Nintendo Switch Online’s most unexpectedly British month ever ⊟
Aside from Claymates, which was developed and published by American companies (Visual Concepts and Interplay, respectively) the latest batch of SNES games available to Switch Online members are of British origin.
Bombuzal is an isometric puzzle game originally designed for Amiga, Atari ST, and Commodore 64, and it has what I think of as a “This was an Amiga game” look about it.
Jelly Boy, meanwhile, is a platforming game about a transforming blob guy who punches from his stomach in a fairly off-putting way. It was exclusive to Europe until now! All three of these will be available July 28. I’ve never played any of them, which is exciting for me!
Mushihimesama, a vertical shooter from the legends at CAVE, was surprise-dropped on eShop today following an announcement in the Japanese Nintendo Direct showcase.
I know there was a lot of other news, what with it being E3 and all, but I don’t ever want to take for granted the easy and immediate access to all kinds of obscure, retro, previously inaccessible Japanese games that the Switch offers. Like this!
Take control of the princess Reco as she soars through five beautifully-detailed stages atop her giant beetle steed, Kiniro. Blast Koju (giant insect) enemies with a variety of different shots, ranging from the standard S-Power shot to the destructive spread of the W-Power shot. Strafe and graze to victory in the original arcade version or experience reimagined and remixed Arrange and v1.5 modes featuring different music, mechanics, and bullet spreads.
It’s another tiny arcade cabinet!!! This time with Taito games! The Egret 2 mini, out next March for around $170, comes packed with 40 games including Bubble Bobble, Rastan Saga, New Zealand Story, and the excellently named Violence Fight.
Optional accessories include gamepads, player 2 joysticks, and, sigh, a $100+ trackball and paddle controller that adds 10 more games on an SD card (Arkanoids, Cameltry, stuff I want to play…)
This thing is super appealing on its own, but I want to build a full size arcade cabinet and hide this tiny arcade cabinet inside it, connected by HDMI. Is this a good idea? No! But will I go ahead anyway? Probably also no!
Champagne Gold Slimes for a Distinguished Anniversary ⊟
Square Enix is celebrating Dragon Quest’s 35th anniversary in characteristic fashion: by selling Slime toys to people. But this time, she’s got a new hat they’re in a new color: an elegant commemorative champagne gold.
Check the Square Enix store for this and other neat stuff, including a 3D paper model thing of the DQ1 cover.
One of the weirder recent trends is the proliferation of Wonder Boy remakes and continuations, with the latest being Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World, out on Switch and PS4 May 28 (Steam to follow a month later). This is a 3D remake of Monster World IV, now developed by Artdink, with the assistance of original series producer Ryuichi Nishizawa and artist Maki Ozora.
If you want both the new version and the classic version, you can get the physical release from Strictly Limited Games. Or I guess you could buy the digital release and a Genesis Mini. Or the digital release and the PS3/Xbox 360 downloadable Monster World IV.
Having multiple different versions of the same Wonder Boy games only makes the tangled series more complicated. But bring them on!
Launching the same day as… the Switch port of Miitopia? Huh!
This blue Switch Lite is not a light blue Switch Lite. That already exists. This Switch Lite is darker blue. Hopefully you’ll be able to order it online or just point at it in the store.
Tomorrow, April 7, Nintendo will launch this Nintendo Switch Online-exclusive game, which is Tetris 99/Mario 35/etc. but Pac-Man. It looks fun? Because Pac-Man is fun?
But, uh, yikes. Coming so soon after the removal of Super Mario 35, I feel like this little game is going to take a lot of flak from people Mad Online. “That Mario game I didn’t like that much died for this???”
Anyway, this is also an anniversary game! Much like myself, Pac-Man is celebrating his 40th year of life.
The Nijigen no Mori theme park on Japan’s Awaji Island is hosting a Dragon Quest-themed attraction. In addition to being the place where you can zipline into a googly-eyed 1:1 scale Godzilla head (……post-vaccine travel goals), Awaji Island is known for its onions, hence: onion slime.
It’ll be on sale at the Square Enix online shop on April 10, so maybe it’ll be possible to get one of these without planning and executing a trip to Japan now, while travel into Japan from the United States is still banned. Although that seems less fun. Via miki800.
Cyber Gadget’s latest Switch controller is a Transformer ⊟
Whether you prefer a symmetrical or asymmetrical layout, or want to change the position of the d-pad for each different game, or if you like those Total eSports Trigger Things, or if you like losing parts of things, the Cyber Gyro Controller Pro has something for you. With its various augments and mods, it is the most cyber of gadgets.
Not that I’m a high spec gamer or anything, nor do I have around 70 dollars to drop on a controller, but with all the features and the ability to record macros, I’m definitely curious about this thing. I’d probably end up fidgeting with all my controller doodads instead of playing games…
Limited Run brings the adorable mini Astro City cabinet to North America ⊟
What a wonderfully fun, fulfilling job it must be to pick weird niche things for your phenomenally successful niche publishing operation. ~Sigh~…
LRG is publishing, I guess, a console? Basically? The Sega Astro City Mini, available March 26 at 10am Eastern, is a mini arcade cabinet (with HDMI out) containing a bunch of Sega arcade classics. LRG is also selling the compellingly cute Astro City Mini Gamepad and a “Style Kit” to make it look more like an authentic arcade cabinet for extremely small gamers.
I loved this thing but dared not make the impractical purchase when it was released in Japan. But now… now it’s being presented to me again, with a waggling eyebrow and an “Eh? Ehhhh?”
Slime Speaker Stand adapted to fit more devices, planet successfully hacked ⊟
3D printing has finally passed the novelty stage and become a technology with real-life benefits that will improve the way of life for all of us, now that MyFairJulie has designed a universal device cradle for the Hori Slime Speaker Stand.
I’ve tried to jam several devices into the stock SSS, and most non-DS items just kind of wobble on top of the stand. So this is really the way to go if you’re trying to make practical use of this very necessary and excellent multimedia system.
El Shaddai coming to PC, where you’ll want to see it ⊟
I was a big El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron booster before and during its original release on PS3 and Xbox 360. It combined simple but nice-feeling brawling with platforming, oddly idiosyncratic characters, and constantly changing abstract visuals that, to my mind, still haven’t been matched. Also it’s in the Bible Cinematic Universe. And it had official jeans.
Finally, ten years after its release (and the dissolution of its publisher) El Shaddai will be released on Steam “soon,” producer Sawaki Takeyasu announced. I can’t imagine how wild it’s going to look on PC, and just how spectacular the jeans fidelity will be.
