Latest Features
Poll What Did You Think Of The Nintendo Direct Mini?
Nintendo dropped a Mini on us
Well, after what seemed like an absolute age Nintendo finally ended 2020's Direct 'drought' without warning by dropping a 28-minute Nintendo Direct 'Mini' on us. Featuring a varied collection of games both new and new on Switch, along with a peppering of fresh announcements and updates to existing titles, it seems to...
Feature Capcom On Bringing Shinsekai: Into The Depths To Switch
Diving deep into an underwater mystery
Today, Capcom surprised us all by launching its underwater exploration title Shinsekai: Into The Depths on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Previously an Apple Arcade exclusive, the game places you in the role of a lone explorer who is determined to unravel the secrets of a vast ocean world. We spoke to Peter...
Feature Which Nintendo Switch Game Did We Miss?
Tell us and we might cover it!
When we first started covering digital downloads back in the Virtual Console Reviews and WiiWare World days of the site’s history, we made it our goal to review everything. Every single title – no matter how small – would get a review. It was a policy that worked well in those early years, and even when the Wii U...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 21st)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's been a hugely busy week this week with all sorts of Animal Crossing shenanigans going on around the world, so we couldn't be more pleased to have finally reached the weekend. Members of Team Nintendo Life have shared their gaming plans for the next couple of days below, and we'd love for you to join in...
Talking Point Jargon-Heavy Xbox Series X And PS5 Reveals Vindicate Nintendo's Approach
Show, don't tell
Cast your mind back to when Nintendo lifted the lid on the Nintendo Switch. The reveal trailer was packed with footage of people playing the console, showing how the machine seamlessly transitioned from home system to handheld in the blink of an eye. You could take your AAA games with you, finally, and the detachable Joy-Con...
Guide 8 Steps To Making Your Gaming Backlog A Thing Of The Past
Sure you still want everything on Switch?
The backlog is a dangerous beast, one that haunts players far and wide. You can see all of the new games upon the horizon that you’re itching to get your hands on, like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Doom Eternal and someday even Metroid Prime 4. But what about the pile of games waiting for you at home?...
Hands On The Dongii Is A Switch Dock That Fits In Your Pocket, And We Love It
Update: Kickstarter campaign is live once more
Update #3 [Sun 15th Mar, 2020 15:00 GMT]: The Kickstarter is now live again, and we've had an official statement from Better Digi: Dear Dongii fans, First of all, thanks to all backers’ love right from the beginning. A few days ago we got a little problem with Nintendo copyright. Our company highly...
Feature Oxenfree Developer On Mixing Up Demons, Drinks, And Drama In Afterparty
"We wanted to make something that felt [...] like an R-rated Pixar movie"
Just last week, Night School Studio put out Afterparty on the Switch, a release that we absolutely loved. The follow up to 2016's Oxenfree proves itself to be a worthy successor, mixing a darkly humorous story with a cutting edge focus on directly marrying cutscenes with...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 14th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's been another busy old week in the world of Nintendo, with more Joy-Con drift legal woes, the world's first Animal Crossing: New Horizons review and a potential slip up regarding a Nintendo Direct all coming in
Feature Animal Crossing: A Brief History
Looking back on Nintendo's most evergreen of series
Like most games made by Nintendo, the story of Animal Crossing – Nintendo’s charming social life-sim series – begins in Japan, with a man named Katsuya Eguchi. After he nabbed a job at Nintendo in 1986 he was forced to move away from his hometown of Chiba and relocate to Kyoto, the city where...
Talking Point Has Coronavirus Finally Put E3 Out Of Its Misery?
Game over?
Update: And it's official - E3 2020 has been cancelled. News that E3 2020 is on the verge of being cancelled makes us think of years gone by. There was a time when the mere mention of the Electronic Entertainment Expo gave gamers the world over a spurt of the old dopamine. E3 may have been a comparatively small industry-only event but it...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - February 2020
February's best Switch eShop games!
Yet another month has flown by (and a whole other week at this point), and there were plenty of cracking games flooding onto the Switch's eShop over that 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...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 7th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Yet another week has flown by, with several interesting tidbits from a Shigeru Miyamoto interview appearing online and even news of an upcoming
Hands On Dipping Into Island Life In Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Book with the Nook
Animal Crossing games don’t come around all that often – at least not mainline games – so it’s hardly an understatement to say that hype surrounding Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been a touch feverish recently. Well, we were lucky enough to get our hands on i
Feature Castlevania Season 3 Review - Netflix Ups The Ante With A Darker, Raunchier Series
Did anyone order burning devil goat turds from the sky?
Warning: The following review contains outright spoilers for the first two seasons of Castlevania, as well as slight spoilers for the third season. Consider yourselves warned! After enduring a development period that stretches back an entire decade, Warren Ellis' vision of the Castlevania...
Talking Point Nintendo Switch Turns 3: Challenges Await, But What A Ride So Far
Switch is maturing like a fine wine
It's a cliché that the latest thing is often branded the greatest thing, but when it comes to video games it's a difficult notion to escape. Every piece of software and hardware builds on the foundation of what came before and, more so than in any other medium, a sequel or successor stands a very good chance of...
Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons: All Villagers and Special Character Confirmed So Far
Update: Over 50 Villagers Added!
A major part of what makes the Animal Crossing series so memorable is its wonderful and wacky characters. Anyone who's played any of the previous entries can most likely list a few of their favourite villagers off the top of their heads. So with the latest entry in the series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, landing...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 29th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
In celebration of Pokémon Day, this week we got quite a lot of pocket monster news. One of the highlights was the reveal of the new mythical Grass/Dark-type Pokémon Zarude. Greninja was announced as Google's Pokémon of the Year, and Mewtwo is also
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 22nd)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Hello one and all, and welcome to yet another weekend. This week has seen more info on the future of the Super Smash Bros. series, Animal Crossing in-game purchase shenanigans, and the surprise launch of a new Switch FPS
Feature WayForward On Vitamin Connection's Switch Exclusivity, Challenges And Influences
"[We looked] closely at games like Jet Set Radio, and the Katamari series"
In the three years since the console launched, the Nintendo Switch has firmly established itself as the king of the hill when it comes to local multiplayer gaming. There's certainly no shortage of great co-operative games on Switch, and the ability to slide off Joy-Con...
Feature Samurai Shodown Director "Cried Out In Surprise" When He Saw The Switch Version
He wants to reboot Garou: Mark of the Wolves next
Switch fans have had to wait a little longer than their PS4 and Xbox One-owning pals when it comes to SNK's Samurai Shodown reboot, but the important thing is that the game has made it to Nintendo's hybrid console intact – and it's really quite an achievement. We were fortunate enough to get the...
Feature Super Rare Games On 2 Years Of Switch Releases And The Future Of Physical Media
"The key thing will be keeping the younger generations interested in physical releases"
Switch is many things to many people, and that fact is arguably the key to its success. The way it fits into your life whether you're reclined at home on the sofa, playing in handheld mode when the TV is taken or curled up in bed with Nintendo's console, it's...
Feature Warface Producer On Switch Port Parity, Crossplay And The Element Of Surprise
"We experimented with a lot of different launch tactics"
One of the joys of Switch is the sheer variety of games available on the platform. The breadth of experiences across genres and the frequency of releases has made the last three years exciting ones for Switch owners, with many surprises popping up along the way. Earlier this week online...
Talking Point Is Nintendo Switch Online Good Value Compared To PlayStation Plus And Xbox Live Gold?
How does Switch Online compare to its rivals?
It's been nearly a year and a half since Nintendo Switch Online was belatedly introduced on Switch and in that time Nintendo has been slowly and surely adding to the value of the service. The growing catalogue of retro classics added to the NES and Super NES game libraries is an obvious highlight, and...
Feature Cosmic Defenders Dev On Partnering With Natsume And Life As A Tokyo-Based Indie
"Living in Japan has been an amazing experience"
Last year Natsume announced details of a new Indie developer partnership program with 2D revolving shooter Cosmic Defenders (originally Cosmos Defenders) the first title scheduled for release this year. The game charges you with defending the universe from chaotic aliens who want to steal the Tree of...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 15th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
The end of yet another busy week is upon us, and after all the Pokémon Sword and Shield leak drama, news of more NES and SNES games, and review bomb shenanigans, it's time
Round Up The Sonic Movie Reviews Are In, And They Don't Make For Pretty Reading
"It was a terrible idea from the start"
After a campaign to change the way the lead character looked and a short delay in its release, we're finally getting to see what the much-hyped Sonic the Hedgehog movie is like. Based on Sega's long-running series of video games which have spanned the past few decades (not to mention a wide range of gaming...
Mario Memories Playing Super Mario Bros. 3 In The Garden
Darren recalls a stolen moment in his back garden with Mario
Today is the 30th anniversary of the US release of Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES! That's right, boomers - you're getting old. In honour of the occasion we're republishing this article originally posted as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations for the iconic Mario franchise as a...
February 2020 Pokémon GO events bring a plethora of pink Pokémon
February 2020 is shaping up to be one of Pokémon GO's busiest months ever with developer Niantic announcing a whole bunch of events across the month. Below we've rounded them all up in roughly chronological order (there's a lot of overlap!) so you don't miss out on catching 'em all...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 8th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Here we are at the end of yet another week, and what a busy few days we've had. There have been all sorts of Animal Crossing cloud save shenanigans, the Wonderful 101 Kickstarter, and plenty more besides, but now it's finally time to take a breather. Members of the Nintendo Life team have gathered b
Feature Best Pokémon Starters From All Gens, As Voted By You
You voted, we counted
At the end of last year we asked you to pick your favourite Fire-, Grass- and Water-type starter Pokémon from across the Pokémon series to discover y
Feature It's Been Nearly Five Years, So Where In The World Is Pikmin 4?
We propose and pick apart Pikmin 4 theories
Last year we looked at the dormant Nintendo franchises we'd like to see return on Switch, and our desire to see any or all of those series again still burns strong in 2020. With Nintendo's biggest money-spinners having received a Switch entry already, it's now time to bring back some of the company's...
Talking Point What We Expect From The First Nintendo Direct Of 2020
We're still waiting
Update: January came and went with the announcement of Pokémon Sword and Shield DLC in a dedicated Pokémon Direct and news that Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses was
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - January 2020
January's best Switch eShop games!
We find ourselves firmly inside a brand new year - and a brand new decade, even - but one thing has certainly remained the same: the Switch eShop is positively bursting with lovely games to play and enjoy. These awards aim to celebrate the best of Nintendo's digital store, giving some love and attention to the...
Feature Media Molecule Veterans On Bringing Co-Op Coming-Of-Age Adventure Knights & Bikes To Switch
"One of the biggest challenges [was] switching the confirm and cancel buttons in the menus"
Announced last week as coming to Switch in the first week of February, Knights and Bikes is a beautiful-looking co-op puzzle adventure set in Britain in the '80s. Developed by indie outfit Foam Sword, it follows Nessa & Demelza as they bike around...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 1st)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
We've had a super-busy week full of news on that gorgeous Animal Crossing-themed Switch, details on Pokémon Home, and even a new Super Smash Bros. fighter, but now it's time to take a breather and enjoy so
Talking Point Switch's Success Vindicates Nintendo's New Hardware Approach, But Does It Have Legs?
Wii is still a way ahead, not to mention every other Nintendo handheld
Another quarter, another round of financial reports. This morning Nintendo released its nine-month earnings figures from April to the end of December 2019 and things are looking rather rosy for the company. Switch has overtaken Super NES in terms of lifetime console units sold...
Feature The Most Expensive Retro Games For Nintendo Systems
12 rare games to keep an eye out for
Make no mistake, we've got endless love for chunky plastic cartridges and proper printed manuals (remember those?), but the convenience of digital games is hard to deny and over the last decade or so digital distribution has taken off to the point where often physical versions aren't even an option these days...
Talking Point How Much Is Your Video Game Collection Really Worth To You?
Sentimental value rarely equals hard currency
Chibi-Robo earns his keep. It's happened to everyone at one time or another. Whether due to changing life circumstances or sheer curiosity, most of us will have looked at our video game collection and wondered how much hard cash we could get for it. We've interviewed serious collectors in the past and...
Talking Point What's Going To Be Nintendo's Big Game For Christmas 2020?
Zelda? Mario? Metroid? Pokémon? Pikmin?!
We know what you're thinking – you've only just taken down the Christmas decorations, yet we're already thinking about Santa's return – what is wrong with us? However, stick with us here – this is a valid question to ask as the Switch enters its fourth year on sale and we begin to ponder what gaming...
Feature How Animal Crossing Invaded Social Media
"It’s a really exciting time to be an Animal Crossing fan"
Even if you’re not an Animal Crossing fan, it would be hard to miss the joyous celebration its cult following is having on social media right now. You’ll find Animal Crossing memes on almost every platform: Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and Discord. The majority focus on relaxing...
Feature Liberated Developer On The Challenges Of Creating A Truly Playable Comic Book
"We just figured: why the hell hasn’t anybody done this yet?"
Announced during last year's Indie World Showcase in December, Liberated is an upcoming noir graphic novel game coming from to Switch this year. Developed by indie team Atomic Wolf and L.INC, it blends the darkness of a branching dystopian comic book narrative across chapters with...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 25th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
We've made it to the end of yet another week, this time bringing with it a successful legal battle for Nintendo relating to the Wii Remote and the news that the DOOM team has "bantered" with Nintendo to get Doomguy in Smash. We can dream. Now, though, it's time to put all of that aside and discuss our week
Talking Point Would You Like Miiverse To Return On Switch?
Could a recent job listing mean a return for Nintendo's social network?
Ah, Miiverse. While the rest of the world may have forgotten about this uniquely 'Nintendo' take on social networking, dedicated fans still get all misty-eyed when they talk about the short-lived portal. Miiverse was home to some truly amazing content (ahem), but when the Wii U...
Talking Point How Often Do You Make The 'Switch Sacrifice'?
Portability or performance - which do you choose?
As any Switch owner knows, one of the biggest selling points of the console is the ability to seamlessly transition from docked to portable mode and play your games wherever you like; it's the USP that Nintendo pushed from the beginning and has given players the freedom to take their AAA titles on...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 18th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Another week, another dollar - that's how that goes, right? This one has seen Smash Bros. reveals, patches bringing games up to the standard we'd have liked to see them at launch, and more lovely Switch ports heading ou
Poll What Features Would You Want In A Switch 'Pro'?
4K? Better CPU? Magnesium alloy casing? We look at the recent rumours
In a recent Games Industry.biz article, various analysts made predictions regarding this year's big industry trends and potential news. With Nintendo currently doing very well with both the standard Switch, last year's handheld-only Switch Lite and software in general, opinion is...
Feature Game Of The Decade Staff Picks: Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Former editor Thomas Whitehead returns to tell us his selection!
Following on from our reader-voted Top 50 Games of the Decade, Nintendo Life staff members will be picking their personal favourite Nintendo games between the years 2010-2019. To round off our run of features, former Nintendo Life editor Thomas Whitehead returns to let us know his pick...
Poll Is E3 Still Relevant To Nintendo In 2020?
Sony walks away, Microsoft doubles-down... where does that leave Nintendo?
This week, Sony confirmed that it would be skipping E3 for the second year running despite the fact that it is launching a new console in 2020 – an occasion you'd normally assume would be reason enough to attend the world's most influential gaming event. Amid speculation...
Feature Game Of The Decade Staff Picks - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The witching hour
Following on from our reader-voted Top 50 Games of the Decade, Nintendo Life staff members will be picking their personal favourite Nintendo games between the years 2010-2019. Today, Liam reminds us that sometimes, you have to keep trying to really find a gem... Let’s make this clear, The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt