Features News - Page 28 of 32

We talk with producer Yukihiro Kobayashi about the new Wii title

While party games are relatively common today, the one that put the genre on the map is undeniably Hudson's Mario Party, released a little over a decade ago on the Nintendo 64. Now the company's making another foray into the party business with the devious Oops! Prank Party, set for release in the United States on October 5th. We had..

Vblank Entertainment's open-world game looks set to hijack your 8-bit heart

Grand Theftendo may have started out as a pet project of Vblank Entertainment's Brian Provinciano, but eight years later it's turned into one of the most intriguing games slated to hit WiiWare in the form of Retro City Rampage. The novelty of an 8-bit open-world game was enough to put it on our radar, and the amount of..

How a trip to the toilet in Nintendo's Japanese HQ resulted in one of the most famous coups in video game history

When you think of the early '80s video game scene one name instinctively springs to mind: Atari. This pioneering firm had practically invented the concept of the interactive television experience, and its all-conquering VCS (also known...

Tell us your 8-bit bits

October 18th marks the 25th birthday of the NES's North American debut, then only to a select number of cities, and we're celebrating by bringing you a veritable coin box of features and treats. And we want to make you, our beloved readership, a part of the celebration. We'll be running a feature that puts the spotlight on...

Developers open up about new Wii and DS titles

WayForward have had their hands in quite a number of licensed releases over the years, but it's their upcoming Batman: The Brave and the Bold titles that have been garnering a lot of attention as of late. With the Wii and DS versions of the game set for release in North America on September 7th and in Europe on September 24th, we thought now would be a..

Ashes to oddball requests

You may have used the Contact form to appeal for a name change on the site, to alert us to an issue or just to start a conversation. These are all completely normal uses compared to some of the emails we get sent on a daily basis, mostly from users confusing us with Nintendo. Below is just a small selection of some of the...

Our new feature series explores the musical tastes of notable video game creators and figures. Former Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka kicks things off by sharing some of his favorite songs, including a very special funeral request.

If you've ever played a Silent Hill game then you're familiar with Grasshopper Manufacture's Akira Yamaoka. As the former composer and sound designer for Konami's..

With a lack of Export feature for most music software on the handheld, we show you how to preserve and share your masterpieces

DS-owning music enthusiasts have quite a few tools at their disposal for composing their latest and greatest, laying down that melody that came out of nowhere for use later or just plain old messing around with bleeps and...

The independent French studio talks about its upcoming release, downloadable gaming, humour and more

On July 5th, North American DSi owners will be able to download QuickPick Farmer, the first DSiWare release from independent developer Dancing Dots (not to be confused with Dippin' Dots, the ice cream of the future). We spoke to managing director Martial Hesse-Dréville and QuickPick Farmer game..

In the second and final part of our N64-themed making of, we look at the critical and commercial impact of one of Rare's best action titles

One of the most refreshing aspects of Jet Force Gemini was the way in which the player’s progression throughout the various levels was handled; initially, the only character available is Juno, but eventually other heroes are added to the roster, each faced..

In the first of a two-part feature, we go behind the scenes on what is regarded by many as the N64's finest action title

Back in the late ‘90s being an N64 owner was a testing experience. Having to listen to your Playstation-owning chums constantly droning on about Lara Croft and Solid Snake was enough to put any Nintendo devotee in a bad mood, but the general lack of quality software towards the..

We chat to the Pocket Pack developer about its download-focused future

Mere Mortals probably isn't a name you instantly recognise, but UK readers have experienced more of the company's output than they might realise. The multi-talented team produced the animations for Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe, had a hand in the CG for Danny Boyle's Sunshine and Slumdog Millionaire and is about to broadcast more..

Get some inspiration for your creations

We love WarioWare: DIY here at Nintendo Life Towers: its ample array of game creation tools is enough to inspire even the most stunted imagination to create a gameplay masterpiece. When placed in the hands of the truly talented, however, some unbelievable microgames are possible: here's a selection of some of our favourites, taking in everything from..

We chat monsters, quests and gamers clocking 8,000 hours

Initially scheduled for the week of the game's launch in April, ongoing issues with the Icelandic volcano dust cloud situation meant we had to postpone our interview with Monster Hunter Tri producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, but we're now able to bring you the interview in full. Nintendo Life: Why do you think Monster Hunter been such a massive..

Yes, the announcer is back

The upcoming NBA Jam revival for the Wii has been music to the ears of gamers wanting to taste that nostalgic goodness that will see them slam dunking like beasts as if it's easier than breathing, all to the enthusiastic commentary of the in-game announcer. The NBA Jam series is long overdue for a return and with the game's release planned for later in the year, we..

Get the lowdown on the game's programming

It won't be long before Furry Legends: Chapter One is unleashed upon WiiWare gamers everywhere, so you may be interested in this Making Of video giving more information about how the game was actually programmed. We've already given you videos on the game's design and production, and will bring you more exclusive behind the scenes videos from Gamelion as..

Learn more about the game's production

A week ago we brought you the first making of video from our exclusive series behind the scenes at Gamelion Studios in Poland. This time we're taking you deeper into the production process with producer Lukasz Szczepanski, as he talks more about the planning that went into the game and the importance of the game's fans to its development. Head over to the..

The first in our series of exclusive behind-the-scenes documentaries

Earlier this month we brought you exclusive First Impressions of Furry Legends: Chapter One and an interview with its creators, Gamelion Studios. As the game nears its release for WiiWare we're teaming up with Gamelion again to bring you a series of exclusive behind-the-scenes documentaries giving more details about the game's..

60Hz and the confusing state of Virtual Console emulation

“Many people don’t know what the difference between 50Hz and 60Hz is, but since most modern TV models support 60Hz it’s definitely worth finding out.” This interesting and illuminative statement, plucked readily from any number of Nintendo Wii game manuals, is fascinating in its...

We get answers from the Producer and Game Designer

We've already told you what we thought based on our playtime with WiiWare rollerball adventure Furry Legends, but we still had plenty of questions, so we sat down with Game Designer Adam Kramarzewski, Producer Lukasz Szczepanski and Gamelion VP Sebastian Szczygiel to get some answers. Nintendo Life: Why the decision to use a furry ball instead of a..

The sequel's producer talks new multiplayer features, weapons and more

When it comes to Conduit 2, High Voltage Software's sequel to their debut Wii first-person shooter from 2009, we know a couple of things: that stuff is going to blow up and it will feature a whole host of new multiplayer bells and whistles, including a new co-operative mode. Inquisitive minds that we are, we got a few queries in..

Massive new "indie game" studio talks about its plans for domination

Some call the surge of indie gaming developers over the past few years unique and refreshing. Others, like the newly self-aware "indie game" studio Tomorrow Corporation, call them dastardly and nefarious, hogging all of the limelight from Big Gaming. That, quite simply,...

We go behind the scenes to discover how a small UK code-house helped Nintendo enter the realm of 3D – and make millions in the process

In these days of ultra-realistic graphical plenty it’s all too easy to forget that for console gamers, 3D visuals didn’t really become par for the course until the advent of the 32-bit technology in the...

With the 3DS around the corner, we take a look back at Nintendo's other attempt to crack the world of three dimensions

Everybody has an awkward secret that they’d rather not share with the world. Be it an old school photo that showcases your crimes against fashion or an acutely embarrassing vinyl LP in your record collection that you simply can’t bear to part with, we keep these things hidden..