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Growing Up Nintendo: My Life Told Through Consoles

Ever since I was introduced to Nintendo, it has been a large part of my life. There is a magic with their games that appeals to me unlike any other video game developer. The Nintendo home consoles have always been my primary source of entertainment, even today. I have never not been in the Nintendo ecosystem, whether it’s playing the games or keeping informed of what future games are coming down the pipeline. Often, when I think back on my life, I can attach life memories and major events to the Nintendo systems I was playing at the time. I thought it would be interesting (to me anyway) to go back and recap the major events of my life, based on the Nintendo consoles.

Pre-Nintendo (‘82-‘87) – Childhood (age 10-15)

*Colecovision Flashback…I regrettably sold my original Colecovision*

In 1982 I turned 10. Obviously Nintendo home consoles had not been introduced yet. Being a kid in the 80s meant you spent most of your free time outside doing things that society today would frown upon. You know, shooting BB guns at each other or jumping ramps on bikes with absolutely no protection. But we also did have video games. The Atari 2600 was the most popular console in my inner circle although I never had one. Instead, my parents bought me a Colecovision for Christmas in 1983. Popeye and Donkey Kong were to two main games I had for it. The Colecovision also had an adapter that allowed me to play the Atari 2600 games so I didn’t miss out on them. I didn’t have money to buy games during this time so anything I got was usually for Christmas or a special occasion. Unfortunately, this system and games are the one thing I no longer have. While I liked playing video games during this time, it was just another thing to do. Fishing, riding bikes, hunting for snakes in the creek, playing a board game or a video game, it was all the same fun to me. It wasn’t until I got to play a Nintendo system that my passion for video games skyrocketed.

The NES Years (‘87-‘91) – High School (age 15-19)

Although the NES released in America in 1985, I didn’t get one until Christmas of 1987 so that’s when my Nintendo story begins. That day was the first time I had ever played one. The system came bundled with Super Mario Bros. Soon after I bought my first game for it, Ghosts ‘n Goblins and I was hooked. I was in high school during most of this period. I feel like I had the typical high school experience although I didn’t play sports and definitely was not one of the popular kids. I was just trying to fit in. I gravitated toward the groups where we grew our hair long and listened to Guns ‘n Roses and Metallica. I graduated high school in 1991. But prior to that I got my first, and really only, part time job in 1989 (Little Caesar’s Pizza). Still being in high school and living at home, I didn’t have many expenses. The job gave me money to eventually buy a car and finally experience some real freedom. But what it also gave me was a bunch of money to blow on video games.

Looking at my NES collection, it was largely shaped by what I read in Nintendo Power. Games like Double Dragon II, Castlevania II, Dragon Warrior, and Kid Icarus were all purchased after reading about how fun they were in Nintendo Power. I could say the same for many others. A couple games were gifts that, had I been making the decision, would not have been gifted to me such as The Adventures of Gilligan’s Island and Pinball. However, I was appreciative to get any new game period, and so played them over and over. And just like everyone else back then, I got burned a couple times by making purchasing decisions based on the back of the box while browsing the game section in a store. I would group these games as Trojan, The Legend of Kage, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I’m not saying they are terrible games but I could have bought games that would have much better aligned with my tastes.

The SNES Years (‘91-96) – College (age 19-24)

When I think of the SNES a few things come to mind. While I went to college for 4 years right after high school, it wasn’t the traditional college campus experience. Instead, due to finances, I had to opt for a community college which meant for most of these years I was still living at home. Fortunately, between grants and scholarships I did not pay a penny for college which sounds unbelievable today. Second, I became a dad in ‘92 with a new baby girl and a steady girlfriend now in my life. As you can probably guess, the baby wasn’t planned but became a huge part of my life regardless. The part time job at Little Caesar’s had became a full time job by this time as I attended college. I graduated college in 1995. Also during this time, I got heavily involved in football card collecting. I wasn’t buying packs, but instead boxes. There were some years where I was probably more passionate about cards than games. Despite parenting, a relationship, college, a full-time job, and card collecting, I somehow found time to game as well. And since most of this time I was still at home, I was sheltered from most of the real world expenses.

Nintendo Power continued to heavily influence my game purchases although by this time other magazines had also been discovered such as Electronic Gaming Monthly. Similar to the NES, my SNES came bundled with Super Mario World. The SNES was the first console I bought on my own. I got it near launch the first time I saw it in a store. Funnily enough, the second game I purchased was Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts which aligned with my second game on NES. When I look at my SNES collection, two things are obvious: I gravitated toward RPGs and sports games. I loved both, with RPGs becoming my new favorite genre. Final Fantasy III (actually VI), Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore…I enjoyed them all. Then there were the sports games, specifically baseball and football. I bought a lot of them with the Tecmo games being my favorite. My dad would also get me the new Madden game every year for Christmas. I was a huge NFL fan at the time which meant every Sunday I would spend 10 hours in front of the TV. Of course I didn’t ignore the the main Nintendo titles either with games like Donkey Kong Country 1-3, Super Mario Kart, and Zelda: A Link to the Past.

The N64 Years (‘96-‘01) – Young Adulthood (age 24-29)

I associate the N64 with finally breaking out on my own. During this time I got married and we began renting our own home. I also began working for a new company at the beginning of ‘96 so I was finally finished with Little Caesear’s. In 1999 we purchased (as in signed up for 30 years of debt) our first home and I thought I had life figured out. The job I had really didn’t pay well but it paid the bills and I was content to have just enough money to buy a new game here and there and continue buying football cards. The N64 is the system I have the most nostalgia for. For most people this occurs for whichever console they grew up with but for me I was well into adulthood when the N64 released. I’ll admit it’s not the easiest system to go back to today but N64 is the system that evokes the warm and fuzzy feelings for me. My daughter began playing some of my games during this time although she would get much more involved during the GameCube years. This is also the system I had when we first got access to the internet. Suddenly gaming news went from a monthly cadence to a daily activity. I also began talking to others about games on message boards for the first time so maybe that has something to do with my nostalgia.

The 3D collectathon became my new favorite genre on this system. Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Donkey Kong 64…I wanted all the games to be like these. I couldn’t get enough of them. Simply running around in a 3D world felt lightyears ahead of what the NES and SNES offered. Now having access to a ton more resources on the internet, I feel like the games I purchased were overall pretty good quality. Sure, there are a few I would have liked a do-over but by and large I knew what I was getting before I plunked down my $60. I still have specific memories of spending a week’s vacation largely on Zelda: Ocarina of Time. And the first week of owning the system with Mario 64 was something else. I could not believe what I was experiencing. The N64 will always be a special console to me although it was disappointing that the RPGs all jumped to Playstation.

The GameCube Years (‘01-‘06) – Adulthood (First House) (age 29-35)

Although we purchased our house late in ‘99, I associate the GameCube with that house. We lived there during its entire lifespan. It is also the period of time when I began making purchases to compliment my gaming passion, such as a TV based on making my games look better and a surround sound system to make them sound better. Although I had the same full time job throughout this time, looking back, it wasn’t a good job. While I had a little bit of money to buy games, which I guess made me content, it wasn’t a lot of money and in reality we were living paycheck to paycheck with no benefits such as a 401K or medical coverage during this time. We had very little saved. Fortunately nothing catastrophic occurred in our lives or we would have been in trouble. It was also during this time I had to give up card collecting. I just could no longer afford it. Video games became my favorite way to relax and my clear #1 passion.

My memories of GameCube are largely associated with gaming deals. It was during this time I discovered gaming sites that focused solely on finding good game sales. I watched them like a hawk and took advantage. I bought entirely too many games on GameCube, many of them simply because they were cheap which is why the collection turned out so large. I did play them all, or attempted to anyway. One genre that stands out to me looking at my collection today is what is now known as the cozy life sim games, such as Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, and The Sims. While I liked all kinds of games, my wife really only liked these types of games so it was fun getting the whole family involved and comparing notes. My daughter also took a liking to games during this period. Animal Crossing in particular blew us away and being able to leave notes for each other to discover while we all played in the same town was amazing. I also remember my daughter encouraging her friends to play Pikmin outside where they would run around holding a huge leaf over their heads. It was cute.

The Wii Years (‘06-‘12) Adulthood (Big Life Changes) (age 35-40)

Of all the Nintendo Systems, if I had to rank them, Wii would be my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time with the system at the time but I quickly got tired of the motion controls. A couple of significant events occurred in my life during the Wii years. First, I landed a much better job in ‘06 with substantially better benefits. Well, anything is better than nothing. Twenty years later and I’m still working for that same company. Second, in June of ‘09 my marriage basically blew up to the point we were no longer living together by the end of the month, and officially divorced five months later. By divorce standards it was not toxic and actually pretty tame. But to experience it for the first time there were some long nights. The Wii helped me pass a lot of that time. But at the tail end of the same year I met my dream girl who would eventually become my current wife so it all worked out for the best in the end. It was just a little bumpy getting there. By late 2010 I had moved in with her and eventually sold the house I had spent the last 10 years living in.

I continued to game although by this time I was spending a lot of time with Nintendo’s handhelds too which I didn’t include in this blog. Wii Fit was released on Wii during this time and I became obsessed with tracking my weight and steps each day. I still remember my exact weight the first day I played Wii Fit and it’s 15 lbs more than I weigh today so I feel pretty good about that. There were two Rune Factory games (Frontier and Tides of Destiny) that I put well over 100 hours into each. Of course Nintendo 1st party was always my main focus with the two Mario Galaxy games and Zelda: Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. Also of note was the new Nintendo digital store known as WiiWare. I did not hesitate buying games on that store. World of Goo, Tales of Monkey Island Chapters 1-5, Mega Man 9, and Final Fantasy IV: After Years became some of my many digital purchases.

The Wii U Years (‘12-‘17) Middle Age (age 40-45)

*I started buying digital as well as physical during Wii U*

Although the Wii U was Nintendo’s least successful home console, I loved it, especially coming off of the Wii. In terms of my life what stands out is I basically started over raising kids and found myself adjusting to my “new” life. My daughter was 17 when I got divorced. When I met my future wife she had kids that were 8 and 5. So thinking of Wii U also makes me think of my step kids as they grew up. Not surprisingly, they were never interested in Wii U. One was all about Xbox and soon thereafter PC during this time. The other was content with casual handheld games. So the Wii U was mainly just played by me. I guess that was the fate of the Wii U. You had to be a big Nintendo fan to really appreciate it. I also got married for the second time during this period. Finally, I became a grandpa at the very beginning of this period, the first of what is today 3 grandkids.

I got to experience a popular non-Nintendo franchises for the first time on Wii U, Assassin’s Creed III and IV. I absolutely loved both of them. The Nintendo games were always front and center though with games such as Super Mario 3D World, Yoshi’s Woolly World, and Star Fox Zero (hey, I liked it!). But my favorite game on the system was Xenoblade Chronicles X, putting over 200 hours into it. Also of note during the Wii U years was Miiverse which allowed me to connect with people on a more personal level than I had in the past, a couple of which I still have ties to today. One major change for me I will mention is that 2016 saw me finally test the non-Nintendo waters when I bought a PS4. The Wii U was really struggling to get games out as you can tell by my collection above. I wanted more to play. However, I should also note that not pictured above are the many Wii U eshop titles I purchased.

The Switch Years (‘17-‘25) Middle Age (Empty Nest) (age 45-52)

The Nintendo Switch brought Nintendo back into the spotlight, both in terms of popularity and the number of games available for it. Being a Nintendo enthusiast, it was exciting to be able to experience everything this system offered. During this time, both of my step kids left home to make their own marks on the world which meant for the first time since I was 19 I was no longer living with kids. This change provided me a lot more free time to play games and the space to finally have a dedicated gaming room, something I had always dreamed of. Weekend visits from the grandkids became regular occurrences. But other than that, during a typical week once I finished work for the day I had nothing but time to kill until it was time to go to bed, which meant a lot of gaming for me.

As far as gaming on Switch, I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve bought a ton of games and logged thousands of hours into it. Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are two of the greatest experiences I have ever had gaming. Super Mario Odyssey is my favorite Mario game. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Pikmin 4…there’s no end to the fantastic games on this system. I could not have wished for any more success for Nintendo than the Switch had.

The Switch 2 Years (‘25-?) Middle Age (Pre-Retirement) (age 52-?)

We are very early in the Switch 2 years although as far as I’m concerned it has started out with bang in terms of games. I’ve had a blast with Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. I’m also at that point in life where retirement is becoming very real. I don’t expect to retire during the Switch 2 years but through planning and good luck I’m really hoping to do it during the next console. Of course one never knows what life is going to throw at you. All of my plans could be derailed tomorrow with something I could not have foreseen occurring. But all I can do is base my plans on what I know today.

It’s wild to think when the NES came into my life I was just about to start high school. And now, after 40 years of playing Nintendo, it’s about to carry me into retirement. Nintendo has always been a large part of my life and I hope it continues to be. I’ll admit I’ve thought what it would be like to be retired, waking up in the morning, and playing video games most of the day if I wanted. I’m sure many of us have thought about that, you know, in between traveling and enjoying life. It is also somewhat sad for me to realize there will come a time when I never get to experience the newest Nintendo game, either because I’m physically or mentally just not able to, or I’m just not around period. Let’s hope I’m still decades away from when that occurs!

2025 My Gaming Year in Review

This marks the fourth year in a row I’ve created this blog. While I’m always appreciative if anyone actually gets any enjoyment out of reading this stuff, my main purpose for writing these is to memorialize my year in gaming for myself. I would absolutely love to be able to read about my gaming habits in back in 2003, or 1989. But I wasn’t writing about games back then or taking notes on what I played. All I can do is continue what I’ve started a few years ago and hopefully I can really appreciate these 20 years from now.

The gaming hours referenced throughout this blog were tracked by me using an external time tracking app. These are actual hours spent playing. I don’t use in-game clocks or system level clocks because they aren’t as accurate as you think. Games weren’t paused with the timer running while I ate or scrolled social media for an hour. These are hours spent actually playing the games.

2025 saw a significant shift in my gaming habits from the prior five years although I only have the stats for the past three listed here. I’m fortunate enough to own all 3 of the major current consoles: Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. I’ve been a Nintendo guy since the Super Mario Bros captured my imagination in 1987 so their console is always going to be my platform of choice. But since purchasing the Xbox Series X and the Playstation 5, both in late in 2020, I made sure to always have games from those systems in my rotation as well. With the release of Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025, I really wanted to get my focus back on Nintendo. I started the year having all 3 consoles in my rotation but by the end of the year I was playing Nintendo Switch 2 almost exclusively. While the total number of hours remained consistent with prior years, the shift to Nintendo is apparent.

This is the first year since tracking that my total hours have dipped from the previous year. It had to happen sometime although 2025’s hours are still in my typical range. If you do the math, I averaged over 4 hours per day in 2025 which really doesn’t seem possible. That’s not something I’m particularly proud of but if I wasn’t gaming I’d probably just be passively binging Netflix, YouTube, or watching sports. From my perspective gaming is better.

So let’s dive in and relive exactly what happened in 2025 starting with Playstation 5.

Playstation 5

For the most part I play all of my Playstation games via PlayStation Plus. It has been a couple years since I have actually bought a game. I knew my Playstation Plus subscription would be expiring in June, the same month the Switch 2 was set to release. I made the decision early in the year to not renew. I felt I had played most of what I wanted to on the service and as I’ve mentioned, I wanted to devote more time to Nintendo anyway. I ended up playing 7 games this year on my Playstation 5 before the subscription ended. By hour count, God of War: Ragnarok (44 hours) lead the way followed by Forspoken (22 hours). My Playstation 5 was not played from June through December.

I don’t plan to renew to PS Plus anytime soon. I do plan to only purchase games on PS5 I can’t get on Nintendo Switch 2, or if the Switch 2 edition isn’t a good version. I already have a list of games that meet this criteria with the top two being Baldur’s Gate 3 and Astro Bot. I’ll try to get to them when Nintendo has a month or two with not a lot happening. That’s bound to happen at some point, right? Maybe.

Xbox Series X

Similar to Playstation Plus, I play all of the games on my Xbox Series X via Game Pass. My Game Pass subscription expired in December. I had also made the decision to not renew this service either. Although I had access to Game Pass through most of December, with the exception of one game, I quit playing my Xbox in September. It all came back to me wanting to devote more time to Nintendo’s ecosystem and Nintendo released a lot of games in the fall. I was able to play 12 games on Xbox this year, completing 11 of them. My top two games by hour count were Avowed (75 hours) and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (42 hours).

I imagine at some point I will resubscribe to Game Pass because they put all of their games on the service. Although there are a few available now I would like to check out such as The Outer Worlds 2 and Starfield, they are mostly long games. I just don’t have the time for them right now. I’ll wait until some shorter games I want to play are added to the service as well.

Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2

I’m going to lump Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 together. After the Nintendo Switch 2 launched in June, I never used my OLED Switch afterward. It was all Switch 2. I played 27 games on Nintendo systems this year. It’s actually 28 if you count UFO 50 but since that game is a collection of 50 games that I devoted a lot of time to, I’m going to give that its own section in this blog. These figures also do not count anything on NSO which will also have its own section. My top 3 games by hours played were Xenoblade Chroncles X: Definitive Edition (144 hours), Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (83 hours), and Hades 2 (75 hours).

Going into 2026 it’s going to be all Nintendo Switch 2 for me. I can’t wait to see what Nintendo has in store for us. I plan to play through all the Nintendo games that have been announced at this point.

UFO 50

UFO 50 is actually a collection of 50 games that released on Switch Aug 7th. Most of these 50 games would be right at home costing $10-20 on the eshop. They are really good and it’s surprising they are all included in this one game for one low price. I knew upon buying this that it would take me a long time to get through all 50. I’m not necessarily trying to beat them all but my plan it play all of them extensively to get a good idea of what they are about. That means I’m typically spending hours with each game, not 10 or 15 minutes. In 2025 I played 16 of the 50 games and actually got to the credits on 8 of them. My plan is to get through the other 34 in 2026, or more likely get through what I can and probably finish up in 2027. UFO 50 is amazing and I’m in no rush to get through it.

Nintendo Switch Online

Finally we come to NSO games, one of my favorite services from Nintendo. I try to keep one NSO game in my rotation at all times. 2025 wraps up the 7th year in a row I’ve made it a point to always be playing an NSO game. Wario World is the 204th NSO game I’ve played during those 7 years. I love trying out games on this service or revisiting games I haven’t played for 20 years. Typically I’ll try to put around 3 hours each week into whatever NSO game I’m playing. If I really like it I’ll keep it around for two weeks before moving to the next game. This year I played 34 games on NSO (down from 38 games in 2024).

2025 saw GameCube added to NSO and a couple of those games I played to the end meaning I played them much longer than I typically would an NSO game. That probably contributed me to playing overall less games compared to 2024. The system breakdown for 2025 ended up as: 8 Super Nintendo, 6 GameCube, 6 GameBoy Advance, 4 Genesis, 4 Game Boy, 3 Nintendo 64, and 3 Nintendo Entertainment System. I just love playing this stuff. I got to the credits on 8 of the games this year which is an increase over last year (4). Next year Virtual Boy is going to be added and you better believe I will be trying out each one of the Virtual Boy games. I already have the overpriced Virtual Boy replica that is required to play them preordered.

So that’s a wrap on my 2025 gaming habits. Will I continue to stay in the Nintendo ecosystem in all of 2026? We shall see!

Retro Gaming – But at What Cost?

Most people who are my age that began gaming in the 80s or 90s and find themselves still gaming 30 or 40 years later have a similar story. We cut our teeth on systems such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo, or Sega Genesis. We have fond memories of playing games too much on weekends, gaming with friends, or getting games as gifts for birthdays or Christmas. We think back to all the games and systems we have owned over the years and wish we still had them. But we don’t. Games were either lost, sold, traded in for new games, put in yard sales when we went to college, or put in attics to mysteriously vanish when we went back to retrieve them 20 years later. All we have are the memories of what we used to have.

I’m one of the fortunate ones. I began gaming on Colecovision and when I got the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987 I quickly sold my Colecovision to a friend. It didn’t take long for me to regret that action. But while I lost the Colecovision I learned a valuable lesson that, if at all possible, I wanted to keep my games. So from the time I sold it to the present, I still have every game I have ever bought. I have not sold, traded, or given any games away, even if I didn’t necessarily like them. Not only that but I’ve kept them all in great shape so all my games from NES to Wii U that I have are complete in box (I’ve since gone digital). Today I can walk into my gaming room and see them all lined up on a shelf. I get a lot of joy simply knowing they are there because video games have been such a large part of my life and many of them I associate with specific memories or periods of my life.

But while I still have everything, all the games just sit on the shelves. I rarely play them. I’m much more focused on modern day games and buy plenty each year to keep me busy. Although I game multiple hours per day, it’s still not enough time to play the games I’m interested in that release in the current year. There’s limited time to try to play something from yesteryear. If I do play something older it’s always on a modern console, such as Nintendo Switch Online where you can play select classic games with ease. Trying to hook up my older consoles is not convenient, and when I do take the time the games look absolutely horrible on my modern 4K OLED TV since they weren’t made for it.

One of my dreams was to have a dedicated gaming room which finally came to fruition 6 or 7 years ago. But I also always wanted to have all of my systems hooked up and ready to go. If I wanted to play Who Framed Roger Rabbit? on my NES I wanted to simply insert the cartridge and press the button to play. Banjo-Kazooie on my N64? Pop it in and flip the switch to play. I didn’t want to have to plug in and rearrange cables to make it work. At one point I did have a CRT television (the best way to play classic systems) but it was so big and bulky that it took up too much room for the amount of time I played it. The picture wasn’t good anyway. I got rid of it and resided myself to the fact my old games would simply be games on a shelf.

*Would be great to have them all connected*

About a month ago I ran across a device that I had not heard of, the RetroTINK. Essentially, this device will allow you to hook up older consoles to it and it somehow outputs them on modern TVs so they look great. This is exactly what I had been looking for! But they aren’t cheap. The model I wanted, the 5X would allow you to hook up consoles beginning with NES up through Wii. It cost over $300. That’s a lot of money and I thought about it for days. It’s not that I couldn’t afford it but I knew with my gaming habits I would never get $300 of play out of it. I’m much too focused on modern games. But I kept thinking about it and how it would be great to have access to my old consoles. After about a week I made the decision to go for it. I wanted to be able to play any of my games if the urge struck. So I placed the order.

About 2 weeks later I received it and began to test it out. As for the RetroTINK itself, it works as advertised. NES and SNES games looked crisp on my TV. GameCube and Wii games also looked great. N64 is a different story and I’m still working on what I need to do with that system. But as I was excited to finally fulfill my dream of having all my consoles hooked up, I began to realize there were going to be several additional expenses to make this happen. It was at that point, the point I’m at today, where I’m wondering at what cost do I really want to make this happen? Is it really worth it?

Switchers: You can only hook up one system at a time to the RetroTINK. I knew that going in. What I didn’t realize is how expensive the switchers are that have all the inputs I would need. My plan was to buy a switcher, hook all of my consoles up to it, then run that to my RetroTINK. After seeing the prices for quality switchers I quickly decided I would just have to plug whichever console I wanted to play to my RetroTINK anytime I wanted to play something. We are talking hundreds of dollars for these switchers.

NES: As mentioned, the games look great…when my NES works. This thing is 38 years old so of course I have the blinking red light problem. I know all about cleaning the games and the 72 pin connector. Or simply replacing it. Getting a replacement (which I have done before) isn’t that expensive, $15-20. But it will continue to be an issue after a period of time. There is a product called NintendDrawer you can install in your NES that eliminates the blinking red light for good. But it’s $60.

*NES Castlevania II on a 4K OLED TV – amazing!*

SNES: My Super Nintendo fires up without a problem. The problem is with my controllers. It seems the start buttons on both of my controllers no longer work. Sometimes if I press really hard I can get it to work. I cracked one open and tried to clean the contact but it still doesn’t work well. So I guess I need to find a new SNES controller.

N64: As I alluded to above, the N64 is the one system that I don’t see much of an improvement with when using RetroTINK. It’s still a blurry mess. I’ve read accounts of other people who say the N64 looks great using RetroTINK. I think the problem may be the S-video cable I’m using with it. I’m assuming it’s a cheaper brand and I need to get a quality S-video cable. But again, that’s more money.

GameCube: I don’t have component cables for my GameCube and they are crazy expensive to buy today. However, I do have component cables for my Wii and since the Wii accepts GameCube discs I just use the Wii. I think I’m good when it comes to GameCube besides having to go through the Wii to use it, which admittedly is not really convenient or part of the original dream.

Wii: The Wii fires up as expected and my controllers are fine. I think I’m good with Wii.

Wii U: I wrote this blog several days ago but didn’t publish it. In the time since I wrote it I had to completely rewrite this Wii U section because the situation keeps changing. The Wii U does not use the RetroTINK because it already outputs HDMI. However, it recently quit outputting video to the TV. The GamePad still works, it just won’t display on the TV. At first I thought my Wii U was broke and was making plans to purchase another one. But after literally hours of research and testing I think I have figured out the problem. Due to limited HDMI ports in my TV, I was using the same HDMI cord between the box my Wii U connects to and the RetroTINK. I just plugged the HDMI cord into whichever one I was using. Turns out my TV remembers connection details to the point if I try to use my Wii U after the RetroTINK, it won’t work because my TV is trying to use RetroTINK details to make the connection. The only way to get it to work it so unplug my TV for 15 minutes to clear everything. Same thing if I use my Wii U and then try to use the RetroTINK. It has been a headache figuring this out. But there are solutions using connection boxes…that cost more money.

Now I’m left wondering, how far do I go with this? It would be nice to have everything working as it should. But even if it is working, how much am I actually going to use it? Is it worth it? The ultimate dream to have them all connected simultaneously is already dead. In the end I’ll probably end up spending whatever is needed to at least make these consoles work. But I can’t help but feel I’m throwing money at a dream instead of something I’m truly going to use.

Games I’m Looking Forward to in 2026

As we start another year all gamers naturally look at the release schedules to gauge what is expected to be released in 2026 to keep us busy. I’m no different and looking at my wishlist today reminds me how much of 2026 is already spoken for. I have a lot of games that interest me. I always like to write these so I can take a look at the end of the year to see what actually released, and what I actually played. Here’s what I’m looking forward to playing this year on Nintendo Switch 2.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

This one is coming in only a few short weeks as I’m writing this. It’s a free update so I’m absolutely going to check it out. I haven’t played Animal Crossing for several years now. I’m not convinced what has been announced so far will have any staying power with me. But here’s hoping it surprises me.

Dispatch

Dispatch has already released on other systems but lands on Switch 2 in late January. It’s an episodic adventure in the same vein as the Telltale games which I love. I only know that it has something to do with superheroes, is funny, and has received extremely high praise from those who have played it.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined

I played Dragon Quest VII on 3DS and boy is it a long game. But looking at the art style used in this remake I can’t resist jumping back in. Plus the developers have already mentioned the game has been streamlined to make it flow a little quicker. Maybe it will “only” take me 80 hours to play through instead of 100!

Mario Tennis Fever

I have most of the Mario Tennis game, with the latest one being Mario Tennis Aces on Switch. I still think the original Mario Tennis on N64 has never been topped. I’d like to see them move away from special shots and focus more on the tennis mechanics. Or at least add a mode to accommodate that. But this is a Mario game after all so I know there will be crazy moves.

Resident Evil Requiem

It has been a while since I’ve played a modern Resident Evil game so I’m looking forward to this. In addition, Resident Evil 7 & 8 are coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on the same day. I plan to pick up all three since they are being bundled at an unbelievable price. I played through Resident Evil 7 several years ago and still remember the uneasiness that game made me feel. I’m curious to see if it still holds. I can’t pass up this three for one package.

Pokemon Pokopia

When I first saw the trailer for this I wrote it off. But as I’ve seen and read more I think this may have potential. Pokemon crossed with Animal Crossing crossed with Harvest Moon? I’m eager to learn more and maybe see some impressions but I’m keeping it on my wishlist for now. I’m hoping it’s one of those games that provides a ton of value for those willing to put in the time.

NSO – Virtual Boy

Like 99.9% of everyone else, I never bought a Virtual Boy back in the day. I have never even played one. I feel like it’s a gap in my Nintendo history. I couldn’t believe when this was announced during a Nintendo Direct. I’ve already secured a preorder for the overpriced Virtual Boy replica that will be needed to play these games. I’m excited to try out each and every one of them. Along with Virtual Boy, I’m also looking forward to all the new classic games that will be added to NSO in 2026.

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake

I’m looking forward to this based on the Fatal Frame name alone. I’ve played a couple of Fatal Frames in the past on Nintendo systems and enjoyed each of them. The camera mechanic in which you basically need to take pictures of ghosts to damage them really appeals to me. Throw in a spooky story and some kind of mansion to explore and I’m ready to jump in!

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

I bought the first Monster Hunter Stories for 3DS and although I had a good time with it, I definitely felt some fatigue near the end. I skipped Monster Hunter Stories 2 as it appeared to be more of the same. But looking at the trailers for this third game, it seems much more open world oriented. I got Breath of the Wild vibes from it. I want to see more but so far I’m interested.

Super Mario Bros Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

I’m giving the benefit of any doubt to Nintendo that there is more to this update than has been announced so far since they did hint to stay tuned. What has been announced has been multi-player focused which doesn’t interest me in the least. I’m waiting to hear what the updates are for single player. As of today I’m confident there will be some good single player content with this but that has yet to be confirmed. Come on Nintendo, don’t let me down!

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream

I played Tomodachi Life on 3DS and had a blast with it. It’s one of those games in which the more you put into it the more you will get out for it. I’m curious to check this version out. One concern I do have is we all had Miis saved to our 3DS to use in the prior game. That’s not the case with Switch 2. Using Miis I was familiar with was instrumental in the enjoyment I got out of the prior game. I’m interested to learn more about how this will work with this version.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book

I love the art style this game is using. While there have been, what some would consider, weaker Yoshi games released, I’ve actually enjoyed them all. Sure some are better than others but they are all worth playing in my book. I expect this game will have plenty to satisfy my gaming tastes.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

All we know about this game is it’s a new Fire Emblem and it’s coming in 2026. I skipped the last Fire Emblem, Engage. I’m ready to jump back into this series and will almost certainly pick it up day one.

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam

This is the only game that was on my 2025 list of games I was looking forward to that didn’t actually make it out. So it will carry over to my list this year. Although I have played a lot of Professor Layton games it has been many years since I played the last one. I’m ready to jump back in and solve some logic puzzles.

Rhythm Heaven Groove

Nobody expected this game to be announced, or I certainly didn’t. I have Rhythm Heaven Megamix on 3DS and had a nice time with it. I am curious to see how much content will be included in this and if it’s a full $60 game. Regardless, I want to show support for games like this even getting made nowadays. I feel we need more quirky games like this.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales

This is one of those HD-2D rpg Square-Enix games that I’m a sucker for. I played a little of the demo and that was enough to convince me. Admittedly I don’t know a ton about this but I’m here for it.

Splatoon Raiders

This is the one game on this list that isn’t confirmed for 2026. However, outside of Metroid (specifically Prime 4) and Zelda, Nintendo generally doesn’t announce games years before they release so I have a good feeling Splatoon Raiders will release this year. I passed on Splatoon 3 so I’m eager to get back into the Splatoon universe. This one is supposed to be single player focused which really has be intrigued.

That’s over 15 games I’m interested in. Add in the fact there will most certainly be 2026 releases we don’t even know about yet and I still have a couple 2025 games to get to and this year is going to be a busy year for me on Nintendo Switch 2. This is why I love playing games on Nintendo systems. They almost always deliver and there is always something to look forward to. Let’s go!

Nintendo Gaming 2025

In 2024 I made the decision to start buying Nintendo games I was interested in at launch instead of waiting for a sale and then many times just never getting to them. Nintendo is by far my favorite game developer so it makes sense for me to prioritize those games. More often than not I’m not disappointed. I had a great time doing this in 2024 and wrote about it here.

I decided to keep it rolling in 2025. Unlike 2024, I didn’t buy EVERY game published by Nintendo this year depending on how you classify new games. But I did buy and play through most of them. Below is a list of every game Nintendo published in 2025 and my experience playing them, or in some cases the reason I passed. Nowadays it’s tough to know what to count as far as new games. Do you count Nintendo Switch 2 Editions? DLC? I just decided to count everything so I think everything is accounted for below. With the launch of Nintendo Switch 2, I felt 2025 was a great year for Nintendo gaming.

Game #1: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

Release Date: January 16

Started: 01/16/25…Finished: 02/20/25…Time Spent Playing: 31 hrs 35 mins

This was a remake of the 2010 game released on Wii which I also own and beat back in the day. There wasn’t much added to this version besides prettier graphics, the option to not use motion control (which was a huge bonus for me), and a ninth world to play through that was included in the 3DS version that I had never played. A “modern mode” was also added which provided an extra heart of life which I took full advantage of. While playing through this I remembered almost nothing from my 2010 play through. It might as well have been a new game. I played for 100%. If I finished a level and was missing a hidden puzzle piece or one of the K-O-N-G letters, I jumped back in and replayed the level. Searching for the hidden collectibles is what made this game for me. I found it very satisfying to locate all of them. Even playing on modern mode the game is still tough. Sometimes frustration would set in after failing a level for the 20th time. But I got through them all at 100%! The only thing I didn’t bother with were the time trials. I felt Donkey Kong Country Returns HD was a solid start to 2025. Let’s keep it going!

Game #2: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition

Release Date: March 20

Started: 03/20/25…Finished: 05/26/25…Time Spent Playing: 146 hrs 5 mins

After nothing was released in February, Nintendo released a big one in March, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. This is a remake of the 2015 Wii U game which was my favorite Wii U game evidenced by the 222 hours I put into it. I knew I wouldn’t sink that much time into this version but couldn’t wait to explore this world all over again. I forgot how great this game is. It places exploration above all else and exploration in video games is my favorite thing to do. The fact I didn’t get my skell (mech) until after I had put 50 hours into the game made me appreciate the benefits of obtaining one even more. The skell allows you to fly and visit locations that are impossible to reach on foot. It also exemplifies just how large the world you are exploring actually is. The game is comprised of quests, quests, and more quests. Checking the box when completing each one was especially satisfying. There were many times I just didn’t want to put the game down. I had no problem making my way through this with the goal to have it finished before the Switch 2 launched. I completed the game including the added content, Chapter 13 with a couple weeks to spare and then continued to dabble a little. My survey rate, which is an indicator of how much you discovered, was just a little under 85%. Xenoblade Chronicles X is an amazing game and for me the perfect game to make the last couple months before Switch 2 released go a little quicker.

Game #3: Mario Kart World

Release Date: June 5

Started: 06/05/25…Finished: 07/30/25…Time Spent Playing: 57 hours 15 minutes

Finally! After a long first half of the year with only 2 games, the Switch 2 launched and the floodgates opened! I would have rather had a meaty single player experience with the launch of Switch 2 than Mario Kart. But I understand why Nintendo chose Mario Kart to bundle with Switch 2 instead. At first I was a little underwhelmed. I liked it but at the end of the day it just felt like more Mario Kart. But the more I played the more I really began to take to it. The AI has been beefed up in this version compared to other versions. I primarily play single player and it was much tougher for me to get the golds and 3 stars in World than in the previous games. Knockout Tour is a blast. It’s essentially 6 races combined into one long race and I really enjoyed the length of those races. Free Roam is a mixed bag. The world you are given to explore is huge with hundreds of collectibles and P-switch missions to find. But the game doesn’t assist the player in finding any of it. At first I didn’t like that aspect. Then I began to appreciate it as always having something to come back to since it would be extremely tough to ever find them all. I began by just finding all of the hidden question mark panels in each area (which the game does track) and then completing the P-switches and collecting Peach medallions as I found them. Later in the year the game was updated to assist the player with tracking collectibles. It really extended the game for me and was relaxing to chill as I looked for them and listened to Mario tunes. After taking it out of my rotation on July 30 with exactly 50 hours invested, I still put an additional 7 hours in the game throughout the remainder of the year.

Game #4: Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour

Release Date: June 5

Started: 06/05/25…Finished 06/24/25…Time Spent Playing: 11 hrs 30 mins

“I’m not paying $10 for a game that should have been a pack-in” is the most common thing you will hear when this game is brought up. Should it have been included free with Nintendo Switch 2? Probably. But I wasn’t about to let $10 come between me and the experience of playing through this game. After putting 11+ hours into it I’m so glad I purchased this. However, I’m not going to claim it’s all roses. The game will often make you feel like you are taking a mandatory compliance training for your employer, including meaningless quizzes after each section. That’s the part I didn’t like. But I learned so much about Switch 2 playing this, such as why certain features were added or why buttons are placed where they are. Many are things I would have never even considered. I found a lot of it fascinating and wouldn’t mind seeing something similar for Nintendo’s older consoles. The thought process that goes into making a console like this is phenomenal. What this game really did though was open my eyes to the possibilities of mouse controls. I was largely uninterested in mouse controls before playing this. Now I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s applied to future games. There are over a 150 medals to earn in the various mini-games of Welcome Tour. I didn’t come close to earning them all. Some are beyond my skill level. But as far as being a neat side game to play along with Mario Kart, I have few complaints.

Game #5: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Release Date: June 5

Started: 06/05/25…Finished: 08/22/25…Time Spent Playing: 53 hours 15 minutes

I put over 200 hours into Breath of the Wild when it released on Switch. As much as I love the game the thought of starting over is too much of a time commitment for me. However, I really wanted to check out the NS2 version of BotW due to the Zelda Notes app that was added. This app allows you to see things on the map you missed the first time including hundreds of those Koroks. I felt this would be the perfect excuse to get back into the game and have purpose, but not be committed to playing the whole thing over. And that’s exactly what Zelda Notes provided. Not only does it show you missed Koroks, but it shows missed major enemies, shrine quests, side quests, stables, shrines, and just about anything else you can think of. I would drop into a section of the map and just slowly navigate to the areas and find everything I had originally missed. After taking a few days to get acclimated with the controls playing this game became one of my favorite ways to relax. Over a period of two and a half months of putting 5 or 6 hours in per week, I eventually cleared the map, including all 900 of those koroks. I had a great time revisiting this world. Eight years later and the game is still phenomenal.

Game #6: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Release Date: June 5

Started: 09/15/25…still playing…Time Spent Playing: 7 hours 15 minutes

I wanted to do the same thing with Tears of the Kingdom that I did with Breath of the Wild, play the game without actually starting over. This meant my goal was to use the Zelda Notes app to hunt for everything I missed during my initial play through. When I first viewed the map and what I had missed, I was shocked at what I saw. There were so my icons of items I had missed I could barely even see the map. It was a ton, much more than BotW. I had played Tears of the Kingdom for 196 hours during my play through so I couldn’t believe it. I started out with intentions of playing Tears of the Kingdom 5 or 6 hours per week like I did Breath of the Wild. But the Nintendo release schedule got really busy in the fall so I had to put this game on hold. Every once in a while I would put an hour into it but this is going to have to be a 2026 project for me. I’m looking forward to it!

Game #7: Donkey Kong Bananza

Release Date: July 17

Started: 07/17/25…Finished 08/31/25…Time Spent Playing: 65 hours 0 minutes

Donkey Kong Bananza is the game I would have preferred to have at the launch of Nintendo Switch 2. However, it released about 6 weeks after the launch so the wait wasn’t too bad. This game is amazing. There are basically 16 worlds to explore each of which may be made up of several layers. There is a ton of content. Smashing the terrain looking for the hidden bananas and fossils was my favorite thing to do in this game. There are over 700 bananas to find. The maps in this game are very detailed and reflect any destruction you have caused. I found it fun to transform into forms which would allow for new abilities to perform in the worlds. As far as a single player action/adventure game, this is exactly what I wanted. I was a little disappointed that the post game focused on action instead of exploration but I can’t complain at all. The further I get away from having played the more I think of turning it on just to play again. Donkey Kong Bananza is a game I’d like to dabble in a little each year just to remind myself how fun this game is. This game delivered and is another shining example of why I prefer Nintendo made games to all other companies.

Game #8: Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV

Release Date: July 24

Started: N/A

This game breaks my streak for purchasing all first party Nintendo published games, a streak that had gone back to 2023 and I believe reached 19 games. Before this the last game I passed on was WarioWare: Move It which released on 11/03/23. Ironically, Super Mario Party Jamboree is one of the games I purchased in 2024 largely because of the streak. I had a great time with Jamboree putting over 40 hours into it, almost all single player. The reason I’m passing on the NS2 Edition at this time is that most of the updates just don’t seem appealing to me. I don’t have the camera so all of that integration is meaningless to me. I’m not interested in voice control mini-games. I would be interested in the mouse mini-games but that’s literally the only thing that appeals to me in this package. The fact it only costs $20 for the upgrade means I am tempted. But for now I’m going to pass.

Game #9: Drag x Drive

Release Date: August 14

Started: 08/14/25….Finished 09/20/25…Time Spent Playing: 26 hours 30 minutes

There were 3 games in 2025 that really surprised me in how much I ended up liking them versus what I expected going in. Drag x Drive was the first one. This is a game people love to hate on. It’s basically a wheelchair basketball game. I’ll admit there aren’t a lot of modes to play through. But the main game is very fun, assuming you can get over the steep learning curve of controlling your character with mouse controls. I feel mouse controls are essential in that it’s a huge part of this game. Adding stick controls would make the game so simple that interest would probably fade even quicker than it already has. Games are only 3 minutes. When paired up with teammates willing to pass, the games can be intense and fun. When Drag x Drive clicked, it really clicked. To me that’s what it’s all about. Is the game fun? My response was a resounding yes! The game was only $20 so I don’t necessarily expect a $60 experience. I’m happy I didn’t listen to the masses and decided to jump in with an open mind looking for a new experience. I do think a lot of people didn’t even try the demo or did not give themselves a chance to adapt to the mouse controls since they do take some practice. It’s a bummer that people are so negative about this game because there is a lot of fun to be had here. I think it’s important that Nintendo continue to try new things even if they aren’t successes on a large scale.

Game #10: Kirby and The Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition: Star Crossed World

Release Date: August 28

Started 08/28/25…Finished 09/13/25…Time Spent Playing: 11 hours 55 minutes

I’m not the biggest Kirby fan but I enjoyed The Forgotten Land a lot. This DLC adds 12 new levels along with a boss fight to play through. The additional levels are all pretty good and are set up the same as those in the base game in that there are 5 objectives to complete, most of which are optional. I played for 100% so if I cleared a level but missed something I jumped back into it. Most of the levels took me anywhere from 2-4 runs to find it all. There were three new abilities known as mouthful mode included in this content. My favorite was the gear which allowed Kirby to climb walls. This was a great excuse to jump back into Kirby and the Forgotten Land. This DLC was great to add to my rotation as a side game as I focused on longer more complex games. I had a good time with it.

Game #11: Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush DLC

Release Date: September 12

Started: N/A

I decided to pass on the dlc. What I was hoping for was new worlds to explore. But this is a rogue-like dlc that really doesn’t appeal to me. I haven’t completely written it off but I’m in no hurry to check it out. What I’ve read from people who have played is that it’s really good with a lot of content. I may check it out someday, but with constant new releases, probably not.

Game #12: Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2

Release Date: October 2

Started: 10/02/25…Finished 11/08/25…Time Spent Playing: 39 hours 0 minutes

Technically I only bought half of this game. Digitally you can buy these two games separate which is what I opted for. I passed on Super Mario Galaxy 1 simply because it’s included in 2020’s Super Mario 3D All-Stars which I already have for Switch. I beat the game when I revisited it in 2021. Despite it now being available in 4K, I didn’t feel the need to do it again so soon to having already played it. But Super Mario Galaxy 2 I was very interested in. Wow, Galaxy 2 reminded me how fun Mario games are to play. I don’t think I had played through this since the original version on Wii released. Every locale, of which there are a ton, is a blast to play through. New mechanics are introduced throughout to keep the gameplay fresh. Yoshi is included in this game and I enjoyed controlling him as well. Once you collect 120 stars the green star challenge unlocks which provides the player with 120 additional stars to find while replaying the levels. Many of them are cleverly hidden and difficult to get to. Finding those green stars was my favorite thing about this game. I collected 240 stars but stopped just shy of the max of 242. I remembered the agony I went through to get that last star on the Wii and had no desire to try it again! Nope, I’ll keep my memories of Galaxy 2 extremely positive.

Game #13 Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Release Date: October 16

Started 10/16/25…Finished 11/30/25…Time Spent Playing: 62 hours 10 minutes

Pokémon Legends Z-A is the second game on this list that really surprised me. I don’t have a ton of experience with Pokémon but did play and really enjoyed Pokemon Legends Arceus. With Z-A I was a little concerned going in that the entire game taking place in the city would get stale. I should not have been concerned. While admittedly I would prefer an open world to play in, there is so much to do in the city that it never got boring. Completing your Pokédex, working on main story missions and side quests, leveling up your Pokémon, clearing out the Wild Zones, figuring out the puzzle inspired construction zones to find treasures, to simply experiencing the story, I was never at a loss for what I should try to do. I really liked the story and completing the objectives that would pop up on the map. Some may see it as busy work but I always look at side questing as exploring every nook and cranny in a game. I actually considered trying to catch them all at one point. But a couple that were tough to catch mainly due to low catch rates convinced me otherwise. I don’t want to try 30 times simply because of a 3% success rate. Being relatively new to Pokemon, most of the returning creatures are new to me. I kind of wish I had the nostalgia like others do but I missed out on that a long time ago. I enjoyed this game a lot as evidenced by the time I put into it. When the next Pokemon game releases I am sure I will be there.

Game #14 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Release Date: November 6

Started 11/06/25…Finished 12/11/25…Time Spent Playing: 51 hours 50 minutes

I loved Hyrule Warriors on Wii U. I liked Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity on Switch but remember feeling fatigue from it. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Fortunately, I finished the game feeling a lot better about it than I did Age of Calamity. While the Warriors games all play roughly the same, there is something to be said just demolishing hundreds and hundreds of enemies. For a couple weeks it became my comfort food, something to relax to. Being back in the Tears of the Kingdom universe was awesome. They incorporated so many details from that game into this one such as Zonai devices and fighting in underground areas. While the battles largely play the same during each mission, two things kept them interesting. First were the boss fights which could really push back. Each boss has tells to look for so you can counter their powerful moves and it felt great to pull that off. Second, each playable character has their own objectives to meet so I always had secondary goals to complete during battles. Every playable character in this game felt great and those that were in Tears of the Kingdom had moves sets that stayed true to their traits in that game. There wasn’t a bad character among them. I played well into the post game trying to complete the map which would periodically fill with tons of objectives. This game was really fun to play.

Game #15: Kirby Air Riders

Release Date: November 20

Started: 11/20/25…Finished 12/19/25…Time Spent Playing: 36 hours 30 minutes

The third game that surprised me on this 2025 list was Kirby Air Riders. In previous years I probably would have passed on this game. I think Kirby games are fine but they are never games I truly look forward to. When the original Kirby Air Ride released on GameCube I passed on it thinking it was too simple for my tastes. But since I’m a lot less discerning these days about the Nintendo games I buy, I picked this up on day one. What a great decision! This game is awesome! It took me a few hours to warm to it but once I did I couldn’t stop playing. There is a ton of content in this game and if you enjoy unlocking things in games Kirby has you covered. Each main mode, of which there are 5, has 150 missions to complete each with a reward. Each mode!! The modes I spent the most time with were the story mode and the two racing modes, Air Ride and Top Ride. My favorite thing to do would be go to the mission board, pick out a mission to complete, and then go to the track and try to complete it. Completing the missions will show you just how deep this game can be. I liked all of the tracks. They each have distinct characteristics and really stand out from one another. I never really took to City Trial. It was fine but often chaotic. I always preferred to be racing although the limited time events they would have in City Trial always enticed me to play it. I’m still amazed at how much this game drew me in. I probably would have loved the GameCube version back in the day too.

Game #16: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Release Date: December 4

Started: 12/04/25…Finished 12/24/25…Time Spent Playing: 39 hours 15 minutes

I like the Metroid games but I don’t consider myself a huge fan. While I was excited to see Metroid Prime 4: Beyond announced EIGHT years ago, I didn’t spend one day of those eight years bummed it was taking so long. With that being said, I did pick it up on day one curious to see how I would like it. After a few hours learning the structure of the game, I was hooked! The core gameplay element of any Metroid game, earning new abilities to unlock paths to new areas, is here in full force. That’s what makes a Metroid game to me. There has been a lot of complaints about “annoying humans” you interact with during the game. I didn’t really find them annoying at all. They also didn’t ruin any perceptions of being isolated. In the end it was still Metroid to me. Another common complaint is the large open world desert. I didn’t know how I would take to it but after playing I appreciated it. Anytime I got to the desert it was an opportunity to relax and simply ride the motorcycle collecting green crystals. I rather enjoyed it. I also appreciated how the game assisted in 100% item completion toward the end game if that’s something that interests the player. It did me. I always look at item cleanup near end game as an opportunity fully explore the world. It’s my favorite part of any Metroid game. While I spent 39 hours with the game my game clock was around 24 hours. Obviously, I was in no hurry. I finished this game feeling very positive about it. It was a nice game to end my 2025 Nintendo experience!

Game #17: Pokemon Legends Z-A – Mega Dimension DLC

Release Date: December 10

Started: N/A

As I stated above, I had a great time playing through Legends Z-A. I was set to buy this DLC up until the day it released. I held off buying it that day because the release trailer included some very high leveled Pokemon and I had concerns about having to grind to get to those levels. I wanted to see some impressions. My understanding now is that it’s not an issue. However, the reviews for the DLC weren’t great. I saw something about a timed element having been added to the battles which did not appeal to me. But more importantly to me, there were some non-Nintendo games I was itching to get to. I ultimately decided to pass on the Mega Dimension DLC.

And that’s it! I love entering each year not knowing a lot of what Nintendo has planned. They always surprise and rarely disappoint when it comes to my tastes. Looking back at 2025, I was able to play through all of the released Nintendo games with the exception of 2 DLCs and 1 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. As 2026 opens, I expect I will continue to play through just about anything Nintendo decides to release. What can I say? I’m a huge fan and they make the games I enjoy the most!

Nintendo Switch 2 Launch Day

I can remember something from the launch days of every Nintendo console. Ok, I got the NES for Christmas in 1987, not launch. And I got the SNES the first time I saw it in store at which time I don’t think there were actual launch days. But I still remember specific moments from each of those days along with the launch days of Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, and Switch. Ironically, the Nintendo system I have the least memories of launch day is the most recent until a few days ago, Nintendo Switch (NS1). So I wanted to document my Nintendo Switch 2 (NS2) launch day details while they are fresh in my memory and before they are lost forever.

I had preordered my NS2 from Walmart. When I made the preorder Walmart was guaranteeing a June 5 delivery before 9am although they didn’t say what would happen if they didn’t meet the guarantee. However, after preorders were complete there was never another mention of deliveries before 9am. I didn’t preorder from Walmart due to the guarantee but rather Walmart was the only preorder I could get the night they went live. When my order finally moved from “Placed” to “Order Being Prepared” on the Walmart app, it said the delivery would take place on June 5 prior to 10pm. That’s a big difference from 9am although I wasn’t too concerned because I was just glad I had gotten a preorder to begin with.

*Was just happy to have a preorder secured*

Because I didn’t trust Walmart to get the order to me early, I did not take the day off work. It would have sucked to use Paid Time Off only to be waiting around all day for the system to arrive. Plus, on that day I was working from home so even if it did show up early I could still unbox it and start all of the downloads. I wouldn’t fully dive in to a game but I could still check it out. My work days are often slow so having to work wasn’t a big concern. Additionally, my work day typically ends at 2pm.

On June 5 the alarm woke me up at 5:25am as usual for work. One of the first things I did was check the Walmart app. It had not changed from the day before and indicated the order was still being prepared. I knew if the 9am guarantee was upheld the NS2 was already at my local Walmart and a Walmart employee would be dropping it off at my house DoorDash style. Otherwise I expected it to be put on a delivery truck early morning and I would receive it in the afternoon. I began working and then checked the app again at 6:10am looking for any updates. I got the update I was looking for. The order was in transit from Walmart to my house! Although I only live 5-10 minutes away from Walmart, the driver still had 4 stops to make before getting to me. I spent some time watching him drive his route as he slowly got closer. I was going to get this thing super early…awesome!

Finally the driver made his last stop before me. It was literally 45 seconds from my house. But as he left instead of taking the direct route he ended up taking a longer way which took about 5 extra minutes. I’m not sure why he did that but it wasn’t a big deal. He got to my house, left the items at the door and left. I went to the door to get my goodies, one of those moments where you feel on top of the world and life is just great after waiting so long to obtain something that you are seconds away from picking up. I may have even done a couple of fist pumps into the air walking to the door. As I opened the door and picked everything up I thought the driver may have left some items by mistake. There were three packages and I only ordered two items. Turns out Walmart included a bottle of Coke and a full size can of Cheddar Cheese Pringles as a thank you gift. Not only did Walmart uphold the 9am guarantee with ease (I got it at 6:45 am), they included a thank you gift. Impressive! Any future system launches like this will see me making Walmart the priority place to get it.

I began unboxing the system. Although I had not watched a lot of NS2 videos prior to launch, I still knew what to expect so there weren’t any surprises with the hardware. With the NS1 I used the Satisfye Grip for most of its lifecycle. It’s just so much more comfortable to hold when you have something to grip. I had already bought a Satisfye Grip for NS2 but it has not released yet. I wondered since the NS2 is larger if I would really even need a grip. It only took 5 seconds of holding the NS2 to know I want a grip to go with it. It’s more comfortable than holding NS1 due to its increased size but a grip is still the way to go for me.

A concern I had regarding the NS2 was knowing everyone would be getting it on the same day. This meant the eshop would be getting hit hard as people updated their system and bought games. I wondered if the eshop would go down, or if it would take a long time to download games. Fortunately, none of that was an issue. Mario Kart World took me 29 minutes to download which I was fine with. I opted to not do a system transfer and plan to just transfer the games I’m actually playing to NS2. I downloaded the following: Mario Kart World, Fantasy Life i which I am currently playing on NS1 along with Portal 2, another game I’m currently playing. I also downloaded the NSO GameCube app and Zelda BotW NS2 Edition, bought Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, and bought the NS2 update for Fantasy Life i. All downloaded relatively quickly and the eshop seemed to be fine all day. Well done Nintendo!

Since I was technically working at my desk, all of my first impressions came from using NS2 as a handheld. The first game I tried was Mario Kart World. It looked beautiful on the NS2 screen. Due to work I was really only trying it out rather than diving into it. I played maybe 5 minutes. Next I wanted to try Portal 2 because that game has some long loading times on NS1. I wanted to see if NS2 made it faster. However, three times in a row the game crashed while trying to boot up. I knew there would be games with compatibility issues but Portal 2 wasn’t on the list of known games. I would learn later that day that booting it up while in airplane mode would get you into the game. I did that and it worked. I was happy to see the loading times were improved, I’d estimate twice as fast on NS2.

*Mario Kart World – The first game I played on NS2*

The rest of my day while at work I mainly just checked out some of the features of NS2. I really didn’t want play Mario Kart World or Zelda: BotW much before being able to hook the NS2 up to my 4K OLED television. However, it’s wall mounted so I need my wife’s help to get it off the wall while I make the connections. She didn’t get home until 4:30pm that evening. Once she helped me and I got everything situated, I finally got to sit down and dive in at around 5pm. But with it being a new console it was hard to focus on one game because I kept wanting to jump around and experience anything new on it. While waiting for my wife UPS delivered a package around 4pm. I didn’t think much of it because my wife gets packages almost daily. But when I went to get it the package was addressed to me. It turned out to be my GameCube controller from Nintendo! That was very unexpected because when I checked online earlier that day it indicated the controller had not even shipped yet.

Ultimately I played one circuit of Mario Kart World (which I later realized I accidentally played on the guest account I had made instead of my own) and played some of the free roam mode. Mario Kart is a game that I will play a lot but I’m not going to play hours each day. I played Zelda: BotW using the Zelda Notes app on my phone and was hugely impressed with the package. This is what I had the most fun doing on launch day. Next I played a little of Fantasy Life i which looks a little better on NS2 but loads a lot quicker. I also played some F-Zero GX on the GameCube app with my GameCube controller. It’s awesome to see the GameCube games on the 4K tv with no fuzziness. Although I bought Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour I didn’t try it on launch day.

NS2 keeps the family current…Nintendo for life!

All in all while it was a fun day, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel somewhat a little lackluster. The reason for this is I spent most of the day playing games I’ve already played on NS1. The only new game I played was Mario Kart World and as mentioned above it’s not a meaty single player experience. I generally attribute at least one of those type games to most console launches. But I got everything I ordered, the NS2 is exactly what I hoped it would be, and I have zero doubts the NS2 will provide me with thousands of hours of fun over the next several years. I’m glad the gaming industry can now quit focusing on the NS2 hardware and we can start focusing on what is most important, the games.

Nintendo Switch 2 Preorder Madness

I enjoy writing blogs because I find it entertaining to go back and read things I have written years ago after I have forgotten the finer details of what would have made a good story. Also, something will happen in the gaming news that will make me wonder what my experience was with a similar issue years prior. I always just have vague memories. Five years from now I’m going to remember it was hard getting a Switch 2 preorder but not remember exactly what happened. Heck, I remember having issues with Switch 1 preorders but the details are fuzzy at this point. So, while this is fresh in my memory I wanted to get my Nintendo Switch 2 preorder experience down in a blog.

Going back a few years to 2020, the PS5 and Xbox Series X both released late in the year. At that time covid was in full swing and video games were a popular form of entertainment if you were stuck at home, like most of us were. I did not try to buy either of those systems when they launched. However, I decided to try to get both within a month of each of them launching. Both systems were extremely hard to find. Anytime they would go up for sale you had literally seconds to get your order in before they were both gone. After countless attempts and failures, I was finally able to secure each of them before 2020 ended. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Coming into 2025 it was a widely accepted fact that Nintendo would be releasing their next console this year, the Nintendo Switch 2. Despite Nintendo assuring fans there would be a ton available, I had visions of my experiences trying to get a PS5 and Series X. But there would be no way to know for sure until preorders were available and I was trying to get one. On April 2nd Nintendo finally had their big reveal and in the process announced preorders would begin on April 9th. Here we go! But in incredibly bad timing for Nintendo, the President of the US announced massive tariffs for several countries, including China and Taiwan, the two main countries where Nintendo Switch 2s are made, on the same day. This prompted Nintendo the very next day to delay the preorder date. That was a huge bummer for Nintendo fans.

For the next couple weeks everyone wondered when the preorders would occur. The potential tariffs were eventually put on a 90 day delay which meant worst case scenario the console could at least launch before the tariffs would take effect. As early April turned to mid April and we waited, I had one concern. I had a business trip to Pittsburgh scheduled for April 24th which would prevent me from participating in preorders that day. That was the one day I could not have the preorders starting. Each day we got closer I got a little more concerned although the chances of it being that day specifically were kind of slim. Finally the day came when Nintendo put a message out regarding preorders. The system and games would not be increasing in price at this time due to tariffs. Great news! Many of the accessories did see a $5-10 price increase. Bad news. And preorders would begin on April 24th. NOOOO!!!!!

I couldn’t believe of all the days, it had to be that one. I figured I would just miss getting the chance to preorder and would have to take a chance in being selected to preorder directly from Nintendo on May 8th or hope the retailers would send the preorders out in waves instead of all at once. However, it quickly became apparent I would still have a chance after all. Three of the four major retailers decided to make preorders available at midnight on the 24th instead of during the day. While it was hugely inconvenient to me and the rest of the people on the East coast to have to stay up till midnight, at least I would have a chance since I would still be home at that time. The problem is that I would need to get up at 5am the next day to make my trip to Pittsburgh, an approximate 3 hour drive, sit in a conference for 5 hours, then drive 3 hours back. Losing sleep before my travel day wasn’t ideal, but if I got a Switch 2 it would be worth it to me.

Wednesday the 23rd finally arrived. I made sure I knew the username and passwords of all of my accounts and already had my current credit card information saved in each. Spending minutes, or even seconds entering that information during the ordering process could be the difference between getting a Switch 2 and getting an out of stock message. My plan was to set my alarm for 11:30pm, go to bed at 9:30pm, and get whatever sleep I could during that time. 9:30pm is much earlier than I normally go to bed so I figured I would simply toss and turn until the alarm went off.

To my surprise when the alarm went off it woke me up. I had actually slept a solid hour! I felt good that I slept at all. It was just about time to start the madness. I decided I would focus on Best Buy on my iPad and Walmart on my phone. I would also have Target in a second browser on my phone. I pulled all 3 websites up, navigated to the Switch 2 preorder page, and began refreshing each every few minutes in the off chance one went up early. I was laying in my bed, all of the lights off so as to not wake my wife who was next to me. This information will end up being relevant later on.

At 11:55pm I noticed both the Best Buy and Target websites were slowing down with each refresh. What was taking a few seconds earlier was now taking 15-20 seconds to refresh. That was not a good sign. At 11:58pm the Walmart refresh put me in a line. I was startled at first thinking it took me off the preorder page. But when I tried to navigate back to the preorder page it asked if I was sure I wanted to leave the line. It was then that I realized I was in line for the Switch 2. I absolutely did not want to leave and left it alone. With it being on my phone all I could see was I was in line. There was no estimated time or progress bar so I had to trust it was working.

At 12 midnight I kept refreshing Best Buy. It was taking forever but each refresh brought me to the same preorders soon page. I could not order. At about 12:02am Wario64 (a Twitter account I follow who posts about gaming deals) reported that people were having success with Target. I quickly jumped over to Target and just like Best Buy it was slow to refresh. However, when it did I could see the Switch 2 bundle was available. I quickly tried to add it to my cart and that’s when the trouble started. Not only was the website running slow but there were constant errors. I eventually got one in my cart and quickly tried to check out. The summary popped up and I clicked ‘place order’. But nothing happened. I did it again, still nothing. Thinking the website was just really slow I kept clicking it and the page just wouldn’t move. Eventually I noticed there was red text in the payment box as if nothing had been entered. I couldn’t believe it because I specifically made sure that information had been entered earlier in the day.

Meanwhile I’m thinking it’s 12:05am, I’m already too late! I click the payment box and it pulls up the payment information I knew I had already saved. Why did it make me select it again? Relieved it was already saved, I clicked it and got a message I was ready to check out. I quickly hit the place order button only to see the payment box was empty again! Come on! Each time I would click the payment box it would show my information. But when I clicked place order it acted as if it wasn’t there. I couldn’t get past it. While all of this was going on I kept checking back on the Walmart page which had not changed, and Best Buy on my iPad which was still showing coming soon. So I kept focusing on trying to get the Target order through.

After many unsuccessful attempts I changed my payment information from my credit card to Apple Pay, which is also linked to my credit card. This seemed to work because when I placed my order I got the prompt to double click the side button on my phone to confirm. This is it! But after double clicking my phone tried to authenticate me using face recognition. It failed. I was in a dark room and it couldn’t see me. Are you kidding me? It then prompted me for a password which I quickly entered. There was now an error processing my payment. This was getting ridiculous. I couldn’t retry without backing out of the page and starting over with the payment information again. I jumped out of bed and ran to another room so I could turn on a light to bypass the password entry. Face recognition was quicker. But each time I would double click, I would get the processing payment failed message. I tried at least 10 times to get the order placed and it failed every time. At around 12:15am Wario64 tweeted if you were in line at Walmart, do not leave the line. That gave me some assurance I might have a chance with Walmart.

By this time it’s 12:20 and I’m beyond frustrated. Walmart says I’m still in line but I’m just waiting to see the out of stock message pop up, Best Buy still wouldn’t let you preorder, and Target just wouldn’t work. I began to slow down because I felt speed was no longer a deciding factor. I was probably already too late. I checked a Discord I’m a part of and it seemed nobody had been able to secure one yet. At least I wasn’t alone. At 12:25 Wario64 tweeted Best Buy was now up. I abandoned the Target and quickly began focusing on Best Buy. Similar to Target, I was experiencing errors and the website was slow. Another 10 minutes went by before I could even navigate to where I could place an order. But I didn’t see the Mario Kart bundle I wanted. Instead all I saw were Best Buy bundles that I really didn’t want. However, by this time I was desperate and just wanted to secure a system. I chose a Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart/Donkey Kong bundle for $600. I did not want these games physically but whatever, I just wanted the system. I selected the bundle and was put into a queue. At least I was getting somewhere.

I checked back with Walmart while waiting on Best Buy and to my surprise I was out of the line and able to order! I had 10 minutes to the complete the order. I quickly checked the Mario Kart bundle I actually wanted and placed my order. Finally! Nope. Payment failed. What!?! A few seconds later I received a text from my credit card company. Payment had been stopped for potential fraud. I quickly responded it was me and legitimate. The response was I needed to have the vendor run the card again. In other words, I had to start over. I was still within my 10 minutes but with the way the night had gone I was still in a hurry. But when I tried to place my order again, my credit card information was missing. I had to enter it again! I jumped up and ran back into the bedroom to get my wallet. I always keep it on the stand beside the bed. Again, the room was dark because my wife was sleeping so I was using the light of my phone to see. I couldn’t find it. Where is it? I felt a sense of panic creep in. Finally, I realized it had fallen on the floor at some point. My wife hearing the commotion woke up and asked if I had gotten one. No time to talk now!

I hurried back in the other room and input my card information. I had about 3 minutes left to order. I placed the order and finally got the confirmation message I had been desperately trying to get. It was around 12:40am when I got it. Almost as if on cue, Wario64 tweeted out to not forget your accessories, but make sure to secure the system before worrying about them. That’s right, I also wanted a Pro Controller. I jumped back into Walmart’s site, found the controller and ordered without a problem. It was done. I had secured a Nintendo Switch 2 and it was due to be delivered on launch day. A sense of relief settled over me as I realized I had put up with the stress and aggravation of the past hour to ensure I wouldn’t have to wait to get one.

By the time I put everything away and told my wife what had happened it was 1am. I had to get to sleep for my trip in the morning. No problem. I still had 4 hours, plus the one hour of sleep I had gotten earlier. For the next 4 hours I experienced the worst case of insomnia I’ve ever had. I did not sleep one bit. I ended up not even going to Pittsburgh the next day because I was on no sleep. It wasn’t ideal to have to cancel my trip. But if I had to do it over I would. Getting that preorder was worth it to me!

Nintendo Direct April 2, 2025

Preshow thoughts: I wanted to get my thoughts down prior to this Switch 2 Direct taking place. I’m writing this on Feb 7, nearly two months away. The reason I’m writing so early is so I can write prior to any big potential leaks that take place between now and then. [Surprisingly, there weren’t any major leaks!!]

This is what I expect from the show. I think it’s a given we will get the price and release date. The consensus for the price seems to be $400. I can’t argue with that. However, I do think a $100 increase from Switch is going to be a hard pill to swallow for many people. I don’t want to see sales begin to level off after the initial surge due to it being too expensive. It may be too much if they want Switch 1 levels of success. I believe it’s going to release earlier than most people do. Mid to late May is when I think it will release. I also think there will only be one system available meaning there isn’t going to be an OLED version and a non-OLED version. There may be special editions but the only difference will be in aesthetics.

The games. I hope I’m not setting myself up to be disappointed but I think Nintendo is going to shock and awe with the game announcements. 2024 and the first part of 2025 was carried by their partners so they seemingly have been prepping for this. I think Nintendo will come out swinging to capture momentum in the first year, just like they did with Switch. I think Mario Kart and a new Mario 3D game will officially be revealed. We already know a new Mario Kart is coming. As much as I would rather have a Mario 3D game at launch, it makes sense to launch with Mario Kart. There will only be one big Nintendo title available at launch, with a smaller title or two also available (something like 1-2 Switch). Metroid Prime 4 won’t be available at launch but a Switch 2 version will be available in 2025. I think there will be two more titles from Nintendo announced for 2025 as well. They will want approximately one Nintendo game per month releasing on Switch 2. I’m not going to speculate on any 3rd party games because I have access to them on other systems.

So as of today, that’s what I’m hoping/expecting to see. We shall see.

Post-Show thoughts: It finally arrived! We got to watch the big Switch 2 blowout! Initial impressions right after the Direct? 1) They didn’t disclose the price? As we were made aware minutes after, there was a big reason for that. Nintendo gaming is getting more pricey! 2) I thought there would be one or two more big games from Nintendo announced because a large portion of the Direct focused on 3rd parties. But after reviewing what was actually announced afterwards, there was more included than I thought. 3) Unfortunately, there was a technical hiccup during the presentation that affected around 5 minutes of content. First the video froze while the audio continued, then it took a while to get it synced up. But nobody will remember that a week from now. Anyway, the following topics are what interested me.

Mario Kart World is the big launch game and it’s going to be awesome! 24 racers, a huge open world to drive across and explore, weather conditions, and the ability to race across the entire game world. It looked amazing. I had actually heard some people speculate beforehand it would also be on Switch 1 to allow it to sell to a larger userbase. I thought they were crazy and Mario Kart World was confirmed to be a Switch 2 exclusive. There was also a Mario Kart World Direct announced for April 17th. There were three times during the Direct I was fist pumping into the air. Seeing the open world of Mario Kart World was the first one. I really hope there are secrets to discover when exploring the open world.

The C button that has been speculated about since it was discovered simply stands for “chat”. Yep, it’s used for chat. I was really disappointed with this because I was hoping it would be for something more creative. I don’t really care to chat during games so it’s not for me. Related, a camera attachment was also announced so you can see your friends on screen. Again, I have no interest in this and will not purchase it. While it’s not for me I do realize these features are huge for younger gamers nowadays so anything that makes Switch 2 more popular is fine with me.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour: This appears to be a gamified tutorial introducing all of the Switch 2 features. I’m intrigued but to be honest they needed to show more to make it more interesting. I agree with most in that I really feel like this should be a pack in game. That being said I’m not going to write it off. I have a feeling there will be some neat hidden features to explore and find. I’m sure we’ll learn more before the release. It also launches with the system and I expect it will be cheap [ended up being $10]. Many have already dismissed it but not me.

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller looks almost identical to the current model. I’m not complaining. The Switch Pro Controller may be the most comfortable controller I’ve ever used. I will definitely pick up the new model as well. It does have a button for chat, a head phone jack, and additional buttons to allow you to reprogram it. You don’t need to really fix what isn’t broken. It was also later revealed the Switch 1 Pro Controller will work on Nintendo Switch 2 too.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games: These are Switch 1 games that have been optimized in some way for Switch 2. It seems there are two types: those in that simply upgrade a game to make it run better and those that also include new content that has been added. The pricing for the upgrades weren’t specified but it looks like if you have the Switch version it’s going to be around $20 for the Enhanced version with new content, and free if the upgrade only makes the game run better. Two exceptions announced were Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. They are both free with a Nintendo Online membership. I like the idea of the upgrades with new content. The three that stood out for me were the two Zelda titles and Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Naturally I’ll be getting the Switch 2 Editions of any games not yet released like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokemon Legends Z-A.

Drag X Drive is a new game from Nintendo and has to be one of the worst names ever. I find it hard to remember. Essentially this is a game to show off mouse controls. The premise is playing wheelchair basketball and rolling the joycon makes the wheelchair wheels spin. Not a lot was shown of the game but the setting seemed really drab with little color. This is one I’m going to keep an eye on but most people were down on it after the show. It reminds me of ARMS, a game that didn’t show well but ended up being pretty fun. Similar to ARMS, it has the potential to be quickly forgotten a month after it releases. I’m curious to see what all is included in this game because the trailer didn’t show much.

3rd parties: I think I heard somewhere there were 30 or 40 3rd party games included in the Direct. It was a lot. Like I mentioned earlier, at one point I felt there needed to be more Nintendo games included. There are some big titles coming to Switch 2 including Elden Ring, Hades II, Street Fighter 6, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, Madden, Hogwarts Legacy, Bravely Default HD, Yakuza 0, Cyberpunk 2077, and Final Fantasy VII Remake. It was an impressive showing. There will be no shortage of games to play on Nintendo Switch 2.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment: I did not expect this title at all. This makes the third Zelda-Hyrule Warriors game. It looks very similar to Age of Calamity. Actually, while watching I thought it was Age of Calamity until the title appeared at the end. I figured it was an enhanced version of the Switch 1 game. Regardless, I find these games really fun so will almost certainly pick this one up.

GameCube on Nintendo Switch Online: I said I fist-pumped three times during this show. GameCube on NSO was the second time. While this has been speculated forever I wasn’t sure if Nintendo would ever do it. It seems too easy to remake these games and sell them for full price. However, I was ecstatic to see this. It will be available at launch and there will be 3 games to start: F-Zero GX, Zelda: Wind Waker, and Soul Calibur II. The one that really caught my eye in the coming soon section was Chibi-Robo. I still own all of these games for GameCube but having them look great on a 4K tv makes me really happy. Also, a GameCube controller will be made available which I can’t wait to get. Playing NSO games with the original controllers makes them so much better to me.

Blood Lust: I’m only mentioning this because it’s a big deal that Nintendo got a game from FromSoftware to not only make a game for Nintendo Switch 2 but make it exclusive. However, it seems multiplayer is the focus which is a turnoff for me.

Kirby Air Riders: Maybe the most surprising game announcement is a sequel to the GameCube game Kirby’s Air Ride. That’s one I never played but have heard nice things about it over the years. This sequel is being directed by Masahiro Sakurai and I don’t plan to miss it. It’s supposedly coming in 2025 but very little actual gameplay was shown in the trailer.

Donkey Kong Bananza: The Direct wrapped with a new 3D Donkey Kong game! This was the third time I raised my fist in the air in celebration. I was expecting a 3D Mario game but to be honest I think this is even cooler. I know a new 3D Mario game will come at some point but this is only the second 3D Donkey Kong game ever, the first since Nintendo 64! Looked like Donkey Kong will be smashing a lot of objects in the 3D worlds. Even better, it’s coming a month after launch in July! I can’t wait.

And that was it. Like I said, two minutes after the Direct wrapped up I thought it was lacking a Nintendo heavy hitter or two. But after taking stock of what was announced, I’m more than happy with what I have to look forward to. However, much of the good vibes and celebration disappeared 15 minutes after the Direct when pricing began to be announced. Nintendo Switch 2 – $450. Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World – $500. Mario Kart World – $80. Donkey Kong Bananza – $70. Switch 2 Enhanced games if you don’t already have the Switch 1 version – $80. The collective internet just about lost its mind and that has been the topic of conversation ever since. Personally, although it is more than I expected, I can weather the pricing and I will enjoy the hobby that brings me happiness. However, others can’t and the pushback has been loud. I wonder if the substantially increased pricing will cause Switch 2 to not sell nearly as well as Switch 1? This doesn’t even take into consideration US tariffs that were announced on the same day that threaten to make Switch 2 even more expensive. But, that might be a topic for another blog. A few days after the Direct and I’m very excited to continue playing Nintendo games on Nintendo’s new console.

What I’ve Been Playing – Mar 29, 2025

The games I played this week, progress, and brief thoughts.

Grinding my way through two long games!

Avowed

System Playing On: Xbox Series X

Time played last week: 13 hrs 25 mins (Total Time: 61 hrs 0 mins)

The fun with this game continues. This week I fully completed the third area, then went back and cleaned up some things from areas one and two before proceeding to the fourth and final area. I haven’t 100%’d the first three areas but I’m close. I’d estimate I’ve completed over 95% of what is available. The final area is a harsh volcanic region, not too dissimilar from the desert I just came from. While I still have a lot to complete in this area, I’ve got a really good start on it. I don’t know that I’ll complete Avowed next week but I’m for sure within two weeks of wrapping this amazing game up. My original plan was to play Avowed as much as I could before Xenoblade Chronicles X released and then drop it to a secondary game as Xenoblade would become my main game. Didn’t happen. Avowed is so good I wanted to keep it my primary game until I’m finished. Not too much longer now but I refuse to rush it!

Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition

System Playing On: Nintendo Switch

Time played last week: 10 hrs 45 mins (Total Time: 14 hrs 20 mins)

Finished up my first full week with Xenoblade Chronicles X. As I approach 15 hours I’m finally to the point where I have a good handle on how everything works. Even though I played through this on Wii U, I’ve forgotten most of it. Now I feel like the game has really opened to where I can do two of my favorite gaming tasks, exploring and sidequesting! The world in this game is massive so there are always areas and secrets to discover. I’ve spent most of my time in the hub world and first main area of the game, Primordia. Just today I began dabbling in the second area and finished up chapter 4. The hooks are definitely in me and I’m looking forward to putting a ton of hours into this game waiting for the arrival of Switch 2.

Metroid Zero Mission

System Playing On: Nintendo Switch (Nintendo Switch Online)

Time played last week: 3 hrs 15 mins (Total Time: 6 hrs 15 mins)

The previous week I put 3 hours into Metroid Zero Mission and felt I had made some nice progress. Even though my goal wasn’t really to beat the game, I thought with another solid week I might have a chance to accomplish it within my 2 week period. That all came to a crashing halt. The first hour I played this week I made absolutely no progress. The game indicated where to go on the map but for the life of me I couldn’t get there. Finally I sought the advice of an online friend who got me back on track. Turns out the item I couldn’t get to was the wave beam. What stumped me was fake lava. I just needed to jump in it and it would disappear. Once I got through that my pacing picked up again and I successfully beat Mother Brain. I thought the game was over but it turns out with this version of Metroid there is a lot more to play. I don’t like playing NSO games more than two weeks so this is where the journey stops. I beat this game a long time ago on Virtual Console so I don’t feel the need to keep pushing. Regardless, this game is awesome and it was fun to revisit.

Nintendo Direct – Mar 27, 2025

Pre-Show (Mar 26)

Well, this is a surprise. As Nintendo fandom continues to wait for April 2nd to arrive for the scheduled Switch 2 Direct that was announced months ago, Nintendo threw a curveball today and announced a Direct for tomorrow to be focused on solely Switch 1 games. The timing of this Direct is really odd. Nintendo has announced absolutely nothing since their Switch 2 teaser trailer back in January. Basically we have gone over two months with nothing. Now, with less than a week to go before the big Switch 2 Direct, they announce this. I guess if they could have presented it in February they would have. Maybe they were still finalizing release dates and games to be shown? While it is a surprise, it’s not a total shock. Rumors began circulating early in the week that Nintendo was going to do a Direct this week, probably Thursday. I didn’t believe it but the leakers nailed it.

As for what to expect, I think Metroid Prime 4 is a lock and will probably be what the show ends on. Pokemon Z-A might make an appearance although you never know with Pokemon games. There are some 3rd party games I expect to see, like Fantasy Life i. But I’m really curious to see what else, if anything, is included from Nintendo. I think this will tell us a lot about how Nintendo plans to support Switch 1 after Switch 2 releases. Looking forward to the show!

Post Show!! (Mar 27)

The Direct ended up being 35 minutes. About 20 minutes into it I was questioning why there even needed to be a Direct. The two big games that had been discussed at that point were given vague 2025 release dates that had already been communicated before in earlier announcements. Fortunately the last 15 minutes provided several surprises including two completely new games which was more than I expected going in. I figured any “new” games would be remakes. By the end I was happy with this Nintendo Direct taken in the context that it’s probably the last Switch 1 dedicated Direct and the Switch 2 Direct is less than a week away.

The show started with Dragon Quest I & II HD 2D Remake which I am for sure picking up after loving Dragon Quest III in 2024. Not much new was shown but it does look pretty. I was disappointed no firm release date was given though. It was simply 2025 as has been communicated before.

From there the first segment of what I would term “filler” games was shown. I doubt I’ll ever play any of these. They included No Sleep for Kaname Date (Part of the AI Somnium Files franchise), RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army (an Atlus RPG), Shadow Labyrinth (some kind of action game that includes PAC-MAN), Patapon 1+2 Replay (a Sony rhythm game), Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (one of several farming sims). If I had all the time in the world to play games I’m sure I would like a few of those, especially Story of Seasons. But I don’t.

Next up was Nintendo’s first game to be included in this presentation, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. My first thought when seeing this was if this isn’t the closer for the Direct, they must have a banger waiting! The game looks very similar to Metroid Prime which I have no problems with. Samus will use psychic powers in this quest but the core of what makes Metroid Prime great seems to be intact here. However, no solid release date was provided, only a vague 2025. I’m not sure if that’s because it’s going to be late in the year and Nintendo just doesn’t know at this point. Or if it’s because it’s tied to the release of Switch 2 and Nintendo did not want to provide any clues. Regardless, the game looks amazing and I’ll be picking it up the day it releases.

Following Metroid was another batch of games I’ll probably never play. Disney Villains Cursed Cafe (run a cafe) led it off and was also a shadow drop. That was followed by several games including Witchbrook (cozy game), The Eternal Life of Goldman (hand drawn platforming game), Gradius Origins (a collection of several classic Gradius games), Rift of the NecroDancer (rhythm game), also a shadow drop today, and Tamagotchi Plaza (running a shop type game).

Pokemon Legends Z-A then made an appearance. This was shown only a month ago in the Pokemon Presents. This time the focus was on the day/night cycle and the differences that occur in the game between them. Just like Metroid, the release date is sometime in 2025, or late 2025 to be more precise. I’m not a big Pokemon fan but I did enjoy Pokemon Legends so I imagine I’ll pick this one up too.

Next was the first big surprise of the show, for me anyway. Rhythm Heaven Groove was announced. It looks as goofy as the previous games and I’m glad Nintendo still feels niche games like this are worth making. It’s games like this that make Nintendo different than the other large companies that only want to release AAA games. I’ll be picking this up in 2026. 2026? I wonder why it was announced so early? Oh well, another game to look forward to.

If anyone thought Nintendo was finished adding features to Nintendo Switch, they were wrong. Next month Nintendo is going to add a feature called Virtual Game Cards to Nintendo Switch that will also be available on Switch 2. This essentially allows you to let others borrow your digital games similar to borrowing a physical game. There are limitations of course such as lending one game at a time per person, 14 days max before it has to be returned (although it seems you can give it right back to them), only people on your family plan can participate, local connection only to do the transfer, etc. But I still think it’s a neat feature for those who buy digital. At this time I’m not sure if I’ll ever use it between Switch 1 and Switch 2, but at least there are options.

Following the Virtual Game Card reveal, Nintendo went into their third sizzle reel of the show in which they crammed a ton of games. The reel included High on Life (a zany shooter I tried on Xbox and did not like), Star Overdrive (an open world hoverboard game – I recently played the demo and didn’t like), The Wandering Village (a farming game which I have also sampled on Xbox), King of Meat, Lou’s Lagoon, Fantasy Life i (this one I will be picking up, release date is May 21), SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered, Monument Valley 1, 2, and 3, Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion. Outside of Fantasy Life, I have little interest in any of those.

Finally the last game shown was a brand new game, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. I remember playing the 3DS game and having a great time with it. I’ve already seen people dismissing it as dumb. Yeah, it is. That’s kind of the point. But once you start playing you realize how interesting it can be. It’s one of those games you get out of it what you put into it. I put a ton into the game I played and got a lot out of it. I’m looking forward to it. But surprisingly, it had a 2026 release date as well. Really? Apparently for Switch 1 owners without a Switch 2, your remaining 2025 options from Nintendo are going to be Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon Legends Z-A. Or will there be games announced next week that also work on Switch 1?

As I thought the show was ending they instead cut to Shigeru Miyamoto for a non-game related announcement. What?? The way he began talking made it sound like Nintendo was going to stop doing Directs. For a split second I felt a sense of dread. Turns out he just wanted to announce that Nintendo is release an app today called Nintendo Today which basically provides Nintendo news each day. Sign me up! I’ve already downloaded and tried it out. There’s not a lot to it currently but it’s still something I will use every day. I would like to see it get so popular that they eventually put all their tweets into Nintendo Today instead of Twitter, or any other social media site for that matter. Here’s hoping!

And that was it. I can understand feeling underwhelmed if looking at the Direct at face value. But knowing this was (probably) the final Switch 1 dedicated Direct, and the fact the Switch 2 Direct is mere days away, I’m pretty happy with what was presented today. This was a great warm up, and provided me more than I expected!