Category: Nintendo News

It’s fair to say they we weren’t all that impressed by the Retro-Bit Generations, 2016’s attempt to bring a selection of classic Data East, Capcom and Jaleco titles to the home. An odd library, terrible emulation and general sloppiness made it a product to avoid, despite the tantalising promise of having 100 classic games in a single micro-console. 

Retro-Bit has listened to the lukewarm feedback it received and is back with a successor which shares many of the same games, but features superior performance and a few new (and hitherto unreleased in the domestic arena) titles which will make this a system of interest for seasoned retro gamers. But is it worth your hard-earned cash this Christmas? That’s what we’re here to tell you, silly!

What is the Retro-Bit Super Retro-Cade?

Like its forerunner, the Super Retro-Cade is a micro-console which plugs into your television via HDMI or composite AV. It comes pre-installed with more than 90 games covering a wide range of formats, including the NES, SNES and even arcade. Two six-button pads are bundled in the boxed (with generously long leads, yummy) and the console has a SD card slot for transferring save data. The case design is practically identical to the Generations, but it now comes in white. The pad design is entirely different however; gone are the 6-button Genesis / Mega Drive-style pads seen before, replaced with a controller which looks like the SNES pad and the original 3-button Genesis controller had a baby. Also included in the box are AV leads (for both HDMI and composite) and a power adapter.

Retro-Bit Super Retro-Cade: What games are included?

Over 90 titles come pre-loaded on the Super Retro-Cade, taken from the back catalogues of Capcom, Data East, Irem and Technos – four of the most notable coin-op makers of the ’80s and ’90s (Jaleco is absent this time around). Some of these titles were included on the Generations – such as Knights of the Round, Captain Commando and Ghouls ‘n Ghosts – so those of you who (unwisely) purchased last year’s model will experience some duplication. If you’re coming to the Super Retro-Cade entirely fresh then this obviously isn’t an issue, and the selection of games included here is undeniably impressive.

Capcom’s arcade offerings include Final Fight, Strider, Forgotten Worlds, 1942, Gun.Smoke, Mercs, Mega Twins, Three Wonders, Armored Warriors, Side Arms and Bionic Commando, as well as many others. Data East’s Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja, Super Burgertime, Midnight Resistance, Boogie Wings and Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja all make the cut, while Irem contributes the likes of Mr. Heli, Image Fight, Ninja Spirit and X-Multiply. Technos games predictably include brawlers such as Double Dragon, Double Dragon 3, The Combatribes and Renegade.

Coin-op games take up the vast majority of the Super Retro-Cade’s library, but home console versions are also featured – sometimes duplicating content. There are two versions of Mercs, for example (arcade and Genesis / Mega Drive), but given that the Sega port has an exclusive mode, it’s not a massive issue. We also get two versions of Strider – arcade and NES – but the latter is a very different game, so again, it’s not really the problem it initially appears to be. Elsewhere, we have Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3, Final Fight 3, Mighty Final Fight, Joe & Mac (and its tropical sequel) – all games that are worth a look and, in their original cart format, would cost you an arm and a leg to acquire.

What’s really cool about this particular console is that it is giving several arcade games their domestic debuts. Capcom’s Armored Warriors – a side-scrolling fighter which serves as the forerunner to the one-on-one scrapper Cyberbots, released in 1995 – has never been ported to any home system. Neither has Data East’s insanely brilliant shooter Boogie Wings (known as The Great Ragtime Show in Japan), which allows you to hook objects with your plane and even leap from your craft in order to control other vehicles (and even animals). While it could be argued that these relatively obscure coin-ops lack the brand-recognition of games which are notably absent (there’s no Street Fighter II, for example), the fact that they can be experienced in the home for the first time ever (outside of legally-questionable emulation, of course) is cause for celebration, whichever way you look at it.

Retro-Bit Super Retro-Cade: Performance

One of the big issues with the Retro-Bit Generations was the quality of the emulation; many titles suffered from crippling performance issues such as slow-down, glitchy music and – in the case of Capcom’s arcade shooter Varth – the wrong screen orientation. The good news is that on the whole, such problems have been eradicated with the Super Retro-Cade. The console appears to be Android-based (at least judging from UI elements) and uses emulators (in the case of the some of the arcade games, the MAME decryption screen even appears upon loading – oops).

On the Generations, we noticed serious issues with games like R-Type III on the SNES, so we were quick to test these on the Super Retro-Cade. The good news is that R-Type III no longer suffers from awkward slowdown, and the music no longer fluctuates depending on the intensity of the on-screen action. Varth is also displayed in its proper vertical orientation, too. Emulation isn’t perfect across the board – Double Dragon and Midnight Resistance are noticeably choppy and Boogie Wings has some very minor audio and frame-rate problems – but it’s a massive improvement over the Generations. NES, SNES and Genesis emulation is nigh-on perfect, and pretty much all of the Capcom CPS-1 and CPS-2 titles run flawlessly, too.

The menu system is also a big improvement over the one seen on the Generations. Games are laid out in a grid system which gives a better overview of the titles included, and it’s possible to filter them based on a series of criteria, including genre, system, publisher and name. Each game has an info screen where you can load save states and read a short description, but rather annoyingly each one defaults to a hideously stretched full-screen display once loaded. It’s not possible to set the screen aspect ratio to “original” on a global level, so before you load up a new game you have to make sure you enter the options menu (press Select) and pick the “original” setting. In-game, pressing Start and Select at the same time brings up a pause menu from where you can save and load game states, reset the game’s settings to default and drop back to the main menu.

Retro-Bit Super Retro-Cade: Conclusion

The Super Retro-Cade rights many of the wrongs present in the Generations from last year. Performance – while still not perfect across the board – is much improved, and we still can’t quite believe there’s now a legal way to play the sublime Boogie Wings in the comfort of your own home. It’s disappointing that so many key Capcom, Data East, Irem and Technos titles didn’t make the cut however (why no arcade R-Type, R-Type II and R-Type Leo?), and that Retro-Bit has used so many of the same games that were present on the Generations. It’s also a pity that titles like Double Dragon suffer from seemingly inexplicable emulation problems when later – and more advanced – games like Capcom’s CPS-2 Armored Warriors run as smooth as butter. It may well take a third attempt from Retro-Bit to finally crack this intriguing concept, but we’d argue that it’s worth the $60 asking price just to play Boogie Wings on your TV. 

Did we mention that we really like Boogie Wings?

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I think it’s fairly safe to say most of the people reading this want a Virtual Console presence on the Switch, or at the very least wouldn’t actively dislike the idea. And so mutterings are afoot saying that the recent reveal of Wii games coming to the Nvidia Shield in China could be pointing to just such a service on Switch.

I’m not saying these games won’t come to Switch, it seems like a no-brainer, but in the video above I detail why the chances of any Virtual Console being tied to this reveal are, in my view, slim.

If you mention ‘motion controls’ to some gamers they’ll instantly recoil – “good grief no, I want the immersion that only buttons and sticks can bring”. Oh ok, I’m exaggerating a little, but there is a contingent of eager gamers that shun motion controls at every turn. In some cases they simply prefer purely physical inputs, which is fair enough, but I think others resist motion controls as they’re put off by the negative impressions left by gimmicky games and flawed execution. Going back to the Wii, it’s worth remembering it had some games that handled pointer and motion controls brilliantly – such as Wii Sports Resort and Metroid Prime Trilogy – but also some that were horrendous and practically broken.

One motion controlled game that got a lot right was Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition; anyone that’s read enough of my articles over the years will know that I’m rather devoted to this game and revisit it at least once a year. I play it on Wii, too, having wasted money – in hindsight – on the HD PC re-release. I just prefer the pointer controls, and even tolerate the waggle-time (quicktime events with a greater risk of injury) parts of the game. It’s simply hugely satisfying to nail those headshots with absolute precision, and that applies in pretty much any shooter on Wii with well calibrated Remote controls.

The difference with Resi 4 compared to something like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the limited aim, forced by the semi-tank controls that the game utilises. You’re not constantly aiming and working the camera like you do in a standard first-person shooter, so you’re only pointing when you draw your gun. I like both approaches, but I had memories of Resi 4 and its controls in mind when I bought Resident Evil Revelations and Resident Evil Revelations 2 for my Switch. I reviewed the first game on 3DS and Wii U (and played it more times besides) and own the second from its episodic phase on PS4, yet I double / triple dipped because of the promised motion controls or, to be more precise, motion aiming.

In Revelations 1 & 2 the controls follow the same approach as Resi 4, understandably as these games came before the recent (and critically acclaimed) switch to first-person in Resident Evil 7. I’ll say right now that I’ve ignored the motion reloading that supposedly uses the IR sensor in the right Joy-Con – it’s fiddly, and frankly it’s easier to hit Y. That’s my defence to anyone eager to dismiss my praise of motion controls – I only like them when they make a game better or more fun. Motion-based aiming = fun. Reloading with a temperamental gesture = meh.

In any case, I’ve played both games on the TV with detached Joy-Con; the difference here, of course, is that the Joy-Con utilise gyroscope technology as opposed to the sensor bar on the Wii. Although the Wii’s (technologically primitive) sensor had its flaws, such as limited angles and an aversion to bright sunlit rooms, it was extremely effective in the right conditions. One thing that helped, too, was that the bar was a focal point – you knew you had to aim at it, and if controls freaked out it was a reminder to actually point at the thing. In other words, it gave you a target (the TV) and made you focus on the controls.

Gryo aiming, theoretically, should be better. You don’t need to worry about where a sensor is, you simply move the Joy-Con as you please. In Revelations 1 & 2 Capcom has done a good job – the right stick is still important for putting your aim in the right zone, but once you’re holding ZL the motion kicks in and you can make precise adjustments. It suits claustrophobic combat in particular, aiming for headshots as a zombie / goo thing shambles towards you. It gets trickier in action intensive sequences, though, and it’s in those sections that I miss the Sensor Bar.

With Gyro aiming it takes its centre point from the moment it’s activated, in this case when you raise your gun with ZL. In a frantic battle I sometimes get mixed up when rapidly disengaging aim, turning around and then aiming again. If my right Joy-Con – in the panic – is ever pointing anywhere other than straight ahead when I start aiming it throws me off, as the position of the controller no longer matches the reticule on screen. It hasn’t happened too often, but when it does I temporarily ignore the motion to use the right stick, scramble to safety and then sort out the aim. Occasionally this occurs in quieter moments if I inadvertently have the Joy-Con pointing down when I started aiming; gradually I’ve taught myself to be more disciplined in pointing at the TV, even when it’s not strictly necessary. 

So far it’s solid, then, but I actually prefer the discipline the Wii sensor bar gave me. That said, you can use motion controlled aiming in handheld mode (with the Joy-Con attached) on Switch too, and that’s marvellous. It was actually an option with the first game on 3DS too, but I loved the 3D effect too much to really use it. On Switch it’s 2D, but it’s also HD visuals at 720p on a phablet / tablet-sized screen, so it looks great. The first game looks nice on the handheld though its 3DS origins are obvious, while Revelations 2 is pretty impressive on the portable (it looks good on a TV too).

Anyway, the motion aiming. Because of the semi-tank controls and limited viewpoint you’re not moving the system much, if at all, and what makes it so effective is that the hardware is always nicely centred. After all, you’re holding the thing right in front of your face and straight on for the best view, so from the off the gyro’s ‘centre’ matches your own. Subtle movements to add precision to shots works beautifully in these games; in fact, although the sequel looks particularly nice on the TV I find myself playing on the portable late at night with headphones in. That’s pretty immersive, and the subtle aiming control adds to the experience; the only downside is going back to waggling the left stick when grabbed by a monster.

Overall, then, these games show that the Switch Joy-Con are pretty handy for motion controlled aiming. We also knew this from Splatoon 2, of course, in which the Pro Controller is also utilised – that’s a bit different because of the playing angle, but is a nice example nonetheless.

What I’m not sure of is how effective gyroscope-based motion aiming would be in a full first-person shooter where you’re aiming and managing the camera all at once. DOOM didn’t even try it, for example, and I do think the issue with constantly having to manually ‘centre’ the sensor could be a factor. When you do get mixed up between the Joy-Con position and the aiming on the screen it feels like a minor version of the disconnect some experience in VR – if your brain, manipulated by the Virtual Reality, doesn’t feel like actions match reactions, it can lead to discomfort. It’s far more minor when it comes to working a pointer with a right Joy-Con, but there is the question over whether the controls feel right.

Which makes me wonder what Nintendo will do with Metroid Prime 4, assuming it’s a first-person adventure like the trilogy. Will it try to perfect the Joy-Con motion controls for immersive pointer aiming, or scrap that in favour of conventional dual-stick controls? One thing’s for certain – if Nintendo feels it can’t get ‘pointer’ controls absolutely right for a first-person experience, it won’t use them. While I think the Switch motion control options work well – and add to the experience – for third-person experiences like Splatoon 2 and the distinctive approach of Resident Evil Revelations 1 & 2, I’m hesitant that they’ll suit a full-fat FPS.

That’s just my opinion, what do you think?

Super Mario Odyssey is a hit, no one can deny that. Universal critical acclaim, a huge amount of social media presence thanks to the photo feature, and yet it feels like Nintendo has only scratched the surface of what could be done with this game’s mechanics.

In my view, a sequel or DLC is pretty much a given, and I explain why I’d put money on this fact in the video above for your viewing pleasure.

Yooka-Laylee will cost £34.99 (likely converting to $39.99USD / €39.99) when it launches on the eShop next week.

That’s in-line with the Steam and Xbox One versions of the game, but is above what physical copies are changing hands for in stores and online. The price of the digital version on PS4 is also lower at £15.99 as part of a current promotion, which is far more in line with the value given to retail copies. 

No North American price is available at the time of writing.

There was some hope that with the game coming so long after its initial release on PS4, Xbox One and Steam, publisher Team17 would opt for a lower price point on Switch – especially as no physical release appears to be forthcoming at present.

Still, it’s not totally out of line with other ports – DOOM on Switch costs £50 in the UK despite now being cheaper on other systems. In that respect, £35 should perhaps be seen as a very reasonable “mid-range” price when compared to other big-name Switch releases.

Does this pricing fit with your expectations? Let us know with a comment.

Since its big push in a Nindies Showcase broadcast as a Switch console exclusive, ‘breakdance battle game’ Floor Kids has had us intrigued. With a distinctive visual style and fresh music from Kid Koala it’s hard to miss, and we’ll find out imminently whether the end result lives up to the stylish promise.

Floor Kids is out this week (7th December) in North America with a price tag of $19.90USD; its European eShop listing suggests it won’t arrive in that region until 18th December, however, with a UK price of £15.99 [Update: this has now been confirmed].

It’s certainly a distinctive title for the system – are you planning to pick it up?

It’s been a whole five years since a good ol ‘rasslin game made an appearance on a Nintendo console (the last one being WWE ’13 on Wii), so we’re marking out like crazy for the full fat port of WWE 2K18 on Switch. As promised it is actually out today on the EU and US eShops, and will set you back a tidy £54.99 / €59.99 / $59.99USD for the standard edition.

The port will feature all the modes from versions on other platforms, including an updated myCareer mode, an even deeper customisation suite (because building your own wrestling monstrosity and seeing it win the WWE Championship is half the fun) and support for all incoming DLC characters.

Just make sure you’ve got a nice big microSD card because WWE 2K18 needs a whopping 32GB of space to do its thing. Some gameplay footage is below via ThisGenGaming.

We’ll be reviewing WWE 2K18 on Switch shortly, so look out for our verdict very soon.

It’s that time, once again, for the Japanese Media Create charts. They make for some interesting reading this week, with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 being of particular interest.

Monolith Soft’s title had a pretty decent launch on Switch, securing second place behind Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon as the best-selling new release. Its sales of 97,972 units surpass the equivalent launch figuresof Xenoblade Chronicles X and even the Wii original; that’s a positive early result for the JRPG.

Beyond that it’s an all-Nintendo top five, with Kirby Battle Royale making its debut in 5th place. Going further down we see Attack on Titan 2: Future Coordinates for 3DS in 12th place, while Resident Evil Revelations Collection only managed 6,540 sales in 14th. Another new entry on Switch is Nobunaga’s Ambition: Taishi down in 17th spot. The top 20 is below with lifetime sales in brackets.

1. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon (Nintendo, 11/17/17) – 107,657 (944,074)
2. [NSW] Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Limited Edition Included) (Nintendo, 12/01/17) – 97,732 (New)
3. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo, 10/27/17) – 61,596 (853,654)
4. [NSW] Splatoon 2 (Nintendo, 07/21/17) – 36,246 (1,409,776)
5. [3DS] Kirby Battle Royale (Nintendo, 11/30/17) – 28,023 (New)
6. [PS4] Nobunaga’s Ambition: Taishi (Koei Tecmo, 11/30/17) – 27,230 (New)
7. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo, 04,28,17) – 23,388 (861,238)
8. [PS4] Call of Duty: WWII (SIE, 11/03/17) – 15,505 (306,501)
9. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf Amiibo+ (Nintendo, 11/23/16) – 13,068 (294,639)
10. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Limited Edition Included) (Nintendo, 03/03/17) – 11,634 (668,649)
11. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon Double Pack (Nintendo, 11/17/17) – 10,872 (278,952)
12. [3DS] Attack on Titan 2: Future Coordinates (Spike Chunsoft, 11/30/17) – 8,353 (New)
13. [PS4] Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time (Bandai Namco, 11/30/17) – 8,069 (New)
14. [NSW] Resident Evil Revelations Collection (Capcom, 11/30/17) – 6,540 (New)
15. [3DS] Style Savvy: Styling Star (Nintendo, 11/03/17) – 6,450 (61,055)
16. [PS4] Star Wars Battlefront II (Deluxe Edition Included) (EA, 11/17/17) – 5,886 (55,389)
17. [NSW] Nobunaga’s Ambition: Taishi (Koei Tecmo, 11/30/17) – 5,636 (New)
18. [PS4] Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone DX (Limited Edition Included) (Sega, 11/23/17) – 5,579 (40,475)
19. [PS4] Gran Turismo Sport (Limited Edition Included) (SIE, 10/19/17) – 5,542 (198,985)
20. [NSW] 1-2-Switch (Nintendo, 03/03/17) – 4,758 (287,866)

Moving on to hardware it’s been another dominant week for Switch in which it outsold every other system combined, albeit sales were a drop from last week. It’s impressive nonetheless, and the New 2DS LL and New 3DS LL (XL) are also maintaining solid momentum. Results below have last week’s sales in brackets.

1. Switch – 124,770 (145,200)
2. PlayStation 4 – 25,163 (20,384)
3. New 2DS LL – 20,712 (20,283)
4. New 3DS LL – 12,431 (11,511)
5. PlayStation 4 Pro – 8,244 (6,525)
6. PlayStation Vita – 6,127 (5,964)
7. 2DS – 2,747 (2,838)
8. New 3DS – 348 (254)
9. Xbox One – 295 (196)
10. Xbox One X – 213 (212)
11. PlayStation 3 – 48 (46)
12. Wii U – 45 (85)

So there you have it, another positive week of sales for Nintendo in Japan; it’ll be interesting to see how sales hold up over the next few weeks.

Headup Games has revealed that it is bringing ClockStone’s Bridge Constructor Portal to the Nintendo Switch next year.

An update of the smartphone title Bridge Constructor created in conjunction with Portal studio Valve, Bridge Constructor Portal features the “vehicle-based test chambers” of Aperture Laboratories. The game “blend the laws of structural engineering and technology straight from Aperture Laboratories” and even features the iconic AI, GLaDOS.

Here’s some PR:

We welcome all lucky applicants to Bridge Constructor Portal with our new vehicle-based test chambers, Quantum Tunnels and patented Aperture technology!

For the last year we’ve been secretly working in our underground labs on the next iteration of the million-selling Bridge Constructor series. This new stand-alone title will release on PC, MacOS, Linux, mobile devices, and console, and fully embraces the Portal license, one of the most beloved video game franchises of the last decade.

Bridge Constructor Portal will blend the laws of structural engineering and technology straight from Aperture Laboratories into an exciting new game experience, all under the demanding gaze of GLaDOS. 

The Windows, MacOS, Linux and smartphone versions all launch on December 20th, with the console versions (including Switch of course) coming in early 2018.