It has been a busy week here at Biff Bam Pop! headquarters, and it’s all thanks to our friends at Nintendo, who have released a flurry of games, DLC content, and Online subscription additions that have kept the Biff Bam Pop! Princess glued to her Switch Lite for hours upon hours.
On that note, I’ve managed to get her to spend a few minutes with me to go over the recently released Mario Party Superstars, the fresh new DLC content for the massively popular Animal Crossing, and what it’s like being able to play Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games as part of Nintendo Switch Online’s expansion pack.
Andy Burns: Oh well, look who’s decided to come hang out with her ole’ dad for a little bit. How’s the Nintendo gaming going?
BBP! Princess: It’s going good. I’ve been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons because of the new 2.0 update and the new DLC.
Andy Burns: Ok, you better tell me first off, what’s in the new update?
BBP! Princess: It has Brewster, who’s the pigeon who runs the coffee shop called The Roost. You get Kapp’n, I don’t know what species he is, who can take you to other islands, like computer generated mystery islands that have stuff that your island doesn’t have. There’s an island that has money trees, there’s one that has vines and special moss on it.
Andy Burns: That’s part of 2.0 right?
BBP! Princess: Yes, and then there’s the DLC, which I’ll have you know I got from the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack. The DLC is called Happy Home Paradise. Your character gets a call from Tom Nook, who’s asking you to come to the airport, as he has someone he’d like you to meet. You meet Lottie, who is a pink otter who runs the Happy Home Paradise business. She used to work for Tom Nook, but now she has her own business with Niko the Monkey and Wardelle the Manatee. It’s a place where villagers can go to ask Lottie or the others for vacation homes. In those vacation homes, they have certain themes and items that are needed in the homes. Later on in the game, you can build facilities like a school, a cafe, restaurant, and a hospital. Possibly some more, but I’m not sure. Oh, and don’t forget the Animal Crossing Series 5 Amiibo Cards, which we’re waiting to get in the mail (three packs!)
Andy Burns: Wow, you’re pretty darn excited about this, right?
BBP! Princess: Yes, but there’s even more games! I’ve been playing Mario Party Superstars, which is like a board game within a video game. If anybody’s played the Mario Party series before, then they’ll know what the game is. But if they haven’t, it’s basically you and three other characters (either real people or AI) face off against each other in a Mario board game. In this specific version, old stages from previous Mario Party games return, like Peach’s Birthday Cake. It’s fun because it’s always a long game and you never know who’s going to win. The mini games are unpredictable. The graphics are great, like when you’re getting a star it will go really smoothly and it looks really cool.
Andy Burns: Do you need to have played previous Mario Party games to enjoy this one.
BBP! Princess: Nope, it’s really easy to pick up on. I’ve never played a Mario Party game before this one, and I didn’t have any trouble figuring out what to do. And sorry, we didn’t have this out earlier, I was playing Animal Crossing and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Andy Burns: Speaking of other games, you’ve now got access to classic N64 and Sega Genesis games with the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack.
BBP! Princess: The N64 games are pretty good, they include Super Mario 64, Mario Cart 64, and how could I forget, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I’m not sure if people can tell but I like Zelda.
Andy Burns: Do you think you’ll go back at some point and try out all these classic games?
BBP! Princess: Most likely. I’d say the expansion pack is really good, especially for people who may have missed out on getting Super Mario 3D All-Stars, as it has Super Mario 64 in just as good quality.
Andy Burns: Anything else you want to tell people before you leave? Would you recommend any or all of this stuff for the holidays?
BBP! Princess: I’d recommend Animal Crossing and Mario Party Superstars for the holidays for sure. Can I go back and play now?
Andy Burns: Yes, get out of here.
