Review Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth (WiiWare)
Vampire killing with a nostalgic twist!
Review Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Stunning achievement or a conversion too far?
News - December, 2009
Thursday31st Dec 2009
Puzzle fans will take a shine to this one.
Proudly located in the Big Apple, Powerhead Games is an independent game developing company that previously focused their talents on licensed titles published by bigger companies, including games under the Catz, Trollz, Mary Kate and Ashley, and Winx Club names. They pitched their very first original game...
Review The Magic Obelisk (WiiWare)
Running in the shadows
Whilst most of us would imagine that plants like being in sunlight so they can thrive, the tree spirit Lukus in The Magic Obelisk needs to stay in shadows. That's because he's on a big journey trying to find the right spot to lay down roots. Helping him stay in the shadows until he finds that special place is Popo, the light...
Review Me and My Dogs: Friends Forever (DSiWare)
Pure bred or pure mutt?
Me and My Dogs: Friends Forever is a curious title: it's unashamed of its Nintendogs roots, but rather than simply following the leader of the pack it earnestly tries to make its own mark. It's a virtual pet sim, focused on raising a small pack of puppies and training them for various competitions. The game is set in a small...
Review Arcade Hoops Basketball (DSiWare)
Flick and swish
Arcade Hoops Basketball is a simple beast. Odds are you've played it's real-life counterpart before, too. No, not basketball. Have you been to a fair? Theme park? Arcade? Large movie theater? It's the one where you have to chuck a ball through the hoop as many times as possible before time runs out and you may or may not win a cheap...
News Ultraman Fights his Way onto the Wii
"Here he comes from the sky!" -- Namco Bandai are planning to release a new Ultraman fighting game on the Wii in 2010.
Ultraman is the silver-suited hero who stars in the television program: Ultra Q: Ultraman: Special Effects Fantasy Series, which was a spin-off of the television series Ultra Q. Due to its initial popularity in Japan the show has...
News And The Most Pirated Wii Games Of 2009 Are...
Plumbers, boxers, islands and zombies top the list
BitTorrent news site TorrentFreak has compiled a list of the most pirated PC, Xbox 360 and Wii games of 2009. Modern Warfare 2 takes the overall scurvy cake at over five million downloads, with four of those on the PC side. But how about Wii? Unsurprisingly, the biggest Wii game of the year happens...
First Impressions Kentōshi Furi Furi Boxing
No robots, but plenty of rock-em, sock-em action!
You might remember a plastic toy called "Rock'em Sock'em Robots" ("Raving Bonkers Fighting Robots" in the UK) in which two robots were fixed on either side of a platform and pressing buttons caused them to punch each other senseless until one of their heads popped up, only to be...
News Early 2010 WiiWare and DSiWare Lineup
First quarter looking strong for download services.
Nintendo recently released their list of early 2010 North American releases for their Wii and DS systems and we covered most of the upcoming retail releases, but now it's time to show some love to the downloadable titles that are on the horizon. As great as the retail side of things is looking,...
News Look out Europe! Picross 3D Coming to Swallow Up Your Time
3D chiseling goodness due on February 5th
Picross 3D was released all the way back in March for our Japanese friends. Since then Nintendo announced it for more Western shores during E3 in June, and then things went a bit quiet on the block-chiseling front. However, now Nintendo of Europe have piped up saying Picross 3D is now due for Europe on...
Nintendo Download 5th & 6th January 2010 (Japan)
A quiet start to the new year.
The Japanese Wii and DSi shops have seen some massive updates this past year much to the envy of 'net-reading Wii owners in other territories, but Nintendo are taking it easy at home with a mere handful of releases to start 2010. WiiWare: Boku wa Plarail Untenshi (1000pts - Takara Tomy) -- This is an example of a...
News Fast Draw Showdown Un-Holstered This Monday
Will you Cowboy Up or go sit in the Truck?
WiiWare has brought us some oddities during 2009, from vegetable hairdressing to zoo-keeping and even a little game of catch in-between. This trend looks set to continue in 2010, with the release of quirky light-gun game Fast Draw Showdown this Monday. Offering a unique twist on the light-gun game -...
Wednesday30th Dec 2009
Review Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth (WiiWare)
Vampire killing with a nostalgic twist!
We've already seen Konami resurrect two of their most popular gaming franchises with WiiWare’s Gradius and Contra ReBirth, so it comes as no real surprise to see them giving the same treatment to yet another much-loved classic series: Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth. Despite its title, this actually has...
Review Sudoku Sensei (DSiWare)
Beginners beware
This past summer, sudoku-holics were blessed with Hudson's Sudoku Student and Sudoku Master, which brought hand-crafted puzzles straight from Nikoli to the DSi Shop. However, where Student was for beginners and Master had a little bit of something for everyone, Sensei brings the pain with 100 of Nikoli's hardest puzzles to tantalize...
News Zelda Reorchestrated's Ocarina of Time Album Cleaned Up and Ready to Go
Old and improved!
Soundtracks as good as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's are few and far between. Now over a decade old, those sweeping symphonics sound, on a technical level, a bit aged thanks to the N64's compressed cartridge medium. Good thing the series has a very talented fanbase with groups like ZREO then, who painstakingly...
News Online Mario Multiplayer May Happen Down the Line
Miyamoto not ruling it out
A feature requested by fans and ultimately denied for New Super Mario Bros. Wii was online multiplayer, which would have been a potential new way to get angry at your friends for stealing all of the stupid Ice Flowers when they clearly don't need more than one. Official Nintendo Magazine UK asked series creator Shigeru...
Nintendo Download Tomena Sanner, Happy Hammerin', Dragon's Lair, Miami Nights and Texas Hold'em (EU)
Nintendo of Europe seems to have forgotten Virtual Console still exists.
Yes, we didn't get any Virtual Console games in the final update of 2009, and now it looks like we're not getting any in the first update of 2010 either. Nintendo of Europe has just sent out a press release listing Friday's new downloadables, with a measly selection of 5 games...
Tuesday29th Dec 2009
Review The Mystery of Whiterock Castle (WiiWare)
Can you solve the mystery?
With a solid sim offering on the Wii behind them, Keen Games have decided to use a similar setting to Anno: Create a New World for their first self-published WiiWare title, The Mystery of Whiterock Castle: a good-looking "find the hidden object" game that should provide entertainment for the whole family. The...
Sega’s African adventure bagged and tagged.
Jambo! Safari: Animal Rescue is a bold attempt at converting the popular Arcade title to something more palatable for the home audience. Quite obviously aimed at younger gamers, this conversion basically boils down to a few veterinary minigames tacked on to the central animal-wrangling gameplay sections...
News David Jaffe Inspired by Zelda
God of War producer would like to re-design his flagship series with more “Zelda 64” elements
David Jaffe, producer of the hit PlayStation-exclusive series God of War has revealed on his Twitter account that if he were to remake the series now he would like to include more elements inspired by “Zelda 64.” If I were to do GOW now, I would do...
Monday28th Dec 2009
Review Hot and Cold: A 3D Hidden Object Adventure (DSiWare)
Will it light your fire or stink on ice?
"Find the Hidden Object" games used to be the realm of books and magazine puzzles, but recently computer and video game versions have become more and more popular. This past Monday Majesco Entertainment made their DSi Shop debut with Hot and Cold: A 3D Hidden Object Adventure, where they take the...
Review Puzzle Series 2: Illust Logic + Colourful Logic (Wii)
We just died and went to picross heaven...
Nonograms (you may recognise them by the Nintendo trademark "Picross") are relatively recent to the puzzle world, first appearing in Japanese puzzle magazines in the late 1980s. Nintendo quickly popularised them by publishing titles for Game Boy and the Super Famicom and have continued to do so...
News Poketunes: Translated Interview with Heart Gold and Soul Silver Sound Team
Musical discussions and a few curious tidbits
In Japan on 28th October 2009, the soundtrack for the newest Pokémon titles, Heart Gold and Soul Silver, was released. The three CD set came with a booklet containing various details and a six page interview with the sound team. Pokémon fansite Dogasu's Backpack has translated the interview in full...
News Zelda Producer Could Use More Crossbow Training Action
Wanted to "intensify the multiplayer" in sequel
One of the upsides of buying a Wii Zapper, besides being a nice +1 to your collection of somewhat useless bits of plastic, was getting your hands on Link's Crossbow Training. We daresay that was the only reason a lot of people bought the peripheral [cough -Ed.] as Link is as powerful an endorsement to...
Competition Get Your Name in Furry Legends
Developer Gamelion extends Twitter competition
Gamelion have extended their online competition - which offers one lucky gamer the chance to have their actual, real-life name inserted into their upcoming WiiWare title Furry Legends - into the New Year. To enter, just follow the development team on Twitter and come January 31st they'll randomly select...
Nintendo Download 28 December 2009 (North America)
Ten new games to celebrate the advent of 2010!
Nintendo have updated their weekly North American downloads for the last time in 2009, and the year is going out with a corker of an update! Not only is Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth out today but also PilotWings to boot for Virtual Console fans. This is in addition to eight other ones released...
News Intel in Talks with Nintendo
Hope to build Larrabee into next-generation console
Intel are in discussions with Nintendo about the use of the Larrabee processor for the next-generation Nintendo console. It is rumoured that a power efficient processor with modest specifications is desired, with power consumption and cost being main drivers for Nintendo. Consequently, it's likely...
Sunday27th Dec 2009
News In-Flight Electronic Blues: TSA Bans Electronics on Flights
Stricter rules in place in light of recent terror scare
Various reports have been filtering through the Internet since a failed terror attack in Detroit, MI on Christmas Day, that there has been some major clamping down on security. People have reported online there have been more pat-downs and some airlines are enforcing stricter restrictions on...
News Reggie Fils-Aime Speaks with Fox News
Nintendo of America CEO discusses sales, consumers and gambling
Earlier this week, Nintendo of America CEO, Reggie Fils-Aime, appeared on Fox News’ Business programme and discussed amongst other things sales, consumers and gambling. The interview, which features game footage and the presenter failing at Zelda, states that Nintendo will struggle to...
News NOA Show They Care with Pink and Blue Remotes for Valentines: Includes Early 2010 Lineup
Endless Ocean 2, Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver and Warioware D.I.Y dates and more!
What with all the Christmas rush and such, things have been a little hectic here at Nintendo Life Towers recently. In our eagerness to get the tree and tinsel up we plumb forgot about the New Year and Nintendo of America's early 2010 lineup, but we found it in...
News Sin and Punishment 2: New Video and Preview from Official Nintendo Magazine
You wait half a year for some information and suddenly a video and preview show up all at once
Sin and Punishment 2 was announced as far back as October last year, despite that screens and information about the sequel to the N64 shooter have been a little thin on the ground. However for this months Christmas Issue, Official Nintendo Magazine in the...
News No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Web Site Launched
It's official: Henry wears "a right natty vest"
Here at Nintendo Life we’re very excited about the imminent release of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle and it seems Ubisoft have been reading our Christmas wish lists as they have now launched a dedicated web site (not to be visited by those who are easily offended!) The site is really rather...
Friday25th Dec 2009
Review Batman Returns (Super Nintendo)
Merry Christmas, Mr. Wayne
The release of Batman Returns was perfectly timed at the peak of Konami's SNES development and during a high point in Batman movie history. The festive feel of the game was slightly out of sync with its Spring '93 release date, but it was completely fitting in regard to the source material. Konami had already mastered a...
News Japanese Virtual Console list - January 2010
More strong support in the new year.
Japan received a few high-profile Virtual Console games this month, but Nintendo's continuing their strong support in the east straight into next year - The first month will already bring them more great titles. Hudson finally shows some more NES support, while Quest is releasing the N64 sequel to their fantastic...
News Merry Christmas from Nintendo Life
A festive treat for our loyal readers, in which a young boy gets a Wii from Santa
Picture the scene: it’s Christmas morning and you’ve sat through the socks and questionable knitwear from your granny and mastered the “oh thanks, that’s great” response. It’s been worth it though, because next up is the family gift… It takes a couple of...
News Cave Story Development Update
Nicalis release some new information on the game.
The guys at Nicalis have just posted a new post on their official blog that gives a bunch of new details about their upcoming WiiWare title Cave Story. As many of you know, the game will now slip into 2010, but the game is now completed and ready to go when Nintendo decides to release it on the...
News New La-Mulana Test Play Video
Check out brand new footage of the game in action!
Tyrone Rodriguez of Nicalis has just sent over a link to their brand new Test Play 2 video showing their upcoming WiiWare title La-Mulana in action. In this brand new video you can see quite a large number of levels found throughout the game, along with some amazing in-game music being played in the...
Thursday24th Dec 2009
Review TV Show King 2 (WiiWare)
A significant improvement over a trivial predecessor.
One of the very first Wiiware titles at launch gets a much-needed sequel in TV Show King 2. The original was a decent trivia vehicle that we thought was okay, if somewhat overpriced for what it offered. There was so much room for improvement that we were glad this got a second chance. But is...
Review Dragon's Lair (DSiWare)
Dragon slaying for people on the go!
In 1983, former Disney animator Don Bluth decided to create a video game using his stunning animation talents. Instead of the regular sprite-based games normally found in arcades, Dragon's Lair created a vivid world through some of the best animation of the time. Of course in order to store all of this animation,...
Review High Stakes Texas Hold'em (DSiWare)
No more, no less
With the influx of card and parlor game adaptations hitting DSiWare, it’s odd to see that poker, arguably the most popular competitive card game in town, is so underrepresented. Seeing this gap, Hudson has leaped in with High Stakes Texas Hold ‘Em, doing exactly what it says on the tin. The whole package couldn’t be more...
News Metroid is the Citizen Kane of Games
Comparison confuses design director
Outside of the gaming media, videogames rarely find much airspace, and at times suffer large-scale ‘video nasty’ shock stories. However, when ABC News ran a favourable webcast, comparing Metroid Prime Trilogy to Orson Welles' renowned cinematic classic Citizen Kane, Mark Pacini, the series' design director,...
Interviews Legendo's Pearl Harbor: Red Sun Rising
We have a chat with Legendo's Bjorn Larsson about their upcoming WWII dogfighting game, Pearl Harbor: Red Sun Rising
Nintendo Life: Pearl Harbor: Red Sun Rising is Legendo's second WiiWare release and it's another PC conversion. Did Three Musketeers perform as well as hoped and were lessons learned from the first game that made translating the...
Wednesday23rd Dec 2009
Review Eco Shooter: Plant 530 (WiiWare)
A shooter with can-do attitude!
Without question, lightgun games have become a Wii staple. Between standalone disc releases, original WiiWare titles and mini-game compilations you've really got your pick when it comes to games you can play whilst pretending your remote is a gun. Now developer Intelligent Systems, of Fire Emblem and WarioWare fame,...
Review Hasbro Family Game Night (DS)
Family Game Delight?
Connect 4, Operation, Battleship and Bop It – games that have become household names with which we are all familiar. Translating Battleship and Connect 4 into digital versions for the Nintendo DS was always going to be an easy task; the challenge for EA was to digitize Operation and Bop It to try and emulate the success of...
Review A Little Bit of... Magic Made Fun: Psychic Camera (DSiWare)
It doesn't take a psychic to figure out this isn't worth your time.
Although Nintendo started off by releasing a few tricks directly taken from the retail game Master of Illusion/Magic Made Fun, they've also developed a few new ones that take advantage of the DSi's single big new feature — the camera. This particular trick will allow you to take a...
Another great old-school shooter for WiiWare
Most of you will probably remember Phalanx as a SNES game, however that was just a port of a game that was developed for the Sharp X68000, a home computer sold exclusively in Japan from 1987-1993. The Sharp X68k (as it was commonly known) used hardware similar to arcade systems of the time; as a result it...
News Sega Rolls Out Super Monkey Ball: Step And Roll Minigame Video
Will it have you rolling about in laughter?
Sega have released a new video for Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll showing gameplay footage of the much-loved Monkey Ball minigames. The trailer confirms the return of fan-favourite Monkey Target, as well as glimpses of new minigames built around the use of the Balance Board. It’s safe to say we can...
Tuesday22nd Dec 2009
News Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Getting Long Overdue Western Release
The OFLC delivers the goods once again.
It is because of today's daily OFLC update that we know two more import titles making their way to a Virtual Console near you sometime in the future. And one of them is none other than one of the best Castlevania titles ever crafted. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood was released on Virtual Console way back in April...
News Celebrate The Holidays With Cheaper Sega Virtual Console Titles
Select games marked down to 500 points
Sales are rare on the Virtual Console, so chalk this one up to a Christmas miracle. Starting Dec. 24 and running through Jan. 6 in both Europe and North America, Sega is knocking 40% off the price for its best-selling Genesis/Mega Drive Virtual Console releases. In space-buck terms, that means the usual 800...
Nintendo Download 25 December 2009 (EU)
Not much in the Wii's stocking this year, but DSiWare users must have been very good indeed!
Well, after North America's big release Monday this week, it has to be said that Nintendo of Europe are coming off a little like Ebenezer Scrooge with this week's European download offerings on the Wii: just two WiiWare offerings and no Virtual Console...
News Monster Hunter 3 Tri Delayed In North America
Capcom pushes major titles into next fiscal year
That T-Rex America planned on hunting ran a little bit further away today as Capcom has announced that it'll be pushing Monster Hunter 3 Tri's release date back into the next fiscal year. Monster Hunter 3 is among four titles Capcom has pushed, the others being PS3- and Xbox 360-bound Lost Planet 2,...
News Christmas-themed Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing Trailer
It's SEGA's festive gift to you this winter
Set in Billy Hatcher's Blizzard Castle level, this trailer not only showcases an entire level, but gives away a few of the racer power-ups we can expect to see in the final game. Check it out for yourself below, but expect to see Aiai doling out punishment in his signature Monkey Ball er... ball - and of...
News Final Zelda Flipnote Released
Last, but certainly not least...
Aardman Animation, the forces behind Wallace & Gromit, have just released the final video in their Zelda: Spirit Tracks series and we've got it for you. This final video has a little bit of a humorous spin to it, and once again is quite an impressive Flipnote feat. And for those of you who haven't yet read our...
News Magic Obelisk Raises Up on December 28th
Just 500 Points for GameArts' latest
A couple of months ago we brought you First Impressions of a cute and very cool WiiWare title called Shadow Walker, but at the time there was uncertainty of whether it would reach Western shores. Well, thanks to the latest press release from GameArts, we can confirm it's heading to the US On December 28th, under...
Monday21st Dec 2009
Review Starship Patrol (DSiWare)
Q Games has another hit on its hands.
Tower defence games haven't exactly been a popular genre for long, but they're already starting to become boring to most. After all, fending off endless waves of enemies by strategically placing turrets is fun the first time, but any more than that and it might start to get annoying quite quickly. With Starship...
Review Eat! Fat! FIGHT! (WiiWare)
Sumo-riffic!
It has been more than 20 years since Tecmo released the first sumo video game on the Famicom, so whilst this goofily named WiiWare update (we guess the original Japanese "Tsuppari Big Sumo Wii Stable" didn't have enough pizzazz) seems a bit overdue, it has most certainly been worth the wait. Your life as a sumo starts when you...
Review Space Manbow (Virtual Console / MSX)
Old school shooting fun on the PC standard that wasn't.
Don't feel bad if you've never heard of the MSX. It was an early-80s Microsoft-driven initiative to create a hardware standard for home computers to transform software development in the same way that the VHS standard transformed home video: by removing the need to develop for multiple hardware...
Review Crossword Collection (DS)
Cryp-ticks all the right boxes.
It's very rare for Nintendo to be beaten to the punch by other developers, but some of their recent DS releases certainly seem to be playing catch-up to the wealth of third-party support on the machine. Style Boutique (known as Style Savvy in the US) resembles any number of other titles, and now with Nintendo...
It may not feature Tiger Woods, but it does let you beat up golfers with golf clubs.
With the advent of the Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus, older golf games may seem obsolete by comparison, but a few exceptions are still worth checking out for the extra content they bring besides just golf. One such exception is Outlaw Golf with its irreverent take...
News Gotta Catch 'em All In the Next 72 Hours
Gamers attempt to capture all 493 Pokémon in charity speedrun
Speedruns evoke a special kind of excitement in most gamers: the unbridled thrill of seeing highly trained controller-jockeys doing what they do best, coupled with the shame and resentment felt when you witness someone accomplish in hours what you spent months of your childhood working...
News Wii Fit Doesn't Improve Fitness?
New study reveals it has little impact on increasing fitness levels.
It appears that a few extra minutes on the Balance Board won’t make up for that extra mince pie or second helping of Christmas pudding, according to new research made available by the University of Mississippi. The purpose of the research was to ascertain how effective...
Feature For Your Consideration - Henry Hatsworth in The Puzzling Adventure
Why you should vote for Hatsworth's jolly good show
As part of our Game of the Year Awards, Nintendo Life is inviting you to choose one game as your Reader’s Game of the Year. You can vote for anything released on a Nintendo platform in 2009, be it WiiWare, DSiWare, Wii or DS, but you only get one vote, so use it wisely! To remind you of some of...
Nintendo Download 21 December 2009 (North America)
Eco-shooting, arcade ninjas, Super Smash Bros., Dragon's Lair and more in this week's download offering.
Nintendo are putting out a decent number of titles in North America with the end of the year rapidly approaching, with a nice mix of new and catch-up titles on offer. Todays VC and WiiWare offerings mean that there's now 500 titles to choose...
Podcast NLFM Episode 2 - Holiday Spectacular Spectacular
Cheer or bust!
Welcome to another handsome episode of NLFM, the chip and game music podcast from Nintendo Life. This month we succumb to the holiday spirit and explore the seasonal chip music landscape in this holiday spectacular spectacular! NLFM will generally focus on music from games playable on Nintendo consoles and handhelds, which, thanks to...
News Ogle These New Sakura Wars: So Long My Love Screens
Japanese hit reaching the West for the first time
It only took until the fifth game in the series, but Sakura Wars is finally making its way outside of Japan. And we've got the screenshots to prove it! Part dating sim, part fighting game, Sakura Wars has enjoyed massive success in Japan, spawning tons of manga, anime and, of all things, a musical...
News Christmas UK Sales Charts - Surprisingly Unsurprising Edition
Wii dominates the charts despite being overshadowed by Modern Warfare 2
At the beginning of time (the 80s), man created video game consoles, and he rested partially content. After creating games, marketing, public outcry, double digits' worth of bits and CDs, man rested slightly more content. Then came sales tracking, and who knew when the first...
Sunday20th Dec 2009
Review Sunset Riders (Super Nintendo)
Bury me with my SNES
Just for a moment, cast your thoughts towards Saturday matinee Western films and reel in all of their imagery of the Old West. Picture in your minds the characters deftly dodging stampeding cattle, guiding their trusty steed as it gallops alongside a runaway train, chasing down a stagecoach, gun fighting in uncouth taverns and...
Interviews Sean Beeson - Composer
The man behind the music.
For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, Sean Beeson is quickly becoming a name among video game composers around the industry. He's created musical scores for such games as Eternity's Child, Mecho Wars, and the upcoming WiiWare title Rage of the Gladiator, to name just a few. He's even scoring another one of Luc...
News Glory of Heracles Coming to DS in January
Here comes the Greek squad!
Nintendo's upcoming RPG Glory of Heracles has flown under the radar for the most part, but with the game's upcoming January 18th release in North America, we thought it might be time to get some information up on the unique title. You can check out the official press release below for a little more information on the game...
Saturday19th Dec 2009
Review Miami Nights: Life in the Spotlight (DSiWare)
If only fame were this easy
Sometimes a game’s theme song tells you everything you need to know about what you’re about to get yourself into. For Gameloft’s Miami Nights: Life in the Spotlight, it’s a circa-1996 MIDI instrumental tune that sounds suspiciously like Reel 2 Reel’s “I Like To Move It,” a senseless dance song so shallow...
News Legend Of Zelda TV Series Hits Hulu
American fans get to stream 80's Zelda straight to their eyeballs
Remember the Eighties? The delightful era of one-hit wonders, atrociously awesome fashion and reams of bad videogame series? Well, Hulu has seen fit to stream The Legend of Zelda, a 13-part series, back into the 21st century so everyone can enjoy the "brilliance" of the...
Feature For Your Consideration - New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Why the mushroom kingdom needs your help to raise the flag!
As part of our Game of the Year Awards, Nintendo Life is inviting you to choose one game as your Reader’s Game of the Year. You can vote for anything released on a Nintendo platform in 2009, be it WiiWare, DSiWare, Wii or DS, but you only get one vote, so use it wisely! To remind you of...
News Golden Wii An Exercise In Excess
Apparently consoles made of plastic just aren't enough
Stuart Hughes, a gentleman from Liverpool, happened to become rather bored with his white plastic Wii. Rather than sitting at home whining about it, he decided to put his skills as a jeweller to work and create something rather different. The results of his labours? This rather fine golden Wii,...
News Join the Official Nintendo Life Facebook Group!
Spread the love...
Yes, it’s true that we’re a bit late to jump on the Facebook bandwagon (only by three years!) but that’s cool – due to popular demand we finally got around to creating our very own Facebook page. If you're a Facebook fan then this will be a good place to chat to other Nintendo Life readers, the staff and even developers...
Japanese researchers recreate Mario in a petri dish.
Evidentally, Japanese science folk at nanobiological laboratories of the University of Osaka got bored whilst solving real problems and decided to do something significantly more light-hearted to cheer us all up. Here we present Fungus Mario in all his fluorescent glory! Those Osaka University...
First Impressions Dementium II
Clean pants recommended
Renegade Kid are responsible for some of the more innovative and undeniably horrific first-person experiences on DS, having already given us Dementium: The Ward as well as the excellent Moon. Dementium II was recently announced for release in 2010, hitting North America on February 16th and reaching Europe a few weeks later...
News Nintendo Trademarks "WiiRelax"
Could this be the Vitality Sensor's first game?
There's a lot Nintendo still needs to explain about their upcoming Vitality Sensor peripheral, which was announced at E3 and then plunged into media darkness. Like how it'll be implemented in a game, or what upcoming games will even support the device. During some European trademark probing, Siliconera...
News Nintendo to Introduce New Touch Screen Kiosks in Japan
Ignorance no longer an excuse when buying games
Nintendo has revealed new kiosks for display in major retail outlets in Japan. They come in two flavours: flat screen devices for counters and retail kiosks for floor display. Both come with wonderfully hi-tech touch screens and cameras. Customers will be able to pick up any DS or Wii game and flash...
News Monster Hunter 3 Made Just For You
Game built from the ground up for Western users
Capcom's latest behemoth-slaying epic still doesn't have a confirmed Western release date according to the latest Nintendo release schedule, giving us plenty of time to get excited about getting our hands on the series' first appearance on a Nintendo console. Notoriously popular in Japan, the game's...
News Second Zelda Flipnote Pulls Into View
Der-ner-ner-nerrrr!
The middle part of Aardman's Spirit Tracks trilogy has just arrived on our desk(top) here at Nintendo Life, and naturally we wanted to share it with you. Don't forget our review of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is already available if you're in any doubt of whether or not you need this latest lovely slice of handheld gaming...
News Square Enix to Publish LIT in Japan
Spooky adventure headed to Japan.
No sooner did news of Square Enix publishing LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias in Japan come out that now we have news of yet another title coming to the Japanese WiiWare service courtesy of the RPG giant. WayForward has just announced that Square Enix will be publishing their LIT WiiWare title in Japan under the...
Friday18th Dec 2009
Nintendo Download 22, 24 December 2009 (Japan)
WiiWare catch-up and more MSX games for the Virtual Console.
The Wii gets the lion's share of Japanese downloads next week with four new WiiWare and three new VC titles. DSiWare gets a couple of games and two more Rurubu travel guides to round things out. Note that the DSiWare releases will be on Thursday the 24th rather than Wednesday due to the...
News Dragon's Lair DSiWare Trailer Released
Dirk has come out of retirement - again.
Digital Leisure has just released the trailer for their upcoming DSiWare version of the classic 80's laserdisc arcade hit Dragon's Lair. You can check out the video below for a taste of what you can expect from the game and we'll have a full review of it shortly after its North American release. Stay tuned!...
News Get Ready to Feast on Super Yum Yum Puzzle Adventure!
New information for one of DSiWare's most anticipated titles
Today Nintendo Life Towers was inundated with new Super Yum Yum Puzzle Adventures information. So much information, in fact, that some staffers had to eat their way out of the building. As a result we are pleased to give you ten new screenshots, a gameplay video and the thoughts of AirPlay...
News Furry Legends coming to WiiWare in 2010
Fuzzy platformer getting final polish
Gamelion have kindly informed us that their colourful platformer Furry Legends is being submitted to Nintendo for approval for a 2010 release in both North America and Europe. They could have submitted it earlier, but they're keen to ensure a quality presentation and are doing some more playtesting to squash any...
News Square Enix to Publish LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias in Japan
Impressive British downloadable title keeps the attention of the big guns of Japanese RPGs.
The LostWinds WiiWare games from Frontier have gotten loads of praise around the gaming industry and are two of the strongest selling titles on WiiWare. Noteworthy for containing boatloads of character, great design and compelling play mechanics which take...
Thursday17th Dec 2009
Review Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii)
Hill hath frozen over
Harry Mason is not having a good day. After crashing his car in a freak snowstorm, he wakes up to find his daughter missing with nary a trace. Determined to find her, Harry sets out into the night with a flashlight to explore the town of Silent Hill in this reimagining of the series’ original entry. Yes, reimagining, not...
Review Pole's Big Adventure (WiiWare)
Big, crazy, amazing
This game has garnered some attention - partly because it's from Sega and it's an 8-bit retro platformer, but mostly because it's filled with the wacky humour the Japanese have come to be known for. Despite having a large amount of Japanese audio text, the humour is mostly in the form of visual video game gags that should be...
Murky Moki jokey
If there's a common complaint heard in these parts it's that there's too many puzzle games on the WiiWare service. Well, we take issue with that. Yes there are lots of puzzle games, but as long as a game has merit there cannot really be too many, can there? Moki Moki is a game that suggests maybe there can be too many puzzle games...
News Club Nintendo US Update: Binders, Bookmarks and Cards, Oh My
Spruce up your paperwork
Looks like Club Nintendo updates aren't just for Europe this week now that its American counterpart has gone ahead and added a slew of stationary to its offerings. For 250 Coins, you're able to snag a folder and bookmark (three of each per) set with a Bowser, Toad & Friends or Mario & Friends theme. Big spenders can...
Nintendo Download Blobs, Fighters, Sumo, Magic, Pets, Starships and One Last Notebook (EU)
Finally more than one game for Virtual Console again.
This week's releases aren't too surprising, with many games that have been out in North America for some time. One game, however, that might be noteworthy, can be found on DSiWare. For Virtual Console, there's A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia, the game that inspired a recent, rather good...
News New Sky Crawlers Screens Promise High-Flying Adventure
Developers XSEED Games set their sights on the Western market
Although it's been out for over a year in Japan, The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Ages for the Wii has so far failed to drum up much excitement over on Western shores. However, with a North American release date now set for January 5th 2010 and a European release planned for February, that...
News GameShastra to Support WiiWare
Two new titles on the way!
You may not have heard of them, but GameShastra are apparently India's largest games services company, and they've recently revealed a list of upcoming titles including two new releases for WiiWare. Here's the announcement in their own words: India's largest games services company [I told you so! - Editor] has today...
News Mega Man 10 Set for March 2010
New story details, screenshots and trailer released
Mega Man 10 has been confirmed for a WiiWare release in March of this coming year, and it's looking to be absolutely ace. We're able to divulge a few of the details on the game's story fresh from today's press release: "The year is 20XX and a suspicious outbreak of Roboenza, a Robot Flu, has...
News All Aboard the Amazing Brain Train!
Get some mental steam-ulation!
Fed up of being told you’ve got the brain of an 82 year old? Well at long last, you'll be able to prove that your brain is really quite amazing, with NinjaBee’s The Amazing Brain Train. It may be bold to title a game with the word ‘amazing’ but NinjaBee are confident that they can supply us with an experience...
News Tales of Monkey Island Promotion
Complete a survey and get a free game!
Telltale Games has just announced a new promotion for US Wii owners in which they'll be giving gamers a free download of their second Tales of Monkey Island release Siege of Spinner Cay in exchange for them completing a very short five question survey. All you have to do is click here to fill out the survey...
Wednesday16th Dec 2009
Review Blaster Master (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
It's a blast!
We saw a lot of legendary titles come out of the 8-bit era of gaming, but probably none quite as ahead of its time as Blaster Master. The game combined so many different gameplay ideas into one amazing adventure that offered up more playability than probably any other title of its kind at that time. There was platforming, exploration,...
Review Bejeweled Twist (DSiWare)
Spin me right round, baby
How do you change the formula on arguably the most important puzzle game since Tetris while staying true to what made it fun in the first place? Why, with a twist! Bejeweled Twist is the third entry in the hugely popular gem-matching series, and with it comes a whole slew of gameplay additions and changes. Instead of...
Diabolic.
The first time many saw images from Diatomic one word was in their head: Geometry Wars (okay, that's two). The similarities in appearance are definitely there: closed-border shooter (attention: new term coinage alert!) and old-school wire-frame graphics. This isn't a bad thing though, with imitation being the best form of flattery and all...
News New Super Meat Boy Details
Team Meat let loose a few new details.
I was fortunate enough to get the chance to speak to Edmund McMillen from Team Meat today and he let me in on some new information about their upcoming WiiWare platformer Super Meat Boy. So without further ado, let's get to it. We mentioned in past news items that the game will feature quite a few hidden...
News UK Stars Catalogue Update: Game and Watch Collection and Animal Crossing KK Soundtrack
Also contains Pokemon Platinum t-shirts and waterballs
Nintendo Life readers may remember the Game and Watch Collection which made the rounds on the Japanese Club Nintendo and then the newly opened American Club last year. Well, now at long last it's available to European Club Nintendo members! Game and Watch Collection was reviewed by Nintendo Life...
Feature For Your Consideration - Punch-Out!!
Why Little Mac needs your vote to rise to the top!
As part of our Game of the Year Awards, Nintendo Life is inviting you to choose one game as your Reader’s Game of the Year. You can vote for anything released on a Nintendo platform in 2009, be it WiiWare, DSiWare, Wii or DS, but you only get one vote, so use it wisely! To remind you of some of...
News New Super Mario Bros. Wii Twenty Years In The Making
Well, not literally
Revelations afoot in the Iwata Asks interview for New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Toshihiko Nakago, currently the President of SRD2, reveals that Miyamoto’s dream of a multiplayer Mario was born during the development of Super Mario Bros. 3. Ultimately hardware limitations scuppered the plan, leaving the team to step back their...
News Mike Tyson Tops Nintendo-tastic Tree
Punch Out's Tyson is the crowning glory of this brilliantly decorated Christmas tree
This gaming-themed Christmas tree features plenty of beloved characters from the world of Nintendo including Birdo, Mario, Peach, Goomba and Link. The crowning glory however is Mike Tyson as perhaps the least fairy-like fairy possible! Surely there are better...
Tuesday15th Dec 2009
Review Littlest Pet Shop (DSiWare)
With seven different DS releases to choose from, was this really necessary?
Along with My Little Pony, Polly Pocket, Strawberry Shortcake and a whole host of other toys that now-twenty-something females grew up playing with, Hasbro's Littlest Pet Shop has been given a makeover and revived for the enjoyment of today's generation. Originally released...
Crash and burn.
We've already seen a few racing titles released on the WiiWare service, although, to be fair, many of them have been fairly substandard. So any time a new racing title is released, it's generally met with not only a small degree of anticipation, but also a solid helping of caution and scepticism as well. Stunt Cars brings yet another...
Not quite out of this world...
Well, by now you'd have already seen our review for Planet 51 on the Wii, so it's time to see how the dual-screen version of the new extra-terrestrial flick fares. Did Sega manage to blast this out of the stratosphere of gaming delight or did its cargo jettison somewhere in the atmosphere of the mundane? Just like the...
Review Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH (WiiWare)
You should all RUSH to buy this charming WiiWare puzzler.
After the excellent WiiWare launch title Toki Tori, everybody was hoping Two Tribes would create more games for the service. It took a while, but their second title is now finally available! Based on just one part of their retail Wii title Rubik's Puzzle World, the gameplay is not unlike that...
Rolling, rolling, rolling, keep that ball rolling...
Nintendo's WiiWare service has had some good platforming games on it right from the start and Pallurikio is the latest entry in the genre. While it's certainly a well-constructed game featuring a round protagonist without legs, it lacks sufficient personality to stand out in an increasingly...
Review Hell's Kitchen VS (DSiWare)
Dog's dinner
Cooking games are ten-a-penny on DS, and it's all Cooking Mama's fault. See, if she hadn't started off getting youngsters interested in preparing food we never would have wound up here, reviewing Hell's Kitchen VS on DSiWare, and for that Ms Mama can never be forgiven. Based on the TV series featuring acerbic chef extraordinaire Gordon...
News Just What Is The Nintendo Zii?
A new trademark registered in Japan is fuelling speculation on the internet
Silicon Era has reported that a new trademark registration has appeared in the Japanese trademark database for the word "Zii." Nintendo submitted the application on the 30th of October, though there's no indication of what it's for. It could be trying to block the...
News See Aragorn's Quest In Motion
Tolkien fans upset: initial trailer well under four hours long
Even though the final Lord of the Rings film was well over five years ago, the movie trilogy obviously sparked a furious lusting for Middle Earth-related games, something EA did their best to capitalise on with mixed results. Now the licence is back with studio Warner Bros., who just...
News DSiWare Dragon's Lair Hits US Next Week
Dirk still as daring after over twenty years
You can't keep a good animated game down, as Digital Leisure proves with its upcoming release of the genre-defining Dragon's Lair, out on DSiWare in North America on December 21st. A handheld port of the arcade game, Dragon's Lair promises to be a faithful translation of the knight's original escapade...
News Solve the Mystery of Whiterock Castle for Christmas!
New WiiWare title lands on Christmas Day
If your Christmas Day preparations look like they're missing a certain je ne sais quoi that can only be provided by an enchanting medieval adventure, you may just be in luck. We've just received the latest news from Playtainment that their upcoming hidden object game The Mystery of Whiterock Castle will be...
Monday14th Dec 2009
Review Ironclad (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
A rare Neo Geo CD gem comes to the Japanese Virtual Console
You can be forgiven for not having heard of Chotetsu Brikin'ger (often referred to as Ironclad Brikin'ger on the web) as it's one of a handful of Neo Geo CD titles that was never released in MVS cartridge form for arcades or outside of Japan (though according to message boards this VC...
Feature Retro GT Clothing Interview
We catch up with the chaps behind this awesome gaming-related clothing brand
Video gaming has spawned many iconic images over the years, so its little surprise that many brands have crossed over to feature on various items of clothing. One of our favourite clothing companies has to be UK-based Retro GT, who specalise in custom-made designs that...
Feature For Your Consideration - LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias
Why Toku and Enril need your vote!
As part of our Game of the Year Awards, Nintendo Life is inviting you to choose one game as your Reader’s Game of the Year. You can vote for anything released on a Nintendo platform in 2009, be it WiiWare, DSiWare, Wii or DS, but you only get one vote, so use it wisely! To remind you of some of the stellar titles...
Nintendo Download 14 December 2009 (North America)
A Sunsoft classic and wormy sequel on Virtual Console; cooking, sims, little pet shops, magic and Bejeweled on DSiWare; and puzzling, racing and retro arcade action on WiiWare this week!
Virtual Console: Blaster Master (500pts NES - Sunsoft) -- Regarded by many as amongst the best shooters on the NES, this is apparently the first of many Sunsoft...
Sunday13th Dec 2009
Review Alex Kidd in Shinobi World (Virtual Console / Master System)
Does Sega's original mascot go out with a bang or a whimper?
Poor Alex Kidd. The pint-sized, big-eared wonder never really caught on as a mascot, although it was not through lack of trying on Sega's part. Alex appeared in a number of games featuring vastly different forms of gameplay and, with this last throw of the dice, Sega tried to pair the...
Nintendo Download 15-16 December 2009 (Japan)
The focus is on DSiWare this week
After bumper crops of WiiWare and Virtual Console titles on the Wii in Japan recently, this week will only see one for each service. The DSiWare service, however, will have a fairly typical seven releases to choose from. WiiWare: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (900pts - Capcom) - Everyone's favourite trial lawyer...
Saturday12th Dec 2009
Review Stop Stress: A Day of Fury (WiiWare)
Stop Stress and cause stress at the same time!
If you've ever had a job interview, you know that one of the most popular questions employers like to ask is "how do you respond to stressful situations?" Odds are good if you answered "run amok with an axe until everything in the entire building was destroyed!" you probably...
Interviews Nocturnal Entertainment's Flowerworks
We chat with Nocturnal Entertainment CEO about its WiiWare debut, Flowerworks.
We recently reviewed Flowerworks, a strange but very enjoyable gardening-and-fireworks combination, but we wanted to find out more about the game and its developer, Nocturnal Entertainment. So we got chance to sit down with Nocturnal's CEO Michael Shamgar and pitched him...
Friday11th Dec 2009
Feature For Your Consideration - Little King's Story
Why Corobo deserves your vote
As part of our Game of the Year Awards, Nintendo Life is inviting you to choose one game as your Reader’s Game of the Year. You can vote for anything released on a Nintendo platform in 2009, be it WiiWare, DSiWare, Wii or DS, but you only get one vote, so use it wisely! To remind you of some of the stellar titles...
Review Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Stunning achievement or a conversion too far?
No company in the storied history of video gaming has tried harder to not create a true sequel to one of their hit games quite like Capcom did with the myriad releases that followed their hit fighting game Street Fighter 2. Not only did they create a number of tweaked releases of game itself, but they...
Review Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (Nintendo 64)
"I've lost Artoo!"
A long time ago (around 13 years to be precise) in a galaxy not so far away, and when Nintendo 64 hardware was still fresh off the factory production line, LucasArts released Shadows of the Empire. Unfortunately for Star Wars fans everywhere, it was a pretty average affair, with only the Battle of Hoth level proving to be truly...
Now you’re playing with power. Dolphin power.
My Dolphin is the dolphin training simulator for the Wii for which everyone's been clamouring for years. Using the Wii Remote, players guide their aquatic pal through a performance to carry out jumps, spins, back flips and other tricks in order to perform for your audience like…well, like a trained...
News DS and Wii "Year's Worst Platforms"
According to review aggregator Metacritic, that is
For all the talk of fantastic games released on Nintendo formats this year - including, y'know, Little King's Story - keeper of the review scores crypt Metacritic claims that the DS and Wii had the worst all-around software of 2009. Collating review scores from hundreds of sources on countless games...
News Sunsoft To Release Telenet Titles On Virtual Console
Resurgent publisher confirms acquisition of defunct company's catalogue
If the recent news of Sunsoft's glorious return to the west has whipped you into a frenzy then you might want to take a deep breath before reading the press release below. The company has confirmed that it has bought up the rights to Nihon Telenet's software library. While...
News BlazBlue Blazes onto DSiWare
Hardcore fighting game gets big-headed
Fans of Guilty Gear and superb 2D fighting games in general may already be aware of the excellent - though unashamedly odd - BlazBlue series, currently only playable in arcades and the HD consoles. Sadly, such is its relative obscurity it's only been received in tiny pockets of players, but it'll be heading to...
News Viral Survival: NIS America's Next WiiWare Project?
ESRB listing reveals what could be another downloadable gem from the highly-esteemed firm
NIS - or Nippon Ichi Software to close friends - is no stranger to WiiWare. The company, which is famous for the best-selling Disgaea series, has already dipped its toe in the WiiWare waters with the bizarre Let's Hitchhike, which is out in Japan now. However,...
News Twilight Princess "Starting Point" for New Wii Zelda
Aonuma continues cryptic discussion of new title
With all the secrecy surrounding the new Zelda title - for which we still don't have so much as a title or even anything other than a single piece of artwork - it wouldn't be a surprise to see it feature a minigame requiring you to get blood out of a stone. Eiji Aonuma continues to talk in tongues...
News Diatomic Lands on US WiiWare Next Week
Not long to go for Grendel Games' latest
Those lovely chaps over at Grendel Games have just been in touch to let us know that their upcoming WiiWare title Diatomic has had a final spit and polish and is ready to head out into US Wii consoles everywhere from Monday, December 14th. If you're not sure what Diatomic actually entails, a picture paints a...
News See in the New Year with Happy Hammerin'
January 1st is the date for some sweet, sweet hammering
New Year's Day is traditionally the only day all year everyone truly commits to New Year's resolutions, and if your aim for 2010 is to play a WiiWare game featuring a squeaky hammer then it just might be your year. Gamebridge has just let us know that the European release date for Happy...
Thursday10th Dec 2009
Rayman's first adventure, now with added warts
You don’t see a lot of Rayman any more. While technically he has his name on a few prominent Wii minigame compilations, Rayman has since been cast out of his own spinoff series by the Rabbids. But now he’s back, sort of, as Ubisoft has unleashed the limbless freak’s first outing on DSiWare. It...
Capture the flag, animal style!
When it comes to the DSiWare service, we've seen quite a range of software released so far. Some has taken the "less is more" approach and used very simple ideas to create a gaming experience, and others have gone for a slightly more ambitious effort to mixed results. Pop Island ends up actually being a...
News Mega Man 10 Heading to WiiWare!
New Nintendo Power announces upcoming Capcom epic!
It seems 90% of the people who bought Mega Man 9 haven't finished it yet, but there's still plenty of time to whip those last levels into submission as Mega Man 10 will be launched in 2010. The latest issue of Nintendo Power carries the exclusive reveal of the blue blaster's latest escapade, and...
You'll handle them like a pro in no time.
Puzzlers featuring the familiar format of clearing out a wave of blocks, shapes, jewels, tetrominoes, bits and who knows what else have graced every gaming console known to man. As a species, we seem to be helplessly attracted to the idea of removing things before they pile up too far or reach the end of the...
News WiiWare Phoenix Wright Makes Most Of Wii Remote
Shouting "Objection" never felt so natural
While some might be grumbling about the fact that the upcoming WiiWare editions of Capcom's Phoenix Wright series are little more than straight ports of the DS/GBA originals, one element is likely to bring a smile to the face of pretty much every fan. As this zany Japanese TV commercial illustrates, it's...
Exactly as promised.
The observant ones probably already noticed, but in a change of pace, Nintendo of Europe already updated their website with all of this week's releases over the past few days. The games in question make up the entire update, as there's no surprises this time. Alex Kidd in Shinobi World on the Master System was the last Alex Kidd...
News Japanese Wii Sales Double in a Week
In translation: ker-ching!
Famitsu have reported the Wii's sales figures have risen from 46,674 units to 101,000 units over the week ending 6th December, boosted by the launch of Super Mario Bros. Wii in the homeland. The notion that the Japanese only like small devices continues to be thwarted however by the DSi LL, with sales of over 62,000 in the...
News Nintendo To Appeal French Flash Card Case
Company "extremely disappointed" with ruling
DS flash card manufacturer Divineo won big in France earlier this week, and Nintendo is not happy about it. A lawsuit filed by Nintendo against the company was thrown out in Paris’ Criminal Court earlier this week, with the judge saying that Nintendo should adopt a more open development system to allow...
News DS is the UK's Best-Selling Console Ever
Handheld machine tops the 10 million mark in Britain
We all know that the DS is only rivalled in popularity by lollipops and puppies, but perhaps we underestimated its appeal until Nintendo announced it's sold over ten million units in the UK alone, making it the most-bought console these Sceptred Isles have ever seen. Considering the population of...
News Pallurikio Release Dates Announced
Action-platformer arrives on WiiWare service in time for the holidays.
Playstos Entertainment has just announced that their action platformer Pallurikio is coming to the European WiiWare service today for 1000 Wii Points. They've also announced that the game will be hitting the North American WiiWare service at that same price point on December...
Wednesday9th Dec 2009
Gardening and fireworks combine in an orgy of floral destruction!
Normally, flower gardens and fireworks don't mix - unless you're trying to destroy the neighbour's petunia beds with roman candles - but Aussie developers Nocturnal have managed to turn what could have been a horticultural nightmare into a fun, happy game about making pretty...
News Aardman Create Zelda Flipnote
"Weatherman is last Aardman Flipnote" statement proves erroneous
Contrary to our earlier reports that The Weatherman was Aardman's final Flipnote creation, we've just had word about this rather cool Zelda animation from those talented Brits. Obviously a neat way to promote the new Zelda: Spirit Tracks game, it's just as cute as the title itself and...
News New Zelda Advert Takes Different Track
Not what you'd expect from a Spirit Tracks commercial
Nintendo has just been in touch with a video of the extended version of the Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks commercial being run in the US currently, and it's certainly not your average Zelda commercial. Staying away from the cutesy cartoon characters that typify the game itself, it takes place in...
News Children's Book Was Inspiration for Spirit Tracks
Secret influence revealed!
It's practically raining Spirit Tracks stories today, but this story actually pre-dates Link's latest - it's the children's book that inspired Nintendo to create Spirit Tracks. Called "The Tracks Go On", it's a story where cute kids build the tracks for a train as it explores the land, with cutesy animals and all...
Tuesday8th Dec 2009
Review The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
On the right track or running out of steam?
Link's last outing, 2007's Phantom Hourglass, was a piece of portable paradise, showcasing all the DS's features with some wildly imaginative puzzles and unforgettable moments, and still remains one of the console's best titles. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks takes all that was good about Phantom...
Review Ultimate Shooting Collection (Wii)
A 3-in-1 tour of Milestone's vision of Bullet Hell
Milestone is a pretty rare beast: a company completely focused on arcade shooters (well, other than that hula game) at a time when arcades and the old shoot 'em up game genre are both practically extinct. They were putting out Dreamcast games after that system died, so perhaps they just have a...
Review Happy Holidays: Christmas (WiiWare)
We must have been very naughty indeed...
The holiday greeting card is normally innocuous enough. Often purchased with a feeling of obligation to declare one's genuinely heartfelt feelings via a mass-produced combination of sentimental/humorous messages and art/photos, they've been a staple of the holiday season for decades. For nearly as long as...
Review A Little Bit of... Magic Made Fun: Matchmaker (DSiWare)
A match made in heaven?
The retail release of Master of Illusion (known as Magic Made Fun in Europe, as if magic was inherently boring) came with a special deck of cards to perform many of the game’s tricks. Obviously with the series heading into download territory via the DSiWare service, it’s had to find some new tricks up its sleeves, two of...
News Virtual Console Blaster Master To Spearhead Sunsoft Revival
Famed Japanese developer confirms impending release of 8-bit classic
It would seem that Japanese developer Sunsoft is about to support the Virtual Console in a big way. Former Working Designs big wig Victor Ireland is currently making big noises over at NeoGAF about some interesting projects he's involved with, and Sunsoft's resurgence would appear...
News Viewtiful Joe Could Return
Henshin-a-go-go, baby!
Hideki Kamiya, the creator of the brilliant GameCube series Viewtiful Joe and now working for Platinum Games, told Game Informer that he would love to finish the series. I don't have the rights to any of the IPs that I've made. They belong to the companies that publish them, and they're a business so they have a right to...
News Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: Rush Coming to Euro WiiWare This Friday
North American release to follow on the 14th
We've just been informed that Rubik's Cube-inspired puzzler Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: Rush is coming to European WiiWare (and presumably other PAL territories) this Friday (11th). The North American launch is scheduled for 14th. We'll naturally be reviewing this as soon as possible but in the meantime here's...
News Rooms: The Main Building Coming to Wii and DS
Hudson announce their brand new point & click adventures.
Hudson has just announced a brand new point & click adventure for the Wii and DS systems called Rooms: The Main Building. Combining unique puzzle-solving elements with the point & click controls of the Wii and DS systems, the game offers gamers an immersive experience unlike any...
Monday7th Dec 2009
Review Just Sing! Christmas Songs (DSiWare)
Not something you'd want to find in your stocking
Developers seem to be absolutely crazy about releasing smaller versions of DS games as DSiWare downloads - just look at Bookworm and Master of Illusion as it is once again the case here. Just Sing! Christmas Songs is a small sampler of the retail game Just Sing!, which is due out sometime in 2010. As...
Nintendo Download Rayman, Notebooks, Stress Busting and Ninjas! (US)
Another bumper crop of downloads for North America
Nintendo continues to flood the North American market with new titles; amongst them a few catch-up releases. WiiWareFlowerworks® and MAGNETIS™ comprise the puzzle contingent on WiiWare this week. We'll be reviewing the former in due course; the latter was reviewed some time ago, so be sure to...
Podcast Episode 10 - Reviews Round-Up and Game of the Year Launch!
Catch up on November's releases and get involved in our Game of the Year Awards!
Following on from last month's stunning episode - we interviewed the voice of Mario, y'know! - we've got a huge wealth of reviews to take you through in this month's episode. Helping our host James Newton cover all the major releases is female favourite Tom Bowskill,...
Sunday6th Dec 2009
Join the space race!
Planet 51 is based on the animated film of the same name. It’s produced by Pyro Studios, the team behind the Commandos series, and published by none other than Sega, so it should be pretty good. The problem is of course that most film to game translations are cheap and badly designed. Does Planet 51 join them? Planet 51 is a...
Saturday5th Dec 2009
Review Rock n' Roll Racing (Super Nintendo)
Are you ready to rock?
While Rock & Roll Racing began life as a direct sequel to their original RPM Racing release on the Super Nintendo console, the guys at Silicon & Synapse decided to amp things up a bit for their new racing title. They added in a classic hard rock soundtrack, some unique race announcing from Larry "Supermouth" Huffman,...
A decent first effort at a classic patience game
If you saw the name of this game and thought it was going to be that game your grandmother played with her friends a la "The Joy Luck Club" you'll probably be disappointed to find that this is just a solitaire matching game. The blame lies with the fact that the programmer who first created...
News Ball Fighter Coming to DSiWare on Monday
More puzzler action coming.
Teyon have just announced that their upcoming DSiWare title Ball Fighter will be coming to the North American DSiWare service on December 7th for 500 Nintendo Points. You can check out the official press release below and we'll have a full review of the game next week. Teyon announced that starting from Monday December 7...
Friday4th Dec 2009
Review Earthworm Jim 2 (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
Groovy!
After creating the excellent Earthworm Jim videogame and subsequently making an awesome cartoon based on it, it was quite logical that Interplay would not give up on the franchise just yet. Not too long after the cartoon, they released Earthworm Jim 2, which was intended to be even better than the original game. As Queen Slug-for-a-Butt was...
News Final Aardman Flipnote Hits DSi
Last call for animation wizardry
If you've got a DSi, you should really have Flipnote Studio, the brilliant (and free) flip-book animation program that lets you doodle away, add sound and then share your creation with the world. Whilst the efforts among Nintendo Life staff are far too crude to show to the public, master animators Aardman Animation...
Nintendo Download 8-9 December 2009 (Japan)
Virtual Console and DSiWare hog the spotlight
A second week in a row with a solo WiiWare entry, but a bumper crop of Virtual Console goodness and a hefty helping of DSiWare downloads help make up for it. WiiWareChokkan! Balance Labyrinth (500pts - Gameloft) - Not a new title from Gameloft, but just them publishing Digital Leisure's The Incredible...
News myNotebook Huge Hit on DSiWare Service
It seems Nnooo has quite a hit on their hands.
Nnooo has just announced that their myNotebook Blue DSiWare application has reached #3 on the US, UK, AU, and CA DSiWare charts, which makes it the top-ranked non-free release on the service. You can check out the official press release below for more information on the title, along with the release...
Ease yourself into your week with Abylight's latest
We've just received an email from Abylight to let us know that their upcoming stress-a-thon, Stop Stress: A Day of Fury, is confirmed for release on the US WiiWare service on Monday, for a grand total of 800 Nintendo Points. Telling the story of a man who seems to have the most uncontrollable rage,...
News Magnetis Coming to North America on Monday
Better get those puzzler skills warmed up.
The folks over at Yullaby have just announced that their WiiWare puzzler Magnetis will finally be released in North America on December 7th for 500 Wii Points. You might remember that the game was released in Europe back in September on the WiiWare service. If you're still on the fence about this...
Thursday3rd Dec 2009
Review Stunt Race FX (Super Nintendo)
Racing: Super FX style!
In 1993 the Super FX-enhanced Star Fox brought 3D visuals to the SNES with great effect, so it was a no-brainer that further games would follow. The second game to use the wonder chip came a year later in the form of Stunt Race FX, a cutesy 3D racer from Nintendo that featured a variety of tracks with slopes and bumps across...
Review Castle of Shikigami III (Wii)
Shooting things and shooting the breeze...
The Castle of Shikigami series is one of the more recent shooting franchises to appear in Japanese arcades and subsequently home consoles. Castle of Shikigami III is the first to appear on Wii with Aksys providing the localisation for North America. Combining good looks, humour and challenging gameplay,...
Review The Combatribes (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
A beat 'em up that packs very little punch
There was a time when Technos ruled the beat-'em-up genre of fighting games during the 8-bit era with their Double Dragon and River City Ransom titles, but sadly the 16-bit generation wasn't as kind to the company. Once Capcom's Final Fight hit the scene, there was little room left for any other...
Review Sudoku Challenge! (DSiWare)
It's challenging, all right, but not as intended
Back in 2008, Digital Leisure hit the Wii Shop with Sudoku Challenge!, a somewhat bare-bones sudoku game with one new twist for fans of the popular pencil-and-paper puzzles: Grand Sudoku. The layout of five conjoined sudoku grids, while interesting, was not quite enough to wow critics or sudoku...
We are spared of another no VC week!
Nintendo of Europe already had all DSiWare and WiiWare releases for today listed on their site or a while, but curiously enough, there was no Virtual Console game. Thankfully, they've chosen to release one anyway! Earthworm Jim 2 offers more crazy platforming action with everybody's favourite worm in a suit, and...
News Wii Becomes Fastest Selling Console In UK History
Six million Brits served since 2006
Nintendo has proudly revealed that the Wii has shifted six million units in three years, making it the fastest selling home console in the history of the UK video game industry. Since its launch in December 2006, the popular system has entertained and enthralled countless stiff-upper-lipped Brits and made its way...
Wednesday2nd Dec 2009
Review Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes (DSiWare)
A great platformer geared toward kids.
The DSi Shop is currently home to a gaggle of puzzlers and non-game applications, but platformers are sadly few and far between. That said, last week, Gameloft's Castle of Magic hit the service, and this week, EA delivered unto us Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes. EA is no stranger to 2D side-scrollers,...
A classic puzzler in its most basic form
PopCap has made quite the name for itself over the years as the go-to developer for supremely addictive casual games, so it's only natural for the company to worm their way onto Nintendo's handheld. The Bookworm series has been a staple of word game enthusiasts since first hitting browsers in January 2005,...
Review Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe (DSiWare)
Prepare your mind for a mind explosion!
Hey kids! Do you like magic? Do you like pressing buttons?! Golly, do I have a great game for you! That'll be 200 DSiWare Points, and when we're done here I've got a couple bridges I want you to look at! Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe continues Nintendo's sinister scheme to sell bits and pieces of old...
Review Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 4 (WiiWare)
Setting up for the grand finale.
The Monkey Island games have never really been dark. There's been some grim moments here and there, but they always had their fair share of humour and weren't really depressing or anything. Well, if you play this chapter, prepare to have your mind blown! As goes without saying now, this chapter is a no-no unless...
News Nintendo: We Don't Want To Remake Past Zelda Games
Producer Eiji Aonuma doesn't want to break "emotional attachment" to classic titles
In an excellent interview with IGN, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma has explained why Nintendo doesn't follow the lead of other companies and remake vintage entries in the franchise: Whenever we have to think about the remake, we have to also think about the background,...
News Nintendo Cutting Back On Wii Production?
Has the machine reached its zenith?
The Nintendo Wii may have sold a shed-load of units over the past few weeks but reports from Japan indicate that even this increase in revenue is unlikely to completely turnaround the machine's flagging fortunes. A report issued by Japanese news firm Nikkei has revealed that two Japanese companies involved with...
News Mahjong Coming To WiiWare On Friday
Relax your mind with the ancient game of tiles.
Who enjoyed playing Solitaire on WiiWare last week? Clearly our card game loving reviewer Sean Aaron did, he awarded it a mighty 8/10. No doubt inspired by this success our new found friends at GameOn are set to release Mahjong this coming Friday (4th December) in Europe. You may not be too familiar...
News Glory of Heracles Confirmed For Western DS Release
Massively popular JRPG series gets its first release outside Japan
You can't beat the Japanese when it comes to taking a classic myth and putting a entirely new spin on it, as the popular "Heracles" series - which kicked off in 1987 on the Famicom - proves. The good news is that the latest instalment has been confirmed for release in North...
First Impressions 530 Eco-Shooter
Recycling - with a vengeance!
Intelligent Systems has a reputation of being one of Nintendo's better first-party development teams, with an impressive resume including the Fire Emblem games, Tetris Attack, the Paper Mario series, the WarioWare games and Super Metroid. Seeing a WiiWare title from them naturally raised our curiosity, and that...
News Flowerworks Blasts Onto US WiiWare Monday
Flowers and fireworks, unite!
Nocturnal has announced that they've lit the fuse on their WiiWare release Flowerworks, now set to launch on Monday in the United States. Take control of Follie, a friendly (but confused!) alien who crash lands on a strange planet. Help her rebuild her confidence, shake remotes at gnomes and transform the planet from...
Tuesday1st Dec 2009
Review Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)
Lurking in the shadows lies a foreboding adventure
The anticipation surrounding the launch of a new console is among the most exciting moments in a gamer's calendar, and one of the most notable hardware changeovers was between Nintendo's SNES and N64. The significance of the N64 generation is not only the enhancements afforded by an extra 48-bits of...
Bewitching.
The DS has seen some fantastic RPGs released this year, with Valkyrie Profile, Nostalgia and of course Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, and Luminous Arc II keeps the standard high with a quality Japanese RPG package that is sure to please anyone looking for a tactical fix. The game’s story takes place in the kingdom of...
Review Christmas Clix (WiiWare)
Will Clix click with puzzler fans?
With the holidays fast approaching, we always seem to see at least a handful of aptly-themed games to go along with them. This year is no different on the WiiWare service with the release of JV Games' new puzzler Christmas Clix. Christmas Clix takes the classic "falling blocks" idea and combines it with a...
News Yet Another Sonic Collection Inbound - This Time For DS
Is it possible to have too many Sonic the Hedgehog compendiums?
Sega has announced that it will be bringing the first four Sonic the Hedgehog games to the Nintendo DS in March 2010. The Sonic Classic Collection will feature Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. All four games originally appeared on...
News Nintendo Shifted A Boatload Of Hardware Last Week In US
Over 1.5 million units bought between bites of turkey
Last week was yet another good time to be Nintendo as the company reports on selling around a hojillion hardware units in the US. According to the company's internal tracking numbers, over 1.5 million Wii and DS/i systems combined were sold during Thanksgiving Week. If you want to get all micro,...
