RatKing64

It is not unthinkable for MS to allow Rare titles on an N64 mini. With the Xbox brand struggling MS may see it as a way to get some good will. Its not like they are currently doing anything with any of those titles.

If there ever was a Saturn mini I would be on it in a heart beat. If it had texture smoothing and Panzer Dragoon Saga included then it would be a best seller.

My bet is that it will be a compilation of Retro City Rampage and its sequel Hawaii Shakedown.

Yeah, the Vita is still alive for some of us. I am personally waiting for the Vita version because I like having the most obscure version of games when possible (provided it is actually good). If they released it on Neo Geo pocket color I would buy that version instead.

A few years ago I would have looked down my nose at games like this and Wooly World. Now that my kids are old enough to play coop games and be half decent at them these "family" games are a lot more fun.

I still say that it is too early to say that Nintendo is done with first party software on 3DS. They may yet have something for the holiday season 2019. However, I agree that it is very much wrapping up. It has been a fantastic 8 years.

Just confirmed that they have copies at my local EB. I will be heading there at lunch.

I think it is too early in the year to declare that Nintendo is done with 3DS. Over the past couple of years they have tended to announce new 3DS games within 3-4 months of their launch (or even less). There may yet be something planned for the holiday season. If not then I will not cry. It has been a great run for the 3DS that has already gone much longer than I would have expected.

My game collection on 3DS is probably 2/3 physical and 1/3 digital.

On Vita is more like 2/3 digital and 1/3 physical.

As time goes by I care less and less about the packaging (especially since there are no manuals anymore) and I care more and more about saving money.

I will be curious to see how well the subscription service works for Microsoft. I cannot see them going subscription only. Rather, it will be a model where a game is available for individual purchase only for six months and then it gets rolled into the subscription service.

I doubt that Nintendo would go digital only on any SKU for the Switch. They rely too much on physical game sales right now.

However, I do think that the writing is on the wall for physical media in general. The current generation of gamers that grew up buying physical games seems to be OK with spending a lot of money to have a packaged game that they can display on a shelf and maybe trade in some day. However, the generations coming up behind are growing up in a different era. They are OK with having their music and movie collections be digital only. They will be OK with their game collections being digital only as well.

Netflix has also changed public perceptions in terms of how much you should have to pay for entertainment. It is only a matter of time before game subscription services push out individual game purchases in the same way that Netflix is killing DVD and Blu-ray movie sales.

I do not own a Switch yet. It is not that I have anything against the Switch. I think it is awesome. However, I have decided to do video games differently from now on. I am going to wait until the Switch is in its twilight years, when I can get one cheap, and then buy all of my games digital only when they go on sale. I have decided that it is not worth paying $60 just to have something that I can hold in my hand when I can have the exact same gaming experience for $20 as a download.

I am still on the fence about this one, but odds are that I will buy it.

I wonder if Capcom would consider working with Limited Run Games.

I am surprised that they are keeping so close to the look and feel of the 3DS games. I expected much better looking graphics and to see Pokémon walking around instead of hiding in the grass.

Regardless, this game will sell in the millions and will be one of the best selling games on Switch. I am sure that Nintendo announced it now so that they could talk about it in shareholder briefings next month and use it as the justification for being bullish on Switch sales for the 2019 fiscal year. Pokémon and Animal Crossing will one hell of a one-two punch for Switch this year, especially in Japan.

They will announce Pokémon Super Ultra Sun and Super Ultra Moon for 3DS ...

Kidding. Obviously it will be our first look at the upcoming Gen 8 Pokémon for Switch. They will announce it, show a five minute clip and then give it a launch window of holiday 2019.

@NESlover85
The rumors are that this started as a 3DS game, and was almost complete when they decided to delay the launch in order to create a Switch version as well. Obviously the 3DS version was later dropped.

Making the game available on Switch is the right choice, but I will still mourn the lost 3DS version. If it exists, then maybe it will be leaked someday so that we can see what it was like.

I love the 3DS! At this point I can say that it is best system that I have ever owned. My son is also aware of the Switch, but he is perfectly happy to play 3DS. He had two friends over recently and they played multi-player 3DS games for hours. I did not hear any of them moaning that these 3DS games were out of date. They just enjoy playing games.

However, I am sure that Nintendo will phase it out after this year. Despite what they say, as soon as the next Pokémon game lands on Switch (along with a smaller form factor to make it easier for kids to hold) there will be no compelling reason for them to continue pushing the 3DS. People buy their kids a 3DS so that they can play Pokémon and Mario Kart. As soon as both are on Switch every kid will want Switch instead.

I will probably get this. I have the game on Wii, but it was a $5 charity shop purchase so I do not mind paying again for the same game. I will give the Wii game to my brother so that his kids can play it. Besides, it is much more likely to get played on 3DS. I prefer handhelds most of the time.

@Crono1973

Exactly. Alpha Dream stated in an interview that they remade the game on 3DS because they wanted to retain the dual screen design of the game.

I am sure there will be another M&L game and it will be on Switch.

I was optimistic for the 3DS to have one last decent year in 2019, but it seems that the party is pretty much over. Luigi's mansion underperformed and now Bowser's Inside Story has flopped. I am not sure how much of this has to do with people not being interested in 3DS and how much has to do with people not being interested in remakes of games that they have already played.

I still have 2-3 games that I need to pick up for 3DS. I should probably swing by EB Games and get Etrian Odyssey Nexus on the way home. However, if there are no new releases from Nintendo after Kirby's Epic Yarn that is OK with me. 3DS has had a great life. I cannot complain about the size of the library that I have for it!

For those who think Nintendo should drop the 3DS because it pulls resources away from Switch development, you need to remember that 3DS is probably dirt cheap to produce now and therefore every system sold is a high profit margin for Nintendo. I would even guess that they make more profit selling a New 3DS XL then they do from selling a Switch.

After that every game sold to a new 3DS owner is gravy, especially if people are still buying older games like Mario Kart 7 in high numbers.

Lastly, every year there is a new crop of kids whose parents feel they are old enough to play video games, but are not yet old enough to be trusted with a $300 piece of fragile electronics like the Switch. To those parents the cheap and sturdy looking 2DS is very attractive.

There will always be a low end of the market and since the Switch is too expensive to occupy that niche Nintendo needs to keep the 3DS around.

People who have owned the 3DS for years, and other Nintendo systems before it, may not be keen on the ports, remakes and localized games that make up the roster of new releases on 3DS these days, but for kids or other people who have never played them those are just new games, not retreads of experiences they have already had. The people on this forum are not the target audience for 3DS any more.

@FinalFrog
I agree. I get that there are lots of people for whom the Switch is their shiny new toy and they cannot imagine why some of us are still happy with the 3DS. However, it is obnoxious that such people keep demanding that Nintendo cut off all support for 3DS and focus 100% on the Switch. For one thing, the Switch is still an expensive machine with expensive games. Not everyone is ready to make that investment yet, especially if they are buying for kids. Secondly, moving the games that they have planned for the 3DS to Switch instead will not help the Switch. Nor would it help Nintendo's bottom line. On the 3DS those games can do decent sales and make a profit. On Switch they would be lost among the bigger and better games, sell poorly, and end up losing money.

There is room in the market for both high end products (Switch) and budget products (3DS). If the only option was Switch, many parents might opt for their kids to play games on tablets instead. I know many parents who feel that $60 is too much for games. Eventually the Switch will come down in price and there will be a selects line of budget games. Until then Nintendo still need the 3DS.

I am disappointed that Nintendo did not announce any new 3DS games in the mini Direct, but I expect that there will be some announcements later in the year. I think that the rumors of remakes for Link's Awakening and Wario Land VB on 3DS will prove to be real. They both make sense when you consider the teams that are rumored to be behind them (Grezzo and Skip). On top of that DQ XI, MH Generations, and Yo-Kai Watch 3 will be localized and there will be at least one more first party 3DS game from Nintendo this year.

I expect 2018 will be the last good year for 3DS though.

The 2DS is not going anywhere so there will still be a smaller/lighter option for young kids.

I will probably not pay full price for this one. I just have too many other games to play and too many games coming later in the year that are much more exciting for me (Samus Returns, Fire Emblem Warriors, Mario and Luigi Superstar Remake, Monster Hunter Stories).

I may wait for the price to come down on this one.

I consider these mini consoles to be a novelty product. If I can get one of those controllers for my Wii VC titles then cool. However, I will not cry if I don't get one and I certainly will not pay scalper rates. It is just not that important.

I suspect that within a couple of years people who paid way too much for a classic NES or SNES will end up selling them off because the novelty factor has worn off and they never play it anymore.

I will definitely be getting this. There is no such thing as too much Kirby.

I bought this day one, but I think it is going to struggle due to being a new IP on a waning system with no real promotion. Any sales that it gets will be by word of mouth. Someday Ever Oasis will be regarded as a true hidden gem on the 3DS. It will be one of those games that people spend ridiculous amounts of money to get in mint condition for their collection.

All of the people who are furious about Monster Hunter "jumping ship" from Nintendo seem to have conveniently forgotten that the Monster Hunter franchise started on PS2 and rose to real popularity on the PSP. This was not a franchise that Capcom and Nintendo grew together. Rather, Capcom grew it and then Nintendo lured it over to their platforms. Vita owners were furious when Monster Hunter went to 3DS and skipped the Vita. They considered that a betrayal of the fact that PSP was where the series really took off. Many people were excited about the second analog stick on the Vita precisely because it would make Monster Hunter easier to play. Now Nintendo fans feel betrayed that Worlds is not coming to Switch.

In all honesty, I think it is only a matter of time before the next "real" Monster Hunter game is announced and it is highly likely to come to the Switch. Worlds is not a real Monster Hunter game. It is a spin-off intended to appeal to western gamers and I do not think it will do all that well. Meanwhile, the Switch is the hottest gaming product in a long time in Japan. Japan is where Monster Hunter games are enormously popular. Capcom will do the match on that and decide that Switch is where money can be made. It will happen.

Back to the subject of this post, I am excited about Stories. I was never much interested in the "real" MH games. This looks more like something I can enjoy.

I am surprised by how low the score is. I have Oceanhorn on Vita and it is quite good. If you are looking for a Zelda level of quality and polish then you will not find it here. However, for $15 I think it is a good value.

I am not expecting any mention whatsoever of a western release. They will spotlight the game on 3DS, remind everyone that it is coming to Switch and maybe announce a Japanese release date for the Switch version.

I don't expect to see this game in the west until 2018.

I played the demo for a while this weekend and had lots of fun with it. It has the same feel as a Zelda game with a large 3D over world to explore and dungeons where every room has a puzzle to solve before you can advance. It will definitely be picking this one up.

I wonder what happened to the new multi-player Kirby game for 3DS. There was not a word about it at E3. has it been postponed to 2018? Did it move to the Switch? It seems to have dropped off the Earth.

I know there are lots of people who are miffed that Nintendo is still bringing some great games to the 3DS because they wanted the Switch to be the one and only place where Nintendo puts games from now on (i.e. no more having to own multiple machines to play all first party Nintendo titles).

I am sure that it will be that way in the future. The 3DS will only last another year or so. After that it will be all Switch for Nintendo.

In the meantime, the 3DS is still around and it is still a great place for Nintendo to make money with its large installed base and the fact that developing games for it is quite cheap (especially when most of their current output is remakes and ports that make use of existing game engines and can be made by small teams). They would be foolish to throw that market away prematurely.

When Switch 2 eventually comes around I am sure it will be 100% backward compatible and there will not be this split market issue any longer. Early adopters will be able to upgrade and never go back to their old Switch, even if Nintendo keeps releasing titles for it.

As a big fan of the 3DS I was pleasantly surprised by games like Samus Returns and M&L: Super Star Saga + BM. This is going to be an awesome year for 3DS.

On the downside, I was disappointed that we did not get any further clarification on Pokémon: Ultra Sun and Moon and not even whiff of the new Kirby multiplayer game for 3DS. perhaps Nintendo wanted to hold some stuff back for a Direct in early fall.

Day one was great. The Metroid announcements caught me completely off guard. I suspect that Nintendo still have more announcements to make. We still have not seen the new multi-player Kirby game for 3DS that is due this fall.

Nintendo's plan for extending the life of the 3DS seems to be to outsource 3DS remakes/sequels in some of their biggest franchises to small studios while they keep their internal talent focused on developing for the Switch. I have no issues with that so long as the 3DS games are decent.

This one (as well as Hey! Pikmin) is high on my radar but I will wait for reviews before buying. NO pre-orders for me.

I am betting that this will the big Switch game for Holiday 2018

I am sure this is just a spin-off for western audiences. Japan is still (by far) the biggest market for traditional MH and Switch will be the biggest platform in Japan so MH5 will go to Switch.

Looks like a cool game so I hope it comes west. However, I am always skeptical about free-to-play games so I will wait and see what the catch is.

I will wait for reviews before committing to buy, but it looks pretty decent to me.

I am surprised that they went for two games instead of a stand-alone third game. I am also a bit worried that they called this Ultra-Sun and Moon instead of Sun 2 and Moon 2. "Ultra" sounds more like and enhanced version rather than a sequel, even if it does have a new story. I will have to wait and see how significant the changes are before I consider buying in. I am not interested in visiting all of the same places and solving many of the same puzzles again.

Also, the rumors of Stars on Switch were never realistic. Game Freak will want to take the time to create a Pokémon for Switch that is designed from the ground up for Switch. When it eventually happens the hype will be huge and any disappointment from today will be long forgotten.

I think that this Pokémon Direct will be very much like the Fire Emblem Direct earlier this year. First they will announce Pokémon Stars for 3DS launching this holiday. Next they will focus on the new Pokémon mobile game. Last they will announce that a new Pokémon game is in development for Switch for launch holiday 2018. There will be no footage of the game, just an announcement that it is coming.

I was concerned that Echoes would end up being a rush job remake that did not stand up well against the other FE games on the 3DS. This review has put my mind to rest on that subject. I will be picking it up as soon as I can.

Panzer Dragoon V!!!!!

DLC pack #4 looks very interesting. Anything that adds new story is always welcome. However, I will wait and see how significant the new content actually is. At $15 I am hoping for more than just a three new maps and some cut scenes.

I think that I will wait for Elliot Quest to come down in price before I pick it up.

This one will be a day-one buy for me.

I know several people who own some variant of the 3DS and not a single one of them plays with the 3D effect on. Personally, I cannot stand it for more than a few seconds before it goes off again. It is a neat gimmick that some people really like but I do not think it is a major selling point for the system any more.

My prediction is only 20-25 games will be included:
Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Zelda LTTP, Super Metroid, Kirby's Adventure 3, Pilot Wings, F-Zero, DK Country, Super Punch Out, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy 6, Secret of Mana, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Final Fight, Super Ghouls'n'Ghosts, Castlevania 4, Contra III, Axelay, Gradius III, Super Adventure Island.

@Shinuki Totally agree.

When Super Mario Maker for 3DS was announced lots of people on here were saying that it would flop because nobody wants a downsized port of a Wii U game on 3DS. Apparently 2.34 million people (and counting) disagreed with that assessment since they bought the game.

When people say "nobody wants game X" what they really mean is "I don't want game X and I am assuming that everyone is just like me".