March2013

  • News Aussie Retailers Express Their Views on Wii U

    Nintendo 'needs to build awareness'

    Wii U has had a difficult few months in practically every country since the New Year. Many have attributed it to a distinct lack of new releases - something that is beginning to improve with the release of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. One nation where Wii U owners have had a more difficult time than others is...

  • Talking Point The Perils and Positives of a Packed Release Schedule

    Room for no more

    We're all more than a little familiar with video game droughts by now. Until a few years ago, it was tradition to suffer a lack of software in the summer, surviving only on the ever-faithful backlog and the revitalising elixir provided by E3 info dumps. It's common in the months following a console launch too: we're sure you...

  • News Wii Mini Generating Little Interest in The UK

    Maybe the cold weather is putting people off...

    The Wii Mini emerged as a Canadian exclusive back in December and, relatively speaking, it did reasonably well - shifting 35,700 units between its launch and 31st January. This lead Nintendo to bring the bizarre little console to other markets - one of which was the UK, where it was rele

  • Out Today Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

    Join the hunt

    Today marks the European launch of one of the year's biggest games: Capcom's Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on Wii U and 3DS. The latest instalment in the long-running franchise which has taken its Japanese homeland by a storm, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate pits you against a wide variety of bloodthirsty beasts, each of which requires a...

  • Video Zelda: A Link To The Past Gets Condensed Into Just Four Minutes

    One of the best games ever in less time than it takes to eat a burger

    The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is unquestionably one of the best Zelda instalments, and quite possibly one of the greatest video games ever made. The games offers hours of top-notch entertainment, but YouTube user vgcuts has managed to cram all of that awesomeness into...

  • News Nintendo UK Promises to Meet Retailers, Share Wii U Strategy and Boost the System

    "We look forward to updating – and exciting – our partners"

    It's common knowledge that Wii U sales have lost momentum, worldwide, in the early months of 2013. After a promising set of launch figures, NPD results for North America in January and February have been low, Japanese sales are currently only beating Wii and Xbox 360 (which sells poorly...

  • News Punch Out!! Available To Download on Wii U Now in North America

    Not picked up F-Zero yet? Hurry!

    It feels like it was only yesterday when Nintendo announced it would be offering seven classic NES and SNES titles for the budget price of just 30c/30p as part of its celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Famicom. Since then we've had Balloon Fight and F-Zero made available for pennies, and now that time has...

  • Video Pokémon Snap Gritty Reboot Spoofs Jurassic Park

    "Welcome to Pokémon Island!"

    The Gritty Reboot team — which did such a fantastic job on Harvest Moon earlier this month — are back with another Nintendo-related trailer, this time based on the N64 title Pokémon Snap. The clip boasts the same astonishingly high production values as it predecessor, and this time spoofs the Hollywood smash-hit...

  • News 3DS is Back on Top of the Japanese Charts

    Normal service is resumed

    Last week the House that Mario Built may have been a little rattled, as 3DS was knocked off the top of the Japanese Media Create hardware charts for the first time — at least by our memory — since late 2011. Sony's Vita handheld combined a healthy price drop with the release of Soul Sacrifice to improve on its major...

  • News LEGO City Goes A Little Too Undercover At North American Retail

    Copies hard to find, retailers expecting stock later this week

    LEGO City: Undercover launched in North America this week, but reports are coming in that finding the game isn't as easy as it possibly should be. Just as happened with Fire Emblem: Awakening a while back, it would seem that there's been some kind of shipping problem, as US stores are...

  • News Super Metroid is 19 Years Old Today

    A defining game of the 16-bit era

    We couldn't forget this anniversary now, could we? 19 years ago Super Metroid was released in Japan, though it was in later Western releases that it truly found an adoring audience. While not the first game in the series, it's arguably the most commonly cited and recognisable adventure starring Samus Aran. Whether...

  • News Castlevania II: Simon's Quest And Donkey Kong 3 Coming To Japanese 3DS eShop

    Arriving next week

    Nintendo has confirmed that NES titles Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and Donkey Kong 3 will both be hitting the Japanese 3DS eShop on March 27th. Simon's Quest is one of the more unique entries in the Castlevania series, as it employs a day and night cycle and has strong RPG elements to it. Donkey Kong 3 is a sequel to the...

  • News Nintendo Goes Big at PAX East

    Buy games a day early, try some upcoming titles

    PAX East kicks off in Boston this weekend — 22nd-24th March — bringing enthusiasts together in one glorious setting. Nintendo is going to be there in force this year, running a major booth and offering a variety of incentives, activities and hands-on opportunities for lucky attendees. For one...

  • News Limited Time Luigi Sale Hits North American Club Nintendo

    Cue shocked Luigi face

    A bit like those rare occasions when things go Milhouse's way in The Simpsons, right now we can picture a beaming Luigi confidently saying, "everything's coming up Luigi". It's his year — it literally is his year according to Nintendo — and he's getting ready for his second major solo adventure hitting stores with Luigi's...

  • Video Someone Has Hacked Nic Cage's Face Into Zelda, Just Because They Can

    "We had no goal, only Cage"

    Oh boy. Some things in life simply defy explanation, so we won't even bother, but merely offer this befuddling video and allow you to draw your own conclusions. YouTube user Criken has created a texture mod for The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask which liberally coats various surfaces in the game with the face of...

  • News Preorder Both Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Versions At GAME, Get A Free T-Shirt

    Suit up for the hunt

    UK retailer GAME has confirmed that customers who preorder both the Wii U and 3DS versions of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will receive an exclusive T-Shirt which should make them the envy of their fellow hunters. In a similar offer, UK online store ShopTo has announced that those who preorder either the Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate...

  • News LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins Hitting Europe On April 26th

    Potential block buster

    Nintendo has confirmed that LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins will launch in Europe on April 26th. That's not long after the North American launch, which happens on the 21st. The 3DS title is a prequel to the Wii U version, which launches in the region on March 28th — the North American release takes place today...

  • Round Table Let's Talk About the F-Zero Franchise

    Ready

    With SNES classic F-Zero coming to the end of its spell as the 30 cent/30 pence Famicom Anniversary promotion on the Wii U eShop, some of us in the Nintendo Life team thought that it was the perfect time to talk about the franchise. With just four main releases — include the GBA title but discounting the arcade unit — it's not been...

  • News Nintendo Renews Eternal Darkness Trademark

    A sequel could yet see the light of day

    Released in 2002 on the GameCube, survival horror title Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem became an instant cult classic. Since then there have been glimpses of evidence that a sequel would eventually come to be, but up to now it hasn't happened. The game has come excruciatingly close to a sequel and now,...

  • News Legend Of Zelda Hacked To Make Zelda The Hero

    Well her name is in the title, after all

    Recently, we saw Pauline switch roles with one-time romantic attachment Mario, and now it's the turn of Hyrule's most celebrated couple to change places. Animator Kenna W. decided to mod The Legend of Zelda to realise one of her childhood dreams — to get to play as the titular princess: For me, I played...

  • Reaction Doom and Gloom Merchants on Wii U Being Nintendo's Last Home Console

    We discuss the casual dismissal of Wii U in some quarters

    In a regular series of features, we're going to take a rather strong statement or opinion expressed about Nintendo, and give our own take. These opinions aren't those of the site as a whole, but rather of a collection of your humble Nintendo Life writers. This time around we're looking at a...

  • News Nintendo of America Reorganising its Operations

    New York employees heading to Redmond

    Nintendo is reorganising its operations in North America by moving some of its employees from the Park Avenue offices in New York to those in Redmond, Washington. A much smaller office will soon open up in New York, where a few staff will remain. For those of you who are worried, the Nintendo World Store isn't...

  • Talking Point The Pros and Cons of a Wii U Price War

    Sell, sell, sell, say the retailers

    Earlier this week we saw a bit of a Wii U price war break out, in the UK at least, with Amazon UK joining Asda in slashing the price of both Wii U models by £50. At the same time, a number of US retailers are being rather creative with their offerings, not necessarily going for a full-blown price reduction but...

  • News GameStop: Wii U Will Need Great First Party Titles To Compete

    Sales have been "slower than expected"

    It's no secret that Wii U sales have been a bit on the sluggish side in 2013, but many retailers are hopeful they'll soon pick up once a few more games start being released. One games retailer that has been disappointed with the number of Wii U units flying off the shelves is GameStop. In an interview with...

  • News Sakurai: Online Play Will Be Improved in Upcoming Smash Bros.

    "We've learned a lot about net play since Brawl was released"

    Super Smash Bros. Brawl was one of the few Wii games to venture online. By delving into the Nintendo WFC players from all four corners of the world could brawl with each other in what was a decent experience in some battles, and a more turbulent one in others. Unfortunately, as with most...