Wii U eShop Features
Hands On Toki Tori and EDGE (Two Tribes Classics)
Budget brilliance?
After announcing their existence earlier in the year, Two Tribes recently lifted the lid on its Classics range coming to the Wii U eShop, three games that come to Nintendo's latest system in shiny optimised HD forms. It's possible that they'll all be familiar to gamers in some form or other, with each having appeared on a mix of...
Interview Image & Form CEO Brjann Sigurgeirsson Talks SteamWorld Dig And Working On The eShop
Critical reaction, the Wii U eShop and picking 3DS over smartphones
At this year's Eurogamer Expo we were lucky enough to get the opportunity to speak to Image & Form's Brjann Sigurgeirsson about the company's 3DS eShop title, SteamWorld Dig. In the interview, Sigurgeirsson speaks about the development of the game and its lore, its critical...
Hands On An Evening With Wii Karaoke U By Joysound
Take On Mii
Nintendo has previously stated that one of its main objectives with the Wii U is to provide experiences that can’t be done on other video game systems. In addition to this rather admirable quest, the company has also been keen to emphasise the fun that can be had with the system in local multiplayer. So far it hasn't had a great deal...
Hands On Pure Chess (Wii U eShop)
The grand old sport comes to the people
While the 3DS eShop is maturing into a platform with a healthy variety of experiences, and the Wii U eShop promises to do so, one obvious gap is in delivering a virtual edition of one of the grandest old games / sports in existence. Chess may have appeared as a minigame option in a mediocre 3DS game or two,...
Developer Interview Xander Davis on Astrogun, Indie Potential and the Wii U
"Gamers are dreamers, I think we all care deeply about realizing the dream"
Earlier this summer a story that caught the imagination of the Nintendo Life community revolved around Xander Davis, an independent developer that declared himself to be a Wii U believer — he'd previously dismissed the system prior to its launch. It was a case of going...
Reaction Nintendo Reminds Us of the Wii's Glory Days With Wii Fit U and Wii Sports Club
Inexpensive upgrade options are vital for attracting the Wii generation
This week Nintendo didn't so much surprise us with a Nintendo Direct, but left it outside the door unannounced and ran away giggling. Again apparently relying on the rapid influence of word of mouth, or perhaps acknowledging that much of the target audience aren't Nintendo...
Video Let's Play DuckTales: Remastered - Episode I: The Moon
Getting to grips with the updated classic
DuckTales: Remastered — WayForward's HD reimagining of the NES classic — is, according to Nintendo Life Editorial Director Damien McFerran, a very challenging game. Rory Cocker — a 20-year-old, nappy-clad baby of a gamer — is, according to Damien, relatively inexperienced and naive. You may have...
Developer Interview Black Forest Games on Bringing Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams to Wii U
"We are planning to bring every game we develop to the Wii U as well"
The Wii U eShop may have endured a relatively dry spell immediately after launch, but in recent times it's played host to a number of highly rated titles, with plenty more on the way. One of these releases is Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, a new title in a franchise that dates...
Hands On Assault Android Cactus
Crazy name, crazy game
Assault Android Cactus is a name that may initially baffle, but once the game begins makes perfect sense; that's the case with this title as a whole. Bullet-hell shooters like this can look like confusing, terrifying propositions to the wrong audience, but once into the action anyone with quick thumbs will have a lot of fun...
Developer Interview WayForward on Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, Going to HD and Expanding the Franchise
Moving onto bigger screens
WayForward is a company that seems to have two very different representations of itself. There's the contracting company that takes on projects for third-parties, some of which are excellent, crowd-pleasing projects and other movie spin-offs that perhaps aren't, and then there's WayForward the developer of its own popular,...
Potential fulfilled
Toki Tori 2 was a bold, ambitious game in its design, and delivered on many fronts. Its deliberately hands-off approach, combined with occasionally ambiguous objectives and awkward backtracking counted against it in the eyes of some — certainly not all — gamers. In our review we awarded 7/10, concluding that a high degree of...
Developer Interview Two Tribes Clarifies Toki Tori 2+ Details and Confirms Classics Coming to Wii U
A great idea fully hatched?
Toki Tori 2 was always high on a number of Wii U eShop wishlists when it was announced prior to the Wii U's launch. Toki Tori was an early standout on WiiWare, yet developer Two Tribes didn't simply repeat the formula with the sequel, instead opting for a bold approach where puzzles were simply part of a larger world, and...
Talking Point Nintendo's eShop Policies Deserve Both Praise and Attention
We break down the known details of eShop publishing
Just recently we reported on announcements made by Nintendo of Europe's Business Development Manager, Ed Valiente, who gave a presentation on eShop publishing at The Indie Games Collective event at the UKIE HQ in London. We picked up on a couple of notable revelations, relating to Miiverse coming...
Start your engines
TNT Racers: Nitro Machines Edition is a high octane battle racing game developed by German studio keen games. It draws on inspiration from classic titles like Micro Machines and features an isometric viewpoint with all drivers competing on the same screen. Previously released on WiiWare, this updated version on Wii U crams in...
Interview Designer Luc Bernard Talks Wii U And Crowdfunding His Vision
The man behind Eternity's Child is back
Remember Luc Bernard? He's the guy behind Eternity's Child — the WiiWare title that never was — and has since produced a string of titles such as Mecho Wars and SteamPirates on iOS and Android. A long-time fan of Nintendo, Bernard has been watching the recent developments on the Wii U and 3DS with...
Interview Denis Dyack on Shadow of the Eternals, Community Engagement and Eternal Darkness
Precursor's chief creative hopes to give players the power of development
Silicon Knights' Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was hands-down one of the Gamecube's most memorable gems. Its tale of unimaginable death and woe through the ages was all well and good for a horror game in the style of author HP Lovecraft, but the title really carved a name...
Interview Ripstone on Pure Chess, Knytt Underground and Joining the eShop
Pushing cross-platform play and planning for the future
After a spell of silence and mystery beyond games confirmed earlier in the year, we're now getting a better idea of the range of titles coming to the Wii U eShop in the rest of 2013 and into 2014. More from North American developers is likely to emerge in the coming weeks and months, while...
Interview Capcom on Remastering DuckTales, The Perils of GamePad Maps and Reaching a New Audience
Aiming for big bucks
The release of DuckTales: Remastered is certainly a notable event for some retro gamers, for whom the 8-bit original is likely to be regarded as an all-time classic. A tough challenge, fun action and an awesome soundtrack are some of the features often cited, so this HD re-release — with some other modern touches applied —...
Talking Point The "Indie Spotlight" Was A Bright Point of Nintendo Direct, But More is Needed
Both sides of the Atlantic should make noise for the Wii U eShop
Last week's major Nintendo Direct, by which we mean the full-fat multi-game broadcast on 7th August, served up the odd surprise and some release dates, with plenty also left in the tank for future presentations. What was certainly surprising, and one of the most popular news articles...
Feature EarthBound Captivates Miiverse
The old and rare meets new and inclusive
More than a week ago, EarthBound arrived on the Wii U Virtual Console, with Nintendo adopting a shock tactic by releasing the long-awaited title with no advance notice. Though the merits of dropping one of the Nintendo community's most talked about games onto the service in that manner can be debated, what is...
Talking Point The Download Games Battle is Just Beginning
So where does Nintendo and the Wii U eShop stand?
As a sign of the increasingly busy — or perhaps that should be frantic — times in which we live, it took a matter of hours for an element of a news item from yesterday to become comprehensively out of date. We're referring to an article where small 'indie' developers outlined Nintendo's approach...
Talking Point The Wii U Has Plenty of Opportunities for "Brand-New Types of Games"
That "strong impact in the market" could be crucial
At the end of last week Nintendo released the official translations of Satoru Iwata's most recent investor Q & A, giving us an insight into Nintendo's current standing with that audience and providing some useful teases of information on what's to come. These meetings are intriguing as, in a...
Your View The Issues of Collecting and Owning Download-Only Games
Downloads aren't forever
At the start of this week we posted a talking point on the questionable collectibility of download-only game libraries, an issue that's yet to come to a head on Nintendo systems. So far its debut download-only platforms, the Wii Shop and DSiWare, have been available in the company's current systems. The approaches have been...
Talking Point The Uncertain Collectible Future of Download-Only Game Libraries
Servers will surely shut down, but what about the games?
Just before the weekend, a number of Wii Channels were shut down. On 28th June most of the online enabled channels and services — such as Weather, News, Everyone Votes and Wii Connect 24 — went off air; low participation rates more than likely caused Nintendo to deem them an expense not...
Developer Interview Phil Tossell Talks Tengami and Japanese Papercraft
Ex-Rare developer talks us through his new experience
Back in April, we got the exclusive scoop on Tengami's Wii U release. Two months later, we caught up with the game's developer and former Rare coding guru, Phil Tossell, to talk about the Japanese-themed pop-up adventure. Nintendo Life: We're here with Phil Tossell of Nyamyam Games. You may know...
Developer Interview Richard Perrin Talks About Journal and Nintendo's Approach to Indies
"Nintendo are leagues ahead of where they’ve been in the past"
We recently caught up with Richard Perrin - the creator of Kairo and the white chamber - at the Rezzed PC and Indie Games Show at the NEC in Birmingham to find out what's happening with his latest creation, Journal. Richard is currently focusing on the Windows version of the game, but...
Feature A Miiverse Adventure With Mega Man X
Time for some Megan Man, er, Mega Man
A little while ago we reviewed Mega Man X on the Wii U Virtual Console, and liked it a lot. We happen to think this is a brilliant game, but it may nevertheless seem peculiar to those encountering it for the first time. We decided to try and see the game through fresh eyes while working on the review, and below...
Developer Interview Renegade Kid on Mutant Mudds Deluxe and Looking Forward with Wii U
"It is all about the games"
Mutant Mudds Deluxe will not only bring the return of the highly-rated 3DS eShop title on a HD platform, it'll also be Renegade Kid's home console debut. Since the studio was founded in 2007 it's focused, primarily, on Nintendo's DS, DSi and 3DS systems, with recent diversions to PC and iOS in the form of Mutant Mudds...
Talking Point Nintendo Should Step Up for the Wii U eShop
It can be the home of creative new ideas from the big N
So, where does the eShop stand at roughly six months old? It's had an uneven release schedule, but looking at it as a complete picture we feel that it has a solid initial library with decent variety, combining some multi-platform titles with the odd exclusive thrown in, with genres and price...
Feature Ten Smartphone and Tablet Games We'd Like to See on Wii U
Oh yes, we're going there
Earlier this week we reported on a story in the Japanese media that Nintendo is providing developers with software to convert smartphone games to Wii U. If true that could potentially have various implications, but until Nintendo reveals more — the source report was a little vague and quoted anonymous "company sources"...
Talking Point The Wii U Virtual Console Has Started, But Not With a Bang
Oh for the days of that Revolution reveal
The Wii U Virtual Console is well and truly up and running, which its greatest supporters will say is a more-than-welcome boost of old-school goodies to fill out the Wii U lineup, and the greatest cynics may say it's another example of Nintendo mastering the art of selling very old rope. Based on the...
Developer Interview Rex Rocket Creator On Bringing Pixel-Heavy Action To The 3DS And Wii U
"3DS and the Wii U are two of the best platforms we could hope to get on"
We recently reported on the Kickstarter campaign for Rex Rocket and the chances of the game making its way to the 3DS and Wii U eShops. Creator Rob Maher got in touch with us to talk a little more about the project, as well as future ideas for Nintendo systems. Nintendo Life:...
Talking Point The Importance of the Virtual Console
Old games seem to sell
The start of a new console generation is always problematic for fans of older titles, as with each passing system backward compatibility becomes an increasing issue, and older titles risk being lost to the ages due to damage. Nintendo’s recent policy has been one of allowing backward compatibility for the previous generation...
Talking Point iDÉAME, Unity and Nintendo's Continuing Indie Crusade
Yet more evidence of the vital role of smaller studios
If you go back even a relatively short amount of time, for example ten years, most gaming was locked down by fairly high profile releases from the great gate-keepers of the games industry, such as Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Capcom, EA, Activision, Ubisoft and more. These names are all familiar...
Developer Interview Ubisoft on the Expanding Rayman Legends and Wii U's Free Challenge Mode
The upcoming Wii U eShop app sounds promising
When Wii U was preparing for launch, a good number of gamers were particularly excited about Rayman Legends, at one time a Wii U-exclusive launch title. Unfortunately for those eager fans, both promising selling points fell by the way-side, with an initial delay to Spring 2013 being extended to...
Feature Ten SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis Games We Want on the Wii U Virtual Console
They skipped Wii VC, so now their time has come
Earlier this week we were rather pleased the share the news, based on a couple of sources, that Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse looks set to come to Wii U. It's unclear whether it'll be a straight-up re-release (on the Virtual Console) or a remastered port, but whatever the case it's a SEGA...
Feature The Biggest Wii U Games of 2013 - Spring Edition
Time for a few changes
At the start of the year we published our Biggest Wii U games of 2013 feature, sharing some of the exciting releases set for Nintendo's latest home console. That list included some titles that are now available, and also some "before 31st March" predictions that have come and gone — those due to drop out due to imminent or...
Developer Interview Yacht Club Games On Shovel Knight And Loving Nintendo
"We grew up playing Nintendo games on the NES and SNES"
Yesterday we reported that Yacht Club Games' Kickstarter campaign for Shovel Knight had hit its funding target with two weeks to spare. Fresh from this success, studio founder Sean Velasco kindly took some time out of his busy schedule to speak to us about the split from WayForward...
Feature The Making of Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom & Shadow Over Mystara
Hey waiter, you got some RPG in my beat ‘em up!
The fantasy role-playing series Dungeons & Dragons has enjoyed a long a fruitful relationship with the pastime of video gaming. We’ve seen countless digital interpretations of the tabletop war-game, each one utilising the staggering scope of the licence to create new and amazing worlds for the...
Developer Interview Scientifically Proven Is Bringing "Brutal, White Knuckle" Platforming To Wii U
Former Call of Duty dev announces Blood of the Werewolf for the Wii U eShop
Scientifically Proven Entertainment is a studio which has its fingers in many pies. It produces award-winning apps, content for TV and — possibly most importantly — video games. Speaking of which, it gives us great pleasure to exclusively confirm that the company's next...
Talking Point Wii U eShop Discounts Show It's a Vibrant Marketplace, Not a Monopoly
Nintendo's digital strategy continues to evolve
This week it was confirmed that a sale on Ubisoft's retail Wii U downloads, which arrived in North America in mid-February, will hit Europe this week. It's the latest small landmark in what's become a regular series of subtle evolutions in Nintendo's download platform strategies, and one that strongly...
Developer Interview Dakko Dakko On Creating The Ultimate Social Arcade Game For This Generation
"Wii U is great fun to develop on", says Scram Kitty developer
UK studio Dakko Dakko has Nintendo at its heart, thanks to the fact that founder Rhodri Broadbent has ties with the famous video game veteran — he worked on Star Fox Command during his tenure at Dylan Cuthbert's Q-Games in Japan. Dakko Dakko's next project — the wonderfully titled...
Developer Interview Ambient Studios On The Possibility Of Bringing Death Inc. To Wii U
"Vote with your wallets!"
Last week, we reported that Ambient Studios — the team behind Kickstarter title Death Inc. — were considering bringing the game to the Wii U eShop. Soon after the story went live, Ambient director and co-founder Jonny Hopper got in touch with us to explain a bit more about his company and the long-term aspirat
Talking Point Early Flirtations With Wii U "Free to Play" Are Just the Start
Blasting away some kinks
While Europeans have endured a rather frustrating trend of late, waiting for various games to arrive that have already graced North America, the region has enjoyed first dibs on the Wii U eShop's dalliances with free-to-play download models. We're referring to Zen Pinball 2 and today's arrival, a downloadable tweaked version...
Developer Interview Why The 90's Arcade Racer Is The Ultimate Love Letter To Sega's Daytona USA
Antonis Pelekanos talks exclusively about the hottest racer on the Wii U eShop
The news that The 90's Arcade Racer is coming to the Wii U eShop courtesy of Nicalis has pretty much made our week — this colourful love letter to Sega's arcade racers is shaping up to be one of our most eagerly-awaited download releases of 2013. We spoke to the game's...
Developer Interview WaterMelon On Kickstarter, Nintendo And Bringing Pier Solar To The Wii U
"Working with Nintendo is much easier than one would think"
We reported last year that WaterMelon's 16-bit RPG Pier Solar would be gracing the Wii U in the near future, having secured funding for a HD remake via Kickstarter. The team is busy working on the HD version as we speak, so we thought it would be a good time to get in touch and talk about...
Talking Point The Wii U Virtual Console Trial Campaign's Advertising Role
Simple but effective
Among the many announcements in yesterday's Wii U Direct, only one had an immediate impact on console owners, with the Wii U Virtual Console Trial Campaign launching right after the broadcast. Balloon Fight is now available to download with some Wii U-exclusive features — which we'll get to later — and the release schedule...
Feature A Tour of the Two Tribes HQ
Going behind the scenes
With its upcoming Wii U eShop release of Toki Tori 2, as well as plans to port a couple of existing titles to the console's download platform, developer Two Tribes has a lot of work on its plate. Despite that the team has been kind enough to produce the following exclusive tour of its HQ, giving an insight into the size of...
Developer Interview Zen Studios On Portable Pinball Success And Wii U
The pinball wizards have more to come
Zen Studios is an experienced indie developer that, despite its varied projects, is possibly best known for its pinball games. It's a team that wasn't entirely unfamiliar with Nintendo hardware in past generations — it developed Ghostbusters: The Video Game for DS — and it's become best known to fans of the...
Feature The Biggest Wii U Games of 2013
Well, those that we know about
2012 was a busy year for Nintendo — which our upcoming yearly review will hopefully demonstrate — but now it's all about moving forward with its current systems, with Wii U hogging plenty of headlines by virtue of the fact that it's less than two months old. We won't truly know how well worldwide launch and Holiday...