The_Trooper49

I think the OLED is better in terms of size, screen (obviously), build quality, battery life etc, so it is still getting lots of use from me rather than playing switch 1 games on switch 2.

Having said that, the switch 2 joy cons are much better, and switch 2 games themselves have been good but not as good as the launch year switch 1 had (a feat likely never to be achieved again to be honest).

I am glad I got one at launch, but I don't think switch 2 is an essential purchase yet with it's limited exclusive software library. Maybe by the time the switch 2 OLED comes out??!

Great review and glad to hear it should be a 15-20h experience - I can't be doing with bloated nonsense these days!

@Tom-Massey Great review, so good to have you covering shmups for Nintendo life as you actually enjoy the genre!! Hoping for a patch to skip that stupid intro cutscene - how did they miss that??!! Earthion did the same thing, but at least that intro was a bit shorter (and the game easier, so less restarts for me!)

I'm so glad games like this exist in 2025 - I much prefer smaller scale stuff rather than being overwhelmed with huge long games. From the demo last week I really appreciated the excellent smooth performance and the crazy arcade style action that was going on, it was so unique (bearing in mind I've never played the original). I have pre-ordered after initially being unsure, so the demo has done it's job!

The developer (Banana Bytes) previously made Sophstar which was a great shooter with a more traditional style, so I have high hopes for this one!

@foursider I would absolutely love them to make a new 'clsssic' Pokémon game. Sort of like what Nintendo are doing with Zelda, have both an open-world 3D option and a classic style of game for us old fashioned Pokémon fans!

With regards to ZA, I'm firmly on the side of preferring a smooth 60fps over any graphical features, so this sounds like good news for me!

Really fair and balanced review in my opinion! I have only played it on easy so far and managed to 1cc on my first try (and I'm certainly no super-player!), so looking forward to trying out the other difficulties. The upgrade features and passwords are there to platcate modern players who can't get on with the arcade-style mechanics of most shmups, and for me they work well enough but they did enable me to power through to get the 1cc without really dodging much on the last boss (I just tanked hits instead). This would normally be a big no-no in terms of game design, but I feel the game is sort of expecting players to have to take hits due to the still pretty weak visibility, unclear environmental hazards at times, and some dense patterns. The visuals are amazing - my favourite is the sunset stage - and the soundtrack is definitely very strong but I agree that Andro Dunos 2 is still better in that respect. In fact, I think Andro Dunos 2 is generally better than this in all respects to be honest. I agree with the 8/10, and it is great to see this release getting lots of coverage as I'd love to see the genre continue to grow (and maybe get some cool switch 2 releases at 120fps!)

@Robokku Any chance of an update to the review in light of the patch?

@Pigeon @MJF @sportdan52 @Lord Just a PSA for anyone interested in Everybody's Golf on switch 2 - patch dropped today which completely fixes all the performance issues, game is now buttery smooth and the shot gauge works correctly now (no more crazy input lag). I really hope the botched release doesn't harm this game long term as I'd love to see it have a good online tournament scene and maybe DLC next year!

Saw over on Reddit that there is a patch incoming for the switch version of everybody's golf to fix the swing meter input lag. If they get that sorted (and iron out a few weird but entertaining bugs), it's a really solid entry in the series! I'm playing on switch 2 so it's already locked 30fps which is fine for this type of game

I paid around £2 for the first game shortly after the switch 2 came out as I heard it ran properly on the beefier hardware. Definitely a fun time for a budget price, but not engaging enough for a full price release for me. One to add to my deku deals wishlist and buy in 3 years when it hits rock bottom price!!

@ROMhaiku That sounds like an interesting thesis! I find the debate fascinating, as each person approaching a game will have a different level of ability, so it is impossible for a developer to please everybody if they only offer one difficulty level.

The debate here is about Silksong being too hard, but it is also interesting to consider games which are too easy - notably for me the recent Pokemon releases which are so easy that it breaks the mechanical purpose of the game (e.g. battling is an exercise in pressing A over and over again rather than actually engaging with the game design). This would probably suit a child who has never played a Pokemon game before, but a big section of their audience is experienced, so player selectable difficulty makes sense, but even that is not straightforward.

I am the sort of player who tends to find the path of least resistance in games, so for me, I would prefer to have access to a difficulty selection at the outset of the game rather than on-the-fly (either via a menu or by game mechanics such as RPG style grinding and upgrades). I hated ToTK for that reason - the game gave you all the tools to make most of the puzzles and challenges trivial, so I always took that easy option and wasn't pushed into doing anything interesting in the way that BoTW made me improvise with the limited toolset. I think (from memory) Prince of Persia The Lost Crown had a menu option for difficulty, which could be tweaked pretty much any time. I didn't feel the need to use it, but it really does defeat the point of playing the game if you can just skip every section by the click of a button in a menu as soon as you hit any resistance.

I think a more satisfying approach is to select from granular options which might take away elements you don't like, while retaining the difficult parts you do enjoy, and selecting this at the start of the game to stop lazy players like me reducing difficulty on the fly and not engaging with the game systems properly.

My favourite difficulty system exists in the more niche genre of shmups in games released by M2. These contain:

1. 'Super Easy' mode which is essentially present so that every player has a chance of seeing all the levels in the game without encountering much challenge, but this mode still requires players to engage in the fundamental mechanics (i.e. they still have to move and shoot, it isn't just an invincible mode!).

2. 'Custom' mode where there are loads of optional aids/tweaks to the difficulty which are controlled by the player to create their own tailored experience to either decrease or increase difficulty (e.g. smaller hitbox, auto bomb, lower/higher bullet counts etc).

3. 'Original' mode which preserves the developer-preferred design of the game.

Since every player is unique in their ability and preferences, the M2 method seems to cater to everyone the best, including those who just want to play games as the developer intended.

I'm playing Everybody's Golf - it is sorely in need of a performance patch as the input lag on switch 2 is terrible, but I'm slowly getting used to pressing the button early to get the timing!

Playing this on switch 2, some really quick comparisons to make with Easy Come Easy Golf:

60fps ECEG feels a lot better than the original version. However, 30fps Everybody's Golf doesn't feel bad at all on switch 2.

The only significant performance issue is input lag - you have to significantly adjust your button press timing to hit the point you are aiming for. Definitely needs improving with a patch.

Overall game feel is much better in Everybody's Golf though - courses are better, the whole game UI and presentation looks better to me, and I much prefer using one character instead of a whole lineup.

For fans of these kinds of games, I would say it is definitely worth buying the new Everybody's Golf on switch 2. We can hold out hope for a performance patch as well as Namco Bandai already commented on twitter in Japan to say they have heard the criticism and are working on it. If they fix the input lag and some of the text resolution on switch 2 I don't mind 30fps for this sort of game.

Edit 12/09: Patch dropped today and the performance is now buttery smooth on switch 2 and the shot input guage is fixed! I'm gutted that the launch on switch has been impacted by what turned out to be easily fixed problems, as now the review scores are low which might reduce sales (and might mean less chance of DLC or a sequel).

@Suketoudara Yeah possibly worth it for online, but I've just been trying out the update on switch 2 and 60fps feels so good!!

Haha absolutely brilliant move! Maybe I'll just cancel my pre-order for everybody's golf after all!!

Really disappointed that the performance is poor, but it did look really rough in the direct so not at all surprised. Hopefully they will work on an upgraded switch 2 version at some point, and in the meantime I'll stick with Easy Come Easy Golf!

Edit: Watched the GVG review of the PS5 version and I think I'm going to pre-order after all and then hope for a performance patch later on, or an upgrade route for switch 2... Time will tell if that is the right call!

Edit: It was the right call

Yay Rayman! I loved Rayman advance, origins, and legends (the musical stages in particular are just awesome!!), so really hope the next project is a proper 2D platformer and not some sort of Rabbids spin-off.

I was confused about performance from the direct footage - some of the gameplay looked 60fps but other parts looked choppy. Any confirmation from the preview event? I feel like a fast paced arcadey game like this needs to be rock solid 60fps to be playable for long periods

This is the sort of game which I think will underperform due to the new price point for switch 2 games. At £40, I'd personally have given it a go having never played the original just based on the Sakurai factor. At £65 physical, I'll need more convincing. I think Nintendo haven't really got a coherent pricing strategy - Pokémon ZA is £55 on switch 2 and looks likely to have more content and is based on a more popular IP. I know it is also on switch 1, but performance looks so much better that it might as well be switch 2 exclusive as the switch 1 version looks unplayable.

@AlleyCat Awesome, thanks! I'll be waiting for a discount on these as I've got plenty of other stuff to play, but glad to hear they didn't drop the ball on the ports!

Anyone know if these releases play well on switch?

Nothing of interest for me in this direct, but it means I will definitely be pre ordering the Gradius Origins collection which comes out next week on switch 1! I was saving money in case of any interesting shadow drops today, but happy to keep supporting M2 shmups instead! Still feels like I've got loads more DK Bananza to play as well, and as long as something more substantial comes to the GameCube collection (eg. Pokémon Colluseum) I'll probably be kept busy enough until Metroid Prime 4!

@Bucky Woohoo! Thanks

Anyone know if the GameCube analogue triggers work with GRID? I reckon that would be a cool way to play!

Hopefully the success of this one will result in a western physical release for switch 2, but no doubt it will be a stupid game key card version :'(

From the footage released so far, it looks like the performance on switch 1 is going to be horrible, so the switch 2 upgrade will be the way to go!

Demo is alright but I think Neon White is a much better version of the same sort of thing...

My takeaway from this article is how lucky I was to be properly getting into gaming during the GameCube era - I got my mario kart bundle for £100 which was realistically affordable for me by saving up pocket money and birthday money back in 2003. That looks like an absolute bargain now, even the inflation adjusted price is still extremely good for what that system could do. Games back then were £30 which meant I only ever had a handful of first party titles and mostly relied on cheaper pre-owned third party stuff (2 for £20 or 4 for £20 in trusty old Gamestation!).

As for the debate about the switch 2 price, it is all a bit of a moot point - Nintendo doesn't care about inflation adjusted values or cost of living, they have manufactured a product, decided on what profit margin they are targeting, and are selling at that price. Pre-orders are flying off the virtual shelves, so they have got the price right from their perspective! If demand drops, we will see a similar price drop to the 3DS (which ultimately led to that system being very successful). I do miss the days of less powerful, more budget stuff like the Gameboy, but mobile has got that market share, so it makes sense for Nintendo to do something different. I am sure we'll see a switch 2 lite or switch 2 TV in a couple of years, and that might lower the barrier to entry for younger fans with less buying power.

I know the article isn't about game prices, but I think that is an area where Nintendo have dropped the ball - you can't really try and charge £75 for Mario kart but then include it in a console bundle for only £35 at launch! I think they will drop prices on games for sure when software sales per console ends up being far lower than switch was. From 2017 to around 2022 I pre-ordered virtually all the first party stuff because it was relatively affordable at £35-£40 per game. It remains to be seen if competition in the UK retail sector leads to below RRP game prices again (fingers crossed!), but if they stick at £65-£75 I will be far more discerning about what I pre-order this time around...

I find it really strange that Game has been so woefully mismanaged over the years at a corporate level. In my local town we had a Game and a Gamestation which each had a different focus (Gamestation was better for trade-ins and retro, Game was good for new games and console bundles etc). When Game took over Gamestation they inexplicably just closed the shop without merging the specialisms, so the demand for pre-owned games ended up moving to other competitors. CEX came along and swallowed all that demand eventually. By the time demand and prices for retro games had increased, Game couldn't (or wouldn't) capitalise on it. No idea why Frasers group even bought the shell of what was left, seems they are just shutting it down more or less completely?

Can't wait to re-experience the GameCube library, and I don't even mind Nintendo's habit of slowly releasing games to the NSO service, as it will force me to fully appreciate each one as it comes out! Glad that early indications show the games running well at the higher resolution. Thankfully I got an invite today to pre order the console and the wireless GameCube controller, so I'm very happy!

@DashKappei Haha nice! I've got the digital versions too, much more convenient like you say. I'd love to re-buy esp ra de and DOJ on the jp eshop but really can't justify spending so much again when I have already imported the physical versions.

Funny that you mentioned about tutorials being taken out of akai katana - I find myself loading up the game, starting to play, and then having to pause and go to a YouTube tutorial every time. Just can't get the information to stick in my head!

Holding out for a UK eshop release (surely it will happen since all the other LiveWire ports did?). I've been a purely digital shmup collector on switch, but Cave ports are my exception and I own all of the available switch ones physically. Maybe Clear River games will publish a physical version here at some point... Hopefully Futari will come along next, I'd love to try that one! I've given up hope on Ketsui ever making it to switch :'(

I'm a free player and just having fun slowly building my collection and looking at the cool art. I'd only spend real money if they released a TCG game similar to the Gameboy Colour games... seems unlikely given how much they are making off TCGP

I hope they actually leave quite a good gap before generation 10 comes along - we can have legends games/remakes/spin offs to tide us over, and if they can somehow enhance the performance of S/V on new switch 2 hardware it could have quite a lot of life left. The post-game and DLC content in S/V is definitely strong enough to keep it going, and then when gen 10 comes along hopefully they will have learned how to make the basic 'story mode' of the game a bit more enjoyable (e.g. implement level scaling, iron out the horrible technical issues with their game engine). So frustrating that there is a really great game in there somewhere if the design had been more refined and the technical side hadn't been such a disaster

Great single player monkey ball, smooth 60fps gameplay and definitely a worthy addition to the series. If you are hoping for multiplayer fun though don't bother, the performance drops to a stuttery mess and the modes are nothing special. I don't understand why they have never been able to recapture the magic of the multiplayer from the first GameCube entry

@DashKappei Raiden Fighters collection is coming at some point! https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/09/raiden-fighters-remix-collection-now-in-development
Probably worth waiting for those rather than pick up this one

@GoldenSunRM Ahh cool, maybe I could save myself a few £ by just buying the original in that case!!

Looks good to me, I skipped the original due to the reportedly poor performance on switch, so hopefully this will run ok on switch 2! The one thing I don't like is the weird pause in the animation before each enemy gets hit. Makes it look stuttery to me

Must say I'm a bit frustrated that there is an immediate discount on this after I purchased at launch!! The additions are nice, but the game is in need of some quality of life patches rather than adding three inferior versions of worms to the package (although the additions are better than nothing of course!). My patch wishlist is the ability to zoom, private online lobbies, and custom maps online.

Not sure what I'll be spending it on, but always worth picking up some discounted credit!

Some details missing from the review which may be of interest - there is seemingly no way to zoom in or out on this version for some reason and also no way to create a private online lobby (sorry if you were the person I was repeatedly trying to remove from a game I was playing tonight with a friend!). Can't seem to use custom terrain online either so I can make a version of 'forts' . Also it's a nitpick, but the cursor for teleport/air strike etc is way too twitchy and can't be adjusted. Hopefully these can be addressed with a patch because otherwise it's great to be able to play my favourite game again!

Some of these are truly awful, shame they didn't go with a more consistent approach!

@Diablo Great tip, thanks! I'll have to keep an eye out for somewhere to order it...

@andyg1412 I can't find a pre-order link anywhere for a UK switch version? I could import, but I don't want to spend over the odds as I'm not the biggest fighting game person

No physical in the UK from what I can find, so I'll just wait for the inevitable eshop sale! Missed opportunity Capcom

No mention of Worms Armageddon?? Can't wait for that one, fingers crossed for a proper normal release physical version...

I'm surprised we never got a physical release of super smash bros ultimate with the DLC on the cart (super smash bros ultimate, ultimate edition?). As for the selects line, makes no sense for Nintendo to do that if the next console is backwards compatible with switch cartridges. They can keep the older games selling at full price, and justify those higher prices if the new console can run the games at an increased frame rate or resolution etc.

An essential purchase, along with the other cave ports by Live Wire! If one is being delisted, surely the others will follow suit?

I'm still hoping for more switch ports of the Xbox 360 exclusive cave releases, but after quite a long wait I don't have much hope left. I really want to try Espgaluda 1 and Mushi Futari in particular....

@Jhena They have some weird policy where you can use PayPal if the item is coming out within 28 days of ordering, but if it is longer, has to be credit/debit card