Thomas Whitehead

Thomas Whitehead

Former Editor, Nintendo Life

Author Profile

Tom has been involved in the games industry for over a decade, mostly writing about it or struggling to sell Indie games. Loves reading, writing, hunting Capcom’s fiercest monsters and watching baseball.

Having joined the site in 2011, Tom took over as Editor three years later, ably steering the good ship Nintendo Life through the Wii U waters and safely into the Switch era. He now serves as a Producer at PM Studios.

Username
ThomasBW84
Articles
11,883 (257 reviews)
First Article
Wed 26th, January 2011
Avg. Review Score
6.8
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  • Mario Kart 8 Drifting Onto Wii U in Spring 2014

    59

    News Mario Kart 8 Drifting Onto Wii U in Spring 2014

    Gravity defying 3D tracks to be introduced

    During today's E3 Nintendo Direct broadcast, Satoru Iwata confirmed Mario Kart 8, the Wii U debut of the karting series. It picks up various ideas from its Wii and 3DS predecessors, yet surprisingly won't be available this year — it's been given a release window of Spring 2014. The footage shown was...

  • Batman: Arkham Origins Gameplay Trailer Goes for the Takedown

    10

    Video Batman: Arkham Origins Gameplay Trailer Goes for the Takedown

    Holy retro Batman cliche, Batman!

    With presentations wrapping up — apart from the Nintendo Direct stream — E3 is preparing to open to the public and enter full PR hype mode. We can expect plenty of trailers and info-drops, and Warner Bros. is the latest to jump into the fray with the first gameplay footage of Batman: Arkham Origins, the prequel...

  • What We Expect From Nintendo's E3 Direct

    85

    Feature What We Expect From Nintendo's E3 Direct

    Quite a lot, actually

    So after plenty of build up and waiting for all the other presentations to finish, the E3 Nintendo Direct is now a matter of hours away. It's a diversion away from the live presentations of past years, but as a pre-recorded and scripted video it has the potential to be a well-paced extravaganza; we hope it'll seize the day for...

  • It's the Ubisoft Presentation - Live!

    Chat

    E3 2013 It's the Ubisoft Presentation - Live!

    Here we go... shall we see what Ubisoft have in store?

    So, E3 is upon us, and welcome to our first live stream of the year from the expo. Why Ubisoft? For one simple reason, it's a publisher and developer that's shown plenty of support for Wii U over the past year. There are some high-profile multi-platform titles coming to the system that'll be...

  • LEGO Marvel Super Heroes E3 Trailer Saves the Day

    25

    Video LEGO Marvel Super Heroes E3 Trailer Saves the Day

    It's a LEGO Wolverine, at last

    There are so many LEGO games out on the market — so, so many. Yet we seem to keep wanting more, possibly because in the majority of cases they're a lot of fun, and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes looks set to be a big release this Fall; versions will grace the Wii U, 3DS and DS. With the E3 madness now well underway, the...

  • Nintendo's Biggest E3 Challenge is Getting Noticed

    139

    Talking Point Nintendo's Biggest E3 Challenge is Getting Noticed

    Up against a wave of new hardware

    When Nintendo announced that it was foregoing the traditional live presentation at E3, a common initial reaction was one of surprise, with some interpreting the move as a sign of weakness in the face of big-hitting rivals. When considered with a bit more context and analysis, however, the argument could be made that...

  • 13th June (Europe)

    78

    Nintendo Download 13th June (Europe)

    Animal Crossing arrives, along with Game Gear goodies and more

    It's Monday, so it's time to see what we have lined up for this week's Nintendo Download update in Europe, minus any E3 surprises, of course. One of the year's most anticipated 3DS retail titles finally lands, along with the latest Famicom Anniversary Promotion game and a lot of Game...

  • Fast & Furious: Showdown (Wii U)

    27

    Review Fast & Furious: Showdown (Wii U)

    Oh, we're furious alright

    It's easy to look at the name, Fast and Furious: Showdown, and leap to conclusions that it'll be a lazy, phoned-in movie tie-in that represents the lowest common denominator of gaming. Of course we shouldn't make such assumptions, as a game based around a series of over-the-top car action movies surely has the potential to...

  • Luigi's Mansion 2 Scares Its Way Back Into the UK Top 10

    18

    News Luigi's Mansion 2 Scares Its Way Back Into the UK Top 10

    Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate sneaks into the top 40

    It's UK chart day, once again, and we have more 3DS success stories to share, as two of Nintendo's notable recent releases continue to show strong momentum in the top 10. Luigi's Mansion 2 has spooked enough consumers to climb back up to 8th in the all-format chart and become the highest placed 3DS...

  • Animal Crossing: New Leaf

    72

    Out Now Animal Crossing: New Leaf

    Thousands of new Mayors are elected

    Your day is here, North America. Animal Crossing: New Leaf is now available in stores and, as we're sure some of you have noticed, has been in the 3DS eShop since midnight in your respective time zones. It's regularly been one of the most searched and closely followed titles on Nintendo Life, and the wait is well...

    • 3DS
  • Luigi Joins the Nintendo Bosses as They Arrive at E3

    45

    Weirdness Luigi Joins the Nintendo Bosses as They Arrive at E3

    Jeez, the green one's everywhere right now

    Before last year's E3 kicked off Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aime posed for a picture as they arrived in LA, forming a real-life triforce, perhaps. The three have once again arrived in the city and emerged from a large black people-carrier — is this now becoming a tradition? — but...

  • Best Buy's Wii U E3 Demo List Revealed

    95

    Rumour Best Buy's Wii U E3 Demo List Revealed

    Dare we say it's slightly disappointing?

    We know that through two days, one during E3 and one shortly after, over 100 Best Buy stores throughout North America will host demo units of major upcoming Wii U games, with the goal of giving shoppers the booth experience wherever they are. It's a solid initiative, and a picture has emerged — via...

  • Best Buy Beginning Return of Wii U Basic Models Before E3

    42

    Rumour Best Buy Beginning Return of Wii U Basic Models Before E3

    Time to say goodbye to the 8GB system?

    Earlier this week we reported on a rumour that GameStop will be returning Wii U Basic systems as part of a product recall by Nintendo. It's certainly not beyond the realm of possibility as the SKU has seemed to struggle, while a 32GB White Wii U is coming to Japan; if we were to don our guessing hats we'd...

  • Our Top 10 Third-Party 3DS Games - Summer 2013

    108

    Feature Our Top 10 Third-Party 3DS Games - Summer 2013

    Going beyond Nintendo

    Last week the Nintendo Life staff voted for their favourite 3DS games at the moment, with retail and download-only titles eligible. Getting in before the swathe of hot releases coming in the next few months — kicking off with Animal Crossing: New Leaf this week — it reflected just how far the system's library had come, with...

  • Lots of Sonic Lost World Wii U and 3DS Footage Dashes Into View

    90

    News Lots of Sonic Lost World Wii U and 3DS Footage Dashes Into View

    Grab some snacks

    Sonic Lost World will be exclusive to Wii U and 3DS, with both games being unique; Dimps will be producing the handheld's version. We've had an official trailer to date that gave glimpses of the Wii U title, including some snazzy new Sonic moves, but naturally we want to see more. IGN has had an exclusive early look at both...

  • Flipnote Studio 3D Confirmed for European Release on 1st August

    14

    News Flipnote Studio 3D Confirmed for European Release on 1st August

    Hand-drawn GIFs creep closer

    Not so long ago we reported that Flipnote Studio 3D is set for an early August release in North America, as an official website was launched revealing various details on the galleries and features, including the $0.99 30-day license for access to the World gallery. Nintendo UK has launched its own website and gone a step...

  • Nintendo Launches E3 Miiverse Communities

    17

    News Nintendo Launches E3 Miiverse Communities

    Use your happy face

    With Nintendo opting to go its own way with its E3 messaging this year, moving away from a live conference in favour of a special Nintendo Direct broadcast and other promised snippets of footage and news, it's naturally taken to its bespoke social network on Wii U to spread the word further. Announcements have appeared (from...

  • Big Bass Arcade: No Limit Reeling in the 3DS eShop on 13th June

    13

    News Big Bass Arcade: No Limit Reeling in the 3DS eShop on 13th June

    Hook, line, and sinker

    Big John Games has confirmed that its next entry in its main fishing series, Big Bass Arcade: No Limit, will arrive on the North American 3DS eShop on 13th June, with a price tag of $6.99. The series has previously appeared on WiiWare and DSiWare, so makes the logical step across to Nintendo's latest handheld. There will be...

  • Nintendo Should Aim to Produce Mature, Genre-Defining Storytelling Experiences

    304

    Talking Point Nintendo Should Aim to Produce Mature, Genre-Defining Storytelling Experiences

    The Last of Us sets a standard

    Nintendo, when on peak form and producing its landmark titles, is capable of producing some of the greatest video games in the industry. It's the master of universal genres such as 3D and 2D platformers, adventure exploration games, and can make kart racing look easy — as mediocre copycats often demonstrate. What...

  • Pokémon X & Y Gearing Up the Hype Train for Next Week

    31

    News Pokémon X & Y Gearing Up the Hype Train for Next Week

    Pokémon Smash Special to join E3 round table and CoroCoro info

    Pokémon X & Y will be a bit of a big deal when it arrives for a worldwide release this October. It's a new generation for the hugely popular franchise, and looks set to deliver a step-up in visuals and style to match the 3DS hardware. Since its reveal earlier this year there's...

  • This Zelda Stop Motion Animation is Crazy, and Awesome

    32

    Video This Zelda Stop Motion Animation is Crazy, and Awesome

    And no, it's not closely based on the series

    Zelda is a series that inspires plenty of people to take up instruments, cameras and more to produce fun videos or fan-albums for everyone to enjoy. It's also a franchise with such ardent fans that it can promote concerts worldwide and consistently sell out venues; it's truly iconic. Naturally, YouTube...

  • Urban Trial Freestyle Release Date Confirmed, Track Editor to be 3DS eShop Exclusive

    16

    News Urban Trial Freestyle Release Date Confirmed, Track Editor to be 3DS eShop Exclusive

    Lands on 27th June

    Last year we reported that Urban Trial Freestyle was coming to the 3DS eShop, a title that previously arrived on the PlayStation Network on PS3 and PS Vita. As the name suggests, it draws a lot of inspiration from the Trials series by RedLynx, offering a budget download-only alternative to the Xbox 360/PC exclusive series. The...

  • Renegade Kid on Mutant Mudds Deluxe and Looking Forward with Wii U

    26

    Developer Interview Renegade Kid on Mutant Mudds Deluxe and Looking Forward with Wii U

    "It is all about the games"

    Mutant Mudds Deluxe will not only bring the return of the highly-rated 3DS eShop title on a HD platform, it'll also be Renegade Kid's home console debut. Since the studio was founded in 2007 it's focused, primarily, on Nintendo's DS, DSi and 3DS systems, with recent diversions to PC and iOS in the form of Mutant Mudds...

  • Animal Crossing: New Leaf Will Need Over 6000 Blocks On Your SD Card

    97

    News Animal Crossing: New Leaf Will Need Over 6000 Blocks On Your SD Card

    Clear some space, right now

    We've had a number of enquiries about how many SD card blocks are required for upcoming release Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which is of little surprise as the daily commitment that the game demands is perfectly suited to a download. Intriguingly, the results vary slightly depending on region. Our man in North America, Jon...