Death, taxes, and Nintendo first-party games being the best in the industry, folks. The likes of Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong just do not miss. They make a pretty hard formula seem utterly simple. Just keep cranking out incredible games in your mainline franchises.
Thank the gaming gods, really. GTA 6 is starting to feel more like an industry in-joke than an actual title that is ever going to be released. Sonic has a new racing game and a new party game; it feels like he's retired from, ya know, platforming. Microsoft, it's just getting sad over there.
In an era in which console exclusive games are almost dead, Donkey Kong Bananza is another reason the Switch 2 is a must-own piece of hardware. The Game Awards have acknowledged it as a GOTY nominee and we knew that was coming when it was announced.
It's the first 3D Donkey Kong platformer since 1999's Donkey Kong 64. That one also won numerous awards, including Nintendo Power's honors for Best Overall Game, Best Sound, and Best N64 Game. It builds on the destruction technology used in Super Mario Odyssey, so much so that many are calling it that game's true successor on the Switch 2.
Not all of The Big N's steps have been perfect here. A $20 DLC full of content that was obviously cut from the game to sell it to us later is a thumb in the eye. But it adds Emerald Rush, a roguelike-ish mode (yes, every game must have one now) that people are absolutely loving.
As a gamer of a certain age, I remember the first time I saw both Mario and Donkey Kong in action. I'd have never believed the three of us would be at it 40 years later, but here we are. Pass me the controller and a couple of multi-vitamins.