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StarTopic Nintendo Direct Speculation |ST8| Press Your (Nintendo Direct) Luck!

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Wockio said:
Game Boy Advance
  1. Super Mario Advance
  2. F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
  3. Kuru Kuru Kururin
  4. Napoleon
  5. Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
  6. Mario Kart: Super Circuit
  7. Golden Sun
  8. Wario Land 4
  9. Advance Wars
  10. Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
  11. Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak
  12. Golden Sun: The Lost Age
  13. Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
  14. Game & Watch Gallery Advance
  15. Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
  16. Metroid Fusion
  17. Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version
  18. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords
  19. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
  20. Fire Emblem
  21. Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue
  22. Donkey Kong Country
  23. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
  24. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
  25. Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
  26. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
  27. Top Gear Rally
  28. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
  29. Sword of Mana
  30. F-Zero: GP Legend
  31. Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version
  32. Metroid Zero Mission
  33. Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
  34. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
  35. Mario Golf: Advance Tour
  36. Mario vs. Donkey Kong
  37. Donkey Kong Country 2
  38. Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls
  39. Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Games
  40. Mario Pinball Land
  41. Pokémon Emerald Version
  42. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
  43. WarioWare: Twisted!
  44. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
  45. Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
  46. Mario Party Advance
  47. Dynasty Warriors Advance
  48. DK: King of Swing
  49. The Tower SP
  50. Mario Tennis: Power Tour
  51. Final Fantasy IV Advance
  52. Dr. Mario & Puzzle League
  53. Drill Dozer
  54. Polarium Advance
  55. Donkey Kong Country 3
  56. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team
  57. Tales of Phantasia
  58. Final Fantasy V Advance
  59. Final Fantasy VI Advance
[*]

GameCube
  1. Luigi's Mansion
  2. Wave Race: Blue Storm
  3. Pikmin
  4. Super Smash Bros. Melee
  5. Animal Crossing
  6. NBA Courtside 2002
  7. Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest
  8. Doshin the Giant
  9. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
  10. Super Mario Sunshine
  11. Star Fox Adventures
  12. Mario Party 4
  13. Metroid Prime
  14. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time / Master Quest
  15. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
  16. Wario World
  17. Kirby Air Ride
  18. F-Zero GX
  19. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
  20. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
  21. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games!
  22. Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
  23. Mario Party 5
  24. 1080° Avalanche
  25. Donkey Konga
  26. Custom Robo
  27. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
  28. Pikmin 2
  29. Donkey Konga 2
  30. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
  31. Mario Power Tennis
  32. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
  33. Mario Party 6
  34. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
  35. Star Fox Assault
  36. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
  37. Chibi-Robo!
  38. Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
  39. Mario Superstar Baseball
  40. Geist
  41. Battalion Wars
  42. Mario Party 7
  43. Super Mario Strikers
  44. Baten Kaitos Origins
  45. Odama
  46. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
[*]

Nintendo Switch
  1. 1-2 Switch
  2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
  4. ARMS
  5. Splatoon 2
  6. Pokkén Tournament DX
  7. Fire Emblem Warriors
  8. Super Mario Odyssey
  9. Snipperclips Plus: Cut It Out, Together!
  10. Xenoblade Chronicles 2
  11. Dragon Quest Builders
  12. Bayonetta
  13. Bayonetta 2
  14. Kirby Star Allies
  15. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
  16. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
  17. Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido
  18. Mario Tennis Aces
  19. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
  20. Go Vacation
  21. Super Mario Party
  22. The World Ends with You: Final Remix
  23. Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu! and Pokémon Let's Go Eevee!
  24. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  25. Fitness Boxing
  26. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
  27. Travis Strikers Again: No More Heroes
  28. Yoshi's Crafted World
  29. Super Mario Maker 2
  30. Dragon Quest Builders 2
  31. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
  32. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  33. Astral Chain
  34. Tetris 99
  35. DAEMON X MACHINA
  36. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
  37. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitve Edition
  38. Ring Fit Adventure
  39. Luigi's Mansion 3
  40. Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield
  41. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
  42. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
  43. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
  44. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
  45. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
  46. Paper Mario: The Origami King
  47. Super Mario 3D All-Stars
  48. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
  49. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer feat. The Legend of Zelda - Complete Edition
  50. Pikmin 3 Deluxe
  51. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
  52. Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise
  53. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
  54. New Pokémon Snap
  55. Miitopia
  56. DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power
  57. Game Builder Garage
  58. Mario Golf: Super Rush
  59. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
  60. WarioWare: Get It Together!
  61. Metroid Dread
  62. Mario Party Superstars
  63. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl
  64. Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
  65. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
  66. Triangle Strategy
  67. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
  68. Nintendo Switch Sports
  69. Mario Strikers: Battle League
  70. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
  71. Live A Live
  72. Xenoblade Chronicles 3
  73. Splatoon 3
  74. Bayonetta 3
  75. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet
  76. Fire Emblem Engage
  77. Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
  78. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
  79. Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
  80. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
  81. Everybody 1-2-Switch!
  82. Pikmin 1+2
  83. Pikmin 4
  84. Detective Pikachu Returns
  85. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
  86. WarioWare: Move It!
  87. Super Mario RPG
  88. Another Code: Recollection
  89. Mario vs. Donkey Kong
  90. Princess Peach: Showtime!
  91. Endless Ocean Luminous
  92. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Unreleased)
  93. Luigi's Mansion 2 HD (Unreleased)
  94. Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Unreleased)
  95. Metroid Prime 4 (Unreleased)
[*]

Looks to be around the same to me. I did exclude digital-only games on Switch and Japan exclusives in general with GBA had a lot of, but it's not like you were playing those back then (or now).
Click to expand...
Ah the Pokémon games are being counted together
I'd have to go through the list and compare what I have on my shelf but I have 99 physical published Nintendo titles on Switch (that's with each individual Pokémon release and not including the 4 Labo titles because I don't have them) which is the third highest they've published on any console in Europe behind just the DS (105) and 3DS (121) (the 3DS has a lot of stuff with 2 versions though like Pokémon, Inazuma Eleven and Yokai Watch for that count)
 
0
JazzyFuture said:
TPC have said that Game Freak's development cycles have not changed ever and they realize that maybe that's not a good idea anymore with the backlash to Scarlet/Violet's launch, so I don't really think that's a good example.
https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/pokemon-company-game-releases-takato-utsunomiya-interview/
Click to expand...
But even Mario Wonder took about 4 years and that was with covid

Only the really big games like Zelda take significantly longer than 3 or 4 years
 
I have two views on this topic which is that people are being a little weird by acting like people have to be super literal when they say the word drought. I think it's absolutely fine to say it to mean this has just been a boring year so far. I mean honestly, the way some people talk about droughts the Wii U technically wouldn't have had droughts for the vast majority of its life. In the digital age, it is very hard for a system to have literally no games releasing. I think subjectivity should really be appreciated more, and honestly it isn't really engaging with the point being made to just list wars games that technically have released. I don't think people need to be so insecure about that term specifically.

At the same time every time this comes up a lot of bad actors ruin it. I don't think listing GBA + Gamecube vs Switch is going to get us anywhere .... and there probably should be more consideration for how stacked the last two years have been.
 
Wockio said:
Nintendo Switch
  1. 1-2 Switch
  2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
  4. ARMS
  5. Splatoon 2
  6. Pokkén Tournament DX
  7. Fire Emblem Warriors
  8. Super Mario Odyssey
  9. Snipperclips Plus: Cut It Out, Together!
  10. Xenoblade Chronicles 2
  11. Dragon Quest Builders
  12. Bayonetta
  13. Bayonetta 2
  14. Kirby Star Allies
  15. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
  16. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
  17. Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido
  18. Mario Tennis Aces
  19. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
  20. Go Vacation
  21. Super Mario Party
  22. The World Ends with You: Final Remix
  23. Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu! and Pokémon Let's Go Eevee!
  24. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  25. Fitness Boxing
  26. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
  27. Travis Strikers Again: No More Heroes
  28. Yoshi's Crafted World
  29. Super Mario Maker 2
  30. Dragon Quest Builders 2
  31. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
  32. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  33. Astral Chain
  34. Tetris 99
  35. DAEMON X MACHINA
  36. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
  37. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitve Edition
  38. Ring Fit Adventure
  39. Luigi's Mansion 3
  40. Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield
  41. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
  42. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
  43. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
  44. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
  45. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
  46. Paper Mario: The Origami King
  47. Super Mario 3D All-Stars
  48. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
  49. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer feat. The Legend of Zelda - Complete Edition
  50. Pikmin 3 Deluxe
  51. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
  52. Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise
  53. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
  54. New Pokémon Snap
  55. Miitopia
  56. DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power
  57. Game Builder Garage
  58. Mario Golf: Super Rush
  59. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
  60. WarioWare: Get It Together!
  61. Metroid Dread
  62. Mario Party Superstars
  63. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl
  64. Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
  65. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
  66. Triangle Strategy
  67. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
  68. Nintendo Switch Sports
  69. Mario Strikers: Battle League
  70. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
  71. Live A Live
  72. Xenoblade Chronicles 3
  73. Splatoon 3
  74. Bayonetta 3
  75. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet
  76. Fire Emblem Engage
  77. Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
  78. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
  79. Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
  80. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
  81. Everybody 1-2-Switch!
  82. Pikmin 1+2
  83. Pikmin 4
  84. Detective Pikachu Returns
  85. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
  86. WarioWare: Move It!
  87. Super Mario RPG
  88. Another Code: Recollection
  89. Mario vs. Donkey Kong
  90. Princess Peach: Showtime!
  91. Endless Ocean Luminous
  92. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Unreleased)
  93. Luigi's Mansion 2 HD (Unreleased)
  94. Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Unreleased)
  95. Metroid Prime 4 (Unreleased)
[*]

Looks to be around the same to me. I did exclude digital-only games on Switch and Japan exclusives in general with GBA had a lot of, but it's not like you were playing those back then (or now).
Click to expand...

my Nintendo Switch game-list

1) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
3) 1-2-Switch
4) Arms
5) Splatoon 2
6) Pokkén Tournament DX
7) Fire Emblem Warriors
8) Super Mario Odyssey
9) Xenoblade Chronicles 2
10) Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country
11) Snipperclips Plus
12) Kirby Star Allies
13) Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
14) Nintendo Labo: Toy-Con 02 - Robot Kit
15) Nintendo Labo: Toy-Con 01 - Variety Kit
16) Nintendo Labo: Toy-Con 03 - Vehicle Kit
17) Nintendo Labo: Toy-Con 04 - VR Kit
18) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
19) Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido
20) Mario Tennis Aces
21) Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
22) Super Mario Party
23) Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!/ Eevee!
24) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
25) New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
26) Yoshi's Crafted World
27) Fire Emblem: Three Houses
28) Super Mario Maker 2
29) Astral Chain
30) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
31) Ring Fit Adventure
32) Luigi's Mansion 3
33) Pokémon Sword/Shield
34) Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch
35) Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore
36) Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
37) Animal Crossing: New Horizons
38) Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
39) Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
40) Paper Mario: The Origami King
41) Pikmin 3 Deluxe
42) Super Mario 3D All-Stars
43) Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
44) Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
45) New Pokémon Snap
46) Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind
47) Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir
48) Miitopia
49) Game Builder Garage
50) Mario Golf: Super Rush
51) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
52) WarioWare: Get It Together!
53) Mario Party Superstars
54) Metroid Dread
55) Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
56) Pokémon Legends: Arceus
57) Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Pearl
58) Kirby and the Forgotten Land
59) Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
60) Nintendo Switch Sports
61) Mario Strikers: Battle League
62) Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
63) Xenoblade Chronicles 3
64) Splatoon 3
65) Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
66) Flip Wars
67) Karaoke Joysound for Nintendo Switch
68) Super Kirby Clash
69) BoxBoy! + BoxGirl!
70) Cadence of Hyrule - Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda*
71) The Stretchers
72) Good Job!
73) Kirby Fighters 2
74) Part Time UFO
75) Pokémon Unite
76) Tetris 99
77) Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
78) DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power *
79) Buddy Mission: Bond *
80) Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order *
81) Bayonetta 1 *
82) Bayonetta 2 *
83) Bayonetta 3 *
84) Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle*
85) Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope*
86) Pokémon scarlatto/violetto
87) Kirby dream buffet
88) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the kingdom
89) Metroid Prime 4 (Unreleased)
90) Pikmin 4
91) Fire emblem engage
92) Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
93) Bayonetta origin Cereza and the lost demon*
94) Metroid prime 1 remaster
95) Cruis'n Blast *
96) Everybody 1-2 Switch
97) super mario RPG remake
98) Luigi mansion 2 HD (Unreleased)
99) Mario bros wonder
100) PIKMIN 1 + 2 hd
101) Princess peach showtime
102) wario ware move it
103) detective pikachu return
104) Mario VS Dk
105) Paper mario The Thousand-Year Door (Unreleased)
106) Another code 1 + 2 recollection
107) F-zero99
108) Super Mario Bros. 35
109) Endless ocean luminous
110) Pokémon Legends Z-A (Unreleased)
111) Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Unreleased)

I tend to count digital-only games as well, and I tend not to count games like dragon quest builders, govacantion ...but for some reason I'd count games like mario +rabbids :p
 
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These year rankings are impossible for me. 2017 got Mario Odyssey, 2018 (barely) got Smash, 2019 got Mario Maker 2 and Dragon Quest Xi S, 2020 got Animal Crossing, 2021 didn't have one huge game for me but a couple I really like, 2022 got two cool Pokémom games, and 2023 TotK and Mario Wonder.

How does everyone rank this lmao
 
AngryAlchemist said:
I have two views on this topic which is that people are being a little weird by acting like people have to be super literal when they say the word drought. I think it's absolutely fine to say it to mean this has just been a boring year so far. I mean honestly, the way some people talk about droughts the Wii U technically wouldn't have had droughts for the vast majority of its life. In the digital age, it is very hard for a system to have literally no games releasing. I think subjectivity should really be appreciated more, and honestly it isn't really engaging with the point being made to just list wars games that technically have released. I don't think people need to be so insecure about that term specifically.

At the same time every time this comes up a lot of bad actors ruin it. I don't think listing GBA + Gamecube vs Switch is going to get us anywhere .... and there probably should be more consideration for how stacked the last two years have been.
Click to expand...
Fair points. We haven’t had much in the way of comms from Nintendo in nearly 9 months and we’re now in year 8. I get that’s it’s a case of ‘we know they’ve got plans but it would be awful nice if some were shared at some point’ :D

I think also ‘drought’ is a term with history attached to it when applied to this, that or the other period on consoles over the last 30 years, which is probably why it feels odd to me when people invoke it for Switch. Even if they only mean ‘subjectively, there’s no games that hit the criteria I personally am interested in this year’. I mean, I remember the N64 years, which had all of 300 releases over 5 years here, all of which were £50+ carts. The games media here struggled to even fill a monthly magazine with games worth talking about in its later years. But I guess then that’s *subjectively’ what ‘drought’ means to me.
 
MusicProposition said:
If it’s a drought for someone, just let them call it that way? We don’t need consensus on every term wie use
Click to expand...
Well, if software is releasing, then there is objectively no software drought. In that case it can still be a drought for someone, because there are no games they are personally interested in, but it is wrong to stay that there is a software drought in that case
 
AngryAlchemist said:
I have two views on this topic which is that people are being a little weird by acting like people have to be super literal when they say the word drought. I think it's absolutely fine to say it to mean this has just been a boring year so far. I mean honestly, the way some people talk about droughts the Wii U technically wouldn't have had droughts for the vast majority of its life. In the digital age, it is very hard for a system to have literally no games releasing. I think subjectivity should really be appreciated more, and honestly it isn't really engaging with the point being made to just list wars games that technically have released. I don't think people need to be so insecure about that term specifically.

At the same time every time this comes up a lot of bad actors ruin it. I don't think listing GBA + Gamecube vs Switch is going to get us anywhere .... and there probably should be more consideration for how stacked the last two years have been.
Click to expand...
I don't object to "drought" out of insecurity; I object to it precisely because it leads to list wars and sometimes bad-faith posting or historic comparisons that don't make an awful lot of sense; and honestly, I've a hard time deciding if that stuff is bad faith or if people genuinely still don't think through how much game development has changed in 20 years.

Insisting there's a drought of new first party games 3 days after the latest one is always going to come off as objectionable, even if I'm always going to sympathise with people who just want new and exciting things to look forward to when they haven't had much of that lately.
 
MisterSpo said:
I don't object to "drought" out of insecurity; I object to it precisely because it leads to list wars and sometimes bad-faith posting or historic comparisons that don't make an awful lot of sense; and honestly, I've a hard time deciding if that stuff is bad faith or if people genuinely still don't think through how much game development has changed in 20 years.
Click to expand...
I'm not talking about any one user, but the fact that anytime this happens it becomes the topic for multiple thread pages definitely makes the vibes feel insecure even if it isn't. And honestly, while I definitely get complaints about "drought" being bad wording that fans the flames, the list wars would have started with any level of complaining, maybe less severe, but discussions like this have definitely come up in the past just from people saying they didn't like the current lineup. I do agree with the bad faith part though.
 
AngryAlchemist said:
I'm not talking about any one user, but the fact that anytime this happens it becomes the topic for multiple thread pages definitely makes the vibes feel insecure even if it isn't. And honestly, while I definitely get complaints about "drought" being bad wording that fans the flames, the list wars would have started with any level of complaining, maybe less severe, but discussions like this have definitely come up in the past just from people saying they didn't like the current lineup. I do agree with the bad faith part though.
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The bolded is definitely true. Making a mental note to object to this as much as I object to the word "drought". Happy to move on because you're right - we get caught on this for pages.

Also I'm stuck on today's Connections so I need my brain for that.
 
jirou said:
You reminded me to play and I just killed it, perfect game in a short amount of time. Sorry for bragging, but I often don't even get all rows at all lol
Click to expand...
Ha! I'm annoyed with myself because purple was so obvious and I got it last. Sigh.
 
MusicProposition said:
yeah but when it’s a drought for someone, why is it wrong to call it that way?
Click to expand...
A software drought is just when nothing is really releasing. I don't really believe a console that's still releasing games that don't appeal to you count as "a software drought" at least by the usual definitions. It's usually just better to say "Fuck off Nintendo, I don't want to play only RPGs this year". At least then it's more targeted and works in the context of the complaint.

Granted, this kind of debate is very pedantic honestly and usually boils down to personal taste that, in my opinion, doesn't really matter much. I just take issue with the debate at hand because if a console is only releasing sports titles... I'd fucking hate it, but I could understand why someone else would be enjoying it. One man's trash is another's treasure.
 
Just woke up from a dream where Nintendo announced an Xbox Direct and General for the next two weeks, and clearly hinted that switch 2 would be at the general alongside the new Mario Kart (which was already announced at some prior direct)😔
 
I was thinking earlier about calling this the Pokémon Effect but I feel like this being the first year (since 2018) where, at this moment in time, something Pokémon isn't dated for later this year makes it seem like the second half of the year is more empty than it ultimately will be. Since Sword and Shield (and technically Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, though those games were announced in Late May 2018), Pokemon Day has always put something for the second half of the year, offering something that early on in the year, everyone could point towards Nintendo already developing their first party lineup with (2019 - Sword/Shield, 2020 - Gen 8 DLC, 2021 - Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, 2022 - Scarlet/Violet, 2023 - Gen 9 DLC).

However, ultimately, this didn't happen this year around and due to that, it's adding to the idea that Nintendo will have a much more lower-key year than normal release wise (though, I do think Legends Z-A does prove that there is still going to be significant support for the Switch at least until the end of 2025, which is another reason I don't believe we should worry currently!!). To me, I feel like a Pokémon project not appearing as a "Late 2024" release this year can cause people to take a step back since, during almost Nintendo Switch year, by Late February, it was usually the most prominent thing already on Nintendo's schedule.

Ultimately, I do think a lot of this simply is placed in the fact that Nintendo themselves just don't like announcing games early, especially recently and compared to the Pokémon Company. Even in the February General Directs, while yes, most of them did announce a game or two that would've been slotted into the H2 slot of that specific year, they were usually announcement trailers that didn't show a lot with Nintendo relying on much larger marketing materials in a later Direct and closer to release to then drum up excitement (Xenoblade Chronicles 3 immediately comes to mind as the most recent example of this - though even then, it came out in July and 2022 was fairly different in the fact that we knew almost all of Nintendo's lineup by the end of February). I will emphasize that I'm overly optimistic that the next General Direct will come around within the next 60 days and a lot of the worries present in the community will be dispelled with three to six first-party retail releases being announced (six is really optimistic but the June 2023 Direct had six (or even seven if you consider the re-reveal of Detective Pikachu 2 as a new announcement), even if two were very short trailers for 2024 games.

I would like to finish off that I have been really fortunate to be able to get most of Nintendo's first party offerings this year but I can understand if those that usually prioritize buying mainly the larger Nintendo games have been disappointed with the lineup so far, with Paper Mario: TTYD seemingly being the first game that a lot of people seem to be collectively buying at launch. However, I've had a lot of fun with this year's lineup so far (I haven't been able to start Endless Ocean yet, but I'm looking forward to!) and I think that by July 1st, hopefully, we'll have a clearer picture that has a couple of games that will appeal to the larger Nintendo audience (Mario Party) and/or the more diehard Nintendo fanbase (Metroid Prime 4), with a number of games also likely landing in the middle! In all likelihood, it won't be the strongest H2 lineup Nintendo has ever released but I do think Nintendo has enough that they can have the 9+ retail releases schedule that we have seen in past Nintendo Switch years. I will even say, being optimistic is even making me consider that we could see the return of a June Pokémon Presentation this year that has a spin-off announcement or even sees the return of TPCi pulling a 2014/2017/2018 and announcing a smaller mainline game (X/Y Remasters?) for October or November! :)
 
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highgar said:
Sony last year literally only released Spider-Man 2 for the entire year. We’re practically drowning in games on Switch once you start comparing to some GameCube or Wii U years in terms of 1st party support, and we clearly don’t know what the 2nd half contains.
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Sony had FF16 as well, but that was a timed exclusives in reality.

But the third party last year went extremely hard (even though we saw some of the worst last year as well)
 
0
RocK said:
my Nintendo Switch game-list

1) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
3) 1-2-Switch
4) Arms
5) Splatoon 2
6) Pokkén Tournament DX
7) Fire Emblem Warriors
8) Super Mario Odyssey
9) Xenoblade Chronicles 2
10) Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country
11) Snipperclips Plus
12) Kirby Star Allies
13) Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
14) Nintendo Labo: Toy-Con 02 - Robot Kit
15) Nintendo Labo: Toy-Con 01 - Variety Kit
16) Nintendo Labo: Toy-Con 03 - Vehicle Kit
17) Nintendo Labo: Toy-Con 04 - VR Kit
18) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
19) Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido
20) Mario Tennis Aces
21) Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
22) Super Mario Party
23) Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!/ Eevee!
24) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
25) New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
26) Yoshi's Crafted World
27) Fire Emblem: Three Houses
28) Super Mario Maker 2
29) Astral Chain
30) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
31) Ring Fit Adventure
32) Luigi's Mansion 3
33) Pokémon Sword/Shield
34) Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch
35) Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore
36) Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
37) Animal Crossing: New Horizons
38) Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
39) Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
40) Paper Mario: The Origami King
41) Pikmin 3 Deluxe
42) Super Mario 3D All-Stars
43) Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
44) Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
45) New Pokémon Snap
46) Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind
47) Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir
48) Miitopia
49) Game Builder Garage
50) Mario Golf: Super Rush
51) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
52) WarioWare: Get It Together!
53) Mario Party Superstars
54) Metroid Dread
55) Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
56) Pokémon Legends: Arceus
57) Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Pearl
58) Kirby and the Forgotten Land
59) Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
60) Nintendo Switch Sports
61) Mario Strikers: Battle League
62) Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
63) Xenoblade Chronicles 3
64) Splatoon 3
65) Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
66) Flip Wars
67) Karaoke Joysound for Nintendo Switch
68) Super Kirby Clash
69) BoxBoy! + BoxGirl!
70) Cadence of Hyrule - Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda*
71) The Stretchers
72) Good Job!
73) Kirby Fighters 2
74) Part Time UFO
75) Pokémon Unite
76) Tetris 99
77) Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
78) DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power *
79) Buddy Mission: Bond *
80) Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order *
81) Bayonetta 1 *
82) Bayonetta 2 *
83) Bayonetta 3 *
84) Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle*
85) Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope*
86) Pokémon scarlatto/violetto
87) Kirby dream buffet
88) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the kingdom
89) Metroid Prime 4 (Unreleased)
90) Pikmin 4
91) Fire emblem engage
92) Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
93) Bayonetta origin Cereza and the lost demon*
94) Metroid prime 1 remaster
95) Cruis'n Blast *
96) Everybody 1-2 Switch
97) super mario RPG remake
98) Luigi mansion 2 HD (Unreleased)
99) Mario bros wonder
100) PIKMIN 1 + 2 hd
101) Princess peach showtime
102) wario ware move it
103) detective pikachu return
104) Mario VS Dk
105) Paper mario The Thousand-Year Door (Unreleased)
106) Another code 1 + 2 recollection
107) F-zero99
108) Super Mario Bros. 35
109) Endless ocean luminous
110) Pokémon Legends Z-A (Unreleased)
111) Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Unreleased)

I tend to count digital-only games as well, and I tend not to count games like dragon quest builders, govacantion ...but for some reason I'd count games like mario +rabbids :p
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I feel small with my 50 games (including third-party and indie) 😅
 
I get that it probably had a lot to do with the Mario movie but they definitely could have been a little less aggressive with having so many Mario games and Mario remakes coming out one after the other since Wonder.
 
xghost777 said:
I feel like it'd be far easier and very fair to just say you weren't interested in the first party games so far this year than trying to say we are in a drought
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Yeah. I'll readily admit that I'm not interested in a lot of what's available, and need to watch my finances so can't get too risky with puchases of games that invoke idle curiousity more than full-on interest, but I at least recognize that's very much a Me Problem and not any real lack of titles. The qualifiers like "has to be first-party, has to be above 80% on metacritic" feel like moving the goalposts.
 
ColdGoldLazarus said:
Yeah. I'll readily admit that I'm not interested in a lot of what's available, and need to watch my finances so can't get too risky with puchases of games that invoke idle curiousity more than full-on interest, but I at least recognize that's very much a Me Problem and not any real lack of titles. The qualifiers like "has to be first-party, has to be above 80% on metacritic" feel like moving the goalposts.
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Nah it's totally valid.

Like not everyone is going to interested in Mario VS donkey kong or Princess peach showtime or even endless ocean, compared to Paper RPG.

We're not in a drought, but the titles we're currently receiving are smaller Niche titles, compare to the big bombastic titles we got last year.
The only big title this year is a remake of a 20 year old game (which i'm looking for)

Like, what i mentioned before, we're currently in the transitional period of the Switch, hopefully the second half of the year will bring more titles, like EDP8 DK or Prime 4.
 
AngryAlchemist said:
I have two views on this topic which is that people are being a little weird by acting like people have to be super literal when they say the word drought. I think it's absolutely fine to say it to mean this has just been a boring year so far. I mean honestly, the way some people talk about droughts the Wii U technically wouldn't have had droughts for the vast majority of its life. In the digital age, it is very hard for a system to have literally no games releasing. I think subjectivity should really be appreciated more, and honestly it isn't really engaging with the point being made to just list wars games that technically have released. I don't think people need to be so insecure about that term specifically.

At the same time every time this comes up a lot of bad actors ruin it. I don't think listing GBA + Gamecube vs Switch is going to get us anywhere .... and there probably should be more consideration for how stacked the last two years have been.
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Anyone who thinks there’s ever a game drought now, I know they didn’t grow up in the N64 / GameCube era when we’d literally six months with nothing, including no cute little indies or digital games. It was different times.
 
SoldierDelta said:
"Fuck off Nintendo, I don't want to play only RPGs this year".
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Amazing, a sentence I can confirm I'll never say throughout my life 🤣

Gamer_G said:
Just woke up from a dream where Nintendo announced an Xbox Direct and General for the next two weeks, and clearly hinted that switch 2 would be at the general alongside the new Mario Kart (which was already announced at some prior direct)😔
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I just woke up from a dream where I was at a house party but it was super chill and half the people there were super talented artists and a couple rock stars (I knew them in the dream, but they weren't people I recognize from real life) and I was enjoying myself and socializing and not feeling terrified or awkward at all and it was goddamn amazing and I'm not kidding
 
I just think the disappointment is based on many things happening around the same time. Rumours of the Switch 2 delay, the continued possibility that Switch 2 could come out even later than march 2025, Nintendo skipping a direct early 2024 thus not knowing anything about Nintendo's possible slate for the year. The Pokemon direct not announcing any new Pokemon game for this year probably leads many to believe Nintendo own's slate is going to be equally barebone.

So all these factors combine into a feeling of it being very lacklustre year for the Switch. To put it simple; For many Nintendo gamers they feel that this year has only been about negative news, and nothing positive.
 
Joe said:
Xbox fans have been living in a desert for two consoles now.
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Don't worry, Phil mentioned this is the Year of the Xbox...
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PixelKnight said:
I don’t think ‘exclusives only’ is a great way to measure droughts either, or wanting first party only exclusive smaller releases, when part of the reason there’s shedloads of games to play on Switch is multiplat release of smaller titles. There’s pretty much always something worth playing when wading through the dozens of games on the eshop each month if you’re looking for smaller titles, the eshop threads here do a good job of highlighting them, they just aren’t first party games. And that’s a good thing- the variety is awesome. We don’t really have ‘droughts’ any more unless the criteria is really, really narrow like ‘high-scoring exclusive first-party release’.
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The whole point of the discussion is talking about Nintendo's first party lineup. There's always great 3rd party games coming out, no argument! But I feel like there's something to be desired with Nintendo's first party lineup after the hardware consolidation. It feels like we're getting less games than ever before now.
 
Ricimer said:
But I feel like there's something to be desired with Nintendo's first party lineup after the hardware consolidation. It feels like we're getting less games than ever before now.
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This completely ignores how game development works
 
Last year was an all time great year so this year has felt a little dull in comparison and the lack of any info isn’t great. We’ll see by July what is planned for this year, may not be that much.
 
0
i'm taking this year as one to clean up my backlog a bit. but I'm not going to pretend I don't think this year has been lackluster all around for Nintendo or the other publishers I'm interested in
 
Yeah, it's a lackluster year for enthusiasts (though a really good year for Indies especially with all the attention off the big pubs). Nothing much for it but to sit and wait.
 
Number1000DKFan said:
But even Mario Wonder took about 4 years and that was with covid

Only the really big games like Zelda take significantly longer than 3 or 4 years
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Yeah and most handheld games did not take 4 years to make. I can think of a few that came out less than a year after the game directly before it.
 
0
"I don't know why Nintendo keeps focusing on Mario and Kirby games. They need to give us the heavy-hitters like F-Zero and Metroid."
 
After being free of my headaches, cutting off sodas completely, having such a great weekend and getting a hug from a waitress for simply telling her she was a wonderful waitress, I’m ready to join back on speculation. Been a long while.
 
Legion of Primes said:
After being free of my headaches, cutting off sodas completely, having such a great weekend and getting a hug from a waitress for simply telling her she was a wonderful waitress, I’m ready to join back on speculation. Been a long while.
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Hug your waiters and tell ‘em to unionize
 
This week will be a good week for Nintendo news with the announcement of NES World Championship games, financial numbers and hopefully some acknowledgement of a next gen system from Nintendo.
 
Tier 1 aka "The Best Years": 2019 (Fire Emblem Three Houses), 2022 (Pokemon Legends Arceus, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Xenoblade Chronicles 3)

Tier 2 aka "Good Years": 2023 (Fire Emblem Engage), 2020 (Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE Encore, I was still riding the Three Houses high)

Tier 3 aka "The Years I Can't Remember What Came Out That I Played": 2021 (I don't think I played any Switch games that year outside of finishing TMS and more Three Houses replays. I think I spent the bulk of my gaming time that year playing Mass Effect Legendary Edition.)

Tier 4 aka "The Years I Didn't Own or Play Switch": 2017, 2018

2024 to me has the opportunity to be a Tier 1 Switch year for me personally. It started off strong with Cassette Beasts and Unicorn Overlord, and I've got Nexomon waiting to be played when I feel like it. Paper Mario TTYD is coming out at the end of the month which is awesome! If the Fire Emblem Genealogy Remake does release this year, then that will cement it. Other than that, Moonstone Island, Sun Haven, Dark Deity 2, and Symphony of War all planning on Switch releases later this year (SoW may not make it though). So yeah, I'm pretty happy with 2024 in terms of games.
 
0
Mer.Saloon said:
Yeah, it's a lackluster year for enthusiasts (though a really good year for Indies especially with all the attention off the big pubs). Nothing much for it but to sit and wait.
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And play (backlogged) games or touch grass.

I think this is overall going to be a rough year with some highlights. It’s also going to be hard on indies even if the news isn’t as earth shattering as the AAA issues have been.

My advice to everyone is to take time to enjoy the games you have and maybe invest time in some other hobbies. Like, unplugging from the forum a bit more than usual right now to make more time for gaming has been great.
 
shoptroll said:
And play (backlogged) games or touch grass.

I think this is overall going to be a rough year with some highlights. It’s also going to be hard on indies even if the news isn’t as earth shattering as the AAA issues have been.

My advice to everyone is to take time to enjoy the games you have and maybe invest time in some other hobbies. Like, unplugging from the forum a bit more than usual right now to make more time for gaming has been great.
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I agree. The whole industry is in a slump right now, and this year has been kinda written off as a wash to the hardcore and probably devs.

But next year will be big. A new console launch is going to attract attention regardless and many games saving up for it development wise. As well as the launch of GTA to basically spark up enthusiast drums.

And for Nintendo, well it isn't just the Switch 2 launch, but Epic Universe's launch will be gargantuan for them along with the Switch 2 news.

In the meantime, it's good to take a break and explore other things.
 
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