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The appeal of Nintendo's characters, arguably, is that they are mostly silent (or nearly silent) ciphers for the player to map on their own expectations/traits of the character. That's what makes them so timeless and enjoyable. Whole different appeal to video game characters like Sonic, who have a whole personality kind of baked into the character.

Does that really matter to the success of the movie? Probably not. I think we've seen Mario projects do this before (like those old shows, or that other movie). It'll probably follow in those lines. It'll be funny, maybe a bit cool, kind of fun, but lacking that sort of mind-blowing greatness of a Mario Galaxy or a Mario Odyssey because I think, essentially, it's that fusion of gameplay and those cipher(ish) characters that makes the real Mario magic happen.

@Clyde_Radcliffe Oh yes, definitely! Certainly he's that sort of type to make a game for a console just because he can, without ever thinking about whether or not he should.

(But it's hard to argue that it's given him at least an interesting body of work!)

On the one hand, I really love Minter's whole design philosophy. He is truly one of a kind in some respects, and this interview was super interesting.

On the other hand, his maximalist design sensibilities means that his games are often headache simulators so I find them hard to actually play.

(Enjoyed Iridis Alpha on Evercade, though. Bit less headache-inducing, with that signature Minter flair of tons of moving parts in play and a weird concept.)

I saw this headline and thought "Soyo Oka??? Surely not." I'm a big fan of her work, and Pilotwings is certainly one of my favorite OSTs.

Around this time, she also did SimCity. I didn't see it mentioned in the article, but it was one of her first major projects with Nintendo if I recall correctly.

Edit: Gave it a listen. The 8 series tracks are kind of jazzy 8-bit tunes and sound akin to Pokemon Pinball, but the 16 series tracks are more in her classic style. Love it!

Personally, I think they justify it fine. It seems like maybe they're not experts on the games but are experienced (if not totally stellar all the time; the studio isn't, at least) storytellers. I'm sure they're capable of producing a middling-to-good film.

All of that being said, all this discussion of "the modern way of things" and all that, well, one "way of things" that I'm sure will happen: a post-credits scene with an additional teaser of some sort.

A fair bet would be Rosalina. However, I'd be curious about the IP usage agreement behind this. When I first saw the initial trailer and all that stuff about "kingdoms," I immediately thought of Hyrule.

And yeah, that's how the games go but what's more "sign of the times" than shared cinematic universes?

(Not saying I like the idea, just wondering about it. I'd say that's the one thing I'm still curious about.)

The Game & Watch one (the one I liked enough to pay for) or the "Night Walk" Gurumin theme (my current theme, which came with Gurumin 3D).

@Chocobo_Shepherd Yeah, in the trailer they get, like, stuck in the simulation because evil computer or whatever (it's not really explained). Didn't say it was a good reason, but it's there.

This looks good! I often don't bother with clones of active series, but Star Fox has been dormant for a while so this fills a niche (or it will if it's good).

@romanista It's like Chucky Egg, you say? Okay, now I'm interested!

(Even though I can already play the games on physical hardware, I'd buy a Speccy collection for Switch. Just saying.)

I'm glad this one exceeded expectations. I hope that means a sequel that has been given time to breathe a bit (and hopefully Flynn gets the nod as writer again, so he can get a meatier game to work with).

@Not_Soos lol, nothing as cool at that probably, but yeah! They merged with Sammy Corp., a company that mostly makes pachinko machines. They did also make some games in the 90s like VICE: Project Doom (which is on NES Online!) and Ninja Crusaders.

I admit I definitely wait for physical (and often just don't buy digital at all if a physical never comes; there are so many games out there I never get FOMO because I couldn't keep up if I tried), but I don't really consider myself a "collector" (like, I take care of my games, but pay no mind to things like full sets or resale value) so I just get whatever basic version that comes.

This was one where I was waiting for a physical release, so I'll possibly go for that. Looks great! Can't beat a good ninja game.

@Tom-Massey A few weeks ago I played Tiger-Heli for the first time on Evercade! It's a beast of a game for sure!

@Daggot As someone who likes bullet hell games, I'd agree that they're everywhere now and can agree that they seem super intimidating. There are a few exceptions to the rule, but they mostly come from older series like R-Type Final 2 or Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX+.

But they do pop up from time to time! I've seen a few on the Switch, like Horgihugh and Ranger Dog. And no, I don't know why the examples of traditional shmups I first thought of both have dogs, lol.

(Also, I'd say I'm the opposite with which shmups I find hard. I find bullet hells kind of relaxing because it's all about pattern recognition but an old-school shooter like Gradius III will give me stress hives.)

@Not_Soos (I think you argue in good faith, which is incredibly rare on the Internet, on topics I also think about so it's good! I'm often too busy to engage, but sometimes think about doing so and instead just lurk and nod thoughtfully, lol)

I think we could say there are probably barriers that fat people face that thin people don't (like if a fat guy goes to the doctor with symptoms of cancer and the doctor just keeps telling him to lose weight) and aren't just bullying (which, as you said, is often just juvenile), but I can also appreciate what you're saying.

Since this issue doesn't affect me personally, I'm inclined to just believe people when they say something affects them negatively. I can see what you mean about sort of needing a word to separate an existential threat from like a structural barrier. That makes sense (and, you know, it's certainly been tried; years ago, people tried to make -misia the suffix for situations like this, because that means hate and not fear, but people just kept on with the -phobia suffix).

(Oh and this might be controversial, but: puns are good and cool.)

@Not_Soos It perhaps isn't, but I think this is "putting tomato in a fruit salad" kind of thinking. Tomato is technically a fruit, but most people wouldn't put it in a fruit salad.

You're right that this or that "phobia" probably doesn't describe real fear, but it's what people use to communicate the feeling that someone hates their group and I think that meaning comes across clear enough.

(For what it's worth, as a thin person who doesn't like amusement parks I don't really have any dogs in this fight and someone who does might chime in more articulately. I just find your comments often thought-provoking and felt like engaging a bit.)

I thought Not Not was pretty good. A challenging little logic puzzle game. And certainly Bit.Trip Runner. Other than those, I think Qubic has put out quite a few middling games that I could only say are "pleasant" (Robonauts, Mini Trains, Jumping Joe, etc.). Perhaps not going to light the world on fire, but decent.

No, but I don't really care about tech. I generally only upgrade once the new console reaches a critical mass of games I personally want that justify it.

I wish I knew the system they were using to decide which S-Tributes get physicals. So far I've seen Cotton/Guardian Force, and some Idol game?

I held off on the Elevator Action Returns S-Tribute in the off-chance Elevator Action and Metal Black would get a double-set like Cotton and Guardian Force, but I guess not. Would love to have them on Switch,, but in physical copy.

Awesome! They're one of my favorite developers and I've kind of been feeling spoiled these days (Taito on Arcade Archives, those Darius collections, the Egret Mini). So more Taito would be awesome. I'd like a Switch collection that is not Taito Milestones, please.

Also: for the Taito fans, it looks like New Zealand Story is coming to Arcade Archives at the end of this month---possibly as part of this campaign?

I'm not an artist nor am I necessarily creative in the least (so I don't do art as a hobby either), so I will not comment on "how does this affect people who do it for a living?" or "Is it copyright infringement?" But I feel sympathy for anyone who is facing that on the horizon.

However, I think AI art is one of those things that poses a fundamental philosophical question: What is art? If you're one of those people who thinks art is just pictures (whether for your business, entertainment or just because you like them) well, a computer that makes pictures seems amazing.

But then if you're the kind of person who sees art as a fundamental expression of our shared humanity and civilization, well, can a robot do that? I don't know if I have an opinion on it yet, but I'd argue the last 60 years or so have primed us to think of art as a product and nothing more than that, so that kind of paved the way for people to be philosophically open to AI art (not saying that's my opinion, just that's the pattern I see forming here).

(Super thought-provoking article! I missed this one the first time around. I saw lots of cool discussion above; too many to tag in particular, but I think it's neat to see where everyone is going with this.)

Similar to others in the thread, I haven't posted here in ages but was saddened to hear this news. I always enjoyed reading his shovel ware reviews, many of them laugh out loud funny. Hard to believe he's gone; may he rest in peace.

Wait, so this is basically Lego: Forever Evil? Awesome! When I heard about this I figured it'd be Suicide Squad with more villains, but this actually sounds like a lot of fun.

I do still buy and read physical magazines of other topics on a regular basis, but gaming information is so easy to access for free that it really is a disincentive to buy the magazines on a regular basis.

However, for me as a kid the draw of gaming magazines was always the freebies anyway, so I do still pick up gaming magazines if they are offering a cool demo disc, a player's guide for a game I own or something like that.

This doesn't look too bad for the target audience actually! I know my nephew will love this.

This looks amazing; bit disappointing that it has no relation to the Speccy, but I suppose the word does have other meanings.

I don't personally care about the score as my own personal preferences skews a bit off anyway. I've often loved titles that score 5s and 6s with big reviewers, but am often lukewarm to perfect 10s. As long as there are warnings for major game-breaking glitches, I'm good.

This is a great interview. Dennis comes across as a real down-to-earth professional. Also...an architect making games assets, that's pretty cool!

I had no idea this game existed, but I'm looking forward to where the development leads now.

Cool; price is almost right now for NES Remix. Other two are good at any price.

If it was all original NES games, I would go for it. That's impulse buy pricing, so build quality wouldn't bother me so much. If it's got weird homebrews though, I won't bother.

Based on the screenshot, it looks like they're using an emulator from one of the Chinese models (although that could be a mock up). Some of them have tons of real games, but always a few hacks and "originals." (And they're all terrible, but as far as I know these Chinese bootlegs and their related carts are only way to play any variant of Xiangqi on NES/Famicom hardware, albeit a simplified version).

As with any massive franchise, potential new fans and growing the brand are always going to be the priority. That said, I think the annual release slate is going to eventually cheapen the brand to the point where they will see diminished returns.

That's not to say that I personally love every change made to the games. When it comes to changes in Pokémon, I tend to be cranky and hate fun. I was the kid who didn't buy into Gold/Silver after loving Red/Blue because I thought that "real-time clock" was too much!

But for them to have reason to cater more to the old fans they'd have to be a much smaller property, and I don't necessarily want that either.

If it's real, it'll be a compilation (although that seems silly considering their Switch strategy) or KoF. Does SNK even make other games now?

As a cyclist and sometimes Pokémon fan, this actually ticks all of my boxes. Good luck to them!

A particularly good one was actually last year, when I got a bunch of Famicom games for Christmas. I'd brought the console to my parents' place for the holidays and my nephew, then seven years old, asked what it was and if he could give it a try.

So, for the rest of the holidays (around Christmas until he went back to school in January), he'd spend his days asking if he could play Famicom and then together (along with other family members) we'd try out a few games each day. As he began to pick favorites, we mostly ended up playing a lot of Twinbee (the first game) and Boulder Dash.

Super Famicom Wars is definitely an essential translation; never heard of Princess Minvera, but it looks like a somewhat interesting take on JRPGs.

Personally I don't really care about MSU1 upgrades, but UN Squadron is a classic, regardless of its background music.

I was wondering what Bplus was up to lately. Nice to see the game doesn't disappoint! Looks great to me!

If it's like the original I'm not interested in this (on-rails shooters are really not my thing), but I'm listening if they ever decide to make the Panic Button Mode into a full game.

Whoa, uh, I think I'm going to heed that warning. I probably don't need to replay Congo's Caper right now anyway.

I love roguelikes, but as I tragically lack a sense of humor this one won't be for me.

Cool that such a big name indie is on Switch though; that's good news for everyone.

Nice! Super Mario Bros. 2 JP/Lost Levels is my favorite 2D Mario game (possibly favorite Mario game period), so I'm definitely happy to revisit that play style any time.

Pretty cool how Switch and 3DS both had really good years. It was hard to choose just a few games.

Unit looks nice, but this is the N64. I have a few cartridges lying around, but I'm not all that interested in a revival. There are fewer curiosities, and most of the top-tier games weren't enduring classics.

It'd be nice to have Pilotwings 64 portable though...

Great review! I was going to get this anyway after the Christmas rush, but now I might get it a bit early.

Wow, that's a nice surprise. I hope this does well, so we can get some more official translations of Super Famicom-only games.

I really like when these things attempt to provide some lesser-known titles, and the price isn't too bad on this one. Even if a few games lag, it almost seems worth the cost.

Never thought I would say this again, but big week for me on 3DS. Been waiting for 80s Overdrive for some time, and will probably get the new rail sim at some point too!

This looks amazing! Not having been able to experience it firsthand, I absolutely love books on this era. I'd prefer it to be in English (or French), but man it looks so nice I'd almost take it in Japanese.

Okay, that "Leisure Mode" actually sounds cool. I often want a game (that's not a puzzle game) where you can just chill, like the Birdman mode from Pilotwings 64.

I remember the music in the 3DS one being a bad joke, but it didn't seem too terrible otherwise. However, I am from a climate where people actually drive these things for fun (and I've ridden them too, but never owned) so I could be clouded up with nostalgia here.

@GC-161 Yeah, that's a pretty good metaphor. The bootleg fandom is the Guy Fieri of the 8-bit world. Some people are just interested in that underside of gaming history.

Gaming-wise, you're right that there's no comparison though. The originals are definitely the best!

@GC-161 Yeah, if what you want is a cheap recreation of the classics they're all miss, haha. But if you're into looking at weird hacks and how they're done, they're an interesting experiment in that side of the 8-bit era.

(Also these clones are one of the places you can access Chinese translations of Japanese games; not worth much if you don't speak Chinese, but again, interesting as historical curiosity for those who are into that kind of thing!).

These bootleg clones are really hit or miss, but sometimes you can get one with a really good selection of games or at least interesting hacks. What I find fascinating is that they persistently use Famicom architecture (even many of the ones with Wii-like casings were still Famiclones).

What you don't want is one with a ton of "original" games or, worse, HACKS of those original games!

I see this one probably has the Kunio series (rebranding it as "Hot Blood"). Nice!

I really dislike pins and badges on things and $20 seems a bit nonsense for blind packs, so I'm also not buying one as a stocking stuffer for friends, lest it encourage them. They look cool, but you can get a custom badge for this price.