News - June, 2012
Saturday30th Jun 2012
News Monster Hunter 4 Attacks Japan in Spring 2013
Take cover
Capcom's Summer Jam event has revealed a Spring 2013 release window for the much anticipated Monster Hunter 4. The 3DS-exclusive game includes brand new monsters as well as series mainstays Tigrex, Rathalos and Rathian, according to Andriasang. Capcom showed off a new trailer for the game but, as of the time of writing, it hasn't made it...
Friday29th Jun 2012
Review Slitherlink by Nikoli (3DS eShop)
Voldemort's favourite puzzle
Hamster continues to roll out piecemeal the components of its forthcoming retail package Sudoku + 7 Other Complex Puzzles by Nikoli onto the eShop, now breaking out the brain-bender Slitherlink by Nikoli. Unlike past efforts Sudoku by Nikoli and Kakuro by Nikoli, Slitherlink offers a type of teaser seldom seen in digital...
Talking Point What Games Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue Two
Summer gaming
Here in the sunny UK — by which we mean heavy rain and flooding — we're well into summer, a time of year when the rain has a distinctly warmer feel on the skin. We're sure that some of you live in far more temperate climes than this, but for those that don't there's always an answer — playing video games. That's what many of our...
News Reef Calls In Real Heroes: Firefighter 3D this September
Use the hose
While the soggy British summer continues, 3DS owners in Europe will get the chance to experience some real heat in September as Reef announces Real Heroes: Firefighter 3D. The first-person action game gives you all a fireman's tools — hose, axe, saw and more — to rescue survivors and extinguish fires. Reef promises the game's...
News EA Sports to Reveal Wii U Games Next Month
Madden-ing wait
EA Sports will lift the lid on its Wii U titles next month, says IGN. The publisher is hosting an open house in the middle of July where it will make Wii U-related announcements. Back in May EA Sports announced FIFA 13 for Wii U and at E3 2011 EA's John Riccitiello mused about Madden NFL on Wii U, so you can expect to hear details...
News 3DS Leads Japanese Market to Year-on-Year Gains
Nintendo dominates home country
Strong performances from 3DS software and hardware saw the Japanese games market grow for the first time in two years. Between 26th December and 24th June, the Japanese market was worth 193.4 billion Yen, a 0.07% increase from 191.98bn over the same period last year. 63% of that figure came from software sales, up...
News Sabarasa's Protocol Changing Platforms from WiiWare
To don't-know-where
Looks like Sabarasa's ambitious first-person shooter Protocol won't make it to WiiWare after all. Sabarasa yesterday updated its site with this message: PROTOCOL TO BE RELEASED IN A NEW TO-BE-CONFIRMED PLATFORM For all those expecting Protocol for WiiWare, we announce that it will be released directly in a new to-be-confirmed...
Thursday28th Jun 2012
Review Double Dragon II: The Revenge (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
Revenge is sweet
When Double Dragon first hit the arcade scene back in 1987, it was immediately lauded for its intense beat 'em up gameplay and slick visuals and soundtrack. After making pit stops on a number of platforms, the NES included, the game only grew in popularity. So it was only natural that a sequel, Double Dragon II: The Revenge would...
Nintendo Download 28th June 2012 (North America)
Monkeys, marvels and more
Some quality original content on 3DS and DSi reaches North America this week, with two free demos to pick up as well. Here's what's out this week. Nintendo 3DS Download Software: Marvel Pinball 3D (Zen Studios, $7.99, 661 blocks) — Take four Marvel-themed tables for a spin in Zen Studios' follow-up to its very good Zen...
News 3DS XL Will Get Its Own Circle Pad Pro
All in good time
Annoyed the 3DS XL won't support the standard Circle Pad Pro? Don't worry, the machine will get its own peripheral later this year. Satoru Iwata told shareholders that Nintendo will release an attachment for the larger machine later on in the year, but didn't share any more details like price, size or how hard it'd be hit with the...
News Try New Super Mario Bros. 2 at Games Britannia Next Week
Go for gold
UK video game celebration Games Britannia will be the first opportunity for fans to try out New Super Mario Bros. 2 on Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo is bringing the platformer to Sheffield next week as part of its Nintendo Unleashed tour, alongside Kid Icarus: Uprising and 'quirky' (to say the least) Wii title Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise...
News Retailers Confidently Predict Wii U Will Cost £250, or Less
Pricing could lead to a 'sure success'
With the launch of Wii U creeping ever closer, key details of price and release date are still under wraps, leading to the usual range of predictions and guesses. We've seen speculative prices ranging from £199 on Amazon UK — since removed — to €399 on Amazon Germany, though the latter has since dropped...
News Heroes of Ruin Demo Hits North America Next Week
Out 5th July
North American 3DS owners can try out upcoming action adventure Heroes of Ruin with a free demo on 5th July. The trial will be playable in single-player or multiplayer, both on and offline, and serves as a neat introduction to n-Space's ambitious 3DS game. If you're keen to know more, check out our Heroes of Ruin review for details.
News Nintendo of America Appoints New Digital Strategy Executive
Meet Duncan Orrell-Jones
To show it's serious about a digital future, Nintendo of America has created a role — senior vice president of network business — and appointed Duncan Orrell-Jones to the new position. Orrell-Jones will lead the company's digital strategy for 3DS and Wii U in North America, reporting directly to Nintendo of America...
News Pokémon Black and White 2 Hits the West in October
7th for North America, 12th for Europe
DS owners will be able to return to Unova in October when Pokémon Black and White 2 launches in the West. The sequel lands in North America on 7th October and follows in Europe just five days later on 12th October. As well as new Formes of legendary Pokémon, there are several new features in this sequel. At...
News SEGA Europe Closes Five Offices, Shifts Focus to Digital
Sea change
SEGA Europe has closed regional offices in Spain, Germany, France, Benelux and Australia as it changes focus from retail to digital. SEGA Europe will now shift its priorities to developing new and existing digital content while its retail games will stick to established IP like Sonic the Hedgehog, Aliens, Football Manager and Total War,...
Wednesday27th Jun 2012
Resistance is feudal
Peanut butter and chocolate, Chris Farley and David Spade, Marvel and Capcom. Taking two great things and smashing them together is a long-standing tradition of the human experience. Now, in the year 2012, another legendary combination can be etched into the annals of history – Pokémon and Nobunaga’s Ambition. Pokémon is...
Talking Point 3DS XL - Why Now?
The timing is both predictable and strange
The upcoming release of 3DS XL, the sizeable update to the original model, is hardly a surprise. Nintendo has constantly iterated its handhelds in an effort to attract more consumers and, to put it bluntly, make a lot of money: we can’t even argue that the XL is arriving earlier than expected, as the gap...
News Pokémon Conquest Reaches Europe on 27th July
To arms!
Monster mash Pokémon Conquest is already available in Japan, North America and Australia, but European fans can get in on the tactical action in a month when the game hits on 27th July. The combination of Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition favours a more strategic flavour of battle, teaming up monsters with Japanese warlords to unite the...
News 3DS XL Footage and Hands-On Impressions Hit the Web
Positives to tempt us all
It's been less than a week since we first clapped eyes on 3DS XL, and there have been doubts for some about the potential positives of the system. From a technical perspective one concern has been the graphical fidelity of the original resolution on a bigger screen, alongside general curiosity about how the system feels to...
News Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D Is A Space Recipe For Disaster
No really, that's its name
We told you earlier that CIRCLE Entertainment is publishing Tanukii Studios' upcoming eShop game Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D, and now we've got the first details straight from developer Tanukii Studios. Officially titled Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D - Space Recipe for Disaster (an even better subtitle than its predecessor's "Harmonious...
The original gaming behemoth
Current-day gamers are familiar with just three game console manufacturers at the top of the tree: Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. Some who are older may remember when SEGA was in its pomp and challenging Nintendo in the 1990s, but for those that care to go even further back, Atari comes into the picture. Atari is 40...
News Takuya Matsumoto: 'Nintendo Influence Was Big' on The Last Story
The Mario Club has tough taskmasters
Takuya Matsumoto has worked on some high quality SEGA titles in the past, such as NiGHTS and Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast, and was the development lead on The Last Story, the excellent Wii RPG that finally arrives in North America on 10th July. In an interview with Gamasutra, Matsumoto discussed the development...
News Project X Zone Hits Japan on 11th October
Now, about that worldwide release...
Project X Zone, the RPG mash-up featuring well-known characters from Capcom, SEGA and Namco Bandai franchises, has been generating a lot of hype in Japan. Teasing details about battle mechanics, featured characters and even the in-game music have been coming thick and fast, with the most important reveal so far...
News Masahiro Sakurai Steps Up as Keynote Speaker at CEDEC
Talking about video games, presumably
Masahiro Sakurai has gained a reputation as the go-to man for some of Nintendo's key franchises that don't necessarily have Mario in the title. As a young employee at Nintendo he created Kirby, and has also masterminded the three entries in the Super Smash Bros. series, while also taking on the upcoming Wii U...
News CIRCLE Bringing Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D to eShop
Cat scratch fever
CIRCLE Entertainment's prolific output continues with no fewer than 21 titles on the way to the 3DS eShop and DSi Shop in the coming months. One of the most interesting titles is Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D: Space Recipe for Disaster by Tanukii Studios, a follow-up to DSiWare stand-out Go! Go! Kokopolo. We've approached Tanukii for more...
Tuesday26th Jun 2012
Interview Farsight Studios - Pinball on Wii U, 3DS and Kickstarter
Bringing tables onto your screens
Farsight Studios has been in the gaming industry for over 20 years, but is probably best known for its extensive range of pinball titles including Pinball Hall of Fame — The Williams Collection on Wii and 3DS. The studio recently announced that its latest title, The Pinball Arcade will come to Wii U and 3DS, as...
News Iwata: Wii U Won't Repeat 3DS Price Mistake
Breaking: Pope commits to Catholicism
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata assured everyone looking forward to the Wii U launch that it won't be a repeat of the 3DS's high-priced launch debacle. As we all remember, 3DS sales stalled at its original price point, with the system's fortunes only improving after a significant price drop in August 2011...
News What? The Pokémon Global Link Website is Evolving!
Hum the music
Popular Pokémon destination Pokémon Global Link has just received a new lick of paint and brand new features, ahead of the release of Pokémon Black & White 2 later this year. The site now includes a Global Trade Station for observing Pokémon trades and new statistics for you to pore over, such as which country is home to the...
News Pokémon Black & White 2 Sells 1.6m in Two Days
Still big in Japan
Pokémon Black & White 2 landed in Japan on Saturday 23rd June and racked up an astonishing 1,618,621 sales across the country in its first weekend. It's the fastest-selling game of the year, the first 2012 game on any platform to pass 1m sales and the third fastest-selling DS game of all time. It's a big drop-off in sales...
Review Goooooal Europa 2012 (DSiWare)
Missing an open goooooal
DSiWare is like any other downloadable game platform: it features gems full of creativity and compulsive play, and then it has titles like Goooooal Europa 2012, which tries to hide its painful inadequacies with a ‘fun’ title and a tenuous link to a major football tournament. The idea of a table football game with stylus...
News Rhythm Thief Producer Aims to Revive Music Games
Hopes to immerse gamers in the story
We rather liked Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure here at Nintendo Life, which has made the apparently underwhelming sales in Europe a particular disappointment. The title is set for release in North America on 10th July, however, and producer Shun Nakamura — who worked on Samba De Amigo on Dreamcast...
News Get a Load of This Retro Rap
Rad rapping
Music dedications to classic gaming are relatively common on YouTube, but a new rap track from Richie Branson and Random a.k.a. Mega Ran is a cut above the rest. Super Nintendo, SEGA Genesis is fondly dedicated to the retro 16-bit rivals, with both rappers dropping references to many of the most memorable games and trends of the time...
News Prepare for the Abyss on DSiWare
Don't forget a light
EnjoyUp Games has released a lot of download titles, particularly on DSiWare, with Gaia's Moon standing out as an excellent release at 200 Nintendo Points. That word Gaia has appeared once again, this time as a collectible in upcoming DSiWare release Abyss. The purpose of Abyss is to navigate a robot called Nep2no in the depths...
News Farsight Studios: 'We're Really Excited About The Wii U'
GamePad screen comes in handy
In recent weeks we've brought you some coverage about Farsight Studios running a Kickstarter campaign to license The Twilight Zone, one of the highest-regarded pinball tables in the business. We also learned, thanks to that campaign, that the developer will be bringing The Pinball Arcade to Wii U and 3DS, which is a...
News Escape the Swarm on DSiWare This Week
Viral survival
Teyon's maintaining its formidable DSiWare output ratio with Escape the Virus: Swarm Survival out in North America this week. The 200 Point download asks you to form the longest DNA chain you can while dodging harmful viruses in Normal mode, or offers a Baby mode where you simply cart the DNA pieces to safety. WiiWare veterans may...
Monday25th Jun 2012
Talking Point The Pros and Cons of 3DS XL
Weighing it all up
The latest Nintendo Direct had its usual mix of game trailers and release details, but they were a distant priority behind the big opening act on each regional broadcast: announcement of 3DS XL. A remodelled 3DS had been rumoured and debated almost from the moment that the original hit stores, simply because Nintendo has a long...
Review Sonic Blast (3DS eShop / GG)
From the past, not a blast
Not to be confused with Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic Blast only really shares a fondness for rendered sprites with its 16-bit namesake, sticking to more mainline Sonic staples like running, spinning and grabbing Chaos Emeralds. The rendered sprites weren't particularly impressive back in 1996 and they don't stand up too well...
News Wreck-It Ralph Confirmed for Wii, 3DS and DS
Not a surprise
A little while ago we reported that Bowser would appear in Wreck-It Ralph, an upcoming Disney animated film. It's now been confirmed that Disney Interactive and Activision will collaborate on the game to accompany the movie: it'll be released on Wii, with separate versions for 3DS and DS. The game will be a side-scroller where you...
Nintendo Download 28th June 2012 (Europe)
Marvel Pinball and more
A motley group of superheroes headlines this week's Nintendo Download, but there's also the second week of the store's anniversary if you're after a bargain. Here's what's up this week. eShop: Marvel Pinball 3D (Zen Studios, £6.30/€7) — The follow-up to the successful (and rather good) Zen Pinball 3D, this brings with...
News Nintendo Serves Up Mario Tennis History Infographic
One love
This week sees the start of Wimbledon, and with Mario Tennis Open only a month old Nintendo's combined the two in infographic format. The official series history starts from 3D sports game Mario's Tennis and ends with... 3D sports game Mario Tennis Open. Weird. It's a bit confusing, though: it mentions Mario Tennis in 2004, presumably...
News 3DS XL Trade Price is Just £146
Updated: VAT makes trade rate roughly £167.50
Article update MCV has now spoken to an alternative retail source, which states that the quoted trade rate of £146 is liable for VAT at around £21.50, making the actual rate about £167.50. With GameStop already going close to that figure at £169.97, perhaps that will be the lower end of the price...
News Dragon Quest X Japanese Bundle Shown Off
Rest of the world looks on enviously
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies was an impressive RPG achievement on DS which was heavily marketed by Nintendo and Square Enix worldwide, with a concerted effort to make the franchise recognisable to a new generation of gamers. The sequel, Dragon Quest X, isn't far away from release in Japan and...
Rumour Medal of Honor: Warfighter Coming to 3DS
Pass the salt, please
You may remember that, during E3, scans emerged that showed Game Informer magazine listing the latest Tomb Raider title for Wii U, with the publication releasing a correction shortly after to confirm that it was incorrect. Still, that hasn't stopped suspicious looking listings, not by a long way. Gameinformer.com has posted
News Kingdom Hearts 3D Trailer Goes With The Flow
Flashy production values included
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is happily aboard the hype train ahead of its EU release on 20th July and North American arrival on 31st July. Alongside mentions on Nintendo Direct and the news that Nintendo will manage distribution in PAL regions, Square Enix has released a demo in Europe and started to...
Sunday24th Jun 2012
Finger-licking good
When it comes to real-world occupations that double as compelling experiences in gaming, the list is pretty short. Soldier, of course. Taxi driver. City planner. And, surprisingly enough, restaurant manager. Order Up!! isn't the first game to tap into that particular well of gainful employment, but it certainly is one of the...
Review Save the Furries (WiiWare)
Furful
We've seen several WiiWare titles make the jump to other, probably more profitable, platforms, but it happens the other way around too. Save the Furries is one example; it started life as an iOS title, but now the alien-saving puzzler has scurried over to the Nintendo side. The goal is to get the titular helpless creatures from A (their...
Feature Nostalgia vs. Eternal Darkness
Jon celebrates the 10th anniversary of this cult horror classic by losing his mind, in more ways than one
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is one of those games whose cult status has snowballed since it hit in 2002, and with good reason. As a fairly innovative horror game from Silicon Knights and Nintendo, it kept players on their toes for its...
News Major Retailers List 3DS XL at £179.99
Updated prices - GameStop undercuts rivals
Updated article This morning GameStop.co.uk has entered into the price-war by undercutting its rivals, below. GameStop.co.uk — £169.97 Original article After Friday's announcement of 3DS XL, European gamers faced the standard wait to see how the device would be priced by major retailers. The...
Review Lola's Fruit Shop Sudoku (DSiWare)
Sudoku Jr.
Earlier this year we were pleasantly surprised by Lola's Alphabet Train, a rewardingly sweet journey through simple spelling drills. It was colourful, engaging and inventive. Now we have a sequel in the form of Lola's Fruit Shop Sudoku, and while the previous game's charm is intact, it's a bit less impressive overall. You'd be forgiven...
Saturday23rd Jun 2012
News Reggie Fils-Aime: Fanbase Demands Are 'Insatiable'
Don't worry, he still loves you
Reggie Fils-Aime was a busy man during E3, leading Nintendo's main press conference and persistently spreading the word about Wii U and 3DS. As is expected, a lot of what was said was towing the company line, but in a more relaxed exchange with Kotaku, the Nintendo of America boss shared his views on the expectation...
Hot stuff
Dust off your swimming trunks and stock up on sun cream because summer is upon us. While this may not be completely true if you live in a certain southern hemisphere (or a country like Great Britain, where meteorological conditions defy all logic and expectations), here are some games that will bring you that warm, fuzzy feeling of the hot...
News Sonic the Hedgehog Turns 21 Today
Finally a grown man
SEGA's loveable blue mascot reaches another milestone today, celebrating his 21st anniversary. On this day in 1991 SEGA unleashed Sonic the Hedgehog on North America. His speed and spectacular stunts made him an original, and players took him to their hearts. Nearly 50 games and over 80 million sales later, Sonic's still here...
Friday22nd Jun 2012
News Bigger Nintendo 3DS Console Revealed
Updated with battery life, dimensions
Nintendo will release a bigger Nintendo 3DS console later this year. The new console offers a 4.88" top screen, and the total viewing area on the top and bottom screens has increased by a massive 90%. According to Nintendo, it's the biggest screen ever available on a handheld Nintendo console, but the...
News Super Smash Bros. 3DS and Wii U Powers Up with Namco
Dream team in place
We weren't expecting news on Super Smash Bros. today, but Nintendo surprised us with the revelation that Namco Bandai staff are working on the Wii U and 3DS game. While series supremo Masahiro Sakurai will still direct the new instalments, top staff from Namco Bandai will pitch in too: Masaya Kobayashi has pledged his "best...
News Inazuma Eleven Strikers Scores in Europe
Arrives 28th September
European fans of the Inazuma Eleven franchise have so far had to be patient when waiting for localisation, with a number of releases yet to make it outside of Japan. The good news is that Inazuma Eleven Strikers is on the way to European Wii owners on 28th September, though we did think it was a possibility after spotting a...
News New Super Mario Bros. 2 Trailer is Informative
Gold standard
After years of competing, it looks like Mario's finally realised that Sonic's better. As New Super Mario Bros. 2 is all about the coins, one of Mario's new ways to earn gold is turning enemies into coins. How does he do this? By grabbing a gold ring, of course. A sneaky hat-tip to Mario's great rival or an out-and-out admission that...
News Ten Games Discounted in European eShop Sale
Demos and free apps, too
During this morning's Nintendo Direct broadcast in Europe it was announced that there would be a sale promotion on the platform, to celebrate its one year anniversary. Ten titles will be available at 20% off, with half being reduced this week and the others next week: details are below. 22/06/2012 — 14:59 CET 28/06/2012...
News Official 3DS XL Japanese Website Launches
No blue in Nintendo's homeland
Now that the new 3DS XL has been announced, Nintendo has wasted little time in launching an official website in Japan. Interestingly, Japan has red + black and silver + black models, like Europe and North America, but doesn't have the blue + black version, opting instead for an all-white console. The all-white version...
News Catch the North American Nintendo Direct Live Here
Updated with live video!
Kicking off at 9pm Pacific and 12 midnight Eastern tonight is a Nintendo Direct presentation all about 3DS, DS and Wii. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is once again in the host's chair. You can keep up with all the live happenings right here in our live blog hosted by Nintendo Life editor James Newton. It's...
News 3DS Virtual Console Gets Big Push in North America
Two new games every week
If you live in North America and you're fed up of getting the brown end of the 3DS Virtual Console stick, there's very good news on the way. From 5th July to 1st August, Nintendo will release two 3DS Virtual Console games in the eShop every week. That covers four Nintendo Downloads — 1st August is a Wednesday — so...
News 3DS XL UK Prices Will be Decided by Retailers
Expect prices 'ASAP'
One of the interesting announcements in the 3DS XL reveal today was a price-point of $199 in the U.S., a fairly good price considering that the original model cost $250 in March 2011. Nintendo did have to learn a cruel lesson that the original launch price wouldn't sell enough units, prompting a major reduction just months after...
News New Animal Crossing 3DS Trailer Straight from Japan
Serene mode engaged
Angry that Animal Crossing won't reach Europe until 2013 and North America until... well, who knows when? Watch this new Japanese trailer for the game and all your stress might just melt away or, perhaps, become more strongly amplified. The video shows tonnes of new touches like solar panels to install outside, new shops and...
Talking Point Another Look at the News - 22nd June
Topic hint: it's big
It's Friday, but we're not going to share our weekend gaming plans with you today, remember that's every two weeks. Today we're starting a new feature series where members of staff pick a piece of Nintendo news from the week and give their own opinions, sometimes irreverent, on the story. Normally that would mean that each...
News Pokémon Typing Adventure Announced for DS
Gotta type 'em all?
Satoru Shibata's European Nintendo Direct broadcast had a few moments of charm and Nintendo quirkiness, none more so than the announcement of Pokémon Typing Adventure for DS, which arrives in September. It's Pokémon played by typing, just what we all expected. It will come bundled with a rather sleek wireless keyboard —...
News North American Nintendo Direct Round-Up (22nd June)
Quick shots
Didn't catch the most recent Nintendo Direct show? Let us summarise everything for you. Nintendo 3DS XL: After plenty of speculation, Nintendo revealed a bigger 3DS. The 3DS XL hits North America on 19th August for $199.99 in red or blue, and comes with a 4GB card.
News Animal Crossing 3DS and Fire Emblem Hit Europe in 2013
Lazy days
Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata just confirmed two much-anticipated Nintendo 3DS titles, Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem: Awakening, will not reach 3DS until next year. Nintendo had previously announced Fire Emblem for 2012, but Shibata said Nintendo wants to work hard on developing the best games possible. Animal Crossing and...
News Freakyforms Deluxe Announced for Europe
Arrives 28th July
Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive! was one of Nintendo's earliest releases on the 3DS eShop, and during today's European Nintendo Direct broadcast Satoru Shibata confirmed that a full retail title in the series, Freakyforms Deluxe, will arrive on 28th July: the same day that the 3DS XL/LL hits. The retail title will offer a lot...
News A Very Short Pokémon Black & White 2 Teaser Trailer
Blink and yo- oh it's already finished
Are you ready for 20-something seconds of gameplay from Pokémon Black & White 2? Let's do this. Nintendo put out the most teasing of teaser trailers during its Nintendo Direct conference, but now you can watch it at your leisure to pick out the new gym leaders and areas that make up the sequel. The...
News Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Teaser Trailer
Hats off
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is coming to Europe and North America later this year, and we have a teaser trailer to show more of Herschel and Luke's adventures. It's worth watching not just for the always impeccable animation quality and atmosphere, but because you get to see a young Herschel Layton without his trademark top hat...
News Watch the European Nintendo Direct Here
Pull up a chair and stay a while!
Nintendo of Europe will host a new Nintendo Direct presentation today at 5am UK time/6am Central European time. The video will focus on 3DS, DS and Wii and will feature announcements and content specifically tailored for Europe. It's hosted by Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata. Yes, we know it's early...
Thursday21st Jun 2012
Feature The Future of GameCube on Wii U
Including the 'Cube
When Wii U is released, you'll be able to play games from each of Nintendo's home consoles thanks to a mixture of backwards compatibility and the Virtual Console. With one exception. No, not Virtual Boy. Currently GameCube has no place on Nintendo's first high definition console, that we know of: only games on systems up to...
An heroic effort
If Heroes of Ruin was judged purely on the level of ambition and functionality on display, it would be hailed as the finest title on 3DS. It takes the capabilities of the handheld and attempts to deliver a fully flavoured action RPG, with all of the online play and functionality that gamers could conceivably demand of a home console...
Review Mad Dog McCree (3DS eShop)
Send it to the pound
Remember back when Laserdisc games were king and everyone loved them and we were all playing them at home? No? Well, that’s probably because it was never the case, and the really great news is that Laserdisc games quickly came and went before they could do any real lasting damage to the future of gaming. With that in mind,...
Nintendo Download 21st June 2012 (North America)
Dragons, kitchens and so much more
A very busy week this week with WiiWare, Virtual Console, DSiWare and no fewer than two eShop releases reaching North American shores. Here's what's awaiting your purchase today. 3DS Download Software: Order Up!! (Ignition Entertainment, $9.99, 2,488 blocks) — Released at retail in Europe, North America can try...
News 3DS Patent Can Tell When You've Returned Home
Not as creepy as it sounds
Back to the Future Part II's vision of 2015 was an intelligent house that greeted people as they walked in. "Welcome home, Marty!" it would say. "Lord of the manor, King of the castle!" Well, this new patent application from Nintendo might lead to that mythical home of the increasingly-near future. The patent shows a...
News Nintendo and Square Enix Sign Kingdom Hearts Deal
Sales ahoy
Nintendo's signed an arrangement with Square Enix that means the Big N will handle sales, marketing and distribution for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance across Europe, Australia and New Zealand. KH3D:DDD is released in PAL territories on 20th July, 11 days before North American players can sample its Disney delights. Nintendo has...
News North American Nintendo Direct Set for Tonight
Nobody's left out
North America gets a Nintendo Direct presentation tonight, focusing on games for 3DS, DS and Wii. The show kicks off tonight at 9pm Pacific time/12am Eastern time. That's the same time as Europe's Nintendo Direct. You can watch it at the Nintendo Direct site.
A small wonder
When it comes to clones, very few genres are more prime candidates than puzzlers. When Tetris hit back in the 80's it was quickly cloned and in fact, is still being cloned to this very day. 7 Wonders of the Ancient World took the match-three idea and attempted to inject a few new twists into the mix but somehow failed to take the...
News Miiverse Won't Connect to Twitter or Facebook
Living in a box
Nintendo's Miiverse social network will start life on Wii U before eventually spreading to Nintendo 3DS and any other web-enabled device, but it won't interact with popular social networks like Twitter or Facebook. GamesIndustry.biz reports Miiverse will keep its focus on those already interested in video games. Nintendo of Europe's...
News There'll Be a New Nintendo Direct Tomorrow
Times inside
Nintendo of Japan's announced a new Nintendo Direct presentation for tomorrow, focusing on 3DS and Wii. The show starts on 22nd June at 12 midday Japan time. Europe will get its own show from Satoru Shibata at 5am UK time/6am Central European Time (12 midnight Eastern/9pm Pacific.) This show for Europe will focus mostly on Nintendo...
News Looks Like La-Mulana Will Reach Europe After All
PEGI power
Update: PEGI has since removed the rating. Long suffering La-Mulana fans: there is light at the end of the tunnel. The European ratings board PEGI has taken another look at the WiiWare adventure, rating it a 12. The game was rated once before back in 2010 with the same rating, but there's one important difference: the publisher. At the...
News Bomb Monkey Blows Up Real Big Next Week
North American date confirmed
Just as today European 3DS owners get to sample Mutant Mudds, next week North American eShop fans can try out Renegade Kid's next title, Bomb Monkey. Renegade Kid's just told us the eShop puzzler will reach North America next week for $4.99. We went hands-on with the game during E3, so make sure you read our Bomb...
Wednesday20th Jun 2012
Limbless, but not limp
Rayman Origins has had a long trip to reach 3DS; it was supposed to be released in March, and while it's out now in Europe it won't make it to North America until November. Europeans can enjoy it in 3D for the first time, but if you've already played it on one of the myriad other platforms you might want to think twice before...
News CryEngine 3 "Runs Beautifully" on Wii U
Dry those eyes
Crytek is making the shift to a free-to-play model once its current games are complete, so for now it won't be developing any Wii U titles of its own — but that doesn't mean that the superb CryEngine 3, most famous for powering the Crysis games, is going anywhere. In fact, it "runs beautifully" on Wii U and a "respected developer"...
Feature The Potential of Wii U and Amazon
More than a games console
Nintendo has been busy with Wii U promotion in recent weeks, with E3 at the core of a number of interviews and reveals about the system and what it will offer on the day it hits stores. Satoru Iwata has spoken about the console and its GamePad controller becoming the centre of the family living room. An image of four family...
Rumour Wii U Priced at €399.99 by Amazon Germany
Release date of 21st December, apparently
We have more news about the exciting innovation in video game retail: the Amazon Wii U guessing game. It was only a week ago that Amazon UK listed a black version of the system at £199, before swiftly removing the listing and cancelling any pre-orders shortly after. That product page had stated it'd be...
News Ubisoft's Killer Freaks Evolved From Rabbids
Then shifted to zombies for a 'serious' tone
When Killer Freaks from Outer Space for Wii U was shown at E3 2011, some may have thought that Ubisoft had produced one of the more intriguing teasers for the system. It was a new IP with strange looking aliens that the player could shoot with impunity: it pushed some buttons. This year we've learned...
News Professor Layton Wii U Would be Interesting, Says Hino
It sure would
Level-5 top dog Akihiro Hino has told Famitsu (via Andriasang) a 3D Professor Layton game on Wii U would be 'interesting'. So far the popular puzzle series has only appeared on portable formats, but with the Wii U's touch screen GamePad and wealth of inputs it might be able to do the tricky teasers justice. Hino says a game where you...
News Yuzo Koshiro Really Likes Kid Icarus: Uprising's Multiplayer
Killer beats
Legendary musician Yuzo Koshiro is best known for his soundtracks to The Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage and Sonic the Hedgehog on Master System, but he's also a killer at Kid Icarus: Uprising. Uprising supremo Masahiro Sakurai spoke to Cubed3 and revealed
News Fifth Mario Marathon Fundraiser Set for 22nd June
All for the Child's Play Charity
There are millions of gamers who enjoy playing Mario games, whether it's the NES classics or the latest titles on Wii and 3DS. The world-famous plumber is also the inspiration for Mario Marathon 5, a webcast taking place this Friday to raise money for the Child's Play charity. This event has enjoyed success in its...
News Nintendo UK Boss David Yarnton to Leave Nintendo
Pastures new
Nintendo UK general manager David Yarnton is to leave the company after nearly 20 years of service. Yarnton took the position of general manager in September 2003, steering the UK ship during the successful Wii and DS eras and overseeing the launch of 3DS last year. Before taking up the UK position Yarnton served as director of sales...
News Nintendo Takes Unleashed Tour to Manchester
Grin up north
Nintendo UK's Unleashed bandwagon rolls through Sheffield in July, but it's also trekking across the Pennines to take in Manchester this October. On 13th and 14th October, UK fans will be able to sample upcoming and recently released Nintendo titles at the Play Expo in Manchester's EventCity. Neither Nintendo nor event hosts Replay...
Tuesday19th Jun 2012
News New Super Mario Bros. 2 Art Brings Back Old Favourites
Power-ups and Koopalings in tow
New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a real homage to Super Mario World, what with Reznor and everything, but there are more SMW nods in store. This artwork from Nintendo shows off the Koopalings in Bowser's clown car/copter combo, plus other released images reveal the return of the Mega Mushroom, Mini Mushroom and old staples...
First Impressions New Super Mario Bros. U
Mushroom magic?
It's OK to say you were disappointed that New Super Mario Bros. U is Wii U's first Super Mario game. You may have wanted something groundbreaking like Super Mario 64, and Nintendo revealed a shinier, sharper version of a Wii game from 2009. You're entitled to be disappointed. Your excitement for Mario's next home adventure all...
News Castlevania: Mirror of Fate "Definitely Not Metroidvania"
Back and forth
The first part of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate's subtitle should be enough to tip you off that this is very much part of the series' modern lineage, linking as it does to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on PS3. Series supremo Dave Cox has told Siliconera while there's plenty of ex
Review Devil Band - Rock the Underworld (DSiWare)
Ear piercing
If musicians really can save the world — Bob Geldof and Bono would both like you to believe they can — then it's a shame they couldn't do it in a game more interesting than Devil Band - Rock the Underworld. CIRCLE's latest essentially takes Plants vs. Zombies, robs it of its charm and adds in a lot more tapping. You control a metal...
First Impressions Project P-100
Crowd sourcing
Tucked away at E3, shielded from the glare of the main presentation for reasons unknown, was Project P-100. It's an all-new superhero action IP by well-lauded developer Platinum Games, due to be published by Nintendo in Wii U's launch window. It's also bonkers. One Mr Hideki Kamiya is at the helm as director, famous for a track...
News New Super Mario Bros. U is 'Accessible and Intuitive'
Keeps the 'building blocks' of the series
The extended unveiling of New Super Mario Bros. U at E3 this year prompted a number of reactions from viewers. In our office there were comments that it looked exceptionally pretty, graphics-wise, but also that it looked extremely similar to its 'New' series predecessors on DS and Wii. Whether that's...
News Miyamoto: Nintendo Focused on Fun, Not Competition
Worried about reliance on guns in gaming
Shigeru Miyamoto's reputation and prominence in the gaming industry means that his opinion is sought on a large number of issues, not always those specific to Nintendo itself. As the recognisable face for Mario and the company, he often reflects the opinions and ideology shared by his colleagues, so it's not...
News Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns European Release Date
Start farming on 29th June
A while back we reported that Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns 3D was on its way to PAL regions, which seemed more than likely considering the support that Rising Star Games had shown for localising the franchise in previous years. This well-known secret has now been confirmed through a press release, for Europe anyway,...
News Mario Kart 7 Goes on the Road with Big Time Rush
Mario on tour
Nintendo of America has certainly shown a willingness to team up with others to spread awareness of the major 3DS game releases, taking Mario Tennis Open on a tour with the USTA for example. More 3DS systems are preparing to hit the road in the latest partnership, with Mario Kart 7 joining Nickelodeon’s Big Time Summer Tour. This...
News LEGO Batman 2 Launch Trailer is Super
A true blockbuster
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes arrives today on Wii and 3DS in North America, with Europe only having to wait until the end of this week. The LEGO titles are prolific and consistently similar, but clearly have something going for them with the sheer range of franchises and sequels released. As the name suggests, this is the...
News Photos from Nintendo UK's Another Dimension Events
Do not adjust your sets
Your eyes do not deceive you: the gallery below does indeed feature photographs of renowned birdwatcher Bill Oddie and pop group The Saturdays. No, we haven't finally lost it and decided to turn Nintendo Life into a celebrity gossip blog — the famous faces came out to support Nintendo UK's Another Dimension photography...
Monday18th Jun 2012
News Smash Bros. Wii U Wait Could Be Even Longer Than We Thought
Stock up on calendars
Masahiro Sakurai has told fans eagerly awaiting Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS there could be an even longer wait ahead than expected. The project was announced at E3 2011 but as Sakurai only finished Kid Icarus: Uprising earlier this year he's not had a lot of time to ponder the next brawler. Sakurai told Nintendo Power...
Talking Point Wii U Bundles Need to Suit Us All
One size does not fit all
After the fun and games of Wii U noise over E3, now we probably have to wait until the next Nintendo Direct broadcast for another hit. We learned a great deal about Wii U at E3, with game reveals and system demonstrations giving a broader idea of what the console will offer. Much was left to our imagination, however, such...
Review Tumble Pop (3DS eShop / GB)
Tumble Pop and lock
In the future, nests of hornets will be the least of pest control's worries. Tumble Pop is filled with strange beasts, from living skeletons to little grey aliens, manic clowns and Sweetums from The Muppets. In this arcade platformer, it's your job to clean them up with nothing more than a trusty – and presumably engine-powered...
Nintendo Download 21st June 2012 (Europe)
Mutant Mudds is here
Well, that was a long wait. Renegade Kid's acclaimed platformer gets to Europe this week, along with a 1000 Point WiiWare adventure and a kickabout on DSiWare. Here's what's up this week. 3DS Download Software: Mutant Mudds (Renegade Kid, £8.10/€9) — What started life as a DS retail game called Maximillian and the Rise of...
News This Zelda Nursery Sets the Scene for a Life of Adventure
Highly decorated
So many Legend of Zelda games open with Link waking up in bed that a Zelda-decorated nursery makes perfect sense. Cole Bradburn and friend Wes spent three months decorating a nursery to greet Bradburn's newborn son, taking the cel-shaded adventures of Link as their inspiration. The hand-painted room features art from The Legend of...
News Nintendo Continues Software Dominance in Japan
But struggles in UK
Today brings mixed news on software sales for Nintendo, though perhaps it's a positive in the market that brings the big N the most success. In Japan, Andriasang has translated results published by Enterbrain and Famitsu that show Nintendo as the biggest selling software publisher for May. Covering the period for 30th April to...
News NES-Bit Magazine Volume 2 Hits the Stands
Back to the past
Fans of the humble Nintendo Entertainment System can learn more about their favourite machine with a new issue of NES-Bit, a fan magazine devoted to all things 8-bit. The second issue features a look back at the NES vs. Master System war, a guide to importing Famicom titles, a Castlevania series retrospective and much more. It's...
News Bomb Monkey Gets Explosive New Site
North American release may be this month
Renegade Kid has already brought us the highly-rated Mutant Mudds on the 3DS eShop recently, with European gamers finally getting the chance to download it this week. A little while ago the developer announced a new title hot-on-the-heels of its retro platformer, with puzzler Bomb Monkey bringing an entirely...
Sunday17th Jun 2012
News Wii U Will be a 'Great Value Proposition'
No details yet
One message that Nintendo has been keen to emphasise is that Wii U will avoid the launch day mistakes that hit 3DS, promising that plenty of content will be available from the beginning. There's little doubt that a relatively high price and the lack of a 'killer app' hurt the handheld, so Nintendo faces a task to avoid either of these...
London crawling
Ubisoft's first-person shooter ZombiU is brutal. Adapted from the ashes of the cancelled Killer Freaks from Outer Space, it sees London overrun by hordes of infected monsters. Your only goal is to survive, but don't expect to do so for very long; battles are desperate, fought with melee weapons or a weak pistol until you can scrape...
News Harmony of a Hunter Follow-Up Album Shoots for Perfect Run
Available later this year
Earlier in the year we told you about Harmony of a Hunter, a fan-produced double-album of music from the Metroid series. We also had an interview with director Darren Kerwin and assistant director Torbjørn 'Falcool' Brandrud, who said the project was devised to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the franchise, even if...
Saturday16th Jun 2012
Review Donkey Kong Jr. (3DS eShop / NES)
Defeat the villainous Mario!
Donkey Kong Jr. was the inevitable sequel to the massively popular arcade smash Donkey Kong. Surprisingly — and rewardingly — it inverted the formula, casting Mario as the villain to be defeated, and Donkey Kong's diaper-clad son as the avenging hero. Is there any wonder Nintendo released this one just in time for...
First Impressions Nintendo Land's Multiplayer Games
Wii U's main attraction
Nintendo Land is lots of fun. In some ways it's exactly the kind of fun you had when you played Wii Sports for the first time, regularly erupting into laughter and occasional curses when things don't go your way. It didn't look much on stage at E3, but Nintendo's right to put its faith in the game's ability to communicate...
Round Table Let's Talk About a Year of the 3DS eShop
Filling up those SD cards
This week we've celebrated one year of the 3DS eShop, with our own top ten eShop games and a retrospective on a year of the platform. To round off the week a few members of the team discuss the eShop's first year and consider the positives so far, and where it can improve. Joining features editor Thomas Whitehead are...
Friday15th Jun 2012
Talking Point What Games Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue One
We could be heroes
Before E3 we posted a few features where members of our team listed their gaming plans for the weekend with some witty prose, and you did the same in the comments below. As we all like talking about games and weekends together, we're going to make this a regular feature every two weeks. Same time, same place. We have plenty of...
First Impressions Game & Wario
No Ware out
Wario's first Wii U appearance isn't quite what we've come to expect from the garlic-munching gold grabber. Instead of a platformer or a new entry in the micro game-fuelled WarioWare series, Game & Wario is a collection of more fleshed out mini games that shows off what Nintendo's new home console can do with a single GamePad. Game...
First Impressions Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition
Sonar, so good
Batman's latest crusade through video games has been out on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC for a good eight months now, but that didn't stop Nintendo giving enhanced port Batman: Arkham City Armoured Edition plenty of stage time at E3. Escaping the confines of Arkham Asylum, a section of Gotham City has been cordoned off as a gigantic...
News Mercury Steam Talks Up 3DS for Castlevania: Mirror of Fate
Would like to work on Contra
One of the third-party titles that caught the eye ahead of and during E3 was Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate on 3DS, with a trailer boasting impressive graphics and the prospect of 2.5D monster-whipping action. The developer, Mercury Steam, has already suggested that it'll combine a focus of action with...
News 3DS Enjoys Sales Increase in U.S. Chart
Better than May 2011
Today saw the monthly NPD data release, which provides sales details for gaming software and hardware in the U.S. The results for May didn't feature any Nintendo titles in the software top ten, possibly due to a fairly heavy-hitting month of releases on other platforms. There was some positive news for Nintendo, as 3DS was the...
News Project X Zone Rocking Over 45 Music Tracks
Suggestion of 90 characters, too
Project X Zone, the intriguing RPG-strategy title that features a crossover of characters from Capcom, SEGA and Namco Bandai, appears to be getting plenty of hype ahead of its release in Japan this year. Information is slowly being revealed through the title's blog page, and the lovely people over at Andriasang have...
Thursday14th Jun 2012
Nintendo Download 14th June 2012 (North America)
Mad dogs, spider-men, mega men and more
A good all-round week for North America: 3DS gets an ageing arcade game, a demo and a 3DS Virtual Console game, DSiWare is graced with a music-themed take on the Plants vs. Zombies formula and Wii owners get a VC game too. 3DS Virtual Console: Donkey Kong Jr. (NES, Nintendo, $4.99) — A rare appearance from...
Review The Last Blade (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Neo Geo fighting at its finest
There are very few game consoles in existence that can compete with the diverse fighting game library of SNK's Neo Geo system. While some of the earlier efforts came up short of reaching the quality of Capcom's Street Fighter II series, many later efforts ended up being some of the best 2D fighting releases of the era...
Review 3D Solitaire (3DS eShop)
The title says it all
Nintendo’s digital stores have given us plenty of titles based on old-fashioned games of cards, for those who no longer play with real decks or other people. The thing about solitaire, or course, is that it’s a card game for just one player, and anyone’s who owned a Windows PC in the last 15 years is likely to have played...
Extra floretstrial
For years Nintendo has been tending to a new entry in the Pikmin series, experimenting with different control methods and systems both handheld and home console. After starting life on Wii, Pikmin 3 was eventually transferred to Wii U due to the benefits of high definition and the GamePad's touch screen. The little plant-alien-bug...
Talking Point Are E3 Conferences a Dying Breed?
E3 is changing
9am PDT, Tuesday, E3 week. For Nintendo fans, this time and date is akin to New Year's Day, ringing in the next big batch of games Nintendo has to offer and beginning a week-long celebration of all things gaming. Nintendo’s E3 press conference has created some magical moments over the years, from the reveal of The Legend of Zelda:...
News Amazon Removes £199.99 Wii U Listing
Update: Pre-orders cancelled
Update: Amazon has cancelled pre-orders for the Wii U, saying "the product was listed in error". Bad luck, everyone. We had a feeling that Amazon listing Wii U for £199.99 was too good to be true, and now the retailer's taken down its cheap listing. The Wii U product page now generates a 404 error, with the
Wednesday13th Jun 2012
News Kirby's 20th Anniversary Special Collection Doesn't Suck
Even if Kirby has to
A little under two months ago we brought you the happy news that Nintendo is planning a 20th Anniversary Kirby compilation for Wii, ensuring that fans of the pink one will have a chance to celebrate the landmark with a collection of classic games and other goodies. Courtesy of Andriasang we now know what will be included in the...
News Zelda Remakes Still Part of Nintendo's Quest
Miyamoto weighing up two distinct options
Ever since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D arrived on 3DS, fans of the series have been eager to see what's next. Our team had hopes, before they were cruelly dashed, that an all-new Zelda entry would be teased for 3DS at E3. Judging on comments made by Shigeru Miyamoto to IGN, however, it seems that...
News Amazon UK Lists Wii U at £199.99
Preorder today! Maybe...
We've been aware of retailers making speculative Wii U listings, and the latest appears to be from amazon.co.uk. Amazingly, the listing gives a price of £199.99 ($310 USD), is specifically for the black model, and says that it'll be available on 14th July. Elsewhere on the site Amazon lists the white console with no price...
Feature One Year of the 3DS eShop
Happy birthday!
You might not have noticed with a little thing called E3 going on, but last week the Nintendo 3DS eShop turned one year old. Though the service started slowly, not even making it to the system's launch, it has morphed over the course of the last 12 months to become the decent digital portal that DSiWare and WiiWare should always have...
News Reggie Fils-Aime Plays it Cool Over Wii U GamePad Battery
Does share good news on Miiverse moderation
As those who follow the company know, Nintendo doesn't enthusiastically reveal the detailed technical specifications of its consoles and handhelds, beyond basics. One issue on that front that came out of E3 was the Wii U GamePad's battery life — a feature that dominated the early days of 3DS — and in...
First Impressions Scribblenauts Unlimited
Unlimited indeed
We've already seen two Scribblenauts releases on Nintendo's DS system, but now the series is making the jump to the home console on Nintendo's upcoming Wii U, in the form of Scribblenauts Unlimited. While the series has never looked better visually, it's the major improvements to the gaming experience itself that really takes this...
News Satoru Iwata Acknowledges Possibility of Free-To-Play Games
Only for different, more suitable concepts
While many of us watched Nintendo's formal presentations at E3, as would be expected of a trade event there were low-key meetings and Q&A sessions as well. An analyst Q&A has been published by Nintendo, where Satoru Iwata was grilled on a range of topics such as Wii U hardware, costs and bundles,...
News Pinball Arcade: The Twilight Zone Hits Kickstarter Target
Flipping for an extra Star Trek table
A few weeks ago we learned that Pinball Arcade is on the way to 3DS and Wii U, and also that developer FarSight Studios had launched a Kickstarter funding page to gain the license, at a cost of $55,000, to digitize the highly-regarded table for The Twilight Zone. The positive news is that the target has been...
News Just Dance Greatest Hits Gets on the Dance Floor
If you just can't get enough
Just Dance is a franchise that has become unstoppable, swallowing up the Wii charts for weeks at a time and being responsible for adverts of attractive, rhythmic people jigging around with a Wii Remote in their hand. We've had three titles so far and know that Just Dance 4 is on the way, so it's not going anywhere. Back...
Tuesday12th Jun 2012
News Miyamoto Talks Down Idea of 3DS Redesign
Thinking about 'future generation of handheld'
On the cusp of E3 we reported a rumour, from Japanese newspaper Nikkei, that Nintendo was planning to announce a bigger 3DS, which was subsequently denied by Nintendo. It wasn't the first time that talk of a 3DS redesign had surfaced, with previous rumours of an amended system that would include a...
First Impressions Rayman Legends
An absolute jaw-dropper
Ubisoft's Rayman Origins was praised for its amazing 2D visuals, lush environments and solid platforming. So when word leaked out that Ubisoft was working on a possible sequel, fans of the limbless one sat up and took notice. After finding out the game would be shown at E3 on Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console, the thought of...
Feature Nintendo Land's Potential
Raising the flag for Wii U
Nintendo Land, a virtual theme park that collects together bite-sized portions of several Nintendo franchises, seems to be the big first party hope for Wii U. It's intended as a title that can match the appeal of Wii Sports and push the console's central concepts: the uses of the GamePad's screen, asymmetrical multiplayer,...
News Mario and Kim Cattrall Star in New 3DS Advert
Run Mario run!
Advertising in video games is a funny business, and we've seen Nintendo hook up with a lot of different celebrities to promote Wii, DS and 3DS in recent years. The latest team up is with Kim Cattrall, of Sex and the City fame, who appears to promote Super Mario 3D Land and, sorry North Americans, the Ice White 3DS system. It's a...
News Pikmin 3 Will Not Include Online Multiplayer
Local co-op is included
It shows how eagerly anticipated Pikmin 3 has been that Nintendo wasted no time opening its show with the title at E3: the regular teases over a number of years meant that it was always going to be a high profile reveal. More details on the Wii U title are starting to emerge, and one negative is that the multiplayer component...
News Ubisoft 'Not Really Saying' That Rayman Legends is Wii U Exclusive
Could have fooled us
While EA was the major partner of Nintendo at E3 2011, Ubisoft undoubtedly assumed that role this year, showing off its Wii U content in its own press conference before appearing on stage with Reggie Fils-Aime the following day. One title that looked attractive and made good use of the Wii U's GamePad and graphical capabilities,...
News Nintendo's Tips for Top 3D Photos
UK competition ends on Sunday
As some of you — specifically those of you based in the UK — may be aware, Nintendo has been running a 3D photo competition alongside the Royal Photographic Society, with the winners in line for a trip to Paris. It closes on 17th June and you can still read about the photography competition details, or the Another...
News Ubisoft Expects Five Million Wii U Consoles in First Six Months
Doesn't consider the console to be a risk
Ubisoft has recently taken up the role as a major third-party cheerleader for Wii U, and in a recent interview with Reuters, the company's CEO Yves Guillemot continued to talk up the system and its launch prospects. Guillemot had this to say about his expectation that Nintendo will manufacture five million...
Monkey + bombs = puzzler fun
When you mention developer Renegade Kid's name, some gamers' minds immediately gravitate towards the spine-chilling first-person shooters the developer has created like Dementium and Moon. So when the group released its retro platformer Mutant Mudds, most were fairly caught by surprise. There's another surprise as...
News Gaijin Games: Wii U is a 'New Canvas to Paint On'
Running with its ideas
Gaijin Games is a well-known supporter of Nintendo systems and services, bringing its six game Bit.Trip series to WiiWare and then as retail compilations on Wii and 3DS. There was a dark time, however, when it looked like Bit.Trip Runner spin-off Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien wouldn't arrive on a Nintendo system...
News Balloon Pop Remix Rated for 3DS
Extra 3D popping included?
Nintendo's download platforms haven't been lacking for match-3 puzzle titles, and Balloon Pop Festival from UFO Interactive was one of quite a few on WiiWare. That said, it was a thoroughly decent, colourful title that earned a respectable 7/10 in our Balloon Pop Festival review, though it seems that it was only released...
Monday11th Jun 2012
News Let Camelot Know If You Want Another Golden Sun
Speak up
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn hit DS some seven years after its predecessor, Golden Sun: The Lost Age landed on the Game Boy Advance. What are the chances of a new entry in the series, though? Camelot head Hiroyuki Takahashi wants to know if that's something you'd want. In an interview with Nintendo Gamer, Hiroyuki Takahashi said that if enough...
Feature Our Top Ten eShop Games
A year of old and new
The Nintendo 3DS eShop recently turned one year old, a year that's seen updates, a new look and a broad range of games. In its early weeks it struggled with a lack of exclusive releases, but after a year we've seen a number of developers pitching in on the service with high quality titles. The 3DS Virtual Console has also...
News Reggie: Friend Codes Return on Wii U, But They're Better
Pack away the bunting
It seems like just last week we were celebrating that Wii U won't have Friend Codes, but it seems our fireworks and streamers were a bit premature. Nintendo of America president and honorary purple Pikmin Reggie Fils-Aime has told Kotaku Wii U will have friend codes, but they'll be different. By the sounds of things, you'll be...
News Japan Gets New Skyward Sword Link Figure in October
Go Figma
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword's interpretation of Link gets immortalised in resin later this year, when Japanese manufacturer Max Factory puts out its Master Sword Link figurine. The ¥3,800 statue — that's about £30 or $47 — comes with Link, a Master Sword and Hylian Shield (of course), as well as an effects piece for his sword...
Is Wii U for U?
Any time a company is about to release new gaming hardware there's a certain buzz that comes along with the E3 show that year. We've known for some time that Nintendo was getting set to release its brand new Wii U console this year, and we had a rather short sneak peek of the system at last year's E3. At the time we were unable to...
Nintendo Download 14th June 2012 (Europe)
Sonic, tattoos and a samurai sword
After all the E3 excitement last week it's back down to Earth with a bump this week, with a Game Gear Sonic game and European releases of decent, if long overdue games. Here's what's available this week. 3DS Virtual Console: Sonic Blast (Game Gear, SEGA, £4.50/€5) — Sonic's last adventure on Game Gear (in...
News Yoshinori Ono Still Overworked Despite Health Scare
Strong arm tactics
On a press tour of Asia earlier this year, Yoshinori Ono was admitted to hospital and stepped down from his role as Street Fighter producer following the health scare. While you might have expected Ono's hectic work schedule to slow down after the incident, a new interview with Eurogamer.net reveals that's not the case. Ono...
News Black Ops 2 Coming to Wii U
Scan of Nintendo Gamer says so
E3 came and went without much talk of Activision's contribution to Wii U, and with no news of the inevitable blockbuster, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Of course the Los Angeles event doesn't cover everything, and it looks like the yearly shooting-fest will indeed make its way onto Nintendo's new system. News has spread...
News Project Happiness to Put a Smile on 3DS Owners' Faces
Open the TOYBOX
That Project Happiness trailer we showed you last week certainly looked cute, but we didn't know if it would definitely come to Nintendo platforms. And now we know it will, we have an excuse to show it again. Publisher Rising Star Games confirmed the game will reach Nintendo 3DS and mobile platforms. Project Happiness is the new...
News Nintendo Seeks Britain's Fastest Mario Kart 7 Family
Start your engines
Mario Kart 7 has been racing around on 3DS screens since late last year, so many of us are probably getting pretty fast by now. That said, there's always someone with an online rank of 15,000 that blows the competition away. Nintendo is keen to encourage families of 3DS gamers to put that practice to good use, with a competition...
News Ghost Recon Online Still Planning Wii U Assault
PC first, then Wii U
Last year Ubisoft announced Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online for Wii U, but with no mention of it at this year's E3 we wondered if it had slipped off the publisher's plate. Ubi's senior vice president of sales and marketing, Tony Key, has put such speculation to bed by saying a Wii U version is still planned. Key told IGN the...
Sunday10th Jun 2012
News Wii U Power Lacks a 'Generational Leap'
Eurogamer gets technical
Debate about the technical capability of Wii U has been taking place ever since it was revealed at E3 2011, but we're now in a better position after seeing plenty of game footage at E3 2012. The Digital Foundry team at Eurogamer.net has been picking apart footage from the event and assessing the power that Wii U is...
E3 2012 Our View of Nintendo's E3
Did Nintendo win?
The E3 displays and demo booths have all been packed up and tired exhibitors have gone home, so now we can reflect on what happened in Los Angeles and contemplate how Nintendo performed. A few members of the team provided a short review of Nintendo's E3 press conference hours after it finished, with a general consensus that while...
News Shantae eShop Release Gets Closer
WayForward waiting for ESRB rating
Shantae: Risky's Revenge is one of the best-rated DSiWare releases, but it may not be well-known to all that it was actually a sequel to Shantae on Game Boy Color, which was developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Capcom. Now that we have the 3DS Virtual Console, fans of the original naturally wonder...
Saturday9th Jun 2012
Reaction What Happened to EA and Nintendo's Unprecedented Partnership?
The silent treatment
At last year's E3, EA CEO John Riccitiello shared a stage with Nintendo global president Satoru Iwata and Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime to announce that the two companies would join together in an "unprecedented partnership" for the launch of Wii U. Neither party gave any real indication what this would involve;...
News Nintendo Goes Mobile With iPhone Cases
Just cases, not games
It's become one of the most persistent arguments surrounding Nintendo in recent years: should it take its games — or versions of them — to mobile platforms? It's an argument with no end, but Nintendo does like to tease, and it's now come up with a series of officially licenced iPhone cases to remind smartphone owners of why...
Talking Point The Good and Bad Sides of Moderating Miiverse
Big Mario is watching
As we were bombarded with announcements and details about Wii U in the past week, perhaps one feature stood out as something distinctly new in the world of Nintendo: Miiverse. After enduring the lacking online options on Wii for the past six years, Nintendo gamers can look ahead to potential levels of social interaction unknown...
News ShopTo Lists Wii U at Speculative £280
Games listed at under £40
Nintendo stated that it would not be unveiling the price or release date for Wii U at E3, and sure enough it steered away from those details. Lack of information never keeps online retailers down, however, as ShopTo.net has posted product pages and estimated prices for Wii U and some of its biggest announced titles. The...
E3 2012 Probably The Best E3 Video Of All Time
Prepare yourself
Nintendo's E3 showing this year gave plenty of stage time to some less familiar faces: Katsuya Eguchi and Scott Moffitt both spoke at length about Wii U and 3DS respectively, while president Satoru Iwata — traditionally the conference mainstay — mostly stayed behind the scenes to tweet. This video is probably his finest ever...
Friday8th Jun 2012
Review Mega Man X2 (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Still mega
When Capcom created Mega Man X, it had clearly done something right. Many fans loved finally getting a refreshing take on the series, rather than what was essentially the same thing over and over, and it became quite popular. While the Classic Mega Man series went on a break for a few years, Capcom churned out a few more X games,...
News Tomb Raider Not Coming to Wii U
Game Informer issues correction
Earlier this week we reported on a Tomb Raider Wii U listing in Game Informer magazine, which was contrary to comments from the developer that it wasn't working on a port for Nintendo's new system. We highlighted the possibilities that the developer had changed its mind or that Game Informer had made an honest...
E3 2012 Miyamoto Talks Zelda Wii U Experiments
Several in the works
Last year's Zelda HD experience was certainly graphically impressive, but as always Nintendo was keen to stress it was just an example of what's possible; we know from past experience Zelda tech demos often vastly differ from the finished product. Nintendo's main man Shigeru Miyamoto told Entertainment Weekly there are various...
I got 99 problems but time ain't one
Tiny time-waster games like 99seconds really aren't all that dissimilar from the arcade games of old that we now look on so fondly as champions of game design: simplistic ideas with an execution engaging enough to keep the flow of quarters flowing. Here, the concept is a form of extreme keep-away with a slow-down...
E3 2012 Iwata and Friends Enjoy a Job Well Done
Who was the star performer?
As the booths at E3 are packed up and taken away, Nintendo's teams and key figures will be going back home for a well-earned rest. For Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aime, it'll also be a time to reflect on their respective performances and whether the company as a whole succeeded at the event. Nintendo's...
Review Kakuro by Nikoli (3DS eShop)
4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42
There's certainly no shortage of number puzzles lurking around the dark, damp corners of the eShop. Sudoku is a prime culprit, and we wouldn't be at all surprised if there was a degree of puzzle overlap between them all, however mathematically unlikely that may be. Kakuro, on the other hand, is much less of a bruised dead horse...
Thursday7th Jun 2012
E3 2012 Nintendo's 3DS Software Showcase Live
What will we see?
Nintendo's hosting a 3DS software showcase to spend more time talking about its range of upcoming 3DS games. And you know what? We're going to be covering it live right on this very page. It all kicks off at 6pm Pacific — that's 9pm Eastern and 2am UK time. Don't forget the comments will automatically refresh so kick back,...
Review Sweet Memories Blackjack (3DS eShop)
Not fond memories
Sweet Memories Blackjack is a strange arrival on the 3DS eShop, with a Japanese concept and style that typically doesn’t make it outside of the Land of the Rising Sun. While card games are common on DSiWare, this 3DS exclusive follows a different approach that aims to bring a relationship dynamic to proceedings. This title may...
E3 2012 New Super Mario Bros. 2 Gets Co-operative
Double your money
Here's a feature everybody's been wanting for New Super Mario Bros. 2 — it has a two player co-operative mode. You can run through the entire 3DS platformer alongside a friend, taking control of a Mario Bro. each. There are a couple of stumbling blocks though: both players need to own a copy of the game, and it's also only...
Nintendo Download 7th June 2012 (North America)
Bats, cats, balance and curling
It's a bumper week for North America with new 3DS Download Software, demos, DSiWare, 3D videos and more. Here's what's available today. 3DS Download Software: Art of Balance TOUCH! (Shin'en Multimedia, $6.99) — An excellent puzzle game that tasks you to create a balanced stack of blocks. It's tougher than it...
News Nintendo to Offer Triple Layer of Miiverse Moderation
Don't be naughty
One of Wii U's biggest features so far is Miiverse. It promises to be a social network on the console, infused with typical Nintendo touches to make it as charming and fun as possible. From a practical perspective, the idea is to communicate with other Wii U gamers to receive game tips, arrange online play and make friends. Another...
Poll Which 3DS Game at E3 Got You Most Excited?
Only one can triumph
After we asked which Wii U game got you excited? we want to know how you felt about the line-up for 3DS. Unsurprisingly Nintendo first-party games dominated the poll, but there were good showings from Konami and Square Enix. Paper Mario: Sticker Star — 75 Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon — 62
E3 2012 Get to the NA eShop for Some New 3DS Demos
Try 'em out
If you're hankering for some new 3DS demos, you're in luck. Last night Nintendo announced that there'll be several new third party demos coming to the North American eShop in the near future. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes should be available right now, but you'll soon also be able to get your paws on trials of The Amazing Spider-Man,...
Poll Which Colour Wii U Would You Prefer?
You might have to wait for black, though
Yesterday we quizzed readers to discover what colour Wii U they would like to buy on launch. The results, you might say, were a bit of a landslide. Black won with an impressive 190 votes, compared to a measly 49 votes for the white option. If Nintendo Life readers reflect the mood of the general buying...
News Peter Molyneux 'Not Really Decided' on Wii U GamePad
One screen too many, perhaps
There have been plenty of opinions about Wii U since E3 attendees have had a chance to try it on the show floor, and one participant who's unsure about the console and its GamePad controller is well-known game designer Peter Molyneux. Much debate around Wii U has focused on the games lineup or technical specifications,...
E3 2012 Reggie Confirms Fire Emblem Awakening for America
Everybody gets a turn
Although there was no mention of it during last night's 3DS software showcase, Fire Emblem: Awakening is coming to North America. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed to IGN the turns-based strategy RPG will make it across the Atlantic, but at the moment we don't know any more. Nintendo Europe recently...
E3 2012 3DS Software Showcase Trailer Round-Up
Luigi, Mario and more
If you missed last night's 3DS software showcase you didn't miss a whole lot, to be honest, but we've collated the trailers and bundled them all up into this very post all the same. Each game page has also been updated with new screenshots, artwork and official details, so click through to see what's new. Luigi's Mansion:...
E3 2012 Rabbids Land is a Wii U Party Board Game
Baaaaaw-rd
Ubisoft is making a mischievous play for Mario Party's market in Rabbids Land, a board game infused with mini games that'll be ready for Wii U's launch. The distractions are amusement park-inspired — is this going to become a theme on Wii U? — and mix up competitive and co-operative asymmetric multiplayer. Up to three players will...
News Retro City Rampage Is Still Heading to WiiWare
Summer fling
Once upon a time, Retro City Rampage was announced for WiiWare. That time was over two years go, and with the game having missed its most recent May release window many are starting to worry that this quirky 8-bit-styled title won't make it to WiiWare. The good news is that the game's still coming to WiiWare, and should be out this...
E3 2012 Project Happiness Trailer is Adorably Wistful
Pokémon artist on board
Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada has a new studio and a new game in the works, currently codenamed Project Happiness. TOYBOX, Rising Star Games and Natsume have just released the first teaser trailer for the game and it looks very much like Wada's signature style. The voiceover will sound familiar to Little King's Story...
E3 2012 Epic Mickey 3DS Daubs Shelves 18th November
Pretty in paint
Last night's 3DS Software Showcase wasn't the frenzy of new games that was anticipated, but some good came of it: a US release date for Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion. DreamRift's portable take on the series will arrive on North American shores on 18th November 2012. Co-founder / creative director at DreamRift Peter Ong...
E3 2012 Sports Connection Steps Up to the Plate
Filling in for Wii Sports
Wii U's E3 2011 concept video hinted at a new version of Wii Sports. That hasn't been confirmed as a title actually in development so far, but luckily for sports fans Ubisoft is ready to pitch in with Sports Connection. The compilation gives you the chance to win kart races from the comfort of your bathroom, live the...
E3 2012 Corbie's Photos From the Show - Day Two
Deeper into the rabbit hole
Yesterday we brought you the first set of Corbie's photos from E3, and now we've got another batch of shots to shoot your way. The E3 showfloor closes today so Corbie will be running around trying to get his hands on as many games as possible. It's a hard life. We'll have hands-on previews of all the playable E3 games...
Wednesday6th Jun 2012
E3 2012 Animal Crossing Wii U Gets More Friendly with Miiverse
Friend finder
It's no surprise that Katsuya Eguchi, the creator of Animal Crossing and hardware producer on Wii U, is already thinking about how to combine the two. Speaking at last night's developer roundtable, Eguchi mused on how Wii U's Miiverse social network could enhance Animal Crossing's community. Eguchi said in the past people have had a...
E3 2012 F-Zero is Coming to Wii U
...As part of Nintendo Land
Nintendo has heard all the pleas for a new F-Zero game and finally done something about it. Well, sort of. It's going to be one of the attractions in Nintendo Land. It was announced at last night's developer discussion that the futuristic racer will make an appearance as one of the 12 mini games in Nintendo's virtual...
E3 2012 New Super Mario Bros. Wii U Screenshot Comparison
Then and now
Last year's reveal of New Super Mario Bros. Mii underwhelmed some last year, but this year's screenshots of New Super Mario Bros. U look a lot better. We've put together a gallery comparing screenshots from last year's technical demonstration to this year's game. The overriding impression we get is that the backgrounds have been most...
E3 2012 Wii U to Launch in White, Black Available "Later"
All white on the night
We saw a whole lot of the black Wii U console during yesterday's E3 conference, but according to a Nintendo representative the dark shade might not be available at launch. Destructoid reports a booth representative as saying the system will launch in white, with the black option available "someday". It took years for the...
E3 2012 The Most Gorgeous Wii U Screenshots Yet
See what Wii U can do
We might not know exactly what's inside Wii U, but we can show you what comes out of the machine in these HD screenshots. We've pored over Nintendo's screenshots and picked out some of the most impressive shots just for you. Click any of the stills for a bigger view. Pikmin 3 Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge Scribblenauts...
E3 2012 Transfer Wii Save Data and Shop Purchases to Wii U
Keep it flowing
Nintendo's confirmed it's working on a system to transfer Wii save data, WiiWare and Virtual Console purchases from your Wii console to the new Wii U. The good news came during last night's developer roundtable in a Q&A section, a Nintendo producer saying: We are readying the system to be able to transfer saves and everything...
Nintendo Download 7th June 2012 (Europe)
Online Heroes of Ruin demo and more
Talk about a first: tomorrow you can try Heroes of Ruin's multiplayer mode either in local or online play. Here's what else is up for Europeans tomorrow. 3DS Demos: Heroes of Ruin (Square Enix) — Try out one of four classes and play online or in local multiplayer with three others. The game hits Europe next...
E3 2012 Ding Dong, Friend Codes are Dead on Wii U
Happy day
Short but snappy: the dreaded friend codes are gone on Wii U. Shane Satterfield from GameTrailers.com received the good news this morning. Oh yeah, was confirmed to me today that friend codes are gone for Wii U. Wii U's Miiverse is now the central hub for meeting people and making friends on Wii U, and with online accounts we should...
E3 2012 Nintendo Land is More Expansive Than You Thought
Not another Wii Play
Nintendo Land is intended as a Wii U equivalent of Wii Sports, but so far it looks more like a new Wii Play. Not so, says Nintendo. Each of the attractions will be deeper than the games found in Wii Play, with multiple stages, modes and adjusting difficulty levels. Wii U hardware producer Katsuya Eguchi took to the stage at...
Reaction Your Opinions on Nintendo's E3 Conference
A mixed bag
Nintendo E3 conferences are a funny business, with just 70 minutes to try and please as many people as possible: not an easy task. This year Nintendo went big with Wii U and showed off a variety of first and third party titles, covering a lot of bases. Of course, it's easy to focus on what wasn't revealed, but ultimately we do have big...
E3 2012 Skylanders Giants Stomping onto Wii U
Ground shaking
Polish up those Skylanders figures; Skylanders Giants is coming to Wii U, and all your old models are compatible. During an interview with GameTrailers, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg confirmed that the sequel will be making its way over to Nintendo's new home console. Having taken toy technology under its wing in the original,...
News Bowser and Bison Join Wreck-It Ralph in Therapy
Bad boys
Bowser will be making a return to cinema screens for the first time since that live action movie in Wreck-It Ralph, Disney's new computer generated film that's out later this year. Poor old Ralph has been stuck doing the same old job for 30 years: smashing up buildings in an Rampage-style arcade game. Bored of being the bad guy that nobody...
News Reggie: Wii U Launch Window is Four Months Long
Talks up first-party
How long is a piece of string? And how long is a console launch window? Nintendo says it'll publish several games in the Wii U launch window, but how big a span of time is that? Leave it to Reggie Fils-Aime to explain. Fils-Aime told IGN Nintendo sees the launch window as spanning a fairly lengthy period: It's launch plus the...
News Dragon Quest 3D Smashes 500k Sales in Its First Week
Terry's wonderful
3DS remake Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D has shot to the top of the Japanese charts with an incredible 513,183 units sold in its first week. The much-anticipated release sent 3DS hardware sales over 100,000 units, shifting 101,075 in a week, a near-90% increase on the previous week's 55,212 sales. Thanks to Dragon...
News Heroes of Ruin Demo Available This Week
In Europe, at least
While the summer may traditionally be a quiet period for new releases, 3DS has some promising titles on the way. One of these, Heroes of Ruin, arrives in Europe on 15th June, while it's hitting North America a bit later on 17th July. According to Eurogamer.net, this week's download update in Europe will include a Heroes of Ruin...
News Nintendo Shares Drop After E3 Press Conference
Shareholders are unimpressed
Nintendo's E3 press conference prompted a mixed reaction from the attendees and viewers around the internet, with the Wii U-focused presentation apparently failing to gain widespread support and praise. That same reaction has been reflected in the Japanese stock market since it opened today, with the company's shares...
News Reggie: Retro's Hard at Work, Won't Say More
Could be a long wait
We all wanted Nintendo to show what Retro Studios is working on, but we saw nothing of its mysterious project during yesterday's E3 conference. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has assured fans the developer is hard at work, but we probably won't get to see it for quite a while. Speaking to IGN, Fils-Aime said:...
Poll Which Nintendo E3 Wii U Game Got You Excited?
The results are in
Yesterday, during the madness of the Nintendo press conference, we asked our Facebook followers which Wii U game they were most excited about. We had around 300 votes, and below are the results. Pikmin 3 — 112 New Super Mario Bros. U — 66 Zombi U — 57
News Nintendo Nabs Domains for Nintendo Land Minigames
Crash course
Nintendo's registered domains for some of the minigames we'll see in Nintendo Land as well as a domain for September Wii release Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition. Here's what the domain Bokoblins at Nintendo have been registering this week:...
Rumour Tomb Raider Listed for Wii U
Game Informer says so
Despite the fairly lengthy list of games announced for Wii U, there are various titles on the way to PS3 and Xbox 360 that aren't in the works for Wii U. One of these is Tomb Raider, due for release in March 2013, though a scan of Game Informer magazine has listed Wii U as a platform. The development studio behind this title,...
E3 2012 Rayman Legends Trailer Looks Glorious in HD
Wii U's best looking title?
Ubisoft's got eight games on the way to Wii U, but few look as beautiful as Rayman Legends. Don't believe us? Here's a five minute gameplay video running in 720p. Rayman Legends is exclusive to Wii U and supports five players: four using Wii Remotes and one using the Wii U GamePad to play as Murphy, a helpful little chap...
E3 2012 Miyamoto's Small Game is Under Wraps For Now
Maybe next year
Shigeru Miyamoto's talked in the past about working on smaller projects, but the only project of his we saw at E3 2012 was Pikmin 3. He's assured Joystiq he is still working on something but we probably won't see it until next year. People like to ask me if I want to do a small project with a small team. I do like working with a...
E3 2012 Your Shape Gets U Bending
Witness the fitness
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013 is set to go toe-to-toe with Nintendo's own Wii Fit U in Wii U's launch window. Only the strongest will survive: does Ubisoft's exercise-a-thon have a chance of winning the battle with Nintendo's considerable bulge? There's certainly going to be plenty of peer pressure to lose those pounds with a...
E3 2012 Corbie's Photos From the Show - Day One
Take a journey through LA
Our man Corbie Dillard has been pounding the LA showfloors this week to go hands-on with some of the most exciting upcoming games you'll be playing later this year. But when his hands haven't been wrapped around a control pad they've been snapping photos left, right and centre. Here's some of Corbie's shots from LA so far.
Tuesday5th Jun 2012
E3 2012 Watch the Nintendo Press Conference Live Here
It's nearly time
The most exciting day of the gaming year is nearly upon us. Nintendo's E3 2012 press conference kicks off on Tuesday 5th June. Thanks to the magic of the internet, you'll be able to watch the whole show right here, so bookmark this page and come back on Tuesday. Can't say fairer than that, can you? If you can't watch ustream for...
Reaction Ubisoft Bets Big On Wii U
Will it be legendary?
Ubisoft has now finished its E3 conference extravaganza, and unlike EA dedicated a section to Wii U, underlining support for Nintendo's next gen console. In total the publisher unveiled eight titles, not all necessarily for launch day, but in any case representing a broad variety of styles and experiences. So, what stood out?...
E3 2012 New Super Mario Bros. U Media Blowout
Screenshots and video, we got it!
Those already familar with New Super Mario Bros. Wii will know exactly what to expect from the upcoming New Super Mario Bros. U for Wii U. Aside from the usual multiplayer mayhem Mario and his friends will enjoy a spot of flying squirrel suit gliding and messing about with Baby Yoshis, and all in glorious 1080p...
News You Can Transfer Wii VC Games to Wii U
Rejoice!
Nintendo of America has confirmed you can transfer your Wii Virtual Console purchases to the Wii U. Executive Scott Moffitt told ABC News you'll be able to move across past VC purchases and play them on the Wii U. Moffitt said there'll be a lot of restructuring necessary — Wii U will support multiple online user accounts for instance —...
News Nyko Tries to Make Circle Pad Pro Pretty
Extends battery life, tries to stay out of ugly tree
The 3DS Circle Pad Pro isn't widely loved, it's safe to say, with comments around the peripheral ranging from 'it's OK and works' to 'OMG WTF!!!'. Much of the attention when it released was around arguments that 3DS should have included two Circle Pads in its design, and also that it was...
News ZombiU Is Really a Blast from the Past
Did you know Zombi was Ubisoft's first game?
ZombiU was one of the major Wii U announcements yesterday as part of Ubisoft's press conference, with a CG-filled trailer that showed plenty of zombie chaos. Our interesting fact of the day is that Ubisoft's first ever game release was called Zombi, which was an icon-driven adventure game released in...
E3 2012 Every Wii U Game Announced So Far
They're all here
Nintendo promised a "massive lineup" of Wii U first and third-party games, and sent over a list of titles in the works for the system. Reggie Fils-Aime said there are seven more first-party titles in development — hopefully we'll hear more about them soon. Retail: eShop: Also coming to Wii U: Injustice: Gods Among Us...
E3 2012 Every 3DS Game Announced So Far
Plus three Pokémon DS games
We're yet to have a genuine 3DS fix at this year's E3, with the handheld only having the briefest of mentions in the main press conference. It does have its own showcase lined up, but until that arrives we have full list of confirmed titles for you. Check them out below. 3DS: DS: eShop:
E3 2012 Wii U Tech Specs Revealed
1080p, NFC, powered by IBM and AMD chips
Nintendo has officially revealed the final tech specs for its Wii U console, many of which confirm what we've already heard about the system. The Wii U will be powered by an IBM multi-core CPU and AMD Radeon HD GPU combo. Sadly, the data falls short of supplying the amount of RAM inside Nintendo's new box...
Talking Point Reviewing Nintendo's E3 Press Conference
7/10?
The dust has settled on Nintendo's E3 2012 press conference. Here in the Nintendo Life offices the pizza boxes have been pushed to one side and we've taken a few minutes to collect our thoughts and summarise how we think it went. James Newton, editor: I wouldn't say this was a classic show for Nintendo — a lot of the right components were...
E3 2012 Yes, We Will See New 3DS Games Today
Which is nice
All this talk of Wii U and the most recent Nintendo Direct has put poor 3DS in the shade. Well don't worry, the little handheld that can will get its chance to shine again during Nintendo's E3 press conference today. Despite saying it'll focus on Wii U software, Nintendo confirmed it will reveal new games for 3DS today, promising a...
E3 2012 Nintendo Land's Zelda Game Has Us in Stitches
Link's never looked cuter
Nintendo Land combines several key Nintendo franchises — Zelda, Animal Crossing and more — into a theme park-style minigame compilation. Each title has its own new graphical style, and the super-cutesy hand-stitched Zelda game certainly tickles our fancy. The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest game features archery and...
E3 2012 3DS Downloads on the Way
Plenty for all tastes
Nintendo has unveiled a list of upcoming download titles on the 3DS eShop with some release periods for us to take in. There aren't any specific dates, but we at least have an idea of when we can expect the titles to arrive. These are all North American details, but we'll optimistically hope that PAL region releases won't be...
E3 2012 Game & Wario is Like Wario Ware, But On Wii U
He's-a gonna ween
Nintendo just pulled the cover off Game & Wario (temporary title), a Wii U compilation that's like WarioWare blended with Game & Watch. The title's minigames use only the Wii U GamePad, so we'll hopefully see some very smart uses of that new touch screen controller. One screenshot shows Jimmy, on skis, in HD. What more do...
E3 2012 Scribblenauts Unlimited Drawn Into Wii U and 3DS
Fantabulistic
The Scribblenauts series had two entries on DS, earning praise for its creativity and charm. It's been confirmed that the series is coming not only to 3DS, but also in glorious HD on Wii U with Scribblenauts Unlimited. It'll include a multiplayer mode, with one player customising the characters and objects on the GamePad while the...
E3 2012 Paper Mario: Sticker Star Shots and Details
Sticker round
After a long wait, Nintendo finally brought Paper Mario: Sticker Star out of the cupboard and slapped a holiday release date on the box. Mario's thin adventure has a sticky addition with — predictably — stickers, which can be used both in and out of battle. Intelligent Systems — surely having a busy time with Game & Wario in...
E3 2012 LEGO City Undercover Infiltrates Wii U, 3DS
Building blocks
LEGO City Undercover is essentially Grand Theft Auto LEGO. Consider it bought. Rather than causing trouble, you'll be stopping crime as a blocky cop. It looks to play up the parody factor quite high: we spied The Matrix, some very OTT takes on kung fu action films and the ability to build up a very familiar green pipe. Once known...
Reaction On First Glance, Nintendo Land is No Wii Sports
System seller?
Nintendo made claims that it had a Wii U title that matches Wii Sports in appeal; a title that sells their new console, both conceptually and literally, just as well as the motion sports game did for Wii. At E3 it presented the proposed title: Nintendo Land, a virtual theme park which incorporates Miis, Miiverse and mini games...
E3 2012 Pikmin 3 Wii U Trailer is Plucky
But one-player only
We finally saw Pikmin 3 today, and now you can relive that moment below. Shigeru Miyamoto's garden simulator comes to HD for the first time with four new leaders, but sadly it's only a single-player experience, a missed opportunity considering the potential for co-operative play. Still, after years of waiting, at least we have...
E3 2012 Castlevania: Mirror of Fate Gameplay Whips Into Action
The Belmont clan are back
The Belmont clan is synonymous with the Castlevania franchise, with descendants often picking up the mantle of defeating Dracula and saving the world. In Nintendo handheld entries you haven't always necessarily been in charge of an iconic Belmont vampire-slayer, something that the upcoming 3DS title Castlevania: Lords of...
E3 2012 New Super Mario Bros. 2 Trailer Goes for Gold
Believe in your soul
New Super Mario Bros. 2 was one of just three 3DS games shown off during Nintendo's E3 conference, but the publisher clearly hopes it'll set a new gold standard as the precious metal is all over the place. The new Golden Flower power-up gives Mario the ability to fire golden balls that turn blocks and enemies into coins, and...
E3 2012 Download Titles Confirmed for Wii U
A good start for Wii U eShop?
They weren't mentioned in the press conference, but a group of download games have been formally confirmed for Holiday launches on Wii U, though it's unclear whether any will be available at launch. We've already covered Trine 2: Director's Cut and Chasing Aurora, so now we'll show you the rest. Runner2: Future Legend...
E3 2012 Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Stands Alone on Wii U
Waiting for a new challenger
When 3DS was announced, it seemed like publishers rushed to announce their fighting games for the system, but Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is something of a lone wolf on Wii U. While Warner Bros.' Injustice: Gods Among Us takes a serious look at DC Comics characters, TTT2 went a bit tongue-in-cheek with its trailer, showing...
E3 2012 SiNG is Nintendo's All-Singing, All-Dancing Wii U Game
So it might be good
Wii was heaven for people who like singing and dancing games, and it looks like Nintendo wants to keep that trend rolling with SiNG (temporary title) on Wii U. Developed by FreeStyleGames (the DJ Hero people) it's a cross between karaoke and dancing. The Wii U GamePad displays lyrics during karaoke, and can be used as an audio...
E3 2012 Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge Published by Nintendo
Ryurama
Nintendo will publish Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, reuniting the Big N with Team Ninja. Ryu Hayabusa's adventures come to a Nintendo home console for the first time since the Super NES days. Ninja Gaiden III on PS3 and Xbox 360 didn't get the best reviews, so we'll be interested to see if Nintendo asks Team Ninja to make any big...
Rumour Tomodachi Collection 3DS Coming to the West
With a brand new name
We've just heard an interesting pre-E3 rumour: Nintendo could announce a localisation of Tomodachi Collection for 3DS. We've heard whispers a Nintendo game known as Communicator Gamers Collection is on the way to the West, which would certainly fit as Tomodachi Collection's new title. Nintendo has said we'll hear about new...
E3 2012 Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon Shots and Details
Boo
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is finally coming to 3DS this holiday season, and while there's no new trailer to share with you we do have some new screenshots and details to share with you. There'll be multiple mansions to explore, each with unique ghosts and puzzles to solve. It's out for 3DS before Christmas. Ghostly Adventures Await in...
E3 2012 Project P-100 Unites Platinum Games with Nintendo
Mass attack
Hidden away on Nintendo's E3 press site lies Project P-100 (working title), a 'mass-hero action' title developed by Platinum Games. If bizarre superheroes, gigantic robots and defending Earth all interest you, you've come to the right game. The planet is under attack from swarms of aliens, and your job is to trot around each stage...
E3 2012 Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon to Launch This Christmas
Multiple mansions await Mario's bro
Nintendo has confirmed that Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - which has a new subtitle in the form of Dark Moon - will be putting the willies up 3DS owners this Christmas. A sequel to the GameCube launch title Luigi's Mansion, Dark Moon features more ghost-busting action, but this time Luigi has more than one building...
E3 2012 LEGO City Undercover Exposed
Mystery solved
Last year's LEGO City Stories is now LEGO City Undercover, and judging from the first gameplay trailer below it could be quite special. The open world genre might be the preserve of the more adult titles these days, but LEGO City Undercover keeps things distinctly family-friendly by having you solve crimes instead of committing them...
E3 2012 Paper Mario Sticker Star Out This Holiday Season
Flat and 3D at once
Paper Mario Sticker Star, after a long period of silence, has been confirmed for a Holiday release on 3DS. As the title suggests, there'll be plenty of sticker collecting involved, which will then be used as items and attacks. It's also confirmed that it'll be available as both physical and digital downloads, which is as we...
E3 2012 Pikmin 3 Sprouts On Wii U
Planting the seed
We've had to be very patient, but Pikmin 3 has finally been announced for Wii U. Shigeru Miyamoto, Pikmin leaf poking out of his jacket pocket, announced the real time strategy game for the HD console. Miyamoto was happy to note that you can see the movement of each Pikmin. There's a new Pikmin type too — the rock Pikmin can be...
E3 2012 New Super Mario Bros. U Hopping Onto Wii U
Miiverse will be a big part
Nintendo has confirmed New Super Mario Bros. U for Wii U, boasting that it will be the first social Mario game, making significant use of Miiverse. The trailer showed Yoshi, a flying 'squirrel' suit, and there's once again an emphasis on co-op multiplayer with Wii Remotes, while there's also a 'boost' mode that brings the...
News Nintendo Gets Busy With URL Buys
Wii U is all covered
It's common practice for big announcements to be followed up by multiple URL purchases, and Nintendo is making sure that it will have us all covered with information about Wii U's functions and capabilities. Nintendo of America has added five new URLs, which accounts for the major reveals from Sunday's pre-E3 Nintendo Direct...
E3 2012 Mass Effect 3 Lands On Wii U
Normandy X Nintendo
Mass Effect 3 has been announced for Wii U. EA's space epic was included in a third party games reel. We're unsure as yet if there are any enhancements for the Nintendo version; we're sure we'll find out soon. Are you interesting in boarding the Normandy on Wii U?
E3 2012 Mad Catz Has Got Wii U Covered
The accessories begin
You won't have to wait too long to get your Wii U accessories. Mad Catz has just announced a range of useful plastic, all ready for the launch of Nintendo's new home console. There's a fancy headset, a charging dock and an iPad-style protective screen cover. There's also a new Wii Remote charging station. Costs haven't been...
E3 2012 Assassin's Creed III Trailer
Shhh...
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed III was one of the publisher's biggest titles of its E3 conference this year, and while we didn't see any Wii U-specific footage the game is shaping up very nicely indeed. The trailer might all be CGI but it should give you a taste of what to expect from Connor's trip onto Wii U later this year. It's one of eight...
Reaction James, Tom and Mike React to E3 2012
What did we make of it?
Nintendo's E3 2012 press conference is over, and our editorial team James Newton, Tom Whitehead and Mike Mason sat down to dissect and discuss the biggest announcements and speak freely about what we made of it. What's your take on the conference — did it exceed your expectations or leave you cold?
E3 2012 Nintendo Land to Show Off the GamePad
A theme park of well-known attractions
Nintendo Land will arrive on Wii U, which will primarily aim to make use of the GamePad for innovative gameplay through a compilation of themed mini-game experiences. It'll feature game areas based on three big franchises: Zelda Battle Quest, Animal Crossing Sweet Day and Luigi's Mansion Ghost Mansion. It'll...
E3 2012 New Super Mario Bros. 2 Jumps onto 3DS 19th August
Get your fire flowers ready
Hold onto your hats: New Super Mario Bros. 2 will be coming to Nintendo 3DS in the US on 19th August. The latest pillar of the 2D Mario revival was scheduled at Nintendo's E3 press conference. We'll learn more about the game tomorrow at a show just for 3DS tomorrow night. It'll be broadcast live on e3.nintendo.com at 6pm...
E3 2012 Wii Fit U Will Burn the Fat
Is your body ready?
Wii Fit was a phenomenal success on Wii, and Nintendo is aiming to bring keen exercise-enthusiasts to Wii U. Wii Fit U will make use of the GamePad on occasion, and the good-old Wii Balance Board will get more living room time. There's some new exercises, of course, and the GamePad will also be used to carry on with the game...
E3 2012 Wii U Supports Two GamePads
Double the fun
Good news, multiplayers: Wii U supports two GamePads. During Nintendo's E3 press conference, Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed that the system will be able to use two GamePads at once. The frame rate, however, will be halved when using two. That'll be one less person complaining of being left with a Wii Remote. Are you glad that Nintendo...
E3 2012 Trine 2 On the Way to Wii U
Coming to the eShop
As you'd expect in a press conference limited to little over an hour, not all upcoming titles were shown off in the main event. One of these was Trine 2: Director's Cut, which sounds like an extended edition of the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade version of the title. It wasn't clear from the very brief appearance in an...
E3 2012 Iwata Asks Eguchi About Wii U
The ideals of Wii U
Satoru Iwata has conducted another of his famous Iwata Asks interviews. The lucky guy on the receiving end of the questions this time is one Katsuya Eguchi, the general software producer of Wii U. Eguchi is perhaps best known as the creator of Animal Crossing and the producer of Wii Sports. During the 18 minute chat, Eguchi...
News Mole Mania Digging Its Way to 3DS Virtual Console
Another outing
The 3DS Virtual Console already has a good amount of great Nintendo games, but there's plenty more where that came from, as the Australia's ratings board has rated yet another classic Game Boy game which should be making its way to the service soon Mole Mania is an often forgotten Shigeru Miyamoto game, in which you play as Muddy the...
E3 2012 Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition Swoops Onto Wii U
Back in bat
Batman will be swooping onto Wii U in expanded form in Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition. This is no quick port: Wii U GamePad will be used to access Detective Mode to scan the room, or mess around with The Bat's extensive tool belt. The Batarang can be remote controlled with the GamePad's gyroscopes. You can also hold the controller...
E3 2012 German Mass Effect Team Wants You to Watch Nintendo Conference
Why could that be?
The Nintendo press conference is almost upon us, and the German Mass Effect Facebook page has simply advised its followers to watch Nintendo's E3 press conference. It doesn't say why, which means we can all indulge in some fun speculation. Due to the power limitations of Wii the Mass Effect series has been a miss for Nintendo...
E3 2012 Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube Confirmed for Wii U
'Revolutionising your TV'
Reggie Fils-Aime has confirmed that Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube will all feature on Wii U, picking up on the progress started on Wii. It's part of a philosophy to make media and social resources available and accessible on the new system. Looking beyond these three, this suggests that custom apps may become an important...
News Nintendo Denies 3DS Redesign, Wii U Price Revelation
So there you are
Nintendo Japan has issued a statement denying the earlier rumours of a redesigned 3DS and Wii U price information. The strongly-worded statement says Nikkei's story isn't based on information released by Nintendo and is full of mistakes, which both sort of mean the same thing. Guess we'll find out the real truth tomorrow (or...
Monday4th Jun 2012
News Atlus Will Bring Code of Princess to North America
Guardian heroes
Atlus has just announced it'll release Code of Princess on 3DS in North America this Fall. The new action RPG from the creators of SEGA Saturn classic Guardian Heroes, Code of Princess is a 3DS exclusive and comes with online cooperative and competitive play. Eager players can pre-order the game now and receive a free art book and...
E3 2012 Ubi's Wii U-Exclusive Zombie Shooter ZombiU
Braainnss
Not content with showing off more of Rayman Legends for Wii U, Ubisoft's also lifted the lid on ZombiU, a Wii U-exclusive zombie-based survival horror. It's actually an evolution of last year's Killer Freaks from Outer Space, but with zombies instead of aliens. The publisher showed off a very lengthy trailer showing Dead Rising-style...
Rumour Nintendo to Announce Bigger 3DS Tomorrow
Nikkei at it again
Update: Nintendo has denied the rumour. Japanese newspaper Nikkei — which has proven right about Nintendo rumours on many occasions — is reporting we'll see a new 3DS model announced tomorrow. The paper claims we'll see a 3DS redesign boasting a 4.3 inch screen, approximately 1.5 times larger than the current machine. Nikkei...
E3 2012 Watch Ubisoft's Wii U Games Live Right Here
It's true
Want to watch Ubisoft's Wii U games? Then keep it here as we bring you the live video of its E3 press conference. Can't get YouTube working for whatever reason? We'll have updates for you on new games, technology and anything else interesting Ubisoft has to show. Hopefully there's no Mr Caffeine. Ubisoft's conference is just part of the...
E3 2012 Pre-E3 Nintendo Direct Round Up
Wii U re-revealed
Satoru Iwata opened the pre-E3 Nintendo Direct show with a declaration of Nintendo's intent to continue being unique — and a half hour long web show dedicated to its new console days before the start of E3 certainly fits into that category. Iwata promised that Tuesday's conference would focus "almost entirely on Wii U games", so...
Tuesday5th Jun 2012
News Ubisoft Manager Says Wii U Only Supports One GamePad
Hopes take a knock
We're all hoping Nintendo will confirm Wii U supports two GamePads during its E3 conference, but don't get your expectations up too high — Ubisoft France manager Xavier Poix has told VentureBeat the machine only supports one GamePad. GamesBeat: How many players can you get on the Wii U at once? Is it four or is it two…?...
Monday4th Jun 2012
Rumour Wii U Price Reveal Coming Tomorrow
Wallets at the ready
Nintendo has said that the Wii U release date and price announcements will come after E3, but Japanese newspaper Nikkei (via Andriasang) believes we could hear as soon as tomorrow. The paper — which has a proven track record in getting this information right — claims the machine will sell for 30,000 Yen. That's around...
News Chasing Aurora Announced for Wii U eShop
From the makers of And Yet It Moves
Broken Rules — the team behind WiiWare gem And Yet It Moves — has just confirmed Chasing Aurora is coming to the Wii U eShop in late 2012. The game aims to recreate the sensation of flight using the Wii U GamePad, with a single player story mode told without dialogue. This puts us in mind of SEGA Saturn...
E3 2012 Ubisoft Reveals Wii U Line-Up
Something for everyone?
Ubisoft's just lifted the lid on its full line-up of Wii U titles. Some we knew about already, others we didn't. Here's what's heading to Wii U: Assassin's Creed III Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth Rayman Legends Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2013
E3 2012 Ubisoft Shows Off Rayman Legends for Wii U
Supports Pro Controller
Ubisoft's shown off more about Rayman Legends including how it'll work with the Wii U GamePad. In co-op play, the player using the GamePad controls a new character, Murphy, who's more of a support character instead of playing a regular role: Murphy can interact with ropes, platforms and enemies on screen to make life easier...
E3 2012 Ubisoft Announces Just Dance 4 for Wii U
Out in October, apparently
Ubisoft's done what EA hasn't and shown off a game for Wii U. Just Dance 4 kicked off Ubisoft's press conference with a performance from Flo-Rida and some dancers. The video in the background showed a player placing the Wii U GamePad into the cradle and dancing. As you would. Ubisoft has confirmed Wii U will support up...
Reaction Tom and James Discuss the Big 3DS Rumour
Sizing it up
If Nikkei is right, tomorrow we'll see a 3DS console redesign as Nintendo unveils a 3DS console with a 4.5" screen, 1.5 times bigger than the current model. Our editor James Newton and features editor Tom Whitehead — yes, they of the Nintendo Life podcast! — sat down in video form to chat about what the rumour could mean for...
News Demiurge Studios Handling Aliens: Colonial Marines Wii U
With care
Gearbox Studios has revealed development work on Aliens: Colonial Marines for Wii U is being handled by Demiurge Studios. Demiurge, the team behind Shoot Many Robots on PSN, spent nine months creating a prototype of the game before being given development duties. Gearbox is also collaborating with Texan studios Nerve and Timegate, but 80%...
E3 2012 Watch EA's Press Conference Here
EA3
Get the lowdown on all EA's upcoming games right here with the company's E3 press conference. Last year EA CEO John Riccitello came on stage at Nintendo's press conference and spoke of an 'unprecedented partnership' in relation to Wii U. We'd expect more in Nintendo's event tomorrow, but we may get some reveals and insights in EA's press...
News Kingdom Hearts 3D Gets New E3 Trailer
DDDlightful
Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is out next month, but the publisher doesn't want you to forget about it in the upcoming E3 rush, so it's put out a new trailer to keep it fresh in your mind. Mickey, Donald and friends reach Nintendo 3DS in late July, and you can get a taste for their upcoming adventure in the video...
Podcast Episode 24 - Nintendo Direct and E3 Predictions
Join the party
Missed last night's Nintendo Direct excitement? Want a recap and to find out what we think is coming up tomorrow? We've got you covered in audio format. Nintendo Life editor James Newton and features editor Thomas Whitehead got together to chew the fat about last night's show and what we expect tomorrow. Listen in and join the...
News Gunlord Creator NG:DEV.TEAM Keen to Work on 3DS
More glorious 2D action coming to Nintendo's handheld?
If you're suffering from E3 overload right now, allow us to divert your attention to a tasty bit of news relating to German indie studio NG:DEV.TEAM. We've already covered the developer's excellent run-and-gun platformer Gunlord - better described as 'Turrican and them some' - but at the time of
Sunday3rd Jun 2012
Watch it again inside
Can't wait to find out more about Wii U? Nintendo president Satoru Iwata will bring you brand new information about the upcoming console right here tonight. We've got the embedded video below so you can watch it here, plus we'll be doing live text updates throughout the show too so you won't miss a thing. Remember: this is...
E3 2012 Wii U Pro Controller Offers More Options
For the traditionalist
Worried about playing your Wii U games with that big screen controller all the time? Have some jealous friends who don't want to use Wii Remotes for asymmetrical multiplayer? Nintendo has you covered with the Wii U Pro Controller. The Wii U Pro Controller is more standard in form than the main Wii U GamePad. There's no touch...
Monday4th Jun 2012
E3 2012 Your First Look at Super Mario Bros. on Wii U
Here it is!
Nintendo said we wouldn't see any Wii U games in tonight's Nintendo Direct Live, but Satoru Iwata snuck in a cheeky glimpse of Super Mario Bros. to show off the system's new Miiverse functionality. It was only a short video and focuses more on the system's all-new social networking functions, but we'll never pass up an opportunity to...
Reaction Nintendo Finally Arrives Online with Wii U
Better late than never
Nintendo's pre-E3 show just wrapped up, with an unprecedented focus on Wii U's online functions. The machine's innovative new Miiverse online system took centre stage, and Nintendo's put it front and centre in the console itself too. When you power up your Wii U, you'll see the Miiverse Plaza, a vibrant, online connected...
Sunday3rd Jun 2012
E3 2012 Meet The Wii U GamePad
Sticky thumbs
The Wii U controller has a new name — it's now called Wii U GamePad. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has revealed the redesigned controller, which now features two clickable analogue sticks rather than the sliders previously seen. It was decided that analogue sliders were better suited to handheld devices. Iwata also revealed that...
E3 2012 Prepare to Enter the Miiverse
Get yourself connected
Nintendo has offered a tantalising peek at Wii U's menu and online systems at its pre-E3 Nintendo Direct. Dubbed Miiverse, it's a bit like a Mii-based social network that is always online, allowing you to chat with your friends and others online about all the games you're playing. The Miiverse Plaza is the first thing that...
Saturday2nd Jun 2012
E3 2012 E3 Starts Early With Nintendo Direct
The party starts now
Nintendo is kicking off E3 a bit sooner than expected — it's just announced a surprise Nintendo Direct show for tomorrow, 3rd June. Even more excitingly, it's to talk about Wii U. There'll still be plenty to tune into the main E3 press conference for, though, as this is all about the console. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata...
News Japanese Virtual Console List: June 2012
The Neo Geo assault carries on
Three more games for the Wii Virtual Console in Japan this month, and as is to be expected now the majority are Neo Geo games. With Metal Slug 3's recent western release, we hope to see some more games for the system coming to the Virtual Console outside of Japan as well. The full list for June is as follows: Super...
Talking Point Why Gaming Needs E3
A spectacle like no other
It’s the final weekend before E3 2012, and thousands of members of the gaming industry and mainstream press are descending on Los Angeles to attend. It’s amazing that a single convention has risen to such prominence in the gaming calendar, but that’s the status that E3 has earned: while there may be a number of other...
News NightSky Rated for North America
On its way at long last
NightSky has had a long, drawn out history in the eyes of many eager Nintendo gamers. The attractive action-physics puzzler was in the works for WiiWare way back in 2009, but then the updates went silent and we heard very little about it, the Wii release drifting away. The good news is that the 3DS eShop appears to be going...
News Mutant Mudds Closer to European Release
21st June is a possibility
The eShop release schedule can be unpredictable. Sometimes North America and Europe get titles on the same day, sometimes there's a brief delay in one region, while on other occasions one side is left waiting for far too long. For European 3DS gamers, Mutant Mudds definitely falls into that last category. It arrived in...
Friday1st Jun 2012
News Some Club Nintendo Coin Values Will Change on 1st July
Full details inside
The number of Club Nintendo Coins you'll get for registering certain games will change on 1st July. For some games, the number will decrease; for some, it'll increase. If you want to see whether you should register those games now or wait until 1st July, check out our handy charts, straight from Club Nintendo. 3DS Software:...
Review Rayman (3DS eShop / GBC)
Rayman, fighter of the Night Man
In 1995, the platformer Rayman was released to great critical acclaim on the PlayStation. It was the first entry in a hugely successful franchise that also spawned an entirely separate sub-franchise along the way. Rayman had charm, class and above all a tremendous sense of fun. Five years later, the game was still...
Review Metal Slug 3 (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Heavy metal
Due to the bevy of fighting games released for Neo Geo, it's always a refreshing sight to see a game of a different genre from the format re-released on Virtual Console. We've just about hit the jackpot this time — Metal Slug 3 can easily be considered one of the single best games the system ever got. The first and second games in the...
News You Shall Not Pass This LEGO Lord of the Rings Trailer
The voice
LEGO Lord of the Rings on Wii and 3DS is happening this year, and Warner Bros. has released the first trailer of the blocky epic. Like the earlier LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes trailer, the characters in LEGO LotR speak, with dialogue taken straight from the films. Make up your own minds about that one. The game spans all three films...
News June's Club Nintendo Rewards are Here
A little bit of everything
Saving those Club Nintendo Coins for a special occasion? Well, it's a new month, and that means new rewards. Here's what North American Club Nintendo members can choose from now. 3DS Virtual Console: Donkey Kong (Game Boy) — 100 Coins. DSiWare: Brain Age Express: Sudoku (this reward is only available through the 3DS...
News Shinobi Joins Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed
New tracks too
Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed for 3DS — and, in all likelihood, Wii U — isn't just about boats, cars and planes. It's about ninjas and air pirates and axe-wielding dwarves, too. SEGA's just confirmed that Shinobi legend Joe Musashi will be a playable character, following-up his appearance as a bonus character in last...
News Sakaguchi - 'Certain Ideas' Missed in The Last Story Due to SD Resolution
Arrives in North America on 10th July
The Last Story has been available in Europe for a while now, and received warm critical praise. It was the first game directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi — the creator of the Final Fantasy series — in quite some time, and it was a title with impressive scope and attractive visuals that made the most of Wii. The...
Feature Our Favourite E3 Memories - Part Two
Remembering the revolution
So E3 is just four sleeps away, when the madness begins and big announcements will bombard us from all angles. We’ve been getting nostalgic about E3 conferences from the past, and last week — in Our Favourite E3 Memories – Part One — a few members of the team reminisced about some of the older events, when Satoru...
News Castlevania: Mirror of Fate Teaser Video Drops In
Don't expect much
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate is coming to 3DS, but Konami's not ready to show it off just yet. Instead, as part of its pre-E3 conference, it's released a teaser video promising more next week. When we say 'teaser' video we really mean it: there's not even a snifter of gameplay here, just lots of arty blood...
News Nintendo UK and British Film Institute Team Up on 3DS
Competition and 3D content on the way
In recent weeks Nintendo UK has been making an effort to encourage 3DS gamers to make use of the camera on the system, expanding its photo competition with celebrity events in the 'Another Dimension' initiative. It's now going even further to promote use of the 3D video recorder, with a competition for budding...
News Nintendo Unleashed Joins Games Britannia in July
Get thee to Sheffield
It's not often games events venture north of Watford, so it's very good news that the Nintendo Unleashed tour is joining Sheffield event Games Britannia. Nintendo UK will be bringing recent and upcoming releases to Sheffield's Magna Science Adventure Centre on 7th and 8th July. The Big N joins other industry forces like Namco...
