Review Yoshi's Story (Wii Virtual Console / Nintendo 64)
Not Yoshi's finest hour
Review Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Virtual Console / NES)
For the first time outside of Japan – experience the original sequel to the best-selling video game of all time!
Review Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
Samus' gunship finally lands on Wii, should you believe the hype? Are the controls as good as we hoped?
Review Landstalker (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
After hearing of the legendary treasure of King Nole, the elvish treasure hunter Nigel undertakes a quest to gather various pieces of the famed loot.
Review Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
Sonic and Tails are back for another adventure as they again battle the evil Dr. Eggman (AKA Dr. Robotnik), who is desperately trying to collect all the Chaos Emeralds in order to rebuild his Death Egg.
News Mario Galaxy's Subliminal Message?
Mario fans spot a 'strange' hidden meaning in the official Super Mario Galaxy logo..
News - September, 2007
Monday1st Oct 2007
News SMB: The Lost Levels removed from EU Wii Shop
Sunday was the last day of September. As such, the Hanabi Festival has now come to an end, and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels has been removed from the Wii Shop. If you didn't download it, you might've missed it forever! Nintendo stated that it was a "collectors' item", which implies that it might not return for a second chance. Still, anything's possible, so if you did miss it, just hope for the best!
To clear up the confusion which seemed to exist - No, the other Hanabi Festival games are not gone. The Lost Levels is the only game that was available for a l...
Sunday30th Sep 2007
News Quick! Super Mario The Lost Levels Almost Lost
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, originally released on the Famicon and then again on the Virtual Console last month, will be deleted off the VC list in just over an hour.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is the original sequel to Super Mario Bros. and was only released in Japan. The game was very difficult and for this reason it wasn't...
News Magazine Pictures Unveil The... Erm... "Vii"!
GoNintendo.com have uncovered some rather amusing magazine pictures which seem to promote a Nintendo Wii rip-off known as the "Vii".
While it's name is not exactly going to win awards for originality it's design is not likely to either, given the console is a cheap plasticy rip-off of both the Wii-remote and the Wii console itself. Even Nintendo's...
Friday28th Sep 2007
Altus bring us yet another slice of Japanese RPG gaming - but can Luminous Arc present a solid challenge to the best the genre has to offer?
While it’s certainly true that we’re all hardcore Ninty fans here at Nintendo Life, it would be silly to suggest we don’t dabble with rival systems from time to time. One manufacturer that is almost...
News EU VC Releases - 28th September - Sci-Fi Week
Get to your Wii! It's Sci-Fi Week! Part of this final Hanabi Festival update is Sin and Punishment, the highly anticipated N64 action game never released outside Japan! It has an inflated price like most Japan-only games before it - 1200 Points. If you love yourself, get this. It's an extremely good game, somewhat like Star Fox 64/Lylat Wars, except even better. This is the first Japan-only game to be translated! All menus and such are in English!
Gradius III for SNES makes up the middle of this week's p...
News Japanese Virtual Console list - October 2007
Not too much big titles in Japan's list for next month, but there's quite a few games that could be coming to Europe and America as well. Have a look!
Japan's list for October: Famicom: Esper Dream (October 2nd) Zanac Famicom Tantei Club Part I River City Ransom/Street Gangs Hanjuku Hero Super Famicom: Cybernator Donkey Kong Country 2 Nintendo 64:...
Thursday27th Sep 2007
News The Umbrella Chronicles Box Art
Capcom reveal the US box art for upcoming zap-um-up Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
"Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles is a brand new game in the Resident Evil franchise, with familiar locales from the entire series, created specifically for the unique characteristics of the Wii console. This action/shooter hybrid reveals the back story...
Wednesday26th Sep 2007
Tuesday25th Sep 2007
News Samba De Amigo Coming To Virtual Console
SEGA open the door for Dreamcast games to hit the Wii's Virtual Console starting with rythmn action favourite Samba De Amigo.
US publication Nintendo Power gave the word that Gearbox Software (Brothers in Arms) will be working on the game. Samba de Amigo marks the first time that a Dreamcast title will be heading to Virtual Console but also spells...
Monday24th Sep 2007
News Mario Galaxy's Subliminal Message?
Mario fans spot a 'strange' hidden meaning in the official Super Mario Galaxy logo..
If you look at the title 'Super Mario Galaxy' you will notice stars under some of the letters, (the 'U' in Super for example) now take these letters and spell them out. sUpeR MaRio GalAxY = UR MR GAY Now, this isn't a one off, its apparent on ALL the recent official...
Review Dragon Ball Z: Goku Densetsu (DS)
Cardmehameha!
[screenshot=468bc2098dbeb]Card Based CombatSorry, I had the overwhelming urge to begin this review with a play on words involving DBZ and cards… and that was the best I could do! Anyway, to the point. Dragon Ball Z is quite easily the most recognisable cartoon to come out of Japan. I remember the days of my childhood where I would...
Tuesday25th Sep 2007
Review Legend of Hero Tonma (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Fight your way through seven stages using Tonma's jump ability and shot power.
What happens when you cross Ninja Spirit and a shoot 'em up? This. Unsurprisingly, it's a game by Irem, who made both Ninja Spirit and quite a few shoot 'em ups! Also not surprising is that it’s a port of the arcade game of the same name; again, just like Ninja Spirit!...
Monday24th Sep 2007
News NES Music Man Does It Again
Ah the wonders of retro gaming, Alex Mauer has done it again, releasing his second album in the now popular-with-the-retro-junkies NES Cart format.
Alex Mauer, creator of the first Nintendo cart music album, has already come out with his second cart. The new album features more songs (10) and larger graphics (full screen stills). Songs on the new...
News US VC Releases - 24th September - Streets of Rage 3
The long-awaited final part of Final Fight's rival series, Streets of Rage, hits the American VC today. Yup, it's Streets of Rage 3! The game's had quite a lot of criticism over the years (Especially compared to Streets of Rage 2), but it's still a great game and any beat 'em up fan should check it out (Though SoR2 should still take priority).
Secon...
Review Streets of Rage 3 (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
Just when you thought the world was safe from the Syndicate and its shady leader, Mr. X, they have returned to torment the city once again.
Streets of Rage 3 has been the victim of much flak over the past few years. Coming after the sublime Streets of Rage 2, the third installment had a fight (ho-ho!) on its hands to better such a fantastic game. On...
Saturday22nd Sep 2007
Review Ninja JaJaMaru-kun - A Former Famicom Exclusive Comes To Switch
Time to put Lord Namazu Dayuu in his place
Of all the Japan-only games to be given new life on the Virtual Console – and now in 2021, Nintendo Switch Online – Nintendo, oddly enough, picked this Famicom exclusive. While on the surface Ninja JaJaMaru-kun looks like another not-very-good arcade game, it's actually quite fun if you give it a...
Friday21st Sep 2007
News Wii Will Be Zapping Before The Year's Out
The latest in a long line of Wii peripherals (although this one is Nintendo made) is set to hit shops around the UK and Europe this year.
The hardware which allows a docking centre for your Wii Remote and Nunchuck is already confirmed to come bundled with "Link's Crossbow Training" as some exclusive software to help you get used to playing with the...
News EU VC Releases - 21st September - Ninja Week
As promised by Nintendo, this week is "Ninja Week", with two new ninja-related games and an unrelated Turbografx game. No real surprises here this week, I'm afraid.
First up is the NES platformer Ninja Gaiden. Originally released in Europe originally as Shadow Warriors, it's a fast-paced ninja platformer with loads of action. Blame...
Wednesday19th Sep 2007
A game freezing bug is present in the EU version of Super Paper Mario (Wii)
Just days after it's release, Nintendo have recalled Super Paper Mario on the Wii. A bug is present in the EU version whilst playing English, German or Spanish that can freeze the entire game. The problem in question is not major; if you do not encounter it that is. You may...
News Feel The Force Of Your Wii Remote
Lucasarts have announced that anticipated lightsabre/Wii remote wielding action title Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be landing on the Wii next spring.
The Wii Remote will become your lightsabre while the nunchuck extension can be used to attack others with various "Force" related powers. For all those statistics nerds out there the game is set...
Tuesday18th Sep 2007
Review Yoshi's Story (Wii Virtual Console / Nintendo 64)
Not Yoshi's finest hour
Remember Yoshi's Island on the Super NES? That awesome platformer that swapped the roles and made Yoshi the main hero with (Baby) Mario being the sidekick? It's become iconic, but this is perhaps the first "real" Yoshi game (Mario isn't in the name and he's barely seen in the game) and it does things a bit differently. The...
News Trade Pokémon With New Site
Trade Pokémon all around the world.
Nintendo have launched a new site that will help trade Pokémon all around the world. The website named Pokémon Global Trade Station is compatible with both Diamond and Pearl versions of the game. If you like Pokémon and are having trouble locating that level 100 Snorlax you may want to read on for the...
News Smash Bros. Brawl Online Confirmed
Prepare for a worldwide brawl on the Wii.
We had suspected for months but today it is 100% concrete; we will be able to play each other on the sequel to the Gamecube's most praised fighting game. The Smash Bros. Dojo did not only confirm the presence of an online mode in Super Bros. Smash Brawl, but additionally went in to further detail explaining...
News Winamp Really Whips The Wii's Ass
Play your music collection through your Wii, anywhere.
Winamp, The long running free audio (and now video) player from AOL will be releasing a new version in October and one of the new features will be streaming support for your Wii and other next generation consoles. The new 'Winamp Remote' will not be installed on to your Wii but merely enables to...
News Reggie Promises More Wiis
A lot more units are being manufactured but will there be enough?
At the Wii launch we all had problems obtaining the motion-sensing console which left desperate parents paying over the odds trying to get their loved ones a shiny new Wii. Unfortunately, it looks like to be more of the same towards the end of this year. In an interview with Mercury...
Monday17th Sep 2007
Review World Class Baseball (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Batter up!
This game began life known as Power League on the Japanese PC Engine and spawned many sequels due to the popularity of Baseball in Japan. The game offers a comprehensive range of options to fine tune your game. For instance you can switch the players in your roster and play a quick game or play in pennant mode. It’s really as...
News US VC Releases - 17th September - Yoshi's Story
merican gamers expecting an update akin to Europe's last update, prepare for disappointment or joy, depending on how you look at it. You don't get Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels or Super Picross, instead you get the next N64 game.And no, it's not..
merican gamers expecting an update akin to Europe's last update, prepare for disappointment or...
Tuesday18th Sep 2007
News Iwata Talks Development, Miyamoto & Wii Sports 2
Nintendo's leader talks shop with one of his friends.
Satoru Iwata, President and CEO of Nintendo, recently had an informal chat come-interview with Japanese site 1101.com. The discussion reveals many aspects of game development from Iwata himself and from stories of how Miyamoto has influenced him. At times throughout the talk such wise discussion...
Monday17th Sep 2007
Review Super Thunder Blade (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
In this follow-up to Thunder Blade, you'll fly a new and improved attack helicopter in a series of attacks against guerilla armies that are bent on taking over the world.
One of the very first Megadrive/Genesis releases, Super Thunder Blade is a pretty underwhelming action title that failed to get pulses racing when it was converted to the 16-bit...
Sunday16th Sep 2007
News Wii Top Selling Next-Gen Console
The Wii keeps on selling more and more...than other consoles.
The Financial Times has reported that the Wii has overtaken the Xbox 360 in the ongoing console war. Excluding sales from August the totals have the Wii at 9 million units sold compared to 8.9m Xbox 360s and 3.7m PS3s. Additionally and more recently VideoGameChartz, a website that tracks...
Saturday15th Sep 2007
Review Mario's Super Picross (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
You won't pi cross buying this
Ask anybody to name some Mario puzzlers and you'll most likely hear Dr. Mario, maybe Wario's Woods, Yoshi or Yoshi's Cookie. They never name the best of the lot though — Mario's Super Picross, or its predecessor, 1995 Game Boy title
Friday14th Sep 2007
News TurboGrafx-CD games for the VC?
More encouraging news in the world of the Virtual Console today. It looks as if PC Engine CD-ROM2 games will be hitting the VC soon according to Nikkei's all Japanese website. The initial releases are thought to be Ys Book 1 & 2 and Cho Aniki.
Ys is one of the finest RPGs on the system and Cho Aniki is a weird and wonderful shooter from the...
News September is Hanabi Festival in Europe
Nintendo of Europe has announced their VC plans for the rest of the month, and they've got quite a treat: They're releasing 4 more games that weren't released in Europe before in what they call the "Hanabi Festival" - The Hanabi Festival is a Japanese fireworks show which starts in mid-September and ends at the end of September.
The update...
News EU VC Releases - 14th September - Double Japan-only games
very big surprise for Europeans today, as they get not one, but TWO titles that were previously only released in Japan. And Europe gets Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland and Super Paper Mario today as well!The first game today is Super Mario Bros.: The Lost..
very big surprise for Europeans today, as they get not one, but TWO titles that were previously...
Review Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Virtual Console / NES)
For the first time outside of Japan – experience the original sequel to the best-selling video game of all time!
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is a bit of an oddity. "The Lost Levels" isn't even it's real title - This is actually the real version of Super Mario Bros. 2. Japan got this game (As SMB2), but when Nintendo realized...
Wednesday12th Sep 2007
News Zelda Game Accompanying Zapper
Details emerge on the software bundled with the Wii Zapper peripheral.
Remember when the 'Wii Zapper' was announced at E3? The attachment for the Wiimote that transforms it in to gun, similar to the Zapper made for NES. It was said there would be a training game of sorts bundled with it to introduce players to how to use the piece of plastic. Many...
News Neo Geo confirmed for US Virtual Console
NK has issued a press release to inform us that Neo Geo games will indeed appear on the American VC. They have also revealed 3 of the titles to appear, and all of them are fighters! They are Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury and World Heroes (Yes,..
NK has issued a press release to inform us that Neo Geo games will indeed appear on the American...
Tuesday11th Sep 2007
Review Worms: Open Warfare 2 (DS)
Worms kinda lost it’s way big time. Some games welcomed the switch into 3D, making them feel fresher, fuller and on the whole a lot more enchanting. Worms was not one of those games.
Last year, Team 17 decided to bring the series back to it’s routes. DS and PSP iterations of the game reminded us why the game was so crudely popular on the PC way...
It's time to grab the mic and shake your money-maker, because EA's Boogie is about to hit the dancefloor...
Music-based games – often assigned the rather auspicious genre title of ‘rhythm action’ – are big business these days. Titles like SingStar, Dancing Stage and Guitar Hero are massive sellers, attracting thousands upon thousands of...
Review Neutopia II (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Some years have passed since the brave hero Jazeta destroyed Dirth, the Emperor of Darkness.
Looking very much like it predecessor, Neutopia II plays more like an expansion pack than a fully-fledged sequel. Shamelessly stealing ideas from Nintendo’s Zelda series, this action RPG trundles along quite amiably but never really reaches the heights of...
Review NES Play Action Football (Virtual Console / NES)
Ready! Hut hut hut…
Coming quite late in the life of the NES - 1990 to be exact - Play Action Football was Nintendo's attempt at creating a realistic gridiron game for their aging, yet still popular console. The diagonal viewpoint is 'fake 3D' which looks a little pathetic by today's standards but was pretty impressive back then. At least it looks...
Monday10th Sep 2007
We Brits may see it as 'Rugby with padding' but American Football is as popular as ever and the latest Madden release from EA Sports is promising big things. Does it deliver?
Devout patrons of NintendoLife will no doubt recall that we quite liked Madden NFL 07; the unique use of motion-sensitive gestures lent the game an incredibly intuitive and...
News US VC Releases - 10th September - Sonic 3
Hot on the heels of Europe's update last friday, North America gets Sonic the Hedgehog 3 today as well. The final game in the trilogy is a bit of a drop in quality from the second, but it still fun. And before you ask - No, it's not the "& Knuckles" version.
From out of nowhere comes NES Play Action Football. This is Nintendo's own...
Friday7th Sep 2007
News EU VC Releases - 7th September - Sega week
guess you were all expecting 3 Mega Drive games this week, huh? Well, Sega surprises us all, because instead they release five of them! And what a bunch of games they are!Leading the bunch is the final game in the Mega Drive Sonic trilogy - Sonic the..
guess you were all expecting 3 Mega Drive games this week, huh? Well, Sega surprises us all,...
News Sin & Punishment heads our way
A new title has just been rated by the OFLC - Yes, it's Sin & Punishment! This N64 game is not known by too much people, and for good reason - It wasn't released outside Japan originally. However, those that did play it all share the same opinion: It's one of the greatest N64 games ever made. It plays similarly to Star Fox 64, except that you can also run, jump, slash your sword, have one on one duels and more. Highly recommended when it does come out, especially if you didn't play it before!
...
Review Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
Sonic and Tails are back for another adventure as they again battle the evil Dr. Eggman (AKA Dr. Robotnik), who is desperately trying to collect all the Chaos Emeralds in order to rebuild his Death Egg.
After the sublime Sonic 2 Sega decided to stick with the same tried and tested formula for the sequel – a move that disappointed many fans that...
Review ESWAT: City Under Siege (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
All is not well in Cyber City
This was one of the first games I ever loaded into my Mega Drive and it still sticks in my memory as one of the best action platformers for the machine. Although it isn't a conversion of the arcade game of the same name (neither was the Master System version, strangely), Mega Drive ESWAT still provides a healthy dose...
Review Crack Down (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
The situation is critical. The evil Doctor K has created an army of deranged replicants in order to take over the world, and only two can stop him - Andy Attacker and Ben Breaker - the top soldiers of the CIA's special Crackdown force.
No, this game is not related to the Xbox 360's Crackdown! Hardly anybody seems to know this game, despite it being...
Thursday6th Sep 2007
Review Tamagotchi Party On! (Wii)
Bandai's virtual pet franchise has now made the leap to the Wii and is attempting to steal Wario Ware's mini-game crown...has it succeeded?
Exploitation of children is a terrible thing. It’s a sad fact that in some parts of the world nefarious employers will think nothing of paying youngsters a pittance to work in poorly ventilated sweat shops in...
Hot on the tail of the DS games, THQ announce that Team 17 are developing an online multiplayer Worms experience for Wii!
"In Worms: A Space Oddity, players will enjoy the ultimate blend of classic Worms game modes and re-invented single-player missions, as well as multiplayer modes that include a host of all-new party games and even more...
News Join VC Reviews Facebook Group
Why not?
Shamelessly jumping on the Facebook bandwagon we wanted to let you know that Virtual Console Reviews now has it's own Facebook Group! You'll be able to experience again our interview in GamesTM and watch the website's first outing on German television! If we are lucky then our new VC:A recruit Marcel (AKA Drake) might even add some cool...
Wednesday5th Sep 2007
Review Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
Samus' gunship finally lands on Wii, should you believe the hype? Are the controls as good as we hoped?
Samus is finally unleashed on Wii. Originally a title pegged for launch, Metroid fans have been drooling almost a year longer than expected. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is billed as the final part of the Metroid Prime trilogy and somewhat carries...
The big city is here... on the little DS.
Sim City is arguably one of the best simulation games out there: it practically wrote the book on the genre. On the PC it's a tried and tested formula. But, never before has it made a comfortable transition to any other format. So, has Sim City DS achieved the grandeur of modern day society, or does it bear...
As the popularity of Wii continues to grow, huge amounts of unofficial 3rd party products are seeping out of China, so what's this Wedock then?
Our friends at Wedock.com sent us a sample of their "Wedock" product, yes we think they're aware of the abnormal spelling. Wii thought we'd do the right thing and tell you guys about it. So what is it?...
News Retro Taking A Break From Metroid
Mark Pacini director of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has proclaimed that the development team will be taking a break from the classic series.
"We are taking a break from the Metroid series and from Samus. So I’m sure there will be other titles created, but as far as Retro Studios is concerned, we’re taking a break for a little bit." This comes as...
News EA Get Boogying On DS (and PS2)
EA Montreal have been confirmed as making a DS version of the recently released Wii game Boogie. Release set for November: Gimmicks included...
Electronic Arts, in their wisdom, have confirmed that a DS version of the recently released Wii title Boogie is currently in development at it's Montreal studios. Pop legends such as Kool and the Gang and...
News Super Mario Galaxy To Release Nov 16th In UK/Europe
Nintendo UK's brand new "Assets Library" website, confirms that Super Mario Galaxy is set for a UK/Europe release of November 16th.
After the announcement that US gamers would get Super Mario Galaxy on November 12th, alot of European gamers felt their hearts sink as it seemed unlikely that they would see the game this side of Christmas. This has all...
Monday3rd Sep 2007
Review Adventure Island (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
An island of adventure
Adventure Island is somewhat of a Mario clone - you guide Master Higgins to the end of every level (8 worlds with 4 levels each, sound familiar?) dodging wildlife, boulders and fire in order to defeat the witch doctor at the end of each world (also familiar?) who has captured your beloved bride-to-be Tina. Things aren't as...
News US VC Releases - 3rd September - Landstalker
Yet another great week for Americans. This week you don't get 3 games, but 4! Although it's questionable if one of them can be considered a game...
The big game of the week is Landstalker. This RPG for the Genesis is one of the finest games on the system, and one of the best isometric RPGs ever made. It's quite a big game and will keep you...
News Table Tennis Release Date
Rockstar have been back in the headlines recently, but something we kinda missed was the Table Tennis release date.
"Ever since we released Table Tennis, fans have been asking us to create a Wii version," said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. "By bringing Table Tennis to the Wii and utilizing the motion-sensitive Wii...
News Fire Emblem Named & Dated
Nintendo have unvealed that the latest Fire Emblem title will be called Radiant Dawn and is scheduled for release on 5th November for the US.
Along with the name and release date Nintendo have released an updated fact sheet giving you all the info. Three years have passed since the great war that ended in the death of Mad King Ashnard. His country...
Neo Geo fans in Japan will finally get the chance to start downloading some classics over the Virtual Console system.
It's been quite a wait, but after the universal excitement that Neo Geo would be coming to VC, Nintendo have announced that the following three games will be available this month in Japan. World Heroes Magician Lord Fatal...
News Master Fishing In September
Hudson all ready to cast their latest Fishing experience on Wii from September 18th.
Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for Hudson Soft, today announced Fishing MasterTM has gone to gold master. Published by Hudson and distributed in North America by Konami Entertainment, Inc., Fishing MasterTM will be available in stores on...
Nintendo announce that Wii is the fastest selling console in UK history with over 1 million Wii's sold across the land in a mere 38 weeks.
"Figures released today courtesy of the UK’s leading independent music, video and software performance and sales tracking company, Chart Track, show Nintendo’s home console ‘Wii’ is now being enjoyed by...
Review Landstalker (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
After hearing of the legendary treasure of King Nole, the elvish treasure hunter Nigel undertakes a quest to gather various pieces of the famed loot.
Landstalker is an action RPG released in 1993. It's got an isometric view, something which is quite rare in games, and sounds a bit dated. So does it still hold up? In the game you are Nigel, a...
Saturday1st Sep 2007
Review Vegas Stakes (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Always bet on black
Here's an odd offering for the VC - a gambling game! In Vegas Stakes, sequel to Vegas Dream on the NES, you head to Vegas with a group of friends to try to make it rich. There are four casinos to go to, ranging from the-run-down Hideaway, which only allows small bets, to 2020, a futuristic-looking casino that allows high bets...
News Rare Confirms Banjo possibility for the Virtual Console
interesting news for those who fear that some of the jewels in the N64 crown may never get released on the VC. Our friends at RareWare have now stated "it's ultimately Nintendo's decision what gets released" on their own official website.It would appear..
interesting news for those who fear that some of the jewels in the N64 crown may never get...
