Nintendo is putting an extremely rare GameCube game on Switch 2 next week
But as much as I want the obvious GameCube classics on my Switch 2 , it's the more underrated gems I've heard so much about from hardcore Nintendo fans over the years that really pique my interest. Games like Chibi-Robo! , for example, which Nintendo has confirmed as the next title joining the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion pack library on August 21.
Chibi-Robo! is a 2005 platform-adventure game about a friendly little robot whose main goal is to help the Sanderson family by taking on various housework-related missions and performing generally good deeds on request. Chibi-Robo's helpfulness isn't limited to humans, though. In its quest to spread happiness, it also assists several animals and even enchanted toys along the way. As a player, you have to keep an eye on the robot's battery life and use power outlets dotted around the house to recharge it. Fail to do so and it'll collapse, and you'll lose a chunk of the in-game currency you've collected.
Chibi-Robo! looks like a typically charming Nintendo game in every respect, but it was actually originally conceived by now-defunct developer Skip Ltd. as a point-and-click adventure game, with Bandai as the publisher. Exactly how or why the game ended up moving over to Nintendo remains a mystery, but director Kenichi Nishi told Time Extension that Shigeru Miyamoto took a particular liking to the character design. The legendary Mario creator then went on to play something of an overseer role in the game's development under its new publisher.
Chibi-Robo! spawned a number of handheld spinoffs, but the original game remains the one with cult classic status. It's also become increasingly hard to play over the years, with Nintendo choosing not to port the game forward. These days you can expect to pay as much as $200 for a second-hand physical copy. As someone who categorically does not have that kind of cash to chuck at a 20-year-old video game (or any game for that matter), I'm looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about when it lands on Switch 2 next week.
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CNET
13 hours ago
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Pokemon Legends: Z-A Hands-On: Trying Out Real-Time and Mega-Evolution Fights
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Digital Trends
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The Switch 2's power and popularity are a double-edged sword for the industry
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Geek Wire
a day ago
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Nintendo's popular new ‘Mario Kart' cow draws a protest letter from PETA
Geek Life: Fun stories, memes, humor and other random items at the intersection of tech, science, business and culture. SEE MORE Cow, a breakout star in the new 'Mario Kart World' video game, wears a nose ring that is viewed as a painful accessory by the animal rights group PETA. (Screenshot via Nintendo on YouTube) The moos turned to boos over the depiction of a popular new video game cow character. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is protesting the design of Cow, a scooter-riding farm animal in the new 'Mario Kart World' because the character wears a nose ring. 'Nose rings are used by the meat and dairy industries to exploit, control, and even drag animals to their deaths,' PETA said in a letter (in full below) Thursday to Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa. Nintendo of America is headquartered in Redmond, Wash. The game launched exclusively on the new Nintendo Switch 2 game console, which released in June to much fanfare. And Cow has become a breakout star, as The New York Times reported in July, with videos on social media showcasing the bovine's popularity. PETA is less enthralled — at least when it comes to the nose ring. The organization is calling for Nintendo to redesign Cow's look, so it can 'race freely — without any painful reminders of the industries that treat animals like profit-making machines.' Read PETA's letter to Nintendo, and watch a trailer for 'Mario Kart World' below: Dear Mr. Furukawa: Greetings! I'm writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). PETA entities have more than 10 million members and supporters globally. We herd there's a new star in Mario Kart World: Cow! She is already winning hearts everywhere—including ours. But one detail has us hitting the brakes: The brass ring in Cow's nose. Would you please show empathy towards bovines and remove the nose ring? Here's why this is so important: Nose rings are used by the meat and dairy industries to exploit, control, and even drag animals to their deaths. These brass rings are crudely stabbed through the sensitive septum of cows and bulls, which can cause lasting pain and discomfort. The dairy industry will also clip spiked nose rings on baby cows so that the comforting act of nursing from their mother causes her pain and the baby is rejected and kicked away. To control bulls, a chain might be fastened from the nose ring to the bull's horn for even more pain-driven control. The brass ring in Cow's nose glosses over real world violence and cruelty to animals. That's why we're asking you to give this beloved bovine a small but meaningful upgrade: Remove the nose ring and let Cow race freely—without any painful reminders of the industries that treat animals like profit-making machines. Every animal is someone. So leave the rings to Sonic and let Cow breathe free!
