Nintendo has issued a reminder via social media that the next big update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Switch will be arriving in March.
While no specific release date has been shared just yet, we do know it’ll be Super Mario themed. This lines up with Mario’s 35th-anniversary celebrations, which will seemingly come to a close on 31st March this year.
This update was first announced during Nintendo’s Super Mario 35th anniversary Direct last September. During this event, it was revealed how “Super Mario themed furniture” would be added to the Switch version of Animal Crossing.
Are you looking forward to decorating your home and island with some Super Mario themed items? Leave a comment below.
Original Story [Sat 30th Jan, 2021 06:00 GMT]: According to a recent YouTube video and Amazon listing, Respawn Entertainment’s battle royale free-to-play game Apex Legends is arriving next month on 2nd February.
While there’s no official confirmation from EA just yet, the game’s director Chad Grenier has now responded to a question on Twitter – asking when the Switch version of the game will be released. Apparently, Nintendo fans can expect some news very soon. Here’s the full exchange:
Apex Legends was originally scheduled to launch on the Switch last year until Respawn decided to delay the game in October. Grenier said this was to ensure the team did the Switch version “justice”.
There’s also some news about the Japanese retail release via GoNintendo. Somewhat unsurprisingly, it’s filled with “digital-only” content and won’t include a game card.
If Apex Legends is arriving next week, at this rate, it might be a surprise drop on the eShop. Will you be checking out this free-to-play title whenever it does land? Comment below.
We’re now one entire month into 2021 and it’s becoming clearer with each passing day that this year may turn out to be ‘2020: Part Deux’. The good gamers of the world are in need of diversion more than ever, and fortunately there are some rather fabulous-looking Switch games coming over the next month or two to lift your spirits (and lighten your wallets).
Below we’ve rounded up the biggest games and accessories making their way to retail in February and March 2021. Super Mario 3D World is Nintendo’s first big release of the year and we cannot wait to dive furry head-first into the new Bowser’s Fury content. At the tail end of the two-month period we’ve got Monster Hunter Rise bringing up the rear. Plenty of quality hours to be had from just those two, then, but there are more sizeable releases to choose from if cats and monsters aren’t your bag.
So, grab yourself a warm cup of something and settle down with a comfy blanket. Let’s take a look at the big retail releases coming to Switch over the next couple of months and beyond…
Remember: if you’re ordering from Play-Asia, use the discount code NLIFE at checkout to get 5% off your order.
Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.
One of the Wii U ports we’ve all been waiting for, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury will offer a tweaked experience that expands on the original 2013 platformer with new content. There’s a dual pack of Cat Mario and Cat Peach amiibo incoming on the same day, so expect an overflow of cuteness and a chance to appreciate this excellent title all over again when it finally arrives on Switch.
Japanese Switch owners got their hands on this hack-and-slash Dynasty Warriors crossover in the form of Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers back in February 2020, and it’s now finally scheduled for a western release with a minor name change.
While it might not be the Persona 5 game fans are waiting for, we’ve seen some excellent Warriors crossovers in the form of Fire Emblem Warriors and most recently Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. This has the potential to be an equally tasty mash up, so while we’ll keep hoping for Atlus to bring P5 proper to Nintendo’s console, we’re intrigued to see what Omega Force has in store.
Bravely Default II slipped from its original release date into the beginning of 2021, but Square Enix’s sequel is one to watch for fans of the 3DS originals, or anyone with a taste for traditional-style JRPG gameplay and turn-based combat.
If you’re intrigued by what you see, there’s a demo available on the Switch eShop that should give you an idea if Bravely Default is your cup of tea or not. Check it out.
Marvelous’ next instalment in the Story of Seasons life/farm sim series will put you to work cultivating a farm just next to the titular port of Olive Town. The game promises more customisation options and more freedom than ever before to aid you in living your best life, plus plenty more marriage candidates of course, and you’ll have your work cut out for you clearing space in the forest for your new abode and cultivating all the bountiful natural wonders nearby.
A 3D action platforming game from Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima, perhaps best known as the creators of one Sonic the Hedgehog, Balan Wonderworld brings back warm memories of 3D SEGA games like Nights Into Dreams on the Saturn and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg on GameCube. It’s a multiplatform release and we’re looking forward to exploring its colourful environments on Switch.
Described as “a brand new take on the Monster Hunter experience”, up to four players can team up and save Kamura village from the impending ‘Rampage’, harnessing the new Wirebug hunting tool and enlisting the help of Palicoes, and Palamutes, along the way. The ‘Rise’ in the title is apparently a reference to this entry’s verticality, with the ability to traverse and climb rock faces and other terrain which will make the hunt all the more interesting.
A free limited-time demo was available throughout January — check out our impressions in this Monster Hunter Rise demo video from the lovely Alex.
More Awesome Nintendo Switch Games
Aside from the highlighted games above, there are lots more Switch retail games which might take your fancy in February and beyond.
Awesome Accessories For Your Switch
And finally here are a selection of the finest Switch accessories coming up in February and beyond, for your consideration.
So that’s it for February and March – did we miss anything? Let us know with a comment and also tell us if you’ve pre-ordered any of these goodies!
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (aka “The Snyder Cut”) will hit HBO Max on March 18th, the director announced on Twitter today.
The original theatrical release of Justice League debuted in November 2017 and, ahead of its release, endured a difficult production. Most notably, director Joss Whedon stepped in to finish the film during post-production after Snyder stepped away from the project for personal reasons. After Justice League was released, fans criticized Whedon’s contributions to the film, which included a lighter tone. Fans started an internet campaign for Warner Bros. to “Release the Snyder Cut” in the years since.
Warner Bros. previously announced in May that the long-rumored extended cut was getting an official release but as an exclusive on WarnerMedia’s new streaming service, HBO Max. With a firm release date for Zack Snyder’s Justice League finally set, the film is launching at a competitive time for superhero media as it will release one day before the debut of Marvel Studios’ newest miniseries, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which will stream exclusively on Disney Plus.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League isn’t the only new film arriving on HBO Max this year. In December, Warner Bros. announced that every single one of its films in 2021 would release simultaneously on HBO Max the same day they premiered in movie theaters. AT&T now credits the decision for helping boost HBO Max subscriber numbers in its latest earnings report.
NEW DELHI — As pomp and color of military parades go, India’s Republic Day celebrations rank among the most eye-catching.
But on Tuesday, just as the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepared to celebrate the anniversary of the inception of the country’s Constitution with another parade by the armed forces, an unlikely force was preparing to upstage the show.
India’s protesting farmers, who have been camped out at the gates of New Delhi for two months demanding that Mr. Modi repeal laws that would reshape Indian agriculture, were preparing to march into the capital with thousands of tractors.
The show of force, after the central government failed in its frantic efforts to prevent the tractor march, dramatically illustrated how deeply the deadlock with the farmers has embarrassed Mr. Modi. Though he has emerged as India’s most dominant figure after crushing his political opposition, the farmers have been persistently defiant.
Mr. Modi in September rushed through the Parliament three farming laws that he hopes will inject private investment into a sector that has been troubled with inefficiency and a lack of money for decades. But farmers quickly rose up against them, saying the government’s easing of regulations had left them at the mercy of corporate giants that would take over their businesses.
As their protests have grown in size and anger, with tens of thousands of farmers camped out in the cold for two months and dozens of deaths among them, the government has offered to amend some parts of the laws to include their demands. The country’s Supreme Court also intervened, ordering the government to suspend the laws until it reaches a resolution with the farmers.
But the farmers say they will not stop short of a repeal, and they have begun increasing pressure. In addition to their tractor march on Tuesday, they have announced plans to hold a march by foot to the Indian Parliament on Feb. 1, when the country’s new budget will be presented.
Tensions were high leading up to Tuesday, with some officials claiming the protests had been infiltrated by insurgent elements who would resort to violence if the farmers were allowed inside the city. Just days before the tractor march, the farmers’ leaders brought in front of the media a young man they claimed they had arrested on suspicion of a plot to shoot the leaders on Tuesday to disrupt the rally. Neither set of claims could be independently verified.
There was some confusion about the scope and size of the tractor march before it was to begin. Reports in the local media, citing documents from the Delhi police, said the march would begin only after the high-profile Republic Day parade in the heart of New Delhi had culminated. The reports also said the number of tractors and how long they could stay inside the city had been capped.
But farm leaders at a news conference on Monday said there were no limitations on time and number of tractors as long as they stuck to the routes set out by the Delhi police. Maps of the routes suggested a compromise between the farmers and the police that could allow the protesters to enter the city but not get close to sensitive institutions of power.
The leaders said that about 150,000 tractors had gathered at the borders of the capital for the march, that about 3,000 volunteers would try to help the police in keeping order, and that 100 ambulances were on standby.
The farm leaders, both in statements given to the marchers as well as during the news conference, repeatedly appealed for peace as they carried out the tractor march.
“Remember, our aim is not to conquer Delhi, but to win over the hearts of the people of this country,” they said in instructions posted online for marchers, who were told not to carry weapons — “not even sticks” — during the march and to avoid provocative slogans and banners.
“The trademark of this agitation has been that it’s peaceful,” Balbir Singh Rajewal, one of the main leaders of the movement, said. “My request to our farmer brothers, to our youth, is that they keep this movement peaceful. The government is spreading rumors, the agencies have started misguiding people. Beware of it.
“If we remain peaceful, we’ve won. If we turn violent, Modi will win.”
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are discussing the possibility of holding an All-Star Game in early March — with Atlanta emerging as the likely site, sources tell ESPN.
The traditional All-Star Weekend — previously scheduled for Indianapolis in February — was canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but sources tell ESPN there are ongoing talks with the league and union about a March 7 game in Atlanta that would be a far-scaled-down version of the typical All-Star Weekend festivities, sources said.
The NBA has a midseason break set for March 5-10.
NBPA president Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns has been a proponent of the idea, which would include the showcasing and benefiting of historically Black colleges and universities and COVID-19 relief funds, sources said. Both the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena and Atlanta-based HBCU campus gyms are under consideration to house a potential game, sources said.
Atlanta is the home of Turner Sports, which could televise the game without its crew having to travel outside the city. Even a game without fans — or with sparse, socially distanced attendance — would still require significant travel for players, support staff and league officials in the teeth of the pandemic. The typical hosting of corporate sponsors, a significant financial component of normal All-Star Weekends, wouldn’t be possible.
Talks are centered on a stripped-down All-Star Game scenario that would largely be focused on the game — with little in the way of fan-related experiences, if any, surrounding it, sources said.
The NBA has postponed 21 regular-season games that will need to be made up this season. The NBA awarded Indianapolis the 2024 All-Star Weekend to replace the loss of the event in 2021.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst contributed to this report.
Amazon has released the first clip from its upcoming Invincible animated series featuring the voice talents of Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) and J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man: Far From Home) as their respective characters play an innocent game of father-and-son catch- just with a small twist.
Ever since the project was announced, fans of the long-running Image comic have insisted that viewers are not ready for the shocking turns and bloody violence the series will depict (if it stays true to the source material). In addition to the first clip above, Amazon has also revealed that the first three episodes of the series will drop on March 26, before moving to a weekly-release format that will conclude with 8 episodes on April 30.
For those Mark-ing your calendars:
– March 26 – Episodes 1-3 – April 2 – Episode 4 – April 9 – Episode 5 – April 16 – Episode 6 – April 23 – Episode 7 – April 30 – Episode 8#InvincibleFriday pic.twitter.com/4Lx10qH1D3
— Invincible (@InvincibleHQ) January 22, 2021
Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker created Invincible in 2002, releasing a 6-page preview in the debut of another Kirkman series, Tech Jacket. The debut issue of Invincible would be released in 2003, kickstarting a 15 year run that concluded in 2018 at #144 issues.
Back in 2017, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were originally set to make an Invincible feature film at Universal Pictures before the project eventually moved to Amazon in 2018.
INVINCIBLE is an Amazon Original series based on the groundbreaking comic book from Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead. The story revolves around 17-year-old Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), who’s just like every other guy his age — except his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons). In this extended first clip, Mark chats with his father about his developing powers. Coming only to Prime Video on March 26.
DISCLAIMER: Comic Book Movie is protected from liability under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and “Safe Harbor” provisions. This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. Comic Book Movie will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please contact us for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. Learn more about our copyright and trademark policies HERE. [LESS]
The pandemic forced the Women’s March Sacramento to look a little different this year. Participants were invited to join a car caravan around the state Capitol and listen to speakers virtually. A permit for an in-person rally was denied, but organizers say now is not the time for complacency.“Just because there’s a new presidential administration, that doesn’t mean women have equity. And it doesn’t mean that we have equal pay. And it doesn’t mean that we have racial justice for all. And it doesn’t mean Indigenous have their rights. Or climate justice,” said Scarlette Bustos with Women’s March Sacramento.”All of those things are women’s issues. And so we have speakers who are leaders in the Sacramento and surrounding communities and they are giving calls to action,” she said.Leaders of the event posted those speeches on their Facebook page Women’s March Sacramento.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
The pandemic forced the Women’s March Sacramento to look a little different this year.
Participants were invited to join a car caravan around the state Capitol and listen to speakers virtually.
A permit for an in-person rally was denied, but organizers say now is not the time for complacency.
“Just because there’s a new presidential administration, that doesn’t mean women have equity. And it doesn’t mean that we have equal pay. And it doesn’t mean that we have racial justice for all. And it doesn’t mean Indigenous have their rights. Or climate justice,” said Scarlette Bustos with Women’s March Sacramento.
“All of those things are women’s issues. And so we have speakers who are leaders in the Sacramento and surrounding communities and they are giving calls to action,” she said.
Leaders of the event posted those speeches on their Facebook page Women’s March Sacramento.
