#134: Your Nintendo Update

▶ Nintendo Direct for E3 2019 — A 45-minute look at what games are on the horizon for Switch, with a fair few surprises to boot. Worth watching if you missed it.

Nintendo // YouTube

Nintendo gives us more Zelda, more zombies, delays Animal Crossing… wins E3 — The main takeaways from Nintendo’s E3 showing with typically pithy commentary from Mr Biffo. ” For Nintendo, a game is a game, whether its a 2D, top-down thing, or a huge, 3D, open world, action game ” .

Paul Rose // Digitiser

REVIEW Cadence of Hyrule is the best Zelda spinoff ever made — Considering past Zelda spin off games have included CDi garbage and Link’s Crossbow Training, I wasn’t sure if this headline was just faint praise — but no, this musical twist on the Zelda formula ” easily matches the quality of the main series” . Here’s another review from VGC .

(I recently bought ‘ Crypt of the NecroDancer’, the game which inspired this spin-off — so this new release will have to wait until I clear it from my backlog. )

Russ Frushtick // Polygon

Breath of the Wild sequel is ‘Now in Development’ — This was the big surprise that closed out Nintendo’s E3 presentation — from the glimpse we got, it looks like this follow-up is noticably darker in tone. Now, it wasn’t much of a shocker to me to see that Nintendo would be keen to revisit/reuse the world and the unique ‘chemistry’ engine from the first game — it was more a question of when ( this first look came sooner than I expected though ). I’m now keen to play through the first game again.

Alex Kane // Variety

Animal Crossing for Switch gets delayed — The game is no longer a 2019 title, and will now launch in March of next year. Nintendo noted that the delay is to make the game as ‘best as it can be’ — but this postponement also provided an opportunity for Nintendo to highlight their evolving approach to crunch , with the company speaking up on how the health of its employees far outweighs rushing a game to market.

Lucas Matney // TechCrunch

PREVIEW Luigi’s Mansion 3 hands-on: The best Nintendo game at E3 2019 — An impressive first impression: ” It truly feels like Luigi’s Mansion 3 is the complete package.”

Aric Sweeny // Nintendo Enthusiast

Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake releases for Switch September 20 —
This looks super adorable. I loved the original so will be picking this up for sure. The remake has a new dungeon builder mode which looks interesting — oh, and here’s an initial preview of the game from IGN .

Stephany Nunneley  // VG247

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s next characters are Dragon Quest XI’s hero and Banjo-Kazooie — Both welcome additions. The Banjo reveal was pretty awesome I’ve gotta say. I think this meme sums up reaction well.

Andrew Webster  // The Verge

Banjo-Kazooie’s creators discuss Smash Bros. inclusion

Andy Robinson  // VGC

Let’s talk about Pokémon Sword & Shield’s apparent lack of a National Dex — This change to a ‘limited’ Pokedex was revealed during an E3 stream, and hasn’t gone down too well with long standing fans.

Laura Kate Dale

Look at these beefy Daemon X Machina themed ‘Joy-Con’ made by Hori —
I actually think these things look alright.

Daniel Vuckovic  // Vooks

▶ New Super Lucky’s Tale Gameplay — This game started life on the Xbox One, but an enhanced version with new content is coming to the Switch. It’s fairly reminiscent of Nintendo 64-era 3D platformers, if that’s your bag.

Nintendo  // YouTube

PREVIEW Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 — “the best Tony Hawk game I’ve played in years”
Donald Theriault  // Nintendo World Report

Virtua Racing and Wonder Boy join Sega Ages on Switch in the West

Neal Ronaghan  // Nintendo World Report

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered announced for Nintendo Switch

Jack Parsons  // Loot Pots

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition releases this Winter

Liam Doolan  // Nintendo Life

REVIEW Verlet Swing — “one bizarre but frustrating trip”
Casey Gibson // Nintendo World Report

INTERVIEW Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov on Tetris 99, Tetris comics and his favourite Tetris piece
Alan Lopez  // Nintendo Life

Monday, June 17

• Sea King — A naval combat party game.

Tuesday, June 18

• Another Sight — Fantasy steampunk adventure set in 1899 London. Features a cat.
• Citizens of Space — Navigate the cosmos in this space RPG.

Wednesday, June 19

• Boxing Champs — Top down boxing game. (June 20 in US)

Thursday, June 20

• My Friend Pedro — Bullet ballet. This looks rad.
• The Childs Sight — Horror adventure “through the eyes of a baby”.
• Duke of Defense — Action-based tower defence.
• Mainlining — A cybercrime hacking thriller.
• Muse Dash — Rhythm action game.
• Catan — Trade wool, brick and more in this classic board game. Supports online.
• Slender: The Arrival — Survival horror Slender Man adaptation.
• Forest Home — Guide animals home in this puzzler.
• Rolling Gunner — Side-scrolling shooter.
• Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis — Interactive mystery thriller.
• Please, Don’t Touch Anything: Classic — Pixel puzzler. (Already available in US)

Friday, June 21

• Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled — A remaster of the PlayStation classic.
• Captain Cat — Fishing puzzle game.