Timeline
Friday3rd Jan 2025
Random Helldivers Studio Once Pitched A High-Flying Rail Shooter Inspired By Star Fox
Head in the McClouds
Helldivers 2 was one of Sony's bigger hits of 2024, catapulting its developer, Arrowhead Studio, to an unexpected level of fame. Why are we talking about this on a Nintendo site? Well, while the group shooter might not share all that much DNA with the House of Mario, one of the studio's old game concepts does: an arcade rail...
News Tech Fans Have Gone Full 'Layton' In Analysing The 'Switch 2' Motherboard
Critical thinking is the key to success.
Ever since the reveal of the apparent 'Switch 2' motherboard online, fans have been going wild with speculation as to what kind of tech the upcoming new Nintendo console will boast. In fact, we'd say a lot of them could easily become Professor Layton's new protégé, if they wish. The level of analysis with...
News Jim Carrey "Open To The Idea" Of Playing Robotnik In Future Sonic Movies
Ivo or Gerald, though?
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 marked the return of Jim Carrey after the actor previously claimed that he would likely be retiring from the industry. He didn't just return to play Ivo Robotnik, however, but also took on another role in the form of Gerald Robotnik, Ivo's grandfather and creator of Shadow the Hedgehog. In a previous...
News Antonblast Has Recouped All Production Expenses In Less Than A Month
"WE ARE PROFITABLE!"
Developer Tony Grayson of Summitsphere has announced that the Wario Land-inspired platformer Antonblast has recouped all production expenses less than a month after its release. This means, of course, that the game is now turning a profit which, according to Grayson, means Summitsphere will now have the ability to produce "a...
"We will be taking on many new challenges"
It's a new year and Hamster Corporation is already back at it with more weekly 'Arcade Archives' releases on the Switch eShop. To kick things off, it's released Athena's 1989 side-scrolling action title Castle of Dragon. You'll go forth with the "power of love" as two young kings set out on a journey to...
News Toby Fox New Year Message Reminds Us Deltarune's Next Chapters Are Launching This Year
It's a catchphrase now
Following his end-of-year newsletter update in December, game developer Toby Fox has kicked off 2025 with a special post on social media. Not only does it wish fans a happy new year, but it also jokingly issues another reminder about Deltarune Chapter 3 and 4 and how they will both be launching at some point this year! Here...
Video Antonblast Switch eShop Review - Is This Wario Land-Inspired Indie Worth It?
Yes, it's a blast
We're still recovering from the New Year celebrations here on Nintendo Life, but in case you missed it - the Wario Land-inspired platformer Antonblast finally made its debut on the Switch last month after some last-minute delays. While we've already shared our written review, our video review has now gone live and our lovely...
Poll Will You Be Getting The New Mario Kart LEGO Sets?
Racing into stores this week
It’s a new year and that means brand new Nintendo-themed LEGO sets have arrived. Joining the Super Mario line is the Mario Kart series. This new range includes a total of six sets featuring characters like Yoshi, Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Donkey Kong, Toad, and even an entire garage allowing you to customise your racer...
Thursday2nd Jan 2025
News Robot City Builder 'SteamWorld Build' Lands New Physical Edition On Switch
Pre-orders open this week
Super Rare Games has announced that the foundations are set for a SteamWorld Build physical edition on Switch. What's more, this one will be springing up quickly, with pre-orders opening on 9th January and shipping expected in March 2025. This is a Super Rare Games joint, so naturally, there are a handful of goodies thrown...
Review Star Trek: Legends (Switch) - Competent Combat But Fails To Engage
Fire at Will
As a mischievous omnipotent being once said, Star Trek isn't about mapping stars and studying nebulae, but charting the unknown possibilities of existence. The voyages of the starships Enterprise et al. are journeys of self-discovery. It's about the people we meet on those strange new worlds and what they teach us about ourselves. It's...
News Nintendo's Punch-Out!! Series May Be Dead And Buried For Good
All punch'd out
We don't know about you, but amongst all of Nintendo's game series, Punch-Out!! rarely sits at the top of our revival wishlist. Don't get us wrong, we'd absolutely bloomin' love a new entry, but we'd honestly rather see the likes of F-Zero and Chibi-Robo! make their grand return on the Switch or its upcoming successor. Regardless of...
Random After Almost 25 Years, Majora's Mask's Blue Underdog Has Finally Nabbed A Racing Win
Woof!
If you have played The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask over the past 25 years (and, if you're reading this, we'd wager that you have), then you likely will have engaged in a spot of lighthearted gambling at Mamamu Yan's Doggy Racetrack. The rules of this cute minigame are simple: choose a dog, place a bet, and win big if your pick performs...
Nintendo Download 2nd January (North America)
Ys Memoire! Rivenaar's Grove! Uh... That's it!
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch eShop - New Releases: Ys Memoire: The Oath in...
Talking Point Our 2025 Nintendo Gaming Predictions
New hardware smell
This is it, people. This is the year. The smoke and stench from refried rumours is overwhelming but soon it will clear to reveal... new Nintendo hardware. No, not a grainy motherboard pic from a factory backroom or a render someone posted with 'OMG the latest Switch 2 trailer is 🥹🥹🥹!!!!11' slapped on. No, not a...
News Samsung Reveals New Sonic-Themed MicroSD Cards
Shadow trumps Sonic
With Sonic and co. currently making waves in the global box office with Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Samsung has revealed that it is launching a new set of 'Pro Plus' MicroSD cards based on key characters from the franchise (thanks, Hot Hardware). No release date has been set at the time of writing, but prospective customers can...
Rumour Supposed Images Of The 'Switch 2' Motherboard Appear Online
Chips ahoy
Well folks, part of us had hoped that 2025 would mark the end of leaks and rumours regarding the upcoming 'Switch 2', but apparently not. Ahead of Nintendo's expected announcement before the end of March, new images have appeared online that seem to reveal the successor's motherboard. Posted on Reddit by MHN1994 (who has since stated...
News Graveyard Keeper Physical Switch Release Surfaces Online
Back from the dead this March
The Lazy Bear Games and tinyBuild Switch eShop release Graveyard Keeper appears to be finally getting a physical release on Nintendo's hybrid platform. According to some new listings on sites like Amazon, the Stardew-style and graveyard management sim title will score a hard copy release in March 2025 with Atari...
News Okami Sequel Studio Looking Forward To Sharing "More Exciting News" ASAP
Hideki Kamiya chimes in with a New Year message
Capcom delivered some huge news at the Game Awards last year - announcing a sequel to the legendary action-adventure game Okami was in development. It's being helmed by the original game's director Hideki Kamiya (Devil May Cry, Bayonetta) and while he's already shared a message, he's now released...
News Sonic The Hedgehog 'Metal Sonic' First 4 Figures Statue Revealed, Here's Another Look
If you know, you know
First 4 Figures has released all sorts of stunning figures over the years and the latest one it's now teased is a statue of Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic debuted in Sonic CD (playable in Sonic Origins on Switch) and will be "coming soon" to the First 4 Figures line, with pre-orders for this statue set to open on 7th January 2025...
Random Zelda Echoes Of Wisdom Was Suda51's Video Game Highlight Of 2024
"I got to experience Zelda all over again"
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was one of the many video game hits of 2024 and if it didn't already get enough recognition for pushing the top-down entries in the series to new heights, living legend Goichi 'Suda51' Suda has now stepped in to give it just a little more praise. Speaking to GamesRadar recently, the...
News Accessory Maker Genki To Discuss 'Switch 2' Info And Products At CES 2025
Including what it's making for Nintendo's next-gen hardware
Ahead of the Switch "successor" reveal, a bunch of video game accessory companies have reportedly been sharing all sorts of details about this next-generation hardware. With this in mind, accessory maker Genki (which has released multiple products during the Switch generation) has...
Wednesday1st Jan 2025
A chat with Simogo
You walk into a poorly lit, seemingly empty hotel. In desperate need of someone to speak to, you hesitantly wander just a single room farther from the entrance, down a serene walkway. You are funnelled into a similarly poorly lit library. You’re second-guessing why you are in this hotel, and why it even has a library, yet your...
Feature Biggest Nintendo Gaming Anniversaries Of 2025
57 games with big birthdays this year
Throughout 2025, many of gaming's most treasured gems will be celebrating a significant birthday and to remind you of some of the biggest (and of just how old you are!), we've compiled this list of nearly 60 gaming dates for your calendars. What do we mean by 'significant' birthdays? Anything that ends in a...
Feature "I Don’t Want To See It Fizzle Out” - Stardew Valley Creator On Why He Can't Give It Up
"I feel like I could work on it for the rest of my life"
Back at the end of August we travelled to Seattle to attend PAX West and had the incredible opportunity to spend half an hour with none other than Eric Barone, AKA ConcernedApe. If you don’t know who Eric is, he’s the creator of Stardew Valley; the smash hit farming game from 2016, which...
News New Patent Seemingly Confirms Nvidia 4K AI Upscaling For Switch 2
DLSS has been mentioned in past reports
Nintendo has just filed a patent which confirms previous reports that its Switch successor will use AI upscaling. The patent mentions Nvidia's DLSS upscaling (Deep Learning Super Sampling), which allows the hardware to run games at a higher resolution using AI techniques. As noted by Laura Kate Dale, the...
Feature Child's Play: From Bokunatsu To Natsu-Mon - The Kaz Ayabe Interview
A sit-down with the creator of My Summer Vacation & Attack of the Friday Monsters
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, summer has come to an end. Fortunately, through the magic of video games — and the video games created by one man in particular — it's never too late to take a little summer holiday... With the recent English-language...
News Nintendo Should Copy This Feature For Switch 2, But It Probably Won't
It's a kinda magic (module)
Despite some increasingly convincing leaks, we still don't actually know 100% what form Switch 2 is going to take. It's safe to assume at this point that it will retain the same basic form factor as the original Switch – a tablet-like console with detachable controllers – but a recent announcement from Chinese firm...
Guide 35 Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games To Look Forward To In 2025
The best new Nintendo Switch games coming soon
Looking for the best new Nintendo Switch games releasing soon? Even in its twilight years, Nintendo's hybrid console is delivering, but next year could well be ushering in the successor. That doesn't mean the Switch is being left behind in 2025, though. 2024 was a quieter year for Nintendo, but it was...
Editorial A Very Happy New Year From Nintendo Life
Twenty-twenty-thrive
Good news, everyone! Having successfully beaten 2024, you're all advancing to the next stage: Happy 2025! With Switch entering its ninth year come the start of March, and a reveal of its successor promised sometime between now and the end of that month, there's an awful lot to look forward to whether you're a die-hard Nintendo...
Tuesday31st Dec 2024
UK Charts Nintendo Switch Closes Out 2024 With The Old Favourites
The holiday pickups
The final full week of 2024 has been and gone, and by the time you're reading this, it might even be 2025 where you are — hello from the past! Anyway, in the UK, we've got the final full 2024 results for the boxed charts, and it's another solid and predictable week for... well, everyone. While the top ten isn't as healthy as...
Feature Nintendo Life eShop Selects & Readers' Choice (December 2024)
Our picks for the best eShop games in December
As we sit upon the cusp of 2025, we're looking back one last time at 2024 — and our eShop Selects for December! Stuffed full of games? Need some more eShop delights? Well, we can help bring you up to date with the best games we reviewed that released on the eShop in December. As always, the rankings...
Feature A Trip To Machida, The Real-Life 'Pallet Town' That Inspired Pokémon
Pokén around
The first generation of Pokémon games features some of the most iconic locations in the entire franchise. The eerie Lavender Town, the winding Viridian Forest, and the quaint Pallet Town where all players start their journey. Pallet Town isn’t just a fanciful creation, but draws real-life inspiration from Pokémon creator Satoshi...
Review Palia (Switch) - One Year On, Is This Life Sim Worth Playing?
Has a promising sprout bloomed?
Editor's note: This article was originally published in December 2023 as a review in progress. We had hoped to return to Palia once it hit version 1.0, but it's still not there at the time of writing. Therefore we're revisiting one year on to see how things have changed with some new text up top and a score below. A...
News Just Like Us Mere Mortals, Square Enix's Staff Can't Wait To Get Their Hands On Switch 2
"I'm looking forward to it as both a user and a creator"
Japanese publication Famitsu has held its traditional end-of-year interview round-up with game creators, speaking to 158 different people about their hopes and aspirations for 2025. The replies weren't totally focused on games – some of the interviewees spoke about what they were looking...
Feature "I Avoided Almost All The Existing Tropes" - Peeling Back The Layers Of Animal Well
"No matter what you put in a game, it will get found"
Who the heck spends seven years making a video game about animals — literally, just animals? The game in question, Animal Well, isn’t a farm game, it’s not a virtual pet game, it’s not even some kind of cosy simulator. On top of that, if you were only handed the back-of-the-box...
News 'The Thing: Remastered' On Switch Is Finally Available In Europe
Why don't we just wait here for a little while?
Nightdive Studio's The Thing: Remastered launched in North America back on 5th December, giving Switch gamers in that territory the chance to (re)acquaint themselves with Computer Artwork's cult squad-based shooter from 2002. However, the European release has been tied up for weeks and it's yet to...
News SNK Announces ACA NEOGEO Selection Vol. 3 And Vol. 4 For Switch
Update: Pre-orders go live
SNK has announced new ACA NEOGEO Selections for Nintendo Switch - including Vol. 3 and Vol. 4. These new volumes will be launching exclusively in Japan on 10th April 2025, with each collection featuring 10 games previously released as ACA NEOGEO games on the Switch eShop. Here's a look at each collection (via Gematsu):...
News Sega President Shuji Utsumi On Sonic The Hedgehog’s Next Major Outing
It must be a "great game"
Sonic’s profile has continued to skyrocket in recent years thanks to a trilogy of successful live-action movies and multiple games that have been mostly well-received by fans and critics alike. As for what’s next for the blue blur, it’s not clear exactly what to expect just yet in terms of future major outings, but...
News Final Fantasy Creator’s Next Script Is Already Done
But the same project could still be a while away...
Following the recent release of Fantasian Neo Dimension for Switch, the Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi is now focused on his future. In the same Famitsu interview with Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, Sakaguchi revealed how he won’t be calling time on his career any time soon. Instead,...
News Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition Final Competition Of 2024 Now Live
Bring in the New Year with some speedrunning
If you're looking for a way to fill in the hours between now and the New Year, why not jump on Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. Nintendo has just sent its final competition (and first one of 2025) live. The current challenges will test your skills in Kirby's Adventure, Super Mario Bros. 3,...
News SNK Announces New ‘King Of Fighters’ Studio
"KOF Studio will proudly carry on the 30-year legacy"
As part of The King of Fighters 30th anniversary, SNK Corporation has established a new King of Fighters studio to keep the "legacy" going and also bring forth a new "revolution”. Here’s the official announcement on SNK's website: Revolutionize the legacy Fatal Fury, Samurai...
Monday30th Dec 2024
Soapbox Splatoon 3's 'Grand Festival' Was The Perfect Goodbye
Please wrap it up
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's reliving Splatoon 3's epic climax... I was a latecomer to the Splatoon series. If you had asked me three years ago what my favourite Turf War stage is, the 45 minutes I had...
News Atari's 2024 Recap Video Shows How Important Its Acquisitions Have Been
Firing on all cylinders
Things really weren't looking good for Atari for a while. Before current CEO Wade Rosen shifted the company's focus back to retro gaming, Atari had its eyes firmly on cryptocurreny and... hotels? Yeesh. It wasn't great. Now, however, the future looks bright for the once-mighty Atari, with the firm's acquisitions of Digital...
News Stardew Valley Has Now Sold More Copies Than Mario Kart Wii
And nearly 8 million of those are on Switch
We all know Stardew Valley has been a runaway success ever since it released on PC in 2016. But it continues to sell gangbusters across multiple platforms, and as of December 2024, has reached an absolutely huge milestone. The farming sim has now sold 41 million copies, ConcernedApe announced on the...
Feature That Time I Was Invited To Square HQ To Playtest Final Fantasy VI
I was there 30 years ago…
If you’re reading this on October 11th 2024, then 30 years ago today Final Fantasy 3 (aka VI) was released in North America. A lot of memorable games (Super Metroid, DKC, Earthworm Jim, Ridge Racer, and Doom
Here comes the boom
Lena Raine has so much to say, and she’s figured out a lot of different ways to say it all. Of course, avid game players have been listening to her musical scores for over a decade now, which includes music for Minecraft, as well as the soundtracks for Chicory: A Colorful Tale and the BAFTA-nominated Celeste score. She’s...
News Acquire Almost Called Brothership 'Mario & Luigi Wonder', But Nintendo Got There First
Wondership..?
Just recently, it was revealed that developer Acquire worked with Nintendo to brainstorm "over 100 options" for the title of its new RPG that would go on to be called Mario & Luigi: Brothership. Now, in a fresh interview with Nintendo Dream (thanks,
News Nintendo Shares Fresh Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Art To Celebrate The New Year
It's gonna be a big one
Nintendo has shared an adorable piece of artwork for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom as it looks ahead to 2025 and "all the wisdom it brings". The artwork itself is a pastel-based image of our heroine chilling out atop a small hill with her companion Tri in tow along with a couple of Zols (which, presumably, are...
Sunday29th Dec 2024
Feature The Company You Can Pay To X-Ray Unopened Pokémon Card Packs Speaks Out
"The technology is not going away, and people know what it can do"
The entirety of the trading card community — that is, people who collect, buy, and sell the Pokémon Trading Card game, sports cards, Magic: The Gathering, Disney, or literally any trading card game you can think of — has gradually become aware of what might be an existential...
Feature 15 Best-Looking Switch Games Of 2024
Hello, my pretties
Another year, another set of beautiful-looking Switch games to savour. Even as the Switch is approaching its eighth birthday, we've seen a stunning variety of art styles grace our OLED (or NoLED) screens. We know the Switch 2 is on the horizon, and we can't wait to see what our favourite games look like on the successor, but...
