#144: Your Nintendo Update

Joy.

Issue 144 — August 25, 2019

Hi 👋 Here’s issue #144 of Switch Weekly, with the week in Nintendo news.

My Joy Con is back! Well, I say my Joy Con, but it is actually a brand new one. Nintendo sent me a letter claiming to have repaired my controller, but from what I can tell they’ve just shipped out a new one instead — I’m guessing it’s just cheaper and not worth the hassle for them to fix, so they’ve just swapped it for a fresh one, which is fine by me. Now, I’m in the UK, where Nintendo have not yet officially announced a free replacement programe like they have in the U.S. I’m still seeing plenty of UK folks claiming that Nintendo won’t fix their faulty Joy Con for free, so this is all still a tad confusing. I made a video about this which you can watch here , let me know in the comments if you’ve had drift issues ( this is where I say like and subscribe yeah?…oh and yes I need a shave ).

Nintendo have put a bunch of videos from Gamescom up on YouTube , offering a good glimpse at a slate of upcoming games Luigi’s Mansion 3, Zelda and Astral Chain. They also offered up a good look at one of the towns in the next Pokemon games. They’re worth checking out!

Last week I linked to a suggestion that Superhot was coming to the Switch, well that suggestion was bang on, as the game was announced in the Indie World presentation. It’s out now — you can find a link to the Indie World video if you missed it in the issue below.

Thanks for reading, and catch you next week!
Chris ❤️

Astral Chain review appears in Famitsu — This seems to be one of the first reviews for this game — with the respected Japanese gaming mag giving it a 37/40. Most reviews are expected to drop tomorrow ( Monday, 26th ) so if this is on your radar, keep an eye out. This one is out on the 30th!

Tom Ivan // VGC

▶ Indie World showcase – August 19 — Catch up with this 20 minute showcase of upcoming indie games. I really like the look of Eastward and The Touryst.

Nintendo // YouTube

Ori and the Blind Forest coming to Nintendo Switch on September 27 — This was announced in the above Indie World presentation. If you missed this first time around back in 2016, then it’s worth looking into for the gorgeous visuals alone.

Daniel Smith // Xbox

OPINION Sega is becoming its weird and wonderful self again
Aaron Souppouris // Engadget

The people who watch video games, but never play them — An interesting look into the evolving nature of videogame fandom and why people often would rather watch than play. I’ve probably spent more time watching folks play Super Mario Maker 2 levels than I have playing it myself — for me it’s a way to relax with a lower bar to entry (mentally) than just playing would be.

Patricia Hernandez // Polygon

REVIEW Oninaki — “enjoyable, thought-provoking, and stylish RPG”

Jordan Rudek // Nintendo World Report

REVIEW Snooker 19 — “a must for snooker devotees”

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln // Nintendo Life

REVIEW Superhot — “the most innovative shooter we’ve played in years”

Alex Olney // Nintendo Life

The Switch needs more Saturn games like ‘Panzer Dragoon’
Nick Summers // Engadget

Microsoft: no plans to release more Xbox exclusives on Switch or PS4
Tom Warren // The Verge

▶ OPINION We need more funny video games
Paul Tamayo // Kotaku

🎮 Upcoming Releases

All releases are EU & US unless otherwise stated. ⭐️ = Pick of the week.

Monday, August 26

Deadlings — 2D Zombie arcade action. (Aug 27 in U.S.)

Tuesday, August 27

Eight-Minute Empire — A fast-paced Civ-style game.
Esport Manager — Manage a team of either FPS or MOBA players in this sim.

Wednesday, August 28

Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s — The description says it has 18 pants to collect…
Whipseey and the Lost Atlas — A platformer that looks like Kirby with a whip.
Damascus Gear Operation Osaka — Action RPG with mechs. (Aug 29 in U.S.)
Agent A: A puzzle in disguise — Inventory-based puzzler with a 60s vibe. (Aug 29 in U.S.)
AER Memories of Old — An adventure game with a vibrant minimalisitc art style.
Grand Brix Shooter — A bullet-hell fusion shooter. (Aug 29 in U.S.)
Hookbots — Multiplater robot party game.

Thursday, August 29

Heave Ho — This party game looks pretty damn fun.
Bubsy: Paws on Fire — Remember Bubsy? He’s back. In Switch form.
Vambrace: Cold Soul — Roguelike fantasy-adventure set amidst a frozen landscape.
Little Racer — A mini-racing game.
Decay of Logos — A challengine fantasy RPG. Weird name.
Wilmot’s Warehouse — A puzzle game for people who like to organise stuff.
Brunch Club — Play with your food in this party game.
Invasion of Alien X: Earth in Crisis — Arcade shooter.

Friday, August 30

⭐️ Astral Chain — Play as a special Police task force in this new action game from Platinum.
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors — Side scrolling beat-em-up.
Root Letter: Last Answer — Interactive murder mystery visual novel. (Sep 3 in U.S.)
FUZE4 — A coding app for the Switch to make your own games.