Latest Features
Soapbox An Ode To The 3DS, Nintendo's Workhorse Console
Kate Gray explains why this dual-screen wonder will be missed
Some people remember where they were when they found out about the assassination of President JFK. I can't tell you where I was when JFK was shot, but that's mostly because I hadn't been born, and therefore wasn't watching the news at the time, but I can tell you where I was when the...
Feature Switch Puts The Arcade Of Your Dreams In The Palm Of Your Hand
Insert coin?
The Switch can be anything anyone wants it to be. It has all the big Nintendo-magic hits you could hope for from the Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon series (we all continue to mourn the extended hibernation of Metroid and F-Zero), a slew of high profile cross-platform gems old and new to suit any budget and taste, and even quirky not-games...
Feature Horace Developers On Die Hard, Britishness, And Finding The Right Genre Label
"Maybe a AAA SNES game?"
The term 'hidden gem' is one that, unfortunately, crops up all too frequently these days. With wave upon wave of quality titles hitting digital storefronts every week, more games than ever risk getting carried away by the tide before you've had the chance to pick them up. Horace — ostensibly a 16-bit-inspired platformer,...
Feature Remembering The Shadow Dragon - A History Of Fire Emblem's Original Adventure
Don't let any of your characters die as you read this
You’ve likely seen the news that Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon And The Blade Of Light is finally being localised in the west. Originally a Japan-only title, this NES game kicked off Nintendo’s prolific JRPG series and to celebrate Fire Emblem’s 30th Anniversary, it’s being re-released on...
Feature How Nintendo's Game & Watch Took "Withered Technology" And Turned It Into A Million-Seller
We take a look at the LCD range that sparked a portable revolution
This legacy feature was originally published in 2010 and revisited in September 2020 when Nintendo celebrated Mario's 35th birthday with a wide range of products, including the brand-new Game & Watch handheld based on the iconic LCD range from the '80s. Enjoy! When you look...
Feature Playing The Name Game - The Art Of Finding The Perfect Title
Game name: Origins
There was a time when naming your company's latest video game was simple. Just programmed the first golf game for your 8-bit system? Great! Slap Golf on the cover and print 200,000. Likewise Tennis, Baseball and so on. They were simpler times, and the following 16-bit console generation wasn't much more complicated. Anyone for...
Feature How Nintendo, Pokémon And Japanese Culture Shaped Global Tastes Through Pure Invention
Author and translator Matt Alt discusses his recent book
The Back to the Future movies might be best known for their seat-of-your-pants time-hopping sense of adventure, whip-smart structure and American nostalgia, but they also serve as a socio-economic lens on the time in which they were made. Marty McFly, for example, might not return to exactly...
Feature Moon Studios On Ori And The Will Of The Wisps' Journey From Xbox To Switch
"A lot of us questioned if this wasn’t just a foolish dream"
The previously unannounced appearance of the remarkable Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Switch eShop last month was a huge and very pleasant surprise. Of course, the really big surprise came last year when Microsoft permitted developer Moon Studios to bring its predecessor Ori and the...
Feature The Making Of Star Fox Command
"Miyamoto wanted us to try out new ideas and see what happened"
Star Fox Command is 14 years old this year, a remarkable fact when you consider that, in the time that has elapsed since its release, we’ve only seen one all-new Star Fox entry – and even that was technically a remake of the N64 title, Star Fox 64 (and don't even mention Star Fox...
Feature Year In Review - A Look Back At Nintendo's 2020
A 2020 recap, plus our most popular reviews and articles
2020 might have put most of us through the wringer to a greater or lesser extent, but it's been a surprisingly strong year from a games perspective. Of course, it's become Nintendo's MO in recent years to concentrate discussion on projects it has in the pipeline for the year in question, so...
Feature No More Robots Boss On How Switch eShop Is Pushing Publishers To Game The System
"I had to grit my teeth and try a 'can't beat them, join them' approach"
Since Switch launched back in March 2017, we've spoken to developers several times about the eShop, its discoverability problems and the tactics being employed to get noticed and sell games on Nintendo's digital storefront. At launch, the eShop was very much in line with the...
Feature The Best, And Worst, Nintendo Commercials Ever
Classic (and not-so-classic) Nintendo TV spots
The recent Japanese TV spots for Super Mario 3D All-Stars and news Nintendo has recruited Love Island's Laura Whitmore as a 'Ring Fit Ambassador' got us thinking back on Nintendo's long history of TV commerci
Feature The Best Nintendo Moments Of 2020
A few shining lights in a gloomy year
There's no getting around the fact that 2020 has been really quite pants on several fronts. Not a nice, fresh pair of the finest undergarments occupying your dresser drawer, either — quite the opposite, in fact (we'll spare you the metaphorical details, but you get the idea). It's during the darkest times,...
Feature 1995's Nintendo Was Arrogant And Ahead Of Its Time All At Once
"Nintendo does not have any rivals"
25 years ago, Nintendo was at something of a crossroads. 1995 saw the company in a dominant position in its homeland, where the Super Famicom was still the most popular video game console with over 90 per cent of the domestic market. However, the launch of the 32-bit Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn at the...
Soapbox Mario And Zelda Were Great, But GoldenEye Really Switched Me On To Nintendo
It caught my 'Eye
These days, I'm very much living the Nintendo life, but rewind thirty years and I was a SEGA Mega Drive kid. I enjoyed Super Mario Bros. 3, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Duck Hunt and of course the seminal Rareware classic, Battletoads & Double Dragon on my brother's NES, but given the choice between Mario or Sonic back then,...
Feature So, What Happened To Super Mario Galaxy 2?
Mario (Galaxy 2) Is Missing
As many Mario fans noticed yesterday, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is missing from the long-rumoured (and otherwise tasty-looking) Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. Not only that, but it was also omitted the montage of significant Mario releases that appeared in the final few minutes of the Super Mario 35th Anniversary Direct...
Feature Uncle Creates Amazing Super Mario World Play Set For His Niece
World's Best Uncle: Confirmed
The recent partnership between Nintendo and LEGO has produced a number of quality play sets based on Super Mario, and there have been other sets of various sizes (and quality) available in the past that recreate the characters and setting of the Mushroom Kingdom. However, one man found the available options...
Soapbox There's No Shame In Playing On Easy, Even If You're A Pro
It’s still thrilling when you’re chilling
It’s time to make a ‘confession’ that will potentially see me getting shunned by some gamers. I have no shame in doing so, though, and I hope that by making this known about myself maybe others will also have the confidence to come forward too. Right, here goes. Sometimes I play games on Easy...
Feature Lego Super Mario Lead Designer On 3D-Printed Prototypes, Aborted AR And Meeting Koji Kondo
Qs around the blocks
Jonathan Bennink, the lead designer on LEGO Super Mario, has spent an astonishing four years working out how to align Nintendo’s IP with the Danish firm’s perennially popular toy bricks. In an exclusive interview for Nintendo Life, he talks about how the two companies collaborated to create an interactive Lego Mario...
Feature Nintendo Switch Ports We'd Love To See In 2021
Hard to port
Over the past few years Switch has become a home to a wide array of quality ports from other platforms. Games from all over have made the jump to Nintendo's handheld hybrid, including smaller mobile hits, cross-console releases from a few years ago and more unexpected and recent multi-platform titles. 2020 was no exception, with some...
Feature The Complete History Of Paper Mario
A look back at all six games in the series
This week sees the release of Paper Mario: The Origami King, the sixth game in the Paper Mario series and the first to arrive on Switch. As our review explains, it’s a thoroughly entertaining entry and one that’s well worth playing, even if the combat system is a bit questionable. The paper-like...
Feature How Do Switch eShop Discounts Impact Game Sales?
A developer's perspective after three years of experimenting
The success of Switch has led to a sea change in the way Nintendo approaches digital sales. While deep discounts on first-party titles are unlikely to materialise any time soon, it's now relatively common to see the company's big-name evergreen games with 1/3 off their normal price. Other...
Feature 8 Games That Could Really Benefit From A Modern Remake On Switch
How about revisiting and repairing some flawed gems?
Ever since the rumour that several 3D Super Mario remasters may be coming to Switch, we've been champing at the bit to experience those classics again on Switch. Say what you like about Switch ports but if they're treated with the care and respect they deserve, we're all for bringing...
Feature The Best Hidden Gems And Overlooked Switch Games Of 2020
Great games that might have passed you by
Another year, another huge pile of excellent new vidya games sitting on Switch eShop. If you managed to play everything that caught your eye this year, we're deeply envious! With so many great games, it was once again hard to keep up, even when many people found themselves with some unexpected free time in...
Feature How Animal Crossing: New Horizons Brought Me Closer To My Dad During Lockdown
Nintendo's life sim brings people together in more ways than one
When my dad first brought home a Nintendo Switch for the family to share at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, I couldn’t wait to finally start playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons like all of my friends had been for weeks. I mainly looked forward to collecting all of the custom...
Feature The Unsung Genius Who Tempted Nintendo's President To Pick Up A Joypad
"He could see the Promised Land, but wasn't allowed to enter it"
The world of video games, like any other, is full of seemingly inconsequential moments which cause ripples that become shockwaves that can determine not just the course of a single company, but the entire industry. With Nintendo, there are numerous moments like this; Gunpei Yokoi's...
Feature Creating The Ultimate Game Boy
"I don't like anything less than perfect and I am always striving for that"
Nintendo's Game Boy family of consoles has, in total, sold around 200 million units during its lifespan, which stretched from the release of the original monochrome system in 1989 all the way up to 2005's Game Boy Micro, the final console to showcase the name. While...
Soapbox I've Been Playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons Wrong All This Time, But No More
Take a walk on the (re)wild side
Do whatever you like, however you like – that’s the Animal Crossing: New Horizons mantra. There’s no big bad boss to defeat, and no final destination to struggle towards. Instead, New Horizons offers players complete freedom to create and develop their island paradise however they like. Or so it might seem...
Feature The Making Of Streets Of Rage 4, By The People Who Made It Happen
"With that reality came pressure, but so much joy and excitement as well"
It took twenty-five years, but Streets of Rage 4 finally delivered a cracking sequel to Sega's beloved pugilism series, no small feat given just how many gamers hold the franchise in enormously high regard. Nintendo Life caught up with the teams at DotEmu, Guard Crush Games...
Feature Fallout Creator On The Outer Worlds, Working Partnerships, And The Games He Plays These Days
"I’m playing a lot of Minecraft. I find it very relaxing."
Eleven years is a long time. As the last few months have proved, an awful lot can change in a short period, and that's doubly true when it comes to game development. Following over a decade of working on separate projects as different companies, you'd be forgiven for thinking that 'getting...
Feature How Nintendo And A Band Of Teenage High Score Obsessives Created The Idea Of The Pro Gamer
Investigating Nintendo's surprising role in the birth of esports
Esports is old. Its origins stretch back to the very first days of video games as a medium. Was competitive gaming born with the invention of Tennis for Two in 1958, the very first video game? Or in 1972 when Rolling Stone hosted the first Space War! competition in a university...
Feature Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 10 Years Of Nintendo's Straightest, Greatest Sequel
So much more than Wii DLC
Nintendo doesn’t make straight sequels. That’s the received wisdom, anyway. Kyoto's premier game designers need a really good reason—a jump in technology, or a novel new control input, for example—to warrant revisiting a franchise. They're apparently not interested in churning out more of the same for mere profit...
Feature Nintendo Life's Alternative Game Awards 2020
Best Switch Icon, Most Long-Winded Title, Best Late Arrival and more!
It's GOTY time, people! Yes, as 2020 draws to a close, the internet is flooded with customary lists touting the best whatever of the year (with Hades rightfully being at the top of most of them). We've had our say — and so have you — but today we're going to have some
Feature Perfect Dark Turns 20 - The Definitive Story Behind The N64 Hit That Outclassed James Bond
"We had a lot of ideas, and lots of clever people working out how to do them"
How do you follow GoldenEye 007? In the summer of 2000 – that's 20 years ago this month – Rare presented its answer: Perfect Dark, a sci-fi spy shooter centred around an alien conspiracy. It delivered a cool, competent heroine, a single-player campaign bursting with...
Feature The Game That Starred Mickey Mouse, Ghostbusters Or Garfield, Depending On Your Region
Navigating Kemco's Crazy Castle series
Three huge licences. One average game. Every weekend here at Nintendo Life we take a look at regional box art variants for retro video games and run a poll on which one is best. It's a fun, light-hearted exercise; really just an excuse to look at fantastic (and some not-so-fantastic) old-school cover art,...
Feature The Dark Secrets Of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Stalk Market
What kind of turnip trader are you?
If you’re anything like millions of other global-pandemic-lockdown Switch gamers, you’re on a vicarious head-in-sand holiday in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Strolling the beach, shopping windows, listening to chirping insects and lapping waves… you’ve seen this “Stalk Market” thing – interesting,...
Feature Sam Barlow On Bringing Telling Lies To Switch, His Directing Style, And His Next Project
"Being an intense, memorable experience up front is more important than replayability"
For many gamers the term 'FMV' may still be loaded with memories of shlocky 'cinematic' clips crammed into games in the early 1990s. The memory space of the CD-ROM enabled developers to 'wow' people who had invested in their first personal computer with compressed...
Feature Switch Developers Open Up About The Impact Of COVID-19
We speak to Dotemu, Image & Form, SMG Studio and Playtonic Games
Most of you reading this will have encountered some sort of social restrictions over the past month or so due to the COVID-19 pandemic the world is currently experiencing. While security measures designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus vary on a per-country basis, necessary...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (Christmas Special)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
With our Game of the Year decided and our bellies gratefully full of Christmas dinner, we're here to chat about our weekend gaming plans for one last time in 2020. Members of the NL team have done exactly that below, and we'd love for you to join in with your own entries via our comment section. Enjoy! Oh,...
Feature Zelda: Majora's Mask At 20 - The Enduring Appeal Of Nintendo's Strangest Game
No fate but what we make
There are many things The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is not. It is not the prettiest Legend of Zelda game. Exactly 20 years since its Japanese debut, the discernible polygons that make up the world and characters of Termina locate the game squarely in the fifth console generation. While we respect its Expansion...
Feature Nintendo Console Codenames And Product Codes
Do you know your DMGs from your DOLs?
If you happen to have any official Nintendo console or peripheral to hand, turn it over and hidden in the legalese and small print on the underside you'll find a code which typically begins with three letters. Flip over your Switch, for example, and you'll find the code HAC-001, with an extra (-01) if you've got...
Feature How Nintendo Killed The Best Version Of Tetris
"Heartbroken is a good summary"
Ed Logg knew a thing or two about lines. He’d co-created Asteroids at Atari, a game where players piloted a ship and blasted the eponymous space rocks into smaller and smaller bits. Released in 1979, Asteroids was in black and white, but the animation was slick and fluid thanks to vector graphics, a technique that...
Feature Now Is A Great Time To Support Your Local Retro Computer Museum
Preserve And Protect
In 2020, the majority of our interactions with video games is virtual – games are easily accessible and available online 24/7. However, there are plenty of people who have fond memories of the more physical side of games, whether that be browsing racks in dedicated video game shops, visiting sensory-overload arcades or getting...
"It’s very much like being in quarantine and lockdown all the time"
Last month music label Materia Collective put out the original soundtracks to both Yooka-Laylee and its sequel Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair on a host of digital storefronts and streaming platforms. The music from both of Playtonic Games' love letters to platformer
Feature 6 Things My Three-Year-Old Taught Me About Video Games, Via Animal Crossing
Moo.
When a cutie-bunny-hedgehog-kitty game comes out alongside Doom Eternal and Doom 64, it’s a test of self-confidence for a grown man to take it to the shop counter. Failing that test despicably, I invented the weak and unnecessary excuse that I could play Animal Crossing: New Horizons with my little boy. Working at home during the UK's...
Feature The Twelve Games Of Christmas - A Dozen Festive Memories
The games of Christmas past
As we're often told, Christmas is a special time of year, a season of goodwill, generosity and gift-giving. For gamers, festive memories are often tied in with the excitement of receiving a brand new game, perhaps something that released months ago that we had been waiting for, and sliding that lovely cart or disc into...
Editorial Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays From Nintendo Life
What a year it's been...
When we wished you many happy returns this time last year, we had no idea we'd be typing the same message in 2020 during a global pandemic. Despite assurances that it would "all be over by Christmas," the world is still gripped by the COVID-19 outbreak, with little sign that 2021 is going to be much different. (Wow. This is...
Feature The Minds Behind Animal Crossing: New Horizons
And all the other Animal Crossings
We recently we took a brief look at the history of Animal Crossing, from Japan's Animal Forest for Nintendo 64 and its GameCube conversion up to and including the latest entry on Switch, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Obviously there are many unsung heroes when it comes to the development of any video game, with...
Feature Nintendo Life's Switch Game Of The Year 2020
NL's staff picks for the Nintendo Switch GOTY 2020
As 2020 draws to a close (finally!) and the fresh-faced 2021 peeks at us from over the horizon, it's time to look back at the best Switch games to release over the past 360-odd days. In what ended up being an extremely tough year for many people, there were positives to be found — at least in the...
Reminder What's The Best Switch Game Of 2020? It's Time To Rate Your Favourites
Switch GOTY 2020 incoming!
Update: Thanks to everyone who has participated so far! We'll be publishing the full top 50 tomorrow, but there's still time to rate your favourite games of 2020 beforehand. We've tinkered around behind the scenes and the not-very-shortlist below now only includes 2020 games we've reviewed on Nintendo Life. If you want to...
