Nintendo finally released another general Direct, but were the other ways of communicating better?

I was walking to my car, fresh from watching the latest Nintendo Direct, going over all the great announcements featured in it. Except I really wasn’t. What I was actually thinking about was Splatoon 3 and Skyward Sword, and not really even that. The list of things that I was actually thinking about would be:

Turns out removing developers and features from previous games isn’t great.

I remember realizing when playing a demo for Final Fantasy XV that Square Enix wasn’t going to make a Final Fantasy in the style I wanted ever again. I longed for the sublime sprite work of Final Fantasy on Super Nintendo. I wished for the flurry of intriguing and mostly excellent turn-based adventures... Read more...

Alternately: here’s some of the best games we’re losing on DSiWare.

Excitement rushed over me as I swung by the GameStop near my college to pick up my Nintendo DSi preorder on April 5, 2009. I was happy to finally try out that Rhythm Heaven game everyone imported on Game Boy Advance, which had no DSi features; Nintendo just thought why not drop a niche game on the... Read more...

With Nintendo buying the Luigi's Mansion developer, Neal ranks all of their previous releases.

Nintendo is in the process of acquiring Vancouver-based developer Next Level Games, whom they have been working with since the GameCube era. Astute fans will recognize them from their work on Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon and 3. Some others might remember their Punch-Out and Mario Strikers work. The... Read more...

How one change from the original improved almost everything about the sequel

Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps are two titles that, naturally for a game and its sequel, have a lot in common. From the outside looking in, what it looks like to play these games is very similar. However, how each one feels to play and their overall design is totally different.... Read more...

Let's celebrate the Mario Game & Watch with the sad, cold reality of the world right now. Happy 35th!

While pre-orders seemed to have been confusing, the Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch has arrived. Best of luck trying to find out when your retailer of choice tosses them up for pre-order online. Please be safe in your travels to do in-store or curbside pick-up. Wear a mask. Do your thing.

Nintendo... Read more...

The stars may be aligning for something bigger than a new Monster Hunter.

When you have to keep track of release dates, certain dates stand out more than others. Sometimes it turns out to be a nothingburger, like July 13, 2018 which only had two Nintendo releases and a few Amiibo (Octopath Traveler and Captain Todd Toad on Switch). Small sample size is always an issue,... Read more...

Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the moment.

2020 has been a hard year for all of us. Whether it’s losing loved ones, your livelihood, or a friendship, or fear of losing your way of life, even simply grieving for others, COVID-19 has stripped us all bare like a tree with its bark ripped off. Society has reached a tipping point in its struggle... Read more...

Move over Charizard.

Look, I get it. The original 151 Pokémon from Red, Blue and Green are classic. These are the Pokémon designs that set the standard for all other Pokémon to follow. Recognizable as animals, but with twists that show off their typing. Ponyta for example, a horse with flames that can run fast. Easy... Read more...

It might cost upwards of $600 to collect'em all, so let's needlessly try to figure out what might be the coolest of the add-ons.

I won’t include the Adventures with Mario Starter Course ($59.99) in the ranking since that’s basically your entry point. It’s needed to do the fun LEGO Mario stuff. This kit has 231 pieces and includes the fancy Mario figure as well as a Goomba and Bowser Jr. You get a hero, a minion, and a boss all in one set. There’s also a coin block, a pipe, some obstacles, and a flag. It’s got the basics.

Warning: Port begging is approaching fast.

We’ve gotten a few announcements out of the way already with this E3 replacement week, but for my money the main event of this month (barring an out-of-nowhere Direct that likely won’t happen) is on June 23. Because that’s the day of the New Game Plus Expo.

In terms of release quantity,... Read more...

This is no longer a joke, lives are on the line. Mine.

Dr. Mario World is the worst kind of mobile game. No, I don't mean a mobile game with spinners, gauges, and loot boxes. These are moral inadequacies that have their own inquisitors and shall not peddle my expertise where it is not needed. It is also true that Dr. Mario World is now dealing in medical... Read more...

Following up a disappointing game in the final days of the Wii U was a tough job but somebody had to do it.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is on its way to Nintendo Switch soon, and with all the news swirling around about Mario and his pop-up adventures, I’ve reflected on my own experiences with the 20-year-old franchise. I actually started collecting these thoughts before Origami King was announced, as... Read more...

Nintendo did not tease the release of Metroid Prime 4 in 2020 or reveal plans about a new 2D Metroid.

At the end of the Paper Mario: The Origami King reveal trailer - after the release date was revealed and the excitement seemed over - there is a video stinger showing Paper Mario wearing a papier-mâché Samus Aran helmet, running around miming firing a gun. "Huh. There's something you don't see every day," says Olivia, Mario's new origami companion. "He certainly looks intimidating! Is he...battling something?"

Sometimes you just need an escape.

It’s March 1st 2020. As I’m sitting behind my computer, it finally hits me. I have finished my time as a student. What started back in 2014 with my aspirations to become a filmmaker has resulted in the completion of my bachelor’s degree in film and media and a master’s degree in journalism and research. I am at this very point academically and practically certified to create media. There is one slight problem. I am unemployed.

The truth hurts, but someone has to come out and say it.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the most critically acclaimed games of this generation. However, the title exudes flaws and leaves so much to be desired from a game in the Zelda series. If you’ve been a fan of the site for some time, you probably know my feelings on Breath of the Wild, but for its third anniversary I thought it was time to finally sit down and explain my full list of problems.

First obligatory year pun: check.

As we begin a new decade, there’s still a lot of questions about what the Switch will see this year from Nintendo specifically. We have Q1 release dates and a few games slated for 2020, but mostly there’s questions about whether certain games will have a chance to land this year. You know which ones they are.

I still wish mobile games never existed, but I’ve found peace with them.

Ask someone who grew up with a retro console what they think of mobile games and chances are good you’ll receive a negative response. My own personal feeling has been a deep-seated hatred based on the assumption that mobile games are designed to feed an addiction with the intended goal of stealing... Read more...

Nintendo's shoddy online service continues to disappoint.

For years, Nintendo’s online offerings have been at times barebones, inferior, and baffling. But the saving grace was that they didn’t cost anything. There was no membership like Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus required. When Nintendo finally announced a paid membership required for online... Read more...

The absence of Skinny Mario and the Mystery Mushroom leave a gaping hole in Mario’s creative soul.

Super Mario Maker was a pure delight when it launched on Wii U in 2015. While it was ultimately too late to save the system, the game perfectly used the GamePad as players could make their own levels and check out a slew of creations online. The sublime experience of creating was dotted by so much... Read more...