REVIEW Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain — This lighthearted bit of end-year brain wrinkling is said to have enjoyable local multiplayer and smart passive online modes, making for an overall fun "if fleeting" game. Here's another review from Ryan Janes at Nintendo Insider, who calls it "an enjoyable – if familiar – assortment of challenging games" but adds that "you’ll see everything it has to offer within a day or two".

Neal Ronaghan // Nintendo World Report

Paper Mario joins Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack next week —Pleased to see this N64 gem coming to the service, and so soon too. My first Paper Mario game was the GameCube entry, so I'll be playing this Nintendo 64 original for the very first time. It's notable how, unlike with the NES and SNES libraries, this game is arriving on the service by itself. Flying solo kinda makes sense though — I think it's fair to say the N64 library isn't quite so extensive as its predecessors, so for them to plod along at even slower pace isn't surprising. 

John Friscia // Nintendo Enthusiast

Nintendo updates policies to increase push for diversity
Jeffrey Rousseau // gamesindustry

REVIEW Beyond A Steel Sky: A nostalgic return to adventure gaming's golden age —"magically brings its 1994 ancestor back to life".

Roland Ingram // Nintendo Life

REVIEW Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All —This brawler is "by no means perfect" and is described here as a touch shallow, but "at the same time, it is the best use of the beloved Asterix & Obelix property that we have seen in years".

Matt S // Digitally Downloaded

REVIEW Angry Video Game Nerd 1 & 2 Deluxe — "Both games feel like proper loving tributes to gaming’s past".

Indie Gamer Chick

Psychologists talk Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 and keeping fun ahead of FOMO

Kate Gray // Nintendo Life

It's time for game makers to start seeing the world in two colours —Takes a look at games, their colour palettes, and colour blindness.

Edward Hawkes // Eurogamer

Thrills, chills, kills: Everything Switch owners should know about the Danganronpa series

Donald Theriault // Nintendo World Report

How my lockdown obsession with Super Smash Bros led me to a vital epiphany

Tom Regan // The Guardian

I don’t want Mario Kart 9 yet, and neither should you

Nathan Ellingsworth // Pocket Tactics

I can't enjoy the new 'Grand Theft Auto' because I'm old now

Joel Golby // Vice

Nintendo’s approach to DLC is frustrating
Chirag Pattni // Nintendo Enthusiast

Video games won’t get better unless we let them
Giovanni Colantonio // Digital Trends

🎮 Upcoming Releases

All releases are digital, Europe & U.S. unless otherwise stated. 
Release data sourced in collaboration with Switch Scores.
⭐️ = Ones to Watch | 📦 = Physical release | 🎮 = Demo available

⚡️ Quick Links:

• This modern take on the classic GameCube controller looks real nice.
• Fall Guys for Switch has been delayed again, it's now a 2022 release.
• The Switch just had its best week ever in the UK.
• Metroid Dread dev Mercury Steam is working on their next game.
• A Pokemon Shining Pearl speedrun sees the game completed in just over 20 minutes.
• Looks like the Poke Ball Plus controller doesn't work with the new Pokemon remakes.
• Dollar Flight Club is an exclusive members-only club that sends you email alerts when they find flights up to 90% off leaving your home airport. #AD
• This is an excellent video examining the animation of Metroid Dread.
• Omno is an upcoming Switch game which its solo dev has been working on for 5 years.
• Here's a crash course on how to get by in Shin Megami Tensei V.
• What can a $1200 Portable PC tell us about a potential 'Switch Pro'?