SillyG

We got a 4/10 Skyrim port before GTA VI.

@Jeff2sayshi : Anniversary Edition only, I'm afraid. The Anniversary Edition is basically paid DLC for the original 2017 release, plus you have the Switch 2 Edition as further DLC (though the latter is available at no extra cost).

@PinderSchloss : Millions.

And while I'm keen on grabbing this eventually (hopefully a physical re-release with the DLC on the cart), this isn't a good look for the Pokémon brand. Being set in a single city would have been fine had they really honed in on those micro elements to really bring the city to life, but it just looks like a barren concrete jungle with almost nothing to do in it.

Legends Arceus did it better, with much more thought gone into its various environments/biomes, and they didn't hold the rest of the game hostage behind a $30 ransom either.

I'm not going to buy an expensive peripheral to play games that I can only rent.

Had they issued a physical cartridge with the headset, I'd have been all over this, but as it stands? Hell no.

Which is a shame, because I would have loved this otherwise.

There are seven Black Ops games now?! I must have been living under a rock.

Also a reminder that there hasn't been a single Call of Duty game on a Nintendo platform in over 12 years.

I'm surprised that we didn't even get barebones ports of older games on Switch.

Even the humble DS got no less than five exclusive games built from the ground up.

Metroid whenever I grab a Switch 2. Skyrim if it gets a properly physical Switch 2 release. And I'll consider Rogue Prince of Persia on Switch 1 (in the absence of a physical Switch 2 release). I don't understand why they didn't just make a Switch 1 version that plays with better performance/resolution on Switch 2 considering how small the game is.

@squisan : Bethesda games tend to go on sale every so often (and with substantial discounts too), so it's definitely worth waiting.

There better be Mega Dudunsparce X, Y, Z, and every other freaking letter in the Latin alphabet, Greek alphabet, Arabic alphabet, Cyrillic alphabet, and Standard Galactic Alphabet, or I'll friggin' riot.

@RumandCohibas : I think the modern DOOM games are crying out for native Switch 2 ports based on the original build rather than the Switch 1 versions with a mere performance boost.

@RiasGremory : hem hem

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is now available on Switch 2 for £52.99 (or your regional equivalent). Those with the Anniversary Edition already installed on Switch 1 can upgrade to the S2 version for free, or you can upgrade from the base game to the Anniversary Edition for £17.99.

The Anniversary Edition never got a physical release on Switch 1, so I would totally double-dip on an all-in-one Switch 2 physical re-release if one materialises.

Would you expect the average Tom, Dick, or Harry to be able to make any sense of it if Nintendo were to release exhaustively detailed notes on every little update that they make? I'm sure their work is tedious enough without also having to write up a press release that is of little interest (or relevance) to the public.

Plus, it's also suspected that Nintendo routinely tightens the security of their hardware (hence why the 3DS still receives system updates, however rarely), and it wouldn't be in their interests to reveal exactly how they are doing so.

But to your point, they should be more upfront when there are new QoL/compatibility improvements woven into system updates rather than leaving it to the end-user (and data miners) to discover them for the benefit of the rest of us.

This is my first time seeing the Japanese cover... and it's sexy as hell.

But I'm also so used to seeing the Western artwork (which we also got in Australia), that I'm inclined to default to that.

Both great covers though. A rarity in these surveys.

Regrettably, I skipped this back in the day. Perhaps I ought to finally grab a copy and finally experience the magic of rumble on the humble DS (I believe the only other compatible game I own is Super Princess Peach).

"Nintendo Switch 2 Editions" are the Wii U ports of this generation.

I wouldn't mind them so much if the games that have paid DLC would actually include the damn DLC on the cartridge, even if they have to charge more (cough BOTW & Animal Crossing).

It's the Community Day annual wrap-up weekend in Pokémon Go. One of our community ambassadors was unable to attend at the last minute, so I stepped in... but hardly anybody showed up. After spending some time with the few attendees, we boarded the light rail as it was quite hot. The other benefit of taking the light rail is the increase in spawns.

At 5:00, I ran into a few of the other players who had shown up a little later but hadn't caught up to the rest of us.

I won't be hosting tomorrow, but we'll be doing it all over again from 2:00 to 5:00. I'm torn as to whether I want to use my perishable incubators to get me to Level 75...

@Spider-Kev : I was subtly expressing solidarity with your (and a select few others) sentiment in the form of a movie reference that substitutes "Chinatown" with the people of Lot.

@Spider-Kev : Forget it, Jake. It's S&G.

I'm more nostalgic about games being included on the actual supplied cartridge/disc. It's ridiculous that we now have to make a song and dance about third party games not being on a GKC. Gimme the actual game over a manual anyday. Priorities, people.

Though I do miss the "new game smell" of DS manuals. Those were the days...

I think the 3DS/Wii U handled the transition well with electronic manuals for most, if not every game, though there must have been only a handful of times where I'd played a game throughout the Switch's lifespan where I had wished that there was a manual to consult. Yes, they're nice to look at, but I only ever seem to glance at manuals once (without actually reading the whole thing). Other than providing some in-universe related tidbits, they're a bit wasteful, really.

There is nothing as certain as a "careful assessment".

@yohn777 : The worst thing about all of that text is that it doesn't actually communicate that the cartridge is compatible across both platforms, only that it contains both the Switch base game and Switch 2 upgrade pack.

It's one of the stupidest and most obtuse ways that Nintendo could have communicated the fact that the cartridges are compatible across both generations of hardware without explicitly stating that fact. I think it would have been better to have a third cover template for such cross-generation releases (as opposed to cartridges that only work on Switch 2), and perhaps incorporate both the Switch and Switch 2 logos on the cover (or include a message like "Also Compatible with Nintendo Switch" akin to the covers of Game Boy Color games back in the day).

@shock_trooper : I was talking about the new mega form(s) coming to Pokémon Go, not transferring to Pokémon Home.

Now let's have that review of the Switch 1 version running on Switch 2!

@The_Nintendo_Expat : I don't quite understand why Nintendo even bothers with this stupidly communicated "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" nonsense, when they could have made a second banner or cover standard that would clearly communicate when a release is compatible across both consoles, and perhaps stick to just that one SKU for the purposes of any physical releases.

I suppose some may appreciate the slightly cheaper Switch 1 physical release, but if one intends to eventually upgrade, why bother with that when the Switch 2 cartridge offers the best of both worlds?

@Friendly : I don't understand why, if they have no plans to issue a proper Switch 2 release, to just make a Switch 1 version that performs better when played on the Switch 2 instead of a dedicated Switch 2 version.

Just a reminder that the Switch 2 cartridge is compatible on both consoles (to be fair, so is the Switch 1 version, but you won't get the Switch 2 enhancements when playing on the newer hardware).

Something to bear in mind if you eventually intend to upgrade to a Switch 2.

My shundo Lucario in Pokémon Go is so ready for this!

@rvcolem1 : Especially considering that an online subscription was required to play the damn thing!

Ooo, love the choices of Joy-Con 2 wheels! We haven't had this many options since the glorious Wii days. I look forward to grabbing them eventually (though I hope they come to Australia).

Gimme 4K and GameShare for classic DOOM!!!

Dynamax Lugia débuted in Pokémon Go this weekend. It's quite tanky and a pain to catch. Four ran from me... 😡 which cemented my decision to not bother spending a cent on this terrible event.

Will give it another try tomorrow, and there's also Pikipek Community Day taking place, which I intend to spend on the light rail, away from the heat, and hopefully some of the other local players will join me too.

I got Underground 2 and the OG Most Wanted via a Pizza Hut deal in Australia back in 2005 and 2006 respectively. From memory, the deal was AU$34.95, came with two pizzas, garlic bread, drink, and a game. The food alone would normally have set you back about $25, so the bonus game deal (which included options of Battlefield and Sims 2 games as well) was an absolute bargain, especially as the games were all recent releases, and would normally cost you at least $50 had you picked them up at the shops! (RRP was $89.95 for the games!)

Loved the games too, even though NFS wasn't the sort of series that typically piqued my interest. I later bought ProStreet on DS, the Most Wanted sequel/reboot thing on Wii U (at full price for a late port, and much of the DLC was never ported either), The Run on 3DS (which I had completely forgotten about and edited in), plus the dreaded "download required" Hot Pursuit remake on Switch. Fortunately most of the game actually was on the cart (if not the entire of the offline portion), but there was a 1GB download for some such reason (likely pertaining to online play), so the download warning seemed a little overblown, to be fair.

I wouldn't mind dipping my toes into a NFS game on Switch 2, but only if they bother to put the game on the cart.

@AussieMcBucket : That would be even more expensive than including the game on a proper cartridge in the first place. Switch cards should be cheaper to manufacture by virtue of them being ROM cartridges.

@CairiB : There's a GKC release, but sadly, no proper physical option. It's a Ubisoft game though, and they tend to plummet in price fairly quickly, so, one would be a fool to pay anything close to full price for this.

Hmm... it's almost like this crisis could have been averted if only publishers would put their bloody games on bloody cartridges.

@ROMhaiku : Some of us like to have all of our purchases downloaded on a single microSD card so we will not need to keep track of what has or hasn't been downloaded at any given time. Isn't immediate accessibility one of the few benefits of digital downloads? If I've paid for it, it's staying on the card.

Things are different on PC as I can store game files on an external hard drive when I am not playing them, and I have access to offline installers so I won't have to redownload them either; conveniences that aren't afforded to us due to the use of DRM on modern game consoles.

Basically seconding @AlleyCat's stance (played an awful lot of Alley Cat back in the day too).

The Japanese box is absolutely gorgeous, but the European box is more likely to attract impulse purchases (and those coloured buttons!).

I still haven't used mine though...

I'd rather have all of the games thrown onto a Switch cartridge. I'd even pay the same amount as the mini console for it.

What justification could they possibly have for charging AU$130 for a GKC, which is by far the most expensive standard edition of a game I have yet seen (that is, one that doesn't come with a physical peripheral/accessory like the Wii Fit Balance Board).

I could accept AU$130 for a brand new AAA game on a cartridge (made better by the fact that it would be fully playable without installation), but what excuse does Capcom have for this kind of shameless price-gouging? Cyberpunk 2077 and its DLC on a cartridge doesn't even cost this much!

Looks like I'll only be buying the amiibo and controller, and I'll wait for the more recent Resident Evil games to hit GOG one of these years (I haven't played most of the more recent ones, but they have added the Origins games to the store recently, and hopefully we'll see other recent-ish RE games releasing on GOG as well).

I intend to get them all, but money's tight at the moment, so amiibo purchases are on an indefinite moratorium. I have all figurines to date up to Bananza Donkey Kong and Pauline, but the Metroid Prime 4 and Kirby Air Riders figures will have to wait, though the Kirby ones are perhaps the most exciting figurines to be releasing in a very long time, and I'm almost surprised that this concept wasn't exploited via Mario Kart World (and Nintendo would have sold a hell of a lot more figurines).

I have also yet to buy the Street Fighter 6 series 2 set of cards, which is really expensive at AU$99.95 for a full booster box via My Nintendo Store (and it isn't even guaranteed to include a complete set, while the previous series, at AU$44.95, included all of the cards).

I have no intention of buying SF6 though until a complete physical edition is available, or maybe if the digital edition is heavily discounted (I might consider a future "complete edition" GKC release, but only if all of the DLC flags are also included on the cartridge, and that too is heavily discounted; but the fact that the Years 1 & 2 content was included as a download code for the current release is just unforgivable).

Dynamax Eevee débuts in Pokémon Go this weekend (in an extended weekend event, running from Friday morning to Monday evening), and we've had an ambassador-hosted meetup today (Saturday) and I'll be attending the second one tomorrow. Caught one shiny. Also finally found a shiny Morpeko through Field Research, which is a relief, as Morpeko's availability ended tonight (as part of an electric-themed event throughout the week, which débuted Morpeko's shiny).

The highly-anticipated Sydney Safari event is now less than three weeks away.

I believe this is Nintendo's mere second 32GB Switch 1 cartridge release, and there isn't a price hike as a result either.

It almost makes me want to buy both versions, but since the Switch 2 cart is cross-compatible, fortunately there's no reason to double-dip.

@SpaceboyScreams : Facetiousness aside, that actually does sound like a plausible problem given that children are virtually born with unmonitored and unfiltered pornography portals at their fingertips (though I strongly doubt that a Kirby game will be the source of any dysfunctions associated with exposure to such material).

But the irony is that a shirtless Chef Kawasaki would likely have been fine, but a micro-brassiered one is considered too damn raunchy!

This is basically consuming almost AU$40 worth of microSD Express storage, which is insane.

Surely a 128GB read-only cartridge wouldn't cost anywhere close to that, and that those keen on owning an actual physical copy would pay a little extra for it (though the digital version should not cost the same as the physical versions in situations where the price of the physical media may significantly drive up the cost; besides, they'd have to fork over their own storage anyway, which isn't free either).

What is completely inexcusable is that game prices have increased significantly and yet publishers (including Nintendo!) aren't even giving us the actual game on the supplied media.

The Switch 2's cheapest full physical release so far?

@justin233 : For consistency?

While the earlier generation Pokémon sound dated, despite giving the older cries a slight revision from Generation VI (?), we've seen a substantial improvement in the quality of cries from Generation IV on (Kricketot, Regigigas, and Shaymin's immediately spring to mind).

Idiocracy was intended to be satire, not an instruction manual.

I'm a little fatigued with Mario Kart considering that it's been hogging the limelight for over a decade now (I have yet to play MKW), but this looks a lot more exciting and offers something a little different (and I love the amiibo concept as well, though the prices are bordering on ridiculous). Seems a bit odd to have two major Nintendo-published racing games release in such close proximity to one another given how lacklustre the Switch 2 library is at present, but I hope that this will also shine as an evergreen title and propel Kirby to superstar status (no pun intended).

@Handy_Man : I had been wondering that too.

@BenAV : I really wanted to grab Legends ZA (I'm still on Switch 1), but the announcement of paid DLC so early on put me off, especially for the already increased asking price across both platforms (which is less of a consequence for American players, as the prices have remained consistent over there, but the Switch 1 version's price is AU$10 higher than previous entries, and AU$30 more for the Switch 2 version, making it a harder pill to swallow, and I would like to avoid double-dipping as I would like to grab a complete physical edition if such materialises later).

Yes... whenever I grab a Switch 2.

I also intend to grab all of the amiibo... eventually...

It's hard to tell without seeing them in motion, but they both look beautiful in close-up.

I waited for the 4K disc before catching the Super Mario movie, but I might actually go to the cinema to catch this one.

As nice as this all is, I hope we get some box sets or CDs that we can buy via the My Nintendo Store (if not import them from Japan). The CD soundtracks were by far my most treasured freebies during the Club Nintendo days, but I would most happily pay for them... if given the option.

@FishyS : It's far too early in the week for you to ruin it all on a Tuesday. Off to bed with you! And no supper for a week!

@Sambuc : In the meantime, I still want a Switch Micro.

If it was approved for an M rating by the ESRB, then what the hell's the problem?