[Let’s Talk] What will Nintendo release for Switch in the second half of 2024?
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
About a week ago, Nintendo announced the release dates for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. They’ll be launching in May and June respectively. Some had thought that they could be coming in the latter half of the year, but it turns out they’re dropping fairly soon.
The second part of 2024 is now wide open for Nintendo. As things stand now, the company has no announced titles for the rest of the year. Some banked on a new Pokemon game coming out this holiday given how it seems Switch 2 won’t be arriving until 2025 (at least based on rumors), but even that isn’t happening with Pokemon Legends: Z-A confirmed for next year.
Obviously Nintendo won’t go the whole second half of 2024 without a new Switch game. What do you think the company could have in store? Do you think Metroid Prime 4 will finally arrive this year? Let us know in the comments.
[Review] Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley
Posted on 8 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 7, 2024
Developer: Hyper Games
Publisher: Raw Fury
Finding out that The Moomins is not only still an active franchise but is in fact still doing quite well for itself is one of the more surprising things that has happened to me this year thus far. As a child of the 90s I have fond memories of The Moomins (both the novels and the 1990s TV series) and I was eager to revisit that world in Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, which appeared to capture the essence of Tove Jansson’s original works perfectly through its beautiful hand-drawn art style and relaxed, adventure-focused gameplay with a melodic twist that complemented the titular Snufkin. The “cozy gaming” space is packed with top quality titles at this point, and although I couldn’t necessarily recommend Snufkin over some others to those without that sense of nostalgia that drew me to it on the basis of its gameplay, it is nonetheless a title I find difficult to fault and would urge people to pick up as few are as immersive or charming as this one.
Examining the pros and cons of a Mother 3 localization
Posted on 8 months ago by Ethan in Features, GBA | 0 comments
The past couple of months have been both great and terrible for EarthBound fans. On one hand, we’ve received so much — a huge wave of Porky merchandise and plushes, a bunch of EarthBound icons for Nintendo Switch Online profiles, and even a release of Mother 3 on the Switch’s Game Boy Advance lineup. The problem is that Mother 3 release was only in Japan.
There’s a lot of discussion surrounding a potential Mother 3 localization – it seems to become a talking point every few years, mainly around the game’s anniversary in April. Though there are far more reasons why Nintendo wouldn’t want to release Mother 3 in the west, there are a couple of (admittedly quite hopeful) reasons that a localization is still possible. Today, we’re breaking down all of the reasons why. We’ll be discussing some light spoilers here, so if for some reason you’re avoiding them, please keep that in mind before you continue reading.
More: EarthBound, highlight, Mother, Mother 3, top
How will Pokemon X and Y’s story tie into Pokemon Legends: Z-A?
Posted on 8 months ago by Ethan in Features, Switch | 0 comments
When you ask a Pokemon fan which set of games has the best story, they’ll probably say Black and White (or their sequels). You likely won’t get many fans telling you that Pokemon X and Y’s story is their favorite, and it’s easy to see why! It’s safe to say that a good chunk of X and Y’s development time was dedicated to the new 3D graphics — which meant a lower emphasis on story. That being said, X and Y does have some interesting lore that isn’t often discussed. With the recent announcement of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, we think lots of threads from X and Y are going to be fleshed out into something special. Today, we’re going over Pokemon X and Y’s lore and what kind of plot points you could expect to see in Pokemon Legends Z-A next year.
More: Game Freak, highlight, Pokemon Legends Z-A, Pokemon X, Pokemon Y, top
[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – March 2024
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
A new month just started up last week. Now that we’re in March, we want to know what you’ve been playing.
Have you played some of the releases from the new Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase? Are you now starting up Unicorn Overlord? No matter the case, let us know in the comments.
[Review] Mediterranea Inferno
Posted on 8 months ago by NE Staff in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 5, 2024
Developer: Eyeguys / Lorenzo Redaelli
Publisher: Santa Ragione
Mediterranea Inferno is an intense visual novel to play through; despite technically being a slice-of-life story, it revels in its own nihilism and hedonism relentlessly, never letting up during its short runtime. Well, at least some of that nihilism seems to have rubbed off on me by the end of my playthrough, as I found myself wondering: what was the point of witnessing all of the suffering that Mediterranea Inferno so eagerly shovels at the player? For a game seemingly so focused on trying to utter profound social commentary on heavy themes like sexuality, psychological abuse and mental trauma, it disappointingly seems to have little to say beyond depicting just how low people can stoop and how crappy they can be to each other. A strong sense of visual identity aside, Mediterranea Inferno was a game that I actively did not enjoy experiencing, and I struggle to understand who this story is even for.
[Review] Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story
Posted on 8 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: February 21, 2024
Developer: Lazy Bear Games
Publisher: Riot Forge
In the wake of its tenth anniversary Riot Forge Games has taken League of Legends into some interesting places with a variety of single-player games giving us some alternate (and for those of us not into the MOBA, far more palatable) looks at the expansive world of Runeterra and its Champions. Partnering up with Lazy Bear Games, the studio behind the delightfully macabre Graveyard Keeper, now comes Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story, a life sim that forgoes the frenetic combat synonymous with the IP in favor of a more relaxed and cozy experience. Within the confines of the franchise it is certainly a welcome and refreshing change of pace, but when compared to its peers in the genre there are a few knots that will test your patience if you choose to attempt to untangle them.
[Let’s Talk] Pokemon Legends: Z-A hopes and dreams
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch | 0 comments
Pokemon Legends is now officially a series of its own with this week’s announcement of Pokemon Legends: Z-A. There won’t be a big new Pokemon game this year, but we know that this new one will be arriving in 2025.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which launched at the very beginning of 2022, was a new take on the RPG formula we’ve grown accustomed to over the past few decades. There was more of an action element and it was even possible to catch different creatures simply by throwing a Poke Ball as soon as you saw it, which didn’t require you to enter the battle screen. A number of different features and changes were introduced, which seemed to be well received overall.
More: Game Freak, highlight, Pokemon Legends Z-A, top
[Rapid Review] Penny’s Big Breakaway
Posted on 8 months ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: February 21, 2024
Developer: Evening Star
Publisher: Private Division
When the initial reveal trailer for Penny’s Big Breakaway debuted last year, it felt like the stars were aligning. Here was a small development team of die-hard platformer fans delivering a wholly original IP, fresh off the back of crafting Sonic Mania for SEGA. Killer looks along with subtle, stylish nods to their prior work enamored a clamoring and captious demographic. Even as a relatively new team, developer Evening Star has prestige streaming from their ears, and an expectant fan base to go along with it. Now the game has finally dropped, and the resulting experience might not be all we had held our breath for.
[Review] Ufouria: The Saga 2
Posted on 8 months ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: March 1, 2024
Developer: Sunsoft
Publisher: Red Art Games
Back in 1991, video game developer Sunsoft – perhaps best-known these days for its Blaster Master series – was trying to get a new franchise off the ground, in part to help cement a new mascot for the company. Ufouria: The Saga was the result – a quirky 2D platformer whose main gimmick was its ability for players to swap between four different characters. While the game did well enough to spawn a series of puzzle games featuring the same oddball cast and charming presentation, the original title been almost entirely unavailable for western players outside of a now-inaccessible Virtual Console rerelease and a limited run in Europe. That’s why it’s such a delightful surprise that now, over thirty years later, Sunsoft has released a sequel – and fortunately, an excellent one. Ufouria: The Saga 2 not only tightly modernizes the satisfying gameplay of the original, but imbues its world and characters with a sense of whimsy and humor that had me smiling from start to finish.
