Category: Nintendo

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are out now. However, if you listened to episode two of All Things Nintendo, we already extensively covered what these remakes bring to the table. Instead of retreading old ground, this episode shifts the focus to the Pokémon series’ long-standing tradition of bringing remade versions of its older games to modern platforms. Host Brian Shea invites fellow Game Informer editor John Carson back to retrace the history of Pokémon remakes before getting some final thoughts on Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. If you’d like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter, hit the…

WayForward’s returned to a number of its past games and series with different types of remasters and rereleases, and the latest brings back the GBA cult classic Sigma Star Saga with a DX remaster and bug-free release. In addition to rebalancing and updates, it features a number of other additions to ensure it will be an optimized experience on consoles and PCs. To find out more, Siliconera spoke with WayForward Creative Director and Sigma Star Saga Creator Matt Bozon about the updated release.  Jenni Lada: We’ve seen WayForward work on quite a few remasters to bring games to more modern…

Otomate and Idea Factory otome visual novels can often follow the same sort of gameplay patterns and decisions, so it’s always fun to see something a little different. Otome Daoshi: Fighting for Love, Aksys’ latest pick-up, is a fantastic example. It is a new game from all three and, while it is still a traditional visual novel, it leans into the martial arts themes by also incorporating some anime and manga design directions. However, in the process we lose some of the standard otome visual novel niceties.  As Otome Daoshi begins, it feels a little like we’re being set up…

As we approach the end of 2021, every podcast and major outlet is starting to reflect on the best the year had to offer. This week, Brian invites Game Informer associate editor Jill Grodt to talk about the best indie games that came to Switch over the course of 2021. The pair runs down a ton of indie games you can find on the eShop, giving you a wide variety of titles to help you potentially find something new that you might have missed earlier in the year. If you’d like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter, hit…

Bandai Namco’s Gundam model kits are really versatile, and you can do a lot of things on your own with them. So, say you get any of them from a place like Amazon or Big Bad Toy Store, there will always be a default color that matches units from anime series. You can then do what you want. But from time to time, there will be variants that give an option of a different style without all the painting and extra work on the part of the person building it. I sort of feel like that’s part of the goal…

Image via Idea Factory International There are times when Ariana and the Elder Codex can feel like a fun Metroidvania. We get to customize our Librarian’s magical loadouts, after all. That lets us set up combos how we’d like. It also looks pretty good, and the combat system is generally solid. However, it’s not innovative in any way, and the story is pretty clearly telegraphed. It’s one of those adventures that ends up feeling fun enough, and I think someone who’s relatively new to the genre might find it a helpful way to build skills. But more experienced players familiar…

Tales of Berseria Remastered is a very interesting game in that it feels less like a remaster and more like a straight port—less an indictment of D.A.G. Inc. and more a testament to the stylistic anime art direction of the original game. While this remaster makes the game more available to a wider audience, it’s unfortunate that it does not give the option to see the story as it was originally intended, regardless of the version you play. Before we begin, I would like to state a disclaimer. I like Tales of Berseria a lot. If I had to list…

When Nintendo discussed Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream in its dedicated Direct, it brought up some of the ways in which we’ll get to customize this new experience via elements like face paint and Quik Build. Which makes sense, given that’s been such a major feature in all games in the series. They’ve always been about creating characters, watching their lives, and influencing their appearances, actions, and relationships. After getting a chance to spend a few hours actually playing the game, setting up an island home, and shaping some Miis lives, I feel like there’s so much more than we…

While we see quite a few Voltage otome games appearing on other platforms, primarily the Switch, the company started with mobile titles. These tended to roll out in chapter-based releases, with new characters gradually added. Court of Darkness: Temptation’s Kiss is one of those otome titles that started out as a Love 365 app release, and it’s one that’s gradually grown with additional “books” and love interests like Rio Voleri. Now that it’s on the Switch, it’s a great move for preservation purposes, but is an incomplete port that doesn’t go past Book 2 or offer all the prince or…

If a game can put you in a good headspace, that’s great. I love that. If it can do so while also challenging me to think critically, even better. Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime, the latest from Bonte Avond, stars charming characters, features incredible songs, challenges us with the Checkers-like Frogtime battles, and just makes whoever’s playing it feel good. It’s a lovely way to spend a few hours every day for a week, with the strategic element making it feel quite replayable. Bonnie Bear had a rough year, so much so that she wasn’t even going to celebrate her birthday,…