Mailbox: Missing Zelda Ports, Nerd Rage, 16-Bit Blowback - Nintendo Life Letters

Sometimes Nintendo does what Nintendon't.

is absurd Nintendo is refusing to release Wind Waker/Twilight Princess HD on Switch, two fan favorite games that would give a lot of sales to Nintendo

For Capcom to release The Disney Afternoon Collection on Nintendo platforms, we would have to see some upgrades, like the Genesis Version of TaleSpin, developed by SEGA, The GB Versions of DuckTales 1 and 2, Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin, plus the SNES Games: Goof Troop and Bonkers.

I have question about sending the letter for this article.
What topics or things I can talk about ?
Can I send my letter about unpopular / underrated stuffs ?

Nintendo is never going to release Wind Waker HD on Switch. You might not have read it since it was announced in small print at the time of the Wii U release but they did make a legally binding declaration that that would be the final and only ever remaster of Wind Waker. I know it sounds crazy but they even explicitly stated that they'd never re-release the original either.

The game dies on Wii U. It was always time limited. Sorry.

Of course on the positive side they were clearer with the Mario 3d All-Stars so Nintendo is getting better all the time!

The whole Wind Waker HD/Twilight Princess HD situation I feel is because the next new 3D Zelda is likely releasing around 2029 given Aonuma's comments about the BotW/TotK open world formula staying.

6 years is a long time to go without a single Zelda game so Nintendo will probably fill in the gaps with some ports/remasters/remakes and spinoffs. Maybe if we're extremely lucky a new 2D Zelda as well.

(Everything I say applies to turf war in particular)

You know since I sent that letter there aren’t nearly as many maps that annoy me, it’s pretty much that one map that came in the chill season last year. Plus there are a weapons to factor in as well, so Other than that, the maps are really fun! however it will never be perfect till they bring moray towers back! Thank you so much for answering my question! As I love reading them!

is never wrong!

I feel like you have to view 16-bit games as their own genre. I grew up with a gameboy color, so I have no attachment to the snes, but I still find those games fun. Some of them are pretty timeless, like Mario, but others definitely haven’t aged well. You just have to go into them knowing that and embracing the quirks of the era. Or, if they’re not your thing, then that’s ok too. No one says you have to love 16-bit games

@Giancarlothomaz pretty sure we'll see them next year. It's the death throes of the switch and we are already seeing a lot of simple 2d games and remasters while all their big stuff gets saved for switch 2. Next year is clear of original Zelda stuff. The real question for me has always been how they will fit the two remasters into the same schedule as the two oracle remakes, given the limited time they have left, especially since I cannot see modern Nintendo releasing both oracles at the same time. I thought oracle remakes were an absolute no brainer given the engine and most assets were already made for link's awakening. But looking at grezzo's release history since then, it seems like they have been kept busy and I can't see when oracles could have been developed...

Nintendo gave us wind waker on wii u because the wii u was a complete and total failure. So they gave us ww. They had no choice to give us what we wanted.

Nintendo knows what we want. And instead of giving to us, they use it as a weapon.

No one gives a f about skyward sword. That game sucks and nintendo knows it. No one wanted it, and nintendo knows it.

They gave us SS because they could get away with it. The switch is massively successful so they can release games that no one wants.

If the switch was failing, we would definitely have wind waker.

THANK GOD FOR EMULATION HOLY MOLY

@StuTwo "The game dies on Wii U. It was always time limited. Sorry."

Never forget - emulation is morally correct.

Also never forget - if a game is not available for purchase, it cannot be pirated. That is not piracy. That's just a free game.

I don't even need remakes or remaster. Just port the entire Legend Of Zelda Collection, and I would gladly give unreasonable amount of money for it. But they seem to be gradually making it available through NSO.

Anyone else's takes on games "missing" from Switch? I'd trade in the Call of Duty contract with MS for the Perfect Dark remaster. And I think a lot of us are hoping for Chrono Trigger and Castlevania Requiem. I get that Sony has secret arrangements for exclusivity, but I can't see them being strict on exclusivity for a $20 Castlevania collection.

I could care less whether people say “I could care less” or “I couldn’t care less”.

That, of course, means I care a lot and am severely bothered when people use the former to mean the latter.

@StuTwo Do you have a source that it would be the “final and only ever remaster of Wind Waker”?

The 3DS had 2 rereleases of Zeldas, OoT & Majoras Mask (not counting ALBTW - hear the title), the Wii U also 2 rereleases Windwaker & Twilight Princess (also, not that long ago rereleased) and the Switch already have 2 Zelda rereleases - Awakening & Skyward Sword which I think is the reason for it.
Next time Nintendo decides to rereleases Zeldas I expect them if cheaper efforts the DS titles, if they are about to put in bigger efforts it will be Zelda II or further Gameboy titles, the Color ones and Minish Cap (but they are Capcom collabs, so maybe not, or maybe Capcom is willing to take the task)

@YoshiAngemon It would be nice to get the Disney Afternoon Collection with the extra games you mentioned, but I would take a digital version of the existing collection on Switch.

It was just unfortunate timing, launching just a month after the Switch launched. I understand why they skipped the Wii U, but it should have been on the 3DS. And then on the Switch within a year, following the Switch’s popularity.

@Thomystic When they brought Miitopia to Switch, I thought they would also port Tomodachi Life (or other 3DS games).

@Masticore the wii u releases don't count. The wii u doesn't count. No one had a wii u. It was a complete failure. It was a stupid controller peripheral for the wii and no one cared about it

Anything that they did on the wii u doesn't count. "Released on wii u" is literally the same thing as "not released".

@Thomystic I am surprised we got Chrono Cross on Switch before Chrono Trigger.

With Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D announced, Chrono Trigger has to be in the works, right?

@StuTwo
Counter point #1 - If they did it once, what's to stop them from doing it again?
Counter point #2 - We're not looking for another remaster to be done, we're simply looking for a port of the existing remaster. So the WiiU would be the only "remaster."

Thoughts? I just never had a WiiU so I'm pleading for these to be done. You can skim my comments, I likely sound very whiney over the past couple years. And I'm okay with that. For Wind Waker.

@Tott you don't have to apologize for not having a wii u. No one did. I honestly think most people who say they did are lying about it.

There was no rerelease of wind waker. Wii u does not count. Didn't happen.

I just threw a chicken wing bone into the trash can. That counts as a WW rerelease just as much as the wii u version does. Which means it doesn't count.

The only reason I can think of for Nintendo not re-realising Zelda WW and TW is because the Wii U versions were already ports. It doesn’t sit well with them. All the other Switch Wii U ports were brand new entries, if memory serves.

I sold my Wii U versions, as I needed some cash, in the hope the Switch does get them. Who knows. I never thought we’d get TTYD as Nintendo has never released ports of the Paper Mario series before, and here we are.

Which games are still desperately missing on the switch?
Four letters.
R. A. R. E.
...
(replay) Okay that's more than four though apparently neither microsoft nor ninty can spell them out anyway.

@Frogspree maybe release Wind Waker/Twilight Princess HD or one of them next year, 2024:Wind Waker HD on Switch, 2025: Twilight Princess HD, 2026: Oracle games remake, 2027: another Hyrule Warriors game, 2028/2029: next mainline Legend of zelda game

@mlt Metroid Prime 4, Hollow Kinght Silksong, Wind Waker/Twilight Princess HD, a brand new 2D/3D Donkey Kong game,Gensin Impact all this games is still missing for Switch

@Pupuplatter The forums here are full with the true believers. Many people here probably were in the minority that bought the Wii U.

I didn’t get the Wii U until they released the Wind Waker bundle. So I have WW digitally and Twilight Princess on disc (and the Metroid Prime Trilogy digitally).

@Giancarlothomaz I think we will see a port of Link Between Worlds before we see Oracle remakes (and possibly before WW & TP).

Samus Returns is the other 3DS game I could see getting ported (though, personally, I loved the 3D visuals of it on the 3DS).

where are those zelda's? why would they re-release them this soon? TP was on 3 straight consoles, WW on 2 of those 3. at this point IF they re-release them it'll be next console during a zelda drought when they have to release something. for me, rather have other ports/remasters(3ds games the former OG 2 the latter) and new 2 & 3d.

@Munchlax 😂. I grew up with both the NES and the SNES. In general, the SNES games age better.

We at least agree that Super Metroid rules!

People often want the Super Star Wars games brought back, but I’ve always thought those were mediocre SNES games (granted, I only owned Empire).

My favorite part of the site! Thanks for making this, NLife!

@StuTwo Legally binding with who exactly? There's no other party involved. And where was this published?

While I think Mario World is excellent and right up there with SMB3, so much better than mediocre, I also don't get on well with a lot of the titles many people often put forth as among the best on the SNES. I do like the SNES, but a lot of what I like to play are deeper cuts. But as for Mario World and Zelda:LttP vs. their Gameboy counterparts, issues with the SNES games could come down to pacing, action, and music. I always thought Zelda on the SNES was slow to really get started, and SMW also picks up steam a little slowly. The GB titles might also be a bit more action oriented, though I'd have to play them again to compare. But also, for all the capabilities of the SNES and its sound chip, sometimes the limitations left the music lacking in some way. I know that SNES games that go for an orchestral feel usually don't do much for me. I've played other major SNES games where the music was putting me to sleep. While simpler, the chip-generated sound on the Game Boy is often punchier, compared to the sample quality for the SNES in some cases. One of the reasons I prefer to play Super Mario 3 on NES over the SNES remake, which is good, is because of the punchy NES sound over the questionable samples of the SNES game.

My nostalgia for SNES games is probably more for specific games and RPGs in general. I like Super Mario World but I don't ever go back to it. People think Super Metroid is one of the greatest SNES games of all time. I can't play 15 minutes of it without getting bored. Not everything is for everyone and unfortunately established gamer opinion is inflexible. Good for advice, but not as authoritative as it makes itself out to be.

If you play something people say is the best ever, but you don't like it, that's OK. Those people only have a popular opinion about something subjective. There's no actual way to say a game is the best. And then you can learn what you like.

@DwaynesGames maybe with the advent of Quest for Camelot being on NSO Game Boy, we could see the Disney Afternoon Collection games on the NSO NES and SNES apps. Or it could be on the Successor System.

This feels made up lol. Who talks like that? Reminds me of reading fan mail in magazines that were clearly written by someone who worked there.

Because nintendo - we should just unexpect the expected.

Some older games are an acquired taste. I didn't care for the original F-Zero, never having played it back in the day, until F-Zero 99 awakened my appreciation (love?) for it.

Nice to see that no one is immune to the wonders of Super Metroid, though, even those so misguided when it comes to Zelda games.

Generational shifts are relative. Back in the late 90s, when I came of age, I thought everything 2D was old and dated. NES felt archaeological. When I caught images of the first Zelda from 1986, they seemed like moving cave paintings to me.

20 years later, my whole mentality has changed. The original Zelda is one of my favorite games now. My favorite game, full stop, is Super Metroid, a 2D game I didn't even know existed in the 90s.

The "why does the Xbox/PC/Sega/Even Pl;aystation pad label things differently than Nintendo" is something Alex already made a video for Nintendolife asking about. I wrote a full explanation in the comments which went down really well and I got nice comments from people saying it helped them understand something that had never been fully explained to them before. Even those its quite long, its worth a read if this has ever annoyed/confused you... Here's a copypasta:

This problem of labelling originated with two times that Nintendo went against the grain, although they did it for sensible reasons - but the fact others didn't follow suit and copy them has lead to confusion ever since. I can feel a massive long rant incoming but hopefully someone might find it interesting!

In the 80s and 90s, the majority of multi button arcade cabinets, PC / micro controlllers, and non-nintendo consoles either used a numberical or alphabetical system. two button systems were labelled 1 & 2, or A & B. When 3 buttons became standard, they were A B C or 1 2 3. Nintendo chose to go against the grain with the Famicom/NES/Gameboy and have B A instead of A B, because they reasoned that "A" should be the primary, most important button (for example making a platform character jump, or saying "yes" in a menu) and "B" should be the secondary function (for example, running or shooting, or saying "no"). This logic meant that on Megadrive/Genesis games, the primary button was "C" whereas on NES it was "A". Gamers mostly accepted this as it didn't matter how they were labelled really, it was understood that the button on the right hand side was the main button.

When arcade systems introduced 4 button layouts, in general, the 4th button was laid next to the other 3, so for systems like the NeoGeo, they were in a line, sometimes with a slight curve to follow the shape of someone's right hand (thumb at the lowest point). This is easy to do on arcade cabinets or sticks, but less easy to ergonomically do on a controller with smaller buttons and less space. This problem was short lived however because Capcom's Street Fighter 2 standardised most games from that point on using a six button layout instead, and those arcade cabinets went for 2 rows of 3 buttons, usually labelled as A B C for the bottom row, and X Y Z for the top - dutifully copied by the Sega 6 button pads and the Saturn after that. Its still the layout that most arcade sticks use to this day, though sometimes 2 rows of 4 to accomodate exact mapping of both 4 button and 6 button layouts, and allow remapping of modern shoulder button functions.

However, Nintendo decided to try and innovate again with their 4 and six button configurations, and standardised a 4 button diamond shape with the SNES, and bringing in shoulder buttons to bring that total to 6. They reasoned that most games would still only use 2 primary buttons, but secondary functions could go to the top two, and the shoulder buttons would work for special use cases such as air brakes, pinball bumpers, weapon switches and the like. It was a clever idea, but it caused two problems:

Firstly, arcade style games that were designed to use all 6 buttons equally became difficult to map out - the 6 button layout for Street Fighter 2 on the Megadrive makes sense, 3 punches, 3 kicks (though god help you if you only had a 3 button pad). The SNES one, though people got used to it, makes less sense for mapping the arcade original to. Two punches and two kicks with your right thumb, one kick with your right index finger, and one punch with your left hand, which in every other configuration would be reserved for player movement only, and is on the opposite side of the controller to the other five buttons. But Nintendo didn't care about that, they weren't trying to replicate arcade systems, they were trying to innovate and simplify controls in a way that made sense to them, and would be more accesible to new gamers. This is an approach they continue to this day, with switching up control systems to try and be accessible to as many gamers as possible, not just the hardcore. This is exemplified with the Gamecube, Wii, and Joycons. Arguably it partially worked, as the Playstation, Dreamcast and Xbox systems all took the diamond formation and shoulder buttons moving forward.

The second problem with the diamond configuration was more serious. Regardless of the labelling (which Nintendo had always done backwards despite it beign rejected by other companies) it was always accepted in most arcade systems and consoles pre-SNES that the button to the far right of the controller was the "main" button, as covered above. Games that got "jump" and "fire" the "wrong" way round in the 8 bit days were rightly criticised and everyone accepted that regardless of how they were labelled, the button on the right was "jump" and also "yes", and the button on the left was "shoot" and also "no / back". But by bringing in the diamond formation with the SNES, this caused a problem - the implication was that the lowest button in the diamond was the "main" button (rather than the furthest right), and all the others were secondary, floating around it. This works for simple platformers, top down shooters, or racing games, but worked less well as control schemes for games got more complicated. The problem was exhaserbated by Sega, NEC, SNK and arcade companies mostly choosing to stick with ABC, XYZ 6 button 2 tier layouts, meaning that games released for both Megadrive/Genesis and SNES had very different control schemes, with the far right button being predominant for the Sega (and NEC, SNK, some PC), but the lower middle button being predominant for Nintendo.

This meant that during the 16 bit era, game devs were faced with a choice of whether to do things "the new innovative 'simpler'" Nintendo way, or go with a more traditional, flexible, but less easy for newcomers to grasp "arcade" way. At the time, because of game tastes, and the practicalities of translating them into a tonne of languages, the more complicated console games such as RPGs and strategy titles tended to stay in Japan, with a select few reaching America because of English translations, and even fewer reaching Europe or the rest of the world because there were too many languages for too little financial return. This lead to games with complex control schemes for the SNES using the far right button as primary, and it becoming somewhat of an accepted standard in Japan, wheras more arcade based simple to control games that were released worldwide were more split in how the devs chose to design them.

When Sony created the original Playstation pad, for historically obvious reasons, it was essentially a SNES pad, but they had to innovate a little to distinguish it. Using letters was out of the question, so they chose symbols, which of course as pointed out in the video, were intended to represent things - yes, no, menu, map. The X on a Playstation pad is technically a "cross", not an "ex", and is meant to mean "no". however, if you go with the system Nintendo tried to standardise, where the lowest button is predominant, then the "select/yes" button is marked as "no". This is extremely confusing to anyone who didn't grow up predominantly playing Japanese only games, and therefore most western developers tend to ignore the layout used by Japanese RPGs.

The Dreamcast's A and B, and X and Y buttons were labelled that way because thats how they were on Megdrive 6 button, Saturn, and Sega Arcade cabinets. It made sense as this was the way it had always been, not just for Sega, but for the majority of traditional arcade cabinets and non-Nintendo systems. And of course, the Dreamcast was a joint venture with Microsoft, and in many ways was the promotype for the original Xbox which iterated on the hardware and design sensibilities of the Dreamcast, and indeed had many Sega exclusives in its early life. Xbox is Dreamcast 2 in many ways, and the pad design reflected that, and of course Xbox pads have basically stayed the same ever since.

So, in short (after this massive essay!) the Xbox pad is the traditional naming convention, which Nintendo have purposefully ignored since the NES days, for a valid reason, but never took off outside of their own consoles. But the 4 button diamond layout, which is a Nintendo innovation that DID take off, is what caused the split between which of the six (or eight) buttons on a pad should be considered primary. The confusion with where on a pad "X" is, lies partially with Nintendo trying to be different, and then Sony being forced to be different yet again after their business fallout with Nintendo. And the separate confusion as to which button is "Yes" ironically comes from Nintendo trying to simplify controls during the 16bit era, making them more accessible and sensible, but developers of ever more complicated and varied games rejecting that simplification, meaning a near 50/50 split as to what is considered the main button, and making things MORE complicated and inaccessible for newcomers.

Even more ironically, at the same time as inventing this over-simplified control system and trying to dictate there being one main action button for your right hand thumb, with smaller less significant ones around it (with the SNES, and then taken to extremes with the Gamecube controller), Nintendo simultaneously invented the shoulder buttons, which over time would go on to be used as the primary action button in many games, such as shooting in FPS titles, and accelerating in racing games, controlled with your index fingers, whilst your thumb of your right hand is relegated to the second analogue stick, something which Nintendo actively resisted with the N64, DS and 3DS, minimised with the Gamecube, and tried to eliminate with the Wii and the Joycons.

What this all boils down to nowadays is regardless of what system you play on, if you play a wide variety of games, you really need two controllers to get the best out of them. A modern dual analogue diamond layout controller for modern AAA games, and either an arcade stick or a 6 button ABC/XYZ layout pad for arcade style fighters, top down shooters, and certain retro platform/metroidvania style games that weren't designed for the SNES configuration.

You gave the free subscription to someone who thinks Super Mario World is mediocre? Get outta here.

@Pupuplatter Someone's salty about the Wii U. Where did it hurt you?

@Munchlax you are welcome

I'd rather see Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora's Mask 3D be remastered and further upgraded, before Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD.

But I'm also a Wii U owner that owns and has 100% finished both of those HD remasters, so I understand why the Switch community that largely never owned a Wii U or had access to these two HD remasters is hoping to see these make an appearance.

I hope they backtrack on Wind Waker's lighting engine though when it does eventually resurface. I liked how it looked on the GameCube more so than the heavy bloom lighting added to the Wii U remaster. But I also wouldn't want to do without the Swift Sail after being spoiled by it, so I don't want to see just the GameCube original lazily released via emulation.

Thankfully I kept my wiiu and have these games, but also thankful for emulation on my series x as they both play great!

Gotta agree with BulbasuarusRex, having the ESRB ratings would be nice as the highest I will go is a Teen game, and only rarely.
And yes, Jim, I feel your pain when it comes to the “What is Link/Samus’s name” question! I even had a friend think the latter’s last name was “Prime!” XD
@snatcher Lucky you to be picked as the Splatoon letter to be featured! I know I was among the “many” this time!

Twilight princess isn't ported to Switch as a way of punishing people who didn't buy a Wii U.

@samuelvictor I read that entire essay and I am glad I did! You are quite the gaming history aficionado round these parts, eh? I wish I had your knowledge!

@CaleBoi25 Believe or not that thing was like an essay before, it got cut down a lot! And I’m glad they did as they say you need to send in letters not essays lol.

@Snatcher Yeeeeeah… I’m not so good at the “cutting it down” part of that lol!

@CaleBoi25 The crazy part is I didn’t even do it lol! It can be long, but it need to be a letter, like your asking a question or bringing up a topic lol.

@Snatcher TY for the insider’s scoop! I’m off to write a letter now!

@CaleBoi25 It’s a small site and honestly I don’t think a lot of people who aren’t frequent will even know about the letters, that’s why I think so many of them get it, but how would I know how many letter they send.

I look forward to reading it next time!

@Snatcher I am going to change subject for a moment hah. Where did you get that PFP?

@CaleBoi25 I see you want sauce! Well here you go!
If your worried about anything on it, it should be just fine.

https://twitter.com/inkwood_art/status/1705333650244747377?t=IDOJg4cwI5cdqFqyAsxbHA&s=19

@Snatcher Thanks! I’ll stop bothering you now lol!

@CaleBoi25 NP. Don’t worry you weren’t bothering me whatsoever lol.

The real conspiracy is who is this Ed!

I would like to see the Ds games get remakes.

Yes it is still stupid that they did not release the Disney Afternoon Collection on a Nintendo system (the most-likely system to get the most sales from since those are Nintendo system legacy games)

@Munchlax You are right on the money on how I feel about retro games, thought I was the only one. As another DS/Wii era kids, Game Boy has held up much better in gameplay and feeling to me.

@CaleBoi25 Haha thank you I take that as a big compliment! I'm autistic and since the 1980s in arcades (and especially intensified in 1991 after first seeing Sonic at a friend's house), videogames became a literal obsession, wanting to read every magazine, watch every show, visit every arcade, even seek out books on the history and business side, and learning literally everything I could about arcade and home videogames. It was never about only wanting the newest sparkliest thing - once I became obsessed I wanted to know the history as well - even as an early teen I was using pocket money to buy games, consoles and computers from before I was born so I could experience what I'd read about. For me, the progression, changes, improvements and mis-steps are a big part of my love for gaming.

I've been programing videogames since I was a child (though only recently started doing it professionally) and in my teenage years I was building and restoring arcade cabinets as a side hobby. While my main business is a movie and tv drama producer, for decades I've helped behind the scenes on many videogame documentaries, books, youtube channels, expositions and conventions etc through a combination of accumulated knowledge and my fairly sizable collection of rare/interesting stuff.

I mentioned my autism because in a way its my superpower, in that it affects me in having a near infinite thirst for knowledge about the tiny minutiae of things, but also that I'm very good at seeing patterns and connecting the dots, and being able to therefore see narritives and throughlines that others haven't realised or been able to adequately express, so by telling a story and giving examples, I can give context and explanations to things people often wonder about. The button situation is something I often see people mention... perhaps I should make a video about it rather than copying and pasting a big scrawl most people won't read 😂

@Munchlax Congratulations on the the star letter! you're a brave person! lol. While I could never agree that the NSMB games are better than SMW, I can 100% get behind enjoying Link's Awakening above Link to the Past, and I rate Super Mario Land 2 (as well as the first, and Warioland) very highly... just under MBB3 and SMW, but in the same conversation at least!

Part of the reason I love those Gameboy games so much is they feel very unique and like they take more risks than their 16bit counterparts. SMW and LTTP are arguably better designed but the GB titles have more personality and unique ideas, and really felt like they were pushing the system far further than was expected.

I asked for and got my SNES in 1994 for the trifecta of games that I, as a die hard Sega fan, really wanted - Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Donkey Kong Country and Star Wing/Fox. I adored those games, and several other unique experiences I couldn't get on Sega - Mario Paint was the start of my film/animation "career", in that I got really good at it and editing things together with VHS, and won some cash in a local competition with the results.

Some of my favourite games of all time are on the SNES. But in some ways, its harder to go back to, or more offputting for newcomers, than other systems of the time like the Megadrive, NeoGeo, 68000 based computers etc... For me, Nintendo made a couple of very big mis steps with the hardware that hurt it in comparisson to its peers - the underpowered CPU, meaning a lot of slowdown or lack of simultaneous sprites, and even more noticably, a standard graphics resolution that was significantly lower than standard.

While we didn't really notice it as kids (especially if it was all you had) nowadays the crop factor is hugely noticable and sometimes feels gamebreaking. If you compare almost any multiplat title that uses the same art assets, the SNES version will have more colours on screen, but be severely cropped/zoomed in. Now that we are used to playing modern retro-style games in 16x9, its hard enough for some people to go back to 4:3... but the SNES games usually feel vastly more claustrophobic/restrictive than the other games of the time, because of this lower resolution. For games that were designed with the restriction in mind, usually first party games or exclusive titles, its not too noticable, other than the graphics feeling subtley more "chunky" than other retro 16bit games. But for multi-plats, it can often feel close to unplayable via modern eyes.

Again, before I get flamed! To be clear, I love the SNES. I still feel it has one of the best controllers of all time, and I use the NSO SNES pad for a large amount of the games I play emulated. I'm definitely one of the people that think the early 90s was the greatest generation for games, and certain titles from the SNES are up there with the best of the Megadrive, Amiga, Neo Geo, CPS 1/2, PC Engine/TG16 etc. But I understand why some people find SNES specifically hard to go back to, or to experience the first time, like you did.

Its weird hardware with a unique controller and exclusive features that in some ways made it miles ahead of its competition, but it has some baffling quirks that have meant many of its titles aged poorly in comparison to its peers. Its first party titles are the ones that really make it stand out and only a small handful of other developers ever really got the most out of it. I guess with all that in mind, its a typical "Nintendo system". 😅

@Munchlax Definitely undeserving of the prize!

Everyone: Wating for twilight princess and windwaker hd on switch.
Me: Emulates it on pc.

@Tott To be fair, they can't be just ports of the Wii U remasters, as they would need to rework everything that uses the Wii U's second screen. They could still be done relatively easily (at least a lot more easily than the "Skyward Sword" remaster), but it would still take more work than to just port the Wii U versions.

@samuelvictor Nice job on the button history, but one major mistake there: Nintendo's diamond formation (aside from the GameCube) has always intended for the far right button to be the main button, just like it was on the NES, which is why it has always been the A button. As such, it actually syncs up with Playstation controllers. The issue is with the Dreamcast and X-Box controllers, where as you mentioned A & B (as well as X & Y) are placed opposite of how they are on Nintendo controllers.

The part where it gets truly weird is where some games on Nintendo systems, notably even some Mario games, insist on X being the primary action button for some stupid reason.

Personally, I never thought of the C button as being the primary action button on a Genesis controller, as I've also played a number of games where the default control scheme used A as the primary action button (not counting games like Sonic where A & C or all three face buttons do the same thing).