Do you wish there were more scary games on the Switch? If so, you might be in luck if Shinji Mikami, Resident Evil co-creator and producer of The Evil Within 2 gets his way.
Speaking to GameSpot, Mikami seemed very enthusiastic about porting the game to Switch:
I think a Switch version would be interesting. I’d like to try it if I had the chance.
First I’d like to buy a Switch myself. I had to borrow Zelda with the Switch from another staff member to play it.
He probably has his hands full preparing for the The Evil Within 2’s launch, so we’ll cut him some slack. Let us know if you’d like to see this terrifying game make it over to the Switch one day soon with a comment below.
Releasing a kart-racer on a console that already has the likes of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe spear-heading its software library is an interesting move; Mario Kart is a series widely accepted to be as close to perfection as we’re likely to see, so what is left for other titles to offer? Beach Buggy Racing (a title that has previously been released on mobile devices and other consoles) is attempting to prove that there is room for more than just the heavy-hitter in this genre and, for the most part, it succeeds.
The game sees six racers take to the track to find out who can come out on top. There are items scattered around the track in item boxes (exactly like how you might imagine) which cause havoc and destruction at every turn and, on top of this, each individual racer has their own unique power-up which can be used once per race. Both these specialised abilities and the standard items have some utterly bonkers effects; you might be used to laying down bananas as a trap but how about a box full of chickens instead – leaving a mess of feathers and an actual, full-sized, squawking chicken smeared across your screen when hit? We’re down for that!
You’ll likely spend the majority of your time in the Career Mode, a place where you play through lots of races earning stars to unlock more events. The goal is to work your way through multiple series of races, unlocking a new driver to play as when you complete each one. Along the way you’ll face standard races as you’d expect, but also other challenges such as Elimination rounds (where every few seconds the last placed driver is eliminated until only one remains), Boost Blitz (a time trial-like event where you have to complete sections of the track before the timer runs out) and even a Shooting Gallery, where your main goal is actually to shoot targets as you drive around to get a high score. It feels similar to the setup of games in the Need for Speed franchise and it works rather well.
The tasks vary further in the Daily Challenges mode. Here, you will be presented with a random driver and vehicle and must complete a challenge. You are rewarded with coins for doing so which can be spent on upgrading your cars in the Career Mode. There is also a Championships mode which consists of tournaments of five races which you must win on every difficulty class with every vehicle; Quick Race, should you want to just play for fun; and Split Screen which supports 2-4 players playing locally. Sadly, there’s no online mode.
The presentation and feel of the whole experience is fine; by which we mean it does the job, but never blows you away. The controls are simple to understand – ZR is your accelerate button, the left control stick is used for steering, and A and X house your items and abilities – but even so are not quite perfect. The cars often feel rather ‘floaty’, which is something you’ll get used to over time – and does add to the ‘party-fun’ feel of the game – but isn’t ideal for those looking for a serious racer. It looks and sounds ‘fine’ too with TV, Handheld and Tabletop modes all working well; there is nothing ground-breaking to report but it does the job. The soundtrack actually consists of an odd blend of country and surf-rock, all of which is rather pleasing to the ears.
There are two main problems here, however. Firstly, despite the different types of challenge on offer Beach Buggy Racing does start to feel rather repetitive. This is most likely because the hundreds of races making up your Career and Championship modes are spread across only 15 tracks; the circuits are decently designed and 15 isn’t an ungenerous amount, but driving along the same stretch of road again and again gets a little stale. Secondly, there’s the items. On the one hand they’re great fun – their craziness means that you can have a laugh whilst playing and there are some interesting ideas here like dodge-balls and springboards – but when you’re trying to complete harder races at the end of your career, being shot down at the last second can be infuriating. Of course, you could argue that this particular aspect is present in Nintendo’s offering too, but the wild nature of the items on offer here seems to make this more severe; perhaps that’s because Mario Kart’s items are ingrained in our memories and we know what each one does instinctively.
If you do happen to get on well with how the game plays, though, then you’ll actually have a surprising amount of content to play through. As mentioned, the Career and Championship modes contain an awful lot of races and will take quite a while to complete fully. On top of this there is as an excellent set of in-game achievements that leave this writer screaming for an integrated system on Switch (but that’s an argument for another day).
Conclusion
Beach Buggy Racing is a decent kart-racer; the driving is fun, the items are bonkers, and you’ll likely be playing it for some time. Perhaps enjoyed best in small bursts, and without the expectation of it being a mega-serious racer, the game does offer some easy-to-play fun for both solo players and groups of family or friends. It can’t steal Mario Kart’s pole position and it suffers from a couple of little niggles but for a fraction of the price it does offer an acceptable alternative.
We don’t think it’s unfair to say that Pokkén Tournament DX targets a particularly devoted fanbase – you have to be into both Pokémon and Tekken-style fighting to get the most out of it, though a loyalty to either can help you have some fun.
While it was a pretty easy decision for many (based on sales figures) to double dip and pick up Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Pokkén Tournament DX is starting off with a smaller Wii U fanbase in the first place and arrives a little ahead of a very busy line-up demanding our spare cash.
Nevertheless it is a very good complete edition of the game, and Nintendo’s rather lengthy launch trailer tries to sell its various merits – check it out below.
A love letter to the tough-as-old-boots 2D action platformers of the ’80s and ’90s, Volgarr takes a large helping of inspiration from the likes of Rastan and Ghouls ‘n Ghosts. We have to say we hope it all comes to pass as this looks like a whole heap of fun. We’ve no idea what has happened to the 3DS version, but we’ve asked the developer and once we know for sure we’ll update this post.
Let us know if you plan to flex your gaming muscles and step into the arena with Volgarr the Viking with a comment below.
The Switch eShop is getting pretty tasty, as more talented developers get lured in by the system and get hold of development kits. It seems that most days bring news of a quality upcoming release, and now we have Vostok Inc to add to the list.
On the one hand it’s a colourful arcade-style twin-stick space shooter, albeit with cool abilities such as creating your own weapons. Yet you do that to accumulate money, and you can then invest in various capitalist enterprises on planets to earn more money. You get rich and that unlocks a boss fight, and then you can move onto other solar systems. Oh, and there are minigames. The quirky trailer below actually explains it quite well.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Andreas Firnigl – boss of developer Nosebleed – explained why the Switch will be the ideal platform for the game.
I really really wanted to do a Switch version because it’s a perfect thing. One of the very early foundations of the game was to do this thing where you could sit and play five minute bursts and then put it down and the game is still playing.
On Switch you can sit for five minutes on the bus playing it, or I can sit watching the TV and my daughter will come in and want to watch Netflix so I can take the Switch out and play actively, or put it down. It just feels like the perfect fit.
There’s no release date yet but it will cost the same as on other systems – £11.99 in the UK, for example. It’ll also have a New Game+ mode to tackle.
Damien has over a decade of professional writing experience under his belt, as well as a repulsively hairy belly. Rumours that he turned down a role in The Hobbit to work on Nintendo Life are, to the best of our knowledge, completely and utterly unfounded.
Remember the IR camera on the Switch Joy-Con? It was just one of the many tricks the controller was capable of, but so far it has only really been used in 1-2-Switch, despite offering plenty of potential.
Thankfully, not everyone has forgotten about it – Capcom is using the camera in Resident Evil Revelations 1 & 2 to control reloading of weapons:
The game also includes gyro controls for aiming your weapon in the game and slashing with your knife. But that’s not all! The same Tokyo Game Show attendee also spotted an amiibo option in the game’s menu:
How do you feel about Capcom using the unique features of the Joy-Con and the understated return of motion controls? What do you think amiibo will do in the game? Share your innermost feelings below.
Rhythm action title VOEZ is getting a physical release in Japan in early 2018, it has been revealed.
The game – which has now been downloaded over 40,000 times worldwide – will be repackaged with bonus content, the details of which aren’t clear yet. However, we do know that it will include the option to play on the TV using the buttons on your controller – something that wasn’t possible with the original eShop release.
There’s no word on whether or not this new edition of the game will make it out of Japan, but would you be interested if that was the case? Sing a song in the comments section to tell us.
Pokkén Tournament DX is here, plus two classic Pokémon titles return
Available today, the Pokkén Tournament DX game lands on the Nintendo Switch™ console with added Pokémon fighters and new enhancements. With Nintendo Switch, you can battle at home or on the go to become the Ferrum League champion!
Features:
Master the fighting styles of over 20 Pokémon, including Croagunk, Scizor, Empoleon, Darkrai, and the formidable Decidueye!
Use Support Pokémon, including the newly added Litten and Popplio, to help you out in battle with impressive special moves.
Execute powerful Pokémon attacks with simple button combinations that all skill levels can enjoy.
In Team Battles, pick three Pokémon and carefully choose which order these Pokémon join the fight against your opponent’s team.
Find online competition with Group Match Mode, an easy way to match players with custom settings.*
Record and upload your favorite fights with a new replay feature.
Grab a friend and play together on just one system with one set of Joy-Con™ controllers!
Local wireless play.**
Learn more on the official site or buy the digital version. You can also try it out with a free demo.
But there’s more good news for Pokémon™ fans. The Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version games, originally released for the Game Boy™ Color system, are now available for the Nintendo 3DS™ family of systems. Explore the Johto region as you battle and collect Pokémon. A new feature even lets you trade and battle Pokémon using local wireless on your system.** To learn more or purchase, visit Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version.
Games Rated:
Disclaimers: Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version: Games in 2D. *Nintendo Account required. Online services and features, including online gameplay, are free until the paid Nintendo Switch Online Service launches in 2018. **Additional games and systems required for multiplayer mode. Sold separately.
Explore a hostile alien planet as legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran in the Metroid™: Samus Returns game for the Nintendo 3DS™ family of systems.
This intense, side-scrolling action platformer revitalizes classic, exploration-focused, atmospheric Metroid gameplay with stunning 3D visuals and a wide range of new content sure to please both new and veteran players.
Metroid: Samus Returns is available now, only on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. It can be purchased in stores, in Nintendo eShop, and at Nintendo.com. For more information about the game, visit http://metroidsamusreturns.nintendo.com/.
Use Parental Controls to restrict 3D mode for children 6 and under.
Game Rated: Animated Blood Fantasy Violence Mild Suggestive Themes
