Month: March 2020

It turns out Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is coming to Nintendo Switch pretty soon. Initially revealed last September, the Definitive Edition of the heralded Wii RPG will land on Switch on May 29. Nintendo revealed the release date during a surprise Nintendo Direct Mini that showcased a bunch of previously unannounced Switch games. The Definitive Edition is joined by a new 250-page art book dubbed Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Works that will be bundled with the $80 Definitive Works Set (US exclusive). Meanwhile, fans in the UK can grab the Collector’s Set, which comes with a few more goodies.

The biggest addition to the Definitive Edition is the brand-new epilogue, Future Connected, which provides some incentive for those who have already played Monolith Soft’s grand adventure to grab it again on Switch. The Switch version also includes some quality-of-life improvements, including remixed music, updated controls, and enhanced visuals. Menu screens will be more user-friendly and feature easier-to-read text, too.

Both US editions of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition are available to pre-order now. The UK-exclusive Collector’s Set isn’t available to pre-order just yet, but you can check out all of the details below.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Today’s surprise Nintendo Direct Mini was hardly mini, packing in a lot to its nearly 29-minute runtime. In addition to all of the Switch games and updates that were featured prominently–such as the Borderlands and BioShock Collections, Animal Crossing’s next update, and Smash Ultimate’s next DLC fighter–there was also a montage of other games on their way to Nintendo’s hybrid console. Not all of them were new, but it did provide release dates for many of them.

Chief among these was Burnout Paradise Remastered, the beloved open-world racing game. This was previously released on other platforms, but it still makes for an exciting addition to the Switch’s library, which isn’t exactly overflowing with racing games. Unfortunately, of all the games in the montage (watch it below, starting at the 23:40 mark), it also had the vaguest release date, with Nintendo only saying it would release in 2020.

If you’re looking for something more imminent that you can play–other than the Switch games that surprise-released today—Saints Row IV: Re-Elected was also highlighted, and that arrives on March 27. Next month, we’ll get a closed beta for Vigor on April 9, and Trials of Mana (which recently got a free demo) releases on April 24. May brings Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, while The Elder Scrolls: Blades and Minecraft Dungeons are due out sometime this spring.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Nintendo snuck up on us with a surprise Nintendo Direct Mini presentation, and despite the name it was chock full of new game announcements and even some game releases. One sweet treat for RPG fans is the release of a demo for Bravely Default 2, the latest in the retro series coming to Nintendo Switch later this year.

The demo features a band of four heroes on the continent of Excillant. A tweet from Nintendo suggests that Square Enix is looking to collect feedback from this demo to incorporate into the finished game, so surveys will go out to those who download it. Unlike many other recent demos from Square Enix, this one doesn’t mention whether your game progress will transfer to the full game.

Bravely Default is the latest from Team Asano, which created Bravely Default and Bravely Second before going a different direction with Octopath Traveler. The small team has become known for interesting retro experiments, and this third game in the Bravely series will probably continue that tradition.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Nintendo dropped a surprise Nintendo Direct Mini today, although there was certainly nothing “mini” about it, as the presentation ran for nearly 30 minutes and revealed a ton of new details on games coming to Switch in the next few months. Among other things, we got our first info on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s next DLC fighter.

The next character coming to the mascot fighter is from Arms, Nintendo’s colorful 2017 fighting game. Nintendo didn’t yet reveal the identity of the fighter, but this will be the first DLC fighter to arrive as part of the Fighters Pass Vol. 2, which covers six additional characters and costs $30 USD.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC fighter will be from Nintendo’s Switch-exclusive fighting game ARMS, and they’ll arrive in June.

The news was revealed as part of today’s surprsie Nintendo Direct Mini which revealed a whole host of new games coming to the Switch. For the rest of the announcements, check out our roundup.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/06/07/arms-review”]

The fighter will be announced and released this June, but we have no word on which character from the game will be featured in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. During the announcement, a picture of the entire roster flashed on the screen. Hopefully, we’ll hear more about which particular fighter will be joining the fray in the coming few months.

Nintendo flexed its ‘dad joke’ game when the company mentioned that due to the fact that this fighter’s arms can extend, they will, in accordance, have to extend their development time on the fighter.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/01/13/arms-gameplay-demo”]

Last week, creator Masahiro Sakurai was discussing the possibility of stopping production on Smash Bros. DLC entirely due to the spread of COVID-19 and mentioned that, even with an announcement, it may not be possible to develop the character. Here’s hoping we can avoid that eventuality.

In lieu of a release, a free game trial for ARMS will be available for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. It’s free to play from today for those with an active subscription and will start on the 26th of March and last until the 4th of April.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer from IGN. Follow him on Twitter!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has just gotten a new 1.1.1 update, but it’s actually last week’s 1.1.0 update that enabled an upcoming event. As detailed in the surprise Nintendo Direct Mini broadcast, the first seasonal event is now just days away, with another to come later in April.

Bunny Day, Animal Crossing’s equivalent of Easter, runs from April 1-12 and sees Zipper the bunny visit your island. Eggs will be hidden for you to hunt down through means like digging and fishing, and new limited-time items from the egg series will be craftable during the annual event.

You can get a glimpse of some of the items you can make in the Animal Crossing portion of the Nintendo Direct, which begins at the 8:23 mark.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

2K Games has been one of the Nintendo Switch’s biggest supporters thus far, and the publisher is adding even more games to the system from major franchises like Borderlands, BioShock, and XCOM.

Announced during a surprise Nintendo Direct presentation March 26, 2K Games is bringing three game collections to the Switch. BioShock: The Collection includes the original game, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite, and it was previously released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. They include DLC, as well, for those who really want to dive into the unique science-fiction multiverse.

Borderlands: Legendary Collection includes the original game, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel with their add-on content. This covers villain Handsome Jack’s story and the origin of the looter-shooter franchise, which began in 2009. Borderlands 3 is not included in the collection.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Nintendo surprise-released a new Nintendo Direct Mini presentation, and packed inside the announcements came another unexpected treat: a handful of surprise game releases, ready to buy right now through the Nintendo Switch Eshop if any of them strike your fancy.

Four new games hit the Eshop alongside the Direct Mini: Shinsekai: Into the Depths, Good Job, Panzer Dragoon: Remake, and Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. The presentation also mentioned that Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer is coming soon, so we may see that appear on the store in the near future.

Shinsekai is a lovely underwater exploration game from Capcom that was a timed exclusive for Apple Arcade last year. Good Job is a puzzle game that has you working your way up the corporate ladder of a company. Panzer Dragoon and Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy are both remakes or ports of classics.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

In a surprise Nintendo Direct, 2K has announced that the BioShock: The Collection, Borderlands Legendary Collection, and XCOM 2 Collection are all arriving on Nintendo Switch on May 29.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/26/nintendo-direct-mini-3262020″]

In a segment of the Direct dedicated to 2K games, Nintendo revealed that three key series from the publisher are landing on Switch in May, and it’s a massive launch. BioShock: The Collection contains all three BioShock games as well as DLC packs, including the fantastic Burial at Sea expansion for BioShock Infinite and the Minerva’s Den storyline for BioShock 2.

Borderlands Legacy Collection features Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and The Pre-Sequel, as well as add-on content. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll know that there’s a ton of DLC for Borderlands 2 in particular, making this a very chunky offering.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/08/26/bioshock-the-collection-the-first-16-minutes-of-bioshock-infinite”]

XCOM 2 Collection features the base game along with the War of the Chosen expansion pack, which adds some persistent boss enemies to the game along with some bonus new mechanics, and some extra DLC.

In a press release, 2K revealed that all three collections will be available as physical versions, but the cartridges will only contain a small section of the game, with the rest requiring an internet connection to download. BioShock: The Collection’s cartridge contains the opening acts of all three games, the Borderlands cartridge contains just the first game, and the XCOM 2 cartridge contains the first two missions of the base campaign.

For more, check out our reviews of BioShock: The Collection, Borderlands, and XCOM 2, and all the big announcements from today’s Nintendo Direct Mini.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

Nintendo has released a 28-minute Nintendo Direct Mini that featured such announcements as an ARMS character headed to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the release date for Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, and so much more.

You can find a breakdown of each announcement, as well as the full Nintendo Direct Mini below.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/26/nintendo-direct-mini-3262020″]

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Next DLC Fighter Will Be From Arms

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/06/07/arms-review”]

While Nintendo didn’t announce which character from ARMS will be joining the fight, we now know the first character from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s new Fighters Pass will be a character from the Nintendo-exclusive fighting game ARMS.

This newest fighter will be announced and released in June 2020 and could be Ribbon Girl, Ninjara, Master Mummy, Min Min, or any other.

Spring Man is already an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition Release Date

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/26/xenoblade-chronicles-definitive-edition-nintendo-direct-mini-32620-trailer”]

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition will be released on Nintendo Switch on May 29, 2020.

Originally announced in September 2019, Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition will allow players around the world to replay the title that first launched on the Wii in Japan in 2010.

BioShock: The Collection, Borderlands Legendary Collection, and XCOM 2

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/26/bioshock-borderlands-and-xcom-2-collections-coming-to-switch-ign-news”]

2K has announced that BioShock: The Collection, Borderlands Legendary Collection, and XCOM 2 Collection are all headed to the Nintendo Switch on May 29, 2020.

Bravely Default II Demo Available Now

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/26/bravely-default-ii-nintendo-direct-mini-32620-trailer”]

A new trailer was released for Bravely Default II alongside the announcement that the game’s demo is available now!

Bravely Default II was announced at The Game Awards 2019 and is set to be released in 2020.

New Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass Details

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/26/pokemon-sword-and-shield-expansion-pass-trailer”]

Nintendo released a few more details about Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Expansion Pass, which will add The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra to the latest Pokemon adventure in 2020. The Isle of Armor will be released in June and Nintendo revealed that trainers will be fighting/training in a dojo that will earn players the legendary Pokemon Kubfu.

Trainers can then challenge the Towers of Two Fists that has both the Tower of Darkness or the Tower of Waters. Players can only choose one and can only use Kubfu. Kubfu will evolve into Urshifu when one of the towers is conquered. If Darkness is conquered, it will learn the Single Strike Style. If Water is conquered, it will learn Rapid Strike Style.

Also, when you complete The Isle of Armor, your starter Pokemon’s evolved form, so Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon, will gain a Gigantamax form and learn G-Max Drum Solo, G-Max Fireball, or G-Max Hydrosnipe, respectively.

There will also be new outfits, league card customization options, and much more! The Isle of Armor will be released by the end of June 2020 and The Crown Tundra will be released this Fall.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons First Season Event – Easter!

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/25/how-multiplayer-works-in-animal-crossing-new-horizons”]

Between April 1 and April 12, Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ residents will be able to participate in Bunny Day, in honor of Easter, to find eggs hidden by bunny visitor Zipper and craft exclusive items with them. The next even after Bunny Day will be Earth Day in late April.

[poilib element=”poll” parameters=”id=a27ea912-260d-4cbd-8b43-1eb0c5fc0992″]

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Now Available on Nintendo Switch

2003’s Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is now available on the Nintendo Switch.

Jedi Academy features the original’s story mode and a 16-player multiplayer mode with character customization.

Star Wars Episode I: Racer Speeding On to Nintendo Switch

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/05/01/star-wars-episode-1-racer-pc-re-release-gameplay-1080p-60fps”]

1999’s Star Wars Episode I: Racer is headed to the Nintendo Switch later this year.

Star Wars: Episode I: Racer was re-released on PC on GOG in 2018.

Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics Announced

Four-in-a-row, Mancala, Slot Cars, Sliding Puzzle, and Texas Hold’em are all included alongside many others in this collection title headed to Nintendo Switch on June 5, 2020.

Burnout Paradise Remastered

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/02/20/burnout-paradise-remastered-reveal-trailer”]

Burnout Paradise Remastered will be arriving on Nintendo Switch in 2020.

Burnout Paradise Remastered was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2018 and is the updated version of the 2008 original.

Catherine: Full Body Arriving on Nintendo Switch This July

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/26/catherine-full-body-nintendo-switch-announcement-trailer”]

Catherine: Full Body will be arriving on Nintendo Switch on July 7, 2020.

In our review of Catherine: Full Body, we said “Catherine is a timeless classic, and Full Body does a great job of adding meaningful new content and plenty of small tweaks that breathe fresh life into it.”

Panzer Dragoon: Remake Available Now

The Panzer Dragoon: Remake is available now as a timed console exclusive on Nintendo Switch.

Shinsekai: Into the Depths Available Now

Shinsekai: Into the Depths is a deep-sea exploration game that is available on Nintendo Switch today. Players must collect resources to upgrade gear, craft items, and dive deeper and deeper into the watery abyss.

Ring Fit Adventure Update Available Later Today

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/12/ring-fit-adventure-trailer”]

A free update will be released for Ring Fit Adventure later today that will add a new Rhythm Game mode, and option to switch to a female voice and to change the language of the in-game voice, and more. The Rhythm Game mode features a few tracks from such games as Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Good Job! Available on Nintendo Switch Now Available

Good Job! is a “madcap action-puzzle game” that has players performing “hilarious and challenging tasks around a sprawling office building to get the job done by any means necessary, alone or in two-player mode!”

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order Expansion Pack 3 Details

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/19/marvel-ultimate-alliance-3-the-black-order-launch-trailer”]

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order’s newest expansion pack – Pack 3: Fantastic Four: Shadow of Doom will arrive on Nintendo Switch today. This newest addition adds the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom as playable characters and a new story campaign.

King’s Bounty II to Be Released on Nintendo Switch In 2020

King’s Bounty II, a new sequel to the King’s Bounty series that began in 1990, is headed to the Nintendo Switch with more realistic graphics, in-game choices that truly matter, a new character development system, and much more.

Ninjala Brings Eight-Player Ninja Action to Switch This May

Ninjala is a free-to-play, up to eight-player ninja battle game that allows players to “sprint across stages, disguise themselves and wield an arsenal of skills, like heavy-hitting hammers, fast and flashy katanas, and tricked-out yo-yos.” Ninjala will be released on Nintendo Switch in May 2020.

Trials of Mana, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, and More

Many more games were featured in a montage with the following release dates/windows:

• Trials of Mana – April 24, 2020
• Fuser – Fall 2020
• The Elder Scrolls: Blades – Spring 2020
• Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus – May 2020
• Vigor – Closed Beta on April 9, 2020
• Burnout Paradise Remastered – 2020
• Saints Row: IV – Re-Elected – March 27, 2020
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III – June 30, 2020
• Mr. DRILLER DrillLand – June 25, 2020
• Minecraft Dungeons – Spring 2020

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.