The_Nintendo_Expat

"It's 'limited' to the number we can sell."

Symphony of the Night lol

EDIT - took me about 2h30m to get to 50% completion, which is lightning fast compared to when i was 12, but I'm not rushing at all.

i just worked my way through the colosseum, which is a notable difficulty spike but also I've recently got the double jump and some decent gear, so things are speeding up, not slowing down.

its just a smooth, perfectly designed experience, with very little unwanted backtracking (so far.) 👍 i think this is my 3rd or 4th playthrough, and I'm being completely honest when I say I'm enjoying it even more than I did before. its a breathtaking game, perfectly tuned, and pairs so nicely with the excellent baroque acid jazz heavy metal soundtrack 🤌

possibly my favorite video game of all time.

kind of reminds me of when they tried to reboot power rangers like 8 years ago.

it's weird how much the voiceover seems to say about the game without really saying anything you couldnt get from looking at a couple screenshots.

OK now do Bomberman 6 and Bomberman 99 👍

Shame on them. Actual shame.

@EVIL-C

yeah I think people who thought "VC sucks" were assuming Nintendo would continue selling their old games, regardless. I doubt they were imagining at the time that VC would actually go away and replaced with not being able to buy the old games in an official capacity at all.

personally I was emulating way before any of these companies decided to halfassed try to make money off these old games again, and now that I've seen what they are willing to offer I'm going back. how many times should I repurchase the same games, anyway?

@EVIL-C

"The Internet" just means 'what you personally read on the internet.'

I dont think the demand for subscription services is "there," per se. people just take what they can get.

ive been eyeing this for steamdeck for a bit, but it seems a bit expensive for what it is (read: im too cheap to spend real money on games 😂)

if it's not a major delay, why not 2026 as a "placeholder?"

they could've gone with "The Overwatch"

or "Overwatches"

or "Ov3rwatch"

@Skunkfish

"They’ve learned from the Wii. Their most successful home console and they didn’t ship a single title for it after the Wii U launched…"

I did not know that!

I hadnt played my wii in a while really when Wii U came out, tbh. and Wii U was such a brief time, itself.

PS3 era was probably my least favorite in games, and actually the present is feeling a bit like that tbh.

"Please don't even be interested in playing our games, thank you."

@Aki77

nobody really, just the subheadline and a little bit the tone of this article, and the general NBD-ness of these kinds of stories. It's all fine of course, we was only foolin' 👍

I think Nintendo's track record of support of legacy hardware ranges from generally average to above-and-beyond, but I also feel like they can be extremely withholding, and the fandom (and media) sometimes reward them with praise over really normal stuff.

the humanitarian endeavor of supporting the platform a large majority of your users own.

@Pillowpants

"Maybe the biggest mistake was naming it Metroid Prime 4, instead of just Metoid Prime - Beyond."

I've seen you make this point before.

it's a really good one 👍

EDIT - thinking more on this, I have a couple things to share:

1) numbered sequels have a statute of limitations. if it has been more than 10 years surely it's time to change numbering conventions.

2) "counting to four" rarely works.

I will always think Metroid Prime as a trilogy that ended 15 years ago, and this one as a spinoff that shouldve probably been called Metroid Beyond, sans "prime." Its an odd sidestep, and if we ever get another 3D Metroid game I would assume it won't be much anything like this one.

@MrGawain

70-80 dollar games, no demo, no returns?

Already fooled me once... can't get fooled again.

@Polvasti

That's fair. but PR is part of marketing and they've explicitly stated the facts many times over the years.

OTOH ive been having this conversation just as many years so apparently the message isnt getting out there. FWIW I dont blame anyone for seeing a screenshot or even footage of the first PRIME game and thinking it's an FPS. ✌️

@JohntheRaptor @Polvasti

Miyamoto himself said Prime was intentionally designed NOT to be a first person shooter. he called it a "First Person Adventure" game.

source: I remember that. I'm old.

you can argue that the series has lost its way (i definitely have) but just being in first person does not make it an FPS.

EDIT-
https://imgur.com/ZEWIFKQ

they are still calling it a first person adventure. 👍 (sorry, cant get the img embed to work)

EDIT-

"From the get go, we went by the perception that Metroid was more about exploration than anything. While shooting is an important component, we cannot say it’s the focus of the game. With this way of thought as a base, the biggest part of the game design was directed towards a world where the player will wonder “What should I do?”. Since we thought more about the adventure aspect of the game rather than the shooting aspect, we started calling this game a “First Person Adventure”."

Mark Pacini

this article was written in the style of someone who just woke up and hadnt been following Nintendo for the past year.

@Joekun

what's wrong with Bluesky? (asking as someone who uses no platforms like this, just curious for my info ✌️)

its time to escape Google once and for all.

@Diowine

I'm glad you ended up enjoying it afterall! one day, i will have a Switch postmortem/retrospective phase, and TOTK will definitely be a part of that! and, maybe with some distance I will be able to get more "good" out of it. especially if we ever get past this era of Zelda, and I can kind of close the chapter! ✌️

@Glassneedles

"Could you elaborate a bit on Wind Waker? Just curious as to why that one was singled out from all the other Zelda games."

sure!

I guess it's a number of things.

The first is, I'm not hugely into "cel shaded." It gives that inky chunky "graffiti tag" look that was so hip at the time. It's whatever, but from the first preview I definitely was giving the game a bit of side-eye. Trend-hopping Nintendo is not my favorite Nintendo, and I saw cel shaded as trendy at the time. I was like 17 maybe fwiw.

Then, I played it with a friend. And I saw the sailing. ... Suffice to say, I was not impressed. I'm non hyperactive ADHD and searching endlessly for items, doing the same "tasks" over and over, and repetitive/dull environments do not work for me. I hated the sailing. The flat opaque cloyingly blue ocean was not a good choice, imo.

In the many years since, I have bought WW at least twice. I currently own two copies on Gamecube. Every so often I try it out again, appreciate what's good about it... And then bounce! I can't handle driving around on an endless blue parking lot, passively watching the same animations of link dredging up treasure and whatever else it is.

It does have great music, and it's own style and identity that I appreciate is a cut above the usual "cel" games that go for more of an edgy, "gorillaz" kind of thing.

TLDR if WW were "on land," I'd have played it at the time, and would probably have nothing bad to say about it!

Thanks for asking, I hope my reasoning makes some kind of sense 👍

@kuu_nousee

I try not to be cynical! I have an open mind, but also strong opinions that I'm happy to share, defend, and reconsider when appropriately challenged! ✌️👍

Action shooty Metroid with radio chatter and escort type stuff is just not gonna work for me. I bounced off Titanfall 2 recently for the same exact stuff. I just don't like it! With Metroid, I want to be ALONE out there, and I think this factor is what continues to separate the better entries in the series from the rest. I don't even think that's arguable, really (but there's always some Federation Force, Other M, Prime 4 fan ready to fight over this so it's w/e.)

I truly suspect that Nintendo in 2026 is not only disinterested in making games like Fzero, Pilotwings and Starfox, but actually can't do it. They have always been capable of mediocrity, but it seems that these days the bulk of their audience actually prefers it, and the talent has rotted on the vine, or gone elsewhere. For every old timer like me that remembers playing Superstar on GBA c.2005, there seem to be 10 new fans and 3 aging contemporaries ready to tell me that "Brothership isn't that bad."

I've said it before, but Nintendo's biggest competition is Nintendo, and why would I want to play a game that is "not that bad" when they've already made multiple games that were excellent? The rate of release and availability of their back catalogue through official channels seems to suggest that they are aware of this.

How's that for cynical? 😂✌️ Thanks for replying!

@Diowine

I get what you are saying 💯👍

however, I'd point out that there is some 20/20 hindsight happening in your assessment, and I and many others were contemporaneously hoping, with reason, that surely Nintendo got the memo and TOTK would = BOTW + dungeons. It's a little fuzzy now but I'm pretty sure that was the zeitgeist, it was just understood that everyone wanted the dungeons back.

the 9/10 is a farce, to me. the game plays like a maximalist ROM hack of BOTW, and simply lacks the charm or tasteful touch of that game. it's "trying too hard." 50 hrs in, I felt like id done the same damn thing 50 times, on a map I'd grown a bit tired of a few years prior, and to slightly less interesting tunes, to boot.

for me, yes its subjective. "most dissappointing" is not the same thing as "worst." its more of an equation. with expectations on one side, and reality on the other. ✌️ hope that all made some kind of sense.

@MamaSymphonia

thank you in return for indulging me! I'm always enjoying our interactions on here 😊✌️

@johnedwin

you can't pick up from the 2nd chapter?

that's disappointing if true. im a bit interested in pt 2 but i need to play through Midgar again like Cloud needs two holes in his buster sword.

@johnedwin

"since most dedicated nintendo switch users only have one console"

what else could "dedicated switch user" mean, afterall?

you're point is taken, though. the numbers seem low.

is it possible that the next game was seen as such an improvement that people just aren't as interested in this one anymore?

@AmplifyMJ

it seems we peeked a bit too far behind the curtain. always great commenting with you, my friend ✌️

@RiaTheWitch

not to mention there seems to be 1mb of memory on Nintendos eShop servers available at any given time. how much life have we spent waiting for pseudo hentai thumbnails to load on Nintendo's eshop, cumulatively? 😮‍💨✌️

@RiaTheWitch

that has to be right 👍

i think Nintendo should have a strict policy about that, specifically, as it is arguably even worse than selling explicit content at face value (i.e. it's a predatory scam as well as being an embarrassing eyesore)

@MamaSymphonia

it's a fair question! ✌️

i used to be such a Nintendo diehard, specifically until the switch era.

i devoured every mainline (console) Zelda game besides windwaker, and enjoyed BOTW for what it was.

I love SMK, MK7, and MK8. 8 was better than DX but dx is still great.

almost all the Nintendo sports games used to be incredible imo and somehow they dropped the ball (so to speak) on each and every one i tried on switch. i got excited each time, but looking back i was forcing it for the last few years.

Mario Wonder just doesn't resemble Mario to me. it's a bit of an atrocity if I'm being completely honest. they are more baldly trying to court 2 and 3 year olds than ever and they are using my dear Mario to do it.

Prime 1 was a fantastic 3d adaptation that did exactly what ocarina did, but for Metroid. how perfect is that? Metroid and Zelda used to play off each other so nicely. Since then, every prime sequel has taken steps away from that simple idea, for the worse imo, of you can believe it. I don't like the kind of game that prime 4 is clearly trying to be, so i don't need to spend 70 dollars to find out I'm not interested.

ive given up waiting for another fzero, pilotwings, or excitebike game, all series' very dear to me and that i cherish and enjoy to this day ❤️

and, if we are voting with our dollars, i guess Zelda with dungeons and expertly paced linear progression is usurped indefinitely, which really hurts. i just couldn't do it again with totk and the 50 or so hours i put in were very oddly depressing for me. i just don't recognize my favorite series of all time, and imo these games should be considered a spinoff like
Hyrule warriors.

so, aren't you glad you asked? 😆 i know i come across negative, but this is how i honestly feel. there are non Nintendo games I'm excited about, but honestly Nintendo was kinda "it" for me in modern games since the Wii era, and nothing has come along to truly fill the void. (i do love Nintendo more than any other games company, in the grand scheme ❤️)

TLDR i play and enjoy old games 😂✌️

EDIT - i realized ive completely trashed three games you've said you enjoyed very much. 😅✌️ i believe in diversity and diversity of opinions, diversity of games, and diversity of players are all important to our hobby! if all Nintendo made were my kind of games, then lots of others would be left out in the cold. and, they served me so well for so many years, I'm more of a happy camper than it may appear. I've got my coffee, I've got my steamdeck with retro deck, all is well 😊👍

@RumandCohibas

i think they messed up the core gameplay which was near perfect already. it feels about 80% as tactile as 8 did, imo. it's a bit weightless and the powersliding has been simplified in my estimation. this is an under discussed topic from what i can tell and my opinions are just from my own observations playing the game.

i also dislike having what i consider "busywork" when I'm racing. managing items, switching colors, collecting crap, and yes, "grinding" and pulling stunts are all net negative for me. I'm thinking of certain other switch racers I've owned and bounced, not just mkw, here.

my only hope for the "next" Mario kart was more options, a la smash, for switching individual items, global weapons on/off, and even special fun stuff like low grav, DK mode, big weapons lol. i wanted them to make a Mario Kart Ultimate, in other words. obv that didn't happen, and now we have this for the next 8-10 😮‍💨

aanyway.

i could race the same 3 tracks over and over if the feel is right. (pov: i owned ridge racer back in the day 😆)

@RiaTheWitch

"This got me thinking, and this is speculation on my part, that Nintendo most likely has (at least here in the west) strict restrictions on anything that can be categorized as cartoon nudity, while being more relaxed about realistic nudity."

i had the same thought, but then i thought about the dozens/hundreds of obvious adult "cartoon/anime" titles on the e shop, so that really can't be it imo. ✌️

EDIT - unless those titles are a honeypot, and don't really contain all the "content" they suggest on the cover. idk!

side note: if y'all haven't seen some of the "adult" games on Steam, they are HILARIOUS, some of them 😂 my wife and i like to flip through and try to find the most insane/absurd ones 😆

OTOH i can flip a switch on there and they are GONE. 🫰 why Nintendo thinks this is beyond their abilities is lost on me.

easily avoided bad PR once again not avoided. 🙄

@Jack_Goetz

MKW is one of the most disappointing sequels I can think of (if you don't count TOTK, Wonder, Prime 4...)

(...Brothership, Origami King, Switch Sports, Golf Super Rush, Strikers, Dread... 😬)

why does it seem like we only track physical sales, when AFAIK lots of people only but digital and aren't even interested in physical?

personally, when i was still buying switch games, i was only buying first party games physically (and only the "big ones" at that) and almost everything else digitally.

it's seems like an odd distinction, when ultimately we are all buying and playing the same games. did i miss the memo? 🤔

@AmplifyMJ

"I hope @nintendolife realise that their success is at least somewhat dependent on Nintendo continuing to do well, I feel like negativity gets more attention than positive news."

do you think that Nintendolife are more negative towards Nintendo than positive, on the balance?

EDIT - rule #1 of Nintendolife, you don't comment about Nintendolife. how could we forget?

@Spider-Kev

i do genuinely support multi posting for the reasons you say, in the absence of a threaded comments system 👍

@Spider-Kev

im loving the double, triple . . quintuple posts 😂👍 i don't know why but it's hilarious to me, like you keep opening the door and poking your head in to add "one more thing," like a toast of London bit or something.

where's the porn filter on your pristine, pure, perfectly functional eshop, then?

seriously, i feel like i survived the mildest cult ever conceived 😂✌️

"Rumour: A Nintendo Direct May Be Coming As Soon As Next Week"

this rumor is unfalsifiable provided there isnt a direct this week.

@AllBLK

i agree, this is possibly the worst "deal" and foulest arrangement I've yet seen proposed by our favorite videogame company.

as always, I'm voting with my dollars. (fwiw i haven't bought a Nintendo product since totk, nor have i been tempted.)

@Wexter

i think i now understand the extent of the distinction you are making 👍

It seems that you are classifying loose ROMs as "accessibility," meaning literally the only thing "preserved" is access to playing the game.

Meanwhile, "preservation" could also be having the source code and other related assets available to the creators (or simply the owners) of the game, such that iterations and ports are possible.

I think it would be awesome if the source code were released to the public for more games, i doubt thats controversial here ✌️

@dew12333

my pleasure 😊👍 i love getting positive engagement here, it has become part of my life online (ok, it is the extent of my "life," online 😂)

"I don't see the need for it, and I cannot imagine one single person or company that I would entrust with the job either."

can you expand on this a bit? specifically, you dont see the need for "it," meaning game preservation? 🤔 im a little confused about your position here. ✌️

EDIT - OK, you "don't see the need for 'it,'" meaning preservation of unreleased games. 😅 it finally hit me what you meant. 😂

Yeah, I mean it's more of a "nice to have," or something. im not actively worried about preserving games the public doesnt even know exist, but once I do know about it I consider it as "preservable" as anything else, as it has become "part of history" essentially, by definition.

Anyway I hadnt thought deeply about this specific angle, so I appreciate the nudge, and I hope you are having a great day 😊✌️

@Joekun

"Package the product with the games and I’d be interested. But spend $100 on something that won’t be usable at all when I’m not subscribed or they shut it down? No way."

Gunpei would NOT approve.

@dew12333

"What is the need of preservation for games that never even released?"

thats an interesting question i hadnt really considered.

i think we might answer it, starting with another question: what is the need for preservation, at all?

@Wexter

Speaking for myself, the point is to have access even if Nintendo decides to stop sharing again.

PS -

"Preservation is not the same as accessibility."

I would agree with this, and say that this particular case is mere accessibility, and not preservation per sé. 👍

@Bass_X0

I probably could've guessed that, but using a subjective term with no qualification in this particular case just kinda threw me a bit. ✌️ thanks!

people, if you really care about game preservation, get as many games you can in DRM free ROM form before the inevitable crackdown.

(dont download new games without paying)

"they" found a way to kill MP3 blogs and they can do it to the emulation scene, too.

Nintendo et al likely (and apparently) care A LOT less about these older games than you do. Do what you gotta do to save them from themselves. ✌️

"which were both locally released on the GameCube in 2004."

what does "locally released" mean? "in English?"

ive heard of "localized" before but never "locally released." ✌️