News - 2013, Week 07

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...

  • Review Ah! Heaven (DSiWare)

    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

Thursday14th Feb 2013

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...

  • Movie Review Wreck-It Ralph

    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...

  • Review 99Moves (DSiWare)

    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

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...