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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Product Reviews

I’ve spent 150 hours with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the Switch 2 Edition is an incredible upgrade

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Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: June 05, 2025

Nintendo is bringing enhanced versions of Nintendo Switch games to the Nintendo Switch 2 and has decided to introduce the new system with the original console’s most iconic launch game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

I was unsure how it would feel going back to this game after playing the vastly expanded sequel Tears of the Kingdom (which also got a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition release), but even without the mechanical depth of its sequel, Breath of the Wild is still one of the finest games ever made.

Free bird

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Despite being the series’ first time tackling a true 3D open world format, Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is nonetheless exceptionally impressive. Outside of a very brief introduction, the player is given complete freedom to explore Hyrule at their own pace and leisure. You’re able to go have a scrap with Ganon right away after making it out of the starting area, or you can explore every inch of the world, befriending the various people of Hyrule.


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  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch) at Walmart for $69

This freedom extends to the game mechanics, too. Right away you’re given a set of tools, and from there you can do as you please. It’s the type of game where you have a really daft idea – like cutting down a tree to have it roll down and take out the enemy camp, throwing your metal sword at an enemy during a thunderstorm to have lightning strike them down, or picking up a laser turret to use as a makeshift weapon of your own – and it’ll (usually) work.

One of the game’s most derided mechanics is weapon durability, which means every single item you use can – and eventually will – break on you. But in many ways it’s a perfect encapsulation of what makes Breath of the Wild so brilliant, as that spark of experimentation is forced out of you as you have to think on your feet once your best weapon breaks. Even eight years on, there aren’t many open-world games that can stand up to this.

Switch it up

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Of course, this is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Unlike other Nintendo Switch 2 editions of games, like the upcoming Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV and Kirby and the Forgotten Land, there’s not actually any new content being added to the game this time around. You don’t even get the pre-existing DLC for Breath of the Wild by buying the full version of the game. Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are purely technical upgrades on Switch 2, which is somewhat remedied by the fact they are included with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription tier.

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo)

For anyone who played the game on Switch or Wii U, you’ll know just how choppy the framerate in Korok Forest was. Going there and seeing it stick at a solid 60fps was the moment I knew there was no turning back.

However, even if there’s nothing new, Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is well worth the upgrade. The game now runs at 1080p in handheld mode and supports 4K in docked mode, paired with HDR that makes the already wonderfully colorful game pop even more. Both modes run at a solid 60fps throughout too. Booting up Breath of the Wild and seeing it run at double the framerate almost felt wrong because of how used to it I am, but it’s an incredibly welcome upgrade.

And of course, the first thing I did as soon as I went into my old save (there are two whole save slots now, which is both a godsend and underwhelming) was go to the infamous Korok Forest – which would absolutely tank the framerate in the original release. Lo and behold, it ran perfectly. Sure, that’s the type of thing you might expect on more powerful hardware, but when you’ve suffered through that original Korok Forest on Wii U or Switch, it really puts things into perspective.

Note it down

(Image credit: Nintendo)

I said that Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition doesn’t have anything new in-game, but that’s not the case for the Nintendo Switch Online app, which has added the Zelda Notes feature. This is a companion app that allows you to do a bunch of stuff in-game, such as finding the locations of remaining shrines with a GPS navigation voice telling you where to go and a daily bonus wheel that will give you a roulette wheel that includes prizes like free meals, full health, or even the ability to repair your weapons.

However, the most impactful part of Zelda Notes are the ‘Voice Memories’. These are scattered all across the map, and when you walk in the vicinity of one (of which there are over 100), you’ll hear a voice memo from Princess Zelda set 100 years before the events of the game while preparing for the first calamity. These are wonderful little lore dumps that made the experience of exploring Hyrule again a total joy. It goes without saying that actually having these added to the game as opposed to needing to keep my phone on would be a far more preferable option.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a great – if barebones – update to what was already one of the greatest games of all time. However, the framerate and resolution updates alone make this one worth checking out, especially if you’ve never played it before. Though, if the technical side of things isn’t a priority for you, you’ll probably be let down by the lack of new content – unless you fancy having your phone out the whole time for that Zelda Notes functionality.

Should you buy The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Accessibility

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition doesn’t have much going on with it accessibility wise. While you still have access to gyro aiming and the ability to rebind your controls from the Switch 2 menu (which won’t translate to the correct button prompts in-game), there’s nothing much to write home about.

How I reviewed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

I played 10 hours of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition on top of the 140 hours I played of the game on the original Nintendo Switch. During this time I first played the opening hours of the game again on a fresh save, got myself off the great plateau and explored the world. I then jumped into my old save to test out the Zelda Notes app by finding Shrines I missed the first time around and Voice Memories.

I played this in a mixture of handheld mode on the Nintendo Switch 2 itself and on a Samsung Q60D TV and a Samsung HW-T450 soundbar using the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.

First reviewed June 2025

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition: Price Comparison



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Mario Kart World Players Are Pulling Off Some Incredible Stunts
Game Reviews

Mario Kart World Players Are Pulling Off Some Incredible Stunts

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Image: Nintendo

I’m still waiting to get my Switch 2 because my system is getting shipped to my home in New York City while I’m in Los Angeles. The only way in which I can experience the whimsical antics of Mario Kart World is through clips of the lucky bastards who have their systems already. I don’t usually think of Nintendo’s kart racer franchise as a game with a ton of impressive tricks. I should know better, though. I’ve seen people pull off racing feats I never could have pulled off as a kid when I was last really into the franchise. Each time Nintendo adds new dimensions to its tracks, Mario Kart fans find ways to do some of the sickest shit you’ve ever seen people do on four wheels. Mario Kart World is no different, and seeing some of the stuff people are pulling off has me champing at the bit to get behind the wheel.

Three Things We Learned From The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Demo

Mario Kart World is a game primed for happy accidents. Shells are flying through the air, we’re grinding on rails, and it feels like every time you bump cars with an opponent, you’re setting off a chain reaction. All that chaos lends itself to some pretty incredible highlights. I can’t scroll through any of my social media feeds without seeing World players pulling off the most harebrained, improvised physical comedy, and somehow ending up near the front of the race by the time it’s over. New additions like the rewind mechanic and wall-riding have given players the tools to pull off some incredible tricks. Here are a few examples that have had me popping off and laughing my ass off.

I want it. I would like to be playing Mario Kart World right now, please. Let me dress Bowser up in his leather daddy outfit and do cool tricks on a motorcycle. Soon, I will see you all on the race track.

 



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Inside Tyrese Haliburton's incredible superstar ascension with Indiana Pacers
Esports

Inside Tyrese Haliburton’s incredible superstar ascension with Indiana Pacers

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  • Ramona ShelburneJun 6, 2025, 09:00 AM ET

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    • Senior writer for ESPN.com
    • Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News

TO MOST NBA fans, casual or avid, Tyrese Haliburton’s superstar leap has taken place over the past few weeks.

There was the homage to Reggie Miller at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. The almost statistically perfect 32-point, 15-assist, 12-rebound, five-steal, zero-turnover game in Game 4 against the Knicks. And then, of course, the shot he hit with 0.3 seconds remaining in Game 1 of the NBA Finals to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110, which silenced the loudest fan base in the league Thursday night at the Paycom Center.

Afterward, Haliburton charmed in his postgame interviews, as only a certain caliber of superstars can, joking with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt that “we were late to the party, too” when the host admitted he didn’t see the potential of this Indiana Pacers team early in the season at Christmas when they were under .500.

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He even brought his first signature Puma shoe — released earlier in the day — to the podium with him and joked about how the kicks were the “secret sauce” to his penchant for hitting big shots at such a high rate.

This season he has hit an astounding 13-for-15 game-tying or game-winning shots in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime — the best field goal percentage in a single season since play-by-play was first tracked in 1996-97, per ESPN Research.

But to those who know Haliburton best, this superstar leap has been years in the making. And it started inauspiciously, on a random Saturday in late January in Philadelphia.

HALIBURTON DIDN’T KNOW it at the time, but he was in his final weeks with the Sacramento Kings.

What he did know was that there was something missing from his game. Or maybe a lot of things. Because he was averaging only 13.8 points a game that year, and those aren’t the kind of numbers a young player in line for a maximum contract extension over the summer puts up.

His agent Dave Spahn contacted renowned NBA skills trainer Drew Hanlen to see if he would meet with his client and consider working with him. Hanlen agreed to meet but immediately put conditions on the professional relationship.

In his book, “Stop [Bulls—ting] Yourself,” Hanlen wrote: “The biggest thing holding [Haliburton] back was his lack of scoring aggressiveness. So I presented a challenge to him. I told him that if he wanted to work with me, he had to have 14 field goal attempts the next night against the Sixers.”

Game 1: Pacers 111, Thunder 110
• How Indiana stole a win | Inside Haliburton’s rise
Game 2: at Thunder, Sunday, 8 p.m.
Game 3: at Pacers, Wed., June 11, 8:30 p.m.
Game 4: at Pacers, Fri., June 13, 8:30 p.m.
Game 5*: at Thunder, Mon., June 16, 8:30 p.m.
Game 6*: at Pacers, Thu., June 19, 8:30 p.m.
Game 7*: at Thunder, Sun. June 22, 8 p.m.
* If necessary | All times Eastern

• More NBA playoffs from ESPN

Haliburton remembers that dinner well.

“He told me I have to believe in myself before he believes in me,” Haliburton told ESPN after Game 1 on Thursday night.

Unbeknownst to him, Hanlen had been studying his tape for several weeks, because he also worked closely with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, and the Sixers had engaged in trade discussions with the Kings on a trade that would’ve involved Haliburton and Ben Simmons.

Hanlen loved Haliburton’s passing ability but worried his lack of aggression in scoring would limit the impact of his brilliant passing. Embiid encouraged Hanlen to keep studying the film, because Haliburton had certain aspects of his game the big man had never seen before.

So in that game on Jan. 29, 2022, Haliburton did exactly what Hanlen challenged him to do. He attempted 19 shots, made 11 of them and finished with a then-career-high 38 points.

He was traded to the Pacers 10 days later.

He has been working with Hanlen ever since, and the theme has never changed.

“The big quote that we always say is, ‘Sometimes being too unselfish is actually being selfish,'” Hanlen told ESPN Thursday night, as he waited for Haliburton by the Pacers family room in Oklahoma City. “When he’s unselfish, it actually negatively impacts his teammates’ success and negatively impacts his team’s success.

“The more aggressive he is, the more his team wins.”

play

1:41

Haliburton walks through his Game 1 winner with SVP

Tyrese Haliburton tells Scott Van Pelt what was going through his mind in the final moments of the Pacers’ thrilling Game 1 win vs. the Thunder.

CONFIDENCE HAS BEEN a fickle flame for Haliburton over the years — hard to picture after his boisterous interviews and celebrations on the court this season. But just a few months ago, he was as low as Hanlen had ever seen him.

Being the only player on the Olympic team who didn’t get any playing time shook him. So did a lingering hamstring injury, which kept him from training all summer. He came into the season without his usual burst, physically or emotionally. And it showed in the Pacers’ slow start.

That’s what made his comments to Van Pelt after Thursday night’s win so ironic. “We were late to the party, too,” reads a whole lot differently knowing just how much Haliburton struggled to get his confidence and aggressiveness back earlier this year.

Even the signature shoes he brought to the podium with him have a double meaning. When Haliburton was at his lowest this year, he worried he didn’t deserve to have the honor of a signature shoe.

“He’s always used negativity and doubt to fuel him,” Hanlen said. “But then he started buying into it and believing it. We had to get him past that.”

ON WEDNESDAY, HALIBURTON texted Hanlen a post from @studio7Inbox — an X account with 269 followers — that broke down the Pacers wins per shot attempts by Haliburton.

Break down of Pacers wins per shot attempts by @TyHaliburton22 from the start of the szn thru the playoffs:
9 or fewer: 5-6
10 or more: 47-21
14 or more: 30-13
15 or more: 29-10
16 or more: 20-5
17 or more: 15-2
20 or more: 4-0@PUMAHoops #YesCers

— Studio7 (@Studio7Inbox) June 4, 2025

Hanlen had no idea how Haliburton found that post, but he was glad that was what Haliburton was thinking on the eve of his first Finals appearance.

“We came up with a slogan, which is the orange thing,” Hanlen said. “Which just means look at the orange thing. Look at the rim as much as you possibly can.

“You wouldn’t tell some players to be overly aggressive because you think then they’re going to start hunting for bad shots. But for Ty, we trust that if he gets downhill and puts himself in the right place, he’ll make the right decision.”

The end result of all this is that while it appears Haliburton is having a superstar turn in these playoffs, it’s one that began three years ago — and one that still needs tending.

After Haliburton shot only seven times in the Pacers’ Game 5 loss to the Knicks, Hanlen flew to Indianapolis to help him prepare for Game 6. They watched film, and when Haliburton went to bed, Hanlen gathered any orange thing he could find in the house and left them outside his door.

From the play-in tournament to the NBA Finals, ESPN has you covered this postseason.

• Game 1: How Haliburton, Indy stole a win

• NBA Finals: Preview Thunder-Pacers
• Shelburne: Inside the Dorture Chamber
• Collier: What’s fueling Haliburton’s run
• Kram/Pelton: Seven things that will decide the finals
• Kram: Why NBA should be terrified of OKC
• Pelton: Are Pacers best comeback team ever?
• Marks: Offseason guides for 28 teams

He found a bag of Goldfish, a giant box of Reese’s Puffs cereal, a Number 3-sized basketball, a giant carrot, an orange bag of Guittard dark chocolate and Kind peanut butter clusters.

Haliburton woke up and had to step over all the “orange things” just to leave his room.

“That’s all he talks about,” Haliburton joked. “24/7, all day every day. It never stops with that guy.”

Clearly the message is getting through. Because as Haliburton walked out of Paycom Center Thursday night, he asked how many shot attempts he took in Game 1.

Thirteen.

“Damn,” he said. “[Hanlen’s] not going to be happy. I know I was terrible. I made the shot and everything, but there’s a lot of room for improvement. I can be better.”





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Picture showing Broken Covenant Riven skin in League of Legends.
Esports

This ultra-rare Riven skin just resurfaced after RohanGod’s incredible LoL achievement

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After reaching the highest rank in every Riot Games title, RohanGod has been rewarded with a piece of League of Legends history few thought would ever return—the 2012 Championship Riven skin.

While most League players struggle to reach the highest rank, this player has achieved it in all the other Riot-developed titles: VALORANT, Teamfight Tactics, and Legends of Runeterra. This is an impressive feat, encompassing various game genres, including MOBA, FPS, card games, and auto battlers, which serves as a testament to their gaming skills. 

It’s priceless! Image via Riot Games

Championship Riven is often cited alongside PAX skins and Black Alistar as one of the rarest skins in the game. It debuted back in 2012 as the first championship skin after Worlds. It was sold for a week, and it never came back. It had a unique shape for the Riven sword, making it a rare and one-of-a-kind cosmetic only owned by players who’ve been playing the game since the early days. 

While Riot brought back the other championship skins for players in Worlds, Riven’s skin never returned, and it became a topic of discussion ever since.

Finally, the developer reintroduced the Championship Riven skin in 2016 but with a key difference: the champion’s new skin didn’t feature a crown on the head. To preserve the exclusivity of the 2012 skin, existing owners of the original skins also got a special loading screen border, exclusive summoner icon, and an updated version of the skin itself, making it almost priceless in the community.

“I wanted this more than any material object when I was a kid. [I] really just don’t know what to say except for thank you,” RohanGod said on his X (formerly Twitter) account. According to the player, he has also achieved the highest rank in other popular multiplayer games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, Marvel Rivals, and many more. 

If the developer continues down this path of rewarding cross-title achievements with ultra-rare cosmetics, it could mark a new era of recognition across the Riot ecosystem. 

Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy



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The Incredible Action in 'Ballerina' Masks How Dumb the Rest of It Is
Product Reviews

The Incredible Action in ‘Ballerina’ Masks How Dumb the Rest of It Is

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At a certain point while watching Ballerina, the latest film in the John Wick Universe, I did something I rarely do while watching a movie. Something I’ve vehemently fought against in the past. And yet in this case, it felt wholly necessary because the film posed a dichotomy the likes of which I haven’t seen in a long, long time. That’s how it happened that, while watching Ballerina, I did the unthinkable. I stopped watching with a critical eye, and I’m very glad I did.

I fully admit this is not an ideal situation, and normally I’d be very against this. On many occasions, after giving a negative review to something, someone will say to me, “Oh, just turn your brain off and enjoy it.” To that, my response is always, “Well, if it was actually good, I shouldn’t have to.” Ballerina, however, is somehow both not good and also incredibly good at the same time. It’s a mostly brainless, cold, cookie-cutter revenge movie that has so much unfathomable yet enjoyable action in it that the two are completely at odds. How can a movie this lame have such entertaining action? Why is such care being paid to these action sequences when the story and emotion are so surface? It’s very odd, a little confusing, and why, without even knowing it happened, I did what I always say you shouldn’t do. I shut my brain off.

As a professional critic, that’s not the easiest thing to do. Out of habit, you watch almost everything with that eye. What’s good about it? What’s bad about it? What’s working? What’s not? Why do I like this? Why do I not? But Ballerina feels as if it was constructed from two completely different points of view. On one hand, it’s rather clear that, despite some effort early on, the film is not particularly concerned with being narratively rewarding or complex. However, it is very interested in showcasing action and stunts unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, and in that aim, it is wildly successful.

One of the many fights in Ballerina. – Lionsgate

Set mostly between the events of the second and third John Wick movies, Ballerina stars Ana de Armas as Eve. Eve is an orphan who finds herself training in the way of the Ruska Roma, just like everyone’s favorite dog-loving assassin, John Wick. The film does an admirable job of explaining how Eve found herself in this situation, complete with an origin story and more, but eventually that all takes a back seat. Eve wants to kill the people who killed her father. Even the fact she trained as a ballerina, the literal title of the movie, never really comes back. This is about revenge, plain and simple.

And so Eve goes from place to place looking for information that will lead her to a mysterious organization that killed her father. All of which is not in the slightest bit interesting. From the first second of the film, we can guess almost precisely what’s going to happen at each stage because we’ve seen it a million times before. However, each of these places does allow director Len Wiseman and his team to showcase different environments, styles, and weapons that can be breathtaking.

There’s a scene with a car in an alley that’ll drop your jaw. An underground battle with grenades that’s completely unbelievable but also hilariously awesome. And then there’s the flamethrower fight that is so beyond excellent, you can’t help but enjoy it simply because you are in awe of what you are watching. Those scenes are all done so well that, for a few minutes, you forget you don’t care about anything else happening. You just want more of this dynamic, innovative action. Plus, de Armas is just a star. She’s hugely charismatic and believable as this character who we hope we’ll get to see more of.

Keanu Reeves plays a small but vital role in Ballerina. – Lionsgate

Along the way, Eve runs into characters new and old in the Wick franchise, played by the likes of Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, Gabriel Byrne, and Norman Reedus, to name a few. It’s an impressive cast. Then, eventually, there’s Wick himself, reprised by Keanu Reeves. It’s great to see him again but his inclusion actually works against the rest of the film. Having such a strong force introduced into the film somehow makes both Wick and Eve feel less capable than everything else we’ve seen. We understand the impetus to put him in, even just for marketing, but the movie would’ve been better without him.

The movie would’ve been better with a lot of things, though. A more interesting story, better characters, deeper emotions, but that’s not Ballerina. Ballerina is a brainless slog filled with action-packed wonder that’s sure to wow audiences who go in looking for that and only that. Just know if you go in looking for anything else, there’s not much there.

By the end of Ballerina, things had long gone past any chance of being particularly interesting or emotional. I knew I wasn’t going to get that innovative, emotionally charged, deep lore or narrative some of the previous Wick films provided. And so, instead of getting angry at it, I switched gears and in this very rare, very specific case, it was the right call. Because while what I was watching was very forgettable in a traditional narrative sense, it’s decidedly unforgettable in terms of pure, unfiltered action and entertainment. Ballerina is a pick-your-poison situation.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, which is the full official title, opens this week.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.



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