https://www.thegamer.com The Nintendo Switch is both a home console and a handheld gaming system in one package, with various versions offering better specs for dedicated enthusiasts. Tue, 30 May 2023 17:00:19 GMT en-US hourly 60 There seems to be an infinite amount of video games, spread throughout tons of different genres. You can cozy up and play a town management game, or focus on saving the world in a classic JRPG. Not all video game stories are created equal though. So, which games have the best storyline?

]]> Wed, 31 May 2023 20:30:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/switch-games-with-the-best-storylines/ Back when God of War: Ragnarok launched, I wrote about how certain elements of its design and technology refused to play nicely with my neurodivergent brain. My mind was convinced it needed to keep fiddling with specific graphical and mechanical configurations until it nailed that perfect sweet spot. This established an awkward stop-and-start momentum which never felt befitting of a narrative blockbuster that required my constant attention.

]]> Tue, 30 May 2023 17:00:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-adhd-ocd-neurodivergence/ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a shoo-in for my Game of the Year. I just can’t stop playing the open world sequel even after finishing an 80 hour playthrough for my review. There is so much I missed, from game-changing abilities to cute little discoveries waiting off the beaten path. Nintendo has done it again, altering the world of video games with ideas that will blaze yet another trail others will follow.

]]> Mon, 29 May 2023 14:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-friend-codes-virtual-console-legacy-switch/ It didn't come as much of a surprise when it was revealed that Mortal Kombat 1 is skipping last gen. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are going to turn ten this year, and going by the Mortal Kombat 1 reveal trailer, the next game is looking to make the most of more recent hardware, rather than accommodate the old. However, this only made it more surprising when it was revealed that one less powerful console was getting MK1 at launch: the Nintendo Switch.

]]> Mon, 29 May 2023 13:15:12 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mortal-kombat-1-switch-port-performance-worries/ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom offers you the kind of freedom very few other games do. If you can imagine it, and it adheres to the game's physics, it will work. As we've seen since launch, players have built things like an ATV with suspension, an actual working engine, and even Metal Gear Rex to clear out Bokoblins.

]]> Mon, 29 May 2023 07:18:38 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-machine-launches-link-close-to-speed-of-sound/ Even the biggest fan of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 - The Sith Lords will tell you not to play it without the restored content mod. Sadly, so much of what makes KOTOR 2's great was left on the cutting room floor, put back together in a mod years later. But now, it looks like a whole bunch of KOTOR 2 players are going to miss out on this.

]]> Sun, 28 May 2023 16:42:11 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/star-wars-kotor-2-restored-content-mod-switch-dlc-cancelled/ Tears of the Kingdom is a nearly perfect game. Its puzzles? Brilliant. Its physics? Incredible. Its story? One of the best Zelda games, if not the best Zelda game. The game is an amazing achievement, and not just because it found a way to overshadow its predecessor, which itself is considered one of the greatest games of all time. Actually, that probably is why it’s an amazing achievement. But Tears of the Kingdom has one major problem.

]]> Sun, 28 May 2023 16:30:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-addison-sign-holder-screw-himself/ While the combination of ever increasing rents, dwindling footfall, and rising digital sales mean physical game stores are getting wiped out, they still perform a great function for many gamers. This includes the ability to trade items. Being able to sell or part exchange is one of the pros of owning physical media with many a seasoned gamer taking advantage of it at their local video games store even as the practice is slowly fading away. But one instance of trading in went viral recently as a customer made an exchange that had many online viewers widening their eyes.

]]> Sun, 28 May 2023 13:11:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-collector-viral-trading-rare-items-new-zelda-switch/ There are so many things that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gets right. Everything in the works works as you'd expect it to, especially the physics. Of course, you'll have to turn a blind eye towards Link's reality-bending abilities, but everything else is spot on. However, every game has something it can improve on, even one as highly regarded as Tears of the Kingdom.

]]> Sun, 28 May 2023 07:30:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-inventory-menu-ui-improvement/ Tears of the Kingdom has a thousand systems that all interact with each other in myriad different ways. I dread to think what is going on under the hood in order to make it all happen, what horrors we’d see if allowed a peek behind the curtain. Recall alone is magic in action, but giving Ultrahanded contraptions accurate physics no matter what creations players make is nothing short of spectacular. When players are building phallic mechs and functioning engines, you see the power behind this Zelda game.

]]> Sat, 27 May 2023 16:31:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-underground-fight-club-brutal-trial-of-strength/ At the end of 2022, I started a replay of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, my first full replay since devouring the game on Wii U back in 2017. This run was fairly thorough. I did all the Divine Beasts again, sought out some secrets, like the King of the Mountain, that I hadn’t seen in my first playthrough, and generally played the hell out of it. Now, Tears of the Kingdom is here and I’m wishing I hadn’t.

]]> Sat, 27 May 2023 14:00:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tloz-breath-of-the-wild-totk-2023-too-recent-replay/ By now, you've probably seen tons of elaborate contraptions created by players in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Sure, some of them are entirely useless things like a giant statue with a flamethrowing penis, or an intricate machine to torture Koroks. However, once in a while, you'll see people create something useful like an ATV for the Depths or even a Metal Gear.

]]> Sat, 27 May 2023 11:44:45 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-air-bike-easy-traversal/ It's not easy living in Hyrule. You never know when a red haired dude decides to invade, a witch decides to take revenge, or the whole continent gets swallowed by the sea. Its people have faced a lot of hardship, but yet, they endure. We see this once again in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom via the shining example set by real estate tycoon President Hudson and his loyal marketing executive, Addison.

]]> Sat, 27 May 2023 09:35:09 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-help-addison-sign-guy-floating-blocks/ Nintendo invites you to play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom however you like. It doesn’t present any right or wrong answers for puzzles or combat encounters. The design philosophy is built around providing you with a few tools and limitless possibilities for how to use them. Gameplay is weakest when it takes this freedom away and forces you down a binary path of progression, like temple puzzles or shrines that tear away rampant experimentation in favour of traditional design the series will benefit from leaving behind. In a way, it invites you to break the game.

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 15:22:13 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-patching-out-duplication-glitches-is-a-massive-bummer/ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom certainly had a good amount of time invested in its development what with there being a full six years between its launch and that of its predecessor. That gave plenty of time for Nintendo to refine its gameplay, give the game a great polish, and to stuff it silly with things to do. Just how much content is available in Tears of the Kingdom has been underlined by someone who recently completed it. And we're not just talking the main story, but the whole shebang, the full 100 percent.

]]> Thu, 25 May 2023 16:10:07 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-player-139-hours-100-percent/ Where are the Divine Beasts in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? I haven’t reached the end of the game yet, I’m not even close, but it seems like they’ve just disappeared off the face of Hyrule. After being created as imposing guardians of the land and then lying dormant for a century before performing a crucial role in Link’s defeat of Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild, you’re telling me that they just… Left? Well, good riddance.

]]> Wed, 24 May 2023 16:26:57 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-temples-pinnacle-of-design/ After the epic final trailer for Tears of the Kingdom that showed its new-look Ganondorf for the first time, it was hard to imagine where Nintendo might go from there aside from actually launching the game. It decided to go an entirely different way with its next ad, showing a man traveling to and from work, seemingly downtrodden by his life in general and having something light up inside him when playing his Switch.

]]> Wed, 24 May 2023 09:33:08 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-sad-guy-ad-amazon-review/ Ultrahand is the mind-killer. Ultrahand is the little-death that brings total obliteration of creativity. Where once players thought laterally and came up with creative solutions to Hyrule’s sandbox puzzles, now they build long bridges. Any problem can be solved with an appropriately-sized bridge. Any of them. And it’s infuriating.

]]> Tue, 23 May 2023 16:31:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-fuse-more-creative-ultrahand/ I’m not doing the weapon degradation discourse again. I simply refuse. I do find it funny, however, that Nintendo decided to make 99 percent of weapons in Tears of the Kingdom physically degraded from the moment you pick them up (the only weapons that aren’t are weapons found in The Depths and makeshift weapons like Sticks and, um, Long Sticks). If this isn’t a message to Zelda players saying, “Suck it up, this is the direction we’re going in,” then I don’t know what is.

]]> Mon, 22 May 2023 16:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/hylian-pine-cones-secretly-tears-of-the-kingdom-best-weapon/ Introducing the next generation to video games is not a task to be taken lightly. We're here to help you choose the very best games for young people!

]]> Mon, 22 May 2023 15:00:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/sports-video-games-kids-children-best-appropriate-esrb/ Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma has always been cryptic when it comes to the timeline, and Tears of the Kingdom is no exception. Despite desperate fans scouring Hyrule for clues, Aonuma won't tell us where Tears of the Kingdom fits on the Legend of Zelda timeline, leaving fans to come to their own conclusions.

]]> Mon, 22 May 2023 12:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-timeline-eiji-aonuma-tears-of-the-kingdom/ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will have you think Link is the hero of Hyrule, who bravely faces anything that threatens the land. But the truth is that he is a power-crazed sadist who builds elaborate torture devices and horrific killing machines straight out out of a Bokoblin's nightmare. You never know when he'll attack, whether by air or ground.

]]> Mon, 22 May 2023 09:47:42 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-star-wars-podracer/ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a global phenomenon and it seems Nintendo were well aware of how significant a launch it was going to be. The highly anticipated follow-up to one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time, in Breath of the Wild, was always going to be freighted with expectation. But that the team behind the sequel would excel and meet those expectations is some triumph.

]]> Sun, 21 May 2023 18:52:09 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-polishing/ I’m not so good with money. There’s a world in which I’ve saved my paychecks and felt safe with my future, but it ain’t this world. If you sold a literal piece of shit and put a Nintendo logo on it, there’s a 50-50 chance I’d buy it. I’m a mark. I’m a sucker. And that’s why I own so many fucking useless Amiibos.

]]> Sun, 21 May 2023 16:43:38 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-useless-amiibos/ No matter how long you spend exploring Hyrule in Tears of the Kingdom, it seems there is always something new to find or a new trick to discover. This time, one player has found an interesting way to get back to the sky islands from ground level, and you don’t even need a rocket or fan. It just takes a spear, a plank of wood, and impeccable timing.

]]> Sun, 21 May 2023 14:01:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-player-catapult-into-the-sky-exploit/ When you buy a physical copy of a game, you probably expect to own the game physically, right? I'd usually say that was a given, but according to publisher 2K, that's a luxury that Switch owners just aren't interested in. Because while you can still buy a boxed version of the new Lego 2K Drive, you won't find much inside.

]]> Sun, 21 May 2023 12:42:51 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/physical-lego-2k-drive-switch-copy-code-in-box/ There are 120 Shrines in Breath of the Wild. There are 900 Korok Seeds, and the reward at the end is poo. Literally. Early reports suggest that there are the same number of Koroks hidden across Hyrule in Tears of the Kingdom, and 32 more Shrines in the sequel – my guess is that those are in the sky. That’s a lot of things to collect, even if they do level up Link by deepening his pockets or fueling his stamina bar. The trouble with Tears of the Kingdom is, there are loads more things to collect now, too.

]]> Sat, 20 May 2023 15:00:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-too-many-collectibles/ You can't pet the dog in Tears of the Kingdom, which might sound upsetting at first, but most celebrated that fact since it's a feature often used to score brownie points online. But that doesn't mean that everyone stopped there and moved on with their adventures in Hyrule. Other, more creative people, put together machines that would do it for them.

]]> Sat, 20 May 2023 14:30:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-pet-dog-machine/ There are a lot of ways to get around in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Walking, running, and paragliding are for noobs, though. If you really consider yourself an actual hero of Hyrule, you'll probably Ultrahand yourself up a B-52 bomber and lay waste to the Bokoblins till the next Blood Moon rises. That may sound like an exaggeration, but it's not.

]]> Sat, 20 May 2023 11:41:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legand-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-atv-with-zonai-springs-suspension/ During the events of Breath of the Wild, Link travelled to Gerudo Town, deep in the desert. Among the shenanigans he got up to over there, was a shrine quest called The Perfect Drink. Our hero had to help the local bartender, Furosa, by lugging some ice to the bar before it melted. As thank you, she told Link that they'd celebrate with a drink of Noble Pursuit once he's old enough.

]]> Sat, 20 May 2023 07:59:58 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-lets-link-have-a-drink-noble-persuit/ Amazon Italy has added Mortal Kombat 1 - Premium Edition to its storefront for 109.99€, which comes with the first Kombat Pack. Unlike other retailers, however, it details what that includes, revealing that the six playable characters are Quan Chi, Omni Man, Ermac, Peacemaker, Takeda, and Homelander. It also breaks down the Kameo characters, who are Johnny Cage, Khameleon, Mavado, Ferra, and the Jean Claude Van Damme skin for JC.

]]> Fri, 19 May 2023 14:43:12 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mortal-kombat-1-omni-man-ermac-kombat-pack-dlc-leak/ For some reason, people have been torturing Koroks in Tears of the Kingdom. Those cute little leaf things that ask you to find their friends. I don't know why some people's instinct is to crucify them and stick them on a barbeque, but it is. Luckily, though, they've caught a break today since people have pivoted to ruining the life of Addison, the sign guy.

]]> Fri, 19 May 2023 11:57:49 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-addison-sign-torture/ Star Fox Adventures didn’t even begin life as a Star Fox game. Shigeru Miyamoto rocked up to Rare’s offices and saw it was working hard on a Nintendo 64 game called Dinosaur Planet. It had an alien world to explore, Zelda-esque puzzles, and an emphasis on fantastical combat that Star Fox had never flirted with before. Because, as I said, it was never intended as one.

]]> Thu, 18 May 2023 17:31:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/star-fox-adventures-remaster-nintendo-switch-gamecube-rare/ Tears of the Kingdom has everyone in a tizzy, as we explore Hyrule all over again. While some players are too busy building functional engines or Korok torture devices out of Zonai parts and handy materials, most of us are exploring in a more normal fashion. You know, like in Breath of the Wild.

]]> Thu, 18 May 2023 15:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-should-never-let-you-touch-the-ground/ Nintendo’s magical whimsy tends to fade away when you look into its operations and realise how litigious the company is not just to its consumers, but also fellow development studios and creatives. Nobody does it like Nintendo, although how much of that is thanks to patents that ensure nobody is capable of doing so in the first place? Judging by Tears of the Kingdom, perhaps more than previously thought.

]]> Wed, 17 May 2023 15:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendos-zelda-patents-tears-of-the-kingdom-innovation/ Update 18:04 BST 17/05/23: It looks like Boon's tease was right! The official Mortal Kombat Twitter has posted a new teaser saying, "Tomorrow is a new dawn", and showing a video of a broken clock. The teaser then says that "It is time" and to return tomorrow at 6am PT/ 2pm GMT.

]]> Wed, 17 May 2023 09:42:50 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mortal-kombat-1-ed-boon-twitter-tease-news/ Another day, another Tears of the Kingdom discovery. This time, we are looking at one of the more annoying creatures in the game, Rock Octoroks. Turns out, they are useful for more than slapping you in the back of the head as you travel through rocky terrain. These stony guys can help improve the durability of your weapons.

]]> Tue, 16 May 2023 16:45:29 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-feed-octoroks-weapons/ Tears of the Kingdom is a return to a saved Hyrule, a rarity for the Zelda series, as it lets us see the impact we've had, watching as civilisation begins to rebuild. There are plenty of nods to Breath of the Wild and little lore tidbits that expand on the world we know, but nestled among these details is a reference to France.

]]> Tue, 16 May 2023 12:49:38 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-france-canon/ Tears of the Kingdom expands on the world we explored in Breath of the Wild, taking us back to a familiar Hyrule where islands now float in the sky and giant chasms lurk beneath our feet, housing demons you're probably best running away from - at least, at the start.

]]> Tue, 16 May 2023 09:00:49 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-lgbtq-character-kakariko-village-calip/ Ever since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was first announced, there has been a nostalgic yearning from fans, but there has been no link to the past. While many have embraced the series’ new, experimental direction towards puzzle solving and enemy encounters, others want a return to tradition.

]]> Mon, 15 May 2023 20:00:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-evolution-nintendo-legacy-future/ With The Super Mario Bros. Movie breaking box office records every week, it’s easy to forget that it’s been a long time since everyone’s favorite mustachioed plumber last starred in a new 3D platformer. Six years, in fact.

]]> Mon, 15 May 2023 17:30:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/super-mario-odyssey-sequel-switch-when/ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has one hell of a tutorial. If you thought the Great Plateau was good, which most people did, this is on a whole other level. Literally. After a brief introduction with more story content than the entirety of Breath of the Wild, Link finds not awoken from a century-long slumber, but instead transported to the sky.

]]> Mon, 15 May 2023 16:46:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-freedom-main-quest-first/ People are crucifying Koroks. The poor little leaf waifs who are strewn across Hyrule’s map, so often stranded helpless and rendered immobile by enormous backpacks filled with goodness-knows-what, are being crucified by Tears of the Kingdom players who are eager to test the limits of the game’s new building ability, Ultrahand.

]]> Mon, 15 May 2023 16:30:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdoms-korok-crucifixions-problem-ultrahand/ When I say ‘tutorial shrines in Tears of the Kingdom’, your mind probably jumps to the quartet of challenges across the Great Sky Islands. Introduced by Rauru, these locations are built to introduce Link to a repertoire of new powers and simplistic puzzles in which to test them out.

]]> Mon, 15 May 2023 14:30:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-tutorial-shrines-combat-training-challenges/ By now you've probably seen hundreds of creations from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. From extra-long log bridges to outrageous flame-throwing penises, the Ultrahand ability gives you the ability not only to break the game, but also to break your own imagination. Players are making all sorts of things thanks to Link's powers and the Zonai Devices.

]]> Mon, 15 May 2023 13:12:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-real-working-engine/ Uncle Ben taught us that with great power comes great responsibility. And then he got himself shot by trying to reason with a guy with a gun instead of just running away. Similarly, Link is bestowed with some fascinating powers in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. He can create things and manipulate his surroundings, but often lacks the responsibility while doing so.

]]> Mon, 15 May 2023 09:47:31 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-hilarious-fails/ The bad guys in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom aren't going to make the same mistakes that they did in Breath of the Wild. Firstly, the Master Sword was destroyed, leaving Link without his most powerful weapon, and then when the Upheaval occurred, most weapons in Hyrule were somehow damaged, forcing our hero to fuse random things together.

]]> Mon, 15 May 2023 07:05:42 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-how-to-duplicate-weapons/ Tears of the Kingdom blesses you with all of its new abilities quickly so that you can start exploring and experimenting right away. The first few hours are a whirlwind of discovery as you learn how to interact with this familiar world in new ways. Link’s new powers are so thoughtfully designed and powerful that each one could have carried a full game on its own. Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall are all incredible in their own way, but the time-reversing power of Recall stands out as Tears of the Kingdom’s most revolutionary new ability.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 23:50:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-recall-ability-uses/ It’s hard to picture Nintendo anywhere other than the top of the world, but back in 2014, things were looking pretty grim for the house that Mario built. In May, just 18 months after the launch of the Wii U, the company was spiraling out of control, and looking for ways to quickly bring in some revenue that they weren’t getting from console or game sales. During a rather dire earnings call in 2013, Nintendo told investors that it was looking for new licensing opportunities with its characters. That effort finally came to fruition in August 2014 with the release of the Mercedes DLC pack for Mario Kart 8, which saw a set of three real-life Mercedes vehicles added to the perennial racing game.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 23:06:46 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mario-kart-8-deluxe-mercedes-history/ The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild completely transformed the Zelda series. With an open world and a bunch of different ways to approach challenges, it was like no Zelda game before it. Even so, it's safe to say that it managed to win over the fanbase, quickly solidifying itself as one of the most popular games on the platform. So, when it came to a follow-up, it was no surprise that Nintendo stuck with these changes.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 17:03:22 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-new-format-going-forward-sequel/ The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launched on the Wii U, a swansong for that ill-fated console, while being a launch title for the Nintendo Switch. The brilliance of the game helped to jumpstart sales of the hybrid and Nintendo has not looked back. Some six years later and the Switch is the third best-selling console of all time, Breath of the Wild has been hailed as the greatest game of all time, and its successor Tears of the Kingdom is a global phenomenon.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 15:38:47 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-hides-breath-of-the-wilds-glider/ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had a tough act to follow with Breath of the Wild. But now, as fans make their way through the behemoth sequel, it's safe to say that it's stuck the landing, competing with not only its predecessor, but also giving other popular Switch games a run for their money.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 15:31:36 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-best-reviewed-switch-games/ Animal Crossing New Horizons took over our lives when it launched in early 2020. Perfectly coinciding with worldwide lockdowns, its release filled a hole in our lives in a way that Nintendo never could have predicted. But all good things must come to an end, as New Horizons couldn't remain the studio's focus forever. In late 2021, it got its final update.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 13:37:09 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/animal-crossing-new-horizons-players-are-begging-for-an-update/ While we'll need to wait for official sales figures to get confirmation it'll be quite surprising if The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom doesn't sell gangbusters. After all, pre-orders were very healthy and it is the highly anticipated follow-up to one of the best-selling Switch titles when the Nintendo console now has an enormous install base. Zelda fans are legion and represent all types of humanity.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 13:28:46 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-accessibility-options/ By all appearances The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom looks like it has every chance to be the standout phenomenon of this year. Launched a couple days ago, the game has had fans lining up for its release, forums ablaze with discussion, and a range of legacy media focusing their coverage on it.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 09:54:28 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-fans-envious-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-scarlet-violet/ You may remember a company called Dbrand from a couple of years ago. At the time of the PlayStation 5's launch, Dbrand introduced Darkplates, an unofficial accessory for the console's easily removable faceplates. At the time, Dbrand was so confident that its product was different from Sony's that it literally asked the tech giant to try and sue.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 08:26:49 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-special-edition-sticker-switch-dbrand-ps5-darkplates/ The great fps debate has been raging across the video game industry for a while now. Unlike the ridiculous console war, this debate isn't just split into two sides – there are the orthodox 60fps believers and those who think 60fps isn't all it's cracked up to be, but there are also those who think frames per second should be debated on a case by case basis.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 06:40:50 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-60fps-mod/ The Nintendo Switch has made a name for itself as the console meant for family fun nights. There are dozens of party games for you to enjoy. Some of those are karaoke titles where you can sing your heart out to spectators.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 00:46:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-switch-best-karaoke-games/ The second Tears of the Kingdom launched this week, and my mind immediately went to Nintendo’s Next Big Thing. I don’t know why I’m like this - call it game journalism brain rot - but while everyone’s focused on the new Zelda, I’m just trying to figure out what Nintendo’s next move is. We know Pikmin 4 is out in July - and will be a modest success just like the other Pikmin games - but we know very little about what the rest of the year holds, and nothing about Nintendo’s big holiday game. Without Zelda launching so early in the year and no new Pokemon to carry us through Christmas, this would be the perfect year to finally return to Donkey Kong Country.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 00:03:45 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/this-is-the-perfect-year-for-a-new-donkey-kong/ Sometimes I feel like Nintendo hates money. Sure, the Switch is still selling like hot cakes, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are the fourth most popular games in the series. Tears of the Kingdom looks set to break every sales record under the sun, and a new Mario platformer would likely rival it if it was to ever rear its head. So why do I think Nintendo hates money? It’s simple: it could make the Switch into the ultimate Nintendo game system, and yet it simply refuses.

]]> Sat, 13 May 2023 14:00:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-hate-money-pokemon-switch-port-zelda/ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pushes the Nintendo Switch further than it has any right to. Boasting one of the largest open worlds I’ve ever seen spread across a trio of distinct layers, it chugs a little bit when the going gets tough. No worse than what came before, but the fact we’re still experiencing the same performance hurdles more than half a decade later speaks to the age of this platform. It needs an update, however Tears of the Kingdom shows that it is still capable of competing with the bigger boys.

]]> Thu, 11 May 2023 15:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-performance-graphics-nintendo-switch-2-upgrade/ The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a huge hit, selling over 29 million copies while garnering glowing reviews from critics and players alike. It even became the highest-rated game on OpenCritic when it launched in 2017, now dethroned by Super Mario Odyssey and, as of writing, Tears of the Kingdom. However, initial playtests weren't so positive.

]]> Thu, 11 May 2023 13:26:37 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-negative-playtests/ Princess Zelda has constructed a series of solemn memorials across Hyrule after the defeat of Calamity Ganon. These stone slabs hold only a single sentence and a solitary flower atop the cobblestone. While insignificant, stumbling across these monuments on your journey is a reminder of all that’s been lost, and what Link and company are still fighting for.

]]> Thu, 11 May 2023 12:00:36 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-review/ The new commercial for Tears of the Kingdom, which tells the story of a burnt-out business man rediscovering his sense of adventure while playing the new Zelda game, is a total bummer. Its gray, moody cinematography and melancholic tone feel like an inappropriately dour way to advertise a Nintendo game about building flying cars in Hyrule, and I’m not surprised to see it getting memed on social media. What does concern me is the people unironically talking about how relatable it is, and how insightful Nintendo is for making it. You’d think a decade of Mad Men would give people a better sense of the ethos of advertising, but let’s be clear about one thing: there’s nothing novel or shrewd about a brand telling you that buying its product will make your shitty life less shitty. The sad guy Zelda commercial is not the kind of marketing anyone who loves games should be celebrating.

]]> Wed, 10 May 2023 03:11:39 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-sad-guy-tears-of-the-kingdom-ad-should-not-be-relatable/ The Nintendo Switch is achieving a status rarely mentioned in gaming; a console with a very comprehensive library. For all the available games on other platforms, it's hard to imagine anything surpassing the Switch's richly historic library. You can play titles like Skyrim and Borderlands on the go, you can rewind cloud games, and it runs both new Doom titles. You may begin to wonder, "What isn't on the Switch?"

]]> Tue, 09 May 2023 17:45:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/underappreciated-games-need-switch-port/ Unless you’ve been living in a cave these past few weeks, you’ll know that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaked ahead of release. Not only did a fan or two manage to get their hands on an early copy, the entire ROM has been shared online that anyone is able to download and play so long as their Switch has been tampered with. This was bound to happen, as it did with Xenoblade Chronicles 3, with the last two weeks a minefield of big spoilers for anyone hoping to go in unaware. It’s not just gameplay clips and mechanics – entire cutscenes and plot synopsis are now out in the wild, and Nintendo has taken action.

]]> Tue, 09 May 2023 17:16:13 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-switch-emulation-tears-of-the-kingdom-copyright-strikes/ Six years later, Nintendo Switch sales are finally starting to slow down. Don't go adding whatever's next from Nintendo on the hardware front to your 2023 Christmas lists just yet, though. Nintendo has published its financials for the year ending March 2023, adding a little insight into what it expects from the year to come. That insight makes it abundantly clear there will not be a Switch successor launching during the current financial year.

]]> Tue, 09 May 2023 13:07:52 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-confirms-no-new-switch-this-year/ The team behind Skyline, one of the most popular ways to emulate Nintendo Switch games on Android devices, has ceased development on the project. The emulator's creators have revealed it has been hit with a DMCA takedown by Nintendo related to its work and won't be moving forward with the project through fear of breaking copyright laws and thus risking the admittedly scary wrath of Nintendo.

]]> Tue, 09 May 2023 09:56:00 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-switch-emulator-skyline-shuts-down-development-potential-legal-risks/ The Nintendo Switch continues to be a success for the company, thanks to the multitude of games to keep fans entertained. While series like Super Mario remain evergreen, the Switch has also dabbled with other genres. This includes the bullet hell style of games, where players have to survive a barrage of offenses.

]]> Sun, 07 May 2023 23:45:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-switch-best-bullet-hell-games/ The hype for Tears of the Kingdom will be hitting fever pitch by the time you read this as the game launches next week, and it's far too late to delay it again. Well damn, at least I hope it is. Despite not beginning my Breath of the Wild playthrough until last year, and then admittedly not understanding what all the fuss was about, I have well and truly been swept up by the hype for its sequel. I mean, how could you watch that final trailer and not be left with goosebumps by the end of it? I reckon I could show it to my nan, and even she would be itching for a Switch once that title card hits. Maybe I should test that theory.

]]> Sun, 07 May 2023 15:30:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/i-get-breath-of-the-wild-now/ Lockpick, a homebrew tool used to access the files of physical Switch games, has reportedly received a DMCA takedown from Nintendo. This comes after physical copies of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom made it out early, with the files then apparently shared via Lockpick for others to enjoy.

]]> Sun, 07 May 2023 12:21:23 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/switch-homebrew-lockpick-shut-down-tears-of-the-kingdom-leaks/ Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is in many ways a culmination of the games that came before it. By marrying the themes and iconic scenery of the first two mainline titles and building a world as vast and detailed as the one found in Xenoblade Chronicles X, it truly offers something for everyone.

]]> Sun, 07 May 2023 12:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/xenoblade-chronicles-3-complete-guide-walkthrough/ To the delight of some, but horror of many, it has been confirmed that Tears of the Kingdom will feature Korok Seeds. The seeds were collectables that you could find around the world, but seeing them and grabbing them were often two very different stories. Though there were 900 Korok Seeds in total, you only needed 441 to max out your inventory space, which was the main reason anyone bothered to collect them. 'Only' 441 collectibles is still an agonising amount to put yourself through, but it's less than half of the overall total. For players who persisted and collected them all though, the game thanked them with... poop.

]]> Sat, 06 May 2023 14:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-kingdom-korok-seed-reward-breath-wild-zelda/ Tears of the Kingdom leaks are rife with a week to go until what might be the most anticipated game of the decade is finally here. Don't worry, we won't be telling you anything about the game Nintendo doesn't want you to know here. The reveal that Hyrule has at least one giant gacha machine is something we're apparently allowed to know now, and you're going to want to find it, or them if there's more than one, to help build your contraptions.

]]> Fri, 05 May 2023 09:55:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-giant-gacha-machine/ Nintendo is known for releasing plenty of special editions for all its consoles and handhelds. Naturally, the Switch is no different, with a wide collection of versions of the system having been released since it first launched in 2017. There are currently 19 different special editions of the Switch, with each being linked to a specific game launch.

]]> Tue, 02 May 2023 22:30:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/every-special-edition-nintendo-switch-model/ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has leaked ahead of launch. Fans have dumped the ROM online, which can be plugged into emulators and accessed without restriction. This also happened with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 before embargoes had lifted, so I can’t say I’m that surprised. It still sucks though, and I’m shocked to see outlets freely linking leaked cutscenes and gameplay footage from sources while never considering exactly what it means for a blockbuster like this. No matter what, we all end up losing out.

]]> Tue, 02 May 2023 16:16:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-rom-leak-nintendo-spoilers/ There's a rumbling in the distance. Booming footsteps rattle the ground beneath us. Mountain Dew shakes in our Nintendo branded cups. There's a colossus on the horizon, a young man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a green tunic. Shield in one hand, sword in the other, he's coming to slay all of our free time for the next month, and it seems the other monsters have taken note. Everyone is running scared of Zelda. No one wants to go toe to toe with Tears of the Kingdom.

]]> Tue, 02 May 2023 14:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/legend-zelda-tears-kingdom-release-date-drought/ You may be wondering why the sequel for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is named Tears of the Kingdom. While the actual reason probably has something to do with Ganondorf returning and messing up the kingdom of Hyrule, those who've collected all 900 Korok seeds in the previous game will agree that it's because of the tears you shed when you get a golden poop for all your hard work.

]]> Mon, 01 May 2023 09:23:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-fans-dont-want-hestus-gift-golden-poop-korok-seeds/ Consoles are bizarre when it comes to naming. PlayStation kept it simple, going from the original to 5, even throwing in the aptly titled PlayStation Portable. Easy enough, eh? Then we had Xbox, which was followed by 360, One, One X, and finally, Series X. Good luck explaining that to your parents.

]]> Sun, 30 Apr 2023 14:21:10 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/xbox-series-x-wii-u-sega-genesis-worst-console-names/ There's a lot that we still don't know about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Like what exactly those floating islands over Hyrule are, or if there's some time travel related plot, or what happened to Yunobo. However, if the previous game is anything to go by, Nintendo probably wants us to answer all these questions for ourselves by exploring Hyrule.

]]> Sat, 29 Apr 2023 13:30:52 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-spoilers-surface-online/ The Nintendo Switch remains one of the most popular consoles available, with so many people still picking one up for the first time. While the growing library of games hosts some excellent titles, the number of choices might be a little too much to sift through - and some, in particular, are still on the pricey side.

]]> Fri, 28 Apr 2023 23:45:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-switch-best-free-games-available-today/ The point-and-click adventure game genre is beloved and not just because it has been around since the earliest days of PC gaming. The genre also offers variety and has an easy-to-pick-up-and-play nature. Of course, not all point-and-click adventure games are created equal. For every fantastic release, there is sure to be one title that is better avoided.

]]> Thu, 27 Apr 2023 21:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-nintendo-switch-point-click-adventure-games-ranked/ The UK's Competition and Markets Authority threw an unexpected twist into the Microsoft Activision Blizzard acquisition tale this week, confirming it has blocked the deal from going ahead. That doesn't mean the deal is dead as Microsoft and Activision have made it very clear they will be appealing the decision. The CMA's leading reason for blocking the merger is Xbox's potential hold over cloud gaming should the merger happen, but a closer look at the report has also revealed a pledge to Nintendo also played into the decision.

]]> Thu, 27 Apr 2023 11:48:20 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/uk-watchdog-cma-call-of-duty-cant-run-nintendo-switch/ Cassette Beasts is a game made for me. First of all, I love Pokemon (totally unique, right?), which Cassette Beasts lovingly riffs off. Secondly, I’ve been asking for a return to 2D Pokemon games for ages. Thirdly, I grew up on the mythical Wirral peninsula, which the game’s region New Wirral is clearly named after thanks to the developers’ similar heritage. There’s more connections, but all you need to know is that this is a game made for me.

]]> Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:00:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/cassette-beasts-review-the-most-innovative-pokemon-like-in-years/ Six years on from the launch of Breath of the Wild, it's still a modern miracle that Nintendo was able to fit the game on a single card. Now Tears of the Kingdom is almost here and Nintendo is back to try and better that miracle. While its file size will definitely be bigger than Breath of the Wild's, there's now some confusion over how much room you'll need on your console as different Nintendo sites are displaying varying sizes.

]]> Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:56:26 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-might-not-biggest-switch-game/ When Nintendo unveiled the Switch, people were excited, to say the least - excited, but cautious. After the Wii U's rocky life and less-than-desired sales, this could have been another disappointing attempt at something new. However, as is well known today, the Nintendo Switch quickly became one of the most popular consoles available, and still dominates the industry.

]]> Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:31:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-switch-best-games-of-all-time-ranked/ The Nintendo Switch is one of the Japanese console maker's most successful platforms ever, even ousting the extremely popular Wii to become the third best-selling video game console of all time. While the Switch has a firm place in video game history, it is the case that Nintendo fans have been antsy for some time waiting for its successor with talk about a Switch Pro or a Switch 2 rumbling on in the background.

]]> Wed, 26 Apr 2023 11:05:32 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-job-offer-hints-next-gen-console/ With so much history to pull from, even a game as expansive as Breath of the Wild can't include every single character, boss, and monster from throughout Zelda's history. A lot of what was missing from the last game will likely be present in Tears of the Kingdom, though. That includes Gleeok, a multi-headed dragon that has been absent from the Zelda series for more than a decade.

]]> Tue, 25 Apr 2023 11:59:58 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-confirms-gleeok-return-zelda-series/ Nintendo has made it clear that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be a far less solitary experience. Loneliness isn’t the order of the day this time around, and given we spent much of Breath of the Wild assembling allies and saving Hyrule, I don’t think any of us really expected it to maintain its aura of distant melancholy. The trailer features dialogue in defiance of this isolation as Link fights alongside friends who were once confined to cutscenes. A new generation of champions have assembled, and Link no longer has the fate of an entire kingdom resting solely on his shoulders.

]]> Mon, 24 Apr 2023 16:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/breath-of-the-wild-lonely-atmosphere-will-be-missed/ The first-person shooter genre always comes with a ton of variety whether you desire more story or more gunplay action, and the Nintendo Switch has a lot of that in store. You'd think a company known for content like Mario or The Legend of Zelda wouldn't have many blood-soaked options, but we stand corrected.

]]> Sun, 23 Apr 2023 23:45:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/10-best-fps-games-on-nintendo-switch/ Playing city building games almost never ends quickly. Getting immersed in building entire structures and catering to the residents makes for long sessions. Many city building games have mechanics that go even deeper, with different situations sparking based on things like politics and the residents' happiness.

]]> Sun, 23 Apr 2023 19:31:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-city-building-games-nintendo-switch/ Ganondorf has a big role to play in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I feel there is an important distinction to make between Calamity Ganon, the unknowable spectre of evil that threatened to destroy Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, and the hunky green dude appearing in the sequel. Ganon is the beast form, and Ganondorf is just the guy. No funny business.

]]> Sun, 23 Apr 2023 14:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-ganondorf-redemption-arc/ Whether you're planning on taking your Nintendo Switch with you when you're traveling or just want somewhere to keep it safe in storage, there are plenty of carrying cases to choose from. You can opt for something practical that stores all your accessories as well as the console itself, or you can go for a case that expresses your love for one of your favorite games.

]]> Thu, 20 Apr 2023 23:30:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-nintendo-switch-carrying-cases/ There are hundreds of fan theories swirling around Tears of the Kingdom, and I am lapping them all up. From the sublime to the ridiculous, I can’t get enough. Zelda’s been zapped to the past? I see it. Midna’s returning? Sure, why not. You heard the Spirit Tracks theme in the latest trailer? Hit me. From Twili to Zonai, there’s a lot going on and we know fractions of the story, but that hasn’t stopped us from speculating.

]]> Thu, 20 Apr 2023 17:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-theory-may-spell-demises-return-and-ganons-doom/ The Soulslike genre is among the most popular in gaming and encapsulates all the games made in a similar fashion to those by FromSoftware. PC, PlayStation, and XBOX have the most abundant variety, with the entire Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, Demon's Souls, and Elden Ring. However, the Nintendo Switch still contains Soulslike gems of its own.

]]> Thu, 20 Apr 2023 14:30:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-soulslike-games-on-nintendo-switch/ Everyone has their favourite part of Elden Ring. For some of you it might have been a difficult boss battle you eventually overcame. For others, discovering one of its many sprawling regions for the first time. Maybe it was constructing the perfect build, finding the ideal weapon, or some myth you constructed in the game's world by virtue of its open narrative that makes its players co-writers. For me, it was before the game came out.

]]> Thu, 20 Apr 2023 14:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/tears-of-the-kingdom-elden-ring-map-hype/ Typhlosion made its Pokemon Scarlet & Violet debut this month via the latest Tera raid. If you failed to get the Ghost-type the first time around, Typhlosion will return to seven-star raids this weekend. One plucky trainer with a lowly Magikarp won't need to worry about catching the visiting Pokemon, taking it down the first time around in one hit, and yes, that one hit did come from the aforementioned Magikarp.

]]> Thu, 20 Apr 2023 12:33:08 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-scarlet-violet-one-shot-tera-typhlosion-magikarp/ Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach is finally available on Nintendo Switch, but this news wasn't met with excitement by fans. Instead, the announcement was flooded with memes as many joked that the game would cause their console to explode in a ball of fire.

]]> Thu, 20 Apr 2023 10:55:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/five-nights-at-freddys-security-breach-nintendo-switch/ When The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild came out back in 2017, I didn’t have the money to buy a new console, so I played Nintendo’s big launch game on my aging Wii U. Now, as Tears of the Kingdom approaches, I feel like the same thing is about to happen again.

]]> Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-too-much-launch-switch/ Stealing is wrong. That's one of the core lessons we learn as children, and we hold it with us for the rest of our lives. It's a very black and white morality system - if something doesn't belong to you, don't take it. But we don't all uphold it as much as we say we do. We've used our roommate's milk from the fridge, or had the fries that fell out of your friend's carton in the McDonald's bag, or installed a chip in Nintendo consoles that allows users to play pirated games, right? Maybe not that last one, but that's exactly what Gary Bowser did, and he's going to be paying for it for the rest of his life. But hey, he deserves it... right?

]]> Wed, 19 Apr 2023 15:30:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-side-gary-bowser-hacker-case-fine-prison/