dartmonkey

Finally!

@step_over I've removed the Mini references, apologies for any confusion!

@vec42 NIS America reached out to clarify some of the wording in the original press release, we've updated that section.

Long story short, their website is correct: Japanese audio options on consoles, too. Japanese text options on PC only.

@JohnnyMind You know, I might just do that when we add Mario vs. DK in due course. I enjoy exploring the delineation between remakes and remasters, and it created some good discussion on the previous post where we canvassed opinion, but it is nebulous and seems to be derailing things here.

@NerdyBoutKirby You're right — thanks for the heads-up.

@Sisilly_G You're also right! I've replaced the box and banner art.

@gcunit Yep, it was posing the question and requesting ratings, and this is the result.

@CaleBoi25 As we covered before, it's in the title!

As I said before, there's a fine line and several grey areas, and we haven't been consistent in our own categorisation over the last two decades. I think a game that has the word Remastered in its title is a pretty open-shut case, though.

@Peteykins It ran perfectly from what I've played.

We've discussed it some more and decided to remove Donkey Kong GB from the running. It's a great game, but essentially a port of arcade DK with an entirely new game bolted on the end — not really a 'remake'.

It's more like 3D World + Bowser's Fury, if Bowser's Fury was 80% of the game.

We've also eliminated Mario World and Yoshi's Island on GBA, which feel more like straight ports than remakes.

@Scoopz I’ve adjusted the wording to highlight that November was when the figures were reported.

I've adjusted the headline slightly to "Heading Into 2024" — it's unclear at the moment, and Switch outselling any new hardware in this calendar year seems very likely to me, but going into the year seems more accurate. @FishyS @pbisawsem

@MarioBrickLayer I believe they reworked some models and did a lot of texture work — I’m pretty sure they didn’t remodel every asset, though.

@MarioBrickLayer There are always cases that blur the lines between remake and remasters, but LA is a total rebuild. I can’t imagine there’s anything of the original Game Boy code running under the hood, whereas Metroid Prime Remastered is an augmented HD version of the GameCube original.

@Yoshif3 I mean, it is called Metroid Prime Remastered.

And Another Code is on there now @T-3.

@NateAndDestroy Ha, now that would be a VERY different game. The art monkeys who stole the L have been found and apprehended.

@Rozetta Thanks for the heads-up — zapped.

@Vyacheslav333 It got a physical release, so wasn't eligible.

@Poodlestargenerica Ha, I can’t think of any examples of Excitebot-style controls specifically, but loads of games must measure z movement — 1-2-Switch, Switch Sports, Warioware Move It, off the top of my head.

Someone tore down and reverse engineered them — it definitely measures all three axes with both accelerometer and gyro:
https://github.com/dekuNukem/Nintendo_Switch_Reverse_Engineering

@Poodlestargenerica The Joy-Con have an accelerometer and a gyroscope, so they can do everything Wiimotes can, minus IR pointing — although the right Joy-Con has an IR sensor in the bottom. There wouldn’t be any issues replicating the Excite motion controls on Switch.

@Poodlestargenerica Impossible to emulate? Joy-Con can do everything Wiimotes can and more (minus infrared pointing). Excitetruck/bots ports would be relatively simple on Switch.

And ESSENTIAL. Oof, now I want to play them. That's the weekend sorted.

For some ungodly reason, those CD-i controllers excite me. $35, plus shipping, plus a crapload of import fees, probably...

Somebody stop me.

This is a big talking point for Pokémon fans and a hugely popular game with a VERY obvious link to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, so yes, we'll be covering developments on the site. If a game called Mariworld starring a platforming, gun-toting plumber came out on Xbox, we'd be looking at that and any associated controversy too!

Things are developing quickly at the moment, hence the articles today, and I certainly don't want to flood the site with posts about a game Switch owners can't play. That said, it's absolutely of interest to Nintendo fans and we will continue covering the story. All the posts are easily identifiable, so if you're not interested in the game — which is totally understandable — there are plenty of other articles to enjoy.

Hi all. Just seen this, and yes, that was a typo. Thanks to everyone for highlighting. Carry on!

@Thomystic You mean the 8.8s? It's always displayed to one decimal place, hasn't it? I don't think there's been any change.

It'll almost certainly be going on more than one list.

@Spider-Kev You're suggesting that a Nintendo-focused site doesn't report on Switch 2 news and rumours until it's officially announced...?

I get that a constant barrage of whispers is tiring — we feel it and, believe me, every week there are dozens we don't touch! — but this story's wide reporting coupled with its sus-ness (which we wanted to highlight) made this one worth covering. The article is labelled 'Random' and sets up the dubious nature of the claim in the headline itself — we're not shouting SWITCH 2 RELEASE DATE LEAK!!! and then keeping the "Well, actually..." for the click.

We'll continue doing our very best to avoid the pap, but we'll also continue covering 'Switch 2' news and rumours that arise before any official announcement. We're Nintendo Life!

@mctony Zapped, thanks.

@Spider-Kev I reached out to LR and got confirmation on the full list. I've added it to the article above, too:

1. KYUKYOKU TIGER (Japan Arcade Single Player Version)
2. KYUKYOKU TIGER (Japan Arcade Two Player Version)
3. TWIN COBRA (US Arcade Version)
4. TIGER-HELI (Japan Arcade Version)
5. KYUKYOKU TIGER (8-Bit Version)
6. KYUKYOKU TIGER (PC Engine Version)
7. KYUKYOKU TIGER (Japan Mega Drive Veronica)
8. TWIN COBRA (US 8-Bit Version)
9. TWIN COBRA (US Genesis Version)
10. TIGER-HELI (Japan 8-Bit Version)
11. TIGER-HELI (US 8-Bit Version)
12. GET STAR (Japan Arcade Version)
13. Guardian (US Arcade Version)
14. BRAINWASHING GAME TEKI-PAKI (Japan Arcade Version)

@Lofoten We could add a mention in the intro, but as a monthly community-focused article, we'd rather keep the explanatory stuff down the bottom so people can get into the meat of the article quicker.

And I think with the review-score shortlist, and the top 3, and the reader poll and stats, including the total points as well is probably overkill! We'll discuss it, though — we're looking to tweak this article series a little, so watch this space.

@Spider-Kev It's a little confusing due to how LR has listed it, but Kyukyoku Tiger and Twin Cobra are the regional versions of the same game (Famicom and NES respectively). Then Tiger-Heli has the Famicom and NES versions listed separately.

@OorWullie We reviewed the bundle with all six, and with them being available separately, we decided to include them in the vote.

@RetroBox Seems to be available now. It probably just didn't go live on the eShop until 7am PST / 10am EST.

Still missing on the UK eShop, though.

@nukatha Ha, that would be a very small list!

@PessitheMystic Yep, we're one big hive mind over here.

@JohnnyMind Zapped, thanks.

@HeftyLaces I've addressed this a couple of times before, you can read my previous comments here.

And as with every game released on Switch this year whether we reviewed it or not, Hogwarts absolutely qualifies. If you want to rate it, you can do so via its game page.

@Takoda “Keep an eye out for our review of this critically acclaimed adventure…”

@Jimgamer8 We didn't get code for this one.

Just a note to any would-be new commenters on this one — as per the new intro, we've updated the order in this list according to each game's User Rating in our database, so it's now reader-ranked.

Just something to bear in mind before responding to pre-update comments above, many of which are several years old.

@JohnnyMind Technically, yes! I gave it a shoutout in the outro, but it's not part of our database right now. Watch this space, though.

@awp69 Thanks for the spot, I've zapped that.

@GrailUK Ha, yeah you can definitely tell we're deep into the console cycle when a sale throws up this many amazing games. Most people will likely own a fair number of these already, but as @FishyS says, add in all the 8/10s and this would destroy us all.

And let's not forget that 7/10 is a respectable score, too! Just so much quality on this console.

@Gaviin It IS "jibe with" — thanks. Zapped. I'm going to blame that one on Ian Querty.

@AmplifyMJ No problem.

@AmplifyMJ It being a known quantity is just one of several factors we took into consideration when deciding whether or not to review. As you say, we cover Switch ports of games released on other platforms all the time and will continue to do so.

Staff wellbeing is another significant factor. Reviewing Persona 5 or Super Mario RPG is unlikely to attract the kind of insinuation and abuse we receive across all channels from people who, unlike yourself, aren't able to express an opinion in a polite manner.

Ultimately, like it or not, the complex issues this game and property now inevitably raise affect members of the gaming community, here and elsewhere, negatively. We understand the disappointment, but in this case we've decided not to review.

@AmplifyMJ Hi there. I addressed this on the forums last week, but I'll paste it here too:

We’re not going to be reviewing Hogwarts on NL. We’ve spoken as a team several times over the last few months and have decided not to cover this particular game with a review.

I understand that might disappoint some readers waiting to hear our verdict on what is undoubtedly a big release, but at this point it’s a known quantity from a gameplay perspective and information on the quality of the Switch port won’t be difficult to find. We’ve been averaging over a review a day since September — there’s a huge number of games launching in this period and this one is certainly not in need of our championing to find an audience!

To be 100% clear, our decision not to review shouldn’t be taken as passing judgement on other outlets or anyone who buys and plays and enjoys the game — several of us on Team NL will be doing so! However, we’re in a fortunate position where our higher-ups don’t dictate which games we shall and shall not give coverage to; in this instance, we decided that we would rather divert resources to other games at this busy time of the year. To those who wish to manage their mischief, crack on and let us know how you get on.

@FlyingDunsparce Affecting the score? Ruining the game? It's a minor personal point brought up in the text with a tongue-in-cheek callback in the cons — this wouldn't suddenly be an 8 if Funky Kong was silent!

The Joys and Cons are an overall roundup reflecting the sentiments of the reviewer, they don't represent scales with the balance going one way or another depending on the number of positives/negatives. A 10/10 could easily have two or three cons.

@FishyS Ha, watch this space.

@Max_the_German That is a shout, and I've added it.

Eyyyy, cheers everyone!

@Spider-Kev I believe there's a limit to the number of entries we can display on a single page in this case. If you change to the 'Table' view, you can see nearly all of them on one page. But it still hits a limit and goes onto a second. Too many amiibo!

@JackieCMarlow @ButterCashier

As Tom said, it's a journalistic convention that's been a part of NL for years now. You'll find it in all our news and review articles and most of our features, too — although Soapboxes and some Talking Points switch to singular. There are pros and cons to the plural, but it generally helps maintain a more cohesive reading experience across the site.

@GrailUK To an addict, in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, why would you say such things?

@JohnnyMind Found it.

@Impossibilium I’ve added a note. 👍