Fizza

Realistically speaking, this is most likely due to the fact that the general install base for Nintendo systems doesn't tend to care about 3rd-party games unless they're exclusives....but I can't lie, it does warm my heart to see Game-Key Card releases sink like a stone and for the one proper physical release in Cyberpunk to actually perform the best here XD

oh OK then XD

Bit sad this all but rules out the possibility of a general June Direct but they've been fairly coy about Bananza outside of a handful of short clips so I'm excited to see what they got cooking for it 🍌

also this is just a personal aside but between this and Splatoon Raiders a bit back, I find it very funny how people initially complained that Nintendo Today was pointless because they didn't show new info on there and now they're complaining that new info is revealed there first XD

This is absolutely just a one-off thing to coincide with both the series' 10th anniversary and the announcement of Raiders but holy s*** dude I don't care, 30+ new weapons AND Urchin Underpass!?

WHAT WHAT WHAT YOU CAN'T JUST ANNOUNCE THIS OUT OF THE BLUE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I've been wanting a single-player oriented Splatoon game for years dude and they just randomly drop the game of my dreams out of thin air, I am losing my marbles right now XD

suddenly Deep Cut not getting the spotlight in their debut game makes all the sense in the world too 🤯

@Tyranexx Same here honestly. A live-action Zelda movie on the level of something like Lord of the Rings would be super cool to see (and as I've said before, my hopes are a smidge higher thanks to the Mario Movie being a fun time), but the opportunity cost of not doing a fully-animated film for the franchise really stings for me. Like imagine if they got Cartoon Saloon to do a Wind Waker movie for instance 😭

this is obviously to make sure they can include Groose in the cast XD

While it is pretty funny this comes just two months after they revealed the initial release date, a delay of under two months isn't anything too crazy. My expectations are fairly low for the movie as of now as I'd much prefer it to be an animated endeavour overall but hey, the Mario Movie was better than I was anticipating so maybe I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now XD

I've been seeing people online doomposting about this for the past bit but I really don't think its that big of a deal myself. Miyamoto is in his early-70s at this point and has very clearly shifted to being a key figurehead in Nintendo's expansion past exclusively video games with his involvement in projects like the Mario Movie and Super Nintendo World. Mario in general has also had a new franchise leader in Yoshiaki Koizumi ever since Odyssey so while his name being completely absent is certainly surprising, Miyamoto not having a big involvement in MKW really is just the sign of the times with his pivot away from the gaming side of the company.

except for Pikmin, he always turns up for Pikmin XD

@PJOReilly Ah my deepest apologies, I must be as blind as a bat since I don't know how I missed that paragraph 😅

Cheers for addressing it though and a great review all around nonetheless! 👍

I think Tribute might be one of my new favourite devs ever actually XD

@Ainze Thank you for clarifying, I was terrified I was gonna have to sit through another hour's worth of downloading again XD

Anyone here know how much space this update takes up on the system? I still have war flashbacks to the last SV update being 5.2GB all on its own XD

why PLZ-A's framerate buff is a paid upgrade while this is just a free update is beyond me but hey I'm not complaining XD

@SViper Oh wow, I'm definitely rusty with Pokemon fan speculation then because I completely missed that. Cheers for spotting it! 👍

@JohnnyMind Pokemon Stadium 2 and Trading Card Game GBC were shadowdropped in a Presents in the past so I could potentially see the same happening here (though the Presents also falls a bit too close to the launch of GCN NSO for me to be wholly confident in it XD).

between the release date reveal and now this, I'm pretty sure there's a bus metaphor in here somewhere XD

Strange they announced this so far in advance but the confirmation that one is gonna happen is still great to see. I'm praying they actually show off a new Mega or two for PLZ-A but given how this is gonna take place about 3 months before release now, its hard to say. I will undoubtedly be seated for this though XD

@JohnnyMind Funnily enough, they also announced the release date for SV's Indigo Disk through a Youtube Community/Twitter post as well now that I think about it XD

YOU CAN'T JUST ANNOUNCE SOMETHING LIKE THIS OUT OF NOWHERE BIDOHIWYIFGWHILFGYIWHOFUVWIF

An October release is certainly highly unusual for a mainline Pokemon game (though Legends Arceus also released outside of the traditional November timeframe so maybe that's just gonna be the thing with Legends as a subseries? XD) and it certainly makes my Spooky Month plans a bit more awkward than I initially anticipated....but I don't care in the slightest man, A NEW MAINLINE POKEMON GAME IS COMING SOONER THAN EXPECTED 🤩

still weird how this wasn't tied to a trailer though XD

Both are very sweet but there's something about Kirby's face on the International boxart that appeals to me greatly so I'm gonna go with that one XD

don't scare me like that jesus XD

I already assumed this to begin with because making worlds as massive as the ones seen in Xenoblade seems like it'd be an absolute nightmare to do by hand so this just makes perfect sense imo.

@mariomaster96 MK8 Deluxe was already miles ahead of pretty much every other first-party release in terms of sales by the system's first anniversary so the fact they were still developing MKW for Switch 1 is crazy to think about 🤯

This suddenly explains so much about Mario Kart's weird stasis this past decade or so:

• 2017: Development starts on MKW
• 2019: Conceptualisation/Initial Development starts on Switch 2
• 2020: MKW jumps to the Switch 2 since they can't get it to run at a stable 60FPS on Switch 1 hardware
• 2022: Booster Course Pass gets announced/released for MK8 Deluxe in order to satiate the fanbase while they continue developing MKW
• 2025: MKW ends up as a launch title for Switch 2

Kinda wild to think that the Switch 1 was initially going to have a wholly original Mario Kart to call its own pretty much from the outset of the system's inception XD

PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE

I may have ended up falling in love with Another Code Recollection back when I played it earlier this year (especially the second game) but I was very much under the impression it didn't end up selling particularly amazingly or anything but lo and behold: if this is what people are speculating it to be, it seems to have done well enough for Hotel Dusk to potentially get the same treatment in the near future. I actually have both of the original DS games lined up for later this year but a full-on remake to bring them to modern audiences would be amazing to see too! 🤍

The overall increased pricepoint across both the system and software is gonna make me skip out on Switch 2 for the foreseeable future (at least until the first Switch 2-exclusive mainline Pokemon game comes out anyways) but between the insanely large existing library on Switch 1 plus my recent branching-out into other consoles such as PS5 and 3DS, I'd say I'll still have plenty of stuff to do in between now and when I inevitably cave for GameCube NSO and beyond XD

@Nintoz In a just world, we'd still have the cute little 3DS eShop mascot as well 😭

We technically already had a red eShop with the Mario Anniversary celebrations a couple years back so I'm not too thrown-off by the change myself, though I ultimately would prefer the orange look just by virtue of the nostalgia I have for it.

if it being red can somehow make it run smoother on Switch 2 though then I accept it with open arms XD

of course the one time I'm actually timely with updating my Switch and this happens 😭

My Switch is from late-2021 (and thus has the better battery life compared to a launch Switch) so if @Serpenterror's examination is correct then I should be fine to update to 20.0.1 without issue but goodness gracious this is not what you want from an already controversial update 💀

@hyliandood Perfect, thanks for letting me know! I've got a bunch of Mega Man/Picross games archived for later use and was worried it'd be hard to find them after this update XD

Haven't gotten around to updating yet myself but I've got one question in regards to this: if you have a bunch of games archived (i.e. digital games you've bought, downloaded and then archived for download later on), do they show up for redownload in this menu now? I've gotten very into the habit of archiving stuff in order to save on general space with my Switch and I'm curious as to how that works now XD

On the one hand, these two games specifically are effectively giving you brand new DLC packs on top of general system-wide buffs as opposed to BOTW/TOTK only having performance boosts so the higher pricepoint does make sense.

On the other hand though....$20 is a lot considering you already have to have bought the games beforehand for it to come into effect in the first place. I imagine its this way to prevent people from just buying the Switch 1 versions and upgrading rather than buying the shiny new Switch 2 edition but yeah its uh....hrrrm to say the least.

still gonna upgrade my copy of Kirby and the Forgotten Land though because its one of my favourite Switch games period XD

300+ games in and they still haven't added Chrono Trigger, 0/10 smh

Jokes aside, as someone who primarily subs to NSO for the retro titles, the service has really managed to build up a great selection of games this past half-decade or so. Undeniably started off very shaky with only NES/SNES games for the first three years and the dodgy emulation quality of N64 with the introduction of the Expansion Pack, but between the massive variety of consoles to pick from (with even more on the way thanks to GameCube on Switch 2), generally super solid emulation quality for everything besides N64 and a very admirable fearlessness to add more obscure picks from older systems has really endeared me to the service overall 💖

well this is probably gonna be the best excuse I have to finally finish Blazing Blade off huh XD

Even though I haven't yet finished the previous GBA Fire Emblem as of now, I still really loved what I played of FE: Blazing Blade overall (well everything besides the core tactics gameplay I should specify 😅) so I'm definitely interested in giving Sacred Stones a go in the future!

While it was enjoyable getting to peek behind the curtain for the development history of a bunch of different generations, those leakers stepped far beyond reasonable boundaries by also obtaining the personal info of GF employees so I can't say I have any sympathy for them in this scenario whatsoever. When Nintendo decides to go after a leaker (especially for a leak of this magnitude), they usually end up getting their way so I'd say its pretty much a matter of when rather than if at this point.

more fuel to the fire that they really wanted to call the Switch 2 the 'Super Switch' but were too deathly afraid of repeating a Wii U-type situation XD

This is such a fantastic ad though. The original SNES ad is one of the most iconic Nintendo trailers of all time so seeing it recreated (at least as much as possible with the games of today) is absolutely delightful 💖

@DarkTron I think what saddens me is that, at least with my local one, they do tend to put things below MSRP every now and then (most 1-year-old and beyond switch games have about €10 knocked off of them for instance) but now that every other major gaming shop has basically fled the coop, they kind of have free reign now to do as they please 🥲

if only my own local retailer followed suit 😭

EU does tend to get better overall deals for games by virtue of it encompassing so many different territories so its nice to see that continue when the world needed it the most (well, depending on where you live anyways XD).

well this is certainly one hell of a dampener on things XD

I imagine there's a whole lot of reasons why this is the case now (heightened cost of making games, recent international tariffs, general greed, etc.) but it still really stings to see Nintendo, who up until this point were one of the last big companies to keep things at a lower overall price, stoop to $70+ games.

The discrepancy between Mario Kart and DK has me a little optimistic the premium price won't be the standard, but Nintendo is very acutely aware of how popular their games are so I wouldn't hold out hope on that end 😭

EVERYBODY GET THE CLOWN MAKEUP OFF, SILKSONG IS ACTUALLY REAL

@DarkTron If that pricing is accurate then I can honestly work with that; I'm not in any real rush to get a Switch 2 at the moment so I'll be able to build up the funds for it over the next couple months before nabbing it around Christmas time.

aaaaaaah, so this is why they didn't bring WW/TP HD to Switch XD

100% called that Gamecube NSO would be Switch 2-exclusive but it still feels surreal to see it actually, finally happen. Three games at launch is a bit pathetic but those games are definitely high-quality and stuff like Chibi-Robo and the Pokemon games coming later down the line sweetens the deal a fair bit more.

it ain't a new 3D Mario like I was expecting, but who am I to say no to such a great ape? 😉

This looks like such a fascinating adaptation of DK into 3D as well, with a heavy emphasis on destructable environments and generally beating the s*** out of anything that looks at you funny, very big fan of what I've seen so far!

Personally predicted a late-August release timing myself so early-June is definitely a pleasant surprise, though the lack of any pricepoint is baffling for it being this close to release XD

Nintendo making a Zoom clone for the Switch 2 OS was not on my bingo sheet whatsoever but I can't lie: it seems like they've actually done a pretty bang-up job with it! Doubt it'd be something I use or anything but built-in voice/video chat is awesome regardless.

I can't even begin to imagine how toxic something like Splatoon or Mario Party will get with it though XD

I cannot believe Nintendo brought back Bloodborne before Sony

SAKURAI'S NEXT GAME WAS KIRBY AIR RIDE 2 THAT ABSOLUTE MADMAN

Never played the original but I know people have wanted this for decades at this point and to see it be Sakurai's next game after SSBU fills me with an overwhelming amount of joy.

A new Mario Kart is typically not the most exciting thing for me since its an inevitability with every Nintendo system but HOLY F*** DUDE THIS LOOKS RAD.

The expressiveness, the gimmicks, the sheer quantity of playable characters and all the free-roam stuff on top? MK World looks like a proper evolution of Mario Kart after years of MK8 being pretty much the peak of what came before!

if only I had this back when I was working my last 9-5 job smh

always a big fan of NL's April Fool's gags but this might be one of the best ones yet (Felix with the Steve Jobs-esque outfit especially was killing me XD)

bloody hell, they must REALLY be committing to Nintendo Today being the main way they'll be delivering news outside of Directs now because this is a pretty massive bombshell to just drop on a tiny little mobile app XD

also the release date being a week and a bit after BotW's 10th Anniversary is a nice touch 🔥

Nowhere near as good as the last proper Direct but still a really good time, especially given how this is essentially an appetiser for what's to follow in a week's time. Prime 4 getting a full gameplay reveal was definitely the highlight for me (even if the lack of a release date pains me beyond belief XD) but the rest of the Direct was no slouch either with stuff like that Dotemu Marvel beatemup, another AI The Somnium Files game and brand new Rhythm Heaven and Tomodachi Life games for the first time in pretty much over a decade. A pretty solid 7.5/10 and I cannot wait to see what the Switch 2 Direct has in store for us in a week's time!