Troubbble

@Froid12 If that was all made clear in the review, I may have been skimming too much. You're making a decent case at least!

@Polvasti In reply, I'd say to consider some of the other points I speculated about, plus many more possible factors we could come up with on top of those. And the generally positive consensus doesn't mean much to me since this site isn't alone in their (frequently) inflated scoring.

It's an obvious thing! I mean, I've played games made by the same company in the last few years, so I already understand the type of product they've been putting out. Decent, with an art style that's great for a nostalgia hit, but not usually super inspired.

Furthermore, games like Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX were pulling 9/10's on the original PlayStation. There's no way this game is even in the same ballpark. Even of the one of those three you personally find to be the weakest.

To anyone pointing out that Triangle Strategy wasn't 100 hours long, you're probably right. But it certainly felt that way.

@Polvasti It's possible the reviewer could've adored this game that much, sure, and you're right that I haven't played it yet myself. However, I did play the original and it was massively overrated...so I find it hard to believe that the mobile phone version is a 9/10 game for a modern console.

I'm not saying Square Enix or anyone else are paying for reviews, but there are certainly big problems with criticism nowadays. Most "critics" seem more like industry cheerleaders than experts giving you their unvarnished opinion. And this is my own speculation, but I assume there may be various incentives contributing to a conflict of interest here: whether and when review copies of games are provided, the level of special access provided to developers and their upcoming games, etc.

Who knows. Maybe it's just because the Switch 2 launch was somewhat weak...and if people aren't continually hyped about Nintendo, they don't have much reason to visit this site.

In that context, there isn't necessarily much to be gained saying "that game you were looking forward to isn't great" when you could just as easily turn 5's into 7's and 7's into 9's and keep the hype train rolling.

I didn't even notice the numerical review when I first read this. 9/10? "Unmissable?"

It's a port of the mobile phone "sequel" to a game that was mid-tier to begin with. Portraying this as a close-to-perfect title for the new Switch 2 is verging on grifting. I'm not sure Nintendo themselves would have the stones to glaze this one so thoroughly.

The 100+ hour clear time shouldn't be touted as a benefit, it's absolutely ridiculous for a game of this type.

I'm flashing back to the "story" in Triangle Strategy, an otherwise good game marred by 110 hours of wall-to-wall cliches and repetitive dialogue. The narrative could have been wrapped up easily in 25 hours tops, but instead they stretch it out to the point of absurdity.

Scenes specific to the cast of recruitable characters start out charming and quickly get exposed as pointless filler. (You recognize the simple "arc" they're going for moments into the character's first scene, but it still has to play out over 45 minutes and several scenes to give the impression that the game is robust.)

There are too many good alternatives on the market for a game like this to monopolize your time to this extent.

Ugh. Thought this one would be the most polished, and I was looking forward to it since I played it on PSX when it was originally released. Hopefully there will be a deep, deep discount in the future...

This is really disgraceful, and annoying to me on a personal level since I paid for physical copies of the previous two games.

If it's just going to be treated like meaningless slop for the trough, please don't bother revisiting these classic games at all.

Hilarious to double down on this and release an update that takes the game even further from what players are looking for.

I bought the NES, SNES, Genesis and N64 controllers released for the Switch, but heard the original Gamecube controllers and adapter were compatible again with Switch 2. Since my originals are all still going strong, I don't see the point.

After a PR nightmare and all the work that was needed to refurbish people's gear last time around, I'm honestly shocked they shipped a new system with Joy-Cons that are susceptible to the same issues.

Weirdly though, I've never once had this issue myself (although it did happen to my original Pro controller after several years). Not sure why I was spared... Maybe because I only occasionally use the system outside the dock?

Clearly this should have gotten a 7 out of 10, which would reflect that it's still a lot of fun and worth playing but also includes several questionable design choices. But there's a palpable full-court press to prop this game up online.

Half my social media timeline seems like paid promotion for this game. ("Koopa Troopa is a VIBE, best Mario Kart ever!")

The more I read about this, the more it sounds like it needs significant retooling by Nintendo.

I think Metroid Prime 4 is going to be the first game which actually justifies purchasing the new system, and Mario Kart can wait until they release an "ultimate" version that includes the inevitable DLC alongside all of the tweaks and improvements which seem to be sorely needed.

These early takes give the impression that this game should be getting a lukewarm review, but everyone involved is determined to avoid that.

"I must say, I was a little disappointed with the open world when I first dropped in. But then, during the course of completing a P Switch challenge, I spotted a Peach Medallion, another P Switch, and two block panels. I am going to 100% this game and it is going to kill me."

I'm sorry... What??

"Breath of the Wild this ain't, and while I don't think it needs to be that, there's something... missing in the open roads. Instead, what it is is a lush landscape that allows you to just drive around and soak in all the details and challenges that Mario Kart World has to offer. There are some killer sunsets in this big landscape, let me tell you, and perfect photo opportunities. As a self-proclaimed sucker for photo mode, this could be dangerous for me."

This is a flagship game for the launch of a new system, and I'm supposed to be excited about...photo mode?

I love Mario Kart and I'm ride or die for Nintendo, even when they make mistakes, but C'MON. This sounds like a higher-resolution version which at best, adds nothing of substance to a game which was already fine. (I say "at best" because it seems like this may actually be a significant step back in some ways. Grand Prix mode sounds like it's been ruined.)

I'm sure Bayonetta 4 will inevitably be made but I'm really not interested in a version developed without Kamiya's input.

It's like Metal Gear Solid. Some things are just shaped too thoroughly by the singular vision of the creator, from the gameplay to the story and everything in between. You can try to imitate it, but the result will be hollow by comparison.

Can't wait to find out what the "unfortunate, outdated language" consisted of.

I'm sure Nintendo will do it anyway, but paid DLC on top of an $80 initial cost is absolutely ridiculous.

Oh, hell yeah. I was worried I'd have to buy expensive new recreations when I already have the adapter and probably 6 original Gamecube controllers ready and waiting to go.

Don't care about anything related to PoGo, Pokemon Sleep or Pokemon TCG Pocket. They are all a glorified time suck and tiring to keep up with. Looking forward to hopefully getting a glimpse of some actual Switch-based Pokemon titles, personally.

It's hard to imagine the game getting any less fun or more anti-consumer than it already is. I've played since launch, and it's been a steady march downhill ever since then. What started off as a lot of fun became a vehicle for constantly weaponizing FOMO against the user in the hopes that they'll purchase one in-game item or another. They trickle new pokemon out pathetically, usually in the form of raids that haven't been fun to complete in years, or as part of special events which are tiring to keep track of and keep up with.

It's quite a coincidence that this news is coming out after I recently decided I wouldn't be wasting any more time on PoGo. I assume a big percentage of their player base had already made a similar decision.

R.I.P.

Obviously most of us are convinced this will be released for the OG Switch, but regardless of what the original intention was, I'd think it would be most helpful to Nintendo as a Switch 2 launch title.

Hopefully it's been tuned up to take advantage of more powerful hardware and we have our first killer game for the new system.

I'm only just realizing that there's no release date for Z-A. I thought it was coming out this month until now.

Not bad news though--hopefully it gives them time to iron out the kinks, and to make sure that the next set of mainline Pokemon games for Switch 2 is a lot more polished than we've gotten used to with Game Freak's recent output. A truly beautiful and technically sound Pokemon entry is going to be something to see.

I've had some fun with this game but I do wish you could play a "true" game instead of the simplified version they've created. I don't think the pared down gameplay is going to sustain my interest long-term.

I've never played this but I'm a big fan of the movie.

While I understand the criticisms of the tail end of the game, I would assume the last act of the movie was bound to limit the developer's options. It seems natural that you could only get so much more mileage out of the "fear/trust system" once the majority of your comrades are dead...

They're doomed. They've absolutely trashed their own reputation, in multiple ways, and being absorbed by Tencent (another gross company) isn't likely to help that--even if it allows them to continue scraping by on life support.

Cunning to offer people only a few potions or pokeballs in exchange for them becoming remote workers, mindlessly scanning locations and transmitting the data at their own cost, all to help create a secondary product that you can leverage for additional profit.

The only way this could be more devious is if they made this game the least bit fun again. Imagine the amount of new labor at their disposal!

It's not that it's the most serious example of censorship we've ever seen. It's that the mindset behind the changes is borderline insane.

A cartoon bat needs to be dressed more demurely. Nobody can make a joke about someone else being chubby. Amy can't be characterized as being "obsessed" with Sonic, she needs to be some sort of feminist paragon.

People who feel these things are necessary are not serious people. And it becomes alarming when you realize that individuals who are this excessively prudish and sideways in their thinking are influencing almost ALL popular media today.

My wife wakes up later than me, and this product seems like a great way for me to end up divorced (or possibly murdered).

If this was said before in the original review, it didn't register with me... I believe this game is worth a purchase, but I'm having trouble with the claim that it's "up there with the series' best." I mean, really?

I'd be more gung-ho about moving on from the Switch if the new system were being pitched as a big technological leap forward instead of just an incremental update.

As it stands, I'd be perfectly happy just working through my backlog of games and seeing what else Nintendo can come up with for the current hardware, while we wait a few more years for a new system that can deliver a smooth "next-gen" experience on-the-go.

Nevertheless, since we have indications that the new system will be compatible with Switch games, I really don't care either way.

Viewtiful Joe gets a shout-out here, and while it never struck me as a possibility for a rerelease on Switch, I'd kill for a collection of those two games...

HD-2D is the way to go. A 3D remake that partially reinvents the game is not what I'm looking for. I just want to play Chrono Trigger, with a little bit of tasteful polish added at most.

Obviously not confirmed, but very likely to be true based on past history.

I hope the extra development time results in a much more polished final product. Scarlet and Violet weren't awful, but the performance issues were devastating to the overall presentation, and I think they made a foolish choice to make the game more "open world." A polished open world Pokemon entry could be a thing of beauty, but the boring and empty one they produced last time took away from the game rather than making it feel like a big evolution.

They could also stand to ditch the "raids" from recent games, or at least make them less wonky, faster, and more fun to complete.

I bought this when it originally came out and made it about 3/4 of the way through it before I lost interest. Is it really as great as people say? The gameplay was clever at times, but far from exciting to play, and the art style is kind of ugly...

Even if just a rumor, I'm happy to see indications of backwards compatibility... And hopefully there aren't noticeable issues from upscaling to 1080p.

Excited for this one, but definitely getting it for PS5 rather than Switch...

This is only the latest of a number of recent games getting the caveats about it being "intended for a younger audience" and designed to be "immediately accessible" to preschoolers.

I'm not saying there's no place for games like that, but I'm assuming this is closer to a 5 out of 10 for anyone who's hoping to be engaged by the gameplay. (Honestly, it sounds so simplified and easy that I might have been bored by it even as a young kid.)

Since any great game can be designed with an easy mode or simplified controls, let's not kid ourselves about the fact that a shortcut is being taken here by the developer.

I'm in agreement with the general consensus, in that I have no clue how they're going to make a game like Arceus (or any other Pokemon entry) with the setting being limited exclusively to a metropolitan area... But some good possibilities have been raised, and I'm curious to see how they make this work once the game comes out next year.

Mostly, I'm relieved that they're apparently slowing down a tad on the mainline series. Save the next generation for the successor to the Switch and make it a big step up for the series.

C'mon Nintendo, just do a faithful localization of this game already. I would happily pay for a release of the "trilogy" together on one card.

When I was a very young child, we played the original Super Mario Bros., died constantly, and liked it!

My wife and I watched together, and we both thought the first few episodes were incredibly, endearingly sweet. Looking forward to a follow-up.

My only criticism would be that the episodes weren't really "episodes," just arbitrarily-paced chunks of content. I'm not sure why it wasn't just released as a movie instead, but I'm sure there was some silly incentive for chopping it up the way they did.

It's hard to imagine any restraint being shown since the Pokemon franchise has become a license to print money, but Game Freak would be extremely wise to save the next mainline entries for Switch 2 and spend some extra development time getting it right.

A polished open-world entry for the franchise could be the pinnacle of the series, but the empty and boring world of Violet/Scarlet made me question why they'd bothered going in that direction to begin with.

I never played the original, so it's not like I have zero interest... But this seems like a prime candidate to hold off on until the price gets slashed on Black Friday.

I almost always use my pro controller and have only separated the joycons on rare occasions when a bunch of people all wanted to play together. However, I recognize that other people have totally different ways of playing, and that the variety of options are kind of intrinsic to the overall success and appeal of the Switch.

I'd be surprised to see Nintendo release something more conventional when this great experiment turned out to be one of their biggest successes of all time.

@larryisaman Yes, the only real reasoning for the new system to lack this functionality is if it's intentionally done by Nintendo for the purpose of gouging their customers, which would be a cynical and short-sighted move.

Since the Wii allowed you to insert Gamecube discs, and Nintendo DS also allowed Game Boy Advance cartridges, it would be impossible for them to claim there was any difficulty accomplishing the same with the Switch's exceptionally tiny physical media format...

@Steel76 This is the greatest fear for most of us, apparently... But I would hope a company like Nintendo has the wisdom not to take this route.

Nintendo Switch was sort of a definitive culmination of what they already achieved with Wii/Wii U, and it added the fun aspect of being able to play on-the-go, which mitigated some of the annoyance of their choice to re-release a lot of old games, usually for full price.

I have a shelf full of Switch games, including a healthy handful that I had already purchased once before on either Wii or Wii U, but it's not happening again with Switch 2, and I hope they realize that most people will feel the same way. Taking that approach would alienate millions of potential customers and be damaging to the brand in the long term.

They may not be answering anything right now, but I highly doubt this will be an adaptation of any particular game from the series. They'll do a distillation of the basic plot that's featured throughout most of the series, probably skewing closest to the original game and Ocarina of Time. It's just my two cents, but I'd bet money on it.

A bigger question for me is the one @Erigen touched on above... How will the music be handled? I thought there was a lot about the Super Mario Bros. film that was done very well, and that the silly mass-market approach to the music was one of the biggest flaws. When they recreated iconic music from the series with an orchestra, it worked phenomenally, but the licensed songs they used were incredibly corny and detracted from the feel of the universe they were establishing.

If the music had been more on point, and the Donkey Kong/Mario Kart elements had been omitted (along with "Peaches"...), it would have been a classier approach, and a near-perfect Mario movie in my opinion.

I don't feel any need to own a new Nintendo console before 2025. But if they do the right thing and include a card slot for games from the original Switch, maybe I'll get this one on launch day too...

(We'll see when that ends up being, though. Didn't the rumor mongers think this system was going to be announced LAST year?)

It's official: they're absolutely never going to bring this franchise to the AAA level of quality it warrants.

In every possible way imaginable, Ubisoft sucks.

@MK73DS That's a great argument against upgrading phones every two years, but not a very good argument for releasing new game consoles with only meager improvements.