Category: Nintendo News

Pokémon Gold and Silver are the second generation instalments in the Pokémon series; released at the turn of the millennium, the games arrived just a few short years after their predecessors, Pokémon Red and Blue. Boasting a whole new world to explore, 100 new monsters (bringing the total to 251), and an entirely new cast of characters, the sequels weren’t a simple continuation of the originals’ plot, but a chance to build upon what was already becoming a gaming phenomenon. 17 years later the games have been released again, this time on the 3DS Virtual Console; they are just as wonderful as ever.

These games were released at a time when Pokémon was arguably simpler to understand; concepts such as Mega Evolution, variations on a Pokémon’s form, and of course the colossal amount of creatures we have available for capture today, did not exist. Instead, what you have is a stripped-to-its-basics version of the feature-rich games we have grown used to. You begin by receiving your very first Pokémon and starting an adventure across the Johto region, battling other Pokémon and their trainers, gaining experience, catching new monsters to add to your team, and eventually taking on Gym Leaders and the Elite Four to become a Pokémon Master. Along the way you’ll have to foil the plans of the evil Team Rocket, hold off your rival and defeat him in battle, and try to catch every single Pokémon to complete your Pokédex. Quite a lot to do, then!

The differences between these re-release on Virtual Console and the games they are effectively emulating are relatively limited. Aside from a couple of minor tweaks to a selection of attack animations, the only real difference is the trading element of the games. The original Game Boy Color utilised the Game Link Cable (a cable that could connect two Game Boys so that they could communicate) to battle or transfer your Pokémon with a friend. As this is unnecessary with today’s technology, these games activate a separate Virtual Console feature to wirelessly connect to another system nearby. Local wireless is the only type of communication supported meaning that, unlike the newer Pokémon games, you cannot connect to other players online. In one way this is a slight shame, but it does mean that the games remain faithful to the experience you had when playing them 17 years ago. Meeting up with a friend to share version-exclusive Pokémon can be just as exciting as it always was.

The games have aged fantastically well, too. The graphics can admittedly feel quite dated, although you could argue that the core series Pokémon games are never particularly impressive graphically. This doesn’t matter, though; the gameplay is just as fun, just as addictive, and just as rewarding as it ever was.

Whilst nostalgia alone will be enough for fans of the originals, Pokémon Gold and Silver offer an extremely rich RPG experience that deserves to be played. The only thing we can really fault in terms of how the games stand up today is the lack of the Running Shoes. These are an item that was introduced in the third ‘generation’ entries to the series, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, which allowed your character to run by holding down the ‘B’ button as you moved. Without it, walking around from town to town can feel extremely sluggish until you gain the ability to fly between destinations later on. Players who experienced the original games may be unfazed by this, but those who are used to how the series performs today might find it slightly frustrating.

Many fans regard Pokémon Gold and Silver as the best that the series has ever produced, and it’s rather clear to see why. These games expanded upon the originals in a number of ways; the in-game clock, for example, meant that different Pokémon would appear during different times of the day, reflecting your real-life surroundings. A mobile phone system was also implemented which allowed you to face trainers you had already battled before by accepting their challenges.

On top of this there were new Poké Ball types, new Pokémon types, Pokémon breeding and eggs, the option for Pokémon to hold items for use in battle, and many more features that we simply don’t have room for here. It also boasts a unique feature that has never been replicated in the series ever since – after seeing everything there is to see in the new Johto region you are able to revisit the Kanto region from Pokémon Red and Blue, taking on a second set of eight Gym Leaders and adding countless hours onto your playtime. Wonderful stuff.

Conclusion

Pokémon Gold and Silver have always been a highlight in the Pokémon series and even now, 17 years since they were originally released, they remain a truly brilliant experience. Fans of the originals will be pleased to see how faithfully the games have been emulated and newcomers should find enjoyment in playing through what is perhaps the best value-for-money game the series has to offer. The games feel just as good as they did all those years ago and, based on the pure gameplay, would be receiving praise from critics even if they were being released today. Flip that hat around, let out your signature catchphrase, and grab yourself a copy of one of the finest RPGs around.

This was originally published as an unscored ‘review in progress’ on 11th September as we waited for online play to be added in an announced update. Following an update to add online functionality this review was edited to reflect that feature, with a score applied.

When Minecraft first hit the scene years back, many likened playing it to building with LEGOs, which wasn’t an entirely amiss comparison to be made. The charmingly blocky sandbox game went on to effectively create a whole new genre of its own, and while LEGO games did exist they were more focused on action platforming than creating our own adventures. So, when LEGO Worlds was announced, it seemed logical that finally we were receiving a LEGO game that’s actually about building things. Unfortunately the end product doesn’t work quite as well as you’d expect it to, but it’s still an enjoyable game in its own right.

The gameplay of LEGO Worlds is similar to that of previous LEGO games, but rather than combing through relatively linear levels while looking for secrets, you’re tasked with running around procedurally generated worlds solving generic quests for characters. The focus, though, is less on the abilities of your avatar and more on the creation tools that are quickly given to you. How you choose to shape the world around you is largely the focus here, and it’s done well at some points, and not so well on others.

For one thing, the game’s free build mode — which is arguably the main selling point — is pretty confusing until you make a great deal of progress in the rather flimsy story mode. The story mode acts essentially as a massive tutorial; you control an astronaut traveling between worlds as he or she comes across various tools that allow you to terraform and shape the world as you wish. For its part, the tools are introduced to you at a pace that ensures you understand how each one works before the next one is put into your arsenal. By the time you have everything unlocked it’s a bit staggering how much you’re capable of doing to the world — it feels a lot like switching on a “God Mode” — but it doesn’t feel like there’s too much to handle.

The meat of the gameplay in story mode is found in the various quests that you can undertake, and it’s here that the first cracks begin to show in the game’s foundation. Simply put, the quests are largely repetitive and simple fetch quests that require very little thought or skill on the part of the player. Later on, things do get a little bit more complex, but the abilities available to your character greatly sugarcoat the challenge. After all, why climb that beanstalk to reach a castle in the clouds when you can just spawn a dragon or other flying vehicle to take you there? Why scour the surface of the planet for an entrance to a winding cave that ends in treasure when you can literally just dig straight to the chest?

Of course, you can just choose not to use the abilities available to you, but this goes against the whole design philosophy of the game. The point being, the quests often feel as though they would belong in a conventional LEGO game; here, they feel ill-fitting and tossed in to give players something to do just for the sake of it. Additionally, the game often fails to communicate the parameters and requirements needed to complete quests. A character may be asking you for a particular item, but unbeknownst to you that item itself is a reward for an entirely different quest which requires another item to complete. It’s expected that you figure this all out on your own, and that can lead to frustrating bottlenecks in the game’s flow.

Yet with all that being said, there’s something quite compelling about exploration in LEGO Worlds. There’s other things to do on the side — such as ‘discovering’ items in the environment which you can then begin spawning into the world after paying a one-time stud fee — that nicely pad out the experience and give you a reason to scour every corner of every world. And the random generation aspect leads to quite a bit of diversity in what kind of world you might find yourself in; the different biomes range from sugarcoated candy lands to hellish, Mordor-like landscapes. You never know what you’re getting into each time, and while the gameplay may be a bit surface-level, it nonetheless can keep you hooked for a while.

The game’s main strength comes when you play in sandbox mode, where you’re given total control and can build whatever your heart desires. There’s a massive amount of unique LEGO pieces that you can utilize here — you don’t need to ‘discover’ stuff in this mode, it’s all unlocked from the get-go — and part of the fun is that many builds which work in real life can be replicated in-game, too. There’s a virtually limitless amount of content on offer, then, but it does largely depend on the creative tendencies of the player. The toolbox is incredibly deep, but there’s not much to do if constructing your own cities and structures isn’t your cup of tea. Sure, it can be fun to goof around on the back of a dinosaur and ravage villages with laser cannons, but that kind of thing can only entertain for so long.

That seems to be the biggest flaw with LEGO Worlds. While the creative tools are deep and the possibilities are endless, the game fails to offer a compelling argument to keep coming back. Unlocks in the story mode are hidden behind a frustrating and unrewarding quest system, and the sandbox mode, while expansive, feels a bit empty. The point being, there’s a sense that something is missing here; everything that you do in the game feels rather pointless, like you’re just doing it for the sake of it. Minecraft managed to sidestep this by introducing survival elements which created a sense of prevailing over the odds and of conquering the landscape around you, and this gave a form of meaning to your progress in-game. You’d build a structure because it took a great deal of time and resources to make, but that sense of accomplishment is greatly diminished when almost all resistances are removed.

And though sandbox mode fares better, the controls are a little too complex for a controller. It can be frustrating having to navigate dozens of menus to find the element you’re looking for, and maneuvering the cursor to the right place can take a little more time and precision than is needed. Now, Tt Games did the best possible job that it could to translate the game’s controls to a controller, but this feels like a game that requires a keyboard and mouse for it to be a seamless experience.

And none of this is helped by the wonky camera, which seems to have a mind of its own as it moves this way and that. It’s not always terrible, but the second that you start entering enclosed spaces or getting into more details on a build it becomes finicky and difficult to handle. With the player having terraforming abilities on this scale it’s difficult to keep up regardless of how you approach the camera, but it’s another nuisance that lessens one’s enjoyment of the experience.

From a performance perspective, LEGO Worlds is definitely not a showcase of the Switch’s capabilities. Docked or undocked, the draw distance occasionally calls to mind the age of the N64 as not-too-distant mountains disappear into a grey fog. Fortunately, the tradeoff is that the game’s framerate does stay relatively close to 30 FPS, though it is prone to oscillate and dip as you navigate busy areas. Granted, the draw distance and framerate are at the very least manageable for most of the game, but this plays more like an early demo build of a game than a finished product.

The game seemed to perform at a consistently poorer level when a second player was thrown in, but it does add much to the experience to have a friend helping out with exploration and construction. The online mode (which took its sweet time to finally show up) leaves a bit to be desired, however, as LEGO Worlds limits your online experience to only those in your Switch profile friends list. Don’t have any friends that play LEGO Worlds? No online for you. Now, this obviously can be circumvented by doing a little bit of forum interaction and just adding strangers to your friends list before joining a game, but it still adds unnecessary, tedious steps to the process which sour one’s enjoyment of the experience.

And that’s not even including the bugs. We had the game just outright crash on us a few times, perhaps because there was just too much onscreen at once, and problems with hit detection and clipping are rampant. Text boxes won’t display or will be half obscured behind a nearby wall, creatures will sometimes be walking on surfaces that aren’t there, and whole structures will pop into your field of view rather unexpectedly. Of course, there’s a lot to keep track of in a game as modular as this, but for something that’s been on the market for over half a year (on console, longer on PC) we expect better.

Conclusion

On the whole, that mostly describes our experience with LEGO Worlds. There are lots of great ideas here, and every now and then you can see glimpses of what kind of potential those ideas have, but this is a gaming equivalent of what happens when you pull a tray of cookies out of the oven too early, leaving you underdone treats. The core concept behind LEGO Worlds isn’t the problem, but the execution is. Perhaps in future updates (or sequels) Tt Games will figure out how to better refine it, but we would advise you to hold off on this one for now. Creative players will get a little more utility out of this game due to its sandbox mode, but on the whole there’s not much here that you’ll be missing out on by passing.

Of all the moves Nintendo has made over the last few years, from the baffling but brilliant to just plain baffling, an announcement regarding a new Nintendo Direct has become arguably as anticipated as a showing at Gamescom or E3. While expos are opportunities for players to get their hands on the games themselves, Nintendo embracing the ‘direct’ approach allows information on new, upcoming or specific titles to be announced both regularly and with little notice. Directs have become something that fans constantly and consistently predict and anticipate. 

With the release of the Nintendo Switch the emphasis has been spread across the system’s spectrum, from tentpole titles like Super Mario Odyssey or third party big hitters such as Skyrim, to the brace of ‘Nindie’ showcases that have outlined strengthening Indie relations. Most recently, as well as Nintendo revealing the surprise 1-2 punch of Bethesda’s DOOM and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, the Japanese Direct also showed off a little indie title that was released immediately after the presentation.

PAN-PAN, from Swedish developer Spelkraft, is a cute and quirky environmental adventure game, with the emphasis on exploration and observation to navigate terrain and solve puzzles. After crash landing on an almost desolate planet (the name comes from radio communication terminology expressing the need for assistance), the objective is to repair your spaceship by collecting various mechanical parts. 

Presented and often played isometrically, it’s relatively simple to manoeuvre the nameless yet adorable protagonist, with only a contextual action button required early on. In addition, sometimes just manipulating the camera by either panning or zooming can fully realise the simple yet beautiful charm of the world, and there’s always the allure of what’s waiting around the next corner or behind the next door. 

The initial experience can be lonely, confusing and obtuse, but the instant likeability of the various local inhabitants, combined with the pleasant pastel hues and shades of the seamless and varied planet, will be difficult to leave behind. It’s very important to ‘stick’ with PAN-PAN, because trekking and backtracking may seem aimless at times, but everything eventually falls into place rather nicely. There aren’t any explicit instructions or narrative exposition, so you’ll have to look for visual cues, which compliments the gorgeous minimalist landscapes and soothing music. Whether you choose to don a decent pair of headphones in handheld mode or dim the lights and play on a big screen, PAN-PAN’s audio is an absolute delight, courtesy of sound designer and composer Simon Viklund.

The ambient soundtrack ranges from ominous to tranquil with the use of creaks, footsteps and delicate percussion to alien language, bird chirps and water flow. It’s constantly absorbing and adds another layer to the overall atmosphere. 

The puzzles themselves range from redirecting energy through terminals in order to open doors, to manipulating bridges to unlock new areas. There are some puzzles which rely more on paying attention to your surroundings, and there are tiny details that are easily missed or symbols to be misinterpreted; this might lead to a lot of mindless trial and error and frustration. It’s easy to get caught up and be distracted by an area because there are red herrings and tantalising pathways, with no signposting to speak of. If you get stuck, it’s best to not consult a guide and to instead freely wander around to allow for a new discovery or fresh approach, as there is a loose sequence to your progression. 

There is a balancing act with the environmental puzzles and the absence of storytelling, and in this respect PAN-PAN falls just short in its early stages; that unfortunately does affect its initial flow. However, if you are looking for a beautiful, relaxing world to explore free of threat and dread, Pan-Pan has challenge, open space and more than enough charm to satisfy. While its non-explicit nature won’t suit everyone, the game is worth your persistence and the deeper you go the more resonant the experience might become. 

Conclusion

PAN-PAN is a lovely little game to get sucked into – oozing with charm and a handful of quirky characters to meet along the way. There’s admittedly little replay value other than to re-explore the lush planet and solve the puzzles in a quicker, smoother manner, and while the environmental puzzles might range from frustratingly obtuse to organically wonderful, the planet rewards your time and exploration. Once the credits roll and after everything you’ve achieved, it will be almost impossible not to reflect positively on your short but sweet journey.

One refrain we often hear from fans pertains to why a Nintendo fan would want to carry two separate Nintendo devices with them wherever they go. For us, the answer has often been simple: the 3DS offers games that the Switch does not and vice-versa. Each system has unique features that enable different kinds of gameplay. Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition, however, does not help that argument.

While Nintendo has been keen to remind players that the venerable portable has plenty of life left in it, many view the 3DS as a console in its twilight. It’s odd, then, that Microsoft would choose now, after the Switch version of the same game is already in players’ hands, to release this port.

It feels, however, that perhaps Microsoft was of the same mind as some of the gaming populace; Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition feels less like a full-fledged release and more like a lifeless port. It seems to be aimed less at satisfying the 3DS fanbase and more at showing them how much better they could have it on Nintendo’s newer, more advanced handheld.

Rather than retread how Minecraft plays, as that hasn’t changed since either the Wii U or the Switch iteration, we’re going to spend our time discussing what makes this new edition different.

The dual-screen nature of the 3DS lends itself well to Minecraft. The bottom screen can be used for everything from crafting to inventory management to changing skins. If there was one thing we could pull out of this version of Minecraft and happily apply across the board, it would be this. In this one way it feels like the 3DS was made for playing Minecraft.

As much as we enjoy the touchscreen controls Minecraft offers on New 3DS, there’s quite a bit lacking. Minecraft’s main draws – in this humble scribe’s opinion – are its large, open worlds, and the ability to play in the worlds you create with your friends. Unfortunately, both of these aspects are either significantly hobbled or non-existent in the 3DS iteration of Microsoft’s blockbuster.

Because of the New 3DS’s weaker hardware, Minecraft’s draw distance is significantly reduced, meaning those wide-open worlds suddenly feel a little less so. The small screen also doesn’t do Minecraft any favours as it feels cramped on the limited real estate. More importantly, multiplayer is nowhere to be found. As of this writing, neither local or online multiplayer are supported, though Microsoft has promised to share more at a later date.

No multiplayer means that the 3DS version is also (unsurprisingly) not getting the Better Together update that allows Switch owners to play with both PC and Xbox players. On top of that, the Nintendo skins included in the Switch version are not available in this edition, either.

Conclusion

We suspect that some will purchase Minecraft for the New 3DS for the sake of having it on every platform, but it’s hard to see the audience that would buy this version instead of any of the superior versions available on other platforms, including both the Wii U and the Switch.

While the 3DS’s touch screen does add some convenience, the trade-offs made to fit such a large game onto the New 3DS create a notable deficit. If you don’t have another platform on which to play Minecraft, New 3DS Edition is a good way to test the waters and sample the solo experience, but there’s so much more that this game has to offer elsewhere.

Upfall Studios’ Quest of Dungeons has returned for what marks its third outing on a Nintendo platform. Approximately a year after the original Wii U version’s release, the title has now arrived on the Switch eShop with new content and some minor technical tweaks. The big question is, do these changes make this the definitive version of the game?

The latest iteration is a port with a few slight adjustments and content enhancements. For the uninformed, Quest of Dungeons is a roguelike game that doesn’t necessarily bring anything out-of-the-ordinary to the genre. The changes in this latest Switch version are minimal, all told, and may be barely noticeable to returning players. Technical adjustments are tied to the user interface and how it has been adapted to the system, and an additional level with new sprites and themes has been added to the game. The solid and well designed dungeon crawling is still intact and will entertain a player for minutes or hours on end, depending on their own level of eagerness.

As soon as you launch the Nintendo Switch version of Quest of Dungeons it feels like a much more sophisticated take on previous releases. This can be credited directly to the Switch and the sleek and accessible design of the system. It simply just makes a game like Quest of Dungeons better. Everything about the title on the Switch – including the look, feel and functionality – gives it the edge.

Despite this new lease of life the premise is naturally the same; you are dropped into a world of chaos where an evil dark lord has banished light. After selecting between one of four classes (warrior, wizard, assassin or shaman) it is your duty to head into a dungeon and save the day. There is nothing easy about the task at hand – one mistake and it is game over. If your hero dies you must restart the game and level a character all over again. In each dungeon, your character will spend their time fighting off hoards of bats, skeletons and evil sorcerers in order to gain experience. There’s loot to find, quests to take on, and keys and coins to collect. Each session of Quest of Dungeons is different due to the map being procedurally generated; it means no run is ever the same, with items and enemies also in different locations every time. 

The character classes in this latest release are unchanged. The wizard is reliant on mana for magic spells, the assassin has the ability to use ranged weapons, the shaman can mix spells with close combat and the mighty warrior is great for his classic sword fighting skills. Just like the other versions of the game, each hero can find better weapons and gear and expand upon their skill set. The actions of heroes and enemies are also synced. This means every time your character moves, attacks or even heals with an item, the enemy can move towards you or attack. The battles as a result of this play out like a turn-based strategy game, encouraging a more thoughtful plan of attack.

The turn-based approach does not detract from the flow of Quest of Dungeons; if anything, it makes it more accessible. You learn from your mistakes each time your character dies, and eventually you develop a bit of rhythm with how you go about each play session. There are also many points of interest to watch for during every run; this includes side quests to tackle – such as eliminating a specific enemy – and also bosses to defeat. A shop keeper in the dungeon, who spawns in random locations, also sells many helpful wares. The player can also visit the shop to sell valuable rocks they collect or any other items they find. If it’s all too much, Quest for Dungeons has four different difficulty settings, meaning you can always lower the difficulty if dungeon life is getting the better of you. Every time you lose a hero you can also view personal stats and online leaderboards to see how you rank against other players worldwide.

The new features in the Switch version of the game, as already mentioned, are relatively minor in their impact. A feats system has been added, which can be located from the main menu; this tracks the achievements you have unlocked. These range from completing a quest to finishing the game on a certain difficulty with a particular character. A new level “mansion” which adds new themes and sprites – including more enemies and tilesets – has also been included. The previously featured custom mode – allowing players to select dungeon size and the amount of floors – benefits from this with more variety on show. 

The 16-bit pixel look is no different to previous entries. Each floor of the dungeon has a single theme, and the character and enemy sprite work is charismatic enough, despite the generic look. The sound effects in Quest of Dungeons are adequate, but the soundtrack still doesn’t fit the atmosphere of a 16-bit game; it’s quality music but perhaps doesn’t nail the retro theme. In handheld mode the game still looks and sounds the same as it does on the television, a plus point for portable play.

Conclusion

If you had to pick one platform for Quest of Dungeons, the Switch would probably be it. It highlights the qualities of the Switch concept even if the upgrades in the game are relatively subtle. The system – with the choice of TV or portable play – is therefore a perfect match with the solid turn-based combat and procedurally generated dungeons. As a returning player, besides playing the title on a fancy new device the minor improvements and new content are hard to appreciate, at least when considering the need to double-dip. This version is certainly worth a go if you haven’t played it before, however, as this is still an enjoyable game to play.