I came into this article ready to defend Gremlin Graphics' globe-trotting thief, but it's just the Mario guy. Yeah, I don't like him either haha

I like the NA one here as it is more distinct and reads more "video game cover" to me, whereas the EU/JP cover has higher-quality art but could be anything.

I'm playing this week's Eggconsole Pyramid Warp. It's a lot of fun! A simple maze game with enough going on to make it interesting. And, unlike the more ambitious/elaborate EC releases, it really has that early computer game feel to it.

I also downloaded TongTong. It isn't really much of a game, per se (basically a simple slot machine). But it's a neat simulation of old kids' medal games in Japanese game centers. I'd love to see this one start a trend as more of those would be neat to have from a preservation perspective.

I've never played Croc, but I know in the PS1 days these mid-tier kind of games often ended up being my favorites. Not sure how I'd feel about a game like this in the present day, but I'll likely pick this up at some point.

I really like this game! I much prefer the STG levels as I like that genre, while I'm not really a run 'n' gun fan, although those levels aren't too bad. I'd agree the on foot levels are generally too long, but for me they're much more manageable than, say, Contra.

I like the colour scheme and layout of the Japanese one the best. It most neatly captures the chaos that is Tomodachi Life. The EU one is good too, but the giant text blurb at the bottom ruins it for me.

The NA one is a bit too cluttered; it kind of has the vibe of one of those "find the things" picture book games.

Episode 3 of Taisho x Alice and Rendering Ranger R2 for me this weekend!

@Ristar24 R2 is great isn't it? So glad we have this gem on Switch now!

It's not on this list (I guess maybe it'll show up on next week's?), but Rendering Ranger came out today. Pretty cool to have such a rare Super Famicom game available on the eShop!

I think the theory on it being related to Twitter is valid. I don't think it's necessarily them building their own personal Twitter or whatever, but the realization that a social media space can be permanently altered for the worse at any time I think made them realize the need for a dedicated media space that they control.

I don't think I'm going to use this, but I also think it makes sense for it to exist.

I think if anything it's a Kirby thing, or perhaps multiple Kirby things. I don't think it's going to be any kind of bombshell announcement though.

@OorWullie The Speccy version is definitely one of the better classic versions of it in my opinion!

This looks really cool! Breakout is one of those concepts that didn't really need to be updated but they somehow found a way to reinterpret it so it seems fresh. I love remakes that offer up a genuinely new perspective on the game (and here maybe "perspective" is more literal than most, heh).

This looks like a perfect puzzle game!
(And by that I mean I'm going to enjoy playing the first ten levels or so before it gets too hard and defeats me.)

I voted Japan. Neither of these are great, but the random in-game portraits made me laugh; also the tagline on the NA boxart would surely have made it sell negative copies back in the day.

Wow, this game looks unreal. Jeff Minter is, in my opinion, one of the true geniuses of the industry (although I can rarely actually play his games as they're pretty bad in the migraine trigger department).

Nothing on Switch this weekend, but on Steam I am working through Episode 2 of Taisho x Alice, and I picked up the STGs Ginga Force and Natsuki Chronicles so maybe those too if I have time (they are set in the same universe, but Ginga Force is vertically scrolling and Natsuki Chronicles is horizontally scrolling).

I love that we're getting Juno First! I wonder what that means for other Konami games published by someone else in NA (yes, I want ACA Amidar).
And Gulkave has a neat weapon system, and then there's Assault Suits Leynos 2! A pretty good week for STG fans!

Cool! I can't speak to the other games, but Wall of Fire is pretty good, and honestly it's an ideal intro to RoTK because there's a glitch (at least in the original) that lets you have infinite soldiers which you can use if you just want to get your feet wet in the series.

Cool! These are super cute!

@CRB1984 Ooh, nice comparison! Yeah, I can definitely see it!

@GregamanX Oh, good choice! I love Lunistice! And you're right that it nails the PS1 aesthetic.

Nothing on Switch this weekend, but I'm playing Taisho x Alice on Steam as I picked up all the episodes in the recent Steam VN sale.

I'm enjoying it! It's super bantery and a bit more bawdy than the other otomes I've played which, as a reader of contemporary romance novels as well as otomes, I like.

The main character is also one of the most aggressive otome heroines I've ever seen; she is just constantly hitting on the love interest right from the very beginning. There have been a few eyebrow-raising parts, but so far nothing that would make me stop playing. I'm on the second route and it's a pretty fast read so far so I guess it's whatever the otome equivalent of a page-turner would be.

@Thirteen1355 Oh yeah definitely! I'm with you on the value of "clones" too. They're not all amazing, but some pretty big games started as pretty clear homages to other things (e.g., Stardew Valley).

This weekend I'm playing the generically named Ultimate Shooting Collection for Wii. I recently learned it is actually a collection of three Milestone shmups: Karous, Radirgy, and Chaos Field.

I bought it for Radirgy, but I find I like the other two more than I thought I would, especially Chaos Field which is essentially a boss rush game and I never enjoy that mode in games. Karous' light RPG elements are neat too.

I like both of these! Picross is always fun (although I liked the SFC Mario Picross more than this one) and DK '94 was too hard for me, but I did enjoy what I played of it.

Fate? Like...the game on my computer in the 2000s Fate? It seems a bit pricey for what I remember of Fate but that's a genuine surprise. Huh. I might check that one out.

Majima earned this win; love that for him (and I still can't get over that Pirate Yakuza key art; like, that is a real thing that exists, what a gift).

That's a shame as I thought these games seemed kind of quirky, but I'm part of the problem in this case. I was kind of interested in both of these games, but to me the Rabbids have to be hands-down the most hideous character designs in gaming history to me. They're so repulsive that I just was never able to give either of these games a chance at all.

I've ordered one game from them (Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours) and I did eventually get it, but the timeline was ridiculous (pre-order Dec 2022 to get it...early this year??? lol).

I wouldn't say it was malicious or an attempt to scam or anything and so I have no bad feelings toward SLG, but this is clearly a company not able to currently operate at the scale they want to and that looks pretty unprofessional to me. I haven't ordered anything else from them and likely won't.

No, I don't really do that with consoles. And as Nintendo themselves have said backwards compatibility won't be 1:1, I'd like to have both on hand.

Honestly, none. The only revival I'd want at this point is if they did something with Pokemon Pikachu. Maybe turn it into a Switch app or re-release the physical or add Pokemon or something.

I'd love for Game Freak to announce a moratorium on remakes so fans will stop speculating on "ooh, which game have I already played will I get to play again." It's just not a vibe I can really comprehend.

However, I think the same-generation sequels are cool and the Legends games are a genuinely neat twist on the "remake" formula in that we're revisiting regions but with a whole new angle.

Wow, this looks great! I didn't mind most of the games before (aside from the casino level), but this looks like a massive improvement. And Rextro's new in-game design gives Gon vibes.

Wow! That is...concerning. Glad I kept putting off buying Rugrats!

This is not a surprising result. The layoffs are unfortunate (and of course it continues to be infuriating that it's never the decision-makers who suffer), but this game reeked of soulless corporate depravity to an extent that it made your average EA/Ubisoft game look like a true work of art.

I both want this and feel like that ship has more or less sailed. I hate subscriptions, but it seems like most don't agree! I say why not both?

Cool! I'm glad it finally has a release date on Switch. As others have said it's on Evercade, but I have wanted to play it on Switch as that's the more convenient console for me.

I love the Switch OLED, but regarding Switch 2 (which I intend to buy) I will think about this "issue" for one second and then never again.

This is great! I wouldn't be in favor of banning all shovelware because how would we even define that, but banning AI-generated slop seems like a good move. A better curated store gets more visits and sales; that's pretty simple.

@Zuljaras Oh that screenshot looks really cool! Good luck on improving your game!

This weekend I'm playing Smoothcade, a game I found on the eShop this week and knew nothing about. It's a really nice "clear the screen" type game like Bubble Bobble.

@rvcolem1 Haha, that's definitely fair! If you ever have access to it though, it's a good one for that arcade/puzzle air hockey vibe with Sanrio characters.

@SoIDecidedTo As others have said, just enjoy the game if you think you'd like it! Worrying about what others will think is a sad way to live (and mostly they are not thinking about you at all).

@rvcolem1 It's not really hockey, but it's a bit like air hockey: have you ever played Sanrio World Smash Ball for Super Famicom? I'm a lifelong Sanrio fan and will usually at least attempt to play their games; that was my favorite Sanrio game for years until recently they decided to start knocking it out of the park first with their rhythm game (Happiness Parade) and now this game.

I honestly thought about going for Hello Kitty Island Adventure, but I know I won't have time to play it at the moment so I'm holding off.

This weekend, I've been playing one of my winter comfort games, Felix the Cat on Switch and just alternating between the versions.

One of my all-time favorite games! It's just perfect. I was sort of hoping we'd see some sort of revival of it this generation, but I'm honestly not complaining to see the original either! It's so good 😭

I'm definitely interested in Strania! And Zanac, but I suspect like all Eggconsole games it'll be too hard for me.

Oooh, what a cool announcement! Time to get hooked on/be bad at Kunio no Oden!

@MrCarlos46 Yeah, maybe. That would make sense too. I was thinking more that Nintendo will likely be timing it with their eye on avoiding too much decline in OG Switch sales.

While the fans and shareholders want this new console, the fact is that the Switch is a proven success and the Switch 2 isn't. For all their goofy ideas, this era of Nintendo is more conservative and has shown they love a sure thing (evidenced also by just calling it "Switch 2"). So you could be right, but I get a reluctance out of Nintendo regarding the information we've seen so far which makes me think the release date might be later than expected.

I could see it being a bit later out this time, as this is a very different Nintendo. Last time they were looking to push past the Wii U, but the Switch was a massive success; it seems clear they are trying to be careful to launch the new console at a time that won't hurt sales that much.

Yeah, I think they're right. The earliest adopters won't care and unlike the 3DS it's in a class where people would (I think?) expect to pay a bit more.

I think Nintendo should be mindful of not pricing too close to a Steam Deck, as that seemed to be their real competition this past generation. Given the choice between the two if they cost the same, I'd guess people would go with the Steam Deck but who knows!

This weekend, I'll probably be playing Pac-Man Museum+. I love playing the original Pac-Man in the winter time so mostly that, but perhaps picking around a bit with the other games as well. It's really a great little retro collection and possibly my favorite one on the Switch.

I mean, this isn't a new thing for Nintendo. Their handhelds have (I think?) all had some form of backwards compatibility, and the Gamecube to Wii U era all had backwards compatibility with the past generation.

Either way, I think it's essential, but I don't think is Nintendo "getting with the times" so much as just doing their usual thing.

This is great. The name suggests Nintendo read the room and knew that a creative name would confuse consumers and lead to another Wii U.

As much as I'd have loved something super creative and more Nintendoish, that was not going to be a win for them. They were understandably reluctant to put out a new console because of the Switch's success, so the answer was clearly another Switch.

I honestly have no complaints, just based on the announcement itself!