Mailbox: eShop Closures, Comedy, The Physical Future – Nintendo Life Letters
“exposing yourself”
If video game development around the globe were to suddenly stop and you could only play games that have already been released, how would you handle this? Would you get bored of games if they weren’t progressing technologically at all? Do you think you’d enjoy exposing yourself to genres and series that you wouldn’t normally play? How would you focus your gaming time?
Daniel
Personally, my present backlog would probably see me out. There are entire series I’ve never touched, so while I’d be disappointed never to ride the zeitgeist of a new release again (and who doesn’t love the smell of new hardware?), there’s such a rich history of games to experience — and so many Banjo replays to enjoy — I’d get along just fine. – Ed.
“being picky”
To whom it may concern,
I love Joy Mech Fight. It’s a great fighting game, and on the NES (well Famicom if we’re being picky) no less. Only recently got around to playing it, and I had a realisation. 3 of my top 5 NES games are from 1993.
There was still life in the old man before they put him to sleep, and what great life it was!If you’re wondering (you probably aren’t) this is my ranking:
Top 5 NES games
1. Mr Gimmick (1993)
2. Kirby’s Adventure (1993)
3. Ufouria: The Saga (1991)
4. Dr. Mario (1990) (yes, I do like it this much)
5. Joy Mech Fight (1993)
From,
Casey
Very nice – a couple of underplayed Sunsoft gems there. 1993 was a good vintage. And thank you for reminding me to check out Joy Mech Fight on NSO. – Ed.
“satirical such as”
Hello there!
I would like to know why there isn’t a ‘Comedy’ video game genre. I would say that there are plenty of games that are satirical such as: Untitled Goose Game, Stanley Parable, Portal, and there are probably more. So why isn’t comedy a genre of games as it is movies?
OswaldTheLuckyGamer
Probably because it’s so difficult to pull off. Timing is crucial with conedy, and controlling that is incredibly tricky in an interactive medium without just funnelling players into an on-rails ‘ride’ or switching to a cutscene. You could have the funniest script in the world, but if the line is delivered a fraction too early or late, or overlaps with the trigger for the next, it’s all for nothing.
The Stanley Parable and Portal are probably the best examples ever made and they repeatedly use deft little distractions and sleights of hand to make dialogue feel spontaneous or call your attention to something you could totally miss if you were looking the other way. Those games are illusory marvels in how they deliver their comedy. Weaving that into a video game takes magician-like showmanship and total design mastery, and most devs just don’t have the necessary talent and flair for it. – Ed.
“quite bad”
Square Enix’s new release strategy aims to develop high-profile games for as many platforms as possible. At the same time, games like FF and KH always go for the best possible graphics available. With Nintendo going their own path (likely with a weaker hardware than the competition), do you think there’s a chance that we might play the next numbered FF and KH on Switch 2? Personally, I have doubts. They certainly resonate with Nintendo audience, but hardware demanding 3rd party games often look quite bad on Switch.
RenanKJ
I wouldn’t be surprised to see numbered entries in those franchises appearing on future Nintendo hardware, although recouping investment on existing games will mean ports that weren’t viable on the current console first, I’d imagine. PC is the easier audience to chase, but if Switch 2 blows the doors off like Switch did, SE will want to be there for it. – Ed.
“complete dreary silence”
Do you know why I still love my 3DS and Wii U more than the Switch, even though the Switch is arguably the most popular console ever? Well, I have one word for you: PERSONALIZATION.
I will never not miss the abundance of themes, the carefully crafted piece of music for every different screen, the Miiverse, the catchy e-shop tunes that “encouraged” you to spend more time looking for fun games… and the Switch has none of it! Good luck spending hours in the Switch e-shop in complete dreary silence.
I honestly cannot believe that we’re at the end of the Switch’s lifecycle and yet, when you open the theme selection, you can only choose from white and black… Bro, that just ain’t it… Oh, and while on the subject, the touchscreen on the Switch is so underused, it’s insane!
Le Grumpy Potato out!
Agreed on all fronts. Homescreen needs a Spice Orange theme. eShop needs a bop. – Ed.
“a friend in the country”
Hi NL team!
I was wondering if there are any plans to extend Nintendolife eshop codes/credit outside of the current regions? I’m based in New Zealand (hello 2am Nintendo Directs), and would love to support the website via commission! Just the push I would need to buy more eshop credit and hopelessly fill my backlog…
P.S. I know about region switching, but I have game sharing set up with a friend in the country and don’t want to accidentally lock them out
SkywardPumpkin
Having looked into this, the regions available are dictated by where Famehype (NL’s partner for code sales) operates, and an NZ option isn’t something we’re likely to see soon, unfortunately.
Silver lining: you might just finish your backlog one day? – Ed.
“inverse proportion”
Hello! To the best of your recollection, which Switch games have been the most well-received (in terms of sales, Metacritic scores, etc) in inverse proportion to how they were hyped beforehand in official company showcases and such?
The answer would be more reflective of the marketing behind a game rather than the quality of the game itself, but it could be informative in the context of resource allocation and how some good games can get overlooked, especially when considering the effort that goes into producing something like a Nintendo Direct.
Keep up the good work!
ZZalapski
Tough question. First-party-wise, everything that’s well-received critically tends to get a similar marketing push. I can’t think of a single Nintendo game that was brilliant without them telling everybody so. Advance Wars Re-Boot Camp, perhaps, although for obvious sensitivity reasons. They kept Everybody 1-2-Switch pretty quiet — as you would — but great games? You’re never going to get a good Nintendo game that people sleep on these days.
Beyond first-party stuff, it felt like Balatro came out of ‘nowhere’ this year. More accurately, it failed to grab my attention in the pre-release buildup. I could retire to a private island if I had a dime for every email with ‘roguelike deckbuilder’ in the subject line, and card games are rarely trailer-friendly, so it took a while before I went back and it finally broke through for me. Hell of a game, but it was a case of, ‘Hmm, okay, we might have missed something here.’ – Ed.
Bonus Letters
“If a nuclear disaster were to happen hundreds of years from now that took out the world’s population, would a new Mario game still release?” – HotGoomba
Almost certainly. I thought the industry had finally cooled it on zombie games, but Nintendo is often late to the party. – Ed.
“Sonic Frontiers 2 might introduce a new hedgehog character.” – scottdevine48
Isn’t there enough misery and suffering in the world already? – Ed.
“my hope is that Nintendo Life is not Pro Old-School Nostalgia & Anti New Ideas, New Directions, & Accessibility.” – Marshall Gordeuk
Can we not have some of Column A and ALL of Column B? – Ed.
“I’ve been playing Superstar Saga lately and just finished Joke’s End. The music made it much more painful than it needed to be – a 5 second loop played continuously for an hour long dungeon.
What kind of amateur composer would make something like- Yoko Shimomura?! – Munchlax
After listening to this, I’ll include it at the end to lighten my burden and share the pain with everyone reading. You’re welcome. – Ed.
That’s all for this month! Thanks to everyone who wrote in, whether you were featured above or not.
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