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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch, Wii U | 42 Comments

A new patch for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was delivered this week. Although Nintendo kept quiet about specifics, players quickly noticed that the game’s performance had been improved. Areas with frame rate drops were improved in version 1.1.1.

NX Gamer published a video yesterday that provides a good look at the performance improvements by showing what the frame rate was like before and after the update. You can watch it below, but note that one of the villages is shown.

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 31 Comments

Hearthstone, Blizzard’s popular collectible card game, has stayed on mobile and PC since its launch a few years ago. With Switch out on the market, fans are wondering if it could eventually land on the new console.

Express Online did ask Hearthstone senior game designer Mike Donais about the possibility. “I personally haven’t talked about it but I’m more focused on card design,” he said. “Hearthstone is available on iPads and phones, so it’s a good discussion worth having.”

Director Jeff Kaplan recently said in a Reddit AMA that bringing Hearthstone to Switch would be “very challenging”. However, he also noted that the team is “always open minded about exploring possible platforms.”

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Screenshots, Switch | 7 Comments

After announcing the Humpback Pump Track stage for Splatoon 2 earlier today, the series’ official Tumblr page updated with the news.

First, we have the following overview:

“Introducing Humpback Pump Track. This new stage is an indoor BMX track, but Inklings use it as a stage for Turf War. It features many curvy ups and downs, and the bike track surrounds a small hill in the middle. You’d think the openness makes for great visibility, but the hump abundance creates a surprising amount of blind spots. Inklings can employ multiple strategies, including frontal breakthroughs or attacking from the side.

Oh… and we just realized that jellyfish can ride bikes? What!?”

And these screenshots:

Nintendo has announced several new stages for Splatoon 2 since the initial reveal in January. Other levels include The Reef, Musselforge Fitness, and Diadema Amphitheater.

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 7 Comments

At the ESL Go4Splatoon Europe Grand Final today, Nintendo revealed a brand new stage for Splatoon 2. Producer Hisashi Nogami appeared in a video and briefly introduced Humpback Pump Track.

Humpback Pump Track “is based on an indoor BMX track,” Nogami explained. It also “has a lot of curvy ups and downs.”

Here’s a close look:

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Switch | 9 Comments

With just a few days to go before launch, screenshots from the Switch version of LEGO City Undercover have appeared from the game’s eShop listing. We’ve rounded up the images below.

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 10 Comments

Unity 5.6 was released yesterday. Among various features, the engine now has native support for Switch.

It’s true that Unity-built games are already out on Switch. Nintendo published Snipperclips for the system’s launch, while Konami sent out Super Bomberman R. With official support though, all developers now have the opportunity to easily release titles they’ve created in Unity on Switch.

Nintendo made it a mission to ensure that Switch provided support for developer tools from the get-go. Unlike Wii U for instance, Switch has official Unreal Engine 4 support from Epic Games.

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch, Wii U | 41 Comments

Zelda: Breath of the Wild has a ton of interesting little touches and details that players may not notice. All of the game’s functions interact in many different ways that affect the world.

This past week, one player shared a discovery regarding the game’s weather cycle. Four screenshots in the same area were taken showing how they evolved over time. As it was raining, a sizable pond form. Then as the sun started to come out, it shrank, and continued to do so across the remaining images. It’s pretty amazing and not something that many others were aware of before.

Here’s a look at the weather cycle in action and a puddle that forms / dissipates:

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Switch, Videos | 17 Comments

Nintendo just went live with a new commercial to promote Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, launching in April. See it for yourself below.

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Switch, Videos | 3 Comments

Thanks to StreetPass Germany, we have an early look at LEGO City Undercover on Switch ahead of next week’s launch. Watch 27 minutes of footage below.

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 6 Comments

If you’ve played Donkey Kong 64, chances are you’re familiar with the DK Rap. Even those who have heard about the game in passing may be aware of the famous song, as it’s only gained in popularity over the years.

Grant Kirkhope, the creator of the DK Rap, is one of the composers working on Playtonic’s Yooka-Laylee. The 3D platformer is taking inspiration from many N64 games such as Banjo-Kazooie. The influences don’t stop there though, as it appears Kirkhope is preparing a new take on the DK Rap as a tie-in for Yooka-Laylee.

Playtonic put out the following video on YouTube earlier today:

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