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MegaWatts
Articles
232 (67 reviews)
First Article
Wed 17th, October 2012
Avg. Review Score
6.5
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  • Review Blast Corps - An Absurd, Exhilarating, Explosive Gem From Rare's N64 Days

    Time to get moving

    This review originally went live in 2013, and we're updating and republishing it to celebrate the game's arrival in Switch's N64 library via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Long before the massive mainstream appeal of video games that exists today, successful developers were surprisingly free from the shackles of big...

  • Review Devil World - A North American Debut For Nintendo's Curious Pac-Man 'Clone'

    Heaven a good time

    This review was originally published in November 2014. We're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online NES library — and its official debut in North America nearly 40 years after its Japanese launch on Famicom. As far as obscure releases within the NES library go, Devil World is...

  • Review Pilotwings 64 - A Real Gem, Sparkling In The Shadow Of Mario 64

    Top flight

    This review originally went live in 2013, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in Switch's N64 library via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Releasing alongside Super Mario 64 when the Nintendo 64 launched back in 1996 (1997 if you're European), it was somewhat inevitable that Pilotwings 64 was...

  • Feature ENKKO's Andy Vargas on Breathing New Life into the N64 Controller

    Sticking it to the past

    Did you know that it's becoming increasingly difficult to find a Nintendo 64 controller that's in good, working order? While the controller may have ushered in a new era of full-analogue control in video games in 1996, it wasn't without its flaws. Its unusual three-pronged design was enough to put off some people from even...

  • News Synthwave Artists Celebrate N64's 20th Anniversary with Free Music Compilation

    Two decades "synth" Nintendo's 64-bit powerhouse released

    This June marks an important occasion in Nintendo history: the 20th anniversary of Nintendo's first 3D home video game system, the Nintendo 64, which released in Japan on 23 June 1996. To mark this momentous occasion, a group of artists has released a free unofficial synthwave compilation of...

  • News ENKKO to Restore the N64 Controller to Its Former Glory with New Kickstarter Campaign

    Keeping the generation alive

    While renowned for popularising the incorporation of analogue joysticks into modern video game controllers, the Nintendo 64 Controller's joystick is, in fact, its biggest flaw. Those who played their N64 extensively back in its heyday will remember that the stick would become loose after extended use, so much so that it...

  • Review Mario Party 10 (Wii U)

    Let's get this party started!

    It's commonly accepted that partying too hard can be a bad thing. However, that doesn't appear to be a concern for Mario and friends, who since 1998 have appeared in 10 home console Mario Party games and even a few portable outings, too. While Mario's virtual board game gatherings are now a far less common occurrence...

  • Review The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS)

    You’ve had a terrible wait, haven’t you?

    The wait for The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D has felt a lot longer than it has, in reality, been. Although it was only officially announced for the first time during last November's Nintendo Direct presentation, it needed little time to build up a considerable buzz ahead of its release. Of course,...

  • Feature The Making of Wetrix and Its Route to Nintendo 64

    How the Pickford Bros' creative little puzzler made a huge splash

    Time hasn't been kind to the memory of the Nintendo 64. While it was extremely well received upon its release 18 years ago, and still holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers, it signalled a turning point in Nintendo's history. The company's controversial decision to opt for...

  • Feature Dreaming of a Nintendo Christmas - Martin Watts

    What does the festive season mean to Martin as a gamer?

    Christmas was obviously always an exciting time for me as a child. Waking up to a bundle of presents, with a wish list to Father Christmas magically fulfilled was everything a kid could wish for. Well, that and copious amounts of chocolate to see me through the day. As a gamer, it was a crucial...

  • Guide Getting the Most out of Your amiibo with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

    Oh, amiibo!

    Nintendo’s near-field communication figurines, amiibo, have finally landed in North America; what better way for them to punch and kick their way into our homes (and hearts) than to do so in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Nintendo’s latest home console version of the crossover fighting series offers in-depth support for the figurines,...

  • Feature A Day in the Life of a Self-Confessed Super Smash Bros. Fanatic

    It's always a smashing day

    Martin Watts regularly thrashes his Nintendo Life colleagues in online Smash Bros. matches, and now we know why. In this article he outlines a typical day now that two versions of the brawler are available. Nintendo’s decision to release not one, but two Super Smash Bros. games in a single year has always been...

  • Review Tengami (Wii U eShop)

    Above the fold

    Development studio Nyamyam prides itself on being founded with the primary purpose of making games that are fun and meaningful. This is a company that openly states that through great love and attention, it strives to create beautifully crafted games that bring a little magic into people’s lives. This is a small band of Rare alumni...

  • Preview Using amiibo with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

    We’ve got amiibo all figured out

    This holiday period is arguably Nintendo’s most crucial since the Wii U launched back in late 2012. The company's banking on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U not only attracting a lot of sales but, more specifically, system sales from those yet to pick up the console. Moreover, Nintendo’s new range of NFC (near...

  • Preview Having a Brawl With Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

    Extended time with Nintendo's biggest game this holiday season

    Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the most anticipated Nintendo title this holiday season, and with good reason. Whether it's the intricate and deep gameplay mechanics, the sheer amount of content reported to be on offer or the crossover Nintendo theme and the fan service that comes with...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Rocket: Robot on Wheels

    Unfairly overshadowed by its high-profile counterparts, Rocket: Robot on Wheels is one of the best 3D platformers available for the N64. Physics-based gameplay and a futuristic theme park setting provide the basis for seven different game worlds, each filled to the brim with challenging platforming segments and hugely inventive puzzles -- the...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Wetrix

    Combining Tetris with terraforming isn’t your usual recipe for making a video game. Nevertheless, the Pickford Bros. managed to take these elements and merge them into the creative tour de force that was Wetrix. A thrilling 3D puzzler in which you attempt to create lakes to contain a never ending flood of water; it's remarkable just how tense the...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Banjo-Tooie

    Rare’s follow-up to Banjo-Kazooie didn’t arrive on the N64 with quite the same amount of impact as that of its first 3D platformer, but it nevertheless an impressive, and one which drew much critical acclaim. Banjo-Tooie is an even bigger game that achieves a number of technical feats, such as long draw distances and real-time shadows, without...

  • Review Cosmophony (Wii U eShop)

    Off the beaten track

    We can’t help but think that a parallel universe exists in which Cosmophony plays a central, cruel role in deciding a person’s fate. In this somewhat dystopian, yet oddly hip and cool universe where drum and bass is the norm, a technocratic regime (made up of original developer, Bento–Studio, and Wii U porting pros,...

  • Review Mighty Final Fight (3DS eShop / NES)

    Haggard by time or as mighty as ever?

    Originally released for the NES in 1993, Mighty Final Fight is a home console spin-off of the original arcade classic, Final Fight. Interestingly, it came out a year after the technically superior home console port that appeared on the SNES and, furthermore, is quite a departure from the other games in the...

  • Review Namco Museum (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Does it deserve to be exhibited on your Wii U?

    Originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001, Namco Museum is part of a long-running series (which goes by the same name) that saw regular releases over a 15-year period all the way up until 2010. This game is a compilation, featuring five classic arcade games: Ms. PAC-MAN, Galaga, Galaxian,...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Super Smash Bros

    It may feature a limited number of characters and stages compared to later instalments, but Super Smash Bros. packed one hell of a punch when it landed in 1999. It feels a tad sluggish today, but the brawl 'em up's arena style gameplay system stills offers an addictive and frantic multiplayer experience. The merging of different Nintendo universes...

  • Feature The Making of Rocket: Robot on Wheels

    How one of the N64's most criminally under-appreciated games came to be

    The Nintendo 64, while simultaneously renowned and infamous for doing many things, is arguably best remembered for defining the 3D platforming genre. When Super Mario 64 released in 1996, it didn't just blow everyone’s socks off; it revolutionised home console gaming and set...

  • Nintendo 64x64 Bangai-O

    What a treasure

    Few N64 games manage to come close to delivering the sheer amount of chaotic action that Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh delivers in droves. A Japanese exclusive, this 2D shoot ‘em up majestically -- and intentionally -- puts both the player and the console through their paces; the hundreds of projectiles and enemies on screen at any one...