@its_luke_c No kidding! I did love seeing the game humble the internet because no one got early access to it. It feels like the difficulty argument popped up because “the internet” was struggling with the game and was so open about it. Honestly the first boss in Erdtree was more difficult than anything in Act 1 of Silksong, only difference though is that people could practice for Erdtree.
@Medic_alert I feel that way 100%. I’ve played RE exclusively on PS, but the opportunity to play it on the go is sort of tempting. Especially in February… where maybe I could take my Switch 2 to work for a “lunch break.”
I’m torn on which console to get it on. On one hand, the fidelity of the PS5, but on the other hand, portability, which means not having to hide the game from my kids in the same way. Lol. I struggle playing grown up games these days.
I didn’t get much time to play games this week, soooo… when I finally do play something, it’ll be fighting The Last Judge in Silksong at some point and hopefully entering the Citadel.
@Untempered-Link I just wish the naysayers would see the value. It’s not like we’re getting The Last of Us Part 1 again at $70, which realistically could have happened if we look at how the industry has been the last generation. It’s a far better deal than any of the other Wii ports on the Switch family of consoles and it’s ok to admit that.
@GgGames @LastFootnote Xenoblade Chronicles 1 was given heaps of praise and was basically a Switch GotY candidate for a lot of people in Nintendo circles. Few people complained about Skyward Sword or Sonic Colors (I know that’s not Nintendo, but it’s a Wii game). For the most part, people were positive toward Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. Even 3D All Stars was generally considered a great release at launch. The only games I recall having true resistance was the Donkey Kong games, and Tropical Freeze is a WiiU title, so that’s a bit of a different beast. Luigi’s Mansion 2 is a 3DS game, so that’s a bit of a different beast too.
Porting two 10/10 games at $40 a pop is a good value. Nintendo could’ve sold both games individually at full AAA price and people would be buying them. This is better than that. In an era where we’ve been getting low effort ports and low effort remasters/remakes at $60 and $70 for individual games, this is better than that. It feels like there is far more outrage toward this package than most of the other ports we’ve had the last 5-10 years.
How many Wii ports were priced at $60 in the Switch 1 era and it was cool? Now, Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are being sold at $70 together or $40 a piece and it’s not, even though both games are bonafide masterpieces?
Let’s be real and admit this is actually pretty decent value.
Thank you for pushing that OpenCritic score back up to 92 today with this 10/10 review. There’s nothing I’d like to see more in gaming this year than see Silksong win GotY. It would be incredible to see!
Totally agree with the review score! Thank you for the review!
I really wanted to play Strange Horticulture, but it was too small and finicky for me to really enjoy. If they can find a way to increase text size, I’m down to binge both games
It’s always interesting to see people decry Nintendo as greedy when they are literally the last major platform to the digital party. Xbox and PlayStation have both basically prioritized digital for 5+ years now. Nintendo has stated they did the key cards to appease third party publishers that wanted to keep costs down. This was their compromise, knowing that the Switch brand does have a decent amount of collectors, myself included. At least Nintendo is growing software shelf space as PlayStation and Xbox decrease theirs.
The company is just smart with how they utilize their assets to continually generate profits. Nintendo creates good, quality games and that’s never changed. Sure, the aim is to make money with their games, but that’s what most publishers are in it for. Nintendo prioritizes DLC and microtransactions far less than the rest of the industry.
Just remember all companies want to make money and survive in a changing economic climate. Let’s try to support what Nintendo does right because they’re doing a lot more right than the rest of the industry is doing wrong. Nintendo attempting to preserve Virtual Boy, in spite of the plastic headset and the console’s niche appeal, demonstrates that Nintendo is making steps toward preservation. They could be far greedier than they are.
This genre of games isn’t typically for me, but this was sort of the highlight of the Direct for me. Definitely wasn’t expecting something like this, let alone being excited for something like this. The music in the trailer was outstanding. I loved it. It’s an unsettling concept, but in the cutest way possible and it’s genius.
2026 seems stacked next year and it feels like Nintendo hasn’t even told us the half of it yet.
I have no idea what to think of this one, never played a Tomodachi Life game, but my son got pretty excited about this one and he couldn’t articulate why, so I’m interested. Love when there’s an intangible excitement to something!
I love this and agree 100%. This year and last has turned me into someone that beats fewer games, wastes time in open worlds just to go to another open world to do the same thing, and has been in a catatonic easy mode fix. Silksong remedies so many of the issues in modern gaming by being uncompromising in its vision. It’s one of those types of games that recontextualizes everything else released this year for me.
The game forces me to be present within it. I love that. It makes me realize how complacent I am most of the time when I play games. I’ve gotten easy mode catatonic, but Silksong tells me to be better than that. It’s hard, but it’s good hard.
Also, the challenge makes it such a delight when you destroy a boss first attempt too. Lace and Fourth Chorus, I felt like I went ultra instinct for a moment and annihilated them. I didn’t even get hit fighting Lace.
Hopefully the difficulty doesn’t wear me down later, but it feels perfect right now. The mobs are the only time I really sweat, oddly enough.
Sort of get the gist Cronos didn’t have a big sales pull this last week, based on that ranking. It sort of seemed like Hell is Us was also getting a “don’t sleep on this” trend of hype from the internet and it doesn’t look like that helped it pull better numbers. I suspect Cronos and Hell is Us may have overlap in who would buy either of them and neither one of them did favors for the other, on top of the fact that I’m sure Silksong snatched interest away from both games as well. Got to wonder if Daemon X Machina is going to be viewed as a flop, as that’s a fairly low ranking launch.
Wouldn’t be surprised if digital sales for Silksong were comparable to the combined total of the rest of the new releases last week.
@Mikey_205 I buy a lot of games full price at launch, but this year has been slower than most. If I don’t count indies, the only AAAs I purchased full price at launch this year were Death Stranding 2, AC Shadows, KCD2, Split Fiction, MKW, and DK Bananza. I’d say MKW, DK, and DS2 were incredible value.
I felt like I made a mistake purchasing KCD2 and AC Shadows. I just didn’t like KCD2 and AC Shadows, even though they’re good games. Split Fiction… I think I wasted money on that one too. It’s an incredible game that I don’t know if I’ll ever finish since it’s too difficult for my wife and it makes her upset when she plays it!
Even so, that’s a slim purchase slate for me. I used to preorder that many games or more at E3 time every year. Even including the fact that I purchased a Switch 2 this year, 2025 is my lowest spend I’ve had in gaming since I’ve had disposable income! Feels honestly the industry lost a lot of momentum with the release schedule after FF Rebirth.
I bought this one and haven’t even tried it yet. Only game I’ve done that with in 2025! Alright, I’ll fix that following this review! I’m quite intrigued!
Half the Switch 2 library is Switch 1 games with a paid upgrade right now. Then there’s a bunch of ports of old games too.
Right now, Mario Kart and DK are the only reasons to get a Switch 2. They’re good reasons too, but it does feel light right now.
I like the console a lot and I’ve switched… ahem… to purchasing games Nintendo first instead of my PS5 for third party games again (mostly indies), but it does feel like there’s a gap at the moment.
That said though, gaming as a whole has had a lackluster release slate this year too, so I’m not sure that’s a Nintendo problem or an industry problem, especially as I’ve loved the first party slate so far. First party’s been a 9/10, the total overall release schedule has been a 6/10 for me though.
I mean, when Hollow Knight launched at $15, that was basically the price of indie games across the board. I expected Silksong to be $30, given the current cost of indie games in 2025.
To be honest though, the price creep in indie games has caused me to purchase far fewer games the last couple years. I used to be able to justify buying four or five indie games in a month because I hadn’t bought a AAA game. Now, however, with the price creep, I have only been buying maybe one indie game a month. The math might not make sense from above, but it comes down to the value of a $30 purchase as well. If I spend $15 and get a four hour game, that’s awesome and fine. If I spend $30 on a four hour game, that’s a lot for a little. And that rationale is the same in 2025 as it was in 2015 or 2020 because the cost of products has increased but the cost of my wages by way of inflation has not increased to match it, I suppose. I know I’m not alone in that boat.
I understand developers and publishers probably feel financially the same way I do, but I do think they’re edging out consumers from purchasing games based on their pricing. It’s interesting that the dev from Unbeatable is directly quoted here for me, as the pricing they choose will 100% dictate if I buy their game at launch or if I maybe buy it down the line on a sale… and even then there’s no guarantee as my purchase then will be affected by reviews, what other games are releasing, etc etc. It’s a game I want, but for me to spend $30 on it, it’s going to need to justify the cost. I know things like Shinobi justify the cost with name recognition, but I do believe that game should’ve been cheaper too.
Silksong is basically releasing at incredible value where people feel comfortable buying the game and I think they did the right thing. That’s my two cents anyway.
Silksong, Mina the Hollower, and Pokemon for me with the potential for Katamari and AVGN 8-Bit too… I’m even thinking about double dipping on Silksong and Mina for physical and digital. And maybe Outer Worlds 2, Dreams of Another, Silent Hill, and Ghost of Yotei elsewhere. Was planning on getting Tactics if the release slate is slow enough to warrant replaying an old game, but… I don’t think it is!
And then there’s Metroid Prime 4, Hades 2, Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, and Witchbrook that I’m eying up, waiting for a release date for… Might not even have the bandwidth for Kirby Air-Riders to wrap up the year! Crazy how so much looks to be crunched into the end of the year this year!
No PR for Henry Halfhead? That one looks more interesting to me than most of these to me! That said, I think we can all agree that September is exciting for Silksong.
You gotta wonder if there’s going to be any surprise releases from Nintendo coming up this month as well. With the rumor of a Direct on the 12th, it’s always a possibility we’ll have even more to play than we already know about! Imagine if Hades 2 or Metroid Prime 4 shadow drop this month… I don’t think it’s gonna happen, but you never know!
@Suketoudara They’re randomized. It’s different each time. Exit 8 took me maybe 20-25 attempts to complete, whereas I best Platform 8 on my first attempt. Might be experience, might be luck. I love them both and they’re very similar, but also distinct enough to play them both. They’re fun social games too. They’re “let’s show this one to grandma and see what she thinks” types of games since they’re easy to play and novel enough to cause surprise from new players, which gives them a fun level replayability.
Drag x Drive is slightly more successful than Switch Sports (which was not as good as Wii Sports), but slightly less successful than Arms (which is perhaps the most overrated Nintendo IP currently, as I feel the game is super barebones to be sold at $60). Having Miis would be cuter and would help, sure, but I think the game was likely to be a hard sell either which way. And no mouse controls? That’d ruin the game as a unique experience, even if it’d make it easier to play, so that makes no sense.
Drag x Drive and Welcome Tour both would’ve been pack-ins. I think if the Switch 2 was priced $30 higher and had them both included, I think people would’ve said it was generous the console launched with two built-in games, there’d be a larger download base, and people would’ve welcomed both games for being experimental little examples of the creativity Nintendo is capable of rather than be flagged for being lightweight.
For me, I’d say Exit 8 is a 9/10. It’s short, but it’s also distinctly memorable. It’s not exactly a horror game that intends to scare you, but rather one that intends to make you uneasy. It manipulates the mundane in interesting ways. For me, the Exit 8 and its sequel are two of the games that’ll stick with me that I played last year much more so than some of the bigger, flashier games because the games evoke feelings instead of the completion of tasks. The frustration is part of it. But what can I say? I played both games shortly after reading the book The Anomaly and I was really in the headspace for that vibe.
You can get both 8 games for under $10 though and that’s surely worth it for a short, single playthrough set of games. The Exit 8 has sold a lot of copies, so it makes sense that it got a devkit too, for anyone that doesn’t “get why it got one.”
@JohnnyMind If it makes you feel any better, my 7 year old found the Exit 8 and was able to beat it and play it without any issues and he loved it as well. He’s perhaps too young for it, and some of the game was scary to him (and he’s a chicken), but it wasn’t too scary, you know? This one isn’t really scary horror. It might raise your heartbeat a bit because it surprises you, but it’s not quite PTesque where there’s legitimate dread behind you at all times subliminally. I don’t know your threshold, but for the low price of the game, you might as well try it? That’s what I’d recommend at least!
@AussieMcBucket Apparently Pixel had been making prototypes for other games for a couple of years and posting them, only to scrap them later. He hasn’t really done much publicly in like two years now. Can’t believe Cave Story is 20+ years old now. Gotta wonder if he’s a hobbyist that does something else full time.
@Vyacheslav333 @AussieMcBucket Cave Story is basically the only game that’s been on my wishlist since the Switch launched due to its price. Indies were usually cheaper than $30 at launch in those days. Sometimes they’d launch at $10, $15. Crazy, right?
I’ve already played it, but feel like it’s such a good fit for the Switch that I’d like to double dip, but seriously, why no sales? I should’ve jumped when it was 50% off three years ago rather than hoping for a 75% off deal like games used to get in ye olde two years ago-ish.
If that’s true, I’m a bit disappointed with the future of Sony after this generation. They’ve lost a lot of what made their identity unique as they’ve pivoted away from being a platform for the best cinematic gaming experiences in the market to chasing the live service bubble and this sounds like more trend chasing from what used to be one of gaming’s most consistent and innovative brands.
Glad Nintendo is finally committing to mega evolutions. Feels like this should have been a priority back in Gen 7, given that it was a big deal for Gen 6, but hey, what can you do? I like the megas better than the gigantic Pokemon and terra stuff
I don’t understand the hate for MKW. I mean, I’m fairly casual for Mario Kart in general, and I really liked 8. Played about 50 hours of it and still boot it up from time to time. With MKW though, the more I played it, the more I liked it. It’s not going to be my Switch GotY, but it is solid through and through and it’s far more complicated than 8 was, even if it’s not obvious about it. If MKW was priced at $60, I’d guess the game would be perceived more positively.
That said, Donkey Kong Bananza is utterly genius. It executes perfectly what it means to do. It comes very close to the peak that Mario Odyssey has created for the genre. I mean, honestly, both games provide a solid argument that the Switch 2 is off to a very strong first year.
Comments 2,256
Re: Round Up: The Reviews For Hades II On Switch And Switch 2 Are In
@Airsqueeble Depends on Ghost of Yotei’s reviews, I’d imagine, since the review embargo allegedly lifts tomorrow.
Hades 2 doesn’t exactly have a full platter of reviews yet as well. It has fewer reviews currently than Expedition 33 or Silksong.
Re: Opinion: Why Focus On Silksong's Difficulty When We Need To Talk About How Cute It is?
@its_luke_c No kidding! I did love seeing the game humble the internet because no one got early access to it. It feels like the difficulty argument popped up because “the internet” was struggling with the game and was so open about it. Honestly the first boss in Erdtree was more difficult than anything in Act 1 of Silksong, only difference though is that people could practice for Erdtree.
Re: Opinion: Resident Evil Requiem Represents A Turning Point For Switch 2
@Medic_alert I feel that way 100%. I’ve played RE exclusively on PS, but the opportunity to play it on the go is sort of tempting. Especially in February… where maybe I could take my Switch 2 to work for a “lunch break.”
Re: Opinion: Resident Evil Requiem Represents A Turning Point For Switch 2
I’m torn on which console to get it on. On one hand, the fidelity of the PS5, but on the other hand, portability, which means not having to hide the game from my kids in the same way. Lol. I struggle playing grown up games these days.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (20th September)
I didn’t get much time to play games this week, soooo… when I finally do play something, it’ll be fighting The Last Judge in Silksong at some point and hopefully entering the Citadel.
Re: Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 Gets A Seven-Minute Overview Trailer
@Untempered-Link I just wish the naysayers would see the value. It’s not like we’re getting The Last of Us Part 1 again at $70, which realistically could have happened if we look at how the industry has been the last generation. It’s a far better deal than any of the other Wii ports on the Switch family of consoles and it’s ok to admit that.
Re: Nintendo Music "Special Release" Adds Tracks From Donkey Kong Bananza Today
Oooooh zeeeeebraaaa, zeeeebraaaa!
Re: Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 Gets A Seven-Minute Overview Trailer
@GgGames @LastFootnote Xenoblade Chronicles 1 was given heaps of praise and was basically a Switch GotY candidate for a lot of people in Nintendo circles. Few people complained about Skyward Sword or Sonic Colors (I know that’s not Nintendo, but it’s a Wii game). For the most part, people were positive toward Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. Even 3D All Stars was generally considered a great release at launch. The only games I recall having true resistance was the Donkey Kong games, and Tropical Freeze is a WiiU title, so that’s a bit of a different beast. Luigi’s Mansion 2 is a 3DS game, so that’s a bit of a different beast too.
Porting two 10/10 games at $40 a pop is a good value. Nintendo could’ve sold both games individually at full AAA price and people would be buying them. This is better than that. In an era where we’ve been getting low effort ports and low effort remasters/remakes at $60 and $70 for individual games, this is better than that. It feels like there is far more outrage toward this package than most of the other ports we’ve had the last 5-10 years.
Re: Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 Gets A Seven-Minute Overview Trailer
How many Wii ports were priced at $60 in the Switch 1 era and it was cool? Now, Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are being sold at $70 together or $40 a piece and it’s not, even though both games are bonafide masterpieces?
Let’s be real and admit this is actually pretty decent value.
Re: Review: Hollow Knight: Silksong - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Woven To Brutal Perfection
Thank you for pushing that OpenCritic score back up to 92 today with this 10/10 review. There’s nothing I’d like to see more in gaming this year than see Silksong win GotY. It would be incredible to see!
Totally agree with the review score! Thank you for the review!
Re: Review: Strange Antiquities (Switch) – A Wicked Good Occult Puzzler & Sequel
I really wanted to play Strange Horticulture, but it was too small and finicky for me to really enjoy. If they can find a way to increase text size, I’m down to binge both games
Re: Newcomers Can Break Final Fantasy VII Remake With New Difficulty Settings
Glad to see a game just give up on the game portion of the game.
Re: Nintendo Is "Acting To Protect The Industry" With Switch 2 Game Key Cards, Says Ex-Capcom Composer
It’s always interesting to see people decry Nintendo as greedy when they are literally the last major platform to the digital party. Xbox and PlayStation have both basically prioritized digital for 5+ years now. Nintendo has stated they did the key cards to appease third party publishers that wanted to keep costs down. This was their compromise, knowing that the Switch brand does have a decent amount of collectors, myself included. At least Nintendo is growing software shelf space as PlayStation and Xbox decrease theirs.
The company is just smart with how they utilize their assets to continually generate profits. Nintendo creates good, quality games and that’s never changed. Sure, the aim is to make money with their games, but that’s what most publishers are in it for. Nintendo prioritizes DLC and microtransactions far less than the rest of the industry.
Just remember all companies want to make money and survive in a changing economic climate. Let’s try to support what Nintendo does right because they’re doing a lot more right than the rest of the industry is doing wrong. Nintendo attempting to preserve Virtual Boy, in spite of the plastic headset and the console’s niche appeal, demonstrates that Nintendo is making steps toward preservation. They could be far greedier than they are.
Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 For Switch?
Already have 3D All Stars, so I’ll get Galaxy 2 at some point. It’s absolutely worth the $40 price on its own, even if that’s digitally.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (13th September)
Silksong, Silksong, and Silksong.
Re: Rosalina's Storybook From Super Mario Galaxy Goes On Sale This November
Instant Christmas present for the kids. They loved seeing this in the Direct.
Re: Pokémon Pokopia Looks Like An Adorable Mix Of Minecraft And Animal Crossing
This genre of games isn’t typically for me, but this was sort of the highlight of the Direct for me. Definitely wasn’t expecting something like this, let alone being excited for something like this. The music in the trailer was outstanding. I loved it. It’s an unsettling concept, but in the cutest way possible and it’s genius.
Re: Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream Showcases Island Life, Coming To Switch Spring 2026
2026 seems stacked next year and it feels like Nintendo hasn’t even told us the half of it yet.
I have no idea what to think of this one, never played a Tomodachi Life game, but my son got pretty excited about this one and he couldn’t articulate why, so I’m interested. Love when there’s an intangible excitement to something!
Re: Mega Man Star Force: Legacy Collection Brings DS RPGs To Switch In 2026
@Ulysses I could get behind this. If we’re waiting for Legends 3, I’ll wait, but Tron Bonne better be on that Legends collection!
Although I’ll… wait.. either way, I suppose.
Re: Mega Man Star Force: Legacy Collection Brings DS RPGs To Switch In 2026
Much like Battle Network, hard pass on this iteration of Megaman for me.
How much longer must we wait for Legends instead?
Re: Opinion: Silksong's Tight Construction Is Exactly What I Need After Too Much Open-World Loafing
I love this and agree 100%. This year and last has turned me into someone that beats fewer games, wastes time in open worlds just to go to another open world to do the same thing, and has been in a catatonic easy mode fix. Silksong remedies so many of the issues in modern gaming by being uncompromising in its vision. It’s one of those types of games that recontextualizes everything else released this year for me.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo Direct September Predictions - What Do You Hope To See?
Please Hades, Witchbrook, Metroid this year, and Mario 2026 🤞
Re: Talking Point: Is Hollow Knight: Silksong Too Difficult?
The game forces me to be present within it. I love that. It makes me realize how complacent I am most of the time when I play games. I’ve gotten easy mode catatonic, but Silksong tells me to be better than that. It’s hard, but it’s good hard.
Also, the challenge makes it such a delight when you destroy a boss first attempt too. Lace and Fourth Chorus, I felt like I went ultra instinct for a moment and annihilated them. I didn’t even get hit fighting Lace.
Hopefully the difficulty doesn’t wear me down later, but it feels perfect right now. The mobs are the only time I really sweat, oddly enough.
Re: UK Charts: Mario Kart World Takes The Lead While Cronos Sees Weak Sales On Switch 2
Sort of get the gist Cronos didn’t have a big sales pull this last week, based on that ranking. It sort of seemed like Hell is Us was also getting a “don’t sleep on this” trend of hype from the internet and it doesn’t look like that helped it pull better numbers. I suspect Cronos and Hell is Us may have overlap in who would buy either of them and neither one of them did favors for the other, on top of the fact that I’m sure Silksong snatched interest away from both games as well. Got to wonder if Daemon X Machina is going to be viewed as a flop, as that’s a fairly low ranking launch.
Wouldn’t be surprised if digital sales for Silksong were comparable to the combined total of the rest of the new releases last week.
Re: The Best Nintendo Switch 2 Games
Agree with DK and Silksong being at the top. Mario Kart World is underrated. Otherwise, not much else interesting on Switch 2 yet
Re: "I Can't Afford To Give It Away For Free" - Silksong's Low Price Is Causing Devs To Re-Evaluate Their Own Games
@Mikey_205 I buy a lot of games full price at launch, but this year has been slower than most. If I don’t count indies, the only AAAs I purchased full price at launch this year were Death Stranding 2, AC Shadows, KCD2, Split Fiction, MKW, and DK Bananza. I’d say MKW, DK, and DS2 were incredible value.
I felt like I made a mistake purchasing KCD2 and AC Shadows. I just didn’t like KCD2 and AC Shadows, even though they’re good games. Split Fiction… I think I wasted money on that one too. It’s an incredible game that I don’t know if I’ll ever finish since it’s too difficult for my wife and it makes her upset when she plays it!
Even so, that’s a slim purchase slate for me. I used to preorder that many games or more at E3 time every year. Even including the fact that I purchased a Switch 2 this year, 2025 is my lowest spend I’ve had in gaming since I’ve had disposable income! Feels honestly the industry lost a lot of momentum with the release schedule after FF Rebirth.
Re: Review: BOKURA: Planet (Switch 2) - A Little GameChat Gem That Nobody's Talking About
I bought this one and haven’t even tried it yet. Only game I’ve done that with in 2025! Alright, I’ll fix that following this review! I’m quite intrigued!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (6th September)
I’m all caught up on everything else, so it’s Silksong. Then more Silksong. Then more Silksong.
Re: Poll: Three Months In, How Would You Rate Switch 2's Library So Far?
Half the Switch 2 library is Switch 1 games with a paid upgrade right now. Then there’s a bunch of ports of old games too.
Right now, Mario Kart and DK are the only reasons to get a Switch 2. They’re good reasons too, but it does feel light right now.
I like the console a lot and I’ve switched… ahem… to purchasing games Nintendo first instead of my PS5 for third party games again (mostly indies), but it does feel like there’s a gap at the moment.
That said though, gaming as a whole has had a lackluster release slate this year too, so I’m not sure that’s a Nintendo problem or an industry problem, especially as I’ve loved the first party slate so far. First party’s been a 9/10, the total overall release schedule has been a 6/10 for me though.
Re: "I Can't Afford To Give It Away For Free" - Silksong's Low Price Is Causing Devs To Re-Evaluate Their Own Games
I mean, when Hollow Knight launched at $15, that was basically the price of indie games across the board. I expected Silksong to be $30, given the current cost of indie games in 2025.
To be honest though, the price creep in indie games has caused me to purchase far fewer games the last couple years. I used to be able to justify buying four or five indie games in a month because I hadn’t bought a AAA game. Now, however, with the price creep, I have only been buying maybe one indie game a month. The math might not make sense from above, but it comes down to the value of a $30 purchase as well. If I spend $15 and get a four hour game, that’s awesome and fine. If I spend $30 on a four hour game, that’s a lot for a little. And that rationale is the same in 2025 as it was in 2015 or 2020 because the cost of products has increased but the cost of my wages by way of inflation has not increased to match it, I suppose. I know I’m not alone in that boat.
I understand developers and publishers probably feel financially the same way I do, but I do think they’re edging out consumers from purchasing games based on their pricing. It’s interesting that the dev from Unbeatable is directly quoted here for me, as the pricing they choose will 100% dictate if I buy their game at launch or if I maybe buy it down the line on a sale… and even then there’s no guarantee as my purchase then will be affected by reviews, what other games are releasing, etc etc. It’s a game I want, but for me to spend $30 on it, it’s going to need to justify the cost. I know things like Shinobi justify the cost with name recognition, but I do believe that game should’ve been cheaper too.
Silksong is basically releasing at incredible value where people feel comfortable buying the game and I think they did the right thing. That’s my two cents anyway.
Re: Yuzo Koshiro's Shmup 'Earthion' Finally Has A Switch Release Date
Can’t wait! Day 1 for sure!
Re: UK Charts: Metal Gear Solid 3 And Gears Of War Shake Up The Top Ten
Shinobi deserves a better launch than that!
Re: Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games & Accessories For September and October 2025
Silksong, Mina the Hollower, and Pokemon for me with the potential for Katamari and AVGN 8-Bit too… I’m even thinking about double dipping on Silksong and Mina for physical and digital. And maybe Outer Worlds 2, Dreams of Another, Silent Hill, and Ghost of Yotei elsewhere. Was planning on getting Tactics if the release slate is slow enough to warrant replaying an old game, but… I don’t think it is!
And then there’s Metroid Prime 4, Hades 2, Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, and Witchbrook that I’m eying up, waiting for a release date for… Might not even have the bandwidth for Kirby Air-Riders to wrap up the year! Crazy how so much looks to be crunched into the end of the year this year!
Re: Feature: Nintendo Life eShop Selects (August 2025)
UFO 50 is just far and away far better than anything else in August. It’s the best eshop release this year by a decent margin, I’d say.
Re: Video: 13 Exciting New Games Coming To Switch 1 & 2 In September 2025
No PR for Henry Halfhead? That one looks more interesting to me than most of these to me! That said, I think we can all agree that September is exciting for Silksong.
You gotta wonder if there’s going to be any surprise releases from Nintendo coming up this month as well. With the rumor of a Direct on the 12th, it’s always a possibility we’ll have even more to play than we already know about! Imagine if Hades 2 or Metroid Prime 4 shadow drop this month… I don’t think it’s gonna happen, but you never know!
Re: Mini Review: The Exit 8 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Unnerving Horror Loop Is Worth The Budget Price
@Suketoudara They’re randomized. It’s different each time. Exit 8 took me maybe 20-25 attempts to complete, whereas I best Platform 8 on my first attempt. Might be experience, might be luck. I love them both and they’re very similar, but also distinct enough to play them both. They’re fun social games too. They’re “let’s show this one to grandma and see what she thinks” types of games since they’re easy to play and novel enough to cause surprise from new players, which gives them a fun level replayability.
Re: Talking Point: Would Drag x Drive Be Better With Miis Or Non-Mouse Control Options?
Drag x Drive is slightly more successful than Switch Sports (which was not as good as Wii Sports), but slightly less successful than Arms (which is perhaps the most overrated Nintendo IP currently, as I feel the game is super barebones to be sold at $60). Having Miis would be cuter and would help, sure, but I think the game was likely to be a hard sell either which way. And no mouse controls? That’d ruin the game as a unique experience, even if it’d make it easier to play, so that makes no sense.
Drag x Drive and Welcome Tour both would’ve been pack-ins. I think if the Switch 2 was priced $30 higher and had them both included, I think people would’ve said it was generous the console launched with two built-in games, there’d be a larger download base, and people would’ve welcomed both games for being experimental little examples of the creativity Nintendo is capable of rather than be flagged for being lightweight.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (30th August)
I’m just trying to beat Death Stranding 2 before Silksong. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I want it to!
Re: Mini Review: The Exit 8 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Unnerving Horror Loop Is Worth The Budget Price
For me, I’d say Exit 8 is a 9/10. It’s short, but it’s also distinctly memorable. It’s not exactly a horror game that intends to scare you, but rather one that intends to make you uneasy. It manipulates the mundane in interesting ways. For me, the Exit 8 and its sequel are two of the games that’ll stick with me that I played last year much more so than some of the bigger, flashier games because the games evoke feelings instead of the completion of tasks. The frustration is part of it. But what can I say? I played both games shortly after reading the book The Anomaly and I was really in the headspace for that vibe.
You can get both 8 games for under $10 though and that’s surely worth it for a short, single playthrough set of games. The Exit 8 has sold a lot of copies, so it makes sense that it got a devkit too, for anyone that doesn’t “get why it got one.”
@JohnnyMind If it makes you feel any better, my 7 year old found the Exit 8 and was able to beat it and play it without any issues and he loved it as well. He’s perhaps too young for it, and some of the game was scary to him (and he’s a chicken), but it wasn’t too scary, you know? This one isn’t really scary horror. It might raise your heartbeat a bit because it surprises you, but it’s not quite PTesque where there’s legitimate dread behind you at all times subliminally. I don’t know your threshold, but for the low price of the game, you might as well try it? That’s what I’d recommend at least!
Re: 66 Switch 1 & 2 Games You Should Check Out In The eShop 'Blockbuster Sale' (North America)
@AussieMcBucket Apparently Pixel had been making prototypes for other games for a couple of years and posting them, only to scrap them later. He hasn’t really done much publicly in like two years now. Can’t believe Cave Story is 20+ years old now. Gotta wonder if he’s a hobbyist that does something else full time.
Re: 66 Switch 1 & 2 Games You Should Check Out In The eShop 'Blockbuster Sale' (North America)
@Vyacheslav333 @AussieMcBucket Cave Story is basically the only game that’s been on my wishlist since the Switch launched due to its price. Indies were usually cheaper than $30 at launch in those days. Sometimes they’d launch at $10, $15. Crazy, right?
I’ve already played it, but feel like it’s such a good fit for the Switch that I’d like to double dip, but seriously, why no sales? I should’ve jumped when it was 50% off three years ago rather than hoping for a 75% off deal like games used to get in ye olde two years ago-ish.
Re: 66 Switch 1 & 2 Games You Should Check Out In The eShop 'Blockbuster Sale' (North America)
Why is Cave Story never on sale? 😭
Same games, different sale it feels like.
Re: Rumour: Sony Is Gunning For The Switch 2 With A Handheld, Dockable PS6
If that’s true, I’m a bit disappointed with the future of Sony after this generation. They’ve lost a lot of what made their identity unique as they’ve pivoted away from being a platform for the best cinematic gaming experiences in the market to chasing the live service bubble and this sounds like more trend chasing from what used to be one of gaming’s most consistent and innovative brands.
Re: Poll: When The Heck Is Metroid Prime 4 Actually Launching?
It was September 4th, but Nintendo pushed it back because of Silksong
Re: Pokémon Legends Z-A's Latest Mega Evolution Looks Particularly Snazzy
Glad Nintendo is finally committing to mega evolutions. Feels like this should have been a priority back in Gen 7, given that it was a big deal for Gen 6, but hey, what can you do? I like the megas better than the gigantic Pokemon and terra stuff
Re: Poll: Ahead Of Silksong's Release, Are You 'Finally' Playing Hollow Knight?
Time is not my friend with gaming at the moment. I’m nervous about finishing my current gaming slate before Silksong!
Re: Review: Herdling (Switch) - A Serene, Soothing Animal Trek With Some Rough Edges
@HelloCraigo Glad to see you still reviewing for the Hookshot team!
That said, I think this may be a game to get on sale and play during a snow day perhaps.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (23rd August)
I’m aiming to beat Death Stranding 2 before Silksong comes out, though I won’t be home for most of the weekend, so… yes…
I did bring my Switch 2 along with me though and so I’ll likely fire up UFO 50 and Chibi Robo in the meantime.
Re: Mario Kart World Wins "Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game" Of Gamescom 2025
I don’t understand the hate for MKW. I mean, I’m fairly casual for Mario Kart in general, and I really liked 8. Played about 50 hours of it and still boot it up from time to time. With MKW though, the more I played it, the more I liked it. It’s not going to be my Switch GotY, but it is solid through and through and it’s far more complicated than 8 was, even if it’s not obvious about it. If MKW was priced at $60, I’d guess the game would be perceived more positively.
That said, Donkey Kong Bananza is utterly genius. It executes perfectly what it means to do. It comes very close to the peak that Mario Odyssey has created for the genre. I mean, honestly, both games provide a solid argument that the Switch 2 is off to a very strong first year.
Re: Round Up: The Final Previews Are In For Hollow Knight: Silksong
2025’s GotY incoming in t-minus 2 weeks…