Wii U Features
Playing together and going solo
Nintendo Land is going to be played by a lot of Wii U owners, which we know thanks to pre-orders for the system's Premium Set being practically sold out in the U.S., for example. We were able to try a number of its titles in a post-E3 London event, where we gave you first impressions of Nintendo Land's multiplayer...
First Impressions Assassin's Creed III
Battles on the high seas
Assassin’s Creed III is one of Wii U’s highest-profile launch titles, with the November date coming just a few weeks after its appearance on the other HD systems. It’s also one of Ubisoft’s most ambitious development projects in its long history, with a number of studios and hundreds of staff working on what it hopes...
Talking Point Five Reasons to Buy a Wii U
If you need them
We don't always say why we write certain features, or what prompts them, but in this case we'll make an exception. As anyone based in the UK is likely to already know, tabloid newspaper The Sun published a list of five reasons not to buy a Wii U. Of course it's perfectly reasonable to go that way when weighing up the pros and cons...
Not a bad effort, Nintendo
On Thursday the Nintendo Life team watched the various broadcasts and events held by Nintendo to unveil Wii U launch details. After soaking in all that was said and the news that's come out since, a couple of our editors decided to provide some brief thoughts of their own on what Nintendo did right, as well as areas that...
Guide The Definitive Guide To Wii U
Everything you need to know
Want to know everything there is to know about Nintendo's new home console, Wii U? What it can do and which games you'll be able to play on it when it launches later this year? We've got you covered with all the information there is right here in this handy guide. As news regarding any new hardware launch is changing all...
Feature Wii U Price And Release Dates Confirmed
Two bundles available at launch, November is the magic month
Nintendo has just confirmed release dates and price points for its forthcoming Wii U console. In North America and Europe, we'll be getting a white "Basic" pack (with 8GB storage) and a black "Deluxe" pack (with 32GB storage and the same extras that are set to be included with the...
Talking Point The Importance of the Wii U Press Event
Battle for the limelight
This Thursday’s Wii U press event is a big deal for Nintendo. Well, let’s assume it is, as a loose teaser for future reveals may cause too much fan anguish to control: we’re talking mass hysteria and riots on the streets. Joking aside, we’re 99% confident that Nintendo’s going to hit us with at least two big pieces...
Talking Point Wii U and the Next Generation of Consoles
Getting there first
Wii U is getting ever closer, with a press conference scheduled for this week that’s expected to include details such as the system's price and a launch date. It’s possible to argue that Nintendo has been playing it too slowly in terms of building hype for Wii U, but that’s the company’s style in recent years when...
Talking Point Miiverse and Social Networking
Bringing gamers together
In the past week, two particular news items and events have made us think about the future role of Miiverse on Wii U, and why it could be vitally important to the system. On the one hand, Satoru Iwata spoke to Kotaku to explain that Miiverse will be a ”social graph” for gamers, highlighting that the service will aim to...
Interview Two Tribes - Toki Tori 2
No more flapping around
A little over a week ago Two Tribes released its first trailer for Toki Tori 2, showing off footage of the diminutive feathered hero solving puzzles and using various creatures in the environment to help him on his way. It showed off some nifty gameplay mechanics, while the developer revealed details via its blog of the...
Feature DS Games We Want on Wii U
Two screens, only much bigger
Seven years and over 150 million sales have passed since Nintendo surprised the world by releasing its dual screen handheld back in 2004, introducing true touch screen gaming to the masses for the first time. The concept proved such a success that Nintendo has now implemented it in its next home console, Wii U, via a...
Talking Point Another Look at the News - 3rd August
We're on our soapbox
It's been a relatively busy week of Nintendo news, culminating in the EA Summer Showcase that was more of a polite presentation, in terms of Wii U at least. Once again we take a look at some of the news of the past week and give a personal spin, ranging from optimism to shouting from on top of our soapbox, depending on the...
Interview Tomorrow Corporation - Little Inferno
Burning down the house
When some of the folks behind WiiWare wonder World of Goo and the creator of DS darling Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure team up for a project, well, you best sit down and pay attention. Tomorrow Corporation is hoping to light up Wii U when their debut title Little Inferno hits this winter. We caught up with the men...
Feature GameCube - GBA Connectivity and Wii U
Blazing a trail
Nintendo has been known to dip into its past when looking for the future. The 3DS is a good example: while the handheld may be the first glasses-free 3D video game system, it's hardly the company's first foray into the third dimension. The forgotten Famicom 3D System brought pop-out graphics to Nintendo's original home console in...
Talking Point Another Look at the News - 20th July
Sonic, retail downloads and a certain analyst
It's that time again, when a few members of the Nintendo Life team look at recent news and decide that they simply have to give their opinion on it. Last time out things were very serious, with topics such as Nintendo's online services, the number of 'new IPs' on Wii and the continued madness that is...
Feature Batman's Nintendo Adventures
Holy topical feature, Batman!
Today sees the launch of The Dark Knight Rises in UK and North American theatres, amongst others, and it's become a cultural phenomenon, dominating the thoughts of Batman geeks and film lovers alike. We figured that you'll see the word 'Batman' wherever you go, so we might as well wrap it up in our favourite...
Interview Farsight Studios - Pinball on Wii U, 3DS and Kickstarter
Bringing tables onto your screens
Farsight Studios has been in the gaming industry for over 20 years, but is probably best known for its extensive range of pinball titles including Pinball Hall of Fame — The Williams Collection on Wii and 3DS. The studio recently announced that its latest title, The Pinball Arcade will come to Wii U and 3DS, as...
Feature The Future of GameCube on Wii U
Including the 'Cube
When Wii U is released, you'll be able to play games from each of Nintendo's home consoles thanks to a mixture of backwards compatibility and the Virtual Console. With one exception. No, not Virtual Boy. Currently GameCube has no place on Nintendo's first high definition console, that we know of: only games on systems up to...
Feature The Potential of Wii U and Amazon
More than a games console
Nintendo has been busy with Wii U promotion in recent weeks, with E3 at the core of a number of interviews and reveals about the system and what it will offer on the day it hits stores. Satoru Iwata has spoken about the console and its GamePad controller becoming the centre of the family living room. An image of four family...
First Impressions New Super Mario Bros. U
Mushroom magic?
It's OK to say you were disappointed that New Super Mario Bros. U is Wii U's first Super Mario game. You may have wanted something groundbreaking like Super Mario 64, and Nintendo revealed a shinier, sharper version of a Wii game from 2009. You're entitled to be disappointed. Your excitement for Mario's next home adventure all...
First Impressions Project P-100
Crowd sourcing
Tucked away at E3, shielded from the glare of the main presentation for reasons unknown, was Project P-100. It's an all-new superhero action IP by well-lauded developer Platinum Games, due to be published by Nintendo in Wii U's launch window. It's also bonkers. One Mr Hideki Kamiya is at the helm as director, famous for a track...
Talking Point Wii U Bundles Need to Suit Us All
One size does not fit all
After the fun and games of Wii U noise over E3, now we probably have to wait until the next Nintendo Direct broadcast for another hit. We learned a great deal about Wii U at E3, with game reveals and system demonstrations giving a broader idea of what the console will offer. Much was left to our imagination, however, such...
London crawling
Ubisoft's first-person shooter ZombiU is brutal. Adapted from the ashes of the cancelled Killer Freaks from Outer Space, it sees London overrun by hordes of infected monsters. Your only goal is to survive, but don't expect to do so for very long; battles are desperate, fought with melee weapons or a weak pistol until you can scrape...
First Impressions Nintendo Land's Multiplayer Games
Wii U's main attraction
Nintendo Land is lots of fun. In some ways it's exactly the kind of fun you had when you played Wii Sports for the first time, regularly erupting into laughter and occasional curses when things don't go your way. It didn't look much on stage at E3, but Nintendo's right to put its faith in the game's ability to communicate...
First Impressions Game & Wario
No Ware out
Wario's first Wii U appearance isn't quite what we've come to expect from the garlic-munching gold grabber. Instead of a platformer or a new entry in the micro game-fuelled WarioWare series, Game & Wario is a collection of more fleshed out mini games that shows off what Nintendo's new home console can do with a single GamePad. Game...
First Impressions Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition
Sonar, so good
Batman's latest crusade through video games has been out on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC for a good eight months now, but that didn't stop Nintendo giving enhanced port Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition plenty of stage time at E3. Escaping the confines of Arkham Asylum, a section of Gotham City has been cordoned off as a gigantic...
Extra floretstrial
For years Nintendo has been tending to a new entry in the Pikmin series, experimenting with different control methods and systems both handheld and home console. After starting life on Wii, Pikmin 3 was eventually transferred to Wii U due to the benefits of high definition and the GamePad's touch screen. The little plant-alien-bug...
Feature Nintendo Land's Potential
Raising the flag for Wii U
Nintendo Land, a virtual theme park that collects together bite-sized portions of several Nintendo franchises, seems to be the big first party hope for Wii U. It's intended as a title that can match the appeal of Wii Sports and push the console's central concepts: the uses of the GamePad's screen, asymmetrical multiplayer,...
E3 2012 Our View of Nintendo's E3
Did Nintendo win?
The E3 displays and demo booths have all been packed up and tired exhibitors have gone home, so now we can reflect on what happened in Los Angeles and contemplate how Nintendo performed. A few members of the team provided a short review of Nintendo's E3 press conference hours after it finished, with a general consensus that while...
Talking Point The Good and Bad Sides of Moderating Miiverse
Big Mario is watching
As we were bombarded with announcements and details about Wii U in the past week, perhaps one feature stood out as something distinctly new in the world of Nintendo: Miiverse. After enduring the lacking online options on Wii for the past six years, Nintendo gamers can look ahead to potential levels of social interaction unknown...
Reaction What Happened to EA and Nintendo's Unprecedented Partnership?
The silent treatment
At last year's E3, EA CEO John Riccitiello shared a stage with Nintendo global president Satoru Iwata and Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime to announce that the two companies would join together in an "unprecedented partnership" for the launch of Wii U. Neither party gave any real indication what this would involve;...
Reaction Your Opinions on Nintendo's E3 Conference
A mixed bag
Nintendo E3 conferences are a funny business, with just 70 minutes to try and please as many people as possible: not an easy task. This year Nintendo went big with Wii U and showed off a variety of first and third party titles, covering a lot of bases. Of course, it's easy to focus on what wasn't revealed, but ultimately we do have big...
Talking Point Reviewing Nintendo's E3 Press Conference
7/10?
The dust has settled on Nintendo's E3 2012 press conference. Here in the Nintendo Life offices the pizza boxes have been pushed to one side and we've taken a few minutes to collect our thoughts and summarise how we think it went. James Newton, editor: I wouldn't say this was a classic show for Nintendo — a lot of the right components were...
Reaction On First Glance, Nintendo Land is No Wii Sports
System seller?
Nintendo made claims that it had a Wii U title that matches Wii Sports in appeal; a title that sells their new console, both conceptually and literally, just as well as the motion sports game did for Wii. At E3 it presented the proposed title: Nintendo Land, a virtual theme park which incorporates Miis, Miiverse and mini games...
Reaction Ubisoft Bets Big On Wii U
Will it be legendary?
Ubisoft has now finished its E3 conference extravaganza, and unlike EA dedicated a section to Wii U, underlining support for Nintendo's next gen console. In total the publisher unveiled eight titles, not all necessarily for launch day, but in any case representing a broad variety of styles and experiences. So, what stood out?...
E3 2012 Pre-E3 Nintendo Direct Round Up
Wii U re-revealed
Satoru Iwata opened the pre-E3 Nintendo Direct show with a declaration of Nintendo's intent to continue being unique — and a half hour long web show dedicated to its new console days before the start of E3 certainly fits into that category. Iwata promised that Tuesday's conference would focus "almost entirely on Wii U games", so...
Feature How Nintendo Can Win E3
Drop the bomb
The time is nearly here. In just a few days, Nintendo has to make the presentation of its lifetime at E3 2012. After being hit by the first losses in the company's history in recent months, and with the weight of proving a brand new home console's worth on its shoulders, there's no doubt that nailing this conference is crucial. It'll...
Feature Games We'd Love to See at E3
We're dreaming
This year’s Nintendo E3 conference is drawing a lot of attention because of Wii U, with the new console giving the company a big chance to seize the day. When it comes to the showcase press conference, however, there’s always one thing that is guaranteed to get the fans excited: games, games and more games. Give Reggie Fils-Aime,...
Reaction The Big Wii U Rumour Round-Up
Future prospects
We’re now less than a week out from Nintendo’s E3 conference where the cover will finally be pulled off so many mysteries surrounding Wii U. Since debuting the console at last year’s conference Nintendo has been tight-lipped on the subject, and when excitement is high and valid information is low, it can only lead to one...
Feature Why EA and Nintendo's Partnership Is Big News
Crowd pleaser
Last year at E3, Nintendo promised a lot to core gamers. "Wii U will be right just for you," Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said, playing a showreel of hardcore shooters and action games to win over the crowd. Talking heads from big publishers all crowed about the machine's capabilities and its new controller — top...
Feature The Evolution of Nintendo's Controllers
From NES to Wii U
In over 25 years of home consoles, Nintendo's done more than just produce ever-improving gaming systems that give us more complex, better-looking games: it's also been a major influence on how we play our games. The company has often been responsible for bringing new control schemes to the mainstream, or adapting ideas from others...
Talking Point Nintendo Should Offer Indie Game Bundles
Competitive download prices for a good cause
We’re just one month away from the 3DS eShop's first anniversary, a busy period that’s seen the service grow and evolve. A modest start, including a slow-burn of actual 3DS exclusives, made way for a vibrant period of service improvements, game demos and, most importantly, some top quality games. The...
Feature The Magic of Console Launches
It’s all about day one
In the coming weeks, as we build up to the excitement and madness of E3 2012, we’re going to reflect on some major Nintendo console launches from the past. We won’t necessarily cover them all in this series, but we’ll be looking at some notable console arrivals and thinking about why these system launches were...
Talking Point The Critical Importance of Black Ops 2
CoD always sells
For those of you that follow gaming news beyond Nintendo, one title has been dominating all headlines: Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The Activision behemoth has been everywhere, grabbing attention ahead of a 'global reveal' and then accounting for the bulk of news stories on many multi-platform websites in the aftermath. While it's...
Feature Nintendo Banks on Its Old Money Makers
If in doubt…
Nintendo is set to announce its latest financial results that will cover the past year, and it’s anticipated that, for the first time in its history, the company will record a yearly loss. It’s an obvious blow for Nintendo, particularly as the past five to six years have brought staggering success. Even the results for 2010-2011...
Feature Super Mario on Wii U - Crowd Pleaser or Game Changer?
The plumber's conundrum
The news that Shigeru Miyamoto will show off Super Mario Bros. on Wii U at E3 is more or less confirmation of what we all expected. When 3DS faltered many said Nintendo needed to show the way with a Mario game, and Super Mario 3D Land's Christmas appearance gave the console a big shot in the arm, becoming its first...
Talking Point Is Wii U's Power Really That Important?
It's how you use it
One topic's dominated the Wii U news since Nintendo revealed its new console at E3 2011 — just how powerful is it? Nintendo's Wii U technical specifications give the vaguest of nods to its under-the-hood power, just mentioning a multi-core IBM processor — which we know is based on game show-conquering chip Watson — but it...
Talking Point Why Wii U's Image Must Grab Attention
First impressions count
With each passing week we get closer to the arrival of Nintendo’s next home console, Wii U. It’s due by the end of 2012, yet there’s still so much that we don’t know: technical specifications, prices, planned launch games and even the final name. All of these factors will be important to its early success, but...
Feature Obscure Series That Should Return on Wii U
Baby come back
Whenever a new system is announced, cyberspace is filled with wish lists of games that ought to be released faster than you can say Miyamoto. Very little is known so far about games coming to Wii U, so speculation is rife even though some classic series have already been heavily hinted at (Pikmin 3) or should be an announcement away...
Talking Point The Inevitability of Digital Retail Games
How will it affect our gaming?
For Nintendo gamers, the video game market is currently a simple, relatively traditional place. If you want to buy a retail title, you hit the high street or visit your online retailer of choice and pick up a box with a disc or game cart inside. Pop that media into your Wii, 3DS or DS and you’re immediately playing...
