XiaoShao

I’ve been holding out buying the eshop version hoping for a physical, and I will definitely pick this up. Loved the Caesar and Pharaoh games back in the day, and I trust I&F will nail the formula!

Now hoping it’s not too long to wait for Super Rare to release Steamworld Heist 2 as well!

My choice: Arco. Fascinating setting, moving story, and brutal combat!

@ozwally Glad I could help, but also sorry to hear it is indeed still rough! I hope the devs make good and patch out the bugs. From everything I hear, it’s a truly fantastic game, and I’d love to experience it on Switch!

@ozwally So have you actually played the Switch port? I’ve seen some online reviews indicating the bugs are really bad, and was wondering if the Switch version was worthwhile. I’ve wanted to play the game for ages, but I’m hesitant about the Switch version until I hear more.

Speaking of Switch ports, is NL planning to review Wildermyth?

@Olliemar28 Great review! Did you also happen to ask about the possibility of a physical release?

Holding out hope for the TI-83 version!

I’ll make a submission for Arco. An absolute banger everyone should play!

I wonder if they really don’t have dev kits for Switch 2, or there’s just a draconian NDA holding back what they say? I would hope indies are hard at work on Switch 2 games!

Purrfect, a physical release!

But this also reminds me of the undoing of Annapurna, which remains unexplained.

@JohnnyMind From what I've read in interviews, the developer was originally making a SNES-style JRPG for the 3DS in which he had a tactical mini-game. Nintendo's announcement of closing the eShop caught him unawares and with the RPG nowhere near completion, so he released the mini-game as a standalone game with a promise to add more content later. He made good on the promise with the Papaya DLC.

I have the 3DS game, and it's fun. Not a classic, but a solid few hours of game play and well worth the price!

Update: IGN article with more background: https://www.ign.com/articles/meet-last-developers-releasing-games-3ds-wii-u

@RupeeClock By incorporating this move, I think we could say Nintendo has acknowledged the cartoon is canon!

Some of these comments are overly harsh for a game that hasn’t released yet. When Nintendon’t seem inclined to make a new Advance Wars game, I’m not opposed to Indies filling the gap. I’ll wait for release to see how well the developers have flushed out the game to give it their own take.

I think the ultimate popularity of the system will go a long way to determining its price. If Nintendo release it at a premium and it doesn’t sell, I would expect a price cut like 3DS. If it’s as popular as the Switch, they can maintain the initial price and presumably enjoy increasing profit margins over the system’s life. So I hope Nintendo is thinking about the long term with their initial price.

It’s honestly crazy Switch has never gotten a price cut. What was good value for the tech in 2017 is slightly ridiculous in 2024.

Your survey doesn’t include all parts of the US, leaving our areas like Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and other territories. And I’m not just being pedantic about this, I live in one of these 😟

Switch is definitely the tastiest cart!

I had just about given up hope on this port; it’s years behind schedule, and it almost makes sense to wait for Switch 2 at this point. Still, happy for this making it, and will definitely pick up the physical (even with the ugly banner about review scores)!

I’ve been very happy with all my purchases from Super Rare! Just got Wargroove 1+2 the other week!

Any chance for more Steamworld games? I’ve held off buying Steamworld Build in the hopes it gets a physical release…

This game sounds intriguing, and I will definitely give it a try.

Even without having played, I have to wonder about the game not being "scary" purely because it involves people, not monsters/zombies. The Battle of Verdun was one of the most horrifying experiences in history, and it utterly shattered many of the people that experienced it. I read the Price of Glory in college, a history book about Verdun, and it gave me nightmares. Are you saying the game doesn't capture that? Or are you saying war is not scary, only monsters?

Background music, like in the 3DS/Wii days, would make the slow scrolling more tolerable.

They had a dodgy reputation back in the day, as I can only recall their games being sold in the Kay B Toys bargain bins, but they released some gems. I recall getting a Tengen Golden Axe ripoff that I really enjoyed.

I imagine there’s enough millennials like me with fond memories that would make this a solid business move!

@Sonicka I love the Dig games too and would love another. But if that’s all I&F had been releasing over the past decade, and we were waiting for the fifth or sixth iteration, I imagine many would be bored with the formula and wanting something new. I appreciate that I&F have tried to keep Steamworld fresh, and I hope this sequel does well for them.

I've loved all the Steamworld games, but Heist has been my favorite so far. Very excited for this.

I hope they do another physical release through SRG (and still hoping that Build gets one as well...)!

@Grim I blame the TI-83 Tetris for why I never learned Calculus. The teacher required we get a graphing calculator, but I swear I don’t remember using it for anything except Tetris!

@Pak-Man Same. The fact some of this team did Freedom Force has me super excited for this game!

Looks promising! On my wish list.

Also reminds me of Metal Slug Tactics. What has happened with that game’s release date?

Grips like this make it more comfortable to hold a Switch with Joy Cons, but that still leaves you stuck with Joy Cons, which I find to be really flawed controllers: drift, lack of real d-pad, and buttons with little travel.

@Picola-Wicola Another satisfied Nitro Deck user here! Totally agree it's been perfect for my Switch, and I haven't taken my Switch out since getting it. I feel bad for those turned off by NL's review, since I've never had issues with the right thumb stick placement. I think it really comes down to hand size and how you prefer to hold controllers.

@-wc- I used Hori Split Pad Pro for a couple of years before getting a Nitro Deck, and I had been happy with them until the material on the left thumb stick started disintegrating. But it's amazing how much better the Nitro feels in the hands than the Hori. The Nitro makes the Switch feel like a high-end gaming device, and the Hori feel cheap and flimsy in comparison.

Loved the first game, and so excited to be getting a sequel! Best announcement in the show for me.

Hoping for Metal Slug Tactics update!

I suspect this is more about Thunderful trying to downsize and cut costs, not something shady. They've just structured this as a "sale" to move the company off their books but allow it to continue under a new owner, as opposed to shutting down the firm and laying everyone off.

I don't think comparing Thunderful and Embracer is at all fair. Embracer was/is a parasite trying to buy up firms and make itself a AAA publisher; Thunderful is a bunch of indies pooling their resources for more stability. I'm really sorry that Thunderful appears to be struggling.

Great interview! Very excited for this, and I'm certainly tempted to pre-order the LRG cart to play on my analogue pocket.

@LoneHammerBro I realize GBA games were around $30 back in the day, but with inflation that's equivalent to $50 today. And considering how this is a small batch of custom made carts, it's really not a terrible price.

@Bret Agree! Is it a trope that JRPGs have nonsensical names (in English at least)? Bravely Default was another game who’s title on its own is meaningless!

Can’t wait to check this out! I absolutely loved the first game, one of the more moving games I’ve ever played. This is the perfect chance to replay it, and then jump into this sequel!

It would be great if the collection of both games got a physical release!

@Zach777 Are you saying Pentiment’s icon on Switch is ugly?

@EVIL-C On shipping times, LRG has greatly sped up the past year. I’ve gotten a couple of games just 3-4 months after orders closed (even when the projected release was 8 months). I’m sorry shipping is so expensive for wherever you’re located (it’s nowhere near what you describe for me in the US), but I don’t know that’s LRGs fault. When I order games from Super Rare or Red Art, shipping to the US is similarly expensive. I think that’s just the reality of shipping now.

I wish more major publishers were committed to physical releases, but I fear the limited editions/collector/FOMO releases are the future for physical games. Publishers have every incentive to go all in on digital, and the only way physical releases make money is with more expensive limited editions. It’s better than nothing!

Microsoft is leaning so much into gamepass, I’m not surprised they won’t release a physical version themselves. I’m glad they were willing to engage LRG for us physical collectors. This game is right up my alley, and I will definitely preorder one!

@Diogmites Agreed. Simultaneous turns is an intriguing idea, but I’m skeptical whether it will work. Vandal Hearts 2 actually had a system like this, where both an enemy and one of your units would move simultaneously, but it was easy to game the system and manipulate the computer into doing what you wanted. Will be fascinating if this game pulls it off!

@bluemage1989 @Qwiff I imagine the comment was removed because this article is not a review of Disco Elysium where gamers should debate the merits of a game and whether they like it. This is an article about turmoil at this game developer and people losing their jobs. Ideally, we can all show some compassion for the people affected.

100% agree! I loved these titles, and I thought they were the perfect way to distill the fun elements of 8-bit games. Games from this era can be obtuse and frustrating, but they were often built around some fun mechanics. The remix games were brilliant in pulling out the fun elements for games that I would never otherwise want to play, like Balloon Fight.

I see a lot of people still advocating for a SNES remix as well, and this was a popular sentiment when the NES ones were released as well. But I actually don’t think the format would work as well for that generation. Game designs were often better on the whole, and you might lose as much as you gain pulling out micro games. For instance, id rather play micro games from the original Metroid, but can’t imagine micro games from Super Metroid would be an improvement.

Europe for me. Japan’s cover is too busy with too many characters illustrated in the same fashion. Europe’s cover breaks it up more by moving characters into a background.

As a NA gamer, it’s criminal so few of these games were released in the region!

@Qwiff I also love my nitro deck, and the right stick placement does not bother me at all. I think it's just very personal based on the size of your hands and how you prefer to hold a controller. Not a guarantee it will work for everyone, but equally that NL's critiques will not be true for everyone.

But while I think the nitro deck is excellent, this controller doesn't interest me. I play handheld 95% of the time, and the nitro deck is vastly superior to joy con. The Switch pro controller is more than adequate for when I play docked.

@PikaPhantom Good call, it really is a lazy icon. The game deserves better!

I’m normally cautious about mobile ports, but Valiant Hearts was such a fantastic game. One of the few games that moved me almost to tears. I’ll have to give this sequel a try!

I also hope it gets a physical release like the first!

I consider myself one of Engage’s defenders because I thought the battle system and maps were fantastic…but not so much the story and characters. Alear had zero personality, I really cannot imagine paying so much for this…

I’m confused: Switch cartridges are black, not grey, right? Same with DS cartridges (black), and 3DS were white. Does “grey” have a different meaning in the UK?

The games seems to have the graphical style of GBC Mario Golf, but the gameplay is more modern Mario Golf games that have ditched the RPG elements. It looks intriguing and will give it a try, even though I wish more games leaned into the RPG aspects.

Anyone know if Sports Story ever got patched and was more playable? I’d really hoped that was going to scratch that GBC era itch…

"Luigi's Mansion: 2 Dark 2 Moon"...brilliant! Thanks for the laughs!

@johnedwin Totally agree that Triangle was much better than Diofield. Diofield was flawed, but there were interesting parts, and I admire that SE took a chance on a unique game idea that I cannot see any other major publisher even trying.

I would generally prefer companies focus on quality over quantity, but I've appreciated how SE has stood out among major publishers in taking risks on more experimental quirky games. I've enjoyed games like Paranormasight, Diofield Chronicles, and Triangle Strategy. I imagine these all fall between a AAA and indie game, and I hope SE isn't planning to drop these types games all together to focus on AAA games.

I generally only buy physical copies of games that I want to retain and play again, so I don't think I've ever traded-in a game. And in the US at least, what Gamestop offers for a trade-in tends to be a rip-off.