I wish 43 year-old me could tell 12 year-old me I still got it #NES #NintendoSwitch #TecmoBowl pic.twitter.com/LFH6Xm2kF6
— Tony (@i_aint_yer_pa) September 19, 2018
Archives for September 2018
Come on Nintendo, don’t screw this up
Nintendo’s online service goes live next week, and I have mixed feelings. It’s not groundbreaking to declare Nintendo has struggled with “online”. On their part, it’s not for lack of trying. I’ve been playing Nintendo games online since Metroid Prime Hunters. That was TWELVE years ago. The game worked but the experience was painful. Friend codes has always been the hard mode of online infrastructure. Nintendo has had moments of online success (Animal Crossing: Wild World worked surprisingly well) but it’s been mostly sputtering. You would have thought they would have figured it out by now. I’m not convinced they have.
As soon as I had a Switch in my hands I had dreams of a fully functional Virtual Console. What we are getting is a pitiful facsimile. So forgive me if I’m not super pumped about “play[ing] classic NES games anytime, anywhere”. It’s an undisputed fact that the SNES is the greatest console of all time and the fact that I won’t be playing Super Mario World, A Link to the Past, Actraiser or Super Metroid on my Switch come September 18th is nothing short of a travesty.
The voice chat/party system (that Microsoft more or less perfected) on offer from Nintendo is kind of sad. A phone app? That’s the best we’re going to do, Nintendo? Nintendo’s reluctance for an all-encompassing online service has been partly due to a promise to keep kids safe. I’ve seen my kids interact with the online troglodytes and I respect Nintendo’s intentions. I assume the decision to create a phone app was made to self-select their audience, thinking most kids wouldn’t have a cell phone. In 2018 that is becoming less and less likely. I will give them credit for having a headset jack on the Switch that works with a microphone, but they have some work to do to develop any kind of online community. Maybe they aren’t even trying to.
Look, I’ll be signing up for this day one. Goes without saying. And I will have my eyes glued to the screen during nintendo direct today, just begging for more details on what will hopefully become a robust online service but more importantly, a virtual console with a giant library.
September Releases
September brings a serious haul of new games with some tent pole franchises and a bunch of new indie titles (especially on the Switch). I normally grab the releases lists from Amazon but it’s becoming more and more clear that traditional physical copies are on their way out (if they aren’t already). The number of digital offerings on all the major platforms are starting to outnumber physical offerings (especially on the Switch). There isn’t anything I’m specifically focusing on this month, but there are plenty of options.
On to this month’s releases:
Microsoft Xbox One
Week of September 3rd
Dead Age
Elea – Episode 1
FullBlast
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots
Dimension Drive
Week of September 10th
Nefarious
Neonwall
Revenant Dogma
ADIOS Amigos
Week of September 17th
Transference
Hover
Anodyne
Nintendo Switch
Week of September 3rd
Super Inefficient Golf
Sigi – A Fart for Melusina
FullBlast
SNK HEROINES ~Tag Team Frenzy~
Shikhondo – Soul Eater
Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition
Hyper Light Drifter – Special Edition
Gone Home
Broforce
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots
Moonfall Ultimate
GOD WARS The Complete Legend
Week of September 10th
Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
Super Dungeon Tactics
STAY
Old School Musical
Nefarious
Defunct
Bastion
Time Carnage
Dust: An Elysian Tail
Week of September 17th
The Gardens Between
Hover
A Case of Distrust
Undertale
Sword of the Guardian
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk
Week of September 24th
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Monster Loves You
TowerFall
Nintendo 3DS
PC
Week of September 3rd
DRAGON QUEST XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Digital Edition of Light
Claws of Furry
Another Sight
Immortal: Unchained
NASCAR Heat 3
Week of September 10th
NBA 2K19
Chiaro and the Elixir of Life
COLINA: Legacy
RUSH: A Disney • PIXAR Adventure
ReCore: Definitive Edition
Axis Football 2018
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Grimshade
Week of September 17th
Siberian Dawn
Gene Rain
Week of September 24th
Creed: Rise to Glory
V-Rally 4
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Life is Strange 2
Sony Playstation 4
Week of September 3rd
Planet Alpha
Overload
Week of September 17th
The Gardens Between
Splody
Anodyne
Sony Playstation Vita
Week of September 17th
Pato Box
What are you picking up this month?
(Note: As always, all Amazon.com links have our affiliate code embedded in them. If you purchase something through our link, we get a little commission. It’s appreciated.)