Author: sick skills

In April, a Nintendo rating for Blizzard’s action-RPG Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred surfaced on the Indonesian rating board.

Now, in an update, a Switch 2 classification for the expansion has been discovered on the Taiwan rating board. It appears this rating also surfaced in April, but it wasn’t spotted at the time. Notably, this is for the latest expansion content ‘Lord of Hatred’, which was released on other platforms in April 2026.

“Finish the fight against Mephisto, master the new Paladin and Warlock classes, discover major skill tree updates, and explore an overhauled end game”

This obviously wouldn’t be the first time a third-party game announcement has been leaked via a classification board. Of course, right now nothing has been officially confirmed, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Earlier this year, Blizzard celebrated Diablo’s 30th anniversary with the announcement of Reign of the Warlock – a new paid DLC class for Diablo II: Resurrected. Blizzard has also previously released Diablo III and its expansion content on the Switch in 2018.

Would you be interested in playing Diablo 4 on the Switch 2? Let us know in the comments.

The N64 turns 30 on 23rd June 2026. To celebrate, we’ll be running a series of articles celebrating the 64-bit machine and its industry-shaping software over the next week or so.

Today, it might have taken the best part of 30 years, but Ollie has finally seen the light when it comes to the system’s revolutionary yet undeniably odd controller…

When I was a kid, I’m sorry to say that I completely missed the N64. This wasn’t through choice, mind you – I received the Mega Drive from my older brother when he upgraded to PS1, then later the PS1 when he upgraded to PS2. It wasn’t until the GameCube that I was able to buy a home console for myself.

So, I didn’t play the N64 at all until probably the mid ‘00s, though I’d soon experience many of the system’s biggest hits through the Virtual Console and 3DS ports.

Most notably, my first time playing Zelda: Ocarina of Time was via the Wind Waker promotional disc release in 2003. I distinctly remember feeling like I was so late to the party, though in hindsight, experiencing it just five years after its N64 release isn’t too bad.

The rare moments I did get to play the N64 came exclusively through visiting my friends’ houses. We’d boot up GoldenEye 007 and Mario Kart 64 and play for a short while, but it was never too long until I’d yearn to do something else entirely. The reason? I just didn’t like the N64 pad.

Going from Mega Drive to PS1 to GameCube, each controller felt like a fairly natural evolution of the previous one. Despite the addition of the analogue sticks on the DualShock and the distinct rearrangement of inputs on the GameCube pad, the overall shape and layout felt similar and intuitive, so moving from one to the next was a breeze.

So during those short multiplayer sessions with an N64 pad, I couldn’t stand it. Why was the analogue stick in the middle? What the heck are these weird ‘C’ buttons? Why are there three handles?!

I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around Nintendo’s ‘M-shaped’ design, which quickly led to frustration when playing competitive titles. Being a young teenager at the time, a couple of heavy losses in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ was quite enough for me, so I’d promptly suggest stepping outside to do anything else.

I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to use that pad again, but when Nintendo launched the N64 app for Switch Online and released an accompanying wireless controller, I thought I’d finally give it a proper chance. And boy, am I glad I did! My opinion on the N64 pad has pretty much completely reversed. I love this thing.

The first game I tried on NSO was Super Mario 64, followed swiftly by Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time. I don’t know if it’s because I was finally able to take my time to get used to the controller on my own terms, but suddenly everything felt right.

That’s not to say it was an instant eureka moment – there was still an adjustment period to rewire my decades-long muscle memory. But once I realised that I didn’t need to worry about the D-pad and ‘L’ input quite so much, everything else just fell into place.

Indeed, I’m almost embarrassed at how quickly I got to grips with it after throwing in the towel as a teenager. Moving Mario with the analogue stick, using the C-buttons to swing the camera around… It all feels quite natural to me now.

My previous experience with Ocarina also taught me that the game really has no camera controls, bar a quick re-centre with ‘Z’ and some minor first-person shenanigans. So where I’d previously used the C-stick on the GameCube pad to use items, I now just had to transfer that knowledge to the C-buttons. Easy.

Is the N64 pad an objectively good controller? [Yes. – Ed.] Well… honestly, that’s a hard question to answer. There’s clearly a reason Nintendo never returned to its unique, bizarre design, while the vast majority of modern controllers settled into a tried-and-tested dual-analogue formula in which the only differentiating factor is whether the analogue sticks are offset or not.

I can’t deny, however, that it works wonderfully for the system it was designed for, and I’ve played almost every N64 game on NSO (I’ve still yet to touch Donkey Kong 64, but I’ll get there). I’ve also got the 8BitDo 64 Controller, and as good as it is, I’d still much rather use the proper, official pad from Nintendo. The weird design is key to its charm, and a big part of why I love it now.

There’s really nothing else like it.

What are your thoughts on the N64 pad? Did you grow up playing the original console, or did your first experience come with the NSO app on Switch? Share a comment and let us know.

After last week’s showcase shenanigans, we’ve welcomed a slightly quieter one here at Nintendo Life.

We started the Ocarina of Time remake sleuthing as a new description appeared online, and ran through some of the game’s funniest moments that we can’t wait to revisit. Switch 1 & 2 got system updates that finally fixed the old eShop, and we shared our early hands-on thoughts of Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok on Switch 2.

In the wonderful world of reviews, we looked at Observer: System Redux (9/10), Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration (8/10), and The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (8/10).

Let’s keep that chilled vibe going into the weekend, shall we>

Jim Norman, Features Editor

What do you know, I’m still having a wonderful time in my Ocarina of Time replay. I’m up to the Forest Temple now (the score for which still creeps me out, I might add) and I’m showing no signs of slowing down. Am I actually going to finish it up before starting all over again with the new edition later this year? We’ll see!

Then again, I was just notified that Lorelei and the Laser Eyes currently has a tasty 50% eShop discount with a free Switch 2 upgrade. That one has been on my wishlist for ages, so it may sideline the playthrough a little. Hey ho!

Mai Ladyman, Video Producer

Since diving into Rise of the Tomb Raider for the video, I’ve found myself returning to it nearly every night this week. Suffice it to say, I see myself raiding more tombs and sweeping up collectables this weekend. Considering the sheer amount of relics there are to find and tombs to explore, it hasn’t overwhelmed me in the slightest.

My other half and I have also been playing a lot of Forza Horizon 6 lately, which isn’t a game I thought I’d enjoy, but here we are. Lately, I’ve been driving about in a Kirby or Animal Crossing-skinned Porsche, so I don’t feel so bad playing a non-Nintendo game. At least I’m representing.

Ollie Reynolds, Reviews Editor

I’m currently working my way through [REDACTED] for review, so hopefully I’ll have some thoughts up on the site very soon. Otherwise, I’m done and dusted with Ocarina of Time and I feel pretty well prepared for the remake (though a cheeky 3D playthrough might also be on the cards soon), so this weekend will be dedicated to Xenoblade Chronicles.

I’m not gonna lie, I think I might actually wind up playing the entire mainline trilogy again on Switch 2 this year. We’ll see though… There are a lot of games on the horizon.

Gavin Lane, Editor

The kids and I have gotten back into Mario Kart World recently, and with summer holidays fast approaching, I’ve invested in some of those Joy-Con 2 steering wheels for them – if they arrive over the weekend, we’ll be taking them for a spin.

Beyond that, a bit of Kirby, a bit of Indy, and a bit of frantically tidying my gaming gear in the basement ahead of an Ikea delivery. Have a good one, folks.

Gonçalo Lopes, Contributor

I have been playing Virtua Striker 3 ver. 2002 for well over two decades, and something quite peculiar happened: An unfortunate goalie bump slowly sent the ball to the back of the net for a very awkward own goal. Then, one of his defender teammates ran straight to him and gave him a good shove! I was like “Wait, did that just really happen?”, clipped the video, uploaded it online and asked if anyone else had seen this. I got my answer the next day: over 100k views. World Cup fever is very real!

Package from the far East arrived, so it’s all shooting for the rest of the weekend: Söldner X Complete Collection, Psyvariar 3, the incredible FZ: Formation Z (loved the original on Famiclo… erm, Famicom) and a couple of my old PSP favourites that got a fresh coat of paint: R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos. I’ve never played the second game properly, so it is time to fix that.

My game of the week is The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. You give me an action RPG with heavy vibes of Zelda, Mana and Soulblazer with a generous splash of HD-2D and much like the demo proved, I will be front and centre to pick it up on release. Will take my time to savour this one.

A footnote, if I may: I have concluded my months-old conundrum with a somewhat dubious financial decision – I will indeed partake in the whole Neo Geo AES+ madness. I consider it an investment in both my past and future gamer-self (…or another middle-aged crisis, take your pick).

Kate Gray, Contributor

I will be playing Slay the Spire 2. Again. I’m sorry.

Those are our plans, but what about yours? Let us know what you’ll be slapping in your Switch (2) in the poll below:

Nintendo is joining in on the World Cup celebrations this month with a new game trial for Switch 2 and Switch systems.

It’s for EA Sports FC 26, allowing Switch Online members to put their “dream squad” to the test in local and online multiplayer. You can also lead your team through challenges based on real-world scenarios or develop a professional player. This trial will be available until 24th June 2026.

If you do end up purchasing this title while the trial is available, you’ll be able to transfer your save data to the full experience. You can also get the digital version of this title on both the Switch and Switch 2 systems for up to 80% off in select locations, with the sale ending on 1st July 2026.

As part of this promotion, you can earn 100 Platinum Points just by trying out the game trial. Of course, to access it, you’ll need to have an active Switch Online subscription. EA Sports FC 26 also recently added “The World’s Game Update“, celebrating international football.

You can find out more about this game in our review here on Nintendo Life. Konami also recently released the paid title eFootball Kick-Off! on the Switch 2. It’s got a national team game update as well.

Will you be checking out this game trial while it’s available? Let us know in the comments.

Ahead of the return of Star Fox next week, Nintendo has made its Star Fox “soft toy” line by San-Ei available on the Nintendo Stores in the UK and Europe.

These plush, created for “play and decoration”, were originally released in Japan and will hopefully continue to be made available in more locations around the globe. On Nintendo’s store in the UK, you can get Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare and Slippy Toad for £29.99 / 34,99€ each.

If you purchase the game from the My Nintendo Store in this region, you can also get some bonus items including a Star Fox Pin Set and a Star Fox Rubber Velcro Patch:

To celebrate this upcoming release, Nintendo has also shared an awesome Star Fox movie-style poster on its social accounts:

You can find out more about where to pre-order and purchase Star Fox for the Switch 2 in our guide here on Nintendo Life. If these plush are made available in other locations, we’ll provide an update.

Will you be getting Star Fox when it takes flight on 25th June 2026? Are you getting any of these plush? Let us know in the comments.

The Switch 2 is now a year into its lifespan, and it’s already played host to major third-party series such as Final Fantasy and Resident Evil.

The recent Nintendo Direct highlighted even more upcoming releases, and to top it off, another sizzle reel trailer has now been released showcasing what else is on the way to the new hybrid system.

Here are the titles featured in the above trailer, along with the release dates:

As mentioned, The Adventures of Elliot is out now on the Switch 2, and our review of this new title from Square Enix went live here on Nintendo Life earlier this week. Despite some performance issues, it offers up plenty of gameplay variety and fun exploration.

You can find out more about the other titles featured in the above video in our previous coverage. Adding to this, there are plenty of other third-party titles on the way including Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, Stellar Blade, Rayman Legends Retold, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition, Monster Hunter Wilds and Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition.

In terms of first-party releases for the remainder of 2026, Nintendo has games such as Star Fox taking flight this month, Fire Emblem in September, and the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake between now and the end of the year.

Are you looking forward to any of these titles featured here? What other third-party games and series would you like to see make their way across to the Switch 2? Let us know in the comments.

Two Point Studios is currently celebrating 10 years since it opened its doors, and as part of this, it’s returning to its past with the announcement of the Two Point Hospital: Full Health Collection.

This “bumper package” for the Switch 2 and multiple other platforms will include Two Point Hospital and all of the DLC and “free-LC” since the title’s original release eight years ago.

“Consoles have been missing Two Point Hospital DLC’s for years. We’ve just found the cure. The Full Health Collection is coming soon to Xbox X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2, injected with every piece of DLC. Stay tuned for more info!”

Here’s what you’ll get alongside the base game:

• Two Point Hospital
• Big Foot
• Pebberley Island
• Close Encounters
• Off The Grid
• Culture Shock
• A Stitch In Time
• Speedy Recovery

This collection is “coming soon” to the Switch 2, with further details about the release to follow. Apart from this, Two Point has also released the third DLC “Arty-Facts” for Two Point Museum on the Switch 2 this week.

Two Point Museum has also released its latest Digiverse Rift this week, which sees the aquatic adventures of Dave The Diver join the fray. This is now available as a free update. Here’s a bit about what to expect, along with a look:

“Experts will get to visit three Points of Interest in the Blue Hole and collect a diverse menu of Marine Life, with six exhibits on offer. You can create a vibe fit to suit the Sea People with new aquarium decorative items and even open a brand new business, building your very own Bancho Sushi Bar in your museum and serve fresh fish.”

Two Point has also launched a cinematic universe – an animated series following the antics of characters from the world of Two Point, with the first episode now live:

And last but not least, is the Two Point “Summer ’26 Roadmap“, highlighting all of the anniversary celebrations:

You can watch the Two Point 10th anniversary showcase on the company’s official YouTube channel.

Well, this is a lovely little surprise! Capcom has today released a new update for Pragmata, and while it’s a pretty small one, it does include an adorable new look for Hugh.

As shared on the studio’s social media accounts, the update adds the ‘Scribble Suit’ (the one found in the game’s ‘Sketchbook’ demo) to the main game. From afar, you might think that this is the same white suit Hugh rolls around in as standard, but look closer and you’ll see that it’s covered in sweet little drawings by Diana. Aw.

Alongside this new look, the update also makes some tweaks to the difficulty in the game’s final mission, ‘Stand or Die’, making things a little easier, and corrects the odd bit of text along the way.

Capcom shared the short patch notes on the Pragmata website, and we have gathered them together for you to check out below:

Pragmata Update (19th June 2026)

– Hugh’s outfit, Scribble Suit, added
– Training Simulation #30, Stand or Die, difficulty reduced
– Minor text corrections implemented

It adds to what was already a stellar game at launch, with a sublime Switch 2 version. “The adventures of Hugh and Diana stand as another excellent Switch 2 port from Capcom,” we said in our 9/10 review, “and hopefully mark the beginning of a new blockbuster franchise.”

Will you be checking out this Pragmata update? Let us know in the comments.