PikaPhantom

Can't wait for the next 3D Mario to be $80 digitally and $90 physically 🥴

I don't care that this is how Nintendo's operated in Europe and Japan for a while. When we're beginning to see physicals on Switch 2 in the $30-40 range because of the cheaper 16GB and 32GB cartridges, the fact that Nintendo's just inflating physical prices further leaves a very bad taste in my mouth, unless we're getting far more $60 digital games going forward.

I think a big part of why Nintendo's DLC expansions are increasingly releasing to tepid reception is that they're starting to push a model of taking the base gameplay and doing something structurally different with it, as opposed to just giving you more of the base gameplay like people have come to expect. The multiplayer focus here just makes that more polarizing, as opposed to "let's do roguelike DLC for Splatoon 3 and Donkey Kong Bananza." I think the multiplayer content looks pretty enticing, and it seems like every mode has at least 6 stages, so it's a lot less slight than something like Mario Chase's measly 3 maps in Nintendo Land (which is a big part of why I'm not as fond of it as most seem to be, in addition to needing to use the D-Pad to move around in 3D as a Toad). Maybe I'll end up underwhelmed, but I think it's cool they're finally doing more with the idea of multiplayer 2D Mario side modes. I love the Mario vs. Luigi mode in New Super Mario Bros. DS, and even though that's not back, I think a lot of these modes have the potential to capture a similar spirit. And the other additions are enough to interest me. I wish the Challenge mode was a bit more content-rich, but it does have more to it than New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe's equivalent (not the original U, but alas)

A very rare example of Nintendo Life going heavily against the grain, given the 86 Metascore for the Switch 2 Edition

@TheExile285 RPGSite reported that the game is now set to have a $5 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade path, and since Game-Key Cards apparently can't be used for Switch 2 Edition games given not a single NS2E has shipped on one, this is probably the cause of the cancellation if their reporting is accurate

@SillyG I think it's just because they brought her on to play Tails in the post-credits scene of the first movie (likely because it was easier to bring on Tails' voice actress from the games than finding a celebrity voice actor for such a small role), and decided to keep her going forward instead of doing a recast between movies. They notably kept Shadow and Amy silent upon their reveals, giving them the leeway to cast celebrities for them

I was holding out hope that they'd release a Switch 2 Edition alongside this DLC, but with the Handheld Boost Mode, I suppose that no longer really matters

@DonnieTACO
I wouldn't be so sure. Plenty of first party Switch games could still use framerate boosts (with The Thousand-Year Door even having evidence for one in its code) and there are even some that could use the improved resolution in handheld (like Pikmin 3 Deluxe, which was rated as having a proper upgrade earlier this year) - not to mention that the docked resolution is still capped at 1080p for games without upgrades, when many Switch 1 games can hit 1440p on Switch 2 if not higher.

This really is a gamechanger. You can toggle the boost freely even while a game is running, making it easy to compare things, and it's just so nice seeing games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Smash Ultimate looking crisp on Switch 2, as well as getting to play pixel art games without the wonky sprite scaling

Guess I shouldn't hold out hope for a Pokopia physical with its leaked DLC included

@EarthboundBenjy The basic idea is that it's a way to get Switch 1 games running above 720p handheld without being patched, at the cost of some potential quirks like touch screen compatibility being lost

There's an untapped market for an M-rated Tomodachi clone out there

@EarthboundBenjy I believe Pokopia DLC came up in the Game Freak gigaleak, with additional areas of the map to develop. I'm also holding out hope for a proper physical to come, especially because the smaller cartridge sizes that now exist seem to have fairly substantial cost savings between Yoshi and the Mysterious Book being priced at the equivalent of $60 and games like MIO: Memories in Orbit and The Disney Afternoon Collection retailing for $30 and $35, respectively

I wonder what he was working on between the release of Move It! and leaving Nintendo. I don't think this'll have that much of an impact on WarioWare continuing, either; they're definitely cheaper to produce than a lot of other Nintendo games, and Gold seemingly only hit a few hundred thousand copies sold - yet they continued the series regardless. Additionally, while Abe was chief director of virtually every entry, there's essentially always been someone under him appointed as the director, and given that a lot of the series has been driven by ideas individual developers bring to the table, I think one of those directors could readily assume his mantle and the series could keep going just fine. Definitely a shame to hear Abe's left Nintendo, though. He's only 51, so he wasn't really on anyone's radar when it came to longtime employees leaving or retiring. I hope his new venture as a professor goes very well for him.

It does annoy me that I've seen a few people celebrate this news on the grounds that it could mean Wario Land will return. WarioWare's been its own thing since the first installment, with Intelligent Systems now acting as the main developer after becoming heavily involved with the series starting with Mega Party Game$. I don't think it's very likely Intelligent Systems would've ever been assigned the development of Wario Land...

For now, I'll hold out for a potential physical, whether that comes in the form of them just doing a reprint on the 16GB cartridges that exist now (the decision to put Pokopia on a Game-Key Card was likely made when 64GB ones remained the only option) or, if the paid DLC that I believe was mentioned in the Game Freak gigaleak comes to fruition, a bundle with that akin to how Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet were rereleased physically with the DLC included. I may end up caving, in which case I will opt for the eShop version (at least the game is currently only around 6.2 GB, making it the smallest first-party release on Switch 2 that isn't one of the true eShop exclusives), but I know I'm not likely to start the game anytime soon. My biggest concern is that the Game-Key Card version is performing very well, even selling out at some retailers, and so it'll lead to future Pokemon games using them - even numerous other Nintendo games as well. The worst-case scenario is that Winds and Waves will be $80 Game-Key Cards, as Pokopia is already retailing for the same price as Mario Kart World in Japan.

Once again asking developers to start taking advantage of the Switch 2's VRR screen. This game doesn't need to be 60fps, but the 30fps here feels a bit choppy, and 40fps should've been more than doable

No mention of how this game is an isometric Metroidvania? That's the main thing that has me interested

@HammerGalladeBro Most of the anime songs from Air Ride return in Air Riders and are absent from the Nintendo Music release. I think there's one theme that doesn't return in City Trial, though (the one associated with the lighthouse event)

@MTMike87 Not only that, it's currently the best reviewed game of the year so far on Metacritic, at one point ahead of Resident Evil Requiem and Mewgenics

Excluding the Legends games because they'd sway the Gen 8 and 9 rankings #noticing

@OwenGamer22 A terrible joke

This game could definitely run at 10fps on Switch 2. I don't know why they're even bothering

Why this was signed as an exclusive and given the fancy webpage treatment on the browser eShop like it's first-party, I haven't a clue. Even more wild to me that it may have been one of the reasons the Partner Direct even happened, given its exclusivity and very quick release

Bug Fables reviewed better than Escape From Ever After and I've seen almost nothing but praise for it for years now. I haven't even played the original 2 Paper Mario games and I think it's a rather great game. Why are we acting like it's an objectively okay-at-best game here?

@LilKinopio Did you forget the 1 digit in the Switch 2 sales figure or something

Why on earth is this not getting a dedicated Switch 2 release when Evil Empire's already released The Rogue Prince of Persia for it?

I've heard Switch 2 Editions can't be free in Japan, so we'll see if this one costs anything outside of there when the listing goes live in other regions

I'm surprised at just how dismissive people seem to be of this game. Maybe I shouldn't be after Super Rush and Battle League were seen as duds, but Aces did have its fans, and I was expecting to see more people just write it off because "it looks good but it's $70," and not preemptively calling it another disappointment because...some reviews said the singleplayer was underwhelming. Seeing people condemn Fever for that while in the same breath saying they miss the golden days of the GameCube era, where not a single Mario sports game on there had a campaign...well, it just tells me how much nostalgia dominates the conversation when it comes to these games. They haven't been critical darlings since the N64 days; 80 is basically the ceiling for them, and even well-regarded games like Mario Power Tennis, Mario Strikers Charged, and Mario Golf: World Tour are in that camp. I'm just confused as to why Fever outscoring Aces and being the best reviewed Mario sports game since World Tour is being treated like it's yet another disappointment. It's par for the course for this entire branch of the Mario series, and from day one it's been clear to me that Camelot did take their time to provide us with a meatier experience, from the base roster being over twice as large as the 16 characters Aces started out with and tying with the GBA game for the most in the series to getting courts with special gimmicks in line with Power Tennis again.

I don't blame anyone for not thinking it's worth $70. I don't think it is, and I'm only buying it at launch because I found a $20 giftcard I've been sitting on for over a year. But I hate seeing so many people already treating Fever like another disappointment when that feels at odds with the actual reviews and the clear steps taken to have a distinctly more content-rich game at launch. There's arguably more here than Power Tennis had, and if they do support the game with more characters, Fever Rackets, and courts post-launch, it's going to feel a lot more exciting because it genuinely won't feel like it's been held back (especially with most of the veteran characters returning, meaning the door is wide open for newcomers).

@SamSt565 Mario Power Tennis and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour would review worse than Fever for not including any content aimed at a solo player

I definitely needed the demo to help me get onboard, as while I did like the general vibe of the game and the puzzle elements caught my attention, I'm not terribly fond of shooter gameplay. I really enjoyed it, though. I wish it looked a bit more crisp in handheld, but the experience felt very smooth and I don't feel conflicted about the idea of getting it on Switch 2.

Do have to wonder why Kunitsu-Gami is capped at 40fps when Pragmata, which has a broader scope, is 60fps...

Mario and Bowser are still pissed about the ending of Mario Odyssey, I take it...

Nintendo really needs to start nudging third-party developers to offer 40fps modes...

@Smithicus Can you elaborate on what "overly Americanized" means here

@Otimus If you want to talk about a barren first 8 months of a system's life, go take a look at the Wii U and the whopping 2 first-party games it got after launch in that timeframe, one of which was a LEGO game and the other being a middling WarioWare spinoff

@Porky The Switch, and other consoles for that matter, aren't any different?

@Kiyata By around this point in the Wii U's life (July 2012, 8 months in), the only Nintendo-published games that had released since launch were Lego City Undercover and Game & Wario. Pikmin 3 was only just around the corner. The Switch 2 has had at least one first-party game release for it every month counting Switch 2 Editions, and the trend seems set to continue for the foreseeable future. The games aren't crazy heavy-hitters for one reason or another (taking a chance on smaller IP or spin-offs or cross-gen releases)...but neither were the ones the Wii U was getting around this time. It's also getting more substantial third-party support, and said third-parties are voicing that they're happy with the system and its specs when they were dragging the Wii U through the mud. The Switch's first year was better in many respects (though the lack of a first-party exclusive at retail that wasn't 1-2-Switch for 3 months should be held against it more), but things are quite a bit better and busier than many other Nintendo systems in their early days, and not just the Wii U.

@PharoneTheGnome The Legends games are considered mainline and the Generation 10 games are non-Legends games as per the leaks

It's going to be very funny if people just film their clips using their phones and just post those.

Hoping the SwitchBuddy app will come in clutch here. I haven't had any reason to use it since they updated the NSO app with the ability to save images and videos from your system, but I doubt however they were accomplishing it before Nintendo will be incompatible with Tomodachi Life as well

It was fine, but I'm not especially enthusiastic about all the news that's trickled out post-Direct. No online Mii sharing, image and video sharing is restricted, and the game is apparently $60, which feels like a bit much. The lack of mention for even just a free Switch 2 patch is also bizarre.

Big fan of Hugh Morris, though

Some of my earliest gaming memories involve playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii with my dad and siblings, and we fire up Mario Party semi-regularly, so the prospect of having a bunch of little multiplayer minigames built around 2D Mario is actually quite appealing to me. Getting the return of Challenge Mode from New Super Mario Bros. U alongside some new levels and bosses that seem to be taking really cool advantage of the Wonder Flower idea, as well as Rosalina, just sweetens the deal as far as I'm concerned. I just hope there's a bit of substance to the multiplayer minigames, though as long as there's at least a few stages to pick from for each mode I think it should be fine. We still fire up Nintendo Land every now and then and it's basically got the bare minimum in terms of maps for its main multiplayer modes

@Lizuka I imagine they also didn't want to go to the effort of having someone fill in for Cranky's role as the shopkeeper the same way Retro did for Tropical Freeze on Switch

@PikminMarioKirby Backporting a character from this game's sequel and introducing a janky sped up Time Attack really isn't more substantial than a game mode with 11 stages that have 7 difficulty modes each designed around replayability, 86 statues to collect with more coming through limited time events with unique rulesets, which get scattered across DK Island, a slew of new outfits, and a bizarrely cryptic and extensive puzzle for a Nintendo game. It shouldn't have been $20, but it was a meatier update than this is

I think it'd be good if this guide was updated with third-party games given specific enhancements for Switch 2 without actual Switch 2 Editions. There aren't many to my knowledge, but Animal Well received an update that restored effects cut from the Switch port and works seamlessly like the first-party free upgrades, Batman: Arkham Knight got a Switch 2-specific patch, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake got a free update that I believe basically just installs a new native version of the game to your system, and games like Easy Come, Easy Golf and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound were given framerate toggles intended for use on the Switch 2.

Putting Persona 3 Reload as an honorable mention while ignoring really solid ports like Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is crazy work

@dskatter My understanding is that this upgrade was outsourced to Blitworks, actually. I think at least 40fps handheld would've been feasible, and I'm disappointed more developers aren't targeting it

If F-Zero GX has been improved I'll definitely try and get back around to it

Do we think this or Highguard is hitting EOS first?

So we're looking at a port where the filesize more than doubled, but the downgraded Switch 1 assets are still what's being used, while the framerate boost only applies to docked play...and there's not even mouse mode support?

Going to need this to be put out on a cartridge before I even consider buying it

@DashKappei Performance issues on PS5 Pro is wild. Apparently it holds up a bit better on Steam Deck but can still stutter even on recommended settings, so Steam Deck HQ recommends a 45fps cap

Hmm...the only other Switch 2 review I can find says the performance is very uneven, with a blurry handheld resolution and drops to 30fps with stutters. Not sure how much the performance vs. quality options impact things there, though

@Jack_Goetz There's actually evidence World was the last of the launch window first-party Switch 2 games to be completed. I saw discussion about how the credits are organized by when a developer joined the project, and there are cases where developers overlap with Bananza or Drag x Drive while coming at the end of a certain section of the credits, if I remember correctly.