Nintendo Insider's Scores
- Games
For 929 reviews, this publication has graded:
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53% higher than the average critic
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8% same as the average critic
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39% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.6 points higher than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 75
| Highest review score: | Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest review score: | Woodle Tree Adventures Deluxe |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 542 out of 929
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Mixed: 345 out of 929
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Negative: 42 out of 929
934
game
reviews
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- By Critic Score
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- Critic Score
Don’t. That is, don’t take a second look at this game – don’t even briefly consider it.- Nintendo Insider
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The few games even available aren’t faithfully recreated, are mostly on the dull side, and feature remix styles that will mostly make you want to puke.- Nintendo Insider
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Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition may very well gain a few new fans based solely on its narrative. Unfortunately, the tedious ordeal of having to traipse around the planet for half a dozen hours like a clumsy jelly baby just doesn’t make the plot strong enough to be worth the hassle. While it may not sound like it, I do appreciate the hard work and effort it takes to independently craft an environment of such scale. However, it really doesn’t excuse the fact that this is an incredibly poorly made game, regardless of how interesting its premise may be.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Sep 11, 2018
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Playing alone, Nippon Marathon is a one-note joke, stretched too thin and without enough artifice to challenge or grip a player, but as a party game it works just about well enough to amuse those who can look past its various rough edges, have money enough to spare for frivolous purchases and enjoy a silly, wonky mess from time to time.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Jul 18, 2019
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Hello Neighbor could be fun, within the right parameters. The neighbour would hold a lot more terror if his actions carried any weight. The puzzling aspect of switches, hidden doors and traps would be more enjoyable were they staged within an inspiring world or using interesting concepts. But the game fails on all of these points, not holding attention, not really projecting any fear beyond the first few encounters, and the world feels as flat as the polygons used to build it.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Aug 14, 2018
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The end result is that Fimbul is a soulless experience that never amounts to much more than something that will forever represent the developer’s unrealized vision. Throwing the unpredictable bugs, glitches, and wayward problems that are present on Nintendo Switch into consideration, it’s hard to not come to the conclusion that you’d be better off simply leaving it to someone else to prevent Ragnarök from happening.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Mar 13, 2019
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Ultimately Mecho Tales is derivative, borrowing tried and tested ideas rather than coming up with anything that ever surprises or astounds. It fails to leave a lasting impression to result in another forgettable platformer that is unable to compete with far more memorable and groundbreaking games in the genre that are available on the Nintendo eShop.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Aug 13, 2018
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The characters available in different colour palettes are appealing and I’m sure add a lot if playing with another person, but this brings me to the biggest issue that plagues DragoDino; the loading times. When they did load, the levels themselves offered little to no joy, at all, despite the cute protagonists, DragoDino is shallow and sadly cannot live up to the visual style.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted May 4, 2018
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On the bright side, Nickelodeon Kart Racers is the kind of game you can buy for a nephew that you can’t stand. Just think. On the surface, his parents will give you brownie points for such an appealing looking gift. The nephew, on the other hand, will know full well that you have completely screwed him over. Furthermore, you can shamelessly watch in glee as he gets chastised for being an ungrateful and spoilt little brat after complaining about such a generous present. A win, win situation if you ask me, and well worth your money.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Oct 25, 2018
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Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a substandard remaster of a game that quite frankly didn’t need it in the first place. The disappointing level design, frustrating boss battles and shallow party games are a sore reminder of just how much this series has fallen since the glory days of the GameCube pair. I want the series back just as much as any fan, but not like this.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Nov 11, 2019
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The Game of Life 2 is a fairly faithful adaption of the original board game – complete with a few minor tweaks – and is an okay distraction for a few rounds. However, minimal variety, content and a general lacking feel of excitement leave The Game of Life 2 far behind other board game offerings on Nintendo Switch right now.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Jun 7, 2021
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Struggling is one of the more frustrating games I’ve played on the Switch to the point where it felt more like an endurance challenge than anything else. Small victories are marred by countless failures and coupling that with a co-op mode than only serves to aggravate more and a visual style that is at times unappealing and others just plain gross makes for an end result that makes it a struggle to keep playing.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Sep 10, 2020
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DYING: Reborn had the potential to be a decent game. Nevertheless, with its lack of real horror elements, bad translation issues and nowhere near enough good puzzles, all of the things you would want, it is hard to recommend. To stand out from the crowd on the Nintendo eShop nowadays, you have to do something different or something special. DYING: Reborn does neither. There are much, much better options out there.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Mar 20, 2019
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Those patiently waiting on a decent realistic racer on Switch, unfortunately, won’t find that in Gear.Club Unlimited 2. Its decent selection of cars, solid customization and lengthy campaign are crippled thanks to the game’s sluggish and uninspired racing, sketchy performance and horrendous load times that pop up far too frequently. The Switch may be sorely lagging in the racing department but it certainly deserves much better than this.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Dec 17, 2018
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It doesn’t work as a video game and it doesn’t work as a movie. While it looks great, the acting leaves a lot to be desired and there just isn’t any involvement for the player as you’re just pressing the A Button a couple of times here and there without ever really having to make choices. It had potential and any future games can certainly learn a lot from this, but my advice is to stay well away unless you’re absolutely desperate for something to do for an hour or two.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Apr 10, 2018
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I could go on, but Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed was another disappointing entry in a series that hasn’t been on a straight path since 2014, following the critically panned ARPG Akiba’s Beat. I was intrigued by the idea of bringing back an overlooked entry in the PSP’s library to modern systems and a new fanbase, but I’d go as far as to say that you’re better off just playing the original or Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed. Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed might be worth sticking through for the experience of feeling like you’re wandering through Akihabara, but the clunky combat, thin plot, and poor performance make this a stripped-down experience. I really hope one day we can get a brand new Akiba’s Trip game that hits all the marks, but at this point, I’m wondering if the developers even want to.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Nov 16, 2021
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If you are a fighting game fan you probably won’t be able to look past the floaty controls, loose game flow, and flimsy mechanics. It’s lacking basic quality of life, and all this stuff adds up. If you’re looking for a solid introduction to fighting games and enjoy anime, you’ll probably at least find some value here. I think there are much better introductory fighting games that offer smoother game flow and better spectacle to the players, and probably for cheaper. Simplified mechanics aren’t inherently a flaw, but I think Phantom Breaker: Omnia makes the fatal mistake of over-simplification. Maybe the Nintendo Switch port is just of subpar quality and the other consoles would have provided a better experience, but that just goes to show that if you do want to play this game you should do so elsewhere.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Mar 15, 2022
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Gear.Club Unlimited 3 offers a solid core racing experience, but it suffers from poor visuals, performance issues, some visual glitches, and a scarcity of content to justify the asking price. It is even harder to recommend Gear.Club Unlimited 3 in a post-GRID Legends: Deluxe Edition world on Nintendo Switch 2. There is potential here, but too many caveats for it to be even close to an easy recommendation.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Feb 19, 2026
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I could see Ripple Island Kyle and Cal’s Restaurant reaching an acceptable level if the developer commits to patching it, but in its current state, I really can’t recommend the game to anyone. Not even the Sunsoft diehards should bother with this.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Jan 5, 2026
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FIFA has so much potential on the Switch, but it seems that this is how it is going to be going forward. FIFA 21 Legacy Edition is still FIFA 19 and while that game is still actually pretty fun, especially online, it is now extremely outdated – and it was outdated two years ago. This game should not be full price.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Nov 2, 2020
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Had the development team put together a point-and-click adventure or platformer set in this world, it would have been much more enjoyable. Because we could focus on a story, we could investigate, see the causes of mutations and inspect why life has been reduced to this ramshackle society. Instead, we’re used to dying in the wastes before being recycled ad infinitum. And what grates the most, is that I wanted to love this game. It has ideas, it has scope, but everything is hidden beneath a smudged ‘CRT’ veneer.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Oct 28, 2019
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As kart racers go, Chocobo GP is bright and colourful but decidedly forgettable all around. The racing feels serviceable but isn’t short of frustrations, tracks busy with visual flare but uninspired in their actual design and the mode selection a mish-mash of forgettable and okay options. Chocobo GP not only fails to bring anything exciting and fresh to the table but even struggles with some of the fundamentals and when compared with the best Switch has to offer in the kart racing department it falls short in just about every way.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Mar 7, 2022
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Needless to say, Castle Of Heart isn’t a good game. Its humdrum platforming mixed with shoddy animations and sluggish controls makes for a rather dopey gaming experience. While the game’s main gimmick of keeping your life afloat does have some potential, it’s never quite implemented well enough to stir up anything new or interesting.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Apr 9, 2018
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The visual style is quirky and the idea spins the tired genre of tower defence on its head – which may or may not be welcome, depending on your mileage in the genre, but there’s very little to be gained from the game. Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder Devastated is little more than a title you’d buy on sale for a couple of pounds, play for five minutes and forget it exists.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Jun 18, 2018
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This is a textbook case of a disappointing remake. Without the context of the original, you’d probably assume Front Mission 2 is a mediocre game. I’m sure the intent of all of the developers wasn’t nefarious, and it’s possible that there was just a brutal time crunch they had to work under that resulted in so many cut corners. The translation is such a massive blemish on this game that I can’t recommend this even being worth your time until it is properly retranslated, and hopefully, by then, you can grab it for a convenient sale. Front Mission 2 deserved better, and I wish I could have properly experienced everything it had to offer.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Apr 5, 2024
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The biggest flaw here is conceptual -- Ping Pals has been rendered nearly useless with the superior PictoChat (as far as the messaging features go, anyway), and the shallow games do nothing to really boost the game.- Nintendo Insider
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To the game’s credit, the constantly progressing storyline and environments do give Around the World in 80 Days some pizzazz, but it can’t completely hide the repetitive, rudimentary gameplay.- Nintendo Insider
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One of the most disappointing and lackluster games on the GameCube today...No matter what type of gamer you are, though, there are many flaws in the game which are inexcusable – the game’s length, lack of challenge (apart from Survival Mode), monotony, and bad graphics and sound.- Nintendo Insider
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The problem simply lies with a decent concept that had no gameplay to it.- Nintendo Insider
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While it attempts to come across as a love letter to classic gaming, all Speed Limit really does is celebrate the poorly impersonated rubbish that nearly collapsed the gaming industry back in the early ’80s.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Mar 1, 2021
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| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
In Progress & Unscored
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While we need a bit more time to test later portions of the game on Nintendo Switch 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one of the better Switch 2 ports so far in the AAA space, retaining the game’s identity and delivering a solid portable experience. It isn’t as good as the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 or even the recent Dynasty Warriors: Origins port, but I like it more than Final Fantasy VII Rebirth based on that demo. Stay tuned for our final score in the near future. [Review in Progress]- Nintendo Insider
- Posted May 12, 2026
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The Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit is nothing less than a cardboard marvel through which Nintendo has delivered an affordable and content-rich introduction to the world of virtual reality. We’re four Nintendo Labo kits in now, and, after the equally brilliant Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 03: Vehicle Kit, the build-and-play concept – which wonderfully blends physical and digital activities – continues to maintain its rubber band-strung stride. That only leaves me wondering about what cardboard contraptions will come next.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Apr 12, 2019
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The Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 03: Vehicle Kit is easily the best all-round experience that I have had so far with Nintendo’s new line of interactive make, play and discover kits. Remarkable to build, fascinating to learn how it all works and, importantly, content rich compared to the last two kits, this could be the start of a cardboard revolution.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Sep 13, 2018
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Ninjala definitely has a lot of problems that it needs to iron out, but that’s the beauty of being free-to-play. It’s definitely worth checking out, but I think the best is yet to come for Ninjala.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Jul 6, 2020
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Slay the Spire is one of those rare gems that I simply cannot put down. I’ve battled way too many monsters to count, I’ve unlocked every unlockable card there is, I’ve discovered all kinds of relics and even toppled the spire numerous times with each character. Yet I still find myself drawn back for one more crack at the mysterious spire eager to see what arrangement the game has in store for me this time. Tense, unpredictable and hugely rewarding Slay the Spire is one of the eShop’s best and a perfect fit for the Switch device.- Nintendo Insider
- Posted Jul 11, 2019
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