Kingy

@AussieMcBucket That's understandable, Sakurai definitely has a formula that all his games follow. And that can be a cause for concern with Air Riders since the original game was so light on content.
That being said there's a certain unique care to detail his games have that I feel make them so evergreen and ergo where he gets his reputation. I'll say it right now that SINGLE track he showcased in the direct is more dynamic and has more character than the entirety of Mario Kart World.
It could be the case that most of us only play the game on and off for a little bit or only bust it out for parties (like the original), but I'd take 15-20 hours of quality fun anyday over the 40 hours of boredom I got with MKW.

Plus, the original Air Ride had an extensive achievement system for solo play, which has been carried over to all his games since, so we can expect it here too.

The ***** RE6 fly boss above Ada is hilarious. Maybe would've gone with something else but then again Leon and Claire are already representing 2 & 4 lol. Also noticing a distinct lack of Ethan Winters - which is fine by me - but still weird nonetheless given how huge RE7 was.

@SBandy1 OG RE2 & 3 just released on PS5 today if you have that. They're part of the PS classics library, so I wouldn't hold my breath for a switch version.

Plot twist, Kirby Air Riders isn't real and this an elaborate Smash Bros. reveal. Sakurai is the only guy devious enough to do that lol.

Jokes aside, Switch 2 needs a good racing game. PLEASE be good, PLEASE!!

Didn't vote, never going to play this game. If I had to eyeball it based on everything I've seen and heard about it, it looks like a 4, maybe even a 3 given the controls but I'll never know for sure how good or bad they are.
If this game didn't have Nintendo's name on it nobody here would give it any attention, it'd fall right into the eslop pits with no fanfare.
Its legacy will be Scott the Woz giving it an "eh" three or four years from now on some Switch 2 retrospective.

@electrolite77 You want portable get a steam deck. It costs the same and plays every game on here plus the rest of steam's library plus basically everything else with emulators.

At this point just buy a playstation lol, more than half of these would absolutely look and run worse AND would be digital only on Switch 2. No thanks

Nice, I've heard it's good and I'd rather play it on the couch over the computer.

I hate half the games on here lmao

Okay more like I hate three of those games and four of them have aspects I find disagreeable.

@DreadfulDragon Sorry, I didn't see this until now.
You didn't answer my question. I asked if YOU thought the Metroids destroying SR388's ecosystem was okay, not what the Galactic Federation or human society as a whole thinks. The consideration was for you alone.

Beyond that I'll say we're beginning to loop back to the point of my original argument, in that comparing Metroids to a human or human-like species is a fallacy. They are objectively not in the Metroid universe.
The reason why Samus gets to live despite being a living weapon is because of the choices Samus made as a person to defend the galaxy from those who would destroy it.
The reason the Metroids die is precisely because they are a weapon and lack the greater autonomy to resist. They CAN resist, that's precisely what the baby does in Super Metroid, but that was an exception to the rule of the Metroids based on the baby imprinting on Samus the second it hatched. An exception no one was aware of until it happened.

As for your comments on the sustainability of humans, I think it's a bit ridiculous, at least when compared to Metroids.
Humans have survived for an estimated 300,000 years to a population of nearly 8 billion while still having the capacity to co exist with other millions of non-human species on the planet. We have hunted many to extinction, and we also have not, and that is based off our choice to do so.
The Metroids in comparison had only existed for a short period of time and at the population of 40 reduced SR388's native life exceptionally. You could argue that it would take a long time to reproduce enough Metroids to hunt the entire planet to extinction, but that is precisely what the Metroids WILL do because they lack the intelligence to preserve wildlife even for their own survival. And at the rate of what 40 are capable of it'll take much less time than 300,000 years to do it.
Meanwhile humans in the Metroid universe have attained interplanetary civilization and co-exist with alien races. THAT'S the difference.

@GoldenSunRM Game is clearly a 93.5 stars out of a possible 113 smh

lol unintuitive controls, bare minimum content and no personality = 7/10, just a couple points away from being a masterpiece. Oh brother

Playing through a bunch of WayForward games, they have A+ sprite art, surprising not seeing a single one on here.
Risky's Revenge, Pirate's Curse and River City Girls are a treat on the eyes, even the original GBC Shantae is impressive.

@DreadfulDragon I totally agree with you about the X, they're an overwhelming threat to everything in existence and therefore need to be dealt with. I was just posing the question in what I understood was your logical framework.

As for the Metroids I want you to imagine this: what if somewhere in the heart of Africa there was a species of mosquito that when fired from a gun had the force of a nuclear bomb. Should these species continue to exist, knowing that when someone weaponizes them - and someone would always want to weaponize them - they would have the capacity to destroy everything?
The Metroids ARE those mosquitos in that universe. They are extremely durable, extremely easy to replicate, and have extreme lethal capability. As shown in Super Metroid, all it takes is a single Metroid to restart the process of reproducing a galaxy-ending threat (Edit: Just remembered that in Fusion they show all it takes is the remnant of Metroid DNA!)

Also keep in mind that Samus is not like your typical federation soldier, she's been trained and genetically engineered by the Chozo to be superhuman. And everything in her arsenal was made specifically by the Chozo to combat threats like the Metroids (why would they create the Ice Beam otherwise). Her suit is unique and so is she, there's only one of her in the entire galaxy.
All this is to say I think the Federation are absolutely right to eliminate the Metroids while they still can based off that threat alone, and I think, just like the mosquitos and the X, they'd be insane not to.
Out of the six mainline titles (excluding the Prime games because I haven't played them) four of them contain a plot to replicate Metroids to use as a superweapon. Two of those instances were from the Federation themselves! Their continued existence is just not feasible.

Though, I really do want to stress that if by some miracle they were left to their own devices, they would STILL eventually hunt every single species on SR388 to extinction. As Metroid II progresses the game world becomes more and more devoid of enemies until finally you're exclusively fighting Metroids in a completely barren environment (again, in the original - the remake fumbles this detail hard because it sucks).
Completely barren is what only 40 Metroids are capable of. Invasive doesn't even cut it at that point, they're like an ecological cancer!
Now like I said in my previous comment, your argument would mean you'd consider all of those species distinct alien races - therefore their eradication would be a genocide.
Safe to say you wouldn't say that with the context that they are animals, but would that make their extinction okay? Do the Metroids - which are synthetic lifeforms - take precedent over the planet's natural life? And would they realistically even be a sustainable species given they essentially vacuum up other organisms until there's nothing left, and assumedly starve after?
My answer to both is obviously NO, but I would like to hear yours. Because from my PoV, there's no scenario where the Metroids are not a threat equal to the X.

@DreadfulDragon So I'm to assume everything in your previous comments don't apply to the X because we've arbitrarily decided they're too dangerous for moral consideration? It isn't a 'dick move' in this case?
Not trying to be difficult, but you're putting the cart before the horse.

"A little common sense would assume that should mankind encounter non-human sentient life, that definition might expand."

That isn't an assumption in the Metroid universe, it's reality. There are presumably countless intelligent alien species that have been given 'people' status, and more primitive alien life that would be considered like animals.
Metroids are neither, they're a bioweapon created by one alien race to destroy another. They themselves don't have civilization or a culture, or anything that would constitute our current definition of a people- and more importantly- what is considered a people in the Metroid universe.
On their own they're an invasive species that destroy SR388's natural habitat because of their programming. Left in the hands of someone who knows how to use them they're a threat to all life in the galaxy.
Space pirates or no space pirates, you'd be ignoring the immediate threat to endemic life they pose, which by your definition you'd consider to all be their own distinct races. That's a lot of genocides!
Now obviously the other creatures on SR388 are animals (excluding the X, which clearly has some form of higher intelligence ironically enough), but that certainly doesn't make that permissable by our standards - and likely not in the Metroid universe considering how many artificial habitats we adventure throughout the series.

Metroid II ends on a somber tone (the original at least), so it's not like the game is reveling in hunting a species to extinction. But it was absolutely necessary to do given what they're capable of, same as the X.
And as much as I understand your reasoning, the first guy was right. In the Metroid universe, humans are people, Chozos are people. Space Pirates, Luminoth, the various races of the bounty hunters - all people.
The Metroids are NOT people, so destroying them was not a genocide by our definition. And seeing as how no Metroid game has ever made a distinction on the word, we have no reason to believe it would be different.

@DreadfulDragon This is very funny with the context that Metroids are synthetic organisms engineered to wipe out another species.

Neverway and Is This Seat Taken were the stand outs for me. I was already sold on Mina the Hollower and Demonschool

Long time coming. This game has been sitting in my 'TBA' list for nearly two years now. Don't love the character designs but aside from that the game looks awesome!

All the Donkey Kong games come before all the Super Mario games, it's that simple. Jumpman and Lady are not Mario and Pauline.
Not only is there a timeline, it now makes MORE sense given Cranky's age.

@Fiergala Thanks lol, I was wondering if anybody actually looks at those!

@kmtrain83 Most people are also not so passionate as to frequent a Nintendo blog site and fill out a Nintendo survey.
If I'm right about their intentions, then all the majority of people need to be is indifferent. You look at the game key card and don't buy it because it's a bad deal, then they turn around and spin that as sharp declining physical sales and a reason to move on to an all-digital future. They're manipulating the outcome.

Believe me, I'd rather you be right than me, and that they're actually listening to feedback. But I have my doubts.

@UltimateOtaku91 Right, and install sizes on the PS5 tend to be large too, so it's annoying if you have a lot of games and need to constantly delete them off the console storage.
But the important thing is say 30 years from now so long as you have a working PS5 you'd still be able to play most of its physical library no problem. Where the way things are going with the Switch 2 you'd be SOL.

I haven't played Forgotten Land yet and I'd love to, but $80 is a ridiculous asking price. I can always fish for a used Switch 1 copy and do the upgrade path, but idk. I don't doubt the game is fun but Kirby games tend to be very short and very easy.

Other than that I'll be getting Shantae this month and Grand Bazaar and Shinobi down the line.

@UltimateOtaku91 Most PS5 games are available to play from the box without an internet connection. What you're waiting for when you insert a new disc is the game being installed from the disc onto your console.
NOW if you do have an internet connection, then the system will automatically download patches, and if you go offline during that the game won't be playable until you finish that process (which I don't like), but again, that's only if you were connected to the internet to begin with.
That isn't the same as a key card where the game doesn't even exist on the cart, it's just a permission slip that allows you to download the game while Switch 2 servers are still active. I don't think I need to explain why that's a problem.

For example, nobody bought that piece of ***** "physical" copy of Doom The Dark Ages because it only came with 5mb on the disc and required a download. Key cards have even less.

@8bitKirby Absolutely, same here. That will be a line too far for me.

I went through the survey but idk how much it'll really matter. I think game key-cards were made to ween you off of physical games entirely. You not buying them was probably the intent, after all how many people are going to wait to mail order / go to the store to buy a cartridge with no game on it, when you can just turn on your Switch and download the game instantly.

Switch 3 is going to be a digital only console, and they're gaslighting you into thinking physical games are a bogus deal / aren't profitable today, so they can sell you that reality tomorrow.
This isn't me saying you should buy key-cards btw, they ARE a bogus deal. This is just a trajectory the entire games industry wants to take, and Nintendo is certainly no stranger in being the first to take the plunge on anti-consumer practices.

@JJJAGUAR "But I will concede typically those names are a lot more striking than Elliot" - Me

I already did dude

@JJJAGUAR To avoid splitting hairs we can agree to disagree on that, neither of us have conclusive data on hand and it's removed from the original point anyways.
I'm sure at least you can agree it's not an uncommon way to title things, without requiring me to provide an exhaustive list. And that's why I believe they named it the way that they did.

@JJJAGUAR My bad, I thought you had meant to say Elliot was a common name, therefore attributing to the title being generic.

I think including your protagonist's (or antagonist's) name in the title is actually the most common naming convention, for the same reason you say companies do it. But I will concede typically those names are a lot more striking than Elliot.
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Alice's Adventure in Wonderland, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Beren & Luthien, Moby Dick, All-Star Superman, Batman: Year One, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, Bone, Hellboy, Scott Pilgrim, Zot!
and all those are just what's on my bookshelf.
If I had to guess, Square Enix is planning on making multiple games starring Elliot, and felt the need to include him in the title like many franchises do.
Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong Country, Bayonetta, Sonic Adventure, Mega Man or Rockman, Banjo Kazooie, Rayman, Shantae, Atelier Ryza, etc etc

@tgt True, it does sound redundant, unless the 'tales' are referring to tales that exist in universe. But the Japanese name seems to imply Elliot's adventures and the thousand year tales are one in the same, maybe the English title should've followed that same structure.

@JJJAGUAR Sure, I can understand that to an extent, but I think there is credit being ignored to reach that conclusion.
"The Adventures of blank" is a classical naming convention, and it's a literal description of what the story is about. Not only does it effectively communicate what the story is in a single line, it also sets a tone, because while "The Adventures of" may have been a common title scheme at a time, it isn't now. It tells me that Elliot is meant to be something likened to old epics and fairy tales.
I don't think the length of the name is really a problem either, we shorten titles all the time when we talk about them.
You don't say "Want to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" (a title just one syllable short of The Adventures of Elliot), you say "Smash Bros." or "Ultimate"
The Legend of Zelda gets shortened to Zelda
Fire Emblem gets shortened to FE
And in this case The Adventures of Elliot gets shortened to Elliot. Look at the way the title is stylized on the box, "Elliot" takes priority over everything else.

The choice of Elliot as the main character's name is also something I feel like isn't getting due credit. In stories, names are picked to fit the character. Zelda isn't just an atypical name, it also sounds fantastical, feminine, and European. A perfect fit for the name of a magical elven princess in a medieval themed world. Now take a look at Elliot, he's got a slim build, is dressed in plain clothes, and nothing about him in the trailer seems to indicate any extraordinary characteristics outside of exceptional bravery. He looks like an everyman, and so should have an everyman sort of name.
If the game was called "The Adventures of Groshnarg", it'd certainly sound more unique, but I'd be expecting a completely different character with a completely different personality with a name like that.
Even his companion has a simple name, Faie (or Fae) just means Faerie. So she's Fairy the fairy lol.

I don't think the food analogy works here because that would imply that the name is fundamentally flawed. After all, a chicken isn't subjectively undercooked / overcooked, it either is or it isn't.
This team has done short and unique names before, and frankly I think they all suck.
Bravely Default is a play on the game's offensive and defensive mechanics (BRAVE and DEFAULT) but as a title it doesn't tell me anything and doesn't really sound like anything either, it's nonsense.
Octopath Traveler is even worse, it's supposed to refer to the paths of eight travelers (the eight main characters), but if you were someone looking at the title without context you're first question would be wtf an Octopath even is.
Then Triangle Strategy is just ridiculous. I suppose it does communicate that it's a strategy game lol, but then the triangle (named for three specific companions out of many that represent three core virtues) is so abstract I'm right back to zero indication what the game is even about.
"The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales" in comparison is unmistakable. It's an adventure, starring a character named Elliot, and there's something about the story that spans a thousand years.

All this is to say that I don't disagree that someone's taste for the name is completely subjective, obviously. Just wanted make some arguments in favor of this title and longer titles in general, because they have the benefit of being descriptive and carry a distinct tone in the same way a short snappy title would.

Can someone who doesn't like the title please explain to me what they actually think is wrong with it. Like this studio has made a lot of abstract titles that people really love to hate (Bravely Default, Octopath Traveler, Triangle Strategy), but it seems they can't even win when the give it as direct a title as possible.

Do people think it's too descriptive, or too long? It's a pretty standard title for fantasy I'd say.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

Title + descriptive subtitle is about as classical a naming convention as you can get.

I was going to start a Metal Gear marathon (plus some other Kojima games), but with the new Shantae game releasing in the middle of the month, I've expedited a WayForward marathon...
That is of course, in theory, if I didn't spend all my allotted free time per day on gacha games. I cannot resist the kelpie's call of Umamusume, I'm sunk.

This week on NL: "C'mon guys, can we stop comparing these two games now!?" (Two games that just so happen to have the same genre, be made by the same dev team back to back, have similar aesthetics, and take place in the same universe.

Last week on NL: "ALRIGHT BRUV, HERE'S OUR RANKING OF THE ALL THE DONKEY KONG GAMES FROM WORST TO BEST!!" Oh would you look at that, the newest game just so happens to be best one, what a shock!!!

Wish more writers on these blog sites actually read previous articles so the site didn't sound schizophrenic, but thems the breaks for clicks I guess.

@Ulysses Oh yeah, you're not wrong. I think the modern Zelda UIs look god awful too 😆, as much aesthetically as they are clunky to navigate.
I do like the fairy bubble in Elliot though, I think if I were to change the UI the fairy would be the only thing mostly unchanged.

Didn't play the demo but a cartridge with the game on it would be nice lol.
Also I the overworld UI makes it look like a mobile game but that's not too big of an issue

Some cool stuff though nothing that blew me away. And idk if I'd get any of these for the Switch if given the option due to the key cards. Also performance to consider, Katamari looked particularly crusty, though that could've just been the stream.

Was anticipating this game, finally there's a release date. Bummer that the physical copy is - like usual - exclusive to scum of the earth Limited Run Games, they're not getting another cent out of me.
Relic Hunter Shantae alone will probably get me to bite on the deluxe edition

@Obi-WonTheHighGround I'd actually say DK64 being a bloated collect-athon is one of least worst things about the game.
It definitely makes the whole campaign a huge slog, where you have to constantly backtrack to certain points in a level to change your Kong in order to vacuum up a bunch of color coded collectables, and it only gets worse the further you go in where levels just keep getting bigger and introduce mazes, steep vertical levels or a day/night cycle to waste even more of your time. It is probably the most egregious example of padding in a video game save for maybe Bravely Default or Devil May Cry 4.

But I think there are much bigger issues that get overlooked because of the padding. Like how DK64 is a terrible platformer. All five Kongs are extremely slow and stiff, and awkward to control. So you have multiple segments in the game that require precision and the controls keep failing you. It sucks.

But by far the worst offense of this game is that it keeps assaulting you with these GOD AWFUL mini games that get repeated over and over again. Sometimes they'll be relegated to bonus game barrels, other times they'll be played in the overworld or a special area, but they're crap 100% of the time and they just suck the life out of me lol.
Even if you don't go for completion like I did, I don't think there's a single thing about DK64 that's worth playing for - other than the personality I guess - but then just watch the cutscenes on YouTube, or better yet, play Banjo Kazooie.

I'd like to finish the post game for Bananza and Mario Odyssey. Bananza absolutely delivered overall. It was a weak start but every level just kept getting better until it was just hit after hit. The first worthy game for the Switch 2 lol
Here's how I think all the DK games stack up after playing through them all -
1. Donkey Kong Country 2 (9) - The Country games are like a masterclass in level design, with DKC2 being the strongest showcase with I'd say the most variety of ideas in a single game. Also the only game that I felt was worth collecting everything.
2. Donkey Kong Country 3 (9) - Nearly as great as DKC2 for the same reasons, though a lot easier all the way until the end where it ramps up the difficulty to much frustration.
3. Donkey Kong Bananza (8) - Like I said before, this game just keeps getting better the more you play, and it has the best end sequence of any DK game hands down. It could move under the retro DKCs in the future when that new game sheen begins to fade, but with the skill tree and the lenient progression (I've seen plenty of crazy sequence breaks already), I think Bananza has a lot to offer and deserves to be up here.
4. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (8) - The Retro Studios DKCs just have a lot of charm and some really dope levels. I don't think they reach the heights of what Rare did, which is why they're lower, but I'd still certainly call them two of the greatest platformers ever made, and I hope they get to make a third one day. Tropical Freeze is the better of the two, but not by as wide a margin as I thought it'd be.
5. Donkey Kong Country Returns (8) - I had never played Returns and for some reason I thought it would be underwhelming (something technically good but a bit bland like New Super Mario Bros.), but no, I wound up being very impressed with it. This one establishes much of the gimmicky themes and mechanics that Tropical Freeze would go on to lean into, but for the most part its just pure platforming and I have a lot of respect for it there.
6. Donkey Kong Country (8) - Speaking of pure platforming, that's basically what the first DKC is. A collection of challenging levels without much to distract you through to the end. Probably the most replay friendly because of that.
8. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (7) - Wild ass game, it is one of the most unhinged Nintendo games ever made. Super fun high score combo meter that makes me want to keep replaying kingdoms to see how long I can go without touching the floor. But the controls are finnicky thanks to the bongo drum controller, and I feel like the game would just be straight up better without it.
9. Donkey Kong 64 (3) - My deep-seated childhood nostalgia for this game completely and totally crumbled under the weight of how dog ***** it is. I don't think I have EVER played a game that respects your time LESS than DK64!! At its best its tedious... at its worst its making you constantly play these ***** little minigames that you could not convince me were ever playtested. The only DK I will NEVER play again lmao

BONUS - Donkey Kong: King of Swing (unranked) - I played this for like an hour got bored and moved on. It's a neat idea, but maybe not something worthy of an entire game.

I guess better to axe it than sell people a version of the game that runs like garbage. At least that's what I assume they canned the Switch version for.

Mobile gaming destroyed this franchise 😞

Bananza is surprisingly a slow burn so its hard for me predict what score I'll give it. There wasn't much going on for the first three and a half levels and I was certain the game would fall into the lower end of 6 for my scale. But ever since the refinery level the game has picked up an immense amount of steam and keeps throwing new ideas that compliment the core mechanic of smashing everything to dust.
If I were to throw a score down now I'd probably say 7, but if it keeps up the momentum I can definitely see it rocketing into 8 territory (which is where Odyssey and the Retro Country games place).

@9_10DOH64 I've already heard three full recreations from DKC1 & 2 brother, start looking for those challenge rooms

I played the hell out of this when I was a kid along with Mario Strikers, Toadstool Tour, Power Tennis, & Street V3 (featuring Mario and the Beastie Boys). Golden age of sports games, we'll never see it again

This weekend will be dedicated to Bananza and the rest of Mario Odyssey's post game.

I'm at sublayer 600 in Bananza, and I can't really say how I feel about it yet. Donkey Kong is fun to play as and the destructible environment is cool but so far the game hasn't really introduced any new ideas or mechanics other than a short minecart segment and terrain that makes you slower.
Really hope the game ramps up or gets more creative with its levels in the latter half.

@Ellie-Moo No problem.

Mario Wonder has a lot of language options for the flowers so I imagine it wasn't much effort to add a mute option too. But yeah I'm shocked there's an option at all, Nintendo has a tendency to force you to play their games one way only.

@Ellie-Moo You can set the flowers to mute, and I don't think you lose out on anything because the dialogue boxes should still appear.
I can't confirm that myself though because I played with the voices on.

They don't ruin the game but most of their dialogue boils down to tutorials and inane quips that don't really add anything to it. And they speak in full English, which I think is just a bad fit for Mario games, same with Pauline here in Bananza.

I had the same complaint in Mario Wonder with the flowers but I wish there was an option to have Pauline speak gibberish like the rest of the characters (in this game and most other Mario games). Her speaking in full English is uncanny.

After conquering every Country, 64, Jungle Beat, and Odyssey before this, I'm ready to expand dong one last time!