Tag: Hands On
Impressions Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 DMZ - CoD's Extraction Shooter Mode Hits The Target
3vPvPvE
The tension at the heart of modern Call of Duty between the on-rails rollercoaster of the campaign versus the sandbox design that's evolved over the last two decades of open-world gaming has resulted in three modes getting equal billing in Modern Warfare 4. You've got your traditional narrative Campaign, which I covered last week (it's...
Chutes too narrow?
Nearly 13 years since Nintendo gamers last had the chance to answer the Call of Duty (2013's Ghosts on Wii U, RIP), Activision has finally redeployed this storied series on Nintendo platforms. Given the technical gulf between Switch 2 and competition, not to mention PC, the cynical among us might have read Microsoft's agreement...
Preview 'Eternal Anima' Returns To The Past To Create A Modern JRPG
Back to the future
Originally revealed in 2023 as a working title named Project Life is RPG, Marvelous didn't show too much of their new IP, but said they were creating a game that pays respect to the classics of the genre, along with some gorgeous concept art. Jump forward to this year, and Eternal Anima was officially unveiled in September's...
So high...
Upon accepting Nintendo of Europe's invitation to spend two hours with the Ocarina of Time remake, my expectations were so astronomically high that it felt almost unfair. Over time, we all learn to temper expectations, to sidestep disappointment and maybe even inject some pleasant surprise into our lives, but it's difficult to do that...
Hands On Viture Pro 2 XR Glasses - Big-Screen On A Budget
(If you consider $300 glasses to be cheap, that is...)
While many people were confident that XR glasses were nothing but a fad, the market for this tech appears to have grown over the past couple of years, and it's not hard to see why. These glasses are now lightweight enough to wear comfortably, and the tiny screens inside are sharp and bright,...
Round Up The Switch 2 Games We Played At TGS From 2026's Shoo-In 'Publisher Of The Year'
Resident Mega Dogma Wilds
TGS 2026 is in full swing right now, and we've been able to go hands-on with a bunch of upcoming Switch 2 games, including a selection from every outlet's Publisher of the Year*. The show is running from Thursday 17th to Monday 21st September (although an approaching typhoon has led the organisers to cancel the final day...
Preview I Played Stellar Blade On Switch 2, And Eve's Only Lost A Little Of Her Gloss
Every day is Christmas EVE
Stellar Blade, my beloved – it’s nice to have a reason to write about you again. Push Square readers will know I may have come close to popping the question to protagonist Eve, and after writing our extensive Stellar Blade guide (where I documented all of our heroine’s outfi
Preview Playing Final Fantasy VII: Revelation On PS5 Has Me Worried For The Switch 2 Port
Took something perfect and painted it Red XIII
It's strange to think that at the start of 2026, we had zero Final Fantasy VII Remake games on Switch 2, and now we are mere months away from the third — which launches simultaneously across all platforms on 8th April 2027. Revelation, the third and possibly most-anticipated of the trilogy, will cap...
If you like Piña Marauders...
I'll admit that I am relatively new to the Dragon Quest Monsters series. The Dark Prince passed me by on Switch, and while I have some memories of playing Joker on my DS, I never really "got into it" in the same way that I did the mainline games around the same time. So, I was excited to find out more about Dragon...
Preview Final Fantasy Resonance's Biggest Challenge Is Balancing The New With The Nostalgic
Visions of the past
Was anyone else slightly taken aback by the reveal that Final Fantasy Resonance would be the series' first foray into HD-2D? Perhaps it was the Pixel Remasters or the three Dragon Quest remakes, but this pairing seemed so obvious to me that it's a wonder Square Enix hadn't done it before. After going hands-on with the game at a...
Preview Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Dials The 'Three Houses Formula' Up To 11
What's next? FOUR Houses??
Here's a take that feels colder and colder the further away we get from release: I preferred Fire Emblem Engage to Three Houses. Insubordination of the highest degree to some, for sure, but I'm a combat-first boi — I'll take a Weapons Triangle over a love triangle every day of the week — so all of Three Houses'...
Preview Onimusha: Way Of The Sword Is Capcom's Next Banger
Play as Miyamoto on Switch 2 (not that one)
Capcom is having a massive 2026, with hits like Pragmata, Resident Evil Requiem, and Monster Hunter Stories 3. The studio is now closing out the year with another highly anticipated game, Onimusha: Way of the Sword. I spent almost three hours playing Way of the Sword, splitting my time betwee
Preview Orbitals' Cosmic Anime Co-Op Made Me Feel Like A Kid Again
In space, no one can hear you SKWEEEEEE
I had to remind myself recently that it's been less than a year since we first saw Orbitals back at The Game Awards 2025. It feels like forever ago, not because the seven months since have been particularly packed — though they absolutely have — but because in that time, I don't think a day has gone by...
Preview Splatoon Raiders Promises The Single-Player Splatting I Always Wanted
Raiders of the Lost Carp
I've had my fingers crossed for a single-player Splatoon game ever since... well, since Splatoon 1, now that I think about it. I love a bit of online Turf War battling, really I do, but the very best parts of the series for me have always been those stellar single-player campaigns, which annoyingly seem to wrap up just as...
Hands On R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos - How Does This Turn-Based PSP Pair Hold Up On Switch?
It's a bold strategy Cotton
With Irem’s video game division being dissolved in 2011 after Japan’s Tōhoku earthquake, some staff went on to found Granzella Inc. Interested in revisiting their most beloved work, Granzella then got hold of the R-Type licence for 2007’s R-Type Tactics, a turn-based strategy affair for Sony’s PSP. A sequel...
Hands On RayNeo Air 4 Pro - Be The Batman With These Switch 2-Compatible XR Glasses
Or the Joker, if you'd prefer
The arrival of lightweight, high-resolution monitors has led to a high volume of 'AR' glasses designed to give users a big-screen experience without, well, the big screen. We've already sampled the likes of the Viture XR glasses and Viture Beast XR glasses, with the latter costing more than a Switch 2 console. A
Get to the drop ship
System Era Softworks’ Astroneer launched nearly 10 years ago, and its charming galactic sandbox remains a gem of the survival genre. With its accessible, cartoony spin on freeform adventure, Astroneer invited you to explore colourful worlds, uncover secrets, and hoover up resources while reshaping the environment around you...
Preview Granblue Fantasy: Relink - Endless Ragnarok Feels Right At Home On Switch 2
Ragnar rocks
The Granblue Fantasy series has never particularly appealed to me. Perhaps the likes of Persona, Xenoblade, and Fire Emblem are to blame — my ‘beautiful anime people in big fights’ cup overfloweth — making the thought of taking on another big anime-flavoured RPG a little too intimidating. Well, after 45 minutes with action-RPG...
Preview Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis Sees An "Unfettered" Lara Put The Survivor Era Behind Her
"It’s a blue sky horizon ahead of her"
The Tomb Raider series is one of the longest-lasting in the video game industry, going all the way back to 1996. It has graced many different platforms, including Nintendo ones. And with the increased power of the Switch 2, lots of others are coming over too, including the recently released Rise of the Tomb...
Preview Yep, Rhythm Paradise Groove Is Another Rhythm Heaven Game (Good)
Paradissonant
To some, the concept of Rhythm Paradise (or Rhythm Heaven as it likes to be called) is a bit of a hard sell. It’s a rhythm game with the most simplistic controls imaginable, often just a single button, coupled with some simple animations to go along with it. I don’t blame anyone for being a bit sceptical, to be honest, and in...
Hands On 'Xenoblade Chronicles' On Switch 2 Is A Nice Improvement Over 'X'
"Coming through!"
When I first booted up the Switch 2 Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, something almost immediately felt very wrong. The visuals, while certainly crisp, were upscaled in a way that meant almost all textures had this sort of blurry, smeary effect, especially environmental details, but also within character faces...
We've played Playtonic's new kart racer, and here's why you should be excited
The Mario Kart series has evolved in some truly remarkable ways over the past few decades, but I feel little shame in stating that the 1992 original remains one of my personal favourites (I'm odd like that; I'd pick the original F-Zero and Star Fox over later iterations,...
Hands On Rayman Legends Retold - Somehow, Legends Returned, But...Why?
"We wanted to be the foundation for the future"
I have played through Rayman Legends four times in my life. I got it on PS Vita at launch back in 2013 and loved it. I played the Definitive Edition on Switch when that launched in 2017 and loved it. I went back to the original on Wii U when I finally got my hands on the system in 2022 and loved it. I...
Preview Star Fox (2026) - Just A Remake, But What A Remake
Nothing's wrong with the G-Diffuser
I grew up on Star Fox and Star Fox 64 (or Starwing and Lylat Wars as they liked to be called in Europe), but it’s safe to say that my initial response to the reveal of Star Fox (2026) was…mixed. I’m still not convinced it’s going to set the gaming world on fire, but having now played the game after being...
Hands On Pokémon-Inspired Switch Hopeful 'Petal Runner' Stole The Show At BitSummit
Gotta cleanse 'em all!
It’s hard to stand out at BitSummit, Kyoto’s yearly indie games festival, especially on the third floor where the Nintendo Indie World and Sony booths dominate much of the real estate. But despite taking up a tiny slice of space and running on a single monitor with little adornment, Petal Runner stood out more than most...
Hands On The Classic Zelda Formula Is In Safe Hands With 'The Adventures Of Elliot'
Missing Link
The "classic" Zelda format has been on hiatus for a little while now. Echoes of Wisdom certainly tapped into a nostalgic vibe, but for a new top-down Zelda, you've got to go all the way back to 2013's A Link Between Worlds to get your typical set-up of unlockable dungeons, Sage collecting, and puzzles with clearly-designed solutions...
Preview Indy's Still In Whip-Cracking Shape As MachineGames Squeezes Mileage From Switch 2
Indy world
Despite being a huge fan of the Indiana Jones film trilogy (what a relief that they stopped after three and never made another Indy film again), I missed The Great Circle when it first launched on Xbox in 2024 and then on PS5 in 2025. So yes, I was more than a little excited when Bethesda and MachineGames popped up at last year's Gamescom...
Hands On Is Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's Switch 2 Port The Most Ambitious Yet?
Grin and Barret
I'm in a slightly strange camp when it comes to Final Fantasy VII, though I'd wager it's one that at least some of you will be part of too. You see, Remake's Switch 2 port was my first time playing this story — remade or otherwise. I know everything there is to know about the original FFVII (yes, even that bit), but at no point...
When the Switch 2's screen isn't enough
A few years back, we took a look at Viture's XR glasses – a pair of specs that, to the untrained eye, looked like sunglasses but were, in fact, akin to wearing a large-format display on your face. We came away pleasantly surprised, despite the absurdity of it all, so when Viture got in touch to inform us...
Preview 'Yoshi And The Mysterious Book' Is More Than Just A Pretty Face
Goodbye, Mr. E
I thought I knew what to expect from Yoshi and the Mysterious Book when Nintendo invited me to a recent hands-on preview ahead of the game's launch next month. I had played a good chunk of Crafted World and Woolly World (still waiting on that Switch port, Nintendo) in years gone by, and the trailers for the latest adventure had clued...
"people forget we’re a relatively small indie team"
Yooka-Replaylee is a great reimagining of the enjoyable yet flawed 2017 original, yet for many the lack of a 60fps performance mode on Switch 2 was disappointing. Well, the good news is that it's finally here! After m
Preview SNES RPG Meets Celtic Tradition - Can 'Forge Of The Fae' Stand Out In The Pixel-Art Crowd?
What's the craic?
I’ve become a little wary of the plethora of gorgeous retro pixel-art RPGs that keep popping up in recent years. I’m talking about the games that are inspired by classics such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, and EarthBound, or sell themselves as spiritual successors. These often look the part, sucking me in with stunning...
"Game systems help you understand the real world"
“What's the mindspace of someone that is trying to rebuild from scratch, away from all her friends? What is that mindspace like? Is she really healthy or happy? What leads her to do that?” Those are the questions Isadora Sophia, lead coder and writer on Neverway, an unsettling horror RPG with...
Hands On Pokémon Champions Promises Top-Tier Battling, But At What Cost?
Put your money where your Meowth is
From the moment that it was revealed, I knew Pokémon Champions was going to be a tough sell for fans like me. You see, the battling has always been my least favourite part of the series — I'm more of a "catch 'em all" than "be the very best, like no one ever was" kinda guy — so seeing a game that promised to...
First Impressions The Diary Of A First-Time 'Tomodachi Life' Player - Am I Living The Dream?
Diary of an Omniscient kid
Dear Diary, I'm not sure if I'm Living the Dream just yet. You see, I don’t think Helga likes me. Not “me” me, but Mii. When I dragged my Nintendo-ified facsimile next to this nice-seeming old lady in the new Tomodachi Life, they greeted each other pleasantly. Helga isn’t anyone I know in real life — I’ve...
Hands On Nintendo's My Mario Toy Series Is Cute, But Offers Mixed Value For Your Little Ones
Wood you pay over £100?
I don’t think anyone was that surprised when Nintendo recently brought its My Mario line of children’s toys to Western markets. Mario’s huge in most corners of the world, and if the big N wants to instil brand awareness and loyalty at a young age, this is the way to do it. Nintendo UK kindly sent over a selection of...
Hands On Xenoblade Chronicles X & Mira Are Even More Magnificent On Switch 2
Update: Now with additional handheld impressions
Sometimes, I don't realise how much I'm missing out on something until it's right in front of me. That's not to say I never wanted or expected a 60fps upgrade for Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition — it was apparently right there in the code, after all — but I've already put the time in...
Feature Nintendo's New App Reminds Me Of A Universal Truth: It Feels Good To Squash Mario's Face
The nose to the right, the eyes to the left
Hello, Mario! launches today on Switch eShop and phones in the West alongside other My Mario products, a new line from Nintendo specifically focused on infants and young children. This free app came out in Japan in August last year, so we're republishing Jim's impressions of the cute little face-tugger...
Hands On Does Hollow Knight's Free Upgrade Make A Difference On Switch 2?
Absolutely Radiant
"Oh no, not again..." I say as I boot up Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, "Am I about to play through this game for a third time?" I didn't really need much to entice me back into the world of Hallownest, but after downloading the free upgrade within hours of it releasing, I somehow lost three hours of my life going...
Hands On Espresso Pro 15 - A Portable 4K Monitor For Switch 2, But With A Catch
In the dock
While the Switch and Switch 2 are portable systems that come with their own built-in screens, I've often been drawn to pairing Nintendo's hybrid consoles with portable monitors when I'm on the road and away from my TV. One of my favourite choices for the original Switch is the Espresso V2, a premium 1080p screen which doesn't even need...
Preview Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Is Great, But I Want To Kill One Of Its Characters
Feisty one, you are
I recently got to go hands-on with the Switch 2 Edition of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and not just to play that opening section that everyone and their mum has played at this point. No, I got to play over an hour of one of the game’s earlier parts proper, once Samus has appropriately lost all her abilities because the plot...
Feature Zelda, Layton, Mega Man - 10 Games We Played At TGS 2025 Coming To Switch 1 & 2
Evil Residents, Stories of Monster Hunters, Quests for Dragons, and more!
With the release of Switch 2, fans of their handheld hybrids will be relieved to hear that, compared to last year, there were many more Nintendo games to play at the Tokyo Game Show. This time around, the massive displays put up by the likes of Capcom and Square Enix had a...
Hands On Resident Evil Requiem Switch 2 Footage - A Surprisingly Tense Port
Spooky fun in the palms of your hands
[video: warned: It's Resident Evil, so there are some grisly, head-bitey bits in this video After so many years of performance issues on the original Switch, I haven’t quite gotten used to the fact that most games on Switch 2 hit a stable 60fps and that modern third-party blockbusters run on it well. As such,...
Preview Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Combat Shines Brightly, But Its Visuals Are Still Dull
Too zazzy?
It’s no secret that I’ve not been the biggest hype-monster when it comes to Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I’m not big on the idea of an open game being restricted to just a city, and the combat, whilst intriguing, left me apprehensive for how it would be executed. Well, I got the chance to go and play the game on Switch 2 in the Eiffel...
Preview Sakurai's Kirby Air Riders Is A Kaleidoscopic Adrenaline Rush
Watch out, Mario Kart World
Kirby has the ability to put everyone in a good mood, right? I mean, I've been in a lovely mood thanks to the pink puffball (and Nintendo), as I was lucky enough to go hands-on with the upcoming racer Kirby Air Riders for the Nintendo Switch 2 at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. As a surprising sequel to Kirby Air Ride on...
I got loyalty (& mech pilot skills) inside my DNA
When Nintendo Life reviewed the original Daemon X Machina back in 2019, Chris Scullion called it "a solid mech action game that controls well and gives the player a generous helping of customisation options." However, he noted that mission structure, performance, and overall story were lacking, which...
First Impressions Pokémon Legends: Z-A Is An Attempt To Catch The Hardcore Again
Smooth sailing on Switch 2
Pokémon Legends: Arceus isn’t a perfect game by any means, but that didn't stop it from syphoning all of my free time when it launched back in 2022. This was the first time in a while where I truly felt the desire to “catch 'em all”. While Arceus still borrowed a lot from the mainline games, it did enough to make...
Hands On Forget The Name, Square Enix's New Action RPG Is A Lovely HD-2D Take On SNES-Era Zelda
A Link to the Millennium
Two of my favourite games growing up were The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Secret of Mana. Lush green worlds, curious — and sometimes cute — enemies, and fluid action combat for the time; as someone who had largely only played turn-based RPGs for the first eight years of their life, the SNES era of action RPGs...
Preview Donkey Kong Bananza - DK's Getting His Own Odyssey, And It's A Helluva Trip
Gotta respect the Rambition
Nintendo has a real knack for testing my attention span. I felt it in the subtask-filled Hyrule of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, but, far more importantly for this preview, it's Super Mario Odyssey that most effectively bombarded me with distractions. Even a simple 'Walk to that giant building in New Donk...
Video "It's Actually...Really Good" - Our Hot 'Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour' Preview Take
"You've just gotta, like, tippy-tap it in"
On a recent trip to Nintendo's London HQ, our lovely video producer Alex-from-Nintendo-Life Olney was chained up in Nintendo UK's dungeon seated in a comfortable room and given a few hours to tinker with a Switch 2 and the platform holder's launch-day offerings, Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2...
