New Releases 15th-21st May

Yes, we're back but let's ignore that for now and check out some this week's new releases that we think are worth a look.

May 16th

The Surge (£39.99)- Xbox One & PS4

Coming from the makers of Lords of the Fallen (possibly the best non 'From Software' souls game) comes The Surge, basically a Sci-fi souls game. So instead of swords its chainsaws, instead of armour its exo-suits and instead of demons, its mechs and people. It's certainly shaping up well and is certainly on our watch list.

May 17th

Farpoint (£42.99) - Playstation VR

Farpoint is being billed as the PSVR's "first top quality" and "true" FPS playable with either the standard pad or with sony's new "aim controller" which surprisingly isn't just a plastic controller mount like the high days of the Wii. Whilst reports are very positive it's possible that PSVR's fate may lay with the success of this title.

May 19th

Akiba's Beat (£34.99) - PS4

A little something for the JRPG fans now. And Akiba's Beat certainly sounds like a treat (unintentional rhyming) for 'Persona' and 'Tale of' fans and just a little trippy.

• Realtime battle system similar to the 'Tales of' series
• Build a team of friends - all with unique skill-sets and enter the minds of the delusional
• Imaginative dungeon worlds based on the delusions of other - from music fans to Idol obsessives
• Customise your crew with clothes and accessories bough from stores in Akihabara
• Explore Akihabara in a perfectly mapped 1:1 version of this legendary discrict
• Incredible art and animation with characters brought to life using 2D Live

Portal Knights (£19.99) - Xbox One & PS4

Here's an interesting indie title. Portal Knights infuse the Minecraft formula with some action RPG blood. Players will be able to select their class, level up, craft items, shape the world, explore more worlds, and stab/shoot/burn enemies with a seemingly fast-paced combat engine. This game features 2 player split screen and 4 player online co-op

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (£32.99) - 3DS

In what is surely the start of a new series of remakes, Fire Emblem Echos takes us back to the 2nd ever Fire Emblem game but lovingly remade in the same engine that powers the excellent Fire Emblem Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates.

Why should we care about this remake? Well first this game is going to harder (magic users take damage when casting) and at the time the series wasn't sure on its own identity and features "traditional" RPG features like dungeon crawling.

Injustice 2 (£41.99)  - Xbox One & PS4

Here's our "big release" of the week. Injustice (oddly no subtitle) 2 builds on its predecessor in the usual ways, larger roster: 28 up from 13 (not including either's DLC), better graphics, more moves and so on. However, it also includes a new gears system (not that different from For Honor).

For those who don't know the Injustice games take place in an alternative world where Lois Lane is killed and Superman fueled by her loss refuses to let anyone else die and ends up A) killing plenty of his friends and B) becomes a dictator. The first game (X1 Backwards Compatible) chronicled how the Batman lead resistance toppled Superman's regime. Now in the sequel will see Superman's biggest enemy Brainiac invade the Earth, will Batman let the dictator out of his cage? (guessing from the cover, yes). Honestly this game should be an easy recomend for DC fans, fighting fans, or general comic fans should appricate the no holds bared narrative.

See also the Injustice comic series that sets up the first game.

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. 

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.

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: 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: End of Wii U/Capcom Multiformat Odds

Oh phew! was starting to think there wouldn't be any Nintendo Switch rumours today but here we are with some freshness.

Wii U's Death?

Whilst Nintendo has been repeatedly confirming the 3DS will carrying on after Switch they have been quiet on the Wii U. They once said the (then) NX wouldn't replace both systems but since it's reveal, the Wii U hasn't been mentioned and now Emily Rogers has apparently confirmed with her sources that the end is sooner than we'd think.

This is correct. I'm hearing production officially ends this month. https://t.co/WQL8cPqIIK

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) November 1, 2016

Okay, then let's get more specific. Wii U production is ending this week. https://t.co/qYZvOnnFxw

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) November 1, 2016

It's no the first time we've heard the Wii U will meet it's official end this year but this week? damn!

UPDATE: Eurogamer says their sources also confirm the Wii U's death this week.

Capcom's Multi-format 
Capcom is a desired third party for Nintendo Switch, as Monster Hunter sells portable systems like no other title that isn't Pokemon and us at GK-UK had instant flashes of Street Fighter when in the reveal you had two people playing on one Switch (Fun Fact: each Joy-Con has enough inputs for Street Fighter). Even back in the days of the NX rumour mill, people discovered that Resident Evil 7 was trademarked for "video game cartridges" alongside the usual disk and digital options, which lead to speculation it could see a Switch port. After all, Nintendo has since confirmed Capcom as an "official partner" for the Switch

However, the Wall Street Journal's Takashi Mochizuki has thrown a cloud of doubt over Capcom bringing their multiformat titles to the Nintendo Switch

Capcom says Sony and Nintendo approach game business differently, not that simple to make multi-platform games

— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) October 28, 2016

If this is a roadblock to the likes of Street Fighter V or (preferably) Ultra Street Fighter IV from appearing on Switch, it should at least in theory block Monster Hunter (outside of the MMO) from heading back to Sony, which out of the two IP's is probably better for Switch.

Abe's Take
It's sad to see the Wii U officially end but it's the right thing to do, with a new system 5 months away and super little on the way for the machine.

And regards to Capcom I would love to see Monter Hunter, Resident Evil, Dragon's Dogma and Street Fighter on the Switch but I do have to rate Street Fighter in particular chances as very low. If Microsoft can not get USFIV on backwards compatibility then it's likely Sony has the IP locked down.

A confirmed game and MORE Nintendo Switch Rumours

Yep, these rumours just keep on coming, which makes sense as leakers are braver after Nintendo has revealed the device and at this point, the amount of people involved in developing the device must be expanding by the day. 

Offical
Koei Tecmo has confirmed its first Nintendo Switch game, interestingly it is not a Warriors game. Although it is in fact based on the same period as Samurai Warriors. Koei is bringing their latest title Nobunaga's ambition to the NS.

What type of game is it? well if you put a gun to my head and forced me to answer I'd say "it's a little like total war" but since you don't have a gun, I say check out some gameplay from the below live stream instead.

Nintendo president Kimishima has slightly elaborated more on the Switch "accessories" he made vague references to recently. It seems that theses accessories could be alternatives to the Joy-Cons attaching to the device, it seems we should find out at the Switch's party in January (the 12th)

"[In the trailer], we have shown you various scenarios [and] depending on the software, it will also allow you to do things beyond that." 

"In terms of the various ways you can play, you will have to see it together with the software and accessories that we'll have, which we will reveal in January."

Kimishima again confirmed the 3DS will keep going after the Switch launches stating that the system still has momentum and he doesn't expect the two devices to effect each other's sales.

Rumour
Eurogamer claims to have a scope on the Nintendo Switch's screen. According to their source, the device does feature a touchscreen, which is 6.2 inches, 720p, and a first for Nintendo a multipoint (rumoured to be 10) capacitive screen. The Wii U, 3DS and DS all used single point resistive touch screens. This means the screen like a tablet or smartphone is more accurate and can track more than one finger at a time. Eurogamer's report references an older rumour that the Joy-Con R has an IR pointer to emulate a touch screen when the system is docked for home use.

Another report references the eSports section of the reveal. Nintendo is apparently reaching out to all the major eSports organisers, teams and leagues about adding the Switch into the rotation. Obviously, Super Smash Bros has a healthy tournament scene according to sources Nintendo isn't trying to "lead" eSports but instead wants to be a part of it, the sources go on to say Splatoon was part experiment to see if Nintendo could make an eSports title, with Nintendo currently deciding between making a new title for eSports or if Splatoon could be improved to become one.

Abe's Take
All good stuff today but again this affirmation of continuing 3DS support, again worries me deeply. For example, if the 3DS is still active will that stops the Switch from inheriting it's titles will the guaranteed system sellers of Pokemon and Monster Hunter hit the Switch if the 3DS is still floating around? or will they release a port on the Switch instead effectively limiting the quality of the games?

To me confirming the 3DS does, in fact, have a shelf life is probably a bigger question on the Switch than even battery life. The Switch's greatest advantage is Nintendo merging its home and handheld business focusing the entire Nintendo fan base on 1 device. Lets hope this is just an enthusastic version of the normal "we'll support the old system for a while yet" that happens with console generations.

Monster Hunter XX Announced

Remember last week we told you that Japan was getting a Monster Hunter Direct, well that happened.

During the presentation, Capcom announced Monster Hunter XX which if it gets brought to the west will be Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. If you're unaware of how the G/Ultimate versions differ from the first releases (if you're a western 3DS MH hunter then you wouldn't have experienced this). Let's break it down for you.

• These are full games, not DLC with save file transfer.
• They add all new and new variant monsters, weapons and armour.
• They add a new tier of missions known as G-Rank, these quests are far harder with no supply items and random spawns.
• G-Rank also reintroduces existing equipment as higher stats  

Seeing as this is an update on Generations it adds to the new elements such as a two new hunter styles, new village (well actually it's an AIRSHIP!) and an upgrade to the Prowlers (Playable cat hunters) that allows them to use Aerial and Adept hunter styles. Two of the new monsters add to the original games quartet of bosses, first is a new Diablos variant and a new dragon that has wings that appear to be jets!

If you want to check out the Japanese direct here.

Monster Hunter XX will launch in Japan mid-March next year... Not even really bearded people know if we'll get it over here or how many years we'd have to wait.

Abe's Take
Wait a minute! That's right when the Nintendo Switch comes out! Could there be a Nintendo Switch version too? If there is no switch port it's possible that in terms of Japanese sales Capcom has just sabotaged Nintendo's new console launch.

Back on topic, YAY! whilst I enjoyed Generations it did feel 'short' to veteran hunters who are used to having that G-Rank offering up an harder challenge.

Nintendo Switch Talk and Reports

It's been a busy few days and there's been a lot of rumours that nearly fill a tweet, so we decided to bundle them all together with some information from the Nintendo quarterly report, and sprinkle that with some comments from developers and analysts. 

Quarterly report
Today is Nintendo's shareholder meeting and we're getting little tidbits from Nintendo which gives us some insight

• Nintendo is "confident" that consumers won't confuse the Switch as a 3DS refresh
• Nintendo reconfirmed there would be no further announcements this year.
• Nintendo hasn't set a price, won't be sold at a loss BUT Nintendo is "listening to Consumer conversation" on it. 
• Nintendo expects to ship 2 million units this fiscal year, which ends March 2017. So basically they expect to move 2 million units at launch. 
• Unsurprisingly the Wii U and 3DS haven't done well this quarter with the NX silently dominating the conversation.
• Lifetime sales of the Wii U are 13.36 million units and 92.35 million games. 
• Lifetime sales of the 3DS are 61.56 million units and 293.40 million games

We also got a look at how Nintendo's first party titles have sold.

Mario Kart 8 - 8.00 million pcs.
New Super Mario Bros. U - 5.45 million pcs.
Super Mario 3D World - 5.19 million pcs.
Nintendo Land - 5.13 million pcs.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 4.99 million pcs.
Splatoon - 4.57 million pcs.
Super Mario Maker - 3.73 million pcs.
New Super Luigi U - 2.74 million pcs.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD - 1.98 million pcs.
Mario Party 10 - 1.94 million pcs.
Pokémon X/Pokémon Y - 15.64 million pcs.
Mario Kart 7 - 13.94 million pcs.
Pokémon Omega Ruby/Pokémon Alpha Sapphire - 13.18 million pcs.
SUPER MARIO 3D LAND - 10.98 million pcs.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 10.60 million pcs.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 10.34 million pcs.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS - 8.35 million pcs.
Tomodachi Life - 5.30 million pcs.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - 5.03 million pcs.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - 4.52 million pcs.
Pokemon OR/AS - 1.3 million pcs (this figure is for Q2 only)
Kirby: Planet Robobot - 1.08 million pcs. (this figure is for Q2 only)

For comparison PS4 first party exclusive: Uncharted 4 has sold 4.20 million units and Black Ops 3 that released on 5 platforms sold 23 million.

Rumours
Laura Dale, who first broke the Switch's form has some more info from her sources. First, up the Nintendo Switch won't be sold in any bundle without the dock, to be clear there will be no "portable only" option. This doesn't mean there won't be one down the line, just not for a while IF it happens

Secondly she The Joy-Con R (Right) apparently has an "IR pointer" for games that use the touchscreen, obviously, this reconfirms her previous rumour that the Switch has a touchscreen.

The guys at King Avery Games has cleaned up the image of the Nintendo Switch Pro-controller and believes the pad doesn't have a headphone port. That is assuming of cause the (surprisingly 'used) looking controller in the trailer isn't a dummy. You can see for yourself

Talk
These are not rumours, as they're simply people saying things themselves or making predictions.

David Gibson of Macquire (the guys who preemptively got disappointed in the switch before its reveal and downgraded Nintendo's status) believes the Switch will cost $250 and will sell roughly 10.6 million units a year.

Mark Lipacis of 2Jefferies & Co" believes that Nvidia is going to make between £200-320m a year, they too think the first year sales of the Switch will be 10 million units (or as low as 4 million)

DrinkBox Studios the extremely talented guys behind GKUK favourite Guacamelee are impressed with the Nintendo Switch and has publicly asked for some Dev Kits.

It seems the Switch has sparked something within Hideki Kamiya (director of Okami, Bayonetta 1, Vanquished and Scalebound) as he is "kind of" interested in porting Wonderful 101 to the new device. We already know his studio Platinum Games is an official partner for the Switch which lends some credit to an old rumour that PG was working on Bayonetta 2.

Abe's Take
whilst the market analysts are bullish on the Switch (they seem to either want a Nintendo branded PC or a phone) the developer and gamer response have been overwhelmingly positive, So it reasonable to think we can expect these Switch rumours to keep on coming. Nintendo expecting to ship two million units in a month suggests we could see the Switch launch in the part way or late into March.

Nintendo Switch Size Comparisons

Nintendo's upcoming system is promising a unified home and handheld experience which is an impressive goal but with such a promise there are questions of how do you marry these two extremes of gaming. 

Handhelds gaming needs portability and battery life, home games, on the other hand, need a large clear screen and power. Well it appears today we are getting a look into one of those aspects as the guys at King Avery Games have made some handy images comparing the 3DS XL to the Switch

So it appears the console main body (no Joy-Cons) is slightly wider and taller as a closed 3DS XL, and it looks like the console screen reaps the benefit.

But how does the whole package compare against the Wii U's gamepad that was "unwieldy" to some? well KAG thought the same and produced this other handy comparison.

As you can see the Switch manages to cut down the Wii U's bulk whilst increasing the size of the screen. Whilst we don't know the spec of the screen I think it's safe to assume is resolution (been rumoured to be 900/1080) above the 3DS and Wii U's screen.

Abe's Take

This is roughly what is was expecting but I'm impressed with its size and it's certainly less unwieldy than my Vision 8 Tablet for Xbox One streaming. That's device is most certainly not portable and is more than a little tiring to hold for extended periods. 

 

Monster Hunter Direct!

Well, we've been talking a lot here about the possibility of Monster Hunter on the NX and then suddenly this appears.

Update: The official website says the Direct will not feature the Nintendo Switch or Smartphones

Original Story:

2016年10月27日（木）20時よりモンスターハンターシリーズに関する情報を、カプコンの辻本さんからインターネットをご覧のみなさんに直接お届けします。#NintendoDirectJP https://t.co/ChUHY5FAuX

— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) October 24, 2016

Nintendo Japan is having a (currently) Japanese exclusive Monster Hunter Direct on Thursday the 27th at 20:00 Japanese time, which is about 12pm if you feel inclined to watch it.

What could be discussed? Monster Hunter Stories has already been released in Japan, so unless the game is getting some large DLC that seems unlikely. Current favourites are Monster Hunter X-G (Generations Ultimate to western fans) or an MH for Nintendo Switch. well I guess we'll find out in a few days

Abe's Take
Monster Hunter stands out as a franchise that'll benefit from the "dual nature" of the Switch. Global MH fans have been very split but equally vocal in the past about wanting mobile and home experiences.

Look back: Super Mario World

Yesterday was the SNES' American 25th birthday. Lots of the web celebrated the glorious day but to us in the GK-UK office because... well the US SNES was an ugly, blocky, purple monster with disgusting Parma-Violets sweets (that I also hate) for pad buttons.

Whilst we wait till next April for the EU 25th for our full celebration I've decided to give a quick look back/review at my personal SNES highlight Super Mario World, which along side Street Fighter II  was one of the most played game on me and my brother's shared SNES.

Super Mario World is the first game I have a clear memory of completing and I remember 4 year old me sinking so many hours in to it searching for hidden routes, the alternate Yoshi, and competing in home made challenges against my brother (such challenges I am certain will soon become drinking games).

SMW is an all round fantastic SNES game as the graphics, gameplay and music are all top tier. The sprite work is nicely detailed whilst maintaining the bright colours that instantly invoke memories of Saturday morning cartoons. The work that went into the art clearly paid off as the title still looks great today (for an 16bit 4:3 game in an 1080p HD 16:9 era). The music and sounds are all highly effective any body who played the game in their youth will react to hearing the Haunted House theme with a cold sweat. In fact take a listen (the below is an 60 part playlist of the entire OST, so enjoy) All the music was composed by Nintendo's own musical genius Koji Kondo, using only a electric keyboard. One thing that stuck out to me was the ways they manipulated the music to the level/events with cave levels featuring the theme slowed and echoing, where as in underwater worlds the music is more waltz like creating a wave like feel, and any time you hop on an Yoshi Bongo's accompany the main track.

The games difficulty starts nice and easy before adding in more and more levels of complexity, the difficulty curve is nicely balanced and creates a rewarding sense of progression. Super Mario World added in several new abilities for the man of 'stache included the "feather cape" which whilst initially seems to be a simply reskin of the Raccoon tail and Tanooki suit but gave greater control of Mario/Luigi's flight allowing players to gain more air by swooping down and pulling back up (a skill that would go on to serve games in other titles such as the Arkham Games) plus you know, capes are cool. The other addition that ended up sticking around was everyone's dinosaur pal Yoshi. 

Yoshi gave players a larger jump, an extra hit of damage, the ability to snatch enemies at range, and an heartless ejection system: that would save Mario from a pitfall drop whilst sending his loyal dino to his doom. Yoshi also possessed unique abilities depending on the colour of the Koopa shell he was holding in his mouth. Red shells gave him fire breath, yellow shells gave Yoshi ground pounds and blue (purple) shells gave Yoshi wings, Rainbow shells gave him all the powers, and finally green shells did... well nothing you spat them back out. these abilities could also be overridden by riding one of the alternative colour Yoshi hidden in the special world. These guys would ignore the shells colour and instead granted abilities based on their own.

Super Mario World is available on the SNES, GBA, Wii, Wii U VC and New 3DS VC

IronFall Dev Announces a New Game

There are lot of talented indie developers out there but to us 3DS Game Knights there is one team that stands above the others. VD-Dev a 3 man team who crafted the remarkable IronFall, an impressive Gears of War clone for the 3DS. The game had its flaws but it played and looked brilliant, even managing to hit a solid 60FPS on both 3DS and New 3DS. Here take a look at the trailer.

Right so that's our gushing out the way and now its time for the reason why we've gather you here today. The three man superstar team has announced an brand new title 'RISE: Race the Future' a racing title inspired by Sega Rally, RISE is set in the near future where cars are equipped with "air lifting" technology which allows cars to keep racing even over deep water.

RISE will feature the classic arcade mode, a 'history' mode that allows you to unlock more cars and explore the games plot that will "reveal the true purpose of air lift tech". The guys at VD-Dev are teaming up with automotive designer Anthony Jannerlly, who unsurprisingly will be designing the titles futuristic cars.

Just look at that, how lovely is that! Money well spent recruiting Jannerlly. RISE will be hitting basically every single platform Xbox One, PS4, PC, Mobile, Wii U, and 3DS later this year. But interestingly it'll be hitting the Nintendo NX next year too. Which if we're not mistaken is the first (not Zelda) title announced for the system. lets have a look at the teaser.

Abe's Take
I am looking foward to this, every ingredient here is has me excited, and frankly I cant wait.
on a different note. I love how even this reveal gives us no clues on the Nintendo NX as the 2016 launch covers a wide range of forms and specs.

WEIRDNESS: Dragon Quest Creator Wants A Nes Feature

Now there are people who come to this site who's gaming careers started on the likes of Xbox or PS2. Whilst some of us have been gaming since the NES and Master System (Genesis to our US friends) and others have been playing on systems before the great cataclysm (also known as "Atari Shock" or "Video Game Crash '83).

Obviously there is a lot of nostalgia for the 8-bit and 16-bit era with no end of re-releases both VC and HD remakes, and Indie titles taking their inspiration from those titles. One person who obviously has ties to that era is the creator of Dragon Quest; Yuji Horii.

Speaking at a special "30th Anniversary Countdown" event Horii-San stated he would like to bring back the "Spell of Restoration" from the Japanese versions of the first two titles, to the brand new entery Dragon Quest XI. For those who don't know (which is anybody who didnt play the Japanese version of two 30 year old NES games) the "spell" was actually an password system that players used to "save" their progress. For those born after 1994 game carts didn't have batteries in their carts so players couldn't save their progress like we do now.

No idea in what form this long lost feature would take or even which version will see it on. I highly doubt they'll replace the now traditional save file but as an optional and possibly transferable option.

Abe's Take
It's always nice to get a little retro blast like this when playing an new entry in veteran series like Dragon Quest.

WEIRDNESS: Street Fighter II Mystery Solved

Street Fighter is not only one of the top tier fighting franchise but also lore spinning machine, however there is a habit of not committing to it and end up creating an awful lot of questions that they tend to outright ignore.

Well after 25 years one question has been answered. Yes the fate of Ryu's Master Goken's daughter "Little Miss" last seen in SF1... wait! she vanished from the story 29 years ago in Street Fighter 1... then what is this resolved mystery from the depths of Street Fighter, is it Shen Long? Because I'm pretty sure that was why Akuma now exists.

Oh it these guys. Excuse me whilst I scream in frustration.

Right I'm back the two characters are from the opening of Street Fighter II, Their names are apparently Max (left) and Scott (right). Their profiles have been shared on the Street Fighter sub-reddit, The pages are in Japanese but I'll post the translated information and the artwork here. UPDATE: Rewrote the bio's as the translated text was the worst kind of "Engrish" and didn't make much sense, for example here is the original bio text (Original pages are linked to their names below).

MAX
Boxer to be active in the heavyweight speed and technique to the weapon.

But decent influential person to participate in mixed martial arts tournament,

Behavior is poor causing the often problems are punished.

Gambling like a will is invested most of the prize money.

SCOTT

It is currently in the former boxer has been the bouncer of the bar.

Wage a street fight in the city of thugs opponent intense straight and opponent of the attack at high speed ducking dodge in a fine line.

Weekend seems to go the black bass fishing in the lake.

Name: Max

Height: 187cm

Weight: 93kg

Blood type: A

Birthday: April 1

Home Country: United States

Favorite things: Shiny things and gambling.

Dislikes: Serious things

Bio: An heavyweight boxer who uses his speed and technique to defeat his opponents.
Despite his in ring ability his poor behaviour eliminates him from prize fights and this doesn't sit will with his gambling habits, to continue funding his gambling habit he enters the World Warrior mixed martial arts tournament.

Abe: He sounds a lot like an non-Shadaloo Balrog

Monster Hunter Stories Update

We really love Monster Hunter here at GK-UK and so one title we have a cautious eye on is Monster Hunter Stories. An more traditional RPG spin off to the core franchise, this entry being heavier on story and featuring Riders instead of Hunters.

First up Capcom has released and brand new trailer for the game, which is still highly stylised and still pretty looking.

The company has also announced that Monster Hunter Stories will reward players of Monster Hunter X (that's Generations to us) with an unique costume for Nabiru the strange looking Feline companion and a fancy one handed sword for the rider, More importantly (to me) Monster Hunter Stories is getting it's own Amiibo line.

Which look both meaty and glorious, The above three will launch along side the game in Japan on October 8th. Capcom has also announced these are only the first of the wave and that more will launch later. Capcom says the Amiibo will unlock special monsters, no word yet if they are Amiibo exclusive.

Abe's Take
I really need them to confirm an western launch for this and I really, really need any of those Rathalos on my desk! I also still hate the new cat, to me it seems unnecessarily stylized.

Rumour: Nintendo MH hypothetical?

Yesterday the Nintendo-sphere (and our site) caught fire as an analyst in Japan seemingly outed an handheld device codenamed MH, suddenly the NX wasn't on the lips of Nintendo fans. Once again Nintendo's handheld took the limelight. The report was well received due the 3DS age and the sheer amount of conflicting NX rumours.

The one and only

However it appears it might not be as exciting as our pal (he doesn't know us) Dr. Serkan Toto CEO of Kantan Games says the report was a "super rich analysis" of an hypothetical scenario, that they applied a "arbitrary" codename to the handheld to make it "more readable" and shouldn't be taken as a confirmation that Nintendo has a new handheld waiting.

However it is worth noting our pal (he really doesn't know us) doesn't shoot down the idea of a new Nintendo handheld, only that yesterday's report doesn't confirm it. But that's probably down to Nintendo's reputation of constantly developing hardware, rather than any knowledge of a specific device he may have.

Abe's Take
And with that the Monster Hunter console dies. So once again we are plunged into the murky world of confusing and conflicting rumours about the NX.

However in this era of leaks and spoilers where secrecy is no longer guaranteed could Nintendo be supplying disinformation to create a blurry picture of the NX and let us generate the hype for them?

Rumour: 2nd Nintendo Device Incoming?

So here we are waiting around for NX details to drop (even though it wont be at E3), carefully watching the web to see any information or hint at what the new system could be and it seems something else nearly sneaked on by.

A financial report from Yahoo Japan seems to of outed another device from Nintendo. Here is the article handy (via google) translated in to English, Its the third star/bullet point down. let me give you the important quote from the article

 "next-generation game machine "NX" and next-generation portable game machine to "MH (tentative name)"

Now normally I'd chalk this up to mistranslation or mishearing of the name but this directly states the NX and an separate handheld unit codenamed "MH", Which is actually a pretty fitting codename seeing as in Japan Monster Hunter is the kingmaker, you release a new entry on an device and that device sells out.

Now if the MH is real then this explains why we've been receiving wildly different information on the NX (less powerful than Xbox One powered by Nvidia Tegra/massively more powerful than PS4 powered by AMD Polaris) from all the sources, The wild selection of patents linked to Nintendo and even backs up earlier rumours that the NX would have a staggered release with a home unit launching first and then handheld unit launching later (other rumours had the order switched). Its also worth pointing out Gamespot US and AMD have repeatedly mentioned that "multiple systems" are heading to market. which we have all linked to Xbox One and PS4 revisions but could now mean MH too.

The article seems to believe the NX and MH together will increase stock values by "dispelling Skepticism of monetization of mobile games" I.E. money coming from console sales not mobile sales.

Abe's TakeWith the 3DS in its twilight years, the Wii U failing to gain traction and the downfall of western Handheld/ Eastern Home sales. It was natural for us all to assume the NX was an hybrid device meant to replace both systems. Obviously if true we don't really know anything about the NX let alone the MH, they could still be two devices that share a library of games. An in house theory is the NX is going to be something... powerful and weird (like VR) and the MH will be a "traditional" handheld aimed at the current gen systems.

A Fresh NX Leak

Yep another day and another leak about Nintendo's mystery system. Today's leak comes from "Geno" of NeoGaf. Whose previous leaks include "next Pokemon will be 3D (X and Y), will feature a new fairy type", "The PS4 will run DX11 graphics like Unreal Engine 4 (which it did) "and that "Microsoft was developing a 360 projector (Ilumiroom)". So as leakers go he has a good batting average.

What makes today's leak so different as it gives us details on the actual machine. I'll post the original content below but I'll summarize here. It seems its it'll be an handheld with the power of the Xbox One but will also include a dongle that will allow the NX to stream to any HDMI screen. Which seeing as my living room as turned into a war for the TV with devices like the Lynx gaming tablet are only lessening the bloodshed. The idea has always been that the NX would be some form of hybrid and this seems like an easiest way of achieve that aim.

Another interesting detail is that the device has become an project to honour the late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata with NX meetings reportedly ending with the phrase “岩田のために!” which roughly translates “For Iwata!” (FYI google translate agrees) and that this "new" Nintendo mentality is driving them to develop a fantastic system and games for it. Geno quotes an employee "Have not seen this much forward momentum on a project since they launched the original Famicon" which at least sounds exciting.

Here's Geno's full rundown of what he knows.

1.  It has a wireless HDMI dongle that attaches flush to the back of the device. A user can pull it out and insert it into any display with a normal sized HDMI output and the devices uses an evolved version of the Wii U’s streaming tech to display in HD to the TV screen.
2. Allegedly the analog controls for movement has small motors in them for full haptic feedback. Meaning if you control a character and hit a wall, the sticks move away from the direction of that wall to simulate running head first into it. This can also be used for jerking when firing a gun, taking damage, moving over rough terrain, ect.
3. It can literally Bluetooth sync with everything, especially smart phone and tablets to the point where one feature is that it can answer phone calls and display text messages from your phone onto the screens itself so you don’t have to stop and answer your smart device.
4. The closest in terms of “power” it gets to is the Xbox One, but an app idea is Wii U x50 and Playstation Vita x100. The key is that all the tech is exactly the same hardware layout as the PS4 and Xbox One which then combine it with the OS’s strong emulation functions and compiler means that any game that can run of a Playstation 4 or Xbox One can easily run on the NX with near-zero modification to the original source code, especially if it runs in Android OS or Unreal Engine 4. This is allegedly why Nintendo has given out the dev kits so late, as one 3rd Party dev put it “It’s the easiest device we’ve ever developed for. You just take your code, compile it and it works.”
5. Look to Pokemon GO to get the idea of the type of social features that will be in NX that will take multiplayer, AR and the StreetPass concept to a whole new level.
6. The real strengths of the device is its usability and ease of use. Developers have described to me more than once that it visually and functionally looks as if “Samsung and the Nintendo 2DS” had a baby, in that it looks friendly but unlike what most people visualize a Nintendo device to typically look. The operating system, named NintendOS alone is very powerful and has so many modern features of mobile operating systems today that Nintendo is trying to be very careful in showing it off for fear that it would be mistaken as running Android. It also has a very strong networking functions as it ties into multiple devices and services allowing a very competent and pervasive eco-system designed to constantly involve the consumer’s lives.

Abe's Take
Now this dose sound very Nintendo like, releasing a non-god machine but in a unique form. Nintendo needs to win over the third parties and making the process utterly painless (CHEAP) would certainly help in that regard. Being an handheld devices first and a home unit second should help "lessen" the frustration of newer Wii U owners and help sell the device to people who all ready have either an X1 or PS4.

Something that keeps jumping out at me is the haptic analog sticks, I love the Xbox One's haptic triggers (when they are used) and the same haptic feedback as found in expensive steering wheels. Imagine playing a Zelda game and as you move into deeper and deeper snow the analog creates more and more resistance or in CoD they wouldn't need to make the in game gun recoil but the stick it self.