MTMike87

To answer the article's question, yes, I think Nintendo should be a little worried right now. It's not that I see the console flopping or anything, but it does feel like Nintendo has lost some of the original Switch momentum here. The transition just wasn't smooth.

Some of this can be blamed on the "change of market conditions," but they did not have the best plan out of the gate for the console anyway. Realistically, they only had 4 or 5 exclusive games for the system with all of that hope being pinned on the launch title: Mario Kart World which is considered inferior to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at this time. This will of course change over the years, but for now, it didn't add the value to the system that they were anticipating.

Its strange because I genuinely thought the world was clamoring for better performance and resolution for their current software, but it seems to have just been an extremely loud minority now or they simply missed the opportunity to appeal to that audience due to how long it took for the system to come out.

Now, I'm afraid the Nintendo Switch 2 is going to fall in the same hole that the PlayStation 5 Pro fell into, and will be deemed an "enthusiast's" console and not even fall on the radar of the original Nintendo Switch owners for many years. Could put a real strain on the company if they can't get more Switch owners to upgrade soon and will be forced to continue supporting the original system up to 2028. A price drop should be the solution, but I fear the price of the base console is going to go up $50 in the very near future on top of the bundle officially no longer being produced.

@Daniel36 Yeah, I have no idea what that decision was. There's also an achievements list that can steer you towards additional content that can be missed. You can read the books that units find while out on errands, etc.

But when I discovered the cutscenes (you can identify them because they have a play button beside them) my jaw hit the floor. I was like why did they up-rez and dub these and then hide them behind like 4 menus?! I thought it was just going to replay the in-game scene for me.

I'm unsure what the "War of the Lions" content is so I can't say too much about that... BUT I do know some (if not all) of the War of the Lions cutscenes are in the Chronicle section of the game and were completely re-dubbed with the new cast. I'm not sure how many people really know this or not.

Not sure why there is no option to enable them to play instead of just the dialog boxes as the story unfolds. Maybe that's one thing they can update to include. I'd gladly replay it since it's now a Top 10 Switch game for me.

Definitely going to have to grab the Final Fight cover.

Seems like it's priced high to go on "sale" later for the proper price point. It's a little too late for me, I decked out my Switch 2 in JSAUX gear: Joy-Con and system protective shells + a proper carrying case and an ANKER battery that keeps my system charging while I play in tabletop now.

I think I spent $65 for all of that and the battery charges my Switch 2 for 6 additional hours (3 full charges) before needing to recharge it. I'd go that route honestly.

On topic of the article: This is a shame to see, more so that it really drives the point home that families were forced to be much more frugal with their spending habits during the holidays this year. It's going to be a disappointing Christmas for a lot of kids this year.

To those talking sales: This impacted all platforms, not just Nintendo. We lack the relevant information to know what sales expectations this holiday were from all hardware manufacturers. They have professional analysts gauging market conditions 8 hours a day. I would imagine this was little surprise to these companies this holiday season as a result of the fluctuating market conditions leading up to November. This article has little to no reflection on any of these system's future success/failure.

Its nice to read about the improvements. I touched on GC briefly with SoulCalibur II and F-Zero GX but quickly realized something didn't feel quite right with either game and haven't touched the app since.

I'm not in a hurry to play GC, and the three games I am looking forward to shouldn't be affected by these issues due to them all being turn-based. So I'm happy to wait for the improvements to keep being implemented for the more input-heavy games before jumping into this collection!

Can't believe we've already locked in more PS4 / Switch releases not just for 2026, but 2027 as well. I honestly love to see it!

As for me, Pragmata's release date was my highlight. Not only my personal most anticipated game, but it's the #1 most anticipated game in Japan, being #1 on Famitsu's Most Wanted for a long time now. I really believe this game will be something special and it's so exciting to see it coming to Nintendo Switch 2!

Total Use Time: 297 Hrs. 17 Mins.
Favorite Track: Checking the News: Nighttime (News Channel)
Most Listened-To Playlist: Nintendo Music Top Tracks
Favorite Character Playlist: Zelda
Most Listened-To Game: Wii Channels

I use this app almost every day, but I also love Nintendo's music a lot and listen to it on the commute to work. Every now and then I'll play some music on a 15 minute extended time while I'm going to sleep.

I absolutely love it!

Storage still hasn't been a huge factor for me yet, so I have yet to purchase a Micro SD Express card. As I purchase games like Pokopia, Fantasy Life i, and Bravely Default though, that storage capacity will start to drop though.

I'm just not sure how many of these games I will really need to keep installed at any one time. I'm sure EVENTUALLY I'll need it though, so trying to decide if I can just hold out for the market to balance out manufacturing or not.

It's been a sad thing to both watch and be a part of. This was the first hobby my wife and I started together after getting married. We love playing the card game and enjoyed ripping packs. We even have personalized collections for each other, and we usually try to get a playset of every new set released. (4 of each card in its least rare form) just to experiment and build our own decks.

Now we just have to buy the cards we absolutely need to build a single deck every few months and it's just not as fun as being apart of a community at our local hobby stores, which now sell packs at 2.5x MSRP.

So we just kind of had to stop entirely now. I hope everything crashes as soon as possible so we can enjoy the hobby again, but I'll never support people and businesses that make the hobby inaccessible.

If this turns out to be true, I was 100% correct!!!! Woo!

@Olliemar28 That is perfect! I really appreciate it.

Is there an easy way to look at all of Nintendo Life's Controller and Accessory reviews for the sake of comparison?

I can't seem to find an option in the reviews or featured sections.

I put it at an overall 9 right now, simply because it's everything I've wanted, but at the cost of battery life and some hiccups with backwards compatibility on some of my library. The battery issue was quickly remedied with a Power Bank, as for me personally, I'm really only going to be playing this in handheld for long periods of time when playing multiplayer games with my wife over the weekend. Tabletop + Power Bank + Pro Controller on a small table works great with the bigger screen size, so this wasn't a huge deal to me personally.

The library is also strong for me, between the Free Upgrades, the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of various Switch titles, the great but minimal library of GameCube games and the small library of Nintendo's exclusive offerings. We'll see if the momentum carries on next year.

The Game Key Card thing doesn't bother me much but I also haven't purchased one yet since nothing I've wanted for Switch 2 uses it, but that will change when Pokémon Pokopia launches next year. I'll see how I feel about it then, but I don't think my opinion on it will change much.

Lastly, it seems my entire library is deemed "playable" by Nintendo's standards, but things like audio crackling in the port of the original Final Fantasy VII for example, are disappointing to see. Sadly, because of the official statement on the eShop that it performs correctly when it doesn't, I don't feel that games with these issues will ever see improvement patches, meaning I'll have to play them elsewhere now.

Eh, I don't know about that statement. Mina the Hollower selling 200,000 units probably wouldn't get them out of whatever financial hole they are in, at least not for very long.

The amount of free content they deliver post-launch is admirable and appreciated, but if the company goes under as a result... As a fan, its great, but because I'm a fan, I'd have been fine paying a few dollars for some DLC packs to keep them afloat. They really undervalued what they were putting out there at no additional cost.

Legend of Mana is so wonderful and misunderstood. But, it's hard to blame people for their disapproval of it.

I would have never owned a PlayStation if this game had not existed. I have played Legend of Mana through a good 20 times now, so I am excited to see what additional art is in this book!

@Coalescence Just going to throw it out there that Dark Horse already did an artbook of the first three games (along with the rest of the series strangely enough), also called Art of Mana.

I own it and it is absolutely wonderful! Highly recommended!

I still haven't made time to play this game. I enjoyed Banjo-Kazooie so much growing up too... No idea why I skipped this one entirely.

@kkslider5552000 Right?! I don't get this one, but I'm sure it will find its audience I guess.

I'll definitely try it for sure since I love the on-rails Star Fox games. However, I know because it's a super small team behind it, the presentation will definitely take a hit and the gameplay in this article kind of reaffirms that, unfortunately.

Still, I'm sure it will be a fun couple of playthroughs to help me cope with the fact that I'll never get a proper sequel to Star Fox 64.

Unless Vinny Vinesauce is participating, I'll pass.

I'm just waiting for the classic Link line, "Gee, it sure is boring around here."

I'm so freaking excited for this game!!!

This was the last GameCube game I played before upgrading to the Nintendo Wii! I really enjoyed it at the time.

Ah yes, another Top 100 list where everyone is more focused on the ranking of individual games than the fact that they are all on the same list of GREATEST GAMES of all time. Like being ranked #22 instead of #10 isn't a .0001 percent difference in their quality, lol.

@OorWullie I concur, I also think you should be able to pick and choose from the full list of games on what you actually install in the app.

I sure would like to remove some NES and SNES games I have no intentions of ever playing so it wasn't so cluttered. It would also be essential for saving storage space for GameCube games down the road too.

I think this ad is a reference to the infamous "The Legend of Zelda" rap from the 80's and was just extremely lost on most people, lol.

Splatoon 3 @ $29.99 may be what I need to finally jump back in. I haven't played since the Wii U days.

It looks like Yoshi, and that's all it really needed to do, lol.

@JaxonH Yeah, I'm not really understanding this confusion of opinion vs. fact here. The systems are selling phenomenally, Nintendo is stocking these devices adequately to meet demand, most of Nintendo's software output are critical and/or commercial successes.

I'm not seeing any red flags here. What Nintendo is doing is working. The games are universally acclaimed. If they don't like them, they are the outlier. It's pure projection. They don't like the device, or the price point, or the games aren't targeting them personally, therefore its a failure, even when it isn't. I can't even, lol.

@Cloudman I don't think anyone else has really cared to elaborate and just went to sassy comments.

This Play Test, still works offline. You can play the Lessons and Air Ride modes (races on 3 tracks) without NSO. The only thing you can't access is the online mode. Hope this is less disappointing for you!

Just patiently waiting for that live action Punch-Out!! movie to get announced.

It's been over 5 years and with free new content coming to both platforms and a completely optional, small fee upgrade for Nintendo Switch 2 owners if they want enhanced resolution is just enough to tide them over.

Animal Crossing is only second to Mario Kart for the Nintendo Switch brand right now. They aren't going to just leave it at a $4.99 upgrade for everyone for the next 8+ years. A brand new entry is on the way, and this is a cheap and effective way to keep people engaged while they continue to work on the new one. Everyone wins really. The upgrade isn't even necessary to get the MASSIVE new update for free when it launches on the same day. No idea why this of all things is drumming up negativity in the Nintendo community.

Happy with the price point myself! Resolution bump is nice, and I think running it native on Switch 2 will make some cluttered dream islands experience no slowdown. All the other content being free is super nice as well!

Love that they saw Disney Dream light Valley's floating islands and knew it was a perfect fit for Animal Crossing!

Super Famicom + Panel de Pon spotted in the trailer! That's all I needed!!!

I'm definitely getting it, but unsure when. After I finish Pokémon Legends: Z-A, I'm going to either start Persona 3 Reload or Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

@The_Nintendo_Pedant I really don't blame anyone for the confusion here. The "Legends" subtitle sounds like any other spin-off like adding "Mystery Dungeon" or "Rumble" to it for example.

They really could have just called it Pokémon Z and been done with it.

@HingryHuppo Ooo, thank you for sharing this link! I like the touch that it tells me how old I was during certain releases when I'm signed into my account.

Super neat!

I'm always sad to see this is the case with software developers and network admins, because they are all being forced to not only continue their jobs, but also "teaching" AI to essentially train it to replace themselves one day.

All complaints to higher management are just going to be seen as "resistance" to their end goal and nothing will change the situation. It's just... so bleak with companies like EA. It will all derail once they release their first fully developed game made entirely with AI and a small supervising team behind it, but not before these people are dismissed from their positions.

There is way more to this mentality of what Sarah Bond just said than I can put into a single comment, lol.

It could be it's own featured article honestly. Someone needs to interview her on this statement, because it's pretty telling what Microsoft's plan is for the future of the Xbox brand from it in a broad sense.

Simply put, they MUST be chasing "co-existence" in the console and handheld space now.

It hooked me after this one. I was on the fence with it and put it in the "maybe later" pile, but this direct hit all of the right notes for me, and I'm locking in my pre-order after work today!

This will my birthday present for myself since it releases the weekend of it!

I just bought got this one in the mail today after shopping around and was surprised by the premium quality of the Joy-Con 2 Grips. The back panel shell isn't really much protection, but it will keep the system itself clean from wear over time and that's really all I wanted it for. I didn't buy the variant with the front cover as I opted for the JSAUX travel case and didn't need it. I got a dBrand screen protector instead, which is the best screen protector you can get for your console.

For those that are researching the market at this time, I'd rate it a point higher than this review just because it fit all of my use cases, and it is compatible with the official dock, even if it is a bit snug. Definitely use a screen protector on the system though to ensure it doesn't scratch the VERY delicate screen when docking your system!

I'd say that this concludes that Metroid Prime 2 Remastered is probably something still in the "We're always considering it" wheelhouse, but I think that will only come to fruition after Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a (hopefully) resounding success story for the franchise. It has cost Nintendo entirely too much money to make it happen and they desperately need to analyze how it does.

As far as Metroid Prime Remastered goes, wasn't it in the works for many years, even before Metroid Prime 4 was announced? I think there was a former employee, her name was Emily I think(?), and she was telling us about the remaster being done for years before it finally came out, hence the shadow drop it had.

Ooooo, I definitely like the sound of this! More replayability options are nice! I will definitely jump back into Pikmin 4 this holiday.

@kal_el_07241 I'm not alone! My wife has somehow already found 5 shiny Pokémon in the wild. (Including a Shiny Alpha Swirlix!) I've been jealous of her luck. She had a full team of Shiny Pokemon before I had even encountered my first one. Haha

I did finally get 2 of them just wondering around town last night though. I'm so glad they brought the shiny sound back!

It's harmless, but for some reason I find myself annoyed that people go through such extreme methods for Shiny Pokémon. It can't give you the same dopamine rush as just encountering one while playing through the game naturally, can it?

It's not technically bothering anyone else in the end, but it just devalues the whole thing for me when I know someone else out there is exploiting things to bypass the intended way of earning these color variants... Maybe it's just me though.

@DarkTron Thanks for clarifying!

I'm pretty happy with where NSO is at that a Virtual Console service isn't 100% necessary for Nintendo's IP. If it enticed more 3rd parties to get on this though, that's a different story.

But realistically, if I had to guess, this trademark is renewed because of it potentially getting future representation at the Nintendo Museum. It is a large part of their legacy.

Still too soon to score it from my wife and I. It has been a blast so far though! I really enjoy the combat, and the gripes I've heard about the "bland" visuals is completely lost on me, as it's extremely charming to us both. The Pokémon and NPCs seem to have a lot more personality in this game than any other entry so far.

Performance on Switch 2 has been flawless, but I am concerned for it's longevity of the game outside of online Ranked battles.

We're about 16ish hours invested though and can't put it down! Completely hooked and we will determine a score around the 50 hour mark!