Latest Features - Page 5
Talking Point One Month On, How Did Nintendo's Switch 2 Launch Go?
Are you satisfied with yours?
Yes, believe it or not, it's been a full month since the launch of the Switch 2 - it's certainly been a busy few weeks. Now that the dust has settled, let's take a look back at how the long-awaited console came out of the gate, from the perspective of Nintendo, players, and media... Coming in hot has been business as...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (5th July)
Go on and tell us
The weekend is here, which means it's time to kick back, relax, and play some games. Looking back on this week first, Nintendo released Super Mario Strikers for the GameCube NSO app on Switch 2. It's a solid title, and you can see exactly where it lands in our GameCube ranking for Switch 2 so far. Elsewhere, it emerged that...
Talking Point With Bigger GameCube File Sizes, Should Nintendo Let Us Download Individual NSO Games?
1.21 gigabytes!?
Switch 2 brought with it something we'd dreamt about on the original Switch: GameCube games on NSO. With the new GC controller giving Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and SoulCalibur II that authentic feeling (while also adding wireless without a WaveBird and sneaking in some
Preview Donkey Kong Bananza - DK's Getting His Own Odyssey, And It's A Helluva Trip
Gotta respect the Rambition
Nintendo has a real knack for testing my attention span. I felt it in the subtask-filled Hyrule of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, but, far more importantly for this preview, it's Super Mario Odyssey that most effectively bombarded me with distractions. Even a simple 'Walk to that giant building in New Donk...
Poll What's Your Switch (2) Game Of The Year So Far?
'25 vibe
Somehow, we've made it halfway through the year — congrats on surviving 2025 so far! Now that many of us have a shiny new console in our hands, we've got a lot to look forward to. But before we look at the future all starry-eyed, it's time to look back at the year's very best for the first six months. Sure, the Switch 2 is a highlight,...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Itchy...
Hello folks, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we looked at Donkey Konga 2 for the GameCube; a rather lovely sequel that never quite became the hit it deserved to be. In a classic three-way brawl, Japan came out on top with 47% of the vote, but goodness, it was close. North America just missed out with 46% of the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (28th June)
Dude! That is so (Cyber)punk rock!
Ah, another week in Switch 2 paradise and the news is still coming thick and fast. This week, Nintendo finally revealed the release date and price for Drag x Drive, we learnt that Super Mario Strikers will be
Feature Every Switch 2 Launch Game, Ranked
25 games, ranked by you
While Switch 2's software lineup at launch was filled with various known quantities, the breadth and quality of the games featured at the system's 5th June debut made for a very strong offering - perhaps one of the best of any console launch ever. We've done our best since the hardware's launch to review as many of its games...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Donkey Konga 2
Bongo Brawl
Mmm, bananas. Ahem, sorry about that. We meant to say, welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we swing over to this week's bongo brawlers, let's quickly recap what happened last time when three covers from the Dreamcast's Jet Set Radio went head to head (to head). There was a decent spread of votes, but the funky Japanese...
Talking Point Do You Have A New Go-To Racer In Mario Kart World?
Cowtastrophe
After the best part of a decade with Mario Kart 8, we'd wager that you had probably grown pretty close to your main. You know, your main. The character that you picked to sit behind the wheel, regardless of the situation, because their weight class, look, or general vibe matched your playstyle perfectly. But then Mario Kart World came...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (21st June)
Gaming like a dragon
Gosh, can you believe it's already been over two weeks since the Switch 2 launched? Where does the time go? Alas, it's true, but this week brought even more news with the big Donkey Kong Bananza Direct! It revealed a boatload of new information and made many of us here at NL infinitely more excited for its relea
Opinion I Never Felt True Nostalgia Until I Played GameCube On Switch 2
Ahh, memories
I still remember the day I got my GameCube. It wasn’t the launch day, because I remember getting Super Smash Bros. Melee alongside it, which to my knowledge released a few weeks after the console itself in the UK. Oh gosh, I was so excited though! I pored over early issues of NGC in the weeks leading up to The Big Day (somehow,...
Opinion I'm Completely In Love With Mario Kart World's Photo Mode
Plus Team NL's best shots
Mario Kart World is the biggest Mario Kart to date. The map is huge, with Easter Eggs and little secrets hiding under bridges, atop towering buildings, and in the middle of sprawling oceans. Knockout Tour is the most chaotic concoction of multiplayer I've ever seen. And I'm still knee-deep in unlocking characters (darn,...
Gallery Here's What You Get In The 'Rune Factory: Guardians Of Azuma' Limited Edition
I'm a fan... Get it..? Fan!
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is out now on Switch and Switch 2, and we thought it was really rather good. In our 9/10 review of the Switch 1 version, we said it's "a must-play for Rune Factory fans and would be well-enjoyed by newcomers to the series as well," praising the sheer amount of compelling stuff to do...
Reaction Donkey Kong Bananza Has Instantly Become My Most Anticipated Game Of 2025
Sorry, Samus
I have to admit, before the recent Donkey Kong Bananza Direct, I wasn't massively enthusiastic about Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 platformer. I played about 20 minutes of it at one of the Switch 2 Experience events back in April, and although I was charmed by the aesthetics and the ability to smash up pieces of the environment, I...
Talking Point What Are You Hoping To See In The Donkey Kong Bananza Direct?
Great ExpectAPEtions
What's that? You thought the arrival of Switch 2 a mere two weeks ago would be enough to halt the hype train for a while? Oh no, no, dear readers, Nintendo is full steam ahead, reminding us what's next for the freshest console on the block. The next station stop: Donkey Kong Bananza. A Direct presentation focused on DK's...
Poll Has Your Switch 2's Screen Got Any Nasty Scratches Yet?
Be careful
If you're anything like us, then chances are you've been handling your Switch 2 like it's a ticking timebomb. There's nothing quite as soul-crushing as when a new piece of tech gets a nasty dent on the casing or a horrible scratch on the screen. It feels like the end of the world. With the Switch 2, reports are starting to emerge that...
Talking Point How Are You Finding Mario Kart's Open World?
Free to roam
Many of us have just wrapped up our second weekend with Mario Kart World, and by this point you've probably seen most of the Grand Prix mode and had your rear end handed to you various times in Knockout Tour (I swear, there's no middle ground with that one - I either do really well or go out in the first two laps!), and are starting to...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Jet Set Radio (Dreamcast)
The concept of love
Hello folks, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl. Before we get cracking, let's see how things panned out last time, hm? We looked at Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition for the 3DS. North America and Europe joined forces on this one, and together, they managed to bag an impressive 72% of the vote. Well done, indeed...
Poll Do You Three-Star-Gold Every Mario World Grand Prix Before Moving On To The Next?
Or are you an agent of chaos?
I have been wanting to ask a bunch of people this question for a while now, and it seems this is as good a time as any! It's a question of gaming habits really, and how you approach doing things within them, that I'm sure holds up a mirror (mode) to our personalities in the 'real world' and all that, but I'm not a...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (14th June)
Wait, is there a new console out or something?
Our fingertips are blistered, our eyes are square, and that blasted Mario Kart World music won't get out of our heads, but we've had a full week with Switch 2, and the smiles are still large on our faces. Expectedly, it's been another big one at Nintendo Life this week. We got the first official sale...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Mario Kart World?
A brand new world?
Mario Kart World is finally out, making it the first proper new mainline entry in over a decade. Chances are if you've bought a Switch 2, then you've probably bought Mario Kart World too, so we're eager to see exactly what you make of it so far. Before we do, however, let's just remind ourselves of what we thought. Alana provided...
Hardware Review Nintendo Switch 2 - A Faster, Slicker, Sexier Switch
A worthy successor
Rumours of a successor to the Nintendo Switch started doing the rounds early in that console's life. While the Switch Lite and the OLED Model tweaked the base offering, it's taken over eight years for the 'prop
Opinion An Ode To The Fallen Arm, Xenoblade Chronicles' Best Map
How revenge falls
Among all the Switch 2 excitement, we didn't want this to get lost: Xenoblade Chronicles is now 15 years old! To celebrate, Alana recalls something which turned the game from a great one into a special one. Warning: This article contains spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles, so be wary if you haven't at least made it to the final...
Poll So, What's Your Favourite Course In Mario Kart World?
Track mania
We're willing to bet there are a fair few of you out there who spent the weekend up to your elbows in axle grease with Mario Kart World - would that be a fair assessment? It's a big old game and we're still working on finalising our review of the Switch 2 launch game after getting our hands on it last Thursday, and while you can read...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
Launch to launch
Hey, you. Yes, you! Wrap up that Knockout Tour, it's time for some Box Art Brawling. Last week, we hopped over to the Dreamcast and took a look at three different covers for Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. While there was a decent spread of votes, it was the Japanese variant that walked away with the win, taking 55% of the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (7th June)
Gee, I wonder
Ahh, another quiet week in the world of Nintendo... Sorry, what's that..? New console..? Hmm. Ah yes. The Switch 2! The Switch 2 launched; it's finally here, folks. Literal years of rumours and speculation can now end. Well... until whispers of the Switch 3 begin – hehehehehe. Our coverage this week has been mainly getting all...
Talking Point Does Your Switch 2 Vent Smell?
Not unpleasant, necessarily
Most of us here at Team NL, like many of you, have been unwrapping shiny new consoles today as Switch 2 arrives, finally. Nothing like the smell of new hardware in the morning, right? Having said that, while we've been getting to grips with the new console, some of us have noticed an aroma. Not an unpleasant one, you...
Opinion Nintendo New York's Switch 2 Launch Event Felt Like Coming Home
48th Street(Pass)
With the sounds of construction coming from every which way and the early June summer heat and warm afternoon sun rays shining down, it could have been a normal New York City day. But for today, anybody asking people on the line going along 48th Street had a new answer for the classic question of, “What are you all lining up...
Poll So, Did You Order A Nintendo Switch 2?
Are you sold?
On the eve of Nintendo Switch 2's global launch (OK, technically it's already the 5th in some locations), there is one burning question we have for you, the Nintendo Life audience: Will you be buying a Nintendo Switch 2? It's fair to say that Nintendo Switch 2 seems about the "safest" console Nintendo has ever produced, but with good...
Video "It's Actually...Really Good" - Our Hot 'Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour' Preview Take
"You've just gotta, like, tippy-tap it in"
On a recent trip to Nintendo's London HQ, our lovely video producer Alex-from-Nintendo-Life Olney was chained up in Nintendo UK's dungeon seated in a comfortable room and given a few hours to tinker with a Switch 2 and the platform holder's launch-day offerings, Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2...
Preview Mario Kart World's True Genius Is Its Movement, Not Its World
Moo-ve it on out, girl
It’s not much of a claim to fame to say you’ve played Mario Kart World at this point. After countless public preview events, the number of people lucky enough to have had a pop must at least be in the tens of thousands. But I’m special. I’m special because I got to play it for about four or five hours solid. I had a...
"We had a different vision for what this game should be"
Who had the return of Survival Kids on their bingo cards for 2025? Let alone as a launch title for a brand new Nintendo console? Amidst a storm of third-party ports and first-party giants, Survival Kids quietly sneaked into the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct back in April 2025. And when we saw the...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects (May 2025)
Our favourite Switch 1 eShop games released in May
The summer is here, the Switch 2 is almost here, and that means it's eShop Selects time for May. This is our very last Switch 1 edition of our monthly feature — but don't worry, things aren't changing with the release of a new console. You'll still be getting your monthly dose of eShop hidden...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age Of Heroes (Dreamcast)
I wanna take you for a riiiiide ♫
Hello folks, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! So last time, to celebrate its addition to Nintendo Switch Online, we looked at Kirby's Star Stacker for the Game Boy. Gosh, just how many Kirby games are there..? Crikey. Anyway, the western design really struck a chord with folks, so North...
Feature The Long & Rainbow Road To 'Mario Kart World' Part 4 - Victory Lap
Encore - MK Tour, Live: Home Circuit, and more
Last week, we wrapped up our overview of all the main Mario Karts ahead of Mario Kart World's launch next week(!). However, outside of those occasionally numbered mainline karters, there's another small selection of games tied to the series, directly or otherwise. So, to finish up properly, we thought...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (31st May)
So long, Switch 1
It's finally upon us, the last weekend before Switch 2. We have one last chance to throw our backlogs a concerned look before a line-up of launch games gets added to the pile, so let's go out with one last hurrah, shall we? You'd think that this week would have been a little 'quiet before the storm' vibes, but there's actually...
"It is a very firmly anti-AI sort of game"
I first caught wind of Date Everything! last year, when an animated trailer showcased a dating sim unlike anything I'd ever seen. What do you mean a humanoid fridge, grand piano, and front door can woo me? And, more pressingly, how are they all so hot? As it turns out, that title is both an invitation and...
Poll With One Week To Go, What Are Your Switch 2 Launch-Day Plans?
Seven days
We're exactly one week away from the launch of Nintendo's next console. As you might expect on a site called Nintendo Life, we're quite excited for that new hardware smell. With global pre-order shenanigans going on since the 2nd April reveal, everyone's had plenty of time to budget, make decisions, and plan out exactly how they want to...
Opinion Splatoon Brought Me Back To Online Multiplayer, But Octo Valley Shines Brightest
It's basically good in all possible ways
Back in 2015, which is apparently 10 years go now, the shooter genre was packed full of heavy-hitting, very serious, macho video games about firing bullets into people. This was the year, after all, that brought us Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (one of the best ones) and the incredibly shiny Star Wars...
Feature Donkey Kong Country 'Mine Cart Madness' Helped Me Face My Fear Of Roller Coasters
I guess you could say I "yearn for the mines" now
I’m absolutely terrified of roller coasters. The lack of control you have, the speed, high heights, twists and turns - all this makes for something I’ve never been able to convince myself is worth the thrill. It was easy to get over my fear of flying in aeroplanes as there’s always something...
Opinion Upgraded For Switch 2, ARMS Deserves A Second Shot At Greatness
Stretching it?
With the release date of the Switch 2 now so close I can barely sit still on the toilet, I've been having a little wonder to myself about what stuff, besides that new console smell and a brand new Mario Kart game, has got me most excited for my latest child's arrival. That's right, my consoles are my children. Stay off my property...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Kirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy)
Kirb your enthusiasm
We are back, back, back with another edition of Box Art Brawl! It was a biggie last time, with a pair of F-Zero X covers facing off against each other. That's not to say it was a close-fought competition, mind you. The character-focused Japanese cover walked away with a comfortable win, taking 84% of the vote and leaving...
Feature Limited Run Talks Switch 2 Game-Key Cards, Huge Carts & Difficult Pitches
No plans for Game-Key Cards "on titles where we are the manufacturer and publisher"
Raidou Remastered CE isn’t a standard, numbered Limited Run Games release, but we were still surprised to see that the Switch 2 Collector’s Edition they're offering retails for a whopping $249.99 USD and doesn't include a full game on a cartridge. This edition...
Gallery An Intimate Look Inside Nintendo's Latest Theme Park - Universal Epic Universe
Lots of Kong, but still needs more Dixie
Now that multiple Nintendo theme parks have been built (with potentially more coming down the road), it's likely on the minds of many whether they should save up the large amount of funds to make a trip out for this. While we can't make that decision for you, we've written in the past about the overall...
Feature The Long & Rainbow Road To 'Mario Kart World' Part 3 - Final Lap
MK7, MK8, Deluxe & DLC
And we're back, once again, on the road to Mario Kart World - and we're in the final stretch. On the two previous laps we've looked at every console Mario Kart game from the Super NES up to the Wii. For this final go-round, we're looking at two console entries which span a massive 14-year period. MK8 got some significant...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (24th May)
Ready..? Fight!
Well folks, the weekend is finally here... Wait, what do you mean it only feels like yesterday when we did our last What Are You Playing? Yeah... time flies, huh? The Switch 2 will be here before you know it! Anyway, this week saw the release of four new titles for the Game Boy app on Nintendo Switch Online, which is awesome. We...
Feature Universal Won't Say Anything About A Zelda Theme Park, But They Don't Have To
Let's use the Lens of Truth
He's waiting for his chance We were fortunate enough to have spent the past few days at Epic Universe, a brand-new Universal theme park located in Orlando, Florida. There’s no surprise that Super Nintendo World is the portion that had our full attention, and we’re happy to report it does a wonderful job transporting...
"I'm an absolutist when it comes to preservation"
As far as the 'Average Joe' on the high street is concerned, the physical games market is practically dead and buried right now. Store shelves are emptier than ever, the usually reliable supermarket chains often no longer stock them, and we're rapidly heading into a future in which the majority of...
First Impressions We've Played Three SEGA Games On Switch 2
Yakuza 0! RAIDOU Remastered! Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S!
Sega has positioned itself as a staunch early supporter of the Switch 2, offering up three key titles on day one and three more to follow later on. While we've yet to experience the full lineup, Sega invited us to check out a trio of launch-period titles in what marked our first extended experience...
