Top 5 saddest Nintendo endings of all time
Posted on 8 months ago by Ethan in 3DS, Features, General Nintendo, Switch | 0 comments
Today, we’re going over five of the saddest Nintendo endings of all time. As an important note, we’re only covering endings for games we’ve played, so if you can think of one that’s not on the list, feel free to share it with us in the comments down below.
For the most part, Nintendo is known for producing happy, feel-good games. Things like Mario and Kirby come to mind most here – just about all of their games end with a dramatic final boss fight, but a happy ending for the characters and world otherwise. That being said, some Nintendo games aren’t all kittens and rainbows at the end. Though far and few between, some of Nintendo’s sadder endings hit hard – and we’ve included five of the saddest Nintendo endings right here. Spoilers ahead!
[Let’s Talk] What’s the best Nintendo-published Switch game?
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch | 0 comments
As each day goes by, we get closer and closer to Nintendo’s next console. It remains to be seen when exactly it’ll be announced and released, but by this time next year, the system is something many fans will be thinking a lot about.
As we wait for what’s next, let’s take a moment to think back on Nintendo’s current console. The company has put out a ton of games for Switch dating back to 2017, starting out with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Believe it or not, the Big N has published over 100 titles on Switch.
So what’s your favorite? Maybe you have an unconventional pick that not many would consider the best? Let us know in the comments.
Highlights from last week’s topic: What do you want to see next out of Monolith Soft?
nonweak
I want a new game. Not a remake or remaster, and not a small game either. Another full blown Xenoblade 3 150+ hour game. And when it releases it will probably easily be my game of the year, just like Xenoblade 3 was in 2022.
Obsidianheart
Xenoblade Chronicles X 2!
Gimme that sci-fi urban mecha open world goodness 10 years later! I meant in the setting, but now I realize it came out in 2015, so either meaning is applicable. Future Redeemed tied all the shared Xeno-series together, while also insinuating that there were more narrative threads that haven’t been explored in that universe, so maybe one of those that isn’t terrestrial.
Greatsong1
I still wanna see a XCX remake, but otherwise developing something new outside of the RPG genre would also be great. Monolith hasn’t done that (not counting the games that they only assisted with) since Disaster Day of Crisis and that was almost 16 years ago.
[Review] Elrentaros Wanderings
Posted on 8 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 15, 2024
Developer: Hakama
Publisher: Red Art Games
Hakama may have only released a handful of games since their formation by Yoshifumi Hashimoto in 2018, but with Rune Factory 4 Special and Rune Factory 5 as two of their more noteworthy releases, it’s fair to say the focus is more on quality over quantity. Unfortunately, although their latest title Elrentaros Wanderings (previously known as Rear Sekai) has hints of their trademark creative brilliance, ultimately fails to deliver on almost every front.
More: Bushiroad, Hakama, highlight, Rear Sekai, Red Art Games, top
Examining Pokemon X and Y’s lost story via an old leak
Posted on 8 months ago by Ethan in 3DS, Features | 0 comments
Today, we’re looking at a Pokemon X and Y leak from March 2014 that contained cut story elements that wound up reused in subsequent games.
Pokemon X and Y were the first main series game in full 3D. All of the characters, environments, and the Pokemon themselves were fully modeled and animated for the first time ever, which marked a big leap forward for the series. Despite this giant leap in technology, though, X and Y aren’t exactly the most loved Pokemon games (though they do have their fair share of dedicated fans). In a strange way, X and Y are something of an anomaly. Generation 6 is the only generation that didn’t have a third version game, for instance – there was never a Pokemon Z or a Pokemon X2 or Y2. In fact, Zygarde had new forms introduced to it in Pokemon Sun and Moon, a completely separate generation. So what happened here?
In March 2014, a user going by the name “XYSider” posted a giant leak on 4chan discussing story points and mechanics that wound up cut from the final game due to time constraints. This leak is absolutely huge in terms of size, so we’re not writing today on the assumption that it’s all true. That being said, for being posted in March 2014, a few elements from this leak wound up coming true in some way or another in future games. So today, we’re taking a look at every part of this leak and examining all of the things that came to fruition – either coincidentally or because maybe it was real – in Pokemon games that came after X and Y.
More: Game Freak, highlight, Pokemon X, Pokemon Y, top
[Review] Cat Quest III
Posted on 8 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 8, 2024
Developer: The Gentlebros
Publisher: Kepler Interactive
We have had so many cat-focused indie games over the last decade that it could practically be a genre unto itself, but few are as charming, engaging, or downright fun, as Cat Quest. The simplistic yet punchy combat, tightly-packed but unrestricted open world, and overbearing onslaught of feline related puns all combine to make it an experience that has always left me wanting more. Developer The Gentlebros have now graced us with a third installment, Cat Quest III, which continues to improve upon the established formula and takes it into uncharted waters as we set sail on a swashbuckling pirate (or should that be “Pi-rat”?) adventure.
Zelda: Majora’s Mask N64 vs. 3DS – examining which is better
Posted on 8 months ago by Ethan in 3DS, Features, General Nintendo | 0 comments
We’re taking a bit of time to reflect on the Zelda: Majora’s Mask N64 vs. 3DS debate to think about the pros and cons of each version.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is often regarded as one of the better (if not one of the best) games in the series. This is despite how heavily it borrows assets from Ocarina of Time – it fashions old assets into new characters with set routines and believable reactions to the tragedies that occur in the game. That being said, the two versions of the game available right now, N64 and 3DS, provide different experiences. There isn’t a consensus on which version of the game is objectively better, however. Today, we’re going to discuss the differences between Majora’s Mask N64 vs 3DS and ask you the question: which one do you like better?
[Let’s Talk] What do you want to see next out of Monolith Soft?
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 0 comments
Monolith Soft has become one of Nintendo’s most important subsidiaries over the years. For one thing, the company has developed a very consistent RPG in Xenoblade Chronicles going back to the Wii era. Monolith Soft continued to expand and now has extra teams working on other first-party games, ranging from Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild to the Splatoon titles.
This week, we heard that Monolith Soft is hiring for a “new RPG” with Tetsuya Takahashi at the helm. It’s certainly possible that this could be for a new Xenoblade game. On the other hand, we can’t help but be intrigued by the company working on something entirely new.
We want to ask you though: what would you like to see out of Monolith Soft? Let us know in the comments below.
More: highlight, Monolith Soft, top
[Rapid Review] Thank Goodness You’re Here
Posted on 8 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 1, 2024
Developer: Coal Supper
Publisher: Panic
It’s not very often that a video game makes me laugh. There are usually a few lines of dialogue that will elicit a smile or two, or maybe even a small chuckle if it’s especially witty. But prior to playing Thank Goodness You’re Here I couldn’t remember the last time I was genuinely amused, especially not to the point that I needed to put my console down to compose myself for a few moments at times. It’s definitely something you need to experience firsthand to appreciate, and unlike anything else I’ve played this year so far.
More: Coal Supper, highlight, Panic, Thank Goodness You're Here, top
The history of the “free update” model in Switch games
Posted on 8 months ago by Ethan in Features, General Nintendo, Switch | 0 comments
Today, we’re going over the history of the “free update” business model of certain first-party games released for Switch.
Free updates and DLC weren’t quite as common for Nintendo games back in the Wii U and 3DS era. Company culture changes aside, one possible reason for this is that those consoles could only store so much extra data and updates for their games (with Super Smash Bros. pushing the limits of this restriction). Needless to say, things have sort of changed during the Switch era. Free updates have gone from a nice bonus to… something else, we’ll say. Here are some of the most prominent examples of Switch games that relied on a free update content cycle, and what these updates added to each game.
Worst Shiny Pokemon of all time
Posted on 8 months ago by Ethan in Features, General Nintendo, Switch | 0 comments
Following our recent list of the best Shiny Pokemon of all time, we’ve put together a list of the absolute worst Shiny Pokemon of all time. When you look at a big list of every Shiny Pokemon, you’ll notice that there are many more average or poor ones than good ones. This is especially prevalent in some of the earlier generations. It’s rumored that Shiny Pokemon colors were originally determined via an algorithm, but we couldn’t actually find any confirmation of this – maybe the developers just got better at picking colors as the years went by. In any case, we’ve looked through every single Shiny Pokemon and included some of the very worst ones here.