Latest Features
Hands On Whipping Hair Back and Forth in Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
Half-genie, all hero
WayForward's popular half-genie mascot hasn't starred in a game in since 2014's Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, and now the wait for her next adventure is nearly over. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is due to arrive both digitally and physically this Fall, kicking off something of a new beginning for the series. Given that the...
Hands On Taking a Deep Breath with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
A fresh, new approach
In our second Hands On piece for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mitch Vogel shares his analysis of the demo experiences offered at E3. You can find a link to our first article by Morgan Sleeper at the end, while Alan Lopez will pitch in with his thoughts in our third impressions piece very soon. When Nintendo made...
Poll What Did You Think of Nintendo's E3 2016?
From 'shirtless Link' to Miyamoto bossing The Pokémon Company
It's the final day of attendees scurrying around E3 2016, but for many following from home it's already the end of the year's highest-profile gaming show. After today it'll no longer be considered normal to watch eight hours of Nintendo Treehouse Live without so much as a toilet break,...
Feature The Big Nintendo E3 2016 Summary
It wasn't just The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
As we publish this article E3 attendees are taking final opportunities to conduct interviews and try out new games, including our own dedicated foursome from Nintendo Life; they have a lot more content from the show to share in the coming days. For Nintendo fans at home, however, the event has...
Hands On Digging into Harvest Moon: Skytree Village
Getting back to the land
With its giant inflatable tree, pastoral picket fences and fully-stocked stables of farm-animal plushies, Natsume's booth at this year's E3 represented a rustic respite from the show floor madness, and we happily headed down to the farm to check out its newest title: Harvest Moon: Skytree Village. This latest is Natsume's...
Talking Point Where Does The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Fit Into the Zelda Timeline?
Considering some clues
After Nintendo's glorious reveal of the new 2017 Legend of Zelda title - Breath of the Wild - we were given lots of trailer and gameplay footage to marvel at. Naturally, these kinds of revelations spark much debate and theorising amongst series enthusiasts, including where it could belong on the almighty Zelda timeline. Now...
Hands On Wide-Open Wanderlust in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Legendary
Instead of the open-floor plan filled with dozens of demo kiosks we've come to expect from its showings, Nintendo's booth at E3 this year looked rather different, featuring a single space shielded from the rest of the showfloor and dedicated to a single game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While it may have seemed like an odd...
Reaction Key Early Lessons We Learned About The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo goes all in on the adventure
We started the first day of E3 knowing very little about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - not even that name - and have ended it with a lot more knowledge. The Nintendo Treehouse, Eiji Aonuma, Shigeru Miyamoto and all involved excelled at demonstrating a lot of fascinating details while also steering...
Poll Did Nintendo Triumph With The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at E3?
A legendary reveal
Well, there we have it - Nintendo showed us many hours of footage from the newly named The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild after a short opening salvo of Pokémon Sun and Moon. The Treehouse team, with special guests including Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma, showed a lot of the underlying mechanics and gameplay of the 2017...
Talking Point Our Hopes For Nintendo's E3 2016 Legend of Zelda (and Pokémon) Bonanza
Beyond gameplay, Nintendo can emphasize its unique strengths
Well, it's finally here. After 18 months of near-silence and zero footage, Nintendo is going to lift the lid on The Legend of Zelda for Wii U and Nintendo NX (and also show some Pokémon Sun and Moon). It's the Wii U version that'll be on display, due to the ongoing secrecy around the...
Feature Tom Happ on Axiom Verge Coming to Its 'Home Turf' on Wii U
We still can't believe this game is the work of just one guy
It boggles the mind how Axiom Verge is the work of one man. It took five years for creator Tom Happ to produce the game on his own, putting together this game that deftly incorporates elements of Metroid, Contra, and other retro classics. With a list of influences like that, it's tough...
Feature Thunder Lotus Games Dives Into Norse Mythology With Jotun: Valhalla Edition
Ragnarok and roll
Unveiled earlier this year for the Wii U eShop, Jotun: Valhalla Edition is certainly an eye catching game. Thunder Lotus Games dives into Norse mythology, putting the player into the shoes of Thora, a Viking Warrior that must prove herself to earn a place in Valhalla. Those are big stakes for an action-exploration game. A hit on...
Feature 13AM Games Tells Us About Runbow Pocket, the New Nintendo 3DS Exclusive
Let's get ready to Runbowwwwwwwwwwwww
If you haven't gotten a big group of people together for a competitive game of Runbow then you haven't lived life in COLOURFUL CAPS LOCK yet. The competitive nine-player runner with a roster of original characters and borrowed favourites is a great way to make friends and alienate people. Thanks to the wonders...
A Link to the Future
We've already discussed, long before now, how Nintendo's approach to E3 has caused understandable disappointment for some. Even after the company expanded its plans with more streams and games, when we polled Nintendo Life readers there was still disappointment. The promise of E3 discounts on the eShop has helped lift the mood a...
Feature Developers' Perspectives on Five Years of the 3DS eShop
"Nintendo's had the door open to developers for a long time"
In the past week the 3DS eShop turned five years old, a notable landmark for a download store that triggered key evolutions from its Wii and DSi predecessors. Though Nintendo still has improvements to make in how it sells and handles download games, it's easy to overlook how vital the 3DS...
"We're simply adding another format to help expand the scene competitively"
Throughout May we wrote about 'The Gauntlet', a team-based Super Smash Bros. for Wii U competitive format that utilises the game's 8-player Smash option, allowing two teams of four to duke it out. With matches split into quarters and with opportunities for substitutions and...
Soapbox Can Mario Party Return To Its Former Glory?
Not to be a party pooper or anything
In this opinion piece, Arjun bemoans what he feels is the deterioration of the Mario Party series, and shares his hopes for its future. Mario Party, the game where players once sacrificed the skin of their palms in order to be crowned as the almighty Superstar. Yep, it was that competitive, and I for one loved...
Feature Our Favourite Nintendo E3 Moments
Nintendo's given us a lot of memories
As we head into another weekend we're just days away from E3, the gaming and technology bonanza in LA. Nintendo's opting for a different approach this year, focusing live streams on demonstrating games without the accompanying Digital Event (and separate live event). It's a scaled back effort on paper, but will...
Hardware Classics Game Boy Pocket
A refreshed icon
It would be fair to say that the Game Boy's longevity surprised everyone, including Nintendo. Originally released in 1989, it was still going strong by the middle of the following decade and experienced a notable boost thanks to the timely introduction of the first Pokémon titles, Red & Blue. The momentum provided by these...
Talking Point Five Years of eShop Progress Doesn't Mask Nintendo's Next-Gen Challenge
Gamers want a lot, it seems
Earlier this week the 3DS eShop - and the eShop as a broader brand - celebrated its 5th Anniversary, and we shared a rather cheerful article in praise of the progress made with the store. Though Nintendo was relatively early in the download scene with the Wii and DSi stores, both had a number of issues and over-stringent...
Feature The 20 Best 3DS eShop Games
Combining our reviews with your user ratings
With the 3DS eShop celebrating its fifth anniversary, it's a good time to reflect on some of the best games that it has to offer. There have been hundreds of releases on the download platform, varying from major retail-grade titles to terrific bite-sized experiences, and they all play their part. Of...
Talking Point In Praise of the 3DS eShop, Which is Now Five Years Old
A vital landmark for Nintendo's modernised download sales
Today (6th June) brings a notable landmark for fans of download games - the 3DS eShop has turned five years old. Five years with hundreds of game releases, most of them by CIRCLE Entertainment and EnjoyUp Games - we're joking, of course, but both of those publishers and more deserve a hat tip...
Interview Playtonic On Yooka-Laylee Progress And Its New 2017 Release Window
Going behind the scenes on the exciting platformer
Yooka-Laylee is aiming to bring back the long-forgotten 3D platforming/collectathon genre that helped make developers such as Rare juggernauts of the industry, and is also one of the last shining beacons of hope for long-suffering Wii U owners. We were lucky enough to have a first-hand look at the...
Editorial With Lowered Expectations E3 Can Still Be Full of Nintendo Magic
Focused on the now, not the future
E3, at least in the years I've been following it, has been at its best when focused on the future and full of surprises. Nintendo's plans only fulfil one of those criteria, and partially at that. The latest breakdown of Nintendo's efforts contains a day devoted to games that are rather close, due typically within...
We catch up with the developer and also ex-SEGA artist, Duncan Gutteridge
Space Probe - an upcoming title produced by Brambletyne - is a retro-inspired casual game about collecting monsters and exploring the universe. Since covering it last week, the project has achieved its core goal on Kickstarter of being funded for iOS and
Freakyforms Deluxe joins VVVVVV and Citizens of Earth in eShop abyss
Homebrew is an interesting part of the gaming scene. On the one hand it can be used by fans with coding skill to do intriguing things with hardware, but it also violates terms of use in the act of tampering with the system. Nintendo often moves - rather effectively - to shut...
Ninterview Preserving Gaming History With Arcade Collector ShouTime
"Without preservation, titles would be lost today"
If you're one of the many wise people who picked up the excellent Sega 3D Classics Collection on 3DS recently then you may spot the mysterious name "ShouTime" in the credits section. ShouTime assisted developer M2 with its port of Power Drift, and is one of the world's foremost collectors of arcade...
Talking Point Considering the Possibility of the Nintendo NX Having Virtual Reality Features
Damien and Tom mull over the realities of the situation
Well, here we go again. Reports (which may or may not be accurate) are claiming that manufacturing of the NX was pushed back to early 2017 to make improvements to the 'console and handheld' integration and to factor in Virtual Reality features. It all seems feasible, if still far from certain...
Poll Are You Excited About Nintendo's Expanded E3 Plans?
Pokemon Sun and Moon, Monster Hunter Generations and more to feature
Well, it's been quite a day for Nintendo fans, with an information drop for Pokémon Sun and Moon being accompanied by confirmation of expanded plans for E3. The Legend of Zelda on Wii U is still the only confirmed game that'll be playable, but more importantly for those watching...
Guide A Nintendo Fan's Breakdown of E3 2016's Press Conferences and Events
Legend of Zelda and Pokemon lead the way for Nintendo
E3 is less than two weeks away at the time of writing, which makes this a time of great hype and excitement, despite the fact Nintendo is taking a somewhat minimalist approach this year - The Legend of Zelda on Wii U will be the only playable game at its booth. There'll be two days of streamed...
Feature Skylanders Imaginators Embraces The Minecraft Generation By Turning Players Into Creators
Make your own Skylander
Last year the de-facto version of Skylanders Superchargers was on the Wii U and 3DS, no where else could you access the full set of characters - including crossover amiibo Skylanders for Bowser and Donkey Kong. At an event in London, Activision has just unveiled this year's game, dubbed Skylanders Imaginators. There's no...
Feature Miitomo's Initial Success Doesn't Mask Lessons to be Learned for Future Nintendo Apps
Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem have the scope to do better
Miitomo was always, it seemed, a divisive first app to come from the Nintendo / DeNA partnership. For some the idea of Nintendo being directly involved in smart device downloads is a form of blasphemy, while others were surprised at the choice of brand and approach. With Mii characters at...
Interview Exploring the Ambition Behind 3Souls, the Episodic Wii U eShop Exclusive
Utilising the GamePad and "kishōtenketsu" approach
Though the console is in the midst of a disappointing sales decline, the Wii U is a system that - for those already on board - still has plenty to offer. It's in the download scene where intriguing titles can still be found, and the eShop on the home console continues to attract ambitious new...
Poll Are You Still a Miitomo Regular, or Has The Great Mii Q & A Lost Its Charm?
The big question
Earlier this week SurveyMonkey Intelligence shared its statistics suggesting a drop in popularity for Miitomo, with the app seemingly seeing notable drops in download numbers, a high churn rate and declines in weekly average users (WAU). It was data focused on the US, but nevertheless provided an interesting look at something that...
Even if it costs us a few laughs
Teddy Together, somewhat unintentionally, was a wonderful announcement to brighten our Tuesday here at Nintendo Life. Randomly and out of the blue Nintendo of Europe announced the overtly cute kids game for a 1st July release; our reaction was to stare unblinkingly and then tease it repeatedly in private...
Poll Do You Want The Rumoured 'MH' Next Generation Portable to be Separate from NX?
All for one?
It seems that, rather than have one next generation Nintendo system we know nothing solid about (NX), we could have two. A rather out-of-the-blue and otherwise unremarkable financial article coming out of Japan has mentioned the "next generation portable game console MH (Tentative title)" from Nintendo. That's naturally prompted a lot...
Pushing for new ideas doesn't always pay off
It's not so long ago I mentioned poor old Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. as a game that had been left with little hope of commercial success; it somewhat flopped, in case you'd forgotten . It struggled to make a dent in the West and failed badly in Japan, not even making the top 20 when it launched in the country...
Ninterview Ahmed Bin Fahad Discusses Building the World's Biggest Nintendo Collection
"Don’t think purchasing games is a waste"
In 2014 Ahmed Bin Fahad made headlines when he received the Guinness World Record honour for the biggest Nintendo collection. Consisting of over 8000 pieces, it's an impressive range that shows his love for all things Nintendo, with the estimated cost coming in at around 1.5 million dirhams - the United...
Soapbox How The Evolution Of Pokémon Can Unexpectedly Influence Play-Through Experiences
Arjun Joshi used Reflect...
Pokémon is amazing. It's cemented itself in my top three video game series', often switching positions between Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. It truly was a franchise I grew up with, and I owe a great deal of my current successes and overall well-being to its games - but that's another story for another time...
We learn about the rules, teams, and early reactions to the concept
Not long ago we ran an extensive feature about The Gauntlet, a team-based format that could potentially become a notable part of the Super Smash Bros. competitive scene. That's the aspiration, in any case, being led by S.O.S. Gamers - a charitable organisation in New York - and...
Guide Which Version Of Fire Emblem Fates Should You Buy?
Claim your birthright or start a conquest? You decide
Fire Emblem Fates is out in Europe today, but picking up a copy isn't as simple a purchasing decision as it was with the previous outing, Fire Emblem: Awakening. While that only had one version, Fates is divided into two retail packages with a third chapter coming on June 9th. Choosing which...
Interview Making the Meowst of Monster Hunter Generations
With Ryozo Tsujimoto and Shintaro Kojima
Monster Hunter Generations is due to drop in the West on the 15th July, but before all that we met up with Executive Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and Producer Shintaro Kojima to discuss the game in proper Nintendo Life style. Check out the video below where we get these two cheeky chaps to spill the beans on the...
Guide What's New And Different In Fire Emblem Fates?
The game finally hits Europe this week, but what's all the fuss about?
After what seems like an eternity, European players will finally get the chance to play Fire Emblem Fates this week. Intelligent Systems' latest turn-based tactical triumph launched in North America back in February, and we awarded it a glowing 9 out of 10 in our review. However,...
The spirited Level-5 series needs time
The Yo-kai Watch franchise is enormous in Japan, to the point that in late 2015 Level-5 was able to reference 10 million games in the series being shipped. That number will have also included some sales from the first game's launch in North America, though based upon its absence from NPD's results and...
Feature What We Know, and Think We Know, From the Pokémon Sun & Moon Reveal Trailers
Picking through the clues
As we approach a new generation, we have now had a first look at the seventh generation of Pokémon games, Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon. These games are the second generation of Pokémon games on the Nintendo 3DS, so while things may look the same on the surface there are some interesting changes that have come. While...
"Now that I’m on my own, I have complete freedom"
While Dan Adelman had a rather grand formal job title at Nintendo of America - Head of Digital Content and Development - he was, in the eyes of many, the Indie Champion; he was highly regarded for his efforts to bring quality download games to WiiWare, and then the eShop on 3DS and Wii U. A little...
Gallery Cover To Cover With Super Famicom: The Box Art Collection
Art attack
Super Famicom: The Box Art Collection launches this month, but we've been lucky enough to have the chance to thumb through an advance copy ahead of its official release. Published by Bitmap Books and created by fanatical Super Famicom fan Stu Brett, this 276 page tome highlights some of the best cover artwork of the 16-bit years.
Feature Five Nintendo Franchises We'd Love to See As Movies
Not just Mario
It seems that one of the most likely and obvious of Nintendo developments has been confirmed by Tatsumi Kimishima - the company is working on at least one movie project. Just recently this writer shared the view that Nintendo should shamelessly exploits its IPs to the full, and movies were a notable part of the argument. To save...
Mitch Vogel on the experience of gaming in a simpler time
As a millennial, I was born long after the great heyday of arcades, but it was something that always fascinated me. It was bizarre to think that there was a time before home consoles were so prevalent when the typical video game fan would grab a fistful of quarters and pop down to the arcade...
Nintendo's range offers a variety that rivals can't match
Disney may be one of the most powerful brands and wealthy corporations in the world, with numerous companies and divisions under its ownership, but it evidently won't tolerate a struggling product. While Nintendo will keep a system like the Wii U, for example, slowly ticking along until its...