Nintendo Insider's Scores

  • Games
For 926 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 0.5 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 926
930 game reviews
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    If you don’t happen to be a billy no mates, then Super Rocket Shootout is a buzz to play in small bursts. It’s the sort of game you will itch to stick on for 10 minutes when you have enough friends over to fill the slots. It may be light on single player content, but it’s a game that’s simple enough to get to grips with, fun enough to have a laugh with, and cheap enough to buy for these sort of occasions. Just remember to beat the Story Mode first. Overwise you will be very limited on your gameplay options.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    With plenty of hours worth of content, tons of dialogue, heaps of crude humour, and a progressively solid battle system, South Park: The Fractured But Whole is certainly a must for fans of the series, both old and new.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I guess Ninja Striker! is a platform game, with rhythm mechanics. It could also be a title that just requires you hit the attack button at certain points to breeze through levels before reaching the real fun in the boss fight. If you don’t care about scores or stars, the game loses so much appeal, because the ‘story’ is non-existent. This will appeal to perfectionists and maybe speedrunners who want to showcase skills, but it left me wanting so much more.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    I feel like I’m misleading readers by using the word game or play because really, this is closer to a visual novel or a comic book in motion. I created bonds with those on the screen, I laughed, I gasped in shock and I missed the sense of the game when I wasn’t within the world. Burly Men at Sea is very much a folktale exploration of the world and relationships that surround us.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It isn’t the complete package version of Football Manager, no, but it is the version that best suits the Switch. Touch screen controls mixed with the good use of the Joy-Con and on the go playability make it a winner. It may go unnoticed but being able to play for 5-10 minutes at a time to continue to progress through a season is a godsend.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    I, Zombie is a decent if short distraction that offers you the chance to play as a zombie and get your own back on the trigger-happy human race. Its gameplay may be overly simplistic but it’s fun enough to keep you engaged to the end. Unlike a zombie, this game is no rotting mess but it could certainly be a little fresher.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut is ridiculous fun, but more so if you’re a fan of the old school horror films it imitates. Nothing here is taken seriously, except for the puzzles themselves which are often fiendishly difficult, but always fair. As a package, it manages to evoke an odd nostalgia on top of genuine laughs, a wealth of unlockables and head-scratching puzzles. There’s a killer soundtrack to boot, which fits nicely into the background of each movie, punctuated by outlandish cartoon sound effects. This is bite-size puzzle gaming at its finest.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Rogue Aces is an excellent little game that works incredibly well however way you play it. The quick, convenient menu system ensures you snap right back into the action for some sweet on the go gaming. I would love to see a split-screen multiplayer added at some point as it’s clearly begging for it, but as a solid, satisfying solo-focused shooter that’s only 123MB in size, it is a Nintendo Switch necessity that will barely make a dent in your storage.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Word Search by POWGI isn’t going to that’s blow you away with its ingenuity nor is it a particularly exciting experience. Instead, it’s 300 plus word search puzzles with a four-player element thrown in for good measure. It’s an easy way to pass the time sure, but one that’s also devoid of any real substance. Exactly what you expect it to be, no more, no less.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The visuals are sumptuous and eye-popping with colour. The design of the worlds and characters could have played into the tropes we’ve seen a thousand times before, but each feels wonderfully original. This accompanies a gentle and subtle soundtrack that perfectly fits the overall style and package. This is definitely a game worth exploring.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Bethesda Pinball collection is a decent addition the Pinball FX3 library. Sure, the DOOM table trounces over the other two with a BFG 9000, but that doesn’t mean that they’re disappointing by any means. Each one really does emphasise the game that it is based on, while the sound and visuals to all three are top notch. It’s just that the DOOM one looks, sounds and plays so well, it’s easy to ignore the others as a result.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    BINGO for Nintendo Switch is tedious, repetitive and just plain dull. None of the four available games offer anything close to fun, the constant focus on searching for numbers wearing out its welcome quickly. Bottom line, there are so many great ways to spend your time on the Switch and BINGO isn’t one of them.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    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.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The developer may have too much enthusiasm for throwing you into combat and could have done with exploring ways to lend a change of pace – that more often than not comes in the puzzles that momentarily boggle your mind. But, when you have a steadfast legion of Guardians at your command, it’s hard not to marvel at the thrill of it all in the thick of battle, and how the many systems that are at play are masterfully woven together.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The addition of Co-op is a great idea – though I didn’t have as much time with the mode as I would have liked. Several characters can be unlocked and each brings something fresh to the game and once the story mode is finished there’s still so much to do. Bleed 2 is simple, unadulterated fun.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    So much more could have been done with the hero to open up multiple playthroughs, even something as simple as allowing different classes of hero. The mechanics are there in the enemies after all. The idea is very good, but the execution is sloppy. Most of my time with Devious Dungeon saw me walking through levels destroying everything in sight for coins, then buying the next best gear I could get, before grinding through the next batch of levels.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If you want to experience a bit of gaming history, then this little title may very well be up your ladder. It plays great on the TV and its quick fix gameplay works perfectly for a handheld. Sure, it may not tickle the taste buds of those seeking complexity, but with a great building mechanic and tons of levels to play through, there’s plenty here to keep you occupied under a tight budget.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Last Day Of June is a short but satisfying tale that uses the Groundhog Day formula to immerse you in a touching and thoughtful way. While it doesn’t shy away from very serious real-world situations, it also doesn’t tastelessly sink you too deep into its dark depressive undertones either. It has a clever approach, especially considering the choice of medium that it uses, which is all so beautifully and carefully constructed to tell you its story.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    A highly recommended game if you grew up with point-and-click adventures of yesteryear and whilst it won’t be for everyone, even if you’ve never experienced one of those types of games before you can do a lot worse than choosing this one as your first.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    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.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Clever levels, obstacles and enemies, all polished with visual splendour and pumping music, ATOMIK: RunGunJumpGun is designed to a tee. And if you’re after every Atomix, it’s a hefty challenge that’ll take you some time. You will feel physically and mentally exhausted, but you will not stop playing. We promise you this – your pulse will be raised.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Clustertruck is a simple idea but a really entertaining one. What it lacks in depth or missing features, it makes up for in sheer laughter – every attempted run a mash-up of drunkenly driven trucks, unexpected situations and death-defying risks. Snappy, exciting and sometimes frustrating, Clustertruck is a welcome addition to the eShop library and has me eager to see what publisher TinyBuild has in store for Switch owners next.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If you’re the type that allows yourself to become lost in the sense of adventure, then you really can’t go wrong with World to the West. There is some laborious puzzle design that leads to inconsistent pacing, but such moments never derail the experience enough – leaving you to become lost in the world’s charm, the witty repartee between its characters, and the story that it wants to tell.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    I have to say, a game like Hollow has so much potential and it could have been one the best horror games on the Nintendo Switch had some basic aspects had been right, such as the movement and combat. But what it ends up being is a game that doesn’t have many redeeming features or qualities. It’s too slow and lethargic, the display is a little off-putting after a while and it doesn’t run well playing in Handheld mode, which is a major feature of the Switch.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Spiral Splatter is your typical smartphone port – visually simple, light on content and lacking some features in the move to Switch. While the core idea works, everything else about the game feels uninspired resulting in an experience that’s fine for an hour or two but likely forgotten the moment you move onto greener pastures.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Shadow Bug is a decent, but short little game to kill some spare time with. While I didn’t find it a particularly difficult to play through, the extra challenges in place can raise the bar a little bit higher. Besides the fun but temperamental Joy-Con pointing feature, it is a game best suited to the touch screen in Handheld mode.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    On the whole, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is a stylish and fun 2D platformer that fits as well, if not better, than it does on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Some of the backtracking may be a bit tedious for some and the save system in particular is less than desirable. These are only small criticisms in the grand scheme of things though because Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse as a whole is an absolute joy to play.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    His lightning-quick powers of deduction and obsession with gulping down coffee blends from High Hat Café aside, the greatest praise that I can throw at Detective Pikachu is how it always felt like you were really working alongside the electric mouse. And, as we cracked our last case, I can only hope that this is only the start of our adventures together.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Where The Fall had suspense and relentless urgency, The Fall Part 2: Unbound has none. It still has a compelling story to tell, in choosing to delve into Arid’s internal conflict in being free from the rules and boundaries that once constrained her. But, it’s the flaws that have been carried over from the first chapter that detract from the experience, and prevent you from becoming more captivated by the game’s world.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The genre may be getting a little crowded on Switch but Swim Out ranks higher than most.

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