seems to be a lot of whining online about how the Switch2 is the worst console ever. As this is happening we have celebrating that its the greatest console ever made. we won't really know for another 2 or 3 years if the Switch2 is great or not.
I got the N64 in late 1996 and was pretty bored of it by mid 1997. i distinctly remember switching from Wayne Gretkzy 3D hockey that had great 3D graphics back to old EA NHL '94 on the Sega Genesis. Any how, in late '97 a series of 4 annual wrestling games came out and they made the N64 my favourite console i've ever owned. WCW v. NWO World TOur, WCW Revenge, WWF Wrestlingmania 2000, and WWF No Mercy.
The Nintendo 3DS wasn't very good at the start and Nintendo turned it around a year or two later.
With all Nintendo consoles it takes a while for 3rd party developers to get their footing and really maximize the capabilities of the system. So people should just wait and see before either crowning the King or declaring the Switch2 to be a piece of garbage.
A new Nintendo Direct (Partner Showcase, focusing on third-party publishers) was just officially announced for tomorrow: Thursday at 9 AM eastern time.
Lots of interesting games announced today for 2025/2026; some are for Switch 2 only, and some are for both Switch 1 and 2. Here are some of the games mentioned:
-Octopath Traveler 0 -Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles -The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (HD-2D Action RPG - free demo coming out today) -Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment -Pac-Man World Re-Pac 2 -Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven (Switch 2 Edition) -Persona 3 Reload -Apex Legends -Borderlands 4 -Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2 -Cronos: The New Dawn -Star Wars Outlaws -Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection -Once Upon A Katamari -Dragon Ball Sparking Zero -Hela -Just Dance 2026 Edition -FC26 (Soccer) -Madden NFL 26
I was watching with my daughter, and she was disappointed that Hollow Knight: Silksong wasn’t announced. I thought they would keep it until the absolute end, but I guess it will have to wait for another Nintendo Direct. I got so excited when I saw the words Final Fantasy Tactics because I thought it was a FF Tactics Advance remake lol.
Cronos: The New Dawn had an interesting premise about travelling between dimensions or time, and it affecting your in-game perception of everything around you. Overall, the game seemed to have a Dead Space vibe.
I need to finish Octopath Traveller 1&2 before I even think about their new game.
Yeah it's a little odd that Nintendo would tease Silksong in a recent sizzle reel, but then not mention it today. I know a lot of people are looking forward to it!
I absolutely loved FFTA, even more than FFT, so I'd get super excited if FFTA gets a remake too!
OT1 and OT2 were both S-tier games for me, so I'm looking forward to OT0 too!
Not Nintendo, but this is relevant to gamers here: I bought a Nex Playground today. So far it’s fantastic for my two kids 8 and 5. I’ve had a fair bit of fun myself. I’m curious if anyone else has had experience with this new console.
On August 01 2025 14:20 Laurens wrote: I’m reading that OT0 is a remake of the mobile gacha game, gonna skip that one.
It seems that Octopath Traveler 0 incorporates some stuff from Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent but it isn't a remake of the game.
Quote from IGN:
In a blog post, Square Enix said that while Octopath Traveler 0 was "inspired by story elements and gameplay ideas from that game", it was also designed from the ground-up as a "full-fledged console and PC RPG" with additional narrative content, fresh character backstories, full voice acting, and the aforementioned town-building feature.
However, I've never played the mobile game, and I don't know how much actual content they have added, but previous Octopath Traveler games had a lot of content and were games that took something like 60+ hours to beat.
On August 01 2025 11:25 BisuDagger wrote: Not Nintendo, but this is relevant to gamers here: I bought a Nex Playground today. So far it’s fantastic for my two kids 8 and 5. I’ve had a fair bit of fun myself. I’m curious if anyone else has had experience with this new console.
Looks really lame imo. Just play outside if it's about getting more movement for the kids and let them enjoy proper video games during leisure time.
On August 01 2025 11:25 BisuDagger wrote: Not Nintendo, but this is relevant to gamers here: I bought a Nex Playground today. So far it’s fantastic for my two kids 8 and 5. I’ve had a fair bit of fun myself. I’m curious if anyone else has had experience with this new console.
Looks really lame imo. Just play outside if it's about getting more movement for the kids and let them enjoy proper video games during leisure time.
The outdoor hours this summer have been really tough. It's been over 100 degrees for almost 2 weeks. My kids swim from 8-10 in the morning and from 6-7 at night every day though. And in general, they get plenty of outdoor time while it's safe.
As someone who was in love with the ring fit, having in door body movement applications is a real plus. It allows me to take physical breaks from work indoors without getting drenched with sweat which would happen if I even stood outside right now. I totally get the "looks lame" part, but so far the machine tech feels like an extremely advance version of the kinnect and performs really well.
On August 01 2025 11:25 BisuDagger wrote: Not Nintendo, but this is relevant to gamers here: I bought a Nex Playground today. So far it’s fantastic for my two kids 8 and 5. I’ve had a fair bit of fun myself. I’m curious if anyone else has had experience with this new console.
I'd never heard of it, but apparently it's on Amazon for $249 and has this information about its game library: "5 GAMES INCLUDED. UNLOCK MORE WITH PLAY PASS. Playground comes with Fruit Ninja, Starri, Whac-a-Mole, Go Keeper, and Party Fowl. A separate purchase of a 3-Month ($49) or 12-Month Play Pass ($89) is required to access the full catalog of games and get new games each month, including Barbie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, How to Train Your Dragon, Peppa Pig, Care Bears, Elmo, Miraculous Ladybug, Gabby's Dollhouse, Kung Fu Panda and more."
Seems to also have a heavy emphasis on tracking physical movement, like Eye Toy or a bunch of Nintendo games over the years (like Ring Fit Adventure for the Switch, which was S-tier for me). I don't think I'll be buying the Nex Playground, as I'm more invested in the Switch 2, but if your family is enjoying it, then it sounds like you made a great purchase
On August 01 2025 14:20 Laurens wrote: I’m reading that OT0 is a remake of the mobile gacha game, gonna skip that one.
It seems that Octopath Traveler 0 incorporates some stuff from Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent but it isn't a remake of the game.
Quote from IGN:
In a blog post, Square Enix said that while Octopath Traveler 0 was "inspired by story elements and gameplay ideas from that game", it was also designed from the ground-up as a "full-fledged console and PC RPG" with additional narrative content, fresh character backstories, full voice acting, and the aforementioned town-building feature.
However, I've never played the mobile game, and I don't know how much actual content they have added, but previous Octopath Traveler games had a lot of content and were games that took something like 60+ hours to beat.
Thanks for sharing this information about OT0; I'm sure we'll learn even more about it by the time the game releases (December 4th, 2025). Given that article's information and yesterday's trailer and my love for OT1 and OT2, I'm pretty confident that I'll be buying OT0.
As far as huge franchises go, Mario Kart and DK are obviously available already, and Pokemon and Zelda (and Metroid) should be arriving over the next few months, but I'm a little surprised that Nintendo hasn't announced another huge heavy hitter for the holiday season. I wonder if they're just assuming that new Switch 2 buyers will pick up Mario Kart World and/or Pokemon Legends: Z-A and/or Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment and/or Donkey Kong Bananza and/or the upgraded Switch 1 games, or if November/December is going to have another big title dropping (Pikmin, Animal Crossing, Mario). It's already August though, so if a new huge game is going to be released in December, it should probably be announced sometime soon...
Maybe the Switch 2 doesn't need any additional momentum right now though; it's already crushing records thanks to Mario Kart World and everything else going for it:
"Switch 2 launched on 5th June and today's Q1 financial report includes figures up to the end of that month. The stated figure of "more than 6 million" accounts for sales past that date, though, to approximately 24th July (seven weeks post-launch). As of 30th June, Nintendo had sold 5.82 million Switch 2s (3.5 million in the first four days) along with 5.63 million copies of Mario Kart World, including the digital downloads included in the popular Mario Kart hardware bundle. Overall Switch 2 software sales totalled 8.67 million units. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/08/switch-2-has-sold-more-than-6-million-units-and-almost-as-many-copies-of-mario-kart-world
It appears that the $50 sale price for Mario Kart World (and/or the $80 price point for those who aren't taking advantage of the discount) is playing out pretty well for Nintendo. It would certainly be reasonable for them to wait until 2026 before announcing/releasing any other top-tier / will-be-a-best-seller games.
For any fans of Animal Crossing or other cozy/low-stakes games, but who are looking for a little more action/adventure/combat, I'm pleasantly surprised with Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. Rotating through all the "life" (job/class) options is consistently fun, and there's always more to explore. It's received very positive scores, and it's a nice contrast to the chaotic smashing of Donkey Kong Bananza.
On July 16 2025 09:30 Yaqoob wrote: I don't care for the Borderlands series enough to watch a 31-minute video talking about the Switch 2 version of Borderlands 3, so I will take your word on this topic.
you don't really need to take my word on it though. Gearbox/2K removed all the Borderlands games on the eShop. They know they run like garbage. I wonder if they'll fix them and put them back on sale?
On July 31 2025 22:40 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: Lots of interesting games announced today for 2025/2026; some are for Switch 2 only, and some are for both Switch 1 and 2. Here are some of the games mentioned:
They prolly should not have bothered releasing the game on the Switch2. It caused them to stop eShop sales for 1,2,3, and The Pre-Sequel. Its been a big "L" for Gearbox and Gearbox has been on a 5 year losing streak.
releasing current gen high-end sports titles on a Nintendo device is not within the spirit of their consoles.
Stuff like Super Mega Baseball and Fire Pro Wrestling are the kinds of sports titles that fit the switch. As opposed to a poorly running WWE 2K game with crippled community features or an annualized, soul-less "MLB The Show" game.
NES Super Tecmo Bowl released in 1991 will have a bigger competitive community in 2026 than Madden NFL 26 will have.
Shadow Labyrinth runs like garbage on the Switch2.
Shadow Labyrinth is bizarre.. but it works for me. I like it. It includes a lore story involving the "United Galaxy Space Force" which weaves together really old Namco games like Galaga, Galaxian, and Pacman. I think they also get some Bosconian in there as well.
If you're open minded and looking to get on an 80s acid trip... Shadow Labyrinth will take you there. If you're unsure about liking the game then buy it on Steam first. If you don't like it ... refund it and don't get it for the Switch or Switch 2.
On July 16 2025 09:30 Yaqoob wrote: I don't care for the Borderlands series enough to watch a 31-minute video talking about the Switch 2 version of Borderlands 3, so I will take your word on this topic.
you don't really need to take my word on it though. Gearbox/2K removed all the Borderlands games on the eShop. They know they run like garbage. I wonder if they'll fix them and put them back on sale?
On July 31 2025 22:40 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: Lots of interesting games announced today for 2025/2026; some are for Switch 2 only, and some are for both Switch 1 and 2. Here are some of the games mentioned:
They prolly should not have bothered releasing the game on the Switch2. It caused them to stop eShop sales for 1,2,3, and The Pre-Sequel. Its been a big "L" for Gearbox and Gearbox has been on a 5 year losing streak.
releasing current gen high-end sports titles on a Nintendo device is not within the spirit of their consoles.
Stuff like Super Mega Baseball and Fire Pro Wrestling are the kinds of sports titles that fit the switch. As opposed to a poorly running WWE 2K game with crippled community features or an annualized, soul-less "MLB The Show" game.
NES Super Tecmo Bowl released in 1991 will have a bigger competitive community in 2026 than Madden NFL 26 will have.
Shadow Labyrinth is bizarre.. but it works for me. I like it. It includes a lore story involving the "United Galaxy Space Force" which weaves together really old Namco games like Galaga, Galaxian, and Pacman. I think they also get some Bosconian in there as well.
If you're open minded and looking to get on an 80s acid trip... Shadow Labyrinth will take you there. If you're unsure about liking the game then buy it on Steam first. If you don't like it ... refund it and don't get it for the Switch or Switch 2.
Shadow Labyrinth appears to be an interesting concept. I'm personally going to be saving my money for games other than Shadow Labyrinth, but I definitely see the appeal and I'm glad you like it!
It appears that the comment section of that "Shadow Labyrinth Is Broken on Switch 2" video is offering a lot of experiences that contradict whoever made that video:
"Nearly 30 hours in, and my up-to-date Shadow Labyrinth (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition) has been running a perfect smooth 60fps in both handheld and docked mode at all times" "Shadow Labyrant runs fine for me" "change the Switch 2 resolution to 1080p and the frame rate will be stable" "It's not unplayable" "Okay definitely not great, definitely needs a patch, but we have got to work on our usage of the word “unplayable”" "I haven't noticed any of this. Mine is running as smoothly as butter. Lol almost through the whole game." "This video consists of nothing but contradictions. Nonsense." "I'm having a blast playing on my switch 2" "Min3s is running just fine. Nothing broken about it ..... yall YouTubers always seem to have problems . I'm playing handheld not one problem yet" "Fake, I have the game on My switch 2, and runs perfect" "runs perfect on My 4k Tv 85 inch" "On 1440p I have no issues either"
I've been having a blast playing the free demo of Square Enix's upcoming HD-2D Action RPG, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. It's basically a modernized version of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, with similar combat but improved graphics, environments, inventory, puzzles, and challenges. Your fairy partner is predictably talkative, but she actually has a surprising amount of utility, and you can control her simultaneously. Solid nostalgia and overall fun; I definitely recommend downloading it for $0 and testing it out! The full game is scheduled to release sometime in 2026.
Two days from now, Nintendo will be releasing an Indie World showcase!
Surprise! Nintendo Announces Indie World Showcase For Thursday 7th August 2025
For the second week in a row, Nintendo will be holding another showcase for games coming to the Switch and Switch 2.
This time, it's an Indie World, and will be taking place on 7th August at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST. The showcase will be roughly 15 minutes long and will be shown in all of the usual spots.
EPT
