Pokémon Snap first released on March 21st. 1999. Twenty years later, there is still no word of a sequel of this spinoff Pokémon game. Many fans think that Nintendo Labo VR would be a perfect way to bring the series back. Taking pictures of Pokémon in virtual reality is something I don’t think anyone would complain about. In a recent interview by GameCentral, Junichi Masuda from Game Freak responded to a question about a potential revival of Pokémon Snap. He said a Pokémon Snap 2 would have to deliver a “very unique twist” to be made.
GameCentral: You had the Wii U GamePad and now you’ve got Nintendo Labo VR, which has an actual physical camera, why is there not a Pokémon Snap 2?! I’ll pre-order it right now if you agree to make it!
Junichi Masuda: All I can say is that I don’t think we can just make the same thing again. So we’d have to come up with a very unique twist on this if we do make another one.
The Nintendo Switch Mini and Nintendo Switch Pro have been rumored and reported on in the industry since last year. To add to the rumor mill, a Forbes contributor recently posted an article talking about how Google Stadia would benefit from being on Nintendo Switch. In this article this Forbes contributor mentioned never before seen Nintendo Switch Mini information. According to him, the rumored Nintendo Switch Mini will deliver a 1080p mobile gaming experience. It is apparently built as a portable first Nintendo Switch. The Joycons will be locked to the main body of the Nintendo Switch Mini. This device will feature a better battery life, a 1080p display, and a meaningful upgrade to the graphics in mobile mode. He also mentioned the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro in this article, describing it as an upgraded standard Nintendo Switch. No further details were shared on the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro.
The new “mini” Nintendo Switch will take advantage of a two generations of die shrinks to its Nvidia Tegra processor to deliver 1080p mobile gaming to a broader audience. By joining the joycons to the main body of the Switch, Nintendo will squeeze out the expensive and sophisticated wireless joycons and create a mobile-first Switch platform. The die shrink of the Nvidia Tegra processor will provide better battery life and a meaningful upgrade to a 1080p display and graphics in mobile mode. The new mini Switch, and an upgraded standard Switch are poised to address a broader market and capitalize on their growing software and user base. But, there is another opportunity for Switch which has not yet come to light.
At the Digimon Panel in the Anime Expo, Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition has been announced for Nintendo Switch and PC! The game will be priced at $49.99, and will release on October 18th, 2019.
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition includes both Cyber Sleuth and Hacker’s Memory in one package. Solve mysteries with your favorite Digimon to save the digital and real world!
Below you can find a brief overview of each game from Bandai Namco!
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
LOG-IN TO SOLVE A DIGITAL MYSTERY INFECTING THE REAL & DIGITAL WORLDS! Set in the near future, the line between the real and digital worlds is blurred. Logging into cyberspace is part of everyday life. For one teenager, a harmless on-line chat spawns a chance encounter with a mysterious hacker. Little did this teen know, this brief meeting would lead to a digi-monumental adventure. In Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, scan, raise, and train your faithful Digimon companions to battle by your side against a group of hackers. Do you have what it takes to crack this digi-case?
Featuring more than 200 Digimon from the animated series!
Become a detective to investigate and gather clues to solve the digital mystery!
Turn-based battles return! Connect attacks together for more powerful combos!
Scan, raise, train and battle Digimon. Digivolve to unlock more powerful forms!
Traverse and explore the vivid and immersive environments of the real & digital worlds.
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory
Get ready to dive back into the digital world in Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory.
Set in the near future, the line between the real and digital worlds is blurred and logging into cyberspace is a part of everyday life. In the shadows lurk hackers utilizing computer viruses called Digimon to commit mischief and crimes.
Framed and accused of wrongdoings, Keisuke Amazawa has no choice but to dive into the digital world to not only clear his name and prove his innocence, but to protect his loved ones.
The Untold Story – Discover the mysterious backstory to the events that happened in Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth.
Cyber Punk Atmosphere – Dive into a deeper & darker adventure where the real world and technology blend seamlessly
Featuring more than 320 Digimon from the animated series!
Scan, raise, train and battle Digimon in classic turn-based gameplay!
Here is the boxart for the Switch version, found by user Nitomatta on Twitter.
Bandai Namco has announced at Anime Expo that Code Vein will be getting a special bundle called the Revenant Bundle. The bundle seems to be only for PS4 and Xbox One. This bundle’s price has not been announced, but pre-orders go live tonight, July 5th, at 9PM PT. Check out the bundle below, as well as more about Code Vein.
In the face of certain death, we rise.
In the not too distant future, a mysterious disaster has brought collapse to the world as we know it. Towering skyscrapers, once symbols of prosperity, are now lifeless graves of humanity’s past pierced by the Thorns of Judgment. At the center of the destruction lies a hidden society of Revenants called Vein. This final stronghold is where the remaining few fight to survive, blessed with Gifts of power in exchange for their memories and a thirst for blood. Give into the bloodlust fully and risk becoming one of the Lost, fiendish ghouls devoid of any remaining humanity. Wandering aimlessly in search of blood, the Lost will stop at nothing to satisfy their hunger. Team up and embark on a journey to the ends of hell to unlock your past and escape your living nightmare in Code vein.
Code Vein will launch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 26th, 2019.
Earlier in April, Nintendo reported that they had 9.8 million users for Nintendo Switch Online. That number has grown again, with the service now surpassing 10 million users. This was announced at Nintendo’s annual general meeting of shareholders.
Nintendo Switch Online costs $3.99 for a month, $7.99 for 3 months, and $19.99 for one year. Nintendo Switch Online allows users to play games online, as without the service you will not be able to do so. This goes for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and more. The service also gives subscribers the NES – Nintendo Switch Online app. This app allows the user to play select NES games online or local with co-op. As of now, this is the only way to play some of Nintendo’s older classics, as Virtual Console is not on the Nintendo Switch. The service also offers subscribers the ability to back their game saves up in the cloud. This can be extremely useful is something ever happened to your Nintendo Switch. Finally, every once and a while the service will give subscribers a “Special Offer”. We have had two so far, the first being the NES Controllers, and the second being the Nintendo Switch Online Game Vouchers.
Are you subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online? If so, how do you feel about the service? Let us know on Twitter!
It appears that G2A has angered people one too many times, and this time it’s indie game developers. No More Robots, a publishing label has started a petition against the key reseller. In it, they ask that all indie sales are completely removed in order to support indie developers. We need to take a step back though and examine why this is happening.
In the latest episode of Fuck G2A:
G2A has taken out sponsored ads on Google, which mean that when you search for our games, you get G2A popping up above our own links — and we make zero money on our games if people buy through the ads.
It all started when Mike Rose (the owner of No More Robots), put out a tweet going against G2A. Apparently, the reseller is putting their Descenders ads in front of the developers own ads. On top of that, indie developers make zero money off their game if the user buys it from G2A just adding fuel to the fire.
This gained traction for a while, but it prompted G2A to respond saying that only 8% of their sales are indie games. While this makes sense on the surface, indie developers make up the majority of the game industry. Even if it were the case, indie developers also need every dollar in sales they can get to support themselves and their coworkers.
And with that, the petition was created to stop this practice and support indie devs. The petition also has the support of several other indie devs which is a great sign. We can only hope this will cause a change from G2A but if you support this cause, you can sign the petition here. What are your thoughts on the situation? We’d love to hear your input.
August’s Humble Monthly is now upon us, offering some great games and more at the start of August. For this month’s early unlocks, you can secure Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Surviving Mars.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a first-person action RPG from Warhorse Studios. You take on the role of Henry, the son of a blacksmith who is attacked by the new King’s men. King Sigismund is a tyrant trying to take the crown’s riches. You must join the resistance and help to take back the crown from Sigismund in this story-rich open world. The game has a 76 on Metacritic.
Surviving Mars is a city building simulation game from Haemimont Games. Humans are ready to colonize planet Mars, and it’s your job to develop it. You must use a mix of domes, infrastructure, and drones to create a thriving ecosystem. Surviving Mars also has a 76 on Metacritic.
Last month’s bundle also offered some great games. The early unlocks were Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Moonlighter, along with some great indies like Warhammer Mechanicus. You can get a bundle of games like this including the early unlock today by subscribing to Humble Monthly. It’s $12 a month and offers you games, a 10% discount on their store, and access to a DRM-free library of games.
At E3, Xbox unveiled a brand new way to fight the Swarm in the new mode Escape in Gears 5. They wanted to show how they’ll be pushing the envelope by doing new things never seen in a Gears game before, and that throughout the summer, they’ll reveal more about Gears 5 ahead of its September 10th release. Well today we are provided with more details on how we can be among the first to play Gears 5 and help create the future of Versus multiplayer.
Multiplayer fans of all types can enjoy these weekend test sessions, as you’ll get to play Escalation (our updated competitive gametype) along with Arcade (a new and approachable multiplayer gametype) and a longtime fan favorite: King of the Hill. For players new to Gears or those that want to practice their skills and learn new mechanics we’ve added our new training mode – Bootcamp. The Tech Test also features a short Tour of Duty, which is a series of challenges for players to earn content – completing all of these challenges unlocks an exclusive Tech Test Banner. Players can also unlock three Versus Weapon Skins by completing some additional challenges. For a closer look at Escalation, be sure to check out the ELEAGUE Invitational next weekend (July 13-14) and stay tuned for additional details about Arcade next week.
Included with your Xbox Game Pass membership or as part of your Gears 5 pre-order (whether as a separate 5×5 code from a participating retailer or bundled in your digital pre-order), the Tech Test will be available to download starting July 17 with online play being active from July 19 (starting at 10 a.m. PDT) through July 21, and then active again on July 26 (at 10 a.m. PDT) through July 29.
As mentioned earlier, starting on July 17 at 10 p.m. PDT, you can search for “Gears 5” to pull up the Technical Test on your Xbox One console or Windows 10 PC. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass member, you will see the Tech Test available to download in your library – same as any of the 100+ great games in the catalog. Note that between the weekend test periods, the Tech Test itself will be available for download, but servers will be offline. They also wanted to remind you that online multiplayer will require Xbox Live Gold on console, and that because this Tech Test is to help test the servers, you might encounter some queueing as you start to play.
For players on Windows 10 PC, we have the below chart that outlines minimum and recommended specs for the Tech Test:
It seems that Nintendo is recruiting a 3DCG terrain designer for the upcoming sequel to Breath of the Wild. The position is Kyoto-based and is a contract position, with the deadline being September 30, 2019.
The critically-acclaimed open world game was revealed to be receiving a sequel during Nintendo’s E3 2019 Direct. Due to how little info was revealed, it’s likely the sequel won’t be arriving for some time.
The puzzle genre has been filled with such innovative minds that create masterpieces (some of which are my favorite games to this day). With that, it’s becoming increasingly hard to bring innovative and fresh entries for developers. In fact, many puzzle games these days are sequels or the same concepts with a different setting. That’s not to say games that do that are bad games, but you find that innovation in those entries is a lot more rare.
Night Lights is one such game that manages to stand out from that crowd. The game makes for an enjoyable and complex experience branching from a single concept. Night Lights has you taking on the role of a little robot who wants to bring light back into a world that has been covered in darkness. You use different light sources in order to solve increasingly difficult challenges. Through those challenges, you make your way through levels on three distinct environments. Your goal is to collect stars in order to bring light back to a world of darkness.
Gameplay
Through the gameplay of Night Lights, you try to accomplish this task but with a lot more depth. You complete each area in order to unlock power cores that unlock challenge levels for that stage. It’s an interesting way to do this kind of gameplay, and I had a lot of fun just adventuring through each environment to figure out what I had to do to complete each puzzle. These puzzles often involve light, a mechanic that can remove scenery from the world and add a layer of complexity.
The environments are used very effectively, and create the level out of pieces from the area its based off of. In combination with this, they make very intricate and enjoyable puzzles using aspects like small cabins for the forest, elevators to ride in the city, and simple structures to climb on in the desert. It’s a basic detail that gives each area its own unique feel and adds to the depth of the game. On top of that, the game took an interesting approach in the later half by making you think of different ways to solve things rather than the most obvious ways. It’s not a new concept for the genre, but it’s still great to see it included.
As for mechanics in the game, I thought they were all quite unique and felt different in their own way. There were abilities like dashes and light on the go that really changed up how the game was played. In the way they introduce the mechanics, I thought it was done flawlessly. You’re given a sample of what you’re supposed to do with that new tool, then do some simple levels working up to more complex challenges. The attention to detail in difficulty ramping for new mechanics as well as the game as a whole is quite remarkable, and is something I don’t get the chance to see done well very often.
Sound/Art
The game is accompanied by a lovely art style and a great soundtrack to boot. The art style really fits well with the game in how minimalistic it is while still showing a lot of depth to the scenes. The forest shows many different trees and the landscape behind it, the city shows the large cityscapes and the open sky, and the desert shows some great sand dunes in the back. Simple, yet very effective in giving the scene more depth.
For the soundtrack, the songs chosen always seemed to fit the game very well for me. It offered a selection of very calming music that helped to fit the idea that it was a calm, quiet ambiance which really sets the tone for what you’re doing. The majority (excluding areas near the end of the game) is generally quite relaxing. Thinking is the hardest thing you have to do, which it accompanies successfully.
Cons
The game overall is really well executed, but that’s not to say that it doesn’t have its fair share of flaws to it. For example, the options menu features two sub menus (Video Settings and Audio Settings) with two different options in each which to me feels a little lackluster. Borderless windowed and the ability to change controls definitely would’ve been things I’d loved to see included. There are more obviously, but those are the two largest ones for me.
The game also features a strange amount of bugs which did hinder gameplay at times. For one, I sometimes would have to go back and replay a level in order to get an item I had already earned previously which while not too annoying at first, became a little frustrating after the second or third time. That as well as some issues with terrain when using your light bulb would’ve gone a long way.
As far as gameplay itself, I did have two issues that I feel should be addressed. For one, it would’ve been good to have an objective list in to provide the player with some guidance. With that, energy proving to have more of an impact would’ve been nice. Past the first 40, I never felt the need to go for them. It became more of a collectible which isn’t too bad, but would’ve felt better with more focus.
Final Thoughts
Overall though, I must say I really did enjoy playing through Night Lights. It offered some really enjoyable moments in not only the puzzles, but also the environments. The mechanics all feel really fresh and unique, and the difficulty between levels is executed flawlessly. I did have a few issues here and there, but it didn’t distract much from my enjoyment of the game. If you’d like to pick this game up, you can do so on the Steam or Humble Store for $10. For a 4-5 hour experience, that’s more than worth it.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a first-person action RPG from Warhorse Studios. You take on the role of Henry, the son of a blacksmith who is attacked by the new King’s men. King Sigismund is a tyrant trying to take the crown’s riches. You must join the resistance and help to take back the crown from Sigismund in this story-rich open world. The game has a 
Surviving Mars is a city building simulation game from Haemimont Games. Humans are ready to colonize planet Mars, and it’s your job to develop it. You must use a mix of domes, infrastructure, and drones to create a thriving ecosystem. Surviving Mars also has a 
