Each month, more and more card games are released on the Switch. Recently, for example, the system has received Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission and Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions.

If these games aren’t the digital trading card game you’re looking for, perhaps you would prefer to try out Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution by Konami Digital Entertainment. The Japanese company first announced it would bring the Switch exclusive to the west this summer back in March.

Now, in the latest update, it’s been revealed the digital TCG will be available in both digital and physical form when it eventually arrives here in the west. This information was delivered via the official Twitter account for the game:

Attention Duelists! We’re excited to announce both a physical and digital version for the Western release of Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution on Nintendo Switch! More information will be available later this month! #YuGiOh

In Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution, you take on iconic duelists from the series’ universe and relive the stories of the original animated television series through Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V. You’ll also be able to battle the newest generation of duelists in the virtual world Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS. More information about this game will be released later this month.

Check out the game’s key features in our previous post and view the original 2016 trailer based on Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist below:

Is this the card game you’ve been waiting to play on the Switch? Do you enjoy playing this genre on the go? What other TCG you would like to see made available on Nintendo’s hybrid system? Tell us down in the comments.

The Game Boy turned 30 last month – to the shock of those of us realising we are therefore well over 30. Where did the past go? I think it went into a nook at the end of my bookshelf – at least that’s where I found my old DMG-01, the original Game Boy. Like many reading this, I’m sure, I took the occasion to hold it again and remember when a plastic brick felt like the future.

That grey hunk still thumps my heart like beating hoofs. But besides my pure and innocent love, I had an ulterior motive for the reunion: this Game Boy was going to make me filthy rich.

A Gift Horse

It was actually nostalgia that started the whole thing off. One twilight in spring, I strolled haplessly into the basement of a Tokyo department store at closing time. Just the day before it had been full of bicycles and luggage but, for today only, it was a “Retro Bazaar” of time-beaten consumer goods, none less than 20 years old. There were Walkmans, digital clocks, Famicom Disk Drives – the works. The bazaar had sprung from nowhere and, as closing time ticked closer, I knew it would be gone again in moments.

Something jumped out at me: an obscure 1993 Game Boy release, complete in box. But this was no game. On the front was a galloping horse; on the back an astonishing record of accurately predicting horse racing results. In the 1992 season, it had chosen the winner 48.4% of the time and returned winnings of 101%. What trip of fate had brought this to me? It was a relic of a youth I never really lived and a promise of a future I could make my own. I rushed the box to the clerk and buried it in my bag like a snared dream.

Studying the Form

Tekichuu Rush (something like “Correct Prediction Rush”) was released in 1993 by Japan Clary Business. Some digging around online suggests Clary released no other Game Boy software and its website petered out into the Wayback Machine in the early 2000s. Not exactly a video game company, their flagship product was the “Computator”, which appears to be a budget-priced machine for counting cable TV registration cards.

Tekichuu Rush’s simple proposition is that if you tell it the listed odds for a horse race, it will tell you the winner. Apart from showing off its uncanny accuracy as a race predictor, the box promises “basic controls using few buttons – even the inexperienced can use it!’ – a reminder that, in 1993, a computer with just two main buttons might have bewildered some users.

Basic control scheme aside, the instruction booklet does its best to confuse things. Every possible usage scenario is summarised in a single tortuous flow-chart labelled with tiny Japanese text. Ah, how hard can it be? Instructions are for losers: let’s bet on some horses!

Off to the Races

The nearest racecourse to me is in the Shakespearean county town of Warwick, England. One race day, I opened an online betting account and got cracking. Game Boy on; red light; Nintendo® smudge; ba-ding! And now a scene of horses, charging up the dust, jockeys pointed head-and-shoulders at the finish, cheered on by chirpy chiptune. “Tekichuu Rush. ©1993 Japan Clary Business.” I pushed START.

After trudging through a bog of green data-entry screens I felt like it might have been easier to make my millions doing shiftwork in a 1970s stock exchange

The oracle first demanded to know the location of the race. I couldn’t type it in: I could only cycle options excruciatingly slowly with the A button. This was great news: if Clary had kept their promise of basic controls then they would also keep their promise of unlimited wealth acquired by supernatural means. Surely.

I cycled: Tokyo – Nakayama – Kyoto – Hanshin – Sapporo… I started to worry that Warwick was going to be right at the end! Hakodate – Fukushima – Niigata – Chukyo – Kokura – and Warwick! Wait, no. No Warwick?! I decided it must come under “Regional” and selected that.

I started copying out the odds. After trudging through a bog of green data-entry screens I felt like it might have been easier to make my millions doing shiftwork in a 1970s stock exchange. Finally, indignant at having had to work for it, I greedily snaffled the winning horse number and placed my bet.

All in all, it was a longwinded way to lose £5. How could Tekichuu Rush have got it wrong? The only reason I could think of was that maybe Warwick didn’t count as a regional Japanese racecourse. Time to find a Japanese race.

What are the Odds?

Kicking off, presumably, a long-running pattern of fantastic luck, the bookmaker happened to be offering betting on a single race in Nakayama that weekend.

After a grind that provided an irreproachable answer to the question “Why isn’t all text entered like this?” I had my predictions. I was given three possible one-two finishes: horse number 3 followed by horse 12; 4 followed by 12; or 7 followed by 12. Horse number 12, then, was clearly not going to win whatever happened, so I ignored that and placed my bets on 3, 4 and 7.

I could now be sure that Tekichuu Rush was essentially a Game Boy Printer that spooled out bank notes in place of stickers

You’re probably expecting that one of them one won – or perhaps that somehow all three of them won. Astonishingly, every bet went down. What had happened? I gazed over the results. In first was some nag named Saturnalia – number 12! The very horse we knew would lose! Next came Velox, Danon Kingly and Admire Mars – horses 7, 4 and 3! Our guaranteed winners!

Like you, I’m sure, I immediately suspected foul play. Tekichuu Rush was 25 years old, after all. Presumably, Big Racing had got its hands on it and twisted its power for underhand mega-corporate enrichment – instead of the good, honest personal enrichment that I deserved.

So in yet another gesture of earnest graft that would ultimately justify my making millions for free, I read the instructions. I’ll confess it now: I should have done that at the beginning. Turns out, the results guaranteed by Clary’s crystal ball were called “rensho”. In the UK, this is a “reverse forecast”, meaning that when Tekichuu Rush said horses 7 and 12, it actually meant those two would finish first and second in either order. Had I staked my £6 correctly, on reverse forecasts, I would now be rolling in £19.

But I felt no disappointment at all, because I could now be sure that Tekichuu Rush was essentially a Game Boy Printer that spooled out bank notes in place of stickers. Next time I turned on the Game Boy, the Nintendo® sound wasn’t ba-ding: it was ka-ching.

Back in the Saddle

However, there were a few more hiccups. It was always my fault, not the game’s, but the next few races also lost me money. I set up in the coffee shop opposite the bookies and studied the finer administrative points of Japanese horse racing. Then I scrunched real paper slips in the betting shop: I lost at Kochi because I entered the wrong number meeting. I lost at Hanshin because it was the fourth race-day when I had said second. And I lost at Fukushima because what I read as the first race of the schedule was actually the twelfth. But every mistake was a lesson: I could now read the Tekichuu tea leaves perfectly.

I felt the megalomaniacal thrill of a mad scientist who had calibrated a precariously functional time machine. But I had become obsessed. Spreadsheets and notepads and discarded slips were in a scatter around me. Ambition untempered will undo us all: what evil might this forbidden technology unleash?

But You Can’t Make It Drink

It was back to Fukushima for the “Flora Stakes”. My prophet tipped me three reverse forecasts, all based on bookies’ favourite Therepeia in number 10. The racecourse was right; the meeting was right; the day was right; the race number was right. I checked and double-checked the runners and odds. Despite the certainty of my win, I was somehow nervous.

Therepeia rocketed to a dominating start and my hands sweated into my shivering betting slip. They rounded the first and the pack thinned; rounded the second and it thinned some more. Therepeia was on the heels of number 9, Jodie, and shutting out number 17, Leone d’Oro, either of which was a winning combination.

Then, booming heroically down the final straight, Therepeiawas passed by one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve horses! Twelve!

The quiver of expectation; the pride of entitlement; and the humility of the emperor, naked all along

My fists slowly unclenched and floated down from the sky. My eyes glazed and my jaw slackened in untethered bewilderment. How? Why? A punter swung the door and a gust swept my betting slips away and ruffled my piles of notes. With a flick and a flutter, the Tekichuu Rush instruction manual flapped onto the bookie bench. What was that on the very first page? I twisted my brow at the Japanese: “This software is for…” Entertainment? Entertainment. “…entertainment purposes only. Japan Clary Business offers no guarantee of the accuracy of predicted results.”

Suddenly it all made sense: Clary, in their timeless wisdom, had enchanted Tekichuu Rush just so that it would lead me on, so that I would indulge to its edge my sateless longing for a perfect past and a gifted future. And in that unseemly engorgement I would experience the ultimate thrill of the race: the rush of every dream held in hand, then falling away. The quiver of expectation; the pride of entitlement; and the humility of the emperor, naked all along.

So that was the end of Tekichuu Rush. A quarter of a century after a small manufacturer of electro-mechanical clerical time-saving devices decided to venture onto the Game Boy, here its creation was, on the other side of the planet. Clary’s cutting-edge of ‘90s Tokyo was still ticking away in an ancient English county town in the 21st century. More impressive than predicting the future, I realise now, was that this game lived to see it.

I dismissed my losses and counted my blessings. Well, OK, I counted my losses: £23. A reasonable price for a captivating Game Boy game.

In the early 1980s, portable gaming was mainly limited to LCD-based games. Companies such as Casio, Grandstand and Tiger Electronics would all release various watches and devices to keep us entertained on those tiresome journeys. Nintendo wasn’t really known here in the UK back then, but it stood out from the crowd with the excellent range of Game & Watch handhelds. The Japanese company showed just how skilful and creative it was when it came to creating great gameplay with limited hardware (a skill it arguably continues to exploit), releasing hits such as Mario Bros. and the multi-screen Donkey Kong.

Nintendo’s Game Boy had taken everyone by surprise and it would be Sega which played catch-up

In April 1989 – 30 years ago last month – Nintendo took portable gaming to a whole new level with the release of the Game Boy, a cartridge-based handheld with a dot-matrix monochrome screen that had similar controls to the famous Game & Watch range. The Game Boy was an instant success and rival companies would race to get out their own handheld devices onto the market – one of those companies being Sega.

One year earlier, Sega had taken Nintendo by surprise in the console market when it released the 16-bit Mega Drive and it would be two years before Nintendo responded with the Super Famicom/SNES. In the nascent world of handhelds, however, things were the other way around. Nintendo’s Game Boy had taken everyone by surprise and it would be Sega which played catch-up; on October 6th 1990 – 18 months after the Game Boy’s release – Sega released the Game Gear in Japan. With a backlit colour screen and hardware based on the 8-bit Master System, it was technically superior to the Game Boy and Sega hoped this would be enough to steal some of Nintendo’s rapidly-increasing market share.

As most people will be aware, this never happened and the Game Boy went on to sell over 100 million units, eclipsing the 10.6 million sales of the Game Gear. However, Sega’s handheld will always be remembered for being the main rival to the Game Boy (Atari’s 16-bit Lynx only managed around 3 million sales), as well as a system with a decent library of titles – some of which were exclusive to the platform.

However, looking back now, it’s clear to see why Sega’s gamble failed. The Game Gear’s biggest problem was battery life; the Game Boy could go for over 30 hours on four AA batteries, while the high spec of the Game Gear meant it consumed double-As like nobody’s business. In fuel economy terms, the Game Boy was a Volvo estate, while the Game Gear was a Ford Sierra Cosworth RS Turbo (yep, that one with the whale tail spoiler).

The Game Gear has not stood the test of time as well; you are more likely to bump into an honest politician than see an original Game Gear in full working order

Another problem with making a technically powerful device is that by default it also becomes more complex inside, and unlike the Game Boy, the Game Gear has not stood the test of time as well; you are more likely to bump into an honest politician than see an original Game Gear in full working order. Most units have faulty sound or weak displays as a result of faulty capacitors; these units weren’t made with a vision of people using them 20-plus years later. In order to fix these issues and ensure no further failures, most Game Gear consoles require a replacement of all the capacitors on the internal PCBs (commonly known as recapping) and in the rare event of a unit still fully working, it is just a matter of when (and not if) it will require the recapping treatment.

I bought a Game Gear that was sold as “fully working” with the intention of recapping it, and had it delivered to retro repair wizard Simon Lock, a man whose electrical expertise was detailed in a previous Nintendo Life article. Upon investigation, it turned out that my model had almost zero sound, a line missing from the display, took ages to power up and wasn’t reliable when reading carts – so not quite “fully working” as had been described. Simon sent me pictures of the issues and his findings, and after extensive testing, cleaning and recapping my Game Gear had sound and a decent display bar 2 lines – Simon informed me this was down to an IC failure from voltage damage caused by the previous owner using an incorrect PSU. The unit was returned to me and I was really happy to finally have a Game Gear, having never owned one back in the day.

As a kid in the 1990s, it was exciting just to have colour LCD screens and while they did a decent job, they pale in comparison to modern displays; original Game Gear screens need to be tilted to find an optimal viewing angle and suffer from terrible motion blurring. It’s something we tolerated back in the day as it was the best option available, but after witnessing a Game Gear with a brand new LCD screen fitted at a gaming market, it wasn’t long before I made the decision to get the famous ‘McWill’ screen mod. I got in touch with Retro Modzz, a UK-based company specialising in console and handheld modifications, and just a few days later I had a Game Gear with a brand new screen.

Playing the games with the McWill screen mod is a visual treat and breathes new life into the Game Gear

So how good is the screen? In a word, incredible. I would compare it to playing Silent Hill on a PS1 and then putting on Sonic Mania on the Switch; there is such a difference in colour, contrast and sharpness it is hard to imagine ever having tolerated the original display (you still have an option to add scanlines should you wish to emulate that older screen). Playing the games with the McWill screen mod is a visual treat and breathes new life into the Game Gear; the mod includes a full recap and a new screen protector so the machine arrives looking and sounding at its best. If you want to play Game Gear games on original hardware, this is an essential purchase and one I cannot recommend highly enough.

Retro Modzz also changed the DC input supply which allows the use of a USB power bank to quench the Game Gear’s thirst for power; extremely handy if you want it to remain portable. I decided to keep my model close to the factory standard but other mods can be added, such as a VGA socket to output the display to a monitor and the addition of a joystick port allowing you to attach a Master System control pad essentially turning the Game Gear into an 8-bit Mega Jet.

The Game Gear may have only sold a fraction of what the Game Boy managed, but it’s clear there’s still a lot of love for the console. It’s a shame that the hardware isn’t as robust as the Game Boy, but it’s great to know there are options out there which enable you to bring these machines back to life – and, in the case of the McWill mod, actually make them better than before.

Not long after Jeff Fowler revealed Sonic would receive a movie makeover, Detective Pikachu director Rob Letterman was asked by The Verge what he thought about the idea of a redesign. He admitted the Sonic director was probably in a tough position and it likely wouldn’t be easy to adjust the character months out from the film’s release.

Letterman fell back on his own creation, saying how it would have been “impossible” for his team to redesign anything in Detective Pikachu:

“We spent a year designing all the characters ahead of shooting so that we could get it all right. If we were off by an inch on Pikachu, [actor] Justice Smith’s performance would go right out the window. For us, it would have been impossible — but that doesn’t mean they can’t do it. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes — they’re in a difficult spot.”

The Detective Pikachu director went on to explain how the design choices in the live-action Pokémon film were a result of two years studying animal behavior and closely collaborating with the Pokémon Company in Japan.

“We studied a lot of animals and how they behave and how they interact to ensure we got it right…Bulldogs, in particular, for Bulbasaur and how they act in packs or how they get you to pay attention.”

Based on Letterman’s comments, do you think Fowler can achieve the impossible before the Sonic movie’s November release? Tell us down in the comments.

Yet another week has flown by, and it’s finally time for the weekend (with an added bank holiday in the UK – hooray!). This week we had the drama of an indie game being removed from the eShop for being a bit naughty, and a whole lot more drama with that Sonic trailer, but now it’s time to chat about what we’ll be playing over the next couple of days.

Members of team Nintendo Life have done just that below, and we’d love for you to join in via our comments and poll sections below. Enjoy!

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln, reviewer

This weekend I’m going to be returning to one of my favourite open-worlds of the previous generation – Steelport from Saints Row: The Third – The Full Package. While it doesn’t quite possess the pedigree of GTA, I loved how unashamedly wacky this third instalment was. And now it’s on Switch! Look out for my full review next week on Nintendo Life. I’ll also be indulging in some illegal avarice in Thief Simulator and blasting away Nazis from afar in Sniper Elite V2 Remastered. You know, as you do…

Ryan Craddock, staff writer

This weekend I’m visiting family, so my current nostalgic playthrough of Banjo-Kazooie on my beloved N64 is being put on hold. Instead, I’ve brought the Switch along for the ride with Super Mario Party, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to see us through.

I don’t think we’ve ever seen a console this well suited to family fun. Sure, the Wii was essentially marketed as the ‘Nintendo Video Gaming Fun For Everyone Including Your Grandma And Your Cat’ machine, but the quality of Switch’s games and its portability – even when taking the dock – put it ahead of that in my opinion. I secretly hope we play Mario Kart, because no one beats me at Mario Kart!

Gavin Lane, staff writer

While waiting impatiently for more news on how Streets of Rage 4 is coming along, I nabbed the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle on sale this week, so I intend to sit down and work my way through multiple Andre the Giants (sorry, Andore the Giants) in Final Fight, plus another game or two in the collection. The unlimited credits in these arcade ports on Switch can turn even tough games into relaxing Sunday afternoon blasts that go down very well with a nice frosty beverage – and that’s what I’m looking for this weekend. Have a good one everybody!

Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer

I’ll be taking a bittersweet return to Atlas thanks to the all-new Crimson Moon DLC out earlier this week, with the bitter part being that there will be no more toys manufactured for Starlink: Battle for Atlas. A real shame since the game remains such an incredible experience and thanks to all the newly added content more so than ever. When not turning Legion into scrap metal I shall do my part to remove Twintelle from the ARMS Party Crash Bash and do my finest to take Brutal Deluxe into the final franchise week at Super Blood Hockey.

My game of the week goes to Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut, an unexpected old PC friend that once again brings its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack and gorgeous Itano circus light shows to the humble Switch, the machine that can do it all!

As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to leave a vote in the poll above and a comment below with your gaming choices over the next few days…