Highlar

@eltomo It was revealed in the Sony State of Play yesterday. I sat RIGHT up when I saw it come up on the screen. Knew immediately what it was. Can't wait!

Yes, the graphics have taken a hit compared to the PS5/XboxX, but when you compare them side by side, its actually not THAT bad of a hit. The cartoon/cell shaded art style adapts quite well to the Switch. I'm into the second memory section now, and I've really been enjoying the game, especially the combat. While it can be on the simple side, the boss fights can require quite a bit of strategy on who goes when and with what attacks/buffs to keep your squad alive. This is the whole, fat, OP world adventure (I don't know that I'd exactly call it "open world" from what I've played so far though...its pretty linear) I was expecting, and it still looks great on the Switch. Plays pretty damn well too from what I've seen so far. Looking forward to seeing just how long this adventure is going to go! Definitely an 8 at least from me.

I know this is one I'll be buying...again. The game really is a great time. At least they are adding in some additional new content to the game with this release. I will, of course, be picking it up digitally, which I've done with at least 90% of my collection across all three modern consoles this gen. I've just gotten away from the habit of changing discs/cartridges, and the convenience of being able to pretty much instantly swap out games from the comfort of my couch (yes, I'm lazy...sue me) has become too much of something I don't want to give up. I really don't think BG&E2 is still a thing at this point, and Ubisoft just keeps bringing it out to draw fans in again to its vaporware content, but I still love the original to this day. Question is, what do I buy it on? I'm thinking probably Switch, as I buy most of my games here, even when I could play them on other consoles. Unless I get it through GamePass or PSO, Switch is my go-to purchase machine.

Hmm...looking at the reviews over on Metacritic, this seems to either be a love it or hate it title. If you want a relaxing, endless, ocean exploration it seems to be your thing. If you want excitement or scares or combat, stay away? Then again, that's exactly what I was expecting from this, so I am still excited to download it and dive in.

Haven't heard of this one before, but I do love me an old school dungeon crawl! Might have to give this a check later this month, especially at that price.

Hmm...a bit surprised to see an updated roguelike/lite list without Evolings on it. Its a bit barebones, but tough as nails. Maybe a bit TOO random sometimes, but I still have a blast trying to get through runs on it.

My favorite from the above was the second one, and how the crabs just kind of...skated..around whenever they moved. lol

Warning! I have apparently found a game haulting crash. I have gotten to the Blackbarrel Cellars, but whenever I try to zone into the area, the game crashes. It doesn't even let me into the actual area before it crashes and closes. Anyone else having this problem, or know of a solution? I cannot continue my playthrough now because I am stuck trying to get into the Cellars, and it crashes EVERY time I try and continue.

Edit: Opened a ticket on it, and got it resolved. I had to go in and clear the cache on my Switch for my account. Its a pretty roundabout way to go through it, but it did let me continue playing through my game. If anyone else is stuck at this point, I would try giving that a go!

I am absolutely loving this on my Switch. It plays great. I personally don't mind the story so much, its just kind of meh compared to the other two. The real draw is how good it looks on Switch and the actual gunplay. The moment to moment gameplay is just outstanding. My biggest gripe with the game though...and the one thing I have to take a stand against in the review...is the performance on Switch. The game has a ton...TON...of random shutdowns. If you leave it in standby too long, and go back into it...it shuts down. You start a cutscene and watch a bit...it shuts down. You are running down a jungle path, chasing a bunch of enemies around...it shuts down. This wouldn't be such an issue, except the initial load time into the game takes quite a bit. In game load times aren't so bad, but that initial load up...oof. I can play all day long, and the game will shut down...guarantied...a handful of times at least. I don't exactly call that "stable".

After trying this out for a good bit, I have to say I DO like it. But the initial start at getting into the game is ROUGH, with hard brick wall difficulty spikes. You really have to work to get to each rank to unlock more Evolings, which then makes the runs more passable. But it can still be pretty harsh in the first track, and I can see that turning off some people when starting the game. But it IS a pretty good roguelike, and the evolings themselves are a lot of fun to mix and match with. Definitely can get some builds going, though it feels a bit more random and difficult to set up a build than in something like...say...Slay the Spire. Easily worth the initial investment, though, if you are in to these kinds of games.

I have just one complaint about the taking out of the English dub in the first game: they left the intro in English! Why would they do the intro in English (although changed a bit from the original release, which I prefer the original wording), but then take out the English dub from the rest of the game? That doesn't make a lot of sense. Other than that...on with this classic RPG! I've always loved these games, and having them always with me on the go is so good!

Possibly Fae Farm, once I hear what the multiplayer is like (sounds like something my daughters and I could all enjoy together). I've also been interested in MythForce, since it was shown in the Nintendo Direct. But I'm actually really excited for CADASH, which is one of my favorite arcade games of all time!

@PokemonDMG Didn't read the review above as I wanted to get right to the comments...but is that correct that you can battle others with the Switch version??? If so, that's fantastic news, and my daughter and I (love the NSO family plan!) will get right on it, I'm sure!!

My daughter found this on Steam the other day, and we were both pretty interested when we saw it was coming to Switch too. Looks like something we might have to give a go to then! Although, its a little bit of a shame that its single player only as we would like to play together, it still sounds fun!

@Yalloo Personally, I would love to see Miiverse come back, or some Switch equivalent. I absolutely adored Miiverse, and would spend a good chunk of time in there sometimes, just browsing through the games I liked, seeing all the drawings, answering questions people had if I knew the answers, or just sharing comments. I feel it was a real shame that Nintendo shut it down and never chose to go back to it or create something similar for Switch. The system had real character, no matter how long it too to load it up.

I am pretty interested in these and didn't know they were releasing already. However, for me, the price seems a bit steep for two rather short sounding experiences. I prefer my ARPG/twin stick shooters to be a bit longer, etc. I see from the review the second game clocks in at about 5 hours...what about the first one? I will wishlist and pick up on a sale a bit down the road.

Landstalker! Woohoo! Been waiting to see if this gem would be added to the service. Time to boot up the Genesis app and get to playing!

@Ryu_Niiyama I rather tend to agree with you for most of the games. Except for these last 2. In BotW, Zelda at first just saw Link as an annoying, aloof soldier, but to my mind she came to feel strongly for him. In TotK, she wants to get back to her own time not just for the future of Hyrule but for Link too. But being the princess she is, she is also willing to sacrifice herself for him to be able to save and restore Hyrule even if she can't be with him in person anymore. I could see Link becoming the new king of Hyrule at the end (haven't gotten anywhere near that yet, though). I've been spending too much time running around, exploring the world, doing shrines for stamina to be able to explore further, and opening up the map towers. I only just barely complete one of the Dungeons tonight.

As for the timeline question, I think BotW/TotK do happen at the way end of time, but they show how the terrors which have racked Hyrule for millennia are cyclical and how time repeats itself. I also think the flashbacks in TotK place the Imprisoning War from this past era after Skyward Sword but somewhere before Minish Cap. Its filling in some history between games.

13 out of 15 for me. That was pretty good. We should get more of these!

TemTem is actually quite fun on the Switch. I haven't gotten very far in it, but I have gone through the first island and done some co-op with my daughter. Its quite a good creature capture/collector game with some unique mechanics that make the battles feel a bit more fresh and interesting. I still love me some pokemon, but TemTem is a worthy addition on Switch. The Nuzlocke mode especially is something that I think players will enjoy, that and the randomizer. You truly do not see those usually built right into a game to give them some extra longevity.

The actual gameplay shown in the video teaser actually looks like it might be quite fun. Almost an MMO feel with the free roaming. What the rest of the game might contain, I have no idea (story, etc), but I'm interested in what was shown there. Looks like it could actually be pretty decent!

I don't even really play P:TCG anymore, but if it comes with that case, playing field, counters, and roulette marble spin for heads/tails like shown in the video...? I'll be on this day one! That just looks too sweet to pass up.

My personal favorite theory that I've come up with for TotK? Princess Zelda dies at the beginning of the game...hence the name "tears of the kingdom". Tears for the fallen princess of the Kingdom of Hyrule. Its made me wonder if that glowing figure we briefly glimpsed in the last trailer, who Link appears to be reaching up to touch hands with but then is not there, is Zelda's spirit. And Link has to go on a journey to defeat Gannon and resurrect Zelda. I also think, for some strange reason, that the Twilight Kingdom is going to be involved somehow.

Edit: And no, none of this theory comes from the art book leaks. I did check some of them out, though, and I have to agree with the others here who say Nintendo did a pretty good job making the images in the book pretty spoiler free. I didn't really see anything that looked like much of a spoiler at all.

As this list keeps growing, and there were many left OFF of this list even now, I think the Switch is set up as any RPG lovers dream system to take these big adventures in their pockets anywhere they want to go. The RPG scene on Switch is just massive!

Merry Christmas everyone! Its been a great year for gaming, for being a fan of any and all ways of gaming. May the next year be just as good, if not better! Merry Christmas to everyone and NLife, thanks for all you do to keep us updated on our Nintendo news!

@HotGoomba What about the Switch version is "not complete"? When it came out, it came out with all current DLC available at the time. This new Netflix Witcher DLC is a free update to the game. Its not necessary to play any of the game that was already out. Also, this new DLC I am sure wasn't ever planned for the original game/DLC that was already out...it only came about because of the popularity of the Netflix live action adaptation of the novels/games. The Switch "complete edition" IS the current "complete edition" of the game with all current available story DLC.

I think we are kind of seeing a trend in these "VR ported to regular console" games. The VR becomes less of a gimmick for them and a bit more of an essential thing. They show that without that VR immersion, the games just...aren't necessarily that good, it seems like. For one, they just seem much shorter for regular console audiences. Which is understandable, but translates bad from 3D to 2D. They maybe aren't "bad" games, but without the VR component they don't really seem to be "good" games either...just middle of the road stuff, which is unfortunate. The VR component really seems to make the games what they are.

If there are two games that I want to see finally ported over to the west after Live A Live, they are Bahamut Lagoon and Terranigma. The games are so good, and never got the full audience they deserved. Terranigma is especially beautiful, though, being a part of the Gaia series (one of my personal favorite set of RPG's of all time). I really REALLY hope they decide to bring them over now that its shown they have an audience over here that would absolutely love to have them, especially on the Switch!

Never played this, but have heard many great things about it. Unfortunately, my big game purchase of the month went to NMS (which I am having an absolute blast with), so I will probably GamePass this one, at least for now. Its great to hear that the Switch port is so well done, though! So much gaming goodness on Switch this month (and next) is pretty crazy, but oh so good!

Voted for the Sniffer here. The idea of new plants as well as the new mob just sounds intriguing.

I do have one question though: how exactly do we get those "rewards" on Switch? I can't figure out how is done. Or do we have to wait until after the 4.0 update launches on Switch to receive them?

This is a fantastic port on Switch. As I said in the other NMS story, the graphics can be a bit all over the place (some textures look really good, while others can be muddy or flat looking), the bells and whistles graphical things like fog/lighting/shadows are all there (if paired back some), and the pop-in is there (but I'm such an old school gamer that unless its popping up right in my face, I don't even notice anymore), but the gameplay is just purely wonderful. I've put in 5-6 hours so far, still have yet to find the Anomaly, and its been a joy of a ride up till now. This game truly does feel like a universe in your pocket!

@5th313ment I'd say that makes a lot of sense, put that way. Hopefully the update comes soon, too, as it sounds like the 4.0 update has quite a few QoL issues that are pretty good improvements to the game. The difficulty settings seems like a REALLY sweet idea to me; being able to create your perfect setup for a game is a VERY nice idea!

@5th313ment The only problem I see with this, is waiting for the 4.0 update to hit the Switch, as we don't know exactly when that is going to be, how long or how short from now. In my opinion, the game should be reviewed as is NOW, as THIS is what people are buying into at release. If they want to update reviews after the 4.0 release hits Switch too, that's great. I'd appreciate it. But people buying the game NOW are interested in what reviewers think of the game as it is NOW. Especially as with, as you said, how the gameplay is fantastic on Switch (I think really only gyro aiming would make it better), and the few YouTube reviews I've seen about it think the game is great on Switch.

So far I've put in about 5 hours or so into NMS on my Switch. The game runs very well overall! Frame rate seems pretty steady, for the most part. Everything runs smooth. Just exploring the worlds is fun, and pretty relaxing in its way. I need to keep referring to the tutorials because I forget what is supposed to do what, but that's on me. Graphically it can range all over the map, but to be honest, I'm not so much bothered by that because I am enjoying the gameplay so much. I am also quite surprised at just how many "bells and whistles" graphically made the transition over to switch. Fog billows, lights glow, shadows follow you across the ground...all of which I thought would be paired way back or gone, but its all there. This is, for the most part, the full on No Man's Sky package...in the palm of your hand. As advertised, its a full on universe on the go. An amazing accomplishment on Switch, even if there is still room for improvement. I'm looking forward to many more hours exploring my way across the cosmos!

FYI: I'm also surprised that there are practically NO reviews up anywhere. There are a couple of YouTube, but Metacritic is still empty of reviews. I find this really strange, and wonder what is the the hold up on getting the word out on what others think of this game.

@Phostachio I would just say open world, period. Most all open world games are like this. Even games like Skyrim, Witcher, Breath of the Wild, etc...you can almost always hit the "open world" running, and run past nothing but scenery for who knows how long. I'm not bothered by this at all. Also, I think the graphics here look just fine to me. I'm quite excited to jump into this game with my daughters and hunt pokemon together!

At least it can still be played local multiplayer, so its not like the game is actually shutting down or coming off the eshop, etc. It really is a solid, fun local party game, too (and in my opinion, the superior way to play anyway).

Its an impressive thing that they've accomplished, but I wouldn't say its really Pokemon either. As far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be any reason to actually use the pokeballs to catch pokemon? It looks like its all just Pikachu running around the overworld killing things, with Ash as an anchor to drag him around? Its the aesthetics of Pokemon, true, but the heart and soul just feel like they are...missing, in my opinion. I applaud this person for trying something new, but I certainly would not have said "mission completed!" because this isn't Pokemon Yellow remade. It feels like something else entirely, with a Pokemon coat of paint thrown on it.

THIS is the preview I've been waiting for. As Alex said above, if you want to know ABOUT No Man's Sky, there's plenty of resources to go to. But the Switch specific technicalities? Things have been silent since its reveal. To watch the video above and see that things are looking REALLY good for the Switch port, both in docked AND handheld, is some very good news indeed! Now the only thing I'm interested in (after getting this great news today) is seeing some NMS current players giving it a go on Switch, like in a YouTube/Twitch preview or something. I'm already going to get it, but that would help with the final decision. The Switch is turning into quite the powerhouse games library, with something for everybody!

@Lunatic002 That's not the point. What else had they been tweeting about? Could people following them be able to use that tweet as reference for others? It sounds like the facts are that Clifton did something they KNEW they were not supposed to do, and paid the price for it. That should not be something leading to a big controversy like this. It reads more as "disgruntled employee got fired but didn't agree with the firing" than anything else.

What I would have to say about this is...if this person knew per contract that they were not to talk about anything they were working on and they tweeted about it anyway, then yes...they broke contract and were terminated for it. No matter that Clifton THOUGHT they were fired for another reason. That's personal opinion/feelings, not fact. The reason for their dismissal was given to them. So how is this a controversy then?

@Aurumonado The online community never moves on from Monster Hunter. You can still find people playing MHGU on Switch online. Heck, I think even MH3U or Tri even still have people playing online, if not many. One of the best things about Monster Hunter? Anyone can hunt with anyone, regardless of equipment status, because there is no level system. Trust me, if you feel you need help with a hunt online or just want to hop on and team up with a group of hunters after everything from the smallest to the biggest critters, you'll find them on there waiting for you.

I am so ready for these new challenges!! Capcom does Monster Hunters well with every update.

I am really excited for this release on Switch, for the most part. However, a couple of things are holding me back. One is the aforementioned lack of multiplayer on Switch. Its not an "essential" part of the game, but it is a rather large part of the game on other platforms. I'm hoping that it gets added in, as it says that it is single player "at launch". The other thing that is holding me back, is less than 2 weeks from launch now, and we have yet to see anything more than...what...30 seconds of Switch gameplay? I would have expected at least SOMETHING being shown by the developer by now. The trailers make it look like it runs great on Switch, but we have no extended gameplay looks or clips to see how its running natively on my favorite little console. I'm hoping we get more information/videos before the actual release.

I'm honestly fine with this. Not all games NEED multiplayer. However, the one game I was quite excited about coming to Switch I am LESS excited for now is No Man's Sky...because I found out recently that it won't have the multiplayer that the other versions have. Its launching solely as a single player game on Switch. Maybe they will add in the multiplayer later, but that's supposed to be a big part of the experience of the game now, from what I know. So while I'm still probably going to get it, I'm less excited about it now than I was. THIS game (Mario + Rabbids) doesn't really need multiplayer for what kind of game it is, in my opinion. That's like saying Final Fantasy Tactics had to have multiplayer, which is certainly not true.

OMG!! SO MUCH YES!! I have wanted this for so many years. I've already played through both games multiple times, and will gladly pay for and do so again. These are two of my all time favorite JRPGs ever. The stories are grand and sweeping. The character interactions are great. Collecting up all the "stars of destiny" to fill out your fortress and army is actually really fun for me. This is an instant buy, whenever it finally comes out. I can't wait!

Knowing what Factorio is, this was one of the shockers of the show to me. I never would have expected it to come to consoles. I can imagine touch controls being pretty good for this, if implemented in handheld. Every time I watch someone play it on YouTube though, I just don't know if its for me. I really enjoy watching others play it, but I think the swarms of baddies would just give me hives. I do think its a great addition to the Switch library though!

Its interesting reading the dev blog about the Switch release too. I would have expected this to try for Xbox/PS5 first, so its a pleasant surprise to see that Factorio is, currently, only coming to Switch as a console release. I think that's quite a great get for Switch owners!

Interesting point about Goldeneye... Xbox is getting the remastered versions, however it will NOT have online play. Online Goldeneye 64 is going to be exclusive to the Switch! Xbox only gets local multiplayer. I wonder how much Nintendo had to put out for THAT one???

@WallyWest I don't know, I think that's debatable. Investigations aren't exactly "necessary", as you can still fight the same monsters on hunts/arena fights/events to get the same parts. The story I don't know if I'd say was "larger", but maybe more "grander" in scope than Rise, which I already said I thought was a better story overall. There IS an endgame with Rise, and its really the same as in ALL MH games: hunt, craft, design builds, fashion hunting, etc. It just didn't feel the same as in World. I think the true endgame to both games came with their expansions. Personally, I prefer the way the weapons play in Rise/Sunbreak (especially bow, which is my main) than I do in World. There is much better weapon/armor design diversity in Rise than in World. World suffers greatly from generic weapons and some rather "meh" armor designs. Crafting your ultimate working set is only half the endgame; crafting your ultimate best looking set is the other.

@Fayte_Liengaurd Technically, you can compare base World to Rise, and in that there were I believe 61 monsters to hunt in Rise, compared to 54 in World. So technically...Rise is the bigger game hunting/creature wise. Both the Iceborne and Sunbreak expansions really upped the total monsters to hunt in each game, but at base levels...Rise is the larger game, though with a less "detailed" world than World. The stories between the two I would say are comparable, though I liked how the narrative played out better in World.