ROMhaiku

£20/25 seems about right. That's the going rate for hyped indie games atm judging by something like Hades 2 (a similar benchmark in terms of hype and interest in the developer's previous title).

To be honest I feel like you could easily extend the bloated description to 100 Line but I accept it has exceptional highs that probably meant people didn't want to be too harsh on it. I'll assume the mention of it here means this one isn't quite as unmissable.

Don't worry, them padded out side quests are still going to look great at 30 fps.

Not my kind of thing but it looks real snazzy

Looks like a decent option for kids or people only using gamechat infrequently.

Interesting to see them announce a sequel and release it so quickly

Just found this as part of a digital subscription service (at a very reasonable £25, including several other Nintendo classic games) and I, like many of you here, am absolutely loving it. I'd heard about it for awhile but never really understood the point nor its charms... but once you press the button that opens the game in and start to play (if on the Switch 2, preferably with a Pro Controller 2) the shiny little guy gets his metallic hooks in you and won't let go. Three words that encapsulate this game, and Nintendo: Spread the Happiness. Skip (the developer) is full of wacky geniuses if you ask me.

I'm not too familiar with the series - is this a remake of the Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky that came out on PSP originally?

Assuming yes, is it also the whole game, or are they separating it like the FF7 remakes?

@Ulysses Good comparison. I loved Halo 3 because it was bombastic and very fun in co-op but 2 was always my favourite and remains the best game to replay on occasions

(ps MCC on Switch when?)

Maybe it's in and not mentioned but they need to start utilising the HD Rumble for these sorts of games to mimic the arcade feeling. Imagine a jet ski game that simulates the sensation of water bobbing as you're riding. That would be pretty gnarly.

I’m definitely looking forward to it, but my biggest concern is that it’ll end up being too long. There’s this trend now where developers feel a sequel has to be bigger, longer, and more drawn-out to match the hype, but often it’s the tighter, perfectly paced games — like the original — that appeal more to me (as a time-poor moany adult).

@Kazman2007 "On top of that, you're gonna cut into Mario Kart's online player base and split the online community".

Don't worry, we'll be back when Nintendo makes it as good as MK8.

I like the box

Just catching up now - this looks like a lot of fun

@Aeralto A five-point scale is better as it avoids this issue, but for some reason people hate the fact it doesn't look specific enough (as if reviewers even use the 10-point scale for that reason).

1 = Terrible, 2 = Passable, 3 = Decent, 4 = Great, 5 = Brilliant.

So simple and elegant.

Good-looking controller but surely those buttons are going to be confusing?

Weird decision. The first two games are enjoyable and would have been great for Switch but the third one is really quite bad.

Edit: An explanation. The problem is the inconsequential story with minor payoff. It remains the oddest decision that they took so long to make the game, but remained steadfast to their vision that it would be told over 6 games, which in reality means nothing happens in this one, nobody liked it, and so they never got enough funding for any more. The fact is that tested their own fans who greenlit 3 and seemingly had enough at that stage not to push Suzuki to make another.

Looks good, will have to add this to my list. Reminds me a lot of Space Funeral (what a cracking soundtrack too).

Absolutely best of luck to SEGA releasing this at £65

Nothing wrong with the review but I'm surprised it doesn't talk more about the issue that only one game uses it.

Still, it's a cool idea and seemingly great for Clone Hero on PC. Would love to see more rhythm games on the switch.

@premko1 Same thoughts here. NL are overly generous to first-party games at times, like reading Official Nintendo Magazine back in the day.

Appreciate you mentioning overheating but that was my main concern when I was looking at these recently. They're going to need more time in the wild for me to fully trust whether they'll last longer (or you know, not kill the console).

Not right now but I'll look into it when it flops and they lose the mouse mechanic and speed up the gameplay to an acceptable amount for a sports game.

Not that I think bad news should dominate the headlines but the scalping issue in Pokemon doesn't get enough press coverage considering the size of the problem. It's been a rollercoaster of misery trying to buy cards from sets post Stellar Crown. As such I'm not massively surprised to read this, though of course it sucks.

Honestly I think this looks like a decent attempt to replicate Mario Party. It's also crossplay which is nice.

Amazing news to wake up to this morning. I went to bed last night in tears thinking we might never get Pilotwings OST and so you can imagine my delight on seeing the notification this morning.

I'm currently listening to it on YouTube to celebrate.

@jojobar Yeah I felt that way seeing the direct. It really looked like Squenix doing a quick copy/paste job to get something out very soon after the launch window. Really didn't look like it had any vision.

Sounds like people are enjoying the demo though so what do I know.

Possibly an issue with publishers not wanting to lump all their best games from the past couple of years onto Switch 2 at the same time. Feels like an obvious one Squenix, Atlus and Bandai Namco as they'll be wanting to stagger them for the next couple of years, and sadly it makes more business sense for them to do it.

Persona 3 Reload and Cronos were the clear highlights for me.

Elliott looks like it's going straight to meh corner of JRPG history to keep I Am Setsuna, Chained Echoes and Lost Sphear company.

Will add it's possible Microsoft want to save any port announcements for their own showcases, but perhaps this is pure copium.

Overall I was underwhelmed.

Pretty much all the JRPGs because Switch remains the best way to experience them (in bed and comfy). Metaphor, Expedition, Persona, etc.

Oo interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if this news means a direct is coming this week, it's been heavily rumoured.

@Olmectron I'm not being totally serious but I tend to skip a lot of those scenes as I feel like I can usually tell if it's going to be useful information to the plot based on the music. If it's lighthearted and sprightly, it's probably going to end up in Darumi suggesting murder; if it's slow and tense there's actual plot incoming. Admittedly I'm still on the first 100 days so maybe it shifts later on...

Still waiting for the update that lets me skip the cafeteria dialogue but some welcome additions here for sure.

Totally understandable. I threw away my master ball in Pokemon Red the first time I played because it wasn't worth in the shop and I assumed it was worthless (oh to be nine again).

Curiously, I've noted that there are 32 tracks, which, when multiplied by 2, equal 64, a number contained within the game's title.

Let me know if you also noticed this.

@fenlix Bro that comment is 3 years old (almost got me too)

Are people really going to stand for 124.8ms delay? I'd be out in the streets today making my thoughts very clear if it wasn't so warm.

My theory is that a lot of the music was put into the original games because, at the time, it was a relatively cheap inclusion and they were signed off so that people could get introduced to that music (pre-internet days when dissemination of music was different). Then, when the games became a hit and people loved those bands because they found them via THPS, the record labels realised they could ask for more money for the remakes and Activision said nah.

@Nintendo4Sonic Great decision because the first game is excellent. Kinda slow to start but builds to something you will want to keep playing just to see where it goes. Go in blind and have fun

My take is that commercial products like video games often feel more like products than personal expressions because the development process is so complex and collaborative. Only a select few people get to shape the creative direction in any meaningful way, and even then, it's debatable how much of a personal stamp they can leave on it.

That’s my main hesitation with calling something 'art' when it involves hundreds or thousands of contributors. It feels very different from art that stems from a small group or single individual’s vision - something intense, perhaps even obsessive, and deeply intentional in trying to evoke emotion in the audience. That kind of control is very hard to get in the commercial world and Miyamoto has probably experienced it more than 99.99999% of people in the industry.

This kind of clarity and focus seems so hard to achieve in massive productions like AAA games or blockbuster films, but it doesn't mean they lack merit as parts of them are almost certainly artistic, but just maybe not the whole because of the nature of what they are.

Also, this debate sometimes come down to simplifying artistry and creativity into the same thing. I'd say Nintendo has the latter in spades but as a business it's not really in the zone of creating art. Any art they do make is more like a byproduct of the creative process.

I'll pour one out for our voucher friends this evening

@Dr_Corndog I found it interesting how Shortcat was initially cautious about expressing his dislike for the intermission tracks, but once his first critical video gained traction and thousands of people echoed his sentiments, he fully embraced that stance. It seemed like many people had been hesitant to criticize the tracks, even though a large portion of the userbase actually felt the same way.

Really nice idea. It seems like they've reached the stretch goal so hoping I can just buy an issue whenever it comes out.

While I'm on this topic - anyone in the UK remember Cube magazine? Damn that was good. Much better than ONM.

Welcome Tour must be fuming

I know this is uncalled for but I'm reminded again that somebody must have been in a VERY good mood that day to review Nirvana Initiative as a 9/10. I really thought Uchikoshi dropped the ball on that one and i stlll can't get over that nonsensical plot twist (no spoilers).

Yeah it's surprising by how many people have probably thought this since just yesterday when Strikers came out. I had the exact same one so I guess it's a pretty widespread concern.

@SuperRetroArt Same here. I loved MK8D but the intermission tracks in this one are a letdown (just driving in a straight line, basically). Really hoping the team at Nintendo reconsiders that design choice as it only really works for Knockout Tour.

may purchase one once they bring more GameCube games to the system but right now i don't see much need

@Yosher Oh dang, you have to have the cartridge in your system? I was under the impression it became one of those virtual cards for some reason

I've got 40 hours in this and I genuinely couldn't name more than one song - though it is playing in my head right now. It's catchy.

Great game btw!

It seems like a fair update to me, although I personally never got along with the Wii version much. I also like that you've been a bit harsh on World because I do think it seems lacking compared to 8 Deluxe, just because 8 Deluxe was such a superb title with all the DLC and updates (World is certainly better than 8 base though).

People asking why this has been updated rather than a fresh article and the answer is, to give you a boring one, SEO. This already ranks top when you Google 'Best Mario Kart games of all time' and that's probably something people are looking for again so NL is striking while the iron is hot. All glory to the SEO gods!