Category: Nintendo News

There is a bit of a running joke here within the Nintendo Life team; it’s a well-known fact that I’m a huge fan of F-Zero X on the Nintendo 64, and despite my strong beliefs on the subject, almost everyone tries to convince me otherwise as to which is the best F-Zero.

You’ll find references to this hidden across Nintendo Life, our social media channels and even spilling over into private areas, such as our Slack loading messages. The most recent example is a meme tweet, which was created in a moment of madness during what should have been a top-level business meeting and finally compelled me to write this article.

It’s just a bit of fun… or is it? Let’s first travel back to 1998 and find out what all the fuss is about. The Nintendo 64 had been out for almost a year here in Europe and had (thus far) been severely lacking any decent racing games. Annoyingly, Sony’s PlayStation had been awash with quality in the genre, including WipEout, Destruction Derby and Ridge Racer. Over on the N64, it had been the likes of Crusin’ USA, San Francisco Rush and Top Gear Rally. Not really a fair fight; heck, even the third-placed Sega Saturn was blessed with better racers than Nintendo’s console.

But Nintendo still had an existing racing franchise up its sleeve: F-Zero. Now, the original SNES game was a firm favourite with me on the previous generation system, a game I vividly remember going into Woolworths a few days after Christmas and buying with my Christmas money. The character and ship artwork was fantastic, and combined with the Mode 7 effect and memorable music, left a lasting impression on my young imagination.

Fast forward to 1997. F-Zero was no longer deemed relevant; its cartoonish graphics were outdated and childish. The super-cool and ultra-sleek WipEout was the new future of anti-grav racing. Nintendo needed a new take on the racing genre and called upon Shigeru Miyamoto to deliver something special and –more importantly – something cool. Apparently conceptualised around the time of Mario Kart 64’s development, Nintendo started work on ‘F-Zero 64’.

The best way to get news on upcoming video games back in those dates was either via word of mouth or print magazines. Sure, the internet existed back then (56k modem, anyone?) but it was still the magazine space that dominated the world of video game news and reviews. Any enthusiast gamer was buying at least 2 to 3 different magazines a month, and I was no different. These publications were a vital conduit between players and the industry.

News of the 3D F-Zero sequel slowly started to appear in the news sections of the magazines, drip-feeding me with a screenshot here, a screenshot there and tiny snippets of information. It’s amazing to think today, but you’d literally have a paragraph of text and maybe a single screenshot as your only content for a month about an upcoming game. Still, I wouldn’t have had it any other way; your brain filled in the gaps as you imagined how it would be in meticulous detail.

These very early screenshots enraptured me; I believe they were taken from a Spaceworld demo reel in 1997 and showed the Blue Falcon speeding through a corkscrew track followed by a loop-the-loop. Unbelievable, I remember thinking. Sure, WipEout had some pretty cool tracks, but nothing like this; F-Zero 64 was looking more akin to a digital rollercoaster than a typical racing game.

In early 1998, magazines started publishing detailed previews of the game, now given its final title of F-Zero X. The game sounded amazing. Not only would it run at a solid 60fps whilst featuring 30 cars in a race, but all of them would be unique playable characters each with their own ship design. New attacking options had been added, along with a Death Race mode and the pièce de résistance, the X Cup.

Those that don’t know what the X Cup is, you are missing out. It’s a feature that randomly generates tracks into a Grand Prix meaning you’ll never play the same race twice. This blew my mind; an infinite number of tracks?! It sounded like witchcraft back in the late ’90s. Nintendo also promised an ‘Expansion Kit’ for its 64DD add-on that will allow gamers to design their own levels and ships. I had to have this game.

F-Zero X released in Japan in July 1998; it was the summer holidays for us in the UK, and the PAL version was scheduled for release later that November. I couldn’t wait that long and searched the back of my magazines for an import shop. I don’t remember which it was, but I remember it cost in the region of £70 to £80. Keep in mind that the average Switch game costs £40 today, and that gives some indication of how much this was to someone who had yet to earn a proper wage. A few days later it arrived; finally getting the game in my hands and ironically having never seen the sensational Japanese box art before, I was utterly gobsmacked. Wow, what a cover!

There was a problem, though. Nintendo didn’t care about us dirty importers and occasionally changed their carts to make them incompatible with converters. My converter didn’t work with the Japanese copy of F-Zero X, meaning I had to wait a further few days as I hastily ordered the latest model ‘N64 Passport’. Time was not wasted, however; I studied every inch of the box and manual whilst waiting for the new converter to arrive.

Finally, I had the game running and boy was it fast, something that static screenshots in magazines couldn’t even begin to convey. I quickly found that Jody Summers’ White Cat was my ship of choice, suiting my driving style, and I continued to pour hours and hours into the game, getting better and better and finally completing it on ‘master’ difficulty. Legend.

Weirdly, F-Zero X is one of that handful of games that simply ‘works’ with the irregular shaped Nintendo 64 controller. Much like Z-Targeting in Zelda, the control scheme just feels completely natural to me. The analogue stick provided such a precise degree of control in F-Zero X, the nuance in steering was exceptional. Interestingly, this was so noticeably lacking when the game was ported to Wii U many years later, myself and other fans made noise and Nintendo eventually applied a fix. You’re welcome.

© Nintendo / SEGA

Anyway, let’s address the elephant in the article: F-Zero AX/GX. Hopefully, by now I’ve convinced you that I like myself a bit of F-Zero. So when it was announced that Nintendo and SEGA (remember them?) were working together on F-Zero AC+GC using the Arcade/GameCube ‘Triforce’ platform, you could say I was excited (in truth, I was very excited). Early screenshots and videos surfaced online this time and wow, what a good-looking game. The graphics were incredible and the music was exhilarating; this was shaping up to be my dream F-Zero sequel, I could not wait.

So much so, that I started work on a fan website and somehow managed to buy the domain names fzerogx.com and fzeroax.com; as a teenager this is what I did – I got so excited about games that I made websites about them. Who knew I’d go on to make Nintendo Life, right?

This time I had no problem importing F-Zero GX from Japan at launch as I had a Japanese GameCube. Sadly, the hype was not real for me. Let’s be clear, I don’t think GX is a bad game – far from it – but for me, it simply changed the gameplay too far from the formula I knew and loved in the N64 title.

Understandably, GX feels like an aggressive arcade racer (it’s developed by SEGA, after all), whereas my love for X was born in the precise controls with sweeping corners and boosting to the line. GX is harsh where X is subtle; it’s just a different style of gameplay, intended for a different audience: arcade players. In my opinion, you could almost use the contrast in styles to compare Mario and Sonic, or even Nintendo and SEGA. Both are valid, both are good, but both are definitely different.

Over the years, I’ve learned to love GX/AX for what it is. I have fond memories playing the AX version in arcades in the Far East and often find myself checking prices of retired cabinets on eBay (surely it would fit in the garage, right?). The truth though, is that F-Zero X is the best F-Zero, in my humble opinion. It’s the most Nintendo version of F-Zero. If you prefer the original, the GameCube version or for some crazy reason one of the Game Boy entries then don’t worry, we can still be friends; we’re united as one, all fans of the F-Zero series as a whole, and that is what counts. But if you don’t think X is the best of the bunch, then you’re wrong.

What do you think, Nintendo? Time for another? Let us know if Ant’s memories ring true for you by posting a comment.

Sega fans, rejoice! Right now, you can grab a number of retro Sega classics at 25% off from the Nintendo Switch eShop.

You can check out a teaser trailer for the sale in the tweet below, which highlights four games from the Sega Ages range, but we did a little bit of digging and found that the Mega Drive Classics collection has actually been put on sale, too. We’ve made a quick list with the all-important price changes for you below.

As pointed out in the tweet, you only have until Friday (8th March) to grab these deals. If you’ve been thinking of picking any of these up, now would be a pretty good time to do it.

Are you tempted? Let us know which games you go for in the comments.

We’ve seen some pretty amazing fan-made things over the years here at Nintendo Life, mostly from those with a keen eye for creativity and imagination, and this latest effort is soaring right onto our list of absolutely must-see endeavours.

A gaming fan going by the name Suprman9 has created ‘Nerdvana’, a gaming room which uses a combination of ‘nerd’ and ‘Nirvana’ for its name. The room features a dedicated One Piece mural and a Superman arcade machine among other things, but there’s one item which has grabbed our attention in particular.

That’s right, hanging on the wall for all to see is a giant Nintendo Switch. Of course, in reality, this is a standard TV (65 inches, according to Suprman9’s site) with custom made Joy-Con plonked onto the sides. You don’t need us to tell you just how amazing it looks.

After initially thinking about a potential Game Boy Color setup, and then another for 3DS, the vision of this Switch monstrosity eventually came into being. “Finally, the idea of a Nintendo Switch hit me”, Suprman9 mentions on their blog. “The Switch was the perfect design because the center console looks like a miniature TV. Also, the Switch is the current console and has had some of my favourite games on it (Super Mario Odyssey & Breath of the Wild)”.

From there, the process consisted of an awful lot of accurate measuring and experimental woodwork. You can read up on its creation and see more images here if you’re interested.

If we’re being completely honest, Nintendo Life HQ looks pretty boring now. Suprman9, fancy hooking us up with another Switch TV?

Rising Star Games and developer Ground Shatter have announced that RICO will be firing onto a Nintendo Switch near you next week.

The game has players stepping up to be a member of the elite RICO taskforce, where you’ll have just 24 hours to solve a case and bring an end to organised crime. You’ll be kicking down doors and shooting your way through randomly generated levels that are said to make every case “new and unique”.

You’ll also be able to team up with a friend if you prefer, playing the role of a pair of loose-cannon police partners and supporting each other through urban shootouts. Both online and local co-op play is supported.

James Parker, Director at Ground Shatter, has said the following in a press release today:

“Games can change people’s lives, inform us about the human condition, and tell epic stories of love, life, and loss… RICO doesn’t do any of those things, it’s a game about kicking doors open and shooting bad guys, often in glorious slow motion.”

Game Features:

• Compete against the clock to solve a case in 24 hours
• Online Co-op and Offline split-screen play
• “Daily play” with online leaderboards
• Randomly generated cases, operations, and environments
• Unlockable weapons, traits, and equipment

With arcade-style tactical shooter action, weapon and equipment unlocks, and leaderboards to challenge, this could be worth keeping an eye on. You’ll be able to download RICO from the Switch eShop on 14th March.

Is RICO going on your wishlist? Let us know if you’ll be buying a copy in the comments.

As we imagine you’ve seen by now, it would appear that Sonic’s full appearance for his upcoming movie has been leaked online. Fan reaction has been pretty negative, to say the least, and even Sonic creator Yuji Naka has taken to Twitter to share his confusion at the design.

Rough translations: “Is this a sonic movie?”

“I feel that it is important to look at the whole body visual of Sonic and head body and stomach. Did you not get a little more balance?”

We have to say, something about our favourite blue hedgehog is definitely off. There are a few things we could point out, such as his white fur hands (no gloves!) and plain Nike shoes, but we’ve since realised that it’s the eyes that cause the biggest problem.

IGN Deputy Reviews Editor, Tom Marks, has ‘fixed’ this very issue in this image shared on Twitter. Gone are the strangely small, separate eyes, replaced with Sonic’s classic mega eye that spans across his whole face. You’d think the one eye approach would be the weirder of the two, but it really is how Sonic is supposed to look, isn’t it?

We doubt any changes will or even can be made to Sonic’s design in the movie at this stage, but we’d definitely prefer to see this design grace our screens than the current one.

What do you think? Does this fix work? Share your thoughts with us below.

EGX 2019 is open for business, and tickets for the event can be purchased right now.

As the UK’s biggest consumer video games show, EGX is the place to be if you want to sample the latest games and hardware. While a full list of attendees hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’s a fair bet that Nintendo will be there to show off its biggest upcoming games, as well as a selection of 2019’s hottest titles.

The 2019 event is notable for another big reason; after a few very pleasant years in Birmingham following the demolition of Earl’s Court (EGX’s former home), the show is returning to London and will take place at the ExCeL between the 17th and 20th of October.

You can order your tickets right now by heading over to this page.

For the past couple of weeks, rumours surrounding the possibility of Microsoft bringing the Xbox Game Pass to Nintendo Switch have been sneaking their way around the internet, devilishly teasing fans with the idea of playing Xbox games on Nintendo’s machine. Xbox head, Phil Spencer, even added fuel to the fire recently. Naturally, though, a rumour is exactly that – just a rumour – and new murmurings suggest that it might not be on the way after all.

Brad Sams, the executive editor of IT sites Petri and Thurrott, has claimed that “multiple sources” have told him that Game Pass won’t be coming to Switch. Of course, absolutely nothing has been officially confirmed either way so far (we have one rumour stating that it is coming, and now this information stating that it isn’t) so we’d urge you to take everything you hear on the matter with the largest boatload of salt you can find.

You can hear Sams talking about what he has heard in the video below (from the 8 minute mark). If you’d rather read his comments instead, check out the quote in full down below.

There has been a lot of talk about Game Pass on the Switch. I’m hearing from multiple sources that that’s not happening. Let me qualify, that’s definitely not happening in the near term. I can’t ever say ‘never’ because Microsoft wants Game Pass on TVs, they want it on PCs, they want it on Xbox, they want it everywhere with their XCloud stuff, but as of right now I am hearing from multiple people that it is not coming to the Switch. Obviously, things could change and all that good stuff, but yeah, so don’t expect Game Pass on the Switch anytime soon. At least, that’s what I’m hearing.

Even if the Game Pass doesn’t come to Switch, that doesn’t mean that the supposed collaboration between Microsoft and Nintendo won’t happen in some form in the future. There are multiple ways in which both companies could work together, but we can’t know for sure what form the partnership will take if it is indeed on the cards.

What do you think? Are Xbox games coming to Switch? Is it all a load of nonsense? Would you like it to happen one day? Share your thoughts with us below.

The health of Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai has been discussed rather heavily over the last few years, with fans often concerned about his wellbeing thanks to a seemingly overly-punishing work schedule. Various health issues have caused Sakurai to hint at rethinking his work-life balance, and he’s even occasionally brought up the idea of stepping down from his role altogether.

Now, in an interview published by Nintendo Dream (and translated in full by the folks at Nintendo Everything), the series director has spoken once again of his health and work management. He notes that some changes have been made during the development of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as opposed to his work schedule for previous projects.

“I made some changes from what I used to do compared to now. For example, as a principle, I always left the office by 10 PM, no matter what. Many companies are discouraging extreme overtime these days, too.”

Despite these changes (which still sound incredibly dedicated to the cause to us), Sakurai did face some health issues during the game’s development. He mentions that he dealt with “a lot of stomach problems” throughout, including a nasty sounding case of food poisoning.

“When you’ve got symptoms like food poisoning, you definitely have to go to the hospital, right? I’ve had that situation once or twice before during development. It was like I got food poisoning from some oysters that I didn’t eat… It was like my food had come into contact with them or something.”

He was then asked whether or not he takes time off when something like this happens, and his reply likely won’t fill those concerned with any confidence.

Interviewer: Uh, so… Do you take some time off when that happens?

Sakurai: No, I don’t. I just get an IV drip and go to work like normal.

He goes on to explain how, as a freelancer, there are no strict rules on how much time he spends in the office working. Instead, he simply considers himself (and seemingly enjoys being) a “hard worker”, choosing to go to work every day to write daily reports.

His dedication is clearly admirable, even if his actions sound pretty alarming to those of us hearing about them from afar, but we do hope he’s looking after himself. Take it easy, Sakurai-san!

Play-Asia and Eastasiasoft have announced that they’re bringing an exclusive physical edition of Bromio’s black-and-white boxer Pato Box to Switch with pre-orders opening from 7th March.

The physical release is a Play-Asia exclusive and according to the website, it’s expected to ship ‘Q2, 2019’. A Limited Edition will be available containing a colour manual (remember those?!), a 2CD soundtrack album and a numbered certificate, all in a lovely collector’s box.

We liked the game, saying in our review that ‘while its adventure mode-style exploration could do with a little more meat on its bones, we all know why we’re here – the Punch-Out!!-style bosses. The exploration sections fail to do the eye-catching visual style (and the story) much justice, but those brilliant big bads more than make up for it. Sprinkle in an ’80s-style synth soundtrack that wouldn’t feel out of place in Hotline Miami and you’ve got a rough-yet-ready new contender on the Switch eShop.’

We also talked to the game’s director, Antonio Gutiérrez, from Mexican developer Bromio, so check that out for a more in-depth look at the game and its journey to Switch.

Are you planning on following the example of the lovely Olivia Newton-John and getting physical with Pato Box? Let us know down below.