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Cuccos! Ore Club! Uncle Andross! More!
It's that time again, dear readers, for another Super Smash Bros. summary from last week; once again we have a nice mix of Wii U and 3DS screens to enjoy. As per normal Masahiro Sakurai has released plenty of screenshots on the Miiverse Super Smash Bros. Director's Room, using the depth of the titles and...
Business needs trump the natural order
When the Virtual Console was an innovative new platform on Wii, it excited gamers and followed some relatively simple rules. Any consoles that hooked up to TVs or even arcade cabinets in the past were fair game, as owners of the diminutive little system could enjoy access to a broad range of iconic classics...
Perfect for enjoying retro classics?
Since the Wii U's launch there's been much talk about the role of the GamePad with the system, and we're sure most would agree that — to date — it's failed to have the same impact on how we play games as the Wii Remote in the last generation. The thinking behind the controller is clear, as Nintendo saw the...
Start your engines
With the arrival of Mario Kart 8 soon this year, the franchise has come a long way; yet while plenty of gamers look ahead to what's next in the series, competitive gaming on its predecessors is still going strong. An example is the original Super Mario Kart on the Super NES, just recently released on the Wii U Virtual Console...
Born to be three
Let's think back, for a moment, to the DSi. The remixed version of the hugely successful DS Lite — which itself replaced the 'phat' model — included an online download store, which was a big deal at the time. It also had primitive technical capabilities while the DSi Shop, like its Wii equivalent, was a representation of...
Swinging to the fore
Mario Golf: World Tour has had an odd history to date. Announced in early 2013 for a "Summer" release, it was quietly pushed back to later in the year before drifting into 2014 with little attention going its way; perhaps distracted by the sheer range of hot releases on 3DS throughout the year and the ongoing issues and...
I'm not boy
As the '90s drew to a close Nintendo's massively popular Game Boy handheld — which was almost a decade old and had already seen away more powerful rivals like the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear — was about to face a fresh wave of competition. The Bandai WonderSwan was perhaps the most interesting challenger — on paper, at least...
Transcending Nintendo history and the Smash Bros. world
The development of Super Smash Bros. Brawl apparently took its toll on series creator Masahiro Sakurai, though you'd have never of guessed from his perpetually fresh-faced appearance and calm demeanour. Since Brawl's release, Kirby's creator has been rather outspoken on the stressful amount...
Smash Ball! Peanut Gun! Rosalina! More!
Monday is always a day that brings a little bit of pre-release hype to our eyeballs, as we post yet another Super Smash Bros. summary from the last week; we're onto issue number 30, no less. Masahiro Sakurai has been dishing out daily screens on the Miiverse Super Smash Bros. Director's Room for so long, yet...
A taste before taking the plunge
Whether you want to call them free trials or demos, the ongoing absence — for the most part — of these offerings on the Nintendo eShop stores is noticeable. What's peculiar, at least from our perspective, is why that gap exists with some of Nintendo's finest first-party releases; in an increasingly competitive...
"Video games kept us off the streets"
In recent weeks we've spoken to a number of people with an exceptional passion for gaming, with that dedication centred on Nintendo. Isaiah TriForce Johnson's love of Nintendo is well known, as many will recognise him for the fact he's been first in line to multiple major launches in the U.S., all while...
Nintendo was "open minded, forward thinking" with networking challenges
While it may not have been making major headlines across the web, Nintendo's Wii U eShop has been pushing some landmarks in 2014. The first was with Blok Drop U, developer RCMADIAX seizing the crown of being the first developer to release a game through the Nintendo Web...
New Metroid games must be coming, right?
Today brought us a notable landmark, with the much-loved Super Metroid celebrating its 20th Anniversary. It's enough to make some of us feel old, but more importantly acts as a testament to the title's exceptional quality; you can play it now on your still shiny Wii U and it stands up to scrutiny. Visually...
"The eShop is much improved over the Wii Shop"
In February it emerged that Flowerworks HD: Follie's Adventure was coming to the Wii U eShop, an updated version of the thoroughly enjoyable Flowerworks on WiiWare. Developer Nocturnal Entertainment, which had been relatively quiet after the WiiWare release, joined the ever-growing list of small...
What a year...
It's had a good run, but the Year of Luigi ends today, 18th March. It's been a year of highs and flutter jump-enabled slightly better highs, with green taking over the Nintendo universe and the unappreciated Bro getting the recognition he deserves. Cruel meme generators may accuse Luigi of overseeing a bad year for Nintendo as a...
Lumiose City! Fat Mac! Din's Fire! More things!
It's Monday, which means it's time for our Super Smash Bros. summary from last week. There are some good'uns, too. Masahiro Sakurai produced one post that we though worthy of its own article due to the size of the reveal, and that was Lumiose City as a playable stage; that was particularly exciting...
More social networking hijinks from Nintendo
During February Cranky Kong took over Nintendo of America's Twitter account for a day in order to promote Wii U release Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Nintendo had made much of the character's inclusion in the game, even officially revealing him at the VGX Awards, and took the opportunity to have a...
Take a ride on the ultimate 8-bit road trip
A major ongoing strength for Nintendo is its cultural heritage, a history in the games industry that makes the brand immediately recognisable to so many. Younger gamers may be familiar with the DS, Wii, 3DS and gradually the Wii U, but we're approaching 30 years of major home console and gaming handheld...
Should we boycott Senran Kagura Burst's balloon-breasted characters?
Long-time readers of Nintendo Life will be aware that we've given a fair amount of coverage to Senran Kagura Burst, a 3DS fighting game which recently launched in Europe amid a campaign which focused almost entirely on the title's bevy of busty female combatants. To be honest, I...
Going anywhere nice this year?
Though we've finally shaken off the last of Winter's dreary cold here at Nintendo Life HQ, it's always tempting to consider taking a quick break somewhere bathed in sun and kalimba music. In our search for the perfect spot, we've come across an old travel brochure that fits right in with the Month of Yoshi. What...
Practical advice on brightly coloured, insatiable dinosaur maintenance
Congratulations on your first Yoshi! With the proper upkeep and care, your new addition will prove a faithful companion and friend. As the two of you build mutual trust, your Yoshi can even grow to serve as a chauffeur or care for your easily kidnapped children. Even without...
Do cross the streams
The Wii U is struggling. It’s a lovely looking console with some great games, but large developers whose names don’t start with “Nin” and end with “Tendo” are hardly queuing up to make software for the system, and there's little publicly visible to change that situation; the download-only scene is, thankfully, much...
"This is how I want to feel while I split my enemies in half"
We recently reported on the confirmation that Causal Bit Games is bringing its retro-inspired action title Insanity's Blade to the Wii U eShop. Looking like the best 16-bit hack-and-slash game you never played, this digital download aims to capture the feel of genre classics like R
Getting to know the green one
We all know and love Mario’s sidekick, Yoshi — he’s the loveable green creature (also available in other colours) who likes nothing more than to gobble up a Shy Guy, flutter gracefully to higher ground or partake in go-karting competitions in his spare time. With Yoshi’s New Island gracing the 3DS this coming...
What the creator of the Game Boy did next
Although Nintendo's lofty standing in the games industry cannot be attributed solely to a single person, it's fair to say that without the talents of Gunpei Yokoi the Kyoto firm wouldn't be where it is today. Yokoi was employed by Nintendo in 1965 and his inventions — such as the Ultra Hand and Lover...
