For the Ocarina of Time remake, Nintendo developers said in a new interview that they wanted to “preserve the experience of spamming the Roll Attack to forward roll your way across Hyrule Field.” I have very fond memories of rolling around the world in the original.
In the remake, you can still spam Roll Attack, but you can also dash.
As AI becomes able to do more work, that will create opportunities for everyone to think seriously about what creation really means. Copy-pasted designs have existed before, but they don’t last. When an individual designs something, they create with intention. All a computer does is help with that work. I think that no matter how much it evolves, there will still be things we can do.
As a nod to this week’s Ocarina of Time release, you can click the Master Sword that pops up to be transported back to a classic list of blue links, complete with a retro “Google!” logo. I wish this was an option for every search.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches later this week, and in the lead-up Nintendo has put out the first half of a lengthy developer Q&A, covering everything from what changed gameplay-wise, to the new visual style, which was inspired by puppet shows. As art director Aya Shida explains:
Neither puppet shows nor practical effects films reproduce reality exactly as it is. Even so, both create a convincing sense that the characters truly exist within their respective fantasy worlds. We also felt that there was some overlap between these forms of expression and the distinctive nostalgia evoked by the original game.
Looks pretty darn easy, based on a video from Austin Evans. The key part starts at 5:33.
While we all await a return to Hyrule next week, Nintendo held its latest indie game showcase, which included everything from Game Boy-style adventures to a co-op raccoon simulator. We also finally got a release date for one of my most-anticipated games: My Arms Are Longer Now. You can catch up on the full event here.
I love the idea of waking up to a The Legend of Zelda themed alarm clock, but I’m less in love with the idea of silencing an alarm by handling a tiny pointed replica of the Master Sword when I’m still half asleep. The alarm clock, and a collection of other Zelda-themed items, will be available as part of an upcoming Banpresto merch lottery in Japan.
We have mixed feelings about AI, but 0:22 in this video made my inner kid jump for joy! This is what I hoped Magic Leap would be. Instead, it’s game reverse engineering bringing all my childhood dreams to life. This one’s based on the full open-source Mario64 decomp, says creator Lucas Martinic, with assist from Claude Opus 5.5. He says he’ll release a repo so people can try.
While all of the attention right now is on the upcoming remake of Ocarina of Time, Nintendo announced that it’s going to stream an indie-focused showcase tomorrow. It’ll be around 15 minutes long and air starting at 10AM ET.
Service for both the mobile and Nintendo Switch versions of the free-to-play Pokémon-themed MOBA will end on March 23rd, 2027, just after the previously announced Aeos Crown 2027 Tokyo competitive tournament is scheduled to conclude. New memberships are no longer being accepted starting today.
[Pokémon UNITE]
A quick peek at eBay reveals that just the manual for the US version of Jaleco’s Avenging Spirit currently sells for over $150. The game (with its coveted artwork) has just been added to Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy library along with the Shigeru Miyamoto-produced Mole Mania and Pinball: Revenge of the ‘Gator.
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This is so rad — and if you have a Quest 3 or 3S and a copy of Super Smash Bros. Melee (1.02), you can try it too. It’s called Xelee, and yes, the mixed reality part is AI-coded: “Claude wrote every line of code.” The game part is from the Melee decompilation, though. I hope game companies are paying attention to the possibilities in this brave new world!
EasySMX’s upcoming $54.99 S05 Pro wireless controller doesn’t seem to leave out any features. It has a similar design to the X05 Pro, but with TMR sticks and more Switch features, like amiibo support, six-axis gyro, and one-button wake-up. More surprising are its two-stage Hall effect triggers that have dedicated rumble actuators (plus rumble in each grip). I’ll be testing it soon.
The new paid Expansion Pass adds content in waves: first, some Three Houses-themed weapons that are available today, then new playable characters and outfits coming this holiday season, and finally new stories featuring four characters that will launch in 2027.
I reviewed the already-gigantic base game and loved it. The new content will be a perfect excuse for me to dive back in.
I’ve really warmed up to the game’s art style, especially in this new trailer. And after reading my colleague Cameron Faulkner’s hands-on preview, I’m looking forward to returning to Hyrule even more. The game launches on Switch 2 on November 5th.
The latest additions to the NSO Game Boy Advance collection include Monster Rancher Advance, Metal Slug Advance, and Kururin Paradise which is a sequel to Kuru Kuru Kururin that has players guiding a spinning rotor through complex mazes. The game was only released in Japan but it now available to a larger audience.
A special edition Beats Pill puts Mimikyu and a (visibly worried) Pikachu onto the portable speaker’s grill. It also comes with a lanyard with a Poké Ball charm.
The device launches on Thursday, October 15th for $149.99, and you’ll be able to purchase it from Apple’s website and Target in the US.
Bill van Zyll, Nintendo’s VP and general manager in Latin America, told Youtuber Coelho no Japão that the company will “go off what the consumer prefers,” and that it knows “how much the fans like” physical games. It’s no big surprise given the Switch 2’s card slot, with shareable licenses linked to its game cards, but follows Sony killing PS5 discs.
The new Switch Sports installment is coming to the Switch 2 on October 22nd and is available for preorder now. But this is the clearest look we’ve gotten at gameplay of the new sports like skateboarding, boxing, archery, power cruising, prop plane flying, and — the weirdest one by far — thumb wrestling.
Some of the earliest gamepads with analog thumbsticks were beefy devices (I’m looking at you, Duke) with quirky designs. Modder ChaosBench pushes the limits of what can be considered a playable gamepad with a supersized version of the N64 controller that requires heavy-duty springs to get its giant buttons to pop back up after being pressed.
Nintendo describes it as an “NFC Reader Writer,” and I found a vague diagram in one of the files. Maybe it’s something for amiibo? An update to the old Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer accessory, for some reason?
What do you think? Here are the files, if you want to dig through them yourself.
I’m finally playing Wind Waker for the very first time on original hardware — with my 9-year-old along for the ride! The controls and graphics are pretty rough on GameCube, though. This static recomp “BlueWake” looks amazing and runs on iOS, Mac and Windows… should I? Should I wait for the decomp?
The franchise’s renewed popularity with resellers is being driven by a culture fixated on hustling.
That’s according to Gal Silver, a technician at GameTraderZero who’s modded and repaired more than 1,000 Switch 2 Joy-Cons over the past year. You can read their findings on NintendoLife but despite using older thumbstick tech, the new Joy-Cons have much improved durability with fewer issues and no instances of “drift issue straight out of the box.”
As Fire Emblem has gotten bigger, it’s gotten more ambitious, yet the new game is as engrossing as ever.
The company is hosting a “Customer Appreciation Sale” from September 13th through the 26th, calling it one of its largest promotions ever, because of the $300 million US tariff refund it received. It’ll knock 30 percent off “dozens” of Nintendo Switch games (digital and physical), DLC, accessories, amiibo, and more. Is this sufficient appreciation for you?
My colleague Antonio Di Benedetto told me “knock 30 percent off a preorder of Ocarina remake and I’ll consider myself appreciated.”
After installing the recent version 23.0.0 update on my Nintendo Switch 2, I can’t access the VRR settings option while it’s plugged into the Jsaux OmniCentro dock (I haven’t tried Genki’s Covert Dock 3 yet). The good news is that this dock still works post-update, but the ball is in third-party makers’ court to deliver a patch that enables VRR.
