Hey folks, Laura here again with another report on the leaky boat which is the Nintendo Switch.
We have learned from two separate sources, one of whom is the Nintendo source who informed us of Switch Reveal Trailer info before Nintendo announced it, some early info regarding Nintendo’s March software releases for Switch and Wii U in March.
Following recent reports that Zelda: Breath of the Wild would miss the Switch’s March launch, we have not only heard the same information independently, but also that the Wii U version is not going to hit the previously expected launch date either. We have heard that, even though the game will not launch until several months into the Switch’s lifespan, Nintendo still plans to release a Wii U version of the game.
In Switch-specific news, we have been told that the Mario game shown in the Switch reveal trailer is planned as Switch release day title in all territories. One source has told us a potential name, but we are currently unable to find any web domains or trademark registrations to back up the name suggestion and so we are choosing not to talk about that at this time.
The title will apparently feature a 3D open world hub from which different worlds can be selected, with multiple objectives to complete in each, much like Mario 64 or Mario Galaxy. This may seem obvious, but we share this information to specify that this will not be a Super Mario 3D World-style game where the action is in 3D, but each stage is a linear path designed to be completed a single time.
The multiplayer teased in the trailer will be a co-op version of the main game, with both players able to work together toward objectives, but with a form of tether to keep the players from going too far from each other. Player two’s gameplay will not hold player one back from progress, but player two can be the one to complete an objective and be shown as receiving the level end reward. A screen will then show how much of the progress toward that success was down to each player, like how many red coins each player collected in a red coin stage.
This Mario title has a demo in development ready for press to play in January 2017.
We have also heard that the current plan is for the more expensive Switch SKU (stock keeping unit) to come bundled with a new version of Splatoon. A big part of the push for this will be a 1 vs 1 mode where two players on separate Switches can fight over a map, switching their weapon of choice at will mid-game. Nintendo expects the short match nature of Splatoon to translate well to handheld multiplayer, in that players need only commit a few minutes to a full multiplayer match.
There are also plans to add additional single player content to the game, and for the Switch version of the game to have a similar free content output schedule to the one the Wii U version of the game enjoyed.
Also, that Skyrim port Bethesda refuse to confirm is real is totally happening. We’ve heard it’s planned to be a launch day release for the system, to mirror the recent remastered version of the game, and to allow mods at some time post-launch. Mod support for Skyrim will not be there from day one, and much like the PS4 will be limited to mods made using existing in-game assets.
So, there’s what we’ve heard about the Switch and Wii U March software lineups so far. How does this leave you feeling about picking the system up at launch?
