STACK #153 Jul 2017

GAMES FEATURE

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NINTENDO

Nintendo have strayed away from the typical media briefings at E3 – instead hosting a Treehouse where they show off their new games and announcements. Arguably the biggest news to come out of the presentation was the reveal of Metroid Prime 4 and Samus Returns – a remake of Metroid II , for the 3DS family of systems. It’ll be great to see Samus back in the palm of our hand. Samus Returns !

If you like Pokémon or the fighting genre, this is one you’re going to need to pick up on the Switch. The graphics, both on the Pokémon and the move animations themselves, look amazing and until Pokémon GO brings in trainer battles, it’s as close as you’ll get to the real deal Pokemon experience. It changes between 2D and 3D fighting situations, and is great for just a jump-in, jump-out session. Following Pokémon was Fire EmblemWarriors . A meeting of worlds between the equally popular Dynasty Warriors and Fire Emblem franchises, you take on the role of various Fire Emblem

Nintendo Switch FIFA

Nintendo Switch Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle

characters in a hack-and-slash adventure. These types of games are generally the best for stress relief, as you can take down

Kingdom Battle . While some were surprised to see Mario and guns in the same universe, it’s actually a surprisingly enjoyable game. Mechanics are similar to an RTS; the demo we played through (initially, we were amazed that it was playable on the booth having only just been announced) let us play as Mario and two Luigi- and-Peach-esque Rabbids, as you fight off enemies. Essentially, you choose where to move and who to attack, and each character even has their own specific ‘special’

already, of course.

On to one of the biggest surprises of the

Nintendo Switch Fire Emblem Warriors

ability; for example, Mario can attack Rabbids as they pass him by. A game that caught us off guard, and one that we can’t wait to see more of. Of course, the boys at STACK made a rush straight for FIFA 18 on Switch, which is built on a different engine to Frostbite. They reported that the game played at a faster speed, almost more of an arcade feel – understandable given the platform. The big takeaway here was the er, takeaway – yes, while there will be a minor dip in visual performance, the opportunity to play FIFA on the go is one that appealed to the boys. FIFA 18 on Switch will feature Ultimate Team but not the campaign mode - Journey. We must give credit where credit is due to Nintendo and their booth. We’d say it was the best at the show, set up to mimic Super Mario Odyssey ’s New Donk City – Crazy Cap Shop included. We even spotted old mate Reggie Fils-Aimé having a wander around, and Charles Martinet stopped by to say his hellos to fans. You couldn’t help but smile when there’s that much happiness in the air.

show. We doubt

(literally) hundreds of enemies in mere

many would have expected to see a Ubisoft/Mario crossover anytime soon, let alone one that included the Rabbids, of all things. The great Shigeru Miyamoto himself appeared at the Ninendo press conference to announce Mario + Rabbids:

minutes. It’s refreshing to see familiar faces in a new domain, and the Switch controls served just fine for the purposes of our short demo. This one looks like a great reason to pick up a Pro controller – if you don’t have one

Nintendo Switch PokkenTournament DX

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JULY 2017

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