JJtheTexan

@HammerGalladeBro also still missing Smart Ball / Jerry Boy for the SNES. I've never played it, but I'd love to see it come to the online service.

Another semi-obscure Game Freak gem is Mendel Palace for the NES, which is included in the Namcot Collection / Namco Museum Archives on Switch. Some of its characters bear a clear resemblance to later Pokemon. It's one of my favorite NES games!

@Anti-Matter Nintendo is not involved at all. The circuit boards inside the cartridges can be manufactured relatively inexpensively these days. As for the carts' outer shells, those are custom-made (they can't have the words "Game Boy" or "Nintendo" on them, legally) and are very similar to the originals. You can buy empty "replacement" game cartridge shells right now on Amazon and elsewhere for almost any older console.

I want to be excited about this, but every screenshot and video I've seen of this running on Switch, so far, appears to be "stretched" into 16:9 rather than the original, authentic 4:3 aspect ratio. The images also appear softened, instead of displaying sharp pixels. If that's really the case, and there's no way to display the games in 4:3, it's a nonstarter for me, certainly at the asking price.

Do you have any idea how high rent is in Brooklyn these days? It's not much of a stretch at all for Mario and Luigi to still live with their parents in a rent-controlled apartment.

Like a few other commenters, I already received my physical copy several weeks ago. It seems strange that it would be released at retail first, then get a much-later digital date. Maybe something to do with ratings from ESRB / PEGI / CERO? My copy doesn't have a ratings symbol on it at all...

Now do Knuckles' Chaotix xD

Honestly, I find it difficult to argue against any of the nominees. They all deserve to be in the Hall, eventually.

What's always bothered me is why the "World Video Game Hall of Fame" is in Rochester, New York, a small city with no connections to game development at all. I understand it's because the funding comes from a toy museum that exists because of a philanthropist from the area, but it would be nice if the Hall of Fame had a sense of place related to game development, such as Santa Clara / Silicon Valley, California; Tokyo / Kyoto, Japan; Los Angeles; Seattle / Redmond; or even Edinburgh or Twycross, UK.

My all-time favorite arcade game, and this is arguably the very best version of it ever produced. It's just SO good. I love the Switch version because it looks fantastic on a big TV, but my gosh I love the options and stereoscopic 3-D in the 3DS version.

"Metroid fans can now play every mainline Metroid game in the series on the Switch - from Metroid on the NES through to latest release, Metroid Dread" except for Zero Mission and Samus Returns, which, while technically remakes, are both far superior to their progenitors.

I couldn't find any American retailers with pre-orders available after it was announced, so I just went with Playasia. I don't mind the additional wait for shipping from overseas, and I prefer the Japan cover art anyway.

I snagged a pre-order on Playasia. I don't mind the additional wait for shipping from overseas. I have plenty of other things to play

I just want to visit Hyrule IRL, to be honest

@Setrodox Nintendo said there are more "returning characters," and since Zelda, Tom Nook, etc. have never appeared in a Mario Kart game, they probably won't be included :/

I realize it's called "Mario Kart," but I would love to see more of the non-regular Super Mario universe characters added, particularly Diddy Kong and R.O.B.

My list would be:
1. The King of Red Lions
2. Tatl
3. Midna
4. Navi (nostalgic reasons)
5. Ezlo
6. Ciela
7. Princess Zelda (Spirit Tracks)
8. Linebeck
9. Getting hit by a truck
10. Fi

I feel like I'm getting my money's worth, for the most part, on the Expansion Pack now. I am very happy with the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance presentation and games. I've been satisfied with the Nintendo 64 games, and GoldenEye 007 has been a delight.

That said, it's a shame there are still so many great NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 games that haven't (and probably won't) make it to the platform. Nintendo has the resources to easily make Nintendo Switch Online a "Netflix of classic games," but I guess its priorities are elsewhere.

I checked out the game profile page on the eShop a few hours after the Nintendo Direct, saw the price, and did a double take. I thought for sure it had to be a pricing error, so I downloaded it immediately, because I love baseball and it looks like a fun, arcade-style game, so why not?

Happy to see it's no error, and a bargain at twice the price.

Already pre-ordered. I was very happy with their treatment of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends and The Baron is Back, and I have enjoyed Puzzle Bobble / Bust-a-Move for many years. Looks like fun!

I don't have an Xbox, but I can compare the eShop to the PlayStation store, Steam, and Epic Game Store, and the Nintendo eShop is the least-functional. Slow to load, poor curation, terrible discoverability, absolutely no oversight over what developers are writing in their game descriptions, no user ratings, etc.

At least it's clean.

Nintendo no longer benefits from an E3 presence. It's that simple.

They can do Directs any time they wish, without competing for attention and eyeballs from a bunch of other major publishers at the same time.

They don't have to pay the enormous expense of going to E3 when everyone just watches the Direct anyway.

E3 used to be an important tool for marketing and negotiating with suppliers, vendors, and distributors. It no longer serves any of those purposes.

Don't read into Nintendo's absence from E3. It means nothing.

Does Aldi count as a German supermarket? Because we have Aldi in the USA

I don't love the fact that I have to turn button and stick remapping on and off to play with my Pro Controller, but aside from that I am extremely pleased with it and I can't put it down. I still have my N64 cart and play it from time to time, but the Nintendo Switch version is just so clean and sharp and fast and convenient!

Incidentally, I like the twin-stick hack so much, I haven't even bothered playing with my NSO N64 Controller.

Opinions aside, I imagine Donkey Kong 64 is the only game in this list that actually could (and probably will) come to NSO. It already did get a release on Wii U Virtual Console.

Most of the characters in Diddy Kong Racing are owned by Rare / Microsoft now, which complicates things.

I'd be astonished if any of the other Rare games were ever available on Nintendo Switch.

@Fizza @Classic603 I think "cat box" is part of the joke. Like a litter box, where cats relieve themselves. I dunno.

My best guess is the IP is partially or wholly owned by the original publisher, Marvelous, and they are uninterested in a modern port. Perhaps there is a royalties dispute somewhere. Purely conecjture on my part, of course.

The lack of "modern" controls is slightly disappointing, but unsurprising. It's "supposed" to be played with a Nintendo 64 controller, after all. A shame they couldn't also patch in a right-stick option for those who play without an official NSO N64 controller.

@Serpenterror that's true! Sony Music published a game on Nintendo Switch a couple years ago, too. TinyMetal

This looks very good, and I've also enjoyed the other Atari Recharged games I've played. I'll still wait and see a few reviews first.

Another fun fact about just how hard it was to make this happen: the rights to the famous James Bond theme music are owned by... Sony.

Seriously. Look it up! Sony even gets a mention in the fine print at the end of the Nintendo Switch Online trailer.

But is it true?

I'm a little bit skeptical.

To be clear, I am no fan of WATA or grading. It's driven me out of the hobby, because of inflated prices. But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. This could easily be faked by someone with an axe to grind against WATA.

SteamWorld Dig 1 & 2 are among my favorite games of the last 15 years. I loved SteamWorld Heist as well and completed it twice. I am excited to see what comes next!

(I haven't played SteamWorld Quest yet. Deck builders aren't really my jam. I'm also not a tower defense fan, so I didn't really get into SteamWorld Tower Defense)

It's a Christmas miracle!!! Golf Story is one of my FAVORITE Switch games. I'm so happy!

I don't really have a GOTY this year. After 30+ years of game collecting, I slammed on the brakes and bought fewer games this year than any year since 2008. Most of this was motivated by economic reasons; rent is up, inflation is awful, and my pay is the same. But there weren't really any games this year that I was just dying to get my hands on.

I've also learned to stop letting FOMO dictate my buying decisions. I will wait months or even years to finally pick something up, since I always buy physical when that's an option. The awful Limited Run / Strictly Limited / Super Rare models have ruined much of this for me, but I've made peace with the fact I will never be able to own all the games I want physically.

If I had to guess - and this is 100 percent conjecture - Nintendo wants to distance itself from K&K now. Many of their recent videos and podcasts have painted an unflattering portrait of what it was really like working at Nintendo, and the baffling decisions that were being made during the Wii U era. They have perhaps tainted the pristine view that so many fans hold of Nintendo, with a dose of behind-the-scenes reality.

For what it's worth, I find their current content far more interesting and compelling than anything they did for Nintendo Minute.

I am apparently very much in the minority, but I really liked Final Fantasy IV: The After Years on Wii. I enjoyed the story expansions, even if the gameplay was a bit repetitive. I liked the moon phase system, too! FFVI is the better game, but FFIV is sentimentally more dear to me.

@olliemar28 totally fair! Thanks for letting me know ^_^

My actual answer is Sports Story, but you didn't include it as a poll option

I used to think I had a large controller collection... though I guess I have more variety / more consoles represented.

As a Tetris fanatic and collector, I am VERY happy about this!

@abbyhitter It's a prequel. I recommend playing either Final Fantasy VII or the remake before playing Crisis Core.

Technically, my first Pokémon game was Pokémon GO. I enjoyed it enough to give Pokémon Yellow a try on the 3DS Virtual Console. It was alright.

I still play Pokémon GO, and I have several Pokémon games in my collection, but I have only finished one or two. They just don't really click with me all that much.

I've 99% completed it four times now (everything but all Korok seeds), at more than 400 hours, and I know people who've played three times more. It is my favorite game, ever.

So yeah, I am looking forward to the sequel.

@Edd-O same age and same feelings. 1980 babies unite!

I had given up on Sports Story - no updates in more than a year, and the developer's social media accounts seemingly abandoned. The announcement of an imminent release is FANTASTIC news. Golf Story is one of my favorite indie games, ever!

Waiting to see how Sonic Frontiers reviews.

Pre-ordered Needy Streamer Overload physical edition from Playasia.

Waiting on the announced Prodeus physical release (Limited Run, I think?) to begin taking pre-orders.

Good week overall!

I love this game and still play it from time to time, but there are never more than a couple dozen other players online. Probably half of the competitors are bots. Glad to see it's still being supported, though.

Unlike the fantastic Super Mario Bros. 35
glares disappointedly at Nintendo

LOVED this game as an early Wii U adopter, as it was an absolutely perfect fit for the GamePad. I bought it again on Nintendo Switch when the physical release came out. I will definitely be revisiting the fireplace this Christmas!

Hopping in with the crowd old enough to have played The Oregon Trail on an Apple II when I was an elementary school student in the 1980s. I've revisited it a couple of times as an adult, and been surprised by how poorly it has aged (for me, at least).

I was tempted to give this remake a try, but some of the comments here, and the price tag, have turned me off for now.

If the random elements really are removed, it's not much fun as there would be minimal challenge. The whole point of the original was to demonstrate just how unpredictable and life-threatening the trek across 19th Century America was for settlers.

That said, it obviously hasn't aged well either in terms of historicity and cultural sensitivity, with respect to the native peoples who were already here.

I do think it's great Piko and QUByte have taken steps to keep these games preserved and circulated, but the entire lineup so far has been D-tier 16-bit games. The titles weren't great 30 years ago, and they're not much fun now.

It would make a lot more sense to lump all of them together in a budget-priced "forgotten favorites" collection, even if none was a favorite for most at the time.

Others said this, but I would expect only cloud versions of CoD would come to the current Nintendo Switch.