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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  • Zen Pinball 2 Wii U Pricing to Match Other Platforms

    27

    News Zen Pinball 2 Wii U Pricing to Match Other Platforms

    $3 per table, or $10 for a four pack

    Despite its delay from an original December release, Zen Pinball 2 is still very much on the radar for those eager for a new download on the Wii U eShop. It'll also be the first game on a Nintendo system to follow a structure of a free download accompanied by paid content. Naturally with a multi-platform...

  • Local Multiplayer Sneaks Up On Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

    54

    News Local Multiplayer Sneaks Up On Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

    Um, what?

    On each occasion that we've played Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, the demo on offer has been a single-player level. The prospect of multiplayer arrived before promptly disappearing way back in November 2011, with Nintendo listing multiplayer as a feature, before saying it was all a big mistake. Yet now we have the official site for the game,...

  • Frozenbyte Hopes To Release Trine 2 Update This Month

    16

    News Frozenbyte Hopes To Release Trine 2 Update This Month

    The Australia and New Zealand release, too

    Late last year Frozenbyte told us that an update for Trine 2: Director's Cut would arrive before the Holidays, providing improved graphics, Wii U Pro Controller support and voice chat. As the eagle-eyed among you undoubtedly noticed a while ago, that didn't happen. The developer has now published a video...

  • The Blurred Lines of "Collectables" and On-Disc DLC

    70

    Talking Point The Blurred Lines of "Collectables" and On-Disc DLC

    Are Skylanders and Disney Infinity pulling a Capcom, with toys?

    Yesterday, before a maelstrom of date reveals and other news, the pricing emerged for Disney Infinity, which put parents and their bank managers on alert. It also instantly raised comparisons with the Skylanders series, now two games old, which despite differences in approach to the...

  • Sony and Kevin Butler Actor Settle Lawsuit Over Wii Appearance

    51

    News Sony and Kevin Butler Actor Settle Lawsuit Over Wii Appearance

    No more Mario Kart Wii for Jerry Lambert

    Last year we reported the peculiar news that Sony was taking 'Kevin Butler' actor Jerry Lambert to court over an appearance in a Bridgestone advert in which he was part of a Wii promotion. The Kevin Butler character was, for a significant period, the figurehead of Sony's advertising for PlayStation 3 and...

  • Monster Hunter Tri Servers To Be Shutdown At the End of April

    65

    News Monster Hunter Tri Servers To Be Shutdown At the End of April

    Go hunting on your own

    As newer consoles and titles come along, it's inevitable that games with healthy online components have their support taken away, leaving what remains for gamers to pick over. Unfortunately that fate awaits Monster Hunter Tri, with the servers for the online co-op in the Wii title being taken down on 30th April. Described as...

  • 17th January 2013 (North America)

    83

    Nintendo Download 17th January 2013 (North America)

    Tokyo mobs, stacking stars and a free awakening

    It's download time again, which means more downloadable goodies for your Nintendo systems — well, two of them. In what feels like a rare occurrence, there's no DSiWare to be found, with five options on the 3DS eShop and a video app for Wii. Nintendo's latest console misses out, but then again we know...

  • LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins Confirmed For 3DS

    30

    News LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins Confirmed For 3DS

    The chase actually begins on 21st April

    While there's been plenty of information and footage for LEGO City: Undercover on Wii U, the open-world title that offers a potential blend of block-based madness and GTA, all has been silent on the announced 3DS equivalent. Nintendo's now confirmed that 3DS isn't getting a stripped back equivalent, but a...

  • Nintendo of America Outlines Upcoming Q1 eShop Releases

    55

    News Nintendo of America Outlines Upcoming Q1 eShop Releases

    There are even dated Wii U eShop titles

    Nintendo of America has issued details on a number of upcoming games on the way to North America in the next few months. While there aren't necessarily any real surprises, we have a few solid dates. The headline news for the Wii U eShop is the confirmed release date of Ron Gilbert's The Cave, a platform...

  • Disney Infinity Pricing Emerges

    38

    News Disney Infinity Pricing Emerges

    Warn the bank manager

    We can imagine a tired old Executive at Activision in late 2011, working through yet more paperwork and then coming across sales figures for the experimental Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, a game where the publisher was boldly asking parents and enthusiasts to buy the game and a load of toys. Their eyes would have widened,...

  • 3DS Maintains Dominance of the Japanese Charts

    38

    News 3DS Maintains Dominance of the Japanese Charts

    Wii U slips just behind PlayStation 3

    The latest round of sales results from Japan, covering the period from 7th to 13th January, give us an early indication of sales levels in the region after the boosted business of the Holiday season. They tell a mixed tale, with 3DS still ruling the roost and Wii U scrapping it out within the main pack. In...

  • "All The Bravest" Square Enix Trademark Was for iOS Game, Not Bravely Default Localisation

    49

    News "All The Bravest" Square Enix Trademark Was for iOS Game, Not Bravely Default Localisation

    Darn

    Late last year it emerged that Square Enix had trademarked the name "All The Bravest" and purchased a number of related web domains, which prompted excitable rumours that it could be an indication of a much-desired localisation of 3DS title Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. Unfortunately that dream has been crushed — which seems to be standard...

  • A Tour of the Two Tribes HQ

    15

    Feature A Tour of the Two Tribes HQ

    Going behind the scenes

    With its upcoming Wii U eShop release of Toki Tori 2, as well as plans to port a couple of existing titles to the console's download platform, developer Two Tribes has a lot of work on its plate. Despite that the team has been kind enough to produce the following exclusive tour of its HQ, giving an insight into the size of...

  • Capcom Bringing Retail 3DS Games to the eShop

    41

    News Capcom Bringing Retail 3DS Games to the eShop

    The collection grows

    The 3DS eShop has evolved a fair bit in a little over a year and a half, with a fresh layout, demos, and retail downloads all arriving since its humble launch. It's the latter that's arguably the most intriguing, as it clashes with Nintendo's traditional support for high street retail partners, while prompting ire among some due...

  • The Sundance Festival and Red Carpet Are Calling For Mario

    9

    News The Sundance Festival and Red Carpet Are Calling For Mario

    Nintendo's going to the movies

    The Sundance Film Festival is one of the best-known and prestigious events of its kind in the film calendar, with events, screenings and prize-giving being given gloss by plenty of celebrities and successful actors. After Nintendo UK's short-film partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI) last year it's now...

  • Nintendo Unifying Handheld and Console Divisions in Business Restructure

    29

    News Nintendo Unifying Handheld and Console Divisions in Business Restructure

    $340 million being invested in a new development facility

    While many of us focus exclusively on our latest Nintendo consoles and what games are coming up, it's easy to forget that Nintendo's a rather large corporation that's always evolving and seeking a business edge. While it may crush any perceptions that Nintendo's facilities are populated by...

  • Disney Infinity Heading to Wii U, Wii and 3DS This Summer

    54

    News Disney Infinity Heading to Wii U, Wii and 3DS This Summer

    Golly, that's a lot of platforms

    Late last year details emerged of Disney Infinity, a title that incorporates real-life figurines and a portal concept made popular by the Skylanders series, while adding a great deal of customisation and a sandbox environment to encourage freedom and experimentation. Disney Interactive has now unveiled a host of new...

  • Wii U's Beginnings and Challenges For 2013

    49

    Talking Point Wii U's Beginnings and Challenges For 2013

    Convincing sceptics is one

    Recent sales figures and industry conversations have given us a fair old glut of analytical articles focused on Wii U in recent days. For a system that's barely a couple of months old, there's been a temptation in some quarters to either predict doom and a major loss of market share, or to put faith in Nintendo's...

  • Shin'en Confirms Jett Rocket II - The Wrath of Taikai

    22

    News Shin'en Confirms Jett Rocket II - The Wrath of Taikai

    Going a bit Star Trek

    Yesterday we brought you the news that the 3DS sequel to WiiWare title Jett Rocket was confirmed to be nearly finished and on the way "early this year", good news for those who'd wondered about its fate for much of 2012. With that happy news confirmed, developer and publisher Shin'en Multimedia has now clarified the title for...

  • Zen Studios On Portable Pinball Success And Wii U

    29

    Developer Interview Zen Studios On Portable Pinball Success And Wii U

    The pinball wizards have more to come

    Zen Studios is an experienced indie developer that, despite its varied projects, is possibly best known for its pinball games. It's a team that wasn't entirely unfamiliar with Nintendo hardware in past generations — it developed Ghostbusters: The Video Game for DS — and it's become best known to fans of the...

  • Pokémon X & Y Catch More Official Artwork and Details

    46

    News Pokémon X & Y Catch More Official Artwork and Details

    More images and legendary dimensions, of course

    At the weekend we posted a feature titled Pokémon X & Y - What We Know So Far, with an assumption that the initial burst of images and concept art was over and that the dust would settle. The Pokémon Company isn't done yet, however, revealing new images and details for us all to absorb. The...

  • Gunman Clive Soundtrack Goes On Sale

    12

    News Gunman Clive Soundtrack Goes On Sale

    Yours for $1

    Gunman Clive is a recent budget-priced arrival on the 3DS eShop, and despite some reported bugs — which we didn't experience ourselves — it's earned a fairly positive response so far. With a development team of two and previous releases on smartphones, PC and Mac, it's a title that's earned some success from modest beginnings. Not...

  • Analyst Firm Concerned That Wii U Will "Lack Broad Appeal"

    59

    News Analyst Firm Concerned That Wii U Will "Lack Broad Appeal"

    Believes Sony and Microsoft successors are due this year

    Last week saw the annual tech hoopla of Consumer Electronics Association (CES) 2013, with a number of gadgets such as the Nvidia Project Shield handheld unveiled. Although not all major technology companies were in attendance, it was an opportunity for various contacts to be made and for...

  • Zen Studios: Wii U eShop is an "Amazing Development for Nintendo"

    10

    News Zen Studios: Wii U eShop is an "Amazing Development for Nintendo"

    "The doors are wide open for other small studios"

    Best known for its pinball titles — though it has dabbled in other genres — Zen Studios earned a starring role in the final Nintendo Direct broadcasts of last year when Zen Pinball 2 was announced for the Wii U eShop. Initially expected in December, it's been pushed back from that original target...