Latest Features
Talking Point Just How 'Finished' Is Your Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Save File?
Any% of the Wild
It's four-and-a-half years since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launched on Switch (and Wii U — don't be forgetting the Wii U!) and it's one of those evergreen games I've been dipping back into ever since. That's not to say I'm constantly restarting the game (although there are plenty of people who begin again on the...
Feature WayForward On BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites And Bringing Back Bailey And Baker
"Bringing Laura and Troy back made a ton of sense"
WayForward is a studio that's no stranger to looking back, whether towards its own games — with re-releases of the Shantae series, for example — or revamping other developers' past work — as is the case with the team's upcoming remake of Nintendo's Advance Wars GBA duo, Advance Wars 1 + 2:...
Feature Sayonara Wild Hearts Composer On Creating The First 'Pop Album Video Game'
"I want to keep growing as a composer"
It seems as if video game music continues to grow and reach new heights with each passing year. Incredible soundtracks are no longer limited to big budget titles and the work of long-established names, as the Indie space and the growth of tools and knowledge has introduced a fresh generation of composers. One...
Quick Beats Donkey Kong Country Composer Talks Aquatic Ambiance And Get Lucky
"There have been some amazing songs over the last decade"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - August 2021
August's best Switch eShop games!
August was a pretty cracking month for eShop delights, with plenty of titles absolutely worthy of your time. These awards aim to celebrate the best of Nintendo's digital store, giving some love and attention to the games that could so easily be missed in the Switch's ever-growing library. So, let's get started...
Talking Point What's The Best Sound In Video Games?
Our favourite bleeps, bloops, and vwoops
Our summertime Video Game Music Festival has largely, if not entirely covered the wonderful world of soundtracks, which you could probably have guessed from the name. But what about all the stuff that isn't-quite-music? Don't noises deserve love too? YES. So, here you go: Our favourite sounds in video games...
*creeeeeeeeeeak*
Audio design is an underrated part of a video game's soundscape, though you almost definitely have appreciated a particularly good noise at some point in your gaming career — whether it's the creak of a Resident Evil door or the sound of Sonic collecting a ring, audio design helps create the right mood for a game. Our Nintendo...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 4th)
Well, what ARE you playing?
It's been another fun week of the Nintendo Life, with some interesting news and announcements giving us plenty to chew over. A big one was the report that Nintendo is set to add Game Boy / Color to Nintendo Switch Online, there was intrigue around updated PEGI rating requirements around gambling, we shared our
Quick Beats The Composer And Solo Dev Of 'The Garden Path' Talks Arcade Fire And Young Thug
"Music has never been better"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today...
"[Jeremy] insisted I make a cave level with waterfalls like Yoshi"
Last week a Kickstarter campaign went live for Goodboy Galaxy, the first brand new, commercial release for the Game Boy Advance for 13 years. A colourful 2D platformer with running, gunning and a space-faring good boy called Maxwell, it's a beautifully animated and incredibly...
Quick Beats Final Fantasy Composer And VGO Founder On Road Trip Music, Rock, And The '80s
Put on some Van Halen
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today's quick...
Talking Point It's A Golden Era For Video Game Music Fans, So How Do You Listen?
When you're not playing the games, obvs
Being a fan of Nintendo-based video game music has historically been pretty tough. Older aural aficionados would cling tightly to their Killer Cuts CDs, dedicated collectors wept at the triple-digit pricing of rare Japanese CD sets containing most, but never quite all, of a popular '90s RPG soundtrack, and...
Accessory Review Inateck Ultimate Nintendo Switch Case
Complete with "360° protection" tech
With almost 90 million Nintendo Switch consoles out in the wild and in the hands of gaming fans, it's no wonder that so many accessory manufacturers have tried their hand at crafting their own carry case solution. Protecting your precious system is probably pretty high on your priority list if you're the type...
Back Page Ranking Every Version Of Fairy Fountain From The Legend Of Zelda
Pick of the pixies
You may have noticed that we're doing a video game music festival while the summer months are still here — but you may also be wondering why we haven't included the most important music of all. Fear not! I'm here to save the day by ranking EVERY SINGLE VERSION OF FAIRY FOUNTAIN FROM THE LEGEND OF ZELDA. That's right, it's a...
Poll Why Do You Collect Video Games?
Nostalgia? Profit? Or just to play?
Video game collecting has been a hot topic of late, thanks largely to rather dubious sales of seemingly common titles for insane prices. However, it's certainly not a new thing; people have been collecting games for decades, and the popularity of retro gaming has turned millions of us into dutiful hoarders who...
Feature 12 Switch Games Confirmed In The asobu Indie Showcase - BitSummit
Lots of intriguing titles from or inspired by Japan
Today brought us the asobu Indie Showcase, which serves as a rather enjoyable build-up to BitSummit, the Kyoto-based expo and online event. It was an excellent video showcasing 60+ games, 20 of which were BitSummit selections, and pleasingly a good number of them were Switch projects. In this...
Talking Point If Nintendo Switch Online Adds Game Boy, Why Not Throw In GBA, Too?
Imagine the entire 2D Metroid timeline playable before Dread...
Nintendo Switch Online has been relatively static, as a service, for quite some time. We have had some turnover of free online games, most recently with Pac-Man 99, and a slow and steady influx of NES and SNES titles, but generally it's been a quiet time. Aside from some oft-demanded...
Quick Beats Final Fantasy And Vagrant Story Composer Hitoshi Sakimoto Talks YMO And Dua Lipa
"It’s been played often"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today we're...
Feature Tomorrow Corporation Turns Publisher With Star Trek-Style Adventure 'The Captain'
"Sysiac Games has built such a gorgeous, funny, sci-fi point-and-click adventure"
Tomorrow Corporation is a studio and team that's familiar to plenty of indie game fans. Back in the days of '2D Boy' key members produced the brilliant World of Goo, an early part of the download revolution on the Wii Shop. Since Tomorrow Corporation later formed...
Back Page The Ten Best Holiday Locations In Video Games
Take a load off, and load save
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 (real) pages on the internet, but we still love...
Quick Beats Mega Man Composer Manami Matsumae On Ocarinas And Bohemian Rhapsody
"I saved up my allowance to buy Queen's Jazz"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick...
Exclusive Eugene Jarvis Talks Cruis'n Blast And The "Joy" Of Working With Nintendo Again
"They basically turned us loose to make the best Switch game possible"
The news that arcade title Cruis'n Blast is headed to Switch came as a pleasant surprise earlier this year. The latest in the long-running Cruis'n series – which began life in '90s arcades with Cruis'n USA before making the leap over to the N64 – this neon-coloured racer...
Feature The Garden Path's Solo Dev On Hollow Knight And Final Fantasy Influences
"I'm a big fan of lo-fi music and lo-fi games"
We're bending the rules a little bit for today's Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival interview — this game isn't actually out yet. Scandal! But hopefully you'll forgive us, because The Garden Path — which recently finished its Kickstarter campaign, hitting the
Quick Beats Celeste Composer Lena Raine On Her Love For Ghibli, Hurdy-Gurdies, And Her Cat
The cat is called Bobbin
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we'll be speaking to a range of composers and musicians with a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today's...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 28th)
No More Time
It's been another hectic week of the Nintendo Life. Let's see, there was a Monster Hunter Rise x Street Fighter free update, all sorts of reveals from Gamescom Opening Night Live and follow-up streams, accusations of foul play in the world of retro collecting, a surp
EMMIs in pursuit mode
Earlier today we reported that another impressive-looking fan-made Metroid game — a 2D reimagining of Metroid Prime this time — has been shut down after the makers received an inevitable cease-and-desist communique. Nintendo wasn't specifically named, but there are no prizes for guessing the "certain games-related company"...
Soapbox Music Just Don't Come Spookier And Sadder Than Zelda: Majora's Mask
The moon, masks, and melancholy
I didn't play Majora's Mask when it first came out, and thank heavens I didn't — I probably would have just quit playing video games then and there. I mean, I used to have nightmares about the wind sound effects in Ocarina of Time (in my defence, they're creepy); I don't know how I would have handled the existential...
Random This In-Development Musical Video Game Went Viral On TikTok
Take note
I was browsing TikTok last night, attempting to distract myself from the sticky heat of Nova Scotia by peeking through into other people's lives, when I stumbled across this TikTok, by developer Stephen Ddungu: TikTok is not huge for video games yet, but that's starting to change. The algorithm that determines what's on your front page...
Feature Video Game Orchestra Founder Talks Live Music And Composing For Final Fantasy
The Woodwind Waker
When I was younger and more full of bad decisions than I am now, I used to go to gigs and watch rock bands sweatily flailing around the stage in cramped, smoky bars. Nowadays, I'd much rather sit in a concert hall and close my eyes while a bunch of talented orchestral musicians play a fancy version of the Skyrim soundtrack (which...
Quick Beats Shovel Knight Composer On Q*Bert, The Prodigy, And Magical Bongos
10 rapid-fire questions for Jake Kaufman
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'...
Feature The Inside Story Of Mockumentary Sequel 'Bringing Back Golden Eye'
And it's all for a good cause
Rare's seminal N64 shooter GoldenEye 007 is coming up to its 25th birthday, and for a whole generation of players, it remains a pivotal experience in their gaming lives – a fact that was playfully acknowledged by Jim Miskell's 2017 'mockumentary' Going For Golden Eye, which focused on the fictional Golden Eye World...
Talking Point How Much Would You Pay For A Mint Copy Of Super Mario Bros.?
6 golden coins? 8 red coins?
Following on from the recent record-breaking sales for retro games, including $2 million USD for a copy of Super Mario Bros. and $870K USD for The Legend of Zelda on NES — not to mention the unf
Quick Beats Hades Composer Talks Weird Al, The Beatles, And Radiohead
"I would aspire to write something as cool or as beautiful as that"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these...
Talking Point Million-Dollar Retro Game Auctions Help Remind Us What Matters Most
Passion and preservation
As you've no doubt seen over the past couple of years, there have been some high profile and eye-watering sales of retro games which have reached hundreds of thousands of US dollars, and now more than $2 million. It's been rather baffling to onlookers; these are copies of extremely common games, after all, and the downside...
Soapbox Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Was The Basis For My Taste In Music
Sick jams, dude
The year was 2005. iPods were the hot thing, YouTube had just been launched, Twitter didn't exist yet, and the words "podcast" and "social media" had only just been added to the dictionary. It was, in short, a great time to be a kid, as well as the nexus point of many of our modern everyday experiences, like being able to listen to...
Hands On PowerA's Spectra Controller For Switch Is A Light Show With A Catch
LEDs on a lead
We're not sure if you noticed, but there are LEDs on everything these days. If you've dabbled in the realm of PC gaming you'll no doubt have noticed the proliferation of colourful lights on keyboards and mice, and that trend is carrying over to console accessories, too – including joypads which light up like the 4th of July during...
Feature Mega Man, Shovel Knight, And Save Me Mr Tako Composers On Getting 'That' Retro Sound
A roundtable on writing retro tunes in modern times
As any self-respecting subscriber of the Gaming Historian knows, one national survey conducted in 1990 found that more American children could identify Mario than Mickey. That sounds about right to this writer, who was one of those children. What truly astonished us, however, was witnessing...
Talking Point Which Video Game Song Could You Listen To For Ten Hours?
Ten hours is a loooong time
We've all been witness to the rise of "Ten Hour Versions" on YouTube, and while many of us may have scoffed — who wants ten hours of something that isn't either sleep or a Lord of the Rings marathon? — I will say that I have actually listened to some of them for way longer than I would like to admit. Except I will...
Feature How Fire Tonight Took A Decades-Old Synth-Pop Song, And Made A Game Out Of It
Flamey-o
Information Society in 2019, looking extremely cool You might think that there would be more video games based on songs, and yet, there really aren't. At least, I can't think of any, but then again, I am writing this at 10am on a rainy Friday morning, so my brain isn't exactly at its peak. But Fire Tonight, named after Information...
Talking Point Which Pokémon Legends: Arceus Starter Are You Going To Pick?
Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott, oh my
Rowlet. Wait, sorry, I have to write more words than that? Fine. The 2022 release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus was shown off earlier this week, during the latest Pokémon Presents, but we already knew that the game would feature three returning starters: Oshawott for the Water type, Rowlet for the Grass type,...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 21st)
Go on, tell us...
Another week of 2021 goes zipping by like a zippy thing in Zippy Mode — a zip, for instance — and we can but look back on the events of the past seven days as events dropped into the fast-flowing river of Time. Treasured memories, like that time when some Nintendo fan turned their N64 into a Switch, or when the Special Edition
Soapbox Life Is Strange On Nintendo Switch Signals Better LGBTQ+ Rep To Come
Visual novels and narrative adventures are leading the way
Note. Spoiler warning! Plot details from Life is Strange and its prequel, Before the Storm, are discussed in this article. There's a lot to be disappointed about in the way the games industry has historically handled LGBTQ+ representation, and believe me, I'm dismayed by it, too. It was...
Soapbox Chiptune Is Great, But The Impact Of A Full Orchestra Is Unbeatable
Elevated storytelling
It's wonderful to see the love for video game music in our current Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival; it'll rightly celebrate all sorts of audio and soundtracks across varied games and genres. When the right music combines with an outstanding game, there is arguably no more satisfying experience in entertainment; the...
Quick Beats 'Journey' And 'Abzu' Composer On Star Wars, Neil Young And Podcasts
Rapid-fire composer quizzing with BAFTA winner Austin Wintory
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we'll be speaking to a range of composers and musicians with a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 14th)
Go on, tell us...
Another week of that Nintendo life has passed, and there were certainly some highlights. There were all sorts of gems in the Indie World showcase, a blabbing comedian may have given up a Mario movie character, while on the rumour front we have the likes of Xenoblade Chronic
Poll Did Nintendo Deliver Its Best Ever Indie World Showcase?
It's right up there, we'd say
Well, the dust has settled on another Indie World Showcase from Nintendo, and it certainly got Switch fans talking. In just over 20 minutes there were 19 games shown off — some were surprises, others were long-awaited updates, and others still were out-of-left-field games from fresh names in the development scene...
Feature 20 Super NES Classics Nintendo Should Bring To Switch Online
16-bit gems we'd love to see on Switch
Nintendo has been steadily adding to its Nintendo Switch Online NES and SNES offerings since the service launched, and although it was a slow start, we have to say we're impressed with the breadth of titles available to anybody paying for a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. It's pleasing to see lesser-known...
Soapbox Spin-Offs Can Be A Way In Rather Than A Sell-Out
Playable windows into other worlds
Ah, spin-offs. The cynical shareholder-approved cash-grab created for a series that’s got a little too big for its boots. The desperate last-ditch attempt at trendy relevance for a fading favourite. A shoddily resurrected IP’s woefully undercooked stab at attracting a new audience. They’re the “Grandma...
Poll Zelda: Skyward Sword HD's Biggest Question - How Do You Pronounce Fi?
I smell the blood of Zelda fandom
Last month, the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD once again fanned the flames on one of the biggest controversies the Zelda franchise has ever known. No, we don't mean the yays and nays of motion controls versus buttons, or the merits of a compartmentalised overworld with dungeon-like design elements...
Memory Pak The Exquisite Weirdness Of The Sims: Bustin' Out
Ah, the 2000s
I've always loved house-building, life-simulating game The Sims. I was on the bandwagon from day one, ever since meeting the tutorial family, Bob and Betty Newbie, and finding out that they could make a baby by kissing back-and-forth for hours. Just like real life, of course. Life most people, I would spend hours and hours building...
