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Nintendo

Nintendo Switch Games Going On Sale For Mario Day 2021

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March 10th officially marks Mario Day 2021 for Nintendo, a great day for fans and Switch users around the world who are finding some of their favorite Mario games on sale this week. There are some amazing discounts this week in honor of the iconic video game character Mario, and the many other characters that the Mario universe has introduced us to over the years. 

Mario Day, also known as Mar10 Day, is an “annual celebration created by fans of the beloved Mario franchise, which first debuted in 1985; though Mario himself first appeared in Donkey Kong in 1981,” according to media sources. 

Games like Super Mario Party have seen a major price drop this week. Originally the game retailed for about $60 but is currently on sale for $39! Most of the games are on sale for around 35% off. This game in particular has more than 6,000 5-star reviews, which makes sense considering Mario Party has been one of the most popular staple games in the Mario franchise. 

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“Buyers love playing Mario Party with their families and how it makes them nostalgic for arcades and early consoles. The game also now supports up to four players and features 80 new mini-games to keep you entertained all-day long!”

Even more popular, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is now on sale for $50, which is $10 off of its normal price. Out of all the Mario Kart games that have hit the market the Switch version has been regarded as one of the best. 

“If you’ve ever wanted to race your friends in true Mario fashion for the ultimate trophy, this is your chance to do it. Choose your favorite avatar and ride down popular race tracks, like Rainbow Road, with up to eight players wirelessly. There’s even additional battle courses if you’re looking to go toe-to-toe with your best friend,” explained Nichka Dhawan, a staff writer for USA Today.

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With every Mario Kart 8 Deluxe purchase players also receive a seven-day free Switch online trial which allows users to race with friends or strangers from all over the world. Additionally the online Switch membership can be used for any game that has the ability to connect to the internet and other players. 

Super Mario Odyssey is a relatively newer addition to the Mario Universe that has also experienced a price drop of $10 down to $50. According to Dhawan the game has more than 17,000 5-star reviews and takes players on an “action-filled, globe-trotting adventure to save Princess Peach from Mario’s arch-nemesis, Bowser. Customers called this ‘the best Mario title to date’ and noted that it’s a game for all ages.”

Speaking of newer Mario franchise games, Luigi’s Mansion 3 has also seen a $21 price drop down to $39. Play as your favorite video game brother as you navigate throughout a spooky mansion and solve puzzle after puzzle to help rescue Mario, and some of his friends along the way. For a list of all the Nintendo Switch games on sale for Mario Day, click here!

Nintendo

Nintendo Continues To Thrive, Announces Best Quarter Yet For Switch Devices 

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Nintendo has been thriving even more than usual within the past year. The Covid-19 pandemic which has forced the world to stay home indefinitely has been amazing for the entertainment industry, and Nintendo is no different. Especially with the relatively recent release of their Switch and Switch Lite consoles, Nintendo has literally never been more popular. 

Nintendo sold 11.57 million Switch Consoles last quarter alone, bringing the total sales to 79.87 million since the release of the devices in 2017. That marks a 7% increase in sales when compared to this time last year, it also marks the Switch’s best quarter to date. Switch has now surpassed Nintendo 3DS and 2DS devices in terms of sales; 3DS and 2DS devices currently stand at around 75 million units. 

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If the Switch manages to have a normal spring quarter this year, which would mean selling at least 2.5 million units, the device will pass the Game Boy Advance in sales which peaked at 81.51 million. The Wii, Game Boy, and DS family are the only other Nintendo devices currently above the Switch in terms of overall sales when they were released.

Nintendo Switch sales for last quarter are relatively surprising as well due to the fact that Nintendo didn’t have that many big Switch launches last quarter outside of the Legend of Zelda spin-off game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Beyond that Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit and Pikmin 3 Deluxe were the only other major launches; each game sold a little more than 1 million units. 

Older Nintendo Switch games have been continuously selling since their releases. Mario Kart Deluxe currently has over 33 million sales, and the extremely popular Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been thriving throughout the pandemic. The game is less than a year old and already has 31 million total sales. 

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According to their quarterly reports “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate takes the third spot with 22.85 million sales, followed by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (21.45 million) and Pokémon Sword and Shield (20.35 million). Rounding out the top 10 is Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Party, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!/Eevee!, Splatoon 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.”

Super Mario 3D World and Bowser’s Fury, which is an updated version of the 3DS game, will be coming out February 12th which is expected to give Nintendo an even larger boost in sales. Following that release Persona 5 Strikers and Bravely Default II will both be released on February 23rd and 26th. 

Nintendo also announces that later in the quarter the company Capcom will be releasing their Switch version of Monster Hunter: World, the widely popular PS4, Xbox One, and PC game, which will be titled Monster Hunter Rise. The company also announced that it would be releasing dozens of their other popular titles for the Switch this year; many of which were previously released for Nintendo 3DS devices.

Nintendo Switch

Top 5 Most Popular Nintendo Switch Games

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Video games have certainly seen a surge in popularity within the past few weeks. As more countries all around the world begin to finally enforce mandatory lockdown/quarantine procedures as a response to the coronavirus pandemic, many citizens are scrambling to figure out how to occupy their time. Recently, the World Health Organization teamed up with the video game industry as a means of getting people to stay inside and isolate themselves. 

The Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite has become one of the most used video gaming platforms on the market currently. Thanks to a multitude of games, online multiplayer capabilities, and handheld device capability, many gamers are turning their attention to Nintendo Switch for their quarantine entertainment. Thinking about buying a Switch but have no idea where you’d even start when it comes to what games to play? Here are a few of Nintendo’s most popular Switch games of all time as of March 2020:

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Animal Crossing New Horizons: This video game has been all over social media this past month, as the Animal Crossing franchise is one of Nintendo’s most successful in general. In this game, you become an islander who wants to spend the remainder of their life on a deserted island that you’ll have to build from the ground up. You have complete creative control over where you want your villagers to live, what you want your island to look like, and more! On Nintendo Online Play, you’re able to visit your friends’ villages who also play for inspiration! Animal Crossing: New Horizons currently retails for $60.

Pikuniku: If you’re more of a puzzle-oriented, problem solving type of gamer than Pikuniku may be the game for you. You play Piku, the game’s title red creature, as you explore a multitude of multi-colored world’s and solve puzzles to put an end to the harvesting of your land’s resources. A majority of the puzzles involve some sort of “physical” activity that can be performed to gain access to rooms. These types of “activities” include pushing objects to flip switches and open doors, lassoing Piku’s legs around poles to swing yourself from hook-to-hook, and more. Like Animal Crossing, you can interact with all of the land’s villagers, and spend your “money” on cool accessories and resources. The game currently retails for $13. 

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Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX: This game is a part of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Series, and in it, you’ll start out as a human who turned into a Pokémon character. The character you become is determined by a personality quiz that you’ll take at the beginning of the game. You then choose a Pokémon partner to join you on your journey and from there, the two of you will embark on missions that include rescuing captured Pokémon, delivering items, and interacting with other players. The goal is to complete a job in order to move onto another floor within the mystery dungeon and, eventually, find your way out of it. The game currently retails for $60. 

Rocket League: This game takes the classic worlds of arcade racing and soccer and combined them to create one game. In it, players become a rocket-powered car that they use in a vehicular soccer match against another team. This game perfectly combines all the adrenaline of a demolition derby with the excitement of a fast-paced soccer game. Within it, you can unlock new car skins, accessories, soccer moves and abilities. Like most Switch games, you can even play with all your friends. Rocket League is on sale for $20 currently. 

Minecraft: A list of some of Nintendo’s most popular games would be incomplete without Minecraft. This game has been around for years, and has quickly become one of the most played games on all video game devices around the world. Like Animal Crossing, Minecraft takes on a sort of “choose your own adventure”/ “make your own world” aesthetic. You gather materials, build your village, mingle with your friends, and battle your enemies. The Nintendo Switch version of Minecraft is currently on sale for $30.

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Upcoming FIFA 20 Offers Players a More Realistic Soccer Simulation

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EA has published their series of soccer simulation games for several decades now, with each new release iterating on the previous one to maintain the same core gameplay mechanics that players love while introducing new elements to enhance the game’s sense of realism and accuracy. Using the tagline “Experience football intelligence,” EA plans to continue this trend with the September 27th release of FIFA 20. The newest installment in the series features a host of improvements to the game’s core simulation engine, attempting to provide the most convincing facsimile of the sport yet.

Chief among these improvements is the game’s introduction of a mode titled “VOLTA Football,” which allows players to simulate street football in addition to the traditional matches associated with the series. This mode will allow for smaller games, with 3v3, 4v4, and 5v5 matches, and enables players to customize the gender, clothing, shoes, and tattoos of their avatars. This mode includes a storyline mode, allowing players to insert themselves into a narrative about a football player rising to fame and glory.

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The game also features a revamped career mode, which includes several additional features tailored to responses and criticisms about previous iterations of the game. These include interactive press conferences, in which players can decide how to approach the media, and the simulation of conversations between players. As in previous installments in the series, the game features real-life football leagues, teams, and players, and approximates the various levels of skill of each player based on their real-world performances. The game also integrates 90 fully licensed real-world stadiums from 14 countries.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the newer entries of the FIFA series, especially FIFA 20, is the convincing and realistic physics and animation engine. Players move about the field realistically, as animations blend into one another seamlessly, and physical contact between players is portrayed dynamically and believably. Additionally, FIFA 20 features enhanced ball physics, and the movement of the ball on the field is governed by a physics simulation that takes into account the contact between the ball and various elements present in the game environment, including the players as well as the ball’s spin and trajectory.

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Another improvement in this year’s entry is the addition of mechanics to give advanced players more control over the ball, further simulating the tactics and techniques employed by real-world professional athletes. These additions include strafe dribbling, affording players more agility while on the ball, controlled tackling for taking back control of the ball, and composed finishing, creating more realistic shots at goal. While these new mechanics may take time to master, they are sure to reward dedicated players with the satisfaction of greater maneuverability and immersion in the game.

Though fans of the series will have to wait nearly two weeks to get their hands on a copy of the game, they can treat themselves to a free demo released today, September 10th, for the Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The demo showcases the new Volta Football mode as well as offering players a chance to try out the new game mechanics. Unfortunately, Nintendo Switch owners will not be able to access the demo, and the version of the game released on Nintendo’s less-powerful handheld will lack many of the features that separate FIFA 20 from previous entries. Initial reactions to the game to the game have been mostly positive, although the game’s representations of each professional players’ skill levels have been met with some criticism. As reviewers have not yet had a chance to get their hands on a copy of the retail version of the game, only time will tell whether FIFA 20 will be as beloved as earlier games, or whether fans will reject the changes in this year’s update.