1080° Snowboarding on the N64 and its sequel 1080° Avalanche on the GameCube are both fondly remembered arcade style snowboarding games, which were overshadowed a bit by EA’s SSX series back in the day. Still it seems that Nintendo has a fond spot for the series as it’s recently trademarked the name “1080° Ten Eighty”.
Could this mean that another game in the series might be in development for Nintendo Switch? Might this trademark be needed for 1080° Snowboarding to appear on a future N64 Classic Mini? Perhaps we’ll see 1080° Avalanche come to the Switch Virtual Console as one of the first GameCube games?
Be sure to speculate on this mysterious trademark filing with a comment below…
Okay, it’s not hard to work out which game series serves an inspiration for the first-person puzzling of ChromaGun, but Pixel Maniacs’ indie hit looks to be more than another Portal wannabe. The big central mechanic is your titular weapon, which can fire bursts of red, blue and yellow paint. It’s all about using your artistic ammunition to solve environmental puzzles in a series of test lab chambers, while a disembodied voice narrates (and occasionally derides) your progress.
Okay, so it’s a very familiar concept, but being able to mix those primary colours into more shades adds even more depth to conundrum solving, as does using your paint-splurging peashooter to control the WorkerDroids that populate many of the test chambers. It’s a feedback loop that looks like a perfect fit for Switch, and it’s hitting European and North American eShops on 22nd January.
It’s certainly a tad derivative, but it’s still an exciting new addition to Switch’s indie library. Will you be grabbing your ChromaGun in a few weeks time? Drop us a comment or two…
On Thursday we reported on NBA Playgrouds‘ new Enhanced Edition, a welcome refresh of an already enjoyable arcade basketball title. We did, however, pick up on the strange means by which developer Saber Interactive was introducing it. It was a new edition, but also an update, with more content, but in two editions. It’s a bit of a mess, but we’re finally starting to understand where it all started.
Saber Interactive confirmed on its own Facebook page that online play was ready to go back in June, but the size of the update needed to support the version planned for Switch didn’t meet Nintendo’s exacting standards. Size was a key issue, with the patch pushing the game’s file size from 7.4 GB to 9.6 GB – an issue Nintendo simply wouldn’t budge on. Saber is said to have offered the idea of introducing a second patch in July that would have reduced this number, but Ninty wasn’t into reducing game files by patch either.
So, to get around the red tape, Saber launched a brand new version of the game with the patch already weaved into its code. The new version – which includes new player cards (including NBA legends and some YouTubers, bizarrely), a new mode and some technical tweaks – topped out at just 7.6 GB. So while it has led to two versions of the same game appearing on the eShop, at least now we know why.
What do you guys make of the NBA Playgrounds Enhanced Edition fiasco? Will you return for a rematch/try it out for the first time, or eschew it in favour of NBA 2K18? Let us know…
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on a wide range of topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this edition, Dave Letcavage discusses his somewhat recent introduction to the divisive Wii launch gameExcite Truck, and makes a case for why it’s worth adding to your collection if you missed it when it initially left the starting line.
Back in the N64 days, I lived for racing games that allowed my vehicle to catch big air and soar through the sky with reckless abandon. The original San Francisco Rush was the catalyst for this mild obsession, while other games such as Freekstyle, Rush 2049 (stunt mode!!), and Hydro Thunder furthered my love for gravity-defying, head-spinning heights. In real life, my equilibrium gets all wacky when I look out the window of a skyscraper or glance over the railing on the second floor of a shopping mall, so it’s no wonder that confronting this quasi-phobia within a virtual world provides me with such a thrill.
Excite Truck, developed by Monster Games and published by Nintendo as a launch game for Wii, follows in the tracks of extreme ’90s arcade racers by delivering an experience centered around blazing fast speeds, simple stunts, and, most importantly, massive air. It’s a game about racing, but it’s also about earning as many points as possible to finish the race with a score high enough to advance. This means you’re gonna have to take big risks if you want to show up the competition – and these ‘big risks’ usually involve launching your vehicle skyward from every dirt, snow or grass-covered incline in sight.
Knowing that, it should go without saying that this game should be right up my alley.
But I didn’t have a Wii at launch; I waited until the summer before the release of Donkey Kong Country Returnsin the summer 2010,to invest in the console. By the time I had an opportunity to purchase Excite Truck, I’d heard so many people say it wasn’t worth my money because it was shallow, and because its sequel, Excitebots: Trick Racing, was a major improvement. So, at some point down the road I bought Excitebots and passed on Excite Truck – that is, until a couple years ago when my curiosity and its affordability convinced me that Excite Truck should at the very least be a part of my Wii collection.
Fast forward to last year, to 2017 to be specific. I was in the mood for something mindless and commitment-free, so I slipped Excite Truck from its cozy spot on the shelf, dusted it off, and gave it an opportunity to rev my engine. It did just that.
Tilting a sideways Wiimote to steer your truck is an intuitive and simple method of control, one that clicked with me right from the start – same as Excitebots. Is it gimmicky? Obviously. Would an analog stick offer greater precision? Absolutely. But the truth is that the motion controls work well enough here that this is the rare occasion where I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m a lost cause when it comes to steering with the motion controls in Mario Kart Wii, but I have no problems with Excite Truck. It’s an amusing and surprisingly reliable means of interaction, and it only contributes to the game’s arcade-like appeal.
That’s because Excite Truck’s core gameplay is so darn satisfying. The moment-to-moment racing is intense and constantly engaging, and discovering which routes ultimately lead to the best trick opportunities has keeps me compulsively selecting ‘Retry’ at the end of a race even if I’ve earned enough points to move on. There’s something about collecting an S rating – other than unlocking additional difficulty modes – that I find so inexplicably irresistible. It certainly doesn’t hurt that you’re frequently unlocking vehicles, paint jobs and in-game trophies for your stunts and wins. I hate to overuse a word as plain and broad as ‘fun’ but in this case, it’s such an apt descriptor that it feels wrong not to use it. So here it goes: Excite Truck is, simply put, a truckload of fun.
I’ll admit, if I had purchased a copy for its original retail price of $49.99, I might have wound up slightly disappointed. Mainly because it’s somewhat unambitious in terms of modes and options. There’s no less content than an N64 racer such as San Francisco Rush or Beetle Adventure Racing; instead, the main issue is that these modes aren’t all that deep or unique. Excite Race, which is a standard world tour-type mode, has you partaking in the same stunt-laden race type through six re-purposed environments (seven if you count a secret level tucked away deep in the game), while Challenge offers a few ‘smash all opponents’ and ‘drive through the rings’ variants to spice things up. And that’s about the extent of the variety.
Luckily, I didn’t pay $50 for Excite Truck. I was able to obtain a like-new copy for less than $10. The way I see it, that price renders any value-related concerns irrelevant. I’ve already extracted way more than enough entertainment from this package during the many nights I’ve spent knocking out a few races or dabbling in split-screen mode, and I imagine anyone else with an affinity for balls-to-the-wall racing will feel the same. There’s something about its easy-to-play yet tough-to-master nature that reminds me of an NES game (and, no, it has nothing to do with its Excitebike lineage) that keeps me coming back for more every few weeks when I need to blow off some steam and de-stress. Heck, at this point I think I’ve spent more time with it than Excitebots.
If you still have a Wii or Wii U sitting around, and you want an accessible, high-energy game to spend at least a couple weekends with, I highly recommend Excite Truck. It’s oft overshadowed by its more inventive successor, and that’s understandable, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t also deserve a reserved parking space in your collection, especially now that it’s so cheap.
Just last month, it was announced at The Game Awards that not only is Bayonetta 3 in development for the Switch, but that its two predecessors would also be coming to the platform. It was also revealed that Bayonetta 2 would be receiving a few exclusive new features for the rerelease, no doubt to help encourage those who got it on the Wii U to double-dip.
Nintendo recently updated its site listing for Bayonetta 2 on the Switch and it revealed what these new features will entail. Tag Climax—the multiplayer mode—will now support local play in addition to online, though with the provision that each participating member has their own Switch and copy of the game. Also, amiibo will now be supported, allowing players to unlock the Nintendo-themed costumes instantly. For those of you that don’t have the amiibo, the costumes will still be unlockable just as they were before, this will simply be a method of speeding up the process.
What do you think? Will you be double-dipping? What do you think Bayonetta 3 will be like? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Nintendo Switch isn’t exactly wanting when it comes to puzzle games, but not many can say they also happen to be a serial killer simulator. That’s the wares that Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut is selling, an isometric puzzler that places you in the murderous shoes of Skullface, a pyscho slasher with a taste for pixelated blood.
It’s not a straight up horror, with its tongue placed firmly in cheek as you squash, flay and decapitate hapless victims in this darkly comic homage to ’80s horror movies. You’ll be able to guide this voxel criminal through hundreds of isometric puzzles, taking out your chosen prey in a variety of creative and laugh-out-loud ways. It’s already proved a hit elsewhere, so we’re looking forward to seeing this indie join the ‘nindie’ club.
We love quirky little indies here at Nintendo Life, but what do you think? Sound off below with your thoughts and hot takes…
It’s not often we’re surprised by the internet anymore, but then it goes and throws a curve ball of truly epic proportions. Meet 20-year-old Noorul Mahjabeen Hassan from Florida. She prefers to go by the name Fractal Tetris Huracan, and her adopted moniker might give you an idea of the game she loves above all others: classic Russian puzzler, Tetris.
Huracan identifies as ‘objectum sexual’, meaning she’s physically and emotionally attracted to intimate objects rather than actual people. In an interview with the Metro, she describes growing up attracted to everything from treadmills to GPS devices, before entering a relationship with the legendary puzzle romp in September 2016. She plays up to 12 hours a day on websites, her smartphone and her Game Boy and plans to marry a copy of the game in front of friends and family once she graduates. Young love, eh?
So what do you make of Huracan’s love of all things Tetris? Is there a game in your collection you’d walk down the aisle and pledge to which you’d pledge your undying love? Gush your heart out below…
The Nintendo GameCube was woefully underrated in its time, failing to compete commercially with its rivals. Where it excelled however was in its quality of games, of which there are countless.
That’s why we wanted to show off just what this cuboid console can do, and show you the 21 best games for the system, but limiting ourselves to just one game per franchise. You know, to keep it interesting. We’ve got everything crossed that somehow, somewhen, we’re able to enjoy these on the go should the necessary planetary bodies align.
Make sure you check out the video above and let us know what your personal list would be down there in the comments.
Thanks to HAMSTER’s ACA Neo Geo series there are plenty of options for Switch owners looking to engage in some virtual fisticuffs. SNK’s King Of The Monsters offers something a bit different to the other choices however, as it is essentially a wrestling game, albeit a wrestling game with giant monsters duking it out and where the squared circle is a few blocks of various Japanese cities.
Upon starting a game you pick from one of six monsters. There’s a giant ape and a huge lizard, the inspiration of which is obvious and there’s a giant dressed as mis-coloured Flash. Making up the numbers there’s a big bug and rock and mud creatures. Move-wise the characters are largely the same with a button to punch and one to kick (or swing a tail) with a run button adding to your options.
Get into a grapple and there are a number of moves that can be performed including body slams and piledrivers. For the most part the game is a button-masher, but there’s still quite a range of moves performed as a result of that mashing. You can drop an elbow on a grounded opponent and you can even send them running off-screen to bounce off unseen ropes for you to smack them with a kick when they return. The only real difference between the characters is their special attack. Hold down both attack buttons and you’ll charge up a move, before unleashing the attack (which includes projectiles, fire-breath and extending arms). Once your opponent’s energy is sufficiently depleted you can pin them for a three count in true ‘rasslin fashion.
Fights have a three minute time limit that rarely proves an issue, although should the timer run down, you will lose so finishing the fight is key. Electrified barriers are to be avoided and as you play, vehicles can be seen moving along the streets and the likes of aircraft and tanks will shoot at you; a mostly insignificant threat they can interrupt you when charging a special attack. Vehicles can be grabbed and thrown at the other monster and buildings will collapse as you fight, either from the monsters falling into them or deliberately smashing them up for a points bonus, which makes the game feel a bit like Bally Midway’s Rampage.
There’s not a lot of strategy in the game, but it can entertain in two-player versus mode, providing a few fun fights before the sameyness of the bouts lessens the enjoyment. The main arcade mode sees you battle the other five creatures and then your clone, before making you fight everyone again. Fights get tougher as you progress and your health carries over between fights (with a small top up following victory). To help you out, power-ups can be collected to increase a meter that eventually results in a power boost, but the biggest help is unlimited continues. Should you continue, you continue from where you were, with your opponent’s health at the same level it was when they were victorious.
Continues can be adjusted/turned off from the options menu to increase the challenge or you could play the one credit Hi Score mode, which has the bonus of a online leaderboard for you to try and move up. The five minute caravan mode also has an online leaderboard and it too works well as you focus on getting as many points as possible during the time limit, whereas usually you just fight. The main arcade mode can also be tackled in two-player with you and your friend engaging in two-on-two fights (not tag-teams sadly) and must defeat both opposing monsters to progress. But whether you are playing this solo or with a friend, after the first go round of fights, the repetitiveness makes for quite a dull experience.
Conclusion
King Of The Monsters is simple to play, but with a range of moves available as you fight your way through the different creatures. Outside of aesthetics the monsters largely play the same however, making the fights quite repetitive. The game works well with the five minute caravan mode as you attempt to smash up as much of the city as possible, whilst not losing the fight to increase your score. There’s no long term appeal with the game, but turn off continues and boot it up for a few two-player fights every now and then and it can still provide some entertainment.
With all the massive open-world adventures that have found a happy home on Switch so far, it’s equally nice to see indie developers crafting compelling experiences on much smaller scales. OPUS: The Day We Found Earth, a narrative-driven mobile port from indie studio SIGONO, certainly fits into that category, and it’s an excellent addition to the Switch’s library of smaller gems. Taking digital stargazing as its central conceit, Opus is a brief but lovable adventure that’s definitely worth a closer look.
At OPUS’ outset, you’ll meet Emeth, the sweet, WALL-E-like robot that you’ll control throughout the game. Emeth is getting his first lessons in Earth-finding from Dr Lisa, the kindly scientist who built him. This serves as both your introduction and tutorial: Dr Lisa is part of the Opus mission to find the mythical human homeland of Earth, and Emeth’s job is to search the cosmos meticulously, orb by orb, until he finds a match.
We won’t spoil anything that comes next, both because OPUS is quite a short game (our playthrough takes about an hour and a half) and because it’s a joy to discover for ourselves. After a presumed-predictable opening and some below-par writing at the start, OPUS’ narrative blossoms into a tale that kept our attention to the very end, to the point where we become genuinely invested in its tale.
In terms of gameplay, OPUS is – for want of a better phrase – a ‘telescope-based adventure’ — the basic flow of play involves looking through Emeth’s high-powered telescope, scanning a two-dimensional representation of space, finding certain planets (based on their similarity to Earth), and naming them whatever you wish, before returning to the ship to watch more of the story unfold. Interacting with objects around the ship point-and-click-style leads to new insights and clues, and discovering new planets can likewise open up new areas of the ship, so there’s a pleasing cyclical rhythm that keeps momentum strong throughout.
The telescope itself is fun to work; the left analog stick pans your view around the beautiful vastness of space, and you can inspect and interact with any celestial body you see by pressing the ‘A’ button. You’ll unlock various filters and upgrades for the telescope as the story progresses as well, all of which are simple and satisfying to use and which can help you on your quest. Being able to name each planet also adds a surprising amount of personal investment to the expedition, and coming up with suitable names based on the brief descriptions of each planet is a real treat.
Our only gameplay complaint is that the transitions between the ship and the telescope feel like they take longer than necessary, but here the game’s length works in its favour; in a 50-hour RPG, that would feel incredibly tedious, but in this movie-length adventure, it’s much more forgivable. Aside from looking for Earth-like planets, there are also a small set of ‘sidequests’ which see you searching for galaxies, stars, and supernovas. We really enjoy these, because while the story objectives are generally quite straightforward (it’s hard to really ‘miss’ any important planets) the hunt for galaxies and stars embodies the needle-in-a-haystack we imagine of actual astronomy, and finally zeroing in on your goal after searching the endless starry sea is a real thrill.
Though the core experience doesn’t change or evolve much through the experience, OPUS is short enough that deep-space telescoping doesn’t overstay its welcome. And while we won’t spoil exactly how it ends, the final act features an extremely effective blending of gameplay and story — so much so that we spent the last 20 minutes absolutely glued to the TV, almost unaware of the outside world. It’s immersive and affecting in the vein of Attack Of The Friday Monsters — as a small, self-contained story, we felt fully drawn into Emeth’s adventure.
Visually, OPUS’ art style is simple but cute – almost Playmobil-like – and cutscenes and stills have a hand-drawn charm. Out in space is a different story, however, and we loved looking at the stars, galaxies, and empty quadrants that make up this Milky Way map. It’s a smart choice for a game such as this, because while it’s not doing anything to put the Switch through its paces, it’s still gorgeous to look at by virtue of space itself.
The music and sound effects are equally important to that atmosphere, and the soundtrack in particular is very well done; it’s subtle and carefully employed, staying in the background during exploration but swelling powerfully to the forefront during dramatic scenes. Overall, OPUS is a great example of how relatively low-budget games can still shine in presentation; not only through technical ambition or unique art, but also through smart themes, charming details, and thoughtful touches.
Conclusion
Opus: The Day We Found Earth is a lovely little game. At more or less the length of a movie, it’s not going to keep you entertained for the weekend, but it’s perfect for a quiet night in. Digital stargazing is a surprisingly compelling pursuit, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with OPUS – it’s charming, affecting and proof positive that the Switch can be a wonderful storyteller.
