Dringo

@CharlieGirl it’s how you maintain engagement. Don’t release everything at once

@Dazman Killed Rare? You seen Sea of Thieves, right?

@JONOFTHEJONS It's not plastic

Pikmin for me is one of those Nintendo series that really should sell a whole lot more than they do. It had all the quality of some of the company’s best output. I get it’s a niche genre, but niches can break out.

I wonder if the fact each time they’ve gone big with Pikmin, it’s been on a system nobody bought. Pikmin 4 is an interesting test. Although a summer release, this close to Zelda…

He’s right. I mean, Switch does compete with PlayStation in some regards. And obviously any product that takes up people’s time is a competitor.

But the games that sell tens of millions on PlayStation aren’t the same type of games they sell tens of millions on Xbox.

He is talking generally, of course. I’ve got both consoles and I’ll have to prioritise either Spider-Man or Mario on October 20th. But broadly speaking, Nintendo players like different things to Sony players.

@kalosn They'll want to be wary not to undercut the other Pikmin game they just launched

@RobTheIII Production times on physical discs, I imagine. It normally takes 3 months. Doesn't look like they had this one as prepared as Metroid Prime

Great opening. Better than Majora’s Mask, which was similarly dark, frightening and jarring

Confirmed: Nintendo will announce a Mario game in its announcement videos at some point

Time for Blockchain-powered Nightdive games

I love F4F statues. And the Link on horseback is amazing.

But, I'm not too fussed by the BOTW PVC line. They're just big Amiibo. I do have Link and Zelda, though.

When I first played Zelda it was Ocarina of Time. I put my name is as CHRIS, because I didn’t realise I could lower case.

Ever since, I’ve always named myself CHRIS

The design might be real… but that doesn’t mean it is final

I’m enjoying it. Waiting for Sega Saturn games to join the line-up, too

Zelda TOTK pre-order details. Special edition and special hardware.

@RobynAlecksys Clearly not true

I never finished DK64 and I only did the first few worlds on Banjo…. But Perfect Dark on a handheld would be amazing. I still regularly play the 360 remaster. Oh, and I never finished Diddy Kong, either. I suspect we’ll get 3 of those at some point. PD might be a bit too much of a stretch as it is still an active Xbox franchise.

I am the world’s biggest Conker fan. I even ran a fansite about it. But the early levels of that aren’t fun today. And some of the jokes are cancellable (like the name of the professor).

Although they removed the Jimmy Saville reference at the end of Jet Force, so you never know

@mattesdude If you ever get an Xbox, you’ll be surprised to know they still make bangers. Not as prolific anymore though

@Casco I agree the Xbox controls are better. I had a ‘mare with the floor in the train.

But once you’ve remapped, it’s pretty close to what I’d like. And the portability element edges it for me.

If I am playing on TV, there’s no competition.

But clearly Nintendo and Xbox had to come to an agreement where there were pros and cons to both

@Gamecuber Even once you remap the controls?

@Casco but… it does have modern controls?

Obviously the list focuses on more ‘gamer’ games. But I think a broader ‘best Switch game’ list really needs to have Ring Fit Adventure and Tetris 99 appearing highly

The best version for me is Goldeneye on Switch in portable mode. Handheld Goldeneye, the dream.

Really only one company should be doing N64 emulation, and that’s Nightdive

They bothered doing a midnight launch for Fire Emblem?!? Wow.

I’ve not even got a space for my upcoming Rider Link!

So story is ok, but not as good as the last one. Gameplay is amazing.

Glad it’s not just a bigger version of the last one. They did that on 3DS, and I felt it was an error.

I look forward to it!

@XenoShaun Roughly, based on third-party games, around 20 - 25% of a Switch game sales are digital. It varies quite significantly, but for Nintendo, the majority of game sales are not digital.

@Sisilly_G It's annoying, but it's Nintendo's decision. Which is why I always combine it and put in the commentary where it would have finished combined together.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope was a banger, but missed its audience.

If Ubisoft Milan is part of the divestment plan, Nintendo might see value in picking them up.

Zelda will be Nintendo’s big game of the year. No Mario, or Metroid Prime 4… I even expect Pokemon will be DLC.

@GrailUK PS5 still No.1. Switch now back at No.2. Xbox just behind at No.3. 19,000 units separates Xbox from PS. Photo finish time

@EVIL-C It’s the same in every single market

Uh oh, I've made a headline on Nintendolife.

I want to stress another point... Xbox is pretty popular in the UK. Xbox 360 was the No.1 platform during that generation (outsold the Wii). It's not the case globally, but it's a market where all 3 platforms have a strong presence.

Ghoma for me. I played late at night, when I wasn’t supposed to, with my brother, and when she fell from the ceiling into my head after I couldn’t see where she was… we screamed

Very lovely statues. I wish I could afford both the bronze and the full colour, but had to go with one. I went with Bronze in the end

I will get these games and I’ll spend £50 on them. Each if I have to. I know I’ll enjoy them and I can play them in the bath. Sign me up

If I’m absorbed in a game, I barely notice it

Embracer isn't really a company in the traditional terms. They're not like Microsoft or Sony or EA... they don't publish games or make games... they are a holding company. So basically, all these businesses continue to operate like they always do, but they are now just part of a wider network of companies.

It’s quite normal for Nintendo to start hyping up games close to launch. In fact, it’s very common. They like a short window before launch

I’ve got a few uncommon games. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes… I have a signed copy of the first Zelda (in box with manuals) from Shigeru Miyamoto, and a Miyamoto-signed copy of Mario Sunshine, too.

But my pride and joy is my Conker’s Bad Fur Day collection. I’ve got the original game in box. Along with the official stuff, I also have some real design documents from the game gifted to me by one of the team, a signed vinyl, and a little gold-coloured Conker statue given to winners of a Rare game jam.

@Mr_Gamecube Popularity I’d suspect

@munstahunta Releasing a game when it has the optimum opportunity to reach the widest audience… as in, players have the time, space and money to play it, is both commercially sensible AND it’s good for players.

February makes sense. They’ve got a game every month for this year and February might be the next available slot.

@valcoholic I was shown it when doing a project for Rare. The handheld team was merged into the main business after that

I actually enjoyed this game back in the day

They were at one point making a Blast Corps DS. But it got shelved

Bit of an odd poll to ignore Mario + Rabbids. One of the biggest third-party titles on Switch and almost certainly going to be part of it tomorrow

@Serpenterror Steven told me it was the N64 version

The head of Nightdive (Who did the excellent remasters of Shadowman, Quake, Turok etc) said if he could remaster one Nintendo game, it would be Eternal Darkness.

And Nintendo should take them up on it. After all, Nightdive is the first company to get N64 games working on Switch, long before Nintendo’s own lacklustre efforts

There’s a Direct coming. Although it’ll focus on third-parties.