Switch Weekly - Predicting Nintendo's 2023

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Issue #‍313 | January 1, 2023 · Zelda is out this year 💚

Hey, Chris back in your inbox with the very first issue of Switch Weekly for 2023 — here again for another year of handy Nintendo updates for you. I really hope you've had an enjoyable Christmas break (if you celebrate), and I want to wish you a happy new year. Let's get to it.

Now, I try not to make a habit of predicting things, but I'm up for a bit of fun guess work today, so here's a few random Nintendo-themed predictions for the year ahead:

‣ Nintendo will not release a Switch successor this year;
‣ Advance Wars 1+2 gets quietly released in the summer;
‣ F-Zero will return in some way (I'd settle for a HD remaster of GX with online);
‣ Pikmin 4 releases;
‣ The Mario movie will be good, actually;
‣ A new Donkey Kong game of some variety.

I'll check back in a year to see how I did - but let's be real, they feel fairly safe. 😅 I also wouldn't be surprised to see a new Mario game show up either (to launch or be announced around the time of the movie). Also, there was something to that random 1-2 Switch report from last year, so maybe we will see something there (whether we like it or not).

Anyway, as you might expect it's a quiet week on the eShop, with only around ~15 or so games coming to the Switch over the next week. Full list is below for you as ever.

Finally, after a few requests, I've now made a Mastodon account for Switch Weekly — Those of you on the 'fediverse' can tap here if you want to give it a follow.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the newsletter in 2023.

Cheers,
Chris ✌️

🎮 Currently Playing: Horace

▶ What to expect from Nintendo in 2023 — Following on from my thoughts above, here's an attempt to map out the year ahead.

IGN // YouTube

REVIEW Sports Story — After a three year wait, the sequel to the much-loved Golf Story snuck out just before Christmas, but sadly the end result is described here as "damningly mediocre". I've seen plenty of folks note how the game has its fair share of techincal issues too, suggesting it may have been rushed out the door — something an in-game secret room all but confirms. There's a bigger story here waiting to be told.

Mitch Vogel // Nintendo Life

▶ Digital Foundry end of 2022 lookback — The well-connected DF chaps are always interesting to listen to, and here they discuss the potential for new Nintendo hardware in 2023, and what happened to that long-rumoured Switch Pro.

Digital Foundry // YouTube

Nintendo Switch Joy-Con drift due to "design flaw", UK consumer group reports — Increasingly starting to feel like this issue (and any resulting legal action) won't get resolved until we've all moved on from the Switch platform...

Ishraq Subhan // Eurogamer

Pikmin 4's arrival will be no small matter

Chris Scullion // VGC

Aliens Among Us: EarthBound and the American Dream — "EarthBound is praised for its quirky, nostalgic American setting, but something far more profound lies beneath its cheerful surface".

Cody Wiesner // Superjump

Amiibo figures are a waste of money, but I can't stop collecting them

Kara Phillips // TechRadar

How Bloodborne paved the way for one of 2022’s breakout hits (Tunic)

Mike Mahardy // Polygon

Tunic may still contain more secrets, depending on how you define ‘secret’, says creator

Rebekah Valentine // IGN

Pokémon didn’t reinvent itself in 2022, and maybe it shouldn’t have to

Ana Diaz // Polygon

Pokemon has had a 2022 full of disappointment and profit

Stacey Henley // The Gamer

In 2022, cozy games went from niche to video game fixture

Makena Kelly // The Verge

🎮 Upcoming Releases

All releases are digital, Europe & U.S. unless otherwise stated.
Release data sourced in collaboration with Switch Scores.

⭐️ = Ones to Watch · 📦 = Physical release · 🎮 = Demo available

Mon

Blacksmith Forger — Budget-priced puzzle/arcade pixel forging.
🎮 Gravity Thrust — 'Lunar landing' arcade game for four players in which you fly a spaceship through caves.
Vampire Slayer: The Resurrection — A 'slayers vs vampires' 3D first-person multiplayer game with online play for 12. M for mature.

Wed

Extreme Snowboard — Ice cold sports sim ala 1080/SSX.

Thu

Age of Heroes: The Beginning — A twenty dollar match three puzzler.
AlphaLink — Sci-fi themed arcade arena action game with online play.
Lost Snowmen — Puzzle platformer featuring three different snowmen.
Maximus 2 — A fantasy beat-em up brawler with co-op and online. The visuals are almost Scribblenauts-esque.
Neon Souls — Paint invisible platforms with neon ink in this fast-paced parkour platformer.
Pixel Game Maker Series: Pearl vs Grey — Puzzle action, Game Boy style.
Tumbleweed Destiny — Literally a game about tumbling tumbleweed... with 16 player online of course.

⚡️ Quick Links

Hmm, a leak suggests that a limited edition Switch OLED is on the way for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
After hitting cinemas this coming April, the Mario movie will likely end up on Netflix by October '23.
Always wanted to learn a new language? Babbel will be the most productive 10 minutes of your day. #Ad
The Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai says that he is ‘semi-retired’.
Nintendo has patched a "severe" vulnerability found in some online Switch games.
Square Enix is seemingly giving up on its Final Fantasy kart racer.
Could F-Zero's time come in 2023?

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Key phrases

UK consumer group reports quirky nostalgic American setting new Donkey Kong game random Nintendothemed predictions resulting legal action new Mario game video game fixture new Nintendo hardware handy Nintendo updates enjoyable Christmas break happy new year three year wait The Mario movie Nintendo Switch JoyCon

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