nin10doom

Others have mentioned this already in this thread, but I don't recall seeing very much marketing for it, or even knowing when it released. I also don't have any nostalgia for the game, other than remembering it was an important indie release way back when. I think more marketing would have helped sales.

While I loved the combat in Engage, I really did not like the story or main character (or most of the cast, really). I think Awakening is still my favorite as far as story and cast goes, but maybe that's just nostalgia talking.

Not so much with just Nintendo, but game companies in general, I think need to be careful with time budgets. So many studios have had to close or lay off ppl due to not making enough profit. Instead of like 80 hour long games, I'd take a quality 7-10 hour game (for example)... Or using a nice, manageable art style, instead of hyper realism (which takes more resources to make).

@Cia Kudos for SMT Vengeance, it looks amazing! But I can't tell if you were making a joke, since you were discounting TTYD based on it not being new...but then voting for what's essentially not a new game? (Not trying to troll, just asking!)

Ah! I didn't know there was a rumored sequel to Unicorn Overlord! The game is amazing, and packed full of content. They very easily could have split the game into a huge game along with separate DLC, but it's all within the base game. It's also one of the few strategy RPGs I'm actually wanting to replay, just so I can try out different tactics and team combinations. Simply stunning.

The first game is one of my favorites on 3DS, and I enjoyed it more than the Dig games (though they're also amazing!). I am SO excited to see this series return and hope that strategy players give it a go because it's fun, addicting, and such a unique concept.

I think it's a smart way to help parents feel comfortable about having their kids play on the NSO apps. There is a clear delineation for them to distinguish which app is "safe" for younger kids.

I can see the benefit of both directions. Opening it up too much, too often, would begin to dilute the strong branding and universe of Mario. However, restricting it too much can make things stale and limit the bursts of creative juice that artists can do amazing things with. I think there's probably a healthy middle ground to be found.

I think if XBox held onto their exclusives this whole time, they'd be in such better shape today. I remember seeing Ori the first time and being like wow... I'm really tempted to get an XBox now. Then it got ported to Switch, and I decided to hold off on getting an XBox. Same with games like HiFi Rush, Psychonauts, etc... They've got such a great, diverse stable of studios with great IP...but each time they share an exclusive, I feel like it hurts their brand, and the desire to buy their console.

I think this could be really great! I imagine it would be digital only, and basically a portable Series S. Having a game going on the portable, and then continuing it on the big screen at home would be awesome.

Wow! Such a great track record!! Some absolutely amazing games in his lineup.

Sigh...Much love and prayer for all those being affected. The gaming industry is in such a fragile state right now. I think studios need to focus on smaller, more focused titles rather than huge AAA realistic open world games. I can't imagine the budget it takes to make some of these mammoth sized games, but that's a huge risk to take. (Not that the studio in this article did that, this is more of just a general thought.)

Woohoo! Glad it's selling well, and that it has a lot sold on the Switch! Crazy to think so many amazing games are still releasing and selling so well on our aging, but amazing Switch! It was kinda surprising to see how little is being sold on XBox, like does that include series S/X sales too? If so, I can see why there was all that talk about Microsoft going multiplatform. I got off topic... Woohoo Unicorn Overlord!

I can definitely see why from a business standpoint they'd want to move in that direction, as it does make a lot of sense to have players continually coming back to something the developers invest so much into. Unfortunately, this approach rarely makes for a compelling single player game, and often feel bloated and purposeless imo. Hopefully companies find a balance to making great games and making a profit, as the industry is definitely struggling and a lot of people are out of jobs.

I'd love a new entry! I'd like to see an entirely new set of jobs/classes, like really get creative with them! And a different 3D character model art style. Some of the models from BD2 just didn't match the quality elsewhere in the game.

I definitely loved seeing the return of Epic Mickey! With a little refinement, especially to the camera and controls, the game could be such an amazing revisit to that world! There weren't a ton of other standouts to me personally, but it was a nice and varied lineup for sure.

@Aurumonado that's what I was hoping for too, in it being more like SMT4 Apocalypse.

I was kinda confused...is this also going to be dlc if I have the original?

Hate to be a pessismist, but I have extremely low expectations for this Partner Direct. I hope I'm wrong, but I just can't imagine anything amazing coming out in the first half of the year this late in the Switch lifecycle.

I think we won't see Switch 2 until the Holidays of next year, November 2025. I can see them even pushing into March 2026 tbh. The Switch is still selling very well (especially considering it's age), and with some price breaks, and a few more strong titles, they could easily hold off. With the industry in the precarious state it's currently in, I see them playing it very safe the next year or two.

I'd definitely prefer to give more time to acceptance speeches and less time on weird awkward intros from non game celebrities.

Wow, really???? It didn't look that bad in gameplay trailers. I hope it's ok, as I've already purchased it lol! I do have to admit though... FPS counting and resolution measuring has to be one of the most tiresome videogame review trends of these past console cycles. Like...I remember playing MegaMan on the NES, which had moments of extreme slowdown...and it was and is an amazing game, despite that. Like, having computer tools and graphs measuring every single fps or resolution to me just misses the whole point of the game... Like, is it fun? Is it dropping frames going to make it seriously unplayable, or just a minor annoyance? Are your eyes really going to tell the difference between 1080 dpi and 900 dpi? I dunno...it's just become so annoying tbh.

I think I fall in line with Alana's take. I took a look at the history of the people involved, namely Wes Ball as director, and Derek Connolly as writer...and I feel super nervous. Neither has done anything that I think will be a good fit for Zelda. I feel like we're going to wind up with Tom Holland as Link on a rom com adventure alongside Zendaya as Zelda, with maybe Will Smith as the sassy Ganondorf we all know and love. I think they're aiming for a similar vibe to the recent Dungeons and Dragons movie, which to me is not at all Zelda.

As much as I loved BoTW, and felt like it was a great step forward for the series... ToTK just hasn't clicked with me, and I find myself yearning for a more "classic" style Zelda. ToTK felt like I was essentially playing the same game all over again, and it felt almost like a chore, so I stopped. I still think it's an amazingly crafted game, maybe it's just too similar an experience? Wandering around a huge map just isn't appealing to me again, and I guess I'm wanting a more focused quest.

I think they're great!! They add such a nice, comedic touch without disrupting the flow of the game.

@Donutman Well said! I think the part about games getting released before they're really finished has been such a frustrating problem. MK1 on Switch is the one that I've felt the worst about purchasing at launch. I never expected PS5 quality graphics going into it, but this was just borderline unplayable at times...for $70. I miss the old days, tbh, when a game launched without the concept of it possibly getting a patch to fix it all up months/years later.

I do think they should do something to compensate people who paid full price for this on Switch. I dunno, like free dlc or a free port of MK Trilogy lol, something. And just some transparency about what is wrong, and what's being done to fix it. That can go a long way imo.

I regret buying it at launch for Switch. There are moments where it plays ok, but then it comes back to reality and is in just such rough shape. I really hope they're able to put in the time to patch it up, but it really hurts a company's image when they do something like this. I'm nervous about WB's other big Switch port, Hogwarts Legacy, but am glad they gave it more time in development to hopefully be amazing!

I wish I would have listened to your review before purchasing it. I assumed it would be at least as good as MK11, but it's really not the case. It's such a mess of graphical bugs that just ruin the game. Playing handheld hides some of the visual issues, but the lag in handheld is terrible. I'm not usually one to fret over visual downgrades, but this is just unacceptable, regardless of the $70 tag. I wish I would have waited or just not picked this up. Sigh. I hope they fix it, but either way I'm adding WB/Netherrealm to the wait before buying tier from now on. And based on the customer service response I received, I may be boycotting them moving forward tbh.

I really hope that E3 returns in a big way at some point. That magical week was just an amazing time each year for the whole industry. There's nothing else out there currently imo that holds a candle to what E3 was.

@Dr_Corndog lol. I just realized we said nearly the exact same thing!

It looks amazing!!! The insane amount of variety and additions (love the grapple!) totally blew me away! I haven't been this excited for a new 2d Mario since the original release of Super Mario World. That's right. I was there.

@AlexHarford Eternal Darkness is amazing! Hopefully it gets a rerelease!

Sweet! I'd love to see this come to Switch! I think it would hold up beautifully. Hopefully there's a physical copy too, maybe with some extra goodies to commemorate the anniversary.

I bought Baldo last week after watching a SwitchUp video showing how much had been improved since launch. While the environments do look pretty in areas, the character models and animations are rough, and feel way out of place with the visual quality found elsewhere. The gameplay unfortunately had several questionable decisions and dragged down the experience. I ended up trading it in.

@Kraven I never played RDR and have been tempted to get it on Switch because I remember hearing such great things about it. But in watching gameplay snippets, it looks like you just ride a horse around all the time lol. Like, I don't get what actual gameplay and draw of the game is? What would you say is what you enjoy about it? Any other games you can compare it to?

Playing through Fire Emblem Engage. I love the gameplay, and th graphics are lovely. It's been my favorite FE to play since Awakening. The characters and dialogue are probably the weakest parts though, and I find myself skipping a lot of the interactions. Thankfully the gameplay is so perfectly honed.

Other than the hair on some characters, I thought MK11 on Switch looked great! Obviously, not as good as the other consoles, but still really impressive! Seeing the 2 quality developers involved with handling the Switch version makes me very hopeful and excited. I think it will turn out very well, tbh.

I appreciate the clarification on what constitutes a "Souls-Like" game at the start of this article. I see the term used so often, but didn't really know what it meant other than "being difficult". This gave a little more insight, thank you!

Man...this is just one of those games that I hear amazing things about, gets stellar reviews, wins all sorts of awards...but when I look at it I go, "ummm, what?" Like, I feel like I'm missing something, staring confused at a piece of art in a museum while everyone around me "ooohs" and "ahhhs". Lol, maybe I'll just have to actually play it to see what the fuss is all about!

I'd love to see the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy! I hope it's that! Not a big fan of Just Cause or Hitman personally, but based on the detective work being done, it sounds like it's probably one of both of those.

I'm loving RainCode! I've been playing it nonstop. There is so much great style, writing, music, voice acting, neat gameplay ideas all wrapped up into one extremely cool city. I would definitely hope to see this be the start of a series.

Rewatching it without the music actually helped my impression of it, lol! Don't get me wrong, I love rap music, but it definitely doesn't vibe with the Prince of Persia series. It gave the trailer an icky Hollywood Exec feel that really sells it short. The actual gameplay looks great, and the studio behind it has done some incredible work in the past. I think it could be a fantastic game!

I'm glad to hear you all enjoyed it in your hands on demo! Tbh, the initial reveal was really underwhelming to me. While the mechanics looked solid, the character designs and overall flash/excitement seemed extremely dull to me. Like, the overall look just felt very uninspired and bland. But, I'm hoping I'm wrong because I am so excited to hear it's coming to Switch!

I think it's difficult to see Sony or the FTC blocking what Microsoft is wanting to do, when huge games like Final Fantasy are permitted to be console exclusives to Playstation despite SquareEnix being a third party. I can see FF16 skipping Switch due to processing power, but there's no reason for it not to be on XBox, other than exclusivity deals made between Sony and Square.

NSO and the expansion pack have really grown to include some amazing games. The GBA library is the one I'm looking forward to expanding the most, and hope to see some old faves get introduced. Hopefully the exposure to games like Golden Sun and Mario & Luigi spark some remasters or new entries.

I think it just comes down to money. At the end of the day, all of the people involved need to make a living, and the company needs to make a profit. That's just business. Quality takes time, which means higher budget, which isn't always a smart business move. Square Enix, for example, already said in a recent meeting that profits were down, so I'm guessing they have to cut back in areas, spend less time on projects, etc... It's not that developers are lazy or incompetent, or that SE are just greedy...but it's a business. They have to make a profit, or they go bankrupt. Remasters are probably meant to offset losses from other new games that didn't sell as well as they hoped, so that in turn, the business can continue to move forward. I hate to see games I love not given the care they deserve, but I definitely don't blame the people who worked on it, because chances are, they did the best they could with the time they were given.

Wow, this is really surprising news to be honest. This last year felt like an awesome year of Square Switch games, and I think I bought nearly every single one lol.

@StAmbrosius I'm definitely hoping they make a N64 Mini! That would be amazing...

Welp, time to finally bite the bullet and upgrade to the NSO expansion pack.