Nabbit01

This definitely peaks my interest the most out of any VB game, possibly Wario included.

Interesting connection here:

"The heavier Earth Dragon form smashes through weakened floors and strikes multiple foes simultaneously, while the Water Dragon form freezes stretches of water to create new paths, making for a satisfying loop of exploration, finding new powers, and immediately putting them to use."

This sounds like it may have inspired Intelligent Systems' use of the Vellumental bosses in The Origami King.

He has no style, he has no grace, this Kong-clothes-wearer has a funny face.

I hope the September Direct is Pikmin's time to shine, even with a Switch 2 Edition with some truly new content.

@boxyguy same here, I only learned in recent years that I wasn't supposed to hold the opposite ends of the control and that one hand was meant to go on the middle prong. I wonder if commercials at the time or manuals or something led us astray? I also don't remember seeing other kids hold it the correct way. Heck, I'm not sure I've tried to this day, having not held one almost at all in the last decade.

@DaniPooo it's crazy to think there are what, like...five side quests? Heart pieces, skulltulas, those kind of count, and then masks and the trading sequence and fishing and when adjacent minigames. In some circles just the masks and trading sequence would count. It helps solidify Majora's Mask as its own thing.

@Discostew do you think it may suggest a different starting point for the story?

P.P.S. even though I have no rhythm, I can say the Rhythm Heaven Groove trailer had me beaming. It's just so charming. Second favorite part of the Direct after OoT.

I also wanted to mention Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a truly remarkable, lovely and creative game and I'm astounded how creative and innovative it is.

@Bolt_Strike thank you for bringing up Pikmin and Luigi's Mansion. A Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition was rumored for this Direct so I hope it will be in the September Direct. I was also hoping to see LM4. I would be over the (dark) moon for either reveal.

This might be a dumb question and I'm not quite sure where to ask it. With all the modifiers the game offers, is there one that makes it less gruesome? The content is bordering a little too far into nightmare fuel for me. Specter of Torment is kinda as far as I'll go, to quote Birdo. I love YCG games though...

@Nf157 yes! Crash 5 and Klonoa 3.

I've only ever played the GBA Spyro entries and maybe just a few minutes of a PSX game. I see the original trilogy remaster is on sale for $10. How does that hold up, is it primarily collecting or is there engaging platforming as well? I absolutely loved Crash 4 so I'm in for any platformer from Toys for Bob. The flying section in the trailer reminded me of the SMG flying bird levels.

@DankPeezy I really get this! I'm watching it on a plane and it still stirred some feelings in my jetlagged head and heart. I'm looking forward to rewatching it. There is some ineffable quality about this game that just brings me a deep sense of nostalgia and I believe the game really shaped my perspective of the transition from childhood to adulthood.

I hope the September Direct brings full footage as well as a reveal of Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition with new content. That was also in the leak, long rumored at this point and I'm jonesing for Pikmin.

The relics referenced are new, right? I don't think I remember that collectible.

With all the accessibility features, is there a way to make the game less gruesome and creepy? Sincerely asking.

I'm curious, in the accessibility options, is there a way to make it less grimy or gruesome?

@swoose love to see a fellow tri force heroes fan, in my corner of the Internet it got a lot of flack around release but I think it's super underappreciated. I definitely see it as a MP sequel to LBW that has a laser focus on excellent dungeons.

Given the debate over Nintendo Life scoring 6/10, I was curious how the most recent Yoshi games did with critics. I used OpenCritic for reference.

Yoshi's New Island - 66
Yoshi's Woolly World - 80
Poochy and Yoshi's Woolly World - 77
Yoshi's Crafted World - 80
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book - 80

Interesting that the ceiling for Yoshi is 80 for nearly twenty years. I remember thinking all of these games were a lot more enjoyable than the reviewers found them to be.

Thank you for sharing your impressions @nintendio ! Have you beaten the game at this point?

@cyrus_zuo I gotcha. Thanks for clarifying. I think given this is developed by Good-Feel and a Yoshi game, there is a reasonably high chance of some exceedingly difficult final challenge(s) as was the case in Woolly and Crafted World. I'm curious to find out, for sure. Hopefully some review or reader can provide some clarification to help inform your buying decision.

@Nintendio how did you find the game to be in your six hours so far?

@cyrus_zuo when you say misalignment on difficulty, does that mean other reviews indicate it has some more hidden challenges to it?

@VoidofLight it was worth it for Hotfoot Hurdle!

@TrueBlueYoshi thank you for mentioning Kirby's Epic Yarn. If this is a Good-Feel game as seems likelier with each detail, then this is really full circle for them from KEY to YMB, given the not being able to take damage thing. I tried Epic Yarn back when it released on Wii and the lack of taking damage didn't gel for me at all, I really couldn't get into it. Then I tried it again a few years later and absolutely loved it, especially going for 100%. If this is Good-Feel and they can capture some of that same gentle-but-delightful-and-creative-but-mega-tough-to-100% vibe, that would be awesome.

I'm recovering from an injury and haven't been able to play games, only watch, so I'm hoping with gentler difficulty I can finally try playing again after 9 months. 🤞

@Uncle_Franklin that jump rope and volleyball are nigh impossible. I could only just barely do the former with the scooter trick.

I really hope Layton turns out excellently with engaging puzzles like the first trilogy that mostly don't mess too much with you. I hope the puzzles reflect playing on a console vs handheld. In the same vein I'm very much eager for the Mermaid Mask, the sequel to Tangle Tower coming out this year.

@Tyranexx I replayed SMG2 on Wii U a few years back and it held up exceptionally well. I use an upscaler for GCN games on Wii but Wii U with its built-in HDMI upscaler is so much more convenient for Wii games. The original Wiimote and Nunchuk control scheme is wonderful though I think I did read the Switch collection is better than All Stars in terms of the joycon controls. It's a really wonderful game and I'd like to replay it again one day...

More reasons to be excited about Öoo:

"Several critics named Öoo as one of the best titles of the year,[1][6] comparing it to titles including Animal Well and Celeste.[6][3] Critics praised the puzzle game design. Many appreciated how the game required players to experiment with mechanics to find solutions,[3][1] with Moises Taveras of The A.V. Club stating the game is "constantly teaching the player to throw away what they believe to be the conventions of platforming logic, and think outside the box in order to make breakthroughs".[7] The game's short length and focus on its key mechanics were praised.[1][7] John Walker of Kotaku said the game's lack of upgrades or additional bombs focused on demonstrating "imagination for how [the bombs] can be used in ever-more interesting ways".[1] Inverse similarly observed that the game's "genius puzzle design" introduced new mechanics and solutions "with just two buttons and not a single word".[2] Kris Holt of Engadget commended the game's "thought, care and detail" behind the game's design.[3] Praise was also directed to the game's visual and audio design,[1] with Inverse praising the "cheerful and clean" art and the use of theme variation in the game's soundtrack.[2]

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Öoo for Outstanding Achievement in Game Design at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards"

I'll stop now, I promise, just surprised this flew so far under the radar after ElecHead was an indie feature.

Wait, Öoo is out but only in Japan? I guess that's going to have to be a region switch game. As the next game from the creator of ElecHead, I recall it got a lot of praise on PC. Must play for me as ElecHead was beyond rad.

Edit: disengaging the klaxons - it's out in or the regions too!

https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/ooo-switch/

@The21zonz it's a special and unique game for sure. The side quests are extremely satisfying, as is the badge system.

I really loved Bug Fables, UnderHero and Wuppo (which is more like Super Paper Mario), so I'm eager to check this one out. Adding to my Deku Deals wishlist.

@Aispen that's really high praise! I really loved Bug Fables, UnderHero and Wuppo (which is more like Super Paper Mario), so I'm eager to check this one out. Adding to my Deku Deals wishlist.

Hoping the extra levels are playable from the jump and not an unlock. I love the original game, would just like the option to try the new levels immediately, they're the main appeal to me. The original game is one of my all time faves (using the 99 lives cheat; I find it impossible otherwise).

Does anyone else get mainly Pikmin updates lately and very few Zelda or other content compared to a couple months ago?

@Danrenfroe2016 I couldn't play the game much at all with the camera the way it is. I totally understand. There was another patch a few weeks ago that said the camera now has an option to not be locked to the player. I'm looking forward to checking that out so I can try the game again.

@ParsnipHero that's exactly what I'm hoping for from Fever. It would be the first Tennis game for me in several gens. The RPG mode reminded me of the GBC classic and the roster looked deeper than usual. The production value seemed impressive too.

@Yosher I'm really excited to see more of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. Whether it's Good-Feel or Arzest I believe both can make an engaging platformer. The format seems unusual and they were already playing with format to good results in Crafted World, so I'm curious to see how that shakes out.

@Retron exactly what I'm hoping to find out 🤞

@JohnnyMind the original two games are so wonderful and underappreciated. I hope you enjoy them a ton when you get to play them.

Have there been any fixes or improvements to the camera? Lots of players reported issues and motion sickness, particularly that the camera stays tightly focused on DK.

@CaleBoi25

Yes! Good shout. I found this on Mario Wiki:

Unnamed Captain Toad side story
There is a new mode to the game involving Captain Toad, a Poplin wearing a similar headlamp and backpack, and Hint Toad as supporting characters, and the Koopalings as antagonists. In this side story, the player will travel with Captain Toad and the Poplin to pursue the Koopalings, who appear to use similar Wonder powers to Bowser and Bowser Jr. in the main game. A new level type is introduced here, called Brigade Tent, which contain a new collectable called Bellabel Flowers instead of Wonder Seeds.[1]

The above text is from the Super Mario Wiki and is available under a Creative Commons license. Attribution must be provided through a list of authors or a link back to the original article. Source: https://www.mariowiki.com/Super_Mario_Bros.Wonder%E2%80%93_Nintendo_Switch_2_Edition_%2B_Meetup_in_Bellabel_Park

If I have the All Stars version, is there any major reason to get this edition of SMG? I'm interested in the new storybook pages but probably not $40 interested. Is the all stars version 1080p?

@Yosher I recommend the Nigongo con Teppei free podcast if you want to work on your listening skills. It's been a game changer for me. I also recommend the book Japanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication. I found that more helpful than Rosetta Stone.

@Simu001 same! Hoping for substantial SP content 😀

@EarthboundBenjy

Thank you for all of this info, I really appreciate you taking the time to write it all out like that.

@EarthboundBenjy

Thank you so much for your reply! Are there any other games in UFO 50 with disturbing content, specifically anything about animals?

@EarthboundBenjy

What kind of content is in the horror game?

I've been eagerly anticipating this one since I learned about it in December with the announcement of the Switch release. I'm curious if this is a game that performs smoothly on Switch or if I'm better off playing it on Switch 2. No reviews or impressions of the port online yet that I've seen.

@Zeldafan79 I remember that one! I was interning at a talent agency in 2006 and hot to read the script before it was produced. It was weird!

@StuartGipp Thank you!