Latest Features - Page 10
Talking Point What Will The 'Switch 2' Actually Be Called?
Super... duper... erm...
For a while now, we (and, we presume, many of you) have been referring to Nintendo’s inevitable Switch successor as the ‘Switch 2.’ It makes sense for now, right? After all, rumours, speculation, and educated guesses are all loosely pointing to the new console being an iterative evolution of the hybrid concept that...
Talking Point What Game Do You Wish You Could Forget?
(But in a good way)
Stop right there! We know what you're thinking. You're expecting a long list of games that we wish we had never played. The stinkers that took up 20 hours we'll never get back. Well, you're wrong! We are not about to be a negative Nancy and dunk on some bad games just because we wish we could wipe them from our minds. This is...
Feature Nintendo eShop Selects - December 2023
Our favourite eShop games from December!
Happy New Year lovely readers! It's 2024, and with another fantastic year of Switch (and maybe Switch 2?) gaming ahead of us, we need to stop, think, and have one last look back at 2023 with eShop Selects this month! December is usually a quiet month for game releases as publishers and developers make way...
Feature Zelda's Forgotten Steward - Who Is Hidemaro Fujibayashi?
The man, the myth, the legend
Since his outstanding work on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, director and producer Eiji Aonuma has cemented himself as the driving force behind one of Nintendo’s most celebrated, enduring, and lucrative franchises. For many Zelda fans, he holds just about as much prestige in the ranks of Nintendo as Shigeru...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 6th)
Back for more in '24
And just like that, we're one week into 2024 — well, near enough — and it's time for the first What Are You Playing of the year! Before we dive into a weekend of gaming plans, remaining Quality Street and questionable leftover Christmas cheese, however, let's take a look at what happened in the world of Nintendo this week...
Soapbox The 'Recharged' Series Proves Atari Is No Longer A Spent Force
A look at Atari's lineup of neo-retro revivals
Before there was Nintendo, there was Atari. Once the dominant player in the gaming industry, its story is one of a dramatic rise and fall. For years, Atari had done little more than sell licensed T-shirts and low-quality plug-and-play consoles. But since coming under new management in 2021, Atari looks...
Soapbox "Go Outside, Get Some Fresh Air" - Why Won't Outmoded Gamer Stereotypes Die?
Step away from the stereotype
For anybody who plays video games on a regular basis, it's long been a joke that when the mainstream media discusses gaming in any capacity, they'll inevitably bring up how games are surprisingly popular, how it's not just socially-challenged dweebs in their bedrooms anymore, and how video games are big business. Did...
Talking Point Our 2024 Nintendo Gaming Predictions
More Mario? Surely not!?
Welcome to the future. You, dear reader, are reading these words in the far-off, distant, sci-fi future year that is 2024. While the hoverboards, flying vehicles, and inside-out trousers have all apparently been delayed in this branch of the timeline due to some spacetime-related cock up, at least Skynet is coming along...
Reminder 103 Switch Games You Should Pick Up In Nintendo's 'Hits For The Holidays' Sale (US)
Every Switch game on sale that we scored 9/10
Update: Just a reminder that this North American sale is wrapping up last thing on Wednesday 3rd January 2024, so there's still time to pick up anything you fancied with a nice discount. In Europe, Nintendo went and launched a separate New Year 2024 sale that runs until mid-January — we're not sure if...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
Feature 'Rugrats' Dev's Mission To Make NES-Style Games "That Should Have Existed"
"I want people to feel like they're a 10-year-old kid again"
While sauntering through the Seattle Convention Center at this year's PAX West, we saw hundreds of developers showing off their biggest, flashiest games to the enthusiastic crowds — many of which had already been announced and were highly anticipated by fans. However, in a tucked-away...
Talking Point Could Nintendo Go Another Year Without A Switch Successor?
2 long?
Another year, and here we are again — wondering if the next 12 months might deliver perhaps the most exciting thing for any Nintendo fan: new hardware. It feels like years now that we've been reporting on and discussing another potential Nintendo system, and that's because it has been years. Whispers of a 'Switch Pro' were doing the...
Feature "I Don't Want To Copy" - Paying Homage To Childhood RPGs With Sea Of Stars
"We just make the games that we want to make"
Back when Sea of Stars — Sabotage's follow-up to its hit genre-bending platformer The Messenger — was unveiled to the world in 2020, there was a sparkle in many an RPG fans' eyes. The game's stunning SNES-style aesthetic, the combo-centric turn-based combat, and the beautiful music, brought forth...
Soapbox Red Dead Redemption Ignited My Enduring Love Of The Old West
"We die alone, but we live among men"
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 describes how Rockstar Games' seminal Western influenced his love for the American Frontier... Growing up, I knew what kind of genres I was interested...
Memory Pak Making Contact With The "Ungoogleable" Game I Couldn't Quite Remember
What's that one with the plumber and the mushrooms again?
Welcome to the latest instalment in our nostalgia-inducing column, Memory Pak, where we deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. Today, Jim is reflecting on a years-long dilemma he faced over an oft-forgotten DS game, and wonders how we deal with "video...
Editorial Happy New Year From Everyone Here At Nintendo Life
Twenty-twenty-FOOOOOOOOUR!!!
A round of applause for you and yours — you did it! You made it through the gauntlet of 2023's brilliant video games all the way to a brand new year. Happy 2024, everyone! With Switch entering its seventh year in 2023, our expectations — with the exception of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, of course — were...
Soapbox Charles Martinet Made Gaming's Greatest Accident A Real Character
Star power
[video: Ryan met Charles. Good times! 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 reflects on how Charles Martinet helped craft a character that, somehow, isn't the most irritating stereotype imaginable... How many times...
Feature Pikmin Bloom Devs On The Joy Of "Human Connection" And The Absence Of Bulborbs
"Our Pikmin aren’t going to die"
While having a strong and deservingly passionate fanbase, it's fair to wonder if the Pikmin series has ever received the commercial success it deserves. Yet, Shigeru Miyamoto-san and Nintendo continue to nurture these little fellas and let them bloom however they like. The Nintendo Switch has just given us the...
Feature Meet The Virtual Boy Fan Making New Tech And Games For Nintendo's Console Curio
"I thought, 'Hey, I can probably do that'"
As the reputed black sheep of the Nintendo console family, one might think 1995’s Virtual Boy to be the last piece of hardware capable of garnering an enthusiast following today. Discontinued after less than a year on the market and never released in Europe, the elusive red-and-black headset is remembered...
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...
Feature The Rise Of 'Scam Games' And 'Keyword Bingo' Firms Flooding Switch eShop
Sea of low-quality
It's difficult now to remember a time when the Switch eShop wasn't rammed with low-cost, low-quality games making it laborious to find the great new releases amongst all the dross. What began as an immaculately clean, functional store back in 2017 quickly ballooned and before long Nintendo was inundated with software submissions...
Talking Point What Was The Best Switch Moment Of 2023?
It's been a bumper year
It's no understatement to say that 2023 has been stacked with memorable video gaming moments. Yes, the past 12 months might not have brought us new Nintendo hardware, but many of the games and announcements have been among the Switch's best — maybe even Nintendo's best. With three bumper edition Directs, surprise drops,...
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...
Soapbox These Everyday Items Trigger Me Now, And I Blame Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Tears of life
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Evan explores the life-ruining properties of TOTK... It happened in Yellowstone National Park. Removed from society, cruelly separated from cell phone service, I’d embarked,...
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...
Memory Pak Secret Of Mana's Dazzling World Of Colour Opened My Eyes
You're looking a bit green
Welcome to the latest instalment in our nostalgia-inducing column, Memory Pak, where we deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. Today, Secret of Mana turns 30 years old in Japan, and to celebrate this seminal action RPG's anniversary, Alana is reminiscing about how the game's use of...
Feature How Amateur Scholars Are Translating Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom's Secret Language
The quick brown deer jumped over the lazy owl
Some people can't help but translate things. We see languages, and we want to decipher them, like the people who climb Mount Everest just because it's there. The languages in games like FEZ, Titan Souls, Heaven's Vault, 7 Days To End With You, and Noita, invite the player to try to crack them to reveal m
Soapbox Fortnite On Switch Is Five Years Old, And I Have No Idea What It Is Anymore
Was that Ariana Grande shooting Spider-Man?
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 returns to Fortnite to celebrate the Switch port's fifth anniversary, and he's not sure what he's dropped into... When Fortnite first made the jump...
Breaking out into 3D
Following up on one of the most beloved entries in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is no easy task, but for the ex-Sonic Mania devs at Evening Star, it was a simple case of leaning into their considerable ambition and diving headfirst into the world of 3D. Announced earlier this year during a Nintendo Direct presentation, the...
Feature From Banjo To Mario - Grant Kirkhope Talks Big Huge Troubles And Composing For Massive IPs
Part Two: "How the f*** am I going to write music for a Mario game!?"
Last week, in celebration of Banjo-Kazooie's 25th anniversary, we published the first part of our career-spanning interview with Mr. Grant Kirkhope, composer extraordinaire and the man responsible for some of our favourite music ever, video game or otherwise. Part One covered his...
Soapbox Switch Is Only A Classic Or Two From Being The Perfect PlayStation History Lesson
No Vita necessary
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 ruminates on how, over time, Switch has become an excellent teaching tool for Sony neophytes... Here’s a truth diehard proponents of the console wars won’t readily...
Feature How Super Mario World Became An Award-Winning Book Of Verse
“Super Mario World has one of my most difficult experiences wound through its code"
Most of us have some childhood memory of games – be it Pokémon Blue, Tetris, or Super Mario Bros. When we dust off those old consoles, the games often trigger memories of our lives outside the screen too. In his heart-wrenching series of poems, If All the World...
Feature Donkey Kong Cymru: The Extremely Brief History Of Welshness In Nintendo Games
Hiraeth of Hyrule
It’s a uniquely Welsh experience. I’ve never been Scottish, or Irish, or Latvian, but those that have inform me when you tell someone where you’re from, the response typically isn’t “What’s that?”. For the Welsh, that basic icebreaker question from anyone outside the UK usually prompts a deep breath and, regardless...
Soapbox How Zelda's Bad Economy Made Weapon Degradation Great Again
Inflation can be fixed with rotting swords!
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 examines how Nintendo learned economic lessons from past Zelda games in Tears of the Kingdom... Much like me, Hyrule has always been bad with...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 30th)
New year, new games?
Wahey, it's the weekend! Gosh, it comes around quickly, right? Before we take a look at what we're going to be playing over the next couple of days, let's recap what's been going on in the world of Nintendo this week. Admittedly, it's not a lot, but we've still had plenty to talk about. On the news front, the delightful...
Feature From Bon Jovi To Banjo - Grant Kirkhope On The "Complete Fluke" Of His Rare Musical Journey
Part One: Mr. Banjongles
Grant Kirkhope is an interviewer's dream, and not just because he's responsible for some all-time great video game soundtracks. He’s great company — frank, funny, and loquacious. We spoke to him most recently for our Nintendo Life VGM Fest back in 2021 and only ended up publishing a small fraction of our chat in our...
Soapbox Stardew Valley Was Surprisingly Good Prep For Living With My Partner IRL
Sow long, distance
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 remembers how Stardew Valley kept the spark alive and prepped him for living with his partner... Relationships can be hard. And when you add in long distance, that...
Feature The One Thing Wii Did Much Better Than Switch
Point taken
The Sensor Bar. Flimsy little plastic box with the world's longest, spindliest cable. An irritation to every Wii owner who has ever had to move their console. What was it good for? There's not a lot to the Sensor Bar. A little device that emits some infrared light. If the Wii Remote is pointed at one, it recognises that's where the TV...
Feature Best Switch Video Game Characters Of 2023
Hello there, lovely characters
Back in the day when consoles had fewer bits than humans have fingers, games could mostly get away with providing solid gameplay above all else. Gameplay is still king, of course, but games these days often need to demonstrate other qualities, such as striking visuals, an engaging story, and strong characters. After...
Guide 70 Switch Games You Should Pick Up In Nintendo's Festive Offers Sale (Europe)
Every Switch game on sale that got a 9/10 from us
Just a reminder that this Festive Offers Switch eShop sale finishes on Sunday 31st December (although the equivalent sale in North America continues until January 3rd), so make sure you've grabbed anything you wanted before it's over. Carry on! The festive season is finally upon us and Nintendo's...
Feature That Time Nintendo Played God To Sell Pikmin To Gardeners
A bloomin' marvellous bit of marketing
Do you ever do something knowing full well that future you will thank yourself for it? Like booking the week off after a festival, saving a couple of slices of Domino’s for the next morning, or not going to Milton Keynes? That smug satisfaction that comes with mastering the art of foresight is, I believe, one...
Soapbox A Love Letter To My Favourite New Character In Zelda: TOTK
You have my full support
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 wants to spread the love for a certain Hylian in need of support... Before getting my hands on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the first time, I had a...
Soapbox It's Time For A Zelda 1 Remake, Please
Or a 'temporal localisation', if you like
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, as TOTK anticipation increases to dangerous levels, Gavin explores why it's time for Nintendo to go back to a very specific well... Look, I'm all for...
Feature 8-Bit Wolf - Remembering The NES Game Teaching Kids To Conquer Wall Street
It’s all about bucks, kid
When you think back to being in middle school, staying up all night with your friends playing video games, what games are you playing? Is it Mass Effect? Maybe some iteration of Smash or Mario Kart? The big one when I was that age was Street Fighter II in all its iterations. But there's another game that brings back the...
Soapbox Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Straight Up Fails In Just One Respect: Accessibility
In 2023, we should expect better from Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been a critical and commercial success, garnering glowing reviews across the board (including from this her
Feature A Visit To '84 Hashi', Tokyo's Secret Nintendo Staff Bar Now Open To You
Eiji Aonuma? “Drinking buddy.” Shigeru Miyamoto?...
There’s no shortage of fascinating Nintendo-related places to visit in Tokyo. You could explore shops for boxed Famicom games, sit down and eat a Kirby burger, or play Punch-Out!! in its original cabinet at a retro arcade. Yet one attraction was hidden from Nintendo diehards for years. A...
