Thomas Whitehead

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Mar 9, 2026

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is another strong entry in this series, and deserving of a place at the top table alongside a number of other excellent RPGs on Switch 2.A well-told story, an intriguing world and some excellent mechanics ultimately overshadow the usual (for this series) balancing issues and performance wobbles. If you want to collect 'em all within a charming Monster Hunter setting, this game will keep you busy for a long time.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Nov 29, 2023

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Is Football Manager 2024 Touch on Switch the best way to experience the franchise this year? Probably not, in light of the various other versions and platforms available. However, it is a solid version of a strong entry in the series, with the convenience of being on Nintendo's marvellous little machine whether you want to play on the go or pop it up on the TV. It strips away some of the immersive depth from the 'main' version on PC, but adds interesting nuances of its own while keeping the experience snappy. If you can figure out the quirky physical controls, along with how to get your 4-3-2-1 formation humming, you can sink plenty of hours into this one.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Oct 10, 2023

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Wild Card Football is an ambitious take on the sport, with a decent mix of modes and pleasing depth for those keen to go all in. The offline Season mode may keep a lot of Switch players going, but once you dive into the Ultimate Team-style 'Dream Squad' you'll eventually feel the pull to take your hard-earned fantasy roster online. That's where a lack of fluidity and clarity in gameplay can really bite. A sport as frantic as American Football needs a slightly slicker performance level than we found here. However it's only just short of a first-down, so if you're happy to live with the compromises then this may still be worth a punt.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Aug 9, 2023

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Legend Bowl is a game packed with charm; an interesting hybrid of retro style and attempts at Madden-esque depth in the playbook and mechanics. It's full of heart and raises a smile with its humour and attention to detail; sadly it doesn't convert all of these positives across the board. Performance is improved following patches but still has space to get better, while some odd design and UI choices are hard to ignore. If you can look past the flaws, which could be dealt with in future updates, there are some real merits to Legend Bowl for fans of the sport; it just needs to get over the longest yard to reach its full potential.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Dec 2, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Soccer Story delivers a colourful, charming take on the 'sports adventure', bursting at the seams with earnest effort and care from the development team. It's a fun experience, though it doesn't reach the heights of the genre's most famous release. Bugs and hitches pop up occasionally too, but if you're seeking some light entertainment and happen to love football, its cute visuals and charming world make it worth consideration.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Nov 23, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Retro Goal is a distinctively light and fun take on football, coming at a budget price and having enough depth and charm to get players hooked. It has a stylish look and will raise a smile among enthusiasts; in fact, the only way it fails to match its brilliant predecessor - Retro Bowl - is in the gameplay department. The team-based complexity of football makes it hard to recreate that backyard sport feel, but it is still excellent and irreverent fun that feels at home on Switch.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Oct 3, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

NieR:Automata is a modern classic. Most importantly for Switch owners, this is a top-notch port that has clearly been produced with respect and focus, often surpassing our expectations in both visuals and performance. Finding a comfortable seat and a pair of headphones makes the Switch version a wonderful way to experience the game, and it is an unforgettable journey. Nothing is as it seems, either in the story or gameplay, and it's one of the finest gaming achievements of the last decade. If you haven't played NieR:Automata yet, now is a great time.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Sep 22, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Easy Come Easy Golf is, all taken into account, very easy to recommend for fans of golf games, and a great Nintendo debut for the Everybody's Golf series. It's enjoyable and polished golf with some fun twists while offering a huge amount of content to unlock and solid multiplayer options. Even with minor performance hitches and some iffy audio, we found ourselves having plenty of fun and kept coming back for a few extra holes. It's certainly under par, in a good way.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Jul 4, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Sunbreak is a success in multiple ways, with enough that's new or different to make it a must-have expansion for Monster Hunter Rise fans. New mechanics and content are enjoyable, the challenge is turned up, and it's still an audiovisual treat. It's a welcome reminder that there's nothing else quite like Capcom's monster-slaying franchise, and even in moments where it's 'just more of the same but harder', that's still more than enough.Now excuse us as we get back to the hunt. That fashionable armour isn't going to craft itself.

Pure Xbox

Thomas Whitehead·Apr 5, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

MLB The Show 22 is another brilliant arrival in the series, and once again delivers fluid and gorgeous presentation on Xbox Series X|S. The gameplay remains highly satisfying, while Road to the Show and Diamond Dynasty remain compulsive modes. While 'no money spent' is still pleasingly feasible in the latter, it feels a little more grind-heavy this year, so hopefully that will ease off. Elsewhere new commentary is welcome, but is too short on lines this time around.MLB The Show, as a series, does feel like it needs a leap at some point; as another steady iteration, though, this latest entry is still a standout sports sim and a must for baseball fans.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Apr 5, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

The ultimate question is whether you should play MLB The Show 22 on Switch. Well, it depends. If it's your main or only platform and you're happy playing CPU and offline games, then yes, it's not bad and holds things together just enough for gameplay to be enjoyable. If you want an 'on-the-go' version to accompany a more powerful home console version, perhaps on Game Pass, then it's another yes. If you want to mainly play online in Diamond Dynasty? No, this isn't the way to go. MLB The Show 22 is admirably packed with content and features, but it's not entirely comfortably packed into the diminutive Switch. It lacks the fluidity and crispness found elsewhere, which is perhaps expected but doesn't change the fact. If you're happy with the compromises, though, then step up to the plate.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Mar 18, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Overall, Wave 1 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass is enjoyable and gives a modern classic a thrilling new spark of life. After blasting through the race classes, it's likely the itch will be back and we'll be back in the online lobbies once again, eagerly awaiting the five further waves to come between now and the end of 2023. That's the key takeaway we took early on while sampling the Booster Course Pass - you can't go far wrong with 'more Mario Kart'.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Feb 7, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

That's the key with this game — it's addictive but most importantly simple, immersive fun. A reminder that getting hooked on a game can be due to its design rather than complexity or realism. There are a few flaws — the game has an obsession with fumbles that give you possession on your opponent's 18-yard line, and opposition coaches never seem to use time outs to help their chances. But as a game to play regularly in short bursts, or occasionally in longer sessions, Retro Bowl is a hoot. It's backyard football disguised as the NFL in 8-bit form... and that's brilliant.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Oct 17, 2021

Critic80/100

Agreement—

By the time the credits roll you'll likely still have some hidden paintings to find, and even if you leave them behind, this is a thoroughly pleasant and satisfying experience on Nintendo's system. With smart puzzles, beautiful presentation and a story full of emotive moments, Inked: A Tale of Love is well worth your time.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Sep 4, 2021

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Despite those technical issues (and the disappointing lack of accessibility options) this is still a visual novel worth experiencing for fans of the genre, or those drawn in by its blend of coffee shop setting and paranormal quirkiness. This Switch port, however, doesn't necessarily show it in the best light.