BrewsterTea

Cinematics look great, but the gameplay looks a bit drab.

@Woodyshoe I agree, I'm looking forward to a smaller Switch 2 model. My mother was playing BOTW the other day (she's a beginner to 3D gaming so I help her navigate around enemies) and I got another chance to appreciate the V1 Switch's small, light form factor. After using my OLED Switch for so long I had forgotten just how nice the first Switch feels in your hands: light, sturdy, and very easy to handle.

After growing up with clamshell consoles, I really really want Nintendo to make the Switch 2 Lite a clamshell form factor. Call it the Switch 2 Mini. I'd love to see a Nintendo console go back to the cute, chunky appearance of the Game Boy and DS eras. Plus those chunky handhelds were not only fun to use, they were also super sturdy and reliable.

Is it perhaps because Monolithsoft is devoting every single dev they can spare toward their latest project?

Sheesh, being able to play music tracks while you ride your viola is a pretty big feature to lock behind a pricey amiibo. Pretty perturbed about this information.

I've got to remember to actually buy this game; the Christmas season has been dizzying! Great to see the official developer implement a fan mod that genuinely improves the experience. Would love to see Skyrim do the same thing. . . . . . .

Yup, Switch 2 is one of the top items to buy this holiday season, even as advertised by big retailers like Walmart/Best Buy/etc., so the likelihood on deals on the console is pretty close to zero.

However, games like Rune Factory Guardians of Azuma, Bravely Default, etc., have been going on sales the last few weeks. I would take a look at niche Switch 2 third party titles, various game key cards be damned!

It's really not an ideal single player game. And from my perspective, NintendoLife readers skew pretty heavily in favor of single player gaming, so I think Kirby Air Riders' positive impressions will be in the minority around here. I still haven't bought it yet, because Christmas shopping has stalled most of my video game purchasing (even missed out on the great eShop sales that expired on Nov 21st, unfortunately).

Just picked up the 512GB express card on sale for $75 on Amazon. Not willing to spend more than $150, so it's a nice stopgap for a year or so until I find a 1TB express card for a good sale.

I'm going to try moving most of my data from my system storage to my express card and see if I notice any significant differences in load times or performance. We already know Mario Kart World has a noticeable difference in load times, so I'll leave that on my system storage. Everything else I want to test out for myself.

@WheresWaveRace Your timely dose of equilibrium positively saved the universe, friend

Great to see they finally added an official Switch 2 category. Hopefully they'll add the underrated Switch 2 Welcome Tour ost soon!

Even better if Nintendo can add a Nintendo Music player right onto the Home button quick menu, which could let us create whatever menu music we like, not to mention being able to play whatever music we wanted while we play!

Can @NintendoLife at least include a few more aesthetic photos of the Pokemon Cafe while they're talking about it? I'm stuck sitting on the other side of the world appreciating all the Pokemon fun from afar 🥺

@Sebos The Switch version is so heavily designed for the Switch's power limitations that I feel like Square Enix would have to completely reboot the Switch 2 Edition as the PS4 port (while still preserving save data somehow?). For instance, the Switch 1 version's 30fps could be inextricably woven into the game logic in order to run as smoothly as it does.

Looks good for the old-school fans! As someone who didn't grow up with the franchise however, I'm not really interested in Star Fox without the game bringing something new to the table.

I saw this article on the front page, and I made sure to click on it, vote, and scroll all the way down so that I could say "no."

@iLikeUrAttitude I'd take it a step further and say this began all the way back with the very first MCU film in 2008, Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr is a charismatic titan and was instrumental in catapulting the snarky one-liner into the cultural zeitgeist. IMO the style peaked during the first Avengers film in 2012 (Guardians of the Galaxy was in 2014).

But yes, Chris Pratt is another charismatic tour de force who extended the writing style's relevance for many more years.

@AllBLK The Switch 2 Pro model or whatever they call it absolutely needs a boost in storage!

Still heavily interested just because I want to experience Sakurai's game programming philosophy once more. Also sounds like the perfect pick-up-and-play design, even more so than Mario Kart World.

Also very interested in the amiibo, but $50 each is a hard sell. . . Might just have to buy the Kirby amiibo for the novelty even if I don't buy any others.

Despite everything else one of my most hyped games is actually Witchbrook! It's almost everything I enjoy in one game: magical academia theme, gorgeous pixel art, cozy locales, and online multiplayer!

@GenzaiJH I agree! The Mario Galaxy movie is the perfect moment to surprise everyone with Mario Galaxy 3. Not sure if a Mario 3D game has ever attempted the "3" sequel naming scheme, so perhaps they would give it a subtitle instead.

Honestly it's pretty funny that Momotaru Dentetsu undermines Hyrule Warriors twice in a row.

Really nice reversible art, but once again, a quick glance at the inside reminds you that the red plastic absolutely ruins the enjoyment. You can barely see through the red plastic compared to the Switch 1's clear color.

I'm not a huge Kirby fan (never bought any Kirby merchandise) but one thing you can rely on with a Kirby game is that the core gameplay feels good to play. The controls are tight and the mechanics kinetic and palpable. Even if you don't like the characters, art design, etc., the controls and mechanics alone make Kirby's GBA game one of the best action games on NSO.

@FoxyDude Yes, a new area to explore is always a day one buy for me. But just an upside down version of Lumiose is not enough to interest me so soon after the base game dropped. Hopefully tomorrow's trailer changes my mind!

I'm panicking y'all, the actors are turning toward each other and saying actual words. Does it feel like Zelda? Does Zelda feel like characters standing still with dialogue bubbles?? Help

@RadioHedgeFund Exactly. Fusion is a classic, and it had a total chatterbox that stuck around to the very end of the game. Even hearing Samus' internal monologues during the elevator sequences was much more wordy than the typical Metroid experience.

The new suit looks great! I still need to watch the latest trailer, so I'll update my hype levels afterward.

This presentation makes the game look like a must-buy! So many amazing mechanics and aspects shown off! ACNH meets Pokemon as well as DQBuilders, with online multiplayer and a behind-the-shoulder perspective (which is what I want for Animal Crossing soon!). Absolutely day one purchase after watching this!!

Saw this on a YouTube ad before anything else, and they were targeting the right person! Very interested in this.

@Serpenterror Thank you for linking the violinist! Would not have known about her otherwise, and as a fellow violinist I'm now a fan.

Testing the waters with a relatively small 10GB is smart of them. Installing the full game size without a MicroSDExpress will become painful very quickly, but consumers don't need to know that right now. If only Nintendo subsidized the cost of Express cards, then people would jump much more quickly onto the GKC/Digital bandwagon.

It's pretty disappointing that Nintendo apparently has decided to drip feed Switch 2 Editions as fully marketed game releases within their regular launch scheduling. Just makes me pretty unmotivated to play through my whole Switch 1 backlog when I know a year or so down the line they'll suddenly launch a Switch 2 Edition in the hopes that I'll double dip in terms of time spent on the game.

For a small handful of the very best games on Switch 1, yes, I am willing to revisit the game. But not for every single first party game.

Would be great to get a teaser for something new during the presentation!

It's a crime not to give us the option to import it on My Nintendo Store! Those are perfect for placing strategically around your room/living space while you host a game night.

This trailer restored some of the excitement I had lost from the previous trailer! Amazing music that gets even better with each replay as @Friendly mentioned, the graphics look polished (other than the bike attack animation seen in 0:57 of the trailer; the way the front wheel just zaps straight up in a single frame feels too game-y), and the action looks like crisp.

The enemies I think are what feel so different from what we're used to seeing in Metroid Prime. This almost feels like the Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire of Metroid, where the developers intend to "break" or expand the rules and expectations of what we can see in the Metroid franchise.

Listening to this right now! So happy Nintendo finally added another Animal Crossing soundtrack, and New Leaf is one of the best! This release coinciding with the Switch 2 Edition / 3.0 update announcement does seem to confirm that Nintendo is saving or at least timing its work on certain soundtracks to be paired with relevant game marketing. I'll have to go brew some more tea while I listen.

@Suketoudara I also prefer the night tracks over day, and it's made me want to control the music with its own in-game music player.

With New Horizons adding a smart phone, the next game could give you a literal Nintendo Music-esque app where you can choose any song to play, or even no songs at all! Honestly there have been many times when I would prefer to turn the music off and just focus on the ambience.

@nessisonett But you weren't equals, in New Leaf you were mayor 😜 Jokes aside, I do agree that I would like the next Animal Crossing to contain a more robust town, with more structured amenities and activities.

Really hoping Monolithsoft shows their hand in 2026. I'd love a brand new IP; as great as the Xenoblade franchise is, its growth potential is clearly limited. Branching out with a fresh theme like a beautiful medieval/high fantasy setting could really kickstart Monolithsoft's Switch 2 era.

Wow, almost 70 million?! Just imagine if MK8D got a Switch 2 Edition!

Love seeing Animal Crossing close in on 50 million! Surely with January's S2E and 3.0 update the number will climb past 50 soon enough.

I'm enjoying the Legends ZA fashion article! I'd enjoy getting updates with other contributors and Pokemon-themed styles.

I loved the Venusaur, Gardevoir and Tyrantrum outfits the most, but there's some fun variety between the styles and Pokemon all around!

@The_Nintendo_Pedant I agree. You can really feel the difference in a game like MHRise when you have the option to turn off all music but keep on SFX. It's a very different, almost meditative experience.

I've wished for a while that the Switch 2 would allow you to control master volumes on the system side for both game music and sound effects. You could turn off sound effects when you just want to ride through Mario Kart World and listen to the tunes, or dial down the music in a game like Animal Crossing and just focus on the ambient SFX.

Darn, that reminds me I'm dying for a Switch 2 Edition of Rise/Sunbreak. Thanks NLife.

I know it takes time, but it would be really nice to pair a new game release with its respective soundtrack on Nintendo Music. I'm already itching to play Legends ZA's wonderful soundtrack on the app!

A surprise indeed, but how welcome it is! Lots of new features, finally the resolution is bumped up for the 1080p screen (although I would like 60fps as well), even more online features, and great collabs with both Zelda and LEGO!

• LEGO collab is a pleasant surprise, but my very small nag is the idea that they could have gone the whole mile and given you a uniform that transforms your villager into a full-blown LEGO mini figure! In fact, why not switch a setting in the Resident Services that transforms all your villagers into mini figures? Ah well. Just furniture it is!
• With even more players to meet up online, it would have been nice to add a few games. Tug of war? Arm wrestling? Tag? Hide and seek?
• Would have loved the ability to initiate your own fishing and bug catching contests with other players! 12-player fishing and bug-catching contests sounds like a blast! Oh and a sea creature-catching contest as well!

Is it too much to ask for an Age of Imprisonment amiibo that turns Link in TOTK into Construct-Link?

BOTW added a lot of fun interactive features with amiibo. And TOTK had the potential to add more spirits into your save file. By scanning an amiibo, like Revali, you could add their spirit into your key items tab and activate them just like the four TOTK champions. It would be really fun not only to run around with the spirits of the BOTW champions, but also scan the amiibo from Age of Imprisonment and add the spirits of the original sages into TOTK.

How long until they add Legends ZA's amazing soundtrack? 😢

Fun times for NSO icons! Thankfully they last as long as NSO does once purchased, so I'll enjoy them for a few days this year and then use them much earlier next year.

@Turbo857 I actually agree; I also would like a behind-the-shoulder Metroid Prime game. Or an option like Elder Scrolls to switch freely between first and third person.

Poor Frye was given Skeleton, obviously the least favorite pick. Ironically enough, skeletons are hugely trendy this year as Halloween ornaments in my area. Skeletons everywhere.

Regardless of anything else, Odyssey's soundtrack is simply special. Sweeping and romantic, it proudly heralded one of Nintendo's most prosperous eras. Each Mario soundtrack is unique, but Odyssey's is now an iconic jewel in Mario's crown. Fossil Falls alone defined an entire console generation, and Jump Up Superstar ushered in a new movie-quality production value and musical voiceover, paving the way for the Mario movies as well as Donkey Kong Bananza.

Wow. I was not expecting to get this game right away before this Direct, and afterward I am pre-ordering and seriously considering a couple of those amiibo! The hype is unreal. All the social and online features cater directly to me, and this game really does contain the heart and soul of a Smash series title.

Would be neat if they outfitted the figure statues with NFC readers on the bottom so that they could function as a bougie amiibo.

Very jealous of London!

Pokemon Legends ZA and Final Fantasy Tactics! I've waited all year for these two RPG's, so I'm very excited to play both at last. I'm brewing a cup of super chai for the play session! (a strong cup of royal English breakfast, extra turmeric powder with Ceylon, maple syrup and milk)

Currently booting up Legends ZA and debating which starter to pick. I really like Tepig's cute eyes, but I'm usually happiest choosing the water starter... decisions!

Also just starting out in Tactics, so I'm getting my bearings and just now pushing through the tutorial battles. I'm loving the familiar Tactics feeling and presentation after growing up with Tactics Advance. So much polish and production value lovingly devoted to this humble strategy RPG.

@Vivianeat Totally agree! Even if Monolithsoft only offered a similar level of support that they did for BOTW, Pokemon games would be infinitely the better for it. I've been saying this for years that Monolithsoft should devote a support team to Game Freak.