This is kind of a lesson in diminishing returns in the modern era. It clearly looks better on Switch 2, but it also looks perfectly fine on the Switch. In my childhood, the generational upgrades from NES to SNES to N64 were just so extreme and amazing!
Don't get me wrong, though - I love the Switch 2! It's an obvious and significant upgrade in every way, and I play it all the time 😅
Tag sounds interesting enough to fire it up, but what I really wanted was new arena environments.
Unlike others here, I don't regret this purchase at all. It's a wholly unique game, with well implemented and fairly deep gameplay, and with a really reasonable price. It got me interested in wheelchair basketball as a sport, which I had never paid attention to before. I didn't play it longer than a week, but for the price of a night at the movies 👍🏻
@timp29 I'd pick up a copy of MP3 for sure if they remaster it. I never had a Wii, so I've only ever played it emulated (and reconfigured for keyboard mouse controls, which was cool). I loved it, and I'd really like to try playing it with motion controls!
I think if MP4 is a success, it might get more people interested in playing 1-3.
@Trmn8r $50 is a good launch price for a GotY candidate, considered the best of its genre, offering 150+ hours of play. I appreciated the $20 discount on the digital version!
Digital is straightforwardly cheaper for them and worth less to us, do I don't get why we don't see this kind of price difference more often
@KoopaTheGamer 5 is not the average of a 1-10 scale. I think you mean midpoint, but even that would be 5.5, not 5. If I had to take a wild guess, my hunch is that the mean and median video game review scores are between 7-8.
A 5 is almost certainly below the 25th percentile in terms of the distribution of video game review scores.
And if my kid got a 50 in a class, I certainly wouldn't say, that's ok, it's average 😅
@scoobdoo I didn't play the first FE Warriors, but I played 3 Hopes, and I definitely think AoI is a big step up. The combat is deeper and more satisfying. Also, it looks way better. 3 Hopes looked really muddy and unappealing to me. I liked how fast the main character played, though!
@Ravenmaster My experience of Age of Calamity was identical to yours. Oddly enough, though, Age of Imprisonment wound up being the opposite experience. The story is not worth your time, but the gameplay is way more fun. Basically everything aside from the combat is uninspired, but the combat has really improved - to the point that in tempted to keep playing even after 100%-ing it today. A number of mechanistic tweaks and additions have made it a great hack n slash.
30 hours in, I give it an 8. I really like it! The combat is the #1 highlight - it is refreshingly deep for a musou. Simply put, this has the best gameplay of any musou game. (I'm playing on very hard and strongly recommend at least setting the difficulty to hard.)
In contrast to Age of Calamity, however, the story is really weak so far. Everyone was excited that AoI is officially canon, but the result here is apparently too much caution. I know a lot of people complained about the direction of the story in AoC, but it was undeniably engaging, colorful, and expansive. In AoI, at least through Chapter 4, the story really hasn't added anything new to what we already knew from ToTK. It seems like there are huge missed opportunities to expand Zelda lore, like where the sky islands came from, what became of the Zonai, who succeeded Rauru and Sonia on the throne, etc. Most characters are surprisingly bland too, albeit very well voice acted. Again, this contrasts with AoC, which had delightfully zany characters in addition to the well fleshed out main cast.
As others have pointed out, the battlefield maps are uninspired and a step down from AoC.
The game is very polished! The graphics look better than the specs would suggest. I love how it looks in handheld on the big Switch 2 screen. No bugs or glitches to speak of.
I recommend it for anyone with a Switch 2 just looking for something good to play or for Zelda fanatics. But there are better games this year on Switch 2. Hades 2, Bananza, and Cyberpunk are top tier. AoI is a near miss.
Fiiiiiiiinally put down Hades 2 after 167 runs! Now it's Age of Imprisonment and Kirby Air Riders, both of which are surprising me in good ways.
AoI for the first ~5 hours worried me, because it seemed way too similar to AoC, but with a less compelling story & characters. But the seemingly small changes to gameplay actually make a world of difference in making the battles more fun!
I can't stress enough how important it is to play AoI on hard mode. It will force you engage with these new systems (especially the elemental effects). I'm convinced that some reviewers complaining about shallow gameplay lazily played this on normal difficulty.
I might have to look for this on my next trip to the Tokyo Nintendo store! I kind of have too many amiibo already, but I've got a nephew who'd love this.
I expect this will be a high quality game, but I think if I want to race, I'm going to just fire up Fast Fusion again. It was really fantastic, and I'd even put it up there with some of my favorite classics, like OG F-Zero, Wave Race, and Out Run. It's the game I'll most associate with my Switch 2 launch experience.
@johnedwin1969 I saw that too. The score is dragged down by a few reviews with extreme low scores that read along the lines of, "I hate musou games, and they shouldn't exist."
I don't get that. Would they have reviewers cover sports games who don't like sports? Or swap "sports" with turn-based RPGs, fighters, sims, retro-style 2d games, etc.
@Ratmasterd21 I use the joycons, which I actually like. I think I'm in the minority 😅 I also have picked up some cheaper third party controllers for various systems over the years.
Metroid is the series that would best translate to the big screen. Space horror with action elements please! And for the love of god, make sure Samus is a badass hero and not a whimpering doormat like in Other M 🫤
Mario was fun, but the movie worked only as a parody, repeatedly poking fun at how the"plot" of Mario games is too thin and nonsensical for a movie!
This is amazing! I'm 150+ runs in, unveiled all the oath statues, and running out of tasks/unlocks. But I keep playing anyway because it's just the funnest frickin game! Happy to have new things to shoot for.
Hades 2 is up there for me with TotK and Persona 5 as one of the very best games of the modern era. 10/10 for sure.
"Added Cauldron incantation lets you return to an earlier point in the story in case you wish to re-experience key events, such as the True Ending." — hell yeah!
"Any excess Kudos you have already spent will be refunded." — hell yeah x2!
Hmm, this might actually be a reason to go physical? I usually prefer digital for convenience, less stuff in the house, and from a general dislike of polluting the world with ever more plastic. But if this is the one ginormous game with a full physical release...
I'm counting the days for this one. I loved the cutscene-driven story in Age of Calamity. Very much looking forward to the premium Switch 2 Zelda visuals.
In the Year of the Ninja no less. RIP to the man who brought the real ninja spirit to these shores.
Ninja Gaiden Black is one of the best games of all time and revived one of my favorite franchises. Here's to hoping that NG4 is a fitting tribute to his earlier work.
Sometimes NSO, but all the time on my favorite retro handheld...
TrimUI Brick! (Running NextUI). I love this thing and play it daily. I played it for hours while waiting in line to buy the Switch 2 on release day. I take it in my pocket on flights or just going to the doctor's office. I play it one handed while eating breakfast lol.
And sorry, not sorry—emulation is the way to play NES and other retro games. It opens up the world of fan hacks, fan translations of Famicom exclusives, etc. But for emulation, I would not be a gamer today. I spend $1-2k on Nintendo games, subscriptions, hardware, & peripherals annually, and I 100% would not be doing that if I hadn't rediscovered my love for video games via emulation.
I picked up Shujinkou! I'm playing slowly to get the most of the language learning part, but I'm really impressed by the game too. The turn based combat is complex and challenging, the panicked running from OP demons is thrilling, and the characterizations/writing are some of the best in genre. FYI, the NL review did this game dirty.
Also, Hades 2 continues. As does my playthrough of all Shinobi games—replaying Shinobi III right now, after just having beat it. It's really an excellent game.
Metroid is my favorite franchise, so that's the day 1 purchase there.
But ACS looks awesome! I've never played an Assassins Creed game before, but I'm all for a Sengoku-era open world action RPG. That's one of my favorite periods of history, and I've visited the bulk of the more important Sengoku historical sites in person.
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Re: Netflix Enters Agreement To Buy Warner Bros. For $82 Billion, Includes Game Studios
There goes HBO?
Re: Nintendo Reveals New Line Of Metroid Merch, And We Want It All
ZOMG NL you tease me with a phantom restock of the squishy! I've wanted it forever 😭
Re: "One Of The Best-Looking Games On Switch 2" - Digital Foundry Dives Into Metroid Prime 4
Then, it shall be docked! Can't wait to play this tomorrow!
Re: Video: Check Out Red Dead Redemption's Switch 2 Improvements In This Side-By-Side Comparison
This is kind of a lesson in diminishing returns in the modern era. It clearly looks better on Switch 2, but it also looks perfectly fine on the Switch. In my childhood, the generational upgrades from NES to SNES to N64 were just so extreme and amazing!
Don't get me wrong, though - I love the Switch 2! It's an obvious and significant upgrade in every way, and I play it all the time 😅
Re: Switch 2 Exclusive 'Drag x Drive' Scores Its Second Major Update, Here's What's Included
Tag sounds interesting enough to fire it up, but what I really wanted was new arena environments.
Unlike others here, I don't regret this purchase at all. It's a wholly unique game, with well implemented and fairly deep gameplay, and with a really reasonable price. It got me interested in wheelchair basketball as a sport, which I had never paid attention to before. I didn't play it longer than a week, but for the price of a night at the movies 👍🏻
Re: Legend Of Mana: The Art Of Mana - 30th Anniversary Edition Is Getting An English Version
Such an aesthetically beautiful... weird and boring game.
Saying that as a huge fan of Secret of Mana, Sword of Mana, Trials, Evermore, etc. Here's to hoping Visions makes it to Switch 2 soon!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (29th November)
Seeing if I can wrap up Shinobi: AoV this weekend (while still getting a big work project finished) before Metroid Prime 4 takes over my life.
I can't tell you how excited I am for Metroid--I live for this! I've been reviewing my plot notes from the older games. I keep a spreadsheet 😅
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch Online's NES And Game Boy Library With Four More Titles
Battlettoads and NGII are top ten NES classics in my book, let's go! Battletoads benefits greatly from save states 😅
Re: UK Charts: Kirby Air Riders Narrowly Misses Out On A Top Ten Spot
Most of the non-Nintendo games on that list are significantly less expensive, right?
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (22nd November)
Black Friday deals are here, and I already hit 100% on Age of Imprisonment, so this weekend it's:
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance $21
Downwell $2
Ape Out $2
All are proving excellent. Shinobi is soooooo my kind of game ☺️🥷
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (22nd November)
@Samick Have you found Switch 2 motion is more accurate than Switch 1? Just curious.
I also loved Skyward Sword on Switch when I played it years ago—I replayed it on hard mode immediately after beating it!
Re: Nintendo Debuts Two Metroid Prime 4 Ads As Eight-Year Wait Nears Its End
@timp29 I'd pick up a copy of MP3 for sure if they remaster it. I never had a Wii, so I've only ever played it emulated (and reconfigured for keyboard mouse controls, which was cool). I loved it, and I'd really like to try playing it with motion controls!
I think if MP4 is a success, it might get more people interested in playing 1-3.
Re: Gallery: Hades 2's Switch 2 Physical Boasts A Stunning Reversible Cover
@Trmn8r $50 is a good launch price for a GotY candidate, considered the best of its genre, offering 150+ hours of play. I appreciated the $20 discount on the digital version!
Digital is straightforwardly cheaper for them and worth less to us, do I don't get why we don't see this kind of price difference more often
Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Kirby Air Riders
@KoopaTheGamer 5 is not the average of a 1-10 scale. I think you mean midpoint, but even that would be 5.5, not 5. If I had to take a wild guess, my hunch is that the mean and median video game review scores are between 7-8.
A 5 is almost certainly below the 25th percentile in terms of the distribution of video game review scores.
And if my kid got a 50 in a class, I certainly wouldn't say, that's ok, it's average 😅
Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade's File Size On Switch 2 Is Making Us Sweat
Don't people archive software after beating the game? Why would you spend big $$$ on SD cards? I'm certainly used to archiving from PC gaming.
Re: UK Charts: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment Slips Out Of The Top Ten
@scoobdoo I didn't play the first FE Warriors, but I played 3 Hopes, and I definitely think AoI is a big step up. The combat is deeper and more satisfying. Also, it looks way better. 3 Hopes looked really muddy and unappealing to me. I liked how fast the main character played, though!
Re: UK Charts: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment Slips Out Of The Top Ten
@Ravenmaster My experience of Age of Calamity was identical to yours. Oddly enough, though, Age of Imprisonment wound up being the opposite experience. The story is not worth your time, but the gameplay is way more fun. Basically everything aside from the combat is uninspired, but the combat has really improved - to the point that in tempted to keep playing even after 100%-ing it today. A number of mechanistic tweaks and additions have made it a great hack n slash.
Re: Review: Demonschool (Switch) - Jokes, Gore, And '90s Vibes Set Necrosoft's Tactical RPG Apart
I'll definitely get this, but I've already got some backlog to clear before Metroid arrives. To the wishlist with you!
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment?
30 hours in, I give it an 8. I really like it! The combat is the #1 highlight - it is refreshingly deep for a musou. Simply put, this has the best gameplay of any musou game. (I'm playing on very hard and strongly recommend at least setting the difficulty to hard.)
In contrast to Age of Calamity, however, the story is really weak so far. Everyone was excited that AoI is officially canon, but the result here is apparently too much caution. I know a lot of people complained about the direction of the story in AoC, but it was undeniably engaging, colorful, and expansive. In AoI, at least through Chapter 4, the story really hasn't added anything new to what we already knew from ToTK. It seems like there are huge missed opportunities to expand Zelda lore, like where the sky islands came from, what became of the Zonai, who succeeded Rauru and Sonia on the throne, etc. Most characters are surprisingly bland too, albeit very well voice acted. Again, this contrasts with AoC, which had delightfully zany characters in addition to the well fleshed out main cast.
As others have pointed out, the battlefield maps are uninspired and a step down from AoC.
The game is very polished! The graphics look better than the specs would suggest. I love how it looks in handheld on the big Switch 2 screen. No bugs or glitches to speak of.
I recommend it for anyone with a Switch 2 just looking for something good to play or for Zelda fanatics. But there are better games this year on Switch 2. Hades 2, Bananza, and Cyberpunk are top tier. AoI is a near miss.
Re: Best Dragon Quest Games Of All Time - Switch And Nintendo Systems
I've only played 1-6 in their original formats. Based on others' ratings, I guess it's time to try DQXI!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (6th November)
Fiiiiiiiinally put down Hades 2 after 167 runs! Now it's Age of Imprisonment and Kirby Air Riders, both of which are surprising me in good ways.
AoI for the first ~5 hours worried me, because it seemed way too similar to AoC, but with a less compelling story & characters. But the seemingly small changes to gameplay actually make a world of difference in making the battles more fun!
I can't stress enough how important it is to play AoI on hard mode. It will force you engage with these new systems (especially the elemental effects). I'm convinced that some reviewers complaining about shallow gameplay lazily played this on normal difficulty.
Re: Digital Foundry Delivers Its Tech Verdict On Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment
I assumed it was higher res in docked, from playing it. Is upscaling magic how they're making it look so good on the big screen?
Re: Nintendo Reveals Three More Super Mario Wood Block amiibo Sets
I might have to look for this on my next trip to the Tokyo Nintendo store! I kind of have too many amiibo already, but I've got a nephew who'd love this.
Re: Video: We've Played More Kirby Air Riders, So Here, Have Some Gameplay
I expect this will be a high quality game, but I think if I want to race, I'm going to just fire up Fast Fusion again. It was really fantastic, and I'd even put it up there with some of my favorite classics, like OG F-Zero, Wave Race, and Out Run. It's the game I'll most associate with my Switch 2 launch experience.
Re: Site News: Nintendo Life Turns 20 Today!
Happy birthday, and thank you for fostering a community with more positivity than you'll find just about anywhere else in the gaming world 😅
Re: What Are The 100 Best Nintendo Games? Here's The Chance To Make Your Voice Heard
Hoping for a Hyrule Warriors game in the top 20 to troll the anti-musou crowd 😈
Re: What Are The 100 Best Nintendo Games? Here's The Chance To Make Your Voice Heard
@Kyloctopus Ring Fit is in there (!) Or at least in the running.
Re: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment Receives Its First Switch 2 Update (Version 1.0.1)
"Sexy sync strikes?"
I mean, they're definitely cool and all. Maybe I need to get further in the game to unlock the "sexy" ones.
Re: Square Enix Aims To Automate 70% Of QA With Generative AI By 2027
skims article looking for acronym to be explained
Re: Review: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment (Switch 2) - A Stunning Slice Of Musou, Worthy Of The Zelda Canon
@johnedwin1969 I saw that too. The score is dragged down by a few reviews with extreme low scores that read along the lines of, "I hate musou games, and they shouldn't exist."
I don't get that. Would they have reviewers cover sports games who don't like sports? Or swap "sports" with turn-based RPGs, fighters, sims, retro-style 2d games, etc.
Re: Resident Evil Pro Controller Is Available To Pre-Order, But Its Price Is Terrifying
@Ratmasterd21 I use the joycons, which I actually like. I think I'm in the minority 😅 I also have picked up some cheaper third party controllers for various systems over the years.
Re: Nintendo Is Preparing For Even More Movies In The Future, Unsurprisingly
Metroid is the series that would best translate to the big screen. Space horror with action elements please! And for the love of god, make sure Samus is a badass hero and not a whimpering doormat like in Other M 🫤
Mario was fun, but the movie worked only as a parody, repeatedly poking fun at how the"plot" of Mario games is too thin and nonsensical for a movie!
Re: Review: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment (Switch 2) - A Stunning Slice Of Musou, Worthy Of The Zelda Canon
I'm just counting down the days honestly. My partner will be out of town on business... I detect a Zelda binge coming!
Also, just a suggestion to those who find the genre too mindless—hard mode on HW: AoC & FE: 3 Hopes did require skill and learning.
Re: Resident Evil Pro Controller Is Available To Pre-Order, But Its Price Is Terrifying
This headline applies to the standard $90 Pro Controller. It looks nice, but that's like 50%+ what I'm willing to spend on a controller :/
Re: Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games & Accessories For November & December 2025
Counting down the days to Thursday for Age of Imprisonment!
Re: Nintendo Wins Lawsuit Against 'Pirate' Streamer Who Taunted Company Online
Less $$ than I would've expected!.
That's like the cost of a run-of-the-mill diagnostic medical procedure in the U.S.
Re: Hades II Post-Launch Patch 1 Is Now Live On Switch 2, Includes Ending Adjustments
This is amazing! I'm 150+ runs in, unveiled all the oath statues, and running out of tasks/unlocks. But I keep playing anyway because it's just the funnest frickin game! Happy to have new things to shoot for.
Hades 2 is up there for me with TotK and Persona 5 as one of the very best games of the modern era. 10/10 for sure.
"Added Cauldron incantation lets you return to an earlier point in the story in case you wish to re-experience key events, such as the True Ending." — hell yeah!
"Any excess Kudos you have already spent will be refunded." — hell yeah x2!
Re: Shigeru Miyamoto Is Confident Mario Will Be Around For "A Long Time To Come"
As long as humanity doesn't die out? Isn't the Super Mario theme the most recognized song in the world after the Birthday Song?
Re: PSA: You Might Need To Free Up Some Space For Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment
Hmm, this might actually be a reason to go physical? I usually prefer digital for convenience, less stuff in the house, and from a general dislike of polluting the world with ever more plastic. But if this is the one ginormous game with a full physical release...
Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment?
I'm counting the days for this one. I loved the cutscene-driven story in Age of Calamity. Very much looking forward to the premium Switch 2 Zelda visuals.
Re: 68 Switch 1 & 2 Games You Should Check Out In The 'Screaming Deals' eShop Sale (North America)
For anyone in the mood for something different, I highly recommend Yoku's Island Express.
Re: Ninja Gaiden 4 And Ragebound Clash In Stunning New Artwork
Looking forward to getting NG4 on Switch 2. I'm confident it's just a matter of time. Year of the Ninja FTW!
Re: Review: Shujinkou (Switch) - Words Whup Sticks & Stones In This Innovative Dungeon Crawler
@jesse_dylan I'm only 5-6 hours in, but I can confirm that it also teaches grammar, vocabulary, and kanji.
Re: Nintendo Direct For Kirby Air Riders Announced For Thursday, 23rd October
I'll be tuning in with long-shot hopes for some hidden Metroid Prime or Age of Imprisonment content
Re: Anniversary: SNES Action RPG 'Terranigma' Is 30 Years Old Today, And It's Still A 10/10 In Our Book
A great game I only know through emulation, since it never came out here.
I see there's an interesting new fan hack out this year, Terranigma Redux - might be time to take a fresh look at this game!
Re: Team Ninja Founder And Industry Veteran Tomonobu Itagaki Has Passed Away
In the Year of the Ninja no less. RIP to the man who brought the real ninja spirit to these shores.
Ninja Gaiden Black is one of the best games of all time and revived one of my favorite franchises. Here's to hoping that NG4 is a fitting tribute to his earlier work.
(And to hoping that NG4 gets ported to Switch 2.)
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Play NES Games These Days?
Sometimes NSO, but all the time on my favorite retro handheld...
TrimUI Brick! (Running NextUI). I love this thing and play it daily. I played it for hours while waiting in line to buy the Switch 2 on release day. I take it in my pocket on flights or just going to the doctor's office. I play it one handed while eating breakfast lol.
And sorry, not sorry—emulation is the way to play NES and other retro games. It opens up the world of fan hacks, fan translations of Famicom exclusives, etc. But for emulation, I would not be a gamer today. I spend $1-2k on Nintendo games, subscriptions, hardware, & peripherals annually, and I 100% would not be doing that if I hadn't rediscovered my love for video games via emulation.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (18th October)
I picked up Shujinkou! I'm playing slowly to get the most of the language learning part, but I'm really impressed by the game too. The turn based combat is complex and challenging, the panicked running from OP demons is thrilling, and the characterizations/writing are some of the best in genre. FYI, the NL review did this game dirty.
Also, Hades 2 continues. As does my playthrough of all Shinobi games—replaying Shinobi III right now, after just having beat it. It's really an excellent game.
Gaming like a fiend this weekend 😅
Re: Rumour: Assassin's Creed Shadows On Switch 2 May Clash With Metroid Prime 4
Metroid is my favorite franchise, so that's the day 1 purchase there.
But ACS looks awesome! I've never played an Assassins Creed game before, but I'm all for a Sengoku-era open world action RPG. That's one of my favorite periods of history, and I've visited the bulk of the more important Sengoku historical sites in person.
Re: Community: 32 Switch Games We Missed, As Recommended By You
A big hearty recommendation for Call of the Sea from me (although I played it on PC). Verdant, vibrant Polynesian visuals in a Lovecraft adaptation.