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
    Overall, 50 Classic Games 3D is a half-baked product. Everything from its presentation to the depth of the games on offer is just so utterly basic.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Once again, we will say that nothing is wholly broken, but at times things are close. A few functioning activities may provide your children with some entertainment, though the overall package is of poor quality. Spending two dollars is hardly “taking a risk”, but at this point, we can’t even hint that you should drop any money on these inferior fables and fairytales.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    If we sound like a broken record criticising this VR conversion, that's because its central problem is so all-encompassing that it destroys the product. Sure, you could have fun with this if you're a committed fan of Five Nights at Freddy's and its lore, but we'd advise against it otherwise. As with many VR games, the immersion and novelty factor papers over the cracks of the limited gameplay. When that escapism is taken away, all that's left is a sub-par minigame collection that isn't even as good as the individual games it cribs from – and it's a lot more expensive, too. We get the impression that the sole reason this game exists is to capitalise on the fact that the Switch has such a large market share.
    • 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.
    • 44 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Touch Battle Tank 3D fails to hit the target on virtually every level.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Let this one sink into the depths, never to be resurrected.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Zombieland: Double Tap - Road Trip is everything you’ve come to expect from a lazy movie tie-in. Its gameplay is mechanically competent but it’s bland beyond belief, short, cynical and lazy. It has the most tenuous of links to the actual film it portrays and is ultimately a very basic twin-stick shooter with a tired-looking Zombieland skin tossed carelessly on top – it also costs far more money than it has any right to. If this was a free mobile game you might get an hour or two of braindead time-wasting out of it, but as an almost full price console release, it’s pretty much indefensible.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Not even the 500-Point price tag can justify a purchase of the mindless Heavy Fire, because for a whopping double that you can get a miles better retail game like Ghost Squad or House of the Dead: Overkill.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Snakenoid Deluxe is every bit as bad as Snakenoid, which is understandable, as it's practically the same game. We didn't enjoy it very much the first time, and this re-release for the sake of asking "do you like me yet?" gives us no reason to reconsider our stance. The controls are awful, the gameplay frustrating and unaddictive and the presentation is entirely forgettable. Join us again next year for our review of Snakenoid Deluxe Remastered.
    • 16 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    No games in the compilation are fun to play, all of them have been done better elsewhere (such as the delightful WarioWare series), so the sole selling point is that the title crams so many of them together into one package.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Bullet Battle: Evolution does not bode well for the future of online shooters on Switch. With it looking increasingly unlikely Call of Duty will ever return to Nintendo hardware, it falls to other studios to fill that gap. Unfortunately, undercooked messes like this one don’t help the cause. A free-to-play shooter that’s riddled with disabled microtransactions that bottleneck progress, this is a clunky effort that’s in dire need of some proper optimisation and a complete overhaul of its progression systems and balancing. You’re far better off sticking to Fortnite, Realm Royale, DOOM and Paladins for your online shooting needs.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Though it may not be broken, Forgotten Legions is an unattractive and downright boring game.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Also, what is likely the strongest selling point of the game, the Sanrio license itself, doesn’t feel put to use as widely as it could have. Characters are fully mute and do almost nothing to convey their personalities. Fans wanting to know more about the characters will also find nothing here.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    While Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir has a genuinely interesting premise, it's let down early by its own technological limitations, and the disappointment is fairly consistent from there.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    TOUCH SELECTIONS is another bare-bones double-pack that will keep players engaged for very little time. Both of these games could be played while watching television, or when multi-tasking in general. Like past releases, what you see here is what you get; there is no depth to either PEG SOLITAIRE or AVOIDER, nor is there any sense of progression. They are a basic and very plain pair of games, and there are many superior options available on the Wii U eShop that provide better value at their asking price.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Hotel Transylvania had strong potential to overcome the stigma of movie tie-in games, but with clumsy controls, repetitive gameplay, and a front-to-back experience lasting less than three hours, it's difficult to see it as anything more than a well-intentioned cash in. If we had to describe this game in two words, we'd pick "squandered potential". If we only had one word, we'd pick "no".
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    If you've decided that your game is only going to do one thing, you need to make sure that it does that one thing well. For ARC STYLE: Solitaire, doing that one thing well just wasn't in the cards.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    The Story Mode is the highlight, though the story itself is wasted given the lackluster quality of most of the mini-games on offer.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    The overall racing experience falls flat on its face primarily due to the cheap and nasty in-game physics that make the vehicles handle like trucks.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    The Elder Scrolls: Blades is a bland and repetitive grind, a free-to-play mobile game all dressed up like a proper Elder Scrolls title but lacking in any of the adventure, exploration, wit or charm of a mainline entry in the franchise. Combat here is dull, levels are small and linear, town-building is boring and everything is designed to frustrate you into spending your money on the gems required to override the constant timers that impede your progress as you level up and make your way through the barely existent story. It's a free-to-play title so you won't lose anything (other than your time) by giving it a whirl, but we reckon you'll have had your fill of this one in pretty short order, and there are lots of much better freemium experiences available on Switch to spend your precious time on.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Unpolished, uninteresting, and unenjoyable, Football Up Online isn’t a game for anyone to get excited over.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Pool might not be the classiest of sports, but that doesn’t mean it deserves a half-baked attempt at simulation to further its virtual cause. For a game asking for £9/$13 for the privilege of knocking balls around its tables, Premium Pool Arena feels more like daylight robbery than an eShop steal. If you truly want a proper pool experience, you're best looking elsewhere for now.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    FlingSmash is a waste of an intriguing game mechanic.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    A stale, shameless cash-in with no variety and frustrating gameplay throughout, hardcore fans of Ben 10 may find a slightly better experience on the 3DS version. All others, though, are advised to stay away from Ben 10 Omniverse 2.
    • 37 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Despite a few fun excursions, the scariest thing about HorrorLand is its overwhelming mediocrity.
    • 31 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    CID The Dummy is a rather disappointing experience and a prime example of the recent trend of “shovelware” that seems to have befallen the Wii. There are little to no discernable areas of good quality in the game and at best it may pass an hour or two before you become at best confused and at worst utterly completely frustrated.
    • 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.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Spot the Differences is a disappointing game. With its lack of content and premium price point — $9.99 is completely unreasonable for a product with one mode that can be found for free elsewhere — we don't recommend Spot the Differences to anyone other than fans of good photography. Even then, there are cheaper alternatives.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    With other, much better hidden object games already available on the 3DS eShop, it’s safe to say that this one should be left buried.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Ultimately, we wouldn't recommend you pick this one up as both the footage and gameplay are severely lacking, which gives one little reason to invest a significant chunk of time into this. It's best you just let this train roll by.

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