Latest Features
Guide Best Simpsons Games On Nintendo Systems
Every Simpsons game, as ranked by you
If you've been playing video games for a while, then it stands to reason that you have probably stumbled across one or two games based on The Simpsons in your time. A whole bunch of these have been made available to Nintendo systems throughout the years (19 to be exact) and they range in quality from yeah,...
Ah, but did that stop Joker?
Crashing onto the scene back in 2017, NieR:Automata was a breakthrough moment for Yoko Taro. Though the director gained infamy for the Drakengard series — including the original NieR on PS3 and Xbox 360 — and his unusual interviews, Automata is the game that truly put him and his team on the m
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 5th)
Bonfire Night gaming
Remember, remember the 5th November, gunpowder, treason and gaming. It's something along those lines, right? While we can't really comment on the first two of these, we have had a week filled with the third here at Nintendo Life. The week kicked off with Halloween, and we got into the spirit by chatting about the gaming moments...
Feature 17 Things You Might Not Know About Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Brush up on your knowledge before Tears of the Kingdom!
Oh, you think you know everything about Zelda, do you? Name all six sages. Juuuuust kidding, we're no gate(of time)keepers here — but we do have a bunch of facts for you about Breath of the Wild, which is somehow a game that just keeps giving. Not a week goes by without us learning something...
Feature Backlog Club: Limbo Is A Can Of Beans Full Of Gleeful Boy-Murder
I'm too hungry for all this murder
This article is part of our experimental series, Backlog Club, where we (Nintendo Life!) pick a game that's on our list of "games we should get around to playing", and then we (NL + you!) spend the next month playing that game. This is the finale for this month, after we played Inside earlier on. So, now that...
Feature It Takes Two Devs "Confident" The Switch Port Will Exceed Expectations
"At the time when we signed on, it wasn’t a GOTY title"
When developer Hazelight Studios launched It Takes Two back in March 2021 in partnership with Electronic Arts, it's safe to say that the co-op action-adventure title took everybody by surprise. By combining split-screen gameplay with a narrative that's both hilarious and poignant in equal...
Feature The Best Moustaches In Video Games Ranked
Let's-a MO
It's November. You know what that means. The nights are longer, the weather is colder and, just to top it all off, a whole bunch of people who should really know better are going to spend the next four weeks growing out a moustache to varying degrees of success for perhaps the weakest portmanteau ever contrived, Movember. As the...
Talking Point Which Scary Video Game Moments Gave You Nightmares As A Kid?
Mummy!
As one moves into adulthood, it's possible to look back and laugh at things that once terrified you. Sure, the adult world contains more than its fair share of horrors worth recoiling from, but at least we gamers can look back at the digital scares of our youth with a satisfied smile, knowing we've conquered our childish fears. Right? Well,...
Feature The Spookiest Levels In Non-Spooky Games
Melloween
Aside from costumes, big bowls of sweets and the impending fear that I'm A Celebrity will soon dominate TV again, if there is one thing that you can bank on over Halloween, it's lots, and lots of scary video games. The spooky season has an annoying habit of seeking out those of us — this writer included — who are not the best with...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 29th)
BAEonetta
After two weeks of back-and-forth drama, we are pleased that Bayonetta 3 is finally out to rave reviews. We are never going to have to talk about another VA dispute ever again, right? Yes, the gun-slinging, crowd-winning Umbra Witch is back and (not to spoil the following feature) we are excited to play. While we awaited the game's...
Talking Point Would You Prefer 'Super Mario Odyssey 2' Or A Totally New 3D Mario?
And can you believe Odyssey launched five years ago today?
It's kind of scary to think that Super Mario Odyssey is now five years old; that's half a decade! Launched back on October 27th, 2017, Nintendo was already firing on all cylinders at that point, having released the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and...
Soapbox After 10 Years I'm Finally Getting A Wii U, But Where Should I Start?
What would U suggest for Mii?
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, as the Wii U approaches its tenth anniversary next month, Jim is trying to make amends for missing out on a misunderstood Nintendo console, with your help and ours...
Guide Best Licensed Games On Nintendo Switch
Got a licence for that?
Just recently we saw the anniversary of The Mummy Demastered, an example of a great game based on the most mediocre of movies. Historically, licensed games — usually movie tie-ins — haven't enjoyed the best of reputations due to them often being rush jobs thrown together on a shoestring by an under-resourced developer...
Poll Is The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Good Enough Value Yet?
One year on, how have things improved?
It's been a year since Nintendo launched its higher-tier Expansion Pack service for Nintendo Switch Online, which brought a select library of Sega Mega Drive / Genesis games and Nintendo 64 titles to Switch alongside access to otherwise-paid DLC such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise...
Talking Point The Mummy Demastered - Has A Better Game Ever Come From A Worse Movie?
Everything the movie wasn't. Fun!
Just recently, actor Brendan Fraser offered up his thoughts on why 2017’s The Mummy failed to garner both critical and commercial success. The movie, starring Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella, was meant to serve as the jumping off point for Universal Pictures’ ‘Dark Universe’, which would effectively link...
Memory Pak 50 Shades Of Morally Grey In Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward
Ally? Or Betray?
Welcome to the latest instalment in our nostalgia-inducing column, Memory Pak, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. Ten years ago, Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward was released in the US. In honour of this anniversary, Kate has some thoughts about the nature...
Soapbox EA Playground Is A Forgotten Gem And Deserves To Be Remembered With Wii Sports
Playing games in the uncanny valley
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on its 15-year anniversary, Jim pleads the case for a forgotten Wii classic... If there’s one thing that you could always rely on the Wii to achieve, it was...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 22nd)
Persona-fied rabbits
Wow. This week has been so full of news, we would be hesitant to add any more for fear of bursting. After long anticipating the releases of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope and Persona 5 Royal on the Switch, who would have thought that Bayonetta 3 drama would overshadow it all? Hey, welcome to the world of Nintendo! Aside from...
Feature From Hypnosis To Farts, What Happened To The Wario We Met 30 Years Ago?
Three decades since his Super Mario Land 2 debut
30 years ago, we clutched our Game Boys in our sweaty palms and gasped in collective awe at the majesty we were faced with when Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins dropped on the scene. Not only did we have an absolute banger in our hands — completely outdoing the first Mario Land in every respect...
Soapbox Disney Dreamlight Valley Feels Like A Villain Rehab - Is That A Bad Thing?
I didn't sign up to be Scar's publicist
In the world of Disney, a deep line is drawn in the sand between Good and Evil. On the side of Good, we have most princesses and fairies, anything and anyone with large eyes, and all women under the age of 30. On the side of evil, we have most non-prince men, all witches, some wizards, and any woman with...
Back Page All The Pokémon From Scarlet And Violet So Far, Ranked From Worst To Best
A completely objective factual tier list
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...
Talking Point Given The Voice Artist Controversy, Will You Be Boycotting Bayonetta 3?
How much are creatives worth?
Note. Since this article was originally published, new claims have emerged which offer a different version of events leading to this dispute. Read more here: A New Bayonetta 3 Report Features A Differing Account Of PlatinumGames’ VA Pay Offer You'll no doubt have seen your social feeds ablaze with controversy...
Talking Point Which Animation Studios Should Tackle Nintendo's Other Franchises?
A match made in heaven
Picture the scene. You go to watch the Mario Movie in 2023. You realise that it is a stroke of genius, surely garnering a Return of the King number of Oscar nominations and going down in history as one of the all-time greats. The credits roll. Just as you are on your way out with your friends, chortling about Chris Pratt's...
Feature Backlog Club: Exploring The [REDACTED] And Finding The [REDACTED] In 'Inside'
Spoilers! Many spoilers!!
This article is part of our new experimental series, Backlog Club, where we (Nintendo Life!) pick a game that's likely to be on our list of "games we should get around to playing", and then we (NL + you!) spend the next month playing that game. This is the halfway point, the Part One of two, where we stop for a minute to...
Feature 10 Top Mario Cosplays - From Plumbers To Princesses
Featuring Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom friends
The Mario games have been a core part of Nintendo fandom for decades now. Mario as a solo sibling has been around for even longer than his own series, first appearing — of course — as Jumpman in 1981's Donkey Kong. Despite having his name in the title, the Mario franchise isn't about the Italian...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 15th)
Happy weekend!
We did it, everyone. We made it through the working week with only 306 Pokémon Scarlet and Violet news drops to write of - perhaps this is a slight over-exaggeration, but you get the picture. This week we were lucky enough to head behind the scenes at Ubisoft to get a look at Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope as the game nears release...
Poll What's The Best Piece Of Music In A Nintendo Game?
Tuuune!
How on earth are you supposed to pick just one standout music track from Nintendo's history? Surely an impossible ask, right? Well, you fine folks certainly stepped up to the challenge. We recently asked you to tell us your favourite music from a first-party Nintendo title, and boy, did we get responses! We got nearly 300 comments at the...
Hands On AURGA Viewer Streams Switch To Tablets And Laptops, But How Well Does It Work?
Phones, too, but why do that?
The namesake feature of Nintendo's hybrid console has been perhaps the key factor in its continued success. The Switch's ability to, well, switch means it fits neatly into any lifestyle whatever your situation, but that doesn't mean there aren't use cases it doesn't quite cater for. For our part — and especially in...
Memory Pak Story Of Seasons: Trio Of Towns' Ludus Was The Last Good Thing About The Series
omne trium perfectum
Welcome to the latest instalment in our nostalgia-inducing column, Memory Pak, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. Today is the five-year anniversary of the release of Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns in Europe, and Kate has some fond memories of a certain...
Feature Behind The Scenes With Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope, "A Tactical Game For All"
A trip to Milan with Mario and friends
There are a lot of things we’re beginning to associate with Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope; surprise, joy, freedom. But perhaps the most important one is ‘change’. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was a huge success for creative director Davide Soliani's team at Ubisoft, with the game reaching 10 million...
Feature Meet Sea Power, The Talent Behind Disco Elysium's Exquisite Music
"We recorded and engineered the whole project ourselves"
A quick note before we begin: The following interview was conducted prior to the news that lead designer Robert Kurvitz, artist Aleksander Rostov, and writer Helen Hindpere had all departed from developer ZA/UM, apparently under involuntary circumstances. This feature is focused entirely on...
Talking Point Is The Golden Age Of Licensed Music In Games Over?
Try and make the answers more than "maybe"
There is a moment in a young person's life — a brief window, around 13 years of age — when their internal maelstrom of hormones, peer pressure, and insecurity reaches its peak, turning the teen into soft, malleable putty, ready to be coaxed into a fandom by the next influential moment that comes along...
Soapbox I Might Be Too Messy To Enjoy Disney Dreamlight Valley Properly
Mickey Mouse says tidy your room
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Kate dives into the latest Disney game to find out what all the fuss is about... The gaming world has gone mad for Disney Dreamlight Valley, and I think I want in...
Talking Point What's Your Favourite Music Track From A Nintendo Game?
A.K.A, the world's toughest choice
One of the most important aspects of any game, in this writer's opinion, is the music. We've all been there: you might be stepping onto a new island in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker or floating through 'Space Junk Galaxy' in Super Mario Galaxy when a new music score plays in the background and completely...
Feature 8 Unanswered Questions We Have About Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Just weeks away from launch, we've got pressing questions
A new Pokémon Generation comes about as frequently as Summer Olympics or major elections, and for us living the Nintendo life, it’s way more important. With Generation IX comes new games, new Pokémon, new mechanics, and a whole lot of speculation surrounding one of the world’s biggest...
Feature The Best Autumnal Levels In Video Games To Get You In The Fall Mood
All the leaves are brown...
I'm just going to get this joke out of the way: Fall Guys is the most autumnal video game. There we go. You may chortle and guffaw to your heart's content, and then we'll start the rest of this extremely niche, very specific article. You done? Good. Okay. So! It's Autumn, or Fall, depending on whether you're in Blighty...
Community 24 Switch Games We Missed, As Recommended By You
Part 5 of our list of hidden gems is our biggest yet
Back in September, we asked you lovely readers to tell us what hidden gems slipped through our fingers. You championed them, and our backlog (both personal and professional) is feeling even more daunting. We're not kidding when we say we had tons of nominations, and as a result, whittling down...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 8th)
Mario madness
After the release of both Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's new trailer and The Super Mario Bros. Movie teaser, our minds are all deep-dived out - but what a time to be a Nintendo fan, huh! This week, our fabulous writers have been hard at work providing you lovely readers with breakdowns on
Gallery Super Mario Movie Trailer Breakdown, Frame-By-Frame Analysis
Toado... I have a feeling we're not in NYC any more
So. We are now in a post-Chris-Pratt-as-Mario world. A world in which we know what Mario sounds like. The trailer released today has provided everyone with a first look at Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, as well as a first listen to the voices of Bowser, Mario, Toad, Kamek, some penguins, and...
Guide Best James Bond Games, Ranked - Switch And Nintendo Systems
Nobody does it better
Remember, the ranking below is not set in stone, but is governed in real-time by each game's User Score on our games database. If you haven't assigned a score to any of the games below, simply log in and tap on the star in each of the banners below to score the game out of ten and exert your influence on the ranking. Enjoy!...
Exclusive SunnySide Teams Up With Gardening YouTuber To Make Their Farming Game More Realistic
Green thumb meets gamer thumb
Farming games often don't replicate real-world farming too closely — they prefer to strike a balance between fun and accurate, in which plants need watering every day, but pesticides, fertiliser, and maintenance aren't really on your to do list. But upcoming game SunnySide is aiming to take a more realistic approach...
Feature Backlog Club: Portal 2 Made Me Feel Clever, Despite My Minor Case Of Serious Brain Damage
Sweet Caroline
Rule number one of Backlog Club: Work through your pile of unplayed video games one at a time, and discuss them with other people. Rule number two of Backlog Club: Don't talk about Backlog Club. Just kidding! Tell everyone. Please. This article is part of our new experimental series, Backlog Club, where we (Nintendo Life!) pick a...
Feature Nintendo eShop Selects - September 2022
Nintendo Life's picks of the best eShop games in September!
We're sorry, when did it become October? Well, we suppose it's time to look back at September for our monthly dose of eShop Selects! It's autumn (or fall depending on what term you like to use for the crispy leaves season). The nights are drawing in. The temperature is dropping. And the...
Talking Point It's About Time Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night Came To Switch
Seminal action-RPG celebrates its 25th anniversary
Note: this article contains minor spoilers for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. "What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets." These words, uttered by Dracula Vlad Țepeș during the opening exchange with Richter Belmont in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, have become completely...
Talking Point What's The Worst Game That You Still Love For Some Reason?
All your perfect imperfections
Today marks the 15th anniversary of NBA Live 08 on the Wii. Quite why there wasn't a national holiday and organised street parades for this excellent game is beyond us. Except, of course, it isn't excellent at all. The game was, for all intents and purposes, objectively bad, and yet there is a very large part of this...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 1st)
Ladies and gentlemen, the Winter
We did it folks! We made it through the barrage of game releases — more commonly known as 'September' — and we live to write another day! Though October is looking just as packed... *gulp* Here at Nintendo Life, we've played through the unofficial Super Mario Bros. 5 fan game made entirely in Super Mario Maker...
Feature We Take The Fan-Created 'Super Mario Bros. 5' For A Spin
Spoilers: It's a blast
Although Nintendo seems to have largely forgotten about it, Super Mario Maker 2 still has its fans. Indeed, so it should; it's a remarkably accessible creative tool for users to turn the Mario levels of their dreams into a reality with an incredibly intuitive UI and toolkit that built on the foundation of the remarkable Wii U...
Community Found A Great Switch Game We Didn't Review? We Want To Know
Highlight a 'hidden gem' with a shoutout
With the busy month of September coming to an end, publishers are shadow-dropping great-looking games on Switch eShop even in these closing days. Dropsy is the latest one, a point-and-click adventure coming hot on the tail of the most anticipated point-and-click adventure of the last decade or more, and from...
Back Page 8 Completely Real 'Life Simulators' That We Want To See On Switch
Reporting live from MUGS
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 —...
Talking Point Where Are All The Lord Of The Rings RPGs On Console?
Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a RPG
The year was 2002. Peter Jackson was about to release the second instalment in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, EA had bagged the rights to the video game adaptations of the films and Vivendi was just about to release its own console adaptation, not of the New Line Cinema property, but adapted directly from...