Mini Review: Rendering Ranger: R2 [Rewind] (Switch) – A Novel Run ‘N’ Gun/Shooter Hybrid That’s Finally Affordable

Now rendering.

Rendering Ranger R2‘s original release is a layered story of mystique and intrigue. Developed by Manfred Trenz of Turrican fame, it was only ever released in Japan after its American and European incarnation, Targa, was cancelled. With only 10,000 copies produced, it’s one of the rarest Super Famicom games and by far the most valuable.

An unusual run-and-gun/shoot-em-up hybrid, its graphics were switched in beta from traditional spritework to a pre-rendered flavour in an attempt to capitalise on the Donkey Kong Country wave. Its platform stages play much like Contra, dropping Turrican’s sprawling layouts for more linear fare, while its shoot-’em-up sections play similarly to Thunder Force. Action-packed throughout, there are plenty of weapons to swap between, and you can power up your shot types through several levels. Should you take too much damage, your weapon power takes a hit in turn. You have three bombs available that function differently depending on the weapon you’re using, and interestingly they operate on a reheat basis, meaning the game allows you to be quite liberal in their usage.

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Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (29th March)

A storm is coming…

We’re here, everyone. The last weekend before Nintendo’s big Switch 2 Direct. Give yourselves a pat on the back – we made it.

As for this week..? Well, it was super quiet, nothing happened, man. Heh, only kidding, we had another Nintendo Direct. It was quite the surprise, but it was certainly packed with interesting announcements, including the intriguing new Virtual Game Card initiative.

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Switch 2 Pre-Orders Expected To Sell Out “Day One” Due To Limited Unit Allocation

According to a “large US retailer”.

Following a report from Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson earlier this week suggesting the Switch 2 would launch in June with a “3-phase” software plan, there’s now an update.

According to “internal emails and documents” provided to the same outlet from a “large US retailer”, Switch 2 stock is expected to sell out on the same day as pre-orders open:

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Rumour: New Switch 2 Rumour Makes Wild Claim About Mysterious ‘C’ Button

A link to the past (gen)?

Earlier this week, Nintendo quietly confirmed the Switch 2’s mysterious new ‘C’ button, located on the right Joy-Con controller.

We’re still waiting for an official update to find out what exactly this button does, but a new rumour doing the rounds suggests it will allow you to link your Switch 2 to the original Switch system and reportedly transform it into Wii U-like GamePad device.

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Nintendo Showcases Every Switch Direct Game In New Infographic

Which ones will you be buying?

Just in case you need a little reminder of which games were showcased during the recent Direct showcase, Nintendo has once again created a handy infographic.

Displaying most major announcements from the 30-minute presentation, we’ve got the likes of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, Rhythm Heaven Groove, and many more. The Direct might have felt somewhat underwhelming for some of you, but you can’t deny that Nintendo’s got a pretty solid line-up of upcoming games.

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Atelier Yumia’s Strong Start Makes It The Fastest-Selling Game In Series History

Ate(lier) and didn’t leave a crumb.

Just one week after launch, Koei Tecmo has confirmed that the catchily-titled Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land has become the fastest-selling title in series history.

Confirmed in a celebratory post on Twitter, the publisher revealed that Yumia has sold an impressive 300,000 units worldwide in its first seven days, quicker than any other series entry has managed to date.

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Nintendo Download: 27th March (North America)

Bubble Ghost! Shadow of the Orient! I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream!

The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!

Switch eShop – New Releases

Alice in Dinerland (Marginalact, 27th Mar, $9.99) – Alive in Dinerland is a gripping garden game. Alice dropped through the rabbit hole, but in the end, she found herself in the role of a small diner owner. Now she needs to plant and grow some food to feed cute rabbits from the Dinerland. In this cozy building game, you will: Features:- Build your own diner. – Plant a lot of different foods like tomatoes, pumpkins, carrots and more. – Travel through the Dinerland world, going between procedurally generated locations. – Fight characters from the original novel. – Craft weapons, hats, and glasses. – Meet some friends and foes.

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‘My Nintendo’ App Icon Spotted, But Will It Come To The West?

Nintendo bringing all the apps.

Nintendo dropped a load of new surprises as part of its latest Direct presentation, including a brand-new mobile app called ‘Nintendo Today!‘.

In it, the app describes how to set up one of its two widgets on your phone homescreen, and it’s here that we can see something quite interesting. In the accompanying screenshots, an app icon for ‘My Nintendo’ can be seen in the bottom left corner of the screen.

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