Nintendo Life's Scores

  • Games
For 5,862 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 45% higher than the average critic
  • 18% same as the average critic
  • 37% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 8 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 67
Highest review score: 100 Horace
Lowest review score: 10 Lawnmower Game: Racing
Score distribution:
5870 game reviews
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    With only two dozen levels to complete, a more experienced gamer might breeze through Awesome Pea 2 with relative ease. Those after a meatier experience – or perhaps one that contains a storyline – may want to look elsewhere, but otherwise, this is a decent way to spend an evening during the quieter summer months.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    It's another means by which you can teach your child the alphabet, and it's presented in a way that seems to be quite understandable.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    How much you enjoy it is bound to be determined by how tolerant you are of stuttering framerates and awkward design choices, but with these kinks ironed out, Arctic Escape would have been a universal recommendation.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Arc Rise Fantasia does pretty much everything you'd expect a Japanese RPG to do - problem is, it doesn't do much beyond that.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Bomb Monkey's nothing truly explosive, but it's certainly no dud. It's a charming addition to the eShop, but with just a few tweaks it could have been much more satisfying.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    If you're going to try an Electroplankton title at all, you may want to go for this one first.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Human Fall Flat recognises a simple truth - People falling down is hilarious, and when they're seemingly impervious to damage that's just an added guilt-free bonus. Playing as a wobbly, awkward avatar takes a lot of getting used to, and perhaps you never really get used to it at all, but the game leaves each level wide open to a variety of solutions to suit your own personal style.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Marvel Maximum Collection does what it sets out to do well, and its bringing together of titles from various developers is what makes it so interesting. With all the console variations, the library on offer is large, and the emulation quality feels tactile and fairly accurate (although diehard enthusiasts will probably find something to gripe about). It must be noted, though, that there are no truly 'great' games here, and the quality of offerings ranges from 'good fun' and 'worth sticking with' to 'not much fun', 'frustrating', and 'rather poor'. It’s an admirable attempt to combine some of the more prominent retro Marvel titles into a nostalgia package, and Konami’s arcade game is the icing on the cake. Just keep in mind that nostalgia, and not an assembling of gaming’s finest, is what’s driving this thing.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    It doesn’t take long to get an encompassing look at what Woah Dave has to offer, and while it does what it does in a commendable fashion, it’s not redefining the genre or reinventing the wheel — and that’s absolutely okay.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    It's a different style of gameplay with very different protagonists and antagonists than gamers are used to. This is really what we need to see more of on the Wii though, and despite the flaws it's definitely worth checking out if you want to try something new.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The game is accessible, imaginative and of a decent length, though the graphics aren't anything to write home about and the atmosphere could have been helped by better or more plentiful aural effects, outside-of-riddle object animations and detailed textures.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Much like Onimusha: Warlords before it, Devil May Cry preserves all the things that made it great in 2001, while systematically crystallising all of its faults. It’s a shame it wasn’t given the remake treatment gifted to Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero – or even have some form of ‘remastering’ to optimise it for Nintendo Switch – but for fans of the series who hold fond memories of slaying demons and attaining that elusive ‘S’ rank, you can now enjoy Dante’s inaugural adventure in handheld form.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Crystal Defenders R2 features a bit more challenge and just feels a little meatier overall than the first release. If you enjoyed Crystal Defenders R1, you'll likely enjoy this second title as it's basically more of the same, just with a little more of an edge to it.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Tanuki Justice is typically ‘retro’ in terms of its overall presentation. The colourful, pixel-heavy visuals pay homage to NES titles (although the art design often screams Sonic), and the soundtrack features some catchy, albeit rather repetitive tunes. There are a couple of annoying quirks typical of some 8-bit games, like the inability to jump down through a platform, and items disappearing after just a few short seconds. Otherwise, if you’re after a fun little run ‘n’ gun platformer reminiscent of early Mega Man titles, this might just be the one for you.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Fall is probably not your best choice, but if you're looking for a more cerebral change of pace you should check this one out.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    White Night does serve up some scares and a few twists along the way, however, there’s nothing particularly different about what this title has to offer over only a handful of hours, even with consideration of the black and white film noir aesthetics including the special mechanics built around it. Despite its eagerness to run with clichés, it at least sticks with its style through to the end and does everything competently enough to make it a satisfactory experience for anyone looking for a colourless curio.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    We’re delighted that this game has made it to the West. And although performance and graphics aren't up to scratch, and the translation is a bit wonky in places, Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid still is very much a playable and enjoyable experience. The game teaches some genuinely valuable lessons and makes you think about life and how we must live it to its fullest. It’s a game that shouldn’t be rushed through, and the 25-45 minutes it takes to get through each day lends itself perfectly to the Switch. This game isn’t for everyone — it's slow in many places and may test your patience — but if what you’re looking for is a relaxing experience with lots of freedom and activities at your disposal, then we’re sure you’ll have a great summer with this one.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ritual: Crown of Horns is a challenging yet hugely rewarding western-horror themed action game which will go down well with veterans of the ‘horde’ genre. The difficulty bar may be set a tad too high for casual play, and some people will never get used to the mechanics, but everybody else will have a gun-slinging blast with this one.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    If you’re a fan of Batman and don’t mind the style of Telltale’s episodic point-and-click games this title is worth checking out. Despite its underwhelming technical performance and watered-down visuals, it’s a gritty and violent story that captures Gotham City in a similar way to other modern stories about Batman. Else, if you’re not really a fan of Bruce Wayne and his after hour activities, maybe hold out until another episodic Telltale game based on a different series is released.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Stakes Winner is a horse worth riding. By doing away with the more complex aspects of horse racing simulation games, it delivers instant arcade excitement for one or two virtual jockey and their virtual steeds. Very easy to pick up, but not so easy to master, its refreshing uniqueness might just surprise and convert you to this niche type of game. So feel free to look at this gift horse in the mouth, you might just find yourself a surprisingly brilliant new/old favourite. Giddy up!
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Various factors accumulate to take the shine off Resident Evil 0 in comparison to the original game, but the Switch version showcases it at its best, and even though it doesn’t reach the heights of 1 or 2, it provides a shot of old-school Resident Evil for those who like that sort of thing. It looks great on Switch and the ability to play on-the-go helps alleviate some of the frustrations inherent to its old-fashioned systems. Overall, it’s very much more of the same, but if that’s what you’re after, Resident Evil 0 ticks the requisite boxes nicely.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Gap may suffer from some overly basic puzzle design and visual ticks, but this is ultimately an enjoyably mysterious narrative that's still worth the few hours it takes to see through. Its launch price feels a bit high for what’s on offer here, but we’d suggest scooping this one up the first time it goes on sale.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Chubbins is a deceptively difficult old-school platformer that's all about managing your angles and learning to bounce at just the right moment.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    2nd Squad takes some things away from the first Shock Troopers, but adds some elements of its own. The result is a game that’s either better or worse, depending on your own personal taste. Regardless of that, both games are underrated shooters that are packed with action, and instead of choosing between them, fans of old-school run ‘n’ gun games should really consider adding both to their Switch library.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    It’s quite a challenging game from the get-go, so anyone seeking a more relaxed experience would do better to look elsewhere, but Space Crew makes for a solid follow up to its predecessor. Though it retains Bomber Crew's flawed control scheme, it ultimately proves to be quite enjoyable, bringing some in-depth spaceship management to the table.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory is an entertaining game with a good presentation and the new lane system gives a slightly different feel to fights (mainly used for short-term evasion) that works well. There's been a reduction in characters, but there's a good range leading to plenty of enjoyable fights. The Real Bout games that followed would build on this however, so although Fatal Fury 3 is a competent enough fighter, it's not a must download title.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    It’s a great modernisation of a classic and a stress-free way to feel the thrill of Wonder Boy and get to the final boss. However, if the time trialling and One Coin mode don’t appeal to you, then it will be a little brief.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Battle Cats POP! is an odd game, but there's no denying its fun factor. If you dream of leading an adorably violent cat army (who doesn't?), and enjoy strategy games this is definitely worth your time. Although the unnecessary energy bar is a bit of an annoyance, there is more than enough good content here to outweigh the bad.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    In a strange twist for a series that you would expect to be built around drawing in new consumers, Just Dance 2018 feels like a perfect match for those who already love the games and are really serious about their dancing, yet does nothing to draw in newcomers. In some ways, this year’s edition feels like it is almost a ‘greatest hits’ for its hardcore fans – the one entry that you’ll always fall back to just to play through the best stuff. Yet with such a hefty cost needed to access all of the game’s content, only the most serious will get true enjoyment here.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    You're getting a big set of tough crosswords in this package – almost eighteen months' worth of Telegraph crosswords are crammed into a DSiWare download, and all for less than the price of a week's papers.

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