MontyCircus

People are more enamored by the modern 3D games, but as I like to say:

• In 1985, Super Mario Bros. was in my opinion the greatest video game ever made.
• In 1986, The Legend of Zelda was in my opinion the greatest video game ever made.

Miyamoto set the template, the standard for all 2D platformers going forward, and then turned around and did the same for the action-adventure genre. Put together, it's quite an incredible feat.

This is great content. Without NL I would not remember or even know about these free upgrade packs.

Bet you're not as excited a-Siam.

Looks like I'll be trading in the original to GameStop, or EB Games, or whatever the heck it's going by now.

I went cardboard. The size, the cost, and the short time I assume it will be fun for, scared me off of the big boy.

But I felt it is something I had to try once.

@Neo2814

He also said: "FF VII. It wasn't even that good when it first came out."

So...

Getting:

• Mario Tennis Fever
• Reanimal
• Blazblue Entropy Effect X
• Lil Gator Game In the Dark DLC

Tokyo Scramble's first MetaCritic review is a 4/10:
"incoherent story, repetitive encounters, and rough presentation"

Physical in a month and a half.

I bought the first 2, skipping this one.

Getting:

• Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined
• Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition free upgrade

Waiting for Reviews:

• PGA TOUR 2K25

Thinking about it:

• Super Bomberman Collection (I mean, the arcade games are probably better than the console versions right?)

I would love a new Pokemon pinball but this is a bit outside my budget

New Goemon Switch Collection

"Woooooooooooooooooowwweeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

Releasing in Japan

"............................................................................"

Yeah buddy!!!

For the sub-heading I would have gone with: "My name is Qud".

But I suppose there aren't that many Primus fans around here.

The collection of 40-year-old games, The Disney Afternoon Collection, finished 4th-most anticipated in this poll.

And I've never been prouder of you all!

Count me in the "just waiting for the damn physical release" chorus.

Getting:

• GRID Legends: Deluxe Edition
• MIO: Memories in Orbit
• Escape from Ever After

Getting on Steam:

• Dispatch

Getting:

• GRID Legends: Deluxe Edition
• Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass

Getting on Steam:

• Dispatch

Cool, I'll get Trials Rising then! Been holding out 'cause of the need for analogue triggers.

Getting:

• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins (and its Visions of Four Heroes DLC)

It's got a solid MetaCritic score on a couple of other platforms.

Can you have too many quality Metroidvanias? I can't!

Getting:

• MIO: Memories in Orbit
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon
• Earnest Evans Collection (one of the games in the collection was not released outside Japan)

Upgrading:

• The Rumble Fish 2 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

The Game Developers Conference also has an Independent Games Festival. The big award there is the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Here are this year's finalists:

• Angeline Era
• Baby Steps
• Blippo+ (on Switch!)
• Horses
• Perfect Tides: Station to Station
• Titanium Court

Was I the only one that read this headline, screamed, and thrust his hands in the air??

On IGN's "Top 100 NES Games of All Time" list:

• DuckTales was the #10 best NES game
• Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers was the #71 best NES game

On NL's "50 Best NES Games of All Time" list (that's ranked by you and me!):

• DuckTales is the #13 best NES game
• DuckTales 2 is the #19 best NES game
• Darkwing Duck is the #28 best NES game
• Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is the #29 best NES game

DuckTales will get all of the hype. And it's great.
But for me, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers was THE best game to play with your little sister. It's fun, it's short, it's co-op, and it's on the easy side. And I'm going to play it with my (now much bigger) little sister as soon as it hits my Switch 2!

Construction Sim: City and Road Builder

That's just evil.

It came out on Switch a year and a half ago. But this NS2 edition doesn't have an upgrade path, so I will be skipping it, as I'm not going to re-buy the whole game again at full price.

Looks like another "Nothing for me this week". Only one I have my eye on is Suika Game Planet.

@SuperWeird

Arcade Archives 2 adds two main new modes to the standard "Original," "High Score," and "Caravan" modes:

• Time Attack Mode, for speedrunning the game
• Network Mode, for online multiplayer in games that support it.

These "Arcade Archives 2" titles also enhance features with:

• multiple save slots
• rewind
• quick start
• VRR support

On top of the S2 joycon, I've got 4 pairs of S1 joycon...so I'm good.

Mario Tennis: Kitchen Sink

I think it's good that it's more "wacky tennis" than "standard tennis".

Nothing for me this week...

...So I'll have to be content with the three dozen wishlisted games I have that are in the New Year sale!

Arcade Archives 2 adds two main new modes to the standard "Original," "High Score," and "Caravan" modes:

• Time Attack Mode, for speedrunning the game
• Network Mode, for online multiplayer in games that support it.

These "Arcade Archives 2" titles also enhance features with:

• multiple save slots
• rewind
• quick start
• VRR support

Happy New Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeear!

I don't know much about her.

But I do hope I get to see her accepting lots of Game Awards!

Yes, it is in order of each game's average star rating.

I was almost going to comment how garbage this list was

This list is made up of ratings by NL users (that's you and me!).

Most people that complain about these lists haven't bothered to rate anything.

Nintendo has said that their data shows Switch players' time is spent about 50% handheld and 50% docked.

The "someday-in-the-future" dream is "Gaming TVs", where Playstation, Nintendo, Xbox are just subscription and store apps and there's no boxes necessary. Maybe it's all cloud, maybe the TV would have memory cards you could download onto, etc.

Forever doesn't include the original Space Invaders though. I think most people buying a SI collection would want to own the best-selling arcade game of all time.

Yes, at full price they do feel a bit pricey. But on sale I regularly scoop them up.

You might be interested that there are currently 10 games on sale from Hamster's Neo Geo line. Myself and others try to alert each other to the sales in the:
"Arcade Archives / ACA NEOGEO eShop sales" forum thread.

If you only game on Nintendo boxes, then they are some wonderful "new" game experiences. It's all about perspective.

Instead of listing them, I'll say I have every Nintendo-made controller for Switch/NS2 (except the Sega Genesis controller...that's the worst D-pad ever...a horrible disc!), plus the 8BitDo arcade stick.

So I have I think...6 different D-pad options? Plus an actual arcade joystick. It's not like there aren't options out there...

@SynapticFlow

Platinum Points are earned by completing My Nintendo missions. There are three types of My Nintendo missions for Platinum Points:

• Regular Platinum Points can be earned by completing missions related to the My Nintendo service through the My Nintendo website.
• Platinum Points related to an application (like Super Mario Run Platinum Points) can be earned by completing missions related to smartphone or tablet applications. These missions can be viewed through the My Nintendo website or on device.
• Users with an active Nintendo Switch Online membership can earn regular Platinum Points by using their Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch to complete various missions.

I find I earn them without thinking about it, probably just by signing into my account or using my Switch 2 normally, etc.

But here's a Reddit thread with people discussing how to max out their earnings: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/1l2vc2x/my_nintendo_platinum_points_earning_strategy/

"Best 'Game Featuring A Squirrel With A Gun' 2025"

No runners-up listed?? That's just laziness....

It's got good reviews, but Steam users don't rate it well so far, with detractors saying it's inferior to Undertale and moon.

Merry Christmaaaaaaaaaaaas!

@Borland

I think this list is a representation of how the games were rated by NL users (that's you and me!)

Have you rated...any of them? Usually the people complaining about these lists haven't rated anything.

This is the kind of thing NL is essential for. I don't think I would have come across this patch news (or the early heads-up that it originally wasn't released in a great state) if it wasn't for this site.

To me, this is kind of like answering the question:

"Would you be sad/angry/upset if the Earth's average temperature is even warmer next year?"

Not saying I don't care, or have no opinion. But also, at this point, no sense in getting worked up about the inevitable. I'm kind of resigned to it. Not thrilled about it. Just kind of "what can ya do?" reaction.

We've already got 100% A.I. generated musical artists/songs/albums. They suck.

I'm sure we'll get 100% A.I. generated games. They'll suck.

But everyone will be using it as a tool. Everyone. In one way or another. Some gross, some "whatever".

I'm sure we're not far away from EVERY "Game of the Year" contender having used it in one way or another. Then are we supposed to boycott......everything?

From the bad jumping to the frustrating conveyor belts. It's just a bad time overall. It got to the point where I would sometimes just wait for the polar bear to come kill me so I could "jump up" a level.

I intended to clear all the levels but decided it wasn't worth my time. It just wasn't any fun.

If there was a mod or something where you can jump like Mario, then it might even be a great game.

Getting:

• The Rogue Prince of Persia
• Cast n Chill (wasn't on my radar before this!)
• Factorio (Finally a good port for NS2!)
• System Shock

When I read the headline, I was going to come in with a joke:

"I think the winner might rhyme with 'Bonkey Dong Konanza' "

But now I'm afraid you will be correct...