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Issue #‍316 | January 29, 2023 · Advance Wars Advancing?

Hey, here's issue #317 of Switch Weekly — your Nintendo update.

As I was writing up today's intro, a new clip from the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie was shared online — it shows a feline Mario going up against Seth Rogen's Donkey Kong — and we hear Seth's take on DK for the first time too.

The biggest news this week has to be the return of GoldenEye 007. Over 25 years after its N64 debut the pioneering shooter is available to play on modern consoles once more (It's on both the Switch and Xbox - albeit in different guises). As a big Bond fan, I love that this has finally happened, and although I don't think the multiplayer has aged particularly well - chiefly due to fiddly aiming, the core offering got so much right for console FPS games so early — it's a classic for a reason, and I can't wait to play through it all again. I've got the excellent soundtrack playing whilst writing this.

In other news the excellent SwitchBuddy companion app for both Android and iOS received a significant update — in addition to its screenshot sharing capabilities, it also added a games section, various improvments, and neat countdown widgets you can add to your homescreen.

Next week sees just over 30 games hitting the Switch — the full list is below for you as ever.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris ✌️

🎮 Currently Playing: Hi-Fi Rush (on Steam)

GoldenEye 007: the beloved classic that reshaped video games — "Perhaps they will wonder why we considered it so special, so groundbreaking. They may not realise how many of the features we now take for granted in shooters were inspired by this one game".

Keith Stuart // The Guardian

eShop update could point to Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp release

Jordan Middler // VGC

REVIEW Onion Assault is a plucky platformer worth playing — "a short and snappy 2D platformer by the team who brought us the classic Gunman Clive, Super Punch Patrol and Mechstermination Force".

Neil Riddaway // GoNintendo

REVIEW Atone: Heart of the Elder Tree — "sets out to do a lot in a short space of time and manages to pull it off impressively".

Mark Isaacson // Well Played

REVIEW Clunky Hero — "a tonal hodgepodge, almost completely unfunny in every attempt, but a half-decent metroidvania structure is Clunky Hero’s saving grace".

Joshua Thompson // Finger Guns

▶ REVIEW A Space For the Unbound: A hidden gem we almost missed

Mark Walker // SwitchUp (YouTube)

Why Donkey Kong could be the future of Nintendo

Kalin Robert Hanninen // Game Rant

How Persona 3 retroactively solves Persona 5’s biggest problem

Muhammad Nameer Zia // Exputer

Five years later, Celeste proves that platformers should have impactful narratives too

Sangita Nuli // GameRant

Can video games change people’s minds about the climate crisis?

Lewis Gordon // The Guardian

How Final Fantasy VII ended Nintendo's dominance of video games

Timothy Donohoo // CBR

This console generation isn’t about games or hardware. It’s about services

Carli Velocci // Digital Trends

🎮 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

⭐️ Trek to Yomi — A Samurai adventure game set in feudal Japan — lovely black and white look to it. M for mature.

Tue

⭐️📦 SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake — A new 3D platformer featuring SpongeBob and Patrick.

Wed

Albacete Warrior — A bizarre 2D/3D hybrid martial arts adventure featuring a Spanish ninja and his chicken. M for mature.
Gunscape — An FPS world-building hybrid in which you can create and share your own maps.
Jumbo Airport Story — There is something about these sim games from Kairosoft which I find very charming.
Puzzle Bobble 2X and Puzzle Bobble 3 — Classic puzzle game bundle.

Thu

Active DBG: Brave's Rage — A roguelite deckbuilding game with a 'active/bullet-time' mechanic.
📦 Cuddly Forest Friends — A very cute party game for four.
Drainus — Looks to be a solid side-scrolling shooter.
Exitman Deluxe — Arcade game about making it to the exit fast.
⭐️ Fashion Police Squad — This 'humorous retro FPS' has a neat visual style.
Hippo: Little Red Riding Hood — Peppa Pig fans will look twice...
⭐️ Life is Strange 2 — Award-winning telekinetic adventure. M for mature.
Monster Girls and the Mysterious Adventure 2 — Turn-based roguelike RPG.
Oshiiro — Explore a haunted arena with a glowstick....
Radiantflux Hyperfractal 4.0 — Desktop hacking sim that has a Macintosh Plus aesthetic.
Sakura Cupid — Visual novel. M for mature.
⭐️ The Pathless — From the creators of ABZU. This is a 'mythic adventure' open-world game featuring archery and falconry.
Words in Word — 1000 word-based puzzles.

Fri

Car Factory Driver — Build it, test it, drive it sim.
Helvetii — 2D action brawler roguelite set in Gallic Celtic Mythology.
Offroad Moto Bike — Budget arcade off-roading.
Pets at Work — A 'cozy' puzzle platformer with local co-op.
Sport and Fun: Swimming — Actually seems to be a novel use of the Joy-Con here.
Swap Puzzles — Swap tiles in this puzzle game.
Tiny Detour — The bridge is broken in this 'relaxing' adventure game.
Trophy — A new 8-bit action platformer. Looks a bit Mega Man.

Sat

Seraph's Last Stand — A roguelike shooter based on the flash era game 'Heli Attack'.

⚡️ Quick Links

I recently got a Steam Deck, but I had to make it look like a Nintendo Switch.
Will there be a Mario movie tie-in game? This runs through some possibilities.
Real fish helped leak a streamers credit card details whilst playing Pokemon on Twitch. (That's a weird sentence.)
It's now been over 4 years since Metroid Prime 4 development was rebooted.
Sports Story has been patched, removing the 'game dev' room found at launch.
A leaker claims MercurySteam may be working on yet another 2D Metroid.
Seinfeld's George (Jason Alexander) doesn't recall having his pic snapped whilst playing Metroid Prime in 2003.
Explore Paramount+ today and start streaming all your favorite entertainment in one place. #Ad
Interesting observation: 2022 was the first year the Switch line-up from Nintendo didn't have a Wii U port.
A Splatoon 3 'Smallfry' plushie is on the way.
YouTuber Chadtronic is making a Chao Garden style game for Switch.
ICYMI: A report that a Switch successor may land in 2024 was last week's most clicked link.

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Curated by Chris Brandrick

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Key phrases

excellent SwitchBuddy companion app A Samurai adventure game Nintendo Kalin Robert Hanninen upcoming Super Mario Bros excellent soundtrack playing Super Punch Patrol big Bond fan screenshot sharing capabilities neat countdown widgets halfdecent metroidvania structure Muhammad Nameer Zia Final Fantasy VII ReBoot Camp release classic Gunman Clive console FPS games REVIEW Clunky Hero

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