Latest Features
Soapbox Lavender Town Isn’t Pokémon’s Scariest Location, It’s Someplace Far More Sinister
Trainers beware, you’re in for a scare
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Ethan chateaus himself in the creepiest place in the Pokémon world... Ah, Lavender Town — the place where the journeys of old Pokémon end and the...
Feature The 13 Spookiest Pokémon, Ranked
Spookémon
At one end of the Pokémon character design spectrum, you have some of the cutest little guys to have ever graced our screens. On the other, you have pure, unapologetic nightmare fuel. As we approach Halloween, it seems only fitting that we take a look at the latter, right? Okay, perhaps delving into the complete horrors of the Pokédex...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 28th)
Wa-hooing into the weekend
The weekend and a new edition of What Are You Playing, name a more iconic duo. This week, we asked you what's your favourite version of Super Mario Bros. 3 in honour of its 35th anniversary, a group of us NL writers had a good old natter about Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Talking Point Along With Joy-Con Drift, What Does Nintendo Have To 'Fix' With 'Switch 2'?
Reset Switch
Switch, eh? You think it's had its final bookend game and then another all-timer comes along to extend the library. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom looked like the perfect finale for an extraordinary console that kicked off with Breath of the Wild, but then Nintendo goes and puts out the best 2D Mario in 30 years with Super Mario Wonder...
Talking Point What's The Most Difficult Mainline Mario Game?
WaaAaAaa
Ah, Mario. Between mainline releases, while we are angrily plugging away at our 102nd attempt of a Souls-like's final boss or backtracking through the tunnels of a mind-melting Metroidvania, our thoughts are prone to Wonder (yes, get used to that one being thrown around) to the sweet simplicity of your punchy platforming. Because Mario...
Round Table Let's Talk Mario Wonder - Surprises, Badges, Difficulty, New Characters
We ponder Wonder
We've all been playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder for a few days now and it's fair to say that we have some thoughts — as do you, we're sure! Of course, if you want to check out our comprehensive and definitive verdict on the game, then be sure to read through our full review by the lovely PJ O'Reilly. For now, though, Team...
Poll What's Your Switch Controller Of Choice For Super Mario Bros. Wonder?
Wonderful versatility
One of the Switch's most unique and interesting features is its ability to be used with a wide variety of controllers. You've got the standard Joy-Con, of course, but you can also use a Pro Controller, a Super NES pad, a HORI Switch Split Pad, and many, many more. With the release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder just last week,...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Super Mario Bros. Wonder?
I wonder...
Okay, let's see if we can get through this one without a single 'wonder' pun... Last week, Super Mario Bros. Wonder launched to almost universal acclaim from critics and players alike. Sure, you'll find a dissenting voice or two in the crowd if you go hunting for them, but the vast majority of Mario fans have been in their element...
Talking Point Which Version Of Super Mario Bros. 3 Do You Prefer?
OG, remake, or re-remake?
Time really flies, doesn't it? Can you believe it's nearly November 2023 already? Mad. Not only that but it's also now been 35 years since the debut launch of Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES (as highlighted by our gorgeous pals over at Time Extension) in 1988. That's an awfully long time, and we've seen the Super Mario...
Feature Super Nintendo Bros. - The Best (And Worst) Nintendo Siblings
It's all relative
It's New Proper Platforming Mario Game Week, everyone! While the launch of a game with Mario in the title is a fairly regular occurrence, the release of the plumber's first all-new 2D platformer in over a decade is cause for special celebration. Super Mario Bros. Wonder brings back Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom brethren in a...
Feature Game Boy Color - A Quarter Century Of Colour Nintendo Handhelds
GBC memories
It's now 25 years since Game Boy Color launched, and for many of us in the West, it was on this system that we first caught and traded Pocket Monsters with pals back in 1998. Backwards compatible with the entire Game Boy library, the Game Boy Color refined the DMG and the smaller Game Boy Pocket with its sharp little colour screen...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 21st)
Isn't it a wonder?
The weekeeeeeeeeend! Yep, the weekend. Before we get into what we're going to be playing, let's just have a look back on some of the top stories from this week, shall we? We had not one, but two huge reviews this week for both Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Sonic Superstars, and guess what, they're pretty darn good! It feels so...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Sonic Superstars?
Did this Sonic 'Trip' up?
Sonic Superstars marks Sega's grand return to the world of '2D' Sonic after the highly acclaimed Sonic Mania back in 2017. We thought it was pretty darn good here at Nintendo Life and awarded it a score of 8/10 in our review, stating that "this is the first original 2D Sonic game that feels truly authentic to the Genesis...
Hands On Born Of Bread Is A Cut Above Other Paper Mario-Like RPGs
And we knead it
Content warning: The following preview article features an overabundance of bread-based wordplay — those who suffer from chronic pun intolerance should proceed with extreme caution. Nintendo Life takes no responsibility for 'cringuries' or loss of humour. The appetite for a 'true' return of Paper Mario has long been on the lips...
Feature A Look Inside Seattle's Real-Life Animal Crossing Aquarium
Seattle creatures
Eager to compare Critterpedias, Caitlin Johnson recently headed down to Seattle Aquarium to check out its new Nintendo collaboration... If you ever wanted to have Animal Crossing’s long-time museum curator Blathers teach you about marine life in reality, now is your chance. Nintendo and the Seattle Aquarium announced last month...
Community 28 Switch Games We Missed, As Recommended By You
Part 7 - Switch gems for your 'log
Aaand we're back with another edition of our bi-annual 'Games We Missed' series, where you lovely people let us and everyone else in the Nintendo Life community know which gems may have passed us by. We asked you recently to send us your nominations for Switch games that you think deserve some love in this...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 14th)
Calm before the Wonder storm
Ready for a spot of weekend gaming? Us too! Welcome back to another edition of What Are You Playing. This week on Nintendo Life, we saw Microsoft finally acquire Activision Blizzard, got all excited over the prospect of Animal Crossing LEGO and celebrated the
Soapbox Pokémon X & Y - The Series' Greatest Paradoxes
You can’t be groundbreaking without leaving a few cracks
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Andy looks back at a pivotal juncture in the Pocket Monster series which hinted at the path it would take over the following decade...
Anniversary Happy Birthday To Nintendo's Ugliest, Most Indestructible Console
Slated
It's that time of year when video game anniversary enthusiasts can enjoy the birthday of a significant game or console nearly every day of the week. It's the turn of Pokémon X & Y which turns 10 today (look out for a feature on that coming up a little later), but it's also a decade since one of Nintendo's lowest-key console launches...
Poll Which LEGO Animal Crossing Sets Will You Be Splashing Your Bells On?
A modest sum, hm?
After the initial tease last week, it thankfully hasn't taken Lego and Nintendo too long to lift the lid on its latest collaborative line-up, revealing five sets based on the Animal Crossing franchise launching in March 2024. With prices ranging from $14.99 all the way up to $74.99, the first batch in what we assume will be an...
Community Played A Great Switch Game We Missed? We Want To Know!
So. Many. Games.
As we hurtle towards Holiday season, we can all agree that 2023 has been an incredibly strong year in terms of the number of quality games hitting the Switch eShop on a weekly basis. Last month alone, we published 34 reviews in 30 days, and we could have easily doubled that number based on the sheer amount of interesting-looking...
Talking Point Would You Buy A Digital-Only 'Switch 2'?
Why do you have to be a cartbreaker?
Choo choo! It's the Switch 2 rumour train, back on the track and calling at Hushed Whispers and Vague Suggestion, with a brief stop to collect several fistfuls of sodium from Expectation Management. The latest rumours come from SoldierDelta on Discord via wcftech and suggest that Nintendo may have two models of...
Hands On Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Brilliant Badges And Dark Souls-Style Online Functionality
Make way for his Badgesty
There are less than two weeks to go until we finally get our hands on the first original 2D Mario adventure in 11 years. It's an exciting time, especially for those who weren't fully sold on the presentation style of the New Super Mario Bros. series when it launched on DS way back in 2006. Super Mario Bros. Wonder, as...
Feature What Video Game Consultants Actually Do, And Why ‘Kit & Krysta’ Are Doing It
Never A Minute consultants assess our killer game idea
I have an idea for a video game. Actually, I’ve been making it for about six months now. My video game is a rhythm-based game. It’s also an American football game. To play it, you choose between plays, just like any sports game … but your play only succeeds if you push the buttons in...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 7th)
Tell us! Do it now!
The weekend is here once again folks, so it's time to sit down, relax, and play some games. Before we do so, however, let's just go over what's been going on this week. First, we got another teasing look at Hotel Chocolatier, the new game from the creator of Stardew Valley, and it's looking mighty fine indeed. We also learned...
Talking Point What Are Your Hopes For Animal Crossing LEGO?
LEGO to the City
Following rumours that LEGO was set to team up with Nintendo and unleash Animal Crossing-themed sets on unsuspecting wallets the world over, a short teaser yesterday revealed... well, very little really. But the leaks were true, and Animal Crossing Lego exists! Yes, official Tom Nook and Isabelle minifigs will be available to...
Soapbox TOTK's Ganondorf Is Great, But Zelda Needs To Do More With Its Villain
(Geru)Do better
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Jim pleads the case for just a little more Ganondorf action... The reveal of Tears of the Kingdom's Ganondorf has to be one of my favourite all-time moments as a Zelda fan. We all...
Soapbox 'Switch 2' Doesn't Really Need Backwards Compatibility
Much as we all want it
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Gavin ponders his instinctual desire for backwards compatibility and why, perhaps, it's really not needed this time around... First things first, I would love 'Switch 2' to...
Feature Nintendo eShop Selects - September 2023
Our picks for the best Switch eShop games in September
Another month, another onslaught of games — it's eShop Selects time for September. Yep, we're closing in on the end of the year, and with only three months left to go until 2024 hits us, our backlogs are full-to-bursting from this month alone. With plenty of big names coming out in October...
Soapbox What Do You Do When Nintendo Ticks Off Your ENTIRE Most-Wanted List?
Good problems
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Kate runs down her Switch wishlist and wonders if Nintendo has her phone bugged (or maybe just reads her articles)... Oh, I have been spoiled this year. Suspiciously spoiled, in...
Atooi boss talks Hatch Tales' delays and reviving a cult classic
Over 15 years since its initial release on the Nintendo DS, horror FPS Dementium: The Ward is getting a re-release on the Nintendo Switch eShop, utilising the 2015 3DS remaster as its foundation. While its creepy low-fi visuals and disturbing creature design have attracted a cult...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 30th)
Game on!
Well, it's the end of September. Feel sick yet? Let's discuss some weekend gaming plans to help out. Before we dive into all that fun stuff, though, let's first take a look at some of this week's highlights. We heard the news that Hideki Kamiya was leaving PlatinumGames, took a look at the new collaboration between Pokémon and the Van...
Soapbox My Most-Played Game Of 2023 Isn't On Switch, But It Must Be On The Cards
Ready to snap
Before I get started, the me get this out of the way: the Switch is definitely my most-played console of the year. Between The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Fire Emblem Engage and Pikmin 4 (the less said about Vampire Survivors, the better), the hundreds of hours that I have poured into Nintendo's hybrid hardware far outweighs...
Talking Point What Is Your Video Game Palate Cleanser?
Prepare for the next course
You wait all that time for hotly-anticipated titles like Tears of the Kingdom to drop onto the console of choosing, only to see it land in a year as stuffed with top-notch gaming releases as 2023 that you are forced to play it while juggling 30 other "must-plays" at the same time. Gosh, we game fans sure do have it...
Poll Do You Prefer Zelda: Wind Waker HD's Bloom Lighting Or The "Flat" OG?
Cel-sword
We know the game didn't look like this, but the box art for both versions cannot be ignored. And just like that, ten years have sailed by — The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD was released on the Wii U ten years ago today, and while we spend most of our days now pining for this incredible seafaring adventure to swim onto Switch, we...
Feature From Piston Hurricane To Today: Why Latinx In Gaming Exists
And why it needs your help to change the industry
Joe Tirado, a Latino game developer, has imposter syndrome. He said as such, during his own talk on Latine representation at this year’s Game Developers Conference. In response to a question about his feelings on being Colombian in an industry where he largely lacks compatriot peers, he confessed...
Poll Have You Come First In F-Zero 99 Yet?
Chasing cars
When Nintendo surprised its community with the release of F-Zero 99 on Nintendo Switch Online, we honestly weren't quite expecting it to be as good as it is. And yet, demonstrating a clever twist on the classic SNES title, it wound up being what we'd argue is the best of the '99' range on Switch, calling it a "brilliant take" in our...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 23rd)
Spending time with Samus
It's the weekend! That means it's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy some games. Before we do so, however, let's take a look back at what's been going on this week. One of the biggest stories was actually in relation to the massive leak suffered by Xbox in which Phil Spencer expressed a rather blunt desire to acquire...
Soapbox FOMO Nearly Ruined Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom For Me
Too much background noise?
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Ollie looks back on how Tears of the Kingdom's launch hype on social media may have affected his own enjoyment of the game... On May 12th, 2023, I, like countless other...
Hands On Company Of Heroes Collection Deploys The RTS Classic On Switch, Despite Complex Controls
War - what is it good for? RTS, of course
Among the heaps of releases coming our way this year, 2023 has been a pretty big one for Feral Interactive — the team behind the excellent Switch ports of GRID Autosport and Alien: Isolation. The studio brought The Lara Croft Collection our way back in June and is now setting its sights on the next porting...
Soapbox Can You Really 'Spoil' A Mario Game?
I Wonder what will happen…
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Kevin ponders if it's even possible to spoil a game about a tubby plumber who jumps around a lot... Super Mario Bros. Wonder is right around the corner, and I think I...
Soapbox Nintendo, "THE Prime Asset" In Xbox's Content Quest? It's Only Natural
But it ain't happening
The FTC case examining Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, depending on your perspective, is either the gift that keeps on giving or an eye-scrapingly dull, never-ending saga. Still, you can't deny that it's turned up some tasty behind-the-scenes morsels to chew on, giving gamers a fascinating glimpse of the...
A divine force
Saying that the original PlayStation was a treasure trove of RPGs is a bit of an understatement. But even with that statement, Star Ocean: The Second Story remains a standout to many RPG fans. Its blend of sci-fi and classic fantasy, action combat, and crunchy synth tunes hit a particular chord back in the late ‘90s. This was the...
Feature 'The Art Of Nintendo Power' Exhibit - A Guided Tour
"The whole mission is to share the work"
Have you ever seen an original Contra up close? What about an original Mario Kart? For Stephan Reese, organizer and showrunner for the non-profit Interactive Art Collection (and a Senior Producer at video game developer Bungie when he’s not busy doing that), it’s his life’s mission that you might have...
Feature Digital Doppelgangers - Home Vs. Handheld Adaptations In The 2000s
To Urbz is human
When I was working on my MFA in Game Design, I referenced Urbz: Sims in the City in a meeting with my thesis advisor, and he asked if I had played the console or the handheld version. I was confident that I’d played the console version growing up. I could recall the memory quite clearly—sitting against a study pillow on my...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 16th)
Directly to you
After a packed Direct, are you ready for a big weekend of gaming? We sure are! Welcome back to another edition of What Are You Playing. Before we dive into our Switch plans, let's take a look at the highlights from this week on Nintendo Life. The big news this time around was that we finally got a September Direct. This one was...
Poll What Did You Think Of The Nintendo Direct, Then?
A sublime September showcase?
The long rumoured and expected September Nintendo Direct has been and gone like a flash of lightning, and those 40 minutes certainly flew by for us. The dust is settling and while we're fully ready to share our overexcited thoughts, let's round up some of the highlights. Splatoon 3's DLC, Side Order, is coming in...
Feature 'Impossible' Port Master Randy Linden Talks Jurassic Park, BOTW, And His Favourite Ports
"Nintendo has both style and substance"
Randy Linden (centre) and Alena Alambeigi (left) from Limited Run with the Nintendo Life PAX team If there’s one thing you should know about art, it’s that changing it after a long time is really, really hard. Just look at classicist Emily Wilson, who in recent years became the first woman to ever...
Talking Point Which Classic Cartoons Deserve The Shredder's Revenge Treatment?
By the power of Grayskull!
We have been back on something of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge kick recently thanks to the release of the excellent Dimension Shellshock DLC. The heroes in a half shell are firmly back in our hearts thanks to developer Tribute Games and, after a recent interview from Xbox Expansion Pass with the...
Feature Meet The 'Arzette' Dev Salvaging The Zelda CD-i Games' "Genuine Potential"
"I didn’t make this game as a joke"
The year is 1991. 'Video games' — plastic, square-shaped cartridges that millions of people blow into every day — grip early-adopting proselytizers. Yet they don’t know their precious cartridge’s days are numbered. A mighty company from Kyoto rules the industry today, but a new laser-based challenger is...
