Tag: Anniversaries
Poll What's Your Favourite Gen 4 Pokémon?
Sinnohs
Pokémon turns 30 on 27th February, and in honour of this momentous anniversary, we're running a series of polls leading up to the big day, asking you to vote for your favourite Pokémon from each generation. The nine winners will then go head-to-head in a final poll at the end of the month. We're covering a generation a day until we've...
News Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom "Exclusive Edition" Link Statue Announced, Here's A Sneak Peek
Pre-orders open next week
Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and it appears First 4 Figures will be joining in on the fun. In a new announcement this week, the statue maker has given its followers on social media and YouTube a "sneak peek" of a new Tears of the Kingdom - Link statue. If it looks familiar,...
Poll What's Your Favourite Gen 3 Pokémon?
Hoenned
Pokémon turns 30 on 27th February, and in honour of this momentous anniversary, we're running a series of polls leading up to the big day, asking you to vote for your favourite Pokémon from each generation. The nine winners will then go head-to-head in a final poll at the end of the month. We're covering a generation a day until we've...
Poll What's Your Favourite Gen 2 Pokémon?
Head to Johto
On 27th February, Pokémon turns 30, and in honour of this momentous anniversary, we're running a series of polls leading up to the big day, asking you to vote for your favourite Pokémon from each generation. The nine winners will then go head-to-head in a final poll at the end of the month. We'll be covering a generation every day...
News Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition Is Getting A Physical Switch Release
Pre-orders are now live
Alongside the release of Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition on the Switch eShop and multiple other digital platforms this week, Ubisoft and Atari have also confirmed a physical Switch release is on the way. Pre-orders are now live on the Atari website for $29.99 (or your regional equivalent) and it's due out on 26th June 2026...
Poll What's Your Favourite Gen 1 Pokémon?
Kanto bright
On 27th February, Pokémon turns 30. That's three whole decades of exploring many and various regions to find monsters, battle monsters, and pocket monsters - and we've all got our personal favourites. And they're not always just our starter, either! Sure, you build up a special relationship with your first Pokémon each generation,...
News Pokémon Pinball Machine Officially Revealed By Stern Pinball, Available Now
Here's a first look!
As part of Pokémon's 30th anniversary celebrations, Stern Pinball has now officially revealed its new Pokémon pinball machine. It's available right now in "pro", "premium" and "limited edition" models. The limited edition is "limited" to 750 units globally, and prices range between $6,999 - $12,999, depending on the model. If...
Community Pokémon Turns 30 Soon - Send Us Your Pocket Monster Memories
I choose YOU
27th February marks the anniversary of Pokémon Red and Green in Japan, but this year's event is an extra special one: the Pokémon series is turning 30 years old. Yes, that little RPG about catching cute and not-so-cute monsters and doing battle with your pals has been going for three entire decades. In that time, it's evolved from...
News Konami's Anniversary Revival Of Castlevania Is Only Just Beginning, Expect More "New Products"
First up is Belmont's Curse
Konami is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Castlevania series this year, and the celebrations officially began today with the announcement of Castlevania: Belmont's Curse for multiple platforms including Switch. Now, on the series' anniversary webpage, the Castlevania production team has shared a special message,...
News Surprise! Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition Arrives On Switch This Week
Rayman is officially back!
Following rumours and a recent rating, we've now got an official announcement! Ubisoft's Rayman is back and he'll be returning in Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition. This title has been confirmed for the original Switch and multiple other platforms, and the most exciting part is it's out this week on 13th February 2026! The...
News Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Unveiled For Switch, Launching In 2026
"Set 23 years after Castlevania Dracula's Curse"
As part of the Castlevania 40th anniversary celebrations, Konami announced Castlevania: Belmont's Curse during the latest PlayStation 'State of Play' broadcast. Evil Empire and Motion Twin (known for Dead Cells and The Rogue Prince of Persia) are helping out with the development of the title, and it...
News Diablo II: Resurrected Announces New 'Warlock' Class, And It's Available Today
Celebrating 30 years of Diablo
As part of Blizzard's 30th anniversary spotlight broadcast for the Diablo series this week, it has surprised fans with the release of brand new paid DLC for Diablo II: Resurrected. It's called Reign of the Warlock and is available today from the Switch eShop for $24.99 / £20.99 or your regional equivalent. It...
News Rayman Really Is Back, According To The Series Creator
"I think there's a kind of remake planned"
[Tue 10th Feb, 2026 04:45 GMT]: Although Ubisoft has only just done a major organisational restructure, it's already been confirmed the mascot Rayman is part of the company's future plans. Now, following a rating for a Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition last month
News Pokémon Pinball Teased By Stern Pinball, Prices Start At $6,999
"Your next challenge has arrived"
Pokémon is celebrating 30 years this year, and as part of this, trainers around the globe can expect all sorts of exciting (and surprising) announcements. Ahead of the annual event Pokémon Day, taking place later this month on 27th February 2026, Stern Pinball has announced it will be stepping into the battle...
News Konami And M2 Announce New Goemon Switch Collection, Here Are The 13 Retro Titles Included
Releasing in Japan this July
If you're a fan of the Goemon and Mystical Ninja series, there was a rather exciting 40th anniversary announcement shared during this week's Japanese Partner Showcase. Konami and the emulation experts at M2 are teaming up to release Ganbare Goemon! Daishuugo - a new retro collection coming to the Switch and multiple...
News Pokémon 30th Anniversary Nintendo Store Event Announced (US)
Pokémon Day is almost here!
Pokémon Day is taking place later this month, and ahead of this annual event, Nintendo has announced its US-based stores located in New York and San Francisco will be hosting special events. They're inviting trainers to celebrate the series' 30th anniversary, which will take place on 27th February 2026. Here's the full...
Anniversary 'The Last Story' Helped The Wii Go Out On A Real-Time High 15 Years Ago
Zael-ous advocates
Back at the tail-end of the Wii's run as the hottest console ticket in town, so around about 2011 to be precise, there were a few special RPGs that released in rather quick succession to give Nintendo's magic box a surprisingly exciting last hurrah. Indeed, casting my mind back now — and unaided by AI, I'll have you know — I...
News Surprise! Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition Has Been Rated
The party is just getting started
Ubisoft's Rayman series is currently celebrating 30 years, and it seems an announcement could be taking place soon. A new rating has appeared on the Australian Classification Board for Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition. The classification took place on 22nd January 2026. Additional details list Atari as the developer...
News Pokémon's Game Boy Development Process Took A "Great Deal Of Trial And Error"
Realising the "simple concept" with limited resources wasn't easy
Although Pokémon has become a global powerhouse over the past 30 years, the series' beginnings didn't necessarily happen overnight. In a special video message during the New York Game Awards recently (where Pokémon received the prestigious 'Andrew Yoon Legend Award' for industry...
Anniversary Resident Evil: Deadly Silence Is 20 Years Old Today - Were You A Fan?
You were almost a Jill sandwich!
Resident Evil has a special place in my heart, and not just because it's a stone-cold classic of gaming, a bona fide icon of the horror genre, and all that sort of guff. No, I also have very fond memories of riding the bus home with the original PlayStation release of this particular game clutched tightly to my...
Anniversary The First Handheld 'Contra' Is 35 Years Old Today
Konami-coded
Back in the 1980s, and more specifically 1987, Contra in its original coin-op form was a game so awe-inspiring in its action, its graphics, and its weapons (you never forget you first spreader) that everyone who was anyone — which meant I was out from the get-go-- was to be found down their local arcade pumping coins into the bleeding...
News It's Official, Fitness Boxing 3 Is Getting Persona 5 Royal DLC
Out later this week
Imagineer, the developer behind Fitness Boxing, appears to be teasing a new collab with the Persona series. An official post on the Fitness Boxing social media account has shared some dialogue, and it's displayed with a Persona 5-style user interface. Here's what it says, according to a translation (via Gematsu): ???:
News Atlus Opens Persona 30th Anniversary Website
The next update arrives soon
In case you missed it, Atlus is celebrating Persona's 30th anniversary this year, and to get the party underway, it's now opened a special website. The Persona 30th Anniversary Portal includes an original illustration from character designer Sigenori Soejima, showing off the faces of the franchise. Apart from this,...
News Pokémon Kicks Off 30th Anniversary Celebrations With Animated Logo Reveal
Feeling old yet?
It's a new year, and the video game industry is already gearing up for some absolutely huge celebrations. The monster-catching powerhouse Pokémon will celebrate 30 years on 27th February 2026, and to kick off this special occasion, The Pokémon Company has now shared its animated logo for the 30th anniversary. It shows Pikachu...
Feature "We're Going To Need More Toilet Paper" - This Is Mario Kart-Attack!
A Mario Kart Live anniversary blowout
We may only be a few months into a shiny, new Mario Kart game with lush open worlds and challenges aplenty, but as I scrap it out in yet another Knockout Tour or pootle about for P Switches and Peach Coins, I can’t help but yearn for something a little more familiar. It’s a sentiment shared by many, if...
Feature Jump, Man - A Celebration Of The Greatest Jumps In Gaming
Jump day
Super Mario Bros. is now 40 years old. To celebrate this big anniversary, Omar looks back over four decades of gaming's greatest verb and/or noun... When's the last time you jumped? Maybe when hopping from a kerb over an autumn puddle. Maybe bouncing up and down to House of Pain or that Blackpink song. Maybe you literally 'jump into bed'...
News McDonald's Has Another TCG Promo In The Works For Pokémon's 30th Anniversary
In a pickle
The 30th anniversary of Pokémon is fast approaching on 27th February 2026, and it seems McDonald's will be putting Pokémon cards in its Happy Meals in a new promo similar to past events. According to a report from PokéBeach, it will run from February into March, with exact dates depending on the country, but that's all the details...
Opinion Cult Classic 'Tokimeki Memorial' Hits Switch - But 30 Years On, It's Still Out Of Reach
Forever with you; never with us
True love lasts forever – and so do some games. Tokimeki Memorial: Forever with You, the legendary dating sim from 1995, is hooking up with Switch next month to celebrate 30 years on the scene. Immaculately presented but bewilderingly complex, TokiMemo is a foundational piece of video game history that defined a...
It can’t wait to make “another announcement”
Persona 3 Reload only arrived on the Switch 2 in October, but there’s plenty more to come... Speaking to the Japanese website 4Gamer.net as part of its annual end-of-year developer interview feature recently, Atlus producer and director Kazuhisa Wada (who has worked on Persona 5 Royal and Persona...
Feature But The Future Can Change - Chrono Trigger And Learning To Love The World
The Corridors of Time
Note: If you haven't played Chrono Trigger to completion...what are you playing at? If you're sensitive to spoilers, come back when you're done as we discuss end-game details below... “But... the future refused to change.” For the most part, Chrono Trigger is a chirpy, cheery game. It’s lightning in a bottle, a...
Happy birthday, but also why?
Has it really been eight entire years? Yes, it really actually has, so sit up and pay attention at the back. Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which as every Xenoblade nerd worth their salt knows is actually the third game released in the series, dropped into existence on this very day back in 2017, and it's a bit good. We gave...
News Legend Of Mana: The Art Of Mana - 30th Anniversary Edition Is Getting An English Version
It's now available to pre-order
Dark Horse and Square Enix are celebrating three decades of the Mana series with an English version of Legend of Mana: The Art of Mana - 30th Anniversary Edition book. This is the first time this book has been published in English and will give fans a "deeper look" at the action RPG. Here's some additional PR: "A...
Feature The Tightest, Briskest Mario & Luigi Game Turns 20 Today And Deserves More Love
Silent partner
For many years, it felt like Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time was the redheaded stepchild of the Mario & Luigi series. People criticised it for its more linear structure, overly long boss battles (at least in the US version), having to purchase items to use Bros. Attacks, and slightly cumbersome gameplay, among other areas. Being...
Opinion 20 Years Later, Need For Speed: Most Wanted Is Still The Series' Best Outing
Most excellent
The Need for Speed video game franchise, much like those movies with Vin Diesel in them (you know, the car ones), well...there's a lot of them. In fact, there are over 20 Need For Speed games as things currently stand, and some of them are even good! Yep, I'd go so far as to say that some of them are very, very good indeed, and Need...
Poll 20 Years After Settling On DS, Do You Still Play Animal Crossing: Wild World?
Is your World Wild two decades on?
Animal Crossing was a bit of a cult hit when it launched on GameCube back in 2002 in the West. While it didn't start life on the purple box, that's where it made its name internationally. At least for a few million people who picked the game up. But, arguably, the series made itself known with its handheld debut...
Opinion Banjo-Tooie Is Pure Nightmare Fuel, And I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
Banjo-Too-Five-ie
One of the reasons I adore N64-gen Rare so much is because they loved testing the boundaries. What could they get away with in a cheeky, charming 3D platformer? Banjo-Kazooie was already dipping its toe in the water in a few subtle (and less-subtle) ways. “How's your nuts, bark breath?” is funny, but perhaps funnier with that...
Feature 10 Years On, Is Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival Really That Bad?
Bored game
Few games have tapped into the popular zeitgeist quite like Animal Crossing: New Horizons did back in 2020 at the onset of the global pandemic. It’s sold a whopping 48.62 million copies worldwide since launch, elevating Animal Crossing from a fan-favourite series to a full-fledged cultural phenomenon, earning its place alongside...
Anniversary Romancing SaGa 3 Celebrates 30 Years Of Eclipsing Death
An Octopath well-travelled
I think it's fair to say we got a bit of an unexpected gift when Square Enix re-released Romancing SaGa 3 for Switch back in November of 2019. While it may not generate quite the same level of excitement as your Final Fantasies (and that's understandable), Romancing SaGa 3 deserves any plaudits it gets for bringing a...
News Pokémon To Receive Prestigious Award At The 15th Annual New York Game Awards
"A new Legend has appeared!"
Pokémon has become an iconic staple of global pop culture, and as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, the New York Videogame Critics Circle has announced the franchise will be the recipient of the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at the New York Game Awards in 2026. This award recognises industry icons and organisations...
Anniversary 20 Years Ago, 'GUN' Brought America's Old West (And An All-Star Cast) To GameCube
Kris Kristofferson is my dad now
Ever feel like getting your video game cowboy on, but Red Dead Redemption and its kinda bloated sequel, as good as they are, just take way too long to bed into? You know what I mean. Rockstar's epics are the obvious go-to choices in this scenario. However, sometimes I just want to shoot stuff in the cowboy style,...
Site News Nintendo Life Turns 20 Today!
Mamma mia!
Wow, where to start? It’s official, though. It’s been 20 years since I sat down and cobbled together the somewhat infamous 'Our Nintendo Life Begins…' article back in late 2005, a world before iPhones, iPads, Fortnite, and YouTube wasn’t even a year old yet. How times have changed. Both generally and specifically, the video game...
News Nintendo Music Updated To Version 1.4.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Including an update for Animal Crossing tracks
[Fri 31st Oct, 2025 01:55 GMT]: In case you missed it, this week marks the first anniversary of the Nintendo Music mobile app for Switch Online subscribers. Nintendo already rolled out a music update earlier this week - adding the DS soundtrack New Super Mario Bros. and it's now apparently released a...
News Nintendo On Why The Mario Kart World Album Isn't Available For Nintendo Music
The music app is now a year old
Whether you're a fan of Mario Kart World or not, one thing every racer should probably agree on is that this new entry has an amazing soundtrack. If you are wondering why Nintendo hasn't added this album to its Nintendo Music service just yet, we've now got an official response. During a chat with The Washington Post...
Round Up Limited Run Games 10th Anniversary Special - Every Switch Announcement & Physical
Now including Capcom titles
The physical distributor Limited Run Games held a 10-year anniversary special this week, revealing over 25 new physical releases. We've already highlighted one rare NES platformer on the way to the Switch in 2026, and now, here's a round up of all the other Switch-related reveals. Limited Run also announced during this...
Opinion One Year On, Every Positive 'Pokémon TCG Pocket' Update Still Comes With A Catch
A flip-flopping Magikarp
About a year ago, I reviewed Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket here at Nintendo Life, awarding it a respectable 7/10, largely because collecting ‘mons from that initial set of packs felt kinetic and exciting. Sure, there was far too much monetisation in the form of multiple different currencies, and the battles lacked a...
Anniversary Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water Still Scares The Pants Off Me Ten Years On
Can I have them back please?
Of all the horror franchises I've subjected myself to over the years, Fatal Frame is the one that sticks in my mind most as properly, actually, scary. It's the answer I'll give every single time to the question of what game series has scared me the most, and it's all down to one very simple reason. As today is the 10th...
Anniversary SNES Action RPG 'Terranigma' Is 30 Years Old Today, And It's Still A 10/10 In Our Book
Never released in the US of A!
"Among the finest action role-playing titles ever crafted, possibly even the finest, and a game that absolutely no RPG fan should miss." This quote, from our 2009 review of the 1995 action-RPG, Terranigma, should give you some idea of just how highly we regard the third slice of what's known as the "Gaia Trilogy" —...
Quiz Can You Name These NES Games From The Mangled Box Art?
Undercover covers
Game preservation is no easy task. Your precious complete-in-box purchases are susceptible to all sorts: water damage, light damage, mould, dust, being put into a rudimentary photo editor and messed about with. The NES turns 40 this week, so we thought that we'd put your knowledge of the classics to the test. Below, we have sorted...
News New Dragon Ball Game Project To Be Revealed Early Next Year
Don't miss it
Last week, Dragon Ball fans got quite a shock when it was announced Bandai Namco would be rolling out a new update for Dragon Ball FighterZ, with an additional DLC character scheduled to follow this in Spring 2026. If this wasn't already enough excitement, the official Dragon Ball Games social media account has now confirmed a new...
Talking Point How Do You Play NES Games These Days?
Or, do you even play NES games?
The NES — specifically the Nintendo Entertainment System, not the Famicom — turns 40 today. The console's staggered rollout across the US makes its launch a bittier affair than the orchestrated, worldwide drops we're used to these days. But four decades ago, the first units were purchased in the United States and...
