Holy moly, never thought I’d see another Wizardry game. Sure does bring back memories. I’d love it if they included the original as an easter egg or mode of play in some way.
Gods, the gut punches just keep coming lately. It’s safe to say that the Tales series would not be what it is without her; her work is absolutely inseparable from the identity of the series. Condolences to her loved ones, may she rest in peace. So young still…
Given Geoff Keighley’s utter refusal to even acknowledge the challenges the industry has been facing over the last year at this past Game Awards, amid other similar missteps, perhaps it’s time to rethink giving such a significant share of the annual gaming event cycle over to the stewardship of a single person.
A brilliant and touching tribute to a legend, thank you for writing this. I’ve been at a loss for words for how I’ve felt since hearing the news yesterday, and this captured it perfectly. Other legends have risen and will arise in time, but none can be Akira Toriyama. May he rest in peace, and may his legacy live on and on and on.
That influence shows; Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are all over FFVII Rebirth’s world map exploration. It’s a lot of fun, but too many games of this type at once feels more than a little overwhelming to my free time. Hard to complain about an embarrassment of riches, though.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow was so delightful, definitely a highlight for me as well. Honestly, probably now among my favorite books, period. I need to re-read it again soon.
Picard season 3 is definitely a bonus round, too; the story it told was completely ridiculous and frankly insulting to a viewer’s intelligence (the same could be said for the rest of the show, too), but even so, getting to see that cast reunited one more time made my Xennial heart sing.
@GutayS5 Honestly, as someone who is also time-constrained for massive RPGs these days, I’d say…play both. They’re so worth the time. And whichever one you play first, you can’t go wrong.
@DemonKow Heh, yep, fun times back then. Don't see too many of those tongue-in-cheek warnings these days. I'm also reminded of the introduction of the Survivor's Guide about the game's violence, and how each of us has a sort of monster in our minds that DOOM exists to let out and play for awhile, and then when we're done, we put that monster away, and that's why players of violent games aren't all serial killers or whatever. That bit has stuck with me all this time.
Holy moly, it doesn't seem like that long ago that it was the 20th anniversary. Been a minute since the days when I fried the sound card in my old 386 after installing DOOM from disk back in the day. I'm getting goddamn old. 😅
Sad to see it fizzle out like this, even if it hasn't felt as relevant as it used to for a long time. Cheers to the times when it was fun, though. It's hard to call it the end of an era, when the era was already over for awhile, but at least now we have official confirmation once and for all.
Great article. Definitely most agreed where labor issues impacting developers and studios are concerned. The show featured Geoff peppering it with ultimately meaningless platitudes about celebrating the developers and studios behind the games featured during the show, as well as the whole industry....while uttering not a single word about the widespread labor problems currently plaguing it, and continuing to succumb to the constant pace of acquisitions of increasingly greater size and scope (and anti-consumerism).
Geoff is a guy with a huge platform, he knows he's a guy with a huge platform, and yet this year he seemed perfectly content to use his three hours of streaming primetime to schmooze with celebrity buddies instead of doing the very thing the Game Awards professes to do — celebrate games, and the people behind them.
Too many companies tried to expand too rapidly during the height of the pandemic, couldn't pay the tab for all that rapid growth and acquisition, and now it's resulted in so many studio closures and layoffs...I want to single out Embracer specifically, but it's industry-wide, really. We lose out as players, to be sure, but not so much as the developers, artists, and musicians who pour their hearts into these projects.
I hope the employees can get back on their feet sooner rather than later, and get back to the things we all love.
Every new Zelda game is going to be divisive, in some way. I don't think I've ever seen that change; I remember Ocarina being hailed as the death of the series as much as the exciting new direction, just before it became lauded as the greatest game of all time.
Personally, I absolutely love the classic Zelda games, too, and still replay them from time to time, but if they do another one, I want to see it do something unique. A Link Between Worlds, for example, was a perfect balance of following the classic formula — even being a direct sequel to a beloved entry in the series — and yet still feeling fresh.
If a new Zelda game is made, it should have a reason to exist. Otherwise, we just get fodder, and there's plenty of that in games these days already.
It looks rough, that's for sure, but probably not to the point of being unplayable in handheld mode. I'm sure there'll be performances patches to follow, too.
I’m happy to say that this my 100th comment on the site (despite having been a lurker for years before finally jumping in a few years ago and eventually becoming a subscriber/supporter, ha) — Happy 18th, Nintendo Life! 🎉 Thank you for all the great work you’ve done, and continue to do. It’s a joy to see it keep going, and always getting better and better. Here’s to another 18 years!
It seems unclear, between this and similar posts on other sites, whether this is a separate purchase from the game or not; I hope it isn’t, because then that means it could come with import copies of the game? I usually import (and indeed am importing this already), and would love to have this be a little extra surprise with it!
Although in the past, I’ve been as bullish as anybody on the notion of the Switch overtaking the DS and PS2, I will say in the time since, I’ve come to a point where I could not care less — and now, 132 million Switches (and counting) sold at a time when smartphone gaming has long since overtaken console and handheld gaming by roughly 1,000x just speaks to how extraordinary the quality of Nintendo’s efforts have been. Say what you will about the flooding of the eShop with low quality content (and it is true), the Switch has also been home to some of the most memorable experiences seen in the history of console and handheld gaming. Sales could fall off a cliff right now — and they won’t — and it would still be an incredible run. Long live Nintendo Switch.
Gods, how many hours my brother and I played this, way back when. Gonna have to get that cart out and play a few rounds later. I’ll absolutely be picking this up; we live in different states now, and the ability to play these together again over online multiplayer will be so much fun.
Thrilled to see affirmation of the sense that this is basically Super Mario World for the modern era. My inner ten year old is as excited now as I was then. What a great (potential) swan song Mario game for Switch. Here we goooooo!
Not a low score from Famitsu by any means, but I honestly expected it would be higher. Still sounds like it’s gonna be an absolute blast, can’t wait till the NL review is up!
@koffing Agreed. Literally every version of these games ever released had technical issues in some form or other; they’re annoying when they pop up, but 9 times out of 10, chances are I’ll be playing the PR versions now when I want to go back through them. I love the originals very much, and own multiple different releases of each of them, but the PR versions on Switch feel the most accessible to me now in a way that makes them feel definitive.
Can’t wait to see what’s coming next. About 3/4 of the way through Sea of Stars, and not even kidding, it’s easily my favorite RPG of the last probably twenty years (except for maybe Xenoblade, but it’s a close call). Square Enix wishes it could still make games this good.
Fully ready for it, I'll be there day one. I haven't been this excited for a Super Mario Bros game since World, which makes sense, as this is probably the biggest update to the world/formula/ethos since then.
I can’t believe it’s finally here. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough. Having followed (and backed) this from the original announcement, this is easily among my most anticipated releases this year, if not the most anticipated one. This review just seals the deal that much the better.
Great that there’s a physical option for anyone who wasn’t able to get in on the backer tier for it! Can’t wait for this, one of my most anticipated games of the year (maybe even of the entire gen).
I’ll never forget the first time I saw and played Super Mario 64 in person, in a pre-release kiosk demo at a Toys R Us that was local to me at the time. Charles Martinet’s voice as Mario has lived rent-free in my head for almost 30 years; one of the few people I can actually say that about. Simply iconic. Even my kid and her friends know that voice anywhere. I’m sure whatever happens next for Mario’s voice will be just fine, but what an era that comes to an end now. Thank you, Charles.
Don't forget other Square Enix PS1 classics that are on Switch, like SaGa Frontier, Legend of Mana, and Star Ocean: The First Departure! Plus some more obscure fare, like Rhapsody. And we're getting Star Ocean: The Second Story soon. But yeah, like others have said, would love to see Xenogears and Xenosaga make the jump, too. And Chrono Trigger. And both Lunar: Silver Star Saga, along with Lunar: Eternal Blue. And more of the classic Ys lineup. And and and and... 😉
It is really funny — and really awesome — to revisit so much of the PS1 legacy on Switch today. It strikes the perfect balance of awesome new content and a treasure trove of legendary classics.
Sigh…another one gone. Glad there are still a couple of retro/Nintendo gaming mags circling around, but it’s definitely dire times. Hopefully we’ll still have Nintendo Force around for awhile yet, at least.
I was sad there was no Chrono Trigger, but this and Star Ocean are so very welcome! Absolutely amazing Direct, my poor wallet won’t know what hit it. Holding out hope for a cart.
This and Sea of Stars are my two most anticipated indie cart releases this year (hopefully, anyway). I’ve held off on playing this until getting that cart in my hands, but at this point, I’m pretty likely going to double-dip on the eShop release soon. Everything I see about it (admittedly not much, for fear of spoilers) looks amazing.
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Re: Nintendo Believes Successor Announcement Will Have "Zero Impact" On Switch Sales
Huh, I wonder if the headline is misleading. /s
(Mistakes/errors happen, and that’s okay! Keep up the good work!)
Re: Digital Eclipse's Remake of 'Wizardry' Dungeon Crawls Onto Switch In May
@masterLEON Ah, you’re right, I missed that! Thanks for pointing it out. That’s really cool! Here’s hoping we can get a cart release sometime.
Re: Digital Eclipse's Remake of 'Wizardry' Dungeon Crawls Onto Switch In May
Holy moly, never thought I’d see another Wizardry game. Sure does bring back memories. I’d love it if they included the original as an easter egg or mode of play in some way.
Re: 'Tales' Series Artist & Character Designer Mutsumi Inomata Has Passed Away
Gods, the gut punches just keep coming lately. It’s safe to say that the Tales series would not be what it is without her; her work is absolutely inseparable from the identity of the series. Condolences to her loved ones, may she rest in peace. So young still…
Re: Summer Game Fest Conference Schedule 2024: Dates, How To Watch, Everything You Need To Know
Given Geoff Keighley’s utter refusal to even acknowledge the challenges the industry has been facing over the last year at this past Game Awards, amid other similar missteps, perhaps it’s time to rethink giving such a significant share of the annual gaming event cycle over to the stewardship of a single person.
Re: Feature: Akira Toriyama, The Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest, And Chrono Trigger Artist That Inspired The World
A brilliant and touching tribute to a legend, thank you for writing this. I’ve been at a loss for words for how I’ve felt since hearing the news yesterday, and this captured it perfectly. Other legends have risen and will arise in time, but none can be Akira Toriyama. May he rest in peace, and may his legacy live on and on and on.
Re: Random: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Producer Had To Put His Playthrough Of Zelda "On Hold"
That influence shows; Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are all over FFVII Rebirth’s world map exploration. It’s a lot of fun, but too many games of this type at once feels more than a little overwhelming to my free time. Hard to complain about an embarrassment of riches, though.
Re: Don't Expect A Remake Of Final Fantasy 6 Soon, If Ever
Good, leave it alone. It’s a masterpiece already. No need to fix what isn’t broken.
Re: Community: Nintendo Life Staff's Non-Game Highlights Of 2023
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow was so delightful, definitely a highlight for me as well. Honestly, probably now among my favorite books, period. I need to re-read it again soon.
Picard season 3 is definitely a bonus round, too; the story it told was completely ridiculous and frankly insulting to a viewer’s intelligence (the same could be said for the rest of the show, too), but even so, getting to see that cast reunited one more time made my Xennial heart sing.
Re: Sea Of Stars Has Reached More Than 4 Million Players In 4 Months
@GutayS5 Honestly, as someone who is also time-constrained for massive RPGs these days, I’d say…play both. They’re so worth the time. And whichever one you play first, you can’t go wrong.
Re: Sea Of Stars Has Reached More Than 4 Million Players In 4 Months
Love to see it. One of my very favorite games of the last couple of decades, easily. Such a great soundtrack, too.
Re: DOOM, DOOM II And Quake Just Got New Free Add-Ons, Rip And Tear Today
@DemonKow Heh, yep, fun times back then. Don't see too many of those tongue-in-cheek warnings these days. I'm also reminded of the introduction of the Survivor's Guide about the game's violence, and how each of us has a sort of monster in our minds that DOOM exists to let out and play for awhile, and then when we're done, we put that monster away, and that's why players of violent games aren't all serial killers or whatever. That bit has stuck with me all this time.
Re: DOOM, DOOM II And Quake Just Got New Free Add-Ons, Rip And Tear Today
Holy moly, it doesn't seem like that long ago that it was the 20th anniversary. Been a minute since the days when I fried the sound card in my old 386 after installing DOOM from disk back in the day. I'm getting goddamn old. 😅
Re: E3 Has Been Cancelled, Permanently
Sad to see it fizzle out like this, even if it hasn't felt as relevant as it used to for a long time. Cheers to the times when it was fun, though. It's hard to call it the end of an era, when the era was already over for awhile, but at least now we have official confirmation once and for all.
Re: Soapbox: This Year, The Game Awards Failed The Industry
Great article. Definitely most agreed where labor issues impacting developers and studios are concerned. The show featured Geoff peppering it with ultimately meaningless platitudes about celebrating the developers and studios behind the games featured during the show, as well as the whole industry....while uttering not a single word about the widespread labor problems currently plaguing it, and continuing to succumb to the constant pace of acquisitions of increasingly greater size and scope (and anti-consumerism).
Geoff is a guy with a huge platform, he knows he's a guy with a huge platform, and yet this year he seemed perfectly content to use his three hours of streaming primetime to schmooze with celebrity buddies instead of doing the very thing the Game Awards professes to do — celebrate games, and the people behind them.
Re: TimeSplitters Dev Free Radical Has Shut Down As Staff Share "Last Day" Messages
Too many companies tried to expand too rapidly during the height of the pandemic, couldn't pay the tab for all that rapid growth and acquisition, and now it's resulted in so many studio closures and layoffs...I want to single out Embracer specifically, but it's industry-wide, really. We lose out as players, to be sure, but not so much as the developers, artists, and musicians who pour their hearts into these projects.
I hope the employees can get back on their feet sooner rather than later, and get back to the things we all love.
Re: Zelda Producer Responds To Fans Who Want A More "Traditional Linear" Adventure
Every new Zelda game is going to be divisive, in some way. I don't think I've ever seen that change; I remember Ocarina being hailed as the death of the series as much as the exciting new direction, just before it became lauded as the greatest game of all time.
Personally, I absolutely love the classic Zelda games, too, and still replay them from time to time, but if they do another one, I want to see it do something unique. A Link Between Worlds, for example, was a perfect balance of following the classic formula — even being a direct sequel to a beloved entry in the series — and yet still feeling fresh.
If a new Zelda game is made, it should have a reason to exist. Otherwise, we just get fodder, and there's plenty of that in games these days already.
Re: We’ve Played Batman: Arkham Knight On Switch - Here’s 17 Minutes Of Gameplay
It looks rough, that's for sure, but probably not to the point of being unplayable in handheld mode. I'm sure there'll be performances patches to follow, too.
Re: Site News: Nintendo Life Turns 18 Today
I’m happy to say that this my 100th comment on the site (despite having been a lurker for years before finally jumping in a few years ago and eventually becoming a subscriber/supporter, ha) — Happy 18th, Nintendo Life! 🎉 Thank you for all the great work you’ve done, and continue to do. It’s a joy to see it keep going, and always getting better and better. Here’s to another 18 years!
Re: Super Mario RPG Switch Is Getting A Physical SNES Style Instruction Manual
It seems unclear, between this and similar posts on other sites, whether this is a separate purchase from the game or not; I hope it isn’t, because then that means it could come with import copies of the game? I usually import (and indeed am importing this already), and would love to have this be a little extra surprise with it!
Re: Nintendo Switch Has Now Sold Over 132 Million Units
Although in the past, I’ve been as bullish as anybody on the notion of the Switch overtaking the DS and PS2, I will say in the time since, I’ve come to a point where I could not care less — and now, 132 million Switches (and counting) sold at a time when smartphone gaming has long since overtaken console and handheld gaming by roughly 1,000x just speaks to how extraordinary the quality of Nintendo’s efforts have been. Say what you will about the flooding of the eShop with low quality content (and it is true), the Switch has also been home to some of the most memorable experiences seen in the history of console and handheld gaming. Sales could fall off a cliff right now — and they won’t — and it would still be an incredible run. Long live Nintendo Switch.
Re: Sega's First Super Game Making Steady Progress, Still Targeting 2026 Release
This is a snoozefest, until you embellish it with heroic fanfare and declarations of “SUUUUUPERRR GAAAAAMMMEEE”.
Re: SNES Racer Series Top Gear Is Being Revived As A Switch Collection In 2024
Gods, how many hours my brother and I played this, way back when. Gonna have to get that cart out and play a few rounds later. I’ll absolutely be picking this up; we live in different states now, and the ability to play these together again over online multiplayer will be so much fun.
Re: Poll: What's Your Switch Controller Of Choice For Super Mario Bros. Wonder?
SNES for life.
Re: Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster Blasts Onto Switch Next February
@LadyCharlie I lol’d, thanks for that.
Re: Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster Blasts Onto Switch Next February
That’s right around the corner after my birthday, guess I now have plans already!
Re: Review: Super Mario Bros. Wonder - The Best 2D Mario Since The Super NES
Thrilled to see affirmation of the sense that this is basically Super Mario World for the modern era. My inner ten year old is as excited now as I was then. What a great (potential) swan song Mario game for Switch. Here we goooooo!
Re: The First Review For Super Mario Bros. Wonder Is In
Not a low score from Famitsu by any means, but I honestly expected it would be higher. Still sounds like it’s gonna be an absolute blast, can’t wait till the NL review is up!
Re: 'Mario Red Edition' Switch OLED Launch Doubles System Sales In Japan
An analyst not understanding the voracity of the collectors market may not be in the right career field, methinks.
Re: Unity's CEO And President Retires After Policy Debacle
@BenoitRen Ah, yep, so it is. I missed it on my initial read. Thanks!
Re: Unity's CEO And President Retires After Policy Debacle
Didn’t Riccitiello recently sell a bunch of his stock in the company, not long before the pricing change announcement? Seems fishy.
Re: Sabotage Already Has A Team Hard At Work On Sea Of Star's DLC
@NotTelevision Can confirm it works great with the SNES Online controllers, at least.
Re: Final Fantasy's Pixel Remaster Series Has Now Sold Three Million Copies
@koffing Agreed. Literally every version of these games ever released had technical issues in some form or other; they’re annoying when they pop up, but 9 times out of 10, chances are I’ll be playing the PR versions now when I want to go back through them. I love the originals very much, and own multiple different releases of each of them, but the PR versions on Switch feel the most accessible to me now in a way that makes them feel definitive.
Re: Sabotage Already Has A Team Hard At Work On Sea Of Star's DLC
@NintendoByNature Right? It’s wild. I feel 10 years old again each time I play it, in the best possible way. Sabotage nailed it, again.
Re: Sabotage Already Has A Team Hard At Work On Sea Of Star's DLC
@Snatcher Oooohhh, you’re in for such a treat. Have fun with it!
Re: Sabotage Already Has A Team Hard At Work On Sea Of Star's DLC
Can’t wait to see what’s coming next. About 3/4 of the way through Sea of Stars, and not even kidding, it’s easily my favorite RPG of the last probably twenty years (except for maybe Xenoblade, but it’s a close call). Square Enix wishes it could still make games this good.
Re: Poll: What Did You Think Of The Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct Showcase?
Fully ready for it, I'll be there day one. I haven't been this excited for a Super Mario Bros game since World, which makes sense, as this is probably the biggest update to the world/formula/ethos since then.
Re: Review: Sea Of Stars - An Instant Classic, So Much More Than A Chrono Trigger Throwback
I can’t believe it’s finally here. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough. Having followed (and backed) this from the original announcement, this is easily among my most anticipated releases this year, if not the most anticipated one. This review just seals the deal that much the better.
Re: Sea Of Stars Scores A Physical Release On Switch Early Next Year
Great that there’s a physical option for anyone who wasn’t able to get in on the backer tier for it! Can’t wait for this, one of my most anticipated games of the year (maybe even of the entire gen).
Re: Charles Martinet Will No Longer Be The Voice Of Mario
I’ll never forget the first time I saw and played Super Mario 64 in person, in a pre-release kiosk demo at a Toys R Us that was local to me at the time. Charles Martinet’s voice as Mario has lived rent-free in my head for almost 30 years; one of the few people I can actually say that about. Simply iconic. Even my kid and her friends know that voice anywhere. I’m sure whatever happens next for Mario’s voice will be just fine, but what an era that comes to an end now. Thank you, Charles.
Re: Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games And Accessories For August And September 2023
No mention of Sea of Stars? For shame! (I jest.) 😉
Re: Site News: Nintendo Life Partners With Family Gaming, Brings Accessibility Info To Reviews And Game Pages
Thank you for doing what many other sites do not (yet). It’s this kind of effort that sets NL/Hookshot apart, and makes me happy to support.
Re: Soapbox: Switch Is Only A Classic Or Two From Being The Perfect PlayStation History Lesson
Don't forget other Square Enix PS1 classics that are on Switch, like SaGa Frontier, Legend of Mana, and Star Ocean: The First Departure! Plus some more obscure fare, like Rhapsody. And we're getting Star Ocean: The Second Story soon. But yeah, like others have said, would love to see Xenogears and Xenosaga make the jump, too. And Chrono Trigger. And both Lunar: Silver Star Saga, along with Lunar: Eternal Blue. And more of the classic Ys lineup. And and and and... 😉
It is really funny — and really awesome — to revisit so much of the PS1 legacy on Switch today. It strikes the perfect balance of awesome new content and a treasure trove of legendary classics.
Re: Veteran Final Fantasy Devs Gather To Celebrate Franchise's 35th Anniversary
I do love that they’re still doing things for the anniversary; it’s a nice contrast to cough Zelda. I am, uh, rather biased in this regard, though. 😅
Re: Switch Player Magazine Is Ending Its Six-Year Run With One Last Issue
Sigh…another one gone. Glad there are still a couple of retro/Nintendo gaming mags circling around, but it’s definitely dire times. Hopefully we’ll still have Nintendo Force around for awhile yet, at least.
Re: Random: Mortal Kombat Co-Creator Knows Who He'd Add To Smash Bros., If Nintendo Was To Ask
What, no Dan Forden? 😉
Re: Nintendo Switch Will Soon Be Running Fable (Not That One)
Well, that’s one way to get me to click a headline. 😂
Re: Super Mario RPG Is Getting A Remake This November, And It Looks Amazing
@Gitface Indeed, my inner ten year old is fully mind-blown right now! Holy moly, what a day.
Re: Super Mario RPG Is Getting A Remake This November, And It Looks Amazing
I was sad there was no Chrono Trigger, but this and Star Ocean are so very welcome! Absolutely amazing Direct, my poor wallet won’t know what hit it. Holding out hope for a cart.
Re: Brilliant RPG Chained Echoes Is Getting A New Game + Mode Very Soon
This and Sea of Stars are my two most anticipated indie cart releases this year (hopefully, anyway). I’ve held off on playing this until getting that cart in my hands, but at this point, I’m pretty likely going to double-dip on the eShop release soon. Everything I see about it (admittedly not much, for fear of spoilers) looks amazing.