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 X-Scape Launches on DSiWare on May 31st
North American release confirmed, European launch still up in the air
Q-Games' revisit of classic title X-Scape, aka 3D Space Tank, is set to land on North American DSis on May 31st. As captain of the VIXIV, a highly advanced space tank, you’ll roam the surface of dozens of alien worlds, battling the forces of an empire that is out to destroy...
News New Sonic 4 Trailer Almost Makes Up for Delay
Game pushed back for surprising reason
We reported yesterday that Sega's great white Sonic hope, WiiWare 'hog platformer Sonic the Hedgehog 4, has been pushed back from its Summer release date to a late 2010 date now instead. Why is that? It turns out that Sega wants the extra time to take onboard fan feedback about the game, though predictably it...
Interviews Ryozo Tsujimoto - Monster Hunter Tri
We chat monsters, quests and gamers clocking 8,000 hours
Initially scheduled for the week of the game's launch in April, ongoing issues with the Icelandic volcano dust cloud situation meant we had to postpone our interview with Monster Hunter Tri producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, but we're now able to bring you the interview in full. Nintendo Life: Why do...
News Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Speeds Past Summer Release Date, Into Late 2010
Delay for WiiWare platformer for extra polish
Nobody likes being made to wait, especially Sonic himself, but Sega has just announced its upcoming return to the hog's 2D roots, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, is going to miss its Summer release slot and will now be available in "late 2010." SEGA has decided to extend the development of...
News These Pearl Harbor Paper Planes are Confusingly Cute
Legendo's WiiWare shooter gets cut, folded and thrown
If there's one way to get your WiiWare game on the news page of every Nintendo site going, it's clearly papercraft: last week's Bit.Trip Runner set may not have been as difficult as the game but it looks just as awesome, and now Legendo is following up with foldable paper versions of the planes...
News Monster Hunter 3 Online is Staying Region Locked
Capcom producer Ryozo Tsujimoto breaks the bad news
Recently we got chance to interview Monster Hunter Tri's producer Mr Ryozo Tsujimoto and had to ask him about the continent-specific servers that prevent monster hunters from opposite sides of the Atlantic from playing with each other. Although there was initially hope that the region lock-out...
News Bit.Trip Runner is About "What it Means to be Human"
Alex Neuse reveals game's story and influences
Have you played Bit.Trip Runner yet? It's rather good and, as we said in our review, "cements Gaijin's reputation as a developer that has repeatedly shown it has a firm grasp on the craft of gaming." You might not actually understand what the game's about though: like previous Bit.Trip titles,...
Total misfire
Usually when a game is released with so little marketing it's enough to raise suspicions about its quality, but enough excellent WiiWare titles have emerged seemingly from nowhere over the years to make us reconsider those age-old presumptions. Then along comes a title like Blood Beach to remind us exactly why they existed in the first...
News Advanced Circuits Rolls into North America on May 24th
DSiWare automotive puzzler out on Monday
There aren't enough train games on DS: this is a fact. With the exception of the terrible Lionel Trains and Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, there's barely a good choo-choo title for the console. With that in mind, we're rather looking forward to BiP Media's upcoming DSiWare puzzler Advanced Circuits, pledging...
News New Shots of Xenoblade Look Awesome
Japanese RPG epic is a real looker
When the best teams get to work on Wii games, the machine's graphical muscle really shines through: check out Monster Hunter Tri, Endless Ocean 2, Fragile Dreams or Sin and Punishment 2. Pretty, no? Well get ready for the next Best-Looking Wii Game, Nintendo's upcoming RPG
News You're Probably Not Good Enough to Beat Sin and Punishment 2 on Hard
So say the game's developers
In a recent interview with Official Nintendo Magazine, Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies producer Masato Maegawa claims his new game is so unrelentingly difficult that he doesn't expect anybody to finish it on the most difficult setting. I think that the Easy Mode is the perfect difficulty for anybody to be...
News Australia, Only You Can Own this Awesome Travis Touchdown T-Shirt
The rest of the world will stare on enviously
Suda51's No More Heroes 2 is hands-down one of the most stylish titles on any format, and our lucky antipodean readers can clothe themselves in a little bit of that style with this awesome t-shirt. Preorder Travis Touchdown's new adventure over at GAME and you can grab this Bizarre Jelly t-shirt as worn...
News Struggling With Your Rytmik Masterpiece? This Video Wants to Help
Let Cinemax take you through the basics
DSiWare music production tool Rytmik is surprisingly powerful for a portable package costing less than a tenner, but learning its intricacies can be a little daunting at first. That's why we thought we'd share with you this introduction to Rytmik from Cinemax, showing you how to craft an annoyingly catchy bass...
News Wii Fit Helped Injured Soldier to Recover
University study finds balance board works out
It may not be quite the exercise package some had come to expect, but it appears Wii Fit may have benefits in other applications. A recent study by Kansas State University found that use of the game in the recovery programme of an injured soldier helped to improve his balance after a serious brain...
News Iwata Asks for Super Mario Galaxy 2 Reveals Many, Many Informative Nuggets
Too many for this tagline to contain
Always informative and surprising, the Iwata Asks series of articles is a treasure trove of Nintendo experience and and information, so you won't be surprised to hear that the latest article, covering Super Mario Galaxy 2, is chock-full of interesting facts. Yoshi was originally planned for the first Super Mario...
News Red Steel 2 Met Ubi's Sales Expectations
More accurate figures sadly lacking
It may have failed to set the charts alight but Red Steel 2 still performed in line with Ubisoft's sales estimates. In its end of year financial report, the company failed to give more exact sales figures but did say it had performed in line with revised estimates, a reference to the halving of expectations just...
News Nintendo Trademarks 3DSWare, DSMovie and Other Intriguing Phrases
But why, when the 3DS name isn't final?
One day it's possibly leaked testing hardware, the next it's a list of trademarks: the Internet Rumour Mill is operating at full steam ahead these days. According to a list discovered by forum members over at NeoGAF, Nintendo has registered trademarks including DSMovie, DSMagazine and DSCinema. The most...
News Need Help in Monster Hunter? Consult the Encyclopedia Trigantica
Very long name for a very big resource
Struggling to make much headway against some of the monumental beasties in Capcom's stunning Monster Hunter Tri but don't fancy shelling out for a strategy guide? Soak in the beauty of this, then: the game's official, and online, encyclopedia. Taking its cues from Monster Hunter Freedom Unite's Encyclopedia...
News New Zelda Aims for Easier Controls, Big Surprises
Miyamoto surprisingly clarifies neither
There's still a sleepless four weeks between us and the new Zelda game for Wii, set to be unveiled at E3. We don't know what it'll look, sound or play like, but a recent interview with Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed it should control more simply than previous Link outings. For us, it is important to the to...
Cerebral bore
A version of Brain Drain has already released on WiiWare in North America, and now it's Europe's turn to sample its item-moving action on DSiWare. They both share the same basic principle: rearrange objects into a specific pattern displayed on the top screen as quickly as possible. The best reference is a sliding block puzzle, only you...
Rumour Curious DS Motherboard May Reveal 3DS Widescreen
Hold those horses, however
Vague registrations for patents, trademarks and age ratings power the Internet Rumour Mill, particularly when there's a big announcement around the corner, and a recent filing over at the Federal Communications Commission may have the first photograph of a 3DS test kit. Why jump to the 3DS conclusion when the image title...
News See the New Pokemon Starters in Bright, Beautiful Motion
Hamferno, Smugleaf and the other one in action
We initially said the new starter Pokémon for the upcoming Black and White releases probably aren't the prettiest monsters we've ever seen, but in light of this first footage of them in battle we may have to chow down on our words. With fully animated monsters and new camera effects the battles are...
News Preorder Sin and Punishment, Get Bonus Points and Poster
That's a sweet deal
Although Treasure fans the length and breadth of Europe are already enjoying the company's latest blasterpiece, those of you across the pond in North America are probably cursing Nintendo's decision to delay to Sin and Punishment: Star Successor. It might be time to reconsider however, as Gamestop is giving not one but two...
News Soccer Bashi is Breakout with Soccer
Or perhaps it's soccer with Breakout?
Whichever way you slice it, Icon Games' next project Soccer Bashi combines the skill and satisfaction of breaking bricks with the showmanship and balls of soccer and is closing in on the WiiWare goal as we speak. With 90 levels spread over different game modes there should be plenty of variety, but Icon is also...
