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It's oh so charming

There's one game dominating the attention of a number of Nintendo Life writers right now, and that's Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The title that's already enjoyed critical and commercial success has earned the affections of plenty of 3DS owners, with its whimsical, quirky nature contributing to its irresistible charm. One of its...

More and more is on offer

The arrival of New Super Luigi U — our review of which will be posted this weekend — is, as we've argued, a potential evolution of paid-DLC and budget retail titles, as Nintendo seeks to produce a package significant enough to be a fairly expensive (comparatively) piece of add-on software and, on the flipside, a...

DLC and boxed copies can satisfy everyone

After a bit of a wait and a release lineup that, apart from the odd exception, has been drier than the Sahara desert in recent weeks, Luigi jumps to the rescue with New Super Luigi U. It's arrived in this week's Nintendo Download update as DLC for New Super Mario Bros. U, but will have a life of its own as...

A perfect storm of platform and software?

Something peculiar is happening on social networks at the moment; lots of people are talking about a Nintendo game. We see bursts of activity on sites such as Twitter when a Nintendo Direct is taking place, of course, but there's a sustained focus on this particular title among various gamers. Whether it...

Putting an end to Redd's 'crazy' ways

We've all been there before. You spot the infamous green tent in the town square with the words 'Black Market' hastily crossed out above the entrance. Inside, you also spot - no, it can't be - the Mona Lisa?! For a mere few thousand Bells you obviously buy it, and wait anxiously for the package to arrive in the...

The great social app is now tiered

StreetPass may not have been a technical marvel when included in the 3DS hardware, but it was a typically charming Nintendo move. The idea of simple data exchanges had already been utilised in the original Nintendogs on DS, but the built-in StreetPass Plaza app is accessible to everyone with a 3DS, while the...

Bringing E3 to the masses

This year’s E3 has come and gone and the Nintendo Life team made it through the coverage mostly unscathed. We brought you all of the latest and greatest news from Nintendo, and our man on the street Anthony John Agnello even brought you our first impressions from games that he got a taste of on the show floor. What...

So, what did you think?

It's now been just under a week since Nintendo's E3 Direct and subsequent information overloads, and we're preparing to move on and start playing games again — as opposed to watching those Mario Kart 8, Monolith Soft's X or Super Smash Bros. trailers on an endless repeat cycle. But E3 was fun — at least, we think it...

Delays have been common on Wii U

Nintendo and, in particular, the Wii U are in a tricky catch-22 situation; third-parties — including Ubisoft at E3 — are holding off on most additional support for the platform until sales improve, yet games are needed to boost sales. It's an issue that feels all too familiar, though the absence of much support...

Time for some Megan Man, er, Mega Man

A little while ago we reviewed Mega Man X on the Wii U Virtual Console, and liked it a lot. We happen to think this is a brilliant game, but it may nevertheless seem peculiar to those encountering it for the first time. We decided to try and see the game through fresh eyes while working on the review, and below...

Kiss kiss, bang bang

Really, Bayonetta 2 isn’t that far outside of Nintendo’s wheelhouse. The creators of Nintendogs and Wii Fit may like to play it family-friendly, but come on — there’s always been a playful, almost kinky side to Nintendo, games with just the right amount of dirtiness. Look at ol’ Jimmy T. making it happen in WarioWare,...

Frozen in time?

If there is a rule that Nintendo lives by, it’s that one good turn deserves another. Hence why the E3 2013 revelation that the game Austin, Texas’ Retro Studios has been slaving away on for the past three years is none other than a sequel to Donkey Kong Country Returns isn’t much of a revelation at all. Donkey Kong Country...

Exclusive access to Link's protector

Eiji Aonuma has presided over the The Legend of Zelda series for the past 15 years and has overseen some of the franchise's most iconic entries. We got the chance to sit down and speak with him during this year's E3 event, where he was promoting the two forthcoming instalments: The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker...

Wind Reawakened

It’s strange to have a first impression on a remake of a game, especially when it’s a game like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The truth is that despite being 10 years old at this point, Wind Waker is still a great looking game that plays well and has held up very well over time. Whether that’s due to the GameCube’s...

Turning things upside down

Imagine the Mario Kart series as an enormous living being made out of adorable cars, happy drivers, delightful loops passing through volcanoes and haunted houses and vicious blue shells. Envision this being, this body of Kartdom, and now answer this simple question: where is its heart? What is the thumping engine within...

Stranger things have happened

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how weird Mario games are. Think about it: A pudgy plumber in overalls who can jump ridiculously high, throw fireballs when he touches flowers, get huge when he eats mushrooms and make it with a princess provided he kicks the seven shades of crap out of a giant turtle dragon. That is...

A rollercoaster ride

E3 2013 is entering the final stretch, with one final day of the show floor being open for thousands of keen gamers to rush to their favourite booths. The PR campaigning will start to fade, too, as executives and developers pack up and try to remember where they put their passports. Rather like last year, this E3 has arguably...

There are plenty to choose from

This E3 has seen Nintendo show off a lot of Wii U software, even if we already knew about all but one of them before the expo launched. Rather than potential based on name alone, however, we've now seen these titles in action, with some certainly catching the eye. With the expo now having been open to the public,...

Nintendo plays it safe, like everyone else

E3 presentations can be strange occasions, often prompting exaggerated reactions — either delight or dismay — immediately after the event, before a following hangover of acceptance and anticipation for the games on the way. That's the general sense within the Nintendo Life team the day after...

The most important E3 coverage in one place

Nintendo may not have hosted a live press conference this year, but through Nintendo Direct and a number of subsequent developer videos it still bombarded us with information of games coming this year and beyond. Although most of the big reveals were already known ahead of time, we had some important...

Quite a lot, actually

So after plenty of build up and waiting for all the other presentations to finish, the E3 Nintendo Direct is now a matter of hours away. It's a diversion away from the live presentations of past years, but as a pre-recorded and scripted video it has the potential to be a well-paced extravaganza; we hope it'll seize the day...

Up against a wave of new hardware

When Nintendo announced that it was foregoing the traditional live presentation at E3, a common initial reaction was one of surprise, with some interpreting the move as a sign of weakness in the face of big-hitting rivals. When considered with a bit more context and analysis, however, the argument could be made...

Can you feel that tingle of excitement?

E3 2013 is now tantalisingly close, and 48 hours from the time of writing Nintendo will broadcast its pre-expo Nintendo Direct presentation, which will be focused on Wii U releases for Fall, Winter and beyond. It's a break from the usual live presentation, but nevertheless we can expect three days of...

Going beyond Nintendo

Last week the Nintendo Life staff voted for their favourite 3DS games at the moment, with retail and download-only titles eligible. Getting in before the swathe of hot releases coming in the next few months — kicking off with Animal Crossing: New Leaf this week — it reflected just how far the system's library had come, with...