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Feature Tetris Creator Alexey Pajitnov On Tetris 99, Tetris Comics And His Favourite Tetris Piece
"I don’t like the square. It’s dumb"
How long does it take for someone to realize they’ve made something that will outlast themselves and everyone they know? For Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, he is on a mission to make sure that moment of realization lasts his entire lifetime. So far so good; the simple block-stacking puzzler has...
Hands On Zelda: Link's Awakening On Switch Treads A Fine Line Between Remake And Reimagining
Impressions from the E3 show floor
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could play a Zelda game on the go? Okay, okay, we know what you're thinking. Today, you could fill up a whole stadium with portable Zelda games alone. But in 1993? How would anyone ever get a Zelda game to fit onto a Game Boy cartridge? Impossible. Well, they obviously figured it out...
Hands On Luigi’s Mansion 3 Is Shaping Up To Be The Best In The Series
Can someone get Luigi a real estate agent?
Luigi’s Mansion 3 for the Nintendo Switch is exactly that: the third entry into the bizarre Nintendo series where brother Luigi is left to scour haunted locations in search of missing friends. It’s a game where you use a vacuum cleaner (The Poltergust 3000, mind you) to suck up ghosts, sort of like a...
Soapbox The Nintendo World Championships Is Tired, And So Am I
Alan Lopez reports from the event
I just went to the Nintendo World Championships and I am tired. This ballyhooed Nintendo game extravaganza, typically hosted on the same week as the gaming industry’s flagship Electronic Gaming Expo, originated from a fandom-fueled 1990 tournament of the same name. Way back then, the Nintendo World Championships...
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...
Talking Point What Does The Bungie Divorce From Activision Blizzard Mean For Nintendo?
The big break-up could be good news for Switch fans...
Breaking news everyone: sci-fi shooter titans Bungie, creator of the Halo and Destiny franchises, has officially divorced from its eight-year partnership with Activision-Blizzard. In a public statement released Thursday, Bungie stated: Looking ahead, we’re excited to announce plans for...
Feature What The Smash Pros Have Done To Prepare For Smash Bros. Ultimate
"You can tell Nintendo's pulling out all the stops"
Look outside. Do you see it? Can you sense it? At this very moment, everybody everywhere has Smash Bros. fever. The next-level anticipation for the sequel to the 3DS/Wii U title of 2014 is about to end. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is days away from (official) release. For some, this may be their...
Feature Dark Horse On Creating The Ultimate Companion To The World Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
"I played it like an archaeologist"
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was perhaps the perfect launch title for Switch; not only is it a critically-acclaimed classic in its own right, but it also took the beloved series in an exciting new direction, something which could also be said about the Switch itself, thanks to its unique hybrid nature...
Feature What's Left To Be Announced For Smash Bros. Ultimate On Switch?
Our resident Smash expert Alan Lopez breaks it all down
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct on August 8th gave gaming fans a healthy amount of previously unannounced information about the upcoming mascot-fighter. (By the way, what is up with Nintendo’s sky-high production on these character reveal videos? Who wouldn’t watch entire episodes of...
Feature 5 Observations From Playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate With Bill Trinen
"I keep thinking I’m Lucas"
As a journalist, sometimes you’re handed what I’ll hesitantly describe as “unfair” deadlines. In those moments, you learn the massive value of a single hour. Ask me where all the spare outlets in the depths of the Los Angeles convention centre are. I’m a borderline cartographer for shortcuts through...
Hands On Things Are Hotting Up In The Kitchen Thanks To Overcooked 2
Are you a professional cook?
Anyone who has played Ghost Town Games’ indie darling Overcooked is sure to harbour a love-hate feeling for the little cooking simulator. It’s a game where you must work together inside a kitchen to piece together meals for needy customers. The only problem is you are timed, you bump into each other a lot,...
Hands On Starlink Scratches That Star Fox Itch, But We're Not Sure Who It's For
Getting to grips with Ubisoft's space shooter at Comic-Con 2018
Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a homage to the sci-fi games of right this very second. Or, you could also choose to see Starlink as mostly a rip-off. Or instead, maybe as a really cute entry point into planet spelunking spaceship genre. After some hands-on time with the game at the San...
Feature Chronicling The Legend Of Zelda With Dark Horse Comics
Editor Patrick Thorpe on working with Nintendo
When it comes to breaking down world-building and exploring lore, few games offer as much character and exposition as the wonderful world of The Legend of Zelda. Thanks to a fruitful ongoing collaboration with Nintendo, North American comics/book publisher Dark Horse Comics has been producing all manner...
Soapbox The Best Changes For Smash Bros. Ultimate Are The Ones We Didn’t Ask For
We all want a lot from a new Smash
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. This time, contributing writer Alan Lopez breaks down some of the key changes that are being made to the new Smash Bros and how they'll fundamentally change how we...
Feature Here's What Pro Players Want From Super Smash Bros On Switch
Making the proper leap to eSports
If you’re a casual Super Smash Bros. player like most of us, it can be pretty interesting to see how the Smash Bros. franchise operates from the vantage point of the best players in the world. Yes, the announcement of Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo Switch is still fresh in our minds, but that’s more than enough...
First Impressions Hell in a Handbasket - DOOM on Nintendo Switch
Big, dumb, and lots of fun
Now, with the Bethesda published 2016 iteration coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year, DOOM can be small and dumb, while still having its trademark 'BFG'. We got our chance to try out id Software’s upcoming port of its DOOM franchise reboot at a Bethesda event earlier this month; look, we know what questions you...
Feature Re-acquainting Ourselves With an Old Ally in Metroid: Samus Returns
"It's time"
When it came to time for questions during our hands-on demo with Metroid: Samus Returns for the Nintendo 3DS, the very first thing we asked was, “Why now?” That's because, one deviation aside, Samus Aran has been out of the public spotlight for seven years - it's been a whole decade if you trace her absence back to the beloved...
First Impressions Getting Into a Spin With Sonic Mania
With more than a dash of retro in the formula
When you remake something creative from the past, who is your audience, exactly? We ask because if you were to stray too far from the source material, you run the risk of alienating the impassioned people who most identify with the original. But on the other hand, if you stick too close to the old...
First Impressions Teaming Up in Splatoon 2's Salmon Run Co-Op Mode
It's a fishy business
If you’ve played the Splatoon 2 Testfire, a timed, online trial mode where Nintendo Switch owners got their first hands-on with this anticipated shooter sequel, then you already know that Splatoon 2 looks and feels rather like the original game. In fact, the ways in which Splatoon 2 differs are less in the aesthetics and...
Feature What Happens When you Play Breath of the Wild as a Multiplayer Game?
Adventuring together
In this article Nintendo Life regular Alan Lopez gives an account of his attempt to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with his partner, as real life didn't suit his desire for diving into the lengthy adventure on his own. I've always gotten a chill before I started something I knew was going to be really great. I...
Gallery A Look at the Quirky Delights of the Play Nintendo Family Lounge at San Diego Comic-Con
Including the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition
San Diego Comic-Con is now getting into full swing, and in addition to a Splatoon-centric booth inside the show Nintendo is hosting its Play Nintendo Family Lounge nearby in the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina (333 W. Harbor Dr.). It's open to the public (no expo pass required) and...
Hands On Painting a Clearer Picture of Paper Mario: Color Splash
"This is more of an adventure game"
There was an elephant in the room inside of Nintendo's off-site Comic-Con Nintendo Play Lounge. Not to be confused with a small stage shaped like an oversized Nintendo 3DS console, or the mammoth, room-sized inflatable Kirby set up to greet guests, this elephant took the shape of a video game kiosk. The game was...
Hands On Embracing Freedom in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Where even the smallest details can surprise Zelda veterans
In our third and final hands on preview of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild from E3, Alan Lopez breaks down what makes it a unique new direction for the series. Links to our previous write-ups by Morgan Sleeper and Mitch Vogel can be found at the end. To really understand the...
Soapbox Why Websites Don’t Need to Give a Game a Review Score (and Probably Shouldn’t)
Alan Lopez puts forward the case for ditching scores
Editor's Note: In this article Alan shares his personal views in response to a similar Soapbox by our YouTube man Alex, in which Mr Olney (he of the "hello there lovely people" intro) shared his views on why reviews should have scores. When Alan wrote this counter-piece and sent it to me I thought...
