Switch Weekly - #203: Your Nintendo update

REVIEW Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit — The release of this totally crept up on me (to the point where I forgot to mention it in last week's issue) — but this real-life toy take on Nintendo's celebrated kart racer is here, and honestly, it looks like a blast. It's reviewing well and is described here as "a startlingly authentic 'mixed reality' recreation" of the usual series experience, oh and for the Mario Kart purists amongst us: "The car itself is surprisingly nimble and responsive [..], which means the actual in-game racing feels very, very close to a proper Mario Kart game". I may have just popped this on my Christmas list. 😅

Damien McFerran  // Nintendo Life

Overcoming AR's limitations with Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit — A chat with Velan Studios president Guha Bala on how they approached reinventing Nintendo's best-selling racing franchise for augmented reality.

James Batchelor // gamesindustry

Level-5 has virtually halted operations in North America

Rebekah Valentine // gamesindustry

Why is Level-5 (possibly) shuttering its Western branch?

Bella Blondeau // The Gamer

REVIEW The Jackbox Party Pack 7 — As ever, some fun to be had here, but this latest grab bag of party games "doesn't live up to the pedigree of the earlier games".

Scott Baird  // Screen Rant

REVIEW Cloudpunk — This futuristic adventure game seems to have missed the mark. Scott Baird describes it as having a "great concept" but the end result is "tedious" and not without its share of technical issues. This review from Nintendo World Report also strikes a negative view, pointing out that the Switch version isn't the best place to play this right now.

Scott Baird  // Screen Rant

REVIEW Cook, Serve, Delicious 3

Paul Roberts // Vooks

REVIEW This is the Zodiac Speaking

Ollie Reynolds // Nintendo Life

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Kirby: It's finally time for a 3D platformer

Abram Buehne // CBR

How 'Hades' made a genre known for being impossibly hard accessible— Yup, Hades is a roguelike, but it's also a solid action game where death is a mechanic that seemingly doesn't infuriate players.

Patrick Klepek // Vice

How The Animal Crossing Diaries are chronicling the pandemic— The UK's National Videogame Museum (worth a visit btw) recently launched a project highlighting how Animal Crossing became part of the 'pandemic gaming zeitgeist'.

Florence Smith Nicholls // Eurogamer

Xbox Boss Phil Spencer on Series X launch, Halo Infinite & Bethesda — Yes, this is about all things Xbox, but this interview with Phil Spencer is interesting for a few reasons, and he does touch upon Microsoft's relationship with Nintendo, its sustainability, and what possibly lies ahead.

Stephen Totilo  // Kotaku

From Game Boy to 3DS: The legacy of Nintendo's handhelds — Analysts, developers and former Nintendo staff share their thoughts as at the why the company has dominated the portable gaming space for over three decades. (Note: This was in last week's issue but the link was wrong, here it is again with the correct link. Thanks to those who got in touch to highlight the error.)

James Batchelor // gamesindsutry

Monday, October 19

• Death Ray Manta SE — A neon-soaked 'short-form' twin stick arena shooter.

Tuesday, October 20

• HyperBrawl Tournament — Arena sports brawler, looks pretty neat. Four players, with online.
• Outpost Delta — 2D side-scrolling sci-fi platformer/shooter. 

Wednesday, October 21

• Bullet Beat — A fairly straightforward looking dubstep bullet hell shooter.
• Fracter — Isometric puzzle adventure through a monochrome labyrinth.
• ⭐️ Horace — This retro-inspired 2D platformer seems to have reviewed well.
• 🎮 ScourgeBringer — A fast-paced post-apocalytpic roguelite platformer described as "Dead Cells meets Celeste" by Eurogamer.

Thursday, October 22

• Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered — 3D adventure in 50 B.C. Remaster of the 2003 game.
• Double Pug Switch — A platformer with dimension switching - quick thinking required.
• ⭐️ GONNER2 — Sequel to the award-winning first game. Intense shooter/platformer.
• LUNA the Shadow Dust — Hand-animated puzzle adventure - nice style to it.
• Nullum — A minimalist puzzle game in which you eliminate tiles by matching numbers.
• Outbreak: Epidemic — A co-op survival horror adventure about an infection. Hmm.
• Restless Hero — Explore the castle and redeem your soul in this platformer.
• Rusty Spout Rescue Adventure — Arcade puzzle game for two.
• Supraland — 3D first-person adventure taking place in what seems to be a literal sandbox.
• The Red Lantern — You and your team of sled dogs lost in the wilderness.
• They Bleed Pixels — Acrobatic 'gothic' platforming with one-button slash'em up combat.
• THO Simulator — A technician sim. (E.U release)
• Toolboy — Single-player platformer in which you play as a repair robot.
• 📦 Transformers: Battlegrounds — Strategic battles with Autobots. (Oct 23 in U.S.)

Friday, October 23

• CrossKrush — Elderly couple blow up cars.
• Galacide — Vibrant space shooter with puzzle/tactics thrown in. Four player co-op.
• Grood — A destructive arcade shoot'em up with modern graphics.
• Kakurasu World — A collection of logic puzzles (think Takuzu, Binairo).
• Lord of the Click — Top-down medieval clicker with strategy elements.
• Maze — Yep, it's a 3D maze to explore (and escape).
• Supermarket Shriek — Man and a goat in a shopping kart racer.
• Truck Driving Simulator — Big rig sim. 10-4.