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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  • Scribblenauts Unlimited Was Briefly Available On The European Wii U eShop

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    News Scribblenauts Unlimited Was Briefly Available On The European Wii U eShop

    And it's been downloaded

    Earlier this week we told you about the delay to the European release of Scribblenauts Unlimited on Wii U and 3DS, due to "changes" that needed to be made — no real details were given. It appears as if someone forgot to tell the team that manages content on the Wii U eShop, as it made a brief appearance on the platform;...

  • Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Comparisons Are Favourable for Wii U

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    News Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Comparisons Are Favourable for Wii U

    Yep, Digital Foundry has taken a look

    Hooray for happy Wii U news! It's been a tough old week, in the opinion of some, for Wii U, with delays, technical specification revelations and veiled executive-level criticisms swirling around Nintendo's home console. That doesn't mean we need to fear the worst or join in the "Wii U is doomed" chorus, however,...

  • The Rayman Legends Delay Is a Low Blow, But The Apocalypse Isn't Here

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    Reaction The Rayman Legends Delay Is a Low Blow, But The Apocalypse Isn't Here

    Remaining "exclusives" need to be secured, however

    Let's get one key point out of the way, just so we've said it early. The delay of Rayman Legends feels, to many current and prospective Wii U owners, like a cynical cash-grab of a business move. There are good old "anonymous sources", apparently developers on the game, stating that it's practically...

  • Rayman Legends No Longer a Wii U Exclusive, Delayed to September

    607

    News Rayman Legends No Longer a Wii U Exclusive, Delayed to September

    Oh dear...

    When talking about upcoming releases that will give the Wii U a timely boost and sell systems, one that's been consistently mentioned, including here on Nintendo Life, is Ubisoft's Rayman Legends. In a blow for Nintendo's system, it's been revealed that not only is the title now also coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3, but it's also delayed...

  • 7th February 2013 (North America)

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    Nintendo Download 7th February 2013 (North America)

    Ken is raging, the Blue Bomber returns, concentration testing and more

    Nintendo has confirmed what download delights are coming to North America this week, and it's certainly a diverse range. We have a download-only retail game on Wii U — if you can tolerate the term — some retro goodness and a long-awaited demo joining a major retail release on...

  • LEGO Mega Man Could Become a Reality

    30

    News LEGO Mega Man Could Become a Reality

    Block Man isn't included

    Many of you are quite possibly familiar with LEGO CUUSOO, the community-based site that allows fans to submit proposals for sets and figures that they'd like to see released by the famous company. The first step is earning 10,000 votes, at which point the idea is formally reviewed to see whether it's a possible inclusion in...

  • Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Approaches One Million Sales

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    News Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Approaches One Million Sales

    Just over a quarter of those on Wii U

    Sonic & All-Stars Transformed was, arguably, a surprise entry as one of Wii U's best titles available at launch. We were suitably impressed by its track design, action-packed racing and transforming vehicles to award a 9/10 in our Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed review, and the title's status as one...

  • Wii Street U App Finds Its Way to Wii U eShop in Japan

    26

    News Wii Street U App Finds Its Way to Wii U eShop in Japan

    Nosiness from the comfort of the living room

    Last year Satoru Iwata confirmed that the Google Maps Street View functionality would be coming to Wii U, an app that makes sense given the GamePad's screen and motion sensors. It may not be a big hit or a system seller, but this potentially fun app — called Wii Street U — has now arrived in Japan...

  • Super Mario Busters Ain't Afraid of no Ghost

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    News Super Mario Busters Ain't Afraid of no Ghost

    Use the ekto-thingy-majig

    YouTube is a home for many lovingly-crafted fan creations, whether real-life dramatisations, animations or someone sounding off in front of a camera about the latest big thing. Some of its gaming content is rather neat, with production values often going beyond humble origins; one example of this is the animated cartoon...

  • Ubisoft Studio Boss: People "Need to Experience" Wii U to Understand It

    40

    News Ubisoft Studio Boss: People "Need to Experience" Wii U to Understand It

    "The depth of what you can do with that console is really hard to get across"

    With Wii U now settling into the home stretch of its "launch window", and with the recent sales figures and projections from Nintendo's financial results, there's plenty of discussion around the system's early days and its potential for the future. A theme that's been...

  • 3DS Software and Hardware Still Leading Japanese Charts

    22

    News 3DS Software and Hardware Still Leading Japanese Charts

    Wii U momentum remains low

    It's that time again, when the Japanese chart results emerge and show us that Nintendo's homeland is still in love with the 3DS. It's been a period of sustained success for the handheld in the region, and in light of the Q3 financial report listing 29.84 million sales — as of 30th December — we can be pretty confident...

  • U.S. Download Sales Increase, But Physical Games Drop in Popularity

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    News U.S. Download Sales Increase, But Physical Games Drop in Popularity

    Downloads get closer to overtaking physical retail

    The times are definitely changing in the video game retail industry, as the latest NPD figures covering 2012 sales in the U.S. emerge. In general the results reflect the trends reported by Nintendo in its financial results, but the figures also show just how vital the download gaming market is...

  • LEGO City: Undercover Trailer Brings More Crazy

    41

    News LEGO City: Undercover Trailer Brings More Crazy

    Building some hype

    LEGO City: Undercover arrives in North America and Europe in March, so naturally more footage of GTA LEGO — as we've taken to calling it — has started to emerge. Previous videos have shown some zany and movie-based jokes, though the latest trailer focuses on more of the storyline and game footage. You can check it out, in all...

  • Wii U's Graphical Grunt is Laid Bare - Shall We Play Games Now?

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    Talking Point Wii U's Graphical Grunt is Laid Bare - Shall We Play Games Now?

    As with Wii, developer talent and creativity will be vital

    Today perhaps brings a little closure, for those inclined to allow such a thing, with details and analysis emerging of the Wii U's GPU. Since before its release Wii U has been scrutinised by some in terms of its graphical capabilities, and there are plenty of people who focus on that area...

  • Paper Mario: Sticker Star Advert Gets Literal

    30

    News Paper Mario: Sticker Star Advert Gets Literal

    A big effort for 30 seconds

    So, there's a cool new advert for Paper Mario: Sticker Star running in North America, which some of you may have already seen. It works with the idea of representing gameplay with stop-motion animation, using paper and card for an authentic look that, to the game's credit, isn't actually a million miles away from in-game...

  • Two Tribes on the Toki Tori 2 Delay and Improvements

    7

    Interview Two Tribes on the Toki Tori 2 Delay and Improvements

    "The game is much better on all fronts"

    Late last week developer Two Tribes published a blog post with some explanation for the delayed release of Toki Tori 2 on the Wii U eShop. We've followed up with one of the studio's key figures and the blog's author, Collin van Ginkel, to get a few more details. In the mini-interview below he reveals a little...

  • GPU Images Reveal Wii U Graphical Power

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    News GPU Images Reveal Wii U Graphical Power

    If you're into that sort of thing

    Since before it even hit stores, much speculation has swirled over the graphical power of the Wii U, by which we mean how many polygons, shaders and effects it can push all at once. The launch window line-up includes exclusives that look gorgeous, others that have modest visuals, as well as ports and multi-platform...

  • Nintendo Set For Yearly High In Download Sales

    29

    News Nintendo Set For Yearly High In Download Sales

    The 3DS eShop is delivering the goods

    Nintendo's recent Q&A with investors, following the third quarter financial results, has now been officially translated and published in English. Comments such as those about potential additional platforms will raise some eyebrows, but further details have revealed some less surprising news, though...

  • Zen Pinball 2 (Wii U eShop)

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    Review Zen Pinball 2 (Wii U eShop)

    Not always a zen experience

    Zen Pinball 2 is a title that's seen its Wii U eShop release delayed from an original December target, as a result of its free download/paid DLC model requiring extra attention for publication. While the actual pinball is polished, fun and generally first-class, the infrastructure behind it is the exact opposite. With 26...

  • Monolith Soft's 3DS Title Makes an Intriguing Appearance

    27

    News Monolith Soft's 3DS Title Makes an Intriguing Appearance

    Courtesy of a job advert on Facebook

    Monolith Soft is, for JRPG fans at least, a name at the top of many Wii U hype lists. The impressive trailer for X, as it's codenamed, reminded many of the sheer scale and epic adventure in Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii, but with greater resources to exploit on the system. This praise won't be news to eager...

  • 7th February 2013 (Europe)

    51

    Nintendo Download 7th February 2013 (Europe)

    North Star action, fire fighting, Sonic transforming, something a bit Mega and more

    Update: Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2 on the Wii U eShop has now been officially added to this week's set of downloadable delights. It's a dreary Monday morning, but we at least have some Nintendo Download news to keep Europeans happy. There's a range of...

  • Nintendo Is Strengthening Development Teams, Defends Wii U Capabilities

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    News Nintendo Is Strengthening Development Teams, Defends Wii U Capabilities

    Unannounced games slated for late 2013

    Following this week's financial reports, Nintendo had its standard Q&A session with investors to discuss the results and business plans. The full transcript has been published in Japanese but, at the time of writing, the English translation is yet to arrive. Thankfully, NeoGaf member farnham has translated...

  • Nintendo Subsidiary Known For Work On Mother 3 Becomes "1-UP Studio"

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    News Nintendo Subsidiary Known For Work On Mother 3 Becomes "1-UP Studio"

    A bit snappier than Brownie Brown?

    Brownie Brown, a development studio funded and owned by Nintendo has confirmed that it's undergoing a change in its internal structure; this will involve the company restarting and being named 1-UP Studio. The team's work is often characterised as offering support and collaborative effort on major projects,...

  • Gun Violence and Nintendo is an Unlikely Pairing

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    Talking Point Gun Violence and Nintendo is an Unlikely Pairing

    Not, perhaps, for a want of trying

    Yesterday we directed your attention to an extensive investigative article on Eurogamer, exploring the links between the gun industry and video games. Most importantly, the focus wasn't just on subjective debates about the relationship between guns in games and those on the market, but also explored real,...