Love to hear it, looking forward to future announcements and then it coming out next year - one more reason for me to finally play the Shantae games myself (have watched others playing some of them so far) as soon as I can!
Most likely my favorite game between these will end up being Rise of the Tomb Raider whenever I play it myself (haven't properly played the first game in the trilogy yet and I'm definitely playing them in order) - even leaving my personal preference aside, I'd say it's the most significant one in general as it shows the kind of games we're finally getting on Nintendo platforms thanks to Switch 2!
According to Nintendo Life's NSO games list there currently are (SP versions and Japanese exclusives are mentioned separately):
84 NES games (+ SP versions and 12 Japanese exclusives);
77 SNES (+ SP and 8 Japanese, 1 game was delisted);
43 Game Boy (Color) (+ 3 Japanese);
43 N64 (+ 2 Japanese);
50 Genesis/Mega Drive (+ 1 Japanese);
28 GBA (+ 3 Japanese);
14 Virtual Boy (+ 1 Japanese and 2 confirmed upcoming ones, previously unreleased);
9 GameCube (+ 2 upcoming).
So there are (and that's without including SP versions, Japanese exclusives and upcoming games) more NES, SNES and N64 games on NSO than the abovementioned ones on Wii and the total of the remaining games is 144 - the latter less than the remaining games on Wii in North America, but let's not forget that those are all third-party games so the lack of their inclusion is mostly if not exclusively up to those other companies, not Nintendo!
The box art shown here for Japan is the Korean one - the artwork is the same, but it's still worth mentioning.
Anyway, I'm voting for North America since it has more characters and so minigames just like Europe (in that one the speakers next to the title is a great touch, indeed) while being more colorful like Japan - it also has some screenshots in addition so it shows more clearly how the minigames work!
Since it has been brought up yet again, reminder that NSO is different compared to most games-as-a-service as you download the apps and then they just check weekly if you have an active subscription (so by the way, you can play them offline apart from that) - considering that, when the service gets discontinued in the future if that ever happens in the first place people should still be able to access those at least by removing the check-in through modding... and in the meantime people could and should support the official release, especially considering that it's pretty cheap to subscribe as is and even more so if you share a family subscription if friends and/or acquaintances!
Fingers crossed both the Nintendo Museum and Switch Online continue and expand for a long time (most likely that will be the case, but still) - both are great ways for people to relive or experience for the first time Nintendo's history and games, have been quite enjoying NSO myself and hope I'll visit the museum at some point!
How I wish there were an upgrade and so practically everyone were happy (including Square Enix themselves because they're losing sales for sure and especially at launch this way and I'm not so sure those will be compensated by those double dipping) - that said, still happy for those who haven't got the game yet, in this case me included so I'll consider this version... although I might still go for the Switch version if I can find it first and foremost and for less!
The sneak peek is great, looking forward to the full animation - glad to hear Webber is returning to Sega of Japan (and so should feel better now after having to leave due to burnout in 2022)!
@Kilamanjaro It's worth mentioning that the games I'm playing during the weekend are only those in italics which I voted for also in the poll (originally I also added Tomodachi Life since I play that a little every day, Groove and Star Fox as I might be able to squeeze those in as well, but I removed them since the limit is five votes), I list all the games I'm currently playing in general just for those curious about my progress in them - still, thanks and I hope you have a good weekend!
Thanks for the review, glad this is another great option for those interested in leverless controllers - that said, if I ever get one myself I'll still go for an 8BitDo one considering their features and prices (and also that at least currently those are available also here in Italy)!
Tonight I'm not seeing my friends so I'll just continue with my schedule:
Fitness Boxing (didn't play it; 3 did all Box-and-Bond for Lin);
Ring Fit Adventure (didn't play it; 9 Worlds completed and 4 finished);
GameCenter CX (continued the 8th game, started grinding for the final boss);
Freedom Planet 2 (did 1 stage as Milla; Story as Lilac and Carol - 25/63 Badges);
Dragon Quest III (continued grinding to defeat that in even less turns);
Xenoblade Chronicles X (continued some missions and got a Heart-to-Heart; 7/?? Chapters, 26/?? Affinity, 68/?? Normal, 83/?? Basic Missions and 66/?? Heart-to-Hearts - Mira 33.57% - 112/204 Story, 53/315 Combat and 81/222 World Achievements);
Guardians of Azuma (went around the remaining new islands - also did a bonding quest; all Main, 204/?? Bonding Quests - 107/?? Bestiary - 16/45 PescaPedia - all Kamiwaza, 32/36 Quests, 5/6 Battles, 2/16 Bonds and 6/8 Everyday Life Seals);
Fantasy Life i (did many Life quests and so ranked up the Tailor Life; all Chapters - Lives 10 Master and 4 Expert Rank - 101 Personal Requests - all Strangelings, 106/148 Monsters, 93/138 Resources, 49/50 Characters);
Mario Kart World (did a Knockout Tour and will stream it this Sunday; Mirror Three Stars all GPs, 4 KT - 26 Panels, 64 Switches and 15 Medallions in Free Roam - all Vehicles, 119 Characters and 307 Stickers);
Soul Calibur II (did Arcade as 1 character; Arcade as 14 characters - Weapon Master completed);
Street Fighter 6 (did a sidequest and so unlocked a Master in World Tour; World Tour 11 Chapters and 34 Sidequests);
Yakuza 0 (continued the business; all Chapters - 40.11% Completion, 35/79 Adventure, 44/84 Battle, 49/99 Business, 10/27 Substories, 12/85 Minigames);
Bananza (completed SL 1600 - also continued Emerald Rush; game finished, 12 layers completed - 731/777 Banandium Gems, 645/696 Fossils, 111/117 Discs - VoidCo 18 Rewards);
Age of Imprisonment (did 3 aside quests - also did many quests; all Chapters and Battles, 125 Aside Quests and 280 Quests);
Trails in the Sky 1st (went to the orphanage, then arrived at Ruan - also did a request; Prologue and 1 Chapter - Junior Rank 6 21/50, 23/?? Requests - Rewards 54/??, Achievements 7/43);
Tennis Fever (continued the Adventure; 1/5 Medals - all Courts, 14/20 Characters, 5/20 Colors, 22/24 Rackets, 4/7 Movies);
Pokopia (continued the 4th area; Pokédex 96 and 5 Events, Habitats 59 and 4 Events);
Tomodachi (on my own; Catalog 5960/9814, all Quirks and Goods);
Mysterious Book (continued Chapter 3 - played the fishing level @devil76 and yep, it was great; 2 Chapters and 15 Levels finished - 382 Stars, 62 Flowers);
Legends Z-A (did a main mission and 2 side ones; 5 Main and 5 Side Missions - Rank Y - Pokédex 19 Caught, 28 Seen - Research Level 4, 8 Requests);
NS2 Star Fox (continued the campaign; Holoviewer 18/73);
Groove (did Stage 1; 1 Stage, 5 Games);
on YouTube CrossWorlds (did a Grand Prix offline and took part in the Sonic 35th Anniversary festival online);
Now that they've released almost all the possible collections of previous Mega Man games (please give us at least a Legends one, though) this could be a way to have something in between new game releases as long as those become more frequent other than "to communicate the appeal of the series to an even broader audience" - anyway, looking forward to Dual Override first and foremost and then seeing what they come up with next... and finally playing all these games myself as I haven't properly started doing so yet, only played a little of them here and there so far!
Glad to hear the Switch 2 version has been improved - looking forward to giving Biped 2 a try myself at some point (should check out the original Biped first and foremost, though)!
Would be cool to know how much the Switch 2 version contributed to this (what we know for sure is that it was at 30 million the year before that came out and 35 last year so relatively soon after that release) - anyway, love to hear it and yes, got a physical copy myself although I haven't played it yet!
Thanks for the review, I'll keep this in mind if I ever need a portable dock myself (assuming it will be available also here in Italy of course) - hope those going for it will enjoy it, too!
Not particularly surprising but still, I appreciate them explicitly telling us - anyway, looking forward to playing Rise of the Tomb Raider myself at some point (after the first game in that trilogy of course) thanks to this port and fingers crossed they'll eventually bring to Switch 2 also the third game!
@Tyranexx I seriously doubt consumer rights regarding digital content will be addressed anytime soon if ever, that's why physical as an option is still so important in my opinion and yes, including Game-Key Cards considering the benefits of physical related to those rights they still have (including being able to get a "refund" without limitations of any kind by reselling them) - even more so now that more if not all other platforms are becoming exclusively digital...
@-wc- I've already mentioned the positives of Game-Key Cards that they share with "proper" physical games, but here they are again:
not being tied to a single account so access to that isn't required to play them;
related to that, they can be freely resold/lent;
based on how they work they should allow people to get games even after they get delisted or straight up the eShop closes (we'll have definitive confirmation when a game released as Game-Key Card gets delisted).
Based on those advantages of physical including GKC and compared to the advantages of digital then of course people will choose which one to pick personally but please, let's stop mostly if not completely disregarding those facts...
I'd be perfectly fine with it if it weren't for the fact that Nintendo are infamously overprotective of their IPs and took down even free, not-for-profit fan games etc. - if only they had guidelines and policies like other major publishers... but I doubt that will happen anytime soon as "Nintendo is going to be Nintendo, for better and/or worse" as Piscatella said in that other article today (and as I've already mentioned there this is one of their few "for worse" aspects in my opinion)!
@Zeeba One thing is personally going for digital because it's more convenient, it costs less etc. (I've done that countless times before myself despite my preference for physical), another is claiming that objectively Game-Key Cards are worse than exclusively digital, going for the latter just to spite the former and so on - luckily it's still more or less half and half and that's also including download-only software, NSO etc., but if the silent majority didn't get physical releases including GKC and so digital sold way, way more then the chances of even Nintendo going for exclusively digital would undoubtedly increase...
Makes sense and I'm glad it has overall been for the best for Nintendo (and by the way, notice that Miyamoto-san discussed this with Iwata-san before people yet again bash exclusively the former and/or Furukawa-san) - looking forward to seeing what they come up with next and wish them good luck in future endeavors of this kind as long as they keep on being supplementary to Nintendo's core videogame business... not that I have any doubts that will keep on being the case, but still!
Demos in stores are a good thing for retailers, but I wish Nintendo regularly put these also on the eShop at some point for the sake of those who can't go there (even more so people outside of North America) - anyway, hope those trying Raiders this way will enjoy it!
Could be just placeholders, but if they end up being confirmed I also bet there's a good amount of minor stuff among these - looking forward to the official reveal although I'm interested in the base game first and foremost (of course after having finally played Remake and Rebirth myself)!
Ha ha, yet another post about a Switch 2 physical release with game characters holding the cartridges, love to see it - I've already preordered a physical copy myself (did so as soon as I found it on Italian Amazon) no matter if I won't be able to play Orbitals at launch not only considering the games I'm currently playing as usual, but also it being exclusively co-op!
One more thing that has to be mentioned based on the abovementioned latest financial results: the proportion of digital sales has slightly increased, but in most quarters the majority of them is "Download-only software, add-on content, and Nintendo Switch Online, etc." while "Downloadable versions of packaged software" is the minority (only during FY26/Q3 it's the opposite and significantly so for some reason) and Pokopia is shown as an example among the latter category - of course you do you depending on your personal preference, but as expected and proven by that data if you care about physical you're cutting off your nose to spite your face by getting digital versions instead of the partially physical Game-Key Cards...
By the way since it has been brought up again, no matter your personal preference, objectively Game-Key Cards are actually a way to counter this in part since they're a cheaper option for third parties to still have a partially physical release instead of just exclusively digital on online stores and/or physical retailers as Code-in-a-Box while Sony for sure and also Microsoft if confirmed not to mention PC are forcing exclusively digital - good luck not tying games to a single account (and if you somehow lose access to that saying bye bye to them), freely lending/reselling them and/or getting them after they get delisted on those platforms... all things that you can do even with GKC, not just fully physical!
Couldn't agree more, "Nintendo is going to be Nintendo, for better and/or worse" (luckily the former when it comes to most aspect, the latter when it comes to negatively affecting games and their creators with censorship, takedowns etc.) - even leaving that aside, it wouldn't make sense at all at least anytime soon not only considering that the Switch 2 gen has just started, but also the data as the proportion of digital sales is still around half at 56.4% according to the latest financial results and yes, most certainly that's due to them selling to families and children, the plug-and-play nature of their systems and so on as already mentioned here!
Glad this has a precise release date and even more so since there's a free upgrade between the Switch 1 and 2 versions (nice that you got to hear from one of the creators) - absolutely getting and playing it myself at some point!
@Shmicko They don't necessarily have to release a second screen accessory to put DS and 3DS games on NSO (just look at the different settings for the former on Wii U), but it's a possibility - the more games the better starting with Nintendo's although it would be great if third parties not interested in rereleasing their games on their own put them there!
Not voting in the poll before playing all the stages in the remake myself (still on my first campaign, went to Solar from Katina to tackle the middle route first) - anyway, great article and while I'm not sure it will end up being my absolute favorite Sector X definitely has the X factor!
Preordered a physical copy of Rhythm Heaven Groove, will eventually get Tekken for sure (unless they release the console version in the meantime, in that case I'd get that instead), most likely also Monopoly Star Wars, Gecko Gods and Mythmatch and that should be it unless I missed something!
Love to see Star Fox on top of the Japanese charts - 41K is nothing to sneeze at, but fingers crossed it keeps on selling!
Also happy for Tomodachi Life in 2nd, Powerful Pro in 3rd, eFootball in 4th, Pokopia in 5th, World in 6th, Medabots debuting in 7th (didn't know a new game was coming out, nice), Elliot in 9th and of course Switch 2 still on top of the hardware charts and selling that much!
Like them or not, Game-Key Cards are a still partially physical unlike Code-in-a-Box which are just digital games sold at physical retailers offered by Nintendo to third parties as a cheaper option, it's up to those then choosing how to release their games and heck, despite those some big companies still release their games exclusively digitally including CiaB - now Sony for sure and also Microsoft if this ends up being confirmed are straight up not offering any alternatives to exclusively digital just like PC... and yet it's Nintendo people have been complaining about the most ever since the start of the Switch 2 gen!
@SBandy1 As much as waiting for reviews is certainly wise advice in general, funnily enough exactly thanks to this getting an actual physical release (and the same would be true even if it were a Game-Key Card as much as people disregard the advantages of physical those still have) instead of a code-in-a-box people should be fine regardless - they can simply resell it if they don't want it anymore for one reason or another!
Last time I didn't talk about the trailer as I was focused on the contents of the announcements, but these are pretty funny (in more than one sense) - absolutely preordering a physical copy myself as soon as I can!
Glad this now has a release date for those interested in it - me included although I'm behind when it comes to amiibo, so many games coming out these months (and of course those come first for me)!
Most likely for the best considering all the games coming out later in September as already mentioned here (other than of course being nice that it's coming sooner) - definitely getting this myself and then playing it when I can, quite curious to give Onimusha a try although I know for sure certain aspects of it appeal to me!
Love to see such additions to Nintendo Music, one of the best ways to further promote new releases and the service itself (and in this case even more so since we're talking about Rhythm Heaven) - same for the icons and as usual I'll try to get them all!
Waiting for official confirmation, but I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case (and Ravenous should be coming relatively soon considering the rating as I've practically just mentioned in the other comment section) - anyway, so glad that thanks to Switch in general and in Metroid's case Prime Remastered and Dread in particular several Nintendo series had a rapid growth and so should be finally back for good... fingers crossed the same will happen to Star Fox on Switch 2!
@Olliemar28 As @JCLKaytwo also mentioned, Dread got a 10/10 score here on Nintendo Life so please fix that in the article when you can - of course I've also checked the review to be sure, but I remembered it thanks to the feature about 10/10 games here on Nintendo Life in occasion of the 20th anniversary of the site!
@mlt and @larryisaman See the abovementioned first and foremost, but let me also remind you that Dread got free updates that added difficulties, modes etc. - personally, I'd say that those made it even closer to if not straight up a 10/10 game!
@the_beaver The source says Ano de produção, "production year" which seems to be when the game was manufactured in addition to what @Novuscourvous said about ratings in general (also, compare it with Prime 4 ratings as I've already mentioned in my previous comment) - of course we'll just have to wait and see, but it's more likely than not that it's coming and even relatively soon!
Waiting to see if it ends up being confirmed, but it's more likely than not considering that it's a rating (and by the way @HammerGalladeBro, that's promising also for it being closer to completion than not, I think the first Prime 4 rating we got to hear of was the Korean one in July 2025) - I'd also say that a new 2D Metroid makes the most sense and I'm absolutely looking forward to seeing and hearing more about it if that's the case!
Thanks for reminding me to check if Oblivion is now available also on Italian Amazon - anyway, have already preordered there Rhythm Heaven, Raiders, Elden Ring, Granblue Fantasy, Mouse P.I., Time Stranger (also there the Super Bomberman Collection and from Japanese Amazon the Goemon one) and I'll eventually get Master Collection Vol. 2 for sure, just waiting to hear more about the differences between the Switch 1 and 2 versions!
I'll copy and paste part of my comment from earlier today since we keep on seeing exaggerations disproven by facts (seriously, "codes-in-a-box in disguise"?)...
Here are the positives of physical that Game-Key Cards still have compared to digital and that people keep on disregarding:
they aren't tied to a single account so you can freely resell/lend them (also, good luck accessing your exclusively digital game if you somehow lose access to your account);
they work in a way that should allow people to still get games after they get delisted or when the eShop closes.
The only disadvantage they share with physical and compared to digital is having to put the card inside to play a game while they share all the other disadvantages with digital.
As for the answer to the question in the title, I'd say it's exactly thanks to Switch 2 having just come out and yes, even Game-Key Cards as a cheaper alternative to fully physical that we won't see an exclusively digital Nintendo system anytime soon (and I'm waiting to see if that actually happens when the Switch 2 successor comes out, it's far from guaranteed)!
Glad most other reviewers also really enjoyed it - most likely against my better judgement considering all the games I'm currently playing (only to an extent since it's the kind of game you can play in short bursts, but still), but I'm really tempted to squeeze Groove into my gaming schedule as soon as my copy arrives hopefully tomorrow!
Here are the positives of physical that Game-Key Cards still have compared to digital and that people keep on disregarding:
they aren't tied to a single account so you can freely resell/lend them (also, good luck accessing your exclusively digital game if you somehow lose access to your account);
they work in a way that should allow people to still get games after they get delisted or when the eShop closes.
The only disadvantage they share with physical and compared to digital is having to put the card inside to play a game while they share all the other disadvantages with digital - considering all the abovementioned I'm sorry, but I can't help feeling that those who have been complaining about Game-Key Cards and in some cases even more so than exclusively digital are cutting off their noses to spite their faces and even more so considering that everyone else has already shifted or is shifting towards exclusively digital (and no, not of the DRM-free kind not only on consoles, but also on PC when Steam is around 75% of that market)...
This is what others and I have been saying all this time (and that's despite my preference for fully physical when feasible) and yet so many have been bashing Game-Key Cards more than exclusively digital - that said, I'd be surprised if sales on PS5 significantly dropped for this reason... which again, on the one hand that's good as games and even more so their creators are what matter the most and even more so considering the current situation of even just the gaming industry, but on the other hand and even more so if people somehow complain less about this it will show how ridiculously excessive the complaining ever since the start of the Switch 2 gen about the system, Nintendo etc. have been when most other companies and especially big ones do much, much worse!
Comments 14,505
Re: It's Official, Shantae's Seventh Game Will Arrive In 2027
Love to hear it, looking forward to future announcements and then it coming out next year - one more reason for me to finally play the Shantae games myself (have watched others playing some of them so far) as soon as I can!
Re: Feature: Nintendo Life eShop Selects (June 2026)
Most likely my favorite game between these will end up being Rise of the Tomb Raider whenever I play it myself (haven't properly played the first game in the trilogy yet and I'm definitely playing them in order) - even leaving my personal preference aside, I'd say it's the most significant one in general as it shows the kind of games we're finally getting on Nintendo platforms thanks to Switch 2!
Re: Nintendo Talks About Connecting Players With Its Past Via Switch Online
According to Nintendo Life's NSO games list there currently are (SP versions and Japanese exclusives are mentioned separately):
So there are (and that's without including SP versions, Japanese exclusives and upcoming games) more NES, SNES and N64 games on NSO than the abovementioned ones on Wii and the total of the remaining games is 144 - the latter less than the remaining games on Wii in North America, but let's not forget that those are all third-party games so the lack of their inclusion is mostly if not exclusively up to those other companies, not Nintendo!
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl: Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii)
The box art shown here for Japan is the Korean one - the artwork is the same, but it's still worth mentioning.
Anyway, I'm voting for North America since it has more characters and so minigames just like Europe (in that one the speakers next to the title is a great touch, indeed) while being more colorful like Japan - it also has some screenshots in addition so it shows more clearly how the minigames work!
Re: Nintendo Talks About Connecting Players With Its Past Via Switch Online
Since it has been brought up yet again, reminder that NSO is different compared to most games-as-a-service as you download the apps and then they just check weekly if you have an active subscription (so by the way, you can play them offline apart from that) - considering that, when the service gets discontinued in the future if that ever happens in the first place people should still be able to access those at least by removing the check-in through modding... and in the meantime people could and should support the official release, especially considering that it's pretty cheap to subscribe as is and even more so if you share a family subscription if friends and/or acquaintances!
Re: Nintendo Talks About Connecting Players With Its Past Via Switch Online
Fingers crossed both the Nintendo Museum and Switch Online continue and expand for a long time (most likely that will be the case, but still) - both are great ways for people to relive or experience for the first time Nintendo's history and games, have been quite enjoying NSO myself and hope I'll visit the museum at some point!
Re: Dragon Quest XI S Switch 2 Version Performance And Resolution Revealed
How I wish there were an upgrade and so practically everyone were happy (including Square Enix themselves because they're losing sales for sure and especially at launch this way and I'm not so sure those will be compensated by those double dipping) - that said, still happy for those who haven't got the game yet, in this case me included so I'll consider this version... although I might still go for the Switch version if I can find it first and foremost and for less!
Re: Sega Shares Sneak Peek Of Sonic's New Animated Short
The sneak peek is great, looking forward to the full animation - glad to hear Webber is returning to Sega of Japan (and so should feel better now after having to leave due to burnout in 2022)!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (4th July)
@Kilamanjaro It's worth mentioning that the games I'm playing during the weekend are only those in italics which I voted for also in the poll (originally I also added Tomodachi Life since I play that a little every day, Groove and Star Fox as I might be able to squeeze those in as well, but I removed them since the limit is five votes), I list all the games I'm currently playing in general just for those curious about my progress in them - still, thanks and I hope you have a good weekend!
Re: Review: Snack Box Micro Arcade Controller For Switch 1 & 2 - Tiny Yet Mighty
Thanks for the review, glad this is another great option for those interested in leverless controllers - that said, if I ever get one myself I'll still go for an 8BitDo one considering their features and prices (and also that at least currently those are available also here in Italy)!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (4th July)
Tonight I'm not seeing my friends so I'll just continue with my schedule:
Re: Capcom Wants To Reach An Even Broader Audience With Mega Man
Now that they've released almost all the possible collections of previous Mega Man games (please give us at least a Legends one, though) this could be a way to have something in between new game releases as long as those become more frequent other than "to communicate the appeal of the series to an even broader audience" - anyway, looking forward to Dual Override first and foremost and then seeing what they come up with next... and finally playing all these games myself as I haven't properly started doing so yet, only played a little of them here and there so far!
Re: Biped 2 Update Promises "Significant Improvements" On Switch 2
Glad to hear the Switch 2 version has been improved - looking forward to giving Biped 2 a try myself at some point (should check out the original Biped first and foremost, though)!
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Is A Breathtaking Success, Reaching 40 Million Copies Sold
Would be cool to know how much the Switch 2 version contributed to this (what we know for sure is that it was at 30 million the year before that came out and 35 last year so relatively soon after that release) - anyway, love to hear it and yes, got a physical copy myself although I haven't played it yet!
Re: Review: Gulikit Portable Dock For Switch 1 & 2 - A Light, Elegant Travel Companion
Thanks for the review, I'll keep this in mind if I ever need a portable dock myself (assuming it will be available also here in Italy of course) - hope those going for it will enjoy it, too!
Re: Industry Analyst: Sony's Shock Physical Announcement Unlikely To Influence Nintendo's Plans
@Tyranexx Couldn't agree more and no worries, appreciate that you took time to explain!
Re: Rise Of The Tomb Raider At 60fps On Switch 2 Would Have Required "Serious Compromises"
Not particularly surprising but still, I appreciate them explicitly telling us - anyway, looking forward to playing Rise of the Tomb Raider myself at some point (after the first game in that trilogy of course) thanks to this port and fingers crossed they'll eventually bring to Switch 2 also the third game!
Re: Nintendo Will Remain Tough On IP Infringement, Whether AI Is Used Or Not
@jsty3105 Sorry but no, in some cases it's exclusively a matter of intellectual property as Nintendo themselves said in the case of AM2R just to make the most famous example...
Re: Industry Analyst: Sony's Shock Physical Announcement Unlikely To Influence Nintendo's Plans
@Tyranexx I seriously doubt consumer rights regarding digital content will be addressed anytime soon if ever, that's why physical as an option is still so important in my opinion and yes, including Game-Key Cards considering the benefits of physical related to those rights they still have (including being able to get a "refund" without limitations of any kind by reselling them) - even more so now that more if not all other platforms are becoming exclusively digital...
Re: Industry Analyst: Sony's Shock Physical Announcement Unlikely To Influence Nintendo's Plans
@-wc- I've already mentioned the positives of Game-Key Cards that they share with "proper" physical games, but here they are again:
Based on those advantages of physical including GKC and compared to the advantages of digital then of course people will choose which one to pick personally but please, let's stop mostly if not completely disregarding those facts...
Re: Nintendo Will Remain Tough On IP Infringement, Whether AI Is Used Or Not
I'd be perfectly fine with it if it weren't for the fact that Nintendo are infamously overprotective of their IPs and took down even free, not-for-profit fan games etc. - if only they had guidelines and policies like other major publishers... but I doubt that will happen anytime soon as "Nintendo is going to be Nintendo, for better and/or worse" as Piscatella said in that other article today (and as I've already mentioned there this is one of their few "for worse" aspects in my opinion)!
Re: Industry Analyst: Sony's Shock Physical Announcement Unlikely To Influence Nintendo's Plans
@Zeeba One thing is personally going for digital because it's more convenient, it costs less etc. (I've done that countless times before myself despite my preference for physical), another is claiming that objectively Game-Key Cards are worse than exclusively digital, going for the latter just to spite the former and so on - luckily it's still more or less half and half and that's also including download-only software, NSO etc., but if the silent majority didn't get physical releases including GKC and so digital sold way, way more then the chances of even Nintendo going for exclusively digital would undoubtedly increase...
Re: Shigeru Miyamoto Wants To Bring "New Characters To The World" Outside Of Nintendo Games
Makes sense and I'm glad it has overall been for the best for Nintendo (and by the way, notice that Miyamoto-san discussed this with Iwata-san before people yet again bash exclusively the former and/or Furukawa-san) - looking forward to seeing what they come up with next and wish them good luck in future endeavors of this kind as long as they keep on being supplementary to Nintendo's core videogame business... not that I have any doubts that will keep on being the case, but still!
Re: Splatoon Raiders Demo Now Available At Switch 2 Kiosks (North America)
Demos in stores are a good thing for retailers, but I wish Nintendo regularly put these also on the eShop at some point for the sake of those who can't go there (even more so people outside of North America) - anyway, hope those trying Raiders this way will enjoy it!
Re: Final Fantasy VII Revelation Store Page Lists Multiple DLC And 'Story Expansion'
Could be just placeholders, but if they end up being confirmed I also bet there's a good amount of minor stuff among these - looking forward to the official reveal although I'm interested in the base game first and foremost (of course after having finally played Remake and Rebirth myself)!
Re: ICYMI: Switch 2's Co-Op Exclusive 'Orbitals' Is Getting A Proper Physical Release
Ha ha, yet another post about a Switch 2 physical release with game characters holding the cartridges, love to see it - I've already preordered a physical copy myself (did so as soon as I found it on Italian Amazon) no matter if I won't be able to play Orbitals at launch not only considering the games I'm currently playing as usual, but also it being exclusively co-op!
Re: Industry Analyst: Sony's Shock Physical Announcement Unlikely To Influence Nintendo's Plans
One more thing that has to be mentioned based on the abovementioned latest financial results: the proportion of digital sales has slightly increased, but in most quarters the majority of them is "Download-only software, add-on content, and Nintendo Switch Online, etc." while "Downloadable versions of packaged software" is the minority (only during FY26/Q3 it's the opposite and significantly so for some reason) and Pokopia is shown as an example among the latter category - of course you do you depending on your personal preference, but as expected and proven by that data if you care about physical you're cutting off your nose to spite your face by getting digital versions instead of the partially physical Game-Key Cards...
Re: Industry Analyst: Sony's Shock Physical Announcement Unlikely To Influence Nintendo's Plans
By the way since it has been brought up again, no matter your personal preference, objectively Game-Key Cards are actually a way to counter this in part since they're a cheaper option for third parties to still have a partially physical release instead of just exclusively digital on online stores and/or physical retailers as Code-in-a-Box while Sony for sure and also Microsoft if confirmed not to mention PC are forcing exclusively digital - good luck not tying games to a single account (and if you somehow lose access to that saying bye bye to them), freely lending/reselling them and/or getting them after they get delisted on those platforms... all things that you can do even with GKC, not just fully physical!
Re: Industry Analyst: Sony's Shock Physical Announcement Unlikely To Influence Nintendo's Plans
Couldn't agree more, "Nintendo is going to be Nintendo, for better and/or worse" (luckily the former when it comes to most aspect, the latter when it comes to negatively affecting games and their creators with censorship, takedowns etc.) - even leaving that aside, it wouldn't make sense at all at least anytime soon not only considering that the Switch 2 gen has just started, but also the data as the proportion of digital sales is still around half at 56.4% according to the latest financial results and yes, most certainly that's due to them selling to families and children, the plug-and-play nature of their systems and so on as already mentioned here!
Re: Beloved PSVR 'Moss' Games Jump To Switch 1 & 2 This Month, Pre-Orders Now Open
Glad this has a precise release date and even more so since there's a free upgrade between the Switch 1 and 2 versions (nice that you got to hear from one of the creators) - absolutely getting and playing it myself at some point!
Re: Rumour: Metroid Ravenous Might Not Be The Only Metroid Project In The Pipeline
@Shmicko They don't necessarily have to release a second screen accessory to put DS and 3DS games on NSO (just look at the different settings for the former on Wii U), but it's a possibility - the more games the better starting with Nintendo's although it would be great if third parties not interested in rereleasing their games on their own put them there!
Re: Opinion: What's The Best Star Fox Stage, And Why Is It Sector X?
@Regulus6891 Venom and Venom 2 are now present in the poll!
Re: Opinion: What's The Best Star Fox Stage, And Why Is It Sector X?
Not voting in the poll before playing all the stages in the remake myself (still on my first campaign, went to Solar from Katina to tackle the middle route first) - anyway, great article and while I'm not sure it will end up being my absolute favorite Sector X definitely has the X factor!
Re: Nintendo Download: 2nd July (North America)
Preordered a physical copy of Rhythm Heaven Groove, will eventually get Tekken for sure (unless they release the console version in the meantime, in that case I'd get that instead), most likely also Monopoly Star Wars, Gecko Gods and Mythmatch and that should be it unless I missed something!
Re: Japanese Charts: Star Fox Proves There's Nothing Wrong With Its G-Diffuser In Week One
Love to see Star Fox on top of the Japanese charts - 41K is nothing to sneeze at, but fingers crossed it keeps on selling!
Also happy for Tomodachi Life in 2nd, Powerful Pro in 3rd, eFootball in 4th, Pokopia in 5th, World in 6th, Medabots debuting in 7th (didn't know a new game was coming out, nice), Elliot in 9th and of course Switch 2 still on top of the hardware charts and selling that much!
Re: Nintendo May Be The Last Bastion Of Physical Games As Xbox's Project Helix Is Set To Ditch Discs
Like them or not, Game-Key Cards are a still partially physical unlike Code-in-a-Box which are just digital games sold at physical retailers offered by Nintendo to third parties as a cheaper option, it's up to those then choosing how to release their games and heck, despite those some big companies still release their games exclusively digitally including CiaB - now Sony for sure and also Microsoft if this ends up being confirmed are straight up not offering any alternatives to exclusively digital just like PC... and yet it's Nintendo people have been complaining about the most ever since the start of the Switch 2 gen!
Re: Bethesda Shows Off Oblivion Remastered Switch 2 Physical Release
@SBandy1 As much as waiting for reviews is certainly wise advice in general, funnily enough exactly thanks to this getting an actual physical release (and the same would be true even if it were a Game-Key Card as much as people disregard the advantages of physical those still have) instead of a code-in-a-box people should be fine regardless - they can simply resell it if they don't want it anymore for one reason or another!
Re: Bethesda Shows Off Oblivion Remastered Switch 2 Physical Release
Last time I didn't talk about the trailer as I was focused on the contents of the announcements, but these are pretty funny (in more than one sense) - absolutely preordering a physical copy myself as soon as I can!
Re: Kirby Air Riders Is Getting A New amiibo This September
Glad this now has a release date for those interested in it - me included although I'm behind when it comes to amiibo, so many games coming out these months (and of course those come first for me)!
Re: Capcom Is Releasing Onimusha: Way Of The Sword On Switch 2 A Little Sooner Than Expected
Most likely for the best considering all the games coming out later in September as already mentioned here (other than of course being nice that it's coming sooner) - definitely getting this myself and then playing it when I can, quite curious to give Onimusha a try although I know for sure certain aspects of it appeal to me!
Re: Nintendo Music "Special Release" Update Adds Songs From The New Rhythm Heaven Game
Love to see such additions to Nintendo Music, one of the best ways to further promote new releases and the service itself (and in this case even more so since we're talking about Rhythm Heaven) - same for the icons and as usual I'll try to get them all!
Re: Rumour: Metroid Ravenous Might Not Be The Only Metroid Project In The Pipeline
Waiting for official confirmation, but I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case (and Ravenous should be coming relatively soon considering the rating as I've practically just mentioned in the other comment section) - anyway, so glad that thanks to Switch in general and in Metroid's case Prime Remastered and Dread in particular several Nintendo series had a rapid growth and so should be finally back for good... fingers crossed the same will happen to Star Fox on Switch 2!
Re: Mysterious 'Metroid Ravenous' Game Rating Appears Online
@Olliemar28 As @JCLKaytwo also mentioned, Dread got a 10/10 score here on Nintendo Life so please fix that in the article when you can - of course I've also checked the review to be sure, but I remembered it thanks to the feature about 10/10 games here on Nintendo Life in occasion of the 20th anniversary of the site!
@mlt and @larryisaman See the abovementioned first and foremost, but let me also remind you that Dread got free updates that added difficulties, modes etc. - personally, I'd say that those made it even closer to if not straight up a 10/10 game!
Re: Mysterious 'Metroid Ravenous' Game Rating Appears Online
@the_beaver The source says Ano de produção, "production year" which seems to be when the game was manufactured in addition to what @Novuscourvous said about ratings in general (also, compare it with Prime 4 ratings as I've already mentioned in my previous comment) - of course we'll just have to wait and see, but it's more likely than not that it's coming and even relatively soon!
Re: Mysterious 'Metroid Ravenous' Game Rating Appears Online
Waiting to see if it ends up being confirmed, but it's more likely than not considering that it's a rating (and by the way @HammerGalladeBro, that's promising also for it being closer to completion than not, I think the first Prime 4 rating we got to hear of was the Korean one in July 2025) - I'd also say that a new 2D Metroid makes the most sense and I'm absolutely looking forward to seeing and hearing more about it if that's the case!
Re: Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games & Accessories For July & August 2026
Thanks for reminding me to check if Oblivion is now available also on Italian Amazon - anyway, have already preordered there Rhythm Heaven, Raiders, Elden Ring, Granblue Fantasy, Mouse P.I., Time Stranger (also there the Super Bomberman Collection and from Japanese Amazon the Goemon one) and I'll eventually get Master Collection Vol. 2 for sure, just waiting to hear more about the differences between the Switch 1 and 2 versions!
Re: Talking Point: As Sony Bins Physical, How Long Until Nintendo Follows Suit?
I'll copy and paste part of my comment from earlier today since we keep on seeing exaggerations disproven by facts (seriously, "codes-in-a-box in disguise"?)...
Here are the positives of physical that Game-Key Cards still have compared to digital and that people keep on disregarding:
The only disadvantage they share with physical and compared to digital is having to put the card inside to play a game while they share all the other disadvantages with digital.
As for the answer to the question in the title, I'd say it's exactly thanks to Switch 2 having just come out and yes, even Game-Key Cards as a cheaper alternative to fully physical that we won't see an exclusively digital Nintendo system anytime soon (and I'm waiting to see if that actually happens when the Switch 2 successor comes out, it's far from guaranteed)!
Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Rhythm Heaven Groove
Glad most other reviewers also really enjoyed it - most likely against my better judgement considering all the games I'm currently playing (only to an extent since it's the kind of game you can play in short bursts, but still), but I'm really tempted to squeeze Groove into my gaming schedule as soon as my copy arrives hopefully tomorrow!
Re: Sony Ditches Physical Media - Suddenly Game-Key Cards Don't Look So Bad
Here are the positives of physical that Game-Key Cards still have compared to digital and that people keep on disregarding:
The only disadvantage they share with physical and compared to digital is having to put the card inside to play a game while they share all the other disadvantages with digital - considering all the abovementioned I'm sorry, but I can't help feeling that those who have been complaining about Game-Key Cards and in some cases even more so than exclusively digital are cutting off their noses to spite their faces and even more so considering that everyone else has already shifted or is shifting towards exclusively digital (and no, not of the DRM-free kind not only on consoles, but also on PC when Steam is around 75% of that market)...
Re: Sony Ditches Physical Media - Suddenly Game-Key Cards Don't Look So Bad
This is what others and I have been saying all this time (and that's despite my preference for fully physical when feasible) and yet so many have been bashing Game-Key Cards more than exclusively digital - that said, I'd be surprised if sales on PS5 significantly dropped for this reason... which again, on the one hand that's good as games and even more so their creators are what matter the most and even more so considering the current situation of even just the gaming industry, but on the other hand and even more so if people somehow complain less about this it will show how ridiculously excessive the complaining ever since the start of the Switch 2 gen about the system, Nintendo etc. have been when most other companies and especially big ones do much, much worse!