This is a jam-packed episode as it was a massive week for Nintendo. The end of the fiscal year brings big sales news, all sorts of investor discussions, and our first official discussion of the Switch’s successor from Nintendo! What a time to be a Nintendo fan!
Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash to be featured in special broadcast on May 19th, 2024
What Cursed News is in store for us?
Toho Animation has announced that they’ll be holding a special broadcast all about Jujutsu Kaisen. While much of the focus will no doubt be on the anime series, the video games are going to be featured as well. This includes Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash which was recently released on Switch.
Some of the people scheduled to appear during the presentation include the games’ producers, and voice actors Yuichi Nakamura and Takahiro Sakurai. Voice actor Neki Matsuzawa will be hosting the event. Whether or not there will be any new announcements related to Cursed Clash and potential future updates remains to be seen.
The broadcast will be airing on the Toho Animation YouTube channel on May 19, 2024 at 7:00 AM ET. It will only be shared in Japanese, so hopefully you’ve got a translator handy. Click here, or sign up to be notified via the video below.
Masahiro Sakurai on the importance of post-processing for game graphics
Always look your best
Masahiro Sakurai is back with another installment in his game development video series, and today brings us a feature that falls into the “Graphics” category.
You might think that graphics are served up to you on your screen instantaneously from your video game console, but Sakurai is here to set the record straight! In today’s video, he explains how a game’s visuals are held in a ‘framebuffer’, so that they have time to be fully rendered before being exhibited on screen. This is where details like shading and reflections are added to really enhance a game’s final look.
Sakurai uses comparisons between Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to illustrate the significance of post-processing when it comes to graphics. Even on less powerful hardware, the results of this type of work can be impressive!
RUMOR: Could a game starring Princess Zelda be in the works?
Princess Zelda: Showtime?
Legend of Zelda fans have been clamoring for the series’ titular princess to get her own game for years now. Speculation was rampant before Tears of the Kingdom’s release that she might be playable there, but that never came to pass. Now, a new rumor seems to indicate that there could be a brand new game with a playable Zelda on the horizon.
This rumor comes to us from PapaGenos on Twitter, a leaker who has previously indicated both Metroid Prime: Remastered and the Switch remake of Mario vs. Donkey Kong ahead of their official announcements. Yesterday, they shared a post noting that a game with Zelda as the main character is long overdue. If you look close, you’ll notice that the capital letters in the post spell out the phrase, “This is a hint”.
PapaGenos’ reputation of accurate past leaks is what makes this rumor worth examining. That said, it could easily turn out to be nothing. Even if the source is accurate, that doesn’t mean that Nintendo will necessarily stick with any Zelda-centric game plans they might be considering. As always with rumors like this one, heavy grains of salt are recommended.
On the other hand, Princess Peach recently got a starring role, so Zelda could be a logical follow-up. If the rumor does turn out to be true, might this be a swan song game on Switch, or a launch title for its successor? We’ll have to wait and see…
ATLUS has started off what will be a very lengthy video series for Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. This series is going to offer up a video a day to showcase every single monster you’ll find in the game. Today starts up the line of videos with a look at Nahobeeho. You can learn all about the monster above, and we’ll keep updating this post with subsequent videos as the series continues.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance delivers a full-fledged RPG that can be enjoyed by existing and new fans. At the start of the game, players will choose between two paths: the story told in the original Shin Megami Tensei V, the Canon of Creation, or the brand-new Canon of Vengeance. This dramatic new tale of revenge introduces brand-new characters, an enigmatic cohort of demons called the Qadištu, a new dungeon and a new map to explore. Additionally, the original Shin Megami Tensei V battle system, demon merging and field exploration have been evolved and expanded in this newest entry in the series.
UPDATE: The second video in this series has been released and you can check out the latest monster profile below. Today’s video spotlights Glasya-Labolas.
UPDATE: The third video in this series has been released and you can check out the latest monster profile below. Today’s video spotlights Pellaidh.
UPDATE: The fourth video in this series has been released and you can check out the latest monster profile below. Today’s video spotlights Amabie.
Monster Outbreak comes to Switch May 16th, 2024
They finally broke out
Freedom Games has announced that they’re bringing the pixel art survival game Monster Outbreak to the Nintendo Switch on May 14, 2024. You might remember that this game was originally supposed to be released all the way back in 2022, but that never happened for Switch. Better late than never!
Monster Outbreak will be available on the Switch eShop for $14.99. Click here to check out its store page, or see below for more details.
Gather resources, build defenses, and upgrade your arsenal to defend the kingdom against waves of dangerous monsters! The Dimensional Orb was a promise of wealth and knowledge beyond humanity’s wildest dreams, hidden away from all until it was discovered and brought to the king. Being human, the king was easily tempted, and for a time the promise held true. Riches, knowledge, and incredible stories flowed into the Kingdom thanks to the Orb… but then came the monsters. Lots and lots of monsters!
Monster Outbreak is a pixel top-down survival game. Take control of Yulia, the last surviving member of the Royal Guard, and confront the endless monster hordes spawned by the out-of-control Dimensional Orb. Gear up, prepare defenses, lay down traps, cook a possible last meal, and try to stay alive.
Go at it alone or enlist fellow survivors in multiplayer! The last stand of the Royal Guard isn’t over - until it’s over.
- Yulia has access to a broad range of weapons to be enchanted, from simple swords and axes to sophisticated bows providing elemental attacks, dealing additional damage and opening new ways of containing the endless waves of enemies.
- Build up those defenses! Choose from dozens of turrets, including the bomb-javelin launcher, crossbow turret, and bomb slingshot to set up lethal defensive zones.
- Keep hordes of dimensional horrors at bay with a selection of traps to deploy including spike strips, tripwire bombs, and elemental traps.
- Each wave, eventually, peters out. Use the lull in combat to fix up the base - or venture out, explore, fix bridges, and scavenge the derelict Kingdom.
- Hunt down monsters for essential components to craft weapons and items to increase the chances of survival - but watch out for brutal bosses that can decide to crash your party at the worst possible moment.
Nintendo has shared a new promo for Princess Peach: Showtime! on their family friendly Play Nintendo channel. In this video, Play Nintendo host Jordan plays through some of the game’s early stages, providing commentary along the way. Get a look at a few of Peach’s in-game transformations in greater detail, or share this video with a young relative!
Lights, curtains, SHOWTIME! Grape and the Sour Bunch have taken over the Sparkle Theater and are causing a whole lot of drama. Watch Jordan play through the Princess Peach: Showtime! game as she explores the different plays, meets exciting new characters, and more. Let’s Play!
Fire Emblem Heroes, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, and Pokémon Masters EX have all received a content update. Check out the full details for each game below via perfectly-nintendo.com.
Fire Emblem Heroes
- [Events] The latest Hall of Forms Revival is now live. It features the following Heroes: Dorothea (Solar Songstress), Ingrid (Solstice Knight), Sylvain (Hanging with Tens), and Lorenz (Highborn Heat) (available until May 19th)
- [Summoning] A new Summoning Focus is now live: Hall of Forms Revival. It features the following Heroes: Ingrid (Solstice Knight), Sylvain (Hanging with Tens), and Dorothea (Solar Songstress) (available until May 26th)
- [Events] You can now vote for the Hall of Forms event to bring back in July. Check out this page to cast your vote! (available until May 16th)
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
- [Scout] The following Sync Pair is now available via Variety Scout: Plumeria & Gengar (available until May 23rd, with Ticket Scout running until May 30th)
Pokémon Masters EX
- [Goals] A new set of time-limited Goals is now available: Grasshopper Goals (available until May 14th)
Switch eShop charts for May 11th, 2024
It's a three-peat for Stardew
Wondering what’s hot on the Switch eShop? Time once again to take a look at the top 30 for both all games on the Switch, and download-only titles. You can read up on the top 30 for May 11th, 2024 below.
All Games
- Stardew Valley
- Another Crab’s Treasure
- Endless Ocean Luminous
- Minecraft
- Just Dance 2024 Edition
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- EA Sports FC 24
- It Takes Two
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Little Kitty, Big City
- Overcooked: Special Edition
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Hello Kitty Kruisers
- Mario Party Superstars
- Among Us
- NBA 2K24
- Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
- BioShock Infinite
- Nintendo Switch Sports
- Princess Peach: Showtime
- Overcooked: All You Can Eat
- Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Monopoly
- Hollow Knight
- Unravel Two
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Balatro
Download-Only Games
- Stardew Valley
- Another Crab’s Treasure
- Little Kitty, Big City
- Among Us
- Hollow Knight
- Balatro
- Grounded
- Hole io
- Final Fantasy VII
- Paper io
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- Uno
- ACA NeoGeo Metal Slug
- Color Road
- Human: Fall Flat
- Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection
- SteamWorld Heist
- Real Boxing 2
- Tell Me Your Story
- Monster Truck Arena
- Dave the Diver
- Final Fantasy IX
- Arcade Archives Pac-Man
- To the Rescue
- Arcade Archives Vs. Super Mario Bros.
- Poppy Playtime
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game
- Disney Dreamlight Valley
- Farm Land
- Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
The amount of NieR:Automata merch is absolutely insane. The game’s popularity has reached around the world to millions, and it’s clear a large portion of those fans are more than willing to part with some more cash in order to pick up NieR:Automata collectibles. That’s why the merch machine keeps churning, and today brings us yet another goodie to grab.
As of today, Good Smile Company has opened pre-orders for the FuRyu NieR:Automata 2B noodle stopper figure. This figure comes in at a rather affordable $34 and is set to ship out sometime in Q1 2025.
As the name indicates, this figure is based off of 2B’s design in the NieR:Automata Ver1.1a anime. This figure measures about 5 inches tall. Wondering why it’s called a “noodle stopper?” This is actually a whole genre of figures that are meant to secure the lids for ramen containers by being placed on top of them. Of course, you can also display a noodle stopper as a standard figure.
If you’d like to lock in a pre-order or check out more info on the figure, you can find all the details at the Good Smile Company page.
Pokémon Center Singapore 5th Anniversary Campaign announced
A major celebration
Pokémon Center Singapore is about to hit its 5th anniversary, and Pokémon Co. has planned some big happenings for the special occasion.
The Pokémon Center Singapore 5th Anniversary Campaign has been announced, and it’s set to run from May 24th to July 21st, 2024. All sorts of things are planned for this campaign, and of course it includes a wave of new merch. Here are the goodies on the way:
- Travel Around With Pokémon T-Shirt (White)
- Pokémon Center 5th Anniversary T-Shirt (Black)
- Pokémon Center 5th Anniversary Cap
- Pokémon 5th Anniversary Lanyard with Pass Case
- EZ-Link Card
Those who head to Pokémon Center Singapore can also take part in an in-store stamp rally, and those who managed to hunt down all the stamps will get an exclusive keychain. Going one step further, those how share their stamp collection on social media could win a special prize yet-to-be announced.
Next up, a Celebi disk for the arcade game Pokémon Ga-Olé will be distributed to all customers who drop by the Center. This disk features the Pokémon Center Singapore logo to signify its exclusivity.
Last but not least, Pikachu himself will be dropping by Pokémon Center Singapore to celebrate the 5th anniversary. Pikachu will only be visiting on select days, and those who manage to spot him in person can enjoy a meet-and-greet session.
RUMOR: GameStop to buy/sell graded Pokémon cards
Dear god, don't do a trade-in
GameStop has been losing ground for well over a decade now, with plenty of gamers deciding to purchase their physical copies online or go all-digital. GameStop has tried all sorts of tricks and tactics to get people back in stores, and rumor has it their next plan is about to roll out sometime next week.
While not officially confirmed by GameStop proper yet, numerous GameStop staff are saying that the retailer is going to start buying and selling graded Pokémon Trading Card Game cards. Supposedly this program will kick off at select GameStop locations next week, and then expand nationwide.
Polygon spoke to numerous GameStop locations, and they shared that corporate had indeed informed them of the upcoming program. Along with that, those local reps stated that only cards graded by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) would be eligible, and cards must be graded 8 or higher on the PSA 10-point scale. Last but not least, cards valued at more than $500 wouldn’t be accepted.
Later in the program, GameStop will supposedly be selling these cards through their website. If you’re looking to snag some cards that are a lot easier on your wallet, GameStop will apparently also be selling Pokémon TCG singles, starting with $1 holos and reverse holos.
Fan attempting remake of Super Mario 64 on the Game Boy Advance
Eat your heart out DS!
As the years march on it’s always impressive to see how much technology improves and changes. We have computers thousands of times more powerful than the ones used on the moon landing in our pockets, journeys across the country that used to take weeks now just take a few hours, and the most important 3D platformers of all time is being remade for the Game Boy Advance.
A fan by the name of Joshua Barretto has posted a video of a work in progress remake of the acclaimed N64 title running on the Game Boy Advance. As you can see in the above video, while the game is in a rough state, it is still undoubtedly recognizable as the N64 legend. Honestly, the fact that the 3D camera is working at all is imprressive.
In the description for the YouTube upload Joshua gave some insight into the development of the project, you can read it down below.
This is not actually Super Mario 64: it’s my attempt at rewriting SM64 for the GBA.
I initially considered attempting a port, but the GBA is an order of magnitude slower than the N64 and has no GPU or native support for floating-point numbers.
So far, I’ve implemented a basic physics and collision system, along with a fully 3D camera, rasterization, texture-mapping, transparency support, etc.
Because the code is written from-scratch, I should be in a position to release the code into the public domain in the future: although I can’t distribute it with Nintendo’s assets, obviously.
While there was an attempt at a port of Mario 64 to GBA a few years back that project fell by the wayside due to technical limitations so hopefully this project will bare more fruit.
Super Mario 64 is no stranger to fan made projects but it’s always fascinating to see the lengths fans will go to reshape this classic title. It’s works like these that showcase the impact of Mario 64 and we wish Joshua all the luck in remaking the game.
Feperd Games and FreakZone Games have partnered to port the beloved action platformer Spark the Electric Jester 3 to Switch. This will be the console debut of the speedy 3D platformer after it’s release on Steam back in August of 2022.
Above is a trailer showcasing the console version in action and down below is an official description from the game’s steam page. While a release date for the Switch version of Spark 3 has not been announced yet we will be sure to keep you posted when that news becomes available.
Continuing directly from where Spark the Electric Jester 2 left off, join Spark on his mission to overthrow his rival once again. Blaze through fast action packed stages and experience a new and improved combat system.
The gameplay is a mix of action and platforming in a clever way, taking elements from many games of both genres, you are able to find powers that change the way you play, enjoy great freedom of movement, discover many different ways to beat each stage, and ways to do it faster.
The Nintendo Switch is losing its Twitter/X integration next month (UPDATE)
Friend requests via social media are also going away
The Nintendo Switch will be losing its Twitter/X functionality on June 10th, 2024, the company announced, ironically via Twitter.
This’ll be affecting sharing posts in Splatoon 2, and, to a lesser extent, Splatoon 3, as well. Friend requests through social media will also be made unavailable. Here’s the full statement:
- The feature for posting screenshots and videos to X (formerly Twitter) from the Album in the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu will become unavailable.
- While posting screenshots and videos to Facebook will continue to be available, this service may also be discontinued at a later date.
- The ability to post Super Smash Bros. Ultimate screenshots from the Album in the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu to Smash World, in the Nintendo Switch Online smart device app, will also become unavailable.
- Posting features in the Nintendo Switch title Splatoon 3 will be adjusted. When posting from the mailbox in Splatsville, Inkopolis Plaza, or Inkopolis Square, you will no longer be able to post to X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook; the data will be sent directly to Nintendo servers. This change will allow users to make posts without one of these social media accounts, but images posted by players younger than 13 will not be visible to other players.
- The image created for the post will be copied to the Album in the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu. Images in the Album can be transferred to a smart device wirelessly or to a PC via USB cable.
- Posting features in the Nintendo Switch title Splatoon 2 will be adjusted. You will no longer be able to post to X (formerly Twitter) from the mailbox in Inkopolis Square. The characters that appear and posts that are displayed in the Square will be replaced by data already prepared within the game software.
- The feature for sending friend requests to social media friends via the Friend Suggestions menu on My Page, in the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu, will no longer be available.
- You can continue to use the friend suggestions feature from smart devices, Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U.
Unfortunately, it looks like sharing your Switch screenshots will be a lot harder for a lot of users. Hopefully some Twitter integration still comes to the next console.
UPDATE: Twitter/X has released a statement on this matter and you can read it in full below.
The gaming community is one of the largest and most vibrant communities on our platform, and we are dedicated to enhancing and supporting gaming-related features. As part of Nintendo’s planned discontinuation of sharing content to X from the Nintendo Switch, from June 11th, users will need to download Switch gameplay media directly to their smartphones and share it natively on our platform.
We worked together with Nintendo throughout this process to ensure API access for this integration, but ultimately it was a product decision made by Nintendo.
Our partnership with Nintendo remains strong, and we are working together to ensure a smooth transition for all users. We will continue collaborating with partners to bring new and exciting experiences to our global gaming community.
