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Pokémon Puzzle League Coming to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack July 15
Custom Robo & Custom Robo V2 Also Arriving in Japan
Pokémon Puzzle League is the newest Nintendo 64 title that Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members can enjoy. To see some gameplay (and feel nostalgia from hearing the narrator and Ash’s voice), check out the video above. This title will be available for the service on July 15.
Japanese members of Nintendo Switch Online will be able to play Custom Robo and Custom Robo V2 for the Nintendo 64 on July 15. You can view the trailer for those games above.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Icons Added to Nintendo Switch Online
More icons of your favorite residents!
If you are a Nintendo Switch Online member who loves an Animal Crossing: New Horizons villager born in July, you are in luck! Until August 1 at 6 P.M. PST, members can unlock icon elements of several Animal Crossing pals, including Apollo, Jay, and Ketchup.
You can download Animal Crossing: New Horizons now on the eShop.
4 New SEGA Genesis Games Added to Nintendo Switch Online
Time for a run and gun and shoot em up throwback!
For members of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service, four new games have been added to the collection: MEGA MAN: THE WILY WARS, Comix Zone, Zero Wing, and Target Earth. All of these games are now playable on the SEGA Genesis - Nintendo Switch Online library. You can read Nintendo of America’s highlights below:
Today, four games have been added with lightning fury to the SEGA Genesis – Nintendo Switch Online library: MEGA MAN: THE WILY WARS, Comix Zone, Zero Wing and Target Earth. You can play them all right now on the Nintendo Switch system with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership.
- MEGA MAN: THE WILY WARS features the first three games in the renowned Mega Man series, compiled for the SEGA Genesis! Wily’s mechanical minions are on the loose and Mega Man must defeat a bevy of robot masters to win the day. Beat all three games to unlock Wily Tower, where you can challenge a new boss.
- In Comix Zone, experience an action game in a setting based on American comics, complete with superhero power-ups and intense fighting moves. Comic artist Sketch Turner finds himself lost in the Comix Zone – a comic book world of his own creation – and must battle mutants to escape it, panel by panel.
- Zero Wing is a side-scrolling classic created by Toaplan, a developer of popular arcade games. Cats, the leader of a band of space pirates, is terrorizing the galaxy. Pilot the only remaining Milky Way attack craft and deploy Valcan shots, lasers and homing missiles to stop him and his buccaneers – for great justice!
- In Target Earth, enemy Chron cyborgs are attacking Earth and its space bases! Battle across eight different levels filled with exhilarating mech suit platforming action and customize your loadout by earning equipment based on your performance. Can you save the planet and uncover the true legacy of Chron?
For Japan, the Mega Drive version of this service also includes the same titles: Comix Zone, Zero Wing, MEGA MAN: THE WILY WARS (called Rockman Mega World), and Target Earth (called Assault Suit Leynos).
Pokémon Snap Coming June 24 to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
Polygonal snapshot of the past!
On June 24, Nintendo Switch Online users with the Expansion Pack will be able to snap pictures of their favorite Pokémon in the Nintendo 64 version of Pokémon Snap. The trailer, as seen above, shows off the on-rails gameplay of the player taking pictures of Pokémon in various habitats.
New Japanese Mario Strikers: Battle League Commerical Released
Get ready for some foooootballlll!
Nintendo recently released a new Japanese commercial for Mario Strikers: Battle League. This short commercial, as seen above, features gameplay of the new title, as well as shots of players enjoying the soccer game.
Mario Strikers: Battle League releases for Switch on June 10, 2022. You can pre-order the title on the eShop.
How Marvel's Midnight Suns Deviates from the XCOM Formula and Firaxis's Collaboration Process with Marvel
Sounds like the team was Marvel-ous to work with!
In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Firaxis creative director Jake Solomon spoke about the development process of Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a card-based strategy game releasing for the Nintendo Switch at an unreleased date. Firaxis, a renowned strategy game developer known for games such as the XCOM series and the Sid Meier’s franchise, detailed the background and challenges they encountered for this superhero-themed title.
Interestingly, Solomon detailed that Marvel directly contacted 2K, Firaxis’s publisher, with a request that the XCOM team work on a game in the Marvel Universe. At the initial meeting, Marvel’s team seemed keenly aware of XCOM, and were far more interested in Solomon’s ideas than pushing certain characters or plot points onto the development team.
Marvel was also incredibly responsive to Firaxis’s initial pitch, including the creation of a customizable hero, which–in Marvel’s words–had never being done before. Despite Solomon’s worries that such creative liberty would not be permitted, Marvel was eager to work with the team and only wanted to ensure that they understood what the team meant to be “[a hero in] the Marvel universe.” Marvel encouraged the development team to create the story and game the team wanted to make, and Marvel did not attempt to swap out the roster for the game. Marvel was more so interested in ensuring that the player-character would be compelling to players and not look displaced against heroes with backstories or costumes with decades of comic history. While Marvel was interested in how the player-character, called Hunter, would appear on the front of the box, they even allowed Firaxis to permit user generated content, despite the obvious inappropriate and out-of-character creations which could result.
The longest approval process with Marvel’s Midnight Suns occurred with character design, particularly costume designs, which were done in house at Firaxis. Solomon noted how, since the game is set in the 90’s, costume designs often were based on comic books for those characters from that time period. If a comic book character did not have a great amount of source material from which to pull in the 90’s, or had a wildly variant sense of style, such as Nico Minoru, Marvel and Firaxis had more back and forth in the appearance of a character.
Firaxis also did a great amount of writing for the game in house. Despite the game having the feel of an older comic book or a recent Marvel movie, Solomon insisted that Marvel was “additive” and not “restrictive” when it came to writing the story for the title. If characters in the game were going to a certain location, Marvel might suggest that the narrative include a character who would thematically fit well into the situation the writers were creating. Firaxis wanted the game to have the tone of a “Saturday morning cartoon,” where a dark storyline could be broken up with funnier beats, or a more serious character could be written in a more lighthearted manner.
Despite Marvel’s knowledge of XCOM and the obvious pedigree of the game series, Firaxis also knew that they could not rely upon the core of XCOM for Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Solomon details that, unlike XCOM, no superhero will be dependent on cover to stay alive or miss abilities. This passion for the source material resulted in Firaxis creating all-new systems with new mechanics to fit the fantasy of a player being a superhero.
While Firaxis believes that the game will be as entertaining and challenging as its other titles, the development team noted that the introduction of cards, as a stand-in for abilities, will permit players who may not have experienced a Firaxis title to experience the complexity of a strategy game without the intimidation such systems often present.
By reading the full interview, it’s readily apparent how much Solomon and the team at Firaxis respect and love the Marvel Universe. Here’s to hoping that this passion, as well as the experience of the development team, will translate into a super game.
A new Japanese promotional trailer has released for Mario Strikers: Battle League. This new video, as seen above, goes over stats and upgrades to customize our favorite Nintendo characters. The trailer also shows off more gameplay of the new title.
Mario Strikers: Battle League releases on June 10, 2022. You can pre-order the title via the eShop.
Prime Gaming Second Pokémon GO Bundle Now Available
Includes 30 Poké Balls, 5 Max Revives, and a Lucky Egg
Amazon Prime members who love Pokémon GO are in luck. Prime Gaming members are able to access a Prime Gaming Bundle for Pokémon GO that includes items trainers can use in-game. Items in this Bundle include 30 Poké Balls, 5 Max Revives, and a Lucky Egg.
To access this Prime Gaming Bundle, visit Amazon’s Prime Gaming website for Pokémon GO. To read more about this collaboration between Pokémon GO and Amazon Prime Gaming, you can read our article for the details.
New Digimon Survive Commercial Released
Can you survive the wait for much longer?
Digimon Survive, an upcoming JRPG from the Digimon series, has a new Japanese commercial for fans to watch. The short commercial, seen above, briefly shows off some of the cutscenes, gameplay, characters, and Digimon that we will see in the title.
Digimon Survive is currently slated to release for Nintendo Switch on July 29, 2022.
Nintendo Switch Online May Game Updates for NES & SNES Announced
One Different Game for Japan and North America/Europe
Nintendo Switch Online members have two new SNES games and one new NES game to play.
For North American and European members, Congo’s Caper and Rival Turf! were announced for Nintendo Switch Online for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. For these users, Pinball was also announced for the NES portion of the service.
For Japanese members, Umihara Kawase and Rushing Beat (which is the same game as Rival Turf, just a different title for Japanese players) was released for the Super Famicom Nintendo Switch Online. For the Famicom portion of Nintendo Switch Online, Pinball was also announced.
Pokemon DP Sound Library Will Be Shut Down After Three Months of Service
Nothing Diamond Can Stay
Pokémon DP Sound Library, a service which permitted users to listen and download music and sound effects from Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version for free, is shutting down soon. On May 17th, Pokémon DP Sound Library posted an announcement that the service would be terminating on May 31, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. UTC. After this date, visitors to the site will no longer be able to download nor stream sound data.
Pokémon DP Sound Library allowed users to stream 149 tracks of music and sound effects from Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version for free. The site also permitted users to create a “Party Track” with their top 6 favorite songs, as well as explore the “PLAYLISTS” section to see curated and theme-arranged tracklists. Pokémon DP Sound Library also allowed users to incorporate the music downloaded from the site into their own creative works and performances.
This recent announcement stated that users who have already downloaded sound data prior to the shut down date will still be allowed to use the sounds in creative works, permitting that the downloader follows the Terms of Use and Guidelines of the site.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Added to Fortnite Item Shop
May the Force be with Your Victory Royale
For all Fortnite and Star Wars lovers, the ultimate intergalactic crossover has arrived. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is now available in the Item Shop for all Fortnite players. This release is promotion for the Star Wars show Obi-Wan Kenobi which is releasing tomorrow, May 27th, for Disney+.
You can download Fortnite via the eShop.
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Now Available on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
Look for the Crystal Shards in HD!
Last week, Nintendo of America announced that Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards would be coming to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Starting now, Nintendo Switch players will be able to play the title, granted that they are members of the service.
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards heads to Switch Online on May 20th, 2022
That's a lot of Kirbys!
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, was previously announced for the Switch Online Expansion Pack, but now we know the game’s official release date. That information came with the trailer you can see above. We now know the game will be added to the N64 app come May 20th, 2022.
A new Japanese trailer for Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was also released on Nintendo’s YouTube account. You can check out that version above as well.
Nintendo has released a new overview trailer for Mario Strikers: Battle League for Switch. The video covers various gameplay mechanics, character upgrades and customizations, and moves to utilize for players to win every soccer match. The trailer also highlights some features of online and local multiplayer, as well as its online club.
Along with that, a new batch of screens have been released. You can check out the entire gallery here. Mario Strikers: Battle League releases on June 10, 2022. You can pre-order it now via the eShop.
Lastly, a bunch of new character art has been added to the official Japanese website for Mario Strikers: Battle League. You can sift through the gallery here.