May2015
Talking Point Is Konami About To Exit The Console Game Business?
Nintendo's old ally could be leaving the industry it helped to grow
Konami has been in the headlines a lot lately. First up were those troublesome rumours regarding the impending departure of Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series and arguably the Japanese company's most valuable and famous employee. It would appear that Kojima is set to...
April2015
News Renegade Kid Twice Pitched Silent Hill DS Projects to Konami
Was quickly and then politely rebuffed
Renegade Kid is best known to most Nintendo fans - we suspect - as an indie download developer, in particular stepping up a notch in popularity with Mutant Mudds on the 3DS eShop. In the DS era, though, the studio released a variety of respected retail efforts, very much part of the mid-tier market subsequently...
News Konami Removes Its Listing from the New York Stock Exchange
Will raise eyebrows, but doesn't mean imminent doom
Some of the Nintendo Life team on the wrong side of 30-years-old recall the days when Konami was a true powerhouse brand in gaming. The Castlevania franchise was hugely popular, Pro Evolution Soccer was the mainstream choice ahead of EA's FIFA - really, that was a thing - and Hideo Kojima could get...
News Game Freak's GBA Title Drill Dozer Rated By The Australian Classification Board
Konami's The Adventures of Bayou Billy is also on the way
The Australian Classification Board has revealed Game Freak's GBA hit, Drill Dozer, will be arriving on the Wii U Virtual Console in the near future. The critically praised action platformer previously released in Japan in 2005 and North America in 2006 has players take control of a...
March2015
Rumour Metal Gear Creator Hideo Kojima Is Leaving Konami, But The Series Will Go On
Will part company after finishing MGSV
It is being reported that Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima will be parting company with Konami after the launch of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Tongues started wagging after Konami removed the Kojima Productions name from Metal Gear Solid V press material. Kojima's name was also absent from an updated...
February2015
Music Here's The Entire Gradius III Soundtrack In NES Style, Just Because
The remix you didn't know you needed
Gradius III was one of Konami's first releases for the SNES and took the popular shooter franchise into the 16-bit realm for the first time. As is the case with many Konami games, it featured an excellent soundtrack by Konami Kukeiha Club, the company's in-house music team. In its pure, untouched form it's a...
December2014
News Contra Advance Is Locked And Loaded For A Wii U Virtual Console Sortie
Handheld Hard Corps
Konami's Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX has been rated by the Australian Classification Board and should arrive on the Wii U in the near future as a Virtual Console download. This is a loose port of the SNES classic Contra III: The Alien Wars and originally hit the Game Boy Advance in 2002. In Japan, it was known as Contra:...
October2014
Video Join Us For Nintendo Life's Haunting Halloween Night In
No Tricks here, just Treats for your Wii U and 3DS
Halloween is a wonderful time of year to watch scary movies, eat candy and play spooky video games, as opposed to being out in the cold. To help you decide on your entertainment for this ghoulish evening, we've come up with a list of games that can be played on your Wii U and 3DS, with many of these...
News Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow to Complete GBA Trilogy on Wii U Virtual Console
Scarily good
The Game Boy Advance enjoyed a terrific trilogy of 2D Castlevania titles — as did its successor, the DS — which set impressive standards for portable entries in the franchise. With GBA games on the Wii U, the prospect of playing them on the GamePad — or the TV if you like enormous pixels — must have come to the minds of Konami...
August2014
News SNES Classic Cybernator Is Suiting Up For An Assault On The Wii U Virtual Console Tomorrow
In North America, that is
The SNES was a system which was lucky enough to enjoy amazing support from the best publishers and developers of its era, and one of the console's best third-party releases is set to stomp its way to the North American Virtual Console tomorrow. Cybernator — also known as Assault Suit Valken in Japan — was launched by...
July2014
Matters of Import Genso Suikoden Card Stories - Konami's Other Trading Card Game
Suikoden 2 on GBA? Sort of
Konami is certainly comfortable with the popular and profitable Trading Card Game genre, their Yu-Gi-Oh series reportedly selling in excess of twenty-two billion cards all over the world since it was first launched. The digital equivalents have always been warmly welcomed on Nintendo hardware too, stretching all the way...
May2014
News Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal World Duel Carnival Is On The Cards For A Euro 3DS Release This June
Play your cards right
Konami has confirmed that it is bringing Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal World Duel Carnival to Europe on June 26th. The first entry in the card-battling series to hit the 3DS, Zexal World Duel Carnival launched in Japan at the end of last year and is based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal anime and manga. This is also the first time that the Zexal...
April2014
News Animal Crossing and Metroidvania GDC Talks Now Available For Your Viewing Pleasure
New Leaf and Castlevania devs discuss the intricacies of game development
Many of the presentations at last month's Game Developers Conference are now available to view for free on the GDC Vault website, including Animal Crossing: New Leaf producer Katsuya Eguchi and co-director Aya Kyogoku's "How to Turn a New Leaf at the Animal Crossing" and...
News Castlevania: Dracula X And Mega Man 5 Hitting The Japanese Wii U Virtual Console Next Week
Scream bloody murder
Next week's Japanese Wii U Virtual Console titles have been confirmed, and fans of Konami and Capcom should be pretty pleased with what's on offer. Arguably the most notable release is Castlevania: Dracula X (known as Akumajou Dracula XX in Japan and Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss in Europe), the SNES port of the PC Engine classic...
Feature The Castlevania That Konami Doesn't Want You To Know About
A chilling look at the 1988 arcade release Haunted Castle
Despite the critical mauling Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 received at the hands of the gaming press, Konami's gothic franchise has arguably never been in better health. After years of dismal sales and underexposure, the mainstream appeal of the series was emphatically restored by 2011's...
News Dracula Is Cursing The Japanese Wii U Virtual Console Next Week In Castlevania III
Mystic Quest, Gradius and Neutopia also coming along for the ride
Castlevania fans will be pleased to know that NES classic Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse — one of the best entries in the entire lineage — is hitting the Japanese Wii U Virtual Console next week, which means a western release shouldn't be far behind. Originally released in...
March2014
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and F-Zero: GP Legend appear eShop-bound
The Australian government's Classification Board is infamous for its censorship of violence in games, hindering the release of dozens of highly-anticipated titles over the years. But sometimes its ratings bring us good news: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and
News Star Parodier Removed From the Wii Virtual Console in North America
An import classic that will be missed
If you've yet to play Hudson Soft's adorable Turbografx cute-em up Star Parodier, you are unfortunately out of luck as the title has been removed from the North American Wii Virtual Console. It joins some other titles in the past year and more that have been removed from the service, with issues such as...
News Koji Igarashi Discusses Leaving Konami and Being Inspired by the Mighty No. 9 Example
"If you have the fans, you can provide them the games they want"
Earlier this week we reported the news that Koji Igarashi, best known for the Castlevania series, had left Konami. Affectionately known as IGA, his role with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night before going on to lead the Castlevania franchise throughout its exceptional years on Game...
News Koji Igarashi, Best Known for the Castlevania Series, Departs from Konami
"I've decided to break out on my own"
It's possible that gamers relatively fresh to Nintendo hardware won't know much of Koji Igarashi's work, but Castlevania fans that enjoyed the terrific series entries on the Game Boy Advance and DS — in particular — may mourn the formal passing of an era today, even if it's been on the cards for a...
February2014
Soapbox A Case For The Defence: Castlevania 64
The only things that suck are the vampires
Castlevania 64, which is how we shall refer to the original Nintendo 64 vampire-killing game to avoid confusion with the other Castlevania, is a game that’s been unjustly left on the series' scrapheap for far too long, and I’m going to tell you why. Now that doesn’t mean I’m here to excuse the...
January2014
Talking Point Is The Castlevania Series Finished With Nintendo?
Fangs for the memories, but is it time to move on?
Ever since it began in 1986, Konami's Castlevania series has been closely associated with Nintendo. The vampire-slaying lineage started life on the Famicom Disk System in Japan and shortly afterwards found worldwide fame on the NES. Since then, the franchise has seen some of its most famous and...
December2013
Rumour Could This Contra III Image Mean That SNES Games Are Coming To The 3DS eShop?
Or is it just an honest mistake?
As you'll no doubt be aware, the 3DS has received an update which not only links the console to your Nintendo Network ID — thereby allowing you to combine your available funds across both the 3DS and Wii U — but also introduces Miiverse to the handheld realm. Interestingly, when you view the Contra III: The...
News Cute Konami Shooter Pop'n Twinbee Is Coming To The Virtual Console
The only question now is which one
The Australian Classification Board has revealed that Konami's Pop'n Twinbee is coming to the Virtual Console. The vertically-scrolling shooter is the sequel to the original Twinbee, and takes place in a cartoon-like world where you pilot a ship with arms. However, before you get too excited about the prospect of...
November2013
News New LovePlus Launching With Limited Edition 3DS Consoles Next Spring
Looks lovely
Konami’s popular dating simulator returns next year with a new entry in the series, along with three limited edition 3DS XL designs. New LovePlus+ will feature new story scenarios and locations to visit, and will also be available in a deluxe package. “The Manaka Deluxe” set of New LovePlus+ includes a copy of the game, a 40...
