Latest Features
Feature Keeping The Game Boy Retail Dream Alive, 30 Years After Launch
"It’s a borderline addiction"
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. The Game Boy may be 30 years old this week, but that doesn’t mean the system is dead and gone from a retail perspective; over the past few years...
Feature Our Favourite Memories Of The Original Game Boy
Nostalgia for Nintendo’s most humble of handhelds
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. As the 30th anniversary of the Game Boy’s Japanese debut approached, we here at Nintendo Life Towers were thinking a lot about the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 20th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Well, what another busy week we've had. Joker finally arrived in Smash Bros. Ultimate, Capcom announced a new plug-and-play arcade stick, and Reggie has been stealing all of the headlines with his retirement, but now it's time to sit back, relax, and talk about which games we'll b
Feature What Developers Really Think About The Nintendo Game Boy
"It was literally a game changer"
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. The Game Boy turned 30 at the weekend, marking three wonderful decades of portable brilliance. Released in 1989, this monochrome marvel is arguably one...
Feature The Handheld Rivals Which Tried And Failed To Beat The Game Boy
A Game (Boy) of Thrones
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. Context, they say, is for kings, and history can easily be misunderstood if we gloss over the specifics of how things relate to the time they're from. It’s...
Feature The Konami Hyperboy Is A Dumb But Loveable Throwback To A Bygone Era
Turns your Game Boy into an arcade machine! Kinda!
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. Whenever a new piece of gaming hardware is successful, it naturally attracts a lot of attention – both in terms of games (because...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 13th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Here we are at the end of yet another week, finally winding down and getting ready to enjoy some of those video game thingies we seem to talk about so much. As always, team Nintendo Life has gathered around to discuss our gaming plans for the weekend, and we'd love for you to get involved in the comments and...
Hands On Third Time's A Charm With Dragon's Dogma On Switch
Back to Gransys, yet again
I've got quite an odd relationship with Dragon's Dogma. When it was originally released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 way, way back in 2012, I was fresh off the back of Dark Souls and was hungry for a similar swords-and-sorcery experience. With its grim fantasy setting and frenetic third-person combat, Capcom's...
Hands On Going Beyond The Blaster With Nintendo Labo VR On Switch
A deeper dive
If you’re a long-time reader of the site, you’ll probably know that we’ve spent a decent chunk of time talking about Labo VR already when we got a chance to have a go with it at Nintendo UK’s headquarters. But now we actually own the blooming thing and have spent more time than we’d deem healthy having a good old rummage with...
Feature 10 Games We’d Like To See Come To Labo VR
Virtual insanity? Who can say anymore…
Well, this was certainly unexpected. After very carefully laying out our modest expectations for Labo VR on Switch, Nintendo casually tweeted news that both Super Mario Odyssey and
Talking Point Super Mario Maker 2 Should Finally Enable Us To Craft The Perfect Mario Mixtape
Side One, Track One, One-One
This will come as little surprise, but we here at Nintendo Life really quite liked Super Mario Maker. An outstanding game and one of only a small handful to truly make use of the Wii U GamePad, we spent countless hours tinkering with levels, running the 8-bit mushroom courses as-and-when they came out and playing the...
Feature Panic Button Opens Up On Bringing Hob: The Definitive Edition To Switch
"It all just felt like a Nintendo game"
The recently-released Hob: The Definitive Edition came as a pleasant surprise, offering Switch owners an enchanting experience packed with puzzles, powers and a mysterious world that needs saving. As you'll know if you've already consulted our review, we really liked it – and it's clear that the conversion...
Feature EGX Rezzed Proved Nintendo Is Winning The Indie War
On the floor at the UK's premier indie show
Last week, EGX Rezzed – an indie-flavoured off-shoot of Gamer Network's EGX show – took place in London. The event's aim has always been to celebrate small-scale games and give indie developers a chance to get their titles in front of a receptive audience, and this year's show certainly did that...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 6th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Well... Here we are at the end of yet another week. This week brought us all sorts of April Fools nonsense, including an excellent (but fake) Nintendo Direct presentation, and even some potential - and tasty sounding - leaks fr
Soapbox I Don't 'Get' Smash Bros. And I Just Don't Know Why
Confessions of an apathetic Smasher
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on various topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this piece, staff writer Gavin looks back on his history with the Smash Bros. series and tells us why he's weary of the latest iteration on Switch...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - March 2019
March's best Switch eShop games!
Incredibly, we've already reached the end of March (that's a quarter of the way through 2019 already!) and the Switch eShop's catalogue of games continues to expand at an alarming rate. As such, it's time to bring out the good old Nintendo Life eShop Selects awards! These awards aim to celebrate the best of...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 30th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Well done, folks! We've made it to the end of yet another week. This week brought us a bonkers bug situation in Final Fantasy VII and even more rumours of new Switch models coming this year, so it's probably about time we unwind by discussing our weekend gaming plans. Team Nintendo Life has just done that...
Talking Point Xenon Racer Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg For Falsely Advertised Games On Switch
We call bullshot
Launching this week on Nintendo eShop (and also available physically) is Xenon Racer, an arcade speedfest from 3DClouds with futuristic supercars burning around city street circuits. Earlier this week we posted news of the launch trailer with some lovely-looking gameplay that got us rather excited. The Switch isn’t exactly blessed...
Feature 17-BIT On Galak-Z: The Void, Nintendo Switch And Future Projects
“We are huge fans of the Nintendo Switch”
Like a great many developers, 17-BIT's Jake Kazdal has an affinity with Nintendo. Employed at Sega once upon a time, Kazdal went indie and founded his own outfit – briefly called Haunted Temple Studios – before switching to the name 17-BIT, and releasing the well-received Skulls of the Shogun on the...
Feature The Brightly Coloured History Of The Yoshi Series
Green is the new black
When asked to name a key Nintendo franchise, most people's first thoughts would likely turn to Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. However, over the years Nintendo has consistently made games with Yoshi as the star. These titles have fleshed-out Nintendo's release schedule nicely across various console generations,...
Talking Point There's Room For A Switch 'Family' If Nintendo Nails The Messaging
Three's a crowd, no?
Another week, another fresh batch of Switch rumours. The most recent include renewed whispers from the Wall Street Journal concerning potential hardware revisions for your favourite ‘homeheld’. The paper reported back in October last year on Nintendo’s potential plans to introduce a smaller, portable-focused model in 2019...
Talking Point Could We See Mario Kart Tour At Apple's Event Today?
Perfect timing?
Apple is set to hold a keynote event later today. At the upcoming presentation, the company is expected to mainly talk about new services, with a focus on their video streaming offering that's set to rival both Netflix and Amazon. However, many are hinting that the event could be about much more than just one new service, and won't...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 23rd)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Well, what a busy week we've had. There was the Nindies Showcase, which brought with it the Cuphead and Cadence of Hyrule reveals, the
Hands On There's More To Nintendo's Labo VR Than Meets The Eye
Virtual Reality, the Nintendo way
Maintaining a healthy degree of scepticism is always a wise policy in life, especially when you're faced with a seemingly endless number of companies trying to tempt you to spend your hard-earned cash. It's a practice we regularly employ in both our personal and professional lives here at Nintendo Life, and it's...
Feature Nintendo Indie Collaborations And Crossovers We’d Like To See
Tasty indie matchings with some cherished favourite franchises
The announcement of Cadence of Hyrule – Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda (to give its unwieldy full name) in yesterday’s Nindies Direct presentation was a delightful surprise. Although we’d heard whispers of
Talking Point What Does Google's Stadia Mean For Nintendo And The Future Of Gaming?
Is Switch under threat, or a viable alternative to cloud gaming?
Yesterday’s reveal of Stadia, the boxless 'future of gaming' from Google, was certainly intriguing. It promises seamless browser-based streaming of AAA games at 4K and 60 frames-per-second to all manner of devices you already own. The proposition is a clear and clean one for people...
Hands On Getting Our Hands Dirty With My Time At Portia On Switch
Your next Switch time sink?
Team17 has revealed that its RPG/crafting sim My Time at Portia is building up to a 16th April release on Nintendo Switch. Being the lucky so-and-sos that we are, we were recently invited to the studio's headquarters in sunny Wakefield, UK to spend some quality time with the game, giving us the chance to see what all the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 16th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
We've made it to yet another weekend and it's finally time to relax with some of our favourite games. After the excitement of the physical Hollow Knight release and the horror of seeing Zelda: Breath of the Wild without its cel-shading this week, team Nintendo Life has gathered to talk over our weekend gaming...
Hands On Should You Buy Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker's Special Episode DLC?
Time to explore (again)
Just yesterday, Nintendo released the full DLC package for Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker on Switch and - being the ever helpful folks that we are - we thought we'd give it a go and share our findings with you lovely lot. The DLC, called 'Special Episode' contains 18 new challenges (some new, some remixes of old) among five...
Talking Point Should Nintendo Be Concerned About Google's Play For Gamers?
Keep your friends close
‘Gather Around’ everyone, Google commands. Unless you’ve been actively avoiding it, you’ve probably heard about the company’s plans to reveal long-rumoured hardware at this year’s Game Developers Conference taking place in San Francisco next week. The latest teaser for the keynote – the company’s first at GDC...
Talking Point We Shouldn't Saddle Labo VR With Unrealistic Expectations
Perhaps it’s time to think inside the box
Nintendo’s long-rumoured foray into virtual reality with Labo: VR Kit has set some heads spinning with dreams of high-end experiences featuring all manner of Nintendo franchises. Imagine Mario Kart VR on Switch! they say. What about Animal Crossing VR! Where’s Metroid Prime Trilogy VR-astered?! Okay,...
Feature Fire Emblem Heroes' Directors On Making Nintendo's Most Successful Mobile Game Yet
"We are actively listening to player feedback and opinions"
It's hard to believe it, but Fire Emblem Heroes is now more than two years old. In that time, the smartphone-based tactical RPG has become Nintendo's most successful mobile venture, dramatically outperforming stablemates such as Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Super Mario Run and
Feature Remembering The Wikipad, Stan Lee's Favourite Nintendo Switch Forerunner
Haven't we met before?
As I've gotten older I've noticed that I'm becoming increasingly forgetful, and I was reminded of this sad fact of life recently thanks to Blake J. Harris' The History of the Future, a book I've been lucky enough to have been sent an advance copy of to flick through. While the book – billed as the sequel to the brilliant...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 9th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Another busy week has gone by, with rumours of another 2019 Zelda release and Mario game discounts popping up all over the place, but we've finally made it to the weekend and it's time to play some games. As always, team Nintendo Life has gathered together to discuss our plans and we'd love to have you...
Talking Point Labo VR Is The Best Worst Idea Nintendo Has Had In Years
The pros and cons of cardboard VR on Switch
You can always rely on Nintendo to enter a new market in the most esoteric way imaginable, and we got a great example of this today with the news that the next Labo kit is going to be based around VR. After the failure of the Virtual Boy, and repeated claims that it would only enter this exciting emerging...
Talking Point Could Nintendo Ditch Physical Media With A 'Switch Lite?'
Microsoft prepares for an all-digital future; could Nintendo be next?
The Switch, when you really think about it, is a machine stuck between two extremes. On one side, it offers a thriving and healthy consumer base for physical games, with not a week seeming to pass without news of a new (and highly collectable) boxed edition of an existing digital...
Feature What Developers Really Think Of The Nintendo Switch eShop
The state of play: 2019 edition
The Nintendo Switch is now over two years old, and in that time it has seen a staggering number of games. The vast majority of these are digital titles released on the console's eShop, and as the Switch's install base has ballooned over the past two years, so two has the volume of digital content released on it each...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - February 2019
February's best Switch eShop games!
We can't quite believe that 2019 is flying by as quickly as it is, but here we are, firmly in March. The good news is that this gives us a chance to look back at all of the excellent games which arrived on Switch throughout February for our eShop Selects awards. These awards aim to celebrate the best of...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 2nd)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Here we are, folks! We've made it to the end of yet another week. It's been a busy one, what with all the Pokémon goodness and the Resident Evil pricing shenanigans, but now it's time to sit back and chat about which games we'll be playing over the next couple of days. As ever, we've left our entries down...
Talking Point Capcom’s Resident Evil Switch Pricing Is Nothing New
Forget demanding a REbate – there's only one way to send Capcom a message
While Capcom’s announcement that Switch versions of Resident Evil Zero, 1 and 4 are coming on 21st May should be cause for celebration, the
Hardware Review 8BitDo M30 - The Best Retro Controller On Switch
And it works with the original Mega Drive, too
8BitDo has come a long way in a relatively short space of time. In the beginning, the company wasn't taken totally seriously by a select few who saw its line of clone NES and SNES pads as little more than cheap facsimiles of the real thing, but following a
Feature Things We’d Love To See In Super Mario Maker 2 On Switch
From 'Likely' to 'Possible' to 'Downright Silly'
After six weeks of rumours and escalating expectations, Nintendo chose to open its first Nintendo Direct of 2019 by revealing Super Mario Maker 2, and as opening gambits go, it was a winner. The original Wii U game launched back in September 2015 and absolutely nailed the basics, providing an...
Talking Point Nintendo And Microsoft Working Together Isn't As Crazy As You Think
Dogs + cats living together = ?
The whispers that Microsoft is preparing to launch games and services on Switch are, in some ways, too fantastical to believe; a dream-come-true for fanboys-and-girls of a certain age. The rumoured deal suggests that the company is planning not only to launch Xbox Live and Game Pass integration, but also to publish...
Feature Meet Doug Bowser, The Man Behind The Meme
Just who does this 'Bowser' fellow think he is?
With news that Reggie Fils-Aimé is to step down from his role as President of Nintendo of America, his successor – Mr Doug Bowser – was probably prepared for the deluge of familiar headlines to flood the web. He’s been on the radar of Nintendo fans for a while now – with that surname it would...
Feature Why Image & Form Is Taking A Risk With SteamWorld Quest On Switch
"Everyone only lives once"
The latest entry in the popular SteamWorld saga, SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech is coming to Switch later this year and promises to deliver a fun take on the otherwise well-worn RPG genre. We were lucky enough to get some quality time with Image & Form's Brjánn Sigurgeirsson and chat about the game, its origins...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 23rd)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Ah, Saturday. Quite possibly the best day of the week; certainly in the top five. It's been a busy week despite the post-Direct lull. News that Reggie Fils-Aimé will be stepping down in April had us rewatching classic clips with a tear in the eye. Enough of that nonsense, though. Reggie wouldn't want us...
Feature What Reggie-Fils-Aimé Meant To Nintendo, The Games Industry, And All Of Us
"I believe the best way to lead is through example"
“My name is Reggie. I'm about kickin' ass, I'm about takin' names, and we're about makin' games.” These were the words uttered by then industry newcomer Reggie Fils-Aimé while standing on Nintendo’s stage during the Electronic Gaming Expo (E3) in 2004. Fils-a-what? “Ass”? Who the heck...
Feature Reggie's Video Highlights From 15 Years At The Top Of Nintendo
Our bodies aren't ready, Reggie!
Yesterday, the world of Nintendo was rocked by the news that Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is set to retire in April after more than 15 years with the company. In that time, Reggie has overseen the launch of systems like the DS, Wii, 3DS and Switch, had himself turned into a puppet, become a meme...
Nindie Round Up Inops, The Raven Remastered, Utopia 9, Heroes Trials and Debris Infinity
More indie hits than you can shake a joy con at
This week, we have some solid entries from the Indie scene, bringing you five more lovely titles to potentially add to your library. Atmospheric puzzler Inops delivers some quirky brain teasers via platforming, The Raven Remastered offers a Switch port of a mystery solving classic, Utopia 9 – a...
Talking Point Is The Remake Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening Worth $60?
And more importantly, will it still work with the Game Boy Printer?
There’s some chatter doing the rounds on the interwebs regarding the potential pricing of the upcoming Switch remaster of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Retailer pre-order listings are putting it as a full $60 release, and while there’s no official confirmation at this...