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SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Tiny Metal’ Update, ‘Travis Strikes Again’ Season Pass, New Releases, the Latest Sales, and More

Hello, gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for December 21st, 2018. There are hundreds of games on sale in the eShop, new games launching, old games getting new content, and even more games coming. That, my friends, adds up to a lot of games. So set aside a little time to take a break from playing games to come here and read about them. I think you’ll like what you see. Let’s Jingle Bell Rock!

News

The Multiplayer Update for ‘Tiny Metal’ is Finally Here

Okay, I don’t want to be mean or anything, but if you’re aiming at creating a spiritual successor to Advance Wars, it’s a very good idea to make sure multiplayer is in there. The lack of said feature is why many people I know didn’t pick up Tiny Metal back when it first hit. Well, they say time heals all wounds, and in this case, that expression may be a good fit. With the latest update installed, you can now play against other people online. Ah, that’s the good stuff. But that’s not all. This update also adds in a whole new story chapter, giving you six brand new missions to play through in single-player. And wow, the game is on sale right now! How about that for timing?

New Content for ‘Starlink: Battle of Atlas’ Set to Drop Tomorrow

I’m not sure what Ubisoft’s expectations for Starlink were, but given the deep discounts I’ve seen it going for all over the place, I feel like it maybe didn’t quite meet them. Good children get nice updates anyway, however, and here we are with a nice one that is hitting tomorrow. Or is it today? Time zones are weird. The important thing is that you can look forward to some new enemy units, a new activity that sees you taking down outlaw fortifications for rewards, and an all-new photo mode so you can show off your finest Arwing pics. What do you mean, “there are other ships in the game"?

‘Gain Ground’ Will Be the Next SEGA AGES Release in Japan

At least in Japan, developer M2 seems hell-bent on keeping to a release schedule of at least one per month in the SEGA AGES line. Since Out Run dropped in Japan at the end of November, that means something had to be coming next week to avoid breaking the streak. It is not, however, Alex Kidd in Miracle World. That one keeps getting punted down the road for mysterious reasons. But that’s okay, because we’re getting a better game instead: Gain Ground! SEGA’s off-beat strategic arcade game is coming to the Switch with some all-new features. I played around with this one a little bit at the Tokyo Game Show and it was pretty awesome. It launches in Japan on December 27th, and will likely arrive in the West in the second week of February if the current pattern holds.

‘Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes’ Season Pass Details

Season passes are like a box of chocolates: some jerks don’t tell you what you’re going to get, but most have the courtesy to include a little paper giving you a heads-up. Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes is fortunately the latter sort. Grasshopper gave out the details today on the two volumes of DLC players can look forward to. The first volume, which hits on February 28th, includes Shinobu Jacobs as a new playable character. As fans of the series know, she’s Travis’s one-time rival and current protege whether Travis likes it or not. The second volume, scheduled for an April 30th release, adds a new stage and yet another playable character, Bad Girl. Hmmm. I have questions about the canon right now. Oh well. You’ll be able to buy both DLCs together in the season pass for $9.99. It will be available to purchase when the game releases on January 18th.

New Releases

ACA NEOGEO Puzzle Bobble ($7.99)

You might know this one better under its original localized name, Bust-A-Move. It’s also possible this looks familiar to you because you’ve played one of the many, many games that essentially ripped it off. Anyway, you play as one of the little dinosaurs from Bubble Bobble and shoot colored bubbles up into the playfield, where they will stick. Match up the colors and they’ll fall off the field. It’s great fun in multiplayer, and the only reason I’m not recommending it is that its superior sequel, Puzzle Bobble 2, is scheduled to arrive on Switch within the next few weeks. That means this one is mostly for completionists. If that’s you, then feel free to get in on this.

Arcade Archives Donkey Kong Jr. ($7.99)

If there’s one big take-away from Hamster’s awesome work reviving Nintendo’s arcade history, it’s that Nintendo sure got a lot better at making games over time. As great as Donkey Kong is, few of Nintendo’s arcade follow-ups matched its level of quality. Its sequel is no exception to that rule, sadly. It’s not the worst game around, and it’s neat to have the arcade version instead of the NES version. But unlike the case with Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr.‘s NES port was content-complete, which makes this a lot less essential than the Arcade Archives version of the original. That said, it’s not yet available on the NES Switch Online app, so if you really want to play Donkey Kong Jr. on your Switch, this is the only current avenue.

Sundered: Eldritch Edition ($19.99)

This is a really, really pretty Metroidvania-style game. It comes from the same creators as Jotun, which is another point in favor of it. It also includes the Magnate of the Gong content that was added in an update to versions of the game on other platforms. That means you can enjoy some local four-player co-op if that’s the sort of wild thing you’re into. The levels and monster placements are partially procedurally generated, which… I don’t know, I’m not the hugest fan of that in games like this, but you know your own tastes better than I do. This is also one of those games where you’re going to die a lot and indeed are probably meant to, so expect to be re-treading the same ground even more than you usually would in this backtrack-heavy genre. A great game? Nah, but it’s a good one, and my goodness, it is gorgeous.

Dynamite Fishing – World Games ($9.99)

Sigh. Okay, look, it’s not great from here on out. But I’m trying to find something to say about each new release, and that means I sometimes have to talk about games that are obviously gussied up from ancient mobile releases that weren’t particularly original to begin with. And today, we’ve got two of them. From the same company. Well done. This one is an expanded version of Super Dynamite Fishing, the game where you fish using dynamite because that’s kind of funny, isn’t it? At least in a fictional world. It’s one of those hamster-wheel experiences where you go out and fish, get upgrades, then go out and fish more. It’s okay, I guess, but I’m not sure it’s something I’d go to the trouble of booting up a console for.

Clouds and Sheep 2 ($9.99)

And yeah, this is another one like that. This time, we’ve got a sequel to the virtual pet thingy known as Clouds and Sheep. Raise your sheep. Feed your sheep. Play with your sheep. Do not fall asleep. Put hats on them. Do not succumb to nihilism. Control the weather. Watch the cute animations. Play something more interesting. Watch the sheep jump on trampolines. You could throw your Switch in the garbage. But you can’t escape, can you? Because the accursed things are on your phone, too. Nope. We are all Clouds and Sheep. The only difference comes down to who realizes it and who is still lying to themselves. Shear the sheep.

Sales

After polling our readers about whether you want to continue to see full lists of new sales or a curated selection, a majority of you said that you’d rather see the best of the bunch rather than a giant list. But it was close enough that I’ve decided to do complete lists where feasible and curated lists when there’s just too much to transcribe. And friends, today? There is way, way too much to write out here. Hundreds of games are on sale right now, so if you don’t see something you had your eye on in the list below, check the eShop to see if I just didn’t get it in. Plenty to chew on here, including first-time sales for games like Lumines and Chasm. Have fun spending any money you got as a gift!

New Games on Sale (Curated)

88 Heroes – 98 Heroes Edition ($14.97 from $29.95 until 01/03)
Aegis Defenders ($10.99 from $19.99 until 01/03)
Anima: Gate of Memories ($14.99 from $19.99 until 01/09)
Asterix & Obelix XXL 2 ($34.99 from $49.99 until 01/03)
Axiom Verge ($9.99 from $19.99 until 01/02)
Azure Reflectons ($12.49 from $24.99 until 01/08)
Banner Saga 1 ($9.99 from $24.99 until 01/03)
Banner Saga 2 ($14.99 from $24.99 until 01/03)
Banner Saga 3 ($19.99 from $24.99 until 01/03)
Battle Chasers: Nightwar ($23.99 from $39.99 until 01/03)
Broken Age ($4.49 from $14.99 until 01/03)
Chasm ($15.99 from $19.99 until 01/02)
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy ($25.99 from $39.99 until 01/02)
Crashlands ($9.99 from $14.99 until 01/03)
de Blob ($14.99 from $29.99 until 01/03)
de Blob 2 ($20.09 from $29.99 until 01/03)
Diablo III: Eternal Collection ($39.59 from $59.99 until 12/27)
Don’t Starve: Nintendo Switch Edition ($9.99 from $19.99 until 01/03)
Flashback ($13.99 from $19.99 until 12/27)
Gear.Club Unlimited ($19.99 from $44.99 until 12/27)
Gear.Club Unlimited 2 ($49.99 from $59.99 until 01/03)
Grim Fandango Remastered ($4.49 from $14.99 until 01/03)
Hello Neighbor ($19.99 from $39.99 until 01/07)
Jack N’ Jill DX ($3.74 from $4.99 until 01/07)
Kid Tripp ($1.99 from $3.99 until 01/06)
Kitty Love – Way to Look for Love ($16.74 from $24.99 until 01/06)
Letter Quest Remastered ($2.99 from $11.99 until 01/03)
Little Dragons Cafe ($29.99 from $59.99 until 01/03)
Lode Runner Legacy ($5.99 from $11.99 until 01/03)


Lumines Remastered ($9.74 from $14.99 until 01/09)
Mark of the Ninja: Remastered ($14.99 from $19.99 until 01/03)
Miles & Kilo ($3.99 from $7.99 until 01/06)
Mimpi Dreams ($6.99 from $9.99 until 01/07)
Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae ($8.33 from $11.90 until 01/04)
Mom Hid My Game! ($3.49 from $4.99 until 01/09)
Moto Racer 4 ($24.99 from $34.99 until 01/03)
Mr. Shifty ($7.49 from $14.99 until 01/07)
Nihilumbra ($2.39 from $7.99 until 01/07)
Party Hard ($11.99 from $14.99 until 01/03)
PixelJunk Monsters 2 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 01/03)
Plantera Deluxe ($2.49 from $4.99 until 01/07)
Punch Club ($7.49 from $14.99 until 01/07)
R.B.I. Baseball 18 ($5.99 from $19.99 until 01/03)
Radiation Island ($6.99 from $9.99 until 01/03)
Retro City Rampage DX ($9.99 from $14.99 until 01/03)
Rocket League ($9.99 from $19.99 until 01/03)
Sine Mora EX ($8.99 from $29.99 until 01/03)
Sky Force Reloaded ($6.49 from $9.99 until 12/29)
Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders ($6.99 from $9.99 until 01/03)
Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut ($3.74 from $14.99 until 01/03)
Squids Odyssey ($4.49 from $14.99 until 01/03)
Syberia ($9.99 from $29.99 until 01/03)
Syberia 2 ($9.99 from $29.99 until 01/03)
Syberia 3 ($29.99 from $49.99 until 01/03)


The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love ($5.99 from $11.99 until 01/09)
The Bug Butcher ($6.39 from $7.99 until 01/03)
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain: Goblin Scourge Edition! ($20.99 from $29.99 until 01/03)
This is the Police ($8.99 from $29.99 until 01/03)
Tiny Metal ($12.49 from $24.99 until 01/08)
Titan Quest ($26.39 from $39.99 until 01/03)
Toki ($24.99 from $29.99 until 01/03)
Word Puzzles by POWGI ($7.99 from $9.99 until 01/03)
Zen Bound 2 ($4.49 from $14.99 until 01/03)

As far as I can see, there aren’t any sales ending tomorrow, so that’s all we’ve got for today’s round-up. I’ll be back on Monday for the last pre-Christmas SwitchArcade Round-Up. I hope you all have a great weekend, and if you’re waiting to buy or wrap presents… probably time to get on that. Thanks for reading!