Latest Features
Talking Point Here's Why You Shouldn't Be Worried About The Rumoured Switch Pro's 720p Screen
When "just enough" is "good enough"
The "Switch Pro" is on its way – at least, that's what a report from Bloomberg is telling us. The outlet has spoken to a source close to Nintendo's production line and has stated that an updated version of the console is coming soon, boasting a 7-inch, OLED panel with a 720p resolution. While it's also being r
Memory Pak Taking My First Starter Pokémon All The Way To The Elite Four
Making my parents proud by beating a video game
My first Pokémon was a Chikorita named Chicky, and I loved that tiny green horse-thing with all my heart. I came to Pokémon a little later than many of my friends and peers, having missed out on Pokémon Red and Blue by not owning a Game Boy, but I spent many hours watching others wander around...
Feature People Are Sharing Their First Four Zelda Screenshots On Switch, And We Wanted To Join In
Let's just delete all the ones of Link's bum in those rubber tights real quick
It's been 4 years (and a few days) since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, alongside the Nintendo Switch itself. Despite not being a particularly big anniversary, it's been celebrated nonetheless by fans and game critics alike. The latest birthday...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 6th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
With fresh "Switch Pro" rumours and confirmation that Nintendo has no intention of backing down from its decision to wipe Mario from existence at the end of the month, it's been quite the rollercoaster week. Thankfully, it's now time for us to have a breather and chat about our weekend gaming plans. Me
Feature Why Zelda: Link’s Awakening Is Literally My Dream Game
What's reality anyway?
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, we're running a series of features looking at a specific aspect — a theme, character, mechanic, location, memory or something else entirely — from each of the mainline Zelda games. Today, Stu gets all dreamy about one of his favourite entries in the franchise...
Soapbox The Nintendo Switch Was My Companion As I Travelled The World
Reflecting on four turbulent years with my steadfast console companion
Not my actual suitcase - mine had way more shoes, and no pliers (why do they have pliers?) When the Nintendo Switch came out in early 2017, I was adrift. I had moved out of London, I had gone freelance a few months before, and I was what people at the time called a "digital...
Preview Story of Seasons: Pioneers Of Olive Town Is Not Quite As Pioneering As We'd Hoped
Can the series keep up with Stardew Valley?
How does Story of Seasons continue to innovate when Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing have done so much to develop the 25-year-old formula? Well, with Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, the answer is twofold: one - borrow the ideas of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, and two - change things for...
Feature Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story Is A Fun Documentary With Some Critical Flaws
An entertaining mini-series that misses some key beats
"When you think of video games, the very first thing that comes to your mind is Nintendo." Minutes in, Tommy Tallarico sums it up perfectly. Anyone who’s ever heard relatives calling a random console "The Nintendo" can attest to this statement. Nintendo’s history is well recorded but, for...
Feature Capcom On Monster Hunter Rise's Rampage, Wirebug Exploration And Alien Wyverns
"This is the first time that we're using the RE engine for a Monster Hunter title"
Our readers may have felt a bit left out after the Monster Hunter series skipped Nintendo platforms with Monster Hunter World back in 2018, but all of that is about to change as the latest entry in the series, Monster Hunter Rise is hitting Nintendo Switch on March...
Feature Forget Saving Hyrule, Zelda: Ocarina of Time Is All About Fishing For Me
Lure of the wild
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, we're running a series of features looking at a specific aspect — a theme, character, mechanic, location, memory or something else entirely — from each of the mainline Zelda games. Today, Kerry admits that she didn't always stick to the proposed path when playing one of...
Feature After Fire Emblem And Famicom Detective Club, What Comes Next From Nintendo's Vault?
Raiders Of The Lost Games
Between the eclectic selection of NES and SNES games served up as part of everyone’s Nintendo Switch Online subscription, Fire Emblem's long-awaited (if time-limited) English language release thirty years after its Japanese debut, and the upcoming remake of their Disc System adventure game Famicom Detective Club, it
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - February 2021
February's best Switch eShop games!
Can you believe we're already two months into the year?! Well, thankfully, no matter how quickly time passes by, the Switch eShop seems to offer up dose after dose of great digital content to enjoy and February was no different. These awards aim to celebrate the best of Nintendo's digital store, giving some love...
Memory Pak When Harvest Moon Taught Me About Death
You can't just save scum this one away
Welcome to the latest instalment in our new 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. We hope you've got some tissues ready because this one's going to be a bit of a weepy. People play Harvest Moon games for their...
Feature Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link Taught Me The Value Of Perseverance
And save states
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, we're running a series of features looking at a specific aspect — a theme, character, mechanic, location, memory or something else entirely — from each of the mainline Zelda games. Today, Gavin looks back at the first sequel in the series, and one of the last entries he...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 27th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Phew! With news of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes – and a new open-world Pokémon game, too – it was a super busy end to the week. Thankfully, though, it's now time to relax and have a chat about our weekend plans. Members of the Nintendo Life team have done just that below, so feel free to give our...
Feature Hyperkin Explains How The RetroN Sq Is Bringing The Game Boy To Your Living Room
Update: Pre-orders go live on Amazon
Update: Pre-orders are now available! Original Story [Wed 22nd Jan, 2020 14:00 GMT]: Hyperkin has been one of the biggest names in 'new' retro products for quite some time now, thanks to products like the RetroN 5 and Supa Boy. The company is back with a new device – the
Soapbox Pokémon Diamond And Pearl's Greatest Contribution To The Series Was The Underground
And sort of inventing Pokémon God
There's a Pokémon Presents tomorrow - the Pokémon-flavoured version of a Nintendo Direct - and I should be feeling like a kid on Christmas, since the announcement of a remake for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl seems almost certain. But I feel more like a kid on someone else's birthday: wishing I could
Feature 8 NES Games That Were Better On Famicom Disk System
Saves + Synth > Passwords
The Famicom Disk System (or the Family Computer Disk System to give its full title) released in Japan — and Japan only — on 21st February 1986. This Famicom add-on came with a wave of new games on bespoke Nintendo-branded floppy discs which had several advantages over cartridges at the time, plus one or two drawbacks...
Preview Ghosts 'n Goblins: Resurrection Is Going To Hurt You, A Lot
Hell and high water
Blood is red, spirits are blue, here come Ghosts ’n Goblins, to murder you. If you’re a gamer of the old-school persuasion or just a masochist who enjoys agony, you will be undoubtedly titillated by the torture that Ghosts 'n Goblins: Resurrection promises to deliver later this month. The first new console game in...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 20th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
After what has been the busiest week in the Nintendo world for some time – feel free to catch up on everything that was announced during this week's Nintendo Direct here – it's finally time for us to catch a breather and chat about our weekend gaming plans. Members of the Nintendo Life team have done just...
Soapbox The Modern Games Industry Has A Hype Problem, And It Needs To Stop
When will it be enough?
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. In this piece, Mitch talks about the problem with video game hype... Look up any news about the upcoming Bayonetta 3 and you’re sure to notice a fascinating trend. Even...
Round Up Everything Announced In The February 2021 Nintendo Direct
Splatoon 3! Fall Guys! Zelda: Skyward Sword HD!
Yesterday gave us our first Nintendo Direct broadcast, and it was pretty packed. Not only did we see updates on titles we already knew about, but we also got brand-new announcements in the form of Splatoon 3, Zelda: Skyward Sword, Fall Guys and much more besides. Below you'll find a rundown of...
Talking Point What We're Hoping To See In Today's Nintendo Direct
IT'S TIME
Well, well, well. We may have been disappointed when our 2020 Direct predictions failed to come true, but what's 530 days of waiting between friends? Besides, we've been really busy in the intervening months, haven't we? We don't need you, Nintendo. We've got, er, a global pandemic. We're just kidding, Ninty. We love you. Please come back...
Memory Pak When Link Left The Temple Of Time In Zelda: Ocarina Of Time And Everything Changed
Lesson learned: touching swords makes you get old
Welcome to the first instalment of a new column, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. We're starting off strong with a moment that cemented the Zelda series as one of the all-time greats, in celebration of Link's 35th birthday...
Guide How To Spot Fake Nintendo Video Games
Keepin' it real fake
Bootleg video games have been plaguing the industry for a while, but as time goes on it's become increasingly difficult to tell the difference between an official cartridge released by Nintendo and a fake. Take these copies of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen on Game Boy Advance. To the naked eye, they look strikingly authentic,...
Feature Five SNK Neo Geo Pocket Games We Want To See On Switch
More than a fighting chance
With excellent ports of Fatal Fury First Contact, King of Fighters R-2, Samurai Shodown! 2, Gals' Fighters and The Last Blade soon to be joined by the magnificent
Hardware The Retro-Bit Prism HD Review - Another Great GameCube HDMI Adapter
With an added bonus...
HDMI output on the GameCube has been around for a while. Back in 2018, we got the rather rough-and-ready GC Video Plug 'n Play 3.0, which did the job but came in a rather ugly 3D-printed case. Shortly afterwards there came the EON GCHD adapter (and, not long afterwards, its
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 13th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
With a brand new Mario game, new titles to check out on Switch's NES and SNES apps, and a whole lot of scalper sneakiness going on at McDonald's, it's been another hectic week in the world of Nintendo. Thankfully, it's now time to relax and chat a
Hands On We've Played Bravely Default II On Switch, And Here's What We Think So Far
Classic gameplay meets classic grind
The original Bravely Default launched during a time where it felt like everyone had moved on past the tried and true turn-based RPG. Even the king of the formula, Square-Enix, seemed like it had given up on the genre as it had been (unfortunately) pouring its everything into the action RPG, Final Fantasy XIII,...
Feature Curse Of The Dead Gods Devs On Early Access, Switch Challenges, And Hades Comparisons
"One can only be flattered by such a comparison"
Fans of the roguelike and roguelite genre have had some real gems to enjoy over the last couple of years, with excellent games like Dead Cells and last year's award-sweeping Hades serving up some incredibly satisfying run-based dungeon-crawling on Switch.
Soapbox Super Mario 3D World Is The Closest To A Super Mario Bros. 2 Sequel We'll Ever Get
Sub-consciously influenced
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot games, trends and topics — opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this piece, Jon Irwin discusses how Nintendo seems reluctant to return to the mechanics of Super Mario Bros. 2... When Super Mario 3D World first...
Soapbox Time Loop Games Are Strangely Comforting In Times Like These
Every day feels the same, so let's play games where every day IS the same
Right at the end of last year, Natasha Lyonne — star of Groundhog Day-inspired TV show, Russian Doll which sees her character Nadia (a software developer, no less) stuck repeating the same night over and over again — shared a tweet that made everyone collectively start...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 6th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
With yet another week behind us, this time bringing news that Nintendo is finally updating its multiplayer server system and a pretty bare-looking 2021 release schedule, it's time to sit back, relax, and chat about our weekend gaming plans. Members of the Nintendo Life team have done just that below, so f
Exclusive Nyamyam On Bringing The Award-Winning "Game Sitcom" Astrologaster To Switch
"The Switch version will get the 'sitcom' element across the best"
Those of you with very good memories might recall the UK studio Nyamyam, which was responsible for the gorgeous Tengami on Wii U. Fronted by former Rare developers Jennifer Schneidereit (Kinect Sports) and Phil Tossell (Star Fox Adventures), Nyamyam created a game engine which...
Talking Point So, What Are The Chances We'll See A 'New' Nintendo Switch In 2021?
A Pro-mising year?
What's that? Did someone say 'Switch Pro'? Oooh, 'New Nintendo Switch', is it!? A more powerful variant with 4K resolution Deep Learning Super Sampling? 60 frames-per-second? Carbon fibre styling? Swiss Army Switch?... It wasn't long after the Switch launched back in 2017 that rumours of a hardware revision started circling. You...
Feature Blessed By Hermes - A Peek Inside The Hades Speedrunning Community
We speak to Supergiant Games and two prominent Hades speedrunners
When you think of speedrunning in games, where does your mind go? Is it Super Mario 64? Breath of the Wild? Dark Souls? Undoubtedly, the 'classics' are popular choices with speedrunners, but there are plenty of others which defy expectation;
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - January 2021
January's best Switch eShop games!
With a brand new year comes brand new Switch games, and while January is traditionally a quiet month for new releases, there were still some absolute crackers to enjoy this time around. These awards aim to celebrate the best of Nintendo's digital store, giving some love and attention to the games that could so...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 30th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Another busy old week has flown by, with Nintendo revealing a new Monster Hunter Switch console and an Animal Crossing amiibo card rerelease, and PlatinumGames telling us we should probably forget about Bayonetta 3 for a while
Poll Which Is Your Favourite GameCube Console Variant?
Well-handled
We recently ran a poll looking at the sexiest consoles Nintendo and the company has put out some mighty fine-lookin' hardware over the years. There was one system that gets us particularly excited, though — the good ol' GameCube — and it seems you readers are in agreement judging from the results of that poll. Yes, the Japan-only...
Soapbox Grinding Is Poor Gameplay Design That Doesn’t Respect Your Time
Who wants to spend hours mowing down low-level enemies?
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. In this piece, Henry discusses how he's fed up of being ground down by grinding... We really are spoiled for choice these days and, in part...
Hands On We've Played Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, And Here's What We Think So Far
Cat's entertainment?
When it started to become clear that Nintendo was porting many of its Wii U games to the Switch, a lot of fans naturally hoped that Super Mario 3D World would be one of the games making the jump. It's hard to believe it’s taken nearly four years, but we're finally just a matter of weeks away before this much-requested Mario...
Soapbox I Never Completed Breath Of The Wild, And I Never Will
Sorry, Zelda, you'll just have to keep waiting
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. In this piece, Kate makes a groundbreaking admission about one of the Switch's most popular titles... I put at least 150 hours into Breath of the Wild...
Feature 6 Huge Video Game Franchises Missing From Nintendo Switch
They've all played with power in the past
Unless you've been living on a deserted island for the past four years (hey, lucky you — wish you'd stayed there now, right?), it's hard to miss how Switch has taken Nintendo back to the sort of mainstream success is achieved with the Wii two console generations ago. Wii U might have bombed commercially...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Stealth Games
"!"
For all the gun-blazing, whip-cracking, all-out action and mayhem there is to enjoy in video games, sometimes a change of pace is needed. All that one-note violence can get boring, no? Why not eliminate that patrolling guard or spittle-covered demon in a more sophisticated manner; something more understated than a rocket launcher to the face?...
Feature Cyber Shadow Dev On 8-Bit Classics And How We Can Thank Yacht Club For The Switch Launch
"I can’t comprehend how it happened, must be dark magic"
It's true that there's no shortage of retro-inspired, nostalgia-drenched Switch games to enjoy these days. It's something of a golden age for anyone who loves the pixel aesthetic, tight controls, incredible chiptunes and purity of classic NES games from the '80s and early-'90s. Now there's a...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 23rd)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It wasn't the busiest of weeks this week, with our most popular headlines revolving around an accusation against Apex Legends and Starter Pokémon fan rankings, but we're still ever grateful for a chance to relax and chat about our weekend gaming plans. Members of the Nintendo Life team have done just that...
Soapbox Video Game Injuries Are No Laughing Matter
Technology is incredibly unfriendly to our frail human bodies
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. In this piece, Kate discusses the issue of video game injuries... It's a little embarrassing to say that I permanently messed up my...
Soapbox It’s Time For A Pokémon Trading Card Game Reboot On Switch
But only if it's done right
My old, beloved (and slightly grubby) copy of Pokémon TCG on Game Boy. 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. In this piece, Ryan explores the idea of a Pokémon TCG video game reboot and why now could be the...
Feature Limited Run Games On The Process of Bringing Scott Pilgrim To Physical Shelves
"It has been requested on an almost daily basis"
Fans of the Scott Pilgrim series far and wide have been begging the series creator, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Ubisoft, Oni Press, and physical game publishers like Limited Run Games to release a physical edition of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game ever since it was delisted from online storefronts back...
Soapbox The NYT Thinks We're Gaming Too Much, But It's One Of The Only Things Keeping Me Sane
This again?
It's that time of year again: a large publication has had decided that kids play too many games, and this time it's a COVID-flavoured special, courtesy of the New York Times, designed to make parents feel guilty for letting their energy-filled children play video games after being cooped up all day doing online school. I won't pretend...
