Category: Nintendo News

FIFA 18 launches today, but EA has been curiously reluctant to show off very much of the Switch version; aside from off-screen footage recorded at events like this year’s Gamescom, we’ve been unable to pick apart the Nintendo version’s visuals to see just how favourably they compares to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions.

With the game now available, no such barriers remain – and we thought that you’d appreciate 10 minutes of direct feed footage, part of which shows the mighty Leicester City going one-up against some also-ran outfit by the name of Real Madrid.

The video was captured with the console docked, and as we’re sure you’ll agree, it looks pretty decent. Sure, there are a few dead eyes and some rather stiff-looking animation, but the standard remains high – and for a version of FIFA you can take with you anywhere, we think it looks rather spiffing.

What do you make of this footage? Will you be buying the game today? As ever, let us know your thoughts by posting a comment below.

Pre-orders were pretty tough to find for the Super Nintendo Classic Edition in the US over recent months, meaning plenty will be heading online and into stores as soon as 29th September rolls around. The big retailers like Amazon, GameStop, Best Buy etc will be on the agenda, but online retailer Thinkgeek – which typically specialises in left-field merchandise – will also be worth a look.

The retailer has confirmed the following to us regarding its plans for the system’s launch.

• ThinkGeek.com WILL have Nintendo SNES Classic units up for sale Friday, 9.29.17
• This is NOT a pre-sale and units will ship right way
• Units will NOT be bundled with other products and will be sold as standalone units
• Strict limit of one per customer will be enforced – multiple orders will be cancelled
• United States customers only
• Purchase Page: http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/nintendo/

That purchase page is the general ‘Nintendo’ area, which has everything from bed sheets to hand puppets. The retailer didn’t confirm a sale time to us, but suggested shoppers keep an eye on its Twitter and Facebook accounts for specific information.

It’s another option, in any case. What are your launch day plans to try and get hold of a system in the US?

Nintendo often finds a way to surprise its fans and throw a curveball, and so in the most recent Nintendo Direct it didn’t unveil the Switch Virtual Console, as such, but the ‘Arcade Archives’ series. It started this week with Arcade Archives Mario Bros., and the following are still on the way.

• Vs. Super Mario Bros.
• Vs. Balloon Fight
• Vs. Ice Climber
• Vs. Pinball
• Vs. Clu Clu Land
• Punch-Out!!

The names are familiar, but these are all reproductions of arcade cabinets, as made clear with the ‘Vs.’ moniker, for example. In some cases they’re relatively similar to the games that ended up on NES and multiple Virtual Consoles, in others there’s quite a notable difference in terms of content, while the Punch-Out!! arcade is an example of a game quite far removed from the NES equivalent. We’ve reviewed Mario Bros. and quite enjoyed it, while being impressed with the authenticity of the port and the extra features that are available. That’s no surprise, as HAMSTER has been releasing ‘ACA’ Neo Geo titles with the same principles for months and has simply continued the good work.

The reception has been relatively positive, in some respects, but also quite muted. Mario Bros. isn’t burning up the eShop charts after over 24 hours on the store, sitting in 9th in North America and Japan (at the time of writing) and 14th in the UK. In the UK chart, for example, Golf Story is already up to 5th place and has only been out a matter of hours as we publish this.

In some respects the Arcade Archives range feels like a middle ground – it’s not the ‘Virtual Console’, and we still don’t know when (or if) that’ll be fully realised in its traditional form on the Switch. Is the rumoured GameCube actually on the way, or will the ‘Classic Game Selection’ in next year’s full Nintendo Switch Online service fill the gap? Some people are undeniably underwhelmed and questioning the $7.99USD / €6.99 / £6.29 price tag for Mario Bros, while others argue it’s a more than fair price to pay for an official ROM that’s rather unique. On the one hand it’s a faithful reproduction of an arcade cabinet that’s now expensive to acquire, but on the other it’s the same price as (arguably) far more complex and advanced ACA Neo Geo games on the eShop.

We’re curious about what you think of the Arcade Archives range, and whether you’re planning to add many of them to your collection. Are you in the same camp as those posting rather gloomy “RIP VC” messages, a bit more optimistic that a full VC is still coming and that these are an extra treat, or simply pleased as punch with the release schedule and the fact these downloads are coming?

Let us know what you think in the polls and comments.

To celebrate the successful release of Death Squared – and its current price promotion – on Nintendo Switch we’ve teamed up with SMG Studios to give away some cool themed prizes to our US readers!

1st place: A custom Death Squared Nintendo Switch dock and download code for a digital copy of Death Squared.

2nd place (x2): A physical game case signed by the team, a download code for a digital copy of the game, and a set of stickers.

3rd place (x2): A set of Death Squared plushies and PAX exclusive enamel pins.

It’s been an excellent first year to date for the Nintendo Switch, with the big N in the welcome (albeit stressful) position of racing against demand to manufacture and ship enough units to stores. The concept has taken off, and the company will no doubt hope to see that momentum carry into next year and beyond.

In the NPD stats for the US market the Switch has been a regular star – from a record launch to topping the hardware chart in the last two months. NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella has now weighed in on where the system stands in terms of software sales in its launch year; it’s in a good spot, basically.

He goes on to clarify a few other things around this statement – he’s referring to the ‘launch year’ in terms of the calendar year, his statistics are based on consumer spend not just unit sales, and the statistic doesn’t account for pack-in hardware in the past such as Wii Sports. As a result the Switch statistics benefit from its early March launch (not April as we said earlier, oops!), as opposed to a late year release.

All of the provisos aside, it’s another indication – at the very least – that the Switch is performing well. It’s had multiple major hits like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, and also the likes of ARMS and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Super Mario Odyssey will be a big driver in the festive shopping period, too.

Bask in those positive Nintendo vibes – go on, treat yourself.

Thanks to all that sent this in.

A few days ago, we reported on My Nintendo in Europe adding four free games—two on 3DS, two on Wii U—to its Gold Rewards, something that has been much requested in the past months. While it may be that many decried the specific games being offered, it at least shows that there’s some effort on Nintendo’s side to make the program more appealing to consumers. Now, My Nintendo in North America has followed suit, adding in its own selection of four games.

The games on offer are as follows:

Nintendo 3DS:

Wii U:

There’s certainly come great games on offer here, though some of them are pretty old in video game industry years. Still, if you haven’t gotten any of these yet, now’s as good a time as any.

What do you think? Will you be picking any of these up? How long do you think it’ll be before Nintendo adds Switch rewards? Share your thoughts in the comments below.