Bowser on Animal Crossing Success, Mario’s Plumber Perfume

Bowser talks all things Nintendo Switch

Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser (not to be confused with the other Bowser) recently talked to Polygon about Switch's future.

The interview covers subjects like the impact of COVID-19, the never-ending rumours of a Switch Pro, the future of Switch Online, the Joy-Con drift issue, the ascent of Animal Crossing to world-conquering blockbuster status and Nintendo's future and current expansion into markets like Lego and theme parks.

Animal grossing: Animal Crossing's success was “well beyond expectations is, I think, the simplest way to put it,” according to Bowser. “I don’t know that we expected it to be truly the cultural touchpoint that it became across the globe.” The game will continue to receive seasonal updates for a while yet.

Sunset clause: Why will certain Mario games no longer be available after March 31st next year? “This is a celebration of Mario’s 35th anniversary, and with some of these titles, we felt it was an opportunity to release them for a limited period of time.” Perhaps the simplest explanation is that they wouldn't have sold as much without a hard deadline?

Which of these games can not be detected by Psycho Mantis?

a) Azure Dreams
b) Castlevania
c) Suikoden
d) Silent Hill

The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today's issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.

Strider borrows its entire wardrobe

The 2014 Strider reboot featured a bunch of costumes based on characters from other games. Strider Ouga was based on Ibuki from Street Fighter and Strider Shouyo on Guy from Final Fight, while Strider Shinden was inspired by the original Strider.

When you unlock the first Novo gate you’re rewarded with an achievement called ‘Master of Unlocking’, which is a reference to the first Resident Evil when Barry Burton utters the infamous phrase after handing Jill Valentine a lockpick.

Join our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss today's fact.

Shinji Mikami reflects on last 30 years

Shinji Mikami recently told Variety about his 30 years in the games industry, and how he never really aimed to build a career when he joined Capcom in 1990.

Mikami directed the original Resident Evil, which went on to become a successful global brand with its own Hollywood movie series. For the last ten years, he has been the CEO of Tango Gameworks, currently working on Ghostwire: Tokyo for ZeniMax Media.

Rough start: “It was hell,” Mikami said of his first project at Capcom, which prompted him to get out while the going was good. His boss quit first, though, which allowed him to work as a designer on Who Framed Roger Rabbit for Game Boy, and then on Goof Troop and Aladdin for Super Nintendo.

Survival horror: Then Resident Evil changed everything. It was originally supposed to be a pure horror game, but Mikami decided to mix things up and introduced “the concept of surviving.” He didn't want players to run away from danger, but to prepare for it, and face their fears. His sales estimate at the time? Maybe 500,000 copies. Tops.

Eau De Plumber and First Person Scent

Choose between the Mario-themed Eau De Plumber and the Call of Duty-inspired First Person Scent, which are both unisex fragrances perfect for the discerning player of games – but don't build your whole style around them, as sales are limited to one per customer.

Plumberific: “This Italian-inspired perfume features deep earthy notes of toadstool, balanced with high notes of peach and daisy, and mid-tones of grass lands. Presented in a quirky 200ml collector’s bottle, this luxurious scent is inspired by everyone just trying to make their way in the world.”

Shoot to kill: “Combining the under-tones of napalm, with bouncy high-tones of watermelon and cigars, F.P.S can best be described as ‘so powerful your nostrils will wave white flags’. Presented in a pure pink 200ml crystal grenade, this fragrance is an essential in any care package.”

• Death Stranding update adds Cyberpunk 2077 crossover introducing Cyberpunk 2077 themed items and a “new Hacking function”
• Sudden and unexpected update for Swapnote on 3DS with a changelog that simply says “fixed some problems”
• PUBG Mobile is the biggest earner on mobile in 2020, managing to squeeze out $2.6 billion, ahead of Honor of Kings which grossed $2.5 billion
• Nintendo shares reach ¥67,850 and surpass the previous high during the Wii era while Sony reaches ¥10,000 for the first time since 2001
• Get a holiday gift from Ubisoft by registering for Ubisoft Connect, which allows you to claim a free copy of Trials Rising

As we head into the end of the year, we're going to be giving away a PlayStation 5 to one lucky reader. The winner will be revealed in the Christmas eve issue of DailyBits.

Here’s the Giveaway Code for Week 51, which will allow you to gain more points: 5362

Which of these games can not be detected by Psycho Mantis?

ANSWER: Silent Hill!

Psycho Mantis is one of the most memborable boss fights of all time. Not content with breaking the fourth wall, he also required you to switch your controller to the second controller port to stop him reading your input – and would compliment you on your fine taste in videogames.

If you had Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Azure Dreams or Suikoden data on your memory card, Psycho Mantis will point out that you like Konami games. The Twin Snakes for GameCube pulls the same trick, and Mantis will sniff out save data for Smash Bros. Melee and Wind Waker. It might not sound like much now, but it really put Hideo Kojima on the map back in 1998.

Today's issue of DailyBits was written by Gavin Herman, Erlend Grefsrud, Simon Priest, and Jamie Davey.