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Citizen Sleeper wins Social Impact Award at GDC, other winners announced
The Switch was sorely underrepresented
The winners for the 23rd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards have just been announced at the ongoing Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and Citizen Sleeper has claimed the Social Impact Award. None of the other winners are available on Switch, but here’s the full list:
Best Debut: Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive)
Best Visual Art: Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc./Bandai Namco Entertainment)
Best Audio: God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Narrative: Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
Social Impact Award: Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over The Age/Fellow Traveller)
Innovation Award: IMMORTALITY (Half Mermaid Productions)
Best Technology: God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Design: Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc./Bandai Namco Entertainment)
Audience Award: God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Game of the Year: Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc./Bandai Namco Entertainment)
Pioneer Award: Mabel Addis
Lifetime Achievement Award: John Romero
Atari to acquire Nightdive Studios
Could this impact retro ports to Switch?
Nightdive Studios, known for their work porting classic titles like Turok 1 and 2, Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition and Shadow Man Remastered to Switch, is to be acquired by Atari, it’s been announced. Here’s Atari’s full statement:
Resident Evil 4 anime short #3 released
Can Leon get an old man's help?
The Switch might not be getting the remake of Resident Evil 4, but you can play the original game on Switch right now, and Resident Evil 4 itself has quite the legacy with Nintendo platforms. That’s why we think it’s more than appropriate to share this brand-new animated series Capcom put together for Resident Evil 4.
While much of the advertising for Resident Evil 4’s remake has been gruesome gameplay footage, Capcom has decided to do something decidedly different with their latest content. As you can see above, Capcom has given Resident Evil 4 an anime-style makeover in a new series of shorts, complete with a rather cute take on the series.
The art style used in this feature was made by Nippon Animation, the same studio that handled Masterpiece Theater in Japan. This series showed short anime adaptations of classic stories, and now they’re revisiting that style and idea to bring Resident Evil 4 to life in a new way.
Today brings us the third installment in this animated series, which is, once again, just barely a minute long. You can check it out above.
RUMOR: Sonic Origins Plus coming June 23rd with a physical release, to include all 12 Game Gear Sonic games and playable Amy
The Game Gear's Sonic games might be making a comeback
In a now-deleted post from news outlet ComicBook.com, a ton of details on the heavily rumored Sonic Origins Plus, rated for release in Korea last month, were shared. According to them, it will take the form of a $9.99 USD digital upgrade for owners of Sonic Origins or a $39.99 USD bundle available both physically and digitally. It seems to be set to release on Sonic’s birthday, June 23rd, 2023. Here’s the reported list of everything in the package:
- Main Game
- 12 Game Gear Games Emulated and Playable in the Museum
- Classic Amy as a Playable Character in Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, 3, and Sonic CD
- Knuckles as a Playable Character in Sonic CD
- All Previously Released Sonic Origins DLC
- 20-Page Artbook (Physical exclusive)
- Reversible Coversheet with New, Never-Before-Seen Art (Physical exclusive)
The original Sonic Origins saw no physical release, and it’s not easy to find a place to play the Game Gear Sonic titles outside of the elusive original hardware, so this could be an exciting release for fans of the blue blur. I’m sure we’ll know whether these details are accurate or not sooner than later- when there’s a new update, we’ll be sure to share.
My Nintendo Bayonetta Origins-themed sweepstakes announced
Win a wall tapestry and some pins featuring the iconic witch
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon just released last Friday, and My Nintendo currently has an accompanying sweepstakes available to its members. For 10 platinum points per entry, users can enter for a chance to win a Bayonetta Origins wall tapestry and character pin set, both pictured above. Users can redeem up to 3 entries, and there will be 10 winners who will receive both the tapestry and the pins. You can enter for a chance to win yourself here until May 17th.
Nintendo has released an "Explorer's Guide" for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Get refreshed before Tears of the Kingdom releases
More than 6 years after its initial launch, Nintendo have released an “Explorer’s Guide” for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This 44 page document is free to access online, and it feels reminiscent of instruction guides that used to come with games back in the day.
You can read it yourself to learn about the game’s mechanics and story here. This is perfect for refreshing yourself on what happened before the sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, releases in just a couple of months.
Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 details new weapons and the Exo-Taranis tank
The game's out on Switch on May 11th
CyberConnect2 has released a chunk of new information about Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2’s weapons ahead of its May 11th release. You can get a full rundown of all the new details below:
New Tank Exo-Taranis
Fire Emblem Heroes: New Heroes and Rearmed Tana arrives March 17th, 2023
New heroes join very soon
A new story chapter titled ‘Seeing the Present’ is coming to Fire Emblem Heroes along with a set of new heroes including Soaring Princess Tana, Dutiful Rider Vanessa, Graceful Rider Syrene and Wall of Silence Gilliam very soon. Starting March 17th at 3:00 AM ET, players will be able to access the new content in the app. You can watch the video linked above to see all the new characters in action.
Side-scrolling beat 'em up Toxic Crusaders is coming to Switch later this year
The Toxic Crusaders return in game form
Toxic Crusaders, a beat ‘em up based on the 1991 animated series of the same name, will be coming to Switch later this year, developer Retroware has announced. You’ll be able to clean up the streets of Tromaville as one of 7 playable characters when the 4-player co-op side-scrolling action game launches in late 2023. You can check out the trailer above to see it in action.
New Game Boy, SNES and NES games added to Nintendo Switch Online
All standard libraries are getting new additions
The Game Boy, NES and SNES libraries available via Nintendo Switch Online have all gotten new titles. Both the North American and Japanese apps have received the same games- Game Boy titles Kirby’s Dream Land 2 and BurgerTime Deluxe, SNES title SIDE POCKET and NES title XEVIOUS. You can check out the trailer below to see them all in action.
All Nintendo Switch Online members can access these titles through their respective apps once they’re all updated. The updates should be available now.
Sixtar Gate: STARTRAIL gets a launch trailer, out later this week
The rhythm game touches down on Switch this Thursday
Sixtar Gate: STARTRAIL, a button-based rhythm game, is out on Switch in just a few days. Ahead of its March 16th launch, publisher CFK have released a launch trailer showing the game in action. You can check it out above.
Sixtar Gate: STARTRAIL is a rhythm game about a girl on a voyage through the stars. Join your cute and charming navigator Shii as you learn the story through the music tracks and feast on all the colorful visuals.
Mario Strikers: Battle League updated to version 1.3.2
A couple bugs have been fixed
Mario Strikers: Battle League has been updated to version 1.3.2. Here are the full patch notes:
- Fixed an issue in which certain combinations of Stadium Themes and characters could cause the game to crash.
- Fixed several other issues to improve the gameplay experience.
Looks like this patch was primarily pushed out to address an issue that could lead to a crash. Once you download the update, the game should be a little more stable.
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge renamed to Gal Guardians: Demon Purge after trademark complaints
The original title has been purged
Inti Creates’ Grim Guardians: Demon Purge mysteriously disappeared from the eShop yesterday, and now we know why. It’s been announced that, following complaints from the owners of the “Grimguard” trademark, Inti Creates will be changing the game’s name to Gal Guardians: Demon Purge.
Inti Creates “offers sincere apologies to any customers who are affected as they strive to complete the name change as soon as possible and restore the game to sale across all platforms and regions.” We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as the newly-renamed Gal Guardians returns to the eShop.
Metroid Fusion is now available via Nintendo Switch Online
That makes every mainline 2D Metroid playable on Switch!
Metroid Fusion, the fourth game in the 2D Metroid saga, is now available to Nintendo Switch owners with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription. Simply update the Gameboy Advance Nintendo Switch Online app and you’ll be able to help Samus eliminate the X parasite on Nintendo’s latest console.
With this update, every original 2D Metroid title is now available on Switch, with all pre-Dread titles being available via Nintendo Switch Online. Hopefully Metroid: Zero Mission, the fantastic remake of the first Metroid game, joins the selection of Gameboy Advance titles available on Switch sooner rather than later!
Indie wrestling game Ultra Pro Wrestling is coming to Switch
This successful Kickstarter is still ongoing
Ultra Pro Wrestling, a “love letter to the classic wrestling games of the late 90s,” according to the game’s Kickstarter, is coming to Switch following a successful crowdfunding campaign. Create your wrestler and take them through a single-player campaign or compete in online matches when the game hopefully comes out in August 2024.
The Kickstarter campaign is still ongoing with a few stretch goals yet to be met. You can check it out here to learn about the game in detail or help fund it yourself.