Online

"We'll absolutely take advantage"

Ubisoft's always a big day-one supporter of any console — it launched six games with 3DS a year ago — and it's one of the few publishers to have announced multiple Wii U projects in the forms of Assassin's Creed III, Killer Freaks from Outer Space and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online. It's not just retail games...

Achievement unlocked?

Back in 2005, Microsoft kick-started the HD console era with Xbox 360, at the time a technical marvel with online capabilities that were one of the jewels in its creamy white, far-too-easily overheating crown. However, while online play, reams of downloadable content (DLC) and a single, unified community were indeed admirable...

Careful with that ketchup

Nintendo has today announced more than 5,000 new Wi-Fi Hotspots available through Europe. After previously confirming an equivalent deal for UK airports, this provides further evidence that Nintendo is serious about its promises to provide online 3DS access at a variety of locations. This particular deal has been struck...

Horse armour anybody?

Downloadable content, software updates and microtransactions are not things that owners of Nintendo systems have been hugely exposed to in the past, but things are about to change. With expanded online offering Nintendo Network on the cards for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, third party developers will soon be allowed to sell...

Add-ons a-go-go

It's a common problem in these days of overly crammed release schedules: wait around for a few weeks and you might find that the game you've just spent your precious pennies on is already considered old hat. The community has already moved on to the next title, nobody wants to talk about it any longer and, while it might still be...

About time

While Xbox 360's Gamertag and PlayStation Network's PSN ID systems have allowed unique online identifiers for some time, Nintendo's 3DS, Wii and DS have lagged behind in the online space. Speaking to investors, president Satoru Iwata revealed Wii U will get individual user accounts for online services. Iwata said: Also for the Wii U, we...

Light or Dark?

Now we have worldwide release dates for Kid Icarus: Uprising, Nintendo is stepping up its pre-release information campaign with details about the game's multiplayer modes. Players will be able to unlock extra weapons from multiplayer skirmishes, taking these into the single player adventure or using them against human opponents...

It's taking off

Nintendo UK has confirmed an agreement with the curiously-named Boingo Wireless to provide free Wi-Fi access in a number of major British airports, a move that will also bring Nintendo Zone to the UK for the first time. This is ideal news for jet-setters who fancy a bit of eShop browsing while waiting for their flight. It's important to note that 3DS consoles will only connect to..

Let's see some skill

Mario Kart 7 is out around the world this week, and to get you all playing together we've set up an official Nintendo Life community for you to join. To make sure everyone finds something to enjoy we've set up a range of game types, all in the 150cc class. To join the Nintendo Life community on Mario Kart 7, follow these steps:...

What happened?

The online communities function in Mario Kart 7 was originally supposed to be a system-wide function, according to director Kosuke Yabuki in a new Iwata Asks MK7 uses communities to allow players to gather together and share times and progress, somewhat like a clan. According to Yabuki, this feature was supposed to be included in the console, but it didn't happen: At first, we..

But won't say what they are

EA's chief operating officer Peter Moore has been a vocal supporter of the Wii U already: back in August he appeared totally confident in the console's online features, and in a recent interview with Famitsu he reaffirmed this commitment with some glowing words. Most intriguing are the hints at the Wii U's online capabilities: although Moore couldn't reveal specifics, we..

You might be surprised

The multiplayer mode in Star Fox 64 3D is a lot of fun, but the need to gather four 3DS owners in one place has irritated gamers who'd rather play online with friends far and wide. Why didn't that feature make it into the game? Nintendo's Yusuke Amano recently explained in an interview with Official Nintendo Magazine. Amano began by explaining that as a fan of online FPS..

Subscription confirmed too

The revelation of Dragon Quest X for Wii and Wii U came with some uncertainty: will the game be fully playable offline, and will it require a subscription fee to play online? Now a Square Enix FAQ has answered the questions, with mixed results. According to AndriaSang, the document claims that you'll need an Internet connection to get past the first few hours of the..

Digs controller too

Electronic Arts' chief operating officer Peter Moore has been around the block once or twice in this industry. He first came to gamers' attention at SEGA of America before he moved to spearhead Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360, and he was recently promoted to COO of the company after being president of its EA Sports division. He's known for being a straight-talker, and in a recent..

Vice president happy with Nintendo's attitude

Nintendo has expressed its own dissatisfaction with its online efforts and it's clearly one area that will need to be tackled with the upcoming Wii U. When Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime spoke to Forbes, he talked about implementing a more flexible online system that will appeal to developers and it now seems that EA Sports might be..

"Be water, my friend."

When Nintendo's CEO and president is vocally unhappy about something, you know it's going to filter down and action will be taken to try to rectify the problem. Speaking at the investor's meeting as part of E3 2010, Satoru Iwata professed Nintendo's dissatisfaction with its own online efforts. That was over a year ago, and since then, the company has rolled out a more..

Wii U online functionality still important

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has in the past expressed the company's dissatisfaction with its online efforts on the Wii, and although it's plausible to think that Nintendo will attempt to pull out all the stops with the upcoming Wii U, Nintendo EAD general manager Shigeru Miyamoto has given some insights on what is, or rather what isn't Nintendo's goal..

Promising improvements

Nintendo's not revealed much of its online plans for Wii U, other than saying it represents a massive leap forward, but President Satoru Iwata spoke to investors after E3 to reveal a little more about the company's pledge to give developers more freedom in creating online environments. Referring to the company's current model of offering a rather rigid online structure for..

PlayStation Network and Xbox Live might want to watch out

Nintendo might feel that it's finally starting to get the hang of digital storekeeping, but what about a console's online presence and functionality? Speaking to Eurogamer, Nintendo marketing manager Rob Lowe explained the importance of having a strong online set-up now as opposed to having one back in 2006 when the company launched Wii: I..

Straight from the 3D horses' mouth

Nintendo have today announced the final details of the 3DS system along with a price and release date in both US and Europe. The company that changed the world of video games with touch-screen gaming in 2004 and motion-controlled gaming in 2006 now pioneers the next dimensional shift. On March 27 (Europe March 25), Nintendo introduces portable entertainment in 3D..

chick chick BOOM's older brother is coming back as well

If you've been paying attention to Nintendo happenings on the internet for the past few years, you might be familiar with a little game called Mission in Snowdriftland, which was only available for about a month at the tail end of 2006. A conjunction between Nintendo and Extra Toxic, it was basically an advent calendar advertising one Nintendo..

Co-founder Felix Bohatsch explains the issues he has with the Wii Shop Channel

Let's face facts: Nintendo could have implemented a more robust online service for the Wii. If not only for the gamers, then at least for developers and itself. Ironically, limitations are probably what encourages alternative gaming concepts but no one wants to work with restrictions, either pre- or post-release..

Wii gets leaderboards too

We knew that Sonic Colours Wii is going to feature cooperative multiplayer, but an IGN interview with Sonic Team lord Takashi Iizuka has revealed the DS version will also feature multiplayer, either through local wireless play or online via Nintendo WiFi Connection. As opposed to the Wii version's cooperative play the DS game will include a head-to-head race mode for..

May have versus mode, may not. Who knows?

We didn't get chance to wrestle with Kid Icarus: Uprising at the 3DS event in London as the game's still being feverishly worked on behind the scenes, and a recent interview with GamesMaster Magazine reveals the game's online modes are still taking shape. Masahiro Sakurai: The online capabilities are currently being tested. There could be some versus play..