Latest Features - Page 4
Feature "I Want You To Be Mad" - Crazy Viking Studios On The Brutality Of Volgarr The Viking II
"We didn't have any intention of ever making a sequel"
The original Volgarr The Viking might have flown under a lot of folks' radar when it launched back in 2013, but it's one of those games where if you know, you know. It garnered a solid 8/10 from us when it landed on Switch and it's cultivated a hardcore, dedicated fanbase whose members are...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link
Second innings
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, Capcom's SNES classic Breath of Fire II was put in the spotlight as North America and Europe joined forces against Japan. It wasn't even remotely close either, as Japan absolutely nailed it with 71% of the vote. Well done! This week, we sifted through...
Feature The Famicom Failure That Almost Bankrupted HAL, But Shaped Nintendo's Future
HAL be there
Unless you’re a dedicated Famicom collector, it’s unlikely that you’ve heard of Metal Slader Glory. Released right at the tail end of the Famicom’s life in 1991, the year after the release of the Super Famicom, Metal Slader Glory never made it out of Japan, and it proved to be a massive flop for HAL Laboratory. But the very...
Feature How Lemmings, ChuChu Rocket & Nintendo Inspired Unpacking Devs' Next Game
"When you play it, you feel connected, not judged"
Developer Witch Beam isn't ready to rest on its laurels. After creating two wildly different games — the twin-stick shooter Assault Android Cactus and the BAFTA award-winning, heartfelt puzzler Unpacking — it's ready to move back to the outside and go with something even more relaxing. We were...
Feature 'POCA!' Is A Game Boy Camera Photobook Adventure & A Heartfelt Homage To 'Hip' Tanaka
"I feel like I made the book almost for him"
Sitting down to speak with Jonathan Traynor, a Glasgow-based artist and writer, about his newly-released book, POCA!, we were expecting a few things. Y'know the sort of stuff: how the Kickstarter went; where the idea for the book came from; hopes for the future; picks for the Top of the Pops Xmas #1; and...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (New Year Edition)
Looking forward '2' the new year
This is it, folks - our final WAYP feature for 2024. 2025 is going to be a pretty huge year for Nintendo fans, with the likes of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition all launching within the coming months. Oh, and...
Soapbox The Trauma Of Giygas & Growing Up In EarthBound
EarthBound turns "adults into kids, and kids into adults"
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Nile celebrates the innocence of youth, the pain of growing up, and the magic of a cult classic SNES RPG, which celebrates its 30th...
Feature Nintendo Life's Alternative Game Awards 2024
Biggest surprise! Most long-winded title! Crappiest Switch publisher!
The end of 2024 is nigh, but before we get there it's time to look back on what has been a surprisingly chonky year for Switch, software-wise, in the eighth year since we first got our hands on the thing. We've listed our personal Switch GOTYs, you've ranked yours - now it's time...
Feature Meet Four Developers Making Brand-New Game Boy Titles In 2024
35 years and stronger than ever
The Game Boy turned 35 years old on 21st April 2024. Today, George speaks with four talented individuals keeping the candle burning for the DMG-001 in the 21st century... The humble Game Boy may be turning 35, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing new to look forward to. Far from it, in fact – the homebrew...
Feature How Can Switch 2 'Fix' The eShop? Devs Share Their Storefront Stories
"It's feast or famine, really"
If you are the proud owner of a Nintendo Switch (and if you're reading this, we'd wager that you are), then it will come as no surprise when we say that the eShop is a wild place in 2024. While gaming may have never been better, Nintendo's storefront has never been worse. Discoverability is a thing of the past with...
Feature Pepper Grinder's Solo Dev Digs Into Scope, Smash Bros. & "Crunchy Feedback"
"I just made a game I always wanted to play"
It might feel like a long time since Pepper Grinder was unearthed for Switch at the November 2022 Indie World Showcase, but it has been even longer for Riv Hester, the game's solo developer at studio Ahr Ech, who first dug up the idea seven years ago. This is Sonic the Hedgehog meets Drill Dozer (by way...
Feature Can We Track Down Every Cart In Our Top 50 Game Boy List In One Week?
Collection Quest GB
The Game Boy turned 35 years old on 21st April 2024. Today, George goes on an epic quest to see if he can acquire the 50 finest GB games — as ranked by you — in physical form with just 100 pounds sterling in his pocket... I’ve been enjoying something of a love affair with the Game Boy recently – or more specifically,...
Feature Meet The Three Brothers Making Their Dream 'Secret Of Mana'-Inspired RPG
"We want to make one of the most accessible and playable RPGs of all time"
Couch co-op and JRPG are two genres you don't often see together. Secret of Mana is one of the earliest examples of the genre, with most of the Tales of series also allowing fans to play together while sitting side-by-side. But outside of those examples, playing JRPGs with...
Feature "It's Fun, So It's Okay!" - Celebrating Takashi Tezuka's Astonishing 40-Year Nintendo Career
A look back at a glittering catalogue
Takashi Tezuka seems like a good laugh, the kind of chap who knows how to have fun. Despite all the Master-Sword-waving and PR-related hijinx from fellow Nintendo luminary Shigeru Miyamoto over the years, you still get the impression he's merciless in the workplace — an exacting, intimidating,...
Feature Open Your Drawers - An Ode To Rummaging Through Houses In RPGs
Tea leaf!
Strolling down the road in a brand new, unfamiliar town, taking in the sights, you stop in front of a pleasant-looking house. Lovely big oak door, ruby red slate tiles, stone brickwork stained by sunlight and mud. It's quaint and cosy, the idyllic village house, perhaps home to a young mother who's just returned home from the local item...
Feature Evolving With Pokémon: How The Games Helped Me Navigate A Confused Childhood
This coping mechanism was super effective!
The Game Boy turned 35 years old on 21st April 2024. Today, Tim thinks back on how Pocket Monsters came to his aid in his formative years, and how the series that started on Nintendo's iconic portable would stay beside him in the years that followed. Pokémon is a clockwork franchise. Its cyclical...
Feature The Best Hidden Gems And Underrated Switch Games Of 2024
Some shinies that may have slipped through your fingers
2024. It was a bit of an odd one for Switch, with the impending announcement of Nintendo's follow-up console. It never materialised, but its shadow has been looming over the entire year. Still, if there hasn't been an absolute avalanche of games to dig into! Nintendo had many first-party...
Feature Why Play Final Fantasy VII Remake When You Could Play FFVII 'Demake'?
"more than just pirate versions"
You’re probably aware of Square Enix’s lengthy and somewhat lavish efforts to remake the 1997 game Final Fantasy VII. The second instalment of this ambitious remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, was released just recently, and we’re still likely to be years away from any sort of conclusion. But you might not be...
Soapbox 20 Years On, Pikmin 2's Waterwraith Remains Nintendo's Scariest Moment
H2Oh no
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 is reliving a childhood trauma to mark Pikmin 2's 20th anniversary... To the casual observer, Pikmin must seem like a pretty relaxed experience. Everything is colourful. The characters...
The sweat, the tears, the evil babies
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mario Kart 8, George enlisted a troupe of willing racers (at least that's what he told us) to tackle every single track in the upgraded, DLC-laden Deluxe version in a local four-player blowout to end them all. What follows is a twisting tale of glory and grief, friendship...
Soapbox Vanillaware's Most Underrated Game Is More Than Just A Pretty Picture
Deserving of a Rebirth
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Alana is talking about a Vanillaware oldie — Muramasa: The Demon Blade, a Wii title that is celebrating its 15th anniversary. And, in the wake of 13 Sentinels and Unicorn...
Feature Meet Morphcat Games, The New-Gen NES Devs Pushing The 8-Bit Envelope
"No one has come close to exhausting its full capabilities"
Four decades after it became an international sales phenomenon and dominated a crowded games market, the Nintendo Entertainment System – the 8-bit box that gave birth to some of the medium’s biggest enduring franchises – today finds itself playing host to something else entirely: new...
"Tackle life with as much energy as Goku! I'll try to do the same!"
It's impossible to overstate the impact of Akira Toriyama, the legendary manga artist and character designer who has been working in the manga industry since 1978. His death at 68 years old has thousands around the world mourning his loss. Toriyama was, to me, comfort on sick days...
Retro revival
For many younger gamers, the idea that Atari was once the undisputed king of console gaming might seem somewhat farfetched. Yet in the late '70s and early '80s, the gaming giant dominated the market with the Atari 2600, introducing audiences to the likes of Adventure, Yars' Revenge, and Haunted House. However, after a wave of...
Talking Point As A Nintendo Fan, Do You Really Need To Play The Virtual Boy?
Oh boy
It’s Christmas morning, and amidst the thick haze of food already cooking for lunch and the soothing laughter of our children enjoying their new toys, my wife approaches me with a small, square package. I hadn’t seen this under the tree. “That’s your last one,” she says. I instinctively go to shake it – she knows me well enough to...
Editorial Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays From All Of Us At Nintendo Life
Put your arms around the world, it's Switchmas time
Season's Greetings to one and all! The 25th of December has crept up on us once more with its promise of sugary treats, hot and cold meats, papery hats and glittery tat... and, of course, video games. It's been a slow but steady year for Nintendo lovers as Switch winds down and everyone eyes The...
"At the initial idea stage, we collected over 1,000 ideas"
While the Super Mario series can get quite weird with its lore, world design, and general concepts, nothing comes close to the sheer absurdity of the WarioWare franchise. How many games out there let you pick someone's nose, perform dental work, and have a back-scratching competition with...
Soapbox Tricks Of The Trade-In - Chronicles Of An Ex-GAME Employee
Skylanders, disc burns, and lethal charity boxes
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 reflects on just some of the eventful episodes from his days working in video game retail... When news hit that GAME, the UK’s last...
Opinion Nightdive Studios Had Its Best, Most Prolific Year Yet In 2024
And it can only get better
For the younger readers amongst you, I suspect that many 3D games from the ‘90s and ‘00s seem rather quaint at best and downright unplayable at worst. It was a period in which the medium was geting to grips with a completely new third dimension; couple this with the limited graphical capabilities of the PlayStation and...
Feature Game Of The Year 2024 - Nintendo Life Staff Awards
Our personal picks for the best Switch games of 2024
As we head into the final week of 2024, it's time to slay the GOTY monster that devours the Decembers of many a gamer. While Nintendo itself has been in wind-down mode, with most internal resources focused on the next console and a software lineup to kickstart it, Switch itself has had a pretty...
Back Page 'DO NOT MENTION SWITCH 2' - We Infiltrate Nintendo And Sneak A Peek At Its 2024 Calendar
Stealth mission
In the magazine business, the Back Page is where you'd find all the weird goofs that we couldn't fit in anywhere else. Some may call it "filler"; we prefer "a whole page to make terrible jokes that are tangentially related to the content of the mag". We don't have pages on the internet, but we still love terrible jokes — so welcome...
Opinion It's Not My GOTY, But This Nintendo Game Was A Standout 2024 Memory
How Nintendo World Championships helped me ‘git gud’
I’ll admit, I’ve never been fond of speedrunning. The thought of shaving milliseconds off a time in a video game while playing the same sequence over and over sounds, in theory, more frustrating than fun. Sure, as a spectator, there is definitely joy in appreciating the wizardry of players...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Breath Of Fire II
I'm your fire, at your desire
Ahoy folks, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we looked at the Wii classic Okami in light of the recent sequel announcement from The Game Awards (woohoo!). Honestly, it wasn't a particularly close battle: Japan, with its beautiful use of colour and composition, won the day with 74% of the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (Christmas 2024 Edition)
Holly *and* Jolly? In this economy?
Christmas is right around the corner and we're feeling sufficiently merry and bright, so it's time for another edition of What Are You Playing! This week on Nintendo Life, we all questioned our sanity as we checked out our Nintendo Switch Year in Review, a new Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket expansion ha
Opinion The Biggest Question Of The Generation: Er, Why Isn’t Nintendogs On Switch?
All bark and no mic
If there were a trophy for missing open goals, Nintendo would have a fair few in the cabinet. For example, why didn't we get a new Donkey Kong game back when the Super Mario Bros. movie launched last year? Why wasn't the Wii U called 'Wii 2'? And why, for the love of god, is there no Nintendogs game on Switch? There was a part...
Feature Nintendo Switch Year In Review 2024 - Our Most Played Games
But what are yours?
We've all mulled over our music habits, got to grips with our PlayStation and Xbox recaps, and now, with Nintendo fashionably late to the party, it's time to check out our Switch playtime thanks to Nintendo's Year in Review 2024. The Switch 'wrapped' site is now available, meaning you can see your gaming highlights from the past...
Opinion At Last, Vanillaware Hit The Big Time With Unicorn Overlord
"A unicorn is worth more than riches"
In 2009, in the run-up to Christmas, I remember poring over a recent issue of Official Nintendo Magazine looking for games I might want for the holiday season. Flicking through the pages and taking in every single word, one review in particular jumped out at me. The art style was something I’d never seen in a...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Okami
AwoOooOo
Get your paintbrushes ready, because it's time for another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last week, we matched up a trio of covers for Wario Land 3 on the Game Boy Color and after a weekend of voting, we were left with a clear winner. It was the European variant that walked away with the win, taking 42% of the vote and leaving the North...
Talking Point Is It Time For HD-2D To Take A Break?
HD-TooMuch?
Cast your minds back: it’s January 2017, and while the Switch isn’t on store shelves yet, we’re beginning to get a taste of what to expect on the hybrid console. As part of the build-up to the console, Square Enix announces a brand new IP from the team behind the Bravely Default series – Project Octopath Traveler. I, and many...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (14th December)
2025 draws near
We're back with a fresh look at our weekend gaming plans in the latest edition of What Are You Playing! Before we dive into things, however, let's recap this past week. Mr. Video Games himself, Geoff Keighley, was gracing our screens once again at The Game Awards, and while it was far from a Switch-fest, we did get a look at a new...
Reaction The Game Awards Left Us With One Big Question: Will Any Of This Run On Switch 2?
How would you rate the show?
It was never going to be a Nintendo night and, as predicted, Switch announcements were thin on the ground during last night's TGA 2024 presentation. Nintendo failed to win a single award, but looking back on 2024's first-party releases, you could argue that if there's a year Nintendo didn't deserve to win
Round Up Day Of The Devs The Game Awards Edition 2024 - Every Announcement, Confirmed Switch Games
Hyper Light Breaker! inKonbini! Demon Tides!
Day of the Devs returns for its second showcase of the year, The Game Awards Edition. Taking place the day before the big ceremony, Double Fine Productions and iam8bit return with their non-profit to show us the very best of the indie game scene. And what a selection we have this time around, ranging...
Round Up Every Game From Wholesome Snack 2024 Coming To Nintendo Switch
Preparing for a cosy 2025
With The Game Awards just two days away, we're getting a deluge of new game announcements and showcases, and one of today's headliners is the Wholesome Snack: The Game Awards Edition. The 35-minute presentation showcased tons of cuddly, cosy games, alongside a couple of tearjerkers and some surprise DLC announcements...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Wario Land 3
Who's-a gonna win?
WAH! Welcome to this week's edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we matched up a duo of designs for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on the 3DS, with Europe and North America facing off against Japan. After a week of voting, it was the former that walked away with a commanding win, with the Western design taking 63%of the vote and the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (7th December)
2025 draws near
The working week is over so it's time to find out what we're all up to with the latest edition of What Are You Playing! This week in the world of Nintendo, we finally got a release date for the hotly-anticipated Wario Land-like Antonblast, we heard that Digital Eclipse's Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind is
Gallery Feast Your Eyes On This Massive Wario Collection
Out of this WAAHld
Wario, the flatulent, garlic-loving counterpart to Mario's non-gassy, casual garlic admirer, first appeared in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and has since gone on to appear in not one, but two separate series of his own: Land and Ware. Everyone loves a bit of the plumber in yellow, but can any of our good readers claim to...
Poll Okay, It's Time To Ask The Obvious - Will We Get Donkey Kong 64 On NSO?
The game turns 25 in Europe
Donkey Kong 64 — not the most beloved of Rare's titles, but probably the developer's most ambitious 3D platformer — turns 25 here in Europe today, 6th December 2024. DK and friends have a lot to celebrate lately: the Donkey Kong Land trilogy on Game Boy has trickled onto NSO over the past few weeks; the Donkey Kong...
Opinion Nintendo Needs To Let Us Block The Crap On Switch 2's eShop
Block and move on
It's been years now since Nintendo opened the eShop floodgates and started letting everything in. In stark contrast to the Wii U days when even established developers had trouble getting their games on Nintendo platforms, the weekly update is now filled with games that would have been unthinkable just one console generation ago...
Talking Point Can Sony And Microsoft Really Compete With Nintendo In A New 'Handheld War'?
Come at the king, you best not miss
It’s safe to say that, 146 million sales later, Nintendo’s risk of launching a dockable handheld console in 2017 has paid off handsomely. After all, Sony’s PS Vita was all but dead by that point, and despite the 3DS managing to reverse its fortunes after a swift price drop in its first year, many claimed...
Poll After Three Quiet Months, Will We Finally Get A Nintendo Direct In December?
Show(case), don't tell
With December finally upon us, our minds have been drifting to the past 12 months, recalling what has been a surprisingly packed year of gaming. We've had surprise drops, indie hits and more than a few big names to tide over the Switch in its twilight year, but we can't help but feel that something has been missing: where were...
