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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  • Learn About Donn Nauert, Pro Gaming Pioneer

    8

    News Learn About Donn Nauert, Pro Gaming Pioneer

    A leader of gamers

    The video game industry has a very short history, significantly more so than other mediums such as film, yet many gaming figures that were popular in past times are now unknown. Take Donn Nauert, for example. In the first video of a planned series, video game historian Patrick Scott Patterson is compiling footage of prominent...

  • Super Mario 3D Land Director Shares Level Design Inspirations

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    News Super Mario 3D Land Director Shares Level Design Inspirations

    Similar to four-panel 'Kishōtenketsu' comics

    Super Mario 3D Land has been the recipient of critical acclaim and big sales figures. It was also the first 3D Super Mario title developed exclusively for a handheld, posing interesting challenges for Director Koichi Hayashida and his team, such as finding a way to provide short levels that are also...

  • Sport Clips Set For a Home Run on Nintendo Zone in U.S.

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    News Sport Clips Set For a Home Run on Nintendo Zone in U.S.

    Yes, that means baseball, amongst others

    Nintendo Zone is one service specifically set up to encourage you to take your 3DS on the road, with connection spots in a variety of locations around the U.S. It already offers content such as demos and even discount coupons, and the latest offering from Nintendo of America is streamed sports videos...

  • The U.S. Sales Results are in for Nintendo

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    News The U.S. Sales Results are in for Nintendo

    Not bad, not brilliant

    While Nintendo, or to be precise 3DS, continues to dominate in Japan, it's always interesting to see how the company is performing outside its homeland. In the UK our only regular insight is the weekly software chart, and courtesy of the NPD Group we now have our monthly insight into how the big N is performing in the U.S. In...

  • Pandora's Tower (Wii)

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    Review Pandora's Tower (Wii)

    A difficult feast

    Wii owners who enjoy Japanese RPGs have been spoiled recently, especially those that live in Europe: Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story provide two very different flavours of Japanese gaming, and the trio of originally Japan-exclusive titles is complete with Pandora’s Tower. If you like challenging concepts, demons and...

  • Nintendo and The Louvre Team Up

    10

    News Nintendo and The Louvre Team Up

    The Rhythm Thief's invitation got lost in the post

    Gamers who fancy a musical adventure around the streets of Paris, including some shenanigans in the world famous museum the Louvre, can do so in Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure. For those who want to combine the handheld with the museum in real life, however, we have good news. We...

  • Fan Documentary Explores Ocarina of Time Development

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    News Fan Documentary Explores Ocarina of Time Development

    The story of a masterpiece

    The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo 64 is a definitive game in Nintendo history, though opinions naturally vary on whether it should be regarded as one of the finest games ever produced. Regardless of where you stand on the subject, it undoubtedly revolutionised The Legend of Zelda as a series, bringing it...

  • Marth's Fire Emblem: Awakening DLC Debut Confirmed

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    News Marth's Fire Emblem: Awakening DLC Debut Confirmed

    Ready to join your party

    Fire Emblem: Awakening arrives in Japan on 19th April, and as expected it will be the first Nintendo published retail title on 3DS to feature DLC (downloadable content). It's a game with plenty of potential for additional add-on content, such as maps and additional characters, and the debut DLC appears to feature both. As...

  • Nintendo Buys Supermario4.com Web Domain

    60

    News Nintendo Buys Supermario4.com Web Domain

    An intriguing choice, yes?

    The news that Nintendo recently purchased a Mario related web domain is not always interesting, especially as big companies often buy web addresses just to prevent others using them. When we saw that supermario4.com was a recent acquisition for Nintendo, however, we were definitely intrigued. It may be rampant speculation,...

  • GAME Getting Back On Its Feet After Takeover

    10

    News GAME Getting Back On Its Feet After Takeover

    Reward cards and trade-in deals return

    In recent weeks we've reported on the troubles at UK retailer GAME Group, with a number of high profile titles on Nintendo systems not being stocked and the company eventually going into administration, with over 2000 jobs lost. While our thoughts and best wishes are with those staff, there was positive news...

  • Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure (3DS)

    44

    Review Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure (3DS)

    It’s got the rhythm

    The early part of 2012 has brought us some blockbuster titles on 3DS that, in their own way, involve plenty of tension and shooting enemies. Perhaps it’s time to sit back and indulge in something a little more off the wall and unexpected, and Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure certainly fits the bill. Despite the...

  • Nintendo: "Experience of Playing", Not Tech Specs, Key to Wii U

    96

    News Nintendo: "Experience of Playing", Not Tech Specs, Key to Wii U

    It worked for Wii

    As the release of Wii U approaches, much focus seems to be on its technical capabilities, particularly its graphical prowess. Comments from anonymous developers that Wii U is less powerful than PS3 and Xbox 360 have raised the issue about how capable the machine 'needs' to be in terms of the graphics it's producing: we've already...

  • Customisable Miis and Online Standings Served Up in Mario Tennis Open

    39

    News Customisable Miis and Online Standings Served Up in Mario Tennis Open

    Who wouldn't want a Bullet Bill outfit?

    Mario Tennis Open isn't far away, and details about the title's single and multiplayer options are continuing to emerge. The latest update from Nintendo teases us with some single player features that may keep us busy when not on the worldwide multiplayer courts. The Special Games mode will apparently include...

  • Men in Black: Alien Crisis Confirmed for Wii

    18

    News Men in Black: Alien Crisis Confirmed for Wii

    The good guys dress in black, remember that

    Another summer blockbuster, another video game spin-off. Many of these movie-based games are of questionable quality, and it's slightly concerning that we're only now finding out about Men in Black: Alien Crisis for Wii, to be published by Activision. This title will be released on 25th May, the same day...

  • Nintendo Gives Mario a New Website to Call Home

    10

    News Nintendo Gives Mario a New Website to Call Home

    It's-a-me, Mario.com

    Mario isn't exactly a little-known figure, with the mustachioed mascot being arguably the biggest icon in the video game industry. That doesn't mean he doesn't need more visibility in the public eye, though, as Nintendo has now given its hero a new website to show off his games. For gamers interested in what titles feature Mario...

  • Fire Emblem: Awakening Pops The Question

    28

    News Fire Emblem: Awakening Pops The Question

    Will you marry me, Wyvern Rider?

    The release of Fire Emblem: Awakening is getting ever closer in Japan, with European gamers awaiting further clarification on the 'summer 2012' window and North American compatriots eagerly hoping for any news. Now that it's almost arrived in Nintendo's homeland the title has been the subject of an Iwata Asks column,...

  • Inazuma Eleven 2 Firestorm (DS)

    15

    Review Inazuma Eleven 2 Firestorm (DS)

    Back of the net

    It’s time to save the world from aliens, but how? We could solve a lot of puzzles, blast enemies away with big guns, fly through space in an intergalactic warship or, alternatively, play football. In the universe of Inazuma Eleven 2 there isn’t a single problem that can’t be solved with a football – or soccer – match...

  • Square Enix Involved in NES Google Maps April Fool

    16

    News Square Enix Involved in NES Google Maps April Fool

    Officially confirmed

    When it comes to Nintendo-themed April Fools jokes, Google showed plenty of creativity with Google Maps 8-bit. Some of our readers with a solid grasp of NES classics observed that the music and overall theme of the fictional cartridge strongly resembled the original Dragon Quest: accessing the trial version online also involved...

  • Wii U Release Date Unveiled in Mystery Email

    60

    Rumour Wii U Release Date Unveiled in Mystery Email

    So secret we can't see it

    It's Wii U speculation day, it seems. Just as we get over the latest anonymous sources telling us that Wii U is less powerful than PS3 and Xbox 360, we hear about the Wii U release dates being leaked. According to a Wii U themed website, and now being circulated around the web, Nintendo's next console will hit North America...

  • N-Space Would "Love to Work" on a New Geist Title

    24

    News N-Space Would "Love to Work" on a New Geist Title

    Talk about Heroes of Ruin, too

    N-Space is a developer that is becoming a regular on Nintendo systems, perhaps best known for producing the DS port of Call of Duty: Black Ops. It's currently in the process of developing Heroes of Ruin on 3DS, a new RPG that will be published by Square Enix. Before we get to that, though, it seems that it's interested...

  • 3D Photography Competition Snaps Into Action in UK

    11

    News 3D Photography Competition Snaps Into Action in UK

    Time to get creative

    The 3DS camera may not produce the highest quality images, to put it mildly, but it does allow 3D and augmented reality opportunities for creative photographers. In order to encourage more UK gamers to make use of their handheld's cameras, Nintendo is teaming up with National Geographic Kids and The Royal Photographic Society to...

  • Musical Epic Mickey 2 "Won't Make You Sing"

    18

    News Musical Epic Mickey 2 "Won't Make You Sing"

    Good to know

    As Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two was unveiled by legendary game designer Warren Spector, comments that it would be a 'musical' game raised some eyebrows. While some assumed that this simply meant the inclusion of songs in the storytelling, others interpreted that description as meaning that the game would include singing and,...

  • Kid Icarus: Uprising Fails to Fly in UK Charts

    78

    News Kid Icarus: Uprising Fails to Fly in UK Charts

    Pit's wings burn up

    While Kid Icarus: Uprising has flown high in the Japanese charts and won the prestigious Nintendo Life Game of the Month award for March, it's dropped out of the top ten in the latest UK charts. Pit's latest adventure comes in at number 14 in the chart in its second week, a drop from seventh in its debut week but the...

  • Club Nintendo Coin Spreadsheet Updated and Expanded

    7

    News Club Nintendo Coin Spreadsheet Updated and Expanded

    It has the answers

    Each Club Nintendo region has its own loyalty bonus scheme, which in the case of North America is the coins system. Figuring out how many game codes or downloads you need to get that free prize can be a troublesome business, but there is an easy way to get the information you need. As we reported last year, an intrepid Nintendo...