Assessing the Nintendo Switch 2 launch and what is a “Mid-log”?
The Thirsty Mage Magazine shows no signs of slowing down with a jammed pack second issue filled with reviews, assessments, and the introduction of the Mid-Log.
We hope you enjoy this new issue of the newsletter. If you do, please share it with a friend!
By Paige Chamberlain
You’ve heard of a backlog but what about the games you’ve actually started and are far enough into that you don’t want to start from the beginning? Well that’s the mid-log. Here’s just a portion of the games that got sidelined in throughout the year.
Hundred Line Last Defense Academy was a game I was initially disinterested in until the reviews hit and then I had to import a copy. It’s a visual novel meets tactics game, not an uncommon thing nowadays. I was really enjoying the unique combat system, but less so the “exploration” segments which were as punishing as the average ‘choose your own adventure’. It’s one of those kind of games were you need to know as little as possible before going it and I was very quickly spoiled by my for you page on twitter showing me fanart of a character captioning them as evil, and as I didn’t do the basic act of staying off that side of twitter I’ve seen later spoilers. That said, the real reason I put this game down was just a matter of balancing other games, and the good news is this game has been patched to fix one of my downsides to this game. I think it’s a weird choice to be Switch and PC exclusive but then again that might make it easier to get back to as I can’t always use the TV. Besides, it has a hundred endings and I definitely don’t know what happens in all of them.
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a Shin Megami Tensei spin-off that is an action rpg, quite unique for that series. Unfortunately I didn’t get far before my delayed copy of Rune Factory Guardians of Azuma arrived and that took priority. There was a big patch with some rebalancing but of course they didn’t fix the boss I was stuck on. I’ve been playing the new Digimon game, and between that finished the new Pokemon whose mostly- action combat felt like a nice break from the mostly traditional rpg combat. So this might be a good game to continue the streak of monster collecting games.
Discounty is a shorter game in the “cosy” section of management games. By rights I should have been able to finish it before hopping into Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar but I actually ended up playing all of Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story and then Grand Bazaar followed up by starting but not finishing Touhou Mystia’s Izakaya. Discounty was pitched as a story about working in a supermarket chain for a bad company and corrupting a small town but the actual effect is not as great for what I’ve played. Like the above examples this game has been updated now, including some more end game content but I will probably finish the Touhou game before going back just in case there’s even more content to be added. The only difficult part in returning will be relearning the prices for items or I guess just fiddling with the calculator more.
Nintendo Switch 2 - The First 6 Months
By Casey Gibson
Eight years and some odd months later, Nintendo has finally released the successor to the mega popular Switch. Opting to more or less give us a souped up version of the Switch instead of reinventing the wheel, many were ready to see more frames per second! It turns out the online discourse about pricing didn’t seem to affect sales of consoles too much, but what about the games… are there enough to justify the purchase?! Depending on who you ask, that answer could be drastically different, but let’s take a look at what Nintendo and friends have dished up for us thus far.
June (Launch Month)
Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk 2077, Zelda BoTW and ToTK Switch 2 Editions, Fast Fusion, Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD
Right off the rip it’s never bad to have a new Mario Kart game, especially after such a long wait from 8. Funny enough, racing was a bit of a theme for launch with Mario Kart, Fast Fusion and F-Zero GX on the NSO. However what really ended up being my big launch surprise was how much Cyberpunk 2077 consumed it. Wonderful port for the Switch 2 and a great showpiece on what the system can do.
July
Donkey Kong Bananza, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, WWE 2K25, Super Mario Party Jamboree Switch 2 Edition
Nintendo decided to space out its two big releases a bit, but we didn’t have to wait long for Donkey Kong Bananza. A fresh take on a DK game, I found myself playing this a bunch in July. One of those games that is good off the bat, but really does become better and better the deeper you get. Throw in a little Tony Hawk action between breaking boulders, and it was a nice follow up month.
August
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Switch 2 Edition, Drag x Drive, Madden 26, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar
History was made this month with the triumphant return of Madden to Nintendo consoles after over a decade hiatus. Football is bad enough as a Jets fan, so instead I focused on Kirby and the sweet soft world it provides.
September
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, Final Fantasy Tactics, Hollow Knight Silksong, Daemon X Machina, Hades 2
Oh boy, this is when things start getting crazy. Not necessarily from a Nintendo exclusive aspect, but there are so many good ones to pick from. I’ve been knee deep in Trails in the Sky, consuming most of my game time. So much so I pushed off Final Fantasy Tactics for the time being even though I’m ready to visit Ivalice. Oh and sequels to two massively loved games dropped.
October
Pokemon Legends ZA, Ball X Pit, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, Persona 3 Reload
If you like RPGs, the onslaught continues. Pokemon Legends is back, this time in the city of Lumoise. I didn’t put much time into Arceus, but as a born again Pokemon fan, I’m having a blast exploring the city and filling out my dex. And as if time wasn’t already an issue, we got a pair of Dragon Quest remakes that look absolutely gorgeous in the HD-2D style to play too. Don’t even get me started in Ball X Pit…
November
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Atelier Ryza (a bunch of em), Kirby Air Riders
As this is the November Newsletter you may have already come to the conclusion that I haven’t played these yet. Hyrule Warriors running at high fps is something to behold and has me from definite pass to considering a pick up. However it’ll likely wait and I continue to work through my games from Sept and Oct.
December
Metroid Prime 4, Octopath Traveler 0
We finish up the year with a bang… or two in fact. The long awaited arrival of Prime 4 is here. After an insane development cycle, we will finally see if they pull off the revival of the Prime subseries or if we’re going to have another Other M on our hands. Last but certainly not least, Octopath Traveler sees its third release and we can already slate this one ahead of the first one in our rankings.
So with that we’ve got a pretty good picture of how the first six months have shaken out for the Switch 2. Purely from an exclusive perspective, the offerings have been great, but definitely few and far between. That being said, there certainly isn’t a lack of things to play with multi console releases, great ports and much needed upgrades to existing games.
The Best 5 Games I’ve Played This Year
By David Lloyd
Yes, I am aware that November is prime Game of the Year discussion time, but 2025 has just been a weird year where nothing seems even remotely interesting to me. I won’t complain, though; the absence of new titles means more time devoted to playing through a mountain of a backlog so big that Godzilla would get tired climbing it. Instead of the best 2025 releases, here are my favourite games played in 2025.
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
Of course one of the greatest video games of all time would be the runaway favourite for 2025. Falcom did an incredible job of modernizing this all time classic, capturing all of the magic that made the original so special.
Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
Ivalice Chronicles Review
The game so nice, they made it thrice. I could have picked up Ivalice Chronicles and enjoyed the terrific voice acting, but I already own War of the Lions which is arguably still the best version of Final Fantasy Tactics. I won’t enter into that debate, but what I can confirm is that FFT is a top 10 all time RPG no matter what version you play.
Cyberpunk 2077
Fire Emblem - Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Final Fantasy - 20th Anniversary Edition
Not a year goes by where I don’t play some version of the original Final Fantasy. To shake things up, I decided to try out the PSP Anniversary Edition, which had never made its way onto my radar. To my delight, this version is absolutely gorgeous and contains additional content not found on the NES cartridge. The difficulty may have been a tad too easy, but it’s a version that I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Memorable Booty - Continued
By Casey Gibson
This will be our little corner to talk about some of our favorite items and weapons we’ve found, acquired, or pillaged over the years. It could be something super iconic or maybe something little known that holds a special spot in your memories. The idea is to highlight a few per Newsletter but with the help of you, the readers! Submissions will be fielded on Discord, more info on that to come.
Masamune - Chrono Trigger
Monado - Xenoblade Chronicles
Another iconic sword from the game that almost wasn’t, or at least almost wasn’t in North America. Well, thank goodness they ended up releasing Xenoblade Chronicles because it quickly became an all-time classic and spawned many equally amazing sequels. While each game has some awesome weapon designs, nothing can top the OG Monado. Changing powers to strengthen an area of attack or defense and even being able to see the future, there isn’t much this sword can’t do. The addition of Shulk and the Monado to Smash Bros only helped to cement its place in history.
Franklin Badge - Earthbound
Our first submission to the segment from our friend over on Discord belongs to Toast Rider! Going back to the good ol’ SNES, we’re talking Earthbound and more specifically the Franklin Badge. This bad boy appears throughout the franchise, initially an item to reflect PK Beam, it would change to reflect PK Thunder. Not only is it useful for any old run in with PK Thunder, but it’s instrumental to beating the leader of the Happy Happyism Cult (one of my favorite parts as a kid). Thanks again to Toast Rider and remember you can send us your memorable booty suggestions over on Discord!
Nintendo Switch 2
The Last Half of the Launch Window
by Jordan Rudek
With Casey covering the 2025 launch and launch window for Switch 2, I’ll be looking ahead to what the first half of 2026 will bring to Nintendo’s latest console. Note that some of these games will also be coming to Switch 1, but they do have dedicated Switch 2 versions that have been confirmed. We don’t have a lot of solid dates yet, so take some of these entries with a grain of salt.
January 2026
Dynasty Warriors: Origins, Trails Beyond The Horizon, and Final Fantasy VII REMAKE INTERGRADE
RPG fans continue to eat good in the first month of next year, with the long-awaited Switch 2 port of the FFVII remake. By all accounts, including my own demo experience at PAX West this year, the first part of the FFVII remake trilogy will offer a compelling reason for people to jump in for the first time or double dip before part 3 arrives sometime in 2028 or earlier.
February 2026
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, Mario Tennis Fever, Virtual Boy Nintendo Classics, Resident Evil Requiem
It’s been almost six years since the last Mario Tennis game, Aces, and I’m ready for a new entry in the series that looks to have a fresh spin on its adventure mode. I’ve given up on the RPG-style experiences that we got from the Game Boy and GBA entries, but if the multiplayer is solid and it delivers on having fun new characters, I’m likely in for Mario Tennis Fever.
I have to shout out the Virtual Boy being added to the Nintendo Classics/NSO line-up for the sheer audacity of it. Curiosity will almost certainly get the best of me as I debate between which of the two ridiculous peripherals I have to pick up to actually play these games.
March and onward
Monster Hunter Stories 3, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, First Light: 007, Splatoon Raiders, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, Pokemon Pokopia
This is the category with the most uncertainty; only Monster Hunter Stories and First Light have release dates (March 13 and 27, respectively). Elden Ring was delayed into 2026 despite some improvements being evident in the PAX West demo, but I’m expecting it to arrive earlier in the year rather than later given that FromSoftware already has The Duskbloods pencilled in for 2026. Fire Emblem looks promising in the little we’ve seen from it, and I’m eager to see more of Splatoon Raiders as well given that it’s the first game in the series to (presumably) move away from the competitive, territory capturing, multiplayer focus. Those who know of my fondness for Dragon Quest Builders won’t be surprised to see me include Pokemon Pokopia on the list given the apparent similarity in the gameplay.
While we wait for events like the next Nintendo Direct and even the Video Game Awards to offer more insight into next year’s slate, there are still plenty of standout experiences to enjoy in the lead up to 2026. If you haven’t already, join the Thirsty Mage Discord and let us know what you’re looking forward to playing on Switch 2.
by David Lloyd
One of the most frequently asked questions by anyone who has yet to play a Legend of Heroes game is: “what is the best entry point into the series?” Long running Trails fans will immediately name the original PSP game, but until now, the only modern way to enjoy the game was through Steam. With the series gaining popularity in the West in recent years, Falcom decided to end the debate and give Trails in the Sky a modern makeover while making it available on every major modern platform. Not only has Falcom provided the unequivocal starting point for any new fan, but they also made one of the best RPGs you’ll ever play.
The second most frequent question that people ask: “Why is Trails in the Sky worth playing?”
The answer to that question is complex, but in short, Trails in the Sky is a coming of age tale in which a pair of teenage protagonists in Estelle and Joshua Bright begin their careers as do-gooding mercenaries, but are quickly thrust into a position of defending their country from a national conspiracy. The length of the game is approximately 40 hours and is paced perfectly as the pair begins their adventures in a quaint country town as they travel towards the national capital. Every character the heroes meet along the way ooze with personality, and each has their own history and motivations. Character development is one of Falcom’s greatest strengths, confirmed by the fact that after 13 entries, fans still crave more stories of the favourite heroes. In particular, Estelle Bright stands out as one of the greatest protagonists in all of video game history. The “girl that shines as brightly as the sun” stands out due to her infinite optimism, and her acceptance of flaws that make her that much more of an interesting character.
Not only does Trails in the Sky benefit from an incredible story filled with interesting characters, but it also features one of the best designed combat systems in a turn-based RPG. The battle system is a hybrid between tactics and turn-based with each turn consisting of positioning a character on the battlefield and selecting an action. The options are vast as each character has magical attacks, physical attacks, and special attacks that are triggered based on the amount of action points the individual characters have. One of the biggest concerns going into the remake is whether Falcom would utilize the full modern combat system featured in the latest Legend of Heroes titles. Thankfully, Falcom showed restraint by only including very small quality of life improvements such as the ability to eliminate weak enemies on the battlefield with action combat, without the need of triggering a full battle for every battle.
Many RPG purists may be wondering if it’s better to play the original PSP version and the short answer is that the modern remake is faithful enough to the original to be the definitive version. The story is almost beat for beat, and the localization is very similar aside from a few modern revisions. The only notable exclusion from the original are the hilarious treasure chest messages that are accessed after they’ve been open. During the original localization, Jessica Chavez discovered available text space when a player checks an already open treasure chest. Each chest contains a funny pun or joke, a touch of personality missing from the remake. The inclusion of full voice acting by an impeccable cast add its own personality, and the full motion cut scenes are hilarious and add even more personality to a game already busting at the seams with it.
It’s incredible to witness the popularity of the Legends of Heroes continue to grow even as the franchise sets to release its 13th entry over almost two decades. After spending years trying to convince anyone who would listen to the brilliance of Trails in the Sky, it brought a tear to my eye to see social media embrace the game that I love. With the accessibility of 1st Chapter, and Falcom confirming that the 2nd Chapter will also get a remake, there’s no excuse for any RPG fan not to experience the greatness of Trails in the Sky.
Top 10 NES Games
by Jordan Rudek
In celebration of the Nintendo Entertainment System’s North American launch, a few of the Thirsty Mage crew are sharing their personal 8-bit favorites. We’re starting with someone who’s also celebrating a 40th anniversary this year.
10
This one is a strange pick for me, mostly here for the vibes. I’ve never finished it, but I love its Zelda 2 like overworld and island theming. I found it really tricky as a youth, but that didn’t hold me back from making it a regular contender at the video rental store.
9
A game I would finish dozens of times, both solo or while sitting beside my siblings. As a teenager, I would grow to prefer Bust-A-Move, but every follow up to classic Bubble Bobble reminds me that they’ve never improved on the OG.
8
Is there anything gameplay mechanic more fun than pogo-sticking? Shovel Knight may have perfected it, but Scrooge McDuck pioneered it. One of a number of excellent Disney properties that were spun into NES, DuckTales always brought a smile to my face, and that Moon level theme is still music to my ears.
7
I enjoyed NES brawlers like Double Dragon well enough, but I adored how River City had bookstores where I could turn my punches into flurries and my kicks into hurricanes. It was hard and required some reading between the lines, but River City Ransom will always have a place in my heart, even if I can now finish it in under 60 minutes.
6
Possibly the greatest NES game; the total package, and the best part of cult classic (?) movie The Wizard–sorry, Fred Savage. Not much more needs to be said about this seminal platformer, but I just have more personal fondness for SMB2.
5
Something about the quirkiness and the uniqueness of Super Mario Bros. 2 makes it slightly more important to me than SMB3. I love how each character has their own attributes, which turns every playthrough into a new experience depending on whom you select for each stage.
4
For some a black sheep, it may well be the Zelda game I’ve played more than any other, A Link to the Past notwithstanding. I loved visiting the town and seeing Link grow in strength and capability over the course of the adventure. If you can finish Zelda II, you can beat any other NES game.
3
While my affinity for the series has waned as I’ve gotten older, the NES game remains infinitely charming and replayable. The copy abilities, secrets, and music fill me with nostalgia.
2
Earned a well deserved spot in my book and back in my life as my kids discover Mega Man games for the first time. My obsession with its soundtrack persists and it will always be my favourite in the classic series.
1
The game that spawned a lifelong passion for RPGs, shaping my video game history more than any other title. Lived and breathed it for months on end and still think about it regularly. Four thieves still impossible, though
You Made It To The End!
We hope that you enjoyed the newsletter and will look forward to future issues. If we could ask for one thing, we would greatly appreciate if you could tell a friend or two about our newsletter. Word of mouth is how our small community can grow, and we appreciate any help you can provide.
