Nintendo Life's Scores
- Games
For 5,854 reviews, this publication has graded:
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45% higher than the average critic
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18% same as the average critic
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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: | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest review score: | 153 Hand Video Poker |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 2,259 out of 5854
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Mixed: 2,820 out of 5854
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Negative: 775 out of 5854
5862
game
reviews
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- Critic Score
New Frontier Days: Founding Pioneers is a real surprise in the Switch's launch lineup: a focused town-building sim with an addictive gameplay loop that looks decent, sounds great and plays well. A lack of variety and an unambitious presentation are notable drawbacks, and will keep it from being a long-term investment for many, but what's here is enjoyable enough, and certainly worth a shot for sim buffs looking for something simple and fun.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 11, 2017
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Vroom in the night sky offers so little content and such poor communication that it is hard to think of any reasons to recommend this to anyone. Technically the game works – there are no major bugs or glitches, levels and items unlock as you'd expect and pressing accelerate makes your bike go forwards – but that doesn't make it enjoyable. Steer clear of this one and save your hard-earned cash for other titles that deserve your attention.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 10, 2017
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If you are looking for a family-friendly way to play Skylanders and Superchargers racing levels aren't a big draw, then the Nintendo Switch version is most definitely the best way to go. Its mobile experience, intelligent pre-scanning of characters and lack of extraneous plastic peripherals should make it the toys-to-life game of choice for parents and children alike.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 9, 2017
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Blaster Master Zero is a lovely addition to the Switch's library. We suspect that it will help to fill the gap between major retail releases for anxious Switch owners looking for a low-impact game to play on the go. As Blaster Master Zero features simplistic visuals, we were able to squeeze some extra battery life out of our Switch while playing it when compared to some of the more visually intense titles already on offer.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 9, 2017
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In short FAST RMX is as good as the Wii U original and then some. Updated visuals, more tracks, more vehicles, it's an utterly outstanding launch title for the Switch. With the console's ability to allow multiplayer on the go rolled in, this is without doubt essential for racing fans with the new console.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 8, 2017
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By offering five games in one it fails to offer a definitive version of anything, and even a pretty decent take on horse racing isn't worth the price of admission unless you're planning on really diving into the other sports as well. As a multiplayer title it could be fun to climb the ranks online, but as a single player experience it's totally functional yet painfully lifeless. It's laid out the groundwork, but Sports Superstars just needs to take a few more risks.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 8, 2017
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It's a shining example of how games can be accessible and fun for players of any level, and in the Switch launch line-up is probably the most laid-back and flexible multiple experience available.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 6, 2017
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VOEZ is a beautiful rhythm game with a generous supply of songs and gorgeous artwork that makes you want to keep going back for more. The rhythm gameplay feels accurate and fits the songs nicely for the most part, particularly in harder difficulties, with a nicely designed learning curve to allow players to get into the swing of things.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 6, 2017
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Shovel Knight has always been excellent, but bundling these three chapters together, including new functionality, increases the attractiveness of an already incredibly compelling package. These games are fantastic, and having the complete Shovel Knight experience in one spot, clocking in at around 15 hours of gameplay in our case, makes this a must-have for Switch owners - especially those that have so far failed to dig into this game and its add-ons.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 6, 2017
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Those not looking to take a trip down memory lane may be left wanting more, though in pure gameplay hours this offers a reasonable return on investment. The no-thrills plotline and gameplay outside of combat could have been fleshed out, leaving this one short of its full potential. I Am Setsuna could be the perfect complement to your Nintendo Switch, but if you're not foaming at the mouth with nostalgia it's certainly an optional purchase.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 5, 2017
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Great at what it does – serving as a surprisingly jam-packed offering for solo players as well as being a great addition to parties, sleep-overs and gatherings of friends; yet it isn't perfect. Although it has a pleasing amount of unlockables such as avatars and the like, it doesn't feel like enough to keep you wanting more, and considering the game is obtainable at a much cheaper rate on other consoles than the full retail price tag on the Switch version, it is hard to recommend this over other versions, as ultimately the game is identical. This is a good version of a solid dancing game, but whether it's a cost effective launch window offering on Switch is up for debate.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 4, 2017
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Specter of Torment is the latest in a fantastic series of games; it further cements Yacht Club Games's reputation as a developer capable of crafting experiences that are not only on par with, but often surpass the efforts of some of the largest studios in the world. The game's excellent level design, charming art style and top-notch soundtrack hold up as well in 2017 as they did three years ago in the original Shovel Knight. If you haven't played a Shovel Knight game before, we would highly recommend you pick up Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove for your Switch instead of this, as it contains Specter of Torment as well, but if you'd rather save some cash you can't go wrong with Specter of Torment.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 4, 2017
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The 3DS eShop has a new hit in Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D. With addictive gameplay, pleasing aesthetics and plenty of unlockable content, you'll find a lot to love in what is clearly a labour of love from Tanukii Studios. Hopefully, this imaginative and charming sequel will find the audience and success it clearly deserves.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 3, 2017
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If you're looking to share the joy with your friends at launch, Super Bomberman R is your best bet, but for those flying solo, it might be a less fulfilling experience.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 3, 2017
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By refusing to bundle 1-2-Switch with the base system, Nintendo has missed out on the kind of exposure that marketing simply cannot buy you; as a stand-alone release it feels too fleeting and ephemeral, but as a free pack-in it would arguably have been much more appealing.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 2, 2017
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a landmark release for its franchise and Nintendo. It's the first time that Nintendo has truly taken on the open-world genre in a current-generation sense; in arriving late to the party, though, it embraces some strengths from top-of-the-class games while also forging its own identity. This game is a revolution for the franchise, but the Legend of Zelda essence is still there - its soul remains. The end result, then, is a captivating experience. This will be in the running as the best game in the IP's history, and it will likely be discussed as a leading contender in the broader open-world genre. Nintendo has bravely taken one of its biggest franchises in a new direction, and it's delivered a triumph.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Mar 2, 2017
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All told, Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is a relaxing yet surprisingly deep farm game. Though it takes some time to pick up speed right out of the gate, once the game establishes a rhythm it can be relatively hard to put down. An in-game day passes by so quick in real time, you'll find yourself going for just one more day, and this naturally makes the game a good fit for quick bursts of play on the go. When you take a look at all the content on offer — three distinct towns, dozens of unique NPCs, multiplayer options, and more than enough farming chores than can be handled in one day — you have a game that offers an incredible amount of bang for your buck. We would strongly recommend that you pick this up even if it only mildly interests you; the mechanics here are quite easy for newcomers to pick up, and the game does a great job of deepening things and leaving much of the path forward open to player choice. For the 20th anniversary of Harvest Moon, fans couldn't have asked for a better game, even if legal matters mean that it's not - officially - part of the celebrations.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 28, 2017
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Legna Tactica is a thoroughly middle-of-the-road experience; a serviceable clone of classics that fails to impress or distinguish itself beyond its influences. The SRPG gameplay at its heart is engaging and decently diverting, but bland characters, subpar writing, and a modest (perhaps slightly disappointing) presentation make it a tough recommendation in light of its company — if you're looking for a Final Fantasy Tactics clone, Mercenaries Saga 2 and 3 both fulfill the same role with more polish and a lower price tag. Otherwise, spend the extra gold for Stella Glow, Fire Emblem Fates, or Devil Survivor 2 — three of many tactical options with considerably more charm.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 27, 2017
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It's a little perplexing how long it took for Picross e7 to be released outside Japan, especially when one considers that it still doesn't really do anything new. It's the same old, same old, really - if you've exhausted the supply of Picross titles on the eShop (Hopefully including Mario's Picross and Mario's Super Picross) and just can't get enough of them, e7 is here to satisfy your appetite. It's a little annoying that Mega Picross once again doesn't have original puzzles, but everything else is still solid as usual, even if it's lacking any creative spark.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 13, 2017
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Mercenaries Saga 3 stands out; not for any particularly compelling features, radical design decisions or memorable characters, but rather for the simple fact that it's a commendably competent strategy RPG that comes cheap as chips. It doesn't do much to distance itself from its predecessor — Mercenaries Saga 2 — so veterans from that campaign may find a bit of fatigue here, but if you're fresh to the battle there's plenty to enjoy: satisfying gameplay, quick pacing, and an appealing art style make a lack of overall originality and smaller presentational hiccups more forgivable.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 13, 2017
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As a whole, Tetraminos is an average experience at best. It's easy to sit down and play because it does somewhat keep the core values of Tetris intact, though it still falls short when it comes to offering anything new or enticing. Perhaps look around for a classic Tetris experience available on the Nintendo eShop if you would rather play it safe.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 10, 2017
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While Plantera doesn't boast an impressive physics engine or an exhilarating, fast-paced experience, it has a certain charm that makes it worth playing, even if only for a few minutes each evening. However, it doesn't offer much else that similar games will, and if you only intend on playing it on one platform it is a fairly high price for a title that is free on mobile devices, albeit with ads and microtransactions, and costs more than twice its PC counterpart. To sum up, if you are into relaxing farming games and want a peaceful experience, you should look into buying Plantera, but for some it may a little too simplistic and shallow to hold attention.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 10, 2017
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Punch Club has a fantastic soundtrack, great 16-bit art, and a good amount of content going for it. We can't help but state, however, that this game quickly evolves into a grind, and thus we only recommend it to committed fans of this genre.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 10, 2017
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What's frustrating about Toby: The Secret Mine is that it feels like it's actually trying to offer more than the sum of its parts, but just doesn't quite pull it off. It feels too bogged down in its inspirations to present any exciting ideas of its own, and while it's visually stunning at times, even this apes off superior titles that came before. Some challenging platforming and decent puzzles make it one to consider if you're looking to give your Wii U one last Nindie hurrah, but otherwise we'd recommend waiting on a digital sale before diving into this dark adventure.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 8, 2017
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Fire Emblem Heroes is a slick, well-presented and fun 'lite' take on the series. It's heavily stripped down from the core games, and is best enjoyed in short bursts, but serves that purpose well while wrapping the experience in a stylish UI with handsome graphics and a typically lustrous soundtrack. Nevertheless it's a limited game, and after a generous opening of playing for free the 'pay-to-win' element starts to take over. It's here that many will likely shrug and move on, having had a decent fill for no investment - for completionists, however, there's plenty of grinding (and likely some expenditure) awaiting them on the journey.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 6, 2017
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- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 6, 2017
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It takes fantastic original material and carefully adapts it for the portable, with extras compensating for one lost feature. In the process it becomes an elite 3DS 2D platformer, joining its Wii U predecessor in that company...If you have the Wii U version it's a tough decision on whether to double dip; both versions deliver the same terrific core game. If you haven't played this on Wii U and like Yoshi, 2D platformers or charming games, though, then this is a must-have for the 3DS.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Feb 1, 2017
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Pokémon Duel is an odd game. It's a smart, strategic board game that also has questionable design choices, a reliance on in-app purchases and a battle system that relies too heavily on luck. It has the potential to be so much more, and it could fulfil that latent promise with future updates; despite its design issues it is oddly compelling and we found ourselves coming back to it as a result. It's a mixed bag, all told, and in the context of the grand nature of the Pokémon brand that's a disappointment - improvements are needed for it to stand tall within the franchise.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jan 30, 2017
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Zombie Brigade is a bad, bad game. It's billed as a parody, but it misses the point entirely. Yes, it's better than Meme Run - we didn't get vertigo while playing this game, for example - but there's just nothing to recommend here. Save your money, save your brain and don't spread this infection any further.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jan 30, 2017
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Forget the disappointing video game adaptations of the past, Dragon Ball has finally come of age on consoles. Dragon Ball Fusions fuses fan service with an enjoyable story and battle system to create a fresh Dragon Ball video game experience, with the only blot being the sometimes tedious energy aquisition process . If you are looking for a new and original Dragon Ball title to play on your 3DS, your wish has been granted.- Nintendo Life
- Posted Jan 25, 2017
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