Author: Game Infliction

Random: Pikachu Was Originally Going To Talk Like Meowth In Pokémon Anime, Says Director

Speakachu.

It’s no secret that Ash Ketchum and Pikachu will soon be leaving the Pokémon anime for good, capping off a storyline that has lasted for the best part of 25 years. Despite being in the company of these characters for so long, it turns out that there are still some notable aspects of each that we didn’t know, like, for example, that Pikachu was originally going to speak… like a human (thanks, Go Nintendo).

Ok, maybe not exactly like a human, but definitely like Team Rocket’s Meowth (which is still a whole lot wider vocabulary than we would want to hear from Pikachu).

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Switch Online N64 Wireless Controller Restocks Coming Later This Week

On the way to the ‘My Nintendo Store’ in Australia.

Perhaps one of the hardest products to acquire for the Nintendo Switch is the wireless N64 controller. Not only is it an item exclusively available to Switch Online members, but there’s also incredibly limited stock.

Fortunately, Nintendo has been doing its best to keep up with the demand, and it seems there’s a resupply coming to the Australian My Nintendo Store later this week. As highlighted by the Aussie Nintendo website Vooks.net, there’ll be a restock this Thursday on 16th March at 1pm AEDT.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Capcom Reminds Monster Hunter Fans To Grab 3DS & Wii U Entries Before eShop Closure

“These games will no longer be available”.

We’re getting closer each day to the shutdown of the 3DS and Wii U eShop services. Many companies have been issuing reminders to grab their games on these platforms before its closed, and now Capcom has joined in with a PSA regarding the Monster Hunter games.

On the company’s official Monster Hunter social media accounts – it issued an important reminder that the eShop services will end later this month on 27th March. It means the Monster Hunter titles for this platform will no longer be available for new digital purchases. Fortunately, if you have purchased them beforehand, they can still be redownloaded in the future.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

New Witcher 3 Next-Gen Patch Improves Console Performance Mode Among Other Fixes

CD Projekt Red is rolling out the 4.02 update patch for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, bringing in sweeping quality-of-life changes for the PC, PlayStation and Xbox versions.

The 4.02 patch notes, which the Polish game studio published on Monday, detail different bug fixes within the game depending on the platform you play it on. However, the most important part is that the update has improved the game’s overall stability and performance.

In the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the patch has improved CPU core utilization in the DX 12 version and restored horizon-based ambient occlusion. It also includes fixes for other bugs including the “My Rewards” section not being localized in the REDlauncher; the landscape in Toussaint flickering when Nvidia HairWorks is disabled; and the game temporarily stuttering as a result of particle optimization.

On both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the patch improves Performance Mode and the alleviates the crashes that occur when Geralt runs away from Shani after initiating dialogue in the “Whatsoever a Man Soweth…” quest. It also fixes bugs that have been popping up on individual consoles, incuding crashes that have been occurring as a result of memory usage while using ray tracing on Xbox Series X, and blurry characters in the PS5 version.

The 4.02 patch also placed some nifty optical improvements across all platforms, including added refraction to SSR and ray-traced reflections on water for improved immersion and a Motion Blur slider.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was ported over to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on December 14, 2022, bringing new outfits and a quest inspired by the Netflix series. Five new games in The Witcher series are currently in the works.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer at IGN.

Countdown: 3DS eShop Spotlight – My Nintendo Picross: The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess

#18 – Picross your heart.

For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we’re going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it’s too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for good soon and, for one reason or another, these eShop-exclusives are close to our hearts.

Today, Gavin picks out a Platinum Point-ed Picross …

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Nintendo’s Doug Bowser Says Tears of the Kingdom’s $70 Price Reflects Its ‘Full, Deeply Immersive Experience’

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is Nintendo’s first $70 game, and Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has shared why Nintendo chose to raise the price of this specific Nintendo Switch title.

“We look at what the game has to offer,” Bowser told AP News in a recent interview. “I think fans will find this is an incredibly full, deeply immersive experience. The price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game. This isn’t a price point that we’ll necessarily have on all our titles. It’s actually a fairly common pricing model either here or in Europe or other parts of the world, where the pricing may vary depending on the game itself.”

Bowser’s statement echoes what Nintendo has previously said on the matter. Shortly after revealing Zelda’s $70 price tag, Nintendo confirmed that it determines “the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”

Tears of the Kingdom is currently the only $70 game on Nintendo’s publishing slate, as the upcoming Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon and Advance Wars 1+2: Reboot Camp are listed for $60. Even Pikmin 4 — which launches after Nintendo launches Zelda at $70, will retail for $60.

Nintendo is still keeping most details about the Breath of the Wild sequel under wraps. The latest trailer (which was revealed alongside a Collector’s Edition and amiibo) showed new vehicles and enemy types, but we’ve still seen very little of the game that’s now less than two months away. The game is surely packed with secrets and content, given the $70 price tag and the fact that it has the largest file size of any first-party Switch game.

While fans are hoping Nintendo will spill the beans soon, Zelda won’t be at PAX East later this week. Nintendo confirmed to the Boston Herald that while Nintendo will have a presence at the show, ““The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will not be shown at PAX East 2023.” Instead, it’s likely that Nintendo will bring March’s Bayonetta Origins or April’s Advance Wars remake to the event.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches for Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023. Be careful on the internet while you wait, as the Tears of the Kingdom art book appears to have leaked early.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.