Welcome back to Nintendo Therapy, the weekly hangout where we unpack the latest Nintendo news, dive into retro gems, and celebrate all things Nintendo. This week, your host Kevin is joined by Harrison to absorb some powers and reflect on the 128-bit era in honor of episode 128!

🟣 We kick off with a nostalgic GameCube shoutout: Pikmin, Billy Hatcher, and more. Remember when Sega went third-party and Sonic Team dropped their first original GameCube title? We do—and we have thoughts.

🎮 Kevin’s THPS FOMO kicks in. Modern gaming, lost media, mobile spin-offs—why is everything a franchise now?

📰 In the news:

• DK Bananza overview trailer drops ahead of its July 17 release.

• Harrison saw the Switch 2 in person—yes, Finally.

• Super Mario Strikers hits NSO and it’s still hilariously chaotic.

• WWE 2K25 looks great on Switch 2… but $70 for a key card?

• Switch 1 price hike (starting in Canada) raises eyebrows.

• Perfect Dark reboot? Not looking good amid massive layoffs.
  

🕹️ Spotlight: The Gradius Legacy This week’s retro deep-dive is all about Gradius—both the NES classic and the Game Boy’s Gradius: The Interstellar Assault. We discuss:

• Konami’s early shooter roots and the power-up system that changed the genre

• Why the Vic Viper deserves a Hall of Fame spot

• Arcade vs. NES differences, Moai heads, and speedrun stats

• The Game Boy sequel’s vertical scrolling levels and original design

• And… wait, no Konami Code?
  

As always, we’ll leave you with some laughs, a few hot takes, and a shared appreciation for Nintendo’s past, present, and (very Switch 2-shaped) future.

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