It's been nearly three years since we launched the previous version of Nintendo Life. Since then a lot has changed, as a result our tab bar has grown exponentially as new platforms and consoles have been announced and launched.
We, as a site, have also gone through lots of changes since 2009. Our pool of talented writing staff has grown, as has our audience: last year we had over 34 million visits, serving a page to someone in the world every 0.9 seconds.
As most of you already know we launched our flagship PlayStation site, Push Square a week or so ago — you didn't think we would leave Nintendo Life lagging behind, did you?
Starting today we've given Nintendo Life a significant 1-Up, the biggest set of changes in three years and we hope you like it. We've removed the cumbersome tabs and redesigned the header of the page to be more compact, useful and user friendly. You can still access colour-coded channels through the menu and nothing has been removed, however we have merged 3DSWare and 3DS Virtual Console into a new eShop channel.
Under the hood we have make sweeping changes, making use of HTML5 and some CSS3 to bring you this shiny new design. The good news is that we're not finished — this is just the first of many upgrades we'll be performing this year, including lots more social features in coming months.
We understand that not everyone likes change, especially not on a Monday morning, so take your time, have a browse around and let us know what you think.
Updated: This update is for desktop and tablets, we'll be working on a mobile/3DS optimised version in the near future.
PS. Have you seen what happens when you hit a 404?
Comments 261
love it!!
:-0
I prefer a thinner toolbar. Everything else looks epic.
This website looks amazing!
This site is great!!! I also totally love the 404!!! In my opinion the site is perfect!!!
I love the new design.
404-error is very great indeed.
I personally like it. It's bold, it's clean, and everything is still easily navigable. I can't begin to tell you how many times a site gets a new look and finding something is a pain. Good job on your guys' end.
Nice work @antdickens - looks amazing!
Very nice, I just noticed the recent comments by user. Had been hoping for that to be implemented. Liking this update more and more.
Looks awesome!
NP has a Nintengasm
I wonder if chat still works...
I really like it. I kind of miss the overcrowded system bar though.
I love the new look, specially the 404 page lol, but my OCD isnt happy with many identical color codes and merging eShop products since they are as different as their Wii Shop Channel counterparts, which were not merged. I wouldve loved a "like" button, the game collection, user messaging and topic search features. Still its a nice redesign and a step forward IMO, Congrats!
There is one thing though. I think that everything shouldn't be so boxy. A little more rounded.
Yay. Now you guys can accommodate bigger adds!
Looks at tekken 3D add...
Will this site still work with the 3DS browser? I'll be kinda upset if it doesn't, next time I decide to do some couch browsing.
definitely looks better
I'm really diggin' the new site layout!
Oh, there's a Playstation site, too? News to me~
Whoa, I didn't expect that when I refreshed the page!
@StarDust not yet, we'll be working on a mobile/3DS version in the near future though!
I miss the overhead bar. It looks good overall, but I dont like the eShop games merge - makes it harder to check out all VC games at once. Of course it'll all take getting used to though
@Geonjaha The "system" filter still works: all Game Boy games on 3DS VC.
There is a PS logo next to the textbox, when you didnt choose an own avatar. ^^
Congrats for reaping the fruits of what must have been quite a bit of labour, guys.
To me it's most about functionality so seeing that nothing is lost is good. I love the bigger avatars, About-boxes and the hilarious attention to detail in the 404 page.
Can't say it looks as good, but i'll give it more time before i pass my judgement on that.
PS: Any new emoticons or other functions now ?
Wow, everything is so bright and shiny! Love the new look guys, great work.
I'm liking the new layout
The site is working fine on 3ds.
it also loads faster...
Currently, the chat's text is rather small, compared to other parts of the site. Other than that, like PushSquare I love it.
Great work guys.
and you didn't change smileys!! kissy faces for all!!
I love new look, great job!
What happened to everybody's flags?! Haha!!
Looks pretty ^^ Like it, it seems more convenient to browse !
Exploration time go !
I like it!! XD
It is new, therefore I must hate it.
I DONT LIKE ADVERTS IN MY FACE.
You've sold out.....
Still the best place on the internet for nintendo download reviews.
You don't run a site that gets over 34 millions hits per year without it costing some major buckage.
I like the new look, surprised me when I came on and everything changed! Also looking forward to a that mobile optimized site!
Yeah this makes using nlife on my tab way easier.
Looks Amazing Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It looks great!
This is awesome!!!!!! Good work!
Loving the work you guys are doing here. Great job again.
Would still like the recent forum topics to be at the top of the page like last time, but otherwise I like it.
Looks a lot better, great work Anthony!
Ah, just like Push Square. I'm ok with it.
Looks like a bright version of push square...
Oh well. Everything is unnecessarily large and the distance between controls and everything is way too large. As if you wanted to make a design for the visually impaired. Only good thing in my eyes is the new menu bar because it takes into account that there are more and more systems coming.
Well hey! This is just about the first time I've been okay with a website redesign.
Okay, have to get out a tiny bit of criticism now.
I'm a bit sad that the time when a comment was written isn't as precise anymore.
When i check if there are new comments i roughly know when i read the section last. So this could mean a bit more of work for me. Especially after weekends.
I also don't like how the LEAVE A COMMENT box leaves so much empty space between it and the "TOP STORIES section". Makes reassuring something in the article or other comments harder since i can't scroll down completely to easily reach the comment editor anymore. Edit: Oh well, browser problem of course. Sucks havin' no newer IE than 7 at work.
But i'll live.
Looks good. I liked the previous gray and blue design better than this mostly gray one, but it really don't matta to me cause growing up in the ghetto has toughened me to this sorta stuff.
I really miss the country flags. It was nice seeing how people's opinions often differed based on their geographic region (PAL vs NTSC regions especially). Any chance we'll get those little flags back?
Great work, well done all.
Looks more professional than the old one, nice work.
I agree with @Stardust, the flags should have been stayed.
Yes, with the country flags it was easier to see who comes from Europe, NA, Australia, Japan, ... Made it easier to see who hasn't gotten which games yet.
Thanks to my insane prophetical abilities i made my avi carry that information weeks ago though.
It was so strange for first sight, but now it looks so great!
You can always click on someone's avatar or username to see where they're from
Why so worried about what people think? Judging by the comments it's pretty well received, and you always knew it would be, let's be fair. For the record, my head was blown off its shoulders. One helluva 1-up!
@James(#57): I'd say we all know. Just takes time and is a little more complicated than before.
Love the new site great work guys:)
@chewytapeworm Believe it or not we actually want people to enjoy visiting our site. Crazy I know!
I like it. It seems like it is popping at me. However, my computer had a heart attack trying to load the page.
A change for the better.
"Who can say if I've been changed for the better" - Glinda (Wiked)
I can, I like the old design better.
Need some time to get used to this new look.
Yeah, its not working with Internet Explorer for me.
I far prefer the old design too but there's no going back now I guess so I'll just have to get used to it.
& isn't that like the same as IGN's 404 page? :S
The 404 is amazing.
@Terra You are right. It has grown on me now. Well, apart from the forum topics being below latest features.
@Bass_X0 we're working on that, seems to be an issue with IE8 and the advert.
@WiiLovePeace hadn't noticed that, but it is similar - have to say ours is better!
@Terra thanks, I hope your right. The response has been generally very positive, obviously people aren't always welcome to change but everything should improve on the old site... just takes some people longer to adjust!
we're working on that, seems to be an issue with IE8 and the advert.
I'm using Chrome right now but I prefer Internet Explorer.
Working on a mobile-optimized Nintendo Life? Sounds cool, as I'm only ever on NL with a phone nowadays. I do hope we get chat mobile/3DS optimized too.
New site looks cool. Wasn't really keen on the makeover when I heard of it yesterday, but it looks good. Glad we kept the smileys too~
Well done. Nice subtle changes. Better than I expected for sure. And it even has online, a rarity for things Nintendo! 9/10
This is pretty fantastic! I, for one, like the boxy design. Everything looks cleaner. And I also love how big everything is, except for maybe the avatars because they end up super pixelated and whatnot. (well, looking over again, only some of them do)
Just a couple things I don't like... I wish the forum posts were up at the top again. Additionally I'd like the WiiWare and the Wii VC merged into the Wii Shop Channel, it's just inconsistent with the 3DSWare and 3DS VC being merged. I would think those things were easily fixed. Maybe in the next redo...
AHHHHHH!!! MINE EYES!!!
Naw, it's pretty cool.
It just feels so... spacious...
I have all this room....... TO DANCE!
it's nice but i miss the country flags, and the tabs for the different systems was a great idea.
i think i'll get used to it eventually though.
but thanks still
Overall, the redesign looks really good! Especially that awesome 404 page but I'd prefer it if the 3DS vc and 3DSware sections weren't merged and I liked the out now section that showed recently released games.
Looks great but wished 3DSWare and 3DS VC had separate sections but the system filter is fine for the time being.
It's a duplicate of pushsquare. Already missing the unique toolbar - however its now a better consolidation of information.
Im in love with the changes. What are the adds like I can't see them
@ Nintendolife: Isn't it anymore possible to subscribe RSS-Feeds of specific sections, like "Latest Updates of WiiWare" or the "eShop"?
@Tethers looks like those redirects weren't quite working right, you should be able to access channel specific feeds like this: https://www.nintendolife.com/feeds/wiiware/reviews
This new look is AMAZING!!!!!
Looking forward to the iPhone version too. But in the meantime, this redesign is a lot more iPhone-friendly.
Guess we gotta turn and face the strange(?) changes.
[youtube:pl3vxEudif8]
Site looks nice. Gonna take some time to adapt to, but I kinda like it.
I'm glad this site is growing up like this, i got here by searching a site with wii/dsiware reviews and this was almost the only one.
Its a whole new world
to trollolololololol~
It's going to take a bit of time to get used, but overall, not bad
Very nice to see a redesign that makes everything more efficient and sleek, unlike some other sites' recent updates... cough newgrounds cough
wow I'm already nostalgic about the old design.
Awe, it's went all blocky now.
Why is everything just big square boxes now?
Also, all the different sections within the page that were once clearly separated into nice clean boxes/sections with little outlines and clear title bars etc now kinda just bleed into each other. Also, the way the ad now cuts into the page really obviously, thereby making the page look unbalanced, isn't particularly pleasing on the eye.
It makes it look a bit less polished and slightly harder to read the general site layout than it was in the previous version imo.
I'm sure there's plenty of worthwhile changes under the hood but this is a slight step backwards from a pure visual design perspective imo.
Edit: The new Tab bar and particularly the "Channels" is a definite improvement however and a pretty ingenious solution to the overcrowding that was happening with the old design. Even just moving stuff like About and Contact to the bottom makes much better sense too.
Overall I'm going to change my attitude slightly and say well done so far guys and it's coming along nicely. A few little tweaks here and there and it will be sorted.
I like it! That 404 page is the best ever!
I can't decide. The first page was all fighter ad, so I thought I was on the wrong page. Clicked on a link and now it's all gray and blocky like CompuServe and Prodigy (yes I'm that old).
Guess I'll get used to it and no longer care either way, but I really do miss the little country flags, probably b/c I'm in the US so don't see them that often.
And my Heracross avatar is more big!!!
I don't like it. Good job fixing something that didn't need fixing.
I didn't think I liked it at first but when I noticed the tab system, it's an awesome improvement. It looks like it favors tablet functionality over home computer and thats annoying but generally it looks good and cleaner. Thanks for all the hard work N-life!
Whoah, we can reply to comments now!
Why doesn't pushsquare have a "channels" tab?
Wow, I'm really impressed by it!
@North99
Kinda my thoughts too.
I'm sure with a few levels of polish to the actual visual aspects it could be just as nice and clean as the old design, even better in many ways (like the vastly improved Tab bar), but right now the general look is a tiny bit more confusing visually imo because the separation between various page elements and sections isn't quite as clear as it was before.
i prefer a thinner tool bar but everything else looks awsome. Love how u guys made the 3dsware and VC merge
It's like the best of both world's between the old sites and the new one--Love it.
I actually liked both, so can't complain.
Love it!
Not bad. Good work, team.
/approval
I guess it was inevitable that things likes the Ads, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Affiliates etc were going to get more and more dedicated space on the site, particularly the Ads (followed closely by all the "social" stuff), but I wish they weren't quite as intrusive.
Edit: Without the Ads, Facebook, Twitter...the site flows much better overall, something I only noticed when I used Adblock to view the site without Ads, although I know these are necessary evils in the current times.
@Kirk thanks for your feedback, we are reading every single comment on this page... I hope you learn to love the new design! We have to make changes, otherwise the site would be stuck in its previous form forever - which can't be a good thing. We also have to serve adverts, we can't pay for this site out of our own pockets, however we only ever want to bring the most relevant adverts to our readers, you'll find no spammy adverts here!
I'll have to visit the site from a PC to fully appreciate the look, but I'm looking forward to the 3DS(mobile) version!
Yeah i'm diggin' the new look yo! :3
Honestly I am feeling disappointed. I don't want to be mean at all, but I don't see any reason not to be completely honest. There wasn't anything I didn't like about the old design (except of course wanting search functionality for the forums). I really enjoy coming to this site and I realize there is no going back but I will pick my battles.
1) I really hope you can add back the country flags. I thought that was an awesome touch for the community.
2) I also really liked the latest posts from the forums to be at the top of the home page. Again: community.
3) Probably barking up the wrong tree here telling this to the authors, but I don't like the authors information and the facebook/twitter buttons (and videos and pictures for reviews) being between every single article and the comments section that I actually care about. I really liked how every post flowed right into the comments section and really added to the community feeling.
Hopefully that was some constructive criticism.
Nice!
I like it, the site has a nice feel. Subtle but effective changes.
WOW! This is great. I love the bigger avatars but i miss the country flag in comments. What typo are you using for headers?
Everything about the site seems better. I like the larger font in the forums. Great job, NL.
Looks great.
Love it!
Looks great. Feels more fresher than before!
I wish the option to make things smaller would be available. The toolbar is too big for one. Not a big fan of the part in between the article and the comments either. And I actually prefer the old design, but it's not too bad I guess. ( I swear though, lots of sites I go to have restyled looks that I'm not too fond of because they look much more generic than the old versions.. so I may just be picky. )
@antdickens: All right, thanks for the info! =)
(Although it would be better to have an extra page or to add these options to the existing RSS-page, so that you can choose from the different sections, because I think in the future I will forget this^^.)
I am digging this new look.
nice look
it looks pretty good, imho. i do want the flags back: NL is a wonderfully mixed bag of international users and it was neat to just (easily) see where a poster was from and take into consideration when reading their posts.
It's cool. I like how the text is bigger as well.
It's radical, good job guys. Everything is a lot more streamlined and slick, also loving the bigger avatars. That said, I enjoyed seeing the little country flags next to posters' names... are the coming back? Not a huge issue, but it was neat is all. :3
This new look is sexy, so I approve!
LOL at the new 404 error, btw.
Awesome! Though, it's already been 3 years since Nintendo Life was fused from your previous two Nintendo sites, or three years since WiiWare World was created? It's been so long, I don't remember.
Love the new look guys, keep up the good work!
Looks great on my desktop and Kindle Fire!
Is a forum update resembling Push Square's in the works as well?
Also, IGN has the same 404 thing.
Gotta add my comments along with everybody else!
I like the bigger text, I don't mind vetted adds as they are essential to the site's running costs, and the minimalist look doesn't affect Nintendolife's basic ethos.
However, along with a lot of other folk - can I put in a special plea for the return of nationality flags, assuming this is technically possible? Yes, I know one can find out by clicking on the commentator's avatar, but it was always part of the fun of things to see at a glance from which direction most opinions were coming and of course just how wide Nintendolife's popularity ranged.
Please?
I'm sorry guys, while I like the new aesthetics, I can't help but despise the "About the author" segment on every page. Most of them seem too arrogant, which is very off-putting.
YES! Finally.. Looks fantastic guys!
I'm fine with the site, even if it is Monday...
Oh yeah... I really liked the flags. I'd like to see those make a comeback.
Nice to see something new
I'd like to see the Ambassador NES games included on the eShop page as the Ambassador GBA games are.
Got nothing to complain about. Its all good.
Except for the flags. I too want those back.
@antdickens
I'm just given all da feedback Anthony.
If you guys simply added in the frames around the separate sections again, and maybe the little curves on the top of the Title of each box which I personally liked, I think it would be mostly fine. It's just the white edges of everything sort of bleeds into everything else now without any obvious separation between each different section.
Note: I know there is a very subtle gray box framed in white separating each section but it's a bit too subtle at a glance, you know when I trying to skim through to the relevant sections and stuff at the sides of the page etc, it's looks a bit more messy and confusing to read everything visually imo.
I also don't personally like the way the Ads cut into the site (it's now a weird asymmetrical shape), how it abruptly cuts off a big black corner at the bottom when the side sections run out, how huge all the completely pointless and often duplicated links below the main site are (so much less intrusive in the old design), or how much space is now dedicated to the likes of Facebook and Twitter etc, but I guess that's all just "progress".
Also, the Share box could maybe at least be moved below the comments or off to the side or something. I'd much rather be able to immediately access the comments below the article and reply within the actual site as a priority to seeing the Facebook and Twitter and jumping on the imo totally pointless social bandwagon. Same goes with where you've placed the Facebook and Twitter stuff on the side sections, above actual site relevant content and features etc. Surely the actual site content and features should be a higher priority than all this totally annoying and invasive "social" stuff.
Just my 10 cents (x 4 posts) worth.
I like it. Its easier on the eyes and things are faster to find visually that I'm interested in. Good job.
It's probably because i'm seeing a stupid Tekkan ad in the background...but other than that, everything else looks bloated, i'm favoring the previous layout.
I guess i'll get used to this though.
Edit: Flags, yeah, I think those were really neat to see.
i think it's the rounded corners that's been bugging me about these layouts, i miss them. i think i'd like the new layouts if they had rounded corners.
also, for me the 'Latest News' box is underneath the 'leave a comment' box, and it looks odd D:
@theblackdragon
Me too. Along with the more obvious borders/edges separating all the separate sections.
I don't see why the update has to remove the nice framing and little touches like that, the curves, which actually made the site look quite polished and stylish, as well as helping frame and separate all the different sections just a little bit better.
It's like if this were an Apple product, the absolute masters of simple and clean yet beautiful and elegant design; Would that kind of stuff be there or not?
Well let's have a wee look as see how Apple makes it clear that each little section is a separate and individual point of interest shall we (on one of the most busy pages that tends to be on their site)...
http://store.apple.com/us
A bit more like the old design than the new design in that particular aspect me thinks...
Looking good
I like the new look but there is one issue I have with it. Maybe it's just cause I recently woke up but the new site looks much too bright. I haven't messed with my brightness settings so I'm sure it's not on my end.
lookin good
It's good
I like redesign but love the 404!
Well dang. I like it.
My only irk with it is that I used to be able to just hit the End key to reach the comments box... but now there's that huge footer so I have to scroll back up again. Asides that, very nice indeed.
Also loving the 404 - I actually had near enough the exact same thing on one of my own sites a couple of years ago (you goddamn theives)
tidy ftw.
Kirk is doing a good job putting the aesthetic problems I am feeling into words. Especially with rounded edges and general organization of space. Polish is a good word for what i hope is still coming. That is exactly how I felt at the launch of pushsquare. I know these sites are your babies, but hopefully you take some of the small aesthetic changes into consideration, bc I think they make a big difference. The giant links to articles and news on the top right side are now too big and intrusive and often the same article as right there to the left where news and articles normally are. A nice small box with recent forum posts was perfect there. I don't feel like everything needs to be gigantic. Hopefully this helps. I'm really just trying to be helpful.
Wow great job guys. It look so much cleaner cant wait to check out all the changes.
Another minor thing - I used to find the location flags next to people's username enormously useful for putting users' posts into context; particularly where the regional articles were concerned (such as eShop releases). It's really odd seeing the comments without them.
The avatars are big and sexy now. :3
@VintageBoy we wanted to give everyone a level playing field, we've noticed that since the introduction of the flags people can pre-judge someone's comments based on where they are from - in a negative way, for example users from smaller countries often get ignored straight away - so to remove this prejudice we've removed the flags. Hopefully people can understand why!
I'm not a fan of the font in the forums. Not at all, and bumping it down a notch in my browser settings still looks somewhat ugly.
Outside of that, I'm cool with the changes. Or, I will be once that fugly Tekken ad goes away. ; )
@Kirk thanks again for the feedback, it will certainly be considered - this is by no means the end of the changes - we'll continue to refine things this year. Whilst I understand your point of view your comments seem to be in the minority at the moment, we'll reflect on comments once everyone has had their say!
@ant to be fair I think the majority of those saying they like it are in favor of it being big, bright and shiny. Which is fine. But my hunch is that small changes in aesthetics, spatial organization, and flow would be liked by most too, if they notice it at all.
Love the new design, my only complaint is that the sidebar to the right has drastically increased in size, and I'd prefer it to be about 75% of what it is now, but that aside, awesome!
Looking around the site, I have to say that the transparent layers and overlays (particularly at the top) greatly improve the aesthetics of the site. The search feature also seems a bit snazzier.
However, sharp corners and stark white borders at the top of the page seem like a bit of a setback. I understand that this is just one step towards the new design, but I feel that things such as more subtle border colors could help 'round off' the site.
In addition,I know that the team is going for a more bolder brighter look, but the text is possibly too dark. I much prefer the shade used in the "Leave A Comment" box. Also, the newer bolder headings seem to make the titles longer than necessary.
Oh, and I miss the fact that clicking the site logo no longer takes the user to the home page.
I really like the fact that you can read all your recent posts by either selecting your avatar or clicking "My Account", but don't you think we should also be able to find our posts on the "My Account" page?
Don't get me wrong, I love the site and the new design is great. There are just a few niggling factors which deserve the same care and attention.
@Joco84 And they have a reply tab!
I'm loving it. Nice work NL!
For people complaining about the ads, you can always use an ad blocker app on your browser. I downloaded AdBlock on Google Chrome and instead of seeing the Tekken ad, there is just glorious, open space.
Overall I like the update. It feels like everything is bigger which is nice. Though I do miss seeing the flags. It no longer feels like I'm at a United Nations conference when I'm reading the comments
@antdickens
Well I do tend to be a bit more openly and bluntly critical of the things I don't think are quite right than most people to be fair lol
I look forward to seeing the continued tweaks and refinements over the rest of the year...
Note: While I kind of liked the flags too I can totally see where you are coming from on this one at least.
Cool and modern, but I think I'm going to miss the old one.
I can't help but notice one particular aesthetic - those big links and chunky buttons seem decidedly... smartphone-friendly. Plans for a mobile NL on the cards?
I love it..looks super awesome! well done!
Looks much cleaner and intuitive than before. Well done! I love this site because there are no annoying blinking banners all over the place.
Great redesign! Looks much better. And shinier. Also, the eShop page looks pretty sick with the Tekken background.
Is it wrong that it took me a while to realize there was actually a change? Anyways, I agree that the text boxes should change. Even Pushsquare offers links to the BBCode. I see no reason why NL's Textboxes shouldn't, too.
I like most of the changes, particularly the larger avatars. Actually, the only thing I really don't care much for is the repositioning of the recent forum topics on the homepage. Everything else looks pretty nice. Great job!
Just a quick note that the new site design, in fact pretty much all sites, look so much better with Adblock installed.
I cannot believe I didn't know about this little install until today (thanks WesCash)
Miss the flags like everyone else! It made it easier to
ignore americanssee how diverse this community is.Apart from that the new site is fine but holy mother,how big is the text? Is that for the DS lovin oldies that like Brain Training or summat?!!Also merge WiiWare and Wii Virtual Console, too!
Great work Ant! Really like the nice touch of the 404 thing. The interface will take a while to get used to, but It's already a lot easier to navigate than before. Keep up the good work mayne!
Also if I may add we totally need a :3 emoticon face and an angry one too > : ( if your thinking about some additions.
Also, the no flag thing is nice. If you really want to click on the person's name to see where they are from you can, but really all it did was divide us as a community in the comments. We are all members of NintendoLife and are all gamers and should not be categorizing by the place where you live. Embrace your brother for he is a Nintendo gamer like thyself
@WesCash whilst we're aware some people use adblock, that's actually the worst thing you can do if you want to support the site, the ads pay for the servers and without that there would be no site - support us by embracing the ads!
@antdickens
Doh about the Adblock post then!
Sorry.
Well there's a conflict of interests for me there; I love the site but I don't love Ads (or things like Facebook and Twitter etc either but that's just me).
LOL!
Q. Why can't you just have the site as it looks without the Ads, as it looks when using Adblock for example, and then use the massive side parts that are still left empty for the Ads? Even Including the big block area that's usually left free at the bottom right of the page where the side sections run out before the end of the full page.
Maybe something a bit like this
At least that way the Ads wouldn't invade the actual main site content and imo ruin and clutter the layout and just be generally intrusive. Which means both parties win.
No?
Or is this once again a case of 'the powers that be' basically dictating this kind of stuff to the site owners and not the other way around, hence you guys don't get the support or money etc if you don't use pretty much a pre-determined layout for the Ads...
Is that I wonder why all sites are starting to look so similar, especially regarding how the Ads are being implemented so as to take up so much prime space...
Looks Fantastic!
I never bother using AdBlock. If I used it once I'll use it every time. I don't want to feel like I'm stealing from my favorite websites. Which is basically what AdBlock allows you to do.
I like the changes, they actually make it overall better. I particular like the easier to navigate bars and the the comments about the author and hope they change week by week.
All in all good work.
Lovely work, now that I can see it properly without my 3ds. Actually thought I was banned, logged out or something this morning when I had not noticed the avatar and log in stuff on the other side of the screen as the screen did not show it.
Oh love the new 404 screen
The only thing I dislike so far is that the recent forum posts on the main page are somewhat hidden. I use that box quite often. A simple slide upwards would probably do the trick. Canning the flags is a good move IMO, potential bias/prejudice is nearly eliminated. I really love the new position of the NLife logo, as simple as it may sound.
@antdickens
I wasn't aware that using AdBlock actually had an effect on revenue brought in from ads, but after a quick google search it seems you are right.
I apologize! I shall not use that blasphemous add-on here!
Just noticed the Facebook and Twitter stuff.....eeewwwwwwww ,not good dudes. Ah well guess I'll ignore it like I do on every other damn website!! Wish adblocker got rid of that stuff too!
Honestly feels like I may as well be on eurogamer though, please don't lose your identity NL!!
By the way,
I just thought you guys might like to see how much nicer and cleaner everything looks without the Ads:
New Site Design (With Ads)
New Site Design (Without Ads)
What a huge difference!
Also, here's the old site just for comparison, so you can see where it actually has improved and where it might not have:
Old Site Design (With Ads)
Of course, I think you should all continue to use the site with Ads turned on to support NintendoLife. I just wanted you to see how good the actual layout is without them and how much easier it is to see the site in all it's glory when they aren't there.
With simple borders around the separate sections (like on the old site), so they are more easily distinguished from one another, it would be pretty much sorted give or take a few minor tweaks here and there.
Blimmin Money, always ruins things!
@OldBoy
Yeah, I really wish there was at least an option to hide or even minimize any of that crappy Facebook, Twitter, Like, Share, and whatever other random "social" stuff wherever it appears on the site at the very least (quite a few places it seems). Unfortunately Adblock isn't actual magic lol
I love the new look. It's just like Push Square, except the games don't suck here.
I liked the old look better, but this is fine.
I think this one is harder to navigate but its ok
@Kirk we only have ads running some of the time, so you can turn off your adblock and live with them like everyone else
We try very hard to only secure relevant ads for actual games, none of the random banners for car insurance or mobile phones!
WHAWHAWHAWHAT DID I MISS
@antdickens
Yeah, I will for you guys.
Note: I also love GoNintendo, another great Nintendo site, but it is blimmin terrible for those random car insurance ads and rubbish like that lol
Maybe you guys could give them a wee tip in that regard...
It is starting to grow on me.
Few things from my point of view:
Social media — Facebook, Twitter etc. — is vital to getting new visitors to the site. We want the community to keep growing, and social media's key to that.
We've put features up in the top right because we work hard to provide you guys with unique content you can't find anywhere else. I think it deserves pride of place in the site design and I hope most of you would agree.
As for ads, like Ant says we really do try hard to get relevant campaigns on the site and these are crucial to our survival. This site costs thousands to run every year in server costs alone — no ads, no site. Please support us by not blocking our adverts!
That's all from me. So glad to see so many of you enjoying our new design and like Ant says, this is just the start
@Kirk thanks for posting those 3 pictures, that makes it very easy to see the differences. The rounded edges would help a lot, as would shrinking the links and text from everything on the right hand side of the site, and putting the recent forum posts at the top again, right next to the first article in the middle of the page all nice and lined up like before.
I still would vote yes on flags and don't understand why someone wouldn't read the comment of someone from a specific country. But if people are actually doing that then I understand why you don't want to include the flags.
If I had to choose only one more thing to change it would be all of the stuff between articles and the comments section. It's not that I don't want to know about the authors ( for real, lots of love guys. I'd gladly read a yearly article about the staff or something), but I don't want to know the same stuff about the authors after every single article. I just want to read the comments. If it's ONLY a section of links to the article for the related games between the article and comments then that's ok, but now it's potentially author info, related games, facebook/twitter links, a video, screenshots, and THEN the comments. Again that's because my favorite thing about NL after the coverage is the community.
@James I really enjoy reading the features you all provide, you all do a great job and I check the site every day, but I read all of the articles when they are published and are right there in the middle of the page. This makes most things on the right hand side of the page redundant. To me it just seems much more convenient for frequent visitors to accentuate the community with the forum posts at top.
One complaint: The recent forum posts have now been bumped down below the recent articles, and that's a bit annoying, as I've most likely read them already and now they're just more stuff to scroll through.
Would love a user review option that allows us to write and grade the game
WOW
No! No! I do not like change! Make it stop! Somebody please... wait, it is not that bad after all.
"I really enjoy reading the features you all provide, you all do a great job and I check the site every day, but I read all of the articles when they are published and are right there in the middle of the page. This makes most things on the right hand side of the page redundant." - James
Same here.
I have a feeling that's how most people probably read the page too. Just speculating though.
Personally I don't actually care what goes above what at the right side however because I never actually use any of that stuff (although I'd rather have any/all of the sections above the Ads at least). I just read any stuff on the front page, all the way down until I get to one I've already seen (even if it's multiple pages, although I tend to have to do that more so on GoNintendo), each and every day.Then every now and then I check a random old article/feature from before, or a specific game review page for a game I'm currently interested in, or some Retro game info or VC info and stuff like that.
That's the routine.
Edit: Here's what I dream one of these sites would have the balls to try:
No Side Bar At All
Having just the main content centered on the page with absolutely no side stuff, that's nearly always all just duplicated from the front page articles and the other main Tabs anyway (although Nintendo Life does admittedly use these a bit better than most sites).
How nice and simple would that be?
I have a dream...
Wow looks great. The comment system even looks better. The profile pics are now easier to see and it feels more smooth! Awesome redo!
Aside from having to muscle my way past Kazuya to get to the forums, I don't see a big difference.
We've put the features up there hopefully to make it easier for our occasional visitors to find our original content; some people only visit once a week (I know — weird, right?) and we want them to catch up on our features before they head into the forum
@Yanchamaru & "Would love a user review option that allows us to write and grade the game"
@ Nintendo Life: Yeah, to grade a game was a very nice feature at that time on your Virtual Console site.
@VintageBoy & "I can't help but notice one particular aesthetic - those big links and chunky buttons seem decidedly... smartphone-friendly. Plans for a mobile NL on the cards?"
Read the news^^.
@Nintendolife: It woul be really cool if the link, when you click on "Reply", would be direct you to the comment instead of the profile, because then you can read on what subject the member is answering. Is that possible?
I still don't understand how Adblock prevents revenue. How can you tell if we're looking at the ads or not?
I hope you bring back the flags that tell you where people were from that was one of the coolest features.
@ueI: Adblock blocks the ads, so they don't load. And if they don't load, it is easy to tell that you can't see them^^.
IMO the font is way to big, makes the site look like it was meant for people with bad eye sight.
But after zomming out to about 75% it looks cool
I Liked the old look better though...
I agree with TeeJay. I want the forum topics bumped back up!
I like it and want to remind people that Mewtwo is now available for download for Pokemon Black/White in NA...
@pixelman no.
I'm loving the new look! Good job, guys! Looks more clean and compact!
I'm amazed that folk apparently utilized the flags in a negative way
To me they embodied that feeling of a unified community that I love here - I never felt they were divisive - but if you say so...
With regard to the adds - they are what make the site affordable, and as such should be embraced - it's not as though the front page is littered with flashing scammy pop-ups.
The Tekken ad kicks butt! That's one ad that makes me want to run out and buy the game!
Prob not the first one to mention this, but it was nice to know what region people were from. Otherwise an awesome job.
I liked knowing the region the person was commenting from. So, perhaps get that back?
And I agree with the poster that said that everything is too squared.
@Nintendo Life Staff
can you at-least let us vote on whether or not we want flags? I don't think it's fair to punish all of us just because some people used them negatively. If you do a CTRL F and search for flags you'll see alot of people miss them. Also the flags helped immensely because since I'm an American I get confused with all the Euro post so when I see a Euro flag talking about a game release I know that necessarily doesn't apply to me cause we have different localization branches. Also when I see an American flag talking about something hitting the eShop I know it's time to start up my 3DS.
This is awesome!
@antdickens: regarding what you said about people judging someone's opinion based on where they're from, leading to the removal of flags, I've actually never seen that happening and I frequent this site daily! I feel that's a little (and i Must stretch the word little, here) similar to Nintendo opting for a friend code system to avoid anything bad happening on the internet. If someone is going to judge someone based on where they're from, they'll probably just click on the user's info to find out first now. No sense in bringing the rest of us good citizens down! But oh well... what can one do. :<
Great! The new error thing is great, like the Game Informer one: like this
I got to say you did an excellent job with the website. Coming from a person that designs websites on the side for local businesses you guys truly inspire me to do a much better job.
I like the new look, but i agree with the readers, i want back the flags, also can someone tell me what the shields on certain profiles mean. Im pretty sure that only the editors have them but can someone tell me what they mean.
Great change guys! I wonder why you didn't merge the DSiWare section into the eshop as well?
LOOKING GOOD, nice & simple
No offense, but I don't like it as much as the past one. This is gonna get alot of getting used to. I think the past one was cleaner, and more user-friendly. But this looks like the Nintendo Wiki with reviews and news slapped on. It's OK, just a bit more messy. I do like the big avatars, though.
looks more like ign and other gaming sites which is good
Awesome new site guys! Love it! I love change.
I just disabled AdBlock for Nintendo Life and PushSquare but only because you guys are special in my book.
Well I personally scrolled for half of the comments, then realized how long it was, This is a nice new look! Just wish I could still see them flags though D:
Looks good. Bigger avatars! yay
It's a new place, it's so big i hope i don't get lost D:
I like it, we were getting way too many sub-categories at the top of the page. Also, look at how happy Peach looks in my avatar.
Eek~! This will take some getting used to. But I'm nothing if not adaptable!
The new design is a bit strange, but I'm sure I'll warm to it in time.
I kinda like the plainer look better. Anyways, when will we get a 3DS NLife app (yeah, I saw you said web page, but we need video, you know?)?
Can we get some forum updates now? I still hate how we have to go blindly searching for old topics instead of using a search box.
Second day of the new design and I don’t feel any different about it.
@ flag-lovers & @antdickens(#163):
I don’t judge comments based on the country the user comes from. Why anyone would do this is beyond me. If anything I especially love seeing posts from people living outside of the UK or US. I can only speak for myself though. (Nice UN comparison @WesCash(#171) )
Because of the regional differences in releases we need to know where the others come from to have a purposeful conversation.
It was also nice to not be as annoying and for having less clutter in your comment. Nice and subtle.
(I’d hate having to add “in Germany / Europe” in every second post I write.)
I think it also was helpful for devs and PR people to quickly see which users received their game yet, where the biggest fanbase is, ... If this change makes pubbies embrace worldwide simultaneous release dates more I’m all for it though.
As I said I like the About-boxes. I don’t mind to see them in the dozens of articles James and Tom write every week. It would be more awesome if there was more than one text about Staff with the most articles and the text would be picked randomly.
PS: The COMING SOON list clearly shows this is a UK based site with its release dates.
@Squiggle55(#118): It could be a blessing in disguise that some users won’t find the comment section that easily anymore. Like your perspective though. It’s interesting, hadn’t thought about it.
@Kirk(#209): I read the page that way too.
@Yanchamaru(#206) & @Tethers(#213): Keep in mind that there wouldn’t be a way to assure someone actually played the game he rates. So if people just want to bash say a Call of Duty game the score wouldn’t be very helpful anymore.
I also miss the country flags too. It really was interesting to see differences of opinion, and I hope they come back soon!
Emerges from behind a couch
SURPRIiiiiiiiize... oh. I've been sitting here for.. two years... and HOW many months? FIVE?!
Can we still have a party? o__o
"regarding what you said about people judging someone's opinion based on where they're from, leading to the removal of flags, I've actually never seen that happening and I frequent this site daily! I feel that's a little (and i Must stretch the word little, here) similar to Nintendo opting for a friend code system to avoid anything bad happening on the internet. If someone is going to judge someone based on where they're from, they'll probably just click on the user's info to find out first now. No sense in bringing the rest of us good citizens down! But oh well... what can one do. :<" - bahooney
Kind of agree with this actually.
It doesn't seem fair to punish the vast majority for something a tiny minority of users might do on occasion, probably done it myself to be honest, and in fact can still do anyway if that's how they want to be.
Although I fully understand Nintendo Life's reasoning behind removing the flags it seems pretty clear that a large percentage of Nintendo Life users really would love the little flags to return
They were kinda cool and unique to the site.
It's great,i absolutely love the new design,it has colors
My only complaint would be,that the country flags were removed,i loved seeing were people came from and i loved my puerto rican flag
The new site looks great!
Looks cheapo!!
Bring back the flags, please! We should just do a community vote and let the users decide!
Also, to those of you using Adblock, I've never used it myself, but I do use flashblock, which primarily only targets the absolute worst offenders. I started using it back towards the end of the dial-up days when flash ads slowed my connection to a crawl on sites that should have loaded immediately, also I used to have a dinosaur 500Mhz laptop, and Firefox was wasting 100% of my CPU resources and making the net unusable, due to animated ads.
Also, even with a modern computer, self-playing video/audio can get annoying when you've got 20 tabs open and are trying to find which culprit is blaring out your speakers. If I want to watch a video, I click the flash icon and it loads perfectly. Most of the ads here at Nintendolife, as far as I can tell, are image-based, so they still load and get credit for them. Another trick for the nastier offenders is to temporarily disable java. I find myself doing that a lot on certain news sites and free advice computer sites that bombard you with text-link mouseover popups. Nintendolife does not do that, fortunately, and hopefully never will. If they ever do, I will crawl into a hole somewhere and weep.
look'n good!!
Looks great! Only thing I would change is the top bar, I miss the smaller and more crowded links
Flags!
One small layout glitch I just noticed when checking the site without Ads again; On some pages, each of the main Channel pages for example, the topmost title bar on the right hand column doesn't line up quite flush with the topmost title bar on the left hand column. It's not normally noticeable when the Ads are on so I didn't see it before but it's about half a centimeter lower and it looks a wee bit off when the rest of the site lines up so nicely.
Also, I think the Tab bar would look a tiny bit nicer if you averaged the size of at the buttons across the width of the full bar so they are all the same size, rather than the Forums Button being much bigger than the rest for example.
Edit: I figured after all the various little changes I've suggested in my posts the least I could do was put together a few images to clearly show what I was saying and thinking:
http://oi41.tinypic.com/2j2j901.jpg (Current Site)
http://oi42.tinypic.com/4kcr5.jpg (With frame lines and equal sized tabs)
http://oi39.tinypic.com/35lrqd1.jpg (With frame lines, equal sized tabs and curved boxes)
After spending some more time with the site, and trying a couple of quick mock ups with those little tweaks, I definitely think it is overall a nice evolution and improvement on the original design, especially the main Tab Bar and the general stuff at the top of the page.
@Nintendolife: It woul be really cool if the link, when you click on "Reply", would be direct you to the comment instead of the profile, because then you can read on what subject the member is answering. Is that possible?
@Tethers I'm not sure what you mean. Are you talking about a quote-type feature like we have in the forums?
Still missing the old look a bit, but the new one is growing on to me, a lot of things are improved. I really wish the flags next to the user names in the comments still were there though, I loved seeing where everyone comes from!
@James: Yes and no^^. I mean, when you click on the "Reply"-button, there will be a "@Tethers"-link in your comment. When I click on this, it directs me to the profile of the person (in this case, me^^). But it would be better if the link takes me to the comment you are answering on. For example in your comment the link of "@Tethers" should link to:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/02/welcome_to_the_new_look_nintendo_life#comment1074663
(And I know, sorry for my bad English^^.)
Wow you guys! It looks great!
This comment is about the flags...
… if I was in the position to bring back the flags, I'd do it instantly. What it boils down to - and the reason why you removed them - is ultimately discrimination, right? So this is well-meant, okay. But if I wanted to discriminate against sb., I could still do it. Clicking on the name or avatar will reveal the person's nationality/location. So if you really want to iron out discrimination, you should also remove the data there. But it seems that you don't want that either. It is, you must admit, interesting to see where somebody is from, and, as people have stated before, it even provides practical benefits to know that (when games and their releases are concerned). So you should reverse this decision, as it is just a halfhearted, inefficient attempt to get rid of discrimination. And you should add the flags to every other gaming site you run as well. These flags just make sense.
However, the revelation of one's nationality/location only makes sense if it happens in the right position. The flags made it easy to see someone's nationality/location, so that was good. Having to click on a user to see where he or she is from is annoying. Hey, but this is good, you might say now, because we want that there is some kind of obstacle that makes it less easy to discriminate against so. But, I would answer, c'mon, is that the best obstacle you can think of? Y'know, I don't like discrimination as well, but one click will not solve this “problem” (this bad, bad problem... (I have never seen this form of discrimination happen on this site!)).
Also, this reminds me of a discussion on the forums of an online dictionary. One harmless question that was actually already answered to the questioner's complete satisfaction resulted in a discussion; the discussion was about whether you can use the two words 'special treatment' in Germany. One guy said that you should not use it anymore because the Nazis misused the term. So he suggested an alternative which would sound nicer in his opinion.
This is, just like the removal of the flags, an exaggerated protective measure. Unnecessary and stupid as hell. Sometimes, people just need to grow up and get with the times.
This will become even clearer when you have a look at a response by another guy. He said that we should stop speaking German because the Nazis spoke German. This comment really hit the nail on the head.
So looking at the removal of the flags with this story in mind, I think that it is needless censorship. What's next, changing everyone's user name to 'nl user' and only showing the actual names on the user profiles because, you know, they could provoke discrimination, too?
Any individual, personal thing can provoke discrimination. And everyone should know this, too: there are idiots living in every country, and there are nice people living in every country. Consequently, discriminating against people because of their nationality/location makes no sense. But if one of those idiots starts to do this nevertheless (because he or she is idiotic), why not being strict with these idiots instead of punishing all the others who liked seeing those flags. Why not banning that idiot instead of banning all the flags.
Wanting equality in the sense of equal rights is all right. Wanting equality in the sense of uniformity, however, is a different thing. It can be all right, too; but in our case it's not. Instead of hiding people's nationalities/locations and trying to make everything look homogeneous, let's embrace the difference and show the nationality/location with a flag!
Removing the flags does not help anyone. It's a step backwards. Protection by hiding? Weak. If the wolf is hungry, he'll eat you nevertheless. Protection by grabbing a flag and then stabbing him with the flagpole? Now we're talking.
But seriously, I want these flags to appear on this site again. Like many other people, too. At the very least, and as it was suggested before, you should let us vote on whether or not we want them back.
Somebody posted once that it was extremely hard to get games where they lived, and they cost a small fortune. If they lived in North America or Europe, such a comment would sound strange. I actually put my mouse over the flag because I didn't recognize the emblem, and they were in South Africa! It totally gave me a whole new perspective and sympathy for the person, knowing that they lived in part of the world where video games are not common. Such insight is completely lost now. Somebody please start a petition in the forums section to please bring back the flags on user comments!
@StarDust, et. al — user location is not information 'completely lost' now... just check their profile to see where a user is from. :3
@theblackdragon: Yeah, and it is totally comfortable to do this on 100 comments...
Guys, I've come up with a solution!
@James: I hope you don't mean this seriously...
Ah, and did you now understand what I wrote (and mean) in comment #265?^^
Thank You tethers... I really want to click a hundred different profiles, and completely break the flow of information, just to hit the "back" button on my browser and have to navigate back to the post I was at before.
If you want your flags back (or not), please voice your opinions HERE:
https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/feedback/petition_to_bring_back_the_flag_icons
Am i going mad i cannot seem to log out of my profile! What do i do? Help anyone!!
@Scottie
Well it works fine for me when I click the Logout link right next to my profile box at the top right of the page so God knows why it wouldn't work for you.
@Kirk
Cheers for that but my profile doesn't have a log out button - i am using Internet explorer eight unfortunately!
I know this is somewhat late but I just want to say the look doesn't load properly on iPad. There's no pictures on the side and the ads overlap each other. It's a minor issue, because you don't see them, and all links still work properly. Just wanted to say that. It doesn't bother me at all though.
When is the mobile site coming?
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