It’s no secret that Switch has nabbed a large chunk of Wii U’s biggest titles such as Mario Kart 8, Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World and many, many more…but there’s still a number of games that remain exclusive to Wii U. We didn’t just want to highlight any old games though, these 13 are legitimately fantastic and we hope to see some of them join the likes of Bayonetta 2 in the series of ports to Switch.
These range from obvious choices such as Xenoblade Chronicles X to lesser known gems like Project Zero: Maiden of Blackwater. Wii U may not have been Nintendo’s most popular machine but that doesn’t devalue how good some of its games were, numerous titles have lived a successful second life on the Switch (Mario Kart 8 ranking as the Switch’s best selling game).
We are however excluding games that have essentially been replaced by similar iterations on Switch. These include Splatoon, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Mario Maker.
Have you played any of the games mentioned in this video and are there any other Wii U games you still have an attachment to?
Last week’s college basketball action was as wild as we’ve seen this season. Six teams ranked in the AP Top 25 went down last Saturday — including five in the top-15 — all while the likes of North Carolina and Kentucky took hits as their respective seasons continued to slip away from preseason expectations. Now this Saturday sets up to potentially be just as consequential.
A total of 19 ranked teams are scheduled to play Saturday in a day that will be busy from noon until midnight, nine of which are on the road in potential trap spots.
Our panel of experts is on the case to break down every major game with picks straight up and against the spread, so if you want to scratch that gambling itch, let us give you the edge with some analysis and thoughts below.
Jonathan Coachman is joined by Mike McClure to dissect the best bets & props in hoops for Saturday on The Early Edge. Download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
When: 12 p.m. | Where: Fertitta Center in Houston TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) OTT: CBS Sports App (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast)
This Houston team is on an absolute tear and already has a 26-point victory over Temple on the resume. The Owls should be more competitive this time as they play on their home court on the heels of consecutive league victories. Still, the Cougars are an elite defensive squad poised to capitalize on Temple’s offensive struggles. Prediction: Houston 74, Temple 59 — David Cobb
Latest Odds:
Baylor Bears
-9
When: 2 p.m. | Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) OTT: CBS Sports App (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast)
Oklahoma State has not been blown out or overwhelmed by anyone this season and is good enough to give Baylor the same type of challenge the Bears faced in games against Texas Tech and Kansas. But the Cowboys probably aren’t quite good enough to pull the upset Prediction: Baylor 86, Oklahoma State 79 — David Cobb
No. 15 Ohio State at No. 10 Wisconsin
Latest Odds:
Wisconsin Badgers
-5
When: 4 p.m. | Where: Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free) OTT: CBS Sports App (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast)
The Big Ten is brutal and unpredictable, as was demonstrated again Thursday night when Indiana upset Iowa on the road and held the high-powered Hawkeyes without a field goal for 11 minutes in the second half. So while Wisconsin appears to be trending in the right direction and Ohio State is coming off a close loss, there’s really no sense into trying to read the meaning of recent results. This has the makings of another brutally contested conference game, and the Badgers get a slight edge only because of their defense, which should be able to manage an Ohio State team getting increasingly 3-point happy. Prediction: Wisconsin 68, Ohio State 66 — David Cobb
When: 4 p.m. | Where: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Neither Duke nor Louisville has a ton of momentum at its sails right now — Duke has lost its last two in close road contests and Louisville has also lost its last two. But the Cardinals have been better on the whole this season, they’re more experienced, and they’ve got the benefit of playing this one at home. I’ll lay the points with them here primarily as a show of faith in Carlik Jones, Louisville’s senior who is playing at an All-ACC level right now. Duke is just 1-2 on the season against the spread in a road environment, and Louisville is 5-5-1 against the number as a favorite. Prediction: Louisville 73, Duke 70 — Kyle Boone
Latest Odds:
Tennessee Volunteers
-8.5
When: 8:30 p.m. | Where: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee TV: SEC Network | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Tennessee had a wake-up call earlier this week when it got shellacked — by 26 points — on the road against a shorthanded Florida team. But that outcome is aberrational in nature given how UT has played this season. It has been one of the SEC’s best and most consistent forces. As it returns home seeking a bounceback, I expect it gets exactly that — in impressive fashion to boot as it reasserts itself as one of the SEC’s true contenders. The Vols are 8-4 against the spread as a favorite and get it done here with a double-digit dub. Prediction: Tennessee 72, Missouri 61 — Kyle Boone
No. 23 UConn at No. 11 Creighton
When: 12 p.m. | Where: CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska TV: Fox | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
UConn remains without star James Bouknight, one of the best scorers in all of college basketball. So without him, I can’t pick the Huskies on the road — at least not straight up. Their only quality outing in his absence came against Butler two weeks ago, and since, they’ve lost to St. John’s at home and narrowly squeaked a win over DePaul. Good spot here for the Bluejays to establish some much-needed confidence after dropping their second straight earlier this week. Going to meet in the middle and take UConn against the number but Creighton to win comfortably. Prediction: Creighton 76, UConn 70 — Kyle Boone
So who wins every college basketball game today? And which underdogs pull off stunning upsets? Visit SportsLine now to get picks for every game, all from the unbiased model that simulates every game 10,000 times, and find out.
For the third time this season, the Detroit Red Wings are faced with salvaging a series.
They lost their first game at Chicago, falling 4-1 on Friday. The teams play again Sunday afternoon. The Wings had to make do without several key players because of the pandemic, leaving them wondering if they will face a temporary shutdown.
“Well we’re five guys down,” coach Jeff Blashill said Friday night. “The other team with five guys down is Carolina, and they postponed their games. So, that is where we are at. Certainly, it does not help chemistry, but again … we are just trying to control what we can control.”
The performance was a letdown after a four-game homes stand that left the Wings feeling good about themselves as they came back to win against the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets. But the Blackhawks built a 3-0 lead before Dylan Larkin scored a goal set up by Marc Staal and Frans Nielsen, and now the Wings are left to hope they can split the series come Sunday’s matinee.
[ How the Wings will stay busy on lonely road trips during COVID-19 pandemic ]
“You never know when you wake up what the roster is going to be like, “ Larkin said. “This is the reality of our situation right how.”
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The Wings made do with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Among those who made their season debuts were Darren Helm, Alex Biega and Christian Djoos.
Goaltender Thomas Greiss made 24 saves on 27 shots.
Two of the Blackhawks’ goals came during power plays. The Wings had been doing well killing penalties until Friday and most damningly went 0-for-5 on man advantages after finally scoring on a power play during their fourth game of the season.
NEW ADDITION: How Bobby Ryan is quickly proving his value to the Wings
The Wings were without second-line center Robby Fabbri, who entered COVID protocol Jan. 11. Top-six winger Filip Zadina also missed the game because of being in pandemic protocol.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
In one of the first positive Friday night news dumps I can remember, Microsoft has not only reversed course on its poorly-received plan to raise the price for Xbox Live, it’s adding a treat. Soon, for free-to-play games (like Fortnite or Apex Legends), multiplayer access will be free, making the Xbox a much more attractive platform for gamers on a budget. Playing a game like Fortnite on PlayStation Network or PC has always been free, and now Xbox Live will handle things the same way.
The plans announced earlier today would’ve doubled the annual price for an Xbox Live Gold subscription that adds a number of benefits, but is mostly required for online multiplayer. Microsoft is pushing its expanded subscription that includes access to the Netflix-like Xbox Game Pass library, and the move would’ve brought the prices closer together for new members, but made it a lot more expensive to play on Xbox as a result. Now things are staying the same, but better.
To bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience we will be removing Gold requirements for free-to-play games.
We’re starting work on that immediately and will have updates in the coming months. Details: https://t.co/tWomNAwmp9
— Xbox (@Xbox) January 23, 2021
Microsoft:
We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing.
We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. For free-to-play games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months.
If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today. In the US, $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for retail 12-months.
Microsoft has announced that it is reversing its decision and will not change Xbox Live Gold pricing. Furthermore, free-to-play games will no longer require an Xbox Live Gold membership to play on Xbox consoles.As detailed in an Xbox Wire post, this decision comes after an earlier announcement that it would be raising the prices of Xbox Live Gold, which would mean that $60 would have gotten you only six months instead of 12.Microsoft’s full statement is as follows;
“We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing.
“We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. Free-to-play games will truly be free and you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months.
Have you played Xbox Series X?
“If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today. In the US, $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for retail 12-months.”
The Best Games to Play on Xbox Series X|S
Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, took to Twitter to apologize for the “angst and emotion” the initial announcement caused and said that the company will learn from it for the future.
“Apologies for all the angst and emotion this caused today for our customers,” Spencer wrote. “As always, we appreciate the feedback. This is a good learning opportunity for us and we will learn from it.”
Prior to the reversal, we wrote an opinion piece about how this increase wasn’t a great look for Microsoft, especially during the middle of a pandemic. Fortunately, for many around the world, this is now all good news.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
The Japanese government also said on Friday that it is determined the Games will go ahead following an unconfirmed report that a cancellation might be imminent.
On Friday, the Times of London, citing an unnamed senior member of the ruling coalition, reported that Japanese authorities had privately concluded that the Olympics could not proceed due to the ongoing pandemic. CNN has not independently verified this report, which officials have refuted
“Some news reports circulating today are claiming that the government of Japan has privately concluded that the Tokyo Olympics will have to be canceled because of the coronavirus,” said the statement from the IOC.
“This is categorically untrue … All parties involved are working together to prepare for a successful Games this summer.”
In a statement, the Tokyo 2020 organizers said that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had expressed to them his determination to hold the Games, and that meetings were ongoing to ensure that they could go ahead while implementing thorough infection countermeasures and other precautions due to the pandemic.
“All our delivery partners including the national government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, the IOC and the IPC are fully focused on hosting the Games this summer,” the statement said. “We hope that daily life can return to normal as soon as possible, and we will continue to make every effort to prepare for a safe and secure Games.”
Speaking in parliament Friday morning, Suga said the Games “will be a symbol of humanity overcoming the novel coronavirus, and a chance to showcase Japan’s reconstruction from the devastating (2011) earthquake and tsunami to the world.”
“We are determined to work closely together with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, and the IOC to realize a safe and secure Olympics,” Suga said.
Other Olympic officials were also quick to deny the claims made by the Times.
“Unfortunately, I need to address unfounded rumors that Tokyo Games will be canceled, rumors that only create more anxiety for the athletes in our sports,” Australian Olympic Committee CEO Matt Carroll told reporters Friday. “The Tokyo Games are on. The flames will be lit on the 23rd of July 2021. This has been just reconfirmed again by the Japanese Prime Minister this afternoon.”
In a thread on Twitter, Canadian Olympic chief David Shoemaker said his team was “unaware of any decision taken by the Japanese government as is being reported.”
“The Canadian Olympic Committee has confidence that the Games can be staged safely and successfully given what has been learned in sport over the last several months and the emphasis the IOC and Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee have placed on Covid-19 countermeasures,” he said. “We continue in our preparation to participate at Tokyo 2020 with a focus on the health and safety of our athletes, their families, and their communities.”
Saturday marks six months until the postponed Games are due to begin.
On Friday, the Times of London, citing an unnamed senior member of the ruling coalition, reported that Japanese authorities had privately concluded that the Olympics could not proceed due to the ongoing pandemic. CNN has not independently verified this report, which officials in Tokyo were quick to refute.
In a statement, the Tokyo 2020 organizers said that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had expressed to them his determination to hold the Games, and that meetings were ongoing to ensure that they could go ahead while implementing thorough infection countermeasures and other precautions due to the pandemic.
“All our delivery partners including the national government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, the IOC and the IPC are fully focused on hosting the Games this summer,” the statement said. “We hope that daily life can return to normal as soon as possible, and we will continue to make every effort to prepare for a safe and secure Games.”
Speaking in parliament Friday morning, Suga said the Games “will be a symbol of humanity overcoming the novel coronavirus, and a chance to showcase Japan’s reconstruction from the devastating (2011) earthquake and tsunami to the world.”
“We are determined to work closely together with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, and the IOC to realize a safe and secure Olympics,” Suga said.
Other Olympic officials were also quick to deny the claims made by the Times.
“Unfortunately, I need to address unfounded rumors that Tokyo Games will be canceled, rumors that only create more anxiety for the athletes in our sports,” Australian Olympic Committee CEO Matt Carroll told reporters Friday. “The Tokyo Games are on. The flames will be lit on the 23rd of July 2021. This has been just reconfirmed again by the Japanese Prime Minister this afternoon.”
In a thread on Twitter, Canadian Olympic chief David Shoemaker said his team was “unaware of any decision taken by the Japanese government as is being reported.”
“The Canadian Olympic Committee has confidence that the Games can be staged safely and successfully given what has been learned in sport over the last several months and the emphasis the IOC and Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee have placed on Covid-19 countermeasures,” he said. “We continue in our preparation to participate at Tokyo 2020 with a focus on the health and safety of our athletes, their families, and their communities.”
Capcom just held its Resident Evil showcase celebrating 25 years of the series, and while there was sadly nothing on display for Switch fans, over on the eShop you can still get your fix – as most of the RE back catalogue is on sale in the US.
This covers both the Switch and 3DS – with games like Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil 4 reduced down to $14.99. Then there’s the Revelation series, along with The Mercenaries 3D on 3DS. Here’s the full line-up via GoNintendo:
Resident Evil 5 – Current Price:$14.99 (Regular Price:$19.99) Resident Evil 6 – Current Price:$14.99 (Regular Price:$19.99) Resident Evil 0 – Current Price:$12.99 (Regular Price:$19.99) Resident Evil 4 – Current Price:$14.99 (Regular Price:$19.99) Resident Evil – Current Price:$12.99 (Regular Price:$19.99) Resident Evil Revelations – Current Price:$7.99 (Regular Price:$19.99) Resident Evil Revelations 2 – Current Price:$7.99 (Regular Price:$19.99) Resident Evil Revelations (3DS) – Current Price:$7.99 (Regular Price:$19.99) Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D – Current Price:$4.99 (Regular Price:$19.99)
Will you be adding any of these Resident Evil games to your digital library on Switch? Leave a comment below.