Pak-Man

This is where I like to drop the trivia bomb that Acclaim had a knock-off Captain N cartoon, where Kwirk (From Kwirk), Max Force (From Narc), Kuros (From Wizards and Warriors), Tyrone (From Arch Rivals), and Bigfoot the Monster Truck all thwarted crimes from the Narc crime boss.

Dang. Time to plug in all my physical copies and see if I have any unclaimed gold sitting around.

@Pillowpants Technically, Nintendo doesn't have any kind of Seal of Quality on their eShop games, and maybe that's the answer to stuff like this. Maybe Nintendo should have a little seal that indicates, "We've tested this title and can affirm that it meets our standards."

Of course, that calls into question why they'd have anything on their shop that doesn't meet their standards, but it might still be better for Nintendo's shop than the big sea of question-marks we have now.

Everyone seems to be ignoring the actual substantial, adjustable kickstand, which looks like a wonderful upgrade from that flimsy, barely-attached, plastic strip. I enjoy the option of propping my Switch up on a table and using it as a mini TV, so it pleases me greatly.

Chrono Trigger 2 is out today- Except for you, Bobby. You know what you did.

Oh, what the heck. I'm in!

There have been many attempts at the Handheld Throne, but the result is always the same. "That's cool, but you're just copying Nintendo." Nintendo has the home-team advantage by virtue of simply being the first ones in. Ever since the Gameboy, everyone else has just been a step behind.

OMG, Civ VI on Switch with crossplay cloud save was such a wonderful lifehack.

"I need to use the computer!"
"No problem!" SAVE TO CLOUD, GRAB SWITCH, LOAD FROM CLOUD, CONTINUE CONQUERING THE WORLD

My preorder arrived last night so I've already dug in! I'm a happy Dragon Quest fan!

I have an annual tradition of playing cheap, cheesy holiday-themed games duriung my annual Christmas break at work. Flash games (Back when there was still Flash), Hidden Object games, shovelware- anything with an elf or a nutcracker or Santa Claus- are all in high supply every year, so I can always find something. Many of them are SO bad, but there's a certain charm to committing to these misfit toys and seeing them through to the end where most people immediately disregard them.

I love this idea, and if the game is actually good, that's just icing on the cake. I'll be picking this up.

Can't delist my physical cartridge!

@MeloMan I feel like if they'd kept making Ogre Battle Games, Unicorn Overlord is about where they would have landed today.

I'm probably alone on this one, but King Arthur's World on Nintendo Online would make me very happy.

Yay! Battletoads and Double Dragon! Kunio Kun games are always fun, too. Big Run does not look good, and I've never heard of Cosmo Gang. It looks a lot like Pac-Attack?

One of my goals when buying a game is to find one that will hit that magical spot where it devours all my free time, but doesn't end up feeling like a second job. Like I play it for 10 hours a week because it's what I'd rather be doing, not because I want to check it off my list and get that monkey off my back.

When a game takes over your life in a good way, it's magical. Who didn't love that first few weeks with Smash Bros. or Mario Odyssey, or maybe some of those revered games from your childhood, where every free moment was a chance to dive back in and have some fun.

But then there's the bad way, where you dutifully march back to the game during every spare moment because you've invested so much time in it and you want it to MEAN something. You get a lot of that with cell phone games, and even some beloved titles like Animal Crossing.

The game's play-time should be whatever comes naturally to that game. How much time you spend playing it should justify the price tag, but also not become a burden. It's a hard line to walk and I've been on both sides.

Phoenix Wright seems like a no-brainer.

Buying it for Ripple Island. I like point and click adventure games, and love trying out odd entries like this one.

Consider that the censorship here might not be to avoid offending people, but rather to ensure they achieve a desirable ESRB/PEGI rating.

It's a good week when you've used all 5 of your selections before you even get past the "Featured" category.

GRIZZLED OLD POLICE CHIEF: Emio, you're a loose cannon! You're plodding, sometimes frustrating, have an elevator-music soundtrack, and you don't block out exhausted dialogue options, but doggonit, you're a good Famicom Detective Club Game.

When a game has a big licensing tie-in like Marvel, it's always worth springing for the physical edition. They tend to go away after a while.

Nintendo has always made sure they had accessible pricing. It's kind of their thing. It's why they're never the most powerful console in the race, but still get a solid user-base.

Ooh. Ripple Island looks like Deja Vu or Princess Tomato. I love those NES-Friendly point-and-click adventure games!

Oh, I LOVE Wildermyth and have been dying to play it on my Switch. This is a day-1 for me.

They did OK with the Switch port for Etrian Odyssey. Better than I expected. But the definitive version will remain the DS for it's excellent use of the touch screen.

I want to graft Three Houses' story onto Engage's gameplay.

I don't get the Limited Run hate. It's been a long time since I've had a hard time getting anything from their catalog, and you get a lot of physical games that might never have existed if not for them.

I envision Dungeon Keeper, but with Zelda stuff.

They're giving it an E10 for Alcohol and Tobacco use, so I doubt there's much spice there. (Don't recall much in the original, other than a particular costume with an implied career attached to it.)

I'm gonna go for the longshot and say Eternal Darkness 2!

Before I even clicked, the title sent me on a mad Internet search to see if I've missed any Trauma Center news in the last decade or so. I have not.

Every June, Nintendo tells me how I'll be spending my extra money for the next year or so

Oh man! I almost had a heart attack there!

A Gentleman would helpfully note that it ALMOST completes the series...

It's really unfortunate that the deaths of key members of the Dragon Quest creative team coincided with the "We're gonna make this one a little bit different" Dragon Quest. It's going to color perceptions. Can't be helped at this point.

I have extreme nostalgia for DQ1. There was a brief time where you could get a copy just for subscribing to Nintendo Power and that's how I got my copy. There would never be a subscription incentive like it again and I had to pull out all the stops in begging my parents.

Finally! The release of You Adorable! Elfin Clay 2 that I've been waiting for! I can't wait to play a microcosm of the super relaxed baby talk for those of you who can't grow up enough to be an adult!

I was already hyped, but I didn't know there was Freedom Force DNA in this game. Now I'm mega-hyped!

Themed Picross is my kryptonite. I can't resist buying. I"ll be getting it Day 1.

@Bunkerneath @rainbowtick : Naw, it's all about Duck Creator. Heck yeah, I'll put a hat on my duck!

I envy everyone about to experience Thousand Year Door for the first time.

You know how even though every Paper Mario game since has been really good, everyone thinks they suck? It's because they're not this game. Deep down, we all want the next Paper Mario to be this game.

Let me qualify my previous comment by saying that it's very possible you will be one of the ones to love the SaGa series. I am too! But it takes a certain kind of player- and I don't even know what specific kind of player that is- to be charmed by its innovations instead of repelled by them.

Every write-up:

This game made some bold decisions and really innovated the genre. But most of you will probably end up hating it.

And boy, if that doesn't describe the SaGa series to a T...

@calbeau We're not seeing a rise in mental health problems, we're seeing a rise in awareness of those problems. We're trying to move past the "Suck it up" era of mental health and really look at what mental health means. It's a good thing.

Don't know if it's because I'm a gamer from WAY back and my eyes were totally satisfied with games like Star Fox and Alone in the Dark, or if it's because I can see that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes, but I just don't get the big deal about 60 FPS. I've yet to play any game on the Switch that feels overly choppy or unresponsive.

I have all of these waiting for me in my library, but every time I try a run, a new game comes out and pulls me away.

I love the SaGa games, though. The decision to hide the progression mechanics instead of making them something you try to "game" makes the roleplaying experience feel more genuine.

My personal favorite (So far) is Romancing SaGa 2. I love the kingdom management stuff, and it was Roguelite before Roguelite was cool.

We joke about the Picross reviews, but Picross LogiartGrimoire has some fun mechanics mixed in. Kinda like Doodle Gods, but you solve Picross to get the ingredients.

16 Personalities: The Video Game?

There ARE a lot of little signs that THAT game might be on the near horizon...

And by THAT game, of course, I mean a new Picross S game!

Don't sleep on Hero's Hour, people! If you ever loved Heroes of Might and Magic, this game is for you. It boils Heroes down to its purest essence and keeps everything that makes it fun.