Category: Nintendo News

Nintendo has refused to acknowledge the existence of Bowsette, leaving fans of the Bowser and Peach mashup with no choice but to take matters into their own hands. Modders have already added the character to a number of Nintendo games including New Super Mario Bros. Wii and more recently The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and now it appears the appreciation for the character has moved beyond first-party titles.

SoulCalibur VI has just arrived on every platform except the Nintendo Switch. Even so, that hasn’t stopped the player base from attempting to recreate the Nintendo-themed character in Bandai Namco’s newest entry in the series. The game’s flexible character creator has made it relatively easy for players to fill the game with Bowsette fighters. They’ve gone as far as adding Boosette (the Boo version) of the character. The footage of the two fighters below is courtesy of DualShockers and there’s even a guide explaining how you can make both of these characters:

The last time the SoulCalibur series was on a Nintendo device was during the Wii generation in 2007. Before then, SoulCalibur II landed on the GameCube in 2002. This particular version of the game featured Link as a guest fighter.

Are you a fan of Bowsette? Have you played any of the SoulCalibur games in the past or the latest entry that’s just arrived? Would you like to see the series make a return to Nintendo platforms? Tell us in the comments below.

This year’s Ubisoft conference at E3 revealed Just Dance 2019 was on its way to the Wii and Wii U. Despite the success of the Switch, the older Nintendo systems have remained relevant enough for the French publisher to continue releasing its latest entries in the series on.

While it’s been a good run for these systems over the years, Ubisoft might finally be winding down the Just Dance series on each of these platforms. On the 19th November, it will be shutting down the online services on its end for the Wii versions of Just Dance 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. According to the list, the services will also end for Just Dance 2015 and 2014 on the Wii U.

This is what Ubisoft support had to say about the closure of its older Just Dance services:

We are constantly assessing what’s needed to deliver the best possible online services for Ubisoft’s customers. Shutting the services for some older games with smaller online audiences is a necessary part of this process, since it allows our IT and service staff to better focus on delivering great online experiences to the vast majority of customers who are playing newer, more popular titles. Still, we don’t take the decision to retire services for older Ubisoft games lightly, and we understand some of you may be disappointed by this news. We are happy to have fans that are as committed as you have been to these brands and titles, and we hope that you’ll find more recent or upcoming Ubisoft games which you can be equally as passionate about. Thank you for your understanding and your support.

Here are the specifics:

1. The multiplayer online services for the title will be shut down but the solo features will remain available.
2. Any In-game News and Player Stats services will be shut down.*
3. For Uplay-enabled games:*

• The Uplay service will no longer be available for the game on consoles.
• Units (Uplay currency) and Actions for the game will be disabled, meaning you will no longer be able to earn Units by completing Actions for the game.
• Rewards will be disabled in-game, meaning that you can still unlock them, but you will not receive them. If you unlock them after the closure of the online service for the game, please feel free to contact our Customer Support team to be refunded.

4. The ULC will be disabled, meaning that you will no longer be able to unlock them. On PC, even if you have redeemed them, the ULC will no longer be available. On consoles, the ULC will be available until you decide to reset your saved game files.*
5. Players having in-game currency should use it within the 60 days period. There won’t be any refund on unused in-game currency.*

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The end of these services for certain entries certainly raises questions about how long the series, in general, will hang around on older platforms. Nintendo officially ended the Wi-Fi service for Wii in 2014 and the Wii Shop will go offline on 30th January 2019.

Do you think we’ll see the next Just Dance release will make it across to the Wii and Wii U? Do you know anyone who still plays Just Dance on either the Wii or Wii U? Tell us in the comments.

Last time when we checked on the Chucklefish Switch eShop title WarGroove, the game had no release date. Apparently, the developer was aiming for a 2018 launch all along and that’s now been pushed back to Q1 2019.

Here’s exactly what was said in a recent progress report on the developer blog:

Initially we were aiming for a late 2018 release, but we have recently decided to move the launch window to Q1 2019 to allow us to provide players with a really robust package when the big day comes!

This was followed up with a rundown of all the content in the game so far, which is notably subject to change:

• Skirmish Mode: 30+ two-player PVP maps, 10+ three player PVP maps & 6+ four player PVP maps. Possibly a number of ‘scenario’ maps – not confirmed yet. This works both online and offline, can be played vs CPU in any configuration. Allows you to configure weather, turn timer, fog of war, income, map biome, Commanders and teams. Online matches can be synchronous or asynchronous and can have many matches running at once.
• Arcade Mode: Each Commander has its own arcade in which you fight 5 opponents in succession, on randomly chosen PVP maps. Each character talks to their opponent at the start of each fight and ends with a full cutscene when their arcade mode is completed – similar to fighting games! A great way to learn about all of the characters.
• Campaign Mode: 33+ Missions of varying length where you play as many different Commanders. Each mission starts and ends with a cutscene, some with cutscenes in the middle. Totals between 1 hour to 1hr30 of cutscene content!
• Puzzle Mode: 25+ extremely challenging puzzles where you have to defeat the enemy in a single turn.
• Map Creation: Easy to use basic tools/map painting. Advanced scripting tools for frankly ridiculous possibilities. Cutscene creation in-game, with really detailed tools that allow you to dress up your maps or campaign with a story. Includes a decoration System with fine control over the visuals of the map.
• Campaign Creation: Choose 1 of 3 world maps. Simple placing of missions on the map and assigning them icons/date/location/descriptions. Map flags, allowing for branching paths/unlockable missions/secrets.
• Content Sharing: A powerful content sharing centre for maps and campaigns. Ability to rate maps – Like/Dislike, with filters and search. Various different discoverability methods.
• Gallery: Unlock artwork from the games development, amongst other fun things we won’t spoil.
• Codex: Details the history of the world with lore and bio on all Commanders. Strategy info, rules and nice artwork of grooves. Damage charts for each unit with lots of unlockables.
• Jukebox: Unlock music tracks. Some cute stuff that we won’t spoil.
• Secret Content: ??????? The game probably has more secrets than you’d imagine – old school game style!
• Options: Language – we’re hoping to localise, but don’t know if it will be in for launch or not yet. Combat Animations – always/never/my turn only/commanders only. Show Grid – on/off. Auto end turn – when no units are unspent on/off. Zoom level – near/far. Standard resolution options. Separate volume controls for master/music/sound FX/Voices. Colour blind mode – red-green/blue-yellow. Rumble on your turn when using a gamepad.
  

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If you haven’t heard about WarGroove before, it’s been compared to Intelligence Systems’ Advance Wars and Fire Emblem series. The game was first revealed for the Nintendo Switch in March 2017 and will now release in the same quarter as another long-awaited indie title known as Shakedown Hawaii.

Have you been eagerly anticipating the release of WarGroove? How do you feel about it being pushed back to Q1 2019? Tell us in the comments.

There’s been some serious doubt when it comes to companies trying to make cloud gaming on console devices a thing. Ubisoft’s CEO Yves Guillemot has previously mentioned the future of the video game industry is streaming. In saying this, if you don’t have a top tier internet connection or live in a country with good net infrastructure like Japan, it’s simply not viable. What about if you do, though?

YouTube channel The Famicast (based in Japan), has uploaded a review of the cloud version of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, claiming it’s probably the only one you’re likely to see in English because the game is “geo-locked” to Japan. So if you have ever had concerns about this newfangled cloud technology catching on, this video may just change your mind.

The reviewer goes as far as stating he’s “kind of a believer” now, after spending around 20 hours in this streamable version of the game by Ubisoft. He’s genuinely enjoyed his time and says the overall performance has been great. About the only downside is you’re still pretty much grounded to home wifi for both the docked and portable play, and unless you have a decent cellular provider that can offer a stable connection, it’s tough to play on the go. The summary is Ubisoft continues to show how and why cloud gaming is the future. Based on the overall streaming performance, the game is awarded a score of nine out of ten – so it’s definitely playable if you live in the right location.

Check out the video review above and tell us if you’ve got any more faith in cloud gaming’s ability to provide a stable experience in the future.

Sitting at the end of a week which has seen two particularly high profile Switch releases, it perhaps comes as no surprise that many members of the NL team are getting stuck into Ubisoft’s space extravaganza and FromSoftware’s exploration of hellish landscapes. As always, you can check out all of the games that we’ll be playing this weekend down below, and even get involved yourself via our handy poll and comment sections. Enjoy!

Glen Fox, guides editor

So I read a few reviews of Starlink: Battle for Atlas and I’m now absolutely sold on it. I preordered it when the previews rolled out a few weeks ago but then cooled off around the time Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (now returned – too twitchy for me!) came out. It definitely seems to be the Star Fox stand in I hoped it was so I’ve ordered it again and it arrives today. That will be my weekend, though I still have my concerns.

I wonder what’s going to drive me forward if you’re not going to be unlocking new weapons and ships as you progress? Don’t get me wrong – I won’t be leaving the Arwing for a second – but I still like progression systems. Hopefully it will have something similar to stimulate me, or it will be just a lot of enormous fun. Seamlessly blasting everything that moves in a variety of different planets in the fricking Arwing definitely sounds like fun to me! So yeah, I’ll play that. Definitely didn’t just buy it for the physical Arwing. Nope – definitely not.

Gavin Lane, contributing writer

Assuming I can resist the allure of Dark Souls: Remastered, my Switch’s fan will get a well-earned rest this weekend as I dip into some older games. My new TV’s lack of legacy connections meant forking out for an HDMI adapter for Wii, so I’ll be testing for lag with Rock Band 3. I’ll probably crack out a Wavebird and see how F-Zero GX and Soulcalibur II hold up, too. Assuming I don’t lose hours fiddling with TV settings, my ‘pile o’ shame’ is calling me – Killer7 and Metroid Prime have been sitting near the top for a long time now.

Liam Doolan, news reporter

This weekend I might revisit the free-to-play offerings on the Switch. This includes the usual suspects – Fortnite and Paladins. When I’m not in either of these games, I intend to finally take a look at Arena of Valor by the Chinese developer Tencent. From what I’ve experienced so far, it’s a relatively straightforward MOBA with heroes, lanes and all the other usual content you would expect to find in a game like this. As I’ve played my fair share of these types of games on PC over the years, it’s been interesting so far to see how such an experience has been translated to couch and portable play. When I’m not playing these titles, I’ll probably spend some time in Super Mario Odyssey saving up for the recently added zombie headwear and outfit.

Steve Bowling, US editor

This weekend I’ll be exploring Starlink as much as I can, courtesy of Team Star Fox. From our review and Alex’s thoughts, I’m already sold on the game, but I want to experience it for myself. I have the starter kit with the Arwing and a handful of other ships, pilots and guns on hand, but I’m unsure of if I’d prefer to play this way or digitally. Playing with the toys was fun when I played the game at E3 this year, but I’m not sure how much that’ll hold up for extended play sessions.

Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer

What an incredible week and an even more incredible weekend ahead. Let’s just get Splatoween out of the way; you’ll find me online doing my sacred Splatfest duties in Splatoon 2 so if you happen to spot me among the enemy team with my glow-in-the-dark hockey mask, don’t run – you’ll end up both splatted and tired.

Two of my all time favourite PS3 games landed on the Switch this week – Valkyria Chronicles and Dark Souls: Remastered and I couldn’t be more stoked about replaying these two. While it’s true that Valkyria Chronicles 4 is the defining chapter of the franchise, it is a nice bonus to have the series’ origin so conveniently accessible. If I began talking about Dark Souls on Switch, we may need an entire article on that subject alone… so let us gaze to the stars above instead.

Everything (including my bank account balance) was eclipsed by the latest toys-to-life craze compliments of Ubisoft Toronto. Truth be told I was already on board the whole Starlink: Battle for Atlas shtick when I first had a glimpse of the project, many months before I would ever have imagined it would become the Star Fox game we never knew we wanted. I am rather looking forward to spending this upcoming weekend exploring every nook and cranny I can fly my eight ship squadron into. To top it all, it was released on birthday, one I will never forget!

Ryan Craddock, staff writer

While my dear friends and colleagues are off getting hopelessly addicted to Dark Souls: Remastered and Starlink: Battle for Atlas this weekend, I’ll actually more than likely find myself still enjoying a few rounds of Super Mario Party. I’m sure my newfound interest in the game will fade eventually, but I’m still enjoying playing for just an hour or so when we get the chance, and I’ve finally started to make my way through the solo-player portion.

My sights are now set a little more on the horizon, with the likes of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun!, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate being the main games on my mind. Until then, I’m happy to get a little more playtime out of the games that I’ve already treated myself to, which is a strangely forward-thinking and money-saving stance for me to take and one that will no doubt end pretty soon.

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…

This year the Street Fighter series is celebrating its 30th anniversary. To celebrate, Capcom released the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection – comprised of 12 iconic games. Anyone who has been playing this game since its release will be pleased to hear an update is on the way to the Nintendo Switch version on 23rd October. Here are the exact improvements and fixes via the Capcom-Unity blog:

Online Improvements:

• Improving online capabilities and ability to host lobbies
• Friends between the Japanese and international versions can locate one another’s lobbies
• General fixes

Localization Fixes:

• Updated Japanese strings
• Corrections to Korean Photosensitivity Warning

Training Mode Improvements: Multiple fixes have been made to improve dummy behavior.

Audio Improvements: Stereo playback improvements for Street Fighter III titles.

Museum Updates: Text and asset corrections have been applied.

Did you purchase the 30th Anniversary Collection when it originally arrived in May earlier this year? Are you still training up or have you moved onto another fighting game? Tell us in the comments below.

If you enjoyed Retro City Rampage by Vblank Entertainment on WiiWare, it might be worth taking a look at the new gameplay overview trailer for its successor Shakedown Hawaii. The game was originally scheduled to arrive in 2017 on the 3DS and Nintendo Switch and has since been pushed back to Q1 2019. Surprisingly, the 3DS release is still on the way – with the developer previously clarifying it was committed to releasing this particular version.

As explained in the trailer above, Shakedown Hawaii is a 16-bit destructible open-world adventure that parodies big business and the white collar crimes that go alongside it. You’ll take control of a trio of protagonists as you build a corporation, acquire businesses, sabotage competitors, rezone land (by demolishing it) and shaking down shops for protection money. You can explore the world on foot, by car or boat, go inside more than 200 stores, interact with multiple citizens and traverse a variety of environments ranging from jungles to farmland.

Are you still excited to play Shakedown Hawaii? Which platform will you be picking it up on? Take a look at the new overview trailer above and tell us in the comments below.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! features Eevee as one of the game’s stars. Pikachu’s selection needs no explanation – being the face of the series internationally since its inception, but how exactly did Eevee’s inclusion come about?

During the latest episode of Nintendo Minute, the game’s Director Junichi Masuda shed some light on why Eevee was chosen as one of the game’s cover Pokémon. For most parts, it links back to Pokémon Yellow. Here’s what he had to say via a translation:

So we knew we wanted to do two games when we first set out on the development and I also knew that I wanted to have the Pikachu version as kind of the base, in the original Pikachu Pokémon Yellow version Eevee was actually the Pokémon your rival used, so that was one of the reasons I wanted to have Eevee as kind of the featured Pokémon of the second game.

There were a few other factors in play, with Masuda revealing popularity played a big part:

Another big reason of that is that I know, I kind of realised that a lot of fans really do love Eevee as well. Over the years I’ve received tons of just like fan art and comments on Twitter from fans that just love Eevee.

So over the years, I realised just how popular that Eevee had become – you know the furriness and fluffiness of its tail and everything, and just kind of how cute and attractive as a Pokémon it is, so that was the reason I ultimately determined that Eevee would be the second version.

Masuda even found out there’s an Eevee Day in Japan on 21st November, with the date translating to the Japanese name for Eevee when it is read out.

Despite the love for Eevee, when asked which team he supports, Junichi Masuda sided with Pikachu.

How about yourself? Which version of Pokémon: Let’s Go do you intend to pick up or download on release? Are you more of a fan of Pikachu or Eevee? Take a look at the full video and tell us in the comments below.

Earlier this week, developer Two Tribes (famous for titles such as Toki Tori and RIVE amongst many others) teased an upcoming game. The collective mind of the internet used its almighty brain power to work out that it could be a Switch version of Swap This! – a puzzle game originally designed for iOS that was removed from the store some years ago.

Today, Two Tribes has officially unveiled the project, confirming people’s suspicions that Swap This! is indeed coming to Switch, bringing its colour-matching puzzle gameplay along for the ride. The game is said to feature five super-charged power-ups and five distinct play modes to keep you busy, requiring fast reflexes and tactical thinking to be successful. Of course, the developer had previously stated that RIVE would be its last new game as a studio, yet here we are with another release coming to Nintendo’s latest console.

The whole situation is certainly an intriguing one, so we decided to have a good catch up with Two Tribes co-founder Collin van Ginkel to learn more about the new game and see what’s happening next for the studio.

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Nintendo Life: Just in case any of our readers have missed out on the likes of RIVE and Toki Tori, could you introduce the Two Tribes team and tell us what you’re all about?

Collin van Ginkel: We’ve been around for about 18 years now, starting on Game Boy Color and ending on Nintendo Switch. As you mentioned, RIVE and Toki Tori are probably our best-known titles, but we’ve made dozens of games over the years.

As this is the first time Swap This! is appearing on a Nintendo platform, would you mind giving us an overview of the game?

The Switch will actually be the only platform you’ll be able to play it on!

Swap This! is our attempt to make the matching puzzle game genre exciting again. We’re describing it as an Arcade-Style Puzzle Experience, a game where gaming skills such as fast reflexes and strategic thinking actually count for something. The gameplay is still about matching colours, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be juggling multiple chain reactions in real time while deploying power-ups strategically. It’s quite frantic, and there is always room for a better strategy or to improve your reflexes.

Swap This! was actually released on iOS several years ago, but was then removed from the store if we remember rightly. What are the reasons behind bringing the game to Switch after all this time?

This is true. Unfortunately we ran into a problem with the game’s publisher, which resulted in the game only being available for a few weeks before we pulled it. Over the last several years we’ve been toying with the idea of releasing the game again in an updated fashion, and the Switch was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Swap This! asks players to bring their best gaming skills to the table, which fits the Switch audience perfectly. It just feels great to play the game in your hands on the Switch’s responsive touchscreen.

The Switch has become a fantastic console for fans of puzzle games. How will Swap This! stand out from the crowd?

Puzzle games are usually quite slow, but Swap This! is a fresh and frantic experience. The gameplay is several layers deep, each layer unfolding as you keep playing. After a few rounds you’ll start to discover the game’s deeper systems, such as the hidden Close-Up mode or cutting off parts of the playing field with extended chain reactions.

We assume the game will be designed for use with the Switch’s touchscreen, but will those who prefer to play with a more traditional controller setup have an option, too?

It’s definitely best played on the touchscreen, where the game responds instantly to your input. Having said that, we know not everyone prefers handheld play, so we’ve implemented a pointer mode as well. It works surprisingly well, but the experience depends a lot on the quality of the TV and its settings. We recommend touchscreen play, that’s for sure!

How did you find the process of bringing the game to Switch? You’ve released plenty of games on Nintendo platforms now, so are things relatively straightforward these days?

From a technical standpoint, Swap This! uses the same engine as RIVE and Toki Tori 2+. So that means we had it up and running quite quickly.

Most of the time was spent tweaking the game to perfection. Since reflexes are so important in Swap This! we’ve been tweaking countless settings up to the millisecond to make sure it plays buttery smooth throughout the experience. We also added Wave Mode, which has quickly become my personal favourite of the 4 included modes in the game.

The last time we spoke to you, the Two Tribes team looked set to go their different ways, with the studio confirming that RIVE would be its last new game. But now you’re back! To put it bluntly, what’s happening here? Can we expect more games going forward?

Thanks for asking, we’ve been meaning to clarify this for a while now. When we quit we said we wouldn’t make any new games, and this is still true. If you look at our output on Switch the last two years, we’ve been only releasing improved versions of our existing games. Swap This! is no exception, it’s just a game that a lot of people haven’t heard about before.

The release of the game has arrived pretty out of the blue (the first tease we saw was only earlier this week). Is the Switch version of Swap This! a relatively new project, or was the intention always to surprise fans near launch?

It was a conscious decision to announce it close to release. We know a lot of people are sceptical about this type of puzzle game, and we feel the need to prove that Swap This! really is a fresh arcade-style puzzle experience. Instead of telling people it’s great, we want them to experience it for themselves.

If you had to describe Swap This! in just one word, what would it be?

FRESH!

Any final words you’d like to share with our readers, or anything in particular we should look out for when playing the game?

I really hope everyone will give the game a chance. The genre is quite stale, but I really believe it’s a game that will surprise you with its hidden depth!

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We’d like to thank Collin for his time. Swap This! launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch on 2nd November for $1.19 / €1.19 / £1.09. Pre-orders are available from the Nintendo Switch eShop right now.