Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s Nintendo recap. Things got a little exciting this week when several gaming industry influencers revealed that the Nintendo Direct is coming in September. Things got even more exciting when rumors spread that the classic Zelda games Wind Waker and Twilight Princess for Switch would be shown during the presentation.
In other news, a brand new Switch console designed to combat joystick drift has been released and a new Shovel Knight game has been announced. More appeared this week, so let’s not waste any more time and dive into it!
Rumors: Nintendo Direct with Zelda Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are coming
In the podcast of Giant Bomb reporter Jeff Job, he mentioned that one of his trusted sources told him that the Nintendo Direct is coming September. He and his guest, GamesBeat’s Mike Minotti, went on to say that this presentation will show Switch versions of the two classic Zelda games – Wind Waker and Twilight Princess – and could also include a Metroid Prime remaster.
As far as the exact date of this supposed Direct, Grubb stated that it could happen in the week of September 12 or even as soon as next week. This isn’t too surprising considering that September has historically been the time when Nintendo releases videos showing upcoming games for the holiday season and beyond. It’s important to note that Grubb has been wrong in the past, however, he has also revealed things that have proven true. We’ll just have to wait for Nintendo to make an official announcement.
To further support Nintendo Direct’s ideas for September, Shriekbat on Famiboards also noted that four games on the Switch are scheduled to go down for maintenance on the 30th. They specifically mentioned that “having direct lines with [the games being scheduled for mainenance] If these are games that can be pre-ordered, downloaded or pre-loaded immediately after the immediate end. “There have been many examples in the past of games released to the eShop during or after the Nintendo Show, so it’s possible that these changes will be in place next live.
I’ll keep my ear to the ground and will report any news if an official Nintendo Direct is announced.
Grafaiai revealed new Pokemon for Scarlet and Violet
Over the course of the week, The Pokémon Company teased a brand new Pokémon for Scarlet and Violet by posting photos to Twitter. At first, we just saw pictures of trees with trunks painted in striped colors. Then on Thursday morning, a new video that resembles a wild camera recording showed the new venomous monkey creature, Grafaiai, in its natural habitat. This brings the total number of new Pokémon for Gen 9 to 13 so far.
According to the Pokémon website, Grafaiai is a regional poison/regular type – the first ever Pokémon with this double writing. “Gravai is nocturnal. As soon as the sun goes down, she licks her hands and fingers to cover them with poison, then uses them to draw patterns on the trees in her lands. The poisonous saliva she uses to paint paralyzes Pokemon bugs who are attracted to the sweet, fragrant saliva scent.”
Given its unique double writing, Grafaiai is only weak against the Ground and Psychic types but strong against the Ghost, Poison, Bug, Grass, and Fairy types. You will make your teammate useful in battle.
Responses to Grafaiai are mixed with some saying it’s cool while others saying it’s ugly. In all fairness, it’s both just like Disney’s Stitch, but that’s what makes it so charming. Fans were also quick to note that the creature uses its middle fingers to draw and that many pictures made by fans of the people-turning creature appeared online within minutes.
Ultimate Nintendo Switch Controller combats joystick drift and comes with a dock
There are so many third-party switch controllers on the market these days and outside of officially licensed companies like PowerA and Hori, it can be hard to trust them. However, 8BitDo has proven to create some of the best options out there.
This week, 8BitDo announced the Ultimate Nintendo Switch console that works over Bluetooth and comes with its own charging dock. It looks very elegant and comes in black or white. But more importantly, it uses Hall Effect Sensing controllers, which enable magnetic fields rather than physical contact points to register the input. This means that the console will not develop a drift like the official Switch and Joy-Cons consoles.
The 8BitDo Ultimate Nintendo Switch Controller releases October 28, retails for $70, and is available for pre-order now on Amazon or the 8BitDo website.
8Bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller With Charging Dock
The traditional style Nintendo Switch console works over Bluetooth, comes with a charging base, and includes Hall Effect sensor controllers. Works on Switch or PC.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Cowabunga Collection
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Cowabunga Collection was released for multiple platforms including the Nintendo Switch last Tuesday and has been very well received so far. This isn’t too surprising considering it’s a collection of 13 classic TMNT games from the 80s and 90s. This includes SNES Turtles in Time, which has long been considered the best TMNT game of all time.
Considering we just got the all-new game, Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, released back on June 16th to a sensational success, it’s safe to say that folks who have enjoyed Dotemu fighting game will be excited to check out these classics on Switch.
| Game | Year / Original Platform / Players |
|---|---|
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) | 1989 / NES / 1 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade) | 1989 / Arcade / 1-4 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Card Game | 1990 / NES / 1-4 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Fall of the Foot Clan | 1990 / Game Boy / 1 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time | 1991 / SNES / 1-4 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Back from the Sewers | 1991 / Game Boy / 1 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Manhattan Project | 1991 / NES / 1-4 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: Turtles in Time | 1992 / SNES / 1-4 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hyperstone Heist | 1992 / Sega Genesis / 1-4 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue | 1993 / Game Boy / 1 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (SNES) | 1993 / SNES / 1-2 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fighters of the Tournament (Sega Genesis) | 1993 / Sega Genesis / 1-2 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fighters of the Tournament (NES) | 1993 / NES / 1-2 |
The Cowabunga Collection sells for $40, and while some titles are single-player, many games allow up to four players. So you can either play through these adventures on your own or take some friends and play together.
Shovel Knight Dig announced with release date in September
Shovel Knight has been a popular series on Nintendo since its debut on the 3DS and Wii U in 2014. Now thanks to an announcement from Yacht Club Games, we know that the next installment, titled Shovel Knight Dig, will be released in September 23, 2022.
As usual in this series, it is a single player action/adventure game that also includes many platform elements. In addition to the Switch, it’s coming to Apple Arcade and PC via Steam. You can get your copy for just $25.
Masahiro Sakurai provides realistic tips for the game industry
Last week we talked about the new YouTube channel from Masahiro Sakarai, creator of Kirby and Smash Bros. True to his word, he has produced a new video every day with topics covering game development and creative processes. His videos have taken on a very realistic tone that talks about the challenges and hurdles faced by the developers.
In one of his videos this week, Game Development Is Not A Game, he has candid and visible experience working in the competitive video game industry. He explains that many people work in games they don’t really care about to get a career because “a job is still a job — you have to do it and try to do it well.” He explains that he put aside his own gaming preferences when creating the first Kirby game in order to appeal to a wide audience.
In some of his closing remarks, his deepest advice to any developer is to make sure your game projects entertain your audience: “If you feel like you’ve lost your way, just remember: Entertain your players.” It is easy to think that game development is as easy and fun as playing the game, but the truth is that it is a tough industry with a lot of challenges. If you really want to understand more about the gaming industry, I suggest you watch his videos.
Switch games to play this week
Last week, Cursed to Golf was released on Switch and caught the attention of both critics and gamers. It costs only $20 and follows a person who has to play golf on his way through purgatory to reach the land of the living. They stand out because the courses look more like platform stages, providing challenges unique to golf. Definitely worth checking out.
As we talked about earlier, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is also released this week, with 13 classic TMNT games from the ’80s and ’90s. If you are a fan of arcade style hits, it will be well worth your time.
Great things to come
That’s it for this week, but the year is going to be even more exciting from here. Splatoon 3 is coming out next week and it already looks like it would be a huge hit if last week’s Splatfest is anything to go by. You can pre-order your copy now and the special Splatoon 3 OLED has already hit store shelves — although it can be hard to find in stock.
Bayonetta 3 is on its way this October with Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Not to mention the release of Pokemon Scarlett and Violet in November. I’ll be here to report any exciting developments leading up to each launch.
Until next time.
– Rebecca Spear