Feature Articles
YesterdaySat, 11th May 2024
Feature An Incredibly Moving Night At The Stardew Valley: Festival Of Seasons Concert
Dancing with the Moonlit Jellies
It’s a pleasant spring evening in the Scottish capital, but walking down Edinburgh’s Clerk Street, it doesn’t take long for things to appear more like Pelican Town. Tonight is the country’s only date of the Stardew Valley: Festival of Seasons concert world tour, which sees the myriad earworms of the beloved...
Saturday4th May 2024
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (4th May)
May the Fourth be with you
Hello there. Happy Star Wars Day, folks! With a glass of blue milk in hand, let's kick off the weekend's celebrations with another edition of What Are You Playing. This week in the world of Nintendo, we heard yet more 'Switch 2' rumours and asked whether you'd like to see your Joy-Con carry over to the next model. We also...
Saturday13th Apr 2024
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (13th April)
Oh, Penitent one
Right then, it's the weekend, but before we dive into what we're playing, let's take a look at what's been going on this week. First up, it was announced that Balatro would be getting its first major update, but keep calm, as it's not Switch-bound just yet. We caught wind of a rather pointless mod that allows
Wednesday10th Apr 2024
Book Review 'The Most Relaxing Video Games' - More Than Just Cute 'N' Cosy
Ahhhhhhhhh...
When it comes to relaxing games, you probably already have a reasonably sound idea of what these might look like and entail. Perhaps it’s a jaunty farm sim like Stardew Valley or Story of Seasons, a laid-back puzzler like Unpacking, or even a cute adventure like A Short Hike. The point is that many of us have preconceived notions of...
Saturday6th Apr 2024
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (6th April)
Hallownest awaits
It's the weekend folks, which means it's time to find out which games we'll be sinking a few hours into. Before that, however, let's check out a recap of what's been going down this week. First up, we found out that the Switch might have an even bigger task ahead of it if we want it to become the best-selling console of all time...
Saturday17th Feb 2024
Back Page The Best Cows On The Nintendo Switch
We would never steer you wrong
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...
Saturday6th Jan 2024
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 6th)
Back for more in '24
And just like that, we're one week into 2024 — well, near enough — and it's time for the first What Are You Playing of the year! Before we dive into a weekend of gaming plans, remaining Quality Street and questionable leftover Christmas cheese, however, let's take a look at what happened in the world of Nintendo this week...
Friday29th Dec 2023
Soapbox Stardew Valley Was Surprisingly Good Prep For Living With My Partner IRL
Sow long, distance
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Kevin remembers how Stardew Valley kept the spark alive and prepped him for living with his partner... Relationships can be hard. And when you add in long distance, that...
Sunday24th Dec 2023
Feature 25 Stardew Valley Secrets And Easter Eggs You Might Not Have Known About
More like ConfidentialApe
Fancy yourself a Stardew Valley nerd? Do you feel like you know the game inside and out? We're here to challenge that, with 25 niche and surprising things that you may (or may not) already know about the game! 25 Things You Didn't Know About Stardew Valley: Rarecrow references The Rarecrows, which as rare scarecrows...
Saturday28th Jan 2023
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 28th)
Shaken not stirred
Well here we are folks. It's the final week of January and we have had our first big Nintendo release of the year. Consider 2023 to be well and truly underway! This week at Nintendo Life, we got all kinds of excited for the eventual release of GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo Switch Online N64 library and suggested a quick fix for...
Friday27th Jan 2023
Soapbox Playing Games With Other People Made Me Realise That I'm A Monster
Just unplug the 2P controller already
My partner is the most patient man I've ever met. It's one of the things I appreciate about him the most — especially since I'm the opposite. He's the Lawful Good to my Chaotic Neutral. I'm a cyclone and he's calm waters. Opposites attract, right? For most of our relationship, this dynamic — his patience,...
Saturday21st Jan 2023
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 21st)
Flame on
January has felt like a long one, we'll admit, but we are almost at the end of it now and we have Nintendo's first big release of 2023 to show for it! After all the character profiles, gameplay trailers and developer interviews, Fire Emblem Engage is finally here in all of its tactical glory. In recognition of the gaming year starting to...
Wednesday18th Jan 2023
Feature 19 Things That Were Added In Stardew Valley Updates (That You Might Not Have Noticed)
And it's all free!
One of the most remarkable things about Stardew Valley is how different it is now to when it first came out, and that's down to developer ConcernedApe continuing to add features and content in free updates. We're currently up to 1.5, which added a whole new area and several new characters amongst a ton of other new stuff, but for...
Friday13th Jan 2023
Back Page EVERYONE STAY CALM. Here's How To Game Safely On Friday 13th
It's that dreaded day again!
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 (paper) pages on the internet, but we still love...
Sunday1st Jan 2023
Feature How Stardew Valley Grew The Farm Sim While Harvest Moon Went To Seed
The Concerned Ape and the Golden Egg
In August of 1996, the same year that Spice Girls released their debut single and The English Patient swept awards season, a little game called Bokujō Monogatari came out in Japan on the Super Famicom. All signs pointed to it being a flop: its development had been plagued by bankruptcy and downsizing; it came...
Tuesday27th Dec 2022
Feature How Video Games Can Be Brilliant For Your Mental Health
Escapism, education, and being "alone together"
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and as part of our mental health coverage, I spoke to two psychologists from Take This — a non-profit dedicated to reducing the stigma of mental health in the gaming community, as well as raising awareness of the areas in which games and mental health intersect...
Saturday10th Dec 2022
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 10th)
Award winners and wheel spinners
It has been yet another fun-filled week here at Nintendo Life and we are ready to once again hit the ol' games this weekend. In the past seven days we have had The Game Awards (and the absence of any Tears of the Kingdom news thereof), a brand new
Saturday16th Jul 2022
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 16th)
A fairy finally came to you!
Well, it's felt like quite a hectic week here at Nintendo Life! The biggest news, of course, was the confirmation that Bayonetta 3 will finally be launching in October this year, along with the delightful surprise of a physical edition of the first game. To top it off, Platinum Games confirmed that you can
Sunday26th Dec 2021
Back Page To All The Low-Level Enemies I've Slaughtered
It's time to kick ass and feel bad, and I'm all out of ass
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...
Wednesday7th Apr 2021
Talking Point Which Indie Game Should Be "99"ed Next?
Nintendo's Battle Royale games keep coming
Tetris 99. Pac-Man 99. Super Mario Bros. 35 99. Flake 99. Oh, no, sorry, that last one's a delicious summertime treat, not a video game. But you get the point: we're seeing a new trend emerge, even though it's based on an old new trend: the Battle Royale. The premise behind the 99 series of games is...
Monday8th Mar 2021
Soapbox Why Do People Love Games Like Stardew Valley And Animal Crossing?
Playing games shouldn't feel like work, right?
One of my favourite things to do after a long day of nine-to-five work is crack open a beer, get cosy on the sofa, and play two to five hours of a game where I have a nine-to-five job. It seems ludicrous to spend my free time doing exactly what I do in my non-free time, and yet, here I am - one of...
Saturday8th Feb 2020
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 8th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Here we are at the end of yet another week, and what a busy few days we've had. There have been all sorts of Animal Crossing cloud save shenanigans, the Wonderful 101 Kickstarter, and plenty more besides, but now it's finally time to take a breather. Members of the Nintendo Life team have gathered b
Saturday1st Feb 2020
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 1st)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
We've had a super-busy week full of news on that gorgeous Animal Crossing-themed Switch, details on Pokémon Home, and even a new Super Smash Bros. fighter, but now it's time to take a breather and enjoy so
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)...
Saturday9th Mar 2019
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...
Saturday25th Aug 2018
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 25th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's another lovely weekend (hopefully) full of relaxation, chilled vibes, and a good gaming session or two. As ever, Team Nintendo Life has banded together to chat about our plans for the next couple of days, with farming sims, Game Boy Advance classics, and online shooters making for an interesting mix this...
Saturday4th Aug 2018
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 4th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Another Saturday is upon us, and so is another weekend full of opportunities to play our favourite games. As always, members of team Nintendo Life have gathered together to discuss their gaming plans, and this weekend sees a lot of Octopath Traveler, some other stuff, Octopath Traveler, some very...
Saturday2nd Jun 2018
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 2nd)
These are our picks, but what are yours?
It's the weekend once more, which means it's time to break out your favourite Nintendo console and catch up on some of that much-needed gaming time. This week, Team Nintendo Life are giving a new free-to-play title through its paces, joining up for a tennis tournament and playing some rather unexpected games...
Saturday26th May 2018
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend?
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
The weekend is here, and about time, too. It's finally time to catch a breather and pick up your favourite Nintendo console for much-needed gaming time. And if you're here in the UK, it's a Bank Holiday weekend so you even get an extra day to belt around Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or head out on an unforgettable...
Saturday19th May 2018
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend?
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
The weekend has arrived, just in time to rescue us all from the dread and gloom of the working week. Even if you've got to work a little more this weekend, hopefully you'll have the time to play some new (or old) games on your Nintendo console of choice. The team at Nintendo Life certainly are, so here are our...
