Talking Point News, Talking Point Features - Page 5 of 11

How many big reveals can there be?

It's easy to lose track of time in the helter-skelter video game industry, with games and exciting new projects that are merely months old already being so yesterday. We want the latest, hottest new games and announcements ten minutes ago, so stop telling us about old stuff, ok? For Nintendo gamers, the...

The nanny console

This week has brought us an interesting story about Wii U eShop restrictions that are limited to European consoles, but perhaps provide greater insight into the relationship between gamers and their new Nintendo systems. It came to light that what we initially thought was a botched parental control issue on the platform was...

All part of a big package

So the Wii U system is now well and truly out in the wild, with Japan being the last major territory to join in. It may seem peculiar that Nintendo should satisfy its home country last, but judging from the area's consistently daunting sales of 3DS it's not likely to be a tough market to crack. North America and Europe...

It's all about the money, mini, money

When we first reported the rumour of a Wii Mini, we made the mistake of including a slightly mocking tagline that referred to flying pigs. With the existing Wii models already selling at such low prices, the concept of Nintendo arranging the manufacturing, packaging and advertising for a new model this late in...

Can the Big N win over support for Wii U in the long run?

With Wii U finally available in North America and shortly on its way to European store shelves, Nintendo fans across the world seemingly have a lot to be happy about. At long last, we’ll be able to experience our favourite franchises in glorious high-definition, along with some high...

Where shall we start?

So, last time we ran one of these articles we suggested we'd try to get back to a fortnightly routine. That's one crazy aspiration too far, especially as Nintendo is intent on throwing interesting news, Nintendo Direct broadcasts and new HD consoles at us from all directions. Let's drop the promises, and say that we'll do these...

Not quite fully “networked”, yet

We’ve praised the concept behind the Nintendo Network a fair bit here on Nintendo Life, and in various news posts and features we’ve stated or alluded to the fact that it could be the start of a bright new online era for Nintendo. To start this particular article on a positive point, there are plenty of...

Nintendo hands over the reins

When it comes to download game platforms, Nintendo's had to evolve rapidly. The arrival of the DSi and Wii online stores brought the famous company into the realm of the download market for the first time; both services have produced a number of top-notch gaming experiences, and in some cases proved to be the making...

The fridge will fill up quickly

Today's unexpected Japanese Nintendo Direct broadcast gave us various details to frantically decipher and translate, ranging from confirmation that the Wii U GamePad won't have backward compatibility with WiiWare or Wii Virtual Console games, to some less intriguing information about parental controls. Another...

Nintendo sticks to its guns

Nintendo isn't at all keen on mandatory, system-integrated achievements or trophies. The idea was ignored for Wii, while gamers with an Xbox 360 got used to notifications re-affirming their awesomeness for acts as simple as starting a new game, with their Gamerscore continually getting bigger with each accomplishment...

A bold new direction for Nintendo

With just 11 days until Wii U arrives in North America — at the time of writing — it's perhaps surprising that substantial details on Nintendo's online services have taken so long to emerge. That said, it's not unprecedented, as Nintendo often likes to keep its cards close to its chest, withholding details and...

Long live the Wii

In future years, maybe even in a matter of weeks, there's likely to be plenty written about Wii and its lifespan, with judgements made on its strengths and weaknesses. The list of negatives is fairly predictable: it was underpowered, with motion controls that brought an unrelenting wave of sub-par games, it struggled for major...

Or maybe this one's a game that Wii U needs?

We’ve highlighted the importance of having well-established franchises on Wii U. We’ve also indicated how vital it is for Wii U to be open to new ideas and intellectual properties. This time, we’re saying that in order for Wii U to keep in-line with the competition, exceed it in fact, then it...

Harder than it sounds

Various members of the Nintendo Life writing team will have seen one major issue clogging up their Twitter timelines in the past 24 hours, and it revolved around questions at the forefront of what we do: writing about video games. Video game writers often debate the whole practice of what you see on this site and many others,...

There are no easy answers

Earlier this week we reported on the news that Foxconn, manufacturer for many of the world’s biggest technology companies, employed under-age interns to work on Wii U manufacturing. Foxconn admitted that it had employed 14-16 year old school attendees and stated that it had “apologized to each of the students for our...

Choose how you play

Wii U owners will know what it means to be an assassin after Ubisoft introduces us to Connor in Assassin’s Creed III later this year. However, while this native American is more adept with Tomahawks and muskets, Arkane Studios has other plans. Doing his work in a Steampunk inspired Victorian London, this particular assassin...

A much needed second chance

As great as Nintendo’s first-party efforts are, Wii U is going to have a reliance on its third-party support. Nintendo certainly recognises that and has already drawn franchises like FIFA, Call of Duty, Mass Effect and Assassin’s Creed to its cause. However, as encouraging as that is, it’s still not enough. The...

It's not quite right, yet

During last week's Nintendo Direct broadcast in Europe, one eShop announcement that received relatively little fanfare was confirmation that a number of additional first-party titles were being made available on the platform. These titles stretch back to the earliest months of the system: now available on the European...

Gaming on a budget

This week’s European Nintendo Direct prompted the usual range of predictions before the event, ranging from optimistic but unlikely hopes to pessimism and predictability. What Nintendo of Europe boss Satoru Shibata gave us, surprisingly, was a broadcast heavy with eShop exclusives, some new and surprising and others with...