Nintendo Switch News – Week of 7/27/2018

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

The summer continues to roll on, and with it come some outstanding games! However, before we get into the now-playing list, let’s take a peek at what’s on the card for August 2018! There’s a lot coming that I’m pretty excited about. One of them we might not see, and that sincerely disappoints me, and that’s “SaGa: Scarlet Grace – Hiiro no Yabou”.  The SaGa franchise has not received the attention it deserves in the West. We’ve been fortunate enough to see and play many of them (down to the earliest ones on the Gameboy, redubbed into the Final Fantasy franchise), but I have no idea if Hiiro no Yabou will be coming to America. Not that I’ve seen, at least on the Switch. The last SaGa game I played was, unfortunately, in a word, terrible, and that was Unlimited SaGa on the Playstation 2. How about a game that’s actually coming out over here though?

Dead Cells! It’s coming to the Nintendo Switch, which we’ve covered before, and it’s coming much faster than you’d think. August 7th is the big day for the phenomenal rogue-lite Metroidvania to hit the portable console, which is easily my favorite console of the year. That’s even with the Yakuza franchise being all over the Playstation 4. I love Dead Cells though and play it frequently on the PC. You die pretty often, but with every death, you get a little stronger, a little better, and push a little farther. However, then you find a boss, and it kicks the daylights out of you. Well, maybe that’s just me. It’s absolutely worth playing.

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 and 2 (July 24th): Mega Man X was a pretty serious leap forward for the side-scrolling boss-fighting franchise, where a new Mega Man, “X” does battle with his own kind, now known as “Mavericks”. Led by Sigma and other evil entities, the robot war is far from over. Upgrading equipment in secret areas, hidden bosses, incredible challenges, murky robot politics, incredible character designs, and not to mention amazing music. This move for the Mega Man series was a positive one, and it’s now available for current consoles in the 1 and 2 Legacy collection! Mega Man X 1-8 are playable and even have fun new features to challenge. (39.99)

The King of Fighters ’97 (July 26th): The King of Fighters franchise is one that I have loved since I first played it (Fatal Fury, SNES), but have absolutely, positively never been good at. But ACA NEOGEO is a series of games ported from the original NEOGEO console/arcade cabinets to the Nintendo Switch, via HAMSTER. This was the end of the “Orochi Saga” in the story, as well as the fourth release of the game. A huge amount of fan-favorite KoF characters are found here, and is a true port of the game, complete with ADVANCED and EXTRA modes. It’s a gorgeous, classic fighter that’s worth a shot. (7.99)

The Banner Saga 3 (July 24th): I’ve recently given my impression of The Banner Saga 3, which can be found right here. I’ll keep it brief because it’s a wonderful, dark story and will find a happy home here on the Switch. The trilogy is out for the other consoles, but The Banner Saga Trilogy won’t hit the Switch until later on in the fall. I cannot recommend The Banner Saga enough, and I’ve only played part 3.