Tag: Best of 2020 - Page 2
"I’d love to bring back F-Zero, SSX or Ridge Racer"
Nintendo Switch may have been slow off the starting line when it came to racers, 'realistic' or otherwise, but in the years since launch it's slowly but surely built up a fine catalogue of racing games in addition to everyone's favourite kart racing plumber. Criterion's evergreen Burnout Paradise...
Feature How A Donkey Kong Clone Almost Scuppered Nintendo's Ambitions In The West
This Kong be CRAZY
The following feature is an excerpt from Ken Horowitz's excellent Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games and has been reproduced here with the kind permission of both Horowitz and the publisher. 1981's arcade smash-hit Donkey Kong created a surge in revenue that lifted Nintendo’s prospects for its North...
Feature The Story Of Virtual Tank, A Lost Virtual Boy Successor To Atari's Battlezone
"We were really surprised at the speed that the platform died"
We've pleased to present a chapter from Bitmap Books' excellent The Games That Weren't, which looks at an unreleased Virtual Boy title that aimed to emulate the success of Atari's Battlezone – but sadly never saw the light of day. Nintendo helped rejuvenate the games industry after...
Feature Behind The Music Of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition
We speak to the people behind this wonderous soundtrack
A little while ago Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition arrived on Switch and took many of us on a nostalgia trip to the beloved GameCube original from 2003. While the launch of the remaster perhaps wasn't as smooth as you might hope, one area where it really excelled was the...
Feature From Virtual Boy To Mario Kart Live - Nintendo's History In Mixed Realities
Mario Kart Live was a surprise, but far from unprecedented
It's been six years since we first experienced the wonderful Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, becoming the troubled console’s best-selling title and up until last week, fans had been wondering where the next entry was. Sure, Deluxe arrived in 2017 with expanded content and mobile users have enjoyed
Feature What's The Deal With Super Mario 64's "Shindou Pak Taiou" Version, Anyway?
Mario 64's obscure update you may not be familiar with
By now, we’ve surely all seen the news that Super Mario 64 is finally arriving on Switch as part of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, joining Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy in a limited-time bundle.
"The biggest thing that hasn't really changed is that it's always changing"
The long-awaited release of Kingdom Hearts III on other console platforms last year brought a conclusion, of sorts, to a storied saga which began way back in 2002 on PS2. We say 'of sorts' because the notoriously unwieldy narrative of this series will naturally continue in...
Soapbox Nintendogs Prepared Me For Life As A Dog Owner, And Now I Want A Switch Version
Doggy stylus
Nintendo's cute canine sim first came bounding onto Nintendo DS just over 15 years ago in the US, way back in August 2005. In this Soapbox article, Rebecca remembers how the original game took over her life and ponders where the series has wandered off to... When I was eight years old, all I wanted was a pooch of my own to love and...
Feature How Savvy Innovators Are Plugging Gaps In Animal Crossing: New Horizons
"This wouldn’t be the first time fans have made a tool to complement the game"
In a recent Instagram post, Nicole Cuddihy told her audience that creating more inclusive patterns for Animal Crossing: New Horizons characters has helped her accept her own skin, including “spots, blemishes and stretch marks.” Cuddihy is a New Horizons pattern...
Feature Animal Crossing Character Names Around The World - A Few Of Our Favourite Variants
A rose by any other name
As any fan of the Animal Crossing series will likely know--especially if you've got any of the Animal Crossing amiibo cards--many of your favourite characters have entirely different names in non-English speaking lands. You may know the localised (or original) versions of some of the more famous characters' names, but below...
Feature Rare Turns 35 This Week - We Pick 10 Highlights From The Nintendo Years
Rare talent
Three-and-a-half decades ago this week, British developer Rare was formed. Formerly known as Ultimate Play the Game, the company was created with the express purpose of creating titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System and from the mid-1980s until the early '00s the Twycross-based team would deliver some of the finest video games on...
Talking Point So, Where Does Switch Fit Into Sony And Microsoft's Next Gen Landscape?
The generation game
Following some lower key jargon-heavy info dumps earlier in the year, both of 2020's next-gen consoles and several of their key titles have been unveiled now, and we've got a much clearer picture of what the gaming landscape will look like at the end of the year, at least in hardware terms. Despite worries that Switch would look...
Soapbox 25 Years On, I Still Can't Get Into Yoshi's Island
And it's not for want of trying
On the 25th anniversary of its Japanese release, Gavin ponders why he just can't get down with one of Nintendo's most celebrated games of the 16-bit era... There's a strata of gaming classics so renowned for their quality that they become untouchable. Not liking, say, Ocarina of Time is cause for some serious...
Feature Evergate Developer Takes Us Behind The Scenes Of The Upcoming Puzzle-Platform Adventure
"[It's] a game that we're truly proud of"
Later this year, Switch's impressive library will gain a gorgeous, otherworldly platforming adventure by the name of Evergate, the debut game from Boston-based indie outfit Stone Lantern Games. Following a successful round of crowdfunding early last year, the game is coming courtesy of publisher PQube and...
"I still can’t believe we had the opportunity to do that!"
When it comes to all-conquering multiplatform games these days, there are a few titles which tend to dwarf the rest through mainstream cultural saturation. If you're not in their target demographic, it might be possible to miss these games, but you can't escape their influence. Minecraft...
Talking Point Is Nintendo Making As Many Games As It Used To?
Quality AND quantity?
A little over seven years ago, Nintendo made a big, but understated move that would go on to have an enormous impact on its future: it unified its handheld and console divisions. At the time, this just seemed like a move that would allow the two kinds of development teams to better share ideas and development resources, but...
Gotta hop ‘til you drop
Animal Crossing: New Horizons released with plenty of fun new features, all put in place to grant players an improved level of creativity. Terraforming was the addition that initially got everyone talking but, after 300+ hours of gameplay, I’m just as enamoured with the game’s
Feature The 9 Strangest Choices For Licensed Karting Games
The racing tie-ins nobody really asked for
The Switch can’t avoid licensed kart racing games. It’s already seen its fair share of gems (Team Sonic Racing, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled) and stinkers (Hello Kitty Kruisers, Garfield Kart Furiou
Talking Point Are You Prepared To Spend $70 On The Latest Games?
It wouldn't be the first time
It might not feel like it--especially with the avalanche of titles across all platforms constantly threatening to whittle our bank balance to zero given the chance--but video games remain one of the best value forms of entertainment going. Bloated summer blockbusters might deliver three hours of entertainment for the...
Feature I Am Dead Drops On Switch This September, And We Speak To The Devs To Find Out More
"The Switch audience has shown they are receptive to new types of game"
Revealed as part of the Nintendo Indie World Showcase back in March, colourful puzzle adventure I Am Dead will be landing on Switch in September this year, courtesy of publisher Annapurna Interactive. In it, you take control of museum curator Morris Lupton, a deceased resident...
Talking Point What Do Abuse Scandals Say About The Smash Bros. Community, And Its Future?
Where now for Smash, and esports as a whole?
Before we begin, we'd like to point out that this article discusses sexual coercion, sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse of minors, and links to stories of these accounts. We appreciate this might be outside of our usual remit but we feel very strongly that this is a topic we simply could not ignore...
Feature Missile Dancer Dev Terarin Games On Shmup Design, Future Plans And Embracing Western Players
"Shmups have a simple mechanism, but making good shmups is difficult"
Like so many Japanese gamers, Terarin Games' Junichi Terayama grew up with Nintendo. "The first video game I played was Xevious on the Famicom. However, I didn't have a Famicom as a kid; I was playing it at my friend's house." Despite the lack of unrestricted access to the...
Soapbox Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Wedding Season Is A Reminder That Marriage Is Hard Work
Reese, Cyrus and my gamer brain = a hell of a union
In this Soapbox, Gavin discusses the fine line between enjoying his Animal Crossing dailies and grinding through chores. For anybody prone to compulsive behaviour, video games can be a dangerous pastime. Whether it's grinding away just to get a Platinum trophy, completing a collection of digital...
Talking Point Is EA's Switch Strategy Lazy, Or Simply Common Sense?
Any port in a storm?
EA's on-off relationship with Nintendo over the past decade has been so eventual it's a wonder it hasn't been turned into a 10-part docuseries on Netflix by now. Back in the Wii era, EA was happy to throw resources at Nintendo's system thanks to its impressive install base, and we were gifted with no less than 78 different...
"Every one of these journeys has been special"
Shantae and the Seven Sirens released for Switch and console platforms back at the end of May after debuting (in parts) on Apple Arcade last year. You can read our review for the full verdict, but given the series' history of top-quality entries in the Metroidvania platforming genre, it'll come as no...
Grininja
For fans of the mainline series, it wasn't the most auspicious of starts. The opening announcement from The Pokemon Company's recent 11-minute presentation likely had many a gamer rolling their eyes and wondering what the heck the guardians of the Pocket Monsters franchise were thinking by opening their presentation with a free smartphone...
Feature Biped Producer On The Cute Co-op Platformer's Journey To Switch
"We naturally took a lot of inspirations from various Nintendo games"
Earlier today we reported that Biped, the cute robot puzzle platformer from NExT Studios, is coming to Switch on 2nd July. The game released a couple of months ago on PS4 and PC, but with its local cooperative gameplay and accessible controls, it sure looks tailor-made for...
Talking Point The Time Is Right For Microsoft And Nintendo To Get Comfier With One Another
My enemy's enemy is my friend?
Forgive us for going back over old ground we've already covered, but could Microsoft and Nintendo please just stop flirting with one another and hook up? The fact that the two firms have enormous respect for one another isn't fresh information – heck, they collaborated so that Banjo and Kazooie could appear in
Feature Game Of The Decade Staff Picks - Xenoblade Chronicles
The game the fans asked for
Xenoblade Chronicles is 10 years old today, so we thought it a perfect time to republish this personal account from our Games of the Decade series back in January. We recently revisited the game with the excellent Definitive Edition on Switch, of course, but here Mitch discusses his experience with the original version,...
Feature XCOM 2's Creative Director On The Challenge Of Bringing The Series To Switch
"It’s a privilege to finally bring it to one of my personal favourite platforms"
It's natural to think that franchises are borne out of the pursuit of profit, isn't it? That someone in a suit sits in a boardroom, glances over a "units shipped" column, and abruptly demands a series when a new IP hits a prerequisite sales target. But when it came...
Talking Point Are You Suffering From Animal Crossing: New Horizons Fatigue?
Is it your daily ritual, or the chore you keep putting off?
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is something of a phenomenon, in case you hadn't noticed. Not only has it sold by the bucketload, but it has also attracted celebrity fans like Danny Trejo and Elijah Wood
Feature Moving Out - SMG Studio On 'Pre-Gaming' Apartment Moves And Collaborating Across Continents
"I’m not sure what hours [Jan] kept in Sweden as he always seemed to be up"
When it comes to great co-op games to enjoy with your friends and family, competition is certainly fierce on the Switch. Moving Out is Australian developer SMG Studio's latest offering and follows on from Death Squared, a brilliant local-co-op title that proved that the...
"We’re super proud of the result on Nintendo Switch"
Last month Firesprite Games announced that it was bringing its first-person sci-fi horror game The Persistence to Switch in 2020, and the release date has now been confirmed for 21st May. The studio, originally formed by veterans of
Feature Trials Of Mana Producers On The Challenges Of Remaking A Classic 16-Bit RPG
"We wanted to give the player more freedom and made drastic changes to the overall direction"
Last year Switch owners in the West were able to get their hands on a previously-unavailable RPG treasure for the first time when Square Enix put out an official localisation of Super Famicom classic Seiken Densetsu 3 from 1995, renamed Trials of Mana and...
Talking Point What Does That New ESRB Loot Box Warning Actually Mean?
Or 'surprise mechanics', as certain companies prefer
A few days ago, the ESRB made a blog post detailing a new descriptor it will be adding to many game ratings going forward, which essentially is going to be a loot box warning. Many have praised this move, as the prevalence of loot boxes in modern games is something that’s met with casual...
Talking Point We Should Brace For A Huge Games Industry Knock-On Effect Following The CERO Shutdown
Down to CERO
Today's news that Japanese video game rating organisation CERO--that's the 'Computer Entertainment Rating Organization'--is closing temporarily in response the COVID-19 pandemic will likely have far longer lasting repercussions on the video games industry than recent cancellation of annual events such as E3 and GDC. Japan's response to...
Feature Oxenfree Developer On Mixing Up Demons, Drinks, And Drama In Afterparty
"We wanted to make something that felt [...] like an R-rated Pixar movie"
Just last week, Night School Studio put out Afterparty on the Switch, a release that we absolutely loved. The follow up to 2016's Oxenfree proves itself to be a worthy successor, mixing a darkly humorous story with a cutting edge focus on directly marrying cutscenes with...
Talking Point Has Coronavirus Finally Put E3 Out Of Its Misery?
Game over?
Update: And it's official - E3 2020 has been cancelled. News that E3 2020 is on the verge of being cancelled makes us think of years gone by. There was a time when the mere mention of the Electronic Entertainment Expo gave gamers the world over a spurt of the old dopamine. E3 may have been a comparatively small industry-only event but it...
Talking Point Nintendo Switch Turns 3: Challenges Await, But What A Ride So Far
Switch is maturing like a fine wine
It's a cliché that the latest thing is often branded the greatest thing, but when it comes to video games it's a difficult notion to escape. Every piece of software and hardware builds on the foundation of what came before and, more so than in any other medium, a sequel or successor stands a very good chance of...
Feature WayForward On Vitamin Connection's Switch Exclusivity, Challenges And Influences
"[We looked] closely at games like Jet Set Radio, and the Katamari series"
In the three years since the console launched, the Nintendo Switch has firmly established itself as the king of the hill when it comes to local multiplayer gaming. There's certainly no shortage of great co-operative games on Switch, and the ability to slide off Joy-Con...
Feature Samurai Shodown Director "Cried Out In Surprise" When He Saw The Switch Version
He wants to reboot Garou: Mark of the Wolves next
Switch fans have had to wait a little longer than their PS4 and Xbox One-owning pals when it comes to SNK's Samurai Shodown reboot, but the important thing is that the game has made it to Nintendo's hybrid console intact – and it's really quite an achievement. We were fortunate enough to get the...
Feature Super Rare Games On 2 Years Of Switch Releases And The Future Of Physical Media
"The key thing will be keeping the younger generations interested in physical releases"
Switch is many things to many people, and that fact is arguably the key to its success. The way it fits into your life whether you're reclined at home on the sofa, playing in handheld mode when the TV is taken or curled up in bed with Nintendo's console, it's...
Talking Point Is Nintendo Switch Online Good Value Compared To PlayStation Plus And Xbox Live Gold?
How does Switch Online compare to its rivals?
It's been nearly a year and a half since Nintendo Switch Online was belatedly introduced on Switch and in that time Nintendo has been slowly and surely adding to the value of the service. The growing catalogue of retro classics added to the NES and Super NES game libraries is an obvious highlight, and...
Feature It's Been Nearly Five Years, So Where In The World Is Pikmin 4?
We propose and pick apart Pikmin 4 theories
Last year we looked at the dormant Nintendo franchises we'd like to see return on Switch, and our desire to see any or all of those series again still burns strong in 2020. With Nintendo's biggest money-spinners having received a Switch entry already, it's now time to bring back some of the company's...
Feature Media Molecule Veterans On Bringing Co-Op Coming-Of-Age Adventure Knights & Bikes To Switch
"One of the biggest challenges [was] switching the confirm and cancel buttons in the menus"
Announced last week as coming to Switch in the first week of February, Knights and Bikes is a beautiful-looking co-op puzzle adventure set in Britain in the '80s. Developed by indie outfit Foam Sword, it follows Nessa & Demelza as they bike around...
Talking Point Switch's Success Vindicates Nintendo's New Hardware Approach, But Does It Have Legs?
Wii is still a way ahead, not to mention every other Nintendo handheld
Another quarter, another round of financial reports. This morning Nintendo released its nine-month earnings figures from April to the end of December 2019 and things are looking rather rosy for the company. Switch has overtaken Super NES in terms of lifetime console units sold...
Feature The Most Expensive Retro Games For Nintendo Systems
12 rare games to keep an eye out for
Make no mistake, we've got endless love for chunky plastic cartridges and proper printed manuals (remember those?), but the convenience of digital games is hard to deny and over the last decade or so digital distribution has taken off to the point where often physical versions aren't even an option these days...
Talking Point How Much Is Your Video Game Collection Really Worth To You?
Sentimental value rarely equals hard currency
Chibi-Robo earns his keep. It's happened to everyone at one time or another. Whether due to changing life circumstances or sheer curiosity, most of us will have looked at our video game collection and wondered how much hard cash we could get for it. We've interviewed serious collectors in the past and...
Feature How Animal Crossing Invaded Social Media
"It’s a really exciting time to be an Animal Crossing fan"
Even if you’re not an Animal Crossing fan, it would be hard to miss the joyous celebration its cult following is having on social media right now. You’ll find Animal Crossing memes on almost every platform: Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and Discord. The majority focus on relaxing...
Feature Liberated Developer On The Challenges Of Creating A Truly Playable Comic Book
"We just figured: why the hell hasn’t anybody done this yet?"
Announced during last year's Indie World Showcase in December, Liberated is an upcoming noir graphic novel game coming from to Switch this year. Developed by indie team Atomic Wolf and L.INC, it blends the darkness of a branching dystopian comic book narrative across chapters with...