News - 2013, Week 13

Saturday30th Mar 2013

  • News Grant Kirkhope Wishes He Could Make Banjo-Kazooie 3 For Nintendo

    Explains why Rare chose to make Nuts & Bolts

    Banjo-Kazooie is revered by many as one of the best games to ever grace the N64. The platformer, which starred a docile bear and a wise-cracking bird, could have ended up being something completely different as it was originally set to be a highly ambitious venture known as Project Dream. Speaking as a...

Sunday31st Mar 2013

  • Review Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (3DS)

    Neverending story

    With the Pokémon series nearly ready to celebrate its 18th birthday next year, some of its many spin-offs have become enduring gaming traditions in their own right. The Mystery Dungeon games are a prime example, combining classic roguelike dungeon crawling with the endless appeal of playing as Pokémon, and as the series' first...

  • Review The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (Wii U)

    Walking Dud

    Zombies are impossible to avoid. Not that the living dead are walking among us and causing havoc, but the media has been absolutely permeated by them. As evidence, we have The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct; the Wii U’s second game about zombies – known in-game as “walkers” – works as the prequel to a television show about...

  • News Epic Games: Developers Can Use Unreal Engine 4 For Wii U Titles

    Mark Rein clarifies his previous comments

    Unreal Engine 4 is Epic Games' impressive next-generation engine, which can help developers deliver more impressive visuals when making their latest titles. It's being geared towards the upcoming PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox, both of which are expected to have plenty of power under the hood. Recently...

  • News Expect Some Fresh Pokémon X & Y Information Next Saturday

    Teaser trailer is quite mysterious

    According to the latest episode of Pokémon Smash in Japan, fans of the series of games should have their Pokéballs at the ready to catch some new Pokémon X & Y news next Saturday. A teaser trailer featuring series producer Junichi Masuda was shown at the episode's climax, which showed him holding a...

  • Feature The Nintendo Easter Egg Hunt

    We'll get you started with a few

    It's Easter Sunday, and however you treat the day there's a good chance that you will, at the very least, eat a little more chocolate than you would on a typical day. However you spend the day, we should also celebrate the fact that the occasion lends its name to one of gaming's coolest features — in-game Easter...

  • Developer Interview Yacht Club Games On Shovel Knight And Loving Nintendo

    "We grew up playing Nintendo games on the NES and SNES"

    Yesterday we reported that Yacht Club Games' Kickstarter campaign for Shovel Knight had hit its funding target with two weeks to spare. Fresh from this success, studio founder Sean Velasco kindly took some time out of his busy schedule to speak to us about the split from WayForward...

  • News European Release of Devil Survivor Overclocked Marred By Game-Breaking Bugs

    Ghostlight is working on a fix

    Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked was released a couple of days ago in Europe but it appears there are a few issues with it that are causing 3DS owners to become a little agitated. Unfortunately, the problems are more than just a mild irritation as they stop the player from progressing. For example, using...

  • News Square Enix Teases New Projects on Anniversary Website

    It's been ten years since the merger

    Square Enix will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on 1st April and to celebrate the company has launched a new website dedicated to the milestone. The site is open right now and upon entering you're met with the following message (translated from Japanese): As of April 1st we’ve reached our 10th...

Saturday30th Mar 2013

  • News Retro City Rampage Has Only Sold a Quarter of the WiiWare Sales Threshold

    A return in investment looks a long way away

    Just over a month ago Retro City Rampage arrived on the Wii Shop on the Wii and, of course, Wii U, bringing a wacky, irreverent tale cloaked in endless parodies and retro-GTA infused gameplay. As a last fling for the WiiWare service, it was in our opinion worth the wait. As explained to us in our

  • News Epic Games Rules Out Unreal Engine 4 For Wii U

    "If you want to make a Wii U game, we have Unreal Engine 3"

    Epic Games' Mark Rein has been speaking recently about his company's impressive Unreal Engine 4, and has delivered some rather disappointing — but predictable — news for Nintendo fans. Speaking to Kotaku, Rein admitted that the cutting-edge game development engine won't be making its...

  • Talking Point Going Mobile Will Give Miiverse a New Lease of Life

    A true Nintendo social network

    We think that many Wii U owners are likely to agree on one key point: Miiverse is a welcome and excellent new feature on the system. Nintendo was clearly aware that it'd be a major feature and selling point, giving the platform its iconic pre-E3 demonstration and reveal with the viral star, Non-Specific Action Figure...

  • News GoldenEye 007 Multiplayer Took Just Six Weeks To Make

    Rare staffers put it together right at the end

    In 1997, Rare released GoldenEye 007 on the N64 and it became an absolute classic that arguably redefined the first person shooter genre and revolutionised the way multiplayer was done on home consoles. It all nearly never happened though as according to Grant Kirkhope, the composer behind the game's...

  • News Club Nintendo Japan Rocking Five New 3DS LL Cradle Colours

    Let your 3DS LL sit in style

    There are some new additions in the Japanese Club Nintendo rewards catalogue in the form of five different coloured 3DS LL cradles. As you can see from the image below, club members can choose from a red, green, white, blue and yellow cradle. Any of these colourful cradles can be redeemed for 200 points from Club...

  • News Colors! 3D Update Available To Download On 5th April

    Colour us excited

    Collecting Smiles has announced its popular artistic application Colors! 3D has finally had its major update approved by Nintendo - it will be available to download from 5th April. The update comes with several new additions. Firstly, you'll be able to follow your favourite artists in the gallery, which will allow you to see their...

  • Video Is This What Miiverse Will Look Like On Your Smartphone?

    Miiverse made mobile

    A video has hit the web which appears to show Nintendo's Miiverse running on a smartphone via its web browser. The footage shows someone navigating through several Miiverse posts in the iPhone's Safari browser — and not via a dedicated application. There's a chance that this may be the only way to access the service from a...

  • News Shovel Knight Hits Kickstarter Target, Stretch Goals Set

    Still 2 weeks to back and secure your copy

    Well, it's official, Shovel Knight — the debut title from Yacht Club Games — has met its Kickstarter funding goal of $75,000 and is coming to both Wii U and 3DS. There's been a lot of hype about the retro-styled platformer since the former WayForward team announced its arrival, while hands-on...

  • News Ubisoft: Players Will Let Us Know When They've Had Enough Assassin's Creed

    As long as people are buying it, Ubisoft will keep on making it

    Every year brings with it an Easter Sunday, a Christmas Day and a new Assassin's Creed title. The series is just over five years old now and there are five home console games already in existence as well as several portable iterations on the DS, PSP and Vita. It's reached the point now...

Friday29th Mar 2013

  • News Monster Hunter And Price Cut Trigger Wii U Sales Spike In UK

    125 percent increase compared to previous week

    MCV has reported that Wii U hardware sales rose by 125 percent in the UK last week. The staggering leap is thought to have been caused by the UK launch of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, as well as HMV's price reduction on the Premium bundle - a deal which represents a saving of £140. Were you one of the...

  • News Digital Foundry - Need For Speed: Most Wanted U Delivers as Definitive Console Version

    Nice one, Criterion

    Earlier this year, highly respected developer Criterion stated that its release of Need for Speed: Most Wanted U would be based on the PC version, taking advantage of the technical improvements Wii U can offer over Xbox 360 and PS3. The technical capabilities of Wii U in comparison to these rivals has been hotly debated by some,...

  • News Nintendo of France: Games Will Improve Wii U Sales, Not A Price Cut

    Boost in 3DS sales attributed to first party releases

    A lot has been said about the Wii U and its slow sales in 2013. For example, research emerged yesterday from ABI which claimed the success of Nintendo's new home console hinged on a price cut. However, not everyone agrees with this statement. Speaking at GameStop's post-earnings financial call,...

  • Feature Luigi's Diary - Extracts

    It's tough being the younger brother

    Luigi's everywhere at the moment, beginning his role as the focus of Nintendo's biggest campaign in the coming months — The Year of Luigi. He has a new game earning rave reviews and making a lot of 3DS owners very happy, he's gearing up for some joint adventures with Mario, a solo Wii U platforming spin-off...

  • Rumour Suda51 Set To Revisit No More Heroes

    Grasshopper Manufacture teases its next project

    Grasshopper Manufacture has been hard at work developing Killer is Dead, which will be released later this year on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. That hasn't stopped the studio's CEO Goichi Suda - more commonly known as Suda51 - from teasing his next game, though. In an interview with Famitsu, the...

  • News GameStop: Wii U Marketing Strategy Has "Not Broken Through" To Consumers

    More first party titles will enable system to "take off"

    Earlier in the month, GameStop President Tony Bartel said Wii U sales had been slower than the company had anticipated and that the system would need some great first party titles in order to compete. The games retailer recently had its post-earnings financial call, which has been reported on...

  • Talking Point What Games Are You Playing This Weekend? - Easter Edition

    Insert your own egg/Easter bunny pun here

    It's the Easter Holidays which, whether you observe the religious aspects of the occasion or not, often means a long weekend of basking in the Spring sunlight and having a well-earned rest. That said, there's still snow on the ground for some of the Nintendo Life team, so staying inside and playing video...

  • News Shigeru Miyamoto Makes His Miiverse Debut

    Nintendo legend declares 2013 'The Year of Luigi'

    Satoru Iwata took to Miiverse for the very first time earlier on to reconfirm that the update Wii U users will receive in April will reduce the time it takes to launch and exit software. Not to be outdone, Shigeru Miyamoto has now made his Miiverse debut by submitting a post to celebrate the Year of...

  • News N++ Announced At GDC

    No news on platforms yet

    Founded in 2001, Metanet Software is an independent developer specialising in fun free-to-play web browser games. It found fame in 2005 with the release of N, a platformer that sees you play as a ninja running through levels avoiding obstacles and collecting gold. A DS version of the game was released in 2008 called N+ and...

  • News Runner 2 Patch Now Available To Download

    A few niggling issues fixed

    BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien was released for the Wii U eShop around a month ago but unfortunately some gamers experienced a few problems with it - one of which involved the game freezing upon trying to exit the software. The developer Gaijin Games impressively got a patch made up and sent it...

  • News Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy Soundtracks Now Available on iTunes

    Playing the game is a more fun way to listen, though

    Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy is a notable part of the 3DS library for fans of rhythm-based games, as it combines some memorable music with solid, intuitive controls. For keen fans of the Final Fantasy franchise, meanwhile, it's probably one the most treasured titles in their collection. The title...

  • Video Luigi Gets His Hands On The Poltergust 5000

    Bustin' makes me feel good

    Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is out and in the hands of gamers all over the globe, which strikes us as the perfect time to show off this cool "reveal" video for the iconic Poltergust 5000 ghost-busting gadget. Created by Nintendo in conjunction with iam8bit Productions, the video mixes in-game footage with live-action to...

  • News Digital Game Sales Growing 33% Year-on-Year in US and EU

    Analysts reveal new data at GDC

    The digital distribution of games has grown substantially in recent years with an increasing number of titles finding themselves in the Nintendo eShop, PSN, Xbox Live Arcade and Steam. Analysts from NPD, iResearch and Digi-Capital presented data at this week's Game Developers Conference on the state of the global...

Thursday28th Mar 2013

Wednesday27th Mar 2013

  • News Nintendo To Reveal Its Web Framework For Wii U At GDC

    Big N looking to reduce development time for games and applications

    The Nintendo Web Framework is due to be unveiled in a panel today entitled "Nintendo Wii U Application Development with HTML and JavaScript" at this week's Game Developer's Conference (GDC). The panel focuses on developing games and applications for Wii U using HTML 5, Javascript...

Thursday28th Mar 2013

  • News iOS Developers May Be Able To Port Games To The Wii U

    Opens plenty of opportunities

    Nintendo is opening its doors to even more indie developers than ever, but it would seem that a new third-party service could make it even easier for bedroom coders to get their titles onto the Wii U eShop. According to a tweet from Steward Christie — who works for Tizen App Developers and is currently attending GDC...

  • News Best Buy R.O.B. Saga Reaches a Happy Ending

    S.A.V.E.D.

    Best Buy has decided not to destroy the R.O.B. unit that nearly cost an employee his job. The robot, which an employee unsuccessfully attempted to take home instead of being recycled as part of Best Buy's Renew Blue program, will instead be sent to the company's corporate headquarters to be put on display. Best Buy had some enthusiastic...

  • Out Today LEGO City: Undercover And Luigi's Mansion 2

    Bumper times ahead for Euro gamers

    Nintendo fans are being blessed with some seriously amazing software lately. We've only just had the amazing Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on 3DS and Wii U, and today European gamers have a double helping of brilliance in the shape of LEGO City: Undercover and Luigi's Mansion 2. "There are technical cracks in its...

  • News Iwata's First Post On Miiverse Reconfirms Reduced Loading Times For Wii U

    New update will make it quicker to load and exit games

    Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata has taken to the Miiverse to reconfirm that the update Wii U users are receiving in April will bring with it faster loading times. Iwata wrote: Hello, this is Satoru Iwata of Nintendo. As we announced in the January Nintendo Direct, we plan to release...

  • News Access Miiverse On Your Smartphone And PC By The End Of May

    Keep up to date on the go

    During a talk at the Game Developers Conference today, Miiverse producer Kiyoshi Mizuki said Nintendo's popular social network application would be accessible on smartphones and PCs between April and May. A 3DS version is currently in development and will arrive sometime in the future, though a release date is unknown at...

  • News Witch & Hero Begins Its 8-Bit Quest on 4th April

    European date set, North America "will be soon"

    Witch & Hero is one of a significant number of download titles being published by CIRCLE Entertainment this year, as it moves increasingly away from DSiWare and onto 3DS download software. This one arrives in Europe in next week's update, with the North American release to follow soon, and promises...

  • News Toki Tori 2 to Launch With a Discount

    The early bird gets the worm

    Two Tribes has announced pricing details for the soon-to-be-released Toki Tori 2. As an extra bonus, however, the highly anticipated Wii U eShop title will launch worldwide on 4th April with a 10% discount in all territories. The following pricing information comes from Two Tribes' official blog; the listed prices are...

  • Video An Ultimate Monster Hunter Gives a Masterclass

    Less gathering, more hunting

    Quite a number of us have probably, judging by the popularity of the subject within the community's forums, been playing a fair bit of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on 3DS and Wii U. It's a title that — given the chance to sink its claws in — can be difficult to put down. Still, advancing to the stage where you can...

  • News Forgotten Memories: Sixth Sense Developer Hopes To Bring Game To Wii U

    Can you sense it?

    Psychoz Interactive is hoping to bring survival horror Forgotton Memories: Sixth Sense to the Wii U eShop. The game — which has been made using Unity — has been in development for a couple of years, with the studio now wanting to make plans to bring its work to the Nintendo console. Lead Programmer for Psychoz Interactive...

  • Rumour Vigil Co-founder Interested In Buying Darksiders IP

    Will the horsemen ride again?

    When THQ bit the dust a while back, Vigil Games was one of the companies which didn't get purchased. This seemed to spell the end of the popular Darksiders franchise. However, hope is not lost. It would appear that Crytek USA CEO David Adams has expressed an interest in purchasing the IP he and many members of his...

  • Competition Paint An Easter Egg, Win A Copy of Toki Tori 2 On Wii U

    Two Tribes hatches an egg-travaganza of a competition

    Toki Tori 2 isn't far away now, and to celebrate its impending launch on the Wii U eShop, developer Two Tribes is running a competition with an Easter theme. All you have to do is paint an Easter egg and submit it via Twitter or Instagram, making sure that you hash-tag it with #tt2egg. The best...

Wednesday27th Mar 2013

  • News Best Buy Employee On A Mission To Save R.O.B.

    Battling corporate policy for the sake of gaming history

    An employee at Best Buy is currently at risk of losing his job in a desperate bid to prevent a Nintendo Entertainment System Deluxe Set from being recycled. Sharing his story on Reddit, a customer recently brought the set into the store to have it recycled as part of Best Buy's "Renew Blue"...

  • News Star Fox Developer: I Wanted To Say "Screw That" To Shigeru Miyamoto

    Dylan Cuthbert reveals the magic of working with Nintendo

    Star Fox is one of the Super Nintendo's most enduring classics, thanks largely to its ground-breaking use of 3D and tight, immserise gameplay. However, had Dylan Cuthbert — one of the game's key developers — had his way, it might have turned out very differently; something he now admits...

  • Feature A Short History of Luigi

    From palette swap to main man

    This week, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon has been scaring — or more likely charming — 3DS owners in North America, while Europeans will get hold of the title very shortly. It represents Luigi's latest solo effort, as he chases ghosts with his Poltergust, with his widely acknowledged debut — bear with us, Mario is...

  • News No Battlefield 4 For Wii U Because DICE Wants To "Play It Safe"

    Not ruling it out in the future, however

    DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson has explained why the next entry in its best-selling Battlefield series won't be coming to the Wii U at launch. Speaking at GDC after the reveal of Battlefield 4's launch trailer, Gustavsson told Videogamer: I think overall for me as creative director, number one is...

  • News Kung Fu Rabbit Comes Out Kicking on Wii U eShop

    Enter the lapin

    Neko Entertainment was an early supporter of the Wii U eShop with European launch title Puddle, and shortly after release it hinted that more titles would be on the way to the platform in the near future. We can now exclusively reveal Neko's second game on the download service: Kung Fu Rabbit will be coming to the Wii U eShop very...

  • Video Wii U Menu Speed Upgrade Cuts Waiting Time By More Than Half

    Nintendo shows off forthcoming performance enhancement

    We all know that the Wii U isn't the fastest system when it comes to navigating the main user interface, but Nintendo is aware of this fact and is issuing two software updates this spring and summer which will cut down waiting times. The company has released a video which shows just how much...

  • Developer Interview Renegade Kid Tells Us More About Cult County

    "It was important to us that our new FPS presented something unique"

    Last week, just before its unveiling at PAX East, Renegade Kid revealed its upcoming 3DS eShop FPS title that had been confirmed earlier in the year. The accompanying logo and screens revealed relatively little, but did make it clear that the aptly-titled Cult County had a rather...

  • News ZombiU Patch Rises From The Grave To Harass The Living

    Long-expected fix now hitting Wii U consoles worldwide

    ZombiU is a fantastic game, but like so many modern titles, it shipped with a few bugs which have impacted the enjoyment of many players. Ubisoft confirmed that a patch was incoming a while ago, and we're now hearing reports that it's live. We don't currently have any solid details about what...

  • News Citizens of Earth Prepares to Invade Wii U eShop

    Likened to Earthbound and Little King's Story

    Indie developer Eden Industries has announced that its upcoming RPG, Citizens of Earth, will be hitting the Wii U eShop in 2014. The game tasks the player — as Vice President of the World — with rallying the citizens of a small rural town to battle wacky enemies and complete tasks for money and...

  • News Howard Phillips' "Ultimate" Nintendo World Championships 1990 Package Sells For A Whopping $17,367

    "Not just another NWC cart auction"

    A copy of Nintendo World Championships 1990 owned by none other than "Gamemaster" Howard Phillips has recently sold on eBay for an incredible US $17,367. The game was listed as part of a unique package being offered by Howard, including an all-access badge he wore during the original competition in 1990 and a...

  • News Gunman Clive eShop Sales Surpass Combined Totals on iOS and Android

    That's a bit Mega

    When it comes to high-quality budget offerings on the 3DS eShop, we're not sure that they come any better than Gunman Clive, an action platformer with stylish visuals, multiple playable characters and a number of homages to classic franchises such as Mega Man. Although originally available on Android and iOS devices, with virtual...

  • News Netflix Now Available on TVii

    Still no sign of TiVO

    TVii was seen as an important selling point for the Wii U in North America at launch. Unfortunately, however, it was delayed by a month and when it was released it only featured Amazon Instant Video and Hulu Plus - services such as TiVO and Google Maps were nowhere to be seen. TiVO is set for an early 2013 release but it...

  • Video The Wonderful 101 Was Looking Good at PAX East

    It's oh so wonderful

    Those that were lucky enough to attend PAX East 2013 this year were given the chance to play The Wonderful 101, Platinum Games' upcoming Wii U exclusive. The footage below features our heroes battling it out against one of the giant robots, with plenty of action and fantastic visuals on show. Is The Wonderful 101 on your Wii U...

  • News Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon Tops Japanese Charts

    3DS remains best selling hardware, too

    Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon has successfully spooked its way to the top of the Japanese sales charts. The 3DS adventure sold 280,151 copies in its first week on sale. The arrival of Luigi's latest outing helped the 3DS shift 76,553 units, putting it ahead of the PS Vita, which sold 41,073 consoles in the same...

  • News UK Gamers Rate Wii As "Best Ever" Console

    2,000 GAME customers cast their vote

    A survey of GAME customers in the United Kingdom has revealed that the general public rates the Wii as the world's best ever console. The high street chain quizzed 2,000 of its customers to obtain the information, and the Wii claimed 15% of the total vote. The Super Nintendo was the next most popular Nintendo...

  • News Rachel Features In New Resident Evil Revelations Gameplay Trailer

    Don't get in her way

    Last week it was confirmed that Rachel would be a playable character in the revamped version of Resident Evil Revelations for the Wii U. Capcom has now eleased a brand new trailer, focusing on Rachel eliminating all that crosses her path. She made her debut in the 3DS version, and soon gamers will be able to slip into her

  • News New Watch_Dogs Trailer Spies on Aiden Pearce

    He's more than just a hacker

    Watch_Dogs is one of many titles Ubisoft currently has in the works and it will be hacking its way onto several platforms, including the Wii U, at some point in 2013. A new trailer has now emerged for the game and anyone who watched the PlayStation 4 reveal event may find it a little familiar. The action found in the...

  • News Shovel Knight Closing In On Kickstarter Goal

    17 days left to reach its target

    Two weeks ago, Yacht Club Games said it was hoping to bring Shovel Knight to the Wii U and 3DS. Three days later, it had been confirmed that both versions will see a release. The 2D platformer is the studio's first title, and i

  • News Print Your Own Goldeneye Remote Mine

    Golden gun not included

    Anyone who played Goldeneye 007 back on the N64 will no doubt remember the countless weapons and traps included in its multiplayer mode. ComradeQuiche of Thingiverse has combined his fond memories and technical know-how to create a replica of the remote mine using a 3D printer and has posted the model for all to use. The...

  • News Nnooo Announces escapeVektor Sale

    Escape for 50% less

    Nnooo has announced that its 3DS eShop game, escapeVektor, will be sold at a 50% discount over the next three weeks. The critically acclaimed game's soundtrack will also be on sale. From the press release: "You can now grab the full game and original soundtrack for less than the normal price of the game," said Thomson. "Head...

  • News Wii U Version Of Lords Of New York Could Be On The Cards

    Kickstarter project adds Wii U eShop edition as a stretch goal

    Poker-based adventure RPG Lords of New York could be coming to the Wii U eShop, assuming it meets its Kickstarter goal of $295,000. It has currently gained just over $11,000 at the time of writing, with 20 days remaining. Here's the official description taken from the Kickstarter page:...

  • Competition Another Chance to Win £100 of Nintendo eShop Credit!

    Plus 10 runners-up each snagging £15 too.

    Fancy getting your hands on some free eShop credit for your 3DS or Wii U? We've joined forces with Nintendo UK once again to give away a whopping £100 of eShop credit to one lucky winner, plus £15 to ten runners-up. All you have to do to enter this fantastic competition is answer the question below. Good...

  • News PAX Australia is Sold Out

    No more tickets available for the July event

    PAX Australia will be taking place this Winter between 19th and 23rd July in Melbourne and if you haven't picked up a ticket yet you might be a bit disappointed to hear all passes have been sold. This comes from the event's official Facebook page, which stated the expo is now a sell out and no more...

Tuesday26th Mar 2013

  • Review HarmoKnight (3DS eShop)

    Big beat

    When you think Game Freak, you instinctively think Pokémon. It’s hardly surprising; the Japanese studio has been behind the million-selling franchise since day one, and the evergreen popularity of “catching 'em all” has ensured that the firm has little reason — or time — to explore other avenues. Apart from side-projects like...

  • News New 3DS System Update Gives the eShop a Spit and Polish

    Update: fix confirmed for any post-update issues

    Since posting this article we've been advised in the comments and elsewhere that this system update has caused issues in some cases; when an error occurs it prevents subsequent access to the eShop or System Settings. Courtesy of our wonderful Twitter followers we've been directed to a fix that'll...

  • News Nicalis Would Like To Bring Monaco or Spelunky To A Nintendo Console

    Fez is "not even a consideration"

    Phil Fish caused a bit of a stir over the weekend when he took to Twitter to say he felt Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate was more suited to the PlayStation Vita than the trusty 3DS. One game that has never made it to a Nintendo console is Fish's biggest creation, Fez. We here at Nintendo Life decided to find out how many...

  • News Miyamoto Teases the Possibility of a Real "Nintendo Land" in the Future

    Step right up for the Spirit Tracks runaway train...

    While on his press trip around North America in recent weeks, Shigeru Miyamoto has been busy speaking to a variety of outlets about his development philosophies and his most recent projects. It's in an interview with ABC News, however, where Miyamoto has been asked about the prospects of a...

  • News Fez For Wii U Is Highly Unlikely Unless Nintendo Pays For It

    It'd have to port it, too

    Fez creator, Phil Fish, has been doing the rounds across the internet recently, with his comments that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate would be more suited to the Playstation Vita; he later attempted to clear up the fact that he was taken out of context on Twitter, by saying that he loves Nintendo more than it deserves. In a...

  • Feature The Building Blocks for a LEGO City

    One block at a time

    As one of the most popular toys in the world, LEGO has been a part of almost everyone’s lives. The unbridled sense of creativity and possibility that the bricks produce is arguably unmatched by anything else, so it’s no surprise that the LEGO Group has continually pushed for the creation of LEGO games. Be it based purely on...

  • News Famitsu Unleashes New Details On Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 For 3DS

    Summer release in Japan

    We reported yesterday that the latest Famitsu magazine would have fresh information on the 3DS port of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 — also dubbed Break Record — in Japan, and quite a few details have indeed been released. The game has been given a summer release window in Japan, along with full voice work for the...

    • 3DS
  • News European Pokémon 2013 Video Game Championships Dates Revealed

    Compete to be the Pokémon World Champion

    Europeans, think you've got what it takes to be the very best? Then you can compete in this year's Pokémon European Video Game Championships, in the hope of battling it out to earn a Travel Award to the 2013 Pokémon World Championships in Vancouver, Canada, this coming August. Trainers from all over...

  • News Etrian Odyssey: Millennium Girl Revealed In Famitsu Magazine

    Remake of the DS original hitting Japan in June

    Yesterday, we reported that the latest issue of Famitsu magazine could well be featuring some news on a fresh instalment in the Etrian Odyssey series. Leaks from Japan suggest that the magazine will be unveiling Etrian Odyssey: Millennium Girl for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is expected to launch in...

  • News Square Enix CEO Resigns Ahead of Financial Losses

    Major restructuring is planned

    With the financial year closing in the coming week, Square Enix has stated that it anticipates an "extraordinary loss" as it puts into effect major restructuring of the company. With disappointing sales of console titles and the costs of making sweeping organisational changes, the company anticipates reporting a loss...

  • News ZombiU Developers Talk Permadeath And Protagonists

    Giving new meaning to "silent protagonist"

    At this year's GDC, Ubisoft Montpellier gave a post-mortem discussion on their Wii U launch title, ZombiU, discussing the genesis of the game and the unique approach they took to involving the player in the story. First shown at E3 2011 as the darkly comical Killer Freaks From Outer Space, story design...

  • News Harvest Moon Heading to North American 3DS eShop in Late April

    Legend of the River King will be available on 28th March

    As we already know, Europe will be able to download the Game Boy Color version of Harvest Moon from the 3DS eShop on 28th March. However, North American farmers have been left in the dark, with many believing they've been put out to pasture. Well fret not, as Natsume has revealed via its...

  • News Toki Tori 2 Approved by Nintendo, 4th April Release is Confirmed

    This chick's ready to fly, with some help

    Last week we brought you the happy news that Two Tribes was setting a release date of 4th April for its long awaited Wii U eShop title, Toki Tori 2. As we also made clear, however, there was an element of risk as the game hadn't formally passed the Nintendo approval process, meaning that the developer was...

  • News Tecmo Koei Slices Team Ninja in Two

    The company is reorganising after big profits

    Tecmo Koei has been doing pretty well for itself recently. Last year it recorded a net profit of $27.9 million (£17.7 million) between the beginning of October and the end of December, which was a staggering 291.7% increase on the previous quarter. Now the company has announced it is reorganising its...

Monday25th Mar 2013

  • News Ubisoft Reveals Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Special Editions And First Gameplay Trailer

    VIP pass 'The Watch' coming, too

    Ubisoft has revealed the very first gameplay trailer for the upcoming new adventure in the Assassin's Creed series, Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, as well as four special editions. Those who pre-order the game will also gain access to 'The Watch', a VIP program allowing players to dive deeper into the Assassin's...

  • Talking Point The Download or Disc Dilemma

    Do you download?

    In moving from the Wii Shop and DSi Shop to the Wii U eShop and 3DS eShop, Nintendo has shown a desire to compete head on with the Xbox, PlayStation and Steam online marketplaces and offer full retail downloads. It's amazing to think that downloads from the Wii Shop were limited to a meagre maximum of 40MB, yet now we can download...

  • Review Naruto: Powerful Shippuden (3DS)

    He's a laugher, not a fighter

    The first thing that's going to strike you about Naruto: Powerful Shippuden is the super deformed art style. After all, Namco Bandai has plastered it everywhere, so it must be quite proud of how it turned out. That's probably a smart move, because the visuals rank among this game's main strong points. It's only when you...

  • News Hyperkin Details RetroN 5 Super Console In Video Announcement

    Coming in July, plays 9 different game formats and upscales via HDMI

    We knew that Hyperkin would be officially revealing the RetroN 4 console at this year's Midwest Gaming Classic, but the company surprised everyone by lifting the lid on the RetroN 5 instead. It pretty much showcases all of the functions that were hinted at with the RetroN 4, and...

  • News Platinum's Kamiya: "No Other Way" That Bayonetta 2 Could Be Made Without Nintendo

    It's exclusive for a reason

    Platinum Games’ Hideki Kamiya has reminded his Twitter followers that without Nintendo, the highly anticipated Bayonetta 2 wouldn’t be in development. Kamiya, who directed the original Bayonetta for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, is supervising development of the Wii U exclusive and directing a new IP, The Wonderful 101,...

  • News Phil Fish: I Love Nintendo In Ways It Probably Doesn't Deserve

    Fez creator attempts to clarify anti-3DS comments

    Yesterday, we reported on FEZ creator Phil Fish's comments regarding Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on the 3DS. He posted a rant on Twitter which was quickly picked up by eagle-eyed Nintendo fans, who pounced on his percieved negativity towards the Kyoto company and its dual-screen hardware. Predictably,...

  • Feature The Making of Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom & Shadow Over Mystara

    Hey waiter, you got some RPG in my beat ‘em up!

    The fantasy role-playing series Dungeons & Dragons has enjoyed a long a fruitful relationship with the pastime of video gaming. We’ve seen countless digital interpretations of the tabletop war-game, each one utilising the staggering scope of the licence to create new and amazing worlds for the...

  • Nintendo Download 28th March 2013 (Europe)

    A blocky adventure, heroic rhythm, retail goodies and more

    As always, Europe, news of the download offerings coming to the region in this week's update are already here to start our week with a bang. While there are a few new additions, including a previously unannounced transfer tool, the main headline is the lengthy list of retail downloads...

  • News Android-based Ouya Console Will Have NES and SNES Emulation At Launch

    Wii U rival to offer ability to play ROMs on your TV

    Ouya is one of the more high-profile Kickstarter campaigns, having raised a staggering $8.6 million in 2012. The system will run on Google's Android operating system and should retail for less than $100 when it launches in June this year. Although its primary objective is to host titles similar...

  • News Nintendo Spells Out Why You Should Pick Wii U In Promotional Flyer

    Desperate times call for desperate measures?

    We've all been there. At some point over the past few months we've all had one person (or perhaps several) ask "What's the difference between the Wii U and the Wii, and why on earth should I get one?" Many seem to think it's associated with the original Wii, instead of an entirely new console altogether...

  • Review Forgotten Legions (DSiWare)

    Tower offence

    Forgotten Legions tells the story of a character named Merkhovious, who is apparently a wizard or some other type of magic user. He started using dark magic and was quickly banished from the town of Riverkeep, because the higher-ups there frown upon that sort of thing. Now Merkhovious is back, and he’s brought an army of undead...

  • News Young Justice: Legacy Coming To Wii U And 3DS Despite Show Axe

    The legacy lives on

    Little Orbit has announced that Young Justice: Legacy — based on the recently cancelled Young Justice animated series — will be released this September for the all major platforms, including 3DS and Wii U. The game was previously announced for release this Spring on the Wii, but those plans have apparently been scrapped...

  • News Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Makes Its Debut in UK Top 10

    Taking a bite out of the sales charts

    Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate hit Europe late last week, landing on Wii U and 3DS to accommodate all gamers with a current Nintendo platform. It's a high-profile release that's had a fair bit of attention — as well as broadly positive reviews — while the Wii U version has been seen by some as the first step in a...

  • News The Nintendo 3DS Celebrates its Two Year Anniversary

    Still going strong

    Two years ago, on 25th March 2011, the Nintendo 3DS arrived in Europe; its North American release was on 27th March. As the follow-up to the DS family of systems — the biggest selling series of handhelds in history — it arrived with plenty of expectation. After an excitable launch — it landed in Japan in late February —...

  • Review Jewel Master Atlantis 3D (3DS eShop)

    A diamond in the rough?

    For years now, Cerasus Media has been pumping out game after game in the Jewel Master series, and very little has changed in that time. Each instalment is usually playable and entertaining enough, but in most instances the gameplay formula and overall presentation have remained the same. And while the classic phrase "If it...

  • News Ubisoft Not Disappointed With Wii U Install Base

    Would still like to see more out there, though

    The Wii U has had a slow start to the year. After selling a decent amount before Christmas, sales have started to slip and many Wii U owners are worried about the future of third party titles, considering the install base is currently much lower than other platforms. However, despite many attributing...

  • News Ecco The Dolphin Creator Launches Kickstarter For Spiritual Sequel, Wii U Version A Possibility

    It's always good to have a porpoise in life

    The team behind the original Ecco the Dolphin is attempting to fund a spiritual sequel using Kickstarter. Ed Annunziata — who created Ecco — is the man behind the aquatic venture, which is entitled The Big Blue. The campaign is seeking $665,000 to cover the costs of development, and has raised (at the...

  • News Gaze Upon The Mega Man Figures You Will Never Own

    Custom made and packed with awesomeness

    There's no shortage of Mega Man figures out there — the popularity of the character both in the west and Japan has ensured a steady flow of cool merchandise — but unsurprisingly most are based on the anime-style iteration of the character, and not the one found on the western boxes. Although they're not...

  • News Capcom Would Love To Work With WayForward Again

    DuckTales might not be the only game they remaster together

    Capcom revealed DuckTales: Remastered less than a week ago and already we've heard quite a lot about it. The downloadable game will be 70% faithful to the original, with the rest being additional material to smooth things out and bring the game into the modern era. It's being developed by...

  • News Dan Adelman: Nintendo Aims to Make eShop Publishing "as Frictionless as Possible"

    Admires indie scene's "willingness to try out new ideas"

    This is an important week for game developers of all sizes, as the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) gets underway in San Francisco. Nintendo will naturally have important members of the team on the scene, taking the opportunity to weigh up trends, discussion points and, most importantly, meet...

  • News News on Etrian Odyssey, Devil Survivor 2 Expected In Next Famitsu

    More RPG goodness on the way for 3DS owners?

    While fans in the West are just forging into Etrian Odyssey IV or eagerly awaiting its arrival, time marches on in Japan: news on what’s next for the series is expected to arrive soon. Tweets from Atlus Japan have teased an announcement regarding the Etrian Odyssey series which will appear in the March...

  • News Renegade Kid Open To Idea Of Moon Sequel

    IP rights present an issue, however

    Renegade Kid recently announced its new FPS, Cult County, which is to be released on the 3DS eShop episodically later this year and into next year. Speaking to Nintendo Force magazine about the horror-themed shooter, co-founder Jools Watsham made reference to his studio's DS horror series Dementium and the...