The first of the Switch games to be mentioned in the Nintendo Direct, Kirby Star Allies is coming out next week on March 16 and there is already a playable demo on the eShop.
The game can be played with one to four players and as you play through Dream Palaces the Dream Friends will be added and even King Dedede, Bandana Waddle Dee and Metanight will be available as playable characters.
In following weeks, more Dream Friends will be added in post-launch free updates. The first update on March 28 will have Rick & Kine & Coo from Kirby's Dreamland 2, Marx from Kirby Superstar, and Gooey from Kirby's Dreamland 3.
The Wii U title Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker will be released on Switch and 3DS, as announced in today's Nintendo Direct.
The new versions of the game will have Super Mario Odyssey levels added and Toad could be seen floating into New Donk City in the footage. There will be a two player mode, where the first player controls Captain Toad and the second player can assist with shooting things.
With some of the action taking place on the Wii U GamePad, the new version of game would work well on the Switch and 3DS screens.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey has been announced for Nintendo 3DS in the latest Nintendo Direct. The release will include Bowser Jr.'s Journey, a behind the scenes look at the untold story of Bowser Jr.
The game was released originally on Nintendo DS as one of the games in the Mario & Luigi RPG series. Players switch between controlling Mario and Luigi together as they traverse inside Bowser, and also control Bowser directly in the overworld.
The first game from HALEgg, the mobile arm of HAL Laboratory, Hatakaru UFO has been localised in several languages and is available for iOS and Android as Part Time UFO. Bearing a similarity to HAL’s BoxBoy! series with its pixel style, though more colorful, it’s a fairly simple physics game. However, the levels have enough variation and some clever puzzles to keep them interesting.
You control a little UFO friend with a claw who is visiting Earth and finds that helping people with jobs and earning money is how things work around here. Using the claw, you have to pick up and stack items in a particular order to solve a level. The levels put you in many different situations and you may have to deal with the environment when you are working away carrying items. Unlike the rigged controls of real life prize claw games, the claw controls very well, particularly impressive for a touchscreen mobile game. For the main control option, the game advises that you hold the phone in both hands upright with one thumb controlling the joystick on the bottom left of the screen and one controlling the drop button on the bottom right. This also solves the problem of your hand covering the screen. There is a second option for one-handed play where you are dragging the UFO around the screen directly, but it is less accurate for fine control.
Most of the time you can just grab objects from roughly above them as long as you are not too close but sometimes you will have to precisely position the claw as the angle at which you pick it up it has an impact on which way round it ends up and how much it sways. Being physics based, the speed you move at also influences this. If you fly around fast and just toss things around, they will just fall and roll. If you slowly, carefully, tap your way around, you can get pixel precision in placement. It feels very accurate and you never feel that the game has caused you to drop something.
The graphics and style add up to a great, detailed presentation and each level is full of animated touches such as the character expressions. Our hardworking friend will perspire with effort while moving heavy objects and background characters react to your successes and failures. It is really very polished and just as whimsical as you’d imagine from the theme. The musical track helps with this, with a little voice singing along reminding you of the original Japanese name and also changing sometimes to match the mood of the level.
Each level has a time limit but that is just one of three medals you can earn, and play continues past the time limit as there is no requirement to get all of the medals at once. Clues for the other two medals are given in the pause menu and end screen of each level. This means you can go at your own pace and it can be quite a relaxing experience. That doesn’t mean the challenge isn’t there though; you will certainly need to try multiple times to get it right and figure out all the puzzles.
What can your earnings be used for? Buying hats. The various hats grant abilities or simply look stylish and match the level theme. Some of the hats help in specific levels and one hat in particular makes the game a little easier, but you could always choose not to use it. Replaying levels grants plenty of coins too, so if you are struggling you can easily save up for a hat that makes it easier to traverse a certain level.
Even though you won’t instantly figure out every level, the game won’t take long to complete, nor much longer to get all the medals and achievements. And there is really no reason to replay a level once you’ve collected all the medals.
It’s refreshing to find an entirely self-contained mobile game that doesn’t have in-app purchases and doesn’t require a constant internet connection. Sadly you can reach the end in one play session and it doesn’t take much longer for 100% completion, but it’s worth the price of entry for the joy of that Nintendo polish in mobile form.
Today there was a press event for No Man's Sky held at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Germany, part of the European Space Agency. It just so happens to be my workplace of the past seven years. After I had finished processing my disbelief and confusion that ESOC security would allow Sony PR to hold an event here, I slipped into the press centre to find an audience of German games press and the only ESA representation being Michael Khan, from the Mission Analysis section, who would be on stage to talk about planetary exploration and the ExoMars mission. A couple of my colleagues who had the same idea as I did also managed to sneak in. It turns out we were most definitely not invited, but the door wasn't locked and my usual "walk in like you're meant to be there" meant that we were largely ignored.
Discussing exploration of the universe
I arrived to find that Sean Murray of Hello Games was on stage talking about No Man's Sky. Apparently he was coming off three hours sleep in the last three days (it is well-known that the team have been working on a day one patch) and his flight to Germany landed just the evening before. He talked about the game and demoed the start of it. While it is expected that it will turn your expectations upside-down in comparison to how other games are played, and almost literally in the case of some enemies, the game represents the sandbox style of allowing players to explore at their own pace and extract the fun in their own way. You start on a planet at the edge of the game's universe with some incentive to make your way to the centre directed by the game's lore. The current goal can be brought up with left on the D-pad giving a clue to where you can move to next. The sense of discovery in what you can do and features (such as the crafting recipes that you can figure out) were not shown, leaving surprises for players. Murray hopes that the community around the game will help players to figure out what is possible. The result today comes after five years of development but though the game is not perfect, it was time to go public. It is not expected to be static, and as long as there is interest there will be updates to change the game in the future.
I did have a chance to play the game a little. Despite not faring very well at sandbox games usually, I found it quite easy to get into after getting over the initial awkwardness at exploring in first person rather than third person. I found what was currently possible and what I should do from navigating the menus, where there are instructions and tips so you won't forget how something is done. Shortly after my time was up and I had to concede my place at the demo station to the journalists who were there that day.
I could feel the excitement run through me as I watched the presentation at high alert in case I caught something exclusive, even though that's not what I was there for. When you spend the best part of a decade as part of a group pushing for the best possible games coverage, it never goes away. This is what lead me to write my first "proper" article in three years. I hope to see you again soon.
Update: A previous version of the article mistakenly credited Dawn Bennett as the developer. Bennett is a voice actress in the game, the game is actually developed by the team at Galaxy Trail. We apologize for the confusion.
Some indie titles have had new updates ahead of E3, including a couple in the Nindie E3 demo program.
Freedom Planet voice actress Dawn Bennett has confirmed a release date for the GalaxyTrail-devevloped game:
In other Nindie E3 demo program news, Runbow has a new trailer which confirms an adventure mode and for those who don't have nine controllers handy, online play:
Finally, NintendoLife had an exclusive trailer for Shinen's futuristic racer, FAST Racing NEO, which runs at 60FPS and looks stunning:
For the first time in a few weeks, there's no Nintendo first party retail games to drop money on in the Nintendo downloads. That's not to say there aren't big games - Marvelous/XSEED's Story of Seasons launches Tuesday for you farming fanatics. Until then, let's talk eShop, shall we?
Before kicking off my review for KORG DSN-12, I never gave DETUNE's range of music creation software much thought. Not that I toyed around with this kind of software in the past, but I couldn't imagine it working well on a Nintendo 3DS. It turns out that my initial thoughts were quite wrong, and that I mostly needed time to adjust myself to its standards.
My initial moments with KORG DSN-12 were an absolute struggle. The interface will tell you nothing about what you can do with the software. Every time I saw bits that I couldn't grasp, I had to open the digital manual. While the digital manual is a paradise of information, it can also be clunky to use. I would have preferred if KORG DSN-12 told me everything in-game and guided me more while building my very first arrangement.
Once it gets going, though, you will see the true excellence of the tools on offer in KORG DSN-12. The title comes fully equipped with a synthesizer and sequencer, and these can help you to build anything from scratch. There are 12 channels that allow you to put different tones on each, and this can create the feeling of various instruments. Simple changes to the pitch and other aspects made for interesting results, and I am still experimenting with it. Every ''instrument'' can be used for 64 segments, and each segment is a self contained melody that you create step by step. The creative freedom you have with the segments allow for the creation of varied songs. The duration, speed, and volume of each section can be tailored to your liking, and the possibilities seem endless.
What I likemost about KORG DSN-12 is the variety of ways to listen back to my creations. While the Pattern Program lets you simply arrange sequences in a single timeline, I usually found myself toying with the Patterns Pads. You can place segments on buttons on the touchscreen and mix them while the song is playing live. This allows for quick changes to the song's overall structure and lets you take the first steps in becoming a DJ.
I really enjoyed my time with KORG DSN-12, even though I struggled at first to make something good. If you barely or never toyed around with software like this, your only true help is the digital manual, and it will take a lot of effort to learn everything. Once the dust is settled, you have the perfect portable music mixing and matching tool. Producing music is snappy and fun, and it becomes even crazier when you put those sequences into motion.
Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses will come to the Hammersmith Apollo in London, UK on May 23. A second European date has been announced for May 25 at Le Palais de Congrès in Paris, France.
The concert will be performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir and will be conducted by Eímear Noone. The four-movement symphony features music from Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, A Link to the Past, as well as Link's Awakening and Majora's Mask.
The Zelda 25th anniversary concert had a London date in 2011, so this will be the second time that the concert series will be held there. Tickets information is available on zelda-symphony.com.
The first pack of downloadable coin rush levels for New Super Mario Bros. 2 will be available in Europe from October 2. The three-level set is the same as announced for Japan previously and will be available from the same date. The pricing and names for the levels are below:
The Nintendo Direct Mini broadcast of the level pack was extended to include commentary from Satoru Iwata as well as the demo of the three levels. It was released at 9 a.m. GMT (3 a.m. EST) this morning.
The following games have been announced for release during the Wii U launch window between November 18, 2012 and March 31, 2013. Nintendo is set to publish 9 games by the end of the fiscal year. The games are listed by publisher.
Nintendo Nintendo Land™ New Super Mario Bros.™ U NINJA GAIDEN™ 3: Razor’s Edge SiNG PARTY™ LEGO® City: Undercover Wii Fit™ U Game & Wario™ Pikmin™ 3 The Wonderful 101™
505 Games Funky Barn
2K Sports NBA 2K13
Activision Publishing, Inc. 007™ Legends Call of Duty®: Black Ops II TRANSFORMERS PRIME™ Wipeout 3 Skylanders Giants™ Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013 Rapala Pro Bass Fishing
Capcom Monster Hunter™ 3 Ultimate
D3Publisher Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game Ben 10: Omniverse™ Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade
Disney Interactive Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Electronic Arts Mass Effect™ 3 Madden NFL 13 EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 13
Frozenbyte Trine 2™: Director’s Cut
Gaijin Games Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
Majesco Entertainment Zumba® Fitness Core
Maximum Games Jett Tailfin™
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT™ 2 Wii U Edition TANK! TANK! TANK!™
SEGA Aliens: Colonial Marines™ Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Shin’en Nano Assault Neo
Tecmo Koei America Corporation WARRIORS OROCHI® 3 Hyper
THQ Darksiders® II Wheel of Fortune® JEOPARDY! ®
Two Tribes Toki Tori 2
Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed® III Just Dance® 4 Marvel Avengers™: Battle for Earth Rabbids® Land Sports Connection™ Your Shape®: Fitness Evolved 2013 ZombiU™ Rayman Legends®
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Scribblenauts™ Unlimited Game Party Champions Batman: Arkham City™ Armored Edition
As the quiet summer drifts by gently like a wisp of cirrus cloud, so do the Virtual Console releases for Game Boy on the Nintendo eShop. The clouds gather until they reach a critical mass, and then fall like our four following recommendations.
The Sword of Hope II brings us scattered showers of user interface shortcomings for a typical RPG of the era, yet a humorous story and delightful environment interaction. Zach thinks it's OK as an example of what was out there at the time.
Floating away to Dreamland, Neal takes on Kirby's Pinball Land and experiences pinball and Kirby in simpler times. It's a tough ride, but it's fun to see Kirby before he was all that and everyone else.
Tumble Pop might be more fun in an arcade, but Andy could work with the then-novel concept of vacuuming ghosts until the slow controls and limited mechanic brought it to a halt.
Forever a game, it's Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters drawing us to a sunny conclusion. Much improved from the original in its accessibility it actually becomes somewhat of a walk in the park in the later stages, Zach reports.
Could you guys try installing Addons Detector from the Play Store to see if that finds anything? It's possible that it's a coincidence that it comes up when you access NWR and we have to prove that it isn't before anything can be done about it. Sorry for the bother and thanks very much!
Paper Mario Sticker Star will be released for Nintendo 3DS this holiday and will be available from both stores and through the eShop.
The featured stickers are scattered throughout the game world and can be peeled off and collected. The primary purpose of the stickers is for attacks in the turn-based battles. Finding a hammer sticker gives you a hammer to use for a turn, while a fire flower will let you throw fireballs for a limited time. Stickers are also used to uncover hidden areas and helpful items that help you to progress.
The graphical style is very much the same as the previous game in the series, and it looks like it's possible to change the viewing angle to find hidden areas in much the same way.
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