This Russian doll style Switch cart holder is incredible
3D-printing is incredible.
It feels like nearly every day, as a board and video game player, that I see something that's not only useful, but something I never even would have thought of. That includes this Switch cart holder shaped like a warp pipe that came across my desk this morning.
Crafted by whopperlover17 and shared on Reddit, the pipe actually opens up into a smaller cart holder. It's a simple, elegant, and effective design that is also functional. The version pictured in the header holds 14 carts in total. It also has a "locking mechanism" to avoid loose carts flying around.
Although they couldn't share the direct link on the subreddit, we tracked down their Etsy store where you can grab one for yourself if you want. The creator says that "since this has gone viral," they have "quite a backlog of orders to fill." They are "also looking to make a DS version."
Get a look at how the smaller version works below!
Look at these Nintendo Switch game cases I made [Reddit]
Birdie Crush really has me jonesing for a new Mario Golf
It's a great tragedy that with the unstoppable success of the Nintendo Switch, we haven't seen hide nor hair of Mario Golf on the hardware. Mario Tennis made a decent enough comeback following its severe stumble on the Wii U, but there hasn't been a peep out of Nintendo or Camelot Software about Mario's return to the links.
Its absence has been noticed throughout the pandemic. Since I went into work-from-home mode -- or as it's better known, trapped-at-home mode -- I've been putting in some time on the greens with my 3DS and Mario Gold: World Tour. But even with all the purchased DLC, I've been feeling the urge to move onto something new. Maybe that's why I fell so hard for Birdie Crush this past week.
Forza Horizon 4 comes to Steam in March and there's cross-play
Playground Games' crowd-favorite racing series Forza Horizon is coming to Steam. The studio is collaborating with Sumo Digital to bring the latest entry, Forza Horizon 4, to Steam on March 9, 2021.
If you've held off with the Windows 10 version, there you go. The Steam edition of Forza Horizon 4 will have cross-play, so Xbox One, Windows 10, and even Android players (using the cloud) can compete.
For those of you who don't closely follow the series but might be inclined to change your ways with this news, Forza Horizon 4 is the one in Britain that leans into shifting seasons. As our dear friend Brett said in his review at the time, "winter can be a pain in the ass and not nearly as enjoyable as the other three seasons," but it's the "only season that feels truly unique and actually affects the way driving works."
DLC like the Hot Wheels Legends Car Pack and expansions like Fortune Island and LEGO Speed Champions will be sold separately on Steam, but that's business as usual. I wasn't expecting otherwise.
Coming soon - the #HotWheels Legends Car Pack.
— Forza Horizon (@ForzaHorizon) February 8, 2021
1:64 just wasn't enough for these Legends. @Hot_Wheels pic.twitter.com/tFthgvaNzx
Here are the PC system requirements if you need them.
Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 version 15063.0 or higher
- Processor: Intel i3-4170 @ 3.7Ghz OR Intel i5 750 @ 2.67Ghz
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVidia 650TI OR AMD R7 250x
- DirectX: Version 12
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 80 GB available space
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 version 15063.0 or higher
- Processor: Intel i7-3820 @ 3.6Ghz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVidia GTX 970 OR NVidia GTX 1060 3GB OR AMD R9 290x OR AMD RX 470
- DirectX: Version 12
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 100 GB available space
It's easy to underestimate Xbox Game Studios' involvement with Steam without thinking about it, but when take stock on the XGS landing page, there are some fantastic games. The list keeps growing.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons holds fort in Nintendo-led UK Charts
It's another Nintendo-friendly week in the UK Charts this week, as social adventure Animal Crossing: New Horizons retains the number one spot for a third week running, leading a slew of sales on a wide range of Nintendo Switch releases.
The adventures of Tom, Nook, Isabelle, and all the critters of Nook Island sit proudly in the number one spot, followed up by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, still shifting physical copies some four years after release. Lounge workout Ring Fit Adventure moves up to number four, while the Switch edition of Minecraft is nestled in at number five. Just Dance 2021 moves up one place to number seven, while retro compendium Super Mario 3D All-Stars retains its seat at number nine. A very good start to the year for the House of Mario.
Elsewhere in the charts, steady sales continue on AAA mainstays such as Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War at number three, Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto V at number six, and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which returns to the premier league at number 10. The only new physical release this week was nocturnal gnasher Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood, which unfortunately failed to make an impact at number 36.
E3 2021 could be a three-day digital event, but it needs publisher support
E3 was in a weird spot before the pandemic. After a year off, it's taking a different direction in 2021.
As reported by Video Games Chronicle, plans are forming around a digital-only E3 2021 that would take place over three days in mid-June, similar to the Before Times – but it still needs to gain traction.
The ESA's proposed event is trying to line up support from major publishers, but the idea for a remote E3 would potentially include "multiple two-hour keynote sessions from games partners, an awards show, a June 14 preview night, and other smaller streams from games publishers, influencers, and media partners," as VGC summarizes. Throughout 2020, publishers offered playable previews of upcoming games through streaming apps like Parsec; that would also be the case for this new E3.
"We can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021 and will soon share exact details on how we're bringing the global video game community together," the ESA said in a statement.
The cancellation of E3 2020 and lack of a digital-only replacement opened the path for Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest alternative – to say nothing of smaller and mid-tier publishers rallying with their own one-off streams and showcases. We can expect Summer Game Fest to return in 2021.
Thankfully, the next iteration will be shorter – "less than one month," according to Keighley.
As much as I long for a more condensed E3-sized news cycle instead of months of streams popping up here and there, I can't see that happening – there's no going back to the old way, or anything close to resembling it, especially not while events are at-home-only. The old dream of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo hosting their own press conferences during one unified week in June is dead, and it has been for a while. I know you know that, but it's hard not to want to reflect. So many memorable moments.
If the ESA can assemble enough publisher backing to pull off E3 2021, more power to 'em.
Konami report shows yearly growth but only in games sector
Like many major names in the industry, Konami posted its financial earnings report for the third quarter of 2020, which showed an overall minor decrease of 0.6% year-on-year, with only the company's video gaming sector seeing any growth on the previous year.
In the field of digital entertainment, Konami has fared well, raking in ¥144.6 billion (roughly $1.3 billion USD) in revenue over the previous year's ¥108.7 billion (around $1.03 billion USD). These figures represent an overall growth of around 33%. For the most part, the success is driven by Konami's mobile gaming catalogue, particularly its popular sports titles such as Professional Baseball Spirits A and eFootball Winning Eleven 2021.
However, in other sectors, Konami saw a decline on the previous year. Konami's Amusements division saw a decrease in 31% - not helped by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic - while Konami's Sports and Gaming & Systems divisions saw a revenue decrease of 43% and 48% respectively. While the overall drop in revenue is minor, it does seem that Konami - despite the numerous hats it wears as a holding corporation - continues to find the most stability in the sector for which it has always been most closely associated. Whether the publisher will ever go "all-in" on gaming again - perhaps recapturing its prolific glory years of the 1990s - remains to be seen.
Games keep Konami afloat as revenue dips [GamesIndustry.biz]
Monster Hunter Rise demo players favored the long sword, and it wasn't even close
With the Monster Hunter Rise demo done and dusted, Capcom is ready to share some stats of the goings-on of players these past few weeks. And surprisingly, a large amount of folks rallied around the long sword.
Sharing the stats of the top three weapons played during the Monster Hunter Rise demo, the game's director Yasunori Ichinose notes that the long sword took a huge lead with 19.1% of all players utilizing the loadout. In second place is great swords with 9.7% (which makes sense), and in third place is the hunting horn with 9.6%, right behind second. Here are all 14 weapons available in the game if you want to get a quick look at the competition.
Swords have long been a very popular weapon for newcomers and veterans alike, so seeing these numbers in print isn't too surprising. And with the huge install base of the Switch and a lot of new players funneling into Rise from World, it stands to reason that they'd gravitate toward a lot of existing sword archetype guides.
As a reminder, you can still play the demo if you have it, even past the "limit." Just try it on another profile or delete your save data and you'll be good to go offline.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition adjusts leering shots of Miranda Lawson
Incoming remaster Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will feature a whole host of overhauled features from the admittedly aging original releases. The off-road vehicle MAKO will have tighter controls, combat will be sharpened up, the default Femshep model from Mass Effect 3 is now available in the first two games, and the trilogy's visuals as a whole will be given a lovely modern sheen.
Speaking in a recent interview with Metro, project director Matt Walters has newly noted that Legendary Edition will tweak a selection of cinematic camera angles, particularly ones that may present some of the characters in a gratuitous or unflattering light. Cerberus officer Miranda Lawson - who is quite the polarizing character among fans - will be a beneficiary of such changes, with the camera's occasional leer over her posterior adjusted.
"I do think a lot of things have evolved since [original release] but I don't know if I would say we were ultra-concerned about it or anything like that, but there were considerations," said Walters. "Kevin [Meek, character director] actually called out some camera cuts that were just… Why was that focusing on Miranda's butt? So in some cases we said, 'Okay, we can make a change there.'"
Activision hints that more remasters are coming in the most vague and cheeky way
Activision has been killing it in terms of remasters lately.
I mean, to be more concise, studios like Toys for Bob and Vicarious Visions have been killing it, with re-releases like the Crash trilogy and Tony Hawk 1 + 2 (both done by the latter). But with Vicarious Visions down for the count and absorbed into Blizzard, what will become of the fate of more remasters? According to a recent Activision earnings call, things still look promising.
Dennis Durkin, Chief Financial Officer of Activision, stated that the company has "a few other things up [their] sleeve in terms of remastered content." That content will be revealed "in due course," and will "provide further opportunity for [the company] this year." It's an innocuous sort of comment, but it implies two things: that more remasters are coming (obviously), and that it's coming soon, potentially with a soonish reveal.
Activision owns a lot of properties at this point, and could even get involved with any number of licensed games from their past: as they have with the Ultimate Alliance series and the like. As long as the quality is there, I'm excited to see what they have planned.
As long as we eventually get Tony Hawk 3 + 4.
Activision Blizzard (ATVI) Q4 2020 Earnings Call Transcript [The Motley Fool] Thanks Rich!
Terraria Stadia port 'cancelled' after developer's Google frustrations
Terraria co-creator Andrew Spinks has said that he has cancelled all ongoing plans for a Stadia port of the popular crafting adventure following continued frustration regarding his studio's Google account.
The fallout began when the YouTube account for Spinks' studio Re-Logic was disabled for an alleged Terms of Service violation. Speaking on Twitter, Spinks said that he has since lost access to his connected Gmail account and his Google Drive, as well as "thousands of dollars worth" of apps on the Google Play service. Spinks clearly ran out of patience with the situation earlier today, following three weeks of efforts to restore his account.
"My account has now been disabled for over 3 weeks," Spinks said in a series of tweets at Google. "I still have no idea why, and after using every resource I have to get this resolved you have done nothing but give me the runaround. I can take this no other way than you deciding to burn this bridge. Consider it burned. #Terraria for @GoogleStadia is canceled. I will not be involved with a corporation that values their customers and partners so little. Doing business with you is a liability."
Having sold over 30 million copies since launch, the loss of Terraria is nothing to be sniffed at, whether these brash tactics will finally get Google to address Spinks' plight - we'll have to wait and see - but the Stadia service could probably use all the positive vibes it can grab hold of right now.
Platinum implies that Nintendo isn't letting them talk about Bayonetta 3 as frequently
The saga of Schrodinger's Bayonetta 3 has been ongoing for some time now, and we're finally starting to see the big picture in terms of why we haven't seen anything from the project.
Multiple times these past few months, Platinum (most notably Hideki Kamiya) has jokingly implied that we should "forget" about Bayonetta 3, and pleasantly be surprised when we hear from it again. The reason for that is heavily implied to be Nintendo's doing.
Speaking to VGC, Platinum head Atsushi Inaba clarifies that "[they] don't have much say over projects [they're] not publishing." Inaba notes that they "respect the publisher's decisions," and then explains that they "hope to be more open" for titles they're publishing themselves, like Project G.G.
Kamiya goes on to say that "I'll be sharing things online, putting up screenshots whenever I like," for stuff like Project G.G., since "no publishers [can] get mad" at him. Tapdancing around the subject, it appears as if Nintendo wants a very specific PR campaign for this game, and may have even been involved with Platinum showing it extremely early.
It's a big case of Square Enix-level early reveals, in any case.
Platinum on PS5 [VGC]
Warner Bros. finally patents Shadow of Mordor 'Nemesis' mechanic after multiple attempts
Warner Bros. Interactive has officially secured a patent on its "Nemesis" mechanic, first introduced in 2014's Lord of the Rings-adjacent adventure Middle-earth: Shadows of Mordor and its 2017 sequel Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office notes that the patent goes into effect on February 23, with an option to extend until 2035.
Developed by Monolith Productions, the Nemesis system is a mechanic whereby NPC characters recall interactions with the player, and thus react or grow accordingly for further possible encounters. For example, in the Middle-earth games, the Nemesis system allows Uruks who defeat or escape protagonist Talion to "remember" the battle, perhaps referencing the encounter in dialogue when the pair next meet on the battlefield. In addition, the victorious Uruk will be promoted within its unit for causing Talion's demise, receiving a stat boost and perhaps even a change in physical appearance.
The Nemesis system patent - very loosely summarized - is a patent for a hierarchy of procedurally generated NPCs that can be promoted or demoted by their in-game success and failures, whilst retaining "memories" of their previous encounters with the player.
GameStop wants people to go to stores to get a shiny Pokemon during a pandemic
"Essential business" GameStop is at it again with their old tricks.
This time it actually is an old trick, as the retailer is trying to get people into their stores for a Pokemon distribution. During a global pandemic. A shiny Pokemon, no less.
As Serebii reports, GameStop signage for a shiny Toxitricity event has been implemented, hinting that the distribution will begin on February 19. As is the case with previous activities, you'll need to go inside of a GameStop and utilize the Pokemon Pass app to acquire a serial code.
No matter how people feel about certain pandemic procedures, I'm sure they'll all unite together to stand against GameStop. But The Pokemon Company is also to blame for allowing this to happen at all, and not changing the distribution model to a safe, at-home mystery gift.
Serebii.net [Twitter]
Sony will release PS5 in China during the second quarter of 2021
Sony China has confirmed that it will release its next-gen gaming platform, PlayStation 5, in Mainland China during the second quarter of 2021. The news was broken by analyst Daniel Ahmad following a New Year's greetings video by SIE Shanghai President Tatsuo Eguchi and Vice Chairman Soeda Takahito.
While Sony's powerful new console hit global markets back in November 2020, China is yet to see its release. Although the sale sought and received approval back in December, in the interim a lucrative import market was established, with private sellers distributing consoles within the territory at hugely inflated prices. Microsoft's own next-gen hardware, Xbox Series X/S is also currently unavailable in China, though it has undergone a similar approval process.
While a release window is happy news indeed for Chinese PlayStation fans, there remains to be seen if any further restrictions will be applied to the console, its services, and its software within China. Ahmad predicts that the Chinese version of the PS5 will very likely be region-locked. Every game will seek approval from China's advisory board before it can be made available for sale. While this is obviously the case for game certification in most countries, China is famous for its particularly strict control of mass-market media.
(Update) It looks like Tails' voice actor is out for Sonic Prime too
[Update #2: Eggman is still in.
Voice actor Mike Pollock, who has been the voice since basically since 2003, is not being replaced. Their statement on Twitter makes this clear: "You know what they say: the more the merrier! You've not yet heard the last of me as Dr. Eggman in Sonic the Hedgehog video games! Kindly prepare your ears accordingly. If you guessed otherwise, SURPRISE!!!! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to stock up on lozenges."
They also go on to comment on all of the recent casting shifts, diplomatically stating: "On a personal note, I know you'll want to speculate about what happened, and possible casting choices, but please bear in mind that, IRL, actors' careers are steered by auditions, callbacks, bookings and rejections. It's a bit more complicated than choosing sides for kickball."]
[Update: Amy is out too, it seems. The voice of Amy for around a decade announced that she is not going to be working on Sonic Prime with the rest of her crew. As she puts it: "It's true. I'm loading out with my brilliant compadres."]
As you may have heard, there's a new Sonic show in town called Sonic Prime, and it's headed to Netflix in 2022. But it will be moving forward without Roger Craig Smith, the former voice of Sonic.
Fans have been speculating for roughly a week now as to what happened behind the scenes: is Sega gearing up to have Ben Schwartz (who voiced Sonic in the film) take over the role? Or will they be moving in a new direction entirely? The fate of Tails might give us a clue. When asked on Twitter by a fan on whether or not they would be participating in the Sonic Prime series, Tails voice actor Colleen O'Shaughnessey plainly responded, "No. I'm sorry to say I am not.."
This is a weird one, because O'Shaughnessey did voice Tails in the feature film (and recent games, and the Sonic Boom show), even if it was a cameo. It was a huge sign of goodwill for Sonic game fans, so it would be strange for Sega to undo all of that by recasting her entirely. Then again, recasts happen all the time for Hollywood, so it's in the realm of possibility.
Sega could also be planning a drastic revamp for these characters, separate from the film universe. We'll likely see more on those plans as early as this year.
Colleen O'Shaughnessey [Twitter]
The World Ends with You anime premieres in Japan April 9
Square Enix has announced that the anime adaptation of hip JRPG The World Ends with You will premiere in Japan on April 8. The publisher released a new music video, which features a rap remix of the show's original opening theme "Teenage City Riot" as performed by ALI and guest vocalist R-Shitei.
The hype-looking series is a joint production of Domerica and Shin-Ei Animation and is a straight retelling of the narrative from the stylish 2007 DS/Switch release. The plot details the twisted tale of protagonist Neku Sakuraba, who awakens on an unnerving alternate plane known as The Underground (UG). Journeying through this split reality, Nebu will encounter a host of friends and enemies as he attempts to make sense of his situation and uncover the truth behind the events that lead to his incarceration.
While The World Ends with You: The Animation is set to officially make its debut on April 9, a "Pre-Broadcast Special Program" is set to air a week prior on April 2. No doubt this preview will offer a sneak-peek at the stylistic series, stoking the hype fires one final time before its official release.
Classic UK series GamesMaster getting a 'social first' reboot
Any Brit of a certain age well remembers GamesMaster, the Channel 4 television that lit up our screens on Thursday evenings during the 1990s. Hosted by Dominik Diamond, and then Dexter Fletcher, and then Dominik Diamond again. kids and celebrities gathered on a selection of creative sets in order to battle it out in the latest and greatest games, all under the watchful eye of the titular "GamesMaster," played with charismatic indifference by the late Sir Patrick Moore.
And it appears that - nearly 25 years since the show left our screens - GamesMaster is getting set to return. Channel 4 has announced that it is rebooting the iconic series, which will arrive later this year as a "social first" show before transferring to the station's on-demand platform E4. An image on Channel 4's website depicts actor Sir Patrick Stewart, but strangely there is no mention of him at all in the format's blurb.
The new show will feature only a handful of episodes as five celebrities fight it out, elimination-style, to be crowned the winner and take home the famous Golden Joystick... I might be out already, folks. The show will also feature a number of "social segments" including "Meet the Gamer," "The Contender," "Speed Runs," and tips from the GamesMaster themselves - hopefully in the "Consoletation Zone."
There is no mention anywhere on Channel 4's site as to whether the new show will feature Kendo Nagasaki battling a child at WWF Wrestlemania Challenge, Dave Perry seething after losing a Super Mario 64 challenge, or a young Simon Amstell being a cheeky little prick. Here's hoping, because I'm all for the return of GamesMaster on paper, but without Dominik Diamond turning every single sentence into a tenuous metaphor for his penis, what's the point?
After being delayed out of the PlayStation 5's launch window, Destruction AllStars is rolling onto the scene at an opportune time. This hero-based destruction derby game would've struggled to catch on as a full-priced release, but as a PlayStation Plus pack-in, it might build enough of a recurring player base.
For those of us lucky enough to secure a PS5, slowly but surely, we've been running out of new things to try. Personally, my list is dwindling. As brilliant as it is, and as much as I adore it, Demon's Souls can only last me so long. My PS4 backlog has been doing a lot of heavy lifting so far – especially with some of the performance-boosting updates that are popping up for older games – but there's something special about a built-for-PS5 title that looks sharp and plays well. Destruction AllStars fits the bill.
My first night with the game was encouraging – the cars have breezy handling, the rules and controls are easy to learn, and getting into an AI or even online match is snappy. In other words, Destruction AllStars is the kind of chill game I could pick up again after a six-month break without feeling lost.
At the same time, I worry about its longevity. It's surprisingly light on content and that's a big problem.
I really want this KFC and Resident Evil Village dating sim crossover to be real
Y'all are straight-up thirsty. The recent craze over Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village has really exposed a lot of folks for their giant vampire lady fetish, showing that yes, gamers can and will get turned on by anything.
Well, this is what it's like when worlds collide. My fetish, stupid fast food-based video games, is meeting yours with KFC Dating Simulator 2.
Review: Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood
"You can't stand in the way of progress" is a favored motto of your resident capitalist, and no company knows that better than Endron, the energy corporation currently sucking the life force directly out of our dying planet. But this ecological matter goes far beyond your average Wall St. executive's portfolio. The greed, recklessness, and inconsideration of this particular conglomerate's schemes are far more frightening, going beyond the bottom line.
Endron is one of the many humanistic fronts for The Wyrm, a terrifying spiritual entity that greedily drains civilizations of their very life force, leaving behind inhospitable husks, destroyed wilderness, and millions of broken lives. While the snake suits and shark smiles of its executives are avaricious enough, at its heart The Wyrm is a more ancient and primeval force, one that has currently focused its endless thirst on the greenery of Washington State woodland Tarker's Mill.
Hope is not lost, however, as Tarker's Mill is home to a pack of equally ancient, but far more noble Garou: men and women born of man, wolf, and spirit. The Warriors of Gaia. The werewolves. While the outside world merely sees another case of Endron's inhumanity visited upon Mother Earth, the Garou are more attuned to The Wyrm's machinations, vowing to stop the evil spirit from destroying their homeland, their people, and the planet itself.
I never thought I'd be the type of person who'd enjoy a game where you pump high school girls full of pheromones to satisfy their needs, but here I am reviewing my third Gal*Gun title. Despite clearly not being in its target demographic, I've always enjoyed the absurdity of it all. It's nice to have something downright outlandish to revel in while the rest of the industry pushes toward that homogenized center.
Of course, that absurdity and outlandishness come at a price, and the Gal*Gun franchise has always been in the middle of one controversy or another. Gal*Gun Returns is no different as a few weeks ago, we learned the Xbox One port of the title had been canceled after some "productive discussions" with Microsoft.
Having seen what this series can do, the move didn't surprise me. But now that I've played it, the cancellation seems even more ridiculous as this is easily the tamest entry in the franchise.
What limited edition console or handheld do you regret missing out on?
Super Mario 3D World launches this Friday, and I am quite excited to get this on my Switch. The Wii U version is easily near the top of my personal "Best Game Ever" list, and while I'm not sure if Bowser's Fury will fit in with the rest of the game -- or if it will be a loose appendage that's still a joy to play -- you can bet your #dogecoins I'll be adding it to my collection posthaste.
Launching the same day is the Mario Red & Blue Edition Switch, a new limited edition version of the console that's decked out in Mario's trademark colors. Opinions have been split on it for the most part. I personally like the look of it all, dull gray kickstand aside, but I don't think it's special enough to push me to move away from my OG Switch. If I'm going to upgrade, it's going to be for something really dynamo.
I've been thinking a lot about special edition consoles and handhelds in the lead up to the release of the Red & Blue Switch. This week, I spent an unfortunate amount of time scouring the internet, looking for all those limited edition units that passed me by. That Pikachu Yellow Edition 3DS in the headline photo is one I didn't even realize existed until it popped up in my Google search.
I never really got into special edition console collecting until Nintendo started dropping limited edition 3DSs like it was having a fire sale on them. That's when I realized for basically the same price as an ordinary console, I could get an extraordinary one. When the New Nintendo 3DS was announced, I traded up to the beautiful Majora's Mask edition of the handheld. As stunning as it was, it was horribly designed, and eventually, I switched over to my current Poké Ball New Nintendo 2DS.
I do wish I had started going for these limited edition consoles earlier because there are two from more than a decade ago that I can't help but kick myself over not picking them up. And they're both retro variations of the Game Boy Advance. One is the NES Edition GBA SP, and the other is the Famicom Game Boy Micro. God, if only I had the sense back then to pick up these consoles when you could get them for relatively cheap.
I'm a huge fan of retro aesthetics, which is why both of those limited edition handhelds are right in my wheelhouse. They're so goddamn sleek, and if Nintendo could find a way to recreate the look of either of those on the Switch or Switch Lite, I'd switch my Switch in a heartbeat.
Contest: Win Journey to the Savage Planet on Steam
In today's contest you can win Journey to the Savage Planet on Steam!
I almost typed out Journey to the Sausage Planet, which would be pretty funny, but not quite accurate. It's Journey to the Savage Planet, and it just hit Steam! That means it's time to give away some copies, because that's what we do best.
It's been 13 years, Harmonix, put 'You Get What You Give' in Rock Band
To say Rock Band revolutionized the admittedly short-lived plastic instrument phenomenon would be an understatement. This is a series that spawned not only a knockoff series from its biggest competitor but three direct sequels, multiple band-specific spinoffs (including the elusive Beatles license), and even a friggin' LEGO collab -- this thing had a full-blown zeitgeist. Like many niche interests, the genre crashed and burned, but a stalwart few still break out the cheap guitars and flimsy drum kits for some fake rock 'n roll on a drunken Tuesday night.
I'm amongst those ranks.
Whether or not you ever got into the series, it's proven to really have some legs. During its 13-year run, the series has featured some 2,800 songs, spanning every genre from the titular rock to rap, to country, and even parody tracks from South Park and Steven Colbert. Even to this day, the devs are still releasing DLC every Thursday to keep the series fresh.
It's hard to complain about what the devs have done...but complaining is my business, and business is good. And gosh darn it, it's time to put "You Get What You Give" in Rock Band.
Cblogs of 1/30 to 2/5/2021: The Medium, Clock Tower, and the benefits of silent Link
Cblogs Recap: Week 5
-CorruptAI125 shares his thoughts on The Medium.
-Lord Spencer reviews Clock Tower as part of his PS1 REVIEWS blogging series.
-Arkane9 suggests 10 combat fixes for Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
-OmegaNate reviews the indie game TheDawn.
-GoofierBrute shares his thoughts on a game the time forgot, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
-Kerrik52 reviews Sleeping Dogs as part of his Traveller in Playtime review blogs series.
-Shoggoth2588 shares his gaming journal of 2021.
-Black Red Gaming shares this list of his most anticipated games to be released in February.
-HoneyCrisp reviews a number of games he played in 2021.
-Gamingnerd attempts to explain the reductive nature of gaming labels.
-Triggerpigking shares his list of top games in 2020.
-Robotayon writes a beautiful eulogy to the memory of a cherished pen-pal friend.
-ChronoLynxx opens this week's TGIF open forum thread.
-Virtua Kazama highlights the work of TheRunawayGuys' Let's Play group.
Jaleco's shinobi adventure Ninja Kazan returns on PS4 and Switch
Hamster has released the latest offering in its record-breaking Arcade Archives range. After a series of recent shmups we return to classic, side-scrolling action, as Jaleco's Ninja Kazan makes its platform-hopping return on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
Released in arcades in 1988 at the very height of the ninja gaming craze - which saw Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden, Sega's Shinobi, and Taito's Ninja Warriors all hit in the same period - Ninja Kazan is hack 'n' slash platformer, following a young warrior's inexplicable world tour, slicing and dicing his way through the U.S., Greece, India, Africa, and finally Japan, while on a quest to regain some stolen ancient scrolls.
Check out the action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuber SidMania.
Hudson Soft's Challenger brought together Indiana Jones and Princess Leia in one bizarre adventure
While it may have been analogous with our beloved Nintendo Entertainment System, the world of the Famicom was far different than the one we saw in the west. From the freedom explored by a Konami in its prime to the read/write frontiers of the Famicom Disk System, the gaming landscapes seen by Japanese gamers had far different peaks and valleys than we saw in the western world.
So allow us to be your tour guide in exploring this alien land filled with unusual heroes and bizarre concepts. We'll shed some light on what you may have missed simply by living on the wrong side of the ocean and, if it's possible, let you know how you can get your hands on these foreign artifacts.
You have less than 24 hours to claim this rare gift in Pokemon Sword and Shield
I've had so-so luck over the past year and a half collecting all the free Mystery Gifts Nintendo and the Pokémon Company have sent out for Pokémon Sword and Shield, and there's a good chance I would have missed this one too if I wasn't in the right place at the right time.
Following the South Korean Crown Finals, a new Mystery Gift has been made available as of Saturday morning for anyone looking to evolve their Galarian Slowpoke into a Galarian Slowking. It's called the Galarica Wreath, and you have less than 24 hours to claim it.
All you need to do to add this to your collection is use the code "CR0WNF1NALS" and it's yours.
Resident Evil and Monster Hunter continue to dominate Capcom's fortunes
After another incredibly successful year, developer/publisher Capcom has released its newly updated "Platinum List", showcasing each and every title that has sold over a million copies in the company's near 40-year history. It will come as no surprise to anybody that, once again, the upper echelon is dominated by two franchises: zombie-smashing horror Resident Evil, and giant-chasing adventure Monster Hunter.
Of the Top 15 titles on this year's list, seven are Monster Hunter entries. 2019's Monster Hunter: World remains Capcom's biggest seller of all time, adding another 400,000 units in the last quarter for an amazing 16.8 million units to date. Its expansion Monster Hunter: Iceborne sits in sixth place with an impressive 7.2 million units.
The Top Five is rounded out entirely with Resident Evil entries, including 2017's Resident Evil VII (8.5 million), 2019's Resident Evil 2 remake (7.8 million), 2009's Resident Evil 5 (7.8 million), and 2012's Resident Evil 6 (7.7 million). 2020's offering, a remake of Resident Evil 3, failed to make the Top Ten, sitting at number 18 with 3.6 million units sold.
In regards to flagship fighting franchise Street Fighter, the humble SNES edition of Street Fighter II retains its Top Ten position, sitting at number six with a staggering 6.3 million units. Not too shabby for a 30-year-old game. Its modern equivalent, Street Fighter V, places just behind at number seven, having shifted 5.2 million copies since its 2016 release.
Capcom already unveiled some of its plans for 2021, with the coming of Ghosts n' Goblins Resurrection, Capcom Arcade Stadium, Monster Hunter Rise, and, of course, Resident Evil Village. Will any of these releases find their way into the hallowed halls of the Platinum List? I'll tell y'all next year.
Check out the full list of games over on Capcom's corporate website.
Super Mario World soundtrack remaster presents the classics like you've never heard them before
One of the most instantly recognizable - and most lovable - video game soundtracks of all-time belongs to Nintendo's 1990 smash hit Super Mario World. And the jolly SNES OST is about to get a whole new reappraisal, thanks to the stellar work performed by The Super Mario Restored Project.
As spotted by Digital Eclipse's Chris Kohler, the restoration team identified the samples featured in the Super Mario World soundtrack, and then rebuilt the themes using fully uncompressed versions of said samples. This presents the soundtrack with a style akin to that of a full digital orchestra, adding a richness to the harmonies that wasn't there before. Check out the "Overworld" theme below for an example.
Well... Here's something to help you shake off the cobwebs this morning. Publisher Samustai has released a console trailer for developer teamcoil's mind-melting PC title PUSS! which is headed to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch February 19. It certainly looks... interesting.
Described as an "insane, absurd, and intense avoid 'em up about a cat," PUSS! features "the real bullet hell," challenging, randomly sequenced stages, and a selection of skins for your chosen moggy. This is one of those titles that's best experienced than described, so wipe the sleep from your eyes, crank up the volume, and experience 30 seconds of oddness below. I get a distinct Tim & Eric: Awesome Show vibe from the whole thing. I'm yet to try the PC version, but I might check it out right meow.
Warning: The trailer below contains flashing imagery.
Whatcha been playing this week, Destructoid?
Business, business, business. That's what this week was all about. We saw Embracer Group open its wallet for Gearbox, Aspyr, and Easybrain. EA complete its acquisition of Codemasters, Valve's lawsuit blues, Activision's lawsuit blues, Sony state its PS5 launch figures, and Sumo Group pick up PixelAnt. And that's not even All The Business. How much money do these guys need? The answer is "not enough," because it doesn't end until they have All The Money.
The only way I got to "Eat the Rich" this week was in a digital sense, as I munched my way through the forces of Endron in Cyanide's stealth adventure Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood. Despite having some nice ideas and cathartic brawling elements, it unfortunately did not all fuse together well, which is disappointing. The potential is there, though, should a sequel or a spin-off be forthcoming. You can read all about it right here.
But that's me. Let's hear about you. Jump into the comments below and fill us in on the games that have been keeping you occupied these cold winter evenings. Whether you've been playing recent releases such as The Medium, Atelier Ryza 2, Gal Gun Returns, or just picking away at your backlog and other familial favorites, please take a couple of minutes to share your latest gaming escapades with us. We always love to hear about it.
Have a safe and pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.
Final Fantasy XIV is getting a PS5 open beta this April
It's not a huge surprise, but it's great to have a confirmation that it's happening. During Friday's Final Fantasy XIV livestream, it was revealed the game is officially coming to the PlayStation 5 with an open beta planned for this April.
Final Fantasy XIV's next expansion, Endwalker, arrives this Fall
Final Fantasy XIV is arguably the most celebrated MMORPG on the market today, and this fall, Square Enix wants to take it to the moon. During a livestream on Friday night, producer Naoki Yoshida announced its next expansion, Endwalker.
Giveaway: Take an Alliance Reborn MatHa Bundle for Star Trek Online: House Reborn
In today's giveaway you can claim an Alliance Reborn MatHa Bundle for Star Trek Online: House Reborn!
With a new season of Star Trek Online content comes great responsibility! I mean, comes new stuff to give away!
Today we're flat-out giving away a MatHa Bundle for the first 50 people who show up -- we're also doing a contest for an even greater Strike Wing Bundle for 5 lucky winners!
If you want to move your Nioh 2 save file from PS4 to PS5, here's the process
If you're upgrading your copy of Nioh 2 to the remastered PS5 version, you're almost certainly going to want to bring over your save file rather than start from scratch. There's a little more involved in the transferring process than I was expecting, and if you're looking for pointers, Team Ninja has us covered.
You can read the developer's instructions on Twitter (along with visual aids), but I'll recap them here.
Start with the PS4 version of Nioh 2 and go to the title screen – click into "System" and scroll down and select "Cross-Save Management." In this menu, upload your PS4 save data to cloud storage.
Next, boot up the PS5 version of Nioh 2 with the same PlayStation Network account and head to the title screen – go into "System," and pick "Cross-Save Management." Now you can download your data.
This process needs to be repeated for every individual save file you want to bring over to PS5.
One other tidbit: to switch between the PS4 and PS5 editions, go to the game on your PS5 home screen, press the Options button (aka the "start" button), and choose the Game Version you want.
If you have the Nioh 2 season pass on PS4 and you're seeing an error message about not having the "rights for the add-on required to resume the game with the downloaded character data," try grabbing the equivalent PS5 DLC. I haven't tested this myself yet (I will tonight), but I've seen that suggestion.
OpenTTD is still alive and well and it's coming to Steam
Don't be alarmed if you see a Steam notification that one of your friends – you know who – is settling in for a late night with OpenTTD. The transportation management sim is coming to Steam on April 1.
"These days, we mostly distribute our game via our website," the developers wrote this week in a blog post. "But times are changing, and so is our hair. Over the last few months, we [Patric "TrueBrain" Stout and Owen "Orudge" Rudge] have silently been working to become a bit more visible in the world. Don't worry, not for reasons you might think: OpenTTD has as many active users as it had in 2007. But more because we no longer think it is the right approach to only distribute via our own website."
Apart from the exposure a Steam release could bring to the long-running open-source PC game, the developers also considered the fact that "other people" have been listing OpenTTD on "some stores."
"They are not always updated with new releases, sometimes even slacking behind a few years. And maybe more important to us: we can not guarantee that the uploaded version is unmodified and is the version as we intended. So, instead of fighting it, why not turn around and join them! Why not release our own, verified, builds on those stores!" (They've already released the game on the Microsoft Store.)
A lot can happen between now and April, so go ahead and wishlist OpenTTD on Steam if you have grand logistical plans in mind for your bustling business. I could never quite click with the original Transport Tycoon in the same way as, say, SimCity or RollerCoaster Tycoon, but I'm older and wiser and hopefully a little more patient of a player now. I should give this another serious attempt in 2021.
In the meantime, I'm gonna watch old videos of people's big-brain antics and billion-dollar empires.
Rust has a Softcore mode for players who want a break from vanilla
If you're new to Rust or it's been too long, you might want to start slow with a Softcore server. It's an official new way to play that's more "casual"-oriented – but that doesn't mean it's completely chill.
As outlined by Facepunch Studios' Maurino Berry, there are four main differences in Softcore mode, at least to start. The team expects to "continue to iterate and improve on it moving forward."
- When you're killed, half of your inventory can be reclaimed by you at either the spot of your death, or at a reclaim terminal (found at Bandit Town and the Outpost) – items in the reclaim terminal will de-spawn after two hours.
- All players may now spawn at either the Bandit Town or Outpost safezones at any time (provided they are not flagged as hostile).
- You may only view the contents of a wounded player.
- Maximum team size is four (this includes the number of people who can authorize at a Tool Cupboard or on an Autoturret).
To be clear, this offshoot isn't taking away from the default hardcore Rust experience – vanilla servers will still be in the "majority." Initially, at launch, there will be 10 servers running Softcore mode.
The new update also includes a marketplace with delivery drones to foster more trading. Eat it, Bezos!
Rust was a bewildering and hostile survival experience when I first played it years ago, and I mostly mean that as a compliment. But as curious as I've been to revisit my deadly old stomping grounds as the game continues to grow, there's a mental barrier – I'm not always in the mood to face the odds.
I can't say this new mode sounds pleasant, exactly, but I'm intrigued. I'll see how it adapts. With over 200,000 concurrent Rust players, there's no shortage of people to put Softcore through its paces.
"Softcore is something we've wanted to do for years," said producer Alistair McFarlane. "We'll be tweaking and updating based on player feedback. We know this isn't for everyone, it's an experiment! – let's see where this goes and progresses over the next few months. EVERYTHING is subject to change."
The dream of the Sega Dreamcast died 20 years ago
It's important to remember the classics. And the Dreamcast was an absolute staple console. To many, it was the best system ever made.
While we remember how great it was, it's also fascinating to reminisce on its history, and the decline of Sega as an absolute hardware powerhouse. Just about 20 years ago, Sega announced that they would discontinue the Dreamcast and become a third-party developer. It was a pretty big deal at the time!
47 has a hectic schedule ahead with Hitman 3's February content
Hitman 3 appears to have had the same impact for the long-running stealth franchise as Yakuza 0 had for the adventures of Kiryu Kazuma. While the Hitman series has always been popular, a quick look on social media implies that IO Interactive's newest sequel has brought a flurry of wannabe sharpshooters into the World of Assassination.
And already the Danish developer is offering players new content for the sequel. Yesterday saw the return of Escalation Contracts - essentially new missions and marks to eliminate in already established locations. The first contract sees Agent 47 return to Thornbridge Manor in order to stage a series of unhappy accidents.
February 11 will add a new Featured Contract - produced in association with YouTube series MinnMax (me neither). February 18 adds a throwing knife-exclusive Escalation, while on February 23 Deluxe Edition owners can enjoy a special premium Escalation, The Proloff Parable, which sees "The White Shadow" pick their way through a snow-covered train as it ruses through the Carpathian Mountains.
Putting games on my radar is one of my absolute favorite perks of this job.
At this point in gaming's history, a ton of stuff comes out at any given time. I mean just look at the Switch eShop! It's getting 30-40 titles per week gumming up those works. Curation is more important than ever. Even free-to-play titles cost time, after all.
So when Littlewood came across my desk, my interest shot up. Described as a "peaceful RP that takes place after you've saved the world," it has a lot in common with classic and modern life/gathering simulators. It's out on the Switch on February 25, with pre-orders going live on February 18.
In case you're curious, Littlewood came out in August of last year to "overwhelmingly positive" reviews on Steam, so it might be worth putting on your radar, too. Exploration, chatting with townsfolk, collecting, and harvesting are the main focuses: so there's probably something for everyone!
Sean Young [Twitter]
Fire Emblem Heroes gets gooey-eyed for Valentine's Day
Love is in the air, everywhere I look around. Well, that's actually a complete fallacy, but one game that is already feeling the soft-tinted vibe of Valentine's Day is Nintendo's mobile battle Fire Emblem Heroes, with a quartet of new heroes celebrating the happy holiday.
For the most part, it's a family affair, as joining the 17 billion-strong character roster are the husband and wife duo of Gustav and Henriette, hanging up their royal duties to return to the battlefield. I have to admit, that's pretty novel. Also available are the couple's noble son, Alfonse, and a new Dual Hero in the form of the edgy-beyond-belief Lif, partnered with the equally dour Thrasir in what is clearly a bit of fun on the developers' part.
Someone did a Zelda: Breath of the Wild 100% speedrun without taking damage
Well, with thousands of people still playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild at pretty much all hours of the day, even years-removed from its launch: a damage-less 100% run was bound to happen at some point! But speedrunner JoeDun can claim to be the first to do it.
Announcing the accomplishment on Twitter, JoeDun has shared how they did it in the below video. Let's break it down together.
Guilty Gear Strive PS4/PS5 beta kicks off February 18
Arc System Works has revealed the date for its next Guilty Gear Strive open beta. PS4 and PS5 fans can check out the newest action in Heaven and Hell on the weekend of February 18, while pre-order customers can jump into the battle a day earlier on February 17.
The new beta will feature a huge cast of 13 fighters, including new kids on the block Giovanna and Nagoriyuki, (though the recently revealed Anji Mito will not be available). Playable modes include online and offline Vs., Training Mode, and GG Strive's in-depth tutorial, giving newcomers an opportunity to learn the basics of the admittedly tricky fist-trader. Online battles will be used to study GG Strive's heralded rollback netcode.
Launching on April 9 for PS4, PS5, and PC, Guilty Gear Strive is the seventh mainline entry in the eccentric and hyper-stylized anime fighting series. Featuring a brand new engine, gorgeous visuals, and a redesigned ranking system, Arc System Works hope that GG Strive will bring a new army of players into the fold, while delivering the deep, breathless combat long-time fans have come to know and love.
Let's Rock.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake no longer has a release date
Ubisoft's remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time didn't wow newcomers and it certainly didn't impress long-time fans when it was announced last September. In the aftermath, the game was delayed to March 2021. Now, it's being pushed back even further – to an as-yet-unknown date.
Another update from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake dev team: pic.twitter.com/O6OOmYXhOD
— Prince of Persia (@princeofpersia) February 5, 2021
Sharing the news on Twitter, Ubisoft said the community's "passion and support" are "driving our development teams to make the best game possible." A replacement release date for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake wasn't given – not even a vague "2021" – but the "extra development time will enable our teams to deliver a remake that feels fresh while remaining faithful to the original."
First impressions are everything, and I think it's smart for Ubisoft to go dark until it can confidently nail the art direction, no matter how long that takes. From what I've seen of last year's footage, the remake was hitting this weird middle ground that just doesn't fly these days. It looked like a half-step.
It was jarring to see The Sands of Time resurface with anything less than the red-carpet treatment. If you're going to bring it back after all this time, you might as well do it right. Otherwise, who's it for?
This hotshot hit every single name in the Smash Melee credit shooting minigame
Whenever a game gives me a kickass credit sequence: I play it.
Devil May Cry games generally have my vote in terms of best end credits, but the flight simulator in the Smash Bros. series comes close. Porky Zarate felt the same way, and became one of the first documented players to hit all 190 names in the credits.
If you may recall, Smash Melee has a memorable end credit minigame that allows you to shoot every name you can: it even scores you at the end! Evidently Zarate was inspired by this challenge issued by Nathaniel Bandy, who offered a $3000 bounty on the first person to hit all 190 credits.
The requirements were as follows: must be done on a GameCube or Wii, use of controller must be verified through recording, gameplay must be captured, and the deadline was March 31, 2021. Well, Zarate checked all of those boxes, as the video below showcases their real-life inputs for verification. They even made a Twitter account in the race to 190.
If only 2001 me could have seen this with their own eyes.
Resident Evil movie coming as soon as September 2021
Sony's cinematic reboot of Resident Evil will be with us as soon as this fall, according to a new report from Tinsletown magazine Deadline. Produced by Constantin Films, the as-yet-untitled movie has been given a tentative release date of September 3, 2021, a mere seven months from now.
Details surrounding the project remain relatively scarce, although it was previously revealed that the new big-screen adaptation of Capcom's survival horror franchise will be an origin story, returning the timeline to 1998, the infamous locale of Raccoon City, and the haunting Spencer Mansion - site zero for the Resident Evil universe's series of unfortunate events.
Almost all of the franchise's classic characters are accounted for, with Upload's Robbie Amell as Chris Redfield, Maze Runner's Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, Avan Jogia as Leon Kennedy, Umbrella Academy's Tom Hopper as Albert Wesker, and Ant-Man and The Wasp's Hannah John-Kamen donning the beret of Jill Valentine. While the new film is not explicitly linked to the previous Resident Evil movies, Robert Kulzer will remain on board as producer.
Nintendo specifically credits Animal Crossing for a huge surge in Switch hardware sales
Animal Crossing has been a powerhouse for Nintendo.
Although there were several marketing lead-ins for it, I don't think a lot of people expected it to be that big, but with current world events, it kind of lead to a perfect storm for the life simulator. Nintendo is exceedingly proud of it, and it's about to become the best-selling Switch game of all time in just under a year.
President Shuntaro Furukawa even sung its praises in a recent investor Q&A, citing it as a large reason why the Switch continued to fly off the shelves. He explains, ". Because Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a hit, many consumers became interested in Nintendo Switch, and that was one of the major reasons for the sales increase of the systems. We are aiming to continue this momentum and increase the cumulative sales volume to overtake that of Wii."
Overtaking the Wii is not only doable, it's expected. The Wii ended up with 101.63 million units sold in its lifetime, but it's also just shy of the top five all-time selling systems. It's going to take a lot to dethrone the 155 million-ish of the PS2 and Nintendo DS line (individually), but Nintendo will try. If the Switch cracks the 102 million mark and breaks past the original PlayStation, it's home free to the top five.
Furukawa goes on to further explain Nintendo's strategy from here on out, stating, "While we are considering various measures to achieve this, one point that we consider critical to this effort is the fact that a wide range of consumers are currently playing Nintendo Switch. Many of those who purchased Nintendo Switch at launch have already played a variety of different titles, while there are also consumers who were encouraged to purchase a Nintendo Switch by the release of a game in a series like Pokemon or Animal Crossing...And our research has found that approximately 20% of the Nintendo Switch family sell through between October and December 2020 in the main regions was due to demand for multiple systems within the same family. We will aim to continue increasing our sales volume by rigorously responding to this kind of demand for multiple systems as well."
Multiple Switch units per household is a mantra Nintendo has been chanting before Furukawa even came into power, and it's a mentality that they hope will propel them to DS-level financials stardom this generation.
Q&A [Nintendo]
Nintendo says 'major contributions' to their sales came from Pokemon and Smash Bros. DLC
Seeing Nintendo get involved with DLC was weird (the same goes for paid online and eventually season passes), but once they did, you could see the dollar signs pop up in real time. Nintendo has DLC-ed up a ton of their games in the past, and based on a new Q&A session from company president Shuntaro Furukawa, that strategy isn't ending anytime soon.
Speaking to investors, Furukawa explains the second wind a few of their games have gotten from DLC, most notably Pokemon Sword and Shield, as well as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Furukawa states: "As for the increase in sales of add-on content, major contributions came from the second round of add-on content for Pokemon Sword Expansion Pass and Pokemon Shield Expansion Pass, which was released in the third quarter, and from Fighter Pass Vol. 2 for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Nintendo Switch Online sales increased thanks in part to the growth in membership that has accompanied the rise in hardware sales."
Furukawa, like he has in Q&As of old, further predicts a boon of digital sales, noting, "Consumers who have bought digital products and experienced their convenience tend to prefer to continue to make digital purchases, so we see digital sales continuing to trend upward over the mid-to-long term." So expect more digital-focused DLC on top of everything.
Just the other day, I was musing on how much more monetary potential directly integrated DLC has for Pokemon, compared to the previous "extra game(s)" model. Nintendo has now confirmed the obvious.
Q&A [Nintendo]
Man arrested for selling hacked Pokemon Sword & Shield Sobble
A Japanese man has been arrested by authorities for allegedly generating and selling hacked critters from Nintendo Switch release Pokémon Sword & Shield. The 23-year-old was apprehended in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture after being caught allegedly selling a hacked Sobble.
The suspect is accused of having used a "jailbroken" Nintendo Switch console to run a service online in which they would create hacked Pokémon to order, with each critter retailing for around ¥500, with a commission fee of up to ¥800 should an individual order six Pokémon or more. It is alleged that the man has made somewhere in the region of ¥1.15 million (or roughly $10,000 USD) since Pokémon Sword & Shield's release in November 2019.
