Fizza

THERE IS JUSTICE IN THIS COLD CRUEL WORLD

I can't believe Konami is cool again 😭

@masterLEON I've been playing a lot of very good games lately so I'm excited to check out the JP Collection so I can remind myself what bad games look like again XD

I don't mind whatsoever though as I love playing old licensed stuff from a historical standpoint 😁

oh come on man I JUST got back into Jurassic Park 😭

I was already planning on nabbing it beforehand but now its priority number-one for whenever I find the opportunity later this week; I imagine most of the games featured aren't particularly great but I'd rather have them to begin with than not have them at all 💀

Not necessarily the Konami collection I was hoping for out of the show personally (3D Castlevania will have its day soon 🙏) but I've always wanted to check out the older Bomberman titles myself so I'll definitely give this a gander in the near future (great to see it be shadowdropped too!).

Not got too many expectations going into this (though I feel like Clair Obscur is a pretty safe bet) but I'd love to see either a 3D Castlevania collection or Ace Attorney 7 finally get announced here🤞

I quite like Partner Showcases overall as I'm a fiend for 3rd-Party games but having one instead of the standard February general Direct would certainly be interesting given how this is one of the few times where we're actually quite dry on info regarding Nintendo's upcoming slate for 2026 and beyond. We've had some great announcements in previous NDPS' though so I'm holding out hope for something good should Nate be correct here (3D Castlevania collection PLEASE)

@KayFiOS I'm super happy Goof Troop is finally getting a proper rerelease but at the same time I really hope it/Bonkers aren't exclusive to the Switch 1/2 versions because we'll be right back at square-one with needless exclusivity issues with this collection 🤣

also thank you for the PFP compliment 😁

@brakeman90 The pipeline is mad XD

9 years late to the party but hey better late than never I suppose XD

@RupeeClock
'I have to wonder if the difference is due to the style, one aims for realism and the other is cartoony'

I'm thinking similarly myself given how the primary userbase for Nintendo systems play games with cartoony visuals like Dispatch....but even under that pretense the game's age rating would make it abundantly clear what kind of experience it is for any impressionable young-uns and if that still wasn't enough, you could just have the censored version be set as the default setting and keep the censorship toggle in the options for those who want to see the stuff behind the black bars 🤔

Given how Nintendo is typically pretty lax when it comes to censorship of this nature ever since the Switch-era kicked off (particularly for aforementioned games like Cyberpunk or Bayonetta), it feels extremely weird for Dispatch to be burdened with such internal scrutiny when it already had a censorship toggle built into the original release. I tend to leave censorship options like this on personally so it doesn't affect me but the removal of the very option itself seems quite bizarre.

Dispatch was my first exposure to Telltale-style narrative-adventure games and it definitely left one hell of an impression on me. I do think it can be a bit 'adult for the sake of being adult' sometimes (in a similar way to a lot of 'adult' animated Netflix shows) but it has properly engaging narrative and very memorable characters to back it up thankfully. Very happy more people can get to experience a surprise fav of mine from 2025 🙌

@Arcane-Fer Envy would be a terrific final character given how she was initially planned to be DLC in the original Ubisoft game🤞

yknow I had initially planned for Pragmata to be my first 2026 release but the whims of fate had other plans I suppose XD

As a superfan of both the original beatemup and Scott Pilgrim as a whole (especially SP Takes Off which this seems to take direct influence from), EX has been one of my most anticipated releases ever since it was shown off at SGF 2025 (the only good announcement from that show if you ask me 😏) and seeing that it comes out in just over a month from now has me on cloud nine right now ❤

There's plenty to moan about in regards to Nintendo's handling of Virtual Boy on NSO but this is hands-down one of the coolest things I've ever seen a retro game service pull and I hope we get to see more cancelled-yet-finished releases trickle into NSO over time ❤

Not really sure why they gave this the 'Direct' moniker when its really just a slightly extended trailer but man Illumination really know how to make so damn good animation 💚

also I was not expecting a reference to Yoshi's Safari of all games here XD

@Ashfordwasp

As an Irishman myself, it feels so bizarre seeing actual Irish locales that aren't just Dublin or its adjacent areas be referenced in a game XD

Thanks a mil for bringing this to my attention though! I love mystery-adventure games, especially those of spooky variety like this, and I'm always looking to support my fellow countrymen whenever possible so I'll definitely be praying for a console port as well 🇮🇪

Possibly the most inconsistent member of the primary Nintendo figureheads over the past two decades but its hard to deny that his highs were extremely high. Can't say I'll fully miss his presence on either Paper Mario or Metroid but I wish him well in his retirement nonetheless 👍

also I do find it very interesting that he's basically confirmed that Metroid Prime 5 is gonna be a thing by labelling MP4 as 'the first entry of the Sylux saga' XD

@LastFootnote Unfortunately every single new Metroidvania is gonna get compared to HK/Silksong no matter what these days (especially if they cost equal to or greater than $20 XD). I didn't adore Hollow Knight the same way that others did (still a fantastic game ofc, easy 9/10) so I'm always itching for more search-action goodness XD

Always on the lookout for quality Metroidvanias to sink my teeth into and given how I've been meaning to play at least three new 2026 indies as is, I'll definitely be adding MIO to the list of priority plays! 🙌

it being 20 bucks certainly helps too admittedly but still XD

I've been feeling like this in regards to not just MP4 but modern gaming as a whole, albeit under a more pragmatic lens. Social media has been engineered to favour negative discussion for ages at this point so the AVGN-ification of flaws from 'man this bit is annoying' to 'everyone who worked on this bit should be thrown to the wolves' isn't all too surprising. However, just because negativity is amplified doesn't mean we should then overcorrect by glazing positive elements to the point of turning a blind eye to actual issues. You always gotta balance the good with the bad when it comes to assessing games, though personal bias is still fine to have so long as you aren't preaching your opinion as the 'correct' one XD

I've personally got MP4 lined up as one of my first Switch 2 games alongside Pokemon Legends Z-A/Gen 10 and I'm excited to see what I end up making of it as an avid fan of the Prime Trilogy (particularly MP1/3). At the end of the day, the only opinion that ever truly matters is your own and once you come to terms with that, social media discourse becomes a lot less draining to deal with 👍

The triple-closure of Twisted Pixel, Sanzaru and now Armature is so tragic man, wishing all those affected by this the best in finding work and f*** Meta for shutting down such obviously talented teams in the first place 💔

I don't think I've ever felt so resoundingly monkey's-pawed than I have upon seeing that Blastoise, Charizard and Venusaur set be basically everything I could've possibly hoped for out of a Pokemon X Lego collab....and then the subsequent flashbang that was the price 😭

is this what Star Wars fans go through whenever a new Death Star/Millenium Falcon set gets released XD

NA/JP definitely does a better job at conveying what kind of game RE4 actually is (hardcore action with a smattering of horror on top) but EU's boxart has always been one of my absolute favourites from the Wii's lineup so I'm definitely going with that (even if it it admittedly makes RE4 look like a completely different type of game XD).

@DTFaux I can't say I'm surprised (though still very disappointed) that Level-5 would be so gung-ho about using Gen-AI for efficiency purposes given how they always overreach when it comes to their game development processes; I would certainly say they are passionate about the act of developing and expanding upon their series (as can be seen in all the multimedia projects they do for stuff like Inazuma Eleven and Yokai Watch) but they simply cannot help themselves when it comes to developing all of their games at the same time as each other, resulting in self-inflicted delays upon delays ad infinitum 😭

Already discussed my thoughts on this on the Push Square article but I'd like to reiterate it here for posterity's sake:

While I can somewhat understand his point about technological progress being stunted if the impression that all AI is evil sticks around (procedural AI programs for instance often get lumped in with generative AI in discussion when they are vastly different in both applications and ethics), people were very clear that they specifically disliked the generative part of Level-5's usage of it first and foremost so it feels like he's dancing around the issues involved with both the creative rot and environmental damage associated with Gen-AI in a way that isn't particularly reassuring whatsoever 😓

Speaking from the perspective of someone who's primary interest is and likely always will be video games, the rise of generative-AI is extremely painful for my soul. Its very existence feels like it runs counter to many of the reasons I fell in love with games in the first place (immersion in a fictional-yet-believable world, the ability to use gameplay to instill a multitude of different feelings within a player, access to an infinite variety of aesthetics and presentational flair, etc.) and never being able to trust if something is wholly human-made nowadays is an utterly debilitating feeling.

I am hopeful that this bubble surrounding the tech will burst sooner rather than later (ideally once investors realise the sheer monetary sink that is required for the service to exist in the first place) but as things currently stand generative-AI represents a dark stain on anything its discovered to be a part of, no matter the overall quality of the game 😞

I can't believe the guy people complained about being too chatty was supposed to be even chattier initially XD

Been eagerly awaiting Cosmic Invasion going live for purchase all day so I'm glad to hear I'll be getting my money's worth out of it! XD

While I haven't played TMNT Shredder's Revenge (yet), I played the ever-living hell out of Scott Pilgrim back in the day and am absolutely overjoyed that the same team behind that gets to make a Marvel beat-em-up and a damn good one at that 💖

Happy 20th NL! I can't even begin to count the amount of times I've frequented the site for all the latest Nintendo news over the course of my life, even before I actually joined the NL ecosystem proper back round 2021-2022. Here's to another 20 years and beyond! (well, hopefully at least XD) 🥳

I don't know about you but if I wanted to assure quality then the absolute last avenue I would turn towards would be generative-AI 💀

@rjejr You say that as if the gaming enthusiasts and business managers aren't one-in-the-same when it comes to Nintendo 😛

You look back at any previous generation not named the Wii U and they've always been like this unfortunately XD

@Ogbert I feel like there's a pretty simple explanation as to why they're getting it out now rather than next year, though nobody's gonna like it: they're revealing Gen 10 for Pokemon Day and don't want anything drawing attention away from it XD

The DLC releasing so soon after the base game (not even two months out at that) feels fairly icky but between all the new Megas, characters and gameplay tweaks (Level 100 is no longer the pinnacle of power for a Pokemon XD), I'm certainly intrigued by what I'm seeing out of it so far, even if I'm slightly worried it'll basically just be 'Lumiose but greyscale' in terms of area exploration XD

Typically I tend to only select a 1-2 big new games to play as soon as they come out but lately I've gotten into the rhythm of playing smaller, more budget releases in any given year and its opened my eyes to a ton of stuff I probably wouldn't have given the time of day to otherwise like Pipistrello and Balatro. Ultimately I feel like this kind of question boils down to how frequently you are with online video game discussion (as that's how FOMO really starts setting in imo XD) but I'm happy with my current arrangement and don't see things changing anytime soon 👍

MEGA CHESNAUGHT MY BELOVED, MY BOY FINALLY GETS SOME LOVE 😭

These are some ace Mega designs I gotta say (even if they're phoning it in a bit with Raichu's specifically XD) and having an entire DLC area lined up for the future sounds incredibly exciting as well, can't wait to dig into it 🔥

also announcing paid-DLC before a game's release is always funny (in both funny 'haha' and funny 'wtf' ways) but I'm not all too surprised in this case since given how prevalent DLC in general has become with the series, it was moreso an inevitability than anything (plus I'll never say no to Hoopa getting some attention XD).

Adorable and horrifying in equal measure: this really is the perfect Ditto game 😛

Life-sims aren't my cup of tea whatsoever but this is a very sweet Pokemon-ified take on them that genuinely looks like it has a proper degree of effort put into it compared to most of the mobile-centric stuff we've gotten during the late-2010s/general-2020s, consider me intrigued 🤔

THE WAIT WAS SO WORTH IT OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

December 4th feels like eons away now 😭

I like how they were presenting this as if Mario Galaxy wasn't already available before XD

Great to finally see SMG2 come to the system though and it seems like this time they won't be victim to inane release strategies 😅

this has to be a s***post right like there's just no other explanation

@Dragnoran Yeah I saw this earlier on but let a guy dream gosh darn it XD

@Sylamp Given the generally meh showing they had for Mario's 35th, I'm fully expecting Mario's 40th to be similarly whatever until like 2-3 years afterwards when all the big Mario-related stuff starts coming out all at once XD

well that came earlier than I expected XD

This is probably the darkest time we've had in terms of knowing what's on the horizon for Nintendo this past while so I really don't have any major hopes/predictions for this other than Prime 4 FINALLY getting a proper release date and for a new entry in a personal favourite series of mine to get announced (Ace Attorney 7 pls pls pls XD).

HAWLUCHA FINALLY GOT THEIR DUES OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD 😭
Hawlucha is a very big personal favourite of mine from Gen 6 (the first ever mon I got to Level 100 at that) so I've always wanted to see them get some love in terms of new forms and whatnot and this is literally everything I could've possibly asked for out of a Mega: it ratchets up every aspect of base Hawlucha to eleven to give it the ultimate pro wrestling vibe imaginable. I knew we were due for a 'cool' Mega sooner rather than later and I'm so glad it went to one of my favourite mons around 🤩

I had basically zero interest in Hollow Knight for the longest time but between the combination of Silksong finally getting a release date and the strong word-of-mouth regarding it among my general friend group, I finally decided to see what all the buzz (heh) was about and after about 10+ hours of slaying cute and terrifying little bugs, I can most certainly confirm.....that its just as good as everyone says it is XD

Definitely not perfect for me so far (definitely one of the easiest metroidvanias to get lost in for instance 😭) but everything from the combat to the visuals to the soundtrack just screams an ungodly level of polish and finesse unlike anything else I've played, especially from an indie studio as tiny as Team Cherry. Been having a great time so far and would love to have it wrapped up before Silksong comes out (though I can already guarantee I won't be playing Silksong itself for a looooooooooooooooooooong while yet XD).

it wouldn't be Devil May Cry if Vergil wasn't saved for the second iteration XD

As a massive DMC fanatic, I rather enjoyed the first season of the show myself (especially from a visual/animation standpoint) though the general narrative/characterisation did make me a fair bit wary as to what kind of direction it'll end up going in and this teaser....unfortunately doesn't do much to alleviate those concerns as of now XD

Still though, the animation itself is just as much of a spectacle as ever and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being in regards to the actual story itself (though it is absolutely one of those cases where it'll either be amazing or terrible with no inbetween 😅).

WHAT A JOLLY FELLA 😭

Not too crazy about the continued Kanto pandering (though admittedly that is very much in-line with the original XY 😆) but Victreebel absolutely deserved a glow-up and what a glow-up it is XD