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Well, the European Nintendo Download Update is live, and it's another big 'un. The Switch is packed with high profile downloads which is sure to lead to stiff competition, while there are also some tempting DLC and demo options.

As an additional note, you'll notice this article doesn't have all of the new discounts for the week. Why? Because 'more than 270' games have been reduced and it broke the page to try and add them all. You can check out the Switch discounts here, though.

Switch eShop

Yooka-Laylee (Playtonic Games, €39.99 / £34.99) - A title that set Kickstarter alight before enduring a mixed reception on other systems, it's taken a little while to make it to Nintendo hardware. Thankfully the Switch gets a well optimised version of the 3D platformer that also addresses issues from the initial launch; we were very impressed with it in our Yooka-Laylee review.

Poly Bridge (Dry Cactus Limited, €14.99 / £13.49) - An intriguing engineering / puzzle game already out on PC and smart devices, it t has a campaign of 105 levels in which you need to construct increasingly extravagant - and solid - bridges within a budget. Beyond that there's a Sandbox mode where you can do, well, pretty much anything you want. We liked this a lot in our Poly Bridge review.

The End is Nigh (Nicalis, €14.99 / £13.49) - A game by Edmund McMillen, this follows protagonist Ash and his attempt to navigate a post-apocalyptic world packed with hazards and enemies. A mature hardcore platformer that boasts of "600+" levels and lots to collect, this is sure to be on plenty of wishlists. We rather like it in our The End is Nigh review.

Romancing SaGa 2 (Square Enix, €19.99 / £15.99 until 8th January, normally €24.99 / £19.99) - The game was previously a Japanese Super Famicom exclusive, having originally seen release in Japan in 1993. Recently, Square Enix localised the game for smartphones and the Switch version is presumably based upon the same code. A fan-made translation also appeared recently. Available from 15th December.

Mutant Mudds Collection (Atooi, €12.99 / £10.99) - This combines the excellent Mutant Mudds Deluxe and Mutant Mudds Super Challenge with the new block-matching game Mudd Blocks. That's a lot of fun platforming (and matching), and we gave this a lot of praise in our Mutant Mudds Collection review.

Pinball FX3 (Zen Studios, free to start) - An exciting arrival for pinball fans, it's a platform / community with a whole lot of tables and packs to buy. Aside from that it's all about the infrastructure to add a competitive element to the play, with various online options, multiplayer and challenge modes. You can get three tables for free (though two are only free for a limited time, so be sure to grab the Carnivals and Legends pack right away from the eShop), with many more available to buy, while the TATE vertical layout will be worth trying out.

Stern Pinball Arcade (FarSight Studios, free to start) - Yep, it's a battle of pinball games. In this case the focus is realism and accuracy, with this game seeking to digitally recreate classic real-life tables. As with Pinball FX3 there are lots of options to buy individually, with two distinct price brackets of premium and slightly less expensive tables. You get Mary Shelley's Frankenstein included with the free download.

Gorogoa (Annapurna Interactive, €14.99 / £11.99) - An intriguing title in that it utilises hand-drawn story panels for its core mechanic, as you aim to solve puzzles by arranging them "in imaginative ways". We'll sketch out a review and let you know what we think.

Bleed (Digerati, €14.99 / £13.49) - This is a fast paced 2D action-platformer with "acrobatic dodging and fluid, challenging gameplay". There are various weapons and three characters to try out, along with four difficulty settings and support for local co-op. It looks rather fun in footage, and we'll see how well it stacks up in a review.

One More Dungeon (Ratalaika Games, €7.99 / £6.99) - This ticks a number of boxes: first-person dungeon crawling, roguelike gameplay with procedurally generated stages, retro-styled graphics. It could be a lot of fun; we'll find out in our review.

Unepic (unepic fran, €9.99 / £8.99) - The work of Barcelona-based Francisco Téllez de Meneses, this is a dungeon-filled 2D RPG that delivers a great deal of depth with a high number of rooms, potions, weapons and more to explore; we'll check it out on Switch, but in the meantime you can check out our original Wii U eShop Unepic review. Available from 15th December.

Plantera Deluxe (Ratalaika Games, €4.99 / £4.9) - A rather cute and relaxing game in which you tend to a garden and some animals; it's rather simplistic but can be a pleasurable game with the right mindset. We gave a modest recommendation to the Wii U version.

Hiragana Pixel Party (Springloaded, €7.99 / £6.99) - In what could be one of the first edutainment releases on Switch, this is a 'rhythm-action platforming Japanese-learning chiptune adventure'. Available from 16th December.

The Last Blade (HAMSTER, €6.99 / £6.29) - The much-loved ACA series continues with another Neo Geo fighter, with this one taking part in the "Bakumatsu” period of Japanese history; that means sword slashing action. Despite there being such a wealth of fighting games from the system on the Switch, check out our The Last Blade review from the Wii days to understand why this is one of the very best.

Switch eShop Pre-Load / Pre-Purchase

Tiny Troopers Joint Ops XL (Wired Productions, €12.99 / £9.99)

Nintendo Switch DLC

Rocket League® – Unlocked Event Crates x1 (Psyonix, €2.11 / £1.87)

Rocket League® – Unlocked Event Crates x5 (Psyonix, €8.45 / £7.52)

Rocket League® – Unlocked Event Crates x10 (Psyonix, €16.91 / £15.04)

Rocket League® – Unlocked Event Crates x20 (Psyonix, €33.83 / £30.09)

Nights of Azure 2: Side story, Time Drifts Through the Moonlit Night (Koei Tecmo, €8.99 / £8.09)

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero - Shantae: Friends to the End (WayForward, €7.99 / £7.19)

Let's Sing 2018 - Song Pass (Koch Media, €19.99 / £15.99)

Let's Sing 2018 - Chart Hits Song Pack (Koch Media, €4.99 / £3.99)

Let's Sing 2018 - Best of 80's Song Pack (Koch Media, €4.99 / £3.99)

Let's Sing 2018 - Party Classics Song Pack (Koch Media, €4.99 / £3.99)

Let's Sing 2018 - Party Classics Vol. 2 Song Pack (Koch Media, €4.99 / £3.99)

Let's Sing 2018 - Legendary Hits Song Pack (Koch Media, €4.99 / £3.99)

Pinball FX3 - Zen Originals Season 1 Bundle (Zen Studios, €19.99 / £17.99)

Pinball FX3 - Carnivals and Legends (Zen Studios, free until 18th December, then €6,99 / £6,29)

Pinball FX3 - Zen Classics (Zen Studios, €9.99 / £8.99)

Pinball FX3 - Core Collection (Zen Studios, €9.99 / £8.99)

Pinball FX3 - Sci-Fi Pack (Zen Studios, €9.99 / £8.99)

Pinball FX3 - Medieval Pack (Zen Studios, €4.99 / £4.49)

Pinball FX3 - Iron & Steel Pack (Zen Studios, €4.99 / £4.49)

Pinball FX3 - Universal Classics™ Pinball (Zen Studios, €9.99 / £8.99)

Pinball FX3 - Aliens vs. Pinball (Zen Studios, €9.99 / £8.99)

Pinball FX3 - Balls of Glory Pinball (Zen Studios, €9.99 / £8.99)

Pinball FX3 - The Walking Dead (Zen Studios, €2.99 / £2.69)

Pinball FX3 - Portal ® Pinball (Zen Studios, €2.99 / £2.69)

Stern Pinball Arcade: Harley-Davidson® / Third Edition (FarSight Studios, €4.23 / £3.78)

Stern Pinball Arcade: AC/DC® Premium (FarSight Studios, €8.48 / £7.57)

Stern Pinball Arcade: Star Trek™ Vengeance Premium (FarSight Studios, €8.48 / £7.57)

Stern Pinball Arcade: Mustang® Premium "Boss" (FarSight Studios, €8.48 / £7.57)

Stern Pinball Arcade: Phantom of the Opera™ (FarSight Studios, €4.23 / £3.78)

Stern Pinball Arcade: Ghostbusters™ Premium (FarSight Studios, €8.48 / £7.57)

Stern Pinball Arcade: Ripley's Believe it or Not (FarSight Studios, €4.23 / £3.78)

Stern Pinball Arcade: Starship Troopers™ (FarSight Studios, €4.23 / £3.78)

Stern Pinball Arcade: Last Action Hero™ (FarSight Studios, €4.23 / £3.78)

Stern Pinball Arcade: High Roller Casino™ (FarSight Studios, €4.23 / £3.78)

Stern Pinball Arcade: Add-on Pack 1 (FarSight Studios, €16.96 / £15.16)

Stern Pinball Arcade: Add-on Pack 2 (FarSight Studios, €16.96 / £15.16)

Switch eShop Demo

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood (StageClearStudios, free)

New Nintendo 3DS

BLOK DROP CHAOS (RCMADIAX, €1.49 / £1.39) - In this one you control a paddle to collect the 'correct shape' as it falls, avoiding others.

3DS DLC

Culdcept Revolt - Lost Woods (NIS America, free)

3DS HOME Themes

Kirby Copy Ability Global Poll (Nintendo, free)

Zelda: Four Champions (Nintendo, €1.99 / £1.79)

We are Fashion Friends! (Rainbow, €0.99 / £0.89)

Maggie and Bianca glam rock (Rainbow, €0.99 / £0.89)

GO.ZY. & LOVE (Rainbow, €1.99 / £1.79)

Rose and Joy (Rainbow, €0.99 / £0.89)

Rose and Astoria (Rainbow, €0.99 / £0.89)

Fairytale mission! (Rainbow, €1.99 / £1.79)

Stella, Bloom and Flora Tynix (Rainbow, €0.99 / £0.89)

Wii U Virtual Console

Battle Lode Runner (Konami, €5.99 / £5.39) - Another TG-16 title, this time a colourful variation of a series that never got much beyond 'cult' popularity; you can check out our old review of the Wii VC release if you want a true blast from the past.

Bomberman '93 (Konami, €5.99 / £5.39) - We must be getting close to the Wii U Virtual Console being renamed the 'Konami Retro Portal', or something along those lines. This time around we get a TurboGrafx-16 entry in the Bomberman series, and it's pretty darn good especially in multiplayer.

Lords of Thunder (Konami, €7.99 / £7.19) - A TG16 side-scrolling shooter that has you "blasting enemies to heavy-metal tunes". Yes please

Wii U DLC

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero - Shantae: Friends to the End (WayForward, €6.79 / £6.09)


Plenty to choose from this week - let us know what you'll be downloading in the poll and comments below.

What will you be downloading this week?

(You can select up to 24 answers)