Tag: Anniversaries - Page 9
Anniversary The Nintendo 64 Launched 25 Years Ago Today
Super Birthday 64
On 23rd June 1996, Nintendo launched its latest home console, the Nintendo 64, in Japan. Boasting a 64-bit processing unit and good old clunky cartridges (incidentally, the N64 would go on to be the last home console to use game cartridges until the Switch), the system has become one of the most iconic consoles in gaming history...
News 'Sonic Collection' Listings Spotted As The Blue Blur's 30th Anniversary Looms
We all want another live stream party though, right?
This year sure is zooming along, rather like a rather iconic video game character that was once the ultimate rival of Mario. These are relatively good times for Sonic, the most recent high profile platforming game starring the mascot was the brilliant Sonic Mania, and a movie starring Jim Carrey...
News Celebrate Pokémon's 25th Anniversary In Style With Original Stitch's Limited-Edition Polo
They even have fancy Poké-buttons
It's a major anniversary year for Pokémon, which means a whole lot of merchandise and animated shows to enjoy. Some of the 'merch' - as those Tik-Tok people might say, erm, right? - goes for the classy approach, so that you can show your love for Pokémon while posing photogenically by a beach. That's the case...
Anniversary The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Is Now Six Years Old
Can you believe it?
Before Cyberpunk 2077, the Polish-based company CD Projekt Red was busy with The Witcher, which originally started out as a series of fantasy novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. The video game adaptation peaked at The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2015, and is considered to be not only one of
Anniversary Inti Creates Is 25 Years Old
That went fast
This week marks Inti Creates' 25th anniversary. Yes, the Japanese video game company was founded on 8th May 1996. Over the past 25 years, it's worked on games like Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX, Gal Gun, Azure Striker Gunvolt, Mighty Gunvolt
Anniversary The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask Is Now 21 Years Old In Japan
You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask today turns 21 years old in Japan. Although it's not quite as significant as last year's 20th anniversary, in some countries Link and Skull Kid would now be old enough to have a drink. The game first arrived in Japan in the year 2000 and despite being one of the...
Soapbox An Anniversary Ode To Okami, The Best Zelda Game That Isn't
Fifteen years of Clover's classic
Ever since the The Legend of Zelda turned 35 back in February, we've been looking back over the mainline games with a series of features celebrating and examining each one from a personal perspective. However, today it's the 15th anniversary of another fine action-adventure — a game which may not have the name...
Anniversary Mother 3 For Game Boy Advance Is Now 15 Years Old
Please localise it, Nintendo
Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has acknowledged the 2006 Japan-only Game Boy Advance exclusive Mother 3 a few times over the past week, and today just so happens to be the third entry's 15th anniversary. Yes, it's now been 15 long years since this cult classic RPG arrived in Japan. Although...
Poll Box Art Brawl #83 - Brain Age / Brain Training
Hype brain
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, our regular box art-based poll to find the best regional variants from two or more territories. Last time we took a 20th anniversary look at HAL Laboratory's GBC game, Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. With Europe out of the running thanks to the game never launching in that region, it was left to North America and...
Anniversary The Animal Crossing Series Is Now 20 Years Old
And we're still paying off our loans...
While Animal Crossing still feels like a relatively new Nintendo franchise, today actually marks its 20th anniversary. Yes, the series started out in Japan on 14th April 2001 as a Nintendo 64 title. While Dōbutsu no Mori (otherwise known as Animal Forest) was never released in its original form here in the...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #82 - Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
Rock 'n' roll
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, our weekly poll to find the best regional box art variant from two or more retro candidates. Last time we looked at The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks in a duel that pitted Japan and Europe against North America. It appears that the regional team-up worked wonders — the greenery of the JP/EU cover...
Poll Box Art Brawl #80 - Resident Evil
REmatch
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the weekly poll we run to find out which of two or more regional box art variants from years past is best. Last time we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Game Boy Advance with a look at launch title Kuru Kuru Kururin. The game didn't get a GBA release in North America, but fortunately
News Pokémon Designer James Turner Celebrates HarmoKnight's Anniversary With A Cute Drawing
"It’s been years"
It's been a big week for the 3DS, with the device celebrating its tenth anniversary. Yep, it's now an entire decade old. Of course, there were a number of amazing games released for it over the years and one of them happens to be HarmoKnight. The Pokémon developer Game Freak originally released this game locally back in 2013,...
Anniversary Nintendo 3DS Launched Ten Years Ago Today In Europe
US anniversary also falls later this week
Making the vast majority of the Nintendo Life team feel excruciatingly old, today sees the tenth anniversary of Nintendo 3DS' release in Europe. Yes, on 25th March 2011, the 3DS hit western shores for the first time following its Japanese launch a month prior – the North American release came just two...
Poll Box Art Brawl #79 - Kuru Kuru Kururin
Helirin on Earth
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the series where we pit regional box art variants against one another in a fight for your vote. Last time, the turn-based battle between Super Mario RPG and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Unnecessary Subtitle came to a head with North America ultimately walking away with 69% of the vote. Nice, indeed...
Gallery Animal Crossing: New Horizons - A Year In Pictures
NL readers look back on 365 days of Animal Crossing
Whether it seems like yesterday or not is a matter of perspective, but Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched one year ago today. And what a year it's been! Nintendo's life sim ended up becoming a significant coping mechanism for many people throughout 2020; a social outlet and positive focal...
Anniversary Animal Crossing: New Horizons Launched A Year Ago Today
2020's most important game?
Ah, the days before the museum opened and we had to start our own menagerie. 2020 was a pretty wretched year for most of us, but one of the few positives shining brightly amongst the overwhelming barrage of bad news and misery was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a game which is celebrating its first anniversary today...
Video 2021 Is A Huge Year For Major Nintendo Anniversaries
Zelda and Pokémon are just the beginning
It's a pretty busy time for Nintendo franchise anniversaries at the moment. As you'll no doubt remember, last year saw Mario's 35th birthday be celebrated in style with Switch rereleases of some of the series' best games, more merch than we could ever hope to buy and more. This year, we've already had...
Soapbox There Might Be A Bright Side To Mario's March 31st Doomsday, After All
The termination of various Super Mario games looms, but it's not all bad news
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 argues that Mario's Doomsday might not be as bad an event as you think... Let's begin with a tally of...
Anniversary It's Super Mario RPG's 25th Birthday!
Don't get too excited - Nintendo likely won't do anything for this one, either
Let's just ignore the woeful approach of the end of Mario's 35th anniversary, or the completely-ignored 35th anniversary of the Zelda series for a moment. 2021 is also a big year for Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Feature People Are Sharing Their First Four Zelda Screenshots On Switch, And We Wanted To Join In
Let's just delete all the ones of Link's bum in those rubber tights real quick
It's been 4 years (and a few days) since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, alongside the Nintendo Switch itself. Despite not being a particularly big anniversary, it's been celebrated nonetheless by fans and game critics alike. The latest birthday...
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 –...
