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  • Review Donkey Kong Land III (3DS eShop / GB)

    Marvellous Monkeys

    In 1997 the fifth generation of video games was well underway (even Europe and Oceania had the N64 by then), but the trusty Game Boy was still the place to go for portable gaming joy. Having successfully brought monkey platforming action to the handheld twice already, Rare produced a third game — the imaginatively titled Donkey...

  • News Former President Of Silicon Knights Announces New Entertainment Company, QE2

    Will the spiritual successor to Eternal Darkness finally be released?

    Dennis Dyack, former president of the now defunct Canadian-based developer, Silicon Knights, has announced the formation of a new entertainment company titled, Quantum Entanglement Entertainment Inc., also abbreviated to,“QE2.” The new company will focus on the development of...

  • Review Demon's Crest (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Fire-grand

    Fans of the Ghosts 'n Goblins series should be familiar with the rather annoying little demon Firebrand; he would be the main reason Arthur would spend his time walking around the many levels of the games in his underwear. Capcom obviously thought enough of the guy to give him a series of his own, which began life on the Game Boy systems...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Donkey Kong 64

    A divisive DK outing where the character's transition to 3D split fans' opinions. Plot, graphics, locations, and handling all do a DK game justice and are not faulted. However, it suffers from over-collectablitus, causing some tedious gameplay. DKC games had an addictive simplicity - offering challenge in a far more rewarding way which is lost...

  • Video I ♥ Virtual Console - Monster Party Is The Wackiest Halloween Classic You'll Never Play

    This NES classic deserves another lease of life - or should that be death?

    Halloween is upon us, and while children all over the globe get themselves ready to don horrible costumes and harass their neighbours for candy, we're taking a look at a spooky old NES classic which really should be on the Virtual Console on a day like today. Monster Party...

  • Review Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    A perfect harmony?

    The Wii U eShop is becoming an embarrassment of riches, with a robust library of indie titles complemented by a growing lineup of strong Virtual Console games. Konami's Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is the second of three Castlevania titles released on the Game Boy Advance, and while it controls and plays similarly to its...

  • Review Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    The ape escape

    Rare managed to do something incredible with Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong-Quest; it took the well refined gameplay and style of the first Donkey Kong Country game and made it even better. This second entry in the series features gameplay almost identical to its predecessor’s, but this time everything’s been streamlined...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Wetrix

    Combining Tetris with terraforming isn’t your usual recipe for making a video game. Nevertheless, the Pickford Bros. managed to take these elements and merge them into the creative tour de force that was Wetrix. A thrilling 3D puzzler in which you attempt to create lakes to contain a never ending flood of water; it's remarkable just how tense the...

  • Weirdness Mike Tyson Fights Himself in Punch-Out!!

    K-Oh

    While the NES version of Punch-Out!! now has 'Featuring Mr. Dream' in the title, before licensing issues and imprisonment in the '90s it was branded with the Mike Tyson name, who was one of the most ferocious boxers in Heavyweight history at his peak. He's now a somewhat mellow middle-aged man, of course, releasing books and conducting speaking...

  • Book Review Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: Castlevania

    A bloody good read

    Castlevania is one of those franchises which will always be inexorably linked with Nintendo. The series became a household name thanks to its well-received NES outings, and in the days of the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS it strengthened this connection with six excellent "Metroidvania" releases. Although its future may well...

  • Video Let's Celebrate The Game Boy That The West Never Got

    Shedding some light on a handheld classic

    Nintendo's Game Boy range was massively successful all over the world — heck, even Kurt Cobain had one — but not every variant of the system made it out of Japan. Just before the launch of the Game Boy Color, Nintendo produced a revised backlit version of the original monochrome system which was...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Banjo-Tooie

    Rare’s follow-up to Banjo-Kazooie didn’t arrive on the N64 with quite the same amount of impact as that of its first 3D platformer, but it nevertheless an impressive, and one which drew much critical acclaim. Banjo-Tooie is an even bigger game that achieves a number of technical feats, such as long draw distances and real-time shadows, without...

  • News Developers Reflect on F-Zero As It Passes Ten Years in the Wilderness

    "F-Zero is really something special to me"

    Barely an E3 or Nintendo Direct goes by without someone in the Nintendo Life team muttering that maybe, against all odds, F-Zero will return. It's now been over ten years since F-Zero Climax, a thoroughly disappointing Game Boy Advance entry that's ignored by many, arrived in stores. It was an inglorious...

  • Nintendo 64x64 ISS 98

    Taking everything that made ISS64 a true next-generation football game, ISS 98 went far further, solidifying its reputation as the best football game on the N64. Its arcade style stands the test of time with fluid controls and ISS64’s bugs eradicated. Tournaments / scenarios allow immense enjoyment alone but multiplayer is where it truly shines...

  • News Crazy EarthBound Fans Open EarthBound-themed Media Kickstarter

    Many other, equally crazy EarthBound fans are backing it

    It's 20 years old, with a prequel and sequel never officially released in the West, yet EarthBound continues to possess a significant presence in the gaming world. You can largely thank the game's dedicated fanbase for that; some so dedicated that they're planning to produce a cultural...

  • Review Mighty Final Fight (3DS eShop / NES)

    Haggard by time or as mighty as ever?

    Originally released for the NES in 1993, Mighty Final Fight is a home console spin-off of the original arcade classic, Final Fight. Interestingly, it came out a year after the technically superior home console port that appeared on the SNES and, furthermore, is quite a departure from the other games in the...

  • Review Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Over the moon

    Konami's Castlevania has changed directions in recent years, with the Lords of Shadow titles polarizing fans of the long-running series. That's why fans of the "Metroidvania" outings should flock to the Wii U eShop and download the Game Boy Advance Castlevania titles, which feature the series' signature exploration-based, semi-linear...

  • Review Namco Museum (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Does it deserve to be exhibited on your Wii U?

    Originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001, Namco Museum is part of a long-running series (which goes by the same name) that saw regular releases over a 15-year period all the way up until 2010. This game is a compilation, featuring five classic arcade games: Ms. PAC-MAN, Galaga, Galaxian,...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Top Gear Rally

    As a rally racer, TGR was not alone on the N64. Yet it stood shoulders above the competition. Its copious variables really added longevity; taking time to become skilled enough to be an expert, whether racing in snow or choosing the right suspension. Graphically impressive with excellent course layouts and locations: Strip Mine a personal...

  • Video Did You Know Gaming Tackles Donkey Kong Once Again

    The Rare years

    Rare's Donkey Kong titles have recently been making their way onto the Wii U eShop in Europe — and hopefully will do so soon in North America — making it a good time to look back on the franchise. Whether that timing was part of its consideration or not, we do have Did You Know Gaming returning to the DK IP in its latest video...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Jet Force Gemini

    Rare again with another original title: wonderful visuals, addictive gameplay and atmospheric soundtrack. You're the JFG team, attempting to thwart antagonist Mizar and his insect army. As a third-person shooter, it showed another string to Rare's bow and was very popular. Personally, a least-favourite Rare N64 outing, having awkward controls and...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Turok: Rage Wars

    Amongst four Turok games, Rage Wars is only for the purest Turok fan. Essentially, it’s a multiplayer-only game: lots of game options, characters, weapons and levels make for great battling. Single-player is weak compared to canonical Turok games, with its most redeeming feature being Co-op mode; although, subsequently bettered by Perfect Dark...

  • Review Donkey Kong Country (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Hasn't aged a day

    Back in 1994, before 3D games had taken off, a little UK-based games developer called Rare decided that if it couldn’t have good looking 3D models in a game, it'd have to get creative. Donkey Kong Country used a pioneering new technique for the time that took images of pre-rendered three dimensional models and turned these...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Tetrisphere

    In the 3D age, this took Tetris to the next logical stage. By matching shapes, you break into a sphere to (e.g.) rescue that which is trapped inside. Graphically, it sensibly wasn’t overcomplicated, further accompanied by superb music score. Highly addictive in single and multiplayer modes, as all puzzle games should be. Despite this, still parts...

  • Review Donkey Kong Land 2 (3DS eShop / GB)

    Diddy's 8-Bit Quest

    The success of Donkey Kong Country inevitably saw a sequel released. Likewise when Donkey Kong Land proved a similar platforming experience was possible on the Game Boy, it was a no-brainer that Rare would release a second handheld adventure. This time Donkey Kong has gone and gotten himself captured, and so it's up to Diddy and...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Super Smash Bros

    It may feature a limited number of characters and stages compared to later instalments, but Super Smash Bros. packed one hell of a punch when it landed in 1999. It feels a tad sluggish today, but the brawl 'em up's arena style gameplay system stills offers an addictive and frantic multiplayer experience. The merging of different Nintendo universes...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Shadows of the Empire

    At the time, a decent addition to the Star Wars franchise despite its failings being magnified up against Mario 64. Level locations, atmosphere, music capture the Star Wars universe well. Personally, too many third-person platform levels: the game needed more variety. These levels are clunky and some overly long. Bosses can also be unnecessarily...

  • News The Game Boy Color is Now 16 Years Old

    It'll be asking to host house parties...

    Nintendo's released so many systems and iconic games that anniversaries are a regular occurrence; now it's the turn of the Game Boy Color — it's 16 years old, having been released in Japan on 21st October 1998. While some attribute Nintendo's trend for focusing on innovation and content over raw power as a...

  • News RETRO Game Magazine Well On Its Way To Funding Another Year Of Issues

    One for the print fans

    While we've seen some iconic brands close down over the past year in the gaming print industry, some magazines and print projects have found life by gaining support through crowdfunding platforms. One of these is RETRO Video Game Magazine, which launched last year through a successful Kickstarter campaign; it's now back to...

  • Feature The Making of Rocket: Robot on Wheels

    How one of the N64's most criminally under-appreciated games came to be

    The Nintendo 64, while simultaneously renowned and infamous for doing many things, is arguably best remembered for defining the 3D platforming genre. When Super Mario 64 released in 1996, it didn't just blow everyone’s socks off; it revolutionised home console gaming and set...

  • Nintendo 64x64 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

    A Link To The Mask

    Releasing another same-platform entry following up the greatest game the N64 had seen was bold by Nintendo. Its two new gameplay mechanics, time travel and the use of masks, were simple at heart yet utterly integral in creating a sublime, more interesting, and darker world than Hyrule. It retained everything exquisite about OoT...

  • News New Music and Voice Samples Discovered in the Donkey Kong Arcade

    A few decades on, there's still more to find

    The Donkey Kong arcade was a key turning point for Nintendo as a company, as it brought Shigeru Miyamoto to the fore and helped to demonstrate to Hiroshi Yamauchi and his management that the video game business could be lucrative for the company. It's so iconic that a small band of gamers still compete...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Bangai-O

    What a treasure

    Few N64 games manage to come close to delivering the sheer amount of chaotic action that Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh delivers in droves. A Japanese exclusive, this 2D shoot ‘em up majestically -- and intentionally -- puts both the player and the console through their paces; the hundreds of projectiles and enemies on screen at any one...

  • Poll Nintendo Minute Debate - Is Super Mario World or Super Mario Bros. 3 More Influential?

    Well, which one?

    We often like to share Nintendo Minute videos here on Nintendo Life, the series in which hosts Kit and Krysta play games and do various things to entertain big N fans. Their video this week tries something a little different, as the two hosts debate the following: Which game is more influential – Super Mario World or Super Mario...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Pok?mon Snap

    Say Cheese

    Off-beat and remarkably novel, it’s surprising just how well Pokémon Snap works as a concept. In this snap ‘em up, you trade in your Pokéballs for a trusty camera, with which you have to take the best Pokémon portraits possible. Sporting delightful environments and plenty of secrets to keep you coming back, it’s still one of the...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Snowboard Kids

    Mario Kart on snow

    Racdym's cute and vibrant snowboarding-themed racing game is one that's unfairly drowned out by the perpetual, yet understandable noise that surrounds its more popular counterparts, Mario Kart 64 and Diddy Kong Racing. Incorporating a remarkably balanced offensive / defensive power-up system and a nifty stunt system that feeds...

  • Nintendo 64x64 007 The World is not Enough

    Christmas only comes once a year

    No beating around the bush here; Eurocom produced a Goldeneye clone of epic, almost plagiaristic, proportions. Yet if one ignores this, TWINE is still an enjoyable FPS: objectives vary and increase with difficulty; AI is decent; locations represent the film faithfully; and it’s well-animated throughout. A return to...

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A Rhythm Heaven Topic (because the series is pretty much dead)
The GameBoy Advance Thread

The GameBoy Advance Thread

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The resurgence of Gamecube

The resurgence of Gamecube

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What was your first game? ...again
The N64 Thread

The N64 Thread

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