[Review] We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie
Posted on 1 year ago by Edan(@@Virtualboi92) in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: June 2, 2023
Developer: Bandai Namco / Monkey Craft
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Sometimes, the biggest challenge we face as reviewers is in describing simple concepts – take Katamari, for instance. You play as a tiny green man called the Prince, and you’re tasked with rolling around a comically large and sticky ball. You navigate contained levels with the aim of rolling stuff up into that ball, and growing larger as a result. It sounds closer to a cheese-dream than a compelling gameplay loop, doesn’t it? Despite the outlandish premise, Bandai Namco’s Katamari series has garnered a sizable fanbase over the last two decades. While us super-fans collectively pine for a brand new entry in the series, a re-release of the franchise’s phenomenal second outing We Love Katamari has found its way into our lives courtesy of developer Monkey Craft. Out of all of the base expectations you can have for a remake or a remaster, matching or exceeding the original title in every metric is paramount. When it comes to We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie, we get a couple of hits, and a whole bunch of misses.
Mugen Souls Z coming to Switch
Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Original (6/19): Eastasiasoft, Idea Factory, and Compile Heart announced today that Mugen Souls Z is seeing release on Switch. It will be available this September.
Mugen Souls Z is a sequel to the original game, which is also on Switch. The RPG features multiple open worlds to explore, extensive character customization, and strategic turn-based combat on free-roaming battle maps. On Switch, the game includes all prior extras, content true to the original Japanese release such as hot springs mini-games and additional CG gallery images, plus full English language support for both text and audio.
More: Compile Heart, eastasiasoft, Idea Factory, Mugen Souls Z, top
June 2023 Nintendo Direct pre-orders roundup
Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
The June 2023 Nintendo Direct is officially in the books, and we’re setting up a dedicated post to keep track of pre-orders for notable games featured in the presentation.
We’ll keep this post updated over the next day or so as retailers put up different listings. Then for our regular pre-order post on Sunday, you’ll be able to find everything from the Nintendo Direct and more.
Here’s our June 2023 Nintendo Direct pre-orders roundup:
More: Nintendo Direct, pre-order, top
Splatoon 3 devs on Deep Cut origins and backstory
Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
The developers of Splatoon 3 have commented on the origins of Deep Cut, including why Nintendo didn’t just settle on making more idols.
Each entry in the series has introduced their own musical group. In Splatoon 1, we saw Callie and Marie of Squid Sisters fame. Splatoon 3 then introduced Pearl and Marine with Off the Hook. Both of those were essentially protagonist idol groups, but Splatoon 3 mixed things up. Deep Cut has the trio of Shiver, Frye, and Big Man and are actually more like antagonists.
More: highlight, Hisashi Nogami, Seita Inoue, Splatoon 3, top
[Let’s Talk] June 2023 Nintendo Direct reactions
Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch | 0 comments
We’re a few days removed from the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, and now we’re interested in hearing your honest reactions to the event.
As always, Nintendo brought a few key announcements to the show. A week ago, many wouldn’t have guessed that Super Mario RPG would be getting a remake on Switch. The other big moment of the show was Nintendo unveiling Super Mario Wonder. We also heard about a new Princess Peach game and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon for Switch that are coming out next year, and WarioWare: Move It was revealed for November. Detective Pikachu Returns was unveiled after being teased years ago, too. Pikmin 1 and 2 for Switch were even revealed and announced on the same day.
On the third-party front, there were some announcements as well. Metal Gear Solid Collection Vol. 1, Batman: Arkham Trilogy, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, Star Ocean: The Second Story R, and Penny’s Big Breakaway were shown.
This wasn’t everything, but those were some of the notable games shown. You can catch up on everything in Nintendo’s recap here. And let us know how you felt about the Nintendo Direct as a whole, and what your favorite announcement was.
More: highlight, Nintendo Direct, top
Super Mega Baseball 4 exemplifies the need for lighthearted, fun-focused sports games
Posted on 1 year ago by Nicholas Serpa in Features, Switch eShop | 0 comments
Sports video games have been a part of my DNA since I first picked up a controller. My dad had an NES hooked up to the TV while I was young, and so I was graced with some incredible arcade-style sports games – the likes of Blades of Steel, Tecmo Bowl, and RBI Baseball. When I was a little older, I got some great mileage out games like Backyard Baseball, and after the Wii launched, I jumped into the obvious hits – Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. I’m probably forgetting a few, but all those games have one thing in common; none of them are simulators of the sports they represent. That’s why I love them, and why we need more games like Super Mega Baseball 4.
More: EA, highlight, Metalhead Software, Super Mega Baseball 4, top
Splatoon 3 developers explain how Tricolor Turf Wars came to be
Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Splatoon 3 introduced Tricolor Turf Wars as one of its big new features, and the developers behind the game have now discussed how it came to be.
Tricolor Turf War puts a spin on Splatfests that started out with the series’ very first game. During the second half of these events, three teams fight at the same time and it’s up to the first-place team to defend themselves in the 4-v-2-v-2 match type.
More: highlight, Hisashi Nogami, Shintaro Sato, Splatoon 3, top
Sonic Frontiers version 1.30 update patch notes
Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
We reported on the Sonic Frontiers “Birthday Bash” update earlier today which added new content and features, but now that the patch notes for version 1.30 are in, we can see that there was actually more than what SEGA announced during the Sonic Central presentation.
There are actually a bunch of additions here that you may have been unaware of. SEGA has since highlighted an ability to change the rate of deceleration when jumping, an option to set whether the camera will use dramatic angles when skills are used, 24 songs to the Juke Box and Song Memories on each island, and more.
The full patch notes for the Sonic Frontiers version 1.30 update are as follows:
More: SEGA, Sonic Frontiers, title update, top
Batman: Arkham Trilogy physical release only includes Arkham Asylum on the cartridge
Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Batman: Arkham Trilogy marks another Switch release that won’t include everything on the physical cartridge when it launches later this year.
As previously reported, the collection includes Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight (plus all DLC). However, according to the official FAQ, only the first title is included. Players going physical will need to download Arkham City and Arkham Knight in order to play them.
Limited Run Games LRG3 showcase announced for July 12
Posted on 1 year ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Limited Run Games has announced that its annual showcase will be held on July 12, 2023. It will air at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM in the UK / 10 PM in Europe.
These LRG3 events from Limited Run Games have been taking place since 2018. We typically find out about a slew of physical releases for Switch, but the company sometimes sneaks in some brand new announcements as well. Limited Run Games says it will be showing over twenty physical and digital releases this time around, and most should be for Switch.
