[Preview] Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story
Posted on 3 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
The historical preservation of video games has increasingly become a widespread concern in recent years, due in no small part to the closure of legacy digital storefronts, the frequent delisting of digital games and server shutdowns galore. But beyond that, there’s a real risk that decades of game history from the 20th century will eventually be lost or widely inaccessible – not every game is going to end up preserved via a retro-focused service like Nintendo Switch Online or Antstream Arcade. But developer Digital Eclipse – now a subsidiary of Atari – is experimenting with preservation in a unique way with its Gold Master Series. These interactive documentaries combine games, video clips, scans of game design documents and more into a package that’s not merely a compilation of old games, but also a historical archive of specific chunks of the industry’s history. Following this year’s The Making of Karateka, the studio’s next title focuses on game developer Jeff Minter and his studio Llamasoft, and it’s poised to be a fascinating memoir of a bygone era of game development.
[Preview] 6 compelling indies we played at Day of the Devs 2023
Posted on 4 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
Earlier this month, Nintendo Everything dropped by the Day of The Devs indie showcase event in Los Angeles to demo some upcoming Switch games from small teams all over the globe. We played a staggering variety of games and had a chance to chat with some of the developers behind unique titles like Dome-King Cabbage and Resistor, and will be publishing dedicated previews for some of these games over the coming week; Still, with more games present on the show-floor than we could dream of covering individually, we thought we’d compile a list of some smaller titles that might not be on your radar yet. Here are six Switch-bound indies we played at Day of the Devs 2023 to keep an eye on!
[Let’s Talk] 2024 hopes and dreams for Nintendo
Posted on 4 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
Only a few days remain in 2023, so it’s time to start thinking about 2024. What are your hopes and dreams for Nintendo next year?
When we enter March, Switch will be seven years old and starting its eighth year. Nintendo doesn’t seem to be abandoning the console anytime soon with a number of games already confirmed for 2024. We’re getting Another Code: Recollection in January, Mario vs. Donkey Kong in February, Princess Peach: Showtime in March, and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door later on. Obviously there should be even more to come.
If you believe some of the rumors out there, we could also be getting a Switch successor in 2024. It’s a logical possibility given how old the current system is, but no announcements have been made so far.
With all of that in mind, let us know how you’re feeling about Nintendo as we head into 2024.
[Preview] Hands-on with Resistor, an ambitious racing RPG
Posted on 4 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
It feels like racing games are often excused from needing to tell stories; even as players, we’ve been trained to expect little more from the genre than schlocky tales of midnight street racing, if there’s even any context to the action at all. That can be just fine as many players only care about the feel of the driving, but there’s so much potential for fresh ideas. That’s why I’m curious about Resistor, an upcoming racing RPG whose lead developer, Violet McVinnie, previously worked on cinematics and narrative for titles like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. There’s a lot of potential for Resistor to be something unique, and while my brief demo only let me preview a small slice of the game, I’m hopeful it will prove that racing games can indeed tell deeper stories than they typically do.
More: highlight, Long Way Home, PQube, Resistor, top
[Preview] Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
Posted on 4 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
It always seems to happen the same way: just when I think I’m ready to take a break from playing big, sprawling JRPGs that threatens to suck up every ounce of my free time, along comes a game like Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes that immediately makes me reconsider. After spending the past few years deep in development following an immensely successful Kickstarter campaign in 2020, the turn-based RPG will finally land on Switch next spring and will hopefully help scratch the Suikoden itch that Konami has ignored for over a decade. I was fortunate to have a chance to demo the game in Los Angeles recently, and while I only got to experience a small sliver of the opening chunk of the game, I really enjoyed what bits of the story, combat, and exploration I played.
[Let’s Talk] Favorite E3 memories
Posted on 4 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
With E3 officially coming to a permanent end this week, now’s a good time for reflection. The expo was home to some of the most memorable moments and that’s something we want to dive into.
For Nintendo, there were plenty of memorable moments over the years. It was where the company showed off new hardware like the 3DS and Wii U. It also gave us some massive announcements such as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which may never be topped in terms of reaction. Even outside of reveals, there were other memorable moments such as Reggie Fils-Aime’s first major appearance. When Nintendo moved to digital presentations in later years, we still got some special presentations like with Robot Chicken and The Jim Henson Company.
So what were your favorite E3 moments over the past couple of decades? Let us know in the comments.
[Let’s Talk] The Game Awards 2023 reactions
Posted on 4 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk, Switch | 0 comments
The Game Awards 2023 happened this week, and we want to know what you thought about the show.
If you’re a Switch-only owner, you may have been disappointed by the announcements. There was some news for the platform here and there such as Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, but many of the titles were for other platforms. Some have a good chance at ending up on Switch eventually such as World of Goo 2, but we’ll have to wait and see. Also, Nintendo itself has been at The Game Awards in the past with both big and small announcements, but this was one of those years in which it chose not to bring anything.
As for the actual awards, Nintendo did get some wins in that department. However, for Game of the Year, that went to Baldur’s Gate 3 rather than Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Super Mario Bros. Wonder. You can catch up on all of the winners here.
How do you feel about The Game Awards this year? What did you think of the announcements and winners? Anything related to the event is fair game, so let us know in the comments.
More: highlight, The Game Awards 2023, top
[Review] Super Mario RPG
Posted on 4 months ago by Elias in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 17, 2023
Developer: Square Enix / ArtePiazza
Publisher: Nintendo
As a classic of the SNES era of RPGs, a remake of Super Mario RPG was a bit of a shock reveal earlier this year. Originally a collaboration between Nintendo and Square, it was a bit of a surprise back then as well. With a complete and from the ground up remake, we see new 3D graphics, crisp menus, and a bit of extra content for a game on Switch that many would say is one of the best RPGs of its time – but what about now? Let’s take a look at how Super Mario RPG fairs in today’s standards, as spoiler free as possible.
More: highlight, Square Enix, Super Mario RPG, top
[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – December 2023
Posted on 4 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
A new month started up yesterday. Now that we’re in December, we want to know what you’ve been playing.
Are you still going through Super Mario RPG? Maybe you’ve picked up the just-released Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince? No matter the case, let us know in the comments below.
[Review] Persona 5 Tactica
Posted on 4 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: November 17, 2023
Developer: Atlus / P-Studio
Publisher: SEGA
From dancing and dungeon-crawling to road-trip adventuring, the Phantom Thieves have been awfully busy since the events of 2017’s Persona 5. Of course, with that game being one of the most acclaimed RPGs of the past decade, there’s been plenty of fan demand for spin-offs and sequels, some of which have been truly excellent. That said, even as a fan of Joker and company I was having a hard time getting excited about Persona 5 Tactica – 2021’s Persona 5 Strikers put such a nice bow on the characters’ stories that I didn’t expect a shift to grid-based strategy to shake things up enough. The good news is that it’s a solid tactics game that introduces some fun ideas to the series, even when its story beats don’t quite hit the mark.
