Category: Nintendo News

We’ve seen multiple Adventure Time titles over recent years on Nintendo hardware, and now the Switch will get in on the act with the next main release – Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion.

Due in Spring 2018, it kicks off in a ‘flooded Land of Ooo’, so Finn and Jack naturally hop in a boat and set off on an adventure. It’s targeting a visual style to match the cartoons, and the following feature list gives you an idea of what it’ll be all about. 

• Open-world exploration
• 3D visuals that match the art-style of the show
• Playable fan-favourite characters: Finn, Jake, BMO, and Marceline
• An original Adventure Time story
• Tactical combat
• Hero progression
• Pirates – “Shiver me timbers!”

Are you excited about this one being confirmed for the Switch?

The Switch eShop continues its rapid pace of releases next week with The Coma: Recut, which is a manhwa-styled Korean survival horror and a remastered version of the indie cult classic, The Coma: Cutting Class which is also developed by Devespresso Games.

In the game you play as Youngho, a hapless Korean student who, after drifting asleep during his final exam, wakes to find himself trapped in a twisted version of his school, Sehwa High. And he’s not alone. Relentlessly pursued by a psychotic killer, Youngho must evade his hunter while desperately searching for a way to escape the dread-filled corridors and classrooms.

Here are some of the key features in this game:

• A remastered version of indie cult classic The Coma: Cutting Class, the game has been rebalanced and ‘recut’ with new and updated animations, mechanics, cutscenes and art
• Hide: Crouch in the darkness or cower in a closet to stay out of sight and evade the killer
• Survive: Use your flashlight to search for useful items, but be warned –it can attract unwanted attention
• Mystery: Discover notes and clues to uncover the twisted history of Sehwa High’s students and teachers
• Death: Beware the horrors lurking in the dark, lest you bleed out in some forgotten classroom…
• The cast of characters and creepy corridors of Sehwa High are brought to life in a hand-illustrated manhwa art style
• Inspired by the real-world plight of Korea’s overworked high school students

Do you plan to pick up this Korean survival-horror game for Switch when it launches next week on the 21st?

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has been available for nearly two weeks, offering an enormous adventure for Switch owners to take on. With its own Expansion Pass and some areas needing improvement it’s a title that’ll have a number of updates, and Monolith Soft has outlined the first major patch – version 1.1.1.

It’s due to go live on 22nd December, and in an official post by Monolith Soft there’s confirmation of some bug fixes and other notable changes. Check out the details below.

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Greetings to everyone playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2. This is Director Takahashi at Monolith Soft. Today I’d like to talk about the main updates that will be seen in the Ver. 1.1.1 update, which will be distributed next week on Friday December 22nd.

In addition to some bug fixes, we will address the following points:

• An easy mode will be added to Tiger! Tiger!
• When you press the X Button, the Skip Travel screen will open the map to your current location. We hope this will make it easier to spot Skip Travel locations and Salvage Points on the map.
• An additional 1:1 zoom on the mini map will be displayed by pressing the L Stick. This will allow improved visibility of your surroundings and make it easier to check quest locations.

We will further improve the convenience of the mini map as we add more quests and additional elements for second playthroughs next year. We appreciate your continued patience.

Note: The second playthrough elements will be available for all players, not just those who purchased the Expansion Pass.

• In your second playthrough, you will be able to have “those” Blades join your party! You can also dispatch Blades like Pyra and Dromarch as a Merc Group, and unlock the “LV 4 Special” of a certain Blade.
• We will distribute the following useful items to those who purchased the Expansion Pass:
  • Driver Essentials Set: 10 x Rare Core Crystal, 1 x Legendary Core Crystal, 3 x Overdrive Protocol
  • Upgrade Parts for Poppi: 30,000 ether
  • Pyra’s Favourite Things: 5 x Jenerossi Tea
  • Nia’s Favourite Things: 5 x Ardainian Bear Carving

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So there you have it, a ‘second playthrough’ option next year that sounds rather like a form of New Game+, and some changes to the map and so on next week.

Are you still working through Xenoblade Chronicles 2?

As a fantastic 2017 draws to a close it’s that time once again – Game of the Year Awards. We’re continuing with tradition in having both Staff and Community awards; the latter are entirely in your hands.

As in previous years you can vote through a series of polls. In each category we’ve created longlists; now, of course, we’ve had to pick those, so if any of your favoured games are missing from a category hit up the Contact Form and vote for your alternatives, we’ll add those votes to the final results. It was a tough battle longlisting the Switch eShop list, for example, so we chose 50(!) that have the best site / user review scores.

Voting closes at 5pm UK / 6pm CET / noon Eastern / 9am Pacific on 20th December, so get your votes in before then. You have all of the same categories as the staff, and a few important details are below:

• For games that are eShop titles with limited retail releases we’ve made a judgement call on their categories, rather than have them appear twice.
• There are a small number of games out in one region but not globally, mainly with the 3DS. Their chances will naturally be affected, but that’s a part of the region-locking legacy of the portable.
• We have excluded the Wii U this time, due to a very limited retail and eShop release slate.
• As before there are almost no Virtual Console games included, but in the limited 3DS eShop field we included a famous dual release. We also don’t have any ACA titles, which may be controversial but we needed to make cuts to the Switch eShop list of 50 somewhere.
• You can vote for up to four games in the Switch retail poll, five in the Switch eShop list, but only two each in the 3DS retail and 3DS eShop votes due to their shorter length.
• For ‘Overall Game of the Year’ there’ll be another vote. When the voting in these initial categories closes on 20th December, we’ll take the top five from each and list them as a final top 20 (in no particular order) in a follow-up poll that same day. You will then have the chance to vote from that list right up to 24th December; each category will have a top three in the end, in addition to an Overall winner across both Switch and 3DS. Results will be announced during the Holidays.

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• by Gonçalo Lopes
• 10 hours ago

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Accessories maker Hyperkin is apparently working on a portable Nintendo 64 system.

The news comes from Hyperkin Senior Account Manager Ramon Navos-Moral, who (rather foolishly, it should be said) posted the following images of a functioning prototype system on his Facebook page:

The machine itself appears to be modelled on the N64 controller, with a screen built-in for portable play. There’s a cartridge slot on the back.

We’ve since contacted Hyperkin for comment and they have revealed that action has been taken against Navos-Moral for distributing internal R&D projects online. Hyperkin has also confirmed that the device is indeed real but like many of the devices it produces behind closed doors, it’s just a prototype and may not enter production.

Would you buy a portable N64? Let us know with a comment.

There has never been a better time to pick up a Nintendo Switch, but obtaining a console is merely one part of the puzzle. There are accessories and other items which are essential parts of Switch ownership, so we’ve pulled them all together for you in this handy buying guide. Is there anything you still need to pick up to optimise your Switch enjoyment? You’re sure to find it below…

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale which helps support the site. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

Nintendo Switch Console

At this time of year many of the unique console bundles are sold out, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find your very own Switch. Available in a variety of consoles and configurations, plenty of deals also include a game to accompany your new favourite handheld delight.

Nintendo Switch Games

Here are some of our favourite family friendly games for the Switch. Whether you’re looking for a little light-hearted downtime over the holidays or a new game to give your console a good workout in 2018, you’re bound to find a gem that’ll shine both tabletop and handheld modes. Which ones will you catch your eye?

You can find more great Nintendo Switch games to pick up here.

Nintendo Switch Micro SD Cards

The Nintendo Switch only comes with 32GB of on-board memory which will get used up quickly with game updates. With that in mind, we’d recommend picking up a Micro SD card right away to boost your storage options. If you aren’t a heavy downloader then the 128GB micro SD card will do nicely, but if you have deep pockets you can get one as large as 400GB.

These are four great options, but check out our Nintendo Switch Micro SD buyers guide for lots more.

Nintendo Switch Accessories

What’s a console without accessories, people? There are always additional controllers and gadgets to purchase along with your lovely new machine, so have a look below and see if anything takes your fancy. Whether it’s a brand new pair of Joy-Cons or a Pro Controller, we’ve got you covered.

Nintendo Switch Carrying Cases

One of the best things about the Switch is its portability, but when taking it with you on your travels we’d recommend picking up a protective case to keep that little box of wonders in good nick. You wouldn’t want to damage that beautiful screen would you? Check our collection below and ensure your Switch is suitably armoured up on the move.

For more inspiration, check out our Nintendo Switch carrying cases buyers guide.

Nintendo Switch Power Banks

The Switch’s internal battery offers between three to six hours of use, so if you’re planning on taking it out of the house for an entire day you may want to invest in one of these to keep you running. Having one of these powered-up bad boys in your bag will ensure your extended Breath Of The Wild sessions can go on for hours when you’re travelling away from home.

Feel free to check out our review of the AUKEY 30000 mAh, which we’d highly recommend.

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Did you find this guide useful? Do you have everything you need for your Switch now? Sound off in the comments below to tell us.

Rocket League seems to have been a major hit on the Switch eShop, having nestled near the top of the store’s charts for a number of weeks. Psyonix is keeping busy too, lining up a performance-boosting update that’s due on the Nintendo Switch imminently.

Some have been waiting for the retail version, however, announced a while ago with Warner Bros. assisting on publishing duties. Now details have been confirmed for the Switch version – Rocket League Collector’s Edition arrives in North America on 16th January, Oceania on 24th January, ‘Central Europe’ on 25th January and UK, Nordics and wider Europe on 26th January. It’ll cost $39.99USD / €39.99 / £34.99.

That’s about double the download price, depending on region, but the retail iteration will include the following.

• Rocket League Full Game
• Supersonic Fury DLC Pack
• Revenge of the Battle-Cars DLC Pack
• Chaos Run DLC Pack
• Aftershock DLC Car
• Marauder DLC Car
• Esper DLC Car
• Masamune DLC Car
• Customization Items inspired by DC Comics’ The Flash
• Limited Art Print by Psyonix Concept Artist, Jay Zhang

In UK money the included DLC (the packs and cars) are sold for a combined £15 on the eShop, plus there are the items inspired by The Flash and the Art Print to consider. That does justify the price tag if you’re happy to have that DLC and pay more, plus of course you’ll have a nice box and cartridge.

It is worth noting that the recommended price is higher than the PS4 / Xbox One equivalents – the following reasoning is given on the official blog.

As many of you have likely noticed, the MSRP for Rocket League Collector’s Edition is $10 more on Nintendo Switch than the same version on other platforms. As much as we tried to keep the retail price down, the reality of the Switch’s increased cartridge manufacturing costs meant that the MSRP had to be higher as well. That said, we are still VERY confident that players who join us from the retail side will get plenty of enjoyment from what Rocket League has to offer and we look forward to welcoming them to the community next month!

Or you can get the base game for less on the eShop – it’s a tough choice, but for big fans of the game this retail version is guaranteed to be tempting.

Are you a big Rocket League fan, and are you going to pick up the Collector’s Edition?

Nintendo Life shmup heads rejoice, for next week Hamster is bringing the forerunner to Blazing Star to the eShop!

It has been long rumoured (but never confirmed) that developer Aicom was a set up by ex-Jaleco and Irem staffers, so if you happen to feel that Pulstar feels a little bit too close to R-Type, it might not be a mere coincidence. 

This 1995 arcade release was the first Neo Geo game to feature pre-rendered graphics, the same kind of that were pushing the industry forward one year previously with Donkey Kong Country. Unlike its more hectic sequel, Pulstar is a far more slow-paced shmup, one that requires a different set of skills to tackle: enemy pattern memorization, navigation and the correct choice of weapons for each section are key for smooth sailing on this one.

A rather welcome surprise as this year races to the end and once again Hamster clearly shows that does not care for a coherent timeline, with prequels showing up months after sequels, just to keep us guessing. 

Will you take on the role of ’90s anime girl pilot Kaoru Yamazaki at the controls of the Dino246 ship next week? Take off in the comments section below!