Posted on Leave a comment

Sega AGES Version Of Out Run Will Be Released Worldwide Early Next Year

A few days ago, we found Out Run would be the next game added to the Sega AGES line on the Switch eShop. As exciting as the news was at the time, there was no mention of a local release. In the latest update, a spokesperson from Sega has told Eurogamer the title will be made available “worldwide” early next year.

Given how Phantasy Star for the Switch has only recently been locked-in for 13th December locally, it’s not all that surprising we won’t be receiving Out Run until 2019. Sega is also known for drip-feeding fans retro collections over a prolonged period of time. As always, Japanese Switch owners are the lucky ones here, as they will still presumably be able to go for a drive at some point before the end of this year.

If you missed the initial announcement, the Switch eShop version of Out Run is being handled by M2 and will modernise the 1986 AM2 arcade classic – with 60fps, widescreen support and gyro controls to recreate arcade steering. Like the 3D Classics version released on the 3DS in 2015, this one also includes additional tune-up features and BGM.

Are you ready to race in plenty of exotic locations in Out Run? Will you be downloading this on release when it does finally arrive? Tell us below.

Posted on Leave a comment

Bringing Starlink To Switch Was “Technically” Challenging, According To Developer Virtuos

During the development of Starlink: Battle for Atlas on Nintendo Switch, Ubisoft Toronto collaborated closely with the Shanghai-based studio Virtuos. Founded in 2004, the developer is previously known for its work on the Switch iterations of Dark Souls: Remastered and L.A. Noire.

Although we’ve already heard about how Virtuos helped raise the overall quality of Starlink on Switch to new heights, Game Industry recently sat down with the company’s technical director Jonathan Boldiga to discuss Ubisoft’s high standards throughout the development:

“It was extremely technically challenging… Ubisoft had very high standards in terms of what they wanted on the Switch platform. Basically the mandate for us was, ‘We need parity between all three consoles’.

“Obviously, the Switch is a great machine but we had to do a lot of work to make sure we could keep visual parity between Switch, Xbox One and PS4. We did a lot of work on rendering optimisations, multi-threading, and trying to squeeze the most that we could out of the CPU. Lots and lots of data compression to fit into memory – you name every trick, we tried it.”

Boldiga went on to explain how the Switch handheld mode worked to their advantage:

“Some of those post-processing passes for Xbox One and PS4 aren’t really necessary on Switch when you’re in handheld mode because the fidelity isn’t going to come through. There are tricks you can do there to avoid certain things. Plus, on a smaller screen you don’t have to worry about anti-aliasing as much because it’s not as noticeable, but when you’re on a big, high-def, 1080p screen, obviously it’s a lot more noticeable. So you can sort of use different anti-aliasing techniques to speed things up as opposed to some of the more expensive routines.

“It was definitely a challenge. There was a lot of late nights and hair pulling, but at the end I think what we were able to deliver is probably one of the best-looking Switch titles out there.”

What do you think about the visuals in Starlink: Battle for Atlas on the Switch? Is this one of best-looking titles available? Have you played this game yet? Tell us below.

Posted on Leave a comment

Guide: How To Check IVs And Catch Pokémon With Flawless IVs In Pokémon: Let’s Go On Nintendo Switch

If a huge part of the reason you nabbed a copy of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! is because you’re a mega fan of Pokémon GO, you might feel a little lost as to how to check a Pokémon’s IVs.

This was infamously tricky in the mobile game too, as you had to use a third party IV tracker to get an accurate result. Thankfully though, while it’s not so obvious at first, Game Freak has added a much easier method of checking a Pokémon’s IVs in Pokémon: Let’s Go.

Not only that, but there’s actually a concrete method you can follow to catch a Pokémon with the best IVs in Pokémon: Let’s Go – that’s unprecedented for the franchise.

In this guide, we’ll offer a break explanation as to how IVs work, detail how you can go about checking them, and then provide a few tips and tricks on catching Pokémon with better IVs.

What are IVs in Pokémon: Let’s Go?

IVs in Pokémon games stand for ‘individual values’, and are basically your Pokémon’s statistics. They dictate how much health, defence, and attack power your favourite Pokémon has.

At least, they did in Pokémon GO. In Pokémon: Let’s Go, those three values have been split into six different categories. Health, attack, and defence still make an appearance but are joined by special attack, special defence, and speed. Let’s break down what they each mean below:

IV What it does
HP Health points
Attack How much damage a Pokémon deals with a physical attack
Defence How much damage a Pokémon receives from a physical attack
Special Attack How much damage a Pokémon deals with a special attack
Special Defence How much damage a Pokémon receives from a special attack
Speed Determines who attacks first during a turn

How do I check a Pokémon’s IVs in Pokémon: Let’s Go?

You can actually check a Pokémon’s IVs directly by going into the menu with ‘X’, selecting Pokémon Box, and selecting the Pokémon you want to check. Scroll down to ‘Check summary’, then press ‘A’ to show more details. Just like that, you’ll se your Pokémon’s IVs.

The only problem with this is that there’s no real indication of whether or not the IVs are actually good unless you’re a mathematical genius. What you need is the IV Judge ability.

How do I get the IV Judge ability in Pokémon: Let’s Go?

You have to reach a guard tower just after route 11, where you’ll meet Professor Oak’s aide. If you’ve caught 30 different species of Pokémon, the aide will teach you the IV Judge ability.

This lets you assess how good each of your Pokémon’s IVs are each time you catch one. Simply follow our steps above to check your Pokémon’s IVs and you’ll see a word like ‘Decent’ or ‘Fantastic’ below each IV, which helps you get an idea of how great your Pokémon is. Here’s what it all means:

Rating IV Score
Best 31 (Highest IV score in Pokémon: Let’s Go)
Fantastic 30
Very Good 26 – 29
Pretty Good 16 – 25
Decent 1 – 15
No Good 0

So as you can see, 31 is the highest score an IV can have in Pokémon: Let’s Go. So for a flawless Pokémon, you’ll want a ‘Best’ rating for every single IV. It’s actually very simple when you break it down!

How do I catch Pokémon with better IVs?

You know when you catch a few Pokémon of the same species during a single run and get a ‘Catch Combo’? This doesn’t only increase the XP you gain for catching Pokémon, it also increases your chances of nabbing a Pokémon with higher max IVs. Here’s how it all works:

Catch Combo Chain Guaranteed Max IVs
0 – 10 0
11 – 20 2
21 – 30 3
31+ 4

What this means, basically, is that if you catch at least 31 of the same species of Pokémon in a row, during the same catching session, you’re guaranteed to have at least four IVs at the maximum score of 31.

Thanks Joe Merrick for the guide on Catch Chain Combos!

Can I catch Pokémon with flawless IVs?

Absolutely, though there’s no sure-fire method of doing so. You’ll have to get to a catch combo chain of at least 31, then continue to catch Pokeémon of the same species until you see the ‘Best’ rating for each of the IVs.

It’s worth noting that your chances of catching a flawless Pokémon don’t increase the more Pokémon you catch after you’ve reached the max catch chain combo score of 31. Instead, you’ll continue to get Pokémon with the four maxed IVs and will have a standard chance of the two remaining IVs being perfect too.

Has this guide been helpful? Had any luck catching flawless Pokémon so far? Let us know all about your journey in the comments section below.

Posted on Leave a comment

Random: Man Shares Emotional Globe-Spanning Journey With Snorlax Plush After Buying It While Drunk

Loving and playing video games can be an expensive hobby – not just thanks to the games and hardware themselves, but also thanks to the avalanche of extra toys, figures, and merchandise that are produced as a result. Most of us will have experienced a desire to purchase the odd extravagant item as a result in our lifetimes, but this particular story gave us a nice little chuckle.

Let’s go back in time for a moment to mid-October. Callum Underwood, who just so happens to be the head of games at streaming service Caffeine, has posted a tweet asking followers for some guidance. “Please help me twitter, I ordered this large boi when I was drunk, and had it delivered to my friend in America. It’s going to cost $1000 to ship here to the UK”, he says, going on to ask how he might get his purchase from San Fransisco to his UK hometown. The purchase in question turned out to be a very “large boi” indeed, as you can see below.

After turning down various options which included having the toy cut open and re-stuffed back in the UK – thank goodness that didn’t happen – he decided to bring the plush back himself during a business trip to the West Coast. He squeezed the Snorlax into a cardboard box and took it straight to the airport, hoping to bring it back just like you would an ordinary suitcase.

The problem was that there were multiple flights between the Snorlax’s original destination and the flight which would take both of our story’s heroes home. After the second flight, things took a turn for the worse; American airport staff cut the box open to inspect its contents, swabbing the poor Snorlax to check that it wasn’t being used to smuggle any less-than-friendly items onto the plane.

After even more flights, and no doubt a lot more stress, the end was in sight. The very last flight was from London to Newcastle, and it’s here where our story comes to a wonderful, heartwarming end.

If you’re reading this Callum, congratulations on your journey and your brand new friend. We salute your dedication to bringing your “absolute unit” home.

Posted on Leave a comment

Nintendo Download: 22nd November (Europe)

The latest Nintendo Download update for Europe has arrived (not quite on time), and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and a comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!

Switch Retail – New Releases

Bendy and the Ink Machine (Maximum Games, €29.99 / £24.99) – Bendy and the Ink Machine is the first-person puzzle action horror game that will forever ruin your childhood love of cartoons. Fear the machine and survive.

Moto Racer 4 (Microids, €34.99 / £29.99) – In a world where freestyle and risk-taking dominate, impose your riding style all around the world. Impress your opponents and win races with class! Master drifting, wheelies, sharp turns and other techniques to earn a place on the podium! Customize and upgrade your bike! Progress through Moto Racer 4 and take in the stunning environments. From the United States to the Himalayas by way of the desert, Moto Racer 4 takes you through perilous, breathtaking courses at 100 miles an hour.

ATV Drift & Tricks (Microids, €34.99 / £29.99) – Tired of 2-wheeled vehicles? ATV Drift & Tricks is the ATV game for you! A quads-only racing game. Do a series of races in 5 game modes with extraordinary challenges on varied tracks you can do over and over again. Deserts, Forests, Mountains, Lakes, Rivers, Oases … No doubt, you’ll really see it all!

Panda Hero (TREVA, €29.99 / £26.99) – Take on the role of the mighty panda and tread your path unerringly. Skilfully dodge your attackers and sweep aside any creatures standing in your way – attack! Discover the exciting world of our intrepid panda hero in this thrilling platform game. Funny, thrilling and action-packed!

Switch eShop – New Releases

Warframe (Digital Extremes, Free) – With more than 30 Warframes, each fully customizable with their own unique abilities, you can create the perfect Warframe for you. Katanas. Crossbows. Flamethrowers. Expand your Arsenal with more than 300 diverse Weapons, then modify each one to match your playstyle. Slice and dice through hordes of enemies, or go in guns blazing, or sneak your way in — the choice is yours.

Storm Boy (Blowfish Studios, €5.99 / £5.39) – Experience an interactive retelling of the classic tale by taking control of both Storm Boy and Mr. Percival in key moments, such as when the pair rescued stranded sailors during a storm. Relive their friendship and enjoy seaside activities across a wide assortment of fun and relaxing mini-games, including sand drawing, sailing, cockle hunting, playing fetch, sand surfing, pelican feeding, and more.

Youtubers Life OMG Edition (U-PLAY Online, €29.99 / £26.99) – Create videos, get subscribers, attend events, interact with your fans… and grow your channel. Live a true Youtuber’s life! Record your own videos from your parents’ house and get your first subscribers, views and likes. Meet well-known Youtubers, go to the wildest parties, share your life on social media and deal with your haters. Sign with exclusive networks and customize your studio with the coolest stuff.

Hyperide: Vector Raid (Arts Alliance, €3.99 / £3.59) – The cargo vessel, which was carrying the priceless crystals, needed to power up advanced technologies was attacked by a pirate vessel on its way back from the colonies. Ambushed and outnumbered, the crew of the ship decided to make an escape to the wild region of space. They had used all of their means of defence, but this will be not enough to ensure their survival.

kuso (Mokuzai Studio, €4.49 / £3.99) – kuso is a challenging yet fair platformer with a simple aesthetic. You have the ability to run, jump, and leave your own checkpoint. Make your way through acid, long jumps, disappearing platforms, bouncers, giant saws, and much more in this dreadful mechanical world. If you’re looking for a game that’ll challenge your platforming skills, something excellent to listen to, and a game to master, kuso is the game for you.

Frag doch mal…die Maus! (ASHGAMES, €9.99 / £8.99) – Everyone in the German-speaking territory grew up with the Maus. Hours of fun are waiting for kids and parents answering about 1000 questions and with approximately two hours of original video content with the famous “Sachgeschichten by Christoph and Armin”.

Peace, Death! Complete Edition (HYPETRAIN DIGITAL, €4.99 / £4.49) – In this game, you play as the Reaper – an intern in Apocalypse, Inc, working for Death. Examine each client’s feature to determine his, her, or its fate – and send them to either Heaven or Hell. Funny clients’ phrases, lots of references and easter eggs, bonuses, penalties, and very special clients. Peace, Death: Complete Edition includes all the content from “Hand Of F” DLC – along with some graphical and gameplay improvements!

ACA NEOGEO KING OF THE MONSTERS 2 (HAMSTER, €6.99 / £6.29) – “KING OF THE MONSTERS 2” is an action game released by SNK in 1992. Choose 1 of 3 monsters to thrash aliens around the world and become the undisputed King of the Monsters! Work together in a 2 player co-op mode, or duke it out in versus mode!

Adventures of Bertram Fiddle Episode 2: A Bleaker Predicklement (Chorus Worldwide Games, €7.99 / £7.19) – Puzzles! Pigeons! And Puns! The year is 1884 and Victorian London is ready for the greatest Adventure ever told. Part story, part animated cartoon, part puzzle game – A Bleaker Predicklement is a wonder to behold. Can you solve the puzzles and help Bertram Fiddle finally track down the despicable Geoff the Murderer?

Gnomes Garden (8FLOOR Games, €4.99 / £4.49) – A wonderful garden had always brought joy to all the people of the kingdom and all the residents of the castle. But a dry summer withered the king’s beloved garden and the surrounding gardens of the kingdom alike. The ruler has fallen ill and the kingdom is in danger. Help the princess save the gardens and make the king better again. Construct buildings, remove obstacles, repair damaged bridges and restore the beauty of the royal garden.

Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Super Burger Time (FTE Games, €7.99 / £7.99) – Super Burger Time, play as Peter Pepper Jr. and complete the burgers, but watch out for Mr. Hot Dog, Mr. Egg and the dangerous Mr. Pickle!

Julie’s Sweets (Ocean Media, €9.99 / £8.99) – Help family business, chase college diploma or crazily fall in love? Why not all at the same time? Julie faces these questions in a thrilling story where she’s questioning her self-confidence, her values and is it all worth the effort? Of course it is and Julie finds all the answers in her own way while enrolling to prestigious cooking school ‘Le Cookery’. Will she make it, and most importantly, how can you help her?

Ms. Splosion Man (Twisted Pixel, €14.99 / £11.99) – Bigger. Badder. Prettier… When Splosion Man is captured by the evil corporation known as Big Science, it’s up to Ms. Splosion Man to save the day. In this sequel to “Splosion Man”, Twisted Pixel Games raises the bar with “Ms. Splosion Man” and brings you into the action with 50 single player levels and 50 completely unique multiplayer levels playable locally or online. – Read our Ms. Splosion Man review

Nidhogg 2 (Messhof, €14.99 / £13.49) – Defeat your opponent to gain control of the screen, then book it to your side of the arena. Before long, a new opponent will appear in your way. If they kill you, they get control. Get all the way to your end of the arena to win–and be devoured by the Nidhogg.

Party Hard (tinyBuild Games, €14.99 / £13.49) – It’s 3:00 a.m. Your neighbours are having a loud party. Stop them. Party Hard is a stealth strategy game about ruining parties by any means.

Please, Don’t Touch Anything (ForwardXP, €9.99 / £8.99) – Covering for a colleague taking a bathroom break, you find yourself in front of a mysterious console with a green screen monitor showing a pixelated live image of an unknown city. Also present is an ominous red button with the simple instruction to not touch anything!

Steamburg (Monster Couch, €4.99 / £4.49) – The main character, professor Vincent Cornelius Moore, fights robots that invaded the city of Steamburg. The gameplay is unique – Vincent is unarmed, so he must choose his moves wisely. He can only throw small electro-bombs which lure the robots and halt their progress for a while. Vincent has to walk through the streets in such a way that the robot chasing him hits upon a Tesla coil and is destroyed. It seems quite easy in the first levels.

WAKU WAKU SWEETS (Sonic Powered, €29.99 / £26.99) – Acquire on-the-job experience by making all kinds of confectioneries. Tilt to pour mixtures, rotate to mix, follow the steps and move the controller as shown on the screen. That’s how you cook! Change into your favourite outfit, and change your hairstyle. Participate in contests and chat with the people in town to complete your quest to become the best. Make everyone smile with your confectioneries, and become a wonderful pastry chef!

Word Sudoku by POWGI ( Lightwood Games, €7.99 / £6.99) – Place letters in the grid according to normal Sudoku rules and one row or column will spell the word. Of course, you can switch back to number mode if you prefer. Word Sudoku by POWGI includes 240 unique and beautifully symmetrical Word Sudoku puzzles, graded for difficulty from beginner to expert.

Zeus Quest Remastered (Crazysoft, €8.99 / £7.99) – ‘Zeus Quest Remastered’ is a silly point and click adventure game with light-hearted humour. It combines Greek Mythology with Sci-Fi in a twisted way! You control Zeus (Boss of Olympus) which is a wacky character. He tries to fix a time machine to save the planet from an explosion.

STUMP (SimFabric, €1.99 / £1.79) – The Brave Stump sets out to chase lumberjacks through which he is no longer a beautiful tree. Guide Stump through five lands, collect lost leaves and help him regain his former shape. The second game mode allows you to breed wonderful trees, starting with seeds and pots with soil.

Switch eShop – Demos

Art of Balance Demo (Shin’en Multimedia, Free) – The goal sounds simple at first: Build a balanced stack from all given shapes, but there are plenty of challenges. Some shapes break under load, while others can even reverse gravity and literally turn the stack upside down. With practice, some experimentation and a little bit of luck, however, you’ll quickly master even the most difficult challenges.

Energy Cycle Edge Demo (Sometimes You, Free) – The main idea is the same: when you activate each cell in the game field, it changes the colours of the cell and any adjacent cells in a straight line. Each cell switches between three different colours, and your task is to make them all match the same colour. In ‘Energy Cycle Edge’, most parts of puzzles are three-dimensional, so you’ll need to monitor the changes of colours within several linked layers, adding a new facet to the familiar gameplay.

Desktop Soccer Trial Edition – Demo (QUByte Interactive, Free) – The desk is your field! Lace up your shoes for a simple yet challenging soccer game! Share the Joy-Con with up to 4 people for a soccer free-for-all! Make your own original team by adjusting formations and positions! Aim to win the tournament!

Forgotton Anne Demo (Square Enix Europe LTD, Free) – Imagine a place where all that is lost and forgotten goes; old toys, letters, socks. The Forgotten Lands is a magical world inhabited by Forgotlings; living mislaid objects longing to be remembered. Forgotton Anne is a seamless cinematic adventure with meaningful storytelling and light puzzle platforming. You are Anne, the enforcer who keeps order in the Forgotten Lands, as she sets out to squash a rebellion that might prevent her master, Bonku, and herself from returning to the human world… – Read our Forgotton Anne review

3DS eShop – New Releases

Japanese Rail Sim 3D5 types of trains (Sonic Powered, €14.99 / £13.49) – This game introduces the oldest existing private railway of Japan. The Ohmi Railway is, just as its headquarters, located in Shiga prefecture. Locals call it the “Gacha-kon train”, from the sound of the when train rumbling over the railroad tracks. The Ohmi Railway is a long distance railway split into four sections that connects the east side of Biwako lake from north to south.

RTO 2 (nuGAME, €9.99 / £8.99) – RTO 2 is a side-scrolling first-person shooter with elements from the survival horror genre. Take control of a 6-man team through four episodes and do your best to survive and complete your mission. RTO 2 features randomly generated levels and permadeath. It will pitch you up against hordes of enemies and test your survival skills.

Wii U eShop – New Releases

Just Dance 2019 Demo (Ubisoft, Free) – Wherever life takes you, Just Dance 2019 will keep you dancing for hours with an insane amount of content for the whole family to enjoy! Just Dance 2019 comes with over 40 new and fun songs, and access to more than 400 songs available with Just Dance Unlimited. Every copy of the game comes with 1-month of free access!

Insect Planet TD (RandomSpin, €1.99 / £1.79) – The distant space expedition to the Earth-like planet, finally ended. We came here for the purpose of colonization, but we are faced with alien creatures. We have no choice we must conquer this planet. -Tower defence game. -You have to mine resources during the gameplay. -Simple cute graphics.

Switch eShop – Pre-Orders

Screencheat: Unplugged (Samurai Punk, €8.99 / £13.49, pre-order from 19/11/2018) – Master a wide variety of weapons and engage in fast and frantic combat with up to four players locally or with bots, then challenge yourself in the tricky time trials mode. With colourful maps, unique modes and a huge number of customisation options including wacky mutators, Screencheat: Unplugged is the ultimate party FPS.

Cattails (FalconDevelopment, €14.99 / £11.99, pre-order from 20/11/2018) – Play as a feral cat that roams an expansive wilderness. Hunt for food, fight cats from other colonies and become friends (or enemies!) with your neighbours. Romance one of twelve eligible cats, raise a family of cute kittens, and train them by taking them with you on your adventures! Or, delve into dark caverns to find treasures. Just make sure you always have some food on hand in case you get hungry.

Energy Cycle Edge (Sometimes You, €4.24 / £3.81, pre-order from 21/11/2018) – The main idea is the same: when you activate each cell in the game field, it changes the colours of the cell and any adjacent cells in a straight line. Each cell switches between three different colours, and your task is to make them all match the same colour. In ‘Energy Cycle Edge’, most parts of puzzles are three-dimensional, so you’ll need to monitor the changes of colours within several linked layers, adding a new facet to the familiar gameplay.

Animal Hunter Z (STARSIGN, €7.99 / £7.19, pre-order from 22/11/2018) – We know that the virus infecting the animals can also be transferred to humans. Unfortunately, the only way to protect the island from this plague is to destroy all of the infected animals. Some animals may try to attack you. Will you survive your mission and see harmony restored to the island?

Crimson Keep (Merge Games, €15.99 / £11.99, pre-order from 22/11/2018) – Descend into the Crimson Keep, an ever-changing labyrinth full of monsters, traps, and treasure. Discover the sunken remains of an ancient castle and cleanse it of the evil within. Uncover secrets that will bestow great power on you – it could be your only hope of escape. Crimson Keep is an action RPG adventure in which your only hope is to explore, scavenge, and fight for survival. Will you find the mysterious Crimson Keep? Will you escape this terrible place? Or will you be food for the innumerable beasts and horrors that lurk below?

Dexteritrip (Undergames, €5.03 / £4.50, pre-order from 22/11/2018) – Dexteritrip is a frenetic, hardcore and minimalistic fast-paced action platform game, in which your gaming skills will be constantly tested. Face up to 100 super challenging levels of increasing difficulty, which will have you avoiding death traps, planning your moves, teleporting, shifting gravity and killing enemies.

Marenian Tavern Story: Patty and the Hungry God (KEMCO, €19.99 / £17.99, pre-order from 22/11/2018) – Patty’s brother has been possessed by the God of Poverty and the whole family has become poor, with huge debts… This is the beginning of Patty’s struggle! To pay back the debts, let’s open a tavern in Marenia, gather ingredients, and start cooking!

Nightshade (D3 Publisher, €47.99 / £43.19, pre-order from 22/11/2018) – A romance visual novel game made in collaboration with D3P Otomebu and Red Entertainment, two companies known for their creative range and production of heavyweight visual novel games. Character design and illustrations are by the popular illustrator Teita. The romance revolves around Ninjas who have lived through the Sengoku Period.

Starman (Nada Studio, €7.99 / £7.19, pre-order from 22/11/2018) – New puzzles every level will keep you learning and thinking outside the box. We’ve put so much love building the sceneries and trying to create an eerie atmosphere. Sit, relax, and enjoy.

Switch eShop – Special Offers

Game Title Price Saving Until Original Price
Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo) €39.99 / £33.29 -33% Thu 29th Nov €59.99 / £49.99
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo) €48.99 / £41.99 -30% Thu 29th Nov €69.99 / £59.99
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild + Expansion Pass (Nintendo) €63.98 / £55.48 -29% Thu 29th Nov €89.98 / £76.98
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo) €39.99 / £33.29 -33% Thu 29th Nov €59.99 / £49.99
Dragon Quest Builders (Nintendo) €29.99 / £23.99 -40% Thu 29th Nov €49.99 / £39.99
Fire Emblem Warriors (Nintendo) €39.99 / £33.29 -33% Thu 29th Nov €59.99 / £49.99
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (Nintendo) €39.99 / £33.29 -33% Thu 29th Nov €59.99 / £49.99
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim® (Bethesda Softworks) €39.99 / £33.29 -33% Thu 29th Nov €59.99 / £49.99
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Nintendo) €39.99 / £33.29 -33% Thu 29th Nov €59.99 / £49.99
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle – Gold Edition (Ubisoft) €35.99 / £29.99 -40% Thu 29th Nov €59.99 / £49.99
FIFA 19 (Electronic Arts) €40.19 / £36.84 -33% Thu 29th Nov €59.99 / £54.99
South Park: The Fractured But Whole – Gold Edition (Ubisoft) €47.99 / £37.79 -40% Thu 29th Nov €79.99 / £62.99
South Park: The Fractured but Whole (Ubisoft) €35.99 / £29.99 -40% Thu 29th Nov €59.99 / £49.99
South Park: The Stick of Truth (Ubisoft) €23.99 / £17.99 -40% Thu 29th Nov €39.99 / £29.99
KAMIKO (Flyhigh Works) €2.49 / £2.24 -50% Thu 29th Nov €4.99 / £4.49
VOEZ (Flyhigh Works) €14.49 / £13.20 -31% Thu 29th Nov €20.99 / £18.99
Lanota (Flyhigh Works) €10.49 / £9.49 -30% Thu 29th Nov €14.99 / £13.59
Broforce (Devolver Digital) €10.49 / £9.44 -30% Thu 29th Nov €14.99 / £13.49
Reigns: Kings & Queens (Devolver Digital) €5.59 / £5.03 -30% Thu 29th Nov €7.99 / £7.19
NOT A HERO: SUPER SNAZZY EDITION (Devolver Digital) €8.70 / £7.83 -33% Thu 29th Nov €12.99 / £11.69
Minit (Devolver Digital) €6.69 / £6.02 -33% Thu 29th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Enter the Gungeon (Devolver Digital) €7.49 / £5.49 -50% Thu 29th Nov €14.99 / £10.99
Cycle 28 (Pill Bug) €3.35 / £2.99 -40% Thu 29th Nov €5.59 / £4.99
Conga Master Party! (Rising Star Games) €5.39 / £4.79 -40% Thu 29th Nov €8.99 / £7.99
Figment (Bedtime Digital Games) €13.39 / £12.05 -33% Thu 29th Nov €19.99 / £17.99
Joggernauts (Graffiti Games) €7.49 / £6.74 -50% Thu 29th Nov €14.99 / £13.49
Snake Pass (SUMODIGITAL) €7.99 / £6.39 -60% Thu 29th Nov €19.99 / £15.99
Manual Samuel (Curve Digital) €4.99 / £4.99 -50% Thu 29th Nov €9.99 / £9.99
Rogue Aces (Curve Digital) €6.49 / £4.99 -50% Thu 29th Nov €12.99 / £9.99
Velocity®2X (Curve Digital) €9.99 / £7.49 -50% Thu 29th Nov €19.99 / £14.99
Riptide GP: Renegade (Vector Unit) €3.99 / £3.99 -60% Thu 29th Nov €9.99 / £9.99
Beach Buggy Racing (Vector Unit) €3.99 / £3.99 -60% Thu 29th Nov €9.99 / £9.99
forma.8 (MixedBag) €3.99 / £3.59 -60% Thu 29th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Waking Violet (MixedBag) €3.49 / £2.99 -50% Thu 29th Nov €6.99 / £5.99
Goetia (Forever Entertainment) €1.09 / £0.98 -89% Thu 29th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Qbik (Forever Entertainment) €1.04 / £0.94 -79% Thu 29th Nov €4.99 / £4.49
Another World (DotEmu) €6.99 / £6.29 -30% Thu 29th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap (DotEmu) €9.99 / £8.99 -50% Thu 29th Nov €19.99 / £17.99
GoNNER (Raw Fury) €4.99 / £4.49 -50% Thu 29th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Uurnog Uurnlimited (Raw Fury) €7.49 / £6.74 -50% Thu 29th Nov €14.99 / £13.49
The Jackbox Party Pack 5 (Jackbox Games) €18.19 / £16.79 -30% Thu 29th Nov €25.99 / £23.99
Hyper Light Drifter – Special Edition (Abylight) €13.99 / £21.59 -30% Thu 29th Nov €19.99 / £17.99
Heroes of the Monkey Tavern (Monkey Stories) €4.99 / £4.49 -50% Thu 29th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Fire Emblem Warriors: Season Pass (Nintendo) €13.99 / £12.59 -30% Thu 29th Nov €19.99 / £17.99
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Expansion Pass (Nintendo) €14.99 / £13.49 -25% Thu 29th Nov €19.99 / £17.99
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Expansion Pass (Nintendo) €22.49 / £20.24 -25% Thu 29th Nov €29.99 / £26.99
South Park: The Fractured but Whole – « Danger Deck » DLC (Ubisoft) €3.59 / £2.99 -40% Thu 29th Nov €5.99 / £4.99
South Park : The Fractured But Whole – From Dusk Till Casa Bonita (Ubisoft) €7.19 / £5.69 -40% Thu 29th Nov €11.99 / £9.49
South Park: The Fractured but Whole – Bring In The Crunch (Ubisoft) €7.19 / £5.69 -40% Thu 29th Nov €11.99 / £9.49
South Park: The Fractured but Whole – Season Pass (Ubisoft) €17.99 / £15.00 -40% Thu 29th Nov €29.99 / £25.00
Human: Fall Flat (Curve Digital) €7.49 / £7.49 -50% Mon 3rd Dec €14.99 / £14.99
Pinstripe (Serenity Forge) €10.86 / £9.81 -25% Mon 3rd Dec €14.49 / £13.09
Wild Guns Reloaded (Natsume Inc.) €9.99 / £8.99 -50% Mon 26th Nov €19.99 / £17.99
Chicken Assassin: Reloaded (Akupara Games) €5.59 / £4.79 -20% Thu 29th Nov €6.99 / £5.99
LOST SPHEAR (SQUARE ENIX) €19.99 / £15.99 -60% Wed 28th Nov €49.99 / £39.99
FINAL FANTASY XV POCKET EDITION HD (SQUARE ENIX) €19.49 / £16.25 -35% Wed 28th Nov €29.99 / £25.00
Spelunker Party! (SQUARE ENIX) €14.99 / £12.49 -50% Wed 28th Nov €29.99 / £24.99
Crimsonland (10tons) €6.99 / £5.99 -50% Tue 27th Nov €13.99 / £11.99
King Oddball (10tons) €1.24 / £0.99 -75% Tue 27th Nov €4.99 / £3.99
Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today (BLG-Publishing) €9.74 / £8.76 -35% Mon 26th Nov €14.99 / £13.49
Sausage Sports Club (Luckshot Games) €10.39 / £9.35 -20% Tue 27th Nov €12.99 / £11.69
The Messenger (Devolver Digital) €14.99 / £13.49 -25% Wed 28th Nov €19.99 / £17.99
Doughlings: Arcade (HERO CONCEPT) €5.59 / £5.03 -20% Tue 27th Nov €6.99 / £6.29
Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf (Forge Reply) €7.49 / £6.74 -50% Tue 27th Nov €14.99 / £13.49
SteamWorld Dig (Image & Form) €4.99 / £4.49 -50% Wed 28th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
SteamWorld Dig 2 (Image & Form) €9.99 / £7.49 -50% Wed 28th Nov €19.99 / £14.99
ASSAULT GUNNERS HD EDITION (Marvelous Europe) €6.99 / £5.59 -30% Tue 27th Nov €9.99 / £7.99
ASSAULT GUNNERS HD EDITION COMPLETESET (Marvelous Europe) €8.39 / £6.99 -30% Tue 27th Nov €11.99 / £9.99
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment (Yacht Club Games) €7.99 / £7.15 -20% Wed 28th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (Yacht Club Games) €19.99 / £17.99 -20% Wed 28th Nov €24.99 / £22.49
Ben 10 (Outright Games) €13.99 / £13.99 -60% Mon 26th Nov €34.99 / £34.99
Hello Kitty Kruisers With Sanrio Friends (Rising Star Games) €12.49 / £12.49 -50% Thu 29th Nov €24.99 / £24.99
88 Heroes – 98 Heroes Edition (Rising Star Games) €14.99 / £14.99 -50% Thu 29th Nov €29.99 / £29.99
Dragon Sinker (KEMCO) €10.39 / £9.35 -20% Thu 6th Dec €12.99 / £11.69
Drawful 2 (Jackbox Games) €4.24 / £3.99 -50% Tue 27th Nov €8.49 / £7.99
Dungeon Rushers (Plug In Digital) €7.49 / £6.74 -50% Thu 29th Nov €14.99 / £13.49
Behind The Screen (COSEN) €7.19 / £6.47 -20% Thu 6th Dec €8.99 / £8.09
Defoliation (COSEN) €7.19 / £6.47 -20% Thu 6th Dec €8.99 / £8.09
Regalia: Of Men And Monarchs – Royal Edition (Crunching Koalas) €19.99 / £17.99 -20% Thu 29th Nov €24.99 / £22.49
Roarr! Jurassic Edition (Klabater) €7.19 / £6.47 -10% Thu 29th Nov €7.99 / £7.19
Neverout (Gamedust) €4.49 / £4.19 -40% Fri 30th Nov €7.49 / £6.99
Gekido Kintaro’s Revenge (NAPS Team) €6.92 / £6.23 -54% Thu 6th Dec €14.99 / £13.49
Time Carnage (Wales Interactive) €9.09 / £6.99 -30% Thu 6th Dec €12.99 / £9.99
Spheroids (Eclipse Games) €5.99 / £4.99 -25% Mon 10th Dec €7.99 / £6.99
Survive! MR.CUBE (Intragames) €10.49 / £9.44 -30% Fri 7th Dec €14.99 / £13.49
Ninja Shodown (Rising Star Games) €7.79 / £5.99 -40% Thu 29th Nov €12.99 / £9.99
Shantae: Half- Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (WayForward) €18.21 / £16.41 -25% Wed 28th Nov €24.29 / £21.89
VSR: Void Space Racing (SONKA) €0.99 / £0.89 -90% Sat 14th Dec €9.99 / £8.99
The Wardrobe (MixedBag) €9.74 / £8.76 -35% Tue 10th Dec €14.99 / £13.49
Death Squared (SMG Studio) €6.12 / £5.87 -51% Thu 6th Dec €12.50 / £11.99
Red Game Without a Great Name (iFun4all) €1.49 / £1.34 -50% Sat 30th Nov €2.99 / £2.69
Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder Devastated (iFun4all) €4.99 / £4.49 -50% Sat 30th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Green Game: TimeSwapper (iFun4all) €1.49 / £1.34 -50% Sat 30th Nov €2.99 / £2.69
Suicide Guy: Sleepin’ Deeply (ChubbyPixel) €5.09 / £4.58 -15% Fri 7th Dec €5.99 / £5.39
Woodle Tree Adventures (ChubbyPixel) €2.99 / £2.69 -40% Fri 7th Dec €4.99 / £4.49
Pinball FX3 – Sci-Fi Pack (Zen Studios) €2.99 / £2.69 -70% Tue 27th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Pinball FX3 – Iron & Steel Pack (Zen Studios) €1.99 / £1.79 -60% Tue 27th Nov €4.99 / £4.49
Pinball FX3 – Universal Classics Pinball (Zen Studios) €4.99 / £4.49 -50% Tue 27th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Pinball FX3 – Balls of Glory Pinball (Zen Studios) €3.99 / £3.59 -60% Tue 27th Nov €9.99 / £8.99
Pinball FX3 – Bethesda® Pinball (ZEN Studios) €4.39 / £3.95 -60% Tue 27th Nov €10.99 / £9.89
Pinball FX3 – Portal ® Pinball (Zen Studios) €1.49 / £1.34 -50% Tue 27th Nov €2.99 / £2.69
Zen Originals Season 2 Bundle (Zen Studios) €8.99 / £8.98 -50% Tue 27th Nov €17.99 / £17.97
Bouncy Bob (SONKA) €1.00 / £0.89 -80% €4.99 / £4.49

Even more deals available also on Nintendo 3DS and Wii U detailed on Nintendo.co.uk.

DLC / Add-On Content

Nintendo Switch

  • LEGO® DC Super-Villains: LEGO DC TV Series Super Heroes Character Pack (WB Games) – €1.99 / £1.69
  • LEGO® DC Super-Villains: LEGO DC TV Series Super-Villains Character Pack (WB Games) – €1.99 / £1.69
  • LEGO® DC Super-Villains: LEGO DC Super-Villains Justice League Dark Character Pack (WB Games) – €1.99 / £1.69
  • Valkyria Chronicles 4 – The Two Valkyria (SEGA) – €4.99 / £3.99
  • Party Hard: High Crimes (tinyBuild Games) – €4.99 / £4.49

So that’s your lot for this week’s Nintendo Download. Go on, be a sport and drop a vote in the poll above, and a comment below with your hot picks!

Posted on Leave a comment

Feature: Dark Horse On Creating The Ultimate Companion To The World Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was perhaps the perfect launch title for Switch; not only is it a critically-acclaimed classic in its own right, but it also took the beloved series in an exciting new direction, something which could also be said about the Switch itself, thanks to its unique hybrid nature.

While the launch of both Zelda: BotW and the Switch feels like an age ago, the allure of Link’s gripping open world adventure remains intact, and as if to illustrate this, publisher Dark Horse has just released The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Creating a Champion, an officially-licensed tome packed with artwork, interviews and much more besides. It also contains a junk-less Link.

We were lucky enough to sit down with Patrick Thorpe, series editor at Dark Horse Comics, about the new publication.


Nintendo Life: There have been multiple Zelda releases from Dark Horse in the past couple of years. What makes this one different, and why should fans care?

Patrick Thorpe: The first three books that we published spanned the first thirty years of the Legend of Zelda franchise. This one is specifically focused on one game.

Hyrule Historia gave us a look at the development of Skyward Sword and everything leading up to it both in development materials as well as lore. Art & Artifacts was nearly all of the fully realized artwork from the series from advertisements to instruction booklets and beyond. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia was just that, a compendium full of information on the first thirty years of the series as well as an expansion of the lore from Hyrule Historia. If you have those three books, which we’ve grouped together as the Goddess Collection, you have a pretty comprehensive look at the first thirty years of The Legend of Zelda as a franchise.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild—Creating a Champion is the first time that we’ve done a book entirely dedicated to one entry in the series. It’s 424 pages dedicated entirely to Breath of the Wild. 300 of those pages are concept art and notes from the developers. 50 are all of the fully realized illustrations that the game’s official illustrator Takumi Wada has completed for the series to date. There are interviews with some of the key members of the development team—Satoru Takizawa, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, Wada-san, and Eiji Aonuma. But the portion of the book that will probably generate the most discussion is the “History” section. It sticks nearly exclusively to Hyrule’s history as known in Breath of the Wild. The Great Calamity wiped out most of the records of what came before, so this section chronicles in detail all the history that remains.

Breath of the Wild is a huge, huge game. It absolutely dwarfs every other entry in the series, so can you explain how your team’s process in chronicling everything about it?

The chronicling of the Breath of the Wild assets was done entirely in Japan by Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild team and our friends at the publisher Ambit for their book entitled Master Works. Creating a Champion is a localization of Master Works. Our job was to translate and localize their book for the North American, and, more broadly, English-speaking fan base.

So far, the Nintendo art books that we have published have been localizations of books created and designed in Japan, though, we are in the early stages of development on three or perhaps four books that will be created in-house. Dark Horse does both localizations as well as our own material.

Pass along something that surprised you that you learned about Breath of the Wild while working on this volume.

I think my very favourite section of the book focuses around the immediate aftermath of the Great Calamity.

In the game, you see a ton of ruins scattered throughout Hyrule, and it’s easy to piece together through recovered memories and those ruins a rough outline of what happened. However, this book gets into detail about the events that likely happened that day—the one that affected me most was the contrast of the defence of Akkala Citadel and Fort Hateno. How did Fort Hateno, a mere checkpoint wall that was likely staffed by volunteers from Hateno village manage to hold off the full force of the Guardians’ invasion, while Akkala, fully equipped to withstand sieges, occupied by the finest soldiers, with all the advantages of both geological defences as well as powerful batteries, fell. If Fort Hateno had fallen, that may have been it for the Hylians. It’s a moving story worthy of being called a miracle.

There are other surprising things in the book as well. This game was all about revising expectations. They asked a bunch of hard questions, the most central of which is what makes a Zelda game a Zelda game? Does Link need to wear a green tunic and a hat all the time? Do we need to have the Triforce present? What can we reinvent? What can we strip away? Asking all those questions encouraged a great deal of creative thinking. Seeing Link in a blue tunic may have been a shock to fans, but some of their other ideas were so far afield from what we’ve seen before that the blue tunic seems conservative. It’s really fun to see all of the ideas that they were playing with.

There seems to be some confusion, maybe even indignation about where Breath of the Wild happens in the Zelda timeline. Does this book shed any light on this whatsoever?

Yes. This has already been addressed in a few interviews by the game’s developers, but if you are trying to avoid timeline spoilers, maybe skip to the next question.

Breath of the Wild is set in the far, far-flung future of Hyrule. Every game that we have played so far may or may not be a part of this game’s history. There are certainly myths and legends. For example, during the ceremonial blessing of Link by Princess Zelda, she makes reference to being “skyward bound” or “steeped in the glowing embers of twilight.” Then, of course, there are some artefacts from other games that show up. However, they leave the whole mythology open-ended. Were those legends real? Were they myths? Are these artefacts from this dimension or another?

They tried very hard not to limit the player’s imagination. They want them to have the latitude to make up their own timeline. They want the player to have an experience unique to them. Just like the open world of Breath of the Wild, they have created the freedom for anything to be possible.

There are two special editions of this book. Why did this happen, and did you have any say in the designs and where fans would be able to get them?

The reason that there are two special editions is that you cannot find a bigger Zelda fan than our designer, Cary Grazzini. Before we even started working on this book, he had put over 500 hours into the game, though, I expect that number is much higher now. He found all the Korok seeds without a mask by walking the whole map in a grid. In his own personal rulebook, using the mask the first time around would feel like cheating.

The gold cartridge edition for the Encyclopedia had been my idea, and this book followed directly on the heels of that book. I was exhausted and out of ideas so I left it all to Cary. I told him that I was tapped out. I could not think of a thing.

The weekend goes by and Cary has two fully mocked up special editions of the book prepared. He had spent all weekend working on them. He told me he had been thinking about ideas for the special editions for a year and that he had so many ideas that they broke into two separate, complementary ideas.

The Hero’s Edition focuses solely on Link and the striking new visual aesthetic they used for him. Each piece of that edition was something personal relating to the hero—the spirit orb, the picture he hangs in his Hateno home, and the adventurer’s map. The reason we went with cloth for the cover was to be reminiscent of the material of his tunic.

That didn’t feel complete, though. This game, maybe more so than others, really feels like a cooperation between Link and the other colourful characters. We wanted the Champions’ Edition to be a love letter to those new characters. You really only get to know Urbosa, Mipha, Daruk, and Revali through brief interactions, memories, journals, etc., but those little windows into their lives and their legacies loom large. By the end of the game, I loved those characters. It felt right to have an edition that honoured them, and we made it as beautiful as we possibly could. We didn’t want to overlap any of the material from those two editions. If you get one, it stands alone. If you get both, they compliment each other. You’ll have the spirit orb as well as all four champions’ orbs. You’ll have the map of Hyrule as well as the tapestry. That kind of thing.

We wanted people to have a choice. If Link is what they loved most about the game, there is an edition for that. If the champions are their favourite part, there is an edition for that.

As for the regular edition, it was important to me that it be white. For the first three, we went with the colours of the goddesses Farore, Din, and Nayru. It didn’t feel right not to have an edition that honoured Hylia. The four books, next to each other, are our nod to the goddesses.

How many hours do you have on Breath of the Wild, personally?

Phew… somewhere between 250 and 300. I played the game a little differently than most. I played it like an archaeologist. All of the history section in the back, where the ruins were, how the batteries at Akkala faced, etc., had to be fact-checked. So I warped all over the map, scouring the most obscure regions of the game to make sure that our text was accurate. I’ve been a Hyrule historian. This time I was a Hylian anthropologist. As you can imagine, I had a blast making this book.

Is Dark Horse finally done with the Zelda franchise for the time being? Or could there be more in the wings, Zelda or otherwise?

We have officially run out of Zelda games to do books on! If a new and interesting angle on Zelda comes to light, or a new game comes down the line, we’ll be there to make the best books that we possibly can.

I’m working on one localization of a Nintendo property right now, with another likely within the next month. After that, as I mentioned, there are probably three or possibly four books being developed by Dark Horse. I am very, very excited about what comes next.

For now, I’ve done three of these beasts in two years. I am tired. I’m going to sleep for about a hundred years…


We’d like to thank Patrick for his time.

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.

Posted on Leave a comment

Psikyo Collection Vol. 3 Announced For Switch, Another Four Arcade Shooters Included

Arc System Works Asia has revealed Psikyo Collection Vol. 3 for Nintendo Switch, continuing the recent trend of physical arcade shooter collections for the console.

Today actually sees the release of Psikyo Collection Vol. 2 with English language support, but that hasn’t stopped the publisher from excitedly sharing this news of the third instalment. Volume 3 will feature Strikers1945 Ⅲ, Sengoku Cannon, Gunbarich and Zero Gunner 2. As you can likely tell from past collections, all four games are side-scrolling or vertically-scrolling shooters.

The release date for this new collection is expected to be shared soon, so make sure to keep an eye out if you’re hoping to add it to your gaming library. You can get your hands on Volume 1 and Volume 2 now from PlayAsia.

Did you grab Volume 1 earlier this year? Are you hoping to pick up Volumes 2 and 3? Tell us with a comment below.

Posted on Leave a comment

Pokémon: Let’s Go Sells 3 Million Copies In First Week, Becomes Fastest-Selling Game On Switch

Ever since the very first sales figures for Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! were unveiled, things have looked pretty good for the latest entries to the series. We first heard that the games had sold 116,000 physical copies in the UK, then we were told that they had sold a whopping 661,240 copies in Japan in just three days, and things are only getting better and better.

We now have confirmation that the titles have generated 3 million sales worldwide since launch, with the games not even being a week old yet. It’s an impressive figure all on its own, but things get even more impressive when you realise that this means Pokémon Let’s Go has become the fastest-selling game on Switch in an opening week so far, beating the likes of Super Mario Odyssey and Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The confirmation was shared by The Pokémon Company on Twitter:

As you’ll no doubt be aware by now, the games have caused an awful lot of division among players and fans; the games have reviewed very nicely indeed among critics, and we’re starting to see a much more positive outlook from players on social media now that the games are firmly in their hands, but the odd few are still causing trouble and attempting to smear the game’s very existence. Sales figures speak louder than angry internet words, however, and things are definitely looking good for the new titles.

Have you treated yourself to a copy of either Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Let’s Go, Eevee! Are you patiently waiting for next year’s game instead? Tell us below.

Posted on Leave a comment

Random: The Famous Basketball From The Front Cover Of NBA Jam Is Actually Real

The famous arcade basketball game NBA Jam was originally released by Midway in 1993 and made available on the Super Nintendo the year after. Anyone who played it will no doubt remember the game’s cover art depicting a basketball exploding through a paper-like banner. For those who didn’t know, this wasn’t a CGI render or piece of artwork – there’s actually a real-life version of this ball and it still exists to this day.

As spotted by Kotaku, video game historian and collector Steven Lin recently acquired this “original prop basketball” in an auction. According to the owner himself, it was apparently used during the production of the NBA Jam box art.

If you’re wondering how it still looks in peak condition 25 years on, that’s because it’s actually a full-scale resin model. Lin says he’ll be sending it off to a museum once he’s done thinking about all of the adventures it’s had over the years.

Would like a prop such as this in your own collection of video game memorabilia? Tell us below.

Posted on Leave a comment

Warborn Will Bring Anime-Inspired Turn-Based Strategy To Switch In 2019

Raredrop Games has launched a brand new gameplay trailer to give us a good look at Warborn, an upcoming turn-based strategy game headed to Switch next year.

The game takes inspiration from ’90s anime shows, with players commanding a strike force of giant mecha in strategic battles. You’ll need to issue commands to your units, move them around the map, and battle your opponents in nice little animated battle sequences (as seen in the video above).

You can either take on the single-player campaign or join the fun in online multiplayer matches as one of four different commanders. Each commander has their own unique playstyle and players can use these different skills and mecha setups to dominate in battle.

Information on pricing and an exact release date are yet to be confirmed, so we’ll make sure to keep an eye out for more on this one as we enter 2019.

What do you think? Do you like the look of the style shown in the trailer? Let us know in the comments.