Tag: Anniversaries - Page 8
Soapbox The Nintendo Switch Was My Companion As I Travelled The World
Reflecting on four turbulent years with my steadfast console companion
Not my actual suitcase - mine had way more shoes, and no pliers (why do they have pliers?) When the Nintendo Switch came out in early 2017, I was adrift. I had moved out of London, I had gone freelance a few months before, and I was what people at the time called a "digital...
Anniversary Nintendo Switch Launched Four Years Ago Today
And Zelda: Breath of the Wild, of course!
Four years ago today on 3rd March 2017, the Nintendo Switch was first released across most regions worldwide. With its monstrous sales records and incredible library of games, it's not especially easy to remember how different things were for Nintendo before the Switch's arrival. We all know the story of...
Anniversary Stardew Valley Is Now Five Years Old
"thanks to all of you for being part of this"
It's been anniversary after anniversary over the past month and now on top of all the other ones currently take place, this week marks Stardew Valley's fifth year. Creator ConcernedApe has taken to Twitter to thank all of the game's fans for being a part of the long journey. Stardew Valley has been...
Anniversary Can You Believe It? The Nintendo 3DS Is Now 10 Years Old
That went quick
It's a very special day for the Nintendo 3DS. Today is the tenth anniversary of this legendary 3D handheld system. Believe it or not, but the console was first released in Japan on 26th February 2011. This followed with the western release in Europe and North America in March of the same year. When the system first launched, it was...
News Game Devs From Riot To Xbox Spoke About Their Love For Zelda, And How It Influenced Them
Huh, we didn't realise Zelda was so popular
In celebration of Zelda's 35th anniversary, journalist Imran Khan spoke to 18 different game developers across the industry for Inverse, including members of Riot Games, Capy, and Phil Spencer himself, the head of Microsoft's Gaming division and the face of Xbox. Although Spencer's quote was a little dry,...
News Nintendo Ignored Zelda's 35th Anniversary This Weekend, But Fans Are Celebrating In Style
Not even a quick social media mention
Yesterday, 21st February, marked the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, the very first game in one of the industry's most successful, popular, and important series. Despite heavily celebrating Mario's 35th last year with remastered games, merchandise, and more, Nintendo has been surprisingly quiet on the...
Soapbox Zelda: Skyward Sword Is Good, Actually
The Titled Groose Game
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this piece, Kate defends The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword against its many critics... I bet some of you clicked on that headline to yell "IT WAS ALWAYS GOOD", and you know...
News Animal Crossing Will Get A Bunch Of Mario Items And Clothing In Next Update
Set your calendars for the 25th February
Happy birthday, Mario! We got you, er, a bunch of people dressing up as you. Also, we're going to delete some of your games. Yeah, Mario's 35th birthday reminds us a bit of that 13th birthday party where it rained and the clown stole the cake, to be honest - but Animal Crossing: New Horizons' latest new...
News Street Fighter II Turned 30 At The Weekend
Go home and be a middle-aged family man
Capcom's seminal Street Fighter II turned 30 last weekend – a fact that makes us feel very, very old indeed. Originally launched in arcades on February 6th, 1991, the game triggered a flood of imitators throughout the early part of the decade, and spawned several 'update' variants in the form of Street...
News Nintendo's Paper Mario Series Is Now 20 Years Old
Happy anniversary!
This week marks the 20th anniversary of Paper Mario in North America. Yep, the original Nintendo 64 Mario RPG was first released in this region on 5th February 2001. This also marks 20 years - in general - since the series started out. To celebrate this special occasion, Nintendo of America has shared the following tweet, asking...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #76 - Final Fight 3
'Final' my foot!
Welcome once again to Box Art Brawl, our contest to find out which retro gaming cover is best from two or more global variants of the same game. Last time we enjoyed the silence of Resident Evil: Deadly Silence on the fifteenth anniversary of the DS port. Japan took just over one third of the vote — and Europe grabbed almost a...
Anniversary Japan Celebrates 15 Years Of Super Mario Strikers
It was technically last year, in Europe and North America
Next Level Games is seemingly on a hiring spree, and it got us thinking about some of its past releases. One standout hit, in particular, is the GameCube title Super Mario Strikers (also known as Mario Smash Football). Although the game made its original debut in Europe and the US in 2005...
Poll Box Art Brawl #75 - Resident Evil: Deadly Silence
Damn Straight
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, our regular poll to find out which region got the best cover art for a particular retro release. Last time, we looked at Capcom's DS gem Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective in honour of its 10th anniversary (in the West). The North American cover stormed it with over 60% of the vote, leaving Japan with a...
Poll Box Art Brawl #74 - Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Sissel: real
Welcome to the first 2021 edition of Box Art Brawl. This is our weekly-ish look at two or more retro gaming cover variants from around the globe, and we've got another three contenders lined up to duke it out for your vote. Last time, we took to the slopes for some festive 1080° Snowboarding on N64. Ultimately, it was North America...
Feature All Hail The Game Boy Micro, The Sexiest And Most Impractical Game Boy Ever
15 years of hand cramps
Before we dive in, let's begin with a few words on the topic at hand when it was raised in the Nintendo Life office: "Such a neat little machine." "I've always wanted one." "Somehow I ended up with two." "The most enjoyable way to get carpal tunnel." We were, of course, discussing the lovely Game Boy Micro. The diminutive...
Feature Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 10 Years Of Nintendo's Straightest, Greatest Sequel
So much more than Wii DLC
Nintendo doesn’t make straight sequels. That’s the received wisdom, anyway. Kyoto's premier game designers need a really good reason—a jump in technology, or a novel new control input, for example—to warrant revisiting a franchise. They're apparently not interested in churning out more of the same for mere profit...
Feature Zelda: Majora's Mask At 20 - The Enduring Appeal Of Nintendo's Strangest Game
No fate but what we make
There are many things The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is not. It is not the prettiest Legend of Zelda game. Exactly 20 years since its Japanese debut, the discernible polygons that make up the world and characters of Termina locate the game squarely in the fifth console generation. While we respect its Expansion...
Anniversary ActRaiser Turns 30 Today, And There's Still Nothing Quite Like This SNES Classic
Raise this game!
Another day, another significant anniversary for another celebrated video game. The Super Famicom launched in Japan three decades ago last month and knowing the incredible catalogue of classics birthed in the bloody 16-bit console wars, you should brace yourself for a barrage of 30th anniversaries over the next few months/years (all...
Anniversary Pokémon Stadium 2 Launched 20 Years Ago Today In Japan
Ah, the memories
Pokémon Stadium 2's gorgeous golden European N64 cartridge 20 years ago today on 14th December, 2000, Pokémon Stadium 2 launched for the Nintendo 64 in Japan. It was actually known as Pokémon Stadium Gold & Silver in Japan and was the third entry in the series – Pokémon's home country has had three Stadium games in...
Feature What Does Nintendo Have Planned For Zelda’s 35th Anniversary?
Our predictions for 2021's biggest gaming birthday
The 35th anniversary year of Super Mario Bros. will soon draw to a close and although Nintendo has extended the celebrations to 31st March 2021 (a day which Mario himself will do well to survive, it seems), 2021 marks the 35th birthday of the next-most celebrated series in the Kyoto company's...
News Bandai Namco's Tales Series To Celebrate 25th Anniversary With Special Broadcast
Update: Will air on 15th December
Update [Sat 5th Dec, 2020 03:05 GMT]: Bandai Namco has now locked in a date for this live stream and sure enough, it's 15th December - lining up with the release of the original Super Famicom game in 1995. You'll be able to tune in on YouTube and Periscope at 8 pm JST . Here's the full list of talent that will be...
Soapbox 10 Years On, We Need More Brave, Worthwhile Experiments Like Epic Mickey
The Brave Little 'Failure'
In some ways, the Wii era feels further away than it actually is. The modern gaming landscape, though certainly influenced by Nintendo's approachable little console, seems so laser focused on pixel counts, framerates and raytracing that Wii feels incredibly old-school in 2020. The idea that just ten years ago we were still...
News The F-Zero Series Is Now 30 Years Old
Speeding away
The Super Famicom this week celebrates its 30th anniversary and you know what that means, right? The F-Zero series is now also 30 years old. The first game was released in Japan on 21st November 1990 and followed with a North American release in 1991 and a European release in 1992. Since the original game's arrival, Nintendo has...
Site News Nintendo Life Turns 15 Today
Teenage Kicks
Today marks fifteen years since our Nintendo Life began, and five years since I wrote about our ten-year anniversary, which feels like only yesterday. Back in 2015, Nintendo was teasing us with NX and games for mobile phones as interest really started to wain in the criminally-misunderstood Wii U. We woul
Anniversary Dig Out The Plastic And Reform The Band - Rock Band 3 Turns 10 Today
Let there be Rock (Band)
Time continues to tick on mercilessly and brings with it wave after wave of video game anniversaries designed (we're certain) to make us feel older than our years. Majora's Mask launched in North America two decades ago this very day — how can that be? Another game celebrating a significant birthday today is Rock Band 3...
Soapbox 10 Years On, Kirby's Epic Yarn Is Still The Pink Puffball's Finest Outing
Fluff and nonsense
It's time for a Nintendo Life Soapbox confession. Ready? While the majority of the gaming world takes Masahiro Sakurai's most cherished child heartily to their collective bosom (squeezing his squidgy body in their embrace, no doubt), I've always found Kirby a bit... what's the word? Oh yes: rubbish. I'm not talking about how he...
Anniversary Super Mario Land Launched 30 Years Ago Today In Europe
Mario's first portable platformer
Here's our fancy Japanese version, because we're show-offs... Believe it or not, today marks the 30th anniversary of Super Mario Land's launch on the trusty Game Boy in Europe. Developed as a Game Boy launch title, Super Mario Land offered Mario his very first outing in a portable platformer. It was a truly...
Anniversary Pokémon Black And White Are Now 10 Years Old
We're ready to return to Unova
This week marks the 10 year anniversary of Pokémon Black and White on the Nintendo DS (aka the fifth generation of Pokémon games). Both titles were originally released on 18th September 2010 in Japan - with the western launch following in March 2011. These entries were some of the top-selling games on the DS,...
News Today's The Big Day - Happy 35th Anniversary, Mario!
Here's to the next 35!
35 years ago today, on 13th September 1985, the original Super Mario Bros. launched for the Famicom in Japan. Nobody could have predicted just how successful Nintendo's main mascot would become, especially 35 years down the line, but here we are, looking at one of the most instantly recognisable faces in gaming and –...
Anniversary Super Mario Maker Turns 5 Years Old Today
Mamma mia!
The original Super Mario Maker is celebrating its fifth anniversary today, after originally launching for the Wii U in Japan on 10th September, 2015. Also appearing in Europe and North America on the following day, Super Mario Maker flipped the Mario platforming franchise on its head by giving players access to a full suite of level...
Finally!
After months of rumour and speculation, Nintendo has finally lifted the lid what must be the gaming industry's worst-kept secret of 2020: Super Mario's 3D adventures from the Nintendo 64, GameCube and Wii are coming to Switch in the form of Super Mario 3D All-Star
Feature Rare Turns 35 This Week - We Pick 10 Highlights From The Nintendo Years
Rare talent
Three-and-a-half decades ago this week, British developer Rare was formed. Formerly known as Ultimate Play the Game, the company was created with the express purpose of creating titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System and from the mid-1980s until the early '00s the Twycross-based team would deliver some of the finest video games on...
Soapbox 25 Years On, I Still Can't Get Into Yoshi's Island
And it's not for want of trying
On the 25th anniversary of its Japanese release, Gavin ponders why he just can't get down with one of Nintendo's most celebrated games of the 16-bit era... There's a strata of gaming classics so renowned for their quality that they become untouchable. Not liking, say, Ocarina of Time is cause for some serious...
News Nintendo Celebrates Splatoon 2's Third Anniversary With Special Art
Woomy!
Believe it or not, Splatoon 2 first launched on Nintendo Switch three years ago today on 21st July, 2017. It was a super exciting time for Nintendo fans, with a new Zelda, a (kind of) new Mario Kart and a new Splatoon game all launching within the first few months of the Switch going on sale. Naturally, Breath of the Wild took most of the...
Anniversary Pokémon Yellow Launched In Europe 20 Years Ago Today
16th June, 2000
In danger of making plenty of you - and us, we might add - feel dangerously old, today marks the 20th anniversary of Pokémon Yellow's European launch. The game celebrated its 'proper' 20th anniversary a couple of years ago, thanks to its original Japanese launch date of 12th, September 1998. Those of us in Europe had to wait a...
Anniversary EarthBound Turns 25 In The USA, And A Whole Generation Feels Old
Mother!
As time continues to march on relentlessly, it's time for another significant video game anniversary - and today's is a particularly nostalgic one. It's 25 years to the day since Shigesato Itoi's lovely EarthBound first arrived on US shores and gamers in the West got to take on Giygas with Ness and his band of young heroes on the SNES. They...
News Splatoon Players Celebrate The Series' Fifth Anniversary With Lovely Fan Art
Stay fresh!
Five years ago (well, five years and a day ago, actually) the original Splatoon inked its way onto the Wii U. It was an exciting and fresh take on the online shooter and a completely new venture for Nintendo - and boy are we happy that it was released. Splatoon and its sequel, Splatoon 2, have arguably been two of the most important...
News CD Projekt Red Celebrates 5 Years Of Witcher 3 With A Rocking Rendition Of Its Main Theme
The Switch port has some catching up to do
It feels strange to say, but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt turned five-years-old today. No, we can't quite believe it either, and not just because it only came to a Nintendo console last year. We're still poking around its incredible world over six months on from the remarkable Switch port, but to think that...
Which racing series would you most like to ride again?
In this Soapbox feature, Gavin reminisces about the old days when Nintendo made multiple racing games... Earlier this week was the 20th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, but there's another Nintendo 64 game that debuted exactly two decades ago, albeit on the other side of the...
News Sega Celebrates 60th Anniversary With New Website, New Character And "Special Content" Tease
Exciting times ahead
Originally founded back in June 1960, Sega is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. To kick things off, the company has opened up a brand new website, along with the reveal of a brand new promotional character. We don't know which fact makes us feel more old - that Sega has been around for so long or that 1960 was 60...
Talking Point Nintendo Switch Turns 3: Challenges Await, But What A Ride So Far
Switch is maturing like a fine wine
It's a cliché that the latest thing is often branded the greatest thing, but when it comes to video games it's a difficult notion to escape. Every piece of software and hardware builds on the foundation of what came before and, more so than in any other medium, a sequel or successor stands a very good chance of...
News WayForward Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary, Thanks Fans For Their Support
How time flies
WayForward, the independent developer and publisher perhaps best known for its very own Shantae series, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The exact anniversary date actually came just yesterday, and the company has shared a celebratory piece of artwork. In recent times, WayForward has treated us to games like Vitamin...
News HAL Laboratory Celebrates 40th Anniversary With New Website And Artwork
(>'-')> <('-'<) ^('-')^ v('-')v
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the creation of HAL Laboratory, a Japanese game development studio which has been closely affiliated with Nintendo for decades. The exact date for the 40th anniversary was actually just three days ago; originally founded on 21st February 1980, the studio is perhaps best known...
Anniversary Super Smash Bros. Turns 21 Today
And look how far it's come!
On 21st January 1999, the original Super Smash Bros. was released for the Nintendo 64 in Japan. Over the last 21 years, Smash has become one of the most celebrated, adored, and hype-inducing series available on Nintendo's platforms. The character selection screen in Super Smash Bros. with all characters unlocked...
Feature Nintendo's 130th Birthday Comes During A Golden Age For The Company
A look at Nintendo’s changing fortunes over the last few years
T'was Monday 23rd September in the year 1889 - a fateful day in Kyoto, Japan - when Ian Nintendo woke up and decided to form a video game company... Okay, there may be a couple of minor discrepancies in that opening statement, although the date and the founding of the company we now...
Anniversary amiibo Have Been Draining Our Bank Accounts For Five Years Now
2014 feels forever ago
It might be pretty hard to believe, but it has now been five whole years since we first got our hands on Nintendo's amiibo figures. Today sees the fifth anniversary of the launch for the first wave of figures in Japan, where characters like Link, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Pikachu, Mario and more all entered the scene as...
Anniversary Feel Old Everyone, Donkey Kong Country Turns 25 Today
And the birthdays keep on comin'!
Hmm. It's almost like video games themselves are conspiring to make us feel our age recently. Earlier this week Super Smash Bros. turned 20 in the PAL region, and today we posted about Pokémon Gold and Silver re
Anniversary It's Been 20 Years Since We First Glimpsed Johto In Pokémon Gold And Silver
Two decades of Gen II
November has historically been a busy month for big video game releases as companies look to get their marquee titles on shop shelves in the run-up to the holidays. Earlier this week the European version of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 64 celebrated its 20th anniversary and today its the turn of Pokémon Gold and Silver to...
Anniversary Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 64 Is Now 20 Years Old In Europe
Smashin' it mate
It's time for the birthday bumps! Yes, with time moving irrevocably and irritatingly forward, the original Super Smash Bros. turned 20 today - or a version of it did. Having had its Japanese launch in January 1999 and its North American debut in April, Europe finally received the N64 crossover brawler on 19th November exactly two...
News Pac-Man Turns 40 Next Year And Bandai Namco Plans To Celebrate In Style
Starting off with a theme song
Believe it or not, next year will see the 40th anniversary of gaming classic Pac-Man, and Bandai Namco is planning a year-long series of celebrations in honour of the ravenous yellow blob. Pac-Man first appeared on the scene on 22nd May 1980, rising to fame as an arcade star before shifting to games consoles, mobile...
