Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s weekly catch-up news feature, the catch-up coffee. With each issue I will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite news anchor, Dee Dee)!
Mario Party, Mario Party 2 coming to Nintendo Switch Online
Some of the minigames may be included in Mario Party Superstars, but there’s nothing quite like the originals eh? Nintendo announced this week that both the original Mario Party and Mario Party 2 will be launched via the subscription platform on November 2.
Mario Party first launched for Nintendo 64 in 1999. I played so much I literally bruised my right hand. There’s nothing quite like the original original! This four-player party game features Mario and friends across nine Adventure Boards and 56 minigames. It can be played with friends or on your own vs AI.
Mario Party 2 followed the next year. It includes fancy costumes, new Adventure Boards, and new minigames. Basically, it’s the same thing but more.
2007’s Record of Agarest moving to Switch next year
Record of Agarest has been published approximately a hundred times, and here’s another for the collection! It first launched for PlayStation 3 in 2007, in Japan. Then for Xbox 360 in 2008, in Japan. The PlayStation 3 version came west in 2009 in Europe, with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions coming to North America in 2010. A PC version was released in 2013, an Android Version later in 2013, and an iOS version in 2014. So this is the first time we’ll see it on a contemporary platform.
This epic strategy RPG features over 100 hours of gameplay, plus side missions. The fate of Agarest is in the player’s hands, as is their reputation with the ladies. At the end of the adventure, choose a bride who will give birth to the next generation’s playable hero. Players will have to position their team on the battlefield and wait for the right moment to string together combo attacks using multiple party members, either with melee or ranged attacks.
Developed by Compile Heart and published by Aksys Games, Record of Agarest will be released in March 2023 for Nintendo Switch.
Three new Silent Hill games are on the way
Let’s start with the one I’m most excited for: NeoBards Entertainment-developed Silent Hill f will be an all-new story writer by Ryukishi07, with character design by Kera. The game will be set in 1960s Japan, and published by Konami (the original Silent Hill series developer).
Next up is Silent Hill: Townfall, developed by No Code and published by Annapurna Interactive. My ears perked up a bit hearing that Annapurna is involved.
Finally, Bloober Team is developing a Silent Hill 2 remake for PC and PlayStation 5. Arguably it doesn’t need to be remade, but it is happening. Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno stated, “Silent Hill 2 was the game that shaped our collective vision at Bloober Team. It’s the game that started us on our adventure in game development. Now, we face an ultimate challenge. A challenge to translate our youthful memories of the ultimate game into a language that modern players can engage with, whilst at the same time crafting an experience true to the original. More than 20 years ago, a team of brilliant minds at Konami developed one of the most remarkable games in the history of electronic entertainment. In partnering together, Konami and Bloober Team will ensure that Silent Hill 2 shines once again to set new standards for the genre and deliver an unforgettable experience for the next generation of fans.”
A new Final Fantasy XVI trailer debuted this week
Square Enix released a new trailer, “Ambition,” for Final Fantasy’s next mainline title, XVI. It provides a deeper look at the game’s backstory and characters. It’s been 1500 years since the fall of the forebears, and the realm of Valisthea has been slowly dying since then. Darkness spreads, and the Mothers’ flame is but a flicker. As the fringes fade, people flock to the Mothercrystals. This is the second trailer for the game; you can find the first here.
The two characters introduced are Dion Lesage and Barnabas Tharmr. Dion is the crown prince of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, and he also leads its most feared order of knights: the dragoons. He’s loved and respected by just about everyone. Barnabas arrived on the shores of Ash as a landless and titleless wanderer. Luckily, he was skilled with a blade and that won him a kingdom. He’s been called on to quell rebellions, and now has an army and a navy.
Developed and published by Square Enix, Final Fantasy XVI will be released… eventually.. for… some platforms. Basically, we know nothing about its launch at this point.
