ApolloVI

I think the "next Switch" is just going to end up being a hardware revision. Either a Switch XL with a larger screen, or a Switch Mini with integrated controls which brings the price way down. I could see them going in either direction. As for a true next-gen leap, I've had this idea for a while now. They should revisit the Wii U idea of two-screen gameplay. Only this time it's the handheld streaming to the TV (or dock) instead of the console streaming to the handheld. Basically, your Switch would be like a Wii U gamepad that you could take with you anywhere. It would have everything that makes the Switch great right now, as well as the gameplay advantages that the Wii U brought to the table.

I don't see a $20 jump happening since that would be an awfully dramatic increase, but I could definitely see a $10 jump. I would be totally okay with this if they in turn reduce the amount of "season pass" type content and release fuller games from the start. But I don't trust the industry to be honest enough to make that change. Publishers are greedy and will want to milk each release for everything they're worth. So if they're not going to change, I see no reason to pay more for the same stuff. Especially as graphics are plateauing and the differences in generations are becoming more and more marginal.

I paid $130 for Halo 3 Legendary Edition (the one with the big Master Chief helmet) back in 2007. Worth it! Most I've ever paid for a used game is probably about $55. I paid about that much for both Super Mario RPG and Super Metroid on SNES. Retro games are getting expensive...

I don't really see them as DLC. I see them as figurines that just so happen to sometimes have a bit of gameplay functionality. Nothing that is unlockable solely through Amiibo has really impressed me that much (CPU training in Smash 4 and costumes in Breath of the Wild are probably the best things in almost 4 years of Amiibo coming out) so locking those things behind Amiibo never really bothered me. I would MUCH rather have that kind of content be locked behind Amiibo than the "season pass" model which so many games do nowadays by locking substantial content behind pricey expansions. Or god forbid, the lootbox model of forcing you to grind for months on end for random drops or take the easy way out by paying. At least Amiibo are a one-time purchase and keep delivering in small ways years after the fact.

They've merged their handheld and console lines, which seemed like a culmination of years of hinting at it. From the Super Game Boy on SNES, to the Transfer Pak on N64, to the GBA-GC link cable and Game Boy Player, to the Wii U gamepad offering a two-screen experience (one in your hand and one on TV), Switch feels like they finally pulled the trigger on combining both experiences. This is especially true when you look at the way they've been steadily declining in home console sales (except for the Wii which was an outlier) while handheld sales have been more or less steady. At some point, it wasn't going to be worth keeping the home-only consoles afloat and diverting more than half of their resources in that direction. It's much easier to have just one console to focus on. My theory for the next console is that it will be like the Switch (fully autonomous in handheld mode) but it'll also have some horsepower in the dock as well as data streaming ability to the handheld. This will allow docked games to have added features, but more importantly, it will optionally bring back the Gamepad-style experience of the Wii U. So you could basically pull the handheld out of the dock and still play it right on your TV while having a second screen in your hand for whatever features that may entitle. Then you could walk away at any time and keep playing the game in handheld mode if you so choose. You might lose some added features but the game will still be fully playable on the go. To me this would be a full culmination of both the Wii U's promise of asymmetric gameplay and the Switch's promise of versatility. If you throw in a sensor bar, it theoretically has all the tools to emulate Nintendo's complete library on Virtual Console as well (other than disabling 3D on 3DS and Virtual Boy games, that is). Sounds like a dream to me.

Metal Gear Solid 3. Such a great story, but so tragic.

So far, the following third party franchises are confirmed for the game with playable characters: Metal Gear (Konami) Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega) Mega Man (Capcom) Pac-Man (Bandai Namco) Street Fighter (Capcom) Final Fantasy (Square Enix) Bayonetta (Sega/PlatinumGames) Castlevania (Konami) Who else deserves a spot on the roster? Personally, I would say a Dragon Quest representative would be fitting given the franchise's deep roots with Nintendo. Erdrick would be a nice choice. In addition to that, I think Rayman would make a neat addition. He was a trophy in Smash 4, and Ubisoft has grown tight with Nintendo in recent years (see: Mario + Rabbids, Fox's appearance in Starlink). What do you think?

I actually love both of those games, especially Sunshine which I know like the back of my hand, haha. I can't bring myself to finish Donkey Kong 64. The world is so enormous and there are so many collectibles that can only be earned by specific characters that it's overwhelming. I've been meaning to finish it since it came out in 1999. I was in fourth grade when it came out! And yet it's still nagging at me to this day. But I will beat it someday. It'll probably be the last game I beat while I'm on my deathbed.

I feel like people should be allowed to play games the way they want to play. Personally, I try not to use them, but if a game is just making me miserable in trying to get through a specific part, I'll look up how to beat it so that I can move on. Life's too short to get stuck for very long. Hand-holding guides can be very useful for achieving 100% or winning a game in a specific way (to see a special ending, etc). So they definitely serve their purpose. As for resources, GameFAQs is still one of the best places to find quality free guides IMO. I've been going there since 2002. Every game has a dedicated board too, so if you have a specific unanswered question you have it answered directly. And of course YouTube is the best place to find footage if you have a hard time visualizing something described in text.

I got one a few months ago when Gamestop was doing a deal. I was able to get a console, 4 controllers, and a couple of VMUs for a really good price. I also picked up a tremor pack later. So far I also haven't messed with it too much. I did buy (and beat) Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles since the DC version is the best one. Aside from that, I also burned a couple of discs: a Gameshark disc and a VMU manager disc. I also tried to get VGA output running to my TV using a cheap cord, but it doesn't work on my main TV which lacks the VGA port. I may need to get a VGA box eventually, but I'll have to stick with composite for now. Eventually I'm going to try out some more games. Shenmue and Power Stone for sure.

Pretty simple question. Or is it? 🏁

My brother had an original "brick" Game Boy that we kinda shared. Or rather, he didn't play it much and I just kinda was able to play it whenever I wanted to. Best game was Tetris, definitely. Then, for my 7th birthday, my grandparents bought me my very own Game Boy Pocket with Super Mario Land 2 and The Empire Strikes Back. That thing was great. Smaller, fewer batteries, and the LCD screen had better contrast. And Mario Land 2 was an incredible game, still one of my favorites. I didn't get my first home console until early 1999. My dad really liked watching us play NFL Blitz in the arcade, so he got us an N64 with Blitz, Yoshi's Story, and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron initially. One game each for my brother, my sister, and myself. We were ALL OVER the N64, we absolutely loved it. In less than 3 years we probably ended up with 35 games 😄

I don't have Detective Pikachu, I'm not really a Pokemon fan so he wasn't a big deal to me. I might get him if I can catch him on a sale though. I actually lucked out with my Mega Yarn Yoshi. I originally had no intention of getting him ($40 in the States, which is the full price of like 3 regular Amiibo, plus functionally he doesn't really do anything interesting) but Toys R Us ran a promotion one weekend where they were selling ALL single Amiibo in a 2-for-$20 deal. Someone must have screwed up because Mega Yarn Yoshi was included in this promotion. So essentially, I paid $10 for my Mega Yarn Yoshi 😁My only regret was not getting two of them, instead I got a Waddle Dee in the other half of the promotion.

I love San Andreas! I've been meaning to go back and do a full playthrough for years now. The map is so breathtakingly huge and there are so many places of interest to go, things to do, vehicles to drive. Even after GTA 5 it still impresses me. My favorite thing was always to input the jetpack cheat, the invincibility cheat, the infinite ammo cheat, and one of the gun set cheats, then strip down to my underwear and take the jetpack to the top of the pyramid in Las Venturas and have a huge standoff with the police/army. The fact that you can do all of those things is just hilarious.

Yes, I think the N64 Classic is not only likely, but inevitable. It just might take a year or two just to make sure there are plenty of NES and SNES Classics in circulation before moving on to the next one. Also the longer they wait, the cheaper the technology gets. Losing out on nearly every Rare game will be a bummer, but I feel like they can still work around that and build a decent library using mostly first-party games. I'm thinking they could do a console with maybe 16 games and it would be quite appealing. Super Smash Bros Super Mario 64 Paper Mario Mario Kart 64 Mario Party 2 Donkey Kong 64 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Star Fox 64 F-Zero X Pokemon Snap 1080 Snowboarding 3 third party games - maybe Bomberman 64, Harvest Moon 64, and Castlevania Legacy of Darkness? You could also consider Yoshi's Story, Pilotwings 64, Wave Race 64, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Sin & Punishment, and several others. Controller-wise, I think they should pack-in 2 controllers. That way you can do multiplayer right out of the box, which was a big emphasis for the 64. It's going to be a big box, but whatever. That also reduces the supply strain on people trying to get their hands on people trying to get their 3rd and 4th controllers. Price-wise I think they could aim for $80 to $100. Spare controllers could come in at maybe $15 to $18 a pop.