Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct Was Exciting, Frustrating, and Everything In Between

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

So, how about that Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, huh? I think we all experienced a variety of emotions watching that thing: excitement, confusion, delight, frustration… the whole thing wound up being a rollercoaster and what was supposed to be an infallible ray of hope in an increasingly tumultuous time for gaming became far more complex in how people feel about it.

I’m not here to offer some deeper analysis on the whole thing, though. I just have thoughts on the Switch 2’s debut presentation and (almost) all of its trailers, and am compelled to jot them down and share them with you like the egotist that I am.

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We Should Be Cautious About Paper Mario: The Origami King (startmenu Preview)

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

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Nintendo, as Nintendo does, suddenly dropped a trailer for a new Paper Mario game on us earlier in the week, and we collectively lost it.

Even though it’s only been four years, it feels like it has been forever since the last entry in the role-playing spin-off series, so excitement is at a fever pitch. Established fans and those who had never touched a Paper Mario before have become immediately invested thanks to that trailer and rightly so. It’s a good trailer. I myself as a long-time fan was hooked quite easily.

But as I watched the trailer, my excitement gave way to concern and anxiousness. The memories of the last couple of Paper Mario games flooded back in and, now, I can’t help but be incredibly cautious. And frankly, so should you.

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Ten Things You Might’ve Not Known About Pokémon Red & Blue

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

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How about we try something new this week? You may not know this but I love me some trivia. Whether it be early concepts, connections between actors or just neat, little easter eggs, I get a weird thrill from learning and memorising this kind of stuff from all kinds of media (which did not help me during my school years when I should’ve been memorising maths). But one thing I love more than discovering trivia is sharing it with others, so I figured why not try my hand at actually writing up some fun articles all about that?

So let’s start things off with ten things you may not have known from a classic set of games that defined a lot of peoples’ childhoods – the first generation of Pokémon games, Red & Blue – courtesy of Bulbapedia and Serebii (just so you know I’m not making all this up). Continue reading →

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu – An Amazing Adaptation or Shockingly Bad?

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

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When children hear the words “live-action Pokémon movie,” they get excited. When adults hear those words, however, they inwardly cringe. Live-action adaptations of videogames and animated properties both share notorious reputations for being pretty much always bad, so you can’t blame most of us, upon hearing that Hollywood were going to give Nintendo’s most prolific RPG series the same treatment, to place our faces in our hands and groan.

But then that very first trailer dropped and, suddenly, people started to say “Actually, this looks pretty good.” Early impressions indicated that Pokémon: Detective Pikachu would avoid every pitfall that other movies of its ilk had fallen into. Fans’ expectations went from nil to a hundred, but were we right to trust those trailers? Is it even a good adaptation of the game it’s based on? Is it something only the purest of Pokémon fans can enjoy? Continue reading →

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle – The Best Crossover No One Wanted

/ Michael Beckwith / 2 Comments

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I remember when this game was first leaked. So many people refused to believe it was even remotely true. A strategy-RPG crossover game starring Nintendo’s beloved Super Mario and Ubisoft’s iconic Raving Rabbids? Admittedly, it did sound so ludicrous that it just had to be fake but cut to E3 2017 and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was officially announced. It was all real. But what was even more surprising was that it looked really good.

The Rabbids’ name had certainly got a bit of a bad rap over the years due to many finding them obnoxious and annoying (before the Minions came along and managed to somehow be worse), but even some of the loudest dissenters couldn’t help but admit to being intrigued by this bizarre union between Nintendo and Ubisoft.

The game went on to become the best selling title on the Switch that wasn’t published by Nintendo and, as of September 2018, has sold over 2 million copies. This surprise smash hit won a lot of peoples’ hearts and I’ve been meaning to write up a review of it since the DLC came out last year. So let’s not waste any more time and dive right into the wonderfully, weird world of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Continue reading →

WarioWare Gold – Glorious, Gaming Goodness or Just Gross?

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

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I never realised how much I missed playing WarioWare games until I tried out the demo for the latest entry – WarioWare Gold. It was like meeting up with an old friend you hadn’t seen in years and finding out that you’re still on the same wavelength and have a fun time together. And considering the last WarioWare game came out in 2013 (assuming you even count Game & Wario, that is), I feel that comparison is perfectly apt.

But is WarioWare Gold deserving of that name? Is it the game that long-time fans have been waiting for? Or is it just like Wario himself and full of hot air? How about I stop asking rhetorical questions and we get on with the review. Continue reading →

Mario Tennis Aces – A Superb Serve or A Fumbling Fault?

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

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I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Mario sports titles. Not because I think they’re bad or I don’t enjoy them; they just very rarely grab me. So Mario Tennis Aces must’ve done something right to reel me in. Between its fancy gameplay and seemingly deep single-player mode, I found myself getting more and more tempted to try it out, and after spending some time on the online demo they released (which I even recorded footage of here), I decided to grab a copy day one.

Now, funnily enough, I had no intention of reviewing this game since I didn’t think I’d have much to say about what is essentially a tennis simulator but the more I played, the more I started to feel… conflicted, if that’s the right word. So, is this game worthy of having the word “ace” in its title? Can I recommend it to those who have no interest in tennis? How come Bowser doesn’t get his own unique tennis outfit? … OK, maybe I can only answer two of those questions. Continue reading →

Ten Echo Fighters I Want for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

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A new Super Smash Bros. game is on the way, which means the Internet is rife once more with debates and theories as to which new characters will get the chance to duke it out with Nintendo’s greatest all-stars. Though now the discussion has changed slightly thanks to the introduction of Echo Fighters.

While it might just be a fancy new term for the long maligned clone characters, people seem to have accepted this idea with fondness. This feature means we can have new characters easily join the roster as glorified palette swaps while still retaining their original personalities. So far, we have Lucina, Dark Pit and newcomer Daisy acting as Echo Fighters for Marth, Pit and Peach respectively, and fans are already wondering if we’ll see any more show up.

Of course, I have some ideas of my own that I’d love to see. So even if we don’t get any new, original characters, here are ten Echo Fighters whose inclusion would make me more than happy. Continue reading →

Detective Pikachu – A Bolt of Brilliance Or A Load of Trubbish?

/ Michael Beckwith / 2 Comments

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When this game was first announced, it raised a lot of eyebrows, myself included. In a good way, mind you. The idea of a game centered around a gruff-sounding, coffee-loving, talking Pikachu seemed so crazy that it could actually work, or at the very least was worth experiencing. But after its official announcement, we heard basically nothing about the thing for, like, three years until it was suddenly released in Japan in early 2016.

Cut to two years later and the game not only received an expansion but was released in its entirety here in the West for us to enjoy. But was it worth the wait? Does it offer anything of substance outside of its bizarre concept? Is there any reason it should also be getting a movie adaptation? Well, I think I can answer those first two questions at least. Continue reading →

Five of My Favourite Generation 7 Pokémon

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

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About a couple of years ago, I wrote a list about thirty of my favourite Pokémon, but that was before the then upcoming seventh generation of games had come out – Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. These two games introduced a bunch of brand new catch-able creatures so, with the updated releases, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, still fresh in my memory, I figured I would follow up on that previous list and share a small sample of my favourite additions to the ever growing world of Pokémon.

Quick disclaimer – I’m only including brand new Pokémon so no Alolan forms. Continue reading →