STACK July 2017 Issue 153

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048 JULY 2017
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’
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
characters in a
hack-and-slash
adventure.
These types
of games are
generally the
best for stress
relief, as you
can take down
(literally) hundreds
of enemies in mere
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
already, of
course.
On to one
of the biggest
surprises of the
show. We doubt
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:
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.
Nintendo Switch FIFA
Nintendo Switch
PokkenTournament DX
Nintendo Switch
Mario Rabbids
Kingdom Battle
Nintendo Switch
Fire Emblem
Warriors
NINTENDO