JJtheTexan

This week, I am down-loading the exciting new action platforming video-game "Super Mario Brothers" for my Nintendo Entertainment System TV game console. It looks like it might be fun!

I don't know how to share GIFs here but just pretend my comment is the J. Jonah Jameson laughing meme from the early 2000s Spider-Man movie

As noted, neither the Joy-Con nor the Pro Controller has analogue triggers. Sony / Polyphony Digital are not going to release a high-precision racing game on a platform with those limitations. (Imagine making Gran Turismo for Nintendo Switch "GameCube controller required" LMAO)

The 3DS was my all-time favorite games system until I spent some time with the Nintendo Switch. I owned an original 3DS, a 3DS XL, a New 3DS XL, and a New 2DS XL. I still have the latter two. Such a wonderful handheld platform.

Sounds like we have our first way-too-early GOTY contender!

I have the original release on PS4. DuckTales is by far the best game of the bunch. DuckTales 2 is mostly OK. The Chip 'n' Dale games bored me, Darkwing Duck wasn't much fun, and TaleSpin is probably the worst Capcom game I've played this side of Trojan.

I'm still getting the Nintendo Switch 2 version of this because I've always wanted a physical copy, but overall I can't really recommend this beyond anyone with nostalgia for multiple games, curiosity about the new SNES additions, or just being a really big DuckTales fan like I am.

I first played on an NES at a babysitter's house in 1988 or so. I was intrigued by the gold cartridge. So shiny! I loved the game, but my eight-year-old brain couldn't make heads or tails of it. I didn't actually complete a start-to-finish playthrough until I was in college, I think.

@JimNorman the poll is missing Nintendo Switch Online, I think.

I'm glad they finally fixed the compatibility issue for Nintendo Switch 2. Can an upgrade be far off?

I have an original Virtual Boy, and I got this thing. @Damo is 100 percent correct in his assessment; the biggest problem is, then as now, the neck / back strain I experience even with the most ideal setup I can manage (VB on the very edge of my desk, office chair lowered all the way, sitting with the edge of the desk pressing against my stomach).

As an original Virtual Boy owner (I got one for Christmas in 1995), there is a ton of nostalgia here for me, but geez I wish Nintendo would just allow us to play the games on TV in 2D. There's no reason not to!

The games are pretty decent overall. The problem is the Virtual Boy itself. I have an original VB, and the Nintendo Switch / NS2 accessory is an excellent, highly-accurate recreation... for better and for worse. I found it nearly impossible to set it up and play in a way that did not cause me severe neck and back pain from being hunched over.

I just wish we could play the games in 2D on a TV.

I have my original Virtual Boy (I was one of those weirdos who got one new). I had it restored a few years ago to fix some common problems with the aging hardware, excitedly put it together and turned it on... and I had an intense headache within minutes.

I'm a sucker for punishment so I got the official accessory and I'll do it all over again. I'm like that guy from The Kids in the Hall who keeps pouring salt in his eyes in spite of repeated warnings to stop doing that.

Lack of online is surprising and a bit disappointing. I wonder if it will be added in a future update.

This is a welcome update! I've been playing Asphalt on and off since it launched on Nintendo Switch, and it can be reasonably fun in short bursts. The monetization hype and multiple currencies get old fast, though.

This was the highlight of State of Play for me. It looks EXACTLY like I hoped a future Castlevania game would. Bravo!

Wild Card Football, another 2K sports game, was also delisted sometime last year.

@SillyG I did not know that!

I was really interested in this game until I saw the Push Square review yesterday. If it chugs on PS5 Pro, it's sure as heck not going to be much fun on NS2.

I've only ever played and completed Yellow and Crystal. I'd love to give FireRed / LeafGreen a try!

I've heard praise for Braid for many years. I finally picked it up on sale on Nintendo Switch last year, played it for about an hour... and just gave up. Not my cup of tea. No idea where the acclaim comes from.

First reaction: "I'm sure glad I got the physical edition from Limited Run"

Second reaction: "I wish this game got a wide retail release instead of a, uh, limited run"

(cries in North American)

11 hours!??!? I ain't got time for all that. But I'm happy for the Paper Mario sickos

I'm not much of a Pokemon fan, but I thought the ad was cute and wholesome.

@Uncle_Franklin thanks for always keeping track of these. What was the one winner from ANZ?

Both are pretty good this week! I went with North America simply because it's less busy.

Pretty good week for retro game lovers like me!

@AussieMcBucket that's the guy. He uses some kind of special software to dig into the code and then if he finds anything, he posts it. I saw his initial posts and I suppose he hasn't had time to look in-depth yet. He did note the unusual phrasing Nintendo used to describe the patch.

Ordinarily, if it was a patch to fix bugs, Nintendo would say "provides greater stability for a better gameplay experience" or something like that. It's curious the way they worded it this time.

@AussieMcBucket a reliable data-miner like OatmealDome will probably post something about it in a day or two. Nintendo Life usually updates these articles once a dataminer weighs in.

@LinktotheFuture it'll come back to you. Took me about a week before I finally got the rhythm down again. They didn't put "HARD TO BEAT!" on the box of the original game for nothing!

Of all the Roguelike games that have ever Rogueliked, Caves of Qud is the most Rogue-like. Check out those sweet, sweet ASCII graphics let's gooooooooooooo

Seriously, I am looking forward to trying this out.

I did notice it (I've had the game wishlisted for a while) but assumed it was a placeholder. Still my most-anticipated upcoming NS2 game!

Great-looking game. Weak title. Should've just called it "The Millennium Tales" or something like that.

@LinktotheFuture have you had a chance to play it yet? I just this week finished Ninja Gaiden II on NSO and I was frustrated by what seemed like a bit of input lag.

While none of the games announced so far interests me, I am very excited by the concept. Considering the huge number of publishers and IP owners that have worked with Hamster on Arcade Archives, there are some intriguing possibilities to come.

It's an extreme longshot (to say the least) for any Nintendo-developed titles to show up on Console Archives, but it's not unprecedented. Arcade Archives brought us Donkey Kong, Vs. Super Mario Bros., and even the extremely rare Sky Skipper, so who knows? Maybe this is how we get something like Famicom Wars or Fire Emblem: Thracia 776.

My expectations were very low, and the Nintendo Direct met my expectations.

What does "take it to the tip" mean? Some kind of British slang for throwing something in the trash?

This is like when HBO Max changed its name to Max, everyone hated it, and then they changed it back to HBO Max.

There was never any good reason to call the game "Overwatch 2" when it wasn't a sequel, but a replacement of an ongoing live service game! Baffling marketing move.

Here's my wish list for existing game ports, and odds I think each will happen.

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (40% chance)
• The King of Fighters XV (40%)
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection (30%)
• DOOM: The Dark Ages (25%)
• any Forza game (20%)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (10%)
• Megabonk (5%)

Can you tell I'm not very optimistic? lol

Most Nintendo Directs over the last couple of years have been a bit dull for my tastes. Partner and Indie editions even more so. Hopefully, this one will be different.

I never played the Game Boy version of Yoshi. It sounds in the trailer like the sound effect of a Yoshi hatching from an egg was reused in Pokemon R/G/B/Y. (Game Freak developed both so unsurprising if true)

I would like to go on the record as having absolutely asked for this

I say that as the owner of a real, original Virtual Boy and most of the games released in North America. So I'm a real sicko, is what I'm saying

All this new content as a free update? Slam-dunk.
As a $5 upgrade? Sure, I guess.
$10? A little hard to swallow unless you have kids at home, or Mario-loving roommates.
$20? Get the heck out of here with that junk, Nintendo!

I bought the VR kit at launch, excitedly assembled it, tried it, and immediately got a massive headache. I tried again a couple of times and couldn't bear it for more than a minute or two. It's too bad! I had high hopes for it, even if it was terrible to use.

I have a Switch 2. I am happy with it. But I can safely say its first year has failed to meet my expectations in terms of new games, especially when compared to 2017 for the Nintendo Switch.

Donkey Kong Bananza is very good. Super Mario Odyssey was much better and more impactful.

Mario Kart World is fine, but inferior to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (in my opinion).

Metroid Prime 4 was fine, but not exactly the massive critical and commercial hit I expected.

Nintendo has not announced any upcoming games that interest me all that much. Third-party support for NS2 has been superb so far, but a lot of it is (sigh) ports of stuff that's been on other platforms for much longer.

Maybe it's just me, but I cannot get excited at all for what's been announced or even rumored for NS2 in 2026, and the 2025 releases were mostly "just fine" to me. Nothing truly exciting.

This entire situation is baffling.

Hilltop Funeral looks interesting. The basic mechanics remind me a teeny-tiny bit of The Stretchers. I played that with a friend and we really enjoyed it!

@OmnitronVariant I completely agree. The Nintendo Switch and NS2 are excellent pieces of hardware that have become my favorite consoles, but they absolutely lack any real Nintendo personality like we saw in earlier platforms. Nintendo is more focused on profitability than ever, and I assume they don't see things like those special touches as increasing profit margins; probably the opposite.

@Nintendo4Sonic Eh, but it's just a Game-Key Card, which eliminates most of the benefits of an actual physical game. From my point of view, a Game-Key Card is functionally a download code in a box but with added hassles.

Regardless of the games' quality, I just can't.

Search "John Kricfalusi"

Sounds great! I'll be picking this up for sure. Shame there isn't a physical version, though.

Someone beat me to it, but my guess is "Remembrance."

I'll also be happy with ReSephirothed or ReNailBat