Nintendo Download: 23rd March (North America)

The biggest release this week is super Mario run.
So many games coming to the switch. So much to choose from. Lucky there is a filter to go through the eshop

I'm going to have to give Neo Turf Masters a go after such NL hype. It will be nice to have a golf game on the Switch. I have a history of pouring way too many hours into golf games on various Nintendo machines.

I don't know why they decide to put the Splatoon test for one hour at a time instead of 3 full days.

I beleive Snake Pass is on the 28th as well good sir

I was kinda hoping to update Smash 64 on my Wii U. Ah well.

Where is the European update?

I thought the third Box Boy came to us 3ds today??

Europe shop update at all? Don't like this Thursday announcement for US and Europe now

@The__Goomba That comes on Mondays.

@Xaessya To have more players playing at the same limited time in order to be able to get a better idea of how their servers hold up.

RIP, Virtual Console.

@JHDK Not anymore. Since Switch came out, Europe update became Thursdays.

@Cosats BINGO! It's a server stress-test.

@JHDK It doesn't come on Mondays anymore. It comes on Thursdays and later than the American e-shop list. New console, new habits.

@Xaessya Server stress-testing, perhaps?

@Cosats @Grumblevolcano Huh, good to know.

@ThomasBW84
"This series gives you minimal controls over a train as you take in the sites of Japan"

Don't you means "sights"?

What if Nintendo bought or contracted with M2 and are having them do all the VC for Switch.............

@readyletsgo Ya, it's pants. We're ahead of America by the clock yet our press releases come out after theirs. Monday was a far better day. New week, new games listings. At least now they don't have bank holidays as an excuse not to put out a press release.

@The__Goomba It'll be available in about an hours time.

@JHDK They changed it to Thursday last week.

I was hoping for more n64 wii u vc

@Xaessya To get proper data of their servers.
Three full days would create such a mass of data and white noise that it would be a goomba and a half to analyze.

Add to that, that such a small time window will create much bigger peak numbers, simultaneous log-ins etc.
If you want to create a pure stress-test, there is no better way.

@ThomasBW84
"As always, Nintendo of America also wants you to check out the official sales and deals website (or the eShop) to learn more about discounts"

I've seen you 'always' list sales, so what happened?

Has-Been Heroes has been delayed on game card for Switch in Australia by 1 week 😢 Got a free copy launch night and was looking forward to playing it this week.

At least I got Binding of Isaac from the US 👍

@readyletsgo really your crying about it lol.people need to grow

@The__Goomba They in fact changed the press release day from Monday to Thursday 3 weeks ago. The change started with the release of the Switch.

Edit: The European Press Release may not be out yet but I can tell you that there are some tasty discounts coming for Wii U eShop games. Runbow, Duck Tales Remastered, Axiom Verge, Terraria, SteamWorld Heist, Oddworld: New n' Tasty, Severed, Affordable Space Adventures, Stealth Inc. 2, Jotun: Valhalla Edition, Resident Evil: Revelations to name just a few. They're all half price or better except for Axiom Verge and Jotun: Valhalla Edition though the latter isn't far off half price.

Also, on VC we're getting 2 Konami TurboGFX titles, Dungeon Explorer and Neutopia.

Still gutted we don't get our update on a Monday any more, even worse that we don't get ours first given we're 5 hours ahead of you!

Nothing good for the consoles. Already downloaded the testfire days ago.

Super Mario Run is fun, at least.

This'll be my first time ever playing Splatoon (I'll be playing on Switch). Go easy on me guys!

I've got the Splatoon 2: Global Testfire downloaded and ready to go ..I'm now mentally preparing myself for the likelihood that a bunch of young Inkling Boys and Girls around the globe are going to lay the splat down with me!

really wanted mario sports but after the NL review its now a pass for me...

Pretty sure Snake Pass comes out on the 28th as well.

Also, I'm starting to think Pocket Rumble isn't making March like they intended.

@Slim1999 welcome to the internet, boohoo

@Xaessya @Einherjar "To get proper data of their servers. "

I'm ok w/ it being only 6 hours, but it looks like they went out of their way to pick 5 of those 6 hours to get the least amount of people playing, it's the anti-stress test.

East coast
Fri 3-4PM adults at work, 11-12PM kids in bed
Sat 7-8AM sleeping, 3-4 OK, 11-12PM kids in bed
Sun 7-8AM sleeping

2 of the testfires are at 4-5AM in California

If they wanted to actually "Test" the servers -
Fri - 6PM Cali / 9PM NY
Sat/Sun 10AM Cali / 1PM NY and 4PM Cali / 7PM NY

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/02/splatoon_2_global_testfire_to_take_place_during_nintendo_switch_launch_month

@rjejr But those times would be terrible in Japan.

No VC, Switch VC info coming real soon?

Feel like I'm going to spontaneously combust waiting for the Virtual Console on Switch.

Oh boy I feel like here we go again kids! Shades of the Wii U updates. Not a great week for the Switch but I'll grab Neo golf to mess with. Step it up Nintendo. Almost done with Zelda.

European eShop has been updated with World of Goo, Little Inferno, Human Resource Machine and Neo Turf Masters.

@chardir So far they've sold 360,000 Switch in Japan, 500,000 in the US. The US is a lot more diverse of an area w/ a lot more diverse broadband distribution. I think Nintendo needs to worry more about Splatoon 2 servers working well in the US than Japan. At the very least they could have picked a more diverse selection of times in the US, having 5 of 6 times be bad is almost pointless in having it.

Here are the dates and times:
March 24
12-12:59 p.m. PT / 3-3:59 p.m. ET
8-8:59 p.m. PT / 11-11:59 p.m. ET
March 25
4-4:59 a.m. PT / 7-7:59 a.m. ET
12-12:59 p.m. PT / 3-3:59 p.m. ET
8-8:59 p.m. PT / 11-11:59 p.m. ET
March 26
4-4:59 a.m. PT / 7-7:59 a.m. ET

Nobody is gaming between 4-5 west coast, 7-8 east coast, on Sat and Sunday mornings. And that's the only 1 on Sunday.

@BornInNorway81 Game media rolls over to the wishes of corporations. When a media source does this, it should tell you to trust them less.

@Xaessya In order to force as many people online at one time as they can. Which is a good stress test, and keeps a constant flow of players.

Yet another Japanese Rail Sim?? Man, I wish they'd release more Air Traffic Controller games instead. They're, IMO, better games and I'd buy those.

New Frontier Days looks interesting and cheap - I'll buy. Has Been Heroes looks great too.

Only hour-long sessions for the Splatoon test is absurd. I'm not building my life around attempting to play that game for such short spans of time

So, we can buy Has-Been Heroes today but can't play till Tuesday? I hope this doesn't become a trend. I hate waiting to play a game after I've bought and downloaded it!

I didn't know nintendo still did demos, color me surprised

downloading them, downloaded the trial version of Mario Run, big week by recent eshop standards

Neo Turf Masters for me! Seriously, even if you don't like golf games, give this one a shot. This (and most Neo Geo sports games) are action-focused and a whole lot of fun.

And before anyone complains about the price...

@SmaMan Wow, only 2350 times the eShop's asking price. I suppose that's fairly reasonable...

Has-Been heroes kinda interests me, so I might look into it when I get a Switch this summer.

So no Wii-U virtual console games this week? I was kinda hoping to see Bomberman 64 the 2nd attack,smash 64 and a few other titles make it before the VC died. If they don't give us anything new for the VC next week then rest in peace to the Wii-U VC.

@rjejr I'll be playing most of those times. Come on! It's Splatoon TWO! Many questions and a new experience using the Switch. Though many of the questions won't be answered and it will be limited I want to see how it goes first hand. Won't miss any I can help.

11 - 12: not that late but, yeah, kids in bed... maybe an exception on Friday night. 7-8: not that early we are all usually up by then even on a Saturday, for Splatoon the kids will be up.

Anyway, I just wish it was longer overall. Hopefully they sneak in another one or two before launch.

@Xaessya because the game lacks content.

@aaronsullivan Are you planning on buying a 2nd Switch for the testfire or have you already picked one up?

Glad to know you'll make the most of it, but admit it, they could have picked better times. Would you be up at 4-5AM if you were on the west coast?

How's it going overall? I know it was worth it for Zelda, you guys playing enough of the other games or waiting for MK8D which I'm sure battle mode will be very enjoyable. We're still looking at Christmas, but I don't think we'll be excited until Nintendo starts talking more. Really hope they don't make us wait until E3 for everything. New games yes, but Splatoon 2 and ARMS could use release dates before that. Heck ARMS should be out before that. ND would be nice is all I'm saying.

I thought Bye-Bye Boxboy was releasing today? Saw it on the UK release but nothing for NA.

Notable sales

3DS
Unchained Blades $7.49 ends 3/24
Retro City Rampage: DX $4.99
SteamWorld Heist $7.49 (also on Wii U)
SMT Devil Summoner Soul Hackers $9.99
Corpse Party $19.99

Wii U
Darksiders II $5.99
Tadpole Treble $5.99
Runbow $7.49

@JHDK

I was feeling the same way! It's so weird tho, if you go back and read their original review of the game on the VC it scored a 6 lol - they didn't seem to impressed at the time

Wow, that long wait for "support code 804-6200" on Android sure was worth it.

@JHDK me too. Feel like I need something relaxing to play. I'm a bit stuck on Zelda, and RMX is fantastic when in the mood. It for a later evening noodle, a good game should be just right.

Armored ACORNs: Action Squirrel Squad sounds cool. I'll give it a try.

Neo Turf Masters and Mario Sports Superstars even though no 3d I will try and bare it. Haha I don't even know when I ordered Mario Sports Superstars. All I know is I got an email from Amazon Saying it's on the way and they charged me 31.99 I think I ordered it when it was announced

I'm getting the physical edition of Has Been Heroes for Switch. Already got the Splatoon 2 Testfire App downloaded, and I'll be grabbing more Neo Geo for Switch as well.

There's a few good games about to drop on Switch starting now with Has Been Heroes, and Snake Pass next and Puyo Puyo Tetris after that I think? In the lead up to Mario Kart.

I can't wait to see Mario Kart on that handheld screen. I'm gonna play battle mode with my co-workers every day. Maybe some races too

..remember that old system...

...they were still going support?...
..ah, the good ol days....

I just can't get over how people are pretending that they have never played Nintendo games on a handheld. OMG! I can play Zelda on the go! OMG! Mario Kart on a handheld, I can play with my friends!

Seriously, you guys are going to look back on these exaggerations with a red face.

QUESTION ABOUT JAPANESE RAILWAY SIM: Are these entirely new games or remakes of the original games? I already have 5 versions and figured enough was enough. I really like the ones I have. Very good train driving games/ precise driving

@Crono1973 You know what's funny. I don't even consider the Switch a handheld. It's my console and my 3ds is my handheld. If I take a trip I may or may not take the switch but my 3ds is always going with me

@Windy I don't have a Switch but I will certainly take my 3DS or even my Vita out before I will my iPad. I just hate the exaggerations about FINALLY being able to play <XXX> on the go. We have been playing Zelda on the go since the original Game Boy in 1993. That's 23 years and people are like 'Where else can I play Zelda on the go?' Really?!?

@Xaessya last time they said the same thing and quickly changed to the full weekend. That was due to load issues and it was impossible to join. I almost hope for the same this time, or that they just decide to go full days for any reason.

@BinaryFragger Yep and people also pretend like the Wii U version of Zelda doesn't exist. You see things like 'Can't wait until I get a Switch so I can play Zelda.' I have good news for you fella, you can get it on the Wii U and save yourself $300. Chances are that people on r/Nintendo or Nintendo Life have a Wii U and chances are those people will be going back to the Wii U soon enough when they are finished with Zelda. Maybe they just can't wait to play Mario Kart 8 again, well they don't need to wait.

I am digging neo-turf masters right now. I have the switch on my desk with the stand out playing it with the left joy-con as it's own controller.

@Crono1973 Many people chose to skip the Wii U. So they aren't going to buy one now to play the last Wii U game to ever be made.

WHERE IS SMASH 64.

@Ps4all Many people chose to skip the Wii U with a much better launch library but bought the Switch! Hype does some amazing things. Besides, my point stands, most people on Nintendo specific forums bought a Wii U.

A little sad by the lack of a Wii U virtual console release, especially since there are still Nintendo published titles not released not to mention the classics that are still missing.

Curious to see how long the console will see e-shop releases as the year continues.

looks at english translated mother 3 cart

@ogo79 ...brags on the internet.

@Crono1973
its a 25 dollar game

@ogo79 ....brags some more. Implies 'I got mine!'

If not, please tell me what your original point was?

Darksiders 2 is available for $5.99 on the WiiU eshop. You guys forgot that one.

Hmm Steamworld Heist is super tempting on Wii U, though I still have a bunch of unplayed games and I just bought the Resident Evil 6 game Super Pack for 20 bucks on my Xbox. What to do...

The Global testfire app for Splatoon 2 has been available in North America for the past week or so now. My daughter won't stop opening it to hear the new song.

@Crono1973
i can assure you im not bragging about a 25 dollar game...
im suggesting to people that are still waiting for mother 3 on wii u to get the cart until it hits switch. you obviously dont know much about me on here, otherwise youd probably get the point i was making.
another thing im suggesting is, try not to spend too much time trying to analyze my antics. if i wanted to brag about games i can assure you the last one id rub in peoples faces is a reproduction.

@Fooligan and severed, which i just got

@feelinsupersonic Yeah I saw it was on sale. I didn't put it on my list because I didn't know the sale price because I already have purchased it so on my systems the price shows up as $0.00. 😁

@JaxonH
If I buy Has Been Heros, it'll be physical as well, any game that has a retail release gets purchased that way, need to save space (I really like having cartridges for my 'home console' again). I'm also hyped for Mario Kart 8, I think I'll like it better on Switch because it will have all the DLC that I missed because I had sold my Wii U by the time the extra content hit. The original release just felt too similar to Mario Kart 7 but with lesser controls and a gravity gimmick that wasn't off-putting but didn't hook me in either. Excited to give it a second chance though, a buddy of mine thought the same as I did when he first played Mario Kart 8 but said when the extra stuff was added he got into it much more.

Playing through Zelda right now, which is amazing, so nothing I'm interested in downloading this week but I'm looking forward to April as it should see both Mr. Shifty and one of my most anticipated games of the year, Shakedown Hawaii. Retro City Rampage was awesome so this is a must-buy. Not often that a downloadable game plays into my purchasing decisions but Nintendo getting the timed-exclusive on that did play a factor (along with a few other games) in me getting a Switch a little bit sooner.

Why was World of Goo not mentioned on here?

Getting Snake Pass on tuesday, reminds me of chameleon twist but instead of platforming with your tongue you use your whole body

@Gamer83
Hey... congrats on the Switch. I can't remember if you're into handhelds like I am, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the system. I really like it- much more than Wii or Wii U (and actually looks sleek- I like sleek). I particularly like the tabletop mode and the Joycons. I can definitely see people who have never really been handheld gamers enjoying the tabletop mode. Well, plus the games aren't watered down like on 3DS (not to knock handheld games, some of the best games I've played have been 3DS games... but you know what I mean)

I didn't know you were into some of the smaller games. You really do play everything. I never played Retro City Rampage but Shakedown Hawaii did look pretty cool, and I'll definitely be checking it out. Hearing you speak so highly of it does kind of pique my interest that much more.

I think you'll love Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just cause the DLC was actually really good- I always liked the game but... no battle mode.That was a crushing blow. This one will have like 50 tracks, and 5 battle modes in 8 new arenas which is awesome. I hear they're also letting you break during drifting now which will be crucial for turns in 200cc. I also like the idea of taking it to work and playing battle mode with some coworkers.

How far are you in Zelda? I just got the final piece of the rubber armor and maKing my way toward Gerudo. Passed through the land of lightning, just doing a little shrine hunting on the way. Just 1 more Divine Beast. Still so much to explore and find though.

@JaxonH
It's early days but I do really think the Switch is an excellent piece of hardware. The first thing I noticed about it, and some may complain but imo it's a good thing, is the very simple UI. No music, not one billion different things going on on the screen just shows your games and you're good to go. It's a simplified 3DS UI, a huge plus. What is really brilliant is the ease of going from console mode, to tabletop to handheld. I'm not into handhelds like you but I do buy them because I love games in general, I just don't game much outside the house. I probably won't use portable mode that much, if at all, but I can see table top being huge in my house. Watching sports is a huge hobby of mine, especially the playoffs for the major ones and thanks to Switch I can just remove the system from the dock, set it up on my coffee table and keep playing without a compromised experience while I watch the tv. And that's the most impressive aspect of the machine, no matter how you play it's the same game (I truly hope Sony and MS consider hybrids in the future). This is the true successor to the Wii, Nintendo has been hit and miss with its consoles post-SNES, this one is a home run as far as the system itself is concerned. We'll see how it sells and how its library ends up, but potential is certainly high for both.

I'm not far at all in Zelda, I just got to Hateno, side quests and shrines have distracted me but when I get a day off from work I plan on making lots of progress in the main story. Loving the game and how it doesn't guide you the whole way through, similar to how A Link Between Worlds didn't hand hold, Breath of the Wild just takes it a step further. Looking forward to playing more of it.

I'm really hyped for Mario Kart 8. It was a good game on Wii U, I think the main issue was just my disappointment with that system in general and when the game didn't grab me like the original, Mario Kart 64, DS, Wii and 7, I gave up. However, all those tracks, the characters, battle mode, 8 Deluxe is going to be insane.

And yeah, I don't talk about them as much as the 'AAA' productions but I do like several smaller budget games from indie studios. Retro City Rampage was an 8-bit take on the old school GTA formula except really fun with a lot of hilarious 80s and 90s references. Shakedown Hawaii is going to be 16-bit style, so we're looking at better graphics with hopefully an improved take on the winning gameplay from RCR. I'm sure the humor will be there as well. Definite day one buy.

@JaxonH
My friend code is SW-0198-3768-6880, btw. You and anybody else can feel free to add me, I'm looking to build up my friend list ahead of some of the competitive games like Mario Kart 8 and Ultra Street Fighter II.

I voted for splatoon 2 but I'm buying the physical has been heroes so I didn't vote for the eshop version. Physical wasn't an option and should have been!!

Did anyone try the Aqua TV for the Wii U? I was one of those persons who made My Aquarium on the Wii a success lol

@Crono1973 yeah like I said I dont really consider the switch gaming on the go. It can be. But I see myself more playing portable on the couch when my wife wants the tv. Heck if the 3DS could cast to the tv like a chromecast I would do that too. But I love the 3d on 3ds so maybe not alot. It would be a sweet option to GoogleChrome 3DS games.

@rjejr We didn't play most of the Splatoon times. lol. The first one was great though. When you know the whole game will have all the stats and the progression, it takes some of the urge to play away.

We really liked everything about it though. Nice touches and improvements everywhere. Will be a definite buy.

As for the overall experience, Zelda is blissful and we are all playing together even though school and work has had us all very busy. Switch has gotten around to people and reactions are positive all around.

Oh, yeah. No second Switch yet. Man did that launch cost a lot of money! Lol. You know I have every Breath of the Wild amiibo. Yep.

Snipperclips is awesome. Bomberman will be fun with the right group but we haven't gotten into that yet. 1,2 Switch is always impressive when showing off the Switch, but day-to-day it gets played the least so far... really at the start it was back and forth between Zelda and Snipperclips.

Just recently priced out an SD card at $40, realized I really didn't need one at all yet, and bought Fast RMX, Blaster Master Zero, and Human Resource Machine using that $40 instead. Super great value altogether actually. Fast RMX is loved by all 4 of us. Blaster Master Zero is considerably better than I expected (probably not your cup of tea with the NES style retro graphics (do you drink tea? )) and Human Resource Machine has my kids doing assembly language programming and having fun doing it. Also a bit better than I expected.

So, yea, we're happy with it.

Just tonight at my daughter's band concert, while we waited for it to start, my son had two girls sitting next to him and they were, all 3, playing Snipperclips together in the seats... how to attach a picture...

That was when he had them do the tutorial. He joined in later.

@aaronsullivan Always nice to read a happy post.

I've liked the idea of Snipperclips the most of the not-Zelda games. (You watch Troll Hunter on Netflix w/ your kids? There's a character named "not-Enrique" who's kinda funny.) Still not sure my kids would be into it. My nephew, turning 11, is getting a Switch for his birthday in some elaborate Zelda, expansion pass, Bomberman bundle. I'm going to have my wife pick him up a couple of those amiibo, not all of them though. Do you have Wolf Link? I won't play w/o him. Or the "rider" (stupid name). My youngest picked up Zelda U on the same receipt as our X1, I'm framing it for posterity. I'm holding out for the map "upgrade", I have map OCD. Told my son I'd purchase the expansion pass when that DLC releases.

I do drink a lot of tea, but only Lipton, having decaf now, it's late. But no NES graphics for me. I'm just about dealing w/ the N64 Rare games, but I allow it b/c of the 3D world nature of those games. I'm a huge fan of those types of games so we do what we gotta. Xbox360 graphics are fine, Viva Pinata is the slowest non-game I've ever played though. 2 ours last night, it lulled me in waiting for something to happen. I need to get back to Conker, he amuses me.

OK, that's 2 down, 1 to go. Oh, and good job w/ the pic. I usually link to pics I tweet first but I'm sure you found an easier way. I tried Instagram but it's too complicated for this old guy.

@rjejr I like the wolf addition with Wolf Link. We had him since Twilight Princess. I hear he's about impossible to find now though. Having one or two amiibo is pretty nice, the way the game works there are so many items that it's not too much and not too little. Though, we did stop using them, having 5 and more (all Zelda amiibo work!) a day is way to much and once we started getting on top of resources we enjoyed earning and using them more.

There is one bonus, Epona (can't remember if it comes from "rider" or "Ocarina Link"), we are really glad we didn't keep because we had so much fun trying different horses. Though, I'm not sure the stats I think I read somewhere that Epona is basically perfect. Cool for later, but when you are first playing it's more fun to earn the rewards.

I was an occasional Lipton hot tea drinker until I did Earl Grey only for awhile (Twinings loose tea, sugar in the raw, bit of cream) — probably Luc Picard's fault. Then, along came coffee. lol.

As for the pic, I have my own hosted site so I can just upload it there and then link to it.

@aaronsullivan "I hear he's about impossible to find now though."

My wife was only able to get Rider Link at the Nintendo NY store. She aksed about Wolf Link and they said they weren't getting any more. Ever. At the official Nitneod store. They aren't getting the amiibo for the biggest game being sold right now, on 2 platforms Wii U and Switch, but they aren't making more of the coolest amiibo in the game. Brilliant. Reggie probably has a bunker filled w/ 200 NES Mini and 2,000 amiibo, 1,000 of Wolf Link and 1,000 of the Guardian. Who would ever want an amiibo that looked that big and cool w/ bendable arms? Nintendo hates making money, it's the only explanation.

I feel bad for anybody waiting to get the game at Christmas w/ a new sWitch, the only amiibo out then will be the leftovers from Animal Crossing amiibo Festival. I better order my Cloud and Bayonetta now before Reggie buys all of those. He's probably selling them on eBay.