Cramp Rock
- Reviews
- Nintendo Switch
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News The Switch eShop Is A Nightmare, So We've Made Our Own "Better eShop"
Fixing what Nintendon't
- Site News
- Switch eShop
- Nintendo
Review Blade Chimera (Switch) - A Ridiculously Fun, Combat-First Metroidvania
Slice to kill
- Reviews
- Switch eShop
News DOOM Creator Calls Legendary Final Fantasy Programmer An "Inspiration"
"Without Nasir, there is no DOOM"
- NES
- SNES
- DOOM
- Final Fantasy
News Guillemot Family And Tencent May Move Select Ubisoft Assets To New Venture
Is Ubisoft in the endgame..?
- Ubisoft
- Tencent
- Business
- Industry
News Nintendo Asks Wii U Owners To Refrain From Using "Unauthorised" Online Services
Update: Pretendo responds
- Wii U
- Nintendo
- Random
Latest News
TodayWed, 15th Jan 2025
Cramp Rock
It's not every controller review that we have to start with a rundown of the current state of Fortnite, but bear with us, we promise it's relevant. The classic looting and shooting that we all know and love is now just a small part of the "Fortnite ecosystem" *squirms*, a hub-world for games that bundle the battle royale in with the...
- Reviews
- Nintendo Switch
- Hardware
- Accessories
- Fortnite
News DOOM Creator Calls Legendary Final Fantasy Programmer An "Inspiration"
"Without Nasir, there is no DOOM"
Co-founder of id Software and one of the minds behind the seminal FPS Doom, John Romero, has honoured a legendary Square programmer on social media, calling him an "inspiration". Sharing his thoughts in the wake of Japanese broadcaster NHK's interview with Nasir Gebelli, who lead programmer on the Final Fantasy...
- NES
- SNES
- DOOM
- Final Fantasy
News Guillemot Family And Tencent May Move Select Ubisoft Assets To New Venture
Is Ubisoft in the endgame..?
A new report from Bloomberg reveals that the Guillemot family and Tencent may currently be in talks to move select Ubisoft assets over to a brand-new venture (thanks, VGC). Following a lengthy period in which Ubisoft has struggled in the midst of a rapidly declining share price, the move is supposedl
- Ubisoft
- Tencent
- Business
- Industry
News Nintendo Asks Wii U Owners To Refrain From Using "Unauthorised" Online Services
Update: Pretendo responds
Although you would think Nintendo's focus would be completely on the Switch "successor" right now, it seems the company's customer support line has found time to issue a notice about unauthorised services for older hardware. In a brief message on social media, the Japanese branch has apparently confirmed the existence of...
- Wii U
- Nintendo
- Random
News The Switch eShop Is A Nightmare, So We've Made Our Own "Better eShop"
Fixing what Nintendon't
Recently whilst twiddling our thumbs waiting for Switch 2 to be announced, we got thinking about the state of the current Switch's eShop. It's long been bemoaned for being painfully slow and containing a 'large shedful' of shovelware titles. After pondering what could be d
- Site News
- Switch eShop
- Nintendo
News The Adorable 'Lil Gator Game' Is Getting A "Huge" Expansion
Is it Big Gator Game now?
Playtonic Friends and MegaWobble have announced a surprise expansion to one of the cutest hidden gems of 2022, Lil Gator Game. In The Dark promises to be a "huge" expansion, introducing new characters and doubling the size of the base game. The original was a breezy affair, but we're delighted to have the opportunity to...
- Switch eShop
- DLC
Time Extension True 3D movement in 16-bit games? It almost happened...
If you're old enough to remember the crazy video game accessories we were exposed to in the early '90s, then you might just recall a curious controller by the name of the Triax Turbo Touch 360. This groundbreaking controller didn't use a traditional D-pad – which is essentially a plastic...
- Features
- Flashback
Random Now You Can Play DOOM... Inside A PDF?
PDF Software
Your eyes are not deceiving you, reader — the hugely influential FPS DOOM is now fully playable inside a PDF file. Did anyone ask for this? Probably. And it's a pretty impressive feat. Reported on by IGN (via Push Square), a high-school student known as
- Random
- DOOM
News Nintendo Lawyer Breaks Down What Makes An Emulator Illegal
Emulation explanation
2024 was a big year for Nintendo's emulator takedowns, with the likes of Yuzu and Ryujinx both biting the dust after facing the company's wrath. Now, at a recent lecture hosted by Japan’s Association of Copyright for Computer Software, Nintendo lawyer Koji Nishiura has explained the technicalities of when an emulator is...
- News
- Nintendo
- Legal
- Emulation
Review Blade Chimera (Switch) - A Ridiculously Fun, Combat-First Metroidvania
Slice to kill
The problem with the term ‘Metroidvania’ is that it’s a far broader genre classification than some give it credit for. Depending on where they fall on the spectrum between the exploration-heavy Metroid series and the combat-centric Castlevania series, it’s possible for two games to both be considered Metroidvanias while...
- Reviews
- Switch eShop
News The OG Mega Man Is Getting The 'Hand-Drawn Game Guide' Treatment
And it looks glorious
Artist and author Phillip Summers is back with another 'Hand-Drawn Game Guide', this time looking at the classic hard-as-nails action title Mega Man. Soaring past its Kickstarter funding goal in just 12 hours, the Capcom-licensed book is aiming to launch in August 2025 for backers and will boast over 200 pages of stunning...
- NES
- Mega Man
- Capcom
News Buckle Up, Animal Crossing Is Heading To 'Sea Life UK' In February
'Ello 'ello, got some bells, guv'nor?
Following its previous aquarium tours in the US and Japan, Nintendo has now announced that it is collaborating with Sea Life on a new Animal Crossing: New Horizons tour event in the UK. Kicking off on 8th February 2025, the event will take place across five different locations across the UK (well, England...
- Nintendo
- Animal Crossing
- UK
News Oops! EVO 2025's Lineup Has Accidentally Been Revealed
Update: Evo confirms lineup and extended roster
The world's biggest fighting game tournament EVO is scheduled to announce this year's US game line up next week on 14th January, but it seems it might have already been revealed. In other words, if you would rather find out in the official broadcast, navigate away from this page right now. Otherwise,...
- Nintendo Switch
- EVO
- Leaks
- US
- North America
Video Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered "Meet The Bosses" Trailer Showcase
Pre-order and get a 10% discount
In case you missed it, the famous video game mascot Lara Croft returns in Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered next month on Valentine's Day. In the lead up, Aspyr has been detailing certain aspects of the game, and the latest trailer showcases the many boss battles Lara will encounter across this trilogy of games...
- Videos
- Nintendo Switch
- Tomb Raider
- Upcoming Releases
News My Nintendo Store Adds New Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Reward (US)
Fancy some sticky notes?
It's the start of a new year and if you've already got a Nintendo themed calendar, how about some sticky notes to go with it? To celebrate the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, Nintendo's latest reward is themed sticky notes. Yes, if you need to remind yourself about anything in 2025, these notes are the perfect...
- Nintendo Switch
- Donkey Kong
- My Nintendo Store
- Nintendo
- US
YesterdayTue, 14th Jan 2025
Monkey business
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is just around the corner and, now that the embargo on our review coverage has lifted, we can officially confirm that developer Forever Entertainment is responsible for the porting duties on Retro Studios' platformer. However, much like Metroid Prime Remastered before it, Nintendo has opted to omit the...
- Nintendo
- Nintendo Switch
- Donkey Kong
Review Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) - Aping A Retro Classic
That's what you get for not hailing to the chimp
It’s not unfair to say that the gaming landscape was somewhat different when Donkey Kong Country Returns first fell into our laps in 2010; 2D platformers were a rare breed, and ol’ DK himself hadn’t arguably had a mainline entry in his series since 2004’s Jungle Beat. Back then, the title said...
- Reviews
- Nintendo Switch
Round Up The Reviews Are In For Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
Worth going bananas over?
Nintendo's first release of 2025 is almost upon us, with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD set to swing onto Switch on 16th January. With mere days to go before we get to barrel into this primate platformer again (again), it's time to get an idea of what the critics make of ol' DK's latest adventure. Here at Nintendo Life, we...
- Round Up
- Nintendo Switch
- Upcoming Releases
- Donkey Kong
News Lunar Remastered Collection Brings Classic JRPG Series To Switch This April
Physical release also confirmed
Classic JRPG fans, rejoice. The Lunar Remastered Collection will be coming to Nintendo Switch on 18th April 2025. Plus, it's confirmed that the collection will be getting a physical release. Launching digitally on the eShop for $49.99 USD / €49.99 EUR — with physical releases coming in at $54.99 USD (on...
- Nintendo Switch
- Upcoming Releases
News Rusty Rabbit, From The Creator Of Psycho-Pass, Is The Most Bonkers Metroidvania Ever
Just hoppy
NetEase Games and NITRO PLUS have announced that action platformer Rusty Rabbit will be launching on Nintendo Switch on 17th April 2025 (via Gematsu). Now, on the surface, you might notice the gruff-looking, middle-aged rabbit that chain smokes carrots and think: "huh!". You might be entertained as he rides around maze-like maps in a...
- Switch eShop
- Upcoming Releases
Rumour Konami And Square Enix Expected To Bolster 'Switch 2' Software Library With Major IP
As you would hope
Following last week's supposed 'Switch 2' hardware leaks, more hints about the software lineup are now circulating online. Apart from "more than half a dozen Ubisoft games" expected, Nate the Hate has claimed on his latest podcast Nintendo's new system could also be getting Konami's next Metal Gear Solid game. Here's what he had...
- Rumours
- Nintendo Switch 2
Rumour Ubisoft Has "More Than Half A Dozen Games" Planned For Switch 2
An Assassin's Creed "port" could lead the charge
Nintendo's new console launch is seemingly on the horizon and apart from first-party titles there is also expected to be plenty of third-party support. The reliable podcaster 'Nate the Hate' has once again chimed in, claiming Ubisoft has "more than half a dozen games for the Switch 2" planned, with...
- Rumours
- Nintendo Switch 2
- Ubisoft
News 'Nintendo Music' Adds Another Legendary Zelda Soundtrack, Here's Every Song Included
Wind Waker sails onto the NSO music app
It's a new week and that means a brand new update for the Nintendo Music app on mobile devices. Today Nintendo has added the GameCube soundtrack for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. This includes 133 tracks with a total runtime of 3 hours and 40 minutes - you've got songs like the title theme, Outset...
- Zelda
- Nintendo Music
- Nintendo Switch Online
- Updates
- GameCube
News Sega Files New Retro Trademarks After Delisting A Bunch Of Classics Last Year
[Insert dolphin laughter here]
Sega has announced it's reviving a lot of classic IP and with this in mind, it's been discovered the company recently filed trademarks in December 2024 for Ecco The Dolphin and 'Ecco', which have been made public today. This action and adventure series, developed by Novotrade International (Appaloosa Interactive)...
- Sega
- Nintendo Switch Online
Random No, That's Not Wii Sports, That's Live Tennis On YouTube
Quiet, please
Tennis fans hitting YouTube to see live matches from the Australian Open could be forgiven for thinking they've accidentally clicked on a channel recreating the tournament in Wii Sports, but no. It turns out the event's official channel has taken a novel approach to getting around broadcast rights issues. As noted by Kotaku, the...
- Random
- Wii
- Tennis
News Acclaimed Horror Hit 'Soma' Is Finally Coming To Switch
Alongside Amnesia: Rebirth and Amnesia: The Bunker
Abylight Studios has announced that it's bringing three of Frictional Games' horror titles to the Switch in 2025. SOMA, Amnesia Rebirth, and Amnesia: The Bunker will all be getting digital and physical releases later this year. This means all Amnesia games will at last be on Switch, alongside the...
- Nintendo Switch
- Upcoming Releases
Video Let's Celebrate 10 Lovely Years Of Alex YouTube Videos
A decade of Mr Olney
Sure, 2025 might be home to some pretty big gaming anniversaries, but you want to know the biggest of them all? This week marks 10 years since the wonderful Mr Alex Olney published his first video on the Nintendo Life YouTube channel. That's right, it has been a decade of "Heeeeello there lovely peeeople". To mark the occasion,...
- Videos
- Nintendo Life
- Anniversaries
News Alucard And Richter Return In 'Castlevania: Nocturne' Season 2 This Week
"Richter Belmont is done running"
If you've been following Netflix's animated Castlevania series, here's your reminder that the second season of Castlevania: Nocturne is out this week on 16th January 2025. The legendary Alucard, Richter Belmont and their band of vampire hunters race against time to stop the "invincible Vampire Messiah" Erzsebet...
- Castlevania
- Netflix
- Konami
News Nippon Ichi Software's 'Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero' Scores Free eShop Demo This Week
ArrrghPG
Nobody expected Nippon Ichi Software to announce a sequel to the 2004 PS2 strategy RPG 'Phantom Brave', but over 20 years later, the company did just that. Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero sets sail on Switch on 30th January, and for those who want to see what it's all about before release, NIS America has announced that a free demo will be...
- News
- Switch eShop
- Upcoming Releases
- Demos
Monday13th Jan 2025
Guide Nintendo Switch 2: Everything We Know About Nintendo's Next Console
Everything about the "Switch successor"
The Switch 2 is the next console expected from Nintendo, and is widely expected to act as a direct successor to the original Nintendo Switch that launched all the way back in March 2017. Switch 2 rumours have circulated for almost as long as the first console's been on the shelves, yet it wasn't until May...
- Guides
- Switch 2
- Switch Pro
- Nintendo
- Nintendo Switch
Random Geez, PS5 Game 'Anime Life Sim' Sure Looks Familiar
Update: More details emerge
This year marks five years since the last mainline Animal Crossing game launched. Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out at the perfect time and made an absolutely huge splash worldwide. But with its fifth anniversary fast approaching, we're sure lots of fans are champing at the bit for a new game. So, if you were...
- Random
- Animal Crossing
Rumour 'Switch 2' Will Reportedly Be Officially Revealed This Thursday
Though software won't be the focus
Reliable podcast channel Nate the Hate has claimed that Nintendo's 'Switch 2' will be revealed this coming Thursday, 16th January (thanks, VGC). Speaking on Nintendo's plan for its Switch successor, Nate the Hate states that the console "will be revealed on Thursday, January 16th, just a few days from now". He...
- Rumours
- Nintendo
- Nintendo Switch 2
- Hardware
News Oops, This Open Source N64 Expansion Pak Is Frying Consoles
Time Extension "I may have killed two N64s with this…"
As gaming hardware gets older, finding replacement parts gets harder and, therefore, more expensive. It's for this reason that we've seen a bunch of community-made replacements, one of which is the Open Source Expansion Pak (OEXP), a replacement for the N64's Expansion Pak which aims to provide a cheaper...
- N64
- Nintendo
News 'Team Presents' Unwraps A Win In Splatoon 3's 'Frosty Fest' Splatfest
The gift that keeps on giving
Monthly Splatfests are a thing of the past for Splatoon 3 these days, but Nintendo is still keeping the seasonal events coming. With Splatoween out the way, the next one to roll around is Frosty Fest, a festive celebration which will be heading to the Splatlands next month. As revealed in a tweet by @NintendoUK, the...
- News
- Nintendo
- Nintendo Switch
- Splatoon
- Splatoon 3
News Square Enix May Withhold Its Own Products If You Harrass Its Staff
So just don't, y'know?
Square Enix has updated its 'Group Customer Harrassment Policy' to ensure that its employees and partners remain protected against unwelcome nuisance and threats from certain customers. As detailed on its official website (thanks, GamesIndustry), the firm stated that if it deems an individual has indeed harassed its...
- Nintendo Switch
- Square Enix
- Legal
- Industry
Japanese Charts Super Mario Party Jamboree Surpasses 1 Million Units Sold
Keeping the party going
We're back with the latest Japanese charts folks; the first of 2025! It's a little bit different for this first go around, too. Famitsu has posted software sales figures for the two weeks of 23rd-29th December and 30th Dec - 5th January, but no hardware figures. We'll collate the top ten games for both weeks here, and...
- Nintendo Switch
- Japan
- Charts
- Sales
News 8 Years Ago Today, We First Got Our Hands On Nintendo Switch
So how about a 'Switch 2' reveal, eh?
On this day in 2017, Nintendo finally lifted the lid on a little console called the Nintendo Switch, revealing the hybrid's technical specs, price and all-important release date to the world. Eight years on, we're desperate to see 'Switch 2' get the same treatment. To be clear, the 2017 presentation wasn't the...
- News
- Anniversary
- Hardware
- Nintendo
- Nintendo Switch
News Nintendo Delays Alarmo Availability For Non-NSO Members Until March (Europe)
Hitting snooze
Nintendo has announced that it is delaying the availability of Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo for non-Nintendo Switch Online members until early March 2025. This marks a delay of nearly two months after the firm initially confirmed that NSO exclusivity would remain in place until mid-January 2025. Furthermore, its availability in the...
- Nintendo
- Alarmo
- UK
- Europe
UK Charts Ys Memoire Narrowly Makes The Top 40 In Another Quiet Week
2025 off to a predictably sleepy start
The latest UK charts are in and, with only one new release to speak of, the list is much as you might expect. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana was the only new entry to the chart this week, just sneaking into the top 40 to land in 38th in its debut week (with a 53%/47% console split for PS5 and Switch,...
- UK Charts
- Nintendo
- Nintendo Switch
- UK
Sunday12th Jan 2025
News Is This Our Best Look Yet At 'Switch 2'?
Update: Genki had a visit from Nintendo's lawyers, it's claimed
Last week, accessory maker Genki announced it would be showcasing 'Switch 2' accessories at CES 2025 and it's now delivered on this promise. These new products are reportedly being shown "behind closed doors" and the German outlet Netzwelt has now shared some photos online. Apart from...
- Nintendo Switch 2
- Nintendo
- Hardware
- Rumours
- Leaks
Time Extension Niftski's heart rate rose to 188 BPM
Super Mario Bros. speedrunner Niftski has set a new world record for the NES game, clocking in 4:54.565 in the 'any %' category. The 8-bit classic has been so comprehensively mined by speedrunners in recent years that gains are now made in individual frames rather than seconds. "Although the 8-4 could have been...
- Nintendo
- Super Mario
- NES
- Speedrunning
Rumour Switch Virtual Console Was Apparently Nintendo's "Original Plan"
What if?
Before Nintendo's subscription service took off, fans were able to individually buy and download the company's retro titles and play them whenever they wanted thanks to the Virtual Console service. Although this was eventually replaced with Switch Online's tier-based retro library, Nintendo apparently had plans to carry over the existing...
- Rumours
- Nintendo Switch
- Switch Online
- Virtual Console
- Leaks
Poll Are There Any Good Lord Of The Rings Games On Nintendo Consoles?
Please sir, can I have some Mordor?
The year is 2025 and Lord of the Rings feels very much like it's "a thing" again. We're not sure that it ever really went away, to be honest, but we've got The Rings of Power on TV (and it's actually rather good now), the War of the Rohirrim hit cinemas, a 'Hunt for Gollum' movie is planned, and, perhaps most...
- Features
- Poll
- Nintendo
- Lord of the Rings
News Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Estimated File Size Update
Make some space for the Kongs
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD rolls onto the Switch next week and Nintendo appears to have updated the estimated file size of the eShop download. According to the eshop, this new version (including the Wii and 3DS content) has dropped from 9.0GB to 8.3GB. As we previously mentioned, the sequel
- Nintendo Switch
- Switch eShop
- Upcoming Releases
News Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Spotted In The Wild
The official release takes place next week
Ahead of the launch of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for Switch next week, some players have supposedly already "got their hands on" physical copies of the game. This was highlighted by 'Nintendeal' on social media, which also notes how pre-orders for the game have now sold out at select locations in the...
- Nintendo Switch
- Donkey Kong
- Upcoming Releases
- Leaks
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Klonoa: Empire of Dreams (GBA)
Long live the Empire
Welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl, folks! Last week, we took a look at Crash Nitro Kart for the GameCube, a sequel to Crash Team Racing that never quite managed to step out of its predecessor's shadow. North America sealed the deal this time with 53% of the vote, while EU managed 30% and Japan just 17% (bit awkward -...
- Features
- Poll
- Box Art Brawl
- GBA
Saturday11th Jan 2025
Feature 8 Games That Defined The Switch Generation
An era's end
A lot has changed in video gaming since Switch launched in 2017. Beyond all Nintendo's handheld hybrid switching, we now live in a world where a Nintendo game on mobile is a fairly normal occurrence and both Microsoft and Sony publish games on Nintendo's console. Crazy. As we await official word on the next generation of Nintendo...
- Features
- Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo
Random Metroid Prime 4 'OG' Amazon Pre-Orders Are Being Cancelled
The game was first announced in 2017
If you pre-ordered Metroid Prime 4 on Amazon multiple years ago, you might want to check the status of your order. Amazon customers have been receiving emails recently, confirming the cancellation of this item "due to a lack of availability" and providing refunds. A user on the Metroid subreddit, who ordered the...
- Random
- Nintendo Switch
- Metroid Prime
- Upcoming Releases
Anniversary Resident Evil 4, One Of The Greatest Games Ever Made, Turns 20
"2005... I'll never forget it"
It seems funny to think back on it now, but during the early days of Resident Evil – when decomposing zombies were the top dog and Raccoon City was everybody's favourite apocalyptic holiday destination – the idea that the franchise would find itself in the rural outskirts of Europe in which you fight a child-like...
- Anniversary
- Capcom
- Resident Evil
- GameCube
News Sonic's Next Movie Outings Could Go Beyond Earth To New "Fantastical Zones"
"We assume the audience would like to see it"
It's already been confirmed Sonic will be returning in a fourth live-action movie, so where to next for the blue blur? While nothing has been finalised just yet, speaking to Collider earlier this month - the Sonic 3 movie writers Josh Miller and Pat Casey mentioned how Sonic and the gang could...
- Sonic
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Movies
- SEGA
