JimmyFleck

@1UP_MARIO I may have missed something…where did you get the steel posters?

I recall an interview years ago with Miyamoto…wish I could find it…he simply states that the characters are just a stable of characters like the Muppets that can change their relationships depending on the situation. They can be protagonist and antagonist, or simply getting together for a game of golf. Each game is just a different skit or movie they’re in. Much like a comedy troupe. I think he pretty much solidified this approach when he revealed that Super Mario Bros was a play taking place in sets on a stage. Once I read that interview, I threw any sense of continuity out the window, and I’m fine with it.

@jco83 I'm usually up on these things...particularly big first party releases, but have totally missed this. Thank you. Do we know how much the upgrade pack will cost?

Do we have any info yet about upgrading from the Switch 1 to the Switch 2 version? If I buy the Switch 1 cart, will it work in my OLED for my son to play and the Switch 2 for me to play? If so, is there an upgrade pack, or is it a free download? Anyone know?

@AlonditeFE While I wholeheartedly agree with you, there’s just something “off” about the way this game has been treated by Nintendo this year. Usually big first party games drop our jaws. Clearly this trailer is divisive. Short, out of context, and, honestly, not looking like Nintendo or Retro’s best efforts. In a strange way, it feels to me like the launch of Devils Third on WiiU (I know it’s not, but FEELS that way) and the last time we got a “Viola” in a Nintendo funded/published game (Bayonetta 3) it was the worst part of the game.

I say all this knowing I’ll be wrong, btw. There’s just a “spark” missing from this one.

It’s a strange thing that each new trailer actually makes the game look worse, not better. The motorcycle looked janky and the desert incredibly barren. Given the release date, it seems Nintendo is, once again, sending Metroid out to die which is a shame after the phenomenal Metroid Dread.

@Truegamer79 I remember those days well. For Mortal Kombat II, me and my friend (the only one I knew with the internet) downloaded moves and fatalities from Prodigy and took printouts to the arcade to test everything. Other kids thought we were gods. 😂

Great letters today all around, but a few things come to mind for me. To anyone concerned about the discourse around the Switch 2 launch…it was the same (even worse, actually) with the original Switch 8 years ago. Go check the launch lineup. Binding of Isaac, Little Barbarian, Snipperclips….and Breath of the Wild. My point is, after the failure of the WiiU, Nintendo had to do the heavy lifting to sell consoles and convince third parties to support it.
I was the only one I knew who bought the Switch at launch. For me, I always had Nintendos home console and portable. The Switch was my dream system. It was perfect for me and everything I wanted…the ability to take home console quality games on the go with me. (Of course I’m not saying portables don’t offer quality). I loved everything about it while many people I showed it to or talked about it with said it was going to die and Nintendo would go third party. “I want to play Nintendos games, but I’m not going to buy their outdated hardware to play it”. Sound familiar? Anyway, Nintendo’s first year with the system was all about them as the Switch was mostly considered an “indie machine” and huge inroads were made with those developers to get on board and sell their games without having the big publishers and franchises taking up the market. Then things changed…big time. I recall DOOM 2016 being a turning point, though not THE turning point. Once a big, third party, current gen game launched for it, it seemed to change the Switch’s perception and then people dreamed of other “impossible” ports coming. The floodgates opened, and now it’s the (second) best selling console of all time. I guess what I’m getting at is that whether the Switch failed or not, I would have loved it. Had it flopped and Nintendo had gone 3rd party, I’d find ways to play their games. Enjoy what you enjoy for as long as you can and don’t sweat what other people think. This goes for almost all areas of life.

Compare it to Switch 2’s launch?…look at the heavy hitters we already know are coming (and here at launch). Mario Kart, Cyberpunk, Street Fighter 6, Elden Ring, Star Wars Outlaws, Borderlands 4, etc, and the Switch 2’s future is looking significantly brighter than the original Switch at the same point.

@SillyG I knew I’d get some responses on this thread! 😆

“Buy me DOOM + DOOM II Will it Run Edition or Go to Hell!”

I may have missed it, but does the BotW S2 Edition include the DLC? I’d love Champions Ballad upgraded.

I’m just catching up on today’s direct. For me, the highlight was Metroid Prime 4. And I haven’t seen much discussion yet, but has anyone speculated that the psychic abilities will seemingly allow Samus to control Metroids, Mochtroids, (or perhaps other creatures) like how Mother Brain does? It seems so obvious to me but haven’t seen any comments about that yet.

Regarding the letter about replaying a game…I just finished Ocarina of Time again last week. I’ve played it countless times since it launched. I was stunned at how much I had completely forgotten and I don’t know why. I remembered Bongo Bongo perfectly, but had ZERO memory of the Shadow Temple. Bizarre, but it was like a brand new experience this time. I didn’t get anywhere near 100% but, man, what an epic ride that game is.

@neuron123 Well, maybe I’m in the minority, but I considered $299 to be a consumer friendly price point for the OG Switch. It remains that price to this day, and (while I’d like a price drop in it) it seems affordable to those who want a Switch. A price of, say, $599 or higher for Switch 2 (which may never come down) doesn’t seem consumer friendly to me.

Seeing as Nintendo never lowered the price on any Switch device over (almost) 8 years, I hope the Switch 2 price is consumer friendly, as it may never come down.

For me, the reveal wasn’t that big a deal, but offered a ton of relief. After all the leaks, I just wanted exactly what Nintendo revealed. All the talk of going back to 2 screens and it possibly being a WiiU situation when docked and all that, was making me anxious that Nintendo would fumble this by adding something needlessly complicated to a slam dunk of a follow up. Something that would turn off both consumers and developers. So to see that it’s still essentially the same concept but with more power AND is backwards compatible is all I was hoping for.

Seems like a bad idea. Just when I felt like Sega was finally turning things around too. I love a bunch of their back catalog, but without being a platform holder, I don’t know how they pull this off. Seems like a waste of resources. If google and their infinite resources couldn’t make stadia work, no way Sega can.

As noted too, character art wasn’t even his department. He doesn’t talk about getting “micromanaged” in his scope of work there. So it seems logical to me that Nintendo would protect their characters and make them EXACTLY how they wanted while allowing the world to be built out in an appropriate manner. I’d have to watch the video to get full context, but I just don’t care enough to do so.

@Not_Soos I think part of what you’re “missing” is that every generation looks back at the previous one with “cringe”. I can surely tell you that growing up in the ‘80s, we looked back on the ‘60s in the same way. Corny movies with bad special effects, cheesy music, “lame” tv shows. Same things you see in the ‘80s. That being said, each generation brings with it things that hadn’t been done before. The cartoons of the ‘80s brought a whole new style and “grittiness” to the animated landscape that really hadn’t been there before. And, yes, they primarily existed to sell toys hot off of the success of Star Wars merchandising efforts. The idea of bringing the characters to life on our playgrounds, and parks and streets was a huge part of the appeal. This hadn’t been done before. Now, shows and merchandising go hand in hand and it’s taken for granted. I’m really excited to see what your generation brings to the discussion. It’s all so interesting to me.

I really hope it’s backwards compatible for one simple reason…I’m getting older and find I buy fewer games than I used to. I’ve got a Switch backlog a mile long, but going forward I’m only buying certain games I know I’ll play and enjoy. I can truly see myself purchasing only a dozen games over the lifespan of the next system, or less, and it’d be tough to justify the purchase unless what I currently have carries over.

I can’t stand long openings. But nothing is worse than a momentum killer. I’m thinking specifically of Astral Chain. That game started SO STRONG with you taking control of a motorcycle in the middle of a police chase. Then within, like, 5 minutes, you were stopped dead in your tracks for what felt like an eternity waiting to get back into action. ANY action. It was grueling. And as much as I love Platinum’s games, no one kills momentum like them.

I was torn…I really wanted to go with “Violence Killer” (especially when it appears the logo is made up of a bunch of knives), but the more I look at the cover, the more I only see Turok’s reflection in the eye…and it looks terrible. It’s all I can see now. NA for me.

@JDCII It just makes sense to me...other mediums?...a book is a book is a book, a film is a film is a film, for some reason, videogames don't get the same consideration. But, Tetris, for example, will always be Tetris and enjoyed essentially the same way forever, regardless of which version you're playing or how old it is. I wish we'd ditch the "retro" label. The more I think about it, the less it makes sense.

I’ll keep this as short as I can. Generally, I think of “retro” as having to do with the technology that drives the game. Not a generation or time period, per se, but rather how a game was developed and on what hardware it originally launched. Atari 2600? Retro. NES? Retro. Once we hit 3D gaming and 3D worlds, I feel how games were designed fundamentally had changed, but (and I’m broadly saying this) not too much has changed since. I personally feel that N64 and prior is “retro” while everything since is contemporary. That’s just me.

On the other hand, I don’t like the term retro. Maybe if we followed other genres like film or books or TV and just said “classic” that would be best for videogames. No one says that Star Wars is a “retro” movie. You know?

@PinderSchloss while that is certainly true for its place in videogame history, on a personal note TOTK is far more important as it’s the first Zelda game my children were able to play independently of me. 😊 Together we’ve played Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening and BOTW. They were all old enough when TOTK released to tackle it on their own. We’ve all had vastly different experiences with it, and it will always be extra special to us.

@Bigmanfan I remember feeling that Portal 2’s opening grabbed me and I felt like this was going to be an amazing ride. It was such a huge upgrade from the first and I couldn’t wait to see what the devs had in store. And while there are many high points, and it’s an undeniably great game, it just felt like it was too long for what it was.

I have similar feelings towards some modern FPS’, particularly DOOM and DOOM Eternal. Great games…just too long.

For me, Portal was a good length for what it was. On the other hand, Portal 2 just wouldn’t end. Way too long for what it was.

Untitled Goose Game, Gato Robato and Mechstermination Force were the perfect length for their ideas.

I know this is not gonna be received well, but Hollow Knight is way too long. Takes forever to get meaningful upgrades. I want to love it, and just don’t.

I originally thought that playing as Zelda in the past in Tears of the Kingdom would have been great, but if you’ve played TOTK, and know how her story ends in the past, there’s really not much to do there. Maybe go around learning how to increase her abilities, ultimately failing, and making the final decision. I’m not sure what that particular scenario would be about.

From her own game, I just want to see Link talk, and her become silent. 😂

My daughter and I have been patiently waiting for Little Kitty, Big City since its announcement. That’s where we’ll be this weekend. 😊

I’ve almost never seen anyone talk about Revenge of the Gator! My brother and I spent countless hours trying to beat each others scores. It’s totally addictive and while the summary of it mentions its physics, you absolutely can not get its soundtrack out of your head. One of my all time favorites.

@Freek Thank you. I’ll check those out.

Can’t speak more highly of Gato Roboto. I’ve been recommending it to friends for years now. I wish more games were as concise, charming and didn’t overstay their welcome as this one. It was a highlight of a “short-game” kick a friend and I were on. If anyone has some 5-ish hour games to recommend, I’m listening.

I personally think that it’s funnier that Mouser gets a reference in this concept art.

My family travels a lot, and we have multiple Switches. Having enough controllers ALWAYS around by detaching the joy cons is a huge plus for us. There’s less to pack and carry around, and if we ever want to jump on a game like Shredders Revenge together, we know no one is sitting out.
While backwards compatibility is my number 1 most wanted feature of the next Switch, I really hope detachable controllers remains a staple feature.

Usually I don’t care, as I’m about gameplay WAY before story in any game, however, I generally don’t want to know and avoid things when I can. One think I can’t stand is being told HOW to beat a boss or solve a puzzle. That ruins my experience more than anything story related. I will say that I avoid spoilers for the games I’m super hyped for, and what gets me is that I was blown away by the end sequences to Mario Odyssey and TOTK, which I shoulda seen coming from a mile away. They, thankfully, weren’t spoiled for me, nor was the epic Master Sword quest.

The craziest thing about Switch sales is that there has never been a price cut…in fact, considering the OLED, the price actually increased over time. Maybe the Lite counts as a price cut, but it still doesn’t have all the functions of a Switch. I expect Switch sales to continue after release of the next system for a while at a discount, and will possibly outsell the DS.

I think there is a place for streaming services in gaming…but I don’t know exactly what it is yet. But I do know what it isn’t…a company or publisher charges monthly fees for only their games. Ubisoft hasn’t put out a “must play” game (to me anyway) in over a decade, but I’ve purchased some of their games, physically, for sure in that time. If they of all companies moved to a subscription only service to play their games, they would never get another dollar from me. And that’s not me being a jerk, I just don’t think they’d offer anything worthwhile to me.

Add to that the idea that your progress will never be “lost”…well is that with only having an active subscription? Can we start and stop whenever and our save files will remain? If we take a break from AC for a few months and pause our subscription, will our save files remain when we come back? Or are we required to pay all the months we’ve played other games (or just gotten busy with life) in order to have the privilege of them keeping our files safe?

I do realize too that as I age I have far less time for gaming and perhaps this hobby has passed me by in its current (and rapidly approaching new) form. I have a backlog that could take me the rest of my life to get through, so maybe that’s just the course my enjoyment of this hobby will take. We shall see.

So many questions.

@Noxide reading this on the anniversary of my own fathers passing was incredibly insightful. Thank you for the perspective. I have about 5 things from my dad (nothing huge) that mean the world to me. 😊

I just HAD to go with Piranha Plant…I don’t think I laughed so hard at how out of left field it was. All the others were characters I hoped for or expected like Simon/Richter, Ken, and, of course, Banjo and Kazooie. Some others may have been disappointing, but the ridiculousness of Piranha Plant just brought sheer joy. Never saw it coming.

@CaleBoi25 you’re already doing better than I can do, and I’ve had it since launch.

I know we’re talking about OOT here because of its recent anniversary, but…I remember feeling all the way back at launch that Gannondorf was a weak antagonist. Can’t put my finger on it, but it was only AFTER Link made it to the Temple of Time that anything truly evil had transpired, and it was due to Link’s actions…not Gannondorf’s. The final battle was, and still is epic though.

I was more interested in learning about how the Gerudo’s reproduce if only one male is born every 100 years! 😂 Like…how’s THAT work?

I felt totally burned by Bayonetta 3. I couldn’t put down 2 for months…it was just so beautiful and fluid. I didn’t care for 3s focus on the demon slaves and the upgrade trees that focused on them and not Bayonetta…but more than anything, it was just so ugly. The enemies were ugly and repetitive, and that weird “meshy” graphical effects when you were close to large enemies was the worst. The world was lifeless and, as others have pointed out, playing as Viola and Jeanne was a chore. After 2, I couldn’t wait for 3. It was one of my most anticipated games of all time. Now, if there’s no more Bayonetta games going forward, I’m fine with it.

@niner they must be producing these by “house rules!” 😂

@Kazman2007 Couldn’t agree more! Throw SSX and NBA Jam in there…or any arcade style racer like SanFrancisco Rush or, to an extent, Crazy Taxi…there were just SO many off the wall, over the top sports games. I find that even the current crop of them, NBA Playgrounds and NFL Street are just too complicated for what they should be. I’ve been playing both Madden and NFL Blitz with my kids recently. They want a modern Blitz so bad.

@Ryu_Niiyama I started thinking that BOTW and TOTK are the “Real” kingdom of Hyrule and all the other games/stories are the “Legends” that have been told by the people for generations now. From that perspective, things are allowed to become amplified beyond their reality to fit the narrators story telling objectives. Having demigods helps fit the narrative I’ve built up.

My kids and I, and apparently millions of others, have been wondering where all the Sheikah tech went and were hoping maybe DLC would fill in that gap. But we now know that won’t happen. Weirdly enough, we’re more interested in how the Triforce symbol became part of the royal family crest/Hyrule without a single mention of it over the past 2 games.

I spent the end of 2022 and first part of this year playing short games exclusively. Got through more than a dozen games between Bayonetta 3 and Tears of the Kingdom. I’ve been playing nothing but Tears since launch and am nowhere near tired of it. When I feel like putting it down, I’ll go back to more short games. Anyone have any recommendations? I wish reviews for games had a spot for game length that was easy to find/reference.

In the past, I’d go to some SNES favorites. Contra 3, Super Mario World, Star Fox and Axelay.

@brandonbwii Wayforward also developed the excellent Contra 4 on the DS. This one’s gonna be fantastic!

@garfreek It is strange how Hateno got al the upgrades and interesting characters to interact with and side quests while Kakariko was left with, essentially, nothing, and even less reason to be there than in BOTW.

@garfreek I feel the same. And the cold areas are SO big.
The temples adding a layer of music each time you unlock one of the locks to the boss was a nice touch, but just not enough. Hearing bits of Zelda’s Lullaby in the memories and an awesome musical Easter egg involving the stables that my 9 year old daughter unlocked just had me saying “why isn’t there more of THIS?” And with towns…Kakariko seems so lifeless. Link’s humming while cooking just doesn’t cut it for me in the music department.