Ten Games that Must be on the Nintendo 64 Classic Edition (N64 Mini)

At this point, it is all but confirmed that Nintendo will be launching the Nintendo 64 Classic Edition sometime in 2018. Following 2 consecutive years of releasing classic editions of their first two home consoles, Nintendo seems poised to do it once again. Pair the fact that this move would be a no brainer with a suspicious and sudden renewal of the patent on the Nintendo 64 controller, and it seems that fans will be fighting over another mini console next fall. Due to the facts that the console is not confirmed and the SNES Classic hasn’t even been released yet, it is far too early to be discussing the N64 Classic. However, this hasn’t stopped many other fans from doing so, and it certainly won’t stop me. Let’s jump into a list of ten must have games on the Nintendo 64 Classic Edition!

Nintendo Switch Online App Review (Switch Voice Chat Review)

Along with their hit shooter, Splatoon 2, Nintendo also launched their highly anticipated Nintendo Switch Online App. Since its announcement earlier in 2017, excitement, speculation, and apprehensions had been surrounding the Switch Online App. Well, on July 21^st, critics and fans finally got their hands on the app, and all of our fears about it became reality. The app just has so many problems pertaining to how it handles in-game voice chat. However, it has to be noted that it isn’t all bad. With the Switch Online App also came SplatNet 2, which has been better than any of us could have imagined. Let’s jump into the details of what makes this app both terrible and great all at the same time.

My Thoughts on Splatoon 2: Final Review (Splatoon 2 Review)

In 2015, Nintendo released a brand new IP in the form of Splatoon. This new third-person shooter from the house that Mario built shocked nearly everyone upon release, as almost no one expected it to be as good as it was. Throughout the first year or so of the game’ life, Nintendo continued to support their new IP with free DLC that gave the already awesome game some much needed more depth. The sequel to this hit shooter recently released, but this time, it wasn’t taking anyone by surprise. The hype for Splatoon 2 was through the roof during the time leading up to its launch. Despite the massive hype, Nintendo did not disappoint and once again delivered on an epic Switch game. Splatoon 2 brings over all of the depth added to its predecessor, while adding its own new touches that makes it stand on its own as a full-fledged sequel rather than just another port.

My Thoughts on Hero/Story Mode (Splatoon 2 Review)

Diving into Splatoon 2’s Octo Canyon is a very familiar experience. The basic level design and hub world layouts are nearly identical to that of Splatoon 1’s. Even the story feels somewhat familiar, revolving around the Octarians abducting the zap fish that power Inkopolis. However, despite the similarities to its predecessor, Splatoon 2’s story mode somehow feels like a fresh experience. This is accomplished by means of improvements to almost every aspect of both gameplay and storytelling.

My Thoughts on Ranked Battles (Splatoon 2 Review)

Every good multiplayer focused game offers both casual matches and some type of ranked match in order to cater to both casual players and hardcore fans. Thankfully, Splatoon 2 does indeed offer both. Nintendo’s sequel to their hit third-person shooter includes 3 very different game modes within their overall ranked mode. These 3 modes are the same 3 that were also found in the original Splatoon: tower control, splat zones, and rainmaker. Each game mode offers its own unique challenges and gameplay opportunities. Unique gameplay opportunities also occur through randomized map/mode combinations. The current playable game mode and a pair of maps cycle through every 2 real-time hours in order to create these unique combinations. Someone may play Splatoon 2 at 1 PM and experience tower control on Moray Towers or Humpback Pump Track, but play again later that evening and get a much different experience by playing the same game mode, but on two very different maps. This variety means that players will not be having the same experience too often. However, it is now easier than ever for players to track their favorite map/mode combinations through Nintendo’s Switch Online App, or more specifically SplatNet 2 (For more on this, check out my review on the Switch Online App). With this app, players can check a schedule of upcoming combinations!

My Thoughts on Turf War and Salmon Run (Splatoon 2 Review)

One of the strongest features of Splatoon 2 is that it is truly a full-fledged sequel that knows how to keep all the strengths of its predecessor, while adding new modes, mechanics, and tweaks to keep the gameplay fresh and exciting. This statement is especially true when pertaining to two of the game’s modes. Turf war and Salmon Run. While turf war is a tried and true, beloved game mode from Splatoon 1, it has also been slightly revamped in a way to make it even more enjoyable. Salmon Run is a mode unique to Splatoon 2 that adds an entirely new layer of gameplay to the title. These two game modes are quite possibly the biggest highlights of Nintendo’s hit sequel.

New for Nintendo this Week (7/23/17-7/29/17): Hey! Pikmin & New Nintendo 2DS XL

There is a lot coming to Nintendo’s consoles this week! While most of the titles are smaller indie games, or third party games, Nintendo is launching two of its major first party games for the 3DS in the next 7 days. The Nintendo Switch is still riding high with last week’s release of Splatoon 2, but they are not slowing down as a couple more high quality games are hitting the system. The Switch and 3DS are getting plenty of support, meanwhile, the Wii U is still continuing its slide into obscurity. There is a lot to go over this week, so let dive into it!

Five Tips Learned from Splatoon to Help You in Splatoon 2!

It is July 21^st, 2017 and Splatoon 2 is now officially out! Nintendo’s highly anticipated sequel to their hit, 2015 shooter landed on retail shelves and the eshop this morning, much to the delight of fans all over the world. Whether you are a returning veteran from Splatoon 1 and just need to freshen up, or a new player who never got experience the original, I’m sure a lot of players are going to find themselves rusty or inexperienced when jumping into an online battle. Well don’t worry, because I have taken five tips from Splatoon 1 that still apply to Splatoon 2 in order to help us all be prepared to splat our opponents!

Legendary Pokemon are Finally Coming to Pokemon Go! What does it Mean?

One year ago, in July of 2016, a new augmented reality mobile game, Pokémon Go, took the entire world by storm. By entire world, I do mean the entire world. This statement does not just include gamers or longtime Pokémon fans, as Pokémon Go invaded the mainstream in a way few other video games ever had. The instant popularity of the game coupled with mainstream coverage drew in even more players to the mobile app. The result was millions of people all across the world roaming around parks and neighborhoods, staring at their phone screens in search of mythical creatures. It really was like we had temporarily entered into some bizarre version of modern society. One year later, the buzz and popularity has significantly died down, leaving a much smaller group of hardcore fans still hoping to “catch ‘em all.” Despite the significantly smaller player base, Niantic, the developer behind Pokémon Go, is still making efforts to support their mobile game. Their efforts have resulted in a much deeper and better game than we had at launch, and has even inspired some Pokémon Go resurgences. On July 20^th, 2017, we awoke to quite possibly the biggest news to hit Pokémon Go fans to date. The arrival of Legendary Pokémon.

New for Nintendo This Week (7/16/17-7/22/17): Splatoon 2

All in all, this is a pretty slow week for Nintendo on all fronts. Not a whole lot is coming out on any of the 3 consoles (Switch, Wii U and 3DS). This includes third party, indie, and first party games. With Nintendo’s recent momentum, it’s weird to see such a lax week. Although, I do feel like I may be forgetting something. I just can’t shake the feeling that I have overlooked a game…

Ranking the Games of the Super Nintendo Classic Edition (SNES Mini)

With the launch of the Super Nintendo Classic Edition fast approaching, I thought now would be a great time to look back on the 20 games included on the mini console. I have gone through and ranked every game that is pre-loaded on the SNES Classic from worst to best, in my opinion. A couple of things should be noted before this list gets started though. First of all, I am only ranking 20 games, as I feel it would not be fair to place Star Fox 2 on this list due to its never officially released status. Secondly, this list is based solely off of my own opinions and experiences with each of these games. There is not a single bad game on this list. In fact, an argument could be made for every one of these games to be considered among the greatest titles of all time. With that being said, do to personal opinion and bias, this ranking will likely be much different than your own. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Splatoon 2's Splatfest World Premiere- Final Pre-Launch Thoughts

Splatoon 2 is now less than a week away from release (get hyped!), and Nintendo gave us the final demo before launch this past Saturday. This final demo took the form of a 4 hour long, 1 day only Splatfest, in which players were pit against one another in a battle against team ice cream and team cake. At the end of the Splatfest World premiere, team ice cream reigned supreme (in the US) as they took the victory 2-1. Nearly everyone online seems to be in agreement that the Splatfest was a great way for Nintendo to build final hype for Splatoon 2 before its release. However, there are still some lingering questions that need to be answered upon the game’s release.

Excitement and Fears for the SNES Classic (Mini) Edition

In late June, Nintendo provided fans with their least surprising reveal since Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle with their newest piece of hardware, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition. The release of this system has been speculated since the announcement of the NES classic last summer, then was essentially confirmed when the mini NES was discontinued earlier this year. Nintendo decided to finally pull back the curtains on the SNES Classic officially last month, revealing many details about the system, including which titles it would include. Naturally, with the official announcement and the inclusion of a near perfect, 21 game library, there was and still is an air of excitement surrounding this tiny piece of hardware. However, with this excitement does come some concerns and fears, from both myself and many other fans.

Does the Nintendo Switch Really Have a Third Party Problem?

When the Switch’s existence was first confirmed by Nintendo and assumed the codename “NX”, everyone immediately hoped that this new console would correct all the problems of the Wii U. The list of problems that the Wii U had was not a short one. Complicated branding, keeping the Wii’s name, lack of games at launch, not enough quality software, a second screen that disconnected if you left the room with the console, and many more. Despite the Wii U’s shortcomings, most people would argue that the Switch was a direct correction of these mistakes by Nintendo, fixing nearly all the complaints people had with their previous console. However, one major problem the Wii U had that many believe the Switch is currently having still, is a lack of third party support. Game companies are not bringing their big games to the Switch. The Switch is getting some support with games like NBA 2K, Skryrim, and Dragonball Xenoverse 2, sure, but where is Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty? That is the question on the minds of so many fans and gamers. Is this really a valid complaint though? Does the Switch REALLY have a third party problem? Well, I don’t think so.

Why Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was the Biggest Surprise of E3 2017

E3 2017 ended nearly one month ago now, giving us plenty of time to reminisce and think on all the great games that we saw there. I have often thought about how incredibly fun and open Super Mario Odyssey looks, how satisfyingly epic the new God of War will be on PS4, and how I can’t wait for Sea of Thieves on Xbox One. However, there is still one game that is standing out to me as by far the biggest surprise of E3, and that game is Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. This game was not a surprise in the normal sense. The game was long rumored and leaked as far back as the end of 2016, so seeing it show up at Ubisoft’s conference was no big shocker. The surprise from this game came in the form of just how darn good it actually looks! Kingdom Battle looks like it could show itself as the dark horse hit of 2017.

Remembering Satoru Iwata Two Years Later

To most people, July 11^th is just another mid-summer day. Adults will go to work and kids will spend time playing outside getting the most out of the last month of their summer vacation from school. In the case of this year, it is Amazon a Prime day, a day to celebrate with savings! However, to gamers and Nintendo fans, it is a day that lives in infamy, a day of mourning. It is the day that we lost one of this industry’s best, Satoru Iwata.

It has now been two years since the passing of Satoru Iwata, which is hard to believe. It seems like only yesterday that we were getting the heartbreaking news that the man who brought Nintendo news “Directly” to us had tragically passed. As I am sure most of you know, Satoru Iwata was the fourth President and CEO on Nintendo. However, Mr. Iwata was so much more than just another man in a business suit. He was a man who was passionate about his job, Nintendo, and the video game industry in general. Nothing sums this up better than one of his most famous quotes, “On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." This exact quote epitomizes just what made Mr. Iwata so special. He was a humble man who knew his roots. Despite climbing the corporate ladder to one of the Industry’s top spots, he still recognized his beginnings as simply a gamer. He was one of us, and that is what made him feel so warm and relatable every time we saw him speak.

Despite his early passing at the age of just 55, Mr. Iwata left behind a legacy greater than most who live much longer lives. Working during the infancy period of the video game industry, Mr. Iwata started developing games in the 70’s, and eventually joined the development team, HAL Laboratory. While climbing the ranks within HAL Lab, Mr. Iwata began working on games for a newly released home gaming console, the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom/NES). First producing a port of the arcade game Joust, Mr. Iwata worked on many other games for Nintendo, eventually bringing the beloved Kirby to life. Satoru Iwata had a hand in many of Nintendo’s games, such as their premiere fighting game, Super Smash Bros. Perhaps Mr. Iwata’s best work as a developer with HAL came in the form of the SNES cult classic, Earthbound (Mother 2).

Satoru Iwata climbed the ranks of Nintendo, eventually becoming the company’s fourth President in 2002. At this position, Mr. Iwata oversaw work on consoles such as the Nintendo DS and the Wii, and countless incredible games. He even oversaw early development of the Switch during the finals months of his life. After serving as President for 13 years, Mr. Iwata tragically died of complications from a bile duct tumor on July 11, 2015. Nintendo informed the public of Satoru Iwata’s passing the next day, and entered into mourning for the next several months, even lowering the flags at their headquarters to half-staff.

Today, 2 years after his sudden passing, we remember the life and legacy of Satoru Iwata. While his life ended far too soon, he left an impact on the video game industry that few others ever will. Today, Nintendo, the gaming industry, and gamers all over the world mourn the loss of the former President of Nintendo. Despite no longer being with us, we are still enjoying the fruits of his labor as we play on our Switches, reminisce on Kirby or Earthbound, or even play Pokemon Go. Rest in Peace Mr. Iwata, you are missed. 

When Should Nintendo Launch the Switch's Virtual Console?

The date is December 29, 2017. Nintendo announces via Twitter to expect a Nintendo Switch themed Direct coming on January 2, 2018 at 7 am PT. People immediately begin speculating what Nintendo could talk about or announce. Further details for the previously announced Yoshi and Kirby games is the majority consensus of fans. Five days pass and the date in now January 2, 2018. It’s time. The Direct opens with a black screen and Mario’s signature “Wahoo!” Everyone instantly concludes that this must be new Super Mario Odyssey content, perhaps even paid DLC is coming to the game. Suddenly, the picture clears, and we see that the “Wahoo!” didn’t come from Super Mario Odyssey, but instead from Super Mario Sunshine. Not a remake, not even a remaster, but the original, unedited game. A short trailer recapping Mario’s adventure on Isle Delfino plays, followed by the classic Nintendo GameCube logo. There is a near audible cheer erupting online from excited fans realizing that this is Nintendo’s long awaited announcement of Virtual Console for the Switch.

7 Tips to Help you Survive Trial of the Sword

By now, I am sure that any of you who have attempted Breath of the Wild’s gauntlet style challenge, Trial of the Sword, know that it is absolutely no walk in the park. This challenge forces you to use so much more than just the end of game brute force that you may have come to rely on. By stripping Link of all of his weapons, clothes, and Champion abilities, you are forced to navigate him through a series of 45 increasingly difficult levels using strategies learned throughout your original adventure. For those of you who remember the difficulties of Eventide Island, Trial of the Sword is just that, but on a much larger and more difficult scale. With that said, I used my time playing through Trial of the Sword to develop these 7 tips that are sure to make your adventure through the trial just a little bit easier.

My Thoughts on Today's (7/6/17) Splatoon 2 Direct

So Nintendo hit us with a Splatoon 2 focused Direct, and it did not disappoint. This Direct was a decent length, being over 25 minutes, and the whole presentation was full of information. There was also a good flow to today’s Direct, which was a welcome feature, as Nintendo has often struggled with pacing in their presentations as of late. Information was presented clearly and in a timely manner, and even though there was a lot to take in, I don’t feel like I really missed anything. There was also that lovable Nintendo charm present, as they chose to stick with the “Squid Research Lab” theme that myself and many others have come to love. It definitely seems that this direct delivered on almost everything that Splatoon fans wanted, so without further ado, let’s jump into the details.

The Master Trials: A Great Addition to an Already Epic Gaming Experience (BoTW Expansion 1)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild’s first expansion, appropriately titled “The Master Trials” is now available. Despite being out for nearly a week at the time of writing this, I have unfortunately only been able to spend about 6-7 hours with the new content. However, even with my limited time with this DLC, I still feel like I have plenty to say about it, so let’s just jump into it. Warning: Minor SPOILERS for The Master Trials DLC will be discussed, so if you want to avoid any details about it then save this page and come back after playing!

Tips for ARMS Beginners: 10 Ways to Improve Your Fight in ARMS

If you are just getting started on your ARMS journey, you have probably quickly discovered that this is a pretty tough game that can be difficult to get the hang of. You don’t know which control setup to use, you don’t know which character you want to fight as, and what is up with all those different arms? Well here are 10 tips that can get you familiarized with the game and get you winning your fights in no time!