Latest Features
Guide Getting Started With Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate on Nintendo Switch
Hunt a Monster
Getting started with a Monster Hunter can be a pretty daunting experience, even for the most hardened of gamers. You're just sort of plonked into this weird world of talking cats, dinosaurs, and oversized weapons and expected to get on with it. Often even the tutorials don't suffice to explain just what the heck is going on. But...
Feature Big In Japan - Investigating The Phenomenon That Is Monster Hunter
Our quest for merch, meals and more on the streets of Tokyo
The popularity of the Monster Hunter series has been spearheaded globally this year by the incredible success of Monster Hunter: World and the release of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate on Nintendo Switch. Even with competition from other franchises like Pokémon,
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 25th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's another lovely weekend (hopefully) full of relaxation, chilled vibes, and a good gaming session or two. As ever, Team Nintendo Life has banded together to chat about our plans for the next couple of days, with farming sims, Game Boy Advance classics, and online shooters making for an interesting mix this...
Feature Doing The Rounds With The Videokid, A Paperboy And '80s Inspired Nostalgia Trip
"This was my chance to pay one big homage to all of that awesomeness!"
Inspired by score-chasing arcade classics and a heavy dose of popular culture, The Videokid skates onto Nintendo Switch next week. As you perform tricks and combos to earn crazy scores and bonuses, you can hitch and grind your way around town on your trusty skateboard while...
Hardware Review Satisfye Pro Gaming Grip for Nintendo Switch
Long, strong, and great girth
As much as it pains us to say it, the Nintendo Switch is not a perfect product. Due to various factors that make the Switch what it is, certain sacrifices have had to be made in certain areas to make sure its versatility is properly realised, and for some of us at Nintendo Life Towers, one of the biggest problem areas...
Hardware Review Hori D-Pad Joy-Con Controller For Nintendo Switch
Cross your heart
Update: Hori has confirmed to Nintendo Life the issue pertaining to the d-pad joy-con using battery power while the Switch is in sleep mode has been resolved with the release of Switch firmware 6.0 in collaboration with Nintendo. Full details can be found here. Ever since the Switch launched, there's been a vocal minority which has...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 18th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Another weekend is well and truly upon us, so what better time to discuss our weekend gaming plans - and then actually go and play them, of course! This time around, we've got RPGs, whacky minigame collections, older classics, retro goodness, and more, but what about you? Read through the Nintendo Life team's...
Feature A Day In The Life Of Manual Samuel With Dev Perfectly Paranormal
Dicing with Death, one step at a time
With an interesting combination of slapstick humour and dark themes, hilariously bonkers animated adventure Manual Samuel releases on Nintendo Switch today, 16th August. By performing everyday mundane tasks such as getting dressed and going to work, as well as basic human functions, Manual Samuel...
Feature Let's Go On A Parade With Pikachu And Eevee In Yokohama, Japan
Spectacular summer festival of Pokémon
The annual Pikachu Outbreak event held in Yokohama, a Japanese city south of Tokyo, had extra significance this year with the release of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! coming up on Nintendo Switch in November. It should come as no surprise then, that the games' mascots Pikachu and Eevee were...
Feature Wild Gunman And The Unlikely Story Of Sega And Nintendo's Early Coin-Op Alliance
Before they were enemies...
They didn't call it a 'console war' for nothing; the titanic struggle for domination of the living room that took place between Sega and Nintendo in the 1990s has gone down as the stuff of video gaming legend. The two companies fought tooth and nail during the 16-bit era, with the SNES and Mega Drive (Genesis if you're in...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 11th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's Saturday once again, so a whole bunch of team Nintendo Life have joined forces to bring you a detailed account of the games we'll be playing - or hope to play - over the next couple of days. There's quite a range of titles discussed this time around - although that pesky Square Enix RPG has cropped...
Feature How The Messenger Aims To Fuse Ninja Gaiden, Metroid And Castlevania On Switch
"This is truly the best I can do"
Announced during Nintendo's Nindies Direct in March, side-scrolling action platformer The Messenger has caught our eye by keeping a retro feel but subverting player expectations, using classic graphical styles to compliment a time-travelling narrative. When a small, isolated village is attacked by an army of...
Feature What's Left To Be Announced For Smash Bros. Ultimate On Switch?
Our resident Smash expert Alan Lopez breaks it all down
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct on August 8th gave gaming fans a healthy amount of previously unannounced information about the upcoming mascot-fighter. (By the way, what is up with Nintendo’s sky-high production on these character reveal videos? Who wouldn’t watch entire episodes of...
Feature What Does Nintendo's Shutdown Of ROM-Sharing Sites Mean For Video Game Preservation?
Is gaming history in danger of being lost?
The recent news that Nintendo is taking legal action against two sites which illegally distributed ROMs has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response, and rightly so. The individuals sharing these files online care little for the intellectual property rights of the developers who slave away to make...
Gallery Unboxing Retro-Bit's Incredible R-Type And Holy Diver Limited Editions
Limited to 2,900 copies each
Retro-Bit is doing an excellent job when it comes to keeping the past alive, and has already released a couple of welcome compilations for the NES and SNES. However, the company has really outdone itself with its latest project, which features limited edition versions of Irem's R-Type and Holy Diver, for the SNES and...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - July 2018
July's best Switch eShop games!
July was host to a cracking selection of indie games and digital releases available on the Switch's eShop, and what better way to celebrate than showering the best of the best with some well-deserved love and attention. Introducing the return of the Nintendo Life eShop Selects awards! Yes, we're bringing back the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 4th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Another Saturday is upon us, and so is another weekend full of opportunities to play our favourite games. As always, members of team Nintendo Life have gathered together to discuss their gaming plans, and this weekend sees a lot of Octopath Traveler, some other stuff, Octopath Traveler, some very...
Soapbox What Splatoon 2 Can Learn From Fortnite And Paladins, And Vice Versa
War-fair
The excellent F2P titles Fortnite and Paladins have both launched on the Nintendo Switch recently, bringing two different flavours of online shootery to the platform, minus any price tag. This would all be excellent news if it wasn't for the fact that I haven't touched Splatoon 2 since. Before you reach for your pitchfork,...
Feature Meet The Man Who Gave Nintendo Tetris And Got Hiroshi Yamauchi Gaming
"Let me put it this way: we were banned from a Nagoya hotel"
Everyone will know Henk Rogers as the businessman who brokered the Tetris deal for the Nintendo Game Boy. But what you may not realise is how he helped define the RPG genre in Japan; gave a start to Squaresoft's president; battled against sabotage by Koei; fought piracy and smashed...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 28th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Another weekend, another chance for us all to share our Nintendo gaming plans! Whether you're slowly melting into nothingness like us poor souls in the far-too-sunny UK, or happily enjoying your summer days in a much more friendly and stable climate elsewhere, we hope you'll get a bit of time to enjoy your...
Feature 5 Observations From Playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate With Bill Trinen
"I keep thinking I’m Lucas"
As a journalist, sometimes you’re handed what I’ll hesitantly describe as “unfair” deadlines. In those moments, you learn the massive value of a single hour. Ask me where all the spare outlets in the depths of the Los Angeles convention centre are. I’m a borderline cartographer for shortcuts through...
Review Go-tcha Ranger - A Worthy Upgrade For The Ultimate Pokémon GO Accessory?
Easy auto
The Pokéball Plus may be the year's hottest accessory for Pokéman fans, but peripheral maker Datel has released a device which, if you're only looking to play Pokémon GO, could end up being more appealing. The Go-tcha Ranger is the sequel to the standard (and totally unofficial) Go-tcha, which b
Guide New Nintendo Switch Games Releasing In 2018
All 2018 Nintendo Switch games release dates
What new Nintendo Switch games are coming out in 2018? Ask no longer as we've rounded up every single exciting games release coming out this year on Nintendo Switch in one place. We'll update this article regularly too, adding in the new titles and removing those you can already play. This should give you...
Hands On Things Are Hotting Up In The Kitchen Thanks To Overcooked 2
Are you a professional cook?
Anyone who has played Ghost Town Games’ indie darling Overcooked is sure to harbour a love-hate feeling for the little cooking simulator. It’s a game where you must work together inside a kitchen to piece together meals for needy customers. The only problem is you are timed, you bump into each other a lot,...
Gallery Splatoon 2, Super Mario And Nintendo Switch Take Over A Balmy Tokyo
Hot town, summer in the city
The Nintendo Switch has been doing gangbusters all around the world, but none more so than in the console's backyard, Japan. Furthermore, 'pop up' stores are very popular among prominent franchises and dedicated fans alike, with Kirby and Pokémon regularly having exclusive goods available for a limited time, as well as
Parent Trap I Really Miss The Nintendo Wii
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson remembers the good old days of waggle
Parents are notoriously bad for being sentimental. Whether it’s watching Monty Python, playing Tetris on the Game Boy or buying sweets by the ounce, I often catch myself getting more excited about introducing my children to the things I loved from my childhood than actually...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 21st)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Yet another weekend is upon us, which naturally means that it's time for another Talking Point feature! If you're lucky enough to have some free time over the next few days, you may well be planning to sink some of it into your favourite Nintendo games - which is exactly what Team NL is going to do! We've got...
Hardware Review GameShell Is A Modular And Hackable Take On The Classic Game Boy
Build it, and they will come
We don't mind admitting that we're absolute suckers for handhelds here at Nintendo Life, so it's hardly surprising that the GameShell caught our attention late last year. Described as a hackable open-source console, it raised $290,429 on Kickstarter and is now reaching the hands of backers. We were lucky enough to get an...
Hands On Starlink Scratches That Star Fox Itch, But We're Not Sure Who It's For
Getting to grips with Ubisoft's space shooter at Comic-Con 2018
Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a homage to the sci-fi games of right this very second. Or, you could also choose to see Starlink as mostly a rip-off. Or instead, maybe as a really cute entry point into planet spelunking spaceship genre. After some hands-on time with the game at the San...
Talking Point Switch's Blazing First Year Means Fewer Games In 2018 Shouldn't Be A Concern
A tough act to follow?
Given how successful 2017 was for Nintendo, following up on that success was always going to be hard. The Switch launched at the start of the year and was quickly blessed with one of the best year-one libraries we've seen in quite some time; smash hit after smash hit arrived on store shelves giving the console enough momentum...
Feature Concluding An Epic Trilogy With Banner Saga Developer Stoic
"It all falls into place and ends the way we know it should"
The Banner Saga trilogy is almost as epic as the development of the games themselves, from starting out as a Kickstarter campaign six years ago to the series concluding with the release of The Banner Saga 3 at the end of July. With an interesting combination of multiple characters,...
Feature Talking Super Smash Bros. Ultimate With Nintendo's Bill Trinen And Nate Bihldorff
Ridley, Sakurai and defusing the 'happy accident' myth
We've known about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for quite some time ahead of its reveal at E3 2018. What we didn't know was just how massive it would end up being, featuring every character from the series' history, all wrapped up in a conveniently portable package. We recently had the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 14th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
It's time for the weekend, so that must mean it's also time for this week's Talking Point! Team Nintendo Life has plenty of games on its collective 'to do' list, ranging from retro classics to the usual appearance of mainstays Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. There's also likely to be a fair few...
Hardware Review The Shōnen Jump 50th Anniversary Famicom Classic Mini Is Gorgeous, But Pointless
Nintendo loves gold, only gold
Nintendo may have fixed the supply issues which plagued the launches of the NES and SNES Classic Editions, but many will still be haunted by the devilish degree of difficulty they exper
Feature This Unreleased SNES Super FX Racer Could Be Getting A Physical Rebirth
Elite's PowerSlide might be coming back from the dead
1994 was the year that 3D gaming truly came of age in the console arena. While both Nintendo and Sega had dabbled in the three-dimensional realm prior to this – with titles such as Star Fox and Virtua Racing – '94 marked the point where real-time 3D visuals were the expected norm, rather than...
Poll Is Your Nintendo Switch Cracking Under The Pressure?
Update: Nintendo gives us a statement
Update: Nintendo has responded to our appeal for a statement on this matter: After checking in with the European team we can confirm that we haven’t received a notable number of consumer inquiries on this topic, but as with all our products, we encourage users who experience any issues to visit for...
Feature Taking A Trip To Another World With Creator Éric Chahi
Lester we forget
Plenty of games are getting the re-release treatment on Nintendo Switch, and while some definitely don't deserve a second shot at stardom, one recent addition to the console's library definitely does: the sci-fi adventure that is Another World. It was well ahead of its time when it originally launched in 1991, and it's managed to...
Feature Fighting For The Featherweight Title With Pato Box
Duck and cover
Comic book violence collides with the world of boxing in Pato Box, an unusual one-two that's made it one of the most intriguing indies to hit Nintendo Switch this year - in fact, we rather liked it in our review. But with a memorable anatine lead character and a twisted story to tell, we just had to find out more. So we took the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 7th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
The weekend has arrived, and it's brought with it more summer weather and all manner of new games to play. Team Nintendo Life, as always, has an eclectic selection of games both fresh and retro on their agenda for the next couple of days, but what's on yours? Drop a vote in the poll and a comment below with...
Hands On Going Into Battle With Arena Of Valor, Switch's New MOBA Sensation
League of Legends, only accessible
Nintendo Switch hasn't even hit the 18-month mark and it's already been acquiring all manner of popular new genres. It's jumped onto the hero shooter bandwagon with the excellent Paladins and ticked the battle royale box so hard with Fortnite it's gone right through the paper and snapped the pen for good measure...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 30th)
These are our picks, but what are yours?
It's the weekend once more, which means it's definitely time to start turning on your favourite Nintendo console and catch up on some much-needed gaming time. Team Nintendo Life is doing just that, with everything from some Animal Crossing on 3DS to a brand new MOBA on Switch getting a good workout. Feel free...
Interview Hisashi Nogami on Squids, Kids, and Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion
A tale of Octolings and Inklings
If you've watched a Nintendo Direct, you've doubtless encountered Hisashi Nogami, better known to some as the head scientist at the Squid Research Lab. These days, Nogami is most famous for Splatoon, but his credits extend to some of Nintendo's most timeless classics. We tracked the squid kid creator...
Feature Chronicling The Legend Of Zelda With Dark Horse Comics
Editor Patrick Thorpe on working with Nintendo
When it comes to breaking down world-building and exploring lore, few games offer as much character and exposition as the wonderful world of The Legend of Zelda. Thanks to a fruitful ongoing collaboration with Nintendo, North American comics/book publisher Dark Horse Comics has been producing all manner...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 23rd)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
The weekend has arrived once more, and with E3 now a mere memory, we can return to grabbing a few quiet moments with our Nintendo Switches. Team Nintendo Life has many a game on the go between them this week, so read on to hear which titles have grabbed our attention. And we want to hear from you too, so feel...
Feature Freedom Fighter: Paul Cuisset On The Making Of Flashback
As the 16-bit classic comes to Switch, its director reflects
This month sees some potentially special games come out for the Nintendo Switch. From Wolfenstein II to Lumines Remastered via the arcade sports action of Mario Tennis Aces, the console’s not wanting for attractive offerings. Yet perhaps the most interesting of the month’s new releases...
Poll As "Gaming Disorder" Becomes A Thing, Is It Time To Assess How Much You Play?
Doctor WHO?
You can expect to hear a lot about the addictive nature of video games over the next few days, because the World Health Organisation has just published the latest draft of its updated International Classification of Diseases manual, and a, "gaming disorder," is listed as a genuine medical condition. It's been a long time...
Talking Point What Were The Biggest Highs And Lows From E3 2018?
What kind of impact did Nintendo have on this year's show?
E3 is finally over for another year, bringing to a close the biggest event yet. From surprise promotional crossovers on the Ubisoft conference to a certain game pretty much taking over Nintendo's big summer Direct, there's been plenty of topics to talk about now the dust is beginning to...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Games at E3 2018
We wanted a top 20 but...
Whilst fans of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate revelled in yesterday's Nintendo Direct, others were disappointed with the total number of games showcased. We ourselves were not alone in expecting more titles to be announced, particularly ones from third parties. To make sure you don't miss any, we've listified the ones we feel...
Feature The Big Nintendo Summary From E3 2018 - Day One
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Fortnite and more
E3 2018 is well under way, and that means Nintendo has arrived and unleashed all manner of updates, reveals and extended demos through a Nintendo Direct and a Treehouse broadcast. As you can imagine, there's been a lot of things to talk about, so to make your life a lot easier we've gathered together all...
Hands On Catching A Curveball With The Poké Ball Plus, The Switch's Latest Must-Have Accessory
I Choose You!
Since my first playthrough of Pokémon Blue back in 1998, I’ve had a bit of an on-again, off-again relationship with Game Freak’s monster-collecting magnum opus. I certainly consider myself to be a fan, but I haven’t finished a main game since SoulSilver, and a 2016 summer spent scouring the countryside for Kanto critters in...