Category: Nintendo News

Released towards the end of last year, DOOM was one of the more surprising, yet extremely welcome, additions to the Switch’s early library – so much so that it starred in our most memorable games of 2017 feature. To add to the game’s rather ferocious impact on Nintendo’s hybrid console, developer Bethesda has released a new update which includes the option of using motion controls.

The patch was first promised earlier this month on Twitter, with a note saying that the full patch notes will be released in due course. While we are yet to see these full notes, it would appear that the update has started to roll out for many users.

As well as fixing the issues mentioned in the initial tweet relating to audio, menus, and more, the new Version 1.1.1 update has reportedly introduced a brand new game icon, and new motion control options, allowing you to select Motion Aiming, Motion Melee, Invert Motion Control, and more. There’s also a Motion Sensitivity option that can be adjusted from 1 to 100.

We’ll make sure to keep an eye out to see if Bethesda’s patch notes reveal any other interesting inclusions yet to be discovered.

Will you be returning to Hell to give the motion controls a test drive? Let us know in the comments below.

There’s been lots of noise made about how Nintendo treats its fans in the video production world, with many decrying its arguably unfair rules against content creators. Those who produce videos about Nintendo content must subscribe to the program in order to receive a cut of the advertising revenue, and now a new rule change has placed additional restrictions on the kinds of channels that can be registered.

YouTube recently changed its Partners Program requirements, raising the bar for how much watchtime and how many subscribers a channel must accrue in order to be eligible for profit. As a result, Nintendo has raised its standards to match; the following email was recently sent out to members of the program:

Thank you for using the Nintendo Creators Program. In January, changes were made to the YouTube service. This email will explain how this will impact the Nintendo Creators Program.

As YouTube informed the creators, the YouTube Partners Program requirements were changed: New channels require 4,000 hours of watchtime within the past 12 months and 1,000 subscribers in order to be eligible for monetization. It was also announced that, for existing channels, the same requirements will be applied from Feb. 20, 2018. After Feb. 20, channels that do not reach the requirements will no longer be able to earn money on YouTube.

The Nintendo Creators Program requires agreement to and participation in the YouTube Partner Program, so if channels do not meet the above eligibility requirements, they will not be able to monetize on the Nintendo Creators Program from their videos.

Further, please be aware that if you already have your channel registered to the Nintendo Creators Program, those channels that do not meet the requirements will be deactivated from the Program by YouTube.

What do you think? Is this a reasonable move on Nintendo’s part? How do you think it could improve the creators program? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Nintendo Switch has been a runaway success, smashing sales records and bringing Nintendo back from the brink after the Wii U. Even so, the argument of AAA game releases vs. indies is still ongoing, with some saying that the Switch has too many indies and not enough AAA games to be considered competitive with the Xbox and PlayStation.

Speaking more about this matter, two Japanese Nintendo employees that work with indies—Yusuke Soejima and Park Masashi—recently sat down with Entertainment Station to talk about Indies. Here’s what Masashi had to say about the distinction between indies and AAA games, courtesy of a ResetEra translator:

On Nintendo platforms, we don’t really differentiate between AAA titles from established firms and indie games. In actuality, they’re lined up as equals in the Nintendo eShop. We don’t specially promote indie games just because they are indie games, and conversely we don’t prioritize them below AAA titles either.

Speaking about the future of indie games on Nintendo platforms, the pair had this to say:

Soejima: First of all, we just want to get developers on board with developing for our platform when they decide what to develop games for. It’s not really a ‘goal’ per se, but before the Switch really got going, when we would see trailers or posters at events, the platforms that would always be shown at the end were almost always other companies’ machines. There was really nowhere where you would see the 3DS or Wii U supported… It was absolutely a situation where we weren’t even seen as a practical option. It was here that we thought we’d like to have the Switch’s logo up there with the other companies’.

Park: Fortunately, Nintendo Switch has seen international success, and I think the opportunities for us to be a viable platform have increased. Going forward, we’d like to maintain our momentum, and become a platform developers make content for, from the beginning of development and as a matter of course, alongside the others.

Park: Looking at more long-term ideas, it’s not something just the two of us can do on our own, but there’s a cycle we would like to see the entire industry work to support, of indie developers being able to easily produce titles, get a real ROI from them, and then easily move on to the next title, with other (new) developers following their example to enter the industry.

Soejima: If a given title sells really well, then it can be recognised as its own IP, and it would be great if such an IP can go on to last in the industry and be accepted by consumers. The entire game industry, not just Nintendo, needs to think about how to increase the number of titles born from the indie game scene. Lastly, I just want to say that while indie games tend to be associated with the digital world, we’ve learned that as a ‘community’, it is actually incredibly analogue. It’s a scene that emphasises connections between people, and that’s something we want to place importance on as well.

What do you think? Are indies becoming more important than AAA releases? Do you agree with Nintendo’s stance on the matter? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Nintendo’s reputation for fighting hackers every step of the way in commendable, but it would seem that by pairing itself with tech giant Nvidia – whose Tegra silicon powers the console – the Japanese giant is going have to accept that things aren’t as nailed-down as they used to be.

We’ve already seen hackers exploit weaknesses in the Switch’s architecture to install emulators, and now the fail0verflow hacking group has revealed a video of Linux running on the console. This extends to full touchscreen support and a web browser.

fail0verflow claims that the exploit used to bypass the Switch’s security cannot be patched on the current model of the console, but hasn’t so far released details on how the hack works.

When we reviewed RiME a short time ago, we lamented the fact that the Switch port had so many issues. From the muddy visuals to the often appalling frame rate, the Nintendo port was a bit of a mess – something that was hard to swallow after the long wait for the game’s release.

A patch was promised which would fix many of these problems, and it’s finally live. The good news is that it does seem to address many of the performance hitches that plagued the game at launch. 

Here’s the full list of changes:

• Increased visual fidelity, bloom and post-processing 
• Sharpened image resolution 
• Opening Cinematics visually improved 
• Fixed possible stage exploits that would enable players to skip parts of the stages 
• Increased texture quality in specific areas 
• Increased view distance 
• Fixed an issue with foliage density, shadows, and render distances 
• Updated texture mipmaps for the Fox 
• Improved global mipmaps 
• Improved shadow distance and quality 
• Fixed instances of foliage pops 
• Stabilized FPS 
• Optimized the Boys cape and hair physics 
• Rebuilt streaming volumes 
• Fixed an issue that allowed you to see outside of the map in later stages 
• Updated lighting to prevent bleed through 
• Updated the quality of trees in earlier stages where they would display poorly

In case you were hungry for more, here’s some comparison footage to mull over:

That’s quite a lot of enhancements, but has this perhaps come too late? Those who soldiered through RiME at launch may not feel compelled to play the adventure a second time. Let us know if you’ll be giving it a spin by posting a comment below.

Mega Man is celebrating his 30th anniversary in style. First there’s news of a MM-themed bike and range of ride wear, and now the biggie – confirmation that Mega Man Legacy Collection (which previously appeared on 3DS in 2016) and Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 will launch on Nintendo Switch on 22nd May, 2018.

The pack – which will also be available in a retail version with MMLC on a game card and a download code for MMLC2 – will include all 10 iconic games in the series and will pack in exclusive challenges for those that use their Mega Man amiibo. Whether you’re using the normal MM or the golden version, you’ll be able to unlock all 11 of the fan-made challenges from the 3DS version of MMLC, as well as unleashing brand new challenges for the second collection. Looks like the retail version is definitely headed to North America, but no word on an EU version just yet…

Check out the trailer above and let us know if you’re excited as we are to experience the first 10 Mega Man games in one package on the go…

Of all the titles announced in January’s Nintendo Direct, one of the biggest surprises was SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy. An all-female fighter featuring 2-vs-2 action and a cast of some of SNK’s best-loved characters, wrapped up in over-the-top costumes and candy-coated style, SNK Heroines is certainly looking like an intriguing addition to Switch’s growing stable of fighting games. Eager to learn more about this upcoming pastel powerhouse, we recently caught up with SNK Heroines’ producer, Yasuyuki Oda, and director, Kaito Soranaka, for a quick-fire two-on-one chat about the upcoming brawler.

First of all, would you mind introducing SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy to our readers?

Yasuyuki Oda: It’s a new kind of tag team fighter in which the heroines of SNK are gathered together in a mysterious mansion to battle each other. What happened to the girls after the KOF Tournament!? Play the game to find out!

We’re big fans of Gals Fighters on the Neo Geo Pocket Color here at Nintendo Life, so we were especially excited to see some parallels here – did your team take any inspiration from that title in designing SNK Heroines?

Oda-san: We have heard a lot of people express that opinion about Gals Fighters. I was surprised by how many people were fans of it! SNK Heroines is a new title, but I think you can call it a spiritual successor to Gals Fighters.

Can you tell us a little about how the game’s tag system will work?

Oda-san: It’s a tag team style fighter in which you can make switches in real time. It has a new and unique win/lose conditions, requiring the player to use the Dream Finish skill, in order to win a round.

We noticed each character in a team seems to have either an ‘Attacker’ or a ‘Supporter’ role – can you talk about these?

Kaito Soranaka: The Attacker’s role is fighting in the foreground, while the Supporter uses items to help allies or interfere with enemies. You can switch out characters, so the initial Attacker isn’t necessarily always an Attacker.

We also spotted what looks like an ‘item slot’ next to each character’s life bar, how are these items used in the game?

Soranaka-san: There are certain conditions in which you can acquire items, like destroying an item container during battle. Using these items, the player can restore gauges, attack opponents, or power up allies.

We’re excited at the prospect of on-the-go fighting with SNK Heroines on Switch, so we’re curious about the control scheme. Can you tell us anything about how the game will control? Will two players each be able to use a single Joy-Con for portable brawls?

Oda-san: Yes, that is possible.

Relatedly, we noticed that SNK Heroines will support up to four players – can you expand on how four-player multiplayer will work in the game?

Soranaka-san: Each player controls one character in the tag team. For example, if player one controls Athena, when Athena is the Attacker they will fight in the battle, but when Athena is the Supporter, they can help their ally by using items.

Costumes and accessories seem to be a big part of the action in SNK Heroines. Is there a story reason behind the fashion focus? Do the costumes & accessories factor into the gameplay?

Soranaka-san: There aren’t any accessories that change special skills or attack power or influence battle in any way, but there are Reaction Accessories that react when taking damage and some accessories that have special sound effects.

Along with the costumes, one thing that really stands out from looking at early footage is the art style, with plenty of sparkles, ribbons, and plates of curry (!). What inspired that art direction?

Oda-san: The setting of this game is a mysterious mansion, and the costumes of the characters are different than usual. This game’s world is different from any KOF or SNK title so far. We consulted the art director and character designer about the world building aspect, and we created the scenario and art style to match.

What audience are you hoping to attract with SNK Heroines? Are there features you’ve included to appeal to hardcore fighting fans, or casual players, or both?

Oda-san: I hope both, if possible. It’s easy to perform skills in this game, but with items and gauges and combos, the mind games and gauge management will give both experienced and casual gamers a level playing field. On top of that, we’ve increased the appeal of the characters for fans to enjoy.

Thanks to Oda-san and Soranaka-san for taking the time to speak to us. SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy arrives on Nintendo Switch this summer.

While no official announcement has been made for a Switch version of the game, an Amazon Germany listing suggests that Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles may well be getting a release on the console very soon.

Released last summer on other platforms, Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is an adventure game developed and published by Prideful Sloth. Set in an open-world environment, players must seek and collect magical creatures known as sprites on a journey of self-discovery. Throughout the game’s adventure, you can also take part in various activities such as fishing, farming, and crafting.

While it’s best to wait for official confirmation of any details surrounding the release, Amazon’s listing suggests that the game will be released on 31st March and includes this picture of the game’s potential boxart.

If you want to see the game in action, make sure to check out this trailer for the PS4 version released last year. Are you excited to see the title come to Switch? Let us know in the comments below.

Last week’s UK chart data is in, and it was a great run for FIFA 18 with the combined formats chart showing the footie simulator surging back into first place thanks to a heavy discount on the Nintendo Switch version. Combined with the other formats, the annual instalment held off Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but it was still the PS4 version that sold the most copies. (Last week’s entry is shown in brackets for both charts.)

Bayonetta 2 also debuted at number five in the combined formats chart, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe slipping two places to the precarious number nine slot.

1(4) FIFA 18
2(-) KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE
3(5) GRAND THEFT AUTO V
4(3) MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD
5(-) BAYONETTA 2
6(2) EA SPORTS UFC 3
7(1) SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
8(6) CALL OF DUTY: WWII
9(7) MARIO KART 8 DELUXE
10(9) ASSASSIN’S CREED ORIGINS

When it comes to individual platforms, things get a little more interesting. FIFA 18 on Switch’s strong sales helped in debut in the chart at number nine, while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sits in an even more precarious position having dropped five whole places to 10th place. However, an impressive opening late in the week for Bayonetta 2 sees the Switch release sitting pretty at number three.

1(-) KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE (PS4)
2(4) FIFA 18 (PS4)
3(-) BAYONETTA 2 (NS)
4(1) SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS (PS4)
5(8) GRAND THEFT AUTO V (PS4)
16(15) GRAND THEFT AUTO V (XO)
7(-) KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE (XO)
8(3) MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD (PS4)
9(-) FIFA 18 (NS)
10(5) MARIO KART 8 DELUXE (NS)

So there are the UK charts for this week. Be sure to let us know what you make of the hard facts and let us know your thoughts in the comments below

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