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Messages - Shaymin

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TalkBack / Nintendo Switch Online Regular Libraries Add Tilting, Farming, And Unlocalized Famicom Game

« on: June 05, 2023, 05:33:00 PM »

It took us about ten minutes to figure out what the NES game is.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63895/nintendo-switch-online-regular-libraries-add-tilting-farming-and-unlocalized-famicom-game

The system libraries for the standard tier of Nintendo Switch Online - the NES, Super Nintendo, and Game Boy (Color) have added new games tonight.

Game Boy Color

Blaster Master: Enemy Below (2000) was the third release in the recently-revived side scrolling action series from Sunsoft, though it was not released under that name in Japan. Although the sprites and backgrounds are similar to the original NES game, the maps are remixed.

KIrby Tilt 'n Tumble (2001), promised in the initial reveal of the Game Boy library, was a Kirby game whose cartridge contained an accelerometer and was controlled by tilting and rotating the GBC.

Super Nintendo

Harvest Moon (1997) was one of the first farming sims, and the first game in the Bokujo no Monogotari series that currently lives on under the Story of Seasons branding. The year long farming RPG was previously released on the Super Famicom library for Switch.

Nintendo Entertainment System

Mystery Tower (1986) is a new localization of a Namco-created game known in Japan as "Tower of Babel". A puzzle platformer, it features a character who has to avoid monsters and use L-shaped blocks to create stairways that lead to 64 exists in order to escape (presumably) the biblical Tower of Babel.

TalkBack / Nintendo Downloads - June 8, 2023

« on: June 05, 2023, 04:00:00 AM »

Nintendo has apparently embraced the kusoge on the eShop by releasing their own. For thirty bucks.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63893/nintendo-downloads-june-8-2023

Things we missed last week: Another Tetris Grand Master game - which apparently ran at 62hz in the arcade? - has hit via the Archives.

As estimated yesterday, we have now had 5,011 games release on the Switch in the last two years, five months, and two days. This is STUPID. But the stream continues - somewhat - this week, with the game of the week being the time-loop RPG Loop8: Summer of Gods from XSEED. The other major release is Raiden III x MIKADO Maniax from NISA, though shoutout to Bleak Sword DX from Devolver right alongside their annual parade of insanity on Thursday.

For those who prefer a little bit more multiplayer, the "Overcooked with cars" Speed Crew also launches this week, alongside with a special from Japan as we get a compilation of shooters from Telenet Japan that will probably work its way west in the coming months.

North America

Retail

Loop8: Summer of Gods (US$49.99/C$69.99: Tuesday)

MotoGP 23 ($39.99/$53.49)

Raiden III x Mikado Maniax ($29.99/$39.99: Tuesday)

Digital

Nocturnal ($19.99/$26.99: Wednesday)

Mask of the Rose ($19.99/$26.99)

Sakura Dungeon ($19.99/$26.99)

Speed Crew ($19.99/$26.99)

Avia Corporation ($16.00/$21.67: Friday)

Brain Show ($14.99/$20.06: Wednesday)

SENSEs: Midnight ($14.99/$17.99: Wednesday)

Demon Sword; Incubus ($14.99/$17.49)

Dogotchi: Virtual Pet ($12.99/$17.51: Friday)

Bleak Sword DX ($9.99/$12.99)

A Painter's Tale: Curon 1950 ($6.99/$9.50)

Super Drunken Guy ($6.99/$9.30: Friday)

Dreamy Trail ($4.99/$6.72: Tuesday)

Talk to Strangers ($4.99/$6.54)

Inhabit ($4.99/$6.49)

Cat Souls ($4.99/$6.99: Friday)

Angel Symphony ($2.23/$3.00)

Reasoning of Courage Nori 3 Balanced Diet ($1.50/not releasing: Wednesday)

Cubic Figures 2 ($0.99/$1.29)

Sales and Price Drops

Highlights: A Square Enix sale (until June 13) includes first major discounts for Crisis Core Reunion.. PSPrices, DekuDeals

Europe

Retail

Loop8: Summer of Gods (€49.99/£44.99: Monday)

MotoGP 23 (€39.99/£44.99)

Raiden III x Mikado Maniax (€29.99/£26.99: Friday)

Digital

Sakura Dungeon (€19.99/£19.99: Wednesday)

Nocturnal (€19.99/£17.99: Wednesday)

Speed Crew (€19.5/£16.75)

Mask of the Rose (€18.99/£16.99)

Avia Corporation (€14.8/£13.29: Friday)

Brain Show (€14.99/£13.49: Wednesday)

SENSEs: Midnight (€14.99/£13.49: Wednesday)

Dogotchi: Virtual Pet (€12.99/£11.69: Friday)

Demon Sword: Incubus (€12.49/£11.29)

Bleak Sword DX (€9.99/£8.99)

Flannel Amethyst (€9.99/£8.99: Saturday)

A Painter's Tale: Curon 1950 (€6.99/£6.29)

Super Drunken Guy (€6.99/£6.29: Friday)

Dreamy Trail (€4.99/£4.49: Tuesday)

Inhabit (€4.99/£4.49: Wednesday)

Cat Souls (€4.99/£4.99)

Talk to Strangers (€4.99/£4.49)

Angel Symphony (€2/£1.76: Wednesday)

Cubic Figures 2 (€0.99/£0.89)

Japan

Telenet Shooting Collection (¥7480)

MotoGP 23 (¥5830)

Clive 'n Wrench (¥4400)

Speed Crew (¥2650)

Sakura Dungeon (¥2499)

Avia Corporation (¥2172)

Dogotchi: Virtual Pet (¥1783)

SENSEs: Midnight (¥1700)

Wuppo: Definitive Edition (¥1500)

Demon Sword: Incubus (¥1480)

Move the Box (¥1399)

Easy Mystery Solving (¥980)

Find Artistic Differences (¥980)

Super IQ That Clears Your Mind (¥980)

Kovox Pitch (¥800)

Inhabit (¥580)

Ultra Foodmess (¥490)

A Real Fairy Tale (¥420)

Artful Picture Search (¥420)

Perfect Crime Mystery (¥420)

Angel Symphony (¥300)

Reasoning of Courage Nori 3 Balanced Diet (¥150)

Cubic Figures 2 (¥120)

TalkBack / "Restored Content" DLC Cancelled For Knights Of The Old Republic II

« on: June 02, 2023, 05:36:54 PM »

I hate corporate malfeasance. It's coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63851/restored-content-dlc-cancelled-for-knights-of-the-old-republic-ii

As we approach the anniversary of the release of Knights of the Old Republic II on Switch, its publisher is scrapping a major selling point.

In a social media post this evening, Aspyr Media have announced that the "Restored Content" DLC that was announced for the June 8, 2022 release has been cancelled with no further specifics. People who purchased the game prior to the announcement of the cancellation can contact Aspyr for compensation in the form of a Steam code for the game (which would have the content) or another Aspyr published Star Wars game for Switch.

The "Restored Content" refers to material that was planned for inclusion in the first release of Knights of the Old Republic II in 2004, but was not included in the shipping game - including missing story content and the resolution of several severe bugs. Originally a fan mod, Aspyr endorsed the content beginning with an update to the game's Steam release in July 2015.

Update on the Restored Content DLC pic.twitter.com/P0TQtJsgRc
— Aspyr (@AspyrMedia) June 3, 2023

TalkBack / Everybody 1-2 Switch Real For Some Reason, Launching June 30

« on: June 01, 2023, 05:19:00 PM »

Guaranteed to make someone act like a horse's rear end.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63848/everybody-1-2-switch-real-for-some-reason-launching-june-30

There will be a game from Nintendo between Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4, just not a game anyone expected to actually exist.

Everybody 1-2 Switch has appeared on the eShop with a release date of June 30. It will retail for US$29.99 / C$39.99, and a physical option is shown on the store though preorders are not yet live.

Word of the game's existence was revealed last year in an article at the late, lamented Fanbyte, with a note that the game tested very poorly internally and there was a debate about whether to release the game at all.

#Everybody12Switch is coming to #NintendoSwitch on 6/30.

Pre-order now: https://t.co/Z2OfGsMa1M pic.twitter.com/5Wm9WLsDpG
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 2, 2023

TalkBack / Yuji Naka Facing 30 Month Prison Sentence For Insider Trading

« on: June 01, 2023, 05:45:54 AM »

Of course, he's appealing.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63846/yuji-naka-facing-30-month-prison-sentence-for-insider-trading

It's Sonic's 30th anniversary, and one of his parents is facing jail time.

The insider trading trial of Yuji Naka has concluded with the former Sega star facing 30 months (2.5 years) in prison, as well as fines totalling ¥172.5m (~US$1.24m at present market rates).

Naka's lawyers are appealing the sentence, asking to have it suspended: this could result in him serving the time later or not at all. The charges could have resulted in five years in prison and a ¥500m fine.

TalkBack / Etrian Odyssey (Switch) Review

« on: May 31, 2023, 08:00:00 PM »

The misadventures of Fight and Heal are back, but we’ve forgotten how to write.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/63845/etrian-odyssey-switch-review

My main experience with the Etrian Odyssey series of dungeon-crawling RPGs involved Japanese students summoning demons while making maps, mostly due to the chibi art style making certain classes in the 3DS era cross the Atlus line twice–specifically, the Dancer class from Etrian Odyssey IV. Still, I did have memories of a torrid holiday trip spent with the original Etrian Odyssey back on the DS, and given the opportunity to review one of the Switch trio, I felt it best to go back to basics. It’s still a solid dungeon crawler, but despite my best efforts I could not get the map making to work right until I busted out the stylus that I thought I could retire after playing The World Ends With You: Final Remix.

The original inspiration for the Etrian series is Wizardry, though I’m pretty sure the one on NES had more of a plot. You roll up to a labyrinth and have to explore as much of it as possible. That’s it. This is done by creating a guild of adventurers and assigning them one of nine classes based on classic RPG archetypes: the Landsknecht is a standard warrior type whose name I will never not have to copy and paste, Alchemists are the offensive magic users, and the Medic is exactly what the name implies. After creating a party of up to five, you are sent down to complete various quests assigned either by the local explorer’s guild or picked up in the nearby pub. The “Untold” remake on 3DS did give the option for a fixed party composition and story, but this was not retained for the Switch version. Between the Pixel Remasters and Etrian Odyssey, it’s been a bad year for Switch RPG remakes/remasters including content from other versions of the games.

The floors of the labyrinth are laid out in a grid format, perfect for the series’s trademark map design. Originally designed for use on the bottom screen of a DS or 3DS, most of the mapping is done automatically, but points of interest have to be applied manually. As an example, it might be necessary to show a door that can’t be opened because it requires an item by applying a closed door to a square, or a chest that has been claimed by an open chest. The default view has the maze or battle scene taking up a majority of the screen, but pressing X calls up the map for tagging. In handheld mode, adding to the map is easily done through the touchscreen, but I could not for the life of me tell you how to do the map making with buttons or in docked mode consistently. I fluked into one or two instances early on of being able to tag something, but 95% of the manual mapping I did was via a stylus. This might have been accurate for my time with the original, but I did expect a smoother experience in all of the Switch’s use cases.

Combat in Etrian Odyssey is based loosely on a “time” system; each square moved (or turn taken in a battle) advances the clock by two minutes. 30 steps or turns is an hour. When not in combat, there is an icon on the main screen that changes color, starting at blue and going through green and yellow to red: at a certain shade of red, an enemy encounter starts. So the encounters are pseudo-random, and you do have some warning. Once in combat, it’s a basic turn-based affair with each party member’s command entered and then the attacks playing out roughly based on the speed or “agility” of the combatants. It’s a very basic system, and I found that just activating automatic battle got me through 95% of encounters. The infamous minibosses known as an “F.O.E” - which supposedly stands for “Formido Oppugnatura Exsequens” but I’m pretty sure there’s a more profane name that’s just as valid - are visible enemies who walk a specific path and are intended to be maneuvered around most of the time. Though perhaps due to a quest early on which involved spending five in-game days (3600 steps) on one floor with nothing else better to do but grind, I was able to take them on quite quickly. Upon reaching experience milestones, skill points are earned which can unlock higher growths or class-specific abilities. It’s worth researching skills before attempting to unlock them; although the skills do get better if more points are put into them, some of the skills are basically designed to waste points. (I didn’t do this, and found out I was essentially wasting points by trying to make the “Provoke” skill my Protector-class character unlocked more useful than level 1.)

In addition to testing your management abilities in battle, Etrian Odyssey also tests your skills at inventory management. The inventory is fixed at 60 slots, and this covers recovery items, treasure in the map that isn’t money, and enemy drops. On extended hunts, this will add up quickly, especially since it’s necessary to bring enemy drops back to the base in order to unlock new shop items and equipment. Of course, over-grinding or relying on a Medic-class character can free up inventory slots since you can store or sell things, but it comes down to the question of do you want to use one of the five team slots for the expedition on Heal or just rely on potential on-map recovery.

The graphics in general were brought into HD quite well, even if I don’t take to the character design style that makes all the party members look like cosplaying eight-year-old children. The enemies have a lot of variety, and even the labyrinth itself has enough vibrancy in its environments that it doesn’t get old. The soundtrack is just as good as I remember the original Etrian Odyssey’s, with a special shout-out to the new F.O.E theme.

They once had the Etrian Odyssey artist do official, paid art of Lucina for Fire Emblem Heroes. It's the only one of that type I've turned off.

With the focus on game preservation that we’ve seen in recent years, I never imagined that the Etrian Odyssey series would be preserved anywhere close to its original form. The fact that they thought it worth bringing to Switch is amazing, and though it didn’t come over entirely clean, it’s still worth bringing back Fight, Heal, and the rest of the crew for one more dungeon dive.

TalkBack / Nintendo Downloads - June 1, 2023

« on: May 29, 2023, 04:00:00 AM »

Brought to you by the law firm of Fight, Heal, Vorp, & Eckstein.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63824/nintendo-downloads-june-1-2023

Things we missed last week: Rolling Thunder 2 joined the Archives, and we did reach a new record of 67 releases in North America. As a result of that record, Switch releases 2021 - present will exceed the total releases on every prior-to-the-Switch console ever on June 1. Nintendo, we hope you're happy with this.

The record-breaking week has four things that would fall under "big deals", at least as far as the news desk is concerned, and all of them deal with some sort of team management. Super Mega Baseball 4 and a trio of Etrian Odyssey games are coming by the end of the week, and both me (Donald) and Neal are currently trying to juggle all of those balls. (I do know that we'll have a review of the Etrians later this week.) Not listed in the eShop outside of Japan, but also due Friday, is the We <3 Katamari Reroll edition.

For smaller titles, Team17's Killer Frequency is on tap, as well as a game that snuck out in Europe but was apparently held back in North America due to accusations of teaching children how to gamble in Summer Shuffle. (Seriously. It's a T-rated game, and it's just a card game.)

North America

Retail

Super Mega Baseball 4 (US$49.99/C$64.99: Friday)

We Love Katamari Reroll ($29.99/$39.99: Friday)

Digital

Etrian Odyssey HD ($39.99/$52.99)

Etrian Odyssey II HD ($39.99/$52.99)

Etrian Odyssey III HD ($39.99/$52.99)

Killer Frequency ($24.99/$34.99)

To Hell With The Ugly ($19.99/$25.99: Tuesday)

The Tartarus Key ($19.99/$25.99: Wednesday)

Homebody ($19.99/$25.99)

Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kedward ($19.99/$23.99)

Hentai Girls ($19.99/$27.03: Friday)

Prison Simulator ($19.99/$25.99: Friday)

Undead Horde 2: Necropolis ($16.99/$22.99: Wednesday)

Fall of the New Age ($15.99/$20.99)

Million Shells ($15.00/$20.00)

Decarnation ($14.99/$19.49: Wednesday)

Laserpitium ($14.99/$17.99: Wednesday)

So Much Stuff ($14.99)

7 Horizons ($12.99/$17.35: Friday)

Sunshine Shuffle ($9.99/$12.99: Wednesday)

Aery - The Lost Hero ($9.99/$14.99)

Boxville ($9.99/$14.99)

Mad Road ($9.99/$14.99)

Move The Box ($9.99/$12.99)

Japanese Nekomata Escape The Sweets Shop ($9.99/$12.49)

Kitten Island ($9.99/$9.99: Saturday)

NoEvidence ($7.99/$9.99: Friday)

GyroGunner ($7.20/$9.73)

Legendary Tales: Cataclysm ($6.99/$9.30)

Mythargia ($5.99/$7.79: Wednesday)

Beat Them Up - Street Fight ($4.99/$6.99)

Highway Traffic Racer ($4.99/$6.99)

Constellations ($4.99/$6.49)

Puzzle by NikoliS Yajilin ($4.99/$6.46)

Kuroi Tsubasa ($4.99/$6.99: Friday)

Johnny Trigger: Sniper ($4.99/$6.49: Friday)

Pool Together ($4.99/$6.72: Saturday)

Korokoro Harley ($3.00)

Lotion Samurai ($2.99/$3.89)

Horoscope Signs ($2.99/$3.50)

Fishing Vacation ($1.99/$2.29: Friday)

Hidden Bunny ($0.99/$1.29)

Powers of Hex ($0.99)

Archives

Tetris The Absolute: The Grand Master 2 Plus ($7.99/$9.87)

Sales and Price Drops

Highlights: As mentioned on RFN this past weekend, a collection of Hamster ACA games are on sale until June 8. PSPrices, DekuDeals

Europe

Retail

Super Mega Baseball 4 (€59.99/£54.99: Friday)

We Love Katamari Reroll (€29.99/£24.99: Friday)

Digital

Etrian Odyssey HD (€39.99/£35.99)

Etrian Odyssey II HD (€39.99/£35.99)

Etrian Odyssey III HD (€39.99/£35.99)

Killer Frequency (€24.99/£20.99)

To Hell With The Ugly (€19.99/£17.99: Tuesday)

Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kedward (€19.99/£17.99)

Homebody (€19.99/£16.75)

Prison Simulator (€19.99/£17.99: Friday)

The Tartarus Key (€19.50/£16.75: Wednesday)

Axis Football 2023 (€19.50/£17.59)

Undead Horde 2: Necropolis (€16.99/£15.29: Wednesday)

Decarnation (€14.99/£13.49: Wednesday)

Laserpitium (€14.99/£13.49: Wednesday)

So Much Stuff (€14.99/£13.49)

Million Shells (€13.00/£12.00)

7 Horizons (€12.99/£11.69: Friday)

Aery - The Lost Hero (€9.99/£9.99)

Mad Road (€9.99/£9.99)

Boxville (€9.99/£8.99)

Move The Pin: Classic Logic Puzzle (€9.99/£8.99)

Kitten Island (€9.99/£8.99: Saturday)

Japanese Nekomata Escape The Sweets Shop (€8.99/£7.49)

NoEvidence (€7.99/£7.99: Friday)

Legendary Tales: Cataclysm (€6.99/£6.29: Wednesday)

GyroGunner (€6.49/£5.89)

Mythargia (€5.99/£4.99: Wednesday)

Constellations (€4.99/£4.99: Wednesday)

Beat Them Up - Street Fight (€4.99/£4.99)

Highway Traffic Racer (€4.99/£4.99)

Kuroi Tsubasa (€4.99/£4.99)

Puzzle by NikoliS Yajilin (€4.99/£4.49)

Zero-G Gunfight (€4.99/£4.49)

Johnny Trigger: Sniper (€4.99/£4.49: Friday)

Pool Together (€4.99/£4.49: Saturday)

Math Fight (€4.50/£4.00)

Korokoro Harley (€3.00/£3.00)

Horoscope Signs (€2.99/£2.69)

Fishing Vacation (€1.59/£1.69: Friday)

Powers of Hex (€0.99/£0.99)

Hidden Bunny (€0.99/£0.89)

Archives

Tetris The Absolute: The Grand Master 2 Plus (€6.99/£6.29)

Japan

Loop8: Summer of Gods (¥6578)

Super Mega Baseball 4 (¥5600)

Etrian Odyssey HD (¥4467)

Etrian Odyssey II HD (¥4467)

Etrian Odyssey III HD (¥4467)

We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie (¥3960)

Killer Frequency (¥3270)

Police Simulator 2023 (¥2700)

Homebody (¥2300)

Fall of the New Age (¥2139)

Betrayal Kanojo -Girlfriend's Betrayal- (¥1980)

Carnivorous Gals Are Innocent -Innocent Stuck-Up Girls- (¥1980)

Laserpitium (¥1800)

7 Horizons (¥1745)

Hexapoda (¥1699)

Aery - The Lost Hero (¥1500)

Boxville (¥1399)

Move The Pin: Classic Logic Puzzle (¥1399)

Skautfold: Shrouded in Sanity (¥1000)

Gyro Gunner (¥990)

Which One Is Better? (¥980)

Legendary Tales: Cataclysm (¥860)

Tetris The Absolute: The Grand Master 2 Plus (¥838)

Detective Ryosuke Kibukawa Incident Vol.12 "Clients Who Don't Cry" (¥800)

Beat Them Up - Street Fight (¥699)

Highway Traffic Racer (¥699)

Pool Together (¥685)

Constellations (¥580)

Puzzle by NikoliS Yajilin (¥500)

Zero-G Gunfight (¥459)

Side by Side Quiz (¥420)

Korokoro Harley (¥300)

Hidden Bunny (¥110)

TalkBack / AEW Fight Forever Rings Opening Bell On June 29

« on: May 22, 2023, 06:22:46 AM »

Come on Tony, is CM Punk REALLY worth the headaches?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63794/aew-fight-forever-rings-opening-bell-on-june-29

After some delays, the Switch is about to become All Elite.

The first licensed game for the All Elite Wrestling promotion, AEW Fight Forever, will be available on June 29 according to the company's gaming-specific Twitter account. A preorder for the physical edition is now open on Amazon.

The game marks the wrestling publishing debut for the current iteration of THQ (as THQ Nordic): the previous iteration held the license for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) games through 1998 and then were the publisher of WWF / WWE games from 1999 to the company's bankruptcy when 2K took over the license.

AEW: Fight Forever is available June 29th!

Pre-Order and Wishlist at https://t.co/Nv3IuMUZtf #AEWgames #AEWFightForever pic.twitter.com/4b03SnviKY
— AEW Games (@AEWGames) May 22, 2023

TalkBack / Nintendo Downloads - May 25, 2023

« on: May 22, 2023, 04:00:00 AM »

We are once again on record watch this week.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63792/nintendo-downloads-may-25-2023

Things we missed last week: Archives added Ark Area, also alliteration is awesome.

This week is opening at 50 releases in North America, and there tends to be a direct correlation between how many we get at the start of the week and how much I have to add on Saturdays, so there is a very good chance we hit the 60s by end of week. (Remember, the single week record is 66.) That's nice for a Farenheit temperature in Halifax, not so much for a release count. Major things on offer to begin; Farming Simulator returns to Switch, another League of Legends-universe game in Convergence, a multiplayer Puzzle Bobble game (along with the console version of the original getting re-released), Spike Chunsoft tries to get into fitness with Fitness Circuit, and a new NIS America RPG called Monster Menu: The Scavenger's Cookbook. (The last two have demos.)

Maquette (first person adventure with some moderately big Hollywood names behind it) leads the download-only parade, but there's also the lovingly named Fights in Tight Spaces, Warhammer 40k goes side-scrolling run and gun with Boltgun, Cassette Beasts and Glitch Busters have received love in Indie World shows before, and that Hello Kitty rhythm game that was supposed to be out a few weeks ago in Europe does appear to be ready to go for Western release this week.

North America

Retail

Monster Menu: The Scavenger's Cookbook (US$49.99/C$59.99: Tuesday)

Fitness Circuit ($49.99/$69.99: Friday)

Farming Simulator 23 ($44.99/$59.99: Tuesday)

Puzzle Bobble Everybubble ($39.99/$49.99: Tuesday)

Convergence: A League of Legends Story ($29.99/$39.99: Tuesday)

Digital

Star Gagnant ($38.00/$50.99)

Kizuna AI - Touch the Beat! ($34.99/$46.99)

Last Labyrinth ($29.99/$40.99: Wednesday)

Finally, In Love Again ($29.99/$38.99)

Fights In Tight Spaces ($24.99/$28.99)

The Blind Prophet ($24.99/$34.08: Friday)

Skye Tales ($24.99/$33.99: Friday)

Welcome Kokuri-San ($24.99/not releasing)

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun ($21.99/$29.49: Tuesday)

Hush Hush ($20.00/$25.00)

A Western Drama ($19.99/$27.22: Monday)

Ghostpia: Season 1 ($19.99/$26.99: Tuesday)

Glitch Busters: Stuck on You ($19.99/$25.99: Tuesday)

Hello Kitty and Friends: Happiness Parade ($19.99/$28.99)

Maquette ($19.99/$26.99)

Protodroid Delta ($19.99/$26.99)

Best Forklift Operator ($19.99/$26.50)

Cassette Beasts ($19.99/$25.99)

Terracotta ($19.99/$25.99)

To The Rescue! ($19.99/$22.99)

Chronicles of 2 Heroes: Amaterasu's Wrath ($19.99/$24.99: Friday)

Dark Quest 3 ($18.99/$24.99: Wednesday)

The Case of the Golden Idol ($17.99/$20.49)

End of Lines ($16.99/$21.99)

Onigo Hunter ($14.99/$20.99)

World War: Combat Guardian ($14.99/$20.99)

True Disc Golf ($14.99/$19.99)

Bat Boy ($14.99/$19.49)

Hello Goodboy ($14.99/$19.49)

Spectrolite ($13.99/$19.06)

Akaiito HD Remaster ($11.99/not releasing)

Aoishiro HD Remaster ($11.99/not releasing)

Racing Drift Taxi ($9.99/$14.99)

Marlon's Mystery: The Darkside of Crime ($9.99/$13.00)

Laser Brain Puzzle ($9.99/$12.99)

Move the Pin: Classic Logic Puzzle ($9.99/$12.99)

Pulling no Punches ($9.99/$12.99)

Octo Curse ($9.99)

Replikator ($9.99/$13.99: Friday)

Loco Parentis ($9.99/$13.46: Friday)

Home Sweet Home ($9.99: Saturday)

Need for Drive ($8.99/$12.99)

Slasher ($8.99/$11.99)

Moonleap ($8.99/$11.79)

Round People ($7.99/$11.90: Monday)

Puzzle Bobble / Bust-a-Move ($7.99/$8.99: Tuesday)

Coloring Pixels: Collection 3 ($7.95/$9.95)

Vaccine Rebirth ($6.99/$9.99)

Torinto ($4.99/$5.99: Wednesday)

Waifu Space Conquest ($4.99/$6.99)

Serene Hike ($4.99/$6.81)

Bee in the Valley ($4.99/$6.80)

Blacksmith Hit ($4.99/$6.80)

Super Night Riders ($4.99/$6.49)

Johnny Trigger ($4.99/$6.49: Friday)

Mystical Mixing ($4.99/$6.49: Friday)

Paper Dominoes ($4.99/$6.99: Saturday)

Rina: RhythmError ($3.99/$4.99)

Fantasy Tower Defense ($2.99/$3.99)

Santa's Monster Shootout ($1.99/$1.95)

Super Hero Demolition ($0.99/$1.29: Saturday)

Archives

Rolling Thunder 2 ($7.99/$9.87)

Sales and Price Drops

Highlights: The Bit.Trip Collection is 70% off until June 6. PSPrices, DekuDeals

Europe

Retail

Fitness Circuit (€49.99/£39.99)

Monster Menu: The Scavenger's Cookbook (€49.99/£44.99: Friday)

Farming Simulator 23 (€44.99/£40.49: Tuesday)

Puzzle Bobble Everybubble (€39.99/£34.99: Tuesday)

Convergence: A League of Legends Story (€29.99/£24.99: Tuesday)

Digital

Kizuna AI - Touch the Beat! (€34.99/£29.50: Wednesday)

Last Labyrinth (€34.99/£26.99: Wednesday)

Star Gagnant (€33.99/£30.59)

Finally, In Love Again (€29.99/£24.99)

The Blind Prophet (€24.99/£22.49: Friday)

Skye Tales (€24.99/£19.99: Friday)

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (€21.99/£17.99: Tuesday)

Fights In Tight Spaces (€20.99/£19.49)

Ghostpia: Season 1 (€19.99/£16.99: Tuesday)

Glitch Busters: Stuck on You (€19.99/£16.99: Tuesday)

Best Forklift Operator (€19.99/£17.99)

Cassette Beasts (€19.99/£17.99)

To The Rescue! (€19.99/£16.75)

Protodroid Delta (€19.99/£15.99)

Chronicles of 2 Heroes: Amaterasu's Wrath (€19.99/£17.99: Friday)

Welcome Kokuri-San (€19.9/£17.89)

Hentai Girls (€19.99/£17.99: Saturday)

Hush Hush (€18.89/£16.99)

Maquette (€18.99/£16.99)

Terracotta (€18.33/£16.49)

Dark Quest 3 (€17.99/£15.99: Wednesday)

The Case of the Golden Idol (€17.99/£20.49)

End of Lines (€16.99/£14.99)

World War: Combat Guardian (€16.99/£14.99)

Bat Boy (€14.99/£13.49: Wednesday)

Onigo Hunter (€14.99/£13.49)

True Disc Golf (€14.99/£13.49)

Hello Goodboy (€14.99/£12.79)

Spectrolite (€13.99/£12.59)

Akaiito HD Remaster (€11.50/£10.39)

Aoishiro HD Remaster (€11.50/£10.39)

Dice & Spells (€9.99/£8.99: Tuesday)

Marlon's Mystery: The Darkside of Crime (€9.99/£8.99: Wednesday)

Racing Drift Taxi (€9.99/£9.99)

Replikator (€9.99/£9.99)

Laser Brain Puzzle (€9.99/£8.99)

Octo Curse (€9.99/£8.99)

Pulling no Punches (€9.99/£8.99)

Home Sweet Home (€9.99/£8.99: Saturday)

Sunshine Shuffle (€9.75/£8.50: Wednesday)

Loco Parentis (€8.99/£7.99: Wednesday)

Need for Drive (€8.99/£8.99)

Slasher (€8.99/£8.99)

Round People (€7.99/£7.19: Monday)

Puzzle Bobble / Bust-a-Move (€7.99/£6.99: Tuesday)

Moonleap (€7.99/£7.00: Wednesday)

Coloring Pixels: Collection 3 (€7.3/£6.59)

Vaccine Rebirth (€6.99/£6.29)

Torinto (€4.99/£4.49: Wednesday)

Animality (€4.99/£4.49)

Bee in the Valley (€4.99/£4.49)

Serene Hike (€4.99/£4.49)

Super Night Riders (€4.99/£4.49)

Waifu Space Conquest (€4.99/£4.99)

Johnny Trigger (€4.99/£4.49: Friday)

Mystical Mixing (€4.99/£4.49: Friday)

Paper Dominoes (€4.99/£4.49: Saturday)

Blacksmith Hit (€4.49/£4.09)

Rina: RhythmError (€3.99/£3.59)

Fantasy Tower Defense (€2.99/£2.99)

Santa's Monster Shootout (€1.99/£1.79)

Super Hero Demolition (€0.99/£0.99: Saturday)

Archives

Rolling Thunder 2 (€6.99/£6.29)

Japan

Fuyukara, Kururu (¥7810)

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm 2S (¥7678)

BustaFellows Season 2 (¥7480)

Princess Arthur (¥7150)

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm Extra (¥6578)

Farming Simulator 23 (¥6490)

TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 3 (¥6380)

Puzzle Bobble Everybubble (¥5280)

Star Gagnant (¥4980)

Kizuna AI - Touch the Beat! (¥4400)

RWBY: Arrowfell (¥4180)

Convergence: A League of Legends Story (¥4150)

Batsugun (¥3850)

No Place Like Home (¥3499)

The Blind Prophet (¥3395)

Skye Tales (¥3317)

Terror of Hemasaurus (¥3300)

Last Labyrinth (¥3278)

Apploval (¥3000)

Finally, In Love Again (¥2980)

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (¥2970)

Nightmare Reaper (¥2699)

Glitch Busters: Stuck on You (¥2640)

Fights In Tight Spaces (¥2570)

Terracotta (¥2570)

Maquette (¥2500)

Welcome Kokuri-San (¥2480)

To The Rescue! (¥2300)

Cassette Beasts (¥2299)

Bat Boy (¥1980)

Cop Police Escape (¥1999)

Chasm: The Rift (¥1980)

Protodroid Delta (¥1980)

The Case of the Golden Idol (¥1840)

World War: Combat Guardian (¥1800)

Hello Goodboy (¥1700)

Akaito HD Remaster (¥1650)

Aoishiro HD Remaster (¥1650)

Million Shells (¥1500)

Replikator (¥1400)

Laser Brain Puzzle (¥1399)

Onigo Hunter (¥1320)

Pulling no Punches (¥1291)

NoEvidence (¥999)

Coloring Pixels: Collection 3 (¥995)

Simple Inspiriational Quiz (¥980)

Super-Difficult Mystery Puzzle (¥980)

Galaxy Champion TV (¥890)

Legendary Tales: Stolen Life (¥860)

Rolling Thunder 2 (¥838)

Animality (¥730)

Undergrave (¥720)

Paper Dominoes (¥685)

Waifu Space Conquest (¥640)

Super Night Riders (¥580)

Dino Puzzler World (¥500)

Torinto (¥500)

Rina: RhythmError (¥470)

Hentai Girls: Adventure Clicker (¥350)

Fantasy Tower Defense (¥299)

TalkBack / Annapurna Interactive Bringing First Person Puzzle Maquette To Switch Next Week

« on: May 18, 2023, 05:36:24 PM »

The advantage of also being an indie film company is that you can rope in some big names for smaller games.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63731/annapurna-interactive-bringing-first-person-puzzle-maquette-to-switch-next-week

A first-person adventure with some star power behind it is crossing to the Switch next week.

Annapurna Interactive announced today that their 2021 PC release Maquette would come to Switch on Thursday (May 25). It also released previously on PlayStations 4 and 5.

The first person puzzle game stars Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World series) and Seth Gabel (Fringe, Nip/Tuck) as a couple whose relationship is explored through "Escher-esque" puzzles.

TalkBack / First Three Super Mario Advance Games To Join Expansion Pack GBA Library On May 26

« on: May 18, 2023, 05:22:56 PM »

Poochy ain't stupid. ALLEGEDLY.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63729/first-three-super-mario-advance-games-to-join-expansion-pack-gba-library-on-may-26

Just in time for the digital release of the Super Mario Bros movie, a trio of remixed Mario titles are hitting a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack library.

The first three Super Mario Advance games - GBA remakes of Super Mario Bros. 2, World, and Yoshi's Island - will be available in the Game Boy Advance library following an update on May 26. The remixes add new voices and features to the classic Mario adventures.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 was one of the inaugural games for the GBA library.

TalkBack / UPDATED: Pokemon Home Update For Scarlet And Violet Transfer Postponed

« on: May 18, 2023, 05:09:00 AM »

Including free gifts for transferring in. (Hold up on that, though.)

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63726/updated-pokemon-home-update-for-scarlet-and-violet-transfer-postponed

UPDATE 2:50 p.m. EDT May 19: The Pokemon Company has now retracted the below story.

We put the cart before the Mudsdale!

Earlier we mistakenly posted that Pokémon HOME version 3.0.0 would launch on May 23/24. However, the actual release date is yet to be announced. 3.0.0 is coming soon though, so please continue to follow our pages for more information! https://t.co/a8NZqJIPAn
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) May 19, 2023

Original story follows.

The long-awaited update to bring Pokemon from Scarlet and Violet into the Pokemon Home system is out next week.

The Pokemon Company have announced that the update will go live on May 24, enabling the newest crop of Pokemon to be stored in the cloud. It was previously promised for "spring".

Versions of the Scarlet and Violet starters with hidden abilities will be provided if a Pokemon from Scarlet or Violet is brought in.

Starting 5/24, get special Pokémon when you link Pokémon HOME with Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet!

You’ll be able to receive a Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly with Hidden Abilities as Mystery Gifts in the mobile device version of Pokémon HOME.#PokemonScarletViolet ❤️💜 pic.twitter.com/sL5v6mSqgT
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) May 18, 2023

TalkBack / Mortal Kombat Reboot Announced, Coming To Switch

« on: May 18, 2023, 05:04:26 AM »

Huh, didn't see that one koming.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63724/mortal-kombat-reboot-announced-coming-to-switch

It appears that Mortal Kombat is getting rebooted, and it will be available on Switch in some form.

A website for "Mortal Kombat 1", a story reboot of the classic fighting game series. It will launch on September 19 and lists Switch among its platforms, but it isn't clear if the Switch version is launching the same day as the other versions.

The story trailer is below:

TalkBack / Nintendo Sales Panic: April 2023 US Circana Group Sales Results

« on: May 17, 2023, 05:15:00 PM »

...when you type "NPD" for nearly a decade, it's still tough to get used to.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63723/nintendo-sales-panic-april-2023-us-circana-group-sales-results

In the final month before a ten-million selling Zelda title, Nintendo's three headed monster fared quite well in the April US sales survey.

All data based on revenue from April 2 - 29 unless otherwise indicated. NIntendo digital sales are not counted, third parties may report eShop revenue if they choose.

For the first time all year, the Switch was the top selling platform in unit sales, though still behind the pricer PlayStation 5 in dollar sales. Switch dollar sales were up "double digit percent" compared to March according to Citrana's Mat Piscatella, buoyed by the April 28 launch of the Tears of the Kingdom-branded Switch OLED.

The other major events in the month for Nintendo were the Mario movie and the launch of Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp, and given the lack of digital reporting both were within expectations. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe retained 10th place in the software survey as the top first party title, with Advance Wars landing 15th place, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe placing 16th, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury slotting into 20th (from 23rd and 26th in March). Pokemon Scarlet and Violet captured 18th place in April.

Third parties had a strong month of sales as well, with MLB The Show 23 retaining its 3rd place from March, the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection landing in 8th (and second on the Switch behind Mario Kart and just ahead of Advance Wars), FIFA 23 9th, Minecraft Legends debuting in 11th, the original Minecraft sticking in 13th, and the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters placing 14th with very limited physical distribution.

The major event of the May period will of course be the launch of Tears of the Kingdom, which has already sold more than 4 million copies in just its first weekend - though it isn't known what percentage of those sales will count in next month's survey due to Nintendo not reporting eShop sales and the existence of the Switch Online voucher program allaying a $69.99 MSRP.

TalkBack / Tears Of The Kingdom Sells 10m In Opening Weekend

« on: May 17, 2023, 05:45:24 AM »

Faster than a +6 Ninjask

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63722/tears-of-the-kingdom-sells-10m-in-opening-weekend

It didn't take long for Tears of the Kingdom to move into second in the Zelda sales race.

Nintendo have confirmed that the May 12 release sold more than 10m copies in its opening weekend worldwide. This includes more than 4m sold in the United States alone - the biggest opening weekend in NoA history.

Early Japanese estimates have the game selling 2.24 million copies, while it is also the fastest selling Nintendo game ever in Europe.

TalkBack / New Splatoon 3 Season To Add Challenge Mode, Super Scope-Inspired Weapon, And More

« on: May 17, 2023, 04:42:00 AM »

Now if only the legions of people who squid party in matches would go splat themselves.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63721/new-splatoon-3-season-to-add-challenge-mode-super-scope-inspired-weapon-and-more

Splatoon 3's fourth "season" of content is bringing another round of options to the game.

Launching on June 1, "Sizzle Season" will include a new Challenge mode that involves playing Turf War matches with restrictions, such as the only weapon being the Trizooka special. The first run of the mode will be on June 3, and will take place on the season's new stage.

Other details, including a returning stage and the reveal of a blaster-type weapon inspired by the Super Scope, are in the trailer below.

TalkBack / Pac-Man 99 To Shut Down Online Service In October

« on: May 17, 2023, 04:35:52 AM »

That leaves a retro-game-turned-battle-royale hole in the service to hopefully be filled by the return of Super Mario 35.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63720/pac-man-99-to-shut-down-online-service-in-october

Pac-Man 99's online play is about to give up the ghost.

Bandai Namco have confirmed that the 99-player maze game will end service on October 9 at 12:00 a.m. ET (October 8, 9 p.m. PT). The game's paid content will also be brought down, with custom themes based on older Namco properties going off sale on August 8 and content DLC (including paid offline play which will be available after the shutdown) will not be sold after September 8.

Pac-Man 99 launched on April 7, 2021 and was a Switch Online member benefit before the addition of the offline DLC.

TalkBack / European Union Approves Microsoft Acquisition Of Activision Blizzard King UPDATED With UK Response

« on: May 15, 2023, 07:14:00 AM »

Leaving just the biggest market and an increasingly smaller one.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63719/european-union-approves-microsoft-acquisition-of-activision-blizzard-king-updated-with-uk-response

Although a part of Europe has moved to block the acquisition of Activision Blzzard King by Microsoft, the European Union proper is on board.

European Union regulators have approved the proposed $68.7b deal. Following the UK's move to block on the grounds that it would negatively impact cloud gaming, EU regulators found that agreements to bring the games to other platforms were enough to allow the deal to proceed subject to a requirement that games past and future be added to cloud service platforms (of which currently no ABK games are).

With the EU's approval, only the UK and the Federal Trade Commission of the United States need to sign off on the deal for it to go into full effect. A hearing with the FTC is scheduled for early August.

The CMA has issued a response on social media: "Microsoft’s proposals, accepted by the European Commission today, would allow Microsoft to set the terms and conditions for this market for the next 10 years. They would replace a free, open and competitive market with one subject to ongoing regulation of the games Microsoft sells, the platforms to which it sells them, and the conditions of sale." (Twitter response thread from the CMA)

TalkBack / Nintendo Downloads - May 18, 2023

« on: May 15, 2023, 04:00:00 AM »

Rather than spend the weekend in a fundamentally broken open world game, the news desk did the Chesnaught raid in Pokemon Scarlet.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63690/nintendo-downloads-may-18-2023

Things we missed last week: Mazinger Z (Banpresto developed anime-based shooter via Bandai Namco) came into the store... and it wasn't just Zelda who broke a price barrier last week, as it was $14.99 US instead of the standard $7.99. Given that Mazinger Z is tangentially related to Macross, you can probably guess that some people had to get paid ~~off~~ for that to happen.

When one of the major games (for North America) is that toilet-racing game that came out in Europe and Japan already, you know it's a quiet week. Normally the obvious pick for game of the week is the Lego racing game from 2K that has an infinitely long "battle pass", but since this is an autocracy we're going to go with Winter's Wish: Spirits of Edo (Aksys romance visual novel) in solidarity with my fellow Haligonian and racing maven Greg Sewart. Plus, it's perfect reading for my impending long weekend. (I'm aware of the irony of referring to an autocracy while simultaneously slamming a racing game, you can save the comments and Discord chat.)

And aside from the boomer shooter Nightmare Reaper, that's about all we have this week. Except to say as of today we have enough confirmed release dates to make it so less than 100 Switch games have to come out before the end of the year to beat the entire release list for every Nintendo console prior to the Switch with games launched since 2021.

North America

Retail

Lego 2K Drive (US$59.99/C$79.99: Friday (bundles Tuesday))

Winter's Wish: Spirits of Edo ($49.99/$67.17)

Digital

Apploval ($29.99/$33.99)

Nightmare Reaper ($29.99/$34.99)

Love on Leave ($24.99/$32.50)

Chasm: The Rift ($19.99/$27.99)

Bunhouse ($19.99/$27.20)

Rubberduck Wave Racer ($19.99/$26.99)

Theft Ride Legacy ($19.99/$29.99: Friday)

World Championship Boxing Manager 2 ($14.99/$19.49: Wednesday)

Mechanic 8230: Escape From Ilgrot ($14.99/$20.43: Friday)

Gekisou!Benza Race -Toilet Shooting Star- ($13.00/$18.00: Monday)

Hexapoda ($12.99/$17.95: Friday)

No One Lives Under The Lighthouse ($11.99/$14.99)

Kargast ($9.99/$11.99: Tuesday)

Find the Pairs: Classic Memory Puzzle ($9.99/$12.99)

Sudoku: Casual Board Game ($9.99/$12.99)

Japanese Escape Games The House ($9.99/$12.49)

Magic Bubble Shooter ($9.99/$12.99)

Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril ($9.99/$13.32: Friday)

Legendary Tales: Stolen Life ($6.99/$9.30: Friday)

Under the Warehouse ($5.99/$7.49: Wednesday)

PI.exe ($5.99/$8.49)

Cyber Citizen Shockman ($5.99/$7.99: Friday)

Undergrave ($4.99/$6.54)

Puzzle by NikoliS Numberlink ($4.99/$6.46)

Unalive 010 ($4.99/$6.00)

Bubble Monsters ($4.99/$4.93)

Murtop ($4.99)

Woodland Hike ($4.99/$6.75: Saturday)

Black Jack Waifu Tour ($4.50/$6.13)

911: Cannibal ($3.99)

Bio Prototype ($3.99/$4.99)

Hentai Dream ($2.50/$3.41: Friday)

Bubble Bird ($0.99/$1.33: Monday)

Smash Out ($0.99/$1.32: Saturday)

Belle Boomerang (already out/$10.99)

Archives

Ark Area ($7.99/$9.87)

Europe

Retail

Lego 2K Drive (€59.99/£49.99: Friday)

Trinity Trigger (€49.99/£44.99: Monday)

Winter's Wish: Spirits of Edo (€49.99/£44.99)

DIgital

Nightmare Reaper (€29.99/£24.99)

Apploval (€24.99/£22.49)

Love on Leave (€24.50/£22.09)

Bunhouse (€19.99/£17.99)

Chasm: The Rift (€19.99/£17.99)

Rubberduck Wave Racer (€19.99/£17.49)

Theft Ride Legacy (€19.99/£17.99: Friday)

Fall of the New Age (€14.99/£13.29)

Mechanic 8230: Escape From Ilgrot (€14.99/£13.49: Friday)

World Championship Boxing Manager 2 (€14.79/£12.79: Wednesday)

Hexapoda (€12.99/£11.69: Friday)

No One Lives Under The Lighthouse (€11.99/£12.50)

Kargast (€9.99/£8.99: Tuesday)

Find the Pairs: Classic Memory Puzzle (€9.99/£9.99)

Magic Bubble Shooter (€9.99/£8.99)

Sudoku: Casual Board Game (€9.99/£8.99)

Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril (€9.36/£8.31: Friday)

Japanese Escape Games The House (€8.99/£7.49)

Belle Boomerang (€7.26/£6.49)

Legendary Tales: Stolen Life (€6.99/£6.29)

Under the Warehouse (€5.99/£5.49: Wednesday)

Cyber Citizen Shockman (€5.99/£5.99)

PI.exe (€5.99/£5.39)

Murtop (€4.99/£4.99)

Bubble Monsters (€4.99/£4.49)

Puzzle by NikoliS Numberlink (€4.99/£4.49)

Unalive 010 (€4.99/£4.49)

Undergrave (€4.99/£4.49)

Woodland Hike (€4.99/£4.49: Saturday)

Black Jack Waifu Tour (€4.50/£4.09)

911: Cannibal (€3.99/£3.59)

Bio Prototype (€3.99/£3.59)

Hentai Dream (€2.50/£2.29: Friday)

Bubble Bird (€0.99/£0.89: Monday)

Smash Out (€0.99/£0.89: Saturday)

Archives

Ark Area (€6.99/£6.29)

Japan

Wand of Fortune R (¥7700)

Lego 2K Drive (¥6600)

Rubberduck Wave Racer (¥2999)

Love on Leave (¥2980)

Theft Ride Legacy (¥2499)

Trifox (¥2250)

Animal Shelter Simulator (¥1999)

Mechanic 8230: Escape From Ilgrot (¥1999)

World Championship Boxing Manager 2 (¥1700)

No One Lives Under The Lighthouse (¥1400)

Find the Pairs: Classic Memory Puzzle (¥1399)

Magic Bubble Shooter (¥1399)

Ryunosuke Todo Detective Diary Vol.1 Amber-Colored Testament Western Card Serial Murder Case(¥1200)

Infini (¥999)

Escape From The House Of The Moonlight (¥990)

Easy Love Simulation (¥980)

Photos You Should Never See (¥980)

PI.exe (¥848)

Ark Area (¥838)

Cyber Citizen Shockman (¥790: Friday)

Herodes (¥720)

Murtop (¥700)

Pixel Boy - Lost in the Castle (¥678)

Little Disaster (¥660)

Unalive 010 (¥650)

911: Cannibal (¥533)

Puzzle by NikoliS Numberlink (¥500)

Bio Prototype (¥470)

Common Sense Ranking Quiz (¥420)

TalkBack / Re: Willie Mays, Rollie Fingers, and Vladimir Guerrero Headline New Super Mega Baseball 4 Legend Rev

« on: May 11, 2023, 12:26:35 PM »

They should be in two divisions: The Greats and Let's Remember Some Guys.

TalkBack / Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster (Switch) Review

« on: May 11, 2023, 02:50:08 AM »

The Pixel Remasters are a third of the way to sainthood.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/63678/final-fantasy-ii-pixel-remaster-switch-review

To say I’m not a fan of the Famicom Final Fantasy II is like saying my hockey team hasn’t won the Stanley Cup in a bit: it’s wildly understating the extent of the pain. I don’t really want to see what the game’s like in its original form, but after playing the Pixel Remaster version of FF2 through to the end, I can confirm that it takes the inherent boost features to make the game something I could finish without cursing the whole way.

Final Fantasy II is set in a world beset by the military rule of an evil emperor who at the start of the game is invading a small town and beating up its young residents for no apparent reason beyond “screw you, that’s why”. The party - minus one of their number, who either vanished or was kidnapped before the rest of the team woke up - is rescued by a rebel princess named Hilda who after a brief test of skill allows them to enlist in the rebel army in order to take down the Emperor. As the story progresses, the party (which continuously rotates its fourth member due to story changes) eventually works their way up to taking out the Emperor. It’s the first real attempt at a plot in the series with named characters, and it’s enough to get you moving in the right direction, but it’s not much to write home about.

Final Fantasy II is best known for two controversial systems: “key words” and its level building. The key word system requires a menu choice to learn a word (thankfully written in red font), then ask people about it in order to unlock an objective. I never could get the hang of it until I pulled out a strategy guide, and even then I fumbled through the menus on more than one occasion. Blessedly, this system never returned. The other defining system is the “use it to build it” system as seen in the “Final Fantasy Legend” (SaGa) games from the same producer… and thankfully, the Pixel Remaster provides fixed HP growths and the option to set the growth up to quadruple so I didn’t have to have my party members beat each other up to build health. This progression mechanic extends to everything, though, including spells and weapons. Although I tried to keep the team on a standard weapon and using shields for extra defense, the game wouldn’t respect the choice and based the “Optimize” equipment setting on dealing as much damage as possible, even if they equipped a weapon on a character who hadn’t used that weapon at all to this point. And late in the game, I randomly started healing enemies with the Attack command, only to discover that the “Healing Staff” actually had one of the highest attack stats in the game? I guess that’s a vestige of the “beat yourself up” grinding technique? Either way, it didn’t work all that well - but at least with the boosts glued to 4x, I could get weapons to the point of being decent in just a few fights. The "door to nothing but encounters system" also largely died after being overused to the point of parody in FFII, which justifies the encounter on/off switch.

The concept of a Black Knight being utterly invincible and one-hit killing wasn't invented by FE: Path of Radiance.

The Remasters largely made the NES games look like a 16-bit game, and it’s a good design choice even if the main character looks awfully similar to Cecil from FFIV in the format. I actively avoided playing the Final Fantasy II tracks in Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line due to the previously mentioned antipathy, but there’s some sneaky-good Nobuo Uematsu tracks in the game that the new arrangement really makes shine. As mentioned with FF4, though not as personally disappointing to me, the “Dawn of Souls” quests from prior versions (the Game Boy Advance and PSP re-releases) are not included here.

Perhaps the biggest praise I can offer of the FFII Pixel Remaster is that it seemingly fixed the accuracy of healing items when I needed them in battle. Though another feature the game “offered” was differentiation between status effects that expire at the end of the battle and ones that remain, and they have separate curative spells. Said spells still “missed”. Thankfully, this didn’t happen late enough to be a hard stop on my enjoyment of the game. If you are going to go on the Final Fantasy vision quest, definitely make sure you use the Pixel Remaster to play FFII. If thou must.

TalkBack / GameFreak Announces Next Gear Project, To Be Published By 2K's Private Division Label

« on: May 09, 2023, 12:38:11 PM »

Not exactly the partnership we were expecting today. (Also it's not coming out for a few years.)

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63675/gamefreak-announces-next-gear-project-to-be-published-by-2ks-private-division-label

GameFreak is firing up its non-Pokemon project machine once again, and this time they have a Western publisher to go with it.

Private Division - the Take Two Interactive indie publishing label - has announced an agreement with GameFreak for a new project called "Project Bloom". The only other detail given was that the game would launch sometime in Take Two's 2026 fiscal year (April 2025 - March 2026) for unspecified platforms.

The "Gear Project" at GameFreak is an incubator for new game ideas outside of the core Pokemon development, with the resulting games either self-published or published by other companies. Three examples of products of Gear Project are HarmoKnight and Pocket Card Jockey on the 3DS, as well as Little Town Hero on Switch.

TalkBack / Nintendo Releases Full Year Earnings For 2022-23 Fiscal Year And 2024 Projections

« on: May 09, 2023, 02:50:00 AM »

How many people Engaged with the new Fire Emblem?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63673/nintendo-releases-full-year-earnings-for-2022-23-fiscal-year-and-2024-projections

The first quarter of calendar 2023 was busier than the holidays for Nintendo on release count, and it showed in their final fiscal results for the 2023 fiscal year released earlier today.

All figures are annual, with numbers for the 4th quarter broken out. A comparison to the US dollar at a rate of $1 US = ¥134.877 is also provided for information only.

Financial Indicators

Revenue: ¥1,601,677b (approx. $12.031b) for the year, ¥306.499b (~$2.272b) of which was in the 4th quarter.

Operating income: ¥503.925b (~$3.870b) for the year, ¥93.384b (~$692m) for Q4.

Ordinary income: ¥601.07b (~$4.616b) for the year, ¥118.49b (~$878.5m) for Q4.

Digital sales: ¥405.2b (~$3.112b) for the year, ¥95.2b (~$705.8m) for Q4.

Mobile/IP revenue: ¥51b (~$391.7m) for the year, ¥12.1b (~$89.711m) for Q4.

All but digital sales were down year-over-year to various degrees. The mobile/IP revenue would not reflect any revenue Nintendo earned from royalties on the Super Mario Bros. movie - those will begin with the next financial results in late July or early August.

Hardware Sales

Life-to-date shipments of the Switch are now totaling 125.62m units, a 3.07m unit increase in Q4. The model ratio was 1.53m OLED, 930k regular Switches, and 620k Switch Lite.

The Switch is 28.4m units away from passing the DS for the best selling dedicated platform in Nintendo's history, and 33.08m from passing the PS2 for number 1 among all manufacturers.

Software Sales (New Releases)

Nintendo had four new releases during the period - Fire Emblem: Engage was the best seller of the group at 1.61m units, followed by Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe at 1.46m and the surprise release of Metroid Prime Remastered at 1.09m. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon did not reach 1m units shipped in its time on sale.

Software Sales (Catalogue)

The Switch has now moved more software than any platform in Nintendo history, with a new lifetime total of 1063.15m units sold (ie: over a billion).

Updated sales for Nintendo's top 10 games - which once again include New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe at the expense of Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee - can be found here. Notable: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet was the year's biggest shipper at 22.1m copies, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had another 1.79m unit quarter to reach a new LTD of 53.79m, Super Mario Odyssey appears to be ready to pass Pokemon Sword and Shield next quarter, and Breath of the Wild will likely join the 30m club on Switch just in time for the sequel.

Other big movers in the year include Splatoon 3 reaching a new LTD of 10.67m units, Nintendo Switch Sports at 9.6m, Mario Strikers: Battle League at 2.54m, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 at 1.86m.

Projections For Next Fiscal Year

Revenue: ¥14.5b
Operating profit: ¥4.50b
Ordinary profit: ¥4.80b
Hardware: 15m Switches
Software: 180m units shipped

Based on current projections, the Switch is not projecting to pass the DS until the end of the 2024-25 fiscal year or later.

TalkBack / Nintendo Announces Details For September Live Show

« on: May 08, 2023, 05:54:00 AM »

Welp, Donald's already out.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63672/nintendo-announces-details-for-september-live-show

We have a date and opportunities to attend Nintendo Live, but it's largely US only.

The live show will run from September 1 - 4 (Labor Day long weekend) at the Seattle Convention Center, the same weekend as the PAX show in Seattle. PAX attendees can request tickets separately, or registration will be open from May 31 - June 22 on the event website.

Aside from PAX entrants - who can enter on the show's website from May 31 - July 7 - registering requires a US-based Nintendo account, and multiple registrations require the accounts to be linked to the same family group. There are no game announcements planned.

TalkBack / Nintendo Downloads - May 11, 2023

« on: May 08, 2023, 04:00:00 AM »

Wise man say "Forgiveness is divine, but never break price barrier for game with stamina meter".

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/63631/nintendo-downloads-may-11-2023

Things we missed last week: No lawman can catch The Man of Medan.

OK, we all know what's coming out this week, so moving on... The poor bastards stuck running up against Matt Mercer's Tears of the Kingdom include another sequel that might be worth playing in Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 - now with less child sacrifice apparently? - and Dokapon Kingdom Connect, which we have a review in progress from the Mario Party Monthly team. (Speaking of poor bastards...)

In the smaller space, Garden Simulator should NOT be confused with Farming Simulator - and that's pretty much it, as people knew to get the hell out of the way of a sequel to a game that'll probably be over 30m the day after you read this. (Nintendo reports their 2022-23 annual results on Tuesday morning.)