Author: sick skills

Back in June 1997, the cover of Computer & Video Games – then one of the UK’s biggest-selling specialist gaming magazines – was packed with the most popular titles of the time, as well as some familiar faces. Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog took center stage, with news from the ’97 Tokyo Game Show regarding the company’s latest drive to promote the character, dubbed “Project Sonic” – an initiative which would ultimately give us Sonic Jam and Sonic R on the Saturn but little else of note. PlayStation classics Rage Racer and Final Fantasy VII also get a mention, while Blast Corps and Star Fox 64 fight in Nintendo’s corner. However, the reason this particular issue sticks out in my mind is the fact that it was my first exposure to Bandai’s Tamagotchi, the original virtual pet which, back in ’97, had just taken its homeland Japan by a storm.

Ever on the pulse of all things gaming in the days before the internet took over, CVG devoted two full pages to these bizarre-looking keyrings from Japan, explaining how they came to be, their success in the Far East (“3 million already sold!”) and – perhaps most importantly of all – exactly how they worked. It was the kind of in-depth, passionate coverage that the magazine was famous for at that point in time, and it had the desired effect on me, your humble scribe – at the earliest opportunity I was down my local Toys R Us attempting to ascertain exactly when stock would arrive, only to be told they’d all sold out. 

This began what was to become a rather depressing pattern for the next few months, as stores all over the UK were promptly relieved of Tamagotchis the very moment they hit the shelves. I was therefore forced to watch on enviously as one of my close friends – the only person I knew who had somehow been able to secure one – prodded and poked this strange beeping pebble. Tamagotchi ownership eluded me, at least for a short while.

Thankfully, in an event which perhaps says more of my friend’s attention span than the appeal of the gadget itself, I was able to buy his Tamagotchi from him. It was the transparent blue model, with fetching yellow buttons, and for the next few weeks it became the center of my teenage world. I cared dutifully for it, feeding it when necessary, cleaning up its mess and playing games to keep it happy and content. Then (and this is predictably where my recollection becomes hazy) it drifted into the mists of time, lost at the back of a drawer with its battery exhausted.

I’ll be honest, since that fateful day when I cast aside my once-beloved virtual pet, I’ve given very little thought to Tamagotchi. I’ve been aware that the series continued beyond 1997, has sold over 82 million units worldwide and has even found its way onto consoles like the Nintendo DS. However, I’ve never really given any deeper thought to these digital creatures, until very recently when it was confirmed that Bandai would be bringing back Tamagotchi to mark the 20th anniversary of the brand in the west. And that’s why, sat here in 2017 – older but most certainly not much wiser – I find myself once again cradling a small plastic lump with a crude LCD screen which periodically beeps at me when it craves my attention.

Rather than simply recycle the original Tamagotchi design, Bandai has delivered a tinier, streamlined version of the pet. It’s around 20 percent smaller than the original version, and lacks some of the functionality you may remember from 1997. Back then, you could give your creature medication, punish it for bad behaviour and play games with it. Bandai has pared back these features and now you simply press a button to deal with whatever your virtual pet needs. Has it pooped? Press the left-hand button to clean it up. Want to feed it? Press the left-hand button again, and select either a large meal or a treat. What this ultimately means is that dealing with your pet’s needs is easier than ever, but you don’t feel quite as involved as before; it’s possible that Bandai has simply reasoned that with so many other mobile devices fighting for our attention, Tamagotchi in 2017 needs to be a little easier to manage.

That’s ultimately the biggest difference here, at least from my perspective. Back in 1997 I didn’t have a mobile phone, my most advanced handheld was a monochrome Game Boy and we had no internet access at home, so the idea of pouring days or even weeks of effort into a small beeping trinket seemed like a pretty swell idea, thanks very much. Fast forward to the present day, and Tamagotchi is almost like a relic; Bandai has already done console games and you can download the official smartphone app for less cash, so the idea of carrying around a keyring to look after seems positively archaic. Still, we all know that Bandai is peddling nostalgia here, just like Nintendo is with the NES Mini and SNES Mini. These toys aren’t designed to capture the hearts and minds of kids in 2017; instead, they are aimed at adults who were kids in 1997.

As was the case back then, I can’t see Tamagotchi in 2017 being more than a passing novelty, at least to me personally – perhaps even more so, given how many other devices we have jostling for our attention on a daily basis. Still, there’s something unique about raising and caring for something so small, and because it’s a reassuringly round physical object it’s arguably more tangible than running an app on your phone. Interestingly, I’ve noticed that my 9-year-old son, against all odds, has really taken to the Tamagotchi – although it remains to be seen if his patience lasts beyond the first unfortunate death. For me, becoming acquainted with Tamagotchi in 2017 is bittersweet, like meeting a beloved childhood friend who you discover has refused to grow up and still lives with their parents. I’m happy for the chance meeting to reminisce about old times, though I’m not sure I’m leaving it any wiser or more enriched. But will I do it again in 2037? Of course I bloody will.

Tamagotchi is available this November in North America and Europe, priced $14.99 / £9.99.

One of the most notable third party releases coming up for the Switch later this year is DOOM, which held up really well in our hands-on preview; an impressive feat for the diminutive system.

While we knew that the game was targeted for a Q4 release this year, Bethesda has revealed today that the launch date will be 10th November. In addition to this a new id Software developer video has been released by Nintendo, which you can view above. 

In it creative director Hugo Martin and executive producer Marty Stratton discuss the features that players will experience in DOOM on Nintendo Switch, including the full single-player campaign, Arcade Mode, and the entire suite of Multiplayer maps and modes, including all previously released DLC content. They also go into further depth about working with developer Panic Button to ensure DOOM on Nintendo Switch feels fast, brutal, and true to the experience gamers have loved on other platforms.

Let us know if you are ready to bring the pain to the host of demonic hordes in November with a comment below.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a bit of a gem, but beyond its core campaign it’s also had a low profile ‘Season Pass’. Though it’s been available to buy from the front screen of the game since launch, it’s had very little publicity.

Up to now the only content available has been in the form of ‘pixel’ and steampunk weapons, which look neat but are ultimately weaker than late-game equivalents. Now, however, the first ‘main’ part of the season pass content has gone live (at least in the UK, at the time of writing) – the Ultra Challenge Pack. Its release date is supposed to be 17th October, but evidently the roll-out is underway and it was available to us after manually updating the game.

It includes a couple of things – first up are ‘Special Challenges’, in the form of difficult maps that you can now tackle from the ‘Secret Area’ in each of the four worlds. Second up is the ‘Cataclysm Kerfuffle’ co-op campaign, which consists of five maps (and the unlockable ‘hard mode’ versions).

We’ll be checking out the content to see whether it offers much value as the initial notable addition from the season pass. Perhaps of more interest will be the ‘Story Mode’ pack that’s due on 16th January. These dates are from eShop receipts, as Ubisoft is yet to do much to promote the content.

Are you planning to try out this DLC?

Uh oh, prepare your wallets, the festive season is almost upon us. A genuinely lovely time of the year that’s always very efficient at emptying bank accounts; naturally Nintendo is hoping you’ll throw some of your holiday money its way.

Every year Nintendo of America puts together a holiday website to point fans towards goodies they can buy, and this year’s effort is actually quite impressive. Probably reflecting a bit more confidence courtesy of Switch buzz and the 3DS having hits of its own, the site goes big with various categories pointing to both the systems and their games; there is an entry for the SNES Classic Edition, too, if more stock comes around.

Beyond plugging lots of familiar games, a couple of nice touches are categories for ‘Toys & more’ along with ‘Fun on a budget’, catering to those watching every cent or looking for something a bit different.

All of the links on this official site relate to the North American market, but anyone else looking for ideas can check it out as well.

Will you be buying a lot of Nintendo gifts (or hoping to receive them) in the Holiday season?

Super Mario Odyssey for Switch is not far away now; it’s hard to imagine but on 27th October the game will be out in the wild. While collecting the physical version of the game will be nice (who doesn’t want this box on their gaming shelf?) – changing the cart in your Switch won’t be as much fun. Given that Super Mario Odyssey is a game that you will likely be going back to for months, if not years to come, perhaps a digital download is in order.

Annoyingly the digital version often costs more than the cart version, with ARMS and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe both costing £49.99 for the eShop version, when you can often buy the boxed edition for less.

If you fancy going digital this time, however, you are in luck; Super Mario Odyssey costs exactly the same on Amazon UK to buy on a cart or download, something the retailer hasn’t done often before now.

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale which helps support the site. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

Remember, Prime customers will get an extra £2 off their order, so you could get the digital version for only £39.99. We can’t say fairer than that!

If you think way back to the original January review trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles 2, there was a brief moment where we saw a character riding a Blade we now know as Dromarch, and the creature has since been seen running alongside the party in various sequences from more recent trailers.

Keeping up the steady flow of interesting tweets for the game, the official Japanese account has now posted a couple of fresh screens reiterating that the Blade is happy to let you hop on for a ride in order to get around quickly. Just like in the original trailer, the screens show ‘Nia’ riding the Blade.

The wait is tough…

Damien has over a decade of professional writing experience under his belt, as well as a repulsively hairy belly. Rumours that he turned down a role in The Hobbit to work on Nintendo Life are, to the best of our knowledge, completely and utterly unfounded.

As a ’90s kid I was only really aware of two main groups of gamers – kids and teenagers. It was a pre-internet age, so the points of reference were limited, but I doubt I was that far off. ‘Gaming’ had been a thing in the ’70s and ’80s, of course, but a rapid expansion of the industry – after Atari somewhat went off a cliff – was arguably driven by Nintendo and SEGA in the 8- and 16-bit eras, and a generation of people then grew up with the hobby. I think that’s why attending any game expo often highlights a lot of 30- and 40-somethings wandering around the hall. For some of us, games have always been a passion from the day we were old enough to hold a pad.

My personal gaming history has its own quirks that took in the ZX Spectrum and eventually a time when LucasArts was the name in PC game publishing. Yet through all those times most people I knew that played games were a similar age, give or take a half decade either way. I remember times my parents would join in for family games of PGA Tour Golf ’94 (!) or Micro Machines, but they always seemed like ‘guest’ gamers to my elitist young mind. That said, I once walked in on my mum ‘beating’ Columns II and getting to level 99, so that was an early sign of her gaming prowess.

As I’ve gotten older, and as I’ve gradually invested a lot of my gaming and now professional life in the fortunes of Nintendo, I’ve seen first-hand how the company has broadened its fanbase and, as a result, given itself a solid chance of success with each passing year. With the DSi, for example, my mum got one at the same time as me and fell for its charms in a whole different way. I’d play New Super Mario Bros. while she’d play something like Nintendogs, and then my dad got one and played random stuff like Sudoku apps. I felt like my home at the time was a microcosm of Satoru Iwata’s ‘blue ocean’, gaming for everyone. I’d ultimately be the only one playing the Wii 99% of the time, but like any good family we had Wii Sports routines. My mum would join in bowling, and my dad and I would have oddly competitive (and fun) games of golf.

The 3DS has continued the trend of the DSi, this time with my mum and brother on board. My brother and I have largely matching tastes, to be honest, yet when it comes to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, anything Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons or indeed a surprising range of RPGs (including Dragon Quest) my mum is the expert. I witnessed this first hand in recent years, seeing her gaming horizons expand in utterly surprising ways – with Nintendo’s system being the gateway.

The Switch, I have to say, has taken it all to another level. Everyone in my immediate family has one, all four of us, and it’s not just because of my day job. Between us we have four Switch systems spread across three homes, and whenever we visit each other we always bring them with us; it’s a lovely ritual where we always have a bag over our shoulder, protecting the valuable little gaming systems. I’ve written about this before, the way we share our Switch experiences across varied games. What’s amazing is how different we all are as gamers, yet even early on we all have our routines. My mum is a Breath of the Wild master dipping into Stardew Valley, my brother couldn’t resist Golf Story, and my dad is regularly buying games I previously never knew would interest him, like Oxenfree.

A key component to all this is the portability, of course, that hybrid nature that allows for taking it anywhere but also jumping into TV play. Like a lot of Nintendo’s most successful hooks it’s deceptively simple, but executed with enough confidence that the simplicity doesn’t matter. The form and the technology appeals, too, in ways that have surprised plenty of people; I remember after the January event worrying about the price – my dad said the price was a non-issue and, it seems, he was right. Plenty of consumers, at least early on, seem to see value in what it offers – that does matter, as a Nintendo system without a winning concept can fail, as we unfortunately saw with Wii U.

My family is only a small example of how broad the Nintendo fanbase can be, and the sheer nostalgia value and familiarity of the brand means that when the company finds the right ‘hook’ with hardware it can achieve amazing things. What prompted this article was a trip to the post office – when sending a parcel the topic of the SNES Mini came up with the lady serving me, who was probably in her 50s. “I really want one of them, apparently there’s more coming in time for Christmas. My favourite Nintendo console is the 64 though, I love that”. Righto, I thought, how marvellous and random. “The new Mario is out soon too, can’t wait to get that for my Switch”, she said. “Me neither”, I replied, sharing a smile.

It was an unexpected but a lovely moment. Two people that on the surface have zero in common, nattering away about Nintendo consoles; literally a generation apart, but we both love Mario and can’t wait for Super Mario Odyssey.

I walked away feeling like I’d experienced a very ‘Nintendo’ moment, and felt all the better for it.

The Nintendo Switch userbase may well still be modest in size, due to the system only being 7.5 months old, but it’s evidently eager for new experiences on the system. Smaller publishers and developers have benefitted from this and there have been a number of heartening examples of studios being delighted by sales on the Switch eShop.

Curve Digital, publisher of The Molasses Flood’s debut game on the Switch, has spoken to MCV about the buzz within the company after seeing the launch day sales for the game. It’s gone well beyond what was expected on day one, and even represents the best launch that the game has had on console. Curve’s publishing director Simon Byron had this to say.

It’s a real relief having our personal enthusiasm for the Switch being backed up with sales success. It’s been incredibly frustrating only having anecdotal evidence about the buzz for Switch titles, so we’ve been genuinely desperate to get a game out there so we could get some hard data ourselves.

There was a real buzz in the office this morning – [managing director] Jason [Perkins] was in before me, which is very rare indeed – and it was specifically due to the excitement of seeing figures. I had a number in my head which I would be very pleased with – and it was a third over that. 

Indeed, it’s fair to say it’s had its best ever day on any console since we’ve been publishing it, beating any other format we have launched on. It’s done just under half of our first full month forecast in a day.

There are always nerves around launching a new title – and particularly on a new format – but The Flame In The Flood is a perfect fit on Switch and we’re delighted it’s been received so well. Next up for us on Switch will be Serial Cleaner, with Human: Fall Flat following in December.

Another success story in waiting, it seems, which can only be a good thing for the Switch eShop. The more positives we see around quality games achieving solid sales, the more talented developers we’ll likely see bring their games to the store.

It’s a good time for fans of download games.