Monday, June 26, 2017

News:: Monday Mind Teasers: Retroid edition!

Whoa, who the frak is Fronz? Hi! Some of our long time readers might remember me as the first editor Niero hired back in 2006. I was the Editor-in-Chief in the interim between Robert Summa and Nick Chester, and later on I helped Matthew Razak launch Flixist. It's been a few years since I published my weekly columns on Dtoid and it sure does feel great to be back!

With Destructoid being acquired, the recent launch of the Retroid podcast as a spiritual successor to RetroForce GO!, and Niero dusting me off in the attic, there sure is a lot of nostalgia going around this week! In honor of the old days here at Destructoid, I'm bringing Monday Mind Teasers back and dedicating this week to Retroid by highlighting some classic retro games. Want more? Retroid episode 3 came out yesterday and is all about puzzle games!

How does it work? Simple! I disguised five old game covers in the gallery below. View the images and see if you can post the titles of one or all of them in the comments before anyone else! This week I'll even include a hint to get everyone started. There's one game from each of these platforms: Amiga, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and an arcade game that later came out on the Atari 2600. Good luck!

I'll confirm or deny guesses in the comments below. Check back next Monday for more game industry puzzles.

Monday Mind Teasers: Retroid edition! screenshot

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News:: Forget Prompto, Episode Ignis looks out of sight!

We haven't even gotten Episode Prompto yet and Square Enix is already giving us a teaser trailer for Episode Ignis. While it was clearer from the story where the other two episodes fit in (even if Gladiolus' is some pure marketing BS), I wasn't quite sure where Ignis' tale might come into play as DLC. Was it a prequel or is there some major event I'm forgetting about from the main game?

I'll save my spoilerific thoughts for after the trailer, which doesn't really show off much of anything. If you still haven't managed to beat the game, you won't ruin anything for yourself by checking this out.

Forget Prompto, Episode Ignis looks out of sight! screenshot

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News:: The Super Famicom Mini has a different game lineup

I'm sufficiently sold on the SNES Classic, both because I have an inherent love of the console (it's my all-time favorite) and because Nintendo did a surprisingly good job with its software picks. Actually getting one, though? I'm expecting the worst, despite reassurances. Prove me wrong, Nintendo!

I'm also on board with Nintendo's miniature Super Famicom, which is out in Japan on October 5, 2017, for 7,980 yen. Part of that desire stems from the box art, the system design, and those lovely controllers with their colored buttons (which our European friends are also getting later this year).

The other key difference? The games. The Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Famicom has a slightly different lineup of games than we're getting here in the States packed in with the SNES Classic.

The Super Famicom Mini has a different game lineup screenshot

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News:: SteamWorld Dig 2 is coming to PC and PS4 right after Switch

Image & Form announced SteamWorld Dig 2 as a Nintendo Switch title, but that's not the only place you'll be able to play the mining platform adventure this year. It's headed to PS4 and Steam, too.

"We plan to have SWD2 out on all within a few days of the Nintendo Switch debut," said the studio. "A few years ago a multi-platform launch would've been completely impossible for us. Thanks to hard work and a bigger team we can finally make it happen. It's like we're a 'real' game studio now!"

The developer feels that it's too early to talk pricing or release date details ("late summer / early fall 2017" is all we get for the time being), but did add a note about other potential versions.

"Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita are still important to us. We won't talk more about portable versions today, but rest assured we have not forgotten where we came from." As for a certain other console, "We'll talk Xbox One in the future. We love Xbox One and want to include it as soon as we can!"

The original SteamWorld Dig was a stunner and I want to see what they can do with more resources.

SteamWorld Dig 2 Hits Switch, Steam and PS4 Soon-ish! [Image & Form Games]

SteamWorld Dig 2 is coming to PC and PS4 right after Switch screenshot



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News:: Changes to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' loot table, weapon spawns coming this week

I've been playing PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds nonstop for the last week. I even got my first Chicken Dinner because someone blew got killed by their own grenade! I'm hooked.

The game's not perfect, though. Anyone who's played (or watched) a few matches knows that PUBG's a bit rough around the edges. It's still in early access, of course, and it's been interesting to watch how the game's evolved over the last few months. 

Changes to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' loot table, weapon spawns coming this week screenshot

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News:: Summer sale round two: Rainbow Six Siege, The Division, and more

While the PC gaming world is focused on Steam's 2017 Summer Sale, it may be easy to miss what's going on at other digital retailers. Earlier today, GamersGate ramped up the savings on Ubisoft titles in its own Summer Sale. We're seeing historic low prices on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, Rainbow Six Siege Complete, Watch Dogs 2, The Division, and more.

The savings on these new titles replace the old Ubisoft discounts GamersGate was running. Last week, Assassin's Creed and Far Cry series was on fire sale, now it's mostly Tom Clancy and Watch Dogs title getting the discount love. These deals will all be valid for one week and end next Monday, July 3.

Tom Clancy's Wildlands

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

Tom Clancy's The Division

Watch Dogs

More

All deals above are Uplay keys. That's an understandable turnoff if you're not a fan of Uplay, but they are all significantly cheaper than their counterpart prices on Steam.

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

Summer sale round two: Rainbow Six Siege, The Division, and more screenshot



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News:: Why is everyone still playing Wolfenstein: The New Order?

Coming off of E3 this year, I started to notice something. Every time I logged on to Steam or PSN somebody I knew was playing Wolfenstein: The New Order. Every single time. Who could blame them?

After all, Bethesda had just shown off the Nazi killing, acid-fueled trailer for Machine Games second swing at the franchise, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus. It seems a whole lot of people walked away from E3 2017 with the same notion. Carter gave it a 7.5 and the improved expansion an 8.5. Sure, not a perfect score, but a good score for a story-heavy shooter lacking any multiplayer. That 2014 Wolfenstein game was pretty damn good. I should play that again.

Confession time: I never finished it. I couldn't help but wonder, "what stopped me"? For the past few days, I've been working my way through The New Order over on my Twitch channel. Boy, does that game hold up.

Why is everyone still playing Wolfenstein: The New Order? screenshot

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News:: Here are a few of the rewards returning Destiny players will get in Destiny 2

While Bungie isn't just yet revealing all of the juicy details on what returning Destiny players will get in Destiny 2, they have gone ahead and shown off some of the emblems you can unlock. I know everyone was just clamoring at the bit for how they will be able to show off their names in-game, but I suppose something is better than nothing.

Basically, these emblems amount to finishing "Moments of Triumph" from year one and two of Destiny along with finishing some things in Rise of Iron and amassing a Grimoire score of 5,000. I mean, considering that last one is incredibly easy to do, I don't think anyone is going to have an issue achieving that emblem.

Here are a few of the rewards returning Destiny players will get in Destiny 2 screenshot

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News:: China's probably going to save the Transformers franchise...again

Tranformers: The Last Knight is, well, a mess. Poor writing, poor pacing, poor Marky Mark, and is basically par for the course for the Transformers series. Yet, these things still make a ton of money. You might be wondering why folks are still drawn to these films despite being put through the ringer four times before, but there's hope yet...at least domestically.

It turns out Transformers: The Last Knight "only" tracked $69.1 million (nice) over its five day spread. It still took the top spot at the box office, and it's not like that much money is anything to scoff at, yet it still had the lowest debut in the series. Then there's China. 

According to Variety, China -- who loved Transformers: Age of Extinction so much it became their highest grossing film ever -- doubled the domestic gross with an impressive $123 million opening weekend...bringing the overall total to $265.3 million after a single week. So even if the fever is dying out in the West, China could basically guarantee we'll see plenty more Transformers films and even that stupid Bumblebee origin story.

Find out how other North American releases did at the box office last weekend below. 

[via Rentrak]

China's probably going to save the Transformers franchise...again screenshot

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News:: Review: The Sims 4: Parenthood

After a somewhat tepid launch three years ago, every game pack, update, and expansion released for The Sims 4 has had to find some way to make the barren base game feel as expansive as the many, many Sims games that came before.

The Sims 4: Parenthood is the latest attempt to fill the content void, and while the longtime Sims fan in me wants to call it and all other non-expansion DLC a cash grab, at just $20 Parenthood feels more worth its price than most of the full-blown, $40 expansion packs released so far.

Review: The Sims 4: Parenthood screenshot

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News:: Here's what Nintendo needs to do to make the SNES Classic great 

Before Nintendo unveiled the Switch, its new hybrid game console, to the world, it re-released an old one. The NES Classic Edition was an adorably small box of nostalgia packed with some of the best games for Nintendo's original home console. Now, the company is doing it again -- on September 29th, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition will put games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country and Mega Man X back in the living room. Hopefully, it'll do that while improving on the faults of Nintendo's first throwback machine.



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News:: Free-to-play MMO Secret World Legends launches today

Sometimes, myths and legends have a chance to be reborn. Stories evolve and change over the years, warping and twisting with each new retelling. The same can be said for Funcom's Secret World Legends, with its official launch today.

Secret World Legends is a free-to-play reboot of 2012's The Secret World. Though it looks similar to the original version of the game, which stood out from the already crowded MMORPG market with a modern-day setting and unique atmosphere that blended horror influences with well-known mythological creatures, Funcom have stated that Legends entirely "revamps to core gameplay experience."

Free-to-play MMO Secret World Legends launches today screenshot

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News:: It should be easier to nab an SNES Classic

Today's announcement of the SNES Classic came attached with the obvious joke of "But no one will be able to get one." It's low-hanging fruit admittedly, but it's also deserved. Even Nintendo acknowledged that the NES Classic's production resulted in frustratingly short supply.

There should be less frustration this time 'round, at least in theory. Nintendo broadly commented on manufacturing details by saying "We aren’t providing specific numbers, but we will produce significantly more units of Super NES Classic Edition than we did of NES Classic Edition."

And now the low-hanging take is "Yeah, almost anything would be 'significantly more' than the NES," and, again, deservedly so. Nintendo reported 1.5 million sales of the NES Classic, which must've been the entirety of the production run. We only have to wait three months to see if this increased effort is enough to sate demand.

It won't matter on day one, however. The lines at retailers will still be bananas. The scalpers will be as opportunistic as ever. The shelves will almost certainly be empty at the end of September 29. But, there's a realistic likelihood that fewer people will be disappointed by the time the stores close, and that alone is worth getting excited about.

Nintendo Announces SNES Classic, Which Comes With 21 Stellar Games [UPDATE] [Kotaku]

It should be easier to nab an SNES Classic screenshot



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News:: Review: War for the Planet of the Apes

Combing through nostalgic culture has become the norm, and unfortunately, so have the middling resulting projects. Audiences have, sadly, come to expect reboots to suffer as studios struggle to re-capture what made something popular in the first place. Yet somehow, a successful Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy came out of all of this mess. I certainly didn't expect to be sitting here, sixteen years after watching Mark Wahlberg punch monkeys in the face, gushing about how great this trilogy has been overall. 

War for the Planet of the Apes is not as strong of a film as its predecessor, 2014's stunning Dawn of the Planet of the Apesbut it is the culmination of years of excellent work from everyone involved.

War impresses from chimpan-a to chimpanzee. 

Review: War for the Planet of the Apes screenshot

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News:: Nintendo swears the SNES Classic won't sell out so quickly

Nintendo's sales strategy for the NES Classic Edition was frustrating, to put it mildly. It shipped so few systems that they sold out almost immediately, and killed the product despite loads of pent-up demand. Will it learn from its mistakes now that the SNES Classic is on its way? Apparently, the answer is yes... maybe. The gaming giant has put out a statement (you can read it below) promising that it'll ship "significantly more" SNES Classics than it did last year's retro console. It's not divulging numbers (that would be spilling trade secrets), but this suggests you might not have to pre-order right away to bring one home. However, you probably don't want to get your hopes up just yet.

Source: Time



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News:: Over a million people played Phantom Dust and Microsoft is happy with that

Microsoft Studios "couldn't be happier with the level of exposure that [Phantom Dust] has received." Since the Xbox One and Windows 10 re-release launched on May 16, it has garnered over one million players. For a revival of a niche original Xbox action/strategy title, that does seem good.

Code Mystics is encouraging daily logins with the next update, which awards a free skill each day you sign into your Phantom Dust profile and a bonus skill if you play at least four days during the week.

"Since there's 74 skills to give out, one a day, it will take ~11 weeks to get all the skills for free. Each week focuses on a specific school, with a final week handing out the skills that were in the bonus category originally. What is given out on each specific day? Play and find out!" The cycle will repeat once the set has run its course (alternatively, there's a $5 pack containing three copies of all 74 skills).

Beyond some miscellaneous changes and fixes, the developer is also adding in-game voice chat and an easier way to see which NPC has the next quest in the campaign. "The game doesn’t globally track who has the next mission (otherwise we could try to do something with the map display to tell you where to go), so we’ve done what we could and added an option to the pause menu that will open a web page with a complete list of who you should talk to at any point in the game to get your next mission."

I can't say I've felt the urge to play the re-release, even if it is free. Hopefully this means something, anything, for the IP's future prospects. I was on board with the Phantom Dust reboot.

Phantom Dust Update #2 Details [Phantom Dust]

Over a million people played Phantom Dust and Microsoft is happy with that screenshot



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News:: Amazingly cute Splatoon 2 mini toys hit Japan tomorrow

E3 is over, and now it's time for a relatively quiet July. I mean there's a few big games coming out like the Final Fantasy XII remake, and uh...wait. Splatoon 2! How could I forget.

Nintendo is gearing up for one of their most massive launches of the year with Splatoon 2, which comes with all sorts of goodies like merchandise, amiibo, and toys -- most of which are exclusive to Japan. That includes this set of adorable tiny toys, which are hitting the east tomorrow by way of a partnership with Bandai Namco.

I mean, they're no "actual ink Supersoakers," but they'll do.

Amazingly cute Splatoon 2 mini toys hit Japan tomorrow screenshot

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News:: Company unable to make enough of hot ticket item will totally be able to make enough of 2nd hot ticket item (Fauxclusive)

Fans, scalpers, gamers, scalpers, and most importantly, scalpers, cried out in joy this morning after it was announced a company that can’t produce enough units of its best-selling home console will be releasing a new, must-have item there is no way it will be able to meet demand for.

The SNES Classic will release worldwide this September and fans we spoke with say they’re already breaking the F5 key waiting for pre-orders to open.

“This is really exciting,” explained a longtime Nintendo customer who, in four months’ time, will be leaving a series of expletives on the company’s Twitter page due to his inability to buy one. “I’ve been waiting forever for my chance to get a Nintendo Switch so having the opportunity to be unable to buy two different devices I desperately want will make my life twice as excruciating.”

For just $80, those lucky enough to secure an SNES Classic will be able to get Star Fox 2 for the first time, as well as 20 other games they already own and probably won’t play. It’s unclear right now exactly how many units Nintendo will be making, but diehard delusional fans say this launch will be different from that of the NES Classic last year.

“No, you see, Nintendo said they’ve learned their lesson,” explained a fucking gullible fan. “Yeah, they’re totally going to make enough of these things for everybody who wants one. It’s true, they’ve learned from their mistakes. That’s why I can just walk into any GameStop around the country and easily pick up a Twilight Princess Link amiibo because Nintendo produced so many of them, as they are famous for doing.”

Meanwhile, owners of Raspberry Pi and other emulator machines said they look forward to the five minutes after the SNES Classic is released when the unit is hacked and Star Fox 2 is uploaded to the internet.

Company unable to make enough of hot ticket item will totally be able to make enough of 2nd hot ticket item (Fauxclusive) screenshot



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News:: Don't own an Xbox One X? You won't need to download Forza 7's massive 100GB 4K build

Game sizes are insane now. Remember when "40GB games" wasn't commonplace? Well now nearly every AAA game is 40GB, and that's before patches -- many titles end up clocking in at around 100GB after patches and DLC (Halo 4 comes to mind immediately, as well as Destiny). It's a good thing that the PS4 finally added the ability to expand your storage with external hard-drives.

But with that in mind, Microsoft is blowing the doors off of space limitations with Forza 7, which is going to be 100GB (!) out of the gate due to its 4K assets. The good news is that evidently, you will not need to download this massive build if you don't own an Xbox One X, and thus can't take full advantage of the enhanced visuals.

Speaking to Stevivor, a Microsoft rep noted that, "regardless of the TV you are playing on, 4K assets will be downloaded to Xbox One X (if available) and the standard 1080p assets will be downloaded to an Xbox One S." This convenience will be the default practice going forward, and goes "beyond" just 4K assets.

It would be amazing if somehow the option was added to say, only download the campaign, or just multiplayer after you finish said campaign. Before I bought a PS4 Pro in the pre-external HDD era I can't tell you how many games I had to delete.

Only Xbox One X will download 4K assets for available games [Stevivor]

Don't own an Xbox One X? You won't need to download Forza 7's massive 100GB 4K build screenshot



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News:: Final Fantasy XV patch brings off-roading at last

Final Fantasy XV's Adam West Batman-era ass vehicle is getting a mechanical makeover today, as Square Enix has added in the ability to go off-roading with it. I hope you have 8.6 GB to spare on PS4 (on Xbox it's almost 11GB)!

As for the upgrade itself, simply go to your Hammerhead base of operations, grab the enhancement for the Type-D, and you're good -- it'll even sport hilarious over-sized tires to boot.

The main purpose of this patch though? To herald in the launch of Episode Prompto, the second major paid DLC for XV --the same process was used for the previous add-on Episode Gladiolus. Expect a review of Prompto sometime after it arrives on the PSN tomorrow.

Update 1.12 [Reddit]

Final Fantasy XV patch brings off-roading at last screenshot



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News:: DHS has a video game-like trainer for active shooter incidents

Today, the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate announced the release of a virtual training platform for active shooter incidents. The Enhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment, or EDGE, is a program that creates a virtual active shooter scenario through which first responders can train themselves. EDGE launches today and is free for all first responders.

Source: Department of Homeland Security



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News:: Review: Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls

The Danganronpa series has such an expansive narrative, it's spread itself across multiple games, anime, and short stories. By its very nature of spreading itself out so thin, some of the side projects just aren't going to mean as much in the long run. Therefore, the hope is that the side projects can carve out their own unique identity within Danganronpa's wacky universe. 

The "another" in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls' title implies it's an extraneous adventure, and that's somewhat correct. It may lack the impactful writing of the rest of the series, but Another Episode mostly makes up for it with an admirable shift in gameplay style and tone. 

Review: Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls screenshot

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News:: SNES Classic loaded with Star Fox 2 launching this September

Well, it's really happening. If the NES Classic didn't appeal to you, then this one surely will draw you in. Nintendo confirmed on Twitter that a Super Nintendo Classic Edition is on the way, and will include the never before released Star Fox 2. 

It'll also include 18 more games like Super Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario World, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Expect the five of these available, releasing September 29, to go quickly. Let's all thank our own Jonathan Holmes for potentially forcing Nintendo's hand on this. 

[via Twitter] 

SNES Classic loaded with Star Fox 2 launching this September screenshot



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News:: This GBA SP Switch dock is crude, but functional

The Game Boy Advance SP is a masterpiece of a system. While the Game Gear had the backlight years before it, this was the first time I was able to play a Game Boy without attaching a gross worm light accessory to it, and man, did the GBA have one hell of a library (oh, and it didn't literally suck the life out of AA batteries like the Game Gear, as it had a charge cable).

Years later folks are still using it to great aplomb, like custom hardware creator CptnAlex. He crafted a Game Boy Advance Switch dock, which was re-purposed to actually fit a Switch tablet on it. In case you're wondering, yes it works! With the Switch docked in it boots the system in TV mode.

Silly? Sure. Also amazing? Absolutely.

cptnalex [Instagram via Nintendo Life]

This GBA SP Switch dock is crude, but functional screenshot

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News:: The SNES Classic is real, arrives on September 29th for $80

The delicious rumors are true: Nintendo is gearing up to launch the SNES Classic, a miniaturized version of the glorious original Super Nintendo Entertainment System. According to Nintendo's Twitter account, the system will be available on September 29th with 21 games built-in -- including the never-released Star Fox 2.

Source: Nintendo



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News:: Legendary missing Mega Man 4 mini-boss footage surfaces

Uncovering old Mega Man trivia is one of my favorite pastimes. There was once an era where Capcom was immensely proud of the series, showing it off at every turn at tradeshows and myriad magazine spreads. I'll never forget sending in my own "Magic Man" Robot Master design (which eventually became a thing!) for one of their many contests.

One such mystery involves a missing Mega Man 4 mini-boss that appears near the start of Pharaoh Man's stage, which was first unveiled in an issue of EGM in 1991. For over two decades folks have pondered how this fight would play out, but thanks to some footage from Robert Hoskin, who was live on the scene of Tokyo Toy Show '91, we know for sure. There's roughly an hour of video here of the event, but the gameplay in question starts at 4:00 in.

Although this player doesn't survive the fight, past screens have made it clear that you're supposed to jump on the boulder, then the chin, and blast him away. Given that you had little room to maneuver Capcom eventually scrapped the encounter altogether, but making him a tad smaller probably would have helped.

Robert Hoskin [YouTube via Rockman Corner]

Legendary missing Mega Man 4 mini-boss footage surfaces screenshot

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News:: Exceedingly difficult ‘TumbleSeed’ just got a bit easier

For those who have struggled through and given up on the exceptionally difficult rogue-like TumbleSeed (don't worry, we had a hard time too), a patch was just released that makes the game a bit easier to navigate. The team behind TumbleSeed has acknowledged the game's flaws and where they went wrong in their design, explaining the situation in a detailed blog post.

Source: Aeiowu



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News:: Nintendo bolsters 'Arms' eSports appeal with LAN play

Nintendo's Arms, the rollicking cross between Punch Out and Wii Sports Boxing (with beefed-up motion controls), is receiving another in a long line of promised updates. The most notable addition in version 1.1.0 is LAN play, allowing players to hookup multiple Switch consoles using a wired LAN adapter (that can be purchased separately) for extra stability during multiplayer battles.

Source: Nintendo



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