Feature Articles
Thursday9th May 2024
Soapbox Square Enix's "Extraordinary Losses" And This Whole Xbox Mess Have Me Scared For The Future
Who wants to be a gillionaire?
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Alana fears for Square Enix's smaller-budget titles and is worried about the rest of the industry as a result. What on earth is going on with Square Enix? I asked...
Sunday11th Feb 2024
Back Page 15 Superb Owls On Nintendo Switch
What a hoot
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 pages on the internet, but we still love terrible jokes — so welcome to...
Friday29th Dec 2023
Feature Best Switch Video Game Characters Of 2023
Hello there, lovely characters
Back in the day when consoles had fewer bits than humans have fingers, games could mostly get away with providing solid gameplay above all else. Gameplay is still king, of course, but games these days often need to demonstrate other qualities, such as striking visuals, an engaging story, and strong characters. After...
Sunday24th Dec 2023
Feature 16 Best Nintendo Switch Soundtracks Of 2023
The Sounds of the Switch
2023 hasn't just been a banger year for quality video game releases — it's also been a bloomin' good year for video game music. We're living in a time where video game music is becoming more recognised and celebrated worldwide — earlier this year, the Grammy's gave out its first-ever award for 'Award for Best Score...
Soapbox It Feels Like Everyone Forgot The Best Switch RPG Of The Year
Eight's not a crowd
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Alana is talking about her favourite RPG of 2023, one that everyone seems to have completely forgotten about... Eight travellers. Eight stories. These eight adventurers’...
Friday22nd Dec 2023
Feature 13 Best-Looking Switch Games Of 2023
Really, really, ridiculously good-looking games
Throughout the year, we've seen thousands of games launch on Nintendo Switch, from the lowliest of scammy cash grabs and shovelware to some of the highest-quality video games ever conceived. Despite approaching its eighth year on shop shelves, and with some Switch ports delivering a less-than-smooth...
Thursday21st Dec 2023
Feature Game Of The Year 2023 - Nintendo Life Staff Awards
Our personal picks for the best Switch games of 2023
2023 is all but wrapped up. It's been a colossal year in terms of the quantity and quality of software on all platforms. The mass layoffs we've seen across the industry in recent months are a worrying sign for anyone who cares about video games, not least for the creatives affected — all the...
Saturday2nd Dec 2023
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 2nd)
I am the night!
Well, it's the weekend once again. Crikey, we just keep getting them, don't we? It's time to kick back with some games, but before we dive into what we're playing this weekend, let's recap some of the week's biggest stories. First up, the delightful F-Zero 99 has added a 'Classic Race' function to the game, which no doubt will have...
Thursday6th Jul 2023
Talking Point What Makes A Good Sidequest, Anyway?
Quest x64
What's more important — saving the world from impending doom, or rescuing the cat that's stuck at the top of a tree? Depending on who you ask, they might give you an answer you won't expect. I'm not saying that we should ignore the kitty cats at all, but when you're presented with the dilemma of missing a quest that's simply about...
Saturday1st Jul 2023
Poll What's Your Game Of The Year Of 2023 So Far?
Tears of the Switch-dom?
In case you missed it, we're already in July, and that means it's time to reflect on the first half of the year and talk about the best games of 2023 so far. Now, dear readers, you might be thinking "but wait, isn't it Zelda?" and to that we say "we're not restricted to just one game". While the latest Legend of Zelda will...
Saturday18th Mar 2023
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 18th)
Searching for lost demons?
Hooray, the weekend is here! It's the weekend, everybody! Before we dive into what we're going to be playing, let's take a peek at what's been happening in the world of Nintendo this week. First up, Nintendo saw fit to add not one, not two, but four new titles to its Nintendo Switch Online service. We reckon that's...
Saturday11th Mar 2023
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 11th)
Zelda? Mario? Metroid? Tell us
Ladies and gentlemen... The weekend. Yes, it's time to wrap up another week and find out what we're all planning to play over the weekend. But first, let's go over what's been going on in the world of Nintendo this week. First up, the excellent Metroid Fusion launched on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack...
Sunday5th Mar 2023
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Octopath Traveler II?
What say you, traveler?
Octopath Traveler II, the long-awaited sequel to one of Team Asano's finest games, launched last week to positive reviews across the board, cementing it as a worthy successor to the 2018 original. In our own review of the game, we called it "a triumphant and confident follow-up to its predecessor, building on the established...
Saturday4th Mar 2023
Feature Enjoying The Journey - How Square Enix Learned From The Past For Octopath Traveler II
"We aimed to evolve the formula rather than change it"
It has been five long years since the release of Square Enix's fantastic, multi-pronged RPG Octopath Traveler on Switch. Starting as a console exclusive on Switch before branching out onto other platforms, the game gave us eight different storylines to dive into, a range of protagonists to fall...
Saturday25th Feb 2023
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 25th)
The good, the bad and the ugly
It's been a long six months since we last got a new Kirby game on Switch, but with this week's release of Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, we think it's safe to say that nature is finally healing. This week over on Nintendo Life we have been delving into the world of ports, asking why so many remasters are sub-par...
Friday24th Feb 2023
Poll Octopath Traveler II Is Out Now, Which Character Will You Start With?
Eighth time's a charm
It's time lose yourself in the lush world of HD-2D all over again — Octopath Traveler II is out today on Switch (and PS4, PS5, and PC of course). Announced only last September, this surprise sequel does everything a follow up should do — it improves on every single aspect of the original while also staying faithful to it...
Saturday18th Feb 2023
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 18th)
Adventures big and small
We all needed a quieter week after last week's Nintendo Direct blow-out, and that's exactly what we got. But don't worry, there's still plenty to talk about, and plenty of games on the horizon. Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's big patch is coming soon, and we've got all of the patch notes for you.
Saturday11th Feb 2023
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 11th)
Primed and ready
Phew - this was a pretty busy week, huh? To kick off the week, we took you through some of the highlights from Nintendo's latest financial report for Q3 of fiscal year 2023. This included the rather stupendous new sales milestone for the Switch, with the console now exceeding Game Boy and PlayStation 4 total sales. We also learned...
Thursday9th Feb 2023
Round Up Everything Announced In The February 2023 Nintendo Direct - Every Game Reveal And Trailer
Pikmin! Metroid! Baten Kaitos! Katamari? LAYTON!?
It's been and gone — the first Nintendo Direct of 2023. It was another 40+ minute show packed with trailers, new details about upcoming games from Nintendo and third parties, and plenty of surprises. Below is the full video of the Nintendo Direct February 2023 presentation, plus a list of every...
Hands On Octopath Traveler II Looks Incredible, But Can It Forge Its Own Identity?
Boosting the original without breaking anything
Not every sequel needs to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes simple refinement does the job just fine. For every game that mixes things up, like Breath of the Wild, there’s another like A Link Between Worlds that takes a more subtly iterative approach to the standard formula. After playing through the...
Monday19th Sep 2022
Talking Point What On Earth Is Going On With Square Enix?
We don't have enough gil!
If you take even a quick glance at a release schedule for the next six months, you'll see that there are a heck of a lot of games coming out. Look a little closer, though, and you'll spot that maybe 50 of them are from Square Enix. And that's just on the Switch! We're exaggerating, of course, but it's hard to ignore the...
