Switch Weekly - Nintendo Direct to Eagleland

Your Nintendo digest for the week ending February 14.

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Switch Weekly

Issue 269— February 14, 2022

EarthBound

Hey, Chris here — back in your inbox with issue #269 of Switch Weekly.

Ooft, busy week, huh. A Nintendo Direct after five or so months means we've got plenty to talk about, including EarthBound, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Mario Kart DLC.

I've linked the Direct below if you've not had chance to watch it yet, along with a write-up of everything announced. 

Last week I shared news that the State of Switch survey is back, so far over 3,500 of you have taken part — thank youYou can find it right here if you've not filled it out just yet. 

We've got 20 games coming to the Switch next week including a new Dynasty Warriors game and the bundle of the first three Assassin's Creed titles. The full list of games, along with my description of each is below for you. 

Finally, a big hello to all those new folks joining the newsletter this week. You can expect links to some of the very best Nintendo reads on the web, a list of upcoming games for the week ahead, and quick links of things that caught my eye. You can always hit reply and share your thoughts and feedback — I read every email.

Cheers, and catch you next week,  
Chris ✌️

🎮 Currently Playing — Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Grindstone (iOS)

▶ Nintendo Direct - February 2022 — Forty minutes of Nintendo announcements here. Plenty of good stuff, the highlight being mouthful mode of course. Eurogamer have a round-up if you'd rather read. Here's my quick (not exhaustive) take on what caught my eye:

  • Nice to see a date for Advanced Wars. April 8. Looking forward to it.
  • No Man's Sky coming to Switch was rather unexpected. Great to see the hardware still being pushed to new highs.
  • Another surprise was the return of Mario Strikers. Didn't have that on my Bingo card.
  • The new trailer for Kirby was excellent, it's looking great. I've not been hyped for a Kirby game in a long time. Also, how would Kirby eat a Switch?
  • Portal coming to Switch. Something about this announcment being so close to the launch of the Steam Deck is amusing to me, but I'm glad to see it. 
  • Switch Sports. Good stuff. Kinda wish they called it Mii Sports though. 
  • That Metroid Dread update is a welcome thing. Difficulty options are good!
  • I'm finally going to play EarthBound. Here's a review of this 27 year old classic.
  • DLC for Mario Kart 8. Yes, they don't seem as visually impressive, but boy, 48 extra tracks is kinda crazy. Great to see it added as a bonus for Switch Expansion Pack subs too. 

Nintendo // YouTube

Mario Kart 8 DLC could signify a longer wait for Nintendo Switch 2 — Musings on what signal the Mario Kart 8 DLC sends in relation to Nintendo's overall strategy as the Switch continues to sell well as it enters its sixth year.

Jeff Grubb // VentureBeat

REVIEW Grapple Dog — This platformer, complete with its charming GBA-style visuals, is described here as "an indie masterpiece" with plenty of praise for its writing, soundtrack, and movement. Ash Mercia writing for Switch Player was also keen, calling it "everything a good 2D platforming game should be".

Derek Wright // Big Daddy Gaming

REVIEW GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon

Kerry Brunskill // Nintendo Life

REVIEW Ocean's Heart

Steve Whiting // Switchaboo

REVIEW Welcome to Elk

Joe DeVader // Nintendo World Report

REVIEW Infernax — Out next week, described here as "like an amazing cover of a favorite song. It perfectly encapsulates what a quintessential ’80s game might feel like. [..] The marketing for this game singles out Zelda II and Castlevania II, but it’s got a ton of Metroid, Legacy of the Wizard, and more baked in. If you love the classics, or want a fantastic introduction to NES-style platformers, this is a game that deserves your attention".

Dominick Ashtear // Nintendo Enthusiast

PREVIEW Triangle Strategy — Out in a month. This early look is positive. "Square Enix has built a wildly ambitious tale here and sprinkled some solid tactical mechanics over it".

Nathan Ellingsworth // Pocket Tactics

Mobile app 'SwitchBuddy' makes moving Switch screenshots to your phone easier — I missed the news about this handy looking app when it came out late last year — but it's recently had an update which put it on my radar. Now its on your radar too. 🙂

Gavin Lane // Nintendo Life

'I became a Nintendo insider in 7 hours (without knowing anything)' — Jon Cartwright took advantage of a quirk of private Twitter accounts to look like he had accurately predicted most of the recent Direct. It was all guess work of course, but did a grand job of shining a light on just how silly leaks and insider 'culture' has become. The account saw plenty of attention, including from the media. I'm grateful for being in the email game as things move a little bit slower and being reactive to whatever is trending isn't really a consideration here.

Good Vibes Gaming // YouTube

Breath of the Wild is finally influencing open-world games

Chirag Pattni // Nintendo Enthusiast

Why Humongous Entertainment’s educational games are timeless — Putt-Putt, Spy Fox and Pajama Sam arrived on the Switch recently — and Leah explains why these 'edutainment' point and click titles matter.

Leah J. Williams // Games Hub

Games that avoid capitalistic design
Malindy Hetfeld // Eurogamer

 

🎮 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

Monday, February 14

  • ⭐️ Infernax — Action sidescrolling platformer pays homage to '80s NES favourites. M for mature.
  • Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp XXL — A multiplayer dating sim with 'unapologetic humour'. M for mature.
  • Smash Star — Hey now, it's a platformer. 2D. Retro style.

Tuesday, February 15

Wednesday, February 16

  • Beat Souls — A vibrant neon arcade rhythm game set in a 'cyberpop' world.
  • Duggy — Remember Dig-Dug? It's a take on that. (Feb 17 in U.S.)
  • Tax Fugitive — A tough / fast-paced 2D pixel platformer.

Thursday, February 17

Friday, February 18

 

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PC, CapnGoat, SB, FrozenTrout, JR, MindFad, Greg, Michael Fairley, Chris D, Andrew E, and others — why not join them?

 


Chris Brandrick

Curated by Chris Brandrick | Support Switch Weekly on Patreon

 

 

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