Best retro Nintendo games to play on Switch 2 and Switch
Posted on 8 hours ago by Ethan in Features, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
When you think of Nintendo Switch 2, you’re probably thinking of all the new games confirmed for the system – and that’s completely understandable. Generally speaking, Nintendo releases one new major title per month to spread them out. If you’ve played tons of Nintendo Switch games and finished the latest Switch 2 game, what are you supposed to play in the time between? That’s where Switch Online’s Nintendo Classic range comes in.
Nintendo has added a lot of games to their NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance platforms, and it’s a great idea to try out some older titles while you wait for the next new one. Their lineup of retro games is about to get a whole lot better, too: not only are GameCube games starting to release on the system, but it’s also got a built-in microphone, which theoretically makes Nintendo DS games possible as well. So today, we’re going over some of the best offerings on Nintendo Switch Online plus some new games Nintendo could realistically add over the Switch 2’s (hopefully) long lifespan.
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How Nintendo could fix Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Posted on 1 week ago by Ethan in Features, Switch | 0 comments
November 2024 marked the grand return of the Mario & Luigi series after almost ten whole years without a new game. As someone who’s 100 percent completed the game (and spent well over 60 hours doing so), this is an incredibly polarizing RPG. On one hand, the visual style is excellent – the characters are expressive, the core gameplay of the series remains mostly intact, and the story, while nothing groundbreaking, is solid. On the other hand, Brothership is held back by its awful pacing, disappointing technical performance, and a large amount of filler content between its main story beats.
Fifteen years down the line, I’m not sure that Nintendo could actually fix any of Mario & Luigi: Brothership’s biggest problems via a traditional remake. Many of its greatest issues are baked into its story and presentation in such a way that it would require significant retooling of plot points and gameplay. But today, we’re going to go over a list of changes that would help cement Mario & Luigi: Brothership as the best entry in the series. We’re not banking on these changes ever being implemented, but it’s fun nonetheless. Do keep in mind that we’ll be discussing spoilers, so you might want to bookmark this post and come back later if you’re still trying to avoid them.
More: Acquire, highlight, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, top
Examining Nintendo Switch 2’s launch two months later
Posted on 1 week ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
A little while ago, we talked about the pros and cons of Mario Kart World two months after its original release. That’s not the only thing we’re looking at two months later, though – today, we’re remembering and evaluating the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch period (even though it hasn’t been all that long just yet).
Needless to say, it’s been a very long time since all-new Nintendo hardware has launched. Sure, we’ve seen things like Alarmo, but Nintendo Switch 2 was the first major hardware the company had released in eight years. And as you probably remember very well, the lead-up to release was crazy, to say the least. In 2024, it was pretty clear that Nintendo was going light to prepare resources for the new console. A big chunk of the new games were remasters or remakes – Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door are a few notable examples.
This is what the future of amiibo could look like
Posted on 1 week ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Recently, we received the rather unfortunate news that the newest wave of amiibo has received a price increase. At the time of writing, the new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom amiibo cost $30 each, while the Street Fighter figures (which are slightly larger than your average amiibo) are a whopping $40 each. On top of that, there have been general increases for legacy figures and two-packs as part of Nintendo’s general pricing increases, of which you can see the full list here.
This is almost certainly due to the tariffs that have been placed on China, which have gone up and down. If these tariffs remain, we could see amiibo take on a completely different form in the coming years. Take a look at the Tears of the Kingdom amiibo, for example – the figurines themselves look nice, but in-game, all they do is unlock an exclusive Paraglider skin – otherwise, they drop random items once per day. That’s certainly not worth $30 to most players, and we could see that reflected in how well they sell.
Why we still need Zelda: The Wind Waker HD on Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 2 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
For a game that isn’t officially playable on the standard Nintendo Switch in any way, there’s a lot to say about Zelda: The Wind Waker. For years, almost every time a fake Nintendo Direct leak popped up, you’d see The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD as shoo-in titles. They were both long rumored to come to Nintendo Switch to fill the gap between new Zelda games, but in the end, that didn’t happen. Interestingly enough, though, Nintendo opted to bring the original version of the game to Switch Online exclusively on Switch 2. Even more interesting is that according to a Nintendo representative, this supposedly does not prevent The Wind Waker HD from coming to Switch 2 someday.
With that in mind, I recently played through and 100 percent completed the GameCube version of The Wind Waker recently. Though many of its mechanics are frustrating to work with, the game as a whole has aged remarkably well considering it’s over twenty years old at this point. If you haven’t played either version of the game, it’s not a bad idea to play through the GameCube version. The Nintendo Switch Online port even has save states, which makes it much easier to pick up and play however you like.
JSAUX Split Protective Case review for Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 2 weeks ago by Ethan in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments
We’ve tested out yet another console grip for Nintendo Switch 2, and this time it’s the JSAUX Split Protective Case. Compared to some of the other options on the market, this case is on the cheaper side – but only in terms of price and not necessarily in terms of design.
From what we’ve seen, the JSAUX grip is one of the more popular ones, alongside the Savage Raven lineup. Unlike the Savage Raven products, however, you can actually remove the Joy-Cons from the Switch 2 console without taking the whole case apart.
Looking at the pros and cons of Mario Kart World, two months later
Posted on 2 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Mario Kart World was the Nintendo Switch 2’s big headlining launch title, and it’s already enjoyed a great deal of financial success so far. Up until now, it’s sold somewhere around 5,630,000 copies – a tremendous number for an all-new console. Things haven’t been smooth sailing for Mario Kart World the whole way through, however – it’s received some criticism and backlash thanks to a couple of odd decisions from Nintendo, and now a good chunk of players have moved on from the game. In other words, Mario Kart World’s “new toy syndrome” has worn off – which has left some players a bit more critical of the game than when it first released.
So today, we’re taking another look at Mario Kart World two months later. How does it hold up? What stands out as its current strengths and weaknesses? We also invite you to share your thoughts with us in the comments down below.
More: highlight, Mario Kart World, top
Why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feel like new games on Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Almost three years after their original release, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have received a performance patch on Nintendo Switch 2. Today, we’re talking all about its improvements.
It’s no secret that things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing for the Pokemon series on Nintendo Switch. The release of Pokemon Sword and Shield saw one of the franchise’s biggest controversies yet – for the first time, a majority of Pokemon were cut and made completely unavailable in the game. That would be somewhat understandable on its own, but the developers went on to explain that those Pokemon were cut so the team could focus on “high-quality animations”. That statement sort of led more “dedicated” Pokemon fans to view the games with increased scrutiny, and the series hasn’t had the same reception since. When Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launched on Nintendo Switch 2, players did notice that the games were ambitious with their new open world – but its implementation drew criticism, and of course the games’ subpar performance and low visual quality were noted as well.
More: Game Freak, highlight, Pokemon Scarlet, Pokemon Violet, top
How to farm Banandium Chips in Donkey Kong Bananza
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Ethan in Guides, Switch 2 | 0 comments
For those playing Donkey Kong Bananza, we’ve got a new guide that serves as a helpful way to farm Banandium Chips.
As you might expect from a collect-a-thon platformer, Donkey Kong Bananza takes quite a while to 100 percent complete. Even if you grab all static Banandium Gems, you won’t have enough Skill Points to max out your Skill Tree. For that, you’ll need to trade in Banandium Chips for extra Banandium Gems. You’ll earn a fair number of these just by playing through the game, but inevitably you’ll get to the point where you need to collect more.
We’ve tested several different methods and have settled on the fastest one – shout-out to Relative_Barber_1921 on Reddit for figuring this one out. The location of this method is one of the later layers in the game, so if you’re looking to avoid spoilers of all kinds, you might want to bookmark or remember this post and come back later.
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Kirby: Star-Crossed World lore predictions
Posted on 4 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
One of the best parts of the Kirby franchise is how flexible it is. If you so choose, you can romp right through the main campaign of whichever game you please while paying little attention to the story. For those who do want to delve into Kirby lore, though, there are plenty of tidbits to uncover here and there. Kirby and the Forgotten Land was absolutely bursting to the brim with new lore details, and you can read all about them here. Now, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is receiving a new DLC story called Star-Crossed World. As you might expect, this will probably contain at least a few new lore drops. And today, we’re here to make a few predictions about what those might be! We’ll be discussing spoilers from a few major Kirby games, so keep that in mind before you continue.
