News Turns Out Shigeru Miyamoto Does Like Donkey Kong Country
Miyamoto clears things up once and for all
One of DSiWare's best and most ambitious adventures yet
News - June, 2010
Wednesday30th Jun 2010
Review Maestro! Green Groove (DSiWare)
A medley of musical mayhem
We've already seen several companies break their past retail releases down into pieces and sell them off as individual DSiWare releases, so it really comes as no surprise to see Neko Entertainment following suit with their first DSiWare release Maestro! Green Groove. The good news is that this release comes from a game...
News Shigeru Miyamoto is Certainly Not Short on Coins
Breaking news! Creator of Mario is wealthy!
Shigeru Miyamoto is one of the industry's founding fathers and there's no doubt the industry would be a very different place without him, so it seems fair that he's paid accordingly. Recently documents that reveal the pay of top Japanese executives, including Nintendo have come to light, and the salaries...
News Brace Yourself for the Best Super Famicom T-Shirt You'll See Today
Japanese Super NES shirt all kinds of cool
If you like your gaming t-shirts, there's no finer feeling than finding fancy new threads, and thanks to the ever-increasing popularity of Nintendo you're never likely to be short of choice, and here's another one to add to your shopping list. Based on the classic Super Famicom, the "Ultimate 16-Bit...
News This Mega Man 10 Concept Art is Awesome
Blue Bomber backgrounds in black and white
Although you might think Mega Man 10's retro graphical style is easy, a Japanese site has published some concept art showing the amount of work that went into bringing the game to life. From futuristic transport systems to buildings shaped like grenades, the art shows the detail required to create something...
News Dragon Quest IX Gets a Little Help from Seth Green
Contains potentially fatal amounts of geek
Just when you thought your anticipation levels for Dragon Quest IX couldn't get any higher, along comes Nintendo with a new celebrity endorsement to kick your excitement up just another little notch. It may not be quite Beyoncé Knowles advertising Rhythm Paradise, but Seth Green's comical turn in this...
News You're Going to Need a Bigger Boat for 101 Shark Pets
Portable pets coming to DSiWare
The Teyon DSiWare production line keeps on going: with five DSiWare titles already released from the Polish publisher it's now time to meet the company's next outing, 101 Shark Pets. The game allows you to befriend one of over 100 sharks before customising them with accessories and entering them into beauty...
First Impressions G.G. Series Z・ONE 2
More budget side-scrolling shooting for your Japanese DSi
You might think with the release of the G.G. Series Collection+, Genterprise and Suzak would be done releasing budget games for the DSi. After all, the collection includes all the G.G. Series DSiWare releases to-date, plus another 15 games never released to the DSi Shop, but apparently it's...
Tuesday29th Jun 2010
Review Hello Flowerz (DSiWare)
Hello averageness
There's a surprising lack of games on DSiWare that pretty much require you to play every day. Hello Flowerz seems to be the first, in fact. It does pretty much everything you'd expect from a flower-growing game: you have to take care of flowers by watering them, giving them fresh new soil every day and similar tasks. Each flower...
News Rabbids Travel in Time Details Step Out of the DeLorean
Rabbids back in party mode
The new Rabbids title was announced at E3, and now Ubisoft has unleashed a further set of details about Raving Rabbids Travel in Time. After a brief spell spent in the world of 3D adventures in Rabbids Go Home, the white monsters are now back in minigame territory as they explore the fabric of space in a washing machine...
News Get Cute and Fluffy with Miffy's World on WiiWare
Such cold black eyes...
Miffy, so the song goes, is a sweet little bunny, and Wii owners will soon get the chance to meet the cute rodent as Miffy's World is on the way to WiiWare. Taking the popular character and her friends, Miffy's World is billed as a simulation game that lets young children and their parents explore the world through quests and...
News Jett Rocket Sequel May Already be Firing Up its Boosters
Spoilers potentially contained within
Jett Rocket has only been out in North America for a few days, but already talk of a sequel has hit the Internet, with the game's end sequence dropping some fairly large hints that a follow-up is on the way. Those of you who've already clocked Jett's adventure may have seen this screen, adorned with the familiar...
News Kid Icarus: Uprising to Show Other Control Schemes How it's Done
Sakurai proud of inventive controls
The 3DS offers a huge wealth of control options for game designers to make use of: a traditional D-Pad and face buttons as well as an analogue stick, touchscreen, motion detectors and even the camera can all be used to control titles. Masuhiro Sakurai, the man in charge of bringing Kid Icarus: Uprising to the...
Competition Show Your Mettle in the Wii Games 2010
North American competition on the way
Think you've got serious skills when it comes to Wii gaming? Think your Little Mac could take down the competition, or that your Funky Kong is unstoppable on the track? It might be time to put your coins where your mouth is as Nintendo is launching Wii Games Summer 2010. Starting on Friday, July 16th in New...
Monday28th Jun 2010
Guides How to Get Your Musical Creations Off Your DS
With a lack of Export feature for most music software on the handheld, we show you how to preserve and share your masterpieces
DS-owning music enthusiasts have quite a few tools at their disposal for composing their latest and greatest, laying down that melody that came out of nowhere for use later or just plain old messing around with bleeps and...
Review Legendary Wars: T-Rex Rumble (DSiWare)
An archaeopter-mixed bag
To play Legendary Wars: T-Rex Rumble is to take your emotions for a ride. When you first see its great graphics and hear the fantastic sound design accompanied by a lighthearted sense of humour; when you play the first level and realise that you've learnt its somewhat complicated framework in an easy and enjoyable fashion;...
Review Puffins: Let's Fish! (DSiWare)
Hungry hungry birdies
After a dreary first outing on DSiWare in the form of Puffins: Let's Roll!, Other Ocean has brought back the birds for more fish-chomping. Like Roll, Fish is pulled from the 2009 retail minigame compilation Puffins: Island Adventure. Let's Fish! is a maze game where you have to steer your little birdie around the depths of the...
Nintendo Download 28th June 2010 (North America)
Jett Rocket and Mario Tennis N64 headline this week's 10 releases
Mario and Camelot breathe some life into the Virtual Console's N64 offerings, Shin'en shows the power of WiiWare and DSiWare keeps up its flood of titles. WiiWare: Jett Rocket (Shin'en, 1000 Points) – This platformer from the creators of the excellent Art of Balance blasts onto...
News Triple Trouble in this New Pokemon Black & White Trailer
Three-on-three battles could mean 50% increase in strategy
Making two captured monsters fight each other is passé: one of the new features of Pokémon Black and White is the ability to take three monsters into battle for even more tactical fighting. Not only does the trailer show off a sextet of battling monsters, it also leaves tantalising hints...
News Pokemon Marathon Out in the Wild on Friday
Raising money for the kids
From the weekend's Mario Marathon news – which is currently at nearly $50,000, by the way – to this news of an equally worthy charity event, this time focusing on the Pokémon series instead. ExtraLives.org is a site dedicated to gaming marathons that, in just one year, has raised nearly $27,000 for charities around...
News Reggie's 3DS Date Confirmation May Have Been a Mistake
Contrasting comments cause confusion
You may remember this video from the weekend: the President of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, appeared on a popular late night talk show to play some Donkey Kong Country Returns and decided to show off a little of the 3DS as well? And when asked by the incisive interviewer "when will the console be coming...
News Ball Fighter Starts Bashing Europe this Friday
Teyon's puzzle game makes the leap across the pond
It's been available in North America since late 2009, but coloured ball-breaker Ball Fighter from Polish team Teyon is finally heading to DSiWare in Europe this Friday. Priced at 500 Points, the game is a combination of familiar puzzle games, including Puzzle Bobble and Magical Drop, but is overall...
Sunday27th Jun 2010
Review The Tales of Bearsworth Manor: Puzzling Pages (WiiWare)
A beary good game
We've already seen the first Tales of Bearsworth Mansion release make use of a tower defence-style gameplay mechanic, but now Square-Enix is mixing things up a bit with Tales of Bearsworth Manor: Puzzling Pages, the second game in the series and a game that uses the same bear-tossing element of the first release but takes things...
Review Music On: Retro Keyboard (DSiWare)
A step up
We've already seen Abylight's Music On: Electronic Keyboard application for DSiWare, a decent but flawed attempt at putting a keyboard in your pocket. Now the company's back with Music On: Retro Keyboard, and although it shares the first game's finer features and faults it's a better buy overall. As with its predecessor, you're granted a...
News The War on DS Piracy may be Hard to Win, but Iwata Optimistic with 3DS
What modern tools can be utilised for the latest member of the family?
Nintendo has always made efforts to combat the various forms of piracy its consoles has had to endure. From sales of illegal flash carts to the copying and distribution of retail games, individuals have been known to pay upwards of US$1.3 million should they get caught. T
News Mario Marathon Breaks Previous Donation Record
Currently at $33,000 and counting
Exactly one month ago we told you about a Mario event run by The Speed Gamers, and now we bring you news from another Mario Marathon, this time raising money for the Child's Play charity. In just over 52 hours of play the event has raised over $33,000, easily eclipsing 2009's total of $29,082. At time of writing...
Saturday26th Jun 2010
News Reggie Confirms 3DS is Coming Next Year
Barely audible over a million hearts breaking
The discussion of whether Nintendo's 3DS will reach one of the Western territories before Christmas has been a back-and-forth affair. Will it, won't it, will it, won't it? Well, it won't. On Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, as well as showing the world his incredible skill at Donkey Kong Country Returns,...
News Jett Rocket Gameplay Trailer - Toxic Swamps
More amazing footage!
The folks at Shin'en were kind enough to send over another jaw-dropping gameplay trailer of their upcoming WiiWare title Jett Rocket! in action. In this video you can check out the "Toxic Swamps" area of the game, along with a host of cool gameplay mechanics demonstrated throughout the video. Just three more days...
Friday25th Jun 2010
Review Arcana (Super Nintendo)
Magic is on the cards
FTL's seminal RPG Dungeon Master kick-started an entire genre when it was released at the tail-end of the '80s; the gaming public fell in love with the concept of immersive, first-person adventures and developers fell over themselves to replicate the same atmospheric feel witnessed in the Atari ST classic. It wasn't just...
Review Face Pilot: Fly With Your Nintendo DSi Camera! (DSiWare)
Soar spot
The 3DS will introduce a motion sensor to the machine's line-up of inputs, but the humble DSi has already been home to a few motion-detecting titles, with Face Pilot: Fly With Your Nintendo DSi Camera! the latest – and longest-named – of the lot. You've likely already surmised what to do, but here's a quick description. You play a...
Review Combat of Giants: Mutant Insects - Revenge (DSiWare)
If only we could squish this game under our shoes
Ubisoft seems to love its Combat of Giants series. With three retail DS releases and two DSiWare adaptations based on two of those retail titles already available, it was quite obvious that they were going to go for the full set. The third and hopefully the last, Mutant Insects Revenge very...
Review Pocket Pack: Strategy Games (DSiWare)
Smart move
The previous entry in the Pocket Pack series, Words and Numbers, combined Sudoku, anagrams and more into a package that was perhaps too familiar to make much impact in the DSiWare ranks. Now the second compilation, titled Strategy Games, has arrived on DSiWare, and it's a far better combination than its predecessor. The five games on...
News Iwata: Blame Poor Games Not Poor Economy for Sales Decrease
Recession not the be-all and end-all
Just under two months ago we shared news that software sales in the UK were at their lowest in four years, with various factors blamed. Nintendo's President Satoru Iwata has recently discussed why software sales figures have fallen worldwide, with the blame levelled at a surprising party: video game developers...
News Japanese Virtual Console list - July 2010
A fresh breath of life for Japan
The Virtual Console seems to have been winding down in its amount of releases worldwide as of late, but Japan seems to be the first region to stop that nonsense - Next month they'll bet getting six new retro games. A whole four of them are for the Neo Geo, but it's still nice to see the VC is not quite ready to die...
Interviews Dancing Dots - QuickPick Farmer
The independent French studio talks about its upcoming release, downloadable gaming, humour and more
On July 5th, North American DSi owners will be able to download QuickPick Farmer, the first DSiWare release from independent developer Dancing Dots (not to be confused with Dippin' Dots, the ice cream of the future). We spoke to managing director...
News Nintendo Considering Online Play and DLC for Future Zeldas
Eiji Aonuma talks extra content and multiplayer
Zelda games are single-player epics: one elf questing to prevent the resurrection of a giant evil and destruction of the world. But if Eiji Aonuma can make it work, we may one day see a Zelda game with online functions. Speaking to GameInformer, Mr Aonuma said he's constantly thinking about how people...
News Take Off with Pearl Harbor on July 5th
Only 700 Points for Legendo's first airborne adventure
It won't be long until you can get your hands on Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising as Legendo has just confirmed the game will take off from North American WiiWare servers on Monday, July 5th for a rather reasonable 700 Points. Here's the official press release: Gothenburg, Sweden,...
Nintendo Download 29th & 30th June 2010 (Japan)
WiiWare returns, Meta Fighting on the VC; X Returns and other stuff on DSi.
WiiWare: Boku mo Sekai o Sukuitai (1000pts - Poisoft) – If we're understanding Poisoft's website and the description on the Nintendo WiiWare page this is a combination of a sim and an RPG where players get to create multiple elves, dwarves, etc. with stats and skill trees...
Thursday24th Jun 2010
Review The World Ends With You (DS)
Animazing
Tearing up many RPG conventions that its publisher Square Enix put into place, The World Ends With You is vibrant, energetic and an absolute blast to play. You play Neku Sakuraba, a young Japanese kid who wakes up with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. So far, so standard, right? It would be, except for the fact he wakes up...
Review The Tales of Bearsworth Manor: Chaotic Conflicts (WiiWare)
A bear-knuckle ball
For anyone that's played video games for an extended span of time, the name Square-Enix has long been synonymous with epic role-playing adventures and in-depth strategy battles. So when you see the company release a rather offbeat spooky-themed storybook adventure on WiiWare, your first reaction is likely one of bewilderment. But...
News Capcom Not Ruling Out Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on Wii
Don't hold your breath, though
During E3, Joystiq had a few words with Marvel vs Capcom 3 producer Ryota Niitsuma about the upcoming game and the Vs. series in general, leading to a few probes about why the Wii was left out. According to Niitsuma, Capcom just wants to spread the fight love. Well, [after Tatsunoko vs. Capcom], we felt now it's time...
News Murder, Death, Kill Again as MDK2 Comes to WiiWare
Classic adventure on the way
MDK2 is a game about a six-legged dog and a mad professor – that should guarantee your attention even if you haven't played the game in question. Developed by BioWare and released on Dreamcast, PC and PlayStation 2, the game was highly acclaimed but mostly forgotten, but publisher Interplay is set to revive the title...
News Kingdom Hearts DS Release Re:coded to Tease 3DS Title
Nomura tells all!
According to a recent interview with Square Enix director Tetsuya Nomura, the 3DS Kingdom Hearts game will be a brand new adventure in which characters Soru and Riku explore worlds previously unforeseen in the series (no Pixar characters, though). If you want any more tidbits, though, it might do you well to check out the upcoming...
News This Beatboxer Has Clearly Played A Lot of Mario Games
Japanese musician performs some impressive beat-coin-boxing
We've seen some interesting 8-bit musical adaptations before, but Japanese beatboxer Hikakin has done the reverse, emulating classic Mushroom Kingdom melodies with nothing more than his mouth / throat combination. It's Rahzel meets Miyamoto in this incredibly impressive display of vocal...
News Win One of 100 Digital Copies of Groovin' Blocks
Empty Clip Studio launching giveaway for North America
We've just had an email from Francois over at Empty Clip Studios, asking us to let you know about an upcoming competition for North American readers only to win one of 100 copies of Groovin' Blocks, the company's rather enjoyable WiiWare puzzler. All you need to do to be in with a chance of...
News Furry Legends Coughs Up 100,000 Wii Points
Gamelion Studios offers fortune via Facebook
It's not long until Gamelion Studio's first entry in the Furry Legends saga will be available to download from the Wii Shop Channel, and the company is ensuring it lands with a bang by offering a total prize fund of 100,000 Nintendo Points in a sweepstake, divided neatly into 1,000 Point portions for...
News Tales of Bearsworth Manor Additional Content
A rundown of the downloadable content and what it will cost you
Tales of Bearsworth Manor: Chaotic Conflicts and Tales of Bearsworth Manor: Puzzling Pages have only just hit the WiiWare service in North America and we've already received the list of all additional content that will be made available for both titles in the coming weeks. You can take...
News Say Hello Flower to this Hello Flowerz Trailer
Virtual Toys shows its green fingers
There's a real shortage of gardening games in the world, so thank Virtual Toys for doing its bit to redress the horticultural balance with its upcoming Hello Flowerz for DSiWare. Played out in real-time, the game asks you to tend to virtual plants, feeding and watering them for a few minutes a day whilst the...
Nintendo Download 25th June (Europe)
Hidden gems galore?
A lot of today's game titles might not say much to some people, but rest assured there's some good picks in this bunch. WiiWare gets three games, two of them great, and one not-yet-reviewed-but-very-likely-also-great. DSiWare's got five new titles of which the only reviewed one is good as well. The rest of the bunch could be more...
Wednesday23rd Jun 2010
Spin Six will have you spending your five
Suckers for Bejeweled-style puzzle games are in for a treat with Nintendo’s Spin Six, a game based off that game's fundamental design with a numerical twist. Like other puzzles games in the past, it’s a simple design with lots of replayability but the addicting puzzle mechanics and the cheerful...
News Optimus Prime Talks About Being the First Voice of Mario
Peter Cullen reminisces about lending his vocal talents to the world's most famous plumber
Legendary voice actor Peter Cullen - who has recently lent his talents to Activision's upcoming Transformers title War for Cybertron (also known as the slightly less threatening Cybertron Adventures on Wii) was interviewed by Wired.com the other day and...
News North American Club Nintendo Year Coming to an End Next Week
Might want to hurry up with that Gold or Platinum status
How's your Club Nintendo account looking, North Americans? Did you register enough Nintendo Product™ since last July to qualify for a neat-o Gold or Platinum badge? If not, you might want to scrape your game collection for stray Coins as the second Club Nintendo year winds down on June 30 to...
Bejewel 'til you drool
For almost ten years, computerised jewels have had it rough. Countless gamers, cell phone owners and bored white collar workers have made it their mission to line them up in rows of matching colour and destroy them. Now with Super Swap, even more jewels risk losing their lives to the technological menace that is man. Players...
If by "mega" you mean "bland"
If it's simple word puzzles you want, then by golly, it's simple word puzzles you'll get with Mega Words. It'll put your vocabulary to the test across its three game types, sure, but in the most basic way possible. Anagrams plunks down a handful of tiles and asks you to create at least six words to advance, whereas in...
News Iwata: 3DS Games May Cost as Much as Wii Titles
Better start saving or thinking up Sanford and Son-esque money making schemes
With the 3DS generating as much hype as it is, it's no surprise that its software may cost as much as your average Wii release. You get what you pay for, and this handheld could hardly be classified in the same ballpark as the Game Boys of yesteryear. No, friends; the 3Ds...
Competition Your Love for Sonic Could Earn You a Trip to Sega Japan
If you can ably express it in video format, that is
It's Sonic's 19th birthday today, and Sega isn't showering Nintendo fans with game discounts; in fact, it's offering something far better. If you really, really love Sonic – and everybody does, of course – your passion for the blue speedball could win you a trip to Sega Japan to meet the Sonic...
News Sonic Turns 19 Today but Brings No Presents for Nintendo Fans
Virtual Console the only format not to receive price drops today
Yes fans of blue spiky things, it was 19 years ago today that the original Sonic the Hedgehog did its first loop-de-loop in our hearts. In honour of this world-changing event, Sega is cutting prices of many of the hedgehog's downloadable outings on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network...
News Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda Greatly Saddened by Wii's "Unfulfilled Promise"
Kinect's creative director indulges in some good-natured trash-talking
Microsoft's Kinect E3 unveiling - complete with an impressive but ultimately head-scratching performance by the world-famous Cirque du Soleil - may have raised more questions than answers but that hasn't stopped the shade-wearing Kudo Tsunoda - Kinect's creative director - from...
News Nintendo Doesn't See an Immediate Need for a New Wii
Cautious, naive, or wise?
Given the apparent leap the 3DS has taken over the current generation of DS systems, it's understandable that gamers are continuing to wonder if and when a Wii successor will be developed. Nintendo has consistently denied such a system will appear anytime soon and Satoru Iwata has recently confirmed this stance. Speaking at...
News DSiWare Will Not Be Transferable Unless Nintendo Makes Changes
Reggie's comments may worry some
One of the major questions arising from Nintendo's unveiling of the 3DS, other than "when?" and "how much?", was "will I be able to transfer my DSiWare content?" As the content is currently locked to each device rather than an overall account, it's not currently possible to transfer the...
News Sega Pondering Bringing Adult Titles to 3DS
Alien and House of the Dead could find handheld homes
The 3DS's initial line-up is full of mature titles, with Metal Gear Solid 3 and the new trailer for Resident Evil Revelations showing exactly what's possible on the console. Now Sega is pondering bringing some of its more mature properties over to the machine. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Sega...
News Mario Wants Your Hugs, Australians
Plumbing promotion next week
Everywhere else in the world has already received Super Mario Galaxy 2: sorry folks Down Under, it's just a fact. You could yet have the last laugh though, as Nintendo's launch plan for the game could see you set a new world record for the most hugs of a mascot character in 20 minutes. Kicking off at 7am on July 1st at...
News The 3DS Might Make it in Time for Christmas Shopping Lists
All we want for Christmas...is you!
When the Wii launched in Europe around the Christmas period back in 2006, it was undoubtedly one of the top-sellers of the holiday season and with supply shortages surpassing what was expected, Nintendo was in a position where it couldn't satisfy consumer demands. If CVG's source is correct, we could see the 3DS...
Tuesday22nd Jun 2010
E3 2010 Your Chance to Salute the Best of E3
Reader's vote returns!
So E3 is over for another year, now a distant memory as we look to the future to anticipate when we might all be able to join Corbie in appreciating the 3DS for ourselves. It's not time to forget just yet; in fact, quite the opposite: it's time to celebrate the best of E3 in our imaginatively titled Nintendo Life Best of E3...
News Iwata: Nintendo Looking to Improve Online Efforts
Company is "not satisfied" with current functionality
When it comes to online functionality, Nintendo doesn't rank particularly high among developers – and they know it. Earlier, Shigeru Miyamoto expressed the company's need to rethink it's online strategy on a macro level. Now, in an investor Q&A session held during E3 last week (via
News Valentine & Redfield 'Fall Out' in the Resident Evil: Revelations Trailer
...over a mysterious prisoner?
Last week's E3 event showed us a glimpse of Capcom's latest instalment in the Resident Evil franchise built exclusively for the 3DS. Now it's time to take a look at the official announcement trailer where the screenshots were taken from. Get ready for some gun-pointing and interrogation. Resident Evil: Revelations sees...
News 3D Video Chat Possible says Iwata
Is there nothing it can't do?
We know the 3DS will have improved online capabilities, and we know it's capable of taking 3D photographs, but an interview between Forbes and Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has hinted at a combination of the two: online three-dimensional video chat. Although Mr Iwata chooses his words carefully and never states such a...
News Cezkid Puts a New Spin on Retro Characters
Watch your favourite 8-bit sprites do the 360
It's always nice to see programmers recreate retro gaming in some way or another and Jay Pavlina's 'reinterpretation' of the iconic Super Mario Bros. was easily one of the coolest things we'd seen in a while. Cesar Enrriquez (cezkid) has taken a slightly different approach as he has steadily been...
News Don't Expect Lefty Link in Zelda: Skyward Sword
Southpaw control method "not currently planned"
When Zelda: Twilight Princess made the jump from GameCube to Wii, some fans of the green-clad hero were unhappy that the game was completely flipped from left to right to accommodate many players being right-handed. With the unveiling of Zelda: Skyward Sword only one week old – doesn't time fly? –...
News Sony President Not Impressed With 3D Handhelds Sans Glasses
Cover the 3DS's ears
Nintendo and Sony are two companies at the forefront of 3D gaming, with the former tackling the handheld market, and the latter focusing on the home console demographic. With 3D televisions already under Sony's belt, it's understandable that it wants to focus on hardware that will compliment its new sets. Kaz Hirai, President at...
News 3DS Online Content to Push, Not Pull
In new Nintendo console, the games come to you
There are still no hard-and-fast facts about how the 3DS's shop will function, but several recent interviews with Satoru Iwata have revealed a potential sea change in thinking at Nintendo's highest level: as well as Mr Iwata's post-E3 comments that the console could support video chat, a discussion with...
News 3DS Design May Still be Tweaked, Expected to Launch by March
Feedback from E3 taken onboard
Now we know what's to come on Nintendo's upcoming new handheld, the big question gamers want answered is when it will be out. Following last week's report that the 3DS should be released by the end of the fiscal year, Reggie Fils-Aime has spoken to IndustryGamers and confirmed the scheduled launch period and the...
News Glory Be! Pachter Actually Has Something Nice to Say About 3DS
Analyst must have gotten out of bed the right side this morning
Every time Nintendo does or doesn't do anything, well-regarded analyst Michael Pachter almost always has something snide to say about it. The man has forged a career out of shooting down new projects and pouring scorn over potentially exciting games. It seems, though, that when it comes...
Nintendo Download 22nd & 23rd June 2010 (Japan)
The WiiWare drought continues; VC and DSiWare releases only this week
The Japanese WiiWare scene has been pretty quiet over the last month or so with only a couple of titles from Squaresoft. Given the past schedule with one release minimum per week, it does seem to imply a slowdown in development; whether or not that will be the case in other...
Monday21st Jun 2010
News Epic Mickey Paintbrush Controller and Charging Station
PDP gets into the Epic Mickey spirit
For those looking to get a little more into the Mickey spirit when they sit down to play Disney's upcoming Wii release Epic Mickey, PDP has just the item for you. Performance Designed Products has created an Epic Mickey-themed Wii Remote Charge Station and an Epic Mickey Paintbrush controller to launch right...
Swap 'til you drop
If you've gone anywhere near an electronic device capable of playing games in the past decade, odds are you've heard of PopCap's addictive puzzle series Bejeweled. This WiiWare release of the sequel marks the developer's first foray onto a Nintendo home console and is a worthy version, but it doesn't bring a lot new to the table...
News Scott Pilgrim Movie Features Zelda Music, Gets Miyamoto's Thumbs-Up
Upcoming film to include iconic tune
Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim comic book series is receiving the cinematic treatment and is due to launch in the next few months. Full of video game references – here's a complete list just for fun – it looks as though that gaming spirit will transfer over to the big screen adaptation, as an interview...
News Iwata's 3D GameBoy Advance is in a Drawer Somewhere
Prototype console hidden amongst socks
Nintendo's interest in 3D graphics stretches far back in time, from the days of the Virtual Boy to the newly-unveiled 3DS. They may have been the only two 3D machines to reach consumers, but that doesn't mean they're the only ones Nintendo cooked up, as an interview with CEO Satoru Iwata reveals. During...
E3 2010 Interviews: Okamiden - Capcom
Okamiden producer answers a few of our questions
Okamiden has remained under the radar for the most part as of late, so it was nice to see the game on display at E3 2010. After spending a bit of time with the game, it's clear that it continues the tradition of beautiful oriental-style artwork and scenery, not to mention the same unique gameplay of...
News Strap On Your Headset for Conduit 2
Trash talking foreign children finally comes to Wii
Of all the many promised improvements for Conduit 2, the overhauled multiplayer mode is the one we're most keenly awaiting. With the addition of splitscreen local multiplayer the offline side should be covered, but the original title lacked in the online department, so the latest batch of...
News 3DS Powered by Pica200 GPU
No, we've never heard of it either
For months it was thought that NVidia would be providing the graphics power behind Nintendo's 3DS portable, but a recent report revealed the chip manufacturer would have no part in the console's construction. So whose technology is making those impressive graphics possible? Digital Media Professionals, that's who...
E3 2010 First Impressions: Ivy the Kiwi?
Yuji Naka shows off his newest project
For the three or four people on the planet who don't know, Yuji Naka is the former head of Sega's Sonic Team and had a hand in the creation of the Mega Drive Sonic releases. He was also heavily involved in the creation of NiGHTS Into Dreams for the Sega Saturn before leaving the team to pursue other projects...
News Music On: Retro Keyboard Takes You Back in Musical Time
Get tuned into retro gaming sounds
European DSi owners have already had the chance to tinker with the first entry in Abylight's 'Music On' series, the straightforwardly-named Music On: Electronic Keyboard, but the Spanish developer-publisher is ready to unleash a second bout of musical noodling with the imminent arrival of Music On: Retro Keyboard...
Nintendo Download 21st June 2010 (North America)
Spin some tentacles, strategize against dinsoaurs, and puzzle puzzle puzzle
Nintendo hopes you like puzzle games, because that's five of the eight games released this week across WiiWare and DSiWare. To nobody's surprise, the Virtual Console has yet again been left out on a hill to die or something. But look, puzzlers! WiiWare: Art Style: Rotozoa...
Sunday20th Jun 2010
News You Can Play the Tron Wii Game with this Tron Wii Controller
Light cycles speed to Wii
As if the seemingly Tron-inspired Art Style: light trax weren't enough, you can get a second helping of Wii-based light cycle action as Tron: Evolution will be racing across the Wii landscape later this year. If you feel your current Wii Remote just isn't futuristic-looking enough after years of familiarity, you may want to...
Review Yard Sale Hidden Treasures: Sunnyville (WiiWare)
A good find
Hidden object puzzles are big money these days, drawing in unsuspecting players with tales of relaxing but addictive gameplay. WiiWare has already seen the disappointing "Aha! I Found It!" Hidden Object Game but now Konami is here with a new challenger, Yard Sale Hidden Treasures: Sunnyville, and it's got a few tricks up its sleeve. Set...
E3 2010 First Impressions: Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
Something old and something new
With so many great games on the E3 show floor, it was difficult to find the time to get in some solid playing time on them all. But of all the titles I was fortunate enough to get to play during the E3 show, it was Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light that I found myself going back to time and time again whenever I...
News Vitality Sensor's Vague Vital Signs Ever-Virile
Expo no-show no dodo
Those who discounted Nintendo's odd pulse-reading doohickey as a stillborn experiment swept under the carpet in favour of more potent technological advancements might want to re-count those unhatched chickens. As Nintendo of America's Cammie Dunaway told GameSetWatch: We're continuing to work on the Vitality Sensor. As we...
Saturday19th Jun 2010
News Turns Out Shigeru Miyamoto Does Like Donkey Kong Country
Miyamoto clears things up once and for all
Following on from the E3 announcement of Donkey Kong Country Returns, it seems that something Shigeru Miyamoto had said in the past about the SNES original has re-surfaced. In a recent interview with IGN, Miyamoto cleared up the situation surrounding claims that he didn't like Donkey Kong Country, despite...
Sunday20th Jun 2010
E3 2010 First Impressions: Donkey Kong Country Returns
Nintendo's famous ape is back and better than ever!
When Rare developed the original Donkey Kong Country title for the Super Nintendo console, many were in awe of the impressively-rendered graphics they had managed to syphon out of the Super Nintendo's 16-bit hardware. Now with Rare a part of Microsoft, Nintendo needed someone to reignite the series...
Saturday19th Jun 2010
E3 2010 3DS Could be Region-Locked
Decision not made yet, says Reggie
With no concrete release date for the 3DS yet in any territory, gamers everywhere are already plotting which importer to go with should the machine reach their country last. Nintendo of America's President Reggie Fils-Aime says the company has not yet decided if the machine will be region-locked, leaving the door...
News Shantae is Nearly Finished but Not Submitted
It won't be out for weeks
Although there was no DSiWare or WiiWare on display at Nintendo's E3 booth this year, IGN met up with WayForward's Matt Bozon to get some hands-on time with Shantae: Risky's Revenge. The game itself is all-but finished, needing just some final playtesting and any tweaks arising therein, which means that the game has not yet...
News 3DS Could Turn Pages as Well as Heads
Iwata hints at the system as an eBook reader
With the 3DS being the fifth generation of Nintendo handhelds, it seems to have so much more potential thanks in part to the era of technology it is present in. With all the hi-tech talk of stereoscopic visuals, taking 3D pictures, motion and gyro sensors, it can be easy to forget about the more simple...
One last round of questions answered
First off we'd like to convey how much we appreciate all of the questions you guys have posted and I've tried to answer as many as possible. We've got more hands-on impressions of games played on the E3 show floor coming up, so due to a need to get those wrapped up, this will likely be the last round of questions...
News A Flock of Info About QuickPick Farmer
A game that looks to provide shear amusement
We've just received word from French development studio Dancing Dots that their DSiWare debut QuickPick Farmer will hit the North American download service on the 5th of July for the low asking price of just 200 Nintendo points. They've also put together a website for the game as well as uploading a...
Friday18th Jun 2010
Review Shadow of the Ninja (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
Ninja master or a shadow of glory?
Ninjas suddenly gained popularity during the 1980s, what with their cool moves, cool clothes and unashamed ability to kick ass. It's murky as to why exactly this happened but the legacy left within the fields of media was huge, ranging from the American Ninja films, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Last Ninja...
E3 2010 Miyamoto Unexcitedly Scopes Out Xbox Kinect
Not feeling it...
After the rip-roaring success that was Nintendo’s showing at E3 this year, you might have assumed that Miyamoto would be relaxing by a pool somewhere imagining the 3DS printing glorious 3D money. Not so, as Gizmodo’s Mark Wilson discovered when developing his holiday snaps from E3. While innocently dancing about like a kid...
E3 2010 First Impressions: Kirby's Epic Yarn
We take Nintendo's newest Kirby title for a spin
In the weeks leading up to the E3 show, we all heard the rumours of a new Kirby game being possibly in development so it should come as no real shock that one actually materialised during Nintendo's Press Conference. What is surprising is that Kirby's Epic Yarn is not only a 2D side-scroller for the...
Thursday17th Jun 2010
Review A Kappa's Trail (DSiWare)
A trail you may want to follow
A Kappa’s Trail is a bizarre game: you play as a little turtle/fish/sea creature and your objective is to escape the depths of the ocean to reach the land of the humans, but it’s a clever idea, and plays great in many areas where other DSiWare games seem to do the opposite. It’s a really neat and tidy game with...
E3 2010 First Impressions: Nintendo 3DS
Hands on with Nintendo's amazing 3D portable
Any time there's an announcement of new video game hardware, a certain buzz is created. In all truth, you couldn't walk five feet on the streets of Los Angeles on the way to the Convention Center without hearing someone talking about Nintendo's upcoming 3DS system. Even the line for the Nintendo keynote...
Review Arcade Sports (WiiWare)
Jack-of-all-trades, master of none
Perhaps better named, “Bowling Alley Sports”, Arcade Sports is a collection featuring pool, air hockey, and of course bowling. All of these games are available elsewhere on your Wii, but here you can get all three for one download. We’ve seen plenty of minigame collections on the Wii before, but is this...
Review 16 Shot! Shooting Watch (DSiWare)
Rhymes with "tap"
In one of bumbling cartoon father Homer Simpson's humorously ineffective attempts to please his children, he hands his son Bart a pen to click as an alternative to annoying his sister Lisa by purposely squeaking his chair. Of course, the clicking only makes things worse, but the coup de grace is when Homer proclaims, "Hey,...
E3 2010 Wii 2 Will Probably be 3D, says Iwata
Might take a while, though
The world gaming world is riding the crest of a 3D wave at the moment, with Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all moving into that space in the near future. Nintendo, however, is the only console manufacturer to be bringing three dimensions to the portable space, but company president Satoru Iwata has revealed its next home...
News Secret of Mana On the Way to iPhone, Not DSi
Square classic misses DS transfer
It's a classic entry in the pantheon of RPGs: Square's Secret of Mana for Super Nintendo is widely regarded as one of the finest games in the genre, even after all these years, but other than the less well-received Children of Mana and Heroes of Mana we haven't seen the series reach the DS. It looks as though that...
News Sony Senior Director Gives 3DS the Thumbs Up
Mick Hocking sees Nintendo's foray into 3D gaming as mutually beneficial
It seems to to be pretty difficult to have a bad word to say about the recently unveiled 3DS, even if you are the competition. Following from the recent praise that a Microsoft general manager gave to Nintendo's "experimentation" with 3D gaming, a Sony senior director...
E3 2010 Metroid: Other M Trailer
Samus's latest on the move
Some things in the world of gaming never get old: stomping Goombas, matching gems, eating Octoroks. Here's one more for the list: watching this new Metroid: Other M trailer. Showing off less action and more exploration than previous trailers, it certainly looks like the game is shaping up nicely, with great cutscenes and a...
E3 2010 Nintendogs and Cats for 3DS
Snuggle up with new pets on 3DS
Nintendogs is a worldwide phenomenon, having sold close to 25m units in its lifetime. Shigeru Miyamoto has often spoken of his desire to add felines to the mix, and now he's finally getting his wish as Nintendo announces Nintendogs + Cats on the way for 3DS. Like most of the titles for 3DS at E
E3 2010 This Kirby Advert Looks Familiar
Epic Yarn style traced back to Japanese commercial
There's no doubt that Kirby's Epic Yarn is one of the stand-out titles of this year's E3 for Nintendo: our man Corbie Dillard has played it and rates it as one of the finest games available to play so far. Until the game nestles in our Wiis the rest of us can only sit back and watch the trailer, but...
E3 2010 Reader Questions - Day Two
More of your E3 questions answered!
Well two days of E3 down and one more to go, so here is yet another round of your questions answered. There's still one more afternoon of booth visits to take in and then the individual game impressions will start flowing more regularly. Until then, sit back and enjoy the Q&A and hopefully this will shed some...
E3 2010 3DS Will be Out Within 12 Months
Early next year at the latest
We were all expecting to find out solid release dates and pricing for Nintendo's next generation handheld, but its press conference made no mention of when we'll be able to get our hands on the 3DS. Eminent European site Eurogamer, however, has received word from one source that the console is pencilled in for a launch...
Nintendo Download 18th June (Europe)
Nintendo serves up a certain ace
It's the week of E3, and what better way to celebrate than by finally releasing another N64 Virtual Console game? And an extremely well-liked one, at that? WiiWare gets one great and one good game as well, but DSiWare seems fairly uninteresting this time. WiiWare: Ant Nation (700pts - Konami) -- A simulation title...
E3 2010 EA Hints at 3DS Online Functionality
Friends list, sports updates and potentially even achievements
We already know that 3DS will include a WiiConnect24-like mode whereby users who carry their console around in sleep mode will still be able to interact with other consoles, exchanging information and downloading content anywhere they go. An interview with EA producer Ryan Stradling over...
Brush with destiny
The focus might be on 3DS at this year's E3, but that doesn't mean the DS's life is about to reach an abrupt end. With Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective and
E3 2010 Rumour: 3DS May Allow Game Installs
Off the cart, on the move
Japanese paper Nikkei, a source of many rumours that have been true in the past, is reporting that one new feature of the 3DS will be the ability to copy software from game cartridges onto the 3DS's internal memory, opening up the possibility of a console packed with games and no more lost cartridges. Of course, this raises...
Nintendo Download 15th and 16th June 2010 (Japan)
Not much during the week of E3
We got so mixed up in the goings-on at E3, that we almost forgot to update you with what was released on the Japanese download services earlier this week. Relax, there's no need to get too jealous this time - Most of the stuff is extremely unlikely to see a release elsewhere. And with what Nintendo of Europe has in...
Wednesday16th Jun 2010
E3 2010 Pikmin 3 Still Coming Despite No-Show
Miyamoto assures everyone it's on the way
We were expecting to see Pikmin 3 this year: you were expecting it, we were expecting it. It wasn't shown off, though. Why not? Speaking at the Nintendo Developer's Roundtable, Shigeru Miyamoto explained that, had the game been shown off today, it would have been lost under the reams of information about...
E3 2010 Two New Professor Layton Mysteries On the Way
One for DS and one for 3DS from Level 5 (updated with trailer)
The first Professor Layton was a huge crossover hit all over the world, bringing non-gamers to the DS in droves, enchanted by its blend of puzzle and adventure in a rather whimsical shell. Last year's Pandora's Box was every bit as good, and now the saga continues with two more mysteries...
E3 2010 Namco Bandai Games Announces its Initial 3DS Line-Up
Pixel chomping, rubber burning, super saiyan, metal-suited.... er...super robot goodness.
Of the many peaks at this year's E3 event, the unveiling of the 3DS and the wave of game announcements that came with it were certainly up there. Namco Bandai Games is carrying on that momentum by announcing the five games it is currently working on for the new...
E3 2010 Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs for the DS
Protect the region of Oblivia from all those thieves
Want a change from all the stress of catching Pokémon? Well, now you can look forward to the third title in the Pokémon Ranger series as players once again take on the role of a ranger, this time tasked with looking after everything living in the Oblivia region. Watch out for those pesky...
The heroes return only on DS! Updated with trailer!
It's taken seven years for the franchise to return, but last year saw the announcement of Golden Sun DS. Today at Nintendo's E3 press conference we saw plenty more on the game, now officially titled Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Following the heroes Matthew, Kans and Terrell, it looks set to deliver more...
E3 2010 First Impressions: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
We got hands on with Nintendo's flagship E3 title.
If there's one first-party game that's getting most of the attention at Nintendo's E3 booth, it's got to be Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword with the line to play it snaking around the entire Nintendo booth several times. So you can imagine the dirty looks I received when I was whisked up to the VIP...
E3 2010 Corbie's Reaction to 3DS on Video
"Incredible, absolutely incredible"
We've already read a few of Corbie's first thoughts on the 3DS, but we have a feeling you'd be much happier hearing them come straight from his mouth. What about being able to watch his face at the same time? Well, that's getting a bit creepy now, but okay: we'll oblige. Check out this extremely brief video...
E3 2010 PilotWings Resort Set to Soar on 3DS
Yes, there will be jetpacks
Time to date yourself, PilotWings fans: it's been 14 years since the series last saw a brand-new entry. That was PilotWings 64 in 1996, launching alongside the Nintendo 64. Why, some of you may not have even been alive then. But you're alive now (we think), and along with the announcement of the 3DS came the reveal of a...
E3 2010 Mario Sports Mix Coming Next Year
On his way to conquering every sport ever played (Updated with trailer!)
Mario has proven his sporting prowess time and time again over the years, with numerous golf, tennis, baseball and even Olympic outings. And, as announced during Nintendo's E3 keynote, the Brooklyn-ite has a lot more juice left in him. Must be all those electrolytes! Coming...
E3 2010 Reader Questions - Day One
You ask, we tell.
Well Day 1 of E3 was a busy one, and Nintendo came out with guns blazing during its Press Conference. Its booth was easily the busiest and there were enormous lines of media members waiting to get their hands on the Nintendo first-party hardware and software. While I don't tour Nintendo's booth until later this afternoon, I was...
E3 2010 Nintendo Wii News Round-Up
All the games, all the hardware, all the news
This year's E3 isn't over yet – still two more days to go, folks – but already we've seen enough information come out to sustain us for a long, long time. If you're still struggling to catch up on all the news, let us condense it for you by format for ease of digestion. Here's the Wii news and...
E3 2010 Nintendo's Press Conference Highlights
Miss the show? Catch the highlights reel
We brought you live text updates from Nintendo's press conference, but sometimes there's excitement only seeing things in motion can bring. Now you can live – or relive – all those cherished memories of times gone by with this highlights compilation from the show. From Satoru Iwata showing off the 3DS to...
E3 2010 Super Scribblenauts Trailer
Warner Bros is bringing sketchy back
We already know that Warner Bros' sequel to last year's Scribblenauts lets you use adjectives to customise your world, so here's a few to customise this E3 trailer: shiny, new, luscious. With promises of fixed controls, new challenges and even more words to be added, there's good reason to be hopeful that this...
E3 2010 More Clues to the Inner-Workings of Ghost Trick Phantom Detective
New trailers introduce us to a mysterious man
This year's E3 event saw Capcom unveiling some anticipated titles, as well as revealing some new and unexpected ones. A game that has grabbed our attention is the ghostly puzzle game known as Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective for the DS and the company has recently released the third episode video, along...
What's in store for Nintendo's current handheld hardware?
We've seen a few big-name DS titles at this year's E3, most notably Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, but they're not the only titles coming to DS in the coming months and beyond. Nintendo's current schedule for DS contains the above highlights as well as...
Tuesday15th Jun 2010
E3 2010 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Link's latest finally unveiled! Updated with trailer!
All the speculation can finally end: we've seen the new Legend of Zelda game, subtitled Skyward Sword. And it looks good. Taking a graphical style that combines the cartoon palette of Wind Waker and the grown-up visuals of Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword is Nintendo's attempt to make the game...
E3 2010 Need For Speed in Hot Pursuit of Wii
The cops are back, and boy, are they not happy to see you
Criterion games, best known for their white-knuckle crash-fest Burnout series, has been tapped by EA for the next Need For Speed game coming this fall to pretty much everything, Wii included. Hot Pursuit, a kinda-sorta sequel/remake of the 1998 game of the same name (we're not sure exactly,...
E3 2010 Ubisoft's Michael Jackson Dance Game Moonwalking to a Console Near You
King of Pop returns to video games
Wrapping up his company's E3 2010 press conference, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot revealed yet another dance game — this time they're bringing out the big guns. Known only as Michael Jackson, the game is light on confirmed details so far. We do know that it will feature the "most famous tracks" from the...
Play the flat one in glorious 3D
The last title in the Paper Mario series was Wii's Super Paper Mario some years ago, and fans have been clamouring for another entry ever since. Well, those same fans are about to be made very happy as Paper Mario is confirmed for 3DS with these first screenshots. Although the flat graphical style may not spring...
E3 2010 More Third Party Games Unveiled
A Boy and His Blob, Sonic, Contra?!
We know your poor hearts can't take much more excitement following the revelation of the 3DS, its already-amazing catalogue of titles and the rest of the E3 hullabaloo that, let's face it, has been Nintendo's best show in years. Your heart's about to take a bit more of a pounding, though. Nintendo's released a...
E3 2010 Animal Crossing Confirmed for 3DS
First screenshots of the life sim
Rather like Retro Studios' stab at revitalising Donkey Kong, this is another rumour from last week that turned out true: Animal Crossing is heading to 3DS, as these screenshots prove. Although the core graphical styling is unchanged from previous outings, the graphical improvement over the DS's A
E3 2010 Ocarina of Time for 3DS
Breaking news: classic title on the way to 3DS
StarFox 64, Kid Icarus, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart and Resident Evil for the 3DS might sound like an impressive line-up, but do you know what it's missing? A splash of Zelda. Well, here comes a little-known title called Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, heading to your 3DS. That's right: one of Link's...
Wednesday16th Jun 2010
More in your face than ever. You know what we mean.
Not only is 3DS set to receive some Super Street Fighter IV action in three-dimensions, notorious (but actually rather good underneath) beat 'em up Dead or Alive is heading to the console as well. Two fighting games for one Nintendo handheld might just be a record, you know. With series stalwarts...
Tuesday15th Jun 2010
Pit returns in 3D! Updated with trailer!
You might remember the mysterious Project Sora from last year, an unknown title set up by Masuhiro Sakurai, famed creator of countless Nintendo characters. Today at E3 2010 we found out the game's real name is Kid Icarus: Uprising and it's heading exclusively to 3DS, and it looks amazing. If the footage shown...
E3 2010 Mario vs Donkey Kong: Miniland Mayhem
The struggle between apes and plumbers continues
You'd have thought these two could have settled their differences by now, but the long-standing rivalry between Mario and Donkey Kong continues to boil, with Mario vs Donkey Kong: Miniland Mayhem for DS the latest title to pit the two against each other. With the promise of user-generated content and...
E3 2010 New GoldenEye is Real and it's Coming This Fall
Yes, it will have online multiplayer (updated with trailer)
After a lot of "is it happening?" and "is it fake?", we can now tell you that GoldenEye is happening and it's a Wii-exclusive. A modern take on the much-loved original is in the works and it got some airtime at this year's E3 event. Hopefully this new imagining can...
E3 2010 Donkey Kong Country Returns This Fall
Retro revival on horizon for DK (updated with trailer)
Nintendo's E3 conference proved last weekend's rumours true, as viewers saw a trailer for a Retro Studios-developed DK game. Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii looks to be a sidescrolling affair in the style of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat or New Super Mario Bros. Wii. As the name suggests, Retro...
E3 2010 Mario Kart Speeding to 3DS
Shells in your face whoooaaaaa
You know Mario Kart. You (might) love Mario Kart. Nintendo is working on a new Mario Kart. In 3D! Not shown during the company's E3 keynote but in development all the same is this new outing for the 3DS. Not much is currently known other than it will feature Mario, Luigi, some karts and, according to Nintendo,...
All the news, all the facts straight from E3. UPDATED: Corbie's thoughts in!
UPDATE: Corbie, our man at E3, has just been in touch with his first thoughts on the 3DS: Played the 3DS in person and it's unreal. The level of depth and clarity on the screen is incredible. And the graphics potential has to be at least on par with Wii, maybe even better...
E3 2010 Star Fox 64 3D for 3DS
Jeez Laweez, what is that?! Portable Star Fox 64?
Nintendo's E3 website has confirmed a host of upcoming 3DS titles and among them is a graphical update of the classic Star Fox 64, known as Lylat Wars in Europe. Only a handful of screenshots are available at this time, so whether there are additional features remains to be seen. The visual...
E3 2010 Trailer of Wii-Exclusive Activision GoldenEye Remake Leaks
A reason to never say never again, or a golden lie?
According to Kotaku late yesterday, IGN put the video up and ever so swiftly removed it. Someone got a hold of it and uploaded it to YouTube, but it wasn't long before Activision removed it for copyright violation. At E3 we will
E3 2010 Raving Rabbids Travel in Time Revealed
Heading to Wii in a washing machine
Ubisoft has an impressive record when it comes to Rabbids titles on Wii: since the console's launch in 2006 we've seen no fewer than four outings for the chaotic white bunnies, with last year's Rabbids Go Home the most recent and very decent title. Now, straight from E3, Ubisoft has announced another new title for...
Wednesday16th Jun 2010
We knew about Re:coded, but this is new
And so the great E3 2010 content marathon continues with a few short but sweet shots of Square Enix and Disney's crossover Kingdom Hearts, heading to 3DS in the near future. The official announcement merely confirms it as an entry in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, failing to clarify whether it will be a remake...
Tuesday15th Jun 2010
E3 2010 Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D for 3DS
At least the "3D" designation fits in more smoothly here
The game announcements just keep coming. Next up is the first Metal Gear game for a Nintendo system since Twin Snakes hit the GameCube. Not much is clear about the game, including its title: Nintendo's site calls it Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D, while other sources have tacked the subtitle...
E3 2010 Nintendo's 3DS line-up
What Nintendo is bringing to 3DS might just blow you away
What games are coming to the 3DS, the console we just so lovingly talked you through? Here's Nintendo to describe some of the titles on their way to the console with its latest press release: Nintendo Introduces Glasses-Free 3D Gaming, and Unleashes the Industry’s Best Franchises in...
E3 2010 Live Text - Nintendo's Media Presentation
The show starts here!
This is it: the moment of truth. Finally we're set to find out what Nintendo has in store for the future. 3DS, The Legend of Zelda, Vitality Sensor: all this and more is set to be unveiled here at Nintendo's E3 press conference. Our man Corbie Dillard has got his seat in the theatre to bring you all the news from the show as...
E3 2010 Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition for 3DS
Start practicing those 720s on a DS D-pad
For a long time, Nintendo fans have had to turn to other systems to keep up with the Street Fighter series, but the current entry in Capcom's genre-defining franchise is making its way to the 3DS. As with several of the system's releases, there are only a few screenshots on Nintendo's website to go by, but...
E3 2010 Resident Evil Revelations for 3DS
3D zombies? Yes please!
Gamers wanting a new Resident Evil game that's closer to its third-person roots could very well get their wish granted as Capcom unveils the latest instalment in the franchise at E3 2010. Entitled Resident Evil Revelations, not a lot is known about the game yet, but judging from the initial screenshots of the cut sequences,...
Wednesday16th Jun 2010
E3 2010 Wii's Upcoming Line-up
If we said it looked half as good as 3DS's, we'd be telling half the truth
With all the excitement about the upcoming 3DS and all the amazing titles lined up for it – again, Contra is coming – let's just take a moment to remind ourselves that the Wii is still very much alive and kicking. Nintendo has kindly put out a release schedule for the...
Tuesday15th Jun 2010
Kirby's journey to the Wii ends in a twist, now with trailer!
Kirby’s debut on the Wii has been a long, confounding process. In fact, it dates back to the waning days of the GameCube, when a trailer of an untitled Kirby game emerged, with a “2.5-D” sidescrolling style, a la Kirby 64, and abilities, co-op and movesets reminiscent of Kirby Super...
E3 2010 Third-Parties Pledge Big Franchises for 3DS
The heaviest of hitters coming to Nintendo's new hardware
During the unveil of the 3DS at Nintendo's E3 keynote conference, company CEO Satoru Iwata had a lot to tout. In addition to the handheld's 3D capabilities, strong media features and the revelation that the secretive Project Sora is actually a new Kid Icarus, Iwata revealed a whole bunch of...
E3 2010 Sonic Colours Looks Seriously Tasty
Sweet Mountain screenshots show burgers, sweets and wisps
Sega isn't holding an official press conference during E3 but that doesn't mean it's going to shrink away: today it's unveiled brand new screenshots and a trailer of upcoming hedgehog platformer Sonic Colours (or, if you don't speak British English, Sonic Colors) for Wii and DS. The Wii...
E3 2010 The First Coat of Epic Mickey Game Details
Get ready to paint the town epic. Updated with trailer
E3 2010 might be remembered for the big names associated with Nintendo but let's not forget another big player in the company-mascot game. Ever since its initial announcement, the return of Mickey Mouse has been the source of anticipation and intrigue thanks in part to the apparent darker...
E3 2010 Editorial: Nintendo's Competition
What does Nintendo have to beat to be crowned King of LA?
Before we launch into our live coverage of Nintendo's E3 Media Presentation, let's take a look at the competition, particularly Microsoft's opening presentation focusing on the accessory formerly known as Project Natal, the newly-rechristened Kinect. Unveiling the fifteen titles that will...
Monday14th Jun 2010
News Madden NFL 11 Franchise Mode Gets Upgraded
Football returns to Wii with single-player improvements
Last year's Madden NFL 10 for Wii was one of the series' best multiplayer entries yet, with the Showdown and Huddle-Up modes bringing casual gamers into the gridiron action quickly. Its single-player elements, sadly, were not quite so well-developed, but for this year's instalment EA is...
News de Blob 2 is Going Underground and Multiplatform
Franchise increasing its spectrum of coverage
When de Blob launched on the Wii back in 2008, it proved to be a solid and likeable game with fully deserved favourable reviews. THQ has now confirmed some initial details on the upcoming sequel, entitled de Blob 2: The Underground for the Wii, DS, Xbox 360, and PS3. de Blob 2: The Underground will...
Nintendo Download 14th June 2010 (North America)
Bejeweled, sports and yard sales on WiiWare; Kappas, crosswords, keyboards and watches on DSiWare; ninjas on Virtual Console
WiiWare: Bejeweled 2 (1,000 Points - PopCap) The notorious gem-swapping gameplay hits WiiWare, complete with Mii support and online leaderboards. Check out our interview with producer Ty Roberts and our First Impressions of...
News Super Mario Galaxy 2 Shoots to Number Two in UK Charts
Strong weekend sales for plumber's latest
We all know that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is something special, and it seems most of the UK public knows it as well, buying up enough copies since Friday's launch to put the game at number two in the UK all-formats chart. Whilst it couldn't topple multiplatform behemoth Red Dead Redemption, second position is...
Sunday13th Jun 2010
Review Mister Bumblebee Racing Champion (WiiWare)
Buzz kill
With a few exceptions – Excitebike: World Rally and Heracles: Chariot Racing chief among them – WiiWare is pretty thin on family-friendly, well-received racing titles, so the thinking behind Mister Bumblebee Racing Champion is clear. Sadly, the best thing about this game is likely to be its title. The key twist here is that all the...
Rumour Retro Bringing Back Donkey Kong
Maybe he's finally coming back to kick some tail
Most famous for its Metroid Prime series of course, Retro Studios has been rather quiet since completing work on Samus's first person odyssey, with nary a snifter of information slipping from its Texan headquarters. Here's an intriguing rumour courtesy of IGN, however: the studio is working on...
News More Pokemon Black & White Monsters Revealed
Certainly prettier than the first lot
We've seen the three Pokémon you'll choose from at the start of your adventure, as well as the legendary monsters you'll look to snag nearer the end, but in-between there's dozens of new Pokémon to discover. Japanese magazine CoroCoro has obliged by revealing details and images of six brand new monsters and a...
Saturday12th Jun 2010
Review Mischief Makers (Nintendo 64)
Go Go!! 2D Treasure Makers
With a US release in 1997 Mischief Makers, or Go Go!! Trouble Makers in Japan, was not only an early example of a N64 centric side-scrolling 2D platformer, it also successfully made its mark in gaming history by being the first Treasure game to land on a Nintendo platform. However, it would be shallow to describe Mischief...
Friday11th Jun 2010
Review Illusion of Gaia (Super Nintendo)
This being a great game is no illusion
In the early days of the SNES, Enix made the beloved action RPG Soul Blazer. A strange but incredibly effective mixture of RPG and very light town-building elements resulted in one of the system's most underrated games. Although the game itself did not sell too well, Enix decided to try again, making a...
Review Don't Cross the Line (DSiWare)
Simple fun when you're low on funds
If you've ever been a child, you've probably encountered your fair share of activity books. Within these collections of mazes, word searches and other such sources of momentary amusement, arguably the most forgettable of the bunch is the "don't cross the lines" puzzle. It's so underwhelming that if...
News Back to Basics With Family Games - Pen & Paper Edition
Icon Games unveils its latest family-friendly title
What's better than playing pen and paper games with actual pen and paper? According to Icon Games, playing them on a living room television. The reasoning? It's fun as well as environmentally friendly, saving on all that wasted paper. Well, except the electricity you'll be using. From the makers of...
News Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies Teaser Trailer
Check out the latest trailer for the upcoming DS RPG.
The kind folks at Nintendo were kind enough to send over the latest teaser trailer for the upcoming Square-Enix RPG Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. While there's not a lot of actual gameplay footage in the trailer, there is some very cool animated sequences that should get you...
What to look for at Nintendo's table next week
This year's E3 promises to be a big one for the Wii: although the 3DS has taken most of the limelight in recent months, Nintendo will be keen to spell out its plans to keep Wii on top of the home console market in the face of rejuvenated opposition. Chief amongst those plans is the long-awaited...
News Keep Your Life Collected with Nnooo's MyDiary
New tool and three more myNotebook colours on the way
Nnooo has already given us myNotebook and myPostcards in its myLifeCollected range, offering users the chance to make notes and create postcards, naturally. Now the company has announced its latest title, called myDiary, that aims to let users turn their DSi into, you guessed it, a diary. With...
News Overdrive Your Master Blaster on June 18th, Europe
Much anticipated title out next week
It's been a few months since WiiWare shooter Blaster Master: Overdrive hit the North American Wii Shop Channel, but Europeans are a patient bunch, waiting quietly for their turn to play. That wait is nearly over, as the game will be waiting for you on the Shop Channel next week, priced at 1,000 Points. Here's the...
News Nicalis Drops Hints at Further Pixel Ports
Updated website includes a few clues
Cave Story is still yet to be released outside of North America, but Nicalis has already started putting out a few hints that it may have further collaborations with Japanese super-talent Pixel. The site's latest blog entry shows an intriguing image of two characters from Pixel games Ikachan and Guxt. Like Cave...
News Latest Jett Rocket Video Gives Us a Frosty Reception
North Pole level looks ice cool
Now we know there's only a few weeks left until Jett Rocket's finished form lands on WiiWare we're all the more eager to take it for another spin following our recent First Impressions preview. Understandably unable to speed up the passage of time, Shin'en Multimedia has instead sent over a new video of the title to...
Thursday10th Jun 2010
Review Zoo Disc Golf (WiiWare)
A discgrace
Let's get this out of the way immediately: Zoo Disc Golf is a game that should not be played by anyone under any circumstances. Zoo animals playing disc golf may sound like a pretty awesome idea, but Zoo Disc Golf is a mess from top to bottom. It takes your ten dollars, chews it up, regurgitates it and spits back at you one of the worst...
A nice piece of tail
Flametail began life as the "Square" bit of the rather unique WiiWare release MaBoShi: The Three Shape Arcade. Instead of a straight port of the game, the developers chose to not only give the game a nice little visual facelift but also a host of new gameplay twists and options to add to its depth. Oh, and it's...
Review Reel Fishing Challenge II (WiiWare)
Hook, line and stinker
Reel Fishing Challenge II is, by definition, the follow-up to Reel Fishing Challenge that hit WiiWare last year and as such is basically just more of the same. Fans of staring at full-motion video backgrounds and boring, lame fishing mechanics, rejoice! Everything about it just feels lazy, and the fact that it's essentially a...
It is indeed crazy that we're still getting Sudoku games on DSiWare
Counting this new release, there are now nine Sudoku games available on DSiWare in Europe. Some offer a little more than others, but all in all it tends to come down to the price and amount of puzzles available. Crazy Sudoku does well in both areas, but with so many other choices...
What’s in store for Nintendo’s current gen handheld?
We all know the buzz around Nintendo’s announcement of the 3DS is reaching fever pitch, but it would be foolish to write off its current DS hardware: DSi is barely a year old, so there’s bound to be a lot of titles to convince DS owners not to abandon the system just yet. Returning...
News Conduit 2 Powers Up with MotionPlus Support
Sega sequel getting extra precision
Most people's issues with The Conduit didn't focus on the controls which were, in general, pretty good, but High Voltage Software is clearly keen to tidy them up with the sequel, announcing that the follow-up will support the MotionPlus peripheral for even better accuracy. Rather than taking the Red Steel 2 route...
News Teyon's Super Swap Confirms Research into Matching Coloured Gems
New DSiWare puzzler on the way for 500 Points
In the real world, if coloured gems the size of oranges started raining into your lap you'd rush to scoop up as many as you could whilst also, probably, trying to shield your head from serious injury. Not so in the gaming world however, where the instinctive thing to do is match three of the same...
Friday11th Jun 2010
Nintendo Download 11th June 2010 (Europe)
Plenty of puzzling, some strategy and racing, and an import
Despite the release of Super Mario Galaxy 2 today, Nintendo of Europe isn't neglecting their download services. The Virtual Console gets a new one-off import game while WiiWare and DSiWare get a whole bunch of catchup titles, plus one completely new game. WiiWare: NEVES Plus: Pantheon of...
Thursday10th Jun 2010
Rumour Metroid: Other M to Reach Europe on September 24th
Just a few weeks after Japan
We fully expect to hear more about Samus Aran's Wii-bound adventure Metroid: Other M next week, but Spanish site Pikmin Squad has just posted a rumour stating the game may be on its way to Europe before the end of September. Citing an unnamed Nintendo distributor, the site claims that September 24th is the date gamers...
News Nintendo Sits Us Down for an Art Academy Compilation
Another one? The ink pot's deeper than we thought
With the nature of the DS touchscreen and stylus input, it's no wonder developers have tried to emulate the process of putting pen to paper in more ways than one. Whether it's drawing the path in which Link's boomerang will travel in, or more art-orientated implementations, it's certainly a fun and...
News Ivy the Kiwi? to be a Rising Star in Europe
Home of Japanese Games picks up Yuji Naka's latest
You've probably only just wiped away your tears of sadness following yesterday's introduction to the story of Ivy the Kiwi?, but you may now start weeping tears of joy with the announcement that Rising Star Games is bringing the title to Europe this Autumn. Developed by former Sonic Team head honcho...
Wednesday9th Jun 2010
Hardware Review VDigi VD-W3 Wii HDMI Upscaler
We take a look at VDigi's up-scaler device that aims to bring you a step closer to "Wii HD".
It's well documented that the lack of High-Definition (HD) doesn't affect the majority of Wii gamers, however there is a significant minority who eagerly await Nintendo's step up in the HD realm. VDigi have identified this specific Wii gamer and offer them a...
Review Music On: Electronic Keyboard (DSiWare)
Hits a few bum notes
The first in a new series of portable instruments from Abylight, Music On: Electronic Keyboard offers up a range of voices including pianos and clarinets, and accompanying styles, from reggae to polka, to create a simple musical keyboard you can access on the go. One of the first issues with a portable keyboard is space, and...
News Third Parties May Reveal Their Own 3DS Games at E3
Nintendo apparently giving thumbs-up to proceed
So far we've heard plenty of talk from third parties about how interesting the 3DS looks but naturally nobody's been able to say "look at our game, it's three-dimensional." The general expectation was that Nintendo would announce the 3DS and its own titles but that third-party games may take...
News 3DS Will Supposedly Not Use NVIDIA's Tegra Technology
Digital Foundry's sources 'corroborates' what was claimed by IGN's insiders
When rumblings of a new generation of handheld from Nintendo were first felt last year, there were reports of industry insiders leaking information on the 3DS hardware architecture. Claims of NVIDIA's Tegra chip being used in the 3DS are now being contradicted by Digital...
Rumour We May See a 3DS Animal Crossing Next Week
Chug chug chug goes the E3 rumour mill
You know the deal by now: until we have this confirmed, please treat the following as a rumour. Robot-worshipping games website Destructoid recently posted an intriguing piece of news, suggesting that one first-party launch title for the 3DS could be the next instalment in Nintendo's Animal Crossing franchise...
News Great Scott! Telltale Bringing Back to the Future to WiiWare
Our excitement level hits 1.21 Gigowatts
Telltale is a busy place to be at the moment: not only is it working on the recently unveiled Puzzle Agent, it recently acquired the rights to produce episodic Jurassic Park games, not yet confirmed for WiiWare but a good probability considering the company's past. Now we've learnt that the studio is also...
News Ivy the Kiwi? Story Might Make You Cry a Bit
Poor little lost bird
You may have heard Nintendo Life staff James Newton and Corbie Dillard discuss this title in the latest episode of the podcast, and Ivy the Kiwi? continues to gain momentum with new screenshots and details about the tiny bird's story hitting the 'net from US publisher XSEED Games. Developed by Let's Tap developer PROPE, headed...
News Kingdom Hearts Returns to DS with Re:coded
Square Enix and Disney collaboration continues
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days was released less than a year ago but Square Enix is already shouting about its next entry in the series, with Kingdom Hearts Re:coded heading to DS. Here's the official press release containing what little information we have: Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd./h.a.n.d...
News EA CEO Has Seen 3DS, Confirms It Is Cool
Take that, watertight NDA!
As the head of one of EA, one of the world's largest publishers, John Riccitello is very much an Important Man in the games industry. That said, it's no surprise he's been able to have a look at Nintendo's upcoming 3DS, nor that he's unable to say much about it. What he can tell you, though is that it's cool. It’s like...
News Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light Gets E3 Trailer
Showing the user interface, game environments and enemies
When Square Enix announced that Western gamers will be sampling the delights of the latest Final Fantasy game built for the DS, we could hear the dusting-off of robes and the clunking of armour from continent to continent. Now, we have a bit more to share with you as we take a look at the...
News DSiWare Gets a Little More Shoot 'em Up with Cosmos X2
Spaceships and bullets beckon
Sudoku, crosswords, solitaire: these fine pursuits are all well and good for those tranquil moments we all enjoy from time to time, but when you want to get stuck into some heavy duty blasting there aren't many options on DSiWare. Here comes Saturnine Games to introduce one more to the mix, unveiling its new 2D shoot...
News Final Furry Legends Trailer Wants to Scare You
It's not all cutesy furballs and spherical cows, you know
Fresh from yesterday's announcement that Furry Legends: Chapter One will be launching worldwide in July, Gamelion has sent over the final trailer to get your juices well and truly flowing. Whereas previous videos focused on the cutesy, more humorous elements, this final video makes you well...
News Nintendo Points the Finger at the Wii for the Drop in Handheld Sales
Lack of big sales due to big games?
With handheld sales in the UK reaching the lowest level in the last four years, the European MD at Nintendo, Laurent Fischer, has pointed the finger at a rather unexpected culprit. Fischer feels the Wii is responsible for the drop in DS sales, with its range of big releases hogging the limelight. Speaking to MCV,...
Tuesday8th Jun 2010
News Sims 3 for Wii Goes Multiplayer, Loses Construction Mode
Quizzes and preset houses for EA's life sim
On PC, The Sims games are sprawling simulators of life's big choices: ambitions, careers, a family and how to decorate your life in the most opulent fashion you can afford. The upcoming version of The Sims 3 on Wii will lose the last part as everybody's favourite chore simulator gets a refresh. A GamePro...
Feature Hyperkin Retron3 Console Review
The unholy three-in-one
Those of you with sharp memories will recall that we reviewed the Retro Duo console a few months back and were quite impressed with the system's power to grant new life to dusty old Nintendo cartridges. We've since been sent yet another of these "clone" systems to take a look at, but this time there's a twist - instead of...
Review Flips: The Folk of the Faraway Tree (DSiWare)
A classic book revisited
Following the release of The Magic Faraway Tree, EA's Flips series continues with a digital version of The Folk of the Faraway Tree. As with other games in the Flips series, there are sound effects played when certain words are tapped and finding coloured mushrooms throughout the book unlocks some interesting projects,...
News Get Your DSi XL in Sultry Midnight Blue, North America
New colour launches on July 11th
Last week Nintendo announced three new DSi XL colours for Japan in the form of bright green, yellow and blue, and it's safe to say opinion was divided. Nintendo of America thinks you'll appreciate its new colour rather more, announcing the machine will soon be available in Midnight Blue. Slinking into stores across...
Shiny 3D platforming comes to WiiWare
Everyone was impressed by the initial videos of Jett Rocket when they first came out, but they don't prepare you for the experience of playing the game itself. We were lucky enough to play a preview build consisting of the first area and it's probably safe to say that based upon our experience this could be the...
News Rune Factory 3 Will be Harvested for DS Later This Year
Natsume announces third part of Harvest Moon spin-off
Whilst our European readers are still waiting to play the second handheld instalment in the farming-and-fighting series Rune Factory – though Rising Star Games is bringing it to Europe in the coming months – Natsume has gone and jumped the gun by announcing the third entry, smartly titled...
News Jett Rocket Comes into Land Soon for 1000 Points
June 28th for North America, July 2nd in Europe
Yesterday we brought you the latest part of the Jett Rocket developer's blog and soon we'll have our First Impressions of the title, but until then tide yourself over with the news that the game is due for a release within the next few weeks for 1,000 Nintendo Points. Reaching North America on June...
News Furry Legends Fluffs Up WiiWare from July 5th
Updated: Worldwide launch planned for July at 1,000 Points
We've brought you plenty of Furry Legends content over the past few months, with our exclusive First Impressions from Poland and behind-the-scenes developer videos as well. If all this has whipped you into a furry frenzy, you'll soon be able to satiate that flufflust as the game will hit the...
Monday7th Jun 2010
News Capcom CEO Thinks 3DS Could Learn from Apple
Business model the key with upcoming handheld
Although nobody expects Nintendo to ignore boxed retail games with its 3DS handheld, the smart money is on the company announcing a greater focus on download titles than before. Capcom CEO Haruhiro Tsujimoto believes the system has the potential to introduce a new business model to the hardware...
Podcast Episode 16 - Get Ready for E3!
Corbie talks E3, Zach talks women and James just talks
Hold onto those hats, folks: E3 is just one week away, so to get you in the mood our own E3 attendee Corbie Dillard sat down with podcast editor James Newton to chat about 3DS, Zelda and some interesting surprises too. We also read your messages detailing your dreams for E3 and Zach Kaplan...
News Jett Rocket Blog Reassures You It's Not All About the Graphics
Jett's moves and why 60fps is key
The thrill of watching Jett Rocket in action is still very much present, but now we know the engine is in good shape it's time to delve a little deeper into what kinds of gameplay will await gamers when the game hits WiiWare in the near future. The latest developer's blog has just been posted to shed some light on...
News Get Your European Tangram on with Neves Plus Next Friday
Puzzle game finds its way across the pond at last
It's been so long since Neves Plus was released in North America – nearly a year, in fact – that we'd almost given up hope of ever seeing it reach Europe. It seems our faith needn't have wavered though, as Abylight has announced it's bringing the game, along with new subtitle Pantheon of Tangrams...
Nintendo Download 7th June 2010 (North America)
Disc golf, meerkat leading and fishing on the Wii; flames flips and lines on DSi this week in North America
DSiWare: Flametail (500pts - Nintendo) -- Originally featured as the "square" game in MaBoShi, Flametail expands the gameplay centred around touching blocks to burn them up by adding power-ups and different modes of play. We'll work...
News Official Dive: The Medes Islands Secret Gameplay Video
New footage of the game in action.
The kind folks over at Cosmonaut Games have just sent over the newest gameplay video of their upcoming WiiWare title Dive: The Medes Islands Secret in action. As you can see from this new video, the gameplay looks quite fluid and there seem to be quite a few different areas to explore throughout the game. You can...
News Marvelous Stops Working on New IP to Stay in Business
Japanese company wants to avoid aping Cing's fate
In a gaming climate where there arguably aren't enough new intellectual properties (IPs) hitting consoles, it's a shame to hear that a talented developer has to scale back its new ideas simply to stay alive, but that's the situation at Japanese company Marvelous. The company's last notable IP was the...
Sunday6th Jun 2010
Review Ben 10 Alien Force: The Rise of Hex (WiiWare)
Even Steven
The idea of a boy capable of transforming into wildly different forms, each with special abilities, is ideal fodder for game design: Kid Chameleon did it nearly twenty years ago, but Ben 10 Alien Force: Rise of Hex revives the template with a few welcome tweaks. In case you're unfamiliar with the titular hero, Ben Tennyson possesses a...
A demented good time
Dementium II, the sequel to 2007’s Dementium: The Ward, has many characteristics spawning from a mixture of the Resident Evil-style survivor horror sub-genre and a first-person shooter. You control your character in a first-person perspective through many creepy, unsettling locales, but it’s not your ordinary shooter: it has...
Feature The Making of Jet Force Gemini - Part Two
In the second and final part of our N64-themed making of, we look at the critical and commercial impact of one of Rare's best action titles
One of the most refreshing aspects of Jet Force Gemini was the way in which the player’s progression throughout the various levels was handled; initially, the only character available is Juno, but eventually...
News Vote for a Conduit Map to Return in Conduit 2
High Voltage wants your input
Promising to listen to your fans when revisiting a title and actually listening to them are often two totally different things, so it's cheering to see Conduit 2 developers High Voltage opening up a virtual voting booth, giving fans a chance to revisit their favourite maps from the original Conduit title. Head over to...
Saturday5th Jun 2010
Review Wild Guns (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Wild West or limp at best?
Whether the game had any influence over the film Wild Wild West is debatable, but what can't be denied is that the two have a similar, inextricable link between cowboys and steampunk. While the traditional steampunk time period might still be Victorian England in the late 19th Century, the setting for both is somewhat...
Review Flips: The Magic Faraway Tree (DSiWare)
Faraway but not over the hill
The latest in EA's Flips series of digital children's books, The Magic Faraway Tree is part of Enid Blyton's well-known Faraway Tree Stories, with other stories from the collection due to arrive in the coming weeks. As with other games in the Flips series, there are some interactive features to maintain your interest:...
News Gawp at these First Ever Screenshots of Sonic the Hedgehog
All the way from 1990
Twenty years ago, Sega showed off its bold new mascot for the first time at the Tokyo Toy Show. He may only have been two months old, but Sonic the Hedgehog was already walking and wagging his finger as these scans from 1990's EGM 13 show. Even with twelve months of its development cycle left, it's remarkable how much of the...
Rumour 3DS Could Rival PS3 and 360 in Power Stakes
Unnamed source talks power and internal chips
You could fit everything we currently know about the 3DS into a flea's rucksack, so when tantalising rumours come along it's our duty to report them, even when they seem too good to be true. IGN has recently posted an article referencing several unnamed developers that claim the console outstrips the...
News Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock to Feature All-New Story Mode
Activision re-designs the guitar controller (we wouldn't be surprised if it looks like an udder)
To an extent, as long as gamers are satisfied with the track selection on the Guitar Hero brand of games, they are probably more than happy to carry on buying the continuous stream of new instalments that keep the franchise alive. If you don't mind the...
News New Nintendo Video Reminds You Wii has Great Games
Four minutes full of core titles
Wii's reputation as a family-friendly, casual gamer's paradise is well-storied and not undeserved; claims it's devoid of great third-party core games, however, are less accurate, and Nintendo UK clearly wants to set the record straight with its new "Play Wii" promo video. Taking in everything from...
Put those backstage lighting skills to work!
Although some may argue that there are too many puzzle games on the Wii's download service, it's always nice when a developer shows us a fresh concept in the genre. Studio Walljump recently treated us to a near-release version of its upcoming WiiWare title Liight and after a bit of time exploring what it...
Friday4th Jun 2010
Review Robocalypse: Beaver Defense (WiiWare)
Dam good
Robocalypse: Beaver Defense has all the red flags of a stinker: a "crude humour" warning right when you boot up, a cartoony theme possibly chosen to draw in unsuspecting youths and a genre in which it's easy to cut corners. You might want to think twice before passing this one up, however, as this dam's actually quite sturdy. The...
Review Samurai Warriors 3 (Wii)
Learn some history and have some fun with real-life Japanese super-heroes
Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu: these are the names of some of the greatest figures of the Sengoku, or "Warring States," period in Japanese history, a time of civil war in which rival daimyo struggled for positions of dominance as they attempted to...
Review Hero of Sparta (DSiWare)
God of War for cheapskates
Gameloft is often panned for making games that look, play and feel similar to other titles, and its latest is no exception. Taking obvious inspiration from Sony's God of War series, this is a fairly linear 3D beat 'em up with a Greek mythology theme. As King Argos, who has washed up on a beach somewhere and lost his entire...
Review Animal Color Cross (DSiWare)
Picross with a twist
Despite there being so many different number-based puzzle games, some publishers seem to love putting nothing but Sudoku games on DSiWare. Nintendo has sadly not delivered a download for "A Little Bit of Picross DS" yet, so for now, this is the only game of its sort available on the service. Based on a fairly recent DS...
Review A Topsy Turvy Life: The Turvys Strike Back (DSiWare)
The Turvys strike out
Have you ever played a shoot 'em up title and wished that you could finally have a chance to be the bad guys, attacking with a constant barrage of swarming fighters and cannon fire onto the ship below? If so, Tecmo has just the unique shooter twist to scratch your itch. Now you can flip that DSi system upside down and command...
News First Sonic Colours Details Emerge
And the first "return to form" claim is right behind
The announcement of Sonic Colours for Wii and DS was a bit of a bolt from the blue (pardon the pun), with just a rendered trailer and short press release to go on. Now with the cat out of the bag the first proper information is starting to trickle through, with a Nintendo Power interview with...
News Mario Enters the Shuffle with Nintendo Playing Cards
Super paper Mario
In recent years, we've seen video game companies harken to their histories with such successful releases as New Super Mario Bros., Mega Man 9 and the Virtual Console itself. Always one to outdo themselves and the competition, Nintendo's set to top all of these by returning to what started it in the first place: playing cards. While...
News Street Fighter II Designer Bringing Earth Seekers to Wii
Ex-Capcom talent unveils new game
Noritaka Funamizu was a key player at Capcom during his time there, working on almost all of the company's biggest games, from Super Street Fighter II to Resident Evil and beyond. Since he left the company he's only really hit our radar with arcade title Super Dragon Ball Z. Well, those days are over as his latest...
News Rare Confirms It is Not Working on Activision's Rumoured GoldenEye Game
Not what fans want to hear
Rare was undoubtedly one of the brightest stars back in the Nintendo 64 era and with two top-quality first-person shooters alone tucked under its belt, a selection of compelling 3D platformers and of course, the much-loved Donkey Kong 64; it must have been difficult for Nintendo to let go and eventually sell its stake in...
News Rising Star to Bring Rune Factory 2 and More to Europe in Autumn
My World, My Way and Eldar Saga on the way too
European publisher Rising Star Games is responsible for bringing across some of the more original critically-acclaimed titles, localising feudal side-scrolling slasher Muramasa: The Demon Blade, monarchic masterpiece Little King's Story and most of the Harvest Moon series in recent years. Just before E3...
Nintendo Download 8th & 9th June 2010 (Japan)
WiiWare returns, yet another Neo Geo fighting game, DSi baseball and Ferraris next week in Japan
WiiWare: Kuma Nage ・Puzzle Hen: Piina no Suki na Akai Candy & Kuma Nage ・Puzzle Hen: Kiina no Kirai na Aoi Hōseki (1000pts - Square-Enix) -- Two related games which seem to be set in some kind of storybook world. From the description it's hard...
News Hudson Announces E3 Lineup
To include mysterious secret title...
Hudson Entertainment recently announced the list of games that it'll be showing off at the upcoming entertainment exposition which we know as E3. Their Wii lineup will feature BEYBLADE: Metal Fusion – Battle Fortress, Deca Sports 3, Oops! Prank Party and Lost in Shadow while for DS it'll be presenting...
Thursday3rd Jun 2010
One of DSiWare's best and most ambitious adventures yet
If X-Scape is any indication, Nintendo should encourage more developers to revisit the deepest depths of their back catalogue and make sequels to their obscurest of games. This here is the follow-up to the 1992 Japan-only Game Boy release X. The original was developed by Dylan Cuthbert's former...
Feature The Making of Jet Force Gemini - Part One
In the first of a two-part feature, we go behind the scenes on what is regarded by many as the N64's finest action title
Back in the late ‘90s being an N64 owner was a testing experience. Having to listen to your Playstation-owning chums constantly droning on about Lara Croft and Solid Snake was enough to put any Nintendo devotee in a bad mood,...
News Retro City Rampage to Cause Havoc on WiiWare This Fall
If you don't mind the time, go ahead and do the crime
Gamers have already had a taste of a Grand Theft Auto-style adventure game on DSiWare in the form of Car Jack Streets, and now it's time for its bigger brother to get a piece of the criminal pie as Vblank Entertainment has the release of its upcoming Retro City Rampage on WiiWare in sight. Set...
News Meet Charles Martinet at the Super Mario Galaxy 2 UK Launch Event
Dress up as Mario and you'll get a goody bag too!
As Nintendo gets ready for the UK launch of the highly-anticipated Super Mario Galaxy 2, gamers better sharpen their costume-making skills as the company announces a special launch event to be hosted at GAME, Oxford Street in London. As well as being the first people in Europe to play and get their...
News Free Photo Dojo is Nintendo's Way of Saying It Loves You
Free title a reward for you, DSiWare lovers
If you haven't grabbed the rather excellent Photo Dojo for your US DSi yet, you may be inadvertently spurning Nintendo's affections. Bill Trinen, a long-time translator who's worked on some of the company's biggest titles, says the game's free first month is a way to give back to supporters of the download...
News Hey WiiWare, Enjoy Your Massage
New muscle manipulation game inbound
Whilst we have a pretty good handle on Nintendo's download front these days, sometimes a company throws a curveball from so far out of left field it stuns even us, and it doesn't get much crazier than a massage game from the publisher of mobile pseudo-erotic title Emmanuelle Erotic Massages. Titled Enjoy Your...
News Nintendo of America has No Comment on DS Price Cut
European and Japanese drops still happening
Yesterday we revealed that the trade price of DS consoles is due to drop in the UK following a similar announcement for Japan, so naturally we were curious whether Nintendo of America would follow suit. Sadly it seems that, if they are, we won't be hearing about it just yet. A Nintendo of America...
Nintendo Download 4th June 2010 (Europe)
Beavers and Brains
Beavers and Brains on Wii, Books, Music, Upside-Down Puzzling and still more Sudoku on DSi this week in Europe. Retro fans will be disappointed at another week without a Virtual Console release, but hopefully we'll be seeing Wild Guns here soon. Otherwise it's mainly a catch-up week for Europe on Wii and DSi. WiiWare:...
News Super Mario Galaxy 2 Blitzes Original's Launch Sales Figures
Japanese launch shifts 340,000 copies in 72 hours
Super Mario Galaxy 2 has already been acclaimed as one of the greatest games of all time and the Japanese game-buying public certainly seems to agree, snapping up over 340,000 copies of the title in just three days. Outstripping the original's first week sales of just over 250,000, the stellar sequel...
Wednesday2nd Jun 2010
Review Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro (DSiWare)
Quality sudok... hey, where are you going?
Sudoku and DSiWare are seemingly inseparable at this point, so forgive our lack of shock when another incarnation of the numeric puzzle game peeks its head out from behind the bush of Nintendo's weekly downloads. What did surprise us, and pleasantly so, was just how nice of a package Telegraph Sudoku &...
News DSi XL Brightens Up with Three New Colours
Blue, yellow and green to reach Japan
With its enormous screens and somewhat muted colour palette, the DSi XL is very much aimed at the more distinguished gamer. What about a slightly brighter take on the portable, though? Well, Japan is about to get the first wave of new colours for the XL as these pictures show. Sticking to simple blue, yellow and...
Review Just Sing! National Anthems (DSiWare)
Off-key
How many national anthems can you sing? We're guessing you can comfortably sing your own country's anthem most of the way through, but you would probably struggle with any other country's. That's why the premise of Just Sing! National Anthems is so puzzling: a collection of five European anthems, you're unlikely to be able to – or even...
News You Can Watch Nintendo's E3 Presentation Live
Official site will stream at 9am PST on June 15th
You already know we'll have coverage from the E3 showfloor as well as all the news, screenshots and videos of the biggest titles throughout the day. But what if you want to feel closer to the action? Not only will we be running a live text update service to cover the announcements as they happen,...
News Kapow! New Batman Trailer is Both Brave and Bold
Holy hand-drawn animation!
Time to dig out that cape and tiny pants, readers: this new trailer for upcoming Batman adventure The Brave and the Bold is sending out the Batsignal into the night sky. Despite sounding like an American daytime soap opera, Batman: The Brave and the Bold is based on the cartoon series, putting players in control of the...
News UK DS Prices Could Tumble as Nintendo Cuts Trade Cost
No new colours on the way, sadly
Earlier today we reported that Nintendo is set to launch new DSi XL colours over in Japan, accompanied by a decent price cut on all DS lines. Now Nintendo UK has announced it'll be chopping down the asking price of every DS unit it sells to retailers, leaving the door open for cheaper consoles across the country...
News Nnooo Planning a Spirit Hunters Inc Just for the 3DS
"...hopefully containing some new gameplay features too"
It hasn't even been a fortnight since Nnooo announced its latest game that puts players in the shoes of a ghost-hunter and it seems that there's something more to look forward to as well. In a recent interview conducted by Cronogenesis, the founder of the Australian developer, Nic Watt, talks...
News This DS Game Includes Bespoke Cheese and Wine Guides
Only team-up with ELLE à Table makes that headline possible
With E3 just a matter of weeks away, all eyes are on Nintendo to see what innovative and exciting titles the company has planned for the next year and beyond. It's safe to say that nobody ever expected the company to announce a game that includes cheese and wine guides, but here we are on...
Tuesday1st Jun 2010
Review Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii)
Sand trapped
Ignoring the free-running, rather mouthy Prince from 2008’s HD Prince of Persia, The Forgotten Sands is set between Sands of Time and Warrior Within, playing as the expected combination of platforming showpieces, close combat and simplistic lever and button puzzles. As the Prince’s first original adventure on Wii, it has to be...
Review Art Style: Penta Tentacles (WiiWare)
Tentacular spectacular
The Art Style series certainly stands out as one of the safer bets in Nintendo's stable of downloadable software. These are puzzle games with a minimalist aesthetic and focus on simple gameplay; it's like the Tate Modern of gaming only with content and a price point that's accessible by everyone. Though given an unfortunate...
News Accio! Two Games Conjured from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Movies
Last wizard adventure to come in two parts
We haven't yet had Lego Harry Potter: Years 1 to 4 but fans of the boy wizard and whichever-of-his-friends-you-still-think-is-alive needn't worry about getting short-changed on the magic happenings this year, with EA and Warner Bros. announcing two new Potter titles are on the way. Based on the final two...
News 586 People Playing DS Earns Them a World Record
London's MCM Expo made history
What's the largest number of people you've ever seen playing DS at one time? Four? Ten? Thirty? Then this video will blow your mind. Okay, not really. Last weekend's MCM Expo in London was home to a Guinness World Record attempt by gamers to smash the record of "Largest Handheld Game Console Party", held by...
News Epic Mickey May Get a New Lick of Paint at E3
Rumours suggest graphics could change
It's been a few months since we last heard anything about Epic Mickey, the Warren Spector-led reinvention of the little mouse, but apparently that's for good reason. According to the latest Internet rumours, we could be seeing a very different Mickey emerge at E3 this month. Whilst the original artwork showed...
News Nintendo Connection to Tour Down Under
Get hands on with Super Mario Galaxy 2 in a few weeks
Gamers in Australia and New Zealand, we feel your pain: whilst North American gamers have had Mario's latest for a few weeks, and European fans get to play it in ten days time, you must wait a whole month from today to enjoy blasting off. Nintendo wants to ease that stinging feeling by bringing...
