Latest Features
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 r
Feature Nintendo Switch 2: Year One - Looking Back, How Would You Rate It So Far?
Switch 2 365
5th June 2026 marks the first anniversary of Switch 2, the console we had known was coming for many months — years, even — before Nintendo officially unveiled it in January 2025. With US tariffs, global economic uncertainty, RAM-ageddon, and rising prices affecting all the platform holders, it's been a challenging period for the...
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...
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...
Poll Box Art Brawl: WarioWare, Inc: Mega Party Game$!
WAH
VOTE! Think fast, it's time for another edition of Box Art Brawl. Last time, to celebrate the arrival of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, we took a look at where the solo series all began as we compared three covers for the NES' Yoshi. The European Mario & Yoshi design walked away with the win in that one, receiving 48% of the vote and leaving...
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...
Opinion It Took Me Nearly 20 Years To Fall Into Mario Galaxy's Orbit
Just one click away
The Launch Stars in Super Mario Galaxy are pure cinema, from that spinning wind-up with the quick arpeggio to that compressed pause before a cannon-blast hurl into an arc unknown. And that camera work! As you trace an unseen thread through space, leaving a gleaming contrail of light and delight before the zoom-out to best catch...
Feature "When I Saw Animal Crossing, I Felt It Was 'FREE'" - Yu Suzuki Talks Shenmue III Enhanced
Plus Switch 2 performance targets from ININ
Video game designer, director, and overall legend Yu Suzuki — he of Hang-On, Out Run, and Virtua Fighter fame — needs no introduction, especially to arcade-era, blue-sky Sega fans. Shenmue, his epic action adventure series, probably doesn't either, but seeing as the upcoming Shenmue III Enhanced marks...
Book Review Fatal Fury / Garou Densetsu: The Ultimate History - Another Bitmap Beauty
Oh Mai
Over the years, the Switch has become home to several Fatal Fury ports, including a couple of cheeky additions to the SNES Switch Online library. So if you’re someone who has yet to dive into the series or perhaps fancy picking up an entry or two, it might be wise to brush up on your Fatal Fury history to really appreciate what it is...
Opinion Yoshi And The Mysterious Book Completely Wastes Its Best Mechanic
This could have been an all-timer
I had a pretty decent time with Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. It’s a charming experience filled with wonder and imagination, but thanks to the repetitive, overly-simplified structure, that imagination is never afforded enough space to really shine. I tolerated this, however, and had a good time discovering the...
Round Up 12 Switch 1 & 2* Games We Played At BitSummit 2026 - Here's What We Thought
*Hiccups/dev kits permitting
I’ve covered a lot of gaming conventions in my time. Innumerable PAXes, E3 once, and a few Tokyo Game Shows. None of them match the immaculate vibes of BitSummit, Japan’s indie gaming convention. From developers fresh out of University to seasoned vets striking out on their own, an infectious enthusiasm for this...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Yoshi And The Mysterious Book?
Sweet little mystery?
The latest adventure of T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas hit Switch 2 earlier this week, and we're sure the biggest Yoshi fans among you have been spending this weekend with it. It seems to have gone down well with plenty of critics, currently flutter-jumping with an impressive 81 on Metacritic. In our review of Yoshi and the...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Yoshi (NES)
Eggcelent choice
Mlem. Howdy partners! Hop on board your nearest dinosaur, because it's time to set off on another edition of Box Art Brawl. Last time, we went virtual, as we took a look at Galactic Pinball for the Virtual Boy. There were just two options to choose between, and it wasn't even close. North America walked away with a staggering 71%...
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,
Opinion Replaying Games Is Better Than Playing Games
Daily constitutional
Between 3D All-Stars and the N64 app, I've always got a version of Super Mario 64 downloaded, ready to boot up and triple jump and belly slide before that seamless curl back into a pit-a-pat run as I head towards Jolly Roger Bay, to hear its progression of pure melody to underwater synth and finally that drum beat drop in the...
Review Mobapad M12-HD Controllers For Switch 2 - A Clear Step Above Nintendo's Joy-Con 2
Handheld fans rejoice
As much as the Switch 2 improved upon its predecessor in terms of design and comfort, it’s still plagued by Joy-Con controllers that, for me at least, feel far too dinky when held. It might be my age talking, but using the console in handheld mode has caused occasional pain in my palms and wrists that makes it difficult for...
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...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Galactic Pinball
Seeing red
It's time for yet another edition of Box Art Brawl, and we're going virtual. Before we strap a plastic peripheral to our faces, however, let's take a look at last week's showdown, where a trio of covers for Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind went head-to-head. Despite some close competition from Japan, it was the North American...
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...
Feature Behind The Lens - How New Pokémon Snap Made Me Miss My Dad
Camera-rupt
It’s hard to believe that New Pokémon Snap is more than five years old. I remember the days of wistfully dreaming of a follow-up to the bite-sized N64 game that I spent hours and hours on as a kid, trying to figure out how to get that Charmeleon to evolve, or how to unlock the last level with Mew. Of course, as an adult, I can do all...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Indiana Jones And The Great Circle?
Decent mileage?
Noted archaeologist and obtainer of rare antiquities Henry Jones. Jr. returned to a Nintendo system earlier this week in a new adventure, the Bethesda-published Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Well, new to Switch 2 owners, at least. Xbox gamers got this chapter in Indy's Nazi-punching escapades in 2024, with PS5 players...
Opinion Replaying Star Fox 64 Convinced Me A Switch 2 Remake Is A Good Idea
Slippy slope
Last week's Star Fox announcement left me feeling a little mixed. On the one hand, yay, Star Fox again! On the other, oh, Star Fox 64 again. Truthfully, I didn't know what to make of the big reveal that Star Fox was really another remake, a reimagining, of Star Fox 64. Maybe it was the fact that I was watching the surprise Direct in a...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Bubsy In Claws Encounters Of The Furred Kind (SNES)
Bobcat Brawl
Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last week, we checked out Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales for the DS. After a few close races, the winner here was clear, with North America smashing it to bag 71% of the vote. This time, as we await the launch of Bubsy 4D on the Switch and Switch 2, we're going back...
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
Opinion Pokémon Pokopia Shines Brightest In Its Subdued Moments
Hit(monlee) after Hit(monchan)
In the years to come, I'll look back on March 2026 as a key turning point in my life. From that moment on, my daily existence can be chronologically sorted into two camps: the time before Pokémon Pokopia's Title Theme was stuck in my head, and the time after it. I knew that I was going to love Pokopia's habitat...
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...
Reaction Nintendo Hits The Rewind Button On Star Fox, Again, And I'm Here For It, Again
This brings back memories of yurrr dad
Well, that was something to wake up to: Star Fox 64 is coming back! Again. Back in mid-April, following rumours that Nintendo was dusting down the Arwings for a first-party mission after a decade in the hanger,
Poll How Do You Pronounce These Pokémon?
22 Lickitung-twisters
After 30 years and well over 1000 Pokémon in the National Dex, coming up with snappy names for Pocket Monsters is tough. Add in all the languages the games are localised into, and potential issues around certain words and puns which don't translate well, and it's no wonder that people have different ways of saying certain...
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...
Feature Reviving Kanto - My Mental Health Journey Through Pokémon Pokopia
A Pokémon Center for my brain
May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the US. Continuing Pokémon's 30th-anniversary year and following on from the March release of Pokémon Pokopia, today Tim shares his personal journey with the Switch 2 spin-off... If you consider yourself a Pokémon fan, I wager that what keeps you riding with the series is a...
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...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects (April 2026)
Our picks for the best eShop games on Switch 1 & 2 in April
Four months into 2026, and it feels like things aren't going to be slowing down anytime soon, does it? It also means that it's time for eShop Selects once again, and we're looking back at April 2026, a time where many of us have been Living the Dream. Now, despite what we just said, this...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
Do Chocobo have tails?
Is everybody ready for another edition of Box Art Brawl? Oh, go on then! With The Mysterious Book on our minds, we took a look at Yoshi's Universal Gravitation last time, and it was another pretty close-run competition at the top. North America crashed out of the race with 14% of the vote, leaving Japan and Europe to fight...
Opinion My Pokopia Towns Look Terrible, But That's Okay
Embracing the Muk
Around the 35-hour mark, I finally rolled credits on Pokémon Pokopia. As anyone who's made it to the end will tell you, it's a bittersweet experience. I watched those closing animations play out with a tear in my eye, thinking about how far I'd come, how much my Ditto had grown, and how much my towns had evolved since I first set...
Guide Shopping For Retro Nintendo Grails In Madrid
The game in Spain
Madrid is one of my favourite cities, overflowing with architectural intrigue, delightful cultural experiences, and brimming with the kind of sunlight that makes you feel like basking outside in the park with a handheld and a cool drink. While the city is known for many things, one of its remarkable (and largely unsung) features...
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...
"Rebirth is significantly different"
Mere months after the launch of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Switch 2, Square Enix is following up with a port of its sequel, Rebirth, in June. It's an impressive accomplishment given that the development team is also knee-deep in producing the third and final entry in the trilogy. The...
"We haven't scaled back or cut content"
The Switch 2 has already had its fair share of ports that would have felt impossible on the previous console, and next month, another is joining the ranks. After launching on Xbox back in 2024 before whipping up a PS5 release the following year, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is bringing fortune and glory...
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...
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...
Opinion Here Are Six Ways 'Alien: Isolation 2' Can Improve Upon The Original
"Look into my eye"
Today, 26th April, is 'Alien Day'. I know at least some of you might be scratching your head and wondering why, so let me very briefly explain. The planet on which James Cameron's Aliens takes place is called LV-426. Get it? 426. April 26. There we go. Alien Day. Anyway, with that in mind, I thought this would be a good...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Yoshi's Universal Gravitation (GBA)
Going Topsy-Turvy
Hello chums, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last week, we checked out Professor Layton and Pandora's Box for the Nintendo DS. It was a surprisingly close race, but in the end, Europe managed to take the win with 41% of the vote. Japan claimed second place with 31%, and North America trailed with 28%. Well done,...
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
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Pragmata?
Eight/10?
Capcom recently rolled out an easy GOTY contender with Resident Evil Requiem, but that apparently wasn't enough for the Japanese publisher. It's now unleashed Pragmata, a futuristic action-adventure that blends fast-paced shooting with intricate puzzle-solving mechanics. We thought it was pretty great, too. In our 9/10 review, Ken Talbot...
Round Up The Previews Are In For Yoshi And The Mysterious Book
Gearing for the Booker Prize?
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is mleming its way to its 21st May 2026 release date, and we have a bunch of previews to showcase to see how it's holding up so far. Our own Jim Norman recently went hands-on with the latest Nintendo title and came away feeling pretty optimistic, stating: "It'll be interesting to see how...
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...
