[Let’s Talk] Donkey Kong Bananza impressions
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Donkey Kong Bananza was one of the biggest announcements for Nintendo Switch 2 when the console saw its full reveal earlier this year, and this week, it finally launched. With that in mind, we want to know how you’re feeling about it so far if you’ve picked the game up.
Are you playing through Donkey Kong Bananza right now? If so, what are your initial thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
What we want to see from the next big Zelda game on Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 1 month ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were huge landmarks for the franchise on Nintendo Switch, and they were also the beginning of a new philosophy. In previous Zelda titles, the intended routes through the games were fairly linear (speedrun tricks and glitches aside). Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword all clearly intended you to do their dungeons in a planned order, and by the time Skyward Sword released, some fans began to want less linearity in their Zelda games and more freedom. Indeed, when Breath of the Wild released in 2017 for Wii U and Nintendo Switch, that request was answered – from that point on, the entire Zelda series has shifted to a new idea: let the player do whatever they want, in any order they want. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both have five main “dungeons” (if you count Divine Beasts as dungeons), and for the most part you can tackle them in any order. In fact, you don’t even have to do them – you can skip right ahead to the final boss if you think you’re up for the challenge.
The point here is, now the pendulum has shifted the other way. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were universally acclaimed and sold excellently, but some fans now think that the emphasis on freedom and lack of direction makes the games feel too empty and pointless. This begs an interesting question: with that in mind, what could we see out of the next big Zelda title on Nintendo Switch 2 in a few years? Will the developers listen to the admittedly vocal minority of complaints, or will they double down on their current philosophy and make the next big title free and open-roaming, too? It’s impossible to know for sure, but today we’re talking about freedom versus linearity and some things we’d like to see out of the next big Zelda game.
More: highlight, The Legend of Zelda, top
Patapon 1 + 2 Replay review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 1 month ago by Edan in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: July 22, 2025
Developer: Sas Co / Pyramid / Japan Studio
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Of all the franchises I expected to see on Switch this year, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Patapon wasn’t one of them. Part rhythm game, part imposing strategy micro-management sim, Patapon is the endearing outcome of a chance encounter between Japanese developer Hiroyuki Kotani and the personal website of French artist Rolito. This fairytale serendipity resulted in Japan Studio, Rolito, and Pyramid developing the original Patapon exclusively for Sony’s PSP in 2007, with a sequel arriving for the same machine just one year later. Now almost twenty years later, Bandai Namco lives up to its apparent reputation as everyone’s best mate by taking the PlayStation exclusive multiplatform. Can someone explain our current timeline to me, please?
More: Bandai Namco, highlight, Patapon 1 + 2 Replay, top
Misc. A Tiny Tale review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 1 month ago by Jeremy in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: July 22, 2025
Developer: Tinyware Games
Publisher: Tinyware Games
If ever there was a game that had intense trailer appeal, Misc, A Tiny Tale is it. Cute, miniature robots living happy-go-lucky lives in the ruins of human society? Check. Cozy item hunting to help out your robot pals? Check. A snarky, plastic cat that’s somehow obsessed with food. Check plus. The game practically sells itself. I took the plunge into this adorable world to see if the game lives up the hype.
More: highlight, Misc. A Tiny Tale, Tinyware Games, top
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 review for Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 1 month ago by Edan in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments
System: Switch 2 (also on Switch)
Release date: June 5, 2025
Developer: Iron Galaxy Studio
Publisher: Activision
We’re right at the beginning of the review, but forgive me – I have to take a quick detour. In order to give Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 a fair shake, it’s important to briefly eulogize that which came before. In 2020, developer Vicarious Visions lovingly reimagined the first two Tony Hawk Pro Skater titles, punctuating years of community demand and anticipation in the process. Blending the aesthetics and structure of the original games with the flow and feel of the series’ later entries, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was a glistening oasis for parched Pro Skater zealots (like me), and it effortlessly washed away the rancid aftertaste left by the chaotically inept Pro Skater 5. The studio’s remake heralded a new beginning for the series – one we all felt would kickflip the franchise back into life. A sequel was expected, but it didn’t happen – at least not initially. After years of the same false starts and dashed hopes that preceded its release, we’ve finally been given reprieve courtesy of developer Iron Galaxy. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is part sequel, part remake, and has the mammoth task of building on what came before, by rebuilding what came next.
Nintendo Switch 2’s GameChat feature isn’t so bad
Posted on 1 month ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
For the longest time, fans wondered what that unknown “C” button would do on Nintendo Switch 2. After months of speculation, it turned out to be for GameChat, which is the system’s 2’s headlining social feature. GameChat lets you connect with up to twelve users at the same time, and up to four players can share their screens together all at once. At first, players were unimpressed with GameChat’s poor frame rate – indeed, in the final version of the service, screen share feeds run rather poorly. Many have since written off GameChat, and that’s understandable to an extent. You can always just use something like Discord for voice chat instead. But that doesn’t mean GameChat is useless, in our opinion – we’ve spent several hours with it and actually feel like it’s a solid addition to the Nintendo Switch 2’s lineup of features.
[Let’s Talk] Which Level-5 Nintendo Switch / Switch 2 game are you most looking forward to?
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
After a few rough years, Level-5 might finally be back on track. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time launched a couple of months ago and has been a smash hit.
At a few points, things felt a bit dire for Level-5. Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road went through multiple year-long delays and overall output slowed to a crawl. But now Fantasy Life i could just be the start of Level-5’s comeback tour. The company has a few games in the pipeline. Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, Decapolice, Inazuma Eleven Re, and Holy Horror Mansion are in development and are planned for Nintendo Switch / Switch 2. Some are closer than others, and while there have been plenty of concerns about Level-5, there are signs of life.
Out of Level-5’s upcoming slate, which game are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments.
Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition interview – Aspyr on bringing back the classic RPG, Nintendo Switch 2, more
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Interviews, Switch | 0 comments
Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition will be launching on Nintendo Switch very soon, but ahead of the release, we caught up with Aspyr to talk about the return of the classic game. Producer manager Jordon Reese fielded a few questions from us.
Neverwinter Nights 2 is Obsidian Entertainment’s classic game that first launched in 2006. Now the RPG is making a comeback, and with some new features to boot.
Our full Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition interview is available below.
Skull & Co NeoGrip review for Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 1 month ago by Ethan in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments
We’ve got another Nintendo Switch 2 accessory review for you — this time, it’s for the Skull & Co NeoGrip.
A little while back, we published a review for the StandGrip, which is another Switch 2 grip from Skull & Co. That one is definitely the most comfortable in our opinion, but the NeoGrip offers a different range of features for those who prefer other options. For one, the NeoGrip is much lighter, and it’s easier to slide off and on. It keeps the kickstand accessible, unlike the StandGrip, which brings a bit more functionality in case you’re looking for that. Most importantly, however, the NeoGrip is dock-friendly, which means you can keep it attached to the console even in docked mode. That’s an important feature for some players, so if that counts for you too, we definitely recommend considering this grip.
Mario Kart World items tier list – every single item ranked
Posted on 1 month ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Mario Kart World introduced plenty of new items to the series, and now it’s got more unique items than any other game in the franchise. Not all of them are winners, though, and after almost 100 hours playing the game we’ve decided to rank every single one in a tier list. We’ve also added explanations on why each item is in its respective tier.
