{"id":106506,"date":"2019-12-31T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-31T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/12\/feature_nintendos_2019_-_a_cracking_year_in_review"},"modified":"2019-12-31T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-31T18:00:00","slug":"feature-nintendos-2019-a-cracking-year-in-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/12\/31\/feature-nintendos-2019-a-cracking-year-in-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: Nintendo’s 2019 – A Cracking Year In Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n
\"Nintendo<\/a><\/figure>\n

A simple scroll through the menu on our Switch is enough to show that 2019 has been a great year for Nintendo and its console. The handheld hybrid has gone from strength to strength, gaining a non-hybrid member of the Switch family along the way, as well as more games than anybody could reasonably have time to play.<\/p>\n

2019 had plenty of surprises, too, from a host of games you’d never expect to see on Switch for one reason or another to typically off-the-wall announcements from everyone’s favourite Japanese video game company. A Switch that doesn’t switch? VR with your console and a bunch of cardboard? A Pilates ring and a body-building dragon? Anyone?!<\/p>\n

Let’s have a look back on an eventful 12 months in the world of Nintendo…<\/p>\n

January – We Begin With An Apology…<\/h2>\n
\"Please<\/a><\/figure>\n

Our reviews and New Year resolutions were in stunning synchronisation when we kicked things off with our first review of 2019: Fitness Boxing<\/a><\/strong>. Nintendo’s other big release that month was a Switch port of New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe<\/strong><\/a>. January also saw the announcement of and apology for<\/a> Metroid Prime 4<\/a><\/strong>‘s delay, which was probably for the best<\/a> all things considered.<\/p>\n

In other Nintendo news, the company participated ‘as an observer’ in a VR consortium event<\/a>, which hinted at the quirky Labo release<\/a> we’d see later in the year. 3DS sales and software slowed to a crawl<\/a>, and a game-breaking bug in<\/a> Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story<\/strong><\/a> probably wasn’t the best way to send off the venerable, ageing handheld. And speaking of things dying, the Wii Shop Channel was closed<\/a> (giving everyone the excuse to whistle its infectious theme music for a day or two) and the price of brand new Wii Us skyrocketed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The rumour mill kicked into gear early with whispers that Xbox-exclusive Super Lucky’s Tale<\/strong> might be coming to Switch<\/a>. It sounded far-fetched at the time, but little did we know it was merely foreshadowing some rather unusual industry cross-pollination later in the year. With Microsoft tweeting about how much it dug<\/a> Super Smash Bros.<\/a><\/strong>, it all seems so obvious looking back.<\/p>\n

Smash was still a relatively recent Switch release and fans were having fun making meme-friendly tier lists<\/a> and rendering fighters in a realistic fashion<\/a>. Cross-platform play was on the tip of everyone’s tongues<\/a>, Splatoon 2<\/a><\/strong>‘s Splatfest events were in their prime making us choose between friends, family<\/a> and other fun binary subjects, and people were still finding hidden Easter Eggs in old Nintendo classics<\/a>. A few other heart-warming<\/a> January tales<\/a> rounded out the month and we were well on our way with 2019.<\/p>\n

Most Popular Article:<\/strong><\/strong> God Of War’s Art Director Is Still Drawing Realistic Smash Bros. Characters, And They’re Amazing<\/a><\/p>\n

Most Popular Review:<\/strong> Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

February – Unleash the Directs<\/h2>\n
\"SuperMarioMaker2\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

As January went on, rumours of an imminent Nintendo Direct announcement simmered, but it wasn’t until 13th February that Nintendo went and dropped an absolute whopper<\/a> which confirmed multiple brand new Switch releases. Alongside a long list of announcements, Tetris 99<\/a><\/strong> launched that very day and Super Mario Maker 2<\/a><\/strong> was revealed, as was the brilliant Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening<\/a><\/strong> remake. Not only this, but before the month was over Pok\u00e9mon Sword and Shield<\/a><\/strong> was also unveiled in a separate Direct presentation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere Nintendo announced its next mobile experiment<\/a> in the form of Dr. Mario World<\/a><\/strong>, as well as plans to open a Nintendo Tokyo Store<\/a>. With Super Nintendo World on schedule to open for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics<\/a> (and Miyamoto promising it would be worth the wait<\/a>), Japanese gamers would soon have no shortage of ways to hand over wads of cash to Nintendo. Nintendo Switch Online had over 8 million accounts subscribed<\/a>, although Nintendo was looking for ways to boost the appeal of the service<\/a>, and the number of games available for Switch reached and impressive 1800<\/a> – not half bad in less than two years.<\/p>\n

In a move that would echo a similar apology with Ring Fit Adventure<\/a><\/strong> later in the year, developer Imagineer apologised<\/a> after stores in Japan ran out of physical copies of Fitness Boxing. The rumour mill started smoking with ‘Switch Mini’ conversations popping up all over the place<\/a>, despite Nintendo playing coy<\/a>. It was also rumoured that Microsoft was planning to release games on Switch<\/a>, a move which made more sense the more we thought about it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was a big month for Nintendo, but arguably the biggest industry news was the announcement that Reggie Fils-Aim\u00e9’s body was ready to leave Nintendo of America<\/a> and that Doug Bowser<\/a> would be taking over as President from 15th April 2019.<\/p>\n

Most Popular Article:<\/strong><\/strong> God Of War’s Art Director Is Still Posting Incredible Realistic Smash Ultimate Designs<\/a><\/p>\n

Most Popular Review: Final Fantasy IX<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

March – Dogs and cats, living together, mass hysteria<\/h2>\n
\"Cuphead\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

At the start of March – refusing to let the 3DS go quietly into that good night – Nintendo released the excellent Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn<\/a><\/strong> and left Switch-owning fans of the game wearing a frown. The month was bookended with a similarly joyful Switch release, though, in the form of Yoshi’s Crafted World<\/a><\/strong>. A host of games were announced, including a bunch in a Nindies Direct broadcast<\/a> that – unbelievably – revealed Cuphead<\/strong> for Switch<\/a> as well as Zelda<\/a><\/strong>\/Crypt of the NecroDancer<\/a><\/strong> crossover Cadence of Hyrule<\/strong><\/a>. Famed N64-era dinosaur hunter Turok<\/strong> returned to Switch<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n

In other Nintendo news, the company revealed some interesting figures on its recruitment page regarding average salary and other juicy work stats<\/a>, Masahiro Sakurai spoke about the lengths he went to<\/a> to bring Smash Bros. Ultimate to the masses, developers told us what they really thought about the Switch eShop<\/a>, and some lucky beggar found an ultra rare Nintendo World Championships 1990 NES cart<\/a> in their loft.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Google revealed its console-less Stadia platform<\/a>, Sony decided to do its own Nintendo Directs<\/a>, we glimpsed some lovely mock-ups<\/a> of Switches and Joy-Con sporting the liveries of past Nintendo consoles, and another mock-up of a modern take on the Game Boy<\/a> predicted the look of the Analogue Pocket<\/a> over six months before its reveal. Freaky!<\/em><\/p>\n

Most Popular Article:<\/strong><\/strong> Cuphead Physical Release Confirmed For Nintendo Switch<\/a><\/p>\n

Most Popular Review: Turok<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

April – Sonic, ports and virtual insanity<\/h2>\n
\"MarioVR\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

As is customary, April began with pranks and gags<\/a> but the game releases soon started rolling in with Labo VR Kit<\/a><\/strong> (which released as the old kits won a couple of BAFTA awards<\/a>) and updates to both Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/a><\/strong> (which made us feel quite unwell<\/a>) and Super Mario Odyssey<\/strong><\/a>. A slew of ports – several of them incredibly good – arrived on Switch, too, including Mortal Kombat 11<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>, Cuphead<\/strong><\/a> and Hellblade<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In other Switch news, the console got a silent ‘boost’ power mode<\/a> that improved loading speeds in certain games, Nintendo axed its Quality of Life department<\/a> and removed 7th-gen consoles<\/a> from its information pages, the company was ranked as the 9th most reputable<\/a> in the US according to a report, and those ‘Switch Mini’ rumours<\/a> just wouldn’t stop.<\/p>\n

Overshadowing all that mere noise, though, was the fact that it was Game Over for Reggie Fils-Aim\u00e9 at Nintendo of America<\/a> as he retired and Doug Bowser took over as NOA president. Reggie quickly joined Twitter<\/a> and got a new chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Animal Crossing<\/a><\/strong> turned 18<\/a>, Charles Martinet cleared up a decades-long Mario 64 dispute<\/a>, we found out more about Kirby’s disturbing feet<\/a>, and we depressed everybody by detailing exactly how your beloved retro consoles are slowly but surely dying<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And finally, the trailer reveal of the new-look Sonic in his upcoming movie<\/a> capped the month off nicely with a reaction so universally negative that Paramount decided to redesign the character and delay the movie until Valentine’s Day 2020.<\/p>\n

Most Popular Article:<\/strong><\/strong> Capcom Home Arcade Is A Plug-And-Play Arcade Stick, But Is The Emulation Legit?<\/a><\/p>\n

Most Popular Review: Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

May – Chugging along nicely<\/h2>\n
\"Detective<\/a><\/figure>\n

Following the horror of the initial Sonic reveal, the internet took it upon itself to fix things<\/a> until the director of the film confirmed<\/a> that they’d be reworking the character design. In other video game movie news, Detective Pikachu was generally much better received<\/a> than the blue hedgehog.<\/p>\n

Back to Nintendo news, a Super Mario Maker 2 Nintendo Direct<\/a> gave us a better look at what to expect from the sequel, although there was a little confusion around some expected features<\/a> which Nintendo didn’t include<\/a> (at least not at launch).<\/p>\n

The month of May saw plenty of games released on Switch, too, with Konami’s Castlevania Anniversary Collection<\/strong><\/a>, Capcom’s Resident Evil<\/a><\/strong> rereleases, Baba Is You<\/a><\/strong> and Gato Roboto<\/a><\/strong> being particular standouts. Another Pok\u00e9mon mobile game launched<\/a> while Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp<\/a><\/strong> and Fire Emblem Heroes<\/strong><\/a> were scheduled for the axe in Belgium due to their lootbox-y, nefarious ways, and Nintendo also began its Game Vouchers programme<\/a> for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.<\/p>\n

And in more random events, we took a look into the ever-changing world of the Switch menu icon<\/a>, an inept criminal stole a Nintendo Switch on camera while wearing his work uniform<\/a>, and a medical app hit the 3DS eShop<\/a> for the bargain price of $99.99.<\/p>\n

Most Popular Article:<\/strong><\/strong> Random: Phew, The Internet Is Fixing That Terrible Sonic Movie Trailer<\/a><\/p>\n

Most Popular Review: Assassin’s Creed III Remastered<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

June – The Electronic Entertainment Exposition<\/h2>\n
\"E3\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

E3 month! From the window of the E3 Hype Train we observed Mario Kart 8’s fifth birthday<\/a>, we delved into the background behind Perfect Dark<\/a><\/strong>‘s three different covers<\/a> in Japan, Europe and North America and took a look at dormant franchises we’d like to see revived on Switch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ahead of E3, a Pok\u00e9mon Direct<\/a> revealed new details about Pok\u00e9mon Sword and Shield, including the reveal of the Gen VIII legendaries<\/a>. Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair<\/strong> was revealed<\/a>, and Switch Mini rumours continued at a pace fuelled by some lovely mock-ups<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Then, of course, the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct broadcast<\/a> dropped and all the hot takes flooded in. There were too many announcements to summarise<\/a> here, but the Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/strong> delay<\/a>, Banjo-Kazooie<\/strong> in Smash<\/a> and the official reveal of a sequel to<\/a> The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/a><\/strong> were probably the biggest stories.<\/p>\n

At the show we got our hands on the Switch remake of Link’s Awakening<\/strong><\/a> and Creature In The Well<\/a><\/strong>, sat down for a chat with Tetris Lord Alexey Pajitnov<\/a> and generally enjoyed the post-announcement glow of an excellent E3 for Nintendo. Witcher 3 on Switch?<\/a> Well I never! Not everyone was happy, though, with many Pok\u00e9mon fans very disappointed to hear that Pok\u00e9mon Sword and Shield would not feature the entire national Pok\u00e9dex<\/a>. And as support for ARMS<\/a><\/strong> quietly ceased, we looked back on that underappreciated little gem<\/a> in the Switch catalogue.<\/p>\n

In terms of new releases, Metroidvania Timespinner<\/a><\/strong> impressed us, as did Collection of Mana<\/a><\/strong> and the freshly released Zelda crossover title Cadence of Hyrule<\/a><\/strong>. Konami’s Contra Anniversary Collection<\/a><\/strong> hit all the right nostalgia buttons, Nintendo released the last 2D Mario you’ll likely ever need<\/a>, and Virtua Racing<\/a><\/strong> took us back to our ’90s arcade roots.<\/p>\n

And in site news, the lovely Zion<\/a> officially joined the lovely Alex full-time to double the size of Nintendo Life’s lovely video production team and add a little transatlantic spice to our bumbling bevy of Brits.<\/p>\n

Most Popular Article:<\/strong><\/strong> Nintendo’s Market Value Drops By $1 Billion After Animal Crossing Switch Delay<\/a><\/p>\n

Most Popular Review: Collection of Mana<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A simple scroll through the menu on our Switch is enough to show that 2019 has been a great year for Nintendo and its console. The handheld hybrid has gone from strength to strength, gaining a non-hybrid member of the Switch family along the way, as well as more games than anybody could reasonably have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106506\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}