Mailbox: Game-Key Cards, Slacker Sakurai, Shapes & Beats - Nintendo Life Letters

I love the 3 person YT team. I don't mind them adapting others work. They always state that, then add a personal thought at the end. Works out well in my, in my view. Always a joy to listen to.

I will complain about game key cards for the foreseeable future.

It's possible that publishers were not expecting them to have this kind of backlash, and so they went all-in on them, thinking it'd all be fine and dandy.

I'm very curious to see whether the backlash will affect plans for the future. Or maybe Nintendo will start offering publishers cheaper physical options, and we might see a change that way.

Thanks for including my letter! This is the first time I've impacted a websites article in my life 😊. I really would watch all those anime. Also, I will continue to fight back against Game Key Cards.

I like the YouTube trio but personally don’t care for reviews when it’s not their own. Reviews are subjective. I want the guy speaking’s opinion.

Stop pretending that you guys (gals) are collecting physical games for the future generations (like one of the letters talks about). If you have kids, they probably will be more interested in future generations console systems not the current ones. They might not even like video games. I have 2 grown kids. They both like the games that I am not interested in. And they play much less than I do. Your hoarder plan for future generations might just be yours and not theirs.

@Dman10
I still collecting physical games, both new games and retro games.

Also, game key card is my main issue with Switch 2.
Nintendo still have a chance to address that issue by providing more different size of Switch 2 cartridge.
Otherwise, I will pick PS5 version instead for the 3rd party multi console games, will never care the Switch 2 version that got game key card treatment.

It's time to stop being bothered by people complaining, gang. Complaining is the #1 way to instigate change. And it's not into an empty void: this kind of feedback does reach game companies.
Some of them are hoping for what the letter writer is hoping for: that the discontent will just disappear in time. But the feedback, in combination with lower sales, DOES work. It DOES make a difference.
I welcome complainers. They're the ones who make things happen.

I dont care at all about game key cards and I also feel that for those who matter, it is kinda of a losing war (pretty much fighting modern times in entertainment which always ends up in digital storage triumphing over practical limiting space. But having said that, I think if the topic really matters to you, you should make your voice be heard. Maybe it will be useful or maybe not (what I personally think) but at least you will know that you did your part to try to keep something that was precious to you. Dont give up physical storage lovers.

Waited all day yesterday for that Slackerai guy to come and make me a sandwich. Dude didn’t even turn up. Simply appalling work ethic.

Also, mad props to Babybahamut for chronicling all those NGC reviews for posterity. Now that guy is not a slacker.

I expect them to come over here and make me a sandwich right this instant.

Signed up just to saw I love this feature each month!

Also, completely agree with the guy about every comments thread flooded with game key card comments. It's really boring as it just reduces actual conversation about the game. I'm a movie physical collector but have gone in all digital for gaming, so I do appreciate the concrrn, but gaming physical has been a losing battle for many years, ever since digital only games in the mid 00's and online-only games anyway. I can still play my download copy of Gran Turismo HD on PS3 today, but Warhawk on disc is next to useless now. I think people are missing out or just over complicating things not just going all digital at this point, just enjoy the game now as opposed to how you might want to play it in the far future.

I have 115 games in my games library on the switch. There is absolutely no universe where I would have a physical collection of this many games. If that's what you want, power ✊, but storing that many games, sorting them, transporting them, getting up to find and change games, everything sounds so much worse. I also have about that many Playstation games. If you want a wall of games I absolutely believe in you and support you, but it's not really a style I'm into and, again, that would be so inconvenient.

The point is, I guess, the key card thing doesn't apply to me because I just can't see myself buying physical games. I have literally two and I wish they were digital

@dil_power They usually stick their ‘personal thoughts’ in at the end of the video. It’s typically a pretty short section, but interesting to get another perspective all the same.

To add to the above, I think efforts for industry regulation / commitments on keeping online marketplaces open indefinitely, or making "pirate" copies legal if the game is no longer available legally, or some sort of digital / license transfer mechanism, would go a long way to alleviate genuine concerns about digital over physical

@Dman10 flash storage has a shelf life of about 15 to 20 years and can be as little as ten depending on how they are stored and used. If used normally. I had to add that because you could put them in a microwave and kill it immediately lol. 3ds games seem to be already dying and someone told me their copy of snipper clips is dead. The switch 1 for all that I could find about how peoples v1 launch switches are doing, are dying. Mine died in 2022 because the motherboard gave out a little early. Unless the future generation is a kid you already have, these aren't making it to them. The only way they could is if you dump the games and an emulator is made.

GKC. Yes, let's just pretend that this is the new normal. For who? Collectors won't buy them, people who are into digital distribution won't buy them because they're the worst from both worlds put in together. Little frankenstein that no one really wants. Physical digital, still takes precious space (especially with this generation), where the only 'positive' thing about it is the reselling option. So, who are they made for? Cheeky, money hungry publishers and that's it. Nintendo didn't have you in mind when they made it, only their and publishers' benefit. You're on loss here, no matter how you look at it, I don't know why some people don't understand this. You're the one who is being treated without respect. You pay money for something that shouldn't even exist in a first place, it's disrespectful to the client. And no, people should keep talking about it, very, very loud until they stop with this *****. That's all.

@KociolekDoSyta nah. The publishers would prefer to have digital only full stop. The key cards are a compromise Nintendo offers so that there are physical games at all. Every publisher would love to eliminate the expense of making an shipping these things. physical games are in very practical terms no matter how you feel about them, no longer strictly necessary and that's how every publisher seems to feel about them. The gkc exist so that people who really like physical have something because the inevitable reality is that everything will be digital eventually

@Xansies They are made literally only for publishers to sell them on store shelves. People will buy them because many of them don't know better. Mom buys a game for his son on Christmas and he can't play it because he needs to download it, but they're going to his grandma that doesn't have internet. Oh well, not a biggie. For you maybe not, but for this kid? Yes. Many, many real life examples I can give (this one was with a GKC for Switch 1). Publishers can dream, at least for now. As long as physical media exists, only small % of people who don't know better will buy something like this. All the rest won't support this practice, because it's simply an insult.

And no, people who like physicals just don't buy them. There's no alternative, especially not something like this. They can take this something and you know what they can do with it. I've been hearing about digital only future for at least two decades now, and it's still not here. So, as long as physical media is here, treat customers with respect.

Honestly I don’t know why I read these articles half the time the ignorance and entitlement on display just makes me annoyed. The other half I don’t know what they’re talking about? Woah some YouTuber said something about a game being good and everyone didn’t flock to it!?!? Even if they’re jokes they’re too close to the bone.

Just watched another good video about GKC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjbUZ8EycTI
if someone has 20 minutes to spare.

Sakurai wasn't even slacking,Kirby Air Ride 2 did not appear out of thin air(but its surely a much lesss demanding project that smash bros,and one Sakurai does with more passion since he created Kirby).

Eh for the complainers, who will complain to anyone that will give them a platform, you have two
options really.

Ignore (be it using the ignore feature or just scrolling past) and focus your comments on the articles. A lot of times the Game Key card folks are either making a preemptive complaint or trying to derail positive conversation anyway so engaging or reading their posts hold no benefit to you. Let them yell into the void if they wish (as it is not as if these comments are being taken into account by Nintendo so they only serve the purpose of being disruptive to other regular people) but no one has to engage or read their responses. The second is don’t engage. Responding means you feed it longer and derail your train of thought. Folks get too hung up in trying to silence others when you simply need to gravitate to engaging conversation and go on with your day.

If game key cards are the code in a box replacement then I'm thankful for them. Now I can actually re sell the game once I'm done with it and put the money towards my next purchase.

Also let's face it without the game key cards the options could very well be worse, either code in a box or the game is digital only like the upcoming Shuten Order and Varlet to which no one seems to have a problem with 🙄.

@Anti-Matter Would you care about Switch 2 versions anyway? Even when games have been on the cart you still complain about performance/visuals and say you're getting the PS5 version. Infact you haven't even got a Switch 2 so your comment doesn't even add up.

lovely batch of letters this month! i agree with the “game key cards are awful but why do we have to complain about them” one a lot, its just tiring seeing all that negativity 💔 the sakurai one had me dying.

@OctolingKing13
Game key card situation is really my biggest issue that I will raise my pitchforks and fire if the situation getting worse.
My bold statement to against game key card.

Oh great, another discussion of Game Key cards that adds absolutely nothing new to the discourse!

With one of the first comments on almost every video game announcements on your site already being "GAME CARD??", do we really need to be giving more of a platform to this issue? I would understand if this was a complex, multisided issue with ongoing developments, but it just isn't. People don't like them. We get it.

The quality of the comment section on this site has fallen off a cliff to the point where you have an real problem. Conversations about actual games are highjacked by the same vocal minority to cut and paste the same remedial arguments over and over. Do you really need to be encouraging it?

I have nothing against people who want physical games or dislike Game Key Cards. I don't like Game Key Cards. I also get that the site makes money from engagement, and negative topics get more engagement. But you're encouraging the type of engagement that is leading to completely homogenous and uninteresting discourse, and I'm sure I'm not the only person who is coming to the site and commenting less because of it.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely understand and appreciate why people would be against Game Key Cards. But seriously, not everyone needs to comment on every article or review regarding a game that's releasing on a GKC about how they're not going to buy it because it's on a dirty GKC. Again, I get it and you do you, but Nintendo's not reading these comments. Why not email Nintendo every time you see an article or review about a GKC game instead?

The Sakurai comment is funny. I’ve thought the same thing for years. Like people think he is the only guy in the world that works hard. They all have massive teams doing most of the work nowadays

@KociolekDoSyta Sorry, if there's no physical copy of that YouTube video, I'm not interested.

@KociolekDoSyta LOL. I kind of laughed when I read your arguement about no internet. I am sure that are some small scenarios of no internet, but it is not as hard to get these days. You can even access the internet on your Switch through your cell phone. Do you watch Netfilx or other streaming services at grandma's? Maybe it is a sign that grandma wants you to spend more time with her and not on your devices.

@Dman10 Agree. As a heavy gamer most of my life, (I'm now in my late 40s), I have made a lot of friends that are also gamers. A subset of them are very stubborn about only buying physical copies of things in case they want to play them again, they want to give them to their kids later, etc. The reasons vary.

Guess what though--that same subset of friends never even plays them when they're new. I'll spend 40 or 50 hours to complete a new open world game and I could ask any of them what they thought of it and they'll say either "I've never even opened it." or "I played for an hour and then packed it up."

To each their own for sure, but I just don't get the point. A lot of my old CDs and even some of my old plastic SNES cartridges have started malfunctioning now because plastic basically warps and melts over time if it sits in one spot for years and years. That same thing will happen to all these useless game collections. There's literally almost no reason to amass them, and I don't ever want to go back to swapping cards/discs out every time I want to switch games.

@dartmonkey I strongly agree, Just Shapes & Beats is an outstanding experience

As far as Sakurai. Being roughly the same age as him — I say, let him do whatever he wants. 30+ years in the workforce is far more than enough tribute of one’s finite time.

Though actually I’d say the same of anyone else, at any age

@shieldhero please not the Splatoon Manga! I would love a Splatoon series, don't get me wrong, but the Manga is the actual worst thing produced in relation to Splatoon. I will stand by that claim until something worse releases (which I hope never happenes, because that would be abysmal). The only redeeming factor is the art style is cute, and Bobble Hat exists. The actual story breaks the lore and focuses so much on "haha funi" and it drives me crazy. I am trying so hard to restrain myself because I don't want to sound like I am mad at you (I really am not, just mad at the manga) or like I am a crusty old nerd who cares too much about the hypothetical future of earth (I am, but I don't want to sound like it). Anyway, TED talk over, please give us official Nintendo shows, thank you.

Personally I'm not fussed about game key cards. I don't tend to sell on games anyway so I'd just buy the digital copy if the GKC one will use up the same amount of storage. Having said that I pre-ordered Street Fighter 6 Years 1&2 Edition for £35 from Amazon so if I see a deal like that again you can count me in.

@Dman10 my kids (9 and 5) play their 3ds and switch and they are really happy I bought physical games. And I buy physical game because it's easier to share gzmes with my kids and because they don't take storage space on the switch1 and 2 , 3ds, wiiu... Cyberpunk physical doesn't take much of my storage space, the digital version would take 60gb nope. So no game key card for me and I don't have a ps5 and series because I hate the fact that you need to instal games to play on them and if you want to play more than 5 games you have to erase others, game key is even worst because at least on psbox most of the games are all on the bluray

Honestly I probably will not buy a physical game this generation. Digital is a lot easier for me and most games have patches at launch anyways. Also probably get a game a month and I like a lot of independent games that dont take up a ton of space.

Oh I'm late, but look mum I got published on Nintendolife!

I will also continue to complain about Game-Key Cards. Nintendo and the 3rd parties hope that we'll just shut up and accept them, but I refuse.

I think the opposition to game key cards is actually GREATER than some are making out.

Is it still dwarfed by the amount of average consumers and mums buying games for their kids etc that either don't give a crap or know any better? Sure.

But the drums are beating increasingly loudly.

The game key card/digital game card thing is much more nefarious than people might think, imo. Digital games now have the same icon above them as the physical cart in the Switch, so it's more convenient to look in the slot than to go through your library if you don't remember what cart is in. They also play an animation that shows a digital cart going into the Switch when you first purchase it. They're trying to blur the line between digital and physical, and doing a bad job at it too.

NEVER buy game-key cards!
NEVER stop complaining about game-key cards! Torches at the ready! 🔥

@FredBiletnikoff So, what does your comment bring to the discussion?

@KociolekDoSyta Yes. Let's laugh from kids and other people who don't have access to internet or a good internet, that on top of that has a limited data. 50-60GB is a lot, taking under consideration limited plans and download speeds for a lot of people if you wouldn't know. Be happy that this is not a problem for you. And good luck with buying more and more expensive microSD cards, because you'll need them. Cost of storage is thrown at you.

That grandma that I mentioned is over 80, has a simple old CRT TV, landline phone and wouldn't even know how to turn on PC. That is if you want to know about my friend's mom. And that kid got a Switch with only this game back then. Fortunately, this 'game' (or rather useless piece of plastic) was successfully returned after Christmas. I gave him Klonoa from my collection when I was still around during that time.

I have no desire for this garbage that are Game C-k cards. 😡🔥

@Ogbert Maybe they're just trying to signal boost a game they thought deserved more attention? Probably not that deep.

@BardSkittle Oh yeah I totally appreciate that. To be fair that one didn't make me grumpy, I was grumpy from the entitlement of the others. Then the assumption that something they do, watching this youtuber, was something everyone must have done but for some reason they didn't pay attention to them and buy the game, just got to me.

I'm just sick of all the comments that assume everyone is exactly the same as them. This is was by far the least egregious to be fair. But I see it in the comments so much "this isn't useful to me why would anyone want this?" "I wanted something else therefore this shouldn't exist even for those that want it" "I don't do this thing, therefore nobody must do this thing". That and all the "why aren't these developer's working harder for me" stuff, even as a joke, it's grating.

I think I just need a break from the internet. But I'm sure Blaster Master Zero is great if you like that type of game, I have a couple friends who've played at least the first one and enjoyed it.

@Ogbert Yeah that's completely fair. I'm not exactly a fan of comments like that as well, especially after how a certain ex-GameXplain employee acted after the Kirby Air Riders direct got announced.

Also yeah, Blaster Master Zero is a fun experience if you get the chance, definitely recommend it myself.