58 posts tagged with nintendoswitch.
Displaying 1 through 50 of 58. Subscribe:
Time to go beat up Ganondorf
A new Zelda game is reminding everyone to finish the last one [Polygon] There is so much any given player can do in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. You can become the architect of the world’s largest bridge, engineer crimes against Koroks, or, if you want, you can just turn the sloping hills of Hyrule into Link’s personal skate park. It’s a giant game with plenty to do, so I’d forgive any player who, I don’t know, just so happened to not have completed the game yet. But now, with the impending release of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, anyone still playing Nintendo’s last Zelda title might be rushing to beat the game before the next mainline Zelda game comes out. Bonus link: Zelda is going full horse girl in her next game.
toxicity persists and worsens in highly competitive games
Despite Advancements, Games Still Aren't Doing Enough To Stop Toxic Voice Chat by Alyssa Mercante [Kotaku] “I started regularly playing competitive online games in 2007, with the launch of Halo 3. Back then, participating in in-game voice chat was harrowing for a 17-year-old girl whose voice betrayed her gender and her youth. I was subjected to such frequent and horrific hostility (rape threats, misogynist remarks, sexually inappropriate comments, you name it) that I eventually started screaming back, a behavior my parents still bring up today. And yet, voice chat is essential in competitive online games, especially modern ones like Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends, Fortnite, Valorant, and Overwatch. All of these popular games require extensive amounts of teamwork to succeed, which is bolstered by being able to chat with your teammates. But in-game voice chat remains a scary, toxic place—especially for women. [...] I spoke to several women about their voice chat experiences, as well as reps from some of today’s biggest online games, to get a better understanding of the current landscape.”
what's old is new again
The Best Reviewed Games of 2023 (So Far) [IGN] The snowball of games delayed out of 2021 and 2022 has settled in 2023, coalescing into the most exciting games lineup of the decade so far. 2023, arguably, marks the proper start of the PS5 and Xbox Series X generation with Unreal Engine 5 support building and an increasing number of developers dropping support for last-gen hardware. Each of the three console manufacturers has at least one blockbuster release scheduled this year — Starfield for Xbox, Spider-Man 2 for PlayStation, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo — complemented by a generation-best third-party lineup that includes Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil 4, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Street Fighter 6, Diablo 4, Final Fantasy 16, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Hades 2, and Mortal Kombat 1. Five Six months through 2023 and already the year has lived up to its lofty expectations.
Everyone loves Elephant Mario and it’s (mostly) wholesome
Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct was jam-packed with pleasant surprises, from a Super Mario RPG remake to the return of Detective Pikachu. Another standout announcement was a new Mario game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which looks like a fun and trippy take on the usual 2D platformer formula. The trailer showed Mario and the gang going on adventures, and at the end of the trailer, Nintendo gave us a sneak peek at a new, goofy-looking fruit that turns Mario into an elephant. Elephant Mario is still recognizably Mario. He’s bipedal, bright-eyed, and keeps his usual mustache, cap, and overalls. (His shoes, however, are gone; presumably, they don’t fit his new elephant feet.) [...] Nintendo didn’t reveal any details about Hollow Knight: Silksong, Metroid Prime 4, or post-release content for Tears of the Kingdom. [via: Polygon]
just revel in the absurdity and exhilaration of it all
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom changes the conversation By Mike Mahardy [Polygon] “If, as with music, movies, TV, or books, we can look at Tears of the Kingdom as a dialogue between creator and audience, then Nintendo has effectively changed the conversation. Historically, when Zelda players asked Nintendo, “Can I do this?” the answer was usually “no” or “not yet.” Breath of the Wild often answered in the affirmative, but Tears of the Kingdom takes that response one step further: When pressed as to whether something is possible in this enormous, absurd, mysterious world, Nintendo doesn’t just try to say “yes.” It strains to say “yes, but also...””
Rehydrated Ganondorf can’t quench your thirst
“The third and final trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is stuffed with new details about Link’s next adventure, including a very good look at the newly reborn Ganondorf. And, as suspected, the rehydrated Ganondorf, seen in Gerudo-jerky form in previous trailers, is moisturized, thriving, and decidedly hot in the sequel to Breath of the Wild. His evil hotness is confirmed in brand-new artwork for Ganondorf released by Nintendo on Thursday, in which his increasingly Akuma-lookin’ ass is shown in great detail. Great man bun, cool pose, and perfectly accessorized, Ganondorf is going to challenge Link for handsomest man in Hyrule (and probably the Triforce, or something).” [via: Polygon] [more inside]
Link will be taking to the skies on May 12, 2023!
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom [Official Trailer #2] [Official Trailer #1] [First Look/Teaser] “After years of waiting, Nintendo finally pulled back the curtain a little more on what fans can expect from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. A snazzy new gameplay trailer revealed a ton, including a world that’s more than just a reskin of the one from Breath of the Wild. It starts with an unknown voice calling on its minions to destroy the world, followed later on by Zelda warning Link that he might not be table to take on the new threat poised by the strange zombified demon who sure bears a resemblance to Ganondorf from earlier Zelda games. Plus there’s Link riding a hot air balloon, tractor, and more. Previous trailers made it clear that Link will be taking to the skies in much of Tears of the Kingdom, both in terms of teleporting up to floating islands and making use of a new glider to cover long distances. The hero of time also sports a new magic glove this time around which augments some of the physics-based abilities from the first game and even includes a flamethrower mode.” [via: Kotaku]
Tactics > Social
Fire Emblem Engage May Be The Meaty Tactical RPG Fans Are Hungry For [Kotaku] [Review Roundup] “Fire Emblem Three Houses was adored by many for its detailed characters, intricate relationship building, and consequential story choices. The series’ strategy combat was still there, but hardly the main attraction. Based on early reviews, it sounds like Fire Emblem Engage flips the tables, rewarding fans of the strategy series’ roots while at the same time curtailing the ambitious social elements introduced by its predecessor. Fire Emblem Engage sports VTuber-looking protagonists and a gameplay gimmick that lets players summon heroes from the series’ past to help them in battle. What it doesn’t necessarily have is a cast of fascinating warriors to befriend or a compelling conflict. There are a host of visual and quality-of-life improvements, but the game appears to be more of an homage to the series’ past than its next step forward.” [Overview Trailer] [more inside]
People want features that make things easier to use, or more pleasant
A Timeline Of Adaptive Technology In Digital Experiences [Able Gamers]
“Despite its stunning popularity today, video games weren’t always so mainstream. In fact, at its outset in the 70s, the video gaming industry was a small niche market trying to grow its customer base and introduce the world to its technology and stories. As a result, a small-yet-devoted community began to emerge, and people with disabilities saw the immediate value of what the video gaming community could offer them. As such, video game developers and companies began to focus on accessibility in their software and cultivating adaptive technology solutions to promote their companies and games in the press. AbleGamers has spent the last sixteen years creating change via direct advocacy and action in the industry, fighting to remove the barriers to gaming that people with disabilities experience. Today, the major wins for accessibility that we’ve witnessed over the past decade prove that the industry is undergoing a transformation that welcomes people with disabilities to the community.”[more inside]
Anywhere and Everywhere
The 2020 Indiecade Anywhere and Everywhere Award Winners are here, including Electric Zine Maker (Interaction Design, Previously), The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED] (Experience Design), Wide Ocean Big Jacket (Jury Prix), Mutazione (Grand Jury), Holly Gramazio (Bernie DeKoven Big Fun Award), Derek Yu (Trailblazer), Zuraida Buter (Game Changer), Tangle Tower (Performance), I Was A Teenager Exocolonist (Procedural Design), NUTS (Audio Design), Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective (Visual Design), Terrarium: An Alternate Reality Game (Location Based and Live Play), Thousand Year Old Vampire (Tabletop), Sin Sol / No Sun (Impact), Journey of the Broken Circle (Narrative), Mini Motorways (Indiecade Choice). [more inside]
“You were close. I expect a better shot next time.”
During a special YouTube presentation this morning, The Pokémon Company announced a new version of classic Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap in development for Nintendo Switch, aptly named New Pokémon Snap. They also revealed free-to-start puzzle game Pokémon Café Mix and Pokémon Smile, a mobile app meant to help children brush their teeth. This is in a similar vein to their previously released, Pokémon Sleep.
BIG GAME ENERGY.
The big video games of summer 2020 [Polygon] “The summer of 2020 is shaping up to be one of the most unusual seasons for video games. It’s an atypically busy summer, in part thanks to a series of delays that have pushed AAA video games like The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima to the summer months. Summer 2020 is also when video game fans will get to experience blockbuster movie properties as games: There are no major Marvel Studios movies this summer, but there is a pair of major Marvel games, one starring Iron Man and the other the full team of Avengers. And in the absences of the massively delayed Fast & Furious 9, we have an original Fast & Furious video game from the team behind Project CARS. It’s a summer full of big adventures, including a new Paper Mario game and the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077. (Nintendo Switch owners who don’t dig Paper Mario have plenty of ports to play to this summer: BioShock, Borderlands, and XCOM collections just dropped, as did the massive RPG Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition.) And much more.” [more inside]
Truly definitive.
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition [Game Trailer] “First released in 2010 for the Nintendo Wii, Xenoblade Chronicles was a smash hit in Japan that was heralded as a breakthrough innovation for the JRPG genre - and then took a year to release in PAL format and another year after that to arrive in North America. [...] Ten years after its initial release, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition comes to Nintendo Switch and brings with it an overhaul of the original's now-dated graphics. The title goes well beyond that description though, providing fans with new content, additional features, and a preservation of the series' appealing storytelling.” [via: ScreenRant] [more inside]
50 cute and cozy indie games
Wholesome Games Direct 2020 [YouTube][37:09][Trailers & Showcase] “A digital games showcase called the Wholesome Games Direct aired yesterday, dedicated to cute and colorful games. It put the spotlight on over 50 upcoming indie games that run the gamut from train sims to augmented reality adventures. Games showcased will be playable on a variety of gaming platforms.”
hack. slash. loot. lather. rinse. repeat.
Minecraft Dungeons [YouTube][Launch Trailer] “Minecraft Dungeons, out May 26 on Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and PC (where I’ve been playing it), takes Minecraft’s characters and blocky aesthetic and maps it onto an isometric dungeon crawler where you mash cooldown abilities while running through mob-infested forests, swamps, and volcanic caves. The story sees you save a village from malevolent forces, but really the goal is to kill lots of stuff, get stronger loot, and then kill even more stuff.” [via: Kotaku] [more inside]
“When these six destinies entwine, their world will be born anew...”
The Trials Of Mana Remake Proves Square Enix Can Faithfully Redo A Classic '90s RPG [Kotaku] “The second high-definition remake of a 90s-era Square Enix role-playing game coming out this month is much more faithful to the original than Final Fantasy VII. Beneath Trials of Mana’s cartoonish 3D makeover and questionable voice acting, it’s the same simple, satisfying action RPG it’s always been. Trials of Mana began as Seiken Densetsu 3, the 1995 Super Famicom sequel to classic action RPG Secret of Mana. Though Western fans have been playing for two decades via unofficial translations, the game did not see an official English release until June 2019 as part of the Collection of Mana compilation. Now, less than a year since the original was officially introduced to the Western world, we’ve got a high-definition 3D remake.” [Game Trailer] [more inside]
Animal Crossing isn’t a game about capital EXCEPT IT ABSOLUTELY IS
Fan-Run Marketplaces Rise To Meet Animal Crossing: New Horizons Players' Needs [Kotaku] “Animal Crossing: New Horizons is nominally a chill game about seeing what each day holds and adjusting as you go. But if you’re an intense interior designer or an entrepreneurial turnip seller, you’ll want to pick up the pace. Thankfully, there’s an entire ecosystem of tools and websites to help you make tons of bells and, if you’re willing, plenty of ways to get the villager you want: Nookazon, Turnip Prophet, Turnip Calculator, Turnip Exchange, NookNet: Custom Design Portal, AC Patterns, Happy Island Designer, r/AdoptMyVillager (currently closed), & Nook Plaza.
Wholesome gaming post.
The 88-year old grandma who's played Animal Crossing: New Leaf for 4,300 hours (check out her beautiful flower garden) has started to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. She also has a character in the new game named after her, called Audie, a wolf with a nice pair of sunglasses and some spectacular winged eyeliner. Her name is significant, as Audie is the username used by Audrey when playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Nintendo decided to pay tribute to her as a thank you. In this unboxing video, Audrey answers some fan questions and opens a brand new gift - the new, limited edition New Horizons Switch console. She also boots up the game, finding out that her first villager friends are Katt and Bam. [via: Kotaku]
“The Four”
Four Of The World's Best Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Players Create Epic Gameplay Montage [YouTube][Cinematic Combat Montage] “RinHara5aki, Kleric, CHC Yu-Da, and Peco are, on their own, some of the most technically impressive The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild players on the planet — their videos showcasing advanced and obscure combat methods have accrued millions of views on YouTube. The four of them getting together for a single video is almost too much to handle. “The Four” is a combat montage that is the result of four months of work, and it is meant as a last hurrah for Breath of the Wild. With a sequel on the way, group leader RinHara5aki thought it would be a good idea to make a love letter to the game before saying goodbye.” [via: Polygon]
60, single, and sexy
Later Daters is a dating sim full of sexy seniors [YouTube][Game Trailer] [Theme Lyric Music Video]“Dating sims are usually full of young, hot singles in your area, but a new take on dating sims from Canadian indie studio Bloom Digital Media is taking a different approach. Later Daters, which is due for a release on Steam and Nintendo Switch on April 16, stars a protagonist who has recently joined a retirement home. The retirement community is full of residents, and players can flirt with — and date a lucky candidate — from eight different characters. The story is looking to buck the stereotypes about older people falling in love, but there are still some retirement-friendly activities for players to choose from and meet potential lovers at, including morning yoga and playing cards.” [via: Polygon]
Turnips are very sensitive to time paradoxes.
Animal Crossing Fans Are Fighting Over Time Travel [Comicbook] “While Animal Crossing: New Horizons players tend to be united in their love for the game, if there's one area in which players vehemently disagree, it's on the topic of time travel. Time travel is a practice in which players adjust the Nintendo Switch's internal clock in order to jump ahead in time and gain access to things that they shouldn't yet have access to. Nintendo has taken strides to prevent players from accessing the game's holidays early, but it seems that there's little they can do to stop time travelling altogether, and it's resulted in some strong disagreements in the fan community, as a result.” [more inside]
Gaming Roundup for All Your Gaming Needs
Which is the best gaming console for you? How to get into playing video games. How to get started with online multiplayer games when you're bored at home. The best PS4 kids and family games. The best family games you may have missed. Apple Arcade is perfect for families. The best gaming books: novels, retro compendiums and other page-turners. 25 great games you can play on laptops and budget PCs. The 10 best, least expensive ways to play great video games. 8 steps to making your gaming backlog a thing of the past. 9 long video games to lose yourself in. The best NBA players to watch on Twitch. 15 co-op games to play with your partner. Host a virtual game night with these multiplayer apps. The best games for hanging out with your friends online.
💩 Poop your way to victory! 👶🏾
Pooplers [YouTube] [Gameplay Trailer] “Pooplers is a party game. Up to 4 players. As a toddler you have diarrhea. Try to mark your territory over the family house by spreading your poop over a bigger surface of the floor than the other toddlers. Avoid the parent which wants to put you back in your craddle. Chamber pots are safe spots on which the parent will leave you alone. After the timer ends the poopler which covered the biggest part of the floor is declared winner. At the end of the timer the toddler which covered the biggest percentage of the house with his poop is declared winner.” [via: Nintendo Life]
Rip & Tear! To the Depths of Bell!
Doom and Animal Crossing are here to save the day. [Kotaku] Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizons are dropping this week to help everyone take a break. It makes sense though, Isabelle and Doomguy are the best of friends. We can look forward to an evil demon who wields immense power and delights in the suffering of his denizens, as well as playing Doom Eternal. [more inside]
Wholesome esports
The Adorable Moment 7-Year-Old Simone Lim Became A Pokémon Junior Champion [YouTube] “Meet Simone Lim. She’s the new Pokémon Oceania International Juniors Championships champion. She faced off in Melbourne against the older and formidable Justin Miranda-Radbord. He’s defending champ with a long list of achievements, including 21-time Regional Champ. Lim seemed to come out of nowhere to claim her crown. This was her first year competing; she ranked top four in Malaysia Regionals and at a Singapore Special Event, which would be impressive enough for most players. But Lim is not most players. After winning the first match, Lim lost the second but came back for an impressive finish.” [via: Kotaku]
Less like a puzzle and more like a mystery.
Seven years and three weeks ago today, an aging delivery driver named Conway picked up one final haul from Lysette's Antiques and began his search for the underground highway that would lead to his final destination. Today, the magical realist, anti-capitalist, Appalachian adventure game Kentucky Route Zero finally comes to a close with the release of the elusive Act V, plus the newly available TV Edition for Playstation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch. Haven't heard of KRZ? Launch trailer. Reviews from Kotaku and Polygon. If you're intrigued, maybe try out one of the free interlude episodes? Personally, I would recommend Un Pueblo de Nada (previously) or The Entertainment. They'll give you a little taste of the world of the Zero. [more inside]
Not the typical considerations required for speedrunning
Players Are Pushing Their Bodies to the Limit Speedrunning Nintendo's Fitness Game: "Speedrunning is a test of skill and endurance, and while tapping buttons and analog sticks is physically draining in its own right, it’s hardly on the same level as, say, having to perform a plank over and over again. It’s what makes the slowly growing world of Ring Fit Adventure speedrunning so fascinating. In its early days, it’s not one defined by glitching through in the world in weird ways because no one’s discovered anything like that yet. The only “shortcuts” are to scroll the menus faster—a staple of speedrunning JRPGs—and to manage your stamina. A workout that might be more effective at taking out a group of enemies might be more personally draining, forcing you to take a costly break while your energy returns. It’s a very different way to play." [more inside]
“We hope to see you again!”
Pokemon Sword & Shield: ambitious in places, seemingly unfinished in others [VG24/7] “In some ways, Pokemon Sword & Shield is the most ambitious Pokemon title ever. In other ways, it is a definitive step back. It’s a strange game. The promise of Pokemon Sword & Shield was always that it’d be a return to form. I really liked Pokemon Let’s Go for what it was – a simplified, streamlined remake of a classic designed to work as a gateway for lapsed fans and Pokemon Go players. Many of the ideas expressed in that title deserve to be carried back to the main series, but there was understandably a hardcore element that was missing there. The promise was that the next games would remedy that. This is the strangest thing about Sword & Shield: after all those promises, I’m not really sure it does.” [YouTube][Game Trailer] [more inside]
“Ooooh...kay!”
As part of today's presentation on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's newest fighter, Terry Bogard, series director Masahiro Sakurai spoke briefly about the younger generations' lack of knowledge surrounding the character, Fatal Fury, and developer SNK.
“"Since we have the opportunity, I want to talk about Terry using a lot of SNK lingo... meaning, in this discussion, the younger generations may feel a little out of the loop. But there's nothing to worry about. "When we released the original Nintendo 64 version of Super Smash Bros., I was often asked, 'Who is Samus?!'"Whether or not the character is fun to play as is more important than whether the character is new or old, or whether the character is recognisable to everyone."”[via: Nintendo Life] [more inside]
Yes, you can pet the Polterpup in Luigi's Mansion 3.
Luigi's Mansion 3 [YouTube][Game Trailer] [Overview Trailer][JP]“Luigi’s Mansion is one of those series that seemingly came out of left field. When it was announced that Luigi would be getting his own star role for the GameCube launch, people were dubious. What came was nothing like any Mario game before it, and it has stuck with fans ever since, albeit through scattered releases and easter eggs in other Mario franchises. So when a full-console third installment was announced last September, people lost their minds. Luigi's Mansion 3 has that Nintendo polish we know and love: The mansion is gorgeous, the character animations are stylized, and the music is unbelievably good. While it may not scare you like Resident Evil or The Last of Us, there is still some low-level eeriness. So if you're too old for trick-or-treating and too chickenshit for other horror games, this is the perfect pick for your Halloween gaming.” [via: Esquire] [more inside]
Become a horrible eldritch ocean god. 🐙
Sea Salt [YouTube][Game Trailer] “I am a dark God; my tendrils writhe beneath the waves, and altars to my magnificence are spread across the land. I seek worship, but, more importantly, I need flesh. When the time comes for my devoted archbishop to sacrifice himself, he refuses and flees behind the paltry defense of the city walls. He has mistaken my call for a request, and now I must claim him — and anyone who stands in my path. I will feast. [ ...] It’s best summarized as Hotline Miami, except I’m an angry sea god instead of a nihilist in a mask. I also gather and manage minions in a way that’s a little like Pikmin, but for goths. I have to navigate through levels seen through a top-down camera, and use my 2D pixel-art armies to visit unfathomable violence on the enemies and obstacles in my way.” [via: Polygon]
📦🛒🏴❤️🍏🔔↙️🔆🌲
Wilmot's Warehouse [YouTube][Launch Trailer] “In the game, you control Wilmot, a square person who is in charge of a warehouse full of similarly sized squares with pictures on them that abstractly represent what they contain. One might have a bird head on it, while another might have an alternating series of red-and-white diagonal lines. As Wilmot, it’s up to you to run the warehouse by organizing it however you see fit and retrieving items from it when requested. This naturally splits the game into two separate stages, which manage to test your puzzle-solving abilities in different ways. The organization stage tests how good you are at sorting everything in the warehouse while also planning ahead. During the retrieval stage, you’ll need to remember where you put things, and you’ll also learn if you made your warehouse navigable.” [via: The Verge] [more inside]
extremely normal golf game
What the Golf [YouTube][Launch Trailer] “What The Golf? is self-admittedly a game for people who hate golf. It takes a very simple concept: whack a ball, into a hole, with a club – and goes absolutely wild with it. [...] What The Golf? is excessive nonsense. At every turn, it questions what a ball, hole or course could even look like. Golf arenas become cities, wars, racetracks and guitar fretboards. What The Golf? asks the important questions only games can answer. Can golf be football? Can golf be cars? Can golf be love? Can golf be Super Hot?” [via: Rock Paper Shotgun] [more inside]
💪🏾🎮🏋🏾♀️
Nintendo’s Ring Fit Adventure is Wii Fit meets Final Fantasy on the Switch [The Verge] “It sounds like a typical role-playing game, but Ring Fit Adventure is far from typical. You don’t explore and battle by using buttons and joysticks: instead, you exercise your way through a lush fantasy landscape. It’s like Wii Fit crossed with Final Fantasy, and it sits alongside Labo as one of Nintendo’s most unexpectedly interesting experiments. Ring Fit Adventure, which Nintendo teased last week, launches in October for the Switch. It consists of three main pieces. There’s the game itself and two accessories: a leg strap and a flexible ring that Nintendo has dubbed the Ring-Con, which is essentially a high-tech resistance band. In order to use both, you need to slot a Joy-Con controller inside of each, and then you control the game primarily through your movements.” [YouTube][Teaser][Annoucement Trailer] [more inside]
🕹️ The D-Pad is back.
Nintendo's New 'Switch Lite' Doesn't Actually Switch [The Verge] “The Switch Lite — the newly unveiled spinoff of the full-sized Switch console — doesn’t actually “switch.” Instead of the detachable controllers and TV dock that allows the standard Switch to shape-shift between a TV console, portable gamepad, and a mobile multiplayer machine, the Switch Lite has a much narrower focus on just one of those experiences — but that’s not a bad thing. Instead, it shows that the Switch’s audience and appeal extend to a different market than what the full-sized version currently serves.” [YouTube][Reveal Trailer] [more inside]
“A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.”
Melee Player Quits Match Over Opponent's Jigglypuff Stalling [Twitter] "Over the weekend, an entire venue of Super Smash Bros. competitors and spectators lost their collective minds over the actions of one Jigglypuff player. Did he cheat in some way? Go overboard after a win? Destroy a CRT? Yell obscenities at the audience? No, he simply played to the Pokémon’s strengths in a favorable matchup, causing his opponent to get so frustrated that he unplugged his controller and left in a huff." [via: Kotaku] [more inside]
🦕👅🥚
Yoshi's Crafted World: New Look, Same Yoshi [Game Informer] “Yoshi's Crafted World casts you as Mario's colorful dino friends in a cute adventure that sees the prehistoric crew running, jumping, and turning enemies into eggs. This time, the adventure brings the Yoshis across crafty renditions of themed worlds including beaches, deserts, haunted mansions, and even outer space.” [YouTube][Game Trailer] [more inside]
Smash Remastered.
God Of War's Art Director Has Been Drawing Up Realistic Smash Bros. Ultimate Characters [Instagram][@rafagrassetti] “Raf Grassetti, Art Director at Sony Santa Monica (the studio behind God of War), has been showing off his passion for Smash Ultimate's giant roster of characters by creating his very own art pieces. Under the name 'Smash Remastered', this collection shows the Nintendo favourites in a new, ultra-realistic light and - as you might expect from one of the artistic talents behind one of last year's most beautiful games - they're pretty incredible.” [via: Nintendo Life]
“COME, LINK…. LET US AWAKEN…TOGETHER!!”
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s [re:]Awakening [YouTube][Switch Trailer] [Original Gameboy Gameplay] “Nintendo is bringing the 1993 Game Boy classic adventure The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening to Nintendo Switch later this year. The re-release is more than just a Virtual Console-style release, it’s a complete 3D “reimagining” of the classic Zelda adventure. As Link, players will once again return to the island of Koholint for new adventures. While the new Link’s Awakening will retain the top-down — and occasionally side-scrolling — view of the Game Boy original, the Switch remake will use 3D models and employ a stylish, toy-like aesthetic.” [via: Polygon] [more inside]
Winner Winner Tetris Dinner!
Tetris 99 [YouTube][Game Trailer] “The goal is simple: 99 people are playing Tetris simultaneously, and the last surviving player wins. It’s ridiculous and hectic, and it’s also kind of amazing. At its core, the game is still Tetris as you know it. Tetrominoes of various shapes fall from the top, and it’s your job to line them up and clear away complete lines. The blocks are even the same color as usual, and the familiar Tetris theme hums along in the background. The difference, though, is that your ultimate goal isn’t a high score. It’s to be the last surviving player. As columns overflow and players get knocked out, the number of participants steadily dwindles.” [via: The Verge] [more inside]
“Hoo-ray.”
Is it Possible to Beat New Super Mario Bros. U Without Pressing Right? [YouTube] “Meet the fan who can beat Mario games without moving right. Stefan has a whole YouTube channel [Ceave Gaming] filled with videos of him beating various Mario games in different and difficult ways. He’s beaten Super Mario 3D Word while always crouching, discovered the Minimum Amount of Joystick Inputs Needed to Beat Super Mario Odyssey, figured out a way to upload an impossible level in Mario Maker, beaten Super Marios Bros U using the minimum number of right button presses and avoided every coin in Super Mario 3D Land. [via: Kotaku]”
“Don't hug me. Go play with it!”
The gift of gaming: the joys of getting a console for Christmas [The Guardian] “We all remember that one Christmas present we got as a kid. The one we’d begged our parents for all year, the one we’d looked up 100 times in the Argos catalogue or on Amazon, depending on our age … For many of us, that present was a games machine. Whether it was a ZX Spectrum or a PlayStation 2, the process of unpacking these technological marvels, getting our mums and dads to set them up, then finally playing with the whole family, was magical.” [more inside]
Here Comes A New Challenger!
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the very best of the Smash Bros. series. [Kotaku] “Some say Smash is a party game for tweens idling away a Friday night with a two-liter of Pepsi on their parents’ sectional sofa. Others, myself included, say it’s a fighting game. I think that because I’ve played Smash competitively, obsessively, and adoringly, for a very, very long time, and know that after crossing its childishly low barrier to entry, there is a world of knowledge and sport so in-depth that it’s spurred its own language: “edge-guarding,” “DI” (directional influence), “fast fall.” I think of controllers—GameCube controllers—thrown furiously across a couch after a missed, and subsequently punished, attempt at a grab. I think of crowds of hundreds or thousands thrusting themselves out of folding chairs to bellow at a Smash pro who, after minutes of cat-and-mouse, deftly dodged, threw, and spiked an opponent deep into the void.” [YouTube][Game Trailer] [more inside]
“I CHOOSE YOU!”
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! [Nintendo Life] “Acting as a reimagining of Pokémon Yellow – an already enhanced version of the series’ first titles Pokémon Red and Blue – Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! have taken all of the nostalgia-filled loveliness of their origins, added a healthy sprinkling of modern flavourings and preservatives and cooked up a brand new entry full of fan service, bold changes and plenty of intrigue.” [YouTube][Trailer] [more inside]
“Daddy’s Big Little Nintendo”
A List Of Weird Names Luke Plunkett's Kid Calls His Video Games [Kotaku] “You and I, as adults, know to call things by their actual names. My kid is four, and does no such thing. For reference, he’s been playing some of these systems and games for around 18 months now. Which is why, despite now being a four year-old kid who can actually do a fairly good job of speaking like a human being, he persists with his cute lil’ baby names for the systems and games he was familiar with back then. They’ve stuck, and I just don’t have the heart to correct him, because there is nothing better in the world than hearing somebody be convinced a game is actually called “Mario Build It”.”
“Thank You Mario, But Our Portfolio is in Another Castle”
The Trader Who Made a Massive Short Bet Against Nintendo [Bloomberg] [Autoplay Video] “There’s a new villain in the world of Nintendo Co. Gabriel Plotkin, head of New York hedge fund Melvin Capital Management, has accumulated a $400 million short bet against the Japanese game maker, according to regulatory filings. The former star trader at SAC Capital Advisors accounted for as much as 7 percent of Nintendo’s daily volume in recent weeks, contributing to stock declines since May that have stunned analysts. Investors have been baffled by the sudden swoon and Plotkin’s position may add to their concerns.” [more inside]
“Microsoft and Nintendo sittin' in a tree, c-r-o-s-s-p-l-a-y-i-n-g.”
Fortnite Is Bad But Sony's Refusal to Play Nice Is Worse [Gizmodo] “Earlier this week, Nintendo delighted Fortnite fans by announcing that the game, which might just be the most popular game being played right now, was coming to the Switch immediately. Even better, Switch players would be able to compete with PC and Xbox players, too—instant digital distribution and multiplayer open to all! Nintendo’s announcement felt like a dream come true after years of console makers refusing to play nice. But it isn’t a dream, because Sony continues to flip the bird to its competitors and Fortnite players on the PS4 are being left out in the cold, unable to play with Xbox or Switch gamers.” [more inside]
“...embraces the old by shaping it with a modern aesthetic.”
Octopath Traveler’ Brings it Back to JRPG Basics [Goomba Stomp] “The original Final Fantasy set the JRPG standard: heroes of good unite to combat the forces of evil. The NES’ limitations necessitated a simplistic approach, but there’s no denying it was an effective one. As time passed, more games added to the laundry list of JRPG tropes. Players took on the roles of brighteyed youths yearning for adventure or stoic warriors heeding the call of duty. There’s a certain charm and familiarity that comes with revisiting these stories in different forms. Octopath Traveler, the upcoming Square Enix game on the Switch, capitalizes hard on that. However, rather than relying on nostalgia to prop itself up, Octopath factors it into its own unique design.” [YouTube][Game Trailer] [more inside]
E³
2018 E3 Recap. All the major announcements made at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in one convenient place. Trailers, announcements, etc.
🦍🍌🛢️🍃
The Definitive Ranking of Donkey Kong Games [Polygon] “Mario had his turn in the spotlight last year, so why not his lifelong rival? To commemorate the rerelease of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, I’ve dug deep into video game history to track down and evaluate every Donkey Kong video game Nintendo has made (and one or two that someone else published). Whether for arcades, home computers, consoles or Game & Watch: if it’s Kong, it’s on this list.” [more inside]
Page:
1 2