Nintendo Switch Rumour Dump

So something odd happened, Youtube streamer OBE1Plays was 'Intensely' streaming a Splatoon match when it was interrupted by now famous Nintendo Switch leaker Laura Dale.

Suddenly the stream ended and a Nintendo rumour fest began. OBE1Plays claims to have exclusive leaks for his "12 days of Switchmas" and this starts with both confirming that the next Assassin's Creed game will see 'release parity' across X1, PS4 and Nintendo Switch, which would be nice as on the Wii U version of Assassin's Creed III arrived 5 weeks later than is 360/PS3 cousin. The Wii U's gamepad made the poorly built wilderness map a lot easier to get through and reach the actual fun parts of the world. ODE1 also confirms the AC game in question is Egyptian themed, which could mean some Aladdin flashbacks.

@OBE1plays @YouTube I've heard as much on AC release parity, Ubi want day one release. Good luck on your 12 days. Fingers crossed for you.

— Laura Kate Dale (@LaurakBuzz) December 28, 2016

The two's live stream can be viewed here but the stream is 30 minutes long and so here is the cliff notes created by Nintendo Life's Dan Thompson. You'll all so see some notes by me in Bold.

• There's a record button on the left Joy-Con. We've previously assumed that button to be an NFC reader.
• There will be no friend codes, DeNA is helping Nintendo with the networking. 
• The leak from Reddit user 'Genos' is fake.
• Laura was asked if there was the possibility of Red Dead Redemption 2 or Overwatch coming to the Switch. Regarding Red Dead, she stated that there's almost no way it's going to happen due to Rockstar's relationship with Nintendo. She assures that Overwatch wouldn't be there at launch, and the two stated that it would require a massively overhauled port due to the 'always-online' nature of the title. This bit seems off to us if Overwatch can't come to Switch that rules out other every MMO and "always online" titles like Destiny, Division and others like Rocket lead. The 3DS doesn't feature mobile internet but that hasn't stopped two MMOs in Japan (Monster Hunter Frontier and Dragon Quest X)
• Don't expect a delay for the Nintendo Switch.
• Laura was asked about voice-chat, before she was going to answer she asked if she could say anything due to OBE1 releasing a video detailing it out soon. This basically confirmed the fact that it's going to be included, smooth move guys. This isn't too helpful as the Wii U supported voice chat but not as a system wide feature.
• The system will have Bluetooth, not sure to what extent. One assumes the Pro pad and Joy-Cons are not wired USB devices.
• The Joy-Cons will be available to be purchased separately at launch date. Docks will be purchasable after 6 months and will be 'cheap'.
• There won't be a bundle that includes the Pro Controller, they will be purchasable separately.
• The battery will last around 3 hours with everything at maximum. We know from Unreal code that the Switch can throttle performance to 60% in portable mode so if 3 hours at max, then 5-6 hours at 60% is possible
• The charging port is USB and will easily and quickly charge the system. Yay, power banks!
• Only expect three virtual console Gamecube games at launch, they will be optimised for their original resolutions.
• At launch, there will only be one colour of the Switch, and it will be the default grey. However, there's a slight chance that there will be multiple colours after launch. Pretty sure every Nintendo system after the SNES got multiple colours after launch.
• The right Joy-Con has an IR pointer akin to the Wiimote, this will allow touch-screen functionalities while docked. 
• The entry bundle for the switch will have 32GB of onboard storage, Micro SD card support will extend to 128 GB. hard limit or will players be able to risk larger cards? also, yay Micro SD!
• When asked about Mass Effect Andromeda, she brought up the point that Mass Effect 3 sold horrendously on Wii U and that there are no plans to release the title. This isn't exactly a 'rumour' as the developers have already ruled out a port. I'm sure EA knows full well why ME3 sales was low on Wii U *cough* trilogy *cough*

Separately Ms Dale is still unsure on whether if the Breath of the Wild will be on the Nintendo Switch at launch, From her sources she believes that Mario Switch will be a launch title whilst Breath of the Wild will hit later. Whilst I don't have the sources of Ms Dale, the fact that Tantalus has games in development for Switch does make my "Zelda-delay-sense" tingle. (Tantalus are the studio behind the HD remakes of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess) though it would seem utterly bizare to rob the Switch of all that "wild hype" in favour of any brand boost from Super Mario Run.

Abe's Take

It's not long before we can call time on these rumours as we're less than a quarter of a month away from the full reveal by Nintendo. 

Old Republic pays tribute to Carrie Fisher

Not exactly an event I wanted to return on but felt ignoring the passing of Carrie Fisher in favour of yet another Nintendo Switch rumour would be wrong. More so in the light of her mother Debbie Reynolds also passing.

Fans across the Star Wars fandom have been paying tribute but a certain one has our attention. Thousands of Fans have been amassing in Star Wars: The Old Republic's version of Alderann (the adoptive homeworld of Fisher's character) to pay tribute to the late actress, writer and activist.  PC gamer is reporting that high-level players have been wiping out the mods to allow low level (and new) players to reach the ancestral home of the Organa family. Players have also organised a petition asking for a statue based on Fisher's likeness be placed where the players are paying their respects.

Abe's Take.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia is a shared childhood memory for all the GK-UK team, Our hearts go out to her daughter Billie Lourd who had lost too much over the last week.

Editorial notice: Yes we are aware of the "issue" with the SWTOR tribute and ATM don't care about the implications on the films.

Check Out This Legend of Zelda 3D Map

Some time ago you may remember someone created the entire world map of the original NES Legend Of Zelda in Minecraft? Well, you should, here let's remind you of what it looked like. 

Well via Mike Matei on Twitter (one-half of Angry Video Game Nerd) has shown of what happens when you take 6 months of Minecraft work and send it to a 3D printer. Spoiler alert! it is 'the glory'!

That beautiful piece took a solid 24 hours to print and then took a further (probably frustrating) 6 hours to paint and has apparently been sold for $100, which in the humble rambler's view is devastatingly cheap. Gaming collectables are insultingly expensive at the best of times, let alone custom item that represents over half a year's worth of effort

Check out the rest of the pictures on Mike's Twitter page.

Abe's Take
I sure hope more of these get into the wild. I would happily pay $100 for stuff like this. I'm not 100% sure if it's because A) it's really good for the price or B) I'm just used to the $500+ price tag of other collectables like THIS GUY or THAT GUY

Dragon Quest XI Reconfirmed For Switch... Again

So after a lengthy absence thanks to a minor technical fault with my personal PC... a small fire made its home in it. Now that's all sorted we're back with Nintendo Switch news.

Nintendo has reconfirmed Dragon Quest XI for the Nintendo Switch, for those keeping score this being the third time DQXI has been confirmed for the Nintendo Switch. The first time Square-Enix confirmed both DQ X and DQ XI would come to the (then) NX during a live stream for the franchises 30th anniversary but shortly afterwards (precisely the length of time for an angry call from a Nintendo lawyer) retracted the announcement. Then after the Switch's reveal SE officially confirmed DQXI was coming to PS4, 3DS and Switch all at the same time.

So why this third attempt at confirming the title? Well, Square has been showing off the PS4 and 3DS version (video below) and did not mention the Nintendo Switch version, which led to fans pressing Nintendo for confirmation that a version was still coming and of cause it's now been confirmed by Nintendo.

Check the video out, the 3DS version starts after the PS4 version at 2:11

As you can see the two versions of the game are shaping up nicely. The ps4 version looks really nice, like Akira Toriyama's designs are given a more "realistic" makeover (interesting to see if it gets a PS4 Pro mode). Whilst the 3DS version has a rather interesting take with a dual 2D sprite & 3D model presentation (something tells me there might be a Pokemon game like that before the Switch takes over full time).

Abe's Take
Questions still hang over Dragon Quest XI as there is no confirmation about which of the two versions will come to Nintendo Switch and whether it'll even come west, though the chances are good as Dragon Quest Heroes and the two 3DS remakes have been localised.

Point and click mania - Clock Tower

“Raised in the Granite Orphanage, Jennifer and her friends

were wanted as adopted daughters.

It happened in September…”

It’s hard to be objective to a game I ritualistically play every Halloween much less to a game that practically redefined the survival horror genre overnight. Clock Tower is a forgotten gem which has no right to be as good as it is. It does everything wrong. An action driven game that pits you against only one enemy whilst offering no weapons to defend yourself against it. Check. A 90’s point and click adventure that can be finished in less than an hour. Check. Small children killed in a Nintendo exclusive. Check. Yes, Clock Tower truely offered the unseasoned survival horror market an experience quite unlike any other.

Inspired by the giallo work of Dario Argento and video nasties such as The Burning, Clock Tower puts you in control of orphan Jennifer as she attempts to navigate an isolated mansion whilst she and her young friends are routinely hunted and butchered by a serial killer. You win the game by hiding in any space you can find hoping to be quick enough, lucky enough - the killers appearance is randomized - to escape some unfortunate end. Help does not come.

While you run, Jennifer panics. If she panics too much she will begin to fall over. Her killer closes in. If you reach a dead end, the game continues letting you simply wait knowing there is absolutely nothing you can do. Then you are schewered like a pig.  You will see Jennifer die a lot in Clock Tower. Suprisingly, this game never made it out of the Japanese market. 

Here’s a typical event that may happen in Clock Tower: I run into an outhouse with the pulsating John Carpenter music revibrating down the coridors after me. I climb a ladder onto a balcony and duck down. The killer enters and I push the ladder over preventing him from reaching me. He leaves. The music ends. I suddenly realise the drop is too far for me to return to the ground floor and I am stuck up there. Suddenly, the roof caves in and the killer is up there with me. He advances.

It is this psychology of uncertainty and vulnerability that makes the atmosphere of Clock Tower work so effortlessly. You are in danger from the moment the game begins to the moment it ends. There are no powerups, no cheats or saves and later games in the series wouldn’t even have canonical endings. Pick your favourite said the director [in the sequel manual] there’s the “Hollywood” ending, the “franchise” ending; he continues to list them off as if he really doesn’t care. The game over screen is termed “dead end” perhaps ironically. There are nine endings in total to Clock Tower and many of them are not pretty.

The popularity of the game continued to grow years later thanks to internet piracy and elements of the game found its way into populrar cultue, the panic system was incorporated into the original Dino Crisis and online cult legend Benjamin Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation fame developed a video game trilogy inspired by the game beginning with “5 Days a Stranger.” Now the series has finally been revived thanks to a kick starter campaign.

Will Jennifer and her friends escape from The Barrows Mansion? This time perhaps, and there are three endings in which the escape can tie into a direct seuel, but in future games - all endings are equivocal. It is this open endededness and lack of concern with an overly rewarding or punishing game experience that allows players the freedom to interpret the game as they see fit.

The game was later ported to Windows but once again failed to acquire interested publishers outside of Japan. I wonder why.

If you like this try:

5 Days a Stranger, Broken Sword (series), Silent Hill (series), Dark Seed (series).

Wii U Production ends

After denying reports that the Wii U was ending its production "that week" Nintendo's Japanese website now has this to say.
"近日生産終了予定"

Which we're reliably informed (by Google) means "production to end soon". The Wii U so far has sold about 13.36 million units which means it's Nintendo's worst selling home console because apparently the Virtual Boy counts as a handheld (I know right?) however it did manage to beat out another great console that fell short, the Sega's Dreamcast (9.13 million)

Obviously, this is all in order to make room for Nintendo's new system which is set to deliver the most used feature of the Wii U... off-TV play.

Abe's Take
So what now for the Wii U's left "in the system" that need to be sold? Same thing it needed 6 weeks before the Xbox One was announced a deep price cut. The last of the units need to be sliced down to £100 probably with a game. Throw in some heavy marketing, sprinkle with more of the systems hit games on Nintendo select and get rid off the last of the stock.

Rumour: Smash Switch Port/Amiibo Delayed

And we're back to Nintendo Switch rumours, it was nice writing about Metro and Mass Effect for a change. Today we seemingly have a rebuttal to another rumour intentionally/accidentally using today's source.

Today's report come from our pal (they don't know that) Laura Dale. Today she is reporting that Super Smash Bro's 4 is coming to the Nintendo Switch but will not be available at launch but will hit some point in the first 6 months after launch. Unlike the previous rumour (that other places linked to) Ms Dale sources are not saying this will be a "director's cut" or that it will feature any new content beyond the original DLC from the Wii U. They are also unable to get any confirmation on Gamecube controller support or if the 3DS exclusive levels will be ported across too.

However, this port might of coming at a cost for Amiibo fans Dale's sources say that the Bayonetta and Cloud Amiibo will be delayed so they can be launched alongside "Super Smash Bros for Switch".

Source

Abe's Take
Something pinged in my head as I was writing that last part as both Bayonetta and Final Fantasy are rumoured to be seeing Nintendo Switch ports/sequels.

The life expectancy of my Wii U will probably be determined by how true these rumours of ports and director cuts are. The Wii U holds the crown for multiplayer get-togethers and will probably hold it until the Switch gets games to replace it.

Rumour: Metro 3 Outed

The Metro games are some of the tensest and atmospheric FPS on the market, being trapped on the toxic surface, wounded and heavily breathing into what remains of my gas mark as the last filter slowly fail. Nothing has topped that moment since.

It seems we have now seen the most iron-clad leak of all time. Dmitry Glukhovsky, the author of the Metro novels has released a Metro timeline alongside the English version and there is an curious addition for 2017: 'The next Metro video game' with the text "it all adds up to something, Where the books end their story, the game will pick it up. An era of great discoveries lie ahead."

Which is rather exciting as nothing has been announced for the 3rd Metro game. It would certainly be an interesting turn for the franchise as Metro 2035 sees the return of Artyom as the people of the Metro attempt to retake the surface world, it seems likely that Metro 3 could be a rather different experience.

Not played Metro? well get on it, the two games saw a bundle remaster release for current gen and unlike the other remasters the developers applied all the gameplay improvements.

Abe's Take
Well I'm going to through a rumour tag on this but it seems rather pointless but just in case, there it is. Well, think I know my plans for the new year now, time to reread and replay the series in order.

Mass Effect Andromeda Details

Yesterday was Bioware's annual N7 event, the celebration of the Mass Effect franchise and fanbase. Yesterday Bioware used that to reveal the first story trailer for the new entry Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Along with this trailer. details are finally starting to appear about the game.

Time and Space

We know now that Mass Effect Andromeda takes place 600 years after Mass Effect 3. During the events of Mass Effect 2, the council decides that the reapers are too much of a threat to rest the fate of one Spector (Shepard) and so builds great 4 ark ships, one for each council race. Sending them far away from the Reapers and their Mass Relays. The plan is to investigate the "golden worlds" of the Heleus cluster. However the human ark ship "Hyperion" wakes up to find itself of cause and out of contact with the other ships or the Nexus a central command ship sent ahead of the arks.

The set up here nicely sidesteps the "ending" issue of Mass Effect 3 and removes the need for a canon ending. Bioware states that whatever the results of you Mass Effect 1-3 playthrough that is you canon. Which implies we won't see anything else Mass Effect from the Milkyway set after Mass Effect 3.

The Ryders

Alec Ryder in his N7 armour

Leading this mission is the "Pathfinder" Alec Ryder (star of the E3 trailer), unlike previous Mass Effect games the players won't be choosing Ryder's gender like they did Shepard. Instead, players will be picking (and customizing) between his son Scott and daughter Sera. Whilst Bioware has confirmed both the siblings Ryder will survive and not pull a Nate/Nora or Bethany/Carter but things look less... joyful for Alec as his title will pass to your Ryder. Speaking of Nate/Nora Andromeda will allow players to customize not only their choice of Ryder but also the sibling and father.

Scott and Sera Ryder in their AI armour

Player Freedom
Andromeda seeks to set players free from some artificial constraints from the first series (and the genre) so the first thing to go is the Paragon/Renegade system (it is unsure if the epic interruptions return) making that invisible should free the player to make more natural choices (we found this true for Fallout 4). Instead of a visible ranking affecting your interactions with NPCs instead, it'll be your actions and "tones" used in conversations. the goal here is to give you a more diverse way of expressing yourself without worrying about or being locked into a simple binary blue/red system.

Next up is the class system, instead of offering players an starting class to build up ME:A will be flipping the system on its head and letting players build their characters freely. There are however bonuses for following "traditional" classes so for example, unlocking multiple biotic powers will net you a bonus to your biotic prowess.

FireFight
This new found freedom expands to combat whereas Mass Effect 3 had two "play styles" where you either played it like a Gears or "stop and go" using the power wheel. Andromeda is attempting to merge the two allowing for faster gameplay, this also involves removing the 'tactical' roll in favor for a jet pack dodge and leap, allowing you to avoid fire, get across gaps or to higher ground.

Bioware confirms this style of gameplay will transfer to ME:A's Co-op mode, which is expected to be similar to Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition's. Which pleases us as we enjoyed both games attempt at multiplayer.

Hotrod

You know what? we missed the Mako, the hover tank was not the same.

The Mako is making its return to the franchise but altered to matched the feedback from Mass Effect 1. The new vehicle is called the Nomad and will allow people to explore the open terrain of the planets, which will apparently feature not only story missions but also side quests for the local populous. Bioware is making great pains to let fans know this isn't the same Mako it won't handle like the old ones, the sense of speed has been corrected and the camera will be a lot more compliant.

Aliens
Unlike the Shepard Trilogy humanity is the alien invaders in Andromeda, the Hyperon is the only source of pink meat bags in this galaxy and the locals are not happy about the new guys. the new race

Whilst the Hyperon is the human ark ship it appears there is at least one non-human on board as players will be joined by the Asari Peebee who as you saw in the trailer doesn't appear to be like other Asari like Liara or Samara. (there is some rumour that she might have a human "father")

Peebee, part human or an Asari Teen (50 years old)

The End?
Bioware isn't talking about where this game will end, if it will feature multiple endings or if its the start of a new trilogy. The goal with Mass Effect Andromeda was to tell a "complete" story. Which gives us a sigh of relief as an increasing number of games are expecting to get the trilogy treatment and as such, we don't often get a clear ending.

Whilst Bioware isn't giving us a date outside of "spring 2017" but Dark Horse's tie-in comic is still coming "the same day as the game March 21st". Regardless Mass Effect Andromeda is available to preorder on Amazon. Mass Effect Andromeda is also confirmed to be PS4 Pro compatible which will see the game boosted to "near" 4k.

Abe's Take
I speak for most of us at GK-UK when I say "We can not wait to play this" as Bioware is building not only on the lessons learned from Mass Effect 1-3 but also Dragon Age Inquisition  

Tantalus has Switch Games

Today will just not give me a break on the Nintendo Switch stuff today. A new interesting Studio has also thrwon their hat into the ring.

Tom Crago, CEO of Tantalus has joined the chorus of studio's confirming the have Nintendo Switch games in development but Tantalus needs a special mention because of their job with Nintendo. Tantalus made the rather good HD remasters of Wind Waker & Twilight Princess and we could be hearing about their "titles" soon.

“I can confirm that we’re working on Switch, and have been for some time. Our titles haven’t been announced as yet, but keep an eye out for more news soon”

What could they be working on? re-remastering Wind Waker and Twilight Princess for Nintendo Switch (if so they better be bundled together) or are they finally going to give us that Skyward Sword remaster we've been asking for since the Wii U was announced.

This new has however made us a little worried as Nintendo only seems to produce these remasters when they delay a Zelda... which makes us look at a brief report from Emily Rogers who thinks Super Mario Switch could replace Breath of the Wild as a launch title. It also possible however that they are simply handling the Switch port.

I wouldn't be surprised if 3D Mario ends up being a day one launch title for Switch instead of Zelda...That's all I'll say on that.

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) November 5, 2016

This isn't speculation. I'm basing this off things I've been hearing for 3-4 months now. 3D Mario sounds like it's practically finished.

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) November 5, 2016

Abe's Take

I really hope Skyward Sword sees a remaster, the game's art style was amazing but was hampered by the Wii's low resolution and power. Here, check out the orginal game running in the dolphin emulator.

Capcom finally talks Switch

Well lucky me, another publisher has begun speaking about the Nintendo Switch. However, this time it is not the usual 'Yay Nintendo!' comment.

During Capcom's 2nd quarterly Q&A they brought up them bringing multiplatform titles from Xbox and PS. It seems unlike other companies Capcom isn't prepared to treat the Switch as a Wii U successor

"We are currently carrying out research with regards to multiplatform implementation of software for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on to the Nintendo Switch,"

This research apparently is need not due to 'power' but with the "playstyle" of the Nintendo Switch, so they appear concerned that it's a handheld hybrid and not a full console.

"However, we do feel that there are differences in the desired direction and the play-style of the Nintendo Switch and those of the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. At Capcom, we determine which platform to release a title for after considering the features of both our software and the hardware in question, believing we must bring the enjoyment of our games to their maximum potential"

Though they do seem to be open to treating the Switch as a home system but they seem intent on letting Nintendo take the lead in that department. If Nintendo treats it as a home system and it can support it Capcom will follow but if they don't then they'll support it like the 3DS

"As a software publisher, we endeavour to develop games that offer enjoyment best suited to each piece of hardware's features and target users. Following first party, in order to introduce our own content we are currently moving forward with internal planning and analysis as a partner company."

Abe's Take
Capcom is making a lot of strange moves recently, the company is been having trouble outside of Japan (can't think many Japanese developers that are) which is leading them to remasters, paid exclusives and changing their games to appear to western gamers but these have not gone well Resident Evil 5, RE:6, RE: Revelations and RE: Revelations 2 have been criticized for being too action based. Lost Planet 3 effectively killed the franchise, and there is a lot of concerns over Dead Rising 4's health regen, no timers and apparent dropping of the series' branching story.

However they can not be blamed for wanting to see how the public and Nintendo treat their Switches, will the be home consoles on the go, or will they be handhelds on the TV?

source

MOAR Switch Chatter!

How do? It's cold and wet in the UK today (like every other day) but we have some fresh Nintendo Switch chatter to share.

Yes, it is getting tiring coming up with openings to this articles, thanks for asking 'Daku Luke'.

Anyway, we have some Twitter chatter from Image and Form, the amazing devs behind the equally amazing Steamworld series (if you haven't played them yest do so!). Image & Form are currently taking questions for a special Q&A 'engine room' video, they aren't answering many questions directly in twitter but they did have this to say.

@Kassrull Can't comment on specs, I'm afraid. But Nintendo are definitely not skimping on power!

— Image & Form Games (@ImageForm) November 1, 2016

@aaronkoolen @Kassrull Compared to past home consoles :)

— Image & Form Games (@ImageForm) November 3, 2016

Takashi Mochizuki of the Wall Street Journal throws more a bit more light on this referencing an unnamed analyst. Normally we'd be wary of unnamed sources but Takashi has been pretty darn good at this so far.

Analyst good at tech details says Switch would be powerful, but not in a way PS and Xbox are so. Interesting.

— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) November 5, 2016

Now what's interesting about Takashi's information is that people seem to be reading that as "Switch is weak" which isn't what he's said/wrote. Takashi's saying that the Switch is powerful in a different way. It's logical to assume that the Nintendo Switch, a handheld hybrid ISN'T chasing raw graphical grunt but thanks to Nvidia's technical wizardry has performance beyond its raw specs.

Abe's Take
, is its going to be a long two months-ish till the full reveal. We'll be keeping an eye out for Image & Form's Nintendo Switch special video. I doubt their NDA will allow for any real revelations but I'm sure there will be some little tidbits we didn't know.

Ubisoft Gushes About Nintendo Switch

Ubisoft has probably been the most vocal about the Nintendo Switch, long before Nintendo even announced it Ubi was championing the device as a game-changer.

Continuing to the theme of "hyperactive puppy" Ubisoft has had more to say about the Switch, first during the company's financial conference, CEO Yves Guillemot believes Nintendo's new machine is a "true innovation" with its ability to take console games on the go. Here is the full quote.

“The March quarter will also see the release of the Nintendo Switch,” said Guillemot. “As we already said, we think the platform is great. For the first time ever, players will continue their home console experience on the go while travelling or commuting. That is a true innovation.”

Next Yves Guillemot confirms that Ubisoft has games in development beyond Just Dance 2017 saying that at least one title will "surprise" us. He says that the teams are inspired by the Switch's ability and that it opens up new possibilities.

It's interesting to see how excitable Ubisoft is for the Nintendo Switch, of cause they promised big things with the Wii U but failed to deliver the big things (though the Wii U ports of assassin's Creed 3 & 4, and Reyman are our preferred versions thanks to the gamepad) but to their credit they tried harder than another big third party publisher and as such took more "damage" for doing so. So to seem them so eager to jump in for another round does show they see Something in the new machine.

Abe's Take

Well, I'm sure everyone whose followed the Switch since NX news (rumours) will know that Ubisoft's sequel to cult classic 'Beyond Good and Evil' has been repeatedly reported as a Nintendo exclusive. It'll be interesting if Ubisoft will be present at Nintendo's party for the Switch in *checks watch* 68-ish days.

Rumour: Nintendo Switch to get Wii U "Director's Cuts"

Here's me digging into Xenoverses 2's multiplayer so I can finally finish the review and a little blinking light on my phone inform me of yet another Nintendo Switch dump. Dear news-minions; Prepare the salt!

Oddly no, these rumour's do not come from Laura Dale but instead from a site (Mobiepicker) I had not heard off until today.. oh wow that's a lot of salts the minions have brought me.

[please not the source has either intentionally or accidently set up their information right next to Laura Dale's she is NOT the source of this infomation]

NFC ID
The source of today's rumour dump reports that the Nintendo Switch will support "player ID cards" that act as a means of continuing your progress on another Switch, taking your unlocked content to a friends version of the game eg your Mario Kart progress, they even go on to say its possible for the cards to transfer some games temporally (though we struggle to believe anything outside of the Virtual Console could be transfered via an NFC card). Apparently, this was developed as a sort of bypass of the systems battery life. These cards will be available to buy for $10, with custom versions sold through the Nintendo Store, and one will be included in the box.

It is interesting to note the Wii did have the ability to store select data, Mii's mostly (though I do recall saving a version of my hunter on the Wiimote on Monster Hunter Tri) on the Wiimote itself so this isn't without precedent.

Director's Cuts
Before the reveal, it was speculated and "leaked" repeatedly that 'key' Wii U titles will see a 2nd life on "the NX" as remasters. The Nintendo Switch reveal came along and gave those rumours a high five and a punch in the guy. Two of the long rumoured game appeared in the trailer but showed curious differences to the Wii U titles. Mario Kart had a new character and 2 item slots, whilst Splatoon teased a heap of new customization options. The idea that these expanded versions would appeal to both Wii U owners and non-Wii U owners who "missed" them. In what is either wishful thinking or the most consumer friendly move 'mobipicker' also reports that Nintendo will be offering these remasters for free for digital owners of the originals and say that Nintendo is working with retailers to allow gamers to trade in the physical copies for a free digital code/discount on physical version. Directors cuts of Mario Kart, Splatoon and Smash Bro's will be available at launch.

This is a bit iffy to us as Nintendo is known for charging for Virtual Console releases on 2nd platforms Wii-Wii U, for example, had an upgrade cost, admittedly the Wii U VC did boast some more features but still seems a million miles from FREE UPGRADES. However, we do expect these titles to see ports on Switch as other great Wii U games have ported to 3DS to make up for the Wii U's reach (Hyrule Warriors, Yoshi Wolly World, and Mario Maker)

Super Mario Switch
Or that is its working name according to their source is set to be an "amalgamation" of the series (3D entries like 64 and Galaxy) and will feature power-ups (LIKE EVERY MARIO EVER) that allow players to access different areas. They go on to say that some levels will connect to one another, the example given has a 2D level connecting an ice hub area to a desert level (this sounds like the hidden levels in 64.) Finally, they say the game will feature co-op but to keep the game from descending into the same anarchy as 3D world will be limited to 2 players.

It's hard to say this is real or not because it mostly describes a 3D Mario game, though I do like the idea of a more focused 2 player co-op Mario in the Style of Mario 64/Sunshine.

Price
Finally, they claim to have details on three bundles for the Nintendo Switch

• 'Basic' bundle ($260) - Switch, Joy-Cons, dock, NFC ID, and (maybe) the controller mount
• Mario Bundle ($300) - The basic bundle with Mario packed in.
• Zelda bundle ($340) - Basic bundle, Zelda and a pro controller.

That's the sort of ballpark everyone has been saying the Nintendo Switch needs to be to compete with Xbox 1 and PS4.

Abe's Take

on the whole its all very viable but the fact that none of the other leakers isn't saying the same thing it seems off. It is worth noting so far they haven't outright disagreed with it (outside its weird structure either intentionally or accidently linking it to Ms Dale) but then again this is the sort of stuff people expect with a new system launch. We are 69 days from the reveal, just how many more rumours could there be!?

MH Stories Amiibo Mystery!

Monster Hunter Stories is the RPG spin-off to the core Monster Hunter series but instead of taking on the role of hunter, players become Riders instead, choosing to use the beasties as mounts instead of raw material for the next gear upgrade.

Why we're talking about Monster Hunter Stories? well, it's because the game has some very confusing messaging about if it's coming west. Capcom refuses to confirm its coming over but the accompanying anime has been dubbed into English and released online.

Now we have yet more... oddity regarding Stories' journey thanks to yesterday's Animal Crossing: New Leaf Amiibo update. Whilst the west's version of the Direct boasted Amiibo support from the Animal Crossing, Zelda and Splatoon series, the Japanese version also touted support from the epic Monster Hunter Stories line of Amiibo




Well turns out that content is also available to us in the west, in English, on PAL versions of the game, and using the same (imported) Amiibo (we've known for some time the Amiibo are region-free). Is this proof of Monster Hunter Stories coming west? Or is Nintendo really going out of their way to protect Amiibo usage?

[UPDATE: Been informed Amazon (UK) has some available for import]

Everyone thank "NintenDaan" for the pic and confirmation.

Abe's Take
Whilst I'm not as excited about Stories as I am about the core series, I would love for it comes to the west. However, I think that Monster Hunter Stories probably has the most conflicting signs of localisation than any game before it.

Rumour: Nintendo Switch Release Date

Nintendo Switch rumours ahoy! 

Prolific Nintendo Switch rumour... reporter? yeah, let's go with a reporter, Laura Dale is back with chatter about the Nintendo Switch's exact launch date.

Being told March 17th is currently planned Switch launch day in PAL, will release worldwide that same week but not same date all regions.

— Laura Kate Dale (@LaurakBuzz) November 2, 2016

So we're looking at a mid-March release date for our UK and EU readers, It also happens to be a Friday which is a fine day to release a new system. Ms Dale's source for these rumours is the very same one that provided her with the Nintendo Switch reveal. She also reports that Japanese launch will be earlier than the PAL release.

Dale is aware that people are speculating the 10th but that appears to be entirely based on March 10th can be shortened to "Mar10" but which to be fair Nintendo did make a big deal about that this year. It's also against the reported release date for the Breath of the Wild Amiibo's reported date of March 4th. It's possible the Wii U version to launch earlier but Nintendo had previously confirmed BotW would see a dual launch.

We've previously reported Nintendo expect to ship two million units at launch and it seems that UK retailer GAME is expecting a mid-month launch as they have open pre-orders at an eye-watering £999

People who've read our page before might have a Metal Gear style "! moment" at the release date as its the same as Monster Hunter XX's (read as "double cross") Japanese release, which is either incredibly heartless of Capcom (MH releases tend to damage Japan's national productivity) or there is a Switch port in the works.

Abe's Take
This is what we were expecting as March but of cause these are all rumour at the moment until we get real information from Nintendo at the Switch's full reveal on January 12th.

Capcom Wants Monster Hunter To Grow

The Monster Hunter franchise never really grabbed a foothold in Japan outside of the MMO -console community and the west just didn't like it, The segmented map and R stick for attacking just alienated console gamers. However releasing MH on the PSP turned the segmented map into an asset, removed the right stick and turned MH into a money printing franchise Japan.

The franchise picked up more steam when the high costs of PS3 development and high Wii sales caused the franchise to switch banner, this lead to the inevitable nexus of Monster Hunter and 3DS. Now Monster Hunter is Capcom's biggest earning, spawning spin-offs and extended media, in a way that Street Fighter struggled to do.

So you can imagine our surprise when Capcom says it's unhappy. In the west handhelds only account for 10% of the market and is taking steps to "adjust" for the western market. Capcom predicts lifetime sales of Xbox One and PS4 as 50 million and 100million respectively. They believe Monster Hunter is limiting it's sales in the west by being handheld exclusive and that it must make games to "appeal to the foreign consumers"

So what does this mean? well, there was an old rumor that MH will see its main entries on PS4 and portable titles on 3DS but this to punish the core Monster Hunter audience in Japan. The Nintendo Switch seems a good fit as it fulfills both roles but its user base is going to start from scratch.

We think it's important (and worrying) that Capcom is only talking about systems sold and market share, they aren't saying the franchise is limited by the power of handhelds or handheld culture, only that there isn't enough of them over here. That creates a large shadow... there is a platform that has a huge install base and easily the ability to run a Monster Hunter game... mobile, last year 135 million iPhones was sold that one platform outsold the Capcom's predicted lifetime console sales of the PS4.

I guess we are just going have to wait to see what moves Capcom makes next.

Abe's Take
This is awfully worrying to me, this news as got the PS4 forums up in a frenzy about the "awesome" Monster Hunter game they are getting. According to them Monster Hunter on PS4 means no more segmented worlds, ditching the current gameplay for 'better' one and more welcoming to new players. Even suggesting things like XP driven level ups and life bars. Which to me and many other Monster Hunter fans doesn't sound like the game we love. Monster Hunter was some odd action game until it hit portable and everything just snapped into place,

For full disclosure: I've been playing Monster Hunter on PS2, PSP, Wii, Wii U and 3DS,

Source (Japanese)