Ralizah

Game was extremely well-optimized for the Switch, so I'm happy to see it selling well.

Kinda dumb not to optimize a game like this for Switch when you know it's the version that'll sell best.

@HOUSE Yup. Still love my Switch, but the Steam Deck OLED has relegated it to full exclusives/games I already own status. Contra runs beautifully on it.

No thank you. Wonder was disappointingly gimmicky in terms of how it felt built around the Wonder Flower setpieces. I'd much rather see another brand new game. Preferably one with actually decent bosses this time.

@-wc- Technically, the remaster of Galaxy in the 3D All-Stars Collection is HD, so we do have an official release of a Galaxy game in HD. And it's pretty stunning, given the age of the game.

Anyway, I feel like Nintendo already explored the potential of the Galaxy series on a mechanical level with Galaxy 2. Especially given how long we go between 3D Marios, I'd MUCH rather get a proper next-gen Mario game built around a new concept. In this case, a fleshing out of the Bowser's Fury concept that leads to a fully open world platforming sandbox. Which is what I feel Nintendo will be focusing on anyway, because if they were going the iterative sequel route, they'd have given us Odyssey 2 instead.

NSMBU, as has been said, is one of the best 2D games in the series.

NSMB2 was a ton of fun when you include the DLC. No idea why it gets so much hate.

The Origami King is my second favorite Paper Mario game after TTYD. (HATED Super Paper Mario, unfortunately)

3D Land is one of the best platformers on the 3DS.

And yes, Sparks of Hope blows pretty much every Mario RPG I've played out of the water.

@JRiegler @-wc-

Wow, this victory really spooked the emulation community.

That said, Nintendo goes after ROM piracy sources and people helping to enable current-gen piracy. Nobody cares about this dude's Game Boy emulator.

Yes, it's retro.

For context, more time has elapsed now since the launch of the 3DS than between the release of the Super Nintendo and Nintendo GameCube.

We're getting old, folks. Time to accept the facts!

@Sisilly_G About where I'm at. I love the novelty of it. I love the plushies. I love the aesthetics of the special edition stuff. But I just don't really want to play the game on a crappy old handheld like the GBA.

@FantasiaWHT It's hard to tell from the footage if your moves are on a timer or anything. There's definitely a group of people who will find great enjoyment in this style of gameplay.

@Vyacheslav333 Oh yes. The Japanese version of Wizardry at the beginning of the 80s is arguably what kickstarted the first wave of Japanese-developed computer RPGs.

This style of JRPG game design went into semi-hibernation over the 90s and early 00s until Atlus revived interest in it with Etrian Odyssey.

I miss these sort of smaller projects. Bigger than pixel indies, smaller than AA releases like you'd get from Falcom, and with a reduced price tag. The 3DS eshop was full of them.

@Vyacheslav333 Based on the footage, looks much more Mystery Dungeon-style than Wizardry-style.

@libersolis There's a number of factors at play - some rational, many irrational.

Collectors - This is the most straightforward one. Some people enjoy the hobby more in terms of building sets and collections of products than actually playing the games. Granted, most game collectors enjoy gaming, and will usually play games to some extent, but the pace of releases today is such that if you have any sort of life at all, your purchases will quickly outstrip your ability to play them in a reasonable timeframe.

Lack of Time - Many people buy games they're excited for, fully intending to play them through whenever it is they buy them, but, y'know, as adults, it can be difficult to find the time to properly commit to leisure hobbies. If you're an adult gamer who comes home late drained and ready for bed most nights, you might still gain some satisfaction from buying the latest releases so you still feel like you're involved with the hobby you love.

Lack of Impulse Control - This is the obvious one people will settle on first, and it is a big thing. Maybe you see a game you like in a deep sale, but don't have time to play it. Maybe you see a new game on a shelf, and know you won't play it soon, but gosh darn it, you want it! Buying stuff is fun.

'Supporting' Games - A game's sales in its launch window will often be the a crucial metric in determining if it was successful enough to get a sequel at all. If I know this, especially when it comes to a less popular IP, I might buy during that period fully knowing I won't get to it for months/years, because I want the property to continue. At least, this is the rationale. Publishers know this and try to exploit it at times in their messaging to the public.

Re-contextualizing the Backlog - Although I'm guessing this is merely a self-justification in many instances, some people prefer to think of their backlogs as libraries instead. The idea is that, instead of having this huge pile of unplayed games to 'process,' you have a wide array of titles to choose from as your fancy dictates. I tend to think this only really justifies small backlogs, but, you know, who am I to tell a person how to think of their property?

FOMO - This is a big one. Especially for fans of physical releases from smaller publishers. You want to be able to own your games physically, but with a number of titles, there's a reasonable fear that if you wait until you actually want to play a game, the physical release will be out-of-print / prohibitively expensive compared to when it first released. Publishers also tap into this impulse by making "limited edition" stuff, launch versions of games that ship with extras that can't be had later on, etc.

@UltimateOtaku91 I can't imagine why you would need to, given the early parts of the story are apparently the same between the two routes.

To be brutally honest, the story can only be improved in the new version.

@Axecon

Christ, this is going to be a monster of a package. While it sucks there's no upgrade path for Switch owners of the original, at least it's not skimping out on content. Will probably grab this for Steam anyway, since the original's performance left something to be desired.

@LEGEND_MARIOID IV and Apocalypse are COMPLETELY different games, so no.

@Diogmites Super Princess Peach is pretty niche, so don't feel too bad about it lol.

I wanted to love that game, but the sexist gameplay mechanics kinda turned me off. Hoping this does more for the character, even if the gameplay seems a bit too simple.

@Bratwurst35 It's pretty common with Atlus. SMT I - III all got ports and re-releases that included improvements and additional content. Unsurprised SMT V is going to follow suit.

I'm expecting an enhanced remaster of SMT V.

The game had a fair amount of room for improvement, so I'm excited to see what they've done with it.

@rjejr I don't disagree that they've severely mismanaged expectations about the release date, mind you. They should have been more careful with their messaging unless they were sure their game was closer to full completion.

Literally just looks like a Xeodrifter sequel!

@Twilite9 ?

I get the impatience, considering how long it's taking, but I couldn't disagree with the broader gist of this sentiment more. They don't have a responsibility to release games on some arbitrary time-table you dictate. They're working on their game, and they'll release it when they're ready.

Which is something I appreciate more about indie game development in general: a commitment to releasing complete, quality products vs the messy, half-finished, early access scams that pollute the AAA market.

God I hope this is good. It looks so neat. Peach definitely deserves a showcase not steeped in sexist tropes like Super Princess Peach was.

And I gotta say, Peach looks quite dashing in that thief outfit!

LMAO I have no idea how I feel about this, but it's really cool that someone had the passion to make it a reality. Shine on, you crazy diamond!

Big kudos for dropping the DF link.

While it's obviously better looking on PS5, it seems like the switch (badum-tish) to in-house development paid off in terms of the performance, which is all I was really looking for. Just didn't want the long sections of really low framerates that plagued Ys VIII and (to a much larger extent) IX. This is especially nice considering the game is apparently a nice visual improvement from the previous two games as well.

I plan to buy very little new software this year, but Ys X is definitely on the list.

@Samalik Yep. Which isn't a modern platform, and is inaccessible to new players.

NIS would have ported this to Switch/PS4 already.

As it stands, PC is the platform of choice if you want to play the Ys games.

It was overpriced for what it was. $40 would have been a more reasonable price point.

Also, most games sell best at launch, and Sonic games have been selling best on Switch, and they launched it close to the release of the first brand new 2D Mario game in decades lol

While I'm not a fan myself, I think what most people wanted was Sonic Mania 2, or something in that vein.

So they're just selling an untranslated Japanese game? lol

Ys I is interesting, although super dated. So glad bump combat is gone and never coming back!

Just a pity XSEED/Marvelous are squatting on the Western distribution rights for most of the early games in the series.

"If it came down to a duel, there are Nintendo Life staffers who would actually take this over the SNES game."

Raises hand.

I would. 100%

Super Metroid is unquestionably the more influential release, but when I'm deciding on a Metroid game to play, this wins almost every time. Perfectly paced, perfect controls, and one of the coolest climax setpieces in the entire series.

Always amuses me when people act like Nintendo unilaterally imposed a hefty debt on him. The guy went through the system and accepted a deal that significantly reduced the number of charges.

Crime doesn't pay for most people who aren't rich or smart enough to get away with it. shrug I wish him a happy rest of his life, but I don't feel sorry for his legal troubles at all.

Not a huge fan of this trilogy, but Spirit of Justice made it worth muscling through.

@UltimateOtaku91 Friendly reminder that the gorgeous Xenoblade Chronicles 3 runs on the same hardware.

The issue is likely partially skill-related (GF doesn't seem to be an especially talented dev) and partially due to not having enough resources to develop games on the time-frame they're expected to.

Gonna play Rain Code on vacation starting in a few days. So happy they're keeping the spirit of Danganronpa alive without subjecting the series itself to endless iteration (V3 might've helped in that regard lol!)

Preordered. Insane price, but I love this game to death and want the unlocks, so I bit the bullet.

I never buy artbooks, but I'm getting this 100%. Absolutely adored this game.

Fine. This better happen AFTER Front Mission 3 Remake, though.

Ubisoft made their bed with how they discount their games. Don't screw over launch purchasers by devaluing your games so quickly.

That said, the first one was so good I went ahead and bought it at launch anyway. It's fully worth $60, and I want more games in this series. But I also totally get why others would wait.

@Ryu_Niiyama ✊

Nice to see someone else who properly appreciates this classic!

Yeah, I'm not including other 2D games that have platforming elements, personally. That'd be a much harder claim for me to make.

Rocket Knight Adventures is the best 16-bit platformer.

Fite me.

@TenEighty Hmm. There was a bit of deliberate emptiness in BotW, but TotK didn't have that problem. It honestly felt like Nintendo overcompensated in terms of the amount of stuff that you'll encounter in that game at any one time.

tbh it's the least empty-feeling Zelda I've ever played. The overworlds in games like Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker often felt like wastelands designed to put space between the dungeons and story areas. Never felt that way with TotK. There's so much content stuffed into every crevice. And like BotW, even the environment itself is super interactive, so just getting from A to B is an adventure.

Now, you can argue the content isn't meaningful, and that's an opinion some people have, but I definitely feel like 'empty' isn't a good word to describe it, personally.

@TenEighty I'm not sure what forgotten content means lol

Well, luckily for you, I imagine the aesthetic will change somewhat with the next game, since it won't be in this same universe.

@TenEighty Talking about TotK?

I don't know what game you played, but there was almost too much stuff to do in that game. Couldn't go three minutes without new activities cropping up.

256GB SSD with the option for expandable storage would probably be a good balance of file size and associated costs. Even on Switch 2, I doubt file sizes will get as big as they do on the home consoles.

Super Mario Galaxy, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Breath of the Wild are probably the big three for me. Some older games were really affecting at the time, but I think they're sufficiently aged now that they wouldn't have the same first time impact now (FF7 comes to mind, especially).

NieR: Automata, too. Incredibly affecting game. And Virtue's Last Reward as well for its insane last few hours.

@Mr_Zurkon TW3 isn't too bad on Switch if you turn off the anti-aliasing, which removes the awful blurring. tbh the difference isn't too stark in comparison to the last-gen home console versions. Going from 60+fps to 30 when you also own the game on PC can be a bit jarring, though.

@CANOEberry @larryisaman Agreed that Impossible Lair is top-tier. Up there with the best DKC games. Kinda makes me wish they'd focus on making 2D games now, as they clearly have an aptitude for it.

@JaxonH In my defense, Seven Sirens didn't even exist when I wrote that post.

Seven Sirens was a bit disappointing when it first came out because of the balancing issues it had, but WF addressed the food drop rate and improved the bosses a bit, and I'd say it's also a real looker on the SWOLED, so I could get behind someone choosing it over Pirate's Curse now.

Even the initial release of Seven Sirens blew away HGH, though. What a disappointment that game was.

Late-stage capitalism: the game.

Reminds me of Ready Player One, which stapled a million geek pop culture things together into one big boorish mishmash of elements.

Well, no hate to anyone who enjoys this, but I will never be able to get into it.

@Cia As a fan of both TTYD and TOK, I approve this.

@Mario500 Switch OLED

I think the subpar marketing from SE, the fact that the HD2D style has lost its wow factor, and the general busyness of the year in terms of big releases probably contributed to people not really looking hard at this one.

I do think initial Switch exclusivity, with Nintendo publishing, would have caused it to sell somewhat better. Especially since the majority of copies sold on Switch anyway.

I was pretty happy with Fire Emblem Engage. Gorgeous cutscenes, pretty high-quality visuals in battles, a vibrant color palette... even if you don't like the character designs, it is still a very pretty game.

I also feel like XC3: Future Redeemed deserves recognition, even if it's not a retail release. It looks as good or better than the base release, which was arguably the most technically accomplished title on the system.

Nothing to do. Boring small town. Expected to marry. Wife won't stop nattering about laundry. Days come and go far too quickly.

It really is a life sim.