[Preview] Our first hands-on with Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Posted on 7 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
In the eleven years since New Super Mario Bros. U first released, 2D platformers have changed a lot. Not only are there a lot more of them overall – thanks to some very creative projects by small teams – I’d argue the genre has broadly shifted towards increasing the complexity of the overall experience. Many sidescrollers today embrace popular added-depth systems; rougelike elements, skill trees, sprawling and interconnected maps, Soulslike combat, or perhaps all of the above. These can all be great things, and I’ve certainly made some amazing memories with some out-of-left-field projects over the past decade, but sometimes it’s nice to experience a platformer where the joy comes not necessarily from overcoming a complex challenge or system, but from something simpler. For me, in the case of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, that joy came from being surprised. And in my recent 30 minute demo session with the game, I found myself being surprised at almost every turn.
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Nintendo Live 2023: An inside look at Nintendo’s inaugural Seattle event
Posted on 7 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Features, General Nintendo, Switch | 0 comments
PAX West 2023 was made a little more special this year thanks to the presence of Nintendo Live, a massive fan-focused convention celebrating iconic Nintendo games, franchises and hardware. While a similar event has taken place in Japan in recent years, this marked the first time the event has been held in North America. And while tickets were free to the public, they awarded at random to interested PAX West attendees (and people who entered a lottery system via Nintendo’s website), so not everyone who was interested in going was given the opportunity to attend. Fortunately, I was able to check out the event on behalf of Nintendo Everything, and there was a lot to see and do for those willing to wait out the massive crowds.
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[Preview] Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless – PAX West 2023
Posted on 7 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Previews, Switch | 0 comments
If you’re a longtime fan of Disgea, you’ve probably had the upcoming entry in the series – Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless – on your radar for some time now. It’s a series I’ve always been curious about, but my love for strategy RPGs is somewhat of a recent development, and so I’m still cutting my teeth on the genre as a whole. That’s exactly why I was eager to get a taste of this high-energy franchise at PAX West 2023, and while I only got to sample a small portion of the game, I’m already interested in playing more – if not a bit intimidated by the prospect of it.
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The best moments from Reggie Fils-Aime’s keynote at PAX West 2023
Posted on 7 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Features, General Nintendo | 0 comments
One of the high-profile events at this year’s PAX West was the presence of former Nintendo of America president and chief operating officer Reggie Fils-Aime, who presented a keynote address to a room full of fans. As this year marked my first time attending PAX, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to hear him speak in-person – after all, you never know when that next bit of interesting Nintendo history might be revealed, right?
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[Review] Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Posted on 8 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: August 18, 2023
Developer: Team Reptile
Publisher: Team Reptile
Jet Set Radio is one of SEGA’s classic Dreamcast games – its combination of fast-paced rollerblading, urban vandalism and high-energy hip-hop have remained unique in the decades since the original release. Sadly, it’s a title that’s become increasingly inaccessible these days, and the franchise has been dormant for a long time. Well, if SEGA were to make a Jet Set Radio game in 2023, it would probably look a lot like Bomb Rush Cyberfunk – the developers at Team Reptile have taken everything you loved from the titles that inspired it, revamped it all with modern controls, and repackaged it with some incredible music and a high-energy cast of characters. This is the game Jet Set Radio fans have been waiting for – and for everyone else, it’s one of the most creative, exciting skating games released in decades.
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Pikmin 4, more Zelda games hit Switch Online, Metroid rumors and more | Nintendo Everything Refresh Ep. 060
Posted on 8 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Podcast, Switch | 0 comments
Welcome back to Nintendo Everything Refresh! This week, join your hosts Nick and Nicolas as they discuss the recent release of Pikmin 4, and what this could mean for the future of the franchise. We’ll also chat about the rerelease of the Zelda Oracle of Ages/Seasons games via Switch Online, rumors related to Metroid Prime 2 Remastered, and much more!
[Review] Disney Illusion Island
Posted on 9 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: July 28, 2023
Developer: Dlala Studios
Publisher: Disney Electronic Content
Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Goofy may be some of the most recognizable characters of all time, but it’s been a hot minute since they featured in a noteworthy game of their own – something true of many Disney franchises since the shuttering of Disney Interactive in 2016. As such, Disney Illusion Island is something of an experiment; an attempt to craft a modern, original Mickey Mouse story in a new world with new characters, with the structure of a Metroidvania (or “Mickeyvania,” as the developers have put it). While a lack of meaningful surprises can cause the experience to drag and feel overly simple, the game’s charming humor and silky-smooth platforming result in a fun and amusing adventure.
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[Review] Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Posted on 9 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: July 12, 2023
Developer: Night School Studio
Publisher: Netflix
When Oxenfree released in 2016, I was enamored with it. I was younger then and found comfort in its high school drama and socially awkward characters, who were relatable and felt real. The supernatural yarn it weaved was surprisingly dark, yet grounded in events that felt possible in its strange world of ghosts and timeloops. But players who made it the end were likely left with at least a few unresolved questions, and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals tantalizes with promises of answers, or at least a deeper glimpse into the strange phenomena that occurred on Edwards Island all those years ago. While Oxenfree II delivers in that regard, its narrative and new exploration mechanics felt disappointingly safe for most of its runtime, failing to surprise and hook me in the way its predecessor did (outside of a few key moments); still, fans of the original owe it to themselves to see this story through to its conclusion.
Mario Kart DLC’s exciting new tracks, Pokemon Sleep, Kid Icarus, and more | Nintendo Everything Refresh Ep. 059
Posted on 9 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Podcast, Switch | 0 comments
As life races by at the speed of a Blue Shell, it’s important that we all take the time to enjoy some good old-fashioned vroomin’ from time to time. Fortunately, in this week’s episode of Nintendo Everything Refresh we finally get to take a deeper look at the next round of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC, which is bringing back some classic tracks that have at least one of us unreasonably excited. Nick and rising co-host Dawn will also discuss what the heck is going on with Pokemon Sleep, nerd out about the newest Sakurai deep-dive on Kid Icarus Uprising’s development, and much more!
[Interview] Little Kitty, Big City game director on game design, development process, and cats (of course)
Posted on 9 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Interviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
One of the standout indie games we played at Summer Game Fest Play Days was Little Kitty, Big City, an exploration-driven game that was highlighted in a recent Nintendo Direct a while back (check out our new hands-on impressions here). It may be the first release from Double Dagger Studio, but it’s far from being the first project for game director Matt Wood, who’s contributed to numerous influential games released over the past twenty-five years. During our hands-on demo, we had the chance to chat with Matt about his experience developing Little Kitty, Big City, what made him want to make a game about a cat in the first place, and much more.
