Donkey Kong Bananza review for Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 1 month ago by Ethan in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments
System: Switch 2
Release date: July 17, 2025
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
These days, Nintendo doesn’t often release new 3D platformers – but when they do, you know it’s going to be something special. On Switch, Nintendo published Super Mario Odyssey and Kirby and the Forgotten Land as the console’s flagship titles in that category. They were both met with critical acclaim, and now it’s Donkey Kong’s turn to give 3D platforming a go. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen DK in the spotlight like this – his last 3D adventure was Donkey Kong 64, which released over 25 years ago. After playing Donkey Kong Bananza, I wonder how we’ve survived so long without a 3D Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong Bananza is a brilliant masterwork of creativity, freedom, and whimsy – and it’s an absolute must-play for anyone even remotely interested in the genre.
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Atari 50 reveals Namco Legendary Pack DLC
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
More support is happening for Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, and today, brand new Namco Legendary Pack DLC was revealed.
The DLC tells the story of the early partnership between Atari and Namco. It will contain the best-selling Pac-Man for Atari 2600, along with a collection of titles from the Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and Atari 7800, including Galaga, Dig Dug, Xevious, and Galaxian.
Pokemon Presents announced for July 2025 [update: runtime]
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Mobile, News, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
May 28:A new Pokemon Presents is taking place on July 22, 2025, it’s just been announced. Information about specific timing of the presentation will follow later.
The Pokemon Company did not say what will be included in the Pokemon Presents event. However, expect Pokemon Legends: Z-A to be a big focus – the game just received an October release date. We’ll also likely get updates about ongoing titles such as Pokemon Unite and Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket.
More: Pokemon, Pokemon Presents, top
Here’s what we could see from a July 2025 Nintendo Direct
Posted on 1 month ago by Ethan in Features, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Today, we’re going over some potential announcements we could see in a July 2025 Nintendo Direct.
You know the drill by now – it’s that time of the year again. To some extent, Nintendo Direct rumors are always swirling about in one form or another. If we reported on every single “there’s a Direct this week” rumor that comes up, we’d probably be posting multiple times per month. In fact, generally speaking, the only time we report on Nintendo Direct rumors is when NateTheHate (who correctly predicted the Switch 2’s reveal date) mentions that one is coming soon.
If you haven’t heard already, there’s supposedly a Nintendo Direct in development for later this month. The most likely days for this presentation would be July 23, July 24, July 30, or July 31 – but at the time of writing, we don’t know which one it is yet or if the Direct is happening at all. Either way, we’re due for one soon.
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[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.
Nintendo has fixed over 20 games with Switch 2 backwards compatibility issues
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
As work continues on backwards compatibility improvements for Nintendo Switch games on Switch 2, over twenty games have now been fixed.
There are some heavy hitters on the list, including Crypt of the NecroDancer, Harvestella, Portal 2, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, and even Nintendo’s own Endless Ocean Luminous. Previously, these titles had issues on the new console. But after installing the latest system update that went out this week, things should work as intended.
The full list of July 2025 Nintendo Switch 1 games fixed on Switch 2 for backwards compatibility is as follows:
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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
Nintendo currently retaining 98% of its staff, plus other data
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Although the gaming industry has been hit pretty hard by layoffs over the past few years, it seems that in comparison, Nintendo has been relatively immune to similar challenges.
According to the most recent employee data, Nintendo’s turnover rate at its headquarters in Japan comes in at only 1.9% in Japan (it’s not terribly different elsewhere such as 5.1% at Nintendo of America). In other words, the company isn’t seeing a ton of layoffs (or employees deciding to leave on their own). This is based on data between April 2024 and March 2025.
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Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road delayed once again
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Today, Level-5 announced that it’s once again delaying Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road.
The game has been pushed back several different times throughout the years, so the latest development may not come as a surprise. In any case, we’ll now be seeing it on Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch on November 13, 2025. It was most recently planned for August 21.
More: Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, Level-5, 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?
