Welcome to a new year of gaming with Pure Nintendo! We hope your new year has started with a bang! Our first playlist for 2023 includes everything from sailing adventures to Mario Kart, with a healthy does of TMNT for good measure.

That’s right, sailing. Sail Forth is here to bring an open-world adventure to the waters. With a Windwaker feel to it, plenty of isles to discover, and even dolphins to follow, this is quite a unique title.

Oh, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – is there anything you can’t do? This game showed a renewed interest from the team last year thanks to the first three waves of DLC content. We got together for a game night recently and spent a lot of time on the road. It’s as good as ever; and now that we’ve had so many new tracks to enjoy, revisiting the original feels fresh again!

With two major releases last year, Pokémon is bound to be on our playlist for a while. We’re playing both 2022 titles as we continue to enjoy Arceus and Scarlet/Violet. Who knows what 2023 holds for this franchise?

The only question left to ask is: which games are you playing at the moment? Perhaps this year will be the year you can catch up on that backlog … we tell ourselves the same thing every year! For now, let us know the titles on your playlist.

Pure Nintendo playlist

Roger

  • Sail Forth (Switch) – Really enjoying this sailing game – it’s got some Windwaker Vibes. I love how it’s an open world, and while there’s a story to be told in this game, a lot of how the narrative unfolds is how you play the game, making your own adventures.

Kirk

  • Children of Silentown (Switch) – Nearing the end of this puzzle adventure ahead of its January 11t release, and I’ll be sad when it’s over. If you’ve ever loved a Daedalic game, you’ll love this one, too. My review next week will have all the wonderful details.
  • Rumble Fish 2 (Switch) – I don’t normally go for arcade fighting games, but our original reviewer was injured in…we’ll say training…so I’m stepping into the fight. We’ll find out soon enough whether I’m able to go the distance.
  • Nintendo Switch Sports (Switch) – My family’s traditional New Year’s Eve gaming night rekindled our interest in this, and that means we’ll be spamming it for a while. I’ve given up on ever beating my kids in some of the games, but I think I can take them in golf with a little more practice.

Trev

  • Mario Kart 8 DX (Switch) – I posted a highlight of this on the PN Twitter, so be sure to check it out.
  • Papetura (Switch) – This is quite a good game, and if my review isn’t posted by the time this list is up, it will be soon after.
  • Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Switch) – My runner-up for GOTY, I’ve been slowly building my Pokedex…when my wife isn’t busy playing; she’s well ahead of me.
  • TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge (Switch) – A favorite among the PN crew, I got to play online a bit with Jemma and Justin. I’ll need to revisit The Cowabunga Collection next and check out the update.

Jemma

  • Pokémon Violet (Switch) – I am loving this game. It just makes me happy. The music, the vast open spaces, the Pokémon.. it’s just pure joy. I’m still working my way through the Titans, so this is a game I’ll be playing for some time!
  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) – I can never get enough Mario Kart, but the latest DLC gives us all a pretty good reason to pick it up again! We spent some time with new and old courses in a recent Pure Nintendo game night. Sorry, Trev! You can also read my thoughts on wave 3 of the booster course pass.
  • TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge (Switch) – This was one of my highlights of 2022 and another game night inclusion. It’s so satisfying to play with friends!
  • River City Girls 2 (Switch) – I’m reviewing this interesting beat ’em up at the moment. It has so many postives, but one negative that unfortunately mars the experience. Watch for my review soon!
  • Bravery and Greed (Switch) – Another review title, this is a fun roguelike with great pixel graphics and lots of plundering to do. Watch for my upcoming review!