Tag: NintendoSwitch

Apple TV To Nintendo Switch – 7 Games That Made The Leap

DinSFy1WAAAsHd0

Seeing Picomy’s excellent 2D platform game – Heroki – hit Nintendo Switch just over a week ago made me think: What other games have made the leap from Apple’s digital-only console to Nintendo’s latest hardware offering?

In ATVG’s recent article on Apple’s rejection of Valve’s Steam Link app, I mentioned what I perceive as a philosophical similarity between Apple and Nintendo, with each company finding success following roads less travelled. There is also, however, a much more tangible common ground shared by Apple TV and Nintendo Switch.

Being able to play a game on the console that’s connected to the big screen of your lounge room, turn it off, grab your mobile or tablet, boot up the same game and continue where you left off still feels like magic to this writer. While Apple and Nintendo have arrived at that killer feature via different roads, it’s a fascinating common bond that gamers on both systems share, and a feature that will no doubt be taken for granted across all platforms one day.

So in continuing this theme of common bonds, shared ground, and killer features, here’s a handful of titles that found their way from Apple TV to Nintendo Switch.

Why?

Well, firstly, it’s interesting watching games migrate from platform to platform, like herds searching for greener pastures; National Geographic meets cyberspace perhaps.

Secondly…why the hell not?

Continue reading “Apple TV To Nintendo Switch – 7 Games That Made The Leap” →

Will Super Mario Run Ever Come to Apple TV?

screen696x696

As of today, mobile gamers are enjoying version 2.0 of Nintendo’s Super Mario Run. The update brings playable Yoshis in four different colours, new buildings, more of the game unlocked in the free-to-play portion, and lots of updates that aim to improve the overall experience.

Seeing the release drop this morning when checking the iOS App Store for updates got me thinking: Will we ever see a version compatible with Apple TV?

My short answer is no. But I’d be happy to be proven wrong.

If The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Nintendo Switch’s system seller, then Super Mario Run is its Trojan horse. Designed to infiltrate smart phones with a teasing glimpse of arguably the most iconic of all video gaming mascots, and create a desire for more, Super Mario Run was a deft play by Nintendo.

But bringing it to Apple TV feels like it would dilute the intention of creating that sense of wanting more. You’d still want more, but maybe a few would feel that Mario on Apple’s digital-only console might be just enough. Also, ATV gamers that feel that way, might also be left thinking that if they got Super Mario Run, then maybe there is more to come, if only they wait long enough.

Super Mario Run will no doubt remain on smart phones, creating a longing for more with the promise of delivery via Nintendo Switch, and its upcoming Super Mario Odyssey, the Switch’s second-wave system seller.

While Apple TV and Nintendo Switch have one very important thing in common, being the ability to take games with you on the go, it’s doubtful they will ever have Mario in common.

Prove me wrong Nintendo.

Please!

Bioware & Legendo are Treating Nintendo Switch & Apple TV the Same Way

sixteennine-adaptive-720-full

In December 2016 I reached out to studio Legendo to find out if it was still planning to bring games to Apple TV. You can read my full story here, but in short, the studio replied, “Yes we are. Dracula Twins hitting the tvOS App Store soon! We were/are waiting for the platform to mature, and now that Minecraft is available, I think it may be getting its legs.”

Even more recently, only four days ago to be exact, Legendo posted an update on its blog reaffirming its position on still planning to bring games to Apple TV. So good news all round. (On a side note, the studio also teased a brand new game in development based on Norse mythology which is exciting, so watch out for more details on that.)

Meanwhile, over at my old stomping ground – Grab It Magazine – Chris Stead posted an article only just today with a snippet from an interview with Bioware’s Fabrice Condominas, producer of a little upcoming game you may have heard of called Mass Effect Andromeda. When asked to comment on why the hugely anticipated fourth entry into the Mass Effect franchise wasn’t a launch title for Nintendo Switch, Condominas replied, “If the Switch is a significant success we will revisit that. So the door is certainly not closed, it just wasn’t the right timing for us.”

So much the same as Legendo was keeping an eye on Apple TV’s growth, Bioware – the huge producer of triple A titles – is playing wait and see with Nintendo Switch. It’s fascinating to get these occasional glimpses behind the business side of the development process, and to see how studios both big and small react to new hardware.

Interestingly, in Legendo’s recent blog post, the studio also teased how excited it is for the upcoming Switch, with a promise of more information to come when the time is right. Obviously ATVG is more concerned with Apple TV developments here, but within the context of this article it’s a great tidbit of food for thought.

Also Read: I Had a Nintendo Switch Moment on Apple TV

I Had a Nintendo Switch Moment on Apple TV

screen520x924

Last Sunday night at exactly 7.30pm, I stopped playing Toon Shooters 2: The Freelancers on Apple TV. A deal I’d made with my wife meant that the lounge room flatscreen was all hers, as Grigor Dimitrov and Kei Nishikori were about to face off in the final of the Brisbane International.

The thing is, I was really enjoying playing Toon Shooters 2. The side scrolling shooter from Mooff Games is a lovely throwback for fans of R-Type, but with a fun cartoon twist. There’s loads of new ships to be unlocked with different weapon load-outs, pets that add differing firepower abilities, and with Mooff Games you’re never too far away from Star Wars references. The picture above is an obvious one, and – spoiler alert – look out for the armada of Star Destroyers.

So at level 5, 7.30pm rolled around, and my time was up. But I wasn’t in the mood for tennis, I had work to do. Those aliens weren’t going to shoot themselves.