#splatoon wiiu nintendo trailers

[componentcables]

Splatoon and its effects (on me)

Obligatory post about how this series permanently changed me as a person. TLDR: This series is good, play it if you can/want to. kinda miffed that i never got to even look at the grandfest thanks to grinding out Big Run a week prior (i never recovered).

Splatoon 1 drops in 2015, I'm around 12 or 11 at the time. I was only recently getting into videogames with upgrading from a Wii to a WiiU. I didn't really have much perspective on the other consoles other than whatever episode of AVGN I was watching. I didn't really see the point of games being 'realistic' why actively try to look like Real Life when other games who don't tend to age much better. And cost significantly less Enter Splatoon, a game that is unashamedly stylized. The music being in some made up language, the loud and proud colors fully on display with some unique character designs…everywhere. I all but begged my mother for this game, watching the trailer dozens of times and absorbing whatever information I could about the game from ZackscottGames, to listening to rips of the music until I finally had it in my hands.

The music specifically just…works. yeah I can't understand a word of it, but in a sheer musical standpoint..it's just good. It's weird and obtuse in a refreshing way.

I have some vivid memories of replaying the single player levels, the Amiibo challenges, getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter and exploring the Hub World dozens of times over. Attending and playing every single splatfest with my weekend off from school. Not to say it was perfect, Nintendo online was..and still is a joke. But it didn't have to be. It was just fun and basically the one shooter I could see myself playing since it was just so unashamed at being different and not trying to simplify things because of it.

I basically hard committed to every splatfest, being a young teenager with infinite time after homework, I hyper focused hard into the game and milked every second into the online gameplay, and it was fun. I wouldn't really want to do that a second time but I'd still say it was worth it.

Cut to Splat2n some time in 2017ish. I was around 15 or 16ish going through high-school. I never really 'left' splatoon. I'm still active around the subreddit but due to my WiiU dying out on me, I couldn't really play the game. At least to me. Splat 2 feels like more of Splat 1. They were clearly trying new things that could have still worked in the 1st game while experimenting with some unique concepts. Especially in regards to the music. Splat 2 has some much needed diversity with its bans groups that nobody really complained about. But that's neither here or there, the series still stands head and shoulders above basically any shooter at the time.

Including the looming shadow of Early Fortnite. I never really saw the interest in fortnite so I never touched it.. still remains that way to this day but for more palpable reasons. The game (splatoon) didn't feel like it was chomping at the bit to make you spend money, despite having frequent content updates it never FELT like a drip feed. Moreso that the device realized that these other ideas can work here too and added them in. It never felt like it was trying to be the endless moneymaker that literally every other shooter is.

To me, the splatfests here were the best in the series due to Shifty Stations. The fact that they brought in the unique elements from single player always tickled my fancy since they were such a different experience from the normal grounded levels. I never got the chance to participate in Order VS Chaos (something that eventually echos into Splat 3) but the ones I did participate in where definitely enjoyable.

Onto Splat 3, 2022 and I'm in between jobs at age 20. I couldn't really will myself to get Splatoon until a year later. In my head I couldn't ration myself playing it since 'I should be getting a job first' so I eventually picked it up at a gamestop during one of the first few Seasons. Again, toy get the gist. This series at least to me, is some of Nintendos best work. They've put a shit ton of effort into the art direction, music,animation, QOL, and it makes it into an overall smoother experience.

Kinda sucksyou have to pay for online..but three dollars is honestly such a low price (especially compared to Sony and Microsoft) that it's worth my time. I happened to dislike how fast the game had become. The other two games had a manageable pace that didn't rely too much on reaction time. Something about Splat 3, weather its Tacticooler, the movement options, the specials, it makes things feel a little too fast for me sometimes. I feel like an idiot saying I might be too old, but for me it's a coinflip weather or not I'd be able to win an encounter against a dualies or shooter aince..they're so fast.

Personal gripes aside, the game is still pretty solid for just pure gameplay as long as you're just trying to enjoy yourself and not taking it too seriously.

The splatfests are…interesting. I wasn't too much of a fan of tricolor battles especially since the stages weren't that different. But it didn't stop me from participating when I could.

Sadly, i Never really got the chance to experience the final fest. I'm the insane person who has work on Friday and Saturday, combined with life itself and my general video game playing mood being at an all time low (i put..way too much effort into the Big Run), I experienced the Cochella like event through screenshot and Twitter clips. Hindsight is a son of a bitch since it clearly looks cool as hell with all the idols on a literal stage with a crowd and actually USING the two other d-pad buttons. People are saying that you're still able to go back to the venue as long as you have an Idol amiibo which is…really nice, it looks like Nintendo really put in so much effort into the animation,modeling and music. Would really such if you could never see it again just because you had work or other plans.

Regardless, Splatoon over its..nearly 10 years of existing has been head and shoulders above most games when it comes to the sheer commitment and creativity. Throughout the 3 games I never felt like I WASNT playing a splatoon games they really stretched themselves out without compromising the visual and audio feel of the series.

[emeraldthelynx]

Okay, I got a hold of my brother's phone for a bit, and poked around the app since he has Nintendo online. Take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt since the app is pretty new and I didn't have a chance to explore everything.

They have very few albums on the app. Painfully few. All the albums they showed in the trailer, that's all they have on the app. Nintendo says they'll add more, but you have to wonder what they'll choose to add and not add. Even in the albums that are there, not all the songs from the game's OST are in there. I was browsing through the Mario Kart 8 Delux album, and took a quick look at the Animal Crossing track. They only have the spring variant of the track music and are missing the three other seasons!

It gets worse. In the Ocarina of Time album, there was a huge, glaring issue. Most fan-made Ocarina of Time albums have a special track dedicated to the ocarina songs. Some will even take the songs like Bolero of Fire and give them a full extended track. Nintendo didn't have that on their own Ocarina of Time album! I wasn't able to poke around too much to see exactly what was there and what was missing, but there was definitely stuff missing! I took a quick glance at the Animal Crossing: New Horizons album, and I'm absolutely certain that they did not put all the K.K. songs in it. Even the ones they did have were the performance versions! The performance versions are cool, but they're not the version that player typically listen to on loop!

Coming back to the topic of the albums, they have very few on the app right now, a painfully low amount. I don't think they had a single WiiU title (I could be wrong.) The Switch albums had the most, having eight albums, but the other consoles were lucky if they got three! (I think only the NES category had three, the others had one or two.) Yes, this means that we're left with the titles, at the moment, that Nintendo thinks everybody will get the most excited for. While I am happy that they actually put the Wii Channel music and the Nintendogs music in there, I'm also disappointed that they didn't have more albums ready upon release. There's no Pokemon [edit: there is Scarlet and Violet] tracks, GBA Fire Emblem is the only Fire Emblem album on there, none of the Mario RPGs, the only two Kirbys are the first game and Star Allies, and for some reason, they chose Splatoon 3 to be the representing album for the series instead of the first game.

I got into a hearty debate with my brother about these points. My point was that Nintendo can't put their music on their exclusive app and leave out songs. If they're going to be the only legal source for the music, they should respect the fans and put out the full OSTs. My brother argued since it's a subscription service, and they'll add new music, it's alright for them to have so little on there. That's not fair though. I understand what my brother means from a business perspective, but it's just greed. I would have a stronger loyalty to the app if I knew it had the OSTs I wanted to listen to, in their entirety, without having to hold on and wait out for more, wondering if they'll ever put what I really want to listen to on there. I also don't think they have the option to but a digital copy of the album, which means that users rely entirely on the app, and once Nintendo decides to shut it down, all the money that users gave them go down the drain, and then people will get angry at them. The music app isn't going to be good in the long term.

Conversely, I use Amazon Music and use it to listen to the Sonic OSTs. They have the albums in their entirety. One of my favourite albums is the Sonic and the Black Knight album. It has all the songs across two 'disks.' These disks have every bit of music data that can be found in-game, and they didn't have to. For instance, when you encounter Sir Lancelot (Shadow) and Sir Gawain (Knuckles), there's an instrumental version of their Dreamcast themes that plays in the background. Logically, since these songs already exist in several other albums, SEGA didn't need to put these tracks on the OST. Yet they did. They put all the menu songs, the online music which I have never heard, the instrumental of It Doesn't Matter that plays when you watch the fanart, it's all there. And don't get me started on the Sonic Frontiers OST, that thing is massive! And SEGA will also upload Sonic Music onto YouTube, the artists involves in the vocal themes are allowed to put their music up on their channels. (As a note, the Nintendo Music app doesn't even list the name of the artists that made the song. It just lists the franchise and the game it's from.) In a way, this generates more revenue because people, seeing as they can listen to the music they like for free, will go to the free version more, thus YouTube will pay the channels more. (At least I think that's how it works.)

In conclusion, Nintendo is being greedy, are trying to emulate YouTubers, and might have actually made something I would of supported if they had made better decisions. As I said earlier, take everything I just said with a grain of salt. I cannot make a final judgment until Nintendo has had time to work out all the bugs, and until I am able to peruse the app more fully.

Excuse Me

So Nintendo just released a music app doing what people on YouTube have been doing with their music for years, probably only released music from their popular games on there and added a spoiler prevention button for music?!

(Can't they be normal and just upload their albums to music platforms like SEGA?)

[derpazard]

man I wonder what happened

[csolarstorm]

My Wishlist for Tomorrow's Nintendo Direct

Welcome to my strange tradition of posting my hopes for a Nintendo Direct no less than...*checks time* five and a half hours before it airs. Wow. It was fun to write though.

Did any of these wishes come true? Let me know when I wake up for lunch tomorrow.

A new mainline Super Mario game.

Any format will do. Whether it's a follow up to any one of the recent three oddly distinct games in the 3D series: spherical, linear, or box garden, or a revival of the long dormant revival known as the New Super Mario games. I'm actually really missing New Super Mario Bros, because...the last one came out ten years ago. Holy carp. New Super Mario Bros U came out ten years ago. That's actually something I wrote.

...

Anyway, I think it would be really cool if they combined the format of 3D World with New Super Mario Bros to get a diorama-like sidescroller that still pays tribute to the SNES format but has just enough depth to make things interesting. It would be like some of the Kirby games, or Yoshi's Wooly World.

The last mainline Mario title was Super Mario Maker 2 in 2019, and that was an entire pandemic ago. Weirdly enough, I wouldn't be surprised if we get a Super Mario Maker 3 announcement tomorrow. It could be a quick sequel like Splatoon 3.

For once I'm not completely itemizing every kind of Mario game they could possibly announce (lol oops I did) mainly because I just got a Playstation this year and I'm absolutely loving No Man's Sky, which I can't wait to play on Switch too - provided they don't leave out any updates.

This Direct is actually making me somewhat hopeful something Mario will get some hype out of me. My hype is aging like my old achy bones. My biggest hype is the potential that I might be hyped. It doesn't help that Nintendo basically ignored the summer trailer season, and I'm not a Xenoblade fan.

Everything else.

Why did I put this after the Mario section when it's going to be shorter? Who would read this? Who would read any of this post? Well here goes:

More Breath of the Wild 2 information: a title, a release date, some teases, etcetera, stuff. It's probably not a Winter release though.

I'm still holding out for a port of Yoshi's Wooly World for Switch. That seems like an easy sell for Switch, and it's the second best Yoshi game.

I hope Hello Games confirms that No Man's Sky for Switch has all the updates - there is a listing on Amazon that leaves a few of them out, particularly the freighter overhaul, Endurance. It's typical for Switch ports to be behind on updates, but since No Man's Sky is kind of like an MMO, I can't imagine how playing an earlier version alongside others would even work.

Oh, um...more Mario Kart 8 tracks. I like them, but they're kind of a quick distraction and later maybe some more options for playing with family. They're mobile game content tacked onto one of the best looking games of the WiiU era. It's hard to be too excited.

One wildcard: a new Rayman game. A sequel to Rayman Legends, which was an amazing platformer. Maybe the addition of Rayman to the Mario + Rabbids sequel is promoting this? Hmm.

[plufim]

E3 2017 predictions

E3 predictions

In general these come from my thoughts, but also include ideas I’ve heard floated around the web which I completely agree with. Avoiding the already announced/leaked stuff, since that’s not fun!

I’ve sort predictions for all main presentations into 3 different categories based on likelihood (“Lock it in, Reggie” (very confident), “50/50” and “swinging for the fences” (super unlikely but I gotta go all in)). Also, because I’m Connell, this skews Nintendo, but I do have thoughts on everyone! And almost entirely positive ones!

These are in order of the presentation times, hence Nintendo being last. Oh, and a shadow drop is an unannounced game or feature being available for download immediately.

General Predictions/Trends:

- One final push for remastered collections.

- The PC gaming show will be a shit-show again.

- After “Seven Nation Army” did so well for the Battlefield 1 trailer, at LEAST 3 other trailers will use a contemporary song for a game set in another time.

EA:

Lock it in, Reggie:

- Need for Speed will have a Cops vs Racers mode. Because it is always the best thing. Shutting down fools for daring to turn MY roads into a race track is always the best.

- FIFA presentation will not mention the Switch version at all. Info will only be turned up at the show floor, with 2-3 units available. There will be a very simple token minigame so they can justify it as being “built for switch”, but it is 99% the PS3/360 version.

50/50:

- Mass Effect 1-3 Remastered collection, for PS4 and Xbox one. Designed to win back trust from gamers who were burned hard by Andromeda, which really damaged the brand. This leads to my further prediction (not for this though) that ME5 then connects both stories together, where the Andromeda crew find a device that allows them to send a message with information back in time to Shephards brain and bam, you’re playing with the character’s people liked again.

- Sim City. It’s been long enough since the last Sim City, which was disastrous. Time for EA to show they learned from their mistakes and can take on city: skylines

 Singing for the fences:

- Mass Effect Trilogy also for the Switch. Despite the only support being a terrible FIFA game thus far, the actual sales of the system will be seen as an opportunity… to sell old games again with very little extra work. Perhaps some token amiibo functionality in the character creator.

Microsoft:

Obviously, this will be all about Scorpio. Every game will make a point to include something about how the Scorpio version is enhanced. Also apologies, don’t really have much

Lock it in, Reggie:

- Forza 5.

- Scorpio will have VR featured heavily

 50/50:

- Scorpio’s final name will be: Xbox Scorpio. Microsoft is done with numbers.

 50/50:

- It will be revealed that Scorpio, unlike PS4Pro, will have games exclusive to it.

 Swinging for the fences:

- Crackdown demo shadow drop

- Exclusive John Wick videogame for scorpio

- BATTLETOADS

Bethesda:

Lock it in, Reggie:

- Wolfenstein Titan(?) official reveal.

- Prey DLC chapters.

 50/50:

- Switch Skyrim has Zelda content in it. Because why else would someone pay $60 US for this game for a third time?

- Elder Scrolls VI revealed. Will feature at least 2 of the regions. Possibly Elsweyr and Valenwood

 Swinging for the fences:

- Elder Scrolls finally bring back the Dwemer, either by reviving them or setting it in the distant past.

Ubisoft:

So… most of this conference is already leaked, but still…. Uh… hm. Well here’s a few somethings.

Lock it in, Reggie:

- Rabbids/Mario will have a CG teaser. Gameplay saved for Nintendo.

 50/50:

- On stage reveal for Farcry will include not only making fun of the people who got so angry that the villians are a white Christian cult, but there will be an embarrassing on-stage play where people pretend to be storming the stage to protest the treatment of horrible people.

 Swinging for the fences:

- A switch exclusive Assassin’s Creed side-story, much like they did for Vita around Assassin’s Creed 3.

- Rabbids/Mario features a cover of “All Star”, covered by Rabbids themselves, because this game will be drowning in memes. And I will hate this while secretly loving this.

Sony:

Lock it in, Reggie:

- Sony saves IO interactive, Hitman 2 will be PS4 exclusive. Microsoft SHOULD do this, but… this feels more like a Sony move.

- MASSIVE Spiderman blowout, including a lot of show floor stuff. Playable demo. No tie in to the movie, but instead a new story with Goblin and the sinister 6 as the villians. And there’ll be some shitty day 1 pre-order crap, probably involving a Black Cat side story. F4 will cameo, but play no major roles – however Insomniac will be building a shared games universe. Yes, even with the Squaresoft stuff.

- Bloodborne 2. It will happen.

50/50:

- A real, honest to god Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer, with worlds revealed, including Moana and Frozen.

- Shenmue 1+2 Remastered announced. With Shenmue 3 delayed (and that having been inevitable for some time), this would be a smart move to capitalise on the clear demand for more Ryo.

- Another Last of Us Part 2 teaser, but no gameplay yet.

- English Dragon Quest XI release date, mid 2018.

- Red Dead 2 trailer, first with actual gameplay. I also think this will reveal that Zelda-like free climbing is being implemented.

 Swinging for the fences:

- The vita returns as a phone. The switch has shown portable games are still viable, vita has some life in Asian territories, and Sony want to keep the remote play train going. Destined to still fail? Probably! But let’s not let reality kill HYPE.

- Last of Us Part 2 prelude chapter available now, for free. One hour of set up, basically a demo. But that’s what they do to get the kids excited.

- Spyro Trilogy remastered. Activision gotta do something with the guy.

- Red Dead 2 trailer showcases a train heist. I LOVE train heists.

Nintendo:

In general, there won’t be much or any 3DS. They’re getting a lot of that out of the way this week already.

Lock it in, Reggie:

- Xenoblade 2 is not delayed, December 2018. Playable on show floor.

- Mario Odyssey for October 2017. Massive show floor presence.

- Mario Kart DLC, same format as for WiiU – 2 packs of tracks, but this time it’s 8 racing and 2 battle tracks, as well as 3 characters and karts each. A shadow drop of the ability to buy the

- Zelda DLC part 1 shadow drop. Teaser for the rest of the DLC.

- Picross Switch, available now. Not Picross 3D though, they’ll hold off on that.

- Rabbids/Mario gameplay demo

- Dragon Quest XI for Switch officially announced

- Everyone on stage will wear goofy hats because of Mario Odyssey, because hats is a big thing in that game. Hats will grant abilities.

- Splatoon 2 test fire round 2 will be announced to begin the next weekend, with significant tweaks.

- New ARMs content announced, with new ARMs avaialable immediately and

50/50:

- Massive update to switch UI, shadow dropped. Includes multiple UI styles, with Badge arcade built in for further customisation, folders, linking to old Nintendo friends lists, musical themes. Further themes will be on eshop going forward, like 3DS. And finally, this also includes the new online system, hence the new details revealed about it last week.

- Animal Crossing Switch. Early 2018, with much improved social features. Massive amiibo functionality, much like New Leaf now has. It’ll have a new hook, not sure what though. My guess is some Sim City style mayoral stuff like setting up and supplying utilities.

- Warioware Switch, holiday 2017. It’s been a while for the Rhythm Heaven/Warioware team. I NEED THIS ONE NINTENDO.

- Smash Brothers 4 Switch, Q2 2018, rereleased with the best levels from the WiiU and 3DS levels, plus an expanded single player mode. It’s just too crowded for this game yet, but they don’t need to hold off for too long, because it’ll be an evergreen. There will be a teaser though, starring Inklings, Ice Climbers and Spring Man.

- Mario Maker Switch for Q1 2018. It can’t release this year, it needs space away from Mario Odyssey. The game will include a new “switch” block which when hit in game alternates the game style. There will also be playable Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad for each game type, each with different styles, and a different switch block or pipe that changes your character mid-level.

- Skyward Sword HD for switch, with optional non-motion controls for boring people. Q2 2018.

- Partnership with Activision to make an Amiibo action game. You might think this is a swing for the fence, but: Toys for Bob is out of a gig right now. And this would sell better than any recent Skylanders game. Activision would release special versions of select characters, so they can get their cut from the toy sales.

- Donkey Kong Country Returns 3, Q1 2018, by Monster Games. They’ve been quiet for a while, they ported Returns to 3DS, they assisted Retro on Tropical Freeze, this is what they’ve been working towards.

- Dead Cells announced for Switch.

- Layton Collection announced… for phone. Lady Layton western release date.

- Retro’s game. And it’s NOT Metroid, but a sci-fi Western RPG.

- This is a long shot, but T2 is relatively impressed by the switch, so: GTA5 for Switch. With a chunk of the DLC included.

- Switch Sports, holiday 2017. The return of the king. All the games as released for WiiU, plus a few from Wii Sports resort (airplane), with additional modes for each sport. I do have a “swinging for the fence” on this though…

 Swinging for the fences:

- …Wuhu World. Remember Pilotwings 64? Where Little USA was a huge island with different activities, sights to see, and so on? Well, take Wuhu Island, scoot up the detail and resolution, include the small surrounding golf islands, and add a few other themed islands the same size as Wuhu (snow island, city island, etc). It’s a free game where you get the islands and one activity per island, and can walk/drive around each island. Dotted around each is various locations that count as home bases for various sports/vehicles from Wii Sports, Pilotwings and some new items. Each of these is paid, and comes with various different modes and missions. This could be further expanded over time, and allows Nintendo to make money from series that could no longer be sold alone.

- Mario Kart DLC includes mission mode, which is available day 1 with missions on existing courses and expands with the DLC.

- New 2D Metroid by a small team from within Retro. There is a 3D game teased to be in the works also, but not from Retro.

- Splatoon 2 Octoling content and Amiibo, including Octoling mascots. I need this, Nintendo.

- EXCITE. TRUCK. 2.

- Nintendo Pinball. Remember Pokemon Pinball? And Metroid Prime Pinball? That but across multiple Nintendo series.

- Sonic and Mario All Stars Racing Transformed. Sumo has to have been making something aside from Snake Pass, and Sonic Racing 2 sold extremely well on the switch.

- Assault Android Cactus Deluxe for Switch. I believe in you Tim! Even if you aren’t even attempting this!

[gamebrocorey-blog]

My wants for Super Smash Bros for Switch

   In my previous blog post, I talked about the rumors regarding a Smash Bros game for Switch coming out in 2018. Since the dawn of time, when a new Smash game is teased, fans speculate rosters with new and outrageous characters they want to be in the game. These requests can vary from calm and believable, like an Inkling or Ice Climbers, to absolutely outrageous shenanigans like Shrek and Goku. With the anomaly of Super Smash Bros for WiiU adding some of the most requested and completely insane characters to the mix, it might be hard to judge what could happen with Smash 5. Could Shrek actually be in the game? Who’s to say Goku doesn’t have a chance? With the success of the Dragonball anime and games, even my mom knows who Goku is! That might mean something for Nintendo! For now, let’s get all the goofs out of the way at let me break down what I think will be in the next Super Smash Bros game.

   I would like to begin with the characters. I mean that’s probably why most of you are reading this anyways. Does anyone really care if I say I want Corneria back or maybe the Cracker Launcher? Didn’t think so... I’m going to rundown all the characters I think have a chance of being added/returning to the game. Now keep in mind, most Smash games have one “out of nowhere” character that sneaks their way in, so if you see Sukapon or a Tetris block in, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Let's just get one of the most obvious newcomers out of the way, the Splatoon Inkling. If you have been following Nintendo for the past couple years, it's clear Splatoon has become one of their most beloved new IPs and has high brand recognition. Splatoon has already showed it's popularity with the inclusion of Inklings as well as a themed track and karts in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It's also easy to predict what the Inkling would do in combat. With the wide variety of weaponry in Splatoon, the squid transformation and the ink-splatting mechanics, Inkilings move-set is as predictable as a new Mario Maker on Switch. I for one would love to see an Inkling in the next Smash game and am 100% sure it will happen, but who else?   

   With Splatoon being one of Nintendo's newest IPs, is it not safe to assume the Springman from ARMS has a chance too? ARMS was the first new Nintendo IP to hit the Switch and it was popular for a short period after it’s launch. In fact, there is still a loyal scene out there for hardcore ARMS players and tournaments still going on. Not to mention his move-set would be another simple one too. Besides the basic punch moves with his standard attacks, they could mix things up with the different arms with elemental damage, or even have some of the environmental objects from the stages of ARMS integrated in his special moves. I'm sure they would also play off the fact that all ARMS characters can stretch their arms for his smash attacks and grabs. As for other new characters I'd like to see in, I would really like to see someone like Paper Mario or even a new Metroid character (I'm honestly not too familiar with the Metroid series o.o). I think Paper Mario would be interesting with his arsenal of different stickers and super moves, and a new Metroid character is just needed! But someone I’m praying for and I think would just be sooooo cool, is a Breath of the Wild style Link. Think about it, Link from Breath of the Wild is VERY different from past interpretations of Link. I can imagine now a Link with unique standard attacks using the vast and new weapons like axes and spears. Combined with the Sheikah Slate and it's abilities as well as the champion abilities as smash attacks or special moves, this Wild Link could be a very interesting character! Wild Link is honestly my biggest wish for Smash 5, and with the success of Breath of the Wild, I’m sure they will put some character/item/stage to give it it’s respects. Now that I’ve gotten my wet dream of newcomers out of the way, let’s ponder what will be returning to Smash 5, or should I say who?

 Smash 4 has one of the most diverse character selections of the Smash series, but not everyone from previous games was lucky enough to make the cut. Now that Smash 5 will be on the big-boy console with amble amounts of power, I think it’s best to bring back the Ice Climbers. The Ice Climbers were one of the first out-of-left-field characters to be added to the Smash series and I quite frankly love it! Ever since Super Smash Bros Melee, the roster of the Smash games has not only included fan favorites, but also payed homage to the classic games that made Nintendo what we know and love now! The main reason they were removed though was due to the limitations of the 3DS, and I can safely say the Switch would be able to handle the slippery duo. Now if they bring back 8-Player Smash that’s a different story but we’ll talk about that later. As for more returning characters I’d like to see, anymore of the other Pokemon Trainer’s Pokemon would be nice! Squirtle and Ivysaur both had very interesting move-sets that some players really loved. The fact that Nintendo removed two original characters from the game baffles me completely, even more so with the inclusions of characters like Dark Pit and Doctor Mario. I’m honestly not a fan of the clone characters, but I would like to see a re-worked Wolf be added back too. Lastly, PICHU!!! No, just kidding. I know this will probably never happen again, but if Snake would return to Smash 5, I think I might buy three copies! Snake was one of my favorite characters from Brawl so I might be a little biased, but he also had a really cool unique move-set. Not to mention Snake really didn’t fit in with the rest of the lovable Nintendo cast, and that’s what fans loved about him. The pure joy of getting a smashball as Snake and raining down grenades on Jigglypuff and King Dedede, ohhh yahh! Pure bliss! His inclusion was heavily influenced by Hideo Kojima, so considering he’s not at Konami anymore gives Snake a slim chance of returning. But hey, Konami does like that thing called money, so you never know! Thus concludes all my thoughts and wants for characters in Smash 5. Now it’s time for a vigorous and exciting paragraph talking about my wants for new and returning stages and items! ...Or how about we talk about something I actually think Smash 5 will need, a new single player mode.

    Smash 4 introduced us with 2 different new modes added to the series. Smash Run was the featured mode for the 3DS and it was honestly a fine mode. I didn’t play the mode as much as others, but I honestly enjoyed what little time I played. The WiiU version got Smash Tour which was not so great. I only played this mode once or twice and it seemed like Smash and Mario Party had a one night stand. For my sake, I wish they would’ve used protection. Both of these modes were McDonald’s chicken nuggets compared to Gordon Ramsey’s sliced free range chicken breast, coated in layers of breadcrumbs, fried to crispy perfection, The Subspace Emissary. Okay, I might be over exaggerating here, not to mention TSE(The Subspace Emissary for short) isn’t comparable to the multiplayer modes that are Smash Run and Smash Tour. From the trailers Nintendo were putting out at the time, they seemed to be suggesting that these new modes would be just as good, if not better, than TSE. TSE might honestly have taken the development team too much time, which could explain the delays for Brawl. Even if that is the case, I’d give my amiibo collection to have another shot of TSE, a TSE2 if you will. I adored this mode, seeing the different characters subtly interact with one another, telling a simple story without the needs of speech or text. Not to mention the unique world, enemies, and bosses added to this mode. Many players have complained that TSE didn’t really connect any of the Nintendo universes because they just weren’t there in the story, instead replaced with generic ruins, forests, and cities. But, for some reason I really enjoyed this. Instead of this world being a Nintendoland, it felt to me like a real world, where each of the different characters were on their own adventures, living all actively together. Sprinkling in the Shadow Bugs to create interesting enemies, shadow versions of our heroes, and new epic bosses, the world really had a personality. TSE was also great because it allowed you to try out all the different characters. I never expected to like R.O.B. until I got a chance to play him in TSE and now he is still one of my mains to this day. The Subspace Emissary will always hold a special place in my heart! It compares to, but exceeds, the adventure mode found in Melee. Hopefully Nintendo will actually put some sort of new single player mode in Smash 5, considering the Switch is offline most of the time it’s a no brainier. I will even take a Melee style mini adventure mode, please Nintendo! Single player game modes NEEDS TO RETURN TO SMASH 5!!!

   Alright Nintendo! I pretty much just made you guys a winner that every Smash fan would want to see. I’ll just fax you my email and phone number and maybe we could work out a cut?!? You guys should know these things are all I want in the game. I’m a simple man when it comes to games. I just wanna be White colored Link and throw my bombs and boomerang at people! Maybe get a few Marth matches, land some tippers in there(OHHHHH YAAAAAAH) If any of you want to add your ideas or wants, feel free to hmu or leave a comment. I could go on and on about what I’d add to this Smash game, but I’ll stop myself. The next time I talk about Smash 5, hopefully there will be a trailer instead of rumors! Maybe I could talk about all the three thousand, six hundred seventy two Smash amiibo Nintendo released and how I about every one of them. Nintendo, you keep releasing that plastic, and I’ll buy it! Except Animal Crossing... no one wants those apparently...

[aussiekirkland]

My Personal Thoughts on the Switch

So you guys know I’ve been saving up for about a year, with the intention of buying the Nintendo Switch (particularly since I didn’t get a wiiU cause I could never afford it).

Well with my savings going up and down, my grand total ended up being about $700 (keeping in mind that the AUD is pretty low) and believe it or not it wasn’t enough.

Breath of the Wild is $90, which is about what I expected. The collector’s edition is a hefty $190 but with everything you get (statue, soundtrack etc) it’s definitely worth it and I plan on switching my preorder today.

The pro controller ended up being $100, which is exactly what I expected and no real drama, since I don’t want to constantly pull the joycons out of the tablet and damage the mechanism.

Now the console… gee I thought it would be between $350-$400 since Nintendo have been doing so poorly with their wiiU sales, and Miyamoto even admitted that the price tag for the wiiU was a bit steep. So when I saw that it was $470 I had a small heart attack. How could they possibly make it so expensive!? I’m not sure if it’s a Nintendo thing or an Australian thing or even an EB games thing but someone is fucking us over and I honestly feel like I’m being (or will be) robbed.

Anyway, if it weren’t for the other games I wanted (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 2) coming out later there’s no way I could afford everything on release day. This is because part of that money is going to Poochy & Yoshi’s Wooly World as well as Zelda Art and Artefacts which both come out in February.

Basically: I’m poor and Nintendo are robbing me of both my money and my free will, but at the same time I’m so excited for Breath of the Wild that I literally cried while watching both trailers

[mlpsimta]

A Switch in 2017

2016 is over, a fresh new year has just begun, and I still get a lot of spams from Tumblr to check out my wall because I haven’t done anything for half a year now. So in hope that I may stop receiving messages that I don’t care about and I’m already in the mood of smashing my keyboard in hope that something coherent will come out of it, let’s talk about the Nintendo Switch a little.

January 12 is getting closer and closer. The day when Nintendo will finally come out and confirms everything that Laura Kate Dale has already leaked to us, but we still got a nice week ‘til that happens so let’s do a little run down about what we know about the Switch and what I hope that it will deliver.

Right now we know that it’s a handheld-console hybrid, with a 6,2” 720p screen and it’s not as powerful as the current eight gen systems on the market. I have to say this portable idea for me is really interesting. I personally own a few consoles and handhelds and there are times when I feel like ‘man this would be better on my monitor’ or vice versa, or when a family member wants to use the TV you can simply go to handheld mode without a fuss, which is nice.

Nintendo since the Wii always have been the underdog when it comes to raw physical power of their system and this time won’t be different either according to the rumours. I read a lot of people complaining about how the Switch’s hardware will be its downfall and that they should have just gone with a system that could compete against with the X1 Scorpio or the PS4 PRO and I kinda agree with them. While having a weaker hardware Nintendo time and time again was able to create amazing games for their systems like Mario Galaxy for the Wii or Splatoon for the WiiU shows us with the proper knowledge of the system’s hardware and a good stylistic design can make any game look beautiful, but mainly for the first party games. The weaker specs can be a real torn in any 3rd party developers eyes, because it requires more resources to pour into the game so that you can release just for another system and sometimes developers just can’t do that. So there’s a chance the Nintendo can lose the 3rd party support again just like they lost it during the WiiU’s life cycle. Now I heard that there are some engines that are allowing easy ports, such as the Unreal Engine 4. In which again according to rumours games can run at medium settings (high on PS4) on the Switch and according to some outlets Dark Souls 3 is running on the system. So there’s hope that the Switch has good basic for a nourishing 3rd party support, but again when they announced the WiiU they said the same and nothing came out of it. We just have to wait and see.

Back to the portable abilities of the Switch I think that will be the part that will shine. Good old Nintendo has always been very successful when it comes to the portable market, just think about the GameBoy or their DS series. Their 3DS still holds up even after a lot of years and has some really amazing titles that are only on portable, for now. If the Switch will be a success that would mean that the end of the 3DS is close so developers can move their efforts for the new system with their games too and this is why I have hopes for the Switch. Where you can play Pokemon, Fire Emblem or Monster Hunter? Now on the 3DS, but if the Switch can replace the 3DS those and more titles will come with them. In short a lot of quality titles that were previously only playable on Nintendo’s handheld will finally be playable on a big or just on a better screen with a better controller. There are even rumours about a Pokemon game for the Switch! Now that sounds interesting. In short if the Switch can at least replace the 3DS that it has some really good chances for the future.

Now the only thing that concerns me is Nintendo itself. They have a track record making thing way complicated as it should be, or just being simply stuck in the past without the ability to have a grip on reality and see what is happening in the video game industry. For some reason they always managed to buck up their systems like the N64 with its cartridges or the GC with its little disc, yeah the Wii was a success, but it was a console that everybody owned but no one used it, and the WiiU that was sadly a total failure. But with the Switch they did the marketing very good, that trailer was simple and show us what the console is all about, we already saw some games played on it and over all it seems like Nintendo has learned from the mistakes of the WiiU and changed for the better. Now if that last sentence is true or not. Well we just have to wait for January 12 to see it.

Thank you for reading my nonsense. Have a happy 2017!

[heroslegacy]

@nintendo I am SOLD, among many titles presented today, I personally have 4 highlighted that I’m eager to get my hands on. There were Nay sayers and doubters. But you effortlessly delivered. First of all: Thank you @bandainamcous for giving us Dragonball FighterZ to enjoy on the Nintendo Switch as well. I will throughly enjoy getting my Keister swaddled over local and online play. I’ll be adding it along side my Xenoverse2. Next up: I’m still iffy on the casual approach to Pokémon let’s go Pikachu and let’s go Eevee, but still looking forward too it. Following that is: SUPER Mario Party looks good! 10 was a nice experiment but I’m definitely looking to have a good time with this game. Finally: Mr. Sakurai, many of us believed that SM4SH for 3DS & WiiU would be your last smash ever. So the initial trailer with the Inklings from splatoon had me excited. And now with this debut, I can confirm I am ULTIMATELY excited. Smashers newbie or veteran, are sure to be excited for this ultimate edition.(I may or may not have cried) ~Hero #nintendo #videogames #supersmashbrosultimate #dragonballfighterz #supermarioparty #pokemon #pokemonletsgopikachu #bandainamco #soralimited #anime #mario #zelda #link #pic #picoftheday #instapic #instagram #instalike #instagood #instalove #instadaily #instafollow

[jsmith2ndyearresearchblog]

Super smash bros for WIIU and 3DS had impeccable animated trailers as new characters were revealed in clever ways. Now the 5th game in the series ihas been announced, as the trailer was shown without context during a nintendo direct (a live online showcase of trailers) viewers were greeted by what appeared to be the original trailer for Splatoon, a WIIU game released in 2015 to critical acclaim. Understandably this threw a lot of people off, but the animation drew people in as it seemed to be a little shinier and a little more dynamic than before. All it took was one frame of the trailer, in which the squid characters shown, known as inklings, turn around and the glint of a fiery super smash bros logo is reflected in their eye. This not only sent fans into a frenzy, immediately causing super smash bros to trend, but also started a viral meme as well.

[game-refraction]

Game Review: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

While I have an ok selection of games for my WiiU I just didn’t care much for the platform overall. Whenever a major release was available for the system like Windwaker HD or Bayonetta 2, I would dust off the glossy black console and have a few hours of enjoyment, the problem is, that just rarely ever happened. Mario Kart was one of those few titles that actually got me to hook the WiiU back up to the TV and make sure the batteries in my Pro Controller were still good and ready to go. I, like many people who owned the game, purchased the pretty cheap DLC bundles that added new tracks and of course, Link, from the Legend of Zelda. I was always puzzled by the fact that they never added Zelda herself, but I digress.

When the Nintendo Switch was announced an all too brief time ago, a revamped version of Mario Kart 8 was revealed to us via the fairly enjoyable advertisement trailer that showed us the console, it features, and what we as gamers could expect to play on the console/handheld hybrid. While many of us would love a Mario Kart 9 made for a fresh new console, what we got instead was not only the best version of Mario Kart 8 but the best Mario Kart game ever produced, it’s just that damn good.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe could have been your typical “Definitive Edition” in just giving us a better-looking version of a prior game, but Nintendo went the extra mile and added quite a bit of new content, gameplay fixes and the much-requested Battle mode, while also including 48 tracks and 42 characters as well, oh, and they are all available right from the get-go.

Every bit of the DLC content that WiiU users were enjoying back then is packed in here along with new characters; Dry Bones, Bowser Jr, King Boo, the Inklings from Splatoon and Gold Mario, whom of which is one character you do need to unlock.

Apart from the new additions to the roster, you can unlock new vehicles, tires, and the glider attachments that allow your Karts to fly across the gaps in nearly all the superbly designed tracks. Each of the new characters has Kart items that are themed around them, so the Inklings, for example, have pink and green paint splattered Karts and gliders to mix and match.

One of the new additions to the game is one that is been the topic of much discussion; Smart Steering. While the feature is something I totally agree with, it’s set to default without so much of a mention. Smart Steering allows newcomers to get the feel of the game without having to worry about some of the more challenging parts of racing fast paced Karts. Hard turns will be auto-made and your Kart will bounce back to the road much faster should it look like you are going to run into a wall. At first, I wasn’t sure what the game was doing and until I went online and saw a “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s biggest misstep” article, I didn’t even know the feature existed. I think Smart Steering is a great feature for newer players that may struggle with racing games or even those who are disabled in some way that prevents them from enjoying games like many of us take for granted. There are several other features here like auto acceleration and turning your controllers like steering wheels for a slightly more ‘realistic’ way to drive, and while fun, it’s just not as intuitive.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has also added in stacked power-ups, having a main item ready and queued up for instant use while also having one in reserve. You’ll encounter stacked power-up blocks on the course that instantly fill your inventory with two power-ups at the ready. Nintendo has added two new items for use as well; a feather that makes your Kart bounce over projectiles and a Boo item that will steal a power-up from another racer. Another feature that is sure to get speed demons excited is the 200cc Karts that are incredibly fast and depending on your skill, rather hard to control. Completion of the whole 200cc circuit will reward you with a very ‘Golden’ surprise. The drift has also been upgraded and further drifting will grant an even bigger boost than normal.

While the Deluxe version of Mario Kart 8 doesn’t offer us any new courses to race in, the 48 offered here are packed full of shortcuts, alternative paths, and so much else to explore. There are some nice touches that while not new, still impress, like the change of coins to Rupee’s in the Legend of the Zelda course, for example. Regardless of drifting across a set of piano keys, swiftly dodging the fists of a giant lava Bowser, or driving on the side of a wall while giant stone blocks smash down upon unsuspecting racers, there are some courses that I’ve raced a dozen times and still find new ways to get ahead or out maneuver my competition.

Visually, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is gorgeous, regardless of the docked 1080p 60 frames per second or the 720p 60 frame version of its handheld play. When Breath of the Wild released for the Switch on its launch day, it was evident that the title wasn’t optimized fully for the new platform as the title suffered from frame rate issues while docked, mostly due to its running at a higher resolution. While most of those issues were patched and looked to be mostly fixed, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe runs absolutely flawless and looks and plays like a dream. One aspect of Mario Kart that makes it a cut above realistic racers like Forza or Gran Turismo, is the fact that Mario Kart will age far better than games that are bent on offering extreme realism in a market that is consistently improving its graphical fidelity.

When Mario Kart 8 launched on the WiiU back in 2014, it did so without the popular Battle mode that fans were expecting. Instead of arena’s built for the mode exclusively, gamers were meant to play the mode on the existing race tracks, courses that were designed for racing, not battling. This move made the Mario Kart community rather upset and gamers took to forums to vent their frustration and even a Change.org petition was set up. Now it is unclear if Nintendo ever noticed this, or whatever happened, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe contains the Battle mode that fans were wanting, and even more, actually.

Battle mode returns with five new modes to play with friends, or random strangers online, with each mode offering a slight variation on the classic Battle mode formula. Balloon Battle is your standard Mario Kart fare with trying to pop the Balloon’s that are attached to other players. Bob-omb Blast is the same mode except all items are replaced with the Bob-omb explosives. Coin Runners is all about collecting coins and should you take damage, well, you’ll lose coins. Renegade Round-up is a cop’s and robber’s mode where you’ll need to snatch up other players with a piranha plant Kart or escape until time runs out. Shine Thief is a game of keep-away with a Shiney Star that you’ll need to hold onto as long as you can.

About the only mode that I didn’t think was as fleshed out as it could have been was Coin Runners. It just lacks the polish of what the other modes bring to the game. Renegade Round-up, is a frantic and fun time no matter which side of the match you are on. I really enjoyed Bob-omb Blast as you can take out a few players with a well timed shot and it can change the flow of the match drastically. I played a few rounds of Shine Thief, and while I am not terribly great at it, I plan on trying it feverishly until I manage to hold it for a solid chunk of the match.

About the only problem I really have with the game is Nintendo once again not having an idea on how to handle online multiplayer for its major franchises. There is no voice chat to chat with other players, and about the only way to communicate with anyone in-game is through the scripted “Don’t go easy on me” or “Hi!” chat bubbles above your character. The fact we have to use programs like Skype or what-have-you is awful. Another oddity is the inability to invite friends to matches, a move that makes no sense at all. If this is the sign of what to expect from Nintendo and their online service for the Switch, it makes me question about paying for it later in the year when it is no longer free.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, despite its online issues, is one of the best games for the Nintendo Switch and is an absolute must-have for this console, even if you own the WiiU version right now. The added characters, all DLC unlocked, and the new (and insane) 200cc racing mode is a blast. The Battle mode alone makes this a justified purchase as it adds something that was painfully missing from the WiiU release. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is damn near perfect and frankly, stop reading this and go buy it now.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was played and reviewed on a retail copy for the Nintendo Switch. All screenshots were taken on the Nintendo Switch console and uploaded to Twitter.

Game Review: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) was originally published on Game-Refraction

[engagedfamilygaming]

Nintendo Switch Games Through the End of 2017

Nintendo held a press event on January 12th, 2017 at 11pm EST. The event was livestreamed from Tokyo and provided all the of the details players would need about the upcoming console including the consoles hardware specs and the launch lineup.

It is well known that software is what sells systems so many gamers, myself included, have been waiting patiently to know what Nintendo was going to be bringing to the console at launch. The last year has been VERY light for Nintendo as only a few games came to the WiiU in 2016.

Take a look below for a list of the games that Nintendo has announced for the Switch.

Launch Day

Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

Breath of the Wild is the real headliner here. We have known about the game for several years and to find out that the game will be releasing at launch for the Switch is a relief. I have to be honest when I say that I thought the game was going to be delayed again. I am very happy to have been wrong.

The Nintendo Switch is launching with arguably the most ambitious Zelda game in franchise history. This definitely bodes well for the console. Very few Nintendo consoles have launched alongside a game that has the potential to be a killer app.

Breath of the Wild is gorgeous to behold, grand in scale, and full of secrets to discover. The only question we have now is whether it will be fun to play. Fortunately, we’ll find all of that out on March 3rd, 2017 when the console launches.

1 2 Switch

1 2 Switch is a launch title that is intended to help show off all of the unique features of the Switch hardware and controllers. It feels like it is intended to help facilitate board game like experiences.

I have my doubts about this one even though it looks like it could be fun. First, why isn’t this game themed after Wario Ware? That is a known commodity with a certain cache with Nintendo fans. That would have added value to the game all on its own. Second, why isn’t this game bundled with the hardware? I don’t think we’ll ever get an answer to that question, but it feels to me like this would have been a perfect game to include with the console as opposed to releasing it at $60.

Just Dance 2017

As the world flies through space circumnavigating the sun, so to does a Just Dance game get released by Ubisoft. This was announced prior to the Switch reveal event, but even if it hadn’t been this would have been a safe bet. This series has always sold well on Nintendo platforms and I see no reason why it would stop now.

I actually think the Switch might be in a position to make this game better because players can take it with them and are no longer confined to your living room. The screen might be small, but that is, unquestionably, added value to the game.

Skylanders: Imaginators

Imaginators is another game that I am not surprised to hear is releasing for the Nintendo Switch on day one. I have said it before, but it is worth repeating. This is in my opinion, the best Skylanders game in the history of the franchise, so seeing it on more consoles is great. This version of the game includes a neat twist though. You only need to scan your Skylanders toys into the system once and then they will be loaded onto your copy of the game permanently. That is definitely a useful feature. I’m sure my kids would love not having to lug their figures all over the place if they wanted to play a quick game.

Super Bomberman Z

Bomberman is a franchise that has lain dormant for a number of years. The last entry in the series came out in 2010 for the Xbox Live arcade. I’m glad to see it come back and I am especially happy to see it launch on day one for the Switch. This is a franchise that is built around multiplayer action and it is simple enough for just about anyone to pick up and have fun.

March

Snipperclips: Cut it Out Together

(Video from Gamersprey YouTube channel).)

This might be, quietly, one of the best games to launch for the Switch in its first year. This is a cooperative puzzle game with a very interesting art style. The puzzle aspect of the game is what makes the game cool though. Each player controls a different shape on the screen. When the two shapes overlap each other a player can choose to cut out a shape from their own piece. Players then have to complete different objectives with their newfound shapes. These objectives will include things like moving objects, popping balloons (after creating a sharp point, filling in a shape template, etc.

I can’t wait for this one!

Fast RMX

(Video from IGN YouTube channel)

Fast Racer Neo came to the Wii U last year and was a welcome addition to that consoles library. In a way, it was the F-Zero game that fans have always wanted, but never would have gotten otherwise.

This is another edition of the game that will be brought to the Switch. It will feature thirty new tracks and fifteen new ships while letting you and up to eight of your friends play in local or online races.

Just be careful, this game is absurdly fast.

Has-Been Heroes

(Video from GameSpot YouTube channel)

This is a new game from Frozenbyte Studios that feels right at home on the Switch’s tablet based platform. It is a strategy RPG where players control a team of heroes who are past their prime while going on an epic quest to bring their King’s twin daughters to school.

The premise is silly, but the gameplay looks like it will be remarkably deep. We can’t wait to give it a whirl.

April 28th

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

The Switch trailer released in December of 2016 showed footage of a game that looked like Mario Kart 8, but on a track that wasn’t in the original game and featuring King Boo. This made a strong implication that a new version of the wildly successful kart racing game would be ported over to the Switch.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will include all of the characters and tracks from Mario Kart 8, including the two DLC packs. It will also include a number of new racers as well as an upgraded battle mode.

Spring 2017

ARMS

ARMS is a casual fighting game that plays like Wii Boxing, but with more elements from other fighting games. This was playable at an event at the Nintendo World Store over the weekend and it was compared, favorably, to Splatoon in that it simplifies the fighting game genre enough to make it accessible, while still having a lot of depth and interesting gameplay.

I know it is early, but I am keeping my eyes on this game. It looks like it could be really good.

Disgaia 5

Disgaia 5 is already available for the PS4 so this doesn’t really count as a new game. With that said, Disgaia is a strategy RPG that, I think, will fit in very well on a handheld device. The Fire Emblem series has done very well on the 3DS and I think this has a similar appeal as a game to take on the go.

Puyo Puyo Tetris

I never thought this game would ever see the light of day here in North America. Puyo Puyo Tetris is, essentially, two arcade puzzle games stacked into one. The highlight of this game is the head to head multiplayer where players can choose to play either Tetris OR Puyo Puyo against each other. Both of these games feature similar themes. Shapes (either Tetrominoes in Tetris or piles of jellies in Puyo Puyo) fall from the top of the screen and players manipulate those shapes to compete rows or match colors.

They play differently enough that it will be fun to be able to pick the game you play when competing without the games being so different that it is distracting.

Rime

Rime was announced as a PS4 exclusive back in 2014. Since then Sony dropped their support for the game and Tequila Works, the developer, had to seek a new source of funding. Fortunately, they were able to find it from Gametrust (then games publishing arm of GameStop) and are going to be able to bring the game multiplatform.

The game itself is stunning. Its art style evokes some of the same feelings I get when I look at video of The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker (which is one of my favorite games of all time). We don’t know many details about the game from a gameplay perspective, but it definitely includes extensive platforming, and puzzle solving.

I am sure we will hear more about this game as we get close to its launch.

Summer 2017

Splatoon 2

We knew that a Splatoon game was going to be coming to the Switch thanks to the footage included in the reveal trailer in December. We did not, however, know that it was going to be a sequel. I would have bet that it was going to be a port of the original game (and, honestly, would have been happy with that.

Splatoon 2 includes a number of new features like new weapons, new specials, new battle modes and new maps. It also solves the problem of requiring a second screen to see the game map by allowing players to simply tap the x button to bring up the game map at any time. The animation for the map coming up is slick and fast so skilled players should be able to use it without having to slow down too much.

My favorite addition to the game is a set of dual pistols that players can use. These pistols have a reasonable range and can cover a lot of area fast, but what is most interesting is that they change the way players can move. Instead of jumping, they give players the ability to use a dodge roll. Weapon changing the way a player moves around the map opens up a lot of interesting design space for new weapons specials, and gear. Here’s hoping that Nintendo takes advantage of it.

Autumn 2017

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

Part of me feels like this might be a bit late for the game’s release to make a splash. However, this will be the first time that players will have been able to take an Elder Scrolls game and play them on the go on a handheld platform. That could be just the hook that some players have needed to dive back into Skyrim again.

I will be very interested to see how this game continues its development over the course of the year.

Holiday

Super Mario Odyssey

One of the chief complaints about the Wii U was the lack of what some people would consider a “proper” 3D Super Mario Bros. game. Super Mario 3D World was most definitely a thing that existed, but I suppose that wasn’t good enough for them.

Fortunately for those folks, Super Mario Odyssey looks like the spiritual successor to Super Mario 64 that fans have been clamoring for since it came out. It features large, gorgeously rendered, and very diverse environments to explore. It definitely includes secrets buried behind platforming challenges. And it looks gorgeous to boot thanks to the Switch’s improved hardware power.

Unfortunately, we have to wait until Holiday 2017 to enjoy it, but this one looks like it will be worth the wait.

2017 (No specific window announced)

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Xenoblade Chronicles was a Wii exclusive that earned a lot of positive praise for its story and its action oriented gameplay. Unfortunately it was buried on the Wii so it was held back graphically. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 looks like it is attempting to follow up on the original title while fixing some of the graphical shortcomings that tied the first game down.

Minecraft

You simply cannot release a console in the post Minecraft world without including it on your console. It is too big of a force in the gaming world to ignore. Minecraft won’t be launching on day one with the Switch, but it will be out within the 2017 calendar year. Here’s hoping they can get it on their sooner rather than later as this is another game that works incredibly well on a handheld device and I am sure that a lot of kids would love to have a Minecraft game that they can play both at home and on the road.

FIFA

FIFA is the biggest sports franchise in the world. It comes as no surprise that EA will be bringing it to the Switch. I don’t really know how well hardcore fans of the franchise will take to playing the game on a handheld device, but I can imaging that casual fans will love the idea of being able to plug away at the games in their franchise modes while traveling.

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers

This is an interesting one. Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers was released for the SNES many, many years ago. This is a sequel to that title that includes an option for an updated aesthetic (a beautifully hand drawn one at that) and two new characters (Evil Ryu and Violent Ken).

I am a huge Street Fighter fan, so this is easily one of my most anticipated games for the console even if it is only so that I can show my kids how Street Fighter games used to look.

Syberia 3

Syberia 3 is an adventure game that takes place in a Steam Punk setting. Players take control of Kate Walker, the hero from the first two games, as she embarks on a new adventure. The last Syberia game came out ten years ago and I am sure there are fans who have wanted to continue her adventures. This will be their chance.

NBA 2K18

My love for NBA 2K18 is well documented. I think it is a remarkable basketball game, but it is also a great RPG as well. I, personally, cannot wait to play this game on my Switch. The NBA season is quite long and having the ability to play while on the road will be a great way to sneak a few more games in.

I Am Setsuna

I am Setsuna released for the PS4 in 2016. It didn’t set the world on fire, but it was generally well received. I am excited to see it come to the Switch because I strongly feel that RPGs will have a great home there.

I am Setsuna was developed by the Tokyo RPG Factory (a subsidiary of Square Enix specifically built to make old school RPGs) and was intended to remind players of the fun they had playing Chrono Trigger in the late 90s. It did successfully evoke those feelings, but in a way that was to the game’s detriment as it didn’t live up to those expectations.

Dragonball Xenoverse 2

Dragonball is a franchise that refuses to go away. Xenoverse is an action based role playing game that heavily features fighting game mechanics.

The split screen multiplayer feels like it would be a great fit for the Switch in tabletop mode. I am just hoping that someone creates some sort of headrest mount so my boys can play it. This feels like a game they would appreciate, especially as the oldest starts to get into the show.

Sonic Mania

Sonic the Hedgehog has been around a long time and has evolved a lot over that time. Unfortunately, a lot of those evolutions have been for the worse. Sonic Mania is an attempt to bring Sonic the Hedgehog back to his 2D roots

Steep

Ubisoft released this game quietly on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC towards the end of last year. It was announced at E3, and received almost no marketing between then and its release. This surprised me because people who played Steep were enjoying it quite a bit.

Steep is billed as an open world extreme sports game that includes snowboarding, skiing, and wing-suit flight. The game’s big “thing” is that instead of being a linear set of courses like in SSX players are encouraged to explore a wide open world searching for new courses to run and zones to to be dropped in.

The post Nintendo Switch Games Through the End of 2017 appeared first on Engaged Family Gaming.

from Nintendo Switch Games Through the End of 2017

[fulvius]

Trailer de Splatoon 2 apresentado na conferência da Nintendo que rolou no dia 13/01/2016 no Japão (clique aqui e confira o resumo da conferência e o vídeo na integra). Enquanto as grandes franquias de jogos de tiro apostam em games futuristas, armas reais e guerras, a Nintendo vai na zoeira e investe na sua franquia de “paintball” com Splatoon 2. O jogo é muito divertido e seu primeiro título chamou a atenção no WiiU. Agora com a continuação no Nintendo Switch, a franquia deve ganhar mais desta

via: http://eexponews.com/splatoon-2-trailer-mostrado-na-conferencia-da-nintendo-all3_5702900660043776

[kapowemag]

Nintendo Switch

 Hi all, it’s Friday night and I’m sat here on my sofa with the better half as she marks kids mock exams, and I’m about to write my thoughts on the new information we have on Nintendos new console, the Nintendo Switch. People often ask me how I’m still alive due to how rock and roll I am. Some people are just made for it, and I’m one of them, I’ve been told I’m like a better looking version of Keith Moon.

 Anyway lets dive into what we know about the Nintendo Switch. Firstly the games. Zelda, Mario, ARMZ, Street Fighter, Splatoon 2, 1-2-Switch and Xenoblade 2. I’ve missed a few on the list like SquareEnix’s new RPG, but we will get to them later. Now the hype for the new Zelda has been on going for a looooooooooooooooong time now. Originally supposed to be a Wii U title, but due to Wii U sales they’ve made the decision to release it on both consoles, which is nice of them not to just abandon the Wii U considering a fair few million people still purchased the Wii U with the promise of a new Zelda experience. (Me included). But we all know deep down the Wii U version is going to be shafted by a lower frame rate, lower resolution, shorter draw distances and probably longer loading times. I can’t help but feel Wii U users are going to feel a bit hard done by when they see the differences between the Wii U and Switch. However I could be completely wrong as when Twilight Princess was released for the Wii, the GameCube version was better thanks to the lack of clunky motion controls.

There’s so much I could write about the new Zelda but there’s plenty more to talk about. Such as MAAAAARIO! OMFGWTFBBQ!? This game looks insane! However I’m not too sure how I feel about seeing the chubby little plumber in what looks to be a living breathing city with humans roaming around. Maybe the story will explain why this is? Perhaps Mario is going to be flipped between different realms in the universe? Even with this slight gripe I already have with the game, I’m still extremely excited to get my hands on this. When watching the trailer I felt the magic of Mario 64 the first time I played it, just a huge open world with portals to explore and sink our sweaty controller hands into. Unlike the Mario games of recent that have felt extremely linear and dull. I might get hate for that, but even though Super Mario 3D world received great scores from critics. I couldn’t help but feel like I had done it all before on my 3DS with Mario 3D Land. It didn’t add anything special and didn’t give me that Mario magic feel like I had with 64, Galaxy and maybe I felt it a little bit with Sunshine. There’s numerous Wii U games that I could go on about that just didn’t feel innovative enough and well polished to sell and push Wii U sales. It all seemed half arsed. (apart from Smash Bros) Even Mario Kart 8, whilst the physics and gameplay were amazing, the character roster and lack of battle mode killed the joy of it for me much sooner than previous instalments of the franchise. 

 The Nintendo Switch seems to be set for a great start compared to the Wii U already, just by showing and bringing back that Nintendo magic we’ve missed from their home consoles of recent years. Launching with a new Zelda game obviously helps a huge amount, if I remember correctly, the only game worth getting at the Wii U launch was Rayman Legends. Which wasn’t a huge thing after Ubisoft back stabbed Nintendo and delayed the launch for no real reason at all. Not that I’m blaming Ubisoft for the Nintendo Wii U struggling to build momentum at launch, but they certainly didn’t help. The real problem was Nintendo rushing out a ‘next gen’ console before it’s competitors and not having any AAA IPs at launch to show off it’s true capabilities. A lot of people are calling the Wii U ‘the Dreamcast of this era’. But I disagree. The Dreamcast was a groundbreaking console in regards to it’s hardware and actually had a decent variety of good quality games. As I’ve said already, the Wii Us game library was half arsed and it’s hardware wasn’t great either.

 It seems the Nintendo Switch is everything Nintendo wanted the WiiU to be. Maybe Nintendo knew the WiiU wasn’t going to be a huge success and launched it just so they had extra time to perfect and smoothen out all the edges of the Switch? Not the cleverest idea though if you ask me, the last thing I want is for Nintendo to pull a SEGA and release shit after shit for a few years until it’s too late and they go bankrupt. We all know this isn’t going to happen though for the simple fact Nintendo have massive amounts of money and a great supportive following who will praise even the wort of products or games they release.

 I love the portability aspect of the Switch. When I first saw the WiiU I expected it to have the feature of being able to play on the fly. Boy was I wrong, the gamepad would lose connection when I’d take it for a shit, which was greatly disappointing :(, ‘cause lets be honest, there’s no way an adult like myself is going to take this thing to a skatepark or field and jam it out with friends. Even kids won’t, their parents would go mental taking out nearly 300 quids worth of hardware into the street. You’d think so anyway, yet kids nowadays walk around in 200 quid coats and have the latest phone ever 8 months, so time will tell. All I know is my pooing times are going to greatly increase!

Is the portability feature necessary, and is this a selling point for you? Could Nintendo have invested more time into developing something more important, for example their friend code system and online functionalities?

 Who cares though right? If you’re a die hard Nintendo fan, the Nintendo Switch is on top of your shopping list, above the necessities such as milk, bread, sugar and tea bags.

 After purchasing the WiiU i’ll be honest, I started to lose faith in Nintendo and when I first heard about the Switch, I was skeptical, huuuuugely skeptical. Yet they’ve won me over with the presentation they held this morning. It appears Nintendo have learned from their mistakes and from what I’ve seen the Nintendo Switch and it’s games so far definitely deserve that gold Nintendo quality stamp of approval.

 That’s all the thoughts I have on the Switch for now anyway, feel free to share yours. :)