Category: Nintendo News

When early images and advertisements for Super Mario Maker 2 began surfacing online, it became clear a new game theme had been added. Nintendo’s latest presentation for the upcoming release has now confirmed it’s based on the Wii U release, Super Mario 3D World. If you already spotted Cat Mario and clear pipes in promotional material, this news shouldn’t come as a surprise.

So, what exactly does this new game style include? Well, it’s got a lot of unique content, which essentially means your existing design is cleared when you swap over to this theme. Here’s a bit more about what to expect, courtesy of the PR:

Cat Mario – Cat Mario can climb walls, scratch, slide and pounce on enemies. Players can even use Cat Mario to climb up the Goal Pole!
Clear Pipe – Clear Pipes can be placed in any shape the player wants, but they have to be careful, as enemies can also slide through them.
Koopa Troopa Car – Hop in this sweet ride and zoom through the course. Players just have to make sure not to crash!
Track Block – The Track Block will follow any path the player draws. The blue one starts moving when the player steps on it.
Piranha Creeper – The Piranha Creeper follows the path that the player draws, extending its dangerous spiky stem around the course.
Who’s Who in Super Mario 3D World?: A cast of other familiar faces will also make appearances in Super Mario Maker 2, so players are in for a treat!

Of course, if you would prefer a different theme, you can always create a course in the style of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U.

Do you like the look of this new game style? Have you got any crazy course ideas already mapped out in your mind? Tell us below.

Remember the infamous Angry Sun from Super Mario Bros. 3? Well, it’s making a comeback in Super Mario Maker 2. This time, though, it will be joined by its friend: the Moon!

The Moon course part is tied to the various themes within the game. In addition to all of the existing themes from the first Super Mario Maker game on the Wii U, there’ll now be desert, snow, forest and sky templates to select from. Using the Moon course part allows you to unlock the “night versions” for each of the themes and if you make contact with the Moon during a playthrough, you’ll wipe out all of the enemies on the screen.

When swapping a level to night mode, wild things happen. Expect floating Goombas, dimmed lighting in ghost houses and sandstorms in the desert levels. Items can even transform in the dark, so watch out for rotten mushrooms and poison water! To top it off, veteran Super Mario composer Koji Kondo has recorded new music for these themes.

Do you like the idea of night time levels in Super Mario Maker 2? Sound off in the comments below.

Nintendo just released a truckload of new information about Super Mario Maker 2 in its latest Direct presentation. One of the highlights of the 15-minute clip was the news the game would receive its very own story mode.

In this mode, you take control of Mario and your task is to rebuild Princess Peach’s castle. To do this, you’ll need coins and a lot of them. This means accepting jobs from the bulletin board and then playing through courses to help fund the construction. There are more than 100 levels hand-crafted by Nintendo, with plenty of expert designs on display. As Mario progresses, he’ll also encounter new characters who award him with even more coins. Exciting stuff!

Did you expect a story mode to be revealed for Super Mario Maker 2? Do you think you’ll spend much time in this mode? Construct a comment below!

If it wasn’t already a dead giveaway when we started seeing Luigi in the promotional materials, a co-op construction mode has now been officially confirmed for Super Mario Maker 2. During the latest Direct presentation, Nintendo revealed how you’ll be able to pass a Joy-Con to a friend in the sequel and get them to help out or speed up your course creation, with co-op making. You’ll also be able to play these courses together.

If that’s not enough, there are multiplayer versus and co-op modes as well. In online versus, four players face-off in a sidescrolling showdown and race through a randomly selected level. The online co-op requires players to work together to beat a course, and if one finishes it, everybody wins. Last of all is the nearby play option – allowing four players to play together locally on their own systems. Only the host needs to have access to an internet connection in this mode. The selectable characters in these modes include Mario, Luigi, Toad and Toadette.

This online component is supported by an online hub known as Course World, where players can browse popular courses, new courses and search with specific tags or a pre-defined set of filters. When a course has been downloaded, it can then be played anywhere and anytime (including offline). You can personalise your own Mii character’s appearance in this mode with the clothing items you unlock when you complete objectives in the game. There’s also an Endless Challenge, requiring you to try and complete as many courses as possible on a difficulty of your choosing.

Does multiplayer Mario Maker action excite you? Will you be constructing and competing against your friends and family members? Tell us below.

This evening Nintendo has revealed a new special offer for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in its Super Mario Maker 2 Direct presentation.

Using the offer, subscribers to the company’s online service can buy two eShop game vouchers for £84.00 / €99.00 / $99.00 and redeem them for a pair of games – these can be used for pre-ordering unreleased titles. So, as detailed in the presentation, you could pre-order Super Mario Maker 2 with one voucher and use the other immediately on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With an RRP of £49.99 and £59.99 respectively, purchasing with Game Vouchers would save you £25.98. Not too shabby!

The vouchers last for 12 months from purchase, so you can sit on one or both of them for a while if there’s something releasing later in the year which you’ve got your eye on. It appears that all Nintendo first-party games are included, but the video also shows the upcoming Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, which Nintendo is publishing. A full list of available games can be found on the company’s website, and it includes select third-party titles such as Octopath Traveler, Dragon Quest Builders and The World Ends With You: Final Remix.

While Nintendo has been historically reluctant to discount its games outside of ‘Player’s Choice’ lines, we’ve seen more and more first-party titles in recent sales. Offering discounts on new games is something of a first for the company, though. Interestingly, small print at the bottom of the web page says that the games on offer may change. At the moment, this appears to apply to digital games only.

Will you be taking advantage of this offer? Let us know in the comments.

If you’re looking forward to the upcoming Fire Emblem: Three Houses on the Switch, perhaps you could cuddle one of these delightful Fire Emblem plushies while you wait.

Produced by Japanese company Sanei Boeki, who also makes officially licensed Pokémon plushies you know these will be winners. These are the first ever line of Fire Emblem plushies in Japan, all the gang are there in plush form including Lucina, Corrin, Marth, Roy, and Ike.

We’d recommend that you import these from the lovely people at Play Asia:

Please note that some of the links on this page 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.

Be warned the pre-order deadline is May 22nd, so you’ll want to get on this quick. The Fire Emblem plushies are expected to ship on July 31st.

Will you be buying any of these? Going for the full set? Let us know in the comments below.

If you’re craving a Nintendogs-style fix on Switch, Little Friends: Dogs & Cats could well end up being the perfect way to fill that void. Luckily for those who do fall into that very group, pre-orders have now gone live.

Doing what Nintendon’t (or should we say, haven’t done yet), this game aims to bring that classic pet simulation formula to Switch for the first time. A press release tells us that it’s only releasing physically in North America, but we’ve spotted it on both Amazon.com and Amazon UK for $49.99 and £34.99 respectively.

We’ve also been treated to a new trailer (above) featuring an actual, real-life doggo. It licks a Switch console and tries to get in on the action by hitting a Joy-Con, but there’s also some gameplay in there for anyone who can’t be persuaded by a cute dog alone.

Wanting more info? We have you covered:

Developed by Imagineer, Little Friends: Dogs & Cats is the first virtual pet simulator for Nintendo Switch. Choose from a variety of puppies and kittens to pet, feed, walk and play with in an adorable pet sim that’s fun for all ages. Take your Little Friends for walks, compete in the flying disc tournament and play with their favourite toys to develop a long-lasting friendship. Or dress them up in over 600 stylish accessories to make them look their best!

Have you been hoping for a pet simulator on Switch? Do you think this will do the trick? Tell us below.

Out of all of the Pokémon that could potentially become tourism mascots, you probably weren’t expecting the floating rock-ground type Geodude to be the chosen one. Hiker would be proud.

Japan’s Iwate Prefecture recently teamed up with The Pokémon Company to make Geodude the official tourism ambassador for the area. Geodude was selected because Iwate’s kanji translates to “rock” and “hand.”

As the mascot version of this Pokémon is unable to actually float, the costume comes with a grey and white leg pattern.

When the Huffington Post in Japan asked about this design choice, a representative from The Pokemon Company said they wanted “Geodude to have an appropriate form” and needed to ensure everyone had a “pleasant encounter” with the mascot.

Like all other good ambassadors, Geodude now has an official theme song. Have a listen below:

What do you think of Iwate Prefecture’s new mascot? Tell us down below.

In case you forgot, Bandai Namco is bringing God Eater 3 to the Switch this July. To help introduce Nintendo fans to the well-established series, its publisher will be releasing an action demo, featuring local multiplayer support.

This announcement was made during an official Japanese God Eater live stream, however, it’s unclear when exactly the demo will be made available to Switch owners or if it will be downloadable in other regions. If it’s not released outside of Japan, we’re guessing you’ll still be able to check it out with a Japanese eShop account.

The local multiplayer is one of the many unique features included in the Switch release. Apart from this, the contents within the Switch iteration will be exactly the same as the PlayStation 4 and Steam versions according to the producer Yuya Tomiyama:

“The contents of the game will be the same as the PS4 and Steam versions. In addition to this, we are adding special features unique to the Switch version, such as local co-op multiplayer.”

God Eater 3 slashes its way onto the Switch on 12th July. View the latest live stream featuring Switch game footage below:

Will you be purchasing this on release? Have you played any of the previous entries in the series? Tell us down in the comments.

Another week, another Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirit event. This next one is titled “Suit Up!” and is all about well-dressed spirits. As usual, it will start on Friday and run for a total of three days. Here’s the description from Nintendo’s Twitter account:

The three-day spirit event “Suit Up!” starts on 17/05! Spirits wearing ties or bow ties bring a touch of class to the Spirit Board in this event. Defeat them in battle to earn extra snacks. #SmashBrosUltimate

Update: Sorry Rowlet lovers, for unknown reasons Nintendo has replaced the image of the grass-flying type Pokémon with Toadsworth.

Will you be booting up Smash Bros. later this week to catch some more spirits? Tell us below.