DS - News
July2010
News Seth Green Gives Sartorial Advice Using Dragon Quest
A headline we never thought we'd run
It's wall-to-wall Dragon Quest IX for DS at the moment as Nintendo's marketing machine is running at close to full speed, with a slew of adverts and the chance to meet the series creator in New York this weekend. Last week we brought you the first commercial starring Seth Green in which he gave a group of girls...
News Level 5 Draws Ni No Kuni to North America
Inazuma Eleven on the way, too
A combination of Professor Layton-developers Level-5 and Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli sounds like a winning mix, and Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madōshi (or "Second Land: The Jet-Black Mage") is certainly shaping up to be another strong addition to the DS's stable of RPGs. Level-5 President...
News UK DSi Price Goes Down, UK DSi Sales Go Up
40% increase every week since cut
About a month ago Nintendo announced it was dropping the cost of DS consoles to retailers, with retailers lowering the cost to consumers. It seems the move has paid off handsomely, as Nintendo has revealed the machine's sales have increased 40 per cent every week since the trade price was cut. A primetime...
News Dragon Quest IX Event Wants to Tag You With a Special Map
Get to Gamestop, get a map
There are just a few more days to go until North American fans can bash slimes all over again in Dragon Quest IX, and within a few weeks GameStops up and down the country will be hosting an event to grant gamers a Special Event Map. To get involved it's very simple. Head to a participating store on the 31st of July between...
Nintendo Life honours the great and the good
The most recent episode of the Nintendo Life podcast revealed the winners of the Reader's Best of E3 Awards, and in case you've not caught the show yet here they are: Reader's Awards: Best Wii Game – Donkey Kong Country Returns.Best Handheld Game – Kid Icarus: Uprising.Best Overall Game –
News Aussie Child Uses DS to Save Mother's Bacon
Nintendo's dual-screen wonder to the rescue
Next time you're in a potentially life-threatening situation you might want to make sure you have a handheld console nearby. A quick-thinking Australian schoolchild - credited only as "Christopher" - found a use for his DS that didn't involve training pocket monsters or defeating Bowser; when his...
News Prepare Yourself for GoldenEye's "Epic" Tank Level
Bond brings big bangs
We all remember the tank level from the original GoldenEye: the feeling of destructive power at your fingertips was brilliantly realised, and with the recently-announced GoldenEye for Wii on the way Activision is looking to revive this classic level in a big fashion. In a recent interview with the UK's Official Nintendo...
News Metacritic Midyear Report Shows Nintendo Consoles Still Rocking
DS had no "bad games", Wii receives best-reviewed game of the year so far
However you feel about Metacritic's methods and impact, it's hard to deny the statistics it generates can make for some interesting reading. With the first six months of 2010 now behind us, the site has released its midyear report, showing how each console stacks up against...
News Freddie Flintoff Hits DS for Six
First cricket game heading to the handheld
Last year's Ashes Cricket 2009 on Wii was a huge success for Codemasters, but the lack of a DS version disappointed fans who wanted a bit of leather-on-willow on the move. Thankfully UK developer Fuzzy Frog Games has stepped in to fill the gap with Freddie Flintoff's Power Play Cricket on the way to DS in...
News Meet the Dragon Quest Creator at this DQIX Launch Event
Also featuring a Dragon Quest ice cream truck
Nintendo's desire to get the name Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies on everyone's lips gathers apace. Fresh from the appointment of Seth Green in a series of adverts the Big N has just announced a launch event at Rockefeller Plaza on Saturday July 10th. Guest of honour for the event will be...
News And Here's Your 2010 Club Nintendo Awards, North America
Delectable collectables
So the Club Nintendo North America year came to an end yesterday, and along with the beginning of a new one today the Big N has revealed what super special exclusive awards members who reached Gold or Platinum status are eligible for. The suspense is murderous! In a repeat of last year, Gold status members get a 2011 desk...
June2010
News Dragon Quest IX Gets a Little Help from Seth Green
Contains potentially fatal amounts of geek
Just when you thought your anticipation levels for Dragon Quest IX couldn't get any higher, along comes Nintendo with a new celebrity endorsement to kick your excitement up just another little notch. It may not be quite Beyoncé Knowles advertising Rhythm Paradise, but Seth Green's comical turn in this...
News Triple Trouble in this New Pokemon Black & White Trailer
Three-on-three battles could mean 50% increase in strategy
Making two captured monsters fight each other is passé: one of the new features of Pokémon Black and White is the ability to take three monsters into battle for even more tactical fighting. Not only does the trailer show off a sextet of battling monsters, it also leaves tantalising hints...
Guides How to Get Your Musical Creations Off Your DS
With a lack of Export feature for most music software on the handheld, we show you how to preserve and share your masterpieces
DS-owning music enthusiasts have quite a few tools at their disposal for composing their latest and greatest, laying down that melody that came out of nowhere for use later or just plain old messing around with bleeps and...
Nintendo Download 28th June 2010 (North America)
Jett Rocket and Mario Tennis N64 headline this week's 10 releases
Mario and Camelot breathe some life into the Virtual Console's N64 offerings, Shin'en shows the power of WiiWare and DSiWare keeps up its flood of titles. WiiWare: Jett Rocket (Shin'en, 1000 Points) – This platformer from the creators of the excellent Art of Balance blasts onto...
Review The World Ends With You (DS)
Animazing
Tearing up many RPG conventions that its publisher Square Enix put into place, The World Ends With You is vibrant, energetic and an absolute blast to play. You play Neku Sakuraba, a young Japanese kid who wakes up with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. So far, so standard, right? It would be, except for the fact he wakes up...
News Kingdom Hearts DS Release Re:coded to Tease 3DS Title
Nomura tells all!
According to a recent interview with Square Enix director Tetsuya Nomura, the 3DS Kingdom Hearts game will be a brand new adventure in which characters Soru and Riku explore worlds previously unforeseen in the series (no Pixar characters, though). If you want any more tidbits, though, it might do you well to check out the upcoming...
News North American Club Nintendo Year Coming to an End Next Week
Might want to hurry up with that Gold or Platinum status
How's your Club Nintendo account looking, North Americans? Did you register enough Nintendo Product™ since last July to qualify for a neat-o Gold or Platinum badge? If not, you might want to scrape your game collection for stray Coins as the second Club Nintendo year winds down on June 30 to...
E3 2010 Your Chance to Salute the Best of E3
Reader's vote returns!
So E3 is over for another year, now a distant memory as we look to the future to anticipate when we might all be able to join Corbie in appreciating the 3DS for ourselves. It's not time to forget just yet; in fact, quite the opposite: it's time to celebrate the best of E3 in our imaginatively titled Nintendo Life Best of E3...
News Iwata: Nintendo Looking to Improve Online Efforts
Company is "not satisfied" with current functionality
When it comes to online functionality, Nintendo doesn't rank particularly high among developers – and they know it. Earlier, Shigeru Miyamoto expressed the company's need to rethink it's online strategy on a macro level. Now, in an investor Q&A session held during E3 last week (via
E3 2010 Interviews: Okamiden - Capcom
Okamiden producer answers a few of our questions
Okamiden has remained under the radar for the most part as of late, so it was nice to see the game on display at E3 2010. After spending a bit of time with the game, it's clear that it continues the tradition of beautiful oriental-style artwork and scenery, not to mention the same unique gameplay of...
Nintendo Download 21st June 2010 (North America)
Spin some tentacles, strategize against dinsoaurs, and puzzle puzzle puzzle
Nintendo hopes you like puzzle games, because that's five of the eight games released this week across WiiWare and DSiWare. To nobody's surprise, the Virtual Console has yet again been left out on a hill to die or something. But look, puzzlers! WiiWare: Art Style: Rotozoa...
E3 2010 First Impressions: Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
Something old and something new
With so many great games on the E3 show floor, it was difficult to find the time to get in some solid playing time on them all. But of all the titles I was fortunate enough to get to play during the E3 show, it was Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light that I found myself going back to time and time again whenever I...
News Secret of Mana On the Way to iPhone, Not DSi
Square classic misses DS transfer
It's a classic entry in the pantheon of RPGs: Square's Secret of Mana for Super Nintendo is widely regarded as one of the finest games in the genre, even after all these years, but other than the less well-received Children of Mana and Heroes of Mana we haven't seen the series reach the DS. It looks as though that...
Brush with destiny
The focus might be on 3DS at this year's E3, but that doesn't mean the DS's life is about to reach an abrupt end. With Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective and
E3 2010 Super Scribblenauts Trailer
Warner Bros is bringing sketchy back
We already know that Warner Bros' sequel to last year's Scribblenauts lets you use adjectives to customise your world, so here's a few to customise this E3 trailer: shiny, new, luscious. With promises of fixed controls, new challenges and even more words to be added, there's good reason to be hopeful that this...
E3 2010 More Clues to the Inner-Workings of Ghost Trick Phantom Detective
New trailers introduce us to a mysterious man
This year's E3 event saw Capcom unveiling some anticipated titles, as well as revealing some new and unexpected ones. A game that has grabbed our attention is the ghostly puzzle game known as Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective for the DS and the company has recently released the third episode video, along...
E3 2010 Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs for the DS
Protect the region of Oblivia from all those thieves
Want a change from all the stress of catching Pokémon? Well, now you can look forward to the third title in the Pokémon Ranger series as players once again take on the role of a ranger, this time tasked with looking after everything living in the Oblivia region. Watch out for those pesky...
E3 2010 Nintendo's Press Conference Highlights
Miss the show? Catch the highlights reel
We brought you live text updates from Nintendo's press conference, but sometimes there's excitement only seeing things in motion can bring. Now you can live – or relive – all those cherished memories of times gone by with this highlights compilation from the show. From Satoru Iwata showing off the 3DS to...
What's in store for Nintendo's current handheld hardware?
We've seen a few big-name DS titles at this year's E3, most notably Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, but they're not the only titles coming to DS in the coming months and beyond. Nintendo's current schedule for DS contains the above highlights as well as...
The heroes return only on DS! Updated with trailer!
It's taken seven years for the franchise to return, but last year saw the announcement of Golden Sun DS. Today at Nintendo's E3 press conference we saw plenty more on the game, now officially titled Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Following the heroes Matthew, Kans and Terrell, it looks set to deliver more...
E3 2010 Two New Professor Layton Mysteries On the Way
One for DS and one for 3DS from Level 5 (updated with trailer)
The first Professor Layton was a huge crossover hit all over the world, bringing non-gamers to the DS in droves, enchanted by its blend of puzzle and adventure in a rather whimsical shell. Last year's Pandora's Box was every bit as good, and now the saga continues with two more mysteries...
E3 2010 Mario vs Donkey Kong: Miniland Mayhem
The struggle between apes and plumbers continues
You'd have thought these two could have settled their differences by now, but the long-standing rivalry between Mario and Donkey Kong continues to boil, with Mario vs Donkey Kong: Miniland Mayhem for DS the latest title to pit the two against each other. With the promise of user-generated content and...
All the news, all the facts straight from E3. UPDATED: Corbie's thoughts in!
UPDATE: Corbie, our man at E3, has just been in touch with his first thoughts on the 3DS: Played the 3DS in person and it's unreal. The level of depth and clarity on the screen is incredible. And the graphics potential has to be at least on par with Wii, maybe even better...
E3 2010 Nintendo's 3DS line-up
What Nintendo is bringing to 3DS might just blow you away
What games are coming to the 3DS, the console we just so lovingly talked you through? Here's Nintendo to describe some of the titles on their way to the console with its latest press release: Nintendo Introduces Glasses-Free 3D Gaming, and Unleashes the Industry’s Best Franchises in...
E3 2010 Ubisoft's Michael Jackson Dance Game Moonwalking to a Console Near You
King of Pop returns to video games
Wrapping up his company's E3 2010 press conference, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot revealed yet another dance game — this time they're bringing out the big guns. Known only as Michael Jackson, the game is light on confirmed details so far. We do know that it will feature the "most famous tracks" from the...
News More Pokemon Black & White Monsters Revealed
Certainly prettier than the first lot
We've seen the three Pokémon you'll choose from at the start of your adventure, as well as the legendary monsters you'll look to snag nearer the end, but in-between there's dozens of new Pokémon to discover. Japanese magazine CoroCoro has obliged by revealing details and images of six brand new monsters and a...
News Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies Teaser Trailer
Check out the latest trailer for the upcoming DS RPG.
The kind folks at Nintendo were kind enough to send over the latest teaser trailer for the upcoming Square-Enix RPG Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. While there's not a lot of actual gameplay footage in the trailer, there is some very cool animated sequences that should get you...
News Nintendo Sits Us Down for an Art Academy Compilation
Another one? The ink pot's deeper than we thought
With the nature of the DS touchscreen and stylus input, it's no wonder developers have tried to emulate the process of putting pen to paper in more ways than one. Whether it's drawing the path in which Link's boomerang will travel in, or more art-orientated implementations, it's certainly a fun and...
News Ivy the Kiwi? to be a Rising Star in Europe
Home of Japanese Games picks up Yuji Naka's latest
You've probably only just wiped away your tears of sadness following yesterday's introduction to the story of Ivy the Kiwi?, but you may now start weeping tears of joy with the announcement that Rising Star Games is bringing the title to Europe this Autumn. Developed by former Sonic Team head honcho...
What’s in store for Nintendo’s current gen handheld?
We all know the buzz around Nintendo’s announcement of the 3DS is reaching fever pitch, but it would be foolish to write off its current DS hardware: DSi is barely a year old, so there’s bound to be a lot of titles to convince DS owners not to abandon the system just yet. Returning...
News Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light Gets E3 Trailer
Showing the user interface, game environments and enemies
When Square Enix announced that Western gamers will be sampling the delights of the latest Final Fantasy game built for the DS, we could hear the dusting-off of robes and the clunking of armour from continent to continent. Now, we have a bit more to share with you as we take a look at the...
News Ivy the Kiwi? Story Might Make You Cry a Bit
Poor little lost bird
You may have heard Nintendo Life staff James Newton and Corbie Dillard discuss this title in the latest episode of the podcast, and Ivy the Kiwi? continues to gain momentum with new screenshots and details about the tiny bird's story hitting the 'net from US publisher XSEED Games. Developed by Let's Tap developer PROPE, headed...
Rumour We May See a 3DS Animal Crossing Next Week
Chug chug chug goes the E3 rumour mill
You know the deal by now: until we have this confirmed, please treat the following as a rumour. Robot-worshipping games website Destructoid recently posted an intriguing piece of news, suggesting that one first-party launch title for the 3DS could be the next instalment in Nintendo's Animal Crossing franchise...
News Kingdom Hearts Returns to DS with Re:coded
Square Enix and Disney collaboration continues
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days was released less than a year ago but Square Enix is already shouting about its next entry in the series, with Kingdom Hearts Re:coded heading to DS. Here's the official press release containing what little information we have: Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd./h.a.n.d...
News Nintendo Points the Finger at the Wii for the Drop in Handheld Sales
Lack of big sales due to big games?
With handheld sales in the UK reaching the lowest level in the last four years, the European MD at Nintendo, Laurent Fischer, has pointed the finger at a rather unexpected culprit. Fischer feels the Wii is responsible for the drop in DS sales, with its range of big releases hogging the limelight. Speaking to MCV,...
News Third Parties May Reveal Their Own 3DS Games at E3
Nintendo apparently giving thumbs-up to proceed
So far we've heard plenty of talk from third parties about how interesting the 3DS looks but naturally nobody's been able to say "look at our game, it's three-dimensional." The general expectation was that Nintendo would announce the 3DS and its own titles but that third-party games may take...
News EA CEO Has Seen 3DS, Confirms It Is Cool
Take that, watertight NDA!
As the head of one of EA, one of the world's largest publishers, John Riccitello is very much an Important Man in the games industry. That said, it's no surprise he's been able to have a look at Nintendo's upcoming 3DS, nor that he's unable to say much about it. What he can tell you, though is that it's cool. It’s like...
News 3DS Will Supposedly Not Use NVIDIA's Tegra Technology
Digital Foundry's sources 'corroborates' what was claimed by IGN's insiders
When rumblings of a new generation of handheld from Nintendo were first felt last year, there were reports of industry insiders leaking information on the 3DS hardware architecture. Claims of NVIDIA's Tegra chip being used in the 3DS are now being contradicted by Digital...
News Rune Factory 3 Will be Harvested for DS Later This Year
Natsume announces third part of Harvest Moon spin-off
Whilst our European readers are still waiting to play the second handheld instalment in the farming-and-fighting series Rune Factory – though Rising Star Games is bringing it to Europe in the coming months – Natsume has gone and jumped the gun by announcing the third entry, smartly titled...
News Get Your DSi XL in Sultry Midnight Blue, North America
New colour launches on July 11th
Last week Nintendo announced three new DSi XL colours for Japan in the form of bright green, yellow and blue, and it's safe to say opinion was divided. Nintendo of America thinks you'll appreciate its new colour rather more, announcing the machine will soon be available in Midnight Blue. Slinking into stores across...
News Capcom CEO Thinks 3DS Could Learn from Apple
Business model the key with upcoming handheld
Although nobody expects Nintendo to ignore boxed retail games with its 3DS handheld, the smart money is on the company announcing a greater focus on download titles than before. Capcom CEO Haruhiro Tsujimoto believes the system has the potential to introduce a new business model to the hardware...
A demented good time
Dementium II, the sequel to 2007’s Dementium: The Ward, has many characteristics spawning from a mixture of the Resident Evil-style survivor horror sub-genre and a first-person shooter. You control your character in a first-person perspective through many creepy, unsettling locales, but it’s not your ordinary shooter: it has...
Rumour 3DS Could Rival PS3 and 360 in Power Stakes
Unnamed source talks power and internal chips
You could fit everything we currently know about the 3DS into a flea's rucksack, so when tantalising rumours come along it's our duty to report them, even when they seem too good to be true. IGN has recently posted an article referencing several unnamed developers that claim the console outstrips the...
News First Sonic Colours Details Emerge
And the first "return to form" claim is right behind
The announcement of Sonic Colours for Wii and DS was a bit of a bolt from the blue (pardon the pun), with just a rendered trailer and short press release to go on. Now with the cat out of the bag the first proper information is starting to trickle through, with a Nintendo Power interview with...
News Rising Star to Bring Rune Factory 2 and More to Europe in Autumn
My World, My Way and Eldar Saga on the way too
European publisher Rising Star Games is responsible for bringing across some of the more original critically-acclaimed titles, localising feudal side-scrolling slasher Muramasa: The Demon Blade, monarchic masterpiece Little King's Story and most of the Harvest Moon series in recent years. Just before E3...
News Hudson Announces E3 Lineup
To include mysterious secret title...
Hudson Entertainment recently announced the list of games that it'll be showing off at the upcoming entertainment exposition which we know as E3. Their Wii lineup will feature BEYBLADE: Metal Fusion – Battle Fortress, Deca Sports 3, Oops! Prank Party and Lost in Shadow while for DS it'll be presenting...
News Nintendo of America has No Comment on DS Price Cut
European and Japanese drops still happening
Yesterday we revealed that the trade price of DS consoles is due to drop in the UK following a similar announcement for Japan, so naturally we were curious whether Nintendo of America would follow suit. Sadly it seems that, if they are, we won't be hearing about it just yet. A Nintendo of America...
News This DS Game Includes Bespoke Cheese and Wine Guides
Only team-up with ELLE à Table makes that headline possible
With E3 just a matter of weeks away, all eyes are on Nintendo to see what innovative and exciting titles the company has planned for the next year and beyond. It's safe to say that nobody ever expected the company to announce a game that includes cheese and wine guides, but here we are on...
News Kapow! New Batman Trailer is Both Brave and Bold
Holy hand-drawn animation!
Time to dig out that cape and tiny pants, readers: this new trailer for upcoming Batman adventure The Brave and the Bold is sending out the Batsignal into the night sky. Despite sounding like an American daytime soap opera, Batman: The Brave and the Bold is based on the cartoon series, putting players in control of the...
News UK DS Prices Could Tumble as Nintendo Cuts Trade Cost
No new colours on the way, sadly
Earlier today we reported that Nintendo is set to launch new DSi XL colours over in Japan, accompanied by a decent price cut on all DS lines. Now Nintendo UK has announced it'll be chopping down the asking price of every DS unit it sells to retailers, leaving the door open for cheaper consoles across the country...
News DSi XL Brightens Up with Three New Colours
Blue, yellow and green to reach Japan
With its enormous screens and somewhat muted colour palette, the DSi XL is very much aimed at the more distinguished gamer. What about a slightly brighter take on the portable, though? Well, Japan is about to get the first wave of new colours for the XL as these pictures show. Sticking to simple blue, yellow and...
News 586 People Playing DS Earns Them a World Record
London's MCM Expo made history
What's the largest number of people you've ever seen playing DS at one time? Four? Ten? Thirty? Then this video will blow your mind. Okay, not really. Last weekend's MCM Expo in London was home to a Guinness World Record attempt by gamers to smash the record of "Largest Handheld Game Console Party", held by...
News Accio! Two Games Conjured from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Movies
Last wizard adventure to come in two parts
We haven't yet had Lego Harry Potter: Years 1 to 4 but fans of the boy wizard and whichever-of-his-friends-you-still-think-is-alive needn't worry about getting short-changed on the magic happenings this year, with EA and Warner Bros. announcing two new Potter titles are on the way. Based on the final two...
May2010
Feature The Great and the Good in WarioWare DIY
Get some inspiration for your creations
We love WarioWare: DIY here at Nintendo Life Towers: its ample array of game creation tools is enough to inspire even the most stunted imagination to create a gameplay masterpiece. When placed in the hands of the truly talented, however, some unbelievable microgames are possible: here's a selection of some of...
News Get Ready for More 3D Sonics: Sega Will Invest Heavily in 3DS
Console is "landmark hardware" says Sega top man
Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham recently spoke out saying he believed Western third-parties would get behind the 3DS after being put off by the lack of success on DS and now, from the other side of the world, Japanese giant Sega has confirmed its intentions to support 3DS fully. Speaking to Japanese...
News Catch Pokemon Black and White in North America Next Spring
Update: European release also Spring 2011
It might be nearly a year away but Nintendo clearly wants to get the bandwagon rolling early for the next Pokémon game, announcing it's going to be released in North America in Spring 2011. Not only that, we also know two of the legendary Pokémon that'll feature in the game: Black owners can capture...
News Lucky Australians, You Get Mega Man Zero Collection Before Europe
Only a day earlier, though
The great Gods of Australian game releases are a picky bunch: with one hand they taketh away Bejeweled 2, with the other they giveth Mega Man Zero Collection on June 10th. Yep, Capcom is bringing the Z-busting compendium over just two short days after the North American release and one day before its European launch, far...
News Embark on a New Adventure With Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
The DS has an entirely new chapter of the Final Fantasy saga to conquer
With the HD consoles getting the main series in the Final Fantasy franchise and the with the Wii having its own Crystal Chronicles series to tuck into, DS owners might be getting a bit tired of getting old ports and updated versions of past Final Fantasy games. Well, now you can...
News First Details of de Blob: The Underground Revealed
Nintendo Power gets first look at sparkly sequel
De Blob was pretty special: smart design, a great atmosphere and a huge amount of fun mark it out as one of the Wii's finest titles. When THQ announced it would be bringing the title back for a release in 2011 we all had a smile on our collective faces, and now the first small details have surfaced...
News Lufia Returns to DS with Curse of the Sinistrals
Natsume bringing RPG over later this year
It's been a long old time since we last played a translated Lufia game on a Nintendo platform: around seven years ago, in fact. Natsume's never been one to let a good IP lay dormant though, announcing it's going to bring the latest title, Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals, to North America later this year. Not...
News Sonic Colours to Brighten Up DS and Wii
New hog outing announced!
We at Nintendo Life Towers had mixed feelings recently when Sega announced it was delaying the promising Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 for WiiWare as we were looking forward to getting stuck into the hog's latest. Still, always one to bounce back from his disappointments – let's face it, he's had enough practice –...
News Nintendo of Australia Sends DS to School But Don't Get Any Ideas
"We're not Santa", they may have said
Here's a heartwarming story for you: a young girl, frustrated at not being bought a DS console by her parents, wrote a letter to Nintendo as part of a school project, praising the company and explaining her situation. Signing off with a polite – if somewhat cheeky – request for a console, she was...
News Marth Returns as New Fire Emblem for DS Announced
Looks like a remake of the third title
Tactical battling on the go is a big win for us here at Nintendo Life Towers: many's the hour we've spent on Advance Wars and Fire Emblem, so the opportunity to get more of either is something we welcome with open arms. We already knew about a new Advance Wars, but today the Japanese Fire Emblem site has been...
Review Star Trek: Tactical Assault (DS)
Tactics, but not as we know them
Developer Quicksilver Software is no stranger to the Star Trek licence, having developed the well-regarded Starfleet Command for the PC, which is itself an attempt to deliver a computerised version of the venerable board game Star Fleet Battles. Tactical Assault is essentially a stab at a port of Starfleet Command to...
News Renegade Kid Excited by 3DS's Potential for Original Games
Dementium developer thinks new machine could reignite third parties
When it comes to creating superb DS-exclusive titles, nobody rivals Nintendo: we know this, you know this and developers certainly know this, resulting in a marked decrease in DS boxed releases as publishers look to distribute their funds elsewhere. Jools Watsham, founder of...
News Play the Spook in Capcom's Ghost Trick Phantom Detective
Latest gameplay video shows a mother and daughter conversation interrupted by strangeness
You may remember when Capcom announced that its DS-exclusive puzzle game; Ghost Trick Phantom Detective was in development, its description was attention-grabbing. Since then, game details have slowly been released and the screenshots have undoubtedly marked...
News What Does Suda51 Want to Make for the 3DS?
New handheld giving the unconventional game designer plenty of ideas
Goichi Suda, the crazy person responsible for killer7, No More Heroes and Flower, Sun and Rain, welcomes the unconventional with open arms. He's got some stuff brewing in the back of his mind for the Vitality Sensor, and now, with another mysterious and unconventional piece of...
News Hey Everyone, Get Your Dragon Quest IX On This July
Nintendo announces release dates for Europe and North America
Those waiting breathlessly for news of when Square Enix's upcoming DS epic Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies will be arriving on Western shores can stop turning blue now, as Nintendo has announced that the game will be hitting on July 11 in North America, exactly one year...
News Microsoft Manager Gives 3DS the Thumbs Up
Takashi Sensui also reveals Microsoft's own preparations for the 3D realm
It's always professional of rival companies to give credit where it's due, but it's even more respectable when it seems genuine. It seems that Nintendo's first steps into the 3D gaming world have garnered positive comments from a Microsoft big-cheese. Speaking to the Nikkei...
News Odenis Studio Shows Interest in Returning to Its Glory Days
Hoping to turn those award nominations into wins
There's something quite appealing about playing strategy games on a handheld. Maybe because they're on a portable format and resemble more of what a high-tech 'battle device' might feel like in the hands of a war general. Maybe it's something else. Either way, DS owners might want to ready themselves...
News Nintendo Trademarks 3DSWare, DSMovie and Other Intriguing Phrases
But why, when the 3DS name isn't final?
One day it's possibly leaked testing hardware, the next it's a list of trademarks: the Internet Rumour Mill is operating at full steam ahead these days. According to a list discovered by forum members over at NeoGAF, Nintendo has registered trademarks including DSMovie, DSMagazine and DSCinema. The most...
News Scribblenauts Sequel is Officially Super
First images of the duper sequel show further shenanigans
So, 5TH Cell's fun but flawed DS game Scribblenauts is getting a sequel. Makes sense after selling 1.1 million copies across the globe. Slapping a "2" on the end of the name would be all well and good, but hardly the most creative way to show off how much improved the new game is...
Rumour Curious DS Motherboard May Reveal 3DS Widescreen
Hold those horses, however
Vague registrations for patents, trademarks and age ratings power the Internet Rumour Mill, particularly when there's a big announcement around the corner, and a recent filing over at the Federal Communications Commission may have the first photograph of a 3DS test kit. Why jump to the 3DS conclusion when the image title...
News See the New Pokemon Starters in Bright, Beautiful Motion
Hamferno, Smugleaf and the other one in action
We initially said the new starter Pokémon for the upcoming Black and White releases probably aren't the prettiest monsters we've ever seen, but in light of this first footage of them in battle we may have to chow down on our words. With fully animated monsters and new camera effects the battles are...
Space, monsters and boss battles, oh my
It's been a while, space cats, but NLFM is back with another mighty handsome selection of the finest chip and game music around. This time we're splitting chip tunes and swirling epics right down the middle, with equal parts fantastic on both sides. NLFM generally focuses on music from games playable on...
News Pokémon Black & White Set in Megalopolis Where Nature and Man Co-exist
See the game's protagonists and where their adventure will take place
A couple of days ago, we showed you a glimpse of the weird and wonderful creatures that gamers will encounter in Pokémon Black & White as images of the starting-three made their way to Coro Coro Magazine. The Pokémon Company has now updated the game's site with additional...
News Nintendo Swashes Even More Pirates' Buckles
After giving them fair warning, too
Nintendo filed a lawsuit on May 11th against the owner of Queens-based NXPGAME, the company behind a website that gave its customers access to illegally copied DS and DSi software. Not that the Big N didn't give them a chance - after repeated communications between their legal department and the defendant, the...
News Nintendo Ranked World's Most Bankable Game Studio
Miyamoto rumoured to plan purchase of monocle, cane
Up from last year's runner-up ranking on the Develop 100 list of the most successful game developers, Nintendo this year took the top spot while former titleholder Blizzard Entertainment plummeted to number 80. The current champ's most profitable release this past year was Wii Fit. Eating the big...
News Pokémon Black and White Starters are Disappointingly Ugly
Faces only a trainer could love
Want to see the Pokémon who'll be accompanying you on your next journey to become the world's greatest trainer? If the answer is "no", look away now. Revealed in Coro Coro Magazine, the three starters do not yet have Western names but are known to fit into the well-established fire, water and grass...
News Monster Tale Picked Up and Swung Around by Majesco
Henry Hatsworth team's new game gets a publisher
There aren't enough DS games with "monster" in the title, so when Project Monster was revealed our ears pricked up in anticipation of more news. Now it has arrived in the form of Monster Tale, a 2D platform adventure game from most of the team behind everyone's favourite bemonocled gentleman...
News Don't Get Too Attached to 3DS Name, says Iwata
Real name still under wraps
Even though the name seems to fit the upcoming console like a snug glove, apparently 3DS isn't the formal name for Nintendo's next handheld. No, it seems Iwata and company have an official title all lined-up, presumably waiting to unleash it at E3 in just over one month's time. As we can't think of anything that would...
News Capcom Will Give You 22 Games Before April
16 for DS, 6 on Wii
Capcom's had a pretty good start to this financial year, with Monster Hunter Tri for Wii and Super Street Fighter IV and Lost Planet 2 on the HD consoles. Hopefully you haven't had enough of the blue-and-yellow publisher yet, as they have a boatload of titles for you over the next year. Aiming to bring half a dozen Wii titles to...
News Software Pirates Beware: No 3DS Booty For You
Security tougher than a chastity belt... maybe
Nintendo takes a hard stance on piracy, using cartridge-based games for its systems way past their use-by-date. Whilst more difficult to produce illegal copies of their intellectual products, it also imposes a certain limit to how much data the console had access to. With the upcoming 3DS, Nintendo is...
News These Games Sold Over a Million Copies Last Year
But which sold more, Mario or Nintendogs?
Crunching numbers from financial reports isn't just for accountants and financial consultants: when a company like Nintendo releases its figures, even the humble gamer sits up to take notice. A list of the top-selling Nintendo games for the past financial year, then, is like sweet nectar to numeric nerds...
News 3DS Will Let You Play in 2D Too, If You Want
Third dimension will be optional
Worried the upcoming 3DS will ruin your eyesight or generally be a bit tiresome? Nintendo is way ahead of you, with President Satoru Iwata confirming the 3D mode won't be compulsory. He promised it will be easy to turn off the 3D function on the new machine, allowing people to play games, with or without 3D. Iwata...
News MySims Head Ever Skyward with SkyHeroes
Copter no longer necessary
Those MySims sure do get into some scrapes, and their latest adventure MySims SkyHeroes is set to debut on Wii and DS. According to Scott Evans, General Manager of the The Sims Studio: We are thrilled to have many firsts with MySims SkyHeroes, like introducing epic boss battles, cooperative gameplay missions and online...
News Nintendo's 2010 Release Schedule is Predictably Vague
Zelda, Golden Sun for 2010, Famicom Wars DS 2 and Kirby there too
Some of the recent doom and gloom surrounding Nintendo's recent and projected sales results may have put some fans in a melancholic state, but the company's upcoming release schedule should provide a welcome bit of optimism, though as always it's tempered with calls for caution. Big...
News Ivy the Kiwi Story - Chapter One
It's story time!
Xseed have just sent over some more information on their upcoming Ivy the Kiwi releases for Nintendo Wii and DS due to hit store shelves this summer. They've also sent the first part of their ongoing story for the games that will be released in parts between now and the official release date. You can check out Chapter One below and...
News E3 Promises Over 30 Nintendo Titles
Surprises not included
The run-up to E3 is almost as exciting as the event itself, with half the fun in predicting exactly what Nintendo will show. Not every company is as secretive however, as a recently published list reveals the show will play host to at least fifteen DS games and twenty titles for Wii. That may not seem like a huge amount, but...
