FullMetalWesker

Japan for me this time, the image of Yoshi enjoying(?) some cookies from a visible jar looks better to me than Yoshi standing in the middle of nowhere with random cookies floating around.

For me, the Wii U version is the better one: the improved lighting just makes the colours pop a lot more than the original does, and for a game that uses a really colourful art style, that’s a big plus imo.

Also we’re never getting those Zelda remasters, as much as I’d like to have them. After all, when was the last time a Nintendo game was remade/remastered, then that remake/master got ported to a different console?

@RR529 - My guess is that they’re just sorting alphabetically.

And here we have the perfect example of the “NA Kirby is hardcore/angry” trope . Never quite understood why NA, and only NA thought this had to be done, but I guess it makes a funny juxtaposition with the boxart used for every other region.

@LinktotheFuture - True, which I found surprising, but I’m glad they did.

@GinMiguel - I’d take this and a remaster of GX at this stage, with a new game later down the line.

I’ll admit, I found my brief time a lot more fun than I thought I’d have, but at the same time, I wish this were accompanied by something like a GX remaster to take the bulk of the spotlight, so this little side project didn’t have to be the one metric for interest in the IP (And also, I just really want to play GX on the go).

For me, the NA/EU cover looks both cleaner and more unique, whereas the JP one looks cluttered, and more generic, so the former gets my vote.

@Anti-Matter - If it helps, down here in Australia the game (FFXVI) is rated 15+ (and yes, we do have an 18+rating, but that’s saved for stuff like Cyberpunk and Resi Evil Village), so you could argue it’s not that bad, just overrated in other countries (alternatively, since it’s just dlc, you could easily avoid it by sticking with the base game).
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Nice to see them keeping the game updated. Wasn’t sure if they’d do it, despite how obvious it seemed. Wonder if they’ll do the same for FFVII Rebirth, once that comes out?

@IceEarthGuard - "I know that most fast food restaurants are not healthy. But regardless of that, it is still food and that is a necessity/need in life."

I think you're splitting hairs here, trying to squeeze your logic in where it doesn't quite fit.
But to clarify, fast food restaurants don't exist to provide sustenance, nor is that why people go there. They go there because it's fast, it spares them cooking/reheating, and it (usually) tastes good. Therefore, it fits under a luxury, rather than a necessity.

"Sorry, but nobody can change my mind on this topic."

Then you're being stubborn, and close-minded. Keep doing that if you want, but I should tell you that such thinking is unhealthy, and ultimately self-defeating.

"And that is a fact/truth."
Someone already posted it, but if you look up the literal dictionary definition, you'll find this:
"something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary"
or this one
"an indulgence in something that provides pleasure, satisfaction, or ease"
Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/luxury

You know, in case you're interested.

@IceEarthGuard - That’s probably because a lot of people associate luxury with expensive, but really, anything you get that you don’t actually need, is a luxury. Buying from a fast food restaurant can be considered a luxury, even though it’s cheap, simply because it’s not a necessity.
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Gotta love the usual ‘this wasn’t what I wanted, so I’ll pirate it’ mentality springing up again in response to this. Really tells you how mature some of us are in regards to how we handle problems.

As for the actual article topic, I don’t know this brand of software, but from what I’ve gathered from the comments, it has the potential for some performance hits if not handled correctly. But personally, as long as it’s not too bad (and it does what it’s supposed to ofc) I can probably ignore it. If not *shrugs * then oh well, I can just stick to what I’ve already got (or what titles don’t use it).

Hearing MGS2/3 run worse than the HD versions, and that MGS1 hasn’t been given even a basic remaster is kinda dampening my hype for this collection. I’ll probably still get it, but I’m no longer sure it’ll be on day 1.

Yeah, the JP one is way too messy to work imo, whereas the EU one, while basic, at least works as representative box art (i.e. it conveys what the game is).
Also, personally I prefer the US version of the EU/US cover, the extra stuff just seems to frame the art better imo https://www.lukiegames.com/assets/images/N64/n64_pokemon_stadium_p_j68m69.jpg

@Cashews - Agreed, it’s weird reading all these comments criticising it as ‘boring/generic’ and then going for covers that….are actually boring/generic.
Maybe because it became the standard going forward (at least until Wind Waker) it’s seen as ‘overused/no longer mysterious’ but even then, given it’s the first, I’m not sure why they’d see it as ‘boring’ and not ‘classic’ 🤷‍♂️

@Ogbert - Not really; if you take out AU/NZ, all of the options have been constants in these polls. The only confusion might come from when two of these share the same cover (e.g. NA/EU); if they win, do they both get a point, or no? If yes, then there’s no problem, really.

Went for NA this time around, as the EU covers don’t look great, and I’ve never been a fan of Japan’s “let’s make it a poster” approach to box art design.

@theModestMouse - Just to confirm, have you also criticised MCU films for being too quippy? Because if so, you might have a bit of a contradiction on your hands…(most of the DCU though, yeah, fair enough)

@SpoonySpoons - You’re not missing out on much; it’s probably the most overrated show going at the moment, with good production values and acting being the only things going for it.

Ah, right, I forgot Peacemaker was also part of the leak. Well, I guess if I ever get the game there’s another good training dummy to practice fatalities on.

Curious as to who they’re going to include next season; this season seems to be drawing from recent tv shows, but unless I’ve missed some (or they take more characters from the shows they’ve used here) they’ve already kinda run out of shows with potential candidates, so will they broaden the theme to recent characters, or change to something else?

@Banjo- You could always do what I did when I went through it, and make your own while you’re playing.

An interesting result, at least looking at the top 10. Some are to be expected, but I’m surprised to see Ninja Gaiden II here, as well as Mega Man 3. Didn’t realise they were so highly regarded.
Also surprising, and nice, to see is Punch-Out. Out of the NES games I’ve played so far, that was one of the few I really clicked with, yet I wouldn’t normally expect it to be tangling with the likes of Zelda or Mario, (though I guess that’s fitting, all things considered).

If nothing else, it’s reminded me that I should probably get round to finishing more of these games, because looking at the top 10, I noticed I’ve finished precisely 2 of them, which is a surprisingly low number compared to other Nintendo consoles (though to be fair, that might be because they’re more difficult compared to later platforms).

@CharlieGirl - You're assuming that the game is released almost immediately after the game is finished being developed, when there may be days, weeks, or even months between when the game is finished, and when it gets released (similar to how movies usually get finished a decent time prior to their premiere).

The reality is (and I apologise for being so blunt, but this "game is not complete without dlc" line really needs to stop), any DLC created for a game, is not part of the base game, it's additional content. The game you buy on release day, is the complete game. That's it. Anything else is extra, regardless of whether it was developed after the game released, or in the window between end of development and release. Or heck, even before. It doesn't matter when it was made, it being released after immediately makes it extra content, not part of the base game.

So, it seems like the leak was accurate, which probably means we know at least one other character who will be added in the future. Makes sense, given how violent their respective shows are, and how violent these games are.
Can't say I'm all that interested in them, but I guess they could make good training dummies? (If nothing else, it might be nice to see them being torn to pieces for a change)

Surprised this hasn’t been mentioned yet, but the AU copy I have features a different cover to both the NA and EU ones.

https://cdn.mobygames.com/covers/4321821-donkey-konga-gamecube-other.jpg

Not sure if we got a separate cover, or whether the bundle did, but I thought it might be worth mentioning, since a lot of people seem to find the people the least appealing thing about the NA cover, and this removes that, while keeping the other main elements intact.

So, I’m guessing there are no new extras with these remasters?
If so, that’s a bit disappointing, but otherwise this seems decent enough. Nice that they added those Pikmin 3-esque controls, should make playing these games a bit more convenient.

Advance 1 seems fair, since that seems to have added a decent amount of new content, but the other two I’m less convinced were worth throwing out (especially since nothing else has been released for this platform since early March).

If the goal is to make adventure games, then going open-world is a no brainer. And that does mean that at least some of the linearity seen in previous 3D Zelda’s has to be removed, just so it can work.
The question is, is there a place for more restricted, story focused action-adventure games now the main series has gone full adventure? If the recent Link’s Awakening remake is any indication, there is, just not as new main entries, which I’d say is fair.
But at the end of the day, it depends on what the devs want out of their series, and where their ideas take them to. So far, they’ve failed to disappoint me (and many others from what I can tell), so at the moment I’m fine just going along for the ride.

Got 13/15, only one’s I missed were the Skyrim and Earthbound questions and I don’t have much experience with either, so that’s not too bad.

Disappointed I apparently got spoilt on the ending of Earthbound though…

For once, I’ll probably skip it. I’ve played and finished every Fire Emblem game since Awakening (except Heroes, I guess) but this time, the game just does not interest me. If I’m being honest, I’m still having a hard time believing that this is a genuine new main installment, and not some mobile spin-off, what with the whole “summon past characters to aid you” gimmick, and hearing that character development and interactions were taking a back seat this time doesn’t help with that (since the characters are the main reason why I play in the first place).
Thankfully, I have plenty of Three Houses content to get through (especially if I include the new Warriors game) so I won’t be losing much, but hopefully the next title (presuming there is one) will be a bit more interesting than this one seems.

For me, either Tactics or, something that’s not on the list, Dissidia 012 would be the best titles to bring over next, though XIII should also prob come over as well at some point just to complete the main series set.

@PinderSchloss - This. If you’re sufficiently interested afterwards to do a series playthrough, then sure, go for it, but to start with, it’s fine to start with whatever’s most interesting to you.

My top 3 were:

Pokémon Legends: Arceus - 58hrs
The Great Ace Attorney Collection - 43hrs
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - 42hrs

So, no one game I spent a crazy amount of time on, but there were a fair few that I spent 20-25 hours on (Bayo 3, Pokémon Violet, Paper Mario:TOK, etc.) so it probably evens out in the end.

Also, nice to be able to actually do this for once

@jrt87 - “I cannot fathom how the reviewer on Nintendo Life gave it a 10/10.“
Yeah, that one I don’t get. Having played and finished it myself, I found way too many problems for even a 9 to be justified, let alone a 10 (personally I’d say more a 7, and that might still be generous).
@Znake - Just so you know, your case might go a bit better if you weren’t making comparisons with something like GoW: Ragnarok, a game that’s far more coherent, competent, and compelling than Bayo 3 ever is. If you enjoyed it more then that’s great, but if you’re gonna make favorable comparisons with an unfinished project like Bayo 3, you should probably pick something that doesn’t make it look even worse through the comparison.
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Sounds like Kamiya hasn’t really grasped the problems with Bayo 3, if he’s thinking of that many more titles. Not even sure why, when the series works pretty well as a trilogy (for the most part) and any more would further diminish that, but I guess if that’s what he wants to do, then he’s free to do so, just as I’m free to say I’m okay with moving on from the series at this point.

Was thinking of getting it on Switch, but after finding out it’s $5-10 more expensive than a normal switch game (as opposed to the PS5 version which, at the same price, is cheaper than most new PS5 games), I think I’ll hold off for a sale.

I’ve thought this for a while, but Japan’s covers to me look more like posters than actual box art, and as a result, I’ve found it harder to pick them as the better box art since, really, it doesn’t seem like that’s what they’re even aiming for.
In this case, it seems especially apparent, as both use the same mario render, but where one uses it in a style that looks like a box cover, the other uses it in a manner more reminiscent of a movie poster. So, to me, the choice of “which is the better box-art?” seems pretty clear: the one that’s actually trying to be box art.*

• • To be fair, there are a few cases where the Japanese cover might still be the better one; if the US/EU designs look substantially worse, if the JP one looks exceptional and/or if it showcases the game’s qualities better, but in this case, none of those apply imo, so the decision goes to the US/EU cover.

Honestly surprised to see all the Xenoblade love here in the comments. From what I'd seen and heard, I always thought it was a good, but unremarkable JRPG, but perhaps I was mistaken (that, or, with this being a Nintendo site, maybe it's the only game in the GOTY Nominees they've played?). It's interesting to see, in any case.

For me, my GOTY this year is Ragnarok, with Elden Ring as a very close runner-up. Both are absolutely excellent experiences that will probably rank up there as some of the best of the decade, with Ragnarok inching Elden Ring out due to having a larger array of accessibility options.
On a related note, I do have to ask one question: How did Stray end up nominated for GOTY? No offence to the game, it's pretty good, but I feel like there are lot of other games (Rabbids, Sifu, Splatoon, etc.) that would probably be better suited (heck, I almost feel like any other game in the indie category is better suited than it). But maybe that's just me.

For me, it was Ocarina of Time, though my introduction to it wasn't by me playing it from the start, but from watching a friend re-play the final boss battles against Ganondorf/Ganon. Not the most orthodox method, but it worked, as I've been a fan pretty much ever since.

@iLikeUrAttitude - "If I were to try to get into this I wouldn't even know where to start since it's hard to differentiate the warriors games with actual effort and just the cash grab reskins."

Anything wrong with just....looking at this list (specifically the top 3 entries)?

From what I've played (HW, AoC, FEW, PW3&4, bits of others) I'd probably agree with the top two: both HW games have been the most fun to play for me by a decent margin, and the ones that feel the most like positive, unique entries. By contrast, FEW, though mostly okay, suffered from a lot of horseback/flying units that were awkward to control, while the two PW games were solid, but didn't really add much of anything from it's IP that made a noticeable change to gameplay.

Considering Doomfist was always an aggressive, survival of the fittest kind of character, hearing he's being swapped from a DPS to a tank (in other words, a swap from focusing on killing things to drawing fire away from allies) seems a bit of an odd move to make (especially when there are other DPS characters, like Symmetra or Torbjorn who seem more appropriate picks if balancing out the roster is the aim here) but *shrugs * I guess there's a possibility this might work better.

Sunshine and Twilight Princess are probably my least favourite of the 3D Mario and Zelda games to be fair (so far, haven’t played Skyward Sword or 3D World/Land yet) so I can see why those are mentioned. That said, considering 2D games are being included, I’m surprised only one was mentioned.

@FroZtedFlakerZz - I know, I was wondering if they’d do another one (since that one’s pretty old now).

@Anti-Matter - That’s okay, the second paragraph in my response was directed at the article, my response to you was purely in the first paragraph.

@Anti-Matter - Wow, go figure, didn’t realise they were still going. Wonder if they’ll ever do another Mario one, or something similar? (Maybe Kirby?)

As for the nominees list, yeah, OoT is (or at least should be) a shoe-in for this. The only other title that I might see as a contender is Resident Evil, and even then, there’s a decent gap between the two (though these days survival horror seems to be getting a bit bigger, so who knows?).

Nice to know I’m not the only one who thought the title of the article (plus the follow-up comments) was a bit weird.
As for the game itself, I’ve never played the original release, and while I’ve played Chrono Trigger, this seems vastly different to that, so I’m not sure how interested I am (especially when there’s so much other stuff coming out) but it might be worth a try at lesst.
Still, I’m surprised this is happening at all; I got the impression the rumours were actually about the mobile thing they announced a few months back, but instead it seems there really was a proper remaster in development. Go figure.

@Otoemetry - My guess? Nintendo is a conservative company, and this didn't fit into their plans. Rather than adapt, they simply decided to remove the element from the equation, and went back to business as usual (but I could be wrong on that).

@Alpha008 - "I mean, I’d be okay with it if Nintendo offered an alternate way of listening to their music. I’d be happy to pay a reasonable fee, ever per album or subscription service.."
You mean besides the games they come from? Because technically speaking that is an option (admittedly not the most convenient one, but still...).

While a disappointment, personally I don't see it worth raising a fuss over, as others have here. Stuff like this is always operating on borrowed time, and at the end of the day, it's not really that much of a loss, relatively speaking.

@rubiednin "Nintendo has always been a company that likes to control their IPs and jerks who leaks games only makes them clamp down more."

This is literal Stockholm syndrome stuff. "They just can't control themself, it's your fault for getting them angry!"

Nintendo executives choose how to react, no-one makes them take down fan-games, no-one makes them be anal."

It's not stockholm syndrome to punish someone for messing around with your stuff, it's common sense; if you want someone to be nice to you, don't screw with them. Even if you think they screwed you first (key word, think, because taking down trashy fan mods isn't harsh or cruel in the slightest), doing it back and expecting civil treatment is naive; all it'll do is make them think "Well, guess I was right to do that then" and keep doing it.
Civility is a two-way process, and if you think you can bypass that, or twist it in your favour, then you're delusional, simple as that.

@Snatcher - What do you mean every month? The Expansion Pass is only available as a yearly subscription, you can't get it monthly.

@Mikmoomamimocki - "The OOT port..."

Did you just call the 3DS remake a port?

This was probably the one I was most excited for, so it's nice to know it's just around the corner. Here's hoping F-Zero isn't far behind.

You know, it’d be nice if these so-called ‘fans’ would just leave well enough alone, and focused their energies on enjoying what they had, instead of messing with it unnecessarily. Would make things so much better.

As others have said, the demo’s been around for a while, and is pretty short, only giving you a brief taste in how the combat and exploration work, before pushing you to the eShop. That said, I found it enjoyable enough. Flying around on the Nimbus Cloud, exploring the map was probably the highlight for me, though it was dampened somewhat by the ridiculously high enemy encounter rate (seriously, why are there so many robots flying around this one area?). Everything else was decent enough.

@FlashBoomerang - To be fair, neither this, nor Fast RMX are really trying to be a substitute for F-Zero, instead leaning more towards WipeOut, so if someone were to actually attempt to replicate the track design and controls of F-Zero, then who knows? but for now, no-one (that I know of anyway) has really tried, so it's not surprising that they haven't succeeded.

@Gitface - "It is the characters, the cars, and the world of F-Zero that makes it forever stand out. Nothing similar will ever compete with F-Zero for me."
Fair enough; for me, it's more the level/track design and controls that make it stand out to me. F-Zero features much sharper corners and bends, that make for a much more engaging, and challenging experience overall, compared to the WipeOut approach, where it's more about gentle curves and straight lines, with vehicles that control less like cars, and more like projectiles.

I might’ve, if I hadn’t gone through the game for the first time just last year; at this point, it feels a bit too soon to be returning, especially when I’ve got plenty of games I haven’t finished yet, sitting in my backlog.
Maybe someday, a few months from now, I might give it a go, but not right now.

Looks like another wipeout clone, so I’ll probably give this a pass; after FastRMX, it was pretty clear being a high-speed sci-fi racer wasn’t enough to serve as an F-Zero substitute, at least for me anyway.
On the other hand though, it’s nice to see someone’s still interested in the sci-fi racer sub-genre.

@victordamazio - " because ideas can't be owned, and they shouldn't be owned"
Why not? Why shouldn't we get to keep the thing we created, especially if it's a full-blown IP? What possible problem could there be in simply allowing an individual to keep the idea they created?

"copyright should not last forever because it's about a cycle of allowing people to profit on their creations,"
That's only half of it, the other half is so they can maintain ownership of the IP, so they can continue to actually use it. Without Copyright, no-one has any ownership over their ideas, at which point it becomes pointless to even bother creating them (seriously, what's the point in say, writing a story, if every idiot on the street is allowed to just metaphorically write all over it to the point where you can't even see the original idea?)

"We don't want a similar game, we want a F-Zero game, with Captain Falcon and the Mute City theme."
No offence mate, but so what? If it were a particular type of game, you might have more of a case, but just the IP? Just the F-Zero skin? That just sounds petty, I mean take a look at it this way:
"Person 1: I want a new F-Zero game.
Person 2: How about this? It's almost the same, just with different characters?
Person 1: No, I want F-Zero! I want it now!"
You see how these words sound? Not that it's wrong to want particular IPs (for example, I still tend to prefer Castlevania games over the similar Bloodstained series because I personally prefer the former IP), but to disregard ownership and steal it, even if perfectly serviceable alternatives exist (admittedly, not so much in this case, but still)? That's something else entirely.

I mean seriously, I'd like a new F-Zero game as much as anyone, but does that give me the right to appropriate the IP? No. To think so would be wrong, pure and simple. To think I even deserve the IP (let alone think I could improve on it) would also be incredibly arrogant and ignorant of me. Just because I know what I want, doesn't mean I know what's best for the IP, nor does it give me the right to decide that.

@CharlieGirl - I dunno, considering the state these games ended up in, I reckon they probably could've spent more time wondering if they could.

@Ristar24 - Ouch. Sounds like you might've been better off getting the mobile version (if that was an option); at least that version works properly, and wouldn't have burned as much of a hole in your wallet.

But yeah, it's pretty sad to see the PS2 GTA trilogy perform so poorly on Switch, even after the big patch they released afterwards to try and mitigate the situation. Thankfully, the original versions are still available on the iOS/Play store, so a working portable option is still available, but here's hoping these versions get fixed sometime in the near future.

Don't suppose there's a chance for some Gen 2 versions? I wouldn't mind a Cyndaquil hoodie.

@JayJ - "How nice of them to offer us a $15 game for $175."
I mean, technically it's $35 for the game, $140 for themed extras (most of that probably eaten up by the two replica lightsabers), but yeah, a bit much.

@Medic_Alert - No offense mate, but I think you're going a bit far by dismissing the extras as outright worthless trinkets and acting like it's the truth. They may seem so to you, but that's only you, it doesn't extend any further than that. If you personally don't care for the items, fair enough, that's your opinion, but if that's the case, then say so, don't try to act like it's anything more than that.

Now, to be fair, I do admit the price for the Master Edition here is a bit ridiculous, and if that were the crux of the argument (that the items aren't really worth the price being asked for here) I'd agree (as much as I love the game), but to try and claim something like "It just introduces more pointless tat into the world that will collect dust forever more." for collectors editions in general is just flat out incorrect (I mean, it's because of the extras these editions sell at all).

If the games had included the Platinum content, then it might have been a harder question, but without that, and with Legends Arceus coming out only two months later, combined with the fact that I was never that attached to the originals in the first place, I feel I'd be better off saving my money for that then spending it on this remake, as decent as it probably still is.

And this is why sites like Metacritic are useful; they allow an easy way to see the (almost) entire range of reviews, so when outliers like NL's review on BD/SP come out, you can put it's score within the proper context, rather than make the assumption that it's the average take.