Dogorilla

I'd like to get it some day but not at full price. Which is fine because I don't have a Switch 2 yet anyway.

I was thinking a while ago that playing as a therapist could make for a good visual novel, with a problem-solving element in figuring out how best to help each patient. The tone I had in mind is a kind of Ace Attorney-esque sense of humour but slightly more serious and realistic in portraying therapeutic techniques and mental health conditions. This sounds like exactly what I had in mind but with the added curveball of biting people's necks, which is not something I would have thought of but I guess I'll take it?

@Kazman2007 Balloon Kid is not just a GB version of Balloon Fight, it's a more structured platformer-type game. I haven't played it before but I'm looking forward to giving it a go. Yoshi though - yeah, I can't see much reason to play this over the NES version (which I'm not that into to begin with), but nice to have the choice I suppose.

This is what I've been hoping for! Nice to see Labo VR getting a new lease of life seven years after release (😵)

Edit after the article update: Hmm, as others have said, the word 'officially' is raising some questions here. I think there's a good chance it will in fact work, but we'll see.

Like Gavin, I only bought the base VR kit, which is currently sitting in a cupboard and very occasionally tinkered with. The rubber bands are broken on the blaster so those will need replacing if I want to feed some hippos, but I'm hoping the headset will be good for a bit of Virtual Boy action in a couple of weeks.

I kind of regret not getting the other Labo sets while they were readily available new, it's a really fun concept. No idea how I'd store it all, though.

Why only Switch 2 games? Even if I had a Switch 2, my most anticipated games of the year at this stage would be Tomodachi Life, Rhythm Paradise and Professor Layton.

@JohnnyMind With the Animal Crossing one the paid upgrade doesn't seem worth it to me personally, but I don't have an issue with the way they handled it. If you're interested in the upgrade features then the price is not unreasonable, and if you're not then it doesn't stop you accessing all the other new content they added in the free update.

I think the Mario Wonder update should have been similar but probably the other way round in terms of pricing: a paid DLC for the original game, and a free Switch 2 upgrade that ups the resolution, adds Mouse Mode for Luma, GameShare, etc. To my mind this would make more sense from a sales perspective as well: no one's gonna buy a Switch 2 specifically for this upgrade, but Nintendo could still sell the Switch 2 edition as a physical release bundled with the DLC, while getting sales of the DLC from Switch 1 owners as well.

Probably whenever I end up getting a Switch 2, but after watching the 5-minute trailer yesterday I'm still unclear on how much new single-player content there is. So I might have to see how well it reviews before deciding. I'm also a bit disappointed this is Switch 2 exclusive - the vast majority of the new content would work perfectly well on Switch 1, and it's particularly galling when you compare it to Animal Crossing, which just got a huge free update that works on Switch 1 alongside the Switch 2 upgrade.

Looks lovely, and glad to see they've accurately captured the French dialect with that blackboard saying 'Oui Oui Baguette'

I'm glad some people are interested in this, but for me this might be the least appealing product Nintendo's ever released (and I've played Amiibo Festival!)

@Automated_Unit_4937 You mean 'the Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park game'?

Kind of funny how the clip they chose to showcase Dixie's flutter is one that makes it clear the game wasn't designed around her, because her jump misses one of the bananas. But still, this is a cool bonus feature for those who have the game on Switch (I'm sticking to the 3DS version myself) and you've gotta love Nintendo's commitment to being the company with the most random game update schedules in the business.

Hope he gets on well with Hasbro's COO, Gary Optimus Prime.

Interesting to see a game in the top 10 of the physical charts selling best on PC! I'm guessing there was a sale on that version specifically.

I think Switch 2 Editions need two different scores, one just for the upgrade and one for the whole game with the upgrade factored in. In the case of ACNH, Alex's 6/10 review seems fair if you're looking at whether it's worth paying for the upgrade pack, but it means the actual game, Animal Crossing New Horizons for the Switch 2 (which of course you can buy as a complete game in itself), also has a rating of 6/10 on the site, even though it's a (slightly) better version of a game which already received a 10/10. There should be some sort of clearer distinction here, because the full game and the upgrade pack are clearly very different value propositions but they're both called 'Switch 2 Edition'.

I agree that the best use of amiibo is cosmetic unlocks themed around the specific amiibo that you scanned, like the TOTK paraglider fabrics and Mario Kart's Mii costumes as mentioned in the article. It's the ideal sweet spot of being a cool bonus but not a big deal if you don't have it; otherwise if you just get something that's in the game anyway, it's hard to care that much. My favourite is the different Yoshi designs in Yoshi's Woolly World!

I never particularly longed to be able to strafe in Animal Crossing but I'll take it I suppose

I gave up waiting for this port and bought it on Steam years ago, but good to see this collection is finally coming to Switch, even if it did take an entire generation.

This is the kind of amiibo functionality I like best. It's a nice little aesthetic bonus if you have the amiibo but if you don't, well, it doesn't really make your experience of the game any worse if you miss out on a Rosalina-themed tennis ball.

I like the colours, and the limited usage of them looks good when the controllers are detached, but I'd like to see more colour on the main body of the controller so the console in handheld mode doesn't look so bland. My plan is still to only buy a Switch 2 once there's some sort of special edition available with a more colourful design - not just for aesthetic reasons but because by then enough time will have passed that I should be able to get the games a bit cheaper (secondhand if necessary). With that in mind it's a shame we're probably not getting a new Animal Crossing any time soon (judging by the upcoming New Horizons update), as the ACNH Switch 1 is gorgeous and I'd definitely buy a Switch 2 with a similar design to that.

Happy New Year, NL! I've been visiting this site for over a decade now and I think it's currently the best it's ever been - the variety of interesting articles coming out recently has been amazing. Looking forward to seeing what comes out of Nintendo - and Nintendo Life - in 2026

(By the way, does anyone else think that ring in the Rhythm Paradise image looks like the arch Harry Hill used to sit in front of on TV Burp?)

@JohnnyMind Ah that's interesting, thanks for explaining! Yeah 'Dragon of Gurgles' would be quite an odd title

'The Girl Who Stole Time and the Dragon of Gurgles'? If that's the full title this is the first time I've heard it, can't imagine why.

Personally I don't find this game quite as fun as Wii Fit, but I'm still working my way through the story mode after years of owning it and it's definitely succeeded in motivating me to do some actual exercise for once. This was a great read, kudos for the His Dark Materials reference!

I spent so many hours on Nitrome browser games back in the day, so this is very exciting news for me specifically. Twin Shot was one of my favourites as well, that music is so nostalgic <3

Jaws: Retro Edition: Enhanced Version: Bigger Boat Edition

If this doesn't come with the 3rd Strike character select music then what's the point?

To my eyes it looks way better on Switch 2. Seems a bit of a shame you have to have the anniversary edition to be able to upgrade though - I don't know much about Skyrim but from what I understand that edition just adds a bunch of mod-based content, and I can't see why that would be a prerequisite for the visual upgrades of the Switch 2 edition.

I've been a bit short on time recently, so I've had to watch more than one person on my friend list sail past the 150-hour mark in Pokémon Legends Z-A (how much is there to do in this game?!) while my own save file sits at a paltry 10 hours. I've got no plans this weekend though, so I should be able to put some time into rising the ranks of the Royale.

It would be even better if the booklet was narrated by Myles MacKenzie, so if you start to miss Myles MacKenzie when he hasn't shown up in a while you can just open the booklet and get some more of his wisdom

I haven't finished the game yet but it's cool to see this game's Mystery Gift legendaries coming with actual side quests to catch them, rather than just being unceremoniously dumped into Box 19 or whatever. Not to mention that they seem to be available indefinitely.

Are you going to update this article with this correction?
https://x.com/Ghoulyboy/status/1995547681272316039/photo/1

I love Mario RPGs and I own this one on Wii U VC but I still haven't played it! Looking forward to it whenever I get round to it. Didn't know about the boss battles being shortened outside of the US, that's an interesting fact.

There may still be life in the old hog, but it's well past its prime if that thumbnail is anything to go by...

I mean, I loved Beyond Good and Evil and wouldn't be at all opposed to a sequel, but I can't say I'm interested in the always-online, over-realistic, look-how-edgy-we-are-the-monkey-is-saying-rude-words-and-everything vision of it that we saw at E3 2017. But who knows what's going on with it at this point, maybe they'll have changed course entirely.

Please tell me the Pokemon Cafe has doughnuts in the shape of rice balls.

I'd be a bit more interested if it had the new pages from the Switch version, it would be nice to have an official way to read those without rebuying the games.

Definitely will get it whenever I get a Switch 2, I never played the original Air Ride but this game looks fantastic.

These are cool but for me the whole point of a calendar is to write what your plans are on each day, and these have no space to do that!

I was born this side of Y2K (just) but I have a soft spot for classic TV, right down to the traditional broadcasting system (as opposed to streaming, which I still don't like as much as watching actual channels), so I'll check this out for sure!

@UltimateOtaku91 @JohnnyMind I'm with you on Pokemon - there are perfectly valid criticisms to be made of the recent installments but a lack of innovation isn't one. I did think the series was getting a bit stale in the early Switch era after Let's Go and Sword/Shield played things fairly safe, but since then the Legends games and Scarlet/Violet have experimented a lot more with the gameplay and narrative structure - we've had open worlds, real-time catching, different battle systems, an ancient past setting and a fully urban setting.

The other complaint often levelled at modern Pokemon is the graphics and performance, which is fair, but Z-A is a good step up from Scarlet/Violet in that regard, even on Switch 1 where I'm playing it. There's some dodgy textures up close, sure, but I think some people have just decided to hate the game without giving it a chance - not accusing the letter writer of that as they clearly have played the game, but I noticed the Switch 1 version has an average rating of 5.6/10 on this site and I have to wonder how many people have given it low ratings without even playing it...

Nice, I'll make sure to get back into this game at some point. Should be able to make a lot more progress with the extra save points and the option to lower the difficulty.

Genuine question, could someone explain how GenAI-based text-to-speech is different from the TTS systems that have been used for years in various technologies (including games like Tomodachi Life)?

Happy birthday NL! I've been visiting every day for years and hopefully will keep doing so for a long time yet!

Do you have to make an IGN account for the votes to be saved? Just clicked through 100 duels and I don't want that to be wasted!

Why has Nintendo suddenly decided they need a new individual app for everything they think of

Honestly the most surprising part of this is Miyamoto openly acknowledging how cynical Pokemon's dual release model is.

I still use my 3DS and Wii U so it's a shame the stats for those will be 5 years out of date, but still, Wii U acknowledged in 2025 let's go!!!

@benmalsky198 I don't really like keeping up with these online games with limited-time events and FOMO unlocks, which is why I probably won't return to Fortnite any time soon, but it was fun from what I played of it years ago and I do get the appeal of the big crossover element you're talking about. I remember playing it during an Avengers event and just making Thanos dance was really funny to me.

Dare I say one of Nintendo's best ever soundtracks? Especially if you include the KK Slider songs (they seem to be missing here but at least they're mostly [entirely?] covered by the New Horizons soundtrack which is already on the app).

I don't entirely understand what Fortnite is any more but this almost makes me want to download it again. Almost.