Nintendo’s Switch might play Gamecube games
Following years of pining after GameCube games on the Virtual Console, it looks like Nintendo fans will soon be getting their wish. According to a recent report by Eurogamer, the Nintendo Switch is rumored to be the first Nintendo console to offer GameCube games on its Virtual Console. Citing several sources within the company, the article states that Nintendo already has classic titles like Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion and Super Smash Bros. Melee running on the Switch.
The article goes on to suggest that Nintendo is also prepping popular GameCube lifestyle sim Animal Crossing for the Virtual Console. It seems as though the company is also looking into making the console compatible with the Wii U’s GameCube controller adapter.
Given Super Smash Bros Melee’s evergreen popularity at fighting game tournaments and the Switch reveal trailers focus on eSports, its inclusion is an easy win for Nintendo.
The GameCube emulator is rumored to be developed by Nintendo’s European Research Department – the people responsible for this year’s Christmas sell-out, the NES Mini. While the NES Mini has a few issues, its game emulation runs flawlessly, meaning that if true, GameCube emulation on the Switch looks rather promising indeed.
Frustratingly, it looks like old Virtual Console purchases won’t transfer over to the Switch, requiring users to pay a small ‘upgrade’ fee to unlock the rom on Switch. In an age where account purchases on mobile transfer seamlessly to your next handset, if true, it’s hard not to see this as a cheap cash grab.
While none of this has been officially confirmed, Eurogamer’s previous rumors about the system proved to be true. With Nintendo holding a press event revealing more about the Switch next month, we won’t have long to discover how much truth is in this reports.
Source: Eurogamer
Nintendo classic ‘Excitebike 64’ skids its way onto Wii U
Wii U owners, it’s time to charge your GamePad — Excitebike 64 is zooming its way onto the Virtual Console this week. Costing $10 (£9), the game arrives on Wii U this Thursday alongside Wario’s stylish Wii adventure, Wario Land: Shake It.
Released in 2000, this classic N64 motocross racer ushered Nintendo’s Excite series into the 3D era, offering an addictive combination of fun mechanics and depth. Featuring a 20-course season mode, a track editor and even a procedurally generated endless ride mode, this was a game that was ahead of its time.
With third parties all but abandoning the system, and Nintendo’s output drying up ahead of the launch of its next console, Wii U owners could do far worse than this racing classic.
Frustratingly, the Kyoto giant is still remaining tight-lipped about how its recently unveiled account system will work, leaving the fate of digital purchases looking uncertain. After forcing consumers to repurchase the same Wii Virtual Console games on Wii U, let’s hope that the new Nintendo Network ID account system will carry over Virtual Console purchases to the Switch.
Source: Nintendo e Shop
Ben Heck visits the Portland Retro Gaming Expo
Join Ben as he leaves the workshop behind and goes on a journey to Portland’s Retro Gaming Expo. There’s little Ben loves more, and this time he’s on the hunt for a copy of Road Rash for the Sega Genesis / Megadrive! With some happy distractions, Ben gets another chance at the Nintendo Playstation console and discusses the Commodore 64, Nintendo 64 disk drive and the collecting of retro hardware and games with fellow YouTubers. Will Ben manage to repair the Nintendo PlayStation and play Super Boss Gaiden? Does he manage to find a copy of Road Rash? You’ll have to watch and find out. What’s your favorite retro gaming console, or game? Let Ben and the team know over on the element14 Community.
Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on the NES Classic Edition
The NES Classic is an easy sell: It’s a $60 device that looks and feels like the original Nintendo Entertainment System, with a library of 30 popular games pre-loaded. It’s also easy to set up — all you need is a spare USB port on your TV. The problem? The device is such a great proposition that it’s either sold out everywhere, or only available through resellers for five times the price. We’re not sure we recommend spending $300 on this, especially given a few flaws like the too-short controller cables and the fact that you can’t download any additional games. But if you do resort to desperate measures to get one this holiday season, we won’t judge.
Everything you missed from ‘The Game Awards’
Each year that Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards distances itself from its SpikeTV past, it gets subsequently less embarrassing to watch. And without a doubt, The Game Awards 2016 was the best show yet. Couldn’t watch the stream? Well, that’s too bad, but we’ve got you covered. Below you’ll find a list of the night’s big winners in addition to all the trailers that made their world premieres onstage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. There were a few emotional moments onstage as well, including Ryan Green accepting the Games for Impact award for That Dragon, Cancer; Keighley presenting his friend Hideo Kojima with a statue for Industry Icon and Nolan North throwing striking voice actors under the bus during his acceptance speech for best performance.
Oh, and consider this an official plea for composer Mick Gordon to take the award-winning Doom soundtrack on tour. Seriously, just watch the performance embedded below and try saying that it wouldn’t translate to a huge stage production ridiculously well. I mean, if Dethklok can do it…
- Best eSports Game: Overwatch
- Best eSports Team: Cloud 9
- Best eSports Player: Coldzera – Marcelo David
- Trending Gamer: Boogie2988
- Most Anticipated Game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Best Multiplayer: Overwatch
- Best Sports/Racing Game: Forza Horizon 3
- Best Family Game: Pokemon Go
- Best Strategy Game: Civilization 6
- Best Fighting Game: Street Fighter V
- Best RPG: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Blood and Wine
- Best Action/Adventure: Dishonored 2
- Best Action Game: Doom
- Best VR Game: Rez Infinite
- Best Mobile/Handheld Game: Pokemon Go
- Best Independent Game: Inside
- Games for Impact: That Dragon, Cancer
- Best Performance: Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4
- Best Music/Sound design: Doom
- Best Art Direction: Inside
- Best Narrative: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
- Best Game Direction: Blizzard/Overwatch
- Game of the Year: Overwatch
Source: The Game Awards (YouTube)
NES Classic wireless receiver solves the short cord problem
We love almost everything about Nintendo’s adorable NES Classic Edition, but there’s still one major downside. There’s no way around it: Those short controller cables are a major buzzkill. Unsurprisingly, third-party companies are stepping up to solve the problem — one such solution comes from 8Bitdo, which just released a new version of its Retro Receiver that works with the NES Classic.
This package includes the aforementioned Retro Receiver along with the company’s “NES30” wireless controller. It’s visually similar to the classic NES controller, but has four buttons on its face instead of the traditional two. More notably, the Bluetooth-enabled Retro Receiver lets you use many other controllers with the NES Classic, including the PS3, PS4 and just about any other Bluetooth controller you can think of.
There’s no doubt that this removes a bit of that “classic” experience from using Nintendo’s mini console, and we’re not talking about the experience of scooting right up to your TV to play. Nintendo has always made excellent controllers, and we’re guessing these 8Bitdo options won’t feel quite as nice as what Nintendo includes. And then there’s the price — $39.99 for a controller and receiver isn’t exactly cheap, especially when the NES Classic itself only costs $60.
But for a lot of people, being able to get off the floor and play comfortably from the couch will be worth the cost. The NES30 Retro Receiver bundle ships on December 16th, but if you can’t wait that long, remember there are cheaper solutions out there, like a simple extension cable that’ll only set you back about $10.
Farming sim ‘Stardew Valley’ is coming to Nintendo Switch
Ever looked out of your window, longing for the chance to yield the greatest crops known to man? Well, Stardew Valley might just be the game for you. After becoming a runaway success on Steam earlier this year, the indie farm-em-up is coming to PS4 and Xbox One, launching on December 13th and 14th respectively.
While a Wii U version was also in the works, developer Chucklefish Games has opted to cancel that port and release the game on the upcoming Nintendo Switch instead. With the misunderstood console’s user base drying up and a shiny new Nintendo console only a few months away, the change in platform is a pretty understandable one.
Stardew Valley sees players inheriting a farm after the death of the protagonist’s grandfather, and tasks them with cultivating it. Aside from the farming elements the game also has a strong focus on building relationships with people in the town, creating an addictive mix of gameplay that saw the game rake in huge sales and earn it a devoted following.
Taking inspiration from the classic RPG series Harvest Moon, many fans will be happy to see the genre returning to a Nintendo handheld. While the Nintendo Switch’s launch lineup still remains a closely guarded secret, after a recent leak suggested it would be getting a fully fledged Pokemon game, Stardew Valley is another promising addition to the Switch’s library.
Source: Stardew Valley Blog
The Pokémon constant: Someone will always beat it with Magikarp
Worthless. Pathetic. Horribly Weak. Virtually useless. This is how Pokémon games’ in-game encyclopaedias describe Magikarp, a hapless fish-creature that is widely regarded as the “worst” monster in the game series’ ever-growing list of fighting creatures. It only has three attacks, and one of them literally does nothing. So, naturally, someone beat Pokémon Sun And Moon using nothing but the worthless flounder. Because why not?
Japanese player Nanako_Official barrelled through Sun and Moon’s Elite Four with a level 70 Magikarp, keeping the weak Pokémon in the fight by stocking up on health items and making the most of the game’s battle mechanics. Specifically, Nanako said he had to use the ‘struggle’ move to overcome Magikarp’s weakness to Ghost-type Pokémon. Normally, a Pokémon only struggles if it’s out of Power Points (PP) — but the move is capable of dealing damage to any opponent, regardless of type. By intentionally letting Magikarp run out of PP, Nanako was able to defeat enemies the Pokémon should never have been able to take down.
Beating a Pokémon game with Magikarp sounds like a gruelling, painful exercise — but it’s also sort of a tradition. The “Magikarp Only Run” is one of half a dozen extremely difficult fan-challenges available to Pokémon players. Other popular runs include the infamous Nuzlocke Challenge, which forces players to release any Pokémon that faints in battle and the MonoType run, which limits the player to using only a single “type” of Pokémon. Frankly, all these challenges sound a little insane — but maybe that’s what it takes to be a true Pokémon master.
Via: Kotaku
Source: Rocket News
Nintendo attractions are coming to three Universal parks
Nintendo didn’t reveal any details when it announced a partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts to bring its video games to tourists last year. Today the company divulged a bit more, but there still isn’t a lot of info on specifics just yet. Nintendo says the goal of the project is to use characters, action and adventure so you can step inside games via attractions that capture the “adventure, fun and whimsy” of playing your favorite titles. In other words, it’s bringing its iconic games to life.
Nintendo-themed areas are coming to three Universal parks: Osaka, Orlando and Hollywood. The company says these parts of each park will be “expansive, immersive and interactive” with rides and attractions, restaurants and shops. Details on exactly which characters and games the areas will pull from are said to be coming soon as all the planning and design is “well underway.” As you might expect, there is a mention of Mario in the teaser video below.
Back in March, Japanese media reported that the area inside Universal Studios in Osaka would be a $350 million section focused entirely on the plumber. That report indicated that the — let’s just call it Super Mario World — should open by 2020, just in time for Japan to host the summer Olympics.
Nintendo says the themed portions of the three parks will open separately “over the next several years,” so you might not want to book that vacation just yet. The company did say that no matter your age or lack of previous experience with its games, “there will be something for everyone.” Universal has done well to bring movies and TV shows to live for park goers, so Nintendo’s catalog should make for some captivating attractions. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a while to take in the worlds of Mario, Harry Potter and Bart Simpson in the same day.
Source: Nintendo
Ben Heck’s Virtual Boy, part 1
Ben’s seeing double this week with a retro virtual reality console that was ahead of its time: Nintendo’s Virtual Boy (codename “VUE”). Though the technology was advanced in many ways, it didn’t prevent the sort of dizziness that still plagues virtual reality headsets today. As Ben quips, “It’s like a trip to the eye doctor!” Of course, this means Ben has to take it apart in a traditional teardown to find out what makes the Virtual Boy tick. Inside we find a 32-bit processor and graphics chip along with a very clever mechanical setup. Unfortunately, as ingenious as the internal design is, it’s still prone to failure; indeed, Ben has to design and print a part using Autodesk Fusion 360 to help repair it. Now that it’s fixed, though, it’s time to improve it! Make sure you look out for the next episode, and in the meantime let us know what you think of VR technology over on the element14 Community.
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