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All Articles: Splatoon 2
13 Nintendo-published games for the Switch have sold more than 1 million copies
Nintendo-branded products have always taken up a hefty portion of Santa’s sack, and 2018 was no different as Switch sales were huge during the holiday season.
Nintendo sold 15.05 million Switch consoles during the last quarter of 2018, bringing the platform’s total install base to 32.27 million. Consumers also spent the last three months stocking up on software, purchasing 63.51 million games from October through December.
Two games stood out last quarter on the sales charts, as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sold 12.08 million copies and the combined might of Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee! and Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! sold 10 million copies. All told, 13 Nintendo-published Switch games have joined the vaunted “Million-Seller” club during this fiscal year (April 2018 – December 2018):
| Title | Apr 18 – Dec 18 Sales | Total Sales |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | 12.08 Million | 12.08 Million |
| Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee! Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! |
10 Million | 10 Million |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | 5.8 Million | 15.02 Million |
| Super Mario Party | 5.3 Million | 5.3 Million |
| Super Mario Odyssey | 3.35 Million | 13.76 Million |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 3.21 Million | 11.68 Million |
| Mario Tennis Aces | 2.53 Million | 2.53 Million |
| Splatoon 2 | 2.25 Million | 8.27 Million |
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | 2.08 Million | 2.08 Million |
| Kirby Star Allies | 1.16 Million | 2.42 Million |
| Octopath Traveler (US + Europe Only) |
1.08 Million | 1.08 Million |
| Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit | 1.06 Million | 1.06 Million |
| Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | 1.05 Million | 1.05 Million |
Even Nintendo’s dedicated handheld was still kicking along in 2018 (albeit slower than before). 3DS owners scooped up 1.07 million copies of Mario Kart 7 during the April through December period, bringing its total to 18.11 million copies sold.
Nintendo’s current fiscal year will end on March 31, and the consolemaker will announce their full-year sales figures sometime in April or May.
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch
Tagged Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Kirby Star Allies, Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8, Mario Tennis Aces, Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit, Octopath Traveler, Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Let's Go Eevee, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
New Retail Releases: FIFA 19, Valkyria Chronicles 4, This Is the Police II, More
It’s Monday, and that means another big batch of new games will be available at your favorite retail establishment this week…
Leading the way is the latest iteration in EA Sports’s annual series of soccer simulations, FIFA 19. The game will launch its way towards the goal on the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One in a Standard Editions and a Champions Edition. FIFA 19 will also be available to download for the PC through EA’s Origin service.
Sega is bringing back a beloved franchise this week as Valkyria Chronicles 4 will also make its way to the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Featuring hand-drawn visuals and gameplay that melds together a turn-based strategy RPG and a third-person shooter, fans will also be able to download Valkyria Chronicles 4 for the PC.
Strategy RPG fans might also be interested in This Is the Police II for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Players will manage a Sheriff’s Department in the “cold border town” of Sharpwood in a “harsh story where no one is completely innocent.”
Elsewhere on the shelves, Bandai Namco will re-release Dragon Ball FighterZ and Namco Museum Arcade Pac (which comes bundled with Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus) for the Switch. And Nintendo themselves will launch new Starter Editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey.
Finally this week, Gun Media will resurrect the Friday the 13th: Ultimate Slasher Edition for the PS4 and Xbox One, which includes the original game and all previously-released downloadable content.
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Nintendo Switch Online (and its downloadable bundle of NES games) is now available
Nintendo launched their Nintendo Switch Online service yesterday, which means that subscribers now have access to Online Play, Cloud Saves, and that downloadable bundle of 20 NES games.
Online Play was previously available for free as Nintendo has spent the last 18 months preparing for the launch of Nintendo Switch Online, but its now locked behind a subscription, though one that’s much cheaper ($3.99 for one month, $7.99 for three months, $19.99 for 12 months, or $34.99 for a “Family” membership) than Sony’s PS Plus or Microsoft’s XBL Gold.
But the real draw might be the downloadable NES bundle, which currently includes Balloon Fight, Baseball, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon, Dr. Mario, Excitebike, Ghosts ‘N Goblins, Gradius, Ice Climber, Ice Hockey, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., Pro Wrestling, River City Ransom, Soccer, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Tecmo Bowl, Tennis, and Yoshi.
Yes, we’ve played all these games many times before, but Nintendo will regularly add to this library of games, and nine more will be available by the end of the year. NES Open Tournament Golf, Solomon’s Key, and Super Dodge Ball will be added to the service in October, with Metroid, Mighty Bomb Jack, and TwinBee to follow in November, and Adventures of Lolo, Ninja Gaiden, and Wario’s Woods in December.
Nintendo Switch Online subscribers at the 12-Month or Family levels will also receive a download code that can be exchanged for exclusive in-game Splatoon 2 gear based on the jerseys worn by GG BoyZ, the winning team at the 2018 Splatoon 2 World Championship. And all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will be able to pre-order a pair of wireless Nintendo Entertainment System Controllers from Nintendo.com for $59.99.
More information about Nintendo Switch Online can found after the break, and a seven-day free trial is also available through the Nintendo eShop.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Splatoon 2, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3
Splatoon 2’s next Splatfest is a three-week showdown to determine the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
Nintendo has scheduled the next Splatfest for Splatoon 2, and it looks like fans are in for a “radical” reinvention of the monthly event.
This time, Nintendo has partnered with Nickelodeon to determine everyone’s favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. But wait, I hear you saying, there are four Ninja Turtles, how will this work? I’m glad you asked, imaginary Internet person, because Nintendo has come up with a “bodacious” solution.
The “Ninja Turtles Splatfest” will take place over three rounds, with fans first choosing between Raphael and Leonardo on May 5th. A second preliminary round will pit Michelangelo against Donatello on May 12th, before the winners battle it out in a third round on May 19th.
“We love working with unexpected partners to expand our brand and bring smiles to people’s faces in surprising ways,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Teaming up with Nickelodeon and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made perfect sense, as we share many of the same fans who enjoy family-friendly entertainment and classic characters.”
You can catch a glimpse of the Inklings in their Turtles-inspired t-shirts after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Splatoon 2
Far Cry 5 and Sea of Thieves sail to the top of March 2018’s list of best-selling games
The number of high-profile new releases has slowed to a trickle in April, and that’s probably because game publishers threw open the tap in March. Not surprisingly, gamer scooped up these new titles by the armful, with Ubisoft’s Far Cry 5, Microsoft’s Sea of Thieves, Sony’s MLB The Show 18, and Nintendo’s Kirby Star Allies taking the top four spots in The NPD Group’s monthly tally of best-selling games.
The venerable Grand Theft Auto V remains in the top five, but other new releases, including Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (#8) and A Way Out (#15), managed to break into the NPD’s top twenty.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, overall sales for the industry were down by 11% in March, however, “first quarter 2018 spending across the four categories [software, hardware, game cards, and accessories] was up by 15% year-on-year to $3.4 billion with growth in all areas.”
You can find the full list of The NPD Group’s best-selling titles for March 2018 after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged A Way Out, Assassin's Creed Origins, Call of Duty: WWII, Dragon Ball FighterZ, EA Sports UFC 3, Far Cry 5, FIFA 18, Grand Theft Auto V, Kirby Star Allies, Mario Kart 8, MLB The Show 18, Monster Hunter: World, NBA 2K18, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, NPD, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Sea of Thieves, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Nintendo will host Super Smash Bros. Switch and Splatoon 2 tournaments at E3 2018
Nintendo first pulled back the curtain on Super Smash Bros. Switch during a Nintendo Direct presentation a few weeks ago. And naturally, fans are curious when they’ll learn more about the next entry in the popular fighting franchise. (For example, is it a remaster of Super Smash Bros. For Wii U or Super Smash Bros. 5? We honestly don’t know yet.)
Today, the consolemaker confirmed that we’ll all get our first look at Super Smash Bros. Switch during a Super Smash Bros. Invitational tournament at this year’s E3 Expo. The Invitational will showcase “high-level gameplay” from “an invited group of players,” and it’ll take place on June 11th and 12th.
Nintendo is also planning to host a massive Splatoon 2 tournament during the E3 Expo, but this competition will be open to the entire world. Players from the US and Canada will be able to win a spot in the Splatoon 2 World Championship by competing in the Inkling Open online qualifying round on April 21. Each team of four (plus one alternate) will need to register at Nintendo’s official E3 website, and compete in Turf War during the open qualifiers and in Ranked Battle during the finals.
The winners will move on to the Splatoon 2 World Championship, where they’ll do inky battle with the winners from Japan (Splatoon Koshien 2018), Europe (Splatoon European Championship), and Australia (AUNZ Splatoon Cup).
More details about Nintendo’s E3 2018 festivities (including a “Nintendo Switch Event”) will be announced soon.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged E3 2018, Splatoon 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
New Retail Releases: Kirby Star Allies, Surviving Mars, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, More
A handful of re-releases and the return of Nintendo’s pink puffball take center stage in this week’s New Retail Releases report…
Kirby will make his Switch debut this week in Kirby Star Allies. The side-scrolling platformer includes drop-in/drop-out multiplayer for up to four players, and Kirby will be able to unleash brand new Friend Abilities against the game’s colorful foes. Speaking of things that are colorful, fans of city-building sims will be able to colonize the Red Planet this week in Haemimont’s Surviving Mars for the PS4 and Xbox One.
And if you’re looking to give a classic game from yesteryear a second chance, you’ll have plenty of opportunities this week. Capcom will bring Devil May Cry HD Collection to the PS4 and Xbox One. Electronic Arts and Criterion will hit the gas on Burnout Paradise Remastered for the PS4 and Xbox One. And NIS America will bring Suda51’s The 25th Ward: The Silver Case to North America for the first time on the PS4.
Finally this week, Nintendo will relaunch Splatoon 2 as the Splatoon 2: Starter Edition. It’ll include the original game for the Switch, as well as guide book, and a sticker sheet.
A complete look at all of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One
Tagged Burnout Paradise, Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Kirby Star Allies, Splatoon 2
Splatoon 2: Starter Edition will be available on March 16; Pearl/Marina Amiibo Pack coming later this year
Nintendo will soon add a new arena (the basketball-themed “Goby Arena”) and weapon set (the “Dark Tetra Dualies”) to Splatoon 2. But the consolemaker also doesn’t want to leave behind new players who are interested in exploring the multiplayer thrills of Inkopolis Square, and they’ve got a plan.
The Splatoon 2 Starter Edition bundle will be available on March 16, and it’ll include the full game, a 100-page Strategy Guide to help new players learn the tips and tricks they’ll need to survive, and two sheets of Splatoon stickers. Best of all, this package will be priced at $59.99, or the same price as the standalone game.
Nintendo also announced that an Amiibo 2-Pack featuring Pearl and Marina will be available on store shelves “later this year.” The 2-Pack will be priced at $24.99, and you can get a closer look at the figures in the trailer embedded above. You can also head over to Twitter to view new screenshots of “Goby Arena” and the “Dark Tetra Dualies.”
Finally, Splatoon 2’s next Splatfest will take place this Saturday, February 17, and it’s asking players to choose between “Love” and “Money.”
Wow. That’s a big choice for a colorful shooter that’s normally fun for the whole family.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Splatoon 2