S.C.G

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct to be broadcast on 15/10/2021 Up on the main page. We'll have the full roundup article with the press release etc up on the main page shortly after the event airs. This should be a decent seasonal update for anyone who is still regularly playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Mr. Sakurai presents Sora in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Roundup Now up on the main page. Full press release and video embed. A fitting end to a celebration of videogames, which will surely continue to be celebrated by the fans who continue to keep it going.

Oh wow... all of the Kingdom Hearts games are cloud versions? I did wonder how Kingdom Hearts III would have run on the Switch, so I was almost half-expecting something like that, but for all the games? Oh well. I'm not that invested in Kingdom Hearts as a series, but that was an excellent character reveal, and I'm glad for all the fans who asked for this. An impressive amount of time and energy has gone into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a whole, and regardless of your stance on the series or the character additions, that's certainly a lot of dedication and passion which has gone into one single game, which has turned into a celebration of videogames. I don't play that many videogames any more, and while I don't feel as invested in any of it as I once did, seeing Sora and Mario shake hands at the end still got a smile out of me. Well played, Nintendo, Square-Enix, Sakurai and all developers (first and third-party) involved in the game and series. And thank you to Iwata-San, of course. Thanks for all the games of Smash which we've played to everyone on N-Europe as well, I only tend to join for new character nights these days, but it has made each and every one of those new characters all the more memorable, especially with the Mii costumes and created stages as well; I'll definitely join again when Sora is added. Right, time to get the relevant roundup article up on the main page.

The complete removal of the lives system is definitely at odds with the original game design philosophy, even if they put a 'classic' mode as an unlockable once you've cleared the game once normally, that would have been something. Also, I don't understand why they needed to redo the sound effects, they were perfect before... plus, in that video, is that a different announcer? Unless it's a different region perhaps... I thought the original voice of Super Monkey Ball was back for this game? I'm sure a patch adding in lives, original sound effects and a more structured game mode wouldn't be out of the question? They've spent enough time on superfluous DLC for this game, a free update even a little bit later after launch would be welcomed, and it would do the reputatation of the series some good as well. Otherwise, it's close but no banana! (I still bought a copy)

Thoughts on Perfect Dark... The original game was a technical accomplishment when it was first released, and it is still perfectly playable now, despite the framerate. When it was remade, the game was expanded to a wider audience, at a cost which has only become more apparent in recent years, and although it's not... perfect it is an improvement in many areas, and remains perhaps the most accessible option for most potential players of it today. Having a stable framerate and the addition of online multiplayer, do make this an appealing option still, despite the impact on the controls, some of the questionable graphical changes, and the significant alterations to the gameplay, clearly not for the better in some areas. If there was to be another remake of Perfect Dark in 2021 or beyond, I'd like to think that a developer such as NightDive Studios could bring the game up to date in a way which would prove to be more true to the original source material, especially given when they have achieved with numerous other FPS titles over the past few years. And if their previous remakes of titles are anything to go by, they would be able to make the game work well across multiple platforms, although in this case, clearly the only consoles the game would get a re-release on would be Xbox and Switch... with the possibility of a PC port, but probably no PS4/PS5 release due to the fact that there isn't a precedent set for it, unless some kind of deal could be made? Either way, a more modern remake of Perfect Dark would be welcome, especially in view of a new game being made by another company for the Xbox, due for release some time in the future. Because no matter how that game turns out, I think having renewed interest in the franchise as a whole, and more people curious to experience the original game is a good thing, so there is a chance to show the game in a more Perfect light, rather than it being left in the Dark as an important N64 game, with a remake which could be better, though for the price... which is next to nothing as part of Rare Replay, it's still a fair offering, though for a full remake in 2021 which takes the best of both incarnations? I could see it selling for £20 on either platform, digitally, or as a full retail title on the Switch.

Blossom Tales 2: The Minotaur Prince announced for Nintendo Switch Now up on the main page. A sequel to the original Blossom Tales which was heavily influenced by top-down Zelda games. As it happens, the original game is currently only £3.37 as it has 75% off until 07/10/2021. At that price, the original would seem to be worth checking out if you're interested. I used to own the physical version on Switch but never played it. At that price though, and with news of a sequel, it seems worth buying potentially. - - - - -

Yes, you probably won't get it much cheaper than that, especially for a physical game.

Aspire: Ina's Tale is coming to the Nintendo Switch eShop in December 2021 Now up on the main page. A new platformer-adventure game, just announced today for all platforms, including the Switch. At first glance, it looks like Gris in style, but perhaps with more in the way of gameplay? One to watch out for later in the year, potentially. - - - - -

Nintendo Direct 23/09/2021 Roundup Now up on the main page, N-Europe's full roundup of the event. Full press release and video embed. (you may wish to skip the Metroid Dread section, as Nintendo seem committed to spoiling everything about the game before it's out) - - - - - Thoughts... Kirby Odyssey Apocalypse Edition looks great, N64 and MD games with online? Great, price increase... not so great. Now we see why Nintendo made Super Mario 3D All-Stars a time-limited release... to 'sell' you Super Mario 64... again. The controllers look great, assuming they work like the 'wireless' SNES pads, which allow you to use them wired with the charging cable... I'll buy one of each. A proper version of Banjo-Kazooie, back on a Nintendo console again? Excellent. The Xbox 360 arcade port was good for what it is, but the original is best. (Definitely play Banjo-Kazooie any way that you can though, if you haven't already, as it's one of the best 3D platformers in existence) Castlevania Advance Collection... all this needs is a £25 or less price and it's an instant purchase, in comparison to trying to get even cart only copies of the originals. Everything else? I can take it or leave it, nice to see Bayonetta 3 show up though.

Nintendo announces a Blockbuster Sale on the Nintendo Switch eShop starting tomorrow Now up on the main page. Plenty of potential bargains to be had. Sonic Mania for 50% off?!? Well worth it if you don't already own it on other platforms, or managed to get it cheaper elsewhere.

Nintendo Direct to be broadcast on 23/09/2021 Up on the main page. We'll have the full roundup article with the press release etc up on the main page shortly after the event airs tomorrow evening. No expectations for this, aside from potential spoilers for Metroid Dread (which I'll be avoiding and posting a spoiler warning on/in the article/main page if applicable) And maybe a trailer for a surprise revival/remake of an old Nintendo game... I don't know, maybe Mach Rider?

I put an order in, as I know my brother will be after a copy of the game. I've had the confirmation e-mail 'we're pleased to confirm your order' along with five order acknowledgement e-mails, all for the same order. The price seemed to change back to the usual RRP right after that though.

Yep, and I cancelled the pre-order a while back, as the refund was more useful to me. Interesting to learn that the units are finally getting shipped out, I'm sure that those who still wanted one will be glad to receive them. It's not even that I didn't think the machine would come out, I just decided that I didn't need it, as while the support for most 32-Bit and below CD machines is nice, the reality is that it probably wouldn't get used that much, and although the unit saves space, plus you can apply patches etc, regions... all that, the machine is better off going to someone else who will really make proper use of it. I'm happy with most of my original hardware, and the limited number of excellent FPGA machines from Analogue that I already have, but even then, I cancelled an NT Noir for the same reason, I don't need it, I have a Mega SG and a Super NT which I use, and I may now consider an Analogue Duo if it's around £250 or less, but it would still be a considered purchase even then.

Green Phoenix rises on the Switch eShop Now up on the main page. An on-rails shooter with an interesting narrative, and an attractive pricetag, at £2.99 it might be worth checking out. - - - - - Xenocider is coming to the Nintendo Switch eShop Now up on the main page. In an interesting case of synchronicity, another on-rails shooter is coming to the Switch, but in 2022... ...it was originally made as a Dreamcast game, it has done very well, and now it's coming to consoles in the not too distant future. If you like Space Harrier, it'll likely be worth checking out. - - - - -

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania has more mini games and modes revealed Now up on the main page. Almost certainly the Super Monkey Ball game which fans have been waiting for since the original games... ...which is ironic, seeing as it is essentially the original games, but in HD, and with more content, but sometimes that's enough. - - - - -

The Wonderful 101: Remastered receives The Prince Vorkken DLC on the Switch eShop Now up on the main page. The dlc is £1 which isn't bad for the content on offer... ...though it's notably different from the two dlcs which were promised as stretch goals on the Kickstarter, though we may still see those released. Anyway, new content, so it's something at least. - - - - -

It has been a long time since I 'listened' to either of those Sonic 'music' tracks... long enough that I'd just about erased the first track from my memory. As for the Options track in Sonic Spinball, I genuinely didn't know that the entire track was more than twenty-five seconds long, as that's just about all the time I spent on the options screen at the time, because the audio was that bad even then, and I don't remember the options being particuarly expansive. But now that I know the track is nearly a full minute long before it loops? Well, at least now I know that I wasn't missing out on much.

Exactly, this is what I'm talking about... and this is precisely why on our main page I put a spoiler-warning (and in this thread) plus I only posted the press release (which can be scrolled through) and the trailer at the bottom of the page, which is there if anyone chooses to watch it, and nothing else aside from that, no pictures or a more detailed breakdown than that of the basic information from the e-mail.

The spoiler is technically avoidable, I just happened to notice the spoiler before I'd seen the trailer, as a certain Nintendo news site put the spoiler in the actual header text, before you even click on the article, and they used a picture of the most spoilerific part of the trailer for their article image, so there was no chance of avoiding it, apart from avoiding that certain Nintendo site, which has form for doing this before, but I was looking for Nintendo news to post, so that's Life I guess. In future, I'll keep checking the other news sites for Everything Nintendo related, as they at least make a conscious effort with their article titles and graphics, the other site relies too much on clickbait and seems only too glad to post spoilers just to get more views. Granted, we don't post a lot of news here on N-Europe any more, but at least from what we do post, you can usually guarantee that you won't find any significant spoilers on the main page. I do get it though, Nintendo and Mercury Steam are really keen to show the game off, personally though, I've seen more than enough from the main game, and while any spoilers from a Metroid game probably aren't going to be anything which couldn't have been fathomed from what we've seen in previous games, it is nice to play a game and experience as much of it as is possible, organically as it plays out. Anyway, up to before this point, all which has been revealed about the game, hasn't been that laden with spoilers... but we're six weeks away now from the release of the game, and I don't trust Nintendo/Mercury Steam and the usual news sites not to point out every aspect of the game, including the final boss, real final boss and every unlockable item/secret at this point.

A new trailer for Metroid Dread reveals more gameplay and story details Now up on the main page. *Spoiler warning, the trailer reveals certain locations, encounters and story elements which you might not want to see before playing the game* An excellent trailer though, there's also a press release in the article which has links to all the previously released material for the game. - - - - -

Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! is coming to the Nintendo Switch Slapped up on the main page. The game looks great, for what it is. This may well be another enjoyable Beat 'em Up. - - - - -

There seems to be another one day event Pokémon Porygon-Z being given away... It ends some time tomorrow, apparently? Be sure to follow the steps below to claim Porygon-Z: 1. Launch Pokemon Sword/Shield 2. Select Mystery Gift on the X menu 3. Select Get a Mystery Gift 4. Select Get with Code/Password to connect to the internet 5. Enter your password (1STPTCCHAMP) 6. Watch as the gift arrives in your game 7. Be sure to save your game

Pokémon Presents 18.08.2021 Roundup Now up on the main page. - - - - -

Pokémon Presents 18.08.2021 to be shown on Wednesday 18th August Now up on the main page. N-Europe will have the full Roundup article posted, shortly after the presentation. - - - - -

Nintendo Indie World 11/08/2021 Presentation Roundup All up on the main site, N-Europe's Roundup of the presentation. Full press release and video. Once again, no expectations here, games were shown, plenty that I probably won't be purchasing, though there's clearly a lot of variety on offer. Axiom Verge 2 looks like it's worth checking out now, I might download it and play it, despite not even playing through the original. (The original game is currently 10% off in the eShop... I'd have thought that maybe a bigger discount would have sold the developer more copies now the sequel is out?) Bomb Rush Cyberfunk was probably the highlight, as it seems like a Jet Set Radio type game, but for real this time... as in, this looks on-par with the Dreamcast classic.