Oliver Reynolds

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Jul 8, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is a wonderful way to experience one of the most well-regarded FPS titles of all time. With an excellent narrative and a world that begs to be explored, it's not only an incredible game in its own right but should also be considered essential reading for BioShock fans.Minor combat concerns aside, System Shock 2's immersive mechanics will keep you hooked from start to finish, with Nightdive's enhancements and supplemental material providing ample bonus points. Now go play it, insect.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Jun 30, 2025

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Gameplay is understandably pretty limited, and you’ll spend most of your time simply pressing ‘A’ to advance the dialogue. Occasionally, you’ll be able to move left or right through the environment, and developer Polychroma Games has also seen fit to include a bunch of fun little minigames.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Jun 19, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Given how cheap the upgrade is for Switch 1 owners — you’re looking at £2.04 / $2.59 / €2.27 or your regional equivalent — the performance improvements for Fantasy Life i on Switch 2 are more than worth the price of admission.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Jun 7, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Fast Fusion may not have the most comprehensive collection of tracks, but it's easily the most accomplished entry in Shin'en Multimedia's series so far. The new jump ability adds a new layer of strategy to the gameplay, while experimenting with the fusion mechanic to find the perfect vehicle is a joy. The occasional grinding to save up money can be a momentary drag, but if you're after something a bit more 'hardcore' than Mario Kart World, Fast Fusion is a no-brainer, and an absolute must-buy.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Apr 30, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Shotgun Cop Man can easily stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Super Meat Boy and Celeste in terms of raw, precise gameplay. Using your guns for both traversal and combat with a simple but effective twin-stick setup is a stroke of genius, and it makes for an effortlessly rewarding experience that you'll want to play again and again. While not overly difficult in itself, nailing the optional objectives is key to achieving 100% completion, and it's here that you'll find challenge and satisfaction in equal measure. It's funny, it's violent, and it's polished – and we suspect it will go down as a cult classic.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Apr 17, 2025

Critic80/100

Agreement—

I, Robot is a weird game, but one that feels effortlessly engaging and rewarding once it gets its hooks into you. The psychedelic presentation can be a bit tough to parse at first, but you can remove a lot of it via the options, and once you get to grips with the gameplay and what each level is asking of you, I, Robot reveals an incredible amount of depth that you'll spend hours uncovering as you work to increase your score. This isn't a remake we were particularly begging to see, but it's one we're very thankful for.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Mar 26, 2025

Critic80/100

Agreement—

The only gripe we have is that some of the smaller menu text can look a little blurry in handheld mode, but given the overall lack of text in the game, it’s not a dealbreaker. Whether you’re an old-school fan or a newcomer, Breakout Beyond may be the best way to experience Atari's stone-cold classic.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Mar 7, 2025

Critic70/100

Agreement—

All told, Mainframes is a solid recommendation if you’re after a new precision/puzzle platformer that tries something relatively fresh with its desktop-bending premise. We would have liked to have seen a few clever nods to real-world software brands to really take advantage of its setup, but with its pleasant pixel-art visuals and gorgeously laid-back soundtrack, it’s a good way to spend a handful of hours. Just watch out for those difficulty spikes; they can be a real downer.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Mar 6, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Sorry We're Closed is one of the most unique and memorable survival horror games we've ever played. The juxtaposition of bright colours and quirky characters against moments of true terror is unlike anything we've ever seen before, and the first-person combat mechanics manage to feel immensely satisfying and empowering while still retaining a sense of creeping dread. This is a world we won't soon forget, and unlike the protagonist's desire to shy away from love, we suspect you'll immediately fall head over heels for this one.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Feb 5, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

This isn’t a game that necessarily attempts to do anything new in what is undoubtedly a crowded genre, but everything it does, it does very well. It’s a slick experience with gorgeous visuals, engaging combat, and challenging, yet fair boss encounters. The soundtrack has also been noticeably improved over the previous game, making this a must-play for fans of the series and, indeed, Metroidvanias in general.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Feb 1, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Now that the Switch version Laika: Aged Through Blood has finally arrived, it can finally join Hollow Knight, Animal Well, and Blasphemous II as a true modern classic in the Metroidvania genre. The premise and gameplay are like no other, seamlessly combining motocross gameplay with badass bullet-time shootouts that constantly feels satisfying. Chuck in one of the best soundtracks we've heard in years and maybe iron out the remaining performance hiccups, and Laika could well be an early contender for Switch GOTY 2025.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Jan 8, 2025

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Freedom Wars Remastered is a welcome addition to the Switch that revives one of the PS Vita's most unique and enjoyable games. Its core gameplay is challenging and satisfying in equal measure, with plenty of customisable options and upgrades to keep you hooked. Sadly, the story often gets in the way of the fun, especially near the beginning, while performance upgrades on the Switch are kept to a minimum - understandable to an extent, but a shame nevertheless. Still, for both new and returning players, Freedom Wars Remastered is worth checking out if you enjoy battling giant monsters.