All of Nintendo’s Switch 2 exclusives in 2025, ranked
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
All things considered, Nintendo Switch 2 has had a fairly strong start for its first six months on the market. While we’re still missing heavy hitters like new entries in the Animal Crossing and Super Smash Bros. franchises (and they could be years away), we’ve received several high-profile exclusives over the course of the past few months. Now that Kirby Air Riders has been out for a while, we can finally rank them all based on quality. That being said, just about all of Nintendo’s Switch 2 exclusives this year are hits, with only a few small exceptions.
As a heads-up, we’re only including fully exclusive games here, which means you won’t see Metroid Prime 4: Beyond or Pokemon Legends: Z-A (since they were developed for the original Nintendo Switch). They’re both great too, though!
[Let’s Talk] Metroid Prime 4: Beyond impressions
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
This was a pretty huge week in the Nintendo world as Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finally released following years of anticipation. Now that the game has finally arrived, we want to know how you’re feeling about the game if you’ve started it up.
Many of you likely know about the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond journey. After it was announced in 2017 with a different studio in charge, Nintendo scrapped the entire project and rebooted the game with Retro Studios – the series’ original developer – taking over. That announcement took place at the start of 2019. Years went by, but now fans can finally see how the final product turned out.
So if you’re playing Metroid Prime 4, what are your thoughts so far? Let us know in the comments below.
More: highlight, Metroid Prime 4, Retro Studios, top
Octopath Traveler 0 review for Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Jeremy in Reviews, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
System: Switch 2
Release date: December 4, 2025
Developer: Square Enix, DOKIDOKI GROOVE WORKS
Publisher: Square Enix
The original Octopath Traveler was a milestone game, not only as the first major exclusive JRPG for Nintendo Switch, but also for the genre as a whole. It simultaneously reinvigorated a love in turn-based combat for many lapsed RPG fans, while also creating a visual style that has not only been wildly successful for Square Enix, but for imitators across other major studios and indie publishers. Octopath Traveler spawned not only a sequel title, but other games using the HD-2D style, including – critically for today’s discussion – Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent.
More: highlight, Octopath Traveler 0, Square Enix, top
Marvel Cosmic Invasion review for Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch
Posted on 3 weeks ago by Richard in Reviews, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
System: Switch 2 / Switch
Release date: December 1, 2025
Developer: Tribute Games
Publisher: Dotemu
Dotemu and Tribute Games have assembled once again to deliver a brand new beat ’em up, this time around delivering a unique Marvel super heroes beat ’em up game that takes you from the streets of NYC to Asgard and beyond. With the two sides hot off the heels of their well received 2022 title TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, many fans including myself were very excited to see what they could cook up with the vast Marvel library to pull from. The gameplay in TMNT was widely praised for how smooth the movesets for each character was and how good the control felt, which is key for a beat ’em up game. With a strong IP like Marvel to create a story around, what did the team come up with?
More: DotEmu, highlight, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, top, Tribute Games
The best custom Kirby Air Riders machines we’ve seen so far
Posted on 4 weeks ago by Ethan in Features, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Kirby Air Riders is out now on Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s got the best vehicle customization out of any racing game Nintendo has ever published. One of the game’s key features is that you can connect to the Machine Market and use your in-game currency to buy custom designs for each machine. Unfortunately, all of the popular ones are really expensive – the more people buy them, the more expensive they become. So we scoured the new section for awesome-looking Air Ride machines that aren’t anywhere near as expensive as the more popular ones just yet. That also means we aren’t including any of those crazy Chef Kawasaki designs here. Sorry!
More: Bandai Namco, highlight, Kirby Air Riders, top
[Let’s Talk] What’s on your 2025 holiday gaming wishlist?
Posted on 4 weeks ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments
Especially with Thanksgiving in the United States this week along with Black Friday, we’re really getting into the holiday spirit. Before you know it, we’ll also be seeing major events like Christmas and New Year’s.
Gift giving is always prominent around this time. With that in mind, is there anything on your wishlist as far as gaming goes? If there a specific game you’re hoping to pick up? Or perhaps if you haven’t landed a Nintendo Switch 2, perhaps you’re hoping to be given the system for the holidays? Let us know in the comments.
Highlights from last week’s topic: Kirby Air Riders impressions
The best Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Season 3 Ranked Battles
Posted on 4 weeks ago by Ethan in Guides, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
A while back, we wrote a guide on the best Pokemon to use in ranked battles online in Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s second season. Garchomp, Xerneas, and Metagross were all centralizing threats, but now Pokemon has thrown a wrench into the metagame by allowing Zygarde in Season 3’s ranked battles. Theoretically, that means you’ll be seeing a whole lot of Zygarde in high-ranked matches. So if you want to win in Season 3 ranked, a Zygarde counter is an absolute necessity – and while all of Zygarde’s counters crumple in the face of its Complete Form, they can cause it a great deal of trouble before it transforms. There are spoilers afoot in the full guide, so keep that in mind before you continue. On that note, entering ranked battles in general will also spoil you on the same thing, so keep that in mind as well.
More: Game Freak, highlight, Pokemon Legends Z-A, top
Kirby Air Riders review for Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 1 month ago by Nicholas Serpa in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments
System: Switch 2
Release date: November 20, 2025
Developer: Bandai Namco / Sora
Publisher: Nintendo
Kirby is a versatile little fellow – outside of his core 2D (and as of late, 3D) platforming adventures, Nintendo’s most rotund character has starred in a battle royale, puzzle games, fighters, and more. His big 2003 debut into the racing genre, Kirby Air Ride, now receives a sequel over twenty years later that feels more like an expanded remake at times, revisiting the original concept but expanding and improving upon it at seemingly every turn. It’s also wholly unlike most other racing games, and its diversity of game modes, breakneck pace and Super Smash Bros-esque flair make it feel more like a party game at times. While not all the pieces of Kirby Air Riders are equally compelling, and I’m not sure the game will have the staying power for me personally that I had hoped, I was certainly never bored while playing—and often, the adrenaline from the game’s more intense moments had me on the edge of my seat.
More: Bandai Namco, highlight, Kirby Air Riders, top
SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide review for Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 1 month ago by Richard in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments
System: Switch 2
Release date: November 18, 2025
Developer: Purple Lamp
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Are ya ready kids? Everyone’s favorite absorbent and porous fry cook is back in a new 3D platforming adventure. With Battle for Bikini Bottom and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Game both considered cult classics of the GameCube era of gaming, and this style of SpongeBob game making a return through developer Purple Lamp’s remake of Battle for Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated, and wholly original title The Cosmic Shake, I was very excited to see what was to come next. I thoroughly enjoyed the Rehydrated return to platforming for SpongeBob, but I was a little more mixed on The Cosmic Shake, which felt to me like it had too much back-tracking in its design and only having SpongeBob be playable felt like an odd decision at the time. However, it was a very ambitious game and a strong base to build off for the next entry and before you can stop on your right foot (don’t forget it!) and bring it around town, THQ Nordic has already cooked up a new original game with a supernatural twist. The story?
More: highlight, Purple Lamp, THQ Nordic, top
Every Pokemon generation gimmick ranked, from Z-Moves to Mega Evolution
Posted on 1 month ago by Ethan in 3DS, Features, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Since the release of Pokemon X and Y in 2013, new games in the series have had a battle “gimmick” of some sort to keep things fresh. It all started with Mega Evolution in X and Y, which was then expanded upon in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Then we got Z-Moves in Pokemon Sun and Moon, followed by Dynamax and Gigantamax in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Then we’ve got Terastallization in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and that’s where we’re at right now. We’re almost certain to see another new gimmick introduced in the tenth generation of Pokemon, which is getting closer and closer by the day given that Scarlet and Violet released three years ago already. So today, we’re taking a look at all of these battle gimmicks and ranking them from best to least best. None of the gimmicks are outright terrible – they’re all inspired and thematically appropriate for their regions, but some are certainly better than others.
