MajorTom

@KindofaBigDeal True, but this pretty much is the source himself that got the info 2, 3 or maybe 4 days ago.
Many of the "leakers" don't provide their sources and have been saying a regular Nintendo Direct is coming for about 2 weeks, not a mini or a Xenoblade direct and before the Xenoblade direct they even said it would happen on the 29th.

@KindofaBigDeal This does not seem like a leaker, well it is a leak but comes from an editor of an actual Spanish gaming magazine. It seems like a slip from the tongue he had during a live stream he did just 2 days ago, since he hinted at it instead of saying it fully. He probably had the info from Nintendo or a subordinate himself to be prepared to report about the direct in the next days.

@KindofaBigDeal Which leaker had accurate info? The Direct is not a regular Direct but a mini. The date is incorrect, the 28th instead of the 29th and none of the "leakers" knew the Xenoblade direct would happen last week.

I am starting to think this exists just to stop all those Youtubers/ "leakers" and fans from posting all those articles/videos and was actually created after those so called "leaks" went viral.

Nice, I am looking forward to some new info for Xenoblade 3.

I do not expect that there will be a general direct the week after it. It would have made more sense otherwise to announce this separate direct during that direct.

Don't think I will get this, not really a football fan myself. If this game is finished with the free updates it may change my mind

@Laserbeak1982 In almost everywhere of the world is football called football instead of soccer like in the USA. .

I think Sonic Frontiers got potential so far. They did not really show the story or fundamental goal but the world and combat looked pretty good so far. Think a delay can always help with a game and Sonic does not really have an actual release date other than "2022" does it?

So when will we ask this same question for Pokémon? The textures for that game also looked rather rough and in need for a delay.

@Bolt_Strike Since this is most played it makes sense that it shows games with a lot of replay value like MineCraft, GTA V, Fortnite etc.

While Legends of Arceus and Kirby were good games, most players likely just played the story mode and after that barely returned to them. Those games got most content from the story, while about all the games listed here got big online modes and contain more of a never-ending gameplay cycle. Mario Kart 8 does fit this bill though. I was expecting that to be played more than Animal Crossing this year to be honest.

Would gear count as offline play or online play? You upgrade them with the exp and chunks you get through online play, but you still own them offline.

I hope this means that rank, level and some other values from online play are just tied to your Nintendo Account and the other stuff is cloud saves. If it only is cloud saves for the story mode I don't see much of a difference from before.

@Dr_Lugae What do you mean that certain things like Star Fox Zero and the Garage program lead to Splatoon? I am pretty sure that Splatoon released in 2015 while Star Fox Zero released in 2016 and the Garage Program is even a Switch game. So how can those games lead to Splatoon?

The style of this game reminds me of the many Wii Sports clone games that released back in the Wii era. If this game did not have a Nintendo label on it, I expect most people will not have bat an eye to it. It actually made me remember that remastered Wii game for Switch called Go Vacation.

@johnvboy For a lot of Switch owners it is a new game? Wii Sports is the 4th best selling game of all time with almost 83 million sold. I really wonder for what amount of a lot this will ever be new

@Not_Soos It doesn't even stop at that. Even some games that are mainly single player adventures launched unfinished like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Kirby Star Allies.

@Wexter The mention of licenses expiring and games getting removed from store fronts is not really a Steam or GOG problem is it? The same also happens in the eShop of the Switch for certain games like Jump Force.

@durrdevil Well the original release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was not much of a upgrade from the Wii U version while there was no way to upgrade to it either. Would have liked if Nintendo did something like Sony with the Ps4 to Ps5 versions. Now after 8 years it will get a significant DLC, but as someone who has had the game for 8 years I say it is a little too late to make me rebuy it on switch.

I would have liked if this also was just DLC, but I will certainly buy Splatoon 3 and just trade in 2. Same as I did for Splatoon 2.

@Dr_Lugae I really have to disagree with it having a different structure. The routes and caves to the town with the gym leaders basically are dungeons. Instead of having a healing or save point within the dungeon itself before a boss you do it in the town with the gym leader.
It pretty much just goes
town -> dungeon (route and caves) -> boss + town

Also mentioning incentive to catch new Pokémon to overcome challenges certainly was not how most players played the serie. Many of players often just kept 1 team and levelled mainly their starter to the point they could beat most trainers. They mainly caught the Pokémons for collecting and kept most in the box.The 4 move system does not make the game much different if you ask me. Having 4 or 7 moves does not change much in the grand scheme. This even makes it more accessible for the younger generations like Yas mentioned. Like a RPG-lite such as he called it. Maybe for competitive play makes the 4 moves and countering Pokémon a difference, but that part of the fanbase certainly is a minority.

"there'd be no excuse for any of them not to be as popular as Pokemon."
I am not sure how you can't understand that Pokémon is big because of the franchise itself being the biggest multimedia franchise of the world.

"Before Pokemon there wasn't a JRPG selling 20 or 30million copies, which means it was fulfilling an unsatisfied demand."
This also was the first RPG that had a series on television that blew up and everyone watched and a card-game that everyone played during break at school. For many was this their first RPG game, because of its massive exposure, not because it offered something different.

@Yas I agree, this is likely the biggest portion of the Pokémon fanbase. Many are just casual gamers ( comparable to the yearly FIFA and COD crowd ) and new generations of younger gamers. They buy what is easily accessible or what their friends are playing at school. Since Pokémon is such a big franchise they will likely just settle with that and don't look for much alternatives.

@Dr_Lugae May I ask, how does Pokémon even differ from a traditional turn based RPG outside of collecting the monsters? It certainly has the same mechanics as all the basic RPGs since its first release. The overall gameplay also hasn't really evolved except for their generation gimmicks like Dynamaxing and Z-moves.

Paper Mario also is not really a good example as an alternative to the classic RPG since the fans of the series all seem to hate the newer games while the older ones were more traditional and the series never was selling high numbers in the first place. Ring Fit is more for people who want to exercise at home instead of an alternative for RPG. If it was based on a different genre or more neutral like Wii Fit it probably would have done as good.

Also the classic RPG-genre is doing rather well with games like DQ XI, Yakuza 7 (like a dragon) and Persona 5. The genre certainly is not left in the dust.

I really don't think Pokémon fans are looking for alternatives from traditional RPGs since the series always was a traditional RPG with collecting from the start. They just want Pokémon. The franchise is just so big with all its merchandising. It also made a big comeback with Pokémon Go and that combined with the success of the Switch makes them sell gangbusters.

@twicesmt I would say that there are comparable tamer series, like Dragon Quest Monsters, Monster Hunter Stories, Digimon, Shin Megami Tensei and a handful of indies. Those games do not have an as big franchise with merchandise, animated series, card games etc. backing it. But there certainly are alternatives.

This goes back to my previous point, most Pokémon fans likely don't know about the alternatives or do know but have not played them.

I sometimes wonder if Pokémon fans ever played different RPGs. Sword and Shield aren't exactly bad, but if you compare them to games from the same generation in the genre I certainly prefer their competitors.
Since Pokémon is the biggest multimedia franchise of the world this is likely the case for a large group.

If you compare a game like Dragon Quest XI and Pokémon it is night and day.

I am fairly liking Legends Arceus so far. Something I would say Pokémon needed to evolve, but it certainly could have been longer in the oven for some departments. I hope they will continue building from it in their next titles.

@Bret True, DQ8 will likely not load fast enough, still seeing similarities in the overworld of a game that released in 2004 certainly does not favor Legends of Arceus.
I expect to have a lot of fun Friday when it will likely arrive with the mail, but the graphics certainly aren't what you would expect on a game for the Switch.

@Bret Comparing the overworld of DQ 8 with the 360 overview trailer of Legends of Arceus, I honestly can't see how Legends of Arceus looks better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c044Fjcmzsw
Edit: the flying parts in particular.

@bret As much as I am looking forward to play this game, some of the games from the PS2 library really are close to Legends of Arceus in the graphics department.

Games like Dragon Quest 8 and Okami certainly don't look far worse than Legends of Arceus, at some moments maybe even better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXft9do42KQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5HzApgt5Qw

Legends of Arceus looks like a very fun game, but that doesn't mean that you can't be critical about its graphics.

Happy to see the reviews are out.

I haven't gotten a Pokémon game since Moon. I was not that impressed by the ones on the Switch so far, but this one seems to be worth it and it will likely be delivered on release day for me.

I did not expect cloud games to be almost full price. Was expecting more of a small rent fee a month since you are dependent on their servers.

@Rpg-lover You can also play the non-cloud versions on Xbox and PC. You don't really need a PlayStation for that.

@RupeeClock
Thanks for the info, then it is better than I first thought. Hope the transferring/storing of 30 Pokėmon at a time will stay free for the upcoming games.

Nice that they kept this easter egg in, was not expecting they would use resources for this.

@RupeeClock
"At least free Home accounts have enough buffer to freely transfer stuff between games."

Isn't moving between games locked behind premium or does that only matter for the older games?

https://home.pokemon.com/en-us/premium/
Moving Pokémon from Pokémon Bank: Unavailable for basic

Merry Christmas to y'all!

No More Heroes III is missing but DLC and a port of a Wii and Wii U game are in the top 10.

Would never have expected "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" to be the number 1 for Christmas of the year 2000.

Shouldn't WarioWare: Get it Together! also be added? The story mode can be beat in a shorter time-frame than most on the list here. You will likely return to it, because of its replayability but it can still be "beat" in one sitting.

@Dr_Lugae I think that the succes of Pokémon Go took a big part in the growth of Pokémon. The series got a big return because of that game.
Edit: Also the sales history does not really show any Pokémon game doing badly. The lowest sales that you mentioned were 16 million which is far more than most series would dream to achieve.

@Arawn93 I don't see anyone argueing about how other individuals can't rate it higher than a 7. The original argument was that NintendoLife gave a too low score, because it sold well. Which you seemed to defend.
Your comment at #23
"Yeah and to those 2 million+ it says that “quality” is definitely higher then what NL sees for instance."

This seems to imply that a 7 is not enough for the consumer, since you said that all 2 million+ would consider it higher quality than NintendoLife. I said that all could consider a 7 good enough for their purchase for that matter. Some obviously would rate it higher since it is partly opinnion based and there will likely also be some dissapointed customers who rate it lower.

@Arawn93 I never said they aren't quality games, I even said that 7/10 is a good score in general. You are the only one that seems to imply that 7/10 can't be quality enough for a consumer.
Edit: Also Pokémon had their dips in exposure in general. The switch is the hottest system all around and pokémon made a big comeback with Pokémon go.
Also rescue seems to have sold at least above 1 million and snap above 2 million. Would have likely been a success for their production cost.

@Arawn93 I am not sure if you are just trolling or are not reading any of the arguments given to you. I am saying they buy the game because it is the biggest multimedia franchise of the world, in Japan even more. Almost every main city in Japan has their own Pokémon store. Like I said before, many sales are based on friends having the games like FIFA and CoD here in the west. Japan is very handheld focussed and adding that to the biggest multimedia franchise of the world the games will obviously sell. They are yearly games with max 2 year development time. This means that they cost far less to produce than most projects.

@Arawn93 No, I am saying that most of the children that buy it don't have a big grasp at quality assurance and mainly buy the games because it is the biggest multimedia franchise of the world.

@Arawn93 Who says all the 2 million don't see Exp share as a negative? For that matter they all would have liked a toggle for it, but it will likely not be a end-all condition for them to skip it.

For that matter a lot of those 2 million are likely also children who don't have much opinion on quality in the first place. Pokémon is the biggest multimedia franchise of the world, many children obviously get the game because their friends got it. Same goes for FIFA and CoD.

@Arawn93 Or all the 2 million who bought it are content with a 7/10 game for their money.
Not like 7/10 is a bad score or anything.

Why do the comments all mention 3rd parties while also giving high scores? The question is about Nintendo's 2021 first-party output right? Outside of Wario and Metroid I can't think of anything good from Nintendo this year.

@Arawn93 I honestly don't care about what people enjoy. I was mainly pointing out the double standards of Mando44646. I was pretty much copying his comment at #17, but adding pokémon to it.
Pokémon, CoD and Battlefield all are enough quality for their fans to enjoy (obviously not all the fans but a big enough portion it seems).

@Mando44646 They also aren't exactly of high quality and the fans will buy the annual releases like drones regardless. CoD, Battlefield and Pokémon all are just annual games where the fans simply don't care if the products are of high quality or not.

@Mando44646 Why do you not mention Pokémon? That series goes by the same formula as CoD and Battlefield.

Edit: Seems like you are praising the remakes. Guess some people really have big double standards.

@Axecon @Medic_Alert The same argument could be made for Pokémon for that matter.

Never forget Mario's famous quote!

@Meteoroid Yep you are certainly correct, Pokémon is more like the comfort food as you mentioned.
SMT is not as accessible like you mentioned, however the Dragon Quest series can be compared in accessibility to Pokémon. In Japan it always is a big event when a new one releases for both young and old, but it never got that recognition in the West. Still that series keeps evolving and I consider DQ XI one of the best RPGs at the moment. I would have liked if Pokémon also makes such a leap. Legends of Arceus seems like a step in the right direction and I will likely give that game a try.

@Meteoroid I love how you only focus on one of the four games that I give as an example and ignore the other three games, to get your own narrative. It is as if those other examples disprove your point so you won't mention them

Cyberpunk obviously was the most controversial of the games I mentioned. The GTA trilogy is also having its controversies but I doubt the fans will stop buying Rockstar games when a new GTA releases. The most comparable to Pokémon from the examples I mentioned are FIFA and COD which have decent, but not exactly good releases every year. These games will sell regardless every year while some versions change some small aspects. FIFA mainly only changes its rooster every year and is riddled with lootboxes but it still sells every year on its name alone. This is what happens to Pokémon. Selling well even if the quality is the bare minimum. This is exactly what I meant with some franchises are too big to fail.

I honestly don't think the Pokémon games are bad, but I do not consider the recent games worth a purchase. The games just are the bare minimum for them to sell. BDSP are likely fun for newcomers to the games, however I will not consider them worth €60 if you compare it to many of the recent competing remakes where most had more to offer for a lower price.

So let's face it. While Pokémon games aren't bad they are pretty much a yearly cash-cow such as FIFA. They will sell them full-price since they are from the Pokémon franchise. Many comparable RPGs got a lot more to offer such as DQ XI, Shin Megami Tensei V and Yakuza 7, but they will sell less since they are not riding on their name as Pokémon.

@Luffymcduck Thanks you.
I myself am pretty neutral about these remakes, but try to think rationally in general.

It is funny (also a bit sad) how some seem to want to gratify their own purchase of a game by it selling well. Something selling well does not disprove valid criticism.

The GTA trilogy was the 4th best selling game in the eshop of November, while it released in a buggy almost unplayable state. Cyberpunk 2077 sold at least 13 million copies, FIFA and COD will also sell millions regardless. Does that mean that those games were phenomenal without any problems? Absolutely not.

My point is some series are too big to fail regardless of the product that they produce. Pokémon will obviously sell well, it is the biggest multimedia franchise of the world.

@AmplifyMJ At the 21st of November it was still on spot 3 of the eShop charts in Europe which was 10 days after its release on 11 November. Yep it seems like it slumped down to spot 23 in Europe right now. Still most games don't have that big legs after a month of their release. Metroid Dread is not even in the top 30 of Europe right now as I type this.

@Screen What does this proof exactly? Something selling well does not disprove valid criticism. Does it mean that the GTA trilogy did not release in a broken almost unplayable state because it is the 4th best selling game?