Category: Nintendo News

If it wasn’t already evident, the free-to-play title Fortnite has a been a huge success for Epic Games.

In the latest news, Epic has closed a $1.25 billion investment deal with a group of private equity backers. KKR, ICONIQ Capital, Smash Ventures, aXiomatic Gaming, Vulcan Capital, Kleiner Perkins and Lightspeed Venture Partners are now the newest minority shareholders in the company. Existing partners include Tencent, Disney and Endeavor.

A KKR representative said the special group of investors were thrilled to support Epic’s dedicated team and passionate community of players. Epic Founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said the new partnerships reinforced his company’s position of leadership in real-time 3D technology and would accelerate the way people play, work and interact with the world. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal values Epic Games at $15 billion, with the overall sales for the game this year expected to top $4 billion.

Sweeney originally founded Epic in 1991 in his parent’s basement. Fortnite quickly became a cultural phenomenon when the battle royale mode was added during the latter development phase of the game in 2017. In 2012, 40 percent of Epic was sold to the Chinese internet company Tencent Holdings which has since led to more partnerships.

The Italian-based independent game studio Yonder has revealed it is bringing its new game Circle of Sumo to the Switch eShop next month on 16th November. The title originally started out life in Rome as a Global Game Jam project.

It’s described by the developer as a local multiplayer fighting experience for up to four players, where sumo wrestlers attempt to push each other out of a ring. In total, there are eight sumo and 25 arenas to select from. If that wasn’t enough, there are also six minigames that reimagine many sports like football and hockey. Two of these are single player games. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of an online multiplayer component.

Are you excited to sumo wrestle your friends and family on the Nintendo Switch? Tell us below.

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• by Liam Doolan
• 19 hours ago

When the action strategy title Fear Effect: Sedna was released earlier this year on the eShop, it didn’t quite hit the mark. Fortunately, not long after this, Square Enix Collective revealed the original PlayStation game that first arrived in 2000 was being remastered for multiple platforms including the Nintendo Switch.

Sushee – the French studio behind Fear Effect Reinvented – said it wanted to capture the spirit and atmosphere of the classic action-adventure game, but at the same time modernise it with drastically improved high-definition visuals, controls and exciting extras. It also promised to keep the original fixed camera angles intact.

Although we still don’t have a release date, the team behind the Fear Effect remaster have released a new batch of screenshots to promote the game’s demo that’s playable at Paris Games Week this weekend. There’s also the existing teaser trailer above.

Are you looking forward to Fear Effect Reinvented arriving on the Switch? Did you play the original game? Tell us below.

Yet another week has flown by, leaving us with a couple of days to sit back, relax, and enjoy some great gaming sessions. We have a variety of spooky Halloween scares, super space-exploration shenanigans, and succulent squid-shooter successes to attend to this weekend, so have a read of our thoughts, and tell us about your plans via the poll and comments below. Enjoy!

Ryan Craddock, staff writer

Whenever this time of year comes around, I always find myself wanting to bask in the spooky glow of Halloween, with multiple creepy (but not too creepy) games instantly springing to mind. I realise I’m in danger of losing all credibility as a Nintendo-based writer here, but I’ve still never found the time to play The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (as I didn’t own the original), despite the game being in my possession for years now.

Elsewhere, the recent release of Luigi’s Mansion on 3DS, as well as the promise of Luigi’s Mansion 3 coming to Switch, has made me want to hook up the GameCube for a good blast of the original. Knowing me, I’ll end up ignoring them both for another year, before going through this exact process again next year. Ah well, I promise I’ll try!

Steve Bowling, US editor

Has it really been another week? I still haven’t finished unpacking my Starlink toys! I’d like to say this weekend I’ll be exploring New Tristram with a few friends, but we’re still a few days away. Instead, I’ll be spending some time with Nindies. I just received a copy of Moonlighter that I’ll be digging into to learn what merchants do in their off hours. It’s a charming pixel art Zelda-like that looks like it could be my next obsession. If I have time away from it, I might finally finish Crossing Souls. Maybe.

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln, reviewer

Like most of the planet, I’ll be spending a majority of my weekend/rest of my adult life playing a certain open-world Wild West simulator. However, when I’m not rustling cattle or robbing train passengers, I’ll likely be handing out a few beatdowns in My Hero One’s Justice and defying gravity at speed in GRIP. Look out for both, in delicious review form, next week on Nintendo Life.

Gavin Lane, contributing writer

I’m going on a road trip this weekend which means busting the Switch out of its dock. I’ll be testing my programming skills with 7 Billion Humans (catch the review next week) and cleansing the palette with Bulb Boy, which I downloaded for pennies last week. If all goes well, I’ll squeeze in a few online rounds of Splatoon 2 with my nephew, who’s just got a Switch. I got my first taste of the Nintendo Switch Online app rigmarole this week. I just want us to be on the same team – why is that so complicated?!

Once I’ve wasted 45 minutes trying to connect to hotel wifi, I’ll resign myself to constructing a small jiggy shrine and chanting incantations in the hope that Alex is wrong with his debunk of the latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ‘leak’ and a Banjo-Kazooie amiibo will soon adorn my shelf. Arr! I had a dream once…

Liam Doolan, news reporter

This weekend I’m looking forward to spending some time with what’s described as the most “entertaining sports game” ever made, according to its eShop listing. Surely you can guess what title I’m talking about by now, right? It’s the fast-paced and competitive disc throwing game Windjammers, of course! You might even recall its release earlier this week on the Switch eShop. I definitely need to spend some time in the online mode testing out every character, learning every skill and improving my overall reflexes before the second game is released next year. Wish me luck!

Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer

I’m truly spoiled for choice this weekend, and while most of my friends have their sights set firmly in the old American West, I keep mine steadfast on my enemies among the stars. Sure enough, Starlink: Battle for Atlas has turned into the greatest unexpected Mass Effect spin-off game ever made and I am having trouble leaving my Switch to accommodate my adult life responsibilities (yes folks, it really is that good!). Whenever I need a break from all the space shooting action, the second Pan European War also continues at great pace in Valkyria Chronicles 4. Hopefully, I’ll also get a few hours into Dark Souls: Remastered because I have always enjoyed those lovely desolated Lordran vistas.

My ‘Shiryu Game of the Week’ award goes to Car Quest; a minimalist approach to the 3D puzzle-platform genre where you happen to control the titular vehicle. Genius!

Austin Voigt, contributing writer

I’m going to be digging back into my catalog of Harry Potter Lego games in anticipation of the LEGO Harry Potter Collection releasing on Switch this coming Tuesday. I once had a friend ask me, “what is the point of combining Harry Potter and Lego? Seems pointless…”, to which my response was to never speak to that person again. T’is the time of year for spoops and Harry Potter. And all times of year are Lego times of year.

As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to leave a vote in the poll above and a comment below with your gaming choices over the next few days…

Byte4Games, StarCruiser Studio and BadLand Publishing will bolster the shoot ’em up genre on the Switch eShop in the second half of November with the release of Mars Chaos Menace. No exact release date has been announced.

After “successfully reintroducing” the twin-stick shooter genre with Demon’s Crystals – released on multiple platforms in 2016 and 2017 – the aim is to further revive the genre that brought fans iconic games such as Ikaruga.

The bullet hell shmup Mars Chaos Menace takes a “new approach to arcade shooters” with 3D graphics and all kinds of visual effects to charm even the most devoted fans. Like any other game within the genre, the story tasks you with saving civilisation from giant monsters who are attacking human colonies not far from Earth. Below are the main features and screenshots:

• Neat aesthetics and design that you will be delighted with.
• Great variety of unique environments to be discovered in the missions.
• Impressive enemies that will make you suffer and excel your skills.
• Several different enemies with a unique behavior.
• Action and challenge guaranteed for arcade shooter lovers.

Can you fit another shmup on your Switch? Tell us in the comments.

Square Enix’s follow-up to Dragon Quest Builders promises to bigger and better with a handful of new features. This includes the exciting addition of multiplayer. In the latest issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, fresh details have been shared about this new component which was absent from the first game.

According to a translation via Gematsu, a maximum of four players will be able to play and build together, while using gestures to communicate. To stand out from the crowd, each player will be able to change their character’s appearance. There’s also a bug-like vehicle in the game, designed by the legendary artist Akira Toriyama, that can transport everyone around.

Here’s a brief description about the multiplayer feature:

By progressing through the story, you will be able to play multiplayer on the base Vacant Island. By building with everyone and showing off your island, the range of play will expand. If you just want to show off the island you created, you can also set it so that other players cannot break or place objects.

With more players involved, you’ll be able to gather, craft and build much quicker – allowing gigantic structures and even statues to be created. Despite all of these details, there was no mention in the translation if this mode would be online, local or both.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is out in Japan on 20th December and will arrive locally at some point in 2019. Have you been holding out for the multiplayer component? Tell us below.

Can you believe it? Super Mario Odyssey is one year old already, as it’s now 27th October in Japan. It seems like it was only yesterday we were eagerly anticipating the game’s release on the Nintendo Switch. At the same time, it also feels like a lifetime ago as we’ve played many other games since.

In celebration of the big occasion, Nintendo’s Japanese Twitter account has released some special artwork (see above) and an instrumental dance version of Jump Up, Super Star:

In the UK, the official Super Mario Twitter account is promoting a snapshot contest to celebrate the one year anniversary. The contest is open until 30th October, with the winners to be announced on 12th November. Here’s a bit about it:

The theme for this round celebrates the one year anniversary of Super Mario Odyssey – it’s ‘Yourfavourite Captures’. So, find the things you love to Capture most and snap away! Get as creative as you like!

Upload your best shots to Twitter or Instagram before the end time, including the #OdysseyJournal and #SuperMarioOdyssey hashtags

After the closing date, we’ll select our three favourites and feature them on the official Nintendo website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages!

In case you missed it, last week Nintendo added new snapshot filters and a new zombie outfit to Super Mario Odyssey to celebrate the spooky season. The outfit will set you back 5,000 coins and the headwear is priced at 3,000 coins.

Are you still playing Super Mario Odyssey a year later? What do you think about it now compared to when the game launched? Tell us in the comments.

Capcom has revealed that three games in the Resident Evil series will be making their way to Nintendo Switch in 2019.

The announcement comes via Twitter, with Capcom revealing that Resident Evil, Resident Evil 0, and the much-adored Resident Evil 4 are all on the way next year. More details are naturally expected to follow.

Of course, up until now, the Switch has only seen the Resident Evil Revelations Collection and the Resident Evil 7: Cloud Version in Japan arrive on the console. We’d imagine these new releases could come with fancy, new Switch-specific features and the visual upgrades seen in other, more recent HD ports, but we’ll have to wait to hear more to be sure.

Are you excited for these Resident Evil classics on Switch? Join the hype in the comments below.