Features News - Page 24 of 32

Primed and ready

25 years ago, Nintendo released the original Metroid on the world, kicking off a franchise that has hit incredible highs and suffered the odd low point too. Here news editor James Newton is joined by reviewers Jacob Crites and Thomas Whitehead to discuss the series, its heritage and where it might go in the future. James Newton: This week marks the 25th anniversary of the original..

Charge your beaming smiles

Today is the 25th anniversary of Metroid and we want to know your favourite Metroid moments. Do you remember the first time you faced off against Ridley? Touching down on Tallon IV for the first time in Metroid Prime? Whatever your favourite moments and memories of Metroid, we want to know. Leave them in a comment below...

Steve Jarratt and Andy Dyer spill the beans on the production of one of the UK's most endearing Nintendo publications

It’s hard to believe it now, but back in the early ‘90s Nintendo was not the dominant force on UK shores. That accolade went to Sega, whose 8-bit Master System and 16-bit Mega Drive were the driving force behind the console revolution in that region of the world. However, with..

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..

We have answers

The announcement of global 3DS price drops and free eShop games might have you confused, which is why we've put together this FAQ to help you make sense of the issues. This FAQ is a work in progress and we'll update it when new information comes in. If you have questions, post them in the comments below and we'll do our best to...

By popular demand

We've already heard about the GBA games you want on 3DS Virtual Console, but that's only half the equation: Nintendo will also be giving away 10 free NES games to 3DS users too. The NES games announced so far are: Super Mario Bros.Donkey Kong Jr.Balloon FightIce Climber

Your questions, answered

A while ago we invited you to submit your questions for Amoebattle developer Intrinsic Games. We pitched the best ones to the indie developer and now we have a whole stack of answers. @Squiggle55 - What sets Amoebattle apart from other games in the genre? Traditionally, most games in the Real Time Strategy genre are for the...

Go on, push our buttons

By now you've probably had chance to digest our Nintendo Ambassador program and free eShop games FAQ which explains the 20 free games current 3DS owners are entitled to, starting 1st September. All 20 games will be Virtual Console downloads — 10 from NES, 10 from Game Boy Advance — but so far only half the games have been...

Piping hot

Nintendo could have gone in any number of directions with its first Mario outing on 3DS: an enhanced remake of a previous game a la Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, an extension of the Super Mario Galaxy series or a sequel to the mega-selling New Super Mario Bros.. It's done none of these, or possibly all of them at once. For a start,...

Where can Wii go from here?

Let's not beat around the bush here: WiiWare hasn't been a runaway success. Many Wii owners are unaware the service exists, what it offers and why they would want to use it, and those console owners who are familiar with the Wii Shop Channel are just as conscious of its myriad problems: poor content, dull presentation...

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...

Back to his best?

Rayman Origins is the long awaited return to 2D platforming for Ubisoft's chopper-haired hero. While the version we played at a recent preview event was running on Xbox 360, we were told the team is aiming to make the Wii version as similar as possible. Running on Ubisoft's new UbiArt framework, the game is extremely beautiful — detailed, colourful and exceptionally animated,..

Hands-on once more with the Hero of Time

In all the Wii U commotion at E3 this year, Link's next and final outing on Wii was rather lost, but we were able to reconnect with the Hero of Time at a recent preview event in the UK. Three levels in total were playable: an aerial bird race, a dungeon and a face-off against Lord Ghirahim. With Wii Remote Plus in hand we set off to see if Wii's final big..

Has Pit found his wings yet?

Masuhiro Sakurai's game of two halves continues to delight and frustrate in almost equal measures. When we played the game back in January we came away thoroughly impressed with the aerial sections but less enamoured with the ground fighting elements, and this hasn't changed based on our latest hands-on time with the...

Making us blue

June was Sonic's 20th anniversary, and later this year Sega celebrates with Sonic Generations, a project that aims to combine the hedgehog's best and, admittedly, worst moments. 3DS owners get a very different version to PS3 and 360 fans, both for better and worse. Sonic Generations on 3DS joins traditional 16-bit style platforming with more modern Sonic Colours gameplay, with a..

To arms!

There haven't been many new franchises so far in 3DS's short life so far, but RPG masters Square Enix and handheld specialists n-Space are busy preparing a very promising new IP for release in 2012: Heroes of Ruin. We recently went hands-on with the game, and from our early impressions it's one that should hit your radar. From the off it's...

Snake returns to Nintendo

It's odd that, despite Hideo Kojima requesting Solid Snake to be put in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, there haven't exactly been many games from the Metal Gear series on Nintendo systems, and none since that crossover happened. Thankfully, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is due to change that later this year. An enhanced port of the third Metal Gear Solid title, viewed by many..

Tapping never felt so good

At last week's Nintendo press event in the Netherlands, we played several games, but one which has oddly not seen much coverage around the web yet is the latest entry in the Rhythm Heaven series. Scheduled for release in Japan next week, the demo Nintendo had on offer was completely untouched by translators, and was thus completely in Japanese. However, this is Rhythm..

We go one-on-one with popcorn in one hand and a stylus in the other

In many cities across North America you can still find them: all-but-deserted video rental stores trying every special deal and coupon in their cap to reclaim business from the rampantly successful postal-based Netflix service. But for many, getting movies in the mail isn't its best feature – that goes instead to Netflix Instant,..

Is the Wii U innovative enough, or just a big DS?

When looked at logically, perhaps there is a valid point to be made about the Wii U. Admittedly, launch is a while away, and further details on the console and its capabilities will no doubt flow in the coming months, but the focus of this article is simple: will Wii U ‘disrupt’ the industry and...

It's not just blasting, you know

Playing the Mega Man series is cathartic in many ways. You get to listen to great music, appreciate the impressively cartoony visuals Capcom wrung out of the NES hardware, and experiment with many unique and varied abilities. But overall, we tend to like it because it's mindless. It's a platformer with clear...

Is gaming's biggest consumer advocacy movement a noble cause, or does NoA know best?

What you see to the right of this text is a poster for Operation Rainfall. It features screen shots and information on Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story and Pandora's Tower, all of which Nintendo has published in Japan to positive reviews and sales, and none of which the company plans to release in North..

In which the world continues not to make sense

Bizarre Emails Sent to Nintendo Life and its world-beating sequel Bizarre Emails Sent to Nintendo Life — Volume 2 exposed some of the provocative, embarrassing and downright idiotic emails we receive on a daily basis here. From readers confusing us with the real, actual Nintendo to banned users...

Is a single, permanent save file ever enough?

Capcom's decision to limited Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D to a single immortal save file has drawn plenty of discussion recently. It's a big issue, and one that deserves another look. At face value, only having one save file for life is baffling, and there's no precedent we can think of: certainly past Resident Evil games needed multiple save files..