News Nintendo Acknowledges Network Issues and Suggests Patience
eShop platforms now live for limited time periods
News Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter Releases Delayed in the West
Nintendo Network issues cited as the cause
News Pokémon Bank Withdrawn From 3DS eShop in Japan as Nintendo Network Issues Continue
Western release on 27th December in doubt
Review Wii Sports Club: Golf (Wii U eShop)
Definitely under par (that's a good thing)
Review LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril (3DS)
Another bag of bricks
Rumour Minecraft Is Already In Development For Wii U, GamePad Said To Be The Focus
Could be released by the end of 2014
News - 2013, Week 52
Sunday29th Dec 2013
News Nintendo Apologises for Nintendo Network Issues as Full eShop Services Return
Information on Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter "as soon as possible"
As most eager Nintendo gamers will be aware, the Nintendo Network suffered extensive problems and downtime on 25th / 26th December, with a gradual but limited return to services — particularly the eShop stores — on 27th / 28th December. It seems that all is now fully up and...
Round Table Let's Talk About Nintendo in 2013 - Wii U and Favourites of the Year
There were some awesome Wii U games this year, you know...
In the second part of our round table, covering 2013 — part one's discussion of the 3DS is right here — we talk over the Wii U and its biggest games. We also look ahead to what's coming, list some random favourite games and, somehow, return the subject to Altered Beast, as is now...
Matters Of Import Welcome To The Bizarre World Of Namco's Numan Athletics
'80s popstar Gary Numan sadly not involved
Nintendo’s Virtual Console service has been a constant treasure trove of classic gaming for many years now, covering hundreds of titles across some of the greatest systems to ever exist. It’s thrown up more than a few unexpected surprises along the way too – including this Japan-only port of the...
News Gunman Clive Sells Quarter Of A Million Copies Across All Formats, "Vast Majority" On 3DS
Japanese eShop sales have been "very good", too
Bertil Hörberg — the talented fellow behind the excellent Gunman Clive — has already revealed that the 3DS version of the game has sold better than its smartphone counterparts. However, he now has more good news to share — the game has been downloaded 250,000 times across all formats, with most...
Saturday28th Dec 2013
Review LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril (3DS)
Another bag of bricks
With a great franchise comes a great number of releases. In the case of the LEGO video games series, their multi-platform games have hit just about every major gaming console of the past 10 years. Having no desire to be left out of the series’ success, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril brings an original adventure...
News Nintendo Network Services Now Starting to "Operate Normally"
Europe provides update to state that store will still close for 12 hours
Update 2: Nintendo of America appears to be making some progress in returning to a full service in the region, having all services up and running with the exception of the 3DS eShop, which is closed from 4pm Eastern until 4am Eastern on 29th December. [tweet Update: As of...
Round Table Let's Talk About Nintendo in 2013 - 3DS
Some serious and not-so-serious discussion, with a little madness
A little before Christmas a number of Nintendo Life staffers got together in a large, comfortable virtual room and had a chat about Nintendo throughout 2013. There were some well-judged and considered opinions on the prospective years of the 3DS and Wii U, some moments of silliness...
News Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker HD Is One Of Ken Levine's Best Games Of 2013
Irrational Games creative director and co-founder loves a bit of Link
While many of us would have preferred a brand-new Zelda adventure to play on our shiny new Wii U consoles in 2013, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD was the next best thing. A gorgeous remaster of a certified classic, the game kept many Nintendo fans happy this year —...
News Sega Looking To Bring More Free-To-Play Titles To The 3DS
Initial D: Perfect Drift Online just the beginning, says Toshihiro Nagoshi
Sega is currently working on Initial D: Perfect Drift Online, a Free-to-Play 3DS title which is scheduled for release in Japan this Winter. Speaking to Famitsu, Toshihiro Nagoshi has revealed that the game is merely the start of a prolonged campaign to see how freemium gaming...
Friday27th Dec 2013
News Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter Releases Delayed in the West
Nintendo Network issues cited as the cause
Boxing Day was an odd day in the world of Nintendo Downloads. Issues with the Nintendo Network continued, while Nintendo disabled Pokémon Bank and withdrew it from the eShop in Japan; it emerged that the launch of the app on 25th December in the company's homeland had contributed to the issues we've...
Competition Win The Prima Official Game Guide The Legend of Zelda: Box Set
A treasure trove
Santa may have been and gone for the year 2013, but in our opinion it's still the season for giving. With this in mind Nintendo Life is thrilled to bring you a very special competition this Christmas courtesy of the lovely folks at Prima Games, who earlier this year released the exceptional The Legend of Zelda: Box Set of Prima...
News Notch "Not Aware of Any Plans" for Minecraft on Wii U
That'll be that, then...
Earlier this week we shared a rumour that Minecraft was in development for Wii U, but urged that you take it with a bucket of salt. It originated from a claim based on an unnamed retail source, and while we wondered how a retailer would know that Mojang was working on Minecraft on Wii U development kits, it was certainly...
News UK Champion Sami Cetin Breaks World Record Barrier On First Ever Mario Kart Track
21 years after release, the record is pushed even further
On Christmas Day 2013 — 21 years after UK gamers received Super Mario Kart for the SNES — a great Time Trial World Record barrier was broken. The person who achieved this feat is none other than current UK Champion Sami Cetin, who is currently ranked 2nd overall Worldwide on the PAL...
Review Banana Bliss: Jungle Puzzles (3DS eShop)
A jungle trek that won't break the bank
Simplicity isn't always a bad thing. Handheld titles are inherently more limited in technical scope than their more advanced home console contemporaries, but that doesn't necessarily make them lesser games. The 3DS eShop has had no shortage of downloadable beauties in 2013, ranging from simple to sublime, and...
Feature Our Nintendo Moments of 2013 - Part Two
Tom, Dave and Lewis share their favourite 2013 memories
In the slightly delayed second part of this series, three more members of the Nintendo Life team share their favourite moments and memories from 2013. This time around we have features editor Tom Whitehead, US reviewer Dave Letcavage and news hound Lewis Childs. Tom Whitehead: 2013 has...
Video Persona Q Website Shows New Footage
Some downloadable goodies for your PC too!
The Persona Q website has been updated with a new trailer showing off a lot of new event scenes in both movie and real-time forms, as well as some brief and irritatingly small screens of actual gameplay. Sharp-eyed readers may also spot a quick cameo from Catherine's Vincent Brooks! The trailer closes with...
Thursday26th Dec 2013
News Pokémon Bank Withdrawn From 3DS eShop in Japan as Nintendo Network Issues Continue
Western release on 27th December in doubt
Since Christmas Day there have been serious problems with the Nintendo Network, with the big N assuring gamers that its working hard to resolve the issue. At the time of writing various online games are functional, but there are still problems with both eShop platforms and the 3DS version of Miiverse across...
Nintendo Download 26th December (North America)
Dr. Luigi, CastleStorm, Pokémon Bank, many discounts and more
Update: Perhaps unsurprisingly, Nintendo has now confirmed that the release of Pokémon Bank is delayed, contrary to the Download Update issued on Boxing Day. Original Article: Nintendo is yet to update its official press site, but the latest Download Update details have been...
News Clash Of Clans Creator Supercell Doesn't Want To Compete With Nintendo
Smartphone studio has been branded "The Finnish Nintendo"
Supercell's Clash of Clans and Hay Day are two of the most popular and profitable games on the iTunes App Store, but the company behind them is relatively new — Supercell was only founded in 2010. However, the studio's incredible success — which was emphatically underlined by the recent...
News Zelda Unveiled as New Smash Bros. Challenger
The legendary Princess is back
It seems that even the festive season doesn't stop Masahiro Sakurai and his team from bringing us more Super Smash Bros. goodness. The official website for the game is once again causing buzz with the unveiling of a new challenger, and it's the return of another favourite. Zelda has been revealed this time, once again...
News Nintendo Dominates Festive Hardware Charts in Japan
Wii U sales increase to over 100,000 units
The most recent Japanese Media Create game charts were revealed on Christmas Day, and will have certainly brought festive cheer to Nintendo HQ. In the last full shopping week before the big day there were major successes for the company in terms of both hardware and software, with the 3DS dominant and the...
Review Life with Horses 3D (3DS eShop)
Say neigh
Horses are magnificent creatures. Whether humble labourers or prize-winning performers, each is a complex creature that can be both challenging and rewarding to care for and understand. Life with Horses 3D manages to portray the aspect of hard work in raising horses, but puts the whole “rewarding” part out to pasture. Players in the...
Feature A Year in Development - Shin'en Multimedia
Life in the FAST lane
In our third Year in Development feature we have a guest article from Shin'en Multimedia's Manfred Linzner. The eShop developer has, over a number of years, forged a reputation for developing high-quality, polished games on Nintendo's download platforms. In this article Linzner summarises the studio's 2013, including surprise...
Wednesday25th Dec 2013
News Nintendo Acknowledges Network Issues and Suggests Patience
eShop platforms now live for limited time periods
Update 3: In its own version of Nintendo of Europe's update, Nintendo of America has now confirmed that the eShop platforms are live once again, but will be offline in the Americas between 4pm and 4am Eastern Time. You can see the full update post on the company's official Facebook page. Update 2:...
Feature Time to Vote For Your Game of the Year 2013
You thought we'd forgotten...
2013 is drawing to a close, so you know what that means — annual awards. As is becoming our norm we'll have staff awards, votes of which will be counted shortly, while also giving you the chance to contribute to the Reader Awards. There can be no injustice in the ultimate online democracy, we hope... In past years...
Feature Our Nintendo Moments of 2013 - Part One
Ron, Morgan and Lee share Nintendo memories
In the first of a festive two-part series, some of your humble Nintendo Life writers share their favourite Nintendo gaming memories of 2013. In this first part we have three of our U.S. reviewers and news hounds, Ron DelVillano, Morgan Sleeper and Lee Meyer. Ron DelVillano: One of the strangest...
News Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays From All At Nintendo Life
A time for games
It's Christmas Day, a time for family, friends, and gaming. The festive season may mean different things to different people, but hopefully the act of spreading good will and being awesome towards each other is universal — if in doubt play some Nintendo games, they always lighten the mood. We've had another wonderful year here at...
Tuesday24th Dec 2013
Review Wii Sports Club: Golf (Wii U eShop)
Definitely under par (that's a good thing)
It seems slightly odd that, nearly two-and-a-half years after it made an appearance in the big reveal of Wii U at E3 2011, we now finally get to play Wii Sports Club: Golf. Perhaps unlike its contemporaries to date — Bowling and Tennis — this is the first of the new download-only series that feels like...
Rumour Minecraft Is Already In Development For Wii U, GamePad Said To Be The Focus
Could be released by the end of 2014
Minecraft is something of a smash hit, having sold over 30 million copies since its launch a few years back. The game is currently being ported to the PS3, PS4, PS Vita and Xbox One — and, if a new rumour is to be believed, the Wii U. The source is a retailer who has previously shared inside information with...
News Do You Want This Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-Themed NES? It'll Cost You A Pretty Penny
Heroes on a NES shell, Turtle power!
Sometimes a good console modification can brighten a day. We've seen plenty such as a custom Tron Nintendo 64, a Zelda-inspired SNES and a Luigi-themed 2DS; now more recently, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle coated NES. The console features Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo on a backlit panel, with...
Guide Understanding The Basics Of Japanese For Import Gaming Goodness
Prospective import players: We've got you covered
Buying and playing Japanese imports is one of gaming's little adventures. It can be exciting and rewarding, but it's not without its pitfalls — the most obvious of which is the language barrier. While many import games will feature a small amount of English text, most will be impenetrable to those...
Feature 12 Days of Christmas - Super Mario 3D World Captures Hearts
A perfect Christmas Day game
Over the past two weeks we've covered eleven games, trends or events from the year that we feel represent some of the best of Nintendo in 2013; we'll have a lot more 2013 reminiscences and Game of The Year awards in the coming week, too. Yet it seemed appropriate to end this series on potentially the biggest high for...
Video Bravely Second Teaser Trailer Goes Live
An even bigger tease than presents under the Christmas tree
Square Enix has just released a short teaser trailer for Bravely Second, the sequel to the beautiful 3DS RPG Bravely Default. Like all good teaser videos it reveals absolutely nothing and yet somehow still leaves you gasping for more - the video opens with a fantastic shot of Istantahl...
Competition Winners The Twelve Days of Animal Crossing Christmas
And now Christmas has started...
Not too long ago we launched our 12 Days of Christmas Animal Crossing competition in collaboration with Nintendo UK. The big N kindly provided the lyrics for a new version of the famous song and we asked you — our lovely readers — to sing your hearts out in front of a camera. And you know what? A surprising...
Monday23rd Dec 2013
Nintendo Download 26th December and 2nd January (Europe)
Storming castles, classic Mario, Pokémon banking, EDGE and much more
Update: Nintendo of Europe issued details for two full weeks of downloads previously, so a fresh update isn't expected. Please note that Pokémon Bank has been delayed due to the Nintendo Network server issues encountered during the festive season. Original Article: With this...
News Wii U "More Than Capable" Of Providing The Core Project CARS Experience, Says Developer
Slightly Mad's Andy Tudor says Wii U version is "extremely promising"
Project CARS is a unique game in more ways than one. A rival to the likes of Gran Turismo and Forza, the racer has been crowd-funded and is being developed with the assistance of more than 35,000 backers. Alongside Kickstarter, Slightly Mad's Worlds of Mass Development platform...
Review Castlevania (Wii U eShop / NES)
Just like Dracula, it keeps coming back to life...
Konami, admittedly following the lead of others such as Nintendo and Capcom, sure likes to remind us it was making awesome games way back in the 1980s. "Hey", it says, "remember how great Castlevania was on the NES?" We sure do, Konami and, oh look, now we can buy it again on the Wii U! It's one of...
Feature A Week of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Screens - Issue Eighteen
Rosalina and Luma! Wily Stage! Cool Nintendo Direct video! Other stuff!
It's the last entry of this series of features before Christmas, and we think last week's screens will certainly help us get into the seasonal spirit. As always Masahiro Sakurai took to the Super Smash Bros. Director's Room on Miiverse to share screens of Super Smash Bros.,...
Feature 12 Days of Christmas - Pokémon X & Y and the 2DS, Perfect Together
Rapidashing through the snow with a Horsea on our sleigh
The Pokémon series has certainly evolved (some might even say mega-evolved) since the days of Pocket Monsters Akai and Pocket Monsters Midori in 1995. While franchise creator Satoshi Tajiri still has a hand in the development of main series Pokémon games, things have certainly moved on since...
Review Orion's Odyssey (DSiWare)
A little Odyssey
Island Officials' Kickstarter-funded puzzler Orion's Odyssey is the spiritual successor to Hands On! Tangrams, a fun but one-note title that had solid gameplay but little variety and was severely lacking in presentation. Island Officials has crafted a more polished experience with a charming presentation and story, but with...
Video Nintendo Minute Chooses Its Top Games of the Year
All must have games
Over the past week we've shared a mini series of videos from "Nintendo Minute", a regular YouTube show from Nintendo of America. Its hosts have been shortlisting their favourite 3DS, eShop and Wii U games, and in the final part confirmed each other's top choices. We should think only one guess is required to predict the Wii U...
News Animal Crossing: New Leaf Climbs Back Into the UK Top 20
Remainder hold firm or drop slightly
The last UK chart results before Christmas are in, and they show a largely steady week with minimal changes, albeit with some discounts or last minute rushes moving some positions around. The best story from Nintendo's perspective is Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which climbed eight places in the all-format charts...
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News Nintendo Acknowledges Network Issues and Suggests Patience
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