Category Archives: Nintendo Switch
Pikmin 4 is Almost Here!
Nintendo just stealth dropped the latest trailer for Pikmin 4, one of Nintendo’s wackier but beloved franchises..
Haven’t seen the trailer yet? Catch it here: https://youtu.be/6ixnXjtQ7f8
Pikmin 4 was teased almost a year ago and will be out later next month, July 21, 2023. This reminds me of how Nintendo was releasing Switch games very quickly following their original announcements, Paper Mario on Switch comes to mind.
The new updated art style and character creation really stole the show this time around. This is probably the best-looking Pikmin game in the series, which I suppose is expected, but it’s still good to see. It is also the first game in the franchise to experiment with character customization. This is coming off the backs of Pikmin 3. Pikmin 3 went all GTA 5 and allowed the player to switch between 3 different, pre-built captains.
Admittedly, I’m not the biggest Pikmin fan. The game is just too stressful for me, haha. I don’t like the time limit or watching my little Pikmin die in vicious and painful ways. However, my wife loves the series. With that in mind, I assume we will be pre-ordering the game next month.
So what are yalls thoughts on the latest entry so far? Did you enjoy the polished look? Are you excited for the new character creation feature? Will you be pre-ordering this one? Let me know in the comments down below!
Thanks for reading! Have a great day!
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The 5 Worst Nintendo Franchises!
Nintendo normally knocks it out of the park with their first party titles. Kid Icarus revolutionized the gaming industry spawning numerous sequels and giving us arguably the greatest video game character of all time, Pit. Ice Climbers was a juggernaut upon release. The game was considered so perfect, Nintendo decided a sequel could never live up to the hype of the original, so they have essentially retired the series. When Ice Climbers made it into Smash Bros Melee, gamers around the world rejoiced. Sadly, or totally predictable, the Ice Climbing duo were too powerful. As a result, they were subsequently removed from the series when Smash Brothers Brawl released on Wii.
So, sure, Nintendo established itself as a major player in the video market off the backs of series like Duck Hunt and Wrecking Crew, but not all series were a hit. Metroid was a disaster and almost bankrupted the company. But Nintendo didn’t want to give up on one of the female pioneers of gaming. Still, they couldn’t justify her on home consoles. Thus, her sequel was given life on the lowly handheld, the Gameboy. Metroid was given a second shot on the Super Nintendo. Another flop, often sited as the worst release by Nintendo. Samus would be relegated to handheld consoles two more times. Not to mention, after the absolute butchering of Metroid as a FPS, Metroid Prime 4 was delayed and ultimately canceled for the best. Not a single soul complained. It just goes to show you, no matter how many times Nintendo releases an installment of a horrible franchise, true gamers don’t forget the past mistakes.
Now, let’s take a look at Nintendos 5 Worst Franchises.
#5 Animal Crossing- When I was preparing this blog, I really thought this be number 1. How could it not be? This game is one of the most overrated franchises in all of gaming, let alone Nintendo. What do you do in this game? Seriously. You play as a kid whose sole purpose in life is to befriend animals. Doesn’t that sound horrible? Like, oh no, Sally the spider lost one of her 8 shoes and needs you to find it. Other task consist of paying off your debt. I mean, at least kids get exposed to how evil money is and how people will use it to manipulate them. So good job Nintendo capturing some realism there.
#4 Super Smash Brothers- Nintendo has long been loathed for repacking and releasing the same games over and over with new paint and funny names. Is there a series that is a better example of that than Super Smash Brothers? I feel like I’ve been playing the same game over and over. The series definitely peaked on the Nintendo 64. Every game since has just felt like an ad campaign. We get it, Fire Emblem (which is probably #6 on this list) could not sell world wide, so they snuck in countless numbers of characters to try and brain wash us into wanting Fire Emblem. Well, it still hasn’t worked and probably never will. The next release of Smash Bros, slated for release on the Switch 2 next year, was announced to have a roster comprised entirely of Fire Emblem characters. Have you lost all hope in the world yet?
#3 Pokemon- Give me a break with this one. Do 30 year old men still think it’s cute to film themselves opening Pokemon TCG boxes, or playing Pokemon Go? No cares if you found Mew under the truck. No one cares if you completed the Pokedex. And trust me, no one cares if you had all the original holos from the card game, especially how many Charizards you owned. Grow up.
#2 The Legend of Zelda. What a waste of potential here. I’m serious. Sure, Zelda 1 was a total bust. The franchise redeemed itself with phenomenal poise with the sequel, Zelda 2. Zelda 2 saved Nintendo. It helped restore faith with the general public. Despite this, Nintendo reverted back to the original formula. This contradicted all the good grace Zelda 2 built up. Then, there was the unspeakable sin. The point of no return, Ocarina of Time. The jump to 3D just wasn’t kind to the Zelda series. The Z Lock On tried to fix things, but arguably made it worse. The time traveling mechanic really bogged down the story and made certain parts feel bloated. It was a total train wreck that the series still has not recovered from.
#1 Super Mario- I guess it was always going to be Super Mario. I mean talk about a cash cow. At least other series like Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed and Madden attempt to change their games up with each release. How many times do I need to run, jump and collect stars? Isn’t this getting old to anyone? And not to mention, they are just slapping Mario on anything and hoping it sells. Why do I need Mario playing Golf, Tennis, Carts and any of the other countless side series? I can do all that in real life, thank you. So, without a doubt, Mario is easily the worst video game mascot and franchise of all time.
So, that’s my list. I could keep going with other Nintendo failures like Donkey Kong, Kirby and Splatoon, but let’s not destroy them too hard. Let me know you’re worst 5 Nintendo Franchises in the comments!
Shin Megami Tensei V is on Sale (Via Walmart, Gamestop and Amazon
Hey guys, if you’ve been on the fence about picking up one of the hottest and latest Nintendo Switch exclusives, now might be the best time. I looked and looked for it to be on sale during Black Friday. Honestly, I didn’t see any good deals. Now that Shin Megami Tensei V is marked down $20 off at most major retailers, this creates a perfect buying opportunity for Nintendo Switch collectors and RPG enthusiasts alike.
(At the time of writing this article, I have no affiliate links with any of the mentioned websites. I do not receive any kickbacks if you buy a product listed below.)
Link to Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Shin-Megami-Tensei-V-Nintendo-Switch/485023374
Link to Gamestop: https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/nintendo-switch/products/shin-megami-tensei-v—nintendo-switch/318502.html
I’m sure the game is worth the full asking price considering it is the next in a long running JRPG series, The Shin Megami Tensei franchise. A critically acclaimed series developed by the prestigious Atlus studios. Still, every bit of savings helps this close to the holidays.
Let me know if you guys end up picking up the game.
I Started Playing Brilliant Diamond.
The game has been an absolute blast so far. Gen 4 is, in my opinion, the best generation in the series. Admittedly, I played a lot my first day playing it. The next few play sessions I’ve been trying to trick my Switch into thinking it’s Friday to catch a Drifloon but I am not having success with that. Again, other than that, I am loving it. The battling is fun. The Pokemons look great. And it’s awesome to revisit one of favorite regions.
Have you had a chance to play either Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl yet? Let me know in the comment section down below! Thanks for reading and have a great day everyone!
Characters I Would Have Liked in Smash Bros!
All the roster spots are taken, but many were left out. Here’s some characters I wish had made the list.
Protagonist (Shin Megami Tensei V). Admittedly, I do think going 3rd party was the right choice. With Shin Megami Tensei V set to be one of the major holiday releases for the Switch, this felt like a perfect fit. One sign it wasn’t going to be Protagonist was that we already have Joker, a big Atlus character. Secondly, SMTV was already announced. Having Sora as the last character let Nintendo sneak in another major holiday release, Kingdom Hearts to the Switch.
Howard (Astral Chain)– If Nintendo was going to go with a character they published, my vote would have been the Astral Chain characters. Honestly, I have not played Astral Chain. It is on my list but Switch games rarely go on sale and I have so many Zelda games to play through as well. Either way, I would have loved for one of the Astral Chain characters to sneak in that way Nintendo could diversify their Nintendo published line up. A huge percentage of the roster stem from Mario, Zelda and Fire Emblem. The biggest con I think for pulling from Astral Chain is it would have been underwhelming to the gaming landscape.
Master Chief (Halo)– Master Chief isn’t my favorite third party character nor my first choice, however I think he would have broke the internet. Nintendo and Microsoft have a working relationship so I think this was doable. I thought for sure Banjo Kazooie making it in was a hint that Master Chief might be lurking in the future. Master Chief is arguably Microsoft’s greatest character and would have been a heck of an addition to the overall roster. I cannot really think of any cons. He is not just another sword character, he is a major member of the video game community, and Halo has a new game coming out next year. I think Nintendo and Microsoft really missed an opportunity here. Oh well.
Leon Kennedy (Resident Evil)– Leon Kennedy might just be my favorite video game character of all time, he’s definitely top 5. He probably would have played like Master Chief if either made the final roster. They probably would have relied on fire arms with close range melee weapons if needed along with grenades. Recovery would probably be the hardest thing to pull off. Of course the con would be that Leon hasn’t really be involved with the Resident Evil franchise lately as 7 and 8 have gone away from the traditional cast. Most of the Resident Evil games have already been ported over to the Switch. Still he is an awesome character and it is a shame he did not make the list.
Hat Kid (Hat Kid)– Anyone following my Youtube channel knows I love A Hat in Time. Of course this is a bias pick. She is my favorite Indie character and would easily be my choice. Imagine announcing Hat Kid as the final character and then showing off A Hat in Time 2 or a Mario Odyssey kingdom inspired off of A Hat in Time. I think it would have been awesome to have her. Of course she was never going to make the roster if bigger indie characters like Shovel Knight did not even make the official roster.
So, there’s my list. There’s plenty of other great character’s like Crash, Kratos and Rayman that missed the roster as well. So let me know how you rank the final cast. Who would you rather have?
Thank you guys so much for reading. Have a great day!
Sora is the Final Smash Brothers Character
Earlier this week Sora was revealed to be the final Smash Character. There was a lot riding on this as we have been informed this is the last Super Smash Brothers DLC character. There was great wonder if it would be a Nintendo first party character or if they would go internet breaking third party. I figured it would be either the protagonist from Shin Megami Tensei V or Master Chief. So personally, I was a little disappointed to see it be Sora.
Obviously, Kingdom Hearts and Sora have a beloved, devout and dedicated fan base. I do think Sora was worthy of the final spot even if he wasn’t my first choice.
So that’s it. Are you happy Sora got the spot? Who would you have over Sora? And what do you think of Kingdom Hearts coming to Smash Bros.
N64 Games Coming to the Nintendo Online Service!
Last week’s Nintendo Direct brought so many goodies such as Bayonetta 3 and Kirby’s Forgotten Lands. But one of the major highlights was the N64 package coming to the Switch Online Service! Today, let us look at the 9 games coming to the service in October!
Super Mario 64
The iconic 3D Platformer of its era, Super Mario 64 is one of the catalyst of the 3D boon at the end of the 1990’s. Players take control of the titular jumping plumber as he traverses through over 15 levels collecting coins, stars and the souls of his enemies!
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time was ground breaking at its time and is still a force to this day. This was a must have as it is easily one of the best N64 games out there. Legend of Zelda is an adventure game that has Link conquering several dungeons, monsters and puzzles.
Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 blends a space shooter and an on rail shooter to make this a unique 3D shooter. This is the only shoot-em-up I really play. The characters are memorable, the gameplay is fun and the branching paths make each playthrough its own adventure.
Mario Kart 64
While Mario Kart 64 was not the first in the franchise, I would argue it took full advantage of racing games leaping into full 3D. Tracks are enjoyable and diverse, racer’s sizes matter, and you feel like you are exploring the Mushroom Kingdom. It is just a fun way to play as the Mario gang.
Yoshi Story 64
Yoshi’s Story is the only side-scroller to make the initial list to this point. This was a dying time for 2-D side scrollers as there are very few note worthy entries for the genres. However, the lovable Yoshis, the addicting music and simplistic gameplay make this a must add for Side Scroll faithful.
Dr. Mario 64
Dr. Mario 64 is the only puzzle game to debut on the service. I’m not a huge Dr. Mario or puzzle game fan so I don’t have a lot to add. I see why they chose their mascot over a generic puzzle game such as Tetris. I think this will be a nice addition for casual fans and hardcore gamers alike.
Mario Tennis
1 of 2 sports games, if we’re counting Mario Kart, on the list. I have never played any version of Mario Tennis. However, with the release of the Switch version of Mario Tennis, this may attract new fans to flock to this rendition of Mario Tennis.
Operation WinBack
WinBack definitely stands out among the other games. It is the only North America release that was not developed by Nintendo on the list. It also is rated T for Teen, one of only 2 games to score that rating. The gameplay is also a complete contrast from the other games on this list. It is a 3rd person, over the shoulder, cover shooter. I’m glad a game like this exist on the service for the older audience that is not interested in kiddie games or first party titles. It wouldn’t have been my first selection, but I think it is a solid pick nonetheless.
Sin and Punishment
Sin and Punishment may or may not be the main reason to pay for this service, but it is definitely the cherry on top. This game never made it stateside during the N64’s original retail relevancy, formerly you could only play this game via the Wii’s Virtual Console. It is rated T for Teen and is another on rail shooter. Sin and Punishment is the N64’s equivalent to Star Fox 2 when the SNES mini released a few years back.
So there you have it. I’ll give more in-depth thoughts and opinions in a later entry but for now that should get you caught up on if you are interested in these titles. There’s really no weak games here, but I think the additional titles will help solidify the line up later on.
Obtain Cinderace for Free in Pokemon Unite (Day 8 Log In Reward)!
Cinderace is an all out attacker in Pokemon Unite. Technically, as Cinderace is the day 8 reward, you could have got Cinderace yesterday, Thursday July 29th. However, I wanted to spotlight Zeraora and Gardevoir.
I played a few rounds with Cinderace and enjoyed him way more than I thought I would. I found him to have a little more health than Zaraora. However, in the two rounds I got to play with him both rounds were lopsided. One time my Cinderace didnt die until 30 seconds left and I easily won MVP scoring over 200 points. The second time my team was destroyed and struggled to get any momentum going.
So be sure you’ve logged in 8 times and claim your free fighter ASAP! Thanks so much for reading and have a great day!
Gardevoir is now on Pokemon Unite!
It’s been a very exciting week for Pokemon fans on Nintendo Switch! Pokemon Unite just got its first major DLC in the form of a new character, Gardevoir!
I have many mixed thoughts about this addition. First, I love Gardevoir. Her design is very majestic and intriguing. She was catapulted in popularity by the fact one of your rival’s, Wally, in Gen 3’s Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire uses her as his signature Pokemon. This helped her stand out as an iconic member of Hoenn’s cast.
Now let’s look at her stats.
Gardevoir is a ranged attacker with a difficulty ranking of intermediate. Her offense is off the charts. I’m not sure if she is the strongest character in the game but she is close. Sadly, the rest of her stats are abysmal. Players will have to truly maximize her ranged attacks and fleeing battle items to prolong her longevity.
It’s true her Pokemon Unite stats closely mirror her in game stats. Her special attack is massive and her HP is brittle. However, I really wanted them to lean into her high special defense and access to her psychic movepool to make her a support role. Her HP (in the mainline games) is probably too low to make her a defensive role. And Mr. Mime already exist as a psychic support character. And well, Gardevoir is just not good enough to be a speedster or all around character.
This has me a little split on how to feel. My initial thought was I wanted Gallade or Alakazam as a the psychic attacker. I think we can still get Alakazam as a speedster but I’m not sure about Gallade. Maybe Gallade can be an all around character? Though I really wanted Mewtwo as an all around psychic type.
Either way, Gardevoir is a welcome addition to the roster. Though I do wonder if her inclusion automatically rules out other psychic attackers. I dont have the coins to buy her yet and also theres other fighters I want more currently. But I’m interested to see how people build her over time.
Blastoise and Blissey will be added at later dates so stay tuned! Thank you guys so much for reading. Have a great day!
Unlock Zeraora in Pokemon Unite! Early Access Bonus! Dont Wait!(Nintendo Switch)
Hey everybody. Pokemon Unite released Free to Play for Nintendo Switch owners last week! We discussed our early thoughts in a previous blog post. Be sure to check that out here.
Now it is important to make sure everyone knows Zeraora, one of currently 20 playable characters, is free for a limited time as an early adopter bonus. If you love Pokemon, MOBAs, or are just looking for something different to play, there is no reason to miss out on this electric heavy hitter.
Zeraora’s Pokemon Unite stats mimic his in game stats. He is a powerful mix sweeper with nice speed. However he is fragile. This why pairing him with a support Pokemon or the eject button battle item can go a long way in providing longevity to the electric glass cannon.
I’ve used Zeaora early on with a sub optimal build , but he is still nonetheless very fun to play with.
Let me know if you’ve taken advantage of this deal and scored the Sun and Moon legendary for free! Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Da_Hubbz 