Category: Previews

Preview – Avicii Invector: Encore Edition brings the DJ hero’s greatest hits to the Switch

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Note: For reasons that will become clear below, the embargo for this preview stated that no screenshots or videos of the Switch version can currently be captured. The screens and video you see in this article are taken from the Xbox One version: adjust your expectations accordingly until the game’s ready for review.

Although I’d never really heard any of the late Avicii’s music when I was asked to review his game for VGC, I ended up enjoying it so much I had his whole discography on my Spotify account by the end of the week.

More importantly, I was so thoroughly entertained by Avicii Invector that the Xbox One version managed to jive its way into my list of my 10 favourite games of 2019, an award so rare that literally only nine other games were given it. Obviously.

Switch owners will finally be able to get their hands on the game on 8 September in a snazzy new ‘Encore Edition’, which comes with 10 bonus tracks (bringing the total count to 35). Yer man Scullion’s been getting stuck into a preview build of this Switch version, and the signs are good so far.

Continue reading “Preview – Avicii Invector: Encore Edition brings the DJ hero’s greatest hits to the Switch” →

Hands-on with Nintendo’s E3 2019 demos

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E3’s all well and good but yer man Scullion can’t be doing with all that hassle. The 13-hour flight to LA would be bad enough, but given my global celebrity status I’m sure I also wouldn’t be able to move for autograph requests, people asking for selfies and offers of marriage.

Thankfully, Nintendo recently invited me to its UK headquarters to spend time with some of its E3 demos, away from all the hustle and bustle of the main show.

Not only that, I was also allowed to record footage for some of the games, meaning below you can see the likes of Link’s Awakening and Luigi’s Mansion 3 in perfect quality as recorded by yours truly.

Here’s my impressions of what I played, along with my videos (including commentary on what you’re seeing) where applicable. Continue reading “Hands-on with Nintendo’s E3 2019 demos” →

Video preview – New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe (Switch)

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Nintendo’s kicking off 2019 with another Wii U port, as New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe comes to the Switch on 11 January.

The Wii U version was much-loved by those who played it and ended up being the third-best selling title on the console, with 5.77 million copies sold.

Of course, given that the Wii U console sales themselves were poor, that made it a big fish in a small pond. Nintendo will be hoping that by putting the game on Switch – which already has a larger user base than the Wii U and continues to grow – it’ll reach a much greater audience more in line with the Wii and DS New Super Mario Bros games, which each shifted around 30 million.

Naturally, yer man Scullion’s been sent review code by Nintendo, and I’ve already started playing it. I’ll have a review ready before the game’s out, but it’s currently embargoed up the wazoo so you’ll have to wait until early 2019 for that.

Until then, here’s an 11-minute video in which I talk you through what’s new, show off the new characters and try to rewrite the lyrics to The Pogues’ Fairytale Of New York. Enjoy.

New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe is available on Nintendo Switch on 11 January. You can pre-order the physical version from Amazon UK.

In order that I could put this preview together, I received a digital copy of the game from Nintendo. The content of this preview was in no way positively influenced by this.

If you enjoyed this and want to help me post more frequent articles, please consider donating to my Patreon account.

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Alternatively, if you’re a UK reader and can’t afford to support me on Patreon, please do your normal Amazon UK shopping via this link. Tired Old Hack is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk and affiliated sites.

Monster Hunter XX Switch demo hands-on video

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Capcom has released a playable demo of the Switch version of Monster Hunter XX on the Japanese eShop. Being a brave warrior, I decided to try it out and record my findings in video form for your benefit. Continue reading “Monster Hunter XX Switch demo hands-on video” →

FIFA 18 Switch hands-on preview

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Note: Because of restrictions placed by EA, I wasn’t allowed to capture any gameplay footage or screenshots of FIFA 18 on Switch while I was playing it.

I also wasn’t provided with any screenshots, and I don’t agree with showing Xbox One and PS4 screens in their place, because they aren’t an accurate representation of how the Switch version looks.

To make up for this, instead of screenshots of FIFA 18 on Switch, I’ve included my favourite Celtic goals against Rangers.

Quick disclaimer: I’m an enormous FIFA fan. I saved my pocket money for months to buy the first FIFA International Soccer on the Mega Drive on the day it launched in December 1993, and although PES took over my attention in the early 2000s (because of course it did) it still didn’t stop me buying every FIFA game over the years.

I’m not ashamed then to say that, after Super Mario Odyssey, FIFA 18 is the game I was most looking forward to try out when I visited Nintendo’s UK HQ earlier this week.

EA is infamous for fucking over Nintendo fans in recent times when it’s come to its sports games. FIFA 13 on Wii U was just an enhanced FIFA 12 with all the good modes taken out: this led to understandably poor sales which EA then pointed to as a reason never to make another Wii U FIFA.

As such, FIFA 18 marks the first time in FIVE YEARS that Nintendo fans will be able to play FIFA on a home console, and the first time they’ll be able to play ‘proper’ FIFA on a handheld (because, let’s face it, the 3DS versions couldn’t quite handle it even though they did their best).

I held my breath as I selected the FIFA 18 icon on the Switch I was using. “Please don’t bottle this one,” I thought. After just a minute into my first match, I exhaled. It’s legit. Continue reading “FIFA 18 Switch hands-on preview” →

Fire Emblem Warriors hands-on preview

Published on by Chris Scullion3 Comments

Earlier this week I was lucky enough to be invited to Nintendo’s UK headquarters,where I was sat in front of a Switch for three hours and given free reign to play through its E3 demos without any annoying queues.

Over the next couple of weeks, expect a bunch of hands-on preview articles in which I give my views on these demos: starting with this one.

I have a strange relationship with the Warriors games.

Over the years I’ve played loads of Koei Tecmo’s Musou titles (as they’re known in Japan). Whether it’s the main Dynasty Warriors series, the spin-off Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi games, or one of the licensed tie-ins based on the likes of Gundam, One Piece and Fist Of The North Star, the process has always been the same for me.

I almost always start by running aimlessly around, because in the space of time since I last played a game in the series I’ve forgotten how I’m expected to make progress. Continue reading “Fire Emblem Warriors hands-on preview” →

Ultra Street Fighter II and Super Bomberman R hands-on previews

Published on by Chris Scullion4 Comments

Header image by Jorge Vargas

Two of the games I played at last month’s Switch UK premiere event share a lot in common.

Both are based on classic games that were bigger in the ‘90s, both are heavily focused on multiplayer gameplay, and both have received some criticism for their rumoured £40-£50 price points.

Having had the chance to briefly play both, it’s clear this is an argument that will continue until they’re released, and likely beyond that. Continue reading “Ultra Street Fighter II and Super Bomberman R hands-on previews” →

Snipperclips hands-on preview

Published on by Chris Scullion9 Comments

snipperclips_art3For every big Nintendo franchise out there – your Marios, your Zeldas, your Metroids – there’s usually another smaller one that’s widely ignored by the gaming public in general.

Sometimes these are proper retail games: the likes of Band Bros, Custom Robo Arena, Excitebots, the Bit Generations series and New Style Boutique were all strong titles that were so underappreciated they may as well have had photos of Ben Affleck on the cover (he’s a cinema legend, deal with it).

More often than not, though, these ignored gems have been digital-only releases tucked away in each Nintendo system’s rarely browsed eShop. Indulge me for a second, there’s a big list coming because this really annoys me.

Pushmo and its sequels. Art Style PiCOPiCT. Dr Mario & Germ Buster. Three separate Mario vs Donkey Kong games. Art Style Kubos (Precipice in the US). Hydroventure. Excitebike World Rally. Dillon’s Rolling Western. Harmoknight. BoxBoy and BoxBoxBoy. All seven Picross e games.

These were all digital titles published by Nintendo that were thoroughly enjoyed by me and most of those who bought them, but were tragically ignored by the masses and ultimately didn’t sell as well as they could and should have.

If you’re thinking of buying a Switch, please don’t let Snipperclips become the latest member of that club. Continue reading “Snipperclips hands-on preview” →

Arms hands-on preview

Published on by Chris Scullion4 Comments

arms-uk-boxThere was a moment when I was playing Arms (not ARMS: come on, people) where I was suddenly hit with a flashback of something I’d experienced nearly a decade before.

It was when I performed a grab move in the game, flinging both my extendable arms at my opponent and pulling them towards me for a beat down.

“Shake the controllers”, the rep at the Switch event told me. “Shake them fast and you’ll do more damage.”

So I did. And as I did, I suddenly found myself at the Wii post-E3 event in 2007 again, trying out Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games for the first time.

“Shake the Remote,” the rep told me back then. “Shake it fast and you’ll run faster.”

So I did. And I convinced myself then that it was a fad and ‘waggling’ wasn’t going to be a popular control method for too long.

We meet again, Old Scratch. Continue reading “Arms hands-on preview” →

Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Switch hands-on preview

Published on by Chris Scullion5 Comments

zeldabotw-boxI wasn’t fortunate enough to get to play the Breath Of The Wild Wii U demo back when it was doing the rounds after E3 last year.

By all accounts, the demo I played last week was the same as that one, with the only obvious difference being that this time it was running on Switch hardware.

Since the contents of the demo itself are more than half a year old now, I figured I’d spare you the same rundown of what it entails, what I got to see and the like. Every site worth its salt already has a hands-on preview of the Wii U version in its archives somewhere, so me adding my own would be like pissing into Lake Hylia.

What I can do, though, is tell you how it feels playing the game on the Switch, as well as going into other details like playing with the Joy-Con Grip and how easy it is to do the whole ‘switching from TV to handheld’ process. Continue reading “Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Switch hands-on preview” →