Wii U News
January2016
Random Eager Super Mario Maker Creator Shares Mario's Lost World, a 38 Stage Extravaganza
Time for an overworld feature, perhaps?
Super Mario Maker may have now been around for roughly four months, but many thousands of gamers are still logging on regularly to play and create stages. There's been some disquiet around stages disappearing with little explanation since the New Year - though the reasoning is likely 'low popularity' or...
Nintendo Life Weekly Twilight Princess HD amiibo Dungeon, Pokémon Yellow 2DS
Model business
Another week, another look back and round-up in the form of a video. If you've been caught up in the tide of nonsense that many are currently calling January, you may well have missed some important Nintendo news. Thankfully, we've got the solution! This week we look at the rumour surrounding a new dungeon in The Legend of Zelda:...
No standalone Wolf Link amiibo, yet
Through various retailers across different countries it's become clear that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and its Wolf Link amiibo will be available in various ways, and now the Official Nintendo UK Store has pitched in with its pre-order promotions, though it's not offering every option we expected...
News Pokkén Tournament Will be Picking Fights on 18th March
Huzzah!
Update: This 18th March release is for both Europe and North America, which is excellent news. [tweet Original Article: It's the season for silly game delay rumours, and thankfully one can now be put to bed with a nice cup of cocoa. Pokkén Tournament is confirmed to be coming to Europe on 18th March, making it a welcome addition to the...
News Super Mario Maker Joins Elite List of Wii U Games to Pass One Million Sales in the US
Making dollars
While the big picture and overall sales history may not be kind to the Wii U in generations to come, the qualities of the system and some of its exclusive games have ensured that fans have happily picked up some titles in significant numbers. Super Mario Maker, Nintendo's fantastic level creation tool of 2015, has now joined a list of...
News Pokkén Tournament Modes and Details Emerge
Details of online, offline and LAN are revealed
Pokkén Tournament is due this Spring and looks set to be a key Wii U release for the first half of the year. When you combine Pokémon with the first fighting game of its style on the system since Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - or so it seems - you have the potential ingredients for a success story. In...
News The Custom Hydra Splatling, Splatoon's Last Update Weapon, Goes Live on 15th January
The end of an era
We all knew that this day would be coming, but it's still a bittersweet time. The end of the free Splatoon weapon updates has come, and it will be marked by the launch of the final weapon: Custom Hydra Splatling. The Custom Hydra Splatling is, erm, a custom Hydra Splatling, with the main difference here being that it uses the...
News Chandelure Will Be the Next Pokkén Tournament Fighter
Just what everyone asked for
Very recently, it was leaked that Mewtwo, Braixen, and Garchomp would be joining the fighter roster for Pokkén Tournament, but those were actually unrelated to the announcement last week that a new fighter would be revealed. Well, the lid's finally been lifted, and the new character is… unexpected. The official...
Talking Point Considering amiibo Features and the Reality of 'Physical DLC'
The evolution of amiibo, locked content and why some hate it
Courtesy of Famitsu screens and Amazon France continuing its impressive record of product page blunders, some details have dribbled out recently for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Much of the information has been relatively minor, but one potential detail - let's consider it...
News Bayonetta 2 to Have a Standalone North American Release on 19th February
Will set you back $29.99
Bayonetta 2 remains one of the finest exclusive releases on Wii U, though back in October 2014 it had an interesting, and slightly muddled, release. After flip-flopping on details following its initial E3 reveal, Nintendo's regional subsidiaries ended up taking different approaches when publishing the PlatinumGames title. In...
Nintendo Download 14th January (North America)
Metroid: Zero Mission! Space Hulk! Slice It! Discounts! More!
It's Nintendo Download Update time once again, with this week's North American offerings bringing a mix of old and new treats. The Wii U Virtual Console catches up with a long-demanded Game Boy Advance title, while there's also some strategy, gallery shooting and more coming to the home...
Rumour Twilight Princess HD to Feature Special amiibo Dungeon, Hero Mode and Touchscreen Inventory
Zelda-series amiibo to help with extra hearts, arrows etc
When it comes to early game leaks, Amazon France is certainly on the shortlist as one of the most prolific sources. That seems to be the case once again, with a listing for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD spilling the beans on some new features in the HD remaster. Some of the...
News Nintendo's European Sites Give Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympics An August Release Date
That's during the actual Olympics
Nintendo recently confirmed that the 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was coming out in North America in March, but wouldn't give a solid release date for the Wii U version of the game. However, some of Nintendo's European regional sub-sites - including
News Skylanders Superchargers Nintendo Combo Packs Are Exclusive To Smyths Toys In The UK
£24.99 a pop
Donkey Kong and Bowser were surprise additions to the Skylanders Superchargers line-up, and have recently been re-launched independently from the starter packs they were originally bundled in, making it easier than ever for amiibo collectors to get their hands on them. The packs are now available in the UK, and are exclusive to Smyths...
News The Princess Daisy Costume is Finally Coming to Super Mario Maker
It's actually happening
Costume updates for Super Mario Maker are a fairly regular occurrence nowadays, it seems a new one pops up almost every week. Sure, none of them actually do anything special, but it can be much more satisfying to occasionally play through a Mario stage as a pigeon instead of just Mario. Nintendo of America just revealed the...
Rumour You Can Hold More Rupees in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
Deep pockets
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD will be releasing in less than two months now, though what changes it will be making to the original are still mostly a mystery to us. Considering how The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD tweaked and adjusted various aspects of gameplay to bring it more in line with modern gameplay standards,...
Poll Are You Optimistic About Nintendo's 2016?
It's a big year for the company
With 2016 now well underway many thoughts are on what will be a vital 12 months for Nintendo. In this year alone it'll reveal - and potentially release - its next generation of gaming hardware with the NX, it'll launch its first smart device apps and the My Nintendo / Nintendo Account services. Throw in the annual...
Gallery Have a Gawk at The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD's Boxart
There may be less tears of light to collect, too...
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is one of the most notable releases in the first half of this year, bringing the GameCube / Wii title into the high-definition era with some amiibo support thrown in. It should provide a decent start to the year's 30th Anniversary celebrations for the...
News Satoru Iwata to Receive Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at D.I.C.E.
Splatoon and Super Mario Maker among award nominees
With a summit in the days before, details have now been issued for the 19th D.I.C.E. Awards on 18th February; this is a prestigious annual event hosted by The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Nintendo picked up a few awards in late 2015 for key releases such as Splatoon and Super Mario...
News Monster Hunter X (Cross) and New 3DS Continue to Lead the Way in Japan
Splatoon, Super Mario Maker and Wii U also continue decent momentum
The festive period certainly brought cheer for Nintendo in its homeland, as the New 3DS and Wii U enjoyed impressive sales while their key releases led the software charts. The latest Media Create Japanese charts show some understandable drops as January bites, yet the results are...
News Garchomp, Braixen and Mewtwo Will Join the Fight in Pokkén Tournament
Mewtwo's a bit of a veteran fighter
Just recently it was confirmed that the roster for Pokkén Tournament on Wii U was set to grow again ahead of its Spring release. Now, courtesy of a CoroCoro leak - thanks Serebii - there are details of three Pokémon that will be playable and jumping into battle. These will be as follows, with the scan also...
Video Watch as New Super Mario Bros. Wii Gets Pitted Side-by-Side with its Wii U Successor
HD-licious
New Super Mario Bros. Wii has joined its younger sibling New Super Mario Bros. U on the Wii U eShop in Europe. Many people jump to compare the two and believe them to be achingly similar, so in order to put this to the test once and for all we've put both games side-by-side in the video below. We chose to showcase levels that bore a...
News Wii U System Version 5.5.1 is Now Available
Brace yourself for an extra 47 MB of stability
It's not too often that an OS update for Nintendo consoles really adds anything significant. Every once in a blue moon, we'll receive something interesting and notable like a speed update, but it's usually just a stability update that "improves overall system performance". That's what this latest update...
Reminder Upcoming Extended Nintendo Network Maintenance Could Disrupt Online Play
Find something other than Splatoon this evening
As some of you no doubt recall Nintendo recently lined up another extended session of network maintenance; though the timing and circumstances of the last work of this nature gave hope of a related Direct or special event, so far nothing has been announced. The maintenance is definite, though, so it's...
Nintendo Life Weekly New 2016 Sonic Game Hinted, NX Release Predictions and More
Gotta delete fast
Sonic the Hedgehog has been through a lot, as no doubt you have this week and so after a short wintry hiatus Nintendo Life Weekly is back once again to take you through all the biggest parts of the past seven days. This week we look at Sonic soundtrack providers Crush 40 potentially leaking information pertaining to a new Sonic...
Feature Exciting Wii U and 3DS Games to Play in the First Quarter of 2016
Enough to keep us busy...
The start of any year can be rather quiet in terms of game releases. Plenty of major publishers save blockbusters for the final third of the year, while mid-late Spring can also be a rather busy period for releases. Nintendo, courtesy of some delays or strategies on its part and from third-parties, actually has quite a lot...
Video Splatoon Easter Egg Shows a Friendly Face
Vacant smile, electric whiskers, who else is it going to be?
As if the streams of new weapons and maps in Splatoon weren't enough to tickle the fancy of all the budding Inklings out there, Nintendo has squeezed a previously unseen easter egg into the latest battleground known as Piranha Pit. As with most easter eggs this one isn't immediately...
News Splatoon's Next Splatfest in North America is All About Time Travel
Dinosaurs or Spaceships?
It's getting to be that time again for North Americans to partake in the monthly Splatfest for Splatoon. After last month's decidedly more festive approach to things, we're getting yet another topic that few likely saw coming. The Splatfest's theme will be about whether you'd rather time travel to the past or the future...
News The Sloshing Machine Neo is Splashing Its Way Into Splatoon
Getting sloshed at the weekend
Nintendo has found a more wholesome and healthy way for us to get sloshed this weekend (Google it), confirming the latest free weapon to be heading into Splatoon. Due on the evening of 8th January in North America and the early hours of the morning on 9th January in Europe, the Sloshing Machine Neo will bring a bit of...
News Another Fighter Character for Pokkén Tournament Will Be Revealed Next Week
Who could it be?
At the beginning of December, the Twitter account for Pokkén Tournament revealed that a new fighter character would be coming to Pokkén Tournament, along with a couple new support characters. About a week later, it was confirmed that Sceptile would be the new fighter, with Farfetch'd and Electrode being the support characters. It...
Editorial Let's Make 2016 a Year of Nintendo Optimism
Tom Whitehead wants to see smiles on faces
Isn't it great when a new year rolls around? We can just dust off our hands, shrug and march forward with a skip in our step and smiles on our faces. We can - oh yes, we can. As 2015 drew to a close I had a Skype call with the Triforce of Nintendo Life Directors, my bosses that I try and boss around when /...
News Splatoon Watches Hit Stores In Japan
*Sigh*, in Japan...
With Splatoon's ink-redible (apologies) popularity, it's only inevitable that Nintendo has been capitalising on the merchandise machine with its hottest new franchise. While the West has been treated to a few things here and there, Japan has certainly had its share of Splatoon spoils since the game's launch in May, such as...
Nintendo Download 7th January (North America)
Light gun games! Ocean Runner! Discovery! More!
The time has come for the first North America Nintendo Download Update of 2016, and it includes a variety of options. The Wii U Virtual Console plays catch up with three light gun games, while new download offerings include a creative Minecraft-a-like, two RCMADIAX games and the return of Ninja Pig...
News Southwest Air Course Goes Live In Super Mario Maker With Sky Pop Costume From Super Mario Land
Body popping
A new course is live in Super Mario Maker which offers the chance to dress up as the iconic Sky Pop plane from the Game Boy title Super Mario Land. The Southwest Air Adventure course has been designed by Super Mario fans at Southwest Airlines, and clearing it earns you the exclusive mushroom costume for Sky Pop. You can check out the...
Analysis Assessing Why NX Needs to Take Over From Both the Wii U and 3DS
And why the recent share price drop is illogical
Stock markets and investing in shares can be a strange affair. Though business acumen and experience can go a long way, aspects of the process can resemble a casino; even just taking Nintendo as an example, the company's share prices soared in March 2015 when the partnership with DeNA and the...
Video Here's What Shovel Knight's New amiibo-Based Co-Op Mode Looks Like
Better together
Those lovely Shovel Knight amiibo are finally finding their way into the hands of gamers the world over, and that means we can show you what the co-op multiplayer mode (unlocked by the aforementioned lump of plastic) looks like in the main game. As you can see in the video below, the gameplay is changed quite dramatically when two...
News New 3DS and Monster Hunter Continue to Lead in Japanese Charts
Wii U dips below PS4 but maintains strong sales
2016 is now well underway, with all of the crushing realities of the post-festive period - wider waistlines, slimmer bank balances and plenty of regret. In any case, Nintendo is starting the year in Japan with a collective smile, as the company continues to perform well in the busy shopping season...
News Japanese Games Market Falls To Lowest Point In 26 Years, But Full Picture Remains Elusive
Down 13 percent year-on-year, but digital data isn't included
According to data supplied by Famitsu, the Japanese games market has hit its lowest point since 1989. In 2015, games in Japan generated ¥321bn - a 13 percent decline on 2014's total of ¥368.55bn. Sales of games dropped 16 percent to ¥191bn, while games hardware was down to to ¥130bn...
News Japanese Analyst Claims NX Could Launch As Early As October, Will Eat Into Wii U And 3DS Sales
"Concept" announcement between March and May, official unveiling in June
Comments from Nomura Securities analyst Junko Yamamura have lent additional weight to existing claims that Nintendo is looking to launch its new NX console this year. Yamamura says that the console's "concept" -
"We’ll be sure to alert the Wii U community as that changes"
Zen Studios has enjoyed plenty of success with its pinball titles, releasing various versions and DLC across PC, home consoles and smart devices. The Wii U and 3DS have been in on the action too, with the former receiving Zen Pinball 2 with a decent variety of DLC, in addition to Star...
Talking Point Nintendo Can Exploit Its Rich History With More Remasters
Easy money
The current generation of home console hardware has had an interesting challenge in defining itself as 'next gen'. In the era of Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 Nintendo brought motion controls to the mainstream while its contemporaries placed their focus on HD graphics and a drastic progression in online multiplayer gaming. In this current...
News Extended Nintendo Network Maintenance on the Way
Almost exactly two months after the last Direct...
Nintendo completed some Nintendo Network maintenance in brief windows during the Holiday season, along with some minor downtime, resulting in a fairly stable period overall. The latest announced maintenance has, however, caught our attention. The timing and length of the planned maintenance is...
Feature The Biggest Wii U Games of 2016
The Legend of Zelda x2! Star Fox! Pokkén Tournament! More!
2016 has arrived, and with it comes optimism and potential for an exciting gaming year ahead. Though plenty of eyes are turning to the next generation of Nintendo hardware, of course, there's still plenty of interest for current Wii U gamers. The number of confirmed games may be low, but...
Feature Five Key Reveals and Releases That Will Define Nintendo's 2016
It's going to be a big year
The New Year has begun, and after a 2015 that was considered reasonable by a number of Nintendo Life readers, the hope is that 2016 can be a blockbuster year for the company. Less 'not bad', and more 'holy moly that was amazing'. The exciting thing is that it could go either way. This is going to be a 12 month period...
Feature Our Staff's Hopes and Dreams for Nintendo's 2016
NX, Legend of Zelda, Mother 3 and more besides
It's now 2016, and hopefully the beginning of an exciting year for Nintendo and its fans. With various big games, products and reveals either dropping out of 2015 or always being planned for this year, we're set for what could be a bumper 12 months. Your humble writer will be looking ahead at what...
News Get Ready to Add the Octobrush Nouveau to Your Splatoon Arsenal
Ring in the new year with this fresh new paintbrush
As of now, the near constant updates to Splatoon are nearly upon their final hour. Though Splatfests and occasional balancing updates will be continuing for the foreseeable future, the stream of new equipment and stages is set to end in January. All the same, there's still a bit more content that's...
December2015
News Nintendo Dominates Festive Sales in Japan as 3DS and Wii U Lead the Way
Japanese 3DS hardware passes 20 million lifetime sales
2015 has been quite a year, and it's fair to say Nintendo has had mixed fortunes. Sales of Wii U and 3DS hardware have been reasonable if not barnstorming, but the company's Kyoto HQ may ring in the New Year with renewed spirits following its end of year sales in Japan. Starting with software,...
Nintendo Download 31st December (North America)
1080° Snowboarding, Molly Maggot and various discounts
It's the final North American Nintendo Download Update of 2015, and it's a little thin on content. Despite that there is a gem from the N64 era and some promising discounts, so all hope is not lost; let's get to it. Missed the European Nintendo Download Update? Well, your New Years' Resolution...
Talking Point 2015 - A Peculiar Year of New, Old and Surprising Nintendo Games
Not quite the expected
Reflecting on Nintendo's 2015 isn't a simple task. There has been great sadness and disruption due to the passing of Satoru Iwata, and the company has been in a general holding pattern for large parts of the year. Let's consider the key releases or updates that have fallen back to 2016, in no particular order. Most prominent...
Video Relive The Hype With This Japanese Smash 4 DLC Trailer
Are you out (C)orrin?
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U is a game that keeps on giving, but as we all know all good things come to an end eventually. As most of you are aware, we were presented with newcomer Cloud from the Nintendo Direct in November, and then with Corrin and Bayonetta from December's final Super Smash Bros. Direct...
Feature How Mario Kart Brought Two Soul Mates Together
The road to true love is littered with red shells
From now until the start of the new year we're going to be republishing some of what we feel are our best features of 2015. Hopefully this will offer the chance for newer readers to catch up on content they might have missed and allow long-time fans to reacquaint themselves with features they enjoyed...
Video How to Get a Skell in Xenoblade Chronicles X, Including Locations of Rare Items
Alex shows the way
We love Xenoblade Chronicles X, yet we're aware that it has a few negatives. The text and user interface could be better, and there are some difficulty spikes and awkward collectathons. The latter is particularly prominent when trying to secure your Skell licence, which you predictably need to get your own cool mech. For those of...
Video Super Mario Maker Gives Us That Excitebike Platformer We Always Wanted, and a Small Update
Birdo is shown off ahead of New Year's Eve release, too
Super Mario Maker is not only a terrific creation tool and platformer in its own right, but it keeps us on our toes with its quirky updates. Next up on 31st December we'll have new Course Events that'll unlock Excitebike and Birdo costumes, with the former certainly tickling our fancy. The NES...
News Yusuke Hashimoto Talks Star Fox Zero and Collaborating with Nintendo
A dream come true
It came as something of a pleasant surprise when Star Fox Zero was officially announced and it was revealed that Platinum Games was to be involved in the production. The studio that's made itself famous by producing over the top action games such as Bayonetta seems to be exactly what the dormant Star Fox series needs, and it will...
News Piranha Pit is Heading to Splatoon Very Soon
Depending on your time zone...
The festive Splatoon updates continue to roll in, with a new stage next to grace the game before we move into 2016. Piranha Pit is coming 'tomorrow morning', as confirmed by Nintendo of Europe; based on typical update times that should mean the stage goes into rotation at 7pm Pacific / 10pm Eastern on 28th December in...
News Minecraft Has Become the Ninth Best-Selling Game on the Japanese eShop
A meteoric rise
Rumours of Minecraft: Wii U Edition - and its subsequent release - happened rather quickly, but it was something that wasn't entirely surprising. The eShop already had its fair share of Minecraft clones and they'd proven that there was demand for that particular type of game on the console. While it's maybe a bit of a stretch to say...
News Pokkén Tournament Will Feature 2-Player Local Multiplayer
And… exhale
For those of you that haven't been keeping track of the Wii U release schedule, Pokkén Tournament is an upcoming fighting game based on Pokémon. It began life as an arcade game exclusive to Japan, but it was a logical choice to port it over to the Wii U. The arcade version features two screens for local multiplayer and it was...
News Splatoon Developers Talk Stage Design and the End of Regular Updates
It's been a good run
Splatoon has evolved significantly from its original state at launch, with fourteen stages and over seventy weapons available to gamers. Considering how popular the game has been, and how it's managed to maintain that popularity, it's safe to say at this point that the launch of this new IP has been a resounding success...
News Nintendo of Europe Announces the Next Splatfest for the Region
Would you rather be fit or rich?
Every time a new splatfest for Splatoon is announced, the topic of the battle is always something interesting. Some highlights thus far have been Autobots and Decepticons, Love and Money, and whether or not pineapple should be on pizza. While it seems like the least popular team is always the one that manages to eke...
Game of the Year Nintendo Life's Reader Awards 2015
These are your winners
It's the season of end of year awards, and now it's time to reveal your winners for the best games on Nintendo hardware in 2015. Thousands of you cast your votes, and now the results are in. You had all of the same categories as in our staff awards, and these are the gongs that mean the most; rather than a team of 20 or so...
News The Rapid Blaster Pro Deco is the Next Weapon to be Coming to Splatoon
A last minute Christmas gift from Nintendo
It seems that just about every week, we receive another update to Splatoon that adds in yet another new weapon, or a variant on an existent model. This week is no different and a new update is due to drop in only a few hours. The new gun that will be made available is not a new model, but another 'deco'...
Game of the Year Nintendo Life's Staff Awards 2015
A tight battle for top spot
Another year of gaming has passed, so it's time to look back and pick out some of our favourites. 2015 was - it's fair to say - a mixed year for Nintendo; in terms of major game releases there were some undoubted highs, but also a range of disappointing spin-offs and minor releases. On the flipside it felt like a strong...
Video Watch Captain Toad Gleefully Jump in Super Mario Maker
The backpack's a bit lighter in 8-bit
Earlier this week Nintendo showed off some new Event Courses and Mystery Costumes coming to Super Mario Maker, so we shouldn't forget that Captain Toad will join the ranks on 25th December. As anyone who's played Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker can attest, he's a courageous little chap. Nintendo's Japanese...
Nintendo Download 24th December (North America)
Super Mario Galaxy! Discounts galore! Festive 3DS HOME Themes! More!
It's the final Nintendo Download Update before Christmas, which is a merry occasion indeed. However you treat the Holidays, the update should help make the week a bit more special; we have a Wii classic, some free DLC, 3DS HOME Themes and a whole load of discounts. Let's get to the...
News Masahiro Sakurai Talks About the New Fighters Soon to be Added to Super Smash Bros.
Sakurai thought that's a lot of Fire Emblem characters, too
As most of you are aware of by this point, there's still a little bit of DLC due to be coming to Super Smash Bros. 4. Most notably is the inclusion of three new characters; Cloud – of Final Fantasy 7 fame - is already out, Corrin – the protagonist of Fire Emblem Fates – is due out...
Play Get Into a Holiday Brawl With Nintendo Life in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Have a smashing time
As announced earlier this week, we've planned a couple of community gaming events to take us into the festive season; we've already played a bit of Mario Kart 8, so now it's the turn of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. You voted for the rules in our polls, though we're keeping
Video Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka Show Off Super Mario Maker
Miyamoto-san is always a critic...
Based on some Game of the Year wins and its continuing popularity, we suspect that a decent number of gamers will be playing a bit of Super Mario Maker over the Holiday season. It's always nice to watch the masters show what the game can do, though, even when they're having an off-day. Nintendo UK has shared a...
Reaction The Nintendo 'NX', and Why We Think a Unified Platform is the Future
Better, together
From now until the start of the new year we're going to be republishing some of what we feel are our best features of 2015. Hopefully this will offer the chance for newer readers to catch up on content they might have missed and allow long-time fans to reacquaint themselves with features they enjoyed the first time around. Today we...
News Super Mario Maker Scoops Amazon Game of the Year Award
Now, if only Amazon US stocked the system properly
We're not sure what the 'thing' is between Nintendo of America and Amazon US, but the retailer in the region primarily sells Wii U hardware through third-party vendors, often at bizarre prices compared to other stores. Games are stocked and sold by Amazon, but not the systems directly; it's a...
Feature 505 Games On Bringing Terraria To Nintendo Consoles And Facing Off Against Minecraft
"There's a bit of rivalry between the Minecraft and Terraria communities"
With Terraria on the 3DS, Minecraft on Wii U and Terraria coming to Wii U soon, there's arguably never been a better time to be a Nintendo block-builder. Looking at the first direct capture from the Wii U game alongside some 3DS footage, Dean Scott - Producer on Terraria at...
Play Get on the Grid for Festive Mario Kart 8 Races With Nintendo Life
Aim for the podium
As announced earlier this week, we're having a couple of short community gaming sessions to warm us up for the Holiday season. It kicks off today (22nd December) with Mario Kart 8. You voted for the rules in our polls, though we're keeping it light-hearted and fun; as a result the Tournament we've set up is 150cc, with All Items...
Review Just Dance: Disney Party 2 (Wii U)
A Dance Party for some
You never know how poorly coordinated you are until you play a round of Just Dance: Disney Party 2 - this is a rhythm game that's almost true to its name. While it does involve just dancing, it could also be named Just Dance: Disney Party 2 for The Skilled. Rhythm games like Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and Dance Dance Revolution...
News Prepare to Unlock Birdo and Excitebike Costumes in Super Mario Maker Soon
Two new NES REMIX courses coming up
Update: Oh, and Captain Toad is coming too... [tweet Original Article: Super Mario Maker truly is the game that keeps on giving, as today brings us an update which adds P Warp Doors, the Fire Koopa Clown Car and more to be used when creating levels. But what fun is an awesome level desi
News Takashi Tezuka on the Importance of Super Mario Maker and of Modernizing Mario
Evidently, Super Mario Maker was designed to be like a toy
It seems like you can hardly go a week nowadays without Takashi Tezuka or Yusuke Oshino - the Producer and Director, respectively - participating in some interview about Super Mario Maker. Not that we're complaining of course, as they almost always reveal more interesting information about...
Play Enjoy Some Festive Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. With Nintendo Life
Playing as a community
It's been too long since we last ran some community online gaming here on Nintendo Life, so with the festive season and some extra play time at our disposal we thought we'd bring it back for some Holiday fun. It's a slightly off-the-cuff and late decision, but the plan is to host events that you can join for both Mario Kart 8...
News Nintendo Achieves Modest Results in UK Christmas Charts
Call of Duty was number one, of course
Rather like the Christmas music chart number one being a coveted position, the same principle is applied to video games - in the UK, at least. Securing top spot in the final results prior to 25th December is an extra gong to celebrate, a string for a publisher's bow. Somewhat predictably that honour falls to...
News Here are the Top Three Wii U and 3DS Games, According to Miiverse
And the winner is...
It's getting to be that time of year where gaming publications all over the world are picking their favorite games of the year. While there still has yet to be any sort of universally recognised awards, the same handful of games generally tend to pop up on different lists and there's usually not too many surprises as to which...
Rumour Data Miners Discover Another Costume for Super Mario Maker
Guess what it is?
Nintendo has certainly made some rather unforeseen choices when deciding what costumes to add into Super Mario Maker. We've seen one that combines Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario, one that has three Toon Links standing in a totem pole formation, and even one of a random Japanese game show host. These don't really seem out of place,...
News Super Mario Maker Director Shares Details About the Upcoming Update
Still no slopes, though...
As many of you are aware, a new update was recently announced for Super Mario Maker. The update seems to be fairly meaty; it'll be adding a clown car that can spit fire, bumpers, P-Switch doors, a world record leaderboard, and functionality with the new website. Of course, this is all completely free of charge, and it'll...
Editorial Xenoblade Chronicles X Has Tiny Text - Time for an Update?
Tom Whitehead's not really seeing it, are you?
This week we received an interesting email from one of our readers, Victor, which made a very good point. The text in Xenoblade Chronicles X is too small, and it should be improved; it was a lightbulb moment when we realised we should have brought it up far sooner - I certainly should have. In my...
News The Tri-Slosher Nouveau is The Next New Weapon in Splatoon
Posh name for a green bucket
Splatoon is heading towards the end of its weekly benevolence that brings us free extras, so we should make the most of it while we can. As is often the case the development team is serving up a fresh weapon in time for the weekend, and this time it's the Tri-Slosher Nouveau. Well, it's a green bucket, so the name seems...
News Mr Saturn and Master Belch Are Heading to Super Mario Maker on 19th December
The Mother lode
In recent times Nintendo's been upping the ante with Super Mario Maker Course Events, with unlockable Mystery Item outfits related to first- and third-party games, TV shows, magazines and even cars. The next two are, we suspect, going to be rather popular among retro aficionados. Both Mr Saturn and Master Belch, of EarthBound fame,...
Video Check Out This Footage of Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories
Isn't it relaxing?
As we reported a few weeks ago, Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories will release on the Wii U sometime in 2016. It's releasing on multiple platforms, however, and the iOS version is supposedly due out sometime in the next few weeks. In an effort to promote the game more and to build some hype, Natsume recently shared some footage of...
Video Check Out the Nintendo Badge Arcade Rabbit Costume in Super Mario Maker
He's right at home in a platformer
Nintendo Badge Arcade launched about a month ago in the west, finally giving western gamers an opportunity to customize their screens even more than before. The free to start game has drawn some criticism for being a little cheap when it comes to value per play, but it nonetheless remains an infuriatingly addicting...
Talking Point Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS Set a Standard That'll Be Tough to Follow
What can Sakurai-san do next?
Though some DLC and amiibo are still to arrive, leaving the development team with some work to finish off, it's certainly the end of an era for this generation of Super Smash Bros. The very nature of the Final Video Presentation was always going to be a tad divisive - the Fighter Ballot, in particular, had been a red...
Gallery Gawk at This Super Mario Maker Infographic and Its Impressive Stats
Nintendo Badge Arcade event course coming on 18th December, too
Nintendo's keen to make a fuss about Super Mario Maker today, outlining details for a neat update that's coming on 22nd December. There's more, however, including an announcement for the next Event Course. That next goodie will be a Nintendo Badge Arcade course, which will arrive on...
Nintendo Download 17th December (North America)
Minecraft, Smash Bros. DLC, Temple of Yog, discounts galore and more
It's that time once again for the Nintendo Download Update, and this week brings us a long-awaited sandbox game, a promising Wii U eShop exclusive, some enticing 3DS eShop options, DLC, a lot of discounts and more besides. There's plenty to cover, so let's get to it. Missed the...
News Nintendo Shows Off Splatoon's New Upcoming Stages Through the Art of Dance
Piranha Pit and Ancho-V Games on the way
With Splatoon's free DLC set to largely wrap up in January, beyond balancing tweaks and fixes, its no surprise that it'll try to close with a bit of a bang. Since its May launch the game has expanded a great deal with new modes and maps, and it'll be the latter which gets a boost soon. Piranha Pit and...
News Upcoming Super Mario Maker Update Adds P Warp Doors, the Fire Koopa Clown Car and More
World record times will be shown for courses
Nintendo continues to improve and enhance its biggest Wii U releases, and Super Mario Maker is now all set for its next major update on 22nd December; it'll add three new items and a neat feature in the course selection area. To start with the latter, each course entry will now display who completed it...
News Splatoon Update Improves Matchmaking, Tinkers With Rainmaker And Generally Tightens Things Up
Full list of changes in 2.4.0 update included within
A new update for Splatoon goes live today, and we've got the full list of changes for you to gaze at in wonderment. These include improvements to the matchmaking service, the addition of prohibited areas in the Rainmaker mode and the closing of certain level shortcuts in all game modes. You can...
News Splatoon Developers on the Future of Splatoon and DLC
No future plans for paid DLC, free DLC is done in January
Splatoon has really come a long way since its initial launch. The Splatoon that we were introduced to back in May was still an excellent game, but a strong argument could be made that the game was uncharacteristically light on content for a Nintendo game. Since then, new maps, game modes,...
News Analysts Weigh in on Nintendo's Successes and Failures with amiibo
It's been a great start, but there's plenty of room for improvement
Nintendo's amiibo lineup has certainly been a case of ups and downs. The popular collectible figures have generated some handsome profit for the company and it seems that more figures are launching all the time. However, amiibo have been plagued by stock issues ever since they've...
News Xenoblade Chronicles X Creator Tetsuya Takahashi Prefers Western Games To Japanese Ones
Next project will be entirely different, too
Xenoblade Chronicles X has just launched in the west to very positive reviews, and to mark this occasion Time has been speaking to creator Tetsuya Takahashi, the man behind the entire "Xeno" series of video games. Takahashi revealed that he actually prefers Western games to those developed in his own...
News Wii U and 3DS Hardware Sales Lead the Way in Japan
Monster Hunter X, Splatoon and Super Mario Maker going strong
Sales are on the up in Japan as the Holiday season approaches, and the latest Media Create chart results bring very happy reading for Nintendo in terms of both software and hardware. Starting with software, Monster Hunter X (Cross) continues its dominance at number one, with its lifetime...
News Mercedes-Benz Representative Explains the Company's DLC Deals with Nintendo
Appealing to nostalgia
In a rather strange turn of events, the first DLC ever released for Mario Kart 8 was all themed around Mercedes-Benz cars. Understandably, this put many gamers on edge and many saw it as a sign that the company was 'selling out', though this was perhaps an unfairly harsh criticism. At any rate, Mercedes-Benz DLC struck again...
Video New Super Mario Maker Costume Adds a Dash of Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter X Super Mario Maker
It seems that new character costumes for Super Mario Maker are becoming more and more of a regular thing. Sure, they don't actually do anything, but it's nonetheless a welcome addition, if only for variety's sake. The developers have expressed interest in the past in introducing costumes that will be more widely...
News Final Mii Fighter Costumes and Hats Detailed for Super Smash Bros.
Tails! Knuckles! Geno! More!
The final wave of Mii Fighter hats and costumes have been revealed in today's special Super Smash Bros. presentation. Firstly, in combination with the new fighter Cloud from the Final Fantasy series, a Chocobo hat will be released alongside the anticipated fighter. Also, a surprise costume from the beloved Super Mario...
News Ryu, Roy and Famicom Colour R.O.B. amiibo Will Be Released On 18th March
Cloud, Corrin and Bayonetta amiibo also confirmed
In the final Super Smash Bros. for Wii U & 3DS video presentation, series creator Masahiro Sakurai has revealed more amiibo will be arriving in store soon and also confirmed amiibo development for the three newly announced fighters. Ryu from Street Fighter, Roy from the Fire Emblem series, and a...
News Corrin Chooses to Fight in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS
Protagonist from Fire Emblem Fates joins the roster in 2016
The Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS roster has gained another sword-wielding fighter to join the family of over 50 characters. Corrin, the main protagonist and playable character from Fire Emblem Fates, will join the fight with a handful of unique moves, weapons, and specials. In a...
Weirdness North American Devil's Third Copies Sell for Silly Money on eBay Due to Stock Shortage
Now THAT's the greatest trick the devil ever pulled
Now, we didn't pull punches in our assessment of Devil's Third, awarding it 5/10 (average) in our review largely thanks to the ambitious online component, with the solo campaign faring less well. That said, we did try to consider some of its positives, and for benevolent gamers that can look past...
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