October is the perfect time for ghostly things, and that extends to the world of Pokemon. This month, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players can check out a brand-new 5-star Tera Raid event that will be centered around Gengar. During this event, the beloved Ghost/Poison-type will begin appearing in Raids in the Nintendo Switch game. The Gengar that players encounter will have a Ghost Tera type, so players won’t be able to take advantage of its Poison-type weaknesses! The event will begin on October 28th, and will run through October 31st.

When Gengar made its debut in Pokemon Red and Green, it had a lot of negatives attached. While Ghost-type attacks have a type advantage against Psychics, Gengar’s Poison-type makes it susceptible to taking heavy damage from Pokemon like Mewtwo and Alakazam. The beauty of Terastallization in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is that it can help a Pokemon shed some of its weaknesses. In this case, by becoming a pure Ghost-type, Gengar is now harder to type match against (at least while Terastallized). That makes it slightly harder for opponents, but also a lot easier to use in battle! Players that plan on checking out Raids during this event will want to bring in a Dark-type, or a Pokemon that can use Ghost-type moves.

In addition to the Gengar Tera Raids, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players can celebrate spooky season with a mass outbreak event. Starting the same day as the Gengar event, players can expect to see mass outbreaks featuring Gastly, Misdreavus, Shuppet, and Bramblin. These mass outbreaks will all take place throughout Paldea, though nothing seems to be happening in Kitakami or Blueberry Academy. During the event, players will have an increased chance of finding these Ghost-types with the Crafty mark. When that mark is assigned by the player, it will apply the title “the opportunist” when the Pokemon is sent into battle.

All in all, this is a pretty minor event, but it’s nice to see Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is still getting some kind of content to keep players invested. At this point, the game is nearly two years old, and it’s pretty atypical to see Game Freak giving fans a reason to spend any time with an existing game that far into its lifespan. The next mainline game in the franchise is Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but that still does not have a release date at the moment, and we don’t know of any other Pokemon games coming to Switch. Basically, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is going to have to continue to tide fans over for the time being, so even these small events are welcome. As 2025 starts to approach, hopefully we’ll start to get a better idea of when the next Pokemon game can be expected!

Are you planning to check out these Gengar Tera Raid Battles? Are you still spending time with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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As part of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, users are often given the opportunity to play trials of various games. A new trial has been announced for North America, and this time around, subscribers can try out three full games for free. The trial is set to begin on October 23rd at 10 a.m., and will run through October 30th at 11:59 p.m. PT. During that time, subscribers will have access to A Little to the Left, Cursed to Golf, and Vampire Survivors. A similar promotion will be happening in Europe, but with Minecraft Dungeons in place of Vampire Survivors.

For those that have never taken advantage of a Switch game trial, it’s important to note that these are not demos. Demos only give the player access to a limited amount of content from a game. Comparatively, Switch game trials give players access to the entire game for a short window, as if it had been borrow from a friend. In theory, this means that subscribers could even beat the campaigns for these games without having to spend anything extra! Of course, the idea is to get Switch users to try a game they might not have otherwise, and potentially convince them to make a purchase. To that end, all three of these games will be getting discounts this week, allowing users to pick them up for a lower cost of entry. The following discounts will go live this week:

All three of these games have been well-received by audiences and reviewers over the years. On Steam, A Little to the Left currently holds a “very positive” rating, Cursed to Golf has a “mostly positive,” while Vampire Survivors holds the rare “extremely positive” designation. Basically, there’s a pretty good chance Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will find something that appeals to them out of this batch of games.

The timing on this Vampire Survivors trial couldn’t be better! Those that decide to purchase the game following the trial’s conclusion will be happy to know that new DLC will be released on October 31st, offering a new collaboration. The collaboration will feature a ton of new content based on Konami’s Castlevania franchise, including new playable characters, weapons, a new location, and new music. That DLC will require a separate purchase, but for those that end up liking the game enough to buy extra content, it should be worth it.

Are you planning to check out any of these free game trials? Have you been looking for an excuse to try one or all of these games? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post Nintendo Switch Online Users Can Try Three Full Games For Free This Week appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The recent Pokemon leaks have revealed a treasure trove of information about unannounced games, including some that won’t be seeing the light of day. The X/Twitter account Centro Leaks has been sharing images and video from many of these games, including a new one today that was under the working title “Project Swallow.” The game was in development for mobile platforms, and seemed to take a page from Nintendo’s cult favorite WarioWare series. Basically, “Project Swallow” would have featured a number of short micro games that all centered around Pokemon themes. Like WarioWare, some of these micro games would have even used assets from past games.

In a post on X/Twitter by Centro Leaks, four different Pokemon themed micro games can be seen. The first of these features Machoke punching a crack in the moon. To successfully do so, the player has to tap the screen when a meter is within the red area. The second game involves moving lily pads to find the Poliwag hiding underneath. The third involves grabbing a Great Ball as it falls from out of the air. The fourth and final of these micro games uses assets from the champion battle in Pokemon Yellow. However, rather than sending their Pokemon into battle, the Rival tosses a Poke Ball which the trainer then has to hit with a baseball bat!

Videos of these micro games can be found in the post from Centro Leaks embedded below.

Mashing up WarioWare with Pokemon is pretty unexpected, but the results look fantastic! This could have made for a very fun game, and it’s unfortunate that The Pokemon Company decided to cancel this project. It’s unclear exactly why they decided to do so, but it’s possible the team couldn’t come up with enough micro game concepts to fill an entire title. At the end of the day, it’s nice fans at least got a chance to see what could have been. The video game industry is unfortunately inundated with promising games that never made it to market for one reason or another. Unless The Pokemon Company decides to offer some clarification on these leaks (which seems unlikely), we’ll all just have to speculate about what happened.

For anyone that sees these micro games and wants to try something similar, Nintendo’s WarioWare series should help you get your fix. The concept is basically identical, but without the Pokemon factor. The WarioWare series has featured callbacks to other Nintendo franchises, including Mario and Zelda, but Pokemon has never made the cut. Given the relationship between Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, it would be nice to see some of these finished micro games get a second chance at life in a future WarioWare game. That seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened!

Are you disappointed that this Pokemon game never ended up released? Do you think a mash-up of Pokemon and WarioWare would have found an audience? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post Pokemon Leak Reveals Cancelled Game That Looks Like WarioWare appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Prior to Switch, Nintendo would support two systems at a time: a console and a handheld. In those days, some series exclusively appeared on the company’s handhelds, including Mario & Luigi. Debuting on Game Boy Advance, the Mario & Luigi RPG series later saw games on DS and 3DS. While subsequent games took advantage of each platform’s improvements, keeping the games on those systems limited what could be done from a technical standpoint. Mario & Luigi: Brothership is the first game in the series to debut on Switch. After spending some time with the game, it already seems the jump to the platform has been beneficial to the series.

When Mario & Luigi: Brothership begins, our heroes find themselves mysteriously transported to the land of Concordia. Concordia is normally held together by plugs linked to the giant Uni-Tree and the flow of Connectar. However, these tethers have been mysteriously unplugged, which has resulted in Concordia splitting into several islands drifting in the ocean. It’s up to Mario and Luigi to reconnect these plugs and reunite the citizens of Concordia. In an interesting move, it seems players will have some freedom in how they explore Concordia and which islands they visit. Early in the game, Mario and Luigi are given the opportunity to choose between exploring Raynforest or Twistee as they seek out the character Willma’s family members. The game cautions players that “the story might change” depending on that choice, but it’s tough to say how much or how little an impact it will actually have on the narrative. Regardless, that flexibility should be a welcome inclusion, and I hope there’s more as the game continues.

For those new to the series, Mario & Luigi: Brothership is an RPG that incorporates action and platforming elements. Unlike Super Mario RPG or the Paper Mario series, players don’t meet a big cast of original party members that fight alongside Mario; Instead, Luigi has a co-starring role, playing an integral part in the story. Players control both characters in the game’s overworld, using their unique skills to solve various puzzles. Sometimes that means jumping, passing items to one another, or using “Luigi Logic” to send the younger brother to complete various tasks.

While exploring Concordia, Mario and Luigi will encounter enemies in the overworld, prompting a turn-based battle. The turn-based system in Mario & Luigi: Brothership also incorporates some rhythm-based elements as Mario and Luigi can inflict more damage on their foes by working together. For example, when attacking as Mario, the player is prompted to hit the ‘A’ button for Mario’s attack and then to press the ‘B’ button to help out as Luigi before ‘A’ one final time as Mario. Getting the timing right isn’t too tough, but the result is a more interactive battle system than some turn-based games, so the combat feels fun and fluid as a result. It also makes the battles a joy to watch as there’s a comedic element to the way the brothers flip through the air, or swing their hammers. Timing is also key when enemies attack as the brothers can avoid most attacks if they can figure out when to jump or dodge.

While stories usually take a backseat to the gameplay in most Mario adventures, the Mario & Luigi series has long been known for its strong writing and sense of humor. A big part of that humor comes from the titular heroes themselves. In classic Mario fashion, the brothers don’t speak all that much, so the developers convey their emotions through their facial expressions. This has been a staple of the series since Superstar Saga, but the developers really seem to be taking advantage of the jump to the Switch with Mario & Luigi: Brothership. Early into the game, Mario and Luigi both seem a lot more expressive than usual with comical exaggerations selling their shock, thoughtfulness, and even physical turmoil. The slapstick expressions look fantastic, far exceeding what we’ve seen from this series in the past, and outdoing any other Mario game on the platform. That includes Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which already felt like a step forward in terms of Mario animation.

The character animation isn’t the only area in which the graphics impress. Mario & Luigi: Brothership isn’t on the level of Tears of the Kingdom, but the developers have created a vibrant world and the early islands look impressive thus far. The water effects in particular look great which is vital for a game set in the middle of the ocean. Nearly eight years into the Switch’s lifespan, it’s great to see developers still finding ways to take advantage of the system’s abilities, and it makes me hope that we get to see this series continue when Nintendo’s next console launches. If this series looks this great now, it makes me all the more excited for a system with a little more horsepower.

A few hours in, Mario & Luigi: Brothership feels like a strong new entry in the series. All of the best elements from past games have been retained yet the developers are taking full advantage of the jump to Switch. The game is already funny and well animated, and it just feels great to have this series back after so many years. It remains to be seen whether the game will be able to stack up against the best the series has to offer, but Mario & Luigi: Brothership is off to a great start.

Are you excited to check out Mario & Luigi: Brothership? Have you played any previous games in the series? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post Mario & Luigi: Brothership Preview: An Expressive Adventure appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Earlier this month, Nintendo announced a playtest for something new in development. At the time, details were nonexistent, but applications were open exclusively to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass subscribers. Nintendo reached its desired number of testers immediately, and the playtest is currently slated to begin on Wednesday, October 23rd. While the company has yet to reveal any kind of information about the playtest, leakers have already shared a bunch of details online. Apparently, this is a new massively multiplayer game in development from Nintendo. In the game, players must work together to place beacons that heal and purify the land, in order to develop it.

Images of the playtest details were shared on X/Twitter by user @ZikadaPrime and can be found in the post embedded below.

As the world gets developed, players will uncover new areas, which will have new enemies to encounter, and new resources that can be found. The character designs (which could be a placeholder) seem to be based on cavemen, but it’s hard to say based on the limited number of images. The screenshots also show that the game will have some kind of a hub called the Dev Core. In this area, players will be able to level up their characters, get items that can be used on the planet, and interact with other players.

At this time, additional details are extremely limited, but it’s possible we could learn more once the actual playtest gets underway later this week. We don’t know when Nintendo plans on releasing this game to the public, or how it will be offered. It’s possible that the game will be released as a full-priced Switch game, or it could be some kind of freebie offered to Expansion Pack tier subscribers. That wouldn’t be totally out of the question, as we’ve seen free online games like F-Zero 99 offered to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers over the years. Now that information is already leaking online, hopefully Nintendo will use the opportunity to lay out its plans to the general public.

No one has actually had an opportunity to play this new MMO game yet, so it’s far too early to tell how people feel about it. However, some Nintendo Switch Online subscribers are expressing some disappointment on social media; many were hoping that this playtest would revolve around a new feature for the service, or even a new classic gaming app, like the ones we’ve seen for NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, GBA, and Sega Genesis. Some actually thought Nintendo might be testing out GameCube games for the service. At the moment, Nintendo seems pretty content with focusing instead on remasters and ports of GameCube games, rather than a dedicated app, so fans that want to play those games are just going to have to settle for that!

Are you excited to check out this new game from Nintendo? Were you hoping for something else from this playtest? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post Nintendo Switch Online Playtest Program Details Leaked appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Nintendo has released the second ever The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom update via Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch OLED. Unfortunately, the second update to the new Zelda game doesn’t do much to the September-released Switch exclusive. Meanwhile, what it does do isn’t very noteworthy.

As the official patch notes for Update 1.02 reveal, the new patch does three things, all of which are just fixing issues with the game. There is no new content, new features, or meaningful improvements to the Nintendo Switch game.

While we have the patch notes below, Nintendo has not provided information about the file size of the update. In other words, we have no concrete information about how long The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will take to download. It is presumably a smaller file size, and thus a quick and easy download, but this is just speculation based on the brevity of the patch notes and the lack of new content, the latter of which usually contributes to larger file sizes for game updates.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Update 1.02 Patch Notes

• Fixed an issue where an invisible wall at the entrance to Goron City would impede progress during a Main Quest at Eldin Volcano.
• Fixed an issue at a particular location where the player could target empty space, then bind to that target and pull in a way that would impede progress.
• Fixed various issues to create a smoother gaming experience.

And that is all The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Update 1.02 does to the new Zelda game. As for when the game’s next update will release, or its first meaningful update, we don’t know. Presumably before the end of the year, but this is just speculation.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is available via the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch only. For more coverage on the latest Zelda game — including all of the Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom news, all of the latest Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom deals — click here.

The post The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Second Update Live With Patch Notes appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The current expectation among a majority of Nintendo fans and the Internet at large is that the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal date is around the corner, with the Nintendo Switch 2 release date not far behind it. More specifically, the expectation — primarily based on rumors — is that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be revealed this year, and then release within the first half of 2025, possibly the first quarter of the year. Time is running out for both of these things to happen, especially the latter. Meanwhile, new evidence may actually confirm the latter just isn’t happening at all.

The latest rumor comes from a hidden post on Famiboards, which has been a source for an increasing number of rumors and leaks. Over on the website, user RandomlyRandom67 reveals details on component shipments they believe are for the upcoming Nintendo console. And these shipments seem to reveal that the console did not enter mass production back in August, as many thought it did, and this hasn’t changed. Naturally, this has big implications for a release date.

If the Nintendo Switch 2 has not entered mass production yet, a release in Q1 2025 seems unlikely. Not only would this be a quick turnaround, but could lead to serious supply constraints at launch, which Nintendo won’t want. If the Nintendo Switch 2 doesn’t enter mass production very soon, in fact, a release in the first half of 2025 also seems unlikely.

The good news, based on shipments, is it does seem Nintendo Switch 2 production is ramping up, which could indicate mass production is on the horizon, but right now the numbers trickling out do not indicate mass production has commenced yet.

Of course, when a console enters mass production, the chances of it leaking increases. To this end, it has been suggested that Nintendo is currently stockpiling components, preparing to enter mass production when the console is revealed. If this is true, it increases the odds of a Nintendo Switch 2 release date in the first half of 2025, otherwise it is very possible this machine won’t arrive until holiday 2025 at the earliest because Nintendo surely won’t release it too close or during the summer. If it did, it would buck industry norms and standards.

All of that said, take everything here with a grain of salt. Right now, all we have are rumors and speculation. Many Nintendo Switch 2 rumors claim the console is going to be revealed this year, but so many previous Nintendo Switch 2 rumors have been wrong. To this end, it is anyone’s best guess what will happen next.

The post Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date Update Is Not Want Fans Expected appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Recently, Game Freak was hacked. This, in turn, has flooded the Internet with Pokemon leaks. This includes leaks on upcoming Pokemon games, such as Pokemon Legends: Z-A and Gen 10. It also includes leaks on Pokemon games from yesteryear. In totality, it is one of the biggest leaks in gaming history, amplified by the fact Game Freak, The Pokemon Company, and Nintendo have always been very closed off and secretive when it comes to Pokemon and the development that goes behind it. The curtain has been pulled back though.

One leak, in particular, that caught the attention of Pokemon fans involves Pokemon Ruby, Pokemon Sapphire, and Pokemon Emerald. More specifically, one of the many Gen 3 leaks revealed that at one point there was a bunny Pokemon called Warabbit that was set to be one of the three starter Pokemon as the water representation. When this plan was abandoned and the Pokemon replaced with Mudkip, we don’t know, but obviously this happened at some point, but not before Warabbit was designed for the game.

As you would expect, many Pokemon fans were crestfallen to find out the water bunny with a water floatie was scrapped. That said, Mudkip is one of the more popular starters of all time so it seems Game Freak ultimately made the right call. However, some Pokemon fans on Reddit are dreaming of the parallel universe where this replacement never happened.

“I love Mudkip, I really do . But how this guy didn’t make into the final product ,at least as it’s own thing is wild to me,” writes one Pokemon fan. “Bro was discovered four days ago and already became iconic,” reads another comment.

Those who have been paying attention to the leaks will know a metric ton of scrapped Pokemon have leaked, yet none have garnered the attention Warabbit has. Whether this is because Warabbit was a starter or simply because fans like the design that much, is hard to say.

For more Pokemon coverage — including all of the latest Pokemon news, all of the latest Pokemon rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Pokemon speculation — click here.

The post Leaked Pokemon Starter Is “Iconic” Say Fans appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is now available on Nintendo Switch, and it marks the first game in the series that does not feature the voice talents of actor Charles Martinet. After decades of voicing Mario, Martinet stepped away from the franchise in 2023. New Mario voice actor Kevin Afghani took over the role with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and can be heard once again in the new Mario Party. In a post on X/Twitter, Afghani talked briefly about how much the Mario Party series has meant to him, calling it “surreal” to hear his voice in the newest entry.

“Hearing my voice in a Mario Party game is surreal,” Afghani wrote on X/Twitter. “A pillar of my childhood has a tiny piece of me and that is so special.”

Presumably Afghani is also the voice actor for Wario in the game, as he voiced the character in WarioWare: Move It! last year. In a follow-up post, Afghani confirmed that Super Mario Party Jamboree marks his debut as the new voice actor for Waluigi, another role previously held by Martinet. Afghani notes that voicing Waluigi “was probably the most fun I have ever had in the booth.”

Charles Martinet’s voice work has been heard in some Switch games this year, including the remaster of Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. While Martinet will no longer be heard in wholly new Mario games, Nintendo has no plans to record new lines for remasters of existing games. Martnet still seems to have a good relationship with Nintendo, now serving as a “Mario ambassador” for the company. We don’t know exactly what that entails, but he will continue to appear at conventions in an official capacity. No real reason has ever been given for the change from Martinet to Afghani, but the latter actor has largely stuck to the voice Martinet crafted for Nintendo’s characters. While there are some differences that can be heard, fans could be forgiven for assuming that Martinet is still voicing these roles, given the vocal similarities.

While Super Mario Party Jamboree was just released on Friday, it won’t be too long before Mario fans get another chance to hear Afghani as Mario. Mario & Luigi: Brothership is set to be released on Nintendo Switch November 7th, marking the first new game in the RPG series in nine years. As of this writing, that’s the only confirmed Mario game currently in development. However, rumors have been circulating about a successor to Super Mario Odyssey, which will launch alongside Nintendo’s next video game console. We don’t have any specific details at the moment, but the system will be officially revealed at some point before Nintendo’s current fiscal year ends in March 2025. It’s a safe bet that when the system is revealed, a new Mario game won’t be far behind!

Have you played Super Mario Party Jamboree yet? How do you feel about Kevin Afghani’s voice work so far? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post Super Mario Party Jamboree Actor Says It’s “Surreal” Hearing His Voice in the Game appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Nintendo fans have been warned to be careful with their Wii U consoles, which have been described, by some, as “a ticking time bomb.” Of course, the problem with video game consoles is their components can fail them over time. And as consoles have gotten more complicated, and perhaps as console manufactures increasingly cut corners to save on costs, this has become more and more a problem. To this end, hardware from the 90s and early 2000s actually has a better chance of standing strong over the test of time compared to consoles made in the 2010s and now the 2020s as well.

To this end, Nintendo fans have been warned about Wii U consoles dying, despite the console only releasing roughly a decade ago. The warning doesn’t come directly from Nintendo but owners of the last-gen Nintendo machine. More specifically, it comes from retro specialists, Retro Blast.

According to Retro Blast — and others — the Wii U has a major issue, and that issue rears its ugly head when left without power for too long. More specifically, when left without power for too long, the Wii U runs the risk of dying from memory corruption. When this happens, users will be met with the screen below.

This is a known issue, and apparently it impacts different Wii Us differently depending on what internal chip it has. In the development of the Wii U, Nintendo used a variety of manufactures, including: Toshiba, Hynix, and Samsung. And it is believed that Hynix chips are the most prone to failure. Specific to the Wii U, the black version is also believed to be more prone than other versions because of its use of the Hynix chips.

“The Wii U is a ticking time bomb. I hate to say it. It’s still a great console, despite underperforming…. [but] because of modern gaming hardware and features, modern consoles won’t have the same lifespan,” says Retro Blast.

Those interested in checking if their Wii U lives or not should not simply boot it up, see the main menu loaded, and assume there is nothing wrong. Owners are advised to run games or apps because sometimes the message is delayed and only spawns after doing this. Meanwhile, those interested in seeing what chip their console has can check as much here.

As noted the new black Wii Us are believed to be particularly susceptible to the failure. On the contrary, those with one of the launch white Wii Us will be relieved to hear that is is believed to have fewer issues than the models that came after it.

At the moment of publishing, Nintendo has not commented on any of this in any capacity. We don’t suspect this will change for a variety of reasons, but if it does, we will be sure to update the story accordingly.

The post Nintendo Fans Warned About Their Wii U Consoles: “A Ticking Time Bomb” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

A new Nintendo Switch 2 leak surfaced online this weekend. The leak — a drawing based on a leaked image – supposedly reveals what the console looks like, what the new dock looks like, and what the console’s stand looks like. As you would expect, the console more or less looks just like the current Nintendo Switch. To this end, the dock also looks very similar, though perhaps a bit more rounded than the current dock. What looks different, based on the drawing, is the stand.

Those who bought the original, standard Nintendo Switch will know it has the most dainty little built-in stand of all time. It is far from sufficient, which is why it got an upgrade with the release of the Nintendo Switch OLED, but even this stand left plenty of room for improvement.

To this end, it looks like Nintendo knows this. According to the aforementioned leak, the Nintendo Switch 2 is going to have a stand that is wider and looks a bit more sturdy as well.

Whether it ends up being an upgrade on the Nintendo Switch OLED wide stand, remains to be seen, but it will no doubt be a major upgrade on the standard Nintendo Switch and its world’s smallest support stand.

All of that said, take everything here with a grain of salt. This is just speculation based on a leak that can currently not be verified and that comes from a source with a brief history of reliability.

The rumors are that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be very similar to the current Switch which would lead you to believe it will have a stand. The question is how robust this stand will be. But as alluded to, anything would be an upgrade on the original Nintendo Switch stand.

At the moment of publishing, Nintendo has not commented on this leak, nor the speculation it has created, in any capacity. We don’t suspect this to change for a variety of reasons, but if it does, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. In the meantime, for more Nintendo Switch 2 coverage — including all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 news, all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 deals — click here.

The post Nintendo Switch 2 Leak Reveals a Huge Upgrade on Current Switch appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Most of Pokemon Go‘s gameplay can be enjoyed without breaking the bank, but the game can get pretty expensive if players aren’t careful. When completing one of the game’s Dynamax Raids, players are given rewards for completion, and they can double those offerings by spending 200 coins (roughly $2). As a result, the player receives bonuses such as more XP, Golden Razz Berries, and Rare Candies. That’s been the case since Dynamax Raids were introduced a few weeks ago, but players have started to take notice of a recent change. Sometimes, the game will feature a mystery box among these items simply labeled “and more.”

After a little digging, players on The Silph Road subreddit determined that the “and more” box appears when there are more than four rewards, and is usually a placeholder for bonus XL Candy and additional Premier Balls. The game does reveal what items are in the “and more” box if they click the button to spend the coins, and they are given one more chance to get out of the purchase after they see everything offered. Still, players are calling this design choice “predatory” on Niantic’s part, as it could get players (especially younger ones) to spend their PokeCoins due to fear of missing out.

Over the last few years, there has been a lot of attention on microtransactions in mobile games, and the language they use to extract money from players. Regulators in several countries have been cracking down on predatory practices in these games, especially language that makes younger players worry about missing out. As one poster on The Silph Road subreddit notes, Niantic has to be careful with this sort of thing or Pokemon Go “might suffer the same fate as Pokemon Unite” in Belgium and the Netherlands. Pokemon Unite service is set to end in those regions next month, and while The Pokemon Company has not offered a specific reason for that, it’s widely assumed that support is ending as a result of tighter restrictions on gacha mechanics and loot boxes.

Monetization in Pokemon Go has long been a source of controversy, with many fans in the community airing frustrations about how the game tries to wring money out of players. In just the last few years, Niantic has greatly increased the amount of things that can be purchased in the game, from limited time Research, to Dynamax Raid bonuses. While it’s easier for older players to avoid unnecessary spending, the reality is that Pokemon Go has a lot of younger players. Niantic should consider what impact these design choices might have on the player base, and how they can negatively impact the overall enjoyment of the game. With players bringing this to light, hopefully Niantic can make some adjustments so players don’t unnecessarily waste their money!

Have you come across this “mystery box” in Pokemon Go? Do you think the game’s monetization has become a problem? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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A new Nintendo Switch 2 leak features what the console looks like, what its new dock look likes, and what its stand looks like, the latter of which is a substantial upgrade on the current Switch stand. Unfortunately, like previous Nintendo Switch 2 leaks, this one comes from slightly dubious sources.

Back on September 18, the world’s first look at the Nintendo Switch 2 supposedly leaked when Chinese sources revealed what is said to be factory prototype images of the Nintendo Switch 2. At the time, some other sources of decent reliability confirmed the images to be real, or at least similar to what they’ve been hearing about the console’s design.

Fast-forward a month, and we have another leak, this time from an anonymous Famiboards leaker who in the past has proven reliable. The leaker did not share any official or even unofficial images of the Nintendo Switch 2, but drawings of what they claim to be the console.

Unfortunately, the drawings are not done by the world’s finest artist, and are more basic sketches than anything. Further, they don’t reveal much of note. As you can see, the Nintendo Switch 2 console and dock look very similar to the current Switch console and dock. The latter looks like it may be a bit more rounded this time around, but this could just be the result of a bad drawing. What is notable is the stand, which looks larger and sturdier than what the current Switch is working with.

Since the leak went live, a fairly well-known Nintendo insider that goes by Nate the Hate chimed in, collaborating the leak, at least to an extent.

“All I can say is that the dock sketch is similar in design/shape to one I was sent several weeks ago (meaning a drawing of the alleged dock); but I’ve been working to verify it,” said Nate the Hate. “Whether this design has circulated Chinese forums or not, I don’t know; but the general design matches what I was sent in September. Again, haven’t verified the design with any contact/source at this time.”

As always, take this leak with a grain of salt, like any leak. There seems to be some smoke here, suggesting a fire, but none of this is official nor does it come from a bulletproof source. Until this happens, proceed with hesitancy. As for Nintendo, it has not commented on this leak in any capacity. We don’t suspect this will change, for a couple of reasons, but if it does we will update the story accordingly.

For more Nintendo coverage — including all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 news, all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 leaks and rumors, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 speculation — click here.

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Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch OLED users have been warned by fellow users that a recent update to the console is causing all types of problems. With the Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, and support for the current Nintendo Switch slowing down as a result, some Switches out there are no doubt collecting dust. However, those still using the Nintendo Switch — whether to play Super Mario Party Jamboree or The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom or any other game — will want to be wary of the recent 19.0.0 firmware update.

Nintendo has not acknowledged any issues with the Nintendo Switch 19.0.0 update, but over on Reddit, more than one Nintendo Switch owner is reporting peculiarities with their unit since the update was downloaded.

According to more than one Switch user, their Nintendo Switch has had issues running warm, even when at full charge and on the dock hours after it has been used. To this end, the battery appears to be draining quicker, probably because it is running hot.

“Since the latest update to 19.0.0, has anyone else found that your Switch remains warm in sleep, even at full charge on the dock hours after any gameplay,” reads the Reddit post. “It’s as if it isn’t able to reliably and consistently go into full sleep mode anymore. Along with the heat, it seems that faster battery drain can be seen when undocked, since it can’t really sleep anymore.”

This issue is not just being reported by many Switch users, but owners of all three. Not only is this an issue on the standard Nintendo Switch, but there are reports of the issue on Nintendo Switch OLED and Nintendo Switch Lite.

“I thought I was going mad. I’ve been resorting to full power offs. I was worried my Switch was giving up on me,” reads one of the comments on the post above. “I thought I was losing my mind, as both my original V1 switch and OLED does not consistently go to sleep correctly (screen off but running) and I come back to find both of them drained within hours,” adds another comment.

While the majority of reports mention noticing the issue after downloading Update 19.0.0, others have claimed this has been going on longer than this. If this is the case, it could be indicative of a much larger problem with Switch hardware or perhaps an earlier update being the issue. Whatever the case, there are enough documented incidents here to suggest this is not an isolated issue.

At the moment of publishing, there has been no comment on the matter by Nintendo. If this changes, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. In the meantime, for more Nintendo Switch coverage — including all of the latest Nintendo Switch news, all of the latest Nintendo Switch rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch deals — click here.

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Super Mario Party Jamboree is out on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch OLED, and according to its 82 Metacritic, it is one of the best Mario Party games to date. Despite this, there are still some frustrating problems with the game that have been frustrating problems since the inception of the Mario series.

For example, the pace of the game can be very slow at times. Whether its all the loading between different screens or just the general pace of the game, Super Mario Party Jamboree feels as slow moving as previous Mario Party games. However, there is one way to speed it up a little bit.

Over on the Mario Party Reddit page, one fan points out that you don’t have to suffer through the slow text in the game. Many Mario Party fans don’t know this, but there are three options for text speed: Normal, Slow, and Fast. The latter of these three options makes text instantly pop up on the screen, saving you precious times throughout the course of an entire run.

To make this happen, all players need to do is talk to Toad in the Party Plaza. Upon doing this, players will be greeted with the screen below. Once changed, the game will save said change. In other words, this only needs to be done once. Meanwhile, if you change the setting and end up not liking the change, all you need to do is pay ol’ Toad a second visit and change it back or to the third option.

“Thank you so much, I looked this up just now because the slow text was doing my head in… the text slowness is one of the biggest issues for me, glad there was a solution,” reads the top comment on the Reddit post.”

Super Mario Party Jamboree is available via the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch OLED. For more coverage on the new Mario Party game — including all of the latest Super Mario Party Jamboree news, all of the latest Super Mario Party Jamboree rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Super Mario Party Jamboree tips — click here.

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One of the final Nintendo Switch exclusive games is in danger of missing the console entirely after being indefinitely delayed. With the Nintendo Switch 2 release expected to be on the horizon, coming in 2025, not much is coming to the Nintendo Switch over the next few months. Yesterday, Super Mario Party Jamboree released exclusively via the Nintendo Switch. In November, this will be followed up with Mario & Luigi: Brothership. These are notable Nintendo Switch games, but the heavy hitters are no doubt being held for Nintendo Switch 2. This includes the next mainline Zelda game, the next 3D mario, and new mainline installments in series such as Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, and more.

Until the Nintendo Switch 2 releases, it could be slim pickings for Nintendo fans who will rely on third-party releases. To this end, Nintendo fans looking forward to Valley Peaks may not want to hold their breath.

Back in July, Valley Peaks came to PC and PC only. However, as of April 2024, it has also been scheduled to come to Nintendo Switch. And right now, this is the only console it has been announced for, making it a Nintendo Switch console exclusive. That said, this is now in doubt because the Nintendo Switch version is now indefinitely on hold. Previously, it was scheduled to come to Nintendo Switch sometime this year.

According to publisher Those Awesome Guys, the delay is simply the result of “rough times.” However, options to make the Switch port happen are still being looked into, which is why it has not been announced as a cancellation.

“Like many our peers, we’ve been navigating through some rough times over the past year at Those Awesome Guys too and we’re having to reshift our focus internally,” said the developer. “With that in mind, we’re sorry to announce that they Valley Peaks Nintendo Switch (version) has been put on indefinite hold, though we’re still looking into options to make it happen.”

For those unfamiliar with the game, Valley Peaks debuted back on July 24, 2024 via developer Tub Club and publisher Those Awesome Guys. It is the debut release for the former, and apparently quite good. On Steam, for example, it has 105 user reviews, and every single one of these reviews is positive, giving the game a very rare 100 percent approval rating.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and climb once in a while, you could miss it,” reads an official description of the game for those who know nothing about it. Escape the daily grind and journey to Valley Peaks where you can soak in the serene mountain landscape, set in a miniature open world. Climb Mount Shroom, the tallest point in Valley Peaks, or take a stroll through Roston Ranch where the geese may even let you pet them!”

For more Nintendo Switch coverage — including everything between the latest official new Nintendo Switch news to the latest unofficial Nintendo Switch rumors and leaks — click here.

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A new Pokemon leak has revealed a feature that would let Pokemon players create their own custom gyms. Recently, Game Freak, the developer behind Pokemon, was subject to a data breach after someone, yet to be identified, who wasn’t supposed to be in there, got into the Game Freak servers. The result of this hack has been a leak of a scale that the Pokemon community has never seen before. Whether it is previous Pokemon games, current Pokemon games, or future Pokemon games, it has all leaked in some capacity on 4chan, Reddit, X, and many other places.

Included in the leaks has been new information on scrapped content from Pokemon X and Y. To this end, Game Freak, at one point, was planning to give players the ability to create their own original gyms and share them online, where other players would be able to compete in said gyms.

If a player were to conquer said gym, an NPC version of their character could then join the gym, presumably as some trainer inside it future players would have to beat. It sounds like the gym leader would have been selected by the individual who created the gym, though this part isn’t exactly clear.

Why this feature was scrapped, we don’t know. Pokemon fans have been gushing about the potential and possibilities of the feature since it was leaked. Of course, the mainline Pokemon games don’t change much from generation to generation, rarely mixing up the formula. This would have been a major, and presumably very popular, addition though. To this end, the work that would require to implement it, and support it, is possibly why it was canned.

What is worth considering though is that while it was ultimately scrapped from Pokemon X and Y, it could, or at least something similar to it, return in a future game. It is clearly a feature Game Freak considers worth exploring in some capacity, though perhaps the fact it has been missing from each mainline game since suggests it is going to stay in the bin now that it has been put there.

At the moment of publishing, neither Game Freak nor Nintendo nor The Pokemon Company has commented on this specific leak. We don’t expect this to change for a variety of reasons, but if it does, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. In the meantime, for more Pokemon coverage — including all of the latest Pokemon news, all of the latest Pokemon rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Pokemon deals — click here.

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More than eight years after the game’s debut, Pokemon Go will be getting officially licensed gift cards. From the start, these gift cards will be sold through Walmart, at both store locations, as well as online. The gift cards will go on sale on October 20th, in four different increments: $10 (1,250 PokeCoins), $25 (3,300 PokeCoins), $50 (7,000 PokeCoins), and $100 (15,000 PokeCoins). With the holiday season quickly approaching, this could make for a good gift for the Pokemon fan in your life! Well… maybe.

The decision to finally offer Pokemon Go gift cards is part of an expanded partnership between Niantic and Walmart, which will also see more PokeStops and Gyms appearing at store locations. According to the developer, 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart location, so this move should make the game a bit more accessible to players that might not otherwise have a lot of PokeStops and Gyms nearby.

For those unfamiliar with how Pokemon Go‘s currency works, PokeCoins can be used to purchase things like Incubators, storage space, and cosmetics. The game is constantly being updated with new cosmetic options, including things like t-shirts, masks, hats, and other accessories. PokeCoins can also be redeemed for things like Remote Raid passes, which can be used to participate in Raids when it’s not practical to do so in person. PokeCoins can be earned in the game for free by players when they place their Pokemon in Gyms, but there’s a limit of 50 per day that can be earned this way. Since most of these items cost hundreds of coins each, it’s beneficial to have a stockpile!

While Pokemon Go gift cards should be helpful in that regard, potential buyers should be cautioned that the nature of the cards will not make them appropriate for the needs of all players. There are several items in the game’s shop that can only be purchased using real currency. For example, a global ticket to next month’s Pokemon Go Wild Area event costs $11.99 in the game’s shop, and PokeCoins cannot be put towards that total. The same holds true for special research for Community Day events, and there are even item bundles that can only be obtained with a credit card. So while these Pokemon Go gift cards are going to be helpful for some players, there are limitations on what they can actually be used for.

Monetization in Pokemon Go has been a source of controversy for several years now, with some fans expressing frustration with Niantic’s pricing structure. On one hand, the game can still be enjoyed by players with minimal spending, but there are a lot of ways in which players feel that they’ve been gouged by the developers. In particular, last year’s price increase on Remote Raid passes remains a source of frustration for players.

Do you think that Pokemon Go gift cards are a good idea? How do you feel about the game’s monetization? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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The latest batch of Crocs based on the Pokemon franchise is now available to order. This morning, four pairs of Classic Clogs were made available, with each one featuring a popular character from the franchise: Charizard, Gengar, Snorlax, and Jigglypuff. All four designs are priced at $69, and can be purchased from the official Crocs website, or through retailers such as Champs and Foot Locker. Each pair of Crocs features a design inspired by the Pokemon’s coloration. They also come with two different Jibbitz of that character, as well as two Jibbitz that have some kind of connection to the Pokemon itself.

The Croc designs should hold a lot of appeal for Pokemon fans. The Charizard Crocs have a pattern meant to evoke the Pokemon’s fiery typing (and personality), while the Jibbitz show Charizard in both standing and flying poses. The Gengar Crocs have a black and purple color, as well as Jibbitz with both a standard pose and one with the Pokemon’s giant tongue hanging out. The Snorlax design has a blue and white swirl effect, with one Jibbitz featuring the Normal-type raising a hand, while the other Jibbitz shows Snorlax’s mouth wide open, ready to feast. Finally, the Jigglypuff designs are pink and white, evoking its Fairy-typing. The Jibbitz designs should appeal to longtime fans of the anime, as one of them shows Jigglypuff holding its iconic microphone marker!

These four Crocs designs are the latest based on the Pokemon franchise, but there are other offerings on the company’s official website. For that same price, fans can also get the existing black and yellow Pikachu design. Pokemon fans that don’t want to buy a whole new pair of Crocs can also deck out their existing footwear. Jibbitz based on several different Pokemon are available for purchase from the official Crocs website, and include popular characters like Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Psyduck. Each one can be purchased for $4.99. If you aren’t a big fan of the official Croc designs, or the Pokemon that are being offered, it’s a nice way to show your love for the franchise while also spending a little less.

At this time, we don’t know if we can expect any additional Pokemon designs from Crocs, but it will be interesting to see if the company decides to expand its offerings in the future. These aren’t the first Pokemon Crocs that have been offered, but the company has largely stuck to the original 150 Pokemon. It’s possible we could see designs outside of that generation in the future, including popular Pokemon like Lucario or Greninja. It’s even possible we could see some designs themed after new games, like the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A. However, that’s just speculation for the time being, and that could depend on how the current offerings sell!

Do any of these Croc designs appeal to you? Is there a Pokemon you’d like to see get its own Croc design? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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We’ve known for a while now that Universal Epic Universe will open in 2025, but we now have a specific day. This morning, Universal set a May 22, 2025 opening date for the amusement park, which will feature five different worlds for visitors to explore. The park’s major highlight is Super Nintendo World, which will feature rides and attractions based on some of the most popular video games of all-time. The first version of Super Nintendo World in North America had previously opened at Universal Studios Hollywood, but this version will have a little more for visitors to see and do.

In Super Nintendo World, visitors can check out a ride based on Mario Kart, as well as Nintendo-themed restaurants and shops. As previously revealed, the Epic Universe version of Super Nintendo World will not just feature content based on the Super Mario franchise; it will also include a section based on Donkey Kong Country. The Donkey Kong Country area will feature a roller coaster meant to simulate the mine cart levels from the Super Nintendo games, with sections that look like the cart is jumping over broken tracks. There has been speculation that Nintendo and Universal will continue to expand on their partnership with some kind of Zelda content, but nothing has been confirmed at this time.

In addition to Super Nintendo World, Epic Universe will feature areas based on Harry Potter, How to Train Your Dragon, and the Dark Universe. The Dark Universe is the most surprising of these inclusions, as it seems to be loosely based on the failed cinematic universe of the same name. Several years ago, Universal attempted to relaunch its classic Universal Monsters brand in a connected universe, but the attempt fizzled out after the failure of The Mummy (2017). However, the name and concept seems to be making a comeback through the Epic Universe park.

While most sections of Epic Universe are based on various properties, there is one wholly original area that has nothing to do with any previous video games or films. The fifth and final area of Epic Universe is called Celestial Park. According to Universal’s official website, Celestial Park will focus on “sensory delights for all to enjoy together.” This area will feature a lot of greenery and fountains, but visitors can also check out the new Stardust Racers coaster, as well.

All in all, Universal Epic Universe is looking like a pretty exciting new theme park! The Nintendo content is bound to be the biggest draw, especially since it will offer more to see than the version in California. However, it seems like the park should have lots for everyone to enjoy beyond that section. Now that we have an official opening date, hopefully we’ll start to see and learn more over the the next seven months.

Do you plan on checking out Universal’s Epic Universe park? Which section appeals most to you? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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Nintendo Switch Online subscribers — across Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED — can now make use of their Nintendo online membership to download a new, free Super Mario download. That said, the free download is only available for a limited time, or, more specifically, the free Nintendo Switch Online download is only available until October 23, aka next Wednesday.

Of course, the two pillars of Nintendo Switch Online is access to online play, as the name of the subscription service suggests, and access to the Nintendo Switch Online library, complete with retro and nostalgic games from yesteryear. These games includes titles from NES, SNES, Game Boy and more. Meanwhile, those with an Expansion Pack tier get even more access, via additional consoles, such as the N64.

There is more to Nintendo Switch Online though. Meanwhile, for this new free Nintendo Switch Online download, the Expansion Pack tier is not needed. Rather, the offer is available to all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, regardless of the tier of their subscription.

For those that missed it, today the latest major Nintendo Switch exclusive — and also one of the final major Switch exclusives before the Nintendo Switch 2 arrives — Super Mario Party Jamboree releases. To celebrate this release, Nintendo is giving Nintendo Switch Online exclusive access to profile characters, backgrounds, and frames.

As they always do, these profile characters, backgrounds, and frames require Platinum Points to redeem. The former, 10 Platinum Points. The latter two, 5 Platinum Points. Once downloaded though, whatever icons claimed via Nintendo Switch Online are yours to keep. In other words, an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription is not required to retain any icons downloaded via the subscription service.

As for the icons themselves, they features characters and items from Super Mario Party Jamboree. Some of the characters included are Mario, Bowser, Wario, Koopa Troopa, Goomba, and Rosalina.

As the image above indicates, this is just the first wave of Super Mario Party Jamboree icons planned for Nintendo Switch Online. In total, four waves are planned, with the releases set to spread between today and November 13. What characters and more these follow-up icons will feature though, remains to be seen.

As always, you do not need to own Super Mario Party Jamboree to download these Nintendo Switch Online icons. However, if they are ever re-released in the future, owning the game will be a requirement.

For more Nintendo Switch Online coverage — including all of the latest Nintendo Switch Online news, all of the latest Nintendo Switch Online rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch Online deals — click here.

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Analogue, the gaming company known for products such as the Analogue Pocket which lets you play the physical Game Boy games you already own, is revitalizing another retro console with the Analogue 3D. Announced this week, the Analogue 3D will give longtime Nintendo fans a new way to play their collections of Nintendo 64 games on the original cartridges without any kind of emulation whatsoever. The Analogue 3D isn’t fully available just yet, but you’ll be able to preorder it starting on October 21st.

The Analogue 3D will come in either black or white versions to start with and will be compatible with 100% of the Nintendo 64 library, a first for Analogue’s products which sometimes have exceptions in regards to compatibility with old cartridges. It’s region-free as well which means that if you’ve got Nintendo 64 games you’ve collected from a different country, you should have no problem playing those on the Analogue 3D, too.

As Nintendo fans can see from the first look at the Analogue 3D shown above, it’s looking to stay as close to the Nintendo 64 experience as possible save for the controller which lacks the iconic look of the Nintendo peripheral. Analogue calls the Analogue 3D a “milestone in video game preservation” given that it’s usable with every Nintendo 64 game ever.

Analogue products are not typically cheap, however, and the same is true for the Analogue 3D. It’s going to be priced at $249.99 when preorders open on October 21st at 8 a.m. PT which isn’t a terrible price is you’re already accustomed to Analogue (the Analogue Pocket is $219, for example), but you’re still basically buying a new console. The controller shown above is the 8BitDo 64 Controller which costs $39.99 and is not included in an Analogue 3D purchase, but you can plug your existing Nintendo 64 controllers into the Analogue 3D, too, which will probably be the preferred route anyway for any Nintendo 64 enthusiasts looking for an experience closer to the original console.

As far as specs go, the Analogue 3D boasts a 4K HDMI output and both NTSC and PAL support. It’s marketed as being “lag free,” so if you’ve found issues playing your owned Nintendo 64 cartridges on original consoles, the Analogue 3D may remedy those issues. It also features original display modes to mimic the experience of playing on an old CRT TV. For games that might require the use of the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak, you can also play those games without issue since the Expansion Pak support is built into the Analogue 3D.

Nintendo Switch Online does offer digital Nintendo 64 games via some Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions, but those don’t encompass every Nintendo 64 game out there and are naturally subject to digital ownership issues as well. While pricey, the Analogue Pocket in particular has shown Analogue’s support for preservation efforts like these, so if you’ve got a big collection of Nintendo 64 games you’re sitting on, the Analogue 3D sounds like the perfect compliment to those.

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If you think about it, the Pokemon universe is pretty dark. From its megalomaniac villains to its murderous creatures, Pokemon hides a dark history under a cheerful veneer. For years, fans have longed for Pokemon to unpeel its dark side and delve into its uncomfortable lore. And thanks to an unprecedented leak, well – Pokemon fans will never be able to look at Typhlosion the same.

So yeah, read on with caution. A massive Pokemon leak has hit the Internet, and it unpacks tons of information about the IP. From game code to unused sprites and anime projects, the leak touches upon a lot of secrets. One of those secrets references Typhlosion’s origin that is as horrifying as it is wild.

TYPHLOSION’S CONTROVERSIAL ORIGIN STORY

In the leak, files were discovered that address the creation myth of Pokemon, and several stories unpack the early days of mankind and Pokemon. In one of those tales, Typhlosion is brought up. An anecdote claims the creator abducted a girl who got lost in the forest and gaslit her into believing they were a man. And from there, well – things get worse.

To summarize the tale, the story takes readers back into the ancient past when humanity and Pokemon were separate from one another. A young girl goes into the woods to gather goods, but she gets lost. It is there a ‘man’ appears and take her to his home in a cave. Despite the girl’s pleas to return home, the man keeps her in the woods, and they eventually form a sexual relationship. It is not long after that the girl learns this man is really a Typhlosion, and the creature has taken the girl as his wife.

As the story continues, the Typhlosion keeps his wife hidden, and she eventually has a child with the creature. Things intensify when the girl’s father begins searching for her in the woods, leaving Typhlosion to fight the man in hopes of keeping his bride. Typhlosion was killed by the older man, and the girl could only bury her lover before returning to the village.

It was there humans began to pick on the girl’s child as they were half-human, half-Pokemon. This torment lead the child and his mother to embrace their animal side and flee into the woods. From there, the story suggests this incident is what led mankind to realize Typhlosion is part human. So yeah, that is the creation myth behind the fan-fave evolution.

POKEMON IS NOW FACING ITS BIGGEST LEAK IN HISTORY

Clearly, Typhlosion has a dark history, and its origin story takes some wild turns. None of this content was ever meant to surface, but thanks to a historic leak, the Pokemon fandom knows more about Typhlosion than ever before. And given the size of this latest Pokemon leak, fans are worried more unsanctioned info about the IP is on the way.

For those unfamiliar with the issue, a historic Pokemon leak hit the Internet days ago as a netizen claimed to have over a terabyte of data from Game Freak. Since then, a number of unverified leaks about Pokemon have surfaced from unused game assets to scrapped TV series and more. At this time, Game Freak has not addressed the leak, but it did post a note this week confirming it was hit by a hacker.

The studio, which is best known for creating the Pokemon games, said its servers were accessed illegally in August 2024. Game Freak admits its employee’s personal info was leaked at this time. However, no other impacts have been noted by the studio at this time.

What do you make of this wild Pokemon leak? Did you see this Typhlosion myth coming? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

The post Pokemon Leak Outs Typhlosion’s Horrifying (and NSFW) Origin appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Pokemon has been around for decades now, and since its launch, fans have been asking big questions about the series. We know plenty about creature typing and how to raise a competitive team, but bigger topics like Pokemon‘s ‘Big Bang’ have gone unanswered. Now, a massive leak is unpacking answers to those big questions, and its most disturbing reveal has to do with breeding.

And no, we are not talking about the kind of breeding you find in the Pokemon games. It turns out Pokemon can mate with humans, and their offspring went on to make myths. So if you ever wondered why Lucario looked so human, well – that is because the humane genome has been introduced to the Pokemon pool.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A POKEMON MATES WITH A HUMAN?

As you can read below, the stories of Pokemon-Human hybrids are horrifying. You might think they were a joke if they had not come from a confirmed leak. The massive leak has shared gigs of data about the Pokemon video games as well as its anime. Some documents relating to the lore of Pokemon were found as well, and that is how we learned about the original sin of Pokemon breeding with humans.

The complete story, which can be found here, is hard to read given its dark themes. If you want a friendlier breakdown of the original sin, you can read our synopsis of the shocking history below:

Long ago in the distant past, the world did not view humans as allies to Pokemon. In fact, the groups were often opposed. While some people treated Pokemon with kindness, others hunted them for fun and sport. It was one of these latter groups that encountered some Slakoths and tortured them. One of the women in that group was then kidnapped by the Slakoth tribe and forced to look at the creatures her tribe killed. The group’s local Slaking then impregnated the woman who gave birth to a Slakoth once she returned home.

Eventually, the tribe learned about the birth, and they killed the hybrid Slakoth to the dismay of its mother. She killed herself in grief, and from then on, the humans began to treat the Slakoth nicer in honor of their friend.

As history continued, other humans began having relations with Pokemon. Octillery, Lapras, and Typholosion are all mentioned in the leak by name. These hybrids went on to dismantle the cultural bonds between Pokemon and humans. For Octillery, they were assaulted by mankind, and Typhlosion masqueraded as a human to marry a young woman who didn’t know any better. The stories are nothing short of horrific, and it shows just how dark the Pokemon IP can be.

THE NEW POKEMON LEAK IS NOTHING SHORT OF HISTORIC

These disturbing reports are almost too wild to believe, but they come confirmed. Earlier this week, reports surfaced that a massive Pokemon leak had surfaced online as a netizen suggested they had over a terabyte of information from Game Freak. Information from the leak began appearing including proprietary information about the Switch 2 and the upcoming Pokemon gen. From game sprites to unreleased character bios, the leak included it all, and these pieces of lore were included in the files.

As for Game Freak, the game developer has confirmed it was hit with a data breach. In August 2024, the company said its server was accessed illegally, and the personal information of its employees was leaked. In this new statement, Game Freak does not mention the ongoing leak specifically in any way. So for now, fans are keeping an eye on Game Freak and The Pokemon Company to see how (and if) any damage control is on the horizon.

What do you make of this wild Pokemon drop? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

The post Pokemon Leak Outs the Existence of Human-Pokemon Hybrids appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Game Freak — the developer behind Pokemon — was recently hacked. As a result, a metric ton of information about the future of the series, and more, has leaked online. Included is some information about the next mainline Pokemon game, Pokemon Gen 10 as it has been tentatively dubbed by the Internet. Included in these details is some information about the game’s setting.

To this end, those that did not enjoy Pokemon Omega Ruby and Sapphire due to their being too much water may not enjoy the next mainline installment, if this leak is to be believed. As Centro Leaks — citing leaked files in the Game Freak hack — notes, the region of Gen 10 is set to be an archipelago of many islands. This is also something well-known Pokemon leaker, Riddler Khu, also previously teased.

Unfortunately, this is the extent of the details on the game’s region. How many islands make up the archipelago, for example, is not noted. Meanwhile, it is also unclear how much of the map will require water traversing.

For those that don’t know, an archipelago is simply a name for a chain or collection of islands. Some real-world examples include The Bahamas, the Maldives, and Japan.

This wouldn’t be the first time a Pokemon game had a more island setting, but depending on how many islands make up this archipelago, the setting could end up being quite different than any previous setting from any previous game.

All of that said, remember to take everything here with a grain of salt. For now, this is just a leak, not official news. While it is clear this was, or even is, the plan for the next mainline Pokemon game, things change in development all the time. Especially with so much of this game leaked, it is possible Game Freak will go back to the drawing board, though this will only happen if the game’s not too far along in development, which doesn’t appear to be the case.

For more Pokemon coverage — including all of the latest Pokemon news, all of the latest Pokemon rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Pokemon deals — click here.

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Longtime Pokemon franchise developer Game Freak has released a new statement that acknowledges a recent hack the company suffered that resulted in a ton of private information becoming public. Within the past day, details regarding Game Freak’s future plans for the Pokemon series began appearing online after this huge leak became public. The leak didn’t only provide some initial info on Gen 10 of Pokemon, but also shed some light on Nintendo’s new console which fans have dubbed the Switch 2. Now, Game Freak itself has released a response and has indicated what it has done on its end in the wake of this hack.

Posted to its official website, Game Freak said that this hack took place in August 2024 when an unknown third-party accessed the company’s servers. Alongside details regarding future Pokemon games appearing in the leak, Game Freak says that the personal info of roughly 2,600 employees was also obtained as part of the hack. To this end, Game Freak apologized to the employees who have been impacted and said that it’s reaching out to those affected.

Game Freak also said that it has also taken steps to ensure that something like this won’t happen again in the future. The servers that were hacked have since been “rebuilt and re-inspected” so that the company is no longer open to such breaches. It then added that any former employees who may have been impacted should reach out to the Game Freak offices to get help.

For now, it’s still not known just how much data was stolen in this Game Freak hack. Additional details tied to various Pokemon entries both new and old continue to emerge by the hour, which suggests that this could loom over Game Freak and The Pokemon Company for months and years to come. Whether or not any of this information becoming public results in Game Freak announcing its next Pokemon entries a bit ahead of schedule remains to be seen. If there are any major developments in this story in the future, though, we’ll be sure to update you here on ComicBook.

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A cancelled Wii U game is back, this time with a planned Nintendo Switch release. The game in question hails from 2015 and was once planned to release on the Wii U, two years before the Switch even arrived on the scene. This obviously never happened though, but a Nintendo Switch release is set to happen nine years later.

In 2015, the games industry saw the likes of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Rocket League, Bloodborne, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Undertale, Fallout 4, Rainbow Six Siege, Halo 5 Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Dying Light, Splatoon, Cities Skylines, Kerbal Space Program, Super Mario Maker, Helldivers, Ori and Blind Forest, Her Story, Until Dawn, and more release. It was a pretty packed year.

In 2015, Forgotten Memories also released via iOS and Android. As a mobile-only release, it went under the radar. However, it is apparently not that bad, or at least that is what its 72 on Metacritic suggests.

The version coming to the Nintendo Switch though is not the original version, but a remaster featuring “tons of new stuff and improvements.” And it is coming pretty soon, alongside a release on mobile platforms, on October 28.

“In Forgotten Memories, you take on the role of Rose Hawkins, a determined police detective who finds herself caught in a web of enigmatic events while investigating a strange case,” reads an official description of the game for those unfamiliar with it. “As Rose wakes up in an eerie unfamiliar place, she encounters Noah, a mysterious and striking woman who offers her a deal. This precarious alliance promises to aid Rose in her investigation but at what cost?”

To this day, it remains unclear why the game never came to Wii U, but those were anticipating it since it was announced for the platform in 2013 will soon be able to finally play it on a Nintendo console.

For more Nintendo coverage — including all of the latest Nintendo Switch news, all of the latest Nintendo Switch rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch deals — click here.

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A massive leak related to new Pokemon projects including Gen 10 and what’s assumed to be a multiplayer game has also finally given us an idea of the Nintendo Switch 2’s codename. According to the leak, the Nintendo Switch 2 is being referred to internally as “Ounces” (or “Ounce” depending on who’s sharing the leaks) which is a name that we’ve heard before in regards to the Nintendo Switch successor, but only in passing. The same leak that talked about the Nintendo Switch 2 being codenamed Ounce also indicated, unsurprisingly, that the Gen 10 Pokemon game is indeed in development for the next Nintendo Switch.

The Pokemon games and their developer, Game Freak, seem to have suffered from a pretty substantial leak that’s making the rounds online right now. Within screenshots of files and findings being shared online, it’s been confirmed by multiple Nintendo and Pokemon-focused Twitter accounts that there are references to the Nintendo Switch 2 being called “Ounces.”

The leak just broke free this weekend, so people are still taking time to look through everything that was discovered involving Gen 10, a multiplayer Pokemon game, what’s said to be the source code for Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2, and much more. Given that we’re in the very early hours of the leak, it’s unclear if there’ll be more in the discoveries strictly related to the Nintendo Switch 2 or if Ounces is as much as we’ll get out of it.

This also isn’t the first time that the codename has been referenced in regards to the Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo insiders such as Pyoro and Necrolipe have said before that the codename was Ounces (or again, “Ounce” sometimes), so it seems we now have a much more definitive answer as to what Nintendo’s calling the Switch 2 internally.

During this month alone, there’s been plenty of speculation regarding when Nintendo might finally unveil the Nintendo Switch successor, let alone release it. October is a month that supposed insiders have pointed to in regards to a potential announcement, but so was September, so it’s anyone’s guess at this point when we’re going to actually hear something about the Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo recently announced a new Nintendo Switch Online feature being tested that some think could be related to the Nintendo Switch 2, but as we’ve seen from Nintendo before, it could be something completely unrelated.

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It appears Pokemon developer Game Freak has been hacked, and as a result a couple of unannounced Pokemon games have leaked. More specifically, Gen 10 — which is to say, the next mainline Pokemon game — and a new online MMO. Unfortunately, the leak does not include any media of either game, but rather leaks their existence, their codenames, and some details. Meanwhile, source code for older Pokemon games has also leaked online as part of this hack.

The new MMO is reportedly in development under the codename “Synapse” and is being made in collaboration with Game Freak and ILCA. Details on it are scarce, other than that it is an MMO and “battle-focused.” Some sources are also describing the game as similar to Splatoon, but it’s unclear in what ways and where exactly in the leak this is conveyed.

Meanwhile, Pokemon Gen 10 is reportedly being developed under the codename “Gaia.” Like the new MMO, it is being made for the Nintendo Switch 2, which is codenamed Ounce according to this same leak. If this is true, the earliest we will see these games is next year, which is when the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to release, at least according to a plethora of rumors.

In addition to leaking new games, the leak has flooded the Internet with the source code for both Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver, as well as Pokemon Black and White 2.

The origins of this Game Freak leak are currently unclear, but it is quickly being spread all over the Internet. In the process, it has also been validated by a few reliable sources. Meanwhile, accounts that have shared the leak are starting to go private, likely in anticipation that Nintendo and The Pokemon Company will begin to issue DMCA claims. So far, there has no evidence of this happening though.

At the moment of publishing, Game Freak nor The Pokemon Company nor Nintendo have commented on this leak and speculation it has created. We don’t suspect this to change for a variety of reasons, but if it does, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. In the meantime, be sure to take everything here with a grain of salt. While it is hard to question the validity of the leak itself, as it provides overwhelming evidence, including a boatload of personal and private files, it is possible the files are old, and thus potentially inaccurate. For all we know, these projects have been canned, but the files do seem to indicate they are in ongoing development.

For more Pokemon coverage — including all of the latest Pokemon news, all of the latest Pokemon rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Pokemon deals — click here.

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Nintendo fans can now play the next big Nintendo Switch exclusive early. With the Nintendo Switch 2 — the next Nintendo console — on the horizon, support for the Nintendo Switch is coming to an end. And this has shown on the games front. Not only are fewer games now releasing on Nintendo Switch, but Nintendo’s own output has slowed down a trickle of largely smaller releases. The next mainline Zelda game, the next 3D Mario game, the next Mario Kart, and more are all now being held for the next Nintendo console.

There are some Nintendo Switch games to look forward to though. To this end, a fairly major release from Nintendo is hitting Nintendo Switch next week on October 17. Before that happens though, a free demo for the game has been released.

The game in question is Super Mario Party Jamboree, the latest Mario Party game for the Nintendo Switch. While the game still hasn’t received a demo on the Nintendo eShop, which is unlikely to happen at this point, it has received an in-person demo at more than one retailer.

The demo is specifically available at GameStop, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target for those interested in checking out the Nintendo Switch exclusive early. Unfortunately, the demo is limited to just ten minutes. During it, players can check out Minigame Bay and Kooplathon, though the latter is limited to Showdown Minigame, Free Play, Battle, Daily Challenge, Survival, and Tag Match. Overall, it features 110 different minigames.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is set to release on October 17, priced at $59.99. When it releases, it will be exclusive to Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED. Those interested can read more about the game below:

“Join the latest Mario Party, a jamboree of seven boards and over 110 minigames,” reads an official description of the game. “From running through merry-go-rounds to motion-control minigolf, this jamboree is jam-packed with more minigames than any Mario Party game to date. With seven boards in all, you can go with the flow in Goomba Lagoon, search the mall for stars in Rainbow Galleria, or revisit the classics of Western Land and Mario’s Rainbow Castle.”

For more Nintendo coverage — including all of the latest Nintendo Switch news, all of the latest Nintendo Switch rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch deals — click here.

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According to a new — and outlandish — rumor, Pokemon Gen 10, the next mainline Pokemon game, will reboot the series and “change things drastically.” Nintendo has yet to reveal the follow-up to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. And there are likely a few reasons for this. One, the focus is currently Pokemon Legends: Z-A. And two, it is going to be a Nintendo Switch 2 game, which itself has yet to be revealed. In the absence of official details though, rumors run amok.

The latest raises a few red flags, but yet has caught the attention of Pokemon fans on social media platform X and elsewhere. And one of the reasons it has the attention of many is the massive claims it makes about Pokemon Gen 10.

According to the rumor, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is going to “the final game set in the old timeline.” After it, starting with Gen 10, “the franchise will undergo a reboot.”

“This new era of the Pokemon franchise sets out to innovate on the old formula by changing things drastically and completely abandoning old mechanics such as the turn-based battle system,” claims the rumor.

Adding to this, it is claimed Gen 10 “will take place in a brand new timeline separate from the one we’ve seen from Gens 1-9 and will act as a renaissance for the whole franchise.” Concluding this, the rumor claims this is fitting because the game is set to take place in an Italian-inspired region.

Now, is any of this true? Well, right now there is no way to validate or invalidate the rumor. However, it raises some red flags. For one, the source is 4chan and someone who says they work for The Pokemon Company. To this end, why would anyone in this position risk their job, and potentially more, to leak some early info on 4chan? The other red flag is the source claims they don’t work directly on the games, but yet they have a ton of intel on both Pokemon Gen 10 and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. This seems to be a contradiction.

All of that said, while more often than not these type of rumors are bogus, sketchier and less likely rumors have turned out true in the past so they can never be written off completely. Still, take everything here with a grain of salt.

It is difficult to imagine The Pokemon Company making such drastic changes to a formula that continues to print money for it. History, and business sense, suggests Pokemon Gen 10 will be right in-line with previous games. Only time will tell though.

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Like pretty much every other first-party Nintendo release, Mario & Luigi: Brothership for the Nintendo Switch will come with a couple of different preorder bonuses when it launches. Those of course differ depending on where you’re buying it from, but it seems that at least Target, Best Buy, and GameStop will all have incentives unique from one another. Nintendo knows that its buyers are big on these preorder bonuses, too, so ahead of Mario & Luigi: Brothership‘s November 7th release date, Nintendo has already shown off these physical collectibles.

Unfortunately for many Mario & Luigi: Brothership buyers, one of the best preorder bonuses of all isn’t going to be available to everyone. While the “best” one is of course totally subjective, a French retailer has a preorder bonus up for grabs that’s a whole Steelbook featuring both Mario and Luigi on either side. Tough news for anyone who’s not picking up a copy of the Nintendo Switch game from Micromania, but for everyone else, here’s what you can get by preordering the game:

Best Buy

Like the other preorder bonuses for Mario & Luigi: Brothership, the one for Best Buy is a pretty familiar collectible as far as these things go. Best Buy is offering a shareable pin set featuring — you guessed it — Mario and Luigi so that you can keep one and pass one off to a buddy, or just keep both for yourself.

Best Buy’s deal is live as of now and will be available through the time that the Nintendo Switch game launches. It’s only available online, however, so don’t expect to be getting any of these pin sets in physical Best Buy stores.

GameStop

GameStop’s preorder bonus for Mario & Luigi: Brothership continues the trend of keeping half for yourself, if you’re inclined. In a nearly identical style as the Best Buy one, GameStop’s is an acrylic keychain set instead of a pair of pins.

You can see GameStop’s preorder bonus above, but the listing for the game dos not include anything about the preorder incentive at this time. Presumably, this’ll work like pretty much every other GameStop where you pick up the physical collectible in-store when the game releases, or you’ll get it shipped to you with the game.

Target

Last but not least is Target’s Mario & Luigi: Brothership bonus. It’s not the least by any means since it’s at least different from the other two, but it’s also one that’s a bit iffy in terms of whether or not you’ll actually be able to get one.

Target is giving away a magnetic photo frame set featuring both Mario and Luigi, but you can only get this one in stores on November 7th when the game releases. Target is big on doing that for other games as well, so this is par for the course, but people have shared anecdotes before that showed actually getting the bonus was a tossup since you have to hope the store you visit has the collectibles at all.

The post All Mario & Luigi: Brothership Preorder Bonuses (and Where to Get Them) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

For the first time since its release on Nintendo Switch last month, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has been put on sale. The new Legend of Zelda game just released on Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED back on September 26. Further, Nintendo-made games rarely go on sale, let alone quickly go on sale.

To this end, it should come as no surprise this deal does not come directly from Nintendo via the Nintendo eShop, but from a retailer. More specifically, it comes the way of Woot. This means the deal is not for a digital copy, but a physical copy of the Nintendo Switch exclusive.

Right now, to buy The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, on the Nintendo eShop, and just about every major retailer, Switch users need to fork over $59.99, the same price they had to at launch and probably will have to fork over until at least the holiday season. On Woot though, the game is currently $51.99.

According to Woot, this deal is live until October 18 or until supplies run dry, whichever comes first. How close we are to the latter, we don’t know. It is available right now though, and as always, ships via Amazon, which means Amazon Prime subscribers get free shipping.

For those not caught on the latest with Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is the first mainline game in the series where players play as Zelda, the princess, rather than Link. And apparently it is pretty good, as evident by an 86 on Metacritic.

“The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom doesn’t quite manage to deliver the level of freedom seen in 3D entries like Tears of the Kingdom, but it’s hard to complain about some rigid puzzle elements when the game has opened things up so much,” reads a snippet from our own review of the game. “Clearly, Nintendo’s developers are looking for ways to blend the new and old, and this is another part of that journey. The Echo system is a pleasure to use, the world is more attractive than the last Zelda game, and there’s a lot of content in this package. The result is a 2D Zelda game perfectly tailored for fans that first discovered the series with Breath of the Wild. That said, whether you’re a longtime Zelda fan, or someone newer to the series, Echoes of Wisdom is a bold step forward for the 2D entries in the franchise. It took decades for Zelda to have a great game to call her own, but the result is worth celebrating.”

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Believe it or not, Nintendo’s new “Alarmo” alarm clock already has a day-one update that users can download. Revealed in the past day, Nintendo Alarmo is currently only being sold at the Nintendo Store in New York City and online to those with Nintendo Switch Online memberships. And while it’s likely in the hands of very few Nintendo fans to this point, Nintendo has the hardware’s version 2.0 firmware ready to go.

As a whole, this first system update for Nintendo Alarmo doesn’t seem to do a whole lot. Nintendo has primarily added a “Moderate Mode” and “Movement Mode” to the alarm clock, which gives it a couple of additional features that it wouldn’t have out of the box. It has also included a new ability to define how far away your bed might be with the Alarmo’s sensor. All of this combined with the Nintendo special of “general system stability improvements” headline this day-one patch.

When it comes to the manner in which Nintendo Alarmo has to be updated, Nintendo has also provided guidance on this process. Once Alarmo is connected to the internet, users can navigate to its menu and turn the dial to reach the “Add Alarms” section. From here, you’ll be able to follow some additional prompts to update Alarmo to its latest software.

Moving forward, Nintendo has also made clear that it will add new features and functions to Alarmo over time. In its reveal video for the device, it informed fans that additional sounds and music from Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would eventually arrive in the form of a free update. For now, details on when these inclusions to Alarmo might release haven’t been given, but we’ll surely learn more when the device begins being sold at retailers in 2025.

Until then, you can get a look at the full patch notes for this Nintendo Alarmo update attached below.

Nintendo Alarmo Version 2.0.0 Update Patch Notes

• Added “Moderate Mode” as a new Mode option.
• Added “Movement Record” as a new Records feature.
  • This will automatically display in Records if you go to bed during “Bedtime.”
  • You can set this to On or Off in the “Records” menu on the device.
• “Distance from bed” can now be set to 20in/50cm max for Queen and King size beds.
• When “Check Sensor Zone” is run, an estimated “position of movement” will now be displayed.
• General system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.

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Gamers, and specifically Nintendo gamers, gather ‘round… Woot, Amazon’s discount site, has slashed the prices on a TON of different games. If you’ve been waiting to stock up on your collection, or maybe you just picked up a brand-new Nintendo Switch, now’s a great time to pick up some fantastic titles. Check out the list below. 

• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: Left alone, it’s up to Princess Zelda to save her kingdom in a brand-new adventure in The Legend of Zelda series! Now $51.99 – 13% off! See here at Woot
• Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!: Travel through the Kanto region using the new joy-con controller mechanic to catch pokémon of all types, and with Pikachu on your shoulder! Now $39.99 – 33% off! See here at Woot
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: The classic fighting platform game, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, includes 74 fighters and 104 different stages! Now $42.99 – 28% off! See here at Woot
• Pokémon Legends: Arceus: “Action meets RPG in this new take on the Pokémon series.” Now $44.99 – 25% off! See here at Woot
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land: “Explore a mysterious world with abandoned structures, remnants of a past civilization. Copy enemies’ abilities like the new Drill and Ranger and use them to attack and explore. They can even be evolved to become stronger!” Now $39.99 – 33% off! See here at Woot
• Mario Party Superstars: “Bring the party on 5 classic boards from the Nintendo 64 Mario Party games.” Now $39.99 – 33% off! See here at Woot
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder: “Find wonder in the Flower Kingdom in the next side-scrolling Super Mario adventure. Collect Wonder Flowers for surprising, game-changing effects like pipes coming alive, an enemy stampede, and much, much more.” Now $44.99 – 25% off! See here at Woot
• Princess Peach: Showtime!: Peach gets her own game for the very first time! Now $44.99 – 25% off See here at Woot
• Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Steelbook Launch Edition: “The Definitive Version of Shin Megami Tensei V: Fully evolved with stunning visuals for modern consoles, the dark lore, unnerving atmosphere, and beautiful and monstrous demons are back and better than ever. Massively expanded with new areas, demons, and music, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance features more accessible gameplay, an improved battle system, new demon experiences, and greater field exploration.” Now $31.99 – 47% off! See here at Woot

At the time of writing, these deals have 8 days left before they’re gone. It’s also important to note that these items will include free shipping for all Amazon Prime members. The delivery dates are currently estimated for October 21-23.

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Star Wars: Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles is getting new life with a re-release on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X on January 23, 2025. The new release is an enhanced version of the original 2000 Star Wars game of the same name.

For those that don’t know: Star Wars: Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles was released on the PS1, then the Sega Dreamcast and Game Boy Advance, back in 2000 via LucasArts. Upon release, it didn’t review that well, nor did it hang with some of the Star Wars commercial hits of this tine. Yet, Aspyr clearly thinks there is enough interest to re-release it because that is exactly what it is doing, making it the latest Star Wars re-release from the developer.

“Take back the Theed Palace in this fast and furious lightsaber action game,” reads an official blurb about the game. “You will have the power of the Force and your trusty lightsaber to help you ward off legions of battle droids, destroyer droids, assassins, and other creatures from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.”

The game’s official description continues: “Play as Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon, Adi Gallia, or Qui-Gon Jinn facing off against droids and other familiar foes from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Or, play as one of the previously locked characters such as Darth Maul, Captain Panaka, Queen Amidala, Ki-Adi Mundi, and the Battle Droid, now available from the start!”

The re-release will include two-player couch co-op and a new game plus mode. Meanwhile, players will have the option to use new, modern controls or use the classic controls.

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A new update from a Nintendo insider has given Nintendo fans hope that the Nintendo Switch 2 will still be revealed this month. The latest Nintendo Switch 2 rumor is like many before it, offering insight about when Nintendo could reveal its new console. Based on previous teases from Nintendo, and a plethora of rumors and leaks, this new Nintendo console will be a new Nintendo Switch, or, more specifically, a successor to the Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED. The big questions are when will the console be revealed and when will it be released? The latest rumor about the Nintendo Switch 2 offers minimal insight into when the console will release, but it does touch upon the reveal of the machine.

Yesterday, Nintendo announced a new $100 alarm clock called the Alarmo. After this happened, a couple of sources came out and claimed the October hardware reveal they heard about must have been this alarm clock, and not the Nintendo Switch 2, dashing any hopes the Switch 2 would be revealed this month. According to one source though, the Alarmo is not what they heard about through the grapevine.

More specifically, NateTheHate, a well-known Nintendo source, recently clarified that what they have been hearing about is not the new Nintendo alarm clock.

“Based on the contents of the trailer and details I was sent (assuming it was credible/real info)… no, this was not it,” said the leaker. “Once I’m able to verify it as legit/false, I’ll share the specifics I was given and allow people the opportunity to understand what I was waiting to see be shown in a game trailer.”

This is in regard to a previous claim made by the insider, back in August, about a mysterious Nintendo Switch 2 game trailer.

Unfortunately, this is the extent of the update, which is a little bit hesitant to make any strong commitment. For now, take everything here with a grain of salt. So far, the vast majority of those speaking in alleged details about the Switch 2 have been wrong, and Nate the Hate has been no exception.

For what it is worth, Nate the Hate is not saying the Switch 2 will be revealed this month, but is simply pointing out the media they have obtained, tied to the reveal of the console, is not anything related to the Alarmo. Of course, if there are Nintendo Switch 2 game trailers been circulated among leakers, it would suggest a Switch 2 reveal is sooner rather than later, but this is just speculation.

For more Nintendo Switch 2 speculation — and all other types of unofficial news, as well as official news, about the machine — click here.

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Nintendo has announced that it will soon be adding a new feature to its Nintendo Switch Online service, but it won’t tell fans what it is. Since launching Switch Online many years ago, Nintendo has slowly been rolling out new features for the platform. Most prominently, this has included the implementation of games from Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis, and other platforms that can be played through certain tiers of Switch Online. Now, Nintendo is ready to evolve the service further and is looking for fans to help.

In a new post on Nintendo’s website, it was revealed that a “Playtest Program” for Nintendo Switch Online will begin taking place later this month on October 23rd. Nintendo says that the purpose of this program is to test something new that will soon be added to Switch Online. Prior to rolling it out properly, though, Nintendo is looking for current Switch Online subscribers to take part in a beta of sorts. Further details on what exactly is being tested wasn’t shared, but those looking to sign up for the Playtest Program can begin doing so tomorrow, October 10th, until October 15th.

“We will perform a test called Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program related to a new feature for the Nintendo Switch Online service offered for the Nintendo Switch system,” the company wrote. “We will recruit people to participate in this test from customers who have an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. Customers will need to download exclusive software to their own Nintendo Switch system in order to participate.”

This news from Nintendo comes about at a time when fans are particularly on edge about the Switch 2 and its potential reveal. While Nintendo has remained dodgy for months on end about the Switch 2, it’s widely anticipated that the hardware will be shown off at some point before 2024 comes to a close. Whether or not this new Nintendo Switch Online feature has anything to do with laying the groundwork for the Switch 2 isn’t known, but the correlation between the two is one that many are likely to draw.

Whatever this is, it seems likely that Nintendo will formally announce this new feature for Switch Online relatively soon. Once Switch Online users actually begin testing the feature in question, it will surely begin to leak if it hasn’t already been announced. As such, whenever Nintendo chooses to formally convey more about these upcoming changes to Nintendo Switch Online, we’ll be sure to let you know here on ComicBook.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 could be announced as soon as tomorrow, October 10th, if a wild new conspiracy theory turns out to be accurate. For months, Nintendo fans have continued to wonder when the famed Japanese publisher would finally reveal its successor to the Switch. To this point, Nintendo has said virtually nothing at all on the subject other than broadly confirming that it is working on a new console that will be similar in nature to the Switch. Now, one eagle-eyed user on Reddit has pointed out some interesting discoveries that could point to an impending announcement.

In an extensive post on the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit, user BumblerInteractive69 asserted that one of the mods of the subreddit could secretly be someone who actually works for Nintendo. This mod, who goes by the name MacksNotCool, recently shared a new meme on the site that essentially claimed Nintendo is dropping hints on X/Twitter about when the Switch 2 will be revealed. In doing so, it attached screenshots of said posts from X, one of which BumblerInteractive69 noticed contained a link to “view post engagements”. This option only appears on X if one has access to the account that actually shared the post, which suggests the only reason MacksNotCool would be able to see this is if they’re a social manager for Nintendo.

“You can only ‘View post engagements’ if you are logged into the account the post is from. But this post is from Nintendo of America,” BumblerInteractive69 wrote. “And, before you ask, I checked. This isn’t from an official Nintendo website. They did not screenshot this. In-fact a reverse image search does not bring back the image. It’s ‘Mack’ (if that even is ‘his’ real name)’s completely original screenshot that shows ‘him’ logged in to Nintendo’s X.”

To further verify this assertion, BumblerInteractive69 also noted that MacksNotCool has additional subreddits created for “Nintendo Shift”, “Nintendo Switch 3”, and “Nintendo Alarmo” on Reddit already. There is no real reason for these subreddits to already be registered, unless Nintendo itself wants to squat on them in advance for one reason or another. “Nintendo Shift” is also a particularly strange subreddit to have claimed given that there is no such product with this name just yet.

When it comes to the potential reveal of the Switch 2, the reason it’s believed an announcement could happen tomorrow, October 10th, is because some of Nintendo’s most recent posts on X have started with “10/10 landing” and “Wake up!”. Some users of the subreddit believe that if MacksNotCool is really an account run by someone at Nintendo, it could be drawing attention to this as a way of teasing the Switch 2’s reveal without doing so on Nintendo’s official channels.

So just how feasible is everything that’s being outlined here? Well, it’s definitely strange. There are some big questions to be had with some of what has been highlighted with this MacksNotCool account on Reddit. Still, there are some posts and comments stemming from this user account since its creation in 2021 that a representative from Nintendo almost certainly wouldn’t say. For that reason, in particular, it’s safe to assume that MacksNotCool is just some regular person and isn’t in any way associated with Nintendo.

In all likelihood, this is just another crazy Nintendo Switch 2 theory from Reddit that is again trying to pinpoint when the console will be shown off. Switch 2 rumors and theories have been a dime a dozen for well over a year at this point and this just happens to be the latest one that is gaining traction. Still, it’s fun to believe that tomorrow could finally bring about some news on the Switch 2 even if the more likely scenario will just result in fans being left waiting once again.

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In true Nintendo fashion, while everyone waits on an impending Nintendo Switch 2 announcement, Nintendo has gone ahead and announced something completely unrelated and unexpected: Alarmo. Alarmo, as its name suggests, is an alarm clock, one that’ll wake you up in the mornings with “immersive sounds and music” as well as an interactive element like you waving your hand at the clock to shush it or some other movements with different results. The Alarmo alarm clock will first be available for $100 from Nintendo’s store for those who sign into their accounts and will later be available at other retailers next year.

The Alarmo alarm clock lets you configure certain settings such as Nintendo characters that’ll appear during the wake-up process. They’ll visit you periodically as you ignore your alarm to essentially replicate the snooze function of a normal alarm clock. You can wave your hand or just move around to quiet the alarm which means there’s some sort of camera or sensor element at play here.

“After a few seconds, someone (or some thing!) from the scene you picked will appear,” Nintendo said about the new Alarmo clock. “Wave your hand or move your body to make the clock quieter. Depending on the title you’ve choosen, you might also hear coins or other familiar game sounds when you interact with Alarmo.”

Eventually, if you keep sleeping, you’ll be visited by someone “more persuasive,” like Bowser himself. Once you finally do wake up, you’ll be greeted by a celebration on the clock’s face rewarding you for getting out of bed.

Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Ring Fit Adventure, Pikmin 4, and Spatoon 3 are the games that are so far supported as options you can pick from when configuring your Alarmo’s settings. Nintendo said that more games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons will become available during post-launch updates for Alarmo.

Nintendo’s Alarmo clock will first be available through the My Nintendo Store and at in-person Nintendo stores and will be sold by retailers “in early 2025.”

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A new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update has just been dropped by Nintendo, surprising all that still play the game on Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED. This is the first SSBU update released since February, and comes as a complete surprise. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to the update. Nintendo previously announced it was done with support for SSBU, and this isn’t a deter from that commitment. There isn’t any new content or any new features. It is an update out of nowhere though.

In addition to releasing the update, Nintendo has gone ahead and provided the patch notes for the update as well. It is possible the update does more than what the patch notes note, but if it doesn’t, then the update does one thing, which is fix an issue with Global Smash Power.

More specifically, according to the patch notes for the new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update — Update 13.0.3 — all the update does is fix the issue with Global Smash Power where it would not return to appropriate levels when the connection was disrupted with specific timing at the end of the match.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Update 13.0.3 Patch Notes:

• Fixed an issue in which Global Smash Power would not return to appropriate levels when the connection was disrupted with specific timing at the end of a match.

Whether this will be the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update, probably not. The game still commands a fairly decent player base and while Nintendo will not support with any further content or features, it needs to keep the game up and running. To this end, when problems like this one arise, it will need to fix them. That said, it could be months, if not a year before we see another update considering the last before this one was back in February.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available via the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch only. For more coverage on the Switch exclusive — including all of the latest SSBU news, all of the latest SSBU rumors and leaks, and all of the latest SSBU speculation — click here.

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One of the highest-rated Nintendo Switch games published by Nintendo itself has started to vanish from various storefronts. Despite being over seven years old, some of the oldest Switch games are still sold as new at just about every retail chain. Games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Super Mario Odyssey can all be picked up now in a brand-new capacity. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like this will hold true much longer for one of its best games.

Noted by @Nintendeal, new copies of Metroid Dread seem to have disappeared from stores that include Best Buy, Target, and GameStop. While it’s still up for grabs at Amazon and Walmart, the Switch exclusive is only being sold elsewhere in a pre-owned capacity at GameStop or as a digital code that can be redeemed on the Switch eShop. Nintendo itself hasn’t explained why it’s doing this, but it’s likely because Metroid Dread hasn’t sold at as high of a rate compared to other Switch games, which has led to it naturally printing fewer copies. 

All of this is to say, if you’re a collector of physical Switch games, you might want to consider picking up Metroid Dread if you haven’t done so already. While there’s no danger of the game becoming outright unplayable, physical versions could start to become a bit more rare in the years ahead as there won’t be as many copies in circulation. 

Released in 2021, Metroid Dread was reviewed incredibly well and sits at an impressive 88/100 aggregate score on Metacritic. Longtime Metroid fans were just as happy with Dread as well as it sits at an 8.8/10 user score on the site. This makes it one of the most acclaimed Nintendo games to be released on the Switch throughout the hardware’s lifecycle, which is saying a lot given how strong the platform’s library has been. 

If you’re unfamiliar with Metroid Dread and would like to learn more about the latest entry in the Nintendo franchise, you can check out its synopsis and gameplay trailer below. 

Metroid Dread

“Upon investigating a mysterious transmission on Planet ZDR, Samus faces a mysterious foe that traps her in this dangerous world. The remote planet has been overrun by vicious alien lifeforms and murderous robots called E.M.M.I. Hunt or be hunted as you make your way through a labyrinth of enemies in Samus’ most intense side-scrolling adventure yet.

Guide Samus Aran, an intergalactic bounty hunter raised by an ancient tribe, and traverse the many environments of a dangerous world. Parkour over obstacles, slide through tight spaces, counter enemies, and battle your way through the planet. Through her countless missions, Samus has never experienced a threat like the dread of ZDR.

Gain abilities and return to previous areas to find new areas and hidden upgrades in classic Metroid gameplay. Planet ZDR’s sprawling map is home to many secrets to discover and powers to find. You’ll need to be prepared to evade and destroy E.M.M.I. robots and overcome the dread plaguing ZDR.”

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Nintendo has released a new Nintendo Switch firmware update that will require a download from Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED users. Moments ago, Nintendo specifically released the Nintendo Switch update 19.0.0, and it requires a download. Whether on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, or Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Switch owners will need to download the update to fully utilize their machine. This includes launching online games, using Nintendo Switch Online, or accessing the Nintendo eShop.

Typically, round numbers — like a 19.0.0 release — are usually meatier updates complete with new bells and whistles. The Nintendo Switch is at the end of its lifespan though. Further, what Nintendo is doing to the console that is notable is probably preparing it for the release of its successor, the rumored Nintendo Switch 2, which is supposedly going to be revealed later this year and release sometime next year.

If the Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be backward compatible with the current Switch — which is going to be the case, according to rumors — Nintendo will need to prepare the current console for this. To this end, Nintendo may be doing that, but even if it was, it would never acknowledge this. So, there could be more going on with this update, but it is not reflected in the official patch notes for the update.

The official patch for the new Nintendo Switch update make one single note, just like the previous updates to the console. More specifically, the patch notes make note of “general system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.” And this is all they make note of.

At this point, there is no reason to expect any more significant Nintendo Switch updates. Nintendo seems done with the console. The console will still receive updates to keep it safe from backending and to fix various issues as they pop up, but the days of noteworthy Nintendo Switch updates seem to be over.

All of that said, dataminers will be picking through the files of this update over the coming days. Whether they will find anything interesting, remains to be seen, but it does happen quite often.

Heading into the release of 19.0.0, some were hopeful there would be something noteworthy because it was going to be a nice, new round number. Meanwhile, others were hoping for some Nintendo Switch 2 crumbs. So far, this update provided neither on both of these fronts.

For all of our previous and extensive Nintendo Switch coverage — including all of the latest Nintendo Switch news, all of the latest Nintendo Switch rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch deals — click here.

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According to a new Nintendo rumor, the reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 has been delayed. The new rumor claims the original plan was for Nintendo to reveal its new Nintendo Switch console sometime this week, but this is no longer the plan, or at least that is what the rumor claims. This comes after a plethora of rumors that claimed a September/early October reveal was in the works.

The source of the new rumor is Un café con Nintendo, a source that previously was in on these aforementioned rumors that the console was going to be revealed in the aforementioned window. In other words, they’ve been recently wrong, though whether that is because their intel is faulty or because plans changed, we don’t know.

The source claims it is the latter though. According to the Nintendo podcast, the Nintendo Switch 2 was going to be revealed this coming week, but now this is no longer the plan. What is not mentioned is when the new reveal will be.

As you may remember, the first Nintendo Switch was revealed on October 20, 2016 before being released in March of 2017. It is still possible the Nintendo Switch 2 will repeat this reveal and release formula, but time is running out for this happen. Of course, the longer it takes for the console to be revealed, the more it means it is likely to be released deeper into 2025 and not earlier like many rumors are suggesting for the simple fact Nintendo will want to get in a proper marketing campaign for the console and the games releasing on it.

Right now, it seems everyone is guessing when the Nintendo Switch 2 will be revealed. Of course, some within Nintendo know the planned date, and some of its partners as well, but these things are fluid. As a result, even if someone in the know leaks the date ahead of time, it doesn’t mean this date will stick. These type of events get moved around substantially before they are officially announced.

At the moment of publishing, Nintendo has not commented on any of this speculation. Considering it almost never comments on rumors and speculation, we do not suspect this will change, but if it does, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. In the meantime, for more Nintendo Switch coverage — including all of the latest official Nintendo Switch news, all of the latest unofficial Nintendo Switch rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch deals — click here.

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A well-known Pokemon insider has potentially leaked the starters for Pokemon Legends: Z-A. The Pokemon Company, Game Freak, and Nintendo announced Pokemon Legends: Z-A back in February with little to no details. Currently, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is slated to release sometime in 2025 via the Nintendo Switch, and likely the Nintendo Switch 2 as well, though this second part has not been confirmed. If the plan is still to release the new Pokemon game in 2025 though, then details about it will have to be revealed sooner rather than later. Why? Well, because 2025 isn’t very far away, and Nintendo will no doubt like several months of marketing, at the very least. To facilitate this, the game will be need to resurface soon. 

Unfortunately, we still don’t have any official details, but we do have a new rumor about the game. The rumor comes the way of a prolific Pokemon leaker, Riddler Khu, a source that is fairly reliable. They are also usually very cryptic though, and the latest rumor is no exception. 

Over on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Khu cryptically posted, “3 5 8” with no additional details or context. There is no definitive decipher of this apparent tease, but many think it is a tease at the starters of Pokemon Legends: Z-A. 

To this end, many assume the first number is in reference to a Grass starter, the second a Fire starter, and the third a Water starter due to the fact this is the order of starters in each region’s Pokedex. Meanwhile, the number is believed to be the generation each starter comes from. If this assessment is correct, then the starters would be Treecko, Tepig, and Sobble. 

This speculation seems reasonable, if not accurate, but it is assuming that this tease is about Pokemon Legends: Z-A and that it is also about the starters of said game. Because there is no way to confirm either of these things, this speculation should be taken with a grain of salt, just like the rumor that has birthed it. 

At the moment of publishing, none of the aforementioned parties have commented on any of this speculation. Considering all three have a strict “no comment” policy when it comes to rumors and speculation, we don’t suspect this to change, but if it does, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. An update will also be issued if any more information or context is provided by Khu, but that would also buck expectation. 

For more Pokemon coverage — including all of the latest Pokemon news, all of the latest Pokemon rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Pokemon deals — click here.

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Some Nintendo fans think the Nintendo Switch 2 — the long rumored new Nintendo console — may finally be revealed on October 10. Naturally, the speculation involves adorning a tin foil hat. Thanks to many months of Nintendo Switch 2 rumors, particularly about when the console will be revealed and released, Nintendo fans are starting to get desperate for information about the elusive console. 

For a while now, these rumors have been claiming the console will be revealed in 2024. Time is obviously slowly but surely running out for this to happen, and the closer we get to the end of 2024 the more some Nintendo fans grow worried the console won’t be revealed this year, which could have implications for its rumored 2025 release date. That said, in the face of this uncertainty, many sources of both the reputable and random variety are continuing to persist the next Nintendo console will be revealed sometime this year. 

Not a single source has claimed October 10 will be the reveal date. To be fair, no specific dates have been given by any rumor. The reason some — hopeful — Nintendo fans think October 10 may finally be Nintendo Switch 2 day is because of a new post on social media platform X by Nintendo of America. 

More specifically, in a post promoting Mario & Luigi: Brothership — which is coming to Nintendo Switch on November — Nintendo of America posted a tiny clip from the game featuring Mario and Luigi. In it, Luigi can be seen crashing down to the earth. This is accompanied by the caption, “10/10 landing.” And that’s it. 

As we said, there is not much to this theory and speculation, but it is also not the craziest theory we’ve ever seen. For what it is worth though, Nintendo doesn’t typically tease in this fashion. In fact, we can’t think of the last time it did something like what is being suggested. There is always opportunity for things to change, but right now it doesn’t look like there’s reason to think any of this post. Thankfully, we’ll find out if this is accurate analysis in just a few days as October 10 is this coming Thursday. 

If October 10 does end up being the date, it wouldn’t be too much of a shocker for the simple reason the first Nintendo Switch was revealed on October 20, 2016. In other words, there is potential precedent pointing toward an October reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2.

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Pokemon giveaways are pretty common in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet by this point seeing how the games have been out for nearly two years now, but The Pokemon Company just started another new kind of giveaway that it hasn’t done before. Instead of giving away a Pokemon that’s tied to the competitive scene or one that’s only available for a very short while before the distribution ends, this new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet giveaway is tied to players’ birthdays and will stick around for a year before it’s gone. The only catch is that, like many fun Pokemon events and giveaways, this Pokemon Scarlet and Violet distribution is limited to only certain regions.

The Pokemon that’s being given away is a Tandemaus which comes with a special birthday ribbon as well as a unique move: Celebrate. It’s a move that’s pretty much only available to special Pokemon obtained through birthday events or some past competitive tie-ins. It does absolutely nothing other than dropping a gift down from the sky which is opened to reveal that, surprise, your Tandemaus is inside of gift just waiting to celebrate the fact that you own it. A pretty worthless move aside from the novelty of it, but considering how hard it is to get a Pokemon that has that move, it’s worth keeping if you’re a Pokemon collector.

Unfortunately for those who do like collecting Pokemon and want one of these, you’re going to have a hard time getting one unless you have any trips planned in the next year or so. This Pokemon Scarlet and Violet distribution is limited only to players in Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore, and Pokemon fans have to go to an in-person Pokemon Center to claim their code. It seems as though this giveaway is a direct-to-player one as well which would mean that codes aren’t being passed around, so buying a code wouldn’t be an option either. Your only hope at getting one of these special Tandemaus variants would be to either have one traded to you or to be able to visit a location in-person, but you’ve at least got until around November of next year to do so since the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet giveaway is going to last about a year.

The Pokemon Company has been running these birthday distributions for different Pokemon games for awhile now, but this Tandemaus offer is a departure from the norm. Eevee was given away many years ago with the different Eeveelutions given away in the following years until those options were exhausted, so now, it’s Tandemaus’ turn.

Tandemaus isn’t too remarkable in battle aside from the unique use of its Population Bomb move, but the Pokemon does have a very rare evolution. It turns into Maushold and typically evolves into a family of four mice, but there’s an extremely low chance of it evolving into a Maushold consisting only of a family of three. It’d be neat to see this birthday Tandemaus be preconfigured to always be a three-mouse evolution, but that likely won’t be the case.

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Nintendo Switch Online subscribers across Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED are unhappy with a certain aspect of the subscription service. Of course, there are two reasons most Nintendo Switch owners are subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online. One of these reasons is the ability to play online games. And the other reason is to access the library of retro games from consoles such as the NES, SNES, Game Boy, and N64. The subscription service does have other perks though, such as exclusive profile icons. There are some restrictions involving profile icons Nintendo Switch Online subscribers are not very happy about though.

For those that don’t know, when Nintendo Switch Online releases new icons, they are available to everyone. Yet, when these icons returns for a second wave, they are limited to those who own the game. It doesn’t matter if a subscriber has the Platinum Points or not, they also need to own the game if they want to download the icons. This is one of the two restrictions subscribers over on Reddit aren’t very pleased about. 

“Why does Nintendo have this stupid restriction with buying profile icons with Platinum Points,” reads a popular post on the Nintendo Switch Reddit page. “Why do you have to own the game that you want to buy icons for with platinum points? That was not the way it was before. I used to just buy whatever icons were available even if I didn’t have the game. When did they change it? And why?” 

In the same post, and in the comments of the post as well, how the Animal Crossing: New Horizons icons are handled has also been lamented. Not only do subscribers need to own the game, but have played the game recently to claim the icons, another odd hurdle to make subscribers jump. For example, to download the September Animal Crossing icons, subscribers needed to have recently played the game three times across three different days. Those that didn’t meet the requirements will need to wait until next September to get a second chance at the same icons.

“This is one of the worst systems I think the Switch has ever had,” reads the aforementioned post. “This is completely anti-consumer. I really have to wait 11 months to buy them again just because Nintendo hates it’s fans. Why? Who does this benefit?”

Nintendo is not known to change course just because of a little negative feedback, so it is unlikely it will change this contentious approach to Nintendo Switch Online icons, but perhaps with Nintendo Switch 2 Online the system will be tweaked. 

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A new Nintendo Switch deal comes with free Nintendo Switch Online. While Nintendo Switch Online is not as expensive as its counterparts — PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass — it still costs money at the end of the day. For a one month subscription, Nintendo Switch users must fork over $3.99. For a three month subscription, it costs $7.99. The best deal is a year-long subscription for $19.99. $20 isn’t an inconsequential amount though. Whether it is a AAA Nintendo Switch game on sale or a new indie release, $20 is often enough money to buy an entire game. And Nintendo Switch Online very rarely goes on sale, so when Switch users can save money on it, they should. 

To this end, Nintendo has announced a new deal via its X account that lets Nintendo Switch users grab free Nintendo Switch Online with purchases of select Nintendo Switch games. These games include Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Nintendo Switch Sports, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. Right now, these four Nintendo Switch games are the only eligible games. 

Unfortunately, what comes with a purchase of these Nintendo Switch games is not a full year-long subscription, or not even quite a month-long subscription. Rather, a purchase of these Nintendo Switch games comes with a two-week subscription. With this subscription, not only will subscribers be able to enjoy online games, but access the library of retro games complete with titles from NES, SNES, and Game Boy.

This offer is not a permanent one, but it is available until January 31, 2025. Why this specific date is the cut off, Nintendo doesn’t say. Whatever the case, Nintendo Switch users that decide to take advantage of this deal and purchase one of the aforementioned Nintendo Switch games can expect the free membership to be delivered via a code via email. 

What is also unfortunate is the free Nintendo Switch Online membership does not come with the Expansion Pack, which means some of the Nintendo Switch Online library of classic games won’t be available as some platforms, such as the N64, are limited to the more expensive tier of the subscription service.

For more Nintendo Switch Online coverage — including all of the latest Nintendo Switch Online news, all of the latest Nintendo Switch Online rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch Online deals — click here.

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A new Nintendo Switch 2 rumor has squashed the number one fear of Nintendo fans right now. We’ve been hearing about the next Nintendo console — tentatively dubbed the Nintendo Switch 2 — for years through rumors. The last few months, these rumor have drastically increased. And many of these rumors have talked about when the console will be revealed. We still don’t have a Nintendo Switch 2 reveal, but we do have another rumor about this exact thing. 

The deeper we get into 2024, the more Nintendo fans grow worried that previous rumors pointing to a 2024 reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 either were never true or that plans changed. The latest rumor squashes these concerns though. 

The rumor comes from a familiar source that is typically reliable. That source is PH Brazil. The insider doesn’t say much, but assures fans that the plan is still for the new console, and various games for it, to be announced this year. The insider is not committing to a date though. To this end, it could happen this month, November, or even in December. 

Of course, take this information with a grain of salt. Officially, Nintendo has hinted and teased its new console here and there, but it has made no promises of when it will be revealed and released. Rumors claim the former is this year and the latter is next year, but for now these are just rumors. 

At the moment of publishing, Nintendo has not commented on this rumor or any Switch 2 rumor before it. To this end, we don’t expect it to start commenting on Switch 2 rumors now, but if it does, we will update the story accordingly. As you may remember, the first Nintendo Switch was revealed on October 20, 2016, so we are very much in the window of a potential Switch 2 reveal as Nintendo will likely mimic the rollout of the Switch with the Switch 2 considering how successful the former has ended up being for Nintendo, who, not that long ago, was in the dumps with the Wii U.

For more Nintendo Switch 2 coverage — including all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 news, all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 speculation — click here.

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