Author: sick skills

Every so often, we remember that Wallace and Gromit studio Aardman is working on an animated Pokémon series, ‘Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu‘, and it brings the biggest smile to our faces. The show itself is still a way off, but we’ve finally seen the official art and a brief summary of what it’s all about — and yes, it sounds cracking.

As revealed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (and shared on The Pokémon Company’s social channels), the poster shows our titular heroes strolling through a mountain region, Pichu balanced on Sirfetch’d’s leek sword. Look closely, and you’ll see that the Fighting type is about to step off the cliff, so expect a good amount of Aardman slapstick from this one.

The accompanying caption gives a little more info about the series itself:

Prepare for an epic journey through the Galar wilds where gallant quests and noble deeds await our heroes. Our new stop-motion animated series with Aardman, is coming in 2027.

The project was initially teased way back in 2024, with a short teaser trailer dropping a year later. We’ll have to wait a while longer before we get to see it for ourselves, but gosh, we’re excited about it.

What do you hope to see from Aardman’s Pokémon series? Let us know in the comments.

Well, hello there. Have you come to see what’s in the Nintendo Life Mailbox this month? Excellent timing.

Having survived the first weeks of June and the deluge of gaming announcements — including the first full-fat Nintendo Direct since September last year — we’re all settling down for the summer minus the Fest, but with a lot of Game. Unless, of course, you’re on the other side of the globe and pondering why Geoff doesn’t rebrand it as ‘Winter Game Fest’ down there.

It’s time for our monthly letters page feature. Got something you want to get off your chest? We’re ready and waiting to read about your game-related ponderings.

Each month we’ll highlight a Star Letter, the writer of which will receive a month’s subscription to our ad-free Supporter scheme. Check out the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page.

Let’s sit back with a warm beverage and go through our dispatch box…

Nintendo Life Mailbox – June 2026

“abundance of delights” (***STAR LETTER***)

Something happened for me the moment I went from enjoying the wrap up of the cracking June Nintendo Direct to accidentally catching a glimpse of the negativity in the chat on the sidebar: I started to feel sorry for the haters. I don’t think they are doing it for attention or to feel cool; I think many people are really having trouble enjoying things in our culture now compared to years and decades ago. It’s sad that many people can’t seem to find joy as easily anymore, even in something like video games that are engineered for exactly that purpose.

I also love to play the guitar and I see it more and more in that community, as well. Expectations are so high now and it’s easy for someone to quickly point out the flaws – pricing, features, a stylistic choice, whatever – and turn the discussion in that direction. The reality is that compared to myself as a teenager in the 2000s, I now have access to mind blowing quality games like Tears of the Kingdom and also music equipment like amp modelers that I didn’t even dream could exist, and all for the same or less money than ever if you adjust for inflation. I’m not having any trouble finding things worth my money…the challenge for me is finding time to enjoy this abundance of delights.

At this Direct, I wrote down 8 games that I definitely want (Stellar Blade, Warhammer 40K SMII, Star Fox, Orbitals, Duskbloods, Splatoon Raiders, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Ocarina of Time) and 10 more maybes. I was hoping for a grand revival of F-Zero and a fat update for Mario Kart World…oh well! Maybe those will happen later and I have a ridiculous backlog of fantastic games (and books, and albums, and movies, etc) to feast on in the meantime. Thank you Nintendo Life for keeping the positivity, shout out to the silent majority happy gamers like me, and bless all the haters, hope you see the light soon too.
Scott T / couchguy

Agreed. I’d add that being underwhelmed by a game or a presentation is a 100% legitimate response, too — being positive doesn’t mean maintaining a permanent state of leaf-blower-to-the-face ecstasy while ignoring gut instincts and criticism.

But there’s just so much great stuff coming out, it takes real energy to stay angry over individual disappointments. From a player’s perspective, the bounty of excellent video games, regardless of your platform or budget, is astonishing. – Ed.

“the end of an era”

It’s been a while since I have sent one of these, as I had nothing to say, but something has come to mind. In the last 2 weeks, I finished a game that, if you just take it as 1 game as it was initially intended, I have been playing since 2020/21 or thereabouts. This “game” being the Digital Devil Saga duology. Whilst not available on a Nintendo console, it has inspired me to ask you people some questions: What is the longest it has taken you to finish a game? Since starting the game my life, I’ll be honest, has gone rather downhill. My grandfather, who I was very close to, passed away due to medical malpractice. I moved to a decrepit house in the dead centre of nowhere. Various political decisions have impacted me negatively to an unreasonable extent. But as they say, it’s swings and roundabouts, and there have been some good things. I got a job, even if I am basically on young peoples’ minimum wage. I might have the opportunity to go to university next year, though it will be extortionate (there’s only one place in the whole country that offers the course I am after, and it’s the priciest). This is all somewhat expected, as it has been maybe 5 years. When I started playing it I wasn’t even old enough, but now I am old enough to drink. Digital Devil Saga has been something consistent throughout, and it has been a spectacular game. It feels like not just the end of a video game, more like the end of an era. I will admit, I am considering starting again. I didn’t even try the superbosses. Although clearly this means that I am not escaping the cycle of reincarnation. Oh dear.
Scooby-Doo

Depends how you define ‘finishing’ and if breaks in between count. I 100%-ed BOTW just a week or so before TOTK came out, so what’s that? Seven years? But it’s not like I was playing it daily and hunting Koroks for that entire period.

And can you ever really ‘finish’ an Animal Crossing game? – Ed.

“just plain unpleasant”

Do you ever feel like some seasons are just right for a game series? I do, and I often subconsciously hope for Nintendo to match a game’s release date with the season it vibes most with. So without further ado, I give you, the right seasons for different Nintendo series:

First, Pokémon and Summer feel like they just go hand and hand. It’s such an adventurous and outdoorsy series, and if Summer isn’t the season which most encapsulates that vibe, then I don’t know what is. The upcoming Pokémon Winds and Waves especially, with the tropical setting, really demands that Summer release.

As for Kirby, I feel like Spring suits it just right. Spring being the season of new beginnings and blue skies coming again perfectly matches the optimistic and cheerful vibe of Kirby.

Zelda, like Pokémon, has an adventurous spirit to it, but I also detect an aspect of coziness from those games that makes Autumn (and to a lesser extent, Spring) feel more appropriate than Summer in terms of vibes.

Finally, I feel that Super Mario is most apt in the holiday season, when it’s really cold and just plain unpleasant to go outside (in the Northern Hemisphere) but warm and welcoming indoors. Mario feels a lot more at home with the whimsy and childlike joy of the holidays than the adventurousness or coziness of the other times of year, so I think the end of the year is the right time for Mario.
UpsideDownRowlet

Mario Party is definitely a game for the holidays – specifically Christmas Day afternoon when you’re transported to an alternate timeline where you never existed, and everything’s bleak and dreadful…but then an angel gets their wings and you can play a good game instead. – Ed.

“after the victory”

G’day,

Quick question that’s been on my mind after finishing Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom: You beat the final boss, watch the cutscenes, pleased with yourself at the liberation of Hyrule. Then, when you load back in, you’re basically dropped into the same plagued Hyrule like nothing changed.

I get the practical reasons, but I kind of wish there was an option to explore a “peaceful” Hyrule after the victory. A chance to finish some of the side quests with slightly less stress knowing Zelda’s safe. How do you feel about this admittedly industry-standard approach? Do you enjoy being placed back in the incomplete world? Personally, it will irritate me to no end.

Cheers!
Ollie

I’ve often thought the same! I wrote to N64 Magazine once wishing I could ride into Kakariko Village a hero, bask in my victory, and escape the perma-peril having finally rid Hyrule of the ‘dorf.

Some games manage it, though. I remember finishing EarthBound for the first time in the Wii U era and thinking, ‘Yes! It can be done!’ – Ed.

“positively foxing”

This has without a doubt been one positively foxing year for Nintendo fans. Almost 10 years pass since StarFox Zero; a mark of shame so sore on the company, we never received a Switch port.

But every McCloud has a silver lining as the famous saying goes. Far from foxgotten, within the space of a few months this year, we were treated to StarFox on the silver screen, and then suddenly an out of nowhere StarFox 64 remake, again.

Can you imagine if someone told you this time last year that there would be this much Fox? With TWO different character designs, or three if you count his animated segment in the Mario Galaxy Movie?

In fact can you believe we have seen Slippy Toad on the big screen? What Is this world, how did this happen!?

I am truly Starfoxed. I love the character and it’s great to see him and his wisecracking pals back. But I don’t know how to feel.

I felt he didn’t really add much to the Mario Galaxy Film… And by re-releasing StarFox 64 for the bazillionth the time, that also in a way doesn’t add much to the plate.

But on the other hand…. Both of these things were and are incredibly cool and fun.

So…. How am I supposed to feel? I can’t Unfox my foxed up brain. Please help me Editor, tell me, how should I feel about this weirdly unneccesary but impressive feast of Barrel Rolls before us??
YoshiTails

Despair is the appropriate feeling, YT. We’ll just have to take the L on this one – such an unprecedented influx of Slippy content! Yet another downer for the games industry pile right now, I’m afraid. – Ed.

“lower my cortisol and bathe me”

Once every few months I clean the storage drawers under my bed and as I open it up a rush of dopamine hits me. One look upon the boxes of all the limited/deluxe/ultimate editions of games I have collected over the years is enough to lower my cortisol and bathe me in that warm feeling of nostalgia. Mind you, cleaning takes a significantly longer time now that I am enticed to open the boxes of my favorite editions and peruse its contents. I am once again reminded that opening a fresh new limited edition game really feels akin to opening presents on Christmas morning.

After the recent spring cleaning, however, one question has stayed with me: where are the first party limited editions of games this generation? The most recent game to receive a proper boxed limited edition that I can think of is The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. After May 2023 these types of releases seem to have become a rare sight and Switch 2 has yet to receive this deluxe treatment at all (correct me if I’m wrong). Of course, third parties are still releasing proper limited editions, but I want a Yoshi and the Mysterious Book box shaped like Mr. E – à la Octopath Traveler – just to name one example. This drought of limited editions has me fear the upcoming release of Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave, a game series that historically has been blessed by editions large enough to dwarf a Playstation 5 slim, and so happens to be my favorite Nintendo game series of all time.

What do you guys think about my limited/deluxe/ultimate editions query? Do you guys at NL share my worry? Or do you reckon something has changed within Nintendo’s approach to the marketing and promoting of their first party releases?

Happy Pride Month to all,
Jolteon23

“DAGDAN COLLECTION!!!” everyone screams – although Jolteon’s letter came in just before that reveal, so calm down. But yes, you’re getting a spicy-looking special edition of Fortune’s Weave, so hurrah!

I don’t see a change in approach as much as production and distribution headaches in recent times. For Switch 2’s launch year, just getting enough of the standard product into the pipeline and on store shelves is the main objective for hardware and software. I’m sure we’ll continue to see chunky Limited Editions for future games. All eyes on Ocarina. – Ed.

“descent into villainy”

Dearest Nintendo Life staffers,

Reading about Waluigi in your recent mailbox article has left me with Waluigi on the brain, and reminded me of a project I embarked upon in high school, which was (of course) to write a 116-page fan film detailing Waluigi’s backstory and descent into villainy as (naturally) a grounded crime drama set in 1990s Arkansas. I’m feeling wah-imsical today, so while my past self planned to clutch the pages of this manuscript tight in my decrepit aging hands until the day I could hand-deliver them to Miyamoto himself, I now offer them up to you, should your curiosity be piqued. Who knows, perhaps it could make for some form of Good Content. You have to read through the whole thing, though. Otherwise you’ll miss the part where Wario and Waluigi kiss.
Sincerely,
Waluigi Enthusiast
(I’m serious about this, by the way. Both about being a Waluigi enthusiast and about the 116-page fan film. It’s been sitting in my Google Drive for years and it whispers to me in the night, begging to be released.)

Nah, you’re alright. I’m never going to get through our existing ‘War/Wal Ship’ slush pile, so I’d say you’re better off self-publishing that one. – Ed.

Bonus Letters

“I can’t think of a single person who said, “Oh, golly! Larry Koopa’s drivin’ a Mercedes-Benz! Gee, I better buy myself one o’ them thar Mercedes-Benzes so that I can be cool like Larry Koopa!”” – Anonymous

We simply cannot evaluate that ad’s effectiveness until all the MK8-playing kids hit their 40s with enough disposable income to buy a Benz. I know I didn’t get one. So yeah, a fail for old Ian Benz there. – Ed.

---

That’s all for this month! Thanks to everyone who wrote in, whether you were featured above or not.

Got something you’d like to get off your chest? A burning question you need answered? A correction you can’t contain? Follow the instructions below, then, and we look forward to rifling through your missives.

Nintendo Life Mailbox submission advice and guidelines

• Letters, not essays, please – Bear in mind that your letter may appear on the site, and 1000 words ruminating on the Legend of Heroes series and asking Alana for her personal ranking isn’t likely to make the cut. Short and sweet is the order of the day. (If you’re after a general guide, 100-200 words would be ample for most topics.)
• Don’t go crazy with multiple correspondences – Ideally, just the one letter a month, please!
• Don’t be disheartened if your letter doesn’t appear in the monthly article – We anticipate a substantial inbox, and we’ll only be able to highlight a handful every month. So if your particular letter isn’t chosen for the article, please don’t get disheartened!

How to send a Letter to the Nintendo Life Mailbox

• Head to Nintendo Life’s Contact page and select the subject “Reader Letters” from the drop-down menu (it’s already done for you in the link above). Type your name, email, and beautifully crafted letter into the appropriate box, hit send, and boom — you’re done!

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of gaming’s most enduring characters. He’s been through multiple eras and designs over the course of a 35-year career, starring in a huge number of games, and branching out from his bread-and-butter platformers with spin-offs in many other gaming genres.

And he’s not going anywhere, as the massive success of his recent film series attests. As Sega’s fortunes have fluctuated over the decades, Sonic is still with us, having secured a spot in the cultural pantheon alongside Mario, Pac-Man, and a very small handful of gaming icons.

It’s been three-and-a-half decades since we first guided him through Green Hill Zone on our Mega Drives and Genesiseses, and this milestone has us thinking back on the great times we’ve spent in his blue-sky worlds. The perfect time for a nostalgic jog through some of Team NL’s most treasured Sonic memories, then.

The hedgehog’s been going fast for a long time now, so let’s hit the brakes for just a moment and look back on where he’s been…

Sonic at 35 – Best Levels, Music & Memories

“I’d get squashed” (Alana Hagues, deputy editor)

The very first video game I ever played was Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It’s also one of the very first memories I have of life in general (after running around in the snow in just boots and a t-shirt and wrestling with my brother in the back of a moving van). The F1 was on and my dad had to watch it, so my mum moved the Mega Drive and me into the dining room, plonked a CRT on the floor, and that kept me occupied.

But Sonic & Knuckles perhaps had a bigger impact, or perhaps, should I say, Flying Battery Zone. I love this stage, but I hated it as a kid because I’d always get stuck here. I’d get squashed by the corkscrews or run into an enemy and lose my shield, or the magnets would relax and it’d be crushed by spikes. Needless to say, when I finally beat it, I was elated. I had to show everyone. Of course, no one else was as impressed with me, even if there were much harder things to come! But now I get a little bit smug whenever I revisit Flying Battery as a result. That’s worth it, right?

As for my favourite levels? Pinch me – how is Sonic Mania almost 10 years old? Anyway, I have a soft spot for winter and snow levels, and Ice Cap Zone from Sonic 3 is incredible, but I fell in love with Press Garden‘s unique blend of influences immediately back in 2017. A printing press in the middle of a snow-covered Japanese garden? Sure!

Act 1’s factory section is completely different to any other industrial level we’ve seen in a 2D Sonic game. Springy conveyor belts, newspapers flying off in the background, mushroom and tree-shaped platforms, and magenta-coloured leaves hinting at what’s to come. It’s a puzzly, platforming delight. Then Act 2 kicks in and you’re transported to a winter wonderland filled with shrines and sprinkles of cherry blossoms. It shouldn’t feel like a natural transition, but it does.

It’s one of the most creative Sonic levels, and complete with Tee Lopes’ lush music, it’s an all-timer for me.

“Jim Unleashed” (Jim Norman, features editor)

I was never the biggest Sonic fan growing up. I played the Advance games on my GBA and have some Sonic Adventure memories at my friend’s house, but when I think about the first Sonic game that I was really obsessed with, it has to be Sonic Unleashed.

Is it still a hot take to say that? I feel like people are slowly coming around on it! Either way, I was 10 when Unleashed came out, and any criticisms could get in the bin because it was 3D Sonic who sometimes turned into a werewolf. How cool is that!

The standout stage for me, unsurprisingly, was Rooftop Run. I still know it like the back of my hand. It has such a wonderful summer vibe in its winding European streets and upbeat music, and I distinctly remember losing my mind at the ascent up the central clock tower, followed by the steep rail drop from the top. It’s just so flipping fun.

Beyond that, Sonic Mania tickled me more than any other game in the interim. Every single stage from it belongs on this list, but you expect me to go any longer without mentioning the funkiest of funky Studiopolis soundtrack? There’s no wolf, but damn, it’s a blast.

“Chao for now” (Ollie Reynolds, reviews editor)

I have such fond memories of high school. Not the school part, you understand, but rather the bits in between: watching Dragonball Z on Cartoon Network when I got home, chatting to girls I liked on MSN, and playing the GameCube for an ungodly number of hours before discussing it with my friends the next day. One game that dominated the conversation for a while was Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.

Even back then, I could sense that it wasn’t an all-timer — my heart truly belonged to Metroid Prime and Super Mario Sunshine — but I adored it regardless. The opening City Escape stage alone remains one of the finest experiences I’ve ever had in a Sonic game, but it was really the Chao Garden that gobbled up my time the most.

I was never very good at raising Chaos – not compared to my friends, at least. I think I just lacked the patience, and I normally wound up breaking one of the eggs by chucking it around too much. It was so delightful, though, and that achingly cheerful music is still embedded in my brain to this very day.

I’m not lying when I say that the one reason I still own an Xbox Series X is because I own Sonic Adventure 2 on it. It’s frankly criminal that Sega hasn’t put it on Switch yet in some fashion. Maybe it’s destined to be added to NSO soon…

“woakkkkkup” (Gavin Lane, editor)

I’ve written before about Christmas morning 1992 with Sonic 2, so I won’t repeat go over old ground. The early games came during a formative blue-sky gaming period for me, though, and the audio-visual polish coupled with the flowing level design and brilliant music made such an impression. I doubt the later 3D entries could have lived up to them even if they’d all been Mario 64-grade triumphs.

These days, it’s the Sonic Racing games which, for me, capture the flow of the originals better than any of the 3D entries, but let’s not bang the tired ‘crusty gamer doesn’t like 3D Sonic’ drum. Different strokes!

As for great levels, I could have named pretty much any zone from the 2D MD games as a favourite, but I’ve gone with Marble Garden, as beyond the brilliant soundtrack and gorgeous spritework (I love the mauve and orange stonework) I’ve always enjoyed how it fuses elements of past zones — Marble Zone and Aquatic Ruin, I’d say — with brand new, bizarre stage elements like the yoyo thingys. It’s not a mash-up or a remixed riff on what’s come before, but you get a sense of the design lineage and language threading through the series.

Sure, I could have picked two dozen other stages, but Marble Garden might be peak – and there’s no water, meaning no panic-inducing countdown to drowning. Shoutouts to those springy fake-spikes and the blue spinning-top you ride – which doesn’t make much sense but also, somehow, makes perfect sense.

Also, shoutouts to Scrap Brain Zone and Masato Nakamura and incredible spritework and happy bouncing flowers and Naoto Ohshima. Happy birthday, Sonic.

---

Those are just a handful of our favourite Sonic zones, tracks, and memories since 1991. We’d love to hear yours, too, so feel free to share in the comments.

Hello folks, and welcome to a very special edition of Box Art Brawl!

Before we get into the weeds with this one, let’s see how last week’s brawl concluded. We looked at Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D to celebrate the announcement of the upcoming remake, and we honestly weren’t quite sure how this one would pan out.

In the end, however, it seems most folks are over the whole ‘gold box art’ aesthetic of Zelda games, so Europe / Japan won the day with 64% of the vote.

This week, we’re doing a one-off special in which we check out every Sonic game available physically on the Switch. The blue blur is celebrating his 35th anniversary this weekend, so we thought we’d ditch the usual regional battles and see which title on Nintendo’s best-selling console is the finest of them all.

We just sticking to standard box arts for this one, so no special editions, steelbooks, or lenticular shenanigans here. We’ve also stuck to the ESRB North American versions purely for consistency. So with that out of the way, cast aside your feelings on the games themselves and focus purely on the box art.

Ready? Let’s go.

There’s still a certain novelty about seeing Mario and Sonic standing side-by-side, and that’s what makes this box art pretty special. It’s simple, yet with the massive stadium in the background, you know exactly what it’s all about.

Speaking of simple, the design for Sonic Colors Ultimate is really lovely, and it stands out in the crowd thanks to the, well, colours! Granted, the glow around Sonic looks like something we’d knock up here on Nintendo Life, but it’s pretty cool.

Oof, this one’s nice. Bar Sonic Origins, it’s the only game that features Amy, and it’s lovely to see the four characters share some space. Of course, Sonic is taking up most of said space, almost like he’s saying “no, don’t look at them, I’m right here!”.

Mmmm. Oh yeah. The obvious callback to the Mega Drive / Genesis with the background here is excellent, and the sheer number of characters showcased feels like a real celebration of the series’ inception. Lovely stuff.

Man, there’s a lot going on here, and we’re not even sure we noticed the dinosaur over on the left until we inspected the box art for this very brawl. It’s cool stuff though, and clearly conveys the core mechanic of crossing over into different tracks.

Shadow. Enough said.

There’s something about that yellow background, huh? It’s absolutely gorgeous. The simple combination of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles feels pretty iconic too, while the focus on the more classic character designs reminds us of simpler times. Yeah, this is a good one.

Look this isn’t bad, it’s just… okay yeah, it’s kind bad. It’s just lacking that oomph that you want from a Sonic racing game, and we’re not sure why Sega decided to go with those hazy character close-ups. Focusing on the action seen in the lower portion of the design would have been much better.

Whatever you might think about Sonic Frontiers, there’s no denying that it’s box art is absolutely stellar. The action shot showing Sonic grinding along a rail has become pretty iconic for the character’s modern age, and the logo design is really nice too.

Thank you for voting! We’ll see you next week for another edition of Box Art Brawl!

Bandai Namco this week announced it would be releasing a Switch 2 version of MY HERO ACADEMIA: All’s Justice.

The Nintendo release of this 3D battle action title, based on the “Final War” of the series, will arrive later this year on 4th September 2026. The game was previously released on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam earlier this year.

“MY HERO ACADEMIA: ALL’S JUSTICE brings players into the climactic “Final War” of the series, delivering intense combat experiences inspired by the original work. Players can unleash powerful abilities by mastering the unique Quirks of both heroes and villains in high-impact battles faithful to the anime.”

This release will also come with some features “exclusive” to the Switch 2 version, including online battle via GameShare.

A brand-new minigame mode, introducing a bunch of challenging activities featuring Class 1-A students, is being added as well. This will be accessible via a free update and includes a special collaboration with Pac-Man.

This title will be available as a standard edition, deluxe edition and ultimate edition. The Deluxe Edition includes the season pass and five additional playable characters (to be released post-launch) and the Ultimate Edition also includes the season pass. There will be a “package version” as well including a Game-Key Card.

Early purchases unlock the playable characters “Izuku Midoriya Rising” and “All For One Chaos”, along with 30,000 hero coins (in-game currency for items and minigames).

Would you be interested in this game on the Switch 2? Have you watched the anime or read the manga? Let us know in the comments.

This October, Wuhu Island is returning in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort. This new game for the Switch 2 features 12 different sports and “intuitive motion controls”, where you’ll make use of the Joy-Con 2 as bows, paddles and more.

The 12 sports include Boxing, Table Tennis, Archery, Tennis, Volleyball, Bowling, Basketball, Golf, Thumb Wrestling, Skateboarding, Power Cruising, and Prop Plane.

Apart from the recent trailer, Nintendo also shared some screenshots alongside the announcement, showcasing the different sports. If you didn’t already catch it, Nintendo’s official Japanese website also confirms the return 100 pin bowling (thanks, Nintendo Everything).

While we’re at it, here is a look at the many other sports in this upcoming release. The title will support 1-4 players locally and online multiplayer, and there’s also a shot of the game’s splitscreen multiplayer.

Will you be getting this game when it launches for the Switch 2 on 22nd October 2026? Let us know in the comments.

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: