April2012
News Real Life Skyward Sword Controls Don't Work
Though kids have better luck
We rather liked The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, stating that it's 'as good a Zelda game as we've ever played' in our perfect 10 review. We simply felt that everything blended beautifully, including the immersive MotionPlus controls. Not everyone felt the same about the control scheme, however, with some complaining...
Talking Point What New Super Mario Bros. 2 Means for 3DS and Nintendo
Aside $$$
The biggest news that came out of Nintendo Direct yesterday was the announcement of New Super Mario Bros. 2 for Nintendo 3DS. To say that the revival of 2D Mario has been a gigantic success for Nintendo is somewhat of an understatement; both New Super Mario Bros. on DS and New Super Mario Bros. Wii sold over 25 million copies each worldw
News Sing Along to Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise in July
Better late than never
Great news, music fans — the latest edition of the musical equivalent of WarioWare, Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise is bringing the party to Europe on 6th July. It's been out in North America since February under the slightly snappier name Rhythm Heaven Fever. Perhaps to make up for the late release, Nintendo has prepared an...
News Panini to Sell Kid Icarus: Uprising AR Cards in European Stores
Start saving those pennies
While fans of Kid Icarus: Uprising in North America have enjoyed a few different ways to acquire some of the title's AR cards, gamers in Europe have had limited opportunity to build a collection. It seems that Nintendo of Europe were on the case however, as Satoru Shibata today announced a partnership with Panini to sell...
News Europe, Your 3DS System Update Arrives 25th April
Update: North American update on the same day
You know that fancy 3DS system update that was announced earlier in Japan? Europeans can now look forward to grabbing it on the same day, 25th April. The update will come as a relief to those who have cluttered up their Home screens with the Ambassador games, demos and 3D trailers. You'll be able to give...
News Download Play Confirmed for Mario Tennis Open
Share a set with friends
The upcoming Mario Tennis Open was discussed in today's European Nintendo Direct, with some specifics announced on multiplayer and Mii customisation. The most significant detail for tennis players hoping to take on friends and family was the confirmed inclusion of Download Play for local multiplayer, allowing up to four...
News Nintendo Europe Boss Goes Direct With Swapnote
Europeans, you have mail
Nintendo Letter Box, or Swapnote to use its snappier title, has already been used by Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime to remind 3DS owners about upcoming Nintendo Direct events, while Eiji Aonuma dropped a note to tease more Zelda games. Now it's the turn of Nintendo Europe boss Satoru Shibata, spreading the news with a...
News 3DS Stays on Top in Japanese Charts
As you were
Some things remain the same from one week to the next: there aren't enough hours in the day reserved for gaming, speculative Wii U rumours spread like wild-fire, and 3DS reigns supreme at the top of the Japanese hardware chart. As shown by the latest Media Create figures, provided by Andriasang, Nintendo's latest handheld is continuing...
Feature The Odd One Out in Operation Rainfall
Time to open Pandora’s Limited Edition box?
Friday 13th April saw the final part of the Operation Rainfall JRPG trilogy hit European shelves, with Pandora’s Tower following in the footsteps of Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story. Pandora’s Tower does feel like a rather odd member of what has become, in the eyes of most, a linked trio of...
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...
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...
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...
Talking Point Is Nintendo Over-Reliant on Super Mario?
Lots of plumbing to do
Back in 1985, no-one could have imagined that a plumber saving a princess from the clutches of an evil turtle king could become one of gaming’s defining moments. Since the release of the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES, Mario has become not only the face of Nintendo, but arguably the face of gaming as a whole. Shigeru...
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...
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...
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,...
First Impressions Mario Tennis Open
Nintendo serves up another winner
The mustachioed plumber’s handheld tennis and golf outings have an RPG history able to trigger warm and fuzzy feelings of nostalgia in all who earned hand cramps from them at one point or another. Those feelings won’t be triggered by Mario Tennis Open on 3DS as it eschews levelling up solo in favour of...
Feature The Super Mario Renaissance
We've never had it so good
When we think about Mario's glory years, it's easy to get lost in nostalgia. We might think back to the first time we played Super Mario Bros. and learned what a platform game was really capable of. We might think back to Super Mario World, which expanded upon the ideas of its predecessors in so many ways that felt natural...
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...
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...
Talking Point Is Wii U's Power Really That Important?
It's how you use it
One topic's dominated the Wii U news since Nintendo revealed its new console at E3 2011 — just how powerful is it? Nintendo's Wii U technical specifications give the vaguest of nods to its under-the-hood power, just mentioning a multi-core IBM processor — which we know is based on game show-conquering chip Watson — but it...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
























