Feature Articles
Saturday5th Aug 2023
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 5th)
Let's Gooigi
Woohoo, the weekend! Yes, another week is almost done, which means it's time to look back on some of the highlights from the last few days. First up, kicking off the week with a bang, it was rumoured that Nintendo is targeting a 2024 release for its next major piece of hardware. Details so far are scarce, but it sounds like the...
Saturday2nd Jul 2022
Feature 13 Best Seniors In Games
These oldies are very goodies
Think of a game in which you control a character (so no Tetris or anything) — go ahead, any game! Now, chances are, whichever game you've picked, its protagonist is either young or, at the most, middle-aged. You've got the likes of Link, Mario, Samus, Cloud, Joker, Neku, Scott Pilgrim... We could go on, but you get...
Sunday26th Dec 2021
Feature Turning 'Peaceful' Into 'Frantic' With Animal Crossing's Speedrunning Scene
Legging it through New Leaf
There’s an entire generation of players who hold dear fond memories of dipping their stubby toes in the coarse sand of Animal Crossing: New Leaf’s beaches. There was a calm warmth that came with the villagers that called your slowly built-up town home. The game was a beacon of creativity where you could let the...
Monday15th Nov 2021
Soapbox Even If GTA Trilogy Were Perfect, I'd Rather Be Shooting Balloons And Burying Gyroids
Scale vs. scope
The wider gaming internet is currently in a funk of bitter disappointment due to the launch state of GTA The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, an anniversary package which, unfortunately, isn't so definitive. For Nintendo gamers who have waited years to be able to play a fully-3D Grand Theft Auto of any sort, it's infinitely sad to...
Wednesday11th Mar 2020
Feature Animal Crossing: A Brief History
Looking back on Nintendo's most evergreen of series
Like most games made by Nintendo, the story of Animal Crossing – Nintendo’s charming social life-sim series – begins in Japan, with a man named Katsuya Eguchi. After he nabbed a job at Nintendo in 1986 he was forced to move away from his hometown of Chiba and relocate to Kyoto, the city where...
Saturday22nd Feb 2020
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 22nd)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Hello one and all, and welcome to yet another weekend. This week has seen more info on the future of the Super Smash Bros. series, Animal Crossing in-game purchase shenanigans, and the surprise launch of a new Switch FPS
Saturday15th Feb 2020
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 15th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
The end of yet another busy week is upon us, and after all the Pokémon Sword and Shield leak drama, news of more NES and SNES games, and review bomb shenanigans, it's time
Saturday25th Jan 2020
Feature How Animal Crossing Invaded Social Media
"It’s a really exciting time to be an Animal Crossing fan"
Even if you’re not an Animal Crossing fan, it would be hard to miss the joyous celebration its cult following is having on social media right now. You’ll find Animal Crossing memes on almost every platform: Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and Discord. The majority focus on relaxing...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 25th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
We've made it to the end of yet another week, this time bringing with it a successful legal battle for Nintendo relating to the Wii Remote and the news that the DOOM team has "bantered" with Nintendo to get Doomguy in Smash. We can dream. Now, though, it's time to put all of that aside and discuss our week
Saturday11th Jan 2020
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 11th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Yet another week has flown by, this time full of Pokémon Direct revelations and Animal Crossing pre-order goodies, but it's finally time to sit down and chat about our weekend plans. Members of Team NL have done just that below and we'd love for you to join in via our poll and comment sections, too. Enjoy!...
Saturday4th Jan 2020
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 4th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Not only has another week passed us by, but an entire year has been and gone quicker than a Toad with a Golden Mushroom. We've been celebrating in style with a look back at Nintendo's 2019 - and Nintendo's whole decade - as well as all sorts of Game of the Year
Saturday21st Dec 2019
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Christmas? (Special Edition 2019)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
As regular visitors will know, every weekend, we share our gaming plans for the next couple of days and read through all of your entries in the comments. This time, though, we're switching things up a bit, getting together to chat about our plans over the holidays instead. That's right, Christmas is (nearly)...
Wednesday30th Oct 2019
Feature The Most Memorable Ghosts In Nintendo Games
Spooks, spectres and ghosts that stuck around
It's close to midnight, and something evil's lurking in the dark... Well, perhaps. Yes, Nintendo Switch has its fair share of true horrors, but there's a fair chance that any ghost you happen across on Nintendo platforms could be a Casper-like friendly phantom. With Halloween almost upon us and Luigi up...
Saturday6th Jul 2019
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 6th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's Saturday once again, which means we've made it all the way to the end of yet another week. This week brought with it a Wind Waker revelation in Zelda: Breath of the Wild and news of a special Armoured Mewtwo making waves in Pokémon GO, but now it's time to sit back and talk about our weekend plans. As...
Monday6th May 2019
Feature 10 Things We'd Like To See In Animal Crossing On The Switch
"Booooo! Why can't the next Animal Intersection game come out sooner?"
Switch owners have had a very nice couple of years in terms of software released on the console. Nintendo’s trotted out some heavy-hitters early in the console cycle, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild soon followed by Super Mario Odyssey and Super Smash Bros...
Saturday16th Mar 2019
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...
Saturday23rd Feb 2019
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...
Saturday15th Sep 2018
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 15th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's the weekend! And you know what that means - yes, it's time for the whole Nintendo Life community to get together to chat about the games we'll be playing over the next couple of days. This time around, our esteemed team of staff are working tirelessly on review coverage, reminiscing over games gone by,...
Saturday30th Jun 2018
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 30th)
These are our picks, but what are yours?
It's the weekend once more, which means it's definitely time to start turning on your favourite Nintendo console and catch up on some much-needed gaming time. Team Nintendo Life is doing just that, with everything from some Animal Crossing on 3DS to a brand new MOBA on Switch getting a good workout. Feel free...
Wednesday2nd Nov 2016
Feature Catch Up With the Animal Crossing Direct and New Leaf's Fresh Features
The only download in the village
The Animal Crossing Direct has taken place, and revealed a surprisingly extensive update for Animal Crossing: New Leaf. We knew that the 'Welcome amiibo' update and new edition would introduce the figures and cards into the much-loved 3DS game, but Nintendo went further with new minigames and additional features to...
Saturday16th Apr 2016
Feature Five Reasons Why We Love Animal Crossing
Happy Anniversary Mayor!
Animal Crossing turned 15 this week, and we're certainly feeling plenty of nostalgia for the series. What makes Animal Crossing such a successful franchise? We've put together some of the points that we think have propelled the series to being one of the most successful ever. The characters: Animal Crossing would be...
Saturday31st Oct 2015
Feature Ten Wii U and 3DS Games That Are Perfect for Halloween
Get spooked on the go and at home
Well, the night is here, when we indulge in dressing up and scares like there's no tomorrow. Halloween has become increasingly popular all around the world, and a decent option for getting our share of spooks is to jump into the action with some suitable games. Despite the - inaccurate - perception that Nintendo...
Saturday28th Mar 2015
Feature Ten Must-Play Games for the Nintendo 3DS
As voted for by you to celebrate four years of the portable
With the 3DS now four years old, and now that the New Nintendo 3DS has brought us another iteration with a whole load of features, we decided it was a good time to take stock of ten definitive experiences on the system. To that end we listed 50 retail games - the eShop will have its own...
Saturday9th Aug 2014
Feature Ten Wii U and 3DS Games That Are Perfect For Summer - Community Choices
Games you're playing in this sunny season
Earlier this Summer we brought you two top 10 Wii U and 3DS game lists for the season, one for retail titles and another for eShop releases. We also promised to take your suggestions from the comments in those articles for a community list; so here we are. Naturally we've only picked 10, five for Wii U and...
Saturday21st Jun 2014
Talking Point Nintendo Should Beware the Slippery Slope of Sponsored DLC
A harmless way to make money, or guaranteed alienation of fans?
This week Nintendo confirmed the inevitable, and that was Mercedes DLC coming to Mario Kart 8 in the West, after it had previously been announced for the Japanese market. It'll be free in Nintendo's homeland and, we expect, everywhere else in the world, though Nintendo's refusal to use...
Tuesday17th Dec 2013
Feature 12 Days of Christmas - Animal Crossing Helped 3DS Turn Over a New Leaf
A game for all
While a number of 3DS titles have performed well for Nintendo in 2013, Animal Crossing: New Leaf has been a notable success story. While its core sales numbers have been impressive, it's perhaps been the cultural impact of New Leaf that's been the most pleasing for those keen to see 3DS success. To give some context of how well...
Friday5th Jul 2013
Feature Animal Crossing StreetPass Event Brings 3DS Owners Together
We catch up with the organisers of this humongous event
The humble StreetPass feature on the 3DS is largely seen as a supplemental element of the system. Essentially, the idea is you walk around living your daily life with your plucky 3DS on sleep mode and upon passing someone else who's doing the same, that little green light will start flashing...
Sunday30th Jun 2013
Feature A Glimpse Into Nintendo Life's Animal Crossing: New Leaf Adventures - Part Two
It's all getting a bit silly
Not too long ago we brought you a glimpse into Nintendo Life's Animal Crossing: New Leaf adventures, where some of our team gave an insight into their weird and wonderful worlds in Nintendo's 3DS title. It's a game that's rapidly becoming a classic, certainly in the eyes of New Leaf addicts, and quite a few of our...
Tuesday25th Jun 2013
Feature A Glimpse Into Nintendo Life's Animal Crossing: New Leaf Adventures - Part One
It's oh so charming
There's one game dominating the attention of a number of Nintendo Life writers right now, and that's Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The title that's already enjoyed critical and commercial success has earned the affections of plenty of 3DS owners, with its whimsical, quirky nature contributing to its irresistible charm. One of its...
Wednesday19th Jun 2013
Talking Point The Effortless Social Charm of Animal Crossing: New Leaf
A perfect storm of platform and software?
Something peculiar is happening on social networks at the moment; lots of people are talking about a Nintendo game. We see bursts of activity on sites such as Twitter when a Nintendo Direct is taking place, of course, but there's a sustained focus on this particular title among various gamers. Whether it can...
