News - 2013, Week 08

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

Wednesday20th Feb 2013

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...

  • Review Moke Moke (DSiWare)

    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...