Nintendo in 2025 Predictions with Dale Clayton, Super Mario Marunouchi Bright Holiday

[00:00:08] Welcome to Tokyo Game Life, a Tokyo-based video game podcast focusing on Nintendo and gaming culture in Japan's capital.

[00:00:14] Your host, Mono, here to bring you a slice of gaming life from Tokyo.

[00:00:19] YouTuber and returning guest Dale Clayton swings by as we share our predictions for Nintendo in 2025.

[00:00:25] What will Switch 2 launch with? Is Star Fox coming back as a new genre? Will Astro Bot come to Smash?

[00:00:30] We're aiming for a 100% hit rate this episode, so buckle in and listen to some spoilers for the upcoming year of Nintendo games.

[00:00:38] In the future, I take you to the golden streets around Tokyo Station and the Super Mario Marunouchi Bright Illumination event.

[00:00:45] Let's jump into the games with Nintendo in 2025 predictions with Dale Clayton.

[00:00:55] We're just a few hours away from saying bye-bye to 2024, so let's look forward to the future all the way to the year 2025.

[00:01:03] What's Nintendo's game plan for the new year? Don't worry, I'll tell you, but I'm not alone as I'm joined by a special guest.

[00:01:09] So guest, please introduce yourself.

[00:01:11] Hi everybody, it's me again, Dale, a YouTuber living in Japan.

[00:01:15] I was on this podcast just a couple of weeks ago talking about the Pokemon X Korgay exhibit and Mario & Luigi Brothership.

[00:01:21] You may remember me from then. It's good to be back.

[00:01:23] Thanks for joining me yet again.

[00:01:25] We're here today to share some predictions or perhaps spoilers for Nintendo's 2025.

[00:01:30] But before we jump into that, what did you think about Nintendo's 2024 as a whole?

[00:01:35] Yeah, I think that was one of my predictions last year that Nintendo would have a kind of off 2024.

[00:01:41] And that's kind of true.

[00:01:42] They only put out a couple of games or only one really big game comes to mind from Nintendo themselves being Super Mario Party Jamboree.

[00:01:50] We had a lot of Nintendo games from second party developers, Princess Peach Showtime, Mario & Luigi Brothership, a couple of remakes, Paper Mario and Luigi's Mansion.

[00:02:01] But yeah, very few big, let's say, very few big heavy hitters from Nintendo this year.

[00:02:07] So at least that prediction was right.

[00:02:09] But we did still see some pretty good stuff from them.

[00:02:12] Yeah, it definitely had a we are all hands on deck for Switch 2 vibe.

[00:02:16] And outside of side order, all of Nintendo's releases this year were not developed in-house, aka by EPD.

[00:02:22] So I have to imagine they are cooking something up.

[00:02:25] And maybe we will see a lot of these titles next year.

[00:02:28] But before we jump all the way to 2025, let's look at our 2024 predictions and see how we did.

[00:02:34] Now, you definitely did better than me, so don't worry.

[00:02:36] But we did go into last year's prediction thinking Switch 2 is totally coming out this year, aka 2024.

[00:02:44] I even told you off mic, don't even waste your predictions on Switch 2 coming out because that's just a lock.

[00:02:51] Now in the episode, I did say, quote, I do think it would be kind of funny if Nintendo released the next Switch in 2025 and then totally ruined the episode and baffled everybody.

[00:03:01] And I do stand by that.

[00:03:02] I do think it was kind of funny.

[00:03:04] That Nintendo didn't release Switch 2 this year.

[00:03:06] Dale, when did you realize that Switch 2 wasn't coming out in 2024?

[00:03:11] I think by the time we got to the summer, I think it was the June direct.

[00:03:15] As soon as that happened, I thought, okay, they filled out the rest of the year with Switch releases.

[00:03:21] So Switch 2 is not coming this year.

[00:03:23] Yeah, that was the time where I lost hope.

[00:03:25] Some people will probably still have hope.

[00:03:27] They're still clinging on to at least maybe it'll be announced this year.

[00:03:30] But I think we need to wait for 2025.

[00:03:33] And that's what we're going to get into.

[00:03:35] But before we get into our new predictions, let's go over our 2024 predictions.

[00:03:40] So your first prediction, 2024 will be the year of Donkey Kong.

[00:03:44] Was it the year of Donkey Kong?

[00:03:46] In some ways, Donkey Kong Country at Universal Studios Japan just opened the other day.

[00:03:51] So that snuck in right at the end of the year.

[00:03:54] We did get the release of Mario vs. Donkey Kong at the beginning of the year.

[00:03:59] And Nintendo has been teasing the upcoming release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD at the beginning of next year.

[00:04:05] So in some ways, Donkey Kong appeared in Mario Party.

[00:04:10] That's another one.

[00:04:11] That's about it.

[00:04:12] I'd say out of all the years Donkey Kong has existed, this is probably at least top 10, maybe top 5 even.

[00:04:19] The theme park is probably going to bring in more money than any DK game ever.

[00:04:23] So he'll be eating well for a while.

[00:04:25] Yeah.

[00:04:25] I forgot to mention, Donkey Kong Land, the whole trilogy just dropped in NSO a couple weeks ago.

[00:04:31] You can play every quote-unquote country slash land game on your Switch very, very soon.

[00:04:36] And your second prediction, more expansion into TV and movies.

[00:04:39] And we did get an announcement that Pokemon and Aardman, who made Wallace and Gromit, are doing something.

[00:04:45] So I'd say you're right.

[00:04:47] Yeah, that's exciting.

[00:04:48] And Nintendo did clarify that a sequel to the Mario movie is coming as well.

[00:04:52] Yes.

[00:04:53] And your third prediction, we're going back to Unova.

[00:04:57] Now, Dale, what was your reaction when Nintendo threw us the curveball of all curveballs and announced Pokemon Legends ZA?

[00:05:04] Yeah, that was kind of funny.

[00:05:05] We just skipped Unova.

[00:05:06] But after that happened and I thought about it a bit more, I think it makes sense.

[00:05:10] I think Black and White was a little bit of a controversial generation.

[00:05:14] And when they released Pokemon X and Y, it was kind of like a response to how mixed the reaction to Black and White was.

[00:05:20] Hmm.

[00:05:20] So I don't think they want to retread Black and White because of how quote unquote controversial it was at the time.

[00:05:26] So skipping Black and White kind of made sense.

[00:05:28] Hmm.

[00:05:29] Your fourth prediction was more remakes and remasters.

[00:05:31] And you called out Twilight Princess and Wind Waker HD.

[00:05:35] And ironically, we got a brand new Zelda game this year.

[00:05:37] So again, Nintendo zigged where we zagged.

[00:05:40] And you did call out Planet Robobot, which is currently rumored to be coming to Switch.

[00:05:45] So maybe you are right, but just a little early.

[00:05:47] Yeah, I think so.

[00:05:48] And your final prediction was that Switch 2 would launch with Mario.

[00:05:52] Again, maybe a little early on that one.

[00:05:54] Mm-hmm.

[00:05:54] So how are you feeling about last year's predictions?

[00:05:57] You're right.

[00:05:57] There were a few hits there.

[00:05:59] So yeah, when that Planet Robobot, a rumor surfaced a couple of weeks ago, I felt really vindicated.

[00:06:05] Yep, I knew that was coming.

[00:06:06] Although it would be kind of weird to have Robobot without Triple Deluxe.

[00:06:09] But that's just me.

[00:06:11] Now for me, my predictions, I said Mario Kart will come out with a track editor.

[00:06:15] And that was wrong.

[00:06:17] And I also said that a Splatoon movie will be announced, which is wrong again.

[00:06:21] But they should do that.

[00:06:22] They should make a Splatoon movie.

[00:06:24] And my third prediction was that EPD would announce a new IP.

[00:06:29] Now Dale, is Alarmo a new IP?

[00:06:32] Oh, that's a good question.

[00:06:33] I have zero interest in Alarmo at this point.

[00:06:36] But I guess it is.

[00:06:38] I'm going to count it.

[00:06:38] Yeah, let's count it.

[00:06:39] Yeah.

[00:06:39] And I said we will be getting another 3DS remaster.

[00:06:43] And ironically, we didn't.

[00:06:44] We only had Luigi's Mansion 2, which was already announced in mid-2023.

[00:06:48] So Nintendo didn't really dip into that well.

[00:06:51] And my last prediction was that Monolith Soft would announce a new game that's not a Xenoblade title.

[00:06:56] And instead, they announced one of the most Xenoblade games to ever exist.

[00:07:00] So I was very, very wrong.

[00:07:03] But we also did some Flash predictions, which was just these short little predictions that we threw out.

[00:07:09] Switch 2 will have Switch in the name.

[00:07:10] We both said yes, again, TBA.

[00:07:13] Will the Switch 2 logo have red as the color?

[00:07:16] We both said yes, again, TBA.

[00:07:19] And there will be a new Pokemon revealed next year as in a new creature.

[00:07:23] And we both said yes.

[00:07:25] But actually, no new Pokemon, to my knowledge, were revealed in 2024.

[00:07:29] It's been a long time since we've seen a new Pokemon.

[00:07:32] So this is probably the longest it's been since we've seen a new Pokemon in over 10 years.

[00:07:36] Yeah.

[00:07:37] I did some weird calculation recently where there's about, what, 1,010 Pokemon or around that number.

[00:07:43] And Pokemon came out in 1996.

[00:07:45] So over 25 years.

[00:07:48] But if you divide the number of days from when Red and Green came out to now,

[00:07:53] on average, there's a quote-unquote new Pokemon announced once every nine days.

[00:07:58] Which I think is kind of a funny thing to think about.

[00:08:00] Imagine if every nine days they just announced one new Pokemon.

[00:08:03] Okay, this is the middle evolution of the starter for the next generation.

[00:08:07] That would be a really weird release strategy.

[00:08:10] But something they could do.

[00:08:11] And the next one is that Nintendo will have a weird name for some feature.

[00:08:14] We both said yes, again, TBA.

[00:08:17] And the last one is that there will be a new Kirby game in 2024.

[00:08:20] Oddly enough, that was a pretty safe prediction.

[00:08:22] But no, there wasn't one.

[00:08:24] And we were both expecting it.

[00:08:25] But maybe next year.

[00:08:27] Yeah.

[00:08:27] Now, listeners, you're probably thinking,

[00:08:29] I'm going to turn off the episode.

[00:08:30] These guys are wrong.

[00:08:31] But that was just practice.

[00:08:33] 2024 was practice.

[00:08:34] Dale and I are more locked in than ever before.

[00:08:37] And we can guarantee that all our predictions will come true.

[00:08:40] Now, Dale has five.

[00:08:41] I have five.

[00:08:42] And we will do some flash predictions at the end.

[00:08:44] And all will be revealed.

[00:08:47] So, Dale, hit me with your first prediction for Nintendo in 2025.

[00:08:51] Okay, first prediction.

[00:08:52] Pretty big one.

[00:08:53] Pretty obvious one.

[00:08:54] If you remember, 2020 was the 35th anniversary of Mario.

[00:08:57] Mario, which makes 2025 the 40th anniversary of Mario.

[00:09:02] So Nintendo are going to go all out with Mario next year.

[00:09:05] And I'm going to restate my previous prediction that Switch is going to launch with a new 3D Mario.

[00:09:10] Mario.

[00:09:10] That'll be the big centerpiece of their 40th anniversary celebrations.

[00:09:15] We're also going to get Mario Kart.

[00:09:17] We're going to get a whole lot of merch and brand collaborations.

[00:09:21] Nintendo is going to go all out with Mario next year.

[00:09:24] Yeah, I think that's a pretty good prediction.

[00:09:26] And I am kind of wondering what is going to be the Switch launch title.

[00:09:29] Because you could say Mario Platformer.

[00:09:31] You could also say Mario Kart.

[00:09:33] But I think it's maybe safe to assume that both are at least coming out next year.

[00:09:38] So, I am wondering, oh, which one do they lead with?

[00:09:41] So, what would you like to see from a new 3D Mario?

[00:09:44] Are you thinking open world?

[00:09:45] Or what do you think the twist will be?

[00:09:47] I mean, I would just personally, I'd love to just see an extension of Super Mario Odyssey.

[00:09:52] This will tie into a later prediction I have.

[00:09:54] But I think Odyssey was quite a successful game.

[00:09:57] I would love to just see them build on what they have.

[00:10:00] I'd love to see Cappy back.

[00:10:02] And something I really loved about Mario Odyssey was just some of the surprises that you got playing that game.

[00:10:08] Seeing a kind of realistic dinosaur.

[00:10:10] Or seeing that hyper detailed dragon.

[00:10:14] It was just some of the most bizarre things I've ever seen in a Mario game.

[00:10:17] And I loved that.

[00:10:18] I actually have the art book for the art of Super Mario Odyssey.

[00:10:22] And in the introduction of that, they said their mission statement when creating Odyssey was to surprise the player at every turn.

[00:10:31] And I would just love to see that extended further into a new 3D Mario.

[00:10:35] I don't think they need to really reinvent the Mario formula.

[00:10:39] I would just love to see Odyssey 2.

[00:10:40] Even if it's not called Odyssey 2, I would just love to see an expansion of that.

[00:10:44] I felt DLC for Mario Odyssey was going to happen.

[00:10:47] It never did.

[00:10:48] Then I thought, oh, they're saving it for a sequel.

[00:10:50] That never came.

[00:10:51] So surely it's just going to be an extension of that.

[00:10:54] Yeah.

[00:10:54] And if you think about it, the last brand new 3D Mario game was Mario Odyssey.

[00:10:59] We haven't had a new 3D title in many, many years.

[00:11:02] And I'm sure that team has plenty of ideas.

[00:11:05] And especially with the new hardware, I'm very curious how they bring Mario into this new piece of hardware.

[00:11:10] Will certainly be quite powerful if the rumors are true.

[00:11:14] So when we see it, will we know, okay, this is a generational leap for Nintendo.

[00:11:19] Is Mario going to have, is it going to be like Melee where his blue jeans have all the stitching and things like that?

[00:11:24] Will they go with that?

[00:11:25] I really hope not.

[00:11:27] I'm very excited.

[00:11:28] I think that's definitely my theoretical most anticipated game.

[00:11:32] And I think Switch 2 launching with the 3D Mario, that'll get a lot of people excited.

[00:11:36] Maybe even more than, of course, I think, oh, launch with Mario Kart because that is the biggest game that Nintendo has.

[00:11:43] But that's also a very easy holiday title.

[00:11:46] You kind of sell Mario Day 1 for the hardcore.

[00:11:49] So you're going to be lining up at 5 a.m. at Yodobashi Camera.

[00:11:53] And then by the time Christmas rolls around, parents can pick up the Switch with Mario Kart and give it to their kids.

[00:11:59] So yeah, I think 3D Mario coming out Day 1 is a pretty good prediction.

[00:12:04] Yeah, I think it's logical.

[00:12:06] So Nintendo systems have either launched with Mario or Zelda.

[00:12:10] I mean, if you include Luigi's Mansion as a Mario title.

[00:12:14] I don't think they're going to stray from that.

[00:12:17] I don't think we're going to see any unconventional IP as a launch title.

[00:12:21] And Zelda had its turn last year, I think.

[00:12:24] And this year, too, if you count it as a wisdom.

[00:12:26] I think it's got to be Mario.

[00:12:27] Yeah, the big launch title is going to be Mario and some gimmicky simple game, Wii Sports or Nintendo Land or 1-2 Switch.

[00:12:35] There's going to be something like that, too.

[00:12:37] But the main focus is going to be Mario.

[00:12:39] All right, my first prediction.

[00:12:40] I'm going to go out of the gate with a crazy one.

[00:12:43] And I think that Nintendo will announce a Star Fox roguelite or roguelike.

[00:12:49] Now, why on earth would I think this?

[00:12:51] Well, of course, Star Fox coming back, that's a pretty narrow chance.

[00:12:54] But I think if they do bring it back, I think a roguelite or roguelite format to the game would be really beneficial for Star Fox.

[00:13:03] Because I love Star Fox 64, and I think a lot of people do.

[00:13:06] How long does it take to beat Star Fox 64 one time around?

[00:13:09] It takes about one hour.

[00:13:11] And I looked up Star Fox Zero, the latest brand new Star Fox game.

[00:13:15] And that's about a five-hour game.

[00:13:17] So one thing that kind of plagues it is that Star Fox is pretty short because it is an on-rails shooter.

[00:13:22] And it's hard to make some sort of epic 20-hour adventure with that format.

[00:13:28] But using the roguelite formula where things are randomized and there are quote-unquote builds or things change every single time, I think that really suits Star Fox.

[00:13:37] Because in Star Fox 64, you can kind of manipulate where you go based on your performance or based on missions on the planet.

[00:13:43] And this is sort of, I guess, an evolution of that if you think about it.

[00:13:47] But it's less focused on player input and more, oh, the player needs to react to these changes.

[00:13:53] And I think that's a good way to get some length out of Star Fox.

[00:13:56] And also just a new way to bring it back.

[00:13:59] Because if they do announce a new Star Fox game, I think people will say, okay.

[00:14:03] It's just that genre is not at the top of people's mind.

[00:14:08] That's not a genre that really sells a whole lot these days.

[00:14:11] But roguelite, super popular.

[00:14:13] And I know that Nintendo has a lot of young developers.

[00:14:16] And I think for young developers, they're really interested in games like Minecraft.

[00:14:21] And yeah, roguelites and things like that.

[00:14:23] Where things are procedurally generated.

[00:14:25] And I guess quote-unquote spoiler.

[00:14:27] Nintendo has a playtest.

[00:14:29] And let's just say there were some procedurally generated elements in that playtest.

[00:14:34] And I think that's definitely something Nintendo will maybe lean in more.

[00:14:37] So I think a Star Fox game that focuses on procedurally generated or roguelite elements where you go through again and again and everything is different.

[00:14:46] That definitely helps the situation where, okay, it's one hour and then you're done.

[00:14:50] This time around a quote-unquote run of Star Fox.

[00:14:53] Let's say it's 30 minutes.

[00:14:55] And then you play again and you have either a new ship or you can do new upgrades or you're in a new space.

[00:15:01] I think that would really suit the formula of Star Fox.

[00:15:04] And Nintendo did put out a roguelite this year with Side Order.

[00:15:07] So somebody at Nintendo has heard of a roguelite.

[00:15:11] So I think that we might see some sort of roguelite in the future.

[00:15:14] And if they do make one, I think Star Fox is a perfect fit.

[00:15:17] So my crazy but hopeful prediction is a Star Fox roguelite.

[00:15:23] Maybe not from Nintendo.

[00:15:24] I can see maybe WayForward or another developer like that coming to them with the idea.

[00:15:29] Or especially a Western indie dev.

[00:15:31] But that's an idea that they would have, I think.

[00:15:33] And if they present it to Nintendo, maybe they'll say yes.

[00:15:36] So I want to go with that prediction.

[00:15:38] Yeah, I really like that.

[00:15:39] I mean, the Star Fox brand is pretty special to me.

[00:15:42] I love Star Fox 64.

[00:15:43] I love Star Fox Adventures even.

[00:15:46] Absolutely hated Star Fox Zero.

[00:15:48] That was one of the most disappointing games I've ever played.

[00:15:52] I've always wanted to see Star Fox come back.

[00:15:54] And I never really imagined it as a roguelite.

[00:15:56] I thought if they brought Star Fox back, they'd have to bring back maybe walking around in exploration in addition to dogfighting.

[00:16:03] And I really imagined Star Fox as a more cinematic story game.

[00:16:06] But no, I really like this idea.

[00:16:08] Yeah, roguelite Star Fox.

[00:16:10] I mean, I love roguelikes.

[00:16:11] I've spent maybe 50 hours playing Bellatro this year.

[00:16:14] Another favorite of mine is Hades.

[00:16:16] That's another fantastic roguelike.

[00:16:18] So yeah, I would love it.

[00:16:19] And yeah, as you said, with Side Order coming out this year, some of the younger people at Nintendo do have interest in new genres, roguelikes that have emerged over the last 10 years.

[00:16:29] Yeah, I'd love to see it.

[00:16:30] They could do so many different things with that.

[00:16:33] Oh, yeah.

[00:16:34] All right, Dale, share your second prediction.

[00:16:36] Yep.

[00:16:37] It's a bit lame, but I'm going back to Mario again.

[00:16:39] So this is Mario Kart.

[00:16:41] I was thinking about what is going to be the central focus of the new Mario Kart.

[00:16:45] I mean, last time we talked about the track editor, and I think last time I talked about having courses that would maybe warp between courses halfway through to take advantage of the Switch's faster loading times.

[00:16:57] But I really thought, how could Nintendo sell a new Mario Kart?

[00:17:01] And I think the focus is going to be on online.

[00:17:04] Splatoon has been incredibly successful for Nintendo.

[00:17:07] So I think this new Mario Kart is going to put online front and center, and it's going to run in the same way that Splatoon's online runs.

[00:17:15] In that things are always changing, things are always updating.

[00:17:18] There's going to be a shop where you can buy different pieces of a cart, different color schemes, stickers, things like that.

[00:17:24] And it's going to have casual, ranked, and events.

[00:17:29] So I can really see Nintendo looking at the success of Splatoon's online and incorporating that into Mario Kart.

[00:17:37] So I think the next Mario Kart is going to have online front and center.

[00:17:42] So do you imagine like a hub where, are you Mario or are you a me?

[00:17:45] Or who are you when you're walking around this hub?

[00:17:48] As much as I love a hub world like in Splatoon, and I don't know if you've played Diddy Kong Racing, but I love that you can just drive around a hub world in that.

[00:17:56] I don't think we're going to see a hub world that you can walk around in.

[00:17:59] I just imagine it's going to be a menu.

[00:18:01] Yeah, as much as I'd love to see that.

[00:18:03] But I can't really see a hub world driving around.

[00:18:07] Yeah, I like the cart sticker ideas because I think they could definitely lean more into cart customization.

[00:18:12] Of course, you've been to Universal Studios in Japan, and you've been into the Mario Kart ride, and they have all the company logos.

[00:18:19] Yeah.

[00:18:19] And of course, when you're playing Mario Kart, you can see them on the side.

[00:18:22] It would be really cool to stick a Bowser oil sticker on your cart somewhere.

[00:18:25] Or maybe even change the color of your tires, or maybe even change the uniform of the characters.

[00:18:31] Give Mario, I don't know, give him his classic outfits.

[00:18:35] Or Mario Odyssey was really good about dressing up Mario.

[00:18:38] So put those outfits in Mario Kart 9.

[00:18:41] Make him have the samurai outfit, or make Princess Peach have a new hairstyle.

[00:18:45] I think really leaning into customization would be really interesting.

[00:18:49] And I do think Nintendo has a quote-unquote problem when it comes to, oh, how are they going to get people from Mario Kart 8 to 9?

[00:18:56] Because 8 is still selling like crazy.

[00:18:58] So why should they buy 9 and this new piece of hardware instead of just playing 8?

[00:19:03] So that's definitely an uphill battle, I think.

[00:19:07] Yeah, I don't think a gameplay gimmick is enough to really push people to buy a new one.

[00:19:12] But I think having online with lots of customization, that's going to be the selling point.

[00:19:17] One of the things people love about Splatoon is just dressing the character.

[00:19:21] It has nothing to do with the gameplay.

[00:19:23] But that's just so popular with people who play Splatoon.

[00:19:26] So I can really see people wanting to create their own carts in the same way.

[00:19:31] Yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to the next Mario Kart.

[00:19:33] Yeah, ranked Mario Kart.

[00:19:35] That's kind of a funny phrase.

[00:19:37] But I do wonder how they would differentiate that.

[00:19:39] Is it just like no items?

[00:19:40] Or how do you imagine ranked Mario Kart?

[00:19:44] Yeah, now that you've asked me that question, I have no idea.

[00:19:47] Yeah, I mean, just if you win a certain number of races.

[00:19:50] But then again, it's all RNG with item boxes and things like that.

[00:19:55] So I'm not sure how you could do a ranked Mario Kart.

[00:19:57] Maybe they could do a more precision-focused mode that doesn't have any items.

[00:20:01] But I don't think Nintendo would go in for that.

[00:20:04] It's just no items.

[00:20:05] Baby Park is the final destination of Mario Kart.

[00:20:08] Yeah.

[00:20:09] All right, I'll jump into my next prediction.

[00:20:11] Prediction number two.

[00:20:13] Switch upgrades.

[00:20:14] So for example, if you play Breath of the Wild or you play Mario Odyssey on Switch 2,

[00:20:18] I think there will be upgrades that utilize the Switch 2 hardware.

[00:20:22] And I think these upgrades will be paid.

[00:20:24] Similar to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

[00:20:26] I think a lot of the first-party Sony titles did this.

[00:20:29] Horizon had an upgrade.

[00:20:31] You pay $10 and then you get, I don't know, PS5 power for Horizon on PS4.

[00:20:36] I think Switch 1 games will have a similar idea where they will be upgraded to Switch 2 power.

[00:20:43] And you have to pay for it, but it will be free for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.

[00:20:48] So this patch or this upgrade, if you're subscribed to NSO, you get it for free.

[00:20:53] Similar to getting the Animal Crossing DLC or Splatoon 2 Octo expansions for free.

[00:20:59] So I think they would definitely offer both.

[00:21:01] Where, again, it's hard to imagine because this is kind of uncharted territory for Nintendo.

[00:21:06] Where they're going backwards compatibility, but they're also...

[00:21:10] Because we've seen what Sony did from 4 to 5 for PlayStation.

[00:21:14] And we saw how they utilized the PS4 games and utilized them on PS5.

[00:21:19] Especially since the PS5 library was pretty lacking early on in that console's lifespan.

[00:21:24] So they really focused on, okay, we can make your PS4 games even more beautiful on PS5.

[00:21:30] And I think Nintendo will maybe duplicate that as well.

[00:21:33] Since a big problem with the Switch is that many people complain about performance or the resolution and whatnot.

[00:21:39] And Switch 2 will have better performance, better resolution.

[00:21:42] So I think having some sort of upgrade path from your Switch games to Switch 2,

[00:21:47] that would definitely get people interested in upgrading to Switch 2,

[00:21:51] even if they don't have a super huge library of games.

[00:21:54] And I think they definitely want to push NSO subscriptions as much as possible.

[00:21:58] I think I read there's maybe 30-ish or 35-ish million NSO subscribers,

[00:22:05] which is a lot, but there's 150 million Switches out there.

[00:22:09] So about one out of five has NSO.

[00:22:11] And I definitely think Nintendo wants to upgrade that number.

[00:22:14] So having these upgrades free for NSO subscribers would definitely get some people, I would have to imagine.

[00:22:20] So yes, Switch 2 upgrades for Switch 1 games will be paid,

[00:22:23] or they'll be free for NSO subscribers.

[00:22:27] Yeah, I'd love to see it.

[00:22:28] I'd love to see upgrades of pre-existing Switch games, either paid or unpaid.

[00:22:32] If they are paid, I'm sure they wouldn't be so expensive.

[00:22:35] And I love the idea of them being as part of Nintendo Switch Online.

[00:22:38] But whenever I hear this, that the Switch 2 being backwards compatible,

[00:22:43] I really worry people are getting their hopes up with that.

[00:22:45] But I don't think it's going to be as smooth or as easy as people are hoping.

[00:22:52] Yeah, I could totally see them charging for upgrades.

[00:22:55] And maybe with some first-party Nintendo games, they can add a free patch so that it runs a little more stable,

[00:23:03] but you don't get greater resolution or whatnot.

[00:23:07] But yeah, I worry that people are really getting their hopes up with a performance boost on the Switch 2.

[00:23:12] I've seen a lot of people saying that, oh, because of the AI DLSS chip,

[00:23:16] any Switch game that you play will automatically become higher resolution 4K.

[00:23:21] I really don't think that's going to be the case.

[00:23:23] So I really worry people are getting their hopes up.

[00:23:25] But your suggestion, yeah, I would love to see that.

[00:23:27] Yeah, I am also kind of curious because some people are saying,

[00:23:30] oh, you'll be able to play Cyberpunk in 4K day one on Switch 2 with DLSS,

[00:23:37] which I don't really believe.

[00:23:38] But yeah, I am curious because it seems very un-Nintendo to kind of really focus on upgrading performance for past games.

[00:23:47] That just seems a little odd to me.

[00:23:49] But again, I think for Switch 2, they really need to have as many selling points as possible

[00:23:54] to get a lot of people to upgrade from Switch 1 to Switch 2,

[00:23:57] especially if the form factor is going to be pretty similar.

[00:24:01] Because we've all seen the rumors and the leaks.

[00:24:03] The rumor is that Switch 2 is going to be just a powerful Switch 1.

[00:24:07] It doesn't have any crazy contraption or crazy controller or anything like that.

[00:24:11] And I think they do have a kind of an uphill battle.

[00:24:13] Again, I've used that phrase already this episode.

[00:24:15] They need to get people to upgrade to Switch 2.

[00:24:18] And I think they need whatever avenue they can possibly go down.

[00:24:22] They need to go down it to get people to upgrade.

[00:24:24] Yeah.

[00:24:25] It does feel, again, just because Sony did it, Nintendo is not like that.

[00:24:29] They're not like that.

[00:24:30] Sony did it, so we'll do it.

[00:24:31] But it is a weird uncharted territory where it's backwards compatible.

[00:24:35] But now backwards compatible and generation gaps are more blurry than ever before.

[00:24:42] But I definitely think if they do something like that,

[00:24:44] if they do have some sort of performance upgrade or some sort of paid thing for Switch 1 games,

[00:24:51] it will be free to NSO subscribers.

[00:24:53] It is really uncharted territory for Nintendo because whenever a new Nintendo console is revealed,

[00:24:59] that reveal trailer will show off the concept of the console itself, 3D on the 3DS,

[00:25:04] or being able to Switch on the Switch.

[00:25:06] And it will showcase a variety of games.

[00:25:09] As far as I can remember, Nintendo have never had any kind of presentation or reveal which focuses solely on technical prowess and numbers and what the things can do.

[00:25:19] You compare the reveal of the PlayStation 5 where you had that dude talking in detail about all the teraflops and megabytes of RAM and things like that.

[00:25:28] Nintendo has never done that in a console reveal.

[00:25:30] So this may be the first time where they actually have to lead with what's inside the console and how powerful it is.

[00:25:38] Prediction number three.

[00:25:39] Go ahead and share it.

[00:25:41] Yep.

[00:25:41] This one's about games.

[00:25:42] I think the launch year, and perhaps even extending into the first two years of the Switch 2,

[00:25:49] it's going to be a stacked year with games because the Switch 2 is essentially just an extension of the Switch.

[00:25:56] So games that were developed on the Switch can very easily, quickly, and efficiently get sequels.

[00:26:02] So I'm thinking in the first one to two years, we're going to get sequels to Splatoon, Animal Crossing, Ring Fit, A New Fire Emblem, and possibly even Super Smash Bros.

[00:26:15] Yeah, those are definitely a lot of heavy hitters.

[00:26:17] And it's kind of funny to think about, oh, Animal Crossing, that came out soon to be five years ago.

[00:26:23] Yeah, it feels like yesterday.

[00:26:24] Yeah, and there was no sequel or spinoff to it.

[00:26:28] We had Happy Home Paradise DLC, which I really enjoyed.

[00:26:31] And a lot of people complain, oh, why isn't Animal Crossing a live service game or whatever?

[00:26:36] But that game has sold over 40 million copies.

[00:26:39] So that's why.

[00:26:40] And also that team moved on to Splatoon 3.

[00:26:43] So they're busy.

[00:26:44] They're not just sitting and doing nothing.

[00:26:46] But I'm sure Aya Kyo Goku and her team are hard at work for the next Animal Crossing.

[00:26:50] And again, why should people upgrade to Switch 2?

[00:26:53] It's got to be because of the games.

[00:26:55] And they need those heavy hitters out there pretty early.

[00:26:58] A new Animal Crossing, like year one or year two, that's definitely a huge system seller.

[00:27:03] Mm-hmm.

[00:27:04] And one of the ones I mentioned there was Ring Fit Adventure.

[00:27:07] I love that game.

[00:27:09] I had a lot of fun with that game.

[00:27:10] It doesn't get talked about online very much because it's not really a game in the traditional sense.

[00:27:15] But I was looking at best-selling Switch games before making this prediction list to get some ideas.

[00:27:20] And Ring Fit Adventure is the 11th highest-selling game on the Switch.

[00:27:25] It's a big deal.

[00:27:26] It's above Fire Emblem.

[00:27:27] It's above both of the Splatoons.

[00:27:30] That's a huge, huge deal.

[00:27:32] I think that game encouraged a lot of people to buy Switches.

[00:27:36] And yeah, I can totally see that one coming back.

[00:27:39] The fact that Ring Fit Adventure was one of the themes on Alamo proves that Nintendo is not giving up on that IP.

[00:27:46] So that's another big one.

[00:27:48] But yeah, of course, Animal Crossing.

[00:27:50] Of course, Splatoon.

[00:27:51] Yeah, Ring Fit is, if you think about it, it's probably Nintendo's biggest IP of the Switch generation.

[00:27:57] It's bigger than ARMS.

[00:27:57] Yeah, the biggest new one.

[00:27:58] Yeah.

[00:27:59] Bigger than ARMS, bigger than Alamo.

[00:28:01] So yeah, in terms of new IP, Ring Fit Adventure is it.

[00:28:03] And it sold extremely well.

[00:28:05] It was in top 10 for a long, long time.

[00:28:07] But it eventually got bumped out.

[00:28:09] And yeah, I think it still sold pretty consistently well.

[00:28:14] It definitely had a peak around the pandemic.

[00:28:17] Yeah.

[00:28:17] But I think bringing it back in some capacity or because I always wondered like, oh, if they make a sequel, can I just use my ring for the sequel?

[00:28:26] Or will they do maybe a spin-off or use some sort of other tool or technique?

[00:28:31] But it still has maybe the characters of Ring Fit or it's the ring plus something else.

[00:28:36] I'm curious how they're going to follow it up.

[00:28:39] But I think it's definitely they'll have some sort of weird fitness game.

[00:28:43] Maybe year one or two.

[00:28:44] That's the sticking point here.

[00:28:46] Year one or two, we're going to get a lot of sequels to games that were popular on the Switch.

[00:28:50] It's going to be the main reason why people want to upgrade.

[00:28:53] I think people buy Nintendo not because they're that interested in performance or graphics.

[00:29:00] It's because of the IP and the games.

[00:29:03] They want Animal Crossing.

[00:29:04] They want Splatoon.

[00:29:05] And you mentioned Smash Brothers.

[00:29:07] What do you imagine is the next Smash Brothers game?

[00:29:09] What is that going to be?

[00:29:10] I'm going to save that for prediction number four.

[00:29:12] No spoilers.

[00:29:13] All right.

[00:29:14] I'll get into my third prediction.

[00:29:16] Nintendo is going to focus on the top USB slot for strange peripherals.

[00:29:21] Again, this is maybe kind of diving into the leaks, which are probably true, but maybe not.

[00:29:25] Who knows?

[00:29:25] But some of the rumored specs is that the top of the Switch 2 has a USB port.

[00:29:30] Now, the Switch 1 that everyone owns, if you're listening to this podcast, there's a port on the bottom for USB to charge it.

[00:29:37] However, Switch 2 apparently has a USB on the top.

[00:29:41] And some people are assuming, oh, that's so you can just charge it when you're in tabletop mode or just an extra way to charge it, which maybe is true.

[00:29:48] But I think they could possibly take advantage of that top USB port by adding some sort of strange peripheral on top.

[00:29:56] A lot of people are saying, oh, for example, they'll put a camera on top.

[00:29:59] That might be true, but I think it will go even beyond camera.

[00:30:03] I imagine sort of like a almost like a Dreamcast level VMU that you could possibly put on the top there where it can maybe display some sort of unique information.

[00:30:11] I don't want to say the new Amiibo, but I think it's maybe similar to that where Nintendo is going to release a lot of different types of strange peripherals or things you can plug into the top of your Switch that you can use in tandem when you're in mobile mode.

[00:30:25] I can't really think of a lot of great ideas beyond.

[00:30:28] Yeah, of course, camera and then maybe the VMU or some sort of clock, but maybe even some sort of just decoration or it lights up when you do something or it adds something to the Switch.

[00:30:40] Or maybe you can just put a NES head and plug them into the top of your Switch so NES is looking at you.

[00:30:46] But I think, yeah, a USB slot on the top just is a little weird for this very rare use case where, oh, people want to charge their Switch in tabletop mode.

[00:30:56] What percentage of people are doing that?

[00:30:58] So I think Nintendo will use the top USB slot in some sort of unconventional or interesting way.

[00:31:04] Part of what I'm thinking is maybe a drawback is that, yeah, because as a Switch, if you're playing on the TV, you're not really using that peripheral, right?

[00:31:12] Unless it has some sort of you plug it into the Switch and then it does some sort of digital download or activate something in the game.

[00:31:18] And even if you're not physically looking at it, it's still doing something in the game.

[00:31:23] That may be a workaround.

[00:31:24] But also Nintendo was, hey, if you want to play Mario Party, don't buy a Switch Lite because you need Joy-Cons.

[00:31:30] So Nintendo is not super shy about preferring one way to play over the other, even though they're trying to have as many different ways to play.

[00:31:37] So they do sort of prioritize it depending on the game or depending on how they want you to interact with it.

[00:31:42] So I definitely think Nintendo will take advantage of that top USB slot in some strange and unconventional ways.

[00:31:49] Hmm. I like that idea. Yeah, I think a camera seems really obvious.

[00:31:53] But yeah, just hearing what you said now, something that came to my mind was Nintendo Labo, how you could connect your Switch essentially to just cardboard and watch it interact with that.

[00:32:05] And there was also Game Builder Garage, which was kind of Labo without the cardboard.

[00:32:10] Right.

[00:32:10] I would love to see Nintendo continue this line of games.

[00:32:14] Maybe you can plug something into it that you can program using the software.

[00:32:20] Maybe it incorporates some kind of primitive robotics or something like that.

[00:32:26] Just some kind of creative game that encourages people to program and experiment with things like that.

[00:32:32] Lego does something similar where you can use an iPad and you can program robotics with Lego using that.

[00:32:40] So maybe something that plugs in that can be programmed to move around.

[00:32:43] Yeah. I can see a lot of a lot of practical applications.

[00:32:47] Yeah, this is a prediction where Nintendo is smarter than I am.

[00:32:50] So I can't really think of a lot of good things to put on the top of my Switch.

[00:32:54] Nintendo, yeah, they're smarter than me.

[00:32:55] So I trust them.

[00:32:57] All right, Dale, your fourth prediction.

[00:32:58] Go ahead and share it.

[00:32:59] Yep. Smash Brothers.

[00:33:01] Smash Brothers is in my brain pretty much every single day, every single second I'm awake.

[00:33:06] It's my favorite game on the Switch.

[00:33:07] And something I've really loved these last few years is watching Zachary's YouTube channel.

[00:33:12] Oh, yeah.

[00:33:13] I'm not a game developer or anything, but I find everything he says just so fascinating.

[00:33:17] And when he did that final episode, he revealed that he's actually been working on a game since the beginning of 2022.

[00:33:25] So by the time the Switch comes out, that will have been three years of game development on whatever secret project he's working on.

[00:33:32] And I think it just has to be Smash Brothers.

[00:33:35] I mean, it coincides with that Bandai Namco job listing looking for people to join a new team to work on Nintendo-related franchises.

[00:33:43] And this series is incredibly special to Sakurai.

[00:33:46] So I think his next game is Smash Brothers.

[00:33:48] And I think by the end of 2025, we're going to get a reveal.

[00:33:52] Yeah, I definitely think Sakurai's next game is 100% Smash Brothers.

[00:33:56] Even though he says all the time, oh, I don't know how much longer I can go on.

[00:34:00] And I didn't train an apprentice.

[00:34:01] And oh, what do I even do for the next Smash Brothers?

[00:34:05] I think he will somehow figure it out.

[00:34:07] He's been saying that for the last 20 years.

[00:34:09] Yeah.

[00:34:10] I do think it's going to change.

[00:34:12] Yeah.

[00:34:13] And a lot of people are theorizing, oh, what could even the next Smash Brothers be?

[00:34:18] How can you have so many characters?

[00:34:19] But I think they would just add more characters.

[00:34:23] They're not going to subtract the roster.

[00:34:26] If they do, it won't be a significant amount.

[00:34:28] People are saying, oh, they should go back to 20 fighters and reimagine those 20 fighters.

[00:34:33] There's no way on earth they're going to do that.

[00:34:35] I always thought about, okay, maybe they could call it Smash Brothers 100.

[00:34:39] And there's 100 playable characters.

[00:34:41] We're almost there.

[00:34:43] I think if you add all the characters to Smash Brothers, it's definitely over 80 at least.

[00:34:48] Maybe it's even 90.

[00:34:49] And then if you want to get really funky with like, oh, Olimar and Alf are different characters,

[00:34:54] then maybe it will be closer to 100 than not.

[00:34:57] But I definitely think there's not going to be any subtraction.

[00:35:00] There's going to just be addition.

[00:35:02] Yeah.

[00:35:03] I think you can't cut at this stage.

[00:35:04] And I think all these articles that come out that say, oh, Smash Brothers needs to cut half the roster and reboot itself.

[00:35:11] I think that's all just fear mongering.

[00:35:12] I think the overwhelming majority of people just want to see what's in place being built on.

[00:35:18] And considering this is the Switch 2 from the Switch, the hardware is going to be very consistent.

[00:35:24] I'm sure they can already build on top of what they already have.

[00:35:27] Yeah, it just has to be Super Smash Brothers.

[00:35:29] There's no way it's not coming.

[00:35:32] Is there a character you really want in the next Smash Brothers?

[00:35:34] Yeah, there's a lot of characters that I personally want that I think will never happen.

[00:35:39] I'd love to see Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney.

[00:35:41] Love that series.

[00:35:42] He's probably my most wanted at this stage.

[00:35:45] I've always wanted Geno.

[00:35:46] And I think now is more likely than ever, considering Mario RPG came out to great success last year.

[00:35:53] I think there are a lot of likely characters.

[00:35:55] We're probably going to get Octoling from Splatoon.

[00:35:58] We're probably going to get Ring Fit from Ring Fit Adventure.

[00:36:01] Oh, yeah.

[00:36:01] I can see a lot of likely characters.

[00:36:04] But as for what I really want, yeah, they'll never choose who I really, really want.

[00:36:07] But I'd be happy with anyone at this point.

[00:36:10] I love playing as any new character in Super Smash Brothers.

[00:36:13] I love watching any new reveal trailer.

[00:36:16] I think there's never been a time where I've been disappointed by a newcomer or felt, oh, that was a waste of time.

[00:36:23] So I'd be very happy to see basically anyone.

[00:36:27] Yeah, for me, after Banjo was announced, I don't care about any other announcements because that was my most wanted character.

[00:36:33] Oh, they added, who was after Banjo?

[00:36:35] I know Sora and maybe Kazuya.

[00:36:38] I'm like, okay, cool.

[00:36:38] They're in the game.

[00:36:39] But Banjo was the one I wanted.

[00:36:41] So after he was announced, I'm just like, okay, they're done with Smash Brothers.

[00:36:45] They don't need to impress me even anymore.

[00:36:47] Whoever they put in, I don't even care.

[00:36:49] I would not be disappointed at all.

[00:36:50] For me, who do I want in Smash Brothers?

[00:36:53] I definitely think the Ring Fit lady, Ring Fit adventurer, she'll be in it 100%.

[00:36:58] Yeah.

[00:36:58] Again, that's Nintendo's biggest Switch IP.

[00:37:02] And yeah, I'm not really huge into third-party characters.

[00:37:05] Of course, they could add whoever.

[00:37:07] I think if they added like the Sony characters, that would be like, whoa.

[00:37:11] I would definitely be taken aback if Sony is okay.

[00:37:15] Astro Bot is now in Smash Brothers.

[00:37:17] That would be a little mind-blowing.

[00:37:18] I'd love to see that.

[00:37:19] But I mean, Sony's been working with Nintendo recently.

[00:37:22] Two games were announced for the Switch that are published by Sony, which is just insane.

[00:37:26] That's the first time in 20 years that Sony have published on Nintendo.

[00:37:31] So they are communicating with each other.

[00:37:33] A gate has opened.

[00:37:34] If Astro Bot and Kratos or whoever gets into Smash Brothers, I would think Sakurai is leaning

[00:37:39] more into PS1 era characters if he has to draw from the Sony characters.

[00:37:44] But I definitely think Astro Bot would get in if Sony's okay.

[00:37:47] You can have anyone.

[00:37:47] Well, Sakurai did tweet that he was enjoying Astro Bot.

[00:37:50] So you never know.

[00:37:51] All right.

[00:37:51] My fourth prediction.

[00:37:53] We will see a teaser for the next 3D Zelda title.

[00:37:57] Breath of the Wild came out in 2017.

[00:37:58] And when did we see Tears of the Kingdom first?

[00:38:01] It was in 2019.

[00:38:02] So two years.

[00:38:03] Now, of course, with the whole deal with that is that a lot of the assets were reused.

[00:38:08] So they developed it.

[00:38:10] Well, I don't want to say quicker than normal because it actually took quite a long time.

[00:38:14] But there was the pandemic and also the insane scope of Tears of the Kingdom was maybe bigger

[00:38:19] than anyone could have ever imagined.

[00:38:21] But even if they have just barely started on the new 3D Zelda title, which I don't think

[00:38:27] that's true.

[00:38:27] I'm sure they are hard at work on it right now.

[00:38:30] I think they will show something in 2025.

[00:38:34] Even if it's a 10 second teaser.

[00:38:36] Even if it's just Link looks at the camera.

[00:38:38] They will show something from the next 3D Zelda title in 2025.

[00:38:43] And again, we're talking about, oh, why should you upgrade to Switch 2?

[00:38:47] One of the biggest IPs now that Nintendo has is Zelda.

[00:38:51] And of course, the Zelda movie and the rumored Zelda ride at Universal Studios, they're going

[00:38:56] to be pushing Zelda a lot.

[00:38:58] And we almost get a Zelda game per year if you really think about it.

[00:39:01] There's always the rumor of Twilight Princess and Wind Waker HD are coming, which they could

[00:39:05] come out next year.

[00:39:06] That's very possible.

[00:39:07] But we will definitely see the next 3D Zelda title somehow, some way.

[00:39:11] Yeah, I completely agree.

[00:39:13] I think about Zelda a lot.

[00:39:14] I think it is going to be the third installment of a trilogy, maybe the third and final installment

[00:39:19] of this kind of Breath of the Wild trilogy that they've started.

[00:39:22] I have hundreds of different ideas of what form that could take.

[00:39:25] But I think it's logical in terms of not only the story, but in terms of the technology.

[00:39:32] Like Breath of the Wild, the setting is post-apocalypse.

[00:39:36] Tears of the Kingdom, it's a little bit later where Hyrule is starting to rebuild.

[00:39:40] So in the third and final installment, I would see a fully rebuilt, thriving Hyrule.

[00:39:46] And that makes sense on new hardware, because new hardware could show more impressive and

[00:39:52] amazing things in the world.

[00:39:54] I would argue that, yeah, it's the third part of a trilogy.

[00:39:57] And it will be some of the, I don't know, structures, characters, just elements of the

[00:40:03] world will be a little bit more sophisticated than was possible on the Switch hardware.

[00:40:07] Yeah, that's an interesting perspective.

[00:40:09] I think a lot of people will maybe assume that, oh, the Wild story is done because we

[00:40:15] beat Ganondorf and we beat Ganon.

[00:40:17] So who's left?

[00:40:18] And I do wonder, oh, could Nintendo pull that same trick twice?

[00:40:21] It's the same world as the previous game.

[00:40:24] And for me, I think my most wanted thing from the next Zelda is that I kind of want to

[00:40:28] leave Hyrule.

[00:40:28] I want to go somewhere new.

[00:40:30] Once you see it, okay, I'm not in Kansas anymore.

[00:40:32] I'm not in Hyrule anymore.

[00:40:34] I would always love to have a Zelda game that has a very strong Japanese aesthetic.

[00:40:39] And I guess Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild kind of do have that.

[00:40:42] You've got the Jomon inspiration.

[00:40:45] And even the Zonai are really inspired by Japanese culture.

[00:40:48] But having, okay, this is the samurai world.

[00:40:52] And then Link goes in there.

[00:40:53] And all the enemies have some sort of ancient Japanese culture theme.

[00:40:57] I think that would be really awesome and really different from the European medieval

[00:41:01] fantasy theme that has been in a lot of Zeldas.

[00:41:03] Whatever 3D Zelda they make, they're on board.

[00:41:06] Even if it is, oh, we're making Breath of the Wild 3.

[00:41:09] That might be a hard pill for some people to swallow, but I would still be excited.

[00:41:13] Yeah.

[00:41:14] As much as I would love to see a completely different world, I don't think it's going

[00:41:19] to happen.

[00:41:19] I don't know, maybe I'm just a little bit cynical in that sense, but I would, even if

[00:41:23] it is Hyrule, I think if they're doing Hyrule for the third time, they can make it feel completely

[00:41:29] new and can make it feel completely different.

[00:41:31] If the story takes place several generations after Tears of the Kingdom, where Hyrule is

[00:41:36] thriving and maybe technology has returned to the world and there's just a lot of stuff

[00:41:41] happening.

[00:41:42] I could see that happening.

[00:41:43] And seeing Ganondorf is defeated again, I thought Skyward Sword takes place at the

[00:41:49] beginning of the timeline.

[00:41:50] That's where Demise first appears.

[00:41:53] Maybe this final chapter in this trilogy takes place right at the end of the timeline.

[00:41:58] It's where Demise comes back and must be defeated once and for all.

[00:42:03] All right, Dale, go ahead, share your fifth and final prediction.

[00:42:06] Yep.

[00:42:07] This one's just a bit of a wacky one because I feel like I've played it safe.

[00:42:10] A franchise I really love is Kirby.

[00:42:12] I would love to see a sequel to Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

[00:42:15] Oh.

[00:42:15] Probably one of my most favorite games on the Switch.

[00:42:18] I love how they put Kirby into 3D space.

[00:42:22] So, my prediction is brand new 3D Kirby game and the hook is going to be Kirby with dinosaurs.

[00:42:28] Oh, okay.

[00:42:29] I love dinosaurs, love Jurassic Park, Land Before Time, things like that.

[00:42:33] And I think if you're doing Kirby on more powerful hardware, get some more detailed dinosaurs in there and then have Kirby go mouthful mode on them and just have Kirby as a giant pink dinosaur running around.

[00:42:46] That's what I want to see.

[00:42:47] In Kirby, we've done mechs, we've done gods, we've done alternate dimensions.

[00:42:52] What else can you do?

[00:42:53] Let's do dinosaurs.

[00:42:55] Yeah, that's definitely a good idea.

[00:42:56] I would love to see like a T-Rex Kirby or a Pterodactyl Kirby.

[00:42:59] That would be a lot of fun.

[00:43:01] And I'm trying to imagine a caveman, King Dedede or something funny like that.

[00:43:06] I was imagining they travel back in time on Planet Popstar and you meet Dedede's ancestor or something like that.

[00:43:12] Yeah.

[00:43:12] So, can he swallow the entire dinosaur or is it like the car Kirby mode where he's on top?

[00:43:17] I was imagining it like that mouthful mode comes back this time.

[00:43:21] Yeah, he's half on top of a dinosaur.

[00:43:23] But I suppose they could do a full transformation just as long as it's huge.

[00:43:27] That's what I want.

[00:43:27] I want to see massive Kaiju-sized Kirby just destroying things.

[00:43:32] Forgotten Land, I also think is a great game and it was extremely successful for HAL.

[00:43:36] It was the highest selling Kirby game by quite a large margin.

[00:43:39] And many people loved it.

[00:43:41] It reviewed very well.

[00:43:42] It was definitely the entry point for a lot of people who were curious about Kirby but they never jumped in.

[00:43:47] And they're definitely thinking, okay, 3D is the way to go for Kirby.

[00:43:51] Even though they did do a remake of a 2D game, which was quite good.

[00:43:54] I don't think they're 100% abandoned, 2D Kirby, but they have plenty of, oh, we can remake this types of games in the future.

[00:44:02] And I definitely think their new games will be 3D.

[00:44:05] So, yeah.

[00:44:06] Dinosaur Kirby, that would be awesome.

[00:44:08] Now that you said that, I definitely want to see that.

[00:44:10] Especially since Kirby is so sci-fi focused.

[00:44:12] So, going the opposite direction, I think is a lot of fun.

[00:44:16] Yeah, I think so too.

[00:44:17] I've loved what Nintendo have done with Kirby in the last few years.

[00:44:21] So, just more and more Kirby is always a plus.

[00:44:24] All right.

[00:44:25] My fifth and final prediction.

[00:44:26] Nintendo will have some crazy name for DLSS like Super Vision.

[00:44:30] It's heavily rumored that Switch 2 will utilize an NVIDIA chip and specifically take advantage of DLSS technology.

[00:44:39] Which stands for, Dale, do you have any idea what DLSS stands for?

[00:44:44] Deluxe Luigi Super System.

[00:44:47] I don't know.

[00:44:48] You've got super right.

[00:44:49] You've got super right.

[00:44:50] It's deep learning super sampling.

[00:44:52] Ah, I have heard that.

[00:44:53] If you don't know what this is, listeners, AI-enhanced technology that can improve performance or resolution.

[00:45:00] And it can upscale frames in real time.

[00:45:02] So, with this technology, weaker hardware can output better frame rate and resolution than what you'd expect.

[00:45:08] So, instead of just using the raw power of the hardware to render graphics, it uses DLSS to kind of cheat.

[00:45:14] This is at least how I understand it.

[00:45:16] And it makes a lot of sense for Nintendo to utilize this type of technology since they are behind in the hardware race.

[00:45:21] Now, will Nintendo go up on stage and say, we are utilizing NVIDIA's DLSS technology?

[00:45:28] No.

[00:45:29] But they will reframe it in some way, in some strange way, like they did with HD Rumble.

[00:45:34] I kind of, I wish they would call it HDIs or something weird like that.

[00:45:38] But they will come up with something better.

[00:45:40] I do think Nintendo wants to avoid saying the letters AI, since that's kind of a four-letter word for many people.

[00:45:46] But Switch 2's DLSS will be known by some other strange name.

[00:45:51] It won't be called DLSS.

[00:45:53] Yeah, I think that's definitely possible.

[00:45:56] They will definitely never utter the syllables DLSS in any presentation or anything like that.

[00:46:02] Nintendo have never really spoken that much about technical chips and things like that.

[00:46:06] I think they're going to say, oh, this has DLSS.

[00:46:08] But I can imagine the Switch reveal trailer.

[00:46:11] They put in a, let's say it's Breath of the Wild.

[00:46:13] They put that in the Switch 2.

[00:46:15] And then you see the screen just wipe and it becomes clearer and nicer.

[00:46:20] And they say, this is the Switch 2 power or something like that.

[00:46:24] But yeah, as for a wacky name, what would they call it?

[00:46:27] The Power Switch or something like that?

[00:46:30] The idea is that it sort of upscales in real time.

[00:46:34] So it kind of, quote unquote, fixes the game.

[00:46:36] So I'm thinking of some sort of patch or maybe they'll call it Power Juice or something.

[00:46:43] Power Lasers, Power Magic or Nintendo Magic.

[00:46:46] I think, yeah, calling it just Nintendo Magic.

[00:46:48] I think that would be really funny.

[00:46:50] But yeah, they will come up with some fun thing to call it.

[00:46:54] Yeah, that's a good point.

[00:46:56] Yeah, HD Rumble.

[00:46:57] That doesn't make any sense.

[00:46:58] How can Rumble have definition?

[00:47:00] Yeah.

[00:47:01] All right, before we wrap up, we have a few flash predictions.

[00:47:04] So I just want to hear yes or no.

[00:47:05] And then you can explain a little bit about your choice.

[00:47:08] We don't have to go super deep into it.

[00:47:09] So yes or no, you will be able to walk into a store in Japan on launch day and pick up a Switch 2.

[00:47:16] Absolutely not.

[00:47:17] Lottery system.

[00:47:19] Yeah, I think no as well.

[00:47:21] I'm looking forward to Switch 2.

[00:47:22] I'm not looking forward to buying a Switch 2 because it's going to be an immense pain.

[00:47:26] There's going to be lotteries.

[00:47:27] There's going to be, oh, you need our store's credit card.

[00:47:31] There's a Gale pretty close to my home.

[00:47:33] I can walk to it.

[00:47:34] I'm thinking, oh, do I need to go 6 a.m. the day after the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct and go to Gale and just ask, can I have a Switch 2?

[00:47:43] Or is every single store going to be lottery system?

[00:47:46] And then even with that, everyone's going to every store and it's going to be crazy.

[00:47:51] It's going to be an absolute nightmare.

[00:47:52] Yes or no?

[00:47:55] Wario and Waluigi will be announced for the second Mario movie.

[00:47:59] I'm going to say no.

[00:48:01] Daisy and Rosalina before we see Wario and Waluigi.

[00:48:05] And we might see Wario.

[00:48:07] I don't think we'll ever see Waluigi outside of spinoff games.

[00:48:10] If Waluigi can't even get into single player Mario games, I don't think we're going to see him in the movie.

[00:48:16] I'm going to go with yes, because the first Mario movie was very focused on brotherly love between Mario and Waluigi.

[00:48:24] So second movie, what do you do?

[00:48:26] You've got to introduce the quote-unquote bad brothers, Wario and Waluigi.

[00:48:29] I think, is Bowser going to be the bad guy in Mario 2?

[00:48:33] It's possible he could be.

[00:48:34] But you want to eventually do the Bowser teams up with Mario plotline.

[00:48:39] Which I do think they'll save for the third movie.

[00:48:41] I think maybe Bowser will hire Wario and Waluigi or use them in some way, or they're in cahoots.

[00:48:47] I think Wario and Waluigi as the antagonist of the second Mario movie.

[00:48:52] I'm going to go with that.

[00:48:53] Yeah, that doesn't really sound like a Nintendo thing, but that sounds like a massive illumination thing.

[00:48:58] I can really see illumination gunning for that.

[00:49:00] All right, yes or no?

[00:49:02] A new console will be added to Nintendo Switch Online.

[00:49:05] Oh, no.

[00:49:07] GameCube remasters, full price.

[00:49:08] I want to go with no as well, but I would love if they added the TurboGrafx or the PC Engine.

[00:49:13] Because they did make a mini PC Engine in Japan maybe a year or two ago.

[00:49:17] So what is Konami doing?

[00:49:19] I guess the big problem is that many of those are Japan exclusive.

[00:49:23] But there was the TurboGrafx Wii U Virtual Console way back in the day.

[00:49:29] So even if they have 10 games, they could put it on there.

[00:49:32] So maybe Konami pick up the phone or make a phone call or do something.

[00:49:35] Yes or no?

[00:49:37] Pokemon Legends ZA will introduce Mega Pikachu or Mega Raichu.

[00:49:42] Yeah, I can see Mega Raichu.

[00:49:43] Let's do it.

[00:49:44] Mega Raichu.

[00:49:45] I'm down for it.

[00:49:47] Mega Pikachu?

[00:49:48] I don't know.

[00:49:48] I don't think they've ever done a non-fully evolved Mega Pokemon.

[00:49:52] I want to say yes.

[00:49:54] I kind of want to actually lean towards Mega Pikachu.

[00:49:56] Because if there's going to be one, it's going to be Pikachu.

[00:49:59] Yeah.

[00:49:59] And I think if you make a really fun design, you want to make millions in plushie cells.

[00:50:04] So Mega Pikachu, possible.

[00:50:07] I would love to see Mega Raichu.

[00:50:08] Because there's, of course, the fabled Gorochu, I believe his name was.

[00:50:11] The third evolution of Pikachu.

[00:50:14] But I guess he's technically the middle evolution with Pichu.

[00:50:18] Mega Raichu is certainly possible.

[00:50:19] But Mega Mewtwo Zed, 100% happening.

[00:50:23] And the last prediction of the episode.

[00:50:25] Yes or no?

[00:50:26] A new princess will be added to the Mario universe next year.

[00:50:30] No.

[00:50:31] But we will see a female plumber.

[00:50:34] And it's Mario and Luigi's long lost sister.

[00:50:37] Ooh, that's interesting.

[00:50:38] Yeah.

[00:50:39] I'd love to see that.

[00:50:40] But no, I don't think that's ever going to happen.

[00:50:41] They just brought back Pauline.

[00:50:43] I don't think they need another female character.

[00:50:45] Yeah.

[00:50:45] Because if you go by the 3D Marios.

[00:50:48] We had Galaxy, which introduced Rosalina.

[00:50:51] Then we had Odyssey, which reintroduced Pauline in a new way.

[00:50:56] So you could just add another lady.

[00:50:58] But I like your idea of a girl Mario with the overalls and the hat.

[00:51:03] But I think we'll definitely at least see maybe some fun new characters.

[00:51:06] The Brutals or something like that.

[00:51:09] If any big Mario character is getting brought back, it's going to be Foreman Spike with a similar design to how he appeared in the Mario movie.

[00:51:16] That would be cool.

[00:51:17] All right.

[00:51:18] So those are our predictions slash spoilers for Nintendo in 2025.

[00:51:22] It's definitely going to be a big year for the company.

[00:51:24] I'll be talking about it and Dale will be talking about it too.

[00:51:27] So Dale, where can people find you?

[00:51:29] Yep.

[00:51:29] Find me on YouTube.

[00:51:31] Dale Clayton DPG.

[00:51:33] Link in the description.

[00:51:34] I'm on Blue Sky as well.

[00:51:35] I just started Blue Sky the other day.

[00:51:37] Find me there.

[00:51:38] Yeah.

[00:51:39] That's where you can find me.

[00:51:40] Great.

[00:51:40] And the links to everything will be in the podcast description.

[00:51:43] So listeners, check it out.

[00:51:44] Follow him on YouTube.

[00:51:45] Dale, once again, thanks for joining me.

[00:51:47] My pleasure.

[00:51:48] Thank you for having me on the show.

[00:51:56] Today's feature is about the Super Mario Marinoichi Bright Holiday event happening right now on the golden streets around Tokyo Station.

[00:52:02] I went to this a few weeks ago, but fortunately, it's still happening.

[00:52:06] So listeners, if you're in Tokyo, you've got about two more weeks until January 13th to check it out.

[00:52:11] If you're not in Tokyo, well, you're going to check it out with me right now.

[00:52:15] This is a special Mario-themed illumination event in Marinoichi.

[00:52:19] Two things.

[00:52:20] One, illumination is the word Japanese people use to describe Christmas lights.

[00:52:25] So they say, let's go to illumination, which doesn't really work in English, but every Japanese person will know what you're talking about.

[00:52:32] Two, Marinoichi may be an area that flies under your radar unless you live in Tokyo.

[00:52:37] And even if you do, you probably are not making frequent trips there.

[00:52:41] It's adjacent to the beautiful red brick Tokyo Station, which certainly gets its fair share of travelers.

[00:52:46] But the area is mostly known as a major business hub.

[00:52:49] Why is a Mario event at a major business hub?

[00:52:52] I mean, he is raking in the cash, but more likely, Marinoichi is also home to a lot of the large department stores.

[00:52:58] So plenty of room to display some giant Mario decorations.

[00:53:02] And I imagine a lot of Tokyoites also swing by Marinoichi this time of year, since outside of Mario, they do have some pretty spectacular illumination displays that I'll get into.

[00:53:11] The event consists of some large Christmas-themed Mario displays, some merch collaborations with shops inside the Marinoichi department stores, and a Mario pop-up shop.

[00:53:19] Plus, of course, a stamp rally.

[00:53:21] Unlike the Dragon Quest and Pokemon stamp rallies I did this year, this one was quite spread out as you really do need to travel all around Marinoichi to see the spots and to collect the stamps.

[00:53:31] Six stamps, six buildings, pretty spread out, but you can make a circle and just hit them up.

[00:53:36] And the stamps are right next to the displays, so as long as you're following your trusty map, you can see all the displays and get a prize at the end.

[00:53:43] I think before this event, I had maybe only visited one of the stores ever in my years in Tokyo.

[00:53:48] Again, this is not my haunt, as it's mostly focused on high-end stuff, but there were quite a few interesting shops that I had never seen before, and each building has a very austere atmosphere.

[00:53:57] Now, I kind of went out of order because I got there early, so some shops were closed.

[00:54:02] So I went to the number three spot first, which means I had to go back, then go up, then around, but it all worked out.

[00:54:09] The first display was in Marinoichi Oazu, a place I had visited before since they have a large Marozen bookstore and a nice but kind of expensive chocolate cafe.

[00:54:18] No chocolate this time around.

[00:54:19] Instead, I was treated to a huge Yoshi-themed display.

[00:54:22] All the Yoshi colors were here, including light blue, aka the best color.

[00:54:26] They surrounded this clear orb with giant plastic Yoshi eggs spread around the display.

[00:54:31] A big Yoshi egg, hard not to touch, but all the displays said, don't touch them.

[00:54:36] And they are much bigger than I imagined, and it definitely feels like they didn't cheap out at all when it came to the event.

[00:54:42] There's also a pipe photo up here and a few other spots, so feel free to nab a pic of somebody popping out of a pipe.

[00:54:47] Inside Marozen was also kind of a Mario-themed pop-up shop where they sold a ton of items.

[00:54:52] Nothing exclusive, but it did have things I admittedly have never seen before, like a Super Mario Party jigsaw puzzle.

[00:54:58] 300 pieces?

[00:55:00] I don't know, I think after you get all the Mario pieces, it's going to be a lot harder.

[00:55:04] This area also had a lot of Mario-themed Christmas trees set up.

[00:55:07] Not big, towering trees, but it is cool to see half a dozen trees adorned with Mario ornaments.

[00:55:12] The Mario and Luigi Snowman definitely seems to be this year's big motif.

[00:55:16] A very cute image, but I have to imagine, those must be a pain to build in real life, right?

[00:55:21] Next up was Maro-Nu-U-C-I Terrace for a Luigi's Mansion-themed display.

[00:55:24] This setup was actually outside of the store, with the ghosts kind of hung up on this metal awning.

[00:55:29] Now, I went during the morning, and yes, illumination definitely looks better at night,

[00:55:33] and this display certainly feels like it was designed to be seen at night.

[00:55:36] But you can get a picture with a pretty big Luigi display, and yes, nab that stamp.

[00:55:41] Next up was Sheen Maro-Nu-U-C-I Building, not to be confused with Maro-Nu-U-C-I Building,

[00:55:45] or the other five buildings that all have Maro-Nu-U-C-I in the name.

[00:55:49] Here you need to make your way to the third floor for a Princess Peach Showtime-themed photo op.

[00:55:53] It's very stage-like, with the red velvet curtains and Peaches on a pedestal,

[00:55:56] with a smaller, wimpier pedestal beneath her where you can stand and take your photo with Peach.

[00:56:01] It is her Showtime design, though, with the ponytail,

[00:56:04] and there's a big poster of the theater from the game behind her.

[00:56:06] It is a very nice-looking display area.

[00:56:08] They could have cheaped out and just plopped down a Peach standee.

[00:56:11] But instead, they have banners from the theater on display,

[00:56:13] along with a red carpet and bright lights.

[00:56:15] I really do think they nailed each display when it came to showing off a lot of effort

[00:56:19] and making each photo op feel unique.

[00:56:21] So after Peach, I headed down towards Maro-Nu-U-C-I Building for the big-ticket item,

[00:56:24] the thing they slap on all the promo material,

[00:56:27] the gigantic and appropriately titled Super Mario's Power-Up Illumination.

[00:56:32] You've got standees of Mario, Yoshi, Peach, Toad, some enemies,

[00:56:35] and there are these gigantic golden Mario items hanging from the ceiling,

[00:56:39] all backed by banners with the character logos.

[00:56:43] This thing is a little hard to describe, but imagine you hit a question mark block,

[00:56:46] and then every Mario item popped out, was gold, and then was about four times your size.

[00:56:51] It's a fantastic photo op spot,

[00:56:53] and this is one that actually has a quote-unquote show

[00:56:56] where they have a timed light display set to the music.

[00:56:59] I do wonder where they store the giant gold Mario mushroom after the event is over.

[00:57:03] Does Nintendo just have a secret prop warehouse somewhere?

[00:57:05] Is it recycled?

[00:57:07] Sold to the wealthy elite?

[00:57:08] I want to know the afterlife of a mega prop.

[00:57:11] Right next to the display is a Mario pop-up shop,

[00:57:13] and this one actually had quite a lot of merch from Nintendo Tokyo,

[00:57:16] including the new holiday items themed after the Mario and Luigi snowmen.

[00:57:20] I picked up a bag, and let me tell you, this thing is surprisingly great.

[00:57:23] It has the snowmen design on one side,

[00:57:25] and a question mark block with snow on it on the other side,

[00:57:28] but the bag is incredibly sturdy and flexible.

[00:57:30] It's very well made, and I've been using it to keep stuff in.

[00:57:33] It's not just sitting in a closet somewhere.

[00:57:35] I will say that most of the practical goods you get at Nintendo Tokyo,

[00:57:39] overpriced, yes,

[00:57:40] but it certainly doesn't feel cheap at least.

[00:57:43] Modern Noichi building also has a lot of the collaboration items.

[00:57:46] Participating shops sold some Mario themed goods

[00:57:48] that are completely brand new for this event,

[00:57:50] and there was even a special collaboration menu across a lot of restaurants.

[00:57:54] Now, the special food items were pretty loosely themed.

[00:57:57] There's a coffee shop called The Front Room,

[00:57:59] and their collaboration items was a red and green mocha.

[00:58:02] Another place had a mushroom pilaf and some star-shaped toppings,

[00:58:05] but no real Mario imagery.

[00:58:07] It was just a few degrees to the left,

[00:58:09] so it weirdly felt almost like an unofficial crossover.

[00:58:12] But in terms of goods,

[00:58:14] a lot of the collab items did have Mario slapped on them.

[00:58:17] I got this bundle of special Mario teabags from Rimte,

[00:58:20] which specializes in Taiwanese tea.

[00:58:22] What makes them special Mario teabags?

[00:58:25] Well, the characters are on the cover.

[00:58:27] It's a pretty unique item, though.

[00:58:28] I would not have thought that I could buy some lychee tea with Mario on the cover.

[00:58:32] There was also another shop called Okushia,

[00:58:34] which specializes in rice sweets,

[00:58:35] and they had Mario themed boxes,

[00:58:37] but again,

[00:58:38] these things were completely sold out.

[00:58:40] I also wanted to pick up some matcha chocolate with Mario on the box

[00:58:43] from Kyoto-based confectionary Kitakawa Hanbei,

[00:58:46] but again,

[00:58:47] gone.

[00:58:48] Man,

[00:58:48] if Mario matcha chocolate is getting sold out after a few days,

[00:58:51] I'm really fearing what's going to happen

[00:58:53] when Switch 2 comes out in Japan.

[00:58:55] Alright,

[00:58:56] so while the map has the buildings numbered 1 to 6,

[00:58:59] my path so far has been

[00:59:00] 3,

[00:59:01] 4,

[00:59:02] 2,

[00:59:02] 1.

[00:59:02] So, uh,

[00:59:04] I guess 5 is next.

[00:59:05] This was the toad themed display in Marunouchi Brick Square,

[00:59:08] and it was actually outside near Nakadori Avenue.

[00:59:12] Now,

[00:59:12] Nakadori Avenue is probably the main reason why a lot of tourists go here.

[00:59:15] It's a very wide street with a ton of shops,

[00:59:18] plus during the wintertime,

[00:59:19] they actually close the streets for cars

[00:59:21] and put up tables and booths for you to shop at.

[00:59:23] And it has one of the most famous illumination designs in Tokyo,

[00:59:27] the champagne gold,

[00:59:28] where all the trees are trung up with gold lights.

[00:59:30] It's a great place to visit during this time of year,

[00:59:32] and there are a lot of one-of-a-kind shops that do dot the street,

[00:59:34] so I would really recommend shopping here over the department stores.

[00:59:37] But the toad display,

[00:59:39] again,

[00:59:39] quite big.

[00:59:40] It had all the toads,

[00:59:41] it had mushrooms,

[00:59:42] but it felt kind of like the Yoshi display,

[00:59:44] sans the Yoshis.

[00:59:45] But Nakadori also had a lot of the Mario wreath decorations

[00:59:48] that are easy to miss unless you're looking for them.

[00:59:51] I love how integrated the holiday theming is in this area.

[00:59:54] It doesn't feel like these are just closed off little spaces,

[00:59:56] but instead it feels like Mario has kind of taken over Marunouchi.

[00:59:59] The final spot was in the Kokusai building,

[01:00:01] and this display was just a bigger pipe photo op,

[01:00:04] which is kind of strange since the other displays also had pipe photo ops,

[01:00:07] but it felt just kind of copy and pasting here.

[01:00:10] But I managed to get all the stamps,

[01:00:12] and then I returned to the Marunouchi building

[01:00:14] to get the ultimate prize,

[01:00:15] a small clear file,

[01:00:16] and some stickers.

[01:00:17] What more can someone ask for?

[01:00:19] It does have the 2024 Bright Holiday branding on it,

[01:00:22] so I guess in terms of rarity,

[01:00:24] it is quite rare since you can only get it here.

[01:00:26] One of the stickers proudly adorns the bottom of my MacBook.

[01:00:30] Overall, it was a very impressive event

[01:00:31] with some fantastically designed displays,

[01:00:33] and it led me to a lot of interesting areas

[01:00:35] I've personally never visited before.

[01:00:37] Definitely worth doing if you're in Tokyo,

[01:00:39] but I would recommend that you go at night

[01:00:40] to get the full blast of illumination right in your eyeballs.

[01:00:44] It seems like a huge success,

[01:00:45] so I can see them doing it again next year.

[01:00:47] Maybe they should try a different franchise, though.

[01:00:49] A Xenoblade illumination event?

[01:00:51] A red Monado?

[01:00:52] A green Monado?

[01:00:53] At the very least, I'd show up.

[01:00:55] Okay, that's it for the feature,

[01:00:57] so let's check out some news.

[01:01:04] Honestly, not a whole lot of news as we close out the year.

[01:01:07] Maybe I should lead off with some bummer news, though.

[01:01:09] Masayuki Kato, the founder of Nihon Falcom,

[01:01:11] has passed away at the age of 78.

[01:01:13] He founded the company in 1981,

[01:01:15] where they became a major publisher and developer

[01:01:17] of games in the Japanese PC scene,

[01:01:19] and today they're best known for the Ease and Trails series.

[01:01:22] Kato was serving as the chairman of the board of directors

[01:01:24] at Falcom when he died,

[01:01:26] and he was still being credited in their most recent games.

[01:01:29] It is a little jarring and sad to see that developers

[01:01:31] who were working on games in the 80s

[01:01:32] are starting to pass away.

[01:01:34] I mean, the 80s wasn't that long ago, right?

[01:01:37] Just a decade or two back?

[01:01:38] But Kato, while a lot of people probably don't know him by name,

[01:01:41] is definitely in the upper echelon

[01:01:42] of important Japanese gaming figures.

[01:01:44] So rest in peace.

[01:01:46] Toho announced an Exit 8 movie is coming in 2025.

[01:01:49] They released a teaser and,

[01:01:51] yeah, they recreated the subway tunnel,

[01:01:53] complete with the guy.

[01:01:54] I have to wonder how on earth

[01:01:55] you're supposed to make a movie about this, though.

[01:01:57] The game itself can be completed in about an hour,

[01:02:00] but maybe they have some interesting take on it,

[01:02:02] or will it just be 90 straight minutes

[01:02:04] of audiences trying to spot anomalies?

[01:02:06] Is this the fastest video game

[01:02:08] to movie adaptation ever?

[01:02:09] The game hit PC in November 2023,

[01:02:13] Switch in early 2024,

[01:02:14] and a year later,

[01:02:15] there's a full-blown movie.

[01:02:17] I mean, I'm certainly interested in checking it out,

[01:02:19] so I'll report back once it hits Japanese theaters.

[01:02:22] Let's close out with some Nintendo merch.

[01:02:24] There's going to be a mini version of the Poltergust

[01:02:26] from Luigi Mansions 2

[01:02:27] in Arcade Machines this December.

[01:02:29] This is the Poltergust 5000.

[01:02:31] Did you know that off the top of your head?

[01:02:33] If you can name all the Poltergust versions,

[01:02:35] including the one from Mario Kart,

[01:02:37] off the top of your head,

[01:02:38] please crown yourself the King of Luigi.

[01:02:41] All right, let's wrap it up,

[01:02:42] both this episode and the year.

[01:02:44] Thanks as always for listening.

[01:02:45] Be sure to subscribe to this podcast

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[01:02:48] leave a five-star review as well.

[01:02:49] This podcast is also available on YouTube,

[01:02:51] so like and subscribe there as well.

[01:02:53] I'm on Twitter or thread,

[01:02:55] it's Blue Sky Instagram,

[01:02:56] just search for Tokyo Game Life,

[01:02:57] or find the links in the podcast description.

[01:02:59] If you like the podcast,

[01:03:01] be sure to share with your friends

[01:03:02] and on social media.

[01:03:03] The next episode will be on January 12th,

[01:03:06] 2025,

[01:03:06] the year of Switch 2.

[01:03:08] See you next time.

[01:03:09] Matale!

[01:03:10] The Houliắt

[01:03:11] Thank you.