Latest Features
Soapbox TOTK's Ganondorf Is Great, But Zelda Needs To Do More With Its Villain
(Geru)Do better
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Jim pleads the case for just a little more Ganondorf action... The reveal of Tears of the Kingdom's Ganondorf has to be one of my favourite all-time moments as a Zelda fan. We all...
Soapbox 'Switch 2' Doesn't Really Need Backwards Compatibility
Much as we all want it
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Gavin ponders his instinctual desire for backwards compatibility and why, perhaps, it's really not needed this time around... First things first, I would love 'Switch 2' to...
Feature Nintendo eShop Selects - September 2023
Our picks for the best Switch eShop games in September
Another month, another onslaught of games — it's eShop Selects time for September. Yep, we're closing in on the end of the year, and with only three months left to go until 2024 hits us, our backlogs are full-to-bursting from this month alone. With plenty of big names coming out in October...
Soapbox What Do You Do When Nintendo Ticks Off Your ENTIRE Most-Wanted List?
Good problems
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Kate runs down her Switch wishlist and wonders if Nintendo has her phone bugged (or maybe just reads her articles)... Oh, I have been spoiled this year. Suspiciously spoiled, in...
Atooi boss talks Hatch Tales' delays and reviving a cult classic
Over 15 years since its initial release on the Nintendo DS, horror FPS Dementium: The Ward is getting a re-release on the Nintendo Switch eShop, utilising the 2015 3DS remaster as its foundation. While its creepy low-fi visuals and disturbing creature design have attracted a cult...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 30th)
Game on!
Well, it's the end of September. Feel sick yet? Let's discuss some weekend gaming plans to help out. Before we dive into all that fun stuff, though, let's first take a look at some of this week's highlights. We heard the news that Hideki Kamiya was leaving PlatinumGames, took a look at the new collaboration between Pokémon and the Van...
Soapbox My Most-Played Game Of 2023 Isn't On Switch, But It Must Be On The Cards
Ready to snap
Before I get started, the me get this out of the way: the Switch is definitely my most-played console of the year. Between The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Fire Emblem Engage and Pikmin 4 (the less said about Vampire Survivors, the better), the hundreds of hours that I have poured into Nintendo's hybrid hardware far outweighs...
Talking Point What Is Your Video Game Palate Cleanser?
Prepare for the next course
You wait all that time for hotly-anticipated titles like Tears of the Kingdom to drop onto the console of choosing, only to see it land in a year as stuffed with top-notch gaming releases as 2023 that you are forced to play it while juggling 30 other "must-plays" at the same time. Gosh, we game fans sure do have it...
Poll Do You Prefer Zelda: Wind Waker HD's Bloom Lighting Or The "Flat" OG?
Cel-sword
We know the game didn't look like this, but the box art for both versions cannot be ignored. And just like that, ten years have sailed by — The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD was released on the Wii U ten years ago today, and while we spend most of our days now pining for this incredible seafaring adventure to swim onto Switch, we...
Feature From Piston Hurricane To Today: Why Latinx In Gaming Exists
And why it needs your help to change the industry
Joe Tirado, a Latino game developer, has imposter syndrome. He said as such, during his own talk on Latine representation at this year’s Game Developers Conference. In response to a question about his feelings on being Colombian in an industry where he largely lacks compatriot peers, he confessed...
Poll Have You Come First In F-Zero 99 Yet?
Chasing cars
When Nintendo surprised its community with the release of F-Zero 99 on Nintendo Switch Online, we honestly weren't quite expecting it to be as good as it is. And yet, demonstrating a clever twist on the classic SNES title, it wound up being what we'd argue is the best of the '99' range on Switch, calling it a "brilliant take" in our...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 23rd)
Spending time with Samus
It's the weekend! That means it's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy some games. Before we do so, however, let's take a look back at what's been going on this week. One of the biggest stories was actually in relation to the massive leak suffered by Xbox in which Phil Spencer expressed a rather blunt desire to acquire...
Hands On Company Of Heroes Collection Deploys The RTS Classic On Switch, Despite Complex Controls
War - what is it good for? RTS, of course
Among the heaps of releases coming our way this year, 2023 has been a pretty big one for Feral Interactive — the team behind the excellent Switch ports of GRID Autosport and Alien: Isolation. The studio brought The Lara Croft Collection our way back in June and is now setting its sights on the next porting...
Soapbox Can You Really 'Spoil' A Mario Game?
I Wonder what will happen…
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Kevin ponders if it's even possible to spoil a game about a tubby plumber who jumps around a lot... Super Mario Bros. Wonder is right around the corner, and I think I...
Soapbox Nintendo, "THE Prime Asset" In Xbox's Content Quest? It's Only Natural
But it ain't happening
The FTC case examining Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, depending on your perspective, is either the gift that keeps on giving or an eye-scrapingly dull, never-ending saga. Still, you can't deny that it's turned up some tasty behind-the-scenes morsels to chew on, giving gamers a fascinating glimpse of the...
A divine force
Saying that the original PlayStation was a treasure trove of RPGs is a bit of an understatement. But even with that statement, Star Ocean: The Second Story remains a standout to many RPG fans. Its blend of sci-fi and classic fantasy, action combat, and crunchy synth tunes hit a particular chord back in the late ‘90s. This was the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 16th)
Directly to you
After a packed Direct, are you ready for a big weekend of gaming? We sure are! Welcome back to another edition of What Are You Playing. Before we dive into our Switch plans, let's take a look at the highlights from this week on Nintendo Life. The big news this time around was that we finally got a September Direct. This one was...
Poll What Did You Think Of The Nintendo Direct, Then?
A sublime September showcase?
The long rumoured and expected September Nintendo Direct has been and gone like a flash of lightning, and those 40 minutes certainly flew by for us. The dust is settling and while we're fully ready to share our overexcited thoughts, let's round up some of the highlights. Splatoon 3's DLC, Side Order, is coming in...
Feature 'Impossible' Port Master Randy Linden Talks Jurassic Park, BOTW, And His Favourite Ports
"Nintendo has both style and substance"
Randy Linden (centre) and Alena Alambeigi (left) from Limited Run with the Nintendo Life PAX team If there’s one thing you should know about art, it’s that changing it after a long time is really, really hard. Just look at classicist Emily Wilson, who in recent years became the first woman to ever...
Talking Point Which Classic Cartoons Deserve The Shredder's Revenge Treatment?
By the power of Grayskull!
We have been back on something of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge kick recently thanks to the release of the excellent Dimension Shellshock DLC. The heroes in a half shell are firmly back in our hearts thanks to developer Tribute Games and, after a recent interview from Xbox Expansion Pass with the...
Poll Will There Be A September Nintendo Direct This Year?
Trend Spotting
Update: And the question is answered: of course there will be! Details below: <related ids="155170"> Nintendo isn't always the easiest company to predict, but things are usually pretty routine when it comes to Direct Showcases. There's usually one in February, usually one in the summer and usually one in September — plus a...
Talking Point What Do You Want From A 'Splatoon 4'?
New stories? Fresh game modes? MORE Big Man?
It has been an entire year since Splatoon 3 was released (don't worry, we're just as shocked as you are) so, naturally, our minds are beginning to drift towards what comes next. The correct answer is that mysterious 'Side Order' DLC — which is meant to show what would've happened if Team Order had...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 9th)
Star gazing
The weekend has once again rolled around and that means that it is time for another edition of What Are You Playing! Before we dive into our plans, though, let's first take a look at some of the highlights from Nintendo Life this week. Kicking things off with the Nintendo big boys, we learnt from Eiji Aonuma that there are no plans for...
Talking Point Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom DLC - What Would You Have Liked To See?
Maybe... less game?
We all know that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the gift that keeps on giving — even without additional content. But with how many juicy new skills and items, and with what Breath of the Wild's DLC delivered, yes, we are indeed still hungry for more. But in a recent interview with Famitsu, Zelda series producer...
Feature 'Break The Game' Tells Speedrunner Narcissa Wright’s Story Through The Language Of Zelda
The new documentary charts a legend's return
It’s January 13, 2017 – the day of the Nintendo Switch Presentation. Unbeknownst to anyone until today, Nintendo’s latest console is going to be released in under two months, and with it the latest installment in The Legend of Zelda series, Breath of the Wild. A hush goes over the crowd as the final...
Hands On Super Mario Bros. Wonder Lives Up To Its Name In The First Hour
Isn't it a wonder
A funny thing happened at (well, near) PAX West 2023. Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the latest two-dimensional Mario game — and the first original one in over 10 years — was surprisingly made fully playable for Nintendo Live attendees and media alike ahead of its October 20th release on Nintendo Switch. Anyone who’s watched...
Feature Is 8BitDo’s N64 Controller Mod Kit A Better Buy Than Nintendo's Switch Online Pad?
Can’t find a wireless N64 controller? 8BitDo has the answer
Nintendo’s official Switch-compatible wireless controller Nintendo 64 was announced nearly two years ago but has been elusive to many. Supply seems to have finally caught up with demand, with the pad currently still available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers via Nintendo's website...
Soapbox Rayman Legends Blew My Mind Then Broke My Heart
Prince of Persia fans beware - he may suffer Rayman’s fate yet!
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Francisco shares his love of Rayman Legends as it celebrates its 10th anniversary — but also laments that it may have been a...
Feature Nintendo eShop Selects - August 2023
Our picks for the best Switch eShop games in August
Pinch yourselves — it's eShop Selects time again! Autumn (or fall, depending on where you are in the world) is just around the corner. The leaves will start going brown, and the temperature will start cooling off — or maybe it's getting warmer if you're on the other side of the hemisphere. This...
Feature Harvest Moon 64’s Relationship With Alcohol, The "Magic Liquid" Of Flowerbud Village
Surviving the censors
Alcohol takes on an almost spiritual quality in Harvest Moon 64 Update: Of course, three months after this article went live, Nintendo expanded its roster of N64 games on Nintendo Switch Online to include this one. Cheers! Nintendo games are usually all-ages affairs, but every once in a while a game breaks the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 2nd)
Go on and tell us
Good grief, is it really the weekend again? Bonkers. It's also September, which means that 2024 will be here in the blink of an eye. Before we all wallow in existential despair, however, let's take a look back at what went on this week in the world of the Switch. The biggest event this week was undoubtedly the Super Mario Bros...
Guide Best Space And Sci-Fi Games On Nintendo Switch
The answer to the Ultimate Question
Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the — sorry, er, these are the best space and science fiction games that can be found on Nintendo Switch, despite the fact that none of the developers in this list has actually been to space. What makes a good space game? Well, first it has to take place in...
Feature Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct - All Announcements, Features, Power-Ups, Worlds
How wonderful
A brand new 2D Mario is just months away, and today, we got an in-depth look at Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the first new 2D Mario in almost 11 years. Today's Nintendo Direct didn't give us any shocks, per se, but we have a better idea of what to expect from the Flower Kingdom, how to play online, and some new enemies and power-ups...
Poll Mario & Sonic Face Off On Switch This October - Whose Corner Are You In?
Jump up, Superstars?
In October 2023, two of video gaming's biggest rivals will go head-to-head in a historic showdown pitting the platforming heroes and erstwhile rival mascots against each other in a manner that hasn't been this on-the-nose since the infamous console wars of the early '90s. In the blue corner, Sonic Superstars launches on Switch...
Soapbox An Ode To A Lost Pokémon TCG Deck, And My Quest To Recreate It
TCGee, I don't know
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Mahin laments the loss of a treasured deck, and recounts his quest to build it anew. For real, this time... There was once a time I was doing moderately alright at the Pokémon...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 26th)
Return to Bright Falls
Ah, the weekend is here once again. That means it's time to wind down and get some gaming done. Before we do so, however, let's take a look at what this week brought us on the news front, shall we? The biggest surprise was undoubtedly the news that Charles Martinet will no longer be voicing Mario and Co., and will instead be...
Round Up Every Switch Announcement At Future Games Show Gamescom 2023
AK-xolotl! Bloomtown! Dome-King Cabbage!
Returning to Gamescom 2023 is GamesRadar's Future Games Show. Following on from its showing during Summer Game Fest, Future Games Show @ Gamescom 2023 was full of an eclectic variety of titles — many of which are coming to both PC and Switch. The showcase was hosted by voice actors Troy Baker (The Last of...
Round Up All Nintendo Switch Games From Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023
Sonic Superstars! Little Nightmares III! Mandragora!
Gamescom 2023 has finally kicked off with Opening Night Live, and while this year's opening ceremony was expectedly light for Switch announcements, there were still plenty of interesting reveals and release dates. While Alan Wake 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom...
Video Konami's Most Exciting New Release Isn't Metal Gear Solid
Time to wiggle
Of all the games featured at a recent preview event held by Konami, Super Crazy Rhythm Castle was admittedly not a game that we were frothing at the mouth to play from first impressions. The game is – to us at least – a little unassuming at first glance, but once we actually had a go with it, our mindset shifted just a bit...
Round Up Pokémon World Championships 2023 - The Best And Most Controversial Yet?
Pokémon came home
After the Pokémon World Championships made its long-awaited return in London last year, it was announced that the 2023 Championships would be taking place at the Pacifico Yokohama in Japan. This would be only the second time the tournament has been held outside of North America, making this truly a monumental announcement —...
Hands On Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 Could Be So Much More, But Isn't
Not for honour
We recently got the chance to have a pop at Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 at the invite of Konami. We had around an hour or so to dig into Metal Gear Solid and its two sequels (as well as have a quick gander at all the bonus content on offer), which isn’t a huge amount of time for games of this scale, but we were able to...
Feature TikTok, Smash Bros., And Shaking Up 'Samba De Amigo' With Series Creator Shun Nakamura
"I hope that Samba [...] will become a major music game in the modern era"
If you know your Sega history, then you most likely know — and love — the maraca-shaking monkey Amigo. Samba de Amigo was a cult hit on the Dreamcast back in 1999, and this little monkey rattled his way into many a heart over the years. Laced with catchy Latin American...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 19th)
Just one more run...
It's Saturday and you know what that means. That's right, it's time for a spot of the ol' gaming. There have been a good number of highlights at Nintendo Life this week. We got a large helping of Splatoon 3 news as we received a first look at the upcoming Drizzle Season and new Deep Cut amiibo — we're still in love with Bi
Talking Point Zelda: TOTK Isn't A Shoo-In For GOTY 2023, And That's A Good Thing
Whoever wins, we all win
2023, eh? What a year for games. We’ve still got several months to go before we say hello to 2024 but during internal discussions between the Nintendo Life team, we’ve all acknowledged that 2023 may go down as one of the best years in gaming history, proudly standing alongside the likes of 1998 and 2007. For Switch...
Talking Point The Games We Got Rid Of - What Were We Thinking?
Give it away, give it away now
We've all done it. Whether through necessity to fund a new purchase or streamlining our collection during a spring clean, we've all sold, traded, donated, or just given away a game or console at some point and then wished we hadn’t. Sometimes cold hard cash was required, other times we were just in a different...
Talking Point After Three Months, What's Your Zelda: TOTK Completion Percentage?
Tears of Completion
Believe it or not The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has now been out for just over three whole months. In that time, many of us have spent 100+ hours exploring the multiple layers of Hyrule, taking on familiar faces and getting lost in the adventure of it all. It's a sobering feeling, therefore, when you beat the game's...
Review 'The Art Of The Box' Celebrates A Time When Cover Art Could Sell A Game
Judge a book by its cover?
When you're looking to make a video game purchase these days, chances are there are many factors which contribute to your ultimate decision. Pre-release hype and online opinion will almost certainly influence your choice, but the image on the cover on the box is unlikely to carry quite as much weight. We're not saying that...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 12th)
Pokémehn
Ladies and gentlemen, the weekend. For a slightly quieter one, this week was packed full of highlights here on Nintendo Life. The August Pokémon Presents happened and it will undoubtedly go down as one of the showcases of all time — but we did get a release date for the Scarlet and Violet DLC and two new NSO games, which is good. Quake...
Gallery Here's A Look At The Gorgeous Xenoblade Chronicles Original Soundtrack Trinity Box
A musical tri-umph
If you love the Xenoblade Chronicles series, regardless of what your favourite game in the franchise is, there's something everyone can agree on — the music is phenomenal. Earlier this year, not only did we get a long-awaited release date for the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 soundtrack, but we also got the reveal stunning new...
Soapbox Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom's Thunderous Callback To The Great Sky Island Is Perfect
Lightning in a bottle
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Jim sings the praises of one of Tears of the Kingdom's later-game areas... I will preface all of this with a thank you to every Zelda fan on social media. As I worked my way...
