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Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2025 NWR Forum Awards - Best Switch Game

« on: December 16, 2025, 01:15:21 PM »

The Award for Best Switch Game Goes To...

Donkey Kong Bananza

The newest Donkey Kong game released July 17, 2025 and was developed by Nintendo (EPD). As of November it had sold 3.49 million copies. NWR gave the game an 8.5/10 and reviewer John Rairdin said "I can’t argue with how much pure fun there is to be had in playing Donkey Kong Bananza.".

Thanks to everyone who voted or commented in the fourth annual forum awards!

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General Gaming / Re: 2025 NWR Forum Awards - Best Multiplatform Game

« on: December 16, 2025, 01:08:03 PM »

With so many great games and so few voting it looks like everyone was a winner this year. Thanks to those that did vote. I picked Death Stranding 2 by the way as I have not had a chance to play the other two games, but they are on my list.

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General Gaming / Re: 2025 NWR Forum Awards - Best Multiplatform Game

« on: December 16, 2025, 01:07:39 PM »

The Awards for Best Multiplatform Game Go To...

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The debut RPG release from French studio Sandfall Interactive swept The Game Awards and has a 92 on metacritic.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

The follow up to Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding. This action adventure game currently holds an 89 on metacritic.

Split Fiction

The cooperative action adventure game from Hazelight Studios, makers of It Takes Two, has a 91 on metacritic.

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General Gaming / Re: 2025 NWR Forum Awards - Best Multiplatform Game

« on: December 12, 2025, 11:56:37 AM »

The folks deciding on The Game Awards would probably agree with broodwars as they had Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 winning almost every award it was nominated for including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Performance, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and Best RPG. Other winners include Doom: The Dark Ages (Innovation in Accessibility), South of Midnight (Games for Impact), Hades II (Best Action Game), and Hollow Knight: Silksong (Best Action/Adventure Game). Will Clair Obscur continue their sweep of the awards? Check back on 12/16 to find out!

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2025 NWR Forum Awards - Best Switch Game

« on: December 12, 2025, 11:49:24 AM »

While Nintendo did not receive a ton of accolades at The Game Awards last night, there were two winners from this list. Donkey Kong Bonanza won Best Family game with Doug Bowser making his final acceptance speech. Also, Mario Kart World was the winner of the Best Sports/Racing category beating longtime rival Sonic. Will either of these games take home the gold as best Switch game in the Forum Awards? Check back on 12/16 to find out.

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TalkBack / Re: Mega Man 40th Anniversary Game Highlights Switch 2 And Switch Announcements At Winter Game Fest

« on: December 12, 2025, 11:45:13 AM »

Certainly the highlight of the show for me. When I heard that orchestra music I knew what was coming. As a huge fan of MM 11 I was also happy to see it looking similar in style. All we need is one more legacy collection to hold us over until then.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2025 NWR Forum Awards - Best Switch Game

« on: December 11, 2025, 06:11:19 PM »

I have issues voting for a remaster as a Game of the Year, just like I don't believe the Switch 2 editions belong here.

If this was mentioned earlier I could have removed the Switch 2 editions but they are stuck in the running at this point. I was also on the fence about them. But if people vote them as winners they maybe they should be?

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General Gaming / 2025 NWR Forum Awards - Best Multiplatform Game

« on: December 06, 2025, 11:21:14 AM »

The 2025 NWR Forum Awards

Best Multiplatform Game

This award is for all the games that don't fall into the other categories and released in 2025. The results of the poll will only be revealed once the voting is done (December 16). You should be able to change your vote until then. Even though the official nominees list is closed, you can still reply with a write-in. Best of luck to all the nominees.

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Nintendo Gaming / 2025 NWR Forum Awards - Best Switch Game

« on: December 06, 2025, 11:18:08 AM »

The 2025 NWR Forum Awards

Best Nintendo Switch Game

This award is for games released as Switch or Switch 2 console exclusives in the year 2025. The results of the poll will only be revealed once the voting is done (December 16). You should be able to change your vote until then. Make sure to sound off in the comments if the game is not listed in the poll. Best of luck to all the nominees.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond [Insert thinly veiled Back to the Future reference here]

« on: December 04, 2025, 10:49:42 AM »

I pre-ordered the game through Game Stop and won't be getting it until Monday 

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2025 NWR Forum Awards

« on: November 28, 2025, 07:41:49 AM »

I am once again nominating myself to win all forum awards.

Clearly we need a new category!

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond [Insert thinly veiled Back to the Future reference here]

« on: November 24, 2025, 01:21:42 PM »

I continue to get more hyped for this game. Listening to some podcast discussion I found it interesting that it has been 18 years since the last Metroid Prime game! I think I am just grateful that this game exists and is coming out so soon.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2025 NWR Forum Awards

« on: November 24, 2025, 01:16:56 PM »

No one's going to vote for them, but I feel like these games should be on the Multiplatform list:

Hey, you know what they say "It's an honor just to be nominated"

Yes, participation in the vote has been quite low but that just means every vote is worth more.

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Nintendo Gaming / 2025 NWR Forum Awards

« on: November 20, 2025, 09:39:35 AM »

It is time to collect the nominations for the fourth annual Nintendo World Report Forum Awards. As usual, these are just the short lists of nominees, please reply with any games you want added.

Nintendo Switch Game of the Year

• Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
• Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
• Mario Kart World
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Drag X Drive
• Pokémon Legends: Z-A
• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
• Kirby Air Riders
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Multiplatform Game of the Year

• Hades II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Split Fiction
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• South of Midnight
• EA Sports FC 26
• Assassin's Creed Shadows
• Doom: The Dark Ages
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• The Outer Worlds 2
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• Sonic Racing: Crossworlds
• Tormented Souls 2
• Robocop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business
• Ninja Gaiden Ragebound
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
• Trails in the Sky: First Chapter
• Dispatch

Moderator of the Year

• Khushrenada

Please comment below any games you want included in the list of nominations.
I am hoping to start the voting December 1 so make sure to get in your nominees before then!

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond [Insert thinly veiled Back to the Future reference here]

« on: November 15, 2025, 04:00:24 PM »

I have the physical switch 2 version pre-ordered. I also recently got the amiibo with Samus and Viola, which looks really nice. I have played most Metroid games and liked all of them so this is an automatic day one buy for me. In these cases I avoid all media coverage so I go in fresh. Looking forward to playing it in December.

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General Gaming / Re: Shocktober VI: Curse of NWR

« on: November 01, 2025, 02:38:40 PM »

Despite me lack of confidence, I did manage to complete Cuphead on Xbox One before the month was up.

I originally played through the game on the normal difficulty accepting any passing grade back in 2019. I finally decided to revisit the game and go for the 200% completion. A bulk of this is getting specific grades on levels and beating each level on expert difficulty. I think I appreciated the game more when replaying for these near-perfect runs. There are definitely still some issues that keep me from rating this game 10/10, but it feels more like a 9/10 now whereas it was an 8/10 in my first playthrough. I would prefer a more traditional level structure with the so-called "run-and-gun" levels being the focus and followed by some shorter versions of the boss battles. I am interested to see what studio MDHR does next and will probably pick up the DLC if they don't have a new game out in the next couple of years.

So with that game completed I do now claim that the curse of NWR is lifted, at least until next October...

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General Gaming / Re: Shocktober VI: Curse of NWR

« on: October 31, 2025, 03:30:36 PM »

I want to thank everyone who joined in on Shocktober this year and wish a safe and happy Halloween to whole NWR community!

You are welcome to report on unfinished business after today. For me, the Curse has kept me from finishing the last game I was planning on discussing so check for that in the next week or so. Also look for a topic for the annual NWR award nomination coming next month.

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General Gaming / Re: Shocktober VI: Curse of NWR

« on: October 24, 2025, 01:33:59 PM »

This week I was able to complete The Addams Family on NES. I was immediately struck by the curse when firing up my Retron to play the original NES cart. Apparently the required voltage was different than the AC adapter I was using and it will no longer work via HDMI. I was able to get it working using the component cables. I need to remember to check the voltage for some of these other plug and play consoles.

I have the CIB version of the game and was able to take advantage of the paper instruction manual. While the game provides a few hints, I don't think I could have completed this in a reasonable amount of time without the manual. I am proud to say I did not use a game genie or look anything up online in the process.

The game is also on SNES with a password system where I am sure it is much more accessible. Overall it holds up well for an NES game and even has some light metroidvania aspects. A successful playthrough is only going to take 1-2 hours, but it took me about 10 hours to get to that point. In the game you play as Gomez and must rescue the eponymous Addams family. Once you rescue Morticia you are treated to a cute dance as shown in the picture above.

In other news, the curse has also claimed my PS5, which will no longer read PS5 discs. Since all my games are on disc, the console is quite useless at the moment while I wait for Sony to mail me a box to mail back to them.

I still have one more game that might cross the finish line before the month ends...

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General Gaming / Re: Shocktober VI: Curse of NWR

« on: October 17, 2025, 07:21:20 PM »

Mina the Hollower releases on actual Halloween so if there are any arbitrary prizes, anyone who beats that game in October should win by default.

Agreed, anyone who beats Mina in Shocktober will lift the curse of NWR!

The Curse lives! Mina delayed to TBA

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General Gaming / Re: Shocktober VI: Curse of NWR

« on: October 17, 2025, 07:19:41 PM »

I am playing quite few games right now with all being possibly completed by the end of the month. To avoid waiting until the end to talk about them I will give some first impressions on the game I am least likely to finish this month.

I have played the first hour or so of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard on Playstation VR (via PS4). I have only played RE4 and Revelations but enjoyed those. If not for the abundance of great games in other genres I would probably play all the mainline games at least. Of course it was the Virtual Reality option that enticed me to this one. I also have RE8 for PSVR2 but figured I should start with the earlier game.

The technical difficulties I was having with my headset seem ameliorated by playing seated, which is not typical for VR games I play. Also unusual is playing with standard controls i.e., the dualshock 4. It is probably better than motion controls would be in this case. The game just would not work with teleporting so you do move along in the usual way. The sluggish pace is actually helpful for limiting the motion sickness, not so much for escaping from all the baddies chasing me.

The graphics obviously took a hit but that is fine with me as along with playing this with Japanese audio (talk about an anatopism!) I am happy for anything that can make this less scary. It's interesting how you hit a point when fun scary is just disturbing scary. Well I have hit that point. I am not sure about you all but the thing that scares me most is being held prisoner with violent people, well that is the premise here.

I will definitely continue on for now but with an average time of about 9.5 hours I don't see myself beating the curse this year.

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General Gaming / Re: Shocktober VI: Curse of NWR

« on: October 17, 2025, 07:08:10 PM »

I'm trying to work through ZombiU and am being reminded why my previous two efforts ended quickly.  The controls are very stiff and the move stuff around with your finger on the gamepad screen is not accurate enough (for me at least).  I don't know if that was intentional to make it more "horror-y" like the tank controls in early RE games or just poor design, but the frequent "cheap" deaths quickly sap my will to play it.  My gaming resolution for 2025 was to finally get some of the over 10-year-old games off my backlog so I'll keep at it.  For reference to anyone who has played it, my first two attempts stopped before getting to the supermarket.  I have gotten farther than that this time at least.

I recall the game having a difficult start. As you stock up on inventory the cheap deaths seemed less frequent. I would say to stick it out if you can as the game is not that long.

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Shares Short Film - Close to You

« on: October 16, 2025, 08:22:44 PM »

I keep thinking it is something new that will explain the close to you tease only to get rick rolled by the same video  . Also, the two theories mentioned before are not mutually exclusive i.e., it would not be surprising to have pikmin in the next Mario movie with Miyamoto-san at the wheel.

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General Gaming / Re: Shocktober VI: Curse of NWR

« on: October 12, 2025, 11:35:25 AM »

Dana Gould is also probably his most annoying in the entire series in this entry.

I only know Dana Gould from writing on the Simpsons. I haven't actually seen his stand up or know his voice that well. Is it a case of bad writing, bad performance, or both?

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Shares Short Film - Close to You

« on: October 12, 2025, 11:32:58 AM »

The other rumor is that the baby is Rosalina and this is related to the next Mario movie. Personally, the animation style looks just like Illumination to me.

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General Gaming / Re: Shocktober VI: Curse of NWR

« on: October 09, 2025, 04:47:38 PM »

A couple of days ago I kicked off Shocktober by beating the story mode in The House of the Dead: Overkill on Wii. It had been a while since I got to use the Wii zapper and honestly it was not as accurate as I remember. I think it works better with a smaller TV and with non-rechargeable batteries, both things that have changed since I last fired one of these off.
The game itself is quite short, with the story mode only having about 7 chapters and lasting less than 4 hours. The game is gratuitous in more ways than one and reminded me of the Robert Rodriguez film Planet Terror. I am now seeing that according to the the Wikipedia article for the game, the film was an inspiration for the developers. There is a nice upgrade system and during the campaign I was able to fully upgrade the default weapon as well as acquire one more. The Director's Cut is now unlocked and there are some in-game achievements/unlockables that will make this one I can revisit for a long time.