the DK Bananza and Pokémon Z-A teams should take note.
It's so annoying when they decide "okay now this part of the game, we'll get 'em to spend more in order to play". Like come on. Your desire for more profit outweighs your desire for doing right by your fans, and it's so obvious.
I love that Sakurai confirmed that no sequels and no DLCs are planned - because he's putting every piece of content he possibly can in the base game right from the start.
Compare this to what Pokémon just did with its £25 extra to spend on the Mega Dimension DLC, available to purchase on day one.... there's no contest. Sakurai's games are the real deal.
He's still upholding the spirit of simple fun that videogames had before online storefronts. It's great to see.
Overall I really love this game. But when I played it, I did have some issues with some of the game design.
I think the magic is implemented very poorly. It is a hassle to use magic because you can only have one thing equipped at a time.
And if you try to use a magic spell from your menu without equipping it, the unpausing animation forces you to face south, so you can only fire downwards. ... Quite a bad oversight.
Additionally, I didn't like how the majority of boss fights completely lock you out of being able to use your spells arbitrarily - with the exception of that Bloody Mary fight that requires you to use magic. ...but up until that point, the game has been conditioning you to think that boss fights are no-magic zones, so it's just kind of confusing.
The other big issue I had was with the pacing - the first half of the game is dungeon after dungeon after dungeon, while the last half of the game is sidequest after sidequest after sidequest. I think the pacing is quite unbalanced, and it can lead to fatigue.
A mix of all options for me. if it's on NSO, then that's pretty convenient since I'm always on my Switch anyway. But not all games I want to play are on NSO.
Many games I still only have via Virtual Console - for example Final Fantasy IV (aka II) is installed on my Wii, and that's my preferred place to play it even now, especially since the Pixel Remasters aren't the best compared to the originals.
I do regret not buying FF6 on the Wii VC back in the day. ... oh well. At least it's on the SNES Mini, right?
As a collector, I do like to get a proper cart for the fun of it, but it's not a necessity by any means. I have absolutely no qualms using an emulator.
For example, I played Gargoyle's Quest (GB) and Demon's Crest (SNES) on NSO, but for whatever reason, Gargoyle's Quest II (NES) is not on NSO at the moment.
So I had no issue emulating it. Especially since this isn't an easy NES cart to get ahold of anyway. Not worth the price.
The last proper NES cart I played was Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II, again because it's not on NSO. ...I played StarTropics 1 on NSO beforehand, and would have played Zoda's revenge on NSO too if it was available, despite owning the original cart.
I don't remember when this game was added to my collection though - I think I went through a phase of getting some American-only releases for my collection at one point or another, just for the exoticness I suppose. Heh. That's why I also own Dragon Warrior 1, 2, 3, and 4.
SNES stuff seems to be easier to find nowadays than NES - I can still find SNES games at CeX - in fact, I played Plok via a SNES cart I bought quite recently, and it wasn't too expensive.
@Zequio Last Judge is more manageable if you equip Magma Bell. Additionally, there is actually a second way into the Citadel through Sinner's Road if you don't want to fight Last Judge yet.
Whenever you come up against what seems like an insurmountable wall of difficulty in Silksong, there almost always is something else you can find that will help you overcome it if you just go and explore some more.
Okay that change to the fine pins quest is a good one. The previous quests about pilgrim shawls and craw pelts didn't have any random drop chance shenanigans going on, so the fact that the fine pins were random felt really off. Glad to see it changed to make more sense.
Well, I meant transfer from a Switch game. Of course all Pokémon have been transferrable since the beginning if you use Go and the 3DS games. ...but I don't play mobile games, and I'm especially not interested in something like Go that relies on your real world location. so I was hoping for Spinda to make it.
Well, this is a funny way of dealing with things - releasing first and asking questions later. to the point where they have to rename the whole game for some technical reasons.
I would have thought they would have decided on and implemented the trophies they wanted to include before release. Did they change their mind, or what?
Well. At least they're still working on Croc in some capacity - hopefully there's a Croc 2 remake in the works as well? I would enjoy a Croc ultimate pack that included Croc, Croc 2, and the two Game Boy Color games. (and maybe the J2ME games if we've been good?)
I don't particularly want to buy them individually because I kinda already have the originals.
After finishing Silksong thoroughly and enjoying it immensely, I decided to give Ori and the Blind Forest a try.
And to be honest, I did not like the gameplay all that much. Ori felt weirdly heavy to control, the camera feels too zoomed out, every enemy is just some kind of blob thing, and I really didn't like having to rely on enemies shooting projectiles at me in order to use some of my basic traversal mechanics. And I really did not like the trial-and-error escape sequences.
Maybe I'm just being overly harsh on it since I just came from Silksong which I loved so so much. But unfortunately, I just don't get the hype for Ori. It's cute I guess.
...it actually reminds me of when I finally played Limbo. I felt similarly not impressed with that game too, despite its popularity.
...
....
I don't want to spend this entire post being a sourpuss, so I'll also mention that I played Plok for the first time a few days ago too. I bought a SNES cart of Plok from CeX the other day for cheap. I only heard its name before, didn't know much about the game.
Plok was surprisingly reaally good, but I unfortunately couldn't beat it due to its extremely harsh checkpointing system. After dying too many times, it sends you waaaayyy back, which can be a huge demotivator. I guess I have to be good enough to not lose too many lives beforehand so I can learn the trickier levels before being sent back. I'll give it another try soon maybe. I quite enjoyed the aesthetic and humour of Plok.
I wanted to play more big RPGs (I Still have Lufia II in my to-do list) but I don't want to start another big game so close to Pokémon Legends Z-A's release. So I'll stick to smaller things for the moment.
... adding live and present humans to the canon of Pikmin is certainly something.
If this is just a cute animation for the heck of it (which Pikmin has done before) then so be it. But I'm really curious to see if humans will start appearing in actual Pikmin games. Because that would be a significant change to the tone of the game that I'm not sure would even still feel Pikminlike.
As for the short itself.... to be honest, I didn't find it very interesting to watch. Nothing really happens aside from baby's first steps, which is ok but not really special enough to dedicate an entire Nintendo produced animation to make happen.
aw, it would be nice if it included the original Yooka Laylee too since that one never got a Switch physical version as far as I know. Kinda weird to have a game that markets itself as a "replay" that doesn't include the original, right? how can you possibly replay it if it's your first time?
though on the bright side, my distaste for the Mana series directly led into my trying out the Ys series, and I became an Ys fanboy pretty much instantly. So there's that I suppose.
I'm well aware of how the term came about.
Originally "Metroidvania" was used by the Castlevania community to refer specifically to the Castlevania games with metroid-style maps. The term gained traction outside of the Castlevania fandom when more and more indie games were using a similar style and gaining popularity.
The term IGAvania was speifically created by Koji Igarashi for his Bloodstained Kickstarter. It's a completely made up marketing gimmick term, used so that IGA could refer to his previous works without actually invoking the names of Castlevania or Konami in the marketing for Bloodstained (and to avoid mention of Metroid and Nintendo too I suppose). It seems to have stuck with fans of IGA and his works, but I have never heard the term used by a wider audience. I'm okay with use of this term to specifically refer to IGA's works (which means not including Circle of the Moon) but I certainly don't want to use it as a catch all genre descriptor.
I really really did not like this game. There was no need to dumb down the gameplay so much because it's supposed to be for kids.
You can make a game good for kids without making it so bland for grownups - in fact, Nintendo is supposed to be the masters of this exact thing, aren't they?
If you are a Peach fan, just play SMB Wonder or SM 3D World.
...why are they going for an anime style? The trailer was all about "hey do you remember 80s games?" but then they show a modern anime look that doesn't fit the aesthetic of Double Dragon at all
@foursider it's literally a Mega Drive rom. They are planning on releasing it on physical Mega Drive cartridges for play on the actual 16-bit console later on. They just released in on Switch first
I'm playing Hollow Knight Silksong. I already beat the game and got 100% completion, now I am going for Steel Soul mode.
I'm surprised at just how much easier the earlygame is on a second playthrough. The final bosses really force you to become skilled at the game, and with this knowledge and skill, the early bosses that once gave me so much trouble are going down a lot more easily. It's interesting to realise this.
in Steel Soul mode, you're not allowed to die at all, otherwise your save file gets deleted. So I have to be extremely vigilant to always quit out the game the moment I get to low health to avoid this. I made a beeline to get the Fractured Mask item as soon as possible, and I plan to never take it off. This item saves you from lethal damage, which I feel is super necessary when dealing with all the double-damage-dealing bosses.
The only time where I felt like the difficulty might have been a little bit overboard was when fighting Last Judge, but then I learned some time later that there was an alternate path to the Citadel that bypasses this boss entirely, so now I am no longer of the opinion that the difficulty is overboard at any point.
The version I had first played when I was younger was the GBC Deluxe version, with all the bonus goodies and save files and all that. The challenge menu was great as just a general level select too, really allowed me to familiarise myself with the levels at my own pace.
heeey Nintendo, you can't do this to me when I'm still deep in Silksong! Should have just been content in the base game if they were gonna release it so soon anyways.
People who haven't even played the game shouldn't be calling this bad game design. That's judging it on a surface level without appreciating the surrounding context.
The game has bench signs everywhere, but the sign for this particular bench is different, it looks more makeshift than the regular sign.
The bench is located in an area that is already filled to the brim with traps, tripwires, floor switches, ambushes, and so much other nasty stuff, that a player should already be on edge when they reach this trap.
When you sit on the bench, the usual saving sound effect doesn't play immediately, giving an on-edge player a moment to quickly dodge it if they suspect something's up.
Just doing a tiny bit of extra exploring will let you disarm the trap anyway.
it's not bad game design. Yes, it definitely still can catch even savvy players off guard. But it's not bad game design even so.
Stop calling it bad game design if you've never even played the friggin game.
I thought it was a cool moment. The area has been full of traps to keep you on your toes, and this is the payoff for all that buildup. It's memorable and interesting.
Just because it's also a little unfair doesn't make it not worthy of being in the game imo.
The before icon is the one they're using for the Steam library PC icon which was designed to look fine at 32x32 pixels.
I suppose when asked to submit an icon, they didn't realise that it was for the big Switch home menu one, so they submitted the small one and it kind of just ended up like this.
I've seen this happen a couple other times, for example when West of Loathing was new (which was... a long time ago, wow), they also had their small Steam library icon as the home menu icon, until they fixed it with an update.
The new home menu icon is now what you would expect - it's the logo and the key art.
There are still some issues in the game, such as the controller UI appearing whenever you so much as nudge a second controller while in a one-player game, forcing you to disconnect one of them every time it happens rather than just letting you have two controllers on at once.
....and this inability to have two controllers connected during a one-player game actually makes a minor piece of bonus content inaccessible in the Switch version currently.
Hopefully they fix this issue in a future patch. Was a little disappointing to see it wasn't addressed this time.
The sleep mode issue has not been fixed either - the game still keeps counting playtime hours while the console is in sleep mode, leading to some inaccurate times. Mossmouth did say on Bluesky that this was going to be fixed in a later patch, which is good.
Additionally there are still some bugs in some of the games that haven't been fixed yet. For example there's a softlock in Cyber Owls where the forklift key fails to spawn, which can be a real moodkiller if Octavio's stage was the last of the four you selected since you lose a lot of progress. Hopefully these can be fixed too.
I might want to get this in the future. Bubsy 3D is a historically interesting game, I want to try it out one of these days.
Also the collection includes a GB version and even a Jaguar game? That's really good in my view, it shows they're really going all-in to do right by the fans. Seems like a solid collection.
Doesn't seem like this changes much. Reducing prices of benches and bellways is fine with me, money is pretty tight early on, and whether you have enough money is entirely dependent on how often you die. So players can get overly punished for being less skilled. This change seems fine.
Regarding Moorwing, seems like I accidentally skipped it completely without realising. Apparently there are ways to bypass this boss if you complete certain quests first. But if you don't complete the quests in time, it becomes mandatory? I don't know lol.
If it was just an optional boss, I wouldn't see the need for the changes, but if there are scenarios where it becomes mandatory, then I guess it makes sense.
The hardest mandatory boss I've seen so far is the one at the end of Act 1 just before the Citadel. Interesting to see no patch notes for this one. Because dang, I can definitely see players struggling to progress at this point.
If you go into the battle mode lobby from the main menu, there is an NPC in the lower left corner who acts as a hidden sound test if you talk to her while holding the L or R buttons. She will let you listen to music you've heard in-game, or if you're using a cleared save file (saved after beating the final boss), then she will have every music track available, including all the music from Golden Sun 1 as well.
The only essential Switch 2 game out right now is DK Bananza imo. Absolutely amazing game that was honestly worth getting the Switch 2 for all by itself. Very happy with this.
Mario Kart World is the least-appealing Mario Kart game I have ever seen. I'm glad I decided to stay away from it. From all I've heard, the open world is largely aimless, and the online modes are ruined by the intermission tracks.
The other games I know I'll want soon are Pokémon Z-A and Metroid Prime 4, which aren't even Switch 2 exclusive. And next year, Rhythm Heaven Groove, which again is on Switch 1.
The next must-play fully Switch 2 game for me will be Kirby Air Riders. Very much looking forward to that.
....after Air Riders is out, that'll be.... two games. mmm. Seems a little light, doesn't it?
Played for a couple of hours today - it's a good game so far. Already seen five different locales, and everything feels pretty good. I agree that the game feels more challenging right from the start, though maybe that's more unfamiliarity than anything else, since I do know the first game quite extensively at this point.
I'm looking forward to seeing how much there is to do as I keep going.
Well. The fact that this screenshot shows Forsaken in the regular app and not in the Mature app means that, at the very least, this build is not intended for the audience to get. So it's still very possible that the other games are there just for debug or emulation testing purposes and are not intended to be included.
If you want more Rayman 1 levels there's always Rayman Designer and Rayman By His Fans and all that stuff. It's not really new content, just more levels.
I do enjoy Rayman 1 a lot though, it is a favourite 2D platformer of mine, the vibes are great, especially with the weird locations like Band Land and Picture City. I love how the final level is a cake world, it's just so atypical and fun.
If you struggle beating Rayman 1, there's always the DSiWare version that gives you way more health. GBA version is also decently easier than the original.
@AJWolfTill I've done this for strictly Switch 1 games. For example, I played UFO 50 entirely on my Switch 2, and with NSO I have downloaded the cloud save to my Switch 1 and it works fine.
My question is regarding the Upgrade version. Will installing the upgrade pack turn the software into a "different app" that is not compatible with Switch 1 any longer? And therefore would it have its own save data? Or will both the Switch 1 vanilla version and the Switch 2 Upgraded version share the same save data?
If I was going over to my bro's place primarily to game, or primarily to show my bro stuff on my Switch 2, then yeah. This option would make sense. But that's not actually the case.
The next time i'll be over there, it'll be for babysitting purposes. I got a new baby niece. :3 so I don't want to bring too much extraneous gaming gear with me, when it's very possible I'm not even going to be using it at all.
That's one the the things about the Switch - it's so versatile, I can play it on the Tube en route to my bro's place, and then plug it into their dock if I find myself with a moment to enjoy it on the TV. Without it being a big deal at all.
It doesn't have to be a planned thing in order for it to work out.
The introduction of the Switch 2 has complicated this somewhat - they don't have a Switch 2 dock over there, so the convenience is lessened. I now have to specifically want to play a Switch 1 game if I want this incidental convenience factor to work out.
When I was playing through DK Bananza, I just played entirely in handheld mode when out and about, even when I was visiting my brother's place
There was no need to take the dock along, since that would have given the impression that my primary interest was to definitely show them the game on the big screen, which isn't the case. I was only showing them DK Bananza incidentally while we were waiting for other things to happen (people getting ready to go out etc).
ok. so basically. yes, practically, I could bring my switch 2 dock over and it wouldn't be a hardship to do so. But it does affect the social dynamic of the situation quite a bit. It conveys a definitive intent that I don't necessarily want to convey, you know?
My preference for the future of Rayman would be a new 3D adventure like Rayman 2 or 3.
I don't know if Ubisoft has it in them to actually make a 3D mascot platformer in this day and age.
I never really got into Origins and Legends that much to be honest. Maybe I should give them another shot, since everyone says they're great.
I think I was put off because they did not feel especially Raymanlike in their gameplay - the helicopter hair and the projectile punching were just not really a part of the design all that much - to the extent that you could even play as all sorts of non-Rayman character skins with the exact same moveset.
I would like a new game that truly feels Raymanlike and makes full use of his character traits. Helicopter hair, extending punching hands, and maybe some other cool things - do you remember that idle animation from Rayman 2 where Rayman dribbles his torso like a basketball? Wouldn't it be cool if he could "throw" himself like a basketball as a real movement mechanic?
I don't want another game where all the other characters can just be playable skins over Rayman. I really want them to lean hard in the detached limbs design and make something truly unique to Rayman.
Does anyone know if save data is compatible between Switch 2 upgrade versions and their original Switch 1 releases? (i know silksong isn't out yet, but I mean, like, in general?)
Because i plan to get this on my Switch 2 with the upgrade pack, but if I want to take the game to my brother's home and play it on their TV, I'm gonna have to use my Switch 1 since they don't have a switch 2 dock over there. If I want to do this, will I need to avoid getting the upgrade pack, or will it be fine?
Comments 2,575
Re: Sakurai Has No Plans For Kirby Air Riders DLC: "Everything Is Here"
the DK Bananza and Pokémon Z-A teams should take note.
It's so annoying when they decide "okay now this part of the game, we'll get 'em to spend more in order to play". Like come on. Your desire for more profit outweighs your desire for doing right by your fans, and it's so obvious.
Re: Kirby Air Riders Direct #2: Every Announcement - How Would You Rate it?
I love that Sakurai confirmed that no sequels and no DLCs are planned - because he's putting every piece of content he possibly can in the base game right from the start.
Compare this to what Pokémon just did with its £25 extra to spend on the Mega Dimension DLC, available to purchase on day one.... there's no contest. Sakurai's games are the real deal.
He's still upholding the spirit of simple fun that videogames had before online storefronts. It's great to see.
Re: Metroid Prime 1-3 Art Book Somehow Teases And Debunks An Echoes Remake
@canaryfarmer
Remakes should never have less content than the original, in my opinion.
Re: Surprise! Pikmin 4 Is Getting A Free Content Update On Switch Next Month
... they're not including an option to turn off the sticky auto-target thing, right? ...
Re: Anniversary: SNES Action RPG 'Terranigma' Is 30 Years Old Today, And It's Still A 10/10 In Our Book
Overall I really love this game. But when I played it, I did have some issues with some of the game design.
I think the magic is implemented very poorly. It is a hassle to use magic because you can only have one thing equipped at a time.
And if you try to use a magic spell from your menu without equipping it, the unpausing animation forces you to face south, so you can only fire downwards. ... Quite a bad oversight.
Additionally, I didn't like how the majority of boss fights completely lock you out of being able to use your spells arbitrarily - with the exception of that Bloody Mary fight that requires you to use magic. ...but up until that point, the game has been conditioning you to think that boss fights are no-magic zones, so it's just kind of confusing.
The other big issue I had was with the pacing - the first half of the game is dungeon after dungeon after dungeon, while the last half of the game is sidequest after sidequest after sidequest. I think the pacing is quite unbalanced, and it can lead to fatigue.
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Play NES Games These Days?
A mix of all options for me. if it's on NSO, then that's pretty convenient since I'm always on my Switch anyway. But not all games I want to play are on NSO.
Many games I still only have via Virtual Console - for example Final Fantasy IV (aka II) is installed on my Wii, and that's my preferred place to play it even now, especially since the Pixel Remasters aren't the best compared to the originals.
I do regret not buying FF6 on the Wii VC back in the day. ... oh well. At least it's on the SNES Mini, right?
As a collector, I do like to get a proper cart for the fun of it, but it's not a necessity by any means. I have absolutely no qualms using an emulator.
For example, I played Gargoyle's Quest (GB) and Demon's Crest (SNES) on NSO, but for whatever reason, Gargoyle's Quest II (NES) is not on NSO at the moment.
So I had no issue emulating it. Especially since this isn't an easy NES cart to get ahold of anyway. Not worth the price.
The last proper NES cart I played was Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II, again because it's not on NSO. ...I played StarTropics 1 on NSO beforehand, and would have played Zoda's revenge on NSO too if it was available, despite owning the original cart.
I don't remember when this game was added to my collection though - I think I went through a phase of getting some American-only releases for my collection at one point or another, just for the exoticness I suppose. Heh. That's why I also own Dragon Warrior 1, 2, 3, and 4.
SNES stuff seems to be easier to find nowadays than NES - I can still find SNES games at CeX - in fact, I played Plok via a SNES cart I bought quite recently, and it wasn't too expensive.
Re: Hollow Knight: Silksong Receives Another Update, Here Are The Patch Notes
@Zequio
Last Judge is more manageable if you equip Magma Bell.
Additionally, there is actually a second way into the Citadel through Sinner's Road if you don't want to fight Last Judge yet.
Whenever you come up against what seems like an insurmountable wall of difficulty in Silksong, there almost always is something else you can find that will help you overcome it if you just go and explore some more.
Re: Hollow Knight: Silksong Receives Another Update, Here Are The Patch Notes
Okay that change to the fine pins quest is a good one. The previous quests about pilgrim shawls and craw pelts didn't have any random drop chance shenanigans going on, so the fact that the fine pins were random felt really off. Glad to see it changed to make more sense.
Re: PSA: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Is Already Being Datamined, Watch Out For Spoilers
@RaGe22
Well, I meant transfer from a Switch game. Of course all Pokémon have been transferrable since the beginning if you use Go and the 3DS games. ...but I don't play mobile games, and I'm especially not interested in something like Go that relies on your real world location. so I was hoping for Spinda to make it.
Re: Croc's Switch Remaster Returns This Week With A Free 'Platinum Edition' Update
Well, this is a funny way of dealing with things - releasing first and asking questions later. to the point where they have to rename the whole game for some technical reasons.
I would have thought they would have decided on and implemented the trophies they wanted to include before release. Did they change their mind, or what?
Well. At least they're still working on Croc in some capacity - hopefully there's a Croc 2 remake in the works as well? I would enjoy a Croc ultimate pack that included Croc, Croc 2, and the two Game Boy Color games. (and maybe the J2ME games if we've been good?)
I don't particularly want to buy them individually because I kinda already have the originals.
Re: PSA: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Is Already Being Datamined, Watch Out For Spoilers
so it looks like there'll be no Spinda in this game huh?
Dang, it will literally be the only Pokémon impossible to transfer to Home. They really ought to fix that
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (11th October)
@GregamanX
I made a blog post about Gimmick 2 in March if you want to see someone talk about it
https://benjysgames.blogspot.com/2025/03/gimmick-2.html
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (11th October)
After finishing Silksong thoroughly and enjoying it immensely, I decided to give Ori and the Blind Forest a try.
And to be honest, I did not like the gameplay all that much. Ori felt weirdly heavy to control, the camera feels too zoomed out, every enemy is just some kind of blob thing, and I really didn't like having to rely on enemies shooting projectiles at me in order to use some of my basic traversal mechanics. And I really did not like the trial-and-error escape sequences.
Maybe I'm just being overly harsh on it since I just came from Silksong which I loved so so much. But unfortunately, I just don't get the hype for Ori. It's cute I guess.
...it actually reminds me of when I finally played Limbo. I felt similarly not impressed with that game too, despite its popularity.
...
....
I don't want to spend this entire post being a sourpuss, so I'll also mention that I played Plok for the first time a few days ago too. I bought a SNES cart of Plok from CeX the other day for cheap. I only heard its name before, didn't know much about the game.
Plok was surprisingly reaally good, but I unfortunately couldn't beat it due to its extremely harsh checkpointing system. After dying too many times, it sends you waaaayyy back, which can be a huge demotivator. I guess I have to be good enough to not lose too many lives beforehand so I can learn the trickier levels before being sent back. I'll give it another try soon maybe. I quite enjoyed the aesthetic and humour of Plok.
I wanted to play more big RPGs (I Still have Lufia II in my to-do list) but I don't want to start another big game so close to Pokémon Legends Z-A's release. So I'll stick to smaller things for the moment.
Re: Final Fantasy VII / VIII Remastered And IX Physical Releases Confirmed For North America
I have these physically already. Twin Pack was released in European regions iirc, and FF9 I got from Play Asia.
Would have been more interesting if they made a new version as a triple pack.
Or maybe throw in Chrono Cross and make it a quadruple pack? No?
...Chrono Cross I also had to get from Play Asia.
I guess it's good they're making these versions more available though.
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch Online's SNES Library With Three More Titles
ok Mario & Wario makes sense, they just went through all that effort of mouse support for Mario Paint after all.
Fatal Fury is great, fighters are perfect for the pick-up-and-play nature of the NSO.
And.... Bubsy is a very unexpected choice, because we literally just got that collection lol. How bizarre.
Re: Nintendo Updates Animated Short Film 'Close To You' With Some Familiar Faces
... adding live and present humans to the canon of Pikmin is certainly something.
If this is just a cute animation for the heck of it (which Pikmin has done before) then so be it. But I'm really curious to see if humans will start appearing in actual Pikmin games. Because that would be a significant change to the tone of the game that I'm not sure would even still feel Pikminlike.
As for the short itself.... to be honest, I didn't find it very interesting to watch. Nothing really happens aside from baby's first steps, which is ok but not really special enough to dedicate an entire Nintendo produced animation to make happen.
Re: 'Scurge: Hive' Spreads Its Isometric, Metroid-y Retro Virus To Switch This Week
I'm not familiar with this game - are there any significant differences between GBA and DS versions?
Re: Yooka-Replaylee Physical Confirmed For December, Includes Extra Goodies
aw, it would be nice if it included the original Yooka Laylee too since that one never got a Switch physical version as far as I know. Kinda weird to have a game that markets itself as a "replay" that doesn't include the original, right? how can you possibly replay it if it's your first time?
Re: Review: Fire Emblem Shadows (Mobile) - Flat F2P Folly With Simplistic Strategy & Social Deduction
companies really don't care about tarnishing their brands if they can snag a few whales for profit, huh.
I used to think Nintendo was above this
Re: Feature: Get A Job - 30 Years On, Seiken Densetsu 3's Class System Is Still One Of The Best
I played this game for the first time via Collection of Mana in 2023, and I did not have a positive opinion on it.
I wrote about my thoughts here if anyone's interested
https://benjysgames.blogspot.com/2023/04/trials-of-mana.html
though on the bright side, my distaste for the Mana series directly led into my trying out the Ys series, and I became an Ys fanboy pretty much instantly. So there's that I suppose.
Re: Another Pixel Art Zelda-Like Is On The Way, But This One Stars A Pig
@darkswabber
I'm well aware of how the term came about.
Originally "Metroidvania" was used by the Castlevania community to refer specifically to the Castlevania games with metroid-style maps. The term gained traction outside of the Castlevania fandom when more and more indie games were using a similar style and gaining popularity.
The term IGAvania was speifically created by Koji Igarashi for his Bloodstained Kickstarter. It's a completely made up marketing gimmick term, used so that IGA could refer to his previous works without actually invoking the names of Castlevania or Konami in the marketing for Bloodstained (and to avoid mention of Metroid and Nintendo too I suppose). It seems to have stuck with fans of IGA and his works, but I have never heard the term used by a wider audience. I'm okay with use of this term to specifically refer to IGA's works (which means not including Circle of the Moon) but I certainly don't want to use it as a catch all genre descriptor.
Re: Another Pixel Art Zelda-Like Is On The Way, But This One Stars A Pig
@darkswabber
I was using the term Zeldalike before I had even ever heard of Dark Souls lol. Why does Souls get special treatment, hm?
The term that personally irks me the most is "metroidvania" because it's just weird. Metroidlike would be a better term imo.
Re: Nintendo Music App Adds Princess Peach Album In Latest Update
I really really did not like this game.
There was no need to dumb down the gameplay so much because it's supposed to be for kids.
You can make a game good for kids without making it so bland for grownups - in fact, Nintendo is supposed to be the masters of this exact thing, aren't they?
If you are a Peach fan, just play SMB Wonder or SM 3D World.
Re: Beat 'Em Up Classic Double Dragon Gets A Modern Revival On Switch This October
...why are they going for an anime style? The trailer was all about "hey do you remember 80s games?" but then they show a modern anime look that doesn't fit the aesthetic of Double Dragon at all
Re: Hollow Knight: Silksong: All Bosses In Order - Locations & Rewards
It's possible to reach Voltvyrm without Silk Soar if you do some precise jumps, which means it can qualify as an act 2 boss if you like.
Re: Review: Earthion (Switch) - A New 16-Bit Shooter That's Bold, Inventive & Hugely Enjoyable
@foursider
it's literally a Mega Drive rom.
They are planning on releasing it on physical Mega Drive cartridges for play on the actual 16-bit console later on. They just released in on Switch first
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (20th September)
I'm playing Hollow Knight Silksong.
I already beat the game and got 100% completion, now I am going for Steel Soul mode.
I'm surprised at just how much easier the earlygame is on a second playthrough. The final bosses really force you to become skilled at the game, and with this knowledge and skill, the early bosses that once gave me so much trouble are going down a lot more easily. It's interesting to realise this.
in Steel Soul mode, you're not allowed to die at all, otherwise your save file gets deleted. So I have to be extremely vigilant to always quit out the game the moment I get to low health to avoid this.
I made a beeline to get the Fractured Mask item as soon as possible, and I plan to never take it off. This item saves you from lethal damage, which I feel is super necessary when dealing with all the double-damage-dealing bosses.
Re: Review: Hollow Knight: Silksong - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Woven To Brutal Perfection
The only time where I felt like the difficulty might have been a little bit overboard was when fighting Last Judge, but then I learned some time later that there was an alternate path to the Citadel that bypasses this boss entirely, so now I am no longer of the opinion that the difficulty is overboard at any point.
Re: Opinion: I'm Celebrating Super Mario Bros.' 40th Anniversary By Finally Finishing It
The version I had first played when I was younger was the GBC Deluxe version, with all the bonus goodies and save files and all that. The challenge menu was great as just a general level select too, really allowed me to familiarise myself with the levels at my own pace.
Re: Surprise! Donkey Kong Bananza Is Getting DLC, And It's Out Today
heeey Nintendo, you can't do this to me when I'm still deep in Silksong!
Should have just been content in the base game if they were gonna release it so soon anyways.
Re: Dragon Quest VII Gets Reimagined For Switch And Switch 2 In Early 2026
what happened to the "Fragments of the Forgotten Past" subtitle? I thought they loved to give these things as long-winded titles as possible
Re: Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 Bundle Confirmed For Switch, Launching October
But... what about 3D All-Stars lol. what the heck Nintendo. They really want us to forget it ever existed, don't they?
Re: Opinion: Silksong's Tight Construction Is Exactly What I Need After Too Much Open-World Loafing
@N8tiveT3ch
Hollow Knight does not suck.
Re: "I Have No Words" - Silksong Fans Are Losing Their Minds Over One Bench
People who haven't even played the game shouldn't be calling this bad game design. That's judging it on a surface level without appreciating the surrounding context.
The game has bench signs everywhere, but the sign for this particular bench is different, it looks more makeshift than the regular sign.
The bench is located in an area that is already filled to the brim with traps, tripwires, floor switches, ambushes, and so much other nasty stuff, that a player should already be on edge when they reach this trap.
When you sit on the bench, the usual saving sound effect doesn't play immediately, giving an on-edge player a moment to quickly dodge it if they suspect something's up.
Just doing a tiny bit of extra exploring will let you disarm the trap anyway.
it's not bad game design. Yes, it definitely still can catch even savvy players off guard. But it's not bad game design even so.
Stop calling it bad game design if you've never even played the friggin game.
Re: "I Have No Words" - Silksong Fans Are Losing Their Minds Over One Bench
I thought it was a cool moment. The area has been full of traps to keep you on your toes, and this is the payoff for all that buildup. It's memorable and interesting.
Just because it's also a little unfair doesn't make it not worthy of being in the game imo.
Re: Sunsoft Has A "Major Announcement" To Share Next Week
@HalBailman
for NSO subscribers, Blaster Master and Journey to Silius are on the NES app, and Blaster Master Enemy Below is on the GB app.
Re: UFO 50 Has Been Updated On Switch, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@ImpromptuR
I decided to take before / after screenshots before I downloaded the update
https://imgur.com/a/7gANvjS
The before icon is the one they're using for the Steam library PC icon which was designed to look fine at 32x32 pixels.
I suppose when asked to submit an icon, they didn't realise that it was for the big Switch home menu one, so they submitted the small one and it kind of just ended up like this.
I've seen this happen a couple other times, for example when West of Loathing was new (which was... a long time ago, wow), they also had their small Steam library icon as the home menu icon, until they fixed it with an update.
The new home menu icon is now what you would expect - it's the logo and the key art.
Re: UFO 50 Has Been Updated On Switch, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
There are still some issues in the game, such as the controller UI appearing whenever you so much as nudge a second controller while in a one-player game, forcing you to disconnect one of them every time it happens rather than just letting you have two controllers on at once.
....and this inability to have two controllers connected during a one-player game actually makes a minor piece of bonus content inaccessible in the Switch version currently.
Hopefully they fix this issue in a future patch. Was a little disappointing to see it wasn't addressed this time.
The sleep mode issue has not been fixed either - the game still keeps counting playtime hours while the console is in sleep mode, leading to some inaccurate times. Mossmouth did say on Bluesky that this was going to be fixed in a later patch, which is good.
Additionally there are still some bugs in some of the games that haven't been fixed yet. For example there's a softlock in Cyber Owls where the forklift key fails to spawn, which can be a real moodkiller if Octavio's stage was the last of the four you selected since you lose a lot of progress.
Hopefully these can be fixed too.
Re: Review: Bubsy In: The Purrfect Collection (Switch) - Limited Run Cleans Out The Kitty Litter
I might want to get this in the future. Bubsy 3D is a historically interesting game, I want to try it out one of these days.
Also the collection includes a GB version and even a Jaguar game? That's really good in my view, it shows they're really going all-in to do right by the fans. Seems like a solid collection.
Re: Hollow Knight: Silksong's Upcoming Patch Will Nerf The Difficulty In Certain Areas
Doesn't seem like this changes much. Reducing prices of benches and bellways is fine with me, money is pretty tight early on, and whether you have enough money is entirely dependent on how often you die. So players can get overly punished for being less skilled. This change seems fine.
Regarding Moorwing, seems like I accidentally skipped it completely without realising. Apparently there are ways to bypass this boss if you complete certain quests first. But if you don't complete the quests in time, it becomes mandatory? I don't know lol.
If it was just an optional boss, I wouldn't see the need for the changes, but if there are scenarios where it becomes mandatory, then I guess it makes sense.
The hardest mandatory boss I've seen so far is the one at the end of Act 1 just before the Citadel. Interesting to see no patch notes for this one. Because dang, I can definitely see players struggling to progress at this point.
Re: Nintendo Adds Another Golden Sun Soundtrack To Nintendo Music
fun fact about Golden Sun The Lost Age music
If you go into the battle mode lobby from the main menu, there is an NPC in the lower left corner who acts as a hidden sound test if you talk to her while holding the L or R buttons. She will let you listen to music you've heard in-game, or if you're using a cleared save file (saved after beating the final boss), then she will have every music track available, including all the music from Golden Sun 1 as well.
Always thought this was a cool little easter egg.
Re: Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution Receives A Small Update On Switch
...does this mean there are unfixable bugs in the physical GBA cartridge version, then?
Re: Poll: Three Months In, How Would You Rate Switch 2's Library So Far?
The only essential Switch 2 game out right now is DK Bananza imo. Absolutely amazing game that was honestly worth getting the Switch 2 for all by itself. Very happy with this.
Mario Kart World is the least-appealing Mario Kart game I have ever seen. I'm glad I decided to stay away from it. From all I've heard, the open world is largely aimless, and the online modes are ruined by the intermission tracks.
The other games I know I'll want soon are Pokémon Z-A and Metroid Prime 4, which aren't even Switch 2 exclusive. And next year, Rhythm Heaven Groove, which again is on Switch 1.
The next must-play fully Switch 2 game for me will be Kirby Air Riders. Very much looking forward to that.
....after Air Riders is out, that'll be.... two games. mmm. Seems a little light, doesn't it?
Re: First Impressions: Same But Different? - Our Initial Hours With Hollow Knight: Silksong
Played for a couple of hours today - it's a good game so far. Already seen five different locales, and everything feels pretty good. I agree that the game feels more challenging right from the start, though maybe that's more unfamiliarity than anything else, since I do know the first game quite extensively at this point.
I'm looking forward to seeing how much there is to do as I keep going.
Re: Latest Switch Online Release Potentially Confirms Leaked Upcoming N64 Classics
Well. The fact that this screenshot shows Forsaken in the regular app and not in the Mature app means that, at the very least, this build is not intended for the audience to get. So it's still very possible that the other games are there just for debug or emulation testing purposes and are not intended to be included.
Re: Ubisoft Kicks Off Rayman's 30th Anniversary, Says New Project Is In "Good Hands"
@The_Nintendo_Pedant
If you want more Rayman 1 levels there's always Rayman Designer and Rayman By His Fans and all that stuff. It's not really new content, just more levels.
I do enjoy Rayman 1 a lot though, it is a favourite 2D platformer of mine, the vibes are great, especially with the weird locations like Band Land and Picture City. I love how the final level is a cake world, it's just so atypical and fun.
If you struggle beating Rayman 1, there's always the DSiWare version that gives you way more health. GBA version is also decently easier than the original.
Re: Team Cherry Provides One Last Silksong Update Before Launch
@AJWolfTill
I've done this for strictly Switch 1 games.
For example, I played UFO 50 entirely on my Switch 2, and with NSO I have downloaded the cloud save to my Switch 1 and it works fine.
My question is regarding the Upgrade version. Will installing the upgrade pack turn the software into a "different app" that is not compatible with Switch 1 any longer? And therefore would it have its own save data? Or will both the Switch 1 vanilla version and the Switch 2 Upgraded version share the same save data?
Re: Team Cherry Provides One Last Silksong Update Before Launch
@Vegeta937
Lol. Yes, it's certainly an option.
If I was going over to my bro's place primarily to game, or primarily to show my bro stuff on my Switch 2, then yeah. This option would make sense. But that's not actually the case.
The next time i'll be over there, it'll be for babysitting purposes. I got a new baby niece. :3 so I don't want to bring too much extraneous gaming gear with me, when it's very possible I'm not even going to be using it at all.
That's one the the things about the Switch - it's so versatile, I can play it on the Tube en route to my bro's place, and then plug it into their dock if I find myself with a moment to enjoy it on the TV. Without it being a big deal at all.
It doesn't have to be a planned thing in order for it to work out.
The introduction of the Switch 2 has complicated this somewhat - they don't have a Switch 2 dock over there, so the convenience is lessened. I now have to specifically want to play a Switch 1 game if I want this incidental convenience factor to work out.
When I was playing through DK Bananza, I just played entirely in handheld mode when out and about, even when I was visiting my brother's place
There was no need to take the dock along, since that would have given the impression that my primary interest was to definitely show them the game on the big screen, which isn't the case. I was only showing them DK Bananza incidentally while we were waiting for other things to happen (people getting ready to go out etc).
ok. so basically. yes, practically, I could bring my switch 2 dock over and it wouldn't be a hardship to do so. But it does affect the social dynamic of the situation quite a bit. It conveys a definitive intent that I don't necessarily want to convey, you know?
Re: Ubisoft Kicks Off Rayman's 30th Anniversary, Says New Project Is In "Good Hands"
My preference for the future of Rayman would be a new 3D adventure like Rayman 2 or 3.
I don't know if Ubisoft has it in them to actually make a 3D mascot platformer in this day and age.
I never really got into Origins and Legends that much to be honest. Maybe I should give them another shot, since everyone says they're great.
I think I was put off because they did not feel especially Raymanlike in their gameplay - the helicopter hair and the projectile punching were just not really a part of the design all that much - to the extent that you could even play as all sorts of non-Rayman character skins with the exact same moveset.
I would like a new game that truly feels Raymanlike and makes full use of his character traits. Helicopter hair, extending punching hands, and maybe some other cool things - do you remember that idle animation from Rayman 2 where Rayman dribbles his torso like a basketball? Wouldn't it be cool if he could "throw" himself like a basketball as a real movement mechanic?
I don't want another game where all the other characters can just be playable skins over Rayman. I really want them to lean hard in the detached limbs design and make something truly unique to Rayman.
Re: Team Cherry Provides One Last Silksong Update Before Launch
Does anyone know if save data is compatible between Switch 2 upgrade versions and their original Switch 1 releases? (i know silksong isn't out yet, but I mean, like, in general?)
Because i plan to get this on my Switch 2 with the upgrade pack, but if I want to take the game to my brother's home and play it on their TV, I'm gonna have to use my Switch 1 since they don't have a switch 2 dock over there. If I want to do this, will I need to avoid getting the upgrade pack, or will it be fine?