Super excited for this one! Played the original a ton & loved it, and seeing it come back looking better than ever makes me happy. It’s still so unbelievable it’s coming back after years of people requesting it for Switch. I would’ve liked to see more info on it in the Direct, but I’m glad we now know when it’s releasing. The friendship system seems to be improved with the match ups making it easier for Mii’s to make friends (if I remember, in the OG the Mii’s only became friends if a Mii tells the player they want to be friends with another Mii) and the customization seems loads better already, but I wonder if it’ll be similar to the one in Miitopia.
Already obvious but I’d really want for them to reveal dates for already announced games they haven’t talked much about. I’d like dates on the new Rhythm Heaven & ESPECIALLY Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. The original was such a classic, & I’m surprised it’s taking them this long to give out more details on it. Otherwise, I don’t really care about what else they reveal.
Looks very good! I really like how Riders is far more faster-paced, uses more action and mechanics, which helps it develop a unique identity that helps distinguish itself from Mario Kart. The game looks like it’ll provide a ton of chaotic fun, and I really liked how similar it looks to Smash in terms of graphics and details, in fact, I saw it reused some effects from that!
Great review! Already had a feeling this was gonna get a good score unfortunately it might be a while till I can play it since I don’t have a Switch 2, but I’m excited to hear what fun everyone else is gonna have when playing it!
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! (Mobile) - Went back to Expert, and with my new skills earned from playing songs in Master, I wanted to try and full combo some songs I’ve struggled with, and I got lucky and got consistent combos! I did charts I failed to initially get a full combo on, that being:
Thousand Little Voices The Bubble Future Tokugawa Cup Noodle Prohibition Teo Hatsune Creation Myth Sekai-Chan and Kafu-Chan’s Otsukai Gassoukyoku (most proud of FC’ing this one the most in particular)
I also re-attempted songs I failed to FC on Master, and now I’ve FC’d 83 songs on Master. This time it was specifically:
Luka Luka Night Fever Can’t Defeat “Take No Notice Boys” KLY Help me, ERINNNNNN!!
I also tried to play harder songs on Expert, and unlocked the Master charts for The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku and a newer song, ARE YOU OK? since I scored less than 7 good/bad/miss notes, though because I struggled with them terribly on Expert, I am absolutely not playing those on Master haha. Can’t imagine how bad those charts are.
Happy Tree Friends: Deadeye Derby (Mobile) - Not making too much progress. Still trying to get enough coins for upgrades, but I’ve unlocked all the Evasion upgrades that used coins for my raft in Rabid Rapids, which was my main concern since it ruins my aim and makes me more vulnerable to enemy attacks. All I need to do now is improve my raft’s Armor and Stability, and then I’ll probably be good to go for the boss in that level, though I’m a bit nervous about it, given I’m nearing the last level in the game and just knowing who the final boss is makes me scared lol.
It’s crazy with how bad they mismanage their studios and subsidiaries. Even as someone who owns an Xbox and had fun playing it, my main issue with Microsoft when it comes to gaming is how they buy game studios or establish their own studios, but it seems almost every time after buying/establishing a studio, they mismanage them poorly or don’t focus on them, and then sometimes close or layoff the studio some time later, even if they make good and well-received games (Tango) or before they can even release their first game (The Initiative). They just build up a large portfolio of studios, but don’t work with what they have and keep buying up more studios, or just manage them terribly, plus, I feel like them owning a bunch of game studios is somewhat unsustainable since they’ve shown they can’t manage all of them well for years now. These are maybe one of the worst company layoffs I’ve ever seen, on top of the dozens of games they cancelled.
The layoffs make me wonder what the future will be like for some of the studios, like Rare, given their next game they worked on for 6-7 years just got cancelled despite reports saying development was getting better, they lost the last few veterans at their studio as part of the layoffs, and their about to go a decade without a new game. I just hope all the people affected can land back on their feet fast, and that this isn’t immediately followed up with another wave of layoffs.
Still playing the same games, and I’ve made a bit of progress:
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! (Mobile) - Still playing some songs on Master difficulty, and now I’ve full combo’d 79 songs on Master, so one more to go to reach 80! I did swap back to Expert difficulty, and I think that playing multiple Master charts is helping. I was finally able to full combo the Expert chart for the song Kusare-gedou and Chocolate, making it the first level 30 chart I’ve full combo’d on Expert, and I finally unlocked the Master chart for another harder song, What’s up? Pop!, and this time I was able to hold a full combo on that song longer than before since it’s an extremely hard song. However, I have two unplayed songs, so I’ll need to get to those soon before they start adding more songs. I’ll still be trying to full combo some harder songs afterward.
Happy Tree Friends: Deadeye Derby (Mobile) - I’ll admit that I haven’t been frequently playing this because I’ve been having too much fun in Colorful Stage. So far, I’m still on Rabid Rapids, but I’ve been doing battles on Camp Pokeneyeout and Terror Trails instead so I can upgrade my raft and weapon for the next boss fight. Did five battles, though I immediately lost the first one because the opponent kept consistently getting Bullseye shots. I nearly lost the following matches, but I luckily won the rest!
So far, I was able to collect around 15,000-18,000 coins from battles, and I’ve used it to upgrade my slingshot and the Evasion on my raft in Rabid Rapids so it’ll be easier to dodge attacks from the next boss, since the bosses can cause a pretty great deal of damage if you have little to no upgrades. Though, my raft is still weak so I’ll need to get more coins to improve it. When my raft has all the upgrades that require coins and is actually able to stand a chance against my opponents, then I’ll fight the boss.
Even being someone who really likes the Xbox, I absolutely have to agree and admit that they’ve been poorly managing the brand lately. I can still remember when a year ago when word initially got out that they were going to make their games third-party and how it freaked everyone out, everyone saying there wasn’t going to be a point in keeping an Xbox, but instead of quickly acknowledging it, they took their sweet time and by the time they talked about it a week later, the damage was already done at that point, and of course them having bunches of game studios under their helm but either poorly managing them or just shutting them down for whatever reason, EVEN when their studios make good and well-received games.
More layoffs unfortunately doesn’t surprise me, it seems to be frequently happening with almost any game studio nowadays in this economy, but it seems to be the most common with Microsoft for some strange reason, but them laying off 9,000 this time is CRAZY. I wish those affected the best of luck, and that they can quickly land right back on their feet.
I really hope it’s a lot of unseen and new artwork and not just artwork we’ve already seen before. I think a mixture of the two would work well, but I especially would like to see some more new concept art and scrapped designs for their characters. When it comes to looking at concept art, I find scrapped character designs for iconic characters to be the most interesting and fun to see.
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! (Mobile) - Been playing more songs on Master, and so far, I’ve full combo’d 68 tracks on that difficulty, though yesterday I was only able to full combo one track on Master as I struggled a bit with other tracks. I have three unplayed songs left, so I’ll do those this weekend before it starts to eventually build up. I’ll probably go back to Expert difficulty once I full combo 70 songs on Master, since I found my tapping is getting delayed and my fingers are getting shaky from Master.
Happy Tree Friends: Deadeye Derby (Mobile) - This is a newer one to me, only started playing about two weeks ago. I had another HTF game on the Xbox, but i unfortunately only got around to completing a single level because the HDMI port on the console broke and needs to get fixed, so I downloaded this.
So far, I’ve completed two of four stages, and I am currently on the third stage, Rabid Rapids. However, I’m going to admit that I kind of progressed a bit too fast, since my vehicle and slingshot in the second level, Terror Trails, were severely underpowered so I struggled a bit with the boss there (lost the first time and nearly died the second time) so I’m only going to be playing matches in the levels I completed so I can get enough coins to upgrade my vehicle and weapons, and I’m building up ammo and health kits for the next boss in Rabid Rapids so I struggle less.
Yesterday, I played five matches and won all of them! Nearly lost two of them, since a kind of strange running thing with my opponents was that they’d always immediately hit me with either Fire or Poison ammo almost the second the match started, and it was annoying since I’m trying to save the health kits and ammo I have for the next boss.
I was actually already excited for it before, also because there hadn’t been a new DK game in, what, almost a decade? Just seeing how the game looked at first with its more prominent fantasy elements, on top of DK’s new look already had me excited, but the info we know now has me even more excited! The fantasy elements, on top of how there’s going to be transformations, more expressiveness, humor, and cartooniness and collectibles kind of reminds me of Banjo, and I absolutely love that! And being able to GameShare with people with the original Switch sounds interesting. Can’t wait and hope to hear good things about it.
@N00BiSH Yeah, because the article mentioned that DK’s VA was nowhere to be found in the credits, which tells that he was recast too. But, I do find it strange they would go on and recast some of the Japanese VAs as well. I just think that them recasting both some of the Western actors and a Japanese actor hints that they’re going for a new direction for the characters.
I don’t know, it makes me feel some certain way that they just kind of let her know that she was out of the role on the day MKW came out. I would have expected that they would’ve told her before MKW’s release that she’d be recast, but it’s so strange they only let her know now in a very abrupt and unceremonious manner and with little transparency.
The Peach recast alongside Mario and DK seemingly getting recasted too makes me wonder if they plan on recasting more of the OG voice cast. I feel like the voice recasts, alongside some Mario characters getting new designs or slight tweaks to their design kind of signifies or hints that Nintendo trying to do a sort of rebranding/refresh with their characters or maybe take them in some sort of newer direction. If that is what they’re doing, I think going in a new direction for a character or franchise isn’t entirely bad, it can be done well or poorly, but not letting a voice actor/actress know they were booted out of a voice role until the last minute sounds impolite and rude.
@martynstuff Thank you for that correction, I remember reading about it and her getting mentioned about being in the game, but it’s been so long since I last read about it I forgot haha.
I was definitely expecting characters from other Sega IP to come, but I was not expecting Minecraft characters to be playable here, which definitely hints at them adding a ton more non-Sega characters later on down the line.
I’m especially happy to see Miku is in the game (can’t get enough Vocaloid!), though it surprises me it took them a while to put her in a Sega racing game, though I remember reading she was considered for All-Star Racing Transformed at one point but didn’t make it in the final game.
Splatoon is absolutely one of my favorite game series of all time, and it’s the one that got me into shooter games and also playing online games with other people. I think why I played it so much likely came from the colorful and bright look of the game compared to other shooters that looked dark and gritty, and the story mode was really fun and also a bit hilarious too, with a stellar final boss, and with each game the bosses get even more bigger and hype, with Octo Expansion and 3 having the best story modes and final bosses in my opinion.
When the second game came out, I played it so much on the Switch and it’s currently my most played game on there. I did play 3 but didn’t put much time into it, but the games get bigger and even better with each installment, and I love and appreciate the series for getting me into shooter games. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do for Splatoon in the future!
Great additions, if there is one thing Splatoon does well, it’s having fresh and unique music! Also, it’s so strange to think Splatoon is nearly a decade old now…it definitely has to be one of my favorite game series from Nintendo, plus it got me into shooter games too.
Absolutely loved how the game, at first, seems like a normal sci-fi spy thriller game, but then all the sudden they introduce extraterrestrial life out of seemingly nowhere and then your teamed up with an alien and tasked with taking down the leader of an evil race of shapeshifting aliens. There’s something I love with some of Rare’s older games where the plot starts off normal, but then as it goes on it sometimes gets insane and kinda hilariously weird plot-wise.
I only played it for the first time last year in June, but I had such a blast playing this and its infamous prequel Zero over the course of a few weeks, albeit I had issues with how the missions and objectives in the OG PD were poorly explained, on top of the final boss battle being annoying, but it didn’t really change my enjoyment with the game! I even liked Zero too despite how many people say the game doesn’t feel or look like it’s related to PD, but I’ll admit, a lot of my enjoyment from Zero came from the cheesy, stupid and overexaggerated acting and cutscenes and hilarious character designs that don’t fit the sci-fi theme of the game.
Hopefully the reboot is good, but too bad they aren’t going to continue the original storyline at this point.
I just absolutely love the new designs, even if Diddy’s just has some small tweaks and details added instead of being a gigantic redesign like DK. In my opinion they don’t look bad at all, because I think the designs have more personality and expressiveness now, and DK’s design does a pretty good job at showcasing his silliness and charm.
@BandeeOfTheStars Oh, so the anime didn’t even get all episodes in English even though they dubbed all three seasons? That sucks, I didn’t even know that! Thanks for clarifying. It stinks that they wanted to localize Shadowside and a few of the movies, but never did. Shadowside seemed the most interesting since I heard the film snd anime series had a darker and mature tone compared to the first series, on top of the fact YKW4 incorporated characters and storylines from those, and the Academy spin-off too with the characters being human versions of the yo-kai, plus I think there was a animated/live-action film too? Just sucks they seemed to immediately stop localizing the anime, and we only got the original series and first anime film in English.
Yeah, I am glad that Level-5 is back to releasing games in the West, even if it isn’t doing full dubs of the games in English and just subbing them. After Level-5 Abby closed, it at first made me think they weren’t going to release games in English again. Seeing Holy Horror Mansion makes me glad they haven’t abandoned Yo-kai Watch, but it looks like they are moving on from the original cast and storyline and starting anew, not to mention the YKW branding is nowhere, so I really don’t think YKW4 will get localized unfortunately, though they still haven’t clarified if HHM is a spin-off or a new mainline entry that’s “restarting” the series. I still found it shocking YKW4 sold badly out of the mainline games since the series seemed very big in Japan, even being called the “Pokémon killer” at one point. YKW4 seemed to be the biggest YKW game ever with its cast and storyline, though I read that starting with YKW3, the series began losing popularity, with Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon also being a factor in that happening, so I think if YKW4 came to the West, it could likely sell poorly too, also since the games are notorious for selling bad in non-Japanese countries, especially America. The series still has some popularity in Japan, albeit not the same like when it first started a decade ago in 2013.
Ugh, I’m still upset Yo-kai Watch 4 never got localized! Seeing it mentioned makes me sad. I remember them confirming it was coming to the West, then releasing a trailer with English subs, on top of them wanting to localize a few of the movies (since the game features characters and storylines from those) but they didn’t give an update and the following year Level-5’s English localization branch fell to bankruptcy…what makes it sting more is that it was the only mainline Yo-kai Watch game that didn’t get an English localization, and when I think about it more, Yo-kai Watch had a lot of other games and anime that never got translated into English.
If I remember, the only games localized were Yo-kai Watch 1-3, the first Blasters spin-off and a now closed mobile game called Wibble Wobble. Then, out of the 5 anime series and anime films, only all three seasons of the original series and first film were in English, so really, it was only five games, a single anime series and one anime film that came to the West. It’s mainly a bunch of spin-off games that weren’t localized alongside YKW4.
I’d love if the game still got an English release somehow, especially since I find YKW is one of the most creative and fun games I’ve played on the 3DS and the game even getting a Chinese version a few years after YKW4 came out does give me some hope that they could do something similar with an English release, but given it’s been 6 years since they released the game, the fact that it sold badly out of the 4 main games, on top of them seemingly moving on from the original storylines of the 3DS games and using a new cast of characters, concepts, and branding for Holy Horror Mansion, I’m unfortunately thinking it’ll never come…
And the game chat one is true. But, I found it strange in the first place when they announced the game chat is put behind a paywall with NSO instead of it being free, because it’s such a simple feature. I do have a bad feeling about the camera, mainly from the fact that it’s going to record you, and it could result in the camera misused. But, is nice that it’ll be easier for people to chat with their friends instead of relying on their phone, since it I know people have been requesting for the Switch to have some sort of chat integrated into it.
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! on mobile again since I am not in the mood to play the Xbox right now. Recently, in Colorful Stage I was able to full combo a third song, Greenlights Serenade, on Expert after having a hard time doing so.
I still haven’t been able to full combo any level 30-31 songs yet, but I have been getting a bit better at them! I ended up scoring less than 7 miss/bad/good notes on MarbleBlue. and JOUOU on Expert, so I unlocked their Master charts for the first time. Though, playing JOUOU stung a bit since I nearly full combo’d it right until they threw a bunch of close notes at the end…
There are a few new songs I need to play soon before they start piling up; I’ve only played one new song, Tokyo Teddy Bear, and it was a treat to hear a classic again, but the chart got really hard nearing the end, but I was still able to full combo it! Hoping I don’t have a hard time with the other ones though.
I really don’t think every console has to innovate, or always have a gimmick to it just for it to be a success. Plus, hasn’t everyone wanted a bigger, better, and stronger Switch with great performance and stuff like improved frame rate for a few years now?
I can actually relate with being anxious with interactions and going outside. For a good while I was antisocial so it made me pretty anxious with interacting with others (also from some past goofs and mistakes when interacting) and I really didn’t like going outside at all. I kind of didn’t realize until reading this that games like Three Houses could help a lot with social interactions given that forming bonds and interaction is one of the main aspects of the game, not to mention you are also put in situations in Three Houses where you need to socialize with characters face to face, like holding tea parties with a specific student, which honestly makes the game better. While I still do have some issues with interacting and some social anxiety, I have become a bit more comfortable with socializing, and it’s amazing and even beautiful that games provide an escape from issues and problems in life and make you even realize things about yourself, which honestly makes gaming all the more better.
I did have a similar experience when playing Conker’s Bad Fur Day a few years ago, and around the time I played that, I was pretty bad with being an instant gratifier and being materialistic; I wanted to be with my possessions instead of the people around me and I absolutely hated going outside around that time, adding onto how antisocial I was and contributing to my bad social skills. But, after playing it and seeing what happened with the protagonist in the ending and how distraught he became, I realized that I was super materialistic like him and taking time away from interaction and people, because I was too focused on what I had and didn’t have. Luckily, now I’ve been spending more time with the people in my life, I now like going outside more, and I’ve spent less time with my items, and it’s certainly helped a lot with my interacting skills. The messaging and the story in that is a big factor in why it’s one of my most favorite games of all time. Again, it’s absolutely awesome that the messages in certain games can help you realize something about yourself and can even help you improve your traits and issues.
Actually, I didn’t realize until now they didn’t really have Fire Emblem avatars! Nice that there’s going to be more user icons on the system instead of having them all be NSO exclusive. I assumed that’s what they were going to do since they constantly update the NSO icon elements and haven’t updated the original ones in a while.
Honestly, does anyone and any company leaking info on game consoles have a good reason for doing it besides just wanting 15 minutes of internet fame and capitalizing on hype? What they did was dumb, ESPECIALLY holding their own “Direct” on top of that.
Chipping away at Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! (Mobile). I hadn’t been playing the game but I booted it up Thursday to full combo all unplayed songs on Expert difficulty. Yesterday, I full combo’d two songs I’ve had difficulty playing for a while, that being Sou Datta! And SnowMix. I intend on trying to do the same for harder songs, and playing a few songs on Master difficulty.
On console, I plan on playing The Crackpet Show: Happy Tree Friends Edition (Xbox). I bought it last week but I just started it Friday. Haven’t made much progress though. So far, I only completed the first level/episode and killed the Mega Toad. I had trouble finishing the second level both because of how I haven’t really gotten any strong weapons and items and from how many harder levels the game has been throwing at me, since the enemies there deplete my health a lot. But, I’m still confident that I can finish the level.
Didn’t expect them to outright replace the original icon and update it, but I guess this is design they’ll be using for DK going forward. I don’t mind it at all though! I still like the Rare design a ton, but this new design is also nice as well. I enjoy how expressive and sort of more goofy he is now, both in personality and design.
I actually am kind of indifferent to fall damage. It can be annoying at times and there are some games that in my opinion have awful and unbalanced fall damage but being honest I sort of like the challenge it gives me when playing, and it also depends on what sort of game it is. I think fall damage in BOTW really fits the setting and open-world genre of the game since your exploring out in the wild for most of the time and also trying to be careful with the hazards and enemies you encounter, plus it’s trying to use more realistic physics to go with the setting. I feel like fall damage really fits here and does encourage you to also be careful where you choose to go.
But there are times where I do think some fall damage is badly designed, though I’ll say it mostly just pertains to old and more jankier games. Conker being what comes to mind in terms of poorly done fall damage since you take damage even from small heights.
I’d absolutely love the games to come back! I was actually reminded of the games a bit when they showed off the first trailer for DK Bananza, especially the eyes on some of the objects, the fantasy worlds and the humor and expressiveness of the characters. Though it’s kinda shocking that they still haven’t gotten a studio on board for a new game, especially after they got into Smash and were well-received. Making and releasing remakes of the first two games shortly after that would have been a no-brainer.
While I do find that achievements can be fun and I do occasionally enjoy achievement hunting as well, I honestly think systems and games do better without them, also because it can make people obsessed with getting achievements rather than enjoying the game, not to mention some achievements are extremely stupid and provide little rewards for the player. It still shocks me Xbox achievements give out gamerscore points, yet the gamerscore is literally used for nothing.
This weekend I plan on playing Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! (Mobile). I haven’t really been playing the game a lot lately, so I’ve been behind on updates. I currently have 12 more songs I haven’t played yet, so I must make progress and full combo them before they start adding more songs.
And I’ve also decided to start playing Donkey Kong 64, but because I don’t have an N64 and how there shockingly still isn’t an NSO port, I had to emulate it. I’ll admit that despite liking Rare’s platformers and having completed the N64 Banjo games and Conker (as well as it’s Xbox remake) I kind of had no interest in DK64, but I wanted to play it after they revealed Bananza for Switch 2 a few days ago, also because the trailer for that reminded me a bit of the expressiveness and humor in Rare’s older platformers.
I haven’t made much progress yet in DK64. Still trying to learn the ropes, but I enjoy how much charm and silliness is oozing out of the game already. Rare’s games always have this type of charm and humor with the characters I always like. I am a bit afraid the N64 controls will be off with the emulator, but I’m still going to try my best!
Rewind feature? Oh HECK YEAH! I never understood why the N64 app lacked rewind, so that’ll be good. Using save states multiple times was repetitive, I remember having to use it so many times when I got to Rusty Bucket Bay when playing Banjo and it was so repetitive haha, so that’s a nice addition.
I think that being able to reuse OG Switch controllers will help save a LOT of money so people don’t have to buy more pricey newer controllers, so this is good news to hear. Does stink that it won’t have some functionally with certain games and they can’t be charged with the Switch 2, but I don’t think it’ll be a huge issue!
@Serpenterror I do get physical being a bit more expensive to produce now and digital being far more cheaper, also with the games being for the bigger and better Switch 2, but I feel like they could have just given the physical and digital versions the same price instead, but it’s also maybe inflation that has to do with the price hikes besides physical being more expensive to manufacture.
I really don’t know how to feel about that…while I am mostly digital-only with games now compared to the past, I really would hate to see physical media and games being phased out or pushed away for digital. Options for people are important!
Is it that hard for companies just to give people options instead of making physical media more expensive to buy or getting rid of it entirely?
Sounds and looks like real fun. It’s the only Switch 2 game I’m pretty excited about, and reading this more about the gameplay makes me even more excited. Sounds like it’s the best comeback for DK!
It looks fine in my opinion. I can understand wanting a new UI or multiple themes akin to the 3DS to spice things up, but I honestly think no one is going to be staring at the home screen for hours.
Perfect! I like how the box art and the bit of red from the border is very fitting for DK’s character. Excited for this one and loved how cartoony and Rare-inspired the trailer was!
Cool to see the new features, and I’m absolutely curious about what games the mouse feature will be used for besides the wheelchair ball game they showed off.
The games look promising, ESPECIALLY Donkey Kong Bananza. Maybe the biggest highlight for me in terms of games, and I absolutely love how much more Rare-inspired, cartoony, and colorful it works. Though, I was a bit bummed out by the small amount of first-party games in there, but they should have a June Direct around the release and hopefully show off some more first-parties. Also thought them charging for a tech demo is absurd, same for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades being separate.
Seeing what the C button was for was a bit disappointing, but it’s nice that people will be able to voice chat on Switch instead of relying on a phone. Though, I feel like the voice chat and camera have the potential to be misused by some.
The GameCube games sound like a wonderful addition to NSO, and although I probably won’t get it, it makes me glad to see more retro games on there! Fine Direct, and I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for the Switch 2!
So cool! The game looks so great and I like how fantastical the environments and world look. Pretty excited to see what’s in it, definitely the highlight of the Direct for me.
Seems from this and what Mario Kart World showed that DK will be using a new design, but I don’t mind! He looks silly and I love it
@kfflscnt Gosh, that’s a shockingly low number…unfortunate, cuz I really like the Series S, and it’s a shame the Xbox doesn’t seem to be selling big numbers anymore.
An Xbox handheld sounds very cool and interesting, but even as an Xbox user I unfortunately do not expect it to sell much since the Xbox has been having low sales as of late, so I don’t think it’ll have a huge impact on how well the Switch 2 sells, plus this thing isn’t expected to release until around 2027 or so. But, I do hope people who get their hands on one enjoy it!
Unfortunately some of the games weren’t too exciting for me, but I definitely hope that everyone else enjoys them. The highlights for me was Tomodachi Life (pretty shocked that it’s coming back) and Rhythm Heaven Groove, since I absolutely enjoy rhythm games, though I am a tad bit disappointed both of those aren’t releasing till next year, so we’re going to have to wait a while till we hear more on those. Also, I’m surprised they showed off Metroid Prime 4 but still didn’t announce a release date.
Fine Direct but not too stunning in my opinion, though the Switch 2 Direct next week should be super exciting and will likely blow this one out of the water.
@HammerGalladeBro if I remember, the game didn’t really have any hairstyle customization besides the hair dye spray you could use to change the Mii’s hair color.
Comments 182
Re: Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream Showcases Island Life, Coming To Switch Spring 2026
Super excited for this one! Played the original a ton & loved it, and seeing it come back looking better than ever makes me happy. It’s still so unbelievable it’s coming back after years of people requesting it for Switch. I would’ve liked to see more info on it in the Direct, but I’m glad we now know when it’s releasing. The friendship system seems to be improved with the match ups making it easier for Mii’s to make friends (if I remember, in the OG the Mii’s only became friends if a Mii tells the player they want to be friends with another Mii) and the customization seems loads better already, but I wonder if it’ll be similar to the one in Miitopia.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Direct September Predictions - What Do You Hope To See?
Already obvious but I’d really want for them to reveal dates for already announced games they haven’t talked much about. I’d like dates on the new Rhythm Heaven & ESPECIALLY Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. The original was such a classic, & I’m surprised it’s taking them this long to give out more details on it. Otherwise, I don’t really care about what else they reveal.
Re: Kirby Air Riders Zooms Onto Switch 2 This November
Looks very good! I really like how Riders is far more faster-paced, uses more action and mechanics, which helps it develop a unique identity that helps distinguish itself from Mario Kart. The game looks like it’ll provide a ton of chaotic fun, and I really liked how similar it looks to Smash in terms of graphics and details, in fact, I saw it reused some effects from that!
Re: Review: Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2) - Absolutely Smashing, But Can It Beat Mario Odyssey?
Great review! Already had a feeling this was gonna get a good score unfortunately it might be a while till I can play it since I don’t have a Switch 2, but I’m excited to hear what fun everyone else is gonna have when playing it!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (12th July)
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! (Mobile) - Went back to Expert, and with my new skills earned from playing songs in Master, I wanted to try and full combo some songs I’ve struggled with, and I got lucky and got consistent combos! I did charts I failed to initially get a full combo on, that being:
Thousand Little Voices
The Bubble Future
Tokugawa Cup Noodle Prohibition
Teo
Hatsune Creation Myth
Sekai-Chan and Kafu-Chan’s Otsukai Gassoukyoku (most proud of FC’ing this one the most in particular)
I also re-attempted songs I failed to FC on Master, and now I’ve FC’d 83 songs on Master. This time it was specifically:
Luka Luka Night Fever
Can’t Defeat “Take No Notice Boys”
KLY
Help me, ERINNNNNN!!
I also tried to play harder songs on Expert, and unlocked the Master charts for The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku and a newer song, ARE YOU OK? since I scored less than 7 good/bad/miss notes, though because I struggled with them terribly on Expert, I am absolutely not playing those on Master haha. Can’t imagine how bad those charts are.
Happy Tree Friends: Deadeye Derby (Mobile) - Not making too much progress. Still trying to get enough coins for upgrades, but I’ve unlocked all the Evasion upgrades that used coins for my raft in Rabid Rapids, which was my main concern since it ruins my aim and makes me more vulnerable to enemy attacks. All I need to do now is improve my raft’s Armor and Stability, and then I’ll probably be good to go for the boss in that level, though I’m a bit nervous about it, given I’m nearing the last level in the game and just knowing who the final boss is makes me scared lol.
Re: "It's Heartbreaking" - The Pokémon Company Tech VP Joins Industry In Criticising Microsoft Layoffs
It’s crazy with how bad they mismanage their studios and subsidiaries. Even as someone who owns an Xbox and had fun playing it, my main issue with Microsoft when it comes to gaming is how they buy game studios or establish their own studios, but it seems almost every time after buying/establishing a studio, they mismanage them poorly or don’t focus on them, and then sometimes close or layoff the studio some time later, even if they make good and well-received games (Tango) or before they can even release their first game (The Initiative). They just build up a large portfolio of studios, but don’t work with what they have and keep buying up more studios, or just manage them terribly, plus, I feel like them owning a bunch of game studios is somewhat unsustainable since they’ve shown they can’t manage all of them well for years now. These are maybe one of the worst company layoffs I’ve ever seen, on top of the dozens of games they cancelled.
The layoffs make me wonder what the future will be like for some of the studios, like Rare, given their next game they worked on for 6-7 years just got cancelled despite reports saying development was getting better, they lost the last few veterans at their studio as part of the layoffs, and their about to go a decade without a new game. I just hope all the people affected can land back on their feet fast, and that this isn’t immediately followed up with another wave of layoffs.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (5th July)
Still playing the same games, and I’ve made a bit of progress:
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! (Mobile) - Still playing some songs on Master difficulty, and now I’ve full combo’d 79 songs on Master, so one more to go to reach 80! I did swap back to Expert difficulty, and I think that playing multiple Master charts is helping. I was finally able to full combo the Expert chart for the song Kusare-gedou and Chocolate, making it the first level 30 chart I’ve full combo’d on Expert, and I finally unlocked the Master chart for another harder song, What’s up? Pop!, and this time I was able to hold a full combo on that song longer than before since it’s an extremely hard song. However, I have two unplayed songs, so I’ll need to get to those soon before they start adding more songs. I’ll still be trying to full combo some harder songs afterward.
Happy Tree Friends: Deadeye Derby (Mobile) - I’ll admit that I haven’t been frequently playing this because I’ve been having too much fun in Colorful Stage. So far, I’m still on Rabid Rapids, but I’ve been doing battles on Camp Pokeneyeout and Terror Trails instead so I can upgrade my raft and weapon for the next boss fight. Did five battles, though I immediately lost the first one because the opponent kept consistently getting Bullseye shots. I nearly lost the following matches, but I luckily won the rest!
So far, I was able to collect around 15,000-18,000 coins from battles, and I’ve used it to upgrade my slingshot and the Evasion on my raft in Rabid Rapids so it’ll be easier to dodge attacks from the next boss, since the bosses can cause a pretty great deal of damage if you have little to no upgrades. Though, my raft is still weak so I’ll need to get more coins to improve it. When my raft has all the upgrades that require coins and is actually able to stand a chance against my opponents, then I’ll fight the boss.
Re: Microsoft Announces Second Wave Of Layoffs, Over 9,000 Jobs Affected
Even being someone who really likes the Xbox, I absolutely have to agree and admit that they’ve been poorly managing the brand lately. I can still remember when a year ago when word initially got out that they were going to make their games third-party and how it freaked everyone out, everyone saying there wasn’t going to be a point in keeping an Xbox, but instead of quickly acknowledging it, they took their sweet time and by the time they talked about it a week later, the damage was already done at that point, and of course them having bunches of game studios under their helm but either poorly managing them or just shutting them down for whatever reason, EVEN when their studios make good and well-received games.
More layoffs unfortunately doesn’t surprise me, it seems to be frequently happening with almost any game studio nowadays in this economy, but it seems to be the most common with Microsoft for some strange reason, but them laying off 9,000 this time is CRAZY. I wish those affected the best of luck, and that they can quickly land right back on their feet.
Re: The Nintendo Museum Is Opening An Art Gallery This September
I really hope it’s a lot of unseen and new artwork and not just artwork we’ve already seen before. I think a mixture of the two would work well, but I especially would like to see some more new concept art and scrapped designs for their characters. When it comes to looking at concept art, I find scrapped character designs for iconic characters to be the most interesting and fun to see.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (21st June)
Just doing mobile gaming this time.
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! (Mobile) - Been playing more songs on Master, and so far, I’ve full combo’d 68 tracks on that difficulty, though yesterday I was only able to full combo one track on Master as I struggled a bit with other tracks. I have three unplayed songs left, so I’ll do those this weekend before it starts to eventually build up. I’ll probably go back to Expert difficulty once I full combo 70 songs on Master, since I found my tapping is getting delayed and my fingers are getting shaky from Master.
Happy Tree Friends: Deadeye Derby (Mobile) - This is a newer one to me, only started playing about two weeks ago. I had another HTF game on the Xbox, but i unfortunately only got around to completing a single level because the HDMI port on the console broke and needs to get fixed, so I downloaded this.
So far, I’ve completed two of four stages, and I am currently on the third stage, Rabid Rapids. However, I’m going to admit that I kind of progressed a bit too fast, since my vehicle and slingshot in the second level, Terror Trails, were severely underpowered so I struggled a bit with the boss there (lost the first time and nearly died the second time) so I’m only going to be playing matches in the levels I completed so I can get enough coins to upgrade my vehicle and weapons, and I’m building up ammo and health kits for the next boss in Rabid Rapids so I struggle less.
Yesterday, I played five matches and won all of them! Nearly lost two of them, since a kind of strange running thing with my opponents was that they’d always immediately hit me with either Fire or Poison ammo almost the second the match started, and it was annoying since I’m trying to save the health kits and ammo I have for the next boss.
Re: Reaction: Donkey Kong Bananza Has Instantly Become My Most Anticipated Game Of 2025
I was actually already excited for it before, also because there hadn’t been a new DK game in, what, almost a decade? Just seeing how the game looked at first with its more prominent fantasy elements, on top of DK’s new look already had me excited, but the info we know now has me even more excited! The fantasy elements, on top of how there’s going to be transformations, more expressiveness, humor, and cartooniness and collectibles kind of reminds me of Banjo, and I absolutely love that! And being able to GameShare with people with the original Switch sounds interesting. Can’t wait and hope to hear good things about it.
Re: Princess Peach's Voice Actor Has Been Replaced After 18 Years
@N00BiSH You could be correct, it could be that too, I didn’t consider that possibility at all.
Re: Princess Peach's Voice Actor Has Been Replaced After 18 Years
@N00BiSH Yeah, because the article mentioned that DK’s VA was nowhere to be found in the credits, which tells that he was recast too. But, I do find it strange they would go on and recast some of the Japanese VAs as well. I just think that them recasting both some of the Western actors and a Japanese actor hints that they’re going for a new direction for the characters.
Re: Princess Peach's Voice Actor Has Been Replaced After 18 Years
I don’t know, it makes me feel some certain way that they just kind of let her know that she was out of the role on the day MKW came out. I would have expected that they would’ve told her before MKW’s release that she’d be recast, but it’s so strange they only let her know now in a very abrupt and unceremonious manner and with little transparency.
The Peach recast alongside Mario and DK seemingly getting recasted too makes me wonder if they plan on recasting more of the OG voice cast. I feel like the voice recasts, alongside some Mario characters getting new designs or slight tweaks to their design kind of signifies or hints that Nintendo trying to do a sort of rebranding/refresh with their characters or maybe take them in some sort of newer direction. If that is what they’re doing, I think going in a new direction for a character or franchise isn’t entirely bad, it can be done well or poorly, but not letting a voice actor/actress know they were booted out of a voice role until the last minute sounds impolite and rude.
Re: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Switch 2 Version Announced Alongside "Paid Upgrade" For Switch
@martynstuff Thank you for that correction, I remember reading about it and her getting mentioned about being in the game, but it’s been so long since I last read about it I forgot haha.
Re: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Switch 2 Version Announced Alongside "Paid Upgrade" For Switch
I was definitely expecting characters from other Sega IP to come, but I was not expecting Minecraft characters to be playable here, which definitely hints at them adding a ton more non-Sega characters later on down the line.
I’m especially happy to see Miku is in the game (can’t get enough Vocaloid!), though it surprises me it took them a while to put her in a Sega racing game, though I remember reading she was considered for All-Star Racing Transformed at one point but didn’t make it in the final game.
Re: Opinion: Splatoon Brought Me Back To Online Multiplayer, But Octo Valley Shines Brightest
Splatoon is absolutely one of my favorite game series of all time, and it’s the one that got me into shooter games and also playing online games with other people. I think why I played it so much likely came from the colorful and bright look of the game compared to other shooters that looked dark and gritty, and the story mode was really fun and also a bit hilarious too, with a stellar final boss, and with each game the bosses get even more bigger and hype, with Octo Expansion and 3 having the best story modes and final bosses in my opinion.
When the second game came out, I played it so much on the Switch and it’s currently my most played game on there. I did play 3 but didn’t put much time into it, but the games get bigger and even better with each installment, and I love and appreciate the series for getting me into shooter games. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do for Splatoon in the future!
Re: Nintendo Music Celebrates 10 Years Of Splatoon, Here's Every Song Included
Great additions, if there is one thing Splatoon does well, it’s having fresh and unique music! Also, it’s so strange to think Splatoon is nearly a decade old now…it definitely has to be one of my favorite game series from Nintendo, plus it got me into shooter games too.
Re: Anniversary: Perfect Dark, Another N64 Rare Classic, Turns 25
Absolutely loved how the game, at first, seems like a normal sci-fi spy thriller game, but then all the sudden they introduce extraterrestrial life out of seemingly nowhere and then your teamed up with an alien and tasked with taking down the leader of an evil race of shapeshifting aliens. There’s something I love with some of Rare’s older games where the plot starts off normal, but then as it goes on it sometimes gets insane and kinda hilariously weird plot-wise.
I only played it for the first time last year in June, but I had such a blast playing this and its infamous prequel Zero over the course of a few weeks, albeit I had issues with how the missions and objectives in the OG PD were poorly explained, on top of the final boss battle being annoying, but it didn’t really change my enjoyment with the game! I even liked Zero too despite how many people say the game doesn’t feel or look like it’s related to PD, but I’ll admit, a lot of my enjoyment from Zero came from the cheesy, stupid and overexaggerated acting and cutscenes and hilarious character designs that don’t fit the sci-fi theme of the game.
Hopefully the reboot is good, but too bad they aren’t going to continue the original storyline at this point.
Re: Nintendo Shares More Artwork Of Diddy Kong's Brand New Design
I just absolutely love the new designs, even if Diddy’s just has some small tweaks and details added instead of being a gigantic redesign like DK. In my opinion they don’t look bad at all, because I think the designs have more personality and expressiveness now, and DK’s design does a pretty good job at showcasing his silliness and charm.
Re: Mailbox: Switch 2 Innovations, Localisation Dreams, "That Big Playtest Thing" - Nintendo Life Letters
@BandeeOfTheStars Oh, so the anime didn’t even get all episodes in English even though they dubbed all three seasons? That sucks, I didn’t even know that! Thanks for clarifying. It stinks that they wanted to localize Shadowside and a few of the movies, but never did. Shadowside seemed the most interesting since I heard the film snd anime series had a darker and mature tone compared to the first series, on top of the fact YKW4 incorporated characters and storylines from those, and the Academy spin-off too with the characters being human versions of the yo-kai, plus I think there was a animated/live-action film too? Just sucks they seemed to immediately stop localizing the anime, and we only got the original series and first anime film in English.
Yeah, I am glad that Level-5 is back to releasing games in the West, even if it isn’t doing full dubs of the games in English and just subbing them. After Level-5 Abby closed, it at first made me think they weren’t going to release games in English again. Seeing Holy Horror Mansion makes me glad they haven’t abandoned Yo-kai Watch, but it looks like they are moving on from the original cast and storyline and starting anew, not to mention the YKW branding is nowhere, so I really don’t think YKW4 will get localized unfortunately, though they still haven’t clarified if HHM is a spin-off or a new mainline entry that’s “restarting” the series. I still found it shocking YKW4 sold badly out of the mainline games since the series seemed very big in Japan, even being called the “Pokémon killer” at one point. YKW4 seemed to be the biggest YKW game ever with its cast and storyline, though I read that starting with YKW3, the series began losing popularity, with Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon also being a factor in that happening, so I think if YKW4 came to the West, it could likely sell poorly too, also since the games are notorious for selling bad in non-Japanese countries, especially America. The series still has some popularity in Japan, albeit not the same like when it first started a decade ago in 2013.
Re: Mailbox: Switch 2 Innovations, Localisation Dreams, "That Big Playtest Thing" - Nintendo Life Letters
Great letters!
Ugh, I’m still upset Yo-kai Watch 4 never got localized! Seeing it mentioned makes me sad. I remember them confirming it was coming to the West, then releasing a trailer with English subs, on top of them wanting to localize a few of the movies (since the game features characters and storylines from those) but they didn’t give an update and the following year Level-5’s English localization branch fell to bankruptcy…what makes it sting more is that it was the only mainline Yo-kai Watch game that didn’t get an English localization, and when I think about it more, Yo-kai Watch had a lot of other games and anime that never got translated into English.
If I remember, the only games localized were Yo-kai Watch 1-3, the first Blasters spin-off and a now closed mobile game called Wibble Wobble. Then, out of the 5 anime series and anime films, only all three seasons of the original series and first film were in English, so really, it was only five games, a single anime series and one anime film that came to the West. It’s mainly a bunch of spin-off games that weren’t localized alongside YKW4.
I’d love if the game still got an English release somehow, especially since I find YKW is one of the most creative and fun games I’ve played on the 3DS and the game even getting a Chinese version a few years after YKW4 came out does give me some hope that they could do something similar with an English release, but given it’s been 6 years since they released the game, the fact that it sold badly out of the 4 main games, on top of them seemingly moving on from the original storylines of the 3DS games and using a new cast of characters, concepts, and branding for Holy Horror Mansion, I’m unfortunately thinking it’ll never come…
And the game chat one is true. But, I found it strange in the first place when they announced the game chat is put behind a paywall with NSO instead of it being free, because it’s such a simple feature. I do have a bad feeling about the camera, mainly from the fact that it’s going to record you, and it could result in the camera misused. But, is nice that it’ll be easier for people to chat with their friends instead of relying on their phone, since it I know people have been requesting for the Switch to have some sort of chat integrated into it.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (17th May)
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! on mobile again since I am not in the mood to play the Xbox right now. Recently, in Colorful Stage I was able to full combo a third song, Greenlights Serenade, on Expert after having a hard time doing so.
I still haven’t been able to full combo any level 30-31 songs yet, but I have been getting a bit better at them! I ended up scoring less than 7 miss/bad/good notes on MarbleBlue. and JOUOU on Expert, so I unlocked their Master charts for the first time. Though, playing JOUOU stung a bit since I nearly full combo’d it right until they threw a bunch of close notes at the end…
There are a few new songs I need to play soon before they start piling up; I’ve only played one new song, Tokyo Teddy Bear, and it was a treat to hear a classic again, but the chart got really hard nearing the end, but I was still able to full combo it! Hoping I don’t have a hard time with the other ones though.
Re: Nintendo Defends Switch 2's Perceived Lack Of Innovation
I really don’t think every console has to innovate, or always have a gimmick to it just for it to be a success. Plus, hasn’t everyone wanted a bigger, better, and stronger Switch with great performance and stuff like improved frame rate for a few years now?
Re: Feature: From BOTW To TOTK - How The Switch Helped Me Overcome Mental Illness And Thrive
Great read! Thank you for sharing.
I can actually relate with being anxious with interactions and going outside. For a good while I was antisocial so it made me pretty anxious with interacting with others (also from some past goofs and mistakes when interacting) and I really didn’t like going outside at all. I kind of didn’t realize until reading this that games like Three Houses could help a lot with social interactions given that forming bonds and interaction is one of the main aspects of the game, not to mention you are also put in situations in Three Houses where you need to socialize with characters face to face, like holding tea parties with a specific student, which honestly makes the game better. While I still do have some issues with interacting and some social anxiety, I have become a bit more comfortable with socializing, and it’s amazing and even beautiful that games provide an escape from issues and problems in life and make you even realize things about yourself, which honestly makes gaming all the more better.
I did have a similar experience when playing Conker’s Bad Fur Day a few years ago, and around the time I played that, I was pretty bad with being an instant gratifier and being materialistic; I wanted to be with my possessions instead of the people around me and I absolutely hated going outside around that time, adding onto how antisocial I was and contributing to my bad social skills. But, after playing it and seeing what happened with the protagonist in the ending and how distraught he became, I realized that I was super materialistic like him and taking time away from interaction and people, because I was too focused on what I had and didn’t have. Luckily, now I’ve been spending more time with the people in my life, I now like going outside more, and I’ve spent less time with my items, and it’s certainly helped a lot with my interacting skills. The messaging and the story in that is a big factor in why it’s one of my most favorite games of all time. Again, it’s absolutely awesome that the messages in certain games can help you realize something about yourself and can even help you improve your traits and issues.
Re: Switch 2 Will Boast An Impressive Number Of Profile Icons At Launch
Actually, I didn’t realize until now they didn’t really have Fire Emblem avatars! Nice that there’s going to be more user icons on the system instead of having them all be NSO exclusive. I assumed that’s what they were going to do since they constantly update the NSO icon elements and haven’t updated the original ones in a while.
Re: The Company That "Leaked" Switch 2 Is Being Sued By Nintendo
Honestly, does anyone and any company leaking info on game consoles have a good reason for doing it besides just wanting 15 minutes of internet fame and capitalizing on hype? What they did was dumb, ESPECIALLY holding their own “Direct” on top of that.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (3rd May)
Chipping away at Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! (Mobile). I hadn’t been playing the game but I booted it up Thursday to full combo all unplayed songs on Expert difficulty. Yesterday, I full combo’d two songs I’ve had difficulty playing for a while, that being Sou Datta! And SnowMix. I intend on trying to do the same for harder songs, and playing a few songs on Master difficulty.
On console, I plan on playing The Crackpet Show: Happy Tree Friends Edition (Xbox). I bought it last week but I just started it Friday. Haven’t made much progress though. So far, I only completed the first level/episode and killed the Mega Toad. I had trouble finishing the second level both because of how I haven’t really gotten any strong weapons and items and from how many harder levels the game has been throwing at me, since the enemies there deplete my health a lot. But, I’m still confident that I can finish the level.
Re: Nintendo eShop Cards Are Apparently Getting A Refresh For Switch 2
Again, I’ll say it again, I absolutely LOVE how much personality is oozing out of DK with his new design. He’s so much more expressive too!
Re: Donkey Kong's New Design Added As Icon In Latest Switch Firmware Update
Didn’t expect them to outright replace the original icon and update it, but I guess this is design they’ll be using for DK going forward. I don’t mind it at all though! I still like the Rare design a ton, but this new design is also nice as well. I enjoy how expressive and sort of more goofy he is now, both in personality and design.
Re: Opinion: It's Time To Get Rid Of Fall Damage
I actually am kind of indifferent to fall damage. It can be annoying at times and there are some games that in my opinion have awful and unbalanced fall damage but being honest I sort of like the challenge it gives me when playing, and it also depends on what sort of game it is. I think fall damage in BOTW really fits the setting and open-world genre of the game since your exploring out in the wild for most of the time and also trying to be careful with the hazards and enemies you encounter, plus it’s trying to use more realistic physics to go with the setting. I feel like fall damage really fits here and does encourage you to also be careful where you choose to go.
But there are times where I do think some fall damage is badly designed, though I’ll say it mostly just pertains to old and more jankier games. Conker being what comes to mind in terms of poorly done fall damage since you take damage even from small heights.
Re: Crash And Spyro Dev Wants To Partner With Team Xbox For A Crack At Banjo
I’d absolutely love the games to come back! I was actually reminded of the games a bit when they showed off the first trailer for DK Bananza, especially the eyes on some of the objects, the fantasy worlds and the humor and expressiveness of the characters. Though it’s kinda shocking that they still haven’t gotten a studio on board for a new game, especially after they got into Smash and were well-received. Making and releasing remakes of the first two games shortly after that would have been a no-brainer.
Re: The Switch 2 Won't Have Achievements Or eShop Music
While I do find that achievements can be fun and I do occasionally enjoy achievement hunting as well, I honestly think systems and games do better without them, also because it can make people obsessed with getting achievements rather than enjoying the game, not to mention some achievements are extremely stupid and provide little rewards for the player. It still shocks me Xbox achievements give out gamerscore points, yet the gamerscore is literally used for nothing.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (5th April)
This weekend I plan on playing Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! (Mobile). I haven’t really been playing the game a lot lately, so I’ve been behind on updates. I currently have 12 more songs I haven’t played yet, so I must make progress and full combo them before they start adding more songs.
And I’ve also decided to start playing Donkey Kong 64, but because I don’t have an N64 and how there shockingly still isn’t an NSO port, I had to emulate it. I’ll admit that despite liking Rare’s platformers and having completed the N64 Banjo games and Conker (as well as it’s Xbox remake) I kind of had no interest in DK64, but I wanted to play it after they revealed Bananza for Switch 2 a few days ago, also because the trailer for that reminded me a bit of the expressiveness and humor in Rare’s older platformers.
I haven’t made much progress yet in DK64. Still trying to learn the ropes, but I enjoy how much charm and silliness is oozing out of the game already. Rare’s games always have this type of charm and humor with the characters I always like. I am a bit afraid the N64 controls will be off with the emulator, but I’m still going to try my best!
Re: Surprise! The N64 App Is Also Getting Some Enhancements On Switch 2
Rewind feature? Oh HECK YEAH! I never understood why the N64 app lacked rewind, so that’ll be good. Using save states multiple times was repetitive, I remember having to use it so many times when I got to Rusty Bucket Bay when playing Banjo and it was so repetitive haha, so that’s a nice addition.
Re: Nintendo Confirms Switch Controllers Are Compatible With "Switch 2 Exclusive Games"
I think that being able to reuse OG Switch controllers will help save a LOT of money so people don’t have to buy more pricey newer controllers, so this is good news to hear. Does stink that it won’t have some functionally with certain games and they can’t be charged with the Switch 2, but I don’t think it’ll be a huge issue!
Re: Digital Switch 2 Games Being Cheaper Than Physical Is A "Challenge", Says Retailer GAME
@Serpenterror I do get physical being a bit more expensive to produce now and digital being far more cheaper, also with the games being for the bigger and better Switch 2, but I feel like they could have just given the physical and digital versions the same price instead, but it’s also maybe inflation that has to do with the price hikes besides physical being more expensive to manufacture.
Re: Digital Switch 2 Games Being Cheaper Than Physical Is A "Challenge", Says Retailer GAME
I really don’t know how to feel about that…while I am mostly digital-only with games now compared to the past, I really would hate to see physical media and games being phased out or pushed away for digital. Options for people are important!
Is it that hard for companies just to give people options instead of making physical media more expensive to buy or getting rid of it entirely?
Re: Hands On: Rock Surfing And Boulder Bashing - 'Donkey Kong Bananza' Is Brilliantly Bonkers
Sounds and looks like real fun. It’s the only Switch 2 game I’m pretty excited about, and reading this more about the gameplay makes me even more excited. Sounds like it’s the best comeback for DK!
Re: Uh Oh, Switch 2's Home Screen Looks Just As Bland As We Feared
It looks fine in my opinion. I can understand wanting a new UI or multiple themes akin to the 3DS to spice things up, but I honestly think no one is going to be staring at the home screen for hours.
Re: Check Out Donkey Kong Bananza's Beautiful Switch 2 Box Art
Perfect! I like how the box art and the bit of red from the border is very fitting for DK’s character. Excited for this one and loved how cartoony and Rare-inspired the trailer was!
Re: Poll: So, How Would You Rate The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct?
8/10
Cool to see the new features, and I’m absolutely curious about what games the mouse feature will be used for besides the wheelchair ball game they showed off.
The games look promising, ESPECIALLY Donkey Kong Bananza. Maybe the biggest highlight for me in terms of games, and I absolutely love how much more Rare-inspired, cartoony, and colorful it works. Though, I was a bit bummed out by the small amount of first-party games in there, but they should have a June Direct around the release and hopefully show off some more first-parties. Also thought them charging for a tech demo is absurd, same for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades being separate.
Seeing what the C button was for was a bit disappointing, but it’s nice that people will be able to voice chat on Switch instead of relying on a phone. Though, I feel like the voice chat and camera have the potential to be misused by some.
The GameCube games sound like a wonderful addition to NSO, and although I probably won’t get it, it makes me glad to see more retro games on there! Fine Direct, and I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for the Switch 2!
Re: Nintendo Expects You To Pay For Its Switch 2 "Welcome Tour" User Guide
Charging money for what is really a tech demo and not an actual game is…a choice.
Re: Donkey Kong: Bananza, A New 3D DK Adventure, Is Confirmed For Switch 2
So cool! The game looks so great and I like how fantastical the environments and world look. Pretty excited to see what’s in it, definitely the highlight of the Direct for me.
Seems from this and what Mario Kart World showed that DK will be using a new design, but I don’t mind! He looks silly and I love it
Re: Has The Xbox Switch 2 Rival Just Revealed Its True Form?
@kfflscnt Gosh, that’s a shockingly low number…unfortunate, cuz I really like the Series S, and it’s a shame the Xbox doesn’t seem to be selling big numbers anymore.
Re: Has The Xbox Switch 2 Rival Just Revealed Its True Form?
An Xbox handheld sounds very cool and interesting, but even as an Xbox user I unfortunately do not expect it to sell much since the Xbox has been having low sales as of late, so I don’t think it’ll have a huge impact on how well the Switch 2 sells, plus this thing isn’t expected to release until around 2027 or so. But, I do hope people who get their hands on one enjoy it!
Re: Introducing PLAYi - A Whole New Way To Not Play
I actually forgot it just turned April 1st here a few hours ago, so this got me good for a second lol.
Re: Poll: So, How Would You Rate The Nintendo Direct For March 2025?
Unfortunately some of the games weren’t too exciting for me, but I definitely hope that everyone else enjoys them. The highlights for me was Tomodachi Life (pretty shocked that it’s coming back) and Rhythm Heaven Groove, since I absolutely enjoy rhythm games, though I am a tad bit disappointed both of those aren’t releasing till next year, so we’re going to have to wait a while till we hear more on those. Also, I’m surprised they showed off Metroid Prime 4 but still didn’t announce a release date.
Fine Direct but not too stunning in my opinion, though the Switch 2 Direct next week should be super exciting and will likely blow this one out of the water.
Re: A New Tomodachi Life Game Is Coming To Switch Next Year
@HammerGalladeBro The game is really fun! Hopefully you can get a copy, I think you’d like playing it
Re: A New Tomodachi Life Game Is Coming To Switch Next Year
@HammerGalladeBro if I remember, the game didn’t really have any hairstyle customization besides the hair dye spray you could use to change the Mii’s hair color.