Bolt_Strike

Oh man, this would've been a dream come true. I've always wanted to play as a Space Pirate (and yes I know there's Weavel in Prime Hunters but that's not quite what I have in mind). Space Pirates have such cool abilities that would be unique and different from Samus' gameply that I would love using (like using energy scythes, EMP grenades, and those jetpacks that the Flying Pirates/Aerotroopers use. Clinging to walls like the 2D games would've been great too). I'd really like to see a spinoff along the lines of Half Life: Opposing Force starring a Space Pirate, a single player Metroidvania campaign where the upgrades are all Space Pirate abilities instead of Samus' usual upgrades, but I would've taken this. Too bad it never happened.

Hated pretty much everything about this initiative (I played Fire and Ice and it was... okay, but there are so many Sonic games that are far better). Glad it's gone.

@nhSnork The biggest threat the Switch 2 has is other companies wanting to jump on the hybrid trend. We've got the Steam Deck now, they might release a stronger one in a few years, and there's been rumors and speculation about Microsoft and Sony getting into the hybrid market too. A samey feeling Switch 2 is not going to weather that level of competition well since it's likely going to lose the power game and get less third party support. Switch 2 does need a gimmick, but the rumors don't look good in that regard. The rumors seem to be indicating that Nintendo is bucking the trend this gen and focusing on power, which would be a huge mistake. That would likely result in fewer 1st party games, about the same or less 3rd party games than Switch and less than other platforms, and ultimately probably a slump in sales (like, maybe about GC or N64 levels, about 20-30 million).

Either February or March, but I'm not entirely sure which. I'm leaning towards February, but March is a distinct possibility.

Very underrated Zelda game, probably one of my Top 5 (and definitely Top 5 of the top down Zeldas). The shrinking gimmick is used so creatively, the game is so intelligently designed, and there are some great dungeons and dungeon items here. Grezzo could stand to learn a thing or two from this game.

@Znake I can't speak to the quality of Zero's gameplay, but the main reason I'm interested in Starlink and not the "real" Star Fox games is because Starlink is more exploration focused. Because it's an actual open space exploration game rather than a linear rail shooter. If they can make a "better", "real" Star Fox game in the style of games like Starlink and No Man's Sky, where you have an actual open world to explore and the dogfights take place in the open world rather than scripted linear sequences, I'd be interested in that. But until then the only thing Star Fox I actually like is the "worse", not-technically-a-real-Star-Fox game in Starlink since that's the closest to the style of gameplay I have in mind.

Something more Starlink style might sell better too, which means a more consistent release schedule rather than the on again/off again schedule it's had for its entire life. Complain about open world all you want but... those games tend to sell. A lot of people clearly like the genre. Many of the best selling Switch games are open world, and even on past consoles you've seen games that have sprawling open areas tend to do well in sales (for example, Mario 64, OoT, and Banjo-Kazooie on the N64). An open space game with the usual incentives to explore and dogfights all over the map would help give Star Fox a solid niche with more mainstream appeal as opposed to the linear rail shooters which few seem to care about.

@nocdaes Nah, the biggest fail is Mario Kart having a port be its only game and then introducing a Tour port disguised as DLC 5 years later rather than make any kind of new game. DK is second and no Star Fox is third. But I'm not even that disappointed in Star Fox since they ended up putting Star Fox content in a third party game that's basically the direction I wanted Star Fox to go in anyway, so I pretty much got what I wanted out of Star Fox this gen anyway.

Not unless Switch 2 has dual screens, no. Zero probably won't work well without it. I'd be more interested in seeing a new game in the style of Starlink. But then again that's the only thing remotely close to a Star Fox game (and I know, it's not actually a Star Fox game but the Star Fox chars are in the Switch version) that I'm actually interested in, so I'm not sure I can consider myself a "real" Star Fox fan.

What third parties would still want to develop for OG Switch? They hate how underpowered it is. I would think once Nintendo abandons the Switch, it's just going to flat out die. Feels like the other way around would make more sense.

@Anti-Matter Yeah, it's coming to Xbox Series X|S, PS5, "Nintendo platforms" (which as discussed, probably means just Switch 2), and PC. Those platforms have all been confirmed in the Console Reveal trailer, it's just because this is a Nintendo focused site the discussion has been centered around the mention of "Nintendo platforms" and not the Switch specifically.

@eaglesfly76 You can't exactly compare them, they're different styles that appeal to different gameplay elements. 3D platformers are more about open exploration and experimentation, whereas 2D platformers tend to be more about skillfully navigating linear obstacle courses (there's some crossover between the two, but in general those styles specialize in those kinds of gameplay elements). It's not a matter of a 2nd 3D game being "better" or "worse" than the 2D style as much as the people who do like the 3D style better wanting new content to experience when the last new content was 7 years ago.

@eaglesfly76 While Impossible Lair is a great game, it's not a proper sequel because it's a completely different gameplay style being a 2D platformer. When people say they want a "sequel" they mean they want a new 3D platformer. It'd be great for them to have both styles running concurrently as Mario tends to do, but the IP hasn't given us any new 3D platformer content in 7 years and now they're just giving us a remaster of the 1st instead? That seems a bit excessive.

@luke88 I mean I'd say there's plenty of good, original 1st party games for the Switch in general, it's just DK in particular that's lacking. DK is probably one of the biggest IPs to not get an original new entry on the Switch, second only to Mario Kart (who keeps buying 8D anyway and delaying a legit 9? Doesn't everyone on the planet already have 8D by now?). But most of the other IPs, even if they do have several ports here and there you can point to at least one, maybe even two entries that are something new and original. DK's situation is more the exception than the rule.

"Donkey Kong is in somewhat of a healthy state now, however, with a new title in the form of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD making its way to the Switch on 16th January 2025."

>Healthy state
>New title
>HD remake

Yeeeaaaahhhh no, not having a new title in a decade is not what I'd call a "healthy state".

@anoyonmus Yes I read the article. I'm questioning WHY the lawyer in the article said this.

@anoyonmus I mean I'm not a lawyer, but I don't really see how they managed to narrowly avoid copyright infringement. They don't pass the eye test, with multiple design elements clearly lifted from Pokemon designs, and the CEO has brazenly admitted to using A.I. and maliciously wanting to copy other people's ideas. I think they have a strong case that Pocketpair just took Pokemon's models, put them into an A.I. algorithm, and spit out designs that copy Pokemon's ideas with little to no attempt at originality. That seems like a clear violation to me.

So they think patents retroactively filed after Palworld released is a more effective case than the obviously plagiarized designs? LOL okay. Pocketpair is scummy as hell, but this is the wrong legal avenue to pursue and also makes Nintendo look scummy. Methinks everyone's going to end up a loser in this case.

I hope not. Such a boring and very un-Nintendoey concept for a Switch successor.

@Axecon @WaffleRaptor01 I don't even like the time travel gameplay wise because the time limit is too strict to the point where you can't really explore the world as much as speedrun it (even with the Inverted Song of Time). It's a neat idea, but execution wise it doesn't really fit an exploration heavy IP like Zelda very well.

In terms of it reusing assets from OoT to create something new, yes, I'll give it top marks there. That's what I was expecting TotK to do.

@anoyonmus Quantity wise, yes, there's plenty of 1st party games for the time being. Quality wise, I can see why people are antsy for Switch 2 and its 1st party games because we're waiting on those big AAA games. I mean, 3D Mario and Mario Kart have been waiting close to a decade (more than a decade in Mario Kart's case) for their next big entries for example.

@Don Yeah, that's looking like it's not happening. It might not be all bad though, there is a possibility we could get the Switch 2 reveal and learn about its launch games outside of a Direct. But there's also the possibility that the Switch 2 could be revealed in Q1 2025, with Q4 2024 being a dry period for first party announcements. At this point, you should probably expect the latter and be pleasantly surprised about the former, you'll be less disappointed that way.

@Don No. Partner Showcases are for times when Nintendo doesn't have enough first party games to show but they still need a Direct to fulfill contractual obligations to show third party games. This means there's probably not a general Direct for the rest of the year.

@PikminMarioKirby Usually when we get a Partner Showcase, it means there's no general Direct during that time of the year at all. So probably we're not getting a general Direct for 2H 2024.

I mean everyone's waiting for the Switch 2 to be announced, so yeah, not surprising there's not much for Switch.

@SillyG Well I mean Gen 10 obviously happening yeah, I'm more questioning the hiring schedule than the possibility of the game existing. Gen 10 is coming in a year or two (typical patterns say next year, but many people believe 2026 due to backlash from SV and the 30th anniversary), is it too late to hire these positions that close to release?

Hiring for Gen 10 on Switch 2 perhaps?

@Not_Soos Generations reuses locations from older Sonic games and remixes the levels. It's the same (or depending on how old the game is, modernized) environments and level gimmicks of the originals, but with a completely new level design. Think something like what the Mushroom Kingdom is in Mario Odyssey compared to Mario 64, you see a lot of familiar locations, gimmicks, and Easter Eggs, but it's more of a new, original level in that environment rather than a remake of any kind.

A bit disappointing that the rail switching gimmick from Rail Canyon seems to be gone, but looks good otherwise.

@Bigmanfan I'm guessing 4. The timeline lines up quite nicely for Mario Wonder to have started development after SMM2 was finished.

@batmanbud2 I'll forgive you for messaging me for this ancient news article for pointing out an unintended quality pun.

But yes, Wonder is everything NSMB should've been.

I'm far more interested in when EPD is returning to making an actually new, mainline Mario Kart on console. Please tell me next year launching with the Switch 2, we've gone an insane amount of time without a new entry.

@Ashunera84 Not really. Western consumers tend to go gaga for entertainment products and they're just suckered in by flashy marketing and big brand names. It's not that money isn't an issue for them. They're just not making sound purchasing decisions.

@Cyrax77 The parents probably don't even know about the original and "HD" is just a meaningless buzzword, they might just look at it and think "Oh, so are the other games not HD? This one's better?". They're not as smart as you think.

@Cyrax77 @WiltonRoots Even without knowing that the game is a remake of an older game, they're still going to be able to sense that this game isn't quite as big or deep as some of the other games they might've played on the Switch. Part of this is a genre problem really, as 2D platformers in general haven't really grown in size or content compared to other genres. Nevertheless, there are bigger games with more content (compare this game to open adventure games like BotW or Mario Odyssey with their massive levels, or the high amount of gameplay modes and/or evergreen content of modern multiplayer games like MK8D, Smash Ultimate, or the two Splatoon games) for the same price point as this 10 year old remaster, it really falls flat. To really provide a comparable value to those games, games like these either need massive increases in content or a price drop. Honestly I feel like Prime Remastered is overrated for this reason, the graphics are improved but the actual gameplay and content isn't quite up to date. But at least that game is discounted so the value is still there. A game like this or Luigi's Mansion 2? That price point automatically brings it into comparison with original, built from the ground up Switch games and it doesn't really hold up there.

@John_Deacon If those two types of remakes/remasters are a completely different class, then why charge the same amount for them? The price point automatically brings this comparison, if you're charging the same amount for a game, it should be providing the same value. If it's not and the consumer still buys it, that's not just their opinion, they're being scammed.

@Cyrax77 I mean it's not obvious to the uninformed parent that this game is a remake, so they're wasting money on an old game that's probably going to be less fun for the kid.

@Ashunera84 If you're well-informed about the product you're probably not going to buy it. Most of the sales of games like these are probably coming from people that aren't aware that this is a remaster of an older game, and so Nintendo keeps doing it regardless of how valid the complaints are. Simply deciding for yourself doesn't really help much when the rest of the market is making dumb decisions.

@dojmin Yes, and I'd like to tell them that but they only sent it out to Expansion Pack subscribers and I refuse to pay for that overpriced garbage until it becomes FAR better value.

@PikminMarioKirby I mean almost every Switch game is $60. Far from the first time they've done this even with the barebones remasters. That being said, keep on complaining about it (and even better, not freaking buying into this chintzy crap), then maybe they'll actually quit it.

@GrailUK Considering that other remakes have run the gamut in terms of sales we don't need to see what this one does (although it probably will sell a few million because people mindlessly buying based on IP popularity). Nintendo just being greedy and the pricing structure has nothing to do with sales potential.

Disappointing but not surprising. They legit feel like these lazy remakes/remasters are worth the same as a fully new and original game. Whoever's deciding the pricing structure feels woefully out of touch.

@Rainbowfire Nah, this is on the same console for the same price as LM3. If you're going to put the two games on equal footing like that, a comparison is fair. They're asking me to spend the same amount as LM3, so I should get just as much out of this re-release as I do a new game.

@Coalescence Genshin is a masterpiece compared to this A.I. generated ripoff trash.

@Thomystic Discounts have nothing to do with it. It's because of how the game compares to other products. First of all, remember that the original was $40. So you're paying $20 more, a 50% markup in price and all they give you is a barely noticeable graphics bump? Then consider that nearly every other game on the Switch is $60, including several far more ambitious and content rich experiences like BotW, Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Smash Ultimate. So you're saying this remake of a relatively limited handheld game is worth the same amount as those masterpieces? There's nothing here that really gives the impression that this is a current gen console game worthy of full price, it feels more like they're copy/pasting the 3DS game and turning up the graphics slider (I know in terms of the work the developers are actually doing it's not actually like this, but from the consumer end that's exactly how these types of re-releases come off) and thinking "this is just like a game built from the ground up on the Switch" and it's really not. This is what the pushback against full-priced remasters is really about.

@DanijoEX-the-Pierrot Can't tell if serious. Sadly, some people are like it. I don't get it. It's the same game, it just looks slightly better. Why buy it all over again?

@rvcolem1 If you thought 3 was too shallow, 2 won't change your mind. 3 was by far the deepest Luigi's Mansion game, 2 is just a series of relatively small-ish mansions that you proceed through on linear missions.

While there doesn’t seem to be anything new in terms of content

A few issues with this schedule:

1. The Pokemon Gen 10 games are probably either going to be 2025 or 2026. I'm guessing 2026, which would be the 30th anniversary and would give Z-A and these new games time to breathe.
2. Yoshi normally would be a slam dunk soon with how long it's been since Crafted World, but Good Feel seems to have been working on other projects like Princess Peach Showtime and Mameda no Bakeru. So are we really getting a Yoshi game soon? Seems like Good Feel might be sick of Yoshi and wants to move on to other things. So is Yoshi taking a hiatus? If not, who's working on it?
3. Metroid Dread was 2021. MercurySteam has only needed about 3 or 4 years for 2D Metroid. Now maybe they push Metroid 6 a bit because of Prime 4, but all the way to 2028? Seems a tad too far. I think this may be 2026.

I'm skeptical this can even run on Switch, I think this is a Switch 2 release.

@YunoboCo Because there's nothing else to talk about, Nintendo's been very quiet for the first half of this year. When there's nothing confirmed to talk about, the conversation shifts to leaks and rumors until Nintendo decides to open their mouths. Luckily they've already told us a Nintendo Direct is coming this month, so shouldn't be much longer until we have something actually concrete to discuss.

Mario vs. DK belongs on this list.

I'm not even surprised at this point. There is no bottom for these large AAA publishers.

I hope that's not it. "Plain" is not what a Switch successor should feel like. I want to see them add something to the concept, not just recycle it with stronger graphics.