Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Chris Scullion·Jun 27, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Wreckfest is one of the more impressive Switch ports we've seen, taking a game that already had performance issues on more powerful hardware and delivering a relatively stable version with reasonable loading speeds and all its debris-flinging carnage fully intact. Handheld play is a little less visually acceptable, and the Switch tax rears its ugly head again, but just like the rough-and-ready roadsters in the game, we ultimately had a great time behind the wheel.

Nintendo Life

Scott McCrae·Jun 25, 2022

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Roller Champions has potential; the core gimmick and gameplay are both lots of fun and it's satisfying blasting your enemy across the court with a dropkick as they're about to score three points against you. However, it lacks in pretty much every other department and there's just not enough content in here to satisfy anyone. Add in the performance and blurry visual issues on Switch, and we can't really recommend the game on Nintendo's console in its current state. It is free-to-play, so it's worth a try if anything we've mentioned sounds interesting, but unless some serious updates are made to this version, you're definitely best off playing it on a different platform if at all possible.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jun 24, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Sonic Origins is simply more of the same, which is both its greatest strength and weakness. On one hand, it's a near-definitive way to experience four stone-cold classics that represent some of the highest peaks of Sonic's career. On the other, most of these games are already readily available and there aren't many new features or additions to justify buying them yet again. If you don't already have a reliable or convenient way of playing these games now, or this is genuinely your first time playing through them, then we'd say that Sonic Origins is the go-to way to experience Sonic's 2D heyday. Otherwise, we'd encourage you to either wait for this to go on sale or just pass on it.

Nintendo Life

Trent Cannon·Jun 22, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is one of the most interesting visual novels we've played through in a while. The murder mystery at its heart is brought to life by some great writing and quirky characters alongside the satisfyingly integrated, beautifully balanced Psync puzzle elements. Even with some minor control issues, there is a lot to love in this game even if you never picked up the original. Highly recommended if you're even a little bit curious.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Jun 21, 2022

Critic50/100

Agreement—

If this sounds unacceptable to you, well, we're in total agreement, as there's no excuse for a bug like this, one that should be easily spotted by anyone playing through the port, making its way into this final release version. It's a massive shame, as in terms of overall performance this third entry in the series runs well enough but there's just no getting around the freezing issue here, it needs sorting out with a patch ASAP before we can consider giving this one any sort of positive recommendation. For now, we'd steer clear of another disappointing port for Harebrained Schemes' stellar series.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Jun 21, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Capcom Fighting Collection does exactly what it sets out to do, and bar a few very minor presentational oversights, is a product with years of longevity. It's a shame to lose those bonus characters present in previous console releases, and you do need to consider what appeals to you when considering a purchase. If you want the best Darkstalkers collection, look no further. If you want to experience Red Earth and take it online, the time has finally arrived. Or, for Street Fighter II diehards, Anniversary Edition's modernised netcode really lets you be a world warrior.Bar Red Earth, however, this isn't the first time these games have been released, and it surely won't be the last. A purchasing decision comes down to how many times you have bought these titles before, how much time you spend on MAME (which has been a viable, albeit illegal, option for years) or whether or not you just want the most polished, accurate, easy-access fighting game experience to date, either at home on your TV or portably on the go. If you fall into the latter category, it's a no-brainer.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Jun 21, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a thoroughly entertaining mash-up of Musou mayhem, strategy and relationship-building aspects that should more than satisfy fans of both the franchises involved here. It improves upon its 2017 predecessor in several ways, most notably in providing a far more engaging story featuring a narrative that's ripe for several replays. With impressively solid performance on Switch and an action-packed campaign that'll see you blasting your way through tens of thousands of foes for a good 30 hours in a single playthrough, this is right up there with the very best Omega Force has served up thus far.

Nintendo Life

Scott McCrae·Jun 21, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Fall Guys' brand of chaotic fun is still great all of these years later, and the free-to-play Switch release is no different, assuming you can ignore your opponents' choppy frame rate. While there are some disappointing elements linked to cross-progression, those ultimately won't matter if this is your first time entering the Blunderdome. Some moments of lag and frame rate quirks aside, the Switch version offers a solid way to play if you're looking for some barmy 60-bean battling and the barrier to entry has never been lower.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Jun 17, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Final Vendetta does an able job of using and enhancing tried and tested formulas of the past, and is great fun for either one or two players. Its brevity is ameliorated by its single-credit format; a bold but welcome move that makes learning to clear it rewarding for all the right reasons – but it's a setup some may struggle with. There's still room for experimentation in this genre with regard to original systems, and sadly Final Vendetta doesn't really attempt any of that, instead opting for more traditional '90s arcade fare – albeit with lots of variation in how you smack people around. If that's enough to tickle your fancy, you'll feel well-served by Bitmap Bureau's stab, but others might feel like they've walked this street before.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jun 16, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

The Hand of Merlin may not bring anything new to the table, but fans of tough strategy games like XCOM will still find plenty to love here. The unforgiving roguelite structure and decision-driven gameplay offer up a lot of engaging content, even if these elements are held back a bit by the boring graphics and an interface that's not very controller friendly. If you can overlook those faults and you're a strategy game enthusiast looking for your next fix, we'd suggest you grab hold of The Hand of Merlin.

Nintendo Life

Roland Ingram·Jun 15, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Cloud Gardens is a gentle-looking, gentle-sounding toy in the “chill” genre. It has a pretty good game hung on top, participation in which is largely optional. Noio’s stated aim “to fill you with satisfaction without the frustration” is a motto that’s been observed. Your mileage will vary based on what you find satisfying and what you find frustrating, but the gameplay, the themes, the music, the sound, and the graphics are all of a piece, admirably on-message, and contribute to a unique, bittersweet atmosphere.

Nintendo Life

Scott McCrae·Jun 15, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

From its excellent writing, music, and presentation to its intense and satisfying core gameplay, Neon White is one of the most exciting things we've played all year, and it's a game we can't see ourselves putting down for a long time as we try to best our previous times. It successfully brings together elements from apparently disparate genres in new and exciting ways and seems poised to become the next great speedrunning title. It's one that action game fans and Switch owners in general won't want to miss.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Jun 15, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Two years in the making, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is the best Turtles beat 'em up ever made, and a faster, better-looking, and more entertaining affair than even Streets of Rage 4. It looks delicious, sounds superb, and rekindles childhood memories beyond all expectation, time-warping you back to 1987. Its combat system is so much fun to mine that you feel compelled to keep coming back to try new strategies, and with its awesome multiplayer the experience evolves again and again. Like any beat 'em up, it does get repetitive as you enter the last third, but that's more a fault of the concept than the game. Our only regret is that we didn't use anywhere near enough puns in this review, so let's close by saying Shredder's Revenge is an unprecedented shell-ebration.

Nintendo Life

Alex Olney·Jun 8, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a masterclass in competitive game design. What it lacks in options is more than made up by just how much fun the game is, and it's absolutely gorgeous to boot. As it stands it already feels like a complete product, but the promise of future updates down the line gives us even more to get excited about. If arcade sport action isn't your bag, it'll likely do nothing to sway your opinion, but if you have even a passing interest in this kind of caper, Mario Strikers: Battle League is the best sports game on Switch right now.

Nintendo Life

Trent Cannon·Jun 7, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Between multiple endings that can be unlocked depending on what quests you complete and more difficult game modes for those who like a punishing challenge, there is a lot to each playthrough of Lost Ruins that will keep players coming back. Though the overall combat can be a little repetitive, there is enough exploration and weapon variety to ensure that there will be a combat style to suit you. If you're a fan of Metroidvania or survival titles, or very attractive pixel art, there is a lot to enjoy here, but the challenge can be unbalanced at times.