Nintendo needs to bring back this budget-friendly franchise
Posted on 3 months ago by Ethan in 3DS eShop, Features, General Nintendo | 0 comments
In many ways, the Switch era marked a new beginning for several of Nintendo’s publishing partners. Nowadays, Intelligent Systems pretty much does three things: Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare, and little else. And it makes sense – these are all big sellers. It’s actually been ten years since Intelligent Systems has worked on any other IP, which also means it’s been ten years since we’ve received a new Pushmo game.
When you talk about dormant Nintendo franchises, you usually bring up something like Wario Land, Kid Icarus, Punch-Out, or Star Fox. Pushmo doesn’t often enter the conversation, and perhaps this is because it received many titles over the course of the Nintendo 3DS’ life. The franchise has unfortunately been completely silent on Nintendo Switch, and there aren’t any signs that it will ever come back.
All of Pokemon’s DLC ranked, from best to worst
Posted on 3 months ago by Ethan in Features, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Believe it or not, things used to be much worse from Pokemon fans. You’d buy a copy of Pokemon Diamond or Pearl, only for Platinum to come out at full price later on. Not only did you have to spend $40 all over again, but you had to play the entire game over again. That warrants the incredibly tedious process of trading over all your Pokemon, one-by-one. And while many of the third version titles are the definitive versions of their respective regions – Emerald, Platinum, and Black 2 and White 2 – it never feels good having to restart your adventure from scratch. Thankfully, it seems this trend is just about over and done with. Since 2019, Pokemon has opted to develop and release DLC for its main series titles instead. With this system, you can continue your adventure in a new sub-region without having to start over. And today, we’re ranking every single Pokemon DLC to see which one comes out on top.
[Let’s Talk] Your favorite Nintendo Switch 2 / Switch announcement this week
Posted on 3 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Last week’s Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase delivered a bunch of news for Switch 2 and Switch, but only a few days later, we’ve gotten another round of announcements. That’s because Sony hosted a new PlayStation State of Play. During and after the show, third-parties released trailers confirming that a number of these new games are bound for Nintendo platforms.
There were quite a few heavy hitters announced for the first time, focusing on returning franchises. The lineup includes Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition (which you can play right now), Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2, Legacy of Kain: Ascendance and Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered, and Brigandine Abyss.
Out of the revealed titles, which one is your favorite? Which games do you have your eyes on? Let us know in the comments below.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership has one of Mario’s best villains, and here’s why
Posted on 3 months ago by Ethan in Features, Switch | 0 comments
I’ve talked a lot about Mario & Luigi: Brothership here, and today, we’re continuing that trend with a write-up on one of its best characters. By now, we all know the game suffers from a dire flaw in the form of its horrendously slow pacing, and for me personally, that’s going to prevent me from going back to the game in the future. That’s on top of the fact that its technical performance is severely lacking on the original Nintendo Switch, which becomes especially prevalent during the endgame.
From the way I talk about Brothership, you probably get the impression that I don’t like it very much. So then, why am I still talking about it over a year later? For all of its flaws, I feel like Brothership’s ideas and themes come together in a notably cohesive way at the end of the game – and it makes it extremely memorable, even though the rest of the story runs at a snail’s pace. Part of the reason Brothership’s ending remains so memorable is because of its new villain. Major spoilers within, so be warned!
More: Acquire, highlight, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, top
Animal Crossing: New Horizons still has a major flaw, even after the 3.0 update
Posted on 3 months ago by Ethan in Features, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Not too long ago, Nintendo released a fairly large new update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons – the first in almost four years. It adds all sorts of new features, from Splatoon and Zelda items to a brand-new resort hotel to classic games you can play within your town. It also makes some really helpful quality-of-life changes: you can access crafting materials from your storage no matter where on your island you are, and you can craft multiple items all at once. Between these changes and the ability to access your storage anywhere via the storage sheds, it’s so much easier to fully decorate your island now than it was when the game first launched almost six years ago. That being said, Animal Crossing: New Horizons still has one major flaw that may well never be fixed – tool durability.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties review for Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 3 months ago by Richard Ford in Reviews, Switch 2 | 0 comments
System: Switch 2
Release date: February 12, 2026
Developer: RGG Studio
Publisher: SEGA
With Nintendo now a certified home for the Yakuza/Like A Dragon franchise following the releases of Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, Kiwami and Kiwami 2, Switch 2 players get to experience a new adventure in the series day-and-date with other console users for the first time. This is thanks to RGG’s latest remake title Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, a shiny new version of the early PS3 title Yakuza 3 with a brand new campaign added onto the package. Seen as a bit of a black sheep in the franchise for taking a less action-focused story in favor of a slower, more character driven plot, for me personally it is my favorite entry. The reaction to the announcement of this remake was mixed to say the least, but I was super excited to play a cleaner, more polished version of a game I was already fond of. There’s quite a lot to unpack here, so let’s start with the plot.
More: highlight, SEGA, top, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined developer interview: Square Enix on the RPG classic’s return
Posted on 3 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Interviews, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
After it originally released on PlayStation, Dragon Quest 7 came to Nintendo 3DS about a decade ago with a remake. Square Enix has now decided to revisit it once more with a second remake, Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined for Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch, which features its own visual style and makes various gameplay adjustments.
Alongside the launch of Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined, we caught up with producer Takeshi Ichikawa to learn a bit more about the project. Aside from talking about the game itself, Ichikawa spoke about why it’s the right time to bring back the RPG again.
You can find our full discussion below.
More: Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined, highlight, Square Enix, top
Pokemon Presents predictions for Pokemon Day 2026
Posted on 3 months ago by Ethan in Features, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
At the time of writing, an official Pokemon Presents hasn’t been officially announced – but there’s no way it won’t be, right? The Pokemon Company has held a Pokemon Day broadcast every single year for as long as we can remember, and 2026 will be no exception. Be sure to clear your calendar, because the presentation is generally held at around 9 AM EST on February 27 each year. Each broadcast follows a similar format, which makes predicting them fairly straightforward. This year, we fully expect the tenth generation of Pokemon to be revealed for Nintendo Switch 2 – it’s been four years since Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and it seems Pokemon Legends: Z-A is done getting updates and new content now that the Mega Dimension DLC has released. So here are our (very safe) predictions and wishes for Pokemon Day, the Pokemon Presents, and the tenth generation of Pokemon. It’ll be interesting to see how much of this comes true!
More: Game Freak, highlight, Pokemon Day, top
[Let’s Talk] February 2026 Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase reactions
Posted on 3 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
The February 2026 Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase took place this week, delivering the latest news and announcements for Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch. Nintendo itself was absent, so instead the focus was placed on upcoming third-party games.
A ton of titles were shown, but a lot here had been previously announced or released elsewhere. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok, Super Bomberman Collection, Digimon Story: Time Stranger, Turok: Origins, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Fallout 4, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, Tokyo Scramble, and Tales of Arise were among the featured games. You can find a recap of everything shown here.
Are there any games you’re interested in from this week’s Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase? How would you rate the presentation? Let us know in the comments.
Lovish review for Nintendo Switch
Posted on 3 months ago by Ellie Lutes in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments
System: Switch
Release date: February 5, 2026
Developer: Labs Works
Publisher: Dangen Entertainment
If one were to take a classic NES-era dungeon crawler and injected it with the most unhealthy dose of romantic insecurity on the planet, what might occur is Lovish. Now shake it violently like a snow globe until random events fall out and what you end up with is one of the most hilariously absurd romps to grace Nintendo Switch in quite some time.
