By To the stars!
The long-awaited freakin’ break has arrived, and our backlog awaits! Before we load up save files, though, here’s a swift recap of the week.
Things were surprisingly hushed in Nintendo Land—no hint of a Direct, which feels odd after the trio of presentations we just saw. The big N quietly unveiled a fresh Mario Kart World skill-test event in Japan, confirmed Chibi-Robo will hit the Switch 2 GameCube NSO line-up next week, and perhaps even spun up a new social media account to tease Mario’s looming 40th celebration. On top of that, we went hands-on with that little curio Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
We also squeezed in reviews for Heretic + Hexen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, Drag x Drive, UFO 50, and more besides.
Alright, what’s on everyone’s agenda?
Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer
I’m waist-deep in yet another brawler binge, so expect a healthy rotation between Street Fighter 6, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Marvel Vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. I’ve yet to buy SF6’s newest character pack, yet the urge to unleash Sagat’s tiger uppercuts grows stronger by the hour. Monday may see me crumble—watch this space. Have a stellar one!
Jim Norman, Staff Writer
I blazed through the Mina demo in one delicious sitting and have since been tinkering with Oracle of Seasons. Funny how a heavy dose of GBC homage puts you in the mood for… still more GBC! Somehow I’ve also blinked and amassed a 2025 backlog taller than a Goron. I’ll decompress with Tiny Bookshop, then get swept off my feet by Date Everything!
Alana Hagues, Deputy Editor
Like Jim for the past fortnight, I’m hovering between half-finished titles and never quite landing. UFO 50’s ridiculous 50-strong catalog isn’t fixing that problem, and Pipistrello keeps luring me back every time I sit down. Top-down devotees will devour it while they wait for Mina the Hollower.
Given how rammed September and October are shaping up to be, maybe “gaming ennui” is the correct warm-up. Cheers to that!
Kate Gray, Contributor
I’ve sunk a decent chunk of time into Ritual of Raven, the just-released farming-coding fusion. The difficulty ramp is steep, but since I’m already studying programming (in Love2D with Lua) it basically counts as study hall.
And—FINALLY—PEAK conquered! Four deaths on the ascent and I still stood atop that mountain. Now I must turn around and do it again, right? Easy…
That wraps our weekend slate, but what’s on your cartridge or controller? Chuck your pick into the poll below folks.
Jim joined Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his conviction that The Minish Cap reigns as the ultimate Zelda entry and his absolute devotion to the Star Wars prequels (yes, really), he continues to craft news and features day after day.