Nintendo Insider's Scores

  • Games
For 947 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 53% higher than the average critic
  • 8% same as the average critic
  • 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: 100 Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
Lowest review score: 10 Woodle Tree Adventures Deluxe
Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 42 out of 947
951 game reviews
    • 68 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Rad
    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.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mario Tennis Aces may well feature the best mechanics the series has seen to date, its new Zone manoeuvres and Trick Shots adding an exciting, madcap layer of depth to the sport. While Adventure isn’t the big single player hook I’d have hoped and some options feel a little too stripped down, it’s the game’s multiplayer that will keep this title a firm favourite for months to come. Golf next please Camelot.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    There’s much to applaud about Daemon X Machina. The third-person mech action game delivers an experience unlike any other on Nintendo Switch, thanks to the striking mech designs and red-drenched world merging with combat that can readily thrill in the game’s many large-scale encounters. However, shortcomings such as the convoluted plot and repetition let it down – holding it back from reaching the brilliance that Marvelous nearly achieved.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Make no mistake; Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a good game. With a great variety in themes, inventive bosses, and some really cool small ideas that break up the main gameplay elements. There are just a few things holding it back from being great, such as a massive lack of enemy variation and I do feel that at certain points, the games plays it a little too safe at times. Nevertheless, I had tons of fun playing through and it is an easy recommendation to anybody, as it will appeal to so many different people. Luigi is still my favourite Ghostbuster.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Overland is a truly curious take on the post-apocalyptic genre, its turn-based gameplay turning an otherwise tired setting into something worth your time. You’ll feel vulnerable, desperate, and anxious on your hellish road trip and while that journey might outright frustrate you at times, it’s one you certainly won’t soon forget.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Putting it simply, there is still fun to be had with FIFA 20 Legacy Edition and playing against others online is still a joy. Nevertheless, charging full whack for a game when absolutely no effort went into is out of order. Simply ask yourself this, are new kits and some roster changes worth over £40 to you? If you answered yes, then you have too much money.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    On paper, Contra: Rogue Corps should work, and it should work well. It has extravagant weapons, gaudy finishers, and bombs that can destroy every enemy on screen, but none of them gel together to create greatness. It’s the execution and implementation of all these ideas that hold it back from achieving greatness. Instead, they create mediocrity. Can fun be found in Contra: Rogue Corps? Yes. Will it be enough to justify buying the game at full price? No. I didn’t hate my time with Contra: Rogue Corps, but it isn’t something I feel the need to return to anytime soon, either.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Killer Queen Black is an excellent multiplayer game that’s surprisingly enjoyable online but even better when played with friends. While I wish the local options extended to two full teams on a single system, its absence is only one disappointment in an otherwise fantastically fun game.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    With the Nintendo Switch lacking in war games and good third-person shooters, the Sniper Elite franchise has managed to fill the void with a well-placed bullet. The setting of Sniper Elite 3 Ultimate Edition is engaging, the campaign is varied, the gyro controls are remarkable, and the experience is entertaining. Sniper Elite 3 Ultimate Edition is an excellent Switch game and one that fans of World War 2 shooters will thoroughly enjoy.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Without a doubt, the best way to experience The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition is on a much more powerful system with a top of the range television to match. After all, the game can be found for a much cheaper price on other consoles due to its age. However, that kind of luxury isn’t always practical, and what CD Projekt Red and Saber Interactive have done to make the Nintendo Switch version possible is a stunning achievement in its own right. The premium price tag that marks the game will never feel like it isn’t value for money. That is, assuming the genre is of taste to the player plunging in on the purchase.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    I really liked how Valfaris has turned out. Its old school roots of arcade run-and-gun feel nurtured and cared for in a way that freshens the genre up with some great ideas, a balanced difficulty curve, wonderful level design, tight controls and a wide variety of enemies to plow through. It never tries to be anything more than it needs to be, including the time it takes to beat it. It’s the developer’s second chance at a first impression that deserves to make as much noise as the pluck shredding the strings of the electric guitar that used to compose the game’s soundtrack. With a promised Full Metal Mode in the works to ramp up the challenge, I can really see myself venturing back into the intergalactic undergrowth of the dangerous planet known as Valfaris.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    There was always going to be the worry that Untitled Goose Game would be a case of all hype without the delivery. Fortunately what we got is a unique, charming and often amusing experience that’s only dampened by some frustratingly tough puzzles and occasionally clumsy controls. It’s far from perfect, sure, but it’s certainly a game I’ll remember with a smile on my face. Honk!
    • 58 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    It’s possible for Polygod to be a genuinely fun experience, but the stars must align, and patience must be given. Everything here is interesting and appealing, from the visuals which are bold and sharp, to the base roguelike underneath the gloss. But it comes with a but and a lot of maybes.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Overly familiar in many ways but not without a splash or two of its own inventive ideas. Sure, some are more successful than others but in the end, you’re left with a challenging and reliably entertaining platformer and a great extension of the Yooka-Laylee brand.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Nintendo Switch may not be riddled with racing simulators, but GRID Autosport has set the benchmark. It caters so well for someone like me who’s a casual racer at best, and it doesn’t take a genius to see how its interface and design has been engineered for petrolhead veterans craving a challenge. It may lack multiplayer out of the gate and be half a decade old at this point, but it’s still a solid racer nonetheless that’s a worthy addition to the hybrid convenience of the Nintendo Switch.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    In spite of its repetition, Castle Crashers Remastered is an enjoyable and mindless romp that’s best experienced with four players. While it might not hold up as well against my initial 2008 playthrough there’s enough content and fun still to be had that made revisiting Castle Crashers a nostalgic journey worth taking.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Ori and Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch and is a must-own. It’s an exceptional Metroidvania that successfully blends elements of the platforming genre to create an experience unlike any other. With beautiful visuals, an imaginative setting, flawless gameplay, charming characters, powerful soundtrack, and an emotional narrative, Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is one of the best games in the Nintendo Switch software library.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I had my ups and downs with Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. It is an amazing looking game with a brilliant soundtrack to back it up. It has an engaging and touching story and a cast of genuinely likeable and fun characters. The only real downside is the combat. While it is fun and new, to begin with, it slowly starts to lose its appeal the more battles you get into to, to the point where it ends up feeling more like a chore.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Nintendo Switch is already like a portable ’90s arcade of nostalgia. So, what better way to top it off than have a whole library of Star Wars-themed pinball tables to match. Now all we need are some tables dedicated to some of Nintendo’s finest. In this day and age, surely it has to happen at some point!
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It’s probably one of the best looking indie games of the year, accompanied by incredibly effective notes of religious horror. More importantly, minus a few small gripes, it’s still a very enjoyable game to play through. Definitely one to sink into when the clocks go back in time for the dawn of All Hallows Eve.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is just as magical as it ever was, and, in being remade, has lost none of the charm that made the original so special in the first place. Grezzo must take the credit for that, delivering an exceptional remake that’s both a perfect entry point for those new to the series and a worthwhile nostalgic trip for those that have set out on this adventure before.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Creature in the Well is a strange invention but one that ends up being much more than just a curious mixup of genres. It’s a mysterious journey through a weirdly beautiful mechanical world, the pinball-esque hook constantly driving you forward as you explore deeper. It’s an enjoyable venture sprinkled with moments of frustration, confusion, and repetition but that doesn’t stop it being any less engaging and a true one of a kind experience for Switch.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Most of Turok 2: Seeds of Evil’s problems simply lie with the passage of time. If you are willing to overlook some of those issues, such as the outdated visuals and level design, what you will find is a fun and thrilling trip down memory lane to one of the Nintendo 64’s best first-person shooters. The lack of multiplayer, while not essential, hurts the overall package.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    God Eater 3 isn’t a substitute for the lack of Monster Hunter on the Nintendo Switch. It is its own thing and should be treated as such. God Eater 3 has an interesting world to explore and the post-apocalyptic setting suits the tone of the game well. The fast-paced and intense combat is fun but is best enjoyed in shorts bursts.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Friday The 13th: The Game Ultimate Slasher Edition for the Nintendo Switch is the online experience the platform has desperately needed. It’s engaging, it’s addicting, it’s everchanging and it is unlike anything else on the system. Overcoming the odds and escaping Jason is a thrilling chase that will get your adrenaline racing. You never know what is going to happen in Friday The 13th: The Game Ultimate Slasher Edition and that is what makes it so appealing. No two games are identical. It’s a killer game and, if given the chance, one that will slay your free time.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Never Give Up doesn’t have much to offer that you haven’t already seen before from the genre and any attempt it does try at separating itself from the herd, unfortunately, make the experience worse rather than better. From its dated sense of humor and ho-hum art style to its uninspired premise of repeating slowly evolving levels Never Give Up is a tough recommendation especially when there are far better examples already out there that won’t leave you rolling your eyes with embarrassment.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If you’re like me and cherish the bygone times of risking that last coin to gain distance, or adore the memories of pummelling thugs with an explosion of 2D sprites complete with ’90s coin-op sound, then you really can’t go wrong with The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors. It’s a prime example of what Capcom should have done with Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers and should be referenced by anyone else trying to resurrect their own past passion project. Even the small touch of adding multiplayer to the game for the first time expands the fun factor and attention to detail that the SNES version probably wasn’t technically capable of. It’s good to see the Taito logo back on gaming systems. It’s even better to see a rehash of a remake done right.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Devolver Digital delivers once again with Hotline Miami Collection. Ferociously violent and superbly engaging, the original still holds up as one of the best indie titles out there and, despite its frustrations, Wrong Number proves a good time too. As far as surprise Nintendo eShop release, chalk this up as another winner.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Modern Combat Blackout isn’t a bad game, but it isn’t particularly impressive, either. It is a substitute for Call of Duty? No. Is it a fun, budget first-person shooter for Switch? Yes. Modern Combat Blackout delivers an entertaining first-person shooter at an affordable price. The bite-sized missions and short burst game design works well and achieves what it sets out to do. It won’t win any awards or be remembered as one of the Switch’s best first-person shooters, but for those looking for a cheap shooter, Modern Combat Blackout is ready for duty.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Astral Chain is yet another addition to the Nintendo Switch library that will be fondly remembered for decades to come. Its yin-yang of chaos and carnage, fused with the calmer subtleties of investigation and exploration makes returning back to the action that little bit more special every time.

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