Jonnas

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.

I really dig (heh heh) this new aesthetic for Donkey Kong. It's cool to see classic characters get proper reimagined, and this title looks to be incredibly expressive. The gameplay itself hasn't quite grabbed me yet. As technically impressive as the gimmick seems to be, I've outgrown the fascination with "You can destroy the entire world!" concept ages ago. There looks to be fantastic effort behind this game, so I'm sure there's more to come.

This 3D Tetris game kinda looks like Tetrisphere in parts. Speaking of, I would imagine Tetrisphere would actually look pretty cool in 3D. Also, I'm sorry, is that a block with hair and tits?

City of the Wolves canonically takes place in 2009. That kick canonically took place in 2014. We can infer that all of that Fatal Fury practise culminated in the 2014 kick. The deep lore checks out.

Ok, now that I've returned and settled in, I have... better articulated musings and questions. Why would they do this? Can't they just make a stage or some promotional costumes and call it a day? Why is this the first Portuguese character we ever see from a major fighting game franchise? (Soul Calibur's Setsuka is half-Portuguese, but she barely counts. Pocket Bravery has a proper Portuguese guy, but it's not a major franchise) WHY IS HE VOICED BY SOME SPANISH-SOUNDING BLOKE?! YOU IGNORANT AMERICAN MOTHERF- Is Cristiano Ronaldo fighting to inherit Geese's legacy? His fighting style is actually really cool-looking. I do legitimately enjoy mix-up/rekka characters, it's also a perfect fit for a football-based character. Are they going to keep this style in a different character going forward? Before this announcement, it was practically a certainty that the remaining characters were Hokutomaru, Jae Hoon, and Freeman. Because of this, we now know that one of them is neither on the starting roster, nor on the Season 1 DLC. Why would they do this to us? Why does he have a goalie move? Why is it a focus attack, of all things? That penalty kick ultimate is so bizarre. It's like... you're not hitting the goal, Cris. You're literally practicing how to aim that ball at the one spot it's guaranteed to not enter the goal. Did you think this through, Cris? Why does SIIIUUUUMMMM being used as a detonator actually looks really good? And why did they release the trailer while I was in Madeira? Are you stalking me, SNK?!

I know I'm a bit late to this, but... what the actual hell is this boxart!? The girl in the middle looks like an off-model animation frame. Did someone send an early draft in the mail by mistake? And then forced a colourist to make the best out of it? Good grief!

True that. The posts from this thread have a way of sticking in our minds. I swear, I still remember your old SMT IV post every time I look at my pledge. Thanks, Isabeau. I have enjoyed every sandwich I've eaten ever since you made this post.

I am currently on holiday in Madeira (Cristiano Ronaldo's hometown), and I am briefly interrupting it just to say: What the actual fuck!?

Uncharted Waters! That's a game that's been on my radar for a while now, I kept putting it off because it looks like such a long game. Now that it's on the NSO, I can play it in a more practical fashion. Eventually. Maybe. We'll put a pin on that.

I wish I managed to even play it This past year has been a rollercoaster in my life, and I haven't been giving any attention to newer fighting games (outside of the occasional Smash tourney, and a spell of time where I got to play some older Arcade games on a Pandora's Box for lunch break). Even City of the Wolves (a game I'm mega-hyped for) takes a backseat to other priorities. That said, I do like keeping up still. I stand that Azucena is the best newcomer: I've always loved the sillier and cookier side-characters from Tekken, and they're getting increasingly rare. On a related note, I really hope Bob is part of Season 2.

Yeah, Star Soldier (which I played on the NSO last year) is what this reminds me of! Same developers, I take it? That game definitely needed a way to make obstacles and environment more obvious to the player.

So I did! I've been going through several soundtracks more in-depth, looking for tracks to favourite, and it's kind of fascinating to explore soundtracks like this. Finding random tracks that are really cool in playlist format (OoT - Forest Temple), some memorable songs that just don't work in this format (Metroid Prime - Space Pirate battle), realising the particular scope of some soundtracks (so many FE7 tracks are cutscene-only, and only play for specific cutscenes at that), and noticing repeated leitmotifs... It's a pretty cool way to appreciate videogame music specifically. (And I haven't even built my playlists yet, I'm just adding stuff to favourites) I'm legit excited to see which game they add next.