Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 20th)
Well, what another busy week we’ve had. Joker finally arrived in Smash Bros. Ultimate, Capcom announced a new plug-and-play arcade stick, and Reggie has been stealing all of the headlines with his retirement, but now it’s time to sit back, relax, and talk about which games we’ll be playing over the weekend. As always, members of the Nintendo Life team have gathered to talk about our plans below and we’d love for you to join in with our poll and comment sections. Enjoy!
Ryan Craddock, staff writer
I’m rather determined to make the best use of this long weekend as possible but, at the time of writing this, I’m not exactly sure how I’ll be doing just that. There’ll probably be a little bit of Yoshi’s Crafted World in there (my partner and I are slowly working towards completion on that one) but I’ve also developed a sudden desire to pick up any and every older game possible to start a proper collection.
My younger self foolishly decided to sell off a lot of old games and I’m growing more annoyed at myself with each passing day. As such, I might end up trying to figure out the best ways to pick up lots of games or even a console or two that I’m missing for future purchases – there’s the pesky matter of saving money for important life things to deal with first, but hopefully one day I’ll be able to treat myself! My N64 library, in particular, could use a good boost…
Gavin Lane, staff writer
Last Friday I was out of the flat when my Labo VR Kit arrived, but the building superintendent took the delivery. Phew! Unfortunately, I arrived home late that night and said package would remain locked in his office until Monday morning. To add insult to injury, I could see the damn box sitting there through the window!
So, that means I’ll be constructing my cardboard blaster this weekend instead. I’ll also be tinkering with my recently procured original Game Boy in honour of its birthday on Sunday. It’s got a line of dead pixels, but that won’t stop me enjoying some classics. It could do with a cleanup and a backlight, too… I feel a project coming on! Have a fantastic long weekend everyone.
Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer
I have decided to skip Cuphead until the physical release hits so this weekend will be once again filled with all sorts of Super Robot Wars T insanity. I will partake in Splatoon 2’s Spring Fest and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s Castlevania themed spirit event while giving Joker a proper go. I will also be surely spending an insane amount of time playing Super Nintendo and Game Boy for “nostalgic research”.
My game of the week goes to the artistic carnage of Katana ZERO. When a game gets refused certification in Australia, you know you are in for a good time!
Austin Voigt, contributing writer
My plans this holiday weekend will involve finally sinking my teeth into My Time at Portia, finishing the buildouts for the rest of the Labo VR kit (I’ve only gotten through about half), as well as getting a bit further in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (I hadn’t played this game before – but I got it ultra-cheap thanks to Target’s catalog misprint, so I finally caved). Excited to have so many new games to dig into!
Which games are you playing this weekend? (449 votes)
EA Has No Plans To Release Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order On The Switch
Last week, EA and Respawn Entertainment revealed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC this November.
The game stars a character named Cal Kestis who is a survivor of Order 66 and is forced to conceal his Jedi powers to stay alive.
Not long after the game was revealed, EA community manager Jay Ingram was asked over on Twitter if there were any plans for it to be released on Nintendo’s hybrid device in the future.
He responded by saying there were “no such plans” as amazing as the system is:
Not long ago, Respawn Entertainment responded to questions about a potential Apex Legends port for the Nintendo Switch.
While nothing is currently planned, the developer would “love” to bring the game to the Switch and is hearing all of these requests from Nintendo fans.
For anyone still seeking a Star Wars fix on the Switch, it looks the only option, for now, is Star Wars Pinball by Zen Studios, due out on 13th September.
Would you like to see more Star Wars games on the Nintendo Switch in the future? Leave your thoughts below.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 04-22-2019, 12:51 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Amazon Prime's The Boys Gets Very NSFW Trailer
Coming to Amazon Prime Video on July 26 is the latest comic book adaptation, The Boys. Amazon recently revealed the first trailer for the upcoming show, and it is most certainly not safe for work. Seriously, watch this on your own time.
Based on the Dynamite comic of the same name, the series follows a world where superheroes have become celebrities, and a group titled The Boys are tasked with covering up said heroes' screw-ups when they abuse their powers. Check out the first trailer for the series below.
The Boys are made up of Hughie (Jack Quaid), Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capon), and The Female (Karen Fukuhara). Additionally, Simon Pegg guest stars as Hughie's father. There are also the featured superheroes on this series, The Supes of the Seven, which consists of Homelander (Antony Starr), Starlight (Erin Moriarty), Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott), A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), The Deep (Chace Crawford), and Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell).
The original comic series, which also was for a more adult audience, debuted in 2006 under the Wildstorm banner--before moving to Dynamite six months later. It was created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson, and the series was known for its over-the-top moments.
GameSpot spoke with Simon Pegg back at New York Comic-Con about his role and the adaptation as a whole. "They showed me the stuff that they'd already shot that was surprising and shocking, but for all the right reasons," he said. "I think Garth almost and Darick together, obviously because Darick Robertson was drawing it, together they were trying to almost dare somebody to adapt it. It was almost the unadaptable comic book, even more so than Preacher I think."
Limited Run Games Teases Lumines Remastered Physical Release
Last June, the rhythm-based puzzle game Lumines Remastered was released on the Switch eShop. We said it was a premier puzzle experience and awarded it nine out of ten stars. The Switch version ended up becoming the best-selling version of the game, too.
If you’ve had this one on your wishlist for a while now, you might want to hold out a little longer as physical distributor Limited Run Games appears to be teasing a hard copy. While it’s unclear what platforms this announcement is for, what we do know is that more will be revealed next week on 22nd April.
If you’re still not convinced, here’s the announcement trailer for Lumines Remastered. Noticeably the music matches the audio in the above teaser.
On a related, but separate note, pre-orders are now live for Minit on Limited Run Games and Special Reserve Games.
Is Lumines a game you’ve been wanting to add to your physical collection? Tell us down in the comments.
Random: Here’s The Evolution Of The Yoshi Series Over Nearly 30 Years
The recent release of Yoshi’s Crafted World on the Switch has encouraged Nintendo of America to take a trip down memory lane. To celebrate nearly 30 years of Mario’s green-coloured companion, a lovely timeline graphic has been uploaded to Twitter, showing off the character’s entire history. Nintendo also threw in a fun fact about the “saddle” on Yoshi’s back:
Whether you’re already throwing eggs in #YoshisCraftedWorld on #NintendoSwitch, or thinking of Flutter Jumping into the crafty fun, catch up with a refresher on Yoshi’s nearly 30 years of starring roles!
By the way…did you know that the “saddle” on Yoshi’s back is a shell?
How many Yoshi games have you played and which one is your favourite? Did you know Yoshi’s “saddle” was a shell? Tell us your own history with Yoshi in the comments below.
Video: Procedurally creating Manhattan for Marvel’s Spider-Man
Efficiently managing the scope and implementation of procedural systems is tricky business, but Insomniac Games did just that during development of its 2018 open-world hit Marvel’s Spider-Man.
At GDC 2019 earlier this year, Insomniac’s David Santiago gave attendees a behind-the-scenes look at the open world pipeline of Marvel’s Spider-Man, showcasing how each procedural system was originally designed to support iterations and dependencies.
Of course, the reality of producing a “procedurally-authored open world” that also looks like real-life Manhattan provided a larger set of tasks than the team had anticipated. Insomniac’s resulting procedural systems were used to author, modify and monitor much more content than planned, and in his talk (now available to watch for free on the official GDC YouTube channel) Santiago explained how the anticipated and unforeseen challenges became success stories and have laid a road-map for future projects.
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.
Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.
Take me to the hole: Loss and triumph in Astroneer
The moment I almost gave up on Astroneer was also the moment that its genius struck me. There I was, bombing around this mysterious planet with my new buggy; I felt like a badass for assembling the required components and doing enough research to learn the schematic. Now this was my buggy; there were many like it, but this one was mine. A triumph that would allow me to explore farther than ever from my landing site and not be bound by how far I could tether my oxygen line to it. Now I could tether from my buggy of badassery, anywhere on this uncharted world.
Then I fell into a hole because I wasn’t looking where I was going.
That led to a deeper hole because of gravity.
When all was said and done, I was stuck in a Byzantine warren with no hope of escape and only the barest trace of sunlight to remind me of how far I had fallen, my buggy upside down on some impossible geometric rockface.
At this point I was already staggeringly annoyed because I didn’t realize that the marker pointing out my base disappeared beneath the horizon, so I was already quite lost when the hole claimed me. This was the final straw; I quit the game in disgust and figured I’d set it aside until enough time had passed that restarting wouldn’t feel like a great loss.
But a fact nagged at me. My little astroneer has a tool in her spacesuit that allows her to terraform. Couldn’t I just patiently dig my way out while building a ramp? The next day, after work, I restarted the game and did just that. Painstakingly at first, smoothly as soon as the sky appeared, I paved my way out. I was still lost, but the buggy of badassery was, at least, on the surface. A quick check of the Wiki confirmed something I suspected: the base is always at the planet’s equator. Armed with that fact, I actually navigated my way back home by the stars; I returned in glory to my Lego set of a base.
***
Astroneerexcels at managing the critical balance between stress and triumph. As irritated and lost as I felt, there was always a solution waiting to be discovered. The game rewards patience in a way that is entirely of a piece with its serene pace. Unless you’re running of out oxygen, you’re free from urgency here. With all the neverending discourse around “challenge” in games, it’s worth dwelling on Astroneer’s unpretentious success at balancing calmness with difficulty and reward.
These sorts of sandbox adventures are, as a matter of course, self-directed. Many of them share these features, to one degree or another. But Astroneer feels special in part because of its minimalism. Comparisons to No Man’s Sky are inevitable, of course, and if I wanted to be cheeky I could say that Astroneer was a lightweight and cartoony version of Hello Games’ offering. But it manages to be a good deal more than that (though its cartoony aesthetic gives it a stronger sense of identity).
This is, fundamentally, a game about peaceful problem solving. You will occasionally chance across hostile plant life or fungus, but there are no marauding aliens; of all the things to be researched and built from your catalogue, there are no guns to be found. Even the more devilish of flora doesn’t go out of its way to hurt you. It only does so if you’re tromping around carelessly.
There’s something relaxing and reassuring about this. A gentle vibe that pervades the whole game, and thus puts the joy of exploration front and center. What lies over that next ridge or at the bottom of that canyon is the thing that powers you through this game.
As with most games of its type, Astroneer sees you fashion crude items from basic materials which then allow you to harvest better materials to build bigger and better items and so on. Your base slowly expands as you work your way up to building things like a launch pad to help you mine materials you can only get on a nearby moon. But it’s the joy that comes precisely from going higher and farther that feels like the game’s greatest reward, seeing so much more over the next horizon.
Astroneer’s focus on exploration gives it that perfect balance between those competing forces that so often tear games apart, and its minimalism aids it by reducing the number of things that can go wrong. While future patches may add new buildings and functionality, the game allows you to do a lot with a relatively small number of inputs. Mining, gathering, and terraforming are all the same function. And, while it can be irksome to manage, the oxygen tether gives you a clear sense of physical limitation that can only be overcome through more building (i.e. using soil compound to build more tether poles and extend your range). With that, you know any solution to getting lost or finding more resources must involve one of a small range of functions.
Far from limiting you, this minimalism elegantly guides you through the world.
But, as thrilling as it can be to discover the wreckage of a crashed spaceship, say, there’s something weirdly chilling about discovering another spacesuit pack like yours and looting it for spare parts. Who were those other astroneers who clearly died here? The game doesn’t really say. Like most sandbox adventure games, Astroneer’s world is one without meaning. Of course, so many games, particularly RPGs, are built on the skeleton of acquisitiveness (kill ten rats to upgrade your leather jerkin and basic shortsword; use your silver shortsword to kill ten dire rats, et cetera). But there is, at least, a gloss of narrative overlaying it all that tells you why you’re killing ten rats.
You have to make up your own story–and I certainly tried for several hours–but it’s challenging when there’s so little help from the world itself. There are suggestions of a story, chiefly in the form of titanic alien gates that loom large over the landscape. But it’d be a stretch to say there’s even a vague narrative at work here. In time you’re just confronted with the fact that you’re on that resource-gear treadmill and nothing more.
All that really waits over the next horizon is more ore. But if you can fall into a deep hole, tell yourself a good enough story about your astroneer and what they’re doing, then the sky’s the limit.
Katherine Cross is a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington who researches anti-social behavior online, and a gaming critic whose work has appeared in numerous publications.
April 11th : New Preview Alpha Ring 1905 Update (1905.190410-1904)
Starting at 2:00 p.m. PST today, members of the Xbox One Preview Alpha Ring will begin receiving the latest 1905 Xbox One system update (19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1905\18362.3023.190410-1904). Read on for more about the new features, fixes and known issues in the latest 1904 system update.
DETAILS:
OS version released: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1905\18362.3023.190410-1904
Available: 6:00PM PDT 4/12/19
Mandatory Date/Time: 3:00 AM PDT 4/13/19.
New Features:
This first update is meant to lay the groundwork for what’s to come in 1905, so while you’ll find fixes and known issues listed below, please keep an eye out for feature announcements as they’re ready to be previewed. Thanks, as always, for your passion for helping make Xbox One system updates the best they can be prior to release to GA!
Fixes:
My Games and Apps
Additional fixes for an issue in which switching from media apps such as Youtube/Hulu to a game or from a game to a media app would crash the console
Known Issues:
Audio
Some users are experiencing no audio with headsets and we are investigating
Some users are encountering no audio on their Xbox console after boot (no shell audio, no game audio, no app audio), then have CSS ask them to perform the following steps:
Cold reboot the console
OR
Go to Audio settings on console
Change their HDMI audio settings to the highest supported uncompressed channel count for their equipment
Switch back to the desired format
Audio should be restored
Profile Color
Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.
Review: Warhammer Age Of Sigmar: Champions – Who Needs Hearthstone?
While Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering – arguably two of the biggest names in digital CCGs (collectable card games) – continue to pass Nintendo Switch by, the genre’s growth in the mobile market has seen plenty of other alternatives see the potential of making the jump to Ninty’s hybrid hardware. British studio PlayFusion has already brought Lightseekers to the platform – complete with the functionality to scan physical cards into the game – and now it’s doing the same with its latest project, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions.
With Games Workshop pumping out licensed tie-ins to its Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 universes at an alarmingly fast rate (there are two coming to Switch next month alone), the consistency in quality running through them has dipped as often as it’s peaked. However, Champions can confidently place itself among the better uses of Warhammer’s revitalised fantasy world, presenting a distinctly different CCG that attempts to set itself apart from those bigger names with some alternative ideas.
Rather than choosing a single hero and building a deck around their key qualities, Champions takes cues from the unit-focused battles of the tabletop game and splits each side of the battlefield into four channels. You assign a champion to each channel and it’s through these characters that you’ll play certain cards. For instance, only wizards can cast spells so having at least one in play is vital if you want a magical edge in effect. Each champion also has a certain lane in which they’re most effective, and you’ll find certain ones match up better or worse against others.
To add more of an RPG approach, each champion goes into battle with their own unique set of objectives. Think of these as mini-quests that need to be completed in order to make their card shift and activate the next challenge (and eventually unleash a powerful blessing). It might be activating a certain buff or playing a particular unit. With only two moves per turn (there’s no mana here, so every game has a more level playing field from the start) you’ll need to balance champions being engaged with another unit in play, planning for upcoming objectives, countering your opponent’s champion and more. As a result, games can be a little slower, but they can often be considerably more satisfying for those who’re tired of the classic rules of Magic and the like.
Warhammer: Age of Sigmar is currently one of the biggest trading card games out there today, and the versions on iOS and Android have proved just as popular with mobile and PC players. So much so that we now have this Nintendo Switch version, which features full cross-play compatibility with those smartphone editions. It’s an important feature as it means Switch adopters have a full and competitive community of players to battle, rather than relying purely on servers designed for a single platform.
Of course, the downside of moving away from smartphones and PC is the lack of consistent data coverage. If you are planning to take the battle online – and this is where Champions is at its best, including the new Arena of Echoes mode which adds in extra stipulations and greater rewards – then you will need access to a decent Wi-Fi connection. Unfortunately, you’ll need to have consistent access to Wi-Fi to access any other mode – even deck building and solo play. The addition of new modes such as the increased challenge of the Realm Trials give players plenty to enjoy, you just need a constant connection if you want to enjoy them.
This is a free-to-play the game in the age of Fortnite so there has to be something in play to make money for its developers. You can play through the solo content and unlock cards, and level up to earn even more, but with the premium Champions Pass you’ll get a ‘free’ card every day, enjoy increased XP and more. We found it easy to build a competitive deck by earning them through play, so those paying for the Pass simply have access to a little more variety at a faster pace. You can also scan physical cards into the game to access them digitally, but you’ll need to do this via the smartphone or web versions. Thankfully, all accounts across mobile, PC and Switch are unified so you’ll be able to import cards from other versions to use on your Switch.
Conclusion
In the highly competitive world of CCGs, PlayFusion has taken one of the biggest fantasy licences and seamlessly melded it with a card battling system that’s both easy to grasp and different enough to set itself apart from its contemporaries. With the addition of extra modes, including the Arena of Echoes and Realm Trials, and the option to scan in cards from your physical deck, there’s a deep and customisable experience that’s ideal for genre veterans. Joy-Con controls work well enough – enabling you to play in docked mode – but it’s at its best when played intimately in handheld mode with the touchscreen. The need for a constant internet connection will irk some, but for those that are willing to be tethered to Wi-Fi, PlayFusion has served up a fine rival to the likes of Hearthstone.
Bureaucratic Blunder Means Russian Smash Bros. Team Misses Euro Tournament
There will be a one team less at the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate European Smash Ball Team Cup — and it’s just because of a paperwork. Nintendo of Europe has announced that, due to “visa issues”, Ye Old Guard team from Russia will stay at home during the Amsterdam finals on June 8th.
The Russian branch, Nintendo RU, released an expanded statement on its web site:
Due to bureaucratic reasons Nintendo has no control over, it takes longer than usual to issue visas in the run-up to the Russian national holidays. Due to that, Russian team won’t be able to attend the event in Amsterdam. The scope of the event and logistical issues do not allow postponing the event or letting Ye Olde Guard play online with teams in Amsterdam.
The holidays in question will begin on May 1st and will leave Russia with only three work days till May 13th, so it’s only reasonable to expect the visa offices to be under a heavy load. The smart move was to prepare documents in advance, and that’s exactly what wasn’t done — reportedly, because of Nintendo RU.
In a mean-tempered post on GameMag forums, Ye Olde Guard’s David Oganesyan describes Nintendo’s local office as a “bunch of incompetent folks” and describes details of the situation:
They decided to process visas by themselves. Eventually, they decided to file an application at the very latest moment before the May holidays. Before that, we’ve been sending them all required documents and forms almost daily. As a result, it’s no longer reasonable to visit the embassy, and the closest time one can book an appointment to the visa office is April 26th.
Later, he followed by saying Nintendo RU and Ye Olde Guard have settled on compensation prizes: a Nintendo Switch for each member of a team. Talking to Nintendo Life, David said his second Switch will go to his brother, and the team is on good terms with Nintendo RU despite “the huge blunder on their part.”
It’s sad to see a contender missing the finals for a reason as mundane as documents not filed at the right time — and by the organizer of a regional event, too. We hope Nintendo RU won’t have to negotiate with disgruntled champions in the future.
