Latest Features
Feature 12 Switch Games Confirmed In The asobu Indie Showcase - BitSummit
Lots of intriguing titles from or inspired by Japan
Today brought us the asobu Indie Showcase, which serves as a rather enjoyable build-up to BitSummit, the Kyoto-based expo and online event. It was an excellent video showcasing 60+ games, 20 of which were BitSummit selections, and pleasingly a good number of them were Switch projects. In this...
Talking Point If Nintendo Switch Online Adds Game Boy, Why Not Throw In GBA, Too?
Imagine the entire 2D Metroid timeline playable before Dread...
Nintendo Switch Online has been relatively static, as a service, for quite some time. We have had some turnover of free online games, most recently with Pac-Man 99, and a slow and steady influx of NES and SNES titles, but generally it's been a quiet time. Aside from some oft-demanded...
Quick Beats Final Fantasy And Vagrant Story Composer Hitoshi Sakimoto Talks YMO And Dua Lipa
"It’s been played often"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today we're...
Feature Tomorrow Corporation Turns Publisher With Star Trek-Style Adventure 'The Captain'
"Sysiac Games has built such a gorgeous, funny, sci-fi point-and-click adventure"
Tomorrow Corporation is a studio and team that's familiar to plenty of indie game fans. Back in the days of '2D Boy' key members produced the brilliant World of Goo, an early part of the download revolution on the Wii Shop. Since Tomorrow Corporation later formed...
Back Page The Ten Best Holiday Locations In Video Games
Take a load off, and load save
In the magazine business, the Back Page is where you'd find all the weird goofs that we couldn't fit in anywhere else. Some may call it "filler"; we prefer "a whole page to make terrible jokes that are tangentially related to the content of the mag". We don't have (real) pages on the internet, but we still love...
Quick Beats Mega Man Composer Manami Matsumae On Ocarinas And Bohemian Rhapsody
"I saved up my allowance to buy Queen's Jazz"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick...
Exclusive Eugene Jarvis Talks Cruis'n Blast And The "Joy" Of Working With Nintendo Again
"They basically turned us loose to make the best Switch game possible"
The news that arcade title Cruis'n Blast is headed to Switch came as a pleasant surprise earlier this year. The latest in the long-running Cruis'n series – which began life in '90s arcades with Cruis'n USA before making the leap over to the N64 – this neon-coloured racer...
Feature The Garden Path's Solo Dev On Hollow Knight And Final Fantasy Influences
"I'm a big fan of lo-fi music and lo-fi games"
We're bending the rules a little bit for today's Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival interview — this game isn't actually out yet. Scandal! But hopefully you'll forgive us, because The Garden Path — which recently finished its Kickstarter campaign, hitting the
Quick Beats Celeste Composer Lena Raine On Her Love For Ghibli, Hurdy-Gurdies, And Her Cat
The cat is called Bobbin
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we'll be speaking to a range of composers and musicians with a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today's...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 28th)
No More Time
It's been another hectic week of the Nintendo Life. Let's see, there was a Monster Hunter Rise x Street Fighter free update, all sorts of reveals from Gamescom Opening Night Live and follow-up streams, accusations of foul play in the world of retro collecting, a surp
EMMIs in pursuit mode
Earlier today we reported that another impressive-looking fan-made Metroid game — a 2D reimagining of Metroid Prime this time — has been shut down after the makers received an inevitable cease-and-desist communique. Nintendo wasn't specifically named, but there are no prizes for guessing the "certain games-related company"...
Soapbox Music Just Don't Come Spookier And Sadder Than Zelda: Majora's Mask
The moon, masks, and melancholy
I didn't play Majora's Mask when it first came out, and thank heavens I didn't — I probably would have just quit playing video games then and there. I mean, I used to have nightmares about the wind sound effects in Ocarina of Time (in my defence, they're creepy); I don't know how I would have handled the existential...
Random This In-Development Musical Video Game Went Viral On TikTok
Take note
I was browsing TikTok last night, attempting to distract myself from the sticky heat of Nova Scotia by peeking through into other people's lives, when I stumbled across this TikTok, by developer Stephen Ddungu: TikTok is not huge for video games yet, but that's starting to change. The algorithm that determines what's on your front page...
Feature Video Game Orchestra Founder Talks Live Music And Composing For Final Fantasy
The Woodwind Waker
When I was younger and more full of bad decisions than I am now, I used to go to gigs and watch rock bands sweatily flailing around the stage in cramped, smoky bars. Nowadays, I'd much rather sit in a concert hall and close my eyes while a bunch of talented orchestral musicians play a fancy version of the Skyrim soundtrack (which...
Quick Beats Shovel Knight Composer On Q*Bert, The Prodigy, And Magical Bongos
10 rapid-fire questions for Jake Kaufman
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'...
Feature The Inside Story Of Mockumentary Sequel 'Bringing Back Golden Eye'
And it's all for a good cause
Rare's seminal N64 shooter GoldenEye 007 is coming up to its 25th birthday, and for a whole generation of players, it remains a pivotal experience in their gaming lives – a fact that was playfully acknowledged by Jim Miskell's 2017 'mockumentary' Going For Golden Eye, which focused on the fictional Golden Eye World...
Talking Point How Much Would You Pay For A Mint Copy Of Super Mario Bros.?
6 golden coins? 8 red coins?
Following on from the recent record-breaking sales for retro games, including $2 million USD for a copy of Super Mario Bros. and $870K USD for The Legend of Zelda on NES — not to mention the unf
Quick Beats Hades Composer Talks Weird Al, The Beatles, And Radiohead
"I would aspire to write something as cool or as beautiful as that"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these...
Talking Point Million-Dollar Retro Game Auctions Help Remind Us What Matters Most
Passion and preservation
As you've no doubt seen over the past couple of years, there have been some high profile and eye-watering sales of retro games which have reached hundreds of thousands of US dollars, and now more than $2 million. It's been rather baffling to onlookers; these are copies of extremely common games, after all, and the downside...
Soapbox Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Was The Basis For My Taste In Music
Sick jams, dude
The year was 2005. iPods were the hot thing, YouTube had just been launched, Twitter didn't exist yet, and the words "podcast" and "social media" had only just been added to the dictionary. It was, in short, a great time to be a kid, as well as the nexus point of many of our modern everyday experiences, like being able to listen to...
Hands On PowerA's Spectra Controller For Switch Is A Light Show With A Catch
LEDs on a lead
We're not sure if you noticed, but there are LEDs on everything these days. If you've dabbled in the realm of PC gaming you'll no doubt have noticed the proliferation of colourful lights on keyboards and mice, and that trend is carrying over to console accessories, too – including joypads which light up like the 4th of July during...
Feature Mega Man, Shovel Knight, And Save Me Mr Tako Composers On Getting 'That' Retro Sound
A roundtable on writing retro tunes in modern times
As any self-respecting subscriber of the Gaming Historian knows, one national survey conducted in 1990 found that more American children could identify Mario than Mickey. That sounds about right to this writer, who was one of those children. What truly astonished us, however, was witnessing...
Talking Point Which Video Game Song Could You Listen To For Ten Hours?
Ten hours is a loooong time
We've all been witness to the rise of "Ten Hour Versions" on YouTube, and while many of us may have scoffed — who wants ten hours of something that isn't either sleep or a Lord of the Rings marathon? — I will say that I have actually listened to some of them for way longer than I would like to admit. Except I will...
Feature How Fire Tonight Took A Decades-Old Synth-Pop Song, And Made A Game Out Of It
Flamey-o
Information Society in 2019, looking extremely cool You might think that there would be more video games based on songs, and yet, there really aren't. At least, I can't think of any, but then again, I am writing this at 10am on a rainy Friday morning, so my brain isn't exactly at its peak. But Fire Tonight, named after Information...
Talking Point Which Pokémon Legends: Arceus Starter Are You Going To Pick?
Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott, oh my
Rowlet. Wait, sorry, I have to write more words than that? Fine. The 2022 release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus was shown off earlier this week, during the latest Pokémon Presents, but we already knew that the game would feature three returning starters: Oshawott for the Water type, Rowlet for the Grass type,...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 21st)
Go on, tell us...
Another week of 2021 goes zipping by like a zippy thing in Zippy Mode — a zip, for instance — and we can but look back on the events of the past seven days as events dropped into the fast-flowing river of Time. Treasured memories, like that time when some Nintendo fan turned their N64 into a Switch, or when the Special Edition
Soapbox Life Is Strange On Nintendo Switch Signals Better LGBTQ+ Rep To Come
Visual novels and narrative adventures are leading the way
Note. Spoiler warning! Plot details from Life is Strange and its prequel, Before the Storm, are discussed in this article. There's a lot to be disappointed about in the way the games industry has historically handled LGBTQ+ representation, and believe me, I'm dismayed by it, too. It was...
Soapbox Chiptune Is Great, But The Impact Of A Full Orchestra Is Unbeatable
Elevated storytelling
It's wonderful to see the love for video game music in our current Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival; it'll rightly celebrate all sorts of audio and soundtracks across varied games and genres. When the right music combines with an outstanding game, there is arguably no more satisfying experience in entertainment; the...
Quick Beats 'Journey' And 'Abzu' Composer On Star Wars, Neil Young And Podcasts
Rapid-fire composer quizzing with BAFTA winner Austin Wintory
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we'll be speaking to a range of composers and musicians with a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 14th)
Go on, tell us...
Another week of that Nintendo life has passed, and there were certainly some highlights. There were all sorts of gems in the Indie World showcase, a blabbing comedian may have given up a Mario movie character, while on the rumour front we have the likes of Xenoblade Chronic
Poll Did Nintendo Deliver Its Best Ever Indie World Showcase?
It's right up there, we'd say
Well, the dust has settled on another Indie World Showcase from Nintendo, and it certainly got Switch fans talking. In just over 20 minutes there were 19 games shown off — some were surprises, others were long-awaited updates, and others still were out-of-left-field games from fresh names in the development scene...
Feature 20 Super NES Classics Nintendo Should Bring To Switch Online
16-bit gems we'd love to see on Switch
Nintendo has been steadily adding to its Nintendo Switch Online NES and SNES offerings since the service launched, and although it was a slow start, we have to say we're impressed with the breadth of titles available to anybody paying for a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. It's pleasing to see lesser-known...
Soapbox Spin-Offs Can Be A Way In Rather Than A Sell-Out
Playable windows into other worlds
Ah, spin-offs. The cynical shareholder-approved cash-grab created for a series that’s got a little too big for its boots. The desperate last-ditch attempt at trendy relevance for a fading favourite. A shoddily resurrected IP’s woefully undercooked stab at attracting a new audience. They’re the “Grandma...
Poll Zelda: Skyward Sword HD's Biggest Question - How Do You Pronounce Fi?
I smell the blood of Zelda fandom
Last month, the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD once again fanned the flames on one of the biggest controversies the Zelda franchise has ever known. No, we don't mean the yays and nays of motion controls versus buttons, or the merits of a compartmentalised overworld with dungeon-like design elements...
Memory Pak The Exquisite Weirdness Of The Sims: Bustin' Out
Ah, the 2000s
I've always loved house-building, life-simulating game The Sims. I was on the bandwagon from day one, ever since meeting the tutorial family, Bob and Betty Newbie, and finding out that they could make a baby by kissing back-and-forth for hours. Just like real life, of course. Life most people, I would spend hours and hours building...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 7th)
Plenty to choose from!
Another seven days go by in the world of Nintendo. This past week the Streets of Rage series turned 30, Nintendo updated investors with its latest quarterly financial results, and both New Pokémon Snap and
Not forgetting Toadette and 'improved motion controls'!
Mario Golf: Super Rush has been one of the more notable Switch releases so far this year, and it got off to a fast start in terms of its sales. We gave it a rather qualified recommendation in our Mario Golf: Super Rush review; it's a solid entry in the series and offers good entertainment,
Talking Point Nintendo's Business Remains Strong, But Is The Bloom Off Switch Lite?
The Switch that doesn't 'switch' likely needs a price drop
Nintendo published its Q1 financial results today and they were, largely, what was expected. The extraordinary boom in business from the equivalent period in 2020, as Animal Crossing: New Horizons took off and gamers around the world were forced to seek home entertainment above all else, was...
Feature Fire Emblem And 8 Other Nintendo Franchises That Need A TV Series
Lights, camera, action!
Recently, we’ve spent the last who knows how long, re-playing Pokémon Blue, Red, and Yellow on the 3DS Virtual Console, and bingeing the original Pokémon animated series on Netflix alongside this, and what a time I’ve been having! Netflix is rumoured to be planning on making a live action Pokémon series, too, and this...
Soapbox Playdate Sold Out In 20 Minutes - Is It Time For A New Nintendo Handheld?
The Game Boy... 2
Many of us at Nintendo Life have been patiently, excitedly waiting for the Playdate to go on sale, because we're suckers for bits of colourful plastic. Well, it did, and we missed it, because all 20,000 initial units (for the 2021 batch, at least) sold out in just 20 minutes. [Not all of us missed it! - smug Ed] It's hardly...
Soapbox A Strange Desire For Switch Sports And A Return To Wii's Wuhu Island
Yes, including the cycling
The Wii, the Revolution, the era of motion controls, bathroom scales as peripherals and fun for all. It can be a bit of a trendy thing to tease the Wii, as if its concept of introducing new control schemes and luring traditional 'non-gamers' into being gamers was somehow bad - well, it was actually brilliant. Sure, the Wii...
Feature The History Of Streets Of Rage
Mmm... trashcan chicken
This feature originally graced your screens on 25th December 2019, republished today to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Streets of Rage. For a lot of us more ‘seasoned’ gamers, the announcement of Streets of Rage 4 brought a tear to the eye. The original Mega Drive/Genesis Streets of Rage trilogy holds a special place...
Feature Zooming Through Sonic Colors: Ultimate And Getting The Switch Lowdown
Sonic customisation, the new Wisp and that Switch framerate
SEGA has had various events and tie-ins to celebrate 30 years of Sonic the Hedgehog, but the big event from a gaming perspective is the upcoming Sonic Colors: Ultimate, which will see the previous Wii-exclusive come to various platforms including, of course, the Nintendo Switch. We were...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - July 2021
July's best Switch eShop games!
July was a slightly quieter month for big digital releases on the eShop, but no month ever goes by without at least a few treats that are worthy of your time. These awards aim to celebrate the best of Nintendo's digital store, giving some love and attention to the games that could so easily be missed in the Switch's...
Soapbox The Hidden Delights Of The Great Ace Attorney
Or, why TGAA is the LOTR DVD of video games
Did you know that Viggo Mortensen, the actor who played Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings movies, broke his toes on-set by kicking a helmet? The take ended up in the final cut, and Aragorn's cry of frustration, grief, and despair is made all the more real knowing that poor Viggo's toesies were probably...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 31st)
Plenty to choose from!
Another week has passed, with plenty of Nintendo-related news that's kept us intrigued. There were our reviews for games like The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and NEO: The World Ends With You, Streets of Rage 4's DLC finally arrived on Switch,
Soapbox In Praise Of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Two Years On
Support systems have never meant more
This past week marked the second anniversary of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the latest entry in Intelligent Systems’ popular tactics series. Ten years ago, you would’ve been forgiven for believing that the Fire Emblem series was going the way of the dinosaur, and yet Three Houses now sits at somewhere around...
Talking Point What's Your Switch Game Of 2021 So Far?
Decisions, decisions...
We're well over halfway through 2021 and we're steadily sliding down the back half of the year, having negotiated the six-month hump. Holiday season is waaaay off in the distance and we've still got several months to go before we get into video game 'silly season', but while recently discussing the upcoming Sonic Colors...
Poll Can You Still Find Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. And Super Mario 3D All-Stars?
Mario where are y-- oh there you are
Finding out that Super Mario 3D All-Stars was going to have a limited production run and would only be sold digitally until 31st March 2021 provoked some strong reactions from many Nintendo fans. Sure, there's an argument to be made that anyone who wanted a copy of this compilation game probably picked one up...
Talking Point Which Game Stage Have You Replayed More Than Any Other?
Green Hill Zone Act 1 is my new-old timesink
The ability to devote entire days to nothing but video games is a past luxury unavailable to me right now, or in the foreseeable future, unfortunately. The addition to my life of small humans that look a bit like me has substantially diminished my available free time, and I've recently realised that it's...