Category: Nintendo News

We’ve all played video games, and many of us will have watched other people play video games, but now the time has come to sit back and let AI do the job for us – and be surprisingly successful in the process!

Kaze Emanuar, a modder who has dedicated an awful lot of his time into changing up the familiar worlds of Super Mario 64 (and getting into trouble with Nintendo as a result), has taken things one step further and is now teaching multiple AIs to play the game.

Speaking to Kotaku, Emanuar explains that results so far have been mixed; the AIs are apparently very slow, ‘having a tendency to fixate on solutions that have worked in certain contexts and applying them too broadly’. Despite this, though, there have been a couple of occasions where an AI has managed to successfully collect an in-game star such as this example below.

A short time ago, tongues were set wagging by the rumour that Burnout Paradise was getting remastered and would – apparently – be coming to Switch.

EA confirmed one part of that rumour yesterday with the announcement of Burnout Paradise Remastered on PS4 and Xbox One, but there’s currently no sign of a Nintendo version – and the publisher is remaining tight-lipped on whether or not it’s coming.

When pressed on the the chance of a Switch version, Polygon was told by an EA representative:

As for Switch, we have nothing to announce there.

Could this mean our hopes of seeing Burnout Paradise in portable form have hit a brick wall? Quite possibly, but it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility for Nintendo to have requested that EA hold back on any Switch announcement, and instead break the news during a forthcoming Nintendo Direct broadcast. That might be hopelessly optimistic, but we need some hope, right?

On PS4 and Xbox One the port will offer 60fps gameplay and is being developed by Criterion in collaboration with Stellar Entertainment Software, which is also based in Guildford, UK. Stellar is home to Paul Ross and Chris Roberts, both of whom have worked on the Burnout series previously. The game launches on March 16th.

Indie developer 7Levels has confirmed that its upcoming Nintendo Switch exclusive Castle of Heart will be released on 23rd March.

A platformer that combines jumping heroics with hack-and-slash style combat, Castle of Heart features changing landscapes, weather conditions, and rich backgrounds derived straight from famous, mystical locations in Poland (the developer’s home country). 

Players must take control of a cursed knight who has been turned to stone by an evil sorcerer’s spell. As this brave hero, you’ll be travelling all the way from a petrified village to the dark ruler’s castle, mastering each of the levels along the way. 

CASTLE OF HEART MAIN FEATURES

– A unique main character: a knight turned into stone who needs to keep fighting to avoid disintegrating
– 20 completely different levels in 4 beautiful environments loosely inspired by real-life locations
– Roughly 50 types of both short- and long-range weapons, allowing each gamer to find their own, individual combat style
– HD Rumble support, further increasing players’ immersion
– At least 7 hours of addictive, exciting gameplay
– Epic boss fights at the end of every location
– Breathtaking graphic design
– Numerous power-ups that enrich the gameplay

The game is set to release worldwide on the aforementioned date of 23rd March, with a price tag of $14.99 / €14.99 / £13.49.

Will you be throwing yourself in to this side-scrolling adventure? Let us know with a hearty comment below.

• 
• by Mitch Vogel
• 6 hours ago

We absolutely loved The Mummy Demastered when it came out last year, hailing it as another fantastic title in WayForward’s impressive portfolio and a lovely addition to the eShop’s lineup. That 9/10 score was well deserved, but WayForward evidently wasn’t satisfied with resting on its laurels, as it recently put out a new update that changes a surprising amount of the game for the better.

This update doesn’t add anything major, but it makes several tweaks and quality of life changes that will make the game that much more enjoyable. It’s already gone live and is available for free, so be sure to download it when you get a chance. The changes it makes are as follows:

• Initial load time has been drastically reduced.

• HD Rumble added to Nintendo Switch version

•  Revamped the death mechanic:
  • Health Packs regained from Undead Agents default to full
  • Weapons Regained from Undead Agents have more ammo
  • Undead Agents health more fairly balanced, based on number of Health Packs they are holding

• Health drops are more fairly balanced

• Spawn Frequency of Bats, Ravens, and Spiders re-balanced

• HP of all bosses has been re-balanced

• Game performance greatly increased

What do you think? Were you waiting for an update like this? Will this tempt you into picking the game up? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

One of many hot rumours floating about right now centres around developer Sumo Digital and the purported return of Sonic The Hedgehog in vehicle racing form. As well as suggestions that it’ll be entirely focused on the blue marsupial, a second toy maker has come forward with a new toyline tied to an upcoming Sonic racing title.

In an interview with Pixel Dan, Diamond Select Toys says, “There are some minifigures […] some come with diorama pieces you’re going to build a race track from the game…“ Along with another toy maker, it sounds like SEGA is potentially going all out on this as-yet unconfirmed and unannounced game. It’s been five and a half years since Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, so we’re certainly due a new one, and with so many rumours from so many sources, it’s starting to become the worse kept secret in video games.

You can check out the video with the comments above – the section you want starts around the 08:30 mark. Let us know if you’d be up for a new Sonic racing game, or whether the brilliant Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will forever be the karting king…

Having scored a hat trick with its Zelda-themed reference books (Hyrule Historia, the Zelda Encyclopedia and Arts & Artifacts), Dark Horse Publishing is pinning its hopes on another Nintendo icon with a new guide on all things Mario-related. The Super Mario Encyclopedia will cover 30 years of the plumber’s gaming exploits, ranging from 1985’s Super Mario Bros to 2015’s Super Mario Maker.

For some bizarre reason the edition won’t include anything released after 2015, including the smash Switch hit that is Super Mario Odyssey, but it’s still a comprehensive guide to every other mainline entry. It’s due out in North America on 23rd October with a price tag of $39.99. No word on a special edition or an EU price tag just yet, but the Zelda ones got a release over here eventually so it’s only a matter of time.

Is the Super Mario Encyclopedia a must-have coffee table read or an incomplete Mario record? Let us know…

A new blog post from Landon Podbielski, the developer behind the multiplayer action release Duck Game, has confirmed that the title is headed to Nintendo Switch.

Originally released on OUYA back in 2014, with more recent ports to Steam and PS4, the title was actually very briefly included in last February’s Nindies Showcase (you can just spot the logo at around the 17:19 mark). Since then, however, very little has been said about the game appearing on Nintendo’s console.

Landon’s blog talks about the difficulties he has faced with the game over the last year or so, including some online multiplayer problems with the PS4 version and issues with coding across the board, but ultimately mentions that the Switch version is running well thanks to a little bit of help.

It runs really well too! I’ve been working with Tom from the Monogame team who is the most powerful code wizard I have ever met and without him the Switch version never would have been possible. The original OUYA version of Duck Game actually ran in Monogame as well, so really Duck Game never would have happened at all without those guys. 

No specific features or any mention of a potential release date have been confirmed for the Switch version of the game, but we’d expect to see a faithful rendition of the multiplayer couch-combat present in the original.

Have you played Duck Game? Would you like to play it on Switch? Make sure to let us know in the comments.

Japanese developer Happymeal is bringing retro-style shooter Kyogeki Quartet Fighters to Switch next week, it has been revealed.

The news comes in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, which lists a Nintendo eShop release for February 22nd, with a cost of 1,389 Yen.

The game allows up to four players to participate at the same time, and features a “Kyogeki System” which powers up your attacks by pooling the strength of your fellow players. 

Visually, it looks a lot like the NES version of Star Soldier, a comparison which is given more weight by the fact that Star Soldier and Milon’s Secret Castle composer Takeaki Kunimoto is in charge of the soundtrack. In case that’s not authentic enough for you, Tiger Heli and Twin Cobra‘s Tatsuya Uemura contributes the game’s theme song. 

And if that’s still not enough to convince you, then hear this – also included is Denshikantai Knack, a smartphone title previously released on the iOS App Store.

There’s no word on a western release, but given how easy it is to download Japanese games on any Switch, that shouldn’t be a barrier if you’re interested in this unique-looking blaster.