Latest Soapbox - Page 3
December2022
Soapbox One Of My GOTYs Is A Game You Probably Haven't Played (But You Should)
A masterpiece of narrative design
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Kate gets green fingers... Come here. Sit down. Shut up. Why haven't you played Strange Horticulture yet? No, that was rhetorical. And also, a trap. I said shut...
Soapbox The Steam Deck And The Switch Aren't Rivals, They're Siblings
Switch 'em up
I have a Switch. And I have a Steam Deck. I am a fancy lady with two consoles designed for the kind of people who really like to be horizontal when playing games, which suits me just fine, because I am often to be found being horizontal and/or playing games. But I see a lot of folks pitting my two expensive rectangles against one...
Soapbox Xenoblade Chronicles X's Influence Is Bigger Than You Think
So why is it *still* stuck on the Wii U?
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on the 5th anniversary of Xenoblade Chronicles 2's release, Alana wants to celebrate the influence of its predecessor and series spin-off... Xenoblade...
November2022
Soapbox Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Is The Most Friction-Free Pokémon Yet
We can go where we want to
I often tell people that I am not a Pokémon fan. I say this while sitting in a Pikachu-branded chair, with my handmade Snom figurine hanging out on my desk next to my my off-brand plastic Swinub figurine, having played 90% of the available Pokémon games out there (I didn't bother with Black and White 2 and I didn't like...
Soapbox The Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Remake Doesn't Look Weird Enough Yet
What have they done to my boy Gustafa
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Kate's not impressed by what she's seen of Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life so far... My very first Harvest Moon game was A Wonderful Life on the GameCube,...
Soapbox How To Improve Pokémon Scarlet And Violet's Open World
We have some ideas
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, our video host Alex Olney has some ideas on how to make Pokémon Scarlet and Violet better... The Pokémon series is slowly, painfully evolving its games into open-world...
Soapbox Resident Evil Zero's Train Scenario Is Still One Of The Franchise's Best
Choo choo, zombie express
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, as RE0 turns 20, Ollie remembers one of the series' best openers... Resident Evil Zero gets a pretty bad rap. When it launched on GameCube on 12th November 2002 —...
Soapbox Paper Mario: Sticker Star Was When The Series Came Unstuck
A good idea on paper
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. On the 10th anniversary of Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Kate throws a very grumpy birthday party for a 3DS game she found pretty disappointing... There is a good game hidden inside...
October2022
Soapbox After 10 Years I'm Finally Getting A Wii U, But Where Should I Start?
What would U suggest for Mii?
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, as the Wii U approaches its tenth anniversary next month, Jim is trying to make amends for missing out on a misunderstood Nintendo console, with your help and ours...
Soapbox EA Playground Is A Forgotten Gem And Deserves To Be Remembered With Wii Sports
Playing games in the uncanny valley
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on its 15-year anniversary, Jim pleads the case for a forgotten Wii classic... If there’s one thing that you could always rely on the Wii to achieve, it was...
Soapbox Disney Dreamlight Valley Feels Like A Villain Rehab - Is That A Bad Thing?
I didn't sign up to be Scar's publicist
In the world of Disney, a deep line is drawn in the sand between Good and Evil. On the side of Good, we have most princesses and fairies, anything and anyone with large eyes, and all women under the age of 30. On the side of evil, we have most non-prince men, all witches, some wizards, and any woman with...
Soapbox I Might Be Too Messy To Enjoy Disney Dreamlight Valley Properly
Mickey Mouse says tidy your room
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Kate dives into the latest Disney game to find out what all the fuss is about... The gaming world has gone mad for Disney Dreamlight Valley, and I think I want in...
September2022
Soapbox Forget Marvel, The Perfect Capcom Crossover Is Simpler Than You Think
Ryu from Streets needs new challengers
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Scott saves Capcom a lot of money and bother with a crossover suggestion everyone can get behind... Sure, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate may be the 'most...
Soapbox Endless Zelda Remakes Are A Poor Substitute For Backwards Compatibility
But we'll buy them anyway
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Kate discusses her love/hate relationship with remakes... There is nothing quite as emblematic of our lost and distant childhood than video games. They are one of the few...
August2022
Soapbox Ace Attorney: Trials And Tribulations Is The Perfect Tragedy
With the perfect villain
Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations on the DS turns 20 today (although the GBA version is a few years older). To celebrate, we're reminiscing on what makes it one of the most beloved games in the series... Massive spoilers for Ace Attorney 1-3 below!! Anyone who's ever played an Ace Attorney game knows the score by now...
Soapbox All I Want From Mario Kart 8's DLC Is More Tracks Like Baby Park
Baby Park > Rainbow Road
As someone who gets paid to have opinions about video games, I have to check myself a fair bit. Do I love a particular game because I'm blinded by nostalgia? Am I kinder to a particular genre because I have a soft spot for it, even if some of the games are a bit pants? Are there developers who I'm willing to forgive for...
Soapbox For A Jaded Pokémon Fan, Scarlet And Violet Is Exactly What I Need
Just when I thought I was out... They pull me back in
For many years now, I've been buying the mainline Pokémon games primarily out of some twisted sense of obligation. Back in 1999, Pokémon Red and Blue launched at the perfect time for me; I was ten at the time of its release and had already gotten a good sense of what Pokémon was all about...
July2022
Soapbox Mario Gave Us The Powerwashing Fantasy Before It Was Cool
Mario was the original ASMR powerwasher
As Super Mario Sunshine turns 20 on the 19th July, 2022, Kate wants to get a few things off her chest about how the game would have been a massive hit today, probably... ALRIGHT, LISTEN. Whenever I am in polite company, and I mention enjoying Super Mario Sunshine — yes, despite its insistence on collecting...
Soapbox 20 Years Later, Super Mario Sunshine Is Still The Best 3D Mario
Defending the GameCube outing on its 20th birthday
What you lookin' at? Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, the overabundance of sunshine from the current heatwave has clearly got the better of Ollie, as he makes wild declarations...
Soapbox Correcting A Horrifying 15-Year Mistake By Finally Playing Elite Beat Agents
They don’t make rhythm games as bizarre as they used to
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, Lowell makes amends for a poor life choice and finally gets down with that funky, funky beat... Rewind with me all the way back to...
Soapbox Games Go Down Better When Paired With Books, Movies, And TV, Just Like Wine
Well, not JUST like wine. You can't drink a book
I don't know much about wine, but I sure like to pretend I do, and I bet I'm not alone. Who else here — of drinking age, that is — has bought a red wine to accompany dinner, because it "goes well with pasta"? How many times have you been poured a glass of wine to "taste" in a fancy restaurant,...
June2022
Soapbox Why Do We Talk About Games By Comparing Them To Other Games?
It's a Stardew-like-roguelike with Soulsborne elements
"What's in a name?" Shakespeare once wrote. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." He was, of course, talking about the blood feud between two warring families, and the thirteen-year-old daughter of the Capulet family wishing that her crush could be called something other than Montague...
May2022
Soapbox Chasing The 'Real' Monster Hunter Rise Ending Has Restored My Faith In Online Gaming
Everyone is so lovely and stylish
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, Tom goes online and finds lots of nice, friendly, helpful people... There's a majority of very normal, charming individuals that love video games. Of course, you...
Soapbox Help, I Can't Stop Buying Japanese Games I Don't Understand And Will Never Play
Nintendo sixty-moarrr
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, Gavin ponders why he's spending time and money importing Nintendo curios from the East that he's not even sure he'll play... It all started with Morita Shogi 64. If you're...
Soapbox Dragon's Dogma Is A Janky, Weird, Ageing RPG, And Everyone Should Play It
Pawn stars
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen turned 10 years old this week, and to celebrate, Kate's been reminiscing about her first time playing it, and her love for Grocco... On the surface, Dragon's Dogma looks like any other 2010s RPG. It's got dragons, it's got swords, it's got side quests. You've played Skyrim. You've played Dark Souls. You know...
Soapbox Leaving The Comfort Zone - A Quest To Find My New Favourite Games
Old favourites are just that: old
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, yer man Thomas Whitehead discusses sidestepping his considerable backlog and starting a personal quest to try new things... The Switch has been with us for over...
Soapbox Free Game Updates Are Fantastic For Everyone, Except New Players
I want my money back
You wouldn't complain about a free lunch, would you? Well, maybe you would — if the lunch was something you'd never eaten before, and it came with utensils you'd never used before, and no one told you how to actually consume it. That's a bit like how I feel picking up Dead Cells for the first time. Although it's technically...
Soapbox Mother 3 Isn't Sad, It's Hopeful
It's SMILES and Tears, remember?
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, Alana wants to tell you why you should find hope and not just gloom in Mother 3. You'll still cry, though, don't worry. Now, are you ready? Say… Fuzzy Pickles!...
April2022
Soapbox Please, Please, Please Release Sonic Advance Trilogy On Nintendo Switch Online
Don't make us blue
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, Stuart pleads with the powers that be to get a certain trilogy on Nintendo Switch Online... Game Boy Advance is coming to Switch Online! Maybe! Almost certainly, anyway!...
Soapbox The Video Game Camaraderie On r/place Is A Lesson About Community
We are all amogus
Soapbox articles give our team a chance to share some personal perspectives. Kate's been keeping an eye on a Reddit art project for the last few days, and has some warm fuzzy feelings to share... Disclaimer: The very nature of r/place means there may be some unpleasant imagery, pixel-nudity, and various other NSFW things included...
March2022
Soapbox Kirby Returns To Remind Us That Escapism Isn't A Dirty Word
A source of simple joy
Soapbox articles give our team a chance to share some personal perspectives; today it's the turn of Tom Whitehead to talk about why gaming matters more to him than ever before. I've always been someone eager to lose myself in my imagination and intriguing worlds; from childhood to the present day my biggest passions remain...
Soapbox Chrono Cross Really Deserves To Come To Switch Before Chrono Trigger
We're not radically dreaming
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, Alana wants to tell you why Chrono Cross deserves a bit of love and attention before an inevitable (well, fingers crossed!) port of the awesome Chrono Trigger...
February2022
Soapbox As A Recent Pokémon Convert I'm Excited For Scarlet And Gen 9
#TeamScarlet
Soapbox articles give our team a chance to share some personal perspectives; today it's the turn of Tom Whitehead to admit he might be a Pokémon fan now. Back in early January I wrote about how Pokémon Legends: Arceus would be my first game in the series, a confession for which I was instructed to recite 10 'Pika-Pika' chants and...
Soapbox Two Ace Attorneys Are Trapped On 3DS eShop, So It's About Time For A New Trilogy
Take a shot every time someone points in this article
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Kate would like to point out that two of the Ace Attorney games really should get a nice new remake some time soon... The Ace Attorney games, in...
Soapbox A Week After Jailing One Pirate, Nintendo Just Made Piracy A Reality For Countless Fans
The timing is impeccable, even by Nintendo's standards
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Damien discusses the less-than-ideal timing of Nintendo's announcement regarding its 3DS and Wii U eShops... Nintendo has just announced that...
Soapbox NSO Isn't Game Pass, But Nintendo Is Learning The Benefits Of Subscription Models
SLOWLY, but steadily adding value
In Nintendo's February 2022 Direct, we found out that yet another boon is being added to the rapidly-expanding number of benefits that come with Nintendo's Switch Online Expansion Pack: The 48 DLC tracks for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. We already have access to the catalogue of N64 games (which are being sllllooowwwly...
Soapbox Pokémon Legends: Arceus Is A Reminder That It's Never Too Late To Change
*click
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Stuart thinks back on decades of trying to get into Pokémon, and his joy at finally coming in from the cold... Back in the misty vales of 1999 and at the frankly silly age of 12, I must...
Soapbox Dear Konami, Please Do Something Decent With Castlevania
Fangs very much
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Damien laments the fact that we've not had a 'proper' new Castlevania game since 2014... Those of you who have visited this site regularly over the past decade or so might be aware...
Soapbox I'm Looking Forward To Going To The Past With Pokémon And Ace Attorney
Super-nostalgia
My knowledge of "the past" is relatively limited to specific periods of history. I have a degree in Ancient Greek and Latin, so I could tell you all about Suetonius' account of Claudius' imperial reign in excruciating depth, although I doubt you'd want me to. I know a lot about the Tudors, because I went to school in England, and...
Soapbox Don't Cheer For Corporate Takeovers - It's Not A Game
Monopoly isn't just for fun when it's real money
Back in September 2020 when Microsoft announced its acquisition of Bethesda for around $7.5 billion, it was a big move — one that some fans would have been excited by, and others less so. It was a huge deal at the time, with that purchase giving Microsoft Gaming / Xbox a number of new studios and...
January2022
Soapbox Pokémon Legends: Arceus Raises The Question - How Much Do Janky Graphics Matter?
THE TREE TEXTURES! THEY'RE BURNING MY EYYYEEEEESSSSSS
I have a secret to admit. I am... a little bit bored of Pokémon. If I'm completely honest with myself, I have been for a while. I've played almost every mainline game, but I started losing momentum around the time of Sun and Moon. It just seemed so overwrought and complicated, with the...
Soapbox After 25 Years, Pokémon Legends: Arceus Will Be My First Pokémon Game
Can it be the Dark Souls of Pokémon (nah, probably not)?
Soapbox articles give our team a chance to share some personal perspectives; today it's the turn of Tom Whitehead to make a confession. We all have our hidden shames and gaming gaps, and it's time to share one of mine. Despite writing words about Nintendo for nearly 8 years I've always...
Soapbox Sonic Frontiers' Open World Has The Potential To Deliver On An Old Promise
Boom or bust
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Stuart takes a look at the upcoming open-world Sonic game and ponders the promise it has, and pitfalls it has to negotiate... The Game Awards were a double-header for us Sonic fans. A...
Soapbox 8 Times I Ugly Cried At Kingdom Hearts
Gawrsh!
SPOILER WARNING! In the following article Stuart discusses some rather whopping spoilers as he takes us on an emotional and tearful Kingdom Hearts journey. If you haven't played the games and you're sensitive to spoilers, we recommend coming back in a year or so once you've played the lot. Otherwise, be warned that certain unfortunate events...
Soapbox 2022 Is Looking Glorious For Tactics Games On Switch
Throw in a Fire Emblem to really treat us, Nintendo
Nintendo already has a number of high profile games lined up for Switch in 2022, and when you add third-parties to the mix it's looking very exciting indeed. One genre that is looking particularly good for the coming period is tactical games, in particular turn-based strategy tactics games. For...
December2021
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
November2021
Soapbox Wii Sports Wasn't Just Waggle, It Was An Important Gateway To Gaming
Mii Masters
The Wii is 15 years old, words to make this writer feel a little bit old. It was an era when HD was a bold new frontier in gaming, and Nintendo decided 'nah, we'll just do something fun instead'. It's extraordinary to consider that the Wii and DS shared the market, creating a boom for Nintendo that even the current Switch success can't...
Soapbox Even If GTA Trilogy Were Perfect, I'd Rather Be Shooting Balloons And Burying Gyroids
Scale vs. scope
The wider gaming internet is currently in a funk of bitter disappointment due to the launch state of GTA The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, an anniversary package which, unfortunately, isn't so definitive. For Nintendo gamers who have waited years to be able to play a fully-3D Grand Theft Auto of any sort, it's infinitely sad to...
Soapbox Can We Please Retire The Phrase 'Lazy Devs' Already?
A tough job under difficult circumstances
There’s one magic word that gets trotted out all the time in this hobby, a handy term used to describe all digital ills — lazy. ‘How did this bleh of a game end up on the eShop?’ ‘Who couldn’t be bothered to finish this puzzle / minigame / character’s face properly?’ ‘How much more effort...
Soapbox The Switch Online Expansion Pack Is Great Value – If You Love Animal Crossing
Just hear me out...
My name is Thomas Whitehead, and I am a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscriber. This is the point where you all smile and say "hello Thomas, you're with friends here". Because a lot of us are in this room, nervously clutching a cup of stale coffee, aware that out in the world there's judgement and downvotes galore...
October2021
Soapbox Nintendo's N64 Emulation Is Serviceable, But Treasured Memories Deserve Better
Hazy memories
Anyone who's ever spent a decent amount of time with video games probably has a small handful of momentous memories etched on their brains. Not just that time you beat a gruelling boss or played Mario Kart with your pals at Paul's birthday party — more pretentious than that. We mean a time when your perception of what was possible in...
Soapbox Let's Get Happy Home Designer Into Animal Crossing: New Horizons
My villagers have no RESPECT for interior design
So, unlike most people, I have actually played Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer. I don't blame those of you who didn't — it's a weird little spin-off that peters out pretty quickly, and lacks a lot of the liveliness of Animal Crossing itself, but... well... there's something special about it all...
Soapbox Why Apollo Justice Might Be The Best Ace Attorney Game
How's that for a Turnabout
Can you imagine celebrating your 20th birthday, and someone comes up to you and tells you that your nervous, short friend/mentee is much more interesting than you? Well, it's Ace Attorney's 20th birthday, and while that's not exactly what I'm doing (and I'll explain why in more detail in a moment), I have to say: as a...
Soapbox Paper Mario: TTYD Is 17 Years Old Today, But It's Still A Masterpiece
A paper cut above the rest
From the very first second of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, I was hooked. The game begins with a gentle twinkling music and a book opening to tell you the story of an ancient, ruined town lost to time, and the fabled treasure buried there; once you've listened to the whole story (and seen Peach herself buying a...
Soapbox Joy-Con Aren't Perfect, But They're Great For Sick Day Gaming
Everybody hurts (themselves) sometimes
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been pondering. Today, Kate discusses rediscovering the joy of Joy-Con following a recent mishap, and her dreams of Joy-Con 2.0... I'm about to turn 30, so of course, the natural...
Soapbox What Makes A Game A Good Metroidvania Anyway?
Similar differences can make the genre hard to pin down
You’d be forgiven for thinking that nothing could be simpler than working out the secret formula that binds all of the great games in this popular genre together — the clue’s in the name! They need to be just like Metroid, with all the shooting and the aliens and the sci-fi-ness and the...
Soapbox We Need To Talk About The One Thing Nintendo Got Wrong With The Switch OLED
We hope you have long fingernails
Yesterday, we published our review of the Switch OLED, the latest hardware iteration of Nintendo's incredibly popular hybrid gaming platform. Boasting a gorgeous 7-inch OLED panel and a revised dock, it's an upgrade that improves on the original design in many meaningful ways – apart from one. As we noted in the...
Soapbox 10 Reasons Why Metroid Fusion Is The Best Game In The Series
You clear Fusion
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been pondering. Today, as we look forward to the coming release of the next instalment in the 2D Metroid lineage, Stuart takes a look back at his very favourite game in the series... Hello. Did you know...
September2021
Soapbox 4 Years On And Switch Finally Got Bluetooth Audio, So Voice Chat Next?
Go on Nintendo, party like it's 2009
I can hear the pitchforks sharpening so let me just say it right away — I really like Nintendo. I spend the majority of my day focused on its hardware, games and related fun times. So I tease the company with affection, but good grief it deserves a little bit of gentle mocking from time to time. And so this...
Soapbox The Era Of Rock Band, Guitar Hero And Plastic Instruments Was Silly But Special
Wish fulfilment
Over the past few weeks it's been a lot of fun to share a huge range of music-themed features as part of the Nintendo Life VGM Festival. Much of our focus, quite rightly, has been on highlighting the amazing talents behind the soundtracks and audio design that we enjoy in games. For a little change, though, I wanted to reflect on a...
August2021
Soapbox Music Just Don't Come Spookier And Sadder Than Zelda: Majora's Mask
The moon, masks, and melancholy
I didn't play Majora's Mask when it first came out, and thank heavens I didn't — I probably would have just quit playing video games then and there. I mean, I used to have nightmares about the wind sound effects in Ocarina of Time (in my defence, they're creepy); I don't know how I would have handled the existential...
Soapbox Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Was The Basis For My Taste In Music
Sick jams, dude
The year was 2005. iPods were the hot thing, YouTube had just been launched, Twitter didn't exist yet, and the words "podcast" and "social media" had only just been added to the dictionary. It was, in short, a great time to be a kid, as well as the nexus point of many of our modern everyday experiences, like being able to listen to...
Soapbox Life Is Strange On Nintendo Switch Signals Better LGBTQ+ Rep To Come
Visual novels and narrative adventures are leading the way
Note. Spoiler warning! Plot details from Life is Strange and its prequel, Before the Storm, are discussed in this article. There's a lot to be disappointed about in the way the games industry has historically handled LGBTQ+ representation, and believe me, I'm dismayed by it, too. It was...
Soapbox Chiptune Is Great, But The Impact Of A Full Orchestra Is Unbeatable
Elevated storytelling
It's wonderful to see the love for video game music in our current Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival; it'll rightly celebrate all sorts of audio and soundtracks across varied games and genres. When the right music combines with an outstanding game, there is arguably no more satisfying experience in entertainment; the...
Soapbox Spin-Offs Can Be A Way In Rather Than A Sell-Out
Playable windows into other worlds
Ah, spin-offs. The cynical shareholder-approved cash-grab created for a series that’s got a little too big for its boots. The desperate last-ditch attempt at trendy relevance for a fading favourite. A shoddily resurrected IP’s woefully undercooked stab at attracting a new audience. They’re the “Grandma...
Soapbox Playdate Sold Out In 20 Minutes - Is It Time For A New Nintendo Handheld?
The Game Boy... 2
Many of us at Nintendo Life have been patiently, excitedly waiting for the Playdate to go on sale, because we're suckers for bits of colourful plastic. Well, it did, and we missed it, because all 20,000 initial units (for the 2021 batch, at least) sold out in just 20 minutes. [Not all of us missed it! - smug Ed] It's hardly...
Soapbox A Strange Desire For Switch Sports And A Return To Wii's Wuhu Island
Yes, including the cycling
The Wii, the Revolution, the era of motion controls, bathroom scales as peripherals and fun for all. It can be a bit of a trendy thing to tease the Wii, as if its concept of introducing new control schemes and luring traditional 'non-gamers' into being gamers was somehow bad - well, it was actually brilliant. Sure, the Wii...
July2021
Soapbox The Hidden Delights Of The Great Ace Attorney
Or, why TGAA is the LOTR DVD of video games
Did you know that Viggo Mortensen, the actor who played Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings movies, broke his toes on-set by kicking a helmet? The take ended up in the final cut, and Aragorn's cry of frustration, grief, and despair is made all the more real knowing that poor Viggo's toesies were probably...
Soapbox In Praise Of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Two Years On
Support systems have never meant more
This past week marked the second anniversary of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the latest entry in Intelligent Systems’ popular tactics series. Ten years ago, you would’ve been forgiven for believing that the Fire Emblem series was going the way of the dinosaur, and yet Three Houses now sits at somewhere around...
