Author: sick skills

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• by Liam Doolan 4 hours ago

Nintendo’s new battle royale F-Zero 99 will be getting more tracks this week. The five-track line up has now been officially confirmed on the company’s Japanese website.

As highlighted by dataminer OatmealDome, the tracks joining the standard F-Zero 99 mode include Mute City II, Port Town I and Red Canyon I. As for the new Pro Tracks, racers can look forward to the addition of White Land II and Death Wind II.

Last but not least, the Queen League will also be featured in Grand Prix events. This update will launch on 29th September in Japan, so expect it to arrive elsewhere around the same time. Apparently, the remaining King League circuits will also unlock in mid-October.

Are you excited about this new selection of tracks? Comment below.

Frame rates aren’t necessarily everything in a game, but can be quite important if gameplay relies on quick reactions from the player.

With this in mind, Sonic Superstars development producer and character designer Naoto Oshima recently confirmed the game would run at 60FPS, “even on the Nintendo Switch”. Here’s what he had to say, according to a translation by Noisy Pixel:

“Oshima: Thanks to everyone who has supported Sonic, I am once again able to be involved in development. [Sonic Superstars] will be released on all kinds of platforms, so please try it out, and you will be able to play at a smooth 60 FPS, even on Nintendo Switch. I hope old fans will be nostalgic for the characters, and newcomers will be able to experience Sonic’s speed.”

Considering how fast the Sonic series can be, this is great to hear. It does have us wondering about the game’s multiplayer though. With four-player local and up to eight players online, it will be interesting to see how it holds up.

Will you be checking out Sonic Superstars when it launches on Switch next month? Tell us below.

Eric ‘ConceredApe’ Barone has been busy working on Version 1.6 of the Stardew Valley, and lately, he’s been teasing quite a bit about this new update.

In the latest “sneak peek” via social media, he’s shared a sizable list of everything players can expect from this next game update. This includes new festivals, late-game content and end-game quests, new lines of dialogue, “new secrets” and much more.

In last week’s update, ConcernedApe shared a single screenshot of a bird. You can learn more in our previous coverage here on Nintendo Life. As for the current development status, ConcernedApe notes that this update is “still in development” and there’s no release date just yet.

Are you excited about all of this new content coming to Version 1.6 of Stardew Valley? What else would you like to see added? Leave a comment below.

Afterdream is a pixel art horror title that puts atmosphere and puzzle-solving above all else. Taking place within the psyche of our protagonist as she recounts her vivid dreams, this format allows Afterdream to make liberal use of weird imagery to tell an intriguing and engaging story.

Drawing inspiration from classic survival horror games – specifically in how you solve puzzles – Afterdream requires you to observe your surroundings and interact with the objects found within. For the most part, you’ll find items that might be missing a key component, meaning you’ll need to search the adjacent rooms and return once you’ve found what you’re looking for.

It’s basic stuff, but Afterdream manages to maintain engagement by striking a strong balance with its difficulty. Some puzzles may initially seem perplexing, but thanks to the confined nature of each environment, it won’t be long before you figure out what needs to be done. As such, Afterdream’s pacing is one of its strongest aspects, bolstered by a snappy UI that never gets in the way. However, we would have welcomed the ability to run at times during the game.

To help guide you, you’ll obtain a camera fairly early in the game, and utilising this at every possible opportunity is key to discovering Afterdream’s secrets. It has two primary functions: the first is a simple “quick-fire” mechanic where you use the camera’s flash to briefly illuminate your surroundings and power up objects. The other function is, of course, to take pictures. Whipping out your camera, you can move the lens around to locate hidden objects that, while invisible to the naked eye, are illuminated in the viewfinder. Taking a picture of the object then allows it to materialise in the environment. This means that if you’re struggling to locate a key item in the conventional sense, you might need to just give the area a quick scan with the camera to see what might be lurking.

In terms of scares, this is the one area that we feel Afterdream could have pushed a bit further. It’s limited to subtle moments, such as a flickering light, a shadow wandering past a doorway, or a quick jump scare as a creepy figure flashes into view. Given the fact that we’re quite literally navigating someone’s dream, we feel there could have been more opportunities to really freak out the player.

Having said that, it’s the overarching atmosphere that drives the experience home. The ambient music is haunting and amplifies the sense of dread at just the right moments, while the dirty, gritty colour palette combined with a subtle noise filter makes for some effective visuals. Finally, while the lack of screen real estate might be off-putting for some, we found the intentional use of black bars at the top and bottom a great way of keeping the view focused, allowing for a wider perspective of each room.

If you’re looking for a quick jaunt through a beautifully haunting 2D world then Afterdream is a solid choice. While it’s a shame the game doesn’t lean into scares quite as much as we’d have liked, the atmosphere makes up for this and the puzzles should keep you engaged from start to finish.

Update [Wed 27th Sep, 2023 19:00 BST]: Ahead of tomorrow’s collaboration, The Pokémon Company and the Van Gogh Museum have shared details on what to expect when the event opens up.

Running from 28th September 2023 to 7th January 2024, you’ll be able to go in and view some exclusive Pokémon-inspired twists on Van Gogh’s most celebrated art on the 1st floor. Six pieces have been reinterpreted to give them a Pocket Monster flair.

An exclusive ‘Pokémon Adventure’ tour around the museum will be held, which is designed to teach kids about the stories behind Van Gogh’s paintings. Plus, you’ll get an exclusive Pokémon X Van Gogh Pokémon Card for attending. On Floor 0 at the restaurant, you’ll learn how to draw Pikachu. Plus online lessons about how Van Gogh was inspired by Japanese prints will also be held.

If you’re after the card but can’t make it to Amsterdam this autumn/winter, then fear not. Some exclusive merchandise will be available to buy at the Pokémon Center online in both the UK and USA.

The merch includes a plush version of Pikachu dressed as Van Gogh, TCG sleeves, a jigsaw puzzle, and some figurines (thanks, Serebii!)

You can find all of the details on the event over on the Van Gogh Museum’s website.

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Original article [Tue 12th Sep, 2023 15:30 BST]: The Pokémon Company has announced a rather unusual — but intriguing — collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

The collaboration with the world-famous museum kicks off on 28th September, but other than a rather adorable teaser, we know nothing about what to expect from this merging of the art world and Pokémon world.

Still, that trailer is quite lovely, featuring Eevee and Pikachu running through a field of sunflowers, with the sky being transformed into a Van Gogh-style painted sky, and the sunflowers turning into Sunfloras.

We’ll let you know when we know more about this collaboration, but if you’re in Amsterdam after 28th September and love Pokémon, you’ll definitely want to check this out. Perhaps we’ll get a gallery of Pokémon-style interpretations of the post-impressionist’s paintings?

Don’t forget that Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s first piece of DLC — The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero: The Teal Mask is out tomorrow, 13th September. You’ll be venturing off to Kitakami on a school trip, a land steeped in tradition.

Will you be attending the Van Gogh collaboration later this month? Let us know.

You wait all that time for hotly-anticipated titles like Tears of the Kingdom to drop onto the console of choosing, only to see it land in a year as stuffed with top-notch gaming releases as 2023 that you are forced to play it while juggling 30 other “must-plays” at the same time.

Gosh, we game fans sure do have it tough, don’t we?

We’re exaggerating, obviously. The fact of the matter is, we don’t have to juggle at all. 2023 has been one of those years that many will look back on for a while and say: “Do you remember 2023? Wow, that was a stuffed one, right?” But bouncing between Hyrule, Faerûn and a Galaxy Far, Far Away can take its toll, and it has become more important now than ever to work out how to take a break.

Not a break from games, of course (how absurd!), but rather a break from big games — a palate cleanser between the mammoth titles of the year, something to gently remove the lingering taste of your previous game and leave you feeling minty-fresh for the next one. These palate cleansers can take on a variety of forms: puzzle games, visual novels, replays, etc. But many of us have a preference, nonetheless.

Here at Nintendo Life, we have decided to run through a few of ours before the likes of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Sonic Superstars, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (yes it’s PS5, but come on) release in October. Have a read through some of the titles that we use to get out of the post-completion blues and then take to the comments to share some remedies of your own.

Jim Norman, Staff Writer

My palate cleansers can be broken into the following food groups: fatty puzzles, healthy roguelikes and a small slice of sweet, mind-numbing farm sims. The ones that I come back to time and again after finishing a full three-course, 40+ hour game are Picross and Pocket Card Jockey. It’s the perfect combination of keeping me entertained in the moment while offering the reassurance that I will be able to put it down for six months without any worry of losing where I am.

Despite the fact that it’s a wholly different flavour, the likes of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons occupy the same spot in my gaming diet. I put the hours in when I first downloaded each, but now they lie in wait for the odd revisit between beefier courses. I plant new crops, clear the cockroaches, maybe work on a new feature or two and then put it down, safe in the knowledge that I will have to do the whole thing all over again when the need for comfort strikes next.

Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer

Generally speaking, if I ever find myself between major releases, I’ll always gravitate towards old favourites; games that I know back to front and can blast through in just a couple of short hours. So we’re talking Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Halo… Stuff like that.

There’s something quite comforting in starting a game and knowing exactly what it’s going to entail and how long it will take to complete. Starting anything brand new these days – particularly lengthy RPGs or visual novels – is an exceptionally demanding use of my limited time, so it’s nice to just settle down with something familiar every now and then.

If I were to pick one game, then of course it’s going to be Resident Evil 4. Even with the remake proving its worth, I still enjoy just breaking out the original and blowing the heads off those pesky Ganados. Whether I’ve just finished a cosy platformer or a gritty RPG, Resident Evil 4 is always there as the perfect palate cleanser.

Gavin Lane, Editor

Beyond blasting through an evergreen favourite, I find myself searching out bite-sized aperitifs between the big releases almost all the time — and it’s so easy on Switch thanks to all the short games. In fact, my backlog is filled with amuse-bouches I could blitz through if I put my mind to it. Trombone Champ and the Star Trek: TNG table in Pinball FX have been recent side quests I’ve dipped into between Sea of Stars and TOTK sessions.

The danger I typically face is when my supposed palate cleanser becomes the main meal. Grabbing some comfort food on Mumbo’s Mountain frequently turns into a full Banjo-Kazooie playthrough, and ‘a quick bite’ with F-Zero 99 or Vampire Survivors can easily become a multi-course banquet. Nomnomnom.

Alana Hagues, Deputy Editor

You can probably break up my palette cleansers into two separate groups — something short and sweet, or something that I can just jump back into whenever I want. something that I know I’ll keep coming back to — Let’s Build A Zoo never leaves my front page, and Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is perfect for dipping in and out of. I also use the time between big RPG releases to knock out a platformer or something from my backlog, or sometimes just dive into NSO to play some Tetris or Super Mario World.

These gaps are also the perfect time for me to squeeze in short narrative titles where gameplay isn’t really the focus. There are so many bite-sized indie titles that you can beat in under 10 hours that they make perfect fodder between the big-name releases. This year alone I’ve squeezed in Venba, A Space for the Unbound, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, and Paranormasight. Let’s ignore how much time I’ve put into Vampire Survivors, for the sake of this…

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So, what do you make of our picks? Do any of them align with yours or will you perhaps be trying any of them out in the future? Fill out the following poll to let us know which type of game you use to unwind and then take to the comments to share any other ideas.