PJ O'Reilly
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Nintendo Life Latest Reviews
Yes, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles cuts content from the War of the Lions version, and it's a shame. However, put this one issue aside, if you can, and you've got a fantastic — and fantastically thoughtful — revamp otherwise. Meaningful QoL changes meld with delicate gameplay nips and tucks, CPU enemy tune-ups, and a smoother-flowing experience overall to deliver a game that's pretty much impossible to knock. Fans will be fully absorbed into the story all over again, enjoying the new flow of the narrative and experiencing the whole thing so wonderfully well-acted. Newcomers, who're less likely to be bothered by the missing content, well, they can just get busy lapping up one of the all-time great tactical RPGs looking and playing better than ever.
NBA 2K26 on Switch 2 fails to deliver the 60fps gameplay we've all been holding out for. It also runs at a lower resolution than I would have expected, and its online modes, thanks to no cross-play or cross-progression are ghost towns. However, if this is your only platform, and if you are okay with 30fps, there is still a huge festival of basketball to enjoy here. This is a game packed full of fun modes, and it'll teach you everything you could ever need to know about the sport whilst giving you some fine on-court action to boot. Here's hoping for a patch down the line, but 2K26 comes off as a great game underperforming on Switch 2 at launch.
Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 is a very fine port of a solid Star Wars game. Kay Vess's story may over-utilise tried and tested gameplay mechanics, it may not bring anything new or hugely exciting to the table, but what it does do is give you a well-crafted world stuffed full of lore through which to explore, sneak, and forge your own path. With solid performance and good looks in both docked and handheld, and motion controls and cross-saves thrown in for good measure, this is an easy recommendation for Switch 2 fans of Star Wars.
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a decent mech game with plenty of depth in its weapons setups and lots of cool loot to discover in its large open-world maps. The combat is flexible, it's fast, and it's very often plenty of fun. However, performance issues — which are also present on other platforms, so don't sweat it too much, Switch 2 owners — make for a janky experience in places, with mushy controls and limp feedback. It's just not nearly as polished as it could be in this respect. With stutters loading into new areas and low-res textures a common sight (again, also on other systems), the overall feeling here is of a game that needs a few patches and tweaks to get it where it needs to be.
Drag x Drive may lack options with regards to online modes, and its controls take a bit of getting used to. However, if you can give up some time to engaging with this one, if you can get past the barriers in terms of controls and the early frustrations as you find your rhythm, you'll be rewarded with a unique and very well-made sports game that deserves to find an audience of dedicated fans. Add in some pals, and you've got a solid bit of fun for the price.
Server issues at launch aside, and with the loss of cross-play noted, Madden 26 is a very solid port of one of the best outings for this franchise in recent memory. Yes, you'll need to get used to a drop in the frame rate to 40fps on Switch 2, but it's a reasonable downgrade in order to get this type of game running as well as it does on a portable machine. It really is a very close match in all other ways to other consoles. For newcomers, this is one of the best Madden games I've played in terms of teaching you the ropes, and for the returning hardcore, the improvements on the pitch, and with regards to presentation, should impress where its predecessor felt a bit lacking.
In fact, Apex Legends redeems itself on Switch 2. This upgraded version gives us 60fps shooting action with crisp, clear resolutions and none of that juddery, unresponsive, blurry stuff we had back in 2021. It's still the best hero shooter/Battle Royale out there for me, with amazingly fluid traversal, best-in-class gunfeel, and a ping system that puts proper teamwork and tactics front and centre. The cherry on top, of course, is that it's free to play, too, so there's no good reason for shooter fans not to dive right in.
WWE 2K25 powerbombs onto Switch 2 in an excellent port that holds its own against the likes of the PS5 version, and keeps the action smooth and silky, even when you start piling on the wrestlers in a Royal Rumble. With great looks, best-in-class core mechanics, a ton of online, local, and solo modes, and an enormous roster, this one will keep all you Switch 2 wrasslin' fans busy for a good long time. Intergender matches, improved MyRise and Showcase, in-depth tutorials, and the return of chain wrestling are all just icing on top.
Ruffy and the Riverside is an enjoyable return to the colourful 3D platforming romps of the late 1990s, and it's one that brings its own clever idea to the table, rather than just simply copy/pasting everyone else's homework. With nods to Mario, Zelda, Crash Bandicoot and more, levels jam-packed full of fun puzzles and the easy, breezy nature of Ruffy's copy-pasting abilities at the heart of it all, this is one of the better odes to this sort of caper that I've played and, performance issues aside, a very impressive debut to boot.
Fortnite on Switch 2 fixes all glaring — and not so glaring — issues with the Switch 1 version of the game. This is a huge package of activities; from battle royale to survival game, racing, creative modes, music festivals, and more besides. It's a lot, and it now runs at 60fps with crisp, clean resolutions all round. Mouse mode controls are a revelation, loading times are hugely improved, graphics look very nice indeed, thanks, and, well, I reckon this is now the best way to play this one, regardless of a slight downgrading in visuals.