Switch 2's Metroid Prime Problem - “Now here’s the interesting part, we haven’t seen Nintendo sell a tech upgrade like this in more than 20 years. We’ve seen them launch new systems, sure, usually with a launch title that catches fan interest. But we haven’t seen them sell a graphical upgrade. The Wii was about selling motion controls in Wii sports. The Wii U was about selling asymmetric multiplayer in Nintendo Land. And the Switch, well the Switch was about selling you the Wii U games you didn’t play.”
Donkey Kong Country: One of the First “Impossible” Handheld Ports - “The concept of the “impossible port” has always fascinated me. The idea of taking a game, and adapting it to run on far weaker hardware than it was ever intended for. Elite on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, Wing Commander and Doom on the Super Nintendo, or more recent examples like Witcher 3 or No Man’s Sky on the Nintendo Switch are an alluring challenge to talented programmers and, especially in the case of handheld ports, an enticing promise for players. Such was the case when Donkey Kong Country, one of the most technically praised games on the Super Nintendo, came to the Game Boy Color.”
Eclipse: The Demo that Sold 3D to Nintendo - “In 1992 Nintendo published a Game Boy game called X. It was based on a demo called Eclipse that was programmed by a young man named Dylan Cuthbert. It would go on to form the basis of the Super Nintendo game, Star Fox. From there Shigeru Miyamoto would begin experimenting with 3D for Mario and Zelda, leading to Super Mario 64 and the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.”
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (Switch) Review - “Argonaut’s Croc remaster is executed with near perfection. Despite upgrading every aspect of the game, its respect for the original keeps it perfectly in line with what the game was. The updates to the controls mean that even if you’re playing with the original graphics and a CRT filter, it will still play better than it ever has. The Switch version specifically doesn’t really come with any compromises, offering the highest possible image quality and frame rate available on the platform. Croc is still a very simple platformer and obviously the original game design has not been changed, but it is presented here with a level of respect and admiration that only its original developer and avid fans could provide.”
Interview: Ace Combat 7 Producer Talks Switch Port Development - “I recently had the chance to conduct a short interview with Ryunosuke Hagiwara, the producer on the Switch version of Ace Combat 7, which releases today. He gave some great insight into the technical challenges they face and where their priorities were in bringing the game to Switch. He also mentioned Star Fox!”
Jet Force Gemini Widescreen Mode is Broken on Switch - “Jet Force Gemini is available on Nintendo Switch right now via the Japanese NSO app (the new 18+ one). However this release does have a very obvious bug that's a huge disappointment, especially in handheld mode. Jet Force Gemini was one of several Rare games of the era to support a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Goldeneye 007 offered this same feature, and the Switch release took advantage of this, making it the default display mode.”