Nintendo Life’s Weekend Poll: Star Fox Remake Leads Switch 2 Playtime for July 4-5

Nintendo Life’s regular weekend community poll has crowned the newly remade Star Fox as the most-played Switch 2 game heading into July 4 and 5, with 52 votes from readers ahead of Rhythm Heaven Groove on 30 and Mario Kart World on 29. The result, published in the outlet’s weekly “What Are You Playing This Weekend?” feature, lands during what its editors describe as a comparatively quiet week for Nintendo news even as Microsoft and Sony dominate the wider industry conversation.

According to Nintendo Life, the poll drew 462 votes across dozens of titles, giving a genuine snapshot of what Switch and Switch 2 owners are actually loading up rather than just what’s trending on social media. For a franchise that hasn’t had a mainline entry in years, Star Fox’s strong showing suggests the remake has struck a chord with players revisiting a beloved N64-era classic on modern hardware.

Star Fox Remake Tops Nintendo Life’s Reader Poll

Nintendo Life staff writers themselves leaned heavily into Star Fox this week. Editor Gavin Lane told readers he “boshed through a Hard Route run” on his first attempt, crediting decades of muscle memory from the original Star Fox 64 rather than any newfound piloting skill. Contributor Gonçalo Lopes said he’d already cleared both the easy and expert routes and was now working through the game’s in-between planets and sectors, adding that he’s curious to see what post-launch DLC support might look like.

That kind of engagement matters for Nintendo’s Switch 2 remaster strategy, which has leaned on nostalgia-driven back-catalogue releases to bulk out the console’s library alongside brand-new titles. If Star Fox’s numbers hold up over time, it strengthens the case for Nintendo greenlighting further remakes or even a genuinely new entry in the dogfighting series, something fans have been requesting for well over a decade.

Rhythm Heaven Groove and Splatoon Raiders Direct Round Out a Quiet Week

The other major release of the week, Rhythm Heaven Groove, landed in second place in the poll with 30 votes. Reviews editor Ollie Reynolds admitted he’d largely moved on from Star Fox and turned instead to Persona 4 Golden, calling it his favourite entry in the Persona series and expressing disappointment that a Switch 2 port of Persona 5 Royal’s Revival edition isn’t on the cards. Video producer Mai Ladyman said she hadn’t yet started Rhythm Heaven Groove but planned to work through her growing Switch backlog instead, singling out The Adventures of Elliot as a priority.

Nintendo also used the week to host a fairly substantial Splatoon Raiders Direct, giving fans a deeper look at the new single-player-focused entry in the shooter franchise. Coverage of that presentation on Nintendo Life describes the format as promising for players who’ve wanted a proper story-driven Splatoon experience rather than another multiplayer-first release, a notable shift for a series built almost entirely around competitive ink battles.

Oblivion Remastered Confirmed for Physical Switch Cartridge in August

Away from the poll itself, Nintendo Life confirmed that Oblivion Remastered will receive a proper physical cartridge release when it launches on Switch platforms in August. That confirmation carries extra weight given the timing: it arrives in the same week that Sony faced backlash over reports it is winding down physical media support, a topic Nintendo Life’s own Talking Point coverage framed by asking how long Nintendo itself might hold out before following suit.

For collectors and players in New Zealand and Australia, where digital-only releases can complicate resale and import pricing, a confirmed cartridge edition of Oblivion Remastered is a welcome signal that at least one major third-party release isn’t abandoning physical shelves just yet.

Mystery Metroid Game Rated in Brazil, Switch 2 Screen Rumours Swirl

Two smaller stories also kept Nintendo watchers busy this week. A previously unannounced Metroid title reportedly received a classification rating in Brazil, according to Nintendo Life, fuelling speculation about what shape the next entry in the franchise might take. Separately, a rumour circulated suggesting Nintendo could be preparing an updated LCD screen for the Switch 2, though nothing has been officially confirmed on either front.

Combined with the ongoing uncertainty around Microsoft’s studio layoffs, expected to become clearer early next week, and Sony’s pivot away from physical discs, Nintendo’s relatively low-key week of remakes and community polls stands out as a rare moment of stability in an otherwise turbulent stretch for the industry.

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