lillith

@OorWullie So it does. I've had a Switch since launch and had no idea. Now that's a discoverability problem...!

(Edit: I learned something today, there are in fact categories.)

1. Please dear lord, no background music.

2. There is a daunting amount of content on the Switch eShop now, anything to sort through it is appreciated. There is an unfortunate amount of utter schlock, and wading through it is somewhat aggravating. (Edit: I learned something today, there are in fact categories.)

I love Nintendolife reviews where the subhead says it all.

Holy poo. Looks amazing - as soon as Amazon Canada adds the listing (why are they so SLOW at doing that), I'm in for a pre-order.

This looks like a lot of fun ... don't know what 20% looks like for this one, but if it brings it under $10, I"ll bite.

I don't understand all the special events and such, but perhaps I don't play enough games on mobile to know or care.

The game is surprisingly great, it's quite a bit of fun going back to each level for the new set of coins. Still haven't gone through all the coins yet, but that's only because the wifi or data connection is mandatory. That means it mostly gets played at home - the place I'm least likely to play mobile games. I've tried Nintendo's other mobile offerings, don't like them anywhere near as much. Wish they would make some new levels...

I've never played Hyper Light Drifter, but after seeing it mentioned here in the comments, I watched a trailer for it. The two games look so similar that I'd say Songbringer isn't inspired by Zelda or HLD, it looks like a clone of HLD - the blink mechanic, the little doohickey following the main character around, same sort of weapon/attack style, mobs...

I don't know what everyone is on about the art style though, I think it looks great. Maybe I just like pixel art style games, or maybe my bar is lower, but I really think it looks great. HLD in comparison, (as far as what I see in the video) simply looks more...polished? The camera is zoomed out a bit more, which gives it that pixel but not pixel look.

Procedural generation doesn't bother me either. There are plenty of excellent examples of it from a world building perspective - Spelunky, Terraria, Starbound, Lego Worlds - and from a content perspective - Left 4 Dead 2, Borderlands, Diablo, etc. Just because the game world or content within that world is built that way does not automatically make it bad. I like that you can simply use the same seed and play the same world if you so choose. I love gorgeous handcrafted worlds as much as the next person - here's lookin' at you, ALttP - but a game that has many different world possibilities is attractive for different reasons. A good example of that is ALttP actually. BS Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets feels the same...but different. The overworld is tweaked, the dungeons are all different, and the clock/timed events really made the game feel fresh again.

[Aside: Personally, the one descriptor that turns me off in a game description, no matter how great it looks, is 'rogue-lite' or 'rogue-like'. Ugh. Some games do it well - FTL, Binding of Issac, Enter the Gungeon, Spelunky I guess - but it's far more hit or miss than games with procedural generated content.]

I already have Blossom Tales on the Switch, and it scratches that top-down ALttP itch for now. Long story short, I'd give Songbringer a shot, but if it's the same price that it is on Steam, it's a no-go until there is an appreciable sale. Games that are $20+ CDN on the eShop are tough sells to me. I already have so many wonderful games to play, so by the time I'm ready for something new, there's usually a sale on something interesting. I only regret one purchase so far, which is 'Tumblestone'. It's fun for the first little bit, and then just a slog. Too many levels with not enough progression mechanics to want to bother finishing it. OK, this is going off topic now, sorry!

I say this every time, but if they keep making these Lego games, I will keep buying. It's a bizarre addiction, and can't put my finger on what it is that keeps me entertained, but I just can't get enough. So, YES! More Lego! I tore through Lego Worlds, Marvel Super Heroes 2, and Undercover on the Switch so far, and can't wait for more.

I'd actually love it if they brought some of the older releases back, even as a collection - Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman, Harry Potter, LotR, Pirates of the Caribbean...while I own them all through Steam, I much prefer playing on the Switch and would re-buy without a second thought.

"Floaty controls" bugs me, because a precision platformer should never have floaty controls.

The only thing missing from the Satellaview game is the audio drama recordings, at this point. These things have a surprising way of surfacing in their own time. It's hard to say it can't be played -properly-. The game, music, cutscenes, banners, it's all there. It's even translated into English!

I love the BS games...Mario, Zelda, F-Zero, Excitebike...obviously they will never be released in any official way ever again. However, like another poster commented, this is why amazing folks on the internet collect and archive it for the ages.

First, as one of the first backers (who hasn't received a unit, and for whom no communication with InDemand has been returned), I clicked on the review, genuinely interested in what NintendoLife thought about it.

But then, anger flared at reading the plug to order a unit through IndieGogo. Surely, NintendoLife has read the dizzying array of comments on the campaign from backers the world over who haven't received a unit. Surely NintendoLife read the project updates, upon which lie after lie regarding the project status and the supposed delivery of the unit were told. Surely NintendoLife did even the most cursory journalistic investigation into whether or not this is a product to be recommended, from a reputable company...

"...this isn't vapourware..." promises NintendoLife. "...plagued by supply issues...", "...many backers completely in dark..", "...putting aside the issues relating to actually getting the device into the hands of backers for a moment..." The final sentence of the review is a real kicker - is this a review, or an InDemand sponsored apology?

Furthermore, what kind of review is this? "We've not been able to test all of those titles under the same conditions, but those times do seem to tally with our own experiences." InDemand published those times in April 2017, back when the product was promised to have a 12,000mAh battery rather than a 10,000mAh one. I'm glad that the times tally with your experiences, but that tells us absolutely nothing. How do you review this device without testing it and providing the results? I don't care how it smells, I care about how it performs!

Honestly, I expect better.

@Vivid_viking You'll sing a different tune when you have to slide that Preparation H applicator through the swollen mess of bulging veins surrounding the area where you know there once was a butthole, but you can no longer be sure. But you'll do it, because the cool, soothing release of that awful odoriferous gel is the only thing that stands between your orifice and the sweet sweet pleasure of sitting without a cushion, or passing a painful number two with more blood in the bowl than the heavy day of a menstrual cycle.

I'd rather play the game.

So, is the subscription service like Netflix? These are the games you can play through May, but come June we are replacing them with other games? Or, is it an expanding library?

@GamingDude800: I should clarify - moving into the future by leaving the VC behind.

The online service does nothing for me, with the same old tired NES games attached to it. The other consoles have paid online (albeit with far better benefits), so if Nintendo wants to try it, I'm all for it. However, it isn't personally relevant.

Nintendo is finally moving into the future.

Not sure if the music is for the trailer, or from the game, but it makes the video so much more entertaining...

This reminds me of old school Unreal Tournament multiplayer. Love the announcer. I'm in!

I don't understand the complaining about multiplayer mode. The only way to get better at something is to fail, learn, try again, repeat until you're good enough to win! I love it. I don't want to be "automatically good" at a game. If I want something easy to pick up and play just for fun with folks that are non-gamers/less skilled, I'll grab something along the lines of Mario Kart, which is enjoyable on a variety of levels.

This game's multiplayer, it puts hair on your chest.

I'd like a new 2D fighter with interactive environments. You know, when you smash the other player to the ground, and they break through the floor and you end up in a different space...things like that. Just a regular 2D fighter with static environments isn't as exciting to me in 2018.

One of my favourite systems, period. In addition to the games mentioned, I spent endless hours also playing:

Alleyway
Boomer's Adventure in ASMIK World
Elevator Action
Final Fantasy Series
Game & Watch Gallery
Kid Icarus
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kwirk
Motocross Maniacs
Mystical Ninja
Paperboy 2
Qix
Quarth
Super R.C. Pro-Am
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1
Tetris Attack
Wave Race

I won't justify any of them as the "best", or "worth playing", but there are just so many games to play on the system its ridiculous. Lots of good pick up and play titles. That's not even beginning to look at imports from Japan...if you were unlucky enough not to grow up during the Game Boy's heyday, do yourself a favour and dive in to the library! The best thing about doing that now is that in contrast to today's games, the length of most GB titles makes them easy to fit into a busy schedule.

@MarcelRguez - When I found the translation for "For the Frog the Bell Tolls", I sat there and said "What? This game's engine was re-used for Link's Awakening? Surely it must have been a bum game to be recycled like that, but I'll check it out for fun."

That was at about 6am. By dinner time, I'd beaten the game and realized I had been playing the entire day. LOVE the game, definitely would make a list like this for me.

Yessssssssss! More Lego games! I'm not in at launch though, made the mistake of doing it for marvel and Ninjago. The prices fall like a stone. So I'm excited, and in, once the price drops down to something more reasonable. They aren't $80 games.

I pre-ordered this on Amazon Canada, January 25, 2018. It's been available for quite some time - but definitely deserves some love in the news. Great game.

I thought this was Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+. Went straight to the eshop to buy it ... and found out it was this.

This game is not worth a 9/10, and I'm not a review score quibbler. It's a poor game in comparison to DX+.

Definitely Owlboy...but in May when the physical comes. At least there's finally a developer who listed the physical release date when the digital launched.

Looks gorgeous. "Creatures forage, mate, breed and prey on one another, creating a living world." Now -that- is cool.

I bought Steamworld Dig 2 on the eShop like many of you..and I'm torn. I have a ridiculous library of physical titles. However, as others are saying, creating a situation where people don't know whether or not to buy isn't great for anyone.

My problem with the physical release is that it will cost more than twice as much as the eShop version, because of the "Switch tax". Yes, I will pick it up (simply because availability will be scarce later on if I change my mind,) but I won't be 100% happy about it.

Pre-ordered this a while back, really looking forward to it! Given the state of the Switch and the 3DS, this will likely be a hard-to-find retail release in the future.

I am done with My Nintendo. It grinds my gears that the coins expire, especially the gold ones that come from spending money. I keep losing them because there is nothing to spend them on. It's always the same cycle of old 3DS, eShop, and VC games. And Wii U games. How long does it take to add some Switch rewards? Not that it will matter, because most of us will have already purchased the older titles they will put on discount.

I'm just going to stop redeeming them from all the retail games. Sigh. I wish they'd bring back Club Nintendo.

@dimi Well ... as an avid gamer, who plays just about -anything- ... I never could get into Pokemon. Any of them. While I don't discount their popularity and that they might be good games, there are clearly many more choices in the upper levels of the GBA library.

Many of my favourites didn't make this list either, but this list is just a cursory look at the obvious games. It's all subjective.

@noobish_hat Huge round of applause, I was going to post about Minish Cap and Metroid Fusion. They are awful games, and certainly nowhere near the best the GBA had to offer. It is always disappointing to see them so high GBA lists, but everything is subjective I suppose.

Honestly, I would only pick up the Switch version at this point if it was patched and re-released physically. What is the point of owning the cartridge at this point? It's a broken thing.

@TheLobster I concede to your well argued point.

It's a little purple, but perhaps that's a difference between English usage in Canada vs. other countries.

...whoops, my comment seems to have disappeared into the ether.

I watched the first 30 seconds, of the trailer and am already in!

@AG_Awesome Made me laugh out loud.

When a developer takes their time to polish a game, I applaud them. There are so many games to play on the Switch right now, so take all the time you need to get it right.

I don't usually correct spelling in an article, but there is a glaring one: "There’s just not enough depth to elevate the simplicity of its basic conceit." Along that line though, the basic concept is exactly what makes it such a "can't put it down", "one more go" kind of game.

Space Dave! is a well polished, perfectly balanced, arcade score chaser. If you're among the crowd who loved Whoa Dave!, you're going to love Space Dave!. Whoa Dave! received a 7 from NL on 3DS, and an 8 on Wii U, so maybe this is just a "I get it", or an "I don't get it" kind of game.

Personal preference, Space Dave! is friggin' awesome.

I backed the C-FORCE, which does work as a portable switch dock. (The CF001 is what we got.) Its little stiff cord is awkward, but it does the job. They have iterated it since the original crowdfunding, and I can't speak to the iterated models. (However, it does NOT work as a USB-C hub on any device I've tried it with.)

I'm curious about the SwitchCharge, which I also backed, and which was also modified after the funding campaign ended. They claim the units have been shipped and are on the way ... so let's see if that will be as big of a debacle, or a success.

I would buy this again if i was expanded into an actual game. The way it stands now, it's basically a fun demo.

Yes, please!

Tangent, but the trailer made me think about it - You know what genre I miss these days? On rails shooters such as Virtua Cop and House of the Dead. I'd even settle for ports of those games, but it's such a fun genre - especially for two players.

I don't know if we're allowed to ask, but where do we download these MSU-1 patches? I'd love to try some.

Labo? Like it, don't like it, does not matter one bit. It is innovation, and it is enjoyable to see a company trying different things and trying to push other companies to try something different.

Pachter? Like him, or don't like him, does not matter one bit. He does his thing, you do your thing. News coverage is objective, and uncensored. This article is tongue in cheek. Don't like him? Don't watch him. Don't want to read about him? Don't click on articles that mention him.

@DINFIRE Thank you for the link to siftd, and the alternate take.

@timson72 Yeah...that portrayal was accurate.

I love that there are still people passionate about, and playing, this game. Gives me the warm and fuzzies about the gaming community. To play a game, and fall in love with it... and then find other like-minded folks who love the same game is a beautiful thing.

"You STILL play video games?" is the derisive question that is asked of me a lot. Hell yeah I do. When Mario saved the Mushroom Kingdom... I was there with him. When Samus Aran explored the depths of Planet Zebes... I explored along with her. When Cecil strugged with right and wrong as the Captain of the Red Wings, I was there standing beside him...

...and I wasn't the only one. And that's awesome.

...

...just a big LOL in general to "Nintendo blew it with this direct", and all these comments about what Nintendo is doing wrong, or how Nintendo is disappointing them, or whatever. Nintendo didn't lay out a red carpet of every "AAA" title you've ever wanted to see, so now you're kicking sand in the sandbox? Get real. The gaming community that bothers to post on the internet sure is a fickle bunch.

Why not just enjoy the ride? There's already a ton of great content to play on it, more is coming, and amazingly, it hasn't even been on the shelf a year yet. Go grab your switch, maybe even a friend or two, and enjoy it. Every time you sit down at your computer screen to female dog about what you think they aren't doing, grab your Switch instead. It's far more enjoyable.

Oh yes, and Kirby? Can't freaking wait.

I disliked the trailer so much. Didn't even finish watching it. That voice-over was just awful. The art looks like Ittle Dew, which is OK, and the music didn't seem half bad, which is OK, but the actual game play just looked awful.

Maybe I'm just out of touch with the hip kids.

@Fuz What's wrong with DKC? Over 20 years later, it still looks (and most importantly,) plays, fantastically! While not quite as pretty as DKC2, I never would have thought to put DKC in the category of games that didn't age well. In the N64 and early PS1 era...many of those games did not age well. But DKC? Awww.

@XenoShaun Always. ALWAYS. It doesn't look like Castlevania or Metroid is going to keep providing those play experiences, so hats off to the developers who continue to refine the style. If developers keep making them, I'll certainly keep buying them. It's never enough.

Far too short to buy again. If they fleshed it out into an actual real game, I'd be interested.

Thanks to the eShop sale, I'm only now grabbing some games that came out months ago. As with most eShop updates, to the wishlist, Arcade Archives!