Wii U eShop News
December2014
Feature A Year in Development - Curve Digital
Curve's Rob Clarke highlights Nintendo's welcoming Indie policies
In the second entry of this 2014 'Year in Development' series, Curve Digital's PR and Marketing Manager — Rob Clarke — talks about the company's busy year of Wii U eShop releases and Nintendo's support for 'Nindies'. It’s six o’clock, and I’m at the bar alone at a busy...
Epic fail
Every so often, a small indie gem comes along that blows gamers out of the water with its surprising polish, addictive gameplay, wonderful sense of presentation and intelligent design. Ninja Pig Studios' Meme Run is not one of those games. In fact, Meme Run may be one of the worst releases on any gaming platform this year. A cynical and...
News Hollow Knight Hits Stretch Goal to Confirm Wii U eShop Release
O Hollow Knight, divine?
Hollow Knight was a Kickstarter campaign that we reported on earlier in December, and though we teased it for the obvious inspiration from Shovel Knight, we were nevertheless intrigued. While the character name and a couple of moves are similar to the excellent Yacht Club Games title, it'
Nintendo Download 18th December (North America)
Mega Man treats, 99Moves, Meme Run, discounts galore and more
It's time for the final Nintendo Download Update before Christmas Day, and it's a meaty line-up in North America. We have a host of new downloads on both the Wii U and 3DS, two retro offerings on the home console and a whole load of tempting discounts. There's lots to see, so let's get to...
News North American Release Date Confirmed for Duck Hunt on the Wii U Virtual Console
Dust off that Wii Zapper
Nintendo has officially announced that Duck Hunt will be arriving on the Wii U eShop in North America on 25th December 2014. We've known that the title was coming to the West ever since it was revealed alongside the Duck Hunt character present in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, but until now we only knew the...
News Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams GamePad Sound Patch Hitting North America In January
There's a chance the game will get Dream Rush local multiplayer, too
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams launched on Wii U with a bug which prevented sound from being outputted from the GamePad's speaker, and while this was fixed in the European edition of the game, North American players are still waiting for the fix. We recently approached Black Forest...
News Shin'en Multimedia Wii U and 3DS eShop Discounts Arrive Today
Nano Assault! Art of Balance! Jett Rocket II!
We may have already had this week's Nintendo Download Update details for Europe, but a few more surprise discounts will arrive as the stores freshen up today (18th December). While one Shin'en Multimedia game was listed in the 3DS eShop discounts initially, it's now been confirmed that a total of six...
Review Lode Runner (Wii U eShop / NES)
Not quite endless runner
Broderbund's Lode Runner is a challenging puzzler that, unfortunately, hasn't aged particularly gracefully. Originally released in 1983 on computers like the Apple II and the Commodore 64, Lode Runner feels dated, even for an NES game. It's easy to see the reason Lode Runner was released on so many different platforms over...
News Mega Man Zero Arrives Along With More Discounts on the Wii U eShop
Another spin-off arrives for the current generation
While the arrival of Game Boy Advance games on the Wii U Virtual Console — as opposed to the 3DS equivalent — caused head scratching earlier this year, the undeniable positive is the release of a host of high quality titles on the system. We can now add another Capcom spin-off to that list,...
News Black Forest Games Confirms New Giana Sisters Title
"Expect a new Giana early 2016"
Adrian Goersch of Black Forest Games revealed in an interview with Red Bull that a new game in the Giana Sisters series should be expected in early 2016. With an HD Director's Cut of Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams arriving on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One – but sadly not Wii U – in the near future, Goersch explains...
News Contra Advance Is Locked And Loaded For A Wii U Virtual Console Sortie
Handheld Hard Corps
Konami's Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX has been rated by the Australian Classification Board and should arrive on the Wii U in the near future as a Virtual Console download. This is a loose port of the SNES classic Contra III: The Alien Wars and originally hit the Game Boy Advance in 2002. In Japan, it was known as Contra:...
News Shantae And The Pirate's Curse All Set For Festive Wii U Release in North America
A virtual stocking filler
Shantae And The Pirate's Curse arrived on 3DS in North America in late October, though it's been delayed into 2015 in Europe. That delay announcement also indicated that the Wii U version will hit the EU alongside the portable original, but gamers in North America will have that HD option a little sooner.
Review Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Not just a load of balls
Following on from the highly enjoyable Pokémon Pinball on the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color, Nintendo released a successor to coincide with the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Now, with Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire firmly secured by many a 3DS owner, Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
News RCMADIAX Confirms Two Wii U eShop Releases This Week
One crossover, one simple multiplayer game
RCMADIAX has been an active developer on the Wii U eShop this year, being the first to publish a Nintendo Web Framework title in the West with BLOK DROP U, before following up with more budget titles in North America. The focus throughout 2014 has been on low-priced releases and collaborations, which will...
News Game Boy Advance Shooter Pocky & Rocky With Becky Gets Rated Down Under
Rocking up for a PAL release soon
A rating for the 2002 Game Boy Advance title Pocky & Rocky with Becky has appeared on the Australian Classification Board site. A sequel to Taito's Kiki Kaikai — which made its début in arcades back in 1986 — Pocky & Rocky with Becky follows in the footsteps of previously localised titles Pocky &...
News Platinum Games’ Producer Thanks Wii U Owners Who Bought Bayonetta 2 on Release
Relieved by the warm reception
Despite an underwhelming sales performance on release, Platinum Games’ Bayonetta 2 was still a critically acclaimed and highly anticipated angel & demon hunting experience. With the dust now settled, the producer of Bayonetta 2 – Akiko Kuroda – has recently spoken out via Platinum’s website about the...
News December's Club Nintendo Rewards Aim to Bring Festive Cheer
Super Mario Kart! Kid Icarus! Kirby! More!
It's now time for the final North American Club Nintendo rewards update of 2014, with the December offerings taking us well into 2015 and giving keen coin collectors their last chance to splash the virtual cash before Christmas. This batch has the now-standard eight games, with four across Wii U and Wii...
Re-telling Greek legends on the Wii U eShop
Aurelien Regard isn't perhaps a name which will be instantly familiar with gamers. While fellow countrymen like Éric Chahi and Michel Ancel attract plenty of attention thanks to their famous titles, Regard has been dutifully plugging away in the shadows. Formerly of the now-defunct French studio Arkedo...
News Plenty of Fishies Swimming onto Wii U this Week
Finding Wiimo
Nitrolic is releasing a brand new title known as Plenty of Fishies to the Wii U eShop in the US. You control a fish – as you might imagine – and have to take on various challenges in order to get the highest score amongst your friends. The game features a number of different gameplay modes in both single player and multiplayer...
Nintendo Download 18th December (Europe)
99Moves, retro fighting, 3DS battles, puzzling sums and more
It's the final download update before a Christmas Day line-up, and it may be best to consider it a calm before a storm. There are some relatively promising new downloads on both Wii U and 3DS, along with discounts and demos, so there may be some games to part you from some cash before the...
Review Mighty Final Fight (Wii U eShop / NES)
Looks can be deceiving
At first glance, it would be easy to mistake Capcom's Mighty Final Fight as a cheap cash-in of a superior arcade beat 'em up, with its chibi-styled characters and its seemingly limited 8-bit presentation. But while Mighty Final Fight may appear simpler than other entries in the series — game history buffs would be interested...
Review GetClose: A Game for RIVALS (Wii U eShop)
Cheek to cheek
If you're wondering how Wombat Source came up with the title for GetClose: A Game for RIVALS, just imagine the proximity of two people who must hold opposite sides of a Wii U GamePad in order to control their respective characters on the TV screen. Not clear enough? What about two people on either side of a Wii U Pro Controller? Now...
Review Shiny The Firefly (Wii U eShop)
Glow or no?
In this reviewer’s opinion, any game that claims ‘funny faces’ as being a unique selling point in its advertising should be handled with caution, so without further ado let’s plunge into the realms of Shiny the Firefly. You control Shiny, the titular firefly in an effort to save its tiny firefly children that were scared by a...
News Developer of Retro City Rampage Explains, Again, Why a Wii U Release Won’t Be Happening
“You can already purchase and play the WiiWare version”
If you were still hoping to see the eventual release of Retro City Rampage on the Wii U eShop in the near future, it’s probably best you erase any thought of it from your mind now. In a post on the game's official website, Vblank Entertainment's Brian Provinciano has spoken out once...
Review Tested With Robots! (Wii U eShop)
Let it rust
It's no secret that Nintendo has relaxed its criteria for independent publishers to release their games on their eShop, and for better or for worse it looks like that policy is here for the foreseeable future. It's this relaxed attitude that is responsible for one of the latest releases on the eShop. Tested With Robots! is themed in a...
Nintendo Download 11th December (North America)
Ace Attorney trilogy, Xeodrifter, Lucadian Chronicles and much more
It's that time again, North America, for a whole load of download goodies to arrive on Wii U and 3DS. This week brings a high profile Capcom arrival and some promising options on the 3DS, while free-to-play appears (sort of) on the Wii U; both Virtual Console platforms get a game,...
News Shantae And The Pirate's Curse Delayed Into 2015 For Europe
Wii U version also set for late January / early February
WayForward's Shantae And The Pirate's Curse is already out in North America on the 3DS eShop, and we think it's fantastic, but it's been a frustrating wait for localisation in PAL countries. Unfortunately, it's been confirmed that the previous goal to get the 2D action adventure game out this...
Silly rabbit! Heptrix is for... wait, who IS it for?
Given the recent influx of shovelware on the Nintendo eShop — both on the 3DS and Wii U — it seems like the right time for new developers to ask themselves an important question before taking the plunge into the indie scene: why? There are already hundreds of thousands of games out there in...
More action adventure than platformer, however
As the video game industry gets older, we see less mind-blowing new concepts and more clever variations on established ideas. While pummelling foes with the downward shovel attack in Shovel Knight — the hugely successful title now also heading to Sony systems — we were reminded of DuckTales; that's...
News TACS Games' Space-Themed Puzzler "Factotum" Heading to Wii U eShop
TACS Games' first foray onto Nintendo hardware
The Wii U eShop is certainly brimming with indie games, but TACS Games' upcoming sci-fi puzzler — Factotum — looks like it could be one of the most unique titles available on the store with it's archaic visuals and brainteasing puzzles. TACS Games is a one man indie game development studio...
News Frenchy Bird is Flapping Its Way to Wii U in Early 2015
Guess what kind of game it is...
When we look back at viral and slightly confusing 2014 hits in gaming, Flappy Bird is likely to be on the list. Despite being an infuriating and simple game in which you simply tap to flap, it was downloaded millions of times and spawned enough clones to populate a dodgy Star Wars prequel. The trend eventually...
Review Shadow of the Ninja (Wii U eShop / NES)
Go ninja, go ninja GO!
Ninjas really were a hot ticket back in the '90s. The Turtles were making TV and toy executives money hand over fist, and children became so caught up in the craze they had the sheer gall to drag their parents into the cinema to watch dreck like Surf Ninjas. Yep, it was a great time to be a kid. The trend bled into gaming and...
News UCraft Wii U Beta Plans Outlined as New Trailer Makes The Case for Upcoming Release
Beta download to be available before full release
UCraft has had a mixed history to date, as it's a project with bold ambition that's also endured a failed Kickstarter campaign and a move to PC that ended its planned exclusivity to Wii U. It's endured its share of criticism, as a result. The aspirational feature-set is still front and centre of the...
Review S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team (Wii U eShop / NES)
I'm a scatman
Right, let's get this dealt with from the start; S.C.A.T is an awful name for a game — we won't go into why here, but it actually stands for Special Cybernetic Attack Team. Interestingly, the cart shipped in Europe as Action in New York. That's a much better title, although the game has as much to do with the Big Apple as mushy peas...
Nintendo Download 11th December (Europe)
Ace Attorney trilogy, Rune Factory 4, Pokémon Pinball, discounts and more
It's the start of another week, and Nintendo of Europe has served up what must be one of the lengthiest download updates we've seen to date. There are some new titles, including a couple of big hitters on the 3DS, while there's plenty of pinball of various types gracing the...
News Animal Crossing Plaza Service Stops At the End of This Month
More related news to arrive in 2015
With the Animal Crossing Plaza service ending this month, New Leaf Director, Aya Kyogoku, has issued a reminder and a message of thanks to loyal fans of the service. The plaza remains available on the Wii U eShop until 22nd December 2014, and when this year comes to a close, monthly surveys and the ability to...
Review Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge (Wii U eShop / NES)
Crashing with the boys
After another success at the track-meet Crash and the Boys from Southside High are issued a street challenge by a jealous rival; now they and teams from four other schools compete in a series of no-holds barred sporting events to find who really is the greatest. Crash ‘n the Boys: Street Challenge differs from other sporting...
News Shovel Knight Digs For Victory With 300,000 Copies Sold
That's across all formats
Yacht Club Games has revealed that Shovel Knight has sold 300,000 copies since launch. The Kickstarter-funded faux-retro platformer is available on PC, Wii U and 3DS. Back in August, Yacht Club Games revealed sales figures for the game, with 180,000 units sold at that point. Its crowd-funding goal was set at $75,000, but...
News Curve Studios Announces Titan Attacks for 3DS and Ultratron for Wii U
More "insane announcements" coming in the next few weeks
Curve Studios is already one of the most prolific publishers on the Wii U eShop in the latter half of 2014, but has now announced yet more projects coming to Nintendo hardware; this is hot on the heels of OlliOlli being confirmed for Wii U and 3DS in early 2015. As per that previous...
News Lucadian Chronicles is the Latest Free-to-Play Game Coming to Wii U
$7.99 for full game, micro-transactions won't be a factor
While Nintendo still prefers conventional approaches to selling games — you pay a price and receive the full game — it has, in recent times, shown an increasing willingness to explore areas such as DLC. It's also, to a lesser degree, explored and supported free-to-play — Steel Diver:...
Nintendo Download 4th December (North America)
Fire Emblem, Captain Toad, Running Lodes, discounts and more
Feeling festive? Then get ready for a generous helping of downloadable delights courtesy of Nintendo. Wii U title Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is leading the pack, with retro favourite Fire Emblem also arriving on Wii U. It's a slightly slimmer overall offering, though some discounts may...
Video Nintendo Minute Kicks Off Its Game of the Year Series, and Wants Your Votes
The eShop starts us off
It's that time of year again, when we all look back and think about our favourite games of the past 12 months. Official video series Nintendo Minute is naturally joining in, and has kicked off a run of videos that'll work through and award the host's Game of the Year nominees and winners. In this first video series hosts —...
News Fire Emblem Looks Set to Arrive on the North American Wii U Virtual Console This Week
Finally...
When the Game Boy Advance library started to arrive on the Wii U Virtual Console, some franchises and titles will have immediately leapt to the top of quite a few wishlists; with the relatively recent success on 3DS of Fire Emblem: Awakening, we suspect that the first entry from the GBA era — simply titled Fire Emblem — would have...
News Rad Skating Game OlliOlli is Tricking Its Way Onto Wii U and 3DS in Early 2015
Totally audacious, dude
Curve Studios has shown a great deal of support for the Wii U eShop recently, and has history with the 3DS eShop (and WiiWare before that) in developing Nintendo's Hydroventure: Spin Cycle / Fluidity; the company has also expressed its interest in bringing more content to the eShop should its recent titles — including...
Interview Shin'en Multimedia on FAST Racing NEO and its Development Approach
"We hope we can deliver the best eShop title"
Shin'en Multimedia is a name that'll be familiar to keen Nintendo download gamers, releasing a series of highly regarded titles across WiiWare, the 3DS eShop and the Wii U eShop. The studio is typically praised for extracting impressive performance from Nintendo's hardware, producing some of the...
News South Park Tables Available Soon in Zen Pinball 2 for Wii U
Canadian thrills
Zen Studios have announced that their highly enjoyable Wii U eShop game Zen Pinball 2 will soon have its very own pair of tables modelled after South Park. One of the tables in based around the main programme, and the other is specifically themed around the character Butters. These two tables will be available internationally from...
News Warhammer 40,000's Seminal Space Hulk Is Drifting Towards The Wii U eShop In 2015
Based on the PC version which launched last year
Games Workshop's tabletop battle game Space Hulk has enjoyed a proud connection with video games. The first interactive adaptations arrived soon after the launch of the boardgame in 1989, with home computers like the Commodore Amiga getting an excellent real-time tactical action title courtesy of...
News Life of Pixel Is A 2D Trip Through Gaming History, And It's Coming To The Wii U eShop
Pixel power
Super Icon's Life of Pixel is a 2D action platformer which aims to celebrate the days when the pixel was king. Placing the player in the role of the titular green hero, you must travel through gaming history and aid Pixel's quest of self-discovery. The title is already available on PC and Mac, and has a unique selling point — each...
Review Alphadia Genesis (Wii U eShop)
Alphadia Generic
Like every other game genre, there's no one set of generally agreed-upon rules for what makes a Japanese RPG good. Some people simply can't stand turn-based gameplay, feeling it's an obsolete relic of an era gone past; others get misty-eyed with nostalgia and/or prefer its more deliberate pacing. Then there are gamers who debate...
Nintendo Download 4th December (Europe)
Legend of Dark Witch, S.C.A.T., Mindfeud, loads of discounts and more
It's the first download update of December in Europe, and it brings a host of new games, decent Virtual Console options and plenty of discounts. There are also a couple of seasonal arrivals that need to improve a lot over previous entries, but overall there's a fair amount of...
November2014
Review Snake Den (Wii U eShop)
Snake? Snake?! SNAAAAAAAAAKE!
When revisiting a well-worn concept, it's important to bring something new to the table. After all, we've reached a point in the gaming industry where certain genres — first-person shooter, platformer and adventure, just to name a few — have been pioneered and perfected over the years by generations of developers...
News Nintendo eShop Maintenance Planned for 1st December
Get your shopping done
While perusing the 3DS eShop notifications and wondering why on Earth Tetris is being removed from the store, we saw a far more helpful message outlining that the download platform has a hefty chunk of maintenance on the way. There'll be a little over seven hours of downtime, though maintenance taking down the eShop stores is...
News Let's Summarise the Remaining eShop Deals on Wii U and 3DS
As Nintendo decided not to share...
Earlier this week a host of titles went on discount in North America, some of which were outlined in last week's download update without firm prices, and a whole load of others that came as surprises. We held off believing they'd all be covered in today's download update only to be foiled; there are plenty of...
Video Curve Studios Demonstrates Stealth Inc 2's Level Editor
Do your worst (by which we mean best)
In recent weeks we've been sharing a series of videos from Curve Studios which show off the various features of Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones. It's a title that we rate very highly, not least because it includes a lot of excellent features that flesh out the experience. One of these features is the Level...
Nintendo Download 27th November (North America)
Persona Q, Thomas Was Alone, Hyrule Warriors DLC, discounts galore and more
For those of you in the US celebrating it today, here we have the Thanksgiving edition of the Nintendo Download Update, while for everyone else in North America it's simply the 'wow look at all the discounts' edition. Alongside more price reductions than you could shake a...
Review Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Donkey wish your girlfriend was Kong like me?
Having stunned audiences with Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, Rare had an awful lot to live up to on the final entry of the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! sees the titular hero take centre stage after being second to the delightful...
News Teslagrad to Arrive at Retail on Wii U in Early 2015
Magnetic appeal
In this era of flourishing download-only stores that open the doors to a host of small development studios, it's not often that an indie game will make the move into physical retail. Teslagrad bucks that trend, however, having arrived on a diverse range of digital platforms — including the Wii U eShop — and is now on the way to...
News Image & Form Reveals That Steam Powered Giraffe is Producing the SteamWorld Heist Soundtrack
Will appear in-game, too
SteamWorld Dig, the 3DS eShop title — since ported to other platforms including Wii U — propelled Image & Form to prominence among Nintendo gamers and the wider gaming community, so there'll be plenty of attention on the upcoming SteamWorld Heist. Less a sequel and more of a spin-off, it sees the steam-driven robots...
News Spidey’s Arch-Nemesis Venom Is Receiving His Very Own Table In Zen Pinball 2
Releases on the Wii U eShop next month
The ongoing support for the Wii U version of Zen Pinball 2 continues with Zen Studios announcing Spider-Man’s symbiotic nemesis, Venom, will receive his very own themed table. The Marvel Comics-inspired table – also featuring the heroic web slinger Spider-Man, Eddie Brock as the empowered villain, and...
News Nintendo of America Announces Upcoming eShop 'Cyber Deals'
Like Black Friday without the crowds
We're heading into one of the biggest shopping weeks of the year, but Nintendo's keen to accommodate those that don't feel like venturing out into crowded shops. While there are hot releases arriving on the eShop in multiple regions, Nintendo of America has now confirmed that it'll also be running eShop 'Cyber...
Review Thomas Was Alone (Wii U eShop)
Simple brilliance
We're in the middle of one of the most diverse, intriguing periods in video game history. The rise of download games, small 'indie' developers and stores like the Wii U eShop have shifted how we think about content; we're a long way from the retail-only culture of the '90s or even early 2000s. One modern trend is for low-fi...
Nintendo Download 27th November (Europe)
Smash Bros., Pokémon, Thomas Was Alone, Hyrule Warriors DLC and much more
Another week begins, but the European Nintendo Download Update should have some exciting titles to cheer anyone up, with two of the year's biggest retail titles arriving on both Wii U and 3DS. Beyond those big contenders we have some enticing download options, so let's get to...
News Shigeru Miyamoto Discusses Production of the Pikmin Short Movies in a Miiverse Interview
A new HOME theme for the 3DS also revealed
The creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, has dabbled in many new and exciting experiences this year, including the production of animated shorts – he even had the opportunity to show his recently released Pikmin movies at the Toyko International Film Festival. Now, in an interview with Nintendo’s...
Review Natsume Championship Wrestling (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Tapped out
Let's be honest here: wrestling is essentially one big television drama, and that's no way an attempt to belittle the incredible athleticism of the men and women involved. It's Eastenders with a mullet and tight pants, complete with plot twists and a cast of larger than life characters to root for. These heels and faces are the reason we...
Review Sportsball (Wii U eShop)
No harm, no fowl
Nintendo has been highlighting TOO DX's Sportsball at various shows and conferences as one of several particularly strong "indie games" available on the Wii U eShop, promoting it as a quality party game. Though at first it looks like a primitive, simplistic Joust clone, its charms quickly become apparent with fast-paced gameplay and...
X-cruciating
In the world of platformers, the name of the game is control. That is to say, nothing speaks to a platform game's quality quite like the level of control the player feels they have over their character. Of course, control alone does not guarantee a successful product — creative level design that makes intuitive use of the mechanics is...
News Child of Light's Creative Director Paints a Picture of its Artistic Process
The game also made green, ended up in the black
Released back in spring Ubisoft Montreal's Child of Light possessed a uniquely gorgeous visual style that few, if any, have matched. In a talk at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) earlier this year, Creative Director Patrick Plourde discussed the journey from concept art to bringing the 2D RPG to...
Nintendo Download 20th November (North America)
Smash Bros., Pokémon ORAS, Watch Dogs, GBA DK, Battleminer and much more
It's time for the Nintendo Download update, North American gamers, and this week's update brings massive releases on Wii U and 3DS. Beyond the big-name retail titles we have some new download-only titles, a host of other retail downloads both old and new, retro GBA DK and a...
Review Mario Kart Super Circuit (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Good for another lap
When the Nintendo 64 hit the market and suggested that 2D games had gone the way of the dodo, many of us that were fond of fancy sprite-work were forced to dust off elderly hardware to scratch our itch for the classic genres we held dear — until the Game Boy Advance came along, that is. Often reflected upon as the second...
News Sakurai Explains Why Ridley Is Not A Playable Fighter In Super Smash Bros.
Wanted to provide an accurate portrayal of the space pirate
The recent reveal of Ridley in the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 50-fact extravaganza had Smash fans fooled for a brief moment thinking the well-known archenemy of Samus Aran was a playable character. As we now know though, this is not the case. In a re
Review Super Mario Advance - A Welcome Reworking Of Two Atypical Mario Platformers
Old Super Mario Bros.
While some video games don't age well, playing through Nintendo's back catalogue is generally like drinking a fine vintage wine. Super Mario Advance is rather unique in that it's a re-release of a collection of remade NES games. Super Mario Advance's brightly coloured remakes of Super Mario Bros. 2 and Mario Bros. and their...
Feature Kickstarter's Wii U and 3DS Campaigns - 19th November
Second chances and missed targets
Last week brought us a fairly busy Kickstarter update with a few success stories to celebrate, albeit with the flipside of other notable projects not hitting their targets. This week brings us more titles that have fallen short, while some new entries arrive with their second attempts on the crowdfunding platform...
Review Shuttle Rush (Wii U eShop)
Breath and taxes
Sometimes a game comes at you and everything seems fully as you expect… almost. It looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck. It’s definitely a duck. But then it moos a little and you’re forced to take a step back. That’s Shuttle Rush. General gameplay here is very straightforward: this is a...
News DK: King of Swing Looks Set for a Western Wii U Virtual Console Release
A bananas spin-off
There's certainly more to Donkey Kong than terrific 2D platformers — the ape began life as a villain in the iconic self-titled arcade, went 3D on the Nintendo 64, has gone up against Mario in some tricky puzzle games and even had his own set of bongos. All of that said, Game Boy Advance title DK: King of Swing is still one of...
News Nexis Games Defends UCraft's Multiplatform Move and PC Beta Release
PS4 and Xbox One on the agenda, no name change mentioned
In recent weeks and months we've seen the emergence of a few titles clearly inspired by Minecraft, the phenomenon now owned by Microsoft that's been released on all platforms bar Nintendo's. Block building open-world adventures with primitive visuals are popping up as confirmed or prospective...
News Wii U eShop Title Meme Run Seals Approval To Release This December
Totes LOLs guize, right? RIGHT?!?
Today is a red letter day. During moments like this, one cannot help but sit down and take stock of their own small part to play in this vast eternity we call existence. Crack open the history books, prepare for the very earth to shake, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria...Meme Run is coming. Yes in a...
Interview Curve Studios on the Unique Charm of Thomas Was Alone
"The more eShop titles there are, the better it is for everyone"
In recent weeks Curve Studios has been responsible for adding three high-quality titles to the Wii U eShop library — it ported and published both Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut and The Swapper, while bringing its own Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones to th
News The November Club Nintendo Rewards Are Now Up For Grabs
Pilotwings! Tokyo Crash Mobs! Metroid II! More!
Update: Shortly after publication four more games were added to the list, so the original article now reflects this. Original Article: It's time for the penultimate North American Club Nintendo rewards update of 2014, with details for November now available to tempt you into parting with hard-earned...
News Resolution Doesn't Matter With 2D Games, Says Hyper Light Drifter Developer
"I don’t think anybody actually cares about this with 2D games"
Wii U owners might not be quite so concerned with the subject of what resolution their games are running in, but for Xbox One and PS4 fans it's an ongoing concern. With certain cross-platform titles running at a higher resolution on one machine than the other, the topic is constantly...
Nintendo Download 20th November (Europe)
Watch Dogs + DLC, Sonic Boom x2, Natsume retro goodies and more
Another week begins, but at least those of us in Europe have the Nintendo Download news to cheer up our day. This week's line-up includes some major retail releases, new download-only options across the board (even DSiWare makes an appearance) and a range of DLC, HOME themes and more...
Review PING 1.5+ (Wii U eShop)
All over the place
Ping 1.5+ is a puzzle game that’s all about aiming and shooting a tiny white cube at a circular orange target. Of course that’s easier said than done, as you’ll need to judge the right angle, bank the cube off walls, and avoid colliding with obstacles to reach the target within the indicated number of bounces and/or moves...
Video Five Vital Tips for Conquering Shovel Knight
Courtesy of Yacht Club Games' Sean Velasco
Shovel Knight has been available for a good while now, yet those still digging in will have noticed that it's more than a simple A to B platformer. With in game currency, items and upgrades to manage it has its own levels of complexity, making it possible for players to inadvertently bypass important...
Nintendo Download 13th November (North America)
Mario Kart 8 DLC, LEGO Batman, Tengami, Sonic Boom x2 and much more
It's Nintendo Download time, North America, and this week is a bumper offering — we have major retail releases and exclusives on Wii U and 3DS, some intriguing new download-only titles, demos, discounts and, last but not least, Mario Kart 8 DLC. Lots to choose from, so let's get...
Above the fold
Development studio Nyamyam prides itself on being founded with the primary purpose of making games that are fun and meaningful. This is a company that openly states that through great love and attention, it strives to create beautifully crafted games that bring a little magic into people’s lives. This is a small band of Rare alumni...
News Mario Kart: Super Circuit is Racing Onto The Wii U Virtual Console
Rated and ready for a US release
Update: It seems this title is coming out today in North America, as a trailer has been posted on YouTube: [ Original Article: While ambassadors of the 3DS have had their hands on Mario Kart: Super Circuit since 2011, the rest of the Nintendo community has been wondering when the Game Boy Advance title would...
Feature Kickstarter's Wii U and 3DS Campaigns - 12th November
Updates on successes, failures, and more campaigns
It's been a while since our last Kickstarter update, so this one will incorporate plenty of successes and failures covering campaigns that have closed, in addition to some new projects currently battling towards the finishing line. There's at least one more game on the way to Wii U, at least. As...
Review Angry Bunnies: Colossal Carrot Crusade (Wii U eShop)
Colossal Clone Catastrophe
More and more cheap titles on the Wii U eShop are being released with amateurish production and design, and Cypronia's Angry Bunnies: Colossal Carrot Crusade is only a half-step up. A port of a 3DS Angry Birds clone, Colossal Carrot Crusade contains the exact content of its 3DS counterpart, but with added online...
News Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Pre-Purchase and Pre-Load Now Available on the eShop
17.2GB in space required, will allow immediate launch day play
Not long ago Nintendo announced that it was introducing a pre-download service to the Wii U eShop that'll kick off with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U; it'll eventually be utilised more and on 3DS in 2015. The exciting news is that details have been confirmed, meaning that fans of...
Micro Machines-style racer is hitting consoles first this time around
Former Psygnosis staffer and Wipeout developer Nick Burcombe plies his trade at Playrise Digital these days, and has overseen the release of the successful Table Top Racing on smartphones and tablets. He and his studio are now hard at work on the sequel — Table Top Racing: World...
Review The Swapper (Wii U eShop)
A clone in the dark?
With the Wii U eShop’s recent flurry of sci-fi titles such as Master Reboot and The Fall finding a home on the digital service, what does it take for yet another game set in space to stand out from the crowd? Puzzles. Yep, but not just any old puzzles — spatial physics-based conundrums that’ll give your brain a thorough...
Review SDK Paint (Wii U eShop)
Just OK Paint
SDK Paint has an interesting history. Its developer, Hullbreach Studios, began making JavaScript applications for Wii, Nintendo DSi, and Nintendo 3DS using their respective Internet browsers. These include both the initial versions of SDK Paint — DSi Paint and 3DS Paint — as well as a full-fledged browser-based MMORPG called...
Review Chests O' Booty (Wii U eShop)
Pieces of 2048
You can hardly swing a stylus without hitting a match-three game on the 3DS eShop these days, but so far the relentless tide of phoned-in puzzlers has mostly sidestepped the Wii U’s digital storefront. And while Chests O’ Booty might at first look like a pirate-themed take on more of the same, it’s actually a surprisingly unique...
News Art Academy for Wii U Pushed Back to 2015 in North America
Joins previously confirmed delay in Europe
Art Academy for Wii U, which will be an eShop-only release, has had a low profile existence, enduring delays and only occasional mentions by Nintendo. The full release follows the 2013 arrival of the pared-back Art Academy: SketchPad; the updated release will have the lessons and full tool-set typically...
Review Costume Quest 2 (Wii U eShop)
Fine, but not double fine
As RPGs go, the original Costume Quest was never a particularly complex affair. The same thing can be said about its sequel, Costume Quest 2, which takes the two trouble-seeking children into another Halloween adventure, but this time in different periods of recent history. You control Wren and Reynold, two marginally...
Nintendo Download 13th November (Europe)
Mario Kart 8 DLC, Golden Sun, Tengami, LEGO, Castlevania and more
It's another Monday morning, which means we have Nintendo Download news for European gamers. It's a packed week with a major retail release, eagerly anticipated DLC, some high-profile Virtual Console games and enticing download-only titles to consider. There's a lot to get through, so...
Review Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (Wii U eShop / GBA)
The best for last?
Konami's Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is the third and final Castlevania title for the GBA, and arguably the strongest. A departure from the typical period drama involving the extended and ever-complicated Belmont clan, Aria of Sorrow introduces new characters and mythology into the series while also building on what has made...
Review Flapp & Zegeta (Wii U eShop)
What the Flapp?
On Denysoft's official website, Flapp & Zegeta comes with a disclaimer reproduced here verbatim: "Warning: this may be one of the most challenging games of all times it may require a high level of intelligence and reflexes to get through." Rest assured, Flapp & Zegeta is challenging. In fact, it probably does meet its lofty...
Review Rock Zombie (Wii U eShop)
B movie beat 'em up
It's always a pleasant surprise when a game surpasses your expectations. Suffice it to say, this reviewer's expectations were modest going into Rock Zombie — the goofy synthesized guitars, expressionless character models and mangled English dialogue all seemed to lead in one direction: pain. But you can't go into every game...
Video Take a Closer Look at the Awesome GamePad and Co-Op Features of Stealth Inc 2
Be stealthy together
We're big fans of Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones here at Nintendo Life, a Wii U eShop exclusive that combines solid platforming, a Metroidvania world and terrific level design; we awarded it a handsome 9 out of 10 in our review. A key feature that we appreciated in that review is the local co-op, which utilises the GamePad...
Review Falling Skies: The Game (Wii U eShop)
Falling to pieces
Video games have relied on the standard 'alien invasion' plot since the very beginning. It takes a unique twist to make it work in this day and age, whether it's a new gameplay style or a refreshingly original storyline, and that isn't an easy task. Falling Skies: The Game takes fun, tactical gameplay and blends it with the...