Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jul 9, 2025

Critic30/100

Agreement—

Tamagotchi Plaza is a dull, vapid, and utterly unsatisfying minigame collection that rapidly overstays its welcome. Though charming and visually competent, the underlying gameplay is undercooked, unrewarding, and shallow with its 'free mobile game'-like design.There may be a valid case here for playing with very young children for some very light and simple entertainment, but even then, the price tag is comically high for the shallowness and quantity of content you're getting. I'd suggest you steer clear; it's worth neither your time nor your money.

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

Jess Elizabeth Reed·Jul 8, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

On the whole, Guardians of Azuma is a stellar experience on any platform, with the Switch 2 offering that extra touch of greatness. Those who are particularly sensitive to performance issues will find themselves in safer hands with the upgrade, so long as you're willing to pay an upcharge for the privilege.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Jul 7, 2025

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Missile Command Delta is an unfortunate misfire from Atari. I want to love it; heck, I do love the actual turn-based strategy gameplay found within the various terminals. The problem is that it's surrounded by dull explorative sections and a narrative that just doesn't resonate.There's a really solid foundation here, and I'd love to see Atari explore Delta's mechanics more in the future, but a bit more thought is required in how such an intriguing concept is delivered to the player.

Nintendo Life

Oliver Revolta·Jul 3, 2025

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Chronicles of the Wolf is a confident, old-school Metroidvania that asks a lot of its players. Its DNA is from another gaming era, and simply being a fan of the genre won't guarantee you'll enjoy it. If modern quality-of-life features like marking your map or being gently nudged forward are preferable, there are better options elsewhere.But if you've got the patience to revisit a time when games were slower and more cryptic, and the pacing was a little more intense, Chronicles of the Wolf is like a rich, dark relic that you'll treasure. For every player put off by its demands, another will embrace it as a worthy challenge.

Nintendo Life

Trent Cannon·Jul 1, 2025

Critic50/100

Agreement—

The branching narrative of Front Mission 3: Remake is the strongest of the series for me and kept me engaged with it long after I had grown frustrated with the combat system. The new music is solid, but also highlights some of the older sound effects that haven't been updated. And, to top it all off, the new artwork for the Switch port is bafflingly bad and gives strong AI-generated vibes, making this feel like a rushed, half-finished remake of a beloved tactical RPG.

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

Alana Hagues·Jun 28, 2025

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Locomoto is clearly a game that puts the 'vibes' first. For a slice of its runtime, it was perfectly pleasant, but by the end, I was running on fumes. Yet, if it's a sedate and steady adventure with solid characters and a cosy atmosphere you're after, you'll love this. Just don't expect a lot of variety.

Nintendo Life

Trent Cannon·Jun 25, 2025

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Tron: Catalyst isn't a terrible game, but it is definitely in the wrong genre. Its engaging setting and excellent time-travel mechanics carried me far beyond the point where I got bored of the shallow combat system and frustrating vehicle sections. Despite the visuals and story feeling very Tron, it doesn't capture the same feel of the movies. Honestly, if you can't make a light cycle fun to ride, you have no place making a Tron game.

Nintendo Life

PJ O'Reilly·Jun 25, 2025

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Ruffy and the Riverside is an enjoyable return to the colourful 3D platforming romps of the late 1990s, and it's one that brings its own clever idea to the table, rather than just simply copy/pasting everyone else's homework. With nods to Mario, Zelda, Crash Bandicoot and more, levels jam-packed full of fun puzzles and the easy, breezy nature of Ruffy's copy-pasting abilities at the heart of it all, this is one of the better odes to this sort of caper that I've played and, performance issues aside, a very impressive debut to boot.

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

Mitch Vogel·Jun 18, 2025

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is a wonderful retread of a forgotten classic, smartly polishing up its best parts and modifying its worst parts to make for an overall more enjoyable experience. Though the visuals are just 'okay' and the detective gameplay can be a bit plain, the action-packed combat, reworked demon fusion, and interesting story all come together to make for a gripping adventure.I'd recommend you pick this one up if you're curious and you think it may be up your alley. I've never played anything quite like Raidou, and it offers a very unique take not just on the standard SMT formula, but action RPGs on the whole.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jun 17, 2025

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a solid update of one of Square's finest modern turn-based RPGs. Its combination of a flexible job system, dynamic combat, and unexpectedly interesting story makes for an adventure that no fans of the JRPG genre will want to miss out on, especially any such fans that enjoyed Team Asano's more recent work on the Octopath Traveler duology.That in mind, there isn't really anything new in this remaster that justifies the price of a double dip-if you already put a lot of time into this one on the 3DS back in the day, I'd caution you to first consider just how badly you want to spend your money on what ultimately amounts to little more than a nice visual bump. All the same, Bravely Default was and still is a great RPG; if you haven't had the chance to give this one a shot yet, this port is a great way to see what the fuss is about.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Jun 16, 2025

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Gex Trilogy is a happy throwback. The first game is a little clunky and occasionally laborious, but its sequels do better in their 3D expansion of its themes and idea. The main point of appeal is its connection to the period in which they were made. It's full of comic quirks, zinging dialogue, and visual gags that scream MTV Generation. Across all three entries, the media hook and its tropes - from horror to Christmas to 1930s prohibition gangsters - work well to keep things fresh, fun and engaging.That said, while there's a simplicity to the games themselves, the yesteryear technology and the sensibilities of many gamers may have moved on, making their baked-in fetch quests trying at times. Gex Trilogy's value is bumped up by its invention and still very playable design aspects, but whether or not you can pit yourself through them really comes down to how much your nostalgic mileage varies, dude.

Nintendo Life

Ken Talbot·Jun 13, 2025

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Split Fiction feels like a gift. Its sole aim is to entertain and bring players together by testing them at every turn. Hazelight gives us two distinct worlds, each filled with a huge array of activities for co-op partners to enjoy and argue over. It serves as a surprising visual showcase for the Switch 2 and enhances the Friend's Pass feature, allowing our original Switch buddies to join in the fun.