For a game like this (and for most games these days), if you have to sacrifice FPS or visual fidelity, sacrifice visual fidelity! The 60 FPS makes so much of a difference.
@axelhander I'm not clicking on your links, but just judging my the titles: yeah, the claim that AI water usage is a problem is—for now—overblown. The amount of electricity AI is using is an enormous issue and is moving us backwards in the fight against climate change.
@Fiskern I have kids, so yeah I do prefer sets for kids. They’re something we can do together and get lots of mileage out of. These big display pieces are fun to build, but then they just take up space.
Well, making all the LEGO Pokémon sets part of their geared-toward-adults line is certainly a choice. I guess that way they don’t conflict with their current Mega Blocks (or whatever you call them) sets for kids.
It’s good news for me! I won’t be tempted to waste my money on them.
@Brilliant_Bird_Man Oh man, I hope this is true. I'll try to remember to take a look later today. That would be game-changing (literally and figuratively).
@Pillowpants pushes up glasses OK so I know what you mean, but I will state for the record that the original Final Fantasy VII also wasn't turn-based.
But yeah, I'm also not thrilled with the Action-RPG direction that Final Fantasy has taken. At least in FF7R you can switch between characters instead of always controlling the same one.
It hurts me when Alana says "Telltale of old", but is referring to The Walking Dead and everything that came after. The real glory days of Telltale were before that. Sam & Max, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, Wallace & Gromit, Tales of Monkey Island; back when Telltale made classic point-and-click adventure games with puzzles and comedy. The Walking Dead was the death of Telltale games that I actually wanted to play.
@Zuljaras I also love Shovel Knight Treasure Trove, but don't love Dig. It's incredibly well polished and has lots of content, but it just didn't quite click with me. I think part of it is the controls. If memory serves, you can't jump without pogo-ing, which causes a lot of problems if you're trying to play carefully.
I'd say unless you love e.g. Downwell, steel clear of Shovel Knight Dig.
A plush for the low, low price of having to insert the card every time you play it and also store the entire game on your own system. Thanks, Pokémon Company!
@PinderSchloss I think what you’re saying makes perfect sense. The thing is, that AI-generated reference of a fighter drains our drinkable water, raises our electricity bills, and contributes to global climate change. Maybe just stick with the human-made ones we have?
Just another quick shout-out: If you own a pair of NES controllers for Switch, you should buy UFO 50 right now. For one thing, if you're the kind of person who bought those controllers, you're probably the kind of person who will enjoy the faux-retro games on offer. But second and perhaps more importantly, every game in the collection (and the interface connecting them) is meant to be played with an NES-style controller. Every single game is played with the D-pad and two face buttons.
I've beaten 21 of the 50 games so far. I've only hated two of them, and I've loved more than 10 of them. Even at full price, each game effectively costs 50 cents, and right now it's 20% off. If you love NES-era games, this is a no-brainer.
EDIT: Also on this list, Cyber Shadow was designed to be playable with an NES controller as well. It's also well worth the asking price.
@SplatRay001 It’s possible! The catalog is large enough that we may not get any Xenoblade soundtracks next year either. We get about 50 shots if they keep up this cadence.
@LightSpirit I dunno, dude. I think it's great and have certainly gotten $20 of value out of it. Sorry for not calibrating my enjoyment to your standards?
For me, Mario Kart is the game I bought this year that's way to expensive for how much fun it is. I'm glad I got it in the bundle for just $50. DK Bananza plus Emerald Rush is easily worth the $90 I paid for it.
EDIT: Also, you can not like it all day and night, but claiming it's only 30 minutes of content is simply incorrect. No way is anybody blowing through the entire DLC in 30 minutes. That's actually impossible. You can claim there's only 30 minutes of worthwhile content, but that's not at all the same thing (and also I disagree, in case that wasn't clear).
And also you heavily imply in your original comment that you haven't bought the DLC yet? So probably you haven't played it? You're speaking awfully authoritatively on it for somebody who hasn't actually experienced it.
As for the genre discussion, I've found it interesting that UFO 50 labels its "metroidvania" games as both "adventure" and "platform". That sounds about right to me. A metroidvania game is a platforming adventure.
EDIT: Which, yeah, means that Pippistrello is not really in this category. It's a 2D adventure game, like 2D Zelda titles.
I played the demo today. Seems pretty deep and well-made, but it didn't really excite me. I put it on my wishlist and I'll almost certainly pick it up once it's 50% off.
@Grumblevolcano I'll be surprised if different-colored Joy-Con were released for the Switch 2 anytime soon. Maybe they'll never be released. It's pretty clear they want the colors of the controllers to match the colors of their sockets on the Switch 2 itself. Nintendo seem scared to death these days of consumer confusion.
@LightSpirit 30 minutes!? Are you just talking about exploring DK Island? Sure, that probably takes about 30 minutes. But the real point of the DLC is the incredibly fleshed-out and challenging roguelite mode, which I have easily spent over 10 hours on so far and haven’t unlocked everything yet.
@DennisReynolds The sales were extremely good. It seems like they’ve dropped off quite precipitously over the holiday shopping season.
If I thought Mario Kart World was worth $80, I’d be singing a different tune. I think it’s worth $50. And to be clear, I want Nintendo to succeed. But I want them to succeed by offering good value. If they’re going to continue raising prices and retiring loyalty programs like gold points, they deserve to fail a bit.
@Suketoudara Reading your comment and discovering there was any EPYX content on Switch at all, I rushed to the eShop. There are two whole EPYX games collections on there and STILL no Jumpman. Come on, people!
In Europe you could buy C64 games for the Wii Virtual Console. Not so in North America! We have been Jumpman-less for decades!
@JohnnyMind If I had a nickel for every time you wrote "looking forward to it when I have time" here on NintendoLife… I would have an extremely large number of nickels.
@MarkSeteth72 Yeah, I’m glad Team Cherry wasn’t rewarded for not offering pre-orders and therefore crashing all the digital storefronts. That was a pretty crappy decision that shows their disdain for others.
@obijuankanoobie It’s not that the Labo software won’t run on an OLED. It’s just that some Labo bits rely on the Switch being that exact size it is. The OLED is larger, so it won’t fit well into the VR cardboard. Moreover, the goggles are calibrated to expect the base model’s screen size, and the OLED’s is bigger. Hence, the images won’t be centered correctly.
Comments 855
Re: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Gets A Free Switch 2 Update And Adds Dixie Kong
@1UP_MARIO Yes they fixed it or yes someone can check?
Re: Donkey Kong Bananza's First DLC In-Game Event Of 2026 Is Now Underway
@Deemo37 Why?
Re: Former Nintendo Of America President Doug Bowser Joins Hasbro's Board Of Directors
@Pillowpants Not gonna lie, I’d probably buy any and all Nintendo-themed Commander decks they’d release.
Re: Video: Nintendo Highlights Enhanced Switch Games On Switch 2
@TheExile285 I don’t think this is the new dripfeed. I think we’re not going to see any more of them. Maybe another couple at most.
Re: Review: MIO: Memories In Orbit (Switch 2) - An Accomplished, Visually Stunning, But Familiar Metroidvania
If only they'd been able to release this before Silksong, I think there would have been even more demand for it.
Re: Review: Dynasty Warriors: Origins (Switch 2) - A Super-Solid Port Of A Fantastic Reboot
@Kraven That's how I am with Fire Emblem. It's a cool series and I buy the games, but I've never finished one.
Re: Review: Dynasty Warriors: Origins (Switch 2) - A Super-Solid Port Of A Fantastic Reboot
For a game like this (and for most games these days), if you have to sacrifice FPS or visual fidelity, sacrifice visual fidelity! The 60 FPS makes so much of a difference.
Re: The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy Is Now Officially 'Two Games In One'
Cool. Maybe now they’ll print some more physical copies and I can snag one.
Re: "I Don't See AI Taking Over" - Split Fiction Director Josef Fares On The Rise Of AI
@axelhander I'm not clicking on your links, but just judging my the titles: yeah, the claim that AI water usage is a problem is—for now—overblown. The amount of electricity AI is using is an enormous issue and is moving us backwards in the fight against climate change.
Re: LEGO Pokémon Reveals First Sets, Launches February 2026
@Fiskern Go ahead and what?
Re: LEGO Pokémon Reveals First Sets, Launches February 2026
@Fiskern I have kids, so yeah I do prefer sets for kids. They’re something we can do together and get lots of mileage out of. These big display pieces are fun to build, but then they just take up space.
Re: Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup In Bellabel Park Has Been Rated
@8bit-Man Define “multiplayer options”. You can 100% play the game multiplayer already.
Re: Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup In Bellabel Park Has Been Rated
@Hwatt Thanks, but I can’t take credit. I saw it on a YouTube short.
Re: LEGO Pokémon Reveals First Sets, Launches February 2026
Well, making all the LEGO Pokémon sets part of their geared-toward-adults line is certainly a choice. I guess that way they don’t conflict with their current Mega Blocks (or whatever you call them) sets for kids.
It’s good news for me! I won’t be tempted to waste my money on them.
Re: Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup In Bellabel Park Has Been Rated
@Dev-N Rosalina will be playable. She’s visible in one of the icons in the lower-left quadrant of the screen at 2:01 in the trailer.
Re: ICYMI: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Gets A Free Switch 2 Update Next Week
That’s a misleading title. It’s the Switch 2 part of the update that isn’t free.
Re: Opinion: The Nintendo Console Nobody Wanted To Review Returns Soon, And I'm Here For It, Again
Speaking for the Labo diehards, we’re hoping that the VR set already works and we won’t need to buy anything.
Re: Shovel Knight Dig Gets Limited Switch Physical Edition From Super Rare Games
@Brilliant_Bird_Man Oh man, I hope this is true. I'll try to remember to take a look later today. That would be game-changing (literally and figuratively).
Re: Video: 8 Exciting New Games Coming To Switch 1 & 2 In January 2026
@Pillowpants pushes up glasses OK so I know what you mean, but I will state for the record that the original Final Fantasy VII also wasn't turn-based.
But yeah, I'm also not thrilled with the Action-RPG direction that Final Fantasy has taken. At least in FF7R you can switch between characters instead of always controlling the same one.
Re: Suika Game Planet Now Available On US eShop For Switch 1 & 2
@The_Nintendo_Expat For $3, that's probably a pretty good value.
Re: Video: 8 Exciting New Games Coming To Switch 1 & 2 In January 2026
It hurts me when Alana says "Telltale of old", but is referring to The Walking Dead and everything that came after. The real glory days of Telltale were before that. Sam & Max, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, Wallace & Gromit, Tales of Monkey Island; back when Telltale made classic point-and-click adventure games with puzzles and comedy. The Walking Dead was the death of Telltale games that I actually wanted to play.
Re: Shovel Knight Dig Gets Limited Switch Physical Edition From Super Rare Games
@Zuljaras I also love Shovel Knight Treasure Trove, but don't love Dig. It's incredibly well polished and has lots of content, but it just didn't quite click with me. I think part of it is the controls. If memory serves, you can't jump without pogo-ing, which causes a lot of problems if you're trying to play carefully.
I'd say unless you love e.g. Downwell, steel clear of Shovel Knight Dig.
Re: Pokémon Pokopia Pre-Orders Come With A Free Gift From Pokémon Center
A plush for the low, low price of having to insert the card every time you play it and also store the entire game on your own system. Thanks, Pokémon Company!
Re: Konami Appears To Have A New Switch Game In The Works
From the name and ESRB blurb, it feels like Konami saw the runaway success of Balan Wonderworld and needed a piece of that action!
Re: "A Knife Can Be Used For Cooking Or As A Weapon" - Level-5 Boss Defends GenAI In Game Development
@PinderSchloss I think what you’re saying makes perfect sense. The thing is, that AI-generated reference of a fighter drains our drinkable water, raises our electricity bills, and contributes to global climate change. Maybe just stick with the human-made ones we have?
Re: "A Knife Can Be Used For Cooking Or As A Weapon" - Level-5 Boss Defends GenAI In Game Development
@riki_sidekicks Prove it.
Re: "A Knife Can Be Used For Cooking Or As A Weapon" - Level-5 Boss Defends GenAI In Game Development
I mean this is one of the companies that fell all over itself trying to get in on the NFT grift. Of course they're going to embrace generative AI.
Re: 137 Switch 1 & 2 Games You Should Check Out In The 'Hits For The Holidays' Nintendo eShop Sale (US)
Just another quick shout-out: If you own a pair of NES controllers for Switch, you should buy UFO 50 right now. For one thing, if you're the kind of person who bought those controllers, you're probably the kind of person who will enjoy the faux-retro games on offer. But second and perhaps more importantly, every game in the collection (and the interface connecting them) is meant to be played with an NES-style controller. Every single game is played with the D-pad and two face buttons.
I've beaten 21 of the 50 games so far. I've only hated two of them, and I've loved more than 10 of them. Even at full price, each game effectively costs 50 cents, and right now it's 20% off. If you love NES-era games, this is a no-brainer.
EDIT: Also on this list, Cyber Shadow was designed to be playable with an NES controller as well. It's also well worth the asking price.
Re: Nintendo Music Revives A Wii Banger In Final Update Of 2025
@SplatRay001 It’s possible! The catalog is large enough that we may not get any Xenoblade soundtracks next year either. We get about 50 shots if they keep up this cadence.
Re: Talking Point: Does It Bother You That Big Games Companies Are Using GenAI?
@dartmonkey I didn’t notice any typos. Also, I’m really glad you wrote this article and created this poll! Here’s hoping the AI bubble bursts soon.
Re: Donkey Kong Bananza Has Been Updated To Version 3.0.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@LightSpirit I dunno, dude. I think it's great and have certainly gotten $20 of value out of it. Sorry for not calibrating my enjoyment to your standards?
For me, Mario Kart is the game I bought this year that's way to expensive for how much fun it is. I'm glad I got it in the bundle for just $50. DK Bananza plus Emerald Rush is easily worth the $90 I paid for it.
EDIT: Also, you can not like it all day and night, but claiming it's only 30 minutes of content is simply incorrect. No way is anybody blowing through the entire DLC in 30 minutes. That's actually impossible. You can claim there's only 30 minutes of worthwhile content, but that's not at all the same thing (and also I disagree, in case that wasn't clear).
And also you heavily imply in your original comment that you haven't bought the DLC yet? So probably you haven't played it? You're speaking awfully authoritatively on it for somebody who hasn't actually experienced it.
Re: "I Skipped School To Play" - Hideo Kojima Cites Super Mario Bros As The Reason He Makes Games
@sportymariosonicmixx I'm also wondering this. Maybe he has arthritis that prevents him from playing action games? I have no idea.
Re: Opinion: Who Needs Link? This Top-Down Metroidvania Is The Best Zelda Game Of 2025
As for the genre discussion, I've found it interesting that UFO 50 labels its "metroidvania" games as both "adventure" and "platform". That sounds about right to me. A metroidvania game is a platforming adventure.
EDIT: Which, yeah, means that Pippistrello is not really in this category. It's a 2D adventure game, like 2D Zelda titles.
Re: Opinion: Who Needs Link? This Top-Down Metroidvania Is The Best Zelda Game Of 2025
@JackTako Yeah, agreed about the art direction. I will say I found it better in practice than it looks in screenshots, but it's still not my favorite.
Re: Opinion: Who Needs Link? This Top-Down Metroidvania Is The Best Zelda Game Of 2025
I played the demo today. Seems pretty deep and well-made, but it didn't really excite me. I put it on my wishlist and I'll almost certainly pick it up once it's 50% off.
Re: Switch 2's Mario Kart World Bundle Has Apparently Reached The End Of Its Lifecycle
@Grumblevolcano I'll be surprised if different-colored Joy-Con were released for the Switch 2 anytime soon. Maybe they'll never be released. It's pretty clear they want the colors of the controllers to match the colors of their sockets on the Switch 2 itself. Nintendo seem scared to death these days of consumer confusion.
Re: Switch 2's Mario Kart World Bundle Has Apparently Reached The End Of Its Lifecycle
@Willo567 I hadn’t even heard of Nintendeen until maybe a week ago? Still haven’t seen a video of his.
Here’s an article from right here on NintendoLife: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/12/the-us-suffered-its-worst-november-since-1995-in-terms-of-hardware-sales
Re: Donkey Kong Bananza Has Been Updated To Version 3.0.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@LightSpirit 30 minutes!? Are you just talking about exploring DK Island? Sure, that probably takes about 30 minutes. But the real point of the DLC is the incredibly fleshed-out and challenging roguelite mode, which I have easily spent over 10 hours on so far and haven’t unlocked everything yet.
Re: Switch 2's Mario Kart World Bundle Has Apparently Reached The End Of Its Lifecycle
@DennisReynolds The sales were extremely good. It seems like they’ve dropped off quite precipitously over the holiday shopping season.
If I thought Mario Kart World was worth $80, I’d be singing a different tune. I think it’s worth $50. And to be clear, I want Nintendo to succeed. But I want them to succeed by offering good value. If they’re going to continue raising prices and retiring loyalty programs like gold points, they deserve to fail a bit.
Re: Switch 2's Mario Kart World Bundle Has Apparently Reached The End Of Its Lifecycle
Just keep shooting yourself in the foot, Nintendo.
Re: More Switch Games Have Received Compatibility Updates For Switch 2
I’ve noticed the sound issues in Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. I hope they’re able to fix those soon.
Re: More Switch Games Have Received Compatibility Updates For Switch 2
@Suketoudara Reading your comment and discovering there was any EPYX content on Switch at all, I rushed to the eShop. There are two whole EPYX games collections on there and STILL no Jumpman. Come on, people!
In Europe you could buy C64 games for the Wii Virtual Console. Not so in North America! We have been Jumpman-less for decades!
Re: Opinion: Rayman 2 Is An Overlooked Platforming Classic About A Rebel With A Cause
@JohnnyMind If I had a nickel for every time you wrote "looking forward to it when I have time" here on NintendoLife… I would have an extremely large number of nickels.
Re: Review: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (Switch 2) - A Hard Pass For A Great Game
Wow, the Switch 2 really is just a license for studios to get even lazier and optimize even less than on Switch.
Re: Round Up: Everything Announced At The Game Awards 2025 - All Switch 1 & 2 Reveals
I wish they hadn’t announced the Mega Man game more than a year out. Also, why not a numbered entry? The gameplay screams classic Mega Man.
Re: The Game Awards GOTY For 2025 Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
@MarkSeteth72 Yeah, I’m glad Team Cherry wasn’t rewarded for not offering pre-orders and therefore crashing all the digital storefronts. That was a pretty crappy decision that shows their disdain for others.
Re: Nintendo Switch Parental Controls App Updated To Ver. 2.3.0, Here Are The Patch Notes
Extending playtime by an hour will be handy for me. It would be nice if it were more granular though.
Re: Reminder: Virtual Boy For Switch And Switch 2 Are Available On The My Nintendo Store
@obijuankanoobie Huh. I guess I should try it with my OLED sometime. I would think the images would be slightly too far out to the sides.
Re: Reminder: Virtual Boy For Switch And Switch 2 Are Available On The My Nintendo Store
@SwitchplayerJohn I would not bet on that. In fact I would bet very strongly against it.
Re: Reminder: Virtual Boy For Switch And Switch 2 Are Available On The My Nintendo Store
@obijuankanoobie It’s not that the Labo software won’t run on an OLED. It’s just that some Labo bits rely on the Switch being that exact size it is. The OLED is larger, so it won’t fit well into the VR cardboard. Moreover, the goggles are calibrated to expect the base model’s screen size, and the OLED’s is bigger. Hence, the images won’t be centered correctly.