Pikmin 3 Deluxe is the best game in the series. It makes the Wii U original experience better by having co-op for the main campaign, unlike any other game in the series... officially. I have to mention Pikmin Squared hack of Pikmin 2, which makes Pikmin 1 into a co-op experience with Pikmin 2's engine.

Also shout out to those japanese Pikmin 2 e-reader minigames, which require a ridiculous set-up to get access to.

@Zaruboggan
Exactly! I was wondering why they forgot to mention the co-op.

Still waiting for my physical copy to arrive. I played the demo and there are some fantastic QoL options, like being able to retry the boss right away after Game Over (every game should have this, the boss itself being the interesting challenge to conquer, not the same walking trip there).

Hero time!

I had no nostalgia for this when I booted Shrek 2 last winter on Dolphin and beat it in 4-player co-op. Nothing groundbreaking but we had fun time and the "Hero time" has stuck since in our gaming meetings.

6,5/10

Good to have the option, unlike the competition.

I hope it flops hard.

Focusing on new games... now that's an idea that used to be thw norm long time ago and I miss that.

Oh, right. Forgot to play this for the last time since after work I was just making animation frames for my project. Oh well.

Great! I was waiting for 60fps for Switch 2. Now I really want to buy the physical version.

This reminds me of Rovio saying the same thing about Angry Birds like 13 years ago. Funny how that is now owned by Sega.

Most of my Mario Kart Tour playtime was during CTR Nitro Fueled's online lobbies waiting for racing to start.

I wish they they did what Pocket Camp did instead of completely taking it away. Nintendo is very good at preserving their games but they are also very picky about what they want us to play. Thank Arceus for emulators!

"Banjo-Kazooie developer Rare", that hasn't developed a Banjo-Kazooie game SINCE 2008.

20/21
The only one I got wrong was Splinter Cell, because all the same for me. Baten Kaitos Origins was also difficult since we never got the Gamecube original in Europe.

No need to buy anything from Level-5 anymore.

I was hoping for co-op for the main campaign. Pikmin 3 Deluxe is my favourite in the series because of it.

This was the best thing in the Direct after Metroid Ravenous. Can't wait for new epic boss fights and of course, the True Arena or whatever it's going to be called this time.

This just became my most anticipated game!

@rjejr
First time I run into a library user here when it comes to games. I've borrowed most of the new games I've played this year but Orbitals was one of the few ones I bought (I'm a massive fan of co-op's).

One of my most anticipated games of the year. Already ordered the physical version.

Not really a surprise a first party game didn't win there because it's just Switch Sports. The only other upcoming game we know of is Zelda OOT remake and we still have nothing but the teaser trailer (oh, and Gen 10 Pikemon games too, but that's next year).

Rayman Legends is one the best 2D platformers but I'm not buying this again, even with the new levels. I'm just borrowing this one.

I didn't even know about this. I thought they were going to just make a clobal network test for everyone like Nintendo has done with their games and even Bandai Namco with games like Dark Souls Remastered and Dragon Ball Fighterz. Kinda wanted to test this but oh well.

Um....

You were supposed to put DLC on cartridge alongside the main game, not simply waste plastic like this.

I really like how the 3D original was adapted into 2D. 8-bit versions of the songs were amazing as well.

"A bit pricey for now"

Nintendo games almost never go on sale and if they do, the price is barely reduced. It's even worse for these DLC's that hasn,t been released on cartridges. Some games still get special versions with DLC included and but since Pokopia is just a keycard release I don't hold my breath for an actual DLC on cartridge release.

Just bought this from Steam for 12,89€. It came with Peak, which I already have, so it's a great price at launch.

@-wc-
I've played a ton of local co-op's and I'd like to know, what are your favourites? Maybe I'll learn about some great co-op's I've yet to play. Mine are (in no particular order):
Zelda Four Swords Adventures, Castlevania Harmony of Despair (PS3, Xbox360 version is online only), Pikmin 3 Deluxe, It Takes Two, Split Fiction, Popucom.

Would be nice if Nintendo was the only company still having physical games as an option. Their games are expensive but the value doesn't drop unless it's not one of the popular titles.

Nice, a physical version! This is my most anticipated game for 2026 alongside the Donkey Kong fan game DKC4.

I've played trough 11 different co-op games with my friends this year, old and new.

I haven't seen the japanese cover before but I appreciate the fact it shows more characters, including Banjo and Conker. So i chose the japanese cover.

Great to see Mina in ROA2, especially since Shovel Knight was a quest fighter in ROA1. I guess fans will bring Shovel Knight bt Workshop for the PC version as well (or maybe they already have, I haven't played ROA2 for three months).

@Kilamanjaro
The target audience is anyone who enjoys a great platform fighter that is closer to Melee because of Wavedashing (that is easier to execute than in Melee) and better combo gameplay and with online that works better than in SSB Ultimate (there's a separate tier list for online and local in SSBU because of the lag). Or that's how I see it based on the fighting games played at weeklies in my homecity. ROA2 has received many updates since launch, inclding more options for Free-for-all. As someone who enjoys both free-for-all with items on and a competetive 1vs1, this is a great addition to platform fighter genre.

Well it's Nintendo and they had a really long break from a traditional Directs.

That would be a waste of time.

Yes please! Not another two decade break from new Spyro games.

Eh, it's cheap to get a good deck and do well in tournaments.

Also the retro formats of different eras are a blast. Also GLC and Cube draft. If you don't want to buy the actual cards just print a proxy deck.

Quite a few interesting games to look forward to.

Eh, I'll buy it from Steam then.

Wow, they actually have some great announcement this summer.

Beaten the original three times now with DLC included (once in co-op).

I started with the first Spyro in 1998. I've played all Spyro games since, even the average and bad ones. Damn, we are actually getting a new one that looks great.

Yeah, let's instead compare it to CTR and Sonic Racing Transformed, both which I vastly prefer. Heck, I'll throw Karters 2 ahead of any Mario Kart as well.

Can't wait for this! The base game was very fun to play trough with my brother, who for the most part of the year, lives in a different country.

This was a fine game even on PS3.

So glad it's finally on Switch now.

Still wondering why this isn't simply part of the Wario Ware series. I was expecting for years for Wario Ware to appear on mobile. Seemed like such an obvious choice given it's pick up and play in short bursts nature.

I haven't beaten Bananza yet but so far I prefer DK64 over it. I mostly played the multiplayer mode as a kid with my cousins when visiting them since I didnt't own an N64 then. I beat DK64 as a young adult and then bought it for Wii U as well. My nephews really like the multiplayer mode so it's nice to finally be able to play it on Switch as well.

I really love the feeling when you find a game that hooks you in time and time again, whether it's a single player game or a competitive one you can play with friends at weeklies and bigger tournaments. It's not just the nostalgia but the way you learn new tricks and get better at the game. The community aspect of games has always been very important for me, be it your IRL friends or the ones you chat in online.

I've used this walking app for almost 10 years now and see no point for a sequel. Just keep updating this one. Sure, there would be a lot of ways still how they could improve the formula but for it's just best to keep updating this one.

This quickly became one of my favourite Pokemon games ever alongside Legends Arceus, Black Version 2, Ruby (too much nostalgia for this, otherwise Emerald would take this spot) and Puzzle Challenge.

I just want to find that alternate universe where they continued the story and improved the gameplay from Starfox Assault.

I prefer big Direct's couple times each year rather than small announcements every few weeks.

@nintendohirethisman
It's so weird to see so many comments as if they were working for Nintendo defending every decision they ever make. It has also been very uplifting to see so many comments here defending fanworks here as well.

Maybe this is just something people are not familiar with but a lot of artists start by making fanworks such as Toby Fox with his Earthbound Halloween romhack, followed by his original titles Undertale and Deltarune. Of course Earthbound romhack wasn't monetized but there are plenty of examples of other works. A Fox in Space is one of the best things to come out Starfox (and when it comes to story, easily the best), a fan animation with two episodes so far that were possible because of the Patreon support. Then there's the biggest yearly event for self-published comics in the world, Comiket, where a lot of professional artists have started their careers by making doujinshi, many being based on already existing manga series.

Bought it a couple weeks ago. There aren't too many roguelikes or roguelites I enjoy let alone ones with local multiplayer in them.

I'll rather have critics say what they really think about the movie rather than toxic positivity. I haven't seen the new Mario movie since the first one was very average.

@BAN Thank you bringing some excellent points for the discussion! Comments like yours makes the Nintendolife comment section much better.