Kienda

I now wish I made games so I could get this guy to make the music for them.

Anyways, I hope someone can utilise his talents.

Wait, that purple thing is Gollum? 🤣

I still chose Japan though…

The difference between the two is like night and day…

@Shade_Koopa It won’t kill matchmaking.

Mario Kart always has a massive player base online. It’s very easy to matchmake. And most will select all courses anyway.

There are many online games with far more game modes and far fewer players than MKW that are thriving online.

Player choice is sadly something Nintendo doesn’t offer well in online play.

I remember the first time I got Splatoon 2, bought multiple Switches to play with my children, and when we finally played we were placed on opposite teams.

There was nothing we could do. Always, one of us was against the others.

It was the dumbest decision Nintendo could make (in my mind) and completely ruined that game for me. They fixed it in Splatoon 3 so now we are always on the same team, but there are so many online elements to games that Nintendo is backwards on.

It’s not an old fashioned mentality, because even old games never did that, its just a Nintendoism that they can do because they literally answer to no one.

This seems like a symptom of the same problem.

I don’t think this has ruined MKW, but why can’t Nintendo give free choice? Allow people to selected what they want to play instead of forcing them into it.

But I have to say, everyone defending Nintendo here is missing the big picture here. Nintendo Fans need to expect and demand better from Nintendo. It’s us, the players, who are missing out on basic quality of life improvements because we are too willing to let Nintendo do its dodgy Nintendoisms and just throw money at them.

And I say that as someone who owns multiple Nintendo consoles and still hasn’t learnt his lesson to never trust Nintendo. 😅

@Fiergala Hehe. Yeah, some people don’t understand we can enjoy lots of things without making it a competition.

I have had it before on PushSquare where because of my avatar my “opinion doesn’t matter” I’m a “Nintendo Fanboy.” 😅

@DominionGamma I’m a multi platform gamer that has owned every console from all companies since the NES/Master System days.

So no, I’m not insecure.

Sony isn’t going anywhere. And Nintendo doing well is a good thing. Sony clearly dropped the ball with handhelds. But I’m not sure they will try to get it back because they just want more power for their games rather than diversifying to suit handhelds. Personally the PlayStation Portal is a massive disappointment and I wish they went the WiiU option on it as almost all my handheld play is in the house anyway. I don’t want to cloud game, but direct streaming is fine.

So Nintendo dominates my handheld gaming. PlayStation and Xbox share my tv gaming. And my PC is for MMOs.

There is no need to gloat, NintendoLife.

I know it’s good to have a secure future on this site. We all remember the WiiU days and the clinging to hope.

But now the big N is back, we don’t have to inflame the console warriors. Accept the W with dignity.

Also, I’m quite sure Sony is doing okay.

@Erigen don’t be mean. We have to protect Anti-Matter and his obscure comments. They are like a breath of fresh air mixed with some weird chemical that might not be good for you, but you inhale it anyway.

@Anti-Matter please, don’t stop being you!

LEGO Voyagers was the star of the show for me.

My kids love games like Phogs and It takes Two, so this will go down a treat in our house.

No, I won’t watch or play 14 minutes of Fast Fusion gameplay. I’m off to cry instead.

@Zufolobelisk what does the sales of this game when comparing to Mario Kart have to do with this?

Mario Kart is a great game series and has always been more popular.

We can still appreciate Sonic though.

That promotion is great.

I’m not a fan of the drink, but Red Bull Racing was a perfect fit to promo a Sonic Racing game. And that video is what I’d like to see more of. A bit of fun to promote a game in a unique way.

I saw a video highlighting a number of shops closing in San Francisco. I’m assuming it was a specific area. Hopefully the Nintendo Store will last.

Is the fear of Nintendo lawyers so great that NL can’t even link to tweets showing images and footage?

It would have been cool if the article gave us a taste of the game visually rather than just explaining it.

No.

I’m not paying.

And, yes, I’m going to make a big deal about this.

Do better Nintendo.

I’m waiting for the portable version so I can at least watch my games being played for me while I cry in the wardrobe.

God bless this man.

We need to have our own unique expressions and not be forced to conform to others ideals and standards.

Tread your own path.

Everyone praises Lena for Celeste, but her best work is on Guild Wars 2 (imho).

Good. I love Amiibo.

I’m a sucker for gimmicky plastic figures. Although, they are mainly just for display.

A grown ass man acting like that over Pokémon cards…

Suikoden’s ok den.

@Spider-Kev sorry to hear that.

If you link me your GoFundMe and I will donate (hopefully NL is okay with you sharing that).

And I promise if I find a Pokémon shaped food or snack in the future I will help fund your roof.

Is it just me or does that Charizard have the head of Bowser from the earlier Mario games?

I have to be honest.

If someone showed me the Japanese case out of context, I wouldn’t even twig it was a Pokémon game.

I think the designs allow for a lot more facial animations and expressions.

We will likely see much more movement in the actual karts from the characters. Giving more life to the game.

I agree. And, as someone who has avoided all the leaks until now, I’m quite disappointed that Nintendo chose to join them and leak the Switch 2 early.

I was waiting for the in person reveal when I walk into a shop and see the cardboard signage for the first time, the empty shelves, and an “Out of Stock” sign.

Thanks for ruining it, Nintendo!

Bloody leakers…

With Family: Nintendo Switch Sports / Marvel’s Rivals

It’s family gaming night so I’m going to get wrecked by my wife and kids at every sport in Nintendo Switch Sports as usual. It was a Christmas present so we are new into it. I’m not sure what the neighbours think when this is going on, but we can get loud.

My son wants us to play some Marvel’s Rivals also, so I’ve worked it so three can play at a time. Should be fun.

Alone: Final Fantasy 16

I’m about 55% through according to my PS5 and while I initially wasn’t into it because I was playing on easy with combat assist items so in combat I literally just had to ‘Push Square’ 😉 and watch Clive combo everything. It got boring quick.

So, I upped the difficulty, took off any aiding items, learned all the combos and things (not that complex) and now the combat is fun and fluid and with a bit of challenge.

I’m actually really enjoying the game.

Happy New Year everyone. And well done to the NintendoLife team for all the fun over 2024.

@somnambulance yeah, I think Noctis has some amazing character growth and the journey and friendship of the four of them (the Chocobros) was extremely well done.

The thing is I think in order to get to that you have to have a guide and watch and read the extra stuff. If it was all in the game it would be better.

@somnambulance I actually wasn’t meaning that in a negative. I’m happy with the state of Final Fantasy.

I was meaning. “I hope they actually listen to feedback and our time wasn’t wasted.”

I’m currently part way through 16 and initially I didn’t like it, but have warmed to it. Turns out if you make the difficulty harder and remove the auto combo items it makes the combat a lot more fun.

I loved the Remakes also. FF7 is my top FF game and the remakes have only added to that.

As for 15. I started it when it launched, played for 5 hours and wasn’t feeling it. Heard loads of negative about it. Then went back to it earlier this year and it was my most played game in 2024 at 115hrs. It’s my first Final Fantay with a Platinum and I thought it was amazing. Especially since I played the Royal Edition and watched the movie and anime and completed the story in order thanks to a guide.

I’m not hating on the series or wanting them to go back. I just hope that we as fans can have some positive input.

Final Fantasy is probably my favourite series in gaming.

I hope they listen to the fans.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Remember, Jesus is the reason for the season, but Santa and Gaming are pretty awesome too!

Be blessed, all!

@Game_Boi yes, it was 12 minutes that was weirdly captivating.

Also, who expected that podium order? 🤣

It would be lovely if there was a word where leaks were ignored and we all waited for the company to officially reveal a product in their own time so we could all enjoy the surprise without spoilers.

Just me? 😅

Both are great, but Japan’s is a work of art.

The eShop needs an overhaul that’s for sure.

When we first got the Switch my kids were asking all the time for me to buy shovelware which I’d have to say no to (after we got burned buying some).

I’m not sure if they are just older and wiser or if it’s because we are mainly physical on Switch, but my kids don’t pester me for rubbish games anymore. We have 3 Switches in the house and sharing games between them is easier physically.

Biggest fixes Nintendo need to make:

• Fix eShop
• Add Netflix/Disney+ etc

This should be done for Switch 1 and 2…

The NA/EU cover is a work of art.

My daughter (9) loves cats. We have a cat, she has played every cat game available, and she’s made me either play them with her or watch her play. I have to say there is something about Stray that is quite magical.

Personally I really enjoy the setting. I like games like Horizon Zero Dawn and TV shows like Planet of the Apes where it is set in the future where our current world is no more. Familiar yet different. It wasn’t just a cat in a city. It was a cat in a cool future dystopian world with unique and likeable characters and a whole lot of soul. And it stays with you long after.

Stray is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But for me, it’s really an amazing experience. And the best part is I have hardly played it. Instead I’ve watched my daughter play the entire game, and certain parts multiple times. And that time spent together where she’s showing me every character interaction and when we are making little stories of our own, are something I will always cherish.

I hope this helps stop Nintendo’s over aggressive lawyer tactics.

Modding, emulating, parodying, and even mimicking other games is a massive benefit to the gaming world. It’s good for fans and good for creators.

Patents of in game mechanics, however, are a cancer to the industry and hold creativity and innovation back.

Leakers actually ruin big announcements for me. I prefer to just wait and see what the developer has to say.

What’s worse is when websites put leaks and rumours in headlines and then that ruins the surprise.

I rarely watch movie trailers nowadays because they give too much info and can ruin parts of the movie.

I might be an exception, but please. Not everyone likes or wants leaks.

@Olrun I was also wondering what the 80 DLC are as it sounds massive.

It’s mainly outfits and items, but includes additional quests and story. No collab content though.

A full list can be seen here in Japanese: https://oath.tales-ch.jp/remastered/

I’m actually relieved it isn’t much more. The 80 kinda put me off (I don’t have time to put hundreds of hours into this game) but now I know it’s mainly items, I’m cool with that.

@Olliemar28 yep, that does sound like the perfect storm.

Obviously I was wrong on the reasons behind it (I didn’t realise X embedding was so problematic) but I’m happy to give unwarranted advice whenever you don’t want or need it. 😅

@Olliemar28

Something to consider re: ‘Customer Retention’

I know that NintendoLife (and other organisations) are actively trying to avoid X these days, but by not embedding the video you are actually forcing people off the NL website and on to X’s platform directly.

I wanted to see the video and so clicked the link, for example, but wouldn’t have left if I could watch it embedded.

For long term readers, this isn’t a big issue. We will likely come straight back (unless we get distracted). But for any new people in the site, those who saw the headline and clicked an external link who may not be familiar with NL, you might lose them forever. They are only after the story and video after all (until you hook them in with your other content).

I know we are people of principle and might have a policy. And I might have even misread that a you might not be avoiding X. But sometimes we can miss things and unintentionally harm ourselves while trying to do the right thing.

Just some friendly advice to consider, if you haven’t already.

@RootsGenoa yeah, linking to both would be the best option.

Personally I prefer watching videos embedded from YouTube.

However, I normally read the tweet itself rather than the written quotes. I dunno why. Getting it from the horses mouth I guess.

@RootsGenoa actually, Twitter allows embedding and it’s just as easy to paste it into the website as YouTube is these days.

The good thing about Twitter though is you can get the comment/explanation from the developer which you wouldn’t see in a YouTube embed. People would have to click into the video and leave this site in order to see that.

So actually Twitter has benefits over YouTube for websites sometimes.

You know, Nathan (@niner), you have a similar chin to Hugo Weaving.

You just need to put a wig on and I really would believe you were there 30 years ago.

This maybe the only time I would accept this explanation (although I still resist it).

I’m proudly a 60fps junkie. Anything less is just… meh.

I’ll save my drink, thanks.

I know we shouldn’t idolise people or push them to positions above what they do.

But I honestly would like to see Miyamoto being credited in the IPs he created ‘forever’. Or at least the main ones.

Just a ‘Special Thanks’ as suggested above would suffice.

I think video games haven’t figured this all out yet as they are usually group efforts, so the original creators sometimes get left out after a while. I wouldn’t imagine a Lord of the Rings movie or TV series not mentioning Tolkien, for example.