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An interview with a gentleman

We were first introduced to Professor Layton back in February 2007 with his debut title, Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Since then, the 'Sherlock Holmes' inspired character has gone from strength to strength with an original trilogy, a prequel trilogy, a movie, and an upcoming crossover with defense...

They did WHAT with [insert treasured franchise name here]?

There are some undeniable truths in life, death and taxes being two examples, and the video game industry has its own rules and obligations that can never be avoided. One of these revolves around reboots of treasured franchises — if you're going to "re-imagine" a popular character or...

This is how you redesign a console

Let's be brutally honest here — the original DS design was ugly. Quite what Nintendo's designers were thinking when they came up with it we'll never know, but the dumpy, two-tone casing hardly got pulses racing, even back in 2004. It felt like a system that was rushed out of the door purely to meet a deadline,...

Predicting releases is getting tougher

Yesterday brought the news that Project X Zone is being localised and released in PAL regions and North America this summer. To many that would arguably be a surprise, as the title has endured a relative failure in Japan, culminating in a major price-cut. Yet recent years have taught us that predicting...

Lots of Mario and Wii U's arrival

In the first six months of 2012, which we looked at in the first part of our 2012 retrospective, Nintendo oversaw some major releases on 3DS and announced the XL model, the Wii had a few memorable arrivals and E3 came and went with its own brand of madness. There were also a number of quirky stories that passed by,...

3DS fought back, hype mode was engaged

Not so long ago it could be argued that Nintendo was having some relaxing times, with DS and Wii systems flying off shelves and console rivals rushing to the platform in order to hop on the motion-control train. Of course, technology and the gaming industry evolve, and in 2011 Nintendo found itself trying to...

Christmas time, Mario and Trine...

It's Christmas time, and we all know what that means — rapidly depleting bank accounts, lots of food and merriment, and plenty of video gaming. The Holiday season actually means different things depending on your own perspective, of course, but to many it's a great opportunity to spend time with family and...

Worth a scare

Whenever we look back at a console’s lifespan, the first thing we nearly always do is remember the good stuff. We remember the Marios, the Zeldas, the hordes of Pokémon, and maybe even the odd Kirby game depending on your level of pink puff-ball persuasion. But we’re often so caught up in remembering what’s great that we very...

Two screens, only much bigger

Seven years and over 150 million sales have passed since Nintendo surprised the world by releasing its dual screen handheld back in 2004, introducing true touch screen gaming to the masses for the first time. The concept proved such a success that Nintendo has now implemented it in its next home console, Wii U, via a...

Button mashing for gold

If you’ve been living in a cave and isolated from the world for the past couple of weeks, then you may not have been bombarded with coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games. It’s now well under way, and thousands of athletes are running, cycling, swimming and more in the name of winning a shiny gold medal. None of the...

Because art is beauty

Ever since Nintendo introduced the touch screen on the original DS, it was clear to artists that there was plenty of potential to produce art without the need to dig out a canvas and materials. The Art Academy series was a high-profile example on DSi that scratched that itch, as well as being titles that helped to attract yet...

Holy topical feature, Batman!

Today sees the launch of The Dark Knight Rises in UK and North American theatres, amongst others, and it's become a cultural phenomenon, dominating the thoughts of Batman geeks and film lovers alike. We figured that you'll see the word 'Batman' wherever you go, so we might as well wrap it up in our favourite...

Time for double vision

Earlier this week we brought you the first part of our visual guide to Nintendo's Handheld Revamps, starting with Game Boy and going all the way up to Game Boy Advance SP. In terms of handheld console models, and despite the number of years covered, that only covered about half of the story; now we'll pick up with the first...

Conquers all

June wasn't a great month for game releases it must be said, but the long-awaited arrival of Pokémon Conquest netted it our Game of the Month award in June. A blend of Japanese strategy series Nobunaga's Ambition and Nintendo's beloved pocket monsters, it straddles the middle ground between the two RPG approaches, creating something...

Too good to ignore

Not long ago, we brought you a feature on Bargain Bin DS Games, detailing some excellent games available for relatively little money. The response to the article highlighted how many little-known or under-appreciated gems the DS library has, as it seems to have been a platform that encouraged a lot of creativity from developers...

If in doubt…

Nintendo is set to announce its latest financial results that will cover the past year, and it’s anticipated that, for the first time in its history, the company will record a yearly loss. It’s an obvious blow for Nintendo, particularly as the past five to six years have brought staggering success. Even the results for 2010-2011...

The best things in life are cheap

With 3DS firmly established in the market for more than 12 months and the Nintendo DS entering what can be confidently called its twilight year, there is no better time to head to the (virtual or physical) bargain bin to nab yourself some overlooked DS gems to keep you entertained until 3DS releases pick up momentum...

Disaster and redemption

Following on from Nintendo in 2011 — Part One, it's time to look at the latter half of the year. The gaming world quickly moves on, as the 3DS enjoys positive sales and the Wii U hype begins to build. It’s easy to forget that the tail-end of 2011 was particularly dramatic and eventful for Nintendo, leaving us with plenty...

An important year begins

It’s now 2012, which promises to be an eventful year for Nintendo. We’ll be giving our thoughts soon on what to expect in the coming year, but it's now time to look back at a dramatic 2011. There were plenty of major headlines and game releases, and we’ll pinpoint some of the key moments that defined the year. We'll...

Population: glowing

Here's a fun game next time you're at a boring social occasion: try explaining the point of Animal Crossing to an elderly family member. Nintendo's genre-defying life series first appeared in Japan in April 2001 as Dobutsu no Mori ("Animal Forest") on Nintendo 64, but it was the enhanced Animal Forest+ for GameCube —...

The wonderful world of Hyrule, and beyond

The Legend of Zelda is one of the best loved Nintendo franchises, over 25 years old and still finding new ways to thrill gamers. The significant number of Zelda releases means it boasts an incredible history and reputation, with each new entry’s adventure contributing its part to the lore of the series. The recent launch of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward..

Undead on the big N, past, present and future

The claustrophobic darkness. The creeping undead. The hideous monsters. The Resident Evil series has brought such thrills and chills to our TVs since 1996, and it’s taken quite a unique path when it comes to Nintendo consoles. With the month of All Hallows’ Eve upon us, we decided to take a look at...

That is the question

It’s been a busy year for Nintendo as it seeks to move onto a new generation of consoles. The 3DS is already here and, despite a sluggish start, has some big releases ahead. Then of course there is the Wii U, boasting a unique touch screen controller and the promise of much greater processing power than the Wii. Both devices are showing a lot of potential for new and..

Kirby rides again!

The DS is nearing the end of its life now; there are very few big games planned as everybody's making the move to the 3DS. Still, Nintendo's got another title coming out in the form of Kirby: Mass Attack, which takes the traditional Kirby platforming and gives it another unique twist. We had a chance to sit down with a still...