Zybrissa

If this turns out to be another farm Direct, it'll all have been for nothing.

(Disclaimer: Joke)

I usually go physical where there's a choice, and the rare exception is where the physical version is much more expensive. I don't buy enough games to make physical storage an issue, and I've had some really poor luck with MicroSD cards being bricked in the OLED.

I think ScarVio DLC is on its way, but I'm guessing that'll be announced in a Pokémon Presents. Advance Wars is looking more likely than it has for a while, and now might be a good time given why it was delayed. Metroid... I'll hope, but I won't expect.

February Directs have a habit of surprising me with unexpected games I'm interested in buying, so I'll be looking forward to this with interest.

There has been speculation about Advance Wars getting a shadow drop on Friday, so this finally might be it.

I'm not going to expect anything in particular, but I'm really hoping for something Metroid-related. Prime 4 trailer and title or a remake, either would be fine by me.

I wasn't keen on the controls to begin with (they weren't unusable, just awkward), but I didn't mind them once I'd switched to Solitaire and done some remapping. That said, I've never played this with an N64 controller, and I'm not particularly used to the twin-stick controls a lot of people seem to prefer.

• ScarVio DLC, maybe a two-part pass like with SwSh. No new content for any Gen VIII games.
• Advance Wars at some point, probably with little fanfare (I wouldn't even discount a shadow drop).
• TotK DLC or pass announced, maybe released by the end of the year.
• Metroid Prime 4 not being released, but maybe a trailer or major announcement.
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe cramming another version of Rainbow Road into the Booster.
• Some kind of unexpected port from a rival last-gen console.
• OG Switch possibly being phased out.
• No Switch 2/Pro/whatever, but maybe an announcement about the successor later in the year.

For me, seeing a Magikarp is always one of the highlights when I'm playing (or replaying) a Pokémon game, and I have to commend it for not doing that distracting levitating-as-a-substitute-for-swimming thing.

Other than that, fishy Pokémon are very hit and miss for me. Apart from the Mantyke and (if it counts) Tynamo lines, I can't think of any I particularly like.

@Z-Core "That many F-bombs while a Lucario just stands there..."

It probably has Inner Focus. Or Steadfast.

I've just noticed that S/V would have been the top selling Switch game if they'd been counted together. I'm slightly torn about whether that would have been a good thing.

@GX_64 I first played it on the SNES Classic, and that last opponent really gave me trouble for that exact reason. I hope they have accounted for the lag here.

I'm guessing there'll be dance mixes of this in circulation within a day.

Interesting that the disc version of the PS5 accounts for the vast majority of Japanese sales, but it's the other way around with the Xbox Series.

Also, is it just me, or does Ridley look absolutely shocked by the right Joy-Con in that picture?

@alasdair91 @inactive I am thinking Home compatibility is likely, probably with all the Hisuian forms being made available. Maybe they could be worked into the time travel aspect of S/V somehow.

I won't hope for anything utterly impossible, like restoring the Set battle style or (whisper it) optional experience sharing.

@Kirbyo (spoiler)TEXT HERE(/spoiler), replace the brackets with [ and ].

@Fizza I wouldn't be surprised if it is Greninja, considering what we've had so far. The Poison Tera type would make sense for it. Not sure what I'd think if it turned out to be that anime-themed Greninja, though.

Enamorus, maybe? If they're trying to tie it in with Valentine's Day (which they might not be), that seems like an obvious candidate.

(Urrgh... having flashbacks to trying to catch it in Legends...)

So, around Pokémon Day. Might be a post-Presents update setting up the DLC.

I wasn't expecting Kirby, but I'm not too surprised about the rest of the list, or about the Switch being the best selling console.

@PosterBoy They have their own tastes, and that's fine. I'm not interested in anything in the top five here, but I'm not going to tar ~750 million people with the same brush.

Erm... call me pedantic, but how can a series that debuted in 1996 be (as that site claims) approaching its 25th anniversary now?

I know there are jokes about MK8DX hanging on, but I can see it being there for a long time yet in the UK. Given the country's current problems, being a frequently updated, frequently bundled evergreen on the cheapest console is a great position to be in.

I'm still not too pleased about Scarlet and Violet being separated, but I think it'll be interesting to see how the gap between them develops as they finally slip down the charts.

I buy physical wherever I can, unless there's a really big price gap between the two versions.

As for the arguments about preservation, I think an important point is that nothing is ever 100% secure. I've lost physical cartridges and had game discs get irreparably scratched. I've also had limited-time downloaded content get erased. Physical media aren't indefinitely guaranteed, but neither are downloads in the very long term.

For me, it's just whichever you prefer and feel more comfortable doing.

I'll keep my expectations fairly low and say I'm just predicting ScarVio DLC, probably Advance Wars at some point, and maybe a new hardware announcement towards the end.

The drop in sales doesn't surprise me, going from the second pandemic year to one where the UK was facing a massive cost crisis. It's nice to see a console I actually own coming out on top.

Interesting to see where Nintendo Switch Sports got to. As last year proved, being in Number Ten isn't a sure thing.

I like the idea of REX on the cover, but to me, the Gamecube-quality models on the NA box look out of place. I don't think the other regions' art is great, but it gets my vote in this one.

@Jacoby It's just a Boxing Day game. (leaves quietly)

@Ratchet916 I'm not sure of all the details, but it was something to do with strict regulations about portraying ninja positively. I think the more recent games and cartoons are called TMNT in the UK, so it looks like they've backed off.

I'm seriously thinking of giving this game a chance now it has custom difficulty. I've been warming to that concept this year, so that might convince me to buy it.

"Fixed issue where, when playing in London Loop, player is carried in by Lakitu after falling off of course and they were not returned to the appropriate location."

Really, you'd think Lakitu would brush up on the Knowledge beforehand.

...or would that mean every time he picked you up, he'd voice his opinions on who is ruining the Mushroom Kingdom, and how throwing a Spiny at them is the only language they understand?

If they're adding retro filters, maybe they could have a UK-themed one, where the word "ninja" is forcibly replaced with "hero" and some of the weapons are edited out.

If that speculation about the Gen X games being set in pseudo-Australia is true, they might have some inspiration for the enemy team now.

Such a lust for remakes! WHOOOOOOOO?!?

Seriously though, I found the 3DS game awkward to play even with ye olde Circle Pad Pro, and I thought Snake Eater was overrated to begin with. I wouldn't mind a Twin Snakes or Substance port on the Switch.

@kurtasbestos There are definitely some profanities that begin with W. Given Nintendo's history with non-American forms of English, I'm genuinely wondering how many of them aren't on the list yet.

@mariomaster96: Ah, that's a relief. Might be a bit more manageable, then.

If this already overpowered Cinderace has its Hidden Ability, this could be a very awkward Raid.

I think a Christmas in the Pokémon world now would be tempered by the awful knowledge that at some point, it will no longer be Delibird going down the chimney, but a robot whose head comes off on a spring.

I'd laugh if they went for a proper advertising campaign, with the slogan "How about some scat, you little..."

I'd have to say Pokémon S/V (Violet if I had to pick one), but I've bought so few new Switch games this year that Pokémon wins by default.

I could perhaps understand the logic behind splitting S/V, were it not for the Dual Pack being counted as a separate product. That's what's really baffling me; the sales are split across three products, and buying both versions can count as either one or two sales depending on how you buy them.

Going to have to go for the Western design. I like the bilingual text on the Japanese one, but the Western one just looks cleaner to me. Also, is it just these images, or does Mario look a bit desaturated on the Japanese one?

If this means I can enjoy the game with no Piranha Plants wasting my item slots, I'm sold.

I'm not entirely convinced that's supposed to be Uluru, but I can certainly believe an Australia/NZ region is on its way. I just hope that if the English translations use copious dialect (which they will), they get people who really know the lingo to write it.

I like the picture for Pawniard's entry. They're weirdly cute when they look like they're dancing.