Drag x Drive is the worst controlling first-party Nintendo console title since Star Fox Zero for Wii U. It physically hurts to play this game, and it feels so slow and clunky to control. Nintendo always has to have a "gimmick game" to demo their latest technology, which wouldn't be a problem if they would just allow for multiple control schemes (i.e., a regular controller). What if Mario Kart World forced you to use Joy-Con motion steering exclusively; would you want to play that way? Nintendo is alienating 95% of the potential user base for this title by forcing the gimmick, and it will quickly fall by the wayside if the control methods aren't expanded. It's ironic that a game about an accessible sport has the least accessible controls.
A little bit of Googling indicates that her departure could line up with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike on video game voiceover work. However, in the event Mario Kart World's voiceovers were recorded more than a year ago before the strike, then perhaps Nintendo just wanted a fresh start? We may never know the full answer. https://variety.com/2025/gaming/news/video-game-actors-strike-saga-aftra-final-offer-1236387081/
@PJOReilly , would you mind explaining Party Mode's online/local co-op console requirements? Is it like Superstars where you can have a mix of local and online friends in a game (e.g., two local friends on one Switch playing with two online friends on another Switch)?
@HerMajestysmyPronoun Nintendo Everything reports "just the news" and doesn't add any opinion to it, and you aren't bombarded with opinion pieces, "game lists" regarding social/political topics, or reviews that emphasize the reviewer's social/political leanings. However, Nintendo Everything's front page layout is archaic and needs a redesign, which makes it frustrating to find all the news for a given day without having to scroll and click through multiple pages. The only alternatives I have found are to follow your favorite developers directly on social media (yeah, I know, gross) or check the communities for various franchises on Reddit or Discord (once again, gross). For instance, Nintendo is extremely quick to announce anything new about its first-party titles on Facebook (to the point where it actually spoils things for me if I haven't gotten to watch a Nintendo Direct yet), and the Splatoon community on Reddit is very quick to report any news (though there can be tons of ridiculous posts to sift through). Between Nintendo Everything and social media of varying kinds, you will find "just the news".
I have been a long-time reader of Nintendo Life, all the way back to the VC-Reviews days. I have also been an infrequent commenter but frequent critic of Nintendo Life. Whether it was the linking to unlicensed Etsy merchandise for sale (which you have thankfully stopped doing), the heavy-handed moderation of certain articles and topics (especially when criticism is levied on NL and its team), or identity and environmental politics bleeding into your news and reviews (often due to the personal views of your writers), I haven't been shy about my feelings. I still visit Nintendo Life on occasion because you have the best layout of any Nintendo-specific website, but I have migrated to other news sources because they don't contain fluff or spin.
With all that being said, I do want Nintendo Life to succeed, and I don't want anyone to lose their jobs. It would be helpful if you were up front with your readership about the reasons behind the "Nintendo Life Supporter" program. Yes, demand from your readership may be part of it; however, the overarching reason is that ad revenue among Big Tech and media brands is dropping precipitously as we crawl towards a global recession. The financial lifeblood of your website is drying up, and you're trying to keep the doors open without having to cut staff or shut down websites like many of your peers. The "Nintendo Life Supporter" program is actual "life support" for your company, and while the situation may not be quite so dire right now, you are definitely trying to avert disaster. Your partner company ReedPop's bungling of E3 2023 has also not done you any favors, especially since they are Hookshot Media's "advertising sales arm"; millions of dollars in E3-related revenue are now gone, and you have little recourse.
I am glad to see your readership's positive response to the "Nintendo Life Supporter" program, and I wish you nothing but the best in your endeavors. One day, I hope I can return to Nintendo Life and be a supporter, as well. However, the new NL bears little resemblance to the website I read daily for over a decade, and it breaks my heart.
While the run is impressive and may be 100% legit, the RNG is strange. Here's a breakdown:
Wave 1: Low Tide, Fog, maybe one to two Flyfish, zero Stingers, zero Big Shots, tons of Flipper-Floppers and Steel Eels at the basket, numerous ten-egg Goldies at or near the basket.
Wave 2: High Tide, Find the Goldie, left and right gushers almost always seem to have Goldie, Goldie always running optimally to leave huge trails of eggs in front of the basket.
Wave 3: High Tide, Mudmouths, Golden Mudmouth spawns as second Mudmouth, every Mudmouth is convenient to access in High Tide on this map.
It would probably take a Splatoon 3 expert versed in RNG percentages along with a Karl Jobst video to unravel it, but it's worth digging a bit deeper to gauge the veracity of this record.
@KingMike As someone who bought the first Mario Party when it released for N64 and experienced more blisters than I can count, the gloves that Nintendo sent were plain, cheap, white cotton gloves. There were no frills or branding about them!
The 30th anniversary of both Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy was commemorated with a new Fortune Street (Itadaki/Boom Street) title... could the 35th anniversary finally bring Fortune Street to the Switch?
@ryancraddock When is Nintendo Life going to reveal the amount of carbon emissions that the ReedPop family of websites and servers generate? When are you going to dive into the amount of pollution caused by Nintendo consoles and electronics in general? When are you going to talk about the issues of e-waste disposal? Until you look at how your own employer, lifestyle, and hobbies impact the environment, please keep your pseudoscience masquerading as "facts" to yourself. We're here for the gaming news and not your conjecture.
The game is definitely a unique concept, though it seems to be another entry in the "destroy everything" genre. "Eight polished stages" also seems a bit underwhelming unless these stages are huge and offer a lot of variety and replayability. Also, the price disparity between iOS ($5.99) and Switch ($14.99) is odd unless the iOS version is drastically stripped down and/or has some stages as DLC. We'll see what the reviews hold!
The main character bears a striking resemblance to Geno from Super Mario RPG. It looks like a unique adventure, though the misspellings seem inexcusable and point towards a limited QA process.
@Liam_Doolan @antdickens Don't you think the headline should be prefaced by "Rumour" and tagged as such? The entire article from Nintendo Everything is based upon a single unsubstantiated reddit post that is now deleted by the author and has the supposed email as the sole comment on the post. Not a single person in authority has verified that this is true; please do not pretend as though it is such until you hear it straight from Nintendo.
@Tim_Vreeland No shade meant towards players of any age, but it was meant to draw a distinction between kids sharing a phone versus a grown man intentionally account stacking. Also, it is an actual real-life experience of mine from playing (and quitting) the game, including the age of the individual and his actions; it's not just mischievous teenagers gaming the Niantic system but people that are old enough to know better.
@OnlyItsMeReid That's totally an acceptable reason for having two accounts; a 50-something-year-old guy driving to every gym in a two-mile radius and methodically swapping between accounts to stack every gym with his own Pokémon is not. Thank you for using multiple accounts in a good and honest way!
@Jimez The multiple accounts issue made me stop playing after a few months. Living in an area with a limited number of gyms is already frustrating enough, but having one individual repeatedly stack five or more gyms across four accounts is demoralizing, especially when you're just starting out in the game and when multiple reports to Niantic do nothing to stop it. Niantic must have the ability to detect that kind of usage but probably won't do anything because their "player count" could take a substantial hit if they enforced the one-account policy.
It is high time for Nintendo and Square-Enix to port Fortune Street for Wii with a higher resolution and quality-of-life updates. It is the best video game board game I have ever played and will suck hours of time when played with friends.
@aresius If you try an extremely large hospital in Sandbox Mode and put it through its paces, the crashes will start happening within a handful of years. According to the full press release on Two Point's website, they promise to "have a huge range of bug fixes included as well, including (but not limited to) lots of stability fixes for those pesky crashes some of you have been reporting", so let's hope they will follow through.
The original physical edition for Switch was hard enough to find, and let's hope the "Jumbo Edition" extra contents are reasonably-priced for those of us that have already purchased it. However, SEGA and Two Point really need to fix the issues that plague the Switch version, especially in the larger hospitals; random crashes at the end-of-year (costing you 30-60 minutes of progress depending on your play speed) and the limits on the number of staff (which are nowhere near as restrictive on other versions) have made me put the game aside until something is done about them.
@Dr_Lugae You can definitely see where some aspects of these designs found their way into Mack, Bowyer, and Yaridovich as well as Domino and Cloaker and even Jinx. It makes you wonder if Geno had a different backstory as part of the Smithy Gang...
@Dazza, next year, it might be wise for NL to include Walmart in the US deals; they have first-party Switch titles such as Luigi's Mansion 3 for $30, which is much better than Amazon and Best Buy. I know you can't include every retailer, but Walmart is the largest brick-and-mortar/online hybrid retailer in the US. Keep up the great work!
This technology was insanely ahead of its time. RC cars with enough battery to zoom around a track, power an early digital camera, and transmit the live video signal wirelessly to each arcade cabinet. Transmitting the live video wirelessly is the wildest part; that could not have been easy to engineer and program with the resources of that period. What a great find!
@Rhaoulos Contrary to what others are stating here, at least in the US, you unequivocally CANNOT use the intellectual property of a company (e.g., Nintendo) in a product you are selling unless you have licensed said intellectual property from that company. It does not matter if the purpose is "informational" or not; if you are selling it, you cannot use it without a license. For those of you that remember the unofficial game guides of the 90s-early 2000s, they often used gaudy illustrations that closely resembled the game's art assets but were different enough to prevent a cease and desist. The same concept applies today; this person on Etsy could make guides to sell all day long using their own illustrations and text, but the moment they decided to use Nintendo's art assets, they crossed the legal line.
@fusermarucs I have been making this exact same point for almost a year only to be ignored at best and insulted at worst by Nintendo Life's staff and readers. Etsy is willfully bad at policing intellectual property abuse among its users. Wait until the holidays roll around for Nintendo Life to start pushing Etsy merch that utilizes Nintendo's intellectual property because Nintendo Life gets a percentage back of clickthrough Etsy sales. It is illegal and morally reprehensible for a company like Nintendo Life, who already gets review copies and special press access from Nintendo, to push unlicensed merchandise when there is plenty of licensed merchandise to promote. @antdickens , do you have a defense for Nintendo Life hawking and making money from Etsy sellers that steal intellectual property for profit?
Splatoon/Splatoon 2 had an easy fix for this: Take away the ability to leave the lobby unless you exit the game or the game times you out! It doesn't seem like a complicated thing to change. Also, the Splatoon devs have never publicly whined about players goofing off or having squid parties during matches; if you have an issue with a player, just report them using the Switch Online app or just block them on your Switch. It's hard to believe that there are so many bad actors in Ninjala that it requires such public lambasting.
@1UP_MARIO Coming from a Mario Kart veteran that has been playing since the original SNES release, Mario Kart Tour has become surprisingly addictive and content-driven, and you don't have to spend a single dollar to do decently well in it, though sometimes the luck factor outweighs the skill factor. The controls are abhorrent, but turning on Smart Steering and getting the feel for drifting helps to balance it out. It is very easy to see the combo system becoming an optional component of future Mario Kart games; it feels very Tony Hawk-esque and like a natural fit for the series. Going back to Mario Kart 8 almost feels boring in comparison, though the driving and wins are way more satisfying in Mario Kart 8. Mario Kart Tour is absolutely the proof-of-concept and quality-of-life improvement for future Mario Kart iterations, though the free-to-play/gacha aspect will probably not make it to a console release, which is a good thing.
For those of you on the fence because this is yet another Wii U port being sold at "brand new" pricing, here is a possible solution for you. I was on the fence for years regarding Mario Kart 8 Deluxe because I already had MK8 plus its DLC on Wii U, and I did not feel as though Nintendo deserved a full $60 double-dip from me. However, I kept watching for used copies and used game sales to show up on GameStop's website, and I managed to snag it for $32.99 when I bought Origami King thanks to a "buy new, save 40% on one used title" sale. I got the game I wanted and was not directly supporting Nintendo's double-dip habits.
tl;dr: Wait for a used sale on Pikmin 3 Deluxe from a reputable source, and you will not line Nintendo's pockets twice.
Virtual Boy Wario Land is the best Wario Land game, hands down. Every one I've played since has failed to capture the same magic and simplicity. Despite the neck pain and headaches, the Virtual Boy was the best $20 ever spent on the Walmart clearance aisle in 1996 (along with the $5 Virtual Boy games... had I only known that Jack Bros. would be rare).
@damo and @ryancraddock, I greatly appreciate the replies. As someone who started as a reader of VC-Reviews before the site merger occurred (well over 11 years ago), I have a lot of emotional investment in the health and well-being of your website. I want Nintendo Life to continue to succeed and to be the most trusted Nintendo news site on the web (hence one reason I've repeatedly mentioned the promotion of unlicensed Etsy merchandise), and you have the easiest-to-read and most modern layout of any of your company-specific competitors. I feel as though your policy regarding independent verification of Japanese translations should perhaps apply to other languages, as well. Just because a source has been reliable in the past does not mean they will continue to be reliable, especially when it comes to something as finicky as translation, and we the readers are trusting that you the media are vetting the information you provide us before we read it. Sure, Nintendo news isn't the high stakes world of geopolitical news, but in the age where one random article or obscure mention sends Twitter into a feeding frenzy, you can't be too careful with the news you choose to release. Everyone makes mistakes, and the news is no different; hopefully, there can be protocols put in place to prevent this sort of thing from happening again. Continue to be your best selves, and we will continue to enjoy your hard work. Thanks for all you do!
@antdickens, why do you allow copy-paste stories from GoNintendo and other sources instead of independently verifying stories that require translation skills before posting them? It is clear @ryancraddock did little more than rush to get the news posted instead of running it through the proper channels to see if the news was legitimate. Every time Nintendo Life regurgitates completely unverified news and rumors, you lose more and more credibility. Please do better than your counterparts in the Nintendo news industry by getting the right news, not the quickest news.
This sale is a great reminder to never pay full price for any Ubisoft title. If you can wait one to two years from release date, you'll get some extreme deals.
The sweatshop and labor camp culture of China has been known for quite some time. Nike using Chinese sweatshops in the 90s was many people's first introduction to this issue, and the issue recently resurfaced with Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn having labor camps and multiple suicides. The suicides became so numerous that Foxconn hung suicide prevention netting outside its factory and dormitory windows to catch those attempting to jump to their deaths. Every technology company that uses China for some or all of its parts manufacturing is affected by these issues, and it is up to Big Corporate to stop funding this communist regime rife with human rights violations... but they won't stop.
@KayFiOS Thanks for bringing a constructive and engaging comment to the table instead of a one-line complaint. I fondly remember the Songbird Ocarina ads, and the difference is that Songbird Ocarina was not stealing Nintendo's intellectual property. Nintendo doesn't own every ocarina in existence, and though Songbird Ocarinas used a lot of allusions and imagery reminiscent to the Zelda franchise, they did not infringe upon Nintendo's intellectual property (if they did, you can rest assured Nintendo wouldn't have been running their ads).
The difference is that most of the Etsy products being promoted by Nintendo Life are not small-time, hand-crafted products merely alluding to Nintendo's intellectual property. Many of the Etsy sellers are lifting art assets and even the titles of the franchises and branding them on hats, shirts, lamps, wood pieces, and even clocks. Take a look at the most recent Etsy post regarding Animal Crossing, and though you will see many items merely alluding to Animal Crossing (which is well within fair use; artists have a right to expression and parody with which I have no issue), you will see many slapping K.K. Slider, Tom Nook, and Isabelle on apparel and objects without any consideration to who owns those characters. They don't even try to change the characters in any significant way; just lift or recreate the assets to look exactly as they should, slap them on some merch, and sell them for profit.
I am not against fan art or fan creations as long as those creations are not illegally profiting from Nintendo's intellectual property. If you want to use Nintendo's assets to make money, get the proper licensing from Nintendo. If you don't want to get the licensing, then your for-profit works should deviate from Nintendo's assets enough to qualify as artistic expression and parody.
What most people here may not realize is that Nintendo Life makes money from the affiliate links they post to these products. If the products fall under fair use, I have no issue with that. However, I do take issue with Nintendo Life making money from those blatantly ripping off Nintendo's intellectual property. It seems pretty raw for Nintendo Life to receive review copies from Nintendo and press access to official Nintendo events and then make money from those stealing from Nintendo. Nintendo Life sees fit to report on those being sued and ceased-and-desisted by Nintendo for intellectual property theft, but Nintendo Life doesn't want to be held to the same standard.
@HobbitGamer Silence speaks volumes. It certainly seems like the kind of thing a news outlet would seek to clarify instead of sweep under the rug. It's no shock @Damo only wants to reply to positive comments instead of ones questioning their shady practices.
@Damo , now that you have your screenshot policy fixed, when are you going to fix your policy on promoting Etsy intellectual property thieves while Nintendo Life profits from the affiliate links? Don't you think there's an issue with people using Nintendo's intellectual property for profit without licensing agreements from Nintendo? Whether it's Big Corporate or small-time crafters, theft is theft, and Nintendo Life should not promote and profit from those participating in theft.
@Kalmaro @Silly_G I said the same thing when Nintendo Life was constantly pushing Etsy merch during the Christmas season. These sellers do not have the licensing to sell Nintendo's intellectual property, and it is unethical for Nintendo Life to promote IP thieves all the while profiting via the affiliate links. @Damo , why is Nintendo Life supporting IP thieves and profiting from it? Don't you see an issue with it?
While Nintendo of Japan's (NCL) old-style business executive culture has undoubtedly led to tremendous success, it has also led to the horrible condition of Nintendo's online services. What we often forget is that NoA and NoE are at the mercy of NCL, which means decisions that only make sense for Japanese consumers become the rule for everyone globally. Super Mario Maker 2's bizarre online functionality made sense to NCL because the local-only play community is supposedly stronger in Japan. This same concept is seen with the 3DS's StreetPass system, where Find Mii/StreetPass Quest are almost unplayable if you don't live in a highly-populated area where tons of people walk around with 3DS systems... such as Japan.
Even though we may consider Japan to be one of the epicenters of technological innovation, their culture has still not sailed into the fully-online, 21st century mentality that North America and Europe share. In fact, Japan is a land where flip phones are still wildly popular and 48.6% of its citizens still listen to CDs (links to articles at the bottom). While NCL has created a global business, they have not created a modern business by most standards. Nintendo has never been a company to chase trends, but the online issues started way back with the DS in 2004 but became especially apparent with the Wii in 2006. At this rate, they've had over 15 years to fix the issues, and they have stubbornly refused outside help and consultation to make it happen. Until the Japanese consumers of Nintendo products make more noise about these shortcomings, those of us in North America and Europe are just along for the ride.
How could you not include Geno on the list?! Geno and K. Rool are the two most requested characters in the history of the series, and he deserves his time in the spotlight like K. Rool finally got.
Great article, @Damo ! Now when are you going to cover all of the Etsy thieves that are selling merchandise with stolen Nintendo artwork and intellectual property? Oh, that's right, you won't cover it; Nintendo Life gets affiliate link money from promoting such thieves. You should be ashamed of yourselves for your double standard, but I guess it doesn't matter as long as it benefits your organization.
@ryancraddock When is Nintendo Life going to start profiling the Etsy creators ripping off Nintendo's intellectual property for profit, or is that off limits since Nintendo Life gets affiliate link money for referring people to Etsy thieves?
Don't believe everything you read/hear/watch. Shesez, the creator of Boundary Break, lost me a long time ago with his GoFundMe to supposedly get his sick father to a better hospital. After his father suddenly passed very early into the GoFundMe, instead of refunding the money, he kept it all claiming he needed it for travel and motel rooms for himself, his brother, and a girlfriend. He did a major bait-and-switch on almost $30,000 in funds, and nobody batted an eyelash.
In addition, his "anonymous sources" for any videos shouldn't be taken too seriously since he has zero background in the gaming or gaming journalism industries, which renders his authority on matters about as good as your childhood friend with "an uncle that works for Nintendo". Also, ask yourself this: If the North American version was "pulled from production", how was it still released first with only a four-day gap between it and the European version? To my recollection, the press at the time indicated no major delays in the game production, and it is hard to believe that a completely unseen and extremely blurry asset would cause that much uproar. Don't be shocked when this story falls apart.
Starlink's biggest shortcoming was using the toys-to-life crutch, especially at the tail end of the toys-to-life craze. This flaw even permeated the digital deluxe version of the game, where every time your ship blew up, you had to waste time picking another ship to fly and then finding an outpost or going back to a checkpoint to repair the destroyed ones. This problem is even worse if you're in the middle of space, where it takes long gaps of time (à la Wind Waker) to reach certain areas, checkpoints are few and far between, and outposts are basically nonexistent.
If I'm playing as Fox McCloud and I bought the digital deluxe version (essentially paying a premium to have almost all the toys in digital form), I want to fly the Arwing all the time; I don't want to be forced to fly another ship, and I paid a premium thinking I could fly the same ship nonstop. That's like forcing Captain Falcon to fly the Fire Stingray every time he crashes in an F-Zero game. The most frustrating part is that Ubisoft could patch in a change to this mechanism, especially now that they have nothing to lose by doing so. However, considering that Ubisoft won't even confirm if you pass or fail their Mario + Rabbids Community Competition challenges, I have little faith that they will fix Starlink.
This review puts my thoughts into words perfectly. The lack of Mystery Mushroom costumes is perplexing at best, especially since simple sprite work takes nowhere near the amount of time to create as 3D models. The docked controls are also very frustrating, and the touch controls are not much better; it feels like it takes two to three times as long to build a stage. Also, while the layout of the objects and effects menus makes sense to an extent, they still feel overly complicated compared to their Wii U predecessor. Let's hope that even more content is added through updates because it feels more like Super Mario Maker 1.5 instead of 2.
@AlphaElite More than likely, the Shifty Station stages are Private Battle only due to the potentially glitchy nature of them. Instead of having to maintain 24 more stages in the rotation that may be in need of patches and adjustments over time, it was probably easier to dump them into Private Battle mode so that the general public's online experience isn't negatively affected by them. It would be nice to see them in the rotation, though!
As we saw with the Sonic trailer, the eyes make or break the CGI experience. In this case, the eyes of Ash and Misty and even the eyeless state of Brock are extremely distracting and somewhat disturbing. Why are their eyes spread so far apart, and why are their faces squished to where their features look disproportional and unnatural? We did not need a CGI version of Mewtwo Strikes Back, and we definitely did not need one in this form.
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Re: Review: Drag x Drive (Switch 2) - A Real Baller With Friends, But Is There Enough To Do?
Drag x Drive is the worst controlling first-party Nintendo console title since Star Fox Zero for Wii U. It physically hurts to play this game, and it feels so slow and clunky to control. Nintendo always has to have a "gimmick game" to demo their latest technology, which wouldn't be a problem if they would just allow for multiple control schemes (i.e., a regular controller). What if Mario Kart World forced you to use Joy-Con motion steering exclusively; would you want to play that way? Nintendo is alienating 95% of the potential user base for this title by forcing the gimmick, and it will quickly fall by the wayside if the control methods aren't expanded. It's ironic that a game about an accessible sport has the least accessible controls.
Re: Princess Peach's Voice Actor Has Been Replaced After 18 Years
A little bit of Googling indicates that her departure could line up with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike on video game voiceover work. However, in the event Mario Kart World's voiceovers were recorded more than a year ago before the strike, then perhaps Nintendo just wanted a fresh start? We may never know the full answer. https://variety.com/2025/gaming/news/video-game-actors-strike-saga-aftra-final-offer-1236387081/
Re: Poll: Which Pokémon Game Really Deserves A Remake Next?
I hate that I understand the tagline reference... I would rather have Kanto blight than Canto Bight any day!
Re: Review: Super Mario Party Jamboree (Switch) - Only The Best Game In The Series
@PJOReilly , would you mind explaining Party Mode's online/local co-op console requirements? Is it like Superstars where you can have a mix of local and online friends in a game (e.g., two local friends on one Switch playing with two online friends on another Switch)?
Re: Site News: Love What We Do? Become A Nintendo Life Supporter!
@HerMajestysmyPronoun Nintendo Everything reports "just the news" and doesn't add any opinion to it, and you aren't bombarded with opinion pieces, "game lists" regarding social/political topics, or reviews that emphasize the reviewer's social/political leanings. However, Nintendo Everything's front page layout is archaic and needs a redesign, which makes it frustrating to find all the news for a given day without having to scroll and click through multiple pages. The only alternatives I have found are to follow your favorite developers directly on social media (yeah, I know, gross) or check the communities for various franchises on Reddit or Discord (once again, gross). For instance, Nintendo is extremely quick to announce anything new about its first-party titles on Facebook (to the point where it actually spoils things for me if I haven't gotten to watch a Nintendo Direct yet), and the Splatoon community on Reddit is very quick to report any news (though there can be tons of ridiculous posts to sift through). Between Nintendo Everything and social media of varying kinds, you will find "just the news".
Re: Site News: Love What We Do? Become A Nintendo Life Supporter!
I have been a long-time reader of Nintendo Life, all the way back to the VC-Reviews days. I have also been an infrequent commenter but frequent critic of Nintendo Life. Whether it was the linking to unlicensed Etsy merchandise for sale (which you have thankfully stopped doing), the heavy-handed moderation of certain articles and topics (especially when criticism is levied on NL and its team), or identity and environmental politics bleeding into your news and reviews (often due to the personal views of your writers), I haven't been shy about my feelings. I still visit Nintendo Life on occasion because you have the best layout of any Nintendo-specific website, but I have migrated to other news sources because they don't contain fluff or spin.
With all that being said, I do want Nintendo Life to succeed, and I don't want anyone to lose their jobs. It would be helpful if you were up front with your readership about the reasons behind the "Nintendo Life Supporter" program. Yes, demand from your readership may be part of it; however, the overarching reason is that ad revenue among Big Tech and media brands is dropping precipitously as we crawl towards a global recession. The financial lifeblood of your website is drying up, and you're trying to keep the doors open without having to cut staff or shut down websites like many of your peers. The "Nintendo Life Supporter" program is actual "life support" for your company, and while the situation may not be quite so dire right now, you are definitely trying to avert disaster. Your partner company ReedPop's bungling of E3 2023 has also not done you any favors, especially since they are Hookshot Media's "advertising sales arm"; millions of dollars in E3-related revenue are now gone, and you have little recourse.
I am glad to see your readership's positive response to the "Nintendo Life Supporter" program, and I wish you nothing but the best in your endeavors. One day, I hope I can return to Nintendo Life and be a supporter, as well. However, the new NL bears little resemblance to the website I read daily for over a decade, and it breaks my heart.
Re: Video: Watch This Splatoon 3 Pro Team Collect 241 Golden Eggs In A "World Record" Salmon Run
While the run is impressive and may be 100% legit, the RNG is strange. Here's a breakdown:
Wave 1: Low Tide, Fog, maybe one to two Flyfish, zero Stingers, zero Big Shots, tons of Flipper-Floppers and Steel Eels at the basket, numerous ten-egg Goldies at or near the basket.
Wave 2: High Tide, Find the Goldie, left and right gushers almost always seem to have Goldie, Goldie always running optimally to leave huge trails of eggs in front of the basket.
Wave 3: High Tide, Mudmouths, Golden Mudmouth spawns as second Mudmouth, every Mudmouth is convenient to access in High Tide on this map.
It would probably take a Splatoon 3 expert versed in RNG percentages along with a Karl Jobst video to unravel it, but it's worth digging a bit deeper to gauge the veracity of this record.
Re: Random: Nintendo Doesn't Want You To Get Mario Party Blisters This Time Around
@KingMike As someone who bought the first Mario Party when it released for N64 and experienced more blisters than I can count, the gloves that Nintendo sent were plain, cheap, white cotton gloves. There were no frills or branding about them!
Re: Dragon Quest Creator Teases Exciting Announcements For 35th Anniversary
The 30th anniversary of both Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy was commemorated with a new Fortune Street (Itadaki/Boom Street) title... could the 35th anniversary finally bring Fortune Street to the Switch?
Re: Sega Will Start Selling NFTs Based On Its IPs This Summer
@ryancraddock When is Nintendo Life going to reveal the amount of carbon emissions that the ReedPop family of websites and servers generate? When are you going to dive into the amount of pollution caused by Nintendo consoles and electronics in general? When are you going to talk about the issues of e-waste disposal? Until you look at how your own employer, lifestyle, and hobbies impact the environment, please keep your pseudoscience masquerading as "facts" to yourself. We're here for the gaming news and not your conjecture.
Re: Following Its Delay, Say No! More Says "Yes" To A Switch Launch Next Month
The game is definitely a unique concept, though it seems to be another entry in the "destroy everything" genre. "Eight polished stages" also seems a bit underwhelming unless these stages are huge and offer a lot of variety and replayability. Also, the price disparity between iOS ($5.99) and Switch ($14.99) is odd unless the iOS version is drastically stripped down and/or has some stages as DLC. We'll see what the reviews hold!
Re: Review: Everhood - A Mad Mix Of RPG, Rhythm Action, Kart Racing And Bullet-Hell Shmup
The main character bears a striking resemblance to Geno from Super Mario RPG. It looks like a unique adventure, though the misspellings seem inexcusable and point towards a limited QA process.
Re: Nintendo Of America Appears To Be Shutting Down Its Support Forums
@Liam_Doolan @antdickens Don't you think the headline should be prefaced by "Rumour" and tagged as such? The entire article from Nintendo Everything is based upon a single unsubstantiated reddit post that is now deleted by the author and has the supposed email as the sole comment on the post. Not a single person in authority has verified that this is true; please do not pretend as though it is such until you hear it straight from Nintendo.
Re: Niantic Has Issued AntiCheat Punishments To 5 Million Players Since 2020, Including Pokémon Go Users
@Tim_Vreeland No shade meant towards players of any age, but it was meant to draw a distinction between kids sharing a phone versus a grown man intentionally account stacking. Also, it is an actual real-life experience of mine from playing (and quitting) the game, including the age of the individual and his actions; it's not just mischievous teenagers gaming the Niantic system but people that are old enough to know better.
Re: Niantic Has Issued AntiCheat Punishments To 5 Million Players Since 2020, Including Pokémon Go Users
@OnlyItsMeReid That's totally an acceptable reason for having two accounts; a 50-something-year-old guy driving to every gym in a two-mile radius and methodically swapping between accounts to stack every gym with his own Pokémon is not. Thank you for using multiple accounts in a good and honest way!
Re: Niantic Has Issued AntiCheat Punishments To 5 Million Players Since 2020, Including Pokémon Go Users
@Jimez The multiple accounts issue made me stop playing after a few months. Living in an area with a limited number of gyms is already frustrating enough, but having one individual repeatedly stack five or more gyms across four accounts is demoralizing, especially when you're just starting out in the game and when multiple reports to Niantic do nothing to stop it. Niantic must have the ability to detect that kind of usage but probably won't do anything because their "player count" could take a substantial hit if they enforced the one-account policy.
Re: Get Ready To Fight For The Users, It Seems Tron Is Coming To Fortnite
Whoa! Noah is getting paid more than the GameXplain staff! Great article, and it's nice to see TRON getting some love!
Re: Feature: Hands-On With Momotaro Dentetsu, The Switch Game That's Beating Zelda And Animal Crossing In Japan
It is high time for Nintendo and Square-Enix to port Fortune Street for Wii with a higher resolution and quality-of-life updates. It is the best video game board game I have ever played and will suck hours of time when played with friends.
Re: Two Point Hospital: Jumbo Edition Adds Four Expansion Packs In New Physical Release
@aresius If you try an extremely large hospital in Sandbox Mode and put it through its paces, the crashes will start happening within a handful of years. According to the full press release on Two Point's website, they promise to "have a huge range of bug fixes included as well, including (but not limited to) lots of stability fixes for those pesky crashes some of you have been reporting", so let's hope they will follow through.
Link to full press release: https://www.twopointstudios.com/two-point-hospital-jumbo-edition-coming-to-consoles/
Re: Two Point Hospital: Jumbo Edition Adds Four Expansion Packs In New Physical Release
The original physical edition for Switch was hard enough to find, and let's hope the "Jumbo Edition" extra contents are reasonably-priced for those of us that have already purchased it. However, SEGA and Two Point really need to fix the issues that plague the Switch version, especially in the larger hospitals; random crashes at the end-of-year (costing you 30-60 minutes of progress depending on your play speed) and the limits on the number of staff (which are nowhere near as restrictive on other versions) have made me put the game aside until something is done about them.
Re: Nintendo Reveals Its First Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament For 2021
You know who would really love this star-based tournament?
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Cj4y0PwqqfE/maxresdefault.jpg
Re: Super Mario RPG Character Designer Shares Original Concept Art For Geno
@Dr_Lugae You can definitely see where some aspects of these designs found their way into Mack, Bowyer, and Yaridovich as well as Domino and Cloaker and even Jinx. It makes you wonder if Geno had a different backstory as part of the Smithy Gang...
Re: Nintendo Switch Cyber Monday 2020 Best Deals - Console Bundles, Games, Micro SD Cards And More
@Dazza, next year, it might be wise for NL to include Walmart in the US deals; they have first-party Switch titles such as Luigi's Mansion 3 for $30, which is much better than Amazon and Best Buy. I know you can't include every retailer, but Walmart is the largest brick-and-mortar/online hybrid retailer in the US. Keep up the great work!
Re: Random: Sorry, Mario Kart Live - Sega Beat You To The Punch Over 30 Years Ago
This technology was insanely ahead of its time. RC cars with enough battery to zoom around a track, power an early digital camera, and transmit the live video signal wirelessly to each arcade cabinet. Transmitting the live video wirelessly is the wildest part; that could not have been easy to engineer and program with the resources of that period. What a great find!
Re: Random: Someone Made A Manual For Super Mario 3D All-Stars To "Complete The Physical Set"
@Rhaoulos Contrary to what others are stating here, at least in the US, you unequivocally CANNOT use the intellectual property of a company (e.g., Nintendo) in a product you are selling unless you have licensed said intellectual property from that company. It does not matter if the purpose is "informational" or not; if you are selling it, you cannot use it without a license. For those of you that remember the unofficial game guides of the 90s-early 2000s, they often used gaudy illustrations that closely resembled the game's art assets but were different enough to prevent a cease and desist. The same concept applies today; this person on Etsy could make guides to sell all day long using their own illustrations and text, but the moment they decided to use Nintendo's art assets, they crossed the legal line.
@fusermarucs I have been making this exact same point for almost a year only to be ignored at best and insulted at worst by Nintendo Life's staff and readers. Etsy is willfully bad at policing intellectual property abuse among its users. Wait until the holidays roll around for Nintendo Life to start pushing Etsy merch that utilizes Nintendo's intellectual property because Nintendo Life gets a percentage back of clickthrough Etsy sales. It is illegal and morally reprehensible for a company like Nintendo Life, who already gets review copies and special press access from Nintendo, to push unlicensed merchandise when there is plenty of licensed merchandise to promote. @antdickens , do you have a defense for Nintendo Life hawking and making money from Etsy sellers that steal intellectual property for profit?
For more information on intellectual property rights, see the following link: https://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/understanding-licenses-or-can-i-use-this-asset-in-my-game--cms-22510
Re: Ninjala Dev Issues Second Ban Warning To Mischievous Players
Splatoon/Splatoon 2 had an easy fix for this: Take away the ability to leave the lobby unless you exit the game or the game times you out! It doesn't seem like a complicated thing to change. Also, the Splatoon devs have never publicly whined about players goofing off or having squid parties during matches; if you have an issue with a player, just report them using the Switch Online app or just block them on your Switch. It's hard to believe that there are so many bad actors in Ninjala that it requires such public lambasting.
Re: Mario Kart Tour's Pirate Tour Adds King Bob-Omb And Pirate Bowser Jr.
@1UP_MARIO Coming from a Mario Kart veteran that has been playing since the original SNES release, Mario Kart Tour has become surprisingly addictive and content-driven, and you don't have to spend a single dollar to do decently well in it, though sometimes the luck factor outweighs the skill factor. The controls are abhorrent, but turning on Smart Steering and getting the feel for drifting helps to balance it out. It is very easy to see the combo system becoming an optional component of future Mario Kart games; it feels very Tony Hawk-esque and like a natural fit for the series. Going back to Mario Kart 8 almost feels boring in comparison, though the driving and wins are way more satisfying in Mario Kart 8. Mario Kart Tour is absolutely the proof-of-concept and quality-of-life improvement for future Mario Kart iterations, though the free-to-play/gacha aspect will probably not make it to a console release, which is a good thing.
Re: Pikmin 3 Deluxe: 19 Glorious Screenshots, Box Art, File Size And More Details
For those of you on the fence because this is yet another Wii U port being sold at "brand new" pricing, here is a possible solution for you. I was on the fence for years regarding Mario Kart 8 Deluxe because I already had MK8 plus its DLC on Wii U, and I did not feel as though Nintendo deserved a full $60 double-dip from me. However, I kept watching for used copies and used game sales to show up on GameStop's website, and I managed to snag it for $32.99 when I bought Origami King thanks to a "buy new, save 40% on one used title" sale. I got the game I wanted and was not directly supporting Nintendo's double-dip habits.
tl;dr: Wait for a used sale on Pikmin 3 Deluxe from a reputable source, and you will not line Nintendo's pockets twice.
Re: Feature: Every Virtual Boy Game Ranked
Virtual Boy Wario Land is the best Wario Land game, hands down. Every one I've played since has failed to capture the same magic and simplicity. Despite the neck pain and headaches, the Virtual Boy was the best $20 ever spent on the Walmart clearance aisle in 1996 (along with the $5 Virtual Boy games... had I only known that Jack Bros. would be rare).
Re: WWE 2K Battlegrounds Scores September Switch Release, New Trailer Appears
Why are the faces so lifeless? The lack of expression and the strange body-head proportions make this game extremely unsettling to watch.
Re: No, Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2's Voice Work Isn't Complete
@damo and @ryancraddock, I greatly appreciate the replies. As someone who started as a reader of VC-Reviews before the site merger occurred (well over 11 years ago), I have a lot of emotional investment in the health and well-being of your website. I want Nintendo Life to continue to succeed and to be the most trusted Nintendo news site on the web (hence one reason I've repeatedly mentioned the promotion of unlicensed Etsy merchandise), and you have the easiest-to-read and most modern layout of any of your company-specific competitors. I feel as though your policy regarding independent verification of Japanese translations should perhaps apply to other languages, as well. Just because a source has been reliable in the past does not mean they will continue to be reliable, especially when it comes to something as finicky as translation, and we the readers are trusting that you the media are vetting the information you provide us before we read it. Sure, Nintendo news isn't the high stakes world of geopolitical news, but in the age where one random article or obscure mention sends Twitter into a feeding frenzy, you can't be too careful with the news you choose to release. Everyone makes mistakes, and the news is no different; hopefully, there can be protocols put in place to prevent this sort of thing from happening again. Continue to be your best selves, and we will continue to enjoy your hard work. Thanks for all you do!
Re: No, Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2's Voice Work Isn't Complete
@antdickens, why do you allow copy-paste stories from GoNintendo and other sources instead of independently verifying stories that require translation skills before posting them? It is clear @ryancraddock did little more than rush to get the news posted instead of running it through the proper channels to see if the news was legitimate. Every time Nintendo Life regurgitates completely unverified news and rumors, you lose more and more credibility. Please do better than your counterparts in the Nintendo news industry by getting the right news, not the quickest news.
Re: Nintendo Shuts Down Kickstarter Campaign Over Animal Crossing Copyright Infringement
@earthb0und You're 100% correct. @ryancraddock , care to comment?
Re: Ubisoft Hosts Major Switch eShop Sale, Up To 75% Off Top Games (North America)
This sale is a great reminder to never pay full price for any Ubisoft title. If you can wait one to two years from release date, you'll get some extreme deals.
Re: Nintendo Named And Shamed As Benefiting From The Use Of Chinese Forced Labour Camps
The sweatshop and labor camp culture of China has been known for quite some time. Nike using Chinese sweatshops in the 90s was many people's first introduction to this issue, and the issue recently resurfaced with Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn having labor camps and multiple suicides. The suicides became so numerous that Foxconn hung suicide prevention netting outside its factory and dormitory windows to catch those attempting to jump to their deaths. Every technology company that uses China for some or all of its parts manufacturing is affected by these issues, and it is up to Big Corporate to stop funding this communist regime rife with human rights violations... but they won't stop.
Re: Site News: We're Changing The Way We Handle Switch Screenshots
@KayFiOS Thanks for bringing a constructive and engaging comment to the table instead of a one-line complaint. I fondly remember the Songbird Ocarina ads, and the difference is that Songbird Ocarina was not stealing Nintendo's intellectual property. Nintendo doesn't own every ocarina in existence, and though Songbird Ocarinas used a lot of allusions and imagery reminiscent to the Zelda franchise, they did not infringe upon Nintendo's intellectual property (if they did, you can rest assured Nintendo wouldn't have been running their ads).
The difference is that most of the Etsy products being promoted by Nintendo Life are not small-time, hand-crafted products merely alluding to Nintendo's intellectual property. Many of the Etsy sellers are lifting art assets and even the titles of the franchises and branding them on hats, shirts, lamps, wood pieces, and even clocks. Take a look at the most recent Etsy post regarding Animal Crossing, and though you will see many items merely alluding to Animal Crossing (which is well within fair use; artists have a right to expression and parody with which I have no issue), you will see many slapping K.K. Slider, Tom Nook, and Isabelle on apparel and objects without any consideration to who owns those characters. They don't even try to change the characters in any significant way; just lift or recreate the assets to look exactly as they should, slap them on some merch, and sell them for profit.
I am not against fan art or fan creations as long as those creations are not illegally profiting from Nintendo's intellectual property. If you want to use Nintendo's assets to make money, get the proper licensing from Nintendo. If you don't want to get the licensing, then your for-profit works should deviate from Nintendo's assets enough to qualify as artistic expression and parody.
What most people here may not realize is that Nintendo Life makes money from the affiliate links they post to these products. If the products fall under fair use, I have no issue with that. However, I do take issue with Nintendo Life making money from those blatantly ripping off Nintendo's intellectual property. It seems pretty raw for Nintendo Life to receive review copies from Nintendo and press access to official Nintendo events and then make money from those stealing from Nintendo. Nintendo Life sees fit to report on those being sued and ceased-and-desisted by Nintendo for intellectual property theft, but Nintendo Life doesn't want to be held to the same standard.
Re: Site News: We're Changing The Way We Handle Switch Screenshots
@HobbitGamer Silence speaks volumes. It certainly seems like the kind of thing a news outlet would seek to clarify instead of sweep under the rug. It's no shock @Damo only wants to reply to positive comments instead of ones questioning their shady practices.
Re: Site News: We're Changing The Way We Handle Switch Screenshots
@Damo , now that you have your screenshot policy fixed, when are you going to fix your policy on promoting Etsy intellectual property thieves while Nintendo Life profits from the affiliate links? Don't you think there's an issue with people using Nintendo's intellectual property for profit without licensing agreements from Nintendo? Whether it's Big Corporate or small-time crafters, theft is theft, and Nintendo Life should not promote and profit from those participating in theft.
Re: Guide: Check Out The Best Fan-Made Animal Crossing Merch On Etsy
@Kalmaro @Silly_G I said the same thing when Nintendo Life was constantly pushing Etsy merch during the Christmas season. These sellers do not have the licensing to sell Nintendo's intellectual property, and it is unethical for Nintendo Life to promote IP thieves all the while profiting via the affiliate links. @Damo , why is Nintendo Life supporting IP thieves and profiting from it? Don't you see an issue with it?
Re: Soapbox: Confounded By The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Cloud Save Situation? You're Not Alone
While Nintendo of Japan's (NCL) old-style business executive culture has undoubtedly led to tremendous success, it has also led to the horrible condition of Nintendo's online services. What we often forget is that NoA and NoE are at the mercy of NCL, which means decisions that only make sense for Japanese consumers become the rule for everyone globally. Super Mario Maker 2's bizarre online functionality made sense to NCL because the local-only play community is supposedly stronger in Japan. This same concept is seen with the 3DS's StreetPass system, where Find Mii/StreetPass Quest are almost unplayable if you don't live in a highly-populated area where tons of people walk around with 3DS systems... such as Japan.
Even though we may consider Japan to be one of the epicenters of technological innovation, their culture has still not sailed into the fully-online, 21st century mentality that North America and Europe share. In fact, Japan is a land where flip phones are still wildly popular and 48.6% of its citizens still listen to CDs (links to articles at the bottom). While NCL has created a global business, they have not created a modern business by most standards. Nintendo has never been a company to chase trends, but the online issues started way back with the DS in 2004 but became especially apparent with the Wii in 2006. At this rate, they've had over 15 years to fix the issues, and they have stubbornly refused outside help and consultation to make it happen. Until the Japanese consumers of Nintendo products make more noise about these shortcomings, those of us in North America and Europe are just along for the ride.
Flip phone link: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190421/p2a/00m/0bu/004000c
CD link:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/05/08/national/japans-cd-album-output-fell-100-million-first-time-2018-industry-data-shows/#.XjwnkFVKios
Re: Feature: So, Who's Next For Super Smash Bros. Ultimate?
How could you not include Geno on the list?! Geno and K. Rool are the two most requested characters in the history of the series, and he deserves his time in the spotlight like K. Rool finally got.
Re: Random: This Fake Nintendo Switch Comes With 800 Games, But You Won't Want It For Christmas
Great article, @Damo ! Now when are you going to cover all of the Etsy thieves that are selling merchandise with stolen Nintendo artwork and intellectual property? Oh, that's right, you won't cover it; Nintendo Life gets affiliate link money from promoting such thieves. You should be ashamed of yourselves for your double standard, but I guess it doesn't matter as long as it benefits your organization.
Re: US Importer Arrested For Manufacturing Counterfeit Mario And Pokémon Toys
@ryancraddock When is Nintendo Life going to start profiling the Etsy creators ripping off Nintendo's intellectual property for profit, or is that off limits since Nintendo Life gets affiliate link money for referring people to Etsy thieves?
Re: Rumour: The Sailor Moon Manga In Punch-Out!! That Allegedly Cost Nintendo Millions
Don't believe everything you read/hear/watch. Shesez, the creator of Boundary Break, lost me a long time ago with his GoFundMe to supposedly get his sick father to a better hospital. After his father suddenly passed very early into the GoFundMe, instead of refunding the money, he kept it all claiming he needed it for travel and motel rooms for himself, his brother, and a girlfriend. He did a major bait-and-switch on almost $30,000 in funds, and nobody batted an eyelash.
In addition, his "anonymous sources" for any videos shouldn't be taken too seriously since he has zero background in the gaming or gaming journalism industries, which renders his authority on matters about as good as your childhood friend with "an uncle that works for Nintendo". Also, ask yourself this: If the North American version was "pulled from production", how was it still released first with only a four-day gap between it and the European version? To my recollection, the press at the time indicated no major delays in the game production, and it is hard to believe that a completely unseen and extremely blurry asset would cause that much uproar. Don't be shocked when this story falls apart.
Re: Review: F-Zero - The Game That Sold Us Mode 7
Re: Ubisoft Expected More From Starlink, Plans To "Create Better Products" For Family Market
Starlink's biggest shortcoming was using the toys-to-life crutch, especially at the tail end of the toys-to-life craze. This flaw even permeated the digital deluxe version of the game, where every time your ship blew up, you had to waste time picking another ship to fly and then finding an outpost or going back to a checkpoint to repair the destroyed ones. This problem is even worse if you're in the middle of space, where it takes long gaps of time (à la Wind Waker) to reach certain areas, checkpoints are few and far between, and outposts are basically nonexistent.
If I'm playing as Fox McCloud and I bought the digital deluxe version (essentially paying a premium to have almost all the toys in digital form), I want to fly the Arwing all the time; I don't want to be forced to fly another ship, and I paid a premium thinking I could fly the same ship nonstop. That's like forcing Captain Falcon to fly the Fire Stingray every time he crashes in an F-Zero game. The most frustrating part is that Ubisoft could patch in a change to this mechanism, especially now that they have nothing to lose by doing so. However, considering that Ubisoft won't even confirm if you pass or fail their Mario + Rabbids Community Competition challenges, I have little faith that they will fix Starlink.
Re: Feature: Pokémon World Championships 2019: Bidding Farewell To The Nintendo 3DS
@Serebii On the merchandise, is that US dollar pricing? $50 for a notebook and $80 for a hat are wild!
Re: Soapbox: To Me, Mario Maker 2 Is Nintendo's Best, And Most Disappointing, Sequel Ever
This review puts my thoughts into words perfectly. The lack of Mystery Mushroom costumes is perplexing at best, especially since simple sprite work takes nowhere near the amount of time to create as 3D models. The docked controls are also very frustrating, and the touch controls are not much better; it feels like it takes two to three times as long to build a stage. Also, while the layout of the objects and effects menus makes sense to an extent, they still feel overly complicated compared to their Wii U predecessor. Let's hope that even more content is added through updates because it feels more like Super Mario Maker 1.5 instead of 2.
Re: Splatoon 2 Version 5.0.0 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@AlphaElite More than likely, the Shifty Station stages are Private Battle only due to the potentially glitchy nature of them. Instead of having to maintain 24 more stages in the rotation that may be in need of patches and adjustments over time, it was probably easier to dump them into Private Battle mode so that the general public's online experience isn't negatively affected by them. It would be nice to see them in the rotation, though!
Re: Video: Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution Gets Gorgeous New Movie Trailer
As we saw with the Sonic trailer, the eyes make or break the CGI experience. In this case, the eyes of Ash and Misty and even the eyeless state of Brock are extremely distracting and somewhat disturbing. Why are their eyes spread so far apart, and why are their faces squished to where their features look disproportional and unnatural? We did not need a CGI version of Mewtwo Strikes Back, and we definitely did not need one in this form.