Category: Nintendo News

Immediately after the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct before the game’s big launch, Nintendo’s Treehouse Live event began. During this stream we got a look at multiple Switch titles including Yoshi’s Crafted World, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, Diablo III: Eternal Collection and even more information about Smash Ultimate. You can watch every video replay from the Treehouse event right here and also rewatch the Direct as well – enjoy!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct 11.1.2018

Yoshi’s Crafted World

Release Date: Q2 2019

Check out uninterrupted gameplay of two full stages in Yoshi’s Crafted World for Nintendo Switch: Poochy’s Sweet Run (a dessert-themed world) and Deceptive Doors (a Ninja-themed world). Then get a sneak peek at a newly revealed stage: Haunted Maker Mansion, which makes for a great (albeit belated) send-off to Halloween. Along the way, you’ll see single-player, 2-player, and one of the adorable, protective costumes Yoshi can wear in this new adventure!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Release Date: 7th December 2018

See Incineroar and Simon in action! Get a look at their moves, 1-on-1 matches with these characters, and a 4-player match featuring Incineroar and Richter, Simon’s echo fighter. You’ll also get to see the new stage morph feature and live gameplay of other fighters announced since E3 2018.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!

Release Date: 16th November 2018

See Celadon City for yourself, what’s new with Pokémon natures, a new move that only your Partner Pokémon can learn, a new mini-game at Pokémon Go Park, and a deeper look at how Pokémon stats work in this game. Also, feast your eyes on the new Nintendo Switch hardware bundle that includes the game!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Release Date: 7th December 2018

See Isabelle and King K. Rool in action! Get a look at their moves, 1-on-1 matches with these characters, and a 4-player match featuring both of them. You’ll also get to see the new stage morph feature and live gameplay of other fighters announced since E3 2018.

Diablo III: Eternal Collection

Out now

See what Diablo III: Eternal Collection is all about in this live gameplay, including 4-player local multiplayer, the popular story-driven boss battle against the Skeleton King, character customization and skill trees, the quest-based Adventure Mode, and the loot-filled battles found in Nephalem Rifts. Along the way, you’ll hear all about the Nintendo Switch exclusive features and even get a look at the Nintendo Switch Diablo III Eternal Collection Edition hardware bundle.

What game did you enjoying watching the most? Which one are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments.

Epic Games has continued to refine and improve its free-to-play battle royale mode in Fortnite to help give it the edge over any potential competitors. It’s this fun and accessible design that sets it apart from the rest – with the addition of trolleys, llama piñatas and plenty of funny character costumes.

In the latest patch – version 6.21, balloons have been added. There are no surprises for guessing what this item does. With it, you can float high up into the sky and avoid battles altogether. Based on the trailer, the more balloons you have, the higher you go. You can also release balloons to lower yourself. If your character is shot out of the sky, there might even be a chance to break your fall by crafting something on the way down. Take a look at the clip above to see balloons in action on the battlefield.

Do you play Fortnite? Would you consider giving it a go now that balloons have been added? Tell us below.

Junichi Masuda has been with Game Freak since the company’s inception in 1989. In the beginning, he worked as a composer and programmer for the original Pokémon games and eventually went on to direct and produce the series.

In an interview recently posted on the official Pokémon website, Masuda said Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! could be the last time he directs a mainline game:

It’s important to have the younger generation at GAME FREAK take over the development of Pokémon as a series. I do believe this will probably be, in terms of the main Pokémon RPGs, the last time that I work as the director.

Masuda went on to explain how his involvement in Let’s Go was mostly because he worked on the concept document for Pokémon GO and wanted to create games that would be able to connect to the mobile application:

I was the one who worked on the base game concept document for Pokémon GO, and even in that original concept, I had the idea of introducing new Pokémon through the mobile game. I wanted to realize that goal by creating games that could connect with Pokémon GO and feel somewhat similar to it without feeling like we were copying it. Given my involvement in Pokémon GO’s development, I felt that I was probably the best person to direct these games.

The chance to develop on the Switch was also an exciting prospect:

It was also interesting to work with Nintendo Switch. There’s a lot of technology packed into the hardware that we were all trying to discover at GAME FREAK. For example, developing the Poké Ball Plus and working with Bluetooth to facilitate the connection with Pokémon GO were both very interesting things that I had a chance to work on as the director this time.

How would you feel about Junichi Masuda calling it day as the director of the Pokémon series? Tell us in the comments.

It feels like a lifetime ago Crashland was announced for the Switch eShop and it’s basically because the last we heard about the title was way back in March. The developer Butterscotch Shenanigans has now confirmed the game will be released next week on 8th November.

Crashlands is a 2016 sci-fi survival adventure with top-down shooter mechanics, where you take on the role of Flux Dabes – an intergalactic delivery trucker who ‘crash lands’ on an alien planet. Your job is to keep her alive so she can complete her delivery on time. As noted in the tweet below, you’ll be able to team up with a second player in the new couch co-op mode – which is making its debut on the Nintendo Switch.

Are you excited for some Crashlands survival action? Tell us in the comments.

Aquiris Game Studio’s Horizon Chase Turbo is finally arriving on the Nintendo Switch eShop on 28th November. The developers are dubbing this the ultimate edition of the game, as it includes a timed exclusive mode called ‘Playground’ that will randomly generate bonus goals as you race. You can be assured that you will get quite a lot of bang for your twenty units of local currency (or more accurately €19,99) since this arcade racer comes juiced from the starting grid with 32 different vehicles and 110 unique circuits. The teaser trailer follows:

If you are having feelings of déjà vu and fondly remembering the Super Nintendo Top Gear trilogy or the Lotus Esprit trilogy on Commodore Amiga, know that this Aquiris-developed game is a spiritual sequel to those franchises. Going one step further, the arpeggio and earworm heavy soundtrack has been produced by none other than the legendary Scottish video game music composer Barry Leitch – who was the original Top Gear composer.

We assume you are wondering about a few certain features, so let us reassure you the game will run at a smooth 60 frames per second and include classic split-screen multiplayer.

Were you a fan of the original Top Gear games on the Super Famicom? Is Barry Leitch one of your favourite chiptune artists of the last century? Will you whistle the game’s soundtrack when you’re not playing? Race to the comments section below with your answers.

Following the rumours from earlier this week, Blizzard Entertainment has now confirmed the existence of the Loot Goblin amiibo – arriving at some point this December. The exclusive amiibo for Diablo III: Eternal Collection will allow Switch players to summon a portal and gain access to “untold riches” according to the official description. The announcement was delivered via the company’s official Twitter account:

Arguably, it’s the most unique-looking third-party amiibo yet – featuring a red base and a design that does not perfectly match the original creature in the game. Noticeably, the packaging for the amiibo is also different. Many Blizzard fans have pointed out the figurine is a recoloured version of an existing Treasure Goblin toy from the Cute But Deadly series. If any other Diablo-themed amiibo are revealed, it’ll likely be at BlizzCon’s main event starting on 2nd November and finishing on 3rd November.

What do you think of this amiibo? Will you be adding it to your collection? Tell us in the comments.

Amid all the Smash Bros. excitement, Lucasarts’ seminal point-and-click adventure Grim Fandango has gone live on the European Switch eShop, seemingly without warning.

The game – which is based on the recently remastered version – wasn’t included in today’s download update, but there you go. It’s live.

Grim Fandango is also available in other PAL regions, such as Australia. Let us know if you’ve downloaded it.

@Knuckles-Fajita Looks like you were right about the reprints. Still blows my mind. Toys R Us is gone and Target doesn’t even have a section for NFC toys anymore, Starlink was buried with the games. Guess Gamestop and Walmart will be overflowing.

Piranaha Plant could potentially be the best ever selling amiibo. If they make enough, which we know they never do.

King K. Rool looks big and expensive, but it works for him.

Did we really need another freakin Link? That’s 12 I think. 12 different poses of Link, not counting Wolf Link b/c thats’ Midna on a wolf. Kind of defeats the whole “buy 1 toy to play anywhere” amiibo logic. Twelve. That’s more than Mario, and he got gold, silver and married.

Here’s the really important question of the day – anybody know the answer – will Switch Smash overwrite Wii U Smash save data? Also, will our Wii U Smash amiibo data be read, a level 50 amiibo in Smash 4 is a level 50 amiibo in SSBU, or do they all start from zero?

Hopefully it’s a MUCH better progression system. Every amiibo we have the kids leveled up to 50 in 4 hours. Should be at least be 20 or 30 hours for 50 levels, it was so fast it was nearly pointless.

Maybe I could get a good price for my AC:aF Isabelle on eBay from some impatient player. Hardly used.

The launch of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate looms ever closer, and yesterday Nintendo announced that the final Direct broadcast relating to the game will go live today at 15:00 CET / 7AM PT / 10AM ET.

As is so often the case, we don’t actually know what this broadcast will involve – the only solid information is that it will be 40 lovely minutes of Smash-related news and content.

Given that it’s very much a blank canvas, what do you personally hope to see during the video? Perhaps you’re holding out for new characters, or maybe you’d like more information on new game modes? Maybe you’re easily pleased, and simply want to know if any other stages will make the cut? Perhaps you’re just keen to see if ‘Bannergate’ will have a positive conclusion?

Whatever your expectation, make sure you vote in the poll below and leave a comment.