AstroTheGamosian

Well, my mother (who is a Legend of Zelda fan) has wanted to play more board games with me, so I'll definitely have to try to get my hands on this! It's the best of both worlds!

[EDIT]: Apparently, it looks like USAopoly actually came out with a Legend of Zelda-themed chess set back in 2017 (according to a Nintendo Life article that links to this one), and it also appears to be be based on Ocarina of Time. I wonder if this current set is a reprint/rerelease of that one?

It is neat that it came to Nintendo Music, but I actually already have the soundtrack on CD. Got it through Play-Asia. I also imported the soundtrack from the discs into my Apple Music app. But for some reason, while the entire album shows up on my laptop at home, only the first 100 tracks show up when I sign into Apple Music on my computer at work. No idea why that is. Anyone have any ideas as to why this is?

Don't know what y'all are getting at about the Switch's final days. I'm still playing my Switch, especially considering I have no idea when I'll be getting a Switch 2. In fact, I have three Switches: the launch model (which needs to be repaired, as I think the fan is going out), the TOTK-themed OLED version, and the Zelda-themed Switch Lite that came out with Echoes of Wisdom.

My guess is Nintendo will support the original Switch for a couple more years or so before finally pulling the plug, given how successful it was. Besides, not everyone can shell out $450-500 for a Switch 2 in today's economy. Nintendo would be crazy to pull the plug on the original Switch as soon as the Switch 2 launches.

Hey, if it makes you guys feel any better, I still have yet to hear from Nintendo about preordering directly through them. I did get an e-mail from them a few weeks ago saying that I was still in the queue, but I haven’t heard anything else since then. I’ve even checked my spam folder, and nothing.

I would just hope that, if Atlus ever made another Trauma Center game (and frankly, the mouse feature on the Switch 2 Joy-Cons could be a nifty way to perform surgeries), I would hope that Yuri Lowenthal will still be Derek Stiles. Same with Wendee Lee as Angie Thompson, Spike Spencer as Victor Niguel, and Keith Silverstein as Kenneth Blackwell, amongst others.

Still waiting on an e-mail from Nintendo with a link to preorder the system. I did get one from them a bit ago saying that I was still in the queue, but I still haven't gotten anything else yet. I just wonder if I can use an e-gift card to pay for part of it and put the rest on my regular credit card.

@Anti-Matter Reminds me of a piece of fanart I saw of Link in Nintendo Power (specifically the issue with Tales of Symphonia on the cover) in the same pose, commenting on how drafty it was. And Kirby was standing in a doorway behind him going, "This is messed up!"

Personally, I wish more game developers would adopt Nintendo's approach, where the executives take a pay cut so no one has to get laid off. And frankly, this extends beyond the game industry and to business as a whole. It just seems like the CEO mentality is, "Little Timmy and his family are out on the streets, but I need another yacht." And it sickens me. The level of income inequality today is worse than it was before the French Revolution, and it's only getting worse. The question is, when will people finally stand up and say, "Enough is enough?"

Is it just me, or does the console bear some resemblance to the Amiga CD32?

I would totally get these. I know Metroid: Other M is not everyone's cup of tea, but I personally enjoyed the game for what it was. And speaking as a writer, I liked the fact that they tried to tell more of a story this time around compared to previous Metroid games. Plus, they gave us the deepest look into Samus' backstory yet, something that we had previously only seen in the manga (which you can read on the Metroid Database, for those wondering). And other than Krystal from Star Fox, Samus Aran is my favorite video game character, so I would definitely love to get more memorabilia of her.

@sfb Same with the Meloxicam. They also told me that I could take ibuprofen or acetaminophen along with the Meloxicam. My problem is I tend to be a side sleeper. And I think my sitting posture also puts pressure on my sternum, because I can feel pain in my chest when slouching. So I'm gonna have to do a LOT to get some relief. I hate getting old. 😭

@sfb I'm 32 years old myself. And costochondritis is actually what I was diagnosed with. The best way the doctor described it is like carpal tunnel of the chest. So just like how repetitive motion in your hands and wrists can give you carpal tunnel, repetitive motions in your chest can give you costochondritis. And my day job has me doing a lot of repetitive motions, especially with heavy lifting.

They also prescribed me an anti-inflammatory and told me to use ice and heat. But since I can't really have an ice pack or a heating pad while working, I have to use lidocaine or menthol gel for pain relief. And it did seem to do the trick for a bit. But as long as I don't strain myself, it should hopefully resolve itself soon. As it is, I have a work restriction to where I cannot lift more than ten pounds (4.5 kilograms for those who use the metric system) for a week.

@Regulus6891 Thank you. I wish for a speedy recovery myself. It's not fun being injured like this. But it only reaffirms for me the need to get a job that is less physically taxing. Really hoping that Nintendo will select me for an interview for their localization team (applications for which are currently available on their website), at the very least; I never made it past the application stage in the past.

@OctolingKing13 Well, the doctor thinks I'm okay. I was having some pain in the left side of my chest, but fortunately, the EKG and blood tests showed up as normal, and the X-ray didn't show anything out of the ordinary (which is good news for me, because I'm a bit of a worrywart, with my first thought being a tumor). They think that my rib cartilage is inflamed, so they are limiting me from lifting anything over ten pounds (4.5 kilograms for those who use the metric system) for a week, and we'll go from there.

But yeah, $400 (not including the $150 copay) is pricey. Yeah, I have the money in the bank, and I no longer have any major debts (like student debt) hanging over my head, so I can easily afford it. But I'll have to hold off on certain frivolities for a few weeks, since that's over half of a paycheck for me. Meaning my girlfriend will likely be cooking for us when I go to visit her instead of me going out and grabbing something for us. And no buying a Switch 2 at launch.

Honestly, I might have to hold off on getting a Switch 2 now. Having spent several hours in the ER today, now I am going to be socked with a bill likely in excess of $400, even with insurance applied. Such are the joys of the American healthcare system. 😭

I don’t know why, but I do find this amusing. Probably because I was watching Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith for the last few hours while laid out on a hospital bed in the ER. Doing okay, by the way. But seeing this article pop up when I was just watching Star Wars just tickled me.

I have no idea when I will get a Switch 2 at this point. I missed out on preordering through both GameStop and Best Buy, and I never received an e-mail from Nintendo about preordering through them, despite registering interest. And I refuse to pay scalpers prices on eBay. Sadly, it looks like I'll have to skip the launch and wait for it to become more readily available in stores.

Makes me wonder what Dixie Kong, Funky Kong, Cranky Kong, and Candy Kong would look like.

@speed_loafer Ah, Mel Brooks' Spaceballs. I love that film. Also saw the animated series as well. In fact, the episode "Grand Theft Starship" parodied a bunch of video games. And there was a version of Samus Aran in that episode! Plus, the episode "Outbreak" had a gag where Lone Starr used the wrong end of a dog whistle and summed a tornado that took him to some sort of fantasy video game world, just like in The Legend of Zelda.

As someone who would like to talk with my friends while playing games together, I am glad that the Switch 2 has integrated voice chat, something that people clamored for with the original Switch.

But that being said, if it's limited to ONLY friends and not everyone, I might reconsider. I want to meet new people and make new friends while playing, so if voice chat is limited to friends only, that doesn't help me much.

Both Star Fox games top my list, especially Assault. Even better is if they allow online multiplayer, and not only with friends. I played the heck out of multiplayer mode, but since the GameCube wasn't really portable, I couldn't really take it on the go. But if it comes to the Switch 2, I can finally do so.

And while we're at it, how about a sequel to Assault that ignores the continuity of Command? I never did like how they wrote the characters in that game (Krystal especially), and the multiple endings where some of the characters did not get happy endings frankly did not help things. So by making a new Star Fox game that takes place after Assault but basically retcons Command would make me happy. Especially if it shows the relationship between Fox and Krystal deepening further, with the two of them getting married by the end of the game.

Primarily focusing on Genshin Impact this weekend. The new version just came out, so I want to play through the Story Quest for the new character, Escoffier, as well as take part in the flagship event.

Might hold off on the new chapter of the Archon Quest, though, since I play it in the English Dub, and Erika Harlacher, who voices Venti, has apparently said that she will be returning to voicing the character soon. So I want to get the best experience possible given the circumstances.

But maybe once I take care of the more time-sensitive stuff in Genshin, I might go back to playing more Xenoblade Chronicles X. That being said, I've been itching to take up Stellar Blade or Astro Bot (both for the PS5) again, so there's always that, as well.

This is par for the course for Nintendo. They tend to follow a pattern with their consoles: innovate for one generation, then take a more iterative approach and make a more powerful version of the console with the next generation, rinse and repeat.

Thus, the SNES was a more powerful version of the NES, the GameCube was a more powerful version of the N64 (despite using discs instead of cartridges), the Wii U was a more powerful version of the Wii (despite having a tablet as the main controller, and the Switch 2 is a more powerful version of the Switch.

And frankly, that's okay. After all, quite a few gamers would prefer if Nintendo just made a more powerful console like Sony and Microsoft do instead of trying to come up with another gameplay gimmick. Personally, I couldn't care less either way, as long as Nintendo can still make their games fun.

While I've already got the game preordered for the GBA (both the standard and collector's editions, plushie included, the shipment for both of which sadly having been delayed to July), I might just pick it up for the Switch as well. It'd be nice to have all of the Shantae games on one console.

Now we just need WayForward to make a 3D Shantae game, or better yet, a cartoon series! In fact, I myself would love to pitch such a concept! I even have an idea for a pilot episode!

Of the more obscure mascots of the 1990s, I've heard that Gex was one of the better ones. I might consider this. Still waiting on Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, though. It was supposed to be delivered to my house this month, but I recently got an e-mail saying that the delivery has been pushed back to July.

@Inc True. But still, I think you can only do so much with the code before you're left with no choice but to make something new.

The way I see it, if a new Harvest Moon (both old and new) and Story of Seasons game can come out every few years, why not a new Stardew Valley? Yeah, you can update the original game all you want, but I think there's only so much you can do with the game's code at the end of the day before you're left with no choice other than to make a new game altogether.

For example, Microsoft said that Windows 10 would be their final version of the Windows operating system and would just continue to update that instead of releasing a new one, only to release Windows 11 a few years later. And a couple days ago, when I restarted my computer to install some updates, it said that Windows will discontinue supporting Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, just a little over five months away.

As much as I love Windows 10, I'll be left with no other choice but to upgrade to Windows 11 (and I might as well upgrade the hardware, too, since most of the components are getting long in the tooth, having not been replaced since I bought the PC in 2018). And of course, it could very well be by the time I do, we'll probably end up with Windows 12.

Makes me wonder how VTubers will take this, especially given that many of them take great pains to avoid their real identities from getting out.

@Notsoavid Where I am on the Switch version now is about as far as I got in the Wii U version in terms of the main quest. Currently am trying to get to Level 30 so I can purchase more Skells. And I am very close.

@Spider-Kev Eh, oh well. What's a few bucks more anyway? At least I got something out of it, compared to the $35 pizza I bought today for lunch and dropped as I opened my car door, thus rendering it unable to be eaten. That was truly $35 wasted.

Bought this bundle. No way was I passing up nine full games for only $70! $140 is already a good deal, but $70 is an amazing one!

@Wisestfool And in Japan, 3/14 is also known as White Day, a followup to Valentine's Day. So on Valentine's Day, girls will give boys chocolate, and a month later, boys will reciprocate by giving the girls white chocolate; hence the name White Day. Just an interesting little tidbit.

@Notsoavid When I was still playing it on the Wii U (although I never did beat it on that console), I would have to recruit other players avatars who were at a high level to help me fight enemies far more powerful than I was in order to grind for the EXP. But I am trying to avoid doing that this time around. Even though it's a feature of the game, it does kind of feel like cheating.

I was also not aware that I had to upgrade the Battle Arts for my characters until recently. In that sense, it's just like how I have to upgrade the Talents for my characters in Genshin Impact. I'm so used to how other RPGs do it (such as Pokémon), where the attack power of my characters automatically levels up with my character.

I'm telling you, Nintendo revealed the Switch 2 in January because of Genki jumping the gun and teasing the accessories and mockup before Nintendo was ready to lift the lid, essentially stealing Nintendo's thunder. I bet you anything that's why the reveal trailer for the Switch 2 was so barebones compared to the original Switch's reveal trailer. They had to get something out fast in order to set the record straight.

Other than doing my dailies in Genshin Impact, my plan is to keep grinding along in Xenoblade Chronicles X. Finished Chapter 6 the other day and finally got my first Skell, so I've been using it to reach certain places that I was not able to reach while on-foot. It's still going to be a while before I get to Chapter 9, though, after which I can unlock the flight module.

I just find it tedious trying to level up by fighting enemies; I've found that discovering locations, finding treasure, and completing quests gives you more EXP. But even then, there's only so many locations and pieces of treasure to find and only so many missions to complete, some of which are in regions that are well beyond my characters' capabilities to explore at the moment, due to how high the enemy's levels are.

It's news like this that makes me think of the Latin phrase "panem et circenses," or "bread and circuses." Basically, people will forgive many things as long as they have their food and entertainment.

But with both food and entertainment now becoming unaffordable to many people (with some now having to take out loans to pay for groceries), I shudder to think what the future holds for modern society.

@SillyG Agreed, at least for Under the Knife and Under the Knife 2, given the Wii U GamePad's touchscreen. But in terms of the Wii games (Second Opinion, New Blood, and Trauma Team), you could just use the feature built into the Wii U where you could play Wii titles and pop the disc into the system, so there would have been no need for ports of those games.

While I would personally not mind ports of the older games for the Switch 2, I would much rather have a brand new entry in the series, especially since it's been 15 years since the last one. In my opinion, Atlus has focused too much on Shin Megami Tensei and Persona in the last decade or so. Not knocking those games, but Trauma Center is overdue for a new entry, especially one that sees the relationship between Derek Stiles and Angie Thompson deepen into something more than just work colleagues and friends.

@Anakin Not only that, but if the game focuses on Derek Stiles and Angie Thompson again, have the two of them finally become a romantic couple.

As a side note, if you go on Fanfiction.net, there are a bunch of Trauma Center fanfics written by a person who goes by the name TCGeek, which largely made me want to see a new game where Derek and Angie become a couple. Some of them are very funny, some are also sad or dramatic, but many are wholesome and romantic. She used to be on DeviantArt, but sadly deactivated her account years ago. But her work is still on Fanfiction.net, as well as Archive of Our Own (but not as extensive of a library as Fanfiction.net).

And here I am, still waiting for a port of the Trauma Center games. Maybe even a brand new one, with full-motion video anime cutscenes, animated by the studio that made the Persona 4 anime. Really hoping that Atlus will not drop the ball with the Switch 2 when it comes to Trauma Center, especially since you can use the mouse feature for the Switch 2 Joy-Cons to perform surgeries.

@Coalescence And let's not forget, Nintendo was even stricter back in the 1980s, in an attempt to avoid the mistakes that Atari made (which ultimately caused consumers to no longer trust the company, resulting in Atari's collapse), but the NES also had its wealth of poor-quality games, especially those published by LJN. That's why the Angry Video Game Nerd has a tendency to review NES games over games from any other console platform: there's so many bad ones on the system, it's mind-boggling.

I was working all day today, so there was no way for me to preorder the system. And checking both Best Buy's and GameStop's websites right now, neither retailer is showing them available for preorder.

So unless I get an e-mail from Nintendo to pre-order directly through them (and even then, I don't know exactly how that works, both in terms of registering, as well as the exact details of the criteria to be eligible), I might have to wait until after the console launches altogether to purchase one.

@Smithicus Of course, they're only still images, and there's only a few of them. If it was possible, and I knew how, I'd be more than willing to share them here in the comments. But they do present an interesting concept for a game, especially for one that stars the titular princess herself.

@Smithicus I agree. I felt that this was basically just Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, albeit with a Wind Waker art style. I would have loved to have seen something a bit more original with the gameplay.

For example, I once saw something on Facebook from a Zelda fan page where someone created concept renders for a 3D Zelda game where you played as Zelda herself (this being well before Echoes of Wisdom was announced); it appeared to be done in the Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom art style.

And that one appeared to have a maritime theme like you mentioned, where Zelda would be riding around the ocean on dolphins, could explore underwater ruins, fight pirates and giant sea creatures, and the like. Ganondorf would be a pirate captain, and Link would be a fully-grown adult (and judging by his sullen facial expression, harbors deep regrets about something).

In case you were wondering, the concept was called Voyage of the Goddess. I'd rather see that become an official game rather than what we saw above. It was far more original, and it starred Zelda as the playable protagonist (something that we need more of, if you ask me).

This was cute. Always nice to see Nintendo honoring their past by bringing in actors that starred in their older commercials. Now we just need a new Pitfall game (or even a Pitfall movie) and have Jack Black star in it!

This was THE game that got me into the Soulcalibur series. Even with the absence of future entries on a Nintendo console (the spinoff Wii game Soulcalibur Legends not included), it rapidly became one of my favorite fighting game franchises due to the world it built; it almost felt like The Lord of the Rings, where, much like how the good guys had to destroy the One Ring in LOTR, the good guys in Soulcalibur had to destroy Soul Edge, an evil sword with a mind of its own. It is among my Top 3 favorite fighting game series, along with Super Smash Bros. and Dead or Alive.

@TimelessJubilee I don't disagree with you, but sadly, Bandai Namco has focused more on Tekken than it has Soulcalibur in the last few years. I remember once reading an article a couple years ago about how they basically gutted the dev team that worked on Soulcalibur while giving more resources and manpower to the dev team that made Tekken. It is frankly a shame, as I feel that Soulcalibur was more unique, whereas Tekken feels more generic. After all, what other fighting games are out there where you fight with swords, staves, polearms, and nunchaku, amongst other weapons?

The good news is that the price increases were nowhere near as bad as I thought they were going to be; some were speculating that the whole tariff situation would make the Switch 2 over $650 here in the U.S. so the price for the console and the games remaining unchanged and only a $5-10 price increase on accessories is not as bad as we were expecting.

The bad news is that preorders will open on a day that I happen to be working. The previous date of April 2, plus the rumored revised dates of April 21 and April 30 were both my days off, and I cannot justify taking time off from work for this. Assuming that the rumor that preorders will sell out very quickly is true, I might end up missing out on snagging mine.

I have a 65" Samsung DU7200D 4K UHD LED LCD Smart TV; ended up winning it in a prize drawing at work last year (a year after I won my PS5 in a similar prize drawing at work). Hopefully that will be pretty decent to make my Switch 2 games look pretty and run well. Can anyone who knows TV tech better than I do corroborate that for me?

@Indielink I mean, the game was made with Unreal Engine 4, and the original Switch can run games made with that game engine. I figure that, with the Switch 2 apparently more powerful than a PS4, it should be more than powerful enough to run a game like Stellar Blade.

Besides, we know that the game is coming to Windows PC in a couple of months, so it's not much of a stretch to think that it could also come to platforms like the Switch 2 and Xbox. I know I would be very happy to see it come to the Switch 2, maybe with some outfits based on Nintendo characters (especially Samus Aran in her Zero Suit and/or her Justin Bailey outfit from the original Metroid). That's one game I would love to play on the go.

@Indielink Personally, the two “PlayStation” games that I want to see come to the Switch 2 are Genshin Impact and Stellar Blade. If the Switch 2 is capable of running games like Elden Ring and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, why not Genshin Impact and Stellar Blade?

@Indielink From what I was reading, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is the enhanced version of Final Fantasy VII Remake (including the DLC) that was released for the PS5 and Windows PC. Intermission is the name of the DLC itself. And even then, said DLC is exclusive to the PS5 and Windows (and most likely Switch 2, when both the system and the game launch).

@Jester676 Yeah, it's kind of what I am thinking, too. Unfortunately. I mean, why announce the game for the original Switch, continue saying over the years that it's in development for the console, and then not release it after all without any announcement?

I get that with the Version 5.0 update, the game required beefier hardware (as it is, it does seem to run a bit slower on my gaming PC now than it used to, but I haven't upgraded the CPU, RAM, or motherboard since I bought it in 2018), but you don't say that it's in development for the Switch and then pull the rug out from under those of us who were looking forward to this.

So my guess is that the reason behind why it hasn't come to the system yet is due to legal reasons. It's possible that HoYoverse wanted to include a Nintendo character in the game (much like they did with Aloy in 2021, although she was only available to get for a limited time), and Nintendo most likely said no, because they didn't want their characters on any other platforms that do run the game.

After all, Nintendo has proven themselves to be strict to the point of overzealousness with their IP. So it wouldn't come as a surprise to me if that was the case here. I mean, I would hope that it was truly due to technical issues, but a big part of me thinks that the real reason is due to Nintendo refusing to let one of their characters be available for rival platforms.