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Fry retweeted this, and I thought I should post it here.

Apparently, a small bit of footage from an unreleased Nintendo arcade game called "Space X" has been discovered.




This is interesting, and it looks quite sophisticated for 1981. I wonder if the background is FMV with sprites layered over it, similar to games like Asteron Belt and M.A.C.H. 3 (although, those games came years later). However, the background seems to react to the player, tilting left and right with their movement, and spinning when taking a hit.

Ys IX is coming to Switch and PC on July 6!



Hope it's a good port.

Super Mario Bros 2 X Super Mario Bros 2.

So, it's been a good while since we've had a NinDB Top 25, and as you know, the current activity level of the forum makes it impractical to create a proper tallied list. However, I decided that we could each still post our own personal top 25 games. It would be a nice update to see what new games we like, and how our tastes have changed in the past several years.

And since we don't have to conform to a set of rules for the sake of counting things fairly, then that means you can make your own rules! Decide whether you want to include third-party games, whether Virtual Console counts, whether compilations count, whether you want to include individual games or lump things together. Maybe you just want to include a minigame for some reason. Make your list reflect your preferences! (Although, I would hope you would at least still include a short explanation for each entry, just to keep things interesting.)

For my list, I'm doing things a little differently. First off, I've decided to include only Nintendo games (that is, games produced and/or published by Nintendo), mainly for the sake having a more focused list. It always felt a little awkward including certain third-party games that I did not originally play on a Nintendo platform. Also, while I generally stick to one game per slot, I do lump things together in a couple of places.

Trying to create a "Top X" list always drives me a little crazy because it often doesn't make much sense. For example, how can you really measure a game like Fire Emblem again something completely different, like F-Zero? So, I've just tried not to take it too seriously, and instead, aim for making it interesting by representing different Nintendo series' and eras (and trying not to spam too many Zelda games).

Again, these are just the criteria I'm setting for myself. You don't need to follow my lead. Make your list your own!

Above all, have fun with it!

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And without further ado, here is my countdown of my NinDB Top 25!

25. Mario Bros. (arcade)

Gotta represent Nintendo's classic arcade era. It's hard to explain why this game appeals to me, but I was always happy to find it in arcades back in the day. It's fun and addictive, and two people can play it together (if only I had friends that wanted to play it with me).

24. Super Mario Bros. 2/USA

While I enjoyed this game when it first came out, I've come to appreciate it more over time. Its departure in gameplay was jarring at the time (I didn't know it wasn't originally a Mario game until a few years later), but for what it is, it's still a great platform game. It has earned its right to be part of the Mario series, and has had a profound influence on it ever since.

23. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water

This game left a strong impression on me due to its themes and characters. As someone who struggles with mental health issues, I was driven to see the characters make it through their own struggles, and it was oddly therapeutic.

So far, this is the only Fatal Frame game I've ever played, but I hope to try another someday.

22. Star Fox Zero

I can understand why this game is divisive, but it's my favorite Star Fox game. The controls have a really steep leaning curve (if not a learning cliff), but once I got the hang of them and they started to become second nature, it changed everything, and the game ascended to an entirely new level.

It's also one of the most immersive video game experiences I've ever had. The use of the Wii U Gamepad, with its extra screen and speakers, really extended the game beyond the television, making it feel more like one of those enclosed arcade games. It is, perhaps, an indication of the untapped potential of the Wii U Gamepad.

21. Splatoon

I never thought I would get into an online arena shooter, but Splatoon is, essentially, the Mario Kart of online arena shooters. It's approachable, easy to get into, and has a very warm and welcoming community. It also had the added benefit of not causing me motion sickness, likely because it's third-person instead of first-person.

20. “Nintendo Tetris” (various)

Like many people, I got hooked on Tetris when I played it for the first time on the original Game Boy. I still find Tetris to be relaxing to play even now. You could say Tetris is Tetris, but Nintendo's takes on it, particularly with Tetris 99 and Tetris DS, are my favorites.

19. Super Mario Bros.

The original Super Mario Bros. really left an impression on me when I played it as a kid. There was simply nothing else like it at the time, and if it seems simple or generic by today's standards, that only serves to show how incredibly influential it was. But it also has a timelessness to it, and I can still go back and enjoy it all these years later.

18. F-Zero X
17. F-Zero GX

I like F-Zero X and GX almost equally, even though I think they feel distinctly different from each other. X is more methodical and flowing, whereas GX is more frenetic with course designs that like to troll you. But despite being a little too difficult for its own good, I give the slight edge to GX for purely sentimental reasons.

F-Zero GX brings back memories of my mother before she passed away. It's a little hard to explain why, as there's not much of a story to tell, but those final memories I have from the last year of her life are extremely precious to me.

16. StarTropics

This is just a childhood game that I still love, perhaps even more than I did back then. It has such an appealing theme with fun characters and lots of dumb jokes. I remember first seeing the ad on TV, and being intrigued. Then I was fascinated by the coverage in Nintendo Power magazine. I finally got the game for myself, and I enjoyed it every bit as much as I thought I would.

I love the sequel, too, and it's a shame the series never continued past the NES.

15. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

The original Xenoblade Chronicles was one of the games that helped get me back into RPGs. It was also a game I wasn't sure I'd get to play due to Nintendo of America's reluctance to publish it, so it felt a bit more special when I finally did get to play it.

I'm listing the Definitive Edition here because I appreciated the game even more replaying it all these years later. Also, I highly enjoyed Future Connected. While short, it was a satisfying addition.

14. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

With the original Legend of Zelda, I relied a lot on strategy guides to help me get through it. But with A Link to the Past, I decided from the outset that I would figure it out on my own... and I did! (Although I did sequence break at one point, but since I figured that out on my own, too, I don't consider it cheating.)

A Link to the Past is also one of the earliest examples I can think of where a video game made me feel a little emotional.

13. Fire Emblem (series)

I'm cheating a little here and lumping the whole Fire Emblem series (or, at least, the ones I've played) into one entry. I have to admit, I don't think there's one individual game that stands out to me above the rest. The Blazing Blade is the one I have some sentimental feelings toward, due to it being the first Fire Emblem game I played, and it was quite satisfying to finally be able to try one after having read about the series in Nintendo Power magazine all those years prior. But from a gameplay standpoint, I think I enjoyed other games more. Ultimately, I just appreciate the series as a whole.

12. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
11. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Here are another two games that are hard to measure against each other, as I think they're both great. But I'll give the edge to Diddy's Kong Quest due to having played it first and having more nostalgia for it. They are both superb platform games, and I appreciate their high challenge levels. And perhaps it's not a coincidence that both have amazing soundtracks by Dave Wise.

10. Hyrule Warriors

When I first got Hyrule Warriors on Wii U, I figured I'd play it for about a month and then move on to the next game. And that's exactly what happened. But when I was done with that other game, I came right back to Hyrule Warriors, and I continued to play it regularly for the next two years. I bought all the DLC, and even got the Link amiibo to unlock the spinner weapon.

This was one of the most addictive games I'd ever played, and it was such a great celebration of the Zelda series.

9. Super Mario Bros. 3

The original Super Mario Bros. was a phenomenon, and SMB3 was a dramatic evolution of that game's core gameplay. After the departure of SMB2/USA, it also felt like a return to form. In fact, I would say the impact was even greater because of SMB2/USA (as opposed to if the original SMB2/Lost Levels had been released here instead).

This was also one of the first games I remember getting a lot of hype. Heck, there was even a movie that felt like a promo for it. But it was so big and creative, it still managed to surpass expectations.

8. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

While I do acknowledge this game has its flaws, to me, they're more like minor annoyances than major experience-ruining missteps like many people make them out to be. Overall, there's far more to love than hate about it. It has some of the best dungeons in the series (a water temple that's actually fun is an accomplishment in itself), and a well-paced overworld. The combat is excellent, with enemies that are actually challenging (and yes, I liked the motion controls). It also had versions of Link and Zelda that I really cared about, and I wanted to see them be together.

And not only did Skyward Sword introduce elements that would later be staples of Breath of the Wild, but it also contained a precursor to Hyrule Warriors.

Also, Groose is one of the best side characters ever in a Zelda game.

7. Sin & Punishment: Star Successor

My favorite rail shooter ever. I consider this to be Treasure's magnum opus. Yet, it's so underappreciated, stuck in the shadow of the original Sin and Punishment. If this game had been the hit it deserved to be, perhaps Treasure would still be developing games today. Sure, it could use some more unlockables, and the online leaderboards are no longer online, but in true Treasure style, it's a hardcore action game that stands with the best in the genre.

6. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

In a way, this is the most formulaic Zelda game, conforming closely to the traditional framework, and almost feeling like a remake of Ocarina of Time. But it's also highly refined. I love the atmosphere. It has some of my very favorite dungeons in the series (especially the triple threat of Temple of Time, Snowpeak, and City in the Sky), as well as great combat. I've always highly enjoyed every playthrough of this game.

5. Super Metroid

I was a bit late to the party with Super Metroid. I actually wasn't into the original or Metroid II, and while I was impressed with Super Metroid when I first played it as a rental, I didn't actually own a copy until a few years later when it was re-released under the Player's Choice label. But I quickly realized what a brilliant game it was and became a fan of the series.

4. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

I remember when this game came out, the graphical style was a little bit divisive in the same way as The Wind Waker was when it was first shown. But I, personally, really liked it because it was so fresh and unique compared to everything else at the time. Despite being labeled as a sequel to Super Mario World, the gameplay was almost as different from that game as SMB2/USA was from the original SMB. That never bothered me, though, because the game was so relentlessly inventive from start to finish. This was one of the few games at the time that I was willing to 100 percent because I enjoyed playing it so much.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

While Majora's Mask is not a true open world like Breath of the Wild, it does have the most “alive” world of any Zelda game. I remember being fascinated with each NPC having their own schedule and agenda, and being able to alter it depending on how you interacted with them. (I was particularly fixated on the Anju-Kafei side quest.) It was a very unique type of puzzle solving.

Also, while it's smaller than Ocarina of Time in terms of scope and scale, I also appreciated that it was more focused. There's less wasted space than in most other 3D Zelda games, and that made the moment-to-moment experience more substantial.

2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (+Torna ~ The Golden Country)

While I enjoyed the original Xenoblade Chronicles, I pretty much moved on once I had finished it. Xenoblade Chronicles 2, however, clicked with me in a way I didn't expect, and it resonated with me long after I was done playing it. It is a flawed game (Monolith Soft clearly rushed the development a bit), but everything falls into place to create an experience greater than the sum of its parts.

I'm also including Torna ~ The Golden Country here. While it can be considered its own standalone game, I got it as part of the expansion pass, so for me, it's part of the whole Xenoblade Chronicles 2 experience. It's short, but more refined than the main game, and has an ending that still wrecks me emotionally no matter how many times I've seen it.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I've spoken before about how Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are like companion games to me, so naturally, I'm placing them side-by-side on this list. And if that means occupying the top two spots, then so be it.

Breath of the Wild is another example of a game that surpassed my expectations, despite my expectations being extremely high to begin with. It's been four years since its release, and I still feel like I could go back and play it almost indefinitely. Even if I'm not actually accomplishing anything, it's just such a fun and relaxing world to simply be in. It almost feels like a form of meditation.

Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chornicles 2 are two games that have come to mean a great deal to me. Maybe they were just the right games at the right time, but playing them back-to-back and having them both make such equally strong impacts on me is an experience that I'm not sure I'll ever have again in my lifetime.

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For reference, here is my full list in descending order:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (+Torna ~ The Golden Country)
3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
4. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
5. Super Metroid
6. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
7. Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
8. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
9. Super Mario Bros. 3
10. Hyrule Warriors
11. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
12. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
13. Fire Emblem (series)
14. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
15. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
16. StarTropics
17. F-Zero GX
18. F-Zero X
19. Super Mario Bros.
20. “Nintendo Tetris” (various)
21. Splatoon
22. Star Fox Zero
23. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
24. Super Mario Bros. 2/USA
25. Mario Bros. (arcade)

Pac-Man 99 has been announced, and will be available very soon for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.



Seems cool. I look forward to trying it out.

Also, late reply, but in regards to Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light...



I think what might happen is that about a year from now (or sometime in 2022) it will be brought back and simply added to the Switch Online NES app in North America and Europe. I think they were just giving people a chance to own a copy before that.

That's kind of what happened with Star Fox 2. Initially, it was only available on the SNES Mini/Classic, but a year later, it was added to the Switch Online SNES app.

I found out that in addition to the three ships in the demo, you can actually unlock three more, so the demo actually has a total of six ships. You have to finish the first stage, and then purchase the additional craft in the Museum mode with the materials you collected. Unfortunately, the demo doesn't save progress, so you would have to unlock them again every time you start the demo.

There's now a demo available on the eShop in North America (and, I assume, other regions). It includes the first level, three ships (which can be customized), and four difficulty settings.

Based on it, I'm happy to learn that the Switch version seems to run just fine (to my satisfaction, at least). I also had a surprisingly hard time beating the boss until I figured out a strategy that works.

Aside from the demo, I was disappointed to learn that the bonus levels that recreate classic R-Type stages are planned to be paid DLC. Although, if you backed the crowdfunding campaing at a tier for either a digital or physical copy of the game, you'll be able to get them for free.