Tag Archive

Splatoon 3 Splashes On To Switch In 2022

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo’s online focused team-based ink shooter, Splatoon, returns next year with the announcement of a surprise third entry.

Announced during today’s jam packed Nintendo Direct, Splatoon 3 takes your Squid/Kid adventures to a new place – the post apocalyptic world of The Splatlands.  There your customized Inkling will do battle against others hardened by whatever catastrophic event has occurred as you become accustomed to your new surroundings in the city of Splatsville.

In terms of new features – details are light, given that the game is at least a year away if not more. Shown during the new trailer is a revamped take on customization – gone is Inkling gender, replaced with a more free form appearance options. Let’s not also forgot the new companion, your “little buddy”, oh and a brand new weapon a the Ink Bow!

Other details are almost non-existent, given that Splatoon 3 is at least 12 – 18 months from release and Nintendo doesn’t really dive deep into their games until a couple months before release. 

Splatoon 2 was revealed alongside the Nintendo Switch in 2016, held a weekend stress test during the launch month of the console and released in the Summer of 2017.  Support for Splatoon 2 – that is major updates and additions ended with version 5.0 in July 2019.

Check out the trailer and several HD screen grabs:

0

Nintendo Direct planned for September 4th

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Jason Nason

A new Nintendo Direct is coming tomorrow!

Tune in September 4th at 6:00pm ET for a Nintendo Direct featuring roughly 40 minutes of information focused on 2019 Nintendo Switch games, including Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield and Luigi’s Mansion 3.

With the mention specifically of 2019 games we can be sure that there won’t be any mention of Animal Crossing, which is due out in March. That being said there could be some new announcements to come in the direct, which is usually saved for the end of the show.

https://youtu.be/KNgmufIGhEg

https://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/

0

Cities: Skylines Now Available On Nintendo Switch

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Paradox Interactive’s critically acclaimed city building game Cities: Skylines might be available on almost every platform (PS4, Xbox One, PC) but Nintendo’s console/portable hybrid has been devoid of the city building/management genre for the past year and a half.  All of that has changed with the unexpected release of Cities: Skylines on the Switch.  

Skylines is pretty much a spiritual successor to EA abandoned Sim City franchise (and no the waiting clock that is Sim City: Build It does not count) –  as Skylines makes use of several core mechanics that originated in EA’s games. Concepts like zoning (industrial, residential and commercial), building parks and other leisure activities, managing city policies and budgets are all present.   The base game alone improvements like definable districts, custom bus routes and even bonuses for making your municipality run on 100% green energy. 

Above: The PC Version of Cities: Skylines

The PC version of Cities: Skylines has been out for years now and has had six paid expansions to date (After Dark, Snowfall, Natural Disasters, Mass Transit, Green Cities and Park Life). Each of these expansions add things like new weather patterns (Snowfall), a Day / Night cycle (After Dark) or massively overhaul the transit options available within these virtual cities (Mass Transit Add-on). This means that the version of Cities: Skylines is very different from the initial launch. On Nintendo Switch owners are given the base game, the After Dark Expansion and the Snow Fall expansion. Paradox also overhauled the user interface and controls to intuitively with Joy-Cons.  

I reviewed the base game of Cities back in 2015. Here is my conclusion on the game from that time:  

“Despite a few nitpicks here and there – including the lack of an ability to automatically bulldoze abandoned buildings and no pre-defined end game – Cities: Skylines  is an absolutely fantastic city simulator. If you are looking for a city simulator with moderate system requirements, large maps and a lot of micromanagement including the ability to plan bus routes than Skylines is the game for you. It is easily to get lost for hours in the planning and perfection of your own metropolis. “

Paradox Interactive has provided a digital copy of Cities: Skylines for Nintendo Switch for our consideration. We will have more coverage about this unexpected port later on this month. 

0

Nintendo’s E3 2018 Plans Include Splatoon 2 World Championship, Smash Bros and More

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

With six weeks until the kickoff of E3 2018 Nintendo has provided an outline of what exactly fans can expect during the show. For those that can make it to Los Angeles and have the credentials (or cash) for a pass – that means a chance to go hands-on with the newly announced Super Smash Bros for Nintendo Switch as well as a selection of 3rd party titles. As in prior years, Nintendo will also be hosting a sponsored tournament – this year it’s the Splatoon 2 World Invitation – and of course the now traditional Nintendo Direct E3 presentation.

Nintendo’s first competitive showcase will be the Splatoon 2 World Invitation which will take place on Monday June 11th from 3PM – 6PM PST. If you’ve already checked out Nintendo’s official E3 website, yes the artwork for the Splatoon 2 World Invitation looks to be directly inspired by the 1990s Nintendo World Championship. Will winners receive a golden commemorative GameCard that will retail for thousands of dollars on eBay?

Right after the Splatoon festivities end on June 12th is the gameplay debut of the brand new Super Smash Bros for Nintendo Switch (which we still don’t know the final name of). Alongside professional players, fans will also be given the chance to play the new brawler thanks to a sponsored cosplay competition that the Big N is throwing. No further details yet on what exactly will be playable for Smash Bros how folks can enter the cosplay contest – so be on the look out for those details.

As is usual, on Tuesday June 12th the E3 2018 Nintendo Direct video presentation will take place at 9 AM PST. Whatever surprises that the creators of Mario have in store for us will remain a mystery up until the broadcast itself but they have mentioned that they will be focusing on already announced games. Nintendo will also only focus on titles that will be released in 2018 – so no teases for what is to come in 2019!

Possible Games

  • Yoshi (Name not known)
  • Smash Bros for Nintendo Switch
  • Octopath Traveler (Square Enix)
  • Travis Strikes Again (Grasshopper Manufacture)
  • Super Meat Boy Forever
  • Untitled Fire Emblem for Nintendo Switch (Intelligent Systems)

So to recap – here is a shortlist of important dates for E3 2018 when it comes to Nintendo:

Splatoon 2 World Inivational – June 11th and 12th
Super Smash Bros Tournament – June 12th
Treehouse Live! – June 12th – 15th
Nintendo Direct E3 Presentation – June 12th @ 9 AM PST
Super Smash Bros playable by the public – At Nintendo’s booth

0

GameCube Classic Luigi’s Mansion Being Remade For 3DS

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Revealed during last week’s Nintendo Direct presentation, the classic GameCube launch title Luigi’s Mansion is being remade for the Nintendo 3DS. It has been 17 years since Mario’s brother strapped on the Poltergust 3000 vacuum cleaner in a bid to clean up the mansion of spirits in order to free Mario.

This remake will feature the same levels and gameplay that made the original such an odd but delightful departure from the series formula. It also has some really cool 90s era Nintendo throwbacks like the “Game Boy Horror” used by Professor E-Gad resembling the design of the Gameboy Color, right down to the font.

Luigi’s Mansion should feel right at home using the parallax 3D effect of the Nintendo 3DS given that the original had support for older stereoscopic 3D technology and was even tested on an official Nintendo branded LCD screen that never saw an official commercial release. As such the stereoscopic 3D effect can only be enabled by the use of hacking devices like the GameShark as it was never intended to be used by the end user.

It is not yet known if an external developer is handling the GameCube to 3DS transition for the game. In 2013 Next Level Games released a sequel to the 2001 title on the 3DS titled Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon.

0

Nintendo Lands Some Back Spin With New Mario Tennis Aces Details

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Yesterday during the absolutely massive Nintendo Direct presentation (which pretty much broke the internet thanks to the announcement of Super Smash Bros for Nintendo Switch) Nintendo also outlined a lot of the larger titles coming to Switch in the first half of the year.

One of the games ready to be served up is Mario Tennis Aces. Mario is about to share the court with Luigui, Wario, Peach, Rosalina, Wuluigi, Daisy, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Toad, Toadette and even a freaking Chain-Chomp that adorably holds its tennis racket in its mouth. In all there are 15 unique characters available to choose from.

Players have a lot of control over how they affect the ball during gameplay. Basic lobs or adding top-spin or slice to your shots is as easy as ever. A brand new feature to the Mario Tennis franchise is the addition of “Zone Shots” that allow players to aim for specific parts of the court with motion controls. If you fail to block a “Zone Shot” at the precise moment your racket will take damage. Take three Zone Shots to the racket and it’s game over, so make sure to time those blocks carefully. Each character has their own Special Shot which drains the entire energy gauge used for Zone Shots and Zone control. If an opponent’s racket takes an unblocked Special Shot, that’s it, game over.

Mario Tennis Aces will support multiple modes including a simplified “simple rulset” which only allows basic shots. Online play offers players rewards like additional costumes, new characters, tournaments and ranked play during live events. Taking a page from the Wii Sports playbook – a special motion control mode allows you to use the Joy-Cons like a real tennis racket – with Swing Mode it’s time to go back to 2006 all over again!

Mario Tennis Aces will be out on Nintendo Switch on June 22nd 2018. Check out the overview trailer below for demonstrations of all of the features discussed in this article.

[Source: YouTube]

 

0

Animal Crossing Direct coming Tuesday

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Jason Nason

Nintendo announced this morning that there will be a special Nintendo Direct planned for tomorrow. The Direct will be focused solely on the Animal Crossing mobile app.

A mobile app based in the Nintendo franchise was announced long ago with no details aside from being dated for 2017. The presentation tomorrow should give us all the information we need including release date, pricing, as well as just what the app will be about.

Will this be a mobile version of the popular game? Will it connect somehow to the 3DS title or allow for some functionality between the two titles? Perhaps the new app will play a role in an as yet unannounced Switch title.

So many questions, which will hopefully be answered tomorrow.

The Nintendo Direct is set to begin at 11:00PM ET.

https://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/10-24-2017/

0

Nintendo Direct reveals tons of new games for Switch & 3DS

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Jason Nason

Origianlly I held back because I wanted to do in depth posts for each game revealed in yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, but there are so many games that it may take me a while. So for now check out the full Direct video below as well as Nintendo’s press release from yesterdays announcments.

Stay tuned for some more details about some of the games that I’m most excited for as well in the coming days.

Read More

0

Celebrate The Best Mario Party Mini Games With Mario Party: The Top 100

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Do you have fond memories of playing the original 3 Mario Party games on the Nintendo 64? Never played one of the classic games from almost two decades ago? The Big N is curating the top 100 mini games from the series history and remaking them on the 3DS with the announcement of Mario Party: The Top 100, due out this November. 

With support for download play, friends who don’t own a copy of the game can still get in on the action. From the look of the trailer personal favorites of mine like the deadly treadmill and Shy Guy Flag game from the original are present and accounted for.  It is not known at this time if ‘The Top 100’ will feature traditional game boards, will eschew them for free roaming movement as in Mario Party 10 or will simply provide a vast library of mini-games. 

Mario Party debuted on the Nintendo 64 in early 1998 and was quickly followed up with two numbered sequels in 1999 and 2001. Gamecube saw the release of 4 numbered entries between 2002 and 2005 while the original Wii saw just two Mario Party titles in 2007 and 2012 respectively. Wii U only received one game – the critically panned Mario Party 10. In addition to the 10 main console releases, Mario Party: The Top 100 will be the 5th portable offshoot. 

0

Splatoon 2 Will Splat Ink All Over The Switch This Summer

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo’s favorite squid kids will be arguing whether they should be Squids Now or Kids Now with the return of ink turf wars this summer for the Nintendo Switch. Revealed during the Nintendo Switch presentation in the typical humorous Splatoon style a cosplaying Ninty Rep made an appearance as the Squid Researcher who brought us updates on the original game’s Tumbler account two years ago.

Splatoon 2 will bring a number of new hairstyles, clothes and fresh threads for Squid Kids to enjoy on a whole suite of brand new battle arenas. In the reveal trailer we got a look at a new type of roller that can splat ink forward, a set of dual pistols that rapidly fire ink like a machine gun pistol and a whole bunch of new super weapons including a ink missile launcher and an INK JET PACK. It was also confirmed that Splatoon 2 will be playable either using the pro controller, the Joycons via motion control, Joycons via controller dock or on the tablet by itself in handheld mode.

Splatoon 2 will be released on Nintendo Switch sometime this summer and will feature a post-release free DLC campaign, similar to the one that brought a number of new pieces of content to the original game for months after release.

0

Nintendo to unveil NX tomorrow morning

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Jason Nason

Nintendo gave the world a brief heads up minutes ago that their long awaited next generation platform will be unveilled TOMORROW! The new console, which is thus far surrounded in mystery, will be unveilled in a special Nintendo Direct presentation.

The presentation will be broadcast simultaneously worldwide with the direct happening at 7:00 AM on the west coast and at 10:00 AM eastern time.

Read More

0

Nintendo 3DS Direct announced for September 1st

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Jason Nason

Nintendo announced today that they are hosting a worldwide Nintendo Direct focused on the Nintendo 3DS this Thursday. The video presentation will take place on Thursday, September 1st, 2016 at 7:00 AM PT, or 10:00 AM ET on the east coast.

Nintendo has several heavy hitters planned for the back half of the year for the Nintendo 3DS, including Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon as well as the Yo-Kai Watch sequels (Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits / Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls). Nintendo’s Mario Party: Star Rush is also planned for the holiday shopping season.

Read More

0

New Nintendo Direct Later Today, Covers 3DS & Wii-U

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo will be holding a surprise Nintendo Direct video presentation later today that will focus on titles for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U. They have stated that this presentation will include titles for both platforms that are due out by the end of the summer but will not include any information on the companies’ plans for mobile phones or their upcoming Nintendo NX Console.

Things kick off later today at 5PM EST / 3PM MST / 10 PM GMT and will be broadcast on the official Nintendo sites for North America, Europe and Japan.

direct_promo

What do you think Nintendo will announce? We already know that Pokemon Moon & Pokemon Sun are slated for release in Winter 2016 so any new details on those two titles is unlikely. Perhaps Ninty will surprise everyone with a few often requested Virtual Console releases? With Nintendo it is really anyone’s guess.

Here are a few titles that are currently scheduled for the first half of 2016 from Nintendo:

Metroid Prime: Federation Force (3DS)
Star Fox Zero (Wii U)
Bravely Second (3DS) / Published By Square Enix
Hyrule Warriors: Legends (3DS)

[Source]

0

Everything Announced In The Final Smash Bros Direct

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

It’s time to say goodbye to the hype train that is Super Smash Bros directs for the time being. Nintendo aired the final prepared video presentation this afternoon which featured two surprise character announcements – In the form of the witching Bayonetta & the transforming Corrin as well as a ton of additional content.

Previously Nintendo revealed that Cloud Strife will be joining the brawl –and you can download him right now for $5.99 USD (providing that the servers are stable). By purchasing Cloud you also gain access to the Midgard stage for either Wii-U, 3DS or both if you prefer!

Also announced alongside the two new characters were a whole bunch of Mii fighter outfits including licensed consumes from Wario Ware, Super Mario RPG, Sonic The Hedgehog and other franchises. At the end of the video Sakurai even re-counts how much content is available between the two versions and it is simply staggering.

To be honest I’m going to miss the hype and speculation that came with a Super Smash Bros direct. I could spend hours reading sub-reddits and forum threads guessing what the next announcement might be. At least Nintendo is holding onto Corrin, Bayonetta and a lot of the Mii Fighter stuff so we have something to look forward too in 2016!

Check out a summary of all of the announcements below alongside an embed of the YouTube presentation in its entirety.

New Character – Corrin From Fire Emblem Fates – $4.99 USD, Available Feb 2016

Smash 1

Cloud Available Now For $5.99 USD, Includes Midgard Stage – Available Now

Cloud_Smash

Bayonetta – $5.99 USD, Includes New Stage – Available Feb 2016

Bayonetta_Smash

New Mii Costumes Coming Soon

  • Chocobo Hat
  • Geno (Super Marip RPG)
  • Bionic Armor
  • Takamura
  • Ashley (Wario Ware)
  • Gil
  • Tails (Sonic The Hedgehog)
  • Knuckles (Sonic The Hedgehog)

[youtube id=”j1JERhUoQoU”]

0

Nintendo Dampening Expectations For This Most Recent Direct Was the Right Move

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo’s decision to post a notice on the Nintendo Direct official website outlining that they had no plans to discuss the NX or Mobile during today’s broadcast was absolutely the right move. Usually dampening your fan bases expectation for such a high profile event like the return of Nintendo Directs would be a bad thing but I feel that it helped Nintendo focus solely on the message that the Wii U and 3DS have a lot of life left in them heading into next year.  Read More

0

Get the latest articles and news from BrokenJoysticks and a selection of excellent articles from other sources.

Simply fill out the form below and you’ll be on your way to getting our upcoming newsletter.