Category: Nintendo News

007 First Light is, according to IO Interactive, coming to the Switch 2 at some point in the Summer. So while we wait, a bunch of reviews have now gone live for the game on other platforms, so we thought it would be good to see what folks make of it so far.

Now, our understanding is that outlets received codes for this one quite late, and so a lot of the go-to sites have posted in-progress reviews for the time being. We’ve got a few scored ones lying around though, so we’ll do our very best to present a decent spread of opinions.

So let’s get cracking:

VGC (5/5) – “007 First Light might just be the best James Bond game ever. The way IOI has translated the Bond fantasy into a 14-hour globetrotting epic is masterful. It’s a game full of spectacle, humour, action, and romance. Everything James Bond should be. New Bond owners Amazon must ensure this franchise continues.”

The Guardian (5/5) – “I have no doubt that this was made by excitable Bond geeks throwing “what if” moments at a whiteboard. What if you got to explore Q Lab watching underlings test malfunctioning prototypes? What if you were tied to a torturer’s table and had to talk your way out? What if you found yourself at 15,000ft with no parachute? And what if you had access to John Barry’s classic scores and could deploy a staggering needle drop out of nowhere?

“Very few fans get to play in the sandbox of their obsession like IO has here. As far as Bond video games go, nobody has done it better.”

Vice (5/5) – “007 First Light is easily the best James Bond game since GoldenEye and is also one of the better Bond stories told in the last decade. IO Interactive has created a game that is a culmination of all of their best mechanics over the years. 007 First Light has the addicting sandbox gameplay of the Hitman franchise while also having an incredible narrative that matches the quality of Naughty Dog and Rockstar Games. James Bond is finally back and is better than he’s been in years.”

Game Rant (8/10) – “007 First Light is one of the more content-rich James Bond games we’ve ever had, and it should only get better with future updates. What’s on offer at launch is a solid, polished James Bond adventure with a memorable story and exciting action that should please most fans of the franchise.”

Restart.run (7/10) – “If you do decide to take up First Light, I expect what you will find is a fantastic foundation for future updates and a likely sequel that will truly impress, nestled within a sincerely fun and well-designed stealth game that takes what Hitman provided and improves upon it. What you will not find is a game that is able to conceal or minimize all its flaws. It instead presents them to you fully emblazoned on its chest and at often interminable length. And all that left me shaken, not stirred.”

Push Square (score pending) – “I’m not quite finished with 007 First Light just yet, but overall I’d say it’s exactly what I was hoping for. The characterisation of this young Bond and his associates is really strong, and the globetrotting story lets you explore some great locations. It really shines in its sandbox missions, but shootouts have their moments too, and the whole thing weaves together really quite nicely. I’m really interested to see how the final few missions shake out, but beyond some technical quibbles and uncertainty on the driving, I’m pretty happy with IOI’s new vision for James Bond.”

IGN (score pending) – “007 First Light has made a fabulous first impression, and I’m certainly already quite comfortable to say it’s the best Bond has been since GoldenEye. I’ll be updating this review as soon as I’ve finalised the story and experimented with TacSim mode, which allows us to replay previous missions with extra challenges to earn new rewards.”

Kotaku (unscored) – “First Light’s biggest problem is its own scale and form. It’s a game from an incredible team playing against type, one which has a tendency to obscure its own strengths and overplay its weaknesses. Sometimes it wants to sand down its rough edges and be everything to everyone, but all of its best moments are where it stalwartly refuses to where other studios would fold. It’s too expensive for its own good, it’s smarter than it has any right to be and so much dumber than you wish it actually was. It’s not going to change your life, but it’s still a fun time at the movies, or rather, in front of your PS5 for a weekend or two. It is, for good and for bad, a James Bond film that you can play. Mission accomplished.”

So far, 007 First Light is sitting at 88 over on Metacritic, which is great to see. We’ll have to judge it for ourselves and decide whether it can hold a candle to GoldenEye 007, but we’re thrilled that folks seem to be enjoying it so far.

We’ll be sure to relay the final release date for First Light on Switch 2 as soon as this is communicated from IO Interactive.

Pretty good so far, right? Will you be picking up 007 First Light on Switch 2, or will you opt for a copy on a different platform? Let us know.

The Pokémon Company is showing no signs of returning to the series’ classic formula any time soon, so indie devs have stepped up to fill the gap. We’ve seen a whole host of games set out to capture those early-gen vibes on the eShop in recent years, and today, another is joining the party.

Team17 and Beehive Studios have today released LumenTale: Memories of Trey, a creature-catching RPG that instantly put us in mind of some Gen IV or V good times.

It’s got everything you’d expect from a genre throwback: 140 Animon to collect, type weaknesses/strengths, training, battling, and an art style that combines classic pixel art sprites with 3D environments. It’s not pure Pokémon, to be clear — there appears to be more focus on cooking and crafting here, and a mechanic that lets you attack on the fly — but the vibes are all present and correct.

Here’s a brief rundown of the game’s key features, and a handful of screenshots:

Travel an expansive world: Journey across the rich and cultural world of Talea, filled with secrets, quests and regions as unique and diverse as the Animon you encounter.

Collect and train Animon: Discover and capture 140 Animon, each with elemental affinities and assigned one of five different emotional attributes that can offer advantages in battle.

Unique art cards: Increase the chances of finding your perfect Animon, or the rare Lost variants, to build the ultimate team. Trade these locally or online through the Animon Trade Station.

Cooking and crafting: Rest at fountains throughout the world to cook food from found and bought recipes, and craft resources to support your journey.

The Anispace: Train your Animon in the Anispace, a dedicated area offering a change of pace from adventure. Craft or purchase furniture from local vendors and customise it to make the perfect home for your creatures.

LumenTale is available in both a Standard and Deluxe Edition (which throws in the Deluxe DLC with the base game) on the Switch eShop. It’s another one of those Kickstarter success stories, which we love to see, so here’s hoping that it can stand apart from the crowd in the rapidly growing Pokémon-like genre.

What do you make of LumenTale? Will you be checking it out on Switch? Let us know in the comments.

Summer Game Fest is mere days away at this point, and it seems that some potential announcements may have sneaked out early thanks to ratings from Korea.

As covered by Gematsu, the headliner here is Lego Skylines from publisher Paradox Interactive which, as the title alludes, is likely a Lego-inspired take on the Cities: Skylines building games. Further details are unavailable at the moment, but a debut trailer during Geoff Fest is probably on the cards. As for a potential Switch 2 release, well… we’ll see.

Another rating is for a known entity: Persona 4 Revival. Developer Atlus has been pretty quiet about this one since its initial announcement last year, so a fresh reveal at Summer Game Fest would be a nice little treat. This wasn’t confirmed for the Switch 2 at the time of its reveal, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it on Nintendo’s console.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has also received a fresh rating, and given it’s a title already available on multiple systems, it seems likely that a port for the Switch 2 is in order. Indeed, a previous rating from Taiwan indicated that the game would come to Switch 2, so this just adds further fuel to the fire.

And finally, ratings for both Gears of War: E-Day and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve have also been discovered. It seems unlikely that either of these will hit the Switch 2, but we don’t think a port of the latter is entirely out of the question.

Even if these aren’t scheduled to appear at Summer Game Fest, it’s a tidy little line-up of titles. As ever, we’ll be sure to let you know which are heading to the Switch 2 as soon as we hear more.

Which games mentioned here takes your fancy? Let us know with a comment in the usual place.

Star Fox is, at the time of writing, less than a month away from launch. Can you believe that? We didn’t even know about it a month ago!

Yes, the remake is inching toward its release on 25th June 2026, and if you’re in the UK, you can take advantage of a pretty sweet deal from Currys. As is customary from the retailer these days, it’s offering a 10% discount on pre-orders for Star Fox.

This means that while the base price of £44.99 is more expensive than the digital version at £41.99, that cheeky 10% discount takes it down to £40.49. Boom – physical cheaper than digital.

This isn’t the only game you can do this with, either. Rhythm Paradise Groove is priced at £29.99 on the Currys website, which is already cheaper than the digital version at £33.99. Add the 10% discount and the price drops down to an almost-criminal £26.99.

Finally, Splatoon Raiders is just £1 more expensive than its digital equivalent at £42.99. But again, if you add that pre-order discount, the price goes down to just £38.69. And yes, if you’re wondering, delivery for the respective release dates is free.

Now, we’ve found ourselves frequently favouring digital games these days – we just find it much more convenient in certain situations. But honestly, with retailers like Currys somehow undercutting the digital prices on first-party titles, it makes absolutely zero sense not to take advantage of it.

And so now begins the mercifully short waiting game.

Will you be grabbing Star Fox when it launches in June? Are you opting for physical or digital? Let us know.

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Nintendo has announced that BALL x PIT has become the latest title to receive a free trial for Switch Online subscribers.

Available for members in Europe from now until 1st June 2026, you can download the Switch version for absolutely nothing, while the Upgrade Pack to enhance the game for Switch 2 is also free. Boom!

It’s the full game too, of course, so if you have literally no plans over the next handful of days, you could probably make some decent progress before the trial period ends.

So if you’ve seen the odd trailer here and there, or maybe you caught our own 9/10 review but have yet to take the plunge, this could be your moment, friend.

Reviewer Roland Ingram said:

“Ball x Pit is a tremendous brew of so many ideas it ought to collapse under the confusion. However, it operates in such perfect balance that it appeals both to the one-more-go instinct and to more cerebral planning and creativity. Kenny Sun Studios set itself a heck of a challenge but, fortunately, hasn’t dropped the ball.”

“Hasn’t dropped the ball”, that’s a good one there from Roland.

Anyway, give it a go – we think you’ll enjoy it.

Will you be taking Ball x Pit for a spin? Or have you already had your fill? Let us know with a comment in the usual place.

Yesterday’s bank holiday Monday meant that the UK charts are coming in a little later than expected this week, but here they are, and we’ve got a whole podium of newbies!

Nintendo’s latest managed to nab one of those podium spots, of course, with Yoshi and the Mysterious Book debuting in third. Forza Horizon 6 presented an unusually high ranking for Microsoft in second, but it wasn’t enough to beat Mr. Vengeance himself, as LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight claimed the top spot. How about some more news on that Switch 2 version, eh?

This shake-up at the top has meant that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream slipped down to seventh this week, while last week’s S2 bump for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was clearly a temporary one, with the game being bolder chased from second all the way down to 17th.

Here’s the full top 40, with platform breakdowns for games available on Switch, Switch 2, and other consoles:

Last Week	This Week	Game	Platform Split
NEW	1	LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
NEW	2	Forza Horizon 6
NEW	3	Yoshi and the Mysterious Book
4	4	Resident Evil Requiem	PC 62%, PS5 31%, Switch 2 4%, Xbox Series 3%
–	5	Hogwarts Legacy	PS5 76%, Switch 2 20%, Switch 3%, PS4 1%
6	6	Pokémon Pokopia
1	7	Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
7	8	Mario Kart World
9	9	Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
37	10	Monster Hunter Wilds
10	11	Pokémon Legends: Z-A	Switch 2 53%, Switch 47%
12	12	Minecraft
23	13	Pragmata	PS5 74%, Switch 2 19%, Xbox Series 7%
11	14	Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2
–	15	Street Fighter 6
15	16	Super Mario Bros. Wonder	Switch 52%, Switch 2 48%
2	17	Indiana Jones and the Great Circle	Switch 2 92%, PS5 7%, Xbox Series 1%
8	18	EA Sports FC 26	PS5 41%, Switch 33%, Xbox Series 10%, Switch 2 9%
16	19	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
14	20	Donkey Kong Bananza
–	21	The Witcher III: Wild Hunt GOTY Edition
20	22	Grand Theft Auto V
17	23	Super Mario Party Jamboree	Switch 58%, Switch 2 42%
26	24	Resident Evil 4
13	25	Animal Crossing: New Horizons	Switch 62%, Switch 2 38%
33	26	Elden Ring: Nightreign
29	27	Nintendo Switch Sports
28	28	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	Switch 2 58%, Switch 42%
21	29	Resident Evil 2
22	30	Resident Evil 3
3	31	Directive 8020
30	32	Little Nightmares: Complete Edition
18	33	Crimson Desert
24	34	Mafia Trilogy
39	35	Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions	PS5 74%, Switch 25%, Xbox Series 1%, PS4 0%
36	36	The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom	Switch 2 66%, Switch 34%
–	37	Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Edition
35	38	Just Dance 2026 Edition
38	39	Super Mario Odyssey
27	40	Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection	PS5 40%, Switch 36%, Switch 2 24%

[Compiled by GfK]

< Last week’s charts

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That’s it for this week’s physical UK charts. Did you pick up anything new last week? Let us know in the comments.

Although Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO got a release on the Switch and Switch 2 last year, Saiyans on the hybrid platform have had to wait on some paid DLC.

In an update, it seems the launch date for the Daima Character Packs 1 & 2 and Shallot Character Pack have now been locked in for a release later this week on 27th May 2026 (thanks, Nintendo Everything).

Here’s what to expect from each pack, along with a look:

DAIMA: Character Pack 1

New warriors from the Dragon Ball DAIMA anime series join the battle!
– 8 Playable Characters:
• Goku (Mini), Super Saiyan
• Vegeta (Mini)
• Vegeta (Mini), Super Saiyan
• Vegeta (Mini), Super Saiyan 2
• Vegeta (Mini), Super Saiyan 3
• Glorio
• Panzy
• Majin Kuu
‐ Goku (Mini) Technique-changing Outfit
• New costume for Goku (Mini) that changes his moves
*Goku (Mini) Technique-changing Outfit is different from Pre-Order Pack Goku (Mini).
*Ownership of Pre-Order Pack Goku (Mini) is not required.
*Equipping the Goku (Mini) Technique-changing Outfit costume on Goku (Mini) will not alter his appearance.
*Equipping the Goku (Mini) Technique-changing Outfit costume on Goku (Mini) will transform his Ultimate Blast into Aura Impact.

DAIMA: Character Pack 2

New warriors from the Dragon Ball DAIMA anime series join the battle!

– 6 Playable Characters:
• Goku (Mini), Super Saiyan 4
• Goku (DAIMA), Super Saiyan 4
• Vegeta (DAIMA), Super Saiyan 3
• Majin Duu
• Third Eye Gomah
• Giant Gomah

Shallot (Dragon Ball Legends)

Shallot from the mobile game DRAGON BALL LEGENDS joins the battle!

1 Playable character:

– Shallot

Enjoy new battles with the main character of DRAGON BALL LEGENDS, designed by Akira Toriyama!

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These updates will eventually be followed by more DLC later this year. You can find out more about this in our previous story. And if you want to know more about Sparking! ZERO check out our review of the Switch 2 version.

Will you be checking out any of these DLC packs? Have you played this title on the Switch or Switch 2 yet? Let us know in the comments.

To celebrate the arrival of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book on the Switch 2 last week, Nintendo has announced the 54th cup event for its Switch Online battle royale title Tetris 99.

This in-game event will begin later this week on 29th May 2026 and runs until 1st June 2026. As usual, if you earn 100 event points during this period, you’ll be able to unlock a special theme featuring unique art, music and Tetrimino designs inspired by Yoshi’s new game.

Of course, to participate in the fun, you’ll need to have a Nintendo Account and an active Switch Online membership. Here’s a look at the theme:

If you want to find out more about Yoshi and the Mysterious Book for Switch 2, Nintendo has released an in-store demo in North America. You can also check out our review for more thoughts about his new outing.

Will you be checking out this new event in Tetris 99? Have you been playing the Mysterious Book? Let us know in the comments.

As you may already know, Capcom is adding the DLC character Ingrid to the Street Fighter 6 roster this week on 28th May 2026, and ahead of her release, it’s shared a character guide and a trailer for the third outfit drop.

Ingrid is described as a versatile character with a variety of projectiles and movement techniques that can keep her enemies at bay as she stocks up on “Sun Crests”. Sun Crests allow her to “unleash the full power of the sun to subjugate her opponents”. And the more stock used, the greater the effect.

As for the new outfits, there’s a dapper suit for Sagat, an elegant dress for C. Viper, some energetic work gear for Alex and a maid outfit for the new DLC character. You can get Ingrid as a standalone purchase, or unlock her via the third fighter pass.

In case you missed it, Ingrid and the new outfits will roll out alongside the Random Avatar Matches and Avatar Arcade Mode. In these two new “chaotic” modes you’ll earn rewards, level up and even unlock outfits for the different masters in the game.

If you haven’t already tried out Street Fighter 6 on the Switch 2, you can download a demo from the eShop. You can also trial each DLC character for one hour.

Will you be returning to Street Fighter 6 to try out this latest game update? Let us know in the comments.

I had a pretty decent time with Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. It’s a charming experience filled with wonder and imagination, but thanks to the repetitive, overly-simplified structure, that imagination is never afforded enough space to really shine.

I tolerated this, however, and had a good time discovering the game’s many weird and wonderful creatures. Before I even started, I felt at peace with the knowledge that it would probably never reach the heights of Yoshi’s Island on the SNES (honestly, what can?), and so I enjoyed it for what it was.

That is, until I reached World 6.

(Before I go any further, here’s your SPOILER WARNING in case you haven’t gotten that far yet…)

Your goal in Mysterious Book is to eventually discover a creature called the Bewilder Bird before Bowser Jr. and Kamek do so. I couldn’t divulge the existence of this creature in my review as it was under embargo, so the Bewilder Bird’s unique ability was also off limits.

Y’see, every creature discovered until this point possesses abilities that help you navigate the environment and bypass certain obstacles. Snurfboard lets you ride across waves in style, Swirm catapults you across wide gaps, Stickiwick lets you swing from platforms like Spider-Man… You get it.

Every level is specifically designed to take advantage of each creature’s ability. This is what I mean when I say the game’s creativity is somewhat stifled, as you’re constantly doing what it wants you to do. The illusion of freedom and creativity is there, but once you figure out how to trigger the various discoveries (and that doesn’t take long), you quickly sink into a tedious rhythm.

Until you discover the Bewilder Bird. See, this thing is special in that it can instantly transform into any creature you’ve previously discovered. Executing this for the first time felt like a lightbulb moment – suddenly, everything made sense. The game was building to this moment. Everything before was a mere tutorial, and now I’d be let loose to experiment with different creatures and see which ones best suit the obstacles that lie ahead…

After discovering the Bewilder Bird, you come across a large waterfall with no clear guidance on what to do. How do you get up? Well, let’s see what’s in the Creature Index… Ah, yes, the Glubbit will blow bubbles and let you float to the top, so that’s an option. Alternatively, the Goonie can simply fly up in short diagonal bursts – slightly less elegant, but a sound choice.

Once at the top, you come across a large body of water. Sure, you can toddle across just fine on your own, but why not break out Snurfboard for a slightly quicker jaunt? Better yet, you could try Bafloonder and explore the water’s depths, shooting through at speed to mop up any lingering collectibles.

My point is that the game’s surface-level creativity is finally unleashed once you discover the Bewilder Bird. I saw Mysterious Book being loosely described as a ‘platformer Breath of the Wild’ in VGC’s review, and when you’re tinkering with dozens upon dozens of creature abilities, I can kind of understand the comparison (though I would perhaps argue that it has more in common with Echoes of Wisdom).

The problem — the big problem — is that it only lasts for one level. It appears briefly much later in the game, but fundamentally once you’re done with World 6, you go right back to the status quo in which you find new creatures and use their sole abilities to make discoveries. So all of that potential to experiment and tackle obstacles and puzzles in multiple ways just…doesn’t happen.

Frankly, it makes me a little angry; angry that such a wonderful gameplay mechanic appears so fleetingly. Honestly, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to state that Good-Feel could have crafted an entire game based around the Bewilder Bird’s ability, and I’ve been scratching my head as to why it didn’t have the ambition to do so. Was it a lack of time? An obligation to keep the game simple for younger players?

My only hope is that we get some sort of DLC expansion at some point that really homes in on the Bewilder Bird’s abilities. I’m not asking for something exceptionally challenging, because that would fundamentally break from what Mysterious Book is trying to do, but just… something more, y’know? A selection of large, sandbox levels that let you experiment and push the boundaries of creativity would be wonderful.

As it is, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book genuinely could have been an all-timer. But in showcasing such a brief glimpse of its tremendous potential, it exacerbates its shortcomings.

What do you make of this? Do you wish Good-Feel did more with the Bewilder Bird’s ability? Let us know with a comment.