Tag: Anniversaries
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...
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...
News Pokémon TCG Pocket Announces "New And Updated" Features For First Anniversary
Get ready, trainers
The end of this month officially marks the first anniversary of Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket on mobile devices. This title has been regularly updated with new expansions and features like trading, and soon it will receive even more "new and updated" features in the form of three major updates "coming soon". There's the new...
News Mario And Yoshi First 4 Figures Statue Back In Production, Early Bird Pre-Orders Live
Update: Enter Nintendo's sweepstakes for a chance to win
Nintendo recently kicked off Mario's 40th anniversary, and it appears other companies are joining in on the celebrations. One of them happens to be First 4 Figures, with the "high end" collectible maker announcing its Mario and Yoshi statue (which we previously covered here on Nintendo Life)...
Opinion Ogre Battle 64: Person Of Lordly Caliber's Revolutionary Heart Still Burns Brightly
Say, you want a revolution?
Has it really been 25 years? Yes, my wizened friends, it has. Back in the year of our lord 2000 (or 1999 if you're from Japan), if you weren't still calming down from the trauma of Y2K (still can't believe nothing happened) you may have been getting completely sucked into one of the few truly amazing RPGs on the Nintendo...
News Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 Switch Online Icons Now Available
Update: New waves are now live
Super Mario's 40th anniversary is now underway and Nintendo's been promoting it with all sorts of announcements and reveals. As part of the ongoing celebrations, next month Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 is returning for Switch. Ahead of this, Nintendo has also announced a new wave of themed Switch Online...
News Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Celebrates 1st Anniversary With DLC Announcement
"Bringing new characters and more"
Ahead of the release of Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO on the Switch and Switch 2 next month, Bandai Namco has announced there's more to come. In addition to the already stacked roster, Dragon Ball fans can look forward to the "next DLC" which is now officially in the pipeline and will bring new characters and...
News The Nintendo Museum Now Has An Official Book
Available at the museum Art Gallery
If you end up taking a trip to the Nintendo Museum in Japan any time soon, you'll be able to purchase an official museum book. The 'Nintendo Museum Official Book Vol. 01' goes on sale at the museum's Art Gallery on 2nd October 2025 (that's today!) and is priced at 1,650 yen. It features an "in-depth guide to the...
Feature Get A Job - 30 Years On, Seiken Densetsu 3's Class System Is Still One Of The Best
Hi, I'd like apply to be a Fenrir Knight
Who doesn’t love a job or class system in an RPG? From endlessly levelling jobs and sub-classing skills in Final Fantasy V to building the perfect teams and pairings in Octopath Traveler, classes bring a level of customisation and character that feels pretty unique to the genre. But while most games allow...
News Nintendo Museum Introduces "Limited-Time" Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary Ticket
"Available for approximately one year"
As part of the recent Super Mario Bros. 40th anniversary news, Nintendo revealed it would be offering a "limited-time" Nintendo Museum ticket. Instead of the regular Mii design, for the next year (between now and September 2026), Nintendo Museum guests will be able to get a special Super Mario Bros. 40th...
Ambassador, with this barbaric difficulty you're really spoiling us…
It's hard to believe, especially since I just about remember this one happening, that Ghosts 'n Goblins, Capcom's seminal (and seminally difficult) coin-op classic, first arrived in smoky arcade halls in Japan 40 years ago. Four entire decades. Deary me. I know I sound like a...
Anniversary Celebrate Unova As Pokémon Black & White Turns 15
Is that a grey hair we spot?
Pokémon's fifth generation kicked off 15 years ago today with the release of Pokémon Black & White in Japan. On 18th September 2010, the world first stepped foot into Unova, a brand new Pokémon region based on North America, specifically New York City's metropolitan area, with a mix of landmarks inspired by the...
Sans regret
It's hard to believe that Undertale is 10 years old, innit. A game that released just a year after the birth of my eldest son, and two before my youngest arrived on the scene. What is time? It's all going so quickly. I bring my kids up here, not to be one of those tiresome people, but because Toby Fox's masterpiece (and you better...
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'...
Opinion I'm Celebrating Super Mario Bros.' 40th Anniversary By Finally Finishing It
Clear Bowser history
Please, angry mob, wait! It's true, I had never finished Super Mario Bros. before this week, but that's not to say that I hadn't played it before. If you'll put your pitchforks and burning torches down for a moment, I promise, I can explain. It was 2004 when I first came into contact with Super Mario Bros. I remember that...
News Nintendo Releasing Physical 'Talking Flower' From Mario Wonder Next Spring
"We actually made them"
Nintendo is really mixing it up nowadays with merchandise, and the next surprise product on the way is a talking flower. It's not just any talking flower though, it's the same one based on the character from the 2023 Switch release Super Mario Bros. Wonder. If you were a fan, and admittedly not everyone was, as of next...
Gallery Ubisoft Celebrates Rayman's 30th With Some Rayman Legends Concept Art
"What fun memories do they bring back?"
Earlier this week, Ubisoft began its 30th anniversary celebrations for its famous video game mascot Rayman. Apart from the news he'll be returning at some point in the future (with work on a new project now underway), Ubisoft is planning to reflect on the character's career with behind-the-scenes information,...
News Ubisoft Celebrates Rayman's 30th Anniversary With An "Epic" Event In Brawlhalla
Unlock all sorts of themed goodies
Earlier this week, Ubisoft announced it was kicking off its anniversary celebrations for Rayman. Over the next month, it intends to share all sorts of updates about its iconic video game mascot, and today it announced its free-to-play multiplayer brawler Brawlhalla will also be celebrating the character with a...
News Ubisoft Kicks Off Rayman's 30th Anniversary, Says New Project Is In "Good Hands"
Just don't expect news "too soon"
Ubisoft's famous mascot Rayman is celebrating 30 years, and as part of this, the third-party giant has all sorts of plans. Apart from reflecting on the character's career – including behind-the-scenes information, anecdotes, developer interviews, concept art and "more" over the next month, as you might recall,...
Anniversary The First DS Castlevania Game Turns 20 Today
Sorrow won't Dawn here
A new dawn of Castlevania started 20 years ago, as Dawn of Sorrow first launched on the Nintendo DS in Japan on 25th August 2025. Following on directly from the final Castlevania GBA title, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow had big shoes to fill; a shift in art direction and the implementation of the touch screen meant that it's...
News Sonic Mania 2 Prototype Artwork Revealed By Christian Whitehead
"The game that never was"
Sonic Mania is one of the best Sonic games ever, and while there were hopes it would get a sequel, a few years ago, it was revealed how Sega was eager to move beyond pixel art and ultimately it didn't go ahead. At the time, Sega worked with Headcannon and Christian Whitehead "to consider concepts for the next generation of...
Anniversary n-Space & Nintendo's M-Rated GameCube Gem Is 20 Years Old
I ain't afraid of no Geist
Everyone, we like to believe, has made a secret list for every single console they've ever owned, of weird and/or experimental stuff they either want to, or wished they had, played. Sometimes you get round to them, sometimes you don't. You know the sort of thing. For me, on GameCube specifically, things like Cubivore come...
News We Might Be Getting An Update About Sakurai's New Kirby Game Soon
He's aware fans haven't even seen gameplay yet
One of the many surprises during the Switch 2 reveal in April was the new game Kirby Air Riders, a sequel to the GameCube outing. It's scheduled to arrive later this year, so what's the latest? Game director Masahiro Sakurai has issued another small update via social media today, mentioning how he...
Anniversary Paper Mario First Unfolded On N64 25 Years Ago
And the book's still open
25 years ago today, 11th August, Mario jumped into a whole new dimension. Today marks the anniversary of the N64 turn-based RPG, Paper Mario — which is a pretty big deal, because that means the entire series is also celebrating its quarter-century anniversary. Feeling old yet? Originally planned to be developed by...
Anniversary No Way Is Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island 30 Years Old Already
Yep, seems like it
In yet another indication that time is indeed marching on and on, it seems that Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island has somehow turned 30 years old. Released in Japan on 5th August 1995, Yoshi's Island marked a significant departure from its predecessor, yet received widespread critical acclaim regardless. It also happened to be...
Feature What We Expect From Nintendo For Super Mario Bros.' 40th Anniversary
Four decades of 1-1
Five years ago, Nintendo made an appropriately big thing of Super Mario Bros.' 35th anniversary, with a bespoke Direct broadcast featuring a bunch of new games and, naturally, merch celebrating the Famicom release of video gaming's most famous platformer on 13th September 1985. Half a decade on and the 40th anniversary is just...
News Toby Fox Wants To Celebrate 10 Years Of Undertale With Your Memories
"Your memories will be recorded here"
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Undertale and the game's creator Toby Fox is wanting to reflect on this time with your memories. In a post on social media, he's revealed how he's seeking "your memories" and wants to "turn back together". He's hoping for a quick turnover – further noting how it would...
Every Virtual Boy game ranked by you
Nintendo is an odd company in many ways; deeply appealing and safe in some respects, but also able to swing for the fences and invest money and resources in the pursuit of pure novelty. Time and again it puts out products that no other platform holder would have dreamed of, and more often than not those...
Opinion Celebrating 20 Years Of Baseball In The Mushroom Kingdom
Mario Superstar, that is what you are
Monday 21st July marks the 20th anniversary of Mario Superstar Baseball, so to celebrate Jonny is taking us out to the ball game... My first gaming memory: waking up in the middle of the night, heading downstairs, and booting up Mario Superstar Baseball's campaign mode on my GameCube. It was completely out of...
Anniversary 10 Years After His Passing, Satoru Iwata's Thoughts Are More Relevant Than Ever
We miss you, Iwata-san
"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer". 11th July 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of Satoru Iwata's passing; a man who cemented himself as not only an exceptional leader during times of both success and failure, but a figurehead that would steal the...
News Final Fantasy 9's 25th Anniversary Is Here, But There's Nothing On Rumoured Remake
"I... so unhappy..."
Happy 25th anniversary to Final Fantasy IX, the final mainline Final Fantasy game to launch on the original PlayStation and one of the most beloved entries in the entire franchise. Today, Square Enix posted an update on the Final Fantasy IX anniversary website — which opened earlier this year — to celebrat
