Kingy

When people said they wanted the old Nintendo back, THIS is what they meant lol

Depends on what extent of usage and the results I'd say. But people have more than proven there's no place for nuance on this topic.
Generally speaking however I have no interest in an AI generated product.

@electrolite77 Switch 1 & 2 combined sold 10% less than Switch 1 did alone same time last year. That's a decline.
You'd think the "fastest selling console of all time" would be able to keep its momentum for its first holiday season...

...Or maybe the majority of people who were going to buy the Switch 2 already have it and the rest of the world doesn't care.
Guess we'll see what happens.

Edit: Also, you say "one territory" as if the US doesn't contribute the lion's share of hardware sales.
North America alone makes up nearly 60 million of the Switch 1's 154 million units sold.

@electrolite77 ...he said in the article about sales declining

@Lanmanna A slurry emporium

@Lanmanna Major releases like Mario Kart World, Pokémon Legends Z-A, and Metroid Prime 4 were crap. These are supplemented by actual shovelware like Welcome Tour and Drag X Drive, and re-releases of Switch 1 games with insignificant amounts of additional content to justify a $70-$80 price tag.
Nintendo's offerings on the Switch 1 were already a mixed bag. Now quality titles are becoming the exception, not the rule.

I expect a lot better from them and they aren't meeting those expectations. That's what I mean by low quality products. You can keep telling yourself it's just the economy though.

@Markatron84 God forbid you have to read anything but sheer positivity for your favorite multi-billion dollar sludge factory.

I'm sure overcharging for low quality products has absolutely nothing to do with declining sales.

MOOOORE RPGs! After getting through Dragon Quest II Remake and its post game, I've jumped straight into Dragon Quest VII. I'm playing the PS1 original and the 3DS remake simultaneously in preparation for next year's new remake.
I quite like DQVII so far, it has a lot of personality and the original wasn't afraid to take its time to introduce you to its world and characters. The 3DS version DEFINITELY is though, it currently feels like an abridged edition of the game and I get the sense that Square Enix is insecure about it being too long...
Obviously we already know that the new remake has cut out a sizable chunk of content and I'm worried that they are overcorrecting to appeal to a crowd who were never going to play the game anyways.
Other than that I'll be returning to my half year old save of Expedition 33 and finally get around to finishing it. I love this game and all the crazy ***** you can do in it with the right picto combinations... but I got sidetracked by a monkey marathon at the time, among many other games.

Sakurai and the team did an excellent job. Super polished, plenty of crazy unlockables, options to play exactly how you want, shockingly involved customization with your machine, spectacular stages and boss fights, a single player campaign. And weird Sakurai features like the machine market and gummies to add just a bit more personality to the whole package.
This is a complete game

@BTB20 Factor in that this site's userbase is the prime (no pun intended) demographic to be the most charitable to any Nintendo release and 8.3 really isn't very good.

I notice this list has yet another awkward case of NL calling the remaster superior to the original and yet the original scores higher lol. Idk if you guys are writing these blurbs in a vacuum, but you really ought to consider the order before you do if you're going to go by user scores.

Not a great game (maybe not even a good game), but Wario World has that pure crackhead energy I'm looking for in a game about my role model Wario. Full recommend

As long as the monsters are cool and intimidating, and there's something endearing about the human antagonists I don't think their longevity is important.
Salazar and Saddler were able to become extremely memorable antagonists through just a few cutscenes and radio calls, so much so that I think the remake did them dirty. Even Chief Mendez fits the former category, being an imposing presence that mutates into one of the most freakish creatures in the series. All three of them live and die in a single game.

For all of Wesker's overarching machinations in the series, I only really think of RE5 when I think of him, where he's had the largest role. We'll see what RE9 has in store but judging from trailers and preview footage I'm keeping my expectations low.

@Solid_Python Hopefully those aching knees are spared an exploding city block qte sequence

This old man about to throw out his back suplexing B.O.W.s

Jungle Beat was EAD 8's first game, nice little bit of fan service.

When I said the return of Steve Burnside, I was joking... But he would unironically be preferable to any of the Winters lol

@Potimarron A lot of people haven't, it's a pretty niche game. It was my GOTY last year but I assume the only reason it made the NL list is because there was basically nothing else of note released on the Switch in 2024. Save for Emio the Smiling Man, but nobody played that either lol

I guess as far as Switch 2 goes Bananza was the first stand out on it and probably the game with the widest appeal and least amount of drawbacks, so I'll go with that...
I like Air Riders more though.

I enjoyed two of the three games I have for it, so there's that.
Overpriced and underwhelming is all I can really say about Switch 2. Hopefully 2026 will be more promising.

Lol some stiff competition down at the bottom

So are the people gassing up Mario Kart World eventually going to admit that it's trash when the next Mario Kart comes out? That always seems to be the play, denigrate the previous game (or games) in favor of new product.
Release year Mario Kart 8 is leagues ahead of World, all the best tracks in the game were there from the start. The only critical feature missing from it at the time was 200cc, which came a year later (and is EXCLUDED from MKW funny that).
And the only major flaw with release MK8 is that it's battle mode was *****. But you're not allowed to complain about that, because MKW copy and pasted that same ***** battle mode... 8 YEARS AFTER MK8 DELUXE HAD FIXED IT!!
Enough with the revisionist history for the benefit of your sloppy $500 line game, it's gross.

.....also why is Rolling Stone doing a best video games list, aren't they a music or celebrity magazine or something?

Will be grabbing this as soon as the physical releases

No two City Trials I've done has felt the same, and that's thanks to all the little nooks and crannys on the map and a large variation of terrain, events and stadiums.
Now, who can say if I'll feel the same 100 hours later but this really wasn't an issue in the original Air Ride either. It was the rest of the game that couldn't match City Trial.
With Air Riders I feel like all the other modes (except arguably Top Ride to an extent) are now on par with City Trial's quality, it's a far more balanced game.

I'd bet if City Trial had a second map, people would be saying "why not three", and four, five, and onward. That's just how we've been tailored to think with these "live service" always online, always shuffling in new content kind of games.

The open world turned me off from the game, and a bunch of yammering tutorials wearing human skin aren't exactly enticing me back in.

Making my way through the Dragon Quest II Remake which I'm enjoying A LOT more than the first one. Having multiple party members obviously makes the new bosses and souped up enemies more enjoyable to fight. But what I'm enjoying the most is the frequent new dialogue between the main characters.
Arguably the worst part about the first three games is that they have a very rudimentary story and practically no characters.
The DQIII remake did basically nothing to rectify this, it's pretty much just as shallow as the original. DQI on the other hand adds quite a lot to its story, but most of it is superfluous and doesn't really add anything but busywork to the thin narrative. Princess Gwaelin's contribution to the cutscenes if you keep her with you was a treat however.
DQII has your cousins chiming in a lot, and I think it's nearly bringing the game on par with the series best. The Prince of Cannock is an absolute sweetheart.

Other than that I'll be plugging through more Kirby Air Riders achievements and maybe even finish the story mode. The game is a blast, I could do City Trials all day and never get tired of it.
I've been on and off Haunting Ground because honestly I'm just not that into it. I didn't really care for Clock Tower 3 either so that probably should've been expected.
And maybe I'll finally get back to Hollow Knight and finally finish it.

Unfortunately I'm addicted to Umamusume again after a new update and some time away from the game. My previous veteran team is very lacking and will be spending the rest of their retirement in the glue factory

Partners in Time isn't the greatest but I respect it for what it is. This was back when Mario games were allowed to have an edge, I will cherish that era

Solid high 7, fast tracking to an 8 just cause I haven't put much time into single player.

All three multi-player modes are a blast, super chaotic and addictive. Customization is awesome, every play session is capped off with some new demented machine being created. The checklist is as satisfying as it always is.
I don't really have any complaints about Air Riders, it's just plain simple fun with that Sakurai brand of style and spectacle.
On track to best Switch 2 game of the lot I'd say, at least for now.

@Flashlink99 Mike Haggar to clean the bombed out streets of Raccoon City

My roommate and I created a very sultry Patrick Star in a bunny suit and stilettos

The triumphant return of Steve Burnside

At this point I'm just buying whatever few games actually come with a game in them lol. Adding this to the calendar

@iLikeUrAttitude @Spider-Kev "Samus just moved *****... with her FREAKING MIND!!" - Marvel McChucklemeister

Not a fan of the hideous Switch 2 Edition blurb at the bottom, but I'll probably pick this up.

Nice, first two games are decent so I am definitely interested in this. All I've seen and heard about Little Nightmares 3 is that it's crap, or mediocre at best. Glad we didn't need to wait too long for this one

He's the Clark Kent that transforms behind the nearest KOF arcade cabinet.

This game will sell 10 copies and I'll be one of them! First time in months my Switch 2 will see the light of day!

Resident Evil is very much a grab bag of quality. Based on everything I've seen I'm going into this game assuming it won't be great.
They can always prove me wrong, I thought RE4R was going to be crap but was pleasantly surprised with how great it was despite its warts.
Buuuut... RE4R was also using one of the best games of all time as a base. Whereas Requiem looks like it's closer to 7 & Village, which are very much not. So guess we'll see.
Best range I can hope for is "as good as RE7 to not as terrible as Village".

Tomb Raider Reboot was the game that convinced me to buy a PS3 back in 2012. I only had Nintendo consoles beforehand but for whatever reason E3 Tomb Raider gameplay absolutely blew me away.

The game did not disappoint (though I haven't played it since the year it came out), but furthermore it essentially introduced me to one of my favorite consoles. The PS3 kicks ass.

Dead or Alive 5, Dragon Age Origins & Dragon Age II, Arkham Asylum, Catherine, Portal 2, Uncharted, Dragon's Crown, Dead Space, Devil May Cry, Fallout 3 & New Vegas, RE5, Red Dead Redemption, Ni no Kuni, Rayman Origins!
And that's not even considering the massive library of PS1/PS2 on the store, that's how I was introduced to masterpieces like RE2 and Final Fantasy IX.
Thanks Tomb Raider Reboot

Any other year I'd pick this up day one, but we've had so many back to back to back releases I'm afraid Demonschool will need to wait in the dreaded backlog

Hades II slipped my mind when making my predictions. Surprised not seeing Split Fiction on here, I was expecting KCDII to get snubbed.
Obviously these awards don't mean anything but for what it's worth this is a stronger list compared to other years.
I can't even remember last year's nominees, all I know is that Unicorn Overlord wasn't one of em, for shame.

As far as video game movie adaptation goes they could look a hell of a lot worse.

This is one of the lists of all time for sure

Plenty of deserving games on here, some others not so much. And some criminal omissions (no Pikmin 2, no Resident Evil Remake, no Explorers of Sky, no Radiant Historia, Dragon Quest III, V, IX, pretty sure I never saw Bowser’s Inside Story or Metroid Fusion)
Also yeah, the order is wacky as hell, though tbf I'd probably have a hard time ordering them too.
About what I was expecting from IGN.

Indies knocked it out of the park this year. Completely eclipsed AAA offerings

@Migoshuro You too, have a good night!

@Migoshuro (2/2) "We would never use the fill tool" is what I said originally as what I think Necrosoft's statement amounts to. It's a tool, it's there to be used. You don't have to use it and you ought not to because it will never reach the heights of hand painting. But the fill tool is not going anwhere and using your lack of use of it for public grandstanding I find, like I said before- childish and irritating.

Now, to be fair, I made this statement from a different framework from yours. I look Necrosoft's quote and see "We're better artists and people than Embark because we don't use AI", whereas you see "We stand against the schemes of big tech companies and stand with the little guy".

We just don't see eye to eye there. I think it's a tad overdramatic, I think it's struggling in vain against neverending technological advancement, I don't think anyone is owed a job in any industry, at this point I don't think you're telling anyone anything they don't already know, and - like many social issues- I think most people care much less about it than they say they do and are more interested in the aesthetic of goodness.
Not saying that last one applies to you, but just with Nintendo fans, I won't pretend that's not what I believe about the majority of people who talk about this.

Hope this better explains where I'm coming from than my last comment. Obviously we're not going to agree on this because our foundations for it are not the same, but I figure since you are engaging the argument you deserve a better reposnse than ***** slinging, sorry about that.

Edit: Also apologies I needed to split the comment in two

@Migoshuro (1/2) Firstly just to clarify, you've got "AI White Knights" backwards. It refers to people who are so insufferably pro-AI that they pretend there aren't any drawbacks to it whatsoever. Your Shadiversitys of the world for example, if you recognize that name.

To expand on what I was saying because I could've been clearer instead of ranting about Nintendo fans in general (I apologize for that). I fundamentally disagree with your premise regarding Embark here. The TTS AI they're using is based on voice actors they hired for the project. It isn't stealing from anyone and it didn't take anyone's job. They're using it because, similar - NOT literally the same, as I have to constantly qualify - but similarly to Tomodachi Life, they're using it because they want to implement a large number of voice lines that would otherwise be impossible or infeasibly expensive to produce authentically. This is what I'm drawing the comparison from.
I do not agree that these two examples are different enough to warrant you defending one and admonishing the other, because ultimately they're using different technologies to create the same thing - canned lines from a robot. Which, if your principle here is "think of the poor VAs that aren't being hired because of this" - you'd have to condemn both.
And yes, my assumption - here at least - will always be because of favoritism for Nintendo. You can call it presumptive and immature, uncouth even! I can't even argue with that because it is. But that's what I think and I won't pretend otherwise, and I believe I've seen enough examples of fanboyisms in the past that my assumptions are justified. But for the sake of the argument you can disregard it because at the end of the day it's just ranting.

You can disagree with Embark's reasoning and/or methods, but ultimately companies and creatives are not obligated to employ the services of anyone. If AI really is bound to obsolete genuine voice acting (which to be clear, I don't think it will), then that says more about the wider industry than it really does one developer's niche-case use of it.

@Migoshuro Well aware of the concerns dude, I see comments like yours about it all the time. Doesn't change anything I've said here.
It's a tool, it's here to stay, the people who are affected in the industry will adapt or die and there's nothing either of us can do about that.
You can spin it any way you want but brass tacks is that Arc Raiders and Tomodachi Life are both games that use computer voices in place of real voice actors. They're using it for the same exact reason and apply it in similar ways, you've just decided that Nintendo's is good and Embark's is bad.

Which was what I was getting at by making the comparison in the first place, as much as the community here claims they're for the people, as soon as Nintendo does it they change tune.
Mark my words when Nintendo inevitably adopts genAI, 70% of this site's forum users and 100% of its staff will become staunch advocates for it, or at the very least they'll start to tolerate it. I know that sounds pessimistic, but that's just how Nintendo fans are.

Similar to my initial complaint with Necrosoft's statement. It's performative. They only said it to appear morally superior to Embark/Nexon, and that's childish and irritating.
Idk, typing this out I'm thinking maybe this argument is pointless. I don't even particularly like AI art, and bleeding hearts will be on the internet with or without it. Why do I even care, there's no reason for me to fight with people on this lol

@Erigen Okay but I'm not using that comparison generally, I'm using it for the very specific rhetoric of this article, which IS Arc Raiders.
I never said TTS and AI voices are the same.