Smash Bros. Ultimate Gets A New “Body-To-Body” Tournament Starting Friday

Nintendo has announced a new tournament for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate starting on Friday February 19 that will run for three days. Named the “Grand Slam” tournament, the event will only allow characters who use their body in special attacks.

The tournament follows on from the “Ballistic Barrage” event in early February, which was a tournament where only projectile-using characters were allowed. The new tournament flips the script, favoring melee-heavy characters such as Kirby, Yoshi, Bowser, Wario, Incineroar, and more.

The event will start on February 19 and last for three days, with winning players being awarded with Spirits for their Spirit Board. “The further you advance, the better the spirit you’ll win,” the official event page reads. You can also see the full list of available fighters on the official page.

Smash Bros. Ultimate fans have also received some exciting news from the latest Nintendo Direct, with two new characters arriving from Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Pyra and Mythra. Like other DLC characters, Pyra and Mythra will also come with a brand new stage from their game. They won’t be here in time for this weekend’s tournament, however: the new character DLC isn’t expected to drop until March.

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Zack Snyder Releases Sample Of Junkie XL’s Justice League Score

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is just a month away, and the director is working hard to hype the picture up before its debut on HBO Max. If you haven’t been paying attention, it would be easy to dismiss it as a director’s cut, but the project has involved extensive reshoots, re-done visual effects, and a totally new score that replaces Danny Elfman’s score with the one originally created by Thomas Holkenborg, better known as Junkie XL. Snyder dropped the first track from the score on social media today to give us a hint of what we can expect.

Snyder had previously revealed a short clip of the track, titled The Crew at Warpower. This is the full song, though, clocking in at 6:49. It definitely has some of Junkie XL’s trademark sound, with the percussion calling to mind some of the best tracks from his work on Mad Max: Fury Road. Aside from Justice League and Fury Road, Junkie XL has also worked on films like Alita: Battle Angel, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Deadpool.

Before Snyder stepped away from the original Justice League, he had Junkie XL scoring the film. When Snyder left, though, Warner Bros. made a bunch of decisions that seemed aimed at making the project a bit safer. The studio called in Joss Whedon, still fairly fresh off the success of Marvel’s Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, presumably with the hope that he’d bring success to yet another superhero team. They also replaced composer Junkie XL with Danny Elfman.

Elfman had previously scored Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns, among many, many others. Importantly, he composed the Batman theme used in that 1989 Batman film, and then again in the classic Batman: The Animated Series, which has become almost synonymous with the Dark Knight even outside of those projects. The 2017 Justice League film once again used the theme to signal the appearance of Batman.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League premieres on HBO Max, with the score by Junkie XL, on March 18, 2021.

Now Playing: Zack Snyder’s Justice League Teaser Trailer Breakdown

Hades Is Getting A Physical Edition For Nintendo Switch

Up until now, Supergiant Games’ Hades has only been available to purchase digitally. That will change next month when a physical edition for Nintendo Switch launches on March 19. Revealed during the latest Nintendo Direct, the Hades physical edition will surely delight dedicated fans, and preorders are starting to go live now.

$40

Rather than just throwing the game on a cartridge and calling it a day, Supergiant Games has added a couple of bonuses to the package that may make it worth purchasing for a second time. The Hades physical edition comes with a download code for the game’s soundtrack as well as a 32-page compendium detailing the fascinating characters that inhabit Hades’ world.

Hades is one of the rare roguelikes that places a huge emphasis on story as well as its satisfying action gameplay loop. With each run, you learn more about its captivating world and the characters that inhabit it.

It was one of our favorite games of 2020 and earned a 9/10 in GameSpot’s Hades review. “I’m sure there’s a point where, after running through hell enough times, I’ll have seen all Hades has to offer, both in its clever and endless fights and its many alluring characters, intimate moments, and rewarding quests,” critic Suriel Vasquez wrote. “The story does end. But what matters so much more are all the moments between the start and end of a story, and the people who help us see those climactic moments but also stick with us between them. They’re the reason we keep trying, and the reason we keep coming back.”

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The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Up For Preorder For Nintendo Switch

We may not have gotten any Breath of the Wild sequel updates, but Nintendo did have one piece of Zelda news to share during its recent Direct livestream: Skyward Sword is coming to Nintendo Switch. Releasing July 16, 2021, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is an enhanced port of the 2011 Wii game, and preorders are available now on the eShop and at Best Buy.

In addition to announcing the HD remaster, Nintendo revealed a new pair of Zelda-themed Joy-Cons will release alongside Skyward Sword HD on July 16. There are two ways you’ll be able to play Skyward Sword on Switch, and the first method includes using the Joy-Cons’ motion controls for swinging your sword, aiming your bow, and more. For those who prefer to play without motion controls, you’ll also be able to play using a regular Pro Controller or in handheld mode using buttons only.

$60

Digital preorders for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD are available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop, and physical preorders have gone live at Best Buy. Other listings should be going live soon. No preorder bonuses have been announced just yet.

For those who never played the original, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the first game in the official Zelda timeline and dives into the origins of the Master Sword. It begins on the floating island of Skyloft, where Link is a knight-in-training. After his friend Zelda is kidnapped and taken to the Surface, the abandoned land below the clouds, Link sets out to rescue her, guided by a spirit called Fi. The game earned a 7.5/10 in our original Skyward Sword review, which you can check out for more info.

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Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville Coming To Switch March 19

EA is bringing Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Complete Edition to Nintendo Switch next month. The game arrives on Nintendo’s hybrid console on March 19 and boasts all of the content from previous versions as well as some features tailored for the platform, including motion controls.

Complete Edition features 23 playable characters, along with a swathe of missions to complete and outfits and other cosmetic items to earn. EA says players will be able to unlock all of these items strictly through playing “without any premium store or currency.” The game also features both offline and online modes and features the option to play with motion controls.

“The Switch’s motion controls allow us to try a fresh new take on Neighborville, and with its docked and portable play, we have the ability to bring the game and its characters to life in ways that weren’t possible before,” PopCap producer Melvin Teo said in a press release.

Battle for Neighborville Complete Edition will retail for $40 USD when it launches on Switch next month. As EA notes, it’s the first game developed on the Frostbite engine to release on the Switch.

Battle for Neighborville is the third 3D shooter spin-off of the Plants Vs. Zombies series, following 2014’s Garden Warfare and its sequel, Garden Warfare 2. The game originally launched in early access back in September 2019, with its full release following a month later. The final content update for Battle for Neighborville was released in September 2020.

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Mario Golf: Super Rush Preorders Live Now For Nintendo Switch

After a nearly seven-year wait, Mario Golf returns this summer on Nintendo Switch. Announced during the latest Nintendo Direct presentation, Mario Golf: Super Rush releases for Switch on June 25, marking the first Mario Golf game for a home console since 2003’s Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour for GameCube. Mario Golf: Super Rush is available to preorder now on the eShop, and physical preorders are starting to pop up at retailers like Best Buy.

Developed by Camelot, Mario Golf: Super Rush has the standard three-click swing system as well as optional motion controls. Super Rush, as the name suggests, offers a twist to the formula. In Speed Golf, you race against your opponents between shots, nabbing power-ups and coins along the way.

There will also be a story mode starring a created Mii character. In story mode, you’ll work your way up the ranks, completing challenges and upgrading your character’s stats.

$60

Mario Golf: Super Rush is available to preorder now at Best Buy and on the Switch eShop for $60. No preorder bonuses have been announced so far.

Now Playing: Mario Golf Super Rush – Official Reveal Trailer | Nintendo Direct

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Zelda Joy-Cons For Nintendo Switch Revealed

During the latest Nintendo Direct, it was confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is coming to the Nintendo Switch, but we also learned of a new pair of themed Joy-Cons launching alongside the new port. The Zelda-themed Joy-Cons take after the iconic Master Sword and Hylian Shield, bearing each valuable tool’s iconography. The Zelda Joy-Cons release on July 16 alongside Skyward Sword.

New Zelda-themed Switch Joy-Cons will release on July 16.
New Zelda-themed Switch Joy-Cons will release on July 16.

The Zelda Joy-Cons are a deep royal blue, adorned with Zelda-style symbols placed delicately around the buttons and analog sticks. The left Joy-Con features the eagle and Triforce seen on the Hylian Shield, while the right features the Triforce design seen on the Master Sword. In the trailer that revealed the new controllers, it appears the controllers may be two slightly different shades of blue.

Players will be able to use these Joy-Cons in Skyward Sword with two different control methods. The first method will emulate how Skyward Sword was on the Wii, with motion controls for swinging the sword, aiming the bow, and almost every other action. Alternatively, players will be able to play in a buttons-only mode that maps sword slashes to the right analog stick.

While the new Zelda Joy-Cons are not up for preorder anywhere just yet, Skyward Sword HD is available to preorder now at Best Buy.

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