sick skills – Page 182

Posted on January 1, 2026 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Back Page: I Was The Louvre Heist Thief, But I Was Just Trying To Steal Their 3DSes

Over the holiday season, we’re republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in October. Enjoy!

In the magazine business, the back page is where you’d find all the weird goofs that we couldn’t fit in anywhere else. Some may call it “filler”; we prefer “a whole page to make terrible jokes that are tangentially related to the content of the mag”.

We don’t have pages on the internet, but we still love terrible jokes — so welcome to our semi-regular feature, Back Page.

Today, Kate is confessing to a crime. But let’s be perfectly, legally clear here, just in case: this is a joke, and Kate is not, in fact, the Louvre thief. Hopefully that’s clear.

Okay, so, look, I wasn’t trying to do a heist. This is all a big misunderstanding.

See, the Louvre is mostly known for its paintings, statues, stealing art from other countries, and being hard to pronounce for anyone who doesn’t have a French tongue. (Loov. Looooov-ruh. Loovuhrrr. Loovurhrh. Never mind.) Also, that one really famous, wildly underwhelming picture of the lady with the mystic smile.

But that’s not what I care about when it comes to the Louvre. The Parisian pyramid is the only museum in the world that used 3DSes as their audio guides, and I’ve never had the chance to try them! And then, tragically, when the museum discontinued them earlier this year, I thought to myself, ‘Well, what are they going to do with all those 3DSes? Put them into the archive, like all the rejected paintings that don’t draw a big enough crowd? I won’t stand for it.’

Louvre Guide on 3DS — I was going to nab a copy of the game, too — *Image: Nintendo*

So, I went to visit the museum. Just a normal visit, you understand! And yes, I went in through a first-floor window via a ladder, but that wasn’t because I was planning to steal things! I just wanted to beat the crowds. And avoid the entry cost. I mean, €25 to walk very slowly through a crowd taking selfies with the Mona Lisa? That’s the real robbery here.

€25 to walk very slowly through a crowd taking selfies with the Mona Lisa? That’s the real robbery here.

It was fully my intention to walk over to the information desk, politely ask about the 3DSes, and whether a caring patron of the arts such as myself could make a donation to the museum in order to take one home, and then once they’d handed me a big box of 3DSes, I would leave down my special museum ladder.

But once I was in, well, the crown jewels were just sitting there. I thought to myself, ‘You can buy a lot of 3DSes with crown jewels money. Maybe you could even afford a single secondhand copy of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver from CeX!’

Besides, I had a very capacious tote bag with me.

It wasn’t until I was slowly trundling down the ladder back to the streets of Paris that I even realised that I’d done a heist, or that no sane person on eBay is going to buy obviously stolen crown jewels.

So, here I am, with no 3DSes and too many crown jewels, and people keep writing articles about how cool I am, despite the fact that crown jewels can’t play Hotel Dusk or Kid Icarus: Uprising.

Look, I wrote up a comparison:

3DS	Crown Jewels
✅ Comes in many colours	❌ Comes in factory colours only
✅ Take it anywhere	❌ Can only be taken to state occasions or maybe a fancy party
✅ Customisable home menu themes	❌ No home menu themes
✅ StreetPass!	❌ No StreetPass
✅ Playable in 2D and 3D	❌ No 2D option
✅ Can play cult classic Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward	❌ Cannot play cult classic Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward

As you can see, the obvious winner is the 3DS. It’s not even close. And sure, the Crown Jewels make for some very nice hats, but I don’t even want hats. I want to play Pullblox, on a commuter train, with the option to make my eyes feel like they’re being peeled from the inside!

Crown Jewels don’t even have expandable SD card storage, so even if I wanted to take them to fancy parties or state occasions, I’d have to bring a separate external hard drive with me for all my games. Who wants to bring an external hard drive to a masquerade ball, or the coronation of the new monarch? Not me. It’s very unfashionable.

But all is not lost. I have, in fact, started to melt down a couple of the pieces, because I have an amazing idea. I may not have a Louvre 3DS, but I do have a normal 3DS, and it’s one of the ‘New’ ones with swappable faceplates. I’ve had mine protected by an understated Triforce-pattern plate for a long, long time, so I think I’ve earned a little glitz and glamour, haven’t I?

It turns out that gluing 10-carat emeralds to a bit of plastic is a little difficult, but it’s worth it. I feel like a queen, if queens knew what autostereoscopic handheld video game consoles were. It does make the thing bloody heavy, though.

Oh, and hopefully it goes without saying, but please don’t tell anyone that I did the heist, okay? I really, really don’t want to go to French prison. Or any kind of prison, really. I don’t think they let you keep your 3DSes when you’re incarcerated. Thanks.

Miyamoto Iwata Louvre Nintendo 3DSes charging — *Image: Nintendo*

Posted on January 1, 2026 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Guide: Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games & Accessories For January & February 2026

The new year is here, and with it comes the promise of video games. After a slow and steady start, native Switch 2 releases are coming in fast and there’s loads to look forward to in 2026 already – and that’s not counting any inevitable surprises that crop up in the next 12 months.

The first two games of the year from Nintendo see a return for an old favourite with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, followed by Mario Tennis Fever. But Capcom is bringing one of the year’s biggest multiplatform games to Switch 2 day-and-date with other platforms, and we’re very excited to see Resident Evil return at the end of February.

Below, we’ve highlighted the most exciting Switch 2 (and 1) games coming in the next two months. You’ll find more great games beneath our top picks, as well as a bunch of Switch (2) accessories.

Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

New Switch 1 & 2 Games for January & February 2026

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – 15th January

Dropping alongside a massive update for the Switch 1 game too, the NS2 Edition will add some mouse mode compatibility and a dusting of extras, including improved resolution and a megaphone that will let you call out your islanders’ names and they’ll shout back, letting you know where on your island they are.

With enhanced resolution, mouse controls using the Joy-Con 2 controller, expanded online play, and more features exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2, players can get even more out of the island life in Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition!

Plus, a free update is coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons for players on both Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch to enjoy. The free update includes a new resort hotel, additional amiibo functionality, collaboration items, updates to online play, and more.

Dynasty Warrior: Origins – 22nd January (Switch 2, Game-Key Card)

Launching back in January for other platforms, Koei Tecmo’s premier hacker-and-slasher drops on Switch 2 almost exactly a year later. It was well received elsewhere (our sister site, Push Square, gave it a healthy 8/10), so we’re looking forward to seeing how it holds up on Switch 2.

Note that this one is a Game-Key Card.

Boasting the most intense combat and largest armies in DYNASTY WARRIORS franchise history, the musou thriller transports you to a tumultuous, war-torn Three Kingdoms. From the “Yellow Turban Rebellion” to the climax of the “Battle of Chibi,” the story of DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS drops you into the heart of an ancient China in turmoil.

Through the eyes of a nameless hero, you’ll fight fiercely while making bold choices to restore peace and shape history all while battling enormous enemy armies in an unprecedented scale where thousands of soldiers collide!

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade – 22nd January (Switch 2, Game-Key Card)

It’s been a long time coming, but we’re excited to start catching up with other platforms and seeing how Square Enix has updated an all-timer. This one is also a Game-Key Card.

The first entry in the FINAL FANTASY VII remake trilogy brings the iconic city of Midgar to life with modern visuals, expanded storylines, and dynamic real-time RPG combat blended with strategic command over characters’ ATB gauges, character switching, and selections to maximize a character’s effectiveness in battle.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined – 5th February (Switch 1 & 2, Game-Key Card)

Another spruced-up classic coming from Square Enix, we last saw this enormous PlayStation entry in remade form on 3DS and we’re keen to see how this totally rebuilt version stacks up. This one is also a Game-Key Card on Switch 2.

Fix the past, save the present!
Gather your companions and travel beyond the shores of your kingdom to discover why it is the only remaining island in the world in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined.

Mario Tennis Fever – 12th February (Switch 2)

The latest in the series following Mario Tennis Aces on Switch, the plumber and co. are back on the courts, mixing in unconventional racquet techniques and pyrotechnics with everyone’s favourite net-based sport. No, not that one. Or that one. No, tennis. C’mon, it’s in the name.

Join Mario and friends for over-the-top tennis mayhem! Use topspins, slices, lobs, and other familiar shots—along with other fancy footwork and new defensive maneuvers—to outpace your opponents on the court. Keep a rally going, build up your Fever Gauge, and unleash powerful Fever Shots that can be augmented with special effects by equipping Fever Rackets!

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties – 12th February (Switch 2, Game-Key Card)

Nintendo gamers were denied the pleasures of Sega’s Yakuza series for so long, but no longer. Following on from Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1, and 2, the next entry in the reworked Kiwami series is almost here and it promises “major hints” towards the series’ future.

And following a familiar pattern, this one is a Game-Key Card, too.

Continue the story of Kazuma Kiryu as he fights to protect those he cares about most in an extreme remake of Yakuza 3 that evolves every aspect of the beloved game. The bustling streets of Okinawa and Tokyo come to life in stunning detail with reimagined combat taking brutal brawling action to the next level. Added scenes deliver more depth and emotion to the story with new and enhanced side experiences that immerse you in the world like never before, and more.

Additionally, experience the brand-new tale of Yoshitaka Mine from Yakuza 3 in an included separate game. Two men will walk different paths that converge to shake the very foundations of fate.

Resident Evil Requiem – 27th February (Switch 2, Game-Key Card)

The big one. A brand new entry in the survival horror series getting a day-and-date release on a Nintendo console alongside all other platforms is a cause for celebration. Fingers crossed the game’s good.

It’s worth noting that both RE7 and RE8 are launching in Gold Edition form for Switch 2 on the same day, as well. The Generation Pack bundles all three games, though remember that they are all Game-Key Cards.

A new era of survival horror arrives with Resident Evil Requiem, the latest and most immersive entry yet in the iconic Resident Evil series. Experience terrifying survival horror with FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, and dive into pulse-pounding action with legendary agent Leon S. Kennedy. Both of their journeys and unique gameplay styles intertwine into a heart-stopping, emotional experience that will chill you to your core.

More Upcoming Games for January & February 2026

As well as those picks above, there are plenty more Switch 1 & 2 retail games launching in the next couple of months (and a bit beyond).

New Switch 2 Accessories & eShop Credit

Finally, here’s a selection of Switch 2 accessories coming soon, and our Switch 2 buyer’s guides if you’re looking for something in particular.

Remember, you can also buy your Switch eShop credit and games from the Nintendo Life store. Purchases made on our store also help to support the site, so thank you in advance!

So that’s it for the first months of 2026 — did we miss anything? Let us know with a comment and tell us if you’ve pre-ordered any of these goodies!

Posted on January 1, 2026 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Feature: Jump, Man – A Celebration Of The Greatest Jumps In Gaming

Over the holiday season, we’re republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in September. Enjoy!

Super Mario Bros. is now 40 years old. To celebrate this big anniversary, Omar looks back over four decades of gaming’s greatest verb and/or noun…

Maybe when hopping from a kerb over an autumn puddle. Maybe bouncing up and down to House of Pain or that Blackpink song. Maybe you literally ‘jump into bed’ and enjoy the squeak of the mattress landing. All of this is commendable.

But in games jumps are a magic trick, alive with aftertouch even once airborne. Each one seems to thicken space with mid-jump control and momentum management – a micro flight, temporarily free. Rocketing up, space-jump high, but then that grounding downtug. And that’s just Mario 1-1.

Of course, jumping in games isn’t always that, or only that. Jumping is one of the best things to do in a game, but in so many different ways. Here are some of my favourites and the games they come from, most of which you can play on Switch…

Mario 64 Jump — *Image: Omar Hafeez-Bore / Nintendo*

Mario is Jumpman, and the reason why in so many games we jump, man. His is the classic, perfectly-weighted, satisfyingly precise standard against which others are compared, on which most others are based.

Of all his brilliant variations, everyone will have their preference, but Super Mario 64 is still my favourite, with its weighty momentum that makes even simple movements on a flat feel fantastic. The jewel in the crown is the never-bettered triple jump that rises so high the camera has to crane to keep up. And that almost unparsable acrobatic smoothness of the unfurl. Wa-ha!

Rayman Jump — *Image: Omar Hafeez-Bore / Ubisoft*

Wall jumps are so fun I’m convinced there’s something evolutionary enjoyable about sudden pivots in direction. Something that tickles my symmetry synapses with that zigzag counterflow. Especially when you have to hold into the wall as you press jump like you’re willing the wall to become floor.

Rayman Legends is brilliant because if given a lip at the base of a wall, you run up it like it’s floor and keep running as the wall curves to become ceiling, then jump to flip down before gravity catches on.

The level Up, Up and Escape is just brilliant, an almost-smartphone narrow upward level of growing vines and breakable walls that is pure movement, with a clear through-line drawn in bright lums and enough give in the controls to feel like an expressive pleasure just to participate in this upside-downside-leftside-rightside dance.

DK Jump — *Image: Omar Hafeez-Bore / Nintendo*

In real life, jumping on people is not a good way to attack. It’d be quite hard to cause serious damage (though I’m sure there are some statistics about how many people do per year.)

In games, though, jumping on enemies is just the best, especially when you can hold jump to bounce higher, like putting a stress on the bounce.

It took me a while to warm up to Tropical Freeze. But one level can make you fall in love and for me it was Bopopolis. A level that asks ‘What If The Whole Level Is Enemies?’ and then scores it to DK Island Swing.

The floor isn’t lava, it’s owls and walruses and penguins, and each one is a spring and a choice between stressed or normal jumps and combinations that feel like movement music. This is pure bouncing, exacting, platforming euphoria. I’d pay full price for this level alone.

Celeste Jump — *Image: Omar Hafeez-Bore / Maddy Makes Games*

Disclaimer: this list is not definitive and is subjective, and please don’t get angry at me.

I know double-jumps are a beloved thing in games. I can confirm that they are, indeed, awesome. Maybe you count flutter jumps as double jumps and so love Yoshi’s Story because of how good the giant sneakers look as you do them (I would agree with this). Maybe you like the satisfying one-up one-down harmony of Klonoa‘s ball-slam or Bananza DK’s rocky slam dunk.

All of these are valid. But the best is Celeste. Does her dash even count? It does now!

Not only is it gloriously versatile and the core ‘ollie’ around which the game is built, it also comes out so fast and with such whoosh that the revert to normal slowness afterwards gives it that glorious sense of temporary suspension, a caught-at-the-apex pause between realities.

This is the sliver of grace in the game’s inhale-exhale flow, and I’ve just realised it’s probably also the way her lilting hair changes direction that makes it feel so good.

VVVVVV Jump — *Image: Omar Hafeez-Bore / Terry Cavanagh*

VVVVVV is built around a not-jump, where you can flip gravity on a whim and suddenly you’re upside down and the ceiling is the floor. But it also has great moments of suspended freefall, and if finessing mid-air control is the point of video game jumps, then the Vedi Vidi Vici room might be the ultimate version.

You not-jump from the floor and then are whizzing upwards into a jagged tunnel lined with spikes, having to do that glorious left-right steer-oversteer in a prolonged bending path, dying so many times and repeating so often you are less learning a sequence than tracing out a tensile line that starts to feel as real and taught as a string on a guitar.

Then you get to the top and the platform crumbles, and you realise you have to do it again, backwards. This is fun.

Penny's Big Jump — *Image: Omar Hafeez-Bore / Private Division*

Does a swing count as a jump? Yes, I just checked (with myself).

But which is best? Bionic Commando? Spider-Man 2 on GameCube? Samus’ sometimes surprisingly loop-de-loopy one?

All of these are excellent but wrong choices – the best is Penny’s Big Breakaway, which is a game I disliked intensely until I started to play it for combos. This forces you to engage with its yo-yo delights, which means plummeting falls, at the bottom of which you unleash your yo-yo, fix a pivot point mid-air out of pure video game logic, and hold the swing the right amount of milliseconds just-so to turn all that fall suddenly into so much fling and soar. And just as suddenly, the game is gorgeous.

It’s tempting to put only the most empowering, nimble jumps in this list, but of course a jump exists in relation to the environment around it – that’s where the drama is, what defines a level’s spacing, heights, and tempo of movement.

In the Core Design Tomb Raider games, Lara’s jump is architecture. Each one is considered, angular, grid-based, with that leap back, line-up, and long press before the edge. It changes your dynamic with the world and emphasises the ruins of Peru or St Francis’ Folly as ancient places themselves, solid, heavy, imposing.

Also, she has that cool swan dive.

Jumping In Character

Some games seem to want you to roleplay seriousness, making me suddenly walk slowly to admire some boring worldbuilding. I think they think this is more sophisticated or realistic or something?

Which is weird because Fumito Ueda and his team make the most beautiful games without sacrificing movement and playability. Instead, they just make the jumps really flaily.

In ICO, the jump comes out quick and fast with a triangle press, but looks ungainly and from height lands with a tumbling thwacks of sandals on that sad-castle stone. Wander’s jump has a power meter like playing a golf game when gripping onto a colossus and a general woolly desperation to it. And in The Last Guardian, the boy’s run is all boyish eagerness and his jump a mess of fabric and unselfconscious intent.

These are jumps but also character and personality.

Downwell Jump — *Image: Omar Hafeez-Bore / Moppin*

Mario 64’s fat foot kick (because his foot goes fat) feels great because it lets you pop the jump. It cancels out your momentum and arc and lets you do a mid-air tweak to your landing.

Downwell certainly isn’t the only game to use shooting to pop jumps and keep you suspended (everyone play Cave Story, please!) but it is probably one of the few that makes it The Whole Game.

Every jump is popped! The falling is too fast, so all you can do is constantly, carefully pop your jump, metering out your gunboot ammo to give you enough small-cough interrupts to not plummet into spikes, baddies, a stray bone thrown.

Is this bit strictly the jump? No. Is it a brilliant use of gradually escalating tension using bullets as control and enemies as bounces in a sped-up, constant freefall after a jump? Yes. (Try it in Tate mode on Switch!)

Do dolphins ‘leap’ or ‘jump’ from the water? Either way, it counts. You can load up Ecco The Dolphin right now and have fun angling your exits from the water to curve into the air and splash back down in a glorious natural arc! (Before it gets fiddly later on.)

Is Majora’s Mask‘s Zora transformation the best example because of the brilliantly fluid, spiralling swimming and the seamless roll on landing? I’m so glad you asked! The answer is no.

And is Tony Hawk‘s ramp jump an urban dolphin leap? All about angle and line-up instead of inertia control? That’s probably a ‘no’ too, if I’m honest.

Anyway, the best is Skyward Sword because of the motion-control subtlety of aiming your exit and the swirling whoosh accentuated by a left-hand shake that will get you just above the surface of water and onto a gorgeous pastel lily pad outside the Ancient Cistern temple. This is the best.

First-person jumping makes for virtuoso moments like a mid-arc snipe in Halo or Quake 3 Arena. Moving target and moving gunman? It’s horseback archery for the digital age.

But another thrill of first-person jumping is to point your face at something and then jump down to rush towards it. That plunging face-downwards thrill, like the downslope of a rollercoaster.

This might be an enemy you are leaping onto to do a stealth kill in Dishonored. Or in the case of Portal, it could be to go through the floor, loosing off a portal at the last moment to conserve your momentum so that down is now forward and you’re flying out of an exit prepared 50 metres above.

Silksong Jump — *Image: Omar Hafeez-Bore / Team Cherry*

Spinning and somersaulting makes jumps better. It adds flourish and poetry to the otherwise mechanical need to get to the next platform. This is why even an auto-jump can feel badass as Link does that first cartwheel through the air in Majora’s Mask. It also gives a sense of power and movement. In Super Metroid or Crash Bandicoot you can jump straight, but it’s that mid-air tumble that lets you know you’re really moving forward.

This also feels like an engagement with elegance. Most recently, there’s the feeling of grace as Hornet does those balletic twizzles when slicing the bounce-flowers in Silksong (dear game developers, if you make a game with spinning movements and whoosh sounds, I will buy it).

Silksong is just the latest example of games that feel like moving with serifs, jumping in cursive.

What Does A Jump Even Sound Like?

I’ve just tried myself, now, and it turns out there’s a forced diaphragmatic Ugh! It’s built in, it seems. I did not, however, make a whoosh sound because I am not a plane.

As iconic as Mario’s boing and Sonic’s woop jump sounds are, I’m partial to a vocal hut! and a good swoosh sound.

It’s the sounds that can make a jump feel dynamic, responsive and satisfying.

Mirror’s Edge 2D is made by the same creator as the Fancy Pants Adventures and is (incredibly) still playable here in your browser. Faith still has fantastic 2D animations, including the sprintiest, most powerful-looking run, and not only can you roll after landing every jump, the jumps themselves are accompanied by a perfect fwoosh that sounds part air-rush, part trouser fabric crumple, and wholly accentuates the rooftop-running open-air parkour fluidity. Try it on your lunch break!

Mario Jump — *Image: Omar Hafeez-Bore / Nintendo*

A real journey needs a sense of change, of leaving the normal and arriving somewhere new. Odyssey is a game full of surprises and novelty, then just before the end there is calm and silence and awe – visually, aurally, and mechanically with the jump.

Mario’s jump feel is so ingrained by this point, but then suddenly we’re on the moon and practically untethered, one newton away from Galaxy-style disengagement.

Each jump is now a majestic/comic (depending on how many times you choose to quickly spin Mario mid-air) soaring thing. It’s the calm before the storm, the whole level itself basically a jump before re-landing for the finale.

Nintendo knows what it’s doing, putting spring flowers here to unleash rocketting corkscrew pirouettes. And then it gives you a frog.

I could talk about jumps all day. I haven’t even gotten to the Deku Tree web jump, or that chuk! sound as you backflip in Banjo, or careening off a halfpipe into Robotnik in Casino Night Zone, or the many jumps of Smash.

But it feels fitting to finish for now with Mario, after 40 years of heart-in-your-mouth-as-you-miss-the-edge-again fun. But also, 40 years of running and jumping in video games as a way to delight in the sheer joy of movement, along the ground and through the air.

Posted on January 1, 2026 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Editorial: Happy New Year From Nintendo Life

Good news, everyone! No need to bother with all that GOTY rigmarole next year, as it’s already wrapped and bagged. Commiserations to the losers, and congratulations to Rhythm Heaven Groove! Catch you all again in ’27…

Okay, okay. That’s a little premature, but the fact that we’re getting a brand new Rhythm Heaven/Paradise game puts 2026 ahead of every year since 2016 (which brought us Megamix on 3DS), so anything else on the calendar is just gravy, really.

Jokes-not-jokes aside, with Switch 2 now off to the races, there’s loads to look forward to in the coming 12 months. Capcom’s going hard with not just Resident Evil Requiem, but also Gold Editions of RE7 and 8, Monster Hunter Stories 3, and new IP Pragmata. Square Enix has the FF VII Remake Intergrade on the way, followed by DQ VII Reimagined, but they’re not just redoing seventh entries in their biggest series – there’s also the promising-looking Adventures of Elliot on the way.

FromSoft’s Elden Ring will make a long-awaited appearance on Switch 2, and we’ll find out more about system-exclusive The Duskbloods this year. Koei Tecmo’s remaking Fatal Frame II, and Level-5’s DECAPOLICE and Layton should be returning (although GenAI concerns you, you might be on red alert with those).

Elsewhere, you’ve got Indiana Jones, Batman, Bond, erm, Bubsy – all the greats have Nintendo appointments in 2026. There’ll be no let-up on the indie front, either; Mina the Hollower, The Eternal Life of Goldman, Neverway, and MIO are just a tiny handful we’ve got our eye on.

And Nintendo? With new Yoshi, Fire Emblem, and Mario Tennis entries, Splatoon and Pokémon spin-offs announced, a sprinkling of NS2 Editions, and Tomodachi Life (and the aforementioned GOTY shoo-in) on Switch 1, it’s shaping up quite nicely already. Throw in some surprises later in the year, and 2026 has real potential.

Whatever lies ahead, we’ll be right there with you to share the ups, downs, middles, insides, outsides, and all other sides of the world of Nintendo. And while we’ve just said a teary goodbye to the lovely Felix (we’ll miss you, Felix!), keep an eye out for video team news soon!

We’ve got some exciting plans, and we’re honoured to have you aboard the good ship Nintendo Life. From everyone here, we wish you the happiest of New Years!

Adios, 2025. Let us know below if you’ve got any gaming resolutions for the new year – we hope you get 2026 off to a great start!

Posted on December 31, 2025 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Opinion: No One Told Me ‘Chibi-Robo’ Is Traumatising

Over the holiday season, we’re republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in August. Enjoy!

Editor’s note. Spoilers for a 20-year-old game inbound…

I’ve spent 20 years “awww”-ing over the delightful character of Chibi-Robo despite having never played any of his games. This cute little robot is just joy incarnate – tiny and helpful with gormless black eyes. Whether it be his trophy in Smash Bros. Brawl or magazine ads for the DS or 3DS games, I always fawned over gaming’s littlest guy.

But now, I’ve finally played Chibi-Robo, and it seems like this little metal dude was all a ruse. Well, kind of: the character is cute, but the game? No one warned me I’d need a therapy session afterwards.

Chibi-Robo is an odd duck; quirky in the way you’d expect for a mid-2000s GameCube game starring a tiny robot who cleans up after a dysfunctional family. It oozes charm from every pore, from the garbled character voices to the garishly decorated, 1970s-style house. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, too, and the gameplay loop, while a little repetitive and sometimes vague, has a nice rhythm to it. It’s nice just to clean up, collect trash, and make people happy, right?

I want to make the Sandersons happy. They’re the dysfunctional family at the centre of the story, but calling them so feels like I’m doing them a disservice. They’re a family in crisis, torn apart by spiralling debt and family feuds, with a young daughter crying for attention in the middle of it all. And the little robot is part of the catalyst that kicks things off.

Chibi-Robo is a gift for Jenny, the Sanderson’s daughter, on her eighth birthday. The problem is, Chibi-Robo isn’t cheap, and the father, George, seems to have a knack for spending money on expensive toys and robotics. It’s what got the Sandersons into debt, which you gradually pick up by interacting with both the father and mother, Helen, as well as examining bills and books with red pen scribbled all over them.

Yet here I am, as Chibi-Robo, scrubbing muddy pawprints off the floor with a toothbrush, scooping up sweet wrappers and storing them in my head, and consuming electricity by recharging my batteries. Oh, what’s that? The Sandersons are behind on their electricity bills, too? I should probably slow down a little.

Making friends with the many sentient toys scattered around the house does provide some light relief – they’re all utterly bizarre with fun personalities and voices to match – but they too are products of a struggling family. Giga-Robo, Chibi-Robo’s predecessor, was abandoned because he cost too much. The Free Rangers are mourning the loss of a comrade, who was “captured” by the family dog. Then there’s Captain Plankbeard who couldn’t bring himself to steal a “dubloon” because he was worried about the Sandersons’ finances.

What makes it hit harder is that most of the toys are ones George bought, and even though they have their own issues and concerns for the family, the fact that they cost money fuels Helen’s frustrations. So much so, when I brought Helen a receipt for another toy, she locked herself in the bedroom and threatened divorce.

I may be getting Happy Points for doing these chores, but in reality, am I really making the Sandersons happy? I’m going between the husband and wife, swapping notes or pleading forgiveness, proving points and point scoring, all while Jenny, the daughter, is left sobbing at night or glued to the TV screen in her room.

How do you process divorce, or the potential of divorce, at eight years old? I was ten when my parents split up and I don’t think I really understood the full scope, including the emotional toll, until a decade later. Thankfully, it never comes to that in Chibi-Robo, but during my entire playthrough, all I could think about was how to make Jenny happy.

Every morning I’d seek her out and give her any Frog Rings I’d found around the house – she loves frogs, and wears a frog hat, speaking mostly in “ribbits” because she’s been cursed by the Frog Wizard, so she tells me. In reality, she’s wearing the hood for attention. Her parents are too busy fighting, so the only time they ever really speak to her is to tell her to take the hood off or complain.

Jenny was the first person to clue me into what was actually going on, not the parents; George would talk about his love of toys, while Helen would just complain about George. Jenny was the first to tell me why George was sleeping on the couch. My heart broke when I found her crying on the staircase one night, all because her parents fought. And the only way to fully understand her is by wearing a Frog Suit.

It’s easy to blame the parents, but that wasn’t my reaction, particularly as the toys seem endeared to the Sandersons and spoke fondly of the past. Helen and George both appreciated everything I did for them, praising me for cleaning, turning the TV on, or gifting flowers. No gesture was too big or small for thanks.

And you can see the two struggling; Helen still clearly loves her husband, but she’s at the end of her tether, while George knows he’s done wrong and attempts to win Helen back. Chibi-Robo steadily becomes a cycle of people-pleasing, an attempt to fix a rift in a fractured family while helping piece the lives of the toys together.

The real kicker comes from realising that it’s no one person’s fault – everyone is at fault in the Sanderson household in some way or another. Helen was too harsh on George, expecting him to grow up and live up to her ideal image of a husband and father. George was too proud, too fearful of revealing why he no longer had a job. And Jenny maybe could scribble on the floor a bit less (small potatoes, of course, I’ll always clean up after Jenny).

What this all culminates in is Chibo-Robo travelling back in time inside an alien spaceship and discovering the secret password to George’s suitcase. Turns out, those spydorz that have been chasing you? George made them, but they were corrupted by the corporation he worked for, causing him to leave the company and seal the most dangerous of these away.

What this means is all those fears, all that anxiety from debt and despair, leads to a giant spydor entangling the house and the Sandersons in thick cobwebs. It’s a completely unpredictable moment, and honestly? A magnetic, metallic spider the size of a small human is pretty terrifying.

Even after defeating the mechanical spider, however, things aren’t done. News reports that the Chibi-Robo craze is putting a strain on the electricity grid start airing; the Sandersons watch, but they don’t have a solution. The very thing that helped bring them together might save their happiness, and may cost them more money, but it might be a greater threat.

It’s a good thing miracles exist in the form of alien wishes, then, as Giga-Robo – which I’ve spent the whole game trying to fix – is brought back to life, and granted infinite power by the aliens. No more will Giga or Chibi consume energy from the grid, and no more will the Sandersons have to pay.

The “accomplishment” gains media attention and, presumably, resolves the Sandersons’ debt and money issues. Jenny seems happy once again, and the family goes back to a relative normalcy. Everything resolves itself by the luck of magic, like a childhood dream that you pray hard and hard for every night.

By the end of my playthrough, I felt reflective. Having watched my family tear itself apart as a kid, and having seen and lived through the consequences of not paying off bills or struggling for money, I wish I could’ve had a miracle like Chibi-Robo, like Jenny. Something to help ease the burden, something to talk to, and something very cute to sit and watch.

But then it hit me. Yes, there’s no easy “miracle” to pay off debts, and money – particularly in the current climate – is tight. But the best thing you can do for someone who’s struggling? Be there for them. Every little thing you can do is enough, just like Chibi-Robo. There’s nothing miraculous about helping out, after all.

Have you played Chibi-Robo in Nintendo Switch Online’s GameCube Classics? Let us know in the comments.

Posted on December 31, 2025 by sick skills — Leave a comment

ARC Raiders is turning me into the rat I swore I’d never become, and I love it

“Friendly, friendly,” shouts a fellow wanderer, as they cower behind cover. My friends are already negotiating safe passage through ARC Raiders‘ Stella Montis, but my trigger finger has other plans. While the opposite squad’s leader pleads to avoid violence, I’m already eyeing up his teammates, sizing me up in my peripheral vision. Or are they just cautious? Before they can decide, my Ferro sends my message of hostility for me. After weeks of lovely community interactions, am I finally becoming the plight I sought to destroy?

Be it ARC Raiders, Delta Force, Arena Breakout, or Escape From Tarkov, one thing is inevitable: the brutality of PvP is unavoidable. Yet, Embark Studios’ take on the extraction shooter genre continues to operate on a different wavelength entirely. With less of a focus on painstaking progression wipes and an emphasis on forging your own stories, any match of ARC Raiders unfolds unpredictably. I’m seeing players become street cinematographers, war photographers, and even makeshift shop owners.

No one is playing this game the same way, and there’s an incredible amount of beauty to this. Even with all the usual flair of Embark’s polish and understanding of wielding Unreal Engine 5, there’s still some jank in ARC Raiders. It’s charming, though, and part of the woodwork. The movement system doesn’t allow for feats of parkour, but it isn’t stopping me from trying to ride Hornets or stride across rooftops. It reminds me a lot of Elden Ring: Nightreign, with FromSoftware’s similarly goofy systems giving way to some truly memorable moments.

Because everyone is playing ARC Raiders in their own fashion, there’s an ongoing debate that players are negating PVP in favor of harmony. After all, we’re all going Topside to survive against the ARCs, on a collective mission to get resources and go home unharmed. While I enjoy friendly chats and encounters within the Rust Belt, there comes a point where I long for more. The late Tom Sizemore’s character in Michael Mann’s Heat puts it best: “the action is the juice, for me.”

Maps like Spaceport and Buried City are the catalyst for this. Their Night Raid forms unearth meaner, more desperate players without any remorse. This is ARC Raiders at possibly its most human form. With sentient AI overlords ruling the lord, the game often veers into territory not unlike any Terminator movie. You know, the usual ‘are the machines bad, or is it humanity’s fault’ type of existential dread. Because underneath the war to take back the surface, one truth remains: we’re all just greedy, greedy bastards.

Night Raids are often punishing. I don’t even bother with a good loadout most of the time. I take in a freebie, but not for looting. With the equally itchy trigger pulls of my friends alongside me, I don’t just relish the fight; I’m actively looking for it. Instead of calling out into the darkness for a truce on the battlefield, I’m flicking between proximity and private chat on the fly to assess whether you’re about to become a corpse. It’s the first proper taste of seeking out bloodshed, but the release of Stella Montis is where this is coming to a head.

Stella Montis is a haven for rats. I’m talking players wearing that black and yellow deck outfit, sporting level four Venators, and Tactical MK.2 augments to deploy smoke at any sign of shield damage. There are extraction campers training their sights on that precious Metro button to escape. The whole gang of griefers is here to make your life miserable.

Roaming its confined hallways, desolate warehouse spaces, and ill-lit tunnels is an incredible rush. Whereas the other maps hang danger over your head in abandoned and open expanses, Stella Montis is a tight-knit cesspit. There are remnants of society here, with some areas seemingly untouched by the ravaging of ARCs on the surface. Other areas hint at the madness that unfolded when everything went sour, and it’s genuinely haunting.

It’s superb worldbuilding that doesn’t outright say too much, but gives you enough to ponder. Because of this, it’s the perfect battleground for out-and-out fights. No negotiations, no turning back. Taunting foes as you send them packing, playing mind games to gun down teams unexpectedly. It’s the way of the rat. And despite constant knockbacks to the lobby, I kind of love it.

It’s making me become one of them. After swearing against their ways, I don’t fear it anymore. I’m becoming a rat, at least for now anyway. There’s no telling which way my ARC Raiders journey will go next. And that’s the beauty of going Topside.

Posted on December 31, 2025 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Feature: Who Is Devon Pritchard? – Meet The Next NOA President Stepping Into Bowser’s Boots

Devon Pritchard Lead — *Image: Nintendo Life*

Over the holiday season, we’re republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in September, and with today being Doug Bowser’s final day in the chair, it’s the perfect time for a refresher on NOA’s new president. Enjoy!

Yesterday, Nintendo shared the news that none of us could have predicted so soon: Bowser is stepping down from the position of top dog at the end of this year. The Koopas will have to find a new king, the Mushroom Kingdom will have to find a new menace, the kart racing scene will ha— what? Not that Bowser? Oh… we’re going to miss these jokes.

Okay, for real now: Nintendo announced that Doug Bowser is retiring from his role as Nintendo of America President on 31st December 2025. After six years in the position, Bowser is to be succeeded by Devon Pritchard, a long-time NOA executive and the subsidiary’s first female president.

While we’ll be sad to see Mr. B go at the end of the year, it’s an exciting time to get to know the new face stepping into his boots — not literally, we assume. You might have seen Devon Pritchard’s name crop up in various conferences and events in recent years, but we actually know surprisingly little about her.

So, join us as we run through everything we know about the new face of NOA, and say farewell to ‘not that Bowser’ in the process — come on, who knows when we’re going to be able to make those jokes again?

Who Is Devon Pritchard?

Far From A Nintendo Newbie

Despite appearing at a fair few Nintendo events in recent years — the San Francisco Nintendo Store grand opening, Switch 2 reveal, etc. — the name Devon Pritchard may not have entered your sphere. But it should have, because she’s far from an NOA newbie.

Pritchard joined Nintendo of America in 2006, heading up the subsidiary’s legal department as its presidency changed from Tatsumi Kimishima to Reggie Fils-Aimé — remember that guy?

She would go on to take leadership roles in the company’s Marketing, Business Affairs, and Publisher Relations sectors, before landing her current title of NOA’s Executive Vice President of Revenue, Marketing and Consumer Experience in 2021.

Why is this important to note? Well, because it follows a similar pattern to what we have seen with NOA’s presidential promotions in the past. Let’s not forget, both Bowser and Reggie’s NOA careers started in the sales and marketing departments (of which they were both vice presidents), and Kimishima came to the role off the back of his work in Pokémon finances. If you want a new NOA president, you look to the internal marketing and finance departments first.

Law, What Is It Good For?

With all that background, it’ll come as no surprise that Devon Pritchard knows her legal onions. She became a Doctor of Law at the Gonzaga University School of Law in 2001, and before that, got a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Kansas State University.

While at Kansas State, she played on the university volleyball team… sooo, revival of the canned Super Mario Spikers, then? We doubt it.

A Grip On Gaming?

It seems somewhat counterintuitive, but being the most die-hard capital-G Gamer isn’t necessarily a prerequisite to being the Nintendo of America President.

Of course, we all remember Reggie being very much hands-on in this department, regularly sharing what he was playing and for how long — what can we say? He had to get back to playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf on his Nintendo 3DS — but do you ever recall Bowser sharing his playtime?

We don’t know for sure what Pritchard’s vidyagame chops are like just yet, but Kit & Krysta’s latest video shed some light on her gaming habits. The former-NOA employees worked closely with the soon-to-be President during their tenure at the company, and while they agreed that she’s far from a hardcore gamer, they were quick to point out that she knows her Nintendo.

“She definitely loves Nintendo,” Krysta stated. “Like all of us, she has these childhood memories of connecting with Nintendo in some way, shape or form. She’s probably not playing games every day for many hours, she’s not a ‘core gamer‘, as we like to call it, but she definitely understands the industry, and she understands how Nintendo fits into [it].”

Kit was quick to also point out that Pritchard has young children, and very much views Nintendo’s image through them. “I had some very insightful conversations with her about the industry, about games, and about Nintendo’s games. So, I think she’s really on it.”

Pik Me A Winner

Let’s briefly address the Bulborb in the room: yes, there is a picture of Devon Pritchard holding a Bulborb plushie, and yes, it was formerly her display picture on LinkedIn.

Does that mean we’re going to get Pikmin 5 under her leadership? Maybe. But a NOA president being a fan of a series doesn’t really have any sway over what the company releases, and, according to Krysta Yang, “she’s not really a Pikmin fan”.

But hey, we can dream…

Bye To Bowser

So, Pritchard sounds like a promising follow-up, but we couldn’t celebrate the incoming talent without also sending a goodbye to Mr. Bowser himself — he’s been the NOA president for the past six years, after all.

When we look back on the Bowser era, it’s impossible not to compare him to Reggie. Let’s admit it, Bowser wasn’t the larger-than-life quote machine that his predecessor was, but honestly, who is?

Bowser’s tenure can generally be looked back on as steadily guiding H.M.S. Nintendo of America through calm waters; for that, he did a good job. Nintendo didn’t need another recognisable Reggie-like to drum up the hype at otherwise quiet Directs because, since Bowser’s introduction in 2019, the output has been anything but quiet.

The Switch 2 launched to record-breaking sales numbers, Nintendo continues to earn more money than ever before, and Bowser has, from an outside perspective at least, maintained cool, calm, and collected at the head of it all.

It mightn’t have been the back-to-back tough-call role of previous NOA presidents, but remaining steady during some of the strangest times for the wider industry is nothing to scoff at — even if you do think he should have pulled rank on Switch 2 Welcome Tour à la Reggie and Wii Sports to make the damn thing a pack in…

As for what the incoming president had to say about her predecessor, Pritchard shared the following message on her LinkedIn:

Congratulations on an incredible career, Doug! You’ve been a fantastic leader and it’s an honor to build on the foundation you’ve established here at Nintendo. On behalf of the entire Nintendo of America team, thank you for everything. Wishing you a well-deserved and happy retirement!

Setting A President For The Future

So, where does this leave us for the future? Honestly, we’d be surprised if it were anything other than more of the same.

The days of Nintendo requiring a Reggie figure at the helm are long behind us. Nintendo is not big on its personalities, and if the Bowser era has taught us anything, it’s that the NOA president will mainly stay out of the public eye while the going’s good.

From an outside perspective, we can only assume that Pritchard will follow the same approach: generally staying in the background before occasionally popping up at a North American event or showcase. That’s just the way Nintendo is these days.

But who knows, perhaps she’s being measured up for a Jim Henson puppet replica as we speak.

Nintendo Direct Puppets — *Image: Nintendo*

So, what do you make of Devon Pritchard? Do you reckon she’ll be a good fit for Bowser’s boots? Let us know in the comments.

Posted on December 31, 2025 by sick skills — Leave a comment

McDonald’s Has Another TCG Promo In The Works For Pokémon’s 30th Anniversary

Pokemon McDonald's — *Image: Nintendo Life*

The 30th anniversary of Pokémon is fast approaching on 27th February 2026, and it seems McDonald’s will be putting Pokémon cards in its Happy Meals in a new promo similar to past events.

According to a report from PokéBeach, it will run from February into March, with exact dates depending on the country, but that’s all the details known right now.

Past events — for the 25th anniversary, for example — have seen scalpers rocking up to stores and buying dozens of Happy Meals to get the cards. McDonald’s in the UK put a restriction on buying more than one extra card with your meal following the frenzy in the US, but that feels like trying to stop a geyser with a bathplug.

The Pokémon Company and Ronald have persevered, though – there was a Dragon-type collab earlier in 2025. And back in August, a three-day Pikachu event in Japan was stopped after 24 hours when demand for the card exceeded supply, with boxes of unopened cards turning up for sale online. Shifty. That one was particularly sought after, though, as the card featured exclusive artwork.

It’s a shame that Pokémon cards just seem to attract a manic mix of the FOMO crowd (ask the folks at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum) and straight-up scalpers, bringing out the worst in people who ignore tornado warnings and behave atrociously to get their hands on fresh packs.

We’ll see in February if TPC and McDonald’s have any clever plans to combat the problem.

Posted on December 31, 2025 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Opinion: Wishlisting Games On Switch eShop Is A Game In Itself

Switch 2 eShop — *Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life*

I love browsing the eShop, and the clicky sounds as you scroll across it.

The pleasing crispness of the chick! sound goes so well with the Joy-Con button feel. There’s that camera shutter snap! if you scroll across a game’s gallery in quick succession, and on Switch 2 there’s a thumb-cheek pop! when you hover over a 2-wide box. Genuinely, big fan.

It’s partly why I even liked OG eShop — or at least found it absorbing — with its weird Y2K modem lag every time you moved and that old-school anticipation of waiting for things to load or change, wondering did I even press the button? but not daring to re-press in case I did. You might overshoot!

I do like the new one better, obviously. Now nicely responsive as I scroll down the Coming Soon section with OCD completionism – middle down, left right right left (and the reverse obviously for the next line down, I don’t want to unbalance the universe) – click click click, and everything is tactile like digi-brail, everything touched like I’m thumbing across book spines. I think this is fun?

But even more fun (!) than all this is then adding things to my wishlist.

I don’t just add games I recognise and would like to buy or play, but — I’ve now realised — use it as a sort of scrapbook; of thumbnails I liked, weirdness I was intrigued by, a repository of ideas, nostalgia triggers, or more. The wishlist heart is my eShop ‘like’ button, and I try to not self-censor if something catches my eye (barring blatant anime boobs, etc).

Switch eShop Wishlisting Games 29 — *Image: Redblack Spade*

What can we learn from this silly habit, from the patterns and trends?

For one thing, I seem to really, really like hand-illustrated fantasy art overlain by serif font and a vaguely wistful title.

Why else would Harvestella (bucolic name, tree in thumbnail), Trinity Trigger (illustrated artstyle, tree-adjacent thing in thumbnail) and Various Daylife (nonsensical/wholesome name, treeless thumbnail but appealing screenshot of characters walking through gamecube era grass-textures in gallery) be in my wishlist?

Star Ocean R Hyper Turbo (or something) has a gallery image of characters traipsing through a golden hour wheat field in pixel-grained glory, and Egglia looks like an homage to the Legend of Mana style, the original website of which I used to hang out in just for its gorgeous pastel tones and Victorian-storybook style of fantasy illustration (and trees). I will not play any of these games.

In general, there’s lots of open-air adventure suggested by JRPG thumbnails. Atelier Yumia (which I think is set in a kingdom of genetically thick-thighed females?) has been there for ages even though I played the demo and it was very not for me. But the image has a lovely pea-green sunset behind Yumia (?) in the classic rule of thirds and it doth please my eyes to roam across it.

Beyond fantasy, Milkmaid of the Milky Way has a lyrical title and evokes an old book cover, with its strangely proportioned golden ship and enough sky to suggest sci-fi scope. But I’ve now actually read the description for the first time ever and apparently it’s about some Norwegian lass and rhyming couplets? Whatever, the cover is evocative enough to keep.

To be honest, I may actually play A Space for the Unbound. But what about Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch, with its bifurcated thumbnail that looks like a PowerPoint slide? Looking at the screenshots I can confirm I will not – it looks like a visual novel and so I worry it won’t have a jump button. But both give vaguely (or in the case of ASFTU, explicitly) Shinkai vibes of hanging out with cleanly drawn anime teens and spiritual themes in pristine urban evocations, and both use a blue-purple in their art and character outlines which looks lovely. (Also, ASFTU’s title writing is nicely aligned.)

Scrolling through my wishlist I also see unintended rhymes, like Bahnsen Knights, Tenement, and now Bermuda Survivor forming a trio of black backgrounds burst through with ’80s-neon pop.

But let’s go further, to things wishlisted mainly for their titles or phrases.

Qualia looks like a hentai game? There are certainly girls with improbable-looking breasts. But it’s called ‘Qualia’, which an English professor once told me means the whatness of something (or something?) and transports me in time and space and perspective enough to add to the list. See also: Room of Depression and Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling (which is practically a poem in itself and actually looks pretty interesting).

Less lyrical are the ‘games’ I add because of their pleasing, Ronseal-like directness, like Easy Dice for RPG/Tabletop – GOLD EDITION (what makes it Gold-er though?!).

Others have legitimately good thumbnails a YouTuber would be proud of, like Car Parking Madness School Drive Mechanic Car Simulator 2023 – with its strange Pro/Noob arrows in the thumbnail for two different cars, both of which frankly look perfectly well parked. But there’s almost a question in the image, the tension of wait, what? The game has already started!

Some games I wishlist to preserve my baffled curiosity. Who exactly made America Wild Hunting, with its overexposed photo backgrounds and stock military MASH-style font and thumbnail of an eagle in crosshairs? Where do they live? What do they love (except hunting)?

And what exactly is About An Elf (which has been in my wishlist for ages as a sort of fringe outpost that broadens my impression of the gaming landscape), and why is the thigh-high riding face-painted woman riding an animal that looks like a polar bear shagged a ferret? Why are there gnomes? Did someone make this out of passion? Art? These are questions that provoke the soul, so I guess just the page is art. Get on the wishlist.

GORSD might be one of my favourite thumbnails, of a disconcerting goat-head smiling a human-teethed grimace no one could love.

Nicely, the game’s vibe actually lived up to this strangeness — I do actually buy games, too — though I could never get the hang of the play proper. The surrealism was worth the coffee price, enough to keep it on the list even though I’ve bought the game, though the wish has been granted.

Indeed, games like Beyond Good & Evil Anniversary Edition I’ll wishlist partly with some vague intention to one day replay it, but mainly because I already know it and love it and enjoy the shorthand associations of seeing the cover thumbnail.

Whereas I’ve never got round to looking up what EGGCONSOLE games are, and don’t really want to just yet. Instead, I get to enjoy the uncollapsed Schrödinger potential energy, the ongoing mystery.

Also, did you know there’s a Chubby Cat 2?

Switch eShop Wishlisting Games 17 — *Image: Springloaded*

The point is, I love all this, my own skewed-kaleidoscope of gaming paraphernalia, of images and words and those big background-colour changes on pages with galleries I can scroll through with face buttons and ‘R’/’L’ clicks.

It reminds me a little of a mispent youth poring over video game magazines and experiencing most games as things described, screenshotted, mysterious allusions instead of things I actually played. An ecosystem of enthusiasm built as much from the discourse and the depiction as the game itself, and a hobby that was also a portal into different worlds and art styles and ideas.

Would it be a stretch to call eShop browsing a ‘game’, this engaging thing done with pad in hand?

Maybe I should just get Instagram.

Do you play eShop games, too?

Posted on December 31, 2025 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Opinion: We Need To Talk About X Games

Over the holiday season, we’re republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors from 2025. This article was originally published in August. Enjoy!

Most of the time, I’m pretty oblivious to game name trends. It’s normally only when someone points out to me that all AAA games have names like ‘Chronicle of Shadows: Rebirth’, that I start to see that formula used everywhere — like when you find a trendy new pair of shoes that you swear you’ve never seen before, only to wear them out of the shop and see every other person styling them.

The way it’s usually pointed out to me is when Nintendo releases a game that rehashes a title format we’ve seen hundreds of times before. Most recently, it was the rise of the unnecessary exclamation mark, when Princess Peach: Showtime! and WarioWare: Move It! made me question whether I should be shouting their final word each time I said them. This year, it’s X games.

And no, I’m not talking about the high-octane motorbike stunt riders, long may their games continue. I’m talking about ‘Forgettable x Title’, ‘Franchise x Franchise’ and, dare I say it, ‘Verb x Verb’.

I’m looking at you, Drag x Drive. You have opened my eyes to the wonderful world of the meaningless ‘X’, and now I can’t stop seeing it everywhere. It’s reached the point where the humble ‘X’ can mean anything, nothing, or something in between, and I’m left wondering: why the heck are we sticking them in every game title like they’re a piece of punctuation?

Metroid X Dread — What could have been, eh? *shudders* — *Image: Nintendo Life*

‘But Jim, aren’t there more important things to be talking about? Hollow Knight: Silksong was finally given a release date this week, you know?’ Yes, I do know, but I have to get this off my chest because I fear we’re reaching a point where, if Team Cherry were to release its moody Metroidvania series today, it would have been called ‘Hollow X Knight’ and nobody would have batted an eye. That’s insane!

Let’s look at some X games that have either landed a release, announcement, or demo in the last month alone. We’ve got Drag x Drive, where the ‘X’ is pronounced “and”. Daemon x Machina: Titanic Scion, opts for the “eks” pronunciation. Indie World alumni BALL x PIT has an ‘X’ in the middle, and the game is pronounced “Ball Pit”, for crying out loud.

We can go further back and see it infiltrating our brains throughout recent years. We’ve got Sonic X Shadow Generations (“eks”), anime adaptations where the ‘X’ is completely bypassed when said out loud, regardless of how many there are (I’m looking at you, Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact), Xenoblade Chronicles X (“eks” or “cross”, depending on your region), and don’t even get me started on the “ten”/”eks” discussions that come with the Final Fantasy X series’ blending of Roman and Arabic numerals. That’s too many ways of saying “X”! [Wait until you watch Hunter x Hunter and see the episode titles, Jim… Ed.~]

And this is where we hit the crux of my issue — my Big x Problem, if you will — I have no idea how to say game titles out loud any more. The addition of a middle X has left me fumbling through conversations as if I’ve never heard of a video game before. I can’t deal with the embarrassment of accidentally recommending “Xenoblade Chronicles And: Definitive Edition” to a friend again. How was I supposed to know??

Xenoblade Chronicles X — Or is the ‘X’ silent? “Enoblade Chronicles”? — *Image: Nintendo*

Now look, I can put my sensible hat on for a second and recognise that ‘X’ is a fundamentally cool and sexy letter. Marketing a game to stand out from the crowd sounds like no easy business, and if the prospect of making your title look like a cool multiplication sum is the best route to get to the top, then so be it.

All that I ask is that we settle on one universal sound that the ‘X’ represents. The erg-errgh ‘X’ sound from Family Fortunes/Feud feels a little over the top, so I’ll settle on the classic “eks” for now. Either that or I’ll have to keep gesturing with my forearms across my body as if I’m learning a TikTok dance every time I want to discuss the latest Sonic and Shadow joint.

Are you getting tired of Xs too, or do I need something else to worry about? Let me know in the comments.