Welcome back as we open up the Nintendo Life Mailbox once again.
Here we are in 2025, ready to thrive, and Nintendo has kindly given us all some good news: ‘Switch 2’ is indeed Switch 2, it’s looking sexy… and watch this space. We’re paraphrasing, but that’s the gist.
It’s time for our monthly letters page feature, though. 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 plunge our mitts into the box, shall we?
Nintendo Life Mailbox – January 2024
“old Nintendo” (***STAR LETTER***)
Dear NL,
Nintendo is probably never going to be worse. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but yes. With the massive targeting at retro game YouTubers and perfectly legal emulation(not piracy), taking down fan games, and, worst of all, lack of charmingness in their consoles. Back in the 3DS/Wii U days, we had music, beautiful menus, Miiverse, and a bigger focus on Miis. I want the old Nintendo. The one that wasn’t afraid to be a little different than everybody else.
Happy New Year, Jay
Hmm. I get where you’re coming from (I like menu music as much as the next editor, and Nintendo has a draconian approach to emulation), but this is the company that released Switch-compatible cardboard robots and a Pilates ring controller this gen. That’s a little different, no?
As unsurprising as Switch 2 feels from the reveal, it did have Joy-Con sliding all over the place like mice – and despite all the hardware leaks, we also know next to nothing about the software. I’m convinced we’ll see big swings and no shortage of charm precisely because the system is so outwardly iterative.
If Switch is Nintendo at its worst… well, I don’t think my body will survive the good stuff. – Ed.
“fearless ambition”
On a recent rewatch of the film “BlackBerry”, I noticed that a major contributor to Research In Motion’s downfall was their refusal to innovate further than they already had – their hesitance to evolve after the iPhone hit the market essentially doomed them. I also recently watched “The Social Network”, which proved a particularly interesting watch in the context of Facebook’s reputation in the current day – its rampant early success eventually allowed Meta to indulge in its worst habits with little meaningful scrutiny. I believe my interpretations of these films reflect many of my worst fears about the Switch 2; will its seemingly inevitable runaway success give Nintendo the overconfidence to excuse itself of the fearless ambition that made it so renowned not even 15 years ago? We’re all familiar with many of its most questionable business practices (i.e. full-price ports, lacklustre online, Joy-Con drift), but will the Switch 2 selling like hotcakes cause those practices to worsen or even manifest in other forms (hello, $70 price point)? I want to play the next Mario Kart as much as anyone else, but the overabundance of warning signs I’m noticing with the Switch 2 are tempering my excitement and expectations.
KrustyKoopa
Nintendo is a very different entity to Blackberry and Facebook, one that’s in the business of entertainment first and foremost, so those comparisons aren’t apt beyond early commercial success and fortunes going up and down.
Did that initial success lead to complacency and Nintendo indulging its “worst habits”? Perhaps, when they ruled with an iron licensing agreement without robust competition. But then, boom, the birth of 3D games, the DS, the Wii, the Switch – platforms that moved the goalposts for everyone. Incredible software has been a constant from the company since the mid-’80s, too.
Given the industry right now, I don’t think overconfidence is a problem for any of the big three, and there’s no guarantee Switch 2 will sell like hotcakes. Nintendo has been at this long enough to know it’s never easy, even when something’s apparently printing money.
I understand the hesitance, the caution, even the slight disappointment that the next console isn’t a doughnut or something unexpected. But I’m very excited to see more of this thing and there’s ample opportunity to do imaginative work in a familiar framework. – Ed.
“Bowser in winter”
Dear Nintendolife,
I got 2 games for Christmas: Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Mario vs Donkey Kong. Both games had perfect difficulty, easy to go through, great challenge to collect everything on the levels, hard to 100% (especially true for Kirby). When I look your reviews, I see severe criticism against the low difficulty, then a lot of comments stating people would not buy such an easy game. They don’t know, what a great experience they miss. I admit these are easier than games of my youth, but I don’t miss the ice cold sweat flowing down on my body when fighting Bowser in winter. So my feeling is you are downplaying the difficulty, dissuading readers from playing great games.
Morsel
I mean, Kirby got a 9/10 and the Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake scored a ‘Good’ 7/10, too. I don’t agree that there’s “severe criticism” of the difficulty in either case. If someone loves sweat-inducing levels of challenge, those aren’t going to satisfy them and that’s worth noting. For everyone else, the context of the full review makes it clear that there’s loads to enjoy in both those games.
I really need to get back to Kirby at some point. – Ed.
“an official thing officially”
So with the Nintendo Switch 2 an official thing officially on the way, and having never known the site before the switch, I wanted to ask- do you know how the site will change with the new system? Will certain kinds of content be phased out? will the main color of the site (It’s been switch red for the last few years aside from articles for retro systems and franchises) change for the new system? And, uh, this’ll sound weird, but any words of comfort for those who won’t be able to upgrade to the newest hardware and games straight away?
Willax
I consulted with top brass and there’s nothing planned when it comes to colour changes right now. The red feels very ‘Nintendo’ and something bright and punchy is preferable to drab grey in my book. NL’s 20th anniversary is coming up this year, so ideas for that are percolating but a total front-end overhaul for Switch 2 isn’t on the cards right now.
And we’ve got no plans to phase out OG Switch games coverage yet. There’s going to be a lot of crossover in the first year at least and with all those games playable on the next system, we’ll be covering the best of both for a good while.
And for readers who won’t be upgrading immediately, remember that these games aren’t going anywhere! We’ll be flagging spoilers in our conversations and features as always, so give the insidious FOMO a sound thrashing and try to enjoy the anticipation. It’s going to be a fun one and we’ll be here when you do jump aboard! – Ed.
Bonus Letters
“I’m hoping for a Studiopolis redub of 25 Pokemon seasons.” – Scott Devine
Blimey. – Ed.
“can you tell by my username that I like potatoes?” – Potato-man
Eating or cavorting with? – 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!
Welcome back as we open up the Nintendo Life Mailbox once again.
Here we are in 2025, ready to thrive, and Nintendo has kindly given us all some good news: ‘Switch 2’ is indeed Switch 2, it's looking sexy… and watch this space. We're paraphrasing, but that's the gist.
It's time for our monthly letters page feature, though. 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 plunge our mitts into the box, shall we?
Nintendo Life Mailbox - January 2024
"old Nintendo" (***STAR LETTER***)
Dear NL,
Nintendo is probably never going to be worse. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but yes. With the massive targeting at retro game YouTubers and perfectly legal emulation(not piracy), taking down fan games, and, worst of all, lack of charmingness in their consoles. Back in the 3DS/Wii U days, we had music, beautiful menus, Miiverse, and a bigger focus on Miis. I want the old Nintendo. The one that wasn't afraid to be a little different than everybody else.
Happy New Year, Jay
Hmm. I get where you’re coming from (I like menu music as much as the next editor, and Nintendo has a draconian approach to emulation), but this is the company that released Switch-compatible cardboard robots and a Pilates ring controller this gen. That's a little different, no?
As unsurprising as Switch 2 feels from the reveal, it did have Joy-Con sliding all over the place like mice - and despite all the hardware leaks, we also know next to nothing about the software. I'm convinced we'll see big swings and no shortage of charm precisely because the system is so outwardly iterative.
If Switch is Nintendo at its worst... well, I don't think my body will survive the good stuff. - Ed.
"fearless ambition"
On a recent rewatch of the film "BlackBerry", I noticed that a major contributor to Research In Motion's downfall was their refusal to innovate further than they already had - their hesitance to evolve after the iPhone hit the market essentially doomed them. I also recently watched "The Social Network", which proved a particularly interesting watch in the context of Facebook's reputation in the current day - its rampant early success eventually allowed Meta to indulge in its worst habits with little meaningful scrutiny. I believe my interpretations of these films reflect many of my worst fears about the Switch 2; will its seemingly inevitable runaway success give Nintendo the overconfidence to excuse itself of the fearless ambition that made it so renowned not even 15 years ago? We're all familiar with many of its most questionable business practices (i.e. full-price ports, lacklustre online, Joy-Con drift), but will the Switch 2 selling like hotcakes cause those practices to worsen or even manifest in other forms (hello, $70 price point)? I want to play the next Mario Kart as much as anyone else, but the overabundance of warning signs I'm noticing with the Switch 2 are tempering my excitement and expectations.
KrustyKoopa
Nintendo is a very different entity to Blackberry and Facebook, one that's in the business of entertainment first and foremost, so those comparisons aren't apt beyond early commercial success and fortunes going up and down.
Did that initial success lead to complacency and Nintendo indulging its "worst habits"? Perhaps, when they ruled with an iron licensing agreement without robust competition. But then, boom, the birth of 3D games, the DS, the Wii, the Switch - platforms that moved the goalposts for everyone. Incredible software has been a constant from the company since the mid-'80s, too.
Given the industry right now, I don't think overconfidence is a problem for any of the big three, and there's no guarantee Switch 2 will sell like hotcakes. Nintendo has been at this long enough to know it's never easy, even when something's apparently printing money.
I understand the hesitance, the caution, even the slight disappointment that the next console isn't a doughnut or something unexpected. But I'm very excited to see more of this thing and there’s ample opportunity to do imaginative work in a familiar framework. - Ed.
"Bowser in winter"
Dear Nintendolife,
I got 2 games for Christmas: Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Mario vs Donkey Kong. Both games had perfect difficulty, easy to go through, great challenge to collect everything on the levels, hard to 100% (especially true for Kirby). When I look your reviews, I see severe criticism against the low difficulty, then a lot of comments stating people would not buy such an easy game. They don’t know, what a great experience they miss. I admit these are easier than games of my youth, but I don’t miss the ice cold sweat flowing down on my body when fighting Bowser in winter. So my feeling is you are downplaying the difficulty, dissuading readers from playing great games.
Morsel
I mean, Kirby got a 9/10 and the Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake scored a 'Good' 7/10, too. I don't agree that there's "severe criticism" of the difficulty in either case. If someone loves sweat-inducing levels of challenge, those aren't going to satisfy them and that's worth noting. For everyone else, the context of the full review makes it clear that there's loads to enjoy in both those games.
I really need to get back to Kirby at some point. - Ed.
"an official thing officially"
So with the Nintendo Switch 2 an official thing officially on the way, and having never known the site before the switch, I wanted to ask- do you know how the site will change with the new system? Will certain kinds of content be phased out? will the main color of the site (It's been switch red for the last few years aside from articles for retro systems and franchises) change for the new system? And, uh, this'll sound weird, but any words of comfort for those who won't be able to upgrade to the newest hardware and games straight away?
Willax
I consulted with top brass and there's nothing planned when it comes to colour changes right now. The red feels very 'Nintendo' and something bright and punchy is preferable to drab grey in my book. NL's 20th anniversary is coming up this year, so ideas for that are percolating but a total front-end overhaul for Switch 2 isn't on the cards right now.
And we've got no plans to phase out OG Switch games coverage yet. There's going to be a lot of crossover in the first year at least and with all those games playable on the next system, we'll be covering the best of both for a good while.
And for readers who won't be upgrading immediately, remember that these games aren't going anywhere! We'll be flagging spoilers in our conversations and features as always, so give the insidious FOMO a sound thrashing and try to enjoy the anticipation. It's going to be a fun one and we’ll be here when you do jump aboard! - Ed.
Bonus Letters
"I'm hoping for a Studiopolis redub of 25 Pokemon seasons." - Scott Devine
Blimey. - Ed.
"can you tell by my username that I like potatoes?" - Potato-man
Eating or cavorting with? - 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!
