S.C.G

Nintendo Switch 2 Direct 02/04/2025 Roundup Press release and video embed. (Time to start saving)

Good point, I originally had all the DK bongo games in the original bundles, I sold them a few years back when they were going for a decent price, in boxed condition. Recently, I've obtained another set of DK bongos and... they don't sell for a lot, so I might as well just hold onto them now in case we ever do get to use them on Switch 2, as I can't imagine Nintendo making a special Switch 2 set of bongos... but who knows at this point? Also, no e-mail from Nintendo yet, but they seem to be rolling them out in stages, plus I need to sell some stuff to get the funds together, so I'm not too concerned, but I'll definitely be selling a few more classic Nintendo games to pay for the new console. Oh, and assuming I get the e-mail, I'll be pre-ordering the standard console, with Mario Kart World as a standalone physical game for sure.

If it's as quiet today at the shop as it was yesterday, then I'll watch this at 2pm for sure, if I remember. Though if it is busy, I'll catch up with the Direct later, and I'll post the usual roundup article some time in the early evening, all being well... though if anything huge gets announced, like a new Mario game, or an amazing new feature, or the exact price of the console etc, then that could be worth posting an article or two about, if any staff member who is around in the afternoon feels like posting news, but no worries either way. Aside from that, enjoy the Direct, and... I've got a feeling that I'll be selling a lot more of my games collection to pay for a Switch 2 pre-order, so I'd best get on that.

Nintendo eShop new releases (week 13) The thirteenth week of releases. A selection of new titles are now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Check the article for the full roundup. - - - - - See you next week!

@Hero-of-Time Glad to hear that you found your missing GameCube game discs. Those official game cases are excellent, and hopefully will have protected the games, while they were in the loft. Although, if you haven't already, it would be a good idea to check those games, holdng them up to the light, as hopefully they are OK, but I had some GC games recently (not from my own collection) which I believe were stored in their cases, either in a loft or garage, and sadly, a few of them had disc rot (pinholes visible through the disc) including a copy of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance... fortunately most of the other games were OK though. Still, I may recheck some of my GC and other disc-based games soon, as I will be selling at least a few more of them, but for the ones I want to keep, it'd be good to know that they are still fine in their cases.

I am. Missing a week of Mario Kart is one thing, but Perfect Dark... count me in.

Nintendo Direct 27/03/2025 Roundup Press release and video embed. (Metroid Prime 4 is shaping up nicely)

Nice, I'll probably watch this Direct at the shop today if it's not too busy, and will post the roundup article when I get back in the evening. It should be a good last showing for the Switch at least.

Nintendo eShop new releases (week 12) The twelfth week of releases. A selection of new titles are now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Check the article for the full roundup. - - - - - Here is a recently posted article... New SNES games to be added to Nintendo Switch Online March 2025 See you next week!

Maybe it's finally time for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD / Twilight Princess HD It has been ages since they were released on the Wii U, and these are the only two main Zelda games which aren't on the Switch, so it's now or never, surely?

Nintendo eShop new releases (week 11) The eleventh week of releases. A selection of new titles are now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Check the article for the full roundup. - - - - - See you next week!

Nintendo eShop new releases (week 10) The tenth week of releases. A selection of new titles are now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Check the article for the full roundup. - - - - - Here is a recently posted article... New GameBoy games added to Nintendo Switch Online March 2025 See you next week!

Ah, I misunderstood, it looks like all Switch batteries are fixed in with adhesive, though looking at the iFixit video, it doesn't look too hard to pry out if you've got the full battery replacement kit, but it isn't as straightforward as other older Nintendo console battery replacements.

With that said... Switch 2 is going to be released this year, but not right away, and it'll be expensive, so I'd say it's still worth repairing the Switch, especially if you can get it repaired for a reasonable price. I'm hoping my Switch console holds out long enough that I can just transfer to the Switch 2, but if not, I might need to look into getting a new battery as well, though it's been OK so far, bar a few louder-sounding fan noises.

It might need a new battery. I've seen similar things happen with "non-working" GBA SP's with no power light indicator etc, then once the battery has been replaced, the console usually works fine. So it could be that? I don't know what Nintendo would charge to replace a Switch battery, I'm guessing £50 - £75? After a bit of research, you can get a new battery online for around £15 or less plus the tools required, I looked at a video, there are more than a few screws which would need removing, but it doesn't look too bad, though not as simple as replacing a GBA SP battery, which I've had success with. Also, it looks like later models of the Switch have the battery held in place with foam around it, which can be easily removed, whereas looking around, some earlier Switch models, the battery is actually glued to the inside?!? Not sure why... I mean sure, you don't want the battery moving but, this seems... overkill, they probably realised this and then started making the replacements with the foam around them, and then for the Switch Lite, just a smaller battery in general. Sending it in to Nintendo for repair might be the best option, though possibly not the cheapest. I hope this helps.

Nintendo eShop new releases (week 09) The ninth week of releases. A selection of new titles are now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Check the article for the full roundup. - - - - - Nintendo have started putting the eShop updates up again on their news page, so last week must have been an anomaly. Highlighted game of the week? Omega 6 and the Triangle Stars... "From the pen of former Nintendo art director turned manga artist, Takaya Imamura, and developers of the Retro Mystery Club series, Happymeal, comes a 16-bit styled retro-future, adventure, infused with RPG elements: OMEGA 6: The Triangle Stars." Potentially worth checking out? Plus it's discounted at around ten pounds off for a while, then it goes up from £13 to nearly £23... so get it sooner rather than later for that discount... or wait for a sale. See you next week!

Probably because the boxart will be saved until the last minute, when both the Switch and Switch 2 versions are revealed. It could be another Zelda: Breath of the Wild situation, where the game will release on the same day on the Switch, as the release date of the Switch 2. Or, it'll be a matter of months apart, so anyone wanting to buy the game will have a choice; you can buy the game now, and play it, then still be able to play that same Switch version on the Switch 2, or you can wait 'X' amount of weeks or months, and buy the Switch 2 version when it launches, but hey, if you pre-order it now on the Switch, you get a free plush toy. Alternatively, that IS the boxart, and you just draw the rest yourself, in the giant void surrounding the logo.

I had a custom GBC traded in a while back, the screen was decent, the sound was amazing being easily ten times louder than the original, but the buttons? Unplayable... I didn't even think about replacing the buttons with OEM ones, I just sold it as quick as I could. It's fine though, I have an Analogue Pocket, which feels a lot better overall, which is great for a console that's not the origjnal.

Yeah, but by the same arguement, they are only half putting in on the PS5 then... if you're going to release big games like that, might as well go physical with the game release, to show that you're serious, otherwise, they might as well just make Game Pass available via PS5 somehow at this point, and have all of these games available on it on day one, then sell all the DLC as extra, that's where they'll make the extra revenue.

Really? This is the first time Forza gets released on a Playstation platform, and there's no physical release planned? Oh well, no disc, no sale. If games are going to be digital only on both PS5/6 and Xbox platforms, there will need to be some kind of Games Pass equivalent on Playstation, otherwise I can't see this doing as well as it could. Also, the pricing... £54.99 for Standard, £69.99 for Deluxe, and £84.99 for Premium? I like Forza Horizon, but not that much. Though I'm glad for those who will be happy paying the price and playing it on day one on PS5.

Nintendo eShop new releases (week 08) The eighth week of releases. A selection of new titles are now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Check the article for the full roundup. - - - - - Nintendo don't seem to be putting out the eShop highlights any more on their main page, so I just picked out five of either the best or most interesting titles, as I don't see the point in highlighting the clearly average titles. Let's hope the lack of weekly highlights on the official site is just a sign of how lacking in discoverability the current eShop is, and that it's hopefully being worked on for Switch 2, especially with the upcoming withdrawal on gold points, so surely something better has to be on the horizon? See you next week!

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 on the N64 was my first frame of reference for the game, and probably the last title that I got from Special Reserve... except I didn't buy it, I won it in a competition. The subject of which, was to write an article about the impending launch of the GameCube in the UK, and I ended up winning. The prize was a videogame of my choice, and being that it was new out at the time, and expensive... I went with THPS2, as there was nothing else out for the N64 at the time that I either wanted or didn't have, so for me, it was a solid choice. I played this game for hours, me and my brothers loved taking turns trying to go for high-scores, or playing the various multiplayer modes such as "HORSE" which was a favourite, particularly when one of you would look away from the screen for a moment, while the word in place of the default of "HORSE" was being changed, and then gradually finding out what choice word had been selected for the unfortunate lesser player of that particular match. I'd never played a game like it at the time, and I never have since, though these days, I'd probably default to the superior Dreamcast version, or the Xbox port, which was NTSC exclusive, though I might be able to play it on my Xbox Crystal, so I should probably check that out when I next decide to play the console.

Thanks for the games. Here's a link to this week's stream. - - - - - N-Europe Get Together! (20/02/2025)

Not as far as I know, though I haven't tried to order anything from there recently. Which case for the Nintendo Switch were you trying to order? If you get really stuck for one, I probably have one or two Switch console cases down at the shop, I can have a look for you if you like? The case would be second-hand, but in good conditon, no idea if that's any good to you, but I could likely beat the Nintendo Store price by about £5 including postage. If they are charging £20 per case, I could sort one out for you for £15 or less including postage I reckon. No worries either way, and in the meantime, if you can order one through the Nintendo Store, then all the better.

Nintendo eShop new releases (week 07) The seventh week of releases. A selection of new titles are now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Check the article for the full roundup. - - - - - See you next week!