News Officially Licensed 3DS Headset Revealed, Priced and Dated
Chat and tunes in one set
FAQ Your Super Mario 3D Land Questions
Updated! New questions! New answers!
News - 2011, Week 40
Sunday9th Oct 2011
Review Deca Sports Extreme (3DS)
Sixth time the charm?
When we first played Wii Sports back in 2006, it woke us up to the potential of sports compilations to provide simple yet rich entertainment. When it was at its best, it boiled down a game to its essence, then refined that to make something truly special. Since then, countless titles have attempted to reproduce the formula, and...
Saturday8th Oct 2011
FAQ Your Super Mario 3D Land Questions
Updated! New questions! New answers!
We've played the first two worlds of Super Mario 3D Land, and so we opened our inboxes to invite questions from you, the information-hungry Nintendo Life readers. Of course, the game isn't out yet so there are some questions we simply can't answer, but in the interests of fairness we'll reproduce those questions...
A narrow miss
When the 3DS launched in March, Konami instantly seized the opportunity to provide the first football – or soccer, for our US readers – title on the 3DS, with Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D. While that title was prompt but light on content, FIFA 12 has emerged for the second half of the year to attempt a comeback; can it turn the...
Feature Remembering the Super Game Boy
A colourful entry in the Game Boy family
The original Game Boy was a big hit when it launched in 1989, thanks to a winning combination of portability and some cracking games. One thing it did lack, however, was colour. Whilst rival handhelds the Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx boasted colour back-lit displays, Nintendo's portable was limited to four...
Look both ways before crossing this game
Why did the frog cross the road? We've still yet to receive an answer, but the little guy's been doing it for 30 years. Marking his birthday is Frogger 3D, begging the question: can yet another entry really bring anything new to the table? The answer is yes, as this title takes the little amphibian on a...
News Feast Your Eyes on Skyward Sword's Intro Movie
For real this time
Nintendo has released the superb opening movie for Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and it's sure to brighten up your weekend. The opening movie below needs no words to describe it: just watch it and know you'll be playing Link's next epic adventure in just over 40 days. If you've missed one of the many videos Nintendo's released...
News Explore Skyward Sword's Skyview Dungeon
How can a dungeon have a sky view?
We don't know how the estate agents came up with the name, but Skyview dungeon is the subject of a new trailer for Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The dungeon follows on from the Faron Forest featured in yesterday's dowsing trailer, and features swordfighting and an appearance from Lord Ghirahim. It's the same...
Friday7th Oct 2011
News Officially Licensed 3DS Headset Revealed, Priced and Dated
Chat and tunes in one set
It didn't take long for the Nintendo DS to get an official chat headset, and now the 3DS is getting its own add-on later this year. PowerA's take on the cans features an in-line remote for controlling your music, with play/pause, previous track and next track commands accessed with a single click. It also allows voice chat...
Egads! Tetrominos!
Tetris and handhelds go together like apples and cinnamon, and no more clear has this symbiotic relationship been than on Nintendo hardware, from the time Tetris first dropped like a well-placed I-block into Game Boys everywhere. Tetris DX followed with a splash of colour and tighter play on Game Boy Color, and the...
News Panoramic Super Mario 3D Land Artwork is Awesome
What's that tucked away?
The Super Mario 3D Land box art is nice and all, but it's just a very small square of the bigger picture. The much, much bigger picture. Nintendo Europe just released the full image, weighing in at an eye-watering 10,000 x 4,000 pixels, and it's like a who's who of Mario: Bob-ombs, Toad, Bowser and more are all there, but...
Interview Collecting Smiles - Colors! 3D
Take a look at the upcoming 3D painting app along with the first two screenshots
The 3DS eShop is slowly gaining steam, but most will admit that the download service doesn't quite have the robust library we might hope for four months in, especially when it comes to third-party software. That's set to change soon with the help of Colors! 3D, an art...
News Two More Super Mario 3D Land Trailers for You
Nintendo, you are really spoiling us
If there was any doubt at all that Super Mario 3D Land is one of Nintendo's biggest focus titles for 2011, the sheer amount of new material released for the game lately should put those thoughts to bed. After 74 screenshots, new character artwork and
News Learn All About Dowsing in New Zelda: Skyward Sword Trailer
It led you here
Are you ready to start your weekend with new details about the most anticipated Wii game of the year? We strongly advise reading on, then. Nintendo has released a new trailer and details about Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, with the first video below showing off the brand new dowsing ability. The press release promises details about...
News Nicalis Announces VVVVVV for 3DS eShop
VVVVVVery good news
In the wake of its success bringing Cave Story to DSiWare, Nicalis has announced it's bringing VVVVVV to the 3DS eShop later this year. The gravity-flipping retro platformer has been around the indie scene for a while and is generally regarded as an innovative and very enjoyable ride: it's less about jumping and more about...
News EA Pledges "Key Franchises" to Wii U
FIFA, Madden, Battlefield?
With a release date way off in the misty distance of 2012, there's not a huge amount of Wii U information to go around at the moment, but EA chief operating officer Peter Moore is confident the mega-publisher will be there with all its big titles. Speaking to Reuters, Moore revealed he's heading over to Nintendo's Japanese...
Thursday6th Oct 2011
Review Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (GameCube)
Super Sonic or Super Chronic?
SEGA's attempt to have Sonic the Hedgehog transcend his 2D roots and venture into the realm of 3D didn't go nearly as smoothly as Nintendo's own Super Mario 64, despite Sonic Adventure being generally well received upon its release on the Dreamcast in 1999. It didn't take long for the cloud to lift from the judgement of...
News A Whole World of Super Mario 3D Land Artwork
Guess who's back?
Nintendo's just released yet more character artwork from Super Mario 3D Land, showing some classic characters will make their return. Super Mario Bros. 3 veterans will recognise the Boomerang Bro — also seen in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2 — but there are new characters too: Boom Boom seems to have f
Talking Point Should Nintendo Regularly Offer Free Games for Download?
Is continuing in Four Swords' footsteps the answer to the $0.99 download mentality?
As of last week, every DSiWare gamer can download The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition for free. This was originally a full retail title, now with added wireless connectivity, a new single-player mode and bonus levels. Compare that to Super Mario...
News Ubisoft: "Nobody Proved Wii Does FPS Controls Better"
Many have tried...
If there's one genre that's really exploded in popularity on consoles over the last five years, it's the first-person shooter, the Call of Duty series in particular experiencing phenomenal growth. While these titles thrive on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, they don't always take advantage of the Wii's qualities, particularly when it comes...
Nintendo Download 6th October 2011 (North America)
Bulging pockets
Following on from Baseball and Golf, the Game Boy sports trend continues with this week's Virtual Console release, while WiiWare gets some futuristic shooting action while DSiWare gets medical problems and minesweeping. The Nintendo Download: always varied. 3DS Virtual Console: Side Pocket (Game Boy, G-Mode, $2.99) — Europe...
News Mario Kart 7 Screens Come Up Tails
That pesky thing gets everywhere
The Tanooki suit is back, and how. As well as a starring role in Super Mario 3D Land, it's also set to feature as a power-up in Mario Kart 7, as these new screens show. The tail attaches to the back of your kart and, as you'd expect, can take out other racers with a quick swipe, as you can see in this screenshot...
News Nintendo Japan Unveils Ice White 3DS Console
Out 3rd November
It seems the 3DS console's range of colours is growing out of control: no sooner has Nintendo announced the Misty Pink 3DS for Japan, it's come out and announced another new colour — Ice White. The colour harks back to the Game Boy Advance's classic Arctic White scheme, of course, but boasts the familiar black surround for the 3DS...
News Limited Edition Monster Hunter 3 G Bundles to Hit Japan
Time to drool
Monster Hunter 3 G is just two months away from launching in Japan, with a lot resting on its broad warrior's shoulders. For maximum impact, Nintendo and Capcom have teamed up to provide two limited edition bundles that should hopefully turn excitement into sales. First off is the limited edition Monster Hunter 3 G 3DS console...
News We Have 74 New Screenshots of Super Mario 3D Land
And now so do you
Forget less is more: when it comes to Super Mario 3D Land, it's definitely a case of more is more. After the Super Mario 3D Land artwork earlier this morning we now have 74 — count 'em — new screenshots of Mario's latest adventure, showing everything from giant Goombas to what looks like a "super" Tanooki suit. Check...
News Keiji Inafune's King of Pirates is the Cutest Pirate Game Ever
Such big eyes
Forget Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure: there's a new contender on the block for "most adorable pirates". Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune just unveiled the trailer for his new 3DS game, King of Pirates, and it's full of all the things we love about video games: action, pirates, penguins and an eagle holding a...
News Nintendo Takes New Titles to New York Comic Con
Mario, Zelda and more on hand
If you want to get your hands on some of Nintendo's biggest upcoming titles and you're heading to New York Comic Con, you're in luck — Nintendo has revealed a 15-strong line-up of games playable at the event next week. Comic Con runs from 13th to 16th October at Manhattan's Javits Center, and sees hands-on time for...
Wednesday5th Oct 2011
Review Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (DS)
Farm-assured prime cut
Thanks to Rising Star Games, gamers in Europe have finally caught up on the Rune Factory series — until Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny launches on Wii in North America next week, that is. Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon on DS is the third and so far final portable instalment in the Harvest Moon spin-off, and the...
News Marvelous Reveals Brand New Harvest Moon for 3DS
It was only a matter of time
Natsume is preparing a 3DS version of Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, but it's really just an enhanced version of the DS game and not a brand new game. The honour of being the first unique Harvest Moon for 3DS goes to Bokujou Monogatari: Hajimari no Daichi, or Harvest Moon: First Earth according to Andriasang. Famitsu...
Review Crystal Caverns of Amon-Ra (DSiWare)
Is the quality of this game just a mirage?
Puzzle games are a dime a dozen on DSiWare, so when a new one comes along, it's pretty easy to dismiss. Throw in a word like "crystal" and the words "Bejeweled clone" immediately come to mind. While this does involve the matching of three similarly coloured objects, however, Crystal...
Feature A Peek Behind the BIT.TRIP Curtain
Concept art and inspirational materials pulled straight from the Gaijin Games archives
Gaijin Games' BIT.TRIP series hits all the right notes for retro game enthusiasts over the course of its six games: Clever and varied design, formidable challenge, pregnant storytelling and an audio/visual style that quotes the days of the Atari 2600 without the...
Tuesday4th Oct 2011
Review escapeVektor: Chapter 1 (WiiWare)
Virtual world, real quality
After the delightful Pop (and its various offshoots), it seemed a bit like Nnooo was taking a break from game development. The studio released several applications through DSiWare, and while they were quite good, gamers might be forgiven for assuming that the company's future releases would gravitate more toward...
Review Mickey's Speedway USA (Nintendo 64)
Another kart racing game? Oh, boy!
By the end of the Nineties, UK developer Rareware had established itself as one of the most talented softcos in the world, and along with Nintendo's own in-house output, had helped to placate Nintendo 64 gamers throughout most of the console's life with a steady supply of premium software. Having delivered the...
News Survey - 58% of Indie Devs Say Nintendo Difficult to Deal With
Interesting statistics ahead
2D Boy is responsible for World of Goo, one of the best games WiiWare has to offer. The studio's Ron Carmel recently conducted a survey of around 200 independent developers, asking which formats the teams had supported and planned to continue working on in future. Sadly, Nintendo consoles sit right at the bottom. The...
News Robin Williams and Zelda Team Up for Four Swords Adverts
Back in the saddle
Robin Williams named his daughter Zelda after The Legend of Zelda, and now 25 years on he's still connected to the series, as this pair of adverts for The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition shows. The first advert shows the Williams clan competing to collect the most Rupees, with Robin so confident he bets his...
Interview Gameloft - Let's Golf! 3D and the State of the eShop
Talkin' shop
The 3DS eShop is entering its fourth month, but besides the 3D Classics series and Pokédex 3D, the only original software available for download is Let's Golf! 3D from Gameloft. As we look forward to the future of Nintendo's online shops and back at their predecessors, we decided to sit down with the team and chat about the Big N's...
News Nintendo Reveals Zelda: Skyward Sword Trailer
Soak it up
The avalanche of Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword videos continues: we've seen the romance trailer and sword tutorial, but here's a trailer showing all sorts of other good stuff. The suitably epic video is embedded below, but be warned: it contains footage of previously unseen boss battles, as well as bamboo, balancing, balls and
News Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove Spooks 3DS Today
Starting Hallowe'en early
We took our first steps with Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove: Monster Mix on WiiWare back in May, and now the spooky series has launched on 3DS as Natsume announces Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove 3D is available across North America from today. The 3DS's first dancing game follows Gabrielle, a poor girl who's sneezed her soul right...
Competition Nintendo Europe Launches Japanese RPG Trio Contest
Look away, North America
One of the ways Nintendo of Europe marketed the superb Xenoblade Chronicles was with a series of official Let's Play videos over on YouTube. Depending on your point of view, it either went very well or very badly, as NoE now wants players to create their own Let's Play series as part of a new competition. The videos can be...
News Dreamworks Creating Exclusive 3D Video Content for 3DS
Starting today
Nintendo of America has just announced new partnerships with Dreamworks Animation, 3net and the Blue Man Group that will see all three bring new 3D video to the Nintendo Video application on 3DS. The first video from Dreamworks, featuring the characters from Monsters vs. Aliens, will go live today, followed by a second video featuring...
News Disney Registers Castle of Illusion Trademark
To what end?
Here's a curious one: Disney has just registered a trademark for Castle of Illusion that explicitly states it refers to video game cartridges, discs and software. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse was a much-loved release back on the Mega Drive, and although it's unlikely this trademark could point towards the game's re-release...
News Nintendo UK Calls Circle Pad Expansion "Slider Pad"
Is this the official name?
The announcement of a release date for Resident Evil Revelations came with a small nugget of interesting news: the first time a western branch of Nintendo has mentioned the upcoming Circle Pad expansion in a press release. The official release mentions the attachment in passing, saying: The game is also compatible with...
News Resi Revelations Infects North America on 7th February
Europe on 27th January
Capcom has announced a release date for the first of 2012's big 3DS games: Resident Evil Revelations. The 3DS exclusive will reach North America on 7th February 2012, with retailer GameStop offering a protective 3DS case when you pre-order and purchase. Gamers in Europe get it even earlier: it launches across the continent on...
News Grapple With the First WWE All Stars 3DS Footage
The ultimate warrior?
THQ's battle of the ages WWE All Stars is coming to 3DS, and we've got the first video footage below. Admittedly the game isn't the most visually impressive game we've seen on the console yet, but hopefully it can deliver in the gameplay department with 43 playable characters and brand new modes including survival challenge...
Monday3rd Oct 2011
Review Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked (3DS)
Cool as hell
Nintendo 3DS owners don't have many choices when it comes to picking out a new RPG nowadays. Aside from DS games, the only title currently out in the genre is Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked, which is itself a port of a 2009 DS game. Atlus's decision to bring the title over to the 3DS may seem a bit confusing at first,...
Review Aliens: Infestation (DS)
"Another glorious day in the Corps!"
Of the four main Alien films, it's James Cameron’s action packed 1986 movie Aliens that provides the most explosive source material for a video game conversion. Konami knew this when it picked up the licence and released a fun arcade game, enabling players to blast pink xenomorphs in 1990. SEGA fans have...
Review Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection (3DS)
Top of the high score table or tilt?
When was the last time you played a really great pinball table? Not a digital approximation but an actual whiz-bangin', light-flashin', chaos table? Sadly, the agonising death of the arcade has put a damper on the availability of pinball tables, and unless you're one of the lucky few who live nearby a...
News Pokedex 3D Update Unlocks Content For You
It's all here
Free 3DS download Pokédex 3D is one of the more compelling reasons to use SpotPass: new monsters are sent to your console every day, and all you have to do is switch on and collect them. The more monsters you collect, the more you can do with them, with some features locked away until you collect a certain number of character...
It's all about perspective
The last time we played Super Mario 3D Land, we came away confident that Nintendo was taking its mascot forward, as our preview explained. That was based on a four level demo but we've since played the game's opening two worlds, so does that first impression still hold true? Well, it all depends on your point of view...
Nintendo Download 6th October 2011 (Europe)
Three to go
There's new content on 3DS Virtual Console, WiiWare and DSiWare this week, so let's get to it and see what's on the way. 3DS Virtual Console: Catrap (Game Boy, ASK, £2.60/€3) — You must restore Catboy and Catgirl to their normal forms — whatever that may be — by heading through a series of mind-bending puzzles. Not the most...
News Sonic Generations Japanese Site Opens with New Details
Some good, some bad
Sonic Generations — the ultimate celebration of everything fans love about SEGA's iconic hero — just veered dangerously into "uh-oh" territory. The game's official Japanese site just opened and revealed that alongside Sonic, Tails, Dr Robotnik and Metal Sonic, the so-called ultimate life form Shadow the Hedgehog...
News Can Fossil Fighters: Champions Make Cleaning Fun?
It's going to have a good try
The DS has had more games about cleaning dinosaur fossils than we ever imagined: Dinosaur King, Fossil Fighters and the upcoming Fossil Fighters: Champions to name three. Now, to get you really excited, Nintendo has released a video showing exactly how to clean fossils in its upcoming DS adventure. The trailer below...





























































