Author Profile
James started his career in video games as News Editor on Nintendo Life. Since leaving in 2012 to join Nintendo of Europe, James has risen through the ranks to become NoE's Senior Product PR & Corporate Communications Manager.
News Iwata Defends Identical Digital and Retail Prices
Value perception is key
When retail games hit the 3DS eShop in August, they'll cost around the same as they do in stores, a practice many believe is counter-intuitive: without the costs of physical manufacturing and distribution, digital games sidestep many costs. But Nintendo president Satoru Iwata disagrees, claiming download games have a...
News Iwata Won't Promise "Overwhelmingly Rich" Wii U Launch Line-Up
Has "several proposals"
The 3DS had a lacklustre line-up of games. You know it, we know it and Nintendo knows it. The real question is how the company will avoid a similar situation with Wii U when it launches later this year. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told investors that it has plans in place but that it pledges to create...
News Download Your Wii U Games Overnight
10GB? No problem
Wii U will launch with a digital store offering downloads of retail games, but with the Wii U disc holding up to 25GB you could probably learn a sport to an Olympic standard in the time it'll take to download Pikmin 3. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata knows this, so Wii U will let you download games overnight. Iwata told investors:...
News GameStop Won't Be Selling Spirit Camera Second-Hand
Frightening
Hoping to grab a cheap pre-owned copy of Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir from GameStop? Sorry, your luck is out — the chain won't be trading in Nintendo's augmented reality experience. The reason is the game relies on an intricate book bundled with new copies; without the book, the software's useless. Even a missing page could halt...
News Nintendo Readying Third Party Retail Downloads Too
Nothing to announce yet
We know the majority of Nintendo games will be released digitally once the retail download service kicks off in August, but Nintendo's confirmed it's preparing a service for third parties to release their packaged games digitally too. A Nintendo spokesperson told IGN: We are currently preparing a program for third parties...
News May's Club Nintendo Rewards Are Up Now
Here's what they are
It's a new month and that means new rewards for Club Nintendo members in North America. Here's what you can spend your coins on before 31st May. WiiWare: Snowpack Park (Nintendo, 150 coins) — A game full of penguins, read our Snowpack Park review. Eco Shooter Plant 530 (Nintendo, 200 coins) — Developed by Fire Emblem studio...
Nintendo Download 3rd May 2012 (Europe)
Virtual Console Arcade returns
In an unexpected (to say the least) twist, SEGA is bringing back Virtual Console Arcade this week with a truly classic racer. Elsewhere there's brand new DSiWare and a Game Boy Color game on 3DS too. Here's what's up this week. Wii Virtual Console: Super Hang-On (Virtual Console Arcade, SEGA, 900pts) — The legendary...
News Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Hits 3DS
He's back
After endless rumours, SEGA's lifted the lid on Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for Nintendo 3DS. The racer sees Sonic and friends racing in cars that also transform for aquatic and aerial travel. That might sound a little familiar to Mario Kart 7 veterans, but developer Sumo Digital has assured fans it's very different: you race...
News Midnight Purple 3DS Hits North America on 20th May
Told you so
North American shoppers get a new colour to choose from in a few weeks when the rumoured Midnight Purple 3DS console hits stores. Coming on 20th May for a suggested retail price of $169.99, it joins Cosmo Black, Aqua Blue, Flame Red and Pearl Pink in the rainbow of handheld console colours. Will you be picking one up? Nintendo 3DS Gets...
News PEGI Rates Rayman for 3DS Virtual Console
Back in the swing
PEGI just rated the original Rayman for 3DS Virtual Console. Ubisoft released Rayman for Game Boy Color back in 2000, mixing the story of the original game with content from Rayman 2. There's already Rayman DSiWare on the eShop, but that's more faithful to the 32-bit original. It'll be the second Ubisoft game for 3DS Virtual...
Rumour Midnight Purple 3DS Spotted on Retail Site
Prince nowhere to be seen
Update: Midnight Purple 3DS hits North America on 20th May. Retailer Sam's Club has listed a Midnight Purple 3DS — a colour Nintendo hasn't announced. Joystiq spotted the listing this past weekend. Purple was among the colours first shown off when 3DS w
News Grasp the Sword of Hope on 3DS Virtual Console
Once more to arms
Everyone's favourite ratings board has outed Game Boy game The Sword of Hope 2 for 3DS Virtual Console. Japan's already got the first game under its Japanese title Selection, but the follow-up is coming to PAL territories. Developed by Kemco — best known for a thousand cartoon and movie Game Boy tie-ins — it's a very old-school...
News Slightly Mad Reveals Project CARS Wii U Features
Start your engines
Slightly Mad Studios is bringing ambitious crowdfunded racer Project CARS to Wii U, and GoNintendo has unearthed a document detailing the team's plans for that touch screen controller. Slightly Mad — previously responsible for Need for Speed: Shift and sequel Shift 2 Unleashed — listed its pl
Talking Point Why Skyward Sword Sales Failed to Soar
Sword blunted
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was one of the most anticipated Wii games ever. After years of teasing it finally launched in November 2011, and has so far racked up 3.52 million sales around the world, a decent performance over a five-month period. It's on par with Wii launch title Twilight Princess, which sold 3.27m units between...
News Really, That's Just a Sticker on the Wii U Controller
We promise
Yesterday's leaked Rayman Legends trailer raced around the internet, wowing us with its demonstration of Wii U's near field communication technology and much more. Naturally the trailer was picked apart, with readers and some sites (like GameXplain, for instance) noticing a strange black square on the Wii U controller's underside:
News We'll Probably See Some New Nintendo Characters Soon
Who will they be?
Shigeru Miyamoto — creator of Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong and more, of course — has dropped a seriously big hint we'll see new characters from Nintendo very soon. The Guardian asked Miyamoto if there was a particular game or style he wanted to work on, to which he replied: I don't have a big list of ideas I want to realise, I...
News Pre-Order Kingdom Hearts 3D, Get Free AR Cards
Eat your heart out
Pre-order Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance ahead of its summer release and you'll get some augmented reality cards to use in-game. The AR cards unlock exclusive Dream Eaters, though retailers haven't specified whether the cards unlock evil Nightmare Dream Eaters to battle or helpful Spirit Dream Eaters to recruit and...
News Nintendo Still Has Secret 3DS Games to Reveal
Who knew?
Nintendo's got more 3DS games coming your way this financial year, but it's not saying what they are. Satoru Iwata — Nintendo president, of course — told investors the company has several unannounced 3DS games on the way before we flip our calendars over to April 2013. Referring to a list of announced first-party games due in the...
News Rayman Legends is Coming to Wii U, Supports NFC
Update: Ubisoft responds
Update: Ubisoft has issued a statement about Rayman Legends, acknowledging its development but stressing it's for internal use only: An internal video showing images of Rayman Origins’ sequel has leaked over the Internet. This video was intended as a purely internal demonstrative video, and in NO way represents the final...
News Iwata: "Animal Crossing 3DS Won't Rely on Add-On Content"
Get what you pay for
To some, Animal Crossing on 3DS sounds like the ideal opportunity to sell as much digital add-on content as possible, but Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has again stated the company's strong opposition to this model. Iwata told investors Nintendo will stick to its ethos of not selling products that consumers would deem...
News Wii U Will Launch With Digital Store
And full retail downloads
One of the biggest criticisms levelled against 3DS was the lack of a digital store at launch, but Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has assured investors Wii U will land with a full download store. Iwata didn't discuss the available types of software — Virtual Console, WiiWare etc. — but did confirm that Wii U owners can...
News New Super Mario Bros. 2 to Kick Off Retail Downloads
A while to wait
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed that New Super Mario Bros. 2 will be the first 3DS retail game to be available for download. Iwata spoke to investors at a financial results briefing and said that with user eShop connectivity at a good level — as much as 70% of 3DS owners in Japan and the U.S. have connected to the...
News Wii U Release Date and Price Announcements to Come After E3
Surprised?
Nintendo will reveal the release date and price for Wii U after its E3 show, president Satoru Iwata has revealed. Speaking at a financial results briefing, Iwata didn't reveal much about Wii U, other than emphasising that Nintendo would reveal the system's final format and software lineup during E3. Iwata then said: Please also be...
News Mega Man Legends 3 Campaign Hits 100,000 Strong
Now what?
The campaign to resurrect Mega Man Legends 3 — snappily titled 100,000 Strong for Bringing Back Mega Man Legends 3 — just hit its milestone on Facebook. The campaign isn't over, though. Now the group needs to turn its button-clicks into action, inviting members to send postcards to Capcom by the month's end. Thes
