Wii Features
Feature The One Thing Wii Did Much Better Than Switch
Point taken
The Sensor Bar. Flimsy little plastic box with the world's longest, spindliest cable. An irritation to every Wii owner who has ever had to move their console. What was it good for? There's not a lot to the Sensor Bar. A little device that emits some infrared light. If the Wii Remote is pointed at one, it recognises that's where the TV...
Soapbox The Shame Of Revisiting My Abandoned Pokémon Ranch
See you, PokéCowboy
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on the 15th anniversary of the game's release, Ethan heads back to the ranch... It’s a guilty feeling that Animal Crossing fans know all too well — the shame that comes...
Anniversary LostWinds First Launched 15 Years Ago Today
Let's Toku 'bout it
Today marks the 15th anniversary of LostWinds in North America, a launch title for WiiWare and (in this writer's opinion) one of the console's finest bite-sized games. The title was developed and published by Frontier Developments out West, though Square Enix took care of publishing duties for LostWinds' Japan release in...
Poll Did You Use Motion Controls In Mario Kart Wii?
Wii Wheel, Wii Wheel rock you!
Picture the scene: the year is 2008 and you, a massive Nintendo fan, are gearing up for the next instalment in the Mario Kart series after the incredible online experience of Mario Kart DS and having poured many, many hours into the former home console endeavours on Mario Kart: Double Dash!! But something is different...
Talking Point 15 Years On, Should Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Subspace Emissary Return?
In Smash Space, no one can hear you brawl
Well blimey, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is celebrating its 15th anniversary in Japan today! That's right, the third entry in what is one of the most iconic Nintendo franchises launched on 31st January 2008, and for many — even with how huge Melee was — this is what created some of the most iconic Smash...
Soapbox EA Playground Is A Forgotten Gem And Deserves To Be Remembered With Wii Sports
Playing games in the uncanny valley
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on its 15-year anniversary, Jim pleads the case for a forgotten Wii classic... If there’s one thing that you could always rely on the Wii to achieve, it was...
Feature 14 Wii Games That Deserve Switch Ports
Swiitch ports
It's now 15 years since Wii launched and the world was introduced to the inclusive delights of Wii Sports, waggle gaming, and Wii elbow. That little three-DVD-case-sized box of tricks delivered some real gems over its long life — many of which were tailor-made for the system's innovative remote-style motion controller and nunchuk and...
Soapbox Wii Sports Wasn't Just Waggle, It Was An Important Gateway To Gaming
Mii Masters
The Wii is 15 years old, words to make this writer feel a little bit old. It was an era when HD was a bold new frontier in gaming, and Nintendo decided 'nah, we'll just do something fun instead'. It's extraordinary to consider that the Wii and DS shared the market, creating a boom for Nintendo that even the current Switch success can't...
Talking Point Wii Features We'd Love To See On Nintendo Switch
Apart from 'managing the fridge', that wasn't fun
The Nintendo Switch has been a hugely successful and profitable system — and we're evidently huge fans of it — so it might seem a tad churlish to highlight areas it could be better. Yet one aspect where the system is arguably lacking is in personality, especially when compared directly to its...
Soapbox 10 Years On, We Need More Brave, Worthwhile Experiments Like Epic Mickey
The Brave Little 'Failure'
In some ways, the Wii era feels further away than it actually is. The modern gaming landscape, though certainly influenced by Nintendo's approachable little console, seems so laser focused on pixel counts, framerates and raytracing that Wii feels incredibly old-school in 2020. The idea that just ten years ago we were still...
Feature Game Of The Decade Staff Picks - Xenoblade Chronicles
The game the fans asked for
Xenoblade Chronicles is 10 years old today, so we thought it a perfect time to republish this personal account from our Games of the Decade series back in January. We recently revisited the game with the excellent Definitive Edition on Switch, of course, but here Mitch discusses his experience with the original version,...
Soapbox Wii Party Is 10 Years Old, And I Really Want A Switch Version
This is a (Wii) Party political broadcast
The party game is a seriously underrated genre. Unfairly written off as overly simplistic or even shovelware by some gamers, party games can, in fact, be immensely enjoyable for casual players and hardcore gamers alike. After all, I’ve 100% completed numerous Zelda and Resident Evil
Feature Game Of The Decade Staff Picks - Super Mario Galaxy 2
Another dimension, new galaxy
Following on from our reader-voted Top 50 Games of the Decade, Nintendo Life staff members will be picking their personal favourite Nintendo games between the years 2010-2019. Today, PJ takes us right back to the start of the decade... Being asked to choose your favourite game of the decade should, in theory, be a...
Feature 2010-2019 - Nintendo's Decade In Review
The highs and lows of the past 10 years
So, that's it then – another decade is over. The past ten years are perhaps a little unusual in that they've been a reverse of the ten that preceded them; in the year 2000, Nintendo was struggling to keep pace with Sony in the home console arena and was facing competition for the handheld market thanks to...
Parent Trap I Really Miss The Nintendo Wii
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson remembers the good old days of waggle
Parents are notoriously bad for being sentimental. Whether it’s watching Monty Python, playing Tetris on the Game Boy or buying sweets by the ounce, I often catch myself getting more excited about introducing my children to the things I loved from my childhood than actually...
Soapbox Why You Should Consider Catching Big Air With Wii's Excite Truck
If you still have access to a Wii or Wii U, that is
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on a wide range of topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this edition, Dave Letcavage discusses his somewhat recent introduction to the divisive Wii launch game Excite Truck, and makes a case...
Soapbox Let 2018 Be The Year The Third-Party Exclusive Takes Over On Nintendo Switch
Just without the soulless cash-ins we saw in the Wii era
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this piece, editor Dom explores the gap in Nintendo's software library and how a the need to develop third-party exclusives will only make...
Talking Point Nintendo is Right to Move On From the Wii Family Name With NX
Perfect for its time, but change is due
Earlier this week TIME shared an intriguing interview with Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima, and one of the topics raised regarded the NX and the fact it won't be the 'next' in the Wii / Wii U line of systems. That's been reasonably clear for quite some time, as comments around the new hardware (to be...
Feature There and Back Again - A Xenoblade Tale
How Monolith Soft’s Magnum Opus brought Gonçalo Lopes back to JRPGs
In this article Gonçalo Lopes, better known to many as music composer and arranger Shiryu, talks about the lasting impact that Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii has had on his gaming life. Being a European PAL gamer in the early '90s was pretty cool. Yet being a well-informed...
Mario History Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 2010
Some say sequel, some say level pack - we say brilliant
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario games per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Nintendo has some rules that it follows with its games and franchises, particularly in terms of frequency. There's one...
Mario Memories Rediscovering the Wonder in Gaming With Super Mario Galaxy
"I'd forgotten that games can make you feel happy"
In this series of articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have our charming reviewer Joel Couture. There was a long period in my life where...
Mario History New Super Mario Bros. Wii - 2009
The new, new 'New'
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Following the warm reception to New Super Mario Bros. which was released on the DS in 2006, it was inevitable that Nintendo would bring the New Super Mario...
Mario History Mario Kart Wii - 2008
Filling the world with plastic wheels
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Mario Kart: Double Dash! on GameCube played its part in shaking up home console racing in the iconic karting series, while Mario Kart DS...
Mario History Super Mario Galaxy - 2007
Out of this World
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario games per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. In our previous entry we highlighted how New Super Mario Bros. was the first new 2D Mario title in some time; that was due to a general focus on 3D Mario...
Mario Memories Super Mario Galaxy 2: A Tale of Hype and Expectation
The hype was real
In this series of 30 daily articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. Next up is reviewer and news contributor Mitch Vogel. May 23, 2010. That date will forever hold significance to me as...
Mario Memories Being Taken To A New World In Super Mario Galaxy
Tom Whitehead recalls a watershed moment in his relationship with Nintendo
In this series of 30 daily articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. First up is site editor Tom Whitehead. I've confessed in the...
Feature The Unexpected Legacy of Wii Music
Life changing inspiration from the most unsuspected of places
In this guest feature, Nintendo Life regular and chiptune musician Shiryu explains how Wii Music played a pivotal role in encouraging his prolific output. As tradition mandates every year, I sat watching the Nintendo's 2008 E3 presentation with high hopes of a new F-Zero being finally...
Feature 20 Wii Games We'd Love To Download From The Wii U eShop - Part Two
The second 10, plus your chance to vote
With Wii retail games now slowly making their way to the Wii U eShop for download, we kicked off a list of 20 games we hope to see make it to the store. In part one we listed our first 10, which included some likely releases and those that may have sketchier prospects. As the title suggests, however, they're...
Feature 20 Wii Games We'd Love To Download From The Wii U eShop - Part One
We list our first 10 choices
It seems strange, but a reveal in last week's Nintendo Direct broadcasts that prompted one of the biggest reactions in the Nintendo Life community was confirmation of Wii retail games coming to the Wii U eShop. Bearing in mind that the system is already fully backward compatible we were a little surprised, yet...
Mario Kart Month A History of the Mario Kart Series - Part Two
Turbo boosting to record sales
As June begins and our Mario Kart Month celebrations throughout May draw to a close, the build-up and expectation surrounding Mario Kart 8 has transitioned into mass play sessions and hands-on racing time. This is the moment on which memories are built, as competitiveness and hilarity ensues from worldwide showdowns,...
Feature Memories of the Wii and DS Wi-Fi Connection Era
When the Nintendo Network was but a twinkle in Iwata-san's eye
It's finally happened, the Wi-Fi connection on the Wii and DS is gone, disconnected on 20th May. The DSi and Wii Shop platforms are still running, but online multiplayer and content in games is now shut down, prompting the end of an era for the last-gen systems. Regardless of the...
Exclusive Lost Wii Game, Sadness, To Be Revived as Wii U Exclusive
HullBreach Studios and Cthulhi Games are collaborating on development
Update 2: Following a rapid progression of events, HullBreach Studios and Cthulhi Games have retracted their claims to the Sadness brand — the details are available in this updated article. Update: In follow-up comments to our colleagues at Euro
Feature How A Team Of Dedicated Fans Is Fixing Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The inside story on Project M
Super Smash Bros. Melee was a love letter from Nintendo to the company’s legion of fans — a fighting game packed to the brim with songs, stages, characters and art from the storied history of the Japanese game company. It’s an accomplishment quite unlike and unmatched by any other. Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the...
Soapbox The Nintendo Wi-Fi Disconnection Reminds Us Why Local Multiplayer Still Matters
Tom Whitehead goes on about online multiplayer's pitfalls, like an old man
I was disappointed to learn about Nintendo switching off online play on the Wii and DS; at the time I was on a short break spending some time with my family and, funnily enough, getting ready for some memory-jogging multiplayer gaming with my older brother. Growing up playing...
Matters Of Import Welcome To The Bizarre World Of Namco's Numan Athletics
'80s popstar Gary Numan sadly not involved
Nintendo’s Virtual Console service has been a constant treasure trove of classic gaming for many years now, covering hundreds of titles across some of the greatest systems to ever exist. It’s thrown up more than a few unexpected surprises along the way too – including this Japan-only port of the...
Soapbox The Wii Changed The Face of Gaming, Before The Console Industry Promptly Forgot Its Lessons
Tom Whitehead believes that the Wii's good work has, in part, been wasted
This week the Nintendo Japan website updated the status of Wii production, officially bringing it to an end. We'd previously argued that Nintendo could have ruled the micro console market with Wii and the company, potentially, missed a trick; it seems to be a decision made on...
Feature Active Gaming is Here To Stay And is Helping People Get Fit
Games like Wii Fit U can make a big difference to people's lives
Many people in the world claim video games are partially to blame for rising obesity levels, with individuals disregarding physical exercise in favour of a round of Mario Kart or a bout of Call of Duty, but there are doctors and scientists out there who say playing active games such as...
Parent Trap The Wii Is Still Crucial To Family Game Success
Andy Robertson (not pictured) on why Nintendo's old console is still vital
While core players slowly turn their attention to the next generation of consoles, families are still getting a lot of value from the Wii. Families don’t buy as many games for their gaming systems as other demographics — the long tail of family gaming habits means that...
Soapbox Nintendo Could Have Ruled The Micro-Console Market With Wii
Has Nintendo missed a trick by dropping the Wii so soon?
In January Sony officially discontinued production of the PlayStation 2 console after selling an incredible 150 million systems over a 12 year period. Despite the unstoppable march of technology, Sony had managed to keep its best-selling console running — albeit in a much diminished capacity...
Feature A Brief History of Pikmin
Three down, more surely to come
Pikmin 3, after a lengthy development period, is now beginning to grace Wii U systems around the world, and is clearly a source of great pride for Shigeru Miyamoto. The famous Nintendo designer has described it as the "ultimate version of Pikmin 1", and to date it's received substantial critical praise, including a...
Feature The Humble Origins of Animal Crossing
How an obscure little N64 title grew into a hit franchise for Nintendo
The hype and excitement for Animal Crossing: New Leaf across the web is reaching a critical level. Hitting North America on 9th June and Europe on 14th June, it begs the question whether some people might literally explode as a result of not being able to contain their...
Feature Series Reboots That Have Divided Gamers
They did WHAT with [insert treasured franchise name here]?
There are some undeniable truths in life, death and taxes being two examples, and the video game industry has its own rules and obligations that can never be avoided. One of these revolves around reboots of treasured franchises — if you're going to "re-imagine" a popular character or...
Talking Point The Trends and Inconsistencies of Localisation
Predicting releases is getting tougher
Yesterday brought the news that Project X Zone is being localised and released in PAL regions and North America this summer. To many that would arguably be a surprise, as the title has endured a relative failure in Japan, culminating in a major price-cut. Yet recent years have taught us that predicting...
Feature Nintendo and Bond Through the Ages
A license to thrill
While film tie-ins are expected these days, few games can attest to having their origins found in novels, and fewer still can claim to have outgrown those origins and become a success in their own right. But that is exactly what the James Bond franchise has done. What initially began as a series of novels by Sir Ian Fleming,...
Feature Nintendo in 2012 - Part Two
Lots of Mario and Wii U's arrival
In the first six months of 2012, which we looked at in the first part of our 2012 retrospective, Nintendo oversaw some major releases on 3DS and announced the XL model, the Wii had a few memorable arrivals and E3 came and went with its own brand of madness. There were also a number of quirky stories that passed by,...
Feature Nintendo in 2012 - Part One
3DS fought back, hype mode was engaged
Not so long ago it could be argued that Nintendo was having some relaxing times, with DS and Wii systems flying off shelves and console rivals rushing to the platform in order to hop on the motion-control train. Of course, technology and the gaming industry evolve, and in 2011 Nintendo found itself trying to...
Feature Your Guide to a Nintendo Holiday
Christmas time, Mario and Trine...
It's Christmas time, and we all know what that means — rapidly depleting bank accounts, lots of food and merriment, and plenty of video gaming. The Holiday season actually means different things depending on your own perspective, of course, but to many it's a great opportunity to spend time with family and...
Talking Point Nintendo Shrinks Prices and Consoles
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...
Talking Point Wii U and the Importance of Backward Compatibility
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...
Feature Halloween Scares on Wii
The cute little console's horrors
The scariest night of the year is now only two days away, a horrifying evening when strange children knock at the door and refuse to leave without a toll of sweets and candy. If you don't hand some tooth-rotting treats over, then you could find out what tricks they have up their sleeve; that's not always a smart...