Jonnas

I like this one because it feels like it does its own thing, in gameplay, writing, and aesthetics. And Wada Sachiko is the art director. It's a cool one to go through, and fairly short. Also an excellent choice to get into the series.

I really should've made a prediction for this week. I literally had the necessary info to know they would add a significant Fire Emblem title Regarding best soundtrack in the series, it's hard to choose between Fates, Echoes, and Three Houses. But Engage has got some sauce. Seeing as I don't care for this game's spoilers, I'm looking forward to exploring this soundtrack a bit more. On a side note, I'd love to see them add the soundtrack for Binding Blade. Easily the most underrated OST in the series.

To a certain extent, it's true... but the truth is that both of these games came out at a time where it felt like Square was just sending a bunch of mid-tier games to die, both in release timing and in price (I mean, they should only price a title like Harvestella as 60€ if they're set on convincing the audience that it is a top-tier production... but they clearly made no effort to do so) Like, I feel like this debacle came about from developers at S-E finding a way to produce some humbler, mid-tier productions... and then the marketing/distribution teams completely fumbling it, because they literally have no idea how to market something that isn't AAA-tier.

I'm afraid not. Never really saw it at a heavily reduced price, and the truth is, my backlog is pretty stacked as it is My gaming hobby is practically on hiatus Very nice to hear your impressions, though. I never really heard of this game again, either good or bad. It really went under the radar.

That's the thing, it could be optional. Maybe we could make it work like in Melee, and make it so SDs take away 2 points (an option that already exists). Let each friend group define which adjustment works. As it stands, if someone does something stupid and falls off the edge, an undeserved point goes to whichever Pikachu last hit that person with a randomly-thrown thunder jolt, and we can't do anything about that. Heck, even the "kill yourself to deny a point" thing still happens (entirely likely that a Wario might want to deny a Ganon a point by simply getting hit with a stray projectile, and then dying), but even the "SD takes away 2 points" rule becomes entirely worthless in that scenario, because it doesn't register as an SD. An SD only registers as such if it happens at 0%, which is absurd.

Super Smash Bros. Melee was my favourite game ever for nearly two decades. Only Ultimate surpassed it. I never really felt the appeal behind Subspace Emissary (excessively repetitive and dull), even if it had the right idea. Adventure Mode in Melee was quick, to the point, and kept all of its ideas focused. Like, if a stage in SE was more fun with, say, Sonic than any other character, there was no real reason to explore and find that out. Melee Adventure kept its levels short and replayable, and as a result, I found out, for example, which characters handled the F-Zero level better (Capt.Falcon can just run through it like a champ, but figuring out how to keep myself airborne with Jigglypuff was a legit challenge) The personalized levels in Break the Targets was also an incredible way to learn the ins and outs of various characters. I learned to wall jump thanks to this mode. And that's just single-player, because also in multi-player there's stuff that it did really well. Even modern Smash games don't do the cheeky bonuses at the end of matches, nor do they measure SDs properly. Finally, the gamefeel was incredible, really good use of rumble (whenever you landed a good hit, you felt it). By comparison, Brawl was like punching with pillows. Melee was also quite fast, which made for a very exciting spectacle. I do admit it made it harder to play for beginners. Thankfully, Ultimate matches Melee in the gamefeel area, while still being very accommodating for beginners (partly because there are many more beginner-friendly stages as well in Ultimate). And there's a lot more to gush about Melee. That's why I still put it at the top of any list where I rank my favourite GCN games.

The two (2) guest characters being added to this game really put a hamper on my excitement. It's like, I'm fine with silly marketing stunts, they do help in making a game's launch feel grander. But adding full-blown characters to the game? Into the sequel of what was such a perfect small-but-cohesive game with integrity? Something is lost, that's for sure. That said, both Ronaldo and Ganacci look well thought-out, at least. If they were original characters, people would love them for sure, especially Ganacci (his Super is actually excellent). I can only hope that, in the future, they do add some lookalikes with similar movesets to be a more permanent part of the roster. Maybe Duck King. So my most major disappointment is that Freeman and Jae Hoon are nowhere to be seen. Freeman is like whatever, never really liked him that much, and they can still do something cool for a later return. But Jae Hoon? Come on, he's been gone for so long, I want to see him evolve too! Replace Joe with him, come on SNK

Pikmin is a fantastic game, and it does look like a fantastic series, but I somehow never played the sequels. First game really is excellent, though. So many memorable moments packed into a short (but impressive) game. Maybe the sequels (which don't have time limits) would be more your cup of tea? Or was it the gameplay loop in general that displeased you?

Yes, actually. Mostly, I have the itch to play something, but all I can muster is something "comfortable". You'd be surprised at how often I'd rather just feel the rush of landing an easy combo in a familiar fighting game, or fill out a couple of Picross puzzles, rather than trying out even a simple platforming game. Adulthood (or rather, all the multiple responsibilities, occupations, and projects that it brings) does that to us.

Glen tried to curse my sandwiches. Didn't work.

I heard so much about this series over the years, but despite being a Sega (& later Nintendo) boy, I somehow never played it. It kind of occupies a weird spot in my backlog, where I really feel like I should have an opinion on Super Monkey Ball, but I don't. Looks incredibly fun, though. It also sports that oddly-specific aesthetic of the time, where it definitely looks like a Dreamcast/Gamecube hybrid.

Heck yeah, Gamecube! Luigi's Mansion is one I never got to try. I never really felt the pull for it when I was younger (that was a time where longer games and broader content were more highly valued). These days, I appreciate its strengths so much more, and I'd love to give it a try. Wave Race: Blue Storm is one I did own. Once again, I didn't really appreciate the seemingly little amount of content at the time (especially when I also had F-Zero GX), but looking back, that game had plenty of strengths. Gamefeel was superb, and it looked great for the time. Surprising amount of personality for such a western-coded game, too. I'm sure it's coming to the NSO, and I do hope I can give it another shot sooner rather than later.

This was a really fun read, learning about these unique titles And it seems the Virtual Boy had even fewer games than I thought!

Wasn't feeling it at first, but that last scene is actually kind of brilliant. Cautiously optimistic.

F-Zero GX is a mediocre multiplayer game, but a brilliant single-player game!.. If you're into hardcore challenge. I do hope they release an EX version of the game (or an EX savefile, in case that's how they handle GCN saves) with everything unlocked. The world needs to know about PJ: ...Huh. So that's why it's a Switch 2 exclusive.

Thank you for airing those issues in the first place. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known to address them when writing my review. Hopefully Freedom Planet 3 will have more than one reptile. Don't skip any cutscenes when you play through Carol's campaign. I brought TWO sandwiches to lunch today. I enjoyed every bite.

Right, I almost forgot to mention this one, but... easily the most insidious announcement of the Direct. It's like they learned nothing from Nintendo Land. Look, it's cool that they have a tech demo. It's not cool that they charge for it. I don't care if it's cheap, it is unacceptable to charge for what is essentially a sophisticated instruction manual. This is meant to showcase the product and teach users about its features, it should NOT be locked behind a paywall. It's a bad sign of where current Nintendo priorities lie. The cherry on top of the cake that is the current pricing scandal.

Besides ToS, I'd also love to see Skies of Arcadia. That's a game that would be better served by a polished remaster (the GCN version is very good, but the music is very compressed, so it's not definitive), but a simple rerelease would also be excellent. Next game is a bit more unexpected: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Sure, we're not likely to get Bongos, but we can use the Joy-cons to replicate the effect. I also must mention the masterpiece that is Super Smash Bros. Melee, and hope that it comes to the NSO sooner, rather than later. Wave Race: Blue Storm and Mario Party 4-6 are probably a given. They're good games that people are more inclined to play if they don't have to purchase them. Same thing for the Donkey Konga trilogy, if the joy-cons allow it. Metroid Prime 2 is not my favourite, but it is good, and I'd like new players to experience more than just the first Prime game. Super Mario Sunshine is also one that deserves to be more readily available than in some limited edition release. Starfox Adventures is also begging for a rerelease. And while we already have a remaster, I think Pikmin would also be good for the service. I'd also love to see some multi-platform games that happened to have a GCN version. Timesplitters 2, Viewtiful Joe, Splinter Cell, Second Sight, and Burnout 2 spring to mind. On the level of games I personally never played, there's Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door, Doshin the Giant, Lost Kingdoms (1 & 2), Super Monkey Ball (1 & 2), Kirby's Air Ride, Starfox Assault, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Geist, and Pikmin 2 (which would be quite something, if they could get those original licensed objects for the rerelease) Finally, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Master Quest is not yet available on the NSO, and it was technically originally released on the Gamecube. Just saying...

Presumably, the fact that the Link version of the game can't be rereleased on any other console probably helped a lot.

I know it's easy to get excited at the possibility of a second screen + microphone + a way to potentially recognize when two screens are smacking each other (old-school fans know what I'm talking about). But we're still missing a decent stylus. I ain't (re)playing Elite Beat Agents or Spirit Tracks without one.

This presentation didn't really... wow me. There was a lot of cool stuff revealed for sure, and a lot of stuff that makes me happy as well, but there wasn't a "cornerstone" gimmick to it all, so it felt a bit unfocused, like they're just listing facts and cool stuff. The mouse-con could've been it, but like @Julius says, they felt more like an extra option out of many (which is still cool for many games that are typically better on PC, yes, but no game centers on it). But it's fine, the Switch 2 didn't need to be the Wii, or the DS, or... the Switch 1. Context is important. They definitely let me know that the Switch branding is going to remain a very convenient and satisfying way to play, between its gigantic library, the drip-feed of classic games, the occasional oddballs (like the Mario Party upgrade, Kirby, or 3D DK), and even legitimate 3rd party support, including modern fighting games. Whenever they confirm City of the Wolves for Switch 2, my purchase will be immediate. All of that said, the return of Soul Calibur 2 was my absolute favourite announcement, I'm so happy about that.

I legit squealed when I saw Soul Calibur II The version with Link is finally back! With online! Oh, my sweet heart! They went with some of the absolute best possible choices for the launch of the GCN NSO. F-Zero GX is still a technical showcase to this day, and it's one of the best Gamecube titles to never be rereleased (multiplayer is still mediocre at best, btw). SC2 has been rereleased, but never THIS version. And people had been anticipating Wind Waker for a good while. I'm looking forward to see this selection grow. My personal top pick for it is Tales of Symphonia: let modern players see what the original, uncompromised version of that title looks like.

That is a perfect (and spoilerrific) comparison! This is actually how I felt with the Soul Calibur II non-chalant reveal as well!

Shinen must've been happy. They were about to secure a fast-paced racer for the launch of the Switch 2, at a time when people are still hungry for F-Zero. Things were looking up... as long as nobody rereleases F-Zero GX running at a crisp 60 FPS on a service that many players are already subscribed to. Poor unfortunate souls. But real talk, I hope F-Zero GX actually helps this game's sales.

This one was a surprise... as in, I'm surprised they didn't just make this into Bravely Default+Second. I'm hoping this leads to some new arrangements for this godly soundtrack.