DS - News
March2013
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?!
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
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
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
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...
News Pokémon World Championships Results Are In
All hail Trainer Rizzo
After worldwide heats and the occasional unpleasant controversy, the Pokémon World Championships finals have taken place in Hawaii, with a new group of champions securing a prestigious trophy and scholarship prizes. With over 30 countries represented, it was undoubtedly a hard-fought contest, with six division champions...
News Nintendo Confirms Its Holiday Hits in North America
Paper Mario, art, freaky formees and a famous professor
We've already brought you the disappointing news that Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is pushed back to 2013 in North America, but we do have details on some games that most assuredly are confirmed for 2012. In fact, looking at the schedule suggests that Luigi may have been given a breather so that...
News 3DS Hardware Dominates Japanese Charts
Demon Training has a modest start
We already know that 3DS XL and New Super Mario Bros. 2 have been able to boast of big launch sales in Japan, but we now have access to the full charts for a wider picture. The Enterbrain software figures (via Andriasang), show that six of the top ten games are found on Nintendo systems, though Demon Training only...
News Matte Red and Matte Blue DSi Models Hit North America This Week
Why wait?
The 3DS XL may have arrived in Europe and Japan merely weeks after it was announced, but it's got nothing on the new Matte Red and Matte Blue DSi systems hitting North America. Set to start hitting stores this week, the colours look remarkably similar to the 3DS XL equivalents, suggesting that Nintendo may have had a bulk discount and...
News Check Out This Beautiful Okami Papercraft
Godly beauty
We've seen some impressive game-related art over the years, but surely if two games are ideally suited to artistic recreations they're Okami and Okamiden. Both of these titles were designed to actually look like watercolour paintings in motion, but one set of artistic creations opts for a different approach. The attached image (click...
July2012
News Female Ace Attorney Production Hits the Stage in Japan
Take that!
Japanese theatre company Takarazuka Revue is currently readying a musical spin-off production of Capcom's Ace Attorney franchise, which will be held in January 2013. The show will be made up of an all-female cast complete with plenty of hair gel, and will be performing its second production based from a Phoenix Wright game, the first of...
Feature Olympics Fever on Nintendo Systems
Button mashing for gold
If you’ve been living in a cave and isolated from the world for the past couple of weeks, then you may not have been bombarded with coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games. It’s now well under way, and thousands of athletes are running, cycling, swimming and more in the name of winning a shiny gold medal. None of the...
Feature Nintendo Life Presents... Colors! 3D Artwork
Because art is beauty
Ever since Nintendo introduced the touch screen on the original DS, it was clear to artists that there was plenty of potential to produce art without the need to dig out a canvas and materials. The Art Academy series was a high-profile example on DSi that scratched that itch, as well as being titles that helped to attract yet...
News Take a Look at These Nintendo DS Testing Machines
Plastic breach
Readers of a nervous disposition, turn away now — the following images of Nintendo DS testing may prove disturbing. Nintendo has published its 2012 Corporate Social Responsibility report, which contains several images of portable console torture. The report shows off some of the vigorous tests that Nintendo hardware goes through to...
News Infinite Interactive Hint at More Puzzle Quest
The big tease
If you like puzzles, questing and DS, then it's more than likely that you enjoyed the appropriately named Puzzle Quest on DS, or possibly its sequel. These titles generated a fair bit of buzz when released, while fans may regard them as providing some of the most addictive and compulsive puzzling on the handheld. The good news for...
News Nintendo Financial Results: Console and Software Sales
How are they all doing?
Earlier on today we brought you the headline news that Nintendo reported a financial loss for the first quarter, which was very much expected. Despite some pre-results whispers, Nintendo didn't adjust its projections for returning a profit this financial year, showing a degree of confidence in the process. The financial...
News Get a Double Helping of Cooking Mama With New Combo Packs
Well done
Sometimes just one serving isn't enough. Majesco understands that, so it's pulled together a few Cooking Mama double-game packs for Wii and DS. They're currently only announced for North America. For starters there's a pair of DS appetisers. Mama’s Combo Pack Volume 1 is a stew of the original Cooking Mama and Camping Mama: Outdoor...
News WayForward is Making a Hotel Transylvania Tie-In Game
Such a lovely place
To coincide with the upcoming release of Sony Pictures Animation's animated comedy Hotel Transylvania, GameMill Entertainment has announced a 3DS / DS game of the same name. Don't look so terrified — WayForward is on development duties. We're promised a wide variety of locations, puzzles and boss battles, but that's about all...
Feature Batman's Nintendo Adventures
Holy topical feature, Batman!
Today sees the launch of The Dark Knight Rises in UK and North American theatres, amongst others, and it's become a cultural phenomenon, dominating the thoughts of Batman geeks and film lovers alike. We figured that you'll see the word 'Batman' wherever you go, so we might as well wrap it up in our favourite...
News Catch a Special Porygon in Pokémon Black and White
You know you want to
Recently we told you all about the updates and improvements to Pokémon Global Link, such as a new Global Trade Station or the Icy Cave area, for just two examples. Now, courtesy of our friends at Eurogamer.net, you can get yourself a special version of one of the original 'mon. The special creature that you can claim is...
News Pokémon and 3DS Still Top of the Japanese Charts
Happy days for Nintendo
The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that we haven't reported on the Japanese software and hardware charts every week recently, mainly because very little has changed. Despite that, we thought that we'd share the latest results, as at the very least the software chart includes some interesting games that we're pretty...
News Pokémon Company Was June's Top Publisher in Japan
We'll give you one guess why
While game and hardware sales information can be limited or tough to get hold of for Europe and North America, we can always rely on Japan to bare all and reveal the movers and shakers in the country. One monthly chart that normally sees Nintendo nestling in top spot has had a bit of a shake-up today, though the news is...
News Adventure Time Collector's Edition is Full of Goodies
Land of Ooohh?
The snappily titled Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?! is on the way this fall, and some retailers are listing the collector's edition on both DS and 3DS, knowing how tempted us gamers can get by extra bits 'n bobs. At the moment Amazon.com and
News Rise of the Guardians Set to Protect the Holidays on Wii U
Tying into Wii, 3DS and DS too
Some things stay the same in every year's Holiday season: lots of money is spent on gifts and merriment, too much food is eaten, and a CG movie based around festive characters arrives in cinemas and theatres worldwide. One of these movies will be Rise of The Guardians from DreamWorks Animations, and we all know what...
News New Trailer for Adventure Time on DS and 3DS
Mathematical!
In March it was announced that the cult US cartoon series Adventure Time would be getting its very own DS and 3DS game, Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!. Two months later we heard that it would hitting shelves in North America 'late fall'. D3Publisher has now released a new teaser trailer, sure to make
News Enter the Pokémon World Tournament in Black & White 2
Pokémon Black & White 2 comes with a few new features to boost it over its predecessor, with Nintendo recently talking more about the Pokémon World Tournament mode. Here you'll be able to take on gym leaders and champions from past games — Lance and Volkner both return — while using moves and battle tactics from Black and White 2. If...
Feature A Visual Guide to Nintendo's Handheld Revamps - Part Two
Time for double vision
Earlier this week we brought you the first part of our visual guide to Nintendo's Handheld Revamps, starting with Game Boy and going all the way up to Game Boy Advance SP. In terms of handheld console models, and despite the number of years covered, that only covered about half of the story; now we'll pick up with the first...
Game of the Month June 2012 - Pokémon Conquest
Conquers all
June wasn't a great month for game releases it must be said, but the long-awaited arrival of Pokémon Conquest netted it our Game of the Month award in June. A blend of Japanese strategy series Nobunaga's Ambition and Nintendo's beloved pocket monsters, it straddles the middle ground between the two RPG approaches, creating something...
June2012
News Pokémon Black and White 2 Hits the West in October
7th for North America, 12th for Europe
DS owners will be able to return to Unova in October when Pokémon Black and White 2 launches in the West. The sequel lands in North America on 7th October and follows in Europe just five days later on 12th October. As well as new Formes of legendary Pokémon, there are several new features in this sequel. At...
Resistance is feudal
Peanut butter and chocolate, Chris Farley and David Spade, Marvel and Capcom. Taking two great things and smashing them together is a long-standing tradition of the human experience. Now, in the year 2012, another legendary combination can be etched into the annals of history – Pokémon and Nobunaga’s Ambition. Pokémon is...
News Pokémon Conquest Reaches Europe on 27th July
To arms!
Monster mash Pokémon Conquest is already available in Japan, North America and Australia, but European fans can get in on the tactical action in a month when the game hits on 27th July. The combination of Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition favours a more strategic flavour of battle, teaming up monsters with Japanese warlords to unite the...
News Pokémon Black & White 2 Sells 1.6m in Two Days
Still big in Japan
Pokémon Black & White 2 landed in Japan on Saturday 23rd June and racked up an astonishing 1,618,621 sales across the country in its first weekend. It's the fastest-selling game of the year, the first 2012 game on any platform to pass 1m sales and the third fastest-selling DS game of all time. It's a big drop-off in sales...
News What? The Pokémon Global Link Website is Evolving!
Hum the music
Popular Pokémon destination Pokémon Global Link has just received a new lick of paint and brand new features, ahead of the release of Pokémon Black & White 2 later this year. The site now includes a Global Trade Station for observing Pokémon trades and new statistics for you to pore over, such as which country is home to the...
News Wreck-It Ralph Confirmed for Wii, 3DS and DS
Not a surprise
A little while ago we reported that Bowser would appear in Wreck-It Ralph, an upcoming Disney animated film. It's now been confirmed that Disney Interactive and Activision will collaborate on the game to accompany the movie: it'll be released on Wii, with separate versions for 3DS and DS. The game will be a side-scroller where you...
News A Very Short Pokémon Black & White 2 Teaser Trailer
Blink and yo- oh it's already finished
Are you ready for 20-something seconds of gameplay from Pokémon Black & White 2? Let's do this. Nintendo put out the most teasing of teaser trailers during its Nintendo Direct conference, but now you can watch it at your leisure to pick out the new gym leaders and areas that make up the sequel. The...
News Pokémon Typing Adventure Announced for DS
Gotta type 'em all?
Satoru Shibata's European Nintendo Direct broadcast had a few moments of charm and Nintendo quirkiness, none more so than the announcement of Pokémon Typing Adventure for DS, which arrives in September. It's Pokémon played by typing, just what we all expected. It will come bundled with a rather sleek wireless keyboard —...
News North American Nintendo Direct Set for Tonight
Nobody's left out
North America gets a Nintendo Direct presentation tonight, focusing on games for 3DS, DS and Wii. The show kicks off tonight at 9pm Pacific time/12am Eastern time. That's the same time as Europe's Nintendo Direct. You can watch it at the Nintendo Direct site.
News Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns European Release Date
Start farming on 29th June
A while back we reported that Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns 3D was on its way to PAL regions, which seemed more than likely considering the support that Rising Star Games had shown for localising the franchise in previous years. This well-known secret has now been confirmed through a press release, for Europe anyway,...
E3 2012 Every 3DS Game Announced So Far
Plus three Pokémon DS games
We're yet to have a genuine 3DS fix at this year's E3, with the handheld only having the briefest of mentions in the main press conference. It does have its own showcase lined up, but until that arrives we have full list of confirmed titles for you. Check them out below. 3DS:
News Some Club Nintendo Coin Values Will Change on 1st July
Full details inside
The number of Club Nintendo Coins you'll get for registering certain games will change on 1st July. For some games, the number will decrease; for some, it'll increase. If you want to see whether you should register those games now or wait until 1st July, check out our handy charts, straight from Club Nintendo. Page 1: 3DS...
May2012
News Nintendo Shares More on Pokémon Conquest
Gotta get a perfect link
Pokémon Conquest is set to hit North American stores on 18th June, rebranding Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition for those of us that don't fully appreciate the cross-over. As a spin-off developed by TECMO KOEI GAMES it's not enjoying the same attention as Pokémon Black and White 2, for example, but it may have enough to...
News Diamond Trust of London Hits Kickstarter Target
A DS publishing landmark
Recently we told you about the launch of Diamond Trust of London's Kickstarter campaign, as after a lengthy approval process game creater Jason Rohrer needed money to pay for the manufacturing of the DS game cards and packaging. For those that have pledged in the hope of getting their hands on the game, there's the good news...
News LEGO Batman 2 Trailer Comes Down Like a Ton of Bricks
Visit Gotham City
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes for Wii and its 3DS counterpart are out in a month, which is more than enough time to watch this new trailer showing its open-world take on Bruce Wayne's home city. It's got all the things you'd want from a LEGO DC trailer — The Flash running fast, The Joker laughing maniacally and a pie calling on...
News DS Car Navigation Arrives in Japan
Courtesy of Toyota
A lot of modern cars have satellite navigation and as many buttons as Apollo 11, but Toyota has decided that perhaps the whole experience can be a bit more easy-going in the Japanese market, if a bit of Nintendo is thrown into the mix. The car manufacturer has created the Smart Navi car navigational system that uses a DS — and...
Talking Point DS Games Deserve Digital Distribution on 3DS
Too good to ignore
Not long ago, we brought you a feature on Bargain Bin DS Games, detailing some excellent games available for relatively little money. The response to the article highlighted how many little-known or under-appreciated gems the DS library has, as it seems to have been a platform that encouraged a lot of creativity from developers...
News Ben 10 and Friends Join Wii U Line-Up
Omniverse us
The Wii U announcements are coming thick and fast these days. Last week it was Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth and Cloudberry Kingdom; this week it's Ben 10: Omniverse. D3Publisher's next outing for the boy with multiple personalities will reach every current Nintendo format later this year, with development on the home console...
News Make Your Own Movies in Pokémon Black and White 2
Frame and focus
Pokémon Black & White 2 land later this year with all the gotta-catch-'em-all action you could want, but if you fancy taking a break from animal slavery you can always try your hand at animal acting with the game's new "Pokéwood" mode. The addition lets you create miniature movies using your Pokémon, picking dialogue...
News DSi and DSi XL Price Drops Announced for North America
Dollars to donuts
Nintendo of America has announced sizeable price drops for the DSi and DSi XL consoles. From 20th May the DSi console will cost $99.99 — down from $149.99 — while the XL will set you back $129.99, down from $169.99. 3DS remains at $169.99. If you haven't already picked up a DSi or DSi XL, this might be a good time. New Prices...
