DS - News
August2013
Video Check Out the Masters Final From the 2013 Pokémon World Championships
These guys don't mess around
In recent times the 2013 Pokémon World Championships have had a couple of mentions on Nintendo Life, with the Vancouver event hosting gamers from around the world and champions stepping forward from the battling chaos. Not all of us could be there for the action, of course, so The Pokémon Company has kindly uploaded...
News More Than 1500 Cheaters Took Part in Pokémon's 2013 Global Showdown
Those monsters
Earlier in the Summer The Pokémon Company hosted the 2013 Global Showdown, a WiFi tournament for Pokémon Black and White 2, which some undoubtedly used for practice ahead of other tournaments. It was open to 50,000 competitors, but it's now been revealed that 1,558 of those that took part were cheaters, utilising smartphone apps to...
News Former EA VP Named New President of n-Space
Takes place at head of longtime developer
Dan Tudge, a former vice-president and executive producer at Electronic Arts, has ranked up in title to become President of Orlando, Fla.-based independent developer n-Space. According to GamesIndustry International, the former president of n-Space, co-founder Dan O’Leary, is now the company’s CEO...
Review Art Academy: SketchPad (Wii U eShop)
A masterpiece or sketchy at best?
One of the most fascinating things about Miiverse is how Nintendo is paying such close attention to it. Not just in the sense that it is regularly updating it, but rather the company is actually listening to what its consumers are saying on the platform. It's remarkably unusual for a company that until now had been...
News Nintendo Now Selling Refurbished SD Cards and 3DS XL Consoles
Original 3DS and DSi XL models are also available
Earlier this year Nintendo announced it was selling authentic refurbished products on its official website in North America, stating the systems are the only refurbished products on the market that have been cleaned, tested and inspected to meet the company's high standards. At the time, Nintendo...
To Smurf, or not to Smurf?
Recently we got a little down and smurfy with our review of The Smurfs 2 for the Wii U, and now, we’ve set our focus on the DS version which offers a completely different gameplay experience, despite sharing the same title. Where the former offered up uneventful platforming that should only appeal to novice players or...
News Nintendo Opens Legal Proceedings Against HackYourConsole.com
Continuing the fight against piracy
The Wii U and 3DS have so far maintained robust security, against flashcards and illegal modding, in comparison to the DS family of systems and the Wii. Both of the last-gen systems were easily cracked, and to date both current systems have stayed secure, which is perhaps particularly impressive in the case of the...
News Ghostlight Opens European Pre-Orders For Devil Survivor 2
Requires 1,800 pre-orders for release
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 has been available in North America for over a year now and has yet to emerge in Europe. UK-based publisher Ghostlight has the rights to release the DS game, however, the European market is a bit tricky these days and it would be taking a gamble to manufacture the game and...
July2013
News Retailers Preparing Multi-Region Shiny Legendary Pokémon Distribution Events
They're rare, too
With Pokémon X & Y creeping ever closer, The Pokémon Company continues to have the clever idea of promoting the new 3DS game with the previous DS games, thus successfully hyping three (or six) titles at once. As a result there's another distribution event coming to various retailers in the coming weeks, so it's time to dig...
News Devil Survivor 2 European Pre-Order Threshold and Details Outlined by Ghostlight
1800 pre-orders needed for release
DS title Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 has been available in North America — published by Atlus — for well over a year now, yet it's taken time for a publisher to successfully pick up the reins in Europe. Ghostlight has stepped in, but successfully selling a DS game is increasingly difficult in the...
News SpongeBob SquarePants: Plankton's Robotic Revenge Confirmed For Wii U, Wii, 3DS And DS
Five player co-op will feature on the Wii U version
Activision and Nickelodeon have announced everyone's favourite water-absorbing sea creature will be starring in a new game later this year known as SpongeBob SquarePants: Plankton's Robotic Revenge. The game will be released on Wii U, Wii, 3DS and DS - as well as other platforms - and is being...
News Phineas And Ferb: Quest for Cool Stuff Begins on 13th August
On Wii U, Wii, 3DS and DS
What do you do when you have a quirky, successful and relatively long-running cartoon on the Disney Channel? You release a video game, of course, with confirmation today that the Majesco-developed Phineas and Ferb: Quest for Cool Stuff will arrive on the Wii U, Wii, 3DS and DS in North America on 13th August. That's not...
News LEGO Marvel Super Heroes To Feature Stan Lee as a Playable Character
And lots of others, naturally
In the coming months we're going to see an epic face-off, of sorts. Nope, we're not talking about the Wii U vs Xbox One vs PS4, or even 3DS vs anything with a small-ish screen, but a battle between superheroes for the public's affections. Yep, we have Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure coming to the Wii U and...
News Ghostlight Will Open Pre-Orders For Devil Survivor 2 Next Week
Europe finally gets the chance to play it
Last week Ghostlight revealed it would be giving Europeans the chance to get hold of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 by pre-ordering the game from its online store. However, the publisher will only release the DS title should it receive enough requests. Well, the chance to reserve a copy will start...
News Ghostlight Hatches A New Plot To Bring Devil Survivor 2 To Europe
A cunning plan
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 was released in the US well over a year ago now and poor old Europe has yet to have the game grace its presence. It appears that day may not be too far off, as UK-based publisher Ghostlight has devised a scheme to finally bring the DS game to European shores. Essentially, it's playing it very...
News Nintendo Wins Another Court Battle with R4 Cartridge Manufacturers
Nintendo and others to be paid nearly $1 million in damages
The DS family of systems has long since been replaced by the 3DS, but almost as an ironic tribute to the slowly grinding gears of legal systems, Nintendo and around fifty other companies have just been awarded nearly $1 million in damages; this will be paid by two R4 device sellers based in...
Poll How Important is Dual / Second Screen Gaming?
A major part of Nintendo's strategy
Yesterday brought us some interesting comments from Ubisoft Managing Director Nicolas Rioux, who spoke about the potential prominence of "second screen" gaming, even going so far as to praise the Wii U as an innovative first step. As we observed in that article, it'd be a nasty piece of irony if technical...
News Global Link For Pokémon Black And White Titles Will Cease On 14th January 2014
Black and White 1 & 2 will lose use of the service
According to a special notice on the Pokémon Global Link website, the service is set to completely shut down for Pokémon Black and White and Pokémon Black and White 2 on 14th January 2014. Certain features will begin to switch off this October over a three month period, starting with the Dream...
News Renegade Kid To Regain Rights To Moon Next Year
Could a sequel be in the works?
Moon is something of a cult classic, and many Renegade Kid fans hold out hope for a sequel of some sort. The studio itself is open to the idea, but has always maintained that the rights to the name are an issue — the original was published by Mastiff, which currently has ownership of the IP. However, it would seem...
June2013
News Australia Gearing Up For Pokémon Video Game National Championships At PAX
Winners get the chance to compete at the World Championships
Nintendo Australia has announced the upcoming PAX event to be held in Melbourne will host the Pokémon Video Game Australian National Championships for trainers in Australia and New Zealand to take part in. Trainers will battle it out using their copy of Pokémon Black and White 2 at the...
News Pokémon US National Championships Set To Commence Next Week
All attendees will receive a special Metagross
Back in January, thousands of Pokémon trainers flocked to several different US cities with their copies of Pokémon Black and White 2 to compete in the Pokémon Video Game Winter Regional Championships. Each region had three different age divisions to compete in and the winners are now preparing for...
News The Pokémon Company Lays Down The Law On Cheaters
Users of "illegal Pokémon" will be banned
Considering how fun and addictive Pokémon battles with friends are, it's no surprise tournaments have cropped up all over the world for trainers to show off their 'mon's skills. However, one blight that has been attached to the competitions is the use of modified Pokémon. Essentially, people can use...
Video LEGO Marvel Super Heroes E3 Trailer Saves the Day
It's a LEGO Wolverine, at last
There are so many LEGO games out on the market — so, so many. Yet we seem to keep wanting more, possibly because in the majority of cases they're a lot of fun, and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes looks set to be a big release this Fall; versions will grace the Wii U, 3DS and DS. With the E3 madness now well underway, the...
Feature The Humble Origins of Animal Crossing
How an obscure little N64 title grew into a hit franchise for Nintendo
The hype and excitement for Animal Crossing: New Leaf across the web is reaching a critical level. Hitting North America on 9th June and Europe on 14th June, it begs the question whether some people might literally explode as a result of not being able to contain their...
Video Asgard Looks Pretty Epic In Lego Marvel Super Heroes
Plastic blocks, assemble!
TT Games is currently hard at work on Lego Marvel Super Heroes, the latest in its wildly successful line of video games based on the popular Danish building block. Our good friends over at Family Gamer TV have visited the TT Games studio for some hands-on time with the new title, the results of which you can view below...
Video Disney's Planes Trailer Flies Into View
Exclusive to Nintendo systems
Earlier this year it was confirmed that Disney's Planes will be coming exclusively to Nintendo systems, covering Wii U, Wii, 3DS and DS. It'll arrive in North America on 6th August, just before the film arrives on 9th August; as most of you probably already know — or will have guessed — this is a follow up to the...
May2013
News Namco Bandai Is Bringing Barbie And Monster High To Wii U, Wii, 3DS And DS
Thank goodness for that
While other publishers and developers fall over themselves to find excuses not to produce software for the Wii U, Namco Bandai is making a little bit of effort — although we're not entirely sure that Barbie Life and Monster High: 13 Wishes are the kind of games that dedicated Nintendo fans are waiting for. Both titles are...
News Tecmo Koei Hints At A Pokémon Conquest Sequel
"There was a lot of unfinished material for Pokémon Conquest"
The Pokémon Company and Tecmo Koei recently collaborated to make a strategy RPG crossover called Pokémon Conquest that took the Nobunaga's Ambition style of gameplay and threw in a flurry of Pokémon to do the battling. Even though the 3DS had been out a while at the time of the...
News LEGO Friends Coming to 3DS and DS
Explore Heartlake City this fall
OK, now. Deep breaths. Not all LEGO games are about undercover cops or action-packed film and comic licenses. Some of them can be about dancing and taking care of pets and scrapbooking and... and that’s perfectly fine. Warner Bros. Interactive has announced LEGO Friends, a game based on the popular toy line...
News There's Still Plenty Of Interest In Older Pokémon Games
People are still buying the previous titles
This year Nintendo announced it would be bringing a brand new Pokémon title to the 3DS in the form of Pokémon X & Y. This new iteration breaks the mould set by previous games and incorporates full 3D environments instead of the conventional top-down view we're all used to. Of course, Pokémon Black...
April2013
News Nintendo Selling Refurbished 3DS and DSi Consoles
All systems come with a one year warranty
Nintendo is now selling authentic refurbished products on its official website. The company says the systems are the only refurbished products on the market that have been cleaned, tested and inspected to meet its own high standards. According to the website listings the consoles are guaranteed to be fully...
News Pokémon Black & White 2 Owners Can Catch Deoxys In May
From the comfort of your own Wi-Fi
Legendary DNA Pokémon Deoxys will be made available to English language copies of Pokémon Black & White 2 from 8th May until the 31st May. Players will be able to snag Deoxys in all its Level 100 glory through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Once acquired, Nacrene City will be the place to alter Deoxys between...
Interview Meet Christopher Robin Miller - Voice Actor For Professor Layton
An interview with a gentleman
We were first introduced to Professor Layton back in February 2007 with his debut title, Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Since then, the 'Sherlock Holmes' inspired character has gone from strength to strength with an original trilogy, a prequel trilogy, a movie, and an upcoming crossover with defense attorney...
Rumour Ni no Kuni Could Yet See A Western Release, According To Publisher Namco Bandai
DS role-player could find a new lease of life on the 3DS
You might be familar with Level-5 and Studio Ghibli collaboration Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch from its recent release on the PlayStation 3, but the origin of the series actually stretches back to a Nintendo DS game, released in Japan in 2010. Ni no Kuni: The Jet-black Mage shares the...
News WayForward and Ubisoft Releasing The Smurfs 2 on Wii U, Wii and DS
Hopefully it won't make us feel blue
The Smurfs are making a comeback this Summer with the release of the aptly named The Smurfs 2 in cinemas across the world and Sony Pictures has decided to release a platforming game alongside it. Now, before you throw your arms up in despair, it might not actually be that bad as it's being developed by Ubisoft...
News Disney's Planes Jetting Onto All Nintendo Platforms This Year
Wii U, Wii, 3DS and DS editions coming in August
Disney Interactive Studios has revealed that Disney's Planes — which is based on the forthcoming CGI film — will be hitting all Nintendo platforms later in 2013. Wii U, Wii, 3DS and DS versions are in development, with August 6th being the take-off date in North America — just a few days before...
News LEGO Legends of Chima: Laval's Journey Begins This Summer
Coming to 3DS and DS
Today seems to be LEGO day, with the fresh screens of LEGO Marvel Super Heroes now being followed up by the announcement of a new title coming to both 3DS and DS, LEGO Legends of Chima: Laval's Journey; it's also on the way to the PlayStation Vita. The 3DS release is set for the Summer, with the DS version pegged for Autumn,...
News Indie Dev Island Officials Turning To Kickstarter To Fund Boxed DS Game
Don't count out the dual-screen console just yet
Kickstarter has become a popular way for small indie developers to fund their projects, with games like Shovel Knight being targeted for release via the Nintendo eShop, but every so often there's a campaign that aims for something a little different. New Jersey-based developer Island Officials is...
March2013
News Renegade Kid Open To Idea Of Moon Sequel
IP rights present an issue, however
Renegade Kid recently announced its new FPS, Cult County, which is to be released on the 3DS eShop episodically later this year and into next year. Speaking to Nintendo Force magazine about the horror-themed shooter, co-founder Jools Watsham made reference to his studio's DS horror series Dementium and the...
News Ghostlight May Yet Bring Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 To Europe
Publisher is considering its options
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked will finally be released in Europe on 29th March. It's being published by Ghostlight, which took up the task due to Atlus only localising it for North America. Attention has now switched to the game's sequel Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
News The Nano Soundtrack Collection is Blowing Up Speakers Right Now
Shin'en delivers a gift to the fans
After confirming the imminent arrival of Nano Assault EX on the 3DS eShop last week, Shin'en Multimedia stated that it had a much-requested surprise on the way for fans of the series — that new treat is The Nano Soundtrack Collection. As anyone who's played any of the "Nano" titles — from DS to Wii U — will...
News The Nintendo DS Celebrates its 8th Birthday in Europe Today
Blow into the mic to put out the candles
Eight years ago today, Europe became the last major territory to get its hands on the original DS, that now known as the "phat". It can be easy to forget that it was a handheld that truly innovated the concept of mainstream handheld gaming, incorporating a clamshell two screen design famously pioneered in the...
Review Puzzler World 2013 (DS)
A puzzling affair
There are a number of reasons why the Puzzler World series continues to see new life on DS. For one, it's still a bestselling series, which is no doubt partly down to the DS's impressive install base around the world. However, it's also the fact that the titles' word and logic puzzles — which historically have been restricted to...
News Ace Attorney Collection for 3DS Has Been Proposed "Many Times" at Capcom
We should "hang in there"
While the 3DS has seen some notable franchises carry across from its predecessor, the DS, one that hasn't done so in the West is Ace Attorney. Japan has been enjoying Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney since late last year, while Ace Attorney 5 is expected in the same region later this year; alas, localisation hasn't even...
Feature Series Reboots That Have Divided Gamers
They did WHAT with [insert treasured franchise name here]?
There are some undeniable truths in life, death and taxes being two examples, and the video game industry has its own rules and obligations that can never be avoided. One of these revolves around reboots of treasured franchises — if you're going to "re-imagine" a popular character or...
News Scribblenauts Collection Out Now in North America
Both DS instalments on one handy cartridge
North American gamers have been pleasantly enjoying Scribblenauts Unlimited on Wii U and 3DS for a while now, while Europe is still waiting to get its deprived mitts on it. It looks as though Europeans will have more reasons to be jealous now, as Warner Bros. has released Scribblenauts Collection on the DS...
February2013
News Mythical Pokémon Meloetta Available at GameStop in March
Music to our ears
Pokémon fans in North America are to receive a special treat in March, as the mythical Meloetta will become available to download onto your Pokémon Black and White or Pokémon Black and White 2 cartridges at GameStop. Meloetta is a Normal Pokémon that can double up to become either a Psychic or a Fighting type during an actual...
Hardware Classics Nintendo DS Lite
This is how you redesign a console
Let's be brutally honest here — the original DS design was ugly. Quite what Nintendo's designers were thinking when they came up with it we'll never know, but the dumpy, two-tone casing hardly got pulses racing, even back in 2004. It felt like a system that was rushed out of the door purely to meet a deadline,...
News "Emergency Maintenance" Planned For Nintendo Online Services on 26th February
Don't get too excited
It seems we have a monthly trend of service maintenance kicking into effect with Nintendo online functionality, as more "Emergency Maintenance" is on the way in major territories next week. There was a round of downtime on various platforms on 28th January, and a similar period is on the way from 26th February, or very late on...
News Legendary Pokémon Meloetta Distribution Date Announced
This one's a real fighter
Good news Pokémon fans! Starting 4th March, the mythical Pokémon Meloetta will be distributed by participating GameStop stores across North America for Pokémon Black & White and Pokémon Black & White 2, for a limited time only. Meloetta is the very first Pokémon able to change its Forme and type during a...
News Nintendo Hints At An Additional Platform In The Future
Because Wii U and 3DS are not enough
Nintendo recently confirmed that it would be merging its handheld and console divisions into one single entity this month. The two departments have always run separately in the past, but Nintendo now feels the time is right to bring them together under one roof. With the two departments merged, Nintendo's...
January2013
News XSEED Talks Wii Support And Why It Isn't Touching Retro Game Challenge 2
"Our love for the game blinded our business reasoning"
XSEED Games has a reputation for localising great Japanese-only titles for the west. The publisher has been very successful with its choices, with The Last Story becoming its most successful title of all time. Another highly-regarded title is Pandora's Tower, a game that has already made it to...
Talking Point The Trends and Inconsistencies of Localisation
Predicting releases is getting tougher
Yesterday brought the news that Project X Zone is being localised and released in PAL regions and North America this summer. To many that would arguably be a surprise, as the title has endured a relative failure in Japan, culminating in a major price-cut. Yet recent years have taught us that predicting...
News Scribblenauts Is Doubling Up On Nintendo DS
New bundle includes the two DS instalments
Warner Bros. is bundling together the first two Scribblenauts games - Scribblenauts and Super Scribblenauts - for the Nintendo DS in Scribblenauts Collection. Amazon's US site has a release date of February 26th. It's not currentl
News Pokémon Video Game Winter Regional Championships Begin This Sunday
A special Cloyster up for grabs
This Sunday thousands of dedicated Pokémon trainers will flock to several host cites with their copies of Pokémon Black and White Version 2 to attend the Pokémon Video Game Winter Regional Championships. The tournament will see competitors from three different age divisions battle it out for the title of Pokémon...
News Nintendo Announces 890,000 Wii U Sales in U.S. Launch
Higher revenues than Wii launch, 3DS has over 1.25 million sales in Holiday period
Nintendo of America has issued a series of facts and figures for its Holiday period performance in the U.S., following publication of the latest NPD figures that cover 25th November to 29th December. There were some solid results and, perhaps most importantly, decent...
News Footage of Renegade Kid's Crash Bandicoot DS Demo Emerges
No kidding
Crash Bandicoot, a series that originated as an exclusive on the Sony PlayStation but evolved to appear on multiple platforms, has been relatively quiet of late. In fact since Activision attained rights to the series in 2008, when it co-published Crash: Mind over Mutant, it's only appeared on mobile platforms. That's not the say that more...
Review Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?! (DS)
I'm ready for you now Brad
Back in March 2012 fans of the cult TV series Adventure Time rejoiced around the world, as series creator Pendleton Ward announced via a doodle on his Twitter page that WayForward Technologies and D3 Publisher would be working on a video game adaptation for the DS and 3DS, the absurdly named Adventure Time: Hey Ice King!...
Feature Nintendo in 2012 - Part Two
Lots of Mario and Wii U's arrival
In the first six months of 2012, which we looked at in the first part of our 2012 retrospective, Nintendo oversaw some major releases on 3DS and announced the XL model, the Wii had a few memorable arrivals and E3 came and went with its own brand of madness. There were also a number of quirky stories that passed by,...
Feature Nintendo in 2012 - Part One
3DS fought back, hype mode was engaged
Not so long ago it could be argued that Nintendo was having some relaxing times, with DS and Wii systems flying off shelves and console rivals rushing to the platform in order to hop on the motion-control train. Of course, technology and the gaming industry evolve, and in 2011 Nintendo found itself trying to...
News LEGO Laying More Bricks With Legends Of Chima This Year
Coming to 3DS and DS
Warner Bros. and TT Games have revealed the next installment in the increasingly popular LEGO series. The title isn't based on a popular TV series or movie - it's a completely new game, based on LEGO's new Legends of Chima line of figures which is set to launch in 2013. The game - LEGO Legends of Chima: Laval's Journey, to give...
News Goodbye Galaxy Games Responds To Renegade Kid's Piracy Claims
Indie developer says plenty of other factors contribute to poor sales
Over the weekend Jools Watsham, co-founder of Renegade Kid, wrote in a blog post that he felt hacking into the guts of the 3DS would result in an increase in piracy - something that could force developers to stop supporting the system. Watsham pointed to the DS which suffered...
December2012
News Nintendo DS Inspired The Uniqueness Of Wii U
Former president's philosophy still being put into practice
Wii U is currently the system on everyone’s lips. It’s the first home console to add an extra screen to the television with the inclusion of the GamePad, but it’s not the first time Nintendo has added one to its hardware. In an interview on Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun, President of...
News Fresh Figures Suggest Nintendo DS Is The Most Popular Console Of All Time
Overtakes the PS2 in global sales
According to VGChartz, the Nintendo DS is now officially the most popular games console of all time. Updated sales state that Nintendo's dual-screen handheld has shifted an amazing 153.69 million units worldwide, while the PS2 has sold 153.68 million. The DS - which hit the market in 2004 - has sold 56.47 million...
News Level-5 Responds To SEGA's Legal Threats Regarding Inazuma Eleven
"We've concluded that there is no patent violation"
Japanese developer Level-5 has responded to SEGA's recent legal campaign to have the company remove its Inzauma Eleven series from sale due to an alleged patent infringement. SEGA is claiming that Level-5's soccer RPG features a touch-driven interface which violates two of its patents. The...
News SEGA Takes Legal Action Against Level-5 Over Nintendo DS Patent Dispute
Inazuma Eleven to blame?
In one of the strangest turn of events we've witnessed for a while, Japanese publisher SEGA is suing Professor Layton studio Level-5 over the use of touch control patents on the Nintendo DS handheld. Japanese news site Yomiuri Online broke the news, revealing that SEGA was taking action to protect two patents it had...
News Etrian Odyssey DS Trilogy Set For Reprint
Canadian retailer is first out of the gate
The Etrian Odyssey trilogy of games on DS can probably be regarded as cult classics for the handheld, an RPG series famed for relentless difficulty and harsh punishment of failure. Of course, when you combine that genre with a sufficient level of challenge, there'll be a group of gamers more than willing to...
Feature Your Guide to a Nintendo Holiday
Christmas time, Mario and Trine...
It's Christmas time, and we all know what that means — rapidly depleting bank accounts, lots of food and merriment, and plenty of video gaming. The Holiday season actually means different things depending on your own perspective, of course, but to many it's a great opportunity to spend time with family and...
November2012
News Wii U Shifts 400K Units in Début Week
It's "essentially sold out of retail"
Nintendo's revealed its sales results to incorporate the Wii U launch and the Black Friday festivities, with NoA COO Reggie Fils-Aime weighing in with the company's perspective in an interview with CNET. Nintendo's total hardware sales — according to internal data — hit around 1.2 million units in the U.S.,...
News Japanese Import Ban on R4 Cartridges Becomes Law
Only years too late
So, R4 cartridges. These are the devices that allow gamers to circumvent the security measure on a DS to run custom code — often referred to as homebrew — and illegally download copies of games. While the former reason often provides the grounds for defence of these cards, there are also a lot of people who used them to...
Thundercats, noooo!
Perhaps we were foolish to get our hopes up about Thundercats. It is a licensed game, after all, and while that's not a universally bad thing, it should by this point at least make us think twice. Then again, it's Thundercats! The original cartoon is an enduring classic, the recent reboot was surprisingly good, and the...
News CyberConnect2 Confirm Interest In Solatorobo Sequel
The quest for a new adventure has begun
CyberConnect2 boss Hiroshi Matsuyama has revealed at a Namco Bandai event in Barcelona that his company would love to do a sequel to Solatorobo: Red the Hunter. Matsuyama was questioned about the possibility of a sequel, in which he expressed his desire for a new title and confirmed that they are already...
October2012
Podcast NLFM Episode 23: Revenge of the Halloween Hootenanny
Best served as cold as a corpse
Grab your bluntest instruments and aim for the head because NLFM has risen from its grave for the third annual Halloween Hootenanny! More spooky, more sinister and more deathly, this episode is best listened to in a dark castle dungeon while eating raw pumpkins. Failing that, anywhere else will do. 1. Masanao...
News Pokémon Comic Gives You Even More Black & White 2
Patience with those page turns, young Trainer
Pokémon Black and White 2 has now been in Western stores for a couple of weeks, and we have little doubt that quite a few of you are still building super effective teams at this very moment. Many of you are undoubtedly veterans of the Pokémon scene and know the intricacies and tricks of the game, but...
Review Jewel Master: Cradle of Egypt 2 (DS)
Is history repeating itself?
In these risk-averse times, publishers are increasingly relying on sequels to existing IPs to ensure that they turn over a profit. The problem doesn’t stem so much from a dearth of creativity in the industry, but rather as consumers we have a horrible habit of sticking with what we know. Much like the video game...
News Knock Yourself Out With This Exhaustive Pokémon Black And White 2 Infographic
Everything you needed to know, and possibly more
Nintendo UK has published a staggeringly comprehensive infographic for Pokémon Black and White 2. Rather than waste our time coming up with witty commentary, we thought we'd merely replicate the entire thing for you below. Enjoy.
News Pokémon Black and White 2 Catches a Strong UK Chart Début
Both versions in the top five
Pokémon Black and White 2 may be getting played on a lot of 3DS systems at the moment, but we shouldn't forget that it probably represents the last big hurrah for the humble DS. It's a big release for fans of the series that Nintendo no doubt hopes will perform well, and early indications in the UK charts are certainly...
News Pokémon Video Game Autumn Regional Championship Details For North America
Your journey to Victory Road begins this weekend
It's just a little over a week since Pokémon Black & White 2 released across the US, and already the Pokémon Video Game Regional Championships will take place this weekend. That's right fellow trainers, the Championships begin in North America this Sunday, October 14th. The Autumn Regionals are...
News Thundercats Let Loose On DS October 30th
Feel the magic, hear the roar
An official trailer for Thundercats has finally put a release date in place for the DS action epic. The game had previously been scheduled for a North American release September this year, but was pushed back a month. The side-scrolling action game follows the first six episodes of the rebooted Thundercats series where...
News Activision Releases New Trailer For Transformers Prime
Planes, trains and Autobots
Based on the award-winning animated television show produced by Hasbro Studios, Transformers Prime lets you play as your favourite Autobot character and embark on an action-packed adventure to save the earth from the evil Megatron and his new secret weapon. Get a preview glimpse of the Wii U version in the video below,...
News PETA Targets Pokémon Black & White 2 in Latest Campaign
Opportunism or a fair moral case?
Last year, with the arrival of Super Mario 3D Land, PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — launched a campaign against Mario, on the grounds that his Tanooki suit encouraged the wearing of furs. It was a widely criticised move, as it disregarded the sheer fantasy of obtaining the suit from a...
News Hotel Transylvania Coming To Europe On Nintendo DS And 3DS
Embark on a spooktacular journey with Hotel Transyvania this Halloween
Avanquest Software Publishing has today announced the release of Hotel Transylvania for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, with a release date of October 26th 2012 for DS and November 9th on 3DS across Europe. The game is being released to tie in with Sony Pictures Animation’s...
Review Pokémon Black and White 2 (DS)
Pokémon used Sequel! It’s super effective!
It's fitting that the franchise typically relied upon to sell Nintendo handhelds is also the swansong that bids farewell to the mighty Nintendo DS. The enormously popular Pokémon series graces the highest-selling handheld console of all time for one last hurrah and the result is nothing short of...
Review Learn With Pokémon: Typing Adventure (DS)
SEMI-COLON COMMA WOOBAT
It would be very easy to dismiss Learn With Pokémon Typing Adventure as ‘just another Pokémon spin-off’, or even worse, an ‘edutainment game’. Yet in fact, the title conceals a rather addictive addition to the Pokémon franchise, bundled with a nifty Bluetooth keyboard and stand. As with most Pokémon spin-offs,...
September2012
News Pokémon Black and White 2 Designed for Dedicated Trainers
"Let’s open up the complexity of Pokémon for people who want it."
The Pokémon series is one of the most serious in gaming, with world championships and resources for Trainers that are reserved for the most dedicated and skilled. One trend with the most experienced players is to dig down into the games and understand the hidden stat values for...
News 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors Gets A Reprint
With new cover art to boot!
To celebrate the newest installment in the Zero Escape series, Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, Aksys Games is reprinting 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors with redesigned cover art. Ben Bateman, who served as an editor on the game, explains the last minute change. For “Zero Escape” we wanted to create a...
Feature Diamonds in the Rough - Dementium: The Ward
Worth a scare
Whenever we look back at a console’s lifespan, the first thing we nearly always do is remember the good stuff. We remember the Marios, the Zeldas, the hordes of Pokémon, and maybe even the odd Kirby game depending on your level of pink puff-ball persuasion. But we’re often so caught up in remembering what’s great that we very...
News Ever Wonder Why Pokémon Black And White 2 Isn't On The 3DS?
It's all about the numbers, baby
When you're trying to sell as many units as possible of your latest console, you might assume that its simply best practice to ensure that all your strongest games are released for that system. Common sense, right? Not quite. Take Pokémon Black And White 2, for example. It's coming out on the Nintendo DS and not...
News More Playable Titles Announced for EB Games Expo Sydney 2012
Pokemon Black & White 2 playable, special appearances announced
The team at EB Games Australia has announced the next string of playable games and presentations that can be experienced at its October expo in Sydney. We can't help but feel the event still needs a bit of Wii U in there, however, as only Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 has been confirmed...
News Mythical Pokémon Genesect to be Distributed to Black & White 2 Early Birds
Worth it for the Techno Blast move
Pokémaniacs all around the world now have only a month to wait until Pokémon Black & White 2 hits stores in North America and Europe, as well as some AR zapping fun with Pokémon Dream Radar on the same date. Nintendo is upping the ante further to encourage early adopters of the DS sequel, through a Wi-Fi...
News Diamond Trust of London Now Available to Buy
Limited numbers, so don't wait too long
Diamond Trust of London, which is actually called Jason Rohrer with Music by Tom Bailey: Diamond Trust of London, is notable as the first successfully player-funded DS title. As we reported back in May, Diamond Trust of London hit its Kickstarter funding target, meaning that game designer Jason Rohrer was able...
August2012
News Pokémon Hits North American Cyber League Summer Showdown
Over $5,000 in prize money up for grabs
Pokémon Black and White has been added to the roster of games at this year's North American Cyber League Summer Showdown, due to take place on Saturday September 8th at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The tournament has a $10 admission fee (to cover the cost of hiring the venue), with an...
News Escape The Virus: Shoot 'Em Up! Infecting NA DSiWare August 30th
Going viral
Escape The Virus: Shoot 'Em Up! has already made its European debut but publisher Teyon has today confirmed that North American players will be able to download the DSiWare shooter from 30th August. It will cost 200 DSi points. From the horse's mouth: Escape the Virus, an action puzzle series, is back with totally new game-play modes...
News No Sequel From The World Ends With You Teaser
The end of the world?
A week ago we brought you the news that Square Enix had launched a teaser website that strongly suggested a project related to DS title The World Ends With You, which was enough to get some people rather excited about a potential sequel. As the countdown on the site continued a worrying story spread around the web that this was...
News Pick Up Keldeo For Free in Pokémon Giveaway
Off to the shops with you
Pokémon Black and White 2 is getting ever closer, and we can expect the hype machine to continue kicking into gear. One tactic seems to be to remind you that you should really still be playing the original Pokémon Black and White, and one way to get you back into the action is to run a legendary 'mon giveaway. Between...
Hands On Learn With Pokemon: Typing Adventure
Gotta type 'em all
On Saturday, Nintendo Life was lucky enough to get a sneaky preview of Nintendo and Genius Sonority's most bizarre upcoming release, Learn With Pokémon: Typing Adventure. The version we demoed was the Japanese version, Battle & Get! Pokémon Typing DS, complete with the Japanese Bluetooth keyboard add-on. The aim of Pokémon...
News Square Enix Teaser Looks Awfully Like The World Ends With You
Don't forget to take a breath
Video games are a funny business, as some titles that don't necessarily achieve record-breaking sales or popular acclaim often become something else: critically-acclaimed titles with a legion of devoted, loving fans. These are often titles that won't necessarily grab the attention of the majority of gamers, but become a...
News New Super Mario Bros. 2 Finishes Second in UK Charts
Letting Sleeping Dogs lie
New Super Mario Bros. 2 hit UK stores last Friday, and today's all-format chart shows the plumber's latest platforming adventure making its debut at number two. While we may instinctively wonder why it didn't make it to number one, that placing actually matches the performance of the original New Super Mario Bros on DS. It...
News Learn With Pokémon: Typing Adventure Taps Into Action on 21st September
European typing woes solved
So you can't type very well, a state of affairs entirely intolerable in the modern day and age, and it's something that has to be resolved promptly. You're also a big fan of Pokémon, and just wish there was a way to improve your typing and indulge your favourite hobby all at once. Well, the dream is a reality, as Learn...
Feature DS Games We Want on Wii U
Two screens, only much bigger
Seven years and over 150 million sales have passed since Nintendo surprised the world by releasing its dual screen handheld back in 2004, introducing true touch screen gaming to the masses for the first time. The concept proved such a success that Nintendo has now implemented it in its next home console, Wii U, via a...
