Honestly, not sure I love Fox's design here. Despite all that game's flaws, I thought his look in the Star Fox Zero promotional art was pretty much perfect. Wish they had stuck to that.
I've never been a big fan of the on-rails arcade gameplay of Star Fox, but I've felt for a long time now like the characters would lend themselves very well to a movie adaptation. Hopefully, this is is a sign of things to come. A movie about anthropomorphic animals in space is seldom touched upon in kids media but has a lot of potential, I feel. Like Guardians of the Galaxy but targeting a younger audience (and the adults who grew up with it). I think such a movie coild succeed where the Ratchet and Clank movie failed and pave the way toward the future success of the Star Fox IP.
Nintendo with the Mario Galaxy movie is like when you plan a surprise party for someone, and you get really giddy about it, so you keep dropping hints to them about what the surprise could be, having them guess and guess until you eventually just tell them yourself and ruin the surprise.
After the recent Switch 2 update that lets you play Switch 1 games in handheld mode with the same fidelity as TV mode, one of the games I tried it out with was Battle for Bikini Bottom. The game looks super sharp now, but I kept thinking to myself how I would love a proper Switch 2 edition due to the hideous amounts of pop-in on Jellyfish Fields in particular. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come!
I'm pretty sure Avatar was supposed to come before Mega Man. I had a feeling things would get shifted around due to the new Avatar animated movie getting continual delays--it looks like that's exactly what happened. Ironically, though, we've finally gotten a new release date for the movie with an official look at the new character designs. So, hopefully, that DLC isn't too far off.
This game, Funko Fusion, Daemon X Machina, DC Super Hero Girls... how did these mediocre games nobody cared about get so much screen time during general Nintendo Direct presentations? How much money were they forking over? What will be the next Direct dud that has everybody rolling their eyes?
It won't happen, but I really wish it were Highguard or--better yet--Concord. Would be hilarious.
Since we just got the remake of Mario vs. Donkey Kong a couple years ago, I didn't think the original GBA version would ever come to NSO--at least, not within the next 5 years or more. Does this mean the SNES version of Super Mario RPG could be on its way soon??
Edit: This also means Mario finally says, "Come back-a here, you big-eh monkey!" in a Switch game. Life is finally worth living again.
As someone who never played this game back in the day, I don't have a frame of reference in terms of the original music. But for what it's worth, I think the soundtrack is fantastic.
Ehh, I already have the Hori GameCube split pad controller that does the same thing but better, imo. It slides into each side of the Switch like a pair of JoyCon--no need for that extra bulk on the back and bottom of the system since it doesn't fit like a onesie pajama.
Granted, it was made for Switch 1, but I plan on buying one of Hori's adapters that makes it compatible with Switch 2 in handheld mode. It'll make it a bit wider than it already is, but I still think it'll be a cool way to play.
@antonvaltaz That makes sense, appreciate the explanation! As the behind-the-scenes videos go into, Rayman was actually conceived as a 3D model first. From the early SNES prototype, it looks like the original plan was to do something similar to Donkey Kong Country and convert the model into a 2D sprite. But, the CD-ROM add-on to the SNES never saw the light of day, which was necessary due to the ambitious nature of Rayman, so they shifted development over to other consoles. I guess around this time, the art style changed to look hand-drawn. The bonus features are really interesting--they also explain how Rayman having no limbs was more to do with graphical limitations than anything and it being difficult to make fluid animations for one interconnected model as opposed to breaking it down into independent segments.
I usually don't care for stuff like documentary footage and high-res scans in games like this because it feels like a waste of storage space on my SD card when I could just watch it in a YouTube video.
But, I do think it's fascinating to learn about the history and development. I had no idea the name "Rayman" was in reference to ray-tracing. Which really confuses me as someone who isn't a tech guy, because isn't that the thing people wanted the Switch 2 to have because the Switch 1 didn't? You're telling me this technology has existed for the past 30+ years but has just never been in a Nintendo console before? I know I'm showing serious ignorance here.
Neat as it is though, I so still think that for digital consumers, bonus behind-the-scenes features for old game re-releases should be a separate free DLC, that way you can delete it off your drive once you're finished. I doubt I will be rewatching these a second time.
Some games do this for language options, and that's how it should always be, imo. (Granted, the reason is usually because those localization weren't available at launch. If I only speak English and I'm playing a meaty JRPG with hundreds of hours of sound files, why should I need all the VO files for 20 other languages?
This isn't really an issue for physical owners where the whole thing is on the cartridge. But, in an era where file sizes are getting astronomically larger, I wish these companies would thing of more space-saving shortcuts. It would be incredibly pro-consumer, and I can't think of any major drawbacks to this.
One thing they need to fix is that, as far as I can tell, enabling cheats like infinite lives/continues does not work if you already started a save file.
I've gone through all my continues, and as far as I can tell, there's no way to get more like you can in the Genesis Sonic games. I really don't want to have to keep grinding early levels for 1-ups.
Purposefully dying to get a game over in a level still leaves you with 0 continues and gives you however many lives you went into the level with. So, if you started a level with only 1 life and died, you start back with just 1 life after the game over.
I don't want to keep abusing the rewind feature, but it's one of those annoying quirks of games from this time that hasn't aged very well. Maybe someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong but, again, the enhancements just aren't working despite me turning them on in the middle of my playthrough.
I can only surmise it's because I didn't do it from the get-go on a new file. I really don't want to have to start all over, but that might be what I end up doing unless Ubisoft fixes this or someone tells me what I'm doing wrong.
It's a bit of whiplash going from Rayman Legends, which has no lives and tons of checkpoints, to this. Legends probably punishes you less for dying than any game I've ever played, and I think that's great.
I also wish you could map more than one button to the same thing. I made ZR the "action" button which is used for running, since you run with the trigger buttons in Origins/Legends. But now, I can't use A to select a level anymore and have to use ZR which is annoying.
I don't actually think this will be the plot, but what if Foreman Spike somehow gets transformed into the Spike we know from the Mario games and becomes one of Bowser's minions, with the same voice actor as the first movie? That would be a fun twist.
Very excited this has finally been officially confirmed--and releasing tomorrow!
This was honestly the best Sony presentation since the State of Play that came before the PS5 even released back in 2020, when they announced Astro's Playroom, Sackboy, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Bugsnax, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Little Devil Inside (which still hasn't released??), Horizons Forbidden West, and probably more I'm forgetting.
This one had Rayman, a Kena sequel, Metal Gear, a God of War trilogy remake and new 2D spinoff, Silent Hill, Castlevania, a release date for Beast of Incarnation, a Ghosts of Yotei DLC, and more besides. We also just had the recent announcement of a multiplayer Horizon game, and although I know the reception to it has been negative, you can't say the PlayStation doesn't have exclusives to play this year. It'll be good to dust off the ol' PS5.
I won't be playing all these titles, as I tend to stick with family-friendly games that aren't Mature-rated, but I can't deny they made a lot of announcements for highly revered game franchises. I feel like there was at least one game there for everybody.
Konami is really coming back with a vengeance, between the games I already mentioned and the Bomberman collection earlier this month. It's great to see these tone-deaf companies finally get the much needed hearing implants.
Rayman is definitely a game I'll be getting on my Switch, though. A lot of people in the comments say they'll be passing because of Ubisoft, and that's their prerogative. But, for me, if I were to stop doing business with every company I felt was unethical, I probably wouldn't even be able to have my basic needs met. I'll be picking it up at launch with no conviction.
Anyway, let's see if Sony can maintain this momentum. They piqued this Nintendo fanboy's interest for the first time in almost 6 years. Their 2020 presentation is why the PS5 is my first-ever PlayStation console I've ever owned. Try not to lose my attention again, Sony.
Feels like a bit of a clickbait title when we already saw that "iconic boss" in the first trailer, tbh. Made it sound like we were seeing somebody new.
A lot of commenters on the previous article were saying Nintendo Life has the right to censor comments they deem offensive, as private institutions don't have to honor free speech.
If that is your opinion, we should at least be consistent and say Nintendo also reserves the right to restrict problematic content.
I just saw someone the other day posting about how this game would probably have an online Mii sharing feature, and if so, they predicted a certain person whose death became a meme last year would become the most popular one.
I, for one, am glad people will have to go through extra hoops if they want to do that.
Because of my religious background, I have a more "traditional" view on things like marriage and gender. I believe God ordained things a certain way for a divine purpose, but I also believe we are called to love everyone as fellow children of the Most High.
You articulate yourself very respectfully and with no animosity toward the person you're responding to, which is a godliness a lot of people who profess Christianity lack. I wish more people conducted themselves that way--whether online or in person--and would be honored to call you a friend.
You may not believe this, but I understand exactly how you feel. In this day and age where the social climate has changed and people face the very real risk of cancel culture, doxxing, harassment, etc. for expressing their opinions, the thought of "outing" ourselves can be a very scary thing. It has, at times, made me feel I need to "closet" myself in fear of scrutiny, rather than live authentically as a Christian with socially Conservative views.
At the end of the day, I really think we all--regardless of religion, sexuality, ethnicity, or ability--have more in common than we realize. We all experience a shared human struggle for acceptance. I don't know if you would have me as a friend or not, knowing where I stand; it's nothing to do with you as a person any more than someone else's disdain for religion doesn't have to be a personal attack on me.
In my view, I think people on both sides like to make harmful and bigoted generalizations like "all LGBT+ people are cultist child-groomers" or "all Christians are cultist child-groomers." It's two sides of the same coin, in my opinion. But, you haven't demonstrated that kind of behavior, so I respect you a lot more than not just the "dark woke," but bad-faith actors masquerading as Christians as well.
I'd say there's a strong likelihood this comment will get deleted--which is a shame because you've displayed a real willingness to talk, which is the only way to find common ground.
Keep leading by example. We may have very different views, but our approach in expressing those views is not dissimilar. Much love. ❤️
This has got to be the most densely-packed January ever in terms of gaming news.
Does that concern me for the prospect of getting a February Direct? Honestly, not really. Nintendo gonna Nintendo.
There have been multiple times in the past we thought a Direct wasn't coming because we had a string of announcements prior. There have also been periods when Nintendo announced nothing and we thought a Direct was inevitable, only for nothing to happen.
I think one is for sure still coming. We're still in the launch year of their newest system, and I'm sure Nintendo is aware of the negativity concerning their first-party lineup.
I'm so glad I'll finally be able to sniff a Koffing.
Glad they're continuing to expand Super Nintendo World, even though I'm not the biggest Pokémon fan. Hoping we get a Luigi's Mansion attraction and Hyrule park sooner rather than later.
During the Wii U era, I used to think no company could make as many bafflingly tone-deaf decisions as Nintendo.
I owe them a huge apology.
I feel like this at least the third "restructuring" Ubisoft has done in less than a decade. I'm genuinely baffled how they've lasted to this point without completely going bankrupt. I know Assassin's Creed is a big deal, but I don't see how that alone can carry a business. Do people even still buy Just Dance every year? I never hear anyone talk about it.
It's equal parts hilarious and sad Ubisoft is investing all this money into generative AI when we're starting to see the first signs of that bubble bursting. Apparently, ChatGPT is struggling to keep itself afloat financially. It's only a matter of time before the rest of the industry follows suit. It doesn't matter how many billions you invest; you can't force the consumer to accept something they don't want.
That's not to say AI doesn't have its place; ChatGPT helped me set up a solid, long-term financial plan, so I'm very grateful it was able to dumb down the complicated world of stocks and IRA investments for me in a clear, concise way. If I'm able to retire with a large nest egg, it will be all thanks to AI.
But the commercialization of generative AI is something not a single soul wants outside of corporate execs who want to save money on paid labor. I've always said it will go the same way as NFT's, but it's unfortunate it's taking so much longer.
I don't understand why Ubisoft continues to chase trends that have already proven themselves to be a disaster. Concord flopped and costed Sony hundreds of millions they invested in live service games; didn't that raise a few eyebrows at Ubisoft and make them consider this was a sinking ship? No?
Honestly, it feels like they're trying to deliberately sink the company in some sort of money laundering scheme, because I can't fathom that any leadership would be this incompetent. It's like watching someone burn their house to collect the insurance money. Anyone with an IQ of 70 could understand why this is a bad idea.
Edit: I forgot to even talk about the low blow that is the Sands of Time cancelation. The Lost Prince was my first Prince of Persia game, and I really enjoyed it. Was so looking forward to this one, as I've heard nothing but great things. This doesn't bode well at all for my confidence Ubisoft will deliver on the new Rayman project they've been hyping up.
While this is a cool free update and I appreciate it, I think it's very disappointing this game still doesn't support online co-op. It's especially weird now that they've added local game share. Why can't I do that online like I can in Mario 3D World?
I want online to be the standard for all Nintendo's co-op games moving forward. Go back and retroactively update Kirby's Return to Dream Land DX, Tropical Freeze, New Super Mario Bros. U DX, Luigi's Mansion 3, Pikmin 3 DX, etc. to support it.
My cousin who lives out of state recently got a Switch 2, and he and I have been reconnecting after 13 years of not seeing each other. We used to do DS Download Play all the time back in the day when he lived locally. Just the other day, we were talking about how great it'd be if more first-party Nintendo games supported online. (Third-parties like Rayman Legends and Cuphead as well.)
I hope this isn't the last update this game gets, but I'm not expecting anything more, honestly. Now would've been the time.
@Ham-n-jam I had to Google the alternate meaning of agnostic, cause I thought you were saying New Horizons neither believes nor disbelieves in a framerate god.
It honestly seems completely backward that this is a paid upgrade, yet all the extra content like the hotel and everything is free. Would make a lot more sense if it was the other way around. Switch 2 is already so expensive, so being able to get the graphical upgrade at no extra cost down the road would be a great incentive for people who haven't gotten the console yet but plan to down the road. But, Nintendo could have still make money off Switch 1 users by giving them something cheap to buy that gives them a substantial amount of new content.
Something I forgot to say in my initial comment is that I could very well see this collection getting officially announced in a February Nintendo Direct. Would be a cool stealth launch game with a physical edition coming later.
Then the Nintendo Direct narrator says, "And..." as the screen fades to black.
Nice! Was just thinking about NES Ducktales specifically the other day and how it's weird it still isn't available on Switch. I've never actually played it but have always heard great things and as a platforming aficionado, its impact can't be overstated. Shovel Knight and Cranky Kong probably wouldn't have their pogo bounce moves if not for this game.I would much prefer the HD remake but this is still really cool. Can't wait to experience it for myself for the first time.
The moon theme is overrated, though. I said what I said.
Good to see they're working on patching the issues. The DLC definitely felt a bit unpolished compared to the base game. It crashed on me once toward the end of a dream session, which was annoying as it meant all that grinding was for nothing. And oftentimes, when I get the head-bang power, my character inexplicably just starts moving backwards or not moving at all, thus wasting the effect. There's also been other janky elements, like two different randomly-generated objects spawning in the exact coordinates and sort of flickering back and fourth between each other, or the minimap icon not going away for an object I've already harvested.
While I'm certainly not complaining about a relatively meaty expansion released at no extra cost (this is basically the equivalent of Emerald Rush being free in DK Bananza), it felt like it could have used really another month or so in the oven to iron out all the kinks.
As someone with OCD, I usually live for this kind of stuff, but being able to view play times now via the Nintendo Store app now makes this a little redundant, admittedly.
Anyways, I played my Switch/Switch 2 for a whopping 1,327 hours this year across 87 different games. In my defense, I have a YouTube gaming channel I post to regularly, so you could argue I was technically working... 😬
My top 3 most-played games were as follows:
1. Fantasy Life i - 280 hrs. 2. Super Mario Maker 2 - 209 hrs. 3. GameCube NSO - 116 hrs.
If you're wondering why I played so much Mario Maker in the Year of our Lord 2025, it's because I finally completed my 40-level Mario World "sequel" I started years ago and even made a whole Mario 3 themed course world as well. Was a lot of fun.
Oh yeah, I'm definitely doing stuff for the fun of it! 😃 I started my own YouTube channel about a year and a half ago called "Nintentrovert" and have already uploaded around 400 videos in that short amount of time. It's mostly let's plays, but I also do a podcast irregularly and other miscellaneous types of content like movie reactions. I'd love for it to one day boom into something I could make a living off of--or at least some passive income--but even if that never happens, I'm still having fun doing it as a hobby. Now that they've hired someone for the job, I've been thinking about uploading my video application to the channel.
Content creation is something I've always wanted to do, and while getting the Nintendo Life job would have been great for networking and gaining industry exposure, I definitely would have missed the liberty of just doing my own thing. I even draw all my own channel art in Adobe Illustrator and edit together thumbnails in Photoshop! So, if nothing else, it's taught me real-world skills and helped me build a portfolio of work that may come in handy someday--as well as helping me work through insecurities about being on camera.
Like I said, my editing is pretty amateur-ish right now, and while I'd like to learn more and get better at it, video editing is not something I enjoy as much as recording videos themselves and making the channel art. So, there may come a time when I could use your services! I'm not in a position right now to be able to pay a freelancer, but in the future that might be something I explore.
I always try to phrase my NL comments (as well as my posts on any other site like Twitter) as respectfully as possible, without hostility and showing a genuine open-mindedness and willingness to be proven wrong. But, despite that, I've had dozens of comment removals at this point and actually got temp-banned for a couple weeks a few months back. (This isn't me criticizing the moderation team, I'm just stating what happened.)
A lot of this came down to me either refuting someone else's political comment or bringing politics into the discussion when it wasn't a part of the original article. My intention was never to stir the pot--it just really hurts me to see all the hate and division in contemporary western society, which affects all spaces including the gaming community, and I wanted to bridge the gap by trying to find common ground between both sides. But, that wasn't always received warmly.
Anyways, thanks again for the words of encouragement! I really appreciate it. 😄 Best of luck on your continued ventures, and I hope it opens up lots of opportunities for you.
I know as part of the Microsoft acquisition, they committed to supporting Call of Duty on Switch for 10 years... I'm wondering how binding that is. Like, did it start back then? Or does the 10 years start from the moment Switch gets its first CoD game? And are they obligated to release them on the original Switch 1 for that long, as was the initial statement, or does Switch 2 count since it's in the same family of systems?
I threw my hat in the ring, but I didn't get the job (obviously). There's probably a myriad of reasons why--I live much further away, my editing skills are pretty novice, and frankly, I'm not sure how much the NL staff likes me due to some of the divisive comments I've made in the past.
I watched a couple of her videos, though, and her editing is definitely much better than mine. She has a better studio setup and more professional equipment, and he has a likeable persona on camera.
Definitely a stronger candidate than me and the better person for the job.
I'm not too upset because I knew it was a long shot and had the lowest of low expectations. I would probably pass on hiring me, too, if I were Nintendo Life for all the above reasons.
I'd like to continue honing the craft, though, and maybe someday when I've learned more video editing techniques, I'll be a good enough candidate to land a job doing something I'm passionate about--if not with Nintendo Life, then somewhere.
Can confirm my local GameStop has already closed down, which is unfortunate, as I live in an incredibly small community which has a difficult time keeping businesses as it is.
The nearest Target or Best Buy is about an hour and a half away, so that only really leaves Walmart in terms of retail stores that get games on launch date.
There is going to be an independent games store that will be opening soon, though, which will have collectibles and retro games and stuff, so I'm excited about that as we don't have any other stores in that space, either. I hope it will be successful, but I'm pessimistic it will last longer than a year or two.
For perspective, my hometown lost our bowling alley years ago, and during the pandemic, we also lost our movie theater because they weren't generating enough revenue. Also, our only Chinese restaurant is shutting down. Someone opened an Indian restaurant a few years ago, but it didn't last.
There are only like 10 restaurants to choose from within a 50-mile radius. No Chick Fil-A, Popeyes, Zaxby's, Bojangles, Burger King, Chili's Cheddar's, Domino's...you get the picture.
Yet somehow, we have three different Mexican restaurants that share the same owner and offer the same menu items, yet are all very successful.
Case in point, don't move to Appalachia unless you can live without everything except Mexican food. (I forgot to mention, our hospital also shut down its delivery room, so unless you have your own personal midwife, you'll have to drive 50 miles for that, too.)
That's nice, but I'm only just now getting around to playing the DQ3 remake and haven't even gotten to 1+2 yet. Really enjoying 3 so far, although I wish I could turn down the frequency of random encounters, which can get annoying. (Apparently, I can get a skill later on that will help with this, but I don't have it yet.) I'm pretty sure DQ7 has enemies in the overworld you have to touch to initiate a battle, which is vastly how I prefer my turn-based RPG's. Still having fun, though.
I can't say I really played any of the games he was associated with, but Call if Duty is obviously a massive financial juggernaut, so he left behind a legacy that will live on long after him. Very sad for his kids and the rest of his loved ones.
I feel Nintendo Life should have run an article on Lamaar Wilson, who also just passed away. I know he was a content creator and not a game creator, but still, you guys covered when Etika passed away. I think it would be a nice thing to do. I didn't watch much of Lamaar's content either, but he seemed like such a happy guy full of energy and personality. Even though I wasn't subscribed to him, I was familiar enough that the weight hit a bit harder. Like the shock of finding out a casual acquaintance from your home town who you never really talked to but always thought seemed like a nice guy passes away. Very sad week for the gaming community.
I actually just beat Rayman 2 for the first time about a year ago, but it was the 3DS version. That version had a low framerste and stuff though, so I kinda wish I had waited. From my understanding, the Dreamcast version is the definitive version, so I kinda wish we were getting a native port--or even a full remake--of that instead. I still hope we eventually get Rayman 1 and 3, which I've never played--and I don't just mean the Game Boy Color version of Rayman 1.
This is still a big get for NSO, though, and I'm glad to have this classic game on modern hardware. I hope PS and Xbox players will get it too in some form.
Never played Tonic Trouble, which I hear isn't great but was sort of a prototype for Rayman 2, so that's cool. Would love to see more obscure platformers like that in the future, like Rocket: Robot on Wheels.
This is honestly so sick! When we first saw Voidco, my immediate first thought was, "Wow, we haven't seen evil Kongs since Jungle Beat!" It just makes the DK family so much more interesting. And their updated designs look great! I haven't played Bananza since the day Emerald Rush came out, but I might have to boot it back up for this. Hopefully, we get to see more, like Dread Kong and Karate Kong in the future.
I'd also love to see it added to GameCube NSO sooner rather than later. It would be so surreal, because I still own the bongos from when I was six, and since I have the GameCube controllers adapter, I'd be able to use it on Switch 2!
I hope we also see Emerald Rush events that bring in the Tiki Tak Tribe and Snowmads.
That's awesome to hear! I'd love to see Super Monkey Ball and NiGHTS representation. They might as well bring back Wreck-It Ralph since he was already in transformed. I'm not really a DC fan, but since they're doing that whole Shadow x Batman crossover, it would make a lot of sense. As someone else said, the rest of the Deadly Six would be nice; like the Koopalings, it's just weird to have some but not all of them.
Crash Bandicoot would be awesome to see, especially since his own racing game hasn't gotten content updates in years. Uhh... Spyro, Rayman... now I'm just listing characters I want in Smash. Obviously, Nintendo isn't gonna allow any of their IP to be on other consoles, unfortunately. But, Sony is opening up to it, so stuff like Astro Bot, Sackboy, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper would be really cool. Imagine PaRappa behind the wheel of a car, lol.
We already have Namco representation with Pac-Man, so they could add the prince from Katamari as well as Klonoa. Klonoa basically looks like a Sonic character already. Then there's indies like Shovel Knight, Hat Kid, Shantae, Cuphead... I bet Microsoft would be willing to lend them the rights to Banjo-Kazooie, which would be pretty sick.
Since we already have Nickelodeon representation (Avatar, SpongeBob, TMNT), something from Cartoon Network would be cool. I'm not the biggest Adventure Time fan, but that show seems like the safest bet. It's probably CN's biggest cash cow with the most longevity, and I can imagine Finn and Jake racing around Ooo while collecting rings.
I'll be honest, I've only put a few hours into the game so far, but that's just because I'm waiting on the Switch 2 update.
This is really cool! Didn't even know there was a Rocko's Modern Life game, but it's a great show, so I'm curious to check it out. I hope this is just the beginning of classic Nickelodeon games getting re-released on modern consoles. Can we get a NickToons Unite collection next? The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie? Fairly OddParents: Breaking Da Rules and Shadow Showdown? Jimmy Neutron: The Movie game and Attack of the Twonkies? I think there was a Danny Phantom game on GBA, which I never played. Bring that over as well!
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this is the full soundtrack. One of my favorites I believe was called Sky Station Galaxy 2, but I can't find it unless it's under a different name.
Putting aside all the negativity with pricing and key cards and everything, I'm really grateful that almost all of my favorite games of all time are available on a modern platform (with added handheld support). Super Mario Galaxy 2 and The Wind Waker are both in my top 10. Luigi's Mansion, DKC Returns, and Pac-Man World Re-Pac are in my top 20 or so.
Weird we don't have a first-party game for September, but otherwise, the rest of the year is looking pretty stacked between Metroid Prime 4, Pokémon Legends Z-A, Kirby Air Riders, and third party games like Yooka-Replaylee, Little Nightmares III, SpongeBob: Titans of the Tide, Sonic Racing Crossworlds, and the aforementioned Pac-Man World 2. 3D platformer fans just keep winning.
Next year is also looking good so far between the new Yoshi, Rythm Heaven, Tomodachi Life, Splatoon Raiders, Mario Tennis, Dragon Quest VII, Virtual Boy titles, and more besides. We've gone into many years knowing of only one first-party title before the February direct (e.g., 2021 and Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury). So, it's already off to a promising start.
Maybe it's copium, but I still think there's a chance we could still get Prime 2 and 3 this year. I think they could shadow drop them at the end of a Prime 4 Direct in October or November with a physical release coming a week or two later, like they did with Prime 1 Remastered. It'd just be really weird to not port them, considering they have the Prime 1-3 art book and everything. The physical could be 2-in-1 like the Galaxy collection or Pikmin 1 & 2 and just be bog-standard ports.
Even if we don't get that, though, I'm still prettu content.
@JohnnyMind I knew somebody who was a little more in-the-know would be able to educate me, but you went out of your way to provide links and everything. Thanks a bunch! 😃
Comments 3,808
Re: Fox McCloud Blasts Into The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Honestly, not sure I love Fox's design here. Despite all that game's flaws, I thought his look in the Star Fox Zero promotional art was pretty much perfect. Wish they had stuck to that.
I've never been a big fan of the on-rails arcade gameplay of Star Fox, but I've felt for a long time now like the characters would lend themselves very well to a movie adaptation. Hopefully, this is is a sign of things to come. A movie about anthropomorphic animals in space is seldom touched upon in kids media but has a lot of potential, I feel. Like Guardians of the Galaxy but targeting a younger audience (and the adults who grew up with it). I think such a movie coild succeed where the Ratchet and Clank movie failed and pave the way toward the future success of the Star Fox IP.
Re: Fox McCloud Blasts Into The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Nintendo with the Mario Galaxy movie is like when you plan a surprise party for someone, and you get really giddy about it, so you keep dropping hints to them about what the surprise could be, having them guess and guess until you eventually just tell them yourself and ruin the surprise.
Re: Investor Who Urged Nintendo To Monetise Mario's Jumps Acquires Shares In Kadokawa
A lot of people seem to not realize you can pay to upgrade your stats in Mario Kart Tour...
Re: Epic Mickey: Rebrushed Joins A Trio Of THQ Nordic Titles Getting The Switch 2 Treatment
After the recent Switch 2 update that lets you play Switch 1 games in handheld mode with the same fidelity as TV mode, one of the games I tried it out with was Battle for Bikini Bottom. The game looks super sharp now, but I kept thinking to myself how I would love a proper Switch 2 edition due to the hideous amounts of pop-in on Jellyfish Fields in particular. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come!
Re: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Version 1.3.1 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
I'm pretty sure Avatar was supposed to come before Mega Man. I had a feeling things would get shifted around due to the new Avatar animated movie getting continual delays--it looks like that's exactly what happened. Ironically, though, we've finally gotten a new release date for the movie with an official look at the new character designs. So, hopefully, that DLC isn't too far off.
Re: Two More Kirby Air Riders amiibo Are On The Way, Out Later This Year
Marx and Magolor next, please??
Re: So It Begins! Cosy Lord Of The Rings Game 'Tales Of The Shire' Moves In On Switch 2 This Month
This game, Funko Fusion, Daemon X Machina, DC Super Hero Girls... how did these mediocre games nobody cared about get so much screen time during general Nintendo Direct presentations? How much money were they forking over? What will be the next Direct dud that has everybody rolling their eyes?
It won't happen, but I really wish it were Highguard or--better yet--Concord. Would be hilarious.
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Virtual Boy And GBA Library With Three More Titles
Since we just got the remake of Mario vs. Donkey Kong a couple years ago, I didn't think the original GBA version would ever come to NSO--at least, not within the next 5 years or more. Does this mean the SNES version of Super Mario RPG could be on its way soon??
Edit: This also means Mario finally says, "Come back-a here, you big-eh monkey!" in a Switch game. Life is finally worth living again.
Re: Pokémon Winds & Waves Announced For Switch 2, Launching Next Year
Curious what Nintendo's big Holiday, 2026 game will be, then...
Re: Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition Is "The First Step" In The Platformer's Comeback
As someone who never played this game back in the day, I don't have a frame of reference in terms of the original music. But for what it's worth, I think the soundtrack is fantastic.
Re: This Switch 2 Grip Might Be The Ultimate Way To Play GameCube Games In Handheld
Ehh, I already have the Hori GameCube split pad controller that does the same thing but better, imo. It slides into each side of the Switch like a pair of JoyCon--no need for that extra bulk on the back and bottom of the system since it doesn't fit like a onesie pajama.
Granted, it was made for Switch 1, but I plan on buying one of Hori's adapters that makes it compatible with Switch 2 in handheld mode. It'll make it a bit wider than it already is, but I still think it'll be a cool way to play.
Re: Ubisoft Reportedly Aware Of Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition OST Requests
@antonvaltaz That makes sense, appreciate the explanation! As the behind-the-scenes videos go into, Rayman was actually conceived as a 3D model first. From the early SNES prototype, it looks like the original plan was to do something similar to Donkey Kong Country and convert the model into a 2D sprite. But, the CD-ROM add-on to the SNES never saw the light of day, which was necessary due to the ambitious nature of Rayman, so they shifted development over to other consoles. I guess around this time, the art style changed to look hand-drawn. The bonus features are really interesting--they also explain how Rayman having no limbs was more to do with graphical limitations than anything and it being difficult to make fluid animations for one interconnected model as opposed to breaking it down into independent segments.
Re: Ubisoft Reportedly Aware Of Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition OST Requests
I usually don't care for stuff like documentary footage and high-res scans in games like this because it feels like a waste of storage space on my SD card when I could just watch it in a YouTube video.
But, I do think it's fascinating to learn about the history and development. I had no idea the name "Rayman" was in reference to ray-tracing. Which really confuses me as someone who isn't a tech guy, because isn't that the thing people wanted the Switch 2 to have because the Switch 1 didn't? You're telling me this technology has existed for the past 30+ years but has just never been in a Nintendo console before? I know I'm showing serious ignorance here.
Neat as it is though, I so still think that for digital consumers, bonus behind-the-scenes features for old game re-releases should be a separate free DLC, that way you can delete it off your drive once you're finished. I doubt I will be rewatching these a second time.
Some games do this for language options, and that's how it should always be, imo. (Granted, the reason is usually because those localization weren't available at launch. If I only speak English and I'm playing a meaty JRPG with hundreds of hours of sound files, why should I need all the VO files for 20 other languages?
This isn't really an issue for physical owners where the whole thing is on the cartridge. But, in an era where file sizes are getting astronomically larger, I wish these companies would thing of more space-saving shortcuts. It would be incredibly pro-consumer, and I can't think of any major drawbacks to this.
Re: Ubisoft Reportedly Aware Of Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition OST Requests
@beartown
"They probably get hundreds of emails, DMs and social media comments about it daily too."
I fear you overestimate the popularity of Rayman.
Re: Ubisoft Reportedly Aware Of Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition OST Requests
One thing they need to fix is that, as far as I can tell, enabling cheats like infinite lives/continues does not work if you already started a save file.
I've gone through all my continues, and as far as I can tell, there's no way to get more like you can in the Genesis Sonic games. I really don't want to have to keep grinding early levels for 1-ups.
Purposefully dying to get a game over in a level still leaves you with 0 continues and gives you however many lives you went into the level with. So, if you started a level with only 1 life and died, you start back with just 1 life after the game over.
I don't want to keep abusing the rewind feature, but it's one of those annoying quirks of games from this time that hasn't aged very well. Maybe someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong but, again, the enhancements just aren't working despite me turning them on in the middle of my playthrough.
I can only surmise it's because I didn't do it from the get-go on a new file. I really don't want to have to start all over, but that might be what I end up doing unless Ubisoft fixes this or someone tells me what I'm doing wrong.
It's a bit of whiplash going from Rayman Legends, which has no lives and tons of checkpoints, to this. Legends probably punishes you less for dying than any game I've ever played, and I think that's great.
I also wish you could map more than one button to the same thing. I made ZR the "action" button which is used for running, since you run with the trigger buttons in Origins/Legends. But now, I can't use A to select a level anymore and have to use ZR which is annoying.
Re: Mario's Joined By Some Familiar Foes In New Galaxy Movie Poster
I don't actually think this will be the plot, but what if Foreman Spike somehow gets transformed into the Spike we know from the Mario games and becomes one of Bowser's minions, with the same voice actor as the first movie? That would be a fun twist.
Re: Surprise! Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition Arrives On Switch This Week
Very excited this has finally been officially confirmed--and releasing tomorrow!
This was honestly the best Sony presentation since the State of Play that came before the PS5 even released back in 2020, when they announced Astro's Playroom, Sackboy, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Bugsnax, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Little Devil Inside (which still hasn't released??), Horizons Forbidden West, and probably more I'm forgetting.
This one had Rayman, a Kena sequel, Metal Gear, a God of War trilogy remake and new 2D spinoff, Silent Hill, Castlevania, a release date for Beast of Incarnation, a Ghosts of Yotei DLC, and more besides. We also just had the recent announcement of a multiplayer Horizon game, and although I know the reception to it has been negative, you can't say the PlayStation doesn't have exclusives to play this year. It'll be good to dust off the ol' PS5.
I won't be playing all these titles, as I tend to stick with family-friendly games that aren't Mature-rated, but I can't deny they made a lot of announcements for highly revered game franchises. I feel like there was at least one game there for everybody.
Konami is really coming back with a vengeance, between the games I already mentioned and the Bomberman collection earlier this month. It's great to see these tone-deaf companies finally get the much needed hearing implants.
Rayman is definitely a game I'll be getting on my Switch, though. A lot of people in the comments say they'll be passing because of Ubisoft, and that's their prerogative. But, for me, if I were to stop doing business with every company I felt was unethical, I probably wouldn't even be able to have my basic needs met. I'll be picking it up at launch with no conviction.
Anyway, let's see if Sony can maintain this momentum. They piqued this Nintendo fanboy's interest for the first time in almost 6 years. Their 2020 presentation is why the PS5 is my first-ever PlayStation console I've ever owned. Try not to lose my attention again, Sony.
Re: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Gets A Brand New Teaser With An Iconic Boss
Feels like a bit of a clickbait title when we already saw that "iconic boss" in the first trailer, tbh. Made it sound like we were seeing somebody new.
Re: Super Mario Party Jamboree Updated For Switch 2 And Switch (Version 2.3.0)
Glad to see Nintendo is still...
Polishing up the game.
Re: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Fails To Meets Sega's Expectations
@TerribleTerabytes I would have agreed with you like a year ago. But, Crossworlds is significantly better than Mario Kart World.
Re: Nintendo Restricting Some Image Sharing Features For Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream
A lot of commenters on the previous article were saying Nintendo Life has the right to censor comments they deem offensive, as private institutions don't have to honor free speech.
If that is your opinion, we should at least be consistent and say Nintendo also reserves the right to restrict problematic content.
I just saw someone the other day posting about how this game would probably have an online Mii sharing feature, and if so, they predicted a certain person whose death became a meme last year would become the most popular one.
I, for one, am glad people will have to go through extra hoops if they want to do that.
Re: Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream Moves In On Switch 1 This April
@michellelynn0976
Because of my religious background, I have a more "traditional" view on things like marriage and gender. I believe God ordained things a certain way for a divine purpose, but I also believe we are called to love everyone as fellow children of the Most High.
You articulate yourself very respectfully and with no animosity toward the person you're responding to, which is a godliness a lot of people who profess Christianity lack. I wish more people conducted themselves that way--whether online or in person--and would be honored to call you a friend.
You may not believe this, but I understand exactly how you feel. In this day and age where the social climate has changed and people face the very real risk of cancel culture, doxxing, harassment, etc. for expressing their opinions, the thought of "outing" ourselves can be a very scary thing. It has, at times, made me feel I need to "closet" myself in fear of scrutiny, rather than live authentically as a Christian with socially Conservative views.
At the end of the day, I really think we all--regardless of religion, sexuality, ethnicity, or ability--have more in common than we realize. We all experience a shared human struggle for acceptance. I don't know if you would have me as a friend or not, knowing where I stand; it's nothing to do with you as a person any more than someone else's disdain for religion doesn't have to be a personal attack on me.
In my view, I think people on both sides like to make harmful and bigoted generalizations like "all LGBT+ people are cultist child-groomers" or "all Christians are cultist child-groomers." It's two sides of the same coin, in my opinion. But, you haven't demonstrated that kind of behavior, so I respect you a lot more than not just the "dark woke," but bad-faith actors masquerading as Christians as well.
I'd say there's a strong likelihood this comment will get deleted--which is a shame because you've displayed a real willingness to talk, which is the only way to find common ground.
Keep leading by example. We may have very different views, but our approach in expressing those views is not dissimilar. Much love. ❤️
Re: Disney Afternoon Collection Pops Up On Switch 1 & 2 eShop, Includes Two Additional Games
This is a good month for fans of retro licensed Nickelodeon and Disney games everywhere.
Re: Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream Nintendo Direct Announced For Thursday, 29th January
This has got to be the most densely-packed January ever in terms of gaming news.
Does that concern me for the prospect of getting a February Direct? Honestly, not really. Nintendo gonna Nintendo.
There have been multiple times in the past we thought a Direct wasn't coming because we had a string of announcements prior. There have also been periods when Nintendo announced nothing and we thought a Direct was inevitable, only for nothing to happen.
I think one is for sure still coming. We're still in the launch year of their newest system, and I'm sure Nintendo is aware of the negativity concerning their first-party lineup.
Re: Lego Teases Another Adult Mario Kart Set, This Time Starring Luigi
@MJF I called Nintendo and thanked them for all the "feet" games. 😏
Re: A 'World Class' Pokémon Attraction Is Coming To Universal Studios
I'm so glad I'll finally be able to sniff a Koffing.
Glad they're continuing to expand Super Nintendo World, even though I'm not the biggest Pokémon fan. Hoping we get a Luigi's Mansion attraction and Hyrule park sooner rather than later.
Re: Ubisoft Cancels 6 Games In Major Organisation Restructure
During the Wii U era, I used to think no company could make as many bafflingly tone-deaf decisions as Nintendo.
I owe them a huge apology.
I feel like this at least the third "restructuring" Ubisoft has done in less than a decade. I'm genuinely baffled how they've lasted to this point without completely going bankrupt. I know Assassin's Creed is a big deal, but I don't see how that alone can carry a business. Do people even still buy Just Dance every year? I never hear anyone talk about it.
It's equal parts hilarious and sad Ubisoft is investing all this money into generative AI when we're starting to see the first signs of that bubble bursting. Apparently, ChatGPT is struggling to keep itself afloat financially. It's only a matter of time before the rest of the industry follows suit. It doesn't matter how many billions you invest; you can't force the consumer to accept something they don't want.
That's not to say AI doesn't have its place; ChatGPT helped me set up a solid, long-term financial plan, so I'm very grateful it was able to dumb down the complicated world of stocks and IRA investments for me in a clear, concise way. If I'm able to retire with a large nest egg, it will be all thanks to AI.
But the commercialization of generative AI is something not a single soul wants outside of corporate execs who want to save money on paid labor. I've always said it will go the same way as NFT's, but it's unfortunate it's taking so much longer.
I don't understand why Ubisoft continues to chase trends that have already proven themselves to be a disaster. Concord flopped and costed Sony hundreds of millions they invested in live service games; didn't that raise a few eyebrows at Ubisoft and make them consider this was a sinking ship? No?
Honestly, it feels like they're trying to deliberately sink the company in some sort of money laundering scheme, because I can't fathom that any leadership would be this incompetent. It's like watching someone burn their house to collect the insurance money. Anyone with an IQ of 70 could understand why this is a bad idea.
Edit: I forgot to even talk about the low blow that is the Sands of Time cancelation. The Lost Prince was my first Prince of Persia game, and I really enjoyed it. Was so looking forward to this one, as I've heard nothing but great things. This doesn't bode well at all for my confidence Ubisoft will deliver on the new Rayman project they've been hyping up.
What a disaster.
Re: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Gets A Free Switch 2 Update And Adds Dixie Kong
While this is a cool free update and I appreciate it, I think it's very disappointing this game still doesn't support online co-op. It's especially weird now that they've added local game share. Why can't I do that online like I can in Mario 3D World?
I want online to be the standard for all Nintendo's co-op games moving forward. Go back and retroactively update Kirby's Return to Dream Land DX, Tropical Freeze, New Super Mario Bros. U DX, Luigi's Mansion 3, Pikmin 3 DX, etc. to support it.
My cousin who lives out of state recently got a Switch 2, and he and I have been reconnecting after 13 years of not seeing each other. We used to do DS Download Play all the time back in the day when he lived locally. Just the other day, we were talking about how great it'd be if more first-party Nintendo games supported online. (Third-parties like Rayman Legends and Cuphead as well.)
I hope this isn't the last update this game gets, but I'm not expecting anything more, honestly. Now would've been the time.
Re: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Gets A Free Switch 2 Update And Adds Dixie Kong
We got "Old Dixie Mode" before GTA 6.
Re: Review: Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - A Cheap Upgrade, But Lacking Substance
@Ham-n-jam I had to Google the alternate meaning of agnostic, cause I thought you were saying New Horizons neither believes nor disbelieves in a framerate god.
Re: Review: Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - A Cheap Upgrade, But Lacking Substance
It honestly seems completely backward that this is a paid upgrade, yet all the extra content like the hotel and everything is free. Would make a lot more sense if it was the other way around. Switch 2 is already so expensive, so being able to get the graphical upgrade at no extra cost down the road would be a great incentive for people who haven't gotten the console yet but plan to down the road. But, Nintendo could have still make money off Switch 1 users by giving them something cheap to buy that gives them a substantial amount of new content.
Re: An Overlooked Disney Collection From Digital Eclipse Has Been Rated For Switch
Something I forgot to say in my initial comment is that I could very well see this collection getting officially announced in a February Nintendo Direct. Would be a cool stealth launch game with a physical edition coming later.
Then the Nintendo Direct narrator says, "And..." as the screen fades to black.
Fade in on DuckTales Remastered.
...maybe that's a long shot, but a man can dream.
Re: An Overlooked Disney Collection From Digital Eclipse Has Been Rated For Switch
Nice! Was just thinking about NES Ducktales specifically the other day and how it's weird it still isn't available on Switch. I've never actually played it but have always heard great things and as a platforming aficionado, its impact can't be overstated. Shovel Knight and Cranky Kong probably wouldn't have their pogo bounce moves if not for this game.I would much prefer the HD remake but this is still really cool. Can't wait to experience it for myself for the first time.
The moon theme is overrated, though. I said what I said.
Re: Fantasy Life i's Latest Switch 1 & 2 Update Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Good to see they're working on patching the issues. The DLC definitely felt a bit unpolished compared to the base game. It crashed on me once toward the end of a dream session, which was annoying as it meant all that grinding was for nothing. And oftentimes, when I get the head-bang power, my character inexplicably just starts moving backwards or not moving at all, thus wasting the effect. There's also been other janky elements, like two different randomly-generated objects spawning in the exact coordinates and sort of flickering back and fourth between each other, or the minimap icon not going away for an object I've already harvested.
While I'm certainly not complaining about a relatively meaty expansion released at no extra cost (this is basically the equivalent of Emerald Rush being free in DK Bananza), it felt like it could have used really another month or so in the oven to iron out all the kinks.
Re: Nintendo Switch 2025 'Year In Review' Is Available Now
As someone with OCD, I usually live for this kind of stuff, but being able to view play times now via the Nintendo Store app now makes this a little redundant, admittedly.
Anyways, I played my Switch/Switch 2 for a whopping 1,327 hours this year across 87 different games. In my defense, I have a YouTube gaming channel I post to regularly, so you could argue I was technically working... 😬
My top 3 most-played games were as follows:
1. Fantasy Life i - 280 hrs.
2. Super Mario Maker 2 - 209 hrs.
3. GameCube NSO - 116 hrs.
If you're wondering why I played so much Mario Maker in the Year of our Lord 2025, it's because I finally completed my 40-level Mario World "sequel" I started years ago and even made a whole Mario 3 themed course world as well. Was a lot of fun.
Re: Site News: Please Welcome Mai, The Newest Member Of Our YouTube Team
@Daniel36
Oh yeah, I'm definitely doing stuff for the fun of it! 😃 I started my own YouTube channel about a year and a half ago called "Nintentrovert" and have already uploaded around 400 videos in that short amount of time. It's mostly let's plays, but I also do a podcast irregularly and other miscellaneous types of content like movie reactions. I'd love for it to one day boom into something I could make a living off of--or at least some passive income--but even if that never happens, I'm still having fun doing it as a hobby. Now that they've hired someone for the job, I've been thinking about uploading my video application to the channel.
Content creation is something I've always wanted to do, and while getting the Nintendo Life job would have been great for networking and gaining industry exposure, I definitely would have missed the liberty of just doing my own thing. I even draw all my own channel art in Adobe Illustrator and edit together thumbnails in Photoshop! So, if nothing else, it's taught me real-world skills and helped me build a portfolio of work that may come in handy someday--as well as helping me work through insecurities about being on camera.
Like I said, my editing is pretty amateur-ish right now, and while I'd like to learn more and get better at it, video editing is not something I enjoy as much as recording videos themselves and making the channel art. So, there may come a time when I could use your services! I'm not in a position right now to be able to pay a freelancer, but in the future that might be something I explore.
I always try to phrase my NL comments (as well as my posts on any other site like Twitter) as respectfully as possible, without hostility and showing a genuine open-mindedness and willingness to be proven wrong. But, despite that, I've had dozens of comment removals at this point and actually got temp-banned for a couple weeks a few months back. (This isn't me criticizing the moderation team, I'm just stating what happened.)
A lot of this came down to me either refuting someone else's political comment or bringing politics into the discussion when it wasn't a part of the original article. My intention was never to stir the pot--it just really hurts me to see all the hate and division in contemporary western society, which affects all spaces including the gaming community, and I wanted to bridge the gap by trying to find common ground between both sides. But, that wasn't always received warmly.
Anyways, thanks again for the words of encouragement! I really appreciate it. 😄 Best of luck on your continued ventures, and I hope it opens up lots of opportunities for you.
Re: Rumour: Call Of Duty's Nintendo Release Is Apparently On Target For 2026
I know as part of the Microsoft acquisition, they committed to supporting Call of Duty on Switch for 10 years... I'm wondering how binding that is. Like, did it start back then? Or does the 10 years start from the moment Switch gets its first CoD game? And are they obligated to release them on the original Switch 1 for that long, as was the initial statement, or does Switch 2 count since it's in the same family of systems?
Re: Site News: Please Welcome Mai, The Newest Member Of Our YouTube Team
Congrats to her!
I threw my hat in the ring, but I didn't get the job (obviously). There's probably a myriad of reasons why--I live much further away, my editing skills are pretty novice, and frankly, I'm not sure how much the NL staff likes me due to some of the divisive comments I've made in the past.
I watched a couple of her videos, though, and her editing is definitely much better than mine. She has a better studio setup and more professional equipment, and he has a likeable persona on camera.
Definitely a stronger candidate than me and the better person for the job.
I'm not too upset because I knew it was a long shot and had the lowest of low expectations. I would probably pass on hiring me, too, if I were Nintendo Life for all the above reasons.
I'd like to continue honing the craft, though, and maybe someday when I've learned more video editing techniques, I'll be a good enough candidate to land a job doing something I'm passionate about--if not with Nintendo Life, then somewhere.
Congrats again, and Godspeed, Mai! 🫡
Re: GameStop Kicks Off 2026 By Reportedly Shutting "Hundreds" Of Stores
Can confirm my local GameStop has already closed down, which is unfortunate, as I live in an incredibly small community which has a difficult time keeping businesses as it is.
The nearest Target or Best Buy is about an hour and a half away, so that only really leaves Walmart in terms of retail stores that get games on launch date.
There is going to be an independent games store that will be opening soon, though, which will have collectibles and retro games and stuff, so I'm excited about that as we don't have any other stores in that space, either. I hope it will be successful, but I'm pessimistic it will last longer than a year or two.
For perspective, my hometown lost our bowling alley years ago, and during the pandemic, we also lost our movie theater because they weren't generating enough revenue. Also, our only Chinese restaurant is shutting down. Someone opened an Indian restaurant a few years ago, but it didn't last.
There are only like 10 restaurants to choose from within a 50-mile radius. No Chick Fil-A, Popeyes, Zaxby's, Bojangles, Burger King, Chili's Cheddar's, Domino's...you get the picture.
Yet somehow, we have three different Mexican restaurants that share the same owner and offer the same menu items, yet are all very successful.
Case in point, don't move to Appalachia unless you can live without everything except Mexican food. (I forgot to mention, our hospital also shut down its delivery room, so unless you have your own personal midwife, you'll have to drive 50 miles for that, too.)
Re: Surprise! Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined Gets A Switch & Switch 2 Demo This Week, Includes Bonus Reward
That's nice, but I'm only just now getting around to playing the DQ3 remake and haven't even gotten to 1+2 yet. Really enjoying 3 so far, although I wish I could turn down the frequency of random encounters, which can get annoying. (Apparently, I can get a skill later on that will help with this, but I don't have it yet.) I'm pretty sure DQ7 has enemies in the overworld you have to touch to initiate a battle, which is vastly how I prefer my turn-based RPG's. Still having fun, though.
Re: Vince Zampella, Call Of Duty Co-Creator And Respawn Head, Has Died
I can't say I really played any of the games he was associated with, but Call if Duty is obviously a massive financial juggernaut, so he left behind a legacy that will live on long after him. Very sad for his kids and the rest of his loved ones.
I feel Nintendo Life should have run an article on Lamaar Wilson, who also just passed away. I know he was a content creator and not a game creator, but still, you guys covered when Etika passed away. I think it would be a nice thing to do. I didn't watch much of Lamaar's content either, but he seemed like such a happy guy full of energy and personality. Even though I wasn't subscribed to him, I was familiar enough that the weight hit a bit harder. Like the shock of finding out a casual acquaintance from your home town who you never really talked to but always thought seemed like a nice guy passes away. Very sad week for the gaming community.
Prayers for all those who are grieving right now.
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch Online's N64 Library With Two Classic Platformers
Let's goooooo!
I actually just beat Rayman 2 for the first time about a year ago, but it was the 3DS version. That version had a low framerste and stuff though, so I kinda wish I had waited. From my understanding, the Dreamcast version is the definitive version, so I kinda wish we were getting a native port--or even a full remake--of that instead. I still hope we eventually get Rayman 1 and 3, which I've never played--and I don't just mean the Game Boy Color version of Rayman 1.
This is still a big get for NSO, though, and I'm glad to have this classic game on modern hardware. I hope PS and Xbox players will get it too in some form.
Never played Tonic Trouble, which I hear isn't great but was sort of a prototype for Rayman 2, so that's cool. Would love to see more obscure platformers like that in the future, like Rocket: Robot on Wheels.
Re: Dig Into Donkey Kong Bananza's Third DLC In-Game Event Next Week
This is honestly so sick! When we first saw Voidco, my immediate first thought was, "Wow, we haven't seen evil Kongs since Jungle Beat!" It just makes the DK family so much more interesting. And their updated designs look great! I haven't played Bananza since the day Emerald Rush came out, but I might have to boot it back up for this. Hopefully, we get to see more, like Dread Kong and Karate Kong in the future.
I'd also love to see it added to GameCube NSO sooner rather than later. It would be so surreal, because I still own the bongos from when I was six, and since I have the GameCube controllers adapter, I'd be able to use it on Switch 2!
I hope we also see Emerald Rush events that bring in the Tiki Tak Tribe and Snowmads.
Re: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Team Open To More DLC: "Tell Us What You Want"
That's awesome to hear! I'd love to see Super Monkey Ball and NiGHTS representation. They might as well bring back Wreck-It Ralph since he was already in transformed. I'm not really a DC fan, but since they're doing that whole Shadow x Batman crossover, it would make a lot of sense. As someone else said, the rest of the Deadly Six would be nice; like the Koopalings, it's just weird to have some but not all of them.
Crash Bandicoot would be awesome to see, especially since his own racing game hasn't gotten content updates in years. Uhh... Spyro, Rayman... now I'm just listing characters I want in Smash. Obviously, Nintendo isn't gonna allow any of their IP to be on other consoles, unfortunately. But, Sony is opening up to it, so stuff like Astro Bot, Sackboy, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper would be really cool. Imagine PaRappa behind the wheel of a car, lol.
We already have Namco representation with Pac-Man, so they could add the prince from Katamari as well as Klonoa. Klonoa basically looks like a Sonic character already. Then there's indies like Shovel Knight, Hat Kid, Shantae, Cuphead... I bet Microsoft would be willing to lend them the rights to Banjo-Kazooie, which would be pretty sick.
Since we already have Nickelodeon representation (Avatar, SpongeBob, TMNT), something from Cartoon Network would be cool. I'm not the biggest Adventure Time fan, but that show seems like the safest bet. It's probably CN's biggest cash cow with the most longevity, and I can imagine Finn and Jake racing around Ooo while collecting rings.
I'll be honest, I've only put a few hours into the game so far, but that's just because I'm waiting on the Switch 2 update.
Re: Nickelodeon Splat Pack Revives Multiple SNES Titles In One Retro Collection
This is really cool! Didn't even know there was a Rocko's Modern Life game, but it's a great show, so I'm curious to check it out. I hope this is just the beginning of classic Nickelodeon games getting re-released on modern consoles. Can we get a NickToons Unite collection next? The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie? Fairly OddParents: Breaking Da Rules and Shadow Showdown? Jimmy Neutron: The Movie game and Attack of the Twonkies? I think there was a Danny Phantom game on GBA, which I never played. Bring that over as well!
Re: The Superb 'Mario Galaxy 2' Soundtrack Has Been Added To Nintendo Music
@JCLKaytwo That's it! Thanks a bunch!
Re: Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 Switch Comparison Video Makes Nintendo's Upgrades Clearer
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Re: The Superb 'Mario Galaxy 2' Soundtrack Has Been Added To Nintendo Music
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this is the full soundtrack. One of my favorites I believe was called Sky Station Galaxy 2, but I can't find it unless it's under a different name.
Re: Nintendo Showcases Every Switch And Switch 2 Direct Game In New Infographic
Putting aside all the negativity with pricing and key cards and everything, I'm really grateful that almost all of my favorite games of all time are available on a modern platform (with added handheld support). Super Mario Galaxy 2 and The Wind Waker are both in my top 10. Luigi's Mansion, DKC Returns, and Pac-Man World Re-Pac are in my top 20 or so.
Weird we don't have a first-party game for September, but otherwise, the rest of the year is looking pretty stacked between Metroid Prime 4, Pokémon Legends Z-A, Kirby Air Riders, and third party games like Yooka-Replaylee, Little Nightmares III, SpongeBob: Titans of the Tide, Sonic Racing Crossworlds, and the aforementioned Pac-Man World 2. 3D platformer fans just keep winning.
Next year is also looking good so far between the new Yoshi, Rythm Heaven, Tomodachi Life, Splatoon Raiders, Mario Tennis, Dragon Quest VII, Virtual Boy titles, and more besides. We've gone into many years knowing of only one first-party title before the February direct (e.g., 2021 and Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury). So, it's already off to a promising start.
Maybe it's copium, but I still think there's a chance we could still get Prime 2 and 3 this year. I think they could shadow drop them at the end of a Prime 4 Direct in October or November with a physical release coming a week or two later, like they did with Prime 1 Remastered. It'd just be really weird to not port them, considering they have the Prime 1-3 art book and everything. The physical could be 2-in-1 like the Galaxy collection or Pikmin 1 & 2 and just be bog-standard ports.
Even if we don't get that, though, I'm still prettu content.
Re: No Switch 2 "Upgrade Path" For Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined Planned
@JohnnyMind I knew somebody who was a little more in-the-know would be able to educate me, but you went out of your way to provide links and everything. Thanks a bunch! 😃