Latest Features
Feature Rare Turns 35 This Week - We Pick 10 Highlights From The Nintendo Years
Rare talent
Three-and-a-half decades ago this week, British developer Rare was formed. Formerly known as Ultimate Play the Game, the company was created with the express purpose of creating titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System and from the mid-1980s until the early '00s the Twycross-based team would deliver some of the finest video games on...
Feature A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Ary And The Secret Of Seasons
"When you’re shipping a game, slow internet is never good"
First announced for Switch back in 2018, Ary and the Secret of Seasons is an upcoming action-adventure game from developer eXiin and Modus Games. It was originally scheduled for a July launch but was pushed back thanks to a cer
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 8th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Yet another week has been and gone, this time bringing with it the announcement of Pikmin 3 Deluxe for Switch, a surprise Smash Bros. Ultimate update, and a much-needed Switch menu icon change, but now it's
Talking Point So, Where Does Switch Fit Into Sony And Microsoft's Next Gen Landscape?
The generation game
Following some lower key jargon-heavy info dumps earlier in the year, both of 2020's next-gen consoles and several of their key titles have been unveiled now, and we've got a much clearer picture of what the gaming landscape will look like at the end of the year, at least in hardware terms. Despite worries that Switch would look...
Soapbox 25 Years On, I Still Can't Get Into Yoshi's Island
And it's not for want of trying
On the 25th anniversary of its Japanese release, Gavin ponders why he just can't get down with one of Nintendo's most celebrated games of the 16-bit era... There's a strata of gaming classics so renowned for their quality that they become untouchable. Not liking, say, Ocarina of Time is cause for some serious...
Poll So, What Was Nintendo's Best Year Ever?
We've done the 'worst', so which comes first?
Last week, following some suggestion on social media that 2020 was shaping up to be a poor one for Nintendo on current evidence, we asked you to tell us which year you thought was Nintendo's 'worst' out of the last thirty-five. The results showed that 23% of the people who responded counted 2015 as the...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - July 2020
July's best Switch eShop games!
With July all wrapped up, it's time once again for us to take a look back at all the great games launching on Switch over the last 31 days with our latest edition of the Nintendo Life eShop Selects! These awards aim to celebrate the best of Nintendo's digital store, giving some love and attention to the games that...
Feature Evergate Developer Takes Us Behind The Scenes Of The Upcoming Puzzle-Platform Adventure
"[It's] a game that we're truly proud of"
Later this year, Switch's impressive library will gain a gorgeous, otherworldly platforming adventure by the name of Evergate, the debut game from Boston-based indie outfit Stone Lantern Games. Following a successful round of crowdfunding early last year, the game is coming courtesy of publisher PQube and...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 1st)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Yet another week has been and gone, bringing with it a brand new update for Animal Crossing, news of a glorious Stardew Valley physical edition and plenty more besides, but now it's time to sit down, relax, and discuss our weekend gaming plans.
"I still can’t believe we had the opportunity to do that!"
When it comes to all-conquering multiplatform games these days, there are a few titles which tend to dwarf the rest through mainstream cultural saturation. If you're not in their target demographic, it might be possible to miss these games, but you can't escape their influence. Minecraft...
Talking Point Is Nintendo Making As Many Games As It Used To?
Quality AND quantity?
A little over seven years ago, Nintendo made a big, but understated move that would go on to have an enormous impact on its future: it unified its handheld and console divisions. At the time, this just seemed like a move that would allow the two kinds of development teams to better share ideas and development resources, but...
Talking Point Have You Missed E3 This Year?
How have you enjoyed the online alternatives?
2020 has been an unusual year, that's for sure. If we think back to our expectations at the end of 2019, there was plenty to look forward to for gamers across the spectrum. Both Microsoft and Sony had new hardware coming, and despite Nintendo's slate looking relatively blank (aside from Animal...
Gotta hop ‘til you drop
Animal Crossing: New Horizons released with plenty of fun new features, all put in place to grant players an improved level of creativity. Terraforming was the addition that initially got everyone talking but, after 300+ hours of gameplay, I’m just as enamoured with the game’s
Feature Warface Devs On The Challenges Of Bringing CryEngine To Switch
"The longer you work with a tool, the better you become at using it"
The release of Crysis Remastered on Switch has left many a gamer who remembers trying to get that massively taxing game running well on a PC back in the late 2000s scratching their heads in disbelief. We're still putting the game through its paces for review but, by most accounts,...
Poll No, Really, What Was Nintendo's Worst Year?
Some say 2020. They're joking, right?
Earlier this week you may have seen a certain tweet doing the rounds on Twitter insinuating that 2020 is the worst year Nintendo has had for a while. This comes following an underwhelming Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase which came on the heels of a Nintendo Treehouse stream that also disappointed fans...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 25th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
And we've come to the end of another busy week in the world of video games - a week filled with analysis of a technical titan from a previous generation, the third anniversary of Splatoon 2, some freshly
Feature The 9 Strangest Choices For Licensed Karting Games
The racing tie-ins nobody really asked for
The Switch can’t avoid licensed kart racing games. It’s already seen its fair share of gems (Team Sonic Racing, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled) and stinkers (Hello Kitty Kruisers, Garfield Kart Furiou
Talking Point Are You Prepared To Spend $70 On The Latest Games?
It wouldn't be the first time
It might not feel like it--especially with the avalanche of titles across all platforms constantly threatening to whittle our bank balance to zero given the chance--but video games remain one of the best value forms of entertainment going. Bloated summer blockbusters might deliver three hours of entertainment for the...
Guide Day Of The Devs July 2020 Showcase - Every Nintendo Switch Game Featured
Every confirmed Switch game from the July Developer Showcase
Following the unfortunate cancellation of E3 this year, Summer 2020 has been jam-packed with online digital events showcasing video games to look forward to over the coming months. Most recently, we've had the second Day of the Devs presentation of the year and we've collected together all...
Feature I Am Dead Drops On Switch This September, And We Speak To The Devs To Find Out More
"The Switch audience has shown they are receptive to new types of game"
Revealed as part of the Nintendo Indie World Showcase back in March, colourful puzzle adventure I Am Dead will be landing on Switch in September this year, courtesy of publisher Annapurna Interactive. In it, you take control of museum curator Morris Lupton, a deceased resident...
Hands On Using Dream Glass 4K Is Like Strapping A 200-Inch TV To Your Face
And it works will any HDMI console
The notion of strapping a huge TV to your face might seem like something out of a bad sci-fi movie, but with £180,000 of crowdfunding raised so far, DreamGlass 4K isn't some ill-conceived fantasy – it's happening right now, and we've been lucky enough to get some hands-on time with a beta unit to see what all of...
Soapbox It's Time For WWE No Mercy To Make A Comeback On Nintendo Switch
The champ deserves a comeback run
In case you haven’t been keeping tabs on the WWE video game scene, it’s currently in a state of complete anarchy. Ever since THQ went bust and 2K Games took over the licence in 2013, the games have been gathering a steady flow of criticism, which has been rapidly gaining in pace as each instalment is released...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 18th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
With yet another week down - this time bringing with it a new Switch update, the LEGO NES console and an official Animal Crossing Instagram account, no less - it's finally time to sit back and chat about our weekend gaming plans. Members of Tea
Feature Upcoming Nintendo Switch RPGs To Look Out For In 2020
Still plenty more to come
Since launching in 2017, we’ve seen some outstanding games launch on Nintendo Switch, becoming home to many fine RPGs in the process. We’ve previously explored the best Nintendo Switch RPGs and best action-RPGs, but 2020 alone has already been filled with great examples, and all catering to the different sub-genres...
Glass half full, man
How many hours have you clocked up playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons? A quick check of my profile page shows '185 hours or more' at the time of writing. For someone who routinely complains about not having enough hours in the day to play through epic RPGs--somebody who loves nothing better than a short, sweet and finite...
Feature Remembering Satoru Iwata, Five Years On
A visionary that shaped a gaming generation
Five years ago today, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata passed away. We're republishing this obituary from 2015 to pay tribute to the great man. Satoru Iwata passed away on 11th July 2015, at 55 years of age. He was Nintendo's 4th company President, and oversaw a period of extraordinary success and then...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 11th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Yet another week has passed us by, giving us the very first review score for the upcoming Paper Mario game, as well as not one, but two cases of Animal Crossing fans being left upset over the game's
Talking Point What Do Abuse Scandals Say About The Smash Bros. Community, And Its Future?
Where now for Smash, and esports as a whole?
Before we begin, we'd like to point out that this article discusses sexual coercion, sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse of minors, and links to stories of these accounts. We appreciate this might be outside of our usual remit but we feel very strongly that this is a topic we simply could not ignore...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - June 2020
June's best Switch eShop games!
With June done and dusted, we now find ourselves halfway through what has been an eventful, and tough year. Thankfully, one small silver lining is that wonderful video games are still flying at us from every direction, including a number of lovely options on the Switch eShop. These awards aim to celebrate the best of...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 4th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
With another week out of the way - this time bringing a brand new Smash Bros. update, a new Animal Crossing update, and even an apology from Nintendo over Joy-Con drift(!)
Feature Missile Dancer Dev Terarin Games On Shmup Design, Future Plans And Embracing Western Players
"Shmups have a simple mechanism, but making good shmups is difficult"
Like so many Japanese gamers, Terarin Games' Junichi Terayama grew up with Nintendo. "The first video game I played was Xevious on the Famicom. However, I didn't have a Famicom as a kid; I was playing it at my friend's house." Despite the lack of unrestricted access to the...
Hands On Fuser Cues Up A Potent, Peripheral-Free Mix Of Harmonix's Music Game History
The crowd say "Bo selecta"
What exactly is Fuser? The upcoming title from Harmonix--the musical maestros behind Frequency, Amplitude, the original Guitar Hero titles and the Rock Band series--can be difficult to parse from screenshots alone. There's no mesmeric note-filled runway rolling towards you, and while the coloured decks along the bottom of...
Soapbox I’m Super Excited About The Future Of Animal Crossing: New Horizons
But what exactly is beyond the new horizon?
Animal Crossing: New Horizons director Aya Kyogoku recently said that she sees New Horizons as the beginning of Animal Crossing’s third generation. That begs the question, how will this generation develop as we move forwards? After all, Animal Crossing superfans are still going to be playing New Horizons...
Community Check Out 12 Switch Games We Missed, Recommended By You
A dozen gems that slipped through our net
Over three years since Nintendo's console first launched, Switch eShop has so many games available to download that it's impossible to keep up with them all. While we do our best to review as much as we can based on what we think you'll be most interested in, there are inevitably good games that will slip...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 27th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
We've finally made it through another long week, this time full of lots of Super Smash Bros. news, the controversial Pokémon Presents show, and reports that Nintendo is planning on cutting back on its mobile game development. With all of that out of the way, it
Soapbox Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Wedding Season Is A Reminder That Marriage Is Hard Work
Reese, Cyrus and my gamer brain = a hell of a union
In this Soapbox, Gavin discusses the fine line between enjoying his Animal Crossing dailies and grinding through chores. For anybody prone to compulsive behaviour, video games can be a dangerous pastime. Whether it's grinding away just to get a Platinum trophy, completing a collection of digital...
Guide Day Of The Devs June 2020 Showcase - Every Nintendo Switch Game Featured
Every confirmed Switch game from the June Developer Showcase
Following the unfortunate cancellation of E3 this year, Summer 2020 has been jam-packed with online digital events showcasing video games to look forward to in the coming months. We've already had the three-day Guerrilla Collective event closely followed by the two-hour
Talking Point Is EA's Switch Strategy Lazy, Or Simply Common Sense?
Any port in a storm?
EA's on-off relationship with Nintendo over the past decade has been so eventual it's a wonder it hasn't been turned into a 10-part docuseries on Netflix by now. Back in the Wii era, EA was happy to throw resources at Nintendo's system thanks to its impressive install base, and we were gifted with no less than 78 different...
"Every one of these journeys has been special"
Shantae and the Seven Sirens released for Switch and console platforms back at the end of May after debuting (in parts) on Apple Arcade last year. You can read our review for the full verdict, but given the series' history of top-quality entries in the Metroidvania platforming genre, it'll come as no...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 20th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
We've finally made it to the end of yet another busy week, this time full of exciting Pokémon reveals, a surprising commitment to Switch from EA, and even an Animal Crossing island made by KFC of all things. Now, though, it's time for us to sit and chat about our weekend
Guide How To Fit An IPS Screen To Your Game Boy Advance SP
Take your GBA to the next level of brightness
The Game Boy line of consoles may be old news to Nintendo, but that doesn't mean it isn't still evolving. Fan-made modifications are appearing all of the time which help augment and improve the tech which makes these handhelds tick, and one of the latest upgrades is a new IPS screen for the Game Boy...
Grininja
For fans of the mainline series, it wasn't the most auspicious of starts. The opening announcement from The Pokemon Company's recent 11-minute presentation likely had many a gamer rolling their eyes and wondering what the heck the guardians of the Pocket Monsters franchise were thinking by opening their presentation with a free smartphone...
Community Found A Real Gem On Switch eShop? We Want To Hear From You
Your recommendations for hidden gems we've missed
Quality is more important than quantity in most walks of life, but the sheer quantity of games available for Switch is still a source of wonder for veteran Nintendo fans who remember the slim libraries of consoles past. Back in the Wii days Nintendo Life committed to reviewing every WiiWare game...
Talking Point ARMS Turns 3 And Deserves More Love Than Ever
It's got LEGS
It’s hard to believe that ARMS burst onto the scene three years ago today, pushing forward new gameplay ideas and mechanics that in theory couldn’t have been done on the Wii U, although you could possibly have got away with two Wii Remotes with Wii Motion Plus but let’s not get into that now. When I first got a go at it back at...
Guide The Escapist Indie Showcase 2020 - Every Nintendo Switch Game Featured
Every confirmed Switch game from the 2-hour presentation
Following the unfortunate cancellation of E3 this year, Summer 2020 is now jam-packed with online digital events showcasing video games to look forward to. Closely followed by the three-day Guerrilla Collective event over the weekend, the two-hour opening show of The Escapist Indie Showcase...
Guide Guerrilla Collective 2020 - Every Nintendo Switch Game Revealed
Every Switch game announced and featured
Following the unfortunate cancellation of E3 this year, Summer 2020 is now jam-packed with online digital events showcasing video games to look forward to. The three-day Guerrilla Collective event began on Saturday 13th June and featured a cavalcade of announcements, with 43 games confirmed for Switch...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 13th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's been a painfully quiet week in the Nintendo world - things have been much more exciting in the futuristic, wireless router-inspired land of PlayStation over the last couple of days - but that doesn't mean we can't still gather around and discuss our favourite hobby. Members of Team Nintendo Life have...
Talking Point Six Burning Questions We'd Love Nintendo To Answer This Summer
Direct to Q
If the rumours are true, Nintendo likely won't be putting out a Nintendo Direct presentation in the immediate future. That's not to say announcements won't continue to drop, or game-specific Direct videos won't appear online over the summer, but a full-fat blow-out of a presentation doesn't appear to be on the cards in the near-term -...
Feature Biped Producer On The Cute Co-op Platformer's Journey To Switch
"We naturally took a lot of inspirations from various Nintendo games"
Earlier today we reported that Biped, the cute robot puzzle platformer from NExT Studios, is coming to Switch on 2nd July. The game released a couple of months ago on PS4 and PC, but with its local cooperative gameplay and accessible controls, it sure looks tailor-made for...
Talking Point The Time Is Right For Microsoft And Nintendo To Get Comfier With One Another
My enemy's enemy is my friend?
Forgive us for going back over old ground we've already covered, but could Microsoft and Nintendo please just stop flirting with one another and hook up? The fact that the two firms have enormous respect for one another isn't fresh information – heck, they collaborated so that Banjo and Kazooie could appear in