As a series, Pokémon is one that has held onto tradition pretty firmly. In the 25+ years since Red & Blue’s release, the fundamentals of the game haven’t really changed – you explore a world, you fight Pokémon, you catch Pokémon. Last year’s Pokémon Scarlet & Violet was the mainline series’ first big attempt to change things up a bit, expanding exploration to an open-world setting and letting you progress in your own way. But fundamentally it was still Pokémon, warts and all.
It’s perhaps fitting, then, that the first part of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, The Teal Mask, is set in a land besotted with tradition. The people tell folk tales, new native Pokémon are steeped in history, and with the Kitakami region’s clear Japanese inspirations, it feels like a throwback to the older days. This does mean that while The Teal Mask is a fun time that builds on Scarlet & Violet’s strengths, it also exposes the base game’s – and the series’ – weaknesses that much more.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)
Your character embarks on a school trip to Kitakami. While there, you’ll learn about the culture and explore the rice paddies and grassy fields, all while hearing about The Loyal Three and Ogerpon, a fearsome legendary Pokémon of the region. The lighter story here makes sense given that The Teal Mask can be accessed within the first five hours of the main game, but your adventure in Kitakami does feel like one big sidequest – albeit one that ends with a big carrot dangling for the second half of the Expansion Pass, The Indigo Disk.
We have to talk about the DLC’s new characters, Carmen and Kieran. These siblings continue the base game’s trend of characters with fantastic development. This duo takes some warming up to, but both really grew on us by the end of the DLC. We have a soft spot for Kieran and his character arc, which leaves us with plenty of questions for part two.
It’s impossible to return to Scarlet & Violet, even in this new region, and not talk about the much-maligned visuals and performance issues. If you’re expecting any improvements here, then you’re out of luck – The Teal Mask looks just as fuzzy and struggles to maintain a consistent frame rate just as much as the base game does. Miraidon still hops at a sluggish pace, pop-in from characters, ‘mons, and plants are as pervasive as ever, and any NPC or Pokémon that’s more than a few feet away will move around at a slideshow pace.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)
Returning to the game almost a year after its release to still find it in this sort of state is incredibly frustrating. It particularly stings in a year where we’ve seen both Tears of the Kingdom, which pushes the Switch to its limits, and Pikmin 4, which shows the system’s visuals at their absolute best. But hey, boxes now load without lagging horrendously. That’s something, right?
The Teal Mask is Pokémon very much as we know it. Run around, fight Pokémon, fight trainers (if you wish), and catch ‘em all – including a new batch of returners from previous generations. In a similar manner to the base game’s Treasure Hunts, you go around and are given objectives, which involve you exploring the Kitakami region. You’ll learn about the folk tale of The Loyal Three and see how people celebrate their culture and the history that came before it.
As a result, Kitakami does feel more alive than Paldea. Though there’s only one town in Mossui and another populated area in the Kitakami Hall, there are far more NPCs walking around with more varied buildings. The landscapes also feel more populated and bring some much-needed diversity; the sheer verticality of the region is fun to experience. Mountain caves and paths lead up to hidden springs and large vistas make climbing and heading up feel extremely rewarding, although there are still a few too many barren spots and open areas with too few Pokémon idling about.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)
In terms of new things to do, there’s a whole sidequest line featuring Pirrin the photographer, which helps change the pace of the DLC up a bit, and a minigame in Ogre Oustin’ – which we’re not really in love with given how choppy the visuals are in this particular section and how frustrating it is when you’re playing it alone.
Beyond that, new features are few and far between, which means that sore points stick out all the more, particularly with battles. Turn-based combat is still incredibly slow, with stiff animations taking you out of the action. But if you’ve beaten the main story and you happen to have a party of high-levelled Pokémon, you’ll probably wipe the floor with most of the battles – which is a shame because there are some potentially challenging encounters. The series’ age-old problems and its desire to stick to its roots often come back to bite, and it’s in battle that this is most noticeable.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)
Fortunately, the Pokémon and the world do a lot of heavy lifting that helped us still enjoy the DLC. If we were to pick one true highlight of The Teal Mask, it would be the new legendary Pokémon Ogerpon, who might possibly be in the running for the most adorable legendary of all time. We won’t spoil why, but we’re serious. Honestly, all of the new Pokémon here are great, with the legendaries being heavily tied to the story, and both Dipplin and Poltchageist having perfect designs and being great to use in battle.
When all is said and done, however, Kitakami left us wanting more, in both a good and a bad way. On the one hand, The Teal Mask’s story is lighthearted and delightful to go through, and the two main characters and the legendary Pokémon really shine. But Game Freak’s refusal to let go of the past, and this entry’s continued performance woes, means we’re still wishing for more.
Conclusion
The Teal Mask is a fun diversion for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet players that builds on the base game’s strengths, but also exposes its weaknesses that much more. Fortunately, those strengths sparkle and Terastalize into a breezy, fun experience that delivers some rich regional storytelling, great characters, and some fantastic new Pokémon. We wanted more, though — more love and care put into the visuals and the battles. The Indigo Disk has a chance to build on the foundations The Teal Mask has laid, and we hope that’s exactly what it will do.
No, you didn’t miss a Nintendo Direct announcement — the publisher shared the news on social media shortly after the showcase instead of during. You know, where the PS1 remake was announced back in June 2023? Oh well.
Regardless of how the announcement was made, a free demo to check out the opening section of the game — which also allows you to carry your save data over — is nothing to sneeze at. And almost two months before the game is due out, too.
If a demo wasn’t enough, then Square also shared an eight-minute gameplay trailer for Star Ocean The Second Story R at the same time too. And it doesn’t just focus on combat, either. Exploration, battles, fishing, the Bonus Gauge, and tons more are covered in this lengthy overview, preparing you to revisit this cult classic on 2nd November.
Check out the gameplay trailer below, and then snap up the demo over on the eShop in North America or Europe.
Are you excited about Star Ocean The Second Story R on Switch? Head down to the comments and let us know and lightspeed!
When he’s not paying off a loan to Tom Nook, Liam likes to report on the latest Nintendo news and admire his library of video games. His favourite Nintendo character used to be a guitar-playing dog, but nowadays he prefers to hang out with Judd the cat.
Mortal Kombat 1 has officially entered its early access phase and as part of this the first batch of reviews for the new entry have gone live.
While there’s not really any Nintendo Switch hands on doing the rounds just yet, there are a handful of reviews covering the game on other platforms. We’ve put together this round up to at least give you an idea of what the new game is like and at it seems the critics are quite taken with it so far.
Starting with VGC, Mortal Kombat 1 has been labelled another outstanding fighter of 2023, receiving a perfect 5 out of 5 star score:
“Mortal Kombat 1 is the best Mortal Kombat game to date. It looks stunning, has a brilliant Story mode, its new Invasions mode will keep solo players busy and, above all else, it’s an absolute joy to play. Thoroughly essential for die-hards, lapsed fans and newkomers.”
CGMagazine called it a great entry point for newcomers and said it outdid every previous game, awarding it 9 out of 10:
“Mortal Kombat 1 is an excellent entry point for new comers and returning fans. It outshines every previous Mortal Kombat in almost every way, with intuitive controls and interesting modes. NetherRealm cranks the gore up to 11 and I cant wait to see what else they have in store for us.”
VG247 gave the game 4 out of 5 stars calling it a positive step in the right direction, but wasn’t so sure about the “live service DNA”:
“Mortal Kombat 1 sets the stage for a new era of MK that you can’t help but get pumped up for. NetherRealm, like the characters in its ultraviolent universe, is staring right into the face of a brave new world and locking eyes with the future. Keeping those eyes in its head, though, may remain a challenge.”
Horror entertainment website Bloody Disgusting gave it 4.5 out of 5 skulls, calling it a return to form:
“Mortal Kombat 1 feels like a return to form for the series while pushing it in new meaningful directions. It’s the perfect entry point for newcomers and long time fans of the series. It’s for die-hard fighting game fans with its combat depth, but also for the single-player looking for a ton of content.”
Last but not least, the fighting game website EventHubs gave the game 8.5 out of 10 calling it “better” than Mortal Kombat 11:
“It’s still early for Mortal Kombat 1, but the gameplay already feels better than Mortal Kombat 11. NetherRealm Studios has promised player expression, and they’ve delivered it in spades. There’s also plenty of single player content for casual players. For both the competitor and casual player, there’s a lot to unpack. Players will be busy with this game for years.”
It’s worth noting Mortal Kombat 1 will be receiving a day one patch today. Nintendo Switch pre-loads are now also available for both the premium and standard editions of the game. The official launch will take place next week on 19th September.
Will you be checking out Mortal Kombat 1 when it lands on Switch? Comment below.
It’s been announced the Jet Set-inspired release Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, which made its debut on Switch and multiple other platforms last month, will be getting a physical release.
This “exclusive edition” will be distributed by iam8bit in partnership with Team Reptile, and pre-orders will go live this week on 15th September, with shipping scheduled to take place in Q4 2023. It’ll set you back $49.99 USD or the regional equivalent.
This version includes a physical copy of the game (worldwide compatibility), a digital download for DLC (North America only), 6 graffiti stickers, an exclusive cover with art from Tan Zhi Hui, a collectible slipcase and a stunning art book.
Distributor iam8bit is also offering a Bomb Rush Cyberfunk vinyl. This is priced at $59.99 and contains 3xLP on 180g Black Vinyl featuring tracks from Knxwledge, Hideki Naganuma and more. It also includes a digital download, with pre-orders going live on the same date as the physical copy and shipping scheduled for Q1 2024.
As highlighted above, Team Reptile has also confirmed physical copies of this game will be coming to stores “later this year”.
Will you be adding this one to your collection? Tell us in the comments.
Randy Linden (centre) and Alena Alambeigi (left) from Limited Run with the Nintendo Life PAX team — Image: Austin Voigt / Nintendo Life
If there’s one thing you should know about art, it’s that changing it after a long time is really, really hard.
Just look at classicist Emily Wilson, who in recent years became the first woman to ever translate Homer’s ~3000-year-old epic, The Odyssey. It was a staggering work that seemingly garnered as much heel digging as it did critical praise. Then, sometimes, the original artist themselves gets to live out the controversy of adapting their own earlier work, as director Steven Spielberg did after altering scenes in one of his finest movies. “That was a mistake,” he’s said as recently as this year.
But unlike passive mediums, interactive mediums, by contrast, force change, because, well, will the thing even run on a different platform?
Image: Limited Run Games
That unique challenge has long been the purview of Randy Linden, a video game industry veteran with accolades so distinguished, they’d light up the back of a baseball card.
For starters, Linden is responsible for Bleem!, a PlayStation emulator for the PC and Dreamcast that was so good, Sony became litigant; he somehow brought the literally animated world of Dragon’s Lair to the 1985 Amiga system; he is most famous for bringing the bloodless version of Doom to the Super Nintendo, a feat many still lovingly refer to as ‘impossible.’ And all that is to hardly touch on things like his prototype of Quake running on the 2001 Gameboy Advance, his work on the original 1985 Nintendo and Microsoft’s 2010 motion-based Kinect device, and much more.
On the heels of the release of Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection, which is being published by Limited Run and releasing for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Life sat down with Linden to discuss the general public’s perception of ports across various generations, his obsession with Breath of the Wild, and the philosophy behind what it means for anyone to translate somebody’s else’s work, when it’s a video game.
Alan Lopez for Nintendo Life: In 2016, a developer named Panic Button created what many people at that time were calling an “impossible port” of DOOM (2016), creating a fully playable version of that game for the portable Nintendo Switch console.My question to you: “Why do things never change?”
Randy Linden: That’s a good question! Wow, why do things never change…
Well, programmers love the challenge. Speaking as a programmer…creating an “impossible port,” like I did when I created DOOM for the Super NES, is one of those challenges that you just know in the back of your mind, if you push hard enough, it’s sort of like the little engine that could. You just have to keep pushing, and eventually you’ll end up at the top of the peak.
You’re talking of porting itself as a creative process. Yet translation in gaming is [often viewed as] just a tool for a different creator. Philosophically, I find that fascinating.What do you feel is the job of a port in relation to someone else’s work?
That’s a good question too [laughter]. I think that the job of a port is to faithfully reproduce the intent as much as possible of the original experience. Sometimes that might mean, say on newer systems that you can run on a different frame rate, when that improves the game, then I think that is a useful feature.
But I think that the preservation of games in particular is a thing that is dangerously on the edge of being almost non-existent. It’s important for ports and old retro games to be [preserved].
You’re currently working with Limited Run on a Jurassic Park retro-collection re-release for modern systems. But what is your involvement with gaming preservation, in general?
I work on the Carbon Engine team, which is a collection of emulators that we combine with older retro games, and then we produce physical versions of those games [to preserve them].
So for example, the Jurassic Park collection is a whole series of Jurassic Park games across a wide variety of older systems, but it’s playable now on Switch, on PlayStation and Xbox.
How does that literally work? Do you have to work with assets from the original creators?
That’s exactly what we do. We reach out to the current [intellectual property] holders, [then] we do all the licensing and all the legal arrangements to make sure it’s all taken care of, then we license and publish the game.
How hard is that?
A lot of work. I just have to work on the programming. [laughter]
Does [the legal process] dictate the projects you get to work on?
Yes, it does. Because sometimes we will want to work on a project…and we’ll reach out to the rights holders, and for whatever reason, the rights holders aren’t interested in re-releasing a title at that time.
And partially, I think it’s because, these companies, especially very large, well-known companies with a lot of high-profile IP, are seeing a resurgence in retro games and retro-style games, and they are ready to explore it, but they’re not quite ready to take that step yet.
With Jurassic Park, for instance, very technically speaking, how do you receive the original code, and what do you do with it?
What we literally do is…we’ve got the Carbon Engine which is a set of emulators themselves, we’ve got the individual ROMs — and for a lot of the ROMs we have to do modifications to the ROMs because the original developers or license holders no longer exist, and they have logos or copyright messages that we’ll have to go in and patch by hand — and we combine all that with the Carbon engine, and that’s how we sort of end up with the final product.
The subset of people who are familiar with these systems that are 10, 20, 30 years old are really small.
Are you ever in communication with the original coders?
Sometimes we are, as a matter of fact. I think I can tell you that we are in contact with some of the original coders…sometimes they reach out to us, often times we reach out to them…
For example, the coder of the game Worms: Armageddon, they’re a company that no longer exists. We’ve published it from many platforms, but one of them we didn’t publish yet is the Super NES [version], but we’ve recently been able to make that work.
What was that like?
It’s crazy fun! [laughter] It’s a lot of work, but as I said, programmers like a challenge.
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life
What’s it like to code in that specific restraint of the Super NES again?
It’s a challenge. It takes an awful lot of history and knowledge, and a very specific skill set to be able to program especially on the older system, like the 8-bit Nintendo, or the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear. That knowledge is something that typically isn’t really passed down from generation to generation, because by the time a generation of consoles expires and is replaced, everything has changed. The hardware has changed, the software has changed…so you really have to find someone who is knowledgeable about all of these older systems and their technology in order to be able to put together packages like the ones that we do.
How many people could there possibly be left that have (that) intimate knowledge?
There are a few. For example, Kevin Armstrong, who is one of (Limited Run’s) programmers, and he’s great with Nintendo, 8-bit, Game Boy, Game Boy Color.
Dimitris Giannakis, you might know him as Modern Vintage Gamer, he’s great with a wide variety of systems. I’m good with Amiga, Commodore systems, Nintendo 8-bit and 16-bit…there’s a wide range of people that work on the titles, but it’s limited.
In the grand scheme of things, when you think about the industry, as a whole, video games are a smaller industry. The subset of people who are familiar with these systems that are 10, 20, 30 years old are really small.
I’ve been playing games, especially in the last few years, that I would describe as ‘obsessed with older source material’. Do you believe that constraints produce creativity?
Yes! Absolutely. One of the things that I think is driving the resurgence of older games is the playability, the fun factor, the uniqueness of the games. And a lot of that was driven by constraints.
One well-known story is the design of Mario was driven specifically by the limitations of the graphics at the time. They wanted him to look the way that he does…
His mustache.
Precisely!
Video gaming’s most notorious pixels — Image: Nintendo Life
What are you working on beyond Jurassic Park?
I can tell you that I’m working on Jurassic Park, and other games that use the Carbon engine, but I can’t name either of them. [laughter] Both of them are from separate, very well-known companies with excellent IP.
My suspicion is that we are headed towards a point that the systems themselves become less relevant.
Do you have input on the projects you pursue?
I do…I’m one of those programmers that are driven by the technical challenge. Those are the games and the projects that excite me.
We’ve been talking about retro games when we talk about these constraints. At the top of the interview though, I mentioned a modern example [of porting limitations]. I would describe the vast majority of dialogue around modern-day constraints and porting to be net-negative. For example, Nintendo creates hardware that isn’t always intended to push technical limitations (but rather) foster physical experiences, and [that is frustrating] to port to and from.
Do you have any opinions on that push and pull, and its effect on the ability to port modern-day games?
My suspicion is that we are headed towards a point that the systems themselves become less relevant. That there is a common ground, sort of like we have with DVDs or Blu-rays, that you can buy a player from a manufacturer and it doesn’t matter where the manufacturer is from. I hope that’s where we’re going. Because while I think there was a point in history… it was really the infancy of the industry that was pushing the industry. “This particular hardware can do things that some other hardware couldn’t.”
Now we’re reaching the point where all the systems are generally powerful enough that they can in many cases do the same thing on each of the systems. So why not approach it from a different perspective and [create] an industry standard? I’m not convinced that cloud gaming is necessarily where things should be headed, but I do think that having a commonality across the systems would make it more possible to have more people enjoy things.
My perception from covering Nintendo for so long is that they are not interested in technology, as much as interface.
And experience! I would say that Nintendo really nails experience. Which isn’t to say that Microsoft or Sony or any other company doesn’t, per se. But I do know when I pick up a Nintendo game, that it will truly be polished to perfection.
One of the last games that I played was Breath of the Wild. I loved it. I played it for 120 hours. But I’m not a gamer! I’m a programmer! [laughter]
I don’t think anyone believes you.
It’s true! Many people don’t believe me! [laughter] But I don’t play many games. What I enjoy more than the games themselves is the technical achievements. But what I know about Nintendo is that it’s not about style versus substance, Nintendo has both style and substance. They’ve managed to really get that mix.
“You peel back one layer, and there’s another layer, and another layer, and another layer…” — Image: Nintendo
Well, specifically Breath of the Wild is a technical achievement as much as it is anything. It’s also technically a port from the Wii U.
That’s exactly it. It’s a technical achievement, particularly on that platform. And the game is incredibly fun. I liken it to an onion, where you peel back one layer, and there’s another layer, and another layer, and another layer, and you realize that there’s more than the average player might ever perceive.
You worked on Kinect, correct?
I did. I worked on Kinect.
So speaking to that experience, do you envision a future where you might ever be called upon to port Wii or Kinnect games?
Um….that’s possible? That’s possible!
Because that [motion-based] interface currently seems to be relatively exclusive to that era, at this point, and I wonder what will happen [to those games] in the future.
Nintendo really nails experience.
Although the Switch has a gyro, and an accelerometer, and that is a perfect example of how a game like Breath of the Wild can use that technology [for] puzzles that…were infuriating to me at first, until I realized that I could use the separate controller, and that was so much easier than flipping my Switch around.
I think that VR and augmented reality are unique and great technologies, and when they are more accessible, like putting on a pair of simple glasses, I think…when we reach that point, I do see things like Kinnect-style games becoming more important.
One final question: What are your favorite ports?
What are my favorite ports…
It’s kind of a strange question, but I feel like if anyone has a strong opinion on this…
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition. I love the Lucasarts games. Another that I really like is the Atari 50 collection, which is not so much a single port but a collection of 50 games. I’m old enough that some of my favorite games were brand new at the time, like Centipede, Xevious, Tempest, Zaxxon…those I think are my absolute favorites.
Not just any port. Sadly (and surprisingly), the 2010 Monkey Island port is not available on Switch yet — Image: Disney
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Our thanks to Randy for talking with us. The Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection is up now for pre-order on Limited Run’s website.
Editor’s Note: As described in the text below, a glitch in an endgame battle prevented us from completing the Switch review build of Gunbrella 100%.
We’re told that a launch patch is imminent following certification from Nintendo.While irritating, the bug didn’t affect our enjoyment up to that late-game point, so we’re publishing this review on the basis that most players will likely never encounter this issue in the retail version. We’ll update the review text should the update not fix this glitch.
Gunbrella opens, as so many noirs do, with a murder. Our protagonist, who goes unnamed until the second act of the game, sees his house aflame while he’s on his way back from gathering mushrooms. He rushes home to a gruesome, albeit pixelated, scene: his wife dead in a shock of blood. From there, we jump right into our hero’s journey, where he has only the mysterious weapon that was left at the scene of the crime to help him track down his wife’s murderer.
The overall aesthetic of Gunbrella is one of its best qualities. The relatively small game world changes often in response to in-game events, but maintains a dark beauty in its grittiness throughout. The deeply saturated hues create an almost romantic backdrop for the comically-depicted gore of combat and life in Gunbrella’s bleak world.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)
Gunbrella’s primary game mechanics are laid out right in its name. Using a gun that doubles as an umbrella is as fun as it sounds. Beyond being enjoyably ridiculous, we can’t help but respect the action economy and the clean gameplay loop that the Gunbrella makes possible. Whether we were gliding over environmental hazards, repelling projectiles back at enemies, or blasting foes point-blank, we were always having a good time. New ammo types are made available as the game progresses and offer up interesting approaches to combat and problem-solving without muddling the Gunbrella’s core functions.
While avoiding major spoilers, we will say that there’s a sequence of events surrounding a jailbreak where the level design really shines, thanks to the temporary loss of two major key items. The main player actions of wall-jumping, shooting, blocking, and dashing are made possible by climbing boots and the Gunbrella. We got so used to having these items on us that it was delightfully challenging to navigate without them. The same space was made new after reclaiming just the climbing boots and new again after retrieving our Gunbrella. We also got a minecart experience that harkens back to Donkey Kong Country. Gunbrella’s version requires less practiced precision but is still an enjoyable and nostalgic gameplay moment.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)
An action-adventure platformer wouldn’t be complete without boss battles, and Gunbrella delivers. Some boss behaviors were much easier to exploit in favor of a fast win than others, but there are many battles that require careful study and quick hands to be victorious. Gunbrella melds the gross with the charming throughout its semi-apocalyptic setting, but the bosses in particular showcase that even pixel art can be horrifyingly grotesque. Gunbrella did a good job of varying the tops of bosses we might face. Not every major encounter was against some hellish monster. We also faced off against other people, run-of-the-mill beasts, and some that were a little in between.
Our pre-launch experience with Gunbrella was not without its bugs, and unfortunately we hit a game-ending one after defeating a late-stage boss battle. We were hopeful that it was a save file error, but playing back through to the same point in the game resulted in the same frozen animation and inability to progress forward. The game up until that point wasn’t terribly long, maybe seven to eight hours, but it was still a bit of time to invest just to be disappointed twice. Outside of that, there were also a couple moments of lag where everything moved in slow motion briefly and a few instances where the game froze up and needed to be restarted. Many of these bugs will likely be worked out post-launch, and we look forward to seeing the end of the game when they do!
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)
Gunbrella’s punk-noir theme does a good job of creating the atmosphere, but the story itself is lackluster. There are some truly charming NPC interactions, witty bits of dialogue, and shocking occurrences that are as funny as they are unexpected, but the overall throughline of the plot leaves something to be desired. Since we weren’t able to complete the game, it’s hard to say whether the story elements would have involved a twist or additional element that could have cast everything else in a new light. Going just off of what we were able to experience—the story of a man trying to avenge his dead wife and reclaim something else rather precious that was taken from him—the story felt expected at points and a little boring at others. We found ourselves driven by the next creepy creature we might encounter more than by the tragedy-steeped quest of our trench-coated protagonist.
Conclusion
While Gunbrella has its issues, it’s still a really fun, gorgeous-looking experience that’s definitely worth a play for any fans of the genre. You shouldn’t expect anything groundbreaking in terms of story, but can look forward to a few laughs and endearing characters. Even just messing around with the mechanics made possible by a gun that is also an umbrella should bring anyone hours of enjoyment.
The next Nintendo Direct has been announced: it’s coming on Thursday 14th September 2023, keeping up the tradition of an annual September presentation for the platform holder.
The showcase is set to run for around 40 minutes, with Nintendo saying that it will mainly focus on “games releasing this winter”.
Below, we have laid out everything that you need to know about the September 2023 Nintendo Direct including the start time, how to watch it, and what we are hoping to see featured.
Nintendo Direct September 2023 Start Time
The Nintendo Direct September 2023 is set to kick off on Thursday, September 14, 2023, with the event beginning at 3pm BST / 4pm CET / 7am PT / 10am ET / 12am AET (Friday).
The showcase will run for approximately 40 minutes.
If you want to watch along with us, we at Nintendo Life will be hosting the stream from 30 minutes before the start time to chat about our predictions and enjoy the show.
Nintendo Direct September 2023 Predictions – What To Expect
While we can’t know exactly what the Direct presentation will bring, there is certainly some room for educated speculation.
Nintendo still has a number of big releases to its name for the rest of the year, don’t forget, so it’s likely that a fair few of these will be popping up. We heard a lot about Super Mario Bros. Wonder in its recent specialist Direct, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see this big hitter slip into the background a little here.
Fortunately, that leaves room for all of Mario’s pals! Both WarioWare: Move It! and Super Mario RPG are heading to the Switch in November, so we can see both of these getting some good time in the spotlight. Perhaps the remake of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon will make an appearance too, though this one is still planned for 2024 at this point alongside that mysterious unnamed Princess Peach game.
Could it be time, finally? We’ll find out soon — Image: Team Cherry
Now that we know the showcase is right around the corner, what are you hoping to see? Let us know your predictions in the comments below and be sure to stock up on eShop credit so you can splash out on the big reveals.
Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.
Today’s the day, folks. After being initially announced in February’s Pokémon Presents showcase, the first part of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC, ‘The Teal Mask‘, is now with us. If the events from the base game have become a little hazy to you by now then worry not, Nintendo is here to remind us what went down.
In a new recap video released today, Nintendo runs us through the important beats of the main game so that we can all be up to speed before diving into the DLC. The Scarlet and Violet plot was not all that in-depth, so this is more of a whistle-stop tour than anything, though it is good to be caught up all the same.
The recap then goes on to lay out everything that we can expect from the two DLC packs, ‘The Teal Mask’ and the upcoming ‘Indigo Disk‘. Many of us will be diving into the former of these today, so you can watch along for a reminder of what’s in store — don’t worry, there’s nothing all that spoiler-y on display here.
We still have a little while longer to wait before the second DLC pack comes our way (it’s still listed only as ‘This Winter’ for the time being), so the above video provides a good way to stay in the loop about what’s around the corner.
Have you headed into The Teal Mask yet? Let us know in the comments.
Ahead of the arrival of Super Mario Bros. Wonder on the Switch next month, various retailers have been revealing their pre-order goodies.
The latest one comes from Walmart in the US. If you pre-order the game in store or online for $59.99, you’ll receive a free trading card pack. Each card pack contains “10 cards randomly pulled from 15 base cards, 4 holofoil cards and a limited edition holofoil”.
The limited edition holofoil could even be a special Elephant Mario numbered 1 to 1000. These packs can only be obtained via pre-orders, so get in while you can. Here’s a look:
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And if you happen to be located in Canada, you’ll be able to get your hands on an exclusive pop-out magnet set when you pre-order Super Mario Bros. Wonder for $79.96.
You can catch up on the previous Super Mario Bros. Wonder deals in our Nintendo Life pre-order guide:
Any interest in the trading card pack pre-order? How about a pop-out magnet set? Comment below.
