Category: Nintendo News

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• by Dom Reseigh-Lincoln
• 14 hours ago

We’ve seen a rather generous supply of fan-made Super Mario game creations, hacks, and large-scale projects over the last few months; a couple of weeks ago saw the return of Super Mario 64 Online with Sonic as a playable character, and earlier in the year we had a re-imagining of Super Mario Bros. DS with 80 ‘new’ levels. Now, though, it’s time for the Mario Kart franchise to have its share of the limelight.

One fan who has their own Mario Kart hacking and modding community setup, going by the name of AtlasOmegaAlpha on YouTube, has created a fully playable version of the RC Circuit from Super Mario Odyssey‘s New Donk City inside Mario Kart Wii. You can check out a full race taking place in the video below, which also contains a remix of the RC Car theme.

Of course, as tracks go, this one isn’t the most impressive in terms of size and design, but we can imagine Nintendo giving the course a nod in future Mario Kart games as one of the first tracks you might encounter in the Mushroom Cup. Its tight and short nature could also provide an experience similar to that of Baby Park, with shells and bombs causing absolute mayhem at every turn.

In fact, even New Donk City itself could be an excellent addition to the Mario Kart franchise. Maybe we’ll see some more DLC available in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe one day?

Either way, let us know what you think in the comments below. Would you like to see some Super Mario Odyssey locations appear in Mario Kart games?

Super Mario Run might not have as many rolling content updates as the likes of Pokemon GO and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, but that doesn’t mean Mario’s first foray into smartphone gaming is event-free. Take the new Gold Goomba Life Event, which just went live on the premium endless runner/platformer.

A smaller version of the Gold Goomba event, it’s essentially a way to make earning statues such as the Captured Goomba Statue, Captured Chain Chomp Statue, Captured Hammer Bro Statue and that all important Sappy Statue. So jump back in and give it a try!

Are you still playing Super Mario Run? If not, are you tempted to jump back once more? We want to hear your thoughts…

Double Eleven has announced that the Legend of Zelda-inspired Songbringer is headed to Switch next week, arriving on a Nintendo platform for the first time after its launch elsewhere last year.

Songbringer tells the story of protagonist Roq as he journeys across an alien planet, bringing him more adventure, dangerous encounters, and spiritual growth than he could have ever imagined. With help from his moustache-loving robot companion Jib, Roq must explore the perilous world before him, acquiring helpful items and navigating twisting dungeons while taking on the freakish beasts surrounding him.

Each time players begin a new save file, they’ll influence their journey’s overworld map design by choosing a six-letter seed. Songbringer’s procedurally generated worlds are designed to keep each step of Roq’s quest unpredictable, allowing for replayability and an always-fresh feel.

The Nintendo Switch version will include all updates released for Songbringer’s PC and console versions, as well as the free DLC The Trial Of Ren. The game will launch on the Switch eShop in both Europe and North America on 31st May.

Do you like the look of this mysterious adventure? Will you be giving it a go next week? Let us know down below.

There’s been a spate of retro re-releases as of late in Japan, with publishers reissuing classic titles (and a few obscure gems) on their original platform. Japanese firm Tommo is the latest publisher to leap aboard the bandwagon, with two Super Famicom titles getting a reprint.

It’s been confirmed that Shodai Nekketsu Kpuha Kunio-kun will be re-issued on 28th June, while Return of Double Dragon (known as Super Double Dragon in the West) will drop some authentic retro goodness on 12th July. Both reprints are, unsurprisingly, Japan only at the moment, with a respective price tag of 6,458 yen attached.

Are you a retro enthusiast? Would you fork out for some reissue Super Famicom/SNES games in 2018? Share your thoughts with us below…

13AM Games has revealed that Dadako Studios’ Pirate Pop Plus is coming to the Switch eShop next week.

The faux-retro title previously launched on 3DS and Wii U, and boasts a lovely Game Boy-like art style and Pang-like gameplay. We really enjoyed both of its previous versions, so we can’t see any reason why we wouldn’t recommend this Switch edition – third time is a charm, we guess.

The game will come with a week-long 20 percent discount when it arrives on May 31st, which makes it even more appealing. Let us know if you plan on buying this excellent title by popping a few bubbles in the comments section below.

We’ve had our strongest indication yet that unique time-bending shooter Superhot could be coming to Switch.

Speaking to Destructoid at Poland’s Digital Dragons convention, director Piotr Iwanicki revealed that a Switch port is actively being considered:

There are plans. It should be there.

There’s a conflict with me because I’m the guy who will just say everything up front but the plans are there and we’ve done some preliminary work on it. It still has no date or anything. But I think it should happen. The Switch is a cool platform and it’s an innovative platform. [Nintendo] rediscovered something that was already there. Nintendo is good with their stuff. Superhot would fit there well.

Superhot began life on the PC before finding fame as a VR title. It works well in VR, but is just as playable on a traditional screen – and would be an excellent addition to the Switch’s growing library of indie hits. The hook here is that time only moves when you do, giving you the chance to assess incoming threats and deal with them accordingly before moving on and triggering the passage of time once more.

Let us know if you’d like to see it on the eShop by posting a comment.

GAME FREAK inc. – best known as the development team behind the Pokémon videogame series – recently posted a job opening that may hint at the design of the latest game in the series for Nintendo Switch.

Twitter user @pixelpar – who tweeted a photo of the listing, along with a brief translation – says they’re “hiring a UI Designer to handle animations in the user interface”, specifically in the “deformed/manga/caricature style”, for an upcoming game.

This last bit regarding the appearance of the unnamed game is particularly interesting, considering the manga style is iconic to the series. If the developers behind Pokémon Switch are looking to hire a dedicated animator for their UI, does this mean we’ll be seeing a new art style in upcoming games?

According to @pixelpar, there may be a myriad of reasons for Game Freak to make this new hire:

Could be a last minute polish up for Let’s Go, could be for mini-games or online stuff, could be for dlc / later patches, could be for a completely different game.

This latest opportunity to join the development team behind Pokémon can be viewed here.

What do you think? Is this job opening for the incoming Pokémon Switch game – or could it be in preparation for a completely different instalment in the series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

The Switch eShop has played host to several quality rhythm games over the months since launch, with the likes of Voez, Thumper, and Runner3 bringing plenty of musically infused action to the hybrid. Indeed, it still feels like the genre is a little underutilized on the Switch, but that issue will soon be helped by Just Shapes & Beats, a game which got a spotlight in the Nindies Direct. The game has just been given a release date, and we fortunately won’t have to wait to much longer to take a crack at it.

Just Shapes & Beats fuses shmup elements in with the musical action, tasking you with maneuvering your shape around dangerous waves of red that pulse and rise with the soundtrack. Featuring 35 tracks, both local and online multiplayer, and a challenge mode that features randomized layouts, and it sounds like an experience that’ll be just as content rich as it is intensely difficult. Berzerk Studio just announced today that the game launches on 31^st May, so be sure to keep an eye out for this one.

What do you think? Will you be picking this up? What’s your favorite rhythm game? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

One of the biggest shooters in the game industry right now is Overwatch, Blizzard’s popular hero-based shooter. Given the optimistic air of the game and the colorful cast that supports it, Overwatch seems like it’d be a good fit for Nintendo audiences, but Blizzard has been evasive in the past when discussing the possibility of the game showing up on Nintendo’s hybrid. For the upcoming second anniversary of Overwatch, Gamespot sat down with Blizzard to discuss the game’s past and future, and the question of a Switch port was raised once again.

Matthew Hawley, a senior game producer on Overwatch, addressed the question about the Switch, giving a rather runaround answer of “no, but never say never.” Here’s what he said:

I think it is one of those things that we constantly evaluate. Where technology is going; where the industry is going. There are challenges in running on the platforms that we’re not already on, otherwise we would probably already be on some of those other platforms. We’ll see where things go. Certainly, there is a huge number of people out there who have Nintendo Switch and mobile phones, but right now, the core development team is focused on supporting the live game.

Indeed, given Nintendo’s admittedly half-rate online infrastructure, it seems like the multiplayer-only Overwatch could be rather ill fit for the platform. That being said, the launch of the paid Nintendo Switch Online service could perhaps bring improvements in this area.

What do you think? Will Overwatch ever show up on the Switch? What other shooters do you think would fit well on the Switch? Share your thoughts in the comments below.