Latest Features
Feature Poké Ball Onigiri: A Review - Which Poké Ball Tastes Best?
Made with real Pokémon!*
Pokémon – both the games and the anime – have always featured food prominently. Moomoo milk, sodapops, slowpoke tails, and more recently curry mixes and sandwiches – there’s no end to the edible and drinkable in the Pokéworld. We’ve even covered Pokéfood before on Nintendo Life, both reviewing Japan-exclusive...
Feature 30 Things You Might Have Missed In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
Go to school, make some eggs, and take off that hat
Alright, so you've got Pokémon Scarlet and/or Violet, and you're making your way through Paldea. But this game can be a little hands-off when it comes to tutorials. In one way, that's great — you get to discover things for yourself — but it can also leave you feeling a little bit lost. Fear...
Soapbox How To Improve Pokémon Scarlet And Violet's Open World
We have some ideas
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, our video host Alex Olney has some ideas on how to make Pokémon Scarlet and Violet better... The Pokémon series is slowly, painfully evolving its games into open-world...
Feature Missing In Action - What Happened To These Switch Games?
Genshin Impact, Silksong, Metroid Prime 4, and Outer Wilds
Note: Having heard (finally!) about Pikmin 4, we've updated and added to this article (first published back in June). Enjoy! The media cycle that exists around video games these days can be quite punishing. After all, if you announce a game before it's ready, and then realise that it needs...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Pokémon Scarlet And Violet?
Colour us intrigued
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are out now and fans have had a lot to say about the new generation of Pokémon. We've all now had a weekend to get acquainted with the world of Paldea and its inhabitants, and we've already seen a whole bunch of hot takes around the internet, ranging from folks professing this to be the greatest new...
Hands On Demonschool Is A Love Letter To DS Games And Italian Horror Movies
Persona, Stranger Things, and Suspiria, together at last
Every now and again, the world seems to collectively decide that the way things were X number of years ago was the peak of culture. This happens everywhere: Fashion, movies, makeup, and even language tend to rely on this ever-revolving cycle of nostalgia, fuelled by a yearning for the...
Feature Every Metroid Prime Location, Ranked
From Phazon to Phendrana
Note: the YouTube embeds featured in this article will naturally contain footage of some of the boss encounters within Metroid Prime, including the final boss. If you've never played the game, take this as your spoiler warning! (Also, you've never played Metroid Prime!? *tuts and shakes head for several minutes*) The...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 19th)
ScaViikend
It looks like we are just about there folks, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is finally here which surely means there are no more trailers, 'mon reveals or surprise announcements for the next few weeks, right? This week has been a busy one here at Nintendo Life. Aside from the release of Scarlet and Violet (for which we discussed the pros...
Feature Wii U Memories - Our Pre-Launch Thoughts On Nintendo's Charming Misstep
You Wii-n some, U lose some
It's the 10th anniversary of the Wii U's North American launch and to mark the occasion we invited erstwhile Nintendo Life editor and all-around thoroughly nice chap Thomas Whitehead to reminisce about the machine, the time he first got his hands on it, and the hot takes he had pre-launch... The Wii U is now 10 years...
Feature Wii U Vs. Switch - How Did Those Nintendo Hardware Reveal Trailers Compare?
A lesson in the importance of first impressions
With the Wii U turning ten years old (crikey, we're really starting to feel old now), it's only natural that we're finding ourselves looking back at the console that's graciously gifted so much of its previously-exclusive software to its successor. Where did things really go wrong? What did we like...
Poll What Was The Best Wii U Launch Game?
What do U reckon?
We have arrived at the eve of the 10th anniversary of Wii U's launch. Yes, it was a decade ago when the hardcore Nintendo fans began queuing outside stores across North America at midnight (12 days later in Europe, and 8th December in Japan) to pick up and take home a shiny new piece of Nintendo hardware. It's always a special...
Talking Point Do You Name Your Pokémon?
Pikachu or Pik-yer-nose?
With every improvement and addition that each new mainline Pokémon entry brings, there are a handful of features that remain unchanged since the launch of the franchise more than 25 years ago: the ability to heal up at a Pokémon Centre, the appearance of the "technology is incredible" guy, and — of course — the option...
Feature The Top 15 Legend Of Zelda Dungeons Of All Time, Ranked
The very best bosses, puzzles, and music
Isn't it terribly boring that so many ranked lists of Zelda games, whether it's "best music" or "best hairstyle for Link" or something else, end up dominated by Breath of the Wild? Well, not this one, because today we're ranking the very best dungeons in the Legend of Zelda series, and for once, BOTW doesn't...
Feature From 'Retro Bowl' To 'Retro Goal' - How New Star Games Returned To Its Grass Roots
"it’s not just a quick and simple port over from mobile"
Earlier this year we became enamoured by Retro Bowl, a simple, addictive American football game inspired by '90s arcade classics from the team behind the hugely popular 'New Star' mobile series. While it may have been New Star Soccer which brought the team at New Star Games to our attention...
Feature The 10 Best Ace Attorney Cases, Ranked
Are we Phoenix Wright, or Phoenix Wrong?
It's been a long time since we've last seen Phoenix Wright's pointy-haired shadow darken our door — six years, in fact — and although we do love the old-timey antics of his predecessor Ryunosuke Naruhodo, we have to wonder if we'll ever get another new Ace Attorney... and if we do, how it'll hold up to...
Soapbox Resident Evil Zero's Train Scenario Is Still One Of The Franchise's Best
Choo choo, zombie express
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 RE0 turns 20, Ollie remembers one of the series' best openers... Resident Evil Zero gets a pretty bad rap. When it launched on GameCube on 12th November 2002 —...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 12th)
Ladies and gentlemen, The Weekend
With yet another trailer dropping for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, an Indie World showcase and the Nintendo financial report getting released, it has been quite the week here at Nintendo Life! We covered all of the great indie titles that will be heading to Switch in the coming months - including sitting down with...
Soapbox Paper Mario: Sticker Star Was When The Series Came Unstuck
A good idea on paper
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. On the 10th anniversary of Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Kate throws a very grumpy birthday party for a 3DS game she found pretty disappointing... There is a good game hidden inside...
Hands On Want To Feel Like A Real Pokémon Trainer? Try This Premium Poké Ball Replica
Just don't throw it, ok?
If there's a single object which instantly calls to mind the massively popular Pokémon series of video games, it's the iconic red-and-white Poké Ball. Sure, there are more powerful and accurate balls to use in the game, but the original version is the one that everyone remembers – and it has become a symbol of the...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Sonic Frontiers?
Sonic boom
So then, Sonic Frontiers. The hedgehog's latest 3D adventure launched earlier this week and Sonic fans have been able to spend a good chunk of time with the game. Reviews for the game across all platforms really run the gamut, with some critics hailing it as a stirring success and the beginning of a new era for 3D Sonic games, while...
Exclusive "There's Always A New Mess!" - Turning Real Life (And A Real Cat) Into A Tidying Up Game
An interview with developers Max Inferno
It's not often we get to do in-person interviews these days. It's even less frequent that we get to travel to a game studio to do them. But this might be a first, because for this interview, we actually got to go to a developer's house. It turns out that Max Inferno, the two-person studio making upcoming...
Feature "We Had A Lot To Learn" - Sloclap Talks Bringing 'Sifu' To Switch
"There’s always doubt regarding the reception of a game"
Having launched earlier this year on a couple of non-Switch platforms (yeah, apparently they exist!), Sloclap's Sifu has garnered much praise in the months since. A punishing 3D beat 'em up with roguelike elements and other genre ingredients, it struck a chord with PC and PlayStation-owning...
Feature Every Pokémon Starter Evolution Trio, Ranked From Worst To Best
Except for Kanto because come on – they’re obviously the best
While The Pokémon Company reveals the adorable starters at the beginning of a new Generation’s media cycle to feature them prominently in trailers, merch, events and whatever else the juggernaut of a franchise puts on, the final evolutions of these cute critters remain a carefully...
Talking Point What's The Best Use Of Licensed Music In A Switch Game?
(No, it's not Mad World)
You know that feeling you get when you're driving down a highway at sunset, and the perfect song comes on the radio? All of a sudden, it feels like you're in a music video, or that bit at the start of a '90s teen movie, where everything is sparkling and perfect. The music becomes a soundtrack, and your life becomes a story...
Feature Nintendo eShop Selects - October 2022
Nintendo Life's picks for October's best eShop games!
October has been and gone, and the spooky season is now over. Many are looking ahead to the Holiday season, spending time with family and — hopefully — playing a lot of games with them. But not us. We're looking back at the best eShop games of October. It's time for our eShop Selects! Last...
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...