Category: Nintendo News

Nintendo News

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This Playtonic Art Could Be The Closest We’ll Get To Seeing Banjo-Kazooie And Switch Together

To celebrate the long-awaited release of Yooka-Laylee on Switch, Playtonic’s artists have been paying tribute to their past connection with Nintendo.

As you know, Playtonic’s core team is made up of former Rare staffers who worked on some of the company’s most famous NES, SNES and N64 era titles. These talented chaps are now pulling together those decades of history in these bespoke pieces of artwork, and it’s no surprise to see that Banjo-Kazooie features prominently.

We sadly may never see this famous duo on a Nintendo console again, as Rare is now totally owned by Microsoft and Banjo-Kazooie’s status as an original Rare IP means Nintendo has no claim over it. Still, with Microsoft seemingly open to the idea of getting its games onto as many systems as possible – even rival ones – you never know…

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Kellogg’s Teases A Potential UK Release For Its Must-Have Super Mario Cereal

Ever since cereal maker Kellogg’s announced it was once again teaming up with Nintendo to release a Super Mario-themed breakfast line we’ve all been banging our empty bowls with anticipation. It’s due to exclusively hit US stores on 11th December (you lucky people), but the Big K has dropped a delicious tease for a potential UK release.

When quizzed on Twitter as to whether the product – which includes amiibo functionality for extra coins in Super Mario Odyssey – the official Kellogg’s UK & IRE account responded with, “Patience is a virtue .” Could we really be seeing the much-hyped, Lucky Charms-style product on British shores or Kellogg’s just trying to get us all hyped up over nothing?

We’ve tasted a bowl for ourselves and we were left impressed, but is it enough to get you excited for the release of a cereal? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Review: Tennis In The Face (Switch eShop)

Ever since the tennis in Wii Sports stole our hearts, entered our minds and (sometimes literally) TV screens, the virtual representation of the sport has taken on a new lease of life in the home. Sure, Top Spin and Virtua Tennis have scratched that realism itch on other systems (as well as Rockstar’s Table Tennis on the Wii), but Mario and chums (along with the Wii’s packed in mega hit) gave it a light-hearted shot in the arm. Unfortunately, Mario’s last outing on the Wii U was a disappointment, with a double fault of limited content and features being cited as the main issues.

Enter prolific Finnish developer 10tons, which has already brought over a number of arcade twin-stick shooters – such as Neon Chrome and Crimsonland, among others – to the Switch. Don’t be fooled, though, this isn’t another sports fix for the Switch.

Tennis In The Face starts with a brief introduction to our illustrious protagonist presented as a series of newspaper front pages, chronicling his fall from grace as a world tennis champion to pre-school coach after becoming addicted to an energy drink, called ‘Explodz’. Our hero is recruited to save the similarly intoxicated city from the drink’s evil manufacturer and end their reign of chaos.

Once the narrative exposition is over, the realisation as to what kind of game it actually is may come as something of a surprise. Mechanically it takes a lot of cues from contemporary and cultural phenomenon Angry Birds – moving either your finger or the left stick, you can adjust either a straight line (when it’s your trusty tennis ball) or an arc when you are given a bit more firepower. You have a specific number of projectiles with which to dispose of various enemies in order to progress around the grid-like metro map, similar to 10tons’ object flinging puzzler King Oddball.

Completing levels will unlock bonus challenges, new weapons and enemy types; with online leaderboards in addition to 100 regular and a few dozen bonus levels, there’s enough content and variety here to fill a decent number of commutes. It won’t win any originality grand slams, but despite its familiar set up there is something immensely satisfying about a tennis ball walloping a smug looking hipster in the face in slow motion, as the perfect cherry on a simultaneously level clearing cake. With tubes of extra balls flying with a well placed shot, along with explosives and boxes of shrapnel to utilise to dispatch any number of foes, Tennis in the Face is in fact a very literal title, but it’s also fun; that’s the important thing. It is easy to get a kick out of seeing a group of riot police or clowns scatter across the screen like bowling pins, or unnervingly fragile architecture reduced to dust. There are extra points for completing a level with projectiles to spare, as well as multipliers and head shot bonuses to increase your score.

Its mullet sporting and disgruntled main character, bold cartoon visuals and funky bass synth soundtrack are comparable to a Saturday morning cartoon. With every new item introduced, too, there’s more potential for increasingly bonkers, Rube Goldberg machine-like set pieces, and every failed attempt is a useful learning experience as a result. The trajectory of your previous attempt is also shown – which is handy – and with objects reacting to contact in real time there’s a pinball-like and pleasing unpredictability to it.

Tennis In The Face works better than some of its rivals for a couple of reasons. Its tongue in cheek and self-referential humour strikes a chord whether you are familiar with the intricacies of the sport or its key figures, or if you just enjoy the slapstick wackiness of it all. Furthermore, the physics engine is not only nicely layered and dynamic, but because the levels are enclosed it makes the game continually more satisfying – you see objects ricocheting off each other long after you’ve fired your shot. A dozen or so balls causing absolute carnage in any given stage brings back fond memories of power-ups in brick-busting retro classics such as Arkanoid or Alleyway. 

Conclusion

Those waiting for a an actual tennis game will not find an interim solution here. Despite tennis being ‘in the face’ regarding its presentation here, it’s another single screen, physics-based puzzle destroyathon. It is also, however, vibrant, fun, funny and chaotic. The main character is a likeable amalgamation of both tropes and celebrities from the sport, and while the mechanics are pretty well worn in by now – especially in the mobile space – Tennis In The Face is probably among the top seeds in its genre on Switch. If you are over this kind of game it won’t change your mind, but it’s a well presented and addictive slice of structure (and tie) breaking action.

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Guide: Super Mario Odyssey: Ruined Kingdom Power Moon Locations And Walkthrough

Welcome to our ultimate guide for collecting every Power Moon from the Ruined Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey! Below, you’ll find maps detailing the exact location for all 10 of the Power Moons located in this Kingdom, as well as descriptions on how to get each and every one of them.

The numbers on the maps correspond to the relevant Power Moon listed below and, whilst most of them appear in that spot from the beginning (or after you’ve completed the story at least), it is worth nothing that sometimes you are required to perform a specific action to make it appear. Use a combination of our maps and walkthrough information to grab each of the Power Moons with ease. Enjoy!

Ruined Kingdom Power Moons (1-5)

1. Battle with the Lord of Lightning!: You will receive this Power Moon when you defeat the Kingdom’s boss.

2. In the Ancient Treasure Chest: Starting from the Odyssey, walk forwards and keep to the left. Jump down onto the platform to the left of the stairs and then jump up to grab on to the thin rail in the wall. Move yourself around to the left to find a treasure chest containing a Power Moon.

3. Roulette Tower: Climbed: Capture the rocket on the west of the main island to fly to a mixed 2D and 3D section. Make your way through each section, using a combination of the P-Switch and the button to make the platforms inside stay still exactly where you need them. When you reach the end you’ll find a Power Moon.

4. Roulette Tower: Stopped (see location 3): In the same area as Power Moon 3, make your way through the 2D rooms until you come across the one with red Koopas walking along bricks. Here, jump up onto the top set of bricks on the left, jump on the red Koopa there once to make it hide in its shell, and then again (from the right hand side of it) to launch it off to the left and past the pipe from which you entered. You’ll now be able to access a bonus area with a second Power Moon.

5. Peach in the Ruined Kingdom: Head to location 5 on our map (on the east side of the main island) to find Princess Peach. Talk to her to receive a Power Moon.

Ruined Kingdom ‘Moon Rock’ Power Moons (6-10)

These Power Moons will become available to you when you have smashed the Moon Rock located in this Kingdom.

6. Caught on a Big Horn: Return to the main island to find this area’s boss lying on the ground. Jump up onto its head and examine its right horn (on your left). You’ll notice a glowing spot at the tip – hold down the ‘Y’ button to have Cappy spin on it for a few seconds to reveal a Power Moon.

7. Upon the Broken Arch: Head to the far end (away from the Odyssey) of the first island. If you turn around and look to the left, you should notice a short, broken pillar standing in front of a taller one. Use a backflip to get on to the first pillar, and then jump up again to the second – simply ground pound the glowing spot here for a Power Moon.

8. Rolling Rock on the Battlefield: Return to the main island and look around location 8 on our map for a small rock sitting on the ground. If you kick it, you’ll notice that it starts to glow. Keep kicking it around until it eventually smashes open (this one seems to take an abnormally long amount of time) and you will be rewarded with a Power Moon.

9. Charging Through an Army: Head inside the grey warp pipe near the Odyssey and run to the other side of the room, ignoring the enemies in your way. Throw Cappy at the level to open the gate, and then capture the Chargin’ Chuck inside. Now simply charge up and around to either side of the gate and use his power to break open the cage above containing the Power Moon.

10. The Mummy Army’s Curse (see location 9): In the same area as Power Moon 9, capture the Chargin’ Chuck and run all the way back to the start of the room (if you smash open the line of blocks at the far end, you’ll find a super-lovely wealth of coins just lying around). Now release the Chargin’ Chuck with ‘ZL’, and climb the pole on the left – when you make it back up to the top you should spot a glowing Chincho. Jump up on this Chincho to reveal a second Power Moon.

We hope that you have found this guide on collecting all Power Moons in Super Mario Odyssey’s Ruined Kingdom useful. Let us know if you’ve managed to grab them all with a comment below.

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Square Enix Is Bringing Romancing SaGa 2 To Switch Next Week

Square Enix is releasing Romancing SaGa 2 on the Switch eShop next week, it has been revealed.

The game was previously a Japanese Super Famicom exclusive, having originally seen release in Japan in 1993. Recently, Square Enix localised the game for smartphones and the Switch version is presumably based upon the same code. A fan-made translation also appeared recently.

It’s also coming to PS4, PS Vita, Steam, Xbox One and Windows 10. The date? 15th of December. Mark it down, people.

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FIFA 18 Nets A Sizeable Update On Switch

Electronic Arts has just pushed out a large update for FIFA 18 which fixes a wide range of issues and bugs present in the title.

Here’s a comprehensive list of everything that’s changed:

Addressed the following issues in Gameplay:

+ The FIFA Trainer Shot Elevation arrow was resetting its extension after shooting the ball.
+ The FIFA Trainer Pass Receiver indicator not correctly showing the player getting the ball on short passes.
+ Discrepancy between the two kicking power bars, the one above the goalkeeper and the one on the gameplay HUD, when taking a goal kick.
+ Smoothed out the movement of the Set Piece Target indicator.
+ Loss of controller functionality during the halftime flow if the Joy-Con controllers are changed from Handheld mode to Tabletop mode.
+ The kicking power bar did not reset if the player changed the Joy-Con controllers from Handheld mode to Tabletop mode.
+ The Approach Speed buttons were being displayed on the Penalty Kick Tutorial screen when using the Joy-Con controller in Solo mode.

Addressed the following issues in FIFA Ultimate team:

+ Squad Building Challenge Reward items being incorrectly tagged as Loan items in some situations.
+ Missing pack art on Premium Gold Packs in some situations.

Addressed the following issues in Online Modes:

+ A crash in Local Seasons if the player quickly re-enters the mode after quitting out of a Local Seasons match.
+ Players always having the same country flag as you when in the Compare Stats screen on the Online Leaderboards.
+ Debug text on a matchmaking error message.
+ Made the text on the Settings tile in Local Seasons easier to see.

Addressed the following issues in Career Mode:

+ A freeze when proceeding into the second Pre-Season Tournament match in certain situations.
+ Incorrectly loading a Player Career save file when selecting ‘Continue Manager Career” if the player skipped the initial save file creation flow.
+ Penalty shootout results were not showing on the Tournament Tree when playing the game in some languages.
+ Debug text on the My Career screen if you get fired from the MLS and take a job in a league that starts their season in July.
+ Banners missing from the North America All-Stars Pre-Season Tournament.

Made the following changes in Audio / Visual / Presentation:

+ Updates to a number of crests and kits.

Addressed the following issues Audio / Visual / Presentation:

+ The numbers and names on kits were not getting dirty after performing a slide tackle.
+ Corrections to some of the localized Trophy names.
+ The Live Form arrows were overlapping player stats on the Team Management screens in some languages.

Have you downloaded the update? What changes are you most thankful for? Let us know with a comment.

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Discord CEO Reiterates His Company Is Keen To Work With Nintendo On Switch Voice Chat

We already know that the makers of the voice and text chat app Discord are keen to work with Nintendo on a Switch client, but the console maker has – as far as we know – kept quiet on the topic.

Now Discord founder and CEO Jason Citron has added a little more pressure in an interview with Rolling Stone’s Glixel sub-site. He reveals that he’s a big fan of the console and is keen to work with Nintendo on bringing Discord to the system:

I have thought about the Switch. I have spent many hundreds of hours of my life in that little screen. If Nintendo wants us to power their voice chat, we’d be happy to talk.

Would you be keen to see this app on the Switch? Do you think Nintendo would support such a venture?

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Review: Caveman Warriors (Switch eShop)

When some children from a prehistoric tribe are abducted by aliens (as is prone to happen in video games), four brave warriors set out to get them back. In gameplay terms this translates into eight levels of (mostly) platforming action as you bash a variety of baddies and avoid the perilous drops. You can tackle the adventure offered by Caveman Warriors alone or you can have up to three friends join you.

The four warriors have different weapons and some unique moves that are required (or are just the best choice) in certain situations. For example, Jack has a Wario-like charging attack to clear away enemies and smash blocks that would otherwise prevent progress through the level. Brienne carries a slab of meat for a weapon and this can be used as a shield against attacks (even machine gun fire), whilst Moe has a dancing two-headed monkey (no, really) which can be used to distract enemies. Perhaps the most useful character is Lilliana, whose spears can be used to create a temporary platform but are also very effective at picking off enemies at a distance.

These differences make for some good co-op multiplayer as each player steps up to help when required, whether that’s the distraction from Moe’s monkey causing a door to open, or a thrown axe from Jack being the best way to deal with an enemy in the area below. When playing solo (or without the full four players), characters can be cycled through at any point, allowing you to call into action the required hero before switching back to your preferred choice.

The controls work well despite some jump button strangeness. There’s the standard jump, while pressing up with jump will perform a higher leap. Helpfully this also has its own button, but whilst the standard jump can be used in lots of situations, it’s rare that it’s actually required.

Visually the game looks fine, using a bright cartoony style with a variety of different locations visited and a good range of enemies encountered. There’s the occasional moment where heads and limbs move as if they are attached by brass fasteners, but there are some great character designs and the between-level comic panels work well. Beginning in stone age locations, the story moves into a UFO before ending up in a relatively modern setting where gun-totting soldiers are encountered. Other foes encountered during your quest include tribe members, aggressive plants, pterodactyls, robots and a He-Man lookalike.

Controller vibrations occur when hit, but these seem a bit heavier than necessary, serving to annoy rather than immerse. The audio does add to the atmosphere however, with good sound effects for hits, smashes, splashes and caveman growls. Music also serves the action well, quite relaxed but with moments of excitement and mystery in different moments; the cave level working particularly well with the background effects.

With the various foes attacking you in different ways (some have homing attacks, for instance), dealing with them leads to some fun gameplay challenges as you work out how best to get through these dangers. There’s also plenty of frustration however due to the large knock-backs when you receive a hit. Get caught by an attack and often you will receive a hit to your health, then be sent flying backwards into a pit where a further deduction from your energy bar occurs. Assuming you have enough health left, you then respawn on a floating platform, although is not always ideally placed – leading to a tricky initial jump as you try to avoid getting locked in a cycle of getting hit, then falling in a pit.

Making your task a bit easier are health-restoring items, dropped by enemies and smashed items. Also helpful is the fact that you begin each level with four lives and this stock (as well as your energy) is replenished when you reach one of the three checkpoints; the final one typically being located just prior to the boss. It doesn’t completely eliminate the frustrations, especially as some areas have awkwardly-placed attackers, but once you’ve got used to each section, it becomes easier to navigate. Boss fights are fun and tough until you’ve figured out weak points and when you can get your attack in. The exception to this is the one at the end of the seventh level, who is strangely easy to dispatch.

Each level has three fuses hidden within the level for you to try and seek out. This is generally optional, but you need four to access the sixth stage onwards. That’s not too difficult however and you’ll stumble across a few without even trying. Further fuse collection will open up harder versions of the levels if you’d like a tougher challenge. In the regular versions of the levels the difficulty curve is well-judged, so while knock-backs continue to irritate you won’t suddenly be overwhelmed by the challenge.

Although most of your time in Caveman Warriors will be spent platforming there are two stages that offer a different way to play. The penultimate level sticks you in a plane and tasks you with shooting down the enemy forces. Though offering a change of pace, it’s a quite slow-moving and while there’s some fun to be had from shooting balloons to send a girder into the path of a plane (or to drop a sniper to the ground below), it’s not the most entertaining part of the game.

That award goes to the third level, which has you riding a Tricerotops as you attempt to outrun a pursuing posse of goons. Rocks and signs slow you down and you have a cannon you can use to pick off smaller members of the gang and push back the large (eventual boss) one. A couple of slip ups and it’s soon over, but it’s a lot of fun.

Conclusion

It’s a short game, but Caveman Warriors still entertains as you work through the levels figuring out how best to deal with the threats encountered and then how to defeat the bosses. There’s some good character designs in the game and fun moments – like the way scared foes flee in panic only to knock themselves out by running into a wall. It’s not without fault however, with the over-the-top knock-backs from hits being the biggest irritant. There’s some replayability in trying to track down all the fuses and then tackle the harder versions of the levels and the co-op play works well. If you’ve got some friends around and are looking to pass the time with some platforming action, then Caveman Warriors is a good pick.

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Gallery: Let’s Try The New Super Mario Cereal

Remember that rumoured Super Mario cereal? It isn’t often that we share what we’re having for breakfast on these pages, but today we’ll make a special exception. We got our hands on a box of Super Mario Cereal ahead of its release on American shelves, and we’ll tell you all about it, of course!

The cereal is similar to Lucky Charms in that it’s got little marshmallows with shapes familiar to Mario fans as well as cereal bits that have a faint berry taste to them. It’s actually pretty good! In case you’re wondering what the shapes are, they’re one-up mushrooms, question blocks and the traditional red super mushrooms. Yum.

The back of the box, however, is where the real magic happens, and no, we’re not talking about that maze. The box itself is an amiibo, and – surprise! – you don’t even have to open the box to tap it, meaning if you want to keep your Mario goodies sealed for time immemorial you can still use this little guy. You just need to tap your right JoyCon or pro controller on the amiibo symbol on the back of the box. When you do, Mario will get a few coins or occasionally a heart. What does Uncle Amiibo say when you ask your box of cereal to find you a power star?

That’s right, Uncle Amiibo. Delicious, indeed.

This quick look at Super Mario Cereal has been part of a balanced breakfast. We’d like to thank our friends at Nintendo for, of course, sending us an early box to goof around with. Will the edible-filled amiibo become part of your morning routine? Let us know with a comment.