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
    • 38 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Mainlining fails to really provide any interesting commentary on its chosen subject matter, revelling instead in caricatures we’ve all experienced a hundred times before; stuff you’ll have seen done better in any Grand Theft Auto game that has parody websites involved. Its gameplay too often degenerates into trial-and-error and lacks any sort of consequences for the player getting things wrong, which renders the whole investigative process pretty much pointless. On Switch these problems are married to a control system which is, in short, terrible, and will likely see you reaching for the off switch long before you’ve reached the end of your investigations.
    • 37 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    36 Fragments of Midnight does a lot of things right - a cute protagonist, nice platforming, and an easy to understand objective make it seem like you’re onto a winner. Unfortunately, though, even with its low asking price it is hard to fully recommend a game that can easily be completed in under 15 minutes. It is a shame because there is a lot of promise here; some players may find themselves wanting to keep playing to beat their times but, ultimately, there is only a very small amount of content on offer. Many will have hoped for something more.
    • 37 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    The Wiiware service has certainly had its share of disappointments but Midnight Bowling may top that list. The party mode saves this game from being a complete disaster, and the presentation in terms of graphics and music is as good as you would expect, but a game has to be playable to be fun.
    • 37 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Despite a few fun excursions, the scariest thing about HorrorLand is its overwhelming mediocrity.
    • 37 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    At its inexpensive asking price, there are worse games in the Wii U's growing library of eShop offerings, but understand that you won't be running with Marshmallow Boy for very long.
    • 37 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Fire Emblem Shadows is a turgid mobile game that serves up dull automated battles involving pay-to-win nonsense, timers, and cooldowns. The main selling point of a unique social experiment/turn-based battle hybrid is very weak in its setup, with neither enough players nor time in combat to create any semblance of actual strategy, and the game itself looks and plays poorly on the battlefield. There are a few nice cutscenes for fans who persist, and outfits for the outfits fans. But beyond this, it's thumbs down as far as the eye can see for this failed experiment.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    Somebody, somewhere, thought we needed an answer to the question of ‘Could Santa take Jesus in a fight?’. We didn’t, and we still don’t. With such a wealth of fighting games on Nintendo Switch – and with a port of Mortal Kombat 11 on the horizon – a cheap and poorly executed example such as this simply doesn't make the cut. Even without its questionable choice of characters, you’re much better off spending your money on one of the many other 2D fighters available on Switch.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    It's still largely linear, and the gameplay mostly amounts to simplistic, repetitive beat-em-up combat, boring level design and platforming marred by a somewhat cumbersome jumping mechanic.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 10 Critic Score
    Samurai G is a terrible, horrible, not good very bad excuse for an endless runner. It's satisfied with regurgitating genre ideas and didn't even take the time to think about how to make those ideas work well before charging people actual currency for a flimsy prototype. If there is any running to be done here, it is as far away as possible.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    If you're looking for something within the genre, there are so many better modern and classic options already available on the 3DS.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Twisted Fusion misses its potential. The skeleton of a solid game is here, but it falls short in various regards and is plagued with issues. What fun you might have from searching for secrets and gaining new abilities is completely marred by tedious combat, a shaky camera and movement, a lack of navigational help, and overall boring gameplay. The variety of technical issues suggest that perhaps this game could have used some more time in development.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Whether you’re a monster truck nut or not, you should avoid Monster Jam: Crush It! at all costs. It lacks a lot of polish, has a lackluster presentation, poor controls and no semblance of progression that can in any way be construed as satisfying. It feels like a slapdash attempt at riding the wave of Switch goodwill, but doesn't join the growing list of games on the system that are worth playing.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Hollow is an incredibly ugly game with the kind of plentiful technical issues that make it actively difficult to play. Those with a masochistic streak might derive some pleasure from its abrasiveness and its downbeat tone, but most Switch-owning horror fans would be much better served playing through Resident Evil Revelations and its sequel for the umpteenth time.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    We’re not going to mince words here, Balan Wonderworld is a waste of your time. Monotonous level design, awful performance, and shallow gameplay combine to make for an experience that is simply not fun to play. It may look pretty (when it’s framerate isn’t chugging), but there simply isn’t enough good content here to justify your time or money, and this is doubly true when you take into account that this is a full-priced retail release. If you’re looking for a good 3D platformer for your Switch, this most definitely isn’t it.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Arc of Alchemist is not worth your time. We’ll say it again just in case the people in the back didn’t hear: Arc of Alchemist is not worth your time. The story is barely serviceable, the gameplay is middling and uninspired at its very best, and the graphics often look like they could’ve been pulled from an early 3DS game. That would all be damning enough if it at least ran well, but Arc of Alchemist in fact runs at laughable framerates all the way through. That would be damning enough, but then the developers have the gall to ask you to pony up forty bucks (at time of writing) for this mess. The Switch library is packed to bursting with loads of fantastic RPGs that are each sure to deliver a great experience. This is definitely not one of them. Please, don’t waste your money on Arc of Alchemist.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Wreck-It Ralph could have been so much more. Disney clearly spent a lot of time injecting the film’s world with strong gaming influences and tons of variety, and it’s baffling that the developers didn't build upon this. Instead, it feels like nothing more a half-hearted attempt to cash-in. It looks and feels like a retro game in some ways, but it’s simply far too shallow and devoid of fun to draw you in. As a result, you should probably save your quarters for a more worthwhile effort on 3DS.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    We really wanted to like psyscrolr; it's a beautiful game with a lot of love put into its presentation and design. Unfortunately, it's impossible to recommend in its current state.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Even without comparing Super Tennis to the real Super Tennis, the game largely falls flat as a compelling sports title. Once you’ve mastered the gameplay (which you most certainly will after 2 or 3 matches), it becomes incredibly repetitive with little incentive to continue other than to see the cool unlockable costumes. If you’ve recently moved to the Switch from another console and wish to learn the layout of the controller, then this is a great way to do so, but if you’re after an actual tennis game, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    While co-developer Blind Squirrel has stated publicly it is working on implementing some post-launch improvements, it doesn’t change the fact WWE 2K18 ever existed in this form at all. Switch has had an incredible 2017 and played host to some truly awe-inspiring ports, but as it stands the latest slice of sports entertainment is best enjoyed elsewhere. Wrestling fans with a Switch deserve better games than this sorry jobber.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    Sexy Poker is something of a letdown for fans of both poker and sexiness. Lacking in both qualities, the game is not even sufficient as a teaching tool to learn Texas Hold ‘Em poker, as the instructions on how to play are skimpier than the costumes.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    With sluggish gameplay, off-putting presentation and bafflingly poor design decisions at every turn, Langrisser Re:Incarnation Tensei is an entirely underwhelming revival of a once-beloved series, and a subpar SRPG besides.
    • 34 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Had a fluid, responsive, competent combat system been implemented, Clash of Elementalists could have been a solid way to kill some time here and there. However, the broken control scheme and lack of variety make this one best left alone.
    • 34 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The nature of Fantasy Hero ~unsigned legacy~’s mission based structure lends itself well to the pick up and play style of Nintendo Switch, but there’s nowhere near enough compelling content here to make it worth your time. A dull plot filled to the brim with typical JRPG tropes fails to give you much of an incentive to progress, while the combat itself is far too basic and at times punishingly difficult. This may have been a passable experience upon its original release, but in 2018, this port has little to offer.
    • 33 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Angry Bunnies: Colossal Carrot Crusade is still an unoriginal waste of time and money, with the minor technical improvements and online leaderboards doing little to help the experience.
    • 33 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON'T KNOW! for 3DS is less playable than its Wii U counterpart, and its cut corners show everywhere; it’s not the game that Adventure Time fans deserve or should expect from a developer like WayForward.
    • 33 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole is a tedious, uninspired effort marred by repetitious combat.
    • 33 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    FIFA 21 is the straw that breaks the camel's back. After initially impressing us with FIFA 18 (despite it being based on the previous year's outing, FIFA 17), EA has completely shut up shop and made no effort whatsoever to improve the series on Switch. By now giving us a second Legacy Edition in a row, while also removing the previous games from the eShop to ensure this is the only option that remains, EA has inadvertently created another, more realistic option: ignore this game entirely, and don't give out your hard-earned cash in return for being insulted.
    • 33 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    It feels harsh to draw so many comparisons between Back in 1995 and the classic survival horror games of the '90s, but then again, the former is an intentional attempt to replicate the latter, so it's unavoidable. Unfortunately, by staying so rigidly faithful to the typical survival horror tropes – like tank controls and fixed camera angles – the developer has left out important elements like plot and art direction. As it is, Back in 1995 only succeeds in reminding you why its ancestors were so good in the first place – but perhaps more importantly, why some of them should be left back in the '90s.
    • 32 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The principles of this game are sound, but the execution makes the game a disappointment, and enough to drive any gamer to the confessional.
    • 32 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is a worrying misstep for Sega. While we applaud the idea of refreshing the characters for newer audiences, Rise of Lyric feels like a mishmash of ideas that never got to fully develop.

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