Comments 2,340

Re: UK Charts: Donkey Kong Bananza Is A Hit, But Sells Less Than Half Of Super Mario Odyssey

somnambulance

I was surprised to hear my son tell me yesterday that Donkey Kong Bananza is even better than Super Mario Odyssey, which is the only game to him that is better than Astro Bot. I’m not sure how I feel yet (I mean, that’s a tall comparison), but it’s undeniable how jubilant the game is, and I can totally see this game making more and more sales as word of mouth continues around this one. If DKB isn’t a GotY contender, I don’t even know what to say.

Re: Poll: Has Donkey Kong Bananza Made You Feel Ill?

somnambulance

I have the tendency to get motion sickness in games (I basically can’t even try VR games a lot of the time) and DK hasn’t given me this feeling in the slightest. The camera can cramp and sometimes digging down can feel confusing at times, but it’s honestly at its worst about those topics in Ingot Island and improves right away after the starting layer.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (19th July)

somnambulance

Donkey Kong Bananza for sure. Playing the Switch again just makes gaming so much more convenient, as I’d gone back to playing Switch more heavily while my PS5 was in the shop and I sort of noticed I was gaming more, but bugging my wife less about it because it felt like I was gaming less due to shorter sessions. DK is absolutely fantastic, by the way.

I’d like to play more Death Stranding 2 though.

Honestly, both games are so good, it’s insane. It’s crazy how these two games are just so beyond anything else that’s released this year. Haven’t enjoyed two games in tandem so much since the crowded second half of 2019.

Re: ICYMI: Here's A Look Inside Donkey Kong Bananza's Switch 2 Game Case

somnambulance

Took maybe two hours of playtime, but I officially am happy with DK’s redesign after being a bit uneasy about his change for a while. He’s such a goofy DK. It’s great. Sony almost hit Mario heights with Astro Bot and Nintendo just came right back with DK. Fantastic game to officially kickoff the Switch 2.

Got the game as my first physical game for the console, by the way. I just like my Switch stuff to be physical, even though I got Mario Kart digitally.

Re: Where To Buy Donkey Kong Bananza On Nintendo Switch 2 + DK & Pauline amiibo

somnambulance

Preordered from Amazon and got the game before the release date, which was very cool.

Game is absolutely worth $70, by the way. I know Nintendo fans without other platforms aren’t used to $70 games, but those of us on other platforms have been stuck with this pricing for half a decade now on new games. That said, DK is more worth it than 95%+ of PS5 games I’ve bought at launch so far.

Re: Opinion: Honestly, I'm So Glad We Had To Wait For Donkey Kong Bananza

somnambulance

I sort of agree with this. With my PS5 being in the shop for the last month too, I was sort of stuck in a weird “I can’t even finish what I was playing while I wait for new games” kind of place. So what did I do? I got bored of Mario Kart World… but then I didn’t have anything else new to play, so… I kept playing it. I was going to play Windwaker, but I didn’t want to get stuck into something big while I didn’t know when I’d be able to finally sink into Death Stranding 2 (as much as I love my Switch, it was my most anticipated game this year). So what did I do? Play Mario Kart. And I hit a point where I didn’t really feel bored with it, but appreciative for just how relaxing and open the game is. I just aimlessly drive and do nothing in the game and I like doing that. There’s just so much detail and design in the game and I find something new each time I play. I can safely say it’s my favorite Mario Kart game now and might be my second favorite game so far this year.

Re: Donkey Kong Bananza's Director And Producer Have Been Confirmed

somnambulance

@DynamoDouglas This is what I’m sort of expecting. It makes sense to do a Mario blowout like this for the 40th. I’d imagine there may be some smaller Mario things too like Mario 35 coming back perhaps? I can dream about that one, can’t I? But seriously, I hope the rumor of Mario Universe is the next Mario game.

That said, I’m totally ok waiting and letting DK have the spotlight. He deserves it!

Re: Feature: Nintendo Life eShop Selects (June 2025)

somnambulance

I voted for Welcome Tour. Yeah, Deltarune is nice, and Fast Fusion is a solid game, but Welcome Tour feels so unique and novel and calm in a way that really stands out to me. It’s very Clubhouse 51 Games in the best possible way. It might end up being in my top 10 list at the end of the year.

Hopefully we get games that actually utilize the features from the game unlike what the PS5 did with Astro’s Playroom, as that game, to date, utilizes the Dualsense far more than anything else that has released (and by a wide margin too) even now. What can I say? I like unique experiences that recontextualize what a controller does.

Re: Talking Point: One Month On, How Did Nintendo's Switch 2 Launch Go?

somnambulance

@Oldstalk I definitely agree with you. There’s basically no timeline or updates for the console which makes the launch feel more frustrating. Trying to rely on the Nintendo Today app for updates is an awful shift in strategy. As much as the DK Direct was fantastic, it basically said “great looking game looks greater, but it’s right around the corner.” We need a line-up for the rest of the year. The PlayStation-esque strategy of silence and random trailer drops is ultimately not what I want out of Nintendo this generation.

Re: Talking Point: One Month On, How Did Nintendo's Switch 2 Launch Go?

somnambulance

I’ll say this: the Switch 1 was my favorite console of all time and I view the Switch 2 as an improved console in every single way. That said though, I don’t yet know if the Switch 2 will have the same impact as the Switch 1. When I got the first Switch, I was blown away game after game, from Puyo Puyo Tetris to Mario Odyssey to Mario Kart 8 to BotW to Golf Story to whatever else I played. The first full year of the Switch 1 was one of my favorite years in gaming and it wasn’t even my favorite year in the Switch 1 history (that was 2019, talk about a barrage of bangers that year, even if the games were more subtle).

That said, I… don’t really know what to play on my Switch 2 right now. I’m sort of done with the concept of the Switch being a port machine. I may be done on double dipping on games I bought in the last couple years elsewhere, you know? The “Witcher 3 is on Switch!?” novelty is gone. Mario Kart World might actually be my favorite Mario Kart, but I’m really casual on the series. I love the console, but I feel like I’m waiting for new experiences. With Donkey Kong, Metroid Prime, and Pokemon, along with Hades, Mina the Hollower, and Silksong among other games, I expect I’ll be really favorable of the line-up soon, but we’re just not there yet. I’m really happy I got the console, but I almost feel like it launched two months too early. Would be a 10/10 if the console would’ve launched with two more games I wanted to play, but 9/10 right now for the console just with a 7/10-ish launch.

Re: Poll: How Many Hours Have You Spent In Mario Kart World So Far?

somnambulance

@Suketoudara Yeah, I agree it’s the best single player Mario Kart game, but I still get sort of bored with it after prolonged play. I’m not a huge racing game person, so that could be why, but I’ll usually play MKW for about an hour at a time any time I play it. I just don’t suck into it like a proper single player game. Usually I’m playing the game with my wife and kids and I have the most fun with it doing that.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (5th July)

somnambulance

I should know later today if my PS5 is repairable after over a week of waiting for it now, so best case scenario, I’ll be picking it up tomorrow and playing some Death Stranding 2 finally!

Other than that, I’ve been out with family the last two days and today, so, while I do have my Switch 2 on me, I’ve not played it. I can see myself showing off Welcome Tour and Mario Kart World at some point.

Re: Poll: How Many Hours Have You Spent In Mario Kart World So Far?

somnambulance

I’ve played about 20-30 hours so far. My son has said it best, “It’s really good, but there’s only so much racing you can do before you want to do something else.” I’d rank it a 9/10 regardless of that. It’s my favorite social game in a good, long while. I just feel like I’m craving a single player game hardcore.

Re: Switch 2 Welcome Tour Developer Gets Officially Revealed

somnambulance

@beltmenot It’s a good game. It’s relaxing, calming, and demonstrates the unique features of the console in really effective ways. If it would’ve been a pack-in, it would’ve been 80+ on Metacritic and people would be talking about how it’s almost as good a pack-in as Astro’s Playroom and Wii Sports.

But it is a relatively cheap experience even so… it doesn’t deserve the negativity it’s getting. It’s not like it’s a full price game. I’ve spent $70 on games I haven’t liked and we all have. The less than $10 price of entry is cheaper than a meal in 2025.

Re: Best Mario Sports Games Of All Time

somnambulance

@John_Deacon Aces is among the most underrated Mario games of all time. Period. I love the game and every time I go back to it, I have so much fun and everyone I’m playing with is having so much fun. It’s just such a solid game and I’m surprised it’s not viewed as one of the best Mario sports games. I mean, sure the story isn’t much to write home about, but the match to match gameplay is potentially the best in Mario sports. For me, at least!

Re: Furukawa's Defence Of Game-Key Cards Ain't All That Convincing

somnambulance

@kmtrain83 The Xbox section at my local Walmart is now a glass case with consoles and some gift cards above it. They basically took its space for Switch 2 rather than expanding. Also, there were only rows for six Switch 2 games. Looking at current displays, I do think the Switch 1 may have more life in it than any of us would’ve thought. Also, there were no third party Switch 1 games being sold in store.

Re: Furukawa's Defence Of Game-Key Cards Ain't All That Convincing

somnambulance

Isn’t the more fleshed out story that the third parties are basically the ones utilizing the game key carts because it was requested for there to be a middle ground?

Let’s be real: outside Nintendo consoles, few people are buying physical in 2025, so Nintendo probably used the game key carts as a compromise to get more third party games on the console. This isn’t Nintendo being anti-consumer. Rather, it’s them trying to do business with third parties that are less interested in creating physical products in a space where the physical storefront shrinks year-to-year. Let’s remember that we are the niche when it comes to physical media.

Re: 27 Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games We're Excited For In 2025

somnambulance

The second half of 2025 is stacked for me and I’m buying everything on the Switch for the most part:

Donkey Kong
Misc A Tiny Tale
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
Drag X Drive
Shinobi
Terminator 2D
Final Fantasy Tactics
Pokémon
Mina the Hollower
Hades 2
Hollow Knight Silksong
Kirby Air Riders
Metroid Prime 4
Witchbrook

Splatoon Raiders this year too if it’s a 2025 game!

And if it comes this way, I’m getting Metal Gear Solid Delta on Switch 2 for sure.

Man, I want a Direct, but I’m already thinking I might have a wishlist I can’t keep up with and backlog for the first time since 2021. I know a lot of people are lamenting the release schedule, but I literally want first party Nintendo games and solid indies again. My happiest gaming days were the early Switch years (and childhood!) and this was Nintendo’s strategy and I’m happy they’re doing it again. The first half of 2025 has sort of been the worst gaming has been in a decade for me, but it truly seems like the year will flip into a classic by the end of the year.

I just want release dates, so I can pick and choose what I get, fix my budget, and start preordering things.