Bolt_Strike

@Res462 Ehh, hardware and software sales are still good but declining and in the absence of a better lineup announced, the decline will continue. It's definitely time to change course or that success will be short lived.

@Res462 The third parties are not what make Nintendo successful, most players just buy Nintendo for first party. Again, look at the top selling games for Switch, you have to go all the way to #26 to find a third party, the top games are all first party. If Nintendo is trying to replicate the Switch's success, they're absolutely going about it with the wrong lineup. It's pretty clear from the Switch's sales figures that what they need is a new 3D Mario, a new 3D Zelda, a new Animal Crossing, Smash 6, Splatoon 4, etc., and they'll want them as early as possible. None of those being here (with the only announced titles in this mold being MKW and Pokemon Winds/Waves) in the first 2 years is what's hurting them.

@Res462 Well they kind of shot themselves in the foot chasing specs then. The Switch 2's hasn't exactly proven itself to do much that the Switch couldn't and it's causing increased dev times.

Whatever the case, they can't just announce everything, but they can announce a bit more of their 2027 plans, that's more reasonable. If the rumors about 3D Mario being pushed to 2027 are true, I still think they should announce it in the June Direct anyway (I don't even care if we don't see a second of gameplay until 2027, at least having the game confirmed to exist would be a major boon). That's the kind of announcement needed to fix the narrative here.

@Res462 It's selling well for now... somehow. But with the price increase confirmed, there's more of an urgency for these games now. It's a tougher pill to swallow when the console is more expensive AND still doesn't have enough games, and now some might expect even MORE to compensate for the increased price. The pressure was already on for this presumed June Direct, but now we may even be getting into make or break territory.

@dubLEs There is no "before the price increase", there's been concerns about price increases since the Switch 2 was even announced since the economic factors leading to it were already in place back then (primarily because of the election of a certain someone back in November 2024). I bought the console at launch knowing this would happen, that's the reason I'm in this situation (there were also a few games I wanted to play early). Any other economic circumstances and I would've waited, there are some games I like, but not enough to justify the $450, but because I knew it wouldn't be $450 forever and it would most likely be more expensive by the time I did see enough, I just bit the bullet early. And it's taking them a lot longer than I expected to see enough.

@Styledvinny79 IDK about that, depending on the execution there may be some that feel like it's not big enough because it's a remake and still want other IPs. But if the rumors about it being ambitious and big budget are true and it is a mind-blowing remake that makes it feel far better than the original, maybe.

I think 3D Mario is the big one that will get people to shut up. That's the one that's really driving everyone crazy for several reasons:

1. 3D Mario has always arrived by the 2nd holiday season in the hardware's lifespan, if 3D Mario is indeed missing the 2026 holiday that's unprecedentedly late.
2. Everyone was taken aback when DK Bananza was announced instead of 3D Mario and is concerned that Bananza "replaces" 3D Mario.
3. There hasn't been a big new 3D Mario in 9 years (there's been plenty of ports and remakes in that span, but the last fully original game was Odyssey), which is both a record for the IP and makes it one of if not the longest current drought of new entries from Nintendo's non-dormant IPs (i.e. not from IPs that have clearly been shelved like Star Fox, F-Zero, Wario Land, etc.).

In a lot of ways, 3D Mario feels due, perhaps even overdue and it's making people antsy, so it's an easy target for the issues with lack of big IPs/IPs they personally like.

@jsty3105 Yeah no, Nintendo DEFINITELY has changed some aspects of their marketing this gen. Usually in the Switch 1 era they would announce a new game in a Direct about 4-6 months out from release and/or we would have a fairly comprehensive overview trailer by that point, this gen it's tended to shorten to about 1-2 months. For the most part, Nintendo's only really marketing one game at a time and you have no real idea if anything you like is coming out anytime soon, whereas with the Switch you had a better idea of what was coming that season or even that year. There's definitely an element of some people viewing the Switch marketing with rose-tinted glasses, there were some rougher moments marketing wise (especially in the second half of the lifespan, it's possible Furukawa may be behind this phenomenon), but to say that the marketing is exactly the same this gen is inaccurate.

@Dark-Luigi Actually I AM a Metroid fan, and it pains me to include it on that list, but like you said, it's cold, hard facts.

@LastFootnote You're also failing to account for Switch 2 Editions which is the larger issue here (although probably colored a bit more by last year, there haven't been as many this year yet but last year had a whopping 6 S2Es).

Additionally, some of the games you list here might be ignored or uncounted by some. Particularly, Champions, for being a cross-release mobile gacha game, and Rhythm Heaven Groove and Tomodachi, due to being a Switch games. So that evens things out a bit.

At any rate, I think what they're saying, certainly what I would say, is that the issue is with the PROPORTION of old vs. new games, not the existence of any kind of old game whatsoever.

@Res462 It's not like Animal Crossing, Splatoon, or Smash fans are faring much better than Mario or Zelda fans. Animal Crossing only has a Switch 2 Edition, Splatoon is getting a spinoff but the main event is likely years away, and Smash has nothing at all yet. The larger issue is that most of these top-selling Nintendo IPs DON'T have that new main entry yet. The only one that really exist right now is Mario Kart. It's not just no new main series 3D Mario or Zelda, it's also no new main series Animal Crossing, Smash, Splatoon, or Luigi's Mansion as well. Look at Top 10 best selling Switch games list, hell you could even extend it to Top 20 or 25, and try and find parallels to those games in the Switch 2's lineup. You'll find what, less than 25% of such games that currently exist? This is the issue. The Switch 2 has very little in terms of those kinds of games to look forward to right now, and if you compare it with the Switch at the same point in its lifespan, the Switch 2 compares less favorably (especially with those Top 10 games). There's just little released or at least announced that really gets people to buy a Switch 2 or sell in huge numbers, and certainly less than the Switch.

@Dark-Luigi Right idea, wrong IPs. There's definitely a handful of key franchises people care about if you look at the sales, but some of the IPs you're listing (Metroid, Xenoblade, Fire Emblem) don't actually sell that much better than the IPs being sold now, they're just supported by a vocal minority of hardcare fans. The actual list is Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Smash, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon. And yeah, the issue is that most of those IPs are lacking (they either don't exist or they're relying on a smaller entry like a spinoff, port, or remake rather than a new, original, main series title).

@hol_up The rumors are indicating it's Monolith Soft actually. I forgot where this came from, but there is discussion from someone in Nintendo that they want to get Monolith more involved with Zelda (they've assisted with BotW and TotK previously), so it seems like they may be building up a dedicated Zelda team at Monolith.

@LexKitteh Can't tell if serious, playing the same games all over again with slightly better graphics doesn't exactly make for a compelling lineup. Let's see more games designed from the ground up around this system.

Good, exactly what we need. Honestly they should come out and announce the 3D Mario even if it isn't coming until 2027, we need bigger games of that caliber.

@Don Can we get 2017 all over again instead? Far better lineup there than 2011.

Well clearly Nintendo isn't listening to Star Fox fans seeing as how they all keep screaming for Nintendo to move on from 64 and what do they do? Remake 64 again. The characters also look super uncanny valley, who thought this looked good?

Honestly feels like a slap in the face to Star Fox fans, I feel sorry for them because this is likely not going to move the needle for getting Star Fox a higher level of success, quality, and consistency.

@Olliemar28 I'm aware of that, my point is that this is highlighting one of the Switch 2's biggest issues. Many of the "biggest" games the Switch 2 has right now simply aren't all that big, they're niche titles that likely will not appeal to a broad audience. Why do you think people are starving for a Direct? It's because there's so many people that are either on the fence about getting a Switch 2 or bought one and don't feel the lineup is giving them enough to make use of it, and they want games like the kind that I mentioned in order to change that. Most of the games they're trying to push right now likely will not move the needle on Switch 2 (MKW and Pokopia will, the rest are iffy at best or downright doomed to be niche at worst) and we need bigger announcements than what Nintendo's currently shared.

Big games they say? LMAO, half of these are not "big". Wake me up when we have the likes of a new 3D Mario (i.e. not the Galaxy double pack), Luigi's Mansion 4, Smash 6, Splatoon 4, and the next new Animal Crossing (i.e. not a Switch 2 Edition) and then we'll talk about "big" Switch 2 games. That is the entire issue right now, we DON'T have much that's a big game.

I don't care about the format, I care about the quality of announcements. Nintendo's issue right now is the lack of confirmed major games, not how they've been announcing those games.

I want it, but I don't want to have to buy the DLC to get it. Maybe if I can find someone who has the DLC willing to trade stuff over, but I'm in the same boat with LGPE and I'm having trouble finding takers there too.

Huh, surprising that the enemies make their way to other levels, that should add a lot of depth to the gameplay loop and provide incentive to backtrack. Definitely leaning more towards getting this game now.

It looks like they just mashed Salmon Run and Side Order together and made it a game. Not what I'm looking for, I want something more open and explorable.

Not exactly grabbed by this one. It just looks like Salmon Run/Side Order but a full game. I was hoping for a bit more exploration, but it doesn't look all that fun to explore, they're focusing more on the combat it seems. I probably won't be getting this one.

@JHDK Make that the entire American economic system. It's nothing but a giant pyramid scheme that reverse funnels money to wealthy business owners.

Starlink style open world. We don't have a Nintendo game like it and it would reinvigorate Star Fox and make it more of a mainstream success.

@KayFiOS Visiting an IKEA is definitely an experience, that's for sure.

@Dang_69 I don't think Pokemon got pushed either, I'm just saying it's something we all expected to be here in 2026 and it's not. It's a good thing in Pokemon's case, but it is one part of a larger issue with the Switch 2.

@progx There'd be no point in doing that because of how Switch 2 Editions work. If you have an original copy, you can just buy the upgrade pack instead of trading in your Switch 1 copy and buying a Switch 2 copy. But I'm saying even the upgrade pack doesn't seem to be worth it.

Oh boy another version of "Spot the difference" that gets exponentially harder each generation.

Why do people waste their money on 1% better graphics again?

@Dang_69 Well this needs to be clarified because this is an important part of the rumor. The Switch 2 desperately needs experiences like Pokemon Winds/Waves, 3D Mario, and Luigi's Mansion 4, those are the kinds of big, new games the Switch 2 desperately needs right now and we already have 2/3 pushed to 2027.

@Nintoz So no Pokemon Winds/Waves, no 3D Mario, and no Luigi's Mansion 4 for 2026? Okay that is just a freaking disaster, that's a worst case scenario that I didn't even think was possible, I thought for sure we'd get at least one of those this year, maybe two. I'm sorry, but as good as OoT is, a remake does NOT anchor a holiday season. The "no games" narrative for Switch 2 still going to be alive and well for another year, Nintendo losing the war against increasing dev times. BADLY.

Yuck to pretty much all of this. I'd be intrigued by Star Fox... but only a Starlink style Star Fox, not a classic, on rails shooter Star Fox. 3D Mario being 2027 is also a huge miss, 10 years since the last 3D Mario and the first console without a new Mario game by the second holiday season. It better be the best damn Mario game of all time for it to take this freaking long. The OoT remake could be good... but only if they do a FFVII-esque reimagining. If it's just a graphics bump, that's also going to suck. Unfortunately given Nintendo's track record, I have little hope that it is anything more than a graphics bump. So no, this is probably not going to do the trick for the Switch 2's lack of games.

@PikaPhantom I think you've hit the nail on the head. If you look at the comments about Wonder S2E, the main complaint is "I wanted more single player levels" while this upgrade offers pretty much everything BUT that. There is a certain expectation with DLC I think where they want an extension of the core content. New levels/worlds/etc., some kind of addition to the main campaign. Throwing in these little diversions that have little to do with the core gameplay doesn't seem very appealing, especially for the high cost they're charging.

And actually I disagree with Bananza's being one of the good ones, I think Bananza is in a similar situation to Wonder. Throwing in a roguelike mode for Bananza felt like the wrong direction for Bananza DLC as well, I was expecting something more like simply adding more Banandium Gems to DK Isle or something to make it truly like an extra layer rather than the basis for the roguelike mode with nothing else to it.

Honestly I feel like the only recent DLC/S2E to get this right has been Star-Crossed World. It just adds more levels (they're remixed levels, but there's enough different for them to feel new). All they needed to do with these upgrades is basically that, but no, they keep cramming in these diversions that are different genres from the original experience and that limits their appeal since you would need to like both styles to be interested.

There is another aspect to this you missed though and that's cost/value. Some of these upgrades are fairly steep and offer very little. Not having new levels and having little in the way of extra content and modes is poor value. Granted some of these modes I don't think people would pay for at all due to complete lack of interest, but they might get a few more interested customers at cheaper prices than they are. I'd probably be more likely to consider these upgrades for Wonder if they were closer to $5 than $20 for example.

@JayJ @DanijoEX As was said earlier, the political situation is unavoidable. Even if you don't want anything to do with the current political situation, the current political situation wants to worm its way into your everyday life. In this case, politics is blatantly affecting how much you pay for your video games, so it's relevant to discuss the issue in terms of how it affects video games on a gaming site.

@AstroTheGamosian I'm well aware. I've read exceprts of the Communist Manifesto in college, I'm well aware of what Marx was pushing for. I will say parts of Marx's solution are wildly idealistic and it's not surprising that communism was corrupted the way it was (he literally was pushing for not having a government, which is laughable), but in general I don't see any way around adopting some form of socialism at this point, the economic and technological climate basically demands it at this point (primarily because of computers and A.I.'s disruption towards traditional labor). Cold War-era communist countries definitely provide a cautionary tale here, but Scandinavia is definitely the model that should be adopted worldwide.

@Runex2121 The job situation is the real issue here, as jobs have been decreasing due to automation from computers and now A.I., employers have been unwilling to train anyone so I've been unable to get the experience I need, and I flat out just do not trust employers anymore because I've seen how much the profit motive has ruined everything it touches. It's hard enough to get a job in this country, finding one elsewhere will be even harder.

@Misima Fair. I don't see the MAGA movement being ended by fellow Americans (or at least not by Americans alone, perhaps a combination of more rational Americans and other countries that still follow the rule of law will stop this) and probably not in time to prevent a LOT more suffering here. The rot simply runs too deep in this country and the atrocities too far along in their planning that just waiting for Americans to get things together before things get even WORSE is unrealistic. I don't think many non-Americans really understand just how much this system favors MAGA and how difficult it will be to build an effective counter-movement against them, I've seen videos on the topic that say this will take literal years, maybe even decades to build the kind of power needed. Unfortunately I think WWIII may be inevitable at this point (some think it's actually already started and it just hasn't escalated to the extent that it would be universally recognized as a world war) and that's what it's going to take to uproot Trump and MAGA. Sadly too many failed to learn from history (really I would say the world as a whole learned the wrong lesson from WWII which is why we seem to be going through all of this again) and now we're doomed to repeat it.

@Dyna-Z I really wish I could move out of this God forsaken country (sadly it's not as easy as you'd think, I don't have the money to afford to). There is more corruption, bigotry, and willful ignorance here than I could've possibly imagined and IDK if this country will save itself anytime soon.

@AstroTheGamosian Nah it goes deeper than that. The crux of the issue is that the current economic system, which originates from and is most heavily pushed in the U.S., has a serious problem with lack of accountability to economic elites. Trump was raised in this environment, because he was born wealthy and inherited a company, he's never really had someone to tell him "no" and thinks he's entitled to do whatever he wants without consequences, so he flaunts whatever rule he can, throws whatever money he can to make the problem go away, and lies and gaslights people into believing absurd ideas that blatantly defy reality.

But it's more than just him, it's basically everyone in the CEO/investor/billionaire class, anyone that makes their money based on ownership of assets rather than actually performing labor, they only make decisions for themselves in terms of how to extract the most wealth from the system as they can while leaving the rest to pay the price. We've reached a point where this economic model is not sustainable, it's beginning to cannibalize itself and result in the worst economic inequality in at least a century, maybe more.

We clearly need serious political and economic reforms to hold people like this to account (the U.S. certainly needs the most of these reforms, but to my knowledge there isn't anything in other countries that would prevent a similar movement like MAGA from arising and in fact many countries do have similar factions brewing). Stricter checks and balances, especially over issues such as financial corruption of political systems and the way the courts operate, are desperately needed. Economically, the working class needs to reject traditional businesses and shift towards more democratically owned businesses (i.e. away from businesses owned and run by a CEO, board of directors, corporate executives, private investors and towards business that are either collectively ran by the workers or by a president elected by its workers/customers) and the government should be facilitating this transfer with taxes against traditionally owned businesses and subsidies and economic support for the more democratically run businesses.

@Misima Actually illegal orders can be refused, this has been a precedent set in numerous world courts, including the U.S., by the Nuremberg Trials after WWII. "I was only following orders" is not a valid defense for committing a crime, if your superior asked you to commit a crime and you obeyed, you're complicit in said crime.

@Game_n_Watch_it_pal They won't. The ugly truth is a lot of these businesses, particularly the executives running them, want fascism and authoritarianism because they're the ones that benefit from it. If you have a dictatorship with a rigid economic hierarchy, those below you aren't allowed to question why you're nickel and diming them and taking a larger and larger piece of the economic pie. The rich are always the ones that instigate this by attempting to exploit technological innovations to consolidate more money and power, and then when people start to catch on that their actions are hurting their pocket book, they back fascists and authoritarians to distract them and find a scapegoat. The source of all of this mess lies in the boardroom.

@8bit-Man I mean they have, but that's not the only issue here. Look at some of the comments, there's multiple people here saying they have no need for it because they play offline single player games (and I am in this boat myself). This is a feature that is only useful for certain types of gamers and not others, for this to be one of the main differences in your new console certainly limits its appeal.

@Hwatt Is it really necessary? A lot of these corporate sleazeballs made their money either by exploiting institutional injustices that existed in a different era or by receiving an inheritance from an ancestor that did. A lot of this "investment" basically amounts to kissing the ring and most of said investment doesn't actually go to the talented people actually making the products that generate income, it goes to other executives who are only out to squeeze everything they can out of the system. It's a very parasitic relationship and benefits neither the vast majority of people involved in this system nor the most talented people responsible for making these products as good as they are. I see no reason why this system needs to continue existing, the corporate hierarchy very clearly needs to be flattened and that money needs to be better distributed.

I would like to see a similar physics system to BotW, that could be fun. Imagine if you could cut down any tree, burn it, or ram into it to knock it over. What if you could break a rock or push it out of the way? How about if you don't have a Water type for surfing, you could use a Grass type's Vine Whip to cross a river, a flying type to fly over it, or an Ice type to create an ice bridge? They could also take a page from Bananza and let you dig through rock walls. So much potential to use Pokemon abilities to navigate the overworld in creative and interesting ways and tackle obstacles in very flexible ways depending on what Pokemon you have on hand. IDK if that's a realistic expectation for this game, but it is something I would eventually like to see Pokemon do.

@kkslider5552000 The Zelda game that puts the exploration (the most important element of any Zelda) on a timer that hinders you from really exploring is the better of the two? Yeah no.

To your overall point yeah, releasing a sequel first is always weird but I contest the idea of MM being better than OoT.

@Solid_Python If one of the few upgrades to your console is something that requires friends in the first place, you've probably failed at making said console upgrade convincing. This is probably the larger issue behind the negativity.

@N8tiveT3ch The bubble gimmick isn't the gimmick for the game, just that level. The gimmick for the entire game is you experiment with the environment and enemies to document different behaviors. They probably could've done a better job of showing this off by showing another enemy.

IDK what to feel about this game. The focus on documenting behaviors of enemies in this game is an interesting one, but will that be enough for a $70 game? I'm really not sure. I'm waiting to hear more.

EDIT: So it may in fact be $60? I certainly hope so, I would better consider it at that price. But I still need to know if there's anything else to do in this game besides mess around with enemy behavior and typical collection elements.