Tag: Talking Point
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (20th June)
Be there or be Square
After last week's showcase shenanigans, we've welcomed a slightly quieter one here at Nintendo Life. We started the Ocarina of Time remake sleuthing as a new description appeared online, and ran through some of the game's funniest moments that we can't wait to revisit. Switch 1 & 2 got
Poll Will You Be Replaying Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Before The Remake Arrives?
Fairy 'nuff
Sitting in our Monday meeting, a theme emerged when answering the standard question, "Play any games over the weekend?" Following on from last week's announcement (and months of rumours), we've all got Ocarina of Time on the brain. Jim and Ollie have been replaying via NSO, and the rest of us have only resisted the urge thanks to other...
Talking Point Starter Pack - What Are Your Nintendo Switch 2 Essentials?
Switchy world
Switch 2 has been out for over a year now, and a good percentage of Nintendo Lifers have picked one up in the last 365 days. However, it's also quite possible you haven't jumped on Nintendo's latest console just yet. With Switch 1's colossal library, not to mention the great games on other consoles (we're reliably informed they do...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (13th June)
Direct inspiration?
What a week, eh? With every other showcase under the sun taking place last week, we knew it was only a matter of time before Nintendo followed suit. And follow it did. This week's Nintendo Direct revealed first looks at the likes of Ocarina of Time, Xenoblade
Talking Point Switch 2 Console Special Editions - What Would You Like To See?
Spice, Spice, baby
Switch 2 has been on shelves for over a year now - still early days if it lasts anything like as long as its predecessor. Compared to the popping colours of the Switch 1's Joy-Con, though, the younger console launched with a more subdued hue. Certainly, the hallmark red-blue stylings are present and correct, but concealed along...
Talking Point What Do You Think Of Link's New Ocarina Of Time Design?
Links of the Past
It might not have been the biggest surprise out there (thanks, leaks), but yesterday's Direct brought with it the news that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake is real, and it's launching at some point this year. The
Talking Point Nintendo Direct June 2026 Predictions - What Do You Hope To See?
Take the hype train
A Nintendo Direct? In June? Who could have possibly guessed!? Yes, Nintendo has announced its next presentation, promising 50-ish minutes of full-fat Direct goodness followed by an hour and a half of Nintendo Treehouse. With Star Fox, Rhythm Heaven Groove, and Splatoon Raiders coming in the near future, it's probably safe to...
Feature Switch 2, Year One - How Closely Did Nintendo Follow Its Own Playbook?
Super Mario Spreadsheet Revisited
Exactly two years ago, I made a bold prediction of every first-party Switch 2 release over the first five years of its lifespan. My forecast wasn’t based on leaked insider information or baseless speculation. Instead, I crunched the numbers (check out the full breakdown here) to find trends and repeated...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (6th June)
Finally, Fantasy
Everyone ready for a spot of What Are You Playing? Oh, go on then! Showcase season is officially upon us, folks. This week's PlayStation State of Play brought some nice Switch 2 announcements, including a new Rayman game, a Tomb Raider remaster
Talking Point One Year On, How Pristine Is Your Switch 2?
Scratch that
If you picked up a Switch 2 on launch day, then you've been caring for your console for almost a whole year now. Compared to those launch-day Switch 1s that some of us still have kicking around, I know that a measly 364 days is small potatoes, but it's still a mighty long time to keep your tech in tip-top condition. And that's the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (30th May)
Burrowing In
With another week of heatwave under our belts (here in the UK, at least), it's time for a much cooler edition of What Are You Playing. While there were no mega busters this week, there was a steady stream of Nintendo news to keep us all entertained. There was a bunch of Dragon Quest news from the 40th anniversary stream, including the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (23rd May)
A new challenger approaches
Welcome to the weekend! No megaton announcements over the past seven days, but plenty going on. Nintendo revealed a new mobile game and released a Switch 2 exclusive, The Pokémon Company is looking to use government ID to combat TCG scalping in Japan,
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (16th May)
What treasures await?
Ahoy! You've made it to the weekend; give yourself a pat on the back. It's been a little quieter this week after Nintendo's recent financial report and Star Fox announcement, but there are still a few things worth highlighting. First up, a new limited 'Choose Your Game' Switch 2 bundle was announced for the US, which should...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (9th May)
Barrel rolling towards summer
At last, the weekend. It's been a surprisingly busy week, hasn't it? Let's start with some good news... In case you missed it, Fox McCloud is back! Star Fox, a new reimagining of Star Fox 64, is coming to Switch 2 this June with AR avatar filters,
Talking Point Will You Be Getting A Switch 2 Before The Price Goes Up?
FOPI gonna get ya?
Well, there it is. Last month, I wrote about how two things were making me recommend Switch 2 to family and friends despite the hefty price tag and the lack of a truly killer 'OMG I need one to play this life-changing video game' to call its own: the convenience of GameChat versus scratchy speakerphone while visiting my mum's
Talking Point Star Fox Old Vs. New Designs Compared - Which Do You Prefer?
See every Hare
The rumours were true! Star Fox is indeed returning to Nintendo consoles on 25th June in another Star Fox 64 remake. In yesterday's surprise Direct, Nintendo billed this one as a "cinematic take" on the N64 on-rails classic, complete with a visual overhaul, fresh multiplayer modes, and, of course, some character redesigns. "Fox and...
Talking Point Do You Prefer Big Directs Or A Steady Flow Of News From Nintendo Today?
Drips and drabs
In case you hadn't noticed by now, the Nintendo Today! mobile app has become the go-to place for The Big N to make its first-party announcements. Granted, it's been a key marketing tool ever since its launch back in March 2025, but there's a keen sense that Nintendo is leaning more and more on the Today app for, well, all of its...
Talking Point Will These Upcoming Star Wars Games Make The Hyperspace Jump To Switch 2?
Jar Jar Thinks
The two suns have risen on yet another Star Wars Day — May the Fourth be with you, my fellow Rebels — so my thoughts have naturally drifted to what we can expect to see from Switch 2 in the coming years, as far as a galaxy far, far away is concerned. The console has been treated to just the one Star Wars game thus far (I won't...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (2nd May)
Goin' shopping
Greetings, humans. Well, it's been a slightly quieter week, mostly likely due to the fact that it's Golden Week over in Japan, so many folks will be taking a much-needed break. Still, there have been some interesting stories, so let's go through a few of them here. First up, it seems the streaming release date for The Super Mario...
Talking Point Is Legend Of Zelda's Link Left Or Right-Handed? Let's Look At The Evidence
Rightward Sword or A Left to the Past?
The Zelda series has a passionate and devoted fanbase. Over the years, timelines have been debated, settled, shaken up, or outright ignored. Storylines have been contested, shredded apart, put on a pedestal. But nothing, not even recovering the Triforce, is more important than making sure Link is holding his...
Talking Point Do You Play Zelda Games For The Story?
So THAT was the Imprisoning War...
After 40 years and 21 mainline games (counting the multiplayer ones, discounting remakes and remasters), we like to think that we've got a pretty good grasp on the Zelda formula by now. Sure, there's every chance that the series will have a 'Breath of the Wild moment' again somewhere down the line, but for the most...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (25th April)
Habitat Hunting
It has been quite the week for Nintendo news, eh? Things kicked off with a sneaky look at Zelda Movie's Link (or is it?), then the floodgates opened on Splatoon Raiders news, as we got a release date, price
Talking Point Star Fox Zero Is 10 Years Old - Have You Actually Played It?
And would you want a Switch port?
Today marks the 10th anniversary of Star Fox Zero's North American launch, the last release in the series at the time of writing. In fact, it shares that honour with Star Fox Guard, but as an eShop game whose only physical version came bundled with Zero, the tower defence spin-off tends to get overshadowed. After a...
Talking Point So, What Are Your First Impressions Of Splatoon Raiders?
Raiders of the lost Shark
Splatoon Raiders has made a big splash today thanks to a big release date trailer. It's our first proper look at the upcoming Splatoon game, which swaps the focus from online multiplayer to single-player, and it's swimming onto Switch 2 on 23rd July 2026. And, amazingly, this is the first time we've seen more of the game...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (18th April)
Taking the Pragmata approach
Hello. Okay, enough waffling, for goodness' sake. This week saw the release of Pragmata from Capcom for the Switch 2, and though it should really come as no surprise, the action title is really darn good. We awarded it a score of 9/10. We also received news that the Legend of Zelda movie has now officially wrapped...
Talking Point What Would You Want From A New Star Fox Game?
WHAAAAT?
Whispers of a new Star Fox game this year just waiting to be announced by Nintendo for the summer have many a fan on edge. On the one hand, it's been nearly 10 years since Lylat's finest had their own game — the admirable but divisive Star Fox Zero — so it's certainly high time for a new series entry. Fox's appearance in The Super...
Talking Point If The Star Fox Rumours Are True, Where The Heck's Our Captain Toad Sequel?
Treasure Lacker
The word on the street is that Nintendo has an Arwing in the hangar and it's ready for takeoff. Of course, rumours are nothing more than, uhh, rumours, until the Big N confirms, but there's something about the rumblings of a new Star Fox game that feels faintly plausible to me. Mainstream appeal for McCloud and co. was effectively...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (11th April)
Fight night
The weekend is finally upon us, so it's time for another edition of What Are You Playing! We thought that things might slow down a little after last week's Galaxy Movie extravaganza, but nooo. We got a new Pokémon game in the shape of Pokémon Champions (complete with bugs and unusual resolution quirks), a tr
Talking Point Which Zelda Game Would You Most Like To See Remade?
Spirit Tracks - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Chuchu Train
Another year, another jaunt on the Rumour Express, right? Yes, whispers of a new Zelda remake are making the rounds once again following a recent claim that Ocarina of Time is making a big comeback on the Switch 2 later this year. We've been here before and we'll probably be here again, but...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (4th April)
Catching a talkie?
Hello there, lovely people. (Hey, Alex is off right now, so I'm nabbing the catchphrase.) It's been a Mario-filled week with the launch of a certain record-breaking motion picture. Yes, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie came out fire flowers blazing this week. Reviews followed in the footsteps of its predecessor, with critics failing...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (28th March)
Ready? Fight!
You've done it, folks. You've got through another week, so well done! It's been a relatively quite week, but we've certainly had a few things to talk about. First up, Nintendo confirmed that its digital Switch 2 games will be cheaper than their physical equivalents in North America, following the example set by the UK and other...
Talking Point Should Nintendo Have Kept The Mario Galaxy Movie Fox Reveal Under Wraps?
For Fox's sake
Yesterday, ahead of next week's opening for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Nintendo pulled back the curtain on a surprise character who'll be showing up in what we thought would be a Mushroom Kingdom-only affair (Pikmin notwithstanding). Fox McCloud is in the Mario Galaxy Movie. Yes, Nintendo put out the poster across social media
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (21st March)
Pokémoar?
It's Saturday, lovely people, and we're back after another packed week in the world of video games! Well, it wasn't too packed, Nintendo-wise, but it still felt busy as Pokopia continues to dominate the Switch-2-dom, and Nintendo itself just casually dropped a firmware update with a new Handheld Boost Mode feature that immediately had us...
Community Which Switch 1 Games Benefit Most From Switch 2's New Boost Mode?
You got Handheld Mode Boost power!
Well, that's a tidy little overnight update to wake up to! In case you missed it, Nintendo's latest Switch 2 firmware update includes a neat new feature for Switch 1 backwards compatibility called Handheld Boost Mode. Long story short: when activated, it forces all backwards-compatible
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (14th March)
Pokémanz
Hello everyone, and welcome to this newfangled concept called 'the weekend'. It's a strange one, but we're here for it. Before we dive into what we're playing, let's see what's been going on this week, hm? First of all, Nintendo joined hundreds of other companies in North America in suing the government for its extensive use of tariffs...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (7th March)
Creating utopia in Pokopia
Well, another week is almost done and dusted, and what a quiet one it's been; just a totally normal, uneventful week in this sane world of ours. Sigh... Anyway, positive vibes! This week, we boshed out not one, but two Pokémon reviews for Pokopia and FireRed / LeafGreen – the 30th anniversary celebrations are certainly...
Talking Point After 30 Years, Is It Time To Reset The Pokédex?
Back to Route 1
Ever since Pokémon Legends: Z-A came out last year, a thought has been brewing that I haven't been able to shake. It was amplified as I watched the EUIC battles in February, and then cropped up again as I sat, mouth agape, at the Winds and Waves trailer. After 30 years, is it time to reset the Pokédex? Now, put those pitchforks...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (28th February)
REplay
With another busy month in the world of Nintendo behind us, the weekend is finally here. There was plenty of juicy news this week, as we saw Balatro arrive in an all-new Switch 2 version (RIP our spare time), Nintendo continued to release waves of updates, the 3DS tu
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (21st February)
X-tra work
Welcome back to another edition of What Are You Playing! What a week, eh? Clearly not content with just the one surprise announcement this week, Nintendo delivered two almighty news drops to our door. First, we got an out-of-the-blue shadow drop for Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (which looks
Talking Point Our Pokémon Presents 2026 Predictions - What Are You Hoping For?
Anniversary Anticipation
A Pokémon Presents showcase on Pokémon Day? Whatever will they think of next! Yes, TPC is back with its yearly showcase on 27th February 2026, but this is a big one, because it marks 30 years since Red and Blue first burst onto the scene in Japan back in 1996. Now, these presentations have been known to be a little on...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (14th February)
Kept you waiting for 60fps, huh?
Ah, love is in the air, folks. Yes, it's the weekend, and we're gazing at our stack of games with wistful longing. We can't let them go unplayed, can we? Before we dive into what we're booting up, however, let's take a look at the last week. Our headline review was Mario Tennis Fever, but we also checked out Yakuza...
Talking Point How The Heck Will MGS4 On Switch Handle Its PlayStation References?
"Oh wait! We're on PlayStation 3!"
We all saw it coming, but Konami has now finally confirmed that Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 is heading to Switch 1 and 2, bundling Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel in one package. I'm especially ple
Talking Point Age Of Imprisonment Could Inspire Next Zelda Game, Say Devs, But What Does That Mean?
Hyrule worriers
What’s next for The Legend of Zelda? It seems to be the big question scratching everyone’s heads this year. 2026 is still a blank Sheikah Slate. Now that the Switch 2 console is in full swing and the Era of the Wild seems to be finally riding off into the Gerudo sunset, we’re truly in uncharted territory. We know there will be...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (7th February)
Directly to you
Just when we thought our wishlists couldn't get any longer, Nintendo had to go and drop another Direct. Let's see who's working through their backlog to make way for the oncoming deluge of releases in another edition of What Are You Playing. The Direct was the big news for this week, bringing with it a Hollow Knight - Nintendo...
Talking Point Nintendo Direct February Partner Predictions - What Do You Want To See?
What's it gonna be?!
Well folks, with Nintendo's financials out of the way, the only logical next step is a Direct, and we're getting a Partner Showcase tomorrow, 5th February 2026! As is customary, we thought it wise to throw a bunch of predictions into the ring and see what Nintendo's partner publishers might be cooking up for the Switch and...
Talking Point Where's Your Nintendo Labo Now?
Make, Play, & Bin?
No, we didn't find ours here, not at all... 2018 is a long time ago. It feels like it happened in another dimension, in an alternate (and much nicer) timeline, or some other Marvel universe-typed nonsense. And it's a timeline we can never get back to. It was also the year that Nintendo dropped its Labo sets, which is infinitely...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (31st January)
This is the life
Well done, everyone! We finally made it to the end of January! There was quite a bit of Nintendo news this week, so we're sure everyone will enjoy kicking back with a couple o' games over the weekend. We were treated to yet another Nintendo Direct this week, with Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream taking the spotlight. It looked...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (24th January)
On Cloud nine
Well folks, you made it! The weekend is here again, which means it's time to get some all-important gaming done. Before that though, let's quickly recap the week. Our big review was for Final Fantasy VII Remake on the Switch 2, and as expected, it's a bit of a banger. We also heard from director Naoki Hamag
Talking Point Metroid Prime 4 And The Burden Of Being 'Good Enough'
When legacy becomes a liability
After nearly two decades of dormancy for the series and an infamously drawn-out development cycle, it feels slightly surreal to now have Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in the rearview. The game arrived under immense expectation, and it’s fair to say it ultimately proved more divisive than Nintendo and developer Retro...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (17th January)
What's on the agenda, Brenda?
We are blowing through January faster than a big blowy fast thing that's been blowing faster than usual right now, and the delicious slices of gaming goodness continue to drop across Switch consoles. This week has seen the arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch 2, which the wonderfully handsome and...
