Category: Nintendo News

If you played Pokémon Red, Blue or Yellow back in the day, you’ll know all about the fabled Power Plant. Here, you could capture yourself a level 50 Zapdos, challenge the Elite Four and grab yourself a TM 25. That’s some nice little treasures for a short, optional dungeon!

The Power Plant makes a welcome return in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, which is itself a sort of remake of Red, Blue, and Yellow. It even features a lovely Zapdos for your troubles, so is well worth the effort to visit – if you can even find it, that is.

In this guide, we’re going to detail exactly where the Power Plant is in Pokémon: Let’s Go, and what you’ll need to get there. Safe travels!

What is the Power Plant in Pokémon: Let’s Go?

The Power Plant is a special location in Pokémon: Let’s Go that you can only access once you’ve progressed far enough in the story to earn yourself some special abilities.

Go there though, and you can get your grubby little mitts on the Legendary Pokémon Zapdos, which is incredibly exciting!

Where is the Power Plant in Pokémon: Let’s Go?

The Power Plant is located near Route 10. Visit this section of the map and journey to the Poké Centre. Head north to the edge of the water by the long grass and use your Sea Skim technique to surf on the water.

Now, follow the river south until you reach a lake. Head west and get back on dry land as soon as you can and you’ll find the Power Plant nearby.

How do I get the Sea Skim technique in Pokémon: Let’s Go?

To learn the secret Sea Skim technique in Pokémon: Let’s Go, reach Fuchsia City in the main story and head on over to the GO Park Complex. You know, the place where you transfer Pokémon between Pokémon GO and Pokémon: Let’s Go.

Now, find the surfer standing near a Lapras and have a little chat to him. He’ll teach you how to use the Sea Skim technique on the spot, which is incredibly kind! Now you can catch yourself a Zapdos.

How do I Catch Zapdos in Pokémon: Let’s Go?

If you followed our guide to the Power Plant above, you’re all set to catch yourself a Zapdos. Enter the Power Plant and reach the northwestern section, where you’ll find a lonely Zapdos chilling. Touch it to initiate a battle with the Legendary Pokémon.

You’ve got five minutes to defeat this dude before you can attempt to catch it, so we recommend whipping out any powerful water Pokémon you have sitting about to make this battle easier. Zapdos is level 50, so it’s worth bearing that in mind before you begin. You’ll need an equally powerful Pokémon to tackle this one.

If you manage to defeat it, it’s time to try catching it. Don’t worry, you won’t have to contend with a timer when you get to the catching phase, as just catching the bird is difficult enough. We recommend bringing a bunch of Great or Ultra Balls and some Razz Berries to give you the highest possible chance of catching Zapdos. Now go and give it a shot.

Did this guide help you catch the legendary Pokémon Zapdos? Are you having loads of fun with Pokémon: Let’s Go? Let us know all about it in the comments section below!

In just a couple of weeks’ time, on 7th December, a little game called Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is coming out. If you’ve seen the absolutely monstrous amount of news and coverage surrounding the game so far, you probably won’t be all that surprised to hear that it’s already starting to break records left, right and centre.

Nintendo has shared a short new trailer for the game – featuring a nice little quote from ourselves, we hasten to add – sharing a couple of incredibly impressive facts in the process. As you can see for yourself, Ultimate has now become the best pre-selling game in the Super Smash Bros. series, and the best pre-selling game so far on Switch.

A week ago today, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! started to appear in the wild, similarly smashing the record to become the fastest-selling Switch game to date. Usually, a betting gaming fan would place their money on Pokémon outselling Smash by a comfortable distance (as this has historically been the case thanks to the Pokémon brand’s immense pulling power), but things might actually be pretty tight this time around.

If Pokémon: Let’s Go managed to sell over three million copies in less than a week, can Smash beat that? It’s a tough challenge to take on, but if any game’s going to achieve it, Ultimate’s the one.

Go on then, cast your votes in the comments below. Can Smash outsell Pokémon’s impressive week one figures?

As the Splatoon 2 UK Championship 2018 Grand Final is happening at MCM in Birmingham’s NEC this weekend, the producer of the series Hisashi Nogami decided it was worth popping into dear old Blighty to see the whole thing in action. As is the natural course of events whenever a prestigious Japanese developer comes to our country, Nintendo UK invited us over to meet Nogami-san, interview him, and force-feed him our internationally notorious food.

From haggis to baked beans to custard creams and beyond, Nogami-san was repeatedly bombarded by flavours that can only be described as regional in the video above. Make sure you watch it, as it’s a good time to say the least.

Massive thanks to Nogami-san for meeting with us, and Nintendo UK for organising this strange afternoon.

While you’re probably still clinging onto any remaining hope you might have for an upcoming N64 Classic Mini, you may be intrigued by this little tease for a miniature Game Boy Advance design. Before you get too excited, though, this is absolutely not a real GBA Mini – it’s actually a NES game emulator.

If you’re a regular reader of Nintendo Life’s utterly glorious pages, you might remember that we posted a hardware review of the BittBoy Portable Video Game Handheld last year. Looking like an original Game Boy (seen below), this device provided players with a portable solution for their NES gaming needs, emulating 300 different titles and fitting all snug in your pocket. We had mixed feelings on its overall quality, but it was an interesting little device nonetheless.

Now, the very same company that released that device, BittBoy, has shared a small tease online of this brand new machine. The tweet would suggest that this will also carry a selection of NES games (and will likely contain the very same hardware as the last model), but this time the electronics will be contained within an eye-popping Game Boy Advance outer shell. The yellow might not be to everyone’s taste, but we like it.

Of course, with the Switch now slowly but surely building up its own selection of portable NES games, the very idea of an unofficial portable emulator will likely lose some of its appeal. Still, for those who like to collect the many weird and wonderful console clones found around the world, this might make for a nice little item on your shelf.

Would you like a real Game Boy Advance mini? Are we getting too far ahead of ourselves even considering such a thing? Let us know down below.

Independent games studio Other Tales Interactive has a new Switch game getting nice and crispy in the oven, and its premise has us particularly intrigued.

Called Tick Tock: A Tale for Two, the game is a co-op puzzle adventure designed to be played on two devices (cross-platform play is set to be supported so this can be across entirely different machines, too). You and your friend are each trapped in a different mystical world, both needing to solve increasingly complex puzzles to escape. The catch is that cooperation and communication are key – neither of you can see the full picture and going solo simply isn’t an option.

You can get a great idea of the premise behind this one in the trailer above, where players are using their device of choice and communicating with a friend to solve each puzzle. If you’re interested, a public beta is set to take place between 10th December and 7th January (sadly restricted to Steam and iOS only) where you’ll be able to try the game out for yourself. If you want to take part, you simply need to join the Other Tales Discord server to be given a code.

For those who would rather wait for the full experience on Switch, the game will release on all platforms in Q1 2019 – you’ll be able to play with others on Switch, PC, Mac, and mobile devices.

Do you like the idea behind this one? Does it intrigue you enough to consider a purchase? Let us know in the comments below.

Nintendo has shared a brand new trailer to introduce The Three Mage-Sisters, three characters set to appear in Kirby Star Allies as Dream Friends later this month.

We first heard about this trio playing a part in the game just a few weeks ago, with Magolor, Taranza and Susie also being shown off in an update trailer, and this newest video gives us a good look at some of the Mage-Sister moves you’ll be able to utilise. All of these characters are part of the Wave 3 update – a free boost of content which is scheduled to arrive on 30th November.

Alongside the new characters, players will also be able to play through a new ‘Heroes In Another Dimension’ challenge mode. If you haven’t played the game for a while, or if you’re thinking about picking it up this holiday season, now might be a good time to jump in and experience the fun.

Have you been enjoying Kirby Star Allies on Switch? Will you be checking out all of this new, free content? Tell us below.

If you’re hoping to find a solution for your ever-draining Switch battery, and just so happen to love a good Black Friday deal, then you’ve certainly come to the right place.

Anker’s PowerCore 20100 is currently being offered for a very attractive price on Amazon. This device can be used to boost your Switch’s battery when out and about, and is actually the same model as the PowerCore 20100 Nintendo Switch Edition. The branded variant has a suggested retail price of $89.99, so ignoring that one for the standard equivalent is definitely a smart move.

As you can below, the standard power bank is currently available on Amazon for £32.99, but if you use this code at checkout – 4RT4IFKX – you’ll be able to snag one for just £24.74. For that price, you’ll get the portable charger itself, a micro USB cable, a travel pouch, a welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and a USB-C cable – perfect for anyone who needs extra battery juice on the go.

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If you’re looking for more Nintendo-themed Black Friday deals, make sure to check out our full guide.

Will you be treating yourself to one of these?

If you were closely following the Switch and Nintendo as a company around the time of the console’s launch back in March 2017, you’ll no doubt remember this particular launch title. Sitting amongst the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Just Dance 2017, and 1-2-Switch was Snipperclips, a unique little title which captured the hearts of players and even became an important part of Nintendo’s marketing efforts at the time.

While the game was published by Nintendo, the creative minds behind the project were actually two brothers, Tom and Adam Vian, otherwise known as the lovely folks at UK-based developer SFB Games. Their history is a particularly interesting one, with their original ideas for Snipperclips – which was actually called ‘FriendShapes’ in early demos – effectively being scouted by Nintendo specifically for the Switch. Not a bad thing to put on the old CV.

To help spread the message about the studio and to inform viewers about some of the finer details, YouTube channel Thomas Game Docs has shared a new video on the company and Snipperclips’ journey. Check it out for yourself below.

If you’re not the video-watching type, or if you want to know even more, you can also check out our interview with the two brothers from around the game’s launch.

Did you pick up Snipperclips when you first got your Switch? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments.

Earlier this year, Nintendo hired the famous Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal to help promote the release of Mario Tennis Aces on the Switch. We can’t help but wonder why the Japanese company didn’t also make contact with their very own homegrown talent Kei Nishikori to advertise this release in various regions. The 28-year-old who has previously been recorded as the fourth best professional male tennis player in the world has become one of the most marketable athletes – particularly within Asia – because of his brand endorsements.

In a recent interview with Yahoo Japan, Nishikori said he was fond of video games and loves to take the Switch with him wherever he goes. Since its big release last week, he’s been playing Pokémon: Let’s Go. Disappointingly, he didn’t reveal which version he selected. On previous occasions, Kei has mentioned how he was addicted to Splatoon 2. Much like Japanese commentators, we are now questioning if he enjoys a round of Mario Tennis in between all of these other games.

Below is Nadal’s commercial which aired earlier this year in June prior to the release of Mario Tennis.

Around the time this was televised, Nintendo’s total advertising costs reached an estimated $5.8 million – with the largest budget allocated to Mario Tennis. Fortunately, advertising appeared to be worth it, with strong sales worldwide on launch.

Do you think Nintendo should perhaps team up with someone like Nishikori for future endorsements? Do you like when companies promote their games with the help of athletes and stars? Tell us below.

The placement of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild within the series’ timeline continues to be questioned, even though Nintendo’s Japanese website has positioned the Switch release at the very end with no connections to existing time arcs.

According to a translation of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion book, provided by Nintendo Insider, series Producer Eiji Aonuma explained why this particular entry would not be placed in the chronological timeline:

“We made this game with the intention of returning to our roots, so the response from players about feeling the same as they had when they were young is promising. Since Nintendo Switch is portable, I hope that they will be able to engage deeply with the game in a fresh, new way too.

“In books like the recently released The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia, we revealed where each Zelda game fell on a timeline and how their stories related, but we didn’t do that for Breath of the Wild. There is a reason for that. With this game, we saw just how many players were playing in their own way and had those reactions I just mentioned.”

Aonuma further explains how the development team didn’t want a timeline to restrict anyone’s imagination with a definitive story:

“We realised that people were enjoying imagining the story that emerged from the fragmental imagery we were providing. If we defined a restricted timeline, then there would be a definitive story, and it would eliminate the room for imagination, which wouldn’t be as fun.

“We want players to be able to continue having fun imagining this world even after they are finished with the game, so, this time, we decided that we would avoid making clarifications. I hope that everyone can find their own answer, in their own way.”

Do you think was a good decision by Aonuma and his team? What are your own theories? Tell us below.