Don't Seethe Too Much Over Xbox One Shovel Knight Getting Battletoads, We Might Get A Cool Crossover, Too

I think the Battletoads appearance is really cool. I have Shovel Knight on Steam because of the huge delay in bringing it to Wii U and 3DS in Europe, but I was planning to pick it up on the Playstation platforms due to the extras and the crossbuy. This might just sway me to wait until I get an Xbone and pick it up there instead.

Really looking forward to seeing if a new Battletoads is announced at E3 with all the hints from MS over the last few months.

I don't know who the Battle Toads are so this doesn't phase me in the slightest.

I need to play battletoads again

So Microsoft has the guts to port Battletoads on an indie game yet they don't have the guts to make a new Battletoads game or a Conker's game or heck, even a banjo-kazooie game for that matter......wow.

I'm not to concerned about this as it works both ways, we get some extra content in some games and others gets some.

I'm just a little bit sad that we can't consider Shovel Knight a Nintendo exclusive anymore... a little bit. I'm excited to see the console exclusive boss fights though! Maybe the PC version can have other indies crossover and Nintendo can get someone like Mario or Link in there. That said, Yacht Club Games have a lot on their plate as is; they'll do fine and pull through in the end.

This is pretty cool. Of course, I backed Shovel Knight and played it on Wii U, but now I have a reason to get it on my shiny new Xbone.

@Artwark There are many hints, that there is a new Battletoads AND a new Banjo Kazooie game in development.

I want to see something weird if the decide to do something for the Nintendo versions. Like Lonk & Petch, or Captain N and the rest of the team.

I hope that Mario makes a special appearance

I'd like to see Ness drop in on Shovel Knight. Either that, or someone from Fire Emblem.

Love how they used the NES Battletoads theme, its still awesome. This and Wolfenstein: The Old Blood made my day!
Fingers crossed a new Battletoads game is on its way....

@Rockman55 yes Ness would be perfect! Or Tingle lol

So glad I rented Battletoads instead of buying it back in the day. That game made me want to break my NES.

Nintendo is.not lending Any of its precious iconic characters to shovel knight. Not that SK needs it. It stands on its own merits.. well maybe balloon fighter will come to save the day!

Rare is not even close as good as they were before Microsoft bought them. Most people at Rare during the battletoads/banjo kazooie era are not working for them anymore. I don't expect a new battletoads or banjo to be close to being as good as the originals

Meta Knight would be perfect.

@NbaJunkie why can't it happen? Nintendo themselves said they're looking into cross licencing opportunities, which is how we got to Puzzle and Dragons and Hyrule Warriors. Shovel Knight seems like a great game to feature a Nintendo character, given the popularity of the game. Though you're right in that the game stands in its own...

Should the game be able to have the same level of insane difficulty if the Battletoads are included? I would hope not!
Yes, I am from the NES generation of kids who tried (yes, tried) to finish the game. You had to be a game master (or legend) in order to do so though. I could never get past the 3rd stage (Turbo Tunnel, the stage with the vehicles) - and there were 13 stages in the game!

Legend to beat it? Hardly. A friend and I beat it a few times, in co-op mode to boot. Sure it took us a few months, but it is doable once you memorize the stages. Still, it would be nice to bring back those kind of difficult games once again because todays games are just way too easy in comparison.

If (and it's a big if) I was to get an Xbox One, I'd totally buy Shovel Knight again for them. Battletoads was awesome fun with my brother back when we were kids.

I already have the game on Wii U, and I love it. So this doesn't matter to me. Plus I find it funny that Microsoft's IP isn't even made by them. lol.

@SilentS You didn't use cheats did you? The thing is I gave up after a while. I stand by my previous comment though, you did have to be a gaming legend in order to conquer it. The game is consistently voted as one of the hardest games of all time. So congratulations if you did beat it.

Tingle confirmed.

@TeeJay keep an eye out for a video this weekend that'll bring you up to speed

Nope didnt use cheats. If I did, it wouldnt have taken months of constant playing. As hard as games were back then, I always thought BattleToads difficulty was about par with a bunch of other games from that era, which was dubbed Nintendhard by todays standards. Still, found that one easier to beat than Ghost 'N' Goblins and Contra (1-2 in my hardest game beaten list).

Never had a NES but I prefer Battletoads over Kratos. Still a bit sad that MS resorts to an old IP they inherited from Rare, but being from that era it fits better.

We got the exclusivity of being able to play it last summer. That's all I need.

@Inkling I hope Luigi makes an appearance...;D

@SilentS Harder games than Battletoads? I am glad I never came across them then. Battletoads was more than enough of a challenge!
After a long while, I usually give up on games if I find them too extreme in the difficulty department, like many people I know do. So I am impressed that you persevered with the game for so long and were able to conquer it in the end.

This is BS.

I don't really miss Battletoads. I mean that speedbike level... ugh. >_>

If anything I'd say Pit from Kid Icarus or Cranky Kong would make excellent additions.

@scamander Well, I wouldn't count on Microsoft's hints about those old, beloved franchises.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t_Co0gfj18

I was going to download Shovel Knight on my Wii U now that I've been paid. I'm now going to get it for Xbox One. I'm a Nintendo fan through and through, but....Battletoads. Sorry, Ninty; the Battletoads won me over on this one.

It is a little unfortunate to kickstart a game and make it a huge success, only to see it go multiplat everywhere else and release exclusive content that we didn't even get, but such is life. And the game deserves to be played by everyone.

@Tsurii897 Having played Battletoads as a kid in the early 90's, I don't think you missed much. There was one good Battletoads game on NES that was way too hard for most people, and then a few mediocre games on SNES and GEN. It was basically an ugly, more difficult (or unfairly brutal) version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but with much less awesome. So even though I'm not huge on God of War, I think Sony is getting the better exclusive. At least Kratos looks cool and has had more than one decent game.

As far as I'm concerned, there's a reason Battletoads has been dormant for all these years.

Duh, we need playable Captain Falcon and his falcon pawnch.

Or Tingle

I want a crossover with Mike Jones, as a teaser for an upcoming Startropics revival.

To me, Link makes the most sense as a Nintendo crossover. He has a wide variety of weapons and abilities that could fit easily alongside Shovel Knight. Pit or Samus would also be cool to see. I'm sure it will likely end up being Mario or Link, though.

Hey look, Rare characters being reduced to guest star appearance, again. Nothing of value is lost when this is an Xbox exclusive.

@TeeJay
Battletoads was one of Rare's first games on the NES (yep, that's the same Rare that would later make the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Banjo & Kazooie, Perfect Dark, etc). Battletoads has also had a few sequels and ports on other consoles, and even an arcade game, but the original game on the NES remains the most popular. Probably because it was a beat 'em up/platformer known for its nightmarish, unforgiving difficulty. No, seriously, beating that game legit is nigh impossible.

I think it's nice every version gets their own extras, hopefully Yacht Club Games gets permission from Nintendo to do something cool for the 3DS and Wii U versions as well.

Not mad. It's about time someone did something with the BattleToads. It's only a cameo in an indie game and not a new BattleToads game, but WHATEVER!
...Not mad...

Link would make a perfect candidate as a guest character, though I'm fine if we don't get any exclusive content.

I feel sorry for everyone that didn't get to experience this fame on the 3ds in 3d!! It makes all the difference.

@milkonmonday
Lonk from Pennsylvania should be a Boss in Shovel Knight, definitely.

I could see the Nintendo versions getting Donkey Kong and the Steam version getting Heavy from Team Fortress 2.

It would be cool if they did Amiibo support. Get the whole Smash roster on it.

They are giving us (everyone) awesome dlc support. I don't feel left out. The game is fantastic as it is. No more fan service required. But yeah, Meta Knight would be cool

Battletoads in battlemaniacs is one of my top top ten favourite games of all time and this is a slap in the face. Microsoft whoring out Rareware past glories yet again.
F-zero characters for wii u version please. They've got to appear somewhere at somepoint surely.

I think it's great that the Battletoads are getting into Shovel Knight as it's been a while since they've appeared in anything. As for a Nintendo exclusive, how about the Black Knight from Fire Emblem Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn? He'll be rather slow but have lots of health and if you get hit once you die automatically. Seeing an 8-bit stage of one of the areas you meet the Black Knight would be epic (won't give examples as spoilers).

@TruenoGT I guess you're also against the Fire Emblem characters appearing in Codename STEAM?

Guys' I don't see the problem. First things first, it was never a Nintendo exclusive as it was also released on steam for PC users. And more important than test, Shovel Knight was a fantastic masterpiece of a game, and I would be DISAPOINTED if it couldn't make sales to more people and allow them to enjoy it and grant Yacht Club more money for what I think deserves it. And as for the cameos, I actually don't care too much for the long forgotten Rare IP and I have never played god of war, but if Wii U and/or 3ds gets an exclusive piece of content, Nintendo cameo or not, I'll probably be happier with it.

I couldn't care less about any additions... Shovel Knight is perfect on 3DS and Wii U... both have their unique features like Streetpass and Miiverse and the touch screen. They are just perfect

@Rockman55 you stole my words. Fire emblem especially! I was even thinking the guy from ghosts and ghouls or even.... ::gulp:: someone from Castlevania... Wouldn't that be awesome?

Hopefully we see some Nintendo guest star too, Meta Knight, Ganondorf, Link, Donkey Kong, Kirby, etc., would be a nice touch to the game. For PC version, I wouldn't surprise to see a Duke Nukem, a Minecraft, or a Lara Croft guest star, that would be cool.

I'm glad the Nintendo versions don't have any gimmicky crossovers... Shovel Knight has its own great universe from which to make new content... seeing a different video game icon in the game would really take me out of the setting.

Just to set the record straight. Rare with nintendo was awesome. Rare with Xbox is crap.im glad the real talent let and is working there way back to nintendo..another example how Xbox did on t he new tomb raider. Xbox one only. Lol we all know it will be ported because of the sales.i say this before it even comes.it will do ok but not like if it was on the ps4 also.the team that is making it will find out what a mistake it was to put it just on xbone.

Okay, who even got that idea? Battletoads is from Rare, and Microsoft does own Rare, but XBox is the absolute last thing I'd ever associate with Battletoads. Wouldn't something from Halo have made more sense? So, while I defintely love this callback to the coolest toads ever, it's plain dumb to make it an XBox-exclusive boss. Most XBoners probably don't even know Battletoads.
Kratos is at least somewhat plausible, although pretty artifical, but that's what happens when a company never was in the 8-bit era of gaming.

Not a big deal, even if we never get anything. The games been out for long enough to be old news to us.

Calling it: Nintendo Shovel Knight gets Captain Falcon.

My picks:
Midna
Captain Toad
Mega Man
Simon Belmont
Link (Zelda II style)

The first two becaue they aren't obvious and they fit into the gestalt that Shovel Knight has built up.

The last three because those are the strongest influences on Shovel Knight to begin with and all originated on the NES (the platform which Shovel Knight pretends to be on)

Either that or a Metroid. I'd dig that the most, I think.

Oh, wait. People are bothered by this?

I'm glad I didn't have to wait this long to play it, and the game has been a stand out on Wii U. It would be fun to have a Nintendo visitor, but no loss if not. Battletoads are sort of infamous and it's a fun nod to Rare as Microsoft had no big games in that era... I guess they could have had something from Minesweeper?

Those toads are extremely stylish and cultured.

IDK who the crap the battle toads are. Would love to see some old Zelda sprites in shovel knight though! Maybe like, Link from Zelda II

I would love to see Donkey Kong be a boss, oomplete with a stage similar to the original Donkey Kong arcade game. Imagine bouncing on the barrels with his shovel.

Or something Zelda related would be nice.

@TeeJay They're crazy stupid difficult games from the NES/SNES era. But, they were still pretty enjoyable.

It would be great to have the Hylian hero and his friends be part of the game.

Mario Knight... Confirmed?

If not for the limited continues I would consider Battletoads to be easier than Ninja Gaiden. With only 5 continues the game was near impossible, it took me a lot of time to get past level 9 and once I did I died in level 11. Lost all hope and never tried again

Still one of my favorite games ever, it was a lot of fun and it had a great level design for the time, is a lot more creative than many games this days.

...Yeah, this is a better deal than Kratos.

Anyways, I think Samus would be a good candidate for this.

I'll call Gamestop about the Xbox One version with Battletoads.........

........Good thing I have my pro membership card!!!

@JellySplat
Ridiculously hard beat 'em up/platformer by Rare. Born on the NES during the TMNT craze. That's Battletoads.

@JaxonH
Totally agree, but business is business. I do expect them to release a free dlc of sorts with a Nintendo exclusive boss or something like that to make up for it a bit.

OMG I just wanna listen to a longer version of that song. So jealous that only Xbox is getting this. (I wonder if it indicates Battletoads are coming back? Phil Spencer was wearing a Battletoads t-shirt at the Windows 10 presentation in January.)

For me, if your looking for a blast from Nintendo's past, truly in keeping with the retro 8bit theme of the game, i'd like to see Popo and Nana from Ice Climber.

They're Nintendo's own IP, made relevant by appearances in Smash Bros, unlikely to have their own title anytime soon, criminally overlooked while the likes of Kid Icarus and Excitebike get reboots and cameos, and most importantly wield comparably blunt tools to Shovel Knight in the form of their mallets - meaning no awkward change necessary to the game mechanics.

@ElkinFencer10
I would still consider it for Wii U. Changing weapons on the touchpad keeps you in the game more, aka less pausing to change weapons.

Technically the Wii U version is supposed to get an exclusive Couch-Battle mode that's supposed to play like Smash Bros, so there is something exclusive coming our way (if the Bard isn't playable in it, I'm gonna be mad). Still, if they DID add a nice little cameo of a Nintendo character, I wouldn't complain .

So they are going for the Soul Calibur approach: Different guest-stars on different consoles. Hmmm, I rather had it all! But that's not gonna happen.

Either way: If Sony and Microsoft get their exclusive guests, then we need something too. But I guess that won't happen, Nintendo gamers always get screwed!

I knew Xbox One was get in Shovel Knight, but I had no idea Battle Toads would be on there. Pretty cool, I still remember playing the crossover game between Double Dragon and BattleToads on SNES.

Captain Falcon for Nintendo.

@SilentS
Yes, both games are harder than Battletoads in my book too. Specially Ghost and Goblins , which is unfairly hard.(by the way I haven't finished neither).

@Tsurii897 How dare you, they're beautiful classics from the NES era who fit perfectly in this NES Love letter of a game

@TruenoGT

What about Nintendo character skins on fighter planes in Ace Combat? Nintendo characters in Monster Hunter 4? Nintendo outfits in Bayonetta? Re-skinning Dynasty Warriors using the Zelda universe?

@maceng

G'N'G was stupidly hard, especially since you have to run through it twice to truly beat it. I gave up after the first time, cause it was hard enough as it was and I played it so much to be sick of the game at the time. Many people were considered really good just for passing the first level.

Besides, the way I see it, only reason Battletoads is really brutal is because of the coop mode. Being able to attack each other. If it wasnt for that fact, then it would only be a single stage or 2 that would get most people.

OMG! BATTLETOADS WITH SHOVEL KNIGHT! Ugh, I HATE the fact Microsoft has the rights to Rare.

I backed it on Kickstarter, and I don't feel "left out".

I know these guys are doing all they can to have fun stuff going on for all their audiences.

Hmmm...
how about a Shovel Knight amiibo?
I'd crowdfund that.
And he could unlock the bonus content we seek.
And we'd be the only console family with a Shovel Knight figure

Oh, and if we get something exclusive it should be free! After all Microsoft followers don't have to pay extra for the Battletoads, while Sony followers don't have to pay extra for Kratos. And I guess Microsoft and Sony followers have already to pay less for the game then we did!

Since there was a Shovel Knight cameo in Armillo, I always wondered why there wasn't an Armillo cameo in Shovel Knight...

Looking forward to Plague Knight and multiplayer content.

Battletoads and Kratos? Seems random. Is this an extra level or something?

If the Nintendo version gets a cameo, Link from Zelda II or Meta Knight sound alright, but I guess it's not easy to license those characters.
Anyway I'm not suggesting or wishing for anything, wanna be surprised and see what they come up with.

This literally made me cry. I miss the BattleToads so much. Too bad I will never buy another M$ system so I might as well put a bullet into the idea of ever getting a chance to play another BT game.

Kratos is the funny part about this story. Even though it boasts the leading console, Sony just can't buy cool. M$ got a great deal with Battletoads, kind of wish everybody just got toads. If we get new characters for Nintendo consoles...how about a Link, Samus, or Belmont? Actually the ultimate meta solution is some Scrooge McDuck. That would be awesome!

This makes me want to buy an XBONE SOMEONE STOP ME!!!
I guess I'm in that elite clan that beat the original Battletoads, but I exploited some really weird glitch that teleported me 2 levels ahead like 6 times so that I ended up at the queen person way faster than usual.

It's amazing what MS is trying to sell their failed console. They try to sell it with nostalgia, but all you get with it are many non-exclusive indies and the same FPS games you get on the X360. For me, the XBO is like the Atari 5200, the same old games in a slightly better, awful-looking machine.
Why do you ask for a fan-service gimmick? We got the game first and we get better games after all.
Battletoads? The people who were behind it and made it wonderful won't be there, the upcoming release doesn't excite me as it would have 15 years ago or so when the real RARE was working with Nintendo.

I slightly agree on the Battletoads. I can see why Battletoads fans are happy, but at the same time there won't be a NEW Battletoads game. At least not by Rareware. Rareware isn't even behind this cameo I guess. Microsoft just takes characters from Rareware and give them to others. Just as with Conker: No new Conker game, but Conker in a game-building tool! And they took Killer instinct and gave it to a seperate developer. Of course Rareware is fine with that (its probably all in their contract), since they need all their time for those mighty fine Sports games! How the mighty have fallen!

"Since there was a Shovel Knight cameo in Armillo, I always wondered why there wasn't an Armillo cameo in Shovel Knight..."

I didn't know that. But I haven't played that much Armillo yet!

As for exclusive Nintendo dlc: Starfox crew perhaps?

Is it time to start calling GameStop for Battle Toads yet

@SilentS Contra is one of the easiest games of all time.

You get the Spreadgun and never let it go.

You duck during the "3D" levels.

Cake.

This is an outrage! MS has no right to battletoads, especially when this boss fight includes level design almost exactly as it was from the original NES battletoads games, I know because I have the cart on my desk and have had it since I was 10 yrs old!! This should have been a wii u exclusive boss fight. Sad face poor form yacht club.