News New Pokémon Revealed for X & Y, Say Hello To Ninfia
A new Pokémon in the never-ending Pokédex
Hardware Classics The Legend Of Zelda Game Boy Advance SP
The Triforce is strong in this one
News - February, 2013
Thursday28th Feb 2013
Review Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan (3DS)
Wanderlust
The term "adventure" encompasses many things, but Atlus' Etrian Odyssey series comes about as close as it gets to a pure, digital embodiment of the concept. Blending classic first-person dungeon exploration with a cartographic twist, these games task players with charting out their own maps on the touch screen as they go. The series'...
Review Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (3DS)
As smooth as a chili dog
Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed on 3DS has a tough job, as it's following up on what some may regard as a surprise commercial and critical success. The console versions of this title, including the one on Wii U, did a wonderful job of combining healthy portions of fan service with thrilling racing action. Yet the...
Nintendo Download 28th February 2013 (North America)
Running, gunning, creating coasters and more
It's Nintendo Download time again, North America, and this week all four of Nintendo's online platforms have content to choose from; you lucky gamers. Some are long-awaited and in one case probably already keeping some of you very busy, while others will no doubt also have an audience to snap them up...
News Nintendo Facing Lawsuit Over 3D Technology On The 3DS
Major brawl in the courtroom
Japanese inventor Seijiro Tomita is suing Nintendo over claims that he invented the 3D screen technology that the company is now using in its 3DS handheld system. The investigation into the claim began in 2011, when he sued Nintendo and its U.S. unit. According to Tomita's attorney, Joe Diamante, he displayed a...
News Update to Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate To Bring Off-TV Play and Cross-Region Online Multiplayer
Play with hunters from across the Atlantic from April onwards
With Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate around the corner on both Wii U and 3DS, it promises to bring an expanded version of the Wii original to a new audience, as well as enthusiastic veteran hunters. It's also a game that has an active community and fan-base, many of whom frequent the dedicated...
Video Vblank Entertainment Shows You How to Make a Game for the NES
ROM City Rampage is a blast from the past
Out today in North America and Europe, Retro City Rampage is, as the title suggests, a WiiWare release that aims to remind us of gaming's older days. Inspired by the original GTA, it includes a host of jokes, references and areas designed to bring to mind pop culture of the '80s and '90s. Also included with...
News Nintendo Gives US Government Recommendations on Tackling Piracy Abroad
Brazil, Mexico, China, and Spain are the biggest culprits
Every year copyright holders get the opportunity to make anti-piracy recommendations for the US Trade Representative’s Special 301 report. The report gets published on an annual basis and identifies countries that, in the eyes of the US, are not doing enough to put a stop to copyright...
Talking Point The Slippery Slope of Micro-Transactions
Where will it all end?
We recently shared some news from an investor briefing, in which EA's chief financial officer, Blake J. Jorgensen, outlined EA's plans for a future with micro-transactions in all of its games. It seems pertinent to own up to the fact that the tone of that news article wasn't exactly delighted with the idea — while...
News Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag is Confirmed For Wii U
Everything else is secret until 4th March, mateys
So, earlier this week we reported the not-very-surprising rumour that a new Assassin's Creed game is coming this year, which seemed awfully coincidental. One of our network's team was also gearing up for an Assassin's Creed themed press event; what could it all mean? Predictably, it means exactly as...
News The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition Not Releasing Down Under
Australia misses out on yet another Wii U title
Australian Wii U owners are having a tougher time than those in other regions, with a handful of games not making the trip Down Under. Activision has confirmed that another of its Wii U titles will not be releasing in Australia. This time it's The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition. This is the...
News Pwnee Studios: Nintendo Has Been Great To Work With
Cloudberry Kingdom studio is "pumped" about working with The Big N
The general feeling from Wii U eShop developers seems to be that Nintendo is a pretty decent company to work with. Cloudberry Kingdom developer Pwnee Studios has reinforced this viewpoint in an interview with Aussie Gamer, where company co-founder TJ Lutz said: Nintendo has been...
News Notion Games "Would Love" To See Super Ubi Land On 3DS
It just can't get the staff
Super Ubi Land is currently being developed for the Wii U eShop and other downloadable platforms by Notion Games. The studio has teamed up with Maestro Interactive Games in order to bring the game out, and hopes to make good use of its official recognition as a Wii U developer by releasing more titles for Nintendo's new...
News Nano Assault EX Blasting Into Europe on 7th March
Assaulting the 3DS eShop soon
Nano Assault has been available on the 3DS for quite a while now. It was released back in 2011 and was so successful the developer, Shin'en Multimedia, decided to make a Wii U title in the series known as Nano Assault Neo, which can be found in the eShop. Since then the studio has been working on another iteration for...
News ATV Wild Ride 3D Skidding Into 3DS eShop March 7th
$7.99 price point confirmed
Renegade Kid has confirmed that ATV Wild Ride 3D will be released on the North American 3DS eShop on March 7th. The game will carry a price of $7.99. You can check out our first impressions here. ATV Wild Ride 3D To Deliver Extreme On-line Racing in Nintendo eShop Austin, Texas – February 28, 2013 – Today,...
Wednesday27th Feb 2013
News Retro Platformer Another Castle Is Coming To The Wii U eShop
Indie support on Wii U continues to grow
The Wii U eShop is quickly becoming the go-to place for indie developers — recently we've seen the likes of The 90's Arcade Racer, Armillo, Dusty Raging Fist and Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails all confirmed for release on the download service, and today we can e
News Masahiro Sakurai's Arm Injury Impacts His Work On Smash Bros.
"Now I realize how important it is to have your health"
Kirby and Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has revealed in the latest issue of Famitsu magazine that he's picked up a painful injury which is hindering his work — although it's worth pointing out that he stopped short of saying his situation will result in any kind of delay for the latest...
Review Viking Invasion 2 - Tower Defense (3DS eShop)
A-Viking we will go
Just like its DSiWare predecessor, Viking Invasion 2 - Tower Defense is a, yep, tower defense game that has you taking on the role of protector. As hordes of enemies draw near the castle that you’ve been gracious enough to defend, you must build towers to attack the oncoming assault. It’s a pretty standard affair for the...
News 3DS Stays on Top in Japan, but Wii U Falls Behind Vita
Like two bald men fighting over a comb...
Some things seem to be ever-lasting in the Japanese video game charts, one of which is continued dominance for the 3DS. It goes like this — the two models outsell every other platform combined, and rivals or those not inclined to like the system curse the skies and wonder how it came to such a position of...
Competition Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Win a copy of the game plus a poster signed by Konami's Dave Cox!
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate launches exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS & 3DS XL this March, and is shaping up to be one of the most intense and exciting instalments in the long-running franchise. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we've teamed up with Nintendo...
News Cryamore Confirmed to be Adventuring Onto Wii U
Inspired by classics such as The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and Secret of Mana
Not too long ago we told you about an intriguing project seeking funding via Kickstarter, a Zelda-inspired action RPG called Cryamore, which eventually set a stretch goal of $225,000 to include home console versions of the game, including Wii U — we assume this to mean...
Feature A Further Investigation into LEGO City: Undercover
Building blocks
After months of building up our LEGO City sets, staring at trailers and dreaming about the video game adventures we'd soon be getting into, we recently got our hands on a near-final version of LEGO City: Undercover at developer TT Fusion's offices. We've already posted our first impressions of LEGO City: Undercover and an interview...
News EA Plans For a Future With Micro-Transactions in All Games
"Buy a truck, a gun, whatever it might be"
Some of us in the Nintendo Life team and, we're sure, throughout the community, remember the days when you'd buy a game once and have the full product right there in your hand. The march of time and technology waits for no-one, of course, and we now have extensive download options, additional paid DLC and,...
News Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers Has A Little Less Voice Acting in North American Version
Only a few minor NPCs have been silenced, though
Last year Atlus confirmed that Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, which has been out in Japan since August last year, will be coming to North America on 16th April 2013. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is an updated version of the Saturn original, and it will be the...
News Wii Mini Shifts 35,700 Units in Canada
Who needs internet connectivity?
It's been announced recently that the Wii Mini is on its way to European shores. Once a Canadian-exclusive, the stripped down system cannot play anything other than Wii games, has no slot for an SD card and is unable to connect to the internet. So how has the Wii Mini done in Canada? Since its release on 7th...
News Ubisoft: Rayman Legends Delay Will Result In A Better Game For Wii U
"When we saw we had more time, we saw all of the possibilities"
Rayman Legends should have been with us today, but we all know how that turned out. However, Ubisoft is clearly of the opinion that every cloud should have a silver lining, and CEO Yves Guillemot has made assurances that the company isn't just sitting on the finished Wii U code — it's...
News Amazon UK Lists Wii Mini For £79.99
...after initially giving it a price of more than £100
Nintendo has so far refused to stick a price on the Wii Mini — which is coming to the UK on March 22nd — which means it's up to retailers to come up with a figure. Amazon UK initially went with the rather obscure amount of £103.56, while rival online store ShopTo picked £84.85, which is...
News Vblank Entertainment: Nintendo is "Great To Work With"
Retro City Rampage developer says Nintendo is welcoming to small developers
Retro City Rampage will most likely be WiiWare's swansong when it finally becomes available for download on 28th February, and its developer Vblank Entertainment seems to have enjoyed working with Nintendo while making it. Speaking on Twitter Brian Provinciano, the game's...
News Japanese Wii U eShop Still Waiting for its First Download-Only Game
Those of us in the West are rather fortunate
It's a common refrain among gamers in the West, especially with 3DS games, to bemoan a number of rather interesting titles that either don't come out of Japan or, alternatively, take an age to do so. When you also take into account the number of attractive hardware revisions of the handheld, particularly,...
News Shiny Blue and Pink 3DS Models Coming to Japan
Making the move from Taiwan and Hong Kong
Over the past 25 years or more Nintendo's liked to give consumers a lot of choices with handhelds, with colours and design variations to keep almost anyone happy. It's now emerged that the pictured light blue and pink 3DS models — not XL — will arrive in Japan on 20th March; not that Japan has a shortage...
News THQ To Sell Majority Of Its Remaining IPs This April
There's hope for Darksiders yet
THQ auctioned off most of its assets last month, resulting in several studios and IPs being picked up by the highest bidders. Sadly, it appeared that the Darksiders franchise was dead and buried due to its studio, Vigil Games, not finding a suitable bidder. However, it looks as though there may still be hope for it...
Tuesday26th Feb 2013
Review Ben 10: Omniverse (Wii U)
Hangin' with the Plumbers
Is it just us or has Wii U already amassed a swath of licensed beat-em-ups in the three months since its November launch? It seems like there's no shortage of ways to punch and/or slice hordes of bad things, between the reasonably OK Transformers Prime and the why-oh-why of Rise of the Guardians, so forgive us if the...
News New Fire Emblem: Awakening DLC Details Battle For Attention
There's a lot of extra content
Fire Emblem: Awakening has, judging from the conversations among members of the Nintendo Life community, proven to be an engrossing and all-consuming strategic RPG experience. It seems that our love for the title, as shown in our Fire Emblem: Awakening review, is shared by a good number of 3DS owners. While the main...
Interview TT Fusion On Building LEGO City: Undercover
One brick at a time
As you may have seen from our LEGO City: Undercover first impressions, we recently visited TT Fusion to go hands-on with the upcoming Wii U title and to learn more about its development. We also had the opportunity to talk in detail with four members of the development team: executive producer Loz Doyle, script writer Graham...
First Impressions LEGO City Undercover
Cruising round the blocks
Recently we were fortunate enough to travel to TT Fusion's HQ in Wilmslow, England, to learn more about LEGO City Undercover, a high profile Wii U exclusive that arrives in March. During our day at the studio we were able to partake in an extensive hands-on session with the title, in order to gain a greater understanding of...
News TT Fusion: LEGO City Undercover Could Take 40-50 Hours To Beat Fully
GamePad is a "central and a core element of the game"
We recently had the opportunity to spend a day at TT Fusion games in Wilmslow, England, to learn more about LEGO City: Undercover and have an extensive play-through on a close-to-final build. You can check out our first impressions of LEGO City: Undercover here, but our day at the studio also...
News Ubisoft: Beyond Good & Evil 2 Is On The Way
Yves Guillemot confirms the sequel is coming
Beyond Good & Evil emerged on a multitude of platforms — including the GameCube — ten years ago now and people have wanted to know about its sequel ever since. Beyond Good & Evil 2 has certainly been an elusive one; news on its release has been pretty thin on the ground leading many to...
News Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge Update Now Available
Brings some new costumes and more ninja trials
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge may be making the leap over to other consoles but that doesn't mean Team Ninja has neglected bringing any new content to the Wii U version. A new update is available right now and can be downloaded automatically by simply booting up the game. It's free of charge and brings...
News LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes to the Rescue on Wii U This Spring
Holy surprise release, Batman!
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes arrived on various platforms including Wii, 3DS and DS, in June 2012, though the most impressive entries — with large worlds to explore — were arguably found on Xbox 360 and PS3. For those with a Wii U that want to enjoy the full-fat experience, Warner Bros. Interactive has today made...
News Cross-Generational Software Sales Show The Emergence of New Gamers
What will the Wii U/PS4/Xbox "Durango" generation hold?
While much has been said over the years about the disruptive influence of the Wii in the video game industry, it often needs little more than raw statistics to back it up. It's also, arguably, set high standards that are exceptionally difficult for Wii U to meet; sales and impact that have...
News This Is What Real Life GoldenEye 007 Multiplayer Looks Like
Proximity mines always win
It's actually quite scary to think how many collective man hours the team at Nintendo Life has spent playing multiplayer on GoldenEye 007. During our formative years, this highly esteemed cartridge rarely left the console and any person that didn't own a copy and four controllers was shunned as something of an outcast...
News Wii Mini Is Hitting The UK On March 22nd
Don't all rush out at once
The Wii Mini — otherwise known as the hardware revision that nobody asked for — is coming to the UK on March 22nd. The system was launched last year as a Canadian exclusive, but we'd recently heard rumours that it was getting a wider release this year. A scaled-down edition of the original Wii console — which has...
Rumour Assassin's Creed IV Due This Year, Features Pirates
Ooh-arrr, and so on
It's rumoured release time again, just as today threatened to pass without any new additions. This time around it's an all new entry in the Assassin's Creed series, which will apparently be called Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, moving beyond all of that silly non-numbered spin-off business. It's apparently due this fiscal year,...
News Four Major 3DS Titles Given Australian Release Dates
Luigi's Mansion, Fire Emblem, Mystery Dungeon and Animal Crossing all dated Down Under
Nintendo Australia has kindly announced the release dates for four of the year's biggest 3DS titles. Aussies will be able to go hunting ghosts in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon on 28th March. Fire Emblem: Awakening will be released from its slumber on 20th April...
Monday25th Feb 2013
Review Picdun 2: Witch's Curse (3DS eShop)
Dungeons & Drawings
As a part of INTENSE CO's GO series, the original Picdun brought a unique take on first-person dungeon crawling to DSiWare. A portmanteau of the words "Picture" and "Dungeon", the game turned the genre's traditional map into a pixel art canvas, where players would fill in a picture as they explored their environment. Picdun 2:...
Review F-Zero (Wii U eShop / SNES)
The race of a lifetime
Looking at it today, it’s genuinely hard to believe that F-Zero was a SNES launch title. For a game that is now over two decades old, it remains remarkably impressive from a purely visual standpoint. The Mode 7 rotational and scaling effects — which were relatively new to console players back in 1990 — still look...
Review Rise of The Guardians: The Video Game (3DS)
A bad game gets an even worse port
When it comes to a portable version of a recent console game, there are two approaches developers can take. The first is to create a brand new experience, independent from the original. The Sonic Colours team did this, and we're glad they did; instead of one great game we got two, and the portable version was...
News Cliff Bleszinski Sees A Future Where Nintendo Is Out Of The Hardware Business
"It's like the Super Smash Bros. of business right now, and I want to see if Peach or Mario wins"
Ex-Epic Games director Cliff Bleszinski has been reflecting on what he feels could be the future of the video game industry, and has admitted that one day Nintendo may be forced to leave behind hardware manufacturing to focus purely on software...
Nintendo Download 28th February 2013 (Europe)
Splashing and crashing, new and old retro and fishing
Nintendo's well and truly on the ball this week, Europe, bringing us our download news nice and early. This week sees the Wii and DSi rejoin the party with 3DS, while Wii U drops out for a bit of a rest. The offerings include a recently unveiled game from 3DS Direct, as well as a long awaited...
News Bioware: "No Plans" To Bring New Mass Effect 3 DLC To Wii U
Citadel and Reckoning DLC unlikely to see the light of day on Wii U
Mass Effect 3 was released for Wii U on launch day, and included all of the downloadable content that had been made available up to that point. Since then Bioware, the game's developer, has released further DLC for the epic sci-fi adventure in the form of the Omega Pack, which saw...
Rumour Rayman Creator To Part Company With Ubisoft
Michel Ancel to leave publisher after Rayman Legends is released?
Ubisoft's decision to hold back the Wii U version of Rayman Legends to facilitate a multi-platform launch has caused quite a bit of ill-feeling, but if this latest rumour is to be believed, it could end up costing the French publisher one of its most talented staffers. French site
Feature The Wonderful World of Multiplayer Add-Ons
The lengths we go to
If you want to play a bit of multiplayer in most games nowadays, and you don't have a friend nearby, it's as easy as selecting a menu and waiting for strangers to appear as competition. Online multiplayer can perhaps be a bit more personal than that, of course, with the ability to meet up with friends and have a blast, as we did...
News Mythical Pokémon Meloetta Available at GameStop in March
Music to our ears
Pokémon fans in North America are to receive a special treat in March, as the mythical Meloetta will become available to download onto your Pokémon Black and White or Pokémon Black and White 2 cartridges at GameStop. Meloetta is a Normal Pokémon that can double up to become either a Psychic or a Fighting type during an actual...
News Runner 2 Confirmed For This Week On North American Wii U eShop
Could arrive on 26th February, according to Gaijin
BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien — let's call it Runner 2 from now on — has no doubt been on the wish-lists of those that were fans of BIT.TRIP RUNNER on WiiWare. It looks to feature the same running and jumping mechanics, but with a new graphics engine, environments and...
News LinkedIn Profile Suggests That Splinter Cell: Blacklist Is Stalking Towards Wii U
Ubisoft loves the Wii U after all?
Ubisoft may have annoyed a lot of Nintendo fans with the Rayman Legends delay, but the recent news that Watch_Dogs is coming to the Wii U this year has surely given the publisher a little boost. That goodwill could be amplified if the LinkedIn profile of a Ubisoft staffer is to be believed. The profile lists...
News Two Tribes: Toki Tori 2 Is A Metroidvania-Style Experience
"Count" us in
Toki Tori 2 may have been subject to delays, but we're still just as excited about playing it as we were way back when it was first announced. The hype has now risen to a new level as developer Two Tribes has taken to Twitter to share this piece of information: [tweet 306142233525092353] For those who don't know, "Metroidvania" is a...
News Ubisoft Still Undecided On How To Use The Wii U GamePad In Watch_Dogs
Just put a map on it?
We reported over the weekend that those who purchase Watch_Dogs for the Wii U would get the same experience as copies of the game sold on other platforms, and now developer Ubisoft is thinking on how to implement the games features on the GamePad. Speaking with
Video Professor Layton's Final Adventure Looks Suitably Epic
Hits Japanese stores on 28th February
It could be a good while before those of us in the West get to sample the delights of Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies, apparently the final adventure with the famous hat-wearing puzzle solver. It arrives in Japan in just a few days, so as a result the promotional videos are going into overdrive...
News WayForward Confirms Mighty Switch Force 2 For 3DS
Forcing its way into the 3DS eShop
Mighty Switch Force has been a successful title for WayForward Technologies. The 2D platformer has been in the 3DS eShop since 2011, and recently an updated HD version came out on the Wii U eShop in the form of Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition. In an interview with Destructoid, director at WayForward
Sunday24th Feb 2013
News Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode Coming To 3DS in Japan
Going head to head with Pokémon X & Y
Last year Digimon World Re:Digitize was released on the PSP in Japan, but it never made it to the 3DS — or to the West for that matter. Well, Namco Bandai has now revealed that an updated version of the game called Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode is on its way to the 3DS in Japan. Digimon World Re:Digitize...
Review Yoshi (3DS eShop / NES)
Soft boiled
Mario's loyal dinosaur companion Yoshi may have made his debut in the Super Nintendo classic Super Mario World, but one year later Nintendo gave him his own title on the rapidly fading NES. That game was Yoshi, and it's now come to non-Ambassadors on the 3DS eShop. It's a falling block puzzler, which is a genre every video game...
Talking Point WiiWare's Vital Role in a Retro Revival
Introducing bits and pixels to a new generation
The upcoming release of Retro City Rampage on WiiWare arguably represents two important trends for the service — it could be the last notable release on the platform, and it's also yet another "retro" themed release. We'll consider the possible swansong and end of WiiWare in the near future, but for...
Video Grab a Sneak Peak of WiiWare Console-Exclusive "ROM City Rampage"
15 seconds of glorious pixels
A few days ago we were relieved to confirm that Retro City Rampage arrives on WiiWare on 28th February, a long-awaited and delayed retro homage to the original GTA titles. That description may sell it a little short, as it's packed with pop-culture references and diversions that are set to distract gamers on a regular...
Saturday23rd Feb 2013
Hardware Classics Nintendo DS Lite
This is how you redesign a console
Let's be brutally honest here — the original DS design was ugly. Quite what Nintendo's designers were thinking when they came up with it we'll never know, but the dumpy, two-tone casing hardly got pulses racing, even back in 2004. It felt like a system that was rushed out of the door purely to meet a deadline,...
Rumour Wii Mini on the Way to Europe
Just, well... because
Remember the Wii Mini, released in Canada late last year? With a top-loading disc-drive, no online connectivity of any kind, SD slot or even support for component cables. It's the basic Wii with much stripped out to allow an even lower retailer price than the standard last-gen model, no doubt targeting those on exceptionally...
News Nintendo - "Innovation is Important" for the 2D Mario Series
"We need innovation that retains 2D Mario's play sensation"
At E3 2012 Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime stated that Nintendo gamers want Mario at a system's launch, and that's what was given with New Super Mario Bros. U, the latest in the re-born 2D series. After a notably mixed reaction among Nintendo gamers to New Super Mario Bros. 2 on 3DS,...
News More Ace Attorney 5 Information Is On The Way
Capcom's Psyche-Lock is nearly broken
Last September it was announced that the upcoming Ace Attorney 5 would be making it over to Western shores. However, since then news has been relatively thin on the ground... Hold it! It appears Capcom's senior vice-president Christian Svensson has left some evidence in the C
News Developer Says Watch_Dogs Will Offer The "Same Experience" On All Consoles
"Players will have the same enjoyment; they will not feel any letdown."
Ubisoft's hotly anticipated Watch_Dogs was officially announced as a Wii U title last week. The game will now be released on Nintendo's system as well as PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and the newly announced PlayStation 4. Naturally, when games go multiplatform some people want...
News Take-Two Snaps Up WWE Licence
Grappling with a new publisher
Back in January, the unfortunate demise of THQ became complete as several developers swooped in to purchase its assets at auction. As a result Relic, the developer of Company of Heroes, is now owned by SEGA, THQ Montreal is under Ubisoft's wing and Volition, the studio behind the Saint's Row franchise, has become a...
Friday22nd Feb 2013
News Side-Scrolling Fighter Dusty Raging Fist Is Punching Its Way To The Wii U eShop This Year
Inspired by Double Dragon, Streets of Rage and Devil May Cry
There was once a time when titles like Final Fight, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe and Double Dragon were the biggest draws in gaming, but the side-scrolling fighting genre has been unfairly sidelined of late. Thankfully, Singapore-based PD Design Studio is doing its best to turn things arou
News Street Fighter Chess - For More Intellectual Brawling
Try the Ryu opening
Some say video games are violent, to which the response is often "yep, as are TV and films". Without getting dragged into a debate, we've found a product that is arguably as violent as anything else, it's the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Chess Set. Chess? Violent? You bet, it's a game where minions are sent to their slaughter...
Play Mario Kart 7 with Nintendo Life
Start your engines
It's been too long, so much so that we may need to renew our licenses, but it's time to take to the track for some Nintendo Life community races in Mario Kart 7. We all like to think we're the next Sebastian Vettel with a red shell in hand, so now we have to prove it. Yesterday we asked you which rules you want in both our both...
News "Emergency Maintenance" Planned For Nintendo Online Services on 26th February
Don't get too excited
It seems we have a monthly trend of service maintenance kicking into effect with Nintendo online functionality, as more "Emergency Maintenance" is on the way in major territories next week. There was a round of downtime on various platforms on 28th January, and a similar period is on the way from 26th February, or very late on...
News BIT.TRIP Presents: RUNNER 2 Was Originally Going To Skip Wii U
...until Gaijin Games saw what it could do
BIT.TRIP Presents: RUNNER 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is the next instalment of the popular BIT.TRIP series, which originally began as a humble WiiWare exclusive. It will be the first game in the series to be fully HD and is due to be released before the end of the month for the Wii U eShop, as well...
News Capcom's Arcade Cabinet Games Could Be Hitting The 3DS
We're gonna party like it's 1943
A while back, we reported on Capcom Arcade Cabinet — a venture by the esteemed industry veteran to resurrect some of its coin-op classics. So far, the package has only been released on PS3 and Xbox 360, but a recent ESRB listing for vertically-scrolling shooter 1943 seems to suggest that the individual titles will...
News Cars Confirmed As Another Disney Infinity Play Set
Parents, hide your wallets!
Ahead of the summer release of Disney Infinity on Wii U, 3DS and Wii, we can expect Disney to continually reveal more details about the optional extras that we'll be able to buy. Like Activision's Skylanders series, there'll be all manner of toys that unlock characters, as well as other add-ons that'll act as buffs for...
Video Chase McCain Introduced in New LEGO City: Undercover Webisode
Fighting crime and free running
LEGO City Undercover is a major Wii U title that's now roughly a month from arrival in North America and Europe, bringing a new franchise to the popular series of games. Ahead of its release (18th March in North America and 28th March in Europe), Nintendo is stepping up its marketing to introduce the City franchise...
News Indie Puzzler The Witness May Explore a Wii U Release Next Year
Will initially be a timed exclusive on PlayStation 4
Among the blockbuster teases and graphic engine demonstrations that featured prominently in the Sony unveiling of PlayStation 4, game developer Jonathan Blow emerged to confirm that his studio's next title would arrive on the system. Although it can be touted as an exclusive, it's now confirmed...
News Latest Castlevania: Mirror Of Fate Trailer Teases Simon Belmont's Tale
It's a family affair
It's not long until Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate launches on the Nintendo 3DS in North America and Europe, and the latest trailer for the game is here to push excitement levels even higher. The trailer focuses on Trevor's son Simon Belmont, who was the star of the first few Castlevania titles on the NES but has...
Thursday21st Feb 2013
Nintendo Download 21st February 2013 (North America)
F-Zero, demos to hunt, adventures, vikings and a famous green dinosaur
It's Thursday, and it's time for Nintendo Download news in North America. Continuing the recent trend also seen in Europe there are only offerings for Wii U and 3DS, with a variety of demos, download-only games and a retail release to test your resolve. Let's see what's on offer...
Review World Heroes 2 Jet (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Jet setter
Speed upgrades became all of the rage during the early fighting game craze during the early '90s — Capcom practically made a living at it for a while. So when arcade gamers began complaining about the sluggish speed of World Heroes 2, SNK did the logical thing and borrowed a page from Capcom's book. When World Heroes 2 Jet burst onto...
News Monster Hunter 3 G on 3DS to Go Online Via Wii U Adapter
An optional extra for those with just the 3DS game
While today's 3DS Nintendo Direct from Japan showed a variety of interesting upcoming games, there was a surprise announcement of a new peripheral that will allow those with Monster Hunter 3 G on 3DS in Japan to take their local multiplayer games online for the first time. All you need is a Wii U...
Talking Point Sony's PlayStation 4 Poses a Fresh Challenge for Wii U in the 2013 Holidays
A festive dust up
If you live somewhere with no internet access or connection to the outside world, it may be news to you that Sony unveiled its PlayStation 4 console in New York on 20th February. Over the course of two hours it confirmed a Holiday 2013 release, showed off the system's user interface and social functions, a new version of the...
News Ubisoft CEO Not Satisfied With Wii U Sales
But says they will improve
Ubisoft has been cruel and kind to Wii U recently. Of course there was the now infamous announcement that the publisher would be delaying Rayman Legends until September to allow for a multiplatform release, then it made a peace offering with the announcement of an online challenge mode for the delayed game th
News Watch Dogs Confirmed For Release On Wii U
Though Ubisoft insists we now call it Watch_Dogs
While plenty of Sony gamers are drooling over the announcement of the Playstation 4, some good news has come to light for Nintendo fans - in particular, Wii U owners. You read the headline right, Watch_Dogs is coming to the Wii U. We reported last week that the title was rumoured for release on the...
Nintendo Direct Watch the Japanese 3DS Direct - Live!
Focused on third party games
Last week we told you about a planned Japanese 3DS Direct with a focus on third-party games, and rather late last night Nintendo confirmed a time for this latest extravaganza. Naturally we're interested to see what's on the way, even if there's a danger of it featuring some games that won't make it West. It all kicks...
News The Legend of Zelda Oracle Titles Coming to Japanese 3DS Virtual Console
We'd be amazed if the same doesn't happen in the West
Nintendo has hosted a Japanese 3DS Direct, focused on titles on the way in the big N's homeland. While a number of games on show may never make it to the West, two upcoming Virtual Console titles seem inevitable for worldwide appearances. It was confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages...
Rumour Scribblenauts Unlimited UK Recall Due To Lack Of UK English
You say tomato, I say tomato
At the start of this month it was revealed that Scribblenauts Unlimited would be subject to a delay in Europe. We've not been given a solid reason for the delay, but a rumour has emerged which seems plausible. According to Nintendo Nation, a GAME customer was told by a store m
Play Mario Kart 7 Community Rooms - Choose The Rules
It's back
Last year we had a couple of rather fun community sessions playing Mario Kart 7, where the Nintendo Life community did battle with each other and some of the humble writing team. They were blood-baths of shell and banana skin-related tumbles, while tears were shed along with some choice curse words as podium places were lost. It was...
News Future Wii U Need For Speed Titles Will Ship On The Same Day As Other Platforms
Criterion Vice President "loves" the Wii U
The high-octane racer Need for Speed: Most Wanted is heading for Wii U in North America and Europe on 19th and 21st March respectively. As we already know, the upcoming release will be the definitive version of the game, with assets taken from the superior PC iteration, rather than the other home console...
News Wii Street U Developers Discuss its Incredible Attention to Detail
Latest Iwata Asks delves into Wii Street U
Wii Street U is available to download right now from the Wii U eShop. The expansive application allows you to explore the world through 3D environments made up of thousands upon thousands of photographs taken by Google. It's based on Google Maps' Street View, though it doesn't include any additional...
News Yes, Retro City Rampage Has A Release Date
The WiiWare wait will finally be over
Retro City Rampage has been eluding us for as long as we can remember. It sees you play as the bad guy in an open-world 8-bit environment and has been out on PC and PlayStation Network for a while now. Unfortunately the WiiWare version has been delayed more than a few times, leaving some to speculate that it...
News You, Me, and the Cubes Designer Dies Ages 42
Kenji Eno passes away
Respected game designer and musician Kenji Eno passed away yesterday. Cause of death was heart failure induced by high blood pressure. He was 42 years old. Best known for founding the game studio WARP, Inc. and creating the Sega Saturn RPG adventure D, Eno was also involved in the WiiWare title You, Me, and the Cubes. He also...
News Guild02 Coming To Japan As Three Separate eShop Downloads
Trio of treats
It has been confirmed during today's Japanese Nintendo Direct that Guild01 is being followed up by Guild02 - a trio of 3DS eShop titles developed by some of Japan's leading designers. Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune is contributing a tank shooter with insect-sized enemies. Mini Kitchen's Kazu Ayabe is working on The Friday When The...
Wednesday20th Feb 2013
Nintendo Download 21st February 2013 (Europe)
NightSky brings delight, F-Zero in 60 Hz, price cuts and monstrous demos
Nintendo's been keeping its download details for Europe under-wraps for a little longer this week, but now we know what delights are due to arrive. Both DSi and Wii are resting their weary circuits, with 3DS and Wii U stepping up with some enticing offers and big-time freebies;...
News The European Version Of F-Zero On Wii U Virtual Console Comes With 60Hz Support
Nintendo does listen, after all
If you're a European gamer then you'll no doubt be aware of how TV standards can impact the way games play. Back in the days of the SNES, NES and Mega Drive, EU gamers were saddled with slower versions of existing software. This is because Japanese and American TVs used the NTSC standard, while in Europe the PAL...
News Assassin's Creed III's Tyranny of King Washington DLC Goes for the Kill On 21st February
The Infamy is the first of three parts
Assassin's Creed III was a major launch release on Wii U, providing a version of one of the year's biggest multi-platform blockbusters. Like a lot of high profile games it offers various DLC packages, and after an initial mission add-on and a multiplayer pack — though it can be hard to actually find an active...
Rumour Aliens: Colonial Marines Had Resources Moved to More "Important" Projects
Supposedly while still collecting cheques from SEGA
Aliens: Colonial Marines is a title that has rapidly moved from being a hyped blockbuster release to a poorly received disappointment. That hasn't necessarily damaged sales excessively — it went to number one in the UK charts — but it has nevertheless had a lot of negative press and gamer...
News No Off-Screen Play For Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate On Wii U
It's vital to maintain the two-screen experience, says Capcom
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate producer Ryozo Tsujimoto has revealed that the Wii U version of the game will not support off-TV play. Speaking to Joystiq, Tsujimoto explained that the reasoning behind the move was to maintain the all-important two-screen experience: We don't have that...
News Nintendo Returns To Gamescom 2013
Confirmed for Euro trade event
Nintendo has confirmed that it will be returning to European gaming exhibition Gamescom in 2013. The Kyoto company sat out last year's event, which takes place in Cologne, Germany. Tim Endres, Gamescom project manager at organiser Koelnmesse, is clearly happy with the news: Nintendo's return is an absolute...
News Shin Megami Tensei IV Special Edition 3DS XL Coming To Japan
Sure looks pretty
Shin Megami Tensei IV is coming out in Japan this May, and to mark the event lucky Japanese fans will also have the chance to pick up a rather fetching limited edition 3DS XL (or LL as it is known in that part of the world). The release date is May 23rd, to coincide with the stand-alone game. People who pick up the first-print...
News F-Zero Available To Download Now In North America
Speeding onto the Wii U eShop
Last month Nintendo announced that it would be running a special promotion that would see seven classic NES and SNES games made available to download for a measly 30c/30p. F-Zero is the second game released under the promotion, and we can now confirm that there's no need for North Americans to wait until tomorrow's...
Talking Point Gamer Protests Can Earn Small Wins From Publishers
From 60Hz retro releases in Europe, to freebies and localisations
It seems that in the modern era of social networks, free online news and consumers with greater choice than ever before, there is always something to get thousands of online commentators hot, bothered and outraged. On many occasions there are justifications and genuine reasons behind...
News Filtering Miiverse Content Is Easier With A New Update
Cut out the unwanted posts
Nintendo has been busy behind the scenes updating Miiverse, including changes to make filtering content that little bit easier. A verified member of staff, Marty, appeared on the platform today to inform us of the new update. You can now filter for 'Player Posts' in each gaming community. If you touch the option at the...
Video Iwata and Miyamoto Perform Skit As The "Luigi Brothers"
Another classic Nintendo Direct moment
Since the broadcasts began in late 2011, Nintendo Direct has produced a number of memorable moments, even prompting us to name ten of our favourites last year. It seems that Japanese viewers were treated to another example in the most recent broadcast on Valentines Day, which has now been posted by Nintendo UK...
News Toys R Us CEO Hints at Exclusive Disney Infinity Figures
"Plenty of room" for both Skylanders and Disney Infinity, too
Jerry Storch, CEO and Chairman of Toys R’ Us has spoken to Family Gamer TV about his stores’ anticipation of Disney Infinity to further substantiate the toys-to-life genre. Talking at the Skylanders Swap Force launch event, Storch confirmed that he thought there was “plenty of room...
News Castlevania: Mirror of Fate Kept Mercury Steam Afloat
Producer Dave Cox gives more details on 3DS epic
In an interview with Eurogamer, Konami producer Dave Cox has revealed that were it not for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate, Spanish developer Mercury Steam might not be here today. Reflecting on the current demands of video game development, Cox said: Look what's happened to [Darksid
News John Lasseter Speaks of His Appreciation For Video Games
Pixar's chief creative officer is excited by Disney Infinity
Disney Infinity is due to be released this summer on Wii U, Wii and 3DS as well as other platforms, and it looks to be Disney Interactive's most ambitious project yet. It allows the player to scan real-life toys into the virtual world from all sorts of Disney universes like The Nightmare...
Tuesday19th Feb 2013
News You Can Now Control Your PC With Your Wii U GamePad
UPDATE: Actually, it's the Pro Controller, not the GamePad
Update: As several helpful readers have pointed out, this hack is actually for the Wii U Pro Controller and not the GamePad — although someone is working on it. Apologies for any misunderstanding or disappointment caused. Those bedroom coders. Is there anything they can't do? Take the Wii...
News Turns Out Destiny Could Be Coming To The Wii U After All
Game's official preorder page contains Wii U listing
Yesterday we were sad to report that Bungie's promising online sci-fi epic Destiny wasn't looking likely for a Wii U release. The guys behind the game revealed that although the final platforms haven't yet been 100% decided, PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game were almost certain — and...
News Activision: New Skylanders Portal Of Power Down To "New Functionality"
Still works with the old figures, though
Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision has spoken to Family Gamer and given a few more details about Skylanders Swap Force, which is due out on Wii, Wii U and 3DS later this year. One of the hot topics is the new Portal of Power, which is name for the USB portal that you plug into your console to access the toy...
News Surprise Ubisoft Sale Arrives on Wii U eShop in North America
Should be codenamed "Operation Rayman Appeasement"
There's certainly been a lot of fiery outrage around the web and here on Nintendo Life in the past week, with Ubisoft being a target following its delay of Rayman Legends on Wii U — implemented in order to accommodate a simultaneous release on Xbox 360 and PS3. Wii U owners excited about the game...
Propellerheads
G-STYLE's latest import from Japan, Moke Moke stars a mysterious race of flying, forest-dwelling fuzzballs known as Moke. Combining the evolutionary advantages of sighted moles with the whimsical utility of those novelty helicopter hats, the Moke spend their time whizzing around the forest in an eternal contest to see who among them...
News Rayman Legends Challenge Mode Coming Exclusively To Wii U This April
And it's free, too
As we all know Rayman Legends has now been delayed until September to accommodate a now mutiplatform release. To ease Wii U owners' pains, Ubisoft said it would be bringing a second demo to the Wii U eShop. However, it turns out that instead of a demo, it will be releasing the game's full online challenge mode for free in April
Developer Interview Dakko Dakko On Creating The Ultimate Social Arcade Game For This Generation
"Wii U is great fun to develop on", says Scram Kitty developer
UK studio Dakko Dakko has Nintendo at its heart, thanks to the fact that founder Rhodri Broadbent has ties with the famous video game veteran — he worked on Star Fox Command during his tenure at Dylan Cuthbert's Q-Games in Japan. Dakko Dakko's next project — the wonderfully titled...
News Fan Feedback Prompted Capcom's Resident Evil: Revelations HD Development
Giving the fans what they want
Resident Evil: Revelations has been out on 3DS for just over a year, and soon we'll be able to play it in full HD as the game is now in development for Wii U, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Many people have wondered why Capcom made the decision to make the switch to home consoles, and whether or not this was all part of...
News GameStop Lists Watch Dogs Wii U For Preorder
Wishful thinking or inside knowledge?
Last week, we reported on the rumour that Ubisoft's Watch Dogs was Wii U-bound. The story was the result of a leak of promotional materials which stated that the game was coming to "All home consoles". That rumour has been given a little more weight by the fact that GameStop has posted a preorder listing for...
News Coaster Creator 3D Ride Starts on 28th February in North America
No height restrictions, thankfully
After its confirmation at the start of the year, Coaster Creator 3D now has a confirmed release date for the North American 3DS eShop; gamers can join the queue — candy floss in hand — ahead of its arrival on 28th February for $9.99. Rather than being a full-blown theme park simulation, this is exactly as the...
Monday18th Feb 2013
Hardware Classics Nintendo AV Famicom
Give the dog a bone
The Nintendo Entertainment System — or NES, for short — is arguably the console on which Nintendo's current lofty status was built. Launched in Japan as the Famicom, the 8-bit platform is home to an almost endless list of solid-gold classics, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid
News Sony Trolls Nintendo Ahead of PlayStation 4 Announcement
"Oh, Yay, Another Mario Game."
U mad bro? This week, Sony is expected to unveil its next home console, which may (or may not) be called the PlayStation 4, but is currently being referred to by many sites by its codename, Orbis. Not wanting to miss the chance to have a cheap dig at one of its rivals, Sony has taken out online adverts like the one...
Review Castlevania (3DS eShop / NES)
Drac attack
A while back we were "graced" with the arrival of Castlevania: The Adventure on 3DS Virtual Console, an overly simplistic attempt to bring the series to handhelds. Now the NES original has arrived on the service as well, but is it still worth going batty over? If you've played almost any other "classic-style" Castlevania game, you'll be...
Rumour Aliens: Colonial Marines Tester Says Wii U Version Is "The Worst"
"It is a bit of a joke"
One of the worst things about the internet is that people can post things with very little proof and others will gleefully report it as fact. So please, as you read and digest the following item of news, be aware that we're treating it as a rumour for the time being. A Reddit poster by the name of “soetester” (Sega of...
News 3DS eShop Version Of Gunman Clive Outsells Android Edition
Quick on the draw
Gunman Clive developer Bertil Hörberg has confirmed via his Twitter account that the 3DS eShop version of the game has now passed the Android edition in terms of units sold. We reported last month that the 3DS eShop version had outsold its iOS sibling, but the Android version was the clear leader. It's amazing that the Nintendo...
News It Doesn't Look Like Bungie's Next Epic Is Coming To Wii U
Halo creator keeps silent on Nintendo version
Former Halo studio Bungie has revealed more information about its next project — including hints about the platforms it is coming to — but sadly it would appear that the Wii U won't be getting any action. Destiny is being billed as a "shared-world" shooter, and has a strong focus on co-operative...
News Picdun 2: Witch’s Curse Heading For Europe
Buxom ladies ahoy
Back in August 2012, dungeon crawler Dungeon RPG Picdun 2 was released in Japan on DSiWare. It appears the game is heading to Europe under the guise of Picdun 2: Witch’s Curse, as it has received a PEGI rating, the European age rating system. Picdun 2: Witch's Curse has three main characters: a magical girl, a whip-welding woman...
News Dragon Quest X Release Date Announced For Japan
The quest begins in the east
Square Enix has revealed today that it is set to release Dragon Quest X in Japan on 30th March. Boasting the same content as the Wii release, the Wii U version has enhanced graphics and the option to play the game entirely on the Wii U GamePad. The MMO RPG will retail at 6,980 yen (that's around €55 / £48 / $75) and...
Sunday17th Feb 2013
Talking Point The Year of Luigi Could Bring a Burst of Creativity
Stepping out from a big shadow
The most recent round of Nintendo Direct broadcasts opened, whether you were watching in Europe or North America, with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata telling us all about The Year of Luigi. After a solid 18 months when, arguably, Mario was the go-to figure accounting for a healthy portion of Nintendo's release...
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
Over the past few years, the DSiWare download service has seen some incredibly strange games with bizarre plots and titles. Ah! Heaven is no exception to this. Simply put, this a vertically scrolling platformer that has you taking control of a spiky haired, sunglasses wearing, nameless soul who just wants to ascend to...
News BIT.TRIP Presents: RUNNER 2 Should Be Available Before The End of February
Running into the Wii U eShop soon
The BIT.TRIP series has been a big hit for Gaijin Games. Originally a WiiWare exclusive. the franchise has now appeared on PC, iOS and, of course, 3DS with BIT.TRIP SAGA, a compilation of all six WiiWare games. The next instalment, BIT.TRIP Presents: RUNNER 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, takes the series into...
Saturday16th Feb 2013
Review Rise of The Guardians: The Video Game (Wii U)
A legendary failure
In Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game you take command of a small army of characters, each of whom is designed around a childhood legend. You have characters based on Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sand Man, and Jack Frost. They are coming together to fight a common evil: the sinister Pitch, who wants the...
Feature Nintendo Battle - Donkey Kong: Tabletop vs. Game & Watch
Are you ready?
During the arcade boom of the early 1980s, Donkey Kong was doing great business for Nintendo. To capitalise on this popularity, miniature versions of the arcade game were released. First, there was Coleco’s Donkey Kong tabletop, followed by Nintendo’s Game & Watch Multi Screen version. We decided to pit these ‘portable’...
Review Travelling the World with Wii Street U
Quality streets
Wii U Panorama View remains one of the most impressive demonstrations of Wii U's potential: a collection of videos filmed with a special camera array so that you can look around 360 degrees and see the film from every possible angle by moving the GamePad. It's coming to the Wii U eShop at some point this year – at least in Japan...
Review Dig Dug (3DS eShop / NES)
Slightly soiled
In 1982, Namco released Dig Dug. By that point in time the company had already cemented its place in the gaming history books with enduring classics like Pac-Man and Galaga. Their younger brother Dig Dug never quite reached their heights of popularity, but it's still quite fun in its own right. As with many early arcade games, your...
News Criterion Lavishes Nintendo and Wii U With Praise
Need for Speed: Most Wanted developer went all out to create the definitive version for Wii U
Need for Speed: Most Wanted has been available on other consoles for a while now. Wii U owners have had to wait for their own version, but it appears that their patience will be rewarded; the game is based on the superior PC version and comes with a host of...
Video Tesla Coil Shows Creative Spark To Play Mario Theme
Science wins
Occasionally we like to show the best of video game culture, snippets of creativity and ingenuity that show the love some have for our favourite hobby. Today the spotlight should focus on the engineers from student-run organization X-Labs from the University of Florida (USF). According to scientific explanations that we don't fully...
News Goodbye Galaxy Games Reveals More Info on Color Commando
It's a colourful puzzle-platformer
Goodbye Galaxy Games has been one of the more prominent developers for DSiWare. It's behind titles such as Flipper 2: Flush the Goldfish and Ace Mathician — which was voted by the humble Nintendo Life staff as the best DSiWare title of 2012. The developer announced its latest title for DSiWare, the vibrant...
Friday15th Feb 2013
Review Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 (Wii U eShop)
This game is already dead
The Fist of the North Star manga series turns thirty this year, which is certainly cause for celebration. It also seems to be the sole reason for the creation of Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2, because when placed alongside its predecessor from 2010, it offers precious little in the way of fresh and original...
News 3DS eShop Sale is Underway in North America and Europe
Retail and download-only goodies included
As the eagle-eyed among you will have spotted, during its recent Nintendo Direct broadcast Nintendo of America launched a 3DS eShop promotion that will see one game discounted per week for the next six weeks. Some of the best downloadable offerings on the platform are included, with the first on sale now...
News Angry Birds Trilogy Flapping To Wii And Wii U This Year
Birds of a feather
Activision and Rovio have confirmed today that Angry Birds Trilogy will be coming to the Wii and Wii U in 2013. The game — which is based on the stunningly popular mobile phone iteration — has just passed one million sales worldwide. It launched on the Nintendo 3DS last year, as you'll already know if you consulted our Angry...
News 3DS Circle Pad Pro XL Coming To The UK March 22nd
Bolt (on) out of the blue
Nintendo has confirmed that the Circle Pad Pro XL will launch in the UK on March 22nd — just in time for Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate on the 3DS. The accessory follows in the footsteps of its smaller predecessor, which was designed to bolt onto the original 3DS console. The Circle Pad Pro XL offers an additional analogue...
Feature The Big Valentines Nintendo Direct Summary - 14th February 2013
There's a lot to cover
Nintendo appropriately chose Valentines Day to show some love for its fans via Nintendo Direct broadcasts, with a 3DS extravaganza in Europe and a mixture of the handheld and Wii U setting the agenda in North America. We live-blogged events of course, and then covered the big stories that emerged. Rather like January's Wii U...
Trailer LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins Trailer Shows Its a Big World
The biggest LEGO game on 3DS yet?
The LEGO series of video games has been prolific, to put it mildly, yet the handheld versions on DS and 3DS have often been stripped back, more linear affairs than their home console contemporaries. While upcoming Wii U release LEGO City Undercover looks like the most expansive title yet, seemingly adopting an...
News Masahiro Sakurai: Stories in Video Games Can be "Irksome"
"I just want the game to let me play"
With the rise of technology over the years video games have established themselves as one of the biggest storytelling mediums out there. Stories used to be as basic as climbing a tower to save a damsel in distress, but as time has worn on they've become full cinematic experiences - even if we are still rescuing...
Rumour Ubisoft's Watch Dogs Is Coming To The Wii U
It's coming to "all home consoles", apparently
Ubisoft's Watch Dogs was one of the surprises of last year's E3 event, showcasing cutting-edge gameplay based around the control of information. The open world action title is based around hacking and surveillance, and features some amazing visuals — leading many to predict that it would be a next-gen...
News Latest U.S. Sales Show Decline in Video Game Market, Slow Wii U Momentum
Wii U sales below 100,000
U.S. sales tracker NPD has issued its results for January, which reflect more challenging times for the video game industry in comparison to previous years. In raw figures video game sales increased 9% over January 2012, but this year's results cover five weeks rather than four; Gamasutra has estimated that in equivalent...
News UK Retailers Call For Wii U Price Cut And Fresh Approach From Nintendo
“Wii U has not caught the public’s imagination yet”
UK games trade publication MCV has spoken to a wide range of retailers and the general feeling seems to be that the system needs a price cut — as well as new games and better marketing — to turn its fortunes around. January marked the console's second month on sale in the UK, and it...
A little taste test
Back in January, Konami producer Dave Cox revealed the upcoming 3DS title Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate would be getting a demo before the game hits stores. It turns out he's true to his word, as Konami has announced a demo will be in the 3DS eShop in both North America and Europe on 28th February — a week...
News Wii U Version of Aliens: Colonial Marines Has Not Been Postponed
Still scheduled in the Wii U launch window
Earlier in the week we reported on a rumour swarming around the internet that SEGA had postponed the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines indefinitely. SEGA has now confirmed that this rumour is not true and that the game will be released in the Wii U launch window as planned. That means it'll be on...
News Xbox 360 On Track To Surpass The Wii's UK Sales Record
Nintendo's console set to lose its UK crown
Microsoft's Xbox 360 console has topped 8 million consoles sold in the UK to date, and is now on track to surpass Nintendo Wii's sales record in the region. This would secure the system's position as the UK's number 1 selling console. But that incoming PlayStation announcement on February 20th could...
News Catch Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity In Europe On May 17th
3DS dungeon crawling ahoy
Nintendo Europe has confirmed today that Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity will be hitting the region on May 17th. The latest in the Mystery Dungeon series, Gates to Infinity will feature randomly-generated levels and will allow players to use their 3DS console's camera to create Magnagates from real-world...
News Activision Hopes That Your Spider Sense Will Be Tingling This March
The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition confirmed for European release on March 8th
Activision has confirmed that The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition will be hitting European Wii U consoles on March 8th. The game features a whole host of DLC packs, as well as exclusive features such as the ability to use the GamePad's screen to reply to...
Developer Interview Ambient Studios On The Possibility Of Bringing Death Inc. To Wii U
"Vote with your wallets!"
Last week, we reported that Ambient Studios — the team behind Kickstarter title Death Inc. — were considering bringing the game to the Wii U eShop. Soon after the story went live, Ambient director and co-founder Jonny Hopper got in touch with us to explain a bit more about his company and the long-term aspirat
Thursday14th Feb 2013
They went and wrecked it
When it comes to video games, film tie-ins have had something of a bumpy history. While GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64 proved that a licence can flourish in the right hands, it’s more often than not a rare exception. However, when a game is based on a movie which itself is based on video games, it’s fair to assume that...
News New Pokémon Gets Caught In Some Footage
Called Sylveon in English
Earlier this week we brought you the news from CoroCoro magazine of a new Pokémon called Ninfia, along with a scanned image of it in all of its pink glory. Following that reveal, The Pokémon Company has stated that its English name is Sylveon, and reiterated that it'll be the eighth Eevee evolution; no other new details...
Feature Video Game Characters Looking For Love
Looking for co-op partners
Last year we brought you a collection of dating profiles we happened to find online, which belonged to some of our favourite video game heroes! You wouldn't expect lightning to strike twice, but since it's Valentine's Day and miracles do happen, we thought we'd spend some more time combing through the darkest recesses of...
Nintendo Direct Watch The North American Presentation Live
Check out the latest 3DS and Wii U news
Love is in the air this Valentine's Day as Nintendo of America is offering up direct access to the very latest 3DS and Wii U news. At 6am Pacific time / 9am Eastern time Nintendo will be broadcasting a new Nintendo Direct which will hopefully contain plenty of red-hot news relating to the company's upcoming...
News Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Bundles Soaring Into Europe For Wii U and 3DS XL
The 3DS Circle Pad Pro XL arrives on the same day
It seems that Fire Emblem: Awakening isn't the only game to receive the special bundle treatment in Europe, as Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will also be getting its own set of limited edition packs for both the Wii U and 3DS XL when the game arrives on 22nd March. The Wii U Limited Edition Premium Pack...
News 3DS Remake Of Dragon Quest VII Sells 800,000 Copies In Just Four Days
3DS continues to dominate Japan
The Nintendo 3DS doesn't seem to be releasing its vice-like grip on the Japanese gaming public, with Square Enix's Dragon Quest VII proving to be the next in a long line of smash hit titles for the format in The Land of the Rising Sun. Square Enix's remake of the PlayStation original launched in Japan on February 7th...
Nintendo Download 14th February 2013 (North America)
Hitting the streets with Wii U, going digging, time travelling and more
It may be the most loved up day of the year and an occasion for Nintendo Direct madness, but we still have a download update to deal with. Nintendo delayed the details slightly while Reggie Fils-Aime and company did their thing, but now we know about a Wii U app and a mixture of...
News Nintendo of America Offering Free Retail Game To New 3DS XL Buyers
Provided you register Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity or Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon as well
Recently Nintendo of Europe gave people the opportunity to download a copy of a new game free of charge by simply registering a 3DS XL on Club Nintendo. That deal is now over, but Nintendo of America has just started a similar offer. The new...
News New Super Luigi U Confirmed as Future DLC for New Super Mario Bros. U
Will be a "large scale" download for the Wii U title
In both the North American and European Nintendo Direct broadcasts, Satoru Iwata appeared — wearing a snazzy green hat — to declare this the "Year of Luigi". After Mario has hogged the line-up in recent years, Luigi will have a starring role in some new titles, one of which will actually be an...
News Fire Emblem: Awakening Battles Into Europe on 19th April
Special edition 3DS XL bundle also confirmed
While Japanese gamers have been enjoying Fire Emblem: Awakening for a number of months, and North Americans have been taking on the adventure in recent weeks, poor old Europeans have been left without so much as a firm release date. Nintendo of Europe boss Satoru Shibata apologised for that during...
News Animal Crossing: New Leaf Release Dates Announced For Europe And North America
The one we've all been waiting for
During both Nintendo of Europe and Nintendo of America's Nintendo Direct broadcasts, a release date has been given for Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the regions. That's right, North Americans will finally be able to get their hands on the popular simulation game on the 9th June, with Europeans getting the game...
News Nintendo Announces Mario & Luigi: Dream Team For 3DS
New RPG coming to the 3DS this summer
A new addition to the Mario & Luigi RPG series of games has been announced today for the 3DS, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. Nintendo President and CEO, Satoru Iwata, revealed the title during Nintendo Direct after dubbing 2013 the 'Year of Luigi', with the game making its way to our handhelds this summer...
Nintendo Direct Watch The European Presentation Live
3DS is the focus
While Nintendo of America is holding a Nintendo Direct which will cover forthcoming 3DS and Wii U titles, Nintendo Europe is choosing to look exclusively at portable software. Satoru Shibata is confirmed as your host, and 2PM UK time is when it will be taking place. We'll be covering the presentation on this very page, streaming...
News Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Swinging Onto 3DS
It's a 3D Wii-make
Today's Nintendo Direct broadcasts in both Europe and North America saved a big surprise for last, with confirmation that Wii title Donkey Kong Country Returns is on its way to 3DS, not surprisingly titled Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. It's a remake, so we don't anticipate much if any new content — though there's always a...
News Wii U Need for Speed: Most Wanted Based on Superior PC Version
Could be the most wanted of all editions
Need for Speed: Most Wanted will be screeching its way onto Wii U in North America on 19th March and in Europe on the 21st. As we already know, the game will feature off-TV play allowing you to play the game on the GamePad alone, and there will also be support for the Pro Controller, Wii Remote and Nunchuk...
News Mario Golf: World Tour Tees Off On 3DS This Summer
Fore!
During today's Nintendo Direct presentations it was confirmed that a new Mario Golf game is coming to the 3DS this summer. Mario Golf: World Tour is being developed by Camelot Software Planning and will feature a wide range of courses — including some inspired by the fantasy world Mario and his friends inhabit — as well as improved...
News Zelda Miiverse Community Launches Today For Wii U
Finally, for all us fanboys and fangirls
It's been announced during today's Nintendo Direct presentations that a special Legend of Zelda Miiverse community will be launching today for the Wii U. While we still have some time before The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD and the Wii U Legend of Zelda games release, fans of the series will be able to...
News Mario And Donkey Kong: Minis On The Move Winding Up For 3DS eShop
Too cute
It's been confirmed during today's Nintendo Direct presentations that the Mario and Donkey Kong series is getting a new instalment in the shape of Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move. The game is part of the same series which gave us Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, and focuse
Rumour Wii U Version Of Aliens: Colonial Marines Postponed?
The last thing the Wii U needs right now
Rumours are surfacing across the world wide web that the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines has been "postponed indefinitely". Commenting on his own post, Jason Schreier of Kotaku said that the site received a tip about the game over a month ago: We heard from a tipster about a month ago that the...
News Retro Classics Harvest Moon And Legend Of The River King Coming To 3DS Virtual Console
Farming and fishing
Nintendo has confirmed that two beloved Game Boy Color classics are heading to the 3DS Virtual Console. Harvest Moon and The Legend of the River King — both from Natsume — will be available on the 3DS eShop in the near future. Highly-regarded titles from yesteryear, the games focus on farming and fishing respectively, with...
News Code of Princess Fighting Its Way to the European 3DS eShop "This Spring"
The wait should be over soon
Code of Princess ushered in a brave new world of download only "retail" games for 3DS, arriving packed full of content and a price point that would be expected of a boxed game in stores. Its October arrival in North America excited hack n' slash gaming fans — as well as those with some retro sensibilities and a love of...
News Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger Arriving In North America This April
He's on a roll
Armadillo ranger Dillon made his 3DS eShop debut in 2012 with Dillon's Rolling Western, and it's been confirmed that he'll back for some more action this year. During today's North American Nintendo Direct presentation, Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger was shown off. It appears to follow the same gameplay as its predecessor:...
News Nintendo Direct Set For Japan Next Week, 3DS Third-Party Content Only
It's not over yet, it seems
We've only just gotten over one Nintendo Direct, and now there's another on the horizon. Yes, you read that right. This broadcast, however, will be Japanese only, and will focus directly on third-party content. Details are scarce at the moment, so it's unclear if European and North American announcements will unfold at...
News Splash or Crash Dropping Into 3DS eShop Soon
A stone's throw away
2013 might be the Year of Luigi, but that doesn't mean that the lanky plumber has a monopoly over the upcoming release schedule. Tucked among the bigger titles of today's Nintendo Direct was Poisoft's Splash or Crash (known as Kersploosh! in North America), a brand new 3DS eShop title that has you dropping stones down a well...
News Need for Speed: Most Wanted Developer Revs Up More Details on Co-Driver Mode
Speaks positively of the Wii U hardware's capabilities
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is one of a handful of titles coming to Wii U in March, in this case in both Europe and North America. Most pleasingly for owners of Nintendo's system it's more than a port handed off to a secondary studio, but is being produced by the highly regarded Criterion team...
News Nintendo Japan Is Joining The Nintendo Direct Love This Valentine's Day
Not one, not two, but three dates this Valentine's Day
Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe both have Nintendo Direct presentations happening today, and now the inevitable Japanese broadcast has been announced - with the presentation streaming at 9 AM ET / 6 AM PT. Similar to the European broadcast, the 3DS will be the star of the show in the...
News Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition Is Heading Down Under At Last
Classification finally comes through
Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition has been available almost everywhere since the launch of the Wii U, but poor old Australia has been missing out. Thankfully, the wait is almost over — the Australian Classification Board has just rated the game, meaning that it'
Wednesday13th Feb 2013
News Zelda-Inspired Action RPG Cryamore Could Be Coming To Wii U
Kickstarter stretch goal added
Kickstarter-funded action RPG Cryamore could be coming to the Wii U according to its development team. The title has already smashed through its initial goal of $60,000 and currently sits at $142,673 with twelve days to go. If it reaches $250,000 by that point, ports to the Wii U, Xbox 360 and PS3 will be secure...
News Nintendo 3DS Direct Bringing the Love on 14th February
Europe focused on the handheld, North America will include Wii U games
Nintendo has announced new Nintendo Direct broadcasts, giving us a positively useful 24 hours to prepare ourselves. In Europe this time around the focus is on the 3DS, with Nintendo stating that it'll look at future games on the handheld; the North American broadcast isn't...
News Wii U Resident Evil: Revelations Will Not Support Wii Remote and Nunchuk
One less way to kill a zombie
Earlier on in the week we reported on the controller options that will be available to players in the upcoming Wii U version of Resident Evil: Revelations. It turns out the game will feature off-screen play and will also support the Pro Controller. However, those hoping for the ability to play with the Wii Remote and...
Talking Point Early Flirtations With Wii U "Free to Play" Are Just the Start
Blasting away some kinks
While Europeans have endured a rather frustrating trend of late, waiting for various games to arrive that have already graced North America, the region has enjoyed first dibs on the Wii U eShop's dalliances with free-to-play download models. We're referring to Zen Pinball 2 and today's arrival, a downloadable tweaked version...
It's good to be bad
The film and television industry is traditionally content to boss over video games: movie adaptations of popular gaming franchises are more often than not sub-par, while other projects reference games lazily without any real understanding of the medium. Outside of documentaries like Indie Game: The Movie and more careful efforts...
News Ubisoft "Satisfied" With Wii U Launch, But Notes Low Software Tie-In Ratios
CEO Yves Guillemot talks business with investors
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has stated that his company is satisfied with the launch of the Wii U and happy with its own market share in both North America and Europe, but also noted the impact of "low tie-in ratios" on software. During Ubisoft's investors call last week, Guillemot had the following...
Under pressure
Having covered bullets and time, EnjoyUp's pint-sized yet madly challenging 99 series of score-attackers aligns its focus on the third staple of classic game design: movement and the limitations thereof. Over the dozen or so stages of 99Moves, players are dared to make it to the end of a gauntlet in as many moves or fewer. It doesn't...
News Tank! Tank! Tank! Available Now in European Wii U eShop
KABOOM
As some no doubt saw in our weekly Nintendo Download update for Europe, Namco Bandai's Tank! Tank! Tank! is bringing the retail title onto the Wii U eShop with a free-to-play model. The good news is that Europeans don't need to wait for the rest of the updates on Valentines Day — this one's available right now. To start with, you'll need...
News Journey Developer's Next Game Could Be Coming To The Wii U
A match made in heaven?
Thatgamecompany's Journey has received a lot of love since its release on PS3 last March. The game's own epic journey saw it grow from humble PSN sleeper to assailing many "Game Of The Year" lists, not to mention the eight BAFTA nominations (for Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Best Game, Game Design, Game...
Developer Interview Renegade Kid and a History of Nintendo Development
From DS FPS games to pixel-perfect platforming
Renegade Kid is a development studio founded in 2007, but is comprised of staff with far greater experience in the game industry. After early days of pushing boundaries with three FPS titles on DS, the team has gradually moved into self-publishing download games, rising to greater prominence with the...
News Dakko Dakko Reveals Wii U Exclusive Scram Kitty And His Buddy On Rails
Former Q-Games developer working on Wii U debut
UK-based studio Dakko Dakko has confirmed it is working on an exclusive Wii U title by the name of Scram Kitty And His Buddy On Rails. Dakko Dakko is based in Cardiff and is run by Rhodri Broadbent, who worked at Q-Games on Star Fox Command and is a lifelong Nintendo fan. The studio's previous games...
News Castlevania Producer Would Love To Work With Nintendo On Zelda
Dave Cox wants a link to the future
Nintendo's stance on collaborating with other developers is resulting in some interesting new titles, and rightly so — given the highly-esteemed nature of the company's portfolio, it's no surprise that other devs are falling over themselves to join forces with the Kyoto-based veteran. Speaking to Dutch site...
News Pokémon TV App Makes Its Way Onto iOS And Android Devices
Streaming the latest episodes to your smartphones and tablets
More Pokémon news follows Pokémon Scramble U and the revealing of Ninfia, as Pokémon TV has launched on iOS and Android devices. The app allows you to watch full episodes of the Pokémon TV show, as well as special features and trailers for the upcoming Pokémon movie releases. You...
News Wii U Should Do As Well As The Wii, Says Developer
"There’s a lot of potential that’s not tapped yet"
We've had a lot of negative news regarding the Wii U lately, so it's nice to have something positive to report. Giants Software's Marc Schwegler has stated that he feels the console could be even more popular than its predecessor, the Wii — which at the time of writing, has sold over 98...
News Maestro Working On New Titles For The Wii U eShop
Keep 'em coming
At the end of last month, we reported that developer Maestro Interactive Games announced it was bringing Super Ubi Land to the Wii U eShop this Spring, as well as hinting at other projects in the pipeline. It's now revealed two new titles — Fade into Darkness and Cosmic Highway — for the platform. From last month's report, we...
News Neko Entertainment Working On A New Game
Puddle 2 or something new?
Neko Entertainment currently has one game submerged in the Wii U eShop with Puddle. Fortunately for us the creative flow is still streaming at the Paris-based studio, as the developer has revealed it has another Wii U title in the pipeline. In an interview with Nintendo Chronicle, the developer drizzled in some...
Tuesday12th Feb 2013
News New Pokémon Revealed for X & Y, Say Hello To Ninfia
A new Pokémon in the never-ending Pokédex
We reported yesterday that Pokémon Smash and CoroCoro magazine had a treat in-store for Pokémon fans this week, and it so happens to come in the form of Ninfia — a brand new Pokémon, which also happens to be one of the many evolutions of Eevee. According to the magazine, the evolution method is a...
News Rayman Legends Boss and Dev Team Protest Wii U Release Delay
Insubordination ahoy
Last week's news that Rayman Legends is going multi-platform and is delayed to September was disappointing for a lot of Wii U owners. While the loss of exclusivity was a blow, it was arguably the seemingly unnecessary delay to a finished game that enraged many. We saw an outraged anonymous forum post from someone claiming to be...
News Dragon Quest VII Tweaks on 3DS Explained by Developers
Satoru Iwata interviews the team behind the 3DS remake
The Dragon Quest VII remake for 3DS is out now in Japan, so it seemed only right for Nintendo President Satoru Iwata to interview a few of the people involved with the making of the game in his Iwata Asks series. In the interview, helpfully translated by Siliconera, the series creator Yuuji...
Nintendo Download 14th February 2013 (Europe)
Tank! Tank! Tank! goes free to play, Wii U discounts, Dracula slaying and more
Nintendo seems to revel in surprising us, and details of this week's download update in Europe have struck to keep us on our toes. We have a Wii U launch title going free-to-play on the Wii U eShop — with paid DLC, of course — as well as permanent price reductions and...
Developer Interview Why The 90's Arcade Racer Is The Ultimate Love Letter To Sega's Daytona USA
Antonis Pelekanos talks exclusively about the hottest racer on the Wii U eShop
The news that The 90's Arcade Racer is coming to the Wii U eShop courtesy of Nicalis has pretty much made our week — this colourful love letter to Sega's arcade racers is shaping up to be one of our most eagerly-awaited download releases of 2013. We spoke to the game's...
News Pokémon Scramble U Confirmed For Spring Arrival in Japan
Download-only follow up to Pokémon Rumble
When it comes to the Pokémon industry, it's about more than the main series releases, with a variety of off-shoots and alternatives regularly gracing our gaming machines. One series that made its début on WiiWare was Pokémon Rumble, which we rather liked for its boggling premise and simple fun, and that...
News The 90's Arcade Racer Confirmed For Wii U eShop
Take a trip down nostalgia lane
Earlier this month we reported that The 90's Arcade Racer was speeding closer to the Wii U, as developer Pelikan13 had taken to Kickstarter in the hope that his project would make it past its $10,000 target, and re-create a classic arcade racing experience for the gamers of today. He had also strongly hinted in an...
News Renegade Kid "Certain The Wii U Will Have an Excellent Future"
Mutant Mudds 2 looks like it "will be a 2014 release"
Renegade Kid may be a developer best known for Mutant Mudds on the 3DS eShop, but it's a studio with a lot of experience in the industry, with team members working in game development long before the company was formed. As its increasing output on Nintendo's download platforms is also showing —...
News Nintendo Receives Zero BAFTA Game Awards Nominations
Um, what?
2012 was a fairly busy year for Nintendo, with some high-quality titles arriving on 3DS and the long-awaited release of Wii U. There were some rather decent games in there, which makes Nintendo's complete absence from the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Game Awards 2013 a little surprising. While failure to make it...
Rumour Gearbox Played Secondary Role in Aliens: Colonial Marines Development
Game over, man?
For a number of months — or years, depending on how much you follow the franchise — Gearbox software has been plugging Aliens: Colonial Marines, a title taking on the branding of one of the most treasured sci-fi movies ever released. We've been watching closely as it's also coming to Wii U, with Gearbox's Randy Pitchford even...
News 3DS Has The Potential To Find You A Partner
Saves the awkwardness of meeting someone in person
Want to play games on your 3DS? That's so old-fashioned! Why not use it to find a boyfriend, or according to a ten year-old boy, a girlfriend. That's right, young "Masterclaw 360" posted up on the Colors! 3D 'I need a girlfriend. Girls read description', with arrows pointing down towards the...
News New "Batman Arkham" Title Due in 2013
Holy financial briefing, Batman!
Time Warner recently revealed its latest financial results, and as a result has hosted the now-standard investor call to answer questions on the company's strategies and plans. Warner is one of the biggest contributors to the TV and film industries, or course, but is also a major player in video game publishing...
News Pink 3DS XL Is Making A Comeback In Time For Valentine's Day
Show them you love them with a Nintendo portable
The pink iteration of the Nintendo 3DS XL was a surprise hit last year, quickly selling out and leaving many potential owners disappointed. However, it would seem that Nintendo of America has been struck by cupid's arrow and has taken pity on these very same people. The pink 3DS XL (it's actually...
News NightSky to Arrive in Europe on 21st February
We can stop asking now
So, remember NightSky, Europe? Yeah, it was that rather attractive, serene puzzle title that we awarded a perfect 10 in our NightSky review way back in October 2012, when lucky North Americans were downloading it with big smiles across their faces. Yep, that one. The good news is that its publisher, Nicalis, has now confirmed...
News Street Fighter And Samurai Shodown Influenced Castlevania: Mirror Of Fate's Combat
More interview goodness from Konami's Dave Cox
Konami producer Dave Cox must have an aching jaw, because he's given so many interviews recently relating to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate that he must be absolutely pig-sick of talking about the upcoming 3DS title. However, we're not complaining, because each new interview gives fresh...
Monday11th Feb 2013
Review Transformers Prime (Wii U)
You've got the touch (screen)
The long-running Transformers franchise has shifted, morphed and diverged enough to certainly live up to its name since debuting in 1984: the original Generation 1 adored by long-time fans and purists, Beast Wars, a few Michael Bay interpretations and loads of comic books and video games. Much of the fiction's focus...
News New Information on Pokémon X & Y Coming Soon
Soon? This week to be precise
The latest episode of Japanese TV show Pokémon Smash has confirmed that new information regarding Pokémon X & Y for the 3DS will be making its way to our needy little ears during next week's episode, as well as being featured in this week's CoroCoro magazine. CoroCoro — a Japanese manga magazine published by...
News Tiger Woods Is Skipping The Wii U This Year
In the rough
Thanks to its motion-sensing controller, the Wii managed to deliver several compelling instalments in EA's Tiger Woods series. Despite the lack of graphical fidelity when compared to the 360 and PS3 versions, the Nintendo editions still managed to hold their own, primarily because the Wii Remote allowed more immersive gameplay. Sadly,...
News Paper Mario, Kirby Super Star and More Join Club Nintendo Rewards
Sucking up your coins
It's Club Nintendo Rewards time again, North American gamers, with more downloadable goodies becoming available in exchange for some treasured gold coins. This month offers a mixture of retro Virtual Console treats and some DSiWare titles, detailed below. Bird & Beans — 100 Coins Metal Torrent — 150 Coins Paper Mario...
News Codemasters Producer: Wii U is "The Future"
Clive Moody has high-praise for Nintendo's new system
UK-based developer Codemasters' only announced Wii U offering so far is the upcoming port of F1 Race Stars, but that doesn't mean the new system hasn't caught its eye. In a recent interview with News10.net, senior producer at Codemasters Clive Moody said he had played the Wii U, and that so far...
News Wind Waker Lookalike A Hat In Time Could Be Coming To The Wii U
Should be an easy Cel
Indie title A Hat In Time could be coming to the Wii U, according to its developer Jonas Kærlev, also known as Mecha the Slag. The game is a homage to the N64 adventures of old, such as Donkey Kong 64 and Conker's Bad Fur Day. It's currently slated for a release on PC and Mac, and is expected to provide around five hours of...
News Potential Wreck-It Ralph Sequel Should Have a Moment "Perfect for Mario"
If it gets made, that is
Wreck-it Ralph may have been released in North America way back in early November, but it's not long since it arrived in movie theatres in the UK, bringing its own brand of classic gaming cameos and animated hilarity. For retro gamers and Nintendo fans alike the movie has plenty of references to pick up, including an...
Talking Point The Emergence of "Niche" Japanese Titles Into The Nintendo Mainstream
If in doubt, go with what you know
As the weeks pass of Wii U's early days, and the 3DS campaigns to prove that gaming handhelds still have a major role to play, there are some signs that Nintendo's being forced to adjust its strategies when preparing new games. With the previous week's debates about third party content — both multi-platform and...
News Wii U Resident Evil: Revelations To Feature Off-Screen Play and Pro Controller Support
Exclusive features coming to Nintendo's console
Details relating to the Wii U version of Resident Evil: Revelations have been divulged in the latest issue of Official Nintendo Magazine, and it has been confirmed that the game will allow off-screen play and will also offer Pro Controller support. It has also been confirmed that the GamePad screen...
News Sorry Australia, You're Not Getting The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct
Demand isn't there, apparently
Activision is launching The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct on the Wii U next month in North America and Europe, but sadly fans of the hit TV series who happen to live Down Under will just have to sit it out — or contemplate importing a copy of the European version — because the game won't be getting a release in...
News Frozenbyte Considers Bringing Splot to Wii U
"A modern-era fairytale in a playable form"
Frozenbyte is a developer that's likely to have earned credit from a lot of Wii U gamers for its release of Trine 2: Director's Cut, with a subsequent — albeit delayed — update improving the graphics while adding voice chat and Pro Controller support. As a developer well known to gamers across...
News Wii U Software Struggled For 2% of UK Market in January
It can only get better
While the early performance of Wii U, globally, can be argued as being anything ranging from a reasonable start to a disappointment, in general terms it's shifted some units and, lest we forget, performed better in its early days than competing systems did when they launched. It's struggled to hit the early heights of Wii, yet...
News Zen Studios Announces New Star Wars Pinball DLC
The force is strong with Wii U
Zen Studios has announced on its blog that it will be bringing new Star Wars themed pinball tables as DLC for Xbox Live Arcade's Pinball FX2 and PSN's Zen Pinball 2. There was no mention of Wii U, but fortunately it seems it will be coming to Nintendo's eShop after all as DLC for Zen Pinball 2. As you would expect,...
News Mario Picks Up a DICE Sticker at Annual Awards
It sure looks good on paper
Last week saw a number of games industry professionals descend on Las Vegas for the annual DICE summit. It's an opportunity for various studios and representatives to talk more directly about the industry and projects currently in the works, and like all good gatherings it ends with an awards ceremony. As an indication...
Sunday10th Feb 2013
Review Brain Age: Concentration Training (3DS)
Old brain, new tricks
Thinking of Nintendo's efforts to capture a more mainstream audience with non-traditional games, the Brain Age series leaps immediately to mind - and then leaps right out again, because we can't seem to concentrate on anything these days. Dr. Ryuta Kawashima, Nintendo's resident neuroscientist, has noticed this too, and has...
When $200 of credit can't replace $400 of downloaded games
As we've spoken about before, Nintendo's current attitude to downloadable games leaves quite a bit to be desired. The Nintendo Network ID system introduced with the Wii U is a step in the right direction, but the fact that purchases remain tied to a single piece of hardware is, in this day...
News Developer States That Wii U Woes Were a Focus At DICE
More was spoken about cancelled games than those on the way
A number of game developers and publishers from every corner of the globe gathered at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas earlier this week. It's essentially a networking event for developers to come together, share ideas and talk about industry trends. Naturally Wii U was spoken about a fair...
News Monolith Soft Enjoying Its Closer Relationship With Nintendo
Developers at the studio now working as a family
Monolith Soft, the developer behind Xenoblade Chronicles, has built a new studio in Kyoto, Japan so it can be closer to Nintendo. It is now in the process of developing a Wii U game that was briefly teased during a recent Nintendo Direct. Speaking in an internal interview series, translated by
Also, don't expect a home console version of Mirror of Fate
Konami producer Dave Cox has already stated that a Wii U version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 isn't going to happen, but he's never really elaborated on the reason why - until now, that is. Speaking to Dutch site n1ntendo.nl, Cox had this to say:
News Activision's Bobby Kotick Is Disappointed With The Launch Of The Wii U
"We're concerned about the install base for 6-11 year-olds"
It seems that people just can't stop hating on the Wii U. Activision boss Bobby Kotick is the latest to knock Nintendo's new console, suggesting that the machine has been a commercial flop and is struggling to find favour with youngsters - a key demographic in today's market. During the...
News The Darksiders Series Looks To Be Over
Sometimes all good things must come to an end
A few weeks back THQ sold off its assets to the highest bidders. This lead to various THQ studios finding new homes; THQ Montreal for example is now a part of Ubisoft and Relic, the developer of Company of Heroes is now a branch of SEGA. However not all development studios found a new home, and as they...
Saturday9th Feb 2013
Review Mega Man 2 (3DS eShop / NES)
Get Equipped With an All-Time Classic
In 1987, Capcom released the original Mega Man. It was well-received by both gamers and critics, but it was not much of a financial success. Over the course of the next year, however, Mega Man 2 was developed as a labour of love by Keiji Inafune and his team, alongside other projects that were expected to be...
Ninterview Heather "Miss Gamer Girl" Cascioli
Avid collector and beadcraft expert
Our next Ninterview subject is someone who has found fame on Instagram under the name MissGamerGirl. Heather Cascioli - for that is her real name - has been a keen gamer all her life, and has amassed an impressive collection of vintage hardware. We sat down with her to talk about gaming, confounding stereotypes...
News Bayonetta 2 And The Wonderful 101 To Stay Wii U Exclusive
Platinum Games says the two games will be sticking around
There's been a lot of talk this week about Wii U exclusives that become multi-platform titles after a while. Team Ninja confirmed earlier in the week that Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, once a Wii U exclusive, would soon be available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Then a few days later Ubisoft...
Friday8th Feb 2013
Activision's latest money-spinner takes shape
As we wrote earlier this week, Activision has announced the next game in the Skylanders series: Swap Force. At the New York event we had a chance to see some early levels of gameplay. What was immediately obvious was the higher fidelity of visuals this time round. With new developer Vicarious Visions...
Review Metal Slug 4 (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Fourth time a charm?
If there's one thing that can be said with any degree of certainty, it's that SNK's Metal Slug series always remained fairly consistent over the course of their releases. The gameplay remained pretty much the same, with little more than a few tweaks here and there for good measure. Metal Slug 4 was developed by Korean firm Mega...
Developer Interview Rebellion On Why Sniper Elite V2 Wii U Is The Definitive Version
"The GamePad offers something completely new to developers that you just don’t see elsewhere"
The news that Sniper Elite V2 is coming to the Wii U has us very excited indeed. The WW2 epic launched on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC last year, and gained positive reviews for its tense action and innovative "Kill Cam". We were understandably keen to speak to...
Reaction The Rayman Legends Delay Is a Low Blow, But The Apocalypse Isn't Here
Remaining "exclusives" need to be secured, however
Let's get one key point out of the way, just so we've said it early. The delay of Rayman Legends feels, to many current and prospective Wii U owners, like a cynical cash-grab of a business move. There are good old "anonymous sources", apparently developers on the game, stating that it's practically...
News Microsoft Almost Purchased Sega In Order To Compete With Nintendo And Sony
How different things could have been
A former Microsoft executive has revealed that the company was considering buying Japanese video game veteran Sega before it decided to create the Xbox console. Speaking to IGN, Joachim Kempin said: There were three companies at that point in time, I think this was , Sega and Nintendo. There was always talk...
News Wii U To Get An "Exclusive" Rayman Legends Demo Soon
Ubisoft makes a peace offering to Wii U owners
As you may have heard, Rayman Legends is no longer a Wii U exclusive and has now been pushed back to the faraway land of September. Ubisoft has confirmed that the Wii U version of the game is finished, but has insisted it will be releasing it with the other versions of the game rather than putting it on...
News Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Comparisons Are Favourable for Wii U
Yep, Digital Foundry has taken a look
Hooray for happy Wii U news! It's been a tough old week, in the opinion of some, for Wii U, with delays, technical specification revelations and veiled executive-level criticisms swirling around Nintendo's home console. That doesn't mean we need to fear the worst or join in the "Wii U is doomed" chorus, however,...
News Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Online Play Will Be Region Locked For Wii U
The world isn't in play
In a recent interview with Monster Hunter producer Ryozo Tsujimoto on Gamereactor it has been revealed that Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate online servers will be region-locked. This means that players won't be able to experience online gameplay with other players in another region - so North Americans can't play with gamers in...
News Miiverse Friend Requests Restricted For Gamers Aged 12 And Under
Nintendo doing its best to protect younger users
On Miiverse, Nintendo gamers can interact with one another and send friend requests to those they want to stay connected to - even if they do not actually know them. Nintendo has recently made a small announcement regarding the service, saying it will be restricting younger gamers from sending or...
News Ubisoft Confirms Rayman Legends Delay Isn't Down To Development Issues
"I know it's not an elaborate, 'convincing' answer, but it's the simple truth."
Yesterday's bombshell announcement that Rayman Legends is going multiplaform and will be delayed until September certainly ruffled a few feathers — you've already left us over 600 comments (and counting) regarding the ne
News Scribblenauts Unlimited Was Briefly Available On The European Wii U eShop
And it's been downloaded
Earlier this week we told you about the delay to the European release of Scribblenauts Unlimited on Wii U and 3DS, due to "changes" that needed to be made — no real details were given. It appears as if someone forgot to tell the team that manages content on the Wii U eShop, as it made a brief appearance on the platform;...
Talking Point What Games Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue Nine
Play games and forget your worries
The weekend is here, which for most surely means relaxation and happy times; oh, and video games. No matter what the speculation or news getting the video game industry into a funk, we can always settle back into our favourite hobby to have a good time. As always, some of your humble Nintendo Life writers are...
News New ZombiU Hardware Bundle Shuffling Towards North America
Will cost $389.99, also includes a ZombiU art book and download of Nintendo Land
With the Wii U launch window approaching its close and Nintendo turning attentions to boosting sales, Nintendo of America is lining up a new hardware bundle to hit stores in the U.S. and Canada on 17th February. The ZombiU Deluxe Set is notably picking up on the bundle...
News Chances Of Strike Suit Zero Wii U Port Jettisoned Into Deep Space
Conversion was briefly considered
Cool PC-based space combat title Strike Suit Zero has turned a few heads lately thanks to its combination of lovely visuals and robot battling action, but sadly Wii U owners won't get the chance to join the party as developer Born Ready Games has shot down the chances of a port to the system. Born Ready's Ben Smith...
Thursday7th Feb 2013
Rumour Next Sonic Game Will Be Called Sonic Adventure 3
Trilogy talk?
Cast your mind back a few weeks and you'll recall that we reported on a rumour relating to the next Sonic the Hedgehog title. According to an inside source, the game is currently in development for a wide range of platforms - including the Wii U and 3DS - and is expected later this year. Another little rumour has surfaced recently...
Review Bloody Vampire (3DS eShop)
Bloody fun
Joining Witch's Cat in Agetec's recent duo of playfully spooky eShop releases, Bloody Vampire is a stylish, side-scrolling adventure in the Metroidvania vein. It tells the story of Latis, an exquisitely pigtailed half-vampire / half-human, who sets off to investigate the coming conflict between her two bloodlines with Cereza, her loyal...
News Rayman Legends No Longer a Wii U Exclusive, Delayed to September
Oh dear...
When talking about upcoming releases that will give the Wii U a timely boost and sell systems, one that's been consistently mentioned, including here on Nintendo Life, is Ubisoft's Rayman Legends. In a blow for Nintendo's system, it's been revealed that not only is the title now also coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3, but it's also delayed...
Nintendo Download 7th February 2013 (North America)
Ken is raging, the Blue Bomber returns, concentration testing and more
Nintendo has confirmed what download delights are coming to North America this week, and it's certainly a diverse range. We have a download-only retail game on Wii U — if you can tolerate the term — some retro goodness and a long-awaited demo joining a major retail release on...
News Local Multiplayer Confirmed For Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity
There'll also be some downloadable dungeons
The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series is venturing onto the 3DS in March with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity. Nintendo has announced some interesting news about the upcoming release, including the fact that for the first time ever, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon will have a multiplayer mode...
News Ubisoft: Nintendo Will Make "Necessary Changes" To Wii U
"We have a pipeline of games of very high quality coming on that machine"
Earlier today, Ubisoft announced that its hotly anticipated title Rayman Legends has been pushed back to September and will no longer be exclusive to Wii U. The game will now be coming out on other platforms, representing a big blow to Nintendo as it was seen as one of the Wii...
Developer Interview WaterMelon On Kickstarter, Nintendo And Bringing Pier Solar To The Wii U
"Working with Nintendo is much easier than one would think"
We reported last year that WaterMelon's 16-bit RPG Pier Solar would be gracing the Wii U in the near future, having secured funding for a HD remake via Kickstarter. The team is busy working on the HD version as we speak, so we thought it would be a good time to get in touch and talk about...
News LEGO Mega Man Could Become a Reality
Block Man isn't included
Many of you are quite possibly familiar with LEGO CUUSOO, the community-based site that allows fans to submit proposals for sets and figures that they'd like to see released by the famous company. The first step is earning 10,000 votes, at which point the idea is formally reviewed to see whether it's a possible inclusion in...
News Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Approaches One Million Sales
Just over a quarter of those on Wii U
Sonic & All-Stars Transformed was, arguably, a surprise entry as one of Wii U's best titles available at launch. We were suitably impressed by its track design, action-packed racing and transforming vehicles to award a 9/10 in our Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed review, and the title's status as one...
News New Competition To Celebrate Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan Demo Now Open
Heaps of goodies to win
There's not long to wait now until the sublime looking Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan is finally released for the 3DS in North America. The game will be available on 26th February in both physical and downloadable formats. Speaking of downloadable formats, as we mentioned in our weekly downloads round-up, North...
News Wii Street U App Finds Its Way to Wii U eShop in Japan
Nosiness from the comfort of the living room
Last year Satoru Iwata confirmed that the Google Maps Street View functionality would be coming to Wii U, an app that makes sense given the GamePad's screen and motion sensors. It may not be a big hit or a system seller, but this potentially fun app — called Wii Street U — has now arrived in Japan...
News The Next Assassin's Creed Game Will Star A New Hero
Ubisoft makes its annual Assassin's Creed announcement
Ubisoft has been making some unpopular revelations today, most notably the announcement that Rayman Legends is no longer a Wii U exclusive and has been pushed all the way back to September. On a more positive note, Ubisoft has also announced that the Assassin's Creed series will be getting a...
Wednesday6th Feb 2013
Review Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth (Wii U)
Hulk smash
Let's face it – for the uninitiated, the fighting genre can be daunting. Millisecond-perfect timing and the memorisation of several-button-presses-long combos are often essential to win, and unfortunately not everybody has enough time to spend shining up their Shoryukens. Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth lowers the entry barrier to the...
Review Super C (3DS eShop / NES)
I think you’re a Contra
Originally released as an arcade game titled Super Contra, Super C — or Probotector II — is the NES-ported sequel to the now infamously difficult action game Contra. With the continuing story of alien invaders, and most of the same gameplay elements, Super C shares many similarities with its predecessor, but that...
Hardware Classics Nintendo Game Boy
Monochrome masterpiece
The Nintendo DS may be the biggest selling handheld console of all time, but you could argue that this is only the case because of the vital groundwork laid down by the Game Boy. The original monochrome brick was pushed onto the market in 1989 in the wake of Nintendo's popular Game & Watch range, and would go on to sell...
News Here's What The Next Mario Kart Looks Like
Just one catch - it's the arcade version
Screenshots of the next entry in the popular Mario Kart series have hit the web - but before you get too excited about laying your eyes on the recently-announced Wii U sequel, we should point out that we're talking about Mario Kart: Arcade GP DX, developed by Namco Bandai. It's the third game in the coin-op...
News Amazon Lists The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker HD For $59.99
Nintendo taking the full-price route?
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is an updated version of the GameCube classic, which may lead you to assume that Nintendo will follow the example set by HD remakes on other consoles and give the game a lower-than-usual retail price. Of course, that isn't how Nintendo works - recent 3DS remakes for The...
News Konami Explains Why Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate Is A 3DS Exclusive
The 3D effect was the clincher
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate is now about a month away from hitting the shelves, and will be available exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS. The game's producer Dave Cox has been speaking about why the game is only on Nintendo's handheld and not on Sony's portable offering, the PlayStation Vita. In an...
News Super Mario Busters Ain't Afraid of no Ghost
Use the ekto-thingy-majig
YouTube is a home for many lovingly-crafted fan creations, whether real-life dramatisations, animations or someone sounding off in front of a camera about the latest big thing. Some of its gaming content is rather neat, with production values often going beyond humble origins; one example of this is the animated cartoon...
Rumour Scribblenauts Unlimited Was Recalled From European Retailers
Nintendo asks stores to withdraw the game from stock
Yesterday's bombshell news that Scribblenauts Unlimited has been delayed in Europe didn't exactly go down well with fans. The game has been available in North America since late last year, and with both the Wii U and 3DS in dire need of fresh titles, it's a real shame that we've got to wait a...
Rumour Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge Defecting To The 360 And PS3
Exclusive no longer?
Update: It's now been confirmed that this title will arrive on PS3 and Xbox 360, which will include 25 extra missions, more costumes and all Wii U version DLC. Original article Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge wasn't perfect, but it was special. A re-tooled edition of the PS3 and 360 original and exclusive to the shiny new Wii
News Ubisoft Studio Boss: People "Need to Experience" Wii U to Understand It
"The depth of what you can do with that console is really hard to get across"
With Wii U now settling into the home stretch of its "launch window", and with the recent sales figures and projections from Nintendo's financial results, there's plenty of discussion around the system's early days and its potential for the future. A theme that's been...
News U.S. Download Sales Increase, But Physical Games Drop in Popularity
Downloads get closer to overtaking physical retail
The times are definitely changing in the video game retail industry, as the latest NPD figures covering 2012 sales in the U.S. emerge. In general the results reflect the trends reported by Nintendo in its financial results, but the figures also show just how vital the download gaming market is...
News 3DS Software and Hardware Still Leading Japanese Charts
Wii U momentum remains low
It's that time again, when the Japanese chart results emerge and show us that Nintendo's homeland is still in love with the 3DS. It's been a period of sustained success for the handheld in the region, and in light of the Q3 financial report listing 29.84 million sales — as of 30th December — we can be pretty confident...
News Chotto Nintendo Direct Details New Promotion In Japan For Wii U Users
The return of Iwata's floating head
This morning Nintendo uploaded a very brief Nintendo Direct video, providing details of a promotion in Japan for Wii U users. Our host, President and CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, outlined that those who register their retail and downloadable games on Club Nintendo have the chance to enter into a draw - the...
News More Jett Rocket II Details Hover Into View
Full 3D at 60 fps
Shin'en has divulged a few more details regarding its forthcoming 3DS eShop title, Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai. The game is set to feature both 2D and 3D gameplay, and will support 60 fps visuals - even with the 3DS' autostereoscopic effect switched on. Like the WiiWare prequel, the game will centre around "jump and run"...
News Mutant Mudds Deluxe Suffers A Delay
It's now down for a Q2 release
We've known about Renegade Kid's upcoming Wii U eShop title Mutant Mudds Deluxe for a while now. As you may have guessed, the fun little game is an enhanced version of the 3DS eShop title Mutant Mudds. The "Deluxe" version of the game features all of the levels and DLC from the 3DS version, and throws in 20 new...
Tuesday5th Feb 2013
News GPU Images Reveal Wii U Graphical Power
If you're into that sort of thing
Since before it even hit stores, much speculation has swirled over the graphical power of the Wii U, by which we mean how many polygons, shaders and effects it can push all at once. The launch window line-up includes exclusives that look gorgeous, others that have modest visuals, as well as ports and multi-platform...
Talking Point Wii U's Graphical Grunt is Laid Bare - Shall We Play Games Now?
As with Wii, developer talent and creativity will be vital
Today perhaps brings a little closure, for those inclined to allow such a thing, with details and analysis emerging of the Wii U's GPU. Since before its release Wii U has been scrutinised by some in terms of its graphical capabilities, and there are plenty of people who focus on that area...
News Legendary Pokémon Meloetta Distribution Date Announced
This one's a real fighter
Good news Pokémon fans! Starting 4th March, the mythical Pokémon Meloetta will be distributed by participating GameStop stores across North America for Pokémon Black & White and Pokémon Black & White 2, for a limited time only. Meloetta is the very first Pokémon able to change its Forme and type during a...
News Activision Announces Skylanders Swap Force For Wii U, Wii And 3DS
Swap shop
It seems our intuition was correct - we predicted yesterday that a new Skylanders release was in the offing, and Activision has dropped the bombshell by announcing Skylanders Swap Force, the next instalment in the million-selling series. It's coming to all major Nintendo platforms, too. As the name suggests, the focus of this new range is...
News Pikmin 3 Will Allow For GamePad-Only Play
Bloomin' marvellous
Nintendo's latest Q&A session with investors certainly had a few things of interest that got people talking, most notably the possibility of an additional platform on top of the company's existing systems. In the very same Q&A session, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed more information about Pikmin 3, the upcoming flowery...
News Square Enix Laments "Increasingly Difficult" Console Market
5.7 billion yen loss rocks Dragon Quest publisher
Japanese publisher Square Enix has recorded a 5.7 billion yen loss for the nine months ending 31st December 2012. This comes despite the news that sales have risen to 102.7 billion yen. The firm has placed the blame on the tricky nature of the console market, stating that poor game sales were to...
News Paper Mario: Sticker Star Advert Gets Literal
A big effort for 30 seconds
So, there's a cool new advert for Paper Mario: Sticker Star running in North America, which some of you may have already seen. It works with the idea of representing gameplay with stop-motion animation, using paper and card for an authentic look that, to the game's credit, isn't actually a million miles away from in-game...
News Konami: Forget Everything You Know About Castlevania
"You've got to drive the series forward" says producer Dave Cox
With the release of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate looming on the horizon, Konami producer Dave Cox has given a little more insight into the game's storyline and how it fits within the twisted Castlevania canon. Speaking to GameSpot, Cox stressed that although it's part...
News This Gruesome Plague-Spreading Strategy Title Could Be Infecting The Wii U
Team made up of former Media Molecule, Lionhead and Criterion developers is open to the idea
Death Inc. is a strategy title with a difference - instead of fighting for the forces of good, you take on the role of the Grim Reaper as he seeks to spread the bubonic plague in 1660's England and enhance his own grisly reputation. The game is up on...
News LEGO City: Undercover Trailer Brings More Crazy
Building some hype
LEGO City: Undercover arrives in North America and Europe in March, so naturally more footage of GTA LEGO — as we've taken to calling it — has started to emerge. Previous videos have shown some zany and movie-based jokes, though the latest trailer focuses on more of the storyline and game footage. You can check it out, in all...
News Scribblenauts Unlimited Delayed In Europe
"Changes need to be implemented before we launch across Europe"
Nintendo has confirmed that Scribblenauts Unlimited has been hit by a delay in Europe. The Wii U and 3DS versions of the game were supposed to launch on February 8th. No details have been given about a new release date. Here's the official PR: We are sorry to announce that...
News Castlevania: Mirror of Fate Could Come To Home Consoles
Nintendo exclusivity could mean a Wii U version in the future
It's something of a bumper morning for Castlevania fans, as Konami producer Dave Cox has been giving interviews with several different sites regarding the forthcoming 3DS title Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate. Having already spilled the beans on the game's development and...
News Sniper Elite V2 Confirmed For Active Duty On Wii U
Right between the eyes
There's no smoke without fire, as they say. As we reported last week, World War II title Sniper Elite V2 has today been confirmed as coming to the Wii U later this year - Spring, to be precise. The game originally launched on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC last year, and is developed by UK-based Rebellion Developments. 505 Games...
Interview Two Tribes on the Toki Tori 2 Delay and Improvements
"The game is much better on all fronts"
Late last week developer Two Tribes published a blog post with some explanation for the delayed release of Toki Tori 2 on the Wii U eShop. We've followed up with one of the studio's key figures and the blog's author, Collin van Ginkel, to get a few more details. In the mini-interview below he reveals a little...
Monday4th Feb 2013
Review Zen Pinball 2 (Wii U eShop)
Not always a zen experience
Zen Pinball 2 is a title that's seen its Wii U eShop release delayed from an original December target, as a result of its free download/paid DLC model requiring extra attention for publication. While the actual pinball is polished, fun and generally first-class, the infrastructure behind it is the exact opposite. With 26...
News Nintendo Hints At An Additional Platform In The Future
Because Wii U and 3DS are not enough
Nintendo recently confirmed that it would be merging its handheld and console divisions into one single entity this month. The two departments have always run separately in the past, but Nintendo now feels the time is right to bring them together under one roof. With the two departments merged, Nintendo's...
News Monolith Soft's 3DS Title Makes an Intriguing Appearance
Courtesy of a job advert on Facebook
Monolith Soft is, for JRPG fans at least, a name at the top of many Wii U hype lists. The impressive trailer for X, as it's codenamed, reminded many of the sheer scale and epic adventure in Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii, but with greater resources to exploit on the system. This praise won't be news to eager...
Nintendo Direct Animal Crossing Developers Reply To Fan Feedback
Read our translation of events right here
Because of the overwhelming response to the Animal Crossing: New Leaf in Japan, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata and some of the game's staff decided to have a another special Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct to share some of the comments they've received about the game. We start with game producer Eguchi...
News Fire Emblem: Awakening Cut Down By Shipping Delay
That eShop version is looking very attractive right now
Fire Emblem: Awakening recently launched in North America, and if you've already consulted our review, you'll be aware that it really is a game that all 3DS owners should own. Sadly, it would appear that a manufacturer shipping delay is preventing many people from actually acquiring the game...
Feature Wii U Blockbusters - What to Play While You Wait
If in doubt, go retro
The start of a new Nintendo generation is always cause for excitement for many, with the promise of new entries in the company’s greatest franchises often enough to convince many to buy the system on day one. But with Wii U, Nintendo kept very quiet about its big franchises, and when the system arrived we had little idea of...
Review Ice Climber (3DS eShop / NES)
Cold Mountain
What makes a video game a classic? Is it enjoyable gameplay that never feels old? Is it an engaging storyline that draws players into its universe? Or is it simply the inclusion of some characters and stages in the latest Super Smash Bros. title? Ice Climber is the latest “classic” NES game to hit the 3DS Virtual Console, but if it...
Nintendo Download 7th February 2013 (Europe)
North Star action, fire fighting, Sonic transforming, something a bit Mega and more
Update: Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2 on the Wii U eShop has now been officially added to this week's set of downloadable delights. It's a dreary Monday morning, but we at least have some Nintendo Download news to keep Europeans happy. There's a range of...
Review Witch's Cat (3DS eShop)
Tabby Laby
Not many puzzle games are lucky enough to boast spin-offs, let alone side-stories - and though you wouldn't guess it from the title, that's exactly what Agetec has conjured up in Witch's Cat: a side-story in the ongoing Rabi Laby series. This eShop entry picks up where Rabi Laby 2 left off on DSiWare, but where the previous games' puzzles...
News Ackkstudios Working On Earthbound-Inspired Wii U RPG
Project Y2K is the next project from Two Brothers developer
Two Brothers developer Ackkstudios has revealed a few details regarding its next project, currently known as Project Y2K. The game is a 3D RPG for the Wii U — presumably the eShop. The title comes from the fact that the game is set at the conclusion of the year 1999. Talking on NeoGAF,...
Rumour Skylanders 3 On The Cards in New York?
Big announcement incoming?
After a rather impressive outing with Skylanders Giants on the Wii U, not to mention pretty solid version on the 3DS, Nintendo owners would do well to turn their eyes towards the next iteration of Activision’s profitable family game. You see, Activision has used the New York Toy Fair to announce each Skylanders game,...
News Nintendo Set For Yearly High In Download Sales
The 3DS eShop is delivering the goods
Nintendo's recent Q&A with investors, following the third quarter financial results, has now been officially translated and published in English. Comments such as those about potential additional platforms will raise some eyebrows, but further details have revealed some less surprising news, though...
News Castlevania Is Stalking Onto The 3DS Virtual Console Soon
Just in time for Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate is due to hit 3DS consoles this March, but it won't be the only chance for fans to get their fill of Dracula-slaying action - the original NES classic has recently been given an ESRB rating for the Nintendo 3DS, which means a Virtual Console download is in...
News Rockstar Has "Nothing New" To Report On Grand Theft Auto V Wii U
Rumours still persist
Recently Rockstar announced that it would unfortunately be delaying its hotly anticipated title Grand Theft Auto V from a spring release to fall. This led people to believe that the studio had possibly done so to accommodate the development of a Wii U and PC version of the game. According to a tweet from GameSpot, Rockstar has...
News Put Your Questions To The Producer Of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
Answers will come in a special video in March
Do you have any burning questions you'd like to put to the developers behind the forthcoming beast-slaying epic Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate? If the answer is yes then today's your lucky day - Nintendo UK is inviting fans to put their queries to producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, and the best questions will be...
Sunday3rd Feb 2013
Hardware Classics The Legend Of Zelda Game Boy Advance SP
The Triforce is strong in this one
Nintendo's Game Boy Advance is one of the company's most beloved handhelds. It had a hard act to follow, coming after the blockbuster successes of the original monochrome Game Boy and the Game Boy Color, but it managed to shift almost 90 million units globally. However, in typical Nintendo fashion, it took a major...
News Fire Emblem: Awakening Was Almost Set On Mars
Nintendo's President conducts an eye-opening Iwata Asks
With Fire Emblem: Awakening emerging on North American shores this week, it seemed only fitting that Nintendo President Satoru Iwata was joined by the team behind the game in the latest instalment of Iwata Asks. Usually Iwata-san interviews three or four members of the development team, but...
News Super Mario 3D Land Sales Outpacing Super Mario Galaxy's In First Year
Mix of 2D and 3D appealed greatly in Japan
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata held a Corporate Management Policy Briefing recently in which he explained how the video game market had begun to contract in recent years, meaning hardware and software sales were flagging. There has been some cause for optimism this week, though, with the revelation that...
Feature Fire Emblem's Western Adventure
From humble Japanese strategy RPG to important Western franchise
The long arduous wait for Fire Emblem: Awakening is almost over. North Americans will be getting hold of it on 4th February while Europeans, whose patience must be more enduring, will have it in April. Naturally, Japan has had the title for over a year now. Fire Emblem is a tactical...
News Activision Reveals More Info On Call of Duty: Black Ops II Patch
Wii U specific fixes listed
Not so long ago Activision revealed an update would be on the way for Call of Duty: Black Ops II, however all didn't go so smoothly as the publisher was experiencing problems getting the patch up and running. The patch appears to be getting closer to becoming a reality as Activision has now listed the incoming fixes. The...
Saturday2nd Feb 2013
News ZombiU Developer Announces A Patch Is On The Way
Fix announced in the game itself
Gamers who've been playing through ZombiU know all about the interesting messages the development team leave plastered and pasted to the walls and floors of various areas in the game environment. One such message appeared very recently revealing that a patch is on the way. There were previously a few murmuring...
News Nintendo Is Strengthening Development Teams, Defends Wii U Capabilities
Unannounced games slated for late 2013
Following this week's financial reports, Nintendo had its standard Q&A session with investors to discuss the results and business plans. The full transcript has been published in Japanese but, at the time of writing, the English translation is yet to arrive. Thankfully, NeoGaf member farnham has translated...
News XSEED Publishing Rune Factory 4 In North America
A big year for the company
Not only will XSEED provide the localisation of Pandora's Tower in North America this year, but it also plans to bring RPG title Rune Factory 4 to the 3DS later this year, with the aim of a summer release. The game will be the first in the series which allows the player to choose either a male or female protagonist. Aside...
Ninterview Phil "Shamoozal" Summers
Animaniac
Shamoozal.com has a pretty straightforward objective: to create "Flash Cartoons and Animation about Nintendo, Rabbits, Ninjas, Monsters and More". It's the brainchild of Phil Summers, a rabid Nintendo fan whose unique sense of humour has resulted in a series of incredibly amusing animations based on famous video games from the past few...
Friday1st Feb 2013
News The Secrets Of The Nintendo Power Line Experts Are Revealed
Game Counselors were mere mortals after all
Those of you in North America old enough to remember the days before the internet will no doubt recall the Nintendo Power Line. This telephone service offered gameplay tips and hints for struggling players, and was your only hope in a period where online FAQs and strategy guides didn't exist. The service...
News Capcom: Resident Evil Revelations 3DS Sales Could Have Been Better
But game wasn't "a failure"
Resident Evil Revelations launched on the 3DS last year and was granted a positive critical reaction. It also sold well - but apparently not quite as well as Capcom was hoping. Speaking to Eurogamer about the
News EA: Excited About New Generation Which Is "Yet to Come"
Not positive words for Nintendo
Whenever the issue of "generations" of consoles comes up when discussing Wii U, it often leads to hurt feelings and blood on the floor. Defining a console generation is arguably a complex business, while some clearly feel that graphical fidelity and "power" truly represent a step to "next gen". That's left Wii U in a...
News There's Hope For Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance On Wii U Yet
If Konami sees demand for it, there could be a port
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a high octane mix of swordplay, gunfire and stealth action in which you take control of Raiden, the man who first made an appearance in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. It's being developed by both Platinum Games and Kojima Productions and is due out this month...
Talking Point Gun Violence and Nintendo is an Unlikely Pairing
Not, perhaps, for a want of trying
Yesterday we directed your attention to an extensive investigative article on Eurogamer, exploring the links between the gun industry and video games. Most importantly, the focus wasn't just on subjective debates about the relationship between guns in games and those on the market, but also explored real,...
News Nintendo Subsidiary Known For Work On Mother 3 Becomes "1-UP Studio"
A bit snappier than Brownie Brown?
Brownie Brown, a development studio funded and owned by Nintendo has confirmed that it's undergoing a change in its internal structure; this will involve the company restarting and being named 1-UP Studio. The team's work is often characterised as offering support and collaborative effort on major projects,...
News Trine 2: Director's Cut Update Hits North America
Grab it now.
Following hot on the heels of the European release, the patch for Trine 2: Director's Cut has arrived in North America. All you need to do to download and install it is open up Trine 2 on your Wii U console. For those of you that don't know, the update adds Wii U Pro Controller support, voice chat, improved visuals, a German voice...
News BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner 2 Submitted To Nintendo For Approval
Playing the waiting game
Gaijin Games has announced that BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien has been submitted to Nintendo for final approval - which means the release can't be far away. The Wii U edition of the game - which is also coming to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade - was the third to be submitted. Posting...
News Full Mojo Rampage Could Bring Voodoo to Wii U
From the developers of Nyxquest: Kindred Spirits
For those with better memories and an enthusiasm for WiiWare, NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits may be a title that is regarded with some fondness. A sedate puzzle platformer that made natural use of the Wii Remote, it had such a positive impact on us that we awarded it an impressive 9/10 in our NyxQuest...
News Two Tribes Explains Toki Tori 2 Delay
All for a greater good
Originally planned to accompany the launch of the system, pushed back to 20th December and now with a release date to be confirmed, the arrival of Toki Tori 2 on the Wii U eShop has been a protracted business. With plans for a larger game world and the inclusion of a level creation tool, the delay perhaps isn't a surprise, but...
