Category: Nintendo News

Award-winning UK publisher Lost in Cult is teaming up with our sister site Time Extension for The Console Chronicles, a new book covering the history of home console gaming, from the earliest Pong machines to the present day.

The Console Chronicles is the follow-up to A Handheld History, a previous Lost in Cult book focused on portable play. This new tome – which will run for more than 400 pages and will be divided into nine sections, each representing a generation in console hardware – will feature the talents of Julian “Jaz” Rignall (C&VG, Mean Machines), Kurt Kalata (Hardcore Gaming 101), James Mielke (1UP), Sara Heritage, Christian Donlan (Eurogamer), Ashley Day (GamesTM), Jon Cartwright (Good Vibes Gaming), Darryl Still (Atari), Van Burnham (Supercade), Tom Charnock (The Dreamcast Junkyard) and many, many more.

In fact, there are some more familiar names adding their words to this one – our very own Alana Hagues, Alex Olney, PJ O’Reilly, Liam Doolan, Gavin Lane and Ollie Reynolds. That’s right – they’ll all be contributing to The Console Chronicles, alongside fellow Hookshot Media staffers Stephen Tailby, Aaron Bayne, and Fraser Gilbert.

With bespoke artwork by Stephen Maurice Graham, Raul Higuera, Hannah Kwan Cosselmon, William Exley, and Jack Teagle – not to mention a host of special rewards for those who back this ‘Campaign Edition’ of the book – The Console Chronicles is looking very nice indeed, if we do say so ourselves.

And remember, by pledging your financial support to this project, you’re not only allowing us to produce more exciting books with Lost in Cult, but you’re also directly supporting the work we do across the entire Hookshot Media network.

The Console Chronicles will be sponsored by The Embracer Games Archive. Based in Karlstad, Sweden, The Embracer Games Archive is one of the most active forces in the realm of video game preservation, and its collection currently stands at over 80,000 games, consoles, and accessories.

Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

If you’d like to know more or you’re itching to order a copy, then head over to the book’s page here.

Mortal Kombat 1 might not have had the best launch on Switch, but that hasn’t stopped NetherRealm Studios from hyping up what’s next for the latest entry in the long-running fighting game series.

Director and series co-creator Ed Boon recently mentioned on social media how this is just the beginning and there’s a lot more to come – from a long list of fighters to game features. Here’s exactly what he had to say:

Ed Boon: “We are only at the beginning of the ride with #MortalKonbat1. We look forward to sharing what’s koming next with a loong list of Fighters, Kameos and game features to kome!”

There’s already been a DLC Kombat Pack announced for Mortal Kombat 1. It arrives in Spring 2024 and includes Peacemaker, Omni-Man, Homelander, Quan Chi, Ermac and Takashi Takeda. Some other DLC fighter rumours also popped up last week.

As for the Switch release, Boon mentioned around the time of Mortal Kombat 1’s launch how this version would “absolutely be getting an update” to address a “number of the concerns and issues”. You can learn more in our previous coverage:

Have you been playing Mortal Kombat 1 since it launched? How are you finding it so far? Comment below.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 isn’t slowling down with the character spotlights, and the latest one focuses on the lasagna and pizza-loving cat Garfield.

In All-Star Brawl 2, Garfield returns as an all-rounder with a revamped moveset. He’s got slightly below-average speed but can drop food to go into a crazed sugar frenzy, giving him an extreme case of the zoomies. Garfield can also bring out his “old school shine” to reflect projectiles. You can get the full rundown in the video above.

Garfield’s spotlight follows on from Grandma Gertie’s moveset breakdown, a look at the eccentric explorer Nigel Thornberry and also Ren & Stimpy. You can catch up on all the character announcements in our existing coverage here on Nintendo Life:

What do you think of the latest spotlight trailer for All-Star Brawl 2? Leave a comment below.

Earlier this year in June, developer Aspyr announced it would no longer be releasing “The Sith Lords” DLC for the Nintendo Switch version of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. Instead of refunds, it offered a free Star Wars game.

In response to this, a group of Star Wars loving Switch fans in the US have banded together to launch a class action lawsuit against Aspyr and the game’s publisher Saber Interactive. The case ‘Malachi Mickelonis v. Aspyr Media, Inc. et al‘ was filed in July – requesting a jury trial, with the defendants required to respond by 4th October.

Here’s a summary (via The Gamer), claiming the restored content was advertised to sell the game and arguing how there’s a legal obligation to provide a refund:

“In 2022, Defendants [Aspyr and Saber] advertised KOTOR to users of the video console Nintendo Switch as having never-before released ‘Restored Content DLC… Plaintiff and numerous other consumers were excited about the new content that Defendants claimed was ‘coming soon.’ In fact, KOTOR sat at the top of Nintendo’s e-Shop rankings…”Plaintiff felt completely duped…Plaintiff did not even play KOTOR after purchasing it, instead choosing to wait until the Restored Content DLC was released… Defendants did not provide the Restored Content DLC, but refuses to give consumers a refund for their purchase of KOTOR.”

Although Aspyr didn’t offer refunds, the free complimentary video game key allowed users to redeem a copy of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II on the PC digital platform Steam. Other Star Wars games on offer included a code for the first Knights of the Old Republic on the Nintendo Switch and titles like Jedi Knight and Jedi Knight II.

Aspyr is the same developer behind the recently announced collection Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, which will be launching on the Switch in February next year.

If we hear any significant developments, we’ll let you know.

The first entry arrived on Switch last month

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• by Liam Doolan 5 hours ago

Nintendo has announced it will be hosting a special Xenoblade Chronicles 3 event in Tetris 99 later this week.

The latest ‘Aionios Edition’ cup will run from 29th September until 2nd October and allows players to unlock a special theme when they earn 100 points in-game. This theme features background art, music and Tetrimino designs inspired by Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

To participate in this event, you’ll need to obviously be a Switch Online member. This game is also free to download when you’re a subscriber to this service.

If you’ve not checked out Xenoblade Chronicles 3 yet, it’s well worth a look. And if you’re eager for even more 99 player battle royale action, Nintendo recently launched F-Zero 99 on the Switch Online service.

Will you be participating in this upcoming event for Tetris 99? Comment below.

Lunar Ray Games, the developer behind the beautiful pixel art Metroidvania Timespinner, has announced that it’s developing a sequel (thanks, Gematsu!). A release date hasn’t been announced, but hopefully, we’ll see it sometime next year.

Timespinner 2: Unwoven Dream is coming to Steam and unspecified consoles, but given that the original tile came to Switch in 2019 (just a year after the PS4 and PC version), it’s fairly likely this will see the light of day on Switch — or perhaps Nintendo’s next console. The sequel takes place “after the events of Timespinner” according to the game’s official website but stars a new protagonist in Auria who — like Lunais from the first game — can wield powerful orbs of magic.

The first game drew many favourable comparisons with Castlevania, particularly Symphony of the Night, Aria of Sorrow, and Order of Ecclesia with the ability to swap your Orb load-outs to deal with different situations, and going by the announcement trailer, it looks like Auria may have even more up her sleeve, including minions, special jumps, and more. The pixel art is looking as brilliant as ever, and Jeff Ball is back on composing duties, so we’re eager to see how everything comes together once again.

We’ve got some screenshots of the game, along with a rough outline of the plot, straight from the Timespinner 2 website:

Avert the Impending Apocalypse
Auria, a retired war hero, awakens to the ominous stirrings of the catastrophic Unwoven Dream. Amidst the turmoil, her son runs away to prove that he is the destined hero who can forestall the impending collapse of reality. Driven by a mother’s love, Auria embarks on a quest to save her son, only to unveil the truth behind the prophecies and her role in staving off an irreversible cataclysm.

A Holy Warrior Returns to Battle
Once again, Auria must wield her Orbs of crystallized magic to protect the ones that she loves. Bolstered by her healing faith, she will grow in strength and agility to surpass any obstacle. Even should she fall in battle, the blessing of the Eternal Mother will return Auria to life once more; nothing will stand in her way!

Explore a Fantastic World
Embark alongside Auria on a grand odyssey through the sprawling interconnected realm of Surflynd. From eerie woodlands to the ominous Tower of the Apocalypse, from dark underwater depths to the ethereal Domain of Dreams, her journey knows no bounds. Explore a lovingly drawn pixel-art world, accompanied by a beautiful musical score by Jeff Ball, in an adventure that is a perfect ode to the classic games of the 90s.

If you’re a fan of Metroidvanias or pixel art action games, you owe it to yourself to check out the first game on Switch. In our review of Timespinner, we said that the game was (and still is) “Gorgeous to behold and equally delightful to play,” awarding it an 8/10.

Have you played Timespinner? Will you be checking out the sequel? Let us know in the comments.

It’s finally happening — Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden will be getting physical editions for consoles, including Switch, courtesy of Limited Run Games.

Persona 3 Portable’s physical will be available to pre-order from the Limited Run Games store from 29th September (starting from 10am EST / 7am PST) until 12th November 2023. Persona 4 Golden pre-orders open later, on 27th October.

Both seminal RPGs from Atlus launched on the Switch eShop and other digital storefronts way back in January 2023. Many lamented the lack of a physical release compared to Persona 5 Royal’s treatment last year, but now thanks to LRG, we’ll have to make some room on the shelves for these.

Limited Run has only revealed Persona 3 Portable’s various exclusive physical editions, with Persona 4 Golden’s to be announced “in the coming weeks”. So, we’ll go over all three editions for P3P below:

Persona 3 Portable Standard Edition – $34.99

• A physical version of Persona 3 Portable for Switch

Persona 3 Portable Grimoire Edition – $69.99

• A physical version of Persona 3 Portable for Switch
• Slipcover based on the original North American PS2 cover for Persona 3
• ‘Le Grimoire du Coeur’ (the book Elizabeth holds) box
• SteelBook based on the Japanese PS2 cover for Persona

Persona 3 Portable S.E.E.S. Edition – $199.99

• A physical version of Persona 3 Portable for Switch
• Slipcover based on the original North American PS2 cover for Persona 3
• ‘Le Grimoire du Coeur’ (the book Elizabeth holds) box
• SteelBook based on the Japanese PS2 cover for Persona
• Light-up to-scale replica of an Evoker (the item Persona users use to summon their Persona)
• All Out Attack 3D shadow box featuring FeMC, Yukari, Junpei, and Akihiko
• Official soundtrack CD
• Persona 3 character trading cards
• Gekkoukan High School patch
• S.E.E.S. armband
• Individually numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

We’ll, of course, let you know when we know more about the Investigation Team’s physical launch (Persona 4), but for now, get ready to enrol in S.E.E.S. when the LRG pre-orders drop this Friday.

Will you be pre-ordering any of the physical versions of Persona 3 Portable or Persona 4 Golden? Let us know.

Back in 2021 we were excited to see that the Wipeout-style sci-fi racer BallisticNG would be speeding onto Switch in the future. Well, a couple of years down the line, developer Neognosis has announced that the Switch port is now cancelled as a result of last week’s controversial policy changes from Unity (thanks, VGC).

As a brief recap, Unity last week announced plans for a ‘Runtime Fee’ policy, which would effectively charge development studios each time a game made using the Unity engine was installed. This was met with instant backlash, of which BallisticNG’s Switch port cancellation is but one example, and the plans were later changed in the aftermath.

Neognosis took to the game’s Steam page to share the sad Switch news, stating that the lacking “trust and security” that has come about following the policy’s announcement has meant that the studio will not be moving ahead with the proposed plans.

It comes with much frustration and disappointment that we’re announcing the cancellation of the Switch version. Several years of development has gone into preparing BallisticNG technically for the port while maintaining the usual output of updates for the PC version

We’re sorry that it has turned out this way, and we’ll be looking at working with the console (or the rumoured Switch 2) in a future project not bound by Unity.

BallisticNG will still receive support on Steam, the developer has noted, though it is looking into other engines to use for its future projects. For more information, be sure to check out the developer’s full statement here.

Despite Unity recalculating the proposed policy changes, we would be surprised if we didn’t hear more news like this from smaller studios over the coming weeks. Here’s hoping that the Wipeout-like racer will be able to speed our way in the future, one way or another.

Were you looking forward to BallisticNG on Switch? Let us know in the comments.

When Nintendo surprised its community with the release of F-Zero 99 on Nintendo Switch Online, we honestly weren’t quite expecting it to be as good as it is. And yet, demonstrating a clever twist on the classic SNES title, it wound up being what we’d argue is the best of the ’99’ range on Switch, calling it a “brilliant take” in our review.

Now that the game has been out for nearly two weeks, we suspect that many of you have honed your racing skills considerably and have maybe even snatched 1st place on the odd occasion. We’d love to know for sure though, and it seems Nintendo itself does too.

So, we’ve devised a short, snappy poll to find out whether or not you’ve managed to come in first place yet. It’s not an easy feat, either, so if you’ve been struggling to climb the ranks since launch, then be sure to check out our guide which contains a multitude of beginner and advanced tips that’ll surely give your vehicle a much-needed boost.

Leave a comment below with your thoughts on F-Zero 99 so far. What’s your favourite track? Most frustrating moment? Let us know.