Wii U News
December2015
Video Enjoy Some Pokkén Tournament Mayhem in This Two Minute Showcase
Masked Pikachu is life
Pokkén Tournament will be a key release for Wii U in 2016, with its brand power and concept sure to attract plenty of buyers. Fans have been looking on enviously at those with access to the arcades for long enough, and pretty soon we'll all be joining in. There'll undoubtedly be plenty of hype and build-up next year, but we...
Video Figure Out the Online Features of Xenoblade Chronicles X With The Latest Survival Guide
Online quests, treasure deals and more
Xenoblade Chronicles X is a game with incredible depth, not just in the solo campaign but also in the various ways you can connect and interact with others online. Shared quests, group battles, recruiting avatars of other players, trading items - it's all in there. It can be confusing, and even after sinking...
News A Version of the Pokkén Tournament Arcade Controller Will Be Made for the Wii U in Japan
You know you want one
Pokkén Tournament is due out in the west sometime in spring and hype for it continues to grow. Just recently, Sceptile was announced as a new fighter, and Electrode and Farfetch'd were announced as Support Fighters. At any rate, it seems that there's a bit of a dearth of modern fighting games on the Wii U, so this should make...
Rumour Data Miners Leak Some of the Information From Tomorrow's Nintendo Direct
Here we go
Data miners are notorious for getting ahold of footage and information ahead of the release of major announcements, typically because developers sometimes tend to put out software updates ahead of the announcements themselves. The process doesn't seem to be overly difficult, it just requires a computer and enough technical savvy to know...
New 3DS has a higher framerate, but no 3D
Terraria is on the 3DS eShop already, having arrived in the most recent update. It had been long anticipated, especially by those Nintendo fans seeking a version on the go - the Wii U version hasn't made it out yet. A member of the development team has been clarifying details, however, and the good news for...
Feature Time to Vote for Your Nintendo Life Game of the Year Awards 2015
Nintendo Life reader awards to be decided
As 2015 draws to an end it's that time once again - Game of the Year Awards. We're continuing with tradition (albeit with some improved polls) in having both Staff and Community awards; the latter are entirely in your hands. As in previous years you can vote through a series of polls. We've shaken it up a...
Random Check Out the Latest Stage From Panga, Super Mario Maker Creator Extraordinaire
Skyway to Shell, yatta!
It's been a little while since we've covered Panga, one of the most hardcore Super Mario Maker creators to be found, so it's time for another dose of platforming insanity. Panga has developed a sizeable Twitch and YouTube audience for his extremely complex creations, which typically require pixel-perfect jumps and moves to...
It deserved better
The UK chart results are out, with these being the penultimate listings issued before the final Christmas list is released next week. It continues the status quo, largely, with a disappointing but inevitable week two drop-off for one of the year's finest games. Xenoblade Chronicles X has unfortunately dropped out of the...
News Masahiro Sakurai Talks About Fire Emblem Characters in Smash Bros.
It seems to be that he's a big fan of Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem has enjoyed something of a revival in the last few years. Fire Emblem: Awakening was really the big turning point, and it's no exaggeration to say its largescale success literally saved the series. This was somewhat reflected most recently in Smash 4, where Fire Emblem graduated to having...
News Accusations of Plagiarism Directed at Popular Super Mario Maker Level Creator
Copies, similar concepts or coincidence?
Courtesy of its nature as a level creation tool, Super Mario Maker will be a title that can intrigue and keep us interesting for months and maybe years to come. Its popularity is evident in the sheer mass of stages to be found and played, and naturally some demonstrate similar ideas and approaches. One of...
News Hitoshi Yamagami Talks a Bit About Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem's Conception
Still a bit of a head scratcher
Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem is a fascinating upcoming release that aims to cross over both of the popular franchises, though it does appear to be more Shin Megami Tensei than it does Fire Emblem. The game has been confirmed to be coming west, though there's still barely any information surrounding the...
Nintendo Life Weekly Final Smash Bros. Direct, Minecraft on Wii U and More
The end of an era approaches
It was a busy week in the world of Nintendo, with two announcements standing out above all others and a couple of corking eShop releases that were reviewed. As is now tradition we've decided to make life easy for you if you're trying to keep up, collating the best news of the week as well as all of the releases and...
Live Watch the GameCenter CX Super Mario Maker Special
Shinya Arino tackles fan-made courses
Here's a little Saturday treat - a special episode of GameCenter CX that's going to be broadcast live for the whole world to enjoy; it should be a fun watch with host Shinya Arino taking on fan-made courses, so join us to watch it live...
Video The Zink Mini Splatling Comes to Life on the Battlefield
Zink-capable of failure
Splatoon is the gift that keeps on giving, and this week the arsenal has been expanded to include the Zink Mini Splatling! This little beastie is strikingly similar to its non-Zink counterpart as you might expect, but this thing comes bundled with disruptors for keeping your prey still as well as a bubbler to save you from...
News Ten Hours of Maintenance on the Way for the Nintendo Network
Could affect Sunday evening online gaming time in North America
Earlier this week a 'big news' tease caused some curiosity around a major batch of maintenance on various Nintendo Network service. The major announcement turned out to be Minecraft: Wii U Edition, so we're back to maintenance being a rather dull thing that can affect our online gaming;...
News Splatoon's Next North American Splatfest is Basically a Survey for Santa
Are you naughty or nice?
The next Splatoon Splatfest has been announced for North America and, to be fair, it's a fairly witty and festive head-to-head this time around. It'll also provide some handy data for Santa (or Nintendo's number-crunchers, in reality) on a key topic - are you naughty or nice? It's one of the funnier contests that we've...
News Super Mario Maker Updates Set to Continue, Along With More Mystery Mushroom Outfits
Don't expect pixel Reggie or Miyamoto, however
This week brought one of the quirkier content updates for Super Mario Maker with a Mercedes course and Mystery Mushroom Outfit. A rather peculiar addition, it continued the trend of Event Courses blending Nintendo franchises - often tying into recent releases - with third-party partnerships. There has...
News Zink Mini Splatling Weapon Coming To Splatoon Later Today
Or early tomorrow, if you're in Europe
The Splatoon weapon drop continues with the launch of the Zink Mini Splatling. This compact yet deadly firearm will be available later today in North America, with the European launch coming tomorrow morning. Are you keen to get your hands on this new weapon? Is the drip-feed maintaining your interest in...
News The November NPD Results are in, Nintendo Exclusives Fail to Crack the Top Ten
Tough month for Nintendo
The NPD Group is an independent market research company that tracks sales across various industries and how they perform in North America. Naturally, the game industry is tracked by this group and each month's results are based off of new games sold at retailers. Be sure to note, NPD does not track digital or second hand...
Guide Here's How To Make That Xenoblade Chronicles X USB Drive More Useful
Hack the planet
The North American collector's edition of Xenoblade Chronicles X comes with a USB drive containing 10 tracks from the game itself. It's a neat little extra, but largely useless once you've listened to the music - which is why Nintendo Life reader Ben "mikey64" Barger has come up with this handy little hack which allows you to turn it...
Nintendo Download 10th December (North America)
SteamWorld Heist! FAST Racing NEO! Terraria! Devil's Third! More!
It's time for the North American Nintendo Download Update, once again, and this week is full of enticing options. Two much-anticipated and terrific 'Nindie' download-only releases arrive on Wii U and 3DS, while each system also has a high profile retail release to consider. There are...
Video Soothe Your Soul With Some of the Calmer Music from Xenoblade Chronicles X
With some nice quotes about its composition, too
We rate Xenoblade Chronicles X very highly here at Nintendo Life, and the odds are good that many others with the game now do likewise. It's a hugely impressive achievement from Monolith Soft and a strong showcase for Wii U in many respects, including its soundtrack. We think the soundtrack for this...
Video Sceptile Has Been Confirmed as a Fighter in Pokkén Tournament
Electrode and Farfetch'd are also in, as support characters
As some of you may remember, a new Pokkén Tournament fighter was due to be revealed on the 10th, with new support Pokémon due to be announced, too. The announcement was supposedly leaked a couple days ago by accident on a Japanese Pokémon show, where a display was spotted that outed the...
Review Monster High: New Ghoul in School (Wii U)
A Strange Beast
The catchy refrain in a song at the beginning of Monster High: New Ghoul in School declares - "We are Monsters. We are Proud.". Its words sum up the game's positive message of "who you are is more important than what you are". Soon thereafter, players are led into a character creation mode to decide the kind of pretty monster you...
News Mercedes Arrives in Super Mario Maker With a Course and Mystery Mushroom Outfit
Yes, really!
Yes, that is a Mercedes 'outfit' in Super Mario Maker. No, we haven't faked this in Photoshop. Yes, this is actually happening. Mario Kart 8 fans may recall when free Mercedes DLC - with three karts in total - arrived in the racer; it was a bit tacky, but ultimately you could ignore the cars and pretend they didn't exist. After all,...
Monster Hunter X (Cross) is still dominant
The Media Create results for Japan are out, and this week has a few interesting talking points to consider in terms of both hardware and software. Starting with the latter, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam makes its debut in second place with just under 50,000 sales; its launch numbers are actually a little...
News Four More Animal Crossing amiibo Heading to Europe on 29th January
Resetti has found his inner peace
While we wait to see whether US sales of Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival help to make up for it tanking badly in territories such as the UK, we wonder whether the amiibo collection that accompanies the game will fare better. After all, Nintendo has acknowledged that a number of people are buying the figures as...
News GameCenter CX Takes on Super Mario Maker this Weekend
And it looks like we can watch!
If you've been playing the Event Courses in Super Mario Maker, you've probably seen the two courses made by Shinya Arino, host of the long-running Japanese gaming series GameCenter CX. You might've even snagged the character costume of the kacho (chief) himself! Of course, that means you likely had to deal with a few...
Video This is the Animal Crossing Wii U Game We'd Hoped For
Hats off to TheBitBlock
Nintendo's Digital Event during E3 2015 had its ups and downs, with some reveals sparking discontent among many watching Nintendo fans. Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival was a reveal that caused some frustration - it was a Wii U game in the franchise, just not the one we were expecting. In our view amiibo Festival didn't...
News Xenoblade X Art Designers Created the Game's Armor Sets with Samurai in Mind
Space Ninjas
Xenoblade Chronicles X is out now in all regions and contains a staggering amount of content. Among this content is an extremely diverse and varied array of armor sets, which provide a suitable level of customizability and depth for character loadouts. Perhaps most importantly, there's even a 'fashion armor' option that allows one to...
News Sceptile Spotted as Potential Reveal for Pokkén Tournament Roster
It's not so Farfetch'd
Pokkén Tournament is heading to the Wii U in 2016 and will be one of the system's key releases in the early part of the year. With a major announcement for the title due on 10th December, we were all set to find out which fighter and support characters were being added following a fan poll earlier in the year. It seems,...
News Xenoblade Chronicles X Earns Modest UK Chart Position But Outsells Predecessor
Up 73% on launch sales of Wii title
With another week underway we have the UK chart results, which carry extra interest following the launch of Xenoblade Chronicles X, a title that has drawn critical acclaim and hype from enthusiasts but nevertheless has a tough task converting that into big sales. That's how it's turned out in the UK, at least -...
News Nintendo Has Quite A Bit Of Maintenance Planned For Today
Connected to today's "big news", perhaps?
Nintendo apparently has some big news planned for today, as well as plenty of maintenance down-time which will impact various services and games. Online play and rankings will be down today from 21:00 until 02:00 (UK time) tomorrow. During roughly the same window, the online elements of the following games...
News Nintendo's Next European Splatfest is the Most Random Yet
Pizza preferences
Splatoon is a game that seems to always have something fresh for us to enjoy. Whether it's the weekly additions of new weapons or, occasionally, a new stage, those that fire it up regularly normally have a something new to check out. Splatfests are another part of that, with topics that range from being rather neat to others that...
News A 'Big' Nintendo Announcement is Coming on Monday
Let the speculation commence
The Nintendo Direct last month was arguably the first time the Big N had any major news to share since E3. Ever since, hype levels have come back down to normal levels, without too many surprise announcements to be had. While it's still unknown when the next Nintendo Direct will be taking place, it seems that some kind...
DRM = Dopey Rights Management
If you want to listen to the Xenoblade Chronicles X soundtrack it's not particularly difficult; it can be easily found around the web. Unfortunately, for some that are actually paying for the privilege, there can be surprising issues. This relates to the gorgeous Special Edition of the game in North America, which...
Talking Point Nintendo is Right to Move On From the Wii Family Name With NX
Perfect for its time, but change is due
Earlier this week TIME shared an intriguing interview with Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima, and one of the topics raised regarded the NX and the fact it won't be the 'next' in the Wii / Wii U line of systems. That's been reasonably clear for quite some time, as comments around the new hardware (to be...
News Xenoblade Director on What's Next for the Series and What Makes it So Popular
Perhaps a third game in the series will come about
Xenoblade Chronicles X is now out all around the world and it's been met with generally positive reception all across the board. The open world RPG presents a staggeringly massive world for players to explore, packed out with dozens, if not hours, of gameplay potential. Fans of both traditional...
Video FAST Racing NEO's Hero Mode Melts Further Faces with an F-Zero Twist
Shield your eyes
FAST Racing NEO is fast, we've certainly established that, but lurking in the game's menus is another mode that takes the speed to further levels of ridiculousness. Hero Mode bring in new rules and mechanics that aren't found in the rest of the game, so rather than just trying to get around and rank as high as you can, these...
Guide Getting Started With Xenoblade Chronicles X on Wii U
It's a big world out there
Xenoblade Chronicles X is out now in North America and Europe, which is certainly something to celebrate for Wii U owners that enjoy immersive, challenging RPG experiences. We've already shared our view that it's a fantastic game in our review - in that article we describe various key gameplay mechanics, so give that a...
A healthy saving
Nintendo is doing 24 special offers for the 24 days of Christmas, and today's deals include a pretty sweet bargain for fitness lovers. The Wii Fit U Meter - which works in conjunction with the game to track your physical activity outside of the home - is on sale for £3.99. It's available in red,
Live Watch The Game Awards 2015 From Los Angeles
Reggie Fils-Aime appearance and Nintendo nominations to feature
After a successful debut in 2014, The Game Awards return for another round; this time the festivities are taking place in Los Angeles. Reggie Fils-Aime will make an appearance while some Nintendo titles are up for awards, and there'll also be music from CHVRCHES and deadmau5. Join us...
Nintendo Download 3rd December (North America)
Xenoblade Chronicles X! Dementium! Pokémon Picross! More!
The time is upon us, once again, for the North American Nintendo Download update. This week brings a huge retail release on Wii U, a couple of high profile 3DS eShop releases and some other tempting options. Let's get to the details. Missed the European Nintendo Download Update earlier in...
Video Get a Closer Look at Genei Ibun Roku #FE Gameplay and GamePad Usage
And wonder what the heck is going on with the story...
Genei Ibun Roku #FE - originally known as Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem - arrives in Japan on 26th December. Developed by Atlus and having been rumoured in the past to have endured some development issues, it's emerged as a colourful title with plenty of quirks - it's rather bright for Shin...
News Mahi Mahi Resort Map Arrives in Splatoon on 3rd December
Or early hours 4th December in Europe
As is the norm, the Nintendo Treehouse has used one of its live events to make a neat announcement, in this case related to Splatoon. During the Splatournament it was confirmed that the Mahi Mahi Resort map will arrive in the game at 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern in North American on 3rd December, which is 2am UK /...
Video Build the Buzz for Xenoblade Chronicles X With This Extended Launch Trailer
See the world, meet the cast
Xenoblade Chronicles X is nearly here, and pretty much all that can be said has been shared already. For our part we love it, and it's also a nice technical showcase for the Wii U. Basically, there's plenty of buzz telling Wii U owners that they should be considering it. It's an enormous adventure, of course, and the...
Live Catch All The Splatoon Action From the Nintendo Treehouse Splatournament
Kids and squids back in the limelight
In the November Nintendo Direct it was confirmed that Treehouse team members will be going head-to-head in Splatoon's various modes - there'll be Turf War, Tower Control, Splatzones and Rainmaker rounds to decide the winners. Join us as we ink in the details and see Bill Trinen and company battle it out...
News Monster Hunter X (Cross) Storms to Japanese Chart Lead and Boosts New 3DS Sales
Nearly 1.5 million sales in two days
It's that time again for Media Create chart results from Japan, and this week's numbers have an air of predictability about them; that's good news for both Nintendo and Capcom. The launch of Monster Hunter X (Cross) has brought nearly 1.5 million sales for the title - with Famitsu having a number slightly above...
News Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories Releases for Wii U in 2016
Mobile versions will apparently be coming first
Harvest Moon is a refreshingly relaxing series within the RPG world. Rather than embark on an action packed globetrotting adventure, these games provide a break from tradition by having the player just enjoy farm life. Buying animals, tending to crops, and interacting with other villagers are the...
Video Two Ways of Looking at the Incredible Mega Yarn Yoshi amiibo
Wool-dn't you like to know?
Mega Yarn Yoshi is the latest madcap idea from Nintendo to expand its line of amiibo toys-to-life figurines and this time they've really outdone themselves. This gargantuan monster stands at a smidgen over eight inches tall, dwarfing its standard-sized Yarn Yoshi compadres who stand at just three and a half inches. As...
News Digital Foundry Gives Xenoblade Chronicles X a Thumbs Up
"Gives us hope for the upcoming Zelda title on Wii U"
Xenoblade Chronicles X arrives this week in the West, and we've already said in a number of words why you should strongly consider it, awarding a 9/10 in our review. Planet Mira is a fantastic setting, and beyond that Monolith Soft has taken a number of its ideas and mechanics from Xenoblade...
News Triple Power Coming to Super Mario Maker With Paper Mario Costume
Created by the Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam team
Super Mario Maker is the platformer with endless content, naturally, though the batch of 'Event Courses' developed by Nintendo and its chums continue to add some nice little treats. A number of these add Mystery Mushroom costumes, some that are quirkier than others; we've have totem Links to celebrate The...
News Here's How the Nintendo Treehouse 'Splatournament' Will Go Down
May the best squids win
In the recent Nintendo Direct, it was announced that there would be a Nintendo Treehouse Splatoon tournament with teams of Treehouse staff battling each other for glorious victory. Fresh details were recently revealed surrounding the anticipated competition, and it looks like it'll cover all the bases. The event will take...
News A Major Pokkén Tournament Announcement is Coming on 10th December
A new fighter and new support character are inbound
Pokkén Tournament is really beginning to drum up some hype, now that it's been officially confirmed to be coming West. The Tekken-inspired Pokémon fighting game certainly appears to be blast; with vibrant visuals and fast-paced, dynamic action, it's certainly a game that Pokéfans will happily...
November2015
News Mario Kart 8 to Feature in Competitive TV Show on 5th December
Will be broadcast on the Disney big grin channel
Nintendo of America's marketing campaigns for the Holiday season take various forms, and one seems to be a partnership to promote one of the Wii U's biggest hits. This will be through "Clash of Karts: Mario Kart 8", a show that'll be broadcast on Disney XD this coming weekend. In essence it's going...
Review Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)
A Mira-culous discovery
Monolith Soft has made plenty of bold claims about Xenoblade Chronicles X. It's talked up the size of the planet as being five times that of Xenoblade Chronicles, stated that any landscape you see is there to be explored, and promised that there are not only dozens of hours of legitimate gameplay, but hundreds. Often that...
News The Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 Wii U Bundle Leads the Way in UK Cyber Monday Deals
Some decent game discounts, too
The shopping madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday ends soon to be replaced by the vagaries of Christmas shopping. Yep, it's all one big spending bonanza. The themed occasions like Cyber Monday can throw up some decent deals, however, and what started out as an article pointing out a tasty Wii U bundle discount in...
News A Decent First-Person Avengers Game Could Have Graced the Wii U
Instead we got Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth - boo...
It's only natural that a number of promising game projects bite the dust - sometimes an artistic vision doesn't come together, another idea is pursued or the money runs out. The latter apparently ended a cool-sounding project at THQ, a publisher that fell into financial problems and had to...
News Wii U Named as "The Top Selling Item on Target.com" In Black Friday Sales
Bundle power
The 'Black Friday' craze is almost at an end, with the hectic shopping weekend finishing and 'cyber Monday' still to come. Nintendo will naturally have been hoping that its bundles and promotions will have boosted sales; the good news is that its deals seem to have had a bit of impact. In a press update issued earlier this weekend -...
News Splatoon's Next Splatfest in North America is All About Junk Food
You are what you eat
It's getting to be that time yet again for North America, when it's time for another Splatfest. Arguably the biggest event to happen within Splatoon, these day long battles provide the easiest way to acquire those expensive Super Sea Snails in bulk. This month's Splatfest is something of a dilemma, as the debate is between two...
Nintendo Life Weekly Hi-Def NES Gaming, Replacement GamePads, Facial Hair Battles and More
Mario's moustache won't back down
With all the fun and games of the week with Thanksgiving in the US and Black Friday madness around the world, it's been another busy seven days. As is now tradition we've decided to make life easy for you, collating the best news of the week as well as all of the releases and reviews you've come to expect of...
Video The Latest Xenoblade Chronicles X Survival Guide Maps Out How to Use the GamePad
Pay attention...
With Xenoblade Chronicles X rapidly approaching release there'll be a distinct buzz for Wii U owners that enjoy Monolith Soft's brand of immersive RPGs. Promising a huge amount of content to support an enormous game world, it looks set to keep players busy through the Winter months. It's a complex game, however, with a lot of...
Feature A Glimpse Behind the Scenes of FAST Racing NEO - Part Two
Bernhard Wodok on its technology and a surprise DS cameo
FAST Racing NEO is certainly set to be one of the year's biggest Wii U eShop releases. Shin'en Multimedia has established itself as a leading 'Nindie' developer capable of producing wonderful visuals and strong gameplay, while sci-fi racing is a genre that's been long-neglected on Nintendo...
Feature Super Mario Maker’s Weekly Course Collection - 27th November
North America, step up
Nintendo has hand-picked another selection of stages from the highest-rated Super Mario Maker courses, but this week it's North America's turn! Give them a spin and let us know what you think by posting a comment at the end! Teamwork! 9D93-0000-00D6-B85C Hard Difficulty Designed
Feature The Twilight Princess HD Fan Project That's Taking On Nintendo At Its Own Game
"Let's just say the project will finish one way or another"
It's fair to say that this month's Twilight Princess HD announcement left hardcore Zelda fans on different sides of the fence. Some were happy to see such a title receive a HD makeover, while others were distraught at the arguable lack of a visual overhaul. Although the game's aesthetics...
News Get Sloshed With Splatoon's Sloshing Machine This Weekend
Might help you clean up your act
These are happy times for Splatoon addicts, as some weeks are actually bringing two new weapons. The second new weapon to arrive this week looks set to arrive at the normal time of 7pm Pacific / 10pm Eastern / 3am UK / 4am CET on Friday / Saturday, and looks a bit like a portable washing machine. It's the Sloshing...
News NES Remix Event And Frog Mario Costume Hop Into Super Mario Maker
No, not THAT Toad
A special NES Remix event has been added to Super Mario Maker, with the reward for completion being the Frog Mario costume from Super Mario Bros. 3. The course is designed to mimic the creative chaos of the NES Remix series, offering a fresh view on familiar features. Here's the official overview: Become the world's greatest NES...
Feature Five Nintendo Games Perfect For Multiplayer Fun and Thanksgiving - 2015 Edition
Lift the roof off with some multiplayer games
It's Thanksgiving in the US, a major celebration in the country and the predecessor to discount shopping shenanigans. With the Holiday season approaching it's also a useful reminder that this can be a time of year best enjoyed with family and friends. For gamers it can be a great opportunity for some...
Nintendo Download 26th November (North America)
Cyber Deals! A jumping Platypus! Konami Racing! More!
It's Nintendo Download Update time in North America, which also doubles as a Thanksgiving update in the US. This week's big draw is the glut of discount prices from the eShop Cyber Deals; these are below if you missed our original article. Beyond that we have a quirky Wii U eShop release...
News Dragon Quest X Compilation of All Three Versions Heading to Wii U in Japan
The rest of the world says hi, Square Enix
Until recently Western Nintendo fans of the Dragon Quest series had to either gaze longingly at the Japanese release slate or resort to importing the various titles that have arrived on Wii U and 3DS. Thankfully Dragon Quest VII and VIII on 3DS were both confirmed recently for localisation in the most...
News A Play Set Based on The Force Awakens is Coming to Disney Infinity 3.0 on 18th December
Also, a couple new figures and a Power Disc pack
The next installment in the Star Wars Franchise is mere weeks away from release and it's already poised to smash box office records. Indeed, it already has broken records in pre-order sales alone, with sites such as Fandango and Movietickets actually crashing when the tickets were put on sale. It's no...
Review Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (Wii U)
The sigh heard 'round the wild world
Animal Crossing made its name as a quaint, cutesy, somewhat bizarre life simulator where something new to do, collect or modify is always around the corner. This year, two spin-off games hone in on separate areas of that Nintendo life: Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer on 3DS explores "work," and Animal...
News Two Wii U Hits Are Included in TIME's Top 10 Games of 2015
About time too
'Tis the season for lists. 2015 is approaching its end and there'll be plenty of lists to outline the year's best, worst and most innovative games, and the Wii U has cause for celebration in one of the first high profile 'top 10' articles to appear. TIME is out of the blocks early with its own top 10 list of games for the year, and...
Guide The Best Nintendo Black Friday 2015 Deals in the UK
We've got you covered
Last week we shared some of the best Black Friday deals coming to the US in 27th November; it's quite an event Stateside with promotional leaflets leaked and released well ahead of time. It's rather different in the UK as deals are revealed somewhat later and closer to the day itself. With the shopping occasion rapidly...
News Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival Has Modest Impact in Japan as 3DS Sales Improve
Wii U is still comfortably in five figures
The latest Media Create Japanese chart results are in and bring a mix of good and bad news for Nintendo. Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival has, unsurprisingly considering the trends elsewhere, struggled to achieve notable sales; the Wii U title shifted just 20,303 units in its first week, well down on the...
News Europeans Will Be Able To Download Xenoblade Chronicles X's Data Packs Early Next Week
Get prepared
Xenoblade Chronicles X is now so close we can practically taste it, and there's good reason to get excited - the game boasts one of the biggest open worlds yet seen on a Nintendo console. A world that size means that loading times can be an issue, so Nintendo has kindly provided players who plan to purchase the disc version of the game...
News Level-5 CEO Talks About Bringing the Company's Games to Wii U and NX
Perhaps a home console Yo-Kai Watch is on the horizon?
Yo-Kai Watch has been out for a couple weeks now and has fared pretty well in the West, though it certainly doesn't seem to be the massive success that it was in Japan. Nonetheless, the franchise has established itself now and we'll likely be seeing the various sequels and spinoffs that the...
News Xenoblade X Developers Talk About the Game's Complexity and Why The "Xeno" Appears in the Name
A game for the fans
Xenoblade Chronicles X is only a couple weeks away from release in the West now, and most JRPG fans couldn't be happier. The follow up to 2011's excellent Xenoblade Chronicles promises to feature a world significantly bigger and more complex than the already staggering world of its predecessor, with seemingly hundreds of hours of...
News Guitar Hero Live to Add 34 New Tracks on 25th November
With popular bands like Cinderella and Five Finger Death Punch
Guitar Hero Live on Wii U may not have stormed the charts as successfully as versions on other platforms, but Nintendo's system is still getting the full works of new songs and content additions. New tracks have gradually been added to the online GHTV and related areas, even if you're...
Video Let This Xenoblade Chronicles X Battle Trailer Get Your Blood Pumping
Attack, attack, attack
Xenoblade Chronicles X is extremely close to release, a cause for celebration for Monolith Soft and RPG fans with a Wii U. With many, many hours of content it's sure to keep players busy into 2016, and it takes many of the mechanics from its Wii predecessor and shakes them up - the Skell mechs are a big part of that,...
Review Barbie and her Sisters Puppy Rescue (Wii U)
Pawfully Repetitive
If there's one thing truly great thing about rescuing puppies in Barbie and Her Sisters Puppy Rescue, it's not the satisfaction of doing a good deed, or the subsequent obedience training you can do to ensure well-behaved canine friends. No, it's the sweet bicycle ride Barbie has on her journey to puppy saving. Barbie and Her...
News The Slosher Deco is Splashing Into Splatoon on 25th November
If in doubt, just add 'deco' to the name
Nintendo seems to like adding new weapons to Splatoon on Wednesdays now, with the Slosher Deco arriving on 25th November. Amusingly Nintendo of Europe accidentally tweeted images of the original Slosher originally, but we couldn't really see the difference between that and the 'deco' weapon on the way. Well,...
News You Can Now Buy A Replacement Wii U GamePad On Its Own
In Japan, at least
Eagle eyed Pokémon Master and Nintendo Life contributor Joe Merrick has spotted that Nintendo are now selling a solo GamePad for the first time in Japan. While we've come to accept that the Wii U will probably never support two GamePads at the same time in future games, it's nice at least to have the option to replace your...
Video Nintendo Kindly Reminds Us That amiibo Exist With This Timely Festive Commercial
"Tis the season to discover the power inside!"
With the Wii U and 3DS approaching the end of their lifespans and the release schedule looking rather bare, the amiibo range is going to be more important than ever to Nintendo this Christmas. The toy-like nature of the figures combined with a low price point should ensure they sell briskly this...
News Splatoon Picks up BAFTA Children's Award
Hip with the squid-kids
Awards season is approaching, and colourful shooter Splatoon has already drawn ink by picking up the 2015 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Children's Award for Best Game. The Inklings beat out a second Nintendo nominee, Yoshi's Woolly World, for the honour, as well as the console edition of Minecraft and...
Editorial It's Not Fun to Criticise Nintendo Games, But It's Been Unavoidable in 2015
Tom Whitehead assures you he's not on a maniacal quest to destroy Nintendo
I love the first Jurassic Park movie, which combined perfect casting with terrific film-making flair and a script touched by genius. Memorable characters and one-liners are everywhere, and at the time of release the dinosaurs were a visual effects revelation and, to be fair,...
Video This Professional Farmer 2016 Trailer Is Packed With Misplaced Sassiness
Music to hatch hens by
The news that Professional Farmer 2016 is headed to the fertile fields of the Wii U is positive - while the game might not be for everyone, it's nice to see a bit of variety headed to the Nintendo's system. UIG has now released a trailer to promote the title, and while it shows off some neat visuals and intriguing...
News Super Mario Maker Developers Discuss the Difficulties of Adding in Yoshi
Good thing Tezuka insisted
Super Mario Maker is a wonderful conglomeration of various elements from the series' rich history and one of the elements included is Yoshi, Mario's faithful dinosaur companion. Though he's gone on to successfully star in his own series – most recently in Yoshi's Woolly World – and is very much his own character at...
Feature Our Top Wii U Games - Third Anniversary Edition
Retail and eShop go head-to-head
The Wii U is now over three years old having arrived in North America on 18th November 2012. In recent times we've celebrated some of the best games the system has to offer, with our staff voting (and readers through embedded polls) on their favourite Wii U retail and top eShop games. Now, as a little bonus, are the...
Video Splatoon Gets the Did You Know Gaming? Treatment
Splatofu would have been interesting...
Splatoon is one of the most popular Wii U games around at the moment, still going strong since its May release. With weekly additions, Splatfests and occasional major updates it keeps giving us reasons to play, not that plenty of fans need any excuse. Now the Did You Know Gaming? channel has kept up its...
Review Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash (Wii U)
Into the net
Mario's spin-off titles have been integral to Nintendo systems for multiple generations, typically designed to bring families and friends together for light-hearted fun. The tennis spin-off has often found a fascinating middle-ground between depth and accessibility, though the home console entries have often been focused on simple...
News Check Out This Unused Stage Found in the Splatoon Art Book
Maybe material for a future update?
At launch, it could certainly be argued that Splatoon had just enough stages to get by, but this was assuaged over the coming months as Nintendo introduced new stages to the rotation; in addition to new gear and other goodies. While the post release DLC for Splatoon has been exceedingly generous, one must wonder...
Nintendo Life Weekly Huge Pokémon Reveal Next Month, Arguably the Rarest Nintendo Game, and More
Skip, fly, straight to the sky!
With all the hustle and bustle of the recent Nintendo Direct the past week has seemed quiet in comparison, but that doesn't mean we're going to avoid our duties! Once again we've collated the best news of the week as well as all of the releases and reviews you've come to expect of Nintendo Life Weekly. This week we...
Video See Splatoon's New Fearsome Hydra Splatling in all its Over-encumbering Glory
It costs 400,000 Super Sea Snails to fire this gun for 12 seconds
If Splatoon's Heavy Splatling and Heavy Splatling Deco aren't quite heavy enough for you, the latest addition to the arsenal could well be right up your street. This new Splatling boasts incredible range & firepower at the cost of gulping away at your ink reserves in the blink of...
News Nintendo Launches eBay Store for North America
No amiibo for a hundred bucks, surprisingly
The last time we wrote about eBay we were probably despairing at scalpers flogging limited edition consoles or amiibo at ludicrous prices in the height of demand and low supply. The topic is Nintendo once again, but this time it's an official store on the marketplace - without a $100 Gold Mario amiibo to...
Guide The Best Nintendo Black Friday 2015 Deals in the US
All the big Wii U and 3DS discounts
Black Friday shopping season is on the way and, as the mighty Mr Burns once said, it's time to deploy the cow catcher and consider your crowd management tactics. It could get a bit crazy. With the festivities officially falling on 27th November - though some offers will be available beforehand - it's worth...
News Shovel Knight is Now Playable on Wii U Emulator, Cemu, But Progress Remains Slow
Is likely to remain closed-source for a while, too
A little while ago we shared news of Cemu, a functioning Wii U emulator. Early doors it could barely boot up the opening artwork of a game, and the slow nature of progress on such projects points to it being many months (maybe years) away from being functional in a meaningful way. It's less a threat...
Feature Super Mario Maker’s Weekly Course Collection - 20th November
In need of a fresh challenge? Look within
Nintendo has once again hand-picked a selection of courses from the 100 highest-rated Super Mario Maker courses across Europe. Give them a spin and let us know what you think by posting a comment at the end! Fun and fair Challenge! 94CA-0000-00A1-3DF7 Medium Difficulty Designed by {ñ²}Nuki from Germany...
News The Hydra Splatling is the Next Freebie For Splatoon
More style with the power
Splatoon keeps on adding content, sometimes through major updates but often with new weapons, with the additions becoming part of many Wii U owner's weekly routines. The next new gun has now been confirmed, and it looks pretty cool. Arriving late evening on 20th November in North America and in the early hours of the...
News EA CFO Explains Why the Company Doesn't Make Wii U Games Anymore
But, what about the unprecedented partnership?
As is referenced in the tag, many of you will likely remember when John Riccitiello took the stage when Wii U was initially revealed at E3. The EA CEO explained how his company and Nintendo were to engage in an unprecedented partnership, placing heavy emphasis on the online component of the Wii U...
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