the Autumn will add golf to the list. Nintendo is doing an online playtest on 18-20 February.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land - update

Kirby Mouthful Mode allows Kirby to swallow things like vending machines

There was an update on Kirby and the Forgotten Land which is due out 25 March.

The open world adventure game which was announced in the last Nintendo Direct is Kirby's first ever 3D game.

Nintendo revealed the new Mouthful Mode, which lets Kirby inhale a car, a vending machine and more and allows it to transform and do things like zoom around or shoot out canned drinks.

Splatoon 3 - update

Spltoon 3 will be released summer 2022

There was a lot of fan excitement when Splatoon 3 was announced at the last Nintendo Direct, this year's livestream revealed the game would be launching in summer 2022 and will feature a new version of the Salmon Run co-op mode, Salmon Run: Next Wave.

In Splatoon you play as a squid kid, also known as an Inkling, and you battle against other players using a paint gun to cover as much of an area in your colour paint as possible.

Splatoon 3 will feature a single-player campaign called "Return of the Mammalians," as well as the return of its classic Turf War multiplayer mode.

A new boss was also revealed who hasn't been seen before, a giant Salmonid beast!