Nintendo recently had a special Indie-focused direct that details some of the many indie titles coming out on the Nintendo Switch. One of the biggest games confirmed for the console is Playtonic Games Yooka-Laylee. Honoring the 3D platformer from the N64 days, it is a love letter to fans of the classic Banjo-Kazooie.
Many were wondering how the game runs on Switch, considering how it’s Wii U port was scrapped due to issues with that version’s development. Thankfully it seems that the game runs great on the Switch, as the above trailer shows off the game running on the Switch.
Being able to take this massive 3D platformer on the go is a wonderful move and Nintendo promised Switch owners wouldn’t have to wait long to play it. This makes me think that it might launch day-and-date with the PS4/Xbox One/PC versions but no confirmation on that yet.

After the success of EA’s own EA Access subscription that was exclusive to Xbox One for a while until the launch of Origin Access, with the rise of service-based gaming subscriptions, it was not totally surprising that Microsoft would take the plunge and introduce on what they call “Xbox Game Pass”, a monthly all-access subscription that gives access to all Xbox One games that are downloadable alongside Backwards-compatible Xbox 360 titles with exclusive discount offers and other goodies available to those who subscribe and get their fix of games directly there. Partners and publishers include companies such as:

2K, 505 Games, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Focus Home Interactive, SEGA, SNK CORPORATION, THQ Nordic GmbH, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft Studios, with some of the fan-favorite titles coming to Xbox Game Pass when it launches to the broader Xbox community later this spring include Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16 and SoulCalibur II.

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One of the best things about Xbox Game Pass is that you can discover and download the full titles directly on your Xbox One. That means continuous, full-fidelity gameplay without having to worry about streaming, bandwidth or connectivity issues

This subscription service will be coming sometime in the Spring of 2017 and Xbox Live Gold members will also be receiving “exclusive access” to Xbox Game Pass prior to launch. Microsoft will provide more on that later on.
Source: Xbox Wire

Remember those schoolyard rumors about a secret Mario level? Or that time your cousin told you they knew how to unlock Goro in MK1? Remember what it was like to play a game you didn’t know everything about before it was released? In this multi-game documentary we talk to Jonathan Blow, Derek Yu and Jim Crawford about the challenge of retaining mystery & player discovery in the age of the internet.
Plus we announce full Noclip documentaries for The Witness, Frog Fraction & Spelunky too. Buckle up friends, March is going to be busy!

The long battle between Jim Sterling and Digital Homicide concluded and Jim is finally able to talk about the case he was going through. He teased last week this episode would be going live but now, Jim gives us one of the longest Jimquisition Episodes in the entire series clocking at over 38 Minutes. It’s a great video that details the long saga of Jim’s encounters with Digital Homicide. Learning more about the case, Jim’s more muted tone compared to most of his work indicates the case took it’s toll on Sterling. I’m happy the legal battle is finally over and he can move on from this experience.
For those wondering why he was willing to not pursue addition battles with DH for legal fees, he gave the following comment.

The cost in doing so would be throwing good money after bad. I could no more get my legal fees back from Romine than Romine could get $15million from me.  The energy and time spent doing so would be better spent continuing to produce and improve my content. Unlike Digital Homicide, I try not to waste work hours pursuing grudges.
This “settlement” was as much pragmatism as lenience. I’m not that good a person. A continuation of vindictiveness would lead to pyrrhic results at best. I meant what I said when I stated I couldn’t hurt James more than he’s hurt himself, and I do not care enough to want to try. There have been times over this past year where I was angry enough to want to, where I desired to let this play out just to officially destroy the arguments, send a message, and demand non-monetary compensation (I’m serious in my offer for the Digital Homicide brand name, but I’m not paying over three figures for it). Now it’s over, however, I just don’t feel it. This whole thing ended rather sadly, and the desire for merciless revenge just isn’t there.
Honestly – and I am not saying this to be insulting – I think the Romines got in over their head and got frightened. I would have been as well. But then I’m looking at two guys who I think are scared, and there’s nothing to be gained from kicking people who are worried like that. This is also why I’m stopping my coverage of the lawsuit at this video, instead of the more extravagant and extended verbal kicking I’d dreamed about while at my angriest. I have folders of content collected over the past year that I hope I won’t ever need to touch. I’ve said before that I want the Romines to become good videogame developers. I would still like to see that. I enjoy a good redemption story, and I’d be the first to praise anything they made that was genuinely good.
All this said, however, I certainly do not forgive James Romine for this lawsuit and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it. It’d take more than an apology for me to truly be “classy” and accept a real peace. My “classiness” extends to resetting the clock on my opinion of their work, should their work ever be notable enough to cross my desk again.

The Blue Blur is famous for his Genesis adventures but you might be unaware of his spins across arcades. These includes special games built various machines. One such machine includes a little space ship and it released only in Japan.

SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter (or SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter Galaxy Patrol) is a 1993 kiddy ride up that features Sonic the Hedgehog as he fights enemies in space which appear on the monitor inside the ride. The goal is to try to rescue Sonic’s friends (Flicky and the gang) from Doctor Eggman. The game is shown from a top-down perspective.

Credit for showing off this gameplay footage goes out to SonicWindBlue! 

PtoPOnline released a video showing off a pitch based (PS2 Build) based off the Highlander franchise. Climax Studios made this pitch and had plans for release on the PS3/Xbox 360 and PC as well. Highly recommend you give this video a watch if you want to learn about a lost part of gaming history.

Breath of the Wild offers a day-and-night cycle that happens as you explore the game world via time system. You can see it in action through the above video, showing off how it works when you speed up the in-game clock. It’s great seeing day/night cycle in games; helps make the world more real to the player and it adds to the atmosphere. I love exploring locations in large worlds as the sun sets or when the moon is shining bright in games.
This isn’t much of a news post but something I wanted to highlight as I thought it was cool. You can check it out yourself through the above video.