News Eiji Aonuma Wants the Wii U Zelda's Hyrule to be "A Setting No One Has Ever Imagined Before"
The quest for uniqueness remains at the core of the franchise
News Don't Expect To See A Mainline Pokémon Game On Wii U Or Your Smartphone
Microtransactions also ruled out, for the time being
News - 2013, Week 41
Sunday13th Oct 2013
Review Zombie Blaster (DSiWare)
A grave disappointment
Throughout DSiWare's long and not always distinguished history, we've seen a lot of games come and go. From puzzlers to RPGs to interactive storybooks, we've spent the past several years wading through every single release, doing our best to separate the rare diamonds from the dirt. Zombie Blaster interested us simply because,...
Review Halloween: Trick or Treat 2 (3DS eShop)
Another hidden-object game? Now that's scary!
Halloween: Trick or Treat 2 (the sequel to the abysmal Halloween: Trick or Treat on DSiware) is a collection of games that mostly revolve around hidden-object searches, with a continuous focus on spooky settings and creepy themes; it features pre-rendered, quasi-blurry images loaded with junk, where you...
Hands On Toki Tori and EDGE (Two Tribes Classics)
Budget brilliance?
After announcing their existence earlier in the year, Two Tribes recently lifted the lid on its Classics range coming to the Wii U eShop, three games that come to Nintendo's latest system in shiny optimised HD forms. It's possible that they'll all be familiar to gamers in some form or other, with each having appeared on a mix of...
Review Tales to Enjoy! The Ugly Duckling (DSiWare)
A load of quack
Another Tales to Enjoy game? Yep, we regret to inform you that it’s true. But this time it’s the most repulsive of all…The Ugly Duckling. If you haven’t been following along as of late, Tales to Enjoy is a series of games that uses the same exact interface and activities, but swaps out one fairly tale or fable for another...
News Doctor Strange Table on the Way to Zen Pinball 2
Marvel-lous
Zen Pinball 2 is a title that offers plenty of excellent tables on Wii U, with various individual options and sets that can be picked up. That DLC model opens up the possibilities for more content, of course, and it seems that Zen Studios is keen to keep Wii U owners in the loop. The studio has confirmed that it's bringing a Doctor...
Saturday12th Oct 2013
Guide Pokémon X & Y - All You Need to Know to Get Started
A spoiler free zone
So, it's now officially here, the global release date for Pokémon X & Y; in fact, it's likely that many of you that read this are either in possession of or preparing to acquire a copy for yourself. For some it's the continuation of a long-running gaming passion, and in a few cases may be a first dabble with the franchise...
News Don't Expect To See A Mainline Pokémon Game On Wii U Or Your Smartphone
Microtransactions also ruled out, for the time being
As you may well be aware, Pokémon X & Y launches worldwide today. VG247 has been speaking to Game Freak's Junichi Masuda about the potential future of the best-selling series. One of the topics up for discussion was the possibility of more Pokémon games on the Wii U. We've already seen...
News Aonuma: Information About Majora's Mask Can Be Found By Playing A Link Between Worlds
Oh Aonuma, you tease
Another day, another "Majora's Mask remake" slice of speculation. As many will know by now, the successor to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 has been teased time and again, but we don't seem to be growing tired of it; we're feeding from the information. There have been rumours, a listing
Review Densha de Go! 64 (Nintendo 64)
Lost in "trainslation"
The massive surge in the number of simulation games over the past few years has been nothing short of baffling. Years ago, Microsoft Flight Simulator was essentially the sole attraction in this specialist genre, but now it seems virtually anything can and should be turned into a simulation. Road Works Simulator, Farming...
News Eiji Aonuma Wants it to be "Fun To Get Stuck" in A Link Between Worlds
"We kind of have a bad habit of hand-holding"
Following his recent presentation at New York Comic Con, during which he revealed a new trailer and more information on A Link Between Worlds, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma had a chat with Polygon about the upcoming 3DS title. He confirmed that development had finished last week, mea
Rumour Shipments of Pokémon X & Y Delayed to U.S. Military Exchanges
Government shutdown to blame
The above photo is purportedly taken from a store on a U.S. military base. Although exact details are not known, it is not difficult to believe such a thing could happen, as the partial shutdown of the U.S. government had previously shut down military grocery stores entirely up to 5 days ago and it may take some time to...
Review Final Fight 2 (Wii U eShop / SNES)
The Sophomore Slump
The SNES port of the original Final Fight may have successfully translated the gameplay from arcade to home console, but it was missing some key elements: the third character Guy, an entire level and — most important of all — the vital two-player co-op mode. Capcom sought to rectify these shortcomings in the SNES-exclusive...
News QubicGames Hopes To Release A Game On The Wii U In The Next Year
Currently preparing its own game engine
The developer behind 3DS eShop titles 2 Fast 4 Gnomz and AiRace Speed has expressed its interest in developing games for the Wii U. In a recent interview with Nintendo Everything, QubicGames revealed it's currently working on its own game engine, C-Way, to allow it to handle development on the Wii U. We are...
Video Wooden Sen'SeY Gets Acrobatic in New Trailer
The way of the Wii U
Earlier this year a raft of new titles were confirmed for the Wii U eShop for late 2013 and 2014, showing some of the benefits of Nintendo's efforts to support smaller studios on the platform. The offer of free Unity tools and licensing has been particularly tempting to developers that utilise the engine, helping to minimise the...
Friday11th Oct 2013
News Zelda: Wind Waker HD Release Triggers 685% Increase In UK Wii U Hardware Sales
...although it's not known how many units were actually shifted
Trade publication MCV has revealed that the release of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD has caused a 685% increase in Wii U console sales in the United Kingdom — however, it's not been revealed exactly how many units that jump entails. The news backs up Nintendo's stance that games...
News UK Retailers Break Release Date for Pokémon X & Y
It's not just early deliveries any more
Earlier this week we bemoaned the fact that Nintendo's global release plans for Pokémon X & Y had been undermined; what was a concerted effort to release the new generation of the franchise to everyone at once had been let down by some of the gaming press, public and retailers. It had been an...
News Nintendo Unveils New Trailer and Details For The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Introducing Lorule and Hilda
As previously announced, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma has just completed his developer presentation at this year's New York Comic Con, and the Nintendo of America Twitter account has shared some details online. While a video of the presentation will apparently be available soon, a new trailer and some intriguing new...
News 100 WiiWare Copies of Retro City Rampage Are Up for Grabs To Celebrate Anniversary
And yes, they can be played on a Wii U
Retro City Rampage is one year old, a landmark for Vblank Entertainment's labour of love that parodies and references a boggling amount of '80s and '90s pop culture. It's a full-on, in your face experience, which may explain why it has such a loyal fanbase. The title isn't done yet, of course, with a 3DS eShop...
News Illegal Nintendo Clones Are Running Rampant On Windows Store
Fancy Mario Jump!, Bowser Town Defense, Pokemon Attack! or Yoshijump?
Games which illegally use Nintendo characters are flooding the Windows Store, according to a report by Develop. Titles such as Mario Jump!, Bowser Town Defense, Pokemon Attack! are Yoshijump are all available now for download on Windows 8 devices — some of these games have been...
News PETA Clamours for Attention with Spoof Pokémon Flash Game
Let's hope it PETAs out soon
With Pokémon X & Y only a day away from its global release, animal rights organisation PETA has seized the opportunity to piggyback the games' current media attention and highlight its own cause by creating a spoof Pokémon game. Entitled Pokémon Red, White and Blue, the parody Flash game is essentially designed...
Review Final Fight (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Because the world needs more wrestling mayors
Back in the late '80s and early '90s — when arcades were still the biggest draw for dedicated gamers — Capcom was the company to beat when it came to coin-op success. It produced a string of classics around this time, most of which saw conversions on the popular home consoles of the period. While...
Video Nintendo Prepares Pokémon X & Y Trainers With Launch Trailer
Of course, you might already be playing it...
Pokémon X & Y launches on 12th October, so unless you're fortunate enough to have it drop into your mailbox today you have just one sleep before jumping into an all-new generation of the venerated series. Perhaps as a final pre-launch hurrah for its hype machine, Nintendo has released a new...
News Moshi Monsters: Katsuma Unleashed Now Available On 3DS And DS In The UK
Coming to the US in November
When you think of pint-sized monsters on a Nintendo handheld you're bound to think of Pokémon, but there is in fact another adorable creature-based title available right now in the UK in the form of Moshi Monsters: Katsuma Unleashed. A whole day before Pokémon X & Y is officially launched - though many retailers in...
News Nintendo UK: Awareness Is The Real Issue With The Wii U, Not Price
"Many mums don’t know what this is"
Nintendo UK's marketing head Shelly Pearce has been speaking to MCV about the challenges facing the Wii U this Christmas, and admits that the company still has work to do when it comes to educating buyers about the difference between the original Wii and its successor: There was a big misconception at launch...
Talking Point What Games Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue Eighteen
WGAYPTW is all grown up
Issue eighteen. It's been a long journey for this little feature, in which Nintendo Life staffers share their weekend gaming plans and the community does the same in the comments, leaving us with so many dreams laid out in front of our eyes. This series has now reached adulthood, bringing a tear to the eye. Fond reminiscing...
Lost in space
Just when you thought that the DSiWare service had nothing left to offer except some word puzzles and interactive children’s books, along comes Astro. It's quite clear that this is intended to pay homage to the Atari classic Asteroids in its design and gameplay, but it falls short of recapturing what continues to make the original a...
News Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic Gets Cooking On the 3DS eShop in North America
Nearly two years after its retail release
Occasionally Nintendo doesn't include all details in its weekly download updates for each region, and this week there's an extra treat awaiting North America gamers. Nearly two years after its retail release, Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic is available on the 3DS eShop in North America; it's priced at $19.99...
News Hyper Light Drifter Confirmed for Wii U
Summer 2014 is the target
Not so long ago we told you about Hyper Light Drifter, a "2D action RPG" that was seeking funds to bring its games to a variety of platforms. Developer Heart Machine added a Wii U stretch goal at $550,000, and as a sign of this project's popularity it's now passed that total with a little over a day to go. At the time of...
Video Nintendo Life At Eurogamer Expo 2013 - The Highlights
You've seen the photos, now watch the video
At the end of September we were lucky enough to be part of Eurogamer Expo 2013, the UK's biggest gaming event with over 70,000 people in attendance. As you'll already know if you've seen the photos we posted not long ago, we ran the (very busy) Nintendo Life StreetPass Zone, offering 3DS fans the chance...
News Brunch Panic To Bring Catering Madness to the 3DS eShop
Bagels! Sandwiches! Panic!
Circle Entertainment is to continue its record as one of the most prolific developers and publishers on Nintendo Download platforms with Brunch Panic, a resource management / action game that sees you provide lunch — or brunch, we guess — to lots of quirky characters. Developed by FK Digital, this certainly appears to...
Thursday10th Oct 2013
News Eiji Aonuma Wants the Wii U Zelda's Hyrule to be "A Setting No One Has Ever Imagined Before"
The quest for uniqueness remains at the core of the franchise
The Legend of Zelda can be a contradictory series, at times. It's tempting for gamers to reel off a list of what binds the various entries together, perhaps even bemoaning similarity in dungeon and collect-a-thon structures. And yet it's a series that's experimented with stylus-only...
Hands On An Evening With Wii Karaoke U By Joysound
Take On Mii
Nintendo has previously stated that one of its main objectives with the Wii U is to provide experiences that can’t be done on other video game systems. In addition to this rather admirable quest, the company has also been keen to emphasise the fun that can be had with the system in local multiplayer. So far it hasn't had a great deal...
Talking Point Nintendo's Catch-22 With Retail Game Pricing
Go high, get criticised. Go low, get criticised...
This week Nintendo UK launched its own online retail store, stepping into the market typically occupied by the likes of Amazon, Gamestop, GAME and various others; even the bricks-and-mortar retailers mentioned have an increasing reliance on web sales. It's a more up-to-date, relevant proposition...
Nintendo Download 10th October (North America)
Pokémon, retro sports, water racing, lots of zombies and more
It's Nintendo Download time, North America, with a certain Game Freak title dominating attention this time around. There are some other offerings, retro and new, to consider, including two(!) zombie-themed games on Nintendo's handhelds. Let's stop blabbering and get on with it, shall we?...
News Pokémon X & Y Iwata Asks Explains Sky and Horde Battles
Also has a few (laughs)
With Pokémon X & Y now just days away, or hours if you ordered from a cheeky online retailer, Nintendo's lining up its final marketing push for the title's global release alongside the 2DS handheld. One part of this is a new Iwata Asks, which is a follow up to the dedicated Nintendo Direct video that was broadcast...
News Pokemon X & Y Designer: Creature-Making Isn’t Easy
Many more monsters are rejected than make it in the games
For anyone who ever doodled up their own Pokémon on their school papers, getting a chance to create real monsters for new games in the series might seem like a dream job. Pokémon X & Y graphic designer lead Hironobu Yoshida doesn’t dispute this, but he doesn’t say it’s an easy...
News Nintendo Confirms Three New Wii U Hardware Bundles for Europe
Mario and Luigi, Wii Party U and Just Dance offerings
We've had plenty of speculation in recent times regarding Wii U bundles, as it's seemed inevitable that Nintendo will boost the value of its offerings with packed-in options to cater to various audiences. Nintendo of Europe has today stepped forward with its own offers, all set to arrive in...
News Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut Will Cost $20 More On Wii U Than On PS3 And 360
The Nintendo tax?
When Square Enix announced Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut for the Wii U, everyone was pretty happy about getting to play a past classic with enhanced GamePad functions. However, when the news broke that this "exclusive" version was also coming to the PS3 and 360, some Wii U owners felt slightly short-changed. That...
Review Mystery Murders: The Sleeping Palace (3DS eShop)
Dead or just resting?
You won't have to look long to find quite a few hidden-object games on the 3DS eShop, but the Mystery Murders series stands out by attempting to inject a little soul into the I-Spy formual. Equal parts PC-style adventure game and Where's Waldo whodunit, they frame the item-finding with simple puzzles and spooky stories. The...
Review Family Bowling 3D (3DS eShop)
Pins with kin
If you were fortunate enough to grow up near a bowling alley, you might have fond memories of family outings full of comically unappealing shoes, embarrassing bowling stances from certain members of your clan, and slipping spectacularly on finely polished floors at least once. You probably didn't get to throw a twelve-pound ball at a...
Interview Image & Form CEO Brjann Sigurgeirsson Talks SteamWorld Dig And Working On The eShop
Critical reaction, the Wii U eShop and picking 3DS over smartphones
At this year's Eurogamer Expo we were lucky enough to get the opportunity to speak to Image & Form's Brjann Sigurgeirsson about the company's 3DS eShop title, SteamWorld Dig. In the interview, Sigurgeirsson speaks about the development of the game and its lore, its critical...
Parent Trap The Wii Is Still Crucial To Family Game Success
Andy Robertson (not pictured) on why Nintendo's old console is still vital
While core players slowly turn their attention to the next generation of consoles, families are still getting a lot of value from the Wii. Families don’t buy as many games for their gaming systems as other demographics — the long tail of family gaming habits means that...
News The Fall Targets an April 2014 Release on Wii U
"I can't wait to see how we can best use that fantastic controller"
Not so long ago we reported that crowdfunded title The Fall would eventually come to Wii U, on the grounds that Over The Moon had been officially licensed as a Nintendo developer. At that stage the campaign was still some way off its Wii U stretch goal, but having now passed that...
News Doodle Jump Is Making The Journey To Nintendo DS
The forthcoming 3DS version gets a companion
A short time ago we reported on the impending release of Doodle Jump Adventures for the 3DS — a console port of the popular smartphone title, Doodle Jump. It has now been confirmed that the DS will also be getting a version of Lima Sky's title, named Doodle Jump Journey. It's a scaled-down offering...
News Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures To Come to Life in March 2014
Not the spookiest time of the year
Earlier this year we learned that Pac-Man And The Ghostly Adventures would come to both Wii U and 3DS, another return — one of many — for Namco Bandai's most recognisable mascot. Originally pegged for Winter 2013, the publisher has now revealed that the title will arrive a little later than expected in Europe...
News Chocobo Racing 3D Fails To Reach The Finishing Line
Development seems to have just stopped
It's just over 3 years since the 3DS was announced back at E3 in 2010, and with it was a list of third party titles set to grace the handheld during its lifespan. Square Enix had its fair share of games listed for the 3DS, with Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance landing in 2012; in the same year Theatrhythm:...
Review Happy Circus (3DS eShop)
When an Otter's happiness means a golden jacket
It's easy for older gamers to be miserable cynics when edutainment games come around, lazily categorising them as shovelware and stating with unsubstantiated confidence that no one buys these downloads. Except, someone is buying them, as the range of these titles is slowly growing on the 3DS; more...
News Two Tribes Confirms Toki Tori 2+ Level Editor Will Not Hatch On Wii U
From the fridge to the freezer
Earlier this week Martijn Reuvers of Two Tribes took to Miiverse to confirm the developer had been forced to put the level editor for Toki Tori 2+ "in the fridge" due to other commitments. Sadly, it appears Wii U owners won't get the opportunity to play around with the feature as the studio has now stated its...
News Etrian Odyssey Untold: Millennium Girl Receives European Rating
A story set to be told on European shores
Etrian Odyssey Untold: Millennium Girl was released in North America earlier in the month and it appears the popular 3DS RPG may be making it to Europe too as it has been rated by the USK classifications board. The Etrian Odyssey series has seen a few titles released in Europe, including Etrian Odyssey IV:...
Wednesday9th Oct 2013
Talking Point Pokémon X & Y's Grand Global Release Plan Has, Sadly, Been Undermined
Leaks, ruthless retailers and impatient gamers suck away intended magic
The excitement was undeniable when Satoru Iwata, in a Nintendo Direct broadcast, announced Pokémon X & Y and confirmed that it would have a global release date. That's almost upon us, 12th October, meaning that aside from time zone differences 3DS gamers around the world...
News Pokémon X & Y Sells Out in Japan Before It Even Launches
Monster Hunter 4 stock also running incredibly low
It seems that the launch of Pokémon X & Y can't come soon enough for Japanese 3DS owners, with both versions of the upcoming instalment in the popular franchise reportedly having already sold out ahead of release. Pokémon X & Y are the first games in the long-running series to feature...
News Keiji Inafune Won't Rule Out Publishing Mighty No. 9 With Capcom
Would consider Mega Man options with an "offer we couldn’t refuse"
Kickstarter is an interesting model, in that a developer can seek investment from the public — or perhaps you think of it as advance pre-orders, donations? — but then still seek a traditional publisher after using crowdfunded money to make the game. In theory there's nothing...
Fun and repetition Picross paths
There’s a question you must ask yourself before proceeding: do you want to play Picross? There’s been ample time to give the pastime a try, what with all the previous games put out by Jupiter, and the next step in this journey is remarkably similar to the last one. Picross e3 is a finely crafted puzzle game worth...
Rumour Cherry And Mango Wii U Colours Outed By Toys R Us France
Due in November and December respectively
Toys R Us France has listed two new colours of the Wii U console: Cherry and Mango. The listings state that the Cherry console will launch on November 27th at €299.99 while the Mango hue is expected on December 4th fo €50 less. The price difference suggests that the Cherry bundle will include elements...
News GamePad High Capacity Battery Available Now in Europe
Comes with a 1-3 week delivery wait in the UK
The 3DS — particularly the standard model — and the Wii U GamePad have something in common: a blinking red light of doom. Nintendo's efforts to maintain manageable prices leads to various compromises, which is common with much technology, and battery life is a common theme of complaint for gamers...
Review Around the World with Hello Kitty and Friends (3DS)
Bonjour, Kitty
Hello Kitty first burst onto the scene in 1974 courtesy of Japanese company Sanrio, which designs and produces products solely aimed at the kawaii – meaning cute in Japanese – section of popular culture in the country. Since then, Hello Kitty has become one of the most recognised and successful brands in the world, appearing on...
News Nintendo UK Launches Online Retail Store
Offering consoles, the latest titles and some extras
Nintendo UK has today launched an online store that offers a large range of games, consoles and some gift ideas. It's an intriguing move by the regional team, offering its own online store of physical products alongside conventional retailers. The stock is primarily focused on products developed,...
News A Decade After Being Bought By Microsoft, Rare Still Wants To Channel The Spirit Of Nintendo
UK studio wants Kinect Sports Rivals to emulate Nintendo classics
As we all know, Rare used to be one of Nintendo's most valuable development studios, but was acquired by Microsoft in 2002 to work on its Xbox console. As the years have passed the company has seen staff come and go, and few remain who can remember the days of the SNES, N64 and...
News Yoshi's Cookie to Be Removed From European Wii Shop Channel
Oh how the cookie crumbles
Nintendo has updated the Wii Shop Channel with a new message stating that Yoshi's Cookie will be no longer available for sale as of 11th October. The surprise announcement doesn't provide any details as to why the NES game is being removed. It was originally developed by Bullet-Proof Software, with Nintendo acting as...
Video Proof That Mario Kart 8 Can Only Be Enriched By The Addition Of F1-Style Commentary
Murray Walker would be proud
Mario Kart 8 is shaping up to be something pretty special, with its amazing visuals, upside-down track design and trademark killer gameplay. However, the following video — produced in conjunction with our friends at Family Gamer TV and Team VVV — illustrates that there's always room for improvement. What Nintendo...
News Iwata: We Never Fear Failure And Always Seek To Challenge The Status Quo
"Opening the first door is when things are most interesting"
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has been speaking at the recent B Dash Camp Osaka 2013 about his company's outlook on business and where it sees itself in the industry, as well as making the Pokémon series a success in the west. Iwata says that Nintendo doesn't fear failure, and that...
News Inafune: If You Haven't Played Mario, You're Probably Not Good At Designing Games
"Mario is, for game creators, the development bible"
Nintendo's Mario series is arguably one of the most influential in the realm of video gaming. Super Mario Bros. on the NES almost single-handedly turned the 2D platformer into the world's genre of choice, while the transition to 3D in Super Mario 64 achieved a similar impact and resulted in...
News Hello Kitty Kart Racer Hitting Wii U This Year
Um, awesome?
Just today we filed our review for Around the World With Hello Kitty and Friends, a competent 3DS minigame collection for young children. The exciting news for fans of the franchise is that Hello Kitty Kruisers is coming to the Wii U this year, which is great for young gamers but unlikely to satisfy our Mario Kart 8 cravings. We are...
News Ripstone Confirms Plans to Include Sony Systems in Wii U and 3DS Pure Chess Online Multiplayer
Believes the Wii U audience "has a voracious appetite for content"
Pure Chess, alongside the Nnooo-published Cubemen 2, is forging ahead on new ground for Nintendo systems by introducing cross-platform online multiplayer. In both cases Wii U players (also on 3DS in the case of Pure Chess) will be able to take on other players that are on smartphone...
"Ittle Dew has been 'that game' for us for a very long time"
Based in Sweden, Ludosity is a small and successful developer that has created software for a vast range of platforms, including 3DS, Steam and tablets. The studio is behind titles such as Boulderdash-XL 3D and Alien Chaos, both on the 3DS and its latest title, Ittle Dew, sees the studio...
Weirdness Beautiful Master Sword Replica Up for Auction
Must pick up in Lost Woods
Would you like a sword? All right, dumb question. If someone were just handing them out on the street, who wouldn’t take one? Let’s rephrase: are you looking for a nicely made replica of Link’s Master Sword? Because if you are (or just realized you need to be), it’d be hard to go wrong with this beauty currently...
News New 3DS Harvest Moon Game Coming To Japan Early Next Year
Harvest Moon: Linking the New World is 80 percent complete
It has been revealed in the latest issue of Famitsu that a new Harvest Moon title is in development for the 3DS. Harvest Moon: Linking the New World is due out in Japan in February and is being produced by Yoshifumi Hashimoto. Character design is being handled by Igusa Matsuyama. The...
News Monster Hunter 4 Continues to Devour Competition in Japan
Passes 2.5 million physical retail sales
It's time for the weekly Japanese sales progress report via Media Create, and Monster Hunter 4 continues its strong momentum, hopefully boding well for the future of the series' growing partnership between Capcom and Nintendo. While that blows all competition away in the software chart, the 3DS is doing a...
Video We Adventure Through the Opening 30 Minutes of Monster Hunter 4
DIE, HERBIVORES!
Monster Hunter 4, the game that's whipping up a frenzy in Japan, is an elusive beast. Despite going to the effort of releasing Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate in the West on Wii U and 3DS, and despite the franchise being a Capcom IP that's surely one big release away from 'breaking' the West, it remains tantalisingly out of reach. We're...
Tuesday8th Oct 2013
Rumour New Pokémon Game In Development, Focusing On Pikachu
Pika-who?
According to Japanese website NHK, The Pokémon Company is currently developing a brand new Pokémon title which focuses on Pikachu. The title is said to have started development during the summer. President and CEO of the company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, is set to appear on Japanese TV on 28th October, with the existence of a new game in...
News News Site Claims That Zelda "Takes A Dim View Of Workers, People Of Colour And Women"
Best not mention GTA, then
You might assume that time spent in the mythical land of Hyrule is unlikely to cause anybody any undue distress, but according to some, that simply isn't the case. News and entertainment site Salon.com — which has a monthly unique readership of 15 million — has controversially branded The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of...
News Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition Isn't Coming To Wii U
Creator Ed Boon confirms the absense of a Nintendo version
Injustice: Gods Among Us was one of the Wii U's big third party offerings this year, but it was treated by publisher Warner Bros. as the black sheep of the family. DLC which arrived in a timely fashion on other formats was held back for the Nintendo version, suggesting that it was more of an...
Soapbox Nintendo Could Have Ruled The Micro-Console Market With Wii
Has Nintendo missed a trick by dropping the Wii so soon?
In January Sony officially discontinued production of the PlayStation 2 console after selling an incredible 150 million systems over a 12 year period. Despite the unstoppable march of technology, Sony had managed to keep its best-selling console running — albeit in a much diminished capacity...
News Nintendo Wants Wii U To Be "The Console That Every Developer Wants To Publish On"
"We have strong relationships with third parties"
The Wii U still isn't exactly where Nintendo wants it to be, with sales continuing to flag in both the West and Japan. The topic of third party support for the console has cropped up several times during 2013, but Nintendo's Scott Moffitt feels the system is in a strong position as we approach the...
News Ubisoft Explains Wii U Watch_Dogs Visuals as "In Between" Current and Next-Gen
"We're optimising the controls for the beast that is the Wii U GamePad"
With regards to some key multi-platform titles coming to Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4 and Xbox One, or a combination of those five, we're in a slightly awkward spot where preview videos inevitably show footage from the upcoming Sony or Microsoft systems, and Wii U owners are left...
News Assassin's Creed IV DLC Looks Set to Sail Past Wii U
Nintendo platform excluded from announcement
Ubisoft has today announced a round of DLC and an accompanying season pass for Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, but the reveal excludes the Wii U. Platforms confirmed in the press release for EMEA territories were PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC — the North American equivalent didn't list platforms...
Weirdness If Pokémon Meets King of the Hill, the Results Are Bizarre
Because almost everyone plays Pokémon
Some of you in the Nintendo Life readership may be fans of King of the Hill, the animated series that ran on TV from 1997 to 2010, picking up a number of awards in the process. With over 250 shows behind it, there's little surprise that the series has plenty of fans online that are more than happy to celebrate...
Hands On Pure Chess (Wii U eShop)
The grand old sport comes to the people
While the 3DS eShop is maturing into a platform with a healthy variety of experiences, and the Wii U eShop promises to do so, one obvious gap is in delivering a virtual edition of one of the grandest old games / sports in existence. Chess may have appeared as a minigame option in a mediocre 3DS game or two,...
News Tommo Refuses to Follow SNK's Neo Geo X Termination Demand
Send in the lawyers
Yesterday we reported that SNK had retracted its license and demanded an end to the manufacturing and sale of the Neo Geo X, a portable version of the iconic '90s console. We rather thought that'd be the end of the matter, as the IP holder had issued a rather blunt demand — lesson learned, never underestimate the power of...
Video Dixie Kong Struts Her Stuff in This New Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Trailer
That ponytail has so many uses
During last week's Nintendo Direct, it was revealed that Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has been pushed back slightly to a February 2014 release to ensure the developer Retro Studios can deliver the optimum gaming experience. However, to ease the pain a li
News Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy Minigame Details Are Revealed
GAME to offer a leather card wallet with pre-orders
While North America unfortunately has to wait until 2014, Europe has around a month to wait for Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, which is set to be the final main adventure starring the puzzle solving gentleman. It's the sixth entry, and long term fans are sure to be left with a little...
Video A Punboxing of The Wind Waker HD Collector's Edition
A very punny video
When the Collector's Edition of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD landed at my doorstep on Saturday morning, I was, naturally, eager to show it off to all my envious real-life friends. Then I thought, hey, why not exhibit myself as a massive, deplorable show-off to everyone on the internet, as well?! So here I am. Now,...
Events Nintendo Life At Eurogamer Expo 2013
A pictorial record from the show floor
If you're based in the United Kingdom then you'll no doubt have heard about the recent Eurogamer Expo 2013, which is the UK's largest video game show by quite some margin. EGX — as it is also known — took place at Earl's Court in London from September 26th to September 29th, and saw more than 70,000 gamers...
News James Pond Kickstarter Campaign Has Been Cancelled
"We are not giving up"
Not so long ago Gameware Europe opened a Kickstarter campaign for a new James Pond game, an attempt to revive a franchise popular in the '90s. Although not a full time member of the team when launched, the original creator Chris Sorrell was also set to be involved in the project; he even explained to us that he was hopeful of...
News Two Tribes Teases New Title While Describing Toki Tori 2+ Level Editor as "In The Fridge"
Announcements made on Miiverse
One feature that never made it to Toki Tori 2 on the Wii U eShop, even in its + update, is the level editor. Although shown in a crude form at press events as far back as August 2012, it's never made it into the final cut on Nintendo's platform. Unfortunately it looks like the feature isn't coming anytime soon, as the...
Monday7th Oct 2013
Guide How To Capture Video And Screenshots From Your 3DS
Turn your handheld into a multimedia star
As the next generation of home consoles looms over us, the topic of video sharing is becoming ever more important. Both the PS4 and Xbox One will offer the ability to record and upload your gaming performances so others can appraise them online, which will surely lead to an explosion of self-made clips on...
News Pokémon X & Y Torchic Distribution Announced
Grab Your Flaming Fowl
With the release of Pokémon X & Y only days away, Nintendo has announced that Torchic, the fire starter from Generation III, will be released via Wi-Fi as a special distribution event to mark the release of the two titles. From October 12th, Pokéfans will be able to download their special Torchic simply by connecting...
News Toys "R" Us Confirms Exclusive Range of Skylanders SWAP Force Characters
Legendary Grim Creeper has a cool name
When you combine a video game with toys that bring characters to life, you get monster profits. You also get plenty of promotions from one of the world's most recognisable toy store brands, and Toys "R" Us is continuing its record of promoting and gaining exclusives for the Skylanders series with some special...
News Tesco To Offer a Special Pokémon X & Y Serial Code Gift in UK
Another way to receive Mystery Gifts
With the arrival this week of Pokémon X & Y, those that have yet to pick up a pre-order or decide on a store are likely to be weighing up a series of incentives before choosing a retailer or the eShop. In what's perhaps an extension of the increase in co-operation between Nintendo UK and Tesco, it's been...
News US Retailer Lists Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon For Wii U
Newegg claims the 3DS title is making the jump to Wii U this year
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon — or Luigi's Mansion 2, if you're in Europe — was one of 2013's stand-out 3DS titles. It was so good that some lamented the fact that it was on a handheld — it was exactly the kind of epic experience that the Wii U could really have done with during...
Review Phineas and Ferb: Quest for Cool Stuff (Wii U)
Not the best quest ever
Have you ever read a book on parenting? Libraries full of instruction manuals exist on how to raise a child properly, ranging from topics such as bathing to teething to using the potty for the first time. Imagine, if you will, that there was a video game version of those books. A video game designed entirely to teach children...
News Club Nintendo Rewards are Updated for October
Karting! Zelda! Other Things!
Sometimes Club Nintendo sure takes its sweet time, waiting a whole day after the expiry of the last month's game rewards before dishing out a new set. The lovely people behind good old CN in North America may be cheeky scamps, but they have now updated the offerings over which you can mull. This time around we have two...
Nintendo Download 10th October (Europe)
Pokémon, Pokémon and more
It's Monday morning, European Nintendo gamers, which means happy download news to bring smiles to our faces. This week is dominated by a game where you collect creatures and explore a vast land, which has had a teensy bit of hype in recent months. There are also a couple of retro goodies on the Wii U Virtual Console,...
News If You Liked the Latest Super Mario 3D World Trailer, You'll Love the New Screens
Looks creative and fun enough to us
It's amazing how effective a well constructed trailer can be in either reversing opinion or, less drastically, just building additional hype for a major title. While the Super Mario 3D World E3 trailer was competent, fun and showed off the commercial sense driving Nintendo's Wii U development projects, we think...
News Neo Geo X Handheld Shut Down By SNK
And just like that, it's gone
Not so long ago we reviewed the Neo Geo X and Mega Pack Volume 1, a potential low cost option for gamers to own a piece of portable hardware that could run games from the iconic system, ideal if a Wii Virtual Console or pricey Neo Geo system aren't handy. While it had its merits, our conclusion reflected some...
Feature A Week of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Screens - Issue Seven
Link power, flying high, Sonic's arrival and more
It's that time again, dear readers, for Super Smash Bros. screenshot goodness from the Miiverse Director's Room community, all courtesy of Masahiro Sakurai. Last week brought another character reveal, with Sonic announced during Nintendo Direct and looking rather dashing on his profile page scree
News The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Lands in 4th Place in UK Charts
Making waves for Wii U
With a number of major titles coming to the Wii U in the remainder of 2013, it's natural to wonder which will do the most for the system's hardware sales and overall prospects. There are new titles coming that cover different bases, with exclusive Sonic joining the potential bankers such as Wii Fit U and Super Mario 3D World...
News Hometown Story Collector's Edition Planned for November Release
Game also scheduled for Q1 in Europe
If you’ve pre-ordered Hometown Story, Natsume’s new life sim coming to North America on 22nd October, you may be due for a cute Ember plushie depending on where you go: green at Gamestop, red at
News Meet Molotov Man, Sensible Software's Unreleased Answer To Bomberman
Little-known SNES outing is detailed in new book celebrating the UK studio
Sensible Software is a company which is perhaps more famous in the UK than the rest of the world. Founded in 1986 by Jon "Jovial Jops" Hare and Chris "Cuddly Krix" Yates, it produced titles for 8 and 16-bit computers, many of which were ported to consoles such as the Sega...
News Legend of the Lancer Bound for Kickstarter, Wii U Stretch Goal Planned
Draws inspiration from Super Mario World and Mega Man X
Gorilla Press Games has announced that it will shortly commence a Kickstarter campaign for a new non-linear Metroidvania-styled game called Legend of the Lancer. Currently planned for PC, the development studio is hoping to also bring the game to Wii U — provided a stretch goal is met, of...
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