8-4 worked on the English version of Xenoblade Chronicles X. But for Xenoblade Chronicles 2, announced during last month’s Switch presentation, the localization company is not involved. Co-founder John Ricciardi confirmed that 8-4 isn’t handling the Japanese translation in a Twitter message last month.
Nintendo currently intends to have Xenoblade Chronicles 2 ready sometime in 2017. That includes North America and Europe as well, though some have doubts about it launching in the west this year.
Thanks to Jake for the tip.
We recently fired off some questions to Tomorrow Corporation’s Kyle Gabler in hopes of learning a bit more about World of Goo, Little Inferno, and Human Resource Machine on Switch. What we didn’t expect were incredibly entertaining replies, making for one of our zaniest interviews yet.
We did ask Tomorrow Corporation about its initial slate of Switch titles. Additionally, Gabler teased future projects. Two are on the way, one of which is the biggest game yet from Tomorrow Corporation.
You can read our full interview with Tomorrow Corporation below.
System: 3DS (eShop)
Release date: February 16, 2017
Developer: Vitei / Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
Tank Troopers is strong in many of the same ways Steel Diver was good, so it wasn’t surprising to see that Vitei (the developer that assisted development on that title) made this. Comparing a game’s strengths to the infamously barebones 3DS launch title isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, and for as many strengths it shares, those weaknesses are also present – even if to a lesser extent. There’s just not a lot of stuff to do, even if it does have some of the dichotomy of cutesy war charm of the World War I dogfighting game Snoopy Flying Ace.
Like many of you, I have The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild pre-ordered on Switch. I fully intend to play the game on that new system. But the thing is, I also have a pre-order for the Wii U version, and I’m hesitant to cancel it.
I’m not entirely sure why. I don’t know when, if ever, I’d get around to playing Breath of the Wild on Wii U. The game is mostly the same on both platforms, but Switch is always where I’d play it. I only picked up the Wii version back when Twilight Princess came out. At that time, there was more of an incentive to buy it on GameCube as well due to the world being flipped. This time around, I almost feel like I’m inclined to hold onto Breath of the Wild on Wii U due to it being the last game for the system, and it may be tough to find later on. Maybe I’m being weirdly sentimental.
So here’s a question for you guys this week: will you buy Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Wii U? Will you still pick up that version even if you’ll be buying and playing the game on Switch? Maybe some of you don’t have plans to purchase a Switch in the near future, or just want to hold on to the game for other reasons like myself. Of course, I fully expect that many of you are just going for Switch, and that makes total sense. In any case, let us know about what you’re planning in the comments below.
Highlights from last week’s topic: What are you playing? – February 2017
A couple of years ago, the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia came out in Japan. Nintendo is now finally working together with publishers such as Dark Horse to bring the book west.
Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, and Amazon France all have the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia up for pre-order. It also has pages on Amazon US and Amazon Canada, though it can’t be reserved there just yet. All sites are currently pointing to a June 15 release.
The Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia contains 256 pages. It’s packed with information and art for 17 different games. You’ll find explanations of characters, items, and level designs plus various interviews with the developers and anecdotes.
Thanks to Wagner C for the tip.
During the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Europe earlier today, Square Enix commented on a possible version of the game for Switch. It’s under “consideration”, the company said.
In August 2015, director and producer Naoki Yoshida stated that Square Enix was open to putting Final Fantasy XIV on Switch, when it was called NX. It sounds like things are slightly more concrete, though we still don’t have a confirmation of it actually happening.
Nintendo has provided a statement to IGN noting that “a small number” of Switch units were stolen “in an isolated incident by employees of a U.S. distributor”. The company adds that “units were stolen in an isolated incident by employees of a U.S. distributor, with one system being illegally resold.”
Fortunately, Nintendo has discovered the root of the problem. “The individuals involved have been identified, terminated from their place of employment and are under investigation by local law enforcement authorities on criminal charges,” the company says.
Here’s Nintendo’s full statement:
“Earlier this week, individuals claimed to prematurely purchase a small number of Nintendo Switch systems from an unspecified retailer. Nintendo has determined these units were stolen in an isolated incident by employees of a U.S. distributor, with one system being illegally resold. The individuals involved have been identified, terminated from their place of employment and are under investigation by local law enforcement authorities on criminal charges.
Nintendo Switch will launch worldwide on March 3, 2017, and we look forward to everyone being able to discover the wonders of the new system for themselves at that time.”
This is all related to the Switch leak from earlier in the week. hiphoptherobot, who obtained the system, indicated today that it was sold to him after it was obtained through illegal means. While Nintendo took back the system, he apparently won’t be getting into any trouble.
The 2017 winter edition of Wonder Festival is now underway. As usual, we have plenty of news about upcoming Nintendo-related figures. New items from Metroid, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, and Kirby are all on display.
These figures are currently being featured at Wonder Festival in one form or another:
– Samus figma from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
– Sakura Nendoroid from Fire Emblem Fates
– Pikachu Nendoroid
– Lillie Nendoroid from Pokemon Sun/Moon
– Ash and Pikachu Nendoroid
– Red figma from Pokemon
– Ice Kirby Nendoroid
– GSA Kirby & Robobot Armor
Images from the various pictures are below. Some are obviously more far along than others.
Suda51 appeared on the latest episode of IGN’s Up At Noon show this past week. At one point, the No More Heroes creator tackled a few questions about Switch.
First, when asked about whether it’s easy developing for the platform and working with Nintendo, he responded by saying that it’s extremely easy. He also feels that the environments are in place to make things easy for developers.
Suda51 then said that he’s hoping to bring back many familiar characters for his new project on Switch – including Travis Touchdown obviously. He’s thinking about how to use the Joy-Con controllers for something like charging Travis’ Beam Katana. On Wii, the No More Heroes games had players recharging the weapon by by shaking the Wii Remote.
Wayward Souls started out as a mobile game, but it’s now starting to reach new platforms such as PC. A Switch version may also be a possibility in the future.
When asked about Wayward Souls coming to Switch on Facebook, RocketCat Games responded that the team is unsure if it will happen. However, they are “looking into it”.
If you haven’t heard about Wayward Souls in the past, we’ve included a brief overview and trailer below.
“Wayward Souls is an action-adventure dungeon crawler with randomized levels and permanent death. It features quick, twitch-based combat where tactics, positioning, and timing matter, controlled through touchscreen gestures. Two years in the making, it’s designed for quick playthroughs and lots of replay value.”
Thanks to Giorgio B for the tip.
