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How two indie developers are keeping the system kicking after all these years

It’s nigh impossible to overstate the importance of the Nintendo Entertainment System in video game history: its popularity pretty much single-handedly revived the home game console market in the US, which had crashed a few years before the NES’s October 18th, 1985...

Vblank Entertainment's open-world game looks set to hijack your 8-bit heart

Grand Theftendo may have started out as a pet project of Vblank Entertainment's Brian Provinciano, but eight years later it's turned into one of the most intriguing games slated to hit WiiWare in the form of Retro City Rampage. The novelty of an 8-bit open-world game was enough to put it on our radar, and the amount of..

How a trip to the toilet in Nintendo's Japanese HQ resulted in one of the most famous coups in video game history

When you think of the early '80s video game scene one name instinctively springs to mind: Atari. This pioneering firm had practically invented the concept of the interactive television experience, and its all-conquering VCS (also known...

Tell us your 8-bit bits

October 18th marks the 25th birthday of the NES's North American debut, then only to a select number of cities, and we're celebrating by bringing you a veritable coin box of features and treats. And we want to make you, our beloved readership, a part of the celebration. We'll be running a feature that puts the spotlight on...

In the second and final part of our N64-themed making of, we look at the critical and commercial impact of one of Rare's best action titles

One of the most refreshing aspects of Jet Force Gemini was the way in which the player’s progression throughout the various levels was handled; initially, the only character available is Juno, but eventually other heroes are added to the roster, each faced..

In the first of a two-part feature, we go behind the scenes on what is regarded by many as the N64's finest action title

Back in the late ‘90s being an N64 owner was a testing experience. Having to listen to your Playstation-owning chums constantly droning on about Lara Croft and Solid Snake was enough to put any Nintendo devotee in a bad mood, but the general lack of quality software towards the..

We go behind the scenes to discover how a small UK code-house helped Nintendo enter the realm of 3D – and make millions in the process

In these days of ultra-realistic graphical plenty it’s all too easy to forget that for console gamers, 3D visuals didn’t really become par for the course until the advent of the 32-bit technology in the...

With the 3DS around the corner, we take a look back at Nintendo's other attempt to crack the world of three dimensions

Everybody has an awkward secret that they’d rather not share with the world. Be it an old school photo that showcases your crimes against fashion or an acutely embarrassing vinyl LP in your record collection that you simply can’t bear to part with, we keep these things hidden..

Last year the machine turned 20, but what was it like to work with? We speak to the developers who made this legendary handheld sing

Every now and then a product comes along that is so groundbreaking that it becomes synonymous with its function. The Hoover, Cellotape, Pritt-Stik…these names and many more like them have become so intrinsically...

Whoever said two wheels are better than one clearly didn’t experience this wholly unique racing title

If you consider yourself to be a true artisan then there’s nothing worse that pouring your heart and soul into creating something truly breathtaking only to then be accused of flagrant plagiarism; such an allegation robs you of the unique...

The King of Kong answers your questions

You asked, and now underdog star of the 2007 documentary The King of Kong and current holder of the Donkey Kong Jr. world record Steve Wiebe has answered. Before he takes on the Donkey Kong world record yet again at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, see what Wiebe thinks about modern games, whether Donkey Kong 3 is next in line, how..

We take a look at the LCD range that sparked a portable revolution

When you look back on the history of video games it’s not uncommon to discover amusing anecdotes regarding defining moments in the industry. For example, rumour has it that Namco’s Pac-man was conceived when creator Toru Iwatani glanced at a pizza with one slice missing and...

We catch up with the chaps behind this awesome gaming-related clothing brand

Video gaming has spawned many iconic images over the years, so its little surprise that many brands have crossed over to feature on various items of clothing. One of our favourite clothing companies has to be UK-based Retro GT, who specalise in custom-made designs that reflect several decades of misspent youth. We caught..

We run down the scariest of scaries the Big N has cooked up

We here at Nintendo Life love Halloween. Despite the fact it was originally a time when the dead were believed to cause sickness to the living and damage their crops, but nowadays it's just a good excuse to gorge ourselves on delicious, delicious candy. As part of our All Hallows’ Eve celebrations, we take a trip down memory lane and..

We go behind the scenes of one of Hollywood’s most misunderstood classics

The Wizard is very much a guilty pleasure. When the film was released it was panned by critics and flopped at the box office, yet many people still talk about it in hushed, almost reverent tones over fifteen years after its release. Although many critics will gladly tell you...

How five guys blasted the series' haunting soundtrack into a whole different genre - without sucking

The trouble with covering beloved music is that it’s so easy to lose something in the translation. Successfully capturing the original work’s intent and mood is atypical; what most often happens when things go south is the heart and soul of the piece are mangled with good intentions. It’s not..

A little history lesson on Nintendo's adorable platforming star.

Since many gamers outside of Japan are not terribly familiar with the Densetsu no Stafi series of games, not to mention the fact that The Legendary Starfy is set to be released in North American on June 9th, we thought it would be fun to take a look at the history of the series complete with some fun facts that might surprise even..

What is stopping us from experiencing the entire history of video games?

Last year Taito issued Space Invaders Get Even on the WiiWare download service as well as multiple versions of the original game on the Japanese, PAL and North American Virtual Consoles. This was in celebration of the 30th annivesary of the release of Space Invaders in arcades worldwide. Similarly Namco is due to celebrate..

We select our favourite Nintendo-related pranks from the big day

April 1st is a day feared by regular inhabitants of the internet. It’s the one day of the year when you can practically ignore all amazing and outlandish news stories as rival sites attempt to out-do each other with their attempts at humour. However, putting aside the more pathetic jokes for one moment (anyone here still think the..

In 1989 the PC Engine was still selling quite well in Japan, but Sega's 16-bit Mega Drive system was beginning to pick up steam and Nintendo's Super Famicom console was looming just around the corner. Sensing this, NEC decided that they needed a true 16-bit console if they were to have any hope of continuing their success in the Japanese console wars.

The successor to the PC Engine was originally..

Forget all you've been told. This film kicks all kinds of ass

In a world where everyone seems to have an opinion and they’re all too happy to force it upon others, it’s worth remembering that when judging something (be it a book, film or videogame) it all depends on your connection with that particular piece of media. For example, watching a...

Fangs for the memories

Although Konami’s influential vampire slaying franchise has since gone on to find success on several different hardware platforms, the association with the Nintendo NES is arguably what made the series so famous worldwide. The trio of 8-bit Castlevania titles remain highly regarded by fans and still stand up to scrutiny even by today’s standards. They also laid down the..

Is it too late to ask Santa for these?

The runaway success of Nintendo’s Wii has granted many publishers and developers a bit more freedom to experiment with their software. With such a massive installed base of users, software houses can be a little bolder with their ideas because chances are even brave failures will shift a few copies. Here at NintendoLife we applaud fresh and original..

With the imminent launch of the Wii Zapper here at NintendoLife we've gotten a little nostalgic as memories of the NES Zapper and Super Scope are brought flooding back.

Light guns were around in the 1930’s beginning with Seeburg’s Ray-O-Light arcade shooter all the way back in 1936. The game involved a moving duck which must be shot in order to achieve a point. Arguably this early arcade title..