Nintendo at E3, and Pac-Man gets the 99 treatment

Nintendo confirms it's a part of E3 2021's digital event — E3 returns in two months, this time as a digital-only event. Nintendo's Doug Bowser has confirmed the company will be taking part, so you can pretty much pencil in a Direct for mid June. 

Cade Onder // ScreenRant

Pac-Man 99 is a new battle royale game for the Switch — Nintendo took away Super Mario Bros. 35, but this new game of a similar ilk is now available for Switch Online members. I've not got a win just yet, but I've come pretty close. Here's some handy tips if you're looking for some pointers.

Sam Byford // The Verge

REVIEW Pac-Man 99's frantic gameplay compensates for an overall shaky package 

Abram Buehner // CBR

REVIEW Say No More— Here's my review of this arcade comedy narrative adventure it does a good job of "satirically highlighting the absurdity of corporate office culture and the egos that often come with such spaces", but ultimately is a bit shallow from a gameplay perspective. There's also a video version here (be sure to sub on YT if you haven't yet).

Chris Brandrick // Switch Weekly

REVIEW Star Wars Republic Commando — I've heard the Switch version has some notable performance issues, and this review confirms that. Sounds like it's better off played elsewhere. "one of the single greatest Star Wars games ever made. While that largely holds true on Switch, it is unfortunate that it doesn’t really provide a definitive experience".

John Rairdin // Nintendo World Report

Nintendo says it has enough parts for ‘immediate’ Switch production —  In a recent interview Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa warned that Switch could still experience hardware shortages this year due to significant demand. Some 40% of respondents to this year's State of Switch survey said they faced issues when trying to buy Nintendo products (across both hardware and software).

Andy Robinson // VGC

REVIEW Cozy Grove is Animal Crossing’s chilled-out, haunted neighbor 

Nicole Carpenter // Polygon

REVIEW Luckslinger

Vulgar Knight

Switch’s latest system update reportedly added Bluetooth audio support

Tom Ivan // VGC

NEO: The World Ends With You receives new trailer and release date 

Willem Hilhorst // Nintendo World Report

▶ Unboxing new physical Switch releases from Premium Edition Games — The kind folks over at Premium Edition Games sent over their first two physical releases. Here's my unboxing video — Switch collectors take note!

Switch Weekly // YouTube

Nintendo says it will focus on more original game series in the future

Andy Robinson // VGC

We need more Pokemon who actually matter in the overworld

Cian Maher // The Gamer

Capcom, please make Monster Hunter Snap 

Jake Green // Nintendo Life

▶ Top co-op multiplayer games on Switch

Nintendo Village // YouTube

Wednesday, April 14

• Cannon Brawl — 2D real-time action artillery strategy.
• Isolomus — A short horror adventure with handmade plasticine visuals.
• Kingdom of Arcadia — A short pixel Metroidvania spanning five levels.
• ⭐️ Knight Squad 2 — Arena party game. I loved the first one.
• Myastere -Ruins of Deazniff- — A spring wire action game that explores ruins. (Apr 15 in U.S.)
• Park Inc — Handheld only puzzler where you have remove cars from a car park.
• Ravensword: Shadowlands — 3D fantasy role-playing adventure. (Already availble in U.S.)
• ReactorX — A relaxing sci-fi puzzler about moving boxes on grids to repair a ship.

Thursday, April 15

• Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition — You have to take care of a tiny planet in this cute, relaxing 3D farming adventure.
• Dragon Audit — 3D walking sim, anime visuals, inspired by point & click comedy classics.
• ⭐️ Godstrike — 3D boss rush bullet hell based on time.
• Livestream: Escape from Hotel Izanami — Creepy side-scrolling action adventure.
• Pocoyo Party — Edutainment from Pocoyo for 3 to 5 year olds.
• ⭐️ Rain on Your Parade — A slapstick comedy where you play as a mischievous cloud.
• Relicta — 3D first-person physics-based puzzle game.
• SaGa Frontier Remastered — 1998 RPG classic returns with improved graphics, additional features, and more.
• Stitchy in Tooki Trouble — Scarecrow platformer.
• Team Troopers — Team-based low poly FPS with online play.
• Throw it! Animal Park — Weird arcade game where you chuck a load of animals in a space.

Friday, April 16

• Heal: Console Edition — An 'experimental' 2D side-scroller adventure game exploring the themes of aging and dementia.
• 📦 Poison Control — Turf-war style action shooter RPG. (Apr 13 in U.S.)
• Rock 'N Racing Bundle 3 in 1 — Three 3D racers in one.
• Snowball Collections Bubble — Bubble game puzzler with a snowglobe theme.
• Tribal Pass — A tactical runner with resource management and environment interactions.