We're already well into the background of November, and we're back again to open up the Nintendo Life Mailbox.
Got something you want to get off your chest? We're ready and waiting to read your thoughts on the game.
Each month we will feature a Star Letter, the writer of which will receive a monthly subscription to our ad-free Supporter scheme. Check the application guidelines at the bottom of this page.
So grab your pipe, slippers and mug as we go through the best correspondence this month.
Nintendo Life Mailbox – November 2024
“forced to ask” (***STAR LETTER***)
Dear NL,
Due to the recent election events, I feel prompted to ask the NL staff what they think about this. Do you believe this. Will this prompt Nintendo to move production out of China entirely? That being said, do you think this will affect the overall price of the switch and/or the new successor? I believe this could negatively impact Nintendo's bottom line when it launches a new console in the US. Tariffs on almost everything leave less for discretionary spending. I hardly look forward to Mario, Metroid and Zelda when I have to worry about keeping my family fed and housed. Since this is a rather pessimistic view and most of it hasn't come true yet, I'd like to optimistically assume that Nintendo– with its massive war chest of funds– will make it through the next 4 years a little damaged, but still intact. After all, the US is not the only market they sell to.
MegaMari0
Hmm. At this stage we can only speculate. For anyone unfamiliar with the situation, the new administration has promised US tariffs on Chinese imports that have potential massively impact the gaming industry in the coming months and years, a significant increase in hardware prices for consumers still reeling from the cost-of-living crisis.
One thing that is worth considering is what happened last time. Back in 2019, they sent Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft joint letter to the US government warning of serious disruptions and negative effects for the video game industry if consoles are not exempted from similar proposed tariffs. The letter remains relevant even after five years and is worth reading.
Now, given the unpredictability of this particular administration, it's impossible to say for sure which way things will go this time. I'd like to imagine that calm heads and common sense will prevail and in three years we won't be looking back at the good old days of the $700 PS5 Pro. – Ed.
“different lines”
Like many of us, I've been enjoying the Super Mario Party Jamboree lately. However, I'm concerned about a long-term success of the game that I've seen mentioned elsewhere – the linking system.
In Superstars, you chose your board preference, you were matched with 3 other players at random, and then the board was chosen from among all your preferences. It could be annoying to not get the board you wanted for a few games in a row, but matchmaking was quick and efficient.
In Jamboree, you individually select your board (7 options), rules (party or pro) and motion control (on or off), and the game matches you with someone who has chosen the exact same settings – that's 28 different queues! If not enough opponents can be found, the lobby will be filled with bots instead, but now with custom names to trick players into not noticing (the signs are still there – eg they won't have a party card or minigame records). As a result, I have yet to experience an online match with more than one human opponent. If you can find game bots only two weeks after launch, I worry about how the merge will work under the current system when the servers go quiet in a few months.
Munchlax
Mario Party is selling incredibly well, so it's disappointing to hear that finding a partner is so close after launch. Perhaps Jamboree's approach was in response to complaints about the old system forcing you onto boards you didn't want to play. I can definitely relate to that feeling with Mario Kart.
Unfortunately, I just can't relate to this “thoroughly enjoying Super Mario Party Jamboree” phenomenon. I don't get it, and it's become a running joke around NL Towers. Watching people I love and respect being inducted into an apparently evil cult — one where I play 10 minutes of mini-games between 80 minutes waiting and reading and nonsense, approved by the Fun™ man it's clearly stormy weather — it leaves me completely confused. Each to their own, but it's like someone put crazy pills in my coffee. I was promised a party, not… whatever this is! – Ed.
“related to the museum”
GameCube is dead?
You recently wrote that Xenoblade ended the Wii U's life.
With all the great remakes and new versions of games, what would it take for you to consider the GameCube a museum piece?
For me it would be remakes, new games or re-releases of Wind Waker, NFL Street 2 and F-Zero.
Yuan
I have a 'Rule of Three (or Four)' where any console with three or four major exclusives is still worth the space it takes up in the cupboard. The Wii U may be dead, but Nintendo Land, Affordable Space Adventures, and even the original Mario Maker, Splatoon, and a few others keep the system's spirit alive.
The GameCube died the moment the backwards compatible Wii came out – it's an absolute museum artifact. However, you are also talking to a man who owns six things. F-Zero, Rogue Leader, Eternal Darkness, some Doshin, all with DK Bongos, Chibi-Robo, Wave Race, the best Mario Kart, dozens of games I've never even played… No one ever really gone, right? – Ed.
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