Qwiff

This review does not mention the Joy of it being cheaper than the S2 version. Did the lower price not factor in the review score?

The reviews, and the multiple mentions of the game being more linear, have dampened my enthusiasm. I will definitely play it at some point in the future, but not on day 1.

@Jack_Goetz The IGN review also points out the Zelda similarities. This game seems to be much more linear than previous entries.

FWIW, IGN gave it 8/10. I think it's a good, balanced review. At the end of the video they have a segment where they talk about the review itself. I got the impression that the reviewer is a genuine fan of the series and knows what he's talking about.

It answers the most important questions about the gameplay, especially the bike. So, yes, the bike is only for traversing a central hub area. They didn't go full open-world. Good.

The only thing missing was some S1 footage, but I can understand they want to focus on S2.

I think it's a win/win situation for everyone. Traditionally, Nintendo has had difficulty transitioning to a new console generation, but they are managing very well here.

Even with the lack of killer exclusives, at least compared to the S1 launch period, it's good to see this does not seem to affect hardware sales at all. The lack of killer exclusives also means there's no need to upgrade to S2 right now, for those holding out. Games are taking much longer to make, a next-gen Mario or Zelda is still years away.

Retro was started by the founder of Iguana Entertainment. (Responsible for the Turok series.) So while the studio itself was new, Prime was not their first game.

Far Harbor redeems it somewhat, but the base game is entirely forgettable. Instead of playing to their strengths in world building, they added needless features like crafting, base building and a voiced protagonist.

Holding out hope that ES6 will be a return to form and that it will be released for Switch 2 as well.

Will get SMG2 when it goes on sale in 2 years or so. By then, I hope to have an S2 as well (waiting for a hardware revision). Playing in 4K would be icing on the cake.

I would say they are worth the price for people who have never played these games. If you already played them, then what's the hurry? Just wait 1-2 years for the 33% discount. And if you're on the fence, just buy SMG2 separately, since it's the better game. They took the lessons learned from SMG1 and pushed the envelope of 3D platforming. I don't think we'll ever see a Mario like the Galaxy games again. Fact is, 3D Mario doesn't actually sell that well. With New, 3D Land/World, Odyssey and Wonder they went back to the more traditional platforming fare.

It's their big holiday release, so that bodes well for the eventual quality. Not sure if it will be really open-world or just a hub that gives you access to different environments. The increase in travel distance might allow for more variety in environments, but it's not something you associate with Metroid.

This trailer was a bit low-key and felt like it was only intended to get the release date out of the way. I'm sure they'll have a dedicated Direct in the near future to build up hype.

The fine print also mentions that they're available separately on the e-shop. Good, because I already have SMG1 on Switch.

Does it require an Ubisoft account to play?

Prince of Persia gave you the option to skip account registration. In fact, I think the Switch version was the only version with this "feature".

Anyway, good to hear this version turned out well.

@Sylamp Ah, okay, I assumed there was a native S2 resolution option. Hopefully they'll patch things up for S2 later down the line.

@Sylamp Bear in mind that SSAO acts on the entire framebuffer. Comparing S1 and S2 handheld resolutions, the jump from 720p to 1080p means you need twice the memory bandwidth. (1080p is roughly double the amount of pixels.) If the S1 was already struggling, the S2 should not perform much better with these types of screenspace effects, given their difference in native resolution.

Well, this "PS6 S" would definitely address a gap in the Switch lineup. That is, a docked-only version of the hardware, for those who don't necessarily want the handheld functionality.

I myself have come to appreciate handheld and tabletop play with the OLED, but I'm holding out on the S2 until a revision with improved battery life comes along. And hopefully, also a better screen. In the meantime, I would be interested in a docked-only S2, if there was such an option.

@kendomustdie Noticed a typo: "it's age" should be "its age".

Thanks for reviewing. As someone developing their own jet ski racing game, I'm always interested in these types of titles. Even if they're relatively short and simple.

As Sakurai himself said on his channel, racing games take a relatively short time to make. That's also the reason why they made Air Ride in the first place, because they wanted to bring back Kirby, but making a full game would take much longer. (I think Air Ride was developed in 18 months or so, but look up the video on his Youtube channel for the details.)

So the relatively short development time might explain why Nintendo is bolstering the S2 lineup with 2 arcade racing games in the span of a few months.

@kupocake I have the original box as well. I remember traveling 50km to pick up an imported US copy at a specialist store, as I couldn't wait another month for the EU/UK release.

I'm not a physical collector, but there are a few games I've kept the original packaging of, because of the good memories. SS2 is one of those games, along with Fallout 1 and 2, Diablo 1 and 2, and the old Ultimas from the late 80s and early 90s.

@Ironcore Not sure why the e-shop says there's no S1 version, at least for you. FWIW, I downloaded the S1 demo version yesterday from the EU e-shop.

I'll be playing on S1, in glorious 60fps OLED handheld.

Tried the Is this seat taken? demo on Steam, and, yeah, it's quite good. It has lots of personality, despite the simple presentation. While I prefer playing on Switch, I think I'll go for the Steam version. Judging from the demo, the game plays better with a mouse than with a controller. There's no demo on the e-shop to see how it plays on Switch.

Glaciered also looks interesting. Looking forward to Mina the Hollower as well.

So, yeah, overall, a really good Direct.

If this has better performance, on Switch 1, than New Star GP, it might be interesting. That said, the trailer doesn't really manage to sell me on the game. It wastes too much time on anticipation and doesn't show much of the gameplay.

The Drifter, a point-and-click adventure that was released just this week. There will be a Switch version later this year, but I couldn't wait, so playing on the laptop and the Deck instead.

if I had a S2, I would be playing DKB for sure. Hope you are all enjoying it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Glad to see this turned out well. The exploration and destruction is right up my alley. It's not going to make me buy an S2 right now (waiting for a revision with better battery life), but it's good to know the back catalogue has at least one must-have title by the time I do.

@splinters SS1 is very different from SS2. Having played the original back in '94, I think the gameplay does not hold up. The remake's art direction is also a bit of an eye sore. I also gave up on it.

SS2 was made by an entirely different team than that of SS1, and is a precursor to Bioshock in terms of gameplay. It depends on whether you like the sci-fi setting and are willing to put up with some outdated mechanics. The 3 different classes make the gameplay more varied than that of Bioshock, tbh. The shooting was never really good, even back then. I would say it's survival horror through and through.

If this gen lasts 8 years as well, then, yeah, it might.

Old Skies, but it's the only 2025 game I played so far. (And I played it on PC, because the Switch version was delayed.)

Looking forward to Metroid Prime 4.

Trying to complete the Expert circuit in Wave Race Blue Storm. It's the game I keep coming back to in the Summer time.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I have the DL physical (since it's not available in the EU shop), and I have to say that, after the initial "impossible port" wow factor, the deeper you get into the game, the more glaring the cutbacks become. Namely, the animation frame rate is halved during busy scenes. So while the game is rendering at an otherwise steady 30 fps, virals come running at you at 15 fps. Looks very odd.

It would be great if DL would be updated for S2, but the fact that it's not available in a large market (EU) might not make it worth the effort.

The text size is a point of concern for handheld. If you're old enough to have played the original back in '99, like me, then most likely your eyesight is not what it used to be. The SS1 remake had a tiny, non-adjustable font, making it impossible, at least for me, to play on the Deck. (Steam shows a warning about the small text when starting up the game.) Hopefully they will include a font size option this time around.

Wave Race Blue Storm, my go-to Summer game. Too lazy to set up the CRT, so this playthrough is on Dolphin. Just placed 1st on the Hard circuit, taking 1st place on every race, except the last one, La Razza Canal, where I managed to place 2nd. Now on to the Expert circuit.

I can understand why most people still prefer Wave Race 64. Blue Storm can be an unforgiving game. Even if you master the controls and learn the track layouts, the game leaves almost no room for error. That said, the high difficulty makes winning all the more satisfying and that's why I keep coming back to it.

I gave it an 8. Love the overall vibe of it. I'll definitely buy it once I get an S2, but this game alone is not a system seller for me.

For me, TOTK is the game of a lifetime. I stopped playing right after completing the main quest, saving the rest of the experience for a future playthrough. WIth a completion rate of 44% , there were plenty of shrines and light roots left to discover. That said, even I had an S2, I feel it's too soon for a replay. It's only been 2 years.

Having replayed the HD version just a few weeks ago, I found that the swift sail doesn't make that much of a difference. Actually I had forgotten about it and acquired it only near the end. The streamlining of the Triforce fetch quest does make for a huge improvement, however. I agree with this review calling it out as a dud in the original.

If they decide to re-remaster the game - say, for a 25th anniversary edition (you heard it here first!) - they should consider making a mobile app to replicate the secondary screen functionality of the Wii U Gamepad. Dual screen is the best way to play the game.

Yoshi's Woolly World. A good reason to keep the Wii U around. While the levels are easy to complete, collecting all bundles of yarn is where the game gets even more interesting. I'm spending half an hour on each level, so getting a lot of mileage out of this.

Shame this hasn't been ported to Switch. I tried the Crafted World demo back in the day, but the music drove me insane. The soundtrack on WW is excellent, however. Love the slap bass.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Yeah, the battery life was my main concern. 2 hours is not much. At least they have been transparent about it and added a top USB-C port to alleviate the issue.

I'll buy an S2 once there are enough exclusive, must-have games. Hopefully there will be a hardware revision by then that improves battery life, but I'm not expecting miracles here. The S2 is simply more power-hungry.

No, did not order one. I will be getting one eventually, sure, but not until there are enough S2 exclusive games that interest me.

With next gen in sight, I'm actually going backwards. Right now, I'm getting reacquainted with the Wii U and the New 3DS. Some games that I hadn't played or didn't finish back then. Right now, Yoshi's Woolly World is keeping me occupied. What a great game! And I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't actually finished A Link Between Worlds, so looking forward to playing that again soon.

But this topic is about S2. I'm not getting one at launch because of my concern about the limited battery life advertised. I''ll wait and see how that plays out. Maybe it's not that big of an issue in practice. Plus there are not enough S2 games yet that interest me enough to buy a new console. MP4 is the only new game I'm looking forward to this year, so need to upgrade just yet.

Yoshi's Woolly World. Completed Wind Waker HD last weekend and, now that I still have the Wii U hooked up, was looking for a game from that generation that I hadn't played yet. Heard good things about it. Found a copy at the local CeX.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Nice to see this reviewed. I couldn't wait for the (delayed) Switch release and bought it on Steam last month.

The review is accurate. Yes, the game is a slow burn, but worth it in the end. I would recommend taking a break after each chapter to let the events sink in. If you try to rush through it, the slow pacing will be more evident.

@JimNorman Noticed a typo: "diffuse the situation" should be "defuse the situation", right?

If I didn't still have a GameCube, I would seriously consider buying an S2 and subscribing to NSO just for this game. (And I'm not a fan of subscriptions.) Played hundreds of hours back in the day.

This review is spot on. Indeed one of the best fighters ever and fully deserving of this score.

Gathering the Triforce shards in Wind Waker HD. I would say this is the part of the game where the Wii U version improves the most on the GC original. Aside from that, the Wii U gamepad support is fantastic, it's the best way to play the game.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The pricing reminds me of Parking Garage Rally Circuit. That game only has 8 courses, but also a very low price. The problem with developing racing games is that levels take a lot of time to build, but little time to play through. So it's understandable that they limit the scope and price accordingly.

Continuing the Wind Waker HD playthrough. Playing WW for the third time, a decade after the second playthrough, I'm reminded why it was my favourite in the series for a long time. (Until TOTK.)

Glad to have kept the Wii U around. Will probably replay Twilight Princess HD later this Summer.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The DF video also mentions that the dock does not support VRR output. This seems to be a hardware limitation of the dock itself, so not something that can be fixed with a firmware update after launch. Disappointing, tbh. But who knows? Maybe they will offer a revised dock later down the line.

Backwards-compatibility was not part of the original S2 design. Developing that for a new architecture takes significant development and testing.

Reconnected the Wii U to play Wind Waker HD again.

I'll always associate the month of May with WW, since the original's EU release was in May 2003. Played it on a small, portable TV back then. To replicate the feeling, I'm playing on a 16-inch monitor. OLED actually, so the colours really pop. The sunny weather over here matches the mood perfectly.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Finished Old Skies yesterday evening. It's a slow burn, but the writing and characters keep it interesting throughout. This game was delayed on Switch, so played on the laptop and Deck instead.

This was one of two games that I was looking forward to this year. The other one is Metroid Prime 4. Likely, that will be the only remaining game I'll play this year.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Old Skies. The Switch release was delayed, so playing on a laptop instead.

I'm busy developing my own game and can't muster the energy to play games as a hobby anymore. So on the rare occasion I do play a game, it's a title I've really been looking forward to. So far, Old Skies exceeds my expectations.