CM30 on September 22, 2017
In under a month, Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions will be released for the Nintendo 3DS. A remake of the original Superstar Saga on GBA, it promises to update the title for an all new generation, with improved graphics, music and gameplay elements to make it feel just as modern as its contemporaries.
But while the aesthetic changes are the most notable, it seems they’re not the only interesting ones. Nope, quite a few characters and mechanics have been switched or changed in the title too, ranging from the minor to the incredibly important.
So, let’s look at them, shall we? Let’s look at ten of the most interesting changes coming to Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions…
10. Mechawfuls are now involved in the storyline!
Starting with an interesting addition to the storyline. Namely, the Mechawful enemies from Mario & Luigi Bowser’s Inside Story.
These robot foes are now shown destroying Beanbean Castle Town when you first arrive, with a greater role being given to them in the Minion Quest mode too.
That’s interesting. Why? Well in the original Superstar Saga, Fawful wasn’t quite as much of an independent villain as he was in the later games. So, to see these guys appear now hints that his megalomania was present all along, and that he may not have been entirely loyal to Cackletta at all.
It’s an interesting change with quite a few implications for the series in general.
9. Along with Bowser Jr
Which is also the case with another early appearance from a later game foe. Yep, Bowser Jr makes an appearance in this game too.
We know this because he’s clearly shown in this piece of artwork for the Minion’s Quest mode included in the remake:
So, what’s his role?
Well, it’s hard to tell really. Based on the fact he’s only shown in Minion’s Quest, it’s likely he’s not making an appearance in the main mode.
But why would Bowser’s army fight his own son? Hmm, the plot thickens. Perhaps Fawful or Cackletta mind controlled them/ordered them around like the Koopalings in the main adventure?
We’ll have to wait and see!
8. The posters in the Yoshi Theatre get an overhaul
We won’t have to wait to find out about this change though! Because unfortunately for Wario and Starfy fans, the posters in the Yoshi Theatre got a major overhaul.
Yep, gone are the old ones, with cameos based on other Nintendo franchises. In their place are posters advertising films based on the other Mario & Luigi titles. Like one with the Shroobs, one with Prince Dreambert and one with the Brocks from Bowser’s Inside Story.
It’s an interesting change, and the new posters do look nice. However, it’s also a bit disappointing given the prominence of these cameos, or how they were the one-real Wario reference seen in a major Mario game in the last decade or so.
And it’s not just poster designs that have been affected here…
6. As does Blink’s design in his mini game
It’s character ones too. Because for whatever reason, Blink now looks nothing like Donkey Kong. Instead, he looks like a generic skeleton pirate:
And that’s disappointing if you ask me. There’s no real reason AlphaDream changed this, so it’s just taking away some of the character variety for the sake of it.
But this isn’t the last ‘interesting’ character design difference here. Oh no, another familiar face has been changed too…
5. Psycho Kamek is replaced by Dr Toadley
With Little Fungitown’s resident psychiatrist Psycho Kamek being replaced with Dr Toadley from Bowser’s Inside Story.
No, I’m not making this up. They switched out a character from Superstar Saga with a completely unrelated one from Bowser’s Inside Story:
That’s odd for a remake. But still, at least it’s a positive change. Psycho Kamek was a rather dull character in his only appearance, whereas Dr Toadley actually had a personality and unique way of speaking in his.
So, to see a one off replaced by a more interesting character isn’t a bad thing here. Just a completely unexpected change for a remake.
Continue Reading…
CM30 on September 22, 2017
When it comes to gaming journalism, ethics are generally lacking across the board. We’ve seen writers fired for giving negative reviews to heavily publicised games. Websites have exchanged great scores for early access (as seen in the Drivergate scandal). And well, if GamerGate proved anything, it’s that a lot of journalists seem to band together like an internet fraternity. That gaming journalists have almost become an internet priesthood dedicated to protecting its own.
In a world like that, a media controversy in the world of gaming journalism is almost irrelevant. I mean, how can you possibly top fired reviewers or dodgy scores?
Well, by taking down negative review scores on behalf of the game publisher, that’s how! Which is exactly what The Sixth Axis did with their NBA 2K18 score after 2K games got in touch.
That’s because (as you may know), NBA 2K18 is a bit of a trainwreck. It’s got save files that are far bigger than they have any need to be. It’s plagued with poor game design elements like artificial difficulty. And like so many triple A games nowadays, it’s filled to the brim with microtransactions and pay to win gameplay elements.
So, the The Sixth Axis’ reviewer slapped the game with a deserving 3/10 score. Exactly what you’d expect for a poorly designed game like this.
But obviously not a score that sat well with 2K Games. As a result, the company contacted The Sixth Axis to ‘discuss’ the review, leading to the score being removed from the article in exchange for a note saying the following:
Update: In discussion with 2K Games, we’ve temporarily removed the score pending a statement with regard to our criticisms, at which point it will be reinstated. Additionally, a draft conclusion was posted that incorrectly characterised our score as a protest vote, and has been reworded to reflect that our criticisms are rooted in the effect that VC and microtransactions have on the gameplay.
It’s extremely dodgy on every level. What’s more, it’s not a change the actual writer had any say in either. Oh no, 2K games just went straight to his editor, as he mentioned himself on NeoGAF:
Hello. Reviewer here. After review went live I’ve had no direct contact with 2K, instead their PR is chatting with my editor. All I know is that 2K are to issue a statement of some sort regarding issues raised in the review. Of course, the real issue is what updates the 2K18’s VC system gets. Just think of this as a review now in progress. If things remain unchanged so will my opinion.
So not only have we got a site removing scores because of negative from the publisher, but they’re not even working with the actual writers when they do so. Real respectful guys! How nice of you to annoy your reviewers by editing their work behind their back.
It’s really bad news all round really. And you know what else it is?
Continue Reading…
CM30 on September 21, 2017
As you may have realised by this point, there seems to be a tendency for Nintendo games to leak online early. It’s happened to every Pokémon game known to man, with internet users getting both X and Y and Sun and Moon way before their intended release day.
It’s happened to Paper Mario Color Splash, thanks to an eShop blunder.
And now it seems to happen to Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions too! That’s because somehow, a user on 4chan managed to get the game early. One upload online later, and the whole game is now out there to download on various ROM sites.
It’s not the best situation for Nintendo to say the least. All that work hyping people up for a remake, and now it’s available illegally for free about a month before its release date. It’s the company’s worse nightmare.
But hey, every cloud has a silver lining. And when it comes to Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions, that silver lining is the soundtrack.
Why? Well, because that leaked online with the game too. What’s more, as people like Vector Harbour have proven, it’s an amazing soundtrack with all kinds of great songs. Like say, this new rendition of the Bowser’s Castle theme:
Or this incredible new boss theme for the Bowser’s Minions mode:
So, it’s good news for music lovers. Just go out, type the game’s name into Google and you’ll find all the music from the game you could ever want.
Just try and avoid any spoilers. Since with the game and music out there online, it’s not gonna be long till the endgame footage for the new content goes up as well…
CM30 on September 20, 2017
A few days ago, we posted about a golf game on Nintendo Switch. This game (which is a port of the NES Golf title with Joy-Con controls and multiplayer), was found on the system with no apparent way to access it. As a result, we speculated it was there for testing the classic games service. Or perhaps as an example of a Virtual Console title.
But no, it turns out that’s not the case. Instead, the golf game can in fact be launched on the Nintendo Switch without hacking. How can you do that?
Well, by following the steps below:
- Make sure your Nintendo Switch has never connected to the internet. That’s because the timer needed to unlock the game is network synced, even if the option isn’t set to active in the menu.
- Next, ensure the date is set to July 11th, aka the date of Satoru Iwata’s death.
- Once that’s all set, detach the Joy-Cons from the system.
- Then, hold the Joy-Cons putting forwards/down, then move then to a vertical position and hold them for a bit.
- If you did it correctly, the game will unlock. Here’s the tweet from Nintendo Daily News showing the game working:
As well as various extra videos showing every step of the process.
It’s… an interesting unlock method to say the least. But what can you do if your Switch has already gone online?
Well the sad thing is… not much. All you can do is wait until July 11th 2018 when this process will work without changing the system settings. It’s annoying we know, but Nintendo was pretty damn tech savvy where date options on the Switch were concerned.
But yeah, it’s another mystery solved. The Switch’s golf game isn’t unused content, it’s an easter egg meant to commemorate Satoru Iwata by letting you play a game he developed for free on the system he never lived to see released.
Thanks everyone, it seems Iwata’s legacy lives on.
CM30 on September 19, 2017
With Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon fast approaching, it’s easy to forget that events are still happening for the original gen 7 games. After all, the new titles have the new Ultra Beasts we saw announced and Marshadow has already been distributed in a decent part of the world. What’s event left to see in Sun and Moon?
Well, Cap Pikachu that’s what! Because as the title suggests, Nintendo’s next event for the game is live and features special Pikachu forms with caps based on all the major generations. You’ve got the original cap version based on Red and Blue:
There are the Hoenn and Sinnoh versions based on gen 3 and 4:
And well, every other generation is represented there too. Right up to generation 7 with the Alola cap version:
It’s a nice series of Pikachu forms for every occasion.
Unfortunately for fans though, there’s just one catch.
You can only get ONE of these forms at a time. This form will be whatever one is being distributed when you type the special code into Mystery Gift, with the dates for each form being listed below:
- 19th September – 25th September 2017 – Original Cap Pikachu
- 26th September – 2nd October 2017 – Hoenn Cap Pikachu
- 3rd October – 9th October 2017 – Sinnoh Cap Pikachu
- 10th October 2017 – 16th October 2017 – Unova Cap Pikachu
- 17th October – 23rd October 2017 – Kalos Cap Pikachu
- 24th October – 30th October 2017 – Alola Cap Pikachu
Continue Reading…
