Feature Articles
Monday2nd Jan 2023
Soapbox After 10 Years I Finally Got A Wii U, Here’s What I Thought
The good, the bad, and the ugly
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, following up on his piece from a few weeks back, Jim delivers his verdict on the ten-year-old console and how it holds up in 2022 ... Picture the scene. The year...
Saturday1st Oct 2022
Talking Point What's The Worst Game That You Still Love For Some Reason?
All your perfect imperfections
Today marks the 15th anniversary of NBA Live 08 on the Wii. Quite why there wasn't a national holiday and organised street parades for this excellent game is beyond us. Except, of course, it isn't excellent at all. The game was, for all intents and purposes, objectively bad, and yet there is a very large part of this...
Friday26th Aug 2016
Interview The Voice of Fox McCloud and Much More - Joe Zieja
"As it happens, my neighbor is a floating monkey head"
Prior to the launch of Star Fox Zero, Nintendo generated plenty of hype with an extravagant animated short that was broadcast live online: Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins. A collaboration between Shigeru Miyamoto, Production IG and WIT Studios, it hit a lot of the right notes as far as we were...
Thursday21st Apr 2016
Reaction Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins Had Humour, Weirdness, Teases and Lots of Potential
An idea that Nintendo should pursue with all key franchises
Nintendo has made 'events' out of various quirky online broadcasts, with some being surprisingly short and light on actual reveals or details. It wasn't too surprising, then, to see Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins given the live broadcast treatment, followed by the Nintendo Treehouse team...
Tuesday19th Apr 2016
Feature Excited About Star Fox Zero? Check Out Our Extensive Series Content Here
Guess you should be thankful
Star Fox Zero launches on Wii U this week, and marks the long-awaited return of Fox McCloud and his team to active service. Given that Lylat fever has well and truly gripped the world of Nintendo, we thought it might be an opportune moment to remind you that we've got an embarrassment of Star Fox-related content tucked...
Monday18th Apr 2016
Dealing with daft dialogue, new controls and quirky ideas
Fans of films, TV shows, books and video games like to think their influence is significant in determining the general creative direction of a brand, especially in this era of social media and the very loud internet. To a degree they're right, too - when any IP becomes popular creators are...
Sunday10th Apr 2016
Talking Point The Great Star Fox Zero Controls Debate Highlights Important Lessons
Simplicity and instinct matter when playing games
Star Fox Zero isn't far away, yet rather than unquestionable hype about the first series entry for over a generation, much of the talk is over its control scheme. As the Wii U heads towards its retirement it seems like an apt conflict - innovation vs familiarity, instinctive play versus unfamiliar...
Tuesday5th Apr 2016
Preview Preferring the Air in Star Fox Zero
Well, Alex does
It's been the best part of a decade since we last received an original title in the Star Fox series, a time only briefly broken up by the release of the admittedly excellent Star Fox 64 3D. It feels like this entry could be make or break for these anthropomorphic adventures in space, so can Star Fox Zero meet the lofty expectations...
Monday14th Mar 2016
Editorial Accessibility Through Optional 'Invincibility' Buffs Can Only Be a Positive for Nintendo
Let's try to be Super Guides and spread the gaming bug
So, Star Fox Zero will not only have a co-op mode that'll allow less experienced players to play as a gunner and pew-pew stuff through the GamePad, but also a friendly option where gamers will have an invincible Arwing and simply fly through a level regardless of their performance. In the very...
Sunday3rd Jan 2016
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...
Friday18th Sep 2015
Talking Point Star Fox Zero's Delay Could Be The Final Nail In The Wii U's Coffin
Nintendo's console now lacks a AAA release this Christmas
The Wii U's dire commercial situation has become something of an industry joke these days, with some of Nintendo's harsher critics taking delight in pointing out how the Japanese firm has gone from an install base of almost 100 million with the Wii to 10 percent of that total in a single...
Tuesday7th Jul 2015
Feature Taking to the Skies for a Final Look at the Star Fox Zero E3 Build
Five more opinions on the divisive Wii U title
Star Fox Zero was a divisive reveal at E3, as it seemed to simultaneously delight and worry fans. Some loved the visual style, some compared them unfavourably to GameCube graphics. Some liked the gyroscopic GamePad controls, others thought they were awkward and poorly implemented. It's been a mixed bag...
Tuesday23rd Jun 2015
Hands On Logging More Flight Time With Star Fox Zero
“Impressive, Star Fox!”
In this second look at Star Fox Zero, Morgan Sleeper has a more positive experience than colleague Alan Lopez. To reflect the divisive nature of the controls, Alan's updated impressions from another playthrough are also included. When Miyamoto-san's Muppet started sprouting Star Fox features during the Nintendo Digital...
Sunday21st Jun 2015
Feature The Biggest Wii U Retail Games of 2015 - Summer Edition
E3 has added some new hits
It's the Summer Solstice here at Nintendo Life HQ in the UK, the longest day of the year. That comes at the end of the longest week of the year following E3, at which Nintendo had a mixed showing. What the event did deliver, in addition to some controversy and a clutch of wonderful moments, was a clearer look at the...
Wednesday17th Jun 2015
First Impressions Our Maiden Flight In Star Fox Zero Prompts Mixed Emotions
You okay over there, Fox?
One of our men on the E3 floor, Alan Lopez, had a first run on Star Fox Zero in a short session. We'll aim to have a longer playthrough - to tackle the GamePad control scheme, in particular - in a separate media session later this week. When I got to the Star Fox Zero kiosk inside the Nintendo media room, the Nintendo rep...
Tuesday9th Jun 2015
Feature Nintendo Franchises We Want to See at E3 - Star Fox
It's certain to be shown - but what form will it take?
In the lead up to E3 we'll be doing a series of features covering game franchises that we want to make an appearance - or see more of - at the show, and what we'd like to see out of a potential next entry in each series. In this entry Nintendo Life Editorial Director Damien McFerran mulls what...
Saturday7th Mar 2015
Poll Which 2015 Nintendo Blockbusters Should Have amiibo Support?
A welcome extra or occasional option?
Since the launch of the first 'wave' alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in November 2014, Nintendo's wasted little time in promoting and expanding amiibo. Continual waves have continued to take us towards coverage of the full cast in the brawling title, while an upcoming Super Mario range will accompany Mario...
Sunday1st Feb 2015
Talking Point Star Fox for Wii U is an Ongoing and Surprising Mystery
When will Nintendo show off Shigeru Miyamoto's project?
Nintendo had an impressive E3 in 2014, winning plaudits not just for its reveals but also its approach to the show, with the Super Smash Bros. Invitational and Treehouse live streams keeping fans entertained. There were a number of notable reveals, too, yet it was Star Fox for Wii U that...
Thursday1st Jan 2015
Feature The Biggest Wii U Games of 2015
The Legend of Zelda! Star Fox! Splatoon! More!
2015 is here, and for Wii U owners it could be the most exciting year of HD Nintendo gaming yet. The past couple of years have delivered some truly fantastic games, of course, with the just-departed 2014 bringing two of Nintendo's biggest franchises into the current generation. Excitingly, though, the...
Saturday6th Dec 2014
Talking Point The Legend of Zelda on Wii U Steals The Show and Raises Expectations
With Star Fox apparently progressing well, 2015 could be thrilling
During E3 this year Eiji Aonuma introduced The Legend of Zelda on Wii U, the long awaited main-series entry on Nintendo's latest home console. We were shown an art style that shared some similarities with Skyward Sword, but with a slightly more nuanced, cel-shaded and detailed...
