Category: Nintendo News

You’re going to need to know the ATK locations in Fortnite if you’re going to complete this week’s difficult challenge of jumping through flaming hoops in an ATK or shopping trolley. 

Just in case you’re unaware, ATKs are the new golf cart vehicles that were introduced at the beginning of season five. They drive like karts from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe too, which is pretty fun.

Fortunately for you, we’ve got them all in one handy map for you below.

Fortnite – ATK Locations

Refer to the map above to find the locations of all of the known spawn points for ATKs in Fortnite. Please note that we said spawn points, as ATKs don’t always spawn in the exact same location.

Instead, they have a chance to spawn in a set few locations on the Fortnite map. Typically, these are named locations on the periphery of the map.

Searching between a gas station, soccer pitch, and stunt mountain is one of the weekly challenges in Fortnite. 

Complete it and you’ll earn XP and Battle Stars that will help boost you up the Battle Pass tiers for those sweet exclusive rewards.

In this guide, we’re going to help you find the exact location of every single flaming hoop so you can complete this challenge with ease. That way you can move onto completing the other difficult challenge for this week – jumping through flaming hoops with a shopping cart or ATK.

Fortnite – Gas Station, Soccer Pitch, And Stunt Mountain Location

This challenge involves finding the location detailed in the headline: between a gas station, soccer pitch, and stunt mountain.

You’ll find it just south of Pleasant Park, at the base of Stunt Mountain. It’s near a thin white tree by the gas station visible from the base of the mountain.

Our map above details the exact location, and you can use our screenshot below to help narrow down your search.

Rising Star Games has announced that its upcoming puzzle adventure game Red’s Kingdom will land on Nintendo Switch later this month.

The game is a single-player adventure puzzle game designed for players of all ages. Mad King Mac has kidnapped your father and stolen your golden nut, leaving you with no choice but to solve puzzles and battle goons as you explore and battle your way through the game’s charming kingdom.

You’ll be discovering hidden treasure, collecting nuts, solving cunning environmental puzzles, and unlocking special powers which allow you to explore deeper into the game’s cutesy world. Each new area promises to contain something brand new to discover.

Features:
Touch screen control support in handheld mode on Nintendo Switch
Colourful single-player adventure with clever puzzles to solve
A vast kingdom to explore, packed with secrets
Metroidvania-stylings: unlock special powers that allow deeper access into the realm
Battle goons, make new friends and defeat Mad King Mac!

Developed by Cobra Mobile and published digitally by Rising Star Games, Red’s Kingdom will be available directly from the Nintendo Switch eShop on 16th August for $9.99. Other region pricing to be confirmed

What are your early thoughts on this one? Feel free to share your impressions in the comments below.

Jump through Flaming Hoops with a Shopping Cart or ATK is one of the weekly challenges in Fortnite. 

Complete it and you’ll earn XP and Battle Stars that will help boost you up the Battle Pass tiers for those sweet exclusive rewards.

In this guide, we’re going to help you find the exact location of every single flaming hoop so you can complete this challenge with ease. That way you can move onto completing the other difficult challenge for this week – search between a gas station, soccer pitch, and stunt mountain.

Fortnite – Flaming Hoops Locations

This challenge involves driving an ATK or Shopping Cart really fast off a ramp and through a series of flaming hoops. ATKs are those golf carts that were introduced at the beginning of season five by the way.

Above, you’ll find a map of all of the ramps we’ve found so far. Below, we’ll include screenshots of each one so you can help narrow down your search.

Snobby Shores

South of Snobby Shores you’ll find a flaming hoop over a ravine.

Stunt Mountain

Stunt Mountain has a bunch of ramps on it, but you’ll find the flaming hoop at its base.

South Shifty Shifts

South of Shifty Shafts, just to the south of an unnamed area and at the base of a mountain, you’ll find a flaming hoop near a ramp.

West Lazy Links

Look for a rocky ditch west of Lazy Links and you’ll find a flaming hoop near a ramp.

South Lazy Links

Head directly south of the “LA” in “lazy” to reach this flaming hoop. It’s between two ramps with an ice cream truck inbetween.

North West Paradise Palms

Head to the bridge north west of Paradise Palms and drop down into the canyon. You’ll find the flaming hoop just south of the bridge.

South Paradise Palms

Head to the road south of Paradise Palms and travel to the right side of it near the bend. You’ll find a ramp with a flaming hoop just south of it.

Nintendo may not have been the first company to come up with the ingenious idea of leveraging the unbridled nostalgia of your average gamer to sell bucketloads of ROM-filled micro-consoles, but the arrival of the NES Classic a few years ago certainly gave this previously niche sector of the market a swift kick up the backside. Since then we’ve seen another Classic Edition as well as a considerable surge of interest in ‘reheated’ vintage hardware; Sega, which ironically has had a presence in this field for well over a decade thanks to its association with AtGames, is set to release a new ‘Mini’ console based on the Mega Drive / Genesis later this year, but it has been beaten to the punch by one of its erstwhile rivals, SNK.

Shin Nihon Kikaku, as we all know, is the company that launched the legendary Neo Geo arcade and home hardware back in the ’90s. Notably dubbed ‘The Rolls Royce of games consoles’ by one outlet in the UK gaming media back in the day, this extravagantly expensive system was a contemporary of the SNES and Mega Drive, but offered arcade-quality graphics, sound and animation that put Sega and Nintendo’s machines well and truly in the shade. The catch, of course, was that the AES console – which was the domestic version of the MVS coin-op hardware – was vastly more expensive than its rivals and each game cost around £150-£200 a pop; as a result, the Neo Geo became an unobtainable object of desire for many a young gamer growing up in the ’90s, but never a system that they could realistically own – unless of course, they had very rich parents.

Fast forward to the present, and Neo Geo games can now be purchased for the price of a decent sandwich via the Switch eShop. Yet for some, that captivating allure remains; it is these people that SNK is clearly targeting with the Neo Geo Mini, its take on the whole ‘Classic Edition’ concept. Rather than slavishly clone Nintendo’s approach, the company has decided to give its new hardware a unique hook which respectfully references its arcade heritage – in short, the unit itself is shaped like a mini arcade cabinet and even has its own LCD screen.

Neo Geo Mini: The Hardware

SNK certainly scores points when it comes to sheer aesthetic charm with the Neo Geo Mini; it’s adorable. At just 390g it feels a little lightweight and cheap when you actually pick it up – it’s an entirely plastic design and there’s no internal battery to add heft (more on that later) – but overall, it’s an object that’s pleasing to handle and looks great from any angle. On the front you’ll find the traditional ‘stick and four-button’ layout that is common to the Neo Geo line of systems; the stick sadly isn’t microswitched, but it’s nevertheless responsive and accurate. The speakers on the unit are quite weak (thankfully a 3.5mm headphone socket is included) and there are no physical volume controls – you have to press Start and Select together to access a sub-menu, from where you can exit the game, handle save states, adjust the screen brightness and tinker with the volume level.

The Neo Geo Mini’s stick may be a little too stubby for some players, but we didn’t have any major complaints once we’d become accustomed to it. There are times when it feels like there’s a tad too much travel and the stick on our review unit felt like it had a small ‘dead zone’ when pushing right, but overall it’s actually very comfortable to use for prolonged periods – which is slightly surprising, as we know we weren’t alone in expressing our concern about usability when we saw the first leaked images of the unit. Of course, the real test is how the stick handles the complex inputs required in the many fighting games bundled with the system, and the answer is a positive one; we wouldn’t say this is the preferred way to crack skulls in King of Fighters ’98, but we didn’t have too many problems pulling off special moves.

Around the back of the unit you’ll find the power button – emblazoned with the Neo Geo logo, naturally – plus the USB Type-C port for power and the aforementioned 3.5mm audio socket. The inclusion of a screen may give the impression that this is a fully portable device, but that’s sadly not the case – as we briefly touched upon in the previous paragraph, there’s no power source inside the Neo Geo Mini and it has to be provided with external power in order to function. The good news is that you can use a portable battery pack to run the system; we used the SwitchCharge case and it worked just fine. Next to the USB socket is a mini-HDMI port for TV-out. This is sure to be a bone of contention with buyers as mini-HDMI is not a common connection (the only other device we’ve seen with one is the Nvidia Shield handheld). SNK doesn’t include a mini-HDMI to standard HDMI cable in the box, so you’ll have to source one for yourself if you want to hook it up to the TV. The only lead you get in the box is a USB to USB Type-C cable; there’s no power supply included, but the one you use to charge your average smartphone will do.

The 3.5-inch screen itself is decent enough; it’s pin-sharp, colours are bright, contrast is generally good and viewing angles are solid. It’s also the perfect 4:3 aspect ratio for Neo Geo games; this might seem like an odd comment to make, but those of you who bought the ill-fated Neo Geo X handheld a few years back will remember that it inexplicably came with a poor-quality 16:9 display, which looked plain odd. When you plug the unit into a TV, the LCD screen simply displays the Neo Geo logo while the image on your telly is boosted to 1080p.

The unit’s main menu clearly takes a lot of inspiration from the one seen on the NES and SNES Classic Editions; you browse the library of 40 titles horizontally, and each one has four save states. Even the ‘Settings’, ‘Help’ and ‘Copyright’ icons at the top of the UI look eerily similar to those seen on Nintendo’s micro-consoles. The unit we reviewed is a Japanese one, but it’s possible to dive into the settings and change all of the UI text to English – although it should be noted that this does not change the in-game text, which remains in Japanese for those titles which contain Japanese text, such as Top Player’s Golf. If you want to play everything in English, you’ll have to wait for the western release – on the upside, because all of the ROMs included here are the Japanese versions, there’s blood in Metal Slug and Mai Shiranui’s – ahem – assets are bouncy in all of the King of Fighters games.

When playing on the TV, a limited number of display options become available. You have the option to stretch the image to fill the entire screen both horizontally and vertically but thankfully can toggle both of these settings off so that you get the correct aspect ratio and avoid any overscan. ‘Image Quality Optimization’ is also a thing; with this disabled, the picture is quite fuzzy and lacks the clean pixel look of the NES and SNES Classic Editions – in fact, it looks very similar to a composite connection, which should send chills up the spine of any retrogaming purist. Annoyingly, turning image quality optimization on simply applies an emulator-like screen filter that softens out all of the pixels; it’s marginally better than the standard image but still not as appealing as the ‘pure’ pixel-heavy look. Alas, there’s no way of applying scanlines to the image, which will be a massive blow to those who consider the CRT-style filter a must for that authentic ’90s experience.

When playing on the TV, using the Neo Geo Mini’s controls becomes slightly more awkward, although by balancing the unit on your fingertips you can rest your thumbs on the stick and buttons, rather like you would with a Switch Pro Controller, so it’s still serviceable. If you can’t get on with this setup then you’ll be pleased to learn that the Neo Geo Mini has two additional USB Type-C ports (one on each side) into which you can plug the Neo Geo Mini controller, which is, of course, sold separately. Based on the design of the iconic Neo Geo CD pad, these are a joy to use – although the stick isn’t microswitched, as it was on the original. Despite this omission – which will no doubt befuddle purists who need to hear that somewhat obnoxious ‘click’ as they play – the pad is precise and responsive; given that the microswitched stick on many original Neo Geo CD controllers failed over time (we’ve suffered this ourselves), it’s perhaps a design change for the better. On a side note, you can’t remap any of the buttons in the settings menu.

Neo Geo Mini: The Games

We’ve taken a good look at the hardware, so now would be the perfect time to analyse the selection of bundled software. 40 titles are included on the Neo Geo Mini to tie in with the fact that SNK is now 40 years old, and if you have even a passing knowledge of the company’s library, then you’ll spot plenty of the usual suspects here. 

The entire Neo Geo King of Fighters series is included, which should perhaps come as no great shock given that it’s one of SNK’s most popular franchises, but elsewhere titles have been cherry-picked a little more carefully. For example, there’s no Fatal Fury or Fatal Fury 2, but Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout Fatal Fury, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 and Garou: Mark of the Wolves make the cut. Likewise, we get Samurai Shodown 2, Samurai Shodown IV and Samurai Shodown V Special, but not the first and third entries. The first three Metal Slugs are included, but Metal Slug X and the others are absent. Other franchises only get a single helping; only one Art of Fighting game is included, and the same goes for World Heroes, Super Sidekicks, King of Monsters, Shock Troopers and Sengoku.

Here’s the full list of software for the Japanese version of the Neo Geo Mini:

• King of Fighters ’94
• King of Fighters ’95
• King of Fighters ’96
• King of Fighters ’97
• King of Fighters ’98
• King of Fighters ’99
• King of Fighters 2000
• King of Fighters 2001
• King of Fighters 2002
• King of Fighters 2003
• Samurai Shodown 2
• Samurai Shodown IV
• Samurai Shodown V Special
• Fatal Fury Special
• Real Bout Fatal Fury
• Real Bout Fatal Fury 2
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves
• World Heroes Perfect
• Kizuna Encounter
• Art of Fighting
• Last Blade
• Last Blade 2
• Ninja Master’s
• Aggressors of Dark Kombat
• King of Monsters 2
• Cyber-Lip
• Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad
• Top Hunter
• Ninja Commando
• Burning Fight
• Metal Slug
• Metal Slug 2
• Metal Slug 3
• Sengoku 3
• Alpha Mission 2
• Twinkle Star Sprites
• Blazing Star
• Top Player’s Golf
• Super Sidekicks
• Joy Joy Kid

Picking 40 games from the Neo Geo’s small-yet-appealing back catalogue was always going to be a thankless task; you can’t please everyone. Still, there’s the predictable deluge of fighting games on offer here, with a whopping 24 of the 40 titles being one-on-one brawlers, SNK’s preferred genre during the ’90s. Did we really need every single King of Fighters entry? That’s debatable, and it’s a shame that some of the later Super Sidekicks games weren’t included, as well as more unique releases like 2020 Super Baseball, Soccer Brawl, Three Count Bout and Pulstar. The omission of what will perhaps be the most-requested game – Windjammers – is easier to fathom; originally a Data East title, the rights now belong to Paon, which recently licenced the game to DotEmu. As such, SNK has no control over the title, despite it being one of the console’s most famous releases.

Even so, if you’re a seasoned fan of SNK then we can’t imagine you’ll have too many complaints with the selection of games included here; after all, the company built its fanbase on its mastery of the one-on-one fighting genre, and at one point King of Fighters was the most popular arcade series in Japan – even beating Capcom’s efforts. However, it’s still a shame that so many hidden gems in the Neo Geo library – gems which are freely available on the Switch eShop at the time of writing, such as Neo Turf Masters, Spin Master, Aero Fighters 3 and NAM-1975 – didn’t make the cut, as they would have added some welcome variety to a system which has an almost overwhelming focus on brawlers. Don’t like fighting games? Then this really isn’t the system for you; but having said that, we can’t imagine there are many SNK diehards out there that don’t like the genre.

It’s worth noting that the international edition of the system will offer a slightly different lineup of games:

• 3 Count Bout
• Art of Fighting
• Blazing Star
• Blue’s Journey
• Crossed Swords
• Fatal Fury Special
• Foot Ball Frenzy
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves
• Ghost Pilots
• King of the Monsters
• King of the Monsters 2
• Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle
• Last Resort
• Magician Lord
• Metal Slug
• Metal Slug 2
• Metal Slug 3
• Metal Slug 4
• Metal Slug 5
• Metal Slug X
• Mutation Nation
• Ninja Master’s: Haou Ninpou Chou
• Puzzled
• Real Bout: Fatal Fury
• Robo Army
• Samurai Shodown II
• Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge
• Samurai Shodown V Special
• Sengoku 3
• Shock Troopers
• Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad
• Super Sidekicks
• The King of Fighters ’95
• The King of Fighters ’97
• The King of Fighters ’98
• The King of Fighters 2000
• The King of Fighters 2002
• The Last Blade 2
• Top Player’s Golf
• World Heroes Perfect

Given that the Neo Geo Mini is clearly based on ‘system-on-a-chip’ emulation – just like Nintendo’s Classic Edition series – there’s a good chance that in the fullness of time someone will hack the unit and work out a way of adding more titles, as has been the case with both the NES and SNES Mini. When that day inevitably comes it will offer the potential to tinker with the library of titles, but until then you’ll have to make do with 40 games that do a good job of highlighting the strong points of the console’s fighting game repertoire, but perhaps don’t go far enough to show how much variety there was on the platform when it came to other genres. 

The quality of the emulation seems fine to us; everything runs at the speed its supposed to and the only slowdown we spotted is slowdown that exists on the original hardware (Metal Slug, we’re looking at you). Some of the audio sounded slightly different to our ears, but that might just be us. On the topic of audio, the UI’s sound effects – which manifest themselves when you’re scrolling through the menu and selecting items – are quite laggy and don’t sound right at all, but this naturally doesn’t impact the standard of the emulation in each game. It’s just rather annoying.

Neo Geo Mini: The Verdict

The good news is that by and large, the Neo Geo Mini avoids most of the issues that crippled the Neo Geo X – but it’s far from perfect. The display options are lackluster, with limited filters to play with and an image that curiously ignores pixel-perfect quality and instead opts for a choice between muddy, composite-style graphics and a smoothed-over, emulator-style appearance – neither of which are really satisfactory, but won’t be all that noticeable when you’re sat a few feet away from your TV.

The lack of a bundled HDMI lead is frustrating – especially as few households are likely to have a spare mini-HDMI lead lying around – and the fact that it’s not very feasible to play the system on a telly using the unit’s controls means that an extra controller is a must, which drives the cost of ownership up further. Should SNK have included a pad with the console? It would have been nice, even if it added to the retail price; so many of the bundled games rely on a second person being involved, so most players will want to invest in at least one pad.

It’s also puzzling that SNK didn’t include an internal battery so the unit could be played on the move; while it’s not a traditional portable console, it’s such a cute little unit that there’s the temptation to take it out and about with you and set it down on any flat surface for a quick blast on Metal Slug. At least the USB Type-C port will accept portable power banks, so you can always satisfy your urge for mobile play with one of those, even if it’s not the most elegant solution in the world. Finally, the roster of 40 games won’t please everyone, but then that’s an impossible task anyway; ultimately, it showcases some of the console’s best games in King of Fighters ’98, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Last Blade 2, Blazing Star and Metal Slug, so it’s hard to complain too vigorously when there are so many solid-gold classics on offer.

The Neo Geo Mini is only available in Japan at present, with a western release coming later this year. The retail price is still very much up in the air, but we’ve heard rumblings that it could cost as much as £100 in the UK; that makes it more expensive than both the NES and SNES Classic, but then again, it does include an LCD screen and contains more games (although you could argue that the lack of a mini-HDMI cable and controller in the base package balances that out somewhat). Still, that’s the ethos of the Neo Geo brand; you pay more for access to this exclusive club. Some things really never change.

Thanks to Funstock for providing the unit used in this review.

Gamers of a certain age will know all too well the thrill of amusement arcades; the glare of the screen, the unique – erm – ‘smells’ and the challenge of sitting down next to a potentially unknown opponent and taking them down in your favourite game. Those truly were the days.

If you’re hankering for a return to that glorious era, then the ‘Face-to-Face Arcade Stand for Nintendo Switch’ might be up your street. It’s basically a plastic shell into which you can insert two Switch consoles and four (count ’em) Joy-Con controllers. The design replicates the sit-down arcade units which were (and still are) really popular in Japan.

If the video above hasn’t put you off the whole wacky idea, then you can order one of these bad boys using the link below.

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.

Today saw an official livestream for the Senran Kagura series take place on YouTube, with details expected to be shared surrounding the upcoming Switch title, Peach Ball: Senran Kagura. Unfortunately for those watching the show, YouTube terminated proceedings before the stream reached its end.

The stream focused on a few various aspects of the Senran Kagura series, including new info, images, and footage for its most recent games, all presented by series producer Kenichiro Takaki. New details for the Switch game were shown during the event, including some new gameplay footage, and a ‘Premium’ edition has also been announced for Japan containing the game, Nyuu Nyuu Special DLC costumes, a ‘Diorama Motion’, a ball set, and even more characters and courses that will be available to purchase separately at a later date.

It was after this that things turned a little weird (or normal in Senran Kagura’s case). The show soon reportedly moved on to a ‘real life’ version of the game which involved some of the ladies in attendance throwing ping pong balls at a model’s cleavage. In what was, perhaps, a rather unsurprising move, the stream suddenly came to a halt here thanks to a violation notice from YouTube. You can see it here for yourself.

We expect Marvelous Entertainment will re-upload the non-offending trailers and footage for Peach Ball: Senran Kagura at a later date, making sure to get rid of the show’s ending to ignore further trouble. Until then, though, fans will have to enjoy this lovely black screen.

The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, 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!

Nintendo Switch

Overcooked 2 (Team 17, Tue 7th August, $24.99) Buddy up or go it alone as you cook up a storm, chopping, steaming and frying your way through dynamic and outright crazy levels. Now with online multiplayer for up to four chefs, there is no such thing as too many cooks and the steaks have never been higher as you prepare to save the Onion Kingdom. . . Again.

Dead Cells (Motion Twin, Tue 7th August, $24.99) Dead Cells puts you in control of a failed alchemic experiment trying to figure out what’s happening on a sprawling, ever-changing and seemingly cursed Island. Tough but fair combat, responsive controls, challenging foes, permadeath and of course, the emergency panic roll to get you out of trouble, make for a demanding, visceral and cathartic action game. 

Flipping Death (Zoink! Games, Tue 7th August, $19.99) When Penny dies under mysterious circumstances, she wakes up and finds herself filling in for DEATH HIMSELF! This temp job comes with a new power – the ability to flip between the worlds of the living and the dead! In this puzzling platformer, she’ll need that – and her wits – if she ever hopes to unravel the mystery of her demise.

Switch eShop

Salt and Sanctuary (Ska Studios, Today, $17.99) Salt and Sanctuary seamlessly combines fast, brutal, and complex 2D combat with richly developed RPG mechanics. Discover, craft, and upgrade over 600 weapons, armor pieces, spells, and items as you explore a cursed realm. Read our Salt and Sanctuary review.

1979 Revolution: Black Friday (Digerati, Today, $11.99) Based on true stories and historical events, 1979 Revolution: Black Friday is an interactive drama about choice and consequence, chaos and order. The year is 1978, the place is Tehran, Iran. You play a photojournalist who returns home to find his people protesting the ruling King, the Shah. Armed with your camera, you’re soon pulled into a dangerous world of revolution and civil unrest.

Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku -Forbidden Romance with Mysterious Spirit (DIGIMERCE, Today, $24.99) A sweet and sour dramatic forbidden love story between a human and mythical spirit!

Battle Supremacy (Atypical Games, Thu 19th July, $9.99) Unleash the full power of your device in Battle Supremacy, a WWII tank game with thrilling gameplay and showoff-worthy visuals.

Crush Your Enemies (Vile Monarch, Today, $8.00) Go back to the days when you thought real-time strategy games were awesome. But this time you don’t need to spend a whole hour to just win a skirmish. Jump right into battle and use your trusty strategic and tactical skills to crush hundreds of enemies within minutes!

Cycle 28 (Pill Bug, Today, $6.99) Cycle 28 is a space shooter in the classic arcade style that keeps you pushing for a high score. The controls are simple. The action is fast-paced. Intense dogfights lead to epic, screen-filling bosses.  Read our Cycle 28 review.

Dawn of the Breakers (Cyberstep, Thu 26th July) Defeat the impending menace, the mysterious “Ghouls”! Utilize new abilites with each transformation of your Heroes! Discover the fate that awaits a young man afflicted with amnesia… Embark on an unpredictable journey in the fully realized Story Mode! Play with friends in co-op, or compete against them for glory in the Arena! Form a team with 6 Heroes, and terminate the Ghoul threat with explosive techniques!

Eekeemoo – Splinters of the Dark Shard (Cooply, Today, $4.99) In this awesome third-person adventure game you will help Eekeemoo rescue his friends from the clutches of the evil Dark Shard! Your quest will take you deep into the Dark Shards four corrupted splinter worlds. You’ll help Eekeemoo solve puzzles, complete tasks and battle monsters, legions of the undead and hugely terrifying boss monsters!

Flat Heroes (Deck 13, Today, $9.99) You are a square — a two-dimensional loner in a one-dimensional world. You’re just a square, trying to survive dozens and dozens of increasingly intense challenges. Read our Flat Heroes review.

Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2 (Crazy Monkey Studios, Today, $12.99)  Welcome to the 1940’s. Europe is being torn apart by the war, the USA is preparing for battle and the mob does business as usual. Only this time they went too far, even for Vinnie’s standards.

Iconoclasts (Bifrost Ent., Today, $19.99) Join renegade mechanic Robin and uncover the secrets of a dying planet. Explore a big world filled with intricate puzzles, interesting characters and menacing bosses in a beautiful platform adventure that tells a personal story about faith, purpose and the challenge of helping people. Read our Iconoclasts review.

In Between (Headup Games, Tue 7th August, $11.99) In Between is an atmospheric, award-winning platformer where you solve mind-bending puzzles by manipulating your surroundings and gravity itself. In Between is set inside the mind of a man hit by a cruel twist of fate.

Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Shoot Out (FTE Games, Today, $7.99) Stop the criminal gangsters and save the civilians in this action-packed shooter.

Kenshō (JetDogs, Today, $14.99) Begin your journey through a surreal world where nature, time and space intertwine. Mysterious things happen in a ruined room. Doors inside that room lead to different worlds and beautiful landscapes.

Loot Monkey: Bling Palace (Tackorama, Mon 6th August, $7.00) Loot Monkey: Bling Palace is 2D, flip-screen platformer that tests your wits and your patience, not your ability to mash buttons. Inspired by Jet Set Willy and Manic Miner, Loot Monkey: Bling Palace is more of a ‘thinking person’s platformer’ where you’ll need to consider your route through the many strange rooms of the loot-littered Bling Palace.

Not A Hero: Super Snazzy Edition (Devolver Digital, Today, $12.99) Professional assassin turned amateur campaign manager Steve is charged with cleaning up the city by an anthropomorphic rabbit and mayoral candidate from the future named BunnyLord. Now Steve and his expanding roster of dubious heroes must wield their unique skills to shoot, slide, dive, and take cover behind a political platform built on ethics, accountability, and an inordinate amount of gunfire. 

Picross S2 (Jupiter Corporation, Today, $8.99) The second part of the new Picross series for the Nintendo Switch has been released! Now you can play the new “Clip Picross” mode in addition to the 300 problems already available for Picross and Mega Picross! Solve the questions on the pieces scattered across the board to complete a large illustration in this mode.

Pixel Action Heroes (Cypronia, Mon 30th July, $4.99) Play as an iconic physics-based action hero from the movies in fully destructible block building world. Become an FPS level designer!

Road to Ballhalla (tinyBuild Games, Today, $14.99) – Rhythm-driven gameplay: Move with the music to overcome even the most difficult hazards, like laser beams or insane camera angles trying to explode both your balls and your brain.

Slam Land (Bread Machine Games, Tue 7th August, $7.99) SLAM LAND, a magnificent new 4-player couch fighting/party game by Bread Machine Games. Select your fighter and punch, grab and DOUNK! your way through five modes, ten levels, and a surreal world overseen by a benevolent giant whose only amusement in life is to witness sporting and majestic slams. Win his favor or get stuffed trying!

Super Blackjack Battle 2 Turbo Edition – The Card Warriors (Headup Games, Tue 7th August, $7.99) Super Blackjack Battle II Turbo Edition introduces a roster of 12 very different characters all competing to become the greatest Blackjack player of all time.

The Inner World (Headup Games, Fri 3rd August, $11.99) Embark on a crazy adventure to the wonderful and mysterious world of “Asposia”. Robert is a novice, a bit clueless, but with a heart of gold. He lives a peaceful life as a court musician in Asposia’s largest wind monastery.

The Inner World – The Last Wind Monk (Headup Games, 18th July, $14.99) Solve mind-bending puzzles in a world full of mystery and save the family of the flute-noses! Their dynasty has been watching over Asposia for centuries on end. In secret, they fill the roly-poly world with light and life. But when their existence is discovered, they become hunted. 

Toby: The Secret Mine (Headup Games, Tue 24th July, $9.99) A peaceful way of life in a small village in the mountains was thrown into disorder. Someone has kidnapped most of its residents. A couple of brave hearts tried to rescue their friends but none of them has returned. Little Toby didn’t want to just sit and wait so he decided to find them by himself. He went to the near deep forest but he soon realized this is just a beginning.

Switch eShop Demos

Yoku’s Island Express (Team 17) Yoku has arrived on Mokumana and he’s ready for the easy life, soaking up the sun and delivering parcels on a tropical paradise!

3DS

WarioWare Gold (Nintendo, Fri 3rd August) Play his brand-new microgame collection, where you’ll have seconds to complete 300 different microgames. Better think fast to succeed! You’ll use the touchscreen, tilt the system, push buttons, and rock the mic as you laugh through fully voiced stories featuring new and classic characters! New microgames and remade classics from across the series—300 in all! Read our WarioWare Gold review.

Wii U eShop

Forest Escape (RandomSpin, Today, $0.70) Forest Escape is: Run, run away. You have to escape from this dangerous, terrible forest. Danger breathes in your back and it’s gaining speed, it will soon catch you up, run faster. Just don’t hit the tree!

Nintendo eShop sales

Great deals this week! Check out the full list of deals available this week here.

Activities

Fire Emblem Heroes: Feh’s Summer Celebration – It’s been one year and six months since the release of the Fire Emblem Heroes smartphone game. We’re throwing a Summer Celebration full of limited-time events, including log-in bonuses, special quests and daily reward maps, to express our gratitude for your continued support. Check out the game site for more information about the celebration.

Keep the fun going all summer long with action-packed My Nintendo rewards! – To help celebrate the launch of the WarioWare Gold game, we’re offering Wario-themed rewards, like a Nintendo 3DS Home menu theme featuring Ashley, one of the key characters from WarioWare Gold, and wallpaper. Redeem your points to get them!

My Nintendo is also offering up to 50% discounts on action-packed titles that’ll give your gaming skills a workout throughout the summer. Check out the rewards and redeem your points for the discounts today.

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

Whilst Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate has sort of existed for a while in the form of Monster Hunter XX in Japan, it’s not until this version that the average English-speaking Switch owner could play the game and understand it at the same time. Although the gameplay is essentially identical to the Japanese version, we still thought you might be interested to see how it runs in the video above.

It’s a shame to see it’s still locked to 30fps to ensure compatibility with the 3DS version, although considering said 3DS edition was never released outside of Japan it does feel a bit mean to cut the potential frame rate in half. More on that when our written preview is finished, which will be very soon indeed.