How’s about that Nintendo Direct, eh? We had a feeling a new mature title was on the agenda given the 11pm show-time and the conference’s 18+ age rating, but we never expected a double-whammy of DOOM and Wolfenstein II. Minecraft for New 3DS was a nice surprise, too.
As for games you can play right now, oh boy oh boy, it’s another busy week with ten new Switch releases in total, plus a demo of Square-Enix’s JRPG project OCTOPATH TRAVELER. That’s a working title, if you couldn’t guess. What’s the betting it remains as Octopath Traveler? High, we’d imagine.
NBA 2K18 (£54.99) and Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition (£29.99) arrive on both the eShop and at retail. Unlike the upcoming FIFA 18, NBA 2K18 has the same content and features as the PS4/Xbox One versions. As for Rayman, the consensus is that it’s a great version of a great game, but the new features – including a Kung Foot tournament mode – aren’t worth the asking price if you already own it on Wii U.
Like last week’s new arrivals, many of this week’s titles are belated conversions. Procedurally generated platformer 36 Fragments of Midnight (£2.99) makes the jump from PC, Beach Buggy Racing (£9.99) debuted on Xbox One to mixed reviews, fetching pixel art strategy RPG Kingdom: New Lands (£13.49) went down a treat on Xbox One and iOS, while turn-based dungeon crawler Quest of Dungeons (£7.99) was met with a positive reception on Xbox One back in 2015.
Then we have PAN-PAN A tiny big adventure (£4.99), a brand-new release from Circle Ent. It’s an open-world top-down adventure with puzzle solving and exploration. That’s joined by arcade shooter Robonauts (£13.49) and Semispheres (price TBA), a meditative split-screen puzzler.
As per usual, there’s a NeoGeo re-release too. Spin Master is a Data East platformer from 1993, boasting chunky and colourful sprites. While not a direct sequel, it shares some similarities with Dashin’ Desperadoes on the Mega Drive.
Arguably, the biggest Nintendo release of the week is Metroid: Samus Returns. Turns out Nintendo’s faith in Spanish studio MercurySteam – creators of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – was well placed.
Critics are seemingly in agreement that it’s the best Metroid game in years, resulting in a staggering 10/10 from Nintendo Life and top marks from US Gamer. Generally, though, scores clock in at 8/10. “Maybe the next 2D Metroid will take more chances, but Returns is far better than I expected it to be,†said Destructoid.
A Castlevania dev working on a Metroid game. Can’t get more Metroidvania than that.
As for discounts, there are no Switch games on offer (boo!) but a fair few 3DS and Wii U games are due a cut including Epic Dumpster Bear, Cursed Castilla, Art of Balance TOUCH! and Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition.
Next week: Pokkén Tournament DX, DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 for Nintendo Switch/Gold, SteamWorld Dig 2, and Conga Master Party.