Tag: Talking Point - Page 5
The perils of dipping a toe in a franchise
It started with a simple question: Which Dragon Quest should I play first? It's one of my gaming shames that I've never touched Square Enix's hallowed RPG series, and I've been wanting to dig into something really meaty for many months now. Sure, I've got about 30 unplayed RPGs ready and waiting on Switch...
Talking Point How's Your Switch Holding Up After 5 Years?
Memories and mistreatment
Switch is officially five years old now, and it's got us thinking back half a decade to our very first interactions with the little console that could. Whether we were lucky enough to get our hands on an early review unit, or marched down to our local video game emporium to pick up a pre-order, or winged it on the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 24th)
Festive edition!
"So this is Christmas, and what have you done?" These were the words sung by the legendary John Lennon in perhaps the most depressing Christmas song of all time. But in answer to your question, John, we're having quite a busy one, actually. We have been prepping all things game of the year this week, with us Nintendo Life staff...
Talking Point What's The Deal With The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Switch Release?
Final Font-asy
It’s finally happening – the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series is coming to Switch, and it’s about bloomin’ time! We’re pretty darn excited here. The first six Final Fantasy games on the NES and SNES – Final Fantasy I, II, III, IV, V, and VI – on a Nintendo console for the first time since
Talking Point What Would You Want To See In A 'Mega Man 12'?
Mega (old) Man
Today marks the 35th anniversary of the first Mega Man, the game that kickstarted a remarkably iconic franchise in the video game industry, spawning ten direct sequels, multiple spin-off games, comics, tv shows, and more. The latest entry to the series, Mega Man 11, launched back in 2018 and we thought it was excellent. In our 9/10...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 17th)
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
It has certainly been a festive week this time around at Nintendo Life. We've been busy getting all things ready for the end of the year and are now ready to catch up on all of the great games that we have missed in the meantime. The week brought us our Nintendo Switch Year in Review (always a reminder...
Talking Point As Zelda: Wind Waker Turns 20, Doesn't Toon Link Deserve A Second Chance?
Big eyes, big dreams
Today marks the 20th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s Japanese release and after all of these years, we think that it is finally safe to say that Nintendo’s punt paid off. By ‘punt’ we don’t refer to the idea of putting Link on a boat – whatever will they think of next, putting him on a train??...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 10th)
Award winners and wheel spinners
It has been yet another fun-filled week here at Nintendo Life and we are ready to once again hit the ol' games this weekend. In the past seven days we have had The Game Awards (and the absence of any Tears of the Kingdom news thereof), a brand new
Talking Point Are You Excited To See Call Of Duty Return To Nintendo Platforms?
Whisky tango foxtrot
In case you missed the recent bombshell from Xbox Game Studios' CEO Phil Spencer, the business executive confirmed in a tweet that Microsoft would enter into a ten-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms following the presumed merger of Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard. <related ids="142197"> The...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 3rd)
Splatting, catching and slashing
"How many different franchise can we feasibly hear news about this week?" We might have asked on Monday here at Nintendo life. The answer: all of them. The past seven days have seen us reporting on the new Mario movie trailer, breaking down the intricacies of Splatoon 3's new update, reporting on Nintendo Switch...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 26th)
The reign of Pokémon continues
After last week's release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you might have thought that it would have been a slightly quieter one for Nintendo Life this time around - well think again! To say that it has been a week of Pokémon would be an understatement. We have discussed the games' best new 'mon designs, noted
Talking Point What's The Best New Pokémon Design In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet?
Gotta judge 'em all
There are 107 new Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, including all new evolutions, forms, and legendaries — and we're here today to pick the very best of them. Our writers (the ones playing Pokémon, anyway) have sat down to decide their favourite Pokémon designs out of those 107 — and even though our picks are sometimes...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 19th)
ScaViikend
It looks like we are just about there folks, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is finally here which surely means there are no more trailers, 'mon reveals or surprise announcements for the next few weeks, right? This week has been a busy one here at Nintendo Life. Aside from the release of Scarlet and Violet (for which we discussed the pros...
Talking Point Do You Name Your Pokémon?
Pikachu or Pik-yer-nose?
With every improvement and addition that each new mainline Pokémon entry brings, there are a handful of features that remain unchanged since the launch of the franchise more than 25 years ago: the ability to heal up at a Pokémon Centre, the appearance of the "technology is incredible" guy, and — of course — the option...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 12th)
Ladies and gentlemen, The Weekend
With yet another trailer dropping for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, an Indie World showcase and the Nintendo financial report getting released, it has been quite the week here at Nintendo Life! We covered all of the great indie titles that will be heading to Switch in the coming months - including sitting down with...
Poll So, Animal Crossing: New Leaf Or New Horizons - Which Do You Like Best?
Don't Leaf me this way
Today marks exactly ten years since Animal Crossing: New Leaf was first released on 3DS. Outside Japan, we had to wait until June the following year to become mayor in our autostereoscopic 3D hamlets, although its Switch counterpart, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, would be the first game in the main series to get a...
Talking Point What's The Best Use Of Licensed Music In A Switch Game?
(No, it's not Mad World)
You know that feeling you get when you're driving down a highway at sunset, and the perfect song comes on the radio? All of a sudden, it feels like you're in a music video, or that bit at the start of a '90s teen movie, where everything is sparkling and perfect. The music becomes a soundtrack, and your life becomes a story...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 5th)
Bonfire Night gaming
Remember, remember the 5th November, gunpowder, treason and gaming. It's something along those lines, right? While we can't really comment on the first two of these, we have had a week filled with the third here at Nintendo Life. The week kicked off with Halloween, and we got into the spirit by chatting about the gaming moments...
Talking Point Which Scary Video Game Moments Gave You Nightmares As A Kid?
Mummy!
As one moves into adulthood, it's possible to look back and laugh at things that once terrified you. Sure, the adult world contains more than its fair share of horrors worth recoiling from, but at least we gamers can look back at the digital scares of our youth with a satisfied smile, knowing we've conquered our childish fears. Right? Well,...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 29th)
BAEonetta
After two weeks of back-and-forth drama, we are pleased that Bayonetta 3 is finally out to rave reviews. We are never going to have to talk about another VA dispute ever again, right? Yes, the gun-slinging, crowd-winning Umbra Witch is back and (not to spoil the following feature) we are excited to play. While we awaited the game's...
Talking Point Would You Prefer 'Super Mario Odyssey 2' Or A Totally New 3D Mario?
And can you believe Odyssey launched five years ago today?
It's kind of scary to think that Super Mario Odyssey is now five years old; that's half a decade! Launched back on October 27th, 2017, Nintendo was already firing on all cylinders at that point, having released the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and...
Talking Point The Mummy Demastered - Has A Better Game Ever Come From A Worse Movie?
Everything the movie wasn't. Fun!
Just recently, actor Brendan Fraser offered up his thoughts on why 2017’s The Mummy failed to garner both critical and commercial success. The movie, starring Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella, was meant to serve as the jumping off point for Universal Pictures’ ‘Dark Universe’, which would effectively link...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 22nd)
Persona-fied rabbits
Wow. This week has been so full of news, we would be hesitant to add any more for fear of bursting. After long anticipating the releases of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope and Persona 5 Royal on the Switch, who would have thought that Bayonetta 3 drama would overshadow it all? Hey, welcome to the world of Nintendo! Aside from...
Talking Point Given The Voice Artist Controversy, Will You Be Boycotting Bayonetta 3?
How much are creatives worth?
Note. Since this article was originally published, new claims have emerged which offer a different version of events leading to this dispute. Read more here: A New Bayonetta 3 Report Features A Differing Account Of PlatinumGames’ VA Pay Offer You'll no doubt have seen your social feeds ablaze with controversy...
Talking Point Which Animation Studios Should Tackle Nintendo's Other Franchises?
A match made in heaven
Picture the scene. You go to watch the Mario Movie in 2023. You realise that it is a stroke of genius, surely garnering a Return of the King number of Oscar nominations and going down in history as one of the all-time greats. The credits roll. Just as you are on your way out with your friends, chortling about Chris Pratt's...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 15th)
Happy weekend!
We did it, everyone. We made it through the working week with only 306 Pokémon Scarlet and Violet news drops to write of - perhaps this is a slight over-exaggeration, but you get the picture. This week we were lucky enough to head behind the scenes at Ubisoft to get a look at Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope as the game nears release...
Talking Point Is The Golden Age Of Licensed Music In Games Over?
Try and make the answers more than "maybe"
There is a moment in a young person's life — a brief window, around 13 years of age — when their internal maelstrom of hormones, peer pressure, and insecurity reaches its peak, turning the teen into soft, malleable putty, ready to be coaxed into a fandom by the next influential moment that comes along...
Talking Point What's Your Favourite Music Track From A Nintendo Game?
A.K.A, the world's toughest choice
One of the most important aspects of any game, in this writer's opinion, is the music. We've all been there: you might be stepping onto a new island in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker or floating through 'Space Junk Galaxy' in Super Mario Galaxy when a new music score plays in the background and completely...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 8th)
Mario madness
After the release of both Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's new trailer and The Super Mario Bros. Movie teaser, our minds are all deep-dived out - but what a time to be a Nintendo fan, huh! This week, our fabulous writers have been hard at work providing you lovely readers with breakdowns on
Talking Point It's About Time Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night Came To Switch
Seminal action-RPG celebrates its 25th anniversary
Note: this article contains minor spoilers for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. "What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets." These words, uttered by Dracula Vlad Țepeș during the opening exchange with Richter Belmont in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, have become completely...
Talking Point What's The Worst Game That You Still Love For Some Reason?
All your perfect imperfections
Today marks the 15th anniversary of NBA Live 08 on the Wii. Quite why there wasn't a national holiday and organised street parades for this excellent game is beyond us. Except, of course, it isn't excellent at all. The game was, for all intents and purposes, objectively bad, and yet there is a very large part of this...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 1st)
Ladies and gentlemen, the Winter
We did it folks! We made it through the barrage of game releases — more commonly known as 'September' — and we live to write another day! Though October is looking just as packed... *gulp* Here at Nintendo Life, we've played through the unofficial Super Mario Bros. 5 fan game made entirely in Super Mario Maker...
Talking Point Where Are All The Lord Of The Rings RPGs On Console?
Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a RPG
The year was 2002. Peter Jackson was about to release the second instalment in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, EA had bagged the rights to the video game adaptations of the films and Vivendi was just about to release its own console adaptation, not of the New Line Cinema property, but adapted directly from...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 24th)
The splat-best of the Splatfest
After last week's Nintendo Direct extravaganza, this week has seemed a little more relaxed by comparison. As we have prepared ourselves for the weekend's coming Splatfest (go Team Fun!) we have taken our time recuperating from what is already shaping up to be an amazing slate of upcoming games. In the Direct's...
Talking Point What Do You Think Of The Harvestella Demo?
Is it a JRPG with farming, or a farm sim with JRPG elements?
Ahead of its November 4th release date, Square Enix's take on the farming game genre, Harvestella, recently received a demo on Switch, so you can try before you buy. The save will transfer over to the full game, if you decide it's worth the £50 / $60. As part of a farm sim-filled...
Talking Point What On Earth Is Going On With Square Enix?
We don't have enough gil!
If you take even a quick glance at a release schedule for the next six months, you'll see that there are a heck of a lot of games coming out. Look a little closer, though, and you'll spot that maybe 50 of them are from Square Enix. And that's just on the Switch! We're exaggerating, of course, but it's hard to ignore the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 17th)
A post-Direct blowout
*deep breath* There was a Nintendo Direct this week! And it was chock-a-block full of games. But the big news is that we, at last, know the name (and release date) of Breath of the Wild's follow-up. RIP The Sequel to... The Legend of Zelda:
Talking Point What Did You Think Of The Latest Nintendo Direct?
"Zelda blowout", they said
Nintendo Direct week is both the joy and the bane of a games journalist's work week. So much to talk about! So little time! So much hype! And then you spend the next two weeks slooowwwwly dissecting it all, discussing it all, and finding out the details that the Direct didn't tell you. This Direct was a pretty good one by...
Talking Point What Did You Think Of The September 2022 Nintendo Direct?
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom! Fire Emblem Engage! Pikmin 4!
Well, that was one heck of a Nintendo Direct, wasn't it? While it perhaps wasn't the massive Zelda blowout we were all expecting, Nintendo had no shortage of first-party reveals and exclusives, amidst some big Indies and multiplatform releases. Let's start with the biggie, then — Breath...
Talking Point What Do You Want To See At Today's Nintendo Direct Showcase?
Zelda? Metroid? More Zelda?
Update [Tue 13th Sep, 2022 12:15 BST]: The day is upon us and we are buckling up for what is sure to be 40 minutes of top-notch announcement content. Alongside the writers below, our wonderful video production team have now also given their thoughts on what to expect from the Direct. Check out their thoughts in the new...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 10th)
What a week for franchises
It's finally here, folks. After what feels like an age of trailers and Directs galore, this week finally saw the release of Splatoon 3! Here at Nintendo Life, we have you covered for all things concerning ink, squids and merchandise (or should we say Murch-andice?) We have put together a comprehensive Tips, Tricks and...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 3rd)
Time for some downtime with our favourite games
In the week that brought us the results of Splatoon 3's first Splatfest, we have been busy with lots of quality gaming content over here on Nintendo Life. September is now upon us which not only means that we are preparing for a complete barrage of new gaming titles coming to our consoles over the next...
Talking Point What Was Your First Mario Kart Game?
Let's-a goooo!
Today (September 1st, 2022) marks 30 years since the launch of Super Mario Kart in North America. In the years since, Mario Kart has gone on to be one of the most successful Nintendo franchises of all time, with the latest mainline release - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - topping the Switch's best-selling titles with over 40 million units...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 27th)
Ladies and gentlemen, The Weekend
As the great Captain Haddock once said, 'what a week, huh?' It seems that in the run-up to Splatoon 3's release, Nintendo has been hitting us with inky news left, right and centre (splaturation, if you will). This week, we got a chance to go hands-on with the upcoming game, and we are sure that some of you will be...
Talking Point Can We Predict The Other Two Stories In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet?
Treasure, school, and evil...
One of the details revealed in the latest Pokémon Scarlet & Violet trailer was that the game would have three main stories, which could be played in any order. We were told about one of the three: The story of battling through all the gyms to get to whatever this game's equivalent of the Pokémon League is...
Talking Point What Was Your First Legend Of Zelda Game?
Links to the past
Last Monday marked the 35th Anniversary of Metroid's release in North America for the NES, and we celebrated by compiling our "origins" stories for the franchise. This time, it's The Legend of Zelda's turn, with the debut title also celebrating its 35th Anniversary in North America tomorrow (22nd August). It's kind of crazy to...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 20th)
Press start for the weekend
Are you riding the waves this weekend? Wave Race 64 is out now on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service, so we're sure some of you are grabbing that late '90s nostalgia. Otherwise, you might be tee-ing up for a round of golf with the well-reviewing Cursed to Golf (we'll have our
Talking Point Which Nintendo Series Would Work Best As A Free-To-Play Game?
Hear us out! We've got some good ideas!
Live service, free-to-play games are the new hotness. With massive fanbases built around games like Genshin Impact, Destiny, and Fortnite, which are regularly updated with new characters, content, and quests, it's easy to see how other game development studios might be tempted over to the dark side...
Talking Point How Were You Introduced To Metroid?
Lets get this morph ball rollin'
In case you didn't know, tomorrow (Monday, August 15th) marks the 35th Anniversary of Metroid's NES launch in North America. That's insane, right? 35 years! Do you feel old yet? In the years and decades since its debut in 1987 ('86 in Japan), the Metroid franchise has gone on to become one of Nintendo's tentpole...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 13th)
We're starting a cult...
The heat's back, and we're desperately trying to stay indoors here at Nintendo Life. We've got a round-up of everything that was shown off in the Splatoon 3 Nintendo Direct! Also, were feeling a bit peckish after Kirby's Dream Buffet got a release date. And there's a beautiful