On the Switch eShop this week you’ll find something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Just like last week’s re-release of Sniper Elite V2, Ubisoft’s re-release of Assassin’s Creed III is another that has graced a Nintendo platform once before.
It’s worryingly similar to the Wii U version, in fact – it may be called a ‘remaster’ on the box, but Nintendo Life – amongst others – claims that it feels like a “straight up portâ€.
“The expected graphical bells and whistles are mostly absent and this game feels more like a straight port of the 2012 original. Framerate issues plague many of the busier areas of the open world and make combat and traversal a chore for the most part, while audio problems are also a constant niggle,†they said before dishing out a middling 5/10.
It’s worth noting that the package also contains Liberation, which sweetens the deal somewhat while making the £29.99 price tag easier to swallow.
Indeed, Switch owners need especially deep pockets this week. Capcom’s trio of Resident Evil re-releases have arrived, debuting at £29.99 each. £90 for three old Resident Evil games…now that’s a hard sell.
Reviews for Resident Evil, Resident Evil 0, and Resident Evil 4 are at least positive, and this is despite RE4 lacking motion controls. The other two are apparently bogged down by long loading screens, but the few new enhancements are welcome.
Nintendo Insider awarded RE4 an 8/10: “The lack of Wii-like motion controls hurts this release, as it means this isn’t the best way to play the game. However, the fact you can play it on the go for the first time is probably the next best thing. If you have somehow managed to miss playing this title in the past 15 years, then go ahead and add another point to the score, as those that have played the many re-releases over the years won’t be quite as impressed as they once were.â€
The original RE garnered an 8/10 from Nintendo Enthusiast too. “Gaming’s first realization into true survival horror is timeless thanks to the technical enhancements of this HD remaster,†they said.
Resident Evil 0 received similar scores, including a 7.5 from Nintendo World Report. “Revisiting the core survival horror gameplay with an added modern control scheme proves to be a wonderful pairing,†was their verdict.
If a double whammy of Assassin’s Creed and Resident Evil wasn’t enough, Sonic is also back. Team Sonic Racing, as the name suggests, relies on teamwork – simply coming in 1st place isn’t enough, as you need to ensure the rest of your team makes it to the podium, sharing items and creating slipstream as you race. It’s a decent enough twist, but there’s a general lack of excitement and surprises, and it also doesn’t help that the menus and UI are rather bland. One step forward, one step back.
Screen Rant are one of the few sites to review the Switch version – which is reportedly lacking the CGI intro – where it was awarded an above average 3.5/5.
“Sporting 21 courses set that span seven distinct zones, Team Sonic Racing is replete with gorgeous and memorable tracks that keep races interesting hours and hours in,†they said before criticising how the unlockable ‘Mod Pod’ upgrade system works. “[it] is a pointless nuisance that turns unlocking quasi-random items one-by-one a complete chore.â€
Coincidentally, one of SEGA’s pre-Sonic mascots has also made a return. Wonder Boy Returns Remix is an improved version of the 2016 PS4/PC remaster, adding a new charge shot and a wider field of vision. “[…] it’s a great modernisation of a classic and a stress-free way to feel the thrill of Wonder Boy and get to the final boss,†said Nintendo Life, opting for a 7/10.
You’ll find the full list of new Switch re-release below, with other highlights including TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge, 2D run and gunner Gunlord X, GTA style crime caper American Fugitive, and the first person horror adventure Among the Sleep.
Team Sonic Racing – £34.99
Team Sonic Racing combines the best elements of arcade and fast-paced competitive style racing. Face-off with friends in intense multiplayer racing, race together across stunning worlds and work together as a team by sharing power-ups and speed boosts. Take control of your racing style – Choose from 3 distinct character types and unlock game-changing vehicle customisation options to suit your racing style.
Assassin’s Creed III Remastered – £29.99
Experience Assassin’s Creed for the first time on Nintendo Switch with Assassin’s Creed III Remastered, now enhanced with HD rumble, touch screen and handheld mode features. Also includes Assassin’s Creed Liberation remastered and all solo DLC content.
TT Isle of Man – Ride on the Edge – £44.99
For bikers, there are two types of speed races: the Isle of Man TT and the rest. No other race is as gruelling for the motorbikes and demanding for the riders. Take up the challenge of the Snaefell Mountain course: all 37.73 miles faithfully reproduced with the champions and their bikes. Memorise each section of the course, round each bend to perfection, keep your concentration throughout the 6 laps, get the best time and write your name alongside the greatest champions.
Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~ – £49.99
Once again, the hands of the clock have begun to move… And the future of “this world” rests on the shoulders of a single girl. In this new story, players will revisit the nostalgic world of Arland and embark on an exciting journey of alchemy together with Rorona’s daughter, Lulua.
SWORD ART ONLINE: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition – £44.99
The SAO series finally arrives on the Nintendo Switch! “SWORD ART ONLINE: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition” features the main game, as well as the additional content “Abyss of the Shrine Maiden” and the large-scale update “Warriors of the Sky!” A virtual world, now recreated… But humans were never meant to be part of the picture.
Among the Sleep – Enhanced Edition – £24.99
In the enhanced edition of this award-winning first-person horror adventure, you step into the pyjamas of a two-year-old child creeping through a dark and distorted house. Find your missing mother as you wander through sinister and surreal surroundings ranging from a haunting playground to a lakeside cottage, with only a teddy bear by your side for comfort. Will you survive long enough to unravel the family secret and make it to the end of this pitch-black nightmare?
Resident Evil – £29.99
Hailed by many as a masterpiece, this remake of the first entry in the long-running Resident Evil series is now playable in HD. Experience true terror in this genre-launching survival horror classic.
Resident Evil 0 – £29.99
This entry in the Resident Evil series expands on and enriches the excitement and intrigue of the survival horror genre. Learn of the events that preceded the series’ first game, and experience thrilling new gameplay systems as you alternate between its two playable characters to solve the mystery.
Resident Evil 4 – £29.99
Ushering in a new phase in the Resident Evil franchise, this game focuses on the events following the dissolution of Umbrella Corporation. The pioneering over-the-shoulder camera perspective is a departure from the fixed-camera views found in earlier entries, allowing for unrivaled action gameplay which has been met with widespread critical acclaim.
World Soccer – £7.19
Step onto the football pitch in the fully packed stadium to score the winning goal to be crowned the World Soccer Champion. It will be a challenging game to the very last whistle.
Gunlord X – £8.99
Welcome to Gunlord X – A vastly improved Gunlord port coming to Nintendo Switch in 2019! This game features 11 stages of exciting 2D gameplay with over 60 unique enemy types. Blast yourself through giant landscapes, explore caverns and reveal all secrets!
The Last Door – Complete Edition – £13.49
Feel what it’s truly like to be alone in the dark with this low-res, high-suspense point-and-click horror adventure, winner of multiple Best Games of the Year awards. Set in Victorian England, when Jeremiah Devitt receives a letter from his old schoolmate Anthony Beechworth with a hidden, cryptic message, he knows something is wrong.
Dead Cells + Rise of the Giant DLC – £17.99
The complete Dead Cells experience! The full game and our first FREE DLC “Rise of the Giantâ€. More punishing than ever before, you’ll take on the Giant if you can find him… Dead Cells puts you in control of a failed alchemic experiment trying to figure out what’s happening on a sprawling, ever-changing and seemingly cursed Island. Tough but fair combat, responsive controls, challenging foes, permadeath and of course, the emergency panic roll to get you out of trouble, make for a demanding, visceral and cathartic action game.
American Fugitive – £14.39
American Fugitive is a modern take on classic sandbox action offering a new 3D top-down open-world single-player experience. Welcome to Redrock County, a sleepy American town with a booming criminal underbelly. You take the role of Will Riley. No angel for sure – but not a killer. Yet the cold-blooded murder of your dad is the crime they locked you up for. Fuelled by grief and a burning desire for vengeance, you’ll bust out of jail intent on finding the real culprit.
Alternate Jake Hunter: DAEDALUS The Awakening of Golden Jazz – £32.99
That was one month ago today. Someone has murdered Saburo’s grandfather, Kyosuke, while he was living in New York. Saburo sets off to New York to sort through the belongings and memories his grandfather left behind. The nostalgia of the cityscape and reunions with old friends is fleeting, however. He soon discovers that his grandfather’s last word was, ‘Daedalus.’
Arcade Archives IMAGE FIGHT – £6.29
IMAGE FIGHT is a scrolling shoot ’em up game released by Irem in 1988. Clear the VR training course, then take the fight up into outer space! After you clear each stage, you can check and see how many ships you destroyed. If you still don’t have a good score after clearing stage 5, you may have to take a supplementary course…
Dyna Bomb – £5.99
Experience the manic arcade action as you dodge enemies, fling bombs and grab the treasure – before making a mad dash for the exit. Do you have the skills to find the secret levels? Can you master all the different power-ups and dominate the worlds.
HEROINE ANTHEM ZERO episode 1 – £11.69
The story begins with the last Cataclysm, with the descendants of the Savior rebuilding the land around the World Tree Terasyr. Thousands of years later the Engora Dynasty grows into prosperity, with Fae and Human together resisting the encroaching advances of evil from the edges of the world, and deathly Longhorn Woods. As fate brings Wanin the Forest Keeper and the wandering cat-girl Shama Kutami together, the entangling web of destinies unfolds. In a world unforgiven by God, their fight for survival unknowingly bears the weight and sins of thousands of generations hereafter.
My Lovely Daughter – £8.99
My Lovely Daughter is a game about overcoming the loss of a loved one through forbidden alchemy experiments … and murder. You are Faust, an amnesiac alchemist and father, who wakes up alone and confused only to discover that your lovely daughter has died. As you enter the first stages of grief, you do what everyone wishes they could do but can’t: bring back the dead with the power of alchemy. Attention: The dark and twisted themes of My Lovely Daughter are a commentary on child labour, abusive parenting, and ignorant societies. This game is intended to make people sad and uneasy but there is a deeper meaning behind the horror. My Lovely Daughter is inspired by the hardships experienced by members of our team growing up. The game is designed to upset and disturb you.
Star Sky – £3.59
Star Sky is a unique and personable experience. From the first moment that you step into the game, you become the narrator of a methodically slow-paced story you choose to weave with every step. Those who rush from start to finish will miss all the secrets and choices woven into the world: you must learn to be patient. Audio cues and blink-of-an-eye visuals will let you know when the magic is about to occur, be sure not to miss it!
WONDER BOY RETURNS REMIX – £8.99
“Wonder Boy” was an arcade hit back in 1986, with its intuitive controls and polished game balance. This forever famous sidescrolling action game has been remixed and reborn for the Nintendo Switch!
Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~- Digital Deluxe Edition – £61.99
Once again, the hands of the clock have begun to move… And the future of “this world” rests on the shoulders of a single girl. In this new story, players will revisit the nostalgic world of Arland and embark on an exciting journey of alchemy together with Rorona’s daughter, Lulua. Content of Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~ Digital Deluxe Edition: ・Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~ ・Season Pass “Lulua” – Lulua’s Outfit “Mom’s Favorite” – Aurel’s Outfit “The Ultimate Knight Supreme” – Eva’s Outfit “Little Girlfriend” – GUST Extra BGM Pack – Extra High Difficulty Area Note: All items included in the Digital Deluxe Edition may become available for purchase at a later date. Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~ is also available as a stand-alone purchase. Bonus until 20/06/2019, 23:59 local time: Headstart Item Pack, Weapon-Strengthening Symbols.
Back in 1995 – £7.99
A throwback to the survival horror and mystery games of the mid-90’s 32-bit generation, Back in 1995 faithfully re-creates everything from this all-but-forgotten era of games. Be transported to a world both concrete and indistinct, where you must uncover the mystery surrounding the disappearance of your daughter, the catastrophe that shook the city, and why you’ve decided to finally return.
Hungry Baby: Party Treats – £4.49
Hungry Baby: Party Treats is a funny and innovative local multiplayer game that can be played by up to 4 players. As we all know, a hungry baby is an angry baby. So hurry up, after all, you are a delicious treat and your fate is to end up in a child’s tummy. You’ll encounter murderous obstacles and traps on your way, but every fail and act of greediness gets you closer to victory!
Skelly Selest – £7.19
Prophecy foretells that one day Hell shall runneth over and the evil dead will spill onto thy Earth. Only the Selestial Order can halt the depraved Hellion tide. Skelly Selest is a score-attack slash dash run ‘n’ gun-athon that places players in the skeletal shoes of a Heavenly Keeper. Take on procedurally-generated gauntlets of hellspawn and bosses, and – with precise fighting prowess – defeat the sinful horrors that lurk in the depths of Hell.
Super Tennis Blast – £10.79
Start your professional career in the World Tour mode, train your skills and become a tennis legend playing on courts around the world. Host couch parties playing tournaments in singles or doubles with classic rules or the awesome Super Blast modes. 5 minigames and a powerful avatar editor complete the best tennis experience out there.
Realm Royale Founder’s Pack – £11.88
The Realm Royale Founder’s Pack grants you instant access to the closed beta of Realm Royale on Nintendo Switch, as well as a bundle of exclusive Nintendo Switch content. Get an exclusive mount, chicken skin, and spray, plus an emote and avatar to show off your Founder status!
New Switch demos
Brawlout
Cafeteria Nipponica
Robothorium
Next week: TerraTech, Anarcute, Happy Words, Chime Sharp, Crystal Crisis, GoFishing 3D, Little Friends: Dogs & Cats, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Ages of Mages: The Last Keeper, 30-in-1 Game Collection: Volume 2, Ragtag Adventurers, Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa, Lapis x Labyrinth, Animated Jigsaws Collection, Crypt of the Serpent King, Watermelon Party, Warlock’s Tower, and Super Arcade Soccer.