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Welcome back to the Nintendo Life Mailbox. You hear that? That’s the sound of 2024 creeping up on you as we plough into the last week of September.
Yes, we’re back (slightly later than planned — hey, last week turned into a busy one!) with another selection of your correspondence for our monthly letters page feature.
Got something you want to get off your chest? We’re ready and waiting to read about your game-related ponderings. Each month we’ll highlight a Star Letter, the writer of which will receive a month’s subscription to our ad-free Supporter scheme. Check out the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page.
Let’s see what’s been bouncing ’round your brainboxes for the past month, shall we?
Nintendo Life Mailbox – September 2023
“Mediocre” (***STAR LETTER***)
As someone who grew up in the DS/Wii generation and didn’t know what a “Virtual Console” was as a child, I had limited exposure to retro games for a long period, other than seeing people online and in magazines talking about how the SNES generation was the greatest of all time. That’s why I was so excited for the SNES Classic Mini – I why I was disappointed to find out that I disliked so many games from that era (not Super Metroid though – that still rules). Initially, I wrote this off as a generational difference – growing up in the modern era of gaming, I had grown use to the more polished mechanics, and so even the best SNES games would feel archaic to me. That was until Game Boy games came to NSO, and I realised that despite the weaker hardware, I enjoyed these games far more. Super Mario World? Mediocre. Super Mario Land 2? Underrated gem. A Link To The Past? Boring dungeons and unfun combat. Link’s Awakening? Still the best 2D Zelda.
I am genuinely unsure what the cause of these feelings is, and so would like to ask the Nintendo Life community if anybody else has a similar experience of not liking one particular generation of Nintendo?
Munchlax
There’s certainly a generational aspect, although I’d argue that those 16-bit entries set the modern template to such an extent that we’ve essentially been playing variations on a theme for three decades. Has 2D Mario really changed Super Mario World? Likewise 2D Metroid and Zelda. Despite the shift to 3D for the latter, the structure of every Zelda game essentially followed LttP’s lead until BOTW! It’s little wonder that someone who wasn’t there at the time might be underwhelmed by the modern series’ progenitors. (Perhaps the GB entries feel sufficiently removed from that template that their idiosyncracies spark your interest?)
I don’t personally have rabid nostalgia for the SNES. Hey, I was a Mega Drive kid that gen! Super Mario Bros. 3 aside, it was really the 64-bit era that hooked me on Nintendo and that’s the generation I’m crazy for, although I’d imagine that it’s also the one many NL readers struggle with most these days. Trying to play those games on Switch using anything but an NSO N64 pad isn’t helping its legacy, unfortunately.
Have a month’s worth of Hookshot Supporter subscription. Plenty more video games out there to enjoy if SNES isn’t clicking with you! – Ed.
“Because Nintendo”
Hi guys! I wanted to share an idea for a poll. I’m a huge Zelda fan and I’ve been wondering why Nintendo haven’t released Twilight Princess and Wind Waker on the Switch. It’s weird right? Given that almost every other 1st party Wii U title got ported. It could be interesting to see what everyone thinks about it….
Franc001
Let’s have a look with a little guest poll, shall we? Here’s a slightly adapted version of Franc’s poll…
Personally, at this point in Switch’s lifecycle, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nintendo hold these back to fill gaps in Switch 2’s launch year. Easy wins to help maintain that monthly cadence of new games that put the Switch in such good stead back in 2017. – Ed.
“gnarly nerd-rage”
Dear renowned writers of serious frivolousness.
Longetime lurker has a simple question: Do you have any particular nerd-peeves? For example (and this is definitely one of my own) : I throw a gnarly nerd-rage anyone calls any random Link the hero of Time.
Other suggestions would be:
– The Xbox controller face buttons being the standard for PC controllers. Not only did they have to swap A-B and X-Y, but why did they have to jumble the SNES colours as well.
– Nintendo being considered the developers and/or owners for any and all games launching on their consoles. No Nintendo cannot announce a lot of games for Nintendo Switch Online. They only own like 50-something of all NES games, the rest aren’t theirs, and it’s less for every subsequent system.
– Call of Duty still being considered super relevant. Being the face of gaming had been taken over by Minecraft before Fortnite in turn.
Regards
SomeWiim from your local neighbourlands
I’m pretty chill these days, although my eyeball starts twitching when someone says “I could care less” meaning they couldn’t care less. And on the Hookshot Slack recently, someone (who shall remain nameless) disturbed my Force with the following declaration: “Attack of the Clones > Return of the Jedi”. Big oof.
Oh, a video game thing? Over to the NL team… – Ed.
- I get annoyed when people say ‘Majorca’s Mask’ instead of ‘Majora’s Mask’. – Ollie
- We’d all be lying if we said that people calling Link ‘Zelda’ and Samus ‘Metroid’ didn’t get under the skin, right? – Jim
“less is better”
Just a note to say thank you for the read. Your site has filled the void of Total magazine from back in the day! I’ve been Nintendo since the 80’s and think the Switch is easily the most accessible system, however [I] wish they brought back the Nintendo seal of quality. So much trash populating the store! Surely less is better or am I getting old?
James
You’re very welcome, James! You are getting old, but trawling through the weekly eShop additions has become an exercise in turd avoidance, unfortunately. We explored the problem recently — hopefully Nintendo has some plans to address the problem on the next console. – Ed.
“fresh”
Heya NintendoLife,
Wanted to follow up on the *Star Letter* about Tears of the Kingdom [“Overload” — issue #3], it reminded me about how I play games myself. I was wondering if anybody else either writing or in the community share this habit.I typically play a single game very intensely (with a few others on the side) and when I beat that game I end up taking a break away from it. After at least three months I’ll wipe my save file and start again to see what I’ve learned from the first time. I’ve reset my Breath of the Wild save six or seven times and it’s felt fresh every time. I beat Xenoblade 3 in a few weeks and came back three months later to do a 100% playthrough. I’ve even done the four routes in Fire Emblem Three Houses! Of course the beginning of each game are super tedious but it’s a great way to get more value out of games. Thoughts?
TheJGG
At this particular point in life, finding time to beat a game 100% even once is an achievement for me but, interestingly, Ollie recently restarted his TOTK save file and found himself appreciating it all the more. It’ll be intriguing to hear what other readers think — head to the comments to let us know! – Ed.
“add the ratings”
I was wondering if you could add the ratings (both ESRB and PEGI at the very least) to each game’s page. Some of us actually do care about the ratings, and I can’t find any consistent way to find this info for each individual video game anywhere online. Personally, I like to avoid M-rated games by the ESRB.
Could you at least recommend a method to consistently look up the ratings for most video games?
BulbasaurusRex
I’ve passed this on to Hookshot top brass — “Watch this space.” In the meantime, ESRB/PEGI ratings are displayed on all the official game pages of the three main platform holders. Eg. Spider-Man 2 on the PS Store (T), Starfield on the Xbox Store (M), Tears of the Kingdom on Nintendo’s site (E 10+). – Ed.
Bonus Letters
“I am not crazy! I know the switch 2 is coming out. I know it is 2024. One after 2023. As if I could ever make such a mistake. Never. Never!” – EaglyPurahfan
To me, it’s as real as that chair. It’s as real as this house, it’s as real as you. But…what if it’s not? What if it’s all in my head? – Ed.
“Instead of a Switch 2, would you be interested in a 3DSwitch as the next console?” – LinktotheFuture
How about as well as, hmm? – Ed.
“How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” – minecraftemery
Can they not? – Ed.
“What are your opinions on [Splatoon] 3’s map design?” – Snatcher
Several Splatoon letters this month. Jim is our resident Splatoon 3 expert on the editorial side — Jimbo? – Ed.
- Splatoon 3’s maps might be a little more basic than what some would have wanted, but if you just enjoy a good Turf War, I’d say there’s still a lot to like here. Sure, Mincemeat Metalworks drives me up the wall a little, but I love a bit of Scorch Gorge and Hagglefish Market! – Jim
“How good are y’all at ASCII art?” – sForzan
Oh, very good. You? – Ed.
what was the first nintendo game you remember playing? also if you can forget a game and replay it what game would you choose? – res1080p
Super Mario Bros. for me, and Majora’s Mask or Portal. – Ed
- Super Mario Land, I think. And RE4, without a doubt. – Ollie
- Probably Super Mario 64, and I’d love to re-experience BOTW fresh again. – Alana
- Ocarina of Time, and probably something like Mario Odyssey, purely for the number of ‘woah’ moments. – Jim
“Which games are still desperately missing on the Switch? My pick: The Disney Afternoon Collection.” – DwaynesGames
That’s a good one. They’re not desperate, but I’d be one happy chappy if we got The Witness and FTL. – Ed.
That’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 guidelines
- Letters, 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 Mailbox
- Head 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!
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