Category: Nintendo News

22nd March 2026 marked the 30th anniversary of the Japanese launch of Resident Evil — or Biohazard — on PlayStation. To celebrate, we’ll be publishing various articles this week focused on Capcom’s quintessential survival horror series.

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After three full decades of Capcom cooking up brown-trouser-inducing undead encounters in mansions, police stations, military installations, rustic European villages, and elsewhere, we’ve stepped into the shoes of many different characters, most of whom have become video game icons since the RE series began in 1996.

Whether you played them for the entire game or took control for just tiny sections, almost all of them have gained a special place in our hearts as we survived the horrors unleashed by Umbrella Corp. and its assorted viruses. Today, we want to find out which RE playable character is your absolute favourite.

Before we remind ourselves of their faces, some ground rules. We’re focusing today on people from the mainline games, so you won’t find characters playable only in spin-offs. (Sorry, Barry.) Likewise, we’re sticking to the campaigns and related story content, so no Mercenaries-only characters, either. (Sorry, Albert.) Beyond that, if they were controllable during a narrative segment, however briefly, you’ll find them below.

So, let’s take a walk down memory lane in roughly chronological order, shall we? We’ve included the first mainline game each character is playable in, plus an amusing quote (well, we were amused, at least). We begin with one half of the Redfield duo…

Chris Redfield

First playable in: Resident Evil

A man of many talents and several faces, Chris was there from the very beginning in the S.T.A.R.S. team that visited the Spencer Mansion back in 1996.

“You’re pitiful. This is your saviour? You say this failure is your saviour?”

Jill Valentine

First playable in: Resident Evil

The other side of the playable character coin in RE1, Jill would make a memorable return in RE3, stalked by Nemesis through the streets of Raccoon. Does anyone call it just ‘Raccoon’? If not, they should do.

“Well, he was talking about the world’s most powerful biological weapon, called Tyrant or something, I think.”

Leon S. Kennedy

First playable in: Resident Evil 2

After his RE2 debut, Leon Scott Kennedy would go on to star in 4, 6, and Re9uiem (hmm, yeah, pretending the ‘q’ is a 9 is a stretch, Capcom).

“Claire! Claire! Wait, wait! Man, why doesn’t anyone ever listen to me?”

Claire Redfield

First playable in: Resident Evil 2

The other half of the Redfield clan, Claire would team up with her brother in Code Veronica.

“Don’t shoot! I’m a human.”

Carlos Oliveira

First playable in: Resident Evil 3

Muscling in on Jill’s game, Carlos gave the S.T.A.R.S vet a helping hand in RE3.

“I’m not a zombie. My name’s Carlos, corporal of Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Force.”

Ada Wong

First playable in: Resident Evil 2

Smooth operator and espionage extraordinaire, Wong debuted in RE2 but was only playable very briefly in Leon’s branch. Her first major playable role came in RE4 with the Separate Ways bonus section added to the PS2 version.

Ah, Ada. We can hear the sound of your laugh through the wall… as you mow down zombies.

“Leon, it’s over. Just let me go.”

Ashley Graham

First playable in: Resident Evil 4

The president’s daughter might not be the first character you’d call on when faced with a horde of Ganados advancing on your position, but she can hide in a bin with the best of ’em. We’re hoping she’ll get to ditch the damsel-in-distress role in a future instalment.

“Hey, what are you looking at!?”

Rebecca Chambers

First playable in: Resident Evil

Technically, Rebecca is playable in the original RE in certain scenarios if you’re playing as Chris, although her team-up in RE0 with the next character on our list was her main starring role in the series…

“My first mission and I’ve already disobeyed orders. So much for my great law enforcement career.”

Billy Coen

First playable in: Resident Evil 0

With only one series appearance to his name so far, we wonder if convict Billy might reappear in future entries.

“If you haven’t noticed there are some pretty freaked out things on this train and I for one want to get out of here.”

Sheva Alomar

First playable in: Resident Evil 5

Another one-and-done character at the time of writing. As with Billy, we’d like to see what Sheva’s been up to since 2009, back when she teamed up with Chris and finally took down [REDACTED] once and for all (surely?).

“We’re partners, to the end.”

Jake Muller

First playable in: Resident Evil 6

Jake has the misfortune of starring in the least-revered entry in the series, but his place in the RE pantheon is secure, if only as the son of Albert Wesker. Maybe one day we’ll see him in a more celebrated game.

“I’m not one of those roided-out freaks, you morons!”

Sherry Birkin

First playable in: Resident Evil 2

Technically playable, briefly, in RE2, it was RE6 where Sherry, daughter of William and Annette, got her first starring role. As with Jake, the parental baggage here is heavy.

“Leon’s not just anyone. He saved my life back in Raccoon City.”

Helena Harper

First playable in: Resident Evil 6

A Secret Service agent with a sister whose name was Deborah (it never suited her), RE6 went out of its way to introduce new playable characters, and Helena is another protagonist we’ve yet to see return.

“You’re not entirely sane, are you?”

Piers Nivans

First playable in: Resident Evil 6

The last of RE6’s one-game wonders, Piers is a little different to most other characters here, as he gets augmented abilities thanks to a little C-virus mutation. Larvely.

“You can’t imagine my delight at having to escort your ass outta here.”

Ethan Winters

First playable in: Resident Evil 7

Speaking of augmented abilities, Ethan’s pretty handy, too.

Winters spanned REs 7 and 8, and is the only faceless person in the character lineup. You can technically see his face in RE8 if you’re quick, but he’s much more interesting if you focus on his hands and imagine he looks like…well, someone interesting.

“Man, screw this castle!”

Grace Ashcroft

First playable in: Resident Evil 9

And finally, the latest protagonist to join the RE ranks. FBI agent Grace has taken some stick for being a “scaredy cat”, but frankly, we can’t all be as jaded and immune to the survival horrors as a Leon or a Chris, can we? We think she handles it all remarkably well.

*heavy breathing* “The hell?” * heavy breathing*

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And there you have it! Let us know which of the characters above are your absolute favourites in the poll below, and scooch on down to the comments if you want to elucidate, or if — horror of horrors — we’ve gone and forgotten someone!

We knew Pokémon Pokopia would bring out the creative types in many players — some have spent years practicing in Minecraft and Animal Crossing, after all. And it was only a matter of time until those Nintendo crossovers started to crop up.

moyashi, who brings that aforementioned experience with them, has recreated Rito Village and Divine Beast Vah Medoh from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , block by block. The scale is ridiculous, and the whole build is extremely accurate.

There are a few minor gameplay spoilers in the video below, but if you don’t mind that, you’ll get a complete 360-view of the build during the day and at night, which is appropriately filled with a bunch of bird Pokémon.

Every detail has been including, from the positioning of the houses to the statues across the village, and even the roof colours match as best as they can.

Then, right at the very top of the mountain, you’ll find Vah Medoh gloriously soaring across the skies. Well, it’s static, and you can’t go inside it, but it’s extremely impressive, complete with the grassy area on its wings.

We wish we were this good at building, let alone this creative, and we can’t imagine how long it took moyashi to replicate this.

Hey, look, at least we can build houses. That’s a start, right?

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Have you made any wild creations in Pokémon Pokopia yet? Let us know in the comments.

Things have been a bit quiet with the FIFA series in recent years, due to EA and FIFA failing to reach an agreement over licensing fees. But the series is returning in 2026 with the free-to-play arcade football game FIFA Heroes.

Yes, perhaps not in the format we quite expected or wanted, but that’s what we’re getting. Development in the hands of VR studio ENVER, and the game is coming to Switch sometime later this year, following a mobile release on 28th April 2026.

The trailer up-top gives us our first look at the colourful arcade sports title (with very little gameplay). Instead, we do get a little sneak peek at some of the playable character, and of course there are football legends such as Diego Maradona and more-recent popular players such as Harry Kane, Eduardo Camavinga, and Jordan Pickford among thew line-up.

But then we also have Thor (yes, the Norse God of Thunder) and Sun Wukong, the Chinese mythological hero and central figure of the Chinese epic novel Journey to the West. Let that sink in for a bit.

Ultimately, this is an arcade game, and the FIFA World Cup mascots are also all playable, so it’s not a serious football game — the developer says the game “is about unpredictability, not simulation.” But, really? There are so many iconic players from history you can pick from, and some will likely be added in later, but diving into myth and legend seems… strange.

Anyway, as you’d expect from a F2P title, there are Live Service elements and in-game currencies focusing on cosmetics, but all “core content can be earned through play”, ENVER states.

Here’s a brief rundown of the gameplay itself, then:

FIFA Heroes is designed as an arcade-first football experience. Matches are two minutes in length, built for quick sessions while retaining competitive depth

Core gameplay features include:
– 5v5 competitive matches
-Online head-to-head leagues
-Limited-time events
– Seasonal progression systems
– Special abilities that alter match dynamics

Players can activate game-changing powers, including teleport dribbles, flaming power shots, and magnetic tackles. The game is intentionally stylised and fast-paced, prioritising responsiveness and spectacle over simulation

Season Passes, rotating challenges, and live events support long-term engagement

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We’ll have to see how things pan out when the mobile version releases next month; for now, let us know your thoughts on this strange crossover in the comments.

Update [Wed 25th Mar 2026, 10:41pm]: Nintendo has confirmed to IGN that “The cost of physical games is not going up” following today’s announcement that digital MSRPs will be different for Switch 2 games from May 2026.

Nintendo clarified to the publication that “This means that when Nintendo sells digital versions of Nintendo published games exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 to consumers in the U.S., those prices will have an MSRP that is lower than their physical counterparts.”

It once again reiterated that retailers can set their own prices.

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Original Story: Nintendo of America has just announced that first-party Switch 2 exclusives on the eShop will be getting a different MSRP (that’s manufacturer’s suggested retail price) compared to physical releases.

What that means is that, going forward, it’s very likely that digital games will be cheaper that physical games in the US on Switch 2. Nintendo is kicking this off with the upcoming Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which will cost $59.99 digitally and $69.99 physically, from the Nintendo Store.

Sharing the new on its support website, the company says that “Nintendo games offer the same experiences whether in packaged or digital format, and this change simply reflects the different costs associated with producing and distributing each format and offers players more choice in how they can buy and play Nintendo games.”

Now, this announcement was made by Nintendo of America and has also been shared by Nintendo of Canada on social media. But it’s worth noting that this has been the standard for first-party Switch 2 games in the UK, Europe, and Japan since the console’s release back in June 2025.

For example, in the UK, Mario Kart World is £66.99 on the eShop, while the physical MSRP is £74.99. The same can be said for Donkey Kong Bananza, which is £58.99 on the eShop and £66.99 on the My Nintendo Store.

So this is likely just the US getting in-line with the rest of the world. Certainly a bit of a surprise on a Tuesday afternoon, though.

Those concerned, we should highlight that Nintendo does state that retailers can set their own prices for physical and digital games. So prices will vary for every title, and some stores may sell cheaper than others. And this appears to only affect Switch 2 first-party games.

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Let us know what you think of the news in the comments.

We’re almost at the end of the first in-game event in Pokémon Pokopia. Hoppip is getting ready to close up shop and, hopefully, make a home in your town — wherever that may be.

But don’t worry, more events are on the way, and if you’re feeling a bit cheeky, you can actually access the next one… now! And in this event, you’ll get to befriend Sableye.

Just as people figured out that you could access the Hoppip event early by changing the time on your internal Switch 2 clock, many have also realised — including Nintendo YouTuber PhillyBeatzU — that there’s another event coming on 29th April that you can get the jump on right away.

For some, this is old news given that we knew about “time travelling” on day one, but given that More Spores for Hoppip ends tomorrow, we thought it was a good chance to remind people that more events are on the horizon.

Sableye will be around from 29th April all the way through to 13th May 2026 and, so far, this is the only future event that has been discovered. Maybe more will be added in later patches? Or perhaps people haven’t been brave enough to travel to every single day or month yet.

Obviously, we know time travelling is a sticky topic for some players — and if you don’t want to skip ahead to 29th April to access the event, we understand.

But for the more impatient Pokopia fas out there, here’s how to change the time of day in the game.

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Are you excited to see Sableye in Pokémon Pokopia? Let us know in the comments.

We’re almost at the end of the first in-game event in Pokémon Pokopia. Hoppip is getting ready to close up shop and, hopefully, make a home in your town — wherever that may be.

But don’t worry, more events are on the way, and if you’re feeling a bit cheeky, you can actually access the next one… now! And in this event, you’ll get to befriend Sableye.

Just as people figured out that you could access the Hoppip event early by changing the time on your internal Switch 2 clock, many have also realised — including Nintendo YouTuber PhillyBeatzU — that there’s another event coming on 29th April that you can get the jump on right away.

For some, this is old news given that we knew about “time travelling” on day one, but given that More Spores for Hoppip ends tomorrow, we thought it was a good chance to remind people that more events are on the horizon.

Sableye will be around from 29th April all the way through to 13th May 2026 and, so far, this is the only future event that has been discovered. Maybe more will be added in later patches? Or perhaps people haven’t been brave enough to travel to every single day or month yet.

Obviously, we know time travelling is a sticky topic for some players — and if you don’t want to skip ahead to 29th April to access the event, we understand.

But for the more impatient Pokopia fas out there, here’s how to change the time of day in the game.

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Are you excited to see Sableye in Pokémon Pokopia? Let us know in the comments.

Pokémon is in all corners of our lives. You can wake up to Pokémon Sleep, brush your teeth to Pokémon Smile, throw on your Pokémon apparel and head out on a walk with Pokémon GO. Now, you can make those days extra romantic by saying “I Choose You” to your significant other, accompanied by one of these Pokémon engagement rings (thanks for the heads up, Dexerto).

This is the latest endeavour from Japanese jewellery brand U-Treasure, which has teamed up with The Pokémon Company on a range of romantic rings adorned with your favourite ‘mon and coloured stones.

The collection is a made-to-order jobby, letting you choose the ring, gemstone, engraved Pokémon icon and any other finer details you see fit. There are 30 ring types in total, which can be paired with a Pokémon silhouette from over 80 options, covering everything from the OG starters to Legendaries (by way of a bunch of Eeveelutions, Poké Balls and more).

And the pièce de résistance? You can even order a special Poké Ball-shaped wooden case to make the occasion even more romantic.

Here’s a handful of pics, so you can get a better idea of what’s on display:

Being so customisable, the rings themselves vary in price, with wedding bands sitting around the ¥137,500 to ¥170,500 mark (roughly £645 / $865 to £800 / $1,070), and engagement rings coming in slightly more expensive from ¥335,500 (around £1,580 / $2,100).

Still, if you’re planning to pop the question to a Pokémon fan, it’s an undeniably sweet way to do it.

Which ring design would make you say “I do”? Let us know in the comments.

Pokémon is in all corners of our lives. You can wake up to Pokémon Sleep, brush your teeth to Pokémon Smile, throw on your Pokémon apparel and head out on a walk with Pokémon GO. Now, you can make those days extra romantic by saying “I Choose You” to your significant other, accompanied by one of these Pokémon engagement rings (thanks for the heads up, Dexerto).

This is the latest endeavour from Japanese jewellery brand U-Treasure, which has teamed up with The Pokémon Company on a range of romantic rings adorned with your favourite ‘mon and coloured stones.

The collection is a made-to-order jobby, letting you choose the ring, gemstone, engraved Pokémon icon and any other finer details you see fit. There are 30 ring types in total, which can be paired with a Pokémon silhouette from over 80 options, covering everything from the OG starters to Legendaries (by way of a bunch of Eeveelutions, Poké Balls and more).

And the pièce de résistance? You can even order a special Poké Ball-shaped wooden case to make the occasion even more romantic.

Here’s a handful of pics, so you can get a better idea of what’s on display:

Being so customisable, the rings themselves vary in price, with wedding bands sitting around the ¥137,500 to ¥170,500 mark (roughly £645 / $865 to £800 / $1,070), and engagement rings coming in slightly more expensive from ¥335,500 (around £1,580 / $2,100).

Still, if you’re planning to pop the question to a Pokémon fan, it’s an undeniably sweet way to do it.

Which ring design would make you say “I do”? Let us know in the comments.

Aquiris Games’ fabulous racing game, Horizon Chase Turbo will be delisted from the Nintendo Switch eShop later this year, the developer has announced.

From the 1st June 2026, both the original game’s release and the enhanced Turbo version — which is the one you can snap up on Switch — will no longer be available to purchase from the eShop and other digital storefront, the developer on social media (thanks, Wario64!).

The reason? While not stated, Aquiris was acquired by Epic Games in 2023, so we (and many others) assume that today’s layoff announcement has affected this small Brazilian developer.

And yes, while the brief statement does say “download”, Aquiris has confirmed that as long as you’ve bought the game, you will be able to redownload it beyond this date.

This is such a shame, as Horizon Chase Turbo is one of our favourite racing games on the Switch. We gave it a 9/10 back in 2018, with extremely favourable comparisons to Out Run.

This will likely mean the DLC will also be unavailable after 1st June. So if you want some arcade racing from the experts, you’ll have to turn to Horizon Chase 2, which we didn’t love as much.

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Are you disappointed about the Horizon Chase Turbo news? Will you be picking up the game before it’s delisting in June? Let us know in the comments.

Aquiris Games’ fabulous racing game, Horizon Chase Turbo will be delisted from the Nintendo Switch eShop later this year, the developer has announced.

From the 1st June 2026, both the original game’s release and the enhanced Turbo version — which is the one you can snap up on Switch — will no longer be available to purchase from the eShop and other digital storefront, the developer on social media (thanks, Wario64!).

The reason? While not stated, Aquiris was acquired by Epic Games in 2023, so we (and many others) assume that today’s layoff announcement has affected this small Brazilian developer.

And yes, while the brief statement does say “download”, Aquiris has confirmed that as long as you’ve bought the game, you will be able to redownload it beyond this date.

This is such a shame, as Horizon Chase Turbo is one of our favourite racing games on the Switch. We gave it a 9/10 back in 2018, with extremely favourable comparisons to Out Run.

This will likely mean the DLC will also be unavailable after 1st June. So if you want some arcade racing from the experts, you’ll have to turn to Horizon Chase 2, which we didn’t love as much.

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Are you disappointed about the Horizon Chase Turbo news? Will you be picking up the game before it’s delisting in June? Let us know in the comments.