Dev-N

As a Mario Bros. fan, Mario Clash should be intriguing, and it should become my second favorite VB game behind Wario Land.

But the GBA version of Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a cool surprise! The Switch remake is all well and good, but even though it's definitely aged with its pre-rendered graphics, there's still some things the GBA original did better. Charles Marinet's many voiced lines are personally classic. I like how the music for Fire Mountain and Twilight City is more bombastic or ominous when it's more subdued or completely different in the remake, not to mention The Final, Really Final Battle hitting way harder!

I don’t mind the old gameplay because that’s just how it was and that’s what I signed up for when playing this, even for the first time. It’s nice to actually play an old generation game when I just played the spin-offs when I was a kid.

As much as I’ve liked seeing some of the new Pokemon over the years, for me, the Pokemon series was better when it was smaller. The series has just gotten to be so complicated and overwhelming, but I know that won’t change. These older games can help me recapture a little simplicity, and whether it was through the eShop or Nintendo Classics, I didn’t care how.

Air Riders has a solid soundtrack for sure, and all the old remixes and OG Air Ride tracks are appreciated too. If anything, I would've just liked it more if the tracks could loop once instead of playing in one go, if you know what I mean.

Top Five
1. Skyah- Say what you will about the kiddy theme song (that’s on purpose, apparently) but this still sounds great in instrumental form and bouncy enough to cheer me up!
2. Skyah (Alt)- That trumpet!
3. Mount Amberfalls- Just a cool track that perfectly captures the essence of a scenic downhill race.
4. Airtopia Ruins- Captures the epic, ancient ruins theme nicely.
5. Cyberion Highway- A real cyber banger, in a Kirby game nonetheless. I like the small Cyber track from Top Ride too, but there’s obviously just more to this longer Air Ride one.

Is it too soon to properly reveal the new Shantae game? That’s all I care about, but this being so short might not be a good sign.

I’ll keep hoping April is the new February for a normal Direct. Now especially with Pokemon Winds and Waves coming next year, Nintendo absolutely has something big planned later this year!

It’s hard to beat a good Pokemon spin-off. Even though I’ll pass for now because I’ll be way too busy with other sim games, I’m glad to see this succeed.

I might still come around to it someday. I can care less that it’s a game key card because… I’m all-digital anyway! Ahhahaha!

The Switch 2 editions of Disney Dreamlight Valley and Mario Wonder in March and Tomodachi Life in April. Would’ve considered Pokopia if not for me having too many sim games already.

I chose Greninja out of these. It might actually be my overall favorite anyway!

Not bad choices at all. Charizard will probably win because it's been iconic from the very beginning.

Say what you will about an “install base” but I think it’ll be about time to move on by then, and hopefully this holiday season will make that clearer. Cross-gen makes Switch 2 games just not reach their full potential. Legends Z-A might be a good game, but Winds and Waves have got to impress!

I’ve started playing Pokemon LeafGreen for the first time, so I’ll be playing that off and on for the foreseeable future. Now that I’ve beaten Princess Peach Showtime, I can get back to Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. And I’ll play Salmon Run in Splatoon 3 because it has Grizzco weapons and the Triumvirate.

Gecqua! Maybe it’s the eyes, the squishy eyelashes, or both? I hope it doesn’t just become another Inteleon, and Browt’s final evolution may or may not impress me, but Gecqua’s only been growing on me today.

I also tend to alternate between the grass or water starter in Pokemon games. Since I would’ve chosen Sprigatito in Violet, I’d choose Gecqua in Waves.

It's obviously still early since they've only just been announced, but I'm more than likely choosing Waves.

I'll choose Gecqua, but I hope it doesn't just become another Inteleon. I'll have to wait and see if Browt's final evolution impresses me too.

Can it be? A polished pair of Pokemon games? I won’t get carried away, but this is a promising start. Glad to see Game Freak finally learned their lesson to take their time. Makes me wonder what Nintendo could possibly have in store for 2026 though. This is either a very bad sign for this year… or not.

I still have both my OG teal 3DS and the burgundy new XL, and I definitely prefer playing the latter even though they both still get used occasionally. Only thing I don’t like is needing a screwdriver to get the new XL’s micro SD card if I ever needed to, but I don’t remember if I ever did.

Always nice seeing a random theme every time I boot up the new XL. That, and all the badges that I shamelessly paid to get in Badge Arcade. Boy, do I miss when Nintendo systems had personality!

This will be mostly new to me. Only played DuckTales Remastered on Wii U and had a good time with that. With these games on top of Aladdin, Lion King and Jungle Book, having a pretty solid collection of retro Disney games on my Switch 2 is awesome possum!

It's good to see that they care about Top Ride. That mode has been a surprise hit for me and it's a shame that it's often hard to find online players there.

Must not be anything really significant if they won't bother leaving notes. I'm much more interested in the next Emerald Rush event with Wrinkly Kong and Tiny Kong.

My Top Five
1. Main Theme
2. Star Course (Space Zone)
3. The End
4. Captured Mario's Castle Course
5. Wario Battle 1

I love this game's Main Theme so much. I didn't grow up with Super Mario Land 2 and first played it on 3DS Virtual Console, but that theme can stay stuck in my head hard! The Star Course theme is pretty fantastic too.

OK, I can't help but think that Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins just being added to Nintendo Music might be another hint...

In all seriousness, I wouldn’t be surprised. This was already leaked by a random Mexican cinema chain a long time ago. Nintendo has been subtly promoting Wario a little.

Then again, he hasn’t gotten any merchandise yet. We also know Bowser is restored back to normal and he would never want to take a backseat in an evil alliance, so Wario could just be more henchman than secondary antagonist.

I suppose we’ll find out in the movie’s final trailer, most likely on MAR10 Day.

Obey Wario, destroy Mario!

Sprigatito, one of my favorite cat Pokemon alongside the classic Meowth and Purrloin. It helps that I was pleased with its two evolutions.

LeafGreen, because green is my favorite color and I like grass types. This will be my first time playing any version based on the originals. I only watched others play something like Yellow but never played it myself. After being away from the series for a long time, what better way to get me to come back?

I bought and downloaded it on Switch 2, but I’ll play it on Switch 1 instead for its much better battery life.

Wooloo for sure. The perfect rep for Sword and Shield if you ask me.

I’ve been very haphazard with the Zelda series, but I’ve always wanted to get into it in only the way I can. Twilight Princess was my first Zelda game, but I never beat it, only watched others play and beat it. I missed out on Ocarina of Time back in the day, but years later, I played and beat the 3D version when it came out and finally understood how special that game truly is, so it sparked my interest in Zelda ever since.

It’s not been easy though. I didn’t beat Breath of the Wild until three years later in 2020, and now I hope to be the same way with Tears of the Kingdom three years later. These two games are absolutely great, but I most likely prefer old-school 3D Zelda even though it won’t return. I just don’t have the time and energy to play massive games like Breath and Tears anymore and struggle to make it. But I know there’s always the classics like the first one that I should get around to, and the next big game could still hookshot me even if it’s still the same massively-open style.

With this being Zelda’s 40th anniversary, I’ll try to make meaningful progress in Tears of the Kingdom instead of the aimless wandering I’ve done in areas where enemies can easily one-shot me. It’s about time I get things going!

I still need to start playing my Virtual Boy accessory. I’m playing Splatoon 3 for Salmon Run as well as a run up Side Order because it’s also the 2nd anniversary of Side Order. I’ve still got more to do in Peach Showtime. I don’t need my sister’s borrowed copy anymore because I recently bought the game for half the price myself thanks to a digital sale on Amazon.

When it comes to other creatures, this Cubone fan must choose Alolan Marowak for Favorite Alolan Form. Momma came back from the dead with a bone to pick!

My favorite Ultra Beast is probably Buzzwole, but even though I didn’t play Moon, Guzzlord is definitely the good stuff of nightmares…

Mine is Primarina. I was so happy that the quirky clown-like Popplio became something beautiful in the end. Really, all three starters are fantastic, which was a first for me.

I loved playing Sun. It brought me back to Pokemon after many, many years. I couldn’t get good at competitive battles or collecting many Pokemon, but just playing through the story was an experience in itself. I loved the human characters, the twisty story, the music, and many of the new Pokemon. Solgaleo, Alolan Marowak, Midday Lycanroc, Tsareena and Toucannon were also favorites in my team. The Ultra Beasts were cool. I even had fun following Sun and Moon on Miiverse, limited as it was.

I sadly fell off the Pokemon wagon again, but this gen will always be special to me. It proved that Pokemon can get me to come back when it gets enough right!

Is it any wonder why Nintendo doesn’t listen to the Internet horde? Just imagine how much Virtual Console games would cost these days. I’ve personally long made peace with NSO. Cheating is most likely the main reason why they did this. I’m just glad they’re doing this either way!

I just have it set up and displayed on a perfect spot in my apartment for now. I’ll have to always be extra cautious slotting my Switch 2 into it.

I obviously would never expect greatness from the VIRTUAL BOY, but it certainly catches the eye, and occasionally playing it after I figure out a decent posture will be interesting to say the least. Wario Land and Mario Clash will be my favorite games by far, but I’m hoping I like a few others.

Announcing this early is not really super effective, but it's still a good thing. I just hope Gen 10 isn't rushed TOO much. Let's not have Scarlet 2 and Violet 2...

@the_beaver MAR10 Day might have the final Mario Galaxy Movie trailer and/or a release date for Yoshi, but nothing major.

Looks like that one rumor was right after all. What better way to get me to play Pokemon again?

I’m getting LeafGreen. I’ll download on the Switch 2, but I might actually prefer this on the Switch 1 where there’s better battery life for that classic handheld experience.

Greninja, easily. My favorite water one and maybe my favorite overall. It also helps a lot that I liked it in Super Smash Bros.! Even Sakurai and company knew it was special from the beginning...

I thought the intense vibrations from diving, fishing or pole-vaulting was HD Rumble, but I guess not.

I... don't have a clear favorite here. Too much of a tossup between Snivy or Purrloin right now.

That Expresso statue is kinda cute. Unfortunately, I’m just not good at getting the highest score in these events. Always have to look up tips and strategies. Even in the last one at Freezer Layer that should’ve been easier, I got the Lord Fredrik statue only within seconds. Emerald Rush requires a mastery of knowing where fossils are in a given layer, which is a lot of locations!

8, just like NL. I haven’t played online or the trial towers yet, but Fever is much better than Aces to me. The gameplay is better than Aces by not being TOO chaotic. The Fever Rackets are a better gimmick than expected. While they’re simple, they add a bunch of variety, and the back-and-forth volley with a Fever Shot is surprisingly intense! The game is highly polished, content-rich considering previous Mario sports games, and the game runs very quickly with little to seemingly no loading at times (playing this on a digital copy on internal storage). Characters have a lot of personality, especially Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.

The Adventure Mode is just a glorified tutorial, it doesn’t get interesting until you leave the academy (which is 80% of the story) and I would’ve loved it if more characters played a part in the story, but I liked it well enough and didn’t want it to end so soon. I always knew the matches are where it’s at.

Gallade. Not surprising since I like Gardevoir…

Hey, look, there's R.O.B. with Peach and Captain Toad!

What kind of role will R.O.B. play in this movie? More than just a cameo?

I like that there appears to be a greater emphasis on NPC and enemy representation this time around.

I’m pretty sure Bowser’s axe-throwing references his hammer-throwing from Super Mario Bros. That flying saucer is the one from Mario Galaxy’s opening.

If you can afford it and have any interest at all, just do it. I’m glad I got mine at launch without a problem at all. Even if I couldn’t, I still would’ve gotten the Nintendo Store invite a month later, so I still would’ve gotten Switch 2 by Donkey Kong Bananza’s release. That game’s spoilers were absolutely worth keeping hidden for this DK fan!

And I thought this was mainly going to be because of tariffs, not greedy AI. It’s all a mess that poses a threat to Nintendo for sure, especially if 2026 keeps looking like a quiet first-party software year.

Gardevoir. This was the generation when my own personal Pokemon fad unfortunately died out. I only knew Gardevoir in other games, but I always liked its coolness and elegance, which only got better over time. It’s my top main in Pokken!

Suicune. So cool, so smooth. It also helps that it was one of my top mains in Pokken.

I usually like grass and water types, but I liked the adorable Cubone when I was a kid. I felt bad for it being such a crybaby in the anime. I had no idea of its tragic backstory, but that probably just makes me want to support it even more!

I’m playing single-player tournaments and trying some challenges in Mario Tennis Fever after I’ve already beaten the adventure mode. I need to do more in Fever before I feel capable enough to play online.

I have more to do in Princess Peach Showtime, but it’ll be another week or two before I beat it and move on. I’m still messing around with combat practice and doing side quests in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. Finally, I’ll try to play more of the final Eggstra Work in Splatoon 3’s Salmon Run and the event in Kirby Air Riders.

Mine was shipped yesterday. Should be arriving on time, but even sooner is always welcome. I need to make some serious space, but I intend to display mine, come what may!

Absolutely, I’d want them back in general. What better way to get me to play Pokemon again?

It’s hard to believe they haven’t come back already. They obviously would never want to let them die…

I’ve been left cold by Pokemon in the Switch 1 era as well, but a good spin-off like Snap or Pokken can shine for me. Even being a key card doesn’t matter to me since I’m digital anyway.

However, I’m more than likely going to have to pass on this because my gaming life will be dominated enough by sim games between Animal Crossing, Dreamlight Valley and Tomodachi Life. Playing those three will be hard enough, but I’d be nuts to juggle a fourth sim! No, I just want to see Pokopia keep exceeding expectations and become another one of those good Pokemon spin-offs.

I have it preloaded. I had a decent, though brief time with Aces, I still like to occasionally play the N64 game on Nintendo Classics, and I remember liking Open on 3DS. A review I’ve read seems to imply that the brief Adventure Mode can still be a good time, but regardless, I expect the pick-and-up-play nature of Mario Tennis to deliver once again.

No surprises here. Never did get my hopes up for a great adventure mode despite the unusual baby theme, but I’m here for the pick-up-and-play gameplay and good online, and it sounds like it delivers on that. I was tempted to worry about the Fever Rackets being a shoe-horned gimmick, but they apparently aren’t, so good.

I expect to have a good time with Fever. At the very least, I’ll enjoy it more than the overly-chaotic Aces.

@Maxz Yeah, you’re right, it’s just too bad for Rapid Blaster PRO players. My whoops!