Tag: Talking Point - Page 6
Talking Point Has Nintendo Done Enough To Justify Splatoon 3's Existence?
Let's break down the latest Direct
Over the past few months, there's definitely been a growing concern amongst fans that Splatoon 3 might not be able to justify its own existence. Regardless of your opinion on them, live service games like Fortnite and Apex Legends have proven that it's perhaps more beneficial to launch what is effectively a...
Talking Point What Does Your Favourite Pokémon Say About You?
Pikachu? Wow, so basic
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are on their way, presumably adding another hundred-or-so critters to our 'Dex, and we can't lie — some of them are already winding their way into our hearts. There's Fidough, the purebread dog that everyone loves, Smoliv and Lechonk, the little guys with meme names, and Pawmi, Gen IX's Pikachu...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 6th)
Fight to live, live to play games
It's been a busy week for Nintendo fans, and for us at Nintendo Life! Not only has Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Wave 2 finally dropped, but Game Freak and The Pokémon Company gave us plenty of news on Pokémon Scarlet & Violet! Nintendo also delivered its Q1 financial results, where it reported
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 30th)
Chronicling the weekend
As we reach the end of yet another week in the year 2022, we also sit at the cusp of the eighth month of the year! In the news this week, Nintendo finally unveiled Wave 2 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass. Bandai Namco has asked Digimon Survive fans on social media to not spoil th
Talking Point What's The Highlight Of Your Game Collection?
The things we'll never trade in
Everyone plays games differently. Some of us buy nothing but digital games, preferring to be able to play whatever we want, wherever we want; others meticulously collect every single physical release they can get their mitts on, before prices skyrocket for a second-hand copy on eBay. But one thing most of us have in...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 23rd)
Live for the weekend
School's out for a lot of kids now in the UK — hooray! How many of you will be joining your kids for a summer of gaming? Perhaps Camelot updating its official company website with Golden Sun assets is tempting you to dig into your backlog? Or maybe you'll be going through the 3DS and Wii U eShops after Nintendo gave clearer...
Talking Point What Are The Nintendo Switch's Defining Moments (So Far)?
A timeline of awe and tragedy
The Nintendo Switch has been around for almost five and a half years, and in that time, it's made headlines over and over again in ways that other consoles haven't — for better or worse. And you know what? It's pretty refreshing to be able to talk so much about one piece of hardware. We were there for the Wii U years...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 16th)
A fairy finally came to you!
Well, it's felt like quite a hectic week here at Nintendo Life! The biggest news, of course, was the confirmation that Bayonetta 3 will finally be launching in October this year, along with the delightful surprise of a physical edition of the first game. To top it off, Platinum Games confirmed that you can
Talking Point Would You Mind If Nintendo Retired The 'Big' Nintendo Direct Format?
The Joys and Cons, direct to you
With the reveal of a new trailer for Bayonetta 3 along with a launch date announcement, Nintendo fans are looking back over the last couple of weeks with a question on their mind: Why didn't the company bundle up this news with the third-party announcements from the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase and deliver...
Talking Point What's Your Favourite Nintendo Switch Screenshot?
LOOK AT THIS PHOTOGRAPH
God bless the screenshot. Ever since they were first invented, and then brought to consoles, the world has been a brighter place. Where would we have been in the Animal Crossing Pandemic of 2020 without the images of our homes and islands to share with others? Would Spider-Man be less of a good game without that photo mode?...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 9th)
Wahoo! It's the weekend!
It's been a little bit milder here n the UK this week, but it looks like things are about to hot up again. The news has also been a bit steadier, too. Nintendo unveiled a brand new Splatoon 3-Themed Switch OLED earlier this week. The upcoming Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion will have some "differences" in
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 2nd)
Take a sip
We're over halfway through the year now — isn't that a scary thought? And our calendars are about to get even busier after that Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase! But outside of that mammoth mini, rumours of a Metroid Prime 1 remaster are swirling once again. Sabotage's
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 25th)
Preparing for a busy July
Is everyone feeling a bit more chilled out after not-E3? Okay, we're still waiting for a Nintendo Direct, but we did get a Xenoblade Chronicles 3-focused presentation, where a new Expansion Pass was unveiled. The AM2R devs have reunited on a brand new stunning-looking Metroidvania pr
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 18th)
A turtle-y good weekend
Is it a scorcher where you are, readers? It certainly has been in the UK this week. But the video game news has been pretty hot too! Hollow Knight: Silksong is alive with a brand new trailer! There are details of a rumoured new Fire Emblem game surfacing online.
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 11th)
Bask in the warm glow of not-E3
Well folks, it's been another jam-packed week at Nintendo Life, with plenty of highlights to mention! First up, the excellent Mario Strikers: Battle League launched on Friday and we thought it was a great sports game for the Switch in our review. Similarly, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords...
Talking Point Should Sonic Frontiers Be Delayed? We Discuss Its Bizarre Debut And Fan Reaction
Sonic's latest 3D entry stumbles out the gate
After what feels like a lifetime of waiting, we've finally been treated to a glimpse at what the gameplay for Sonic Frontiers will look like — two glimpses, in fact! Thanks to IGN's month-long coverage deal with SEGA, we now have a better idea of how exploration and combat will work in the game, with...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 4th)
What're ya playin'!?
It's June, and this month is PACKED with new game releases and lots of summer gaming events! No, not-E3, although that's what we're calling it — "not-E3". This week, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet got a November release date! And it will officially be the first open-world mainline game. We also got a look at
Talking Point Video Game Music Is More Popular Than Ever, So Why Is Nintendo So Behind?
Make it music to our ears!
There’s been a lot of Nintendo-related music news over the past year that has had me more than a little disappointed. I like to boot up a video game soundtrack while I’m working; I’m a big fan of video game music concerts and I have a small collection of albums and vinyl that I want to keep growing. And with access...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 28th)
Pre-summer doldrums?
We're almost at the end of May, and the "E3" build-up is beginning to kick in, which means that things have been a little steady in the world of video games. Three new NES and SNES games have appeared on NSO this week. A dancing Psyduck toy took the internet by storm. And
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 21st)
Raze hell
Another week has come and gone, and it's been one of those weird "busy but not that busy" kinda weeks. We saw a bit of new footage from Sonic Origins, and it's looking very tasty. An HD texture pack was showcased for Mario Kart 64, and we discovered yet another bonkers
Talking Point In An Age Of Endless Delays, Nintendo's First-Party Flow Is Extraordinary
The hits keep coming
When Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp was postponed earlier this year in response to current events in Ukraine, there was an interesting perspective that did the rounds. It meant a longer than normal gap between Nintendo retail titles, and we'd have to wait — gasp — for a few weeks to play Kirby and the Forgotten Land...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 14th)
Go on, tell us
Well, it's certainly been a bit of a busier week for us here at Nintendo Life! Looking at game announcements, we're going to be getting Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards on the Switch Online Expansion Pass, plus Alan Wake has been confirmed for release on the Switch later this year. Finally, of course, we had a brand new Indie World...
Talking Point As Switch Hardware Sales Slow, How Long Can Nintendo Delay 'Switch 2'?
Stuck between a rock and a global chip shortage
Nintendo's report for the 2021/22 financial year dropped today, and while Switch continues to sell well and software sales are looking healthy, signs that enthusiasm for the five-year-old system is beginning to ebb are also apparent. To be clear, the results present a far from gloomy outlook for the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 7th)
The force is still with us
If you've noticed that things have been a bit quieter this week, that's because it's Golden Week in Japan, a series of four national holidays where a lot of companies grant time off. For others, Star Wars Day was on 4th May (okay, okay, May the 4th), and that's also considered a bit of a holiday, depending on who you talk...
Talking Point If 1-2-Switch Sequel Rumours Are Somehow True, How Could Nintendo Improve It?
1-2-Switch-2
Nintendo rumours and the world of 'insiders' can occasionally be a strange, baffling place. While there's no shortage of legitimate leaks, some of the speculation can come across as tall tales, fever dreams, or even the potential machinations of Nintendo trying to bait and identify internal leakers. One bit of speculation that just...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 30th)
Wanna play ball?
Hold on, it's May on Sunday? We're a little bit confused about that here at Nintendo Life Towers — how are we already in the fifth month of 2022? Blimey. Anyway, after the release date chaos of last week, this week has been decidedly more steady. Reggie Fils-Aimé's SXSW talk is now available, and in it, he reveals how the...
Talking Point WATA And The Grey Areas Of Game Preservation - Is There Any Better Way?
WATAAARGH
The game industry is youthful compared to other areas of entertainment and recorded culture - younger than film and TV, and of course a baby compared to printed works. Yet we're now decades into the history of gaming, especially if you go back to the systems of the 1970s, perhaps even a little earlier. Even if you choose to focus on the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 23rd)
It does matter
Phew! It's been a heck of a week, hasn't it? It actually feels like springtime now at least, but our eyes are poised towards the summer with the slate of new release dates we've been handed. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has been brought forward from September to July! Unprecedented stuff. Splatoon 3 also finally has a release date — a
Talking Point With BOTW2 Slipping, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Launching Early Is Fantastic News
"Bringing together the futures" of its predecessors
Though Xenoblade Chronicles is not the biggest-selling franchise to consistently grace Nintendo's hardware, it's clear that Nintendo is happy to recognise that some brands and genres deserve support for the loyalty they earn among fans. MonolithSoft, a company majority-owned by Nintendo that often...
Talking Point Can It Really Be 10 Years Since Fire Emblem: Awakening Saved The Series?
From niche series to Nintendo staple
10 years ago today, Fire Emblem: Awakening was released on the 3DS in Japan. At the time the series had a core and devoted audience, but it had struggled to make a meaningful sales breakthrough outside of Japan. There was no doubting the development and storytelling talent of developer Intelligent Systems,...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 16th)
A long weekend? More time for video games
If you celebrate it, Happy Easter! If not, we hope you at least have a nice, long weekend, or perhaps you're just going to relax more than normal. Whatever you're doing, we hope video games factor into your plans. This week, we got a new Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes trailer, which introduces us to...
Talking Point If Breath Of The Wild 2 Launched Alongside New Switch Hardware, Would You Upgrade?
Gotta have those fluffy clouds
Just a couple of weeks ago, the famed honcho of the Legend of Zelda series, Eiji Aonuma, announced that the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would be delayed into Spring 2023. It was an announcement that many of us were undoubtedly expecting, particularly given that 2022 is already playing host to the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 9th)
In a backlog far, far away...
Easter is already just around the corner! Or Egg Day. Whatever you want to call it. Really, it's just an excuse to eat chocolate and play video games, right? Did you check out our Indie Spotlight earlier in the week? Well, we'll give you another chance below. After last week's Zelda bombshell, it's been a bit quieter...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 2nd)
It's April already?!
It's the weekend - hooray! We hope you've all managed to get through April Fools' Day in one piece. It's been another week of bombshells, with possibly the biggest news being something we all *kinda* expected but didn't want to admit, and that's the news of Breath of the Wild 2 being delayed into 2023. We also got three new...
Talking Point Now That Zelda: BOTW 2 Is Off The Table, Should Holiday 2022 Belong To Mario?
Or even... Donkey Kong?
Nintendo's Holiday 2022 season is looking real quiet. Too quiet, if you ask us. Even though we're about nine months out, it seems a little odd that we don't know what Nintendo's big holiday release might be — Splatoon 3 is scheduled for the Summer, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is due in September, and of course, the previous Big...
Talking Point Nintendo Switch Online, Game Pass, And 'New' PS Plus - How Do They Compare?
Begun, the Sub Wars have
There had been rumblings over the past weeks and months that Sony was going to unveil a revamp to its subscription service to compete with Microsoft's Game Pass; it had a codename of 'Spartacus' for added effect. It did just that in the end, unveiling three new tiers of PS Plus — the lowest tier broadly represen
Talking Point 3DS Is 11 Years Old, And Our Eyes Still Feel Strange
Remembering the magic and buzz at a preview event
Over this past weekend the 3DS turned 11 years old, not exactly the biggest of anniversaries but enough to make us look wistfully at the little portable. It's a real favourite in our team, and I still keep both it and its charger handy when a bit of sentimental play is required — or when I want to...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 26th)
All aboard the Karby!
Happy Kirby Week! It's another busy one here at Nintendo Life, with the launch of not only Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but also Rune Factory 5. We loved Kirby, giving it a solid 9/10 in our review, but were a tad more critical of Run Factory, slapping a score of 7/10 on our review. On the news side of things,
Talking Point Nintendo And Mobile Is An Uneasy Alliance, But It's Still Vital
Nintendo's approach to mobile is certainly shifting
Earlier this week Nintendo confirmed that Dragalia Lost will be shut down after some final story updates, to which the response of many may have been a shrug of the shoulders. The mobile exclusive was an interesting title, though, as it was the only new IP that Nintendo had invested solely into its...
Talking Point Should We Still Be Pre-Ordering Games?
Pre-order this feature and get a free plush of me
A year ago, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town came out on the Nintendo Switch. As the latest instalment in the beloved Story of Seasons (the series formerly known as Harvest Moon) series, it was pretty hyped up in the fiercely-devoted farming game fanbase... only to be more of a fart than a...
Talking Point Nintendo Finally Gave Us Switch Folders, In A Very Nintendo Way
Thanks anyway, Nintendo
No-one can accuse Nintendo of taking its focus away from the Switch now that it's over five years old, in fact it's quite the opposite. The release line-up of major first-party content is looking packed, the eShop is still attracting excellent download games, and Nintendo continues to look at ways to boost the Switch User...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 19th)
Fancy a trip to Coconut Mall?
We've needed a calm week here at Nintendo Life, and it sure seemed that way until the release of Wave 1 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass. If you're not a Mario Kart Tour fan, then this DLC is for you! Plus you can check out what
Talking Point Which Other 'Old' Switch Games Would You Like To See Get New DLC?
Relight my fire
Hands up now, who honestly thought we'd be getting brand new DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in 2022? We certainly didn't; we were all primed and ready for Mario Kart 9 to be announced, but Nintendo clearly had other ideas, breathing new life into a game that's now five years old (or eight if you include the original Wii U release —...
Talking Point Not A Mario Kart Tour Fan? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC Gives You The Best Of Both Worlds
Awesome for us Mario Kart Tour holdouts
The internet's a funny place. For years there was wailing and gnashing of teeth as the mobile-only Mario Kart Tour got all-new tracks and much-loved classics — "bring that content to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe!", we demanded. Then the Booster Course Pack is announced and lots of (probably the sa
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 12th)
And why is it F-Zero X?
The dust has settled a bit this week at Nintendo Life, but we've still had plenty of bits and bobs to talk about! The big releases this week include the delightful Chocobo GP, which we rather enjoyed, and the N64 classic F-Zero X via Nintendo Switch Online, which is also ruddy good. In other news, we received a lovely...
Talking Point How Long Does Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Take To Beat, Really?
And what does it even MEAN to beat a game, man?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild turned five years old this week, and to celebrate the momentous occasion the Twitter account for How Long To Beat — a site that tells you how long on average a game will take you to complete — reminded everyone of BOTW's stats: Now, 50 hours sounds about...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 5th)
A strategic week
Well, it seems that last week was the calm before the storm, right? It's been a hectic few days in the land of Nintendo Life; chiefly, there was the big announcement of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet during the Pokemon Presents showcase. We also saw the release of Square Enix's Triangle Strategy and thought it was a darn good SRPG, and...
Poll Are You A Fan Of Nintendo Switch Online's Game Pass-Style Missions And Rewards?
Yep, Nintendo is starting to 'get it'
It's always a popular — and accurate — go-to joke that Nintendo's online offering will be largely similar to whatever Xbox and PlayStation did a decade ago. Harsh, but often fair. Maybe, just maybe that's started to change in the Switch era. Now, let's be upfront and say Nintendo is still on the cautious...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 26th)
On Switch, too
Another week has passed in the Nintendo Life, and after a few rather frantic weeks in gaming news it was a little calmer overall. There were interesting reveals, though, with Capcom Fighting Collection in particular getting plenty of retro gamers hot under the collar. Meanwhile it was confirmed that Next Level Games has been working...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 19th)
Can those old eShops handle the strain this weekend?
Another week, another dollar. Err, yes — that's how that saying goes. Various things happened this week in the world of Nintendo, but by far the biggest story was definitely the lovely Felix joining our lovely video team. What's that? Oh yes, there was also the matter of Nintendo's announcement...