Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Islands - Get Inspired By The Best Islands We've Seen So Far
Putting our meagre island efforts to shame
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Games Of 2021
The finest Switch games of the year, as ranked by you
Guide Pokémon Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl Walkthrough, Tips And Hints
How to catch 'em all, again!
News - December, 2021
Friday31st Dec 2021
Back Page The Dark Secrets Of Brewster's 'Pigeon Milk' In Animal Crossing
We've got a latte questions
Brewster is finally coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and we're going to find out more about everyone's favourite coffee-loving winged beast on Friday the 15th October — which is Brewster's birthday, don'tcha know. Players have been asking about/demanding Brewster for ages, like that one clip from The Mandalorian...
Guide Animal Crossing New Year's Eve Guide - Tom Nook New Year's Items List For New Horizons
Don't forget your auld acquaintance
It's a well-known fact that New Year's Eve parties are usually a bit rubbish. Aside from the occasional rockin' house party or swish 'n' swinging shindig, they often turn out to be expensive and disappointing evenings that lead to you starting the new year not refreshed and optimistic, but with a thick head and a...
News Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 'Second Wind' Expansion Mod Adds Brand New Hinox King Boss Battle
The "large-scale" fan-made DLC just keeps getting better
Easily one of the best Nintendo-related mods we've seen in 2021 is The Legend of Zelda: Second Wind - A Breath of the Wild Expansion. It's a "free large-scale DLC" mod that adds new quests, areas, weapons, NPCs and enemies, and overhauls existing content. It's been getting updates all year,...
Feature Nintendo's Year In Review - Our Team Chat Switch, Games, And Silly 2021 Things
It sure was a year
The year is drawing to a close, and 2021 was another interesting period in the broader gaming industry and in the world of Nintendo. There were big online events, fantastic games, controversies and of course some enjoyable and humorous times. It was also, by most metrics and with consideration for the various challenges it faced,...
News Nintendo's New Year Sale 2022 Is Live On Switch eShop, Up To 75% Off (Europe)
Sale away, sale away, sale away
Seems like only yesterday that Nintendo was wrapping up its Festive Sale... because it was only yesterday. Yes, as one sale closes, another one opens — there's a New Year sale live now on Switch eShop with discounts on a whole bunch of games (including things like Mario Golf: Super Rush, Fire Emblem: Three Houses,...
News Capcom Is Already Preparing For Monster Hunter's 20th Anniversary
The series turns 20 in 2024
As is traditional for this time of year, Japanese publication Famitsu has been asking prominent developers what their plans and ambitions are for 2022, and one of the people interviewed is Capcom’ s Ryozo Tsujimoto – the man in charge of the company's prestigious Monster Hunter franchise. Tsujimoto Is clearly focused...
Rumour Noobs Rejoice! Fortnite Might Be Getting A 'No Build' Mode
...but it will be time-limited, apparently
Massively popular Battle Royale title Fortnite is getting a 'no build' mode, according to a new leak. The source is content creator and data miner HYPEX, who reports that the mode will only be available for a limited time. Building is one of the keys mechanics in the game, but is often intimidating for...
Reminder Nintendo's Indie World Holiday Sale Wraps Up Tonight (North America)
Featuring Hades, Axiom Verge 2, Cyber Shadow and 27 more
Update: Just a note to remind you that Nintendo of America's festive Indie World sale is wrapping up this evening just before midnight in the very last moments of 2021 — or earlier if you're east of the PT zone. Make sure you grab anything you've had your eye on beforehand! (Mind you,...
News Mortal Kombat HD Dev Wants To Remake The OG Trilogy, But It Needs Your Support
"When we reach 100,000 supporters we’ll approach WB"
If you've dreamed of a Mortal Kombat Trilogy Remake on Nintendo Switch, you might want to check out Eyeballistic's petition. This same team approached series co-creator Ed Boon back in 2016 with Mortal Kombat HD. While he was all for it, Warner Bros. (the Mortal Kombat IP owner) didn't have...
Feature Where Does Competitive Pokémon Go From Here?
Aaron “Cybertron” Zheng on what the future holds
Two years have passed since Pokémon Sword and Shield inaugurated the eighth generation of Pokémon games. With it came indignation from some fans, though most agreed Sword and Shield didn’t flounder when it came to its competitive scene. Pokémon tournaments are played under the Video Game...
News The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess Manga Will End With The Next Chapter
It's been going since 2016
Remember The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess manga that was localised by Viz Media? Akira Himekawa - the combined name for the two artists behind this series - recently announced the next chapter would be the last one. The Twilight Princess manga
News Nintendo First-Party Titles Miss Out On EDGE Magazine's GOTY 2021 List
Six games available on Switch make the cut
Revered gaming mag EDGE has revealed its top 10 games of 2021 in the latest issue, and while Sony and Microsoft fans will be delighted to see platform exclusives from both PS5 and Xbox consoles put in an appearance, no Nintendo-developed or published games managed to make the list this year. That's not to...
News Shadow Man Remastered Appears To Be Releasing On Switch eShop Next Month
Return to the Deadside
Shadow Man Remastered is due out on the Nintendo Switch in 2021, so when is the exact date of its arrival? According to a Switch eShop listing, fans won't have to wait very long at all... The official Nintendo game page says it'll be launching next month on January 17th or 18th, depending on your location. And it will set you...
Bring it
Video game companies around the globe have been preparing for 2022 for some time now, and it includes Koei Tecmo. In an end-of-year 4Gamer feature, the Japanese company teased what's to come in the new year. Apparently, it intends to reveal a number of projects that have been in development for several years and will pave the way for the...
Video Our Best Worst Switch Games - Part 3
The rough with the smooth
As we close out 2021 and look forward to 2022 — with all the measurable improvements it surely must bring — your favourite trio of video producers are back with the last entry in their 'Best Worst' Switch games trilogy. Yes, it's time for the third and final pick of a Switch game which may be a disappointment in the...
Thursday30th Dec 2021
Guide Every Animal Crossing Amiibo Card For New Horizons And New Leaf
Welcome, amiibo!
Looking for info on the six extra Sanrio amiibo cards? They're so special we've given them their own Animal Crossing Sanrio amiibo card guide. All others can be found below, including the newest additions in the Series 5 set — enjoy!
Guide Hollow Knight Walkthrough - 100% Completion
You can do it!
Getting 100% completion in Hollow Knight is a momentous achievement. This is a massive Dark Souls-like adventure with a ton of collectibles to find, bosses to beat, and abilities to unearth. It's also really, really hard in places. That difficulty stems from both the wide variety of bosses you have to conquer, and how well hidden...
Feature Seriously, What The Heck Is Going On Inside Samus’ Morph Ball?
5 theories to solve an armour-plated mystery rolled up in an enigma
The Metroid series is now in its 35th year, and over that lengthy period of time Nintendo has happily elaborated on everything from its star’s childhood to flappy parent-killing nightmare Ridley, Metroids, Chozo, and even creepy Phazon-created evil clone. In short, virtually every...
Guide Zelda: Breath Of The Wild: Walkthrough, Tips And Hints
Don't go alone, take this
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild set a new bar for Nintendo's classic series, adding a whole host of new items and systems, not to mention enemies and weapons. It's a huge adventure and we figured you might need some help along the way. We've broken up our content into various specific guides that you should find useful...
News The 'Panda' GameCube Controller Kickstarter Has Been Cancelled
"An important and unfortunate update"
Well, here's some news you might not have been expecting. The Kickstarter for the 'Panda' GameCube controller, which instantly smashed the required goals earlier this month has been cancelled. Although it set records in terms of the funds raised, the creator feels it would be irresponsible to continue on with...
Reminder Nintendo's Massive Switch eShop Sale Ends Today (Europe)
Well, that's Thursday afternoon sorted
Update: Just a reminder that Nintendo's European Switch eShop sale finishes today — just before the stroke of midnight local time, in fact. If you've held off picking up any digital bargains over the holidays (like Saints Row IV, for example), today's your last chance! Well, until the next sale, at least. If...
Soapbox In Defence Of Balan Wonderworld, 'The Worst Game Of 2021'
And after all, you're my Wonderworrrld
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics or random stuff they've been thinking about. Today, Stuart discusses his love and admiration of a game dubbed 'the worst' of the past year... Hello, my name is Stuart Gipp, and I think Balan Wonderworld is quite good...
Soapbox Wave Race 64 Is Now 25 Years Old, And It Still Rules
Maximum Power!
Let's get the controversial early opinion out of the way, just so any pitchfork wielders can start sharpening their implements right away: a lot of Nintendo 64 games haven't aged very well. Of course they haven't, because it was a console in which Nintendo was at the bleeding edge of 3D graphical technology, a bold move that seized it...
Feature How The Super Mario Musical Got Made, And Avoided Nintendo's Cease & Desist
The secret is making Luigi a Scottish woman
The internet might be divided over Chris Pratt as Mario in the upcoming Super Mario movie, but we don't have to be satisfied with Hollywood's take on the plumber brothers, do we? The enterprising British theatre group Transfer Productions has just finished their first run of Mario! A Super Musical, which...
News Sakurai Thinks It's Probably Best To Forget About Him For A While
If anything is in the pipeline it might take some time
Masahiro Sakurai was able to complete Super Smash Bros. Ultimate this year, but from here on out, it's not clear what's next. Although he's apparently not thinking about a new Smash Bros. entry right now, that doesn't mean he'll rule it out. He's also not even sure about his future in video...
Nintendo Download 30th December (North America)
Deathsmiles! Hollow 2! Pawn of the Dead!... and that's it!
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region... Er..., actually 'galore' might be generous in the extreme this week. In fact, it's the first time we've managed to fit the entire roster into the strapline...
News Here Are Japan's Top 30 Best-Selling Switch eShop Games For 2021
Monster Hunter Rise takes out top spot
It's that time of year where companies reveal all sorts of data about consumer spending habits, and on the Switch front, Nintendo has shared the top 30 best-selling games on the Japanese eShop in 2021. Capcom's latest entry in the Monster Hunter series took out the top spot and following this were all sorts of...
Feature Steven Spohn On Strides In Accessibility For Gaming, And Nintendo's Room For Improvement
"Back in the day Nintendo was at the forefront of accessibility, at some point they just stopped"
Earlier this year Steven Spohn hit an incredible fundraising landmark prior to his 40th Birthday; in forming alliances with a lot of creators and gamers globally, along with some welcome support from influential figures, he raised over one million...
Video Our Best Worst Switch Games - Part 2
The good, the bad, and the lovely
Sometimes you'll come across a game that critics and the gaming populace at large have put on the shelf labelled 'a bit pants', but that doesn't mean there aren't some choice nuggets to be found in those p— okay, let's move away from that metaphor, shall we? Still, the point stands that games that are 'bad' can...
News Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute Is Getting An Update To "Improve Input Delay"
They cottoned on
City Connection has announced that it will be addressing frame lag issues in its shmup collection Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute with an upcoming update scheduled for "late January or early February 2022". As noted on the company's website, the question of excessive input lag was acknowledged back in October across the Cotton...
News Hamster's Final Arcade Archives Release Of 2021 Is Mutant Night
Out December 30th
Hamster Corporation has once again made it to the end of another year, so how is it ending it? It's final Arcade Archives release of 2021 is UPL's 1987 arcade platform shooter Mutant Night. Here's a bit about it, along with a look: "Players will control a mysterious character named "Mutron-kun" who will power up using various...
Wednesday29th Dec 2021
Guide Pokémon Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl Walkthrough, Tips And Hints
How to catch 'em all, again!
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl on Switch take players back to the Sinnoh region first seen on Nintendo DS in 2006. This region is also the setting for the prequel adventure Pokémon Legends: Arceus, so these Generation 4 remakes are a great introduction to the Sinnoh Pokédex for new players. Pokémon...
News There's Now Just One Month To Go Until Pokémon Legends Is Out On Switch
Get ready, trainers
If you're not done with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, you better hurry up - because Game Freak's new entry Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be released on the Nintendo Switch very soon. In fact, we're so close to release - we're now just one month out. It's almost hard to believe! The game is due to arrive on 28th...
Feature What Is The Zelda 'Formula'? We Break Down The Secret Recipe
12 ingredients that make a game feel like Zelda
Have you ever played a game and thought, “This feels a bit like Zelda?” Only the other week, we described the excellent Eastward as “quite a bit like a 2D Zelda game”, and the PC/Xbox game Death's Door — a title that our sister site Pure Xbox called "a 2021 GOTY contender" when awarding it a...
"I think what they're gonna see is a nice live-feeling and chaotic show"
Listen, Rob's not messing around here. He knows his games As we reported just a few days ago, Scottish comedian, writer, poet and self-professed "God of Games" Robert Florence has been announced as host of the upcoming reboot of Channel 4's iconic GamesMaster. Alongside...
News Nintendo Showcases 2021's Best-Selling Indie Games On Switch
With some rocking music to get you excited
It was another busy year on the Switch eShop, and Nintendo's Indie World team has put together a video to celebrate some of the best-selling download titles of the last 12 months. You can get into the spirit of it in the video above and we've listed the titles below. Stick Fight: The Game Slime Rancher:...
Random Shigeru Miyamoto Hijacks Nintendo's Twitter Account
To thank fans for voting Nintendo in Japan's TV poll
Nintendo fans on Twitter got quite the surprise yesterday when a tweet by the official company account sent out a message from the creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto. Yes, in a short tweet - Miyamoto took control of the company's Twitter account (don't worry, we're sure he had permission) to...
News Nintendo's Boss Shuntaro Furukawa Warns Of Switch Supply Issues In 2022
"we will not be able to produce as many"
Last week, we heard from Intel's boss how global chip shortages were likely to continue all the way through to 2023, and now we've got another update, this time from Nintendo's president Shuntaro Furukawa. According to Furukawa, year-end sales of the Switch have been quite strong (especially for the OLED...
News Nintendo Dominates Amazon's Best Sellers Of 2021 Gaming List
Well, after Gift Cards
There are many, many ways to buy and enjoy games nowadays, but it's fair to say that retail behemoth Amazon is still a big option for a lot of consumers. As a major player in game sales (and sales of pretty much anything) it's interesting to see its best performers of the year, and in terms of gaming the results are intriguing...
Feature Nintendo Life's Alternative Game Awards 2021
Best Late Arrival! Best Non-2021 Game! Best Game That Doesn't Fit Anywhere Else!
Ah yes, that idle final week in December where some people head back to work, and others relax until new year filling their days with what they love — video games, for example. Good choice! We've already totted up our personal scores and bestowed our staff Game of...
News NFL Coach, Broadcaster And Video Game Icon John Madden Passes Away At 85
Will be remembered as an "absolute legend"
NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden has passed away at the age of 85. He not only had a huge impact on American football but also the video game industry as the voice, name and face of Electronic Arts' Madden NFL series. The sports series originally began life in 1988 as "John Madden Football" and over...
Random Get Nostalgic For The Wii Days With Nintendo's E3 2006 Conference, Upscaled
Excite Truck ftw
While the last couple of E3s haven't been quite what we're used to for obvious reasons, it's the memories of glorious summers past which keep our enthusiasm for the event alive. Earlier this year we took a look at a handful of Nintendo's most iconic E3 moments, but researching for that article and rewatching Nintendo's conferences...
UK Charts Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Was Still On The Podium For Switch In The Holidays
Just Dance 2022 proved popular, too
Full UK physical chart data is now in for the week ending 25th December, giving the full picture on festive sales. All told it was a solid week for Switch titles, though the presence of its games was reduced slightly due to boosted sales of multiplatform releases. Leading the way for Switch, somewhat predictably,...
News Eufloria HD Brings 'Ambient Strategy' To Switch This Week
Revived after 8 years
One of the final releases on Switch in 2021 will be a surprise revival of a game that made its initial mark a decade ago, with its most recent port being on the PlayStation Vita a little over eight years ago. Publisher QubicGames has teamed up with OmniSystems to bring Eufloria HD to the eShop on 31st December, priced at $/€...
Tuesday28th Dec 2021
Random Logan Paul Made A Table Out Of Game Boys, And The Internet Isn't Happy
It lights up, too!
YouTuber Logan Paul is a man who has his fingers in many pies, but his latest venture has riled up Nintendo fandom quite spectacularly. Paul took a selection of Game Boy Color consoles (some of which are quite collectible) and poured epoxy resin over the top of them to create a table - which also lights up: The reaction online...
Feature Ranking The Playable Instruments Of The Legend Of Zelda, From Worst To Best
Link, the one-man orchestra
Our Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival will be coming to an end soon, and we can't think of a better way to send it off than spending way too much time analysing musical instruments in the Legend of Zelda series. Everyone knows and loves the Ocarina of Time, it's true — but it's far from the only instrument the...
News The Point-And-Click Adventures Putt-Putt And Freddi Fish Are On Their Way To Nintendo Switch
Check the eShop on January 3rd
Well, here's some news that will likely bring back some childhood memories for many people around the globe. Humongous Entertainment has announced it'll be bringing its classic point-and-click adventures Putt-Putt Travels Through Time and Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell to the Nintendo Switch. Both...
Talking Point Remember When People Thought Switch Would Fail?
Nintendo is DOOMED
2016 is a long, long, loooong time ago now, but I'll try to take you back to October 20th, 2016, the day the Nintendo Switch was announced. The US Presidential Election was looming, Brexit was still a massive question mark, and Disney's Moana, Disney's Rogue One, Disney's Captain America: Civil War, and Disney's Finding Dory were...
News Japan's Top 100 Console Games Of All Time Revealed, According To A Nationwide TV Network Poll
50,000 players voted
The Japanese television network TV Asahi ran a special broadcast yesterday where 50,000 players around the nation voted for their favorite console (and handheld) video games in a poll. The votes were there compiled into a "Top 100" list and Nintendo took out the top position - with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild...
Feature 30 Years Of Sonic The Hedgehog - The Many Faces Of Mario's Biggest Rival
The personal recap of the fastest thing alive
Over the last three decades, many types of Sonic fan have emerged and evolved. The type of fan you are often depends on where you jumped aboard the platforming franchise. You've got your 2D purists, your handheld advocates, your 3D defenders, your Werehog worriers, your people who say the 8-bit games...
News Sakurai Believes He Was Able To "Fully Complete" Iwata's Final Mission
The Smash Bros. director is now thinking about what's next
As you might recall, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was the "final mission" assigned to Masahiro Sakurai by the late Satoru Iwata. The Switch entry went on to become a huge success and has now sold over 25 million copies worldwide. After the game shipped, Sakurai's "next mission" was to release...
Feature How Accessible Are Zelda, Pokémon And Animal Crossing For Blind Gamers?
Top Nintendo Switch games evaluated for players with vision loss
When it comes to accessibility options in video games, some companies have been quicker than others to acknowledge the need and introduce basic features into their games. While progress has been made over the past few years, there's still much room for improvement and even the most...
Feature Artist Kamui Fujiwara Talks Terranigma Amid Drive To Resurrect Classic SNES RPG
"It means the quest is not over, right?"
Terranigma is a SNES title that holds a special place in the heart of many an RPG fan, which is remarkable when you consider that it was only released in Japan and Europe, and bypassed North America entirely. Part of Quintet's loose RPG trilogy (which also includes Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia),...
Lena Raine talks Chrono Trigger and wanting to write "a really rowdy anime opening"
Lena Raine's meteoric rise over the past few years has taken her from working in Quality Assurance at ArenaNet, all the way to being nominated for a BAFTA and an award for Best Music at The Game Awards — pretty impressive for someone who's technically only nine...
Video Our Best Worst Switch Games - Part 1
We love these games, they're so bad
Video games can't really be boiled down to a number. Many people may see a middling 5/10 review score — defined as 'Average' on the Nintendo Life scale — and decide to avoid the title at all costs. But what exactly does that 5 mean? We thankfully have a big ol' chunk of text to accompany that number, but the...
Quick Beats Grant Kirkhope On How Batman Inspired Banjo-Kazooie
"I’ve used [those chords] a gazillion times, it’s in everything I write"
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...
Rumour Sonic Frontiers' Release Date Might Have Already Been Leaked
Could November be the month?
At The Game Awards earlier this month, Sega and Sonic Team lifted the lid on the new "open-zone realm" game Sonic Frontiers. It's due to arrive at some point in the "holiday 2022", so when exactly can we expect the blue blur's next outing? According to the PlayStation database tracker 'PlayStation Game Size', Soni
"Switch would, indeed, be a very good fit for them"
Charles Cecil needs no introduction to lovers of adventure games. The veteran designer co-founded Revolution Software in 1990 and produced a series of classic graphic adventure games including Lure of the Temptress and the Broken Sword series. His most recent project, Beyond a Steel Sky, released...
News Capcom Will Reveal More About Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak In Spring 2022
"Stay tuned"
We've known about the new massive paid expansion coming to Monster Hunter Rise for some time now, but so far, little has been revealed about it. That's all set to change next year - with Capcom teasing on social media it would share much more around Spring 2022, in the lead up to Sunbreak's Summer 2022 release. This upcoming DLC...
Quick Beats Streets Of Rage Composer On Musical Heroes And The Series He'd Love To Work On
10 rapid-fire questions for VGM legend Yuzo Koshiro
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...
"Leave it to the big companies to overwhelm the players... let's do what only we can do!"
Here at Nintendo Life we're huge fans of Ancient, the company set up by composer Yuzo Koshiro and his family which has worked on some absolute brilliant games over the last three decades — including Mega Drive classics Streets of Rage 2 and Beyond Oasis, and...
Monday27th Dec 2021
BT, Virgin, Sky, TalkTalk and others must now block ROM-sharing sites
Nintendo has obtained a UK High Court injunction against six internet service providers in an effort to stop Switch games from being downloaded illegally. The injunction means that six UK-based ISPs – BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media – must now block access to...
Feature Nintendo Switch Ports We'd Love To See In 2022
Golden op-port-unities
Another year, another 12 months of quality Switch ports. The past couple of years we've published a small wishlist of ports we'd love to see come to Switch and, on the whole, we've been pleased to see several games crossover to our favourite handheld hybrid. Last year, for example, we were jonesing for Fall Guys, Outer Wi
Feature Ex-Nintendo Employee On 'Holy Grails', Meeting Heroes, And Preserving A $10K Kirby Card
"As a fan, I was mortified at the thought of destroying any of it"
Over the holidays we're republishing some of our best features, interviews, opinion pieces and talking points from the previous 12 months from staff and contributors alike — articles that we feel represent our best of 2021. In them you'll find our usual mix of thoughtfulness,...
Sunday26th Dec 2021
Talking Point New Super Mario Bros. Is 15 Years Old, And It's Still Fantastic
Celebrating Mario's big 2D comeback on its anniversary
It’s quite funny to consider that the highest-selling Nintendo DS game of all time - shifting in excess of 30 million copies worldwide – is still a title I’d consider to be under-rated. If anything, it’s respected as the formative entry in a divisive series that’s considered to never...
Monday27th Dec 2021
Feature Treasure Games That Need Switch Ports Or Sequels
We’re going on a Treasure hunt
The aptly-named Japanese studio Treasure — in spite of its fondness for focusing on less popular formats and its infrequent and occasionally Japan-only releases — has long been a developer famed throughout all of game-dom for the consistent originality and sheer quality that runs through its work. Formed in 1992...
Speaking to the minds behind NEO: The World Ends With You
While NEO: The World Ends With You seemingly didn't meet its publisher's sales expectations, there's clearly a sizeable fanbase surrounding the series – and we were lucky enough to sit down with the minds behind this captivating universe for an exclusive interview. We spoke to Tomohiko...
Review Dungeon Munchies (Switch) - Not Without Potential, But Also Serious Early Access Issues
Undercooked
There’s a lot of debate these days about what constitutes a ‘complete’ game. Is a game complete when it launches, or does it only cross that threshold when the developer finally stops updating it? If it’s neither of those, how many updates or how much content have to be added until it is done? What about when a game is ‘content...
Soapbox The Term 'Indie' Is Losing Meaning, But Maybe That's A Positive Sign
The games industry has come a long way in a short time
Back in the pre-internet / download store days of the Console 'Bit' Wars, the way we bought and enjoyed games could not have been more different. Video games were expensive store purchases, and often you'd rely on renting games that you couldn't afford or couldn't 'commit' to buying. No...
Feature Why Was Among Us Translated Into Irish?
Fuist!
Last week, it was announced that Among Us, the fantastically popular friend-murdering game, was localised officially into Irish. For many (mostly, the Irish) it was an exciting thing; for others, the response was mostly: "But why?" It's a legitimate question — Irish, or Gaeilge, is only spoken by around 40% of the Irish population, and is...
Feature The Many Faces Of Donkey Kong, Nintendo's 40-Year-Old Gorilla
Four decades of DK
Nintendo’s monkey of manifold mantles – one Donkey Kong, Esq. – recently turned 40. Forty years young and still so vital, but it could be reasonably argued that the ol’ Kongmeister has been undergoing a bit of an identity crisis for most of his lifespan. The man-ape has turned from heel to face to heel more times than The...
News Dragon Quest X Offline Has Been Delayed Until Summer 2022
The team wants it to be the best experience possible
Dragon Quest X Offline for Nintendo Switch was due to arrive in Japan on 26th February next year, but it's now the latest game to delayed. The title will now launch in Summer 2022, and the DLC expansion content has also been postponed. The reason behind this tough decision is to improve the...
Feature Doki Doki Literature Club Creator On Revisiting The Club Members In 'Plus'
"The characters stick with you because they feel like friends"
It's not every day that a visual novel has the chance to shock and awe the world like Doki Doki Literature Club did on PC back in 2017. The game proved to be a hit, but console gamers were left waiting for some way to experience the tale this anime dating sim tells. Flash forward to the...
News Nintendo's eShop Experienced Outages Over Christmas (Again)
Did you get an error message?
If you've had any issues over the past few days accessing the Nintendo eShop, creating Nintendo accounts, using certain subscription services, downloading or playing games online - you weren't alone. In the lead-up to the holiday period, Nintendo (kind of) warned everyone they might experience some issues, and sure...
Feature Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Or That Time Mario Got Movin’ To Mozart
The funky rhythm comin’ at ya!
On the surface Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix appears to be the ordinary and obvious by-product of Konami and Nintendo continuing to operate in the same creative space. After all, by the time of the game’s 2005 release, Mario had already been doing non-Mario things for a very long time — he could paint, ride...
News Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot - Card Warriors Won't Make It To Switch This Year
The "free update" will now launch in 2022
It appears Switch fans of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will have to wait a little bit longer for the free 'Card Warriors' game update. While it was scheduled to arrive on Nintendo's hybrid platform before the end of this year, Bandai Namco has postponed its release until 2022. In an update on the Dragon Ball...
News Nintendo Is Adding Another 3DS Course To Mario Kart Tour
Bowser's Castle and Meowser bring in the New Year
With Christmas out of the way, Nintendo's mobile racer Mario Kart Tour is now looking towards the New Year. To send 2021 out with a bang, it'll be kicking off the 'New Year's 2022 Tour' on 28th December. It adds Bowser's Castle from Mario Kart 7 and Meowser - Bowser's cat form from Super Mario 3D...
Feature Tee Lopes Talks Sonic, Streets Of Rage, And Making Music On A PS1
"Video games were a portal that allowed me to discover music"
Fans of certain beloved Sega franchises should be very familiar with this composer's name by now. Tee Lopes started out on the VGM scene releasing remixed and reimagined versions of some of gaming's most beloved music, with a special focus on one blue hedgehog in particular, and his...
Sunday26th Dec 2021
Feature The Best Hidden Gems And Underrated Switch Games Of 2021
Some overlooked games you might have missed
The sheer wealth of software coming to Switch eShop on a weekly basis has been hard to keep up with since launch and, try as we might, over time it has become increasingly difficult to review every Switch game we'd like to. In 2021 more than ever, even intriguing-looking titles have had to be passed-over...
Feature Why Do Games Get Removed From Switch eShop? It's Surprisingly Easy
Ratings are both simple and iffy
This week another eShop game seemed to fall victim to a surprisingly common issue: age ratings. The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark is temporarily removed from the North American eShop, with the developer stating that they hope to get the issue resolved in 'about a week'. A member of the development team...
Feature Turning 'Peaceful' Into 'Frantic' With Animal Crossing's Speedrunning Scene
Legging it through New Leaf
There’s an entire generation of players who hold dear fond memories of dipping their stubby toes in the coarse sand of Animal Crossing: New Leaf’s beaches. There was a calm warmth that came with the villagers that called your slowly built-up town home. The game was a beacon of creativity where you could let the...
News This "Lost" Game Boy Add-On Could Have Pre-Dated The Smartphone
Say hello to the Page Boy
Last year, esteemed video game historian and occasional Nintendo Life contributor Liam Robertson uncovered the story of the Work Boy, an unreleased accessory that had the potential to turn the humble Game Boy into a powerful productivity tool. Now, a year later, Robertson is back with another investigation – this time...
Feature 'Arcade Perfect' Be Damned: R-Type DX Is Still Portable Perfection
Bydo To The Future
R-Type may be 34 years old but the beyond-enthusiastic reception for R-Type Final 2's Kickstarter proved Irem’s long-running series is much more than a nostalgic memory held close by a few greying fans, or vintage shmup still hazily respected from a great distance. R-Type can still generate hype and open up wallets; the thought...
Feature Developers Respond To The Recent Twitter Furore Over The Definition Of 'Game Dev'
A little more context than 280 characters can cope with
Last week, a Twitter debate broke out over the exact definition of a 'game developer' and to whom that term can be ascribed. Should the title be extented to anyone contributing to the development of the game or be reserved solely for those with direct creative input? Are QA staff 'developers'...
Feature From Famicom Disk System To Switch - The Evolution Of Nintendo's Miis
Love Mii do
Ah, the Mii. We remember when we first made our own Miis back in 2006. Back then the most character customisation we had experienced was probably with The Sims, so making Miis of our friends, family and favourite video game characters was a fun pastime. It's a real shame, then, that Nintendo stepped away from their Miis, presumably in an...
Soapbox Nintendo Pocket Football Club Really Needs A Sequel On Switch
Open goal
Nintendo Pocket Football Club was one of my highlights on the 3DS and it’s about time we got a sequel to ParityBit’s simple football management sim on the Switch. Yes, I’m well aware that Football Manager Touch is available on the Switch, with its real-world players, teams, and leagues, but it lacks the Nintendo charm and more...
Back Page To All The Low-Level Enemies I've Slaughtered
It's time to kick ass and feel bad, and I'm all out of ass
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 pages on the internet, but...
Feature A Look Back At Nintendo's Long History Of Art, Music And Game Making Software
Over 35 years of programmin', paintin' and makin'
Between the Super Mario Maker games, Miitopia, and now the soon to be released Game Builder Garage, the last decade has seen Nintendo embrace the creativity of its players to produce fun content for all to experience. It’s amazing to see the creativity of the communities that form around these...
Feature The Origins Of BAFTA-Nominated 'Before I Forget' And Its Approach To Dementia
"One of our goals has always been to tell stories that aren’t often told within video games"
The Nintendo Switch, through its popularity and also its extremely varied and diverse gaming audience, has attracted some fascinating video games to the eShop. The system is a home for experimental and challenging games, and Before I Forget - a title that...
Saturday25th Dec 2021
Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Islands - Get Inspired By The Best Islands We've Seen So Far
Putting our meagre island efforts to shame
Since Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched back in March 2020, a large community of gamers have been sharing incredible custom designs created for the game, and they've only gotten more impressive since the launch of the Happy Home Paradise DLC. However, perhaps even more impressive are the amazing lan
Feature We Worked Out The Best Zelda Game Once And For All, Using Maths
...and it took a really long time
We could argue all day about which Zelda is technically the best. In fact, we often do, especially with the 35th Anniversary of the series this year. But no matter how many times we yell at each other that Majora's Mask is better than Ocarina of Time, or that Oracle of Ages and Seasons a
Feature We've Ranked All 151 Gen 1 Pokémon And It Nearly Killed Us
Brother, can you spare two hours?
The term 'genwunners' gets thrown around a lot in the wider Pokémon community, but when forced to actually rank all the original 151 we think many fans would think twice about at least a few of the original 'mon. That's not why we decided to subject ourselves to ranking all 151 of them, but it was an adequate...
Is it worth the hype?
Well, here we are. Eight months after The House In Fata Morgana's release, and six months since our first diary entry of "the game better than Breath of the Wild", it's finally time to actually, finally review it. Fata Morgana is an subject of bafflement, a tantalising enigma, and a frequent point of mockery, all because its...
Memory Pak Looking Into The Light In Super Mario 64
You know, that level where Mario blinds himself?
My dad used to tell me that, when he was young, the world was in black and white. For a long time, I didn't think to question it - after all, every shred of historical evidence we had from the 1950s and before was in black and white, too. Unfortunately, I grew up, and realised that my dad - as all...
Talking Point Nintendo And The Industry Needs To Get Serious About Game Preservation
Lots of catching up to do
For those following the general chat around video games, one topic that has generated debate recently has been Sony’s announcement of the upcoming closures of digital stores on PlayStation 3, PS Vita and PSP. As news, it wasn’t necessarily surprising, for reasons we’ll expand upon, but it did bring the whole subject...
Feature The Exquisite Liminality Of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The disorientation of a space-between-spaces
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, we ran 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. Here, Kate compares Skyward Sword to a corridor, or something... Skyward...
Feature Takaya Imamura - The Man Who Named Majora's Mask And Created Nintendo's Coolest Characters
And Slippy Toad
On 20th January 2021, Nintendo artist, designer, producer and director Takaya Imamura posted his first ever tweet announcing that he was leaving the company after 32 years. Imamura isn't retiring — he's only 54 — but his departure signals the end of an impressive Nintendo career spanning the 16-bit era to Switch. While mascots...
Feature A Tribute To Bobby "The Nintendo Guru" Pauls
"A truly special person who can never be replaced"
The Nintendo community is a tight community. It is a community of joy that is shared online and at events. One of the community's most loving, energetic, and hard-working members was Bobby Pauls – also known as The Nintendo Guru. After a long-fought battle in the hospital with COVID-19, Bobby...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 25th Holiday Special)
What's cookin'?
So, this is Christmas. And what have you done? Well, not a great deal to be honest — as is typical at this time of year, it's quiet out there in the world of video games as everyone settles down for a well-earned holiday break. We're into the very final stretch of 2021, but a few things have been occurring nonetheless. Not...
Jörg Tittel on ambitious ideas and striving to do cool things on Switch
Recently, publisher Wired Productions unveiled its own ‘Direct’ in which it revealed a sizeable number of games, five of which are coming to Nintendo Switch. One that caught the eye, in part because its teaser was also visually arresting and rather vague, was The Last...
Quiz Nintendo Winter Wonderlands - Can You Name All These Festive Levels?
Name that game!
Note: We're republishing this festive quiz from last year. If you partook previously... well, you should get top marks, then, shouldn't you! If you're relaxing over the holidays and fancy putting your gaming grey matter to the test, feel free to check out our selection of brain-teasing quizzes on The Legend Of Zelda, Mario
Editorial Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays From Nintendo Life
The mood is right, the spirit's up
Ho ho ho! Yes, the most wonderful holiday of the year has officially arrived and it's time to start cracking out the sweetmeats, beverages, and — if you're reading this — video games. It's Christmas! Following on from an all-round miserable 2020, this year has been... well, not a whole lot better really...
Friday24th Dec 2021
Feature Game Of The Year 2021 - Nintendo Life Staff Awards
Our team's picks for the year's finest games
As 2021 comes to an end there's plenty of gaming to reflect upon. It was a relatively busy year from Nintendo as it kept up momentum for the Switch, which added the OLED model and continues to be a top-seller. The year started with Nintendo's first-party slate looking relatively quiet, but that was...
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
Christmas is just one of the many annual events celebrated in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, appropriately branded in-game as 'Toy Day'. In this guide we'll take you through everything you need to know about the Toy Day event and returning character Jingle. Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Toy Day...
Some trainers are just lucky
You might have seen a shiny encounter in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl but have you seen a double shiny encounter before? Twitch streamer MitchOG was doing a shiny-only run in the newest Pokémon remakes and managed to get the encounter of a lifetime - a shiny starter Turtwig and shiny Starly in the same...
News A Sonic The Hedgehog Lego Set Has Just Leaked Online
Block-busting!
A Sonic the Hedgehog Lego set has just leaked online. The set was listed on popular online marketplace Mercado Libre, and showcases the iconic Green Hill Zone from the first Mega Drive game. Dr. Robotnik also features in the set. However, rather than marking the start of a new Lego series - as was the case with the recent Mario line...
Soapbox Retro Nintendo Games Cost Too Much, But Nostalgia Is Expensive
Second-hand Nintendo games are notoriously pricey, but why?
The year is 1999. I'm in a GAME, in Loughborough town centre. The grey carpet is sticky, the awful fluorescent lights are so dim I can barely see, and everything sort of smells like stale sweat. I'm standing in the N64 section with my brother, both of us clutching a small fortune in pocket...
He's famous now
The Pokémon Company has just released its eighth episode of Pokémon Evolutions – a new animated series on YouTube. While there's a lot to appreciate, one particular highlight for longtime trainers is the on-screen debut of the "technology is incredible" guy who you first meet in Pallet Town in Pokémon Red and Blue. Although...
Guide The Switch Gamer’s Holiday Survival Guide For Festive Family Multiplayer Sessions
Tidings of comfort and Joy-Con
‘Tis the season of enforced family gatherings, far too much of every food imaginable, and TV schedules filled with unnecessary modern remakes of old favourites. It’s also the perfect opportunity to stuff a controller in granddad’s hands and demonstrate the joys of gaming with those who might normally avoid it,...
News Inti Creates Had A Mega Man ZX3 Game In Development, But It Got Cancelled
The project was well underway
Apparently, there was going to be a third Mega Man ZX game but the project was ultimately cancelled. During an Inti Creates Christmas live stream, company president Takuya Aizu and designer Yoshihisa Tsuda revealed the third entry was code-named "ZXC" and that the title was well into its development cycle. Here's part...
Feature Clammy Consoles, Humid Horrors, And Retro Regrets
Don't try this at home
A few years ago a clever, witty, and shockingly beautiful Nintendo Life writer had to spend a few boring days trawling numerous websites searching for a brand new and eye-wateringly expensive wafer-thin HDTV with which to replace their ageing and sadly then only semi-functional slightly less wafer-thin HDTV. This new triumph...
The legendary developer talks wrestling, Switch and dealing with critics
While Wrestling Empire is no critical darling, sole developer Mat Dickie is used to that reception, having been making his own professional wrestling games since 2000. Despite unusual visuals and unpredictable gameplay, these titles have achieved a cult following – it's not a...
News NES Action Shooter 'Copper Jacket' Hits Funding Goal On Kickstarter
It's not coming until early 2023, however
Indie game developer Monsoon Studios has revealed that the crowdfunding campaign for its NES action title Cooper Jacket has been a success. The game – which offers a simultaneous 2-player mode and takes inspiration from the likes of Contra and Commando – had a very modest funding goal of just $9,000...
Feature How Takara Brought SNK's Arcade Fighters To The Humble Game Boy
Battery-powered brawlers
Between 1994 and 1998 Takara Co., Ltd. brought some of SNK's most successful Neo Geo arcade hits — Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters, and Fatal Fury 2 — to the humble Game Boy via a series of 'demakes'; streamlined and simplified releases of the infinitely more powerful arcade originals rebuilt from the ground up...
Video We Have An EarthBound Conspiracy Theory
Fuzzy pickles, fuzzy pickles, fuzzy pickles
It's an old chestnut now. Way back in 2006 it was disappointing — if not surprising — that Mother 3 wasn't brought to the West, but after Lucas came to Super Smash Bros. in 2015 it seemed like a foregone conclusion that we'd see the third part of the EarthBound trilogy officially localised at some...
News Big Brain Academy's First Switch Update Is Now Live, Here's What's Included
Download it today
At the beginning of December, Nintendo released Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain on the Switch. If you did end up purchasing it, now is the time to download the first update. It bumps the game up to Version 1.1.0 and includes a number of general updates and fixes.Here are the full details courtesy of Nintendo's official support...
News NGDEV Announces New HD Shmup Gunvein, And It's Coming To Nintendo Switch In 2022
Check out the work-in-progress teaser
NG:Dev.Team - the dev behind Gunlord and also Razion EX on the Switch - has announced its first HD shoot 'em up, Gunvein. There's no exact release date just yet, but it is scheduled to arrive at some point next year. It's also been confirmed for multiple platforms including the Nintendo Switch. Last but not...
Thursday23rd Dec 2021
Review Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Switch) - A Masterful Marriage Of Mechanics, Themes And Visuals
Available handheld or Chicory dickory docked
There are few things more personal than art. That is, the art produced by an artist. Obviously. Even in its most commercial, populist form — including when it’s a small part of a much larger product — the work of an individual artist is ultimately recognisable, whether from obvious sweeping traits...
Random Someone Recreated The Mario Kart 8 Animal Crossing Circuit On Their New Horizons Island
You can visit, too
The DLC tracks and characters that released for the original Mario Kart 8 on Wii U (and came included as part of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) were pretty special, giving kart racers the chance to burn around circuits based on other series outside the Mario games for the first time. F-Zero's Mute City and Zelda's Hyrule Castle were both...
Random Nitrome Once Pitched A Sonic Game To The "Sega Gods", Here's A Look
Gotta go UP
The UK developer Nitrome - the team behind Bomb Chicken and also the upcoming release Shovel Knight Dig - has revealed it once pitched a Sonic the Hedgehog game to Sega and was knocked back. According to Nitrome, the engine the game was running on was "pretty authentic" and was "very close to the Sonic engine logic". The game itself was...
News A New 'Bayonetta Digital Bundle' Offers A Cheeky Discount On Switch eShop (US)
A $60 Bayo bundle
Sneaking onto the NA eShop with a subterfuge uncharacteristic of the gun-toting Umbra Witch, the Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 Digital Bundle is a compilation of her first two games and it's available now on the US Switch eShop. For the princely sum of $59.98, you can download this bundle featuring Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 and save...
News M2 Is Bringing Yet Another Classic Shmup To Switch Next Year
Update: Release date and trailer revealed
Update: M2 has revealed that Toaplan Arcade Garage: Hishou Same! Same! Same! will launch in Japan on April 28th, 2022 (thanks, Gematsu). The collection will come in both digital and physical forms, with the latter shipping with a download code for Sennou Game Teki Paki. Players will also have access
News More Klonoa Trademarks Have Surfaced Online
Is Bandai Namco up to something?
Update [Thu 23rd Dec, 2021 02:30 GMT]: Following on from last week, trademarks have now been filed in Canada on 17th December and Europe on 20th December for 'Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series' (via Gematsu). Update [Sat 18th Dec, 2021
News Ho! Ho! Ho! Boba Fett Touches Down In Fortnite In Time For Christmas
Just in time for his Disney+ series, too
Star Wars character Boba Fett – who is about to get his own series on Disney+ – is coming to Fortnite tomorrow as part of Season 3. Bounty hunter Fett is a key character in the wider Star Wars universe, having appeared in both the original trilogy and the prequels. He also turns up in the Disney+ series...
News Saucy Tower Defence Title Duel Princess Marches To Switch Next Month
Build your deck and seal those crests
Japanese developer qureate – best-known for its rather risqué titles, such as Prison Princess and NinNinDays – has announced that it is bringing Duel Princess to the Switch on January 13th, 2022. The title is a side-scrolling tower defence effort, featuring 10 princesses (designed by Waon Inui) whose power...
News 'The World Ends With You' Could Get Another Game If Fans Show Their Support
But nothing is in development right now
Back in November, Square Enix revealed NEO: The World Ends With You didn't meet the company's early sales expectations. While it might not seem like a bright outlook for the future of the series, producer Tomohiko Hirano recently told Nintendo Life that another entry could happen with enough fan support. At...
News Medium-Naut, From La-Mulana Creator Takumi Naramura, Comes To Switch Today
Sci-fi spookiness
Developer Blue Boss and publisher Gotcha Gotcha Games have revealed that Medium-Naut is coming to the Nintendo Switch today. Created by Takumi Naramura, the brains behind the La-Mulana series, Medium-Naut was made using Pixel Game Maker MV and is billed as a sci-fi action / horror title that sees you investigating a crashed...
News Save Up To 50 Percent With Kemco's 'Mega Holiday Sale'
Mom Hid My Game! Citizens Unite! Alphadia Genesis 1 and 2!
Kemco is holding a festive sale on the Switch eShop which is offering up to 50% off the price of some of its titles. We've got the usual selection of JRPGs and the like, as well as three of the popular 'Mom Hid my...' series, all with sizeable discounts for Christmas. Kemco's sale also...
Nintendo Download 23rd December (Europe)
Merry Christmas! Snowball Bubble!
The latest Nintendo Download update for Europe has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch eShop - New Releases: 8 & 9 Ball Pocket (SuperPowerUpGames, 24th...
Video Sonic Enters The Matrix In His Latest Movie Commercial
"Red Quill or Blue Quill"
At 'The Game Awards' earlier this month, we got our first proper trailer for Sonic's second movie outing featuring Knuckles, Tails, Dr. Robotnik, and of course the blue blur. If that wasn't already enough to get you excited for the Sonic sequel when it arrives in cinemas next April, perhaps Paramount Picture's latest...
Nintendo Download 23rd December (North America)
Tunnel of Doom! FILMECHANISM! Captain U!
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch eShop - Highlights (Updates): Rocket League (Psyonix...
Wednesday22nd Dec 2021
Video The Best RPG Ever Made Still Isn't On Switch
A game about time deserves to go down in history
Our very own Zion Grassl recently had the privilege of finishing Chrono Trigger for the very first time, and even 26 years after release he's utterly blown away. To celebrate this accomplishment Zion, Jon and special guest Kevin Kenson decided to sit down and praise the game for over an hour. And...
Review Wytchwood (Switch) - A Striking And Addictive Crafting Adventure
It's wytchcraft
Let’s start this off with just one word, shall we: crafting. There you go, now you know whether or not you’re going to enjoy Wytchwood; thanks for stopping by! In all seriousness, crafting has become such a prevalent mechanic in modern gaming, and it’s one that people rarely sit on the fence with. You either love it or you...
Download it now
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl on the Nintendo Switch have now been updated to Version 1.1.3. According to the official patch notes, this latest update is a rather small one - fixing some issues for "more pleasant gameplay". Here are the full details courtesy of Nintendo's support page: Ver. 1.1.3 (Released December...
Welcome to episode 74,651 of 'Japan Gets All The Best Stuff'
The idea that Japan gets all the best stuff is a long-established and indisputable fact. In the West we tend to either get cheap tat on the level of a McDonald's toy or super premium figures and statues costing thousands — but Japan seems to get a ton of quality everyday video game merch...
News Capcom Shares Special Ace Attorney Artwork To Celebrate Its 20th Anniversary
The gang's all here
Capcom's Ace Attorney series turns 20 this year, and the company has released a special piece of artwork to celebrate that fact. The art showcases characters from the entire series – including The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, which takes place many years before the famous exploits of Pheonix Wright – and i
News Niantic Shares Staggering Stats For A Year In Pokémon GO And Pikmin Bloom
Over 12 billion gifts given in Pokémon GO
While Pokémon GO may not be all over the news as it was in the distant past (well, it feels distant), it's continued to evolve and keep a sizeable audience engaged. Its developer Niantic then released its second tie-in with Nintendo this year with Pikmin Bloom, which is a rather charming and low-pressure...
News Check Out This Never-Before-Seen Intro To BioWare's Now-Decanonized Sonic Brotherhood
Brothers in arms
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is over a decade old now, and represents a unique entry in the Sonic series. Developed by RPG specialists BioWare – responsible for the likes of Mass Effect and Dragon Age – Sonic Chronicles sadly never got a sequel. Now, video game animation expert and author Jonathan Cooper has shared...
News Nintendo Reminds Us Splatoon 3 Is Coming To Switch
Get excited, Inklings
Next year Nintendo is jumping "back into the ink" with the release of Splatoon 3. Yes, in case you missed it, the third entry in the insanely popular squid shooter series is currently in development. If you've been wondering how progress has been going on the latest entry, we've got another update, well...kind of. It's a quick...
News Amazingly, Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Is Nintendo's Only UK Christmas Number 1 Since 1984
Some absolute classics in the list
Regular readers of these pages will know that each week we cover the UK charts, which often show a lot of familiar games running the top 10. As a nice bit of trivia for the Holidays, GamesIndustry.biz head honcho Chris Dring has shared an interesting graphic that shows every UK gaming Christmas number 1 since 1984...
Retro Remember When Acclaimed Novelist Martin Amis Rubbished Donkey Kong?
"Donkey, your days are numbered. The knackers’ yard awaits you"
One of the most influential and acclaimed novelists of his generation, award-winning writer Martin Amis – famous for books such as Money, London Fields and The Information – isn't the kind of name you'd perhaps expect to see on a site about video games, but in the early '80s, Amis...
Retro Back In 1996, Nintendo 64 Was The Must-Have Christmas Gift - Alongside 'Tickle Me Elmo'
"Maybe Santa can write your little darlings an I.O.U."
In 2021, getting hold of a Switch, PS5 or Xbox Series X for Christmas might be a struggle, but back in 1996, it was the Nintendo 64 that was the must-have festive gift in North America. The Indianapolis Star's Rory Appleton has been digging through newspaper reports from the period to shed a...
Random Who Needs The Mother Games When You Can Have This Watch Instead
But seriously, can we have the games now?
Mother and EarthBound fans located in Japan might not be able to enjoy the older entries in the series on the current generation Nintendo hardware, but at least they'll be able to tell the time with this themed digital watch made by Casio. Hobonichi has announced a collaboration with the Japanese...
Where's our diploma in slime-slicing?
Ancient — the family company of VGM composer Yuzo Koshiro and developers of everything from Sonic The Hedgehog’s debut Game Gear outing to Gotta Protectors for the 3DS — released Royal Anapoko Academy in Japan on 16th December 2021. Like much of its output in recent years, this light-hearted RPG is an...
News Rare Founder's New Project Isn't What You Might Expect
"Dress and style your model, pose her in the real world, take photos and share"
After a prolonged hiatus from social media, Rare co-founder Tim Stamper has tweeted about his new company's latest project – and those of you expecting a new 3D platformer are going to be disappointed. Stamper's tweet shows off Fashion AR, a smartphone app for
Rumour Epic Universe Theme Park Construction Has Some Dreaming Of A Pokémon Land
Safe to say it'd be popular
Nintendo's been making some major moves to expand its business beyond gaming and into broader popular culture and entertainment. We have the Mario movie in Holiday 2022, a theme park already open in Japan and another on the way as part of the new Epic Universe theme park currently under construction in Orlando. The...
News Global Chip Shortages And Supply Issues To Continue Into 2023, Says Intel Boss
"exploding demand has persisted"
We've already heard how supply and production issues in the tech industry won't be improving anytime soon, and now Intel chief Pat Gelsinger has issued yet another reminder that the shortage of semiconductors will likely continue into 2023. "The overall semiconductor shortage is quite significant and the...
News It's Official, Bravely Default II Has Now Sold Over One Million Units
Here's some commemorative artwork to celebrate
Square Enix has announced the shipments and digital sales of Bravely Default II have now surpassed the one million mark. It follows on from an update in August, announcing the Switch version alone had shifted 950,000 copies. The third main entry in the series first arrived on the Nintendo Switch in...
News Action Arcade Wrestling Gets A Festive Trailer Ahead Of 2022 Switch Release
"Season's beatings"
Action Arcade Wrestling is coming to the Switch next year, and to celebrate the holiday season, we've been given a special festive trailer. The game launched on other formats earlier this year and takes inspiration from '90s arcade grapplers like Saturday Night Slam Masters and WWF Wrestlemania. There's a simple two-button...
Tuesday21st Dec 2021
Random Sonic 2's Trailer Gets An Anime Makeover
Four stills get the proper '90s treatment
The first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (the movie, not the Mega Drive game) debuted earlier in December at The Game Awards and for the most part it seems to have been enthusiastically received by fans — a far cry from the reaction to the first movie's trailer. One fan, Joe Zavaletta, has redrawn four...
News Balan Wonderworld Is Officially The Worst Switch Game Of 2021, According To Metacritic
The GTA Trilogy for Switch also made the top 10
We're at the tail-end of 2021, and that means awards are being handed out for the best (and worst) video games of the year. We've seen plenty of winners, but what about the games that didn't go down so well this year? If you're wondering what exactly were the worst games of the year, Metacritic has...
Review Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection (Switch) - An Incomplete Compilation Of Cult Classics
Not so fantasmic
You’d struggle to find a set of games better suited to a convenient retro compilation than Valis: The Phantasm Soldier. The late '80s/early '90s platform-shooter Castlevania-ish hybrid series spans at least half a dozen formats from esoteric Japanese computers to the Mega Drive, each release — even when they’re supposed to be...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Ports Of 2021
Our picks of the 10 best ports on Switch this year
Another year down, and another set of games making the unlikely jump to Nintendo's diminutive hybrid console. We say 'unlikely', but at this stage we're well aware that practically anything is possible given the appropriate time and resources — although those two commodities are typically in short...
News Konami's New Yu-Gi-Oh! Game Has Cross-Play And Cross-Save Support
It's almost time to duel!
Konami's upcoming free-to-play title Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel - scheduled to arrive on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms this winter - will include cross-platform play and cross-save support. Not only will you be able to take on opponents on different platforms, but you'll also be able to link your "Master...
News Ubisoft Staff Are Leaving Their Jobs In Droves, Report Claims
"It's legitimately embarrassing"
A new report by Stephen Totilo of Axios claims that there's currently an exodus of staff at troubled publisher Ubisoft. According to the report, at least five of the top 25-credited people from the company's biggest 2021 game, Far Cry 6, have already left Ubisoft's ranks. Furthermore, 12 of the top 50 staffers on
News Online Multiplayer And DLC Are Coming To Cruis'n Blast
"There was a port-a-potty hot rod..."
Video game development legend and Raw Thrills boss Eugene Jarvis recently took part in a Reddit AMA, where he covered a whole host of topics – including the notion of the original Cruis'n gam
News The Taito Egret II Mini Is Getting A Western Release
Thanks to United Games Entertainment
United Games Entertainment, the umbrella company for Strictly Limited Games/ININ Games, has revealed that it will be distributing the Taito Egret II Mini in the West. This arcade-focused micro system features a rotating 5-inch screen and is set for release in the New Year. Its Japanese release is scheduled for...
News Disco Elysium: The Final Cut Gets Its Physical Release Date For Switch
There's also a very fancy $250 version
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is a critically acclaimed RPG that's won over a lot of gamers. It arrived on the Switch eShop in October in that 'Final Cut' guise, with enhancements and additional content that wrap up the game's development journey. It's not quite done though, with its physical editions now given...
News Xexex, One Of Konami's Greatest Shmups, Is Coming To Switch This Week
The Arcade Archives range expands again
Hamster has done a fantastic job in bringing a host of cult arcade games to home systems of late, and it's continuing the trend with the cult classic Xexex (pronounced "Zekseks"), which joins the Arcade Archives range next week. Originally released in 1991 and powered by hardware that was far more advanced...
An "original episode" awaits
Dragon Quest X Offline is scheduled to arrive in Japan on 26th February 2022, and in the lead-up to its release, Square Enix has shared some new details about the game. For those who have played DQX before, there will still be some new content to enjoy and a new character to meet in the offline version. Here's the scoop...
News 'The Company Man' Aims To Make Office Life More Exciting On Switch
Don't try this at work
Combine 'action platformer' with office life and, theoretically, you get The Company Man. Developed by Forust and published by Leoful, it sort-of satirises office life while serving up what looks like a high-tempo bit of platforming and hack 'n slash gameplay. It'll be making its debut on Switch in early 2022 priced at...
News Crysis Remastered Has Received Its Second Switch Patch, Here Are Full Details
Update today
Crytek said it would be delivering its second update for the original Crysis Remastered on the Switch, and it's now arrived. While this will be the final patch for the game this year, there'll be more in the coming weeks and months. This latest update contains some fixes and improvements, and additional language support. Crysis...
News This Gamer Is "No Death" Completing Some Of Video Gaming's Hardest Titles With His Chin
"The chin always wins"
We don't know about you, but we find it fantastic that we live in a world where having a disability doesn't mean you can't truly excel – and in HanDcapableSean's case, it's playing brutally difficult video games really well using his chin. Sean's focus is retro gaming, and he's completed some seriously difficult titles –...
News Voice Of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars Adds A "High Speed" Mode
"The game may become… unstable"
While it may not feel like it due to rather muted promotional campaigns, Square Enix released a couple of intriguing RPGs onto the Switch eShop in the last couple of months. One of them was Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars, which adopts a card-centric presentation and offers a snappy but intriguing experience...
News Cozy Grove Releases A Charming Winter Update
Snow fights, gift giving and new content!
Cozy Grove has won over a notable fanbase with its charm, relaxed vibe and hints of an underlying darkness to discover. Ultimately, though, it's in the name - it's cozy, and designed for short bursts of play. Developer Spry Fox has stayed busy since the game's launch, now releasing a winter update that adds...
News This Incredibly Fancy Pokémon Shirt Costs $100, And We're In Love
Winter clothing only? Not around here!
With Christmas just around the corner, there's a fair chance you'll get something nice from Santa – and if it happens to be one of these Original Stitch Pokémon shirts, then you've clearly been a very good boy or girl this year. The lovely people at Original Stitch got in touch with our very own Alex Olney...
News Hot Wheels Unleashed Has Sold One Million Copies Worldwide
Officially Milestone's fastest-selling game ever
Italian developer Milestone has been around, in some shape or form, since 1994, which makes the recent announcement that Hot Wheels Unleashed is its fastest-selling game ever all the more remarkable. Milestone – along with publisher Mattel – has revealed that the title has shifted one million...
News Warlocks 2: God Slayers Gets A Switch Physical Edition Soon
Locked in
Those attempting to collect Switch physical editions have an increasingly tough task, with more and more download-only Indie titles getting limited releases. The latest is Warlocks 2: God Slayers, with QubicGames teaming up with Red Art Games for the release. Released on the eShop back in June 2019, Warlocks 2: God Slayers blends...
Monday20th Dec 2021
Guide Best Cheap Nintendo Switch Games - The Biggest Discounts On Switch eShop (Europe)
The best Switch games currently under a tenner
Regular sales have become a welcome fixture on the Nintendo Switch eShop and there are huge numbers of cheap and discounted Switch games available at any given time. With so much choice it can be tough to know exactly is worth your hard-earned cash and precious time, and Nintendo of Europe is currently...
News Nintendo Advises New Switch Owners To Complete Setup Before Christmas To Avoid Disappointment
"We are expecting a concentrated access on the Nintendo Account server"
The Switch may be approaching its 5th Birthday, but it's still the best-selling game console on the market at present; there'll no doubt be a lot of new owners and systems going online this Holiday season, too. When that happens, of course, we can often see some server issues...
Deed-lightful
Team Ladybug has something of a reputation of turning famous licensed properties into compelling Metroidvanias. After the opening PC-exclusive freebie Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue starring series mascot Jack Frost came Touhou Luna Nights, another ‘exploration action’ title featuring the endlessly popular Gensokyo...
News Yes, Saints Row IV Is 93% Off And No, It's Not A Mistake
If it works, it works
Last week kicked off some tempting festive sales on the eShop, with all sorts of titles (mainly those that weren't in the Cyber Deals extravaganza) having hefty discounts to help us part with our Holidays money. One that's immediately shot to the top of the charts is Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, which is being shifted with a...
News Hades Is The First Game To Win A Hugo Award
They're typically focused on science fiction and fantasy works
Slowly and surely, especially after a huge increase in attention in 2020, gaming is getting more attention in mainstream culture. In terms of sales and profits gaming has been at the forefront for many years, but the battle for acknowledgement as an artform has been a little slower,...
Hardware Up-Switch Orion Review - Turn Your Switch Into A Switch XXXL (And Make It Worse)
Bait-and-Switch
Not so long ago, we reported on the Up-Switch Orion, a crowdfunded accessory that promised to make up for the "underwhelming" and "minuscule" Nintendo Switch screen (Up-Switch's words, not ours). "By increasing your actual gaming screen size by 188% and upgrading your audio experience with the integrated stereo speakers, your...
News Digital Foundry Gives Its Assessment Of Shin Megami Tensei V
Impressive visuals but performance pays the cost
Shin Megami Tensei V was a notable Switch exclusive in November; we enjoyed it in our review and the user review score is also currently flying high on this site. The RPG had been eagerly anticipated and seems to have delivered a sizeable, engaging game that was also a
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Camera Games - Photo Modes And Photography In Switch Games
Say cheese
Photo modes are so hot these days! But, well, not so much on Switch. Search "Best Photo Modes" and you'll get a bevy of PlayStation and Xbox games, probably — like The Last of Us, God of War, or Death Stranding. And sure, those games are lovely and pretty and photorealistic... But you don't need a fancy 4K game console to take good...
Random Vanilla Ice Never Looked Sharper Than In 8-Bit Form On Analogue Pocket
Aim for the flat top
Connoisseurs of both gaming and rap music will no doubt be aware of Rap Quest, an ill-fated Game Boy title with the working title 'Rap City' that originally featured '90s rapper Vanilla Ice before rights issues meant his music couldn't be used. As we've reported before, Equilibrium Software completed work on the game and...
News Monster Hunter Rise Update Version 3.7 Sets Up Holiday Additions
Events and two new buddies on the way
Monster Hunter Rise is still rolling out regular new quests and goodies, while in the Summer the major Sunbreak expansion is due to arrive. Capcom has now confirmed the arrival of version 3.7, which has lined up freebies and Event Quests for the next two weeks. As is always the case, to get the new additions...
News Two Tribes Makes Its Impressive Game Engine Open Source
Particularly strong for layered 2D visuals
Two Tribes is a name that's likely familiar to eShop enthusiasts, in particular from the 3DS and Wii U era. Well known for its original Toki Tori, which recently had a re-release of the Game Boy Color original through Limited Run games, on the Wii U and 3DS the company developed and published a range of...
News RPGolf Legends Could Give Golf Story A Run For Its Money Next Year
"A unique world where monsters and golf coexist!"
The idea of mixing an RPG with a sports game might not be unique – Golf Story got there a long time ago – but Japanese indie studio ArticNet is giving it a try regardless. RPGolf Legends is set in a fantasy world where all of the golf holes have been
News AAA Clock's 'Squid Game'-Inspired DLC Is Coming To The West In Time For New Year
"What better way to measure New Year's Eve until midnight than by AAA Clock?"
Update: RedDeerGames has confirmed that AAA Clock's new 'deluxe' version and its accompanying DLC will be coming to the west: AAA Clock has just been ranked alongside Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Shin Megami Tensei V in the new, "Most Played" section...
News Toree 2, The Delightful Low-Poly Platformer, Gets New Levels In A Free Holiday Update
"Three new, experimental and winter themed levels" coming soon
Earlier in the year, Toree 3D was an utterly unexpected gem on Switch that we discovered by chance. A low-poly platformer with a PS1/Sega Saturn visual style, its breeziness and super-budget price were a breath of fresh air, with cheep (heh) and cheerful — but incredibly satisfying —...
Random A Tiny Nintendo Switch Makes An Awesome Tree Ornament
No tiny dock, though
If you celebrate the upcoming Holidays you may have a sparkly tree up in the house, adorned with all sorts of baubles and things. One intrepid enthusiast has created the ultimate decoration, though, in the form of a tiny little Nintendo Switch. The video at the top is from the channel scottbez1, which gives a nice overview of...
UK Charts Among Us: Crewmate Edition Makes Top 10 Debut In Another Good Switch Week
A notable success for Innersloth and Maximum Games
UK physical chart data is now in for the week ending 18th December, showcasing an Indie hit with a strong physical debut and a whole lot of the usual suspects. Among Us is the big story of the week, with its Crewmate Edition making its debut in 5th place. Typically £3.89 on the eShop with...
Sunday19th Dec 2021
Offer ends December 25th
A new Mystery Gift distribution event for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl has now gone live. This time around, players have the chance to unlock statues of Rhyperior, Electivire, Glaceon, Pachirisu and Lucario for their secret base in the game. This distribution event will run until 25th December 2021, so...
Feature 9 Switch Games Guaranteed To Get You On The Naughty List
Definitely not sugar, spice, and all things nice
It turns out there can be such a thing as too much Christmas cheer, especially during the week before the big day when we’re sick of the sight of the cute snowmen shops have been hawking since October and rag-tag bands of singers are prowling the streets, vocally murdering every carol you thought...
Feature Nintendo Switch Year In Review - Our Stats And Most Played Games
That's a lot of hours
Just recently Nintendo gave us an insight into our gaming years on Switch; it provided a reminder that Mario is always watching when we play, and that we've devoted many days of the year to this lovely hobby of ours. Depending on region you get a neat page of information that covers your most played games, handheld / docked...
News Metroid Dread Crowned #1 In TIME's 'Best Games Of 2021'
Another win for Nintendo
Samus' latest outing Metroid Dread has received a lot of praise since it arrived on the Nintendo Switch in October and now it's been crowned #1 in TIME's 10 best games of 2021. The newest chapter in the Metroid series managed to place ahead of heavy-hitters such as Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and even The Game Awards'...
News Surprise! Dragon Ball FighterZ Is Adding Another DLC Character
It's the 'Lab Coat' version of Android 21
Here's something you might not have expected - Dragon Ball FighterZ is getting another DLC character. The announcement of the 'Lab Coat' form of Android 21 took place this weekend during Jump Festa 2022. The 'Majin' version of Android 21 was already a playable fighter in the game, and the character is a...
News Sonic Boom's TV Animation Is Getting A 'Complete Series' Steelbook Blu-ray Release Next March
And you can pre-order it now
If you were a fan of the Sonic Boom games, you might have also watched the animated television series. While Blu-rays of each season were already available, NCircle Entertainment has now announced it will be releasing a steelbook of the 'complete series'. It's arriving on 8th March next year and will include Season 1...
News Sonic's Co-Creator Yuji Naka Made A New Game, And You Can Play It Right Now
The catch? It's a mobile release
After the release of Balan Wonderworld earlier this year, Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka announced in September he had started developing simple mobile games with Unity. Now, just months later, he's done it - for the "first time" in 37 years, he's made a game all by himself - and he wants everyone to
Saturday18th Dec 2021
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Short Games
Blast through these games in a single sitting
The Switch is the perfect console if you travel a lot, for work or pleasure. The console's portability makes it the perfect choice if you're spending any time at all in planes, trains and automobiles. Of course, you may choose to pass the time playing a trusted standby, or grinding through your...
News Don't Worry, Zelda: BOTW 2 Is Reportedly Still Aiming To Launch Next Year
"people at Nintendo are very excited"
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel didn't show up at The Game Awards and it left some fans concerned about the progress of its development. According to IGN's boss Peer Schneider, there's no need to worry. In the latest episode of the IGN Games podcast (via a story on GamesRadar), Schneider men
Review Deathsmiles I & II (Switch) - A Visually Impressive Panoramic Slice Of Bullet Hell
Chips, dips, chains, whips
Originally marketed in Japan with bottles of tea labeled as “Windia’s Delicious Urine” — the ostensible excreta of Deathsmiles’ central protagonist — one has to wonder what exactly Cave’s aspirations were for this entry in their shoot-em-up canon. A 2009 bullet hell shoot-em-up (or ‘shmup’), Deathsmiles...
News Deathsmiles Collection Gets A Western eShop Release At The End Of The Month
The shoot 'em up of gothic horrors is back
Update [Sat 18th Dec, 2021 06:55 GMT]: It's official, Deathsmiles I.II is coming to the Switch eShop here in the West on 30th December 2021. It'll be available for $39.99 USD or your regional equivalent. It'll require 3.5 GB of space and supports up to two players. Our review for the Japanese version of the...
Video We Forced A Bot To Create Switch Games That Don't Exist, And Now We Wish They Did
Kiddy Kong Racing! Carfox! Super Mario Cosmopolitan!
One day, bots will rule the earth. It is inevitable. Resistance is futile. Just like it was predicted in those Hollywood movies with the shiny skeleton robots and Austrian musclemen/politicians, in the not-too-distant future computers will become so smart that they won't need us weak and feeble...
News Cruis'n Creator Would "Love To See" The N64 Trilogy Added To Switch Online's Expansion Pack
Just imagine playing USA, World and Exotica on the go
Cruis'n Blast was released on the Switch in September, and since then fans have been asking for more. One common request seems to be for Nintendo to bring the classic entries to the recently announced Switch Online Expansion Pack. It appears the creator of the series is just as eager. During a...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 18th)
Because it's cold outside...
Another week finished as we get very close to the holidays. This week's highlight was undoubtedly the latest Indie World showcase, the Analogue Pocket got some retro gamers very excited, Super Mario Bros. 3 still has some secrets,
Friday17th Dec 2021
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Games Of 2021
The finest Switch games of the year, as ranked by you
More of a March madness fan? This video of ours differs from the list below as it looks at the best games that came out between the 3rd March 2021 and the 3rd March 2022. Ooo! 2021 has come and gone (almost) and despite a quiet start to the year, Switch owners have seen some real gems launch...
Random This Guy Has Been Mining Out An Entire Minecraft World For 4 Years, And He's Almost Finished
"Bedrock massacre"
They say that one of the most zen things you can do with a few hours of your life is digging in Minecraft. There's something supremely relaxing about the soft, repetitive sound of pickaxe-meeting-stone; combine it with an enchanted diamond pickaxe and a couple of beacons and you can mine out entire caves in mere minutes. But what...
News Scalpers Are Already Reselling Analogue Pocket Systems For Insane Prices Online
Colour us surprised
After a painful delay related to the ongoing global pandemic, the Analogue Pocket finally launched this week, with those who pre-ordered many moons ago getting the chance to sample the company's latest FPGA-powered creation. Pre-orders for the console also re-opened this week too, but buyers are being told that they might have...
Random Grandmother Accidentally Receives Six Nintendo Switch, So Target Gifted Them To Her
The season of gifting
Here's your feel-good story for the day - a grandmother located in the US was recently gifted not one but six Nintendo Switch. Deborah Lewis mistakenly received six Switch OLED model consoles in a larger than expected delivery, but didn't have any luck when trying to return them to a Target store located up the road from her...
News Five Sega Genesis Games Have Been Added To Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack
Try 'em out today!
Well, here's something we weren't expecting - Nintendo...with the help of Sega, has updated the 'Expansion Pack' with five additional Genesis / Mega Drive games. The new additions include Altered Beast, ToeJam & Earl, Dynamite Headdy, Sword of Vermilion and Thunder Force II
Random Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Has A Neat Magnesis Trick To Bamboozle Guardians
"Easy pickings"
You know how the bee-bee-bee-bee-beep of a laser-targeting Guardian in Breath of the Wild can completely ruin your day? It doesn't have to be this way. Reddit user RinHara5aki has discovered yet another weird trick within the game that can save Link's bum from getting exploded, and all it takes is a little bit of Magnesis. We've...
Random Metroid Dread Fan Finds Another Awesome Throwback Easter Egg
A bit of bad guy branding
Metroid Dread is packed full of excellent details that show just how much developer MercurySteam focused on franchise history. Whether it's routes and tricks designed for speedrunners to discover or fun bonus ways to fight bosses, it's a game that's kept serving up surprises. We do this each time in case you haven't played...
Review Let's Sing 2022 (Switch) - Reliable Karaoke Fun That Could Do With More Variety
More reissue than brand new
There are some things in life that are so predictably reliable, any change to the equilibrium would cause catastrophic disruption. Like the changing of the seasons, the annual holidays, and EA Sports’ insistence on screwing over Switch owners, Let’s Sing continues its annual releases with another set of both new and...
News Animal Crossing Players Are Finding Fragments On Their Beaches Following Update 2.0.4
Thar be Gyroids, me 'arties
The latest update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons went live recently and addressed various issues large and small, perhaps most notably fixing a glitch that left your animal residents wantering around in the nuddy. Certain players have notice
Random An Unused Alternate Version Of Mega Man 3's Box Art Has Sold On Ebay
The NA version, that is
Early Mega Man box art — specifically the North American versions of Mega Man box art — are infamous for being a bit, well, off. And we're being exceptionally generous when we say 'a bit'; the NA cover used for the original game is renowned for being one of the worst examples of video game box art ever created and even C
News Sega's Astro City Mini Is Getting A 'TATE' Version Packed With Shmup Goodness
Batsugun! Battle Bakraid! Armed Police Batrider!
Sega's Astro City Mini is getting a new version that features a vertically-oriented screen, it has been revealed. The Astro City Mini V looks much like the original, but its screen is tilted 90 degrees to accommodate 'TATE' games. Taito is taking a similar route with its similar Egret II Mini, which...
News Sakura Santa Fills Stockings With, Ahem, Festive Cheer On Switch This Christmas
Blue Christmas
It's that time of year when holiday tie-ins flood the Switch eShop, although this latest addition to Nintendo's digital storefront is a little racier than the usual festive fare. Yes, even more so than Santa Tracker, an app which follows Santa as he races around the globe on Christmas Eve. You can'
News Earn 2x Gold Points If You Buy Any Of These Nintendo Games On Switch eShop (North America)
Five games offering double coinage
Nintendo of America has launched a holiday deal for select first-party digital game purchases on Switch. Buying any one of the five games on offer will net you double the usual number of My Nintendo Gold Points you'd usually earn — essentially you'll get double the amount of eShop 'credit' on your Nintendo...
News Sonic Frontiers Will See The Return Of The "Entire Voice Cast"
"We've got Roger as Sonic, we've got Colleen returning as Tails..."
The next mainline Sonic the Hedgehog outing Sonic Frontiers will arrive on the Nintendo Switch in holiday 2022. It's expected to feature a lot of familiar faces, and now during the season finale of Sega's 'Sonic Official livestream', social media Sonic specialist Justin Thormann...
News Dead Cells' Next DLC 'The Queen & The Sea' Arrives Next Year, Here's Your First Look
Update: DLC arrives on January 6th, 2022
Update: Motion Twin has confirmed that the next Dead Cells DLC will arrive on January 6th, 2022. Original Story [Wed 1st Dec, 2021 12:00 GMT]: Just days after the launch of the game's 'Everyone is Here' update, even more content has been reveal
News Triangle Strategy Gets Its First Character & Story Trailer
Say hello to Roland Glenbrook
After its enjoyable demo that led to feedback and game adjustments, we now don't have long to wait before Triangle Strategy launches on 4th March. From the team that brought us Octopath Traveler, this time around we're getting turn-based strategy and what could be a fascinating tale to navigate. A big part of the game...
News Cris Tales Update Adds New Content And 'Significantly Decreases' Switch Load Times
New character, ending and quest to tackle
Cris Tales is a JRPG that arrived in the Summer with a fair bit of attention, courtesy of bright visuals and interesting time manipulation mechanics at its heart - we gave it a recommendation in our review. It's now had a major update that's rolled out and should be live now on the Switch. It adds some new...
News Goku Fans Can Now Download A "Free Demo" Of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot On Switch
Relive the events of DBZ
The latest Dragon Ball game released on the Switch was 'Kakarot' - a video game retelling of Goku's story in the Dragon Ball Z anime series. If you're still not sure whether this would interest you or not, then why not give the newly available demo a try. Yep, that's right - Bandai Namco has made a "free demo" of the Switch...
UK Charts Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Still Leads For Switch In Another Positive Week
22% of FIFA 22 sales were the 'Legacy' edition on Switch, too
UK physical chart data is now in (later than usual) for the week ending 11th December, showing that Switch titles are still performing well in stores. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still the top performer on Switch, though has dropped down to third place. FIFA 22 has reclaimed its crown, and a...
News Cave Story's Secret Santa Is Available Now On Switch, But Only In Japan
Available for a limited time only
If you're looking for something to help get you in the festive mood, then Cave Story's Secret Santa might be just the ticket. Developed by Nicalis in cooperation with Cave Story creator Studio Pixel, Cave Story's Secret Santa is “a bite-sized side story of stealth and puzzle-solving, with familiar characters and...
News Bub Is Back! Taito Is Developing A New Puzzle Bobble Game
Get ready to Bust-A-Move
Taito's Bubble Bobble series is currently celebrating its 35th anniversary and as part of this, the Japanese company has announced a new entry in the spin-off series Puzzle Bobble (Bust-A-Move) is currently in development. Puzzle Bobble game director Tsuyoshi Tozaki said the new entry would "of course include its trademark...
News A New Ghostbusters Game Is "Definitely Happening" According To Ernie Hudson
"When they’ll bring it out, I don’t know"
The release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife has put the paranormal comedy series back in the spotlight, and the increased interest means we're also getting a new video game – with actor Ernie Hudson now backing up previous reports. Hudson, as we all know, plays the role of Winston Zeddemore in the movie...
News 'Kanto Reboot' Brings 36 New Pokémon Shirt Designs To Original Stitch's Lineup
More like Kanto ReSHIRT
Earlier this month, Original Stitch, the makers of the official (and very fancy) Pokémon Shirts, retired 36 of their designs for the original 151 Pokémon from Kanto. Sad news, to be sure — but now they've been replaced with 36 new designs, so who cares! Get in the bin, old stuff! We're all about new stuff now. The new...
Thursday16th Dec 2021
Reminder What's The Best Switch Game Of 2021? It's Time To Rate Your Favourites
Switch GOTY 2021 incoming soon!
Update: Thanks to everyone who has participated so far! We'll be publishing the full top 50 soon, but there's still time to rate your favourite games of 2021. And yes, Chicory fans, we have a review in the works, but you can still rate the game now by heading to its game page (click the title above or use the search...
News Commodore 64 Games Are Being Teased For Nintendo Switch
"We listened"
If you have fond memories of the Commodore 64 generation, oh boy - have we got some news for you! The retro-focused indie developer and publisher Thalamus Digital is teasing C64 games for Nintendo's Switch hardware. According to a vague tweet, the team has apparently "listened" and more will be revealed at some point in 2022. There's...
Update your own copy today
Nintendo has released quite a lot of updates for Animal Crossing: New Horizons since the launch of the Happy Home Paradise DLC, and the latest one bumps the game up to Version 2.0.4. This patch also fixes issues within the game and addresses some problems related to the DLC portion of the experience. Here's are the full...
Random Bizarre Animal Crossing: New Horizons Glitch Is Making Villagers Lose Their Clothes
Update: Somebody finally thought of the children
Update: As highlighted by our buddies over at VGC, it appears that the latest Animal Crossing patch has, among other things, addressed this glitch and once again covered the modesty of your furry, feathery, or leathery animal residents. Here, Nintendo even made en explicit note of it in the pa
News Veteran Smash Bros. Player Confirms Voice Acting For Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl
A final free DLC character and cross-play coming, too
Voice acting for fighters and cross-play has been confirmed for platform fighter Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl. The good news was delivered by art director Diego Hernández on veteran Super Smash Bros. player Hungrybox's stream. Fans of the game have been enjoying the depth and potential of the...
Soapbox Pokémon Journeys Is Like The Original Series, But 151 Times Better
Ash made a friend his own age!
Life's been difficult lately. As much as I want to catch up on all the heart-racing tension of all the TV shows that everyone else is watching — Squid Game, Succession, the new season of The Witcher — I just don't have the energy for it. If I only have an hour or two after work, I don't want to spend it on edge,...
Random These Bot-Generated Pokémon Might Be Better Than The Real Thing
This is what happens when the Pokémon nozzle gets clogged
You know we love bot-generated content. We've used various bots to create front-page stories, and to write a better Ace Attorney script than Shu Takumi, but we haven't dabbled too much in the wild and wonderful world of Pokémon. But Max Woolf has. Woolf is a data scientist at Buzzfeed, and...
News Hey, Listen! Pre-Orders For This Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Hylian Shield Are Live
Update: Play Asia pre-order links also live
One item that adds to Link's iconic look is the Hylian shield. It's been featured in The Legend of Zelda games for a very long time now, and in his latest outing, Breath of the Wild, it also shows up. If you've ever wanted to own Link's shield yourself, you won't want to miss out on this latest offer from...
And so Kinect was born
Xbox's new six-part documentary series celebrating the 20 year history of Microsoft's console gaming division has a lot of company secrets and industry insights and one highlight from a Nintendo perspective is a brief segment about motion gaming in Chapter 5. In the holiday 2006, Nintendo launched its new motion-controlled...
News Sonic Colors: Ultimate Has Received A New 'Celebration' Update On Switch
Download it now
Sonic Colors Ultimate continues to be improved on the Nintendo Switch over time, and while the latest update includes even more quality-of-life updates and fixes, there's also some new content as well. Most notably is the addition of a new 'celebration' pack, which adds new (and free) customisable items for the blue blur. Here are...
News GRIME Is A 'Soulslike Metroidvania' Heading To Switch Next Summer
Has been well received on PC
The Indie World broadcast this week had plenty of good games, including some excellent efforts that were squeezed into a sizzle reel near the end. One of these was GRIME, a 'soulslike Metroidvania' that's been well received so far and is heading to Switch in Summer 2022. It's a title that's earned plenty of fans on...
Japanese Charts Nintendo Switch And Pokémon Diamond And Pearl Remakes Continue To Dominate
Pokémon's latest releases pass 2 million boxed sales in the country
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for the week ending 12th December, revealing that Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have remained on top for a fourth consecutive week, in the process passing two million physical copy sales. It was a quiet week overall with...
Much more fun than Regular Possible Path
Spoilers: The road is, in fact, possible. Yes, it’s another example of flagrant false advertising and the sort of thing that gives this fine hobby an ill reputation. No, we’re joking. Of course we’re joking. It’s not impossible to traverse, it’s impossible to build. A road free-floating in space on...
Random Usain Bolt Says Mario Kart Helped Him Become An Olympic Champ
"I feel like it kinda helped my hunger"
Olympic sprint champ Usain Bolt got to the pinnacle of his profession through hard work, perseverance and innate natural talent, but he has admitted that video games also played a part in his drive for success. Speaking to BBC Gaming Reporter Steffan Powell, Bolt – who is an eight-time Olympic gold...
News The Classic Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure Is Heading To Pinball FX3 On Switch
They chose... wisely
Pinball FX3 is a pretty darn good pinball app on the Switch; it's well worth a look courtesy of its free-to-play model and its support of TATE / Vertical mode. Zen Studios has been the lead studio for virtual pinball for a number of years, yet sometimes its many new tables and releases are limited to specific apps (FX3 isn't the...
Round Up Every Game Featured In Japan's Indie World Showcase - December 2021
Including some exclusive announcements
Whenever Nintendo hosts a special presentation, it normally does one for Japan and one for fans in the West. The latest Indie World showcase was no different - with Nintendo uploading a very different video in its homeland. If you didn't happen to catch it live, there's no need to worry as we've rounded up all...
Random This Dude Fused A Nintendo Wii With A Toaster, For Some Reason
Does all a Wii can do, but doesn't make toast :(
With over 100 million units sold worldwide, there are a lot of Wii consoles out there – many of which, we dare say, are currently languishing inside cupboards and lofts all over the globe, begging to be returned to active service. They say you should always be careful what you wish for, because one...
Nintendo Download 16th December (Europe)
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon! Aspire: Ina's Tale! OMNO!
The latest Nintendo Download update for Europe has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch eShop - New Releases: Aspire: Ina's Tale...
News DONTNOD To Make Publishing Debut With Gerda: A Flame In Winter
An RPG-lite narrative game set during WW2
DONTNOD is a developer well known for the first two Life is Strange titles (though not the most recent) and popular Game Pass title Tell Me Why. As a studio that's helped to popularise the narrative adventure genre in recent years, it's now publishing its first third-party title. Gerda: A Flame in Winter,...
Nintendo Download 16th December (North America)
Chicory: A Colorful Tale! Dungeon Munchies! Aspire: Ina's Tale!
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch eShop - Highlights: Dungeon...
News You Can Pre-Order OlliOlli World Now, Ahead Of Its February 2022 Release
Radical!
Yesterday's Indie World showcase gave us plenty to think about when it comes to future eShop purchases, and one of the games which looked the most promising was the long-awaited OlliOlli World. This slick combination of OlliOlli's stunt-based skateboarding with the living, breathing world of 'Radlandi
News Endling - Extinction Is Forever Will Start Its Quest For Survival In Spring 2022
Grab those hankies
Endling - Extinction is Forever was first revealed way back in September 2019, before making a notable appearance in The Guerilla Collective Showcase during the Summer. It won't make its previous 2021 release target, but the good news is that we should be able to experience its journey in Spring on the eShop. It certainly looks...
News Afterlove EP Is A 'Mix-Tape Visual Novel' That's Coming To Switch Next Summer
Love never dies
One of the most intriguing announcements from yesterday's Indie World was Afterlove EP, a 'mix-tape visual novel' set in Jakarta, Indonesia from the creative director of What Comes After and Coffee Talk. The protagonist is Rama, a musician who is struggling to find his muse after losing the love of his life, Cinta. Cinta may be...
Wednesday15th Dec 2021
News EarthBound-Style Horror RPG OMORI Is Finally Coming To Switch After Skipping The 3DS
Update: Coming to Switch in Spring 2022
Update: Nintendo has revealed that OMORI is coming to Switch in Spring 2022 during its recent Indie World broadcast. Original Story [Thu 3rd Dec, 2020 13:30 GMT]: Those of you with good memories might recall an indie title by the name of OMORI, which was successfully funded via Kickstarter way back in...
Random One Fan Has "Poorly" Drawn Nearly 700 Hollow Knights While Waiting For Silksong
'Day 683 of poorly drawing hollow knight until silksong comes out'
Ah, Silksong — it's been so long. Devotees of Team Cherry's masterful Metroidvania Hollow Knight have been waiting quite a while for the follow up to one of indie gaming's breakout hits of 2017. First revealed in February 2019, a demo featured in Nintendo's E3 2019 Treehouse stream...
News Chrono Trigger-Inspired RPG 'Sea Of Stars' Sets Sail On Switch Holiday 2022
From the makers of The Messenger
It's been a while since we've heard from Sabotage Studio about its upcoming retro-flavoured turn-based RPG Sea of Stars — in fact, we spoke to the developers and saw a remote demo of the game way back in March 2020. The game looked absolutely lovely even back then, and it seems it has only got lovelier in many...
News Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 Gameplay Concepts Revealed In Nintendo Patents
Back to the E3 trailer we go
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, which will undoubtedly get a much cooler name from Nintendo when the time is right, made a star appearance in this year's online-only E3. The trailer above made clear that it'll be an ambitious follow-up to the much-loved original, with Link seen up in the skies and doing all...
News New Pokémon Legends: Arceus Trailer Introduces Hisui's Clans And Merchants
With some bonuses for Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl players
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is getting rather close to release, arriving on 28th January to give us a different sort of adventure with our favourite Pocket Monsters. Its setting and time is already a fresh take for the franchise, and now the latest trailer introduces more of the game's...
News Nintendo Indie World Showcase To Air Today, 15th December
A festive treat!
It's almost Christmas, and those nice folks at Nintendo have announced that a new Indie World Showcase will be airing later today, 15th December 2021. The show will kick off at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST / 6pm CEST and will feature "roughly 20 minutes of information on upcoming indie games heading to Nintendo Switch". As always,...
Random Kirby's Dream Land LEGO Ideas Set Needs More Votes To Make It To Final Round
You can help!
LEGO Ideas is a place where fan-created LEGO sets — called MOCs, or "My Own Creation", by LEGO fans — can be submitted for a chance to become reality. It's where we got sets like the recent Home Alone build, the typewriter, and plenty more TV tie-ins like Central Perk from Friends, the Seinfeld
Round Up Every Switch Game Announced In Nintendo's Indie World Showcase - December 2021
Every game featured in the latest Nindie showcase
Nintendo's latest Indie World Showcase for December 2021 has come and gone, with the broadcast featuring a clutch of indie games old and new confirmed to be coming to a Nintendo Switch near you. In this handy recap guide we've collected ever single game from the December 2021 'Nindie' presentation...
News Nintendo Is Removing Credit Card Support From The 3DS And Wii U eShop Next Month (Japan)
A timely reminder
Nintendo's customer service Twitter account for Japan has issued a reminder that it will be ending credit card and prepaid card support for the 3DS and Wii U next month on 18th January 2022, 9 AM JST. The company previously announced these changes for 3DS and Wii U users in Europe, Australia and New Zealand back in 2019. Here's a...
News Almost 30 Years Later, This Super Mario Kart Player Has Achieved An "Impossible" Record
From legend to Myth+
Super Mario Kart may have launched way back in 1993 and spawned several sequels since then, but it has lost none of its power when it comes to attracting record-breaking attempts. We've covered the likes of Sami Cetin on Nintendo Life in the past, as well as Guillaume "Antistar" Leviach – two of the world's best Super Mario...
Mini Review Omno (Switch) - An Easygoing, Pensive Platformer With Echoes Of Journey
Omno? Om-yes!
Omno is an easy game. It’s unchallenging in every sense of the word. You already know the controls. You’ve seen this general graphical style before and can quickly read the environments. The gameplay loop is familiar: explore, platform, do a sliding-block puzzle, reach a new area. The story is simple and doesn’t dig very deep...
News Minecraft Now Has More Than 1 Trillion Views On YouTube
It's the most popular game on the platform, ever
Minecraft has been around for more than a decade now and it's still insanely popular. So just how "popular" is it? YouTube has announced Minecraft videos have now racked up a combined total of more than a trillion views - yes, over one trillion views. It's honestly hard to imagine that many people...
News Power Rangers' Third Season 4 Pass Character Enters The Grid Today
Say hello to the maniacal Rita Repulsa
Update Wed [15th Dec, 2021 01:00 GMT]: The latest DLC character Rita Repulsa has now officially joined the battle in Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. Rita Repulsa enters the Morphin Grid ~𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬~! Are you ready to face off with the most powerful space witch and her Putties? Be sure to grab...
Random In An Alternate Reality, Sega Published Pokémon
And the seeds were sown 40 years ago this month...
Satoshi Tajiri, as we all know, is one of the key figures behind the incredibly successful Pokémon series. However, it's important to remember that Tajiri's interest in game development began long before he had the idea of linking two Game Boy consoles together in order to share fictional monsters...
Watch Nintendo Indie World Showcase December 2021 - Live!
Time for more eShop goodies
Well, 'tis the season to be jolly, and Nintendo is doing its part in lifting the mood with its latest Indie World Showcase; yes, we're getting our wallets ready. Today's show kicks off at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET, and you can watch it live right here. Nintendo has confirmed that it'll be "roughly 20 minutes...
Poll So, How Would You Rate Nintendo's 2021?
What score would you give Nintendo's first-party output this year?
Much as it did at the start of 2020, Nintendo's first-party schedule looked extremely light in January 2021. While not knowing what's coming can be frustrating for fans looking at a blank slate, it's the natural result of a company that keeps its cards close to its chest and...
News Minecraft Dungeons' First Seasonal Adventure 'Cloudy Climb' Has Arrived, And It's A Free Update
Play it today!
The Diablo-style dungeon crawler Minecraft Dungeons has today rolled out its first seasonal adventure - Cloudy Climb, and it's completely free. It introduces a new reward track system along with many new themed cosmetic items including skins, pets, flairs, emotes, and even capes. You can also purchase an optional Adventure Pass for...
News '90s Sonic The Hedgehog Cartoons Speeding Onto Blu-ray
Sadly only 480p, though
Although Sonic first blue-blurred his way onto our screens in 1991, he didn't get a voice until 1993 — in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, an animated cartoon aimed at kids. And, because it was the '90s, that voice was provided by none other than Jaleel White, AKA Urkel from Family Matters, who also went on to reprise the...
Featuring "a unique local co-op mode"
A new fantasy adventure title from developers Underscore and Joy Brick Inc. has been dated for Switch, and it's a Switch-exclusive, no less. PQube will be bringing Aliisha: The Oblivion Of Twin Goddesses to Nintendo's console in physical and digital form in Spring next year. As shown in today's Indie World...
News Don't Starve Together Finally Seeks Survival On Switch Next Spring
NA Switch Online members can try the original in a Trial from today
Don't Starve is a familiar name among some eager Nintendo download gamers, having been released on Wii U and more recently Switch. Yet it's the standalone multiplayer follow-up, Don't Starve Together, that went on to be an enormous success on PC in particular, and in today's Indie...
News Picross S7 Is Coming, With Stylus Support And A Big Picross Sale
It's more Picross, what else do you want
The newest Picross title, Picross S7 (not to be confused with 3DS title, Picross e7), is coming soon to the Nintendo Switch eShop. Alongside all the series standards and relatively new favourites, like Mega Picross, Colour Picross, and Clip Picross, S7 will also bring brand-new stylus support to the Switch...
News Let's Play! Oink Games Brings Four Beloved Tabletop Games To Switch Today
Pig it up right now!
Oink Games is a Japanese tabletop game studio that you might have seen, if you're into the scene — their small, neon-coloured boxes are easy to bring to parties, or trains, or other people's houses. The company has created a myriad of games in their trademark style, but now four of their most popular games are going virtual on...
News Indie Darling Chicory: A Colorful Tale Is On The Switch, Right Now
From the makers of Wandersong!
When Chicory: A Colorful Tale came out on June 10th this year, it quickly garnered a lot of attention and accolades for its story, its art, and its music. You play as Pizza (or, well, whatever your favourite food is — that's the main character's name) who gains control of a magical paintbrush in a world that's lost...
News Dungeon Munchies Has You Cook Enemies For Weapons, And Is Out Today
About 100 dishes to be discovered
Nintendo's Indie World broadcasts normally have a few 'Out Today' reveals, and today's showcase didn't disappoint. Another title that should be available now (or very soon) on the eShop is Dungeon Munchies, developed by maJAJa, which offers up some charming pixel visuals and sidescrolling action. You can see the...
News Loco Motive, A New Comedy Adventure From Chucklefish, Announced For Switch
Coming in Summer 2022
Publisher Chucklefish has announced that Robust Games' point-and-click adventure Loco Motive will be pulling into the Switch station in Summer 2022. As featured in today's Indie World Showcase, the game combines the murder-mystery of a good Agatha Christie novel with the point-and-click stylings and gameplay of classic...
News River City Girls 2 Gets Awesome New Trailer Ahead Of Summer Release
Summer fightin'
River City Girls 2 had a very quirky, offhand reveal back at E3 in the Summer thanks to Limited Run Games, and it made another appearance in today's Indie World with a new gameplay trailer. Developer WayForward has given a Summer 2022 window for release, too, so it seems to be shaping up nicely. It ramps up a fair bit from the first...
News Behind The Frame: The Finest Scenery Brings Its Ghibli-esque Animated Story To Switch In 2022
For the more refined palette
Behind The Frame: The Finest Scenery, other than being a mouthful of a title, is a beautifully-animated, short-but-sweet tale about painting, cats, and memory. Previously, the Taiwan-made game was only available on PC and mobile, but now it's coming to console, with a Switch release scheduled for Spring 2022. Its...
News Dead By Daylight Will Haunt Us All With A Ringu Tie-In Soon
"Fans should beware of their heart"
Dead by Daylight is still a rather popular multiplayer game across pretty much all platforms, as one hunter takes on a team of four survivors. The IP has been a huge success for Behaviour Interactive, and it's had all sorts of crossovers with major franchises from across games, films and TV. It's now confirmed...
News Chinatown Detective Agency Will Start To Solve Its Case In Spring 2022
"I remember my first day at INTERPOL like it was yesterday"
Back in the Summer, among a whole lot of online events and game reveals, Chinatown Detective Agency was a title that caught our eye. A mystery adventure inspired by the Carmen Sandiego series that also has a cyberpunk aesthetic, it's easy to be drawn in; you can get a decent look at it in...
News Become The Best Babysitter In The Universe In The Superbly-Named 'Baby Storm'
"Use items like toys, food, and supplies to fulfill the kids’ needs"
One of our favourite arcade titles is Alien Storm, an early-'90s scrolling brawler where you battle all manner of horrible monsters from outer space. Baby Storm, which was announced for Switch today during the Indie World broadcast, isn't a sequel to Alien Storm, we're sad to...
News Figment 2: Creed Valley Will Delve Back Into Our Musical Minds Soon, Demo Out Now
Get ready for 'symphonic showdowns'
Figment was a very creative and intriguing title that landed on the Switch back in Summer 2018, with a concept of battling inner demons with music and by solving quirky puzzles. Today's Indie World rather pleasingly confirmed that its sequel is making its way to the Switch in February, with a demo available today...
Tuesday14th Dec 2021
News You Can Get Your Official 'Year In Review' Switch Stats Now
Are there surprises in your Play Activity stats?
It seems like a lot of the 'end of year' stuff is happening a little earlier, and Nintendo is pitching in by launching its rather neat 'Year in Review' website. North American Year In Review Page European Year In Review Page If you go to the official page while logged into your Nintendo
News Out Of Bounds Discovery In Super Mario Bros. 3 Lets You Tag In Luigi
Now that's winning
Super Mario Bros. 3 is an all-time classic, and particularly impressive when you consider the technology it relied upon. The 16-bit SEGA Genesis was right around the corner in Japan by the time the Famicom version launched in Japan, for example, yet Nintendo delivered what was a huge step up for its flagship series. The overworld...
News New Duplication Glitch Discovered In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl 1.1.2
Get it while it still works
If you don't want to actually catch 'em all, why not... clone 'em all? A new glitch has been discovered in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl that can get you an entire box of cloned Pokémon and items. Following an earlier cloning glitch, which was patched out, a new one has been found (and will, no doubt,...
Rumour Could Square Enix's Latest ROM Takedowns Mean The Return Of Chrono Trigger?
"Lower thine guard, and thou'rt allowing the enemy in"
Things have been quiet on the Chrono Trigger front, but according to a tweet from FantasyAnime — a website "dedicated to classic fantasy RPG video games" — that could be about to change. For 22 years, FantasyAnime has been distributing the ROMs for select Square Enix games, including SaGa,...
Reminder The Analogue Pocket Will Be Available To Pre-Order Again Today
Update: Don't miss out...
Update: Remember, Analogue is opening up pre-orders for its Pocket again today, but you'll need to be quick if you want to get your hands on one. Our Analogue Pocket review went live yesterday, and we had this to say about the system: With its solid design, excellent display and wide range of accessories, the Analogue...
Random It Takes Two May Just Be Playable Solo, If You're Masahiro Sakurai
It's like he was training for this moment
It Takes Two was undoubtedly the big story of The Game Awards last week, scooping up Best Family Game (which is an interesting take on that category, for sure) but more importantly the lucrative Game of the Year award. It's an extremely stylish, fun and cleverly designed game, but also has to be played in...
Music You Really Should Listen To Skario Kart: A Ska Tribute to Mario Kart 64
Sure, why not?
Mario Kart 64 has a special place in many of our hearts, a game that transformed the look of the series and introduced a number of classic tracks. It has some great music too, and a project that we've enjoyed listening to throughout today has been Skario Kart: A Ska Tribute to Mario Kart 64. It's an album you can listen to on...
Review Doctor Who: The Edge Of Reality (Switch) - A Fair Adventure With Serious Performance Issues
Flux, but no capacity
It seems as though the key to making a good Doctor Who game is... to not let the player take control of The Doctor. Developer Maze Theory's recent (and rather excellent) Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins was a compelling realisation of this concept, and now Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality is a somewhat more traditional take on...
Random Fans Jokingly Compare Sonic Frontiers To An Unofficial Unreal Engine Tech Demo
"SEGA, HIRE THIS MAN!!!"
Sonic Frontiers is looking very impressive indeed, and promises to do for the Sonic franchise what Breath of the Wild did for Zelda – namely, reinvigorate it via the wonders of open-world exploration (or "open-zone" as Sega prefers to call it). However, some people online have called out Sega (light-heartedly, we should...
News Pikmin Bloom Update Adds New Share Features And Reduces Network Usage
Here are the full patch notes
Niantic has issued the latest update for Pikmin Bloom, the real-world AR game based on Nintendo's charming strategy series. The update takes the game to version 36.0, fixing a number of bugs, adding new sharing features such as the ability to send postcards to friends, and even reducing the required network usage to...
News Yes, This Is Stunt Race FX Running On The Game Boy
Seriously impressive stuff
Stunt Race FX (known in Japan as Wild Trax) was quite an impressive feat when it launched. Sure, it looks hopelessly crude by modern standards, but back in the early '90s when 3D visuals were still in their infancy, it really turned heads – lest we forget, consoles like the SNES simply were not designed for this kind of...
The recipe for success
As you might expect, there are a lot of references to Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – it's hardly a massive shock, given that both are based on the same version of the Zelda universe. However, Twitter user Alexander Trevino has spotted one of the most subtle
News 'A Little To The Left' Brings Wholesome Organisation To Nintendo Switch In 2022
A little to the right
Some people are content to let chaos rule their lives, and that's fine. But for people like us — people who want their pens to be in rainbow order, and their pencils organised by length — the world can be frustrating. So many things at imperfect angles! Too many illogically-designed items of furniture! But A Little To The...
Random Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Hinox Have Seriously Thick Skin, It Would Seem
Lava ain't no problem for this monster
There's a long list of things you might not know about Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and today, that list just got a little longer. We're not sure why Gaming Reinvented pondered this particular issue, but it decided to see what would happen if a Hinox was introduced to a pool of boiling hot lava. To do this, the...
Random This Guy Can Reload Anything Like A Gun In An FPS, Including A Toaster
Cover me! I'm reloading
We've all found ourselves strange new hobbies during the pandemic lockdowns, haven't we? Some of us have picked up crochet or gardening, while others have gotten really into making miniatures and spending way too much on Pokémon plushes. This guy — Karl Schecht, or "Kommander Karl" on social media — got really into...
News River City Girls Zero Has Been Delayed Until "Early 2022"
WayForward wants to deliver the "most accurate port"
WayForward has revealed River City Girls Zero will no longer be released on the Nintendo Switch this year. In an update on the company's official Twitter account, the talented developer behind the Shantae series announced this localisation of the 1994 Super Famicom title Shin Nekketsu Koha:...
News We Have This Person To Thank For Shin Megami Tensei V's Fabulous Hair
JRPG makes use of the "Kawaii Physics" plugin for Unreal Engine 4
Shin Megami Tensei V is a fantastic video game, but have you noticed how good the hair looks? That's all thanks to Unreal Engine 4's “Kawaii Physics” plugin, used to animate things like swaying hair and clothing, such as skirts and dresses. In SMTV, Kawaii Physics is used to...
Random The Original Sonic The Hedgehog Game Is Coming To Tesla
Gotta drive safe
Sonic the Hedgehog is 30 this year and to celebrate his original game is getting a release on the Tesla. Yes, that's right - Sega has announced a partnership with the electric car company to offer the original Sonic video game outing as in-car entertainment on the Tesla Arcade platform. Get ready, Sonic fans! SEGA has just...
News Action-RPG CRYSTAR Is Coming To Switch In Spring 2022, With A Limited Physical Edition
Cry about it
Stop me if you've heard this one before: You and your sister get dragged into Purgatory, and when you find out that you have a super-special power that involves crying a whole lot, a bunch of demons enlist you to rid Purgatory of all the corrupted monsters that have invaded. Well, the reason you may have heard this one before — other...
News Indie Hit 'Unpacking' Sold Over 100k Units In Just 10 Days
"Thank you for joining us on this journey"
One of the biggest indie releases this year is Unpacking - if you haven't heard about it, then go and read our review. We praised the game awarding it nine out of ten stars. Right, done? Witch Beam Games - the Australian-based developer behind this title - has revealed its latest release sold over 100k...
News Square Enix's Kart Racer 'Chocobo GP' Starts Its Engines In March 2022
Final Fantasy spin-off and Switch exclusive gets a new trailer
Square Enix's Final Fantasy kart racer Chocobo GP has been confirmed for launch on 10th March 2022. The Mario Kart-style racer — a Switch exclusive, no less — will feature a bunch of courses set in and around locales from the Final Fantasy with a story mode, 64-player knock-out...
Random Fancy Dressing Like You're In The Witcher? BlackMilk Has You Covered, You Complete Oddball
Everyone goes through a 'goth' phase
Clothing line BlackMilk has already done ranges based on Zelda and Mario, so the fact that it's back with yet another video game-inspired selection should come as no surprise. This time around, however, we're looking at a set of items inspired by
News Don't Starve Is The Next Free Trial For Nintendo Switch Online (US)
Preload it now
If you're a subscriber of Nintendo's Switch Online service and happen to be located in North America, the next free game trial you'll be given access to is the survival title, Don't Starve: Nintendo Switch Edition. It'll be made available in this region on 15th December (tomorrow) and will be playable until next week. You can also...
News You Can Now Get A Calendar As A My Nintendo Reward (Europe)
Counting the days
My Nintendo has been relatively busy in Europe this week, adding some Metroid Dread pins yesterday (which had previously been pre-order bonuses from the official UK store, for example) and has now added another goodie. This time around it's a calendar (of sorts) that's after your Platinum points. It's not a hang-on-the-wall...
News Windjammers 2 Spins Onto Switch In The New Year
Physical release pre-orders confirmed, too
Update: The physical edition publishers have now confirmed that pre-orders will open later this week. Below you can see the posts of Pix’n’Love (Europe) and Limited Run Games (North America): Original Article: Windjammers 2 has been a while coming after its reveal back in
News 2D Anime Fighter 'Phantom Breaker: Omnia' Locks In A March 2022 Release
Prepare for battle
As you might have already heard, the 2D anime fighter Phantom Breaker: Omnia is getting a western release on Switch. Rocket Panda Games has now officially set the date - locking in its launch for 15th March 2022. Here's a new trailer and backstory: "In the game, a mysterious man, known only as ‘Phantom’ appears in Tokyo,...
News Rabbids Coding App Partners With Digital Schoolhouse For Free Learning Project
Resources also utilise games like Super Mario Maker 2
Rabbids Coding is a free app launched back in 2019 by Ubisoft, which can be downloaded for free on PC or mobile. In essence a puzzle game, it offers a learning experience to budding young programmers as you construct commands to the Rabbids to get them through a number of stages. It's now been...
Monday13th Dec 2021
Review Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon (Switch) - A Super Addictive, Combat-Driven Puzzler
Diggin' it
Sometimes just before his boss battle, Specter Knight will warn you, “All who play Pocket Dungeon’s deadly game will be consumed by it.” He’s certainly right. Yacht Club’s newest spin-off of its critically lauded Shovel Knight franchise is, in a word, addictive. It’s easy to look at Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon and think...
News Peter Molyneux's Next Game, Legacy, Is A "Blockchain Business Sim"
Update: Molyneux had previously hoped for a Switch release
Update: Peter Molyneux and 22cans have announced that Legacy, the game which was revealed way back in 2019, will make use of blockchain technology – a fact which almost certainly rules out any release on Switch, as was previously anticipated. Here are some highlights from the
Soapbox Nintendo's Game Awards No-Show Proves It Simply Doesn't Need Anyone Else
More Direct-to-you than ever before
Last week was The Game Awards 2021, an event organised and hosted by Geoff Keighley that's supposedly designed to bring together the entire industry for a general celebration of video games — and some awards, too (after all, it's there in the name). Opinions will vary, of course, but perhaps for Nintendo fans...
News Turn-Based Tactical RPG 'Circus Electrique' Announced For Nintendo Switch
Launching in 2022
Zen Studios and Saber Interactive have announced a brand new tactical RPG, Circus Electrique, which is set to launch on Switch and other platforms in 2022. A turn-based affair, this brand new IP is set in a Victorian steampunk London and is said to be "part story-driven RPG, part tactics, and part circus management." Here's a...
News Pokémon Shares Free Dialga And Palkia Papercraft Models To Print And Build At Home
Get yours here
If you've been enjoying your time with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl on Nintendo Switch and want to keep the hype rolling, you might want to give this crafty little project a go. The Pokémon Company has shared 3D papercraft model designs for the two games' box art stars, Dialga and Palkia. They're available for free...
News Spiritfarer Celebrates 1 Million Sales And Releases 'Farewell Edition' With Final Update
"All good things must come to an end"
Spiritfarer, developed by Thunder Lotus, proved to be a critical and commercial breakout success in the Indie space in 2020, with its approach to a “cozy management game about dying” winning over a lot of players. It's continued to grow with free updates in 2021, too, with the final addition arriving today.
News Super Nintendo World's Getting Adorable Limited-Edition Holiday Merch
And we want it all
If you're lucky enough to be visiting Japan's Super Nintendo World over the holidays, you'll be pleased to know that you'll be able to get your hands on some lovely limited-edition merch. If you're not lucky enough to be visiting – like us – then these images showing what you could have had will sadly have to do. Visitors...
News Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Remakes Claim 3rd In November NPD Chart
Shin Megami Tensei V set a series record, too
Though the increasing relevance of download eShop sales can take away from the lustre of physical retail charts, there's still monthly interest in the NPD figures that show results for US stores. This is particularly the case in November, with Nintendo opting to show off its market leading hardware sales...
News Nintendo Switch Led US NPD Sales For November And Thanksgiving Week
"The system continues to see strong demand"
It's fair to say that the majority of us on these pages have had a Switch either since day one or - at the very least - for quite some time. Yet with some households double-dipping and new gamers still being drawn to the system, Nintendo has continued to deliver strong momentum for the console / portable...
Deals Nintendo Switch OLED Receives Small UK Discount With Shipping In Time For Christmas
Save yourself a few quid
Still looking to get your hands on a shiny new Nintendo Switch OLED? Are you maybe thinking of treating a loved one for Christmas, or just wanting a nice treat for yourself? Well, this new deal is likely to be among the cheapest you'll find. The Neon Red/Blue version of the console, which is also available in white, has...
News My Nintendo Has A Nifty Metroid Dread Pin Set Up For Grabs (Europe)
Yours for 500 Platinum Points
My Nintendo serves up some decent physical rewards at times, and the latest to arrive in Europe is a Metroid Dread Pin Set, showcasing Samus and an E.M.M.I doing "I'm ready to fight" poses. Well, we all like pins for going on our lapels, bags or specially designed pin boards for our collectible pins (that's a thing,...
News Mini Motorways Aims To Build Traffic With New Challenge City Update
Content to be there day one on Switch version
Mini Motorways is a game you may have heard about in recent months, with the popular Apple Arcade title from the developers of Mini Metro arriving on Steam in the Summer. It's reached 500,000 PC sales already, which is rather impressive, and it's also heading to Switch in 2022. Developer Dinosaur Polo...
News Switch Platformer 'Bonito Days' Is Getting 10 New Levels In Free Update
And new camera controls, too
Indie developer Studio Somewhere has announced a free update for Bonito Days, its Switch-exclusive arcade platformer that launched this October. Dropping tomorrow, the update provides ten "gorgeous" new levels for players to check out, as well as three new cups to play through either solo or with friends. The new levels...
News Cyberpunk Point-And-Click Adventure 'Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER' Gets New Trailer
Short but sweet
As its 2022 release draws ever closer, upcoming point-and-click Adventure Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER has been treated to a brand new trailer. Shared by developer MidBoss, the new clip gives us a fresh glimpse at the game's psychic protagonist ES88 and some of the diverse cast she'll be meeting in the game's cyberpunk-style...
Sunday12th Dec 2021
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Run And Gun Games
Mega Men, Mugmen and more
Updated with the roguelite action-platformer 30XX. The library of games on Nintendo Switch has expanded rapidly since the console launched back in 2017 and it now boasts a huge number of great games in practically every genre. Keeping up with all the releases coming to the Switch eShop on a weekly basis can be a...
News The Plot Synopsis For Sonic Frontiers Has Been Revealed
The blue blur must save the day once again
Update [Tue 14th Dec, 2021 00:45 GMT]: A Sega representative has reached out, and apparently the Sonic Frontiers story details shared by Polygon were "incorrect" and have now been removed. In response, we've also removed this plot synopsis from our original story. Original story [Sun 12th Dec, 2021 00:05...
Jeff Fowler thinks he "absolutely nailed it"
Knuckles the Echidna will make his debut in the upcoming film Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and if you've got any concerns about how he'll be adapted to the big screen, there's no need to worry. During an interview with Polygon, returning director Jeff Fowler revealed how the voice of Knuckles, Idris Elba, was...
News Minecraft Celebrates Halo Infinite's Campaign Launch With Eight New Skins
Jump in, Spartan
Halo Infinite - one of the most anticipated video game releases of 2021 - got its campaign update this week, and to celebrate, Mojang and 343 Industries have teamed up with 4J Studios to update the existing Halo mash-up pack in Minecraft. It contains eight new skins - bringing the total amount of skins in this pack to 56. And if...
Reminder Unlock A Special Mario Party Superstars Theme In Tetris 99
Update: Event is currently underway
Update: This is event is currently underway and runs until December 13 - so join in on the fun while you can to unlock this special Mario Party Superstars theme. Original story [Tue 7th Dec, 2021 02:00 GMT]: The year is almost over and to go out with bang Tetris 99 is this weekend hosting a party. Yes, later...
Saturday11th Dec 2021
Rumour Persona 3 Portable Is Supposedly Getting A "Multiplatform" Remaster
Could it be one of the 25th anniversary projects?
Yesterday, rumours became true when the Atlus and Arc System Works' 2D fighting game Persona 4 Arena Ultimax was officially announced for the Nintendo Switch and multiple other modern platforms. Now, in an interesting update, the same leaker who teased this announ
Gallery Here Are Six New Screenshots Of Sonic Frontiers, Coming To Nintendo Switch Holiday 2022
Welcome to the Starfall Islands
Yesterday, during The Game Awards, Sega revealed Sonic Frontiers - a brand-new type of Sonic experience coming to the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms in holiday 2022. Sonic's new adventure will give players the freedom to explore a visually stunning "open-zone" realm known as the Starfall Islands. It...
Friday10th Dec 2021
Talking Point What Did You Think Of The Game Awards 2021?
Hours of games
The Game Awards — Geoff Keighley's pet project that's a bit like the Oscars and a lot like a three-hour advert with the actual awards hastily shoved in the cracks — took place last night, and although a lot of things happened during those three hours (plus the 30-minute pre-show), not much of it was destined for the Nintendo...
Saturday11th Dec 2021
Poll Paper Mario Is Out Now On Nintendo Switch Online, Will You Be Playing It?
Mario's paper-themed N64 game returns
Nintendo's Switch Online Expansion Pack tier has just added the Nintendo 64 classic Paper Mario. This paper-inspired adventure first unfolded on the Nintendo 64 in the year 2000 and since then has gone on to spawn an entire series. The original game has also been re-released over the years on the Wii and Wii U...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 11th)
Ever feel like you're in a loop?
Another week down as we roll towards the holidays. This week we've seen a bunch of games, a few performances, and even an award or two at The Game Awards. Elsewhere, Paper Mario came to the NSO Expansion Pack, some wag hacked Chris Pratt's voice into
News Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp Rated In Australia (Again)
First time was before the delay
Although we were meant to be playing Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp on the Switch by now, in October Nintendo announced a delay. While it's now due to arrive in "Spring 2022" according to Nintendo's website (
News "Next-Gen" Anti-Grav Racer Redout 2 Speeds Onto Nintendo Switch In 2022
"The fastest racing game in the universe"
Fans of futuristic racing games like Wipeout, Fast RMX, and even Nintendo's famous series F-Zero might want to keep an eye on Redout 2. Yep, a sequel to the original title by 34BigThings has been officially locked in for the hybrid platform during Saber Interactive's latest games showcase. It's arriving on...
Friday10th Dec 2021
Guide Pokémon Legends: Arceus Pokédex - Every Confirmed Pokémon So Far
Every Pokémon in the Hisui Region so far
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an upcoming brand new Pokémon game, kicking off a new open world-focused side series. It’s set in the Hisui Region, in an age long ago. This area will eventually become the Sinnoh region, where the remakes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are set, and as such...
News Nintendo Has Added Paper Mario 64 To Switch Online's Expansion Pack
See how the original Paper Mario adventure unfolds
Update [Fri 10th Dec, 2021 08:00 GMT]: Paper Mario has now been added to NSO's N64 Expansion Pack service. Enjoy! Original article [Fri 3rd Dec, 2021 01:30 GMT]: Nintendo will be adding a N64 classic to its Switch Online Expansion Pack service next week on 10th December. It's the original Paper...
News Pokémon Legends: Arceus Reveals Hisuian Voltorb
A "shocking" surprise
Update [Fri 10th Dec, 2021 00:15 GMT]: The Pokémon Company has now officially revealed Hisuian Voltorb - an electric grass type. It will also be releasing a special animated short to celebrate. "Hisuian Voltorb looks very similar to the Poké Balls of the Hisui region. This Pokémon is always in high spirits and has a...
News Banjo-Kazooie Is Getting Jiggy With Nintendo Switch Online In January
That's it, that's the tweet
Update: Nintendo of Europe and Nintendo of America have now tweeted the news, too. Guh-huh! Nintendo's official Japanese Twitter account has confirmed that Rare's N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie is joining the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack in January 2022. There's no exact date giv
Review Paper Mario (N64) - A Well-Crafted Creation That Stands Up Beautifully
Historical document
This review originally went live in 2017, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the addition of Paper Mario to the other N64 games on Nintendo Switch Online. Can we take a moment to appreciate just how gloriously wacky it is that a game like Paper Mario exists in the first place? This is an idea that followed in the...
Video Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Official Movie Trailer Released
Knuckles makes his debut
At The Game Awards, Sonic voice actor Ben Schwartz presented the first official trailer for the upcoming movie Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The film, due out on 8th April 2022, sees Schwatz once again joined by Jim Carrey (Robotnik), and the cast has been bolstered with Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Tails and Idris Elba as Knuckle...
Thursday9th Dec 2021
Watch The Game Awards 2021 Live
Sonic's a dead cert, and fingers crossed for Switch reveals
The Game Awards 2021 is happening today and we'll be watching along with all of you — so why not pull up a chair with us right here? We're not certain exactly what Nintendo-related announcements we'll see this year, but there's sure to be a juicy morsel or two alongside the awards...
Friday10th Dec 2021
News New Pokémon Legends: Arceus Footage Gives Us A Closer Look At Wild Pokémon Encounters
Seamless!
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl may well have only been around for a few weeks, but the next Pokémon game headed to Switch really isn't far away. Pokémon Legends: Arceus launches on Nintendo's platform on 28th January, accompanying the recent Diamond and Pearl remakes by taking fans on a fresh take through the series'...
News That Mysterious Voice In The Sonic Frontiers Trailer? Turns Out It's A Familiar Friend
Xbox gives the game away
If you caught the trailer for The Legend of Sonic: Breath of the Hedgehog yesterday – sorry, Sonic Frontiers – you might have heard a mysterious, ghostly voice near the start of the clip. As you'll no doubt recall, the newly released footage begins with Sonic being chased through a forest. After a few seconds, he stops...
News Introducing Sonic Frontiers, Arriving On Nintendo Switch Holiday 2022
The blue blur is back in an "all-new" type of experience
The other Sonic announcement at this year's Game Awards show was Sonic Frontiers. Yes, Sega has made the next big entry in the long-running Sonic the Hedgehog video game series official. It's likely to be the biggest Sonic game fans have ever seen - with "open-zone" freedom, powerful enemies,...
Random Pokémon Releases 30-Minute ASMR Video Of Piplup Singing, Giggling And Flopping About
Piplup is LOUD
We may as well just stop reporting news for the rest of the day because the content we've all been waiting for – no, desperately praying for – has finally arrived. The Pokémon Company has released the latest video in its ASMR series (that's 'autonomous sensory meridian response' or 'tingly feels by sounds' for those not in the...
News The Game Awards GOTY For 2021 Is 'It Takes Two' By Hazelight Studios
Metroid Dread takes out best action adventure game
The Game Awards has just wrapped up for another year and the winner is 'It Takes Two' developed by Hazelight Studios and published by EA. It also took out the best family and multiplayer awards. The GOTY award was presented by Naughty Dog's president Neil Druckmann and accepted by the game's...
News Monopoly Madness Ditches The Board For A Whole New Way To Play, Out Now On Switch
This'll speed things up a bit
The latest Monopoly video game has arrived on Nintendo Switch – and this one's a bit different. In Monopoly Madness, you'll be playing the game "in a way you’ve never seen before," as the iconic Monopoly board is scrapped in favour of a real-time competitive race around a 3D world. You'll need to roam the streets...
News Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Brings The Fight To Nintendo Switch Next Year
Celebrating 25 years
Well, it looks like the rumours were true - Atlus has now officially revealed the fighting game Persona 4 Arena Ultimax will be making a return as part of the Persona series' 25th anniversary celebrations. It'll be arriving on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms next year on 17th March. According to Atlus, it'll...
News Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC Gets A New Teaser, Three More amiibo Also Unveiled
Available Summer 2022
One of the many reveals during The Game Awards pre-show was another look at the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC. In the teaser (above), we got an incredibly brief introduction to the story. Here's a bit from the official description as well: "Chilling new monsters and mysterious characters beckon you to a land of perilous...
News Cuphead's 'Delicious Last Course' DLC Launches Next Year On 30th June
We've got a date
At long last, we've finally got a solid release date for the Cuphead 'Delicious Last Course' DLC - it's arriving next year on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms on 30th June 2022. The announcement was made during this year's Game Awards show. The DLC has been delayed on multiple occasions in the past, so hopefully,...
News 2021's Game Boy RPG 'Dragonborne' Is Getting A Fancy DX Version For Game Boy Color
Here's your first look at Dragonborne DX
Retro fans may well remember Dragonborne, a new RPG that was released for the good old Game Boy earlier this year. From indie studio Spacebot Interactive, the game features a turn-based combat system, upgrades to collect, and plenty of enemies to defeat – and the best part for collectors was that it came on...
Video The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum Game Gets A Brand New Cinematic Trailer
Coming to Switch in 2022, my precious
Another Switch-related video at this year's Game Awards show was a new trailer for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. If you haven't heard about it before, it's a story-driven action-adventure game based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novels. And earlier this year in January, the game was delayed until next year...
News Switch Just Enjoyed Its Best-Ever Hardware And Software Sales Week Across Europe
The previous record came in 2019
Back in November, it was revealed that the Nintendo Switch managed its best-ever sales week in the UK during the Black Friday madness. Now, Nintendo's revealed more about just how successful that week really was. The company has announced that more Switch consoles and games were sold in the UK and across Europe...
News Addictive RPG 'Loop Hero' Treated To Physical Switch Release And New Animated Trailer
Pre-orders open now!
If you read our Loop Hero review yesterday and now find yourself itching to give it a go, you might want to consider picking up one of its newly-available physical editions. Pre-orders have now opened for two different physical editions of the game over on Special Reserve Games. The standalone copy will set you back $29.99,...
News Nintendo Is Investing In Office Space In Japan To House More Game Development
Nintendo HQ 2: HQ Reloaded
Once upon a time, Nintendo was a little playing card company, located in a regular-sized office building in Kyoto, Japan. They're a bit bigger now, and you may have seen their boring-but-iconic Kyoto headquarters before: It's a big white cube covered in windows. But it looks like there's about to be a second big cube...
Gallery Sonic Movie 2 Trailer Breakdown - Biplanes, Snowboards, And Egg Mobiles
& Knuckles
The reveal of the trailer for the upcoming Sonic movie sequel — sensibly-titled Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — at yesterday's TGAs gave fans their first proper look at (and listen to) Knuckles. It also featured a bunch of nods to the game series and several elements that fans might have expected to see in the first film. You know, chaos...
Video Hisuian Voltorb Gets An Ad-ORB-able Stop-Motion Short To Show Off Its Personality
So round
Voltorb, in his original, Gen 1 appearance, is an angry ball of explosions and rage. It looks like a Poké Ball, and that's about it — and then evolves into "upside down Poké Ball" to really mix things up. But it seems like The Pokémon Company is all about rehabilitating maligned and unappreciated Pokémon these days, because Pokémon...
News Toki Tori For Game Boy Color Is Being Re-Released, 20 Years Later
Super cheep for a Game Boy Color game
When Toki Tori was released back in 2001, the adorable puzzle-platforming game was well-received, becoming a cult classic among its fans — but, being released towards the end of the Game Boy Color's lifecycle, it only had one run of physical copies. Until now! Limited Run Games and Two Tribes have teamed up...
Video Here's An Exclusive Look At Aspire: Ina's Tale, A Puzzle Platformer Hitting Switch Next Week
Check out the game's opening eight minutes
Aspire: Ina's Tale, a fantastical side-scroller headed to Switch, is just one week away from launching on the eShop. In the run-up to its release, we're happy to share an exclusive look at the game's opening eight minutes, running on Nintendo Switch. If you've missed our previous coverage of this one, the...
Thursday9th Dec 2021
News Masayuki Uemura, Creator Of The NES And SNES, Has Passed Away
"I think we have accomplished all the things we could accomplish with console games"
It has been revealed that NES and SNES lead architect Masayuki Uemura passed away on December 6th at the age of 78. The Famicom – the system that would become the NES in the west – was the brainchild of Uemura, who joined Nintendo as an engineer from Sharp in...
Review Loop Hero (Switch) - A Creative And Incredibly Addictive Distillation Of An RPG
You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?
When you get right down to it, almost every game consists of a very simple loop. For example, every Mario 2D platformer ultimately is nothing more than having the famed plumber jump over obstacles and run to the right. We’re rarely focused on the repetition, however, because it’s the new things that...
Guide The Game Awards 2021: Where And When To Watch The Game Awards
Will we get to see BOTW 2?
The Game Awards 2021 will take place very soon, and we know a few things about Geoff Keighley's pet project already — like the fact it'll be an in-person event, with a musical performance by Sting, and an excit
News Nintendo Game Awards Sale Goes Live, With Discounts On Zelda, Splatoon And More (North America)
Up to 70% off select games and DLC on Switch eShop
Nintendo of America has announced its 'Winner & Nominees' Switch eShop deals to coincide with The Game Awards 2021. The Game Awards 2021: Where And When To Watch The Game Awards The list of games (below) features the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda:...
News The UK Is Finally Getting An Online Pokémon Center Store Of Its Own
Shouldn't it be "Pokémon Centre" then?
Deck the halls with boughs of Bellsprout, because the UK Pokémon Center website is finally here. "Congratulations on being one of the first to discover this site—our recent expansion of the Pokémon Center!" reads the website, which is currently in its Beta launch. "We’re excited to welcome you with the...
News Wounds Of Eventide Free DLC Is Now Live In Blasphemous
New bosses, levels and secrets
Blasphemous is certainly among the top group of tough metroidvania titles on Switch, serving up a stunning visual style, a grim but intriguing world and satisfying controls. It's had plenty of post-launch support from developer The Game Kitchen and publisher Team17, too, with updates that have served up new content and...
News 'Lost' Namco Title That Inspired The First Live-Action Video Game Movie Is Coming To Switch
Pre-dating Super Mario, Street Fighter and Double Dragon's movies
Next week's Arcade Archives release is Mirai Ninja, a Japan-only Namco title from 1988 which was never ported to any home system, and holds a special place in video game history. Released in the same year as Keita Amemiya's 1988 movie Mirai Ninja: Keigumo Kinin Gaiden (known as Cyber...
News Clockwork Aquario Just Nabbed A Guinness World Record From Duke Nukem Forever
And it'll take some beating
Last week saw the European launch of Clockwork Aquario on Switch (North America has to wait until next week), finally letting players enjoy a title that's been 30 years in the making. It's been a long time coming, but it was certainly worth the wait. As it happens, the game's well-documented delay in development (the...
News Switch Port Specialist Saber Interactive Is About To Reveal Multiple New Titles
Five games spread across two events
We're so close to this year's Game Awards show and there are so many developers and publishers teasing their own announcements. Joining this already long list is the Nintendo Switch port specialist Saber Interactive - known for its work on games like The Witcher 3 and more recently World War Z on the hybrid...
Random This Super Mario Bros. Game Hack Adds Chris Pratt's Voice
"It's-a me...Chris Pratt!"
Back in September, Nintendo surprised the internet when it announced Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World, Avengers: Endgame) would be the voice of Super Mario in the upcoming animated film by Illumination. It's become a bit of a meme at this point online, and now to take it one step further, an internet...
(Again!)
Remember, you'll get access to Switch Online's NES and SNES games, but not the N64 games which are part of the Expansion Pack. All Switch owners across Europe can currently claim a free trial of Nintendo Switch Online, even if you've already made use of a similar trial in the past. Copying a very similar offer currently taking place for...
Random Ace Attorney Says OBJECTION! To Drugs In Japanese Anti-Marijuana Campaign
Hold it, but don't pass it
6,000 posters and 4,000 leaflets featuring the characters from The Great Ace Attorney have been printed in Japan in an attempt to combat "cannabis abuse", Capcom announced today. The partnership between Capcom and the government has been going on since 2009, and has been aimed towards "crime prevention enlightenment" as...
News Level-5's Mech RPG Megaton Musashi Gets A Free DLC Update
But it's still exclusive to Japan...
Update [Thu 9th Dec, 2021 02:00 GMT]: This new free update is now available. Level-5 has also released a roadmap for the game, which includes the anime series and a "large-scale" paid update coming in Fall 2022 (thanks, Gematsu): December 9, 2021 Free Update Vol. 1: Counterattack Boost Patch Superdreadnought...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Diamond And Pearl Remakes Stay Top, Big Brain Academy Lands In Top Three
As Switch locks out the entire top ten
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for the week ending 5th December, revealing that Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have remained on top for a third consecutive week. The two games sold another 164,580 physical copies combined in Japan last week, taking their total physical sales count to...
News Sci-Fi Turn-Based Strategy Nova-111 Comes To Switch In January
Stellar nova
A combination of turn-based strategy, real-time strategy, and a sort of 2D puzzle platformer-ish spaceship game, Nova-111 originally came out on the Wii U, which means a lot of you might have missed out on it. But we gave it a 9/10, don'tcha know! Luckily for you, you'll be able to weave your way through space-obstacles on the Nintendo...
News Star Renegades Will Add Free 'Prime Dimension' DLC Soon
'Early 2022' for consoles
Star Renegades was an excellent release in late 2020; we rather enjoyed its gameplay blend of roguelite, RPG and strategy in our review at the time. Developer Massive Damage has continued to work on the game since release, and now it has a major free DLC expansion on the way that'll give the game even more depth. It's out...
News Inti Creates Announces Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 Physical Switch Release
Game will also include "full English voiceover"
Earlier this year in September, Inti Creates announced Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2 for Nintendo Switch. It's a direct sequel to the first game and takes on the form of a "speedy and stylish" 2D action platformer. This upcoming release will be made available next month, and ahead of its...
News Cute But Deadly Metroidvania 'Trash Quest' Locks In A December Release Date On Switch
Ready for a challenge?
Remember Trash Quest, the tough but charming platformer we discussed last month? Well, we now have a solid release date on Switch. RedDeer.Games has confirmed that the title will be jumping onto the eShop on 16th December, which is just one week away. A new trailer has also been released (see above), giving us our best look...
News Dragonite And Special Holiday Season Event Revealed For Pokémon Unite
Update: Dragonite timing revealed
Update: We now know exactly when Dragonite will be dropping into the game. You'll be able to add it to your roster on 19th December at 4pm PT. Original Article (Thu 9th Dec, 2021 13:00 GMT): Pokémon Unite is about to get a whole wave of festive activities underway as part of a month-long holiday season event...
Nintendo Download 9th December (North America)
Life is Strange! Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon! Loop Hero!
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch eShop - Highlights: Life is Strange:...
News Intense Shooter Severed Steel Gets More Updates Ahead Of Switch Launch
Due on consoles in early 2022
While the Switch may be short of a lot of the 'usual' first-person shooters, in terms of big franchises, there are a variety of interesting smaller options. Another that's due to arrive in early 2022 is Severed Steel, which focuses on fast and acrobatic gameplay. It's been out a little while on Steam and the Epic store...
News Yurukill Is A Squid Game-Like Visual Novel-Shmup Coming To Switch Next Year
Yurukill or Yuru be killed
From the makers of cult-classic shmup Kokuga and the author of the Kakegurui manga comes Yurukill: The Calumniation Games, the latest game to tap into the "people murdering each other to stay alive" genre that also includes Squid Game, Danganronpa, and Hunger Games. Yurukill, to use its shorter and easier-to-spell name,...
Nintendo Download 9th December (Europe)
LiS: True Colors! Loop Hero! Sam & Max!
The latest Nintendo Download update for Europe has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch Retail eShop - New Releases: Life is Strange: True Colors™...
News Multiplayer Arena Shooter 'Warshmallows' Fires Onto Switch In January
Local and online supported
Bonus Stage Publishing has revealed that its multiplayer arena shooter Warshmallows will be launching on Nintendo Switch on 6th January 2022. The game has you choosing from a roster of different Warshmallows – if you hadn't guessed, that's marshmallows, but at war – before throwing you into an arena with three other...
Wednesday8th Dec 2021
Guide 50 Best Wii Games Of All Time
As ranked by you
It's been many years now since Nintendo changed the game with Wii, the little motion-controlled console which broke away from the competition and started a revolution. Its brilliantly compact design (the size of three DVD boxes, remember?) and approachable and accessible controller helped it open up gaming to a whole new audience,...
News Nintendo's Switch OLED Dock Can Now Be Purchased Separately
Buy one today!
Back when the Nintendo Switch OLED model was announced, Nintendo revealed the dock would be made available for purchase as a standalone item. It's compatible with the standard Nintendo Switch, but it does not include an HDMI cable, AC adapter or packaging. One other catch is it's not being made available at retail stores and is only...
News Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Movie Poster Revealed Ahead Of A First Look At The Game Awards
Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz to feature at a TGA 'World Premiere'
Following on from recent news that Tails voice actor Colleen O'Shaughnessey will be once again voicing Miles Prower in the upcoming Sonic movie, the poster for sequel has been revealed, and it appropriately references another Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — some might say the real Sonic 2...
Review Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX (Switch) - All Monsters Go To Heaven In Tecmo's Cult Classic
Breeding virtual monsters to fight for fun and profit
Name the first classic game series that centres around collecting, training, and battling monsters against other trainers around the continent that comes into your head. No, we’re not talking about Pokémon — instead we’re looking at Monster Rancher, a series which started in 1997 on the...
I know how you feel
It’s hard to believe that we’re now on the fourth Life is Strange game in just six years (fifth if you include the short introductory installment for Life is Strange 2). That’s a lot of content within a relatively short space of time, so there’s an undeniable danger of the series running out of steam. Thankfully, however,...
News Game Journalist Thinks The Next Zelda: BOTW 2 Reveal Is Likely To Be In 2022
Believes a Game Awards appearance is perhaps too soon
Over the past few weeks, some Nintendo fans on social media have convinced themselves that one "world premiere" we'll be getting at this year's Game Awards is tied to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel. It all stems from a tweet by the host and organiser Geoff Keighley - mentioning...
News A New Smash Bros. Would Need A Smaller Roster, Admits Sakurai
"I’ve been doing too much of the work myself"
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with its 'everyone is here' approach, concluded with an enormous roster and amount of content. It was already a huge game on release, but a DLC program that rolled out over the course of three years expanded it further, in addition to the various free updates and mode...
News Nintendo Switch Online Hit By Amazon Web Service Outages
"We apologize for the inconvenience"
Update [Wed 8th Dec, 2021 05:30 GMT]: According to Nintendo's customer support account on Twitter and network maintenance webpage, these issues have now been resolved: "The failure related to the Nintendo Switch network service in general, which occurred around 0:35 on December 8, has been recovered. We...
News It's Official, Tails' Voice Actor Is Voicing The Character In Sonic's Second Movie
"Taking my old pal Tails for another adventure"
It's been a while since we got an update about the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie, but today we've got some exciting news. Tails' voice actor has been officially confirmed as Colleen O'Shaughnessey. The talent has already been voicing the character for many years and will now also be voicing him in...
News Sonic The Hedgehog's New Game Confirmed To Feature At The Game Awards
Update: Blue Blur attendance confirmed for TGA 2021
Update: A tweet from both the official Sonic Twitter account revealing the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie poster and another
News Astroneer Gets January Release Date, And Finally Adds Cute Animals To The Game
Switch: The Final Frontier
Astroneer is a brilliant little base-building space exploration game with literal hidden depths, as you explore the network of procedurally-generated caves beneath your base, and harvest minerals with your handy terraforming gun. Once you've managed to settle your home planet, it's time to build a rocket and blast off to...
News Yes, You Too Can Own A $1,000 Mai Shiranui 1/6 Scale Statue
23.62 inches of winsome female ninja for your shelf
Mai Shiranui is one of the most famous characters to emerge from SNK's Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series, for reasons we're still a bit fuzzy on, even after all these years. Perhaps it's her winning smile? Or that lovely, flowing hair? Maybe it's her boundless enthusiasm for the cooling...
News Arcade Paradise Will Play On Our '90s Nostalgia Next Spring
Physical edition also confirmed
We've written about Arcade Paradise a few times this year, and now publisher Wired Productions - along with developer Nosebleed Interactive - has released a new trailer and confirmed more details. For one thing it's due in Spring 2022, having at one point been planned for late this year. It's a game that leans...
News Namco's Groundbreaking Dragon Buster Is Coming To Switch This Week
Joins the Arcade Archives range tomorrow
Hamster has revealed that the next entry in its long-running Arcade Archives series is Namco's 1984 title Dragon Buster. Notable for being one of the first arcade games to fuse RPG elements with the ability to select your level based on a world map, Dragon Buster followed in the footsteps of Namco's...
Random Waluigi And Wario Get A Much Deserved Celebrity Endorsement
They are beautiful
As you're no doubt aware, Christina Aguilera has been giving Nintendo a bit of publicity recently, starring in a commercial with her family and talking about the topic in an interview with Elle (which admittedly got ignored in gaming circles for a good while). We learned that being famous can get you an early look at Pokémon...
News Pokémon Diamond And Pearl Remakes Passed 6 Million Sales In Launch Week
Seemingly matching Sword and Shield
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have been the tentpole Switch releases for the Holiday shopping season, with early sales data in countries like Japan and the UK pointing to positive results. Now it's been reported by Gamebiz.jp that the releases passed six million sales globally in their launch week,...
News Among Us: Crewmate Edition Gets A New Pre-Holiday Release Date In North America
For you physical collectors
Among Us emerged as a smash hit in 2020 and has continued that momentum this year, with frequent updates and releases on more platforms - including Switch in late 2020, of course. Considering its humble origins it's had a rapid expansion of merchandise, too, and the first of the collector's physical editions is also...
News Nintendo's Monthly Rewind Reminds Us Of November's Big Games And Updates
It was a decent month, yes?
For a good while Nintendo has been producing 'Monthly Rewind' videos in which a very energetic voice-over walks us through key releases and moments from the last month. The November iteration has arrived and serves as a reminder that it was a pretty notable month for the Switch (and mobile gets a mention too). Of course...
News Overpass: Rhythm Roadtrip Will Start Its Switch Journey In 2022
A different take on the rhythm genre
The Switch has a handful of excellent music rhythm games with various hooks and game styles that shake things up. Overpass: Rhythm Roadtrip - published by Quantum Astrophysicists Guild and developed by Studio Bean - is aiming to make its own mark on the genre, targeting a release on Switch and other platforms in...
Tuesday7th Dec 2021
Feature How One Small Company Is Making The Switch Joy-Con You Always Dreamed Of
"There’s kind of something for everyone"
If there's one aspect of Switch which has allowed players to truly make the console their own, it's the ability to chop-and-change the Joy-Con which ship with the system. Many different colour combinations are available thanks to the various packs Nintendo sells, and the company has even gotten into the...
Random Nintendo Has Already Let One Celebrity Play Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Watching a family member play counts, right?
In the lead-up to the holiday season, Nintendo has been getting celebrities to promote the Switch and its extensive library of games in brief commercials. So far, there have been actors like Neil Patrick Harris and Jessica Alba playing games like
News Afterimage Is A Beautiful Hand-Drawn 'Metroidvania' Heading To Switch Next Year
Here are some Nowimages
There are a lot of 2D 'Metroidvanias' kicking around, but there's a reason for that - they're often enjoyable and the better entries in the genre can be top-notch experiences. Another that's heading to Switch in late 2022 is Afterimage, which is the work of developer Aurogon Shanghai. It has some extremely handsome...
Feature Our Verdict On Minecraft's Caves & Cliffs Update, Parts One And Two
Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low
After diving deep into the new Minecraft Caves and Cliffs Part II update (all the way down to Y-64), our resident Minecraft expert Kate Gray is ready to declare her verdict on the whole thing. Do new caves and cliffs make that much of a difference to a game that's all about caves and cliffs? Read on to...
News Ouch! Nintendo Hacker Gary Bowser Hit With Additional $10 Million Fine
He's already $4.5 million down and facing possible jail time
Remember Gary Bowser? He shares his name with Mario's greatest foe (and Nintendo of America's current president), but he's been something of an enemy of Nintendo in general over the past few years. Bowser is a member of Team Xecutor, one of the world's most "notorious videogame piracy...
News Druddigon Makes Its Debut In Pokémon GO Today, Here's How To Get One
Five-day event starts today
Starting today, 7th December, Pokémon GO is hosting a new event called 'Dragonspiral Descent' which sees Druddigon appear in-game for the first time. A Dragon-type Pokémon that was first introduced in Pokémon Black and White on Nintendo DS, Druddigon has arrived as part of the ongoing Season of Heritage celebrations...
News Surprise! Nintendo Has Added A 'Most Played' Section To The Switch eShop
Trending by play time
If you've been on the Switch eShop recently, you might have noticed Nintendo has added a new section, where you can browse the 'most played' games. You'll find this within the 'featured' or 'discover' part of the eShop (depending on your region) - and it allows you to view games trending by play time "over the past two weeks":...
Here's a workaround for competitive matches
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are off to a pretty cracking start, lighting up the official charts and sparking some particularly noteworthy moments within the gaming community. As popular as the
News 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim On Switch Will Feature Brand New Bonus Content
A bunch more armaments for the lucky 13
Kaiju / mecha / high-schooler / side-scroller / visual novel / RTS fans are no doubt made up that 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is Switch-bound next year, and after hearing good things from our pals over at Push Square, we're excited to see what all the fuss is about. It seems that the Switch version will feature...
News Nintendo Reveals The Top 15 Most-Downloaded Switch Games In November 2021 (Europe)
The eShop's biggest games
Nintendo has shared an updated list of Europe's most-downloaded Switch eShop games, revealing which titles were the most popular during November 2021. It's perhaps no surprise to see that the new Pokémon games have done the business this month, with both Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl claiming first and second spots...
WinBack, baby WinBack, that's where it's at
It’d be easy to dismiss Winback without a second thought. Developed by Omega Force — nowadays famous for the long-running Dynasty Warriors series and associated Musou spin-offs/crossovers — and released for N64 back in 1999, it’s probably the least well-known of the Switch Online service’s...
News You Have To See This Awesome Metroid Game Made Inside Game Builder Garage
And you can play it, too!
Nintendo's Game Builder Garage might not have taken off quite as much as the company would have hoped, but talented players are still busy creating some wonderful little games using the software's tech. A prime example of this, if you'll excuse the pun, is Metroid Attack!, a game created by the folks behind YouTube...
News Garfield Joins Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl "Later This Month" On Switch
Coming on 9th December on other platforms
Lasagne-lovin', Monday-hatin' orange cat Garfield has been confirmed as the latest edition to the Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl character roster. Arriving as a free update for anybody who bought the game, Garfield joins the likes of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Nigel Thornberry,...
News The Saucy Rail Shooter Gal Gun: Double Peace Arrives On Switch In March 2022
"outrageously lewd"
We've already seen quite a few Gal Gun games make their way across to the Nintendo Switch and next up will be the release of Gal Gun: Double Peace. This particular entry in the rails shooter/dating simulation series originally made its debut on the PS4, PS Vita and PC in 2015/16. The Switch release will arrive on 17th March next...
Video Our Thoughts On Animal Crossing: New Horizons, One Month Into The 2.0 Update
An hour of Animal Crossing chat!
It's been a month since Animal Crossing: New Horizons got that stonking big update, plus the double stonking Happy Home Paradise DLC that none of us could have predicted. When the game first came out, albeit in much weirder pandemic-beginning-times than the update, most of us were guz
News Crysis 2 & 3 Remastered Have Received Another Switch Patch, Here Are Full Details
Update today
If you've been playing Crysis 2 and 3 Remastered on the Nintendo Switch, you'll be pleased to know a new update is now available for both games. Crytek's community manager has shared all the details over on the game's subreddit. There are crash fixes, weapon fixes, art and rendering fixes, and much more - bumping the games up to...
Anniversary Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Turns Three Years Old Today
And what a wild ride it's been
Three years ago today, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launched worldwide on Nintendo Switch. And what a game it turned out to be, huh? With its constant character reveals, Nintendo Direct showcases, and internet memes aplenty, few games have had quite the impact on the gaming community that Ultimate has in recent times...
Take part from home this weekend
This weekend, Nintendo will be hosting Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's "biggest competition of the year", giving all players the chance to walk away with some very welcome prizes. The European Online Challenge will be taking place on Saturday 11th December, running from 1pm - 4pm UK time. Every fighter can participate,...
Random Want To Be In A Ring Fit Commercial? You Can, If You're UK-Based
Also you have to actually play Ring Fit
Nintendo's been ramping up the adverts in preparation for the Christmas rush, but what about the post-Christmas "oh no, I ate too many mince pies" slim-down? Well, we have Ring Fit Adventure, of course, which is available again after that early pandemic rush. But the advert for "Buy Ring Fit To Work Off Those...
News Art Of Balance Is The Next Nintendo Switch Online Trial (Europe)
Can you beat 200 levels in a week?
The Nintendo Switch Online free trials have served up a nice mix of Indie gems and occasionally some major retail titles. The next arrival in Europe is certainly in the first category, but could be an excellent option for some pre-Holiday unwinding. Shin'en Multimedia's Art of Balance will be available to EU...
News MONARK Gets A Snazzy Combat Trailer And Song
With a rhyming villain bunny-thing
MONARK is an intriguing RPG that arrives in February, getting attention initially for having a team including a number of former Shin Megami Tensei developers. It now has a flashy new trailer to showcase its combat along with a darn good tune (above). We'll be honest and say that, as entertaining as the video is,...
Monday6th Dec 2021
Random Pokémon Diamond And Pearl Streamer Plays For 17 Days Non-Stop, Catches Almost 150 Shinies
And it's still going!
This was just three days in. How things have escalated... Plenty of us have been guilty of staying up a bit late every now and then to keep playing our favourite games, but we dare say there won't be many who can say they've stuck at a single game quite like this. Twitch streamer Nomeyy, who's mostly known for playing...
News Modernised 'Panda' GameCube Controller Hits Kickstarter, Instantly Smashes Goal
Update: More than $1.2 million raised in five days
Update: After just five days on Kickstarter, the Panda Controller has now amassed more than $1.2 million in funding from more than 9,000 backers. Wow. Thanks to the incredible response, several stretch goals such as extended product warranties, a special documentary and limited edition shells for...
Dream home in a dream land
Since Disney now owns a vast selection of major pop culture properties, many of which permeate our lives on a near daily basis, it can be easy to forget the characters that make up the heart of Disney. We’re talking Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy — remember those? In recent years, such characters have...
Feature The Best (And Worst) Of Nintendo At The Game Awards - Zelda, Smash, And More Zelda
Two Nintendo franchises are top of the Keighley tree
Nintendo often marches to the beat of its own DK bongos, hoarding its own first-party announcements for sporadic Nintendo Direct presentations – bar one exception, that is: Geoff Keighley’s yearly awards bash, The Game Awards. Over the years we’ve seen some surprising announcements and...
News Nintendo Loses Court Appeal Over Switch eShop Pre-Order Cancellations
Changes may be coming
Nintendo's approach to consumer rights in the eShop has always sparked a bit of debate, in particular its approach to pre-orders and refunds. In Europe the policy of not allowing refunds on eShop pre-orders led to legal action, a case that Nintendo won pending appeal. Now, however, the German court of appeal has reversed that...
News Fantasy Life Online Comes Out In English On iOS And Android Today
It's not Fantasy Life 2, but we'll take it!
After Level-5's wonderful cult classic Fantasy Life came out on 3DS, and blew us all away with its depth, heart, and charm, it was a little disappointing to find out that the sequel would be a mobile-only game called Fantasy Life Online. It was even more disappointing to find out that it was only destined...
News Fortnite Chapter 3 Goes Live With A New Island, Spider-Man And More
It's a lot of Fortnite
Fortnite remains a behemoth of a video game, available on almost all conceivable hardware and continually building its world through events, lore and seasonal reboots. It's now live with its latest major update, taking us into Chapter 3. The summary trailer at the top of the article gives a good overview and it introduces a...
Rumour Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection Is Coming To Switch
Includes three of the best games in the series
2016's Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection pulls together the three entries that showcase the charismatic Ezio Auditore da Firenze, one of the franchise's most popular protagonists – and if a new rumour is to be believed, it's coming to Switch soon. The pack – which was released previously on PS4...
News BioShock 4 Release Window, Time And Setting Details Reportedly Leaked
Could it be launching sooner than we think?
Last year saw the entire BioShock series (well, its mainline games, at least) arrive on Nintendo Switch, introducing a whole new wave of players to a franchise widely considered to be one of the best in the single-player shooter genre. If you're one of the many who picked up the series on Nintendo's...
Talking Point Are Nintendo's Exclusives Enough To Win A Next-Gen Handheld War?
The 'next Switch' will need to match the current system's all-round strengths
When it comes to the world of entertainment technology, everyone likes to get ahead of themselves. Everything is 'the next big thing', until about a year later, that is, when it's evident that the tech isn't ready yet. Augmented reality and virtual reality are good...
News Spiritfarer's Final Free Update Is Also Its Largest Update Yet
Two new characters on a new island!
Spiritfarer, the charming cosy game about ferrying spirits to the afterlife, is getting its final update this month — and it's going to be the biggest one. According to the creative director, Nicolas Guérin, the team have "saved the best for last", describing the update as "a lovely curtain call for Spiritfarer...
News Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls Isn't Coming To Switch, But It Could
"If you’d like to see it, please speak out!"
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls was not included in the recent four-game compilation, Danganronpa Decadence, that came to Switch on December 3rd. For the most part, it seems that fans didn't mind — the games that were included were the more traditional, story-based ones, and Ultra...
UK Charts Switch Exclusives Dominate, But FIFA 22 Reclaims Top Spot
Big Brain Academy squeezes into top 40
UK physical chart data is now in for the week ending 4th December, revealing that Nintendo Switch exclusives have taken six of the top ten places this week. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has fallen down to second following its first-place achievement last week, with FIFA 22 returning to the top of the table, but it was...
News Star Wars: Hunters Shows The Force In Flashy New Trailer
Still due in 2022, recently had a small soft launch on Android
Star Wars: Hunters is an intriguing upcoming release for Switch and mobiles, a free-to-play PVP take on the iconic franchise. Its release was pushed to next year a few months back, but now developer Zynga has unveiled an official gameplay trailer to show it off. It looks promising but...
News Hideki Kamiya Talks About Why He's Making Sol Cresta, And What's Next For PlatinumGames
The answer is "because he wants to"
"It may sound surprising to some people that PlatinumGames is working on [a classic shoot 'em up]," says Hideki Kamiya in an interview with Cutscenes, a YouTube channel that creates documentaries about Japanese creatives. " we haven't built the studio with the sole purpose of making action games." Kamiya's...
News Pokémon Unite Surpasses 50 Million Downloads, All Players To Receive Free Aeos Tickets
Claim yours starting this week
The Pokémon Company has announced that Pokémon Unite, the free-to-play MOBA available on both Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, has now surpassed a whopping 50 million downloads. After initially launching on Switch in July, the game achieved nine million downloads on Nintendo's platform by September. In that same...
Video The GameCube Is Over 20 Years Old, And Blimey Do We Have Memories Of It
It's not even a cube
2021 marks the GameCube's 20th anniversary, which means it's already been hitting pubs in the UK for two years by now, but being the old group of sods on the video team that we are, we remember it when it was merely a proverbial babe in Nintendo's proverbial (thankfully) arms. At 20 Nintendo's cuboid console hasn't even been...
News Fire Emblem Heroes Book VI Detailed, New Competitive Modes Also Revealed
Version 6.0.0 is here!
Fire Emblem Heroes' latest update is here, taking the game to Version 6.0.0 and adding plenty of new content to get stuck into. The update introduces Book VI, the next chapter for the game. Promising a "rich new story" that'll let you discover why Veronica has returned, Book VI will be going live later today, 6th December, at...
News PopSlinger Is A "Musical Shooter" Full Of City Pop And '90s Anime-Inspired Art
And it's coming to Switch next month
Launching on Switch next month is PopSlinger, a "musical shooter" from developer Funky Can Creative. You'll be playing as Ria Carbon, a regular girl who finds herself becoming the overconfident, goofball hero, 'PopSlinger'. She sets out to save the planet from sinister invaders using soda-powered guns and...
Deals Amazon UK Has The Ring Fit Adventure Nintendo Switch Bundle In Stock
Throw in Just Dance 2022, too, for a very small saving
Last week Nintendo UK dropped a handful of Switch hardware bundles which included Ring Fit Adventure and a Switch, plus additional games. This week it looks like Amazon UK is getting in on the action, too. Amazon UK's base deal is the same — £309.99 for a Switch and a Ring Fit Adventure...
Sunday5th Dec 2021
Talking Point Should The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Library Expand Faster?
Paper Mario is the first addition after nearly two months
It's fair to say that the announcement and launch of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack could have gone better. The Nintendo Switch Online Subscription service wasn't exactly blessed with a spotless reputation prior to the reveal of the premium tier, either. Though some of the YouTube...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects - November 2021
November's best Switch eShop games!
Yet another month of very decent Switch eShop releases has flown on by, so it's time once again to bring out the trusty Nintendo Life eShop Selects! 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...
Mini Review DoDonPachi Resurrection (Switch) - Same Great Game, Same Old Problems
Bee-rilliant, bee-witching, bee-ry annoying
Another day, another prestigious arcade shmup finds a happy new home for itself on the Switch. This may sound like we’ve skipped straight to the end of this review a few paragraphs early but as it’s been a full decade since DoDonPachi Resurrection’s English Xbox 360 release, more than that since it...
Saturday4th Dec 2021
News Grand Theft Auto Trilogy's Latest Nintendo Switch Update Is Now Available
Download it now
Earlier this week Rockstar Games rolled out a new update for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition fixing a range of issues. At the time, it was also mentioned how the update would be made available on the Nintendo Switch in the coming days, and it's now officially arrived. This bumps each game (Grand Theft Auto...
Guide Handmade Nintendo Christmas Gifts And Crafts - Festive Gaming Stocking Fillers
A crafted world, indeed
Making an early start on your Christmas shopping this year, are you? That's probably a good idea given one thing and another. Fortunately, there are plenty of Nintendo-related gifts for your loved ones that are only a click away this holiday season. From ugly gamer Christmas sweaters (the sweaters are ugly, not the gamers, of...
Repent? But we just pented!!
Fantastic roguelite The Binding of Isaac has been around for a decade since its original Flash incarnation. On Switch alone it’s been a thing – along with its Afterbirth+ expansion – for over four years. A big, final addition to the game with the Repentance 'expansion', then, seems a little belated. Helpfully,...
Guide Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games And Accessories For December 2021 And January 2022
Danganronpa! Big Brain! Pokémon Legends: Arceus!
Oh blimey, it's the end of the year already! Yep, 2021 has zipped by like a... like a zip. Ahh, go easy on us — it's been one of those super-long/super-short years! Yes, as 2022 hones into view, we've taken the liberty of rounding up the upcoming Switch game highlights dropping in December and...
Back Page We Fed The Ace Attorney Scripts To A Bot, And It Wrote Its Own Court Case
"Your Honor! Please tell me why you want justice!"
A couple of weeks ago, we enlisted the help of a bot (or two) to help us imagine the Nintendo news headlines of tomorrow. After all, AI is probably going to be the new frontier in journalism some day, and we might as well get on board early. However, the results were... mixed at best, with the bot...
Guide Nintendo Christmas Gift Ideas - Art Prints And Posters
Brighten up your wall with these charming Nintendo posters
What gifts are you getting for your loved ones this Christmas? With so many gamer gifts and trinkets to choose from, it's a tricky question, for sure. If you're looking for something classy that's not going to clutter the place, perhaps one of these lovely Nintendo art prints or posters...
Friday3rd Dec 2021
Random Animal Crossing: New Horizons Players Are Building Iconic Zelda Locations In The Game
Animal Breath: Crossing The Wild
How can we summon news about Breath of the Wild 2? The last thing we heard was a 2022 release window, which is probably going to be more like "end of 2022" than any time soon. Still, rumours are swirling. Would it help to start recreating it in another game, perhaps? That's what a few Animal Crossing: New Horizons...
Saturday4th Dec 2021
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 4th)
Will you be putting your brain to work?
It's been another interesting week in the Nintendo Life as we all head towards the Holiday season. We learned that you can pump iron in Animal Crossing, there was a welcome new look at Triangle Strategy, someone
News The Summer Game Fest Returns In 2022
More will be shared at The Game Awards
It's been announced the Summer Game Fest will be returning in 2022...next Summer. There are no other details just yet, but apparently, more information will be revealed during The Game Awards. Geoff Keighley - the host and organiser of both events - shared the following message (below) on Twitter as part of...
Friday3rd Dec 2021
Poll What's The Worst Legend Of Zelda Game?
Whisper it
The Legend of Zelda has celebrated its 35th Anniversary this year, with Nintendo releasing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD along with the rather handsome Game & Watch. Interestingly, those releases alone have included two titles that can certainly be described as 'divisive' — we're thinking Skyward Sword's arm-waving controls...
News Shin Megami Tensei V Updated To Version 1.02, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
New settings and minor fixes
Shin Megami Tensei V was only treated to its first update last week, but seven days later, here we are with a second patch that adds some new settings and fixes minor issues. The new update takes the game to Version 1.02 and mostly centres around new camera and display options. The full patch notes can be found below,...
News Minecraft 1.18.1 Update Fixes Fog Issues And Decreases Diamonds, Here Are The Patch Notes
Oh no! My diamond spawning rates! They're broken!
Mojang have just announced the first patch for Minecraft's brand-new 1.18 update, titled "Caves & Cliffs Part II", which aims to fix a few bugs and issues here and there. Technical Changes in 1.18.1 Pre-release 1 Fixed an issue that would cause players on low-bandwidth connections to get...
Guide Christmas Jumpers And Ugly Sweaters For Gamers - Pokémon, Mario, Sonic, And More
Garish gaming garments to keep you warm this Xmas
You hear that? That jingle bell-tinged drone is the sound of festive inevitability! In amongst the socks and the boxes of deodorant you'll be gifted this holiday season, there's a high probability there'll be an ugly festive jumper in there somewhere. Yes, even though granny's turned the thermostat...
Review BloodRayne ReVamped (Switch) - A Joyless, Frustrating Port That Shows How Far We've Come
Dhampir squib
These days, it feels like every other ‘new’ game being released is a remake or a remaster of some old game. There’s value in this, however, as it’s wonderful to have great games that were previously locked to old platforms brought onto modern devices with improvements and additions. But, just because a game is retro, doesn’t...
Talking Point What Can The $1200 Aya Neo Tell Us About The 'Switch Pro'?
We go hands-on with the Aya Neo 2021 Pro
Next year, the Switch will be five years old – a fact which makes the continued demand for the console all the more remarkable. Despite being powered by technology that, even back in 2017, could hardly be described as cutting-edge, the hybrid system has shifted over 90 million units worldwide and shows no...
Thursday2nd Dec 2021
News The Collab Between Among Us And BT21 Is Here, And It's Cute
Smooth like butter, like a criminal undercover
[Update: Thu 2nd Dec, 2021 23:00 GMT] The collab collection has been revealed, including figurines, plushies, clothing, and mugs! You can find it on the LINE Friends website. [Original: Wed 17th Nov, 2021 20:45 GMT] Cookies and cream. Lemon and lime. World-famous K-Pop group BTS and... Among Us?...
Friday3rd Dec 2021
News Free Alternate Costumes Are Coming "Very Soon" To Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Update: Here's a first look
Update [Fri 3rd Dec, 2021 02:30 GMT]: A new trailer presented by IGN has given fans a first look. Although these new costumes are available now on other platforms, Switch players will have to wait just a little bit longer than the rest: Original story [Sun 21st Nov, 2021 03:30 GMT]: If you're still playing the...
News Big Brain Academy: Brain Vs Brain Solves The Age-Old Dilemma Of "Should I Let My Kids Win?"
The answer is apparently not "yes"
Big Brain Academy: Brain Vs Brain is out today, bringing multiplayer brain-testing to the Nintendo Switch juuuuust in time for Christmas. But if you're imagining a tense and combative situation in which either your children are crying because you're (obviously) smarter than them, or your children smugly lording it...
Review BloodRayne 2 ReVamped (Switch) - A Definite Improvement, But Dante Won't Lose Any Sleep
Second time's the charm
Sometimes it takes a few tries for a developer to properly execute their vision for a game. Just look at the original Metroid and then think of how it led to Super Metroid. It’s not that the original was bad, but it was a rudimentary initial take on what Yoshio Sakamoto really had in mind from the beginning. The same...
Random Domino's Is Trying To Lure In New Workers With The Chance Of Winning A Nintendo Switch
And free pizza for a year!
What a tasty combo. There aren't many things in life better than gaming and pizza, and that's exactly what popular pizza chain Domino's is offering to new employees in Australia. The perks are being offered up to one lucky new worker in a bid to get more people applying for jobs; Australia's 9Now news network reports...
Download it today
The enhanced version of Quake is easily one of the retro highlights of 2021, and it just keeps getting better - with Bethesda and its developers rolling out the second major update for all platforms, including the Nintendo Switch. The highlights of 'Update 2' are Horde Mode - made by the team at MachineGames (Wolfenstein II: The...
News The "Live-Action" Mega Man Movie Could Be On The Way To Netflix
More Mega?
As you might have heard, Capcom's blue bomber Mega Man will be receiving the same Hollywood treatment as Sonic the Hedgehog and Detective Pikachu in the near future. According to a story over on Rockman Corner, it's now been been "pretty much" confirmed that Netflix will become the exclusive home of Chernin Entertainment's "live-action"...
News Mario Golf: Super Rush Now Lets You Win Mario's Normal Clothes, Which Is Exciting
He forgot his golf gear
Mario Golf: Super Rush has improved a decent amount since launch courtesy of multiple free updates that have added new characters, courses and modes. An ongoing attraction for those that like to jump in for some quickfire play is the Ranked Match online mode, in which even if you're struggling to win you can still gradually...
Random There's Something Vaguely Familiar About This Animal Crossing: New Horizons Home Design...
Some kind of story
We've been having a lot of fun with Happy Home Paradise's vacation home designs, and the new depth that the DLC has added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons — but, we have to admit, most of us haven't really been getting too gimmicky or adventurous with it. Maybe that's a mistake, since we've been seeing a lot of really neat...
News Sakuna: Of Rice And Ruin Gets New Content In Latest Update - Here Are The Patch Notes
New dishes and Spirit Boughs
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin has a brand new patch, titled "Ver. Nov 8th 2021" despite the fact that it came out on December 1st. It adds some new content, but largely contains bug fixes and adjustments to make the game work better. Check out the notes below: Ver. Nov 8 2021 Patch Notes Added Content Implemented a...
News Play As A Dog With A Machine Gun In 'Metal Dogs', Coming To Switch In Japan
"Bow Wow" and "Woof-Woof-Woof" versions available
Top-down roguelike action game Metal Dogs is coming to Switch next year, but only in Japan, publisher Kadokawa and developer 24Frame have announced. The game is all about three dogs — Pochi the Shiba Inu, Bell the Doberman, and Bonanza the Bulldog — who live in a post-apocalyptic world in which...
News Hori's Next Split Pad Pro For Switch Is Mega Man-Themed
And pre-orders are now open!
Hot on the heels of the Pokémon Legends: Arceus Split Pad Pro we shared just yesterday, Hori is back with yet another new design, this time inspired by Mega Man. Available to pre-order as we speak for £49.99, this particular design is set to launch on 14th January 2022. Just like the Split Pad Pro's other variants,...
News Reggie Fils-Aimé Will Be A Presenter At This Year's Game Awards
To reveal Moth– no, let's not go there
Looking for more reasons to sit through the tediously long Game Awards show this year? Well, in a bit of good news for Nintendo fans, it's been revealed that former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé will be a presenter at the show. The event will be hosted once again by Geoff Keighley, but will...
"An adventure of danger and excitement"
Hamster's made it to the final month of the year and it's started out with Taito's action-platformer arcade title, Liquid Kids. This game made its debut in the arcades in 1990 and was followed by a number of home console ports. Here's a bit more about it, along with a look - courtesy of Nintendo Life...
Anniversary Super Smash Bros. Melee Launched 20 Years Ago Today In North America
"CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER!"
Making everyone here at Nintendo Life feel painfully ancient, today marks the 20th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Melee's release in North America. Only the second game in the series, following on from the original Super Smash Bros. on N64, Melee would go on to become arguably the most beloved entry in the franchise, long...
News Lacuna Is A Noir Detective Game Hoping To Reinvent The Point-And-Click Genre
WASD-and-click
What is it about "noir detective" and "pixel art" that makes them go together so well? Between Backbone, The Darkside Detective, and Unavowed, it's getting to be quite a beefy genre-within-a-genre. Now, to add to that pile, is Lacuna: A "sci-fi noir", which promises a number of features hoping to improve on a few of the...
Deals New Nintendo Switch + Ring Fit Adventure Bundles Hit My Nintendo Store UK
Save £19.99 with this console bundle
If you're in the market for a new Switch this festive season, My Nintendo Store UK has a new set of console bundles that include Ring Fit Adventure — perfect for keeping the holiday weight at bay, or at least slowing its advance as the mince pies and cheese courses start creeping into your diet. The new...
News Spelunky-like 'Caveblazers' Is Getting A Physical Edition
Blazers? In a cave? That's a little overdressed
Caveblazers, the Yogscast-published Spelunky-like roguelike with Celeste-like pixel art, will be getting a limited physical release of 4,000 copies, in partnership with Super Rare Games. If you've ever read an article about physical versions of Switch games, you'll know what comes next: The cartridge...
Thursday2nd Dec 2021
News Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Version 13.0.1 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Metroid Dread amiibo support and more...
Nintendo announced Version 13.0.1 of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would be arriving at some point this week, and it's now available. Although DLC fighter support has officially come to an end, there's still some exciting stuff included in this latest update. There are several fixes and game balance adjustments...
News Pokémon's Diamond And Pearl Remakes Have Been Updated To Version 1.1.2
Here are the full details
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl on the Nintendo Switch have now been updated to Version 1.1.2. According to the patch notes, it fixes some issues that would prevent players from progressing under certain circumstances and also resolves some other issues for a "more pleasant gameplay" experience. Here are the...
News Qualcomm Unveils Switch-Style Device Targeting "The Future Of Portable Gaming"
An emphasis on fancy specs and high-end streaming
In the portable gaming space we have Nintendo with the hugely popular Switch, powered by the ageing but competent NVIDIA Tegra X1, then we have increasingly powerful mobiles and tablets. There are a range of other portable devices that are smaller in scale but promoting powerful technology and...
Review Archvale (Switch) - A Bruisingly Brilliant RPG And Bullet-Hell Blend
With a dash of Zelda for good measure
It really feels like we’re in somewhat of an extended ‘bullet hell’ renaissance, doesn’t it? As soon as developers realised that the sub-genre didn’t need to be confined to linear vertically scrolling shmups, we’ve seen fresh takes that inject new life into other genres. Archvale is a mashup of a...
News Stardew Valley's Latest 1.5.5 Update May Contain Hints At New Content
Does ConcernedApe ever rest?
Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone recently said that he wasn't sure if there would be any more Stardew Valley updates, saying that he was working on the "next game" — which we now know to be Haunted Chocolatier. Here's what he said during a Twitch stream for the Stardew Valley championships:
News Nintendo Has Updated Its Switch Online App To Version 1.14.0, See What's Included
Minor adjustments and more
While there have been no noticeable updates to the Switch Online service in recent times, Nintendo did release a new system firmware update yesterday - improving the stability of the Switch and enhancing the overall user experience. Now, to top it off, it's also released a new update for its Online App for both Android...
Talking Point Great Game, Poor Performance - When Does A Bad Frame Rate Not Really Matter?
Shh, don't tell Digital Foundry
It seems that no game release is safe nowadays without frame rate graphs and resolutions being counted. That is fair enough, as games should ship in a competent and playable condition, but it's easy to forget that we're often spoiled in this modern gaming era. We gasp if gameplay regularly dips below 30fps, and with...
News Hori Is Releasing A Pokémon Legends: Arceus Split Pad Pro For Nintendo Switch
And some other themed accessories
Believe it or not, but the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus is next month on the Nintendo Switch. Ahead of the game's launch, accessory company HORI has announced a variety of themed accessories. The highlight of the lot is the Switch Split Pad Pro ($59.99 USD) - which can be used with the standard and OLED...
Not a bad launch, then
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for the week ending 28th November, revealing that Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are still leading the pack by a supremely comfortable margin. In their second week on sale, the two games shifted another 355,046 physical copies in Pokémon's home region of Japan. That...
News Digimon Survive Has Been Rated For Switch, Hopefully Putting An End To The Delays
ESRB warns of poop attacks
Fans have had to be very patient when it comes to Digimon Survive. Originally planned to launch in 2019, but then delayed to 2020, 2021, and then the most recent delay to 2022, it's certainly been a long time comin
News Pokémon GO And Pikmin Bloom's Next Community Days Fall On The Same Day
Get those walking shoes ready
We hope you're ready for some serious exercise – and that you have a good battery pack or two ready – because both Pokémon GO and Pikmin Bloom are set to kick off their next Community Day events on the very same day, the 18th December. All the details you could possibly need on Pokémon GO's event have already...
News .hack//G.U. Last Recode Is Coming To Nintendo Switch Next Year
.it's// a port of [the remaster.ed.] trilogy__
The game that breaks most content management systems with its confusingly punctuated title is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch, Bandai Namco announced today. .hack//G.U. Last Recode is a remastered trilogy of the original JRPGs, plus a fourth chapter that serves as an epilogue "Reconnection", made...
Nintendo Download 2nd December (North America)
Big Brain Academy! Disney Magical World 2! The Kids We Were!
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch eShop - Highlights: Big Brain...
News Tsareena Is The Next Character To Join Pokémon Unite
Here's your first look
The Pokémon Company has announced that Tsareena will be the next Pokémon to join the roster in Pokémon Unite, the free-to-play MOBA available on both Nintendo Switch and smartphones. The new character, a Grass-type Pokémon that was first introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon on Nintendo 3DS, will arrive in-game on 9th...
News Nintendo Games Are About To Get Cheaper In Russia, Customers Also Offered Extended Warranties
Joy-Con, consoles and more to be protected for two years
Nintendo Russia has announced two major changes to its operations this week, with game prices set to be reduced and extended hardware warranties being offered to customers. The first announcement comes from the company's official website, where Nintendo states that prices for its own games...
News Marvel's Shang-Chi Star Simu Liu Will Be A Presenter At The Game Awards 2021
A fellow Canadian joins Geoff
Next week The Game Awards is taking place, and in the lead-up, event organiser and host Geoff Keighley has been hyping the event on social media. If you weren't already excited about Metroid Dread being up for a game of the year nomination or Sting making an appearance (no, not that one), perhaps you're more of a fan...
Nintendo Download 2nd December (Europe)
Big Brain Academy! Disney Magical World! Clockwork Aquario
The latest Nintendo Download update for Europe has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch Retail eShop - New Releases: Asterix &...
Designs to be replaced this month
If you've been eyeing up Original Stitch's Pokémon Shirts but haven't gotten around to claiming your favourite, you might want to check out this list of designs that are soon being retired. 36 of the range's Kanto designs are being scrapped and discontinued from 15th December, with new, revised designs for each of...
News Combat-Free Fantasy Adventure 'Omno' Is Finally Coming To Switch
Omno? Omyes!
Omno is a game about a little onion-shaped adventurer travelling around an "ancient world of wonders" on an epic quest to discover... something. That something includes frogs, giants, crabs, and plenty of puzzle-platforming. And, rather impressively, it's a one-man project, with German developer Jonas Manke at the helm (and, er, all the...
News Reggie Fils-Aimé To Lead "Blank Check Company” Focused On Gaming And Digital Media
Designed to support and help companies to go public
Reggie Fils-Aimé recently hosted and chaired a livestream roundtable to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Xbox, which was interesting not only as an insight into the era of its original launch, but to see what some former gaming executives are doing now. Fils-Aimé, for his part, has remained...
News Put Musk And Branson In Their Place When Spaceflight Simulator Takes Off On Switch
Boasting "scientifically accurate rocket physics"
Ever wanted to build your own space rocket, set off for Mars and leave this planet for good? Well, soon you'll be able to (pretend to) do just that, as Spaceflight Simulator is headed to Nintendo Switch. The game, developed by Stefo Mai Morojna, has players putting together their very own space...
Wednesday1st Dec 2021
News Nintendo Switch System Update 13.2.0 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Super stable
After some rather exciting firmware updates like Bluetooth Audio support, dock updates, and the release of the 'Expansion Pack' tier for the NSO, Version 13.2.0 focuses on stability improvements and enhancing the overall user experience. Here are the full patch notes, courtesy of Nintendo's official support page: Ver. 13.2.0...
Guide Animal Crossing: New Horizons Happy Home Paradise DLC - How To Remodel Villagers' Homes
Get that ugly furniture OUT OF HERE
You may have heard that it's now possible to remodel your Animal Crossing: New Horizons villagers' ugly, gift-filled homes on your island. It's true! Buuuut... you'll have to jump through a few hoops first. Luckily for you, we've figured out those hoops! So, without further ado, here's how to unlock the ability...
Review Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain (Switch) - A Fun-Filled, Budget-Friendly Party Plaything
This is big brain time
Nintendo is far from alone in its pursuit of games – or applications if you prefer – that are designed to give that cauliflower-looking organ within your skull a good thrashing, but the company has often done better with that software than most. Now we have the Big Brain Academy series (which began life on Nintendo DS in...
News A Speedrunner Has Already Beat Pokémon Shining Pearl In Just 23 Minutes
Update: The time keeps tumbling down
Update: Incredibly, Werster has managed to knock down that world record time even further, posting a new video showcasing a complete run that took just 23 minutes and 13 seconds (down from the 33-minute attempt we shared previously). You can see that new run above, and more info on the speedrun can be found in...
Mini Review Beyond A Steel Sky (Switch) - A Nostalgic Return To Adventure Gaming's Golden Age
Cat hair moustache?
The first golden age of the point-and-click adventure was brief. Just moments after Lucasfilm Games graduated from the kindergarten clunk of Maniac Mansion, The Dig was in its Spielberg-endorsed grave. That was 1987 to 1995. Everyone agrees the early '90s were where it was at – even those who wrongly preferred Sierra Online...
Gallery Here's What Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Looks Like With Raytracing
Zelda Skyrim?
Breath of the Wild is a gorgeous game, right? Well, it's about to get even gorgeouser. We might even say gorgeousest. With the use of just two mods, one to add a raytracing reshade and another to add "infinite tree LOD" (level of detail), Breath of the Wild can look like this: To explain what on earth raytracing and
News GTA Trilogy's Physical Edition For Switch Has Been Delayed, Will Now Arrive In "Early 2022"
Can you wait a little bit longer?
If you've been holding out for the physical release of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition for the Nintendo Switch, unfortunately, it's been delayed until next year. The hard copy was due to launch on Nintendo's hybrid system on 7th December, and has now been pushed back to "early 2022". No...
News Sorry Folks, Fall Guys For Nintendo Switch Won't Be Released This Year
More details will be shared in 2022
We're nearly at the end of the year, and by now if a certain game hasn't shown up on the Nintendo Switch it's probably not going to make 2021. With this in mind, Fall Guys by Mediatonic won't be arriving this year. After being delayed in May the UK-based developer has now provided another update in a new post...
News Pokémon Unite Wins Google Play's Best Game Of 2021 Award
And 'Best Competitive', too
Pokémon Unite, TiMi Studio's MOBA-infused take on the hit franchise available on mobile and Switch, has been named 'Best Game' at Google Play's 2021 awards. The 'Best of 2021' awards are a "celebration of apps and games that made positive contributions to culture this year," and the full results of Google's picks have...
News Metroid Dread Developer MercurySteam Announces Its Next Game, Codenamed "Project Iron"
"a third person action RPG set in a dark fantasy world"
If you've been wondering what the developer MercurySteam is up to now that Metroid Dread is available on the Nintendo Switch, it appears it's already got a brand-new game in the works. The Spanish-based studio is teaming up with Digital Bros and its publishing division 505 Games for a new...
Talking Point Mario Kart 7 And Its Infamous Course Skip Are Now 10 Years Old
One of the earliest Nintendo game updates we can remember
We're in a gaming era of plentiful patches, where it's common for games to get frequent updates starting on day one. There are some rare releases even today that receive either no updates or very few — unless there are frequent DLC additions — and one of Nintendo's selling points is its...
News Shantae And The Seven Sirens Has Received A Free “Spectacular Superstar” Update
Out now!
Update [Wed 1st Dec, 2021 02:00 GMT]: The update for Shantae and the Seven Sirens has arrived. WayForward has released a small trailer alongside it. And you can learn more over on the official game website. Original story [Wed 17th Nov, 2021 02:00 GMT]: Well, here's a nice surprise, Shantae's latest adventure - Shantae and the Seve
News Five Switch Publishers Team Up For Huge eShop Sale, 15 Switch OLEDs Also Being Given Away
Get discounts as high as 90%
Remember QubicGames' wonderful Christmas 2019 event, when the publisher gave away ten of its games to anyone who owned any of its titles? Well, this year the studio's back, and it's brought some friends along for the ride. In a slightly different setup, this year's event sees eShop titles from QubicGames, Untold Tales,...
News 'Special Edition' Metroid Dread Report Gives Hints, Tips And Strategies
Volume 11, if you're counting
Prior to the launch of Metroid Dread we rather enjoyed the multiple 'Reports' that were shared by Nintendo and the development team at MercurySteam. They shared all sorts of lore, history lessons and sneak peaks of the game, but with Dread having now been out for about 6 weeks a 'Special Edition' report has been...
Random This Accidental "Cursed" Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Mod Turns Everything Into A Nightmare
BOTW's Hyrule has a Dark World, too
We've all had that moment where we're messing around with a game's files, and we accidentally turn the world into a strange, wrong-coloured nightmare, where all the trees are screaming and the sky is as black as a void, right? No? Ah, you're missing out. Postposterous — whose video about Link's sunburn we...
Video Here's 10 Minutes Of NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy, A New Cyberpunk Adventure Coming To Switch
"See the impact of every choice you make"
UK indie studio Dream Harvest has shared the first look at its upcoming cyberpunk adventure, NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy. The game's headed to Switch and other platforms in the new year (no specific date has been announced just yet) and is said to combine elements of games such as
Random The Steve Aoki x Sonic Concert Is A Weird Way To Pass An Hour
It has Steve Aoki and Sonic, so...
It's been quite a year for Sonic the Hedgehog, now 30 years old and perhaps losing a step - after the big 3 and 0 it's all downhill [Wait, are you having a midlife crisis? Ed]. The Switch iteration of Sonic Colors Ultimate could have certainly been better, but we'd argue that the Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony was...
"Kayko and Kokosh" will coincide with a new Netflix show
Unless you're from Poland, there's a good chance that the names 'Kajko' and 'Kokosz' won't mean an awful lot to you. First published in 1972, Janusz Christa's comic books have often been compared to the Asterix series, and they explore similar themes (the franchise has even been accused of...
News The Way Of Wrath Is An Upcoming Switch RPG With An Intriguing 10-Day Gameplay Setup
Will you survive?
The Way of Wrath is an upcoming RPG that's planned to launch for Nintendo Switch in 2022, publisher Hooded Horse has confirmed. Developed by Animmal, the game is set during the Bronze Age and throws players into a story where you and your allies have just faced a devastating defeat at war overseas. Your job is to rebuild your...
News Paradise Lost Is A Post-Apocalyptic Walking Simulator Shuffling Onto Switch This Week
"WWII persisted for 20 more years"
Launching in just a couple of days' time on Nintendo Switch is Paradise Lost, a "post-apocalyptic, alt-history narrative adventure" from publisher All in! Games and developer PolyAmourous. Now available to pre-order on the eShop, Paradise Lost is perhaps best suited to those looking for an engaging storyline...
News Crafting Adventure Game 'Wytchwood' Conjures Up A December Switch Release
It's available next week!
Publisher Whitethorn Games has announced that Wytchwood, a crafting adventure game headed to Switch, will launch on the eShop on 9th December. We've been intrigued about this one ever since its initial Switch announcement earlier this year; presented in a charming storybook art style, the game has you gathering and growing...
News The Game Awards Will Feature A 'League Of Legends' Musical Performance By Sting
That's the singer and not the wrestler, by the way
The Game Awards has announced that this year's show will feature a live musical performance by 17-time Grammy Award-winning musician Sting (no, not that Sting). The commercially and critically-acclaimed musician will perform “What Could Have Been” from the original soundtrack of Riot Games and...
News Limited Run Reveals Its Physical Version Of Crysis 3 Remastered For Switch
Pre-orders start next week
Following on from physical pre-orders for Crysis 2 last month, Limited Run Games has now revealed the hard copy version of Crysis 3 Remastered for Nintendo Switch. Pre-orders for Crysis 3 start next week on 7th December on the Limited Run Games website and will be open for a total of six weeks. There'll be a standard...
News Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue Won't Bring The Heat To Consoles Until 2022
Hype doused, for now
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue is a rather promising upcoming 'roguelite', with eye-catching visuals and all sorts of mechanics based around dousing fires. Unfortunately it's been confirmed today that while it's still hitting its 14th December release on PC, its console versions (including Switch) have fallen back to 2022...
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