Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 isn’t slowing down with the character spotlights and the latest one features the classic characters Ren & Stimpy.
You can get the full rundown in the latest video narrated by Smash Bros. commentator and former pro player Coney. This brief rundown goes into detail about the duo’s completely refreshed moveset – with a focus on controlling spacing and a defensive playstyle.
“Nick’s first duo are BACK in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2! The twosome return with an all-new look and playstyle guaranteed to bring Happiness & Joy.”
There’s no solid release date for this game just yet, but it’s meant to be arriving at some point on the Switch later this year.
And if you’re looking for something to play between now and the release of the sequel and haven’t experienced the first game yet, it’s currently on sale in select regions via the Switch eShop.
What do you think of Ren and Stimpy’s update moveset? Comment below.
Pokémon isn’t the only game that’s been updated today, it seems Monolith Soft and Nintendo have also released a patch for the excellent Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Compared to the previous update, Version 2.1.1 is quite small. It contains some bug fixes tied to the Expansion Pass and addresses a battle issue. You can get the full rundown courtesy of the official patch notes below:
Ver. 2.1.1 (Released September 12, 2023)
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where not having the Expansion Pass would cause the Special Hero BGM, Audio environment in Audio Setting, as well as Notifications to not display.
Fixed an issue with Staying Power’s Art Follow-Up, where activating Fusion Arts would cause the Follow-Up Attack damage to be dealt to the character using Fusion Arts and allies.
This latest update follows on from an update back in July, which added functionality for the Pyra and Mythra amiibo – allowing you to unlock some special weapons. You can learn more in our previous post here on Nintendo Life:
Have you downloaded this update yet? Notice anything else? Comment below.
As part of this update, Nintendo has released patch notes documenting all of the changes in this new update. As long as you’ve purchased ‘The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero‘ you should be good to go. Here’s the full rundown, courtesy of the official support page:
Ver. 2.0.1 (Released September 12, 2023)
Release of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Part 1: The Teal Mask for Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet
Trainers who have purchased The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero will now be able to enjoy adventures in Part 1: The Teal Mask.
Additional Pokémon
For Trainers who have not purchased The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, additional Pokémon may appear via local or online communication modes.
Newly Added Features
You will now be able lock the mini map that appears while you are out in the field so that up is always north. You can do this by pressing the Right Stick twice while you have the map app open to select the App and mini maps locked setting.
Camera settings have been added to the Options menu. These settings will let you adjust how the camera works while you are out in the field.
We have added a feature that allows you to signal a Pokémon accompanying you in the field to stop and wait where it is. To give this signal, press the Left Stick.
You can now take pictures by pressing the A Button in the camera app.
You can now play music by pressing the ZL Button or ZR Button while the camera app is open. You may find that Pokémon accompanying you in the field and people around you will react to the music.
While using the Union Circle, Trainers can now share photos they have taken with the camera app during that Union Circle session with the friends they are playing with.
We have added a feature to TM Machines that allows you to filter for moves your Pokémon can learn. By interacting with a TM Machine and selecting the option to filter for learnable moves, you will be able to display only TMs containing moves that a specific Pokémon can learn.
Bug Fixes and Feature Adjustments
Incorrect descriptive text for the moves Ceaseless Edge, Dire Claw, and Stone Axe has been corrected. The descriptions for these moves previously included the words “aiming to land a critical hit,” but these moves do not increase the critical-hit ratio in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. This wording has been removed from these descriptions.
We have fixed a bug where the Itemfinder Mark would not be applied to a Pokémon even if the conditions were met.
Wild Pokémon that have the Titan Mark will now reappear in the field after a certain amount of time if they have been defeated.
We have made adjustments to the way Pokémon icons are displayed in the Boxes.
Other select bug fixes have been implemented.
As part of this update, players can also redeem a Hisuian Zoroark as well as a new school uniform bundle.
Have you downloaded this update yourself yet? Notice anything else? Comment below.
If September wasn’t already busy enough, Sega is also releasing the final DLC for its open-zone adventure Sonic Frontiers.
In this final free update, players can look forward to brand new story content featuring Sonic friends, along with some new playable characters as well as new challenges to take on. As part of this, the team has now released a new trailer.
If you’ve not kept up with these free updates, Sega has previously released multiple patches for Sonic Frontiers. Back in June, Sonic also got a special Birthday Bash DLC update – adding the Spin Dash, new Koco, new game + and much more. You can learn more in our previous coverage here on Nintendo Life:
Will you be revisiting Sonic Frontiers on 28th September to try out this final DLC for the game? Let us know in the comments.
Both soundtracks were composed by industry veteran Motoi Sakuraba — most famous for composing the music to many of the Tales of series games, the Star Ocean series (including re-arranging music for November’s Star Ocean The Second Story R), and Valkyrie Profile.
We’ve picked just one highlight from each game below, but head on over to YouTube or your choice of streaming platform to check out music from both games.
For fans of the original GameCube games, which launched in 2003 and 2006 respectively, this is a pretty exciting way to build up hype for the Remaster’s release on 14th (for Japan and North America) and 15th September (in Europe).
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean and Baten Kaitos Origins are two cult classic RPGs that use a card-based battle system. They’re also an interesting part of Nintendo’s history, as they were developed by the now Nintendo-subsidiary Monolith Soft, the studio which is now responsible for the Xenoblade series, as well as working on huge Nintendo titles such as Splatoon 3 and Tears of the Kingdom.
This remaster brings the two titles to Switch with enhanced visuals, cleaner UI, auto-battle, and the ability to turn off random encounters, along with a handful of other little quality-of-life upgrades.
Are you flying off to pick up the Baten Kaitos remasters later this week? Swoop into the comments and let us know.
Unity has announced plans to charge developers a fee each time a video game using the Unity engine is installed. Unity Plus is also being retired for new subscribers, starting today.
In a blog post released today (spotted via Game Developer), Unity revealed the ‘Unity Runtime Fee’. This new model be implemented from January 2024 and essentially means that developers will be charged a fee per install (compiled via a monthly charge) once a project crosses has made $200,000 in revenue over 12 months and achieved 200,000 total installs for Unity Personal and Plus. For Pro and Enterprise, the threshold is increased to $1 million in revenue over 12 months and 1 million total installs.
The fee is on average around $0.20 per download. The fee also varies depending on what development tool you’re using and how many installs over the threshold the project has reached. You can check out the table below from Unity to see how the fees are broken down per editor.
Fees also depend on where the project is monetising. Free-to-play game developers will be able to offset this fee if they decide to use another Unity service that isn’t a developer tool or editor. This new model is also being applied retroactively across games that are already on the market and have been developed using Unity. How games developed for Switch, or downloaded via Game Pass, affect the figures, is currently unclear.
This news has been met with widespread concern from game developers, many of whom are worried about the viability of charity bundles — which Robot Teddy founder Callum Underwood pointed out on Twitter — sale prices, and demos.
Brandon Sheffield, director at Necrosoft Games — the studio behind the up-and-coming Persona-inspired SRPG Demonschool — and one of the voices on the Insert Credit podcast has discouraged people from using Unity and is concerned about users who may well abuse the system by constantly uninstalling and reinstalling games. In a blog post on the Insert Credit website, Sheffield has summarised many of the issues indie game developers could face with this new system, criticising Unity and pointing out recent comments from current CEO John Riccitiello has made around game developers and monetisation. We’d hope there will be protection against instances like this, but it’s currently not clear.
Garry Newman from Facepunch, best known for working on the survival game Rust, has taken to Twitter to express distaste for the potential for Unity can “just start charging us a tax per install?” and that developers “have to trust [Unity’s] tracking?”. It’s safe to say, there are lots of unanswered questions and worried developers out there following this news.
Some games you can play on Switch that were created in the Unity Engine are Return of the Obra Dinn, Hollow Knight, Cuphead, Ori and the Blind Forest, Doom (specifically the Switch version, too), and Death’s Door. This list is only a handful of games, many of which are successful ports or big indie titles, but for even smaller developers, this could be cause for concern.
We’ll keep you up to date as and when we know more about this new structure. In the meantime, share your thoughts on Unity’s proposed new model in the comments.
Ahead of its release next month, NIS America has announced that there’s a free demo for Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless is available to download now on the Switch eShop.
Sharing the announcement on Twitter, the NIS In Europe account also gave us a brand new trailer to celebrate the demo’s release, which you can watch up top.
The demo is available to download now in both Europe and North America, and it’s also live on PS4 and PS5, if you’d rather check it out there. But portability and super-sized SRPG battles seem right at home on the Switch, right?
Disgaea 7 sees the crazy strategy RPG series return to Switch with all of the over-the-top attacks and stats you could ever dream of. The key new mechanic in this entry is ‘Jumbification’, where you can make your characters go supersized.
This newest entry focuses on the Hinomoto demonic realm, where the bushido code has been kicked out. Pirilika, a huge fan of the bushido, arrives and asks for a demon, Fuji, to protect her as she aims to follow the way of the bushido.
Disgaea 7 launches on Nintendo Switch on 3rd October is North America, 6th October in Europe, and 13th October in Australia and New Zealand. Will you be getting this jumbo-sized sequel? Let us know in the comments, dood!
Developer Bytten Studio and publisher Raw Fury have today announced that the Pokémon-style RPG Cassette Beasts will be pressing play on its first major DLC next month as ‘Pier of the Unknown’ comes to Switch on 4th October.
With the perfect vibes for the season, this DLC package looks set to walk a little on the spooky side. You’ll be venturing into the brand-new location of Brightside Pier and uncovering a fresh storyline as you uncover the mysteries within — oOoOooo.
The DLC will also add 12 new monsters into the mix, meaning that the number of available full-imagined fusions is about to hit a whopping 19,881 — talk about having options for your squad. There’s also a fresh batch of character costume options, so you can look your best while exploring the spooky surroundings.
For a closer look at some of the DLC’s features, check out the following from the publishers.
“Pier of the Unknown” DLC Key Features – A new storyline to unravel – A spooky new location with three carnival-themed attractions to uncover and explore – 12 new monsters that can only be found and collected within Brightside Pier, bringing the total number of monsters in game to 141 – Five new character costume options – Approximately 4-10 hours of additional gameplay
‘Pier of the Unknown’ will be available on the Switch eShop next month for $6.99 (or your regional equivalent), which seems like a pretty good price for diving back in.
Will you be catching this one in October? Let us know in the comments.
Disney Dreamlight Valley‘s next big update lands tomorrow, 13th September, and Gameloft has shared the full patch notes ahead of the update: Enchanted Adventure.
The Valley will welcome Beauty and the Beast’s very own Belle and Beast, complete with a new Realm door, a Halloween-themed Star Path, new shop items, new quests, and more DreamSnaps challenges.
As usual, tomorrow’s patch will also bring about a handful of big fixes and upgrades for the game, which has now been in Early Access for over a year.
NEW CONTENT AND IMPROVEMENTS: – A new Realm door opens! Explore the enchanting Beauty and the Beast Realm and unearth its secrets. – Two new characters! Belle and Beast arrive in the Valley, alongside brand new Friendship Quests and items. – Get ready to stretch those legs! The optional Ursula’s Transformation Dream Bundle arrives in the Premium Shop, introducing a new Dream Style for Ursula that transforms her into her human form, and serves up exclusive quests, outfits, accessories and furniture. – Trick AND treat! The new Haunted Holiday Star Path puts the focus on frightful fun, including a wide array of costumes and décor to help you prepare your Valley for the Halloween season. – New quests! Help The Forgotten settle into the Valley over the course of the update with a series of quests. – More optional items are coming to the Premium Shop for a limited time that are bound to fit your seasonal vibe, including an iconic hill, some Disneyland staples, and much more! – New weekly DreamSnaps challenges to help you get in the festive spirit and show off your costuming creativity. – Bring on the candy! Last year’s in-game candy event returns, giving you another chance to earn rewards by completing seasonal Dreamlight Duties, available from October 24 to November 1. – Up your crafting productivity! When crafting fences and paths, you will receive more units of the crafted item. – Fill out those Collections! Items previously found exclusively in pouches can now be found in Scrooge McDuck’s Store.
TOP BUG FIXES: – Improved memory optimization for increased stability. – Various improvements to DreamSnaps stability and performance. – “Sprouting a Story” quest: Fixed an issue is which the storybook page in Mother Gothel’s house was unreachable. – “What’s Left Behind” quest: Fixed an issue in which players were unable to speak with The Forgotten – “Boss Up” quest: Fixed an issue in which Scar’s Lure would disappear for some players. – “Meddling Mirabel” quest: Fixed an issue in which some players were unable to collect the cash register key needed to progress in this quest. – “Eyes in the Dark” quest: Fixed an issue in which the bridge did not appear to lower across the river and the cutscene did not play. – The Forgotten will now change their appearance to match the player’s avatar shortly after leaving the Wardrobe menu. – Added new animation and VFX to The Forgotten. – Various UI and localization fixes. – Various visual and sound fixes. – Various additional bug fixes and optimizations.
Gameloft will announce the exact timing of the drop tomorrow, but this is just the latest in a long line of updates to the life sim game, which has proved to be a huge hit over the past 12 months.
Are you excited to check out the Enchanted Adventure update? Let us know in the comments.
We have been back on something of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge kick recently thanks to the release of the excellent Dimension Shellshock DLC. The heroes in a half shell are firmly back in our hearts thanks to developer Tribute Games and, after a recent interview from Xbox Expansion Pass with the game’s narrative designer, Yannic Belzil, it seems that there is a chance we might see the studio take on a franchise other than the Turtles in the future.
When asked about what the future holds for Tribute Games following the DLC’s release, Belzil commented that there is nothing currently in the works. That being said, he did note that the studio has been approached with offers to tackle something different:
“The game has made it so that there is interest. Some people have knocked on our door and they have expressed an interest, [asking], “will you do a Shredder’s Revenge for our characters and our franchise?” And, depending on the characters or the franchise, that could be really, really interesting. But, that’s still up in the air. We’ll see what happens. I would love to do it and I feel like a lot of us are stoked to do it, but we’ll see what makes sense for us as a company.
We’ll see what makes sense for us next. If it’s more Turtles, then it’s more Turtles, and I would love it. If it’s something else, then hopefully it will be exciting, so we’ll see.”
It’s hardly concrete proof of more to come, but it does show that there is a chance that other franchises might get the retro-inspired facelift that we have seen with TMNT — heck, we’re already seeing G.I Joemoving in the same direction under Maple Powered Games — and where there’s a chance, there’s room for speculation.
And so, we thought that we would throw a few names into the ring and see if any of them stick. We have tried to keep things restricted to ‘classic cartoons’ in this instance — basically anything from the original Turtles animated series era — though, of course, there is no guarantee that prospective developers would be faced with the same time period.
So, grab another quarter and check out what we’d like to see get the Shredder’s Revenge treatment next.
The Simpsons
Image: 20th Television
This one’s a no-brainer, right? Tribute has already brought one of the all-time great arcade beat-em-up franchises into the modern day, so why not let lightning strike twice?
If Turtles was up your street, then The Simpsons arcade would be bound to follow suit. It’s another frantic beat-em-up so there is every chance that the developer would want to move a little further away from past projects, but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? What’s more, unless you happen to live close to an arcade, Konami’s Springfield-set brawler is a rather hard doughnut to get your hands on these days.
The thought of seeing Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa in crisp, updated pixel art is a sales pitch alone, and with some quality multi-player and sweet new animations in tow, this would really be a beauty.
X-Men
Image: Marvel
While we’re on classic beat-em-ups getting a modern facelift, let’s throw X-Men‘s 1992 Arcade title in the mix, too. Based on the 1989 cartoon, this cabinet saw you taking on the role of Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus or Dazzler as you set out on a mission to bring down Magneto.
It has all of the rapid action that we saw from Shredder’s Revenge and the comics have left plenty of room for a reboot to go in a whole new direction, story-wise — what we’d give for a House of M-inspired plot… Top this off with a handful of DLC characters like Beast, Gambit and Iceman in future waves and we’d really be onto a winner.
Ghostbusters
Image: DIC Enterprises
The Real Ghostbusters arcade cabinet is a little more shooty than the fisticuffs combat of the others on the list, but who says that we shouldn’t mix things up a little?
We can picture the members of the Ghostbusters team brilliantly realised in popping pixel art with some comedy idle animations and a retro-inspired soundtrack thrown in for good measure. Of course, the number of members in the Ghostbustin’ family has grown substantially since the original game was released in 1987, so with the addition of the Afterlife newbies, some six-player co-op would be a very attractive prospect indeed.
Transformers
Image: Marvel Productions / Sunbow Productions
What if the Autobots rolled straight into a brawler? Double press in a direction to turn into a vehicle for a quick movement boost. Choose between long-range weapon attacks and close-quarters punch-ups. Take on Decepticon bosses at the end of each level before ultimately facing off against Megatron in the final battle. This stuff writes itself!
The beat-em-up genre might be a bit too large of a leap for this classic cartoon, but who says that developer needs to stay in the same ballpark? An action platformer across Cybertron? A speedy racer with a crisp retro-inspired visual style? PlatinumGames have already proved that the Autobots can work in an action game with Transformers: Devastation. But otherwise, good Transformers games are pretty hard to come by. We wouldn’t be picky about what this one could have in store.
He-Man
Image: Filmation Associates
By the power of Grayskull, indeed. Much like Turtles, He-Man is stacked with characters who could each provide a unique fighting style and combos. Aside from the obvious ones of He-Man, She-Ra and Man-At-Arms, there would be plenty of weird and wonderful fighters to pull from to keep the roster going such as Fisto, Stratos or Mekaneck — gosh, those names really were something, huh?
There have been Masters of the Universe video games before, but none of them are that good — and none are brawlers, weirdly! There’s a free fan-made game you can check out online, and we think that serves as a pretty spectacular basis.
ThunderCats
Image: Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment
ThunderCats might not have quite the recognisable pull today that the likes of the Turtles still muster, but that doesn’t mean that these cool cats are out of the running for a video game adaptation.
Lion-O and Co. haven’t graced the video game world since 2012’s pretty terrible ThunderCats for the DS, so it makes sense that any prospective developer might be slightly afraid to take this one on. However, the colourful cast of characters, potential for some slick combat and enough public knowledge out there to make the IP feel truly “retro” means that this one could be a banger — if handled with care…
Batman
Image: Warner Bros. Animation
We’ll finish off with Mr. Vengence himself. The SNES’ Batman Returns is a pretty underrated old-school beat ’em up if you ask us, and we would love to see something of a similar style come back and get the respect that it deserves.
One of the neat features of Shredder’s Revenge is the sheer number of character skins available now, and Batman has enough of them to last a good few DLC packages down the line. You could choose to dress the Caped Crusader in the style of West, Clooney, Bale, Pattinson and more, and the same applies to a host of allies and villains too.
We’d be hesitant to call this an ‘open goal’, but a well-made Batman beat ’em up seems as good of a shout as any.
Do any of our suggestions sound pixel-perfect to you? Are there any that we have missed? Fill out the following poll to let us know what you would most like to see and then take to the comments to tell us of any more.
Which classic cartoon deserves to get the Shredder’s Revenge treatment next? (1,115 votes)
