Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for June 12th, 2019. Did you watch the Nintendo Direct? If not, you really should. It was packed with all the stuff a Switch owner could want, and the only real question on my mind now is how I’m going to pay for it all. Besides the Direct, we’ve also got news about a new Taito retro collection, thoughts on the latest additions to the Nintendo Switch Online NES catalog, summaries of today’s surprise new releases, and a huge list of incredible sales. This one is not to be missed, friends! Let’s boldly go forth!
News
The Nintendo Direct Was Full of Info and Surprises
Well, the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct has come and gone, and it was full of all kinds of great things. From surprises like The Witcher 3 coming to Switch, the addition of both the Dragon Quest Hero (in four flavors) and Banjo-Kazooie to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and the Collection of Mana to extra footage and details about already-known titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Link’s Awakening, if you couldn’t find a few things to look forward to in that presentation then I don’t know what would please you. I mean, we even got a tease for a sequel to Breath of the Wild! Frankly, there’s too much to summarize and Nintendo’s own video did a far better job of it than I ever could, so I’d recommend setting aside 45 minutes to just watch it yourself.
‘Disgaea 4 Complete+’ Heads to Switch This Fall
Craving more awesome turn-based tactical RPG goodness? NISA has your hook-up, friend. Following in the footsteps of the complete Disgaea 5 and Disgaea 1 releases on the system, Disgaea 4 Complete+ brings the full game complete with all the DLC included to the Switch. Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on with the second and third games either. But hey, Disgaea 4 is really good! You can look for the game sometime this fall, but we don’t have a release date more specific than that yet. Hopefully it’s not September, because there are already a billion great Switch games hitting that month.
Taito Goes Back to its Roots with ‘Space Invaders Invincible Collection’
It seems like the latest cool thing to do is to bundle up a bunch of your classic games and put them out on modern consoles. I’m not complaining. Taito has already done one such collection, bringing together a number of the games from the Darius series in the Darius Cozmic Collection, which at this point is still a Japan-only release. For its next collection, the company is going back to its roots, and indeed arguably the roots of Japan’s interest in gaming on the whole. The Space Invaders Invincible Collection will bring together an assortment of games from the legendary series, and the first six games have already been announced. Space Invaders, Space Invaders Part II, Super Space Invaders ’91, Space Invaders DX, Space Invaders Extreme, and Space Cyclone are among the included titles, with more to be announced later. No word on whether or not this will get a release outside of Japan, but let’s hope, shall we?
‘Cadence of Hyrule’ Hits the Switch Tomorrow
You’d be forgiven for forgetting about Cadence of Hyrule in all of the hustle and bustle of E3, but this looks like a game you won’t want to miss. Crossing Crypt of the NecroDancer with The Legend of Zelda is such a brilliant and unexpected move, and I’ve no doubt the end result will live up to everyone’s hopes. The game will be hitting the eShop tomorrow at a price of $24.99. If you’ve never played NecroDancer and aren’t sure if you’re ready to part with $20+ on a rhythm-based dungeon crawl, you can grab the original game right now for just four dollars. It doesn’t have Link but it’s also very good, I promise.
The Nintendo Switch Online June Update is Available
This month’s Nintendo Switch Online games aren’t exactly the most exciting games around, but hey, it’s not like we’re paying extra for them. Update your app now to get access to three new games and one new SP version. The newly added games are City Connection, Double Dragon 2: The Revenge, and Volleyball. The latest SP title is TwinBee SP. It starts you on the game’s second loop that begins at Stage 6. It’s much more challenging than the first loop, with new enemy placements and tougher foes showing up sooner. You know, just in case the first loop wasn’t hard enough for you.
Hear the Song of the Windfish in the Latest ‘Smash’ Event
Nintendo is starting to fire up the marketing machine for the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, which will release on the Switch on September 20th. And just by coincidence, this week’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirit Board event is centered around the game. It’s a special one this time around, running for five days rather than the usual three. Spirits from Link’s Awakening and/or those associated with it like Chain Chomp and Goomba will appear more often, and there’s even a whole new spirit to collect: the remake model of Link, in all his adorable glory. It kicks off on Friday and, as mentioned, will run for five days.
New Releases
Collection of Mana ($39.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Ha ha ha, what!? Square Enix just went and translated the Super Famicom Seiken Densetsu 3 into multiple languages in the year 2019? Friends, I don’t know how old all of you are, but one of the earliest instances I remember of raging fans writing furious letters to a publisher was when then-Squaresoft passed over localizing the third game in the Mana series. Anyway, this M2-developed collection includes the Game Boy Final Fantasy Adventure, the Super NES Secret of Mana, and the newly-translated Super Famicom title Trials of Mana. Just the three games, but one of them is totally new for Western audiences and the other games are beloved classics in their own right. Between the lot, you’ve got dozens of hours of fun ahead of you. I seriously never thought I’d see the day.
Soccer Pinball ($0.99)
I’d like to say something about this game, but honestly, I can’t find much information on it at all. It’s a buck, it has no screenshots available in the eShop description, and it’s apparently a time-based challenge each time. You go for three minutes and see how high of a score you can get. Apparently two players can play at once. That’s… really all I’ve got. The name is so generic I couldn’t even turn anything up when searching on the Internet, and that’s one of the things I’m usually good at. Oh well. If you have a buck, hate that buck, and have a curious mind, go ahead and let us all know how it works out.
Cricket 19 ($49.99)
I don’t know a lot about the sport of cricket, but I do know this: if you want a good cricket video game on consoles, you’re probably going to want to go to Big Ant Studios. This latest release does its best to give you a realistic take on the sport. You’ve got a bunch of licensed English and Australian teams to choose from, for starters. If you like, you can create your own club, stadium, sponsor logos, and uniforms all to whatever specifications you desire. Maybe you could make it like your favorite local team from the real world? The police will not arrest you for doing so. The game includes all formats of cricket, including T20, ODI, and Test Match. Naturally, you can play the game multiplayer via the included online support, or just do the whole single-player experience of raising your team up through the ranks. Seems like a good take for fans of the sport.
Contra Anniversary Collection ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This basically does for Contra what the Castlevania Anniversary Collection did for that series. It collects almost every game from the 8-bit and 16-bit years into one virtually comprehensive bundle. The included titles are: Contra (Arcade), Super Contra (Arcade), Contra (NES), Contra (Famicom), Super C (NES), Operation C (Game Boy), Contra 3: The Alien Wars (Super NES), Contra Hard Corps (Genesis), Super Probotector: Alien Rebels (Super NES), and Probotector (Genesis). The latter two are the European robotified takes on Contra 3 and Hard Corps, and you can play them in authentic 50hz PAL mode or 60hz NTSC mode. You also get a sweet bonus book. Options are similar to the Castlevania set, but there is one big difference here. A weird bug when playing in handheld mode makes it so that you are unable to call up the options menu with the ZL button. If you remove the Joy-Cons, the controls function properly. I imagine Konami will patch that soon enough, but you can always just hit the Home button and go back in to call up that menu. A great collection of great games, in any case.
Sales
If it’s a good Switch game and it didn’t come out in the last month or so, there’s a good chance it’s on sale right now. I don’t even know where to begin here. There are great sales on a bunch of first-party games along with some third-party games published by Nintendo like Skyrim and DOOM. Some of the best indie games are also available at a discount. I’ll call out two particularly impressive sales, though. NBA 2K19 is just $2.99, and I can’t figure out why since the new game is still a little ways away. Crypt of the NecroDancer has also had a big price reduction and can currently be had for $3.99 instead of the usual $19.99. But really, there’s a ton here. More than anyone can really buy and play, if I’m being honest. Just go through and find what you like, then cut that list down to what you can afford. Then buy no more than half of that so your wife doesn’t get too angry at you. True story, written by Shaun Musgrave.
New Games on Sale
Cuphead ($16.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse ($11.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)
Sonic Mania ($14.99 from $19.99 until 6/24)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle ($19.79 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Rayman Legends Definitive Edition ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
Stardew Valley ($11.99 from $14.99 until 6/19)
Fire Emblem Warriors ($40.19 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Monopoly ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
DOOM ($29.99 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Rocket League ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)
WWE 2K18 ($14.99 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Celeste ($13.39 from $19.99 until 6/19)
Crypt of the NecroDancer ($3.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)
Fe ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)
Kirby Star Allies ($40.19 from $59.99 until 6/19)
South Park: The Stick of Truth ($14.99 from $29.99 until 6/19)
South Park: The Fractured But Whole ($23.99 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze ($40.19 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition ($40.19 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Hollow Knight ($7.50 from $15.00 until 6/19)
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy ($29.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
Dead Cells ($19.99 from $24.99 until 6/19)
Okami HD ($14.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate ($29.99 from $59.99 untili 6/19)
The Messenger ($13.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)
Freedom Planet ($8.99 from $14.99 until 6/19)
SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy ($29.99 from $49.99 until 6/19)
NBA 2K19 ($2.99 from $59.99 until 6/19)
NBA 2K19 20th Anniversary Edition ($32.99 from $99.99 until 6/19)
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 6/19)
World of Final Fantasy Maxima ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
Final Fantasy VII ($12.79 from $15.99 until 6/19)
Final Fantasy IX ($16.79 from $20.99 until 6/19)
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD ($39.99 from $49.99 until 6/19)
Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age ($39.99 from $49.99 until 6/19)
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition ($17.99 from $29.99 until 6/19)
Undertale ($11.24 from $14.99 until 6/19)
FIFA 19 ($23.99 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Dragon Ball FighterZ ($41.99 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Mega Man 11 ($23.99 from $29.99 until 6/19)
Disgaea 1 Complete ($29.99 from $49.99 until 6/19)
Child of Light Ultimate Edition ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)
Starlink: Battle for Atlas ($29.99 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Just Dance 2019 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
Diablo 3: Eternal Collection ($39.99 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Carnival Games ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI ($40.19 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom ($33.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
Katamari Damacy Reroll ($20.99 from $29.99 until 6/19)
SEGA Genesis Classics ($20.99 from $29.99 until 6/19)
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition ($34.99 from $49.99 until 6/19)
Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes ($20.99 from $29.99 until 6/19)
Wargroove ($13.39 from $19.99 util 6/19)
Trials Rising Standard Edition ($14.99 from $24.99 until 6/19)
Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon Everybuddy ($31.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
Unravel Two ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)
Darksiders Warmastered Edition ($23.99 from $29.99 until 6/19)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy ($23.99 from $29.99 until 6/19)
Mortal Kombat 11 ($49.79 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Puyo Puyo Champions ($4.99 from $9.99 until 6/19)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ($40.19 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Super Mario Odyssey ($40.19 from $59.99 until 6/19)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ($29.99 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Mario Tennis Aces ($40.19 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus ($29.99 from $59.99 until 6/19)
Overcooked! 2 ($17.49 from $24.99 until 6/19)
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ($26.79 from $39.99 until 6/19)
Dark Souls Remastered ($27.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
I Am Setsuna ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/18)
Lost Sphear ($19.99 from $49.99 until 6/18)
Romancing SaGa 2 ($18.74 from $24.99 until 6/18)
Spelunker Party! ($14.99 from $29.99 until 6/18)
Perception ($3.99 from $19.99 until 6/30)
Fear Effect Sedna ($1.99 from $19.99 until 6/18)
Battle Chasers: Nightwar ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
Titan Quest ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/19)
Oh My Godheads: Party Edition ($3.74 from $14.99 until 6/18)
Forgotten Anne ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/18)
Octahedron: Transfixed Edition ($9.09 from $14.99 until 6/18)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, June 13th
Animal Hunter Z ($3.99 from $9.99 until 6/13)
BINGO for Nintendo Switch ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/13)
Caveman Warriors ($3.89 from $12.99 until 6/13)
Elemental Knights R ($20.47 from $22.75 until 6/13)
Guess the Character ($1.19 from $2.99 until 6/13)
Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Don’t Dry ($33.99 from $39.99 until 6/13)
Lost King’s Lullaby ($8.49 from $9.99 until 6/13)
Robbotto ($0.99 from $9.99 until 6/13)
She and the Light Bearer ($7.49 from $9.99 until 6/13)
Skelly Selest ($7.99 from $9.99 until 6/13)
Space War Arena ($10.49 from $14.99 until 6/13)
SteamWorld Quest ($21.24 from $24.99 until 6/13)
Street Basketball ($4.19 from $6.99 until 6/13)
Super Hyperactive Ninja ($4.49 from $8.99 until 6/13)
Super Ping Pong Trick Shot ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/13)
Transcripted ($0.99 from $7.99 until 6/13)
Ultra Space Battle Brawl ($7.49 from $14.99 until 6/13)
V.O.I.D. ($1.59 from $3.99 until 6/13)
And that’ll do it for today, friends. While yesterday was probably the peak excitement of the week, we’ve still got a few solid days of news ahead of us as the E3 show marches on. That’s not even getting into the many new releases due to hit tomorrow and the day after. I can’t imagine we’re going to see too many more exciting sales since, well, just about everything worth buying is discounted right now. But who knows? Swing on back around tomorrow and see what happens. It’s free, after all. And as always, thanks for reading!
