And there's also a free fighter for launch buyers.

Although Smash Ultimate already has a 74-character roster, there will be at least six more characters.

A Smash Pass has been announced that will provide five unannounced characters, along with a stage and music. Each character will be $5.99 US, or a pass for all 5 will be $24.99. The characters in the pass will be available by February 2020, will not be Echo Fighters, and have been developed from scratch after the game went gold.

Your time is up, his time is now.

Generation VII of Pokémon will have playable representation in Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Incineroar, the final form of Litten, was introduced as the newest Pokémon representative. The Fire-type uses wrestling moves such as a German Suplex or spinning lariat, with a hard combo that ends in a diving headbutt called "Max Malicious Moonsault" for his Final Smash. Incineroar will pose after big moves, and can cancel out of them at any time.

(The end of the work day fills you with determination)

Undertale's mercurial creator has released a PC Demo that may portend a full follow-up to his smash hit.

Deltarune has been released for Windows PCs today, which is a game with a similar art style to Undertale. Some Windows users will have to bypass Defender to install the game.

It is not known... Read more...

So the least expensive option overall is the most popular, and this is somehow surprising.

Nintendo held an investor's briefing this morning (JP time)/tonight to follow along from the earlier financial results, and several items have emerged from it. The full presentation can be viewed here (PDF link), with the Q&A to follow in a few days.

We'll set aside the pachyderm on the premises for a moment.

December 7 will not only feature a game with every Nintendo character, but also a game with every Sega game.

Sega has tabbed the "Sega Genesis Classics" card to release on Switch on 12/7, the same day as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. More than 50 games will be included in the package, along with the ability to play in a mirrored mode and instantly rewind.

"...but the cat came back, he just wouldn't stay away..."

It is with a heavy heart that we must report that Bubsy the Bobcat is returning to Nintendo platforms.

Bubsy: Paws on Fire has been announced by the revived Accolade for release on Switch in Q1 2019. Developed by Choice Provisions, the game is an automatic runner similar to their Runner series. Four characters will be playable, including a character not seen since the failed pilot of a Bubsy animated series in the mid 1990s.

"Leaks" are about to get wrecked.

Reset the clock: we have a Direct.

A Super Smash Bros. Direct will air on Thursday, November 1 at 10 am Eastern time/7 am Pacific. The video is expected to run for 40 minutes.

A Treehouse Live presentation will air following the Direct, featuring Smash alongside Pokémon Let's Go, Diablo III: Eternal Collection, and Yoshi's Crafted World.

The road to 20 million is paved with fainted Pikachu.

Nintendo has released their results for the first half of the 2018 fiscal year, covering the period from April 1 - September 30th with focus on the period from July 1 - September 30.

All figures expressed in yen, with comparisons to US dollars at press time market rates of $1 = 112.782yn.

Financial indicators

The folks at Forever Entertainment will be busy next year.

A couple of turn-based PC hits will be hitting the Switch next year from Forever Entertainment.

Hard West: Complete Edition and Phantom Doctrine will both release on Switch in 2019. As the name suggests, Hard West takes place in a fantastical version of the American West, while Phantom Doctrine is a spy strategy game set in the Cold War.

Over/under on quality GIFs in the Talkback thread is 2.5.

A new system software has just launched for the Switch.

Version 6.1 of the system software launched earlier this evening. No new features were added, as the update is largely for resolving an issue with games not detecting new Switch Online subscriptions and the ever-useful system stability.

Updates are also available for the Joy-Con controllers.

I hear there's a cow level this time.

Last week broke the planning sheet with 36 NA releases, but this week isn't in that territory - at least as of press time. The big one is Diablo III: Eternal Collection, which brings the premiere third person looter to Nintendo consoles for the first time ever and Blizzard for the first time since... Read more...

Building a userbase one fishing pole at a time.

Nintendo's plans for Labo include a push into education.

In concert with the Institute of Play, schools in New York State have begun to receive Labo kits for use in science, technology, engineering, art, and math courses. The plan is to roll out into more than 100 schools across the US through the rest of the 2018-19 school year.

"What're ya buying? What're ya selling?"

2019 will see at least three Resident Evil titles on Switch.

Capcom have announced that ports of the original Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil 0 will all come to the Switch in 2019. No specific release dates have been given, nor details on plans for physical release.

Resident... Read more...

Starting from the back of the grid for extra quality.

Sega has dropped a caution flag on Team Sonic Racing for several months.

Originally slated for a winter release, the new Sonic racer will now take the green on May 21, 2019. The delay is for additional quality assurance for the title.

Have you ever danced with the dinosaurs in the pale moonlight?

The end of November will bring a horde of prehistoric horror to the Switch.

Studio Wildcard have announced that ARK: Survival Evolved will release for Switch on November 30. More than 100 dinosaurs and other beasts of legend will be available for hunting, including T-Rex and the Yeti.

The game will release in stores as well as on the eShop on the 30th.

Gotta hatch ‘em all!

Pokémon Go’s new Adventure Sync mode will track distance for hatching eggs and finding buddy candy in the background, Niantic announced today.

Trainers can opt in or out of the new feature and will receive weekly summaries tied to currently unannounced rewards. Adventure Sync connects to Apple Health and Google Fit to integrate with other health and fitness apps.

"Aww, that's sweet... I HATE SWEET! I NEED PHOTOS! PHOTOS OF BRITISH GAME SHOWS!"

In a heavy month for the 4K twins, the Switch has held its fire for November and December.

According to the NPD Group's September survey, running from September 2 - October 6, the Switch was down compared to last September. The survey reported increases in dollar sales for the Xbox One and PlayStation... Read more...

Some news for fans of random generation out of Europe

The roguelike family on Switch is going to add a new member in early November.

A listing for Rogue Legacy, Cellar Door Games's 2014 roguelike, has appeared on the European Switch eShop. The release date shows 6 November, and the price is €14.99/£10.99.

Rogue Legacy debuted on PC and PlayStation... Read more...

There's a lot coming out against 100 Hour Work Week Horse Game.

While the other platforms get to deal with realistic horse genitalia (the obvious result of 100 hour work weeks for over a year), the Switch has a busy week on its own. In fact, the number as of press time for Nintendo releases is 30, though that does include the physical release of a Wii game (in... Read more...

There's going to be a lot, but someone is only going for six.

Kanto has added a group of obsessives for Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee.

"Master Trainers", trainers who specialize in a single Pokémon, have been revealed for the November 16 release. These Masters will be found around the region and will be signaled by an icon of the Pokémon they represent appearing over their head.