AtlanteanMan

Please release it already, Nintendo. There isn't a single first-party game through the end of 2022 that I personally am interested in, and I was really looking forward to Advance Wars: Reboot Camp before it got pulled just days before its originally planned release.

I enjoyed the first Blossom Tales for what it was and picked this up for the same reason. I couldn't agree more with previous posters regarding the sheer number of "Indie" titles on Switch that are direct and invariably inferior rip-offs of beloved, iconic games by larger publishers, but as the article states, Blossom Tales is one of the better examples.

And here's the rub: until Nintendo makes its retro catalog available for actual purchase instead of being tied to overpriced subscriptions, these are the closest thing to 2D Zelda you can buy on eShop outside of the Link's Awakening remake.

I'm typically down for off-the-beaten-track games that are well-executed; I've discovered entire genres that I love to play that way. This looks original and interesting enough that I just might give it a go.

"Real world locations are now in Mario Kart."

And they're on average by far the least imaginative and fun tracks to race on that I've personally seen thus far. Flat, largely one-dimensional, and perhaps their greatest offense: they don't really feel like they belong in a Mario Kart game at all, either aesthetically or mechanically.

Of course the worst part is that, if the "leaks" prove true, we'll be seeing at least one Tour track in EVERY remaining Cup (possibly two!). Overrepresenting the worst tracks in MK history SERIOUSLY devalues the Booster Course Pass.

I couldn't care less if it's not a full Direct featuring first-party games. Splatoon has its fans, but I'm not one of them, and I still think Nintendo's 4th quarter offerings look mighty thin right now.

If these lists turn out to be true, does anyone else think that Tour is WAY, WAY overrepresented here? There would be no less than one and sometimes two tracks from Tour in EVERY upcoming update. What's worse is that so far the Tour tracks are easily my least favorite courses of the Pass on average; being based on real world locations actually makes them comparatively flat, one-dimensional, and boring against regular MK tracks. To be completely honest, from both a mechanical and thematic standpoint they don't even feel like they belong in the same game.

I really hope these data leaks are wrong, at least where the Tour tracks are concerned. Nintendo can do better, and we should be able to expect more for our money.

I don't know if the writer wants EVERY track to be like Baby Park, but I'd hope not. Variety is the spice of life. I love pizza, but I couldn't eat it every day, with every meal for very long before I'd get sick of it. I love long, story-driven turn-based RPGs and SRPGs, but if every single release was one of those, not only would I begin to tire of them but would also miss all that other genres have to offer, even though I may not play them as often. There are a total of 48 tracks in the Pass for MK8 Deluxe, meaning there are still 32 yet to be revealed. Personally, I wouldn't mind to see one more short, frenetic track like Baby Park in the mix, but again, to add to the variety rather than to diminish it. You can absolutely have too much of a "good" thing...and as the videogame industry has taught us across its history, that also inevitably comes at the cost of something else, sometimes even never to be seen again. Let's hope the rest of the Booster Course Pass truly offers something special for everyone; that's the best possible outcome.

I'm excited to see the DLC and welcome any new tracks we can get, but I have to say that the first half of the Turnip Cup was pretty underwhelming. The Tour tracks are middling at best, in large part because they're loosely based on real world locations, which limits what can be done with the tracks themselves, and New York Minute is a prime example of that blandness.

The SNES original Mario Kart is the game that kicked off the franchise, and it stands to reason some of its courses would be included, but as constituted the Mario Circuit track shows that Nintendo's approach here might need adjustment. Obviously they were going for that same flat, Mode 7 aesthetic, but the end result is a track that is flat and comparatively dull (even the background, while matching the aesthetic, looks lifeless and uninspired). On top of that, with only one or two sets of item boxes along its entire course, getting behind may be insurmountable. If Nintendo is upgrading GBA tracks like Snow Land and Sky Garden with current-gen visuals, sloped tracks, and other improvements, then I personally think the SNES courses deserve similar treatment.

Overall though, I enjoyed this wave and look forward to seeing what Nintendo does with future ones.

@maulinks I think the biggest reason why I've tried to support the mainline series and given them all a chance is because of the great impression that X left me with; I don't play many non-turn-based (meaning button-mashing, combo-attack, "action", control one party member at a time) RPGs to begin with, but having played PSO 1 and 2 on the Dreamcast and GameCube, X really just immediately clicked and won me over; even the side quests kind of had that same feel to them. I'd actually jump on a Switch port if it was announced. I wish I could find that same magic in the mainline games, but so far it just hasn't happened.

"If you're a long-standing Xenoblade series fan, then you're probably used to hearing the same lines of dialogue over and over again..."

...and it's one of the bigger reasons that the series has never "clicked" with me so far (in spite of the fact I've purchased every installment). Yes, I figured out that you can mute the battle voices, but the battle mechanics (mash buttons, rinse, repeat) and hubs that are overly sprawling just for the sake of scale have proven a deterrent from bothering to finish either of the first two installments. Oh, and the Nopons; I get that practically every JRPG series has its obligatory "cute" race/critter, but they're hands down the most irritating that I've come across. I loved X on the Wii U and played more than 200 hours of it, probably because it reminded me of what a GOOD modern Phantasy Star Online would look like, but for me personally, even though I eventually come back to the mainline games to play through them some more, they feel like a chore in a lot of ways. I admit that I was surprised to see XC3...a THIRD installment...announced for the Switch, let alone only half a year or so before its release and certainly the glowing reviews it's gotten. I'll give it a chance as I have the others, but I'm keeping my expectations tempered.

I know a lot of folks are excited for the Switch's first-party offerings for this half of 2022, but a third game in the Xenoblade series, a second release for Splatoon!, and yet another Pokemon release leave me wanting more when there are still some great IPs that haven't gotten a new installment this console generation (and some far longer than that). I still think Advance Wars: Reboot Camp got the shaft unnecessarily, too. I hope Nintendo has more games to announce between now and Christmas, in any case.

I have to say that I groaned when I first recognized what the announcement trailer was for. Yes, the franchise has its fans, but its "fresh" punk teenage thematics got stale with me long ago. Nintendo probably wants to have this as their "big" multiplayer offering for the back half of 2022, but its appeal frankly isn't universal, certainly not in the sense that Mario Kart or Smash are (and while it's one of their biggest properties, Pokémon doesn't scratch a lot of gamers' itch for various reasons, either). And as has already been discussed in another article, there are at least half a dozen Nintendo IPs I would FAR rather have seen get a release...let alone a second...for the Switch.

Here we are in August already and that Christmas season first-party slate is looking mighty thin, Nintendo. If you have a Direct lined up, better show it sooner than later.

While everyone remembers the Genesis era for being Sega's high water mark (they were arguably at the top of the entire industry in terms of sheer quality, variety, prolificness, and innovation. But my favorite retro console happens to be the Saturn because it too had an absolute treasure trove of incredible games, from RPGs and SRPGs like Shining Force III (whose three-part, interlocking storyline, 3D battlefields, and sheer scale obliterated the Genesis iterations that are still so popular), Dragon Force, Albert Odyssey, and Panzer Dragoon Saga (a whopping 4 discs!) to their vast and unparalleled Arcade selection (Daytona USA, Virtua Fighter 1 and 2, Sega Rally Championship, etc.) to some quirky but still great original titles like Dark Savior, Bug!, Clockwork Knight 1 and 2, Three Dirty Dwarves, and Iron Storm. Sadly, most Western gamers never got to experience these games, or if they had a Saturn they missed out on most of these because Sega, at best, relegated many of the RPGs in particular to localization companies like Working Designs, while at worst they treated the Western market like crap (they only published Scenario 1...meaning one-third of the story with a never-resolved cliffhanger, of Shining Force III, and Panzer Dragoon Saga got only 3000 copies for the entire North American market...all placed in cheap plain paper sleeves inside the outer jewel case as opposed to the fancy foam padding they afforded their other first-party titles).

The Dreamcast was likewise an excellent system with some amazing games; their Arcade titles like Daytona USA and Crazy Taxi were even closer to Arcade-perfect in terms of visual fidelity, and Skies of Arcadia is still one of the all-time greatest RPGs ever made. While overly expensive, the dedicated peripherals for Sega Bass Fishing and Samba De Amigo made those games a real hoot to play.

When Sega announced they were leaving from making consoles, a lot of gamers (myself included) thought it would actually be a positive thing; surely we'd be getting all those great Sega franchises on our other platforms of choice. And yes, those thoughts were reinforced early on by Sega's great work on the GameCube, with the likes of Super Monkey Ball, F-Zero GX, PSO 1 & 2, and Skies of Arcadia Legends. But aside from a VERY few examples of their former selves like Valkyria Chronicles, Sega instead circled the wagons around Sonic, pumping out games and rehashes of varying quality. Most of their immense staple of IPs, particularly those beloved and incredible RPGs, have not seen a new entry or remake in more than two decades now. By this point they're a bleached and dried-out shell of the company that once was such a force in the industry and the hobby.

Regarding the article's headline, I would say that Sega didn't suffer "defeat" in the console wars by their competitors nearly so much as their own internal dysfunction and meddling from their corporate higher-ups caused their downfall. It also bears mentioning that Sega was a Japan market-first corporation that frankly wasn't truly invested in the global market that its brand had created, as evidenced by their numerous spats with SoA's Bernie Stolar, their falling-out with their most prolific and critical third-party publisher Working Designs, and their treatment of Western localizations in general. It's all very well-documented and is to this day one of the most tragic losses for gamers in the history of the hobby. And the real fault lies at the feet of the same people running the company today.

@VR32X I recently took the plunge for the 3D Edition of the board game and was looking to purchase the Switch version; I was unaware that it doesn't even have a local multiplayer capability. Decisions like that would be baffling if not for the common theme of "any time a player is offline is time we can't control/gate/exploit their experience for more $$$" (look at how 343 has treated local splitscreen multiplayer with Halo Infinite, just for one example).

It's a real shame. I may still consider the Switch version, but only if it goes on sale. A board game port not having local multiplayer is just a bad joke. As someone who's written passionate pleas to developers many times over the years myself, I wish you the best in approaching Asmodee Digital to add it, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

This wave checked some really great tracks off of my personal wish list (Kalahari Desert, Waluigi Pinball, Mushroom Gorge) and even managed to throw in a brand new offering (Sky High Sundae). Maybe the latter is partly why this wave took longer than expected to arrive, but suffice to say I am pleasantly surprised by the end result. Looking forward to playing all of these tracks and then speculating on what might come in the next wave (Maple Treeway or Dino Dino Jungle, anyone?).

As I've gotten older I can definitely say that my overall tastes in games have shifted increasingly to slower-paced, more relaxing genres like turn-based RPGs and Strategy. High-stress games like FPSes or platformers I typically take in small doses as I suffer from severe anxiety issues; I still am able to enjoy them to a degree but have to acknowledge my limitations. And I've learned to step away when a game starts getting to me in terms of frustration; at that point it's no longer entertaining but a chore anyway. I do believe that there are times to simply avoid high-stress games, especially if you're currently having high stress or depression in the real world. Nowadays that can mean a permanent change in your playing habits, but being able to objectively decide that is of course up to each individual.

All I can say from looking at the schedule and extrapolating the amount of time between waves from when the Track Pass launched through the end of 2023 (22 months between March 18th, 2022 and the end of 2023 divided by 6 waves is roughly 3-4 months estimated between waves) is that a second wave is DUE by this point. I realize they'll be here when they get here regardless, but if this maintenance really is signaling the release of the second wave, IMHO Nintendo is taking a strange approach by doing it so stealthily as opposed to generating even a modicum of excitement from fans beforehand.

With all the maintenance happening this week I still wonder if perhaps there might be a full-scale first-party Direct coming up; there are still significant questions regarding the Christmas season and back half of 2022, still no final release date for Advance Wars: Reboot Camp, and obviously no Wave 2 for the Track Pass so far.

We'll see, at any rate. Nintendo's gonna Nintendo, for better or worse.

My sincere condolences to his family and those fortunate enough to work with or know him. I'm sorry to hear this.

Sega used to be literally one-third of the entire videogame industry from a console standpoint, and at their peak they were arguably the most prolific and pioneering company in the entire hobby. I'm not responsible for the choices of games they've recently released nor the fact that most don't pique my interest (for the record, I have purchased all of Streets of Rage 4, Panzer Dragoon, and House of the Dead Remake as well as the majority of the Sega Ages line which they unceremoniously pulled M2 away from; I do vote with my wallet when given the opportunity to support games I care about). I have tried PSO and found its UI junky and unwieldy compared to the Dreamcast originals. Sakura Wars is set in an alternate universe WWII Japan (again, Sega is a JAPAN MARKET FIRST publisher), so it's no wonder that its sales figures outside of Japan were poor, deserved or not; I absolutely adore the Valkyria Chronicles series which is itself set in an alt-universe WWII Germany (yes, Germany; the name "Gallia" is derived from Gaul like the rest of the series' parallel nomenclature and mythologies) but I know why it didn't sell well. But I voted with my wallet many times over (PS3, PS4, PC, Switch) anyway, with both the original and VC4. Valkyria Chronicles represents what the Sega of old was capable of with a genuinely passionate creative team...and it also shows that they're STILL capable of that if they choose to be. Sonic represents a once-great company that's circled the wagons and decided to "play it safe", with an interest only in profit margins.

Regarding SF and Skies of Arcadia, don't knock them if you never played them. They WOULD sell if Sega gave them a fair chance (look at Fire Emblem if you want proof of viability for the former), and I would be one of those who would support them. Don't presume to know what I would or wouldn't do, or that a franchise is no longer relevant because its developers haven't bothered to give it a chance in two decades.

Lastly, if you don't like my making critical posts of Sega and their priorities then I suggest writing to Nintendo Life to request they not do so many Sonic write-ups; he gets more promotion on this website than most actual Nintendo IPs, and that's just a demonstrable fact. But in any case, your complaints and name-calling aren't going to dissuade this "out of touch old man" from offering my opinions (as often and repeatedly as I deem fit), so I strongly suggest you make peace with that. You can simply ignore any given post you disagree with with far less time and effort than it's taken either of us to respond to each other here.

Actually I wouldn't be all that surprised if there is a first-party Direct; it's the last week of the month, the next Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Track Pass is DUE going by the wave schedule, we're still waiting for a final release date for Advance Wars: Reboot Camp, and there are still some sizable gaps in the all-important Christmas season on that front (meaning there's no one, universally marketable title announced for that period so far).

At any rate, que sera, sera.

@Marshalbanana I'm aware of Yakuza (and the fact that I have ZERO interest in it whatsoever). I''m also aware that it's been 22 years since Skies of Arcadia (well, only 20 if you want to nitpick and count SoA Legends for GameCube), 25 since Shining Force III for the Saturn (the bland ARPG "Shining" series Sega turned the IP into doesn't count), and roughly that amount of time or more since 85-90 percent of their catalog last saw an original entry. This includes new entries for the coin-op Arcade market they once dominated but recently sold off that entire division. The handful of Sega IPs that have gotten releases over the past half-decade have overwhelmingly been outsourced to third-parties with mostly middling results (Streets of Rage 4, House of the Dead Remake, Panzer Dragoon Saga, etc.).

Oh, yes, but point out a single franchise, Yakuza (it's worth keeping in mind that Sega has always been a Japan-first publisher even during their heyday with the Genesis) to show that Sega isn't a shell of their former selves. I'm afraid it isn't me with my head in the sand; at the very least we have two different opinions on the subject and should let it rest with that.

All I will say on the matter after seeing what's gotten onto the Switch eShop since its launch is that it must take a LOT to actually get a game refused. I'm talking in terms of both quality and theme here. The Nintendo consoles of old may have had some stinkers, but even the Wii had nothing on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that is the Switch eShop.

@nocdaes Be glad you're not a fan of many of Sega's other IPs not named "Sonic" (some of which I noted in my previous post above). Two releases/remasters in the past year alone with another coming soon, and STILL Sega's head honchos are talking up more Sonic? Sheesh, how about showing a care to all the OTHER fans they've abandoned for two decades and counting.

@Mr_Gamecube Agreed. Splatoon isn't what I'd personally count as meriting two games in a single console generation, at least not as much as some others. I realize that it has its devoted following, but while I've played the first two games they never hooked me, and honestly certain thematic elements became a turn-off over time as well (the whole "fresh" teen-aged punk vibe was outgrown a LONG time ago). The multiplayer and DLC model are no doubt Nintendo's primary motivators here. But there are at least a half-dozen first-party IPs I would have picked to have a second original installment for Switch over Splatoon.

Five years is a lot less than WAY too many deserving franchises have gotten. Some examples (Please note these may have had remakes/rereleases, but I'm specifically counting ORIGINAL releases here):

1) F-Zero: Last seen with F-Zero GX for GameCube (2003, 19 years)

2) Advance Wars: Last seen with Advance Wars: Days of Ruin for Nintendo DS (2008, 14 years; Advance Wars: Reboot Camp indefinitely delayed for Switch)

3) Donkey Kong: Last seen with Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze for Wii U (2014, 8 years; Switch remaster in 2018, 4 years)

4) Mario Kart: Last seen with Mario Kart 8 for Wii U (2014, 8 years, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Switch released 2017 and only recently began having Track Pass DLC content added)

5) Pikmin: Last seen with Pikmin 3 for Wii U (2013, 9 years, Pikmin 3 Deluxe for Switch released in 2020, 2 years)

6) Shining Force: Last seen with Shining Force III for the Sega Saturn (1997, 25 years)

7) Skies of Arcadia: Last seen with Skies of Arcadia for Sega Dreamcast (2000, 22 years, Skies of Arcadia Legends remaster for GameCube released in 2003, 19 years)

8) Phantasy Star (Offline, Algol-based iterations): Last seen with Phantasy Star IV for the Sega Genesis (1995, 27 years)

9) ModNation Racers: Last seen with ModNation Racers for PlayStation 3 (2010, 12 years)

I just wanted to point out that five years is a perfectly reasonable span of time to wait for a new installment of a given franchise. By comparison, there are so many truly amazing IPs that haven't seen a new, original release since before many readers here were even born by this point. And some of which, despite great sales figures and popularity, no longer fit the online "business model" with their focus on user-generated content and replayability. Some of these may well never be seen again, which is an absolute shame.

"Can we have a sequel now?" How about Sega revisit at least a few of their OTHER classic IPs before anyone starts asking for more Sonic games to go along with what's literally just been released (Origins), or is coming soon (Frontiers)? It's really, REALLY hard not to hate Sonic when many of my favorite Sega franchises haven't seen a release in more than 2 decades even as Sonic fans enjoying a comparative embarrassment of riches act like some kid who's just finished opening 30 presents at Christmas only to look around and cry, "Is that ALL!!?".

"A story without antagonism or violence". That tagline alone is enough to pique my interest in an industry currently glutted by dark and ultraviolent themes.

I don't have any control over it either way, obviously, but I would keep Big, sweeping Directs over those which focus on (and tend to spoil) a single game. Personally I almost NEVER bother watching character or content reveals and especially extended gameplay demos by developers for individual titles even if I plan to buy them (example: Xenoblade Chronicles 3); part of why I play games is to discover stuff for myself.

Conversely, Big Directs have practical benefits that extend to everyone involved. The thrill of an unexpected reveal that's right down your alley...let alone a half-dozen or more, is what creates hype and consumer interest peaking throughout financial quarters. Nintendo rendered shows like E3 redundant by introducing these presentations, but right now there's no equivalent to replace Big Directs themselves.

Anyone else notice that even with Sonic Origins just released and Sonic Frontiers on the way, all Sega's execs ever want to talk about is Sonic, Sonic, SONIC, including potential future projects when the ones they've just released or are about to have glaring flaws and/or questions? But scarcely ever a word about ANY of their other IPs.

It's bad enough that Sega is a washed-up has-been that only wants to focus on a single "profitable" mascot IP; it's another thing altogether that they're having difficulty even doing that ONE THING right. The time is right for a better-run company with more vision to buy out Sega and give that mountain of amazing IPs their proper due.

Of course he does. It's pretty easy when Sonic is practically the only console IP Sega ever bothers to release or promote in-house anymore.

Well, personally speaking I would like a full-on Nintendo Direct. To each their own, but Bayonetta has never remotely interested me.

@nocdaes Anything released before September will be old news by the time the Christmas season rolls around. Mario & Rabbids is a third-party title. Bayonetta and Splatoon! both have their passionate fans, but neither have the universal appeal to qualify as system-selling top-of-the-list releases. Pokémon is a huge IP but A) its appeal is far from universal and B) the Switch frankly already has an abundance of games from that franchise already. And honestly, DLC in any form doesn't count. 4th quarters traditionally center around the biggest and most popular first-party IPs, which in turn move consoles (this is looking at it from a corporate angle). The Marios, the Zeldas, the Halos, etc..

I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong; Luigi's Mansion 3 headlining Nintendo's first-party Switch lineup for the Christmas season a few years ago is a precedent, after all, and while a very good game it had nowhere near the "evergreen" clout of a mainstream Mario, Zelda, or even Animal Crossing (New Horizons' delay until the next year was what left LM 3 pretty much alone as their "big" offering for that quarter). But what's left of the announced first-party games for Switch in 2022 doesn't have the feel of a finished list; I suspect there's at least one unannounced title yet unrevealed, probably one of Nintendo's "core" IPs, even if simply a remake/remaster. And again, Advance Wars, while a "niche" IP, is still waiting on a release date and I doubt its fans want to wait indefinitely.

Maybe you're right and we won't see anything else of note till next year, but if so it's going to leave a lot of folks disappointed with the selection for the back half of 2022 from a first-party standpoint.

Hopefully this isn't merely just a hint about the release date of the next MK8 Deluxe DLC; we could also really use a full-on Direct for Nintendo's first-party games for the 3rd and 4th Quarters. With BotW 2 not coming till next year and Metroid Prime 4 in eternal limbo, there frankly isn't anything that qualifies as a true tentpole first-party release for the Christmas season for 2022 yet.

Oh yeah, and Nintendo...it's way past time for Advance Wars: Reboot Camp to get a firm and final release date. These games (which are pure escapism, and AW is as bright, cheerful, and cartoony as a "war" game can get) like AW (and, from recent revelations, the GoldenEye 007 reboot), getting delayed over the war in Ukraine was frankly never necessary even if done with good intentions, IMHO. Stop treating what should be an amazing introduction for so many gamers to not only the IP but turn-based Strategy in general (yes, the game has MULTIPLAYER for up to four players!) like a black sheep you never really wanted to give a chance.

Echoing the sentiments of the folks above, it'd be nice to see an update on the next wave of the MK Deluxe Track Pass, Nintendo. According to the release timeline you gave when it launched, it should be imminent if it wasn't supposed to have happened already.

"A return to form". Does he mean shows dominated by eye candy cinematic trailers with no gameplay? On the flip side of the coin, will we still see extended gameplay demos onstage that we're begging to end because they A) take way too much time and B) typically aren't interesting anyway? Will we still see announcements for games that are years away? A plethora of games focused around the same tired tropes (FPS, Battle Royale, post-apocalyptic/zombie apocalypse, dark and ultra-violent, etc.)? Do mega-publishers like EA and Activision still get huge swaths of the main presentation in addition to their own presentations for their "AAA" games? Will Ubisoft still have half a dozen military-centric games where you could swap the titles and nobody be the wiser? Will Japanese, foreign, and smaller third parties still be absent because the lack of media coverage doesn't justify the expense?

If that's the "return to form" we can expect next year from E3, it's a big reason why a lot of gamers frankly didn't miss it all that much over the past couple of years.

First off, you have to give the guy credit for at least putting his money where his mouth is.

That said, Nintendo's not the only Japanese company that's largely abandoned many older IPs, and they're certainly not the guiltiest of circling the wagons around 1-3 franchises (looking at Sega and Konami, especially). But while "playing it safe" and focusing on flagship IPs may bring more overall profit (or at least keep them afloat), there's a reason the Japanese side of the industry fell off a cliff after the 1990s in terms of comparative influence with Western publishers. They used to be the most prolific, original, and flat-out talented and passionate developers in the hobby, but they lost that edge largely due to abandoning genre variety and risk-taking, and instead trying to ape the West's eye candy cinematics and penchant for gory violence and repetitive button-mashing/combo mechanics (which even invaded most RPG franchises). Instead of driving the industry and hobby forward they started copying "trends". Franchises got remolded to fit "more profitable" audiences to mediocre results (the Shining ARPG series, Front Mission as a third-person shooter, and the run-and-gun direction of Resident Evil starting around 6, for examples).

Take Sega, for example. Aside from two outstanding entries in the Valkyria Chronicles series (which demonstrate just what the company is capable of when it reconnects with its former passion and quality level), they haven't touched a single one of their incredible RPG and SRPG IPs from the Genesis through Saturn and Dreamcast eras (I don't really count Phantasy Star Online because it's too much of a MMORPG to even resemble the Dreamcast iterations, and I also don't count mobile versions like the upcoming Shining Force: Hero of Light & Darkness). Shining Force, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Skies of Arcadia, Dragon Force, even old school, Algol-based, offline Phantasy Star haven't seen the light of day in more than two decades now. All because Sega considers them too "niche" or risky, no doubt.

Remember, it wasn't too long ago that fan support made Nintendo aware that Fire Emblem was actually a viable IP in the West. Even Animal Crossing: New Horizons' sales figures completely took them by surprise. SquareEnix has rediscovered the profitability of turn-based mechanics and "old school" visuals with their 2DHD RPGs and SRPGs. 2D shmups have seen a renaissance on the Switch after nearly going extinct the past couple of console generations. But the entire future of a given franchise can rest on the sales figures of a single installment (I'm NOT talking after it goes on sale or lands in the bargain bin, either; games MUST get support from DAY ONE to be seen as truly "in demand" by consumers). Friendly heads up: given Nintendo's handling of Advance Wars: Reboot Camp already, if enough of us don't vote with our wallets and support it I would bet real money we will never see the franchise again.

There are never any guarantees we'll ever see a great and deserving game get a sequel or remake. But if and when we get the opportunity we MUST vote with our wallets. Anything less is just lip service, and the industry will treat it as such. Hopefully at some point we'll get that chance with F-Zero. If we do, better make it count.

Where I'm personally concerned, anything F2P can STAY in Japan. The same goes for mobile games regardless of IP.

Needs more Nintendo. Other than that it was okay, I guess.

The Switch really has become a dream platform for retro games. There are still a bunch of potential compilations still out there to be done, however; the problem lies mostly in licensing and other legal matters. Among the most prolific and just plain best: Activision, Midway, Namco (the existing Switch compilation is vastly inferior to the Museum Remix iterations on XBOX 360 and PS3; no Pole Position or Ms. Pac-Man among others), and of course Sega's incredible array of iconic Arcade coin-ops from the likes of Zaxxon, Pengo, and Congo Bongo through the Model 2 days of Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA, and Super Star Wars Arcade. Of course there are a few odd titles out there that might not align with a compilation but still were extremely popular back in the day, such as Q-Bert.

So yeah, still lots of work to be done before Switch will ever be the legal purchase equivalent of an emulator like MAME. But it's still done extremely well so far in offering a crazy selection of old school games to play.

Glad to see Mario + Rabbids get a final release date, and I really like Blanc's aesthetics and gameplay design. Most of the rest was passable or has been in circulation for awhile now (Portal and No Man's Sky, for examples).

I would've liked to have seen an update for Metal Slug Tactics. Glad to hear Diofield Chronicle is getting a standalone feature soon, though.

The first entry was probably one of my personal Top Four games for the Switch's inaugural year, behind only Zelda BotW, Octopath Traveler, and Super Mario Odyssey. It was scornfully dismissed when first announced at that E3, but by the end of the gameplay demo, those dismissals had turned to cheers from those in the audience. It caught everyone by surprise, myself included.

Oh yes, I'm looking forward to more X-COM-inspired Mario goodness. Bring it ON.

@Kilroy @GrailUK Taito did bring the Layer Section & Galactic Attack combo to the Western eShop, so there's hope on that front. And yes, they are also localizing some other ports as well. Ours lag behind the Japanese releases by a few months, but as long as they do come here, I'd be happy.

YES!!! Some of my favorite shmups ever!!! Seeing RayStorm convinced a friend to get into videogames as a hobby; those were amazing visuals back in the day and the gameplay still holds up.

On a semi-related note, I'd love to see someone pick up the rights to bring GameArts titles like Silpheed, Silpheed: The Lost Planet, and of course the LUNAR games to Switch. So many incredible old school shooters still out there even now (and more than a few iconic RPGs and SRPGs).

Yes, first-party Nintendo game announcements are the REAL draw for Directs (and that's why this comes as a big let-down; where are those big Christmas season and 2nd half of 2022 titles, guys?), but I guess they can stretch enough interesting games from third parties out to cover 25 minutes.

Probably a Cuphead DLC featurette, a Metal Slug Tactics update, maybe Front Mission and some of those yet-unseen 2D-HD titles from Square Enix that were said to be on their way. And maybe a few of the more anticipated Indie games like Sea of Stars. Beyond that (assuming any of those are shown to begin with), who knows?

But we still need that REAL Direct, Nintendo.

To paraphrase old Ben Kenobi, this isn't the Direct we're looking for.

"Special Sega game." Nothing special about anything you showed about Hyenas, Sega. Just another derivative, cartoony shooter. Wow, has your company ever completely lost its way. "Special". Just wow. You guys really have no clue what a joke and bitter disappointment you've become to your fans, do you, let alone WHY.

Here it is as straight as I can give it to you: you DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR FANS. You never really have, even when you've sent out those little surveys or talk about bringing back non-Sonic IPs (which, if they even happen, most of the time you just outsource to third-parties to mediocre results). Just look at how many comments here and so many elsewhere for YEARS NOW say things like "I expect to be disappointed". That loss of rapport and trust with your consumers didn't happen overnight; it was WELL EARNED over the past two decades.

Somebody get 1992 on the phone NOW, and get us the Sega back that took risks and was arguably the most prolific and influential company in the entire hobby! Oh, and get rid of those bigwigs at the top who ruined it all and are still running the brand into the ground to this day.

Rant over.

Sega could have made a Megatron splash with any of at least a dozen of their IP that have been dormant for upwards of two decades now (particularly their incredible RPGs), but instead they chose to go with the latest derivative of the Fortnite trend. One of the industry's biggest disconnects with gamers is their penchant for gravitating toward the "latest and greatest" (i.e most profitable/safe) instead of a focus on what makes us PASSIONATE about the hobby. Variety, creativity, originality, and yes, risk-taking have largely devolved into endless deluges of FPSes, zombie apocalypses, battle royales, and dark/horror-themed titles marked by excessive violence and gore. Even the Indies typically compare their games to something else. And it's happened because the majority of the industry is composed of SHEEP who seem unable to realize that no matter where the grass seems greenest, when everyone gathers in that same spot it isn't long before there's no longer enough to support them all. And the hobby is suffering because of such thinking; one need only look at Sony and Microsoft's showcases this year to see the sheer lack of variety in overall theme and genre.

Okay, it's PROBABLY not it, but listening closely to the sound sample there's a remote possibility it's isolated from the Horteka village scene in SKIES OF ARCADIA. Some of the background wildlife noises are at least somewhat similar once you filter out the (BEAUTIFUL; my personal favorite track ever in an RPG) music.

Again, unlikely (this is Sega, after all; they've avoided their legacy RPGs like the plague for 20 years-plus), but I guess we'll see. I'm bracing myself for disappointment; that way if I'm disappointed it will be in a good way, right?

At any rate, the most likely candidate would seem to be Ecco the Dolphin, but even though the original was fairly popular and well-reviewed, I don't personally consider it as a candidate to "steal the show". Skies of Arcadia, on the other hand...MEGATON.

@LafayetteBlues I own it and have played it. It's a nice new iteration of the Genesis games. It's also developed not by Sega but by DotEmu and Lizardcube.

I've learned to expect pretty much everything from Sega (especially if it's tied to Sonic in some way) except anything I'm personally interested in. I cringe at teases like this because I know with near absolute certainly they won't be about any of their long-dormant RPG franchises (Shining Force, Skies of Arcadia, Dragon Force, etc.) or any compilation that isn't Genesis, but rather some random IP they've likely as not outsourced to a third party with middling results. The only IP that's remotely captured the essence and sheer, passion-fueled quality Sega used to be known for two decades ago has been Valkyria Chronicles, and I don't expect it to make the rounds again anytime soon, either.

So no, I don't expect much at all. It would be nice to be pleasantly surprised after all these years, though.

Gamers: "But I wanted a full, mainline Direct! I wanted more BotW 2 footage, and maybe some Metroid Prime 4 while you're at it! I wanted news on the next wave of MK 8 Deluxe's track pass, and when we're gonna finally get Advance Wars! I want more new game announcements! I want--"

Judge Smails: "You'll get NOTHING and LIKE IT!"