Fizza

yknow I was gonna make an 'international copyright law' joke/reference but no this is ACTUALLY Godzilla

Very happy to see this though; Dave the Diver is a very goofy game and chucking in arguably the most iconic sea-based monster of all time is insanely cool.

I can already envision the looks of horror on parent's faces upon searching 'Sonic X Shadow' online.

Jokes aside, this looks pretty good! It's great to finally have Generations available on Switch and throwing in some extra Shadow-themed content is a great bonus (never expected them to call back to the original Shadow The Hedgehog in a million years). I've been meaning to pick up Generations for a bit and this seems like the perfect way to do so (assuming SEGA don't f*** it up XD).

Ah that's a bit of a shame to see honestly, even if it was all but inevitable given their status as a subsidiary. In terms of their output, I've only really been interested in Oninaki (still remember it immediately catching my attention when it first popped up in the September 2019 Direct all those years ago) though I kind of want to play through all three of their games now that they're effectively no more....once they go on sale again anyway seriously have you SEEN the prices those games are going for on the eShop!?

Metroid Zero Mission is definitely my most wanted title for GBA NSO overall (it's the original Metroid but with a map and Fusion's controls, HOW COULD I NOT BE INTERESTED) but stuff like Klonoa: Empire of Dreams and Ninja Five-O would be wonderful deep cuts to see get added as well. Boktai is also a massive want for me as I've been enamoured with it's gameplay premise ever since I first learned of it a couple months back XD

Probably just gonna be Apollo Justice for me this weekend (and maybe a bit of Pokemon Scarlet too with those event outbreaks that are currently going on). I've already beat Case 1 and am about to start the 2nd Investigation segment of Case 2 and good lord: this might be on track to become my favourite mainline entry. The plot is incredibly intriguing, the music is fantastic and the characters and the dialogue surrounding them genuinely might be my favourite in the series. I'm literally about to start it up again as I type this, cannot wait to keep on going!

THE PROPHECY HAS FINALLY BEEN FULFILLED

I am currently Nintendo Downloading this as we speak XD

I've been pretty quiet on Palworld overall (mainly because I feel like everything I could say about it has already been discussed in great detail) but holy s*** this is unprecedented. TPCi, to my knowledge, have NEVER done something like this and it speaks volumes to how much Palworld is basically walking the tightest tightrope imaginable in terms of originality.

anyways instead of Palworld, you guys should go play all the other cool monster-catchers available on Switch like Cassette Beasts, Coromon or DQ Monsters if you want to try a new spin on Pokemon 👍

Pretty great patch overall (love how hard they went on buffing stuff like Brellas and Rollers and the reworks for Wave Breaker and Ink Storm sound amazing!) though I don't get the thought process behind buffing the damage on N-ZAP of all weapons 😵‍💫

WHY DOES THE BIGGEST NEWS ALWAYS DROP WHILE I'M AWAY DOWN THE COUNTRY AAAAAAAAAAAAAH

I was totally convinced they'd drop Side Order at the start of the next season so it releasing in mid-to-late February is definitely a great surprise that has me even more excited than I already was (though I will say: that release date does feel oddly specific.... 🤔)

also that is one HUNDRED percent Agent 4 in the upper middle of that new keyart, I'm calling it now

This is literally a plotpoint in Justice for All if I'm not mistaken XD

HIS NAME IS APOLLO JUSTICE AND HIS TRILOGY IS DOING FINE

I had a feeling the AJ Trilogy would review well but a 9/10 is a very pleasant surprise (especially given how divisive the entries featured in it are within the AA fanbase XD). I've been looking forward to it ever since it got announced and given how I've been going through a bit of a rough patch in my life at the moment, it's exactly the kind of pick-me-up that I need. January 25th can't come soon enough!

Quite frankly until I actually see a brand new game, I'm not going to believe them XD

I'm very happy with how they've been going about Ace Attorney for the past couple years honestly. Yeah it'd be great to actually have a brand new mainline entry (or even another game in either of the spinoffs) but getting everyone reacquainted with the series before making a new one (especially when 5 and 6 were digital-only 3DS releases) has been great for making a new generation (such as myself) fall in love with this series. Now give me my Athena Cykes game now Capcom >:3

@BookhouseBoy Well the engine was first created for/used in RE7 so it probably does stand for Resident Evil, but I imagine they needed it to mean something else if they wanted to use it in other games that weren't RE XD

Really like the EU boxart myself: it fits in the general layout that NES boxes had at the time while also featuring some damn cool artwork. I may not like the game itself all too much but it had some pretty memorable boxart no matter where you looked honestly.

I'll most likely be continuing my way through Eastward while it's available on NSO this weekend; just finished Chapter 2 last night and I am.... not OK in the slightest 😭

so yeah it's been pretty good so far XD

@LavaTwilight Bee Zz 👍

2023 was a fantastic year for games but a disastrous year for gaming and stuff like this really does just solidify that in my eyes 😞

@ScalenePowers Hi, resident Splatoon nut here! Basically what happens is, whenever they want to change up a map due to a number of different factors (most commonly due to it not being fun to play on in a majority of modes), they use an in-universe construction company (as signalled by the hardhat-wearing navy mascot on the site plans) to show how the area is 'under renovations' and won't be usable for the duration the tweaks on it are occurring.

Splatoon lore is basically just 'every single thing has an in-universe explanation no matter how minute that thing may be' XD

THE MAP IS FINALLY GOING TO BE PLAYABLE

I mentioned it under the ACR review but it's still so wild to me that ArcSys of all companies worked on this. I know that a lot of ex-Cing devs work there nowadays (including the original game's director at that) so the collaboration definitely makes sense, it just feels weird to see given how little Nintendo's worked with ArcSys directly before.

@LadyCharlie An interaction between Ashley and Sin Kiske would be one of the most awkward moments ever and I'd be incredibly down for it XD

@darkswabber Really? I remember Mario+Rabbids (a game I've owned practically since I first bought my Switch) having a Game Trial a while back and I was able to grab the Platinum Points for playing it just fine by just booting it up and exiting out again. Maybe you have to check the NSO section of the Switch menu in order to get them?

GODDDDDD I REALLY WANT TO TRY THIS BUT I DON'T KNOW WHETHER I'LL HAVE THE TIME DUE TO EXAMS 😭

If I can find a way to free up my schedule, I'm definitely going to give this a go as I've heard nothing but great things about Eastward (plus it'd give me something to tide me over until the game-I've-talked-about-too-much-over-the-past-couple-weeks releases XD).

@Coolmusic @PikaPhantom Huh, that's really fascinating. I know ArcSys are known for stuff other than fighting games (River City being a good example) but it feels kind of bizarre to see their name be attached to a remake of a slow-paced, narrative-driven adventure game XD

@PikaPhantom Do you have a source for this? Because I think this would be one of the first times Nintendo's ever worked with ArcSys if so 🤔

Aww that's absolutely lovely to see!

....wait a second.

ENHANCE

Nintendo really can't stop accidentally putting Inktolings into Splatoon can they XD

Anyone who knows me will be well aware of how much of a sucker I am for narrative-driven adventure games and Another Code seems like it'll be another great addition to my ever-growing library of them. While I can definitely relate to the cons in the time I spent playing the demo (the default camera speed especially was WAYYYY too slow), the pros more than outweigh them in my opinion and it's going to be such a blast going through a Nintendo-developed entry in one of my favourite genres of all time.

....eventually anyway; ACR releasing a week before Apollo Justice Trilogy is some pretty unfortunate timing for me XD

@kid_keo Aww thanks so much! That's genuinely made my day XD

Like many others here, I probably will....once it gets those typical Ubisoft sales. I've grown quite fond of Metroidvanias over the past while and The Lost Crown looks like an absolute belter in that regard, but it'll more likely than not be around 50% cheaper in the coming months.

Still looking forward to it though XD

I've always heard Golden Sun be described as a great beginner RPG and while I'm definitely familiar with the genre (Pokemon is my favorite series of all time after all), I've never really been able to crack traditional RPGs so far and GS feels like the game that'll finally do exactly that.

Not gonna play it immediately (Apollo Justice is a week away after all) but God I cannot WAIT to eventually make my way through this gem of a series 🥰

by their own logic, they're probably gonna go after this next

All jokes aside, WOW this is one of the stupidest things I think I've ever seen. Like genuinely: how does someone look at the letter 'R' and have their first thought be 'HOW DARE THEY INFRINGE ON OUR COPYRIGHT' 😵‍💫

Absolutely idiotic stuff and I hope Remedy can settle this as quickly as possible.

....I don't want to say they're tempting fate here but given the entire debacle with Dolphin on Steam, I'm a bit wary this might give them a bit too much attention if you know what I mean.

Kid Icarus Uprising in VR sounds like a pretty fun time though ngl

I actually quite like the dubbed version of the anime myself (horrifying I know) so this is a bit of a shame to see, even if it doesn't affect me as an EU resident who's had access to it for a fair while now.

@Yosher Considering how pretty much every single aspect of wider Pokemon media revolves around the games (anime, TCG, merch), it's to be expected honestly, as much as it pains me to say.

Damn: Team Solo really lived up to their name huh XD

Had a pretty good time this Fest even if I ended up losing overall, winning a couple 10x's and discovering the absolute menace that is Big Swig Express. Nice to see Big Man get another sweep and I'm excited for the next one to eventually roll around!

I'm not planning on playing too much in January due to both exams and Apollo Justice looming over the horizon but I've got a couple things in mind for this weekend, including participating in Splatoon 3's FrostyFest (TEAM FAMILY FTW) and continuing my first ever playthrough of Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game: Complete Edition (already got 4 of the Exes down so far and while the difficulty can feel a bit unfair at points, the vibes and OST more than make up for it so far!)

HOLY S*** WE'RE GETTING BOTH WJDNSBDKJGKWHFKGJWHJF

I've been eagerly awaiting Golden Sun's arrival on NSO ever since it was revealed to be on the way back in the February 2023 Direct and chucking in Lost Age for good measure is a fantastic surprise, can't wait to finally experience this amazing little series for the very first time! 🌞

@Eagly_lmtd_xmasskin

Saw this earlier on myself and, while it ended up being nothing more than a red herring, the fact that GAMESHARK of all companies did this is especially funny given their history with Nintendo XD

Well I'll be damned: they're pulling a (pseudo) DK94!

I was definitely in the camp of 'this is pretty cool, but nowhere near worth €50' and, while I still think it's a bit overpriced, this new content compared to the original definitely makes me more interested in giving it a go down the line (preferably after I play the original though XD).

also am I the only one who finds it kind of mad that we're less than a month from this releasing and this is only the 2nd trailer MvsDK has gotten?

Mentioned it in the speculation threads a while back, but I think the 'Nintendo Shift' would be the perfect name for a Switch successor. Rumours have been floating about for ages that the Switch 2 will basically be an iterative console like systems such as the 3DS: same general design and features as the previous systems, but with extra features and horsepower tacked on for good measure. And when Shift is already a synonym for Switch AND signals how Nintendo will (most likely) be entering a new age with their next system? Yeah I think it's a pretty nice name all things considered

oh hell no that's not Mario that's Mark 💀

DEEP CUT YEAHHHHHHHHHH

Been patiently looking forward to these new spirits ever since they got announced about a month ago and these are already some very good choices! Hoping we get some from other games as well like Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Pokemon SV, but I'll gladly take more spirits for my scoreboard regardless

The realistic answer is that it's probably just studios that they've already worked with consistently over the past couple years (Bandai Namco, MercurySteam, etc.), but that's not going to stop me from imagining all the potential a fresh take on one of their classic series by an entirely different dev could have.

Maybe get Capcom for another 2D Zelda (be it a remake of the Oracle games/Minish Cap or something new entirely) or Square Enix/ArtePiazza for a proper sequel to Mario RPG now that the remake has fully reignited it's place in the cultural zeitgeist or even enlist the help of proven indie devs for new entries in games they're already extremely familiar with a la Cadence of Hyrule (I'd kill for a new F-Zero by the people behind Fast RMX myself!).

Pretty much every single Ace Attorney game for me (to the surprise of absolutely nobody XD) though if I had to pick a single game, it would one million percent be GHOST TRICK: PHANTOM DETECTIVE BABYYYYYYYYYYYY

I somehow managed to stay completely unspoiled in the 13 odd years between it's original release and modern remaster and I'm so glad I did because oh my GOD: I wish I could forget everything all over again. Such a perfectly conceived story with some of THE most masterful twists and turns I've ever seen and I would trade the universe just to experience it for the first time again 💖

NOOOOOOOO MY CHILDHOOD IS VANISHING IN FRONT OF MY EYES

I may not have used Pokemon TV all too much in recent years but having an easy and official way to watch a bunch of Pokemon anime episodes (plus the occasional movie) was so good growing up and it makes me so sad to see it go (especially if they don't have plans to make the content on TV available elsewhere). RIP

Huh: fancy that XD

Great list overall! I'd personally add A Short Hike to the list myself (a super chill platformer filled to the brim with charming characters and cosy vibes all around) but this is going to make shopping for new Switch owners so much more handy all the same!

(also cheers for the tipoff @jump & @Vortexeo )

the timeline from the build-up to the teaser trailer to the dev reveal had me on one hell of an emotional rollercoaster let me tell you XD

Can't say I'm all too familiar with the source material this is based off of (I'm a pretty big anime novice in general to be honest) but Eighting have proven themselves to be highly capable at making some banger fighters over the years so as long as it's not 'Anime Arena Fighter #475745957505867439', I think it'll turn out alright.

Don't really like either to be honest but for entirely different reasons. the NA/EU one is incredibly bland (and reeks of early 2000's 'graphic design is my passion') but is at least very good at signalling exactly what the game is. The Japanese version meanwhile is a lot more visually appealing (admittedly helped out by the horizontal nature of JP GBA boxes but still), but also has literally nothing that alludes to it being a Mario Golf title outside of the logo (which only has the Big M's silhouette at that).

Gonna go with JP overall but yeah: not too enthralling of a decision this week XD

Gonna be at a wedding for most of today and tomorrow so probably not much but if I do find the time for anything, it'll probably be Castlevania III (specifically the original Akumajou Densetsu Famicom release as it's both a bit easier and has an extra sound channel for the glorious OST).

I've not been too hot on Castlevania so far from the games I've played in the series (1 was good, 2 was bleh and The Adventure is probably the worst game I've ever played) but I've heard that 3 is when the series REALLY starts to pick up in quality so I'm excited to give it a go nonetheless! 🧛

PEACH IS GONNA SAY [REDACTED]

I know plenty of other 1st-Party Nintendo games have gotten an E10+ rating (hell, even other MARIO games have gotten it like Odyssey), but it's still so funny whenever it happens (insert 'Nintendo then vs Nintendo now' engagement bait image here).

Was torn between going with either Team Family or Team Solo initially but ultimately ended up going with Family as, at the end of the day, I feel like it's always more enjoyable to celebrate the holidays with those closest to you.

plus we all spoiled each other a fair bit this Christmas so that definitely helped sweeten the deal XD