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.
The DS' first retro sci-fi MMO
Phantasy Star Online for Dreamcast was a genuine revolution: the first-ever online RPG for consoles, it boasted an advanced translation system, free online play and stacks of action. The GameCube saw Phantasy Star Online: Episodes I & II that expanded the original game with all-new areas, weapons, monsters and...
First Impressions WarioWare DIY, FlingSmash and Photo Dojo
Hands-on with three very different titles
You've already heard what we thought of Metroid: Other M, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Sin and Punishment 2, and we got to play Monster Hunter 3 a few weeks ago, but there's still plenty to tell about the other titles available to play t
First Impressions Sin and Punishment 2
Blasting, slashing, stunning – trailer inside!
It took forever (well, nearly) for Treasure's seminal N64 game Sin and Punishment to see a Western release, but thankfully the sequel isn't due to take anywhere near as long to find its way to your Wii disc tray, with a European release date of 7th May. When Nintendo offered us the chance to play it...
First Impressions Metroid: Other M
Hit me baby, one more time
As stunning as Retro Studios' Metroid Prime Trilogy undoubtedly is, we still fondly remember Samus Aran's formative years, and particularly the seminal Super Metroid. It seems we're not the only ones fond of this piece of the bounty hunter's history however, as Team Ninja and Tecmo's take on Nintendo's sci-fi franchise...
First Impressions Super Mario Galaxy 2
Truly spacial
Super Mario Galaxy 2 had by far the biggest queues of the day, with a cordoned area showcasing the plumber's latest adventure. Our crafty writers, however, took advantage of everyone else's hunger by striking when most other journalists were stopping for lunch, managing to get a good half an hour of hands-on time. With such high hopes...
News Nintendo European Media Summit 2010 Round-up
All the big news from the big day
Earlier today, two of Nintendo Life's UK editorial team attended Nintendo's European Media Summit in London's swanky O2 Arena, which was filled with transparent plastic chairs and surrounded with projection screens showing upcoming titles. Although many of the major announcements were made at the US summit...
Review Flight Control (DSiWare)
Up in the air
Already available on the iPhone, Flight Control puts you in one of the world’s most stressful jobs: air traffic controller. Charged with landing all flights safely, you have to plot a path for each incoming aircraft towards its designated landing zone, naturally making sure to avoid collisions. What begins as a straightforward...
News Upcoming Media Summit Promises Surprises, Hype
What will Nintendo reveal in a few days?
Whenever there's a Nintendo press event, everyone goes bananas predicting what will be unveiled: new hardware, new entries in long-running series, Virtual Console Handheld. Well, with not one but two three Media Summits scheduled for this week, you can bet there'll be some interesting announcements in the...
First Impressions And Yet It Moves
We take this gravity puzzler for a spin
And Yet It Moves is heading to WiiWare, fresh from its critically-acclaimed PC appearance, so we were naturally curious how it would stack up on the Wii. If you've not played the PC demo yet, here's a brief summary to get you up to speed. And Yet It Moves is a side-scrolling platform game that puts you in...
News Get Heard on the Nintendo Life Podcast!
Speak up about the DS for our next show!
Next month the DS console is five years old in Europe, and to celebrate we're going to be hosting a special DS edition of the podcast. We'd love to hear your memories and thoughts on the DS on the show. What's your favourite DS game? How do you think the console has changed gaming? Do you have any special...
First Impressions Monsteca Corral
Round 'em up, move 'em out
So far we haven't been told much about Onteca's upcoming WiiWare title Monsteca Corral, so when the developers offered us to see the game in action for ourselves we jumped at the chance. It's tough to describe Monsteca Corral in traditional genre terms, but it's perhaps closest to a real-time strategy game, although it...
News Fragile Dreams Come True in March
Mark your calendar for the 19th of next month
If you're a fan of subtle Japanese pseudo-supernatural survival adventure RPGs, today is your lucky day. Not as lucky as Friday, March 19th though, as that's when Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon is confirmed to launch across Europe. We've already spent a good few hours with the game and were...
First Impressions Rune Factory Frontier
Growing a beaut
US readers may scoff at the "First Impressions" title of this article as Rune Factory Frontier has been available in the Western hemisphere for nearly a year, but as always European gamers are left waiting for any Harvest Moon-related titles. However, farming fans need not fret much longer, as Rune Factory Frontier is due...
Review Sonic & Knuckles (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
Lock-on, baby
It's widely known that Sonic and Knuckles (S&K) started out as the latter half of Sonic 3, but development constraints forced SEGA to split the game in two, putting S&K onto an innovative Lock-On cartridge that, when combined with Sonic 3, pieced the game back together into its original state. Now, with the announcement that...
We do some Happy Hammerin' with the game's director
Agenda's WiiWare bash 'em up Happy Hammerin' has been out in Europe for a month or so now, bringing joy to anyone who enjoys smacking moles with hammers. One such bash-fan is the game's director, Akimoto-san, who very kindly answered our questions. Nintendo Life: First of all, can you give us a...
We get ready for the European Overturn release with this Q & A!
With Overturn: Mecha Wars finally on its way to European shores, we took the time to catch up with Studio Zan's CEO, Makoto Sunaga, and fire off some questions about the robot battling title. Nintendo Life: First of all, could you give us a brief introduction to Studio Zan?Sunaga-san:...
First Impressions Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon
Tri-Crescendo's brooding adventure comes to life
You may have already heard some impressions about Fragile Dreams in our recent podcast, but there's still much to tell about Tri-Crescendo's upcoming post-apocalyptic adventure. The game begins with the death of your surrogate grandfather, the only human being you've ever had contact with. The world...
News Europe Finally Gets Overturned on February 12th
Mecha madness hits WiiWare shortly
Until now, European fans of giant robots have been crying into their Transformers pillowcases about the state of the Wii's 'bot back catalogue, their tears ever saltier by the long delay in seeing Overturn: Mecha Wars reach European shores. Originally announced for a European release last April, Gamebridge has just...
News GhostSlayer Jumps Out, Goes "Boo"
MotionPlus at the ready!
It's typical, isn't it? You wait months for a first-person, MotionPlus-utilising WiiWare title and then two come along at once. Not long after our hands-on with Rage of the Gladiator, Gevo Entertainment just emailed to let us know about its future WiiWare release GhostSlayer. Like Rage, MotionPlus is optional for...
News More Viral Survival Details Break Containment
Get your shots here
We first brought you news on NIS America's upcoming WiiWare game back in December, and now we've been infected with some screenshots and an official press release. Viral Survival (JP title: Escape Virus) is an "escape" action game where you control a DNA unit and dodge through enemy virus attacks. If you save a...
Podcast Episode 12 - Fragile Dreams and Reviews Round-Up!
Plus first impressions and news too
Yes, it was but one month ago we all gathered around the soft glow of our audio devices to discover who won the Nintendo Life Game of the Year Awards. This month we look forward, with audio recaps of our recent previews of Art of Balance, Rage of the Gladiator and Calling, as well as a podcast exclusive preview as...
News Speak Up, Monster Hunters
Game gets Wii Speak support, bundles of joy
How many accessories would you like with your copy of Monster Hunter 3, Europe? On its launch in April you'll be able to pick it up in one of three tasty varieties: the vanilla game solo, with the sweet-looking Classic Controller Pro (also confirmed for the US) or in the full-on sensory overload of the...
Review Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep (Wii)
What lurks beneath?
2007’s Endless Ocean was a true original: a diving game that made little attempt to be a game, basing most of its gameplay around just touching fish. As part of the Touch Generations range it clearly appealed to enough aspiring divers to merit a sequel, but it’s certainly changed from the inviting warm waters of the Manaurai...
News Last Flight Bloodies Up Facebook
Talk to Bloober Team ahead of the game's launch
If you're in the market for a bloody good time on WiiWare (groan) you're probably looking forward to Bloober Team's Last Flight, the cartoon-style slasher due out in the near future. Well, you'll probably also be interested in the launch of its new official Facebook page, which just launched today...
