Review SpongeBob Squarepants: Plankton's Robotic Revenge (Wii U)
Best left in a pineapple under the sea
Nintendo Download 2nd January (North America)
It's déjà vu, plus some additional treats
News - 2014, Week 01
Sunday5th Jan 2014
News NES Remix Miiverse Contest Cancelled Due To Emergence Of Exploit
Cheaters never prosper, but ruin it for everyone else
Remember that NES Remix Time Attack Challenge contest we told you about not so long ago? Turns out Nintendo has discovered an exploit within the game which allows players to post a faster time. Director Koichi Hayashida has therefore issued a statement via Miiverse regarding the termination of...
News Award Winning Zelda-Themed Short Film, "Escape", To Get Feature Length Follow-Up
"PRINCESS IN ANOTHER CASTLE" to tackle similar themes
Way back in October 2012 we shared an award-winning, emotive and challenging Zelda-themed video called Escape. It portrayed some difficult times for a young girl that was miserable at school, before going home to a breaking family as well as physical and emotional abuse. Her escape was in the...
News Inazuma Eleven Is Finding The Back Of The Net On North American 3DS Consoles This Year
Popular soccer RPG coming in Q1
Level-5's Inazuma Eleven series has become something of a hit in its native Japan, spawning an anime series, comic adaptation and countless other items of merchandise. The games have also been released in Europe, but thus far they have ignored North America — possibly down to soccer's relatively lowly status when...
News Awesome Games Done Quick Seven Day Event Kicks Off Today
The title says it all
Last year we reported on an extraordinary Ocarina of Time speed-run by Cosmo Wright, in which he beat the game in 22 minutes (a record he'd subsequently improve) and narrated as he went along. That first time was set at AGDQ 2013 (Awesome Games Done Quick), a live stream event over seven days that raised $448,000 for cancer...
Competition Winners Prima Zelda Game Guides Box Set
Who gets a second dose of Christmas joy?
Just after Christmas we launched our Win The Prima Official Game Guide The Legend of Zelda: Box Set competition, giving readers across both North America and the United Kingdom the chance to win one of these luxurious box sets. We asked "Who has included a very special message in the Prima Games Zelda Box...
Saturday4th Jan 2014
Review Wipeout: Create & Crash (Wii U)
Primetime pratfalls
ABC's Wipeout - transatlantic cousin to the BBC's Total Wipeout - is a long running television show that sees a motley crew of caricatured contestants enthusiastically flinging themselves through, over, and off of the real-life equivalents of foam-padded platforming levels. It's also had quite a few video game adaptations over...
A different side of the same cube
We are already big fans of EDGE on the Wii U eShop, a release in which it was one-third of the Two Tribes Classics trilogy. Its arrival on the 3DS is as a solo flyer, and perhaps on a screen size that'll be more familiar to veterans of the mobigame title that Two Tribes has so effectively promoted to gamers of all...
Review Cubit The Hardcore Platformer Robot (3DS eShop)
What’s in a name?
We're often told that it’s not safe to judge a book by its cover. The adventures and perils that lie within those pages can often be very different than what is offered up by the image imprinted on a book's front, but we all do it anyway. Marketers and publishers know that we're drawn to book covers; it's the first thing that...
Friday3rd Jan 2014
News Luigi Nendoroid Figure Up for Preorder
In this, the Eternity of Luigi
That Luigi diorama offered on Club Nintendo is pretty sweet, but has having the coins or stars for it before preorders sold out been a pipe dream? Don't fret; other options exist. Cute options. A 10-cm (3.9-inch) PVC Luigi Nendoroid figure is currently up for preorder on J-Box. The Man in Green is posable and comes...
Saturday4th Jan 2014
Matters of Import Dessert-Based Adventures With Kaeru No Tame Ni Kane Wa Naru
That Zelda-ish game with the frog guy
Twenty one years ago, Game Boy fans were graced with the wonderful Link’s Awakening, an action-adventure classic that has quite rightfully taken its place in gaming history as one of the greatest games in both the Game Boy’s library and The Legend of Zelda series. But a year before that, Japanese gamers had...
News Tantalus Media Seeking Staff With Wii U Experience for New Triple-A Title
Funky Barn 2: The Cattle's Revenge?
Wii U owners have had to endure plenty of game announcements that have skipped Wii U in recent months, so we're happy to jump on any news that suggests an upcoming project is destined for the Nintendo system alongside its new rivals in the market. It seems that a "new AAA Next-Gen title" from Tantalus Media, a...
Friday3rd Jan 2014
News Western Version Of Bravely Default Features Costume Changes For Female Characters
Ages also bumped upwards
When Japanese games are localised for western release it's often the case that publishers such as Nintendo decide that certain elements need to be changed in order to make things suitable for a western audience. We saw this recently with Tharja's bottom in Fire Emblem: Awakening's DLC, and it would appear that Bravely...
Review Super Punch-Out!! (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Brain over brawn
Whereas Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream is consistently considered to be one of the best games on the NES, console sequel Super Punch-Out!! seldom appears in the top 10 when recalling the best games on the SNES. Did the puzzle-fight formula not hold up as well for the second time around at home, or was 16-bit competition just that...
Talking Point Is The Castlevania Series Finished With Nintendo?
Fangs for the memories, but is it time to move on?
Ever since it began in 1986, Konami's Castlevania series has been closely associated with Nintendo. The vampire-slaying lineage started life on the Famicom Disk System in Japan and shortly afterwards found worldwide fame on the NES. Since then, the franchise has seen some of its most famous and...
Review Girls' Fashion Shoot (3DS)
Fashionably fun
It's apparently every young girl's dream to become a model - wearing the latest clothing trend, looking fabulous walking down the catwalk with photographers on the sidewalk capturing the moment. Girls' Fashion Shoot provides just that, but substituting the catwalk for magazine photo shoots while sitting comfortably at home. As the...
News Renegade Kid Teases Announcement for "FPS Lovers and 3DS Owners"
Engage speculation mode
We do like a good tease here on Nintendo Life, as developers dangle an announcement in front of our noses before snatching it away, with a wink and cheeky smile all we have to go on. Jools Watsham — co-founder of Renegade Kid — knows that some like a little bit of mystery, and has given us a taster with confirmation that...
News Genius Sonority Has Something "Challenging" In Store For Fans In 2014
Denpa Men studio working on new software this year
Genius Sonority has revealed in an interview with 4Gamer that it is hard at work on new content for 2014, and that it could prove to be quite a stern test for players. The Japanese company — famous for its Denpa Men series — isn't able to give a name to this new project yet, but president...
Thursday2nd Jan 2014
Feature The Biggest 3DS Games of 2014
2013 set a high standard
2013 was a terrific year for the 3DS, when the recovery of 2012 was consolidated into a year of substantial sales and critical acclaim from gamers. The line-up of games throughout the year probably wasn't as substantial as popular perception would suggest, but it was a case of a small quantity delivering excellent quality,...
Nintendo Download 2nd January (North America)
It's déjà vu, plus some additional treats
This week's Nintendo Download update for North America is in, though it prompts a distinct feeling of déjà vu due to it being almost identical to last week's update; just two new downloads make an appearance. Our suspicion is that the details are reiterated to compensate for any confusion or loss of...
News Shenmue's Ryo Hazuki Is Speeding Towards Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
"I see"
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed was one of the true gems of the Wii U's early software line-up, and until Mario Kart 8 crosses the finish line and hits store shelves it remains one of the console's best racers. After a leaked reveal on Yogscast a short time ago, Sega has been tweeting various images over the fes
News Wii U Skylanders Bundle Deal Heading to GameStop This Weekend
A tempter for U.S. shoppers
With the festive shopping season now gone, retailers begin the challenging task of making us all spend even more money, after so many splashed the cash at the end of 2013. GameStop has sounded the New Year retail desperation klaxon with its first run of promotions for 2014, while also declaring this to be the "Year of...
Video Capcom's Local Japanese Commercials For Monster Hunter 4 Are Pretty Funny
Cats, singers and wrestlers all feature
Monster Hunter 4 launched in Japan last year but Capcom is giving the title another promotional push on home soil with a series of commercials which are exclusive to different regions in the country. These ads — which you can view below — range from strange to downright hilarious, and only serve to make...
Matters Of Import Conflict Is Always On The Cards In Sega's Sangokushi Taisen Ten
Like Magic the Gathering and Dynasty Warriors after a stint in a blender
Sangokushi Taisen is a long-running and popular series in Japanese arcades, its initially strange mix of collectable trading cards and real-time strategy turning out to not only be incredibly good fun but also commercially successful; it has spawning multiple sequels,...
Wednesday1st Jan 2014
Feature The Biggest Wii U Games of 2014
Some good 'uns are on the way
A new year is here, and with it comes the opportunity for Nintendo and its partners to excite Wii U owners in the best possible way — with great games. We've decided to list some of the most anticipated and exciting games coming to the Wii U in 2014, all as a taste of what's to come. Our aim with this list is to...
Review SpongeBob Squarepants: Plankton's Robotic Revenge (Wii U)
Best left in a pineapple under the sea
Not content with his role as star of an immensely successful Nickelodeon cartoon and enviable position as the world's most popular anthropomorphized sponge, SpongeBob Squarepants also enjoys a prolific and presumably lucrative side-career in the world of video games. This latest release, Plankton's Robotic...
Talking Point New Year Resolutions for Nintendo
We can all improve
With 2014 now here, it provides an opportunity to take stock and consider ambitions for the year, as well as identify areas of improvement. We can all do better things and improve ourselves, but what of major corporations? The same rule applies to them, so below are some suggestions for Nintendo, which brought us so much to enjoy...
News Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon Figurine Spooked Off Club Nintendo
Unfortunately they're all gone
During Nintendo's latest European and North American Direct broadcasts in December, the company revealed a Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon figurine, making it available right away on Club Nintendo in Europe and as a pre-order in North America. Unfortunately, it appears that the collectable is now sold out on the North...
Video This Dr. Luigi Trailer May Be The Perfect Remedy
Available now in North America
It may have slipped the attention due to its release date, but Dr. Luigi arrived on the Wii U eShop in North America on 31st December 2013 for $14.99, with its arrival in Europe set for 15th January. It continues the popular falling block puzzling well-known with Luigi's brother, introducing some new modes and also...
Tuesday31st Dec 2013
Review Angry Birds Star Wars (Wii U)
The one that flew over the cuckoo's nest
Star Wars games have had something of a tumultuous journey in recent years. Whereas the nineties and early noughties saw a slew of fantastic Star Wars games, there’s no denying that quality control has taken something of a back seat in more recent times. The franchise has been increasingly used to primarily...
Feature A Week of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Screens - Issue Nineteen
Rainbow Road 3DS stage! Yellow things! Zelda! More!
We're a day late with this article, so our apologies. As is always the case Masahiro Sakurai took to the Super Smash Bros. Director's Room on Miiverse to share screens of Super Smash Bros., even doing so during the main Holiday week. He has confirmed that the pic of the day feature is taking a...
Game of the Year Nintendo Life Readers' Awards 2013
You have spoken
On Christmas Day we asked you to choose your Game of the Year winners, and we've been delighted by your enthusiasm to do just that. We received thousands of votes across all categories as you had your say on the best gaming that was on offer with Nintendo's systems. The categories were the same as for our Staff choices, yet you...
Site News How was 2013 for Nintendo Life?
Killed it
Whilst 2013 might not go down in history as a vintage year for Nintendo, it draws to a close with Wii U sales seemingly on the increase and 3DS still holding its firm dominance of the handheld market. For us, here at Nintendo Life, 2013 has been a fantastic year - our best yet. If I had to choose a single highlight of running a gaming...
News Cliff Bleszinski Seems Pretty Pleased With Nintendo's Willingness To Put Fun First
More positive words from the former Epic man
Not so long ago we reported that Cliff "Cliffy B" Bleszinski had some very kind words to say about Super Mario 3D World, but the former Epic Games staffer has more positive things to say about Nintendo. He has taken to Twitter to praise the Japanese company's business approach at a time when other...
News StreetPass Games Producers Tell Origins of Mii Plaza's Playground
Also explain that pesky 10-Mii limit
With all the fond looks-backsie on the year that was in gaming, the creative, StreetPass-powered games pushed by that rabbit who suddenly appeared in the 3DS Mii Plaza tend to be overlooked. Stephen Totilo, a self-professed fan of the games at Kotaku, thought this was a shame, so he went straight to Nintendo to...
Monday30th Dec 2013
Game of the Year Nintendo Life's Staff Awards 2013
A great year for gaming
As 2013 draws to a close it's time to look back and consider which games we enjoyed the most, and then heartily debate the results. It's Game of the Year time, and first up we have the Nintendo Life staff votes. The categories for the site's staff were the same as those in the community votes, though the results were...
News New Ace Attorney Title Confirmed to be in Development
Hopefully being pointed towards 3DS
Although its download-only release format won't have been to the taste of all series fans, gamers outside of Japan thankfully got a chance to play the latest entry in the Ace Attorney series — Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies — on the 3DS eShop; we thought it turned out rather well, awarding 9/10...
News Eurogamer's Game of the Year is a Nintendo Winner
A purrfect result?
Later today we'll publish the results of our staff votes for Game of the Year, in a whole host of categories, with the Reader votes to be counted and shared tomorrow for the Community Awards. We're fascinated to see which games come out as winners in various categories, but while we collate votes we thought we'd share the overall...
Review Bird Mania Christmas (3DS eShop)
Making holiday travel fun
We loved Bird Mania 3D. Its superficial simplicity hid a surprising gem of a game that sunk its talons into us and never let go; news of Bird Mania Christmas, as you might expect, got us very excited indeed. The fact that it missed release in time for the holiday is unfortunate, but the game itself is no worse for the...
Video This New Harmony of Heroes Smash Bros. Album Trailer Sets the Scene
Let's play spot the franchise
Earlier this year we told you about Harmony of Heroes, a Smash Bros. fan album from the same group that led the Harmony of a Hunter Metroid music projects. Like those albums, when this offering arrives in 2014 it'll be a free download, with a dedicated website to be setup soon. As a number of months had passed since...


































































