Month: May 2018

Mario Tennis Aces will mark the eighth time the Mushroom Kingdom crew have taken up racquets for a bit of tennis. Developed by veteran Nintendo sports studio Camelot Software, Aces features the colorful and accessible mechanics you might be familiar with from past titles, but includes a number of new systems, like the “Zone Shot” which allowing you to aim and deliver a powerful hit, along with racquet damage, the ability to slow down time, and unique trick shot moves for each character. A number of these new features can be seen in our hands-on 1v1 gameplay video, seen above.

You do have the ability to play matches with all of these features turned off, however. The game’s Simple Mode, as seen in the match between Yoshi and Toad, lets you play a more traditional variant of Mario Tennis on an even playing field, with only the innate styles of each character to consider. Mario Tennis Aces also features a Swing Mode, which allows you to use the motion controls in the Switch Joycons to play a version of the game more akin to Wii Sports Tennis

Mario Tennis Aces also features a story mode, which hasn’t been seen in a Mario Tennis game since Power Tour on the Game Boy Advance. We got a brief hands-on, which you can see in the gameplay clip above. Aside from acting as a tutorial to introduce you to the mechanics, it features a variety of tennis-based challenges. In the video, you’ll see examples of a custom match against Donkey Kong on a court whose nets feature Pirhana Plants that can catch and redirect your shots, and a shot control challenge where you return fireballs from Fire Pirhana Plants.

Nintendo is holding a Mario Tennis Aces Pre-Launch Online Tournament from June 1-3, so you’ll get the chance to try Aces for yourself very soon. You’ll be able to play as Mario, Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser to start, with the chance to unlock five additional characters if you perform well enough. Everyone who participates will be able to unlock a Mario costume–his traditional overalls–for use in the full game.

Mario Tennis Aces will release for Nintendo Switch on June 22.

Avalanche Studios, the Swedish developer known for Just Cause, Mad Max, and Rage 2, has been acquired. Entertainment company Nordisk Film has purchased all of Avalanche’s shares in what Avalanche is calling a “historic deal.”

Nordisk Film had already acquired a minority stake in Avalanche last year, and the company is now paying a further EUR 89 million to buy out the remaining shares. This is reportedly the “single largest acquisition” in Nordisk Film’s 111-year history.

Nordisk Film boss Mikkel Weider said in a statement that Avalanche impressed the company in part due to its “world-class team” and a company culture that matches up with Nordisk’s own. “It also has a unique foundational technology, exciting new titles in development and a strong IP in the The Hunter franchise.”

The Hunter is Avalanche’s lesser-known but very popular hunting series of video games. According to Avalanche, Nordisk Film will not meddle with Avalanche’s main directives. “Avalanche Studios’ strategy will remain unaltered,” the developer said. What this means is Avalanche will continued to operate as an independent unit, create new games, and more.

Avalanche, which was founded in 2003, has 320 employees across its offices in Stockholm and New York City. Earlier this week, Avalanche opened a third studio in Malmo, Sweden. Founders Christofer Sundberg and Linus Blomberg are staying with Avalanche in the wake of the buyout.

Nordisk Film has already made significant investments into gaming, as it’s put money into studios like Flashbulb Games, Kogama, and Reto Moto, among others through its Nordisk Film Games label. Outside of games, Nordisk has partnered with movie giants like DreamWorks, Lionsgate, and others to distribute their movies in parts of the world.

Avalanche’s current project is Rage 2, which it is co-developing with id Software. The game is due to launch in 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.