Nintendo Life's Scores

  • Games
For 5,857 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 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Lowest review score: 10 Lawnmower Game: Racing
Score distribution:
5865 game reviews
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Players are better off using that two bucks to buy some actual gum. Watching candy spin down the machine dispenser chute is about as fun as Bubble Gum Popper.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Stunt Cars feels like it's trying to do too many things at once and gives the game a very erratic feeling at times, making you wonder exactly what the developers were ultimately going for when they put the game together.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    The challenge is almost non-existent, most of your deaths will be control or camera related rather than from genuinely messing up, and a loop of an annoying 40-second song plays endlessly.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    With no real sense of achievement in clearing randomly generated puzzles rather than a limited list, it's hard to recommend Crazy Sudoku over more rewarding experiences like Sudoku Sensei.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Takes a fun but simple mechanic and does very little to build an entertaining experience around it, providing far too little variation or progression to keep things interesting.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Heavy Fire: Black Arms 3D is some of the most unimaginative shooting gallery action that $5 can buy. Sure, there are quantifiable improvements over its WiiWare blueprint, but minor improvements to the skeleton do nothing for the heart. When challenged by a squad of inane mechanics, rote encounters, choppy framerates and soulless stages, the only way to win is to not play at all.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Diatomic is a game suffering from an ill-placed desire to stand apart from established popular shooters on the Wii. Whilst being a bit different is certainly admirable, choosing a rubbish control system is not the best way to do it.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Dream Alone tries so hard to capitalise on the inspiration from its formative peers that it forgets to carve out an identity of its own. The poor platforming engine, floaty controls, and frustrating level design leave far too much to be desired for this to be the game of anyone’s dreams.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Leave this train in the station.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    You're probably getting a feeling we weren't especially impressed with Baila Latino, and you'd be correct. The horribly thought out UI, hard to follow dance instructions and uninspired gameplay modes unfortunately ruin the cheery atmosphere delivered by the upbeat soundtrack and surprisingly nice graphical presentation.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Whether you're a seasoned mahjong veteran or a curious newcomer to the game - there are far better alternatives on the 3DS eShop.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Family Glide Hockey is basically one giant missed opportunity and a game that makes you wonder exactly what the developers were thinking when they put it together.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    A pretty bland game; the graphics and audio are so unmemorable that the gameplay would really need to be top notch to bring this game up.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    My Farm can be credited with at least being a functional piece of software on the Wii U. Nevertheless, that by itself isn't enough to make this a game you'll actually want to play.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Blast 'Em Bunnies is not worth your money or your time. The cute exterior can't hide the gameplay problems and ridiculous pricing structure, and the DLC is not worth it. While it's always nice to see a new IP, Nnooo is going to have to go back to the drawing board if it wants this property to succeed in the future. Unfortunately, Blast 'Em Bunnies just doesn't earn a recommendation.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    This game is perfectly functional and harmless, but that's not enough to give it a recommendation, especially when there are Flash games with more depth.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Skyforge is a properly mediocre MMORPG that could, perhaps, have been a reasonable enough little timesink for a bunch of friends or solo players who just want to mindlessly blow through its content without thinking too much. There's no shortage of content here, and the idea of having eighteen different classes to master is an attractive one. However, this Switch port is such a huge disappointment on a technical level; it's such a lazy, janky, stuttery, buggy, low-resolution mess that it's hard to see how anyone could be bothered to stick with it for long enough to properly engage with anything it's got to offer. If you're in need of an MMORPG to play on your Switch right now, we recommend you download and play just about anything else that's available because seriously, this ain'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.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Do yourself a favour and grab one of the DS’s many other accomplished puzzle games before attempting to crack this one.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Pirates: All Aboard! could have been something special. The top-down sailing conceit has worked wonders for other games in the past, but it’s not a set of mechanics that can sail to glory on their own. If you’re looking for something to pass the time in local multiplayer, it’s a fun premise for a while, but there’s very little to keep you carving through its unfinished oceans in the long term.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    We cannot wholeheartedly recommend Gigantosaurus: The Game to anyone. Young children who love the animated show may well get some limited enjoyment out of it, but with poor graphics, a total lack of any discernible challenge, and shocking technical issues, it’s yet another licensed title that feels like it was designed as a quick cash grab. Games like this need to become extinct, and fast.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    When a video game outright admits that you can play it just as well (if not better) with a sheet of paper and a pen, you've got some problems.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    The fact that Resident Evil 7 performed so poorly when other cloud entries have been comparatively strong really brings home the fact that, although mileage may vary, these issues are completely out of your control. On our evidence, there’s simply no way we can recommend Resident Evil 7 to Switch owners, even if it’s the only option available. It’s a great game utterly ruined by awful performance, and yet more evidence for cloud gaming skeptics that the tech just isn't yet consistent enough to be viable.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Mysterious Stars: A Fairy Tale has an appealing premise, placing simple connect-the-dot puzzles within a larger storyline, but it fails to deliver across the board.
    • 30 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    None of these games are completely terrible or broken, but the gameplay and presentation scream out that this compilation is an afterthought; a shameless cash-in.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Although it's bundled as the funky wonders of science, there's nothing quite wondrous about it and will leave you in a funk.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    If there is one thing that’s been honestly advertised, it’s that The Ugly Duckling sure is ugly.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    With its simple looks and extremely basic gameplay, Absolutely Unstoppable MineRun is at least appropriately priced. However, the game suffers greatly from the way it applies 'difficulty', demanding time and memorisation over skill across a modest number of levels. With one of the steepest difficulty curves we've ever seen and gameplay that's not very interesting or exciting to begin with, this game probably should've done its presentation justice and been released as an actual flash game.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    With poor production values reliant on a dated 3D animated series, combined with what is ultimately a bland and uninspired dinosaur quiz game, unless you're a huge fan of dinosaurs or the original BBC television miniseries released in 1999, Dinox is hard to recommend. Even as an educational title the overall quality is seemingly likely to deter players from learning about the subject rather than making them eager to discover more about what is still considered a fascinating period.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia attempts to shoehorn the long-running franchise into a Pokémon Let's Go-style affair aimed at younger players but does so with absolutely zero care or charm. This is a lazy, repetitive, basic game that slowly erodes your patience and goodwill with sloppy mechanics, a tiny roster of samey monsters and a world that reveals itself to be entirely devoid of character or life. Avoid.

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