glennthefrog

@Znake Only a matter of time until Rare Replay is on a Nintendo console, you'll get your chance.

@Warioware Prime 3 ends the Dark Samus storyline. The teaser at the end of 3 hinted at future adventures.

Right now I'm assuming the Prime moniker is going to be used for all first-person 3D Metroids. I really hope we don't get Dark Samus yet again as some kind of twist. I'm fine with Prime 4, and any future sequels, revolving around Samus' fight against Sylus.

I'd give it an 8. A good Direct, but not the best. M&L and Zelda look solid but lack the excitement, at least for me, of something like Mario Wonder or Mario RPG last year. MP4 was great but it's 2025, and likely well into 2025 since they didn't specify 'Winter' as with a few other titles in the Direct.

It showed Switch is still getting respectable support, and will have at least one AAA heavy-hitter next year as well. No complaints but it didn't blow my socks off.

@FirstEmperor I mean, with that release date it's almost guaranteed to be a same-day Switch 2 release. Cross-gen on both Switch 1-2 was always the betting favorite.

@-wc- I think Mario Advance 4 is the only game to feature additional e-reader stuff on NSO so far. I honestly don't know what other GBA games used it, I remember some GC games like Animal Crossing supported it back in the day.

I'd love to see 4 Swords Adventure make it to NSO someday without the insane requirement of 4 GBAs and 4 links cables to really get the most out of the experience.

@-wc- The e-reader levels are all on NSO, luckily, so it's never been easier to give them a shot if you ever feel so inclined.

@the_beaver The Last Story is so underrated. One of my favorite RPGs. Sadly it was overshadowed by Xenoblade and fell into obscurity. I'd love to see it get a second chance at success like Baten Kaitos recently did.

Just remember, this time last year we didn't know about either Super Mario Wonder or the Super Mario RPG remake. There's no reason to rule out the possibility Nintendo has a heavy hitter or two ready for holiday 2024.

@N8tiveT3ch I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo tried this. The MK8 expansion pass was testing the waters of a live service-y approach to that franchise imo. No need to release a sequel when it was still selling strong and MK9 would almost certainly be extremely similar in gameplay mechanics anyway.

Smash Ultimate Enhanced Edition with a new mode or two and 2-3 new waves of DLC would make close to as much money for Nintendo as a brand new game with a far lower development budget.

There are about 50 3rd-party characters I'd rather have in Smash before Aloy. Even among Sony characters I'd rather add Ratchet, Astro or Kratos.

Horizon's a solid series but I've never found Aloy to be a terribly compelling character. I'd prefer someone more historic/retro first.

-Sonic Adventure Collection
-Sonic Lost Worlds (since no one had a Wii U)
-Sonic Advance Collection
-Sonic Rush
-Chaos Emerald Collection: 7 Bad 3D Sonic Games for $50

There you go, guys. It's all sorted out.

I hope this is a warmup for Yooka 3.

Sounds like they're sprucing up the original quite a bit, the devil will be in the details but there's great game to be uncovered if they just iron out the problems. I'd probably buy it just to support the studio even if it was just a visual upgrade, but I'm glad to read that it's going to be deeper than that.

I can't imagine Nintendo offering these options given that they really don't prioritize hardware specs at all. They'd opt for the framerate every time.

Anyone expecting Switch 2 to be a technical behemoth is going to be sorely disappointed.

Hero shooter is a hard pass for me.

This review doesn't read like a 8/10 either, maybe a 7/10 given NL is generally more lenient than other outlets and their sister sites like Push Square. Particularly these passages:

" it sounds like something that you've seen several times before, that's because it is. Hunters doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the squad-based table but as the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't Babu Friks it.""

"It's a mobile-first Switch game, but come with the right frame of mind and you will be sufficiently whelmed."

So a F2P game in an overcrowded genre whose only selling point seems to be the license. It's not exceptional compared to its peers in gameplay or technical performance but if you specifically felt lightsabers and Jawas were missing from hero shooters it would scratch that itch.

I don't think the reviewer, or NL is paid off or whatever but it just screams mediocrity from the gameplay videos to the tone of other reviews I've read. And then add to that hero shooters and F2P are essentially, imo, slop for casual gamers these days that don't do anything interesting for me. Score seems like it was graded on a bit of a curve.

@AllieKitsune So people are obligated to financially support certain media or they can be assumed to be bigoted? That's not really a feasible standard.

@Vivianeat The last paragraph of your post is key and was kind of what I was getting at with the scapegoat remark.

I don't doubt that developers do get harassed for dumb crap like this, but at the same time it's an extremely vocal minority who are truly vile. The vast majority of people not buying the game, whether it's Crown or Zau, are doing so because it simply doesn't look interesting.

The insinuation of his the video response is that the failure is by and large due to racists, or at least that his racist harassers represent a massive segment of the market. I find those two things extremely hard to believe. But that's been part of the playbook for a lot of failures by multimedia companies in the past decade, from giant conglomerates (Disney) to indie developers. Twitter isn't real life, nor is reddit, nor is discord. It's easy to get that hate in your DMs and say 'well, that's the reason this game/movie/show hasn't taken off, legions of racists have conspired against me'. When in reality in nearly every case it's a few dozen maladjusted youths ***** posting. Their voices are simply amplified so the 1/10,000 person seems like an army that constitutes a majority. Most consumers are neither far right or far left, they make their purchasing decisions based on what looks most interesting to them in the moment, not to promote or oppress any particular ideology or ethnic group.

@JohnnyC I think the 'if you don't like it, don't play it/buy it' is part of the issue here. And it makes this sort of video response futile.

Most likely the tepid sales reception is due to oversaturation of Metroidvanias, but if it really is racism what can be done? We can't force them to open their wallets.

It's another, rather mediocre, Metroidvania in a sea of Metroidvanias. It's also not the only game in the genre recently released with a black protagonist, since Prince of Persia The Lost Crown came out not too long ago. Even the price isn't that exceptional when you can get Hollow Night and Ori for the same or less on a regular basis.

He's in an uphill battle to find success and frankly I don't believe it's racism that is causing most of the difficulty. It does make for a convenient scapegoat though.

Or, Nintendo could actually develop a robust social sim game and court that audience directly.

As for if I'd like to see the core Fire Emblem gameplay be sacrificed, absolutely not. If it's new mechanics on top of the classic strategy gameplay, like Three Houses, no worries at all. Removing the strategy is an awful idea. Just make a new franchise at that point, don't wear FE like a skinsuit to sell a different concept.

@MsJubilee I agree, re-releases of older COD would have been a great way to gain the Nintendo audience.

Problem for Activision is that some of the older games are so much better it would just shine a light on the decline of quality over the years. No need to remind everyone the old games were just as good (or better) while also featuring actual campaigns and sane file sizes.

I've wanted to give this series a try for awhile, I'll definitely pick it up when it releases.

I don't see how it makes business sense to announce this year unless it actually launches this fall, so I doubt they will. Nintendo will probably be mum on the Switch 2 topic until about February, we'll get a news blowout, and console launch by end of April.

@dodgeskill100 It's more the tone of the depiction than the fact they are similar in appearance to drag queens. Some who are in favor of normalizing drag could view the maggypsies, who are depicted as quite silly and strange, as a demeaning and offensive stereotype. I don't doubt that some would also applaud the maggypsies, but as we all know it only takes 10-15 terminally online Twitter users to create a bunch of headlines claiming Nintendo trades in harmful anti-LGBTQ tropes.

My point is simply that Nintendo could potentially catch crap from both sides. Those against drag in general, and also those who are all for it but on their specific terms (so, not treated as strange or a joke). That is why they are avoiding localization of Mother 3 entirely and likely always will.

Mother 3 is never ever getting translated in the west.

It's the maggypsies (magical characters that resemble drag queens). Those characters would set off a social media meltdown from every side. Conservative parents, woke people who might view those depictions as problematic, etc. would all draw the wrong sort of attention towards Nintendo.

Mother 3 has been noted by Nintendo as a game that is suitable exclusively for Japanese sensibilities for that reason. Unfortunately, that is not going to change because the West is getting even more shrill on the culture war front with no signs of slowing down.

@xDeckardx It's the Call of Duty part that has people negative, not her gender. Literally anyone getting hired to lead Blizzard with COD at the top of their resume was going to be greeted with a chorus of boos.

I'm just glad JSR is coming back. Maybe Bombrush Cyberfunk gave them the kick in the ass they needed to take everyone's money. I'd even be happy with just a remake/bundle of the original JSR and Future.

As far as future projects go dream games are a Panzer Dragoon Saga remake and/or a proper single-player Phantasy Star V.

I love Banjo, but it's more than 20 years too late for a sequel. The original talent is all gone.

The franchise could be revived of course, with a new team, but there's little chance the original quirky vibe would be emulated faithfully.

Playtonic might be able to pull it off, but that's the only way I could see it working. You need British developers (to retain the humor) with lots of experience in 3D collectathons. Not a long list of developers who fit that bill.

Embarrassing for the PS5 to be getting outsold by both Xbox variants. I guess Japan has abandoned Sony.

Only on world 3, but it's basically perfect so far. Easily the best 2D Mario since SMW (I count Yoshi's Island as separate). If not for Zelda it would be an easy GOTY imo.

The center face is not an improvement, I hate her movie design. Kung Fu Peach has been improved, the fierce expression matches the action.

I don't understand all the pearl clutching about how she's finally being given a personality, not a damsel in distress, etc. Those critiques have been outdated for decades now. Peach has been shown to be competent, brave and self-possessed since at least Mario RPG in 1996. You could argue Mario 2, but that wasn't meant to be a Mario game at all. Since 96 we've also had her Paper Mario appearances, Smash Bros Melee, Super Princess Peach, the twist at the end of Mario Odyssey and many other examples where she doesn't simply default to a helpless spectator or prize to be won. She's still girly, sure, but not portrayed as a useless airhead. She's been only a part-time damsel in distress at most for a long time now. I'd hate to see her become yet another copy-paste yass kween stereotype when she's already carved out her niche as a capable protagonist over the decades.

But most likely this is just goofy marketing logic, the assumption that fierce sells ala Kirby's American box art, and not a genuine change to the character's portrayal.

I already have both KOTOR games, Republic Commando and Episode I Racer so I'll probably pass on this one.

Nonetheless it's an awesome value, and I really hope we see more of this. So many collections of N64/GC/Wii-era games only include 2-3 games when more (sometimes many more) could easily be included.

It's pretty simple, if the product a company delivers is not as advertised the company is obliged to refund the consumer.

This concept is somewhat complicated by the fact video games are not sold as complete packages anymore, and a significant chunk of content is often delivered months or years after launch day.

Nonetheless, if marketing clearly advertises content, especially like this where it is arguably the main selling point for most buyers, the company can't simply hide behind the weak 'well, game development is uncertain' excuse. This was not a beta, or a GaaS title. There was no ambiguity in their advertising about whether the Restored Content would eventually arrive. This was also not a case of the content arriving and being disappointing, in that case the consumer would have no recourse. In this case no content was ever delivered at all. They should have offered a straightforward refund from the moment it was clear the Restored Content was not coming.

This is a reaaaaaallly generous score for this game. It's fun for the first few hours but quickly falls off a cliff. Not enough track variety, even worse vehicle variety, I can't fathom how that gets a 9.

Don't get me wrong, it's a solid diversion especially for fans who are starving but it's an 8 at absolute best. Personally I'd give it a 7.5. I put about 6 hours into it and probably won't be going back for much more.

@LadyCharlie With respect, EarthboundBenjy was not necessarily wrong. Emotional state changes, including mood swings, are a known side effect of estrogen hormone therapy. Not for every patient, so I don't doubt you were very fortunate in that regard, but it is not uncommon at all.

Of course dealing with harassment in addition would surely exacerbate the situation.

Source: UC San Francisco Transgender Care
https://transcare.ucsf.edu/article/information-estrogen-hormone-therapy

@Serpenterror It is a depressing prospect. On the other hand, Superman 64 would be an incredible choice to add on April 1st, 2024.

@TheBigK That's what I'm thinking as well.

If they reveal in advance the crazies have time to raise a huge stink and sour the launch. If the reveal comes after all the (presumably) rave reviews and player impressions any whining will be drowned out by the good press.

I really enjoyed Front Mission 1st, so I look forward to the physical release.

@duerer Just a genre convention at this point. It made sense in the past when cut scenes were a huge deal (so the opening video was a teaser for all the great stuff you'd see) and also because it used to be impossible to visually represent certain things well (so the opening video was basically 'see, that's what it's supposed to look like').

You're right though, at this point it doesn't serve much purpose aside from carrying on tradition.

Makes sense. The GC/Wii are a massive step up in file size per game. Nintendo will have to find a way to deal with that before adding them to NSO. Obviously greed plays a part as well (easier to re-release GC/Wii at full price), but it's also a technical problem. They'd probably have to offer individual game downloads for GC/Wii to avoid eating up everyone's precious storage space.

I'd expect DS to be added next if we get another new platform before Switch 2 launches.

@Krisi It's definitely going to be interesting to see how Nintendo reacts if sales for this remake obliterate the results from previous Paper Mario releases.

(I'm not sure how likely that is though)

#18: You'll be excited about it, or else.

(Old-school fans crack knuckles menacingly)

Impossible to know for sure until we play but the physics seemed different from the NSMB series. That's a positive for me if so, I always thought the feel of those games was a bit off.

Just give us Persona 6 already.

Majora's Mask is hands-down the scariest/creepiest Zelda game. Tear of the Kingdom isn't even in the same league.

@Yosti The Limited Run KOTOR II product page originally prominently displayed the restored content as part of the package. This was true throughout the period when orders could be placed.

It wasn't until 2023, well after orders were placed, that the restored content section of the game's page was quietly removed. I don't blame LRG, this is clearly on Aspyr, but it was not avoidable for those who ordered the physical version.

Source: I bought the physical version from LRG and kept an eye on the page through the following months

Absolutely not. I suspect a massive world littered with shrines is the template going forward but it doesn't have to be this exact map with a twist or two. TOTK is already pushing it.

9 or 9.5 out of 10 for me. The weapons/shields/bows breaking makes combat a drag. The need to farm materials for upgrades and to sell for rupees to acquire story-mandatory equipment (protection from elements) create bottlenecks that detract from the otherwise sublime experience.

I spent my first 30+hrs just exploring the world, which was amazing, but after beginning to tackle the main quests it was clear I needed more rupees and to upgrade my equipment because their base level strength is laughable. That resulted in a couple boring hours of chores. So my experience was basically: 2hr annoying railroading tutorial, 30+hrs incredible exploration, 2hrs farming for specific widgets, remainder incredible temples and endgame.

The good outweighs the bad by a fair margin, thus the 9 or 9.5 (I go back and forth) but it is far from a perfect experience imo.

@RobynAlecksys I also found the entire tutorial to be a drag for the same reasons, but once you make it to the ground that frustration is mostly gone. Individual shrines have construction-based puzzles but it is less annoying because you're able to freely explore in between those moments and feel way less railroaded than the opening area.

Is there any additional content in these games, like the e-card levels in Mario Advance 4 (SMB3)? If not I don't really see the point.

Edit: Just saw the post about new Yoshi's Island levels and slight SMB2 changes. Doesn't seem totally pointless then.

Bait and switch. Releasing Overwatch 2 was just an excuse to include scummy monetization.