Author: sick skills

Switch has had an amazing first year, with some brilliant games in the form of Splatoon 2, ARMS, Breath of the Wild and, of course, Super Mario Odyssey.

The future is looking a bit bare at present, though – Nintendo is clearly working on key titles but hasn’t revealed them yet – with the exception of Metroid Prime 4, which we might not see for a while, and the console’s mainline Pokémon outing.

However, in an interview with TIME, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime may have let slip one of Switch’s big forthcoming unconfirmed titles:

Of course, people could be reading something in nothing – perhaps Reggie just picked the name Donkey Kong alongside Metroid (already confirmed, remember) out of the air at random to make his point – or (and this is the version of the story we prefer to believe) he said Donkey Kong by accident because (deep breath) Nintendo is working on a new game in the Donkey Kong Country series; a sequel to Tropical Freeze, perhaps? We still don’t know what Retro Studios is working on, after all…

What do you think? Has Reggie subconsciously dropped a bombshell, or not? Destroy our dreams gently with a comment below. 

EA’s company finance chief Black Jorgensen has told the Wall Street Journal that it’s too early to accurately judge the demand for the company’s games on the Nintendo Switch.

EA has released FIFA 18 on the console so far, one of its biggest franchises, but reports suggest that the Switch version has accounted for very few sales in comparison to the PS4 and Xbox One editions.

Jorgensen says EA will wait a full market year (until March, basically) before deciding on what other games it will bring to Nintendo’s console, if it decides to bring any at all. He states that the company wants to “fully understand what the demand is” before committing development resources to the machine.

Given that other publishers – such as Bethesda – are now pledging their support to Switch, EA’s stance does seem a little odd. However, FIFA 18 has hardly sold like hotcakes on the console, so perhaps this air of caution is wise? Let us know what you think by posting a comment.

Nintendo’s latest investor’s Q&A has been published in Japanese, and while we wait for the full English translation a few bits and pieces are coming through on social media.

According to Wall Street Journal’s Takashi Mochizuki‏, Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima has refused to be drawn on the question of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp offering any kind of connectivity with “dedicated” Animal Crossing games on consoles:

Given the likelihood of an Animal Crossing game coming to Switch in the not too distant future, it would be amazing to see Pocket Camp have some form of interaction with a “mainline” console outing. Given that your phone is at your side all day long, some form of connection could allow players to gain resources while they’re away from their Switch.

Hopefully Nintendo is just keeping its cards close to its chest at present, and we’ll see something like this happen in the fullness of time. Make your own predictions known by posting a comment below.

Zen Studios offered decent support for the Wii U and 3DS eShop, and it’s now stepping up with the Switch eShop – it’s confirmed that Pinball FX3 is coming to the store on 14th November; the initial download is free and includes the Sorcerer’s Lair table, and you then buy other tables separately.

Check out the trailer below.

Starting off with Switch-specific features, it’ll have HD Rumble and the option to play with a vertical orientation in portable mode, which is a neat touch. There’ll be 30 tables available to buy at launch, with more promised, and cross-platform multiplayer will also be included. As you can see in the PR excerpt below the FX series puts multiplayer and tournaments at the heart of the game.

• Now every table is an RPG. Simply playing a table yields experience points and level
  advancements that continually unlock the potential for bigger points…and bigger blowouts of
  your friends’ scores on the leaderboards. Strategic thinking comes into play when determining
  which power-ups to equip—one table might be best suited for a Skillshot Score Increase and
  Multiball Score Bonus, while another might better benefit from Combo Time Bonus and
  Distance Bonus team-up.
• Players level up. The more you play, the higher your own personal experience level climbs.
• Anyone can start their own tournament. In addition to tournaments run by Zen (often involving
  fantastic prizes), Pinball FX3 allows players to create their own tournaments and set them up
  however they like, including access to several modes of play.
• Advanced multiplayer features allow for intelligent matching against others based on skill level.
  This applies to everything from immediate friendly matches to ultracompetitive League Play.
• Cross-play enables Nintendo Switch players to take on opponents competing on most other
  platforms where Pinball FX3 is available.
• New modes will change the way you play even the tables you feel you’ve mastered. Playing a 1-
  Ball Challenge, a 5-Minute Challenge or Survival Mode will cause you to completely rethink your
  approach in order to top the leaderboards.

The complete list of tables at launch is below.

• Universal Classics Pinball (Back to the Future, E.T., Jaws)
• Aliens vs. Pinball (Aliens, Alien vs. Predator, Alien: Isolation)
• Balls of Glory (Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, Archer, American Dad!)
• Portal
• The Walking Dead
• Sorcerer’s Lair (free)
• Carnivals & Legends (Adventure Land Pinball, Son of Zeus)
• Zen Classics (Shaman, Tesla, El Dorado, V12)
• Core Collection (Pasha, Rome, Biolab, Secrets of the Deep)
• Medieval Pack (Epic Quest, Excalibur)
• Sci-Fi Pack (Mars, Paranormal, Earth Defense)
• Iron & Steel (Wild West Rampage, CastleStorm)

We’ve confirmed with Zen Studios that pricing on the Switch will be exactly the same as on other platforms. On PS4, for example, The Walking Dead costs £2.49 in the UK while a pack like Universal Classics costs £7.99.

Are you excited about this one coming to the Switch? Let us know in the comments.

Super Mario Odyssey has given Switch the sales boost it needed to pass the two million consoles sold marker in its native Japan.

Last week, Switch sold 133,094 units, with the bulk of that figure apparently thanks to the Super Mario Odyssey Switch bundle. Last week also marked the biggest delivery of Switch stock Nintendo had issued to retailers in the last four months, meaning there were more consoles on offer than normal.

According to Famitsu, Super Mario Odyssey sold 511,625 copies during its first three days on sale in Japan. These sales include game-specific download cards and the Switch Super Mario Odyssey bundle, but not copies purchased directly from the Switch eShop. 

It would appear that the entire shipment of physical copies sold during the first three days on sale, so the total figure could well have been even higher.

It’s no secret that we absolutely love Super Mario Odyssey, and one of the things we love most is just how many teeny-tiny details can be found throughout, whatever their form.

One of these is what could be classified as an easter egg that occurs when you jump repeatedly on the Odyssey’s globe. Doing so will play a music box version of Jump Up, Super Star, or the Fossil Falls theme depending on which Kingdom you’re in. If you want to hear it for yourself make sure you check out the video above to do just that.

Nintendo is really on a roll with the free goodies they are handing out for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. If you check out the news section on your Nintendo Switch today, you will find a note from director Hidemaro Fujibayashi which gives you details about cooking dishes which boost your attacks.

If you read through all the note you will learn all the ingredients to make a mighty salt-grilled crab. This tasty dish is made up of: Razorclaw Crab, Mighty Porgy, Mighty Bananas, and Rock Salt.

There are a few disclaimers at the bottom about not being able to receive this gift without the paraglider and also it will not be available in certain areas, so it is well worth reading through the whole note to get yourself completely up to speed.

Let us know what you think about this culinary delight with a comment below.

Some of you may recall Ittle Dew by Ludosity, which saw release on the Wii U eShop and a range of platforms. It was once pitched as a Legend of Zelda game to Nintendo, but eventually forged its own identity and arrived as a rather good game.

The re-jigged version of its successor, Ittle Dew 2+, is pleasingly very close to release. As previously confirmed Nicalis is stepping in to publish this one, and it’s now got a final release date of 14th November.

Pleasingly that date is for both North America and Europe on the eShop, with the price set at $29.99 or €29,99. North America will also get the physical edition that includes “a full-color instruction booklet and a limited-edition map of the island”. If you fancy picking that up here’s the Amazon US pre-order link.

Do you like the look of Ittle Dew 2+?