News Google Maps Launches a Pokémon Challenge
It's already 1st April in Japan...
News The Next Batman Game Is Arkham Knight, And No, There Won't Be A Wii U Version
Or a PS3 or 360 edition, for that matter
News Former Criterion Boss Alex Ward Laments Issues With Releasing Need For Speed On Wii U
"Neither Nintendo or EA gave a s*** about it"
News - March, 2014
Monday31st Mar 2014
News Google Maps Launches a Pokémon Challenge
It's already 1st April in Japan...
Google may be a mega corporation with investments in killer robots, but it does also (occasionally) have a sense of humour. Two years ago it unveiled an awesome NES cart version of Google Maps, and it's now incorporated its map software with one of the biggest brands in gaming — Pokémon. This app sets wannabe...
News Magmar and Electabuzz Set for Pokémon X & Y Distribution Event at GAME in UK
Pokémon Trading Card Game to also get a push
If there's one thing that can be guaranteed with any major generational release of Pokémon, it's special distribution events. Pokémon X & Y is no different, and The Pokémon Company International has announced an upcoming distribution in collaboration with GAME in the UK that will not only give...
Nintendo Download 3rd April (Europe)
GBA on Wii U, bubbles, monkeys, and a load of discounts
It's Monday, which means Download Update news in Europe. This Thursday's treats include the first three Game Boy Advance games on the Wii U Virtual Console, an AR title on 3DS, a very late retail arrival and a number of tempting discounts. Without further pre-amble, let's get to it. Wii U...
News Nintendo Confirms a Mickey Edition 3DS XL For North America
Aw shucks gosh etc...
Update: Nintendo of America has issued a correction to these images to clarify Walmart as the only confirmed retailer for this 3DS XL model, removing Nintendo World Store. Original article: Disney Magical World, the Mii-sim experience that allows you to interact with various characters from the Disney universe — mainly...
Now that's Mega
How many times will we all buy old Mega Man games? Over and over again, judging by Capcom's actions, as it's lining up even more retro Blue Bomber adventures for Nintendo hardware; this time around the 3DS Virtual Console's getting the fun, adding to Game Boy title Mega Man: Dr Wily's Revenge and various NES entries that have already...
News Square Enix To Focus Less on the 'Global Aspect' Following Bravely Default Success in the West
"There’s a sense of mass, which loses the image of a niche market"
Square Enix, a company with significant heritage both pre- and post-merger, has been working in recent times to try and broaden its appeal and sales worldwide. It's not been smooth sailing, however, as financial challenges have been a consistent feature in recent years as the...
More ready than ever to clean up on the battlefield
Kicking off a new week's worth of daily pics, Masahiro Sakurai today revealed a shot of Luigi in a Miiverse post sure to scare off any ghost. The younger Mario brother has been continually tweaked as the Smash Bros series goes on, with altered mechanics and moves to make him stand out from his...
Feature A Week of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Screens - Issue Thirty One
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...
News Capcom Cuts Profit Projections By Over 50%, Despite "Strong Sales of Monster Hunter 4"
Underperforming mobile games and Monster Hunter Frontier G cited
Ahead of its yearly financial results that will be reported in the coming weeks, Capcom has issued an update revising its profit projections down by over 50%. It's a blow for the Japanese company ahead of its results, somewhat reminiscent of Nintendo lowering projections prior to its...
News One Piece: Unlimited World Red Is Getting A New Coliseum Mode
We come in piece
If you're a fan of the long-running One Piece series and are looking forward to the upcoming release of One Piece: Unlimited World Red, then you'll be pleased to know that the game will come complete with a new Coliseum Mode, which — according to publisher Namco Bandai — will "closely resemble" the latest episodes of the anime...
Site News Tom Has Evolved Into A New Form: Editor Tom!
Our erstwhile Features Editor goes up a level
Those of you that are long-time followers of this site will have witnessed Thomas Whitehead's inexorable rise from the status of mere reader to the position he has, until today, occupied with assured brilliance: Features Editor. Tom has been a hugely passionate and incredibly dedicated member of the...
News Ludosity Founder Favours the Wii U Version of Ittle Dew
No release date yet
Ludosity, the studio responsible for 3DS titles such as Boulder Dash-XL 3D and Alien Chaos 3D will be making its début on the Wii U with its upcoming title Ittle Dew, described by developer Joel Nystrom as a light hearted action adventure game with a lot of puzzling and secrets to find. Though the game has already been released...
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and F-Zero: GP Legend appear eShop-bound
The Australian government's Classification Board is infamous for its censorship of violence in games, hindering the release of dozens of highly-anticipated titles over the years. But sometimes its ratings bring us good news: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and
News These Sega 3D Classics T-Shirts Will Be Perfect For The Summer
To be this good takes ages
3DS owners will be aware that Sega is giving the console some retro love at the moment with its superb range of 3D Classics. We've seen the likes of Space Harrier, Shinobi III and Galaxy Force II so far (along with the guilty pleasure that is
News Two Tribes Confirms Permanent Price Drop of its Classics Range in North America
Yours for just $1.99
Earlier today the European Nintendo Download update included some permanent price discounts from Two Tribes on its 'Classics' range. While the North American update isn't officially released until Thursday, the publisher has taken to Twitter to confirm that these price drops will also apply in North America. This price of...
News Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Makes Top 20 Début in UK
Top 10 in single format
Professor Layton's adventures may be over, though the Layton brand will live on in some form, but last week brought a cross-over to Europe to give us all a little more of the puzzle-solving gentleman. He's joined by Capcom's favourite legal professional in Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and it's had a solid...
Sunday30th Mar 2014
Talking Point The Logic Behind Game Boy Advance on the Wii U Virtual Console
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. As...
Review Hello Kitty Kruisers (Wii U)
Cute doesn't always cut it
Hello Kitty and friends have cornered the market on cute for four decades, and it’s easy to see why: Sanrio’s simple yet charming style makes for easy application to almost anything. Racing games are certainly not out of the question, and Hello Kitty Kruisers takes the obvious whimsical route through the genre, as much...
News Star Parodier Removed From the Wii Virtual Console in North America
An import classic that will be missed
If you've yet to play Hudson Soft's adorable Turbografx cute-em up Star Parodier, you are unfortunately out of luck as the title has been removed from the North American Wii Virtual Console. It joins some other titles in the past year and more that have been removed from the service, with issues such as...
Video Learn More About the Technical Wizardry of Graphical Effects on Super NES
Mode 7, Super FX and more
The Super NES is still regarded by some as the finest home console ever created, helped by its cultural impact in the '90s and exceptional software library. What's striking is that it did sustain itself, like other examples of Nintendo home console technology, in the face of some flashier and more advanced rivals — this...
News Two Brothers Still on the Way to the Wii U eShop, Third-Party Developer Handling Port
Identity of porting team to be revealed soon
It was way back in the latter half of 2012 that Two Brothers — from AckkStudios — was announced, a top-down 2D RPG that excited some retro gamers with its Game Boy aesthetic, and intrigued plenty of others with the idea that colour is gradually restored to the world. The concept was attractive enough...
Saturday29th Mar 2014
Review Yumi's Odd Odyssey (3DS eShop)
Ocean Belly River's back!
In some games, just moving around is a joy. Soaring through the skies in Pilotwings, loop-de-looping in NiGHTS into Dreams, wet-jetting around Isle Delfino in Super Mario Sunshine, and tumbling through town in Gravity Rush are all exhilarating experiences in their own right, as memorable as the games built around t
News Nintendo Shows Off April's Game Boy Advance Wii U Virtual Console Line-up
Play it on the GamePad is the message
Time flies, and after a busy week in which Nintendo firmed up its Game Boy Advance plans for the Wii U Virtual Console, we're now just days away from the first arrivals. It's certainly an attractive line-up in its early days, filling April with eight releases in total. Some of these titles will be familiar to...
News Rusty's Real Deal Baseball Has Some Interesting Localization Changes
The character himself underwent a full makeover
The folks over at Tiny Cartridge have discovered a couple of interesting design changes made to Rusty's Real Deal Baseball during the localization process. Nintendo's next foray into free-to-play garnered some attention for its unconventional take on the model, which involves in-game haggling to lower...
Poll Have Your Say On The GamePad's Role With The Wii U Virtual Console
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...
Review Clu Clu Land (3DS eShop / NES)
Spinning from poles as a fish with human limbs...
Clu Clu Land is one of those unassuming early Nintendo Entertainment System releases that seems to show up all the time these days, from cameos in Super Smash Bros. to minigames in NES Remix, right alongside classics like Mario and Zelda. Even if you didn't grow up playing Clu Clu Land, most Nintendo...
News Smartphone Game Market Shows Impressive Growth in Japan
Nintendo is no doubt watching
We've written on a number of occasions, including on its third anniversary, that the 3DS represents a triumph against shifting trends for Nintendo. Traditionally dominant in the portable gaming space, Nintendo's faced arguably its toughest generation to date with the rise of smart device gaming, itself perhaps stripping...
News Yoshi's New Island T-Shirt Hits North American Club Nintendo Store
Go green with one shell of a colourful shirt
It's always nice to see some official clothing as a Club Nintendo Reward, so the arrival of this adorable Yoshi shirt on the North American store should prove to be much less divisive among fans than the title it represents. Available now for 800 coins, the shirt comes in both Large and Small, suitable...
Friday28th Mar 2014
Review Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / SNES)
A timely boost for a classic
With a PAL release a mere nine months after the April 1992 launch of the UK SNES, during a 16-bit era where show-boating superior technology and exceptional console power was at the forefront of Nintendo’s objectives, Super Mario Kart remained humble in exhibiting its technical prowess. European gamers had been...
Weirdness First Zelda, Now Mario And Luigi Make A Cameo In inFAMOUS: Second Son
Someone at Sucker Punch must really love Nintendo
Last week, we reported on the news that a Master Sword was spotted in Sony's PS4 exclusive inFAMOUS: Second Son. Today, we can tell you that another Nintendo reference has been spotted in the game — this time relating to those famous plumbing siblings, Mario and Luigi. It's a real "blink and...
News Tomodachi Collection: New Life Tests Western Waters with Survey
English images of the game make their début
According to multiple reports spotted by Tiny Cartridge, the waters are officially being tested by Nintendo of Europe for a Western version of Tomodachi Collection: New Life. This comes following last month's disclosure by Satoru Iwata that the game was being localized. Most significant about this is the...
Feature A Look At the Super Mario Kart (SNES) World Championship 2014
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...
News Take a Look and be Jealous of This Beautiful Monster Hunter 4 3DS XL
The stylish handheld was released in Japan yesterday.
Impatient for Monster Hunter 4 to hit Western shelves in its Ultimate guise? Japanese fans have not only been playing Monster Hunter 4 since September 2013, but yesterday they got this stunning 3DS XL (or LL, as it's known in the country) in a colour Nintendo calls "Rajang Gold." Take a look:...
News GameStop Confirms Exclusive "Peach Pink" 2DS System for the U.S.
It's Mickey Mouse-themed, Princess Peach shunned...
While some may point out how many desirable limited-edition 3DS systems are available in Japan, it must be said that Western territories are catching up with plenty of eye-catching variations. Now the 2DS will get in the act, with the U.S. gearing up for a new colour to join the original blue and...
News Game Boy Classic Donkey Kong Land Is Coming To The Japanese 3DS Virtual Console
You'll go bananas about this news
Fans of the naked ape wearing only a tie will be pleased to hear the 1995 Game Boy title Donkey Kong Land is being released in Japan on the 3DS Virtual Console early next month. Released a year after the success of the Super Nintendo original, Donkey Kong Land has the Kongs recapturing their banana hoard when...
News Animal Crossing's Katsuya Eguchi Explains How the Series Embraces Change
Keepin' it fresh
Staying up to date, while at the same time pleasing fans, is quite possibly one of the biggest issues for developers of games in franchises such as Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing. The games have been around for many years and have amassed a huge fan-base that arguably expects Nintendo's popular franchises to...
Review Lola's ABC Party (3DS eShop)
P-A-R-T-WHY? Because I gotta learn my ABC's!
The adorable panda bear, Lola, is back at it again. This time she's putting her life as a train conductor in the past, and is instead throwing a party...of knowledge. Being the second game in the series to focus on basic ABC's and spelling, following Lola's Alphabet Train on DSiWare back in 2012, does...
News Here's a Closer Look at the Evolving Prism Tower Stage in Super Smash Bros. on 3DS
Climb the tower as you battle
Not long ago Masahiro Sakurai revealed that there'd be a Super Smash Bros. 3DS stage in Lumiose City, the location from Pokémon X & Y. Now, in a similar style to his screenshot tour of the Super Mario 3D Land stage, the game director has shown us how this stage will work. As previously sug
News Nintendo Bringing Pokémon to the Midwest Gaming Classic
Will it drop some Poké-news?
Nintendo may be passing on PAX East this year, but it'll make an appearance at next month's Midwest Gaming Classic in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Held on the 12th and 13th April, the Midwest Gaming Classic is a retro-centric trade show featuring everything from arcades and pinball machines to tabletop board games. One of...
News Swords & Soldiers HD Catapulting Its Way Onto The Wii U eShop Next Month
To tide us over until the release of Swords & Soldiers 2
Update: Two Tribes has advised that its original announcement was posted early by accident. As opposed to targeting the end of April, the release window has now been expanded slightly to "April / May". Original Article: Swords & Soldiers — the side scrolling RTS which was originally...
News Arc System Works Releases Ghostly Visual Novel Adventure On Japanese 3DS eShop
Looks sensationally spooky!
Arc System Works is bringing a ghostly adventure to the 3DS eShop in the form of a mystery visual novel entitled Ghost Detective: Shida’s Ayakashi Case Book – which also translates to "Mononoke Detective" in Japanese. The game’s trailer reveals players will take on the role of ghost detective Shida Mori, who has...
Matters Of Import Steel Empire Is Flying High On Nintendo 3DS
Chocks away!
First released on the Mega Drive over twenty years ago and then remade for the GBA in 2004, Steel Empire is a side-scrolling shoot ‘em up with a distinctive visual twist. Looking like a cross between Jules Verne’s imagination, a Hayao Miyazaki anime and World War I archive footage; Steel Empire’s biplanes, zeppelins and steam...
News Fresh Saber Rider And The Star Sheriffs Screenshots Gallop Into View
You're my favourite deputy
We recently told you about the video game adaptation of cult '80s anime show Saber Rider And The Star Sheriffs, and how it was still in development despite the disbanding of the studio in charge, Firehazard. The newly-christened "Saber Rider Game Team" has released some screenshots of the proposed PC version which will...
News We'll Be Seeing A Bit More Of Rusty Pup This April
Gory Detail confirm fresh details coming next month
Things have gone a little quiet on the Rusty Pup front since we exclusively broke the news that it was coming to the Wii U eShop back in 2013. Former Rare employees Christopher "Conker" Seavor and Shawn Pile have been working flat-out on the game since then, with a few pieces of artwork published...
News Rusty's Real Deal Baseball Gets Into the Swing of the 3DS eShop on 3rd April
Stepping up to the plate
During the most recent Nintendo Direct broadcast in February, Nintendo announced Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball, a quirky take on the "freemium" model coming to the 3DS eShop in North America. It'll come with one free mini-game in the download but will have a number more — incorporating different aspects of the sport such as...
News Parking Star 3D Submitted For Approval in North America
New gameplay information and screenshots manoeuvre into space
Parking enthusiasts rejoice – EasyTech and CIRCLE Entertainment have just announced that Parking Star 3D has now been submitted to Nintendo of America for approval in the region, while also showing us all a little more of what we can expect in the title. Below are some of the details...
News Yoshinori Satake Lifts Steel Empire's Iron Curtain And Teases Possible Sequel, Burning Steel
Developer talks about steam engines, outer space and Dragon Quest
Over the past few days we’ve been relentlessly tweeting, videoing and generally getting ourselves lost in playing Steel Empire in every format it’s available on. But as enjoyable as the game is, experiencing it in its final form doesn’t give much insight into all the hard work...
News Win Big With Youdagames' Governor Of Poker on the 3DS eShop
Coming to US and EU April 10th
Amsterdam developer Youdagames has today announced its flagship Texas Hold 'em title – Governor of Poker – is coming to the North American and European 3DS eShop on 10th April for $4.99 and €4.99 respectively. The Teyon-published game previously released on PC, Mac, Facebook, Android and iOS plays out in the...
Thursday27th Mar 2014
Review Pure Chess (Wii U eShop)
This is a review you should check, mate
When Pure Chess was first announced for the Wii U and 3DS, it created a considerable buzz for a game that's based on a relatively niche, high-brow hobby. However, there was good reason for this; developer VooFoo Studios and its publisher Ripstone were not only determined to deliver a graphically rich...
Nintendo Download 27th March (North America)
Free Sonic DLC, retro puzzling, a skating cat and more
Nintendo of America has been a little later than normal with its download update, but it's finally here. There are retro options on both Wii U and 3DS, free DLC and some additional new options on the portable's store; bizarrely, a couple of older titles have also been included. Throw in some...
Feature Looking at the 3DS Revolution on its Third Birthday
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...
Video We Dash Through the Sonic Lost World Legend of Zelda DLC
Sonic and Legend of Zelda, together at last
As many of you are no doubt aware, Sonic Lost World has more free Nintendo-themed DLC today — The Legend of Zelda Zone. As with the Yoshi equivalent before, it's a special free level that includes two distinct areas. You can't play as much as you want without a bit of effort, however; once you play it...
News Your Support Is Needed To Make This Lego Metroid Set A Reality
Blockbusting Samus and Ridley
We've seen some awesome fan-made video game Lego concepts of late — including Zelda and Mega Man — and now it's the turn of Metroid to get the block-building treatment. Lego fanatic Lizardman has created a set which features Sam
News Goodbye Galaxy Games' Hugo Smits Unveils Gomba, a "Rapid Prototype Game Creation" Tool for 3DS
"It’s super easy in use"
Goodbye Galaxy Games and its creator Hugo Smits are best known for some excellent download titles, including games such as Ace Mathician on DSiWare and Tappingo most recently on the 3DS eShop, yet the developer is also active in other ways within the independent community. After beginning a project called indi3DS as a...
Video We've Compared All Three Versions Of Steel Empire So You Don't Have To
Mega Drive, Game Boy Advance or 3DS - which is best?
In case you hadn't noticed from the amount of coverage we've been giving it, steampunk shooter Steel Empire recently launched on the 3DS eShop in Japan. A port of a 1992 Sega Mega Drive / Genesis blaster, the game is possibly best known for its eye-catching visuals, with massive steam-powered...
News Dragon Quest X Reaches One Million Sales In Japan
A slow increase in popularity of the Square Enix MMORPG
The subscription-based Japanese exclusive Dragon Quest X – released on the Wii in 2012 and the Wii U just last year – has today reached a significant milestone. According to Producer Yosuke Saito via Twitter, the Square Enix MMORPG has now sold a total of one million copies. Last April,...
News Mario Party: Island Tour Makes Japanese Chart Début at Number One
3DS and Wii U enjoy hardware bumps
It somewhat flew under our radar due to its previous release in Western territories, but Mario Party: Island Tour arrived in Japan only last week — proof that it's not always North America and PAL regions kept waiting. With that release the 3DS enjoyed an increase in sales, while the Wii U has crept closer to...
News Animal Crossing Creator Discusses How Mobile Apps Could Affect Your ''Second Home''
Don't worry, there's not a microtransaction in sight!
Animal Crossing; New Leaf released over half a year ago on 3DS, but with something new to see and do every single day it has continued to live on as small, relaxing part of many player's daily routine. While attending the Game Developers Conference last week, series creator Katsuya Eguchi and New...
News Nintendo Underdogs Reorchestrated Will Give Fan-Favourite "Hidden Gems" The Symphonic Treatment
Using high-quality MIDIs to imitate a live orchestra
Nintendo soundtracks include some of the most celebrated pieces of video game music in the long history of the industry. From the ubiquitous theme of the original Super Mario Bros. to the waterworks-inducing tones of Koji Kondo's wholly epic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time score, nostalgia...
News Nintendo Australia Confirms Game Boy Advance Wii U Releases and Pricing
GBA for everyone!
Yesterday brought the happy news of the opening Wii U Virtual Console Game Boy Advance line-up, which includes some enjoyable titles to grace the latest system and its GamePad. Happily, Nintendo Australia has now confirmed details for its region, providing prices as well — all titles will be AU$9.10 – NZ$11.90. 3rd April:...
News New Watch_Dogs Trailer Highlights a Living, Breathing Chicago Game World
Ubisoft boasts about intelligent NPCs populating the Windy City
Ubisoft has revealed a new trailer for its upcoming open-world computer hacking adventure Watch_Dogs today showing off the game's Chicago setting. The open-world urban environment based on the real-life city immediately brings to mind Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series, with hundreds...
News Child of Light Creators Discuss Their Transition from Far Cry 3
From wackos to watercolours
Want to talk about shifting gears? How about going from making Far Cry 3, an intriguingly exotic and violent first-person shooter, to Child of Light, a softly toned, beautiful, turn-based RPG adventure that holds firmly to classic fairytale stylings? First instinct might be to hope those involved aren't going mad from...
Wednesday26th Mar 2014
News Pokémon Trading Card Game: XY - Flashfire Expansion Arrives on 7th May
Gotta confuse us all
Earlier this year we reported on the Pokémon Trading Card Game: XY Expansion Pack, taking the hugely popular pastime into the current 'mon generation. Now the expansion pack is getting an expansion, which seems pretty normal for a Pokémon product. The Flashfire group — including booster cards and theme decks — will hit...
News Sonic Lost World Gets Free Legend of Zelda DLC Tomorrow
But can we team up Knuckles with Tingle?
Hot off the heels of Sonic Lost World's Yoshi's Island DLC, tomorrow the hedgehog's latest Wii U outing will get some Zelda-themed downloadable content to boot; it'll be free for all that have the game. Entitled The Legend of Zelda Zone, IGN reports the new level will be more than a reskinning of an old...
News Nintendo of Europe Confirms Upcoming Game Boy Advance Wii U Virtual Console Releases
Pricing and Wii U features, too
Update: Nintendo of America has now announced its Game Boy Advance Wii U Virtual Console lineup and prices, as well as a release date for Super Mario Bros. 3 on the system. Original Article: Just yesterday we reported that Advance
News Super Mario Bros. 3 Is Warping To North American Virtual Consoles On April 17th
Nintendo of America confirms GBA Virtual Console lineup, too
It's been a long time coming, but Super Mario Bros. 3 finally has a release date for the North American Wii U and 3DS Virtual Console services. Nintendo of America has confirmed that the classic NES game will launch on April 17th, priced at $4.99. Regarded by many Mario fans as one of the...
Hardware Classics SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color
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 —...
News Game Boy Advance Games On The Wii U Virtual Console Are Single Player Only
Going solo
Game Boy Advance games are hitting the North American and European Wii U Virtual Console very soon, and Nintendo has posted some fresh details up on its Japanese site. The biggest news is that all of the launch batch of titles are all listed as being single player only — even those which had multiplayer capability in their original...
Preview Mario Golf: World Tour
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 talking...
News Ubisoft Discounts 18 Games on the North American eShop Stores
Wii U and 3DS both covered
Ubisoft has run some attractive promotions on the eShop platforms in recent months, and has struck again with 18 fresh discounts in North America. Announced earlier this week over on the Ubisoft blog, Nintendo has now updated its eShop offers web page to show off the discounts available. These prices are available now and...
News Swedish Speedrunner Breaks Record For Fastest Zelda: Majora's Mask Playthrough
Because he can
Speed-runs seem like a dime a dozen these days, with new records being broken all the time. Although they seem like a fad to some, others are extremely passionate about them and spend a generous amount of time figuring out how to beat the clock. A few months back, we talked about one such individual, Cosmo Wright, whose January 2013...
Review Volleyball (Wii U eShop / NES)
Flat ball
What’s your favourite major sport? If you answered “volleyball,” there’s a good chance that you’re among a minority of sports fans. That’s not to say that volleyball is a lesser game than the titanic football – European or American, your choice – or any other major sport, but it does make one wonder why Nintendo would...
News Industry Veteran Peter Molyneux Warns The Indie Craze "Won't Last"
"Don't think we're going to be all indies for the next five years"
In an interview with CVG, our old friend Peter Molyneux — who recently spoke about the Wii U and his thoughts on Nintendo in general — hopes the games industry won't take the recent indie boom for granted. The veteran developer — now in charge of indie studio 22Cans — likens...
News Renegade Kid Confirms a Console Game Kickstarter Campaign for 2nd April
Joins WayForward in making the crowdfunding jump
In news that shouldn't necessarily be surprising, considering the trends and precedents set by others, Renegade Kid has announced that it'll be launching a Kickstarter campaign for a console game on 2nd April, starting a countdown on its website and no doubt intriguing fans in the process. It's a...
News Modern Final Fantasy Tracks Confirmed For Theatrhythm: Curtain Call
Did your favourite make it in?
Last time the official Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy: Curtain Call website updated we were able to bring you news of the classic Final Fantasy tracks that were confirmed for inclusion in the game; now we can finally tell you which tracks from Final Fantasy VIII all the way up to
Tuesday25th Mar 2014
Worth the "Stroggle"?
When it comes to first-person shooter games on the Nintendo 64, there’s one title which stands out above all the rest: GoldenEye 007. During the late 1990s, Rare’s Bond-themed masterpiece provided gamers with countless hours of single- and multiplayer fun, and because of this it is still fondly remembered by many to this...
Feature Bandai Namco Characters We'd Love to See in Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS
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 of...
Review Devil World (3DS eShop / NES)
Absolutely Diabolical
Very few developers can boast the introduction of as many unique and refreshing gameplay concepts as game-crafting master Shigeru Miyamoto. Nintendo’s iconic developer has reinvented and reinvigorated countless genres, breathing new life into stale and tired gameplay tropes and carving a name for himself as one of the...
News Advance Wars Bringing the Battle to the Wii U Virtual Console on 3rd April
An early Game Boy Advance treat
Back in February Nintendo announced that Game Boy Advance games would arrive on the Wii U Virtual Console in April, and has now confirmed an early treat on the way to the service. Surprisingly, it's not one of the games initially announced. Nintendo of Europe has confirmed that GBA original Advance Wars will hit the...
News Steampunk Shooter Steel Empire Is Flying To North American 3DS Consoles This Summer
Taking to the skies
Steel Empire has just launched in Japan, and you'll be pleased to know that our resident import expert Kerry is already dodging shrapnel in order to bring you a hands-on preview very soon. In the meantime we have more good news — publisher Starfish SD has confirmed that it is coming to North America later this year. Based on...
News Indie Parkour Title Hover: Revolt of Gamers Slated for Wii U
Jet Set Radio x Mirror's Edge?
French indie studio Fusty Game, creator of The Secret of Space Octopuses and Super Commodore Holy Tank Soccer Deluxe (it has a way with titles), has announced via Twitter that its new game Hover: Revolt of Gamers will be coming to Wii U this year, in addition to PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, and Xbox One. Hover is a futuristic...
News Fiendishly Tricky Precision Platformer Chubbins Is Bouncing To The Wii U eShop
Formerly exclusive to iOS
Two-man indie developer Dahku Creations released precision platformer Chubbins to iOS devices last year. Unfortunately, the game's high level of difficulty turned off a lot of users in that particular market. After working out some of the early details, Dahku is finally able to bring the game to a place where it will...
News Nintendo Passing on PAX East 2014
Not shipping up to Boston
There is some potentially disappointing news for Nintendo fans heading to PAX East this 11th-13th April. A Nintendo spokesperson has reportedly confirmed with Polygon that the company will not have a showing at the Boston event: Interacting directly with our fans and letting them play our games firsthand is a key...
News JetGetters Is The Most Insane Aerial Combat Game You've Ever Seen, And Could Be Hijacking Wii U
Described as "Just Cause 2 meets Battlefield 4"
JetGetters is — in the developer's own words — "a game about jumping out of jets, and landing on other jets". A unique team-based dogfighting title by indie studio tinyBuild, it has just hit Kickstarter and a Wii U eShop edition is one of the many console-based stretch goals on offer. The concept...
Video Steel Empire Proves Sega Aren't The Only 3DS Remake Experts
Let battle commence!
Earlier today we had the pleasure of telling you that Steel Empire was coming to the US eShop, and now we can add to that exciting announcement with freshly-captured video footage of the Japanese version of the game. Steel Empire originally released on the Mega Drive over twenty years ago, and a GBA remake followed in 2004 (but...
Matters of Import 3D Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Brothers Powers Up A Sega Classic
This colourful classic is tougher than it looks
Sega’s enthusiasm for the 3DS continues unabated, which means that gamers have another excellent port-with-extras from the technical wizards at M2 available on the Japanese eShop: the twenty eight year-old Fantasy Zone. As we've now come to expect, this 3D remake is a port of the arcade version of...
News The 3DS is Now Three Years Old in Europe
Onwards and upwards
A month ago we reported that the 3DS had reached its third birthday in Japan — it's now reached the same landmark in Europe as of today, 25th March. After the usual pre-launch buzz the 3DS had a mixed first year, but has since gone from strength to strength. Going into its fourth year it has upcoming releases such as Kirby:...
News APEXICON - Fantasy Puzzle Combat Launches New Kickstarter Campaign, Wii U Included
Nintendo's system now a core goal at just $5000
Last year we told you about a crowdfunding campaign for APEXICON - Fantasy Puzzle Combat, a wordplay game with elements of puzzle, RPG and Adventure genres. It had a core target of $15,000 and a Wii U stretch goal of $20,000 yet unfortunately fell well short, with the campaign closing on $3,353...
Monday24th Mar 2014
Nintendo Download 27th March (Europe)
Mario's karting début, a puzzling court crossover, a skating cat and more
Monday morning can be a time for despair and gnashing of teeth, but not for Nintendo Download gamers. As usual Nintendo has issued its update for the treats on the way to Europe later this week — this includes a classic Super NES kart racer, a skating cat, a delightful...
Review Ice Hockey (Wii U eShop / NES)
Not that cool any more
Nintendo released a number of sports titles in the NES era, a reflection of a simpler time when having a fancy home console was enough of a novelty that a game simply called Ice Hockey would seem like an awesome prospect. You like Ice Hockey? You've got Nintendo? Get Ice Hockey, which is Ice Hockey on your Nintendo! That...
News Ronimo Games: PS4 And Xbox One Are More Of The Same, But Wii U Is "Something New"
Developers behind Swords and Soldiers II shower praise on Nintendo
As we reported recently, Ronimo Games is hard at work on Swords and Soldiers II for the Wii U, a sequel to the popular Wii title. Speaking to Nintendo World Report, Ronimo's Joost van Dongen and Thomas Pathuis spoke a little about why they
Review Adventure Island II (3DS eShop / NES)
"Just you wait, Master Higgins!"
The original Adventure Island — though a fun little platformer in its own right — is most fondly remembered today for being a strikingly comprehensive clone of SEGA's Wonder Boy, as a result of developer Escape licensing the property (minus SEGA's character designs) to Hudson Soft for an NES port. Adventure...
Video Nintendo Approves of this Mario Kart Song
For the First Time in Forever, for you Frozen fans
It's a well-known fact that, aside from the occasional multi-platform game that many will happily ignore, Mario Kart 8's 30th May arrival is the closest major release for the Wii U. One consolation is that there is an enticing line-up of eShop games, but retail titles can still arguably get the...
News OutRun Confirmed As The Next 3D Classic Racing to Japan
3DS gamers, get ready to race
While Sega had us distracted with the excellent 3D Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Brothers, it's gone and announced another classic that Sega fans have all been patiently waiting for — Outrun. This information is so minty-fresh that nothing else is currently known — not even an estimated release date — but we can at least...
News LEGO Ninjago: Nindroids Confirmed for a 3DS Arrival This Summer
Nin-ty unsurprisingly included
Back in 2011 LEGO enthusiasts had the chance to enjoy LEGO Battles: Ninjago, a DS title for the spin-off franchise that was "wildly successful", according to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment; in the publisher's defence, sales of over two million units worldwide aren't to be sniffed at. Unsurprisingly, in light...
Feature A Week of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Screens - Issue Thirty
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...
News Japanese Pokémon Tournament Unveils Exclusive 3DS XL
Only for the very best, like no one ever was
Pokémon tournaments over the past few years have continued to grow in popularity along with the series. With US Regionals on the horizon, and the video game and trading card seasons in full swing, the series is at a pinnacle of popularity. The Pokémon Dragon Tournament occurs every year in Japan and...
News Extended Nintendo Network Maintenance May Disrupt Late Night 3DS Online Play
Sorry, night owls
If you're the kind of 3DS owner that likes to relax late at night with a few chaotic races of Mario Kart 7 or some team-based ghost hunts in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon then, be warned, your routine may be disrupted today / tomorrow. Those in North America will see some disruption to online play on the 3DS late tonight, while in...
News Two Tribes Shoots Down the Possibility of Toki Tori 3
"There is no audience for" a sequel to the Wii U title
In a series of tweets today, Dutch studio Two Tribes has indicated that poor sales of Toki Tori 2+ means there's no chance of another sequel. The cute puzzle-platformer struggled to find a fanbase when it released on the Wii U eShop and PC last year, a situation the company doesn't feel will...
Weirdness Tetris Multitool Changes Lives, Opens Bottles
Swiss army knife? Nay, this is a Soviet army knife!
Amazon is full of useful and culturally relevant knick-knacks, from banana slicers to books on How to Avoid Huge Ships. The pioneering team over at Tiny Cartridge
News Knights Of The Round Joins The Fray In Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy: Curtain Call
Thankfully the summon sequence is much shorter in this game
Much like last time, Square Enix has once again released a few tantalising images of the characters and summons we can look forward to using in the awkwardly-named Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy: Curtain Call. As before there's a selection of old and new characters to ogle, this time from the...
News Yoshi's New Island is Still Throwing Eggs in the UK Top 20
Pokémon provides the only other Nintendo-exclusive top 40 presence
After making its UK all-format chart début in 12th place, a test for 3DS title Yoshi's New Island has been to see how its momentum stacks up — not too badly, as it turns out. In its second week Yoshi's adventure is in 16th place — it holds the same spot in the single-platform...
News Record Attendance At GDC 2014 With More Than 24,000 Visitors
Next year's event scheduled for 2nd-6th March
UBM Tech Game Network, the organizers behind the Game Developers Conference, announced today that a record-breaking 24,000 attendees visited the Moscone Center in San Francisco last week for one of the industry's biggest events. The figure represents steady growth from last year's event, which could...
Sunday23rd Mar 2014
Weirdness The Legend of Zelda's Master Sword Appears to be in PS4-Exclusive inFAMOUS: Second Son
Heavily inspired by it, at least
Any members of the Nintendo Life community with a PS4 — it's OK, many of us have multiple consoles — may currently be playing a bit of inFAMOUS: Second Son. It's the latest major release on the hardware, and is on the front line of the 'console war' arguments for this week that we all love so much. Nevertheless,...
Talking Point Nintendo's Major Wii U Retail Titles Can Benefit From More eShop Trials and Demos
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 Here's a Neat Summary of How Video Games Can Make You Smarter
In moderation, remember!
There are still a number of people — even in the current-day when gaming is more mainstream and popular than ever — that try to say no good can come of playing video games. While those that use the hobby for enjoyment and relaxation, in moderation, can disagree until the end of days, it can be a tricky sell to those that...
Video A Real Life Honedge Exists, Sadly Doesn't Burst Forth From a Poké Ball
Looking sharp
In what is rapidly becoming a sword-themed weekend after the somewhat quirky Master Sword Easter Egg in PS4 title inFAMOUS: Second Son, we now have a real life Pokémon sword; it's not really a sword in the game world, or course, but an actual 'mon. In any case, Honedge was a new Pokémon in the latest X & Y releases on 3DS. While...
News High Voltage Software Developing 3DS Version of Amazing Spider-Man 2
Best known for its work on two Wii first-person shooters
Nintendo's official page for the 3DS version of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 reveals that the developer of the title will be Illinois, US-based High Voltage Software, and not Beenox as previously thought. Perhaps best known by Nintendo fans for its work on the 2009 Wii FPS titles The Conduit and
Video 3D Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Brothers Shoots Down The Competition
Pastel coloured pew-pew
We gave you a brief overview of Sega's latest 3D Classic Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Brothers last week, but now we've finally got our hands on it we can show you some real footage of our own. It should come as no surprise at this point to hear that M2 has once again produced an exceptional port, arcade accurate in the most minute...
Saturday22nd Mar 2014
News "Dark And Edgy" Sonic The Hedgehog Film Reportedly In Development
He can really move
According to Hollywood insider website The Tracking Board, a “dark edgy” movie adaptation of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is on its way courtesy of Columbia Pictures. The film, which is aimed squarely at older audiences, will use a combination of live-action and animation. This news comes less than two months after the...
News Latest Assassin's Creed Announcement Continues Doubts Over Wii U Inclusion
Time will tell with second AC title due this year
Ubisoft, though not universally loved by Nintendo fans due to the delay and multi-platform release of Rayman Legends, among other reasons, has offered the most consistent third-party retail support of the Wii U. As recent figures indicate, however, that support has been rewarded with dreadfully low...
News The Wait for Mario Kart 8 Is Filled With Sunshine in This Week's Course Update
More goodness flies into view
In recent weeks Nintendo — through social network accounts including its Wii U UK Facebook page — has been teasing out additional courses for the upcoming Mario Kart 8. As a result it's become a slightly unexpected weekend routine of skimming the previous seven days to see what new tracks are on show, and the happy...
Weirdness Square Enix Reproduces Deadly Final Fantasy XIV Boss in 16-Bit Style
We'd play a Super NES version any day
Final Fantasy XIV, an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) for the franchise, has had a troubled history. The first version was such a disappointment that Square Enix eventually dropped it, reproducing the game and changing up the development team that eventually released the far-improved A...
News Delayed Saber Rider And The Star Sheriffs Game Is Still Happening, And Still Coming To 3DS
Remains very much in the saddle
If you're in your thirties then chances are that the name Saber Rider And The Star Sheriffs may trigger a flash of recognition in your addled and aging brain. Based on a Japanese anime series called Sei Jūshi Bisumaruku, Saber Rider was picked up for western localisation in the '80s by World Event Productions (the...
News The Videogame History Museum's GDC Nintendo Exhibit Was Full of Retro Delights
The Virtual Boy even appeared
GDC (Game Developers Conference 2014) has drawn to a close, and it brought us some snippets of Nintendo news, mainly focused on the download market. Nintendo showed off various games on the way to the eShop, promised there were plenty more, and showed off Mario vs. Donkey Kong running on the Nintendo Web Framework. The...
Friday21st Mar 2014
Ninterview TriForce Johnson - A Journey From Game Master to First in Line
"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 wearing...
News Capcom Shows Off Graphical Improvements In Ace Attorney 3DS Trilogy
You won't object to this
The Ace Attorney trilogy coming to Japanese 3DS owners next month appears to be shaping up nicely, with Capcom sharing images of how the 3DS version compares to the original GBA release and Nintendo DS follow-up. The above image shows off Phoenix at his best in court – sprite art and all. From left to right is footage of...
News Nintendo Highlights Over 50 Unity Games on the Way to the Wii U eShop
"We’ve got a lot of Unity content on the way"
It's no secret that the Wii U eShop is set to play a prominent role in delivering a high volume of diverse content to the home console in the coming weeks and months. After much promise of a substantial collection of download-only games the library is starting to grow, with a varied range due in April...
News Images Emerge of Wii U Mario vs. Donkey Kong Tech Demo Running On Nintendo Web Framework
More exciting stuff from Nintendo at GDC 2014
With the annual GDC preparing to close, a lot of cool bits of information regarding the latest game industry happenings and developments are popping up all over the net. Nintendo has already revealed a few things this week – including the fact it’s been able to shift 7.3 million copies of Animal...
Review Bubble Pop World (3DS eShop)
Burst in line
The hardest part of starting Bubble Pop World might be remembering where you left the “?” box AR card you’ll need to play it. Precious few 3DS games have taken advantage of the system’s augmented reality feature, with the majority employing it just for an amusing little extra. Developer Cypronia, however, has fully dived into...
News Keiji Inafune Stills Wants To Make Mega Man Legends 3 A Reality
"I could still gather most of the original team, even right now"
Mega Man Legends 3 didn't happen. We all know that, and for some the fact that the game never saw the light of day remains a sore point. You might assume that the chances of Legends 3 ever being produced are slim to none, but Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune has revealed that he would...
News Unepic Gets a Fresh Update for Wii U
Includes a new "stick and poo" wand
Unepic's arrival early this year gave a solid start to the Wii U's year; we were certainly fans, awarding 8/10 in our Unepic review. A platforming RPG with doses of humour, it certainly provides an experience a little different from its contemporaries on the download store. In good news for fans, developer...
Applies to North American Club Nintendo Members
Nintendo is no stranger when it comes to attention to detail. Whether it’s the latest game or the classics, the company thrives on precision throughout its development and production processes. These production values appear to carry over to the Club Nintendo division as well, with a North American...
News I Am In The Movie Hits North America on 27th March, Launch Trailer Enters Oscar Contention
Watch out Hollywood, a new player is in town
You thought DSiWare was finished. It's OK, most of us did, but then we have I Am In The Movie coming to North America soon, which was announced late last year. Using the DS camera — or the 3DS camera pretending to be the DS — this app will film you and allow you to add all sorts of filters and...
News Shenmue 3 Could Happen Via A Kickstarter Campaign, Says Creator Yu Suzuki
Famous game designer is "researching" crowdfunding the sequel
Shenmue and its sequel cost around $70 million to make — an incredible figure when you consider that Sega was on the ropes when it bankrolled them. Unsurprisingly, the death of the Dreamcast — combined with Sega's gradual shift from developer to publisher — has put Shenmue 3 on the...
News CIRCLE Entertainment Announces Demon King Box For 3DS eShop
Heroes for hire
Our friends at CIRCLE Entertainment have gotten in touch to let us know about Demon King Box, a "defense and attack strategy game" developed by Lionant. Aside from two screenshots, details on this title are slim. It appears to be set in a magical fantasy world where you hire heroes to fight for your cause. We'll supply more details...
News Crytek Confirms a "CRYENGINE as-a-service" Subscription Model for Small Developers
$9.90/€9.90 monthly cost per user to access latest updates
Last year we reported that Crytek's latest CRYENGINE tool-set includes support for Wii U, a welcome inclusion due to the popularity of the technology with various developers. It's a powerful engine that produces some of the strongest visuals currently available, and is utilised in some...
News Capcom Unity Celebrating Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate's Anniversary With a 12 Hour Live Stream
Monsters beware
It may not necessarily feel like it, but Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate has been available in the West for a year, celebrating the landmark on 19th March in North America and 22nd March in Europe. Whether it was the commercial smash Capcom desired or not, it's gathered a loyal, passionate following of Wii U and 3DS owners. Capcom Unity,...
Video Allow This Epic Swords & Soldiers II Trailer To Pillage Your Eyeballs
Shaping up to be quite a (Viking) saga
We recently revealed that Swords & Soldiers II is bound for the Wii U eShop, and today we can show you the first full trailer for the game, which comes complete with gameplay footage, a booming soundtrack and electrocuted livestock. You can watch the full trailer below — be sure to let us know what you...
News Wii Sports Club Free Trial Swings Into Play in Europe and Australia
Starting... now
Last week we reported that, in addition to a free worldwide content update that added the Wii Sports Resort Wuhu Island course to Wii Sports Club: Golf, North American gamers were also receiving another free trial weekend, which kicks off today. We enquired at the time whether there'd be an equivalent trial in Europe and Australia,...
Thursday20th Mar 2014
News Nintendo 64 Support Teased For A Future Hyperkin RetroN Console
Company teases an E3 reveal
The Hyperkin RetroN 5 is shaping up to be the most impressive "clone" system ever created; it has support for NES, Famicom, Genesis, Mega Drive, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance all in one box — but it would appear that Hyperkin is already thinking about how it can improve on this platform. Speaking...
News How One Man Is Giving Sonic Fans The Game They Want To Play
And he wants to do the same with Stunt Race FX next
Let's be honest here, Sonic's recent outings haven't been all that hot. Sonic Lost World on 3DS and Wii U was a crushing disappointment when you consider the level of hype it received, and most of the character's recent 3D outings have failed to recapture the brilliance of his early adventures...
Nintendo Download 20th March (North America)
Pokémon battles, chess, discounts, freebies and more
It's that time, North America, when Nintendo lets you know what download treats await you on the Wii U and 3DS this week. There are new download-only titles on both platforms, while there are also freebies on each through a trial and retail demo. Throw in discounts across the systems and there'll...
Review Cube Tactics (3DS eShop)
Strategy cubed
Given their relatively low asking price, it can be quite easy to fall into the trap of thinking that games on Nintendo’s eShop service amount to little more than short, throwaway experiences. You pay less and, therefore, you must get less value from that game, right? In terms of pure content, that may be true (unless you’re...
News Dead Pixel Entertainment Announces Sync, A Wii U Exclusive FPS Inspired By Metroid Prime
"How can we innovate an otherwise dull genre?"
Indie studio Dead Pixel Entertainment has lifted the lid on Sync, a first person shooter for the Wii U eShop which aims to channel the spirit of Metroid Prime and provide a AAA experience at a budget price. Speaking to Nintendo Enthusiast, Dead Pixel shared some details on this new title, as well as...
Fox and Falco looking mean and moody
The Star Fox series has been dormant for far too long — 3DS remake accepted, of course — and we sincerely hope that one day soon, Nintendo will bring the franchise out of retirement and give us the epic Wii U space adventure we've all been waiting for. Until then, we can simply feast our eyes on this...
News Nintendo Considering 3DS Build of Unity Engine
Always room for more tools in the developers' shed
Nintendo's partnership with Unity Technologies has served well in attracting indie developers by making it easier to bring their games to a Wii U-specific build of the popular engine. The fact that Wii U development kits come with a free Unity license is certainly an encouraging gesture as well. So...
News Hori is Bringing Some Awesome Mario Kart 8 GamePad Skins and Mario & Luigi Wheels to Japan
We'll take them in the West, thanks
The release of Mario Kart 8 has already served up some promising pre-order choices in Europe and — to a lesser extent — in Japan. Now Hori is stepping in with some accessories in Nintendo's homeland, and we want them all. As you can see in the images below, Mario and
News Year of Luigi Gets Official Send-Off from Shigeru Miyamoto
Hopes we "continue to cheer on" Mario's little bro
Spring may be officially in the air today, but with it comes a bittersweet farewell. Following his announcement on 18th February that both the community and the company’s special activities would be ending, Shigeru Miyamoto brought Nintendo's Year of Luigi to an official close today through a post...
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...
News Real-Life Mario Kart Event Brings a Community Together in Japan
Not a blue shell in sight!
The streets of Shibuya, Tokyo were transformed into a Mushroom Kingdom speedway last weekend, as a group of kart-drivers in full costume got together for a multiplayer session not to be forgotten. The event was organised by the members of Tokyo Gaijins, a Japan-based community group dedicated to bringing overseas and...
News Furrtek Software Engineering Revives The Game Boy Scene With Medieval Puzzler Airaki
25 years on, and still going strong
If you thought the best days of the Game Boy had been and gone, you’re probably right. Still, that hasn’t stopped retro-hacker and developer Furrtek Software Engineering (basically, a guy with a computer) from attempting to resurrect the gaming scene on what is arguably the most beloved Nintendo handheld of...
News Pokémon Diamond & Pokémon Pearl: Super Music Collection Available Now on iTunes
Prince will not be happy
In recent weeks and months Game Freak has been releasing rather impressive soundtrack albums on iTunes for various titles in the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, the DS titles, have now been covered with the arrival of Pokémon Diamond & Pokémon Pearl: Super Music Collection on the download store. For...
News Animal Crossing: New Leaf's Team Was An Even Split Of Male And Female Developers
"Diverse" team has resulted in 7.3 million worldwide sales
Animal Crossing: New Leaf is unquestionably one of the 3DS console's most popular games, having found a receptive global audience and attracting players of both sexes. Producer Katsuya Eguchi and director Aya Kyogoku have been discussing the game's development process at GDC, and believe...
News Keiji Inafune Discusses the Indie Experience in Japan and Shows New Mighty No. 9 Footage
"It feels like a return to the golden days"
GDC (Game Developers Conference) 2014 is now approaching its close in San Francisco, and has hosted a variety of games, demonstrations and reveals. As is also the norm there have been presentations from various figures in the games industry, with a particularly high profile example being that given by...
News The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Scoops Best Handheld / Mobile Game at GDC Awards
Another gong to celebrate
From late 2013 and into 2014 Nintendo's best titles on Wii U and 3DS have picked up some notable awards, with landmark releases such as Super Mario 3D World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds leading the way. The latter has triumphed again at the Game Developers Choice Awards, which are part of this week's GDC...
Wednesday19th Mar 2014
Video Watch Us Hungrily Unbox The McDonald's Super Mario Happy Meal
It's the unboxing you've all been waiting for
This week sees the launch of a new range of Super Mario Happy Meal toys at McDonald's in the UK, and as you might expect, we were first in line to pick some up this morning. Below you'll see Tom and Damien pick apart two of these eagerly-awaited cardboard boxes of culinary joy. It's riveting stuff, and...
News Nintendo Unleashes Some Awesome Wii U eShop Trailers
Lots of good stuff on the way
With GDC 2014 well underway and Nintendo taking an active role with presentations and playable games, Nintendo of America has taken the chance to release some new, Wii U-focused trailers for some of the home console's eShop games on show at the event. Five trailers have been posted so far in this burst of activity, and...
Review Galaga (3DS eShop / NES)
Space: The Original Frontier
There are a few reasons so many early video games took place in space. While the most obvious one is budgetary — a flat black background being quite literally the easiest possible background to render, thereby making "space" a pretty natural choice of setting — there's a psychological reason as well: space is a...
News Miiverse Gets a Fresh Update for Wii U and 3DS
Search options! Verified User stalking! Activity Feed screenshots!
Miiverse, the Nintendo social network where we can post doodles, screens and general thoughts on all things Nintendo, has today been updated for both Wii U and 3DS. As Nintendo had the foresight to make it a web-based platform rather than an app, in the typical sense, it means the...
Talking Point Super Metroid's 20th Anniversary Reminds Us Of What We Are Missing
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...
News Nintendo Has "Lost Its Way" But Should Never Be Underestimated, Says Peter Molyneux
"They're super smart people"
Former Bullfrog and Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux has had plenty to say about Nintendo over the past few years, which is striking when you consider that he hasn't released a game on a Nintendo platform in quite some time. He has previously been critical of the Wii U, and even suggested that Nintendo's hardware gets in...
News Super Mario Kart Record Holder Sami Cetin Gives Some Tips and Hits the Track in Mario Kart 8
Niece and world champion Leyla Hasso takes him on
For the vast majority of Wii U owners, we suspect the 30th May release of Mario Kart 8 is a major event on their gaming calendars. It's a franchise that has consistently delivered success for Nintendo, with the most recent iterations uniting experienced gamers and enthusiastic newcomers in some...
News Pure Chess DLC Will Be Available Day One, And Won't Cost As Much As You Think
Standard game will still have three sets and environments
This week sees the launch of VooFoo's Pure Chess on Wii U and 3DS, and publisher Ripstone has dropped us a line to confirm that varied DLC for the game — which includes new pieces and locations — will be available from the moment the game goes live on the Wii U and 3DS eShop stores. Two...
"When you turn Zelda into a 2D platformer, it resembles Metroid"
We reported yesterday on the news that Koji "IGA" Igarashi has parted company with Konami after 24 years of service. Igarashi-san is perhaps best known for his work on the Castlevania series, an association which began with the seminal Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The game...
News Yo-kai Watch Maintains Strong Run in Japan as 3DS Continues Battle with Vita
PS4 dips below 30,000, Wii U remains in four figures
It's Media Create charts time once again, our weekly insight into what's hot and not in Nintendo's homeland. It's a quiet week in terms of earth shattering revelations, but does continue some trends that have begun in the past few weeks. The software top 20 has a strong 3DS contingent as always,...
News Level-5 Has No Plans To Launch The eShop Version Of Inazuma Eleven In The UK
"Established" nature of the franchise to blame
The recent release of Inazuma Eleven on the North American 3DS eShop got many UK gamers wondering if they'd also get to see an updated edition of the Nintendo DS classic on their machines. However, Level-5 has issued a statement explaining why this new [EDIT: English language] version of the game will...
News Super Metroid is 20 Years Old Today
One of the all time greats
Super Metroid is 20 years old today, having been released in Japan on 19th March 1994. It's a title that would go on to be one of a number of iconic, memorable experiences on the 16-bit machine, and is still revered to this day. Alternatively called Metroid 3, this title — like others in the series that would follow —...
News Skater Cat Aims to Bring Some Feline Style to the 3DS eShop
The grind begins on 27th March
Teyon, one of the most active publishers on the 3DS eShop — and DSiWare previously — has confirmed its latest title for the platform. Developed buy FUN UNIT, it'll be a side-scrolling runner called Skater Cat; you can guess a lot from that title. Taking the role of Ollie, you'll take on three worlds and over 25...
Tuesday18th Mar 2014
Review Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (3DS)
A puzzling crossover to be solved
It's no surprise that the announcement of Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney back in 2012 in Japan caused quite a buzz among keen Nintendo portable gamers. The two franchises typify much of what made the DS a phenomenal success — even if Ace Attorney had its beginnings on Game Boy Advance — by...
News Super Mario Kart Action Replay Code Discovered Which Grants Access To CPU Weapons
Payback time
Super Mario Kart veterans will be aware that the CPU-controlled racers in the SNES classic don't always play fair — they've got access to exclusive weapons which aren't available to the player. We've lost count of the number of times we've seen Bowser reach for that deadly fireball and wish that we could get some of those amazing...
Competition Win Big In Our 'Year Of Luigi' Send Off Competition
Go green
The legendary Year of Luigi is almost over, but we don't intend to allow Mario's lanky sibling to go out with a whimper. We've teamed up with Nintendo UK to offer an amazing Luigi-themed prize bundle which will ensure that the green-loving plumber remains in your heart for the rest of 2014 and beyond. We've giving away a bundle of Luigi...
Feature Looking Back On The Year Of Luigi
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...
Wii U launch gave the chaotic project renewed focus
Little Inferno has sold a million units across all platforms since it launched in 2012, but Tomorrow Corporation's Kyle Gray still thinks he and his company could have done a better job. To that end, he has given a talk at this year's GDC about the many mistakes made during the production of the...
Interview Nocturnal on Flowerworks HD's Blossoming Development for Wii U
"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...
It's quite a tour
The daily Miiverse posts from Masahiro Sakurai for Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS remain a highlight, as even on days without major reveals there are often some tasty details for fans to enjoy. Today's post goes above and beyond, however, as Sakurai-san gives us a tour of what promises to be a particularly dynamic stage in the...
News Expect Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty To Cost Around Thirty Bucks
Title has cost around $5 million to develop
Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning has been speaking to Eurogamer about his studio's forthcoming titles, and has stated that the forthcoming remake of the original game — Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty — will be one of the most expensive download-only releases on the Wii U eShop. Lanning has said that he expects...
News XSEED May Bring Physical Copies of Future Senran Kagura Titles to North America
And all potential awkward situations inherent in such
While European players were able to get their hands on a physical copy of the robust brawler Senran Kagura Burst, North America was left with the 3DS eShop as their only option for accessing the game. This may change for future iterations of the series, however, according to posted responses on...
News Artist Behind "The Bridge" Planning a Party RTS For Wii U
With music by Grant Kirkhope, no less
The Wii U eShop is attracting a number of multi-platform projects that are certainly catching the eye, but the number of exclusives is relatively slim. Thankfully there may soon be another to join those such as Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails; should an upcoming Kickstarter campaign succeed we could see a...
News Guitar/DJ/Band Hero DLC Catalogues Getting Unplugged at the End of March
One last encore of a sale until then
There was once a time when the rhythm game genre brought about by Guitar Hero felt like it would last forever, clacky plastic instruments with rainbow buttons becoming a living room or game room mainstay. Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be, with many of those instruments lying silent in closets and on...
News Walmart Announces Foray Into Pre-Owned Games
Program begins on 26th March
Walmart has announced today that stores across the United States will begin participating in a new pre-owned video game program as of 26th March this year. Citing the $2 billion used game market as incentive to enter its own bid, Walmart promises an easy trade-in program that follows much the same business model as...
Competition Grab an Exclusive Year of Luigi E3 Coin in our Treasure Hunt
Find-a me-a!
We're going Luigi crazy on Nintendo Life today, marking the end of the Year of Luigi. Nintendo UK has kindly donated four special Year of Luigi coins (pictured below) that our UK readers can win. You may remember that Nintendo offered some Year of Luigi coins via Club Nintendo, however those that we have up for grabs are slightly...
News Koji Igarashi Discusses Leaving Konami and Being Inspired by the Mighty No. 9 Example
"If you have the fans, you can provide them the games they want"
Earlier this week we reported the news that Koji Igarashi, best known for the Castlevania series, had left Konami. Affectionately known as IGA, his role with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night before going on to lead the Castlevania franchise throughout its exceptional years on Game...
News Aztez Is MadWorld Meets Empire-Building Strategy, And It's Coming To Wii U
Monochrome madness
Team Colorblind has announced at this year's GDC that its brawler and strategy hybrid Aztez is coming to the Wii U eShop, as well as the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Xbox One. Aztez is described as a game of "conquest and brutality" which combines empire expansion with side-scrolling action sequences. The entire package...
News Strategic Card Battler Gundam: Try Age SP Announced For The Nintendo 3DS
Suit up, soldier
It's no secret that we love Gundam here at Nintendo Life — our resident import expert Kerry has a collection of scale-model Mobile Suits that would make even the most seasoned Otaku green with envy. Taking this into account, you can imagine how excited we are by reports that the latest issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu carries an...
Monday17th Mar 2014
Nintendo Download 20th March (Europe)
Cross-platform chess, retro Dracula slaying, discounts galore and more
It's that time, Europe, and after two weeks of being delayed by a day the Download Update information has been unleashed promptly to kickstart our week. It includes an intriguing cross-platform release on Wii U and 3DS that could fill a nice gap in the eShop library, two NES...
Weirdness This Super Mario 64 Fan Remake is Fairly Impressive
It's HD Mario, which was a novelty once!
Fans just can't get enough of retro Nintendo games, often recording themselves on speed-runs or producing animations, short films and music albums dedicated to various classics of years gone by. Some go a step further and decide to do their own remakes of the classics, no doubt hoping that their humble...
Minus input "the character would have been a lot more alien and different"
When Sonic Boom was announced as a TV show, toy range and — perhaps most importantly — a game for Wii U and 3DS, there was an explosion of interest around the web. Much excitable chatter in those initial hours wasn't so much about the setting of the show of the potential...
Ninterview Legendary Designer Julian Gollop On Ghost Recon, Fire Emblem And Chaos Reborn
"Chaos Reborn would actually work really well on the Wii U"
A true veteran of the industry, British developer Julian Gollop has been making games for longer than many of this site's readers have been alive. His career started way back in 1983 with Time Lords, but it was with titles like Rebelstar and Laser Squad that he really made his name; Gollop...
News Mario Kart 8 Pre-Orders from Amazon Japan Get Sweet Mario or Rosalina Playing Cards
Full of win
With Mario Kart 8's release slowly creeping closer, Nintendo is gradually stepping up its pre-order marketing for multiple regions. Nintendo of Europe was first out of the gate with its Limited Edition software bundle, which includes a Spiny trophy along with the game, while the UK also has various offerings that include wheel...
Feature A Week of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Screens - Issue Twenty Nine
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...
News Nintendo Force Magazine Secures Second Year With Kickstarter Success
Nearly 2000 backers supported the cause
Last year brought the launch of Nintendo Force magazine (update: now simply known as NF Magazine), a publication with the goal of keeping the Nintendo Power spirit alive and kicking following the latter's closure. Contributors were found from across the web, including our own Corbie Dillard, and it completed a...
News Koji Igarashi, Best Known for the Castlevania Series, Departs from Konami
"I've decided to break out on my own"
It's possible that gamers relatively fresh to Nintendo hardware won't know much of Koji Igarashi's work, but Castlevania fans that enjoyed the terrific series entries on the Game Boy Advance and DS — in particular — may mourn the formal passing of an era today, even if it's been on the cards for a...
News Yoshi's New Island Makes UK Chart Début in 12th Place
Avoids getting egg on its face
Last week brought us the launch of Yoshi's New Island, which was met with a decidedly mixed critical reaction. Despite that its success rests not in reviews but in the final results — its performance at retail and, of course, on the eShop. We have a chance to gauge part of its early performance courtesy of the weekly...
Video Nintendo Minute Gets a Little Random While Wishing You a Happy St. Patrick's Day
Getting into the 'spirit', it seems
We regularly post the Nintendo Minute videos here on Nintendo Life — not always, but when they're interesting, entertaining or both. Today's video opens up a new category: 'quirky'. It's 17th March, which means it's St. Patrick's Day, in honour of the patron saint of Ireland. As many will know it's not just...
Sunday16th Mar 2014
"We wanted to offer two intelligent characters"
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy has now arrived in stores around the world, bringing a close to the prequel trilogy and, it seems, the adventures of the iconic Professor Hershel Layton. It was a fantastic finale that was also tinged with sadness, as it closed the door on the top hat wearing...
News Here Are Two More Mario Kart 8 Courses to Enjoy
The start line approaches
Earlier this month we shared five Mario Kart 8 courses shared by Nintendo in the form of rather presentable screenshots. We'd hoped it would be the start of a gradual reveal of many more of the upcoming tracks, yet our waiting has been rewarded with just two additional courses; the reveals stopped on 7th March. Rather than...
News Julius Caesar Will Be Taking the Battle to the Field in Mad Men Football
Rome wasn't developed in a day...
Mad Men Football is one of the most intriguing recent reveals for the Wii U eShop, with developer AE Games initially grabbing attention with a call-to-arms for smaller developers to step into the places vacated by some major third parties. That aside there's a game in the works, nevertheless, which promises high...
Saturday15th Mar 2014
Weirdness Titanfall Gets a Glorious Yoshi Write-Up in The Times
We'd totally buy Titanfall: Yoshi Edition
There's no getting around the fact that Yoshi's New Island had mixed reviews — we awarded it a 5/10 score, with various major outlets varying from 4 to 8 out of 10; there's little denying that it divided opinion. It's out in the wild now, however, and consumers will make their own decisions on how the...
Ninterview The NES Club and an Epic Collector's Quest
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...
News Twitch Claims Victory in Pokémon Crystal
Adventure in Hoenn Begins Next Week
TwitchPlaysPokémon has spawned a massive following and fanbase. An insane amount of artwork and history have been created by thousands of dedicated fans of the series. Now, with two games under its belt, the internet phenomenon will begin its journey in Hoenn next week. The stream defeated the Elite Four and...
Play Mario Kart 7 with Nintendo Life
Time for pure racing...
Earlier this year we had our first Mario Kart 7 community event of 2014, and unsurprisingly it was a lot of fun. Since that time the release date for Mario Kart 8 has been confirmed, and we've realised that we need a lot more practice before the new Wii U title rolls around. Besides, the 3DS game is still a blast to play over...
Feature Baby Mario's Global Adventure Through Twitter
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...
Friday14th Mar 2014
Review Inazuma Eleven (3DS eShop)
A Beautiful Game
In Japan Inazuma Eleven is an institution — a multi-modal soccer sensation spanning several sequels and spin-offs, a wildly successful anime adaptation, and even a collectable card game; it's also enjoyed a number of releases in Europe. It's captured hearts from Kyoto to Cádiz, and now Level-5 is aiming to complete that...
Soapbox Ignoring The Objectification Of Women In Games Won't Make the Problem Go Away
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...
News Club Nintendo in North America to Remove Post-Play Survey Coins for Wii and DS Games
Sad face
Times keep on changing, and Nintendo is reminding gamers still rocking the Wii and DS that they should really consider an upgrade. There's the sledgehammer approach of disconnecting the Wi-Fi online multiplayer service on the systems, which is as loud a prompt as possible, but there are more subtle ways the message is being made. For those...
Weirdness This Footage Of The Famicom Disk Writer Kiosk Is A Bit Awesome
Bored of a game? Turn it into another one...
For gamers in the West the NES came in one basic form. There were alternative models with a tray or a top-loader, but it was a cartridge based system that fired up those famous carts over its whole generation. Some retro fans reading this are more than likely aware of the Famicom Disk System, however,...
News Wii Sports Club: Golf Adds Resort Course as a Free Extra
Additional free trial on the way
Nintendo's certainly been busy with its updates this week, conducting eShop maintenance and updating both Steel Diver: Sub Wars and Wii Fit U. We can now add Wii Sports Club to the mix, though the update is to give us additional content rather than fix or improve minor bugs. This new and free content is for
News Japanese Persona Q Limited Edition 3DS Revealed
Velvety smooth
It feels like a long wait for Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, Atlus' fascinating mix of Persona fan-favourites with the dungeon crawling of the Etrian Odyssey series, but as that 5th June Japanese release date draws nearer — it's a Fall arrival in North America — more details continue to be unveiled. Today's treat is a first...
News Infamous Series was Originally Inspired by Animal Crossing
*spit take*
InFamous, the gritty action-adventure series where the main character gains superpowers for the benefit of good or evil, initially had a cheerier inspiration, Sucker Punch Productions co-founder Chris Zimmerman recently told Gamespot: The original idea for InFamous, believe it or not, was that it was kind of
News Wii Fit U Update 1.2.0 Trims And Slims for a Better U
Addresses a few errors and adds some additional features
Regular users of Wii Fit U will have noticed a brief update when booting up the game for their, presumably, daily exercise routine yesterday. For those wondering what exactly the update to Ver. 1.2.0 addressed, it was a few minor adjustments and fixes further fine tuning of the overall...
News Wii U eShop Exclusive I've Got to Run! Will Hurry to North America in Q2 2014
Another new studio making its début on the system
4 Corner Games, a one-woman studio operating out of Wisconsin in the U.S., has announced its first commercial foray into gaming. Syrenne McNulty's Wii U eShop-exclusive I've Got to Run! is a randomly generated auto-running platformer making its début in Q2 2014 in North America. Starring original...
News Steel Diver: Sub Wars Update Applies Fixes and Tweaks to Online Play
Less waiting around in the lobby
As the first full free-to-play experiment from Nintendo, Steel Diver: Sub Wars can be considered a reasonable success. We certainly feel that it shows that Nintendo can make free-to-play work, and it provides some competitive online play at a fairly relaxed pace, emphasizing strategy over an itchy trigger finger...
News Kiki's Koi Koi Is Coming To The Wii U eShop
Here fishy, fishy, fishy!
This year will mark the 125th anniversary of Nintendo as a company and its humble beginnings as a Hanafuda card maker. It seems fitting then that developer How Seven! – previously known as Cobalt Ceiling Games – has recently announced that it’ll be bringing Kiki’s Koi Koi to the Wii U’s eShop. The title, which was...
Month Of Yoshi Your Travel Guide To Yoshi's Island
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...
Video DK Breaks The Ice in These Short Tropical Freeze Animations
For your viewing pleasure
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has been out for a few weeks now and — as we reported earlier this week — it’s selling quite a few copies as well as assisting Wii U sales. Everyone’s favourite gaming ape is certainly playing his part, seemingly winning the hearts of many that play it. If you can’t seem to...
News Super Mario Kart Drifts Onto Aussie Wii U Virtual Console on 28th March
Mario Kart 8 discount promotion included
Following the original Nintendo of Europe announcement, Nintendo Australia has now confirmed that Super Mario Kart will also be released on the Aussie Wii U Virtual Console on 28th March. To celebrate the upcoming release of Mario Kart 8 and the VC version of the classic Super Nintendo game that started it...
News Park Cars Like You’ve Never Parked Cars Before, In Parking Star 3D
40 levels of parking madness
Whether it’s navigating the tight corners of underground car parks, or dealing with the complexities and pressures of parking meters, there’s always fun to be had when it comes to parking an automobile. Chinese eShop developer and publisher CIRCLE Entertainment has obviously caught onto this with the upcoming...
News Nintendo Australia Announces Attendance At 2014 Oz Comic-Con
Start your engines!
It’s been an excellent period for Australian Nintendo fans recently. Over the past number of months the Aussie Club Nintendo catalogue has received regular updates - with yet another item being made available just earlier - and just yesterday, Nintendo Australia announced the launch of the long overdue
News Evofish Swims Across To Australian Waters This April
Additional controller support also on the way
Our review of Evofish went live earlier this week and it was described as a “remarkably shallow experience" but one that was "inexpensive enough to warrant a download" for those desperate for new multiplayer experiences on the Wii U. Despite the title’s inability to make a serious splash here on...
Thursday13th Mar 2014
Review Yoshi's New Island (3DS)
Dino-lite
Back in 1995, Yoshi's Island turned heads when it was announced as the successor to the masterful Super Mario World. Appearing to be more of a spin-off than a direct sequel, there was skepticism as to whether such a departure could live up to the Mario name and please fans of the series. Fortunately the unique gameplay mechanics,...
Nintendo Download 13th March (North America)
Yoshi, retro Mario, Cubes, Bubbles, Discounts and more
It's Nintendo Download update time, North America, and this week brings you a major retail release on 3DS, some retro treats and three new download-only games on 3DS. There are also some tasty discounts, including one of the must-have eShop releases from 2013; you can check out all of the...
Review Dr. Mario (Wii U eShop / NES)
One play a day...
It feels as if Dr. Mario has been a near constant presence — in some form — over recent years, but the oddity is that the Wii U Virtual Console release of the NES version is the début for that iteration over the most recent system generations. We've had fresh DSiWare and WiiWare releases, with the latter perhaps halting a...
News One Piece Unlimited World Red Is Sailing To Wii U And 3DS In Europe And Australia
Prepare to shiver those timbers
Namco Bandai Games has revealed that it is bringing One Piece Unlimited World Red to Wii U and 3DS consoles in Europe and Australia. Based on the massively popular manga and anime series created by Eiichiiro Oda, Unlimited World Red will showcase all the usual nautical action and adventure, fused with co-op play and...
News Club Nintendo Adds Some Awesome Premium Mario Playing Cards in Europe
Deal us in
While some aspects of Nintendo are universal regardless of territory, the Club Nintendo promotions and catalogues do vary depending on where you live. That can be for better or worse, but can also be the source of some friendly rivalry between fans around the globe. While the coins system and monthly download treats in North America are...
News Nintendo Highlights Positive February Sales in the U.S. of Bravely Default and Tropical Freeze
Wii U hardware and software increase compared to February 2013
It's that time again, with the NPD results — which cover physical retail sales in the U.S. — for February starting to emerge. Nintendo has, in a surprising twist on previous months, been quick to jump into the fray with its results, no doubt due to the fact it could report positive...
News Tyrone Rodriguez Continues to Lobby Nintendo to Approve The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
We have no objections...
Some may remember that, way back in 2012, Nintendo rejected The Binding of Isaac, a title developed by Edmund McMillen who is well known as one half of Team Meat. The rejection was due to "questionable religious content", though when talking about an improved version of the game in development shortly after McMillen...
News Ace Attorney Creator Wanted to End Series at Original Trilogy
Court continued against his initial wishes
There has always been debate within various forms of entertainment over whether a series or story idea has overstayed its welcome. People may cry out for more, but is it worth the risk of a weakened narrative or overall impact? In an interview with Official Nintendo Magazine, Ace Attorney series creator...
Video Extended Mighty No. 9 Footage and Details Released
Running, dashing, backward jumps and, of course, a death animation
In February we posted a video of Keiji Inafune testing Mighty No. 9, a short clip in which he seemed rather pleased with the work in progress. An extended version has now been released that shows a ledge climb animation, more of the background test and, right at the end, a...
Review Renegade (Wii U eShop / NES)
GET LOST, PUNK!
What's the expiration date for nostalgia? Is there a certain amount of time that has to pass before we start looking fondly back at the old, often inferior, games of our youth? It's undeniable that some games have aged gracefully and are still just as good today as they were at their initial launch, but that's far from a steadfast...
News Nintendo Comes Up Empty at BAFTA Awards
Darn...
Nintendo's been picking up a decent number of awards in recent months, with varied winners such as Super Mario 3D World, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds winning in various ceremonies and multiple categories. The gravy train can't keep running forever, however, as Nintendo has been left empty-handed at...
Month of Yoshi Guide for Beginner Yoshi Owners
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...
News Shovel Knight Release Pushed Back "A Few Weeks"
"We’ve been working literally every day, and every waking hour"
The upcoming arrival of Shovel Knight on Wii U and 3DS is undoubtedly a potential highlight in the near future, with plenty of positive vibes around the title. We'll all have to wait a little longer to see whether it fulfils its potential, however, as Yacht Club Games has issued a...
Video New Mario Golf: World Tour Footage Shows Off Cheep Cheep Lagoon
Underwater golf, why not?
With its release not due until 2nd May, Nintendo has other fish to fry at the current time with its marketing efforts, but we should perhaps be paying a little more attention to Mario Golf: World Tour. With Camelot on development duties and encouraging details such as online multiplayer with Mario Kart 7-style communities,...
News Nintendo Australia Gets Social on Facebook and Twitter
Keeping you informed Down Under
With a global business as large as Nintendo's, we're more than used to variations between Nintendo of America, Nintendo of Europe — itself split into smaller divisions — and Nintendo Japan. We also have Nintendo Australia, of course, and that group has now joined its contemporaries in hitting up the biggest social...
News 3DS eShop Bubble Pop World Fuses Match 3 Puzzle Action With Augmented Reality
The bubble pops this April in North America and Europe
Slovakian developer Cypronia has gotten in touch to share details on its latest 3DS eShop title, a unique release which mixes puzzle action with augmented reality. Bubble Pop World uses the AR card which came with your 3DS system to create virtual puzzles which have to be removed by firing...
News Strike Force Foxx Screens and Details Fly Into View
Sadly A-Team style doesn't let you build a chopper with tape and paper
Not too long ago we told you about Strike Force Foxx, a new title coming to the 3DS eShop from Big John Games that brings back memories of 1982 title Choplifter. Big John Games president Ken Patterson promised "over the top" 2D action, and the company has now revealed more...
Wednesday12th Mar 2014
Review Pokémon Link: Battle! (3DS eShop)
Match maker
DS title Pokémon Link — known as Pokémon Trozei in North America — was a fine example of how Nintendo has been able to diversify and expand the franchise in different directions. This download-only sequel — once again developed by Genius Sonority — continues that trend, but has more monsters to catch, locations to explore and...
News Super Mario McDonald's Happy Meals Hit the Flagpole in the UK on 19th March
Pictures, so many pictures!
Not long ago we shared the surprisingly glorious news that Super Mario McDonald's Happy Meals were coming to the UK, a clever piece of marketing due to the ongoing popularity of the ever-present big M. The big N and M have now provided further information and, most importantly, images of the collectible toys. There'll be...
Talking Point Important Steps to Bring the 3DS and Wii U Closer Together
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...
News These Nintendo Illustrations to Highlight The Wii U Difference are Just Too Good
Hardware advertising, Japanese style
It's little secret that Nintendo will be aiming to up its game, in territories all around the world, in selling the Wii U concept to the masses. We expect that these marketing efforts will retain the hallmark style for which Nintendo is famous — in other words, there'll probably be plenty of light-hearted,...
News The Analogue Nt Is A NES Fashioned From Aircraft Grade Aluminium, And We Want It So Badly
From the same guys that did the wooden Neo Geo MVS
Remember the wooden Neo Geo MVS console we showed you a while back? Well, the company behind that truly elite piece of gaming hardware — Analogue Interactive — is back with something a little more Nintendo-themed: The Analogue Nt. Essentially a NES in a sleek aluminum casing, this system will...
News Super Smash Bros. Director Masahiro Sakurai Seems To Quite Like The PS4
Isn't it nice when everyone gets along?
Masahiro Sakurai may be famous for working on Nintendo hardware, but that doesn't mean he can't say nice things about the company's rivals. Speaking in his regular column in Japanese magazine Famitsu, the Smash Bros. director heaped praise on the Sony PlayStation 4, describing it as "good-looking" and capable...
News Nintendo Confirms Presentations and Games for GDC 2014
"Nintendo offers wide-ranging support for indie developers"
Next week San Francisco will host the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2014, from 17th to 21st March, a significant event that brings thousands of developers and publishers together. It hosts talks and presentations, while also giving companies an opportunity to network with others and...
A fish out of water
The core premise of Evofish is based ever so loosely on the fundamentals of nature and evolutionary science. As a fish in the ocean, you must snack on fish smaller than you are while also avoiding larger predators looking to eat you. Doing so successfully will enable you to grow in size and “evolve” into a species that’s...
News 3DS Faces a Renewed Vita Challenge in Japan as Home Consoles Underperform
3DS software continues strong run
It's Wednesday, so it's Media Create Japanese charts day. After a 2013 where each week could roughly be summarised as "3DS crushing all in its way", this year is shaping up to be a more competitive, dynamic contest. To begin with software, top spot is taken by PS Vita newcomer Soul Sacrifice Delta, an expanded and...
News Super Smash Bros. Melee Confirmed for Evo 2014
Re-joins after a dramatic 2013 appearance
Keen fighting game fans may already have Evo 2014 in their diaries, taking place at Las Vegas Hotel & Casino between 11-13th July and all set to be streamed online to thousands of eager fans. Those that followed last year's events may also recall the controversy and happy ending over its Super Smash...
News Pure Chess Will Checkmate Your Wii U And 3DS Very Soon Indeed
Developer VooFoo had to fine-tune the cross-platform multiplayer
There was a bit of a delay making the jump to Nintendo platforms, but Chess nuts need not wait much longer. Pure Chess publisher Ripstone has today announced that the highly anticipated digital title will finally be making its way to the 3DS and Wii U eShops on March 20th. The game...
Developer Interview Causal Bit Games On Scratching That Hardcore Itch With Insanity's Blade
"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
Video Meet Torri, One of Conception II's Heroines
See Torri in all her glory
After revealing the ability to transform Conception II's star children into Giant Death Robots last week, Atlus has decided to show off something that's a bit easier to digest: introductions to the game's seven heroines. Torri is the first of the bunch to get a video introduction showcasing not only a massive gun, but her...
News Sega's Classic Shooter Fantasy Zone Is Blasting Onto Japanese 3DS eShop This Month
Welcome to the... ah, you know
If you're a fan of Sega's 3D Classics range then you'll be pleased to know that the company has revealed that a new version of Fantasy Zone — entitled 3D Fantasy Zone: Opa Opa Brothers — will hit the Japanese 3DS eShop on the 19th of March. As with all previous 3D re-releases, the usual Sega love is on show —...
Play Mario Kart 7 with Nintendo Life - Training for MK8
Now we're getting serious
Earlier this year we revived the Nintendo Life Mario Kart community event, enjoying some shell-throwing hijinks for a number of hours. It was fun, of course, and we can only apologise that it's taken us a little while to plan the next instalment. But still, let's do this. Mario Kart 8 arrives on 30th May and we intend to...
Tuesday11th Mar 2014
Hardware Classics Bandai WonderSwan
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...
Nintendo Download 13th March (Europe)
Yoshi, Pokémon, Luigi, Cubes and more
The Nintendo Download information is a day later than normal for the second consecutive week, yet the details are finally here. They bring two Virtual Console releases and a discount for Wii U, some more Luigi-themed discounts, and in addition the 3DS has a variety of new offerings — download-only and retail...
Month of Yoshi The Brightly Coloured History of Yoshi
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...
News Super Smash Bros. on 3DS Just Got More Real - Lumiose City Confirmed as a New Stage
Fight on The Prism Tower
Over the many weeks of daily screenshots from Masahiro Sakurai on the Super Smash Bros. Miiverse Director's room, those desiring the 3DS version may have felt that the Wii U iteration was getting shown a lot more love. That was probably the case, though in recent times Sakurai-san has posted more images of the portable...
Weirdness Engineer Uses Four Monitors to Display Whole Super Mario Bros. Levels
It's a me, Mario!
It's always fun when people use their skills to display a beloved video game character in an interesting way. Twitter user Morikuma_Works, who works as an engineer in Japan, has done just that with his four computer monitor display of Super Mario Bros. World 1-1. He also posted a picture of World 1-2, warp zone and all. Quite...
News Nintendo of America Launches eShop Indie Website
Links, links everywhere
With the eShop platforms increasingly becoming integral parts of the Wii U and 3DS, Nintendo is likely to continue to increase its support for the stores. Much has been done to ease entry requirements, a process that began on the 3DS, while the Wii U store has opened up new avenues with development tools and access through...
Weirdness The Makers Of TV Show Resurrection Clearly Want Nintendo On Smartphones
Donkey Kong on your mobile?
The series premiere of ABC's Resurrection went out on Sunday — in North America, at least — and the show's glaring similarity to the hit French TV series Les Revenants wasn't the only eye-opening thing about it. In one scene, a character is seen playing a game on his Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone which happens to...
News Nintendo Releases an Extended Gameplay Trailer for Yoshi's New Island
Eggs-actly what you were looking for (we're so sorry...)
Yoshi's New Island is just days away, and Nintendo is releasing more footage and generating extra publicity before the final game hatches. We'd expect more egg puns as bad as ours to be poached, too, so we'll be sure not to let our heads get too scrambled. OK. We'll stop the terrible,...
News Nintendo of America Releases Snaps of Young Celebrities Plugging Yoshi's New Island
Egging them on
When new games are on the horizon Nintendo occasionally reels out some celebrities to pose with the product in question, to give them an extra cool factor. We imagine that's the intention anyway, some of us older gamers have to consult Wikipedia to find out who these stars are, but we suspect that's not the case for the target...
"At this time we're focusing on the 3DS version"
Its arrival in "early 2015" may seem rather far away, but we suspect a good number of 3DS owners are rather excited about the upcoming arrival of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. It's a much anticipated localisation, and as with the previous Western release of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate it'll be the expanded...
News Famitsu Displays Some Etrian-inspired Elements of Persona Q
Mapping and mega monsters in the mix
Atlus is not hiding the fact that its upcoming 3DS title, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, will mix in gameplay elements from its other portable saga series, Etrian Odyssey. Now, thanks to a teaser from this week's issue of Famitsu, a couple of these elements have been brought into further light. According to...
News Monster Hunter is Ten Years Old Today
No sword is too big
Monster Hunter is now officially ten years old, with the original title on PS2 arriving in Japan on 11th March 2004. Its early years were on Sony hardware, with the PS2 and outstanding success on the PSP, before Nintendo swooped to secure exclusive releases in the main series. Monster Hunter Tri on Wii has been followed by...
Video It's OK To Talk About This Awesome 16-Bit Version Of Fight Club
This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time
YouTube channel Cinefix is devoted to putting a retro gaming spin on famous Hollywood movies, and previous efforts have included Inception, The Hunger Games and The Dark Knight. The most recent offering adds pixels to David Fincher's 1999 cult classic Fight Club, with
News Aksys Games Confirms 999: The Novel For iOS
The official website does plug the full games, at least
During February Zero Escape series creator Kotaro Uchikoshi emphasized the challenges he was facing to make a third game in the franchise, with publishers apparently not deeming another entry financially viable. Uchikoshi-san was touched by fan support, however, and is contemplating alternative...
Four Nintendo titles in the top 10
We often report the weekly UK and Japanese chart results here on Nintendo Life, as well as the monthly NPD results for the U.S., but there are a significant number of other valuable territories in which Nintendo is competing. It can also paint a worrying picture for European sales as titles struggle in the UK,...
News Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy: Curtain Call Unveils First Track Details
A medley of classic tunes coming to Japanese 3DS'
While we were busy twiddling our thumbs waiting for Theatrhythm: Curtain Call and playing the threedemo tracks until our stylus wore out, Square-Enix sneaked an update onto the official website detailing some of the tracks to be included from the original Final Fantasy up to
Monday10th Mar 2014
Video This Pokémon XY The Movie - The Cocoon of Destruction & Diancie Trailer is Rather Dramatic
Stuff is happening
Pokémon X & Pokémon Y have done particularly well since arriving on 3DS, selling an impressive number of copies and — with follow-up apps such as Pokémon Bank — is likely still keeping plenty of players entertained months after release. As is always the case with those Pocket Monsters, though, there's always something...
News Pikachu And His Pokémon Pals Are Throwing Their Support Behind Japan's World Cup 2014 Campaign
Pocket Monsters join forces with kit maker Adidas
One of the biggest sporting events of 2014 is the World Cup in Brazil, which will attract an audience of millions of fans from all over the globe. That of course means ample opportunities for advertising, and Adidas — which makes the kit of the Japanese national soccer team — has announced that...
News The Club Nintendo Rewards Are In For March
Kid Icarus! Yoshi! Being a barber! Battling numbers! Accessories!
Our monthly routine is here once again, as Club Nintendo in North America has finally updated its rewards with more downloadable games that can be yours in exchange for some hard earned coins. This time around we have two Virtual Console games, a DSiWare option and a quirky WiiWare...
News Nintendo Confirmed for Appearance at gamescom 2014
Major European expo on course to be bigger than ever
While much attention is lavished on the annual E3 festivities in Los Angeles, the largest European equivalent is gamescom — the organisers evidently prefer all lower case. An enormous event hosted in Cologne, Germany, it attracts many of the biggest players in the video game market; as it's also...
News Nintendo's Expensive New Development Building Isn't Very Exciting
Not on the outside, anyway...
Nintendo is still producing some of the most fun, creative and enjoyable gaming experiences that money can buy, but it's also well-known for business pragmatism and a steady, focused approach to its work. That certainly applies to the buildings it constructs for its employees in Japan, and they can only truly be...
Weirdness 10th March is Mario Day, Apparently
Darn, we forgot to arrange a parade
Every day is a something day, it seems. It's rarely just a Monday, but there'll be a cause or occasion that seizes the day which will, ultimately, pass most of us by. There's even a website dedicated to the idea, unsurprisingly called daysoftheyear.com — no confusion around its intentions, then. What's...
Review Vacation Adventures: Park Ranger (3DS eShop)
Park 'n Hide
Nature. The Great Outdoors. Land of beauty and majesty, where the earth itself holds reign over a freedom and intrinsic order spanning the eons. And, if you’re a hidden object game, a primo place to dump all manner of human-made junk imaginable for people to find. The nature of hidden object games can’t be denied, however, and...
Feature A Week of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Screens - Issue Twenty Eight
Grannies! Bumper! Little Mac punching! More!
It's Monday, which normally means Nintendo Download news for Europe and Super Smash Bros. screens at which to gawk. For the second week running we're denied the former as expected — we'll bring the full list when it's released — but we can still enjoy our normal weekly screen summary. Phew. Masahiro...
News These NES Remix 2 Screens Are Full of 8-Bit Goodness
Dem Boos
NES Remix was a pleasant surprise when revealed as an imminent Wii U eShop release following the last Nintendo Direct of 2013, a slightly wacky compilation of memorable NES games with twists to the gameplay. Great for reminiscing or experiencing 8-bit games for the first time, and featuring a star and stamp collection system to keep the...
Modest performance in multi-platform releases, too
The latest UK software chart results are in, and they make worrying reading for Nintendo. With 2014 well under way and new releases increasingly arriving on multiple platforms, weekly sales of Nintendo titles — and multiplatform titles on Wii U and 3DS — are being increasingly pushed out of the...
News Yoshi Invades the Real World in the Latest New Island Trailer
Have a new Steel Diver: Sub Wars video as a bonus, too
With Yoshi's New Island just days away on the 3DS, Nintendo of America has released a live-action commercial to promote the retail release. It's been a trend in the region to blend real-world actors with extravagant props to represent the game in question, and this one is no different. We've...
News Nintendo of Europe Warns of Intermittent Club Nintendo Downtime on 11th March
It's all going maintenance crazy
It seems that Nintendo is rather busy with maintenance at the moment, with Nintendo of Europe now confirming some upcoming disruption to Club Nintendo. No specific time frames are given, just an apology for anticipated patches of downtime on 11th March; perhaps some changes are on the way to the website, or it could...
News Zen Studios DLC For Star Wars Pinball and CastleStorm Landing on the Wii U eShop This Week
That's in North America and Europe
Zen Studios has shown solid support for the Wii U eShop to date, releasing multiple titles and accompanying DLC on Nintendo's system. While there have been slight delays to the arrival of DLC, in particular, it's nevertheless pleasing for Wii U owners to get access to all of the content in some of the developer's...
News Super Mario 3D World Picks Up SXSW 2014 Best Multiplayer Game Award
Quite right, too
Super Mario 3D World has done rather well for itself, shifting a respectable number of copies, earning critical acclaim and picking up a host of award nominations and wins. We now have another to add to the list, with the delightful platformer picking up the Best Multiplayer Game award at the SXSW event this past weekend. Nintendo...
News MixedBag Outlines Design Ideas Behind forma.8
A "necessity to be interesting, even with a simpler aesthetic"
The list of titles coming to the Wii U eShop has continued to grow in recent times, with forma.8 from Italian developers MixedBag being a recent example. It's coming to a host of additional platforms — Vita, PS4, iOS, PC, Mac and Linux — with the Unity support of the Wii U (and...
Sunday9th Mar 2014
Review Weapon Shop De Omasse (3DS eShop)
Well-crafted
Remember the Guild01 series from all the way back in late 2012? Of course you do. It’s the little eShop series that could. Defying all expectations, the Guild games jumped the pond from Japan and landed securely on the Western 3DS eShop stores, providing three indie games that span a variety of genres. The success of the original...
News Capcom Is Aware That We All Want A New Mega Man Collection, Thanks Very Much
"Those 2004 / 2006 discs are getting pretty old at this point"
Mega Man is a classic series which continues to attract a lot of interest from modern gamers — the hype surrounding "spiritual successor" Mighty No. 9 is proof of that — but outside of a few Virtual Console releases, Capcom has remained curiously reluctant to capitalise on this...
News Extended Nintendo Network Maintenance on Wii U and 3DS Scheduled For 13th March
One month after the last Nintendo Direct...
Nintendo can be accused of many things, often unfairly, but sleeping on the online job surely isn't one of them. The current generation of Wii U and 3DS has seen the company drastically evolve and update its online infrastructure, and system maintenance has been a regular feature of just that. Sometimes...
Review Kung Fu Rabbit (3DS eShop)
Kung Fu-cious says hop
Today’s games industry has become infamous for its endless copycat efforts and yearly sequels, which tend to stick to a very specific template and only offer a modicum of improvement. Nevertheless, while it’s easy for us to call out these games for their lack of innovation (only for us to all then go and buy them anyway),...
Soapbox The Nintendo Wi-Fi Disconnection Reminds Us Why Local Multiplayer Still Matters
Tom Whitehead goes on about online multiplayer's pitfalls, like an old man
I was disappointed to learn about Nintendo switching off online play on the Wii and DS; at the time I was on a short break spending some time with my family and, funnily enough, getting ready for some memory-jogging multiplayer gaming with my older brother. Growing up playing...
News Electronic Arts CEO Discusses The Company's Plans For Virtual Reality At SXSW
Virtual reality is becoming a solid reality
The trend of virtual reality gaming has been picking up speed ever since the Oculus Rift was demoed at E3 back in 2012. Although VR has been done in the past, it left gamers wanting a better experience. Though the Oculus Rift is not on the market yet, we've seen some pretty interesting demos of games like...
News Festival of Magic Kickstarter Relaunches With a Fresh Name
Earthlock is already well on its way
Late last year we reported that SnowCastle Games had launched a crowdfunding campaign for Festival of Magic, an RPG that had been in the works for a number of months and including a Wii U eShop release. That original campaign was put on hold, however, and was due to go live once again on 20th February; it's taken...
Saturday8th Mar 2014
News Former Criterion Boss Alex Ward Laments Issues With Releasing Need For Speed On Wii U
"Neither Nintendo or EA gave a s*** about it"
Criterion co-founder Alex Ward recently parted company with the studio to found his new firm, Three Fields Entertainment. Yesterday, he took to Twitter to partly explain the reasons behind this move, as well as highlighting some of the issues he and his staff faced when porting Need for Speed: Most...
Feature Lifting the Curtain on Game Ratings and the Headache of Worldwide Releases
Developers and publishers give us the details
In recent weeks some headlines have been made by the ratings agencies and the related processes for getting eShop games from development studios and onto our Nintendo consoles. An early shot was fired by Renegade Kid in an interview with us late last year, in which co-founder Jools Watsham explained why,...
News Mario Kart Arcade GP DX Now Available To Play At Dave & Busters
Never drink and drive, kids
Last year we announced the good news that Mario Kart Arcade GP DX would be hitting Western arcades some time in 2014. While everyone has been busy revving their engines in anticipation, the popular chain of arcade/bar/restaurant/super-fun-place Dave & Busters recently announced that it'll be stocking the machines...
Video Manami Matsumae Performs Her Awesome Mighty No. 9 Theme Song
Tune those retro ears
Update: Unfortunately the live performance video and the related source article have been taken down. Below is another version of the theme tune in the meantime... Original Article: The release of Mighty No. 9 may still be over a year away on multiple platforms — including the Wii U and 3DS eShop stores — but we can...
News Nintendo Canada Unpeels The Making Of Its Tropical Freeze Contest
4835 bananas are frozen in total, breaking DK's heart
To help celebrate the launch of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, you may have heard of Nintendo Canada's pretty extravagant contest, Banana Mania. With everything having wrapped up last month, we're all now able to get a peek behind the scenes and see exactly how it was done. A video
News Californian Mobile Developer Robot Invader Expresses Interest In Wii U and 3DS Development
"Maybe someday" for Wind-up Knight
Californian game studio Robot Invader has recently expressed interest in bringing its medieval platform runner Wind-up Knight to the Wii U and 3DS. A question posed to the Android and iOS developer via its official Twitter account asked if it had any plans to bring Wind-up Knight to the 3DS or Wii U in the near...
News Armillo Release Date Pushed Back Into May
Was originally aiming to roll into the Wii U eShop on 24th March
Armillo has long been on the watch lists for some Wii U owners; it was originally revealed in early 2013. Plenty of effort has clearly gone into the project, which has promising-looking gameplay and will be a timed exclusive on Nintendo's home console. It had been targeting a release...
Friday7th Mar 2014
News Refurbished Wii U Deluxe Systems Now $200 on Nintendo of America Site
Another temporary cut
The harsh reality is there are plenty of Wii U's out there that need loving players. A number remain boxed on store shelves, but that doesn't mean the ones that have found their ways back to Nintendo's doorstep should be ignored. For a one-time donation of $200 (plus tax and shipping, if applicable), you can invite one of...
Review Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (3DS eShop / GBC)
Super Small Screen Bros.
Especially in recent years, we've seen Super Mario Bros. re-released a ton, but back in 1999 it had been a number of years since the last release, Super Mario All-Stars. As such, Nintendo decided to port the original game to Game Boy Color and add some interesting new features at the same time. Naturally, at its core, this...
Ninterview Smooth McGroove On A Life In Game Music
"I'm used to people calling me Smooth McGroove when they meet me"
If we say we're interviewing Max Gleason from Oklahoma, you may wonder what exactly we're talking about. If we say we've posed some questions to Smooth McGroove, however, there's a good chance that you already subscribe to his YouTube Channel, or will be doing so shortly. Gleason,...
Matters of Import Prepare To Die In Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
This Super Famicom swansong takes no prisoners
Fire Emblem is a strange series; much loved and well known, yet still a relative outsider when compared to the likes of Kirby or even Star Fox. Released first as a Nintendo Power exclusive deluxe pack in 1999 and then again in more standard SNES packaging in 2000, Thracia 776 has the d
Weirdness These iPhone Mock-Ups Suggest That Mario On Mobile Might Be A Bad Idea
Place your tongue firmly in your cheek before reading
Industry experts and jumpy investors are screaming at Nintendo to make games for smartphones right now, but company president Satoru Iwata is adamant that the future of the firm lies in dedicated gaming hardware, rather than diluted, cash-grab experiences on the likes of iOS and Android.
News Keiji Inafune And Inti Creates Announce Azure Striker Gunvolt For Nintendo 3DS
Releases this summer on the Japanese 3DS eShop
If you’re a fan of Mega Man franchise creator Keiji Inafune, you'll probably be aware of the fact that he’s currently busy with the upcoming Wii U and 3DS eShop title, Mighty no. 9. Despite this, it appears Mr Inafune still has time for other projects. He's working with Japanese developer Inti...
News This Is What The Box Art For Mario Golf: World Tour On The 3DS Looks Like
No bogey
Although video game box art is slowly becoming a relic of the past thanks to the rise of digital distribution, there’s nothing better than the reveal of a fresh new one for the latest game, on the latest Nintendo system. In recent times we’ve seen the admirable Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U and the delightfully nostalgic cover art for the...
Video Now Wind Waker Has Had the Oculus Rift Treatment
A look through Link's eyes
Earlier this week we showed you a video of Metroid Prime played with Oculus Rift; now it's the turn of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker to take a step into virtual reality. It is, once again, the work of YouTube user Chadtronic, and like all of these demonstrations admittedly uses slightly naughty means to bring us the
News Tortimer Island Confirmed as a New 3DS Stage in Super Smash Bros.
Bells of heaven
Masahiro Sakurai's daily Miiverse posts of screens for the new Super Smash Bros. entries remain hugely popular, often showing humorous poses or revealing details on mechanics, moves and features of the games. Reveals are often made through this Director's Room community, too, and Sakurai-san has now unveiled a new stage for the 3DS...
News Senran Kagura 2's Japanese Website Bounces Into Action
Twice the...the...umm...
Just as European gamers are finally able to enjoy ninja-schoolgirl-cleavage-action with Senran Kagura Burst, Japan insists on reminding us how far ahead it is by opening the official Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson website. As far as in-game screenshots go it doesn't really show us anything we haven't already looked at, b
News The Denpa Men 3: The Rise of Digitoll Is Spreading To The West This Summer
Demo coming in May, Denpa Men 2 going on sale
Genius Sonority has confirmed that the third instalment in the Denpa Men series is making its way to the North American and European 3DS eShops this summer. A free demo of The Denpa Men 3: Rise of the Digitoll will be made available in May which will be limited to 30 plays, but users will be able to...
News Cube Tactics Is Storming American And European 3DS eShops On March 13th
Tactical cube warfare just got serious
Polish online game publisher Teyon, in collaboration with Japanese developer and publisher Fun Unit, will release Cube Tactics on the American and European 3DS eShop next Thursday for $4.99 and €4.99 respectively. Players will embark on an epic journey to become the ultimate cube master and defeat all evil...
Video This Steel Empire Footage Makes Us Jealous of Those With a Japanese 3DS
Gosh...
Our past coverage of Steel Empire, a 3DS conversion of the cult Mega Drive / Genesis shooter, may have betrayed the fact that some of the Nintendo Life team have fond — and increasingly distant — memories of Sega's 16-bit machine. More importantly, however, this shooter was loved by those who played it because it's rather good, so the...
Thursday6th Mar 2014
News Nintendo of Europe Confirms Mario Kart 8 Limited Edition Software Bundle
The Spiny Shell is back
With Mario Kart 8 set to be a major release for the Wii U on 30th May, Nintendo of Europe has now started its engines on building hype and encouraging pre-orders. Having confirmed Super Mario Kart for the Wii U Virtual Console, along with a tempting eShop discount, it's also outlined physical retail options to tempt you to...
Rumour Wii and DS Wi-Fi Disconnection May Be Tied To Glu Mobile Takeover of GameSpy Technology
Both system's online infrastructures use GameSpy middleware
News last week that Nintendo is switching off the Wi-Fi connection services for Wii and DS on 20th May understandably caused some disappointment. While the Wii Shop and DSi Shop will remain open, online multiplayer and some services on both systems will cease to be, which will affect major...
News SNES Classic Super Mario Kart Is Racing To The Wii U Virtual Console This Month
Download and get a discount on the cost of Mario Kart 8
Nintendo UK has announced that Super Mario Kart will be hitting the European Wii U Virtual Console later this month — March 27th, to be precise. What's more, as part of a special promotion in the run up to the release of Mario Kart 8, if you download Super Mario Kart you will receive a...
Review BLOK DROP U (Wii U eShop)
In Soviet Russia...
Developed by the one-man team at RCMADIAX, BLOK DROP U represents the first eShop release to emerge from the Nintendo Web Framework platform, an HTML5-based approach that aims to deliver browser-bite-sized indie experiences direct to your GamePad. True to that concept, BLOK DROP U is a simple physics-based puzzler with a fun and...
Nintendo Download 6th March (North America)
Retro golf, dropping Bloks, golden cities, discounted Running and more
It's that time, North America, with another batch of downloads arriving on the Wii U and 3DS eShop platforms. This week brings new and Virtual Console games to both systems, as well as a discount to celebrate the one year anniversary of one of the finest Wii U eShop titles to...
Guide The Building Blocks Of Success In Pokémon X & Y
Serebii's Joe Merrick is back with another essential guide
Continuing our in-depth look at everything Pokémon X & Y and following on from the Breeding Guide, we're now looking into the in-depth building blocks of Pokémon, with a focus on the most recent entry in the series. Stats: Let's start off with a bit of basic Pokémon knowledge...
News Valve's Gabe Newell Thinks Super Mario 64 Is Just Swell
Esteemed developer lists it as his favourite non-Valve game
Gabe Newell is arguably one of the most important people in the games industry right now. He's the co-founder and managing director of Valve Corporation, a company which has created some amazing titles and is behind Steam — a popular digital distribution platform which many predict will...
Review The Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths (3DS eShop)
Just golden
When a cartoon series receives a download-only spin-off, with localisation that's crowdfunded, it's only natural to sound a klaxon of caution. Both scenarios apply to The Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths, yet it's a pleasing tale of fulfilled expectations; it may not blow many minds, but we'll say early on that it fulfils its...
Video The Top 20 Wii U Games So Far - Part Two
How many have you played?
So, with part one of our exciting rundown of the best Wii U retail titles available right now under our belts, there's only one thing left for us to do — run part two. Our video expert Rory Cocker is once again in the director's chair, so if you have any issues whatsoever with the running order, please send your hate...
"We wanted to be ambitious with it, be able to go full-on"
We suspect the name Watch_Dogs will prompt a similar reaction from some Wii U owners as Rayman Legends, and not in a positive way for Ubisoft. The company's decision to delay the Wii U version to arrive after other platforms unsurprisingly didn't go down well, so confirmation of a 27th May...
News Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn Wants Your Money
What the Fu?!
Last year we brought you the disturbing news that Mine O'Mine, a company owned by Shaquille O'Neal, registered a series of trademarks for possible use in video games. As Shaq Fu on the Super NES is widely regarded as a shockingly bad game, it was news to prompt shudders rather than celebrations. Well, a new game is possibly on the...
News Latest Mana Game Rises To The Challenge
Now we're hoping for a 3DS port
Launched just a few hours ago in Japan on iOS (due on Android later in the year), Rise of Mana is the most recent title in Square's long running RPG series, perhaps most fondly remembered by Western gamers for the first SNES entry Secret of Mana. In keeping with some of the more iconic Mana games, Rise of Mana is an...
News Disney Infinity Executive Producer Discusses Wii Version's Limitations
Won't be drawn on future Wii support
Disney Infinity arrived late last year with a big task on its hands to take on the all conquering Skylanders franchise from Activision, yet it's had a solid start — it was one of the top 10 selling games in the U.S. in 2013, and has enjoyed spells of out-selling its major rival. With its Toy Box mode and...
News Internal Invasion Blasting Onto the Wii U eShop
Uses Construct 2 and the Nintendo Web Framework
In recent weeks and months we've seen a growing number of download games confirmed for the Wii U eShop, either utilising Unity or Nintendo Web Framework tools that help developers bring their games to the system with as little cost as possible. The Web Framework, which supports code such as HTML5 and...
News Yumi's Odd Odyssey Casting Into North American Waters this 20th March
Catch this release
It's been a long journey, but puzzle platformer Yumi's Odd Odyssey, known as Farewell Umihara Kawase in Japan, will finally be available on the North American 3DS eShop on March 20th, according to publisher Natsume: [tweet 441598023252975616] Natsume also confirmed a $29.99 price tag for the title. This is the first time the...
News EnjoyUp Confirms Abyss for the Wii U eShop
HD depth
Way back in April last year EnjoyUp Games showed Abyss running on the Wii U, leading to thoughts of a sequel or HD remake of the well-regarded DSiWare title. The latter has now been confirmed, with the studio confirming to us that it's aiming for a release in April or May, while there'll be a budget price — $1.99 in North America, for...
News Disney Interactive Cuts Around 700 Jobs, A Quarter of Global Staff
Mobile and Disney Infinity likely to remain as priorities
In news surprising for its scale if not, unfortunately, its occurrence, the Disney Game and Internet Division — better known as Disney Interactive — has laid off around 700 employees today. The strong performance of Disney Infinity last year helped improve the financial performance of the...
Wednesday5th Mar 2014
Feature Games That Almost Were - A Look At Cancelled N64 Titles
Everything not saved will be lost
The end of the millennium was a turbulent time for Nintendo – the N64 hadn’t quite turned out to be the SNES Mk.II success it’d hoped the hardware would be, the 64DD add-on got off to a cautious launch in Japan and in 2001 both the N64 and the Game Boy Color would be completely replaced with younger and more...
News Harvest Moon: Connect To A New World Dominates for 3DS in Japan
Hardware sales for the region aren't pretty as PS4 drops
The latest Media Create Japanese chart results are in, and they have some interesting numbers to consider. Software sees the latest Harvest Moon title enjoy an impressive début, while a substantial drop in the PS4 system's sales — which some reports suggest is due to stock shortages — is...
News Nicalis Boss Tyrone Rodriguez Thinks The Wii U GamePad Is "A Waste Of Time And Resources"
"I'd sure regret wasting $100+ on a second-screen that no one uses"
Anyone who has played Nintendo Land will know how much fun the concept of asymmetrical gaming can be, but it's fair to say that too few games have really exploited the potential of the Wii U GamePad's second screen. Clearly, coming up with unique concepts and new ideas takes time...
News Activision Fires Free Fall DLC Onto Call of Duty: Ghosts for Wii U
And it's free, free Free Fall
When Activision released Call of Duty: Ghosts, it was well known long before it even arrived that there'd be plenty of DLC and updates to rope you into playing the game well beyond that initial release buzz. Wii U owners have received a number of updates to improve the game's performance, but until now DLC has been...
Talking Point Steel Diver: Sub Wars Proves That Nintendo Can Make Free-To-Play Work
Nintendo's first freemium game scores a direct hit
Let's all be brutally honest here — when Nintendo announced that its first foray into the wild and wacky world of free-to-play gaming was going to be an update of 3DS launch title Steel Diver, it was hardly the most heart-stopping news ever. Steel Diver was — and still is — a nice enough game,...
Weirdness See Through the Eyes of Samus Aran in Metroid Prime with Oculus Rift
Check out this visor
If Metroid Prime wasn’t already immersive enough, YouTube personality Chadtronic has stepped it up a notch, sharing his own Oculus Rift experiences with Retro Studio’s now-classic 2002 GameCube title. After many requests and much troubleshooting, he was finally able to get the game up and running. Coming in just under 10...
News The Link Between Worlds Poster Set is Back on Club Nintendo
Act fast, North Americans
Back in November last year we directed your attention to a gorgeous Link Between Worlds poster set on the North American Club Nintendo, featuring three large posters for 500 of your hard-earned coins. Then, just four days later, they were all gone. Happily for those that missed out first time around this set is now back in...
News Conception II Demo Bringing the Love to 3DS on 25th March
Turn your star children into "Giant Battling Death Robots", too
Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars is one of the quirkier efforts on the way from Atlus. In case you're unaware, this RPG incorporates the usual fantasy save-the-world stuff with the twist that the hero Disciples will lose their powers at 18, so they must get together to have...
News Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition is Wrestling Its Way to the Wii U eShop
Good times
If you're an eager download gamer that owns a PS3 or PS Vita, there's a decent chance that you've played Guacamelee by Drinkbox Studios; our partners at Push Square gave the action / platformer / brawler an 8/10 score in their review, describing it as "a fiery adventure for fans of platformers with a bit of a kick". The good news is that...
News Nintendo and Retro Studios Speak on Resistance to Going Mobile
"I want Nintendo games to be played on Nintendo hardware."
Some Nintendo fans may be sick of hearing about it, but talk of Nintendo's potential if it decided to shift some work to iOS and Android devices still perks the ears of a number of investors. The jury is asked to consider the financier who suggested a model where players would pay 99 cents...
News New Child of Light Trailer Shows Off Co-Op Mode
A point of light
To all those wandering lost in the dark, may you be visited by a spark. Reveal hidden passages, protect one another. Join forces to uncover Lemuria’s secrets, for the darkness is full of dangers. Ubisoft has released another trailer for the gorgeous-looking, fairy tale-inspired RPG adventure, Child of Light. This time, clips...
Interview BNC Design Studios on Gemology, the Wii U eShop and Utilising the System's Capabilities
"There is no other platform that could support our games"
Just this week we revealed that Gemology is on the way to the Wii U eShop, another title from a new developer. In this case that company is BNC Design Studios, and those of you with good memories may recall that we spoke to its founder Jake Taylor about his desire to explore licensing...
News Hamatora: Look At Smoking World Announced For 3DS
"Shared World" concept tying together multiple mediums into one setting
Shuuhou Imai, best known for his work on the Tokyo Majin Gakuen series that's been on everything from the original Playstation to the Nintendo DS, has just released some details on a new title — Hamatora: Look At Smoking World — for 3DS through his blog. The game is set...
Video This Pier Solar HD Teaser Trailer Will Make You Weep Tears Of 16-Bit Joy
HD update of WaterMelon's retro RPG is shaping up nicely
Pier Solar HD is one of those Wii U eShop titles that we simply can't wait to get our hands on, having already played and enjoyed the Mega Drive / Genesis original. Developer WaterMelon has now released a new teaser for the HD edition, which not only ties in with the game's arrival on Steam...
Video Check Out The New Free Fall Map In Call of Duty: Ghosts
Free Fall, free-for-all
Well, looky here, if it isn't that most precious of treasures — a piece of DLC for a Wii U game! The online community for Call of Duty: Ghosts may not exactly be thriving on Wii U, but Activision has nevertheless treated us to a piece of free downloadable content in the shape of a brand new theatre of war. Free Fall is the...
News Inti Creates Explains the Development Processes Behind Mighty No. 9
Keiji Inafune gets at least one fresh build every month
In terms of Kickstarter success stories, Mighty No. 9 is undoubtedly in the top tier. With last year being an anniversary year for the Blue Bomber and Capcom making no moves to produce an official game, Keiji Inafune rather cleverly gauged the mood and seized the moment. As the figurehead well...
Tuesday4th Mar 2014
News The Next Batman Game Is Arkham Knight, And No, There Won't Be A Wii U Version
Or a PS3 or 360 edition, for that matter
UK retailer Game has leaked the next instalment in the Batman "Arkham" series, which goes by the name of Batman: Arkham Knight. The retailer only lists the game as coming to the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. There's no reference to a PS3, Xbox 360 or — you guessed it — Wii U iteration of the title. Given the...
News Latest PS4 Sales Figures Take it Past Wii U Life-to-Date Q3 Total
Momentum suggests current or imminent overtake
While we may have acknowledged — with a cheeky wink — the recent landmark of the Wii U sales surpassing those of Xbox 360 in Japan, the latest worldwide figures in the current generation remind us that, in terms of a sales footrace, Nintendo has already lost much of its advantage of launching a year...
Nintendo Download 6th March (Europe)
Pac-Man, Tappingo, Luigi discounts and more
A day later than normal — probably due to a public Holiday in Nintendo of Europe's homeland in Germany — we now have details of what will be gracing the Nintendo download platforms this week. There are some retail options on both Wii U and 3DS, the latest title from Goodbye Galaxy Games, the return of...
News Let's Gaze With Admiration At Five New Courses for Mario Kart 8
Flipping it around
Considering the notable success of its predecessor and the fact that we've thoroughly enjoyed our limited hands-on time with it so far, there's little doubt that current and prospective owners Wii U are keeping a close eye on Mario Kart 8. Much is yet to be revealed — such as the online and multiplayer modes, the potential...
Interview Takashi Tezuka on Bringing Yoshi's New Island to the 3DS
"We used the original as a base on which to add new elements"
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is often regarded as one of the finest platformers on Super NES, and potentially a stand-out across generations. After Yoshi's hugely popular appearance in its predecessor, it was a natural progression and one that certainly paid off for Nintendo. Now,...
News Japanese Prime Minister Says the Country's Economy "Can Learn From" Nintendo
Keeping the faith
Nintendo's stock market value and current financial results may be a long way short of the recent glory days of the Wii and DS era, yet despite that drop in fortunes the company still has substantial cash reserves and is emphasizing plans to evolve its business and return to significant success. The 3DS continues to perform —...
News Special Mario Kart 8 Event Racing Towards SXSW on 7th March
Nintendo of America and Pennzoil strike a deal
Has there ever been a series that so perfectly captures the mayhem of racing games like everyone’s favourite plumber and his red shell collection? The short answer is arguably no, and this May will see Nintendo’s front man return to the track in Mario Kart 8. All new racers, all new tracks, all new...
Weirdness Love Triangle Turns Nasty Thanks To A Legend Of Zelda Master Sword
Two men, one replica sword, one inevitable outcome
Replica swords make for great ornaments, but they're also as dangerous as the real thing — as a recent domestic disturbance in Houston proves. On one side, we have live-in boyfriend and occasional cosplayer Eugene Thompson, and on the other we have the estranged husband of Thompson's girlfriend...
News Latest Mega Man 2.5D Beta Adds New Single Player and Co-Op Stages
The Blue Bomber owes much to fans
Last year we directed your attention to the Mega Man 2.5D fan project, yet another game dedicated to the Capcom mascot in the absence of official alternatives. Its rather smart twist is in the name, as it plays with perspective and camera angles to give the traditional 2D play more depth. It also brought Mega Man...
News The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Will Be Creeping To European Wii U And 3DS Consoles This May
Slightly behind the North American release date
Activision has revealed that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be hitting Europe on May 2nd — just after the North American launch of April 29th, which coincides with the release of the movie in that region. The free-roaming action adventure is launching on a variety of consoles, including the Wii U and...
News Pokémon Link: Battle! Is Priced for Next Week's European Release
In line with North American equivalent
Announced during the most recent Nintendo Direct broadcast, Pokémon Link: Battle! — known as Pokémon Battle Trozei in North America — will arrive on the 3DS eShop in Europe on 13th March, which is next week's download update. It hits North America on 20th March for $7.99, and Nintendo of Europe and...
News NES-Style Action Title Insanity's Blade Is Cutting A Bloody Path To The Wii U eShop
Creator Causal Bit Games is now approved for Wii U development
Last year, Canadian studio Causal Bit Games successfully kickstarted the excellently-named Insanity's Blade, a tribute to the 8-bit hack-and-slash platformers of yesteryear. Boasting action and RPG elements and 18 different levels to conquer, the game also features a VCR6-based...
Exclusive Gemology Dropping More Puzzle Action Onto The Wii U eShop
Online play and stage building planned as post-launch DLC
The Wii U eShop is, as all of the game announcements and emerging release dates make clear, getting close to a flurry of releases that may continue for much of 2014. It's a target store for established developers to some degree, but is also attracting plenty of newcomers to the industry. One...
News New Screenshots Revealed for Cut the Rope: Triple Treat, Release Date Announced
Get to cutting on 28th March
Update: Activision has confirmed to us that 28th March is a Europe-wide release date. Original Article: Little over a month ago, Activision confirmed the release of Cut the Rope: Triple Treat for the 3DS. The package is coming exclusively to the 3DS and features Cut the Rope and its two expansions, 'Experiments' and...
Monday3rd Mar 2014
News The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon Are Doing Business With Monopoly in September
"Connect 4: Super Mario" drops this Spring
With so many competing brands in game, toy and general stores, few would argue against Nintendo upping its licensing game in a big way, an objective it's already declared as a priority. We're rather pleased, then, that two of the most important of the company's franchises will be teaming up with one of the...
News Swoon! Style Savvy: Trendsetters Is Getting "Dream Boyfriend" Mode In Japan
OMG!
Style Savvy: Trendsetters is a game which is unashamedly aimed at female players, and in Japan it's getting an update that is sure to get pulses racing. On April 17th, a new edition will be released which contains a raft of new features, the most interesting of which has to be the "Dream Boyfriend" mode. In this new mode, you'll be able to...
News Platinum: Nintendo Has Been The "White Knight" Behind Bayonetta 2's Development
Creative producer JP Kellams sings Nintendo's praises
Platinum's Hideki Kamiya has already stated in no uncertain terms that if it were not for Nintendo, Bayonetta 2 simply wouldn't exist, and now it's the turn of creative producer JP Kellams — the same guy who is sick to death of people begging for the game to come t
News Dedicated Video Game Platforms To Remain Nintendo's Core Focus, Says Iwata
Next 10 years will see Nintendo "redefine" entertainment
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has updated his personal message on Nintendo's site to reflect the company's recently-announced plans for its "Quality of Life" platform. Iwata reiterates his stance that Nintendo needs to maintain its focus on having its own dedicated hardware and software...
Feature A Week of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Screens - Issue Twenty Seven
Diddy! Dedenne! Fox! More things!
Monday can often be a tough day, but we always have a new batch of Super Smash Bros. screens to bring some happiness to another week, along with the knowledge that the dual release is creeping ever closer. Masahiro Sakurai's daily despatches bucked the trend of the previous two weeks by not revealing any new...
Matters Of Import Wonder Project J2 Brings Masterful 2D To The N64
Making cute robots girls cry
The N64 never did get much 2D love when it was around, but games like Wonder Project J2 — as well as Treasure’s Bangai-O — show that other developers were missing a trick by ignoring the untapped potential of this side of Nintendo’s hardware. First published by Enix in 1996, Josette’s adventures on Blueland...
News Senran Kagura Bursts Into The UK Top 40 While Donkey Kong Country Hangs A Little Higher Up
Racy subject matter helps niche fighter gain some sales
Senran Kagura Burst isn't your typical 3DS title — it features large-chested anime girls rather than rotund Italian plumbers — but it has gained quite a bit of attention ahead of its European release. We've seen saucy (and
News Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Taking a Couple More Months for "Finishing Touches"
Winter's no weather for her getup, anyway
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is a jaunty number many fans have been wishing patiently for, but that patience might have to hold out just a little bit longer. Although developer WayForward originally delayed the game into a Q1 timeframe, a tweet from the company's account today points toward a post-March...
News Picross e4 Is Coming To Western 3DS eShops This April
North American and European releases confirmed
Picross e4 developer Jupiter has confirmed to Nintendo Everything that the game will be coming to the west in April. The game launched in Japan in November last year, and is the latest in a long line of Picross e titles. Jupiter has also confirmed that the North American and European releases will...
News Gardening Mama Is Gleefully Smearing Her Green Fingers All Over The 3DS This April
Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends confirmed for North America
Majesco has confirmed today that Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends will be coming to the US this April, exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS. The sequel to the DS original — which itself is an off-shoot of the incredibly successful Cooking Mama series — Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends is...
News Strike Force Foxx Is What You Get When You Mix Choplifter With The A-Team
Big John Games is putting the finishing touches to its next 3DS eShop game
Big John Games has revealed some details about its next 3DS eShop venture, entitled Strike Force Foxx. Described by company president Ken Patterson as an "over the top" action title which "harkens back to '80s action style television shows" like Airwolf and The A-Team,...
Sunday2nd Mar 2014
News North American Retailers List Limited Edition Yoshi 3DS XL
Update: Nintendo of America confirms the rumours
Update: Nintendo of America has confirmed the March 14th release date and $199.99 retail price, and has also revealed that the game is sold separately and does not come preinstalled on the console. Original story: Nintendo may be masters of surprise reveals and keeping secrets — the 2DS being an...
Month Of Kong What Donkey Kong Country Means To Me
Dave Letcavage on growing up with Kong as company
We know what you're going to say. Our Month of Kong celebration should have ended with the close of February, and we're now two days into March. However, in very much the same way that Nintendo refuses to be tied down by conventional calendars when it comes to plotting The Year of Luigi, we're...
News Twitch Begins New Journey in Pokémon Crystal
Our adventure continues in Johto, in colour!
Twitch Plays Pokémon has become an icon of the internet community and truly displays possibilities that arise when thousands of individuals work together to accomplish a goal. On Saturday, the group finished Pokémon Red, after sixteen straight days of training, sadness, and excitement. Now, with a...
News Steampunk Shooter Steel Empire Hits The Japanese 3DS eShop Later This Month
The 16-bit Sega release is getting a new lease of life
We first told you about the 3DS eShop conversion of the cult Mega Drive / Genesis shooter Steel Empire in August last year, but things have been pretty quiet since then. Thankfully, we can now update you with some more info — the game hits Japan later this month and will retail for 2940 yen...
Saturday1st Mar 2014
Video What Could Super Mario Galaxy Look Like In HD?
We give a Wii classic the High Definition treatment
While many other console owners made the leap into HD with the launch of the Xbox 360 and PS3 many years ago, Nintendo fans had to wait a little longer — lest we forget, the entire Wii era was spent in Standard Definition. This got us thinking — what would some of the Wii's best games look like...
Ninterview Aaron "NintendoTwizer" Norton and the Ultimate Retro Collection
"The history of video games is awesome"
Even when Nintendo is in a quiet phase between Nintendo Direct broadcasts, or there's a wait for the next hot retail or download game, fans of the company are never short of conversation points. The big N's legacy and history give it a powerful impact in gaming culture, and the keenest of gamers do amazing...
News Success of Twitch Plays Pokémon Raises Possibility of Gaming Platform
Twitch may be evolving
Unless you've been hiding under a rock recently, you've probably heard of the social experiment known as Twitch Plays Pokémon. In short, thousands of players are able to control trainer Red in a streamed version of Pokémon Red via command input in the chat section. It was originally developed as an experiment to test the...
Review Renegade (3DS eShop / NES)
Crime doesn't pay
The company known as Technos might be best known for creating Double Dragon and River City Ransom, but before coming up with either of its two big hits, it made a number of lesser known titles — of which perhaps Renegade is the most well-known. Renegade is actually the first game in the Kunio-kun series, which River City Ransom...
News GBA Titles Super Mario Ball And Pac-Man Collection Rated By Australian Classification Board
Headed for Wii U Virtual Console
Following the trend of the past few weeks, another pair of Game Boy Advance titles — expected to arrive sometime soon on the Wii U Virtual Console — have been classified by Australian Classification Board. The classifications have revealed Super Mario Ball (also known as Mario Pinball Land) and Pac-Man...
News KnapNok Games and Nifflas Collaborating on Wii U eShop Exclusive, "Affordable Space Adventure"
"Hopefully we can show that the Wii U is great"
Enthusiastic download gamers making the most of the Wii U eShop will most likely have heard of both KnapNok Games and Nifflas. The former is the studio behind quirky party game Spin the Bottle: Bumpie's Party, which used the GamePad as the primary display and recreated humorous activities with Wii...
News TwitchPlaysPokémon Conquers Pokémon Red
It’s all over…..for now
TwitchPlaysPokémon has done the unthinkable. The livestream of Pokémon Red, in which the stream’s chat controls the movements of the trainer Red, has officially beaten the Elite Four and its rival Blue to become the Pokémon League Champion. Approximately 16d 7h 45min and 30sec after the adventure began, the stream...
Review Hidden Expedition Titanic (DSiWare)
The fun is also hidden
Thanks to the blockbuster movie of the '90s, the sinking of the Titanic seems to be less a tragic historical event and more a part of story-telling culture. Whether that bothers you is up to you, but Hidden Expedition Titanic merely pretends to include a story around the ill-fated ship, throwing some nonsense around a fairly...
