Andrew5678

This can mean anything and nothing. People panicked about Sword and Shield's "in-app purchases" and that was for the Nintendo Online Subscription service, and eventually DLC. Nintendo was hyping up online play for AC, so the former makes sense, and as long as potential DLC isn't for a separate island (essentially buying another town, which really should be included in the base game) that should be fine.

I still worry about the investors taking priority for Nintendo, most companies are living with their heads shoved against a profit ceiling because of this. Hopefully someone in charge gets the sense that infinite growth is delusional, and dangerous to a business in the long run.

Does Nintendo have manufacturing set up in other countries, or are they primarily centered in China (for Switch production)?

I just bought these on Steam no matter, Tower Defense titles tend to work better on PC, but to anyone curious, these games are great!

Bayonetta 3 is so obvious that I hesitated to vote for it.

Platinum getting free license to crowdfund W101 indicates they have a good relationship with Nintendo, and as far as anyone knows, they followed instructions for Star Fox Zero's design pretty closely, so the sales weren't on them. I'd love to see them get more freedom with a new Star Fox title, and a cinematic rail shooter seems right up their alley.

Out of everything else... played it safe and went with "Something else", which I will propose to be something off the wall. I thought of Vanquish for Switch, or Vanquish 2, because of the recent ports, but I imagine there's at least one new project they're keeping under wraps with this mysterious announcement.

Whatever it is, it's just a bit more excitement to add to this year.

Even Platinum considers Nintendo's decision to be an overt kindness to them, so this is probably going to be an outlier as long as the title isn't too big of a game. It makes me wonder what the possibility of a sequel would be, and where the game would land. Would it be bad if it was a Switch exclusive after this? I know some people would be annoyed, but at the end of the day, Nintendo published the original Wii U game, and most games are lucky to get an initial shot at success, let alone a second chance like W101 is getting.

This is a weird idea, but I hope that this leads to no only a bit more oversight from Nintendo, but also more overlap between Pokemon and other Nintendo franchises. Outside of Smash, Pokemon has always felt weirdly isolated from the rest of the Nintendo's IP's.

DLC seems like the obvious center of interest, but I hope Nintendo works to keep pushing the online events. It worked in varying degree for Splatoon, ARMS, and Mario Tennis, and it's a simple way of keeping people engaged, which is vital for games focused on online multiplayer.

For games that could use DLC, I'm pretty sure Super Mario Party is just going to be replaced by a sequel because of how long it's been since release. Mario Kart 8 DX on the other hand is perfect for DLC, and has tons of potential for new tracks and characters. Half of all Switch owners own it, so it'd be easy money that people would appreciate.

They straight up posted Wonderful 101 the characters playing on Switch, I'd be so confused if they didn't bring something over to Switch. If Tokyo Mirage can get a second chance, anything is possible.

Also, I'm liking that Iron Giant figure at Platinum, though I shouldn't be surprised that the guys there have good taste, lol

I know this has probably already been considered, but if EA's so worried about sales against Nintendo titles, why don't they just focus on a title that appeals to the people who buy those titles. Plants vs. Zombies would fit that demographic perfectly, and Switch has already proven to do well with titles designed primarily online gameplay.

@rjejr I'm at the point where I'd take a CGI trailer with no gameplay, hope is all I have for Pikmin 4 (though a Pikmin 3 port would be nice, they've brought over almost everything else from Wii U)

I actually recall some grumbling over New 3DS exclusives, but Nintendo never really committed to the "upgraded console exclusives" thing, so it's largely forgotten. Beyond XC, Binding of Isaac, and some SNES titles, New 3DS played the same games as all of the others,. Nintendo was either afraid to split the 3DS fanbase, or just didn't think through to committing to the exclusives thing-either way, I'm not too sad the exclusives thing didn't stick. I think they had something similar with the DSi Ware, but I don't know how big a push there was, or if people were bugged about it.

And here I was thinking that the higher price would affect sales. I guess people were more excited for a console Pokemon title than I thought, and that's just the start. With two packs of DLC (so far, there could be more), it's got a chance to have some great longevity. Looks like cutting out the mid gen titles was the right move-no need for it if the sales and DLC do well.

@rjejr Like how Pikmin 3 was planned for the Wii, but moved to Wii U due to the better technology, I'm willing to bet that Pikmin 4 was moved to Switch due to Wii U's poor sales. I only hope that, with so many of their big IP's finished and released, Nintendo FINALLY gets the game out there.

@glaemay ARMS at least broke 2 million copies, so unless Nintendo expected better sales, it should have been a success. It's just a shame it didn't last longer in terms of popularity.

@Anti-Matter For what it's worth, pretty much everything that didn't break a million this year is left out of these reports, including games like Kirby and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Personally hoping for a sequel for ARMS if the Switch lasts long enough, and the dev team isn't busy with MK9 (also, something, something, Smash Fighter).

Speaking of boxing games, I hope Nintendo's considering a new Punch-Out. Even a remake would be nice.

Hey, the 3DS is old, but those numbers are anything but poor. For a system that hasn't been getting any sort of advertising, half a million is impressive in it's own right. Heck, my old 3DS XL stopped working, so I finally got to grab a 2DS XL to replace it. There's still too many good games on there to abandon it!

To anyone who's still iffy on the Switch or Switch Lite, look into a 3DS model. Seriously, the latest one is only $150, and all of the full priced 3DS games are guaranteed to be $20 cheaper than the average console title, assuming they aren't already discounted. It's an AMAZING bargain option right now, with nearly a decade's worth of games.

@johnvboy I mean, they could take inspiration from big name titles, or go to companies that specialize in certain genres, like Bandai Namco for Pokken, or Spike Chunsoft for the Mystery Dungeon titles. That being said, ditching the turn-based system would be extremely risky in even the best case-it's the core of the series and what the games were built on and around. I want changes to the titles (for one, just make the next title expand on the Wild Area so that it's how the whole game plays) but they need to be built around the game being an adventure focused on turn based battles. I'm not against using Pokemon in different types of gameplay-heck, I'm a fan of the Ranger series-but those should take a back seat to the core gameplay, or be left to spin-offs.

@nhSnork Everyone forgets how many games try to take concepts similar to Pokemon, even when they succeed. Digimon was the biggest competitor, and it's had multiple anime series, movies, and games to this day. Heck, Yokai-Watch may very well been the cause of the changes made to Sun and Moon, since it was getting so popular at the same time, and even though it's faded, it still has a new title. With all of the buzz about "pokemon-killers" I really want Nintendo Life to shine a light on other games that gave their own spin on monster collecting, like Spectrobes or Monster Rancher.

@SuperCharlie78 Right, the quarterly report. Just to clarify, Nintendo mainly focuses on the latest successes, right? I usually hope to see if older titles have improved, but I don't recall them being mentioned in previous reports. I understand the desire to focus on those, I'm just curious.

Wow, Ring Fit's numbers are pretty good, I was worried it would fade away pretty fast. I bet it's broken a million units, and frankly just hitting half of that in one place was more than I expected.

@adam9431 You're welcome

@adam9431 Yeah, it's separate, unless there's an announcement that says otherwise. There was an announcement that during the month of Home's release, Bank would be free to use, so dumping everything into it quick should be feasible, at least this month for those who aren't interested in paying.

This looks like a typical mass renewal of IP's. For what it's worth, most of these would work on the Switch, either as a port (N64/Gamecube games for Switch online anyone?) or a new entry.

Out of all of these, I'm surprised Wario Ware and Nintendogs haven't gotten any games, the latter especially. Pushmo and Style Savvy are also distinct enough titles to grab some sort of audience, and this is at least a small sign that Pokemon Rangers hasn't ben forgotten. Heck, anyone clamoring for new IP's from Nintendo isn't aware of the all of the dormant franchises the company's sitting on-odds are any 'unexplored' genre is just hibernating. I'm still waiting for Drill Dozer 2, darn it

@GrandScribe I mean, if Nintendo's feeling random, they could use the IP to make a horror game, and I can a sequel with an entirely original storyline. Some of the mind screwy aspects that utilized TV settings wold be more difficult to pull off, though.

Well, that's why we have early access, and to the game's credit, it's offering an actual game, rather than a half finished mess like too many titles on Steam. I hope it does well, it shows a lot of promise, and it says a lot when the biggest problem is that too many people want to play it.

I can't try it out myself though, I have never cared about MMO's in any capacity. It seems kind of bland to me, but I can't say much since I haven't watched much gameplay.

Everyone's talking about Pokemon, while I'm happy to see Yakuza doing well. Never played it myself, but friends of mine are familiar with it, and it seems like a fun time. Glad Sega's got plenty of momentum with the series, can't keep having a singe hedgehog carry your reputation in gaming (I don't really count Atlus' title since people don't really find them synonymous with Sega, or even seem familiar with the connection).

Well, it's nice to hear at least. So far the announcements have guaranteed longevity for Smash and Pokemon, and confirmed the Mystery Dungeon remake, but otherwise, most games we know of for this year have been known for a while.

I suspect Nintendo's going to be quiet until around March, since that has both Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Animal Crossing. The latter is going to be a sales juggernaut on its own, so I suspect that Nintendo will either wait until after a Direct to avoid potentially overshadowing it, or use a Direct to give it the spotlight and talk about a few new features... maybe an Animal Crossing Direct? We'll see.

@Ludovsky It's been reported that X and Y had content cut out from them, and those titles were definitely a big leap, being the first to go from pixel art to 3D models, I can see the company having similar problems going from a handheld to a console. Some other problems probably came from the time crunch of constantly making new games, and being risk averse since it's the first console mainline Pokemon title on a console since... well, ever, I think. Sun and Moon had a good amount of changes, which included changing up the campaign with the Island Challenge, but that was the third entry on the 3DS, when the devs had more experience and a better grasp on the console.

That's not to say I think Game Freak is blameless, just that I can see some factors being out of theirs, and anyone's hands (Game Freak, Nintendo, and the Pokemon Company all having to agree on decisions such as the Pokedex cut)

@Ryu_Niiyama I always saw the in-between games as new extra entry points for people, okay on their own, but generally not worth it when you have the original. I even got back into the series thanks to Omega Ruby. That being said, I'm not sad to see this approach to adding additional content gone-it just felt like I was missing out on cool stuff that I'd have to replay a lot of content to see.

Kind of a shame this came out since I already bought the digital version. It's not perfect, but it's really unique, and I'd love to have that art book for myself. I just wish Game Freak gave it more attention, in polish, and especially advertising (holding off on the launch until after Pokemon would have helped.)

That being said, if the art book ever gets sold separately, I'll grab it, though I'm more hopeful for a sequel.

Wow, I didn't think Nintendo had THAT much power in Japan. Kingdom Hearts 3 was the only title to squeeze in there, making it VERY good that PS5 is backwards compatible.

I kind of can't believe Pokemon's nearly outsold Smash in two months when the latter's been out for a year. Biggest surprise though: Ring Fit Adventure making it onto the list. That game HAS to be hitting 1 million sales soon, but 500k alone is impressive.

@WiltonRoots Sony's probably keeping an eye out for Microsoft, since they not only share the same audience, but are also releasing their next console this year around the same time. I imagine they'll be setting up a big independent press conference for it outside of E3, since they're skipping it. It should be interesting to see what both parties have on offer, and where Switch fits into things.

My first choice is Spring Man with Ribbon Girl as an Echo Fighter. Plenty of moveset potential between their abilities and ARMS, a first party Nintendo property, fit the game aesthetically, and are arguably one of the biggest original IP's on Switch (as in, brand new, not a sequel). They'd be perfect for the game. The main thing holding them back is Spring Man's assist Trophy and the unspoken rule surrounding them, but Springtron could be skinned over the trophy for a replacement. It's not super likely... but I have two years until my hopes are fully crushed. And I'm honestly having trouble thinking of new reps with good odds, especially from Nintendo.

In terms of other choices:

Rillaboom rounding out Greninja and Inciniroar as a Grass starter would fit great, and frankly, he'd be much more distinct than Byleth in looks and moves with his drum set.

Ubisoft just got Assassin's Creed and Rabbid's costumes, and the latter had a crossover with Mario: Rayman's history with Nintendo included, all signs point to him making it in, deservedly so.

Rex and Pyra as a duo. Along with Sakurai liking their series, and their game doing well, Sakurai referenced both Spring Man and Rex as characters who were released too late into Smash development. Sakurai has never had the chance to go back and add characters who couldn't make it, and Rex doesn't have an assist trophy, so he seems reasonable.

For less likely picks:

Wonder Red, just because of how quiet Nintendo's been on Wonderful 101. I'd really like the whole IP to get a second chance, I just don't see any signs it'll happen at the moment.

Shantae, whom I think has a good shot, just not a great one with how big indie reps have been represented (not complaining, but Sans, Cuphead, and Shovel Knight aren't fighters, even if just getting tracks and their appearances is huge on its own).

Ring Fit Trainer, who would honestly fit just as well as an Echo Fighter, rather than a full one.

Excitebike Rider, being one of the most well known of Nintendo's retro titles, and not getting an assist trophy (though that's more likely because Sakurai decided on other picks for those)

And now, personal picks that are close to impossible:

Chibi-Robo (has potential for a move set, but is just so obscure it's unlikely)

Mike Jones (never referenced in any Smash titles, and his games weren't even released in Japan, but he would be great as both a retro and oddball choice)

Crash or Spyro (big mascots for Sony back in the day, and would fit well to celebrate gaming, especially with Crash... and I just want anyone but Tracer from Activision as a Smash rep)

Man, I remember how I had Blue Rescue Team, and how into that I was. I kept running through missions, had a blast with the story, and just kept grinding afterwards at a certain point. I remember I got into this rhythm of speeding through the dungeons repeatedly to recruit legendaries, eventually seeing a pattern in how to recruit them. I think it was every other time I entered and beat the dungeon, but I may be misremembering. All I know is I got a good number of legendaries on my team before I stopped.

Need to check out the demo, but I like the new look of the game (I keep thinking 'storybook' from it) and appreciate the new cover tying the original game's covers together, as it was implied.

@GamingFan4Lyf I don't think anyone's really clamoring for another Pokemon, it's just a likely guess. Sakurai could make it work like with Inciniroar (I certainly wasn't amped until I saw him in-game), but I'm inclined to believe it's going to be another 3rd Party character based on the pattern, at least for the original Fighters Pass.

Personally hoping for Mystery Dungeon and Rangers, but Snap! would be cool for a return, and long overdue. Detective Pikachu is fine too, but I wouldn't mind some off the wall spin-off. Also,I wonder if Red and Blue have been considered for Switch.

As mentioned, Pokemon Home is probably going to be part of it (not sure how big, but I'm assuming at minimum it'll just be the Bank for the franchise moving forward) and Pokemon Sleep is possible. A mainline title is unlikely-there's usually a year in between releases at minimum, and announcing one would probably stagnate Sword and Shield's sales. Maybe some DLC, but I doubt it'd anything besides the usual in-store downloads, maybe with a new legendary.

For my hopes, with varying degrees of likelihood, I think Pokemon Masters for Android is reasonable (I at least want to try it out). Pokemon Mystery Dungeon would make a pretty easy transition over to Switch. The Ranger series was hand crafted for the DS line, but I something with the Joy-Cons is... possible, I think. Pokken Tournament has been around for a while, and while I think the time for DLC is long past, perhaps a sequel could come? Otherwise... unless there's something off of the wall, I'm not sure what new games could come out.

Well, Japan is officially Nintendo land until the PS5 arrives.

@Elvie Yeah, everything on a Pokemon is part of them, like Sylveon's ribbons or Gardevoir's dress. A few exceptions have weapons and things like masks, but those are either for fighting or connected to their Pokedex entry, rather than any sort of outfits. It is weird, but that's probably why we don't have a 'Gorillaimo' today.

@Crockin I think more story is fine for Pokemon, as long as it's told through optional readings, and cutscenes aren't too long. I adore Sun and Moon, but I don't need it's very slow start to return to Pokemon. As for the Dex, I think cutting down on that's fine, Sun and Moon already did that. I just want all Pokemon made so far playable, if only because that's the most controversial thing about the latest entries, and is the most straightforward way of ironing things out with the online fan base.

As for cut things, I kind of want the SOS system and MAYBE some variation of the horde battles to return, just to change up wild battles and make them feel more alive, but those weren't really integral (though the former did help with making Totem Pokemon more interesting). Really, the most integral additions to me were Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves, but in that case I don't mind Game Freak leaving them to focus on regional variants and Dynamaxing.

Grabbed Pokemon Shield, and my friend just happened to finally grab a Switch and picked up Sword. I didn't recommend it since he wasn't too into Moon, but he's been having a blast (he currently loves to hate Bede, lol). A bit busy this weekend, but I'll be sure to at least start it out. It's been years since I played Pokemon, and I never got around to getting Let's Go. Hopefully I can at least finish the main campaign before I get distracted again.

Dang, if I had someone to play this with, I'd grab it for sure. These goofy ragdoll games always look fun with friends, and not just because you have someone to screw around with.

Also, Professor Brain for Smash!!!

"No plans" usually just means nothing's around the corner. It's the usual vague language businesses use to avoid committing to plans they're not sure about. I assume that Nintendo is getting ready for a price drop, but is either going wait for sales to go down, or make a notable hardware upgrade with the Switch, like the 3DS had with the New 3DS.

They also came out with a budget version of the console recently, so they're getting audiences who may not have as much cash and just want a portable system. Switch Lite + one fill-priced game is $40 less than a standard Switch on its own. They can lower the price in this case as well, but either way, it'll ideally have had a long shelf life so early customers don't get burned, and a better version.

Not expecting any high end games to be any easier to manage on anything less than a full-on Switch successor, they've tried that twice with the DSi and New 3DS, and neither stuck around.

Reminds me of those goofy physics based titles like Totally Accurate Battle Simulator. This is the last kind of thing I'd expect Nintendo to publish... which is why it makes more and more sense. A silly puzzle based co-op adventure sounds perfect for Switch.

Also, I just checked, and Tarsier is apparently the company that made Little Nightmares. Weird, but cool.

I mean, 45 minutes is a long time for a livestream, and even if Sakurai did something like button combo's that Ryu got, or a history lesson on Terry, I can't see what more could be added. I'm pretty sure Smash is done with new game modes, and unannounced fighters are specifically denied, so what else could be there?

Some mentioned stages, and I'd like to add some ideas: a big batch of Spirits, Spirit descriptions ala trophies, Echo Fighters (I can only think of Ring Fit for Wii Fit Trainer, though) the return of initially cut stages, and... that's all I have. This isn't a full Direct of any kind, it's just for one fighter, so i'm lost as to how Sakurai fills out the time.

@Paraka Sarcasm doesn't always translate through text. Annoying, but sometimes inevitable :/

I've got to be honest, this games existence still feels like a joke. It's like "If Overwatch is so good, why isn't there an Overwatch 2?" except it's real. The game's going to sync up with the main multiplayer title anyway, so there's clearly not going to be any big changes or additions besides bonus skin and the story mode, which could have been added on via DLC. Offline modes or permanent PVE game modes are cool, but they also could have been added on separately, even if people have to pay for them.

@SwitchForce Don't tell anyone making those claims that Labo's Variety Kit alone broke a million sales and that the original Wii Fit sold over 22 million units without being packaged with the Wii.

The only thing holding me back from Ring Fit is time constraints, and the gym membership I have, which I can probably solve just by alternating what I do. Glad it's doing well, I love it weird, quirky stuff like this. Probably won't reach Wii Fit levels of success, but finding a good balance between exercise and gaming is an achievement all its own.

@NEStalgia Your explanation of the situation is the most concise and clear about the problem. Most people are too quick to typecast themselves with the usual buzzwords, then whine about everything they hate before getting close to the point, and by then I can't stomach the posts. Thank you.

Decided to pick this up since for the most part, it got decent reviews, and there aren't any major flaws no one is pointing out. Some technical issues and RNG I'll have to fight through doesn't sound bad, and I'm fine with a smaller setting, that way I don't have to look at guides to find that one collectible/side quest I missed. Been up for a shorter game, and all of the reviews promise a tough time, which I'm looking forward to.

@pixel_jones Pocket Card Jockey might be a bit difficult to port since it uses either a longer phone screen, or the 3DS' dual screen for the card playing. Not impossible, just maybe some creativity with how the screen space is used. I'm still pining for a new Drill Dozer... though a Harmoknight sequel seems more plausible. I enjoy Game Freak's original titles, so it's a shame they're usually one-off games :/

@nimnio We've all been there at some point

Makes me wonder what would happen if every game company just randomly retweeted Nintendo Directs. I'm terrified to imagine how much more speculation we would get.