BoilerBroJoe

I think it may be unfounded. I looked at that myself yesterday and it's important to note that most Minis were about a single game or service and not like the one yesterday. It doesn't seem common for there to be two announcement heavy Directs in a row. I do think there will be a game-specific or service-focused Direct next month, but not sooner than that. I'd love to be wrong though!

I feel like a bit of a chump because I own both Hyrule Warriors and Tropical Freeze and have barely gotten around to playing either. It's my own fault I suppose. I'm actually kinda excited about getting Hyrule Warriors again, since it includes all the 3DS stuff (which I never owned). Bringing together the console and portable versions of a game is a great way to sell the Switch's versatility, and I hope to see them do it with Super Mario Maker, Smash Bros. and NES Remix as well. As for Tropical Freeze, I'm tempted, but I think I'll just play the version I already have. The original Donkey Kong Country Returns on the other hand...

So what happened with those Amazon place holders? Apparently there were 18 or so, and I only count eight new games announced in this Direct. That's not to say more are coming, but maybe it's the type of news we should ignore going forward.

Aaaaand, Boom. Jools Watsham is gauging interest in a Chicken Wiggle release on Switch. Maybe it's not a done deal but it looks likely, and with HD graphics to boot.

Question: Did Nintendo's lack of presence in Russia all these years mean that the SNES, N64, Gamecube etc. had to be acquired through the gray market? If so it's interesting to see Nintendo tacitly recognize that fact in this ad.

Side note: I always love the way Russian announcers/radio ads sound, even though I have no idea what they're saying.

And now that Nintendo has a renewed interest in Russia, it may be time for them to take seriously that country with nearly ten times the number of people: INDIA.

I can't imagine that one of the other games isn't Chicken Wiggle. It did so poorly on the 3DS specifically because of the audience shift to the Switch. Since porting is much lower cost than development, it seems like the obvious way to make some of their money back.
Personally though I'd love to see Moon on the Switch, which I've always heard about and never played.

What they could do is continue the open world theme, but throw a few dungeons in that share some of that space and gameplay style. In other words, you could have several underground sections, or large buildings with multiple entrances that can easily be visited more than once. These dungeons would be aesthetically distinct and a little harder than the overworld, and they might have some puzzles that lead you to an ultimate boss or item, but they would still mesh well enough that the line between dungeon and overworld is blurred. Being able to teleport out at any time might help to make these dungeons feel a little freer as well. Breath of the Wild's version of Lost Woods is the closest thing in the game to what I'm imagining.

You guys!! Mega Man 11!!!

Mega Man X, you guys! You guuuuys!

From what I understand, Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht is very interested in resurrecting the Rogue Leaders game and bringing it to the Switch, saying that most of the obstacles for that would be out of the way now. Of course, that doesn't mean that anyone else is interested, but I like to think that Nintendo has been playing nicer lately. We'll see. If it does happen, maybe there'd even be hope for this game.

Damn, the Switch Halloween sale was better than this. I regret not getting Shovel Knight and The Mummy Demastered when I had the chance.

"When you think about the playstyle of the Switch it would be great if I could play all classic games on it."

Uh... SHYAH.

Given the lack of 3D and the general uselessness of a second screen during gameplay, I sure wish this game had come out on the Switch. Portable mode would obviously work fine, and I can't imagine any puzzle being complicated that it couldn't also use traditional or motion controls for TV play.

Not to take the spotlight off of a deserving artist, but just as a side note: did you guys ever spotlight Chozo Legacy by bLiNd? That album is amazing. I searched your articles and didn't see it mentioned, though I may have missed it.

That said, this release looks incredibly comprehensive. Definitely interested.

To me these two issues are one in the same. I would be more or less fine with re-buying VC games each generation IF there were a way to transfer/share my save data between systems. I know that's not exactly the problem that needs to be addressed at the moment, but I think that's a big part of cloud saving's value, and other companies use it that way. The bottom line is that I hesitate to buy ANY game that I think may come to the next system, because I don't want to have to play it over and over from the beginning; especially if it's a long, involved RPG. The same could honestly be said about other ports as well, like Shovel Knight, Shantae and the various other indie games moving from the Wii U to the Switch. Nintendo is acting like these aren't the same game we're buying again and again.

Remember when Nintendo talked about integrating all of their devices into a shared ecosystem? Are we supposed to interpret that as just earning coins in Super Mario Run and spending them on 3DS home themes? If Nintendo makes a cloud save service that can TRULY connect games across their systems, then I won't complain about paying a few bucks for an upgrade, and I won't mind the wait as much, so long as I can play Earthbound on the Wii U and transfer my progress to its eventual Switch counterpart.

I was hugely disappointed to hear Nintendo say that they are unsure of their plans for the Virtual Console. Even if their free classic game service takes off sooner rather than later, they still claim that only NES is a certainty, and everything else is TBD. Honestly I'd take the old Virtual Console, warts and all, over this new service based on what I've heard.

Add all that to the spotlight only being a half hour and the near certainty that previously announced games will be the focus and I'm no longer really excited for the show. But I'm still holding on to hope.

I knew a proper Pokemon for the Switch was mostly just fan dreaming, but I'm more annoyed that - once again - the lack of concrete future plans for the Virtual Console means I will be endlessly waiting to buy Pokemon Gold/Silver on the 3DS while wondering if it will ever hit the Switch. Honestly, Nintendo, just tell me there WON'T be a VC for the Switch. I'll be disappointed, but at least I'll know what to buy.

Dude, call me crazy, but I think that "2D Zelda Prototype" is evidence that they're working on a "Zelda-maker" for the Switch. Something about that 2D overworld with just a hint of depth, and the way the trees wobble when Link hits them, reminds me of the creation screen and some of the other quirks in Super Mario Maker. And it's not impossible to imagine an overworld/dungeon creator with the three (overhead) graphical styles of LoZ, Link to the Past, and Four Swords or Link Between Worlds.

It just seemed odd when they said they happened to have "2D Zelda character models on hand". Either that's too obvious to be stated (they're Nintendo) or it's weirdly convenient.

Switch, or it didn't happen.

I don't mind that the games are only on the New Nintendo 3DS (I actually bought it because I suspected this might happen). And I don't even mind that the games aren't offered free with an earlier purchase - Nintendo needs to make money after all. But what really grinds my grits is that there's no kind of save data transfer between the 3DS and the Wii U. This has GOT to be possible, considering the two systems were designed to communicate with one another. It's the difference between paying a little more to have portability and paying to own the exact same game on two completely disconnected systems.

So far I haven't duplicated a single purchase between my Wii U and 3DS, out of protest. I may finally break that rule for Mega Man 2 or Kid Icarus (which I bought on the 3DS before even owning a Wii U), but as for these SNES games, I definitely won't be buying any I already have.

@ThomasBW84 Hey, it's actually Legend of the Mystical Ninja. "Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon" is the N64 game - a wonderful but highly unlikely addition to the 3DS Virtual Console.

I know we Nintendo fans (and Virtual Console fans in particular) are notorious for complaining, but the lack of cross-buy really is getting ridiculous - and perhaps even more importantly, the lack of save data transfer. When the Wii U was revealed to have the ability to communicate with the 3DS, I just assumed this type of thing was the intention. A game like F-Zero or Super Mario Kart might not really need data transfer, but larger SNES games like Earthbound, Link to the Past and Super Metroid would be really frustrating without it. How many average gamers really want to play through those games twice over within a single generation? Something as simple as copying a restore point from one system to the other has got to be possible.

If Nintendo offered discounts and data transfer (or even just ONE of those), I would buy a whole bunch of NES and SNES games right now. But as it stands, I can't really see myself buying any of these except Super Mario Kart. Honestly, I would have gotten way more excited if they announced a new batch of Gameboy, Gameboy Color or Game Gear games.

A slight discount and the ability to trade with yourself and I'd buy all three Pokemon games on day one. But otherwise, I really don't have an interest in playing through a substantially large game twice in a row. It's between classic Blue and new-to-me Yellow for now.

@TheWPCTraveler Quite the opposite. I'm saying that there were no dissenting opinions in Japan, which might be why the costume went through. Hitting up against the multicultural West would then be what caused this removal.

This isn't censorship. There's no state intervention. And the original vision of the artists has certainly been altered plenty of times within the Japanese company to suit corporate interests. The only difference is that this is one instance we actually know about.

I'm a firm supporter of free speech. But I think too many people interpret resistance to speech as suppression. Free speech does not entitle you to an audience that will not protest. Just as you guys have every right to protest this change, Native Americans and their supporters would have every right to protest these costumes. Apparently the company decided that those protesters are more powerful than you. And considering that indigenous anti-defamation leagues aren't exactly swimming in cash, I'd say it's a safe bet that that power represents the ethos of our society more than it does some kind of monied oligarchy. Again, no censorship going on here.

Honestly, none of us have any idea why this change was made. It could be the result of a tectonic shift in our society's values, or it could be some Western SquareEnix executive who really likes Stetsons. Either way, I absolutely encourage you to argue against this change if it's a sincerely held belief. That's what free speech means. But I also think that society is leaving those beliefs behind, and I'm totally fine with that.

We can all say "it's not like this is as bad as the Washington Redskins name/logo", but I'm sure, even today, there are people saying "it's not like the Washington Redskins logo is as bad as old cowboy movies" and so on and so on. The fact of the matter is, none of us know if SquareEnix's North American or Western divisions have been in touch with Native American representatives - it's very likely that they've shown someone the material and received an opinion. These types of organizations are very common in the entertainment industry. It's becoming a common sentiment, and one I agree with, that representing an ethnic or racial group as a costume is unacceptable - at least when it's one you don't belong to. There will come a time, by the way, when this will generate outrage in Japan too. Then we won't even be having this discussion.

It may be a lot to ask, but here's hoping Nintendo offers the remaining e-Reader content (additional special items/demo videos) as DLC. It should be at least conceivable, since the card was essentially additional code being read by the ROM. I'd be willing to pay for it.

I think what excites me most about the Virtual Console is that it can act as a sort of museum for Nintendo's history and can let you explore some of its more obscure products. Games like Vs. Excitebike, Summer Carnival '92: Recca, and the fully localized Mother are perfect examples of this. Unfortunately, it's just as often that content gets removed for the sake of expediency (like the recent lack of ghost data on Mario Kart 64). I'd love to see Nintendo release some Satellaview games or Famicom 3D system games on the 3DS though I know the chances of that are slim. But this release, at least, is a step in the right direction. I'll definitely be supporting it.

Like most people I look forward to the weekly VC releases and am routinely disappointed, but I have to admit I'm legitimately excited about Bayou Billy.

@Comboman77 I think you're right. I referred to these as VC games in my first post to be concise, but I think these are actually ports, especially since they said something like "we worked hard to make sure the games are as close as possible to the originals". Although I can't for the life of me fathom why, it seems like it's impossible to poke around the original code and just make the ROMs wifi compatible. Apparently they needed to redo it from the ground up. Notice they didn't actually use the words "Virtual Console"

That said, I kind of want them to be sold in the Virtual Console section of the e-shop and represented by the same icons just so it can look nice next to my other Gameboy games, heheh. Also, Nintendo needs some encouragement to bring the VC back for real. The optimist in me is hoping that there are plans to fully integrate (and expand) both Virtual Console libraries on the NX, but I'm not so sure.

FINALLY! Virtual Console returns to 3DS with an entry that's been conspicuously absent for a long time. Definitely getting Blue or Yellow (I originally owned Red), and hoping that this leads to the following generations being released in their original versions. I never played any after the first Generation.

The music is from the album "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Hyrule Symphony", released in 1999, if anyone was interested. More of a string ensemble than symphony really, but some nice stuff nonetheless. There's also a medley of the older games which includes a short Ballad of the Windfish arrangement that's still my favorite.

This actually looks like a great DS game to release for the VC. No real touch controls, and the second screen is just for menus/reference. That's what works best on a TV. Plus it's one I don't already own. I may be interested if this comes to North America.

Absolutely agree with Captain_Gonru. This seems like an obvious software update. An interface with the Miiverse community could be good as well. Come on Nintendo, you talk about people not appreciating the gamepad, and then don't use it for what it would clearly be good for.

Also, slight tangent, but the DS games should give you the option of mirroring a single screen, or even reversing the top/bottom screen orientation (for games with no real touch controls). It may seem counter intuitive, but there are several games that predominantly use the bottom screen. Why download a title for your television when you're staring at your controller for hours?

I don't understand Japanese either, but I'm guessing the "two players using the same system" thing is actually just a mode where you play on the top screen and see your opponents progress on the bottom screen.

Guys, like Proffrink said, it's obvious that the Wii U was always a stretch goal. I can't see any tiny part of a logo and I don't have to. What else can the quote "That said, we've heard legends about a remarkable treasure hidden in the castle basement..." possibly mean? I am 100% positive that a Wii U version is planned if the stretch goals are met.

So if you want a Wii U version, the only way to guarantee it is to donate.