Category: Nintendo

Better late than never, eh?

It has been 25 years since Pokémon Red and Blue was released in North America. In fact, it has been 25 years and five months, but in the spirit of ‘better late than never,’ TIME has decided to get in on the action with a new special edition of the magazine.

Ahead of Pokémon Day 2024 (and the Pokémon Presents showcase therein) on 27th February, the iconic magazine company has unleashed four special edition covers, each depicting a different one of the OG starters or Pikachu — because Pikachu has to be there, right?

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And another one.

The next Pokémon Presents showcase has been announced by The Pokémon Company for the end of the month, on Pokémon Day no less.

On Tuesday 27th February at 6am PT / 9am EST / 2pm GMT / 3pm CET / 12am AEST (Wednesday), we’ll be getting a presentation on the latest Pokémon news over on the official Pokémon YouTube channel.

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Kick-off today.

It’s a new month and that means there’s now a new Switch Online trial available to members of Nintendo’s subscription service.

This time around it’s EA Sports FC 24 and it’s accessible to subscribers from now until 26th February 2024 in North America. The same trial started in Europe last week and runs until 21st February 2024 in this region. The catch with this particular trial is it requires a download of “at least 31GB” to play.

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News about the Switch release to be shared “later”.

Last July, WayForward announced it would be reviving its cancelled Game Boy Advance title Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution. With the help of Limited Run, it will be getting an actual release on the GBA very soon.

Pre-orders for the Game Boy Advance version of the game will open later this week on 23rd February 2024. There will be a standard edition (featuring a transparent purple cartridge) and a collector’s edition that comes with a gold cartridge. Both carts are playable, as noted below.

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Partners in crime.

After weeks of rumours, predictions, and general chit-chat, Nintendo has officially announced that the first Nintendo Direct of the year will be a Partner Showcase, taking place on Wednesday 21st February 2024.

The Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase February 2024 will be broadcast on YouTube and is set to last for approximately 25 minutes with a focus on games releasing in the first half of 2024.

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“This was the opportunity of a lifetime”.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is finally here on Switch. This remake gives the original GBA puzzle platformer a fresh lick of paint and throws in a handful of new features too — including a fully revamped score. The composers for the GBA original, DigiPen Music Department, were brought back on this time around and a new interview from the department’s website provides an interesting look into the process of updating a 20-year-old soundtrack.

As it turns out, recreating the GBA music was not a case of downloading it onto a computer and hitting a button that says “modernise”. Aside from writing tunes for the remaster’s two new worlds, the team also composed and arranged acoustic performances to complement the virtual soundscape of the original soundtrack. As the game’s production, engineering and mastering lead Tacket Brown states:

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Is there enough in the tank to coast through 2024?

Reports that Nintendo’s unannounced Switch successor may be subject to a behind-the-scenes delay suggest that the current console might have yet another Holiday season all to itself.

In March, Nintendo Switch will enter its eighth year, and scuttlebutt from industry sources had previously pegged 2024 as the year the long-rumoured successor — which we’ve all dubbed ‘Switch 2’ — might finally poke its head above the parapet. Now, though, rumours suggest Nintendo might need to pad things out longer than previously planned. March’s Princess Peach: Showtime! is the only wholly new first-party Switch offering announced for 2024 so far.

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Mario vs. DK vs. you.

Last week, Mario and Donkey Kong’s decade-old dispute bubbled back to the surface in the appropriately titled Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a Switch remake of the identically titled GBA original from 2004.

NL’s stalwart PJ O’Reilly enjoyed his time with it, awarding it a ‘Good’ 7/10 in his review and highlighting the new co-op mode as a highlight in a game that lacks teeth: “If you’re a more seasoned player looking for platforming challenges, this game finds its strengths as an experience for younger gamers or as a co-op title. Taken as such, it absolutely earns a recommendation.”

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Game celebrates 30th anniversary this year.

The cult hit EarthBound (Mother 2) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, so naturally, that means that Japan is getting another collaboration between Mother and watch manufacturer Casio.

Due for launch on 14 March, 2024 via a lottery purchase system, the ‘Mother Red’s GW-6900‘ follows a previous collaboration back in 2021. This time, however, the watch is red… Like, really red. You’ve got the Mother logo at the top of the display, while the word ‘Potential’ is nestled in at the bottom.

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Multiple legacy franchises are making a return.

At The Game Awards last year, Sega revealed it would be reviving a handful of classic franchises for modern platforms.

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