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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  • Spirit Hunters Ghosting Onto DSiWare on 22nd November

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    News Spirit Hunters Ghosting Onto DSiWare on 22nd November

    Light and Shadow versions both available

    While Australian development studio Nnooo is fairly well known to Nintendo download gamers for Pop and escapeVektor: Chapter 1 on WiiWare — a new version of the latter is also on the way to the 3DS eShop — the developer has been quietly working on its ambitious DSiWare title, Spirit Hunters Inc, for quite...

  • Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Confirmed for Wii U Launch Day in Europe

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    News Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Confirmed for Wii U Launch Day in Europe

    Yes, you use the GamePad screen for the brush

    While North America has a rather juicy list of Wii U launch titles that will arrive alongside the system on 18th November, European gamers are having to be a little more patient for full details. Thankfully one more launch day arrival has been confirmed, with Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two...

  • Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct Confirmed for Japan

    20

    News Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct Confirmed for Japan

    Remember to breathe

    If Nintendo has one focus this week, it seems to be to remind us about 3DS. The handheld is only in its second year, after all, and has its share of big releases due in the coming months. One upcoming title that's high on a lot of 3DS wish-lists is Animal Crossing: Jump Out, which isn't due in North America and Europe until...

  • Team Ninja Backs Wii U to Grab Attention

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    News Team Ninja Backs Wii U to Grab Attention

    Miiverse could be a "virtual amusement park"

    Team Ninja may be the masters of action-intensive games and a rather questionable perspective when it come to in-game character models for women, but it's also a studio becoming increasingly relevant to Nintendo gamers. After all, it was chosen to deliver Metroid: Other M, successfully dividing the...

  • Reggie: Miiverse Will be a "True Killer Application" on Wii U

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    News Reggie: Miiverse Will be a "True Killer Application" on Wii U

    An important part of the system

    Unlike its predecessor, Wii U is a system that is steadily making a big noise about functionality beyond simply playing a game. In North America there's TVii, an app that allows subscribers of various TV services to navigate around programmes, access bespoke content and update social networks with comments. It's the...

  • 3DS and BFI Film-Making Competition Winner Announced

    1

    News 3DS and BFI Film-Making Competition Winner Announced

    New film to be premiered on 15th October

    Earlier in the summer we told you about the Ridley Scott-backed film-making contest being run by Nintendo and the BFI (British Film Institute). This was taking submissions of 3D films recorded on 3DS systems, with the winner then having an opportunity to create a professionally produced 3D film with Stuart...

  • Dr. Mario Online Rx Makes Club Nintendo Members Feel Better

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    News Dr. Mario Online Rx Makes Club Nintendo Members Feel Better

    Yours for 100 coins

    As expected for North American members of Club Nintendo, there's a new title available in exchange for 100 hard earned coins. The latest update has seen Dr. Mario Online Rx on WiiWare added as an incentive until 14th October. This title has been around for well over four years now, and received some warm praise and 7/10 in our...

  • 3DS eShop Set for Maintenance in Europe, Right Before Nintendo Direct

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    News 3DS eShop Set for Maintenance in Europe, Right Before Nintendo Direct

    Speculation ahoy!

    Update: Courtesy of a tweet from Nintendaan, it appears to be the case that the Japanese eShop is scheduled to go down for maintenance from 3am until 12pm on 4th October, making this a little more intriguing. So, Nintendo of Europe is hosting a Nintendo Direct broadcast on Thursday 4th October at 7pm British standard time/8pm...

  • The Possibilities of New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC

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    Talking Point The Possibilities of New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC

    More Mario per system

    We’re well aware that some of you may read the headline and tagline for this article and immediately think that we’re losing our minds, foolishly allowing ourselves to be suckered into paying more and more for our Mario fix. That’s a danger of course, which we’ll come to, but with this week’s first batch of New Super...

  • New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC Grabs North American Coins on 4th October

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    News New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC Grabs North American Coins on 4th October

    See Reggie's Nintendo Direct 'Mini' debut

    Earlier today Nintendo of Europe released a translated version of the weekend's Japanese Nintendo Direct Mini, with details of the New Super Mario Bros. 2 Coin Rush DLC that's already available for download in the region. Nintendo of America has now joined in with its own video, though its gamers will need...

  • Nintendo of Europe Confirms 3DS Nintendo Direct on 4th October

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    News Nintendo of Europe Confirms 3DS Nintendo Direct on 4th October

    Stereoscopic goodness on the way

    With all of the hype and hoopla around a certain upcoming home console, Nintendo gamers may have been forgiven for wondering about some big release dates for 3DS games this Holiday season. Nintendo of Europe is answering the call, with a full 3DS Nintendo Direct broadcast on the way on Thursday 4th October at 7pm...

  • Wii U eShop "More Open, Social and Indie-Friendly" Than Wii

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    News Wii U eShop "More Open, Social and Indie-Friendly" Than Wii

    We should hope so, too

    Although we don't yet know much about Wii U eShop, we're continuing to hear good things about it from some developers with an inside perspective. The latest to step forward is Broken Rules, which is bringing Chasing Aurora to the new system this November. When it comes to giving a comparison with the download service on Wii,...

  • Gamemaster Howard Shares Some DK History in Latest Comic Strip

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    News Gamemaster Howard Shares Some DK History in Latest Comic Strip

    Kickstarting a Know-It-All game

    Howard Phillips, or Gamemaster Howard as he's known to fans of retro Nintendo, is making a return to the public eye. He's best known as one of the very earliest employees at Nintendo of America, whose ability to memorise and master game details was part of the reason why he rose to prominence as a spokesperson and...

  • Voice of Mario Was Inspired by a Shakespearean Character

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    News Voice of Mario Was Inspired by a Shakespearean Character

    Yes, really

    Younger gamers may think that Mario's always had a voice, gleefully exclaiming phrases such as "Wahoo" and "Yippee" for all time, along with the occasional sentence. The voice fits the character, and it seems like Mario wouldn't be the same without his famous catch-phrases. It's easy to forget, then, that Super Mario 64 was the first...

  • Two More Retail Releases Arrive in 3DS eShop in North America

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    News Two More Retail Releases Arrive in 3DS eShop in North America

    Get Donkey Kong: Original Edition for free

    As more retail games gradually make their way to 3DS eShop, we're sure to see a steady stream of promotions and incentives to tempt gamers into going digital. Today sees two more joining the ranks, with Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! and Crosswords Plus both arriving at a price of $29.99. Both will be...

  • Check Out Some Mario Facts in This Video

    21

    News Check Out Some Mario Facts in This Video

    Cameo appearances, cancelled sequels and other mysteries

    Mario has so many video games that if there weren't peculiarities and quirks throughout them, something would be wrong. The sheer volume of games over a period in excess of 25 years is impressive, especially if you go beyond the scope of the main franchise and venture off into spin-offs and...

  • Single Players in Rayman Legends Will be Platforming, Most of the Time

    27

    News Single Players in Rayman Legends Will be Platforming, Most of the Time

    Temporary switches to GamePad screen with AI support

    Rayman Legends is one of Wii U's biggest launch day titles, an exclusive with gorgeous visuals, platforming goodness and clever use of the GamePad for multiplayer. One concern, however, is whether this title will serve solo players well, as all of the focus and attention has been on co-op; there's...

  • 4th October 2012 (Europe)

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    Nintendo Download 4th October 2012 (Europe)

    Puzzling moles, demo pinball and more fatal fury

    It's time for our regular Monday pick-me-up in the form of the European Nintendo Download update. Only three new offerings this week, but let's get to it. 3DS eShop: Mole Mania (Nintendo, £2.69/€2.99) — Mole Mania arrived in the North American store earlier in the summer, but those in Europe...

  • Little Inferno Aiming to Light Its Wii U Fire on Launch Day

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    News Little Inferno Aiming to Light Its Wii U Fire on Launch Day

    Get those eShop cards ready

    Little Inferno is quite possibly one of the most fascinating upcoming Wii U eShop titles, as it's from the creators of WiiWare classic World of Goo as well as Henry Hatsworth in The Puzzling Adventure on DS. It's also interesting because all we've seen is teaser footage, so we're yet to find out how the actual game plays...

  • Sony: Wii U is Targeting "Niche Early Adopter Market" This Holiday

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    News Sony: Wii U is Targeting "Niche Early Adopter Market" This Holiday

    Nintendo's rival wants to lure families

    The upcoming arrival of Wii U, and its inevitable push to be a big Holiday success, is naturally something for Nintendo's rivals to worry about. Sony, for its part, is introducing a new 'super slim' version of PS3 with just 12GB of memory, much lower than standard for the system, along with titles to attract...

  • Lessons From a Gaming Expo

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    Feature Lessons From a Gaming Expo

    A rite of passage

    For many gamers, this hobby of ours is about more than just buying and playing games, but also about hitting up expos, which are havens of gaming and related shenanigans. We’ve spent the past few days soaking up the sights and sounds at the Eurogamer Expo in London, and we’ve had some important gaming life lessons reaffirmed in...

  • Wii U and 3DS Pre-Paid eShop Cards Spotted

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    News Wii U and 3DS Pre-Paid eShop Cards Spotted

    DSiWare and WiiWare left out of the party

    The arrival of the 3DS eShop saw Nintendo move away from Nintendo Points, the custom currency that, in the opinion of some, was far from ideal. The 3DS eShop has continued to evolve and now allows top-ups of a download's value, for example, so the days of buying a block of 1000 points when you only need 100...

  • Reggie: Big Guns Focusing on Future Wii U Projects

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    News Reggie: Big Guns Focusing on Future Wii U Projects

    To appear at E3 2013, or earlier if we're lucky

    Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime recently conducted an interview with gametrailers.com, talking about all things Wii U and no doubt mentioned that "it's all about the experience" on at least one occasion. When asked about future Wii U projects, Fils-Aime stated that arguably Nintendo's...

  • GAME: UK Pre-Orders Are "Exceeding Expectations"

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    News GAME: UK Pre-Orders Are "Exceeding Expectations"

    Premium systems in demand

    With Wii U's arrival just two months away, or slightly less if you're fortunate enough to be in North America, there's plenty of focus on whether the system is going to sell well and generate buzz at launch. There's little doubt that Nintendo's succeeded in North America with most retailers, notably GameStop, closing Wii U...