Category: Nintendo

Manual override.

Bar a few exceptions, the days of opening your boxed copy of a new game and eagerly flipping through the instruction booklet are behind us. But it looks like Nintendo isn’t ready to give up on the nostalgia just yet, as it has released a printable ‘databook’ for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, that just makes our hearts sing (thanks for the heads up, @ninpatentswatch).

The booklet is only available on the Japanese Nintendo website at the time of writing — with all of the text in Japanese, natch — but it scratches such a retro itch for us that we’re amazed the big N doesn’t do something similar for all its releases.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Premium experience at an affordable price.

Cosmox Gaming offers up a lot of arcade controllers, including the modular Hautepad X at a more premium price and the remarkably affordable Hautepad C16.

Now, the company has launched the M-Ultra Gen2, an aluminium-built leverless that sits somewhere in-between the two. If the C-16 is primarily aimed at beginners and the X is for the more hardcore enthusiasts, then the M-Ultra Gen2 is, theoretically, for everybody. It’s quite possibly Cosmox’s best controller yet.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Vroom for four, and 120fps mode to boot!

3Goo, which has previously published the likes of Gear.Club series and WRC Generations on Nintendo consoles, has announced a brand new multiplayer grand-prix racer.

4PGP: Four-Player Grand Prix, which releases on 5th February 2026, has a phenomenally straight-forward moniker, and we reckon that suits its aims as a no-nonsense 90s-style racer just fine, as the keyword here is “simplicity” in being able to pick up and play, with easy to grasp controls.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

“AI adoption can face strong resistance in creative areas”.

While rivals such as Electronic Arts and Ubisoft have jumped into the world of Generative AI development with both feet, not every company in the games industry is willing to throw caution to the wind.

During a Q&A session following its recent Q2 financial results, Sega‘s top brass addressed the use of AI when it comes to making games (thanks, VGC) and how it will help tackle the increasing costs of development.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

The Switch 2 Edition will follow in early 2026.

Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP players can look forward to a free update in “mid-December” which will see the release of the fan-designed “Cutie Zombie Hunter” costume for Juliet.

This costume won a special costume design contest and will be followed by additional winning designs from the same competition in future updates. You can see the other submissions on the game’s official campaign page. And here’s a look at the winning design:

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Now including Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

It’s not every day there’s a new Metroid release, and after an 18-year wait since the last major entry in the Prime series, the fourth adventure is finally here.

To mark this occasion, Metacritic has now rounded up every Metroid game in its database to share a look at each title’s metascore (based on the aggregate score of critic reviews). This includes not only the Prime games but also the spin-offs, Samus’ 2D outings, and the re-releases.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

“Happy gaming!”.

Many Switch games have been receiving compatibility updates for the Switch 2, and following an update to one of Square Enix’s games earlier this week, it seems the indie developer Brace Yourself Games has now rolled out a fix for Crypt of the NecroDancer.

If you’ve been experiencing any crashes when playing this rhythm-based Switch game on the Switch 2, the good news is that a patch has now been rolled out to fix this issue.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

And it’s all on the cartridge, too.

DMM Games, Tookyo Games and Spike Chunsoft are releasing a physical version of SHUTEN ORDER on both Switch 1 and Switch 2 in Spring 2026, the companies have announced.

Both the Switch 1 and Nintendo Switch 2 Edition will be getting a physical in the US courtesy of PM Studios, with Reef Entertainment’s European release sticking with just the Switch 2 version.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

In the dock.

While the Switch and Switch 2 are portable systems that come with their own built-in screens, I’ve often been drawn to pairing Nintendo’s hybrid consoles with portable monitors when I’m on the road and away from my TV.

One of my favourite choices for the original Switch is the Espresso V2, a premium 1080p screen which doesn’t even need the dock – you can connect the console via a USB-C cable and power the screen using another USB-C-based power brick.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Kart in the right place.

The latest Japanese charts are in from Famitsu, and while we really thought Kirby fever would grip the nation for a little while longer, Mario had other plans.

Yes, despite Kirby Air Riders smashing the competition last week, this time, Mario Kart World has drifted back into first place, with an additional ~50,000 units to its name. Air Riders follows in second with a little over 46,000 weekly units, but damn, there really is no stopping Mario, huh?

Read the full article on nintendolife.com