News - 2013, Week 50

Sunday15th Dec 2013

Friday13th Dec 2013

  • News These Refurbished Nintendo 64 Consoles Go The Extra Mile

    And cost some extra coins, too

    While many may be gearing up to play the latest games and systems this festive season, some may dig out some retro goodies to amuse over the Holidays. For those busting out a Nintendo 64, it may also be an occasion to bemoan its ageing looks; each year takes that new console shine further and further away. There is a...

Saturday14th Dec 2013

Friday13th Dec 2013

Thursday12th Dec 2013

Wednesday11th Dec 2013

  • Parent Trap StreetPass Makes Social Networks Social Again

    StreetPass is social networking without the junk, says Andy Robertson

    We all have peculiar reasons to like particular videogame hardware. Whether it’s the diminutive form factor of the Game Boy Micro, the wonderful ergonomics of the GameCube controller or the ingenious speaker on the Wii Remote, these designs trigger something inside us that...

  • News Wii U Hardware Sales Take a Significant Leap in Japan

    A new Dragon Quest X release certainly helps

    The Wii U has enjoyed an upward trend of sales in Japan in the last couple of weeks, a welcome respite from troubling figures and disappointing news. This week gives even more cause for optimisim, as Nintendo's home console achieved the sort of numbers we haven't seen since its launch weeks in late 2012;...

  • News Sonic Lost World Gets Patched Up On Wii U

    100 rings finally grants an extra life

    It's fair to say that we didn't think all that much of Sonic Lost World when it arrived on the Wii U a short while ago. However, you have to give Sega credit for trying to improve things after release, as the company has released a patch which aims to fix some of the title's many problems. Here's the full list...

  • News Nintendo Confirms That Smash Bros. Isn't Lined Up for Spring

    Denied

    Yesterday we reported a rumour of a Spring release date for the new Super Smash Bros, though urged plenty of caution and pointed out the dangers of misquoted executives. It all came about from Nintendo Germany's Bernd Fakesch tying the release of the new fighting game in the same window as Mario Kart 8 on Wii U; the racing game has been...

Tuesday10th Dec 2013

  • Rumour Smash Bros. Heading for a Spring 2014 Release

    Lost in translation?

    There have been rumours bouncing around for a few weeks that Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS may arrive during the Spring of 2014, mainly based on retail listings. They've been loose rumours at best, but an interview given by Nintendo Germany's Bernd Fakesch has prompted speculation that Sakurai-san's hotly anticipated...

Wednesday11th Dec 2013

  • Feature Why I Love Import Gaming

    Import gaming addict Kerry Brunskill explains the appeal of overseas gaming

    I’ve been fascinated by Japanese games for as long as I can remember, going right the way back to faux-Japanese Amiga games like Leander and Apidya II. There's something appealing about Japanese game design and art which can't quite be matched by western titles, and...

  • News Cast Your Gaze Over These Rare 3DS Models

    Open to Flets Hikari customers, or you can go to China

    We often hear of limited edition 3DS hardware models available around the world, though many of the best examples are typically reserved for the Japanese market. That's going to be the case once again, though this time around Chinese gamers did get in there first. The two 3DS XL models pictured...

  • News Cap'n is Looking Rather Dashing in This Smash Bros. 3DS Screen

    In a word, awesome

    While we do a weekly summary of screens for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. titles every Monday, occasionally the daily screens catch our eye and, well, we can't help ourselves. Today's is for the 3DS version, and features one of our favourite characters currently serenading millions of gamers in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Cap'n...

  • News Side-Scrolling Cyberpunk RPG Dex Is Hacking Into The Wii U eShop

    Kickstarter campaign reaches Wii U stretch goal with a day remaining

    Indie developer Dreadlocks has confirmed that its 2D Cyberpunk RPG Dex has successfully met the Kickstarter stretch goal which secures a Wii U eShop version. The side-scrolling title needed £14,000 of funding initially, and has now reaching almost £27,000 at the time of writing...

  • Weirdness Nintendo of America Unleashes a Peculiar StreetPass Weekend Trailer

    Elevator music! Creepy Mii heads!

    Last week we told you about the upcoming StreetPass weekend in North America. In what's a rather neat touch, Nintendo of America will be tweaking Nintendo Zone-distributed StreetPass hits so that they actually come from all around the region — a gamer on the East coast of the US could get a hit from someone on the...

  • News Lobodestroyo Kickstarter Funded, Festival Of Magic Campaign Postponed Until New Year

    Victory and retreat

    We report on the latest Kickstarter happenings quite often here at Nintendo Life, and it's great to see so many great projects reach their funding goal purely on the basis of fan interest and support. It's not a guaranteed success for everyone though, so today we have some good news, bad news, and a rescheduling. First off is a...

  • News 3D After Burner II Is Jetting Towards The Japanese 3DS eShop

    Missiles locked on

    Take a moment to reflect on the gaming days of yesteryear, and no doubt there’ll be some fond memories of Sega’s jet fighter classic, After Burner. Originally released in 1987 — and following on from Sega’s equally successful arcade racer Out Run in 1986 — After Burner placed the player in the seat of an F-14 Tomcat...

  • News 3DS Owners Can Connect And Play With StreetPass UK's Relaunched Site

    Find your local StreetPass community

    Long-running StreetPass portal StreetPass UK has relaunched with a new-look site that makes it easier than ever to find like-minded 3DS owners near you who want to indulge in a spot of social gaming. As well as offering information on StreetPass-related news in the United Kingdom, the site also allows you to...

  • News Bike Rider DX2: Galaxy Aims to Pedal to the West in 2014

    Hits Japan in just a week

    As 2013 draws to a close some 3DS download enthusiasts may consider Bike Rider DX to be one of the eShop's finest gems, with simple gameplay and graphics hitting their marks and an excellent soundtrack pushing it along further. We certainly talked up its pedal power with an 8/10 in our review. The good news is that...

Tuesday10th Dec 2013

Monday9th Dec 2013

  • Review Ben 10 Omniverse 2 (Wii U)

    Big bad Ben

    With a plucky, wise-cracking kid hero, a host of supporting characters with funny and unique personalities and abilities, a surprisingly deep mythos and aliens to beat up, the Ben 10 franchise is rife with potential for great video games. Unfortunately, D3Publisher and developer High Voltage Software completely miss the mark with Ben 10...

Tuesday10th Dec 2013

Monday9th Dec 2013

  • Review 3D Sonic The Hedgehog (3DS eShop)

    Sonic with a dash extra

    The modern gaming scene may still be regularly broken down to battles of hardware technology and game exclusives, but back in the early '90s it was also a battle of mascots. The original Sonic the Hedgehog was the catalyst for the famous Tokyo-based company in the early days of the 16-bit battle for supremacy, as it delivered...

  • Nintendo Download 12th December (Europe)

    Classic SNES Zelda, 3D Sega, RUSH, Level-5 discounts and much more

    The European Nintendo Download update makes its usual Monday appearance and, this week, has plenty to offer. Another Super NES classic finally hits the Wii U eShop, we have new Wii U eShop software and 3D re-releases gracing the 3DS, along with a lot of very tempting discounts. This...

  • Review 3D Altered Beast (3DS eShop)

    Please don't rise from your grave again

    Every video game veteran has a title in its back catalogue which for unknown reasons keeps being dredged up for modern audiences. With Nintendo, it's arguably Urban Champion — a game so lacklustre that it wasn't wanted even back in 1984 — while one-time rival Sega has Altered Beast. A shallow 2D brawler in...

  • News Nintendo of America Reminds Gamers of 20% Discount on eShop Cards at Best Buy

    Download fans, unite up!

    Nintendo is certainly keen for Wii U and 3DS owners to consider going the download route with their favourite games. While there are still some obstacles scaring some away — such as premium prices and hardware-based account data — there have been growing numbers making the move to a virtual library. Nintendo of America,...

  • Feature A Week of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Screens - Issue Sixteen

    Skull Kid, Turnips, a Lloid rocket and more

    It's Monday, so that means it's Super Smash Bros. screens time; once again we have Masahiro Sakurai to thank, as he diligently gives us our regular fix over on the Super Smash Bros. Director's Room Miiverse community board. To half-quote Depeche Mode (google them, younger readers), we just can't get...

  • News These Zelda Plush Toys Make Monday Much Better

    Tingle may be our favourite

    It's the start of another week and, more notably, we're getting increasingly close to the Holiday season in which we give each other presents and accrue monstrous debts. It also means stress and incredibly crowded shopping malls, so sometimes it's nice to sit back, take a deep breath and contemplate the pleasant, cute...

  • News Super Mario 3D World Drops Down UK Charts in Second Week

    Link Between Worlds is top Nintendo game in 19th place

    Last week brought the PS4 to Europe, which made life rather difficult for Super Mario 3D World on its UK charts début. While it had been hoped that the staying power of the franchise may see it enjoy a strong second week in the UK market, today's all-format charts haven't produced the desired...

  • Review Heathcliff: Spot On (DSiWare)

    Off the mark

    The Heathcliff comic strip is a longtime favourite in many funny pages, having remained curled up on its spot for 40 years. If you want to create a spot-the-difference game, then the widespread character recognition and enormous backlog of source material Heathcliff offers would seem to make a good foundation. It certainly may, but...

  • News Genius Sonority Reconsidering Denpa Men Direction After Underwhelming Sales In The West

    Studio also eyeing a move into Wii U development

    Genius Sonority president Manabu Yamana has been speaking to Nintendo Everything about the critically-acclaimed Denpa Men series, and has revealed that the games haven't sold as well in the west as was previously expected — forcing a rethink for the entire franchise: Both “The Denpa Men: They...

  • Weirdness This Real-Life Version Of Mario Kart Looks Extreme

    Blue shells seem thankfully absent

    Australia is the place to go if it's raw thrills you're after. Even just putting on a shoe is a potentially heart-racing experience as you wonder what kind of multi-legged monster is waiting within. Bungee-jumping and surfing may be getting a bit stale for some adrenaline junkies though, so what better way to liven...

  • Video The LEGO Movie Game Unleashes Its Début Trailer

    Batman appears because, why not?

    In future years we may look back at this as an era of many things in gaming, but LEGO will surely get an honourable mention. LEGO games are everywhere, with the latest being LEGO Marvel Super Heroes; 2014 is already gearing up to deliver even more. One of these is The LEGO Movie Videogame which, unsurprisingly, is...

  • News Capcom Unity's Christmas Card Design Gets Festive With Monster Hunter

    Cute and not deadly

    It's the season of giving, and we can expect game companies to give us attractive image files of Christmas greetings; it's not quite a shiny new game wrapped in festive paper but, still, it's the best that's on offer. Capcom Unity's approach this year was to run a contest for its readers to design the company's official card,...

  • News Nothing Would Make XSEED Happier Than Localising GameCenter CX 3, But It Isn't Happening

    Retro-themed sequel could remain Japan-only

    US publisher XSEED has ruled out localising the third GameCenter CX title, which means that the game could well remain a Japanese exclusive. The same fate befell GameCenter CX: Arino's Challenge 2, which XSEED passed on due to poor sales of Retro Game Challenge, the English version of the first GameCenter...