Tag: Previews - Page 5
First Impressions Finding Our Way in Lost Sphear
Not all who wander…
Along with the open-world intrigue of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the retro goodness of Hamster’s ACA Neo Geo releases, the Switch’s launch lineup included I Am Setsuna, a retro-styled JRPG from Square Enix subsidiary Tokyo RPG Factory that delivered an old-school adventure in a snowy modern package. It’s...
Preview Going Back to SR-388 in Metroid: Samus Returns
Exploring strange, old worlds
It’s hard to believe, but we haven’t received a proper Samus-starring Metroid adventure since Other M launched seven years ago - the role of Metroid Prime: Federation Force will always be disputed. Our chozo-suited heroine has finally come back to us in the aptly-titled Metroid: Samus Returns. It’s a...
First Impressions Piczle Lines DX is Another Reminder of the Switch Hybrid's Appeal
Bringing a slower pace to eShop gaming
The early Switch eShop line-up had some gems, but it arguably did little to accommodate a demographic keen on sedate gaming experiences, or indeed those with a particular love for puzzle games. The DS and 3DS, in particular, built up a broad range of titles focused around puzzles, wordplay and so on, whether...
Preview Jumping Into the Crazy World of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Including a stint in the co-op mode
While its reveal at E3 was anything but a surprise, the positive response to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was arguably unexpected. The idea of a crossover between the two IPs wasn't well received by everyone before it was shown, with this writer among the initial doubters. Yet the impact in LA was significant,...
Preview Whistling for Attention in Hey! Pikmin
A small world
It's been pleasing for 3DS owners to see that, while a shiny alternative is on the market, the successful family of portables continues to have an important role in Nintendo's plans. With titles like Metroid: Samus Returns and of course Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon on the way, the era of dual screens and some stereoscopic 3D isn't...
Preview Going Solo in Splatoon 2's Single Player Hero Mode
Off we go to Octo Canyon
Due to the online servers not yet being available this preview is entirely focused around the single player campaign. Make sure you keep an eye out for our full review where we look at the whole kit and caboodle! If there’s one complaint people had about the original Splatoon it’s that the single player Hero Mode,...
First Impressions Running Scared from Sonic Forces
Where's the SSSSSS when you need it?
Sonic Team, for the longest time, seems to think that Sonic is all about speed. To be fair that’s what all the marketing for the original games was pushing, but in reality speed in Sonic is a reward for playing well, not the standard staple of each game in the series (in terms of the old school classics, at...
First Impressions Kicking Off With FIFA 18 on the Nintendo Switch
Taking to the pitch on the Switch
After a notable absence from Nintendo platforms, FIFA is finally making its return to a Nintendo home console. The last ‘current-generation’ release a Nintendo console has seen was as a Wii U launch title all the way back in 2012 in FIFA 13, though a few entries with minimal updates did arrive on 3DS and Wii in...
First Impressions Dropping in on Soldam: Drop, Connect, Erase
A Jaleco Jam of Falling Fruit
The launch of the Switch was an especially exciting one because, for the first time on a Nintendo system, a region-free eShop meant gamers everywhere had access to content from outside their home territory. North American gamers could grab VOEZ from the European or Japanese shops a week before its release in the region,...
First Impressions Showing our Hand in Culdcept Revolt on Nintendo 3DS
Of dice and decks
Of all the games we got to try out at E3 this year, one stood out as having perhaps the least likely origin story: Culdcept Revolt. This 3DS title, published by Nintendo in Japan but brought Westward by NIS America, is the latest game in a series that started with a Japan-exclusive game for the Sega Saturn. Combining board game...
First Impressions Going Medieval in River City: Knights of Justice
Sir Crash ’n’ the Boys
Natsume’s E3 showings have always included some sort of farming goodness through their evergreen Harvest Moon games, but for the last two years running we’ve also been treated to fresh installments in Arc System Works’ hard-hitting Kunio-kun series. Previously localised under such varying titles as River City Ransom,...
First Impressions Getting Into a Spin With Sonic Mania
With more than a dash of retro in the formula
When you remake something creative from the past, who is your audience, exactly? We ask because if you were to stray too far from the source material, you run the risk of alienating the impassioned people who most identify with the original. But on the other hand, if you stick too close to the old...
First Impressions Hacking and Slashing with Style in Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star
Switching Fate
The Fate/ series spans an impressive range of genres; beginning with an erotic visual novel (!) in 2004, it’s carried its unique narrative brand — focusing on events called Holy Grail Wars — through dungeon crawlers, JRPGs, fighting games, and more. The latest, ambitiously named game in the series — Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral...
First Impressions Leaving Crumbs And Felling FOEs In Etrian Odyssey V On 3DS
E3's other Odyssey
ATLUS’ booth at E3 this year was packed full of 3DS RPG goodies, with marquees advertising Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, and Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth. Of those heavy hitters, only Etrian Odyssey was playable, but having immensely enjoyed previous entries in the series,...
First Impressions Running Wild in Runner3
Sprinting to Switch
An early hit on WiiWare, BIT.TRIP Runner was a favourite at Nintendo Life, combining auto-running rhythm gameplay with retro-styled visuals and hypnotic chiptune music. Its sequel Runner2 was equally well-received, and now developer Choice Provisions is bringing a third installment — Runner3 — to the Switch. We were able to...
First Impressions Finding Our Roots in Harvest Moon: Light of Hope
Bucolic beacon
Natsume’s booth at this year’s E3 was a farmland oasis from the wider chaos of the showfloor, decked out in pastoral charm and filled with flowers and plenty of plush cows, chickens, and sheep. It’s a familiar scene, but it seemed particularly pleasant this year, and the cause of the celebration was clear: it’s Harvest...
First Impressions Teaming Up in Splatoon 2's Salmon Run Co-Op Mode
It's a fishy business
If you’ve played the Splatoon 2 Testfire, a timed, online trial mode where Nintendo Switch owners got their first hands-on with this anticipated shooter sequel, then you already know that Splatoon 2 looks and feels rather like the original game. In fact, the ways in which Splatoon 2 differs are less in the aesthetics and...
First Impressions A New Style of Tactical Gaming in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Ubisoft's Switch exclusive is something to bwag about
Very few were surprised by the reveal of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle when it was showcased during Ubisoft's conference last Sunday. Even if you were only loosely invested in keeping up with gaming news, it was almost a given that you knew about the title many months before its acknowledgement...
First Impressions Slicing Our Way Through Fire Emblem Warriors
Class change
First unveiled in a jam-packed January Nintendo Direct earlier this year, Fire Emblem Warriors is one of two Fire Emblems currently scheduled to hit Nintendo’s Switch. And while the still-untitled mainline adventure announced alongside it will likely continue with the grid-based strategy-RPG gameplay the series is known for, Warriors...
First Impressions Prepping for Round Two with Pokkén Tournament DX
Once more into the fray
Pokkén Tournament was a game that perhaps never had a proper chance to shine. After its debut in Japanese arcades, the fighter saw a console release on a platform that was in the autumn of its life, and which hadn’t been all that impressive (in terms of sales) to begin with. It was no wonder, then, that Pokkén Tournament...
First Impressions Beginning Our Journey With Super Mario Odyssey on Nintendo Switch
Let's-a-go!
At E3 this week we had our first opportunity to try out Super Mario Odyssey, the mustachioed plumber’s first outing on the Nintendo Switch. We got our first glimpse at the then-unnamed Mario game for a few seconds in the initial reveal of the Switch way back in October 2016, and since then Nintendo has been keeping its cards close,...
Preview Trading Blows With ARMS on Nintendo Switch
Final round
Product provided by Nintendo. The last few times we played ARMS we came away impressed, but cautious. We’ve had the final build of the game for the last week, and while we can’t talk about everything Nintendo isn’t holding much back; having experienced all of what ARMS has to offer we’re excited to play it even more. We’ll be...
Preview Going Some Rounds With ARMS on Nintendo Switch
Nintendo’s next big thing?
Last week at an event in San Francisco we had a chance to play a near-final build of ARMS, Nintendo’s next major foray into the fighting game genre. During the preview we had a chance to go hands-on with several new modes, new stages and the final roster, including three previously unannounced characters. New...
Preview Ultra Street Fighter II On Switch Offers Nostalgia In Spades, But New Features Disappoint
Handsome fighters never lose battles
It's fair to say that gamers of a certain age have a very unique bond with Capcom's Street Fighter II. Upon its initial arcade release in 1991 it was instantly hailed as a coin-guzzling classic, and kick-started a one-on-one fighting game revolution which would last for the majority of the '90s. Securing the...
First Impressions Exploring a New Land in Ever Oasis on 3DS
A nice little spot in the shade
Recently Nintendo hosted events in London and New York City, and we were fortunate enough to attend and grab a little bit of time with one of the 3DS’s lesser-hyped upcoming titles, Ever Oasis. For a game that launches in just over a month, we’ve heard and seen surprisingly little of Grezzo’s first independent...
Hands On Hey! Read These Hey! Pikmin Impressions
Hey! Listen!
This week - in New York City - Nintendo invited us to play Hey! Pikmin, the first title in the series developed outside of Nintendo's internal teams. Hey! Pikmin is being developed by Arzest, the studio behind Yoshi's New Island, which failed to make a big splash with 3DS owners. Hey! Pikmin takes a totally new approach with the...
Preview Battle Mode is Back On Form in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Back with a vengeance
We had one major complaint with Mario Kart 8 when we reviewed it on Wii U - its so-called Battle Mode was lazy and barely worth a look. It simply took place on Grand Prix tracks, so you'd drive around unaware of where your foes were (as a track map wasn't added until a post-launch update), which was a vacuous and pointless...
First Impressions Splatoon 2 - What We Learned About Weapons, Visuals and Controls
A step up on Nintendo's latest hardware
Over the past few days Nintendo Switch owners had a chance to try out Splatoon 2 in its first Global Testfire. There's no firm release date for the colourful shooter as yet, and much about it remains a mystery; as a result it's not unreasonable to wonder whether it was simply the first Global Testfire with...
Hands On Striking a Chord with Yooka-Laylee
UPDATE: Switch version reconfirmed, coming "very soon"
UPDATE: Mere moments after we published this feature, it was confirmed during the Nindie Direct that the Switch version of Yooka-Laylee will be launching "very soon" and will feature all of the game's multiplayer modes. ORIGINAL STORY: The employees over at Playtonic have been through a lot to...
Preview Immersing Ourselves in the World of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
A potential game changer
Nintendo faced a big challenge when developing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Primarily a Wii U project, since Summer 2014 series producer Eiji Aonuma has spoken of the most ambitious title yet in the franchise, of an open world that's truly alive and fantastical. Some remarked that we'd heard bold statements...
Preview Nintendo Switch Hands-On: UI, Size, Mii Maker, Micro SD Cards And More
Take a tour of Nintendo's new console
March 3rd is hurtling towards us and with it comes that most tantalising of promises: fresh Nintendo hardware. The Switch is just a matter of days away but we've been lucky enough to spend a substantial amount of time with the new hybrid console, putting it through its paces to give you - our dear readers - an...
Hands On Trying Out the Nintendo Switch on its Public Tour
The UK console tour comes to Manchester
Whilst we're counting down the final two weeks before the Nintendo Switch launches on March 3rd, Nintendo has been hosting special hands-on events in which the public can get their first experiences with the console and several of its games. We managed to grab ourselves some tickets for the first of the three...
Hands On Creating a Quest in RPG Maker Fes
World-building
It's no secret that the 3DS is an RPG paradise, with new entries in both fresh and familiar franchises coming out faster than most fans can keep up with. It's an almost infinite bounty of adventure. But could it be more infinite? Enter RPG Maker Fes. A portable version of the long-running RPG-creation toolkit that lets players...
First Impressions Feeling Young Again With Sonic Mania
A delicious blend of the retro and modern
On occasions in the past we've bemoaned Nintendo's tendency to shut down work by talented independent developers remixing and re-imagining their games, when an alternative is to embrace them. Capcom did this with the quirky free PC release of Mega Man X Street Fighter, which was fun if a tad flawed, but SEGA...
First Impressions Getting Some Laps In With FAST RMX
The popular racer makes the switch
FAST Racing NEO was easily one of the best indie titles on the Wii U; in our review we referred to it as one of the few titles that is "...able to stand to-to-toe with Nintendo's first-party offerings." Unfortunately it didn't get the level of attention it deserved due to being released on a console with such a...
First Impressions Getting Strategic in Disgaea 5 Complete
Layin' the smackdown on jabronies
One of the most unexpected titles coming to Nintendo Switch is Disgaea 5 Complete, a tactical RPG in the vein of genre classics like Final Fantasy Tactics. We spent quite a bit of time with the game at Nintendo's New York Switch event, and came away quite impressed with the port. If you haven't heard of the Disgaea...
Preview Feeling Warm and Fuzzy With Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World
This is how 3DS ports should be done
In recent times we've seen a very deliberate attempt by Nintendo to broaden the audience for key Wii U titles through 3DS ports. Hyrule Warriors Legends set the tone, and then Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS gave an offline spin on the home console title. In both cases the ports had tweaks to suit the...
First Impressions Revisiting Hyrule in Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch
Link has never looked this good
Steve Bowling and Narelle Ho Sang collaborate their thoughts on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch. At E3 2016, Nintendo showed little from upcoming games in the Wii U's twilight year. Understandable given the Switch was on the horizon, and details were still under wraps. Instead, the...
First Impressions Taking Aim in The Colourful World of Splatoon 2
Ink or sink
2015 was a funny time for Nintendo, against all the nay-sayers and all the 'Nintendoomers' the company managed to successfully re-evaluate what makes a shooter tick with Splatoon. Now it's at it again with the aptly named Splatoon 2 - sadly not Spla2oon - and we thought we should sit down to ink out the details of the preview event demo...
First Impressions 1-2-Switch is an Ideal Pack-In Game That's Missing Its Chance
Milking the release
The Joy-Con controllers are a key part of the Switch appeal. Though the core mechanic of 'switching' between the TV and portable play is right there in the name, Nintendo's messaging has put plenty of stock in the controllers and what they can bring to the party. As we outlined in our Hands On write-up on the Nintendo Switch, the...
First Impressions Round One With Ultra Street Fighter II On Nintendo Switch
Evil and Violent
Many modern-day Street Fighter fans cut their teeth on the Super NES version of Street Fighter II, the fighting game by which all others continue to be measured even to this day. It's therefore fitting that 25 years later, Capcom is releasing a new version for the Nintendo Switch. We were on-hand to play the latest entry in both...
First Impressions Going Hand-to-Hand With ARMS
Fun with fisticuffs
One of the biggest surprises during Nintendo's Switch Presentation was ARMS, a new one-on-one fighting game directly from The Big N in which you slug it out with springy, stretchy arms. We had the opportunity to spend some time with it at Nintendo's New York Switch event; we're not 100 percent sold, but there's no denying this...
First Impressions Explosive Action in Super Bomberman R
Bombs away!
One of the more pleasant surprises to come out of the weekend's Nintendo Switch announcements is Konami's Super Bomberman R. This pick-up-and-play title will be ready for the Switch's launch, and looks to be very charming, fun and accessible. For those unfamiliar with the 33-year-old franchise, Bomberman is a series in which the title...
First Impressions A Switch Surprise - Cutting Snipperclips Down to Size
A potential gem for the launch month
If this writer is pressed on his favourite game from the Nintendo Switch preview event, it isn't one of the big-hitters. Some of them were grand, for sure, but tucked away in a corner - somewhat unloved in the shadow of the section for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - was Snipperclips - Cut it out,...
First Impressions Back on Track with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Switching gear
Given that a number of gamers who pick up the Nintendo Switch may not have owned a Wii U, it makes a lot of sense to have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in the launch window for the new system. Not only is it one of the most fun games on the Wii U, but it has also been the best-selling too — with over eight million copies sold worldwide...
Hands On Putting the Nintendo Switch Hardware Through Its Paces
We consider its features, build and general performance
As you're no doubt aware, press events are currently taking place to showcase the Nintendo Switch, with some also open to the public this weekend. We attended the London event and took the opportunity to put the hardware through its paces, testing out its varied control options and functions...
News Nintendo UK Opens Contest to Attend Nintendo Switch Preview Event
Check your email
Nintendo of America has started to give My Nintendo members in some areas a chance to get tickets for a Switch preview in early January, and now Nintendo UK is getting in on the act. An email newsletter being sent out now to UK users offers a simple prize draw to get a place at a Switch event in London on 14th or 15th January. A...
Preview Running Wild in Super Mario Run
Born to run?
Considering the fact that the Super Mario series started out as a precision platformer, it seems mad to think that this formula could translate into a mobile app with only a single input. As such we picked up the game with few expectations and a healthy dose of scepticism, but thankfully our fears were allayed. Super Mario Run has...
Preview Getting Creative in Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Making it to the small time
When Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS was revealed recently in a Nintendo Direct, it wasn't necessarily surprising. Nintendo has seen some top notch titles achieve only modest sales on Wii U, and where possible is clearly looking to get stronger results through the larger userbase of the 3DS. This, along with Poochy...
Hands On Pokémon Sun and Moon - Special Demo Version
Demonstrative indeed
Demos have come an awfully long way over the years, even to the point where these bite-sized chunks can be considered full games in their own right; you only have to look at the Bravely series to know what we're talking about. So it was no surprise when Nintendo announced the arrival of a demo for the upcoming Pokémon Sun &...