BobbleBubble

Thank you for sharing these! I remember that Link one, and the Peach one especially. What a blast from the past. I never submitted any art to Player's Pulse that I can remember, but I was definitely inspired to draw when a new issue would come out. Can Nintendo Power be resurrected already? I miss getting a printed magazine in the mail.

No! Another one. I always liked his Gary Oak voice. Somehow cocky and whiny at the same time – but so memorable and distinct. We keep losing original Pokemon voice actors.

Just bring over Quest 64, Starcraft 64, and Ogre Battle 64 already! My son keeps trying to play Ogre Battle and Starcraft on my childhood N64 and they don't boot up consistently.

Yay for Fantasy Life! My kids and I got the Switch 2 edition and have been really enjoying it. It's exactly the kind of title to get for the summer when homeschool is on break and it's 100 degrees outside. I never played the 3DS version but I'm about 30 hours into the game and have only tried one profession so lots of value for the money!

As an artist/graphic designer, I appreciate the art from Fantasy Life i! I have been using AI more in my day job and it's helpful – but when it comes to drawing, I won't hand that creative process over to a machine, even if it can do a better/faster job than I can at the final image. The act of creation is sacred – and leads to joy (even if AI makes it harder to get a paycheck from it).

My family is really enjoying this game. There's quite a lot to do and explore, and it sounds like the creators are going to keep supporting it with updates.

The art direction on this game is fantastic – so lively – and yes, that cover art is gorgeous.

@Reprise Agreed.

@JohnnyMind I play Switch Minecraft with the kids and there is a significant performance leap playing it on Switch 2. The load times are faster when starting, the visuals are punchier and more vibrant (even without the new DLC), and the draw distances do seem better. Perhaps the best thing for us though is the multiplayer improvements – we can all craft items simultaneously without slowdown, and even enter the "change appearance" menu without a strain.

Oh man! I thought that felt weird and had forgotten that was the control scheme back in the day.

Dreamlight Valley (Switch 1 version) has already been given a huge boost by being played on Switch 2. My daughter and I tested the loading times and it takes 3 minutes to boot up the game on our OG Switch, and only about 45 seconds on Switch 2. My wife joked that there have been times over the past year where the game took so long to load she literally lost interest in playing it by the time it came on lol.

This is a great game. I will definitely be replaying this. Some others have mentioned this, but the pixel battle animations are just fantastic. Also, the battle sound effects are satisfying.

I just hope I get an email invitation next week. I wasn't an early adopter for the Switch, but I am going to be this time around. We've been wanting a second Switch for years, so we might as well upgrade. Mostly excited for Mario Kart and finally getting to play through Wind Waker with the kiddos! I don't think we'll be spending $85 for Pro Controllers, though. They were expensive enough to purchase for Switch 1!

Always wanted to try that one as a kid.

@DanijoEX-the-Pierrot My point is no game lasts forever, either digital or physical. Personally, I don't need either format to last forever, as I myself will not last forever.

If you are someone who continues to play games 20 years on after their original purchase, it isn't clear to me which form is better. I have digital games on the Wii that continue to play, but the truth is – I don't play them. Same for my old physical games, a number of which no longer function anyhow.

I don't quite understand the the argument that physical games last longer than digital and are therefore preferred. Only half of my N64 cartridges work consistently at this point. My original Diddy Kong Racing cart is even corrupted. No game lasts forever! Yes, servers eventually shut down, but by that time I've moved on to a newer system that is more reliable at booting up. The Switch is great – NSO has kept my ability to play my old favorites alive and well.

For the Switch, we have a mix of physical and digital games. More digital, though. And dang-nabbit, when I finally sit down at 9pm after the kiddos are in bed and kick back the recliner (preferring to use our TV coupled with a pro controller), the realization that I've got the wrong game cartridge inserted is not well received.

My 10 year old and 7 year old have struggled with difficulty levels in certain games. They stick to 50-100CC in Mario Kart, and pretty much refuse to play online modes in games against other players like in Smash. We tried playing Wonder as a family but ended up playing it separately, because we are all at different levels of coordination and it was frustrating to keep leaving the kiddos "behind".

That said, there are plenty of options for kids who want a laid back time – Minecraft has a creative mode where monsters don't attack. My daughter loves Cat Quest and can probably beat it in her sleep at this point. They also recently discovered Stardew Valley, Dreamlight Valley, and we all love playing the low-difficulty indie co-op game Ages of Mages together.

Mario 3D World is my daughter's favorite Mario game. She would often hang out in her "bubble" when things got hard, and would use the white tanooki "cheat" suit if she was playing single player and couldn't get past a certain level. I would encourage her to not use the special suit, though. It's no bad thing to challenge your children – the feeling of achievement they'll receive when they beat a level "fair and square" may incentivize them to not shy away from hard things.

Indeed – I challenged my daughter to NOT use the suit on a level she was struggling with – and though it took her over 50 tries, we celebrated and she was beaming when she beat it. Now, she can do it pretty easily without so much struggle. Certain things come with age.

The kids watched me sweat and squirm through the last level of World Crown in Mario 3D World (probably played 150 times to beat – and that using Peach who can float), so it's good to show them that adults who have been gaming their whole lives still struggle with – and can ultimately conquer – difficult levels.

For your 3 year old, give it time. She'll improve, and it will be a joy to watch. There's a huge difference a few years make.

The new one makes me laugh. I don't find it unappealing.

Koopa Beach! That track has been stuck in my head since the 90s, but I'm not complaining.

Banjo did go toe to toe with Mario back in the late 90s. Sales-wise, Mario 64 wins, but in the game quality category, Banjo-Kazooie had the edge. In the controls, the graphics/art style, the story and memorable characters, the original BK outing really outshines Mario 64. I think in order to revive the series, you would need a developer with a vision for how to improve upon what made BK unique and wondrous. I'm sure it could be done, but I suspect the chances are pretty low.

That's easy. The North American/European one. I think that cover, along with the Mario Kart cover on Nintendo Power and my parent's description of playing a demo of it at Target is what made me want to get a N64. I remember my dad telling me "the racers go woo-hoo and talk" while racing, which was a big deal at the time.

Thanks Nintendo! Now, please remake Mario Land 1 + 2 (and heck, even 3) using the original art style from the box art shown above. Make it hand drawn and smoothly animated ala Wario Land: Shake It, and add some bonus levels and extra cut scenes. Bundle them all together and lets do justice for this underrated era!

@KillerTan98 Agreed!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! And two days before my birthday. Thanks, Nintendo!!!

This really bums me out. I didn't realize she had been sick. She was very talented and was one of the voices from my childhood. I never realized until years later that she was the voice of multiple characters in Pokemon, and beyond! OG Team Rocket forever!

I did a little deep dive into the unit sales of all 16 releases in the "Mario RPG" series, and TTYD remake is already in 10th place in the rankings, beating out the original Paper Mario and Partners in Time. It's only been on the market for 73 days, so there is time for it to pass the original TTYD, the original Mario RPG and Superstar Saga. Yes, the gaming market is much larger than the GBA, GCN, and SuperNES days, but there is also a lot more competition!

Game series that hasn't yet come to Switch but needs to? Wario Land, please! In the hand drawn graphical style of Shake It, but with the mechanics of an old school Gameboy Wario Land – and the story involving Wario becoming a villain again ala Super Mario Land 2, where he has to retake Mario's castle and fight Mario as the final boss.

Just finished TTYD remake, and it is fantastic. I rediscovered the badge shop in Rogueport late game, and found the Gamecube badge that let's you play the original soundtrack in the background. My kids said they need to do a direct sequel to this game, and I agree. Also, those are pretty impressive numbers. I wouldn't count out TTYD passing 2012's Sticker Star at least. It just came out, and is doing very well.

@LadyCharlie Right there with you. We had a NES as our first system, but I was 3 when the GameBoy came out. I remember getting a gray one, and my sister got a green one.

I feel like I have been "behind" this entire generation. Our family didn't get our Switch until mid 2020 – and to put things into perspective, I didn't get through BOTW until early this year (never mind TOTK). There are a number of first party titles I haven't played yet, not counting the rest. I have owned more games for this system than any other Nintendo system to date. Switch 2 will undoubtedly be fun, but I feel like the gaming world is moving much faster than I am.

The Switch has been an incredible system – easily surpassing all Nintendo systems before it (and that's saying a lot). As a guy who was a kid in the 90's, a big chunk of my favorite games from that era are readily accessible and even portable. This has meant I have been able to relive these experiences with my own kids which has been fantastic. The library is vast – which may not be fully appreciated by those who didn't grow up in a Nintendo-only household in the late 90s and early 2000s.

By the way, Nintendo, if you are reading this comments section– please also add Ogre Battle 64, Starcraft 64, Banjo-Tooie, DK64, Quest 64, Smash Bros., Diddy Kong Racing, and Bomberman and I think that should do it. Oh, and my wife really wants Pokemon Blue, Red and Yellow for the Game Boy app.

Our family has been an NSO + Expansion Pack subscriber since it was available. I have logged hundreds of hours on the N64 app alone. I love it – the games from the golden age of my childhood, available to play with my kids. Banjo-Kazooie, MK64, Goldeneye and Perfect Dark! We've played through Mario 64 and Ocarina together. My son now prefers Mario 64 to any other Mario game, even though others have substantially better graphics. My wife loves Wave Race and smokes us all because she was a master at that game back in the day. I still have my original N64 upstairs, but we hardly play it. NSO is just too convenient!

This is too high for me, but Nintendo can charge that much because they know people will pay that price. Not everyone, but I bet it will sell over a million copies.

Good job to the NintendoLife worker who chose that thumbnail for the article.

Perfect Dark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish List:

• A new Wario Land with hand drawn art/animation ala Wario Land: Shake It.
• Wind Waker HD so I can play through it with my kids.
• Banjo Tooie, Perfect Dark, Starcraft 64, and old Gameboy Pokemon games coming to NSO
• A remaster of Ogre Battle 64 or a direct sequel

I have been waiting for Banjo Threeie since December 2000. I am still holding out hope for a legit sequel – but that hope has admittedly waned over the long years. It would need to be released on a Nintendo system, of course. I want to find out what happened to Grunty's bony head and how she plans on getting revenge (again) – and I don't count Nutz and Boltz as canon.

You can get 2.5" versions of those Mario and Luigi snowmen in one of Nintendo's advent calendars. My son has them. Pretty cool!

First time in 25 years that I have noticed this, but does Banjo have a tail? He is a bear after all.

Vampire Survivors. I'm scared to look how many hours I have sunk into the game so far, but I must unlock Queen Sigma!

Kirby's Dream Land (along with Mario Land 2) was one of my first games I got for the Gameboy as a kid. It gave me a sense of accomplishment that I could beat an "entire game" in one go. I think there are only five levels – but it was fun and I couldn't wait to get to DeDeDe so I could jam out to his awesome boss music.

It looks so good. I played through the first two Paper Mario games within the last two years with my kids and it brought back so many memories. They love the humor and would laugh out loud while they watched. I perform the voices (my daughter voices Peach). I am so excited for this remake – and Nintendo, feel free to make a direct sequel to TTYD after this!

@msipanda Agreed. I am playing through this now on NSO and am just amazed by the pixel art in some of the cutscenes, and how lively the battle animations are. I haven't played the modern FE games, but am really enjoying this one!

I remember reading about this game in Nintendo Power before it was released and was really excited. Before it was released, it was titled Yoshi's Island 64. It's short but sweet. The music is memorable and the art style is cute. I still have my original copy and now my kids play it on the Switch. It was the first game we played through together, and it's very accessible for young players who haven't played many platformers.

The next Nintendo Direct wishlist:
1) Preview the next 12 NSO N64 Game releases
2) Wind Waker Remastered (Don't care about TP)
3) Remastered Mario Land 1-3 games in one title
4) The official release date of Advance Wars Reboot Camp
5) Remaster of Ogre Battle 64 or brand new title (not Tactics)
6) Animal Crossing Paid DLC #2 (this won't happen)
7) Super Mario RPG 2 or new Paper Mario direct sequel to TTYD

This looks fun!

@Knightrider1 Whatever is holding up Goldeneye, I hope it can be resolved and released for NSO. My dad and I played it together and we'd take turn doing the missions. We had such a blast. Every time I think of 007 (and Perfect Dark) I think of those late 90's summers. I want to create new memories with my own kids this time around!

@Ratmasterd21 I’d like to see Ogre Battle 64, StarCraft 64 (a guy can dream!), Banjo Tooie, DK 64, Super Smash, Diddy Kong Racing, Mario Party games, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Bomberman 64, Pokémon Stadium, Rogue Squadron, and more.