BigRed40

Might pick this up now when it's on sale. That said, while very polished, the game is a bit too repetitive and vanilla for my taste.

Can't believe we didn't get a $50 Arwing amiibo

@Tibob As a 3DS amabassador, lot of fond memories with this one from that early drought. And on that note, I'd kill for a new Steel Divers game or even just a port

Predictions/Realistic Wishlist:
-MKW DLC
-Ocarina of Time Remake
-Zelda Movie Teaser/trailer
-more StarFox
-Duskbloods news + delay
-Metaphor and E33 ports
-random new IP
-Fire Emblem news
-new Monolithsoft game
-Luigi's Mansion 4 in October

@TripleJump how dare you get my expectations up like that?

Will absolutely check this out! Thanks for the coverage.

Didn't even know about this. Haven't played a Lego game in ages but have a special place in my heart for the original Starwars one on Gamecube. Hope this port gets the love it deserves, otherwise might pick it up on PS5 one day if it goes on sale.

Game could be super mid, I haven't played it, but the way so many gamers seem to engage with video game criticism is a reminder of why the medium and gamers in particular are not taken seriously.

Man I became a fan with DQ Builders 2 and DQ11S so the wait for 12 has been brutal. Been wrapping up my playthrough DQ7 Reimagined and hopefully we get more of the Reimagined games, but man I want 12 already.

"Nintendo is playing it too safe" and the playing it safe is an open world Mario Kart, a 3D DK, Pokemon animal crossing, and a new StarFox.

What they ACTUALLY mean is "wahhh where is Zelda/3D Mario"

@N00BiSH Yeah, I grew up with that game so I get you but just don't know if the masses would agree

@N00BiSH Not sure I agree that SF1 had "great art direction". Was it impressive for the time? Sure. But I don't think many would say it aged particularly well.

Normally a digital guy these days, but ngl this box art has me debating physical, even with the $10 difference.

I think I might normally be a bit adverse to this direction, but given the campiness of the series, and the relatively empty field of Nintendo franchises with realistic graphics, I actually think these are a great and bold redesign for the franchise. Sure, they're not exact puppets, but I think they found a good balance. Very much feels new in a way previous redesigns just felt iterative, while still feeling very true to the characters, which feels right for a franchise that seems to be struggling to find a modern audience.

@N00BiSH Curious you say that, because the original StarFox was partially born out of a desire to showcase graphical fire power

Yeah I might need all of these

@splinters Absolutely. People are understandably upset by yet another remake, but the last entry was over a DECADE ago, and it failed miserably, in a franchise that has never sold all that well in the first place. Kids have been born and finished elementary since the WiiU game for pete's sake! StarFox just needs an easy win and to reintroduce the franchise to a younger generation. Anyways, I think they clearly put a lot of love into this and are trying to set up the franchise for future success, which should excite ALL StarFox fans.

@BongoBongo123 It looks just like the SNES box art. You're free to dislike it but there is very much precedent for this direction.

What a strange article. Are we discussing the new StarFox or doomcasting about Nintendo as a company? I get the disappointment with a remake AGAIN, but this felt disproportionately negative. "The visuals look decent". Are we watching the same video? I understand this is all opinions, and you're allowed to be disappointed, but it felt like this author let their disappointment with Nintendo at large color their impression of the reveal, rather than simply taking it for what it is, which, to me seems like a very polished and impressive remake of a beloved game from a franchise which desperately needs an easy win.

@AI-Generation Wow I'm sure Nintendo hasn't thought of that. Miyamoto take notes!

@johnedwin This game feels incredibly western imo so I'm not surprised

@Dr_Fresh Couldn't agree more. Videogames as movies continue to not be taken seriously exactly because of why the Mario Galaxy movie failed. Over concerned with references and fan service in a way that I actually find diminishes what made those experiences shine in the first place. Cregger's focus on capturing the feeling of actually playing a Resident Evil game over worrying about indulgent fan service is actually a credit to the games imo.

I just wanna know what the Baron Harkonnen was doing there lol

Other than the conclusion, this entire review read like begrudging praise. Not sure if that was intentional or not, but definitely read more like a 7-8 than a 9/10.

@benmalsky198 IMO their movies just lack the depth, originality, or charm of their counterparts like Pixar, Dreamworks, or even Sony Pictures recently.

@schmauz Feeling the same. The combat is fun but I've done the buddy shooter action game thing before and the dialogue really hasn't been compelling enough to make it anything unique imo. Still, probably an 8 for me and my opinion could change as I get further into it.

@trobby I'm hardly a Marvel fanatic, but A) most of those films are hardly critic darlings, and B) even those movies have a lot more characterization and narrative development than the Mario movies

Mario is kind of a blank slate character by design imo. His plots are stripped back, and he doesn't talk often. If the movie pushed a certain narrative or characterization of Mario in the movie, they risk alienating fans who don't relate to a particular version of Mario.

Honestly thats why I just never cared for the idea of these movies anyways, even if I love the games. Hoping the Zelda movie has a bit more depth given it's relative maturity and depth but not holding my breadth. That said Wes Ball is more promising than Illumination so who knows.

Miyamoto sounds a bit defensive here, wonder if its a bit lost in translation. But nonetheless, while I disagree with him, he's the face of Nintendo and Mario, he's not gonna trash his own movie!

Despite loving StarFox and still having my WiiU set-up, I didn't play this one and don't intend to unless I find it in a budget bin somewhere.

About what I guessed. I think these games are better thought of as social sim sandboxes than games you binge. Looking forward to playing this with my gf and seeing what ridiculous stuff we come up with.

@BrazilRules Think this says more about you if your first thought on seeing a child is "loli"

Super stoked for this. Gonna have to fight the urge to pick this AND Tomadachi Life up this week.

The spread on the user reviews here is super interesting. Wide but also sharply divided opinion.

Fascinated by the people who browse NL but get upset about knowledgeable podcasters talking about Nintendo? Its an article. No one is forcing you to click on it. So strange

I'm glad Nintendo still makes oddball games like this and am quite looking forward to playing it with my girlfriend. That said, I share the concerns of some of the previews. Hope there is enough content here to make it engaging beyond a couple weeks of gags.

@larryisaman I doubt they will but that's my wish too. I often lament the loss of truly "handheld" gaming devices with Switch 2 being too unwieldy to ever break out in public (though weirdly I play my Switch 2 in handheld mode way more than I ever did with my Switch 1). But a dockable Switch 2 Lite might even make me double dip.

@larryisaman Concur on the Switch 2 Lite point. I know at least anecdotally that is what my girlfriend is waiting on. My guess is we'll get it announced a couple months before Winds and Waves release as a lower barrier to entry given the behemoth of sales that is Pokemon.

It's hard to imagine Nintendo doesn't have a big holiday release waiting to be unveiled, but each passing day without a reveal leaves me a bit more anxious. Here's hoping for a big June direct.

Cool ideas and all but best we will get is a couple floating areas we access with the same "ride" tool we use to go underwater. Get ready to see your trainer t-pose on that skateboard into the heavens.

Joking aside, playing through FireRed has reminded me of HM's crimes against humanity as much as the next guy, but please god GameFreak, in a world with super powered monsters let us use them to explore and unlock the world. And a bit of friction is not the end of the world either! Unlocking a previously unaccessible area with new abilities is fun! Just make abilities like Surf, Strength, Fly, etc innate to different Pokemon types, not an HM.

Theoretically, this should be a great set for me considering I seem unable to ever pull even the basic EXs but somehow get some useless shiny every third pack.

Nice article. I definitely love a lot of these but its true some just didn't get the lore to have the legs they deserved. Zarude is a super cool monkey design who was just abandoned, and Eternatus is a bad*ss design, but feels like a leftover idea from XY (red and blue legendaries, looks like those old 3D glasses), and like you said, was a weird tonal mismatch.

@VinzClortho1981 Expecting a cozy game spin off to include every single Pokemon (of which there are over 1000 now), years after the catchphrase was retired, seems like a bit of a weird hill to die on if you still enjoy the franchise overall.

Gotta say, so interesting seeing the majority of comments on the Nintendo fan site being relatively lukewarm on Pokopia, meanwhile from my irl experience and Twitter, the game seems to be hitting the streets like Walter White's own blend. Heck, my sister who was skeptical of the Switch 2 bought one just to play it.

Personally, I'm loving every minute. I have been craving a new Viva Pinata and loved DQ Builders so this is like a match made in heaven for me.

As one of the 10 people with a playdate, this game is wonderful! Lots of little gems on that thing and satisfies that "got five minutes to kill" itch. Glad to see some of the games get a bigger release.

I distinctly remember taking some standardized test as a kid where the question was about the butterfly life cycle. Immediately thought "Larvitar evolves into Pupitar"! Countless other words and concepts I can definitely see myself having learned from Pokemon too! Great article!

Ironically given the initial backlash, I thinking killing the national dex improved the experience in a way you desire. It makes seeing old mon's from previous gens exciting again when they are found in a new game.

I actually wish that they would just lower the number of Pokemon that appear in the overworld wild areas and make their discovery feel more exciting. Seeing ten ghastly just roaming around in a grassy plain for no reason feels so boring. Would be way cooler to say, find a small abandoned building, go inside, and discover a few different ghost types inhabiting the place, hiding in the shadows.

A little expensive but this seems cute. Lot of people seem to just be mad it's not something it isn't.

Never got into the competitive side of things with Pokemon, but hoping this will be a good way for me to give it a shot

Perfect candidate for a "Shadow" drop but glad to finally be getting this. Lot of fond memories from playing this as a kid.