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Image: Nintendo LifeOh, hello there! You must be here for our monthly rummage through the Nintendo Life Mailbox. Pull up a chair!Got something you want to get off your chest? We're ready and waiting to read about your game-related ponderings. Each month well highlight a Star Letter, the writer of which will receive a months subscription to our ad-free Supporter scheme. Check out the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page.Grab a cuppa and come with us now on a journey through time, space, and spam...Nintendo Life Mailbox - March 2025"indulge in said bells" (***STAR LETTER***)As a lifelong early adopter of new consoles, Ive often gawked at mid-gen refreshes such as Switch OLED or PS5 Pro, but have never felt a strong enough urge to pony up the cash for a seemingly trivial handful of upgrades. With Switch 2 on the horizon, and the mid-gen releases becoming increasingly more commonplace, Ive been left wondering if I should hold out a few years for the inevitable Switch 2 OLED, or what have you. (Switch 2 Pro? New Nintendo Switch 2 XL?)I think Im having a mid-gen crisis. I have a long enough backlog on my original Switch to last me a good few years (Im looking at you, Ace Attorney collections), but there does exist the looming FOMO by not being able to nab that sweet physical copy of Mario Kart 9 on launch day. I have just sincerely never wanted to spend several hundred dollars more for a console I already own with a few added bells and whistles, so maybe its high time I wait it out and allow myself to indulge in said bells and said whistles. Is this a shared experience? Has anyone else been questioning their loyalty to early adoption?LimitedPowerI joke about my triple-figure backlog, but if I played everything I own to completion and if my OLED Model didn't die I genuinely believe my current Switch library could keep me going for decades, not to mention older games for older systems. Enough amazing video games exist already to see me out quite happily.But I'm excited for the future! I absolutely get the desire to hang back and play what you've got rather than barrel on to the next thing like a good consumer, but I want to see where the medium is going and ride that wave. Budget is an understandable limiting factor for many (I've got good ol' professional obligation as an excuse), but personally there isn't a Nintendo system I regret adopting early, even when the inevitable upgrades came. - Ed.My first DS was a Lite, though Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life"just normal"Game completion - is it really worth it?I've been playing games for the past 20+ years, but never have really felt the need to get to 100%.Like most games, I enjoy the tale of learning how to play, get the moveset and skills up, but when I get to about 70/80%, feel as if I've completed enough of it to warrant the spend of the game, and then I'm happy to move onto the next one. Granted I play the 'easier' games, Mario/Crash/Spyro, so I get great enjoyment from the games, but if I then get stuck too much, I'm more than happy to give up, think I gave it my best shot, and just move on. I won't go back to those games either, think I've tried hard enough, and that's me done.Is anyone else like that?I've 100% some games, but also never done it just by myself. Always followed some sort of walk-through to get me there...that's just normal isn't it?Kevin BryantThat sounds normal and healthy, Kevin! Personally, I struggle with a brain that guilt-trips me unless I extract maximum value from anything I've bought, past the point of enjoyment. I've gotten better at ignoring it and walking away, but I still like finishing things.Everyone has their take, but you can't do leisure 'wrong' and video games aren't a test of moral fibre. There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving up and moving on from, oh let's say, Kirby and the Forgotten Land if, for instance, you made it most of the way through but got a bit bored.Speaking of moving on, let's. - Ed."if you'll humor me"Hey Nintendo Life staff!I have a suggestion for the Supporter benefits, if you'll humor me. I'd love to see a monthly/bimonthly Supporters Review Poll that would allow supporters to vote on a review they would like to see. The poll could be made up of games you all have wanted to review or smaller games that you could review more quickly (even community suggestions, if you're feeling adventurous). Whichever game receives the most supporter votes would be added to the review docket for the next month. I think this exclusive poll wouldn't go against your desire to avoid locking content behind a paywall, but maybe it would be a small way to show how supporters can influence the content they support.I know reviews are time-consuming, yet they are by far my favorite type of article on Nintendo Life. I love how many games you cover each year, so I absolutely would love to see more!Best,SolomonI like this idea, although we wouldn't want to stop non-supporters from getting involved. We'd also end up reviewing significantly more entries in the Hentai Waifu series if we didn't curate the shortlist.I'll take your suggestion under advisement, Solomon. Consider yourself humoured. - Ed.Image: Gemma Smith / Nintendo Life"the Birt"Hi, Nintendo lifeI have a question: what was your spark-game (similar to spark-bird which is the Birt that gets people into birding). Mine would be first Splatoon on Wiiu and second Wind Waker HD also on Wiiu. I have played video games since I got a Wii in about 2008 but didn't really get into gaming until Splatoon.OswaldTheLuckyGamerSpace Invaders on the 2600 was my first, I think (improbably, I have home video footage of me playing it in the '80s), but Castle of Illusion on the Mega Drive was The One. Helluva game. Team?"A boring answer, but its Ocarina of Time for me!" - Jim"I pretty much fell in love with the first game I ever played, Sonic 3." - AlanaAlso, Oswald, apologies. I was going to edit the typo, but it's Friday evening and it's tickled me. So I'm leaning into it. - Birt."photographs of game... things"How do you take all of those beautiful photographs of game... things... for your articles? Sometimes I'll read a random article like "Top 10 SNES games that were accidentally ported to the Sega Pico" (side note: that's not a real article, but it SHOULD be), and sure enough, you'll have a super-classy photo of the boxes of those 10 games. Occasionally the photo will credit Nintendo or whatever, but usually it's one of you lovely people. So do you have a vault of games, consoles, and accessories next to the professional photo studio that I also assume you have? Does the person writing the article send out an internal communication saying something like "I need a picture of 50 Wii games that start with the letter 'P'" and whoever is able to takes the photo? Or is it something more mundane, like the person writing the article is writing it because they actually own the games in question? At any rate, I've read SO many articles about things I'm not all that interested in just because I know it's going to be fun to read and look pretty, so please keep doing that.Kurt Asbestos*Notes down 'Top 10 SNES games that were accidentally ported to the Sega Pico' in the drafts listThank you, Kurt! Over the years, we've built up a library of photos, largely thanks to Hookshot's editorial overlord Damien McFerran and the vast collection of consoles and classic games he curates in NL Towers, plus his general Austin Powers-style prowess with the lens.In recent years, video producer Zion and community manager Gemma have added hundreds of images to the library, too, with some of us trying our hand when time and talent permit (it's all about the lighting, innit). These days, if we're missing something and can't do it ourselves, we put the call out on Slack and boom.I'll pepper some of our lesser-used shots throughout the page. Enjoy! - BirtImage: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life"having mouse"Do you think with the Switch 2 having mouse compatibility we might see a new renaissance for RTS games to be ported to it. I would personally love to play the old Command and Conquer games, Empire Earth, and even Starcraft playable on a portable system using mouse controls on screen or touchscreen in handheld.Kazman2007I'd love to see those old games find a new console audience, mainly so I can fill in gaps in my own gaming history. How strange to think it's Nintendo, of all platform holders, to inadvertently open that door - that is assuming 'Mouse Mode' is as straightforward as we're all imagining.I don't see there being a sudden explosion in the genre, as ultimately the audience for those old-school RTS games will always be on PC, and I'd argue that mouse input isn't the only hurdle preventing ports there (you've still got all the UI and scaling issues that come from playing on a TV rather than a monitor). But a few choice ports? Sign me up. - Birt"sugar coating it"Hey NL team!Whats your opinion on the current state of Nintendos NSO emulators?As someone whos spent a fair amount of time actually working with the real hardware they emulate, I personally believe that theyre some of the worse commercially available emulators known to man (and thats sugar coating it).Theres really no excuse for Nintendo to screw up simple emulators and have basically no backlog of games. It should be SO easy for them to make a high quality emulator with their repository of already great ones from years past.How the switch emulators run worse than the Wii ones is beyond me.What on Gods green earth could possibly be preventing them from putting Smash 64, the Pokemon Games, or games from well known partners on their NSO apps?If they continue this for the switch two, Ill pocket my money and buy a flashcart for my Super Famicom and Megadrive MetaCrystalFor anyone who once played them on original hardware, yes, it's massively disappointing to see games launch on NSO that aren't running or displaying as they should. When you're paying for the service and they're selling fairly expensive official pads to use with it, we're right to expect the best levels of accuracy from the company that made those machines. And a few more display options wouldn't go amiss.Recently, I attributed my failure to nail a landing with a tap of 'Z' in 1080 to not having played the game in years. It wasn't until later that I realised lag might be throwing me off. Yep, definitely the lag.Irritatingly, though, they've got things to the point that it's 'good enough' for the majority of NSO users. I wouldn't be surprised if the actual player numbers are far smaller than we might assume, and the incentive to make the best possible emulator just isn't there at a business level.And for Smash and Pokmon, there could be all sorts of reasons. Maybe they're holding back some very, very easy announcements for a quiet summer. - BirtImage: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life"pancakes and BotW"You may have already done this, but how about best memories of single-player games shared with someone?For instance, my cousin and I had a special summer of speculating how to solve the puzzles of Links Awakening, finally beating it, and then counting down the days for Oracle of Seasons to come out and do it all over again. Or for almost a full year in 2018-19 I would take my switch over to my brother& his wifes house every Saturday morning so we could have pancakes and BotW.Dark_IsatariThat sounds lovely and I'm genuinely jealous. People often talk about sitting down with their partners and sharing a Zelda or something, but I've never really had that. Tense Overcooked sessions? Sure, but never some serene, shared single-player experience with delicious sweetmeats.Fortunately, my kids have an enthusiasm for games acquired through sheer proximity to all the crap games in my house, so I'm hoping to enjoy many a shared adventure in the coming years. Team? - Birt"Ive never lived with anyone else who plays games, though I hit my peak Pokmon interest right around the launch of Black and White, and I will never forget going into school to compare notes with my friends about which mon we caught the evening before." - Jim"Playing 1000xRESIST with my partner. For some reason, it made the narrative that much more impactful, and it allowed both of us to discuss the plot, themes, and ideas as we played. Its a fantastic way to go through that game, so youre not bursting at the seams to spoil things online or scrambling to find someone else to celebrate that game with." - Alana"that woman's dog"I have a week before starting a new job and decided to replay my 3DS Ocarina of Time. I've replayed OoT at least 10 times and while I've done the Master Quests, the 3-heart challenges, and looked for sequence breaks this time I'm trying to play the game as if it's my first time. Talk to every NPC as if they may say something critical, check out secrets even though I already know what's there, etc. I've even gone into the back alley of Hyrule, an area I usually skip entirely (because, I am now remembering, I have no idea how to find that woman's dog).I'm wondering how you all approach replaying games. Do you try to recapture that first-time feeling (sort of like re-reading a book), or are you more likely to use your knowledge to find novel experiences?Thanks!Alex MaslowCongratulations on the new job! Beyond childhood favourites, I generally don't replay many games. A blast through Streets of Rage 2 or Banjo can do wonders for the soul, but there's just so much great new stuff out there. When I do go back to a Zelda or something, the geography will come back immediately but I've generally forgotten the details, so there's a fun blend of fresh and familiar. - BirtImage: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life"isn't really a problem"Can I have conflicting feelings over something that isn't really a problem to me? Because I'm feeling that over how it seems every game is made with Unreal Engine nowadays. Part of me wishes everyone would make their own engine or use something else nowadays. But on the other hand, I'm aware so many game built with the engine wouldn't have been made otherwise. Where do you, or anyone else on the Nintendo Life team stand on this issue? Are we suffering from Unreal Engine overload or is it all OK? (For the record, I am aware that games are also made with Unity and the like. I'm asking if we should be OK with so many games using seemingly the same two engines all the time.)WillaxAt least you have to check the credits to know they're Unreal games these days. 20 years ago you could spot UE a mile off from its slimy visual sheen over the brown and grey palette of the day.To your question, no. Making games is hard enough already, and any tool that helps artists realise their vision short of generating something from a prompt is a positive. More tools to compete with Epic would be nice, as Unity seems to be circling the plughole, but if everyone had to make their own engine, we'd miss out on an incalculable number of brilliant games. - BirtBonus Letters"I am an actor & voice artist who has provided voices for games that have appeared on Nintendo platforms AND I have a niece. Yet, I have no inside scoops for you. No, I don't understand it either. I am so sorry. I feel like I am letting everyone down." - Mana_Knight'Uncle who has provided voices for games that have appeared on Nintendo platforms' doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? - Birt"Hi NINTENDO COMPANY, first, I Wana thank you for all the games that you created over a decade." - AlvinNo need to thank us, Alvin! No, really. - BirtImage: Zion Grassl / Nintendo LifeThat's all for this month! Thanks to everyone who wrote in, whether you were featured above or not.Got something you'd like to get off your chest? A burning question you need answered? A correction you can't contain? Follow the instructions below, then, and we look forward to rifling through your missives.Nintendo Life Mailbox submission advice and guidelinesLetters, not essays, please - Bear in mind that your letter may appear on the site, and 1000 words ruminating on the Legend of Heroes series and asking Alana for her personal ranking isn't likely to make the cut. Short and sweet is the order of the day. (If you're after a general guide, 100-200 words would be ample for most topics.)Don't go crazy with multiple correspondences - Ideally, just the one letter a month, please!Don't be disheartened if your letter doesn't appear in the monthly article - We anticipate a substantial inbox, and we'll only be able to highlight a handful every month. So if your particular letter isn't chosen for the article, please don't get disheartened!How to send a Letter to the Nintendo Life MailboxHead to Nintendo Life's Contact page and select the subject "Reader Letters" from the drop-down menu (it's already done for you in the link above). Type your name, email, and beautifully crafted letter into the appropriate box, hit send, and boom you're done! Advert FreeShare:00 Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...