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.
Review Art of Balance TOUCH! (3DS eShop)
Art of brilliance
WiiWare puzzler Art of Balance is one of the best games on the service: instinctive and addictive, it made the well-worn act of stacking shapes feel fresh again. Now on the 3DS eShop, Art of Balance TOUCH! keeps the winning formula going. The premise to Art of Balance is simple. In each stage you're given blocks of various shapes,...
Feature The Best Moments of E3 2011
It was a very good year
We're seven days away from E3 2012. That's seven days until we see Nintendo's full vision for Wii U, the next round of 3DS games and how our next year of Nintendo gaming is going to look. It's the most exciting time of the year, and it's nearly upon us. Last year was pretty exciting too. We saw Wii U for the first time, got...
News We May Yet See Inazuma Eleven Strikers in Europe
Better late than never
Europe's got two Inazuma Eleven games for DS but not the Wii entry Inazuma Eleven Strikers that came out in Japan in July 2011. Well, never say never, as Level-5's registered a trademark for the game in Europe. The Wii version follows the DS game's lead by blending football with RPG elements, but naturally with polygon...
Nintendo Download 31st May 2012 (Europe)
Mega Man, Rayman and blackjack with a girl
Europe gets a trio of new titles this week including a couple of but goodies. Here's what's up for you EUers this week. Virtual Console: Mega Man X2 (Super Nintendo, Capcom, 800pts) — Back in the day this made use of Capcom's new "C4" chip for fancy 3D effects and the like. Now you can buy it...
News Rayman Hits 3DS VC in Europe Next Week
Gear up for Origins
With a Rayman Origins demo last week and Rayman on 3DS Virtual Console next week — not to mention a proper look at Rayman Legends for Wii U the week after — Ubisoft's hero is working harder than he has done in years. Rayman's Game Boy Color adventure lands in Europe next Thursday for £4.50, and is only the second VC title...
News Gearbox: "Wii U is a Powerful, Powerful Machine"
Top gear
Gearbox Software, the team behind Aliens: Colonial Marines on Wii U, has been a vocal supporter of the machine so far. Comments from chief creative officer Brian Martell sit at the top of our Wii U power thermometer and Randy Pitchford said the Wii U's A:CM will be the best-looking version. Now we can add senior producer Brian Burleson's...
News Order Up!! Demo On the Back Burner Until Next Week
Well done
This week's Nintendo Download was supposed to come with a demo of Order Up!!, but it didn't. Developer SuperVillain Studios has told Nintendo World Report the demo is still on the way, and should arrive in next week's batch of digital delights. The full game is on the way to the eShop in North America early next month, too.
News Upcycle Nintendo Gear into Office Equipment
Get down to business
If your GameCube's given up the ghost or there's more nails in your Nintendo 64's coffin than hairs on your head, you might be thinking of recycling it. Etsy store GreenCüb goes one better and upcycles dead consoles and controllers into office equipment. Graeme Abraham turns GameCubes into desk organisers — cleverly the...
Nintendo Download 24th May 2012 (North America)
Galleries and snakes
North America gets its third Game Boy Color game today, which is nice. There's some DSiWare too and an update for an eShop favourite. 3DS Virtual Console: Game & Watch Gallery 2 (Game Boy Color, Nintendo, $3.99) — No, your eyes do not deceive you: this is two consecutive weeks of 3DS Virtual Console games in North America...
News Pledge to Cloudberry Kingdom, Get It Free on Wii U
Sounds fair
Pwnee Studios' Cloudberry Kingdom wants to be Wii U's most difficult download game, but the developer has to finish work on the game first. For that it needs money and time, and you can help with the first one by pledging to its Kickstarter. In return, you'll get the game free on Wii U when it launches later this year. There'll be two...
News Play Upcoming Nintendo Titles at MCM Expo
Prepare to dance
This weekend's MCM Expo will give UK Nintendo fans the chance to play some upcoming titles for 3DS and Wii for the first time. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance and Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise are the headliners, but there's also Heroes of Ruin, Mario Tennis Open and
News Ubisoft to Reveal Wii U Games on 4th June
Strap yourself in
Ubisoft's confirmed it'll show off its Wii U games at its E3 press event on 4th June, ahead of Nintendo's conference on 5th June. Ubi hasn't said specifically which Wii U games it'll show off — no surprise there — but with half a dozen titles in development including Rayman Legends and Assassin's Creed III there should be...
News Register Mario Tennis Open This Week, Get 250 Bonus Stars
So be quick
UK Club Nintendo members, listen up. If you register Mario Tennis Open on Club Nintendo before 28th May, you'll get an extra 250 Stars added to your account. That's all there is to it. Read our Mario Tennis Open review if you're on the fence about picking up Mario's bat and ball outing on 3DS.
News Go On, Judge a Game By Its Cover
Nobody says you shouldn't
You might remember some of our previous coverage of Famicase, where artists create stickers for fictional Famicom games. A Game By Its Cover (AGBIC) takes this concept to the next stage, inviting developers to create games based on the stickers. The competition runs from 17th June until 18th August and is open to anyone...
News LEGO Batman 2 Trailer Comes Down Like a Ton of Bricks
Visit Gotham City
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes for Wii and its 3DS counterpart are out in a month, which is more than enough time to watch this new trailer showing its open-world take on Bruce Wayne's home city. It's got all the things you'd want from a LEGO DC trailer — The Flash running fast, The Joker laughing maniacally and a pie calling on...
Rumour Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Heading to Wii U
A vampire double-whammy
Yesterday we heard there's a Castlevania game coming to 3DS, but that's not all: apparently Wii U owners will get a piece of the action too, as Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is in the works for Wii U. That's according to the Paul Gale Network, who claims the Wii U title will interact with th
News 3DS Nears 1 Million Units Sold in UK
But slower than DS
According to Pocket Gamer, 3DS is on the cusp of hitting the 1 million sales mark in the United Kingdom. The site claims the console sits just below 950k units after 61 weeks on shelves. By comparison, the original DS sold its first million after 51 weeks, so 3DS clearly still has some ground to make up. Last year Nintendo of...
News Add These Dates and Times to Your E3 Schedule
Straight from the horse's mouth
You might think your E3 experience starts and ends with Nintendo's press conference on 5th June? Not so, with two more dates and times to add to your diary. As well as streaming the press conference itself, Nintendo will also offer two exclusive videos at Here's the full rundown, in order. Tuesday 5th June: Press...
News Watch E3 Live Online, On TV and On the Go
Watch everywhere, really
Nintendo will once again stream its E3 press conference online at as well as via Facebook and on TV on Spike or MTV2. There'll also be game footage and developer interviews on Nintendo's YouTube channels. Of course we'll be bringing you live coverage, news, media and more as it happens so make sure you come here on 5th...
News Scour the UK for Mario Tennis Open Yoshi QR Codes
Smash and grab
Mario Tennis Open launches in the UK next week, and Nintendo is launching a nationwide treasure hunt for you to grab multicoloured Yoshis. On 25th and 26th May select Asda stores will give away the Black Yoshi via a special in-store QR code: scan it with your 3DS and Black Yoshi is yours to keep. Nintendo will release white, blue and...
News Colour-Based AR Patent is Hot Stuff
You'll see what we mean
The augmented reality games bundled with the 3DS are all well and good, but many of you want more. Nintendo's applied for a patent on a new colour-based AR concept that would make a very welcome addition to the system's AR suite. The document refers to using colour to influence the game world, giving several intriguing...
Nintendo Download 17th May 2012 (North America)
VC and vampires
After a pretty long nap 3DS Virtual Console wakes up today, and DSiWare swells with a hidden object adventure too. This is much more like it. 3DS Virtual Console: Kirby's Block Ball (Game Boy, Nintendo, $2.99, 40 blocks) — At long last, 3DS gets another Virtual Console game in the rotund form of Kirby. Check out our Kirby's Block...
News Nintendo Patent Reveals Wii U and Remote Interactivity
Drag and drop
So far a lot of the Wii U video and technology has focused on how one player will use the Wii U controller and others will use Wii Remotes, but a new patent shows the potential for a single player using both controllers together. The patent outlines how a player could use the Wii Remote to interact with both the TV and Wii U...
News Kingdom Hearts 3D Gets Mark of Mastery Special Edition
Coming to (North) America
Consider quantifying your excitement for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance into financial form. What number would it be? Square Enix hopes some of you will have come up with the number $54.99, as that's what it's asking for the game's special edition. The Mark of Mastery edition — so far only announced for North...
