Debo626

Important qualifier I don't believe I've seen before.
1st party exclusives are great, as in, the company that owns the hardware platform making games exclusively for that platform to support it makes sense from a hardware sales standpoint.
3rd party exclusives, as in Electronic Arts and Square Enix, which aren't made to support a hardware platform, are silly and only reduce total potential sales.

@NintonicGamer My thoughts exactly. I highly doubt this bundle is gone forever. Just for now. We'll see what next year brings.

My Switch 1 game of the year is easily Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition.
For Switch 2, it's a little more tricky to choose, since, out of the main games I've played on Switch 2 this year, Metroid Prime 4 is essentially a Switch 1 game with a Switch 2 version, No Man's Sky is a Switch 2 version (although such an awesome and fun one), and BotW & TotK are also Switch 2 versions. I didn't get DKB (played the demo; wasn't for me), and Fast Fusion, while fun, isn't goty quality. All those caveats being said, I have to give Mario Kart World my Switch 2 game of the year. It's a very fun game that should only get better with time as the generation goes on. As far as the future, I'm looking forward to the inevitable MonolithSoft snd Zelda team games as soon as they're ready (MonolithSoft is going to impress on Switch 2), and the Grid game coming to Switch 2 next year.
Happy gaming and weekend everyone!

@Cipher36 I don't have a problem with Nintendo opting for higher speed SD cards, but if their physical media isn't going to provide the read speeds needed by developers, then they should allow full game downloads rather than fake physical media. In either case, a need for separately purchased storage is foisted on the end user, but in the scenario of a full game download off a cartridge, true physical media and thus ownership and game preservation are maintained.
Also, sounds like you and your Steam Deck had a scintillating conversation. My electronics aren't usually so talkative.

My response to the data-streaming speed concerns is that Nintendo needs to enact a means of downloading the game from the cartridge onto the system memory or micro CD express card. Whatever the reason, and I really think corporate greed is truly the bigger issue here, fake physical releases aren't ever going to have mass appeal.

My favorite game studio by a wide margin. It's always nice to read how important MonolithSoft is to Nintendo's development cycle. The idea of a MonolithSoft-developed Legend of Zelda game is truly an exciting prospect, even if it's ultimately pretty unlikely considering Aonuma's team always develops Zelda. Potentially interesting times ahead. 😁

It's going to be Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition for me. 😂

@SegaBlueSky I did too. It was cool to geek out over the new tech and I found it very entertaining. That said, I agree it should have been a free download, but that horse has long since been beaten to death. I think the hate for it stems more from resentment that life has gotten so expensive and this little tech demo is an easy scapegoat for people's ire about the cost of things. It is a voluntary purchase though, which makes that hate for it a little weird. Unless a person has personally paid for it and regretted it, it seems weird to waste mental energy flaming this game.

Good and very fair review, @PJOReilly. It's about time someone took Bethesda to task for their lazy greedy ways. Seriously, Skyrim is an iconic game at this point, and to half-arse it like this on Switch 2 which could have easily run it at 1080p/60 FPS is a scathing indictment of the idea that Bethesda has any competence left when it comes to optimization.

I am so tired of AI and can't wait for this dumb bubble to burst. Us consumers get screwed while the rich and the powerful become more so by the day, it's not right.

Not really a huge fan of 2 due to the combat and character designs, but I'd love Switch 2 enhancements of 1, 3, and X. I wouldn't play 2 again even with upgraded.

@Stormcloudlive I love my Switch 2 and have nothing bad to say about it except that which are universal economic facts of the present time. It's not Nintendo's fault that AI facilities are sucking up all the ram chips and driving prices up. Nor is it their fault the US dollar and other fiat currencies are worth less than in previous years due to persistent inflation. 🤷 Those are legitimate problems, but I don't feel it's fair to pin any of that on one gaming company. There are more obvious culprits in my opinion.

@spiderman0616 Been here a while lol. I just don't agree with the premise a lot are spouting here (not you) that Nintendo are deliberately evil. I get that prices are rising everywhere and that's a legit concern. However, my opinion is if a person is that angered by rising prices as to consider faster expandable storage to be a targeted, deliberately evil move, well maybe that person just needs to step away from gaming for a while, or whatever is causing them so much angst. Getting as angry as people on NL seem to at Nintendo sometimes evidences a real perspective problem, IMHO. It's just games people. It's not worth getting so upset.

@Bunkerneath How was it underhanded? The intent was faster storage. This was not an evil corporatist plot to make you specifically buy a more expensive SD card. Weird take man.

@AccessibleDaydream I refuse to call "X" "Cross" (✝️ is an actual cross) when we have an easier, more letter-efficient way of referring to that button.

@WheresWaveRace I've wanted F1 to come back to Nintendo systems since F1 2011 on the 3DS. A new F1 game on S2 would be a day-1 buy.

I really wish you guys would just embed the images instead of forcing us over to twitter. It's not loading right now, so instead of being able to see what the article is talking about, I get a nice friendly error message. Why can't you just embed the images instead of sending us to another website?

This is wonderful news, and hopefully they also announce Switch 2 enhancements or upgrades soon. I'm still playing and enjoying the heck out of this absolute masterpiece of a game, one of my favorites in the series, and I hope everyone still playing it or planning to in the future enjoy it as well. Happy Wednesday!

I didn't see this in the comments, so apologies if I missed it and this is a repost of sorts, but I noticed the Switch 2 eshop bestseller tab now shows the top 30 bestselling games, where it previously showed only the top 15. That's kind of neat for those who may be interested.

Get ready for Pokeymon to prove one again that they are the universal masters of mediocrity selling like crazy.

Happy 20th Birthday NintendoLife! This site is a daily joy for me and I hope to see your kind and talented staff continue this community and journey many years into the future. 🎉🎂

@iLikeUrAttitude Don't get me wrong; I'm not the Nintendo mafia who can't handle criticism of them, far from it. I just don't get you, @Spider-Kev, and @Anti-Matter who seem to always and only post negative comments. Like why are you here if you hate them so much? It just seems like it puts more negativity into the world, which doesn't make anything better for anyone. Why not just play games and a system you like?

@Anti-Matter That's a lot of words to just say you don't like Nintendo. Lots of negativity in this comment section @Spider-Kev @iLikeUrAttitude good grief. Maybe there are sites you guys post positive comments on, but as long as I've been on Nintendo Life, it's never been here.

@MoldyPasta Please no. MonolithSoft is busy making quality games; no need to sully their good name with association with Pokeymon. Game Freak needs to figure it out.

Waiting for an Animal Crossing bundle for my wife. No one in my house cares for Pokeymon at all so this would be a waste of money for us.

"Crimson Collective" what a silly generic-sounding comic-book villain name, good grief. 🤦

Thanks for all the laughs and enthusiasm over the years Zion. Wishing you the best in the future!

@ReaperMelia Epic. Thank you for your detailed answer; I can't wait to check out the demo! Now if it could just get a proper physical release. 🤔
Cheers, have a wonderful day!

@ReaperMelia How would you say the combat is for someone who prefers action based and dislikes turn-based? My favorite rpgs are the Xenoblade series, but this looks like it has an interesting story so I'm considering trying it.

They'll keep trying to market this take, but I suspect the vast majority of games who actually care about physical media won't believe them. In today's world of "everything is expensive" and "no one has any money but the big corporations" anything that seems even slightly greedy/budget conscious/etc is going to be perceived as a slimy corpo move. It just seems like they're foisting the cost of storage onto the consumer and taking away the concept of true ownership at the same time, and on purpose.. In the long term, that's not going to = more profits; it's going to = less gamers and less games being sold.

@Kang81 @olliemar28 I already have one; pre-ordered last day of February and it arrived September 11th and tbh I really like it. Was just asking about an NL review because as a fan I'd like to see more publicity and reviews for it. NintendoLife has a large audience and they reviewed the OG Satisfye grip back on 2018 so this also seems like a logical step for Switch 2.
Anyway, @Kang81 sorry you you don't like the case. It is larger than their S1 offerings it's true; the console is so much bigger though. IDK for me it's perfect but I hope you find a grip and case combo that work for you m8.
@olliemar28 thanks for a good review here and for considering my suggestion to look into Satisfye. 😊

This seems decent, but I still prefer the Satisfye grip and case bundle. Any chance you'll be reviewing that soon? Satisfye's products are always top tier.

Lol @ the 13 people buying PS4s 😂

@FantasiaWHT lol 😂 that's awesome. I thought maybe "Yakuza"...?

Forgive an ignorant question, but does anyone know what the "YA" stands for?

I have the game and don't hate it, but as time passes I find it more and more difficult to care about this game. I was going to comment this hours ago but didn't want the first comment to be me saying I don't care about the game. It's early days for Switch 2 and great games are coming.

Just like the first DXM, I tried the demo once and have never picked it up again. I want to like this franchise so bad but there's something about it that not clicking with or grabbing me. Oh well. Back to waiting for the next Xenoblade.

@Rpg-lover I know that's probably what the brands wants but that's not how our letters work.

@Hee-ho-master Is it still turn-based?

Downloaded and played through the first few scenes and it was very meh. I'd also tried the demo of the first game and was unimpressed then, never ending yo buying the full first game. After last night's experience, wherein I was wishing I were playing XCX:DE instead because it's better in every way, I'll be skipping the full game for Titanic Scion too, which is a real shame as I'd been looking forward to this. But between the hanky unintuitive controls and poorly explained gameplay mechanics, it'll be easy for me to skip and go back to waiting for the next Zelda or MonolithSoft game. 🤷 I do hope those who get into this game do genuinely enjoy it and that it sells well and makes its target audience happy. I am just obviously not the target audience.

Nope. Lots of reasons why, but they boil down to it just doesn't excite me. 🤷
That and I am still very much stuck into Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition. It runs slightly smoother on S2 without as many frame rate hiccups and the dynamic resolution seems to trend more toward the higher end, but I still hope for a Switch 2 upgrade or patch. What an amazing and dense game. I'm so psyched for MonolithSoft's inevitable Switch 2 project.

@Cia I mostly agree with your rankings, though I'd bump XC1 up to a 10, 2 up to a 7, and XCX is another solid 10 for me. What an absolute masterpiece of a series, and I can't wait to see what MonolithSoft can so with Switch 2's power.

Great review PJ and thanks for the laughs.

@WiltonRoots 100%, it's ridiculous, video games are supposed to be escapism, not more conflict and negativity.
Switch 2 is awesome so far. Life is good. 😎

@Mr_Zurkon I'd also wish for a north marker on the mini-map, and more precise positioning when viewing the large map.

This is good news. Their previous rumored Zelda would have bombed the film. Having not heard of either of these two actors is a massive win for the fans and gives me a little hope this might turn out entertaining. At this point I am (very cautiously) starting to be optimistic.

@PikminMarioKirby I know exactly what you mean and I couldn't agree more.

@Nua Cheers! I'll definitely look into that! 😁