Tag: First Impressions - Page 3
A magnetic attraction
The Wii U eShop may have had what we could describe as a "steady" start, but in the remainder of 2013 and into 2014 there are a number of encouraging projects on the way. It's perhaps a product of Nintendo's efforts to spread the word and court smaller developers, as well as the Unity tools and assistance on offer, and it may...
News Hands-On: Why Beyblade Evolution Could Be The Best RPG You've Overlooked This Year
You spin me round
With the growing interest in games like Skylanders SWAP Force and Disney Infinity, core gamers have learned to look a little harder at cartoony offerings before writing them off. There are plenty of clangers to avoid, but discerning the chaff from the wheat is becoming somewhat harder. Beyblade Evolution on 3DS is coming this year...
First Impressions Hometown Story
At home in your pocket
The 3DS has been on the market for just under three years and it is already home to two Harvest Moon titles, an announced Rune Factory game, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, two entries in The Sims series, and now the upcoming Hometown Story. It seems as though if you’re looking for a life simulator of almost any kind,...
First Impressions Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (3DS)
Ghost of his former self
What in the world has happened to Pac-Man? There is a plethora of games staring the spherical leading man on almost every gaming platform, yet with every reimagining he seems to become a worse version of his former self. Every now and again we’ll get a gem, like 2010’s Championship Edition DX, but that’s just a...
First Impressions Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
2014th time’s the charm
Believe it or not, nearly four years have already passed since the 2010 Winter Olympics hit Vancouver, Canada. That means, as you probably already know, the 2014 Winter Olympics are just around the corner, this time settling comfortably in Sochi, Russia. The occurrence of the worldwide games also means that, you guessed it,...
First Impressions Sonic Lost World (3DS)
Gotta go portable
It’s no secret that time has not been kind to Sonic the Hedgehog. Over the past decade Sega's spiky mascot has undergone a complete redesign, and has had to muddle his way through several sub-par outings that have left fans wanting so much more. The losing streak seems to be coming to and end though, with recent Sonic titles...
First Impressions DuckTales Remastered
The quack is back
There is a well-known phenomenon in the video gaming world where a licensed game will be adapted from a much larger franchise, and it will inevitably flop. It’s been happening for decades now, with such notable titles as Atari’s 1982 stinker E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and more recently with the ill-fated Aliens: Colonial...
First Impressions Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate
Batmanvania
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate for the Nintendo 3DS is an interesting release for a number of reasons. First off, it’s the only game in a now four-year-old series to land on a handheld console. Second, the plot takes place sometime between the forthcoming Batman: Arkham Origins and series flagship Batman: Arkham Asylum. Third, in...
First Impressions Disney Infinity
To Infinity and beyond
To be completely fair and totally honest, these are not our first impressions of Disney Infinity for the Wii U. Our first impressions came to mind long before we had a chance to play the game, and they were assuredly similar, if not identical, to most people’s thoughts. Our first impressions of Disney Infinity were something...
Let's get it started, in here
So, Wii Party U's evolved from a Summer Party to a Holiday Party, courtesy of the development delay confirmed by Satoru Iwata at E3. That's fine with us here at Nintendo Life, as we think every day is a party day, so we happily wandered over to the the demo unit at a recent preview event ready for the ultimate digital...
First Impressions Yoshi's New Island
A bad egg?
The 3DS has been having the time of its short lifespan in 2013, and it's never felt like this before. Rubbish jokes based on '80s songs aside, it's been a glorious six months for the handheld, with some exceptional games already on the market and more on the way. With monster hits like Pokémon X & Y and The Legend of Zelda: A Link...
First Impressions Sonic Lost World
Super Sonic
After a line of games that it would be altogether generous to label a “rough patch”, poor old Sonic is back on his speedy feet. Thanks to the combo of Sonic Unleashed (well, its daytime stages), Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, SEGA's mascot is finally leaning back towards the positive side of the quality spectrum, and it seems...
First Impressions Skylanders Swap Force
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson goes hands-on at E3
The head to head nature of Skylanders Swap Force and Disney Infinity meant that E3 was always going to be a show down. With Disney buying up an impressive amount of floor space and advertising, Activision responded with more information, novelty and freebies than we’ve seen for previous Skylanders...
Kiss kiss, bang bang
Really, Bayonetta 2 isn’t that far outside of Nintendo’s wheelhouse. The creators of Nintendogs and Wii Fit may like to play it family-friendly, but come on — there’s always been a playful, almost kinky side to Nintendo, games with just the right amount of dirtiness. Look at ol’ Jimmy T. making it happen in WarioWare,...
First Impressions Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Frozen in time?
If there is a rule that Nintendo lives by, it’s that one good turn deserves another. Hence why the E3 2013 revelation that the game Austin, Texas’ Retro Studios has been slaving away on for the past three years is none other than a sequel to Donkey Kong Country Returns isn’t much of a revelation at all. Donkey Kong Country...
First Impressions The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Wind Reawakened
It’s strange to have a first impression on a remake of a game, especially when it’s a game like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The truth is that despite being 10 years old at this point, Wind Waker is still a great looking game that plays well and has held up very well over time. Whether that’s due to the GameCube’s...
First Impressions Mario Kart 8
Turning things upside down
Imagine the Mario Kart series as an enormous living being made out of adorable cars, happy drivers, delightful loops passing through volcanoes and haunted houses and vicious blue shells. Envision this being, this body of Kartdom, and now answer this simple question: where is its heart? What is the thumping engine within...
First Impressions Super Mario 3D World
Stranger things have happened
Sometimes it’s easy to forget how weird Mario games are. Think about it: A pudgy plumber in overalls who can jump ridiculously high, throw fireballs when he touches flowers, get huge when he eats mushrooms and make it with a princess provided he kicks the seven shades of crap out of a giant turtle dragon. That is the...
First Impressions 3D Altered Beast
Wise fwom your gwave
Altered Beast occupies a strange place in Sega's library; when it was first released it garnered a lukewarm response, and its choice as a pack-in title for the freshly-launched Mega Drive / Genesis was a curious one — although its large, bold sprites were impressive for the time, it certainly wasn't strong enough in terms of...
First Impressions Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
Jungle boogie
Retro's fantastic Donkey Kong Country Returns is a known quantity by now, so when we had the chance to go hands-on with the 3DS port in San Francisco recently we weren't exactly overcome with sweeping revelation. It was a great game on Wii and, unsurprisingly, that same great game translates very well to a handheld. Those who’ve...
First Impressions Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Jon and Damien go hands-on
You guys are so lucky. What you're getting here is two previews for the price of one; our dashing US Editor-at-Large Jon Wahlgren was lucky enough to attend a 3DS showcase in North America this week, and got to spend a short amount of time with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. His thoughts are below, while UK-based editor Damien...
First Impressions The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Further muddying the timeline
Surprise! That rumored Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3DS remake was totally not true, and no doubt planted as a red herring by some unscrupulous Nintendo employee to throw us all off the real story: Nintendo's handheld is getting a “sequel” to fan-favorite The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
First Impressions LEGO City Undercover
Cruising round the blocks
Recently we were fortunate enough to travel to TT Fusion's HQ in Wilmslow, England, to learn more about LEGO City Undercover, a high profile Wii U exclusive that arrives in March. During our day at the studio we were able to partake in an extensive hands-on session with the title, in order to gain a greater understanding of...
First Impressions Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Wii U
We played the monster mash
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for Wii U may not be an entirely new game built from the ground up, but it’s fair to say that this upcoming expansion has a lot of gamers excited. Monster Hunter Tri was without doubt one of the definitive hardcore title for Wii owners seeking an in-depth experience, and MH3 Ultimate looks set...
First Impressions Ed Boon's Injustice: Gods Among Us Lays The Smackdown
Superhuman potential
Recently we were lucky enough to attend a demonstration of NetherRealm Studio's upcoming DC Comics fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us, by Mortal Kombat creator himself, Ed Boon. Boon started the presentation by stating that because he had been making Mortal Kombat games for so long, he felt it was time to try something...
First Impressions Little Inferno
Let us be your little Virgil
2D Boy released what is still arguably the best game on the WiiWare service, World of Goo. But since the release of that game four years ago the developer has been rather quiet. The game never got a sequel and lips were sealed tight on future projects, but we knew that whatever this immensely talented — and...
First Impressions Fire Emblem: Awakening
Could this be the best entry in the Fire Emblem series yet?
The Fire Emblem series has long been famous and hugely successful in Japan. With a long string of titles stretching back to the days of the Nintendo Famicom, the franchise is now starting to catch on in the west. Arguably the most famous tactical RPG in the world right now, Fire Emblem fans...
Is this Japan-only eShop release going to be music to your ears?
As games get more complicated, with motion controls and complex button layouts, is it still possible to have fun while playing a game using only one button? With the Japan-exclusive eShop title Dopamix (made by G-mode, the current owners of the Data East back catalogue, which includes...
First Impressions Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Hands-on impressions from the EB Expo in Australia
Sega had a playable version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed at the EB Expo 2012, so we naturally took the opportunity to check out how it compares to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions, as well as see if the previously-noted frame rate issues were indeed solved,
First Impressions Paper Mario Sticker Star
Stuck on you
Tucked away on the roof of the ZombiU building in the Nintendo booth at the EB Expo were a few hidden 3DS gems. Among them was Paper Mario: Sticker Star, and as you can imagine we eagerly wrestled the closest copy from the display unit and dove right in. The version available to us appeared to be very close to the final build, as we...
First Impressions Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate
What a horrible night to play a demo
We don't need to explain to you that we're massive fans of Castlevania here at Nintendo Life - you surely already know that. Like so many other gamers out there, Konami's gothic series has a special place in our hearts, thanks to some amazing 8-bit entries and sublime 'Metroidvania' escapades on the Game Boy...
First Impressions Wii U Pro Controller
We go hands on with one of the most important Wii U accessories
With games like Bayonetta 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 blazing a trail to the Wii U very soon, the need for a decent 'traditional' joypad is obvious. Nintendo is making sure 'core' games will play as well as possible by producing the Wii U Pro Controller, a device which boasts an...
First Impressions Wii U Blockbuster Ports
Mass Effect 3 and Darksiders II put through their paces
One thing that many will have already noticed about the Wii U launch line-up is that it's showing the beginnings of greater third-party parity for Nintendo gamers. There are exclusives, of course, but there is also a mix of big-budget titles being ported to the new system: some will be...
First Impressions Nano Assault Neo
Big things from a small world
Nano Assault on 3DS probably qualifies as an under-appreciated gem, a title that was awarded an impressive 8/10 in our review but unfortunately never arrived in Europe. It's a pity that it hasn't been enjoyed outside of North America and Japan, though thankfully developer Shin'en Multimedia has confirmed that a 3DS...
The bird's still got it
Toki Tori 2 was one of the first eShop titles confirmed for Wii U, showing that developer Two Tribes is more than happy to take another early plunge on Nintendo's download platform. It seems only right, too, as the developer's first ever release was Toki Tori on Game Boy Color, before a new version of that game had a start on...
First Impressions Assassin's Creed III
Battles on the high seas
Assassin’s Creed III is one of Wii U’s highest-profile launch titles, with the November date coming just a few weeks after its appearance on the other HD systems. It’s also one of Ubisoft’s most ambitious development projects in its long history, with a number of studios and hundreds of staff working on what it hopes...
First Impressions Club Nintendo Picross
We go hands-on with this Japan-only download
As many of us have seen in recent years, Nintendo is a company that deals a good line in fan service. Nintendo has produced everything from the recent abundance of anniversary titles, collector's books, cards, and pretty much anything else in the hope that fans can supplement their game collections and...
Hands On Learn With Pokemon: Typing Adventure
Gotta type 'em all
On Saturday, Nintendo Life was lucky enough to get a sneaky preview of Nintendo and Genius Sonority's most bizarre upcoming release, Learn With Pokémon: Typing Adventure. The version we demoed was the Japanese version, Battle & Get! Pokémon Typing DS, complete with the Japanese Bluetooth keyboard add-on. The aim of Pokémon...
First Impressions New Super Mario Bros. 2
Master of coin
New Super Mario Bros. 2 feels like any of the other games in the New sub-series. The look of it, the audio, the themes of the worlds – they're all safe, familiar comfort blankets that hit the same beats as the rest of the family. That is, until you encounter the central focus that Nintendo is betting its coin on: this time, Mario...
First Impressions Wii U Panorama View
Look around you
Wii U's ability to output different scenes to television and controller is something truly special, but many of the games we've seen have been content to use the GamePad's extra screen to provide an alternative take on the main display, or an inventory, or a map. Wii U Panorama View is a startling look at the possibilities of the new...
First Impressions Trine 2: Director's Cut
Triple trouble
Three: it's the magic number. It's also the number of playable characters in Trine 2: Director's Cut, a 2D puzzle platformer that sees you regularly switching between a mismatched trio of varying skillsets to traverse beautiful lands. The wizard Amadeus commands bridges and blocks with the tips of his wizened fingers, either...
News 3DS XL Comparison Gallery
We go hands-on with Nintendo's new portable
The 3DS XL launch is almost upon us, but thanks to our godly status in the world of Nintendo, we've been sent a pre-release retail unit to touch and fondle. Thanks to our steadfast belief in the spirit of sharing, we thought you might like to see what the 3DS XL looks like when placed alongside its...
First Impressions New Super Mario Bros. U
Mushroom magic?
It's OK to say you were disappointed that New Super Mario Bros. U is Wii U's first Super Mario game. You may have wanted something groundbreaking like Super Mario 64, and Nintendo revealed a shinier, sharper version of a Wii game from 2009. You're entitled to be disappointed. Your excitement for Mario's next home adventure all...
First Impressions Project P-100
Crowd sourcing
Tucked away at E3, shielded from the glare of the main presentation for reasons unknown, was Project P-100. It's an all-new superhero action IP by well-lauded developer Platinum Games, due to be published by Nintendo in Wii U's launch window. It's also bonkers. One Mr Hideki Kamiya is at the helm as director, famous for a track...
London crawling
Ubisoft's first-person shooter ZombiU is brutal. Adapted from the ashes of the cancelled Killer Freaks from Outer Space, it sees London overrun by hordes of infected monsters. Your only goal is to survive, but don't expect to do so for very long; battles are desperate, fought with melee weapons or a weak pistol until you can scrape...
First Impressions Nintendo Land's Multiplayer Games
Wii U's main attraction
Nintendo Land is lots of fun. In some ways it's exactly the kind of fun you had when you played Wii Sports for the first time, regularly erupting into laughter and occasional curses when things don't go your way. It didn't look much on stage at E3, but Nintendo's right to put its faith in the game's ability to communicate...
First Impressions Game & Wario
No Ware out
Wario's first Wii U appearance isn't quite what we've come to expect from the garlic-munching gold grabber. Instead of a platformer or a new entry in the micro game-fuelled WarioWare series, Game & Wario is a collection of more fleshed out mini games that shows off what Nintendo's new home console can do with a single GamePad. Game...
First Impressions Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition
Sonar, so good
Batman's latest crusade through video games has been out on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC for a good eight months now, but that didn't stop Nintendo giving enhanced port Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition plenty of stage time at E3. Escaping the confines of Arkham Asylum, a section of Gotham City has been cordoned off as a gigantic...
Extra floretstrial
For years Nintendo has been tending to a new entry in the Pikmin series, experimenting with different control methods and systems both handheld and home console. After starting life on Wii, Pikmin 3 was eventually transferred to Wii U due to the benefits of high definition and the GamePad's touch screen. The little plant-alien-bug...
First Impressions Scribblenauts Unlimited
Unlimited indeed
We've already seen two Scribblenauts releases on Nintendo's DS system, but now the series is making the jump to the home console on Nintendo's upcoming Wii U, in the form of Scribblenauts Unlimited. While the series has never looked better visually, it's the major improvements to the gaming experience itself that really takes this...
