Tag: Best of 2025
Feature The Art I 'Stole' From Nintendo
And where it is now
It began with a Zelda T-shirt. I was wearing my “It's dangerous to go alone! Take this.” shirt while running a quick errand at the bank. The teller spotted it. He was at least 20 years younger than me, but his “Nice shirt!” comment kicked off a lengthy conversation about our shared Nintendo fandom. Before long, he...
Feature "We're Going To Need More Toilet Paper" - This Is Mario Kart-Attack!
A Mario Kart Live anniversary blowout
We may only be a few months into a shiny, new Mario Kart game with lush open worlds and challenges aplenty, but as I scrap it out in yet another Knockout Tour or pootle about for P Switches and Peach Coins, I can’t help but yearn for something a little more familiar. It’s a sentiment shared by many, if...
Back Page I Was The Louvre Heist Thief, But I Was Just Trying To Steal Their 3DSes
C'est tout un gros malentendu!
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 we still love terrible...
Feature Jump, Man - A Celebration Of The Greatest Jumps In Gaming
Jump day
Super Mario Bros. is now 40 years old. To celebrate this big anniversary, Omar looks back over four decades of gaming's greatest verb and/or noun... When's the last time you jumped? Maybe when hopping from a kerb over an autumn puddle. Maybe bouncing up and down to House of Pain or that Blackpink song. Maybe you literally 'jump into bed'...
Opinion No One Told Me 'Chibi-Robo' Is Traumatising
Just your very presence makes everyone happy, happy... happy?
Editor's note. Spoilers for a 20-year-old game inbound... I’ve spent 20 years “awww"-ing over the delightful character of Chibi-Robo despite having never played any of his games. This cute little robot is just joy incarnate – tiny and helpful with gormless black eyes. Whether it...
Feature Who Is Devon Pritchard? - Meet The Next NOA President Stepping Into Bowser's Boots
Dougging deep
In September, Nintendo shared the news that none of us could have predicted so soon: Bowser is stepping down from the position of top dog at the end of this year. The Koopas will have to find a new king, the Mushroom Kingdom will have to find a new menace, the kart racing scene will ha— what? Not that Bowser? Oh... we're going to...
Opinion We Need To Talk About X Games
X and why?
Most of the time, I'm pretty oblivious to game name trends. It's normally only when someone points out to me that all AAA games have names like 'Chronicle of Shadows: Rebirth', that I start to see that formula used everywhere — like when you find a trendy new pair of shoes that you swear you've never seen before, only to wear them out...
Opinion Metroid II Doesn't Care If Samus Lives Or Dies
An existential crisis courtesy of the Game Boy
I recently started playing Metroid II: Return of Samus for the first time. I’m not sure why. Maybe it was a way of staving off my intense cravings for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which as of writing still doesn’t have a launch date more concrete than the vague '2025' window Nintendo revealed over a...
"Maybe I should start calling them chunks?"
June 5th marked the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, but that very same day (or the day before on other consoles), the highly anticipated continuation of Deltarune, in Chapters 3 and 4, also hit digital shelves. If you've had the chance to catch our review, you'll know we fully believe this Undertale...
Back Page Every Game Should Have A Cow
No bull
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 we still love terrible jokes — so welcome to our...
"It's a homage to my mum and my childhood"
Everyone remembers the first animated movie that scared them. For me, it was The Fox and the Hound — probably not the first movie in Disney's canon that anyone remembers, but it was one of my brother's favourites, so it was on regular rotation. Which means that the bear attack towards the end of the movie...
Feature Farewell, Nintendo Switch - It's Finally Time To Bid Our Old Friend 'Adieu'
Don't think twice, it's all right
It's time to say goodbye. Well, not really. The massively popular Switch will live on in a way few other Nintendo consoles have done thanks to backwards compatibility, a host of free upgrades to existing games, and a Switch 2 form factor that keeps everything about the previous console. As generational jumps go, it...
Feature "The Yoyo Was Special" - Finding The GBA Magic In 'Pipistrello And The Cursed Yoyo'
Scoot over, Ness
We've had our eyes on this long-lost GBA-looking adventure ever since we first discovered it at Gamescom back in 2024. The combat, movement, and visuals instantly reminded us of the handheld Zelda entries, but instead of a sword, the main protagonist uses a yoyo to dispatch foes and solve loads of puzzles. You've also got a spunky,...
Opinion Not Enough People Are Talking About This Early GOTY Contender
Centennial masterpiece
Warning: This article delves into spoiler territory for The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy. If you've yet to play the game and want to go in blind, we recommend you come back at another time... I’m not a fan of tactical RPGs… is what I would have told you before I played The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy...
Editorial Gamers, Support The People And Sites You Love, Before It's Too Late
Forever
If you're coming to this after the fact, we should note that the Giant Bomb story had a happy ending, with the staff buying GB from Fandom and going independent. Yes! Nevertheless, in another turbulent year for the games industry and the media covering it, it's more important than ever to support the work you love... Well, we've come to...
Opinion Cult Classic 'Tokimeki Memorial' Hits Switch - But 30 Years On, It's Still Out Of Reach
Forever with you; never with us
True love lasts forever – and so do some games. Tokimeki Memorial: Forever with You, the legendary dating sim from 1995, is hooking up with Switch next month to celebrate 30 years on the scene. Immaculately presented but bewilderingly complex, TokiMemo is a foundational piece of video game history that defined a...
Feature "It's Huge For Us" - Devs Talk Switch 2 Reactions, Dev-Kit Disparity, Future Plans
What devs make of Switch 2
In case you somehow missed it, Nintendo has officially lifted the lid on Switch 2, cueing all sorts of excitement and apprehension from those of us who have been loyally playing our Switch 1s for the past eight years. It's an exciting time to be a player, but how does it feel from a developer's standpoint? Is the Switch 2...
Talking Point Does Switch 2 Have Nintendo's Best Launch Line-Up Ever?
Let's see how it matches up
I don't know about you, but I'm already giving my shelf space a worried look as I consider the number of Switch 2 launch titles I want to pick up. It's been just about a week since Nintendo revealed the Switch 2 and its 21 separate launch games (24 if you include those dropping on the NSO GameCube library), which, the...
Feature "It's A Perversion Of The Whole Thing" - Jeff Minter On Scam Games, Switch 2, And 'I, Robot'
"There's pride in it for me"
Jeff Minter is, perhaps quite rightly, referred to as a legend within the gaming industry. His career following the founding of Llamasoft in 1982 has spawned dozens of the most unique and recognisable titles in existence, including Tempest 4000, Akka Arrh, Polybius, Attack of the Mutant Camels, and Gridrunner. Those...
Feature But The Future Can Change - Chrono Trigger And Learning To Love The World
The Corridors of Time
Note: If you haven't played Chrono Trigger to completion...what are you playing at? If you're sensitive to spoilers, come back when you're done as we discuss end-game details below... “But... the future refused to change.” For the most part, Chrono Trigger is a chirpy, cheery game. It’s lightning in a bottle, a...
Feature "I Was Seeing Him In My Dreams" - Nintendo Veteran Just Can't Shake Shigeru Miyamoto
"He got a good laugh out of that"
There’s no question that Nintendo makes some of the best video games in the world thanks to its incredibly skilled and passionate in-house and partner developers. But how often does the company let those developers speak freely about the games they make? Last year we got the opportunity to chat with the legendary...
Opinion My Daughter Made Me Realise That Mario Wonder's Difficulty Options Need Work
Yoshi or Nabbit, make your choice
I suspect many of my fellow parents can relate to this, but when you have your first child, a whole bevvy of problems that never existed before are suddenly thrust upon you. “Do we have enough nappies?”“Oh God, she missed the potty again.”“No, you can’t sit there Daddy, my Peppa Pig toy is sitting...
Feature Citizen Sleeper Dev Talks Sequels, Stress & Creating "My Own Take On The Mass Effect Series"
Wake up, Sleeper
Citizen Sleeper was, coincidentally, one of 2022's sleeper hits. With its combination of top-tier writing and decision-based gameplay, this table-top-inspired RPG and space adventure pulled us into its airlock and wouldn't let us out until we had played through the emotional damage of witnessing every possible outcome (and yes, that...
Opinion Third-Party Support For Switch 2 Is Already A Dream Come True
An avalanche of quality
The Switch 2 has gotten off to a bit of a weird start. Although there’s no denying that the console has been a massive commercial success since its launch on 5th June 2025 — officially selling over 10 million units — there’s a niggling, underlying sense of dissatisfaction amongst some fans regarding Nintendo’s...
Back Page Pokémon Legends: Z-A Fit Check - Celebrating Lumiose Fashion Week In Style
Florges? For Spring? Groudonbreaking
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 we still love...
"Breath of the Wild was hugely influential"
Even just a handful of months after its launch, the Switch 2 is proving to be a particularly compelling console for third-party developers. One of the biggest surprises was the announcement that not only would Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade launch on 22nd January 2026, but it would be followed by both...
Opinion Ogre Battle 64: Person Of Lordly Caliber's Revolutionary Heart Still Burns Brightly
Say, you want a revolution?
Has it really been 25 years? Yes, my wizened friends, it has. Back in the year of our lord 2000 (or 1999 if you're from Japan), if you weren't still calming down from the trauma of Y2K (still can't believe nothing happened) you may have been getting completely sucked into one of the few truly amazing RPGs on the Nintendo...
Opinion Sonic Racing Crossworlds > Mario Kart World, And It's Not Even Close For Me
Plus, vote for your kurrent kart-racing king
When I initially found out that we were getting a brand new Mario Kart with the launch of Switch 2, I was a little bit concerned. Not disappointed, definitely excited, but concerned all the same. Mario Kart 8, you see, has become such an all-encompassing thing over the years, a sprawling collection of...
Feature From Z To A — Honouring My Favourite Pokémon, One Letter At A Time
Gotta alphabetise ‘em all
Ever since The Pokémon Company uttered the name Pokémon Legends: Z-A, one idea has obsessively swirled around my mind: I needed to declare my favourite Pokémon for each letter in the alphabet, in reverse alphabetical order. Anyone else? Just me? And why? I don’t know, because what I thought would be a fun, breezy...
Feature Get A Job - 30 Years On, Seiken Densetsu 3's Class System Is Still One Of The Best
Hi, I'd like apply to be a Fenrir Knight
Who doesn’t love a job or class system in an RPG? From endlessly levelling jobs and sub-classing skills in Final Fantasy V to building the perfect teams and pairings in Octopath Traveler, classes bring a level of customisation and character that feels pretty unique to the genre. But while most games allow...
Opinion Silksong's Soundtrack Rules, But You Should Turn It Off
Are your ready to RUMBLEEEE?
It was approximately 30 seconds after I'd buckled in for my flight to Greece that I smugly turned on my Switch 2 with the knowledge that I would have four hours of uninterrupted Silksong time ahead of me; then I realised my headphones were out of charge. It's no big deal, right? I'll be able to play just fine with the...
Opinion The Mario Movie Was Okay At Best, But I Can't Wait For The Sequel
Cosmic memories
The first Super Mario Bros. Movie from Illumination was… well, okay at best. It got a fair bit right, like the excellent visual presentation and delightful Easter Eggs throughout its 92-minute runtime. But a weak script, baffling casting decisions, and reliance on licensed music over iconic tracks from Koji Kondo resulted in a...
Opinion Why Focus On Silksong's Difficulty When We Need To Talk About How Cute It is?
Fari dula tsi ma net~
Over a week after beating Hollow Knight: Silksong, I’ve decided that we’re all focusing on the wrong things. Hornet’s fast-paced movement and range of options are breathtaking, sure, and the game can be maddening. But instead of succumbing to the difficulty discourse, instead of falling into a pit of spikes for a 13th...
Opinion Resident Evil Requiem Represents A Turning Point For Switch 2
No longer left behind
Ever since the first big blowout Direct for the Switch 2 back in April, I’ve been itching to see an announcement for Resident Evil on the new console. It’s possibly my favourite series of all time, after all, so I’m eager to play the recent entries on a Nintendo console without having to connect to the bloomin’ Cloud...
Opinion I Can't Believe I'm Finally Getting My Dream Pokémon Game In 2026
Z-A? What's *that*?
I rarely expect big Pokémon news during Nintendo Directs. Maybe an NSO drop (pffft), perhaps some details on the already-announced game coming out. I certainly did not anticipate my dream of becoming a Ditto who can transform into a human being to come true during the latest showcase. Okay, that’s obviously not what I’ve...
Sans regret
It's hard to believe that Undertale is 10 years old, innit. A game that released just a year after the birth of my eldest son, and two before my youngest arrived on the scene. What is time? It's all going so quickly. I bring my kids up here, not to be one of those tiresome people, but because Toby Fox's masterpiece (and you better...
Opinion I'm Celebrating Super Mario Bros.' 40th Anniversary By Finally Finishing It
Clear Bowser history
Please, angry mob, wait! It's true, I had never finished Super Mario Bros. before this week, but that's not to say that I hadn't played it before. If you'll put your pitchforks and burning torches down for a moment, I promise, I can explain. It was 2004 when I first came into contact with Super Mario Bros. I remember that...
We speak with Kazutoyo Maehiro and Hiroshi Minagawa
Boy, Square-Enix really wants us to party on our Switches like it’s… 1997. Because over the last few years, they’ve made three separate titles in a newly minted, old-school RPG franchise Octopath Traveler, and then there’s the upcoming Switch 2 release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, the...
Opinion Silksong's Big 'Anticlimactic' Premiere Was Absolutely Perfect
No webs to spin
Six years. Much has been said in the last six years about Team Cherry's near radio silence on Hollow Knight: Silksong. Promises from Microsoft about the game coming out "in the next 12 months" in 2022. No playable demo since E3 2019. No Kickstarter updates. And a furore of hungry fans whipping themselves into a frenzy and building an...
Opinion Donkey Kong Bananza's Delightful World Map Is Another Nintendo Banger
Mario's miniature marvels
There's a lot of fun to be had in smashing the place to tiny little voxel pieces in Donkey Kong Bananza, it's easily its biggest draw. People have been into the sweet catharsis of wanton destruction since way back before there were even people. Probably. However, the one thing that's caught my attention most whilst playing...
Going Beyond the Horizon
Falcom is one of the most influential and long-standing Japanese developers out there. Pioneering the action RPG space with the Ys series, it's recently become more well-known for its continent-spanning epic turn-based series, Trails. On 15th January 2026, the series' 13th entry, Trails Beyond the Horizon, will be launching...
Feature 10 Top Mario Kart Cosplays - From Blue Shells To Bowser
Who makes the podium?
Mario Kart has been a core part of the Nintendo family for over 30 years, first appearing on the SNES with Super Mario Kart, and the popularity of the kart racing series has seen it expand to 11 games across consoles (and mobile), with Mario Kart World launching alongside the Switch 2. The games have vastly expanded since...
Opinion Honestly, I'm So Glad We Had To Wait For Donkey Kong Bananza
Who knew Shy Guys liked camping?
I saw this item shower for the first time after more than 60 hours of play. Guys, I've played so much Mario Kart World. I've done all the Grands Prix (on three stars, obviously), and the Knockout Tours (not on three stars, life is short). I've had an ongoing competition with friends on Mario B
"I believe it could continue for a long time, just like The Simpsons"
At the time of writing, we're now just a few short weeks away from the launch of No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES for the Switch and Switch 2 on 25th July 2025. It's the third entry in the AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES series following the launch of the original game...
Talking Point With Bigger GameCube File Sizes, Should Nintendo Let Us Download Individual NSO Games?
1.21 gigabytes!?
Switch 2 brought with it something we'd dreamt about on the original Switch: GameCube games on NSO. With the new GC controller giving Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and SoulCalibur II that authentic feeling (while also adding wireless without a WaveBird and sneaking in some
Opinion I Never Felt True Nostalgia Until I Played GameCube On Switch 2
Ahh, memories
I still remember the day I got my GameCube. It wasn’t the launch day, because I remember getting Super Smash Bros. Melee alongside it, which to my knowledge released a few weeks after the console itself in the UK. Oh gosh, I was so excited though! I pored over early issues of NGC in the weeks leading up to The Big Day (somehow,...
Opinion An Ode To The Fallen Arm, Xenoblade Chronicles' Best Map
How revenge falls
Among all the Switch 2 excitement, we didn't want this to get lost: Xenoblade Chronicles is now 15 years old! To celebrate, Alana recalls something which turned the game from a great one into a special one. Warning: This article contains spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles, so be wary if you haven't at least made it to the final...
Opinion Nintendo New York's Switch 2 Launch Event Felt Like Coming Home
48th Street(Pass)
With the sounds of construction coming from every which way and the early June summer heat and warm afternoon sun rays shining down, it could have been a normal New York City day. But for today, anybody asking people on the line going along 48th Street had a new answer for the classic question of, “What are you all lining up...
"We had a different vision for what this game should be"
Who had the return of Survival Kids on their bingo cards for 2025? Let alone as a launch title for a brand new Nintendo console? Amidst a storm of third-party ports and first-party giants, Survival Kids quietly sneaked into the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct back in April 2025. And when we saw the...
"It is a very firmly anti-AI sort of game"
I first caught wind of Date Everything! last year, when an animated trailer showcased a dating sim unlike anything I'd ever seen. What do you mean a humanoid fridge, grand piano, and front door can woo me? And, more pressingly, how are they all so hot? As it turns out, that title is both an invitation and...
