The End of an Era: GameCube’s Influence, Mario Party’s Evolution, and the Impact of Tariffs

We are now well into mid-November and we’re back to kick off the Nintendo Lifestyles Mailbox.

Do you have something you’d like to express? We’re eager and enthusiastic to hear your gaming-related thoughts.

Each month, we’ll feature a Star Letter, with the author receiving a month’s subscription to our ad-free Supporter plan. Check out the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page.

So, grab your pipe, slippers, and cup of tea as we sift through some of this month’s correspondence.

Nintendo Lifestyles Mailbox – November 2024

“compelled to inquire” (***STAR LETTER***)

Dear NL,
Due to recent electoral events, I feel compelled to ask the NL team their views on this issue. Do you think this will push Nintendo to relocate production entirely out of China? If that happens, do you suspect this could impact the final price of the Switch and/or its future successor? I believe this could negatively affect Nintendo’s bottom line when they launch the new console in the US. Tariffs on just about everything leave less for discretionary spending. It’s hard to look forward to Mario, Metroid, and Zelda, when I have to worry about keeping my family fed and housed. Since this is quite a pessimistic take and much of this has yet to occur, I might optimistically hope that Nintendo—with its substantial war chest of funds—will endure the next four years somewhat battered yet still intact. After all, the US isn’t the only market they sell to.
MegaMari0

Hmm. At this point, we can still theorize. For those unfamiliar with the situation, the incoming administration has promised US tariffs on Chinese imports which could potentially greatly affect the gaming industry in the coming months and years, significantly increasing hardware expenses for consumers already grappling with a cost-of-living crisis.

One thing that is worth mentioning is what transpired last time. Back in 2019, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft submitted a joint letter to the US government warning of severe disruptions and negative consequences for the video game sector should consoles not be exempt from similarly proposed tariffs. The letter remains relevant five years later and is worth a read.

Now, considering the unpredictability of this particular administration, it’s very hard to predict how things will unfold this time. I hope that calm minds and common sense will prevail and three years from now we won’t be reminiscing about the good ol’ days of $700 PS5 consoles. – Ed.

“alternative queues”

Like many of us, I have been thoroughly enjoying Super Mario Party Jamboree lately. However, I have a concern regarding the game’s long-term success that I’ve seen discussed elsewhere: the matchmaking system.
In Superstars, you select your board preference, get matched with 3 different players at random, and then the board was chosen from all your selections. It could be frustrating not to get the board you wanted several games in a row, but matchmaking was quick and efficient.
In Jamboree, you choose your board (7 options), rules (party or pro), and control preferences (on or off) individually, and the game matches you with someone who selected the exact same settings—that’s 28 different queues! If sufficient opponents can’t be found, the lobby will fill with bots instead, now given custom names to trick players into not noticing (the signs are still there—e.g., they won’t have a party card or minigame info). As a result, I have yet to experience an online match with more than one human player. If you can only find bot matches just two weeks after release, I’m concerned about how the matchmaking will operate when the servers become quieter in a few months.
Munchlax

Mario Party sells remarkably well, so it’s disappointing to learn that matchmaking is an issue so soon after launch. Perhaps Jamboree’s structure was a reaction to complaints about the previous setup forcing you onto boards you didn’t want to play on. I can certainly relate to that feeling with Mario Kart.

Unfortunately, I just can’t seem to resonate with this “thoroughly enjoying Super Mario Party Jamboree” sentiment. I don’t get it, and it has turned into a source of humor around NL Towers. Watching people I know and respect getting inducted into a seemingly flawed cult—one where playing 10 minutes of minigames amidst 80 minutes of waiting and reading along with nonsensical, sanctioned-by-the-man Fun™ is considered a good time—leaves me utterly bewildered. To each their own, but it feels like people are slipping crazy pills into my coffee. I was promised a party, not… whatever this is! – Ed.

“museum-bound”

The GameCube is dull?

You mentioned not too long ago that Xenoblade has signaled the demise of the Wii U.
With all the great remakes and new versions of games, what would it take for you to consider a GameCube museum exhibit?
For me, it could be remakes, new games, or re-releases of Wind Waker, NFL Street 2, and F-Zero.
Juan

I have a ‘Rule of Three (or Four)’ where any console with three or four standout exclusives is still worth the space it occupies in the storage cupboard. The Wii U may be dull, but Nintendo Land, Pikmin Adventures, and even the new Mario Maker, Splatoon, and a few others keep the console’s spirit alive.

The GameCube became obsolete the moment the backwards-compatible Wii was released—it’s truly a museum-grade artifact. But you’re also talking to someone who owns six of them. F-Zero, Rogue Leader, Eternal Darkness, a bit of Doshin, everything with the DK Bongos, Chibi-Robo, Wave Race, the original Mario Kart, dozens of games I never even played… No one’s ever truly gone, right? – Ed.

“more than just a video and a few articles/polls”

Dear NL,

As we approach the inevitable reveal of the next Nintendo console, I was wondering if you guys have anything substantial planned for the online content when the console is finally unveiled? With so much excitement across the gaming landscape, it feels like when the world was anticipating the PS2’s reveal at E3!

P.S: if you don’t have anything else “big” planned, that’s fine. But I feel this occasion would warrant more than just a video and a few articles/polls.
Tanookduke

Oh, I think we could stretch to two videos for this. A list, perhaps? You know, really go all out!

Ahem. If by ‘substantial’ you mean ‘an absolute mother-of-a-Switch-2-blowout with the most comprehensive features, reports, news, and curious coverage for Nintendo fans everywhere on the internet,’ you can count on it.

If you mean formatting the content for circular monitors only, changing the name to switch2niverse.com, and throwing a wild launch party in Kyoto with Shigsy doing the Macarena in a hot-air balloon shaped like Waluigi’s face… I’ll have to have a word with the budget team. – Ed.

“a flop”

If you could choose any Nintendo series to receive a f