Category: Nintendo News

Resident Evil Requiem, the latest mainline title in Capcom’s survival horror franchise, is out now on the Switch 2. It tells an intimate tale that takes us right back to where it all started: Raccoon City. Joining us on the journey, of course, is series veteran Leon Kennedy, who’s dealing with a deadly infection of his very own.

Last week, we sat down to speak with Nick Apostolides, who, after his excellent portrayals as Leon in Resident Evil 2 and 4, returns as everybody’s favourite loveable agent. We discuss his approach to playing a much older Leon, how it feels for the character to finally wield his own chainsaw, and more.

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Nintendo Life: How does it feel to be back in the shoes of Leon Kennedy for Resident Evil Requiem?

Nick Apostolides: It’s one of the greatest feelings ever in my life. This has only happened a handful of times. This moment right before, it’s kind of like waiting for Christmas morning to come as a kid. And it’s very exciting because in my life, this is a very beloved franchise and I get to collaborate on it. I mean, how cool is that?

And we’re coming back. This version of Leon’s going to be really interesting. And this game right now is getting a lot of love, a lot of hype, a lot of attention. And I think it’s going to be a killer this year.

How different was it performing for a brand-new title instead of a remake? Was there any heightened pressure?

I felt a lot of pressure with this one. And that’s because it was the first time I’d portrayed this guy where I really wasn’t sure of the direction we wanted to take him when we started the project.

With my past projects, they were remakes, and so the source material was already there, we were updating it. This is totally new, it was uncharted territory. And we were even figuring out what we wanted Leon to be like during production.

He went through changes, his arc went through changes, and so just kind of going with the flow and really adhering to the canon that already existed about this guy between Resident Evil 4 in the lore, which was about 2005, to now in every mission that he’s been on. Just taking into consideration everything that he’s seen, everything that has happened to him, and then baking that into this version of what we see. And that’s what we were focused on.

The game’s director, Koshi Nakanishi, mentioned during a showcase that the team attempted to build a true survival horror starring Leon before pivoting to dual protagonists. Were you brought on board after this?

Well, I don’t know at what point that was the plan. I don’t know what month, what year. All I can say is that we started filming around February 2024, and at that point, the story was roughly where it is today.

As a fan I’ve been aware of Leon’s PTSD for so many years. And this is the first time that I really got to lay into it and just let that come through and wear my heart on my sleeve.

You’ve played Leon at three very distinct moments in his life. What was your approach in portraying an aged version of the character plagued by guilt in Requiem?

I was very familiar with the tone of the past two games. And because we were all finding it this time around the tone, I really just had to think about subtle differences and changes I could implement in my portrayal. I took his age into consideration, the toll all of his career has taken on him, his psyche, his body.

And also, more importantly — I would say most importantly — the weight and the gravity of returning to Raccoon City where it all began. And that had to take a toll, and that had to register in my eyes. That was the most important focus.

As a fan I’ve been aware of Leon’s PTSD for so many years. And this is the first time that I really got to lay into it and just let that come through and wear my heart on my sleeve. It was dark. You know, I had to do a lot of mental prep for a lot of those sessions, a lot of those scenes, putting yourself in a dark place. That’s my method as an actor. And in ways it was therapeutic, cathartic, and also heavy and difficult and challenging.

Speaking of Raccoon City, how did it feel going back to where it all began for you?

I’ll tell you right now, the first time when we sat down at the roundtable and we were given a PowerPoint about the broad strokes of this game and the plot, where we were going, the set pieces, when they told me that we’re going back to Raccoon City to revisit the past and actually step foot into the RPD station, I got goosebumps. I literally got goosebumps. I was like, we’re going back. And they just kind of winked, yep, we’re going back.

That is the reaction that I had as a fan. And then as the actor, the professional, you’re like, “Okay, we have to go back to Raccoon City. How are we going to do this?” Yeah, it’s been a journey. I got goosebumps when it was revealed in the very last trailer that was shown. And I’m just extremely excited to play this.

And how liberating was it to see Leon finally wield his own chainsaw?

Very cool. I got to play a very, very early section of a build about a year and a half ago. And that’s when I learned that, yes, you can pick up a chainsaw and use it. And it was fun.

I think I literally said “My turn!”, and I cut up some zombies and I knew this was going to be wild. It’s going to be crazy.

I hope that we see more missions with Grace.

I’d like to talk about Angela Sant’Albano, who plays Grace Ashcroft in the game. How was it working with Angela?

Angela is just amazing. She’s a highly trained actress. I think she’s going to get a lot of attention from this game. Her role was demanding. She delivered every single day, every single take. I don’t think she’s going to have a bad moment in the game. And I think the character as a whole is going to be beloved.

I hope that we see more missions with Grace. And I think Capcom is always trying to tee up new protagonists, new antagonists, and just keep moving the franchise forward. And so I hope Angela returns one day. I think she’s going to be a great character, a great addition to the series.

As a newcomer to the series, did you give her any tips or background on the lore?

I don’t think it’s important that people know the specifics about a franchise other than if we were in a scene together and there was something that was very important to know about how something might affect Leon in his past. That was the most important thing for me.

But other than that, she’s a professional. She’s an incredible performer. I gave her advice that I would maybe give myself all these years back. I said, “Trust yourself. Trust your acting instincts. Just play the reality of it all. Be truthful and know that the team will take your performance and implement it in the best way possible.”

And I think just giving each other support every single day, because those days were physical, they were long, they were hard. Just being there, just being a human to talk to, vent to if we needed to. I think that was the most important part.

There’s been some debate amongst fans as to how relevant the original cast of characters are after all these years, mainly because they’ve grown so efficient at dealing with threats. Capcom seems to have struck a good balance in Requiem with dual protagonists. Do you think this is the future of the series?

I really don’t know what their plan is moving forward. But I would put money on the fact that they’re always going to be trying new things and pioneering new game styles. And they never stop taking risks. In the past, they just kept on changing it up. And they’re not afraid to have a gamble with a AAA title when there’s a lot riding on the line, even financially, and they just try weird things.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was a giant risk. There were none of our favourite protagonists. It was first-person, slowing down the action, and a lot of people were worried about that. That game was fantastic, and a lot of people think it revived the series, and it kind of course-corrected where Capcom was going with Resident Evil, but that’s because they tried something different. They went back to the beginning with modernised graphics and storytelling and game mechanics, and I think when I play this, I think I’m going to thoroughly enjoy it. And let’s see what they do in the future.

There’s consistently a lot of talk about more potential remakes from Capcom. Hypothetically, if a remake of Resident Evil 6 cropped up in the future, would you want to be a part of it?

If they asked me, I would be honoured.

Which classic RE characters would you like to see team up with Leon in a future entry?

I have a quick answer for that one: Sheva Alomar from Resident Evil 5. She’s an incredible protagonist, underrated, and only utilised, I think, one time. She’s great.

Finally, you also starred in a recent Resident Evil x Porsche commercial for the game. Did you actually get to drive it?

I didn’t get to drive that model because it’s a functioning car, but it’s still very much a model – it’s not street legal. I got to drive many of the cars that it was based on, which is the Porsche Cayenne GT Turbo. And I’ll just say that that vehicle is, whew, that’s a performance beast. We got to rip that around the track in Leipzig, Germany, at the test track at Porsche. And that’s where we filmed part of the promo. Yeah, but not the real model. I got to sit in it, though.

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A huge thanks to Nick for taking the time to speak with us. Resident Evil Requiem is out now for the Switch 2.

The Pokémon Company revealed the first details for Pokopia‘s debut limited-time in-game event earlier today. The ‘More Spores for Hoppip’ event officially kicks off on 9th March and runs until the 24th, but if you picked up your copy today and want to get involved early, you can now do exactly that.

Yes, as spotted by some early Pokopia players on Reddit, and verified by us here at Nintendo Life, you can leap straight into the limited-time event by changing your system date to any day in the event period (we used both 10th and 11th March). It’s obviously unclear whether such a time jump will work once the event is over — turning your system back a couple of days, in that instance — but those really keen to get in early… can do it!

To be clear, to take part in the event, you’ll need to have at least rebuilt a Pokémon Center in your town, so you can’t time skip right from the jump.

Whether you change your system date or wait a few days until the event officially gets underway, you’ll meet Hoppip outside the Pokémon Center, kickstarting the chance to collect special cotton spores used to craft picnic furniture. This will also open up the opportunity to befriend Skiploom and Jumpluff, too, all of which can only be encountered during this event.

“Pokémon Pokopia is the freshest Pokémon experience in a long time,” we said in our review, “bursting at the seams with charm and content that rewards both curiosity and creativity”. Let’s hope in-game events like this one can keep that charm coming.

Will you be checking out Pokopia’s first in-game event early, or are you waiting until 9th March? Let us know in the comments.

Capcom released not one or two, but three Resident Evil games for the Switch 2 last month, and if you haven’t already got them, don’t forget you can still get the limited-time Generation Pack from the eShop.

This includes the new game Resident Evil Requiem along with the Gold Editions of Resident Evil 7 Biohazard and Resident Evil Village. Instead of paying $159.97 / £144.97 in total for all three titles, you can currently get the triple bundle for $89.99 / £84.99 (or your regional equivalent).

Just remember, the sale of this triple threat bundle ends this month on 31st March 2026, so get it while you can! Of course, each game will still be available to purchase individually on the eShop. The standalone eShop price for Requiem is $69.99 / £64.99, Village is $49.99 / £44.99 and Resident Evil 7 is $39.99 / £34.99.

If you still can’t decide whether or not to try out these games on the Switch 2, be sure to check out all of our reviews here on Nintendo Life. We gave Resident Evil Requiem and Resident Evil 7 nine out of 10 stars, and the Gold Edition of Village got seven stars.

Will you be taking up this offer? Let us know in the comments.

The relaxing and cosy life simulation game Pokémon Pokopia is now available on the Switch 2, and to celebrate the launch, there’ll be a “limited-time” in-game event taking place next week.

This is apparently just the beginning of these special events. The first one is called “More Spores for Hoppip” and will start on 9th March 2026 and runs until 24th March 2026. It allows you to befriend Hoppip and collect special cotton spores, which you can then exchange for picnic-themed furniture items.

If you create a habitat with these items, you’ll then be able to befriend Skiploom and Jumpluff! The official announcement also notes how these Pokémon can’t be encountered outside of this event. And you can only access this event in towns with a rebuilt Pokémon Center, and it’s not available on Cloud Islands.

As a reminder, you can also get an in-game Ditto rug to decorate a house. This rug is available via the internet Mystery Gift menu until 31st January 2027.

In some other Pokémon Pokopia news, four waves of Switch Online icons have been announced this week. The first wave is available now, and each icon will set you back 10 Platinum Points each. To find out more about Pokémon Pokopia for the Switch 2, be sure to check out our review here on Nintendo Life.

Will you be participating in this event? Let us know in the comments.

The studios behind the upcoming release Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse have made a name for themselves with releases such as Dead Cells and The Rogue Prince of Persia, but this new title based on Konami’s famous IP won’t be the same type of game.

Speaking to The Verge, Konami’s head of communications for the Americas has reiterated this game is a “2D action-exploration” title, further stating it’s “not a roguelike or roguelite game”. Here’s the full exchange:

Confirmed: the new Castlevania game isn’t a roguelike.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, set to launch this year, is being made by Konami and two studios behind the roguelike Dead Cells, Evil Empire and Motion Twin. Given the history of those two studios, I asked Konami if Belmont’s Curse was a roguelike, and the answer is that it’s not.

“Castlevania Belmont’s Curse is a 2D Action-Exploration game where players can freely explore vast, elaborately crafted maps,” Tommy Williams, Konami’s Head of Communications for the Americas, tells The Verge. “It is not a roguelike or roguelite game.”

So, despite the history of Evil Empire and Motion Twin, don’t expect Belmont’s Curse to play exactly like their previous game releases when it eventually arrives on the Switch and multiple other platforms later this year.

You can find out more about Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse in our previous story here on Nintendo Life. Konami has also announced this game is just the beginning of Castlevania’s revival for its 40th anniversary, with more news on the way.

What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comments.

The Kirby Air Riders amiibo line will be expanding, with Nintendo officially revealing two more figures today.

This includes Sword Kirby & Dragoon and Noir Dedede & Hydra. A release date hasn’t been shared for these amiibo yet. When we find out more, we’ll let you know. For now, here’s a look:

A release date for Dedede & Tank Star has also been locked in. It will be arriving on 2nd July 2026. Ahead of this, Meta Knight & Devil Star is out this week, and there’s a special in-game event starting today “Strike Back with Devil Star”, which will run until 10th March 2026.

In some other Kirby Air Riders news this week, Nintendo released the game’s Switch 2 soundtrack on its Nintendo Music mobile application. It also shared a new interview featuring the game’s composers.

This brings the Kirby Air Riders amiibo count to seven figures in total. Have you got any of these Kirby themed amiibo yet? Let us know in the comments.

Ubisoft has finally acknowledged the terminally leaked remake/remaster of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, appropriately subtitled ‘Resynced‘.

In a franchise update, Head of Content Jean Guesdon provided news on projects Hexe and Invictus, the former being a proper narrative driven mainline entry in the series, and the latter a PvP title from the For Honor team at Ubisoft Montreal. It sounds like Hexe is still quite a way off, with the team looking to “be quiet for a while longer”.

It’s also been confirmed that support for Assassin’s Creed Shadow will begin to wind down, with the team promising smaller and less frequent updates. Not a huge surprise at this stage, and it’s nice to see Ubisoft continually improving upon what is already an excellent game.

Most importantly, however, Guesdon provided an official tease for Black Flag Resynced, posting some official concept art for the title along with the following message:

Speculation around Assassin’s Creed is not new, but it’s worth repeating: “Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.” Well, except in this case, some whispers have a little more wind in their sails. Keep your spyglass on the horizon.

Of course, it’s not a given that Resynced will even come to the Switch 2, but given that Ubisoft managed to get Shadows running so well on Nintendo’s platform, we’ve got our fingers crossed for a cheeky little release.

Well, there you go! Are you excited to see more from this project? Share your thoughts with a comment.

Nintendo, as is customary after a major games showcase, has released a handy infographic containing every Switch 1 & 2 game featured in the latest Indie World.

Granted, it’s not quite as packed as some of the full-fat Directs we’ve seen in the past, but at 15 minutes in length (or 25 minutes if you’re in Japan), we weren’t expecting an avalanche of games anyway. What was shown, however, is incredibly intriguing and we’re really keen to see more in the coming weeks and months.

Take Denshattack!, for example. We’ve had our fingers crossed that this would be confirmed for the Switch 2, and it’s finally happened. It looks like the kind of game you’d stumble across on a PS2 demo disc, which is quite fortuitous since there’s a free demo available right now on the eShop. Give it a go!

We’ve also got Blue Prince, of course, which launched shortly after the presentation, along with two more shadow-drops in the form of Rotwood and MiniShoot’ Adventures. We’re also especially keen to see more on Blighted from Drinkbox Studios – that team just doesn’t miss, y’know?

Anyway, here’s a look at the full line-up:

Which game(s) from the latest Indie World do you have your eye on? Let us know with a comment down in the usual place.

Ever since Pokémon Legends: Z-A came out last year, a thought has been brewing that I haven’t been able to shake. It was amplified as I watched the EUIC battles in February, and then cropped up again as I sat, mouth agape, at the Winds and Waves trailer. After 30 years, is it time to reset the Pokédex?

Now, put those pitchforks away. I’m not trying to present either side of the argument as ‘correct’ here — I remember the fallout after the announcement that you wouldn’t be able to catch Pikachu in Black and White — but catching ’em all has never been as magical as it was in early generations, and one way to rectify that might be by sending ol’ Charizard off to the farm.

But let’s go back to where this thought all began. Naturally, I wasn’t expecting to catch any new Pokémon in Legends: Z-A with its lineup of returning faces, but as I gradually unlocked more of Lumiose’s Wild Zones and encountered more creatures, I noticed a pattern emerging: I was assembling almost the exact same team that I’ve been using for the past 10 years.

It’s an age-old formula that I’m sure will be familiar to everyone who’s a Pokémon fan but still isn’t brave enough to use passive moves. We have the fully evolved starter, likely levels above everyone else on the team; the early-game bird, equally over-levelled (let’s admit it, it’s usually Pidgeot); and whatever Legendary can be picked up in the late game.

The remaining three spots are pulled from a pool of probably ~10 Pokémon, depending on which type I’m lacking after the starter and Legendary picks — Jolteon, Gyarados, Dragonite, Gardevoir, Lucario, Gengar…you get the picture.

This is the same team structure that I’ve used since around Gen VI, and it works. But it does mean that I have started to play Pokémon games differently. In Legends: Z-A, wild encounters became a tick sheet, drafting a team based on what I knew would work rather than any of the adventure and experimentation I felt back in the day.

It was a similar process with Scarlet and Violet, where my team draft would pass over the 107 newbies for the 393 returning ‘mon instead. And after all of those familiar faces we saw in the Winds and Waves reveal trailer, I fear it’s going to happen again in Gen X.

I noticed a pattern emerging: I was assembling almost the exact same team that I’ve been using for the past 10 years.

The competitive scene is a different kettle of Magikarp, obviously, one completely defined by the current meta and what the rest of the competition is falling back on, but team picks have grown stale over there, too. I’ve seen so many Incineroars, Flutter Manes, Urshifus, Raging Bolts, and Rillabooms by this point that it’d feel useless trying to compete with anything but the old favourites.

It’s too late for WinWav (as I’m sure nobody will be calling it), of course, but is it time we got a Pokémon game that wiped the slate clean, and gave us only new creatures to catch?

The pros feel immediately obvious to me. With no pre-existing knowledge of a generation’s highlights, every encounter would feel like something new, hopefully recapturing some of that sweet sense of adventure we all experienced with our first Pokémon games. It would also encourage experimentation, giving all critters a chance to shine as we worked out their strengths and weaknesses. Heck, throw a new type or two in there for good measure; that’ll really shake things up.

It’s not a plan without its pitfalls, mind you. Familiarity is one of Pokémon’s defining traits, and that extends to the Pokédex, too. People want to know what’s around the corner, they want to be able to catch a Pikachu, and there’s something nice about seeing a familiar face and going, “I know you! You’re really powerful!” Dropping the pre-existing 1,025-strong National Dex means that wouldn’t be possible. And without its mascots, is Pokémon really Pokémon?

Perhaps Black & White’s approach is the ultimate middle ground, then. The idea of giving us only the Unova Pokédex for the main game and saving the National expansion for a post-game treat felt wild 15 years ago (15 years ago today in Europe, in fact — happy birthday, Gen V!), but is this exactly the kind of encouragement we need to take the games’ new ‘mon seriously? There’s no way I would have given my now-beloved Axew evolution line the time of day if I had been able to pick up a Dratini before it.

But what do you think? Is it time the Pokémon moved on from its National Pokédex and gave us something brand new, or do you think the old favourites should stay? You can let us know in the following poll.

Which option got your vote? Is it time for Pikachu to retire? Let us know in the comments.

Though it seems Capcom only recently remembered that they can make a new Mega Man game, there was once a time where the Blue Bomber was so prevalent that many fans were suffering from some series burnout. In the span of about five years, we were getting hosed with new entries in the Classic, X, ZX, and Battle Network series, and the Mega Man Star Force series came into the picture in the middle of this period.

Now that all but that last one have received successful Legacy Collections on modern platforms, it was only a matter of time before Capcom would give Geo Stelar another shot at the spotlight after what many saw as a truncated and early finish to his adventures.

Mega Man Star Force: Legacy Collection gives these beloved DS games exactly the polish that they need, falling right in line with the other previous Mega Man collections in offering you a ‘vanilla+’ experience in which you can play through some timeless games with a few modern enhancements and adjustments if you’d like to use them.

I was a huge fan of the Mega Man Battle Network games back in the day, but admittedly never got into Star Force other than a brief dabble with the third game on my DSi, and it’s been rather interesting giving the games a deeper look now for this revisit.

After six games, Capcom capitalised on the opportunity to shake up the Battle Network formula a bit with a new cast and slightly modified gameplay, but I’m not yet sure if I’d say that Star Force is the Mega Man X to Battle Network’s Mega Man.

There are some awesome ideas on display, but in some ways it feels like the development team was still struggling to figure out how to make the gameplay feel both innovative and approachable after six Battle Network games paved a strong trail.

Even so, there’s something about the mixture of heartfelt shonen story themes, snappy card-based battling, and exploration of this futuristic world that feels cosy, charming, and engaging in a distinct way that few other RPGs have captured before or since. I think comparing Star Force to its predecessor will always lead to some clear discrepancies, but viewed on its own, there’s a lot to love about this series and it deserves to be celebrated for its many successes.

While I’ll have a full assessment of the included games’ quality coming your way in due course, I think it’s worth mentioning some of the nice quality-of-life features included in the remaster. Capcom has gone beyond offering just a simple ‘easy mode’ modifier and gives you granular control with sliders that can alter things like encounter rates, damage output, zenny acquisition, and even run speed.

The first two games were a little janky in some regards, so being able to do things like dialing down the infamously high encounter rate in Star Force 2 goes a long way in smoothing over some of those rougher edges.

Throw in a brand-new online battle suite and a whole host of gallery and museum content, and you’ve got a package that has the potential to be the definitive way to play through the Star Force saga. The devs seem to have gone above and beyond a quick and dirty ROM dump job with this collection and I’m excited to see the renewed debates this remaster will inevitably ignite about the place the Star Force series deserves in the greater Mega Man canon. It’s good to have the Blue Bomber back!

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Mega Man Star Force: Legacy Collection launches on Switch on 27th March. Look out for our review nearer the time, and let us know below if you’re excited for this one.