Category: Nintendo News

It’s Nintendo Download Update time, ladies and gentleman, and it’s another cracker. This week brings an impressive range of new releases on Switch, both at retail and as download-only titles. The 3DS also weighs in, with two notable retail releases on the veteran handheld; there’s a lot to get through, so let’s get to the details.

Switch Retail Download

Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle (NIS America, $29.99USD) – A spin-off of the popular Touhou Project series, Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle is described as a 3D shooter with fighting elements, which tasks you with taking down opponents 1 vs 1 using projectile and melee attacks. Available from 10th October.

Tiny Barbarian DX (Nicalis, $29.99USD) – An action platformer that pays homage to the retro era, it supports local co-op and also has “four lengthy episodes”. We suspect most will aim to get the physical edition of this, however, which will include various goodies in the first run. Available from 10th October.

Switch eShop

Stardew Valley (Chucklefish LTD, $14.99USD) – Since it was announced earlier this year this has been top of plenty of wishlists. A hugely popular game across PC and consoles, this will be the first iteration that’ll also be playable on the go. It adds its own modern spin to Harvest Moon-style ideas such as tending to your land and forming relationships with suitors. We’ll bring you a review as soon as possible.

Axiom Verge (Thomas Happ Games, $19.99USD) – An innovative Metroidvania that in the eyes of some (including our reviewer) is a modern classic. On the surface it looks traditional, but an innovative approach to glitches and their impact on the world helps to make it a distinctive experience. We love this game, and that didn’t change in our Axiom Version Switch review.

Oxenfree (Night School, $19.99USD) Originally released on PS4, Xbox One and Steam in 2016, Oxenfree casts the player as Alex, who travels with her stepbrother Jonas to an abandoned military island packed with hidden secrets. The game offers a multiple-choice conversation system that alters the story as you play, building your in-game relationships with every reply, statement and question. There’s also a radio which allows you manipulate the game world and make contact with the strange and mysterious forces that have been dormant on the island for the past 70 years. Critically acclaimed when originally released, we’ll check it out on Switch. Available from 6th October.

Earth Atlantis (Headup Games, $14.99USD) – Looking a lot like the classic arcade blaster In The Hunt, Earth Atlantis places you in a world where the majority of the planet’s surface is covered in wet stuff. There are plenty of enemies to take down as you embark upon a ‘monster-hunting’ approach to the side-scrolling shooter genre, all with a distinctive art style. We’ll had a review with you soon, in the meantime here’s an interview with the director and lead designer.

Tumblestone (The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild, $14.99USD) – The name may sound familiar, as this was a ‘Nindie’ title given a big push by Nintendo on the Wii U eShop last year. It’s a game that reminds us that puzzle titles can be engrossing and a lot of fun, with plenty of content, modes and options to play alone or with buddies. We’ll take another look on Switch, but in the meantime you can check out the strong recommendation in our Tumblestone Wii U review.

Ninja Shodown (Rising Star Games, $14.95USD) – Another potential winner to add to the stack of entertaining local multiplayer games on the Switch. This one is all about chaotic arena brawls (either co-operative play or as opponents) and looks like it could be fun. We’ll see whether it truly has the way of the ninja in a review.

Volgarr the Viking (Crazy Viking, $9.99) – Also coming to Wii U at some point this has now made its way to the Switch. It pitches itself as a tough action platformer in which you’ll die a lot. It looks a tad rough visually, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a lot of fun; we’ll try it out for review.

Metal Slug X (HAMSTER, $7.99USD) – We’ve already had three ACA Metal Slug titles on the store to date, though X is considered to be pretty darn good – it’s a rearranged version of Metal Slug 2 (fixing that game’s drastic slowdown) and we loved it in our Wii Virtual Console review.

3DS Retail Downloads

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions (Nintendo, $39.99USD) – One of the most beloved entries in the RPG series gets a revamp on the 3DS, with updated visuals and a new strategy-light spin-off campaign. Though the all-new content is a tad uninspired, the main game is still an absolute delight to play – we get into why in our Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions review. Available from 6th October.

Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy (Level-5, $39.99USD) – After spin-offs and experiments the Layton series goes mostly back to its roots in this new release, with Katrielle and chums solving a lot of puzzles while solving a dozen cases. It’s a welcome return to form for the IP, as we explain in our review. Available from 6th October.

3DS eShop

Symphony of Eternity (KEMCO, $7.99USD) – KEMCO is bucking the trend, changing up its modus operandi to bring us something completely different… nah, just kidding, it’s a retro-styled RPG. There’s a legendary weapon and an epic quest, and that – ladies and gentleman – is another KEMCO RPG 3DS eShop release. It might be good though, to be fair.

3DS HOME Theme

BOXBOY! 2.5th Year Anniversary

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As always Nintendo of America wants you to browse the eShop and check out the official sales and deals website for discount details.

That’s the Nintendo Download line-up this week – let us know what you’ll be downloading in the poll and comments below.

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• by Darren Calvert
• 2 hours ago

Big Ant CEO Ross Symons is keen to bring the studio’s new Ashes Cricket game to the Switch, but it seems like Nintendo isn’t returning his calls.

Ashes Cricket has been confirmed for PS4, Xbox One and PC, but Symons feels like it would also be a perfect fit for Switch:

I would love to do the Switch; the Switch is made for this. There’s nothing like Cricket and using something like the Switch where you have the motion controllers – it just makes sense.

However, he admits that while Big Ant has approached Nintendo about bringing the game to the system, it hasn’t had the reaction it perhaps expected: 

Unfortunately I did reach out to Nintendo but it didn’t get much of a response. We’ve made games for Nintendo systems in the past, but I really hope we can support the Switch because it really does make a lot of sense, especially with motion controllers and cricket going together. A little bit of that is up to Nintendo – we need to get someone from Nintendo who wants a cricket game on their system and then we’re up for it.

Would you like to see Ashes Cricket on your Switch? Do you fancy swinging those Joy-Con around for batting and bowling? Are you keen to get all “silly midwicket” with your friends and relatives? Leave a comment to let us know.

Super Mario Odyssey is getting closer, all set for a 27th October release. As is its way Nintendo of America is planning to celebrate with a promotional tour – it makes sense, some people play the game, you potentially get local news showing up, and you can share photos of gamers smiling while playing the game. Marketing 101.

In any case, the tour will take in five stops over the next few weeks, all in the US. Details are below.

Los Angeles Kingdom	Universal CityWalk 100 Universal City Plaza Universal City, CA 91608 Located at 5 Towers at Universal CityWalk.	Oct. 10 3:30-6 p.m.
Dallas Kingdom	State Fair of Texas 3921 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Dallas, TX 75210 Located in Chevy Park Plaza (enter at gate 11), across from the Chevy Ride & Drive.	Oct. 18 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Chicago Kingdom	Navy Pier 600 E. Grand Ave. Chicago, IL 60611 Located in Polk Bros Park, Navy Pier’s front gateway, between Illinois and Grand avenues.	Oct. 21 12-6 p.m.
Philadelphia Kingdom	Philadelphia Museum of Art 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia, PA 19130 Located below the “Rocky Steps” of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.	Oct. 24 12-6 p.m.
New York Kingdom	Rockefeller Center 10 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10020	Oct. 26 8-10 p.m.

In all cases there’ll be photo opportunities with a Mario mascot and a chance to try the game. The New York stop will be a bit different, tying in with a midnight launch at the Nintendo NY store; “the first 200 people in line will gain access to the event and be the first to purchase the game at midnight.” Weary old perspective aside, we can imagine this trailer will be pretty cool for young kids to see.

Will you be heading to any of these stops?

Retro-Bit’s no stranger to creating serviceable controllers for old-school systems – we covered its excellent NES pads not so long ago – but the company is moving up a generation with its next products, aiming for SNES and Mega Drive / Genesis owners.

The new “Dual Link” pads are, as the name suggests, able to interface not only with the original hardware, but also with PCs, Macs and other devices which accept USB controllers – which makes them the ideal purchase for players who want control options across more than one platform.

Available in Street Fighter and Mega Man flavours, the pads themselves are a close match to the original designs. The SNES variant feels just like the real thing, although the plastic is noticeably cheaper and has a slightly different texture. The buttons are a little more spongy, but not by much – and after a few hours of play we had no complaints.

The Mega Drive pad is modelled not on the original three-button controller which shipped with the console at launch, but the fancy six-button variant released alongside Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition. It’s arguably one of the best controllers ever made, with a lovely rolling D-pad and all six buttons on the face of the pad itself, making it absolutely perfect for Street Fighter matches. It even comes with the “Mode” button on the top edge, which was included on the original controller to avoid compatibility issues with certain titles. Again, the quality is very, very close to the real deal.

While the Dual Link functionality means you have to put up with two plugs on the end of the lead instead of just one (and, believe us, it looks awful messy when plugged in), it’s more than worth it; being able to use the pad on other systems is a real boon – the Mega Drive controller in particular is now our go-to choice when it comes to playing Capcom’s amazing catalogue of arcade one-on-one fighters via MAME.

These pads certainly represent a solid purchase, especially if you’re keen on keeping your retro systems alive but can’t find decent quality versions of the original pads. We have to admit that our SNES and Mega Drive originals have seen better days, and the fact that these Retro-Bit offerings double as fine USB pads is a bonus. The Street Fighter and Mega Man designs are perhaps more of an acquired taste, but that’s all down to personal preference. If you need some new pads, then these are worth a look.

Like any Metroid game before it, Metroid: Samus Returns is full of secrets, passages and loot for the famous bounty hunter to find. Your progression through the game is tied to finding these items as you’ll invariably encounter doors, passageways and environmental hazard that necessitate the locating of these gadgets. 

To that end, we here at Nintendo Life felt it might be helpful to give you, dear reader, a little leg up on gathering these items, should exploring the wilds of SR388 wear on you. Read on to find those lost bits you’re looking for.

Surface Area

1. Morph Ball – The Morph Ball can be found immediately following the tutorial. You’ll happen upon your first red-barrier door. Shoot it with a missile to open it, then walk inside, shoot the orb in the Chozo statue’s hand, then jump into the orb to claim  your prize.

2. Charge Beam – Just after defeating your first metroid, in the next room you’ll find an ammo refill and a ledge up above. Jump up to the ledge and open the door with a missile to find another Chozo statue, this time carrying the charge beam.

3. Scan Pulse – Scan Pulse is your first Aeion ability, and you’ll find it through the course of your exploration. You’ll reach an area where a brief cutscene plays showing you the snake-like structure in the room holding a blue energy ball in its jaws. Roll into your morph ball, to collect the blue energy, which will result in the structure swallowing you up and granting you the scan pulse ability.

Area 1

1. Bomb – No fancy tools are required to get the bombs, as it’s still early going. Head to area marked on the map above, use a missile to open the door and collect the bomb.

2. Ice Beam – As before, locate this area on the map above, use a missile to open the door and collect the Ice Beam.

3. Spider Ball – On your way to the Ice Beam, there was an area where going upward was just out of your reach. Equip your Ice Beam and freeze the enemies here, turning them into platforms. Use this to make your way up to a morph ball tunnel to open up a door. Open the door, then go back the way you came and go through it and drop to the bottom of the room to find the Spider Ball.

Area 2

1. Lightning Armour – Just before this area on the map is a door that must be opened with the charge beam. Note that you’ll need the Spider Ball in order to reach this area. Once you’ve claimed the Lightning Armour, you’ll be able to run through the red plants that drain Samus of her health without taking any damage.

2. Spring Ball – The Spring Ball is held by Arachnus. Defeat it to claim the ability to jump without bombs in Morph Ball mode.

3. Varia Suit – As you approach this point on the map you’ll find a door leading to an area too hot to proceed through with a path in the ceiling above. Use your Spider Ball to bomb the ceiling and climb through the path to find another door. Go through that door and proceed through the room to find the Varia Suit.

4. Wave Beam – With the Varia Suit enabling you to get through the hotter environments on the map,  you’ll now be able to collect the Wave Beam. Make your way through the room you previously couldn’t enter after getting the Varia Suit, then get to the point on the map above. You’ll encounter a Gamma Metroid before getting there; kill it, then head to the spot on the map to find a hallway. Use your Scan Pulse to reveal a weak point in the wall, then destroy it with a missile. Follow the path opened by it to find a door that will lead to the Wave Beam.

5. High Jump Boots – With the Wave Beam acquired, you can now open even more doors, meaning you’re able to make your way over to one of Samus’s most useful upgrades, the High Jump Boots. Make your way over to the spot on the map above by opening up a Wave Beam door situated above where you’ll eventually grab the item. Once you reach the point marked on the map, all that remains is to open the door, walk in and claim your shiny new shoes.

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That does it for this installation. Still stuck? Never fear, We’ve got you covered with detailed information on where to find the rest of your gear, from Screw Attacks to Space Jumps in the next installation. Stay tuned!

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a pinball expert then you’ll be interested to hear that Stern Pinball Arcade is headed to the Switch on 1st December. That is at least what the Amazon UK product listing says; there is also a ESRB rating to back this up, too.

Here’s what we can expect from the Switch version of the game:

The most realistic and accurate pinball game ever created, Stern Pinball Arcade comes to Nintendo Switch.. Packed to bursting point with the latest and greatest machines from Stern Pinball Inc.

Stern have created many of the all time greatest pinball tables and are the most experienced and largest producer of physical pinball machines in business today.

Ultimate realism – ROMs created from the latest Stern code, physical meshes and high res textures provided by Stern Pinball, Inc. help provide 100% accurate gameplay and graphics of the real Stern pinball machines.

Table Goals – Accomplishments help serious players learn and master each table

Table Instructions – Detailed instructions of each table teach you how to become a pinball wizard!

Stern Challenge – Master the tables and challenge yourself to hit a target score on each of the tables to earn enough challenge points to complete the Stern Pinball Arcade gauntlet.

As if all that wasn’t enough, there are 11 modern classics in the collection to enjoy:

• Star Trek Vengeance Premium
• Harley-Davidson Third Edition
• Mustang Premium Boss
• AC/DC Premium
• High Roller Casino
• Starship Troopers
• Last Action Hero
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
• Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!
• Phantom of the Opera
• Ghostbusters

Who wouldn’t want to play pinball on a Ghostbusters table, eh? Let us know if you you plan to pick this up in December with a comment below.