aSmilingMan

@twztid13 ha! I had no idea that existed. I watched some of the gameplay and I don't think it quite hits the mark for me. Seems to be a tad clunkier and without the squad dynamics that is a big part of the appeal for me. Thank you for pointing this to me! Flew under my radar until your post!

I’ve been on at least 10 walks that I wouldn’t have gone on because of this app. I got to enjoy more of the outdoors and walk down different streets to fill up more of them with the flower petals I endlessly collect. Unlike GO which felt more like a gaming app, Pikmin is more wholesome. It’s not for everyone, but after over a year of being mostly indoors, I’m loving the constant push to walk more and explore new places.

Heist is the only game I 100%'d twice. Anything with similar mechanics is an auto-buy for me. Dig 1 & 2 are nice, but didn't hit the spot like Heist did.
Would love to see a 3D version of Heist! Would be like a steampunk Valkyria Chronicles!

The money they take make from me if they built a massive Valkyria Chronicles game…

@PJOReilly awesome! Thank you so much for answering. I have been reading your work for years now. Thanks for what you do!

@PJOReilly awesome! Thank you! The difficulty doesn't scare me, it was mostly story coherence that I was worried about. Seems like it could be a self contained experience from what you wrote.

@PJOReilly is this is a good intro to the series? I know, I know... I'm super late. Still though, better late than never.

Didn’t have this on my radar. This is a definite buy for me. I can do good platformers with tight controls any day.

@jello64 that's great to hear! It seems like it's right up my alley too.

This looks really good! Never played the original, but willing to give this a go on the new OLED.

It felt like that was me in the video clip and it made me misty-eyed. I grew up watching him on weekends with my dad. We were watching live when Senna tragically passed.
Now, I'm only a couple years away from introducing gaming to my child. I'm certainly picking up this expansion.

@KingMike with great ports of games like Doom Eternal I had assumed we were past that. But maybe you’re right for NSO… A pity if that is the case.

It’s a pity many people did not yet experience Conker Bad Fur Day. To me, that game was the pinnacle of the N64, when Rare knew just how far to push the system. Like when Nintendo knew the Wii U could bring BOTW.
Really hope Conker makes it to NSO.

As for the N64 Zeldas, I would encourage people to pick up the 3DS versions instead. The facelifts were nice!

Would love a new Blast Corps and Conker game. Feels like a pipe dream though… I wish they updated the graphics for Banjo. Such a great game, but painful looks in this day and age.

What Kate said.

Maybe they patched for performance? SwitchUp mentioned it was a seamless experience 60 fps docked, 30/60 handheld: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQGLu1Vybu4

Great review though! Can't wait to play this this weekend!

Been wanting to introduce my son to gaming, and a Peppa pig game would be perfect. Any idea on whether they will have other languages too? As in, could we play this in Portuguese?

@D_Cybercherries devs like you who keep making the game better and better, while taking time to speak with us, are the reasons I’ve been favoring indies over AAAs of late. Awesome stuff!

Such a weird game, and it looks like delightful coop fun!

Can’t wait to play this on my Switch Pr…. I mean, Steam Deck.

Day 1 purchase. So many fond memories of the SNES game. Pretty special to get to play this with my son.

I always loved the flying courses on Diddy Kong Racing. It’s a genre I could use more of. Adding this one to my library.

This unexpectedly looks like a lot of fun! Definitely keeping my eye out for it.

@Wilforce yup! That's the plan. Thanks for the reminder though!

Never planned on owning a Valve device until today. I don't have a gaming PC but would LOVE access to a portable Gamepass console and a way to play chunky 3rd party games on the go, like GTAV, No Man's Sky, modded Skyrim etc.

After reading a lot about the device, I've decided to hold off on my OLED "upgrade" and get the Steam Deck instead. Seems like a perfect way to complete my gaming options, when in addition to my beloved Switch and PS5.

Here’s the thing missing from all of these:

There’s a global chip shortage, people!!! Even if Nintendo had the 4K Switch all ready to go (a coin toss whether they do), there is no place that could manufacture enough chips to make the launch anything less than a disaster. What they did enables the QoL upgrades that were obviously missing from the original, while giving them some breathing room to produce new chips when the market is a little better.

Before commenting, read @Kalmaro's comment and click on the link to the Steam reviews. The game released in a sorry state, and needs to be seriously patched before it is playable. Of course this is all doable, but it should be a hard pass until those updates roll out.

This story must be true! If not, what else could I possibly play in my Apple Car?? 😏

@PikaPhantom to the point where I then wrote the developers thanking them for for making it. The controls are tight, the story is simple but touching, the sound is carefully done and the level design is creative and fun. 100% is challenging enough while never becoming unfair. Nor is it one where you have to google what to do. It’s the kind of game that makes me want to keep buying indies: a gem. Is it the best game I ever played? No. Was I completely enthralled and savoring multiple moments while playing? Absolutely. I would give it a 9/10.

Evergate is brilliant! A must play to anyone who enjoys platformers.

Megaman soccer provided hours upon hours of fun back in the 90s. Definitely deserved a better rank!

I feel for Mario what I feel for a poorly treated child. I really care about him, but wish he had more caring parents.

The votes were such a fun experience! My college roommates and I loved doing them. Would love to play those with my family and friends.

I got motion sickness just watching the trailer, and I’m usually ok with VR.

Heist, 100% Heist. It was the only game that truly innovated gameplay.

The 2D Valkyria Chronicles-esque game was perfect! One of the few games I double dipped on and 100% completed twice.

We need more Heist!

They’ve been shelving amazing Nintendo products for ages. Rare doesn’t even make the shelf anymore, it’s in the morgue...

Spend $10 and get dozens of items, including new cars, on Rocket Pass, plus enough credits to renew Rocket Pass forever, or pay $20 for one car.... hard pass on the Lambo - real-life and virtual

After A Short Hike, Evergate and Bad North, I’ve learned to never underestimate indies that don’t initially look appealing. While the only one that caught me this time was TNMT (mostly for nostalgia), I’m keeping my eyes wide open for gems in this list.

Finally some love for Ubisoft in the comments section.

They are easily one of my favorite group developing for the Switch. Between Immortals, Mario & Rabbids and the AC ports, I feel like I always get hours upon hours of quality entertainment from them. Let’s show them more love!

@Zion, seem like you forgot to add one of blowing into the NES cartridge Used to hear/create that all the time!

Brilliant team, brilliant site. To many more years together!

Didn’t know about him until this article. What a legend!

Watched about a dozen of his vids, and my almost 2yr old absolutely adored them too. He especially liked them because “la’s”, “doop’s” and “bla’s” were all lyrics he could sing along to

Serendipitous timing for this piece. About 6hrs ago I closed and archived Hollow Knight for good. It stopped being fun about 5 days ago and it took strength to stop. Feels amazing to have done so.

Funnily, the game I started was the Witcher 3. The start really is a slog but I’m excited to see how much fun can be had. If it’s not, I’ll drop that too and maybe do some more Hades runs before the next one!

Been really hoping for a solid chopper game on the Switch. Even though it seems pretty cheaply made, I hope Ace Combat scratches a bit of the Desert Strike itch.

Feels more like a Wii U functionality: bottom screen in hand, top screen on the TV.

Still an interesting find though.

@MisterMan thank you! That's helpful to know. I just got into Hollow Knight and might focus on that then for a while. I'll keep an eye out for a demo though.

@MisterMan that's a pity. Did you feel immersed though?

@SoManyHaveDied I agree! I also think "seems a little easy for a roguelite" is a pro.

Can anyone comment on storyline and script? Those were some of the best parts of Hades.

I'm definitely on the boat that this was very thin.

The direct yesterday is the most convincing evidence I've seen so far of an update to the Switch being close by. My guess is that all the new major releases are being planned for better hardware and we got the ports and smaller titles filling in space until then. While I'm looking forward to playing Mario Golf in those sweet-looking new joy-cons, I'm surprised at how uninteresting this was as a 50min direct.

For what it’s worth, here’s a first hand experience. MariCar was the thing I was most excited to do in Japan. It’s how I celebrated my 30th birthday.

Anyone claiming that this is a reckless activity and street racing is referring to something completely different from what we experienced. We had very tight protocols on where and how to drive. Everyone had to keep to their position while driving and stopping. The only ones passing us were the administrators who were running a really tight ship. Was it the safest thing I’ve done? No. Was it the most dangerous? Also certainly no. I jaywalk frequently in NY and that is way more dangerous. What you need to understand is that the context is Tokyo. It is not, well, almost anywhere else. People respect traffic rules and keep other drivers safe. Would I do MariCar in NY, absolutely not. In Tokyo, I’d do it every day if I could.

Also, it should be noted that you need a specially translated version of your driver’s license to be able to drive the karts and you need to get it before you leave your home country. Anyone who doesn’t prepare before leaving doesn’t get to drive (it happened to the friends we were with who didn’t do the planning). Essentially, it’s easier to rent a Mercedes almost anywhere in the world and recklessly drive it endangering yourself and others (as many do) than it is to do MariCar.

Now, regarding the IP stuff. I tend to have a one track mind about this: don’t use other people’s stuff without permission. This is no different. However, I also want to note how infuriating it was to try to find Nintendo activities in Japan. Until this park, in 2021, there was absolutely NOTHING one could do! No park, no store (except a Pokemon one), no museum, no tour, no office, no nothing. I went to Japan in part because I love Nintendo as a brand. MariCar and another illegal Mario bar were the only things that scratched the itch.

In fact, driving around Tokyo in a kart visiting sites in a Mario costume, with my wife as Peach, was the single most enjoyable tour both of us ever had.