Nintendo of Europe has started its MAR10 Day celebrations early, giving eShop customers the chance to claim double the usual amount of reward points on some truly brilliant Mario games.
Available from now until 23:59 local time on 10th March, this offer applies to five of the Switch’s biggest games, all featuring the star man himself, of course. Simply buy any of the five games listed below from the Switch’s eShop by the time we just mentioned, and the bonus Gold Points will be granted to your account within one week after the promotion ends.
These Gold Points can be spent on various discounts via My Nintendo or as credit towards other purchases on the Switch eShop, so they’re definitely worth having.
As we noted above, you can also get your hands on a wallpaper for your desktop or mobile. You can grab that right here by handing over 50 of your Platinum Points (which you can easily gather simply by visiting the website regularly).
Have you been holding out on buying any of these games? Will the thought of double the reward points tempt you into a purchase? Let us know in the usual place.
You might assume you’re good at Tetris, but Tetris 99 requires a whole new set of skills for victory. It’s a Battle Royale experience, with the aim not being to rack up a high score, but to simply be the last person standing at the end.
Because of this, there are a whole new set of tactics needed to triumph, and with the Grand Prix and Maximus Cup events on the horizon, now’s as good a time as any to make sure you’ve got all the right moves for success.
With that in mind, the video above is well worth a watch. Given that the people featured are all high-level Tetris players, it’s not a bad idea to listen to their hints and tips, even if you think you’re pretty tasty already.
Let us know if you learn anything new from this footage by posting a comment below, and good luck!
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is being treated to some rather lovely limited editions across most major regions, but this Japanese release is arguably the best of the bunch,
Fully shown off by Nintendo today, this limited edition is called the “Fodlan Collection”. It contains box art illustrated by character designer Chinatsu Kurahana, a 128-page art book featuring concept art and character data, a 33-track soundtrack CD, and a steelbook case. Oh, and that lovely box in the image above.
You can check out these goodies for yourself below:
Samples of the first two songs from the soundtrack CD have also been shared online. Enjoy:
If you missed the news last month, Europe and North America will also be receiving their own limited edition sets. You can check those out right here.
Are you feeling the hype for Fire Emblem: Three Houses? Do you plan on picking it up? Let us know in the comments.
A brand new Splatfest is on the way to Splatoon 2, this time returning to the wonderful worldwide setup where all major regions face off in the same themed event. The theme in question? Knights vs Wizards.
The event will take place from 16th March to 17th March, lasting for exactly one day with times varying depending on your region (you’ll be notified of the times for your area when logging on to the game). The Splatfest asks which of the two options you’d prefer to be.
In a nice touch, your usual Splatfest tee can become part of a full outfit for this particular event. If you have the correct shoes and headgear for either theme, and wear both of these alongside your shirt, the tee will change to complete the set. You can see this for yourself in the images below.
Incidentally, the game will also be updated to Version 4.5.0 this weekend. The update is expected to brings changes to some main, sub, and special weapons – as well as some changes to gear power – but will not include any new content.
Will you be taking part in the Splatfest? Let us know which side you’ll be fighting for below.
In the Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn game, Kirby can transform into knitted wonders like tanks and flying saucers. Plus, his new ravel abilities mimic his classic copy abilities, adding something new to every stage of this action-adventure game!
Features:
You can wield Kirby’s wondrous yarn abilities on an adventure to save a handicraft world
In the challenging Devilish Mode, Kirby lacks invincibility as he’s followed by devils in each stage
You can play as Meta Knight and King Dedede in all-new mini-games!
Wa-hoo! It’s almost time for Mario Day! Every year, people celebrate the mustached hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario, on March 10, aka Mar10 Day. For this year’s celebration, Nintendo is offering a special deal on select Mario games for the Nintendo Switch™ system. Between Sunday, March 10, and Saturday, March 16, anyone outside the Mushroom Kingdom (sorry, Bowser!) can purchase a select Nintendo Switch system and one of five select games starring Mario for a suggest retail price of only $329.98. That’s a savings** of $30, which amounts to 50 percent off one of the games.
The five Mario games featured in the promotion are:
Already own a Nintendo Switch system? You can get a great deal, too! Purchase a digital download code from participating retail stores or retailer websites to redeem in Nintendo eShop for the same five Mario games for only $39.99 MSRP* each. Learn more.
That’s not all! There’s lots of other fun Mario stuff going on this month—check it out!
Nintendo NY celebration If you happen to be in New York on March 10, be sure to check out all the cool Mario activities going on at the Nintendo New York store, sponsored by Frito-Lay Variety Packs. You can also check in with your My Nintendo account to score some rewards while supplies last.
My Nintendo Speaking of My Nintendo, to celebrate Mario’s big day, My Nintendo is offering Happy MAR10 Day wallpapers and a March calendar. You can redeem your My Nintendo reward points and plaster your PC or smart device. Also, be on the lookout later in the month for specially-marked Frito-Lay products featuring popular Nintendo characters. If you check the packages, you’ll find details on a chance to earn My Nintendo Gold Points and be entered in a drawing to win some awesome prizes.
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO PLAY OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. Open only to legal residents of any of the 50 US or DC, 13 or older. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:00 am CT on 3/25/19 and ends at 11:59:59 pm CT on 5/19/19. Hourly play periods apply. Code required to play. Obtain a Code: Purchase any specially-marked bag of Frito-Lay Family Fun Mix (18 ct) or Spicy Doritos & Cheetos Mix (18 ct) and look for the unique 12-digit alphanumeric Code located on the right-hand side on the vertical side of the bag (“Code”). To receive a Code without making a purchase, send a 3″ x 5″ card with your full name, address, city, state, zip Code, date of birth and email address, to be received by 5/15/19, to: Walmart Game Giveaway Code Request, PO Box 760006, Dept. 882-716, El Paso, TX 88576-0006. Code will be emailed. To Play: Visit FLVPGameGiveaway.com, input your Code for a chance to win an Instant-Win Prize. Limit 3 Code submissions per person/email address per day. Odds of winning an Instant-Win Prize depend on the number of eligible Plays received and the order in which they are received per hour. Subject to full Official Rules at FLVPGameGiveaway.com. Sponsor: Frito-Lay, Inc. 7701 Legacy Drive, Plano, TX 75024-4099. Nintendo is not a sponsor, co-sponsor or administrator of this sweepstakes.
Mario games Want to add to your Mario game collection? We’ve got you covered with a selection of some of Mario’s greatest hits!
The official home of Mario Have you checked out the Mario homepage? It’s a great place to learn about the history of Mario, his friends, and their adventures.
Nintendo Switch News If you’ve got a Nintendo Switch system, be sure to check out the special Mario Day coverage in Nintendo Switch News, right on your device!
Mario on Nintendo 3DS Looking for Mario games on the Nintendo 3DS™ family of systems? Look no further!
Mobile If you need a quick Mario fix while on the go, download the Super Mario Run™ game for your mobile device, and be on the lookout for Mario content coming to the Animal Crossing™: Pocket Camp game.
Persistent Internet and compatible smart device required. Data charges may apply. Optional in-game purchases.
Coming soon Even after this marvelous month of Mario is over, we’ve still got two new Mario games on the way: Dr. Mario™ World for mobile devices and Super Mario Maker™ 2 for Nintendo Switch, both slated for release in 2019. Maybe we should change this to Mario Year?
*Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. Actual price may vary.
**Savings based on manufacturer’s suggested retail price when purchasing game and system separately.
***Additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode; sold separately.
If there’s one thing Hard Westabsolutely nails, it’s the way it retains the palpable danger and lawlessness of the Wild West and infuses it with a noir-ish supernatural edge. Thanks to some excellent voice acting and a soundtrack that captures a unique take on this formative period (courtesy of Marcin Przybyłowicz, he of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt fame), this narrative-driven, consequence-ridden experience takes two very different thematic sources and blends them both without diluting either.
While much of its world-building is delivered via on-screen text and sketched animations, you’ll find yourself investing plenty of time and emotion into the lives and deaths of your posse of outlaws. Gameplay is divided between two distinct perspectives; you’ll explore an overworld in a choose-your-own-adventure format where each decision you make can have both positive and considerably negative outcomes on the flow of the story. Each one is broken down into scenarios, with combat represented by an isometric view not too dissimilar to the XCOM games or the recent Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics on Switch.
You’ll explore a territory map, guiding your posse into all manner of Western folk into a series of main and side missions. Some encounters will follow a series of dialogue and action-based choices, leading to your gaining some loot or getting injured before moseying onto the next encounter. These encounters are purposefully limited, but their effects carry into the rest of the game. An injured or hungry sharpshooter will be less accurate in battle, increasing the chance of them leaving this mortal coil.
There’s an intriguing economy that exists between combat scenarios and overworld exploration. While you’re resigned to moving a cursor around a map and making a series of choices based on some on-screen text, there’s still plenty of strategy required. For instance, the opening section of the game places you in the shoes of a father and son attempting to survive by mining for gold. You only have a select number of goes before your licence runs out, and each attempt costs you money in the hope you’ll get a larger return in gold. You can then spend this money on better mining equipment and potentially loot even more cash, or you head to the local town and buy new weapons, ammo and supplies.
When combat finally kicks in, it’s your classic ‘tactics’ affair with saloons and stations just some of the locations you’ll be battling through. It’s a turn-based setup, with each character assigned a series of action points. You can take cover, and use scenery to outflank enemies or elevation to provide overwatch. While each map is relatively small, there’s plenty of options when it comes to strategy, enabling you a refreshing sense of freedom when it comes to overcoming each danger-filled encounter.
Success often rides not just upon positioning but on how prepared you are. Having enough Skill (which increases your chance of hitting an opponent and doing more damage in few shots) and Luck (which determines how well cover will protect you, and whether enemies will miss their own volleys) is a welcome change to the random variables of XCOM and the like, as does keeping an eye on your current bullets. It only takes a small amount of AP to reload, so you can refill your ammunition and continuing shooting in the same turn. The ability to open up further cover options around each map – including pulling up cellar doors and moving tables – gives every gunfight a little more depth and flair that fits with the noir western vibe.
The enemy AI can be an issue, or the sheer lack of it, to be more precise. Your CPU-controlled foes aren’t the cleverest of folks – how they’ve survived in this supernatural-tinged frontier for so long is anyone’s guess – so while you can move around and attempt to outflank them, most battles do tend to require you to whittle down each enemy’s health while they cower in cover. And while there is a sense of freedom of how to approach each scenario, there’s quite clearly an optimum path to follow. In the latter scenarios, where certain characters must survive in order to further the story, victory often boils down to grinding through each mission until you score the win. The lack of a manual saving option can also make these battles that extra bit frustrating.
Conclusion
Nintendo Switch is enjoying a growing number of turn-based tactical games, and Hard West is another welcome addition to that strategic throng. With a port that runs super smooth on Switch – both in handheld and docked modes – and a set of bite-sized scenarios to explore, its mix of tactical combat and choice-driven encounters makes for one of the console’s more intriguing offerings. While its combat design isn’t perfect and the enemy AI could be better, Hard West’s supernatural-tinged Wild West shtick offers a great way to get into the XCOM formula without relying on too many random factors. And with the Scars of Freedom expansion pack included as standard, there are plenty of ways to exercise your itchy trigger finger on the go.
You can always rely on Nintendo to enter a new market in the most esoteric way imaginable, and we got a great example of this today with the news that the next Labo kit is going to be based around VR. After the failure of the Virtual Boy, and repeated claims that it would only enter this exciting emerging sector when it made sense and the odd rumour, the Kyoto veteran has staked its claim to immersive gaming in the most ‘Nintendo’ way possible – by making ‘simple and shareable’ VR experiences part of its Labo cardboard DIY range, a Switch-based sub-brand built around experimentation and the joy of discovery.
While some will be disappointed that Nintendo hasn’t created a ‘proper’ headset, it’s a good fit for the Labo ethos, and could potentially be a game-changer for the company and VR in general – or, as we’ll discuss, it could be the total opposite.
Let’s examine the positives first.
Pro: It’s A Great Entry Point For VR Newbs
It’s long been said that VR won’t be truly mainstream until it reaches a mass-market price point, and while the cost of owning headsets like PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive has dropped over time, they’re still expensive propositions. Even the more affordable options – such as Samsung’s underappreciated Gear VR or Google’s DayDream View – require you to own a compatible smartphone that’s quite expensive on its own.
Labo VR changes that to a degree; Nintendo is offering a low-cost entry point (although you’ll still need a Switch, obviously) which will appeal to those Nintendo fans who have yet to try any other VR headsets. The full set is $80, but for a more reasonable $40 you can pick up a pack with the headset and one VR Toy-Con kit, which represents pretty good value for money. With the cost barrier diminished, a lot of people who’ve been on the fence about VR could well take the plunge, and that could potentially lead to them investing in other, more capable headsets further down the line. Plus: look ma, no wires!
Just as you could argue that devices like the Game Boy and Nintendo DS paved the way for the acceptance of more advanced portable gadgets, Labo VR could be the key that unlocks the door of virtual reality for millions of newcomers. The fact that it’s not ‘worn’ like a typical headset might sound like a negative, but it ties in with Nintendo’s desire to make VR a more shared experience than it is currently; instead of one person playing while others get bored, the ‘simple’ games can be passed around the room.
When you look at the install base of other VR headsets (PSVR has sold over 3 million units in two-and-a-half years, for example), it’s not a massive stretch to say that the Labo VR kit – between its two SKUs – could actually outsell that, if the product catches on with the ever-growing Switch userbase.
Nintendo’s Virtual Boy wasn’t really VR, but did much to dent public confidence in the tech during the ’90s
Pro: Nintendo Will Offer Amazing VR Experiences
Even if it doesn’t always have the most advanced technology, you can rely on Nintendo to create engaging and enjoyable gameplay experiences. The company’s reputation is built on crafting playable and accessible games, and we can’t see any reason why that would be different with Labo VR.
Sure, these are likely to be limited in scope when compared to VR games on other platforms – don’t go expecting to play a Mario Kart 8-style experience in virtual reality – but with a tight focus and clever design, the mini-games included in this new kit could overcome the inherent limitations of the technology. If Nintendo nails this side of things – and we wouldn’t bet against it – then it could prove to be a vital selling point for VR as a whole, opening the eyes of a whole new audience to the potential of immersive gaming.
Pro: It Opens Up The Market For Developers
While Labo VR is going to be a self-contained product rather than an all-new accessory for Switch, there is scope for developers to include the kit in their games – as we saw with Deemo, which was updated to support the Labo Piano Toy-Con. While plenty of studios are now operating in the VR space, there are many smaller devs which haven’t taken the plunge yet – and Labo VR could offer the perfect entry point for them, just as it could for gamers.
Experiments in the Labo ‘Garage’ environment could spark new ideas among eShop developers, invigorating a whole new sector of designers. While we’d advise against getting too excited about a potential flood of third-party Labo VR releases, it’s just as foolish to say that the games you get in the kit will be the be-all and end-all.
With 3 million units sold since 2016, PlayStation VR is one of the most successful examples of the tech, and is backed by some amazing gameplay experiences. Can Labo VR hope to match it?
Now let’s look at the potential negatives.
Con: It Could ‘Poison The Well’ For VR
The timing of Nintendo’s move into VR is interesting, as Blake J. Harris – author of the excellent Console Wars – has just released his next book, The History of the Future, which focuses on the creation of Oculus, the company which many people credit with kickstarting the recent renewed interest in VR. What’s truly striking when you read the book is just how hard it was to develop and design a headset that ticks all of the right boxes; not only had the tech industry been trying to perfect VR off and on for the past few decades, it took Palmer Luckey and his team at Oculus months of hard work, millions of dollars and a generous helping of outside assistance to really nail the magic of virtual reality. This is not a market you simply walk into with little more than a cardboard pair of goggles.
Taking that into account, how good an experience is a headset attached to a device with a 720p display really going to be? With VR, you have to take into account screen resolution (which is halved across both eyes), frame rate (low rates make you feel sick), latency (if screens don’t refresh fast enough you also feel sick) and much more besides. Can Labo VR really provide an experience which matches the best VR has to offer in 2019? It’s highly, highly unlikely, and if Nintendo fumbles this, it could contribute massively to a negative public impression of the whole VR concept.
Con: The Tech Really Isn’t Up To The Job
On paper, the Switch seems like a good fit for an entry-level VR device. The console has a 6-axis inertial measurement unit so it can handle head movement, and the Joy-Con are equally well-suited as (very basic) VR input devices. When you consider how decent VR experiences are on the Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream View – both of which adopt a similar approach – it’s tempting to get excited about Labo VR, but there’s one big issue: the screen.
The Switch’s display packs in 1280×720 pixels, while the Samsung Galaxy 9 Plus – the newest phone to be compatible with the most recent Gear VR headset – offers four times that amount of pixels thanks to its 2960×1440 resolution. Even then, it’s easy to pick out individual pixels on the Gear VR, just as it is when using Sony’s PlayStation VR, which contains a 1080p OLED screen.
Simply put, things are going to look awful blocky on the Labo VR, because a 720p screen shared equally between two eyeballs really isn’t up to the job; when you add in the fact that high-latency LCD panels lack the ‘low persistence’ of the OLEDs found in pretty much every decent headset (LCD screens traditionally introduce an unpleasant ghosting effect with rapid movement), it becomes harder than ever to get enthused about Nintendo’s approach.
Samsung’s Gear VR headset led the charge for smartphone-based VR, but has struggled to hold onto its market share in recent months. Labo VR will probably similar in terms of overall experience
Then there’s the issue of processing power; headsets like PSVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive all rely on external systems to provide the grunt – systems which are more powerful than the Switch. A comparison with smartphone-based headsets would be closer to the mark, and while there are some great 3D games available (Gunjack VR being one notable example), the vast majority of ‘experiences’ available are based on pre-recorded, 360-degree video, and not real-time gameplay. What we’d get on Switch would presumably be even more primitive, given that the tech inside the console is a few years behind what we’re seeing in modern smartphones – although Nintendo is very good at extracting as much performance as possible from humble hardware, so you never know.
Also, the lack of positional tracking – a key feature on the leading headsets on the market – means you lose a degree of immersion as the hardware can only accurately track your head’s rotation, and not its position in space. This isn’t much of an issue if you’re creating a gaming experience where all you’re doing is looking around, but titles like Astro Bot Rescue Mission on PSVR prove the worth of positional tracking beyond all doubt.
Labo VR: A Blessing Or A Curse?
While VR is certainly a growing sector, it hasn’t quite hit the mainstream yet; the best headsets cost too much and – at the time of writing, at least – are tethered to consoles or PCs via cables, which take some of the immersion away. Really good VR also requires you to clear a lot of space in your living room and the setup process will, for some families, be too awkward and annoying, at least with the current technology. In short, there’s a golden opportunity for a company like Nintendo to step in and clean up with a cheap, mass-market proposition that is cable-free and bundled with some engaging gameplay experiences.
Is Labo VR that proposition? It’s hard to say until we’ve actually played the thing, but it has potential. Sure, it’s going to look hopelessly primitive when compared to other VR headsets, but as a jumping-off point for VR novices, it could serve a vital gateway and could enlighten millions to the raw potential of virtual reality. Who’s to say that someone who takes a punt on Labo VR won’t later be emboldened to snap up a PSVR for their PS4, or even an Oculus Rift? Nintendo doesn’t necessarily need to dominate the VR market with Labo (and we’re not sure it ever could) for it to be considered a success; if it sells as well as the other Labo kits, then it will be a worthwhile exercise for the firm, and the experience could well lead to other, more impressive VR ventures in the future. And besides, if all it does is create more VR true believers, then it will have had a positive benefit on the industry as a whole.
However, those who have been keenly following the fluctuating fortunes of VR for the past few decades might be concerned that a poor user experience with Labo VR could give millions of potential converts the wrong impression; if this is your first taste of virtual reality, then you’re almost certainly not going to be getting the best modern VR can offer: a low-resolution (and high latency) screen, no positional tracking and – lest we forget – you have to hold the bloody thing to your face, rather than ‘wear’ it. Depending on what your expectations are, Labo VR could either be an eye-opening gateway drug or a bitter pill which turns you off virtual reality forever.
The gorgeous platformer GRIS has received a free update today, celebrating the fact that it has reached 300,000 total sales across Nintendo Switch and PC.
The update is called ‘GRIS Undone’ and features unused concept art and music tracks. A press release from Nomada Studio and Devolver Digital notes that the update “adds an elegant browser for fans to listen to a collection of music tracks by Berlinist that were not featured in the game’s final release as well as unused designs and concept art from Creative Director Conrad Roset”. You’ll also get to hear an alternate version of the game’s main musical theme and see early designs for GRIS’ now iconic dress.
That’s not all, though, as the game is currently 15% off on the Nintendo Switch eShop. If you haven’t picked this one up yet, there’s never been a better time. Also, it’s really good.
Have you played GRIS? Will you be getting it in the sale? Let us know in the usual place.
FUN! FUN! Animal Park is gearing up for its exclusive release on Switch later this month and we have a brand new trailer to celebrate (up above).
If you haven’t heard of this one before, the game is a collection of animal-based minigames, originally released in Japan as Waku Waku Doubutsu Land. There are 30 minigames to try out in total and, while minigame compilations often get a bad rap amongst the more dedicated gaming crowd, we have to say that the visuals alone are pretty impressive here. Hopefully the games themselves are similarly pleasing.
Here’s some more info for you thanks to the game’s PR:
– Fun for the Whole Family – The 30 unique minigames feature intuitive Joy-Con™ motion controls and easily understandable rules, allowing players of all ages and experience levels to join in on the fun.
– Play Your Way – FUN! FUN! Animal Park features three different gameplay modes: Tour Mode, One Match Mode, and Solo Mode. In Tour Mode, two players are guided through the whimsical Animal Land, competing in a series of matches and earning coins to determine the ultimate winner. In One Match Mode, players compete in one standalone round of their favorite minigame. Lastly, in Solo Mode, players can work to break their own records, playing on their own to achieve the highest score possible.
– Not Playing? Not a Problem – From meerkats to pandas to penguins, FUN! FUN! Animal Park hosts a full menagerie of cute and cuddly animals that makes the game as much fun to watch as it is to play.
– Funny Furry Friends – Adorable bunny and lion mascots help players learn the controls and rules of the minigames via an endless stream of hilarious conversation.
At present, this western release has only been confirmed for North America, where it will launch digitally and physically for $29.99.
A perfect title for the younger gamers in your life? Perhaps you just like the look of this one for yourself? Either way, let us know your thoughts in the comments.
