System: Switch
Release date: October 29, 2019
Developer: SEGA
Publisher: SEGA
The Super Monkey Ball franchise naturally yields many questions. For instance: why are these monkeys locked in see-through balls? Why do they roll around at hundreds of miles per hour? Why do they live in hellscapes made up of floating physics-based obstacle courses? And perhaps most importantly, why would SEGA decide to remaster Banana Blitz, one of the series’ less popular entries, instead of the much more beloved titles on GameCube? Yet SEGA has indeed brought Banana Blitz back onto modern platforms with this new HD re-release after its first appearance more than a decade ago on the Wii. So now that everyone’s favorite primate-rolling franchise has finally debuted on current-gen hardware, the most pertinent question remains to be answered: does this new edition address the issues that plagued Banana Blitz’ first release, or does it merely monkey around?
Starting tomorrow, the survival horror game Agony will be available on the Switch eShop. For a look at some footage, check out the video below.
To promote the release of Disgaea 4 Complete+, NIS America has prepared a new launch trailer. Take a look at the video below.
After it was announced for Switch a few months ago, Resident Evil 5 is available on the eShop starting today. Get a look at some footage below.
Vampyr finally makes its debut on Switch today, and Focus Home Interactive has passed along a new trailer to celebrate the occasion. You can view it below.
Publisher Rising Star Games and developer Ground Shatter have announced that a new update is now available for RICO. Once the patch is installed, players can access the new Hardcore Case Mode and Challenge Mode.
Here are the full details:
SEGA has provided a new trailer for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD to celebrate today’s launch. View the new video below.
Bayonetta first released on this day ten years ago (though it wasn’t on a Nintendo platform back then). PlatinumGames are celebrating the 10th anniversary of one of their most popular franchises with the special piece of artwork you see above, which was illustrated by Bayonetta series character designer Mari Shimazaki. They’ve also set up a special website here; among other things, you can find the following message from Bayonetta series director Hideki Kamiya there:
A new sync pair has been announced for Pokemon Masters: Caitlin & Reuniclus will soon be available via a Spotlight Scout. A new story event featuring them will also be available soon. We don’t have an exact date for these events yet, but based on past announcements, both should start within the next couple of days.
A great honor for Shigeru Miyamoto: the legendary developer and creator of Mario, The Legend of Zelda and many other franchises and characters, is to be recognized in Japan as a Person of Cultural Merit. This is an official, government-sanctioned honor and recognition which is awarded annually to people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. Previously, many actors, scientists and authors have been awarded that honor, but Miyamoto is the very first video game developer to receive it. Miyamoto said the following: “I’m thankful that light is being shined upon the genre of games.” He also thanked his co-workers: “This is a job where you can’t do anything by yourself.”
