FreasurePlanten

I honestly expected more sales from this game, they should have sent more stock to the stores over there. But I also suppose it goes to show how the share of digital games has increased. I suggest to some of you to go and check the numbers when new DQ games have come out in Japan. The phenomenon of Dragon Quest in Japan is insane. Sure, this isn't a brand new game. But it's a very requested remake. I think it would even be fun for the editorial team to do an article on this!

"Cool cool"?
What exactly is cool about using player data to train an AI?

I'm very excited for this. I'm a massive fan of the Patapon series, so I look forward to it. So sad that Sony just pushed all these creative minds aside, but it's great that they're finding new projects that they want to make and the means to do it.

Great review! This is a really really small nitpick, but I think in this case it would be better to abbreviate as "Enix" or not at all since it was Enix and never Square who made the original Dragon Quest games

I'm swamped by RPGs!! (which is a good thing, don't worry) I'm currently about 4 hours into Mario & Luigi: Brothership, I have connected 4 islands so far, and I'm now going back to explore more fully the islands before going for the Great Lighthouse. I'm also deep into Metaphor: Refantazio, I'm now at around 55 hours in and I feel like I'm maybe just past half of the game or so? Finally, I am in the middle of the 2nd Act of Dragon Age: The Veilguard at around 40 hours or so. Very exciting middle moment there, I look forward to what people are saying is a great ending of the 3rd Act (eventually).
Oh, and I'm trying to actually finish Persona 5 Royal as I've been saying I'll do here week after week, before the end of the year. All of this led to the difficult decision of waiting for Dragon Quest I and II HD-2D before diving into the remakes. Have fun everyone!

Do we know how much this will affect future SteamWorld titles?

I might be misremembering, but I thought there was a question in the survey about trophies/achievements. Was that in the data you glossed over? I would be curious about what other people'sthoughts were on that. Very interesting results overall!

Just a minor correction: the game has been available on PC since 2020 in its standard edition, and the Director's Cut edition only came out on PS5 in 2021 and on PC in 2022.

@jolteon23 Sorry for taking a bit to reply. I think it runs perfectly fine! It's pretty stable, albeit a bit blurry at times (I play in handheld mode, mind), as some Switch games are. There's a very nice Digital Foundry video on how the Switch version performs and they were pretty impressed. They also compare it to the Steam Deck. I also have the game on PS5, and there everything runs at a much smoother 60fps (on Switch it's 30) and looks much cleaner and detailed, it's really something else. But I'd say it's perfectly serviceable on Switch!

It's all about Metaphor: Refantazio for me. Atlus is delivering again. I'm also back to finally finish Persona 5 Royal on Switch and I might take some breaks with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and with Astro Bot.

Have fun gaming, everyone!

Crazy that people are buying Hogwarts Legacy more on the Switch than on other platforms. Goes some way to show that people in general don't care about the compromises and all this talk about 4K and PS5 Pro and everything else.

I've been sucked in by Vampire Survivors, now around the 30-hour mark and almost getting the platinum before starting on the DLC maps and adventures. I'm also still going through Astro Bot, now moving on from the third to the fourth galaxy, and investigating with Miles in AAI:ME, where I'm still in the third case of the first game. Have fun gaming, everyone.

Like a number of folks I'm playing Astro Bot over on PS5. I'm also going through the newly released Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth. Other games include Luigi's Mansion 2 HD where I'm on the third mansion, Princess Peach Showtime!!, Vampire Survivors and finally Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

Good gaming, everyone.

This weekend I'm playing Mario vs. Donkey Kong, 51 Worldwide Games, and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD on Switch.

On PS5 I'm continuing towards my progress on the platinum in God of War (2018) and Ragnarök. Getting very close on both. I'm also playing Mystic Pillars, Concord and the Ace Attorney Trilogy, while waiting for Edgy.

Good gaming everyone.

Indie World was pretty good, but the Partner Showcase didn't have a lot for me that was super exciting.

I'm mostly using Remote Play to play PS5 on the Steam Deck. I got the platinum for Daxter (2x) this past week and Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier. I'm going for the second one on the latter now: not the best Jak game for sure, but I think it gets too much flak. I'm also playing Far Cry 3, LocoRoco Remastered, starting Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters and maybe Sly Raccoon.
On the Steam Deck I'm managing my own vault in Fallout Shelter after recently watching the show (I recommend it!). I'm also very slowly progressing through Fallout 3. I want to get back to Spirit of Justice and finish that last case before the Investigations Collection comes out again.
I don't know if I'll have time in between all of that for my Switch, but if I do, I would want to not give up on TTYD even though it did not win me, and get finally finished with Persona 5 Royal, though for that my partner would need to be watching and right now I'm backseat gaming for their playthrough of Dragon Age: Origins (getting ready for The Veilguard).

I managed to beat Jak 2 some weeks ago for the first time ever and it's still one of the things I feel most accomplished about from this year. This weekend I'm finishing Jak 3 on the PS5 and I'll keep being a bodyguard in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
On Switch I'm maxing out the last confidants before finishing the last palace in Persona 5 Royal. I'm also doing my daily stitch. puzzles and cleaning up the remaining quests in Final Bar Line.

I'm finishing off some more series in Theathrythm Final Bar Line, and doing some hoops in stitch.. Going through the last case of Spirit of Justice and the last palace of Persona 5 Royal. Good gaming everyone!

I don't understand this list. As you say, there are a ton of games you list here that have no chance of showing up on Switch and that you're actually really wishing for on Switch 2 rather than Switch. But that's not the title of the post. Yet you're missing clear fan favourite picks. Makes it seems like no thought was put into it.

Like last weekend, this weekend was very light on gaming. Work and traveling are keeping me busy. Finished the fourth case in Spirit of Justice and played some more of Persona 5 Royal, where I'm now deep into the content of the Royal version and last palace.

Hope you're having a fun time gaming, everyone!

@ReaperMelia The other reason I was considering perhaps waiting is exactly that I fear I and II might feel a bit simpler and not as easy to get into if I play III first. I'm really curious to see what they'll add in detail to each entry to make them feel more modernized. Based on the preview available here, it sounds like it goes further than a simple visual glow-up. In a similar example, even with some bells and whistles, I'm having a bit of a harder time enjoying Persona 3 Reload after having played P4 Golden and P5 Royal. I would like to avoid that if possible (especially if there might be reveals coming in III that I'd be unaware of).
Don't get me wrong, though, this looks stunning and I'm very much looking forward to it. It's really just a matter of which of the three games I start with.

@speedracer216 I'm not aware of this spoiler, and this is the kind of thing I fear missing out on by playing the games in chronological order. Thank you for replying

@Maubari I don't need to have positive opinions about everything. I expected DK 64 coming to NSO. Sad that we didn't get that. This game is not for me as I have played it in a very similar form before. If it's for you, that's great. I don't know why I should be thankful for a title I have no interest whatsoever in playing. Very good Direct overall, anyway.

I'm still finishing replaying the second trilogy, but I'll get this one for sure. I started Investigations a long time ago but never finished and I've never tried Investigations 2. The wait was worth it.

@Ulysses I don't think there's anything wrong with asking for other people's opinion even so. Anyway, for what it's worth I had heard from people before that III is more satisfying if played after I and II. This is usually, in my opinion, the case with games that have different chronological and release orders. I'm now replaying the God of War games and I wouldn't enjoy starting with Ascension for sure, to give an example. So I think it's a legitimate question nonetheless. The release order for these remakes might be an artifact of the fact that the project started as a remake of III and then expanded.

This looked incredible. The Mario RPGs keep on coming. And I'll keep on getting them, thank you very much.

@Ulysses Yes, I know he said that. That's why I'm asking if people agree that chronologically is the best way to experience it. Because usually I ignore that and prefer to play by release order, as anyone would have experienced it as the creators' released the games.

This was the biggest disappointment of the Direct. Seems to be a very straightforward port. I was expecting more from DK in this Direct.

The scenery and game overall looked insanely good. Hopefully there's an upgrade path from Switch to Switch 2 if they decide to release the game on both.

Turns out the leaks were true. I'm really looking forward to it. To people who have played the Erdrick trilogy, is chronological order the best way to experience it? Otherwise I might play by release order and wait for I and II.

I was shocked by it coming so early. I'm soooo hyped for this! What a fantastic Direct.

This had already been leaked by Midori. But I guess we're now pretending that leaker didn't exist.

Dividing my time mostly between two games. The first is Dragon Age: Inquisition, where I'm in the infamous Hinterlands. I'm getting myself ready before The Veilguard arrives, so I've also been watching videos on the series' lore, which is very interesting and rich! I definitely recommend.

The second game is Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, where I'm only in Chapter 2 so far. I've been enjoying it, even though I think I still haven't reached its best part and at this point I wouldn't rank it as my favorite Paper Mario.

I just bought AI: The Somnium Files on sale as I loved the Zero Escape series, and this game looks similar enough in terms of puzzles and atmosphere. I might give it a go still this weekend.

Otherwise, I hope to finally finish the third case in Spirit of Justice and finish God of War on the Steam Deck.

Good gaming, everyone! : )

Now give me Minecraft in Tetris 99, please (it hasn't happened yet, right?).

I'm getting very close to the depths of Mementos and the third semester in Persona 5 Royal, I'm almost at the end of the Temple of Pandora in God of War (the first one). I'm in the second day of investigation of the third case of Spirit of Justice. I've been stuck trying to fight blast robots in Jak II. Finished replaying Super Mario Odyssey's main campaign yesterday and I'm now getting the rest of the moons. I'm revisiting Super Mario 64. I'm also trying to finish High on Life on Game Pass before it leaves the service. And finally I'm slowly going through Knack (now on chapter 5) and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition.

I agree with the sentiment of a lot of people above that up until the early 3D systems it's still retro. I think there was such a massive jump to the GameCube/Xbox/PS2 era that a lot of those games still feel like modern games. I'm replaying some PS2 games at the moment and the only QoL features that I'm missing is better checkpoints, I think the industry has gotten a lot better at not wasting players' time. Otherwise, they could be modern titles mechanically.

I've been going down memory lane back to the good old PS2 days on the Steam Deck. I'm trying to finish Jak II for the first time, having given up as a kid, and I'm playing the first God of War.

On Switch I'm still playing and loving Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, slowly getting to discover Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and going through Persona 5 Royal.

Have fun gaming everyone!

I don't think the difference is anything to write home about. And starting the article with 'victory' just seems like the sort of comment to stoke the flames among a divided fanbase already. Kind of sad to see, NL.

I honestly don't understand the hate for TOK. For me personally, it oozes charm. Why is it not enough to celebrate the good sales of the remake without invalidating those that enjoyed the recent entries?

I think visuals help and it's definitely better to have more varied designs than not if they're equally good. But I think people tend to react in a too extreme way to the more recent games, lumping them all together. Sticker Star is very different from Origami King. I think that if you don't find any value in the characters, writing or interactions of the latest two games, even in comparison to the first two, you're being blinded by nostalgia, or by shallow comparisons to the first two.

I have started Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. Still in Colony 9 going around doing some side quests. I'm also revisiting Daxter after having 100% completed The Precursor Legacy during the week. The nostalgia is really hitting. I also want to start tomorrow Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Aside from that, doing the dailies in stitch. and now on the high limit floor on the casino palace of Persona 5 Royal.

Have fun gaming everyone!

If I wasn't fighting to reduce my backlog and minimizing the number of new games I buy, I would go for this immediately. But it's going on my wishlist. Looks right up my alley. Very good review!

@CaptainCluck I bet you're one of the guys that rallies against censorship when it's about seeing the underwear of underage characters or some ***** like that. But hey, a trans character? Now we should draw the line, some things are just not acceptable. sigh

Looks like it's going to be a great time!

Also, you guys know that reviewers don't owe you a perfect score for a game no matter how precious it is for you, right? If anything, this sort of pressure makes it more likely that they won't be as rigorous in the other direction in case they feel like the games deserve a lower score because some series or games are perceived as untouchable.

@MarioLinkSamus I would be surprised to not see a gimmick there that differentiates it from Switch other than 'being more powerful' no matter how small. Heck, even the Switch that tried go comparatively minimal to the previous generation has that barely used IR camera.

The part of the interview that you highlighted was very interesting indeed. Like @Dr_Lugae said the other platforms might not have been such successes after all. Aside from him being completely right now in 2024 about costs and workload increasing with diminishing returns, it's also important to remember that Nintendo struggled with the move from SD to HD development in the Wii U days. It's nice to look back to these days and see that this is when Nintendo decided to abandon the graphics and raw power race. And I think it's proving to have been the best strategy.

First, on Switch: I'm determined to finishing all hoops in stitch. this weekend (except the reward ones for ranks and dailies, that I'll have to unlock through gameplay later). I'm also starting the casino palace in Persona 5 Royal.
On the Steam Deck:
I've just started the second case in Spirit of Justice. I also decided to cancel my Game Pass subscription until I hear better things from Xbox and hoping they don't become an Activision, only focusing on the biggest titles. So, I'm now trying to finish some games I have there. Namely, doing some playthroughs of Vampire Survivors and continuing going through Persona 3 Reload.

There could still be new Pokémon games this year which aren't Gen 10 (too early for that anyway). Small scale Gen V remakes would fit the bill, and they would be announced around now or June, per usual.

If they're do follow the strategy of Xbox and Sony and only invest on blockbusters, I think they'll be doing exactly the opposite of what they should be doing. Look at Nintendo and Capcom who are seeing record profits, they're not developing (at least only) games that are this expensive to make. Instead, they bet on a diverse and balanced roster of games from small to big releases. Development costs and time are increasing to a crazy degree that is not sustainable. It seems reasonable to also have budget titles that might bring you a lot of revenue without a lot of investment and which people really enjoy. We can certainly think of a good number of examples in recent memory. The piece mentions a few...

@PikaPhantom I might be too cynic, but they're probably just pretending to read too much into it. It's their way of getting the topic to fit into the narrative that Nintendo Life is only about Nintendo news, while also getting the clicks from people angry at this decision.

I continue dabbling into stitch. daily, as well as Balatro and Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. I keep going through Persona 5 Royal too, now almost at the 5th palace. On the PS5 I'm going through Final Fantasy VII Remake. On the Steam Deck, I'm playing through the second case of Spirit of Justice.

All in all, having a lot of fun. Happy gaming everyone!