News Mew Returns to Pokemon in HeartGold and SoulSilver
Catch the psychic one at last
Review Shantae: Risky's Revenge (DSiWare)
Stop reading now and go buy this game
News - October, 2010
Sunday31st Oct 2010
Be afraid. Be very afraid
Halloween is upon us. We've been celebrating Spook Month for the past thirty-one days, with reviews of frightening or fright-themed retro games every Friday and Saturday, and after a good bout of trick-or-treating or dressing up to go to Rocky Horror, we'll be sitting down to some of our favourites that make us cringe, jump...
Review Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals (DS)
A brilliant retelling of a classic RPG
When the original Lufia 2 was released on the Super Nintendo, it came rather late in the console's lifespan and with very little fanfare. Sadly, this meant that many gamers missed out on one of the true RPG gems to come out of the 16-bit era. Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals is a complete re-imagining of Lufia 2,...
Review Super E.D.F. Earth Defense Force ( / Super Nintendo)
Emergency on planet earth
Back in the 16-bit wars, the SNES was unquestionably the comfortable winner when it came to RPGs. Sega's Mega Drive (or Genesis, depending on where in the world you're reading this) was completely and utterly outclassed in this area, despite the presence of brilliant titles such as Shining Force, LandStalker and Light...
Review The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt (Super Nintendo)
The hunter becomes the hunted
Following their release of the first Super Nintendo Addams Family game, Ocean Software’s programmer, James Higgins, gave an interview to Super Play magazine to promote the development of their second, Pugsley’s Scavenger Hunt. He highlighted the fact that the arcade platforming feel of this sequel was initially...
Review Go! Go! Island Rescue! (DSiWare)
Go! Go! Get this game!
Don't you hate it when you're on vacation at a beautiful island resort and everything suddenly bursts into flames? Then you're in your hotel, trying to escape the inferno, while everyone else is running around like a bunch of twonks who don't know how to take care of themselves? Finally, firefighters eventually rush in and...
News Last Flight Gameplay Footage Lands at Long Last
Mythical WiiWare game appears
In development for years, Last Flight has been rather quiet of late, but Bloober Team has just been in touch to send over the latest gameplay footage and promotional artwork for the game with a short update on its status. The team is seemingly well aware of its game's reputation, judging from this cheeky portion of the...
Saturday30th Oct 2010
Review James Bond 007 (Game Boy)
Fun portable Bondage
As an MI6 agent with a license to kill, James Bond has obvious video game potential. One option is the first person shooter, as seen with the Nintendo 64's Goldeneye 007, but that's not the only choice. Released not long after Rare's classic, the simply titled James Bond 007 is a very different game, but there's still a lot of...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops Wii to Get Online Co-Op and Zombie Modes
Activision interview opens up
Call of Duty: Black Ops on Wii has been shrouded in secrecy for months, with next-to nothing concrete revealed, but now the game's senior producer Anna Donlan has spilled the beans on what gamers can expect on November 9th. The biggest news is arguably that the game will feature online co-operative play, including the...
Review Silent Hill Play Novel (Game Boy Advance)
Choose your own survival horror
A popular release for the Playstation in 1999, Silent Hill saw players take control of Harry Mason – following a car accident, he awakens to find that his daughter, Cheryl, has disappeared. Naturally, Harry sets off to find her, but it soon becomes apparent that there's something strange about the surrounding town...
Review Puzzler World 2011 (DS)
Puzzlingly good
You'd be forgiven for not being familiar with Ubisoft's Puzzler series. Based on an ongoing magazine, the first game saw release in 2008 as Puzzler Collection, which was then followed up by Puzzler World in 2009. The games contained numerous puzzle types ranging from crosswords and Sudoku to more obscure games such as Link-A-Pix and...
Features Bizarre Emails Sent to Nintendo Life - Volume 2
Back once more!
Our previous article, Bizarre Emails Sent to Nintendo Life was such a hit that we raided our email archives to find even more oddball requests, ranting users and people mistaking us for the Big N. The vast majority of these emails were sent before we published our previous article, to weed out any fame-seeking impostors. Read on and...
News Super Mario All-Stars Warps Straight to the Top of the Japanese Charts
25th Anniversary Edition starts off strong
While gamers in North America and Europe have to wait a little while longer before they can start snapping up copies of Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition, the game received its Japanese launch last week and has got off to a superb start. For the week ending 24th October, the game managed to...
Friday29th Oct 2010
What the macabre sixties sitcom were they thinking?
Uncle Fester of the Addams Family has to save the world from aliens in this cheap cash in on a beloved franchise. So, why is Fester's Quest so terrible? The reasons go on and on. This will remind you to go enjoy a nice day outside, play a board game or clean your kitchen. Any activity you could...
News Grab a Blue Classic Controller with Sonic Colours Down Under
And the figures too
The Sonic Colours Special Edition with the Wisp figures is all well and good, but what it's really lacking is an awesome blue Classic Controller. Thankfully now gamers down under can grab themselves a branded Classic Controller when the game launches later this year. Retailer JB Hi-Fi has the bundle available for AU$89.00, pretty...
News 3DS Shopping Channel Details and First Video Emerge
Demos and better organisation inside
We got our first glimpse of the 3DS's Shop Channel today courtesy of a Nintendo investors' meeting, and it looks like it'll offer a far better experience than its predecessors on DSi and Wii. Satoru Iwata explained the new shopfront as a cross between the Wii Shop Channel and the Nintendo Channel, combining...
News Here's 10 Minutes of Retro City Rampage Gameplay and Music
Download free bleep-bloops from the game written by Shantae, NBA Jam, NES death metal composers
If these soundtrack samples and new video for Retro City Rampage are anything to go by, it would seem that Vblank is barring no holds for what certainly is one of the most ambitious games yet for WiiWare. Vblank snuck us over a new ten-song soundtrack...
Exclusive Flipper 2 Announced!
Sequel with a twist!
We promised you the exclusive on Goodbye Galaxy Games' new title and here it is: Flipper 2 is on the way to DSiWare! It's not just going to be a rehash of the original Flipper, however, as this concept art shows. Not only that, there's a big twist: you can play the whole game with just one button. All of Flipper's moves can be...
News Japanese Virtual Console List - November 2010
Three more classics, and one not-so classic
Japan's doing its usual job of getting games just before everybody does: three of the games they're getting this month have already been officially announced for release elsewhere and will be coming in the next few months. The fourth game they're getting is more of a Japanese thing, and won't be too sorely...
Thursday28th Oct 2010
Woooo-ooh!
As part of our celebration week for the 30th Anniversary of the Famicom system, we'll highlight some key retro reviews to highlight the best of what the 8-bit system had to offer. Today we have DuckTales, and don't forget to click the Famicom banner on the homepage to see our content for this special occasion. Isn't it great when a...
Air traffic, controlled!
Managing time can be difficult: work, school, cleaning the house or anything else that you are compelled to spend your time on are usually no-brainers. You gotta do what you gotta do, though, and in Armada you gotta guide various flying vehicles to land safely on aircraft carriers in the middle of the ocean. The core of the...
News Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition Coming to U.S.
Cue the fireworks
It came to Japan. It came to Europe. Now, Nintendo has announced that the Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition will be heading to the United States on December 12th for a suggested retail price of $29.99. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., which
Pay the same, get less
Mahjong titles were strangely absent from all of Nintendo's download services for a long time, but this year there seems to have been a sudden explosion of them. This is about the fifth mahjong game we've had this year, so is there really anything new here? Probably the best of the previous offers has been Simply Mahjong. For...
News Top Smash Bros. Players Accused of Fixing MLG Match
Thrown out of tournament too
Playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl can be pretty competitive even if you're just playing with your friends, so imagine the pressure surrounding a match in the Major League Gaming circuit, the pinnacle of competitive gaming. The most recent MLG event saw two players supposedly succumb to such pressure, as Mew2King and ADHD...
News New Donkey Kong Country Returns Trailer Shows Mine Cart Madness
And plenty of other madness too, in fact
Two gorillas walking on a whale, hopping on hippos and riding a rocket barrel: it's all here in this new trailer for Donkey Kong Country Returns. Retro Studio's upcoming revival is looking pretty sweet, and it's not long until gamers can tussle with the apes: Donkey Kong returns on November 21st in North...
News Buying Ivy the Kiwi? Helps Save Real Kiwis
10p donated to Save the Kiwi Trust
You don't see many video games about kiwis, though this is Rising Star Games' second game to feature the flightless bird following DS romp New Zealand Story. The lack of kiwi-based games might be due to the increasing danger of extinction faced by its real-life counterpart, but if you want to do something about...
Another Nintendo Life venture launches!
Two months ago we launched Movemodo for PlayStation Move news and reviews, and now it's time to launch the next phase of our plan for world domination: KINECTaku! Focused entirely on Microsoft's new Kinect add-on for Xbox 360, Kinectaku will bring you the same quality coverage you've come to expect from...
Competition Rabbids Travel in Time Science Adventure (UK)
Rabbids. Science Museum. Sleep over. WIN.
To celebrate the release of upcoming Raving Rabbids In Time for Wii Ubisoft and Nintendo Life are proud to present a very special competition, we have three sets of tickets available, each set lets one winner plus two friends and a parent to attend a special Rabbids sleep over in the Science Museum. During...
Competition Win Ivy the Kiwi? for Wii (EU)
Europe's turn to snaffle up Ivy The Kiwi?
To celebrate the PAL release of the fantastically addictive Ivy The Kiwi? both Rising Star Games and Nintendo Life are pleased to offer our European readers the chance to win a PAL copy of the game for Wii. How to win? all you have to do is answer the simple question below. Good Luck!
News Nintendo & Capcom Team Up to Spook European Gamers With Ghost Trick
Phantom detectives to start their investigations from 14th January
Nintendo has confirmed that it has signed a distribution deal with Capcom for its upcoming European release of Ghost Trick Phantom Detective on the DS. It's not the first time Nintendo has stepped in to help out a third-party title; the most recent collaboration between the two was...
Wednesday27th Oct 2010
Exclusive Just Dance 3 to Land "Holiday 2011"
Try to contain your surprise
Have you been enjoying the recently released Just Dance 2? Then you'll be pleased to know that we've learned from an anonymous source that Ubisoft is already working on the follow-up, Just Dance 3, set for release in the holiday season of 2011. The game has been in planning since before Just Dance 2 was released,...
News Cartoon Network Mayhem in Upcoming 3DS "Battle Game"
Who would win, Dexter or Ben 10?
In the fighting game announcement everyone's been waiting, Crave Games has revealed it's working on a game for 3DS based on characters from the Cartoon Network. Due for release in Spring 2011, the game will feature characters from Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack, among others. The as-yet...
You can't stop the beat
Ubisoft's Just Dance came out of nowhere last year and was promptly the target of filth and excrement flung by the core gamer contingent, decrying it as yet another casual suck-fest as they put their controllers down between rounds of the Call of Duty. And that crowd wasn't entirely off base; to them, Just Dance seemed to...
Thursday28th Oct 2010
Review My Starry Night (WiiWare)
Star quality
Hudson's My Starry Night (or My Planetarium in North America) is very much the celestial cousin to their earlier WiiWare effort My Aquarium. It’s surprisingly informative, moderately entertaining and at a low enough price that it might entice you to take a trip through the heavens. The game contains three modes: Observation, Celestial...
Wednesday27th Oct 2010
News GoldenEye's New Tank Stage Goes Big on the Bangs
It turns out that St. Petersburg is more than a foggy maze
Only one more week to go before Eurocom's re-imagining of GoldenEye 007 hits North American shelves, and few things should get the hype train a-rollin' like watching Bond blow up the entire planet in a tank. The developers certainly aren't messing around when it comes to updating the tank...
News Nintendo Declares the Best Sin and Punishment Player Ever
Or something like that anyway
What better game to use in determining who can score the highest than one of the more difficult shooters available? Last month, Nintendo of America launched the official competition to find the nation's gamer who can score the highest on Sin and Punishment: Star Successor's third lev
Competition Win Call of Duty: Black Ops for Wii (UK)
Do you have time to kill?
Nintendo Life together with our friends at Argos are proud to offer three copies of the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops on Wii. As usual all you need to do is answer the cryptic question below to be in with a chance of winning. Winning entrants must have a valid UK mailing address to receive the prize. Good luck!
Nintendo Download 29th October 2010 (Europe)
Fishing, lasers, chicks, sleep and more
God bless the Nintendo download for bringing us another bounty of bizarre treats. If there isn't anything that tickles your fancy this week, we'd be very surprised. WiiWare: Reel Fishing Challenge II (Natsume, 500pts) – The follow-up to – you guessed it – Reel Fishing Challenge, this is a virtual...
News Goodbye Galaxy Games to Unveil New Game on Friday
And we'll have the exclusive!
If you played and loved Flipper on DSiWare, you might be eagerly anticipating the next game from developer Goodbye Galaxy Games. The good news is that you're about to find out what form it will take, and you can find out here first. Yes, we've teamed up with studio head Hugo Smits to bring you the first artwork and...
Tuesday26th Oct 2010
Features Things We Miss About the 8-Bit Era
It's the little things that count
Today, the virtual reality experience of the Wii is as immersive as Lawnmower Man director/writer Brett Leonard ever could have hoped, with Mario as real and in-person as an actual member of our family and special effects so vivid that we compulsively hold our breath during underwater levels. Okay, maybe things...
News Telltale's Back to the Future Not Coming to Wii
Neither disc nor download planned
We've been keeping you up to date with the development videos of Telltale's Back to the Future games, but a recent press release got us worried when it omitted Wii as a platform. We contacted Telltale and just received word that will upset many Wii-owning fans of Marty McFly's adventures. Alan Johnson, Telltale's...
News First Plants vs. Zombies DS Trailer Sprouts and Shambles
Popcap title in motion
We broke the news of Plants vs. Zombies coming to DS in August, but now Popcap has released the first trailer ahead of the game's release in January. With new achievements, a two-player versus mode and four brand new minigames, the trailer should allay fears that the game wouldn't justify its full retail price tag. It also...
News Zoonami: Nintendo Not Generating Enough Interest in Downloads
Bonsai Barber studio disappointed
Martin Hollis was director and producer on N64 shooters GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, but in more recent times his Zoonami studio created WiiWare hit Bonsai Barber, published by Nintendo. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Hollis speaks out about the support received from Nintendo, the service's fine...
News First Cave Story DSiWare Trailer Rocks
And we've got it inside, of course
The announcement that Cave Story is coming to DSiWare was pretty awesome news all around, and now we have the first footage of the game in motion to share with you. We'll also be bringing you more exclusive screenshots in the near future so check back soon for more Cave Story DSiWare coverage.
News How Telltale Games Approached Back to the Future: Episode I
Behind-the-scenes part III talks discusses new narrative ideas
Telltale Games is continuing the release of its behind-the-scenes videos on the upcoming Back to the Future series for WiiWare and the latest talks about how the production team stays true to the franchise yet strive to offer something that people who have yet to see the films will still...
News UK Dragon Questers Unite at These HMV Events
Exclusive events for Celestrians
If you haven't experienced Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies in its multiplayer mode, you're missing out. UK residents keen to leap into the game's social side can do so at selected HMV Gamerbase stores in collaboration with Nintendo of Europe. Attendees can take on Estark, nab an exclusive slime and...
Monday25th Oct 2010
Review Sengoku BASARA Samurai Heroes (Wii)
So many bad guys, so little fun
It's easy to think all hack & slash games are mindless and repetative in nature, but it doesn't have to be that way, as fans of the genre will know. Unfortunately, "mindless" and "repetitive" are the very words that spring to mind when writing this review, not because it's a hack & slash...
Review BIT.TRIP FATE (WiiWare)
You can't fight fate
If we've learned anything from the BIT.TRIP series, it's that you don't need a lot of flashy visuals or complicated mechanics to make a great game. The unique combination of old school arcade elements blended together with a host of musical rhythm overtones have given the series a look and feel all its own and made the titles...
News Super Mario Design Documents Reveal Guns, Rockets and Fighting
The Mushroom Kingdom was very different back then
We've only just recovered from the bombshell that Super Mario Bros. nearly had a shoot 'em up stage, but prepare for more shocks as original design documents show the path the plumber nearly took. Part of the History of Mario booklet contained in the Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition,...
Review Spot the Difference (DSiWare)
It's hard to spot the fun sometimes
Most of you will probably be familiar with the old game known as spot the difference. For those who aren't, it's generally meant for children and simply involves looking at two pictures side by side, an original image and an altered one, between which you have to find any differences. Now, Enjoy Gaming Ltd. has...
News Fils-Aime: Nintendo's Biggest Current Threat is Apple
Could Nintendo be taking Sony and Microsoft too lightly, or over-reacting to Apple?
It's strange that Nintendo would see Apple and its range of iOS devices as more of a threat than Sony or Microsoft and their stake in the home console and handheld markets. Reggie Fils-Aime, President at Nintendo of America has echoed the concerns of Satoru Iwata and...
News 65.3 Million Wii Remotes Waggling in the United States Alone
Averaging two for every Wii owner
It might well be the games that define a console, but where would we be without the controllers themselves? With the Wii Remote Plus and its built-in MotionPlus capabilities becoming the standard from 7th November, Nintendo has sent us a reminder of how well its predecessor has sold and we in turn want to let you...
Competition Tell Nintendo Europe a Story and Win a Trip to Kyoto
Share your love in video form
If you're a European Club Nintendo member and you want to share your love of Nintendo games with the world, you might want to grab your video camera and create a piece for Tell Your Nintendo Story, a new competition from Nintendo itself. You can record a video straight from your webcam or upload any pre-recorded video...
Nintendo Download 25th October 2010 (North America)
Meet your FATE!
October has been a good month for fans of downloadable games, with Shantae: Risky's Revenge, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and now BIT.TRIP FATE to round out the month with a bang. WiiWare: BIT.TRIP FATE (Aksys Games, 800pts) – The fifth BIT.TRIP title takes on another new genre: the shoot 'em up. With more of the same...
News Professor Layton Unwinds in UK Chart Top Five
Lost Future found
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future made its way to UK shores last Friday and enjoyed a strong launch weekend as the second-highest new entry in the chart at number 4. Wii Party slipped a pair of places to number 6, sandwiching Just Dance 2 at number 5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl made a surprise re-entry in the charts at number...
Sunday24th Oct 2010
Aww, snap!
If you think that there are all together too many puzzle games available on the DSiWare service, there is a good chance that you are right. It can be a bit overwhelming when there are so many great titles to choose from, but fortunately for you Snapdots has finally arrived in North America to make that choice a bit easier. This new, fun,...
Review Street Hoop (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Slam dunk or flagrant foul?
While many of the other consoles of the time were receiving a good variety of basketball offerings, the Neo Geo system was relegated to just one. Data East's Street Hoop passed over the traditional basketball experience in favour of a more playground-esque 3-on-3 style, complete with backboard shaking dunks and a wealth...
Review Racers' Islands: Crazy Arenas (WiiWare)
Racers' Islands is back to drive you mad
Crazy Arenas is the second in the Racers’ Island series of WiiWare games, and this time around, it takes the form of five multiplayer battle mini-games for you to compete in with your friends and enemies. Even the most cold-hearted person, however, wouldn’t wish this much tedium on another human being...
News Meet the New Voice of Marty McFly
Hello, butthead!
Telltale's Back to the Future game has the likenesses of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, but only the latter was able to lend his voice to the game too. The second behind-the-scenes documentary from Telltale explains how the company came to recast the role of Marty McFly. Well, sort of: it introduces you to the voice actor AJ...
News Nintendo's DS Line Out-Sells Competition in Mid-October
Gotta buy 'em all!
Japanese shoppers are still snapping up Nintendo's portable hardware more than any other range of systems as sales figures for the week ending 17th October shows the various DS models are top of the pile. Although Sony's PSP sold the most on an individual basis with 37,127 units, a total of 47,101 units of the Nintendo DS and all...
News THQ Expects Wii & DS Markets to Have a Strong Christmas Performance
Publisher to offer "Great Games, Great Value"
THQ recently showed its support for Nintendo's upcoming 3DS but it's not forgetting about the Wii or the DS in doing so. Jon Rooke, THQ's UK Managing Director has told GamesIndustry.biz that the company is confident that the Wii and DS market will bounce back from slum
Saturday23rd Oct 2010
Review Addams Family Values (Super Nintendo)
The Legend of Addams
When anyone drops a mention of licensed games, it's generally appropriate to tune out. With very, very few exceptions, almost every single game based on a movie, TV series, comic or what-have-you is mediocre at best, and frequently completely terrible. There are exceptions – everybody knows about classics like DuckTales and...
A charming little hole in the wall
WiiWare is no stranger to the puzzle genre, offering up classic experiences like Tetris Party and Dr. Mario alongside more unconventional titles like the Art Style series. Nintendo's latest title, ThruSpace, hopes to try something new to stand out in the sizable crowd. How does it do it? By combining the shape...
Review Academy: Tic-Tac-Toe (DSiWare)
Tic-Tac-Tolerable
DSiWare is already host to numerous pen and paper games, but out of all of them, Tic-Tac-Toe has got to be most pointless thing imaginable to put into virtual form. Nobody should need an introduction to what Tic-Tac-Toe is. You have a grid of 3 by 3 squares, and you and your opponent take turns filling one square at a time with...
You tell us why you loved that 8-bit magic machine
To help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NES's North American debut, we asked you to send in your favourite memories with that machine, and you delivered. We apologise to those whose letters we unfortunately were unable to find a place for, but whether you made it into the article or not, it's...
News Go Behind the Scenes with Back to the Future: Episode I
Part one of the making of Episode I
Telltale's Back to the Future game captured the imagination as soon as it was announced, and now we have the first behind the scenes footage to reveal concept art, character models and a little bit about the game's plot. This is just the first part of a series of behind the scenes videos, with the promise of...
Friday22nd Oct 2010
Review The Addams Family (Super Nintendo)
Morticia's marooned in a maniac mansion
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Manchester-based Ocean Software became synonymous with movie licensed games and established themselves as the go-to developer for Hollywood. They delivered their software on the home computers that were flourishing at the time and handled a huge list of movie...
News NBA Jam Exclusive to HMV in UK
Only available from the dog
If you've been waiting anxiously to pick up EA's NBA Jam revival in the UK, you're going to want to heed His Master's Voice and head to your local HMV, as gaming's other purple retailer has nabbed the game as an exclusive. Not only does this mean you won't be able to find it in-store at Gamestation or Game, you can't buy...
News Purple Power Unveiled in Latest Sonic Colours Trailer
The power is... smashing things up
Have you been keeping count of the Wisp powers unveiled for Sonic Colours so far? We've lost count by now, but we can add one more to that number with this latest trailer unveiling the purple Wisp that grants Sonic the power of frenzy. It seems the Wisp transforms the hedgehog into some kind of huge-jawed animal,...
News chick chick BOOM Blows Up WiiWare Next Week
Costs 800 Points
It looks like chick chick BOOM is just about ready to hatch, as developer tons of bits has announced the game will take flight on WiiWare next Friday, October 29th, for 800 Points. To celebrate the announcement, there's a brand new trailer showing off the game's ship environment including a giant enemy crab, making it a winner in...
Thursday21st Oct 2010
Learn our shocking pasts
To continue our celebration of 25 years of NES, the staff's gathered around the campfire to share their favourite memories of that little dream machine. Not everyone could make it to the party, unfortunately, but we're sure that those who couldn't had good reason to stay home. Join us now as we lay bare our souls to you and...
Review Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow (DS)
Forever in the shadow of other RPGs
Awakened Shadow is the third RPG game in Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Blue Dragon series. Developed at Mistwalker Studios, this iteration also marks the third completely new gameplay style after the turn-based tactics of the original and the RTS stylings of Blue Dragon Plus. Awakened Shadow has a more real-time action...
News EA Builds Sims 3 Trailers for Wii and DS
Get ready to meet your new family
The Sims is quite popular, apparently. Popular enough for Electronic Arts to bring the nonsense-speaking humanoids back to Wii and DS in the form of The Sims 3. Both consoles will receive bespoke versions of the virtual life simulator, each with its own modes, challenges and objectives. The Wii version is set to...
News Red Wii and DSi XL Coming Stateside on November 7th
Roll up, roll up!
Those of you holding your breath for North American release confirmations of the Red Wii, red DSi XL and Wii Remote Plus, you can breathe out now Coming Stateside on November 7th, the red Wii comes with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Sports and a red Remote Plus and Nunchuk, but like its European counterpart doesn't come with...
News Soccer Up! Revives Arcade Football for WiiWare
Like Sensible Soccer, but with Miis
There's a real shortage of sports games on WiiWare, or quality ones at least, but the real surprise is that there's not a single soccer game available on the service so far. EnjoyUp wants to change that, with its upcoming Soccer Up! bringing fast-paced football to the service for the first time. Formerly known as...
News New Golden Sun Trailer Light on Talk, Big on Excitement
Summons, battles and... Kraden?
With Golden Sun: Dark Dawn around six weeks away from the Western world, there isn't long left until we can get to grips with Camelot's newest RPG, its first in seven years. This trailer might just make that wait a little harder to bear, showing off as it does some of the new Summons, Psynergies and a returning...
Wednesday20th Oct 2010
Review Miffy's World (WiiWare)
Bunny business
Some of you may already be familiar with Miffy. Originally starting off as a children's book by Dutch author Dick Bruna in 1955, the story is based around the small, female rabbit called Miffy and has since spawned a very successful children's series of books and cartoons. So, in a similar fashion to The Very Hungry Caterpillar's...
Review Music On: Playing Piano (DSiWare)
Slightly off key
Abylight's Music On: Playing Piano is the fifth musical outing from the Spanish developer, and one that takes a slightly different approach to its predecessors. In some ways that works out to its credit, but without the fun of free play it comes out slightly behind others in the series. Whereas Music On: Learning Piano gave the...
News Mario Anniversary Screensaver and Pins Arrive at Club Nintendo
Get ready to cash in your coins
If you've been hoarding away your Club Nintendo coins in the hope that something awesome would come to Club Nintendo in celebration of Super Mario Bros.' 25th anniversary, take a look at these new updates and see what your coins will net you. You could spruce up your computer with the "Evolution of Mario"...
News Drool at this Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright Trailer
Such lovely animation
You know when Level 5 is involved you're going to get some high quality animation, but this animated trailer for the upcoming Professor Layton & Phoenix Wright crossover for 3DS is possibly the studio's best work yet. Why? Because it features more top hats, finger-pointing and Objection!-shouting than anything we've ever...
News Super Mario Bros. Nearly Had a Shoot 'em Up Stage
Before fireballs came bullets
You might know enough about Super Mario Bros. to win our 25th anniversary competition, but did you know a shooting stage was planned for the game? A Famitsu interview with Shigeru Miyamoto reveals that using Mario's original controls, pressing Up would jump, with B to dash and A to fire bullets, before the team settled...
Nintendo Download 22nd October 2010 (Europe)
Nice and early this week
Europe comes through with a bumper crop of downloadable delights for release this Friday. Shall we see what they are? WiiWare: My Starry Night (Hudson, 500pts) – Known as My Planetarium in North America, this is essentially My Aquarium for stargazers, with around 20,000 stars, planets, asteroids and more for your...
News If You Cross Mario with Twitter, You Get Super Twario
Cutesy client makes Twitter a game
We can all agree that Super Mario Bros. has made a big influence on gaming, but social networking? Not so much. Until today that is, with a new Mario-inspired Twitter application now on the iPhone. The bunny-hopping Super Twario client launched on the App Store today, turning the social messaging site into a...
News Australia, Count Your Blessings - You Get Wii Remote Plus Soon
And an appropriate game, you lucky so-and-sos
Hey Australians – fed up of getting the short end of the stick when it comes to prices, availability, release dates? We know. Now you can rejoice as Down Under is set to receive Wii Remote Plus before Japan and Europe, with no North American release currently confirmed. From 28th October the standard...
News THQ Shows Its Support by Bringing Multiple Titles to the 3DS
One of which will be a new brand
It's not only the gamers that are excited by the 3DS, it's the developers and publishers too. THQ has expressed its eagerness to supply titles for the handheld system by revealing various projects it has in store back at the E3 expo. Some were surprised to see franchises like Saints Row as one of the upcoming titles...
Tuesday19th Oct 2010
Features NES Homebrew Is Where The Heart Is
How two indie developers are keeping the system kicking after all these years
It’s nigh impossible to overstate the importance of the Nintendo Entertainment System in video game history: its popularity pretty much single-handedly revived the home game console market in the US, which had crashed a few years before the NES’s October 18th, 1985...
Review Kidz Bop Dance Party! The Video Game (Wii)
Your children would prefer a spanking
As a franchise, Kidz Bop is a strange one. While compilations of popular dance songs are nothing new, Kidz Bop releases are actually compilations of covers of dance songs, all performed by a troupe of prepubescent moppets whose voices are auto-tuned and otherwise processed until they arrive, indistinguishable...
Review GO Series: Pinball Attack! (DSiWare)
No extended play here
Pinball Attack! is perhaps the most interesting game in the GO Series yet. Developed by ArtePiazza, who has already worked on well-liked titles such as Opoona and several Dragon Quest games, we were expecting the 500 DSi Point price to be more than justified. Unfortunately, this did not turn out to be the case. Many different...
Interviews Frozen Codebase - Jam City Rollergirls
Jammers, blue shells and water bombs - welcome to roller derby
Some games have thrilling stories of inspiration: a childhood nightmare overcome, fresh eyes on a new hobby. Jam City Rollergirls does not have quite such noble origins: it's the offspring of the fast-paced sport of roller derby and lots of drinking. We chatted to developer Frozen...
News Walmart Leaks Red DSi XL Package for America
Then sort-of rescinds it
Oh, the treacherous life of an Internet video games retailer. You need only put something online for mere seconds and it's already been documented, disseminated, dissected and discussed by the ever-hungry gaming audience. Such is the fate of Walmart this week, who advertised the limited edition red DSi XL ahead of any...
News Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton Team Up on 3DS
Dream match never ends! And so on
Get ready to pit your wits against two of the smartest characters ever to grace a Nintendo handheld: Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton are set to match up on 3DS. Officially called Professor VS Gyakuten Saiban, at the moment very little else is known, but it'll apparently be a combination of crime mystery and...
News Flipnote Studio Celebrates Mario's 25th Anniversary
Get animated
What better way to pay tribute to the moustachioed man himself than with a bit of hand-drawn animation? That seems to be the thinking at Nintendo, as it's recently launched a new festival for Flipnote Studio asking artists to create animations based on the plucky plumber. To help out, Nintendo's even offering two audio samples that...
News Level-5's Time Travelers to Materialise on the 3DS
Shots accompany a company announcement
Level-5 sure knows how to tease, doesn't it? First there was the rather cryptic announcement that a new game had started development. Then there was the webpage that contained a single piece of artwork that only raised more questions than it provided answers. When will we actually get some kind of solid details...
News Broken Rules Feels Let Down by Nintendo's Online Strategy
Co-founder Felix Bohatsch explains the issues he has with the Wii Shop Channel
Let's face facts: Nintendo could have implemented a more robust online service for the Wii. If not only for the gamers, then at least for developers and itself. Ironically, limitations are probably what encourages alternative gaming concepts but no one wants to work with...
Monday18th Oct 2010
News Netflix Channel Now Available From Wii Shop
System update brings native app to North American subscribers [UPDATED]
Prepare a cool, condensation-laden drink next time you sit down to watch Netflix on your Wii, because that disc formerly required to stream videos has now become a stylish new coaster. Beating even the regularly scheduled Nintendo Download to the punch today, a native...
Interviews Epicenter Studios - Rock of the Dead
House of the Dead meets Rock Band meets Neil Patrick Harris. Thoughts and new screenshots revealed
Sometimes, a game comes along that makes you say "Why didn't I think of that?" – right after you marvel at how cool it is, of course. Rock of the Dead, the upcoming title from independent studio Epicenter, is just one such game. Imagine, if...
Competition Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary (NA)
Win yourself one of 25 NES games
To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and the 25th Anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System's release in North America, we thought we would do something different. We've scraped together 12,500 Wii Points so that we can give 25 lucky readers (yes, 25) a free 500-point NES game (of their...
News Wii Party Leads Nintendo Chart Climb
This just in: Nintendo advertising campaign works
Never let it be said that teaming a completely harmless boyband with a family-friendly video game doesn't work. Kiddie favourite boppers JLS have clearly been doing sterling work in promoting Wii Party, as the game leaps six places to number four in the UK chart. With the exception of re-entries, the...
News We Celebrate 25 Years of NES
We're throwing a hootenanny, and you're invited
Today is the 25th anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System's North American debut, and we're celebrating in style. This week, you can look forward to a menagerie of features that hearken back to the olden days of 8-bit glory. Twenty-five years ago today, every New Yorker sensed something magic...
News Hudson Has Six 3DS Titles In Development
Bonk, Omega Five, and Tetris due in 2011
Hudson's been keeping pretty quiet on the 3DS front since it pledged its support for the machine back in June at the E3 expo. Initial announcements of the Bomberman, Deca Sports, and Kororinpa franchises are now beefed up thanks to an additional three titles that have been added to the company's Japanese...
Nintendo Download 18th October 2010 (North America)
Happy holidays and mystic quests
The past two weeks have seen high profile downloadable releases in both shapely and spiny forms, so whilst this week lacks a true flagship title it does offer two new Nintendo-published titles and the scheduled Virtual Console download. WiiWare: ThruSpace (Nintendo, 800pts) – Formerly known as the far more...
News Space Ace ESRB Prepped to Enter the DSiWare Dimension
More nostalgic cartoon action on the way for portable players
Don Bluth's Laserdisc classic Space Ace has been given the official ESRB treatment, which means that fans of full motion video arcade gaming will be able to play it on the DSi consoles in the not-too-distant future. We've already seen the likeable Dragon's Lair on DSiWare, and a trilogy...
News Konami Has a Quartet of Franchises Heading to 3DS
Contra, PES, Metal Gear Solid and... Frogger
That long list of third-party 3DS titles contained plenty of mouthwatering prospects from countless publishers, but one title that particularly stood out was the prospect of a new Contra title from Konami. Now the Japanese firm has announced it'll be bringing the run-and-gun epic to Europe, alongside...
Sunday17th Oct 2010
Review Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)
A game that truly lives up to its name
Kirby has enjoyed success on Nintendo's various portable systems in recent years, but he hasn't shown up in a game of his own on a home console since his Nintendo 64 adventure Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards back in 2000. Nintendo obviously took notice of this when it put Good Feel Games on the task of creating a...
Review G.G Series: Super Hero Ogre (DSiWare)
An exercise in frustration
In late August, the North American DSiWare service saw the release of Genterprise's G.G Series: Ninja Karakuri Den, the first title in its G.G Series of games to make it across the ocean from Japan. Now, two months later, the second instalment in the series of inexplicably titled games has made it stateside as G.G Series:...
Spectrackular
Mention the name TrackMania to any console gamer and barely anyone will know what you're talking about. Mention it to hardcore PC gamers, however, and there's a good chance they'll regale you with stories of what is perhaps the best racing series out there. For those unfamiliar with the series, it's not really a pure "racing"...
News Jam City Rollergirls Screens and Video Skate In
WiiWare gets physical
Jam City Rollergirls could be one of WiiWare's biggest breakout hits: roller derby has a fanatical, rapidly expanding fanbase, and the revelation of this WiiWare roller derby title generated plenty of interest outside the usual download audience. Now we have the first screenshots and footage of the game in action, that interest...
News GoldenEye Storyline Trailer Takes Us Behind the Scenes
Plot lines, tanks, and more!
When GoldenEye 007 launches next month, it will undoubtedly offer gamers a lot that wasn't available in the Nintendo 64 original. Online play might be taking the centre spotlight, but the game's narrative will also play an important part in James Bond's 2010 return. Bruce Feirstein, screenwriter for the GoldenEye film,...
Saturday16th Oct 2010
Review Resident Evil 2 (Nintendo 64)
The horror continues
Leon Kennedy's having a tough first day at work. As with every new job, there are new people to meet and new challenges to face – namely, zombies and killing said zombies. Capcom's Resident Evil 2 follows two concurrent storylines: that of Leon, a police officer, and Claire Redfield, who's in town to investigate the...
News This Plush Donkey Kong Can Be Yours Down Under
For a price, of course
Live in Australia? Excited about Donkey Kong Country Returns? Of course you are. If you want your excitement rewarded in the form of a cuddly Donkey Kong plush, it might be time to visit your nearest GameTraders and plonk down a pre-order. Yes, soon you can gaze wistfully into the ape's eyes, though how soon we do not know as...
More Impressions Super Meat Boy
A game with a lot of Meat on its bone!
For anyone that's followed the independent gaming scene over the years, you know all too well how much talent and creativity many of these games feature. And now with digital download services like Nintendo's WiiWare and Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade, many of these indie developers are finally getting the chance...
News Wii Remote Plus Launching in Europe Before Japan
Same colours though
It's usually a given that most Nintendo products will launch in the Motherland first before any other region, but European gamers might want to rejoice as the Wii Remote Plus will be launching in Europe on 5th November, about a week before it launches in Japan. The Wii Remote Plus has the MotionPlus built-in and has the same...
News Time to Nurture a Few Animal Resort Game Details
If by chance we raise a camel with no humps, we're calling it Humphrey
Whilst it's easy to get carried away with games we'd like to see on the upcoming 3DS system, let's not forget about the games that are actually confirmed from developers. The 3D handheld has far from failed to get us hyped about action-orientated games, but what of the more...
Friday15th Oct 2010
Review Resident Evil (GameCube)
Possibly the best in the series
In many ways, the GameCube remake of Resident Evil marks a return to where it all began. The original PlayStation release popularised the budding horror survival genre, and the events that took place at the mansion were, for a time, at the centre of the series' universe. The moment that gamers boot up the GameCube...
News Gamers Can Now Pre-Order the Limited Edition Red DSi XL
If value for money had a colour, could it be red?
Earlier this week we brought you news that in celebrating the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., Nintendo will be bringing the limited edition red DSi XL to Europe and now we have word of how much it will set back euro gamers too. Asides from the pre-installed A Little Bit of... Dr. Kawashima's...
News The DS Isn't Just for Gaming, It Can Help With Shopping Too
Turning visits to the supermarket into a real-time strategy game
What makes technology so marvelous is the multitude of tasks we can get a single piece of hardware to do. Single women (and men, we suppose) can probably find more than one use for an electric toothbrush, drivers prone to getting lost can use their phone to make calls as well as...
News Tap Into Details of Super Street Fighter IV 3D's Touchscreen Controls
Like a programmable pad, but flatter
Hardened Street Fighter II veterans may remember the days of programmable pads and the arguments that arose from their use in even the most casual of competitions. Essentially these pads let you "record" button inputs, making it easier to perform complex moves with a tap of a single button. Upcoming 3DS...
News FlingSmash with Wii Remote Plus Bounding to Europe
November 19th in fact
The leaked FlingSmash boxart led to a later confirmation of the existence of Wii Remote Plus, and now we know the date when European gamers can get their hands on the game and device: November 19th. The game will come with the black Wii Remote Plus, but there's no official word on how much the bundle will cost at retail. We'll...
Thursday14th Oct 2010
Review Ivy the Kiwi? Mini (DSiWare)
Ivy the Kiwi? light
After spending years helping Sega create some of its most popular console releases during the Mega Drive and Saturn eras, Yuji Naka decided it was time to form his own development studio. His main goal was to create gaming experiences that appealed to a much broader audience. No better title could sum up this goal more perfectly...
News Cave Story Update Now Available
Bugs in WiiWare platformer have been zapped
Owners of Cave Story might remember that the game had a few minor glitches in its original release, but the nice folks at Nicalis have addressed these issues and the game can now be updated via the Wii Shop Channel. Some of the issues addressed are: Menu screen cleaned up: No longer "glitchy rotating...
News Brush Up on Your Super Mario Bros. Glitches, Tips and Tricks
Nintendo gives a round-up of classic moments
Some of these Super Mario Bros. glitches will be familiar to experienced gamers, but some might reveal hitherto unknown secrets about the little plumber's big adventure. Witness a tiny Mario using the Fire Flower, Koopa Troopas walking in mid-air and plenty of other little oddities that may shed new light...
News Fans to Have Direct Input in Mega Man Legends 3 Project
Capcom reveals what this "project" entails
When Capcom announced that they were working on a Mega Man Legends 3 project for 3DS, we took this to mean that the name of the upcoming game had yet to be decided. It's now been revealed that the word means much more; as Capcom's website explains, "'Project' is in the title for a reason." As...
News You Can Soon Tickle the Ivories in Music On: Playing Piano
Friday for Europe, Monday in North America
Having already learnt the instrument in Music On: Learning Piano, now you can enjoy simply playing it in Music On: Playing Piano. Out in Europe tomorrow and reaching North America on Monday, your 200 Points earns you fifteen songs and knowledge of the necessary notes to play them yourself. The press release...
News Details of Doctor Who Titles Emerge from the TARDIS
Two titles totally different
The upcoming Timelord adventures Doctor Who: Return to Earth for Wii and Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth for DS are expected to make their way to Europe in four weeks, so it's a little odd we know nothing of either title barring some screenshots. Worry not, as the Official Nintendo Magazine has unearthed a few nuggets of...
News New Donkey Kong Country Returns Screenshots Beat their Chests
Ape action incoming
Donkey Kong Country Returns is Retro Studio's take on the graceful gorilla's platforming antics, and judging from our E3 First Impressions it's going to be a cracker. These new screenshots from Nintendo certainly prove it won't be a slouch in the graphics department too. The shots show off the game's two-player co-operative mode,...
News New Conduit 2 Trailer Suitably Full of Bombs, Bullets and Bombast
Let the action commence
Conduit 2 will launch in February, but you can get yourself all geared up in advance with this new trailer showing off some of the new weapons and arenas available in the upcoming sequel. Conduit 2 looks like maintaining the prequel's reputation for outstanding graphics: if it can improve on some of the things The Conduit got...
News Conduit 2 Ready for Action in February 2011
Sega makes a date
The news of Conduit 2's delay until 2011 was met with more understanding than usual: any time spent polishing the promising FPS should be welcomed. Now Sega has announced the game will make its big entrance in February 2011, with support for PDP's Headbanger headset alongside a dual analogue control scheme for Classic Controller...
News Racers' Islands: Crazy Arenas Takes Aim at WiiWare Next Week
Zallag's driving follow-up on the way
Okay, so Racers' Island: Crazy Racers didn't quite live up to our expectations, but next week sees combative successor Racers' Islands: Crazy Arenas swerve to Europe for a more reasonable 800 Points. Essentially transplanting the game's drive-and-shoot gameplay to an arena setting, it still supports 8 player...
Friday15th Oct 2010
Nintendo Download 15th October (Europe)
Sonic returns, and brings some other stuff
As was previously announced, today sees the anticipated European release of the first episode of Sonic the Hedgehog 4. It's accompanied by the next titles in the GO and Music On series, as well as some other stuff. Unfortunately, there's no Virtual Console game, but that's to be expected now! DSiWare: GO...
Thursday14th Oct 2010
News Unconventional Camera Work will Capture the Action in Last Story
Making sure the game remains exciting
Following the revelation that Mistwalker's latest game – Last Story for the Wii – will be hitting Japanese shops in January 2011, the second half of the Iwata Asks column dedicated to the RPG has now been published on Nintendo's Japanese site. The game's director and Misterwalker CEO Hironobu Sakaguchi, and...
News BIT.TRIP FATE Coming October 25th
CommanderVideo fires up for fifth entry in the series
The nice folks at Gaijin Games have just announced that their fifth entry in the popular BIT.TRIP series BIT.TRIP FATE will be hitting the North American WiiWare service on October 25th and will only set you back a paltry 800 Wii Points. "BIT.TRIP FATE is like the Empire Strikes Back of the...
Wednesday13th Oct 2010
Review Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (DS)
As challenging as it is charming
Having already had success with its two previous Final Fantasy DS remakes, Matrix Software decided to take a fairly different approach for the brand new and completely original Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light. While some of the basic gameplay elements were carried over, the game received a fairly significant...
News This Lego Wii Remote Won't Brick Your Wii
Build it up, tear it down
Wii Remotes are coming in all colours and configurations these days: the Wii Remote Plus with MotionPlus built-in, the red Remote with this red Wii, this upcoming Tron Remote. What if none of these take your fancy, though: what are you supposed to do then? Build you
News Black Ops Wii Headset Beats Game to Retail Shelves
PDP Headbanger gets Black Ops upgrade
Remember the PDP Headbanger USB headset, the Wii's first? Due to coincide with the release of Conduit 2 this month – the game now sadly delayed until 2011 – the headset is now getting a black lick of paint to promote the upcoming charts steamroller Call of Duty: Black Ops. The headset itself is identical to...
News We May See More Undead DS Shooters Thanks to ZombieZ Seeker
7 Raven Studios is bucking the trend
The majority of first-person shooters might require gamers to shoot at soldiers but Zoo Games is bucking the trend with its upcoming zombie-orientated on-rails shooter for the Nintendo DS. The creator of relatively low-key Wii and DS games has an upcoming handheld title called ZombieZ Seeker which has been rated...
News Enter Miffy's World for 1000 Points this Friday
Cute little bunny gives WiiWare a hug
That lovable white bunny Miffy is about to give us a glimpse into what life's like as an adorable children's character when Miffy's World comes to WiiWare this Friday for 1000 Nintendo Points. Players control Miffy, of course, undertaking a range of errands including delivering party invitations, building a bird...
News Japanese 3DS Surveys Reveal Awareness Low, Price Too High
Not a winning combination
There's just four months until the 3DS lands on Japanese shores, so you'd expect the excitement to be mounting in the Land of the Rising Sun. Two surveys have uncovered intriguing information however, which may not be good news for Nintendo. The first survey by Macromill polled 1,000 people, with 56% responding to say they...
News Harvest Moon and Little King's Story Creators Join Grasshopper
Suda51, Kimura and Wada create new dream team
Goichi Suda's Grasshopper Manufacture should need no introduction to fans of Japanese gaming: its No More Heroes series has attracted plenty of praise from gamers across the world. Former Marvelous Entertainment men Yasuhiro Wada and Yoshiro Kimura, while not necessarily such familiar names, have both...
News Stand Back, This chick chick BOOM Video is About to Go Off
Duck and cover
chick chick BOOM is notable for two things: one, a fast-and-loose approach to capital letters, and secondly for offering the cutest virtual chicks this side of Sexy Poker. Developer tons of bits has just sent over the first gameplay video that shows off the intriguing turns-based battle system in action. Taking a few cues from Worms,...
Tuesday12th Oct 2010
News Mew Returns to Pokemon in HeartGold and SoulSilver
Catch the psychic one at last
Remember when you first played Pokémon and your friend showed you the amazingly rare Mew, Pokémon #151 when 150 was a big deal? Now you can relive those glorious days again in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver as you'll be able to catch the cutesy Psychic-type monster from Friday. Mew is being released to commemorate...
Review Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (WiiWare)
After 15 years, 16-bit is back
The drums are perfect. That's the second thing you notice about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, right after Sonic runs past the Sega logo to the classic 16-bit "Say-gah!" sample. Anyone who's ever played a Sonic game will start to smile: it's off to a perfect start. That start builds momentum quickly. Splash Hill is a...
Come on and slam, and welcome to the Jam
You’d be forgiven for looking at this fall’s Wii release calendar and thinking you had stumbled out of a time machine set for 1997. Between all of the new 2D revivals starring some of gaming’s all-time classics and a new, old Bond movie adaptation, there's almost no time to see whether the Fresh Prince...
News Wisdom Tree's NES Catalogue Now Available to Play Online
Notable Christian software seller unleashes its brand of spiritual justice to retro net users
Wisdom Tree is a company that holds a special place in the history of the NES. Born from Color Dreams - one of the first firms to successfully bypass Nintendo's notorious NES lock-out chip - the company made a name for itself by releasing mostly terrible...
Review Triple Jumping Sports (WiiWare)
Jumping? In a video game?! Now we've seen everything!
Wading in to review this third entry in an already less than impressive series, it's fair to say that our expectations were not very high. Therefore it could be seen as some kind of accomplishment that Triple Jumping Sports still managed to not live up to them. If you've played either of the...
News Sonic Colours DS Includes Leaderboards and Online Multiplayer
Wii gets leaderboards too
We knew that Sonic Colours Wii is going to feature cooperative multiplayer, but an IGN interview with Sonic Team lord Takashi Iizuka has revealed the DS version will also feature multiplayer, either through local wireless play or online via Nintendo WiFi Connection. As opposed to the Wii version's cooperative play the DS...
News New Sonic Colours Wii Trailer Shows Off Multiplayer Action
Two player 2D action on the way
Wii's Sonic Colours (or Sonic Colors if you're of that persuasion) is set to feature a multiplayer game where two hedgehog fans can team up to overcome specially-designed levels. But why do the characters have antennae on their heads? They're part of Dr Eggman's Sonic Simulator, of course. This new gameplay trailer...
Rumour Cell Chip Could Power Wii Successor
IBM still in the console game
The Wii is powered by IBM's custom "Broadway" CPU along with ATI's "Hollywood" GPU, but what of the inevitable Wii successor – what silicon army might power its architecture? MCV has suggested it could be IBM's mighty Cell processor. Chief technical officer of IBM's systems and technology group Jai...
News Super Scribblenauts' UK Marketing Scheme Involves Eggs
Anybody know any good egg puns?
Wordplay and eggs: they go together like boiled egg and soldiers. What better way to celebrate the launch of wordsmithery sequel Super Scribblenauts than to tie-in with leading ovum producer Stonegate Eggs, then? Specially branded boxes containing so-called "Intelligent Eating Eggs" will bear the likeness of...
News n-Space CEO Describes the Games Industry as a Mess
"n-Space is down, but definitely not out"
It seems n-Space – the company behind several DS instalments of home console titles – is one of the latest development studios that's resorted to reducing its staff numbers due to the pressure of the economic climate of the last several years. Last Friday's undisclosed number of lay-offs has had the...
Monday11th Oct 2010
Pang in the future
If you're an arcade game connoiseur, you may be familiar with the Pang/Buster Bros. series. With your grappling hook gun, the objective was to fire lines across the screen to pop the numerous bubbles bouncing around on contact. Of course, you yourself had to avoid any direct contact with the bubbles, or you'd get a quick Game...
News How Nintendo Manufactured the Famicom on the Cheap
Recently revealed report hints at Scrooge-like attitude
As we all know, the Nintendo Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES, in case you were wondering) was pretty damn successful back in the day. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to state that the machine practically created the modern console market - certainly in Japan, at least. Nintendo...
News Wii Party Enters UK Charts at Number Ten
Decent showing for party title
Wii Party is likely to be one of Nintendo's sleeper hits this Christmas, its deadly combination of Mii characters and a bundled Wii Remote all-but assuring it'll sell shedloads in the run-up to the Yuletide season. Its first weekend on sale in the UK has seen the game take a respectable 10th position on the charts,...
News Confirmed: Red Wii and DSi XL Consoles Reach Europe This Month
Rejoice!
We brought you news of a rumour that a red Wii was coming to Europe, but now we can officially confirm that lucky Europeans will be able to buy the console before the month was out. Not a home console kind of gamer? Then you'll be pleased that the red DSi XL is on the way too. The red Wii will be available from October 29th and comes...
Competition Winners Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts T-Shirt
Drum roll please...
Last month, we ran a competition to give away ten t-shirts decked out with logos from the WiiWare title Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts. We all like to look stylish and show our love for video games and dangerous lawn-related activities of days past, but only ten could win the XL-sized prizes. Those ten lucky users are: melvin2898
News NBA Jam Man Disappointed by Gamers' Negative Attitudes
Try to contain your surprise
Trey Smith, Creative Director of recent Wii slam-a-jamma NBA Jam, is an old head in this industry, having been working on games for the best part of a decade. He must have seen his fair share of problems in his team, but when quizzed by the MTV Multiplayer blog what did he state as the number one biggest problem...
News Shantae Soundtrack Doing Great, Thanks to You
Yes, you
We may never know if Shantae: Risky's Revenge sells as well as WayForward hoped, what with strict limitations on the discussion of sales figures, but one aspect of the game that's definitely doing better than expected is the original soundtrack. Released at the end of September, the soundtrack by Jake "virt" Kaufman is up there...
Nintendo Download 11th October 2010 (North America)
Sonic the Hedgehog returns!
A good array of titles this week, with the 2D return of Sonic the Hedgehog taking top billing of course. DSiWare fans can get a pinch of Sonic creator Yuji Naka's latest platforming adventure, Ivy the Kiwi?, but there's also sports and puzzle games if platforming isn't your thing. Let's do it to it! WiiWare: Sonic the...
News Piracy Not to Blame for Poor Software Sales, Says Iwata
Blame must be divvied out more evenly
We know that the DS has suffered a great deal from the impact of piracy, with many titles failing to gain the sales they deserved, in part due to the ease with which software is pirated on the device. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata isn't convinced the blame lies squarely at the feet of pirates however,...
Sunday10th Oct 2010
News Redbox Rental Kiosks to Begin Distributing Wii Games
Just $2 a night expanding to more cities this month
While online rental services like GameFly, Netflix and LoveFilm have largely taken the place of the in-person video store, viewers who've missed the quick fix of an instant pick-up have seen their needs met in part by services such as Redbox, which offers a small variety of DVDs and, recently,...
Rumour Sonic 20th Birthday Pack Not Just Selling 16-Bit Memories
Best of Sonic in glorious 3D... wait, come back!
It's a rich old time for fans of classic side-scrolling platformers: Super Mario Bros. celebrated its 25th anniversary recently, and next year – June 23rd, to be precise – is the 20th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. With Nintendo having pushed the boat out to commemorate its iconic hero's 25th...
News North America Cools Down with Club Nintendo Folding Fans
Re-enact those Smash Bros. bouts
Earlier this week, the North American branch of Club Nintendo added a few new items to its rewards catalogue. For a plump 300 Coins, members can order one of four Nintendo flavors of sensu, those paper-and-bamboo Japanese folding fans that Western gamers might know best from throwing at Pikachu in the Super Smash...
News This Christmas is Critical for Wii, Admits Iwata
Console's fortunes need a boost
This Christmas will be the Wii's fifth holiday at retail, and there's no doubt demand for the console has cooled in recent times. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is keenly aware of this, and knows the machine needs a strong Christmas this year or it could find itself in trouble. In a discussion with investors, Iwata...
Saturday9th Oct 2010
Rumour Limited Edition Red Wii Europe-Bound Before Christmas
Bundle gets a few tweaks
Fresh from the news that Europeans will receive Super Mario All-Stars for Wii, it looks like those lucky gamers will also receive the red Wii recently announced for Japan. As well as containing a red Wii with matching Remote Plus and Nunchuk, Nintendo is throwing in a copy of
News A Duo of Doctor Who Titles Regenerate in November
One on Wii, one on DS
The announcement of new Doctor Who games on Wii and DS brought more than a ripple of excitement to the gaming world, and now we have official release dates for both games. Fans of the time-travelling Doctor will be able to get their hands on Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth for DS and Doctor Who: Return to Earth for Wii on November...
News Capcom Reveals Virtual Console Arcade Support in the West
Finally some more arcade classics
It took a while, but Capcom has finally revealed that, yes, it is also planning to release a bunch of its arcade titles on the Virtual Console outside Japan. We already discovered some of the titles a while ago, but it's now added one more game to the list. Listed on a small poster in Capcom's booth at the Comic-Con...
Friday8th Oct 2010
You got Franken in my Castlevania
There is some common confusion surrounding the tale of Frankenstein, namely the fact that Frankenstein is not really a monster, but rather the mad scientist who creates the bolted-neck creature. Developer MotiveTime avoids this common misstep in their game by simply combining the scientist and monster into the same...
Review Learning with the PooYoos - Episode 3 (WiiWare)
You can never have too many PooYoos!
Because two episodes of Learning with the PooYoos just weren't enough, Lexis Numerique has finally released the highly anticipated third entry in the series. Retaining all of its colourful and engaging charm, Learning with the Pooyoos: Episode 3 is a welcome addition to the series. Though the fan base consists...
Perfect for those of us that just can't get enough of 8bit
We love 8bit, you love 8bit, we recommend you check this out when you've got some time to kill. Those who decide to take a dip into the world of N8* should come back and let us know what you find. Neverdaunt:8Bit is a free to play Sandbox MMO set in a 8 bit stylized 3D world made out of...
News Nintendo Considered Monthly Fee for 3DS Always-On Internet
Went with SpotPass instead
Nintendo's idea with the 3DS is, in the company's own words, "Carry Around, Affect Each Other and Something New Every Day". At one time there was a rumour that 3DS would contain 3G functionality, allowing gamers to access the Internet wherever they were as a modern mobile phone would, and president Satoru Iwata...
News Don't Expect Any 3DS Titles From Epic Games Anytime Soon
The VP thinks the system is less technically capable than a iPhone
During an online Game Developers Conference interview with Joystiq Mark Rein, the vice president at Epic Games, didn't sound too keen on the technical specifications of the 3DS. Declaring that the studio isn't working on any upcoming titles for the Nintendo handheld, he explained...
News Find Chibiterasu in New York, Win a Chibiterasu Plush
Missing: legendary god in wolf form. Reward: toys.
Anyone in the New York area who fancies a bit of a treasure hunt may want to keep their eyes peeled for this poster of a missing Chibiterasu, star of Capcom's Okamiden, for the chance to win a plush keyring of the lupine goddess. The first three people to find the poster, take a photo of themselves...
News Wii Remote With MotionPlus Built-In Launches in Japan Next Month
Five colours to choose from, and a new Nunchuk too
Last week's Nintendo conference was undoubtedly all about the 3DS but with all the new standards the handheld is about to set, what about the other pieces of hardware that Nintendo's working on? Since the rather puzzling box-art of FlingSmash was added to Gamestop's product page, we've been waiting...
News Vitality Sensor Details and Game Ideas Emerge in Patent Application
It's all about haemoglobin, apparently
E3 2010, TGS 2010 and Nintendo's Conference all came and went without even so much as a snifter of new information about the Vitality Sensor. Although Nintendo is still keeping the device behind closed doors, Siliconera has uncovered patent applications that reveal more about how the sensor works as well as its...
News Surprise! Pikachu DSi Charger Coming to North America
Just in time for Christmas
There's no doubt you remember this incredible Pikachu DSi charger that raises questions of exactly how the little electric mouse is charging the console. Well, North American gamers will soon get their chance to inspect the accessory close-up, as Hori is bringing it Stateside. You can currently pre-order it from Amazon for...
News Namco and Rising Star Team Up to Bring More Harvest Moons to Europe
Animal Parade and Sunshine Islands, to be precise
You wait six months for a Harvest Moon game to reach Europe, and then three come along at once. Rune Factory 2 sprouted across Europe today, and now publisher Rising Star Games has teamed up with Namco Bandai Partners to distribute two more titles before the end of November. Harvest Moon: Animal...
Nintendo Download 8th October 2010 (Europe)
Three for DSiWare, one each on WiiWare and VC
In an unexpected turn of events, the press release for this week's European Nintendo Download turned up early, but who's complaining? Well, anyone hoping to grapple with Shantae: Risky's Revenge and Cave Story, but at least next week sees the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, so there's a...
Nintendo Download 12th and 13th October 2010 (Japan)
WiiWare and DSiWare together again
It looks like the heady days of surprise Japanese Virtual Console releases are well and truly behind us as there's only one VC release scheduled for the rest of the month and it's not happening next week. Instead there's a pair of WiiWare titles, which were starting to get as rare as hen's teeth. DSiWare is sparse...
Thursday7th Oct 2010
Finishes mid-table
Gamers that like playing video game adaptations of football (or soccer) will likely fall under one of two categories: the ones that prefer Pro Evolution and the ones that think FIFA games are better. The former has always strived to be as realistic as possible whilst the latter offers more arcade-style action as opposed to ultra...
Review Petz Catz Family (DSiWare)
It's a cat-astrophe!!
Petz has been around for a long time. Starting back in 1995, it saw a big reboot back in 2006 and has since seen multiple titles spanning all the way from mobile phones to the PS2, and are generally set around raising one particular type of virtual animal, such as a hamster or a kitten. The DS is no stranger to the series,...
Basic and boring or fantastic and fun?
If classic board, card and table top games that have been brought to the DSiWare service were pop stars, solitaire would be Lady Gaga and Rummikub would be Kelly Rowland (formerly of Destiny's Child). While one stands alone and captures the attention of millions, the other struggles with popularity unless they...
News Super Mario Collection Heading to Europe in December
Rejoice!
We've just had news from Nintendo of Europe that the limited edition Super Mario Bros. Collection, previously Japan-only, will be coming to Europe in December. Containing the History of Mario booklet and soundtrack CD spanning the plumber's audio history, the collection is most notable for containing Super Mario All-Stars. The mouthful...
News Sega Strikes Poor Sonic Games from Catalogue to "Increase Brand Value"
Below-average games no longer sold
Sonic's career has more ups-and-downs than a Dr Robotnik theme park, and nobody's more aware and more hurt by this than Sega itself. In fact, the company's so upset by the hedgehog's past transgressions that it's removing his less enjoyable adventures from its back catalogue. Sega's senior vice president of EMEA...
News Japan Receives Red Wii in Honour of Mario's 25th
Super special limited edition on the way
Nintendo already announced a limited edition red DSi XL to celebrate Mario's anniversary, but it's also put together a very special edition Wii console for Japan only. Not only is the Wii itself in the plumber's favourite hue of red, the Wii Remote is one of the new Wii Remote Plus designs containing...
News Rune Factory 3 Sprouting Across North America in November
November 9th, to be precise
Whilst budding European horticulturists wait to get their green fingers on Rune Factory 2, due out tomorrow, North American farmers can look forward to the third instalment, the cleverly entitled Rune Factory 3, arriving on November 9th. As well as the usual mixture of farming and fighting, Rune Factory 3 is the first...
News Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Hits North America in January Too
Only a few days apart
Yesterday we told you that Kingdom Hearts Re:coded will reach Europe on January 14th 2011, with a North American release date yet to be confirmed. Now we've had it confirmed – if only it were always that quick – as launching on January 11th, 2011. Here's the press release in all its Disney/Square Enix crossover glory. LOS...
Wednesday6th Oct 2010
Review Shantae: Risky's Revenge (DSiWare)
Stop reading now and go buy this game
When the original Shantae was released in 2002 on the Game Boy Color, it was lauded for its amazing animation and challenging platforming action. Unfortunately, this was after Nintendo had launched its new Game Boy Advance system, and sales of the unique title never really reached the level many expected them...
Review Gods vs. Humans (WiiWare)
Nobody wins?
So far, games priced at 1500 Wii Points have either been at the top or at the bottom of the spectrum; none of them have been anywhere in between. The fifth title to receive this price tag, Gods vs. Humans, might be the first game to fill in that empty space. One of the few strategy games on WiiWare, the title says it all. The humans are...
Interviews WayForward - Shantae: Risky's Revenge
Matt Bozon talks about his long-awaited sequel
After an eight year absence, WayForward's half-genie has finally come out of the bottle for her brand new sequel just released on Nintendo's DSiWare service. Shantae: Risky's Revenge captures all of the unique gameplay of the original and expands upon it with all new magical powers and animal...
News Charity Marathon Sees Every NES Game Played Back to Back
Over 750 games in total
Mario, Zelda, Pokémon: these are all good themes for charity marathons, and have raised countless thousands of dollars for a range of charities. Playing every game in a particular series back-to-back is a big accomplishment, but how would you feel about playing every game available for a single con
News Read About the Birth of the Famicom in Latest Iwata Asks
Go right back to the start
Nintendo's Famicom is a piece of gaming history. The company's first cartridge-based gaming system, it set the revitalised the industry and set the standard for what was to follow. Satoru Iwata sat down with two of Nintendo's behind-the-scenes heroes for his latest "Iwata Asks" feature: R&D advisor Masayuki Uemura and...
News Wii Responsible for Worrying Wave of Bystander Injuries
Won't somebody please think of the children?
When the Wii was first launched there was practically a media frenzy regarding the supposed flood of waggle-related mishaps. People reported cut hands, broken TV sets and black eyes, among other issues. Nintendo duly issued rubber jackets for the Wii Remote and took measures to strengthen the fabric wrist...
News Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Reaches Europe in January
Disney-tastic start to the New Year
The latest collaboration between Square Enix and Disney, Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, has just been confirmed for a release across Europe on January 14th. A beefed-up port of a Japan-only mobile game, Re:coded features fan favourite characters from both companies, including Cloud Strife, Mickey Mouse and Hercules, as...
News Academy: Tic-Tac-Toe Chooses Champions from October 15th
DSiWare noughts-and-crosses inbound
Gamelion's Extreme Hangman caused quite a stir when it landed on DSiWare, quickly becoming one of the best-selling games on the service, so the Polish publisher is hoping lightning strikes twice when its next portable outing launches across Europe on Friday October 15th for 200 Points. Academy: Tic-Tac-Toe is, as...
News OFLC Rates Magical Drop II for Virtual Console
Neo Geo puzzler on the way
Neo Geo bubble-popping frenzy Magical Drop II has been available on Japanese Virtual Console for a while now, but it's just received a rating from Australian board the OFLC, indicating a PAL release is within sight. Of course, we're well accustomed to waiting months for rated games to make themselves available on the...
News Aya and the Cubes of Light Gets Speed Boost
Leads to slight delay
The first footage of upcoming WiiWare puzzler Aya and the Cubes of Light drew criticism from some readers due to its slow pacing, and developer Object Vision noticed. The outcome? The game will receive a speed increase, among other improvements. It also looks likely that the game will feature mid-level checkpoints in response...
News Europe Awakes to a Golden Sun on December 10th
Dark Dawn dated
We had our fears that Golden Sun: Dark Dawn would land in 2011, but Nintendo's latest release schedule pins the game down for launch on Friday December 10th. If you want to catch up on our coverage in anticipation of what's sure to be one of DS's finest RPGs of the year, you can read our First Impressions and check out some Golden...
Tuesday5th Oct 2010
Review NBA Jam (Super Nintendo)
The very definition of Boomshakalaka
Released amid a surge in the popularity of professional basketball during the early 1990s, NBA Jam rode the wave along with many other basketball video games. In spite of all the competition, it became a legend in its own time and is still remembered fondly today. Often sport-based games become obsolete a year...
Interviews Sega - Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
We chat about the hedgehog's 2D return
It's nearly here: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is released on WiiWare in North America on October 11th, with a European release following on Friday October 15th. With the game now finished and so very nearly here, we caught up with Ken Balough, Digital Brand Manager for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, to...
News NBA Jam Roster Features Obama, Beastie Boys and More
It wouldn't be basketball without politicians
Remember NBA Jam's bizarre roster of characters featuring everyone from Warren Moon to Bill Clinton? The upcoming NBA Jam for Wii isn't about to disappoint in that regard, with its presidential qualifications fulfilled neatly by one Barack Obama and other unexpected players hidden away. As well as Obama,...
News Retro Computer Museum Event Incoming
UK-based retro gamers take note
Those of you with above-average memories will recall that we attended a Retro Computer Museum event a while back, and were blown away by the sheer magnitude of the vintage gaming hardware on display. If you gazed upon our coverage with envy, you'll be pleased to learn that another event is taking place at the end of...
News Captain America Bringing Justice to Wii and DS Next Year
The latest in Sega's comic book titles
Sega's rather busy on the old Marvel Comics licence these days, having brought Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk to Wii and DS, with another title based on the upcoming Thor movie currently in development. The company has also just announced it's bringing Captain America: Super Soldier to Wii and DS...
News Marvelous "Working to Meet Needs" of Little King's Story Fans
But what does that mean?
Little King's Story may have been our joint Game of the Year 2009 but that didn't translate into massive sales at the tills, and things got worse for fans when co-developer Cing went into administration in early 2010. It looked as though Corobo's story stopped there, but an interview with Tomio Kanazawa, Marvelous...
News Bit.Trip FATE Soundtrack Available For Sale Before the Actual Game
Full game aiming for Oct. 18 release in North America, says Gaijin
Sometimes, it seems, waiting is difficult. Like waiting for the next entry in a favourite game series. After the last time we parted ways with CommanderVideo in Gaijin Games' phenomenal Bit.Trip RUNNER, the return of the Atarified hero in Bit.Trip FATE seems like it can't come soon...
News Extinguish DSiWare Fires in Go! Go! Island Rescue!
Exclamation! Marks! Aplenty!
We're used to seeing ports from mobile phones to DSiWare – take a bow, Gameloft – but when the subject matter in question is an acclaimed puzzler our curiosity is aroused. Connect2Media is about to make its break into the DSiWare arena with its upcoming title Go! Go! Rescue Squad! later this month. Taking the role of...
News GoldenEye Maps Trailer Shows Where We'll be Spraying Our Bullets
Which one will you dominate in?
There's been a steady stream of GoldenEye trailers coming our way as we close in on its Nov. 2 launch in North America, and Activision has released another in the form of a maps vignette. So let's take a quick look at their names as a few will undoubtedly sound very familiar indeed. The video is short but sweet as...
Monday4th Oct 2010
News The First Nintendo Console to Play DVDs was the NES
Well, sort of
The humble Nintendo Entertainment System has been everything from a lunchbox to a guitar, but for those who like the classic experience of putting media in and getting entertainment out will be intrigued by this latest mod that turns the console into a fully functioning DVD player. A little more complex than simply putting a DVD player...
Podcast NLFM Episode 9: Halloween Hootenanny
You don't need to be the master of unlocking to access these horror treasures
Boo! It's a regular fright fest in this episode of NLFM as we queue up some of our favorite horror game tracks. BEHOLD! the wonders of mad science gone wrong! GASP! at the children of the night! WONDER! how Chuck D. Head doesn't need more painkillers! RUN! from the...
News Prepare for Celebrity Overload in Nintendo's Christmas Campaign
It doesn't stop at Jedward
Nintendo of Europe is very fond of having familiar faces present its campaigns: Ant and Dec represented the brand for years, and Irish nightmare twins Jedward were recently brought on board for the coming Christmas period. That's only the tip of the superstar iceberg however, with the full range of personalities now...
News Multiplayer Brawling Comes to DSiWare with Cosmo Fighters
Download Play battling from Abylight
Taking a break from its array of musical titles, Spanish developer Abylight is bringing some old-fashioned fighting action to DSiWare with its upcoming title Cosmo Fighters. The title's focus is on sharing the game with friends, with Download Play allowing up to four players to face off against each other using...
News UK Retailer HMV Tickled Pink About Upcoming 3DS Launch
Doubts regarding retail price remain, however
We can all agree that the 3DS is going to be a pretty huge deal; glasses-free 3D in the palm of your hand from the company that brought you the DS, a console so ubiquitous it's a wonder that they're not giving it away free with packs of cereal these days. However, as excited as you may be, chances are...
Competition Be Britain's Best Nintendo Gamer and Win a 3DS
The search is on!
Last year saw Josh Stevens crowned Britain's Best Nintendo Gamer 2009 in a packed-out event in London, and now he'll be given the opportunity to defend his crown by taking part in Nintendo's newly announced Britain's Best Nintendo Gamer 2010. Qualifying kicks off in two weeks in participating Game and GameStation stores on the 16th...
Nintendo Download 4th October 2010 (North America)
Shantae arrives!
No messing around this week, let's get straight to the good stuff. DSiWare: Shantae: Risky's Revenge (WayForward, 1200pts) – The genial genie finally returns in this highly anticipated release. The price point may seem steep, but WayForward assures us this one is packed with enough content to keep you going for ages. Our full...
News StreetPass Being Looked into for Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D
Potentially allowing gamers to "play" the game without actually playing it
The 3DS is set to offer handheld gamers a variety of functionalities that were previously unavailable. It's easy for the 3D visuals to be stealing the limelight, but what about things like StreetPass? How will developers utilise this subtle yet intriguing feature? Since the...
News Nintendo Claims 1 in 3 UK Homes Owns a Wii
That's a lot of machines
Wii consoles may not be selling at quite the knock-out rate they were during their peak, but according to the latest Nintendo press release it's still passing mighty milestones, with a third of all UK households owning the machine. With government statistics putting the estimated number of UK households in the region of 26m,...
Sunday3rd Oct 2010
A super-sized side-scrolling McVenture
The time from 1990 to 1994 was the golden age of games as starring vehicles for junk food mascots. Few remember, but some will never forget, the convoluted, hyper-caloric brilliance of Yo! Noid, Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool, and Cool Spot. Of the myriad snack-hocking titles, however, the super-sized,...
News Nordcurrent Joins the Monster Buster Club on DSiWare
Animated series coming to download
Nordcurrent is best known for its 101-in-1 Party Megamix and Ninja Captains, but the publisher is making strides into digital territories with its first release, Monster Buster Club, due for release later this year. The publisher describes the title as "mini-games", so don't expect it to deviate too much...
News Mario and Sonic Olympics was Yuji Naka's Idea, says Yuji Naka
Idea pitched before he left Sega
The man behind Sonic the Hedgehog, Yuji Naka, had left Sega by the time Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was underway, but Mr Naka has said that he came up with the concept before his departure. Speaking to the audience at this year's Eurogamer Expo in London, Mr Naka said: It was actually my idea, and I was...
News Capcom's Okamiden Limps to Retail in Japan
DS sequel lags behind PS2 and Wii versions in day one sales
We're absolute suckers for cute animals here at Nintendo Life so the high expectations we hold for Capcom's DS title Okamiden are entirely understandable - it's just a shame that Japan doesn't seem to feel the same way. First-day sales figures for the Okami sequel suggest that only 10,000...
Saturday2nd Oct 2010
Review Pokémon Emerald (Game Boy Advance)
Some things, it seems, never change
In Japan in 1996 a craze started; by the turn of the century, it had worked its way around the world capturing the hearts and minds of gamers as easily as a level 3 Rattata is caught in a Master Ball. That craze was Pokémon: Nintendo’s pocket monster catching/training/battling powerhouse. The two Game Boy...
Review Goosebumps HorrorLand (Wii)
Horribleland
In 1996, Dreamworks released a computer game called Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland, a fun point-and-click adventure that revolved around story elements and puzzle solving. Perhaps you can excuse us then for hoping that Goosebumps HorrorLand would be something similar, or anything more intriguing than the collection of carnival-style...
Wii like to party
If there's anything that the Wii's software catalogue arguably doesn't really need more of, it's minigame compilations and party games. From Wii Sports to Rabbids to numerous others, "drought" is not the word. But lo and behold, along comes Nintendo and their Mii army with Wii Party, including 80+ minis presented in...
Review Pang: Magical Michael (DS)
It's showtime!
Everyone loves Magical Michael, 'cause the tricks that he does are ever so cool. However, at the moment, no one is particularly loving him, as a failed experiment on his part has caused hundreds of dangerous bubbles to be released across the world. Now it's his task to venture across the planet and eliminate the threat. If you've...
Fo Fizzle
Shocking update: a puzzle game was released on DSiWare this week. Non-sarcastic shocking update: it's actually pretty good. We know, we know, it's hard to get too excited about downloadable puzzle games these days, but even with stiff competition on the service, FIZZ still proves itself as a fun and affordable puzzler – even if it's...
Review Astro Bugz Revenge (WiiWare)
Revenge is sweet
It's a tale that's old as time: a puzzle game is released that requires you to match up three of the same colour in order to clear the screen and advance through levels. It is inevitably compared to Bubble Bobble and Bejeweled, and usually labelled as a clone of one or the other. Astro Bugz Revenge can safely be added to the list of...
News Marvelous Willing to Bring Muramasa: The Demon Blade to the 3DS
Company also confirms 3DS Harvest Moon title and zoo life game Animal Resort
There are certain games that we'd love to see on the 3DS purely because playing them on a handheld system is enticing enough. Then there are games that will surely benefit from the extra punch that the 3D effect will provide – and Muramasa: The Demon Blade could be of...
News Feast Your Eyes on 3DS's Launch Line Up in Japan
Updated: Not necessarily day one titles
Update: It's come to our attention this is only a list of titles for the console's launch window, not necessarily those titles that will be available at launch. Some will, some will follow weeks later.* February 26th is the date those lucky Japanese get to buy their very own 3DS, but what good is a new console...
Nintendo Download 5th & 6th October 2010 (Japan)
October begins with Virtual Console and DSiWare
WiiWare's alternating weeks continue, but at least there's the Virtual Console to keep Wii owners happy – even better when the releases include classic arcade games! The DSi has a trio of actual games for a change with nary a lifestyle download in sight. Virtual Console: Commando (800pts Arcade,...
Friday1st Oct 2010
DSiWare's first must-have RPG
With RPGs being such a popular genre, it's surprising to see that, up until now, Legends of Exidia has been the only one available on the DSiWare service. Fortunately, for the poor RPG fans who have been feeling neglected, Gamevil has finally added a new title to the mix with their release of Zenonia. Despite both...
Review Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GameCube)
To think that once I could not see beyond the veil of our reality to see those who dwell behind
When Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was released, there was a glut of Mature-rated horror games on the market from which to choose. Between the endless sequels to Resident Evil, Silent Hill and others, it was easy to overlook this newcomer. But...
News 3DS to Boot Games Straight from SD and More Informative Nuggets
Such as firmware updates whilst on the move
Those gamers who have struggled with rapidly filling SD cards on DSiWare may think it's too little too late, but Nintendo has confirmed the 3DS will be able to launch downloaded games directly from the card. The company is including a 2GB SD card with every 3DS console in Japan to allow all users to...
Should you square off with this?
From the first screens released, developer Dreambox Games’s first WiiWare title looked set for stardom. Robox is a 2D side-scrolling platforming adventure that has a beguiling beauty, utilising an art style that's full of character and reminiscent of the pages of classic children’s books like Where the Wild...
Saturday2nd Oct 2010
Review Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts (WiiWare)
Flying Wii Remotes: less likely to cause injury than flying lawn darts
A sequel to Target Toss Pro: Bags, released on WiiWare in 2008, Target Toss Pro: Lawn Darts brings the same style of play to a different variety of games, this time using lawn darts. We thought the previous release was good but needed some work – did Incredible Technologies hit...
Friday1st Oct 2010
News Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light Crown Job System Trailer
Unique character customisation system explained
The folks at Square-Enix have just sent over the newest video for Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light which shows how to use the game's unique Crown Job System. As you can see in the video, there is a huge degree of customisation made available to the player by wearing and upgrading the various...
News Super Street Fighter IV Trailer Shows New Modes in Action
Little bit of gameplay too
Fighting fans will be spoilt for choice on 3DS: the trailer for Dead or Alive: Dimensions looked pretty sharp, but this trailer for Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition could sneak a first round victory. As well as showing the super-smooth fighting action, it also shows off two modes that make use of the
News Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem Launches Next Month
The fourth in the series aims to be more user-friendly
When Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! was announced at this year's E3, we knew we'd be seeing its release sometime in the holiday season, but now Nintendo has confirmed that a North American release will go ahead next month. When the fourth title in the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong series...
News Ivy the Kiwi? Emerges from its European Egg on October 29th
Yuji Naka's latest opus nearly hatched
Ivy the Kiwi? for Wii and DS is the latest game from Yuji Naka, best known for his involvement in the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog. It's been out in North America for some time, but a European release is just around the corner, with publisher Rising Star Games announcing the game will launch on Friday,...
Nintendo Download 1st October (Europe)
Plenty of PooYoos, Petz, Gods and Humans
Hopefully the exciting news about upcoming Virtual Console releases for Europe will be enough to satisfy retro fans for now, while this week there's two WiiWare and three DSiWare titles to quench your thirst. WiiWare: Gods vs. Humans (1500pts, Zallag) – We've been looking forward to this comical strategic...
News Racers' Island: Crazy Racers Racing Crazily to North America on Monday
1000 Points stateside
Whilst Zallag released Gods vs. Humans to European WiiWare fans today, next Monday sees its first title, Racers' Islands: Crazy Racers reaching North America. At 1000 Points it's 200 Points cheaper than its European counterpart, but still boasts the same mixture of racers, islands and craziness. You can read our Racers' Island:...
