Tag: Anniversary
Soapbox 20 Years Later, Why Do We Still Not Have A New Sonic Battle?
Bare Knuckles
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on the 20th anniversary of Sonic's last fighting game, Paul looks back and wonders why Sonic hasn't in two decades... In the early- to mid-2000s, Nintendo handhelds were home to many...
Anniversary Zelda II And Castlevania II Both Turn 35 This Month
True underdogs
Gosh, they grow up so fast, don't they? Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest are both celebrating their 35th anniversaries this month. The former is the direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda and was released in North America on December 1st, 1988. It received positive reception upon launch, but more...
Guide Best Castlevania Games On Nintendo Consoles
Far from a miserable pile
In honour of the 35th anniversary (in North America) of the divisive Castlevania II: Simon's Quest this month, we're updating and republishing this article rounding up and ranking every Castlevania game in the series on Nintendo consoles. This was originally ordered by us here at Nintendo Life, but we've rejigged things to...
Talking Point Would You Like To See A Professor Layton Collection On Switch?
A true gentleman never gives up on a dream
Somehow, it has been 15 years since Professor Layton and the Lost Future (or 'the Unwound Future', depending on your region) made its debut in Japan. As with every entry in the mainline series to date, it took another couple of years until the third entry received a Western release, but when it finally did,...
Anniversary Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Is 10 Years Old Today
Worlds apart
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds on the Nintendo 3DS is celebrating its 10th anniversary today. Released in North America and Europe on November 22nd, 2013, the 3DS title represents one of few instances in which Nintendo created a direct sequel to one of its Zelda games. Directed by Hiromasa Shikata and produced by Zelda...
Site News Nintendo Life Turns 18 Today
All grown up
Wow. Today marks eighteen years since the first post on Nintendo Life, and by any measurement, that is a long time. The site is officially all grown up and will likely celebrate down the pub with a beer tonight with its best friends Push Square, Pure Xbox, and Time Extension. Whether you've discovered the site recently or you've been...
Talking Point Which Version Of Super Mario Bros. 3 Do You Prefer?
OG, remake, or re-remake?
Time really flies, doesn't it? Can you believe it's nearly November 2023 already? Mad. Not only that but it's also now been 35 years since the debut launch of Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES (as highlighted by our gorgeous pals over at Time Extension) in 1988. That's an awfully long time, and we've seen the Super Mario...
Feature Game Boy Color - A Quarter Century Of Colour Nintendo Handhelds
GBC memories
It's now 25 years since Game Boy Color launched, and for many of us in the West, it was on this system that we first caught and traded Pocket Monsters with pals back in 1998. Backwards compatible with the entire Game Boy library, the Game Boy Color refined the DMG and the smaller Game Boy Pocket with its sharp little colour screen...
Guide Best Sonic Games Of All Time
Where does Sonic Superstars rank?
Remember that this is a dynamic reader-ranked list that re-orders automatically depending on each game's rating in our database. In order to rate any of the games on the list below out of 10, logged-in Nintendo Life users can simply tap the 'star' and assign each game a personal rating. Enjoy! It was back in 1991...
Soapbox Pokémon X & Y - The Series' Greatest Paradoxes
You can’t be groundbreaking without leaving a few cracks
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Andy looks back at a pivotal juncture in the Pocket Monster series which hinted at the path it would take over the following decade...
Anniversary Happy Birthday To Nintendo's Ugliest, Most Indestructible Console
Slated
It's that time of year when video game anniversary enthusiasts can enjoy the birthday of a significant game or console nearly every day of the week. It's the turn of Pokémon X & Y which turns 10 today (look out for a feature on that coming up a little later), but it's also a decade since one of Nintendo's lowest-key console launches...
News Pokémon's "Beautiful Tribute" Video Celebrates Ash And Pikachu's Journey Over 25 Seasons
"Thank you for the journey"
It's hard to believe, but the original Pokémon journey starring the Pallet Town trainer Ash Ketchum and his electric pal Pikachu has finally called it a day. If you weren't already emotional about this, The Pokémon Company has now released a special tribute video highlighting Ash's journey in just under a few minutes...
Poll Do You Prefer Zelda: Wind Waker HD's Bloom Lighting Or The "Flat" OG?
Cel-sword
We know the game didn't look like this, but the box art for both versions cannot be ignored. And just like that, ten years have sailed by — The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD was released on the Wii U ten years ago today, and while we spend most of our days now pining for this incredible seafaring adventure to swim onto Switch, we...
News Ash Ketchum's Voice Actor Shares Final Emotional Moments Of Last Recording
"We put so much love into Pokémon"
As you might have seen, the original Pokémon journey starring the famous trainer Ash Ketchum and his pal Pikachu is finally coming to an end. It lines up with the show's 25th anniversary in North America. While we've already heard from Ash's current voice actor, Sarah Natochenny, about how much of an...
Talking Point What Do You Want From A 'Splatoon 4'?
New stories? Fresh game modes? MORE Big Man?
It has been an entire year since Splatoon 3 was released (don't worry, we're just as shocked as you are) so, naturally, our minds are beginning to drift towards what comes next. The correct answer is that mysterious 'Side Order' DLC — which is meant to show what would've happened if Team Order had...
News The Pokémon Anime Pilot First Aired In North America 25 Years Ago Today
And Ash's journey has only just finished!
Those who have grown up with the Pokémon animated series, prepare to feel old. Today marks 25 years since the show's pilot was first broadcast in North America. Yes, twenty. Five. Years. On 8th September 1998, the US was first treated to episode one, 'Pokémon - I Choose You!', which would go on to...
Soapbox Rayman Legends Blew My Mind Then Broke My Heart
Prince of Persia fans beware - he may suffer Rayman’s fate yet!
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Francisco shares his love of Rayman Legends as it celebrates its 10th anniversary — but also laments that it may have been a...
Anniversary Tales Of Symphonia Became A GameCube JRPG Favourite 20 Years Ago
"Dwarven Vow #10: Play hard, play often"
On 29th August 2003, the Journey of Regeneration began... Tales of Symphonia is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Japan today. The action RPG made a real splash when it launched on the GameCube — its international release followed a year later in 2004, and it has seen numerous ports to the PlayStation 2...
Anniversary Dead Cells Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving Five Years On
Look at that fire grow
Today marks the fifth anniversary of Dead Cells on the Nintendo Switch in North America, and what a five years it has been. From humble indie beginnings to releasing a wave of DLC with Castlevania developers Konami, it is fair to say that the game we see today is rather different from the 'roguevania' (a phrase that we are...
Memory Pak Secret Of Mana's Dazzling World Of Colour Opened My Eyes
You're looking a bit green
Welcome to the latest instalment in our nostalgia-inducing column, Memory Pak, where we deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. Today, Secret of Mana turns 30 years old in Japan, and to celebrate this seminal action RPG's anniversary, Alana is reminiscing about how the game's use of...
Feature Best WarioWare Microgames Ever
Our Top 25, but what's at number WAAAAH-n?
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the sublime WarioWare Gold's US launch, we're republishing this celebration of the anarchic series' very best microgames. Here's hoping the upcoming Smooth Moves sequel, WarioWare: Move It!, will have some of its own all-timers to add to this selection come November...
Feature How Summer Holidays And Childhood Nostalgia Revolutionised Pokémon
20 years of Ruby & Sapphire
In 2003, Pokémon was at a bit of a crossroads. The first two sets of entries in its canon — Game Boy debuts Red and Blue, followed by sequels Gold and Silver — had cemented the series as one of the biggest of all time in gaming, defining millennial pop culture. With the arrival of Nintendo’s new handheld, the Game...
Poll Final Fantasy IV - Do You Prefer The Original Or The DS Remake?
Throwing down the gauntlet
The DS remake of Final Fantasy IV turns 15 today in North America - can you believe it? If the copious social media posts earlier this week about Nolan's The Dark Knight didn't make you feel old, then perhaps this will. Regardless, it still stands to this day as one of the most impressive remakes we've seen. Granted, the...
Anniversary Nintendo Famicom, The NES' Japanese Sibling, Is 40 Years Old
History was made
40 years ago today, video game history changed for the better. That might sound a bit hyperbolic, but there's no denying that Nintendo's first home console — or at least the first one with interchangeable cartridges in a form we still recognise as a 'console' today — made a huge impact. Video games would not be where they would...
Soapbox It's Time To Admit That F-Zero X Is The Best F-Zero
You got boost power!
F-Zero X launched on 14th July 1998 in Japan, meaning the N64 entry in this dormant Nintendo racing series is, somehow, inexplicably, 25 years old now. A quarter-century! Blimey. As such, we're republishing this article from 2019 penned by Nintendo Life founder and CEO Ant Dickens to curry favour with top brass celebrate an...
Poll Super Mario All-Stars Is 30 Years Old - Do You Prefer The NES Or SNES Versions Of The Classics?
NES is more?
Video game compilations might feel like a new-ish thing — a bevvy of digital treats all packed into one cartridge (or disc, or download), but they're practically as old as the medium. When we think of classic compilations, one of the first that springs to mind is the SNES's Super Mario All-Stars. This 16-bit collection launched on...
Feature That Time Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Made Mario Bros. Go Full Inception
Pi’illo fight
The worlds of Mario and Christopher Nolan rarely overlap, and for good reason. Cillian Murphy may make an excellent Oppenheimer, but he’d be a painfully miscast Professor E. Gadd. Yet somehow, ten years ago, that didn’t stand in the way of AlphaDream adding a strong vibe reminiscent of Leonardo DiCaprio’s dream heist in...
Feature What's The Best Version Of Street Fighter II On Nintendo Systems?
All Nintendo versions of Street Fighter II, ranked by you
Street Fighter is having its time in the light once again. Street Fighter 6 is pummeling down the competition on PS5, Xbox, and PC, and it feels like another jewel in the crown of Capcom's resurgence over the past five years. But while we Switch owners can't join the likes of Luke and other...
News Level-5 Launches Yo-Kai Watch 10th Anniversary Website
A number of initiatives are planned
Although Level-5 is busy with a new Professor Layton game for the Nintendo Switch, it's also found some time to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its spirit-themed RPG series Yo-kai Watch. The original game made its debut on 3DS in 2013 in Japan and was followed by a local release here in the West in 2015/16...
Feature From Banjo To Mario - Grant Kirkhope Talks Big Huge Troubles And Composing For Massive IPs
Part Two: "How the f*** am I going to write music for a Mario game!?"
Last week, in celebration of Banjo-Kazooie's 25th anniversary, we published the first part of our career-spanning interview with Mr. Grant Kirkhope, composer extraordinaire and the man responsible for some of our favourite music ever, video game or otherwise. Part One covered his...
Feature From Bon Jovi To Banjo - Grant Kirkhope On The "Complete Fluke" Of His Rare Musical Journey
Part One: Mr. Banjongles
Grant Kirkhope is an interviewer's dream, and not just because he's responsible for some all-time great video game soundtracks. He’s great company — frank, funny, and loquacious. We spoke to him most recently for our Nintendo Life VGM Fest back in 2021 and only ended up publishing a small fraction of our chat in our...
News Square Enix Announces Octopath Traveler 5th Anniversary Broadcast, Airing Next Month
The sequel released on Switch earlier this year
Square Enix has announced it will host a special 5th anniversary live stream for its HD-2D RPG Octopath Traveler. This event will take place next month on 13th July at 8 pm JST and will apparently include a "memorial corner" reflecting on the history of the series, the results of a user survey, and...
Soapbox Fortnite On Switch Is Five Years Old, And I Have No Idea What It Is Anymore
Was that Ariana Grande shooting Spider-Man?
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Jim returns to Fortnite to celebrate the Switch port's fifth anniversary, and he's not sure what he's dropped into... When Fortnite first made the jump...
Anniversary Two Years On, Here Are Some Amazing Game Builder Garage Creations
Two years of tools
The rather brilliant Game Builder Garage is two years old today. Created from Nintendo EPD 4, the team behind the Nintendo Labo, Game Builder Garage was designed to help budding developers get creative and learn how to create their own games. Over the past two years, we've seen some sublime creations, many of which are inspired...
Soapbox The Shame Of Revisiting My Abandoned Pokémon Ranch
See you, PokéCowboy
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on the 15th anniversary of the game's release, Ethan heads back to the ranch... It’s a guilty feeling that Animal Crossing fans know all too well — the shame that comes...
News Suda51's Grasshopper Manufacture Teases 25th Anniversary Announcement
Update: "Grasshopper Direct" & remaster announced
Update [Fri 9th Jun, 2023 04:30 BST]: In a video update, Grasshopper Manufacture has announced it will be hosting a special anniversary "Direct" program next week on 14th June. In addition to this, it's also revealed a Shadows of the Damned Remaster is "currently in development" and is "coming...
Talking Point Which Version Of Zelda: Link's Awakening Is Your Favourite?
Three decades of dreamin'
Link's Awakening turns 30 today, having launched in Japan on 6th June 1993. Despite the very modest hardware that hosted it, the developers turned out a full-featured, full-fat Zelda adventure on Game Boy which left a mark on the series. It was in Link's Awakening that trading sequences were introduced, not to mention...
Anniversary LostWinds First Launched 15 Years Ago Today
Let's Toku 'bout it
Today marks the 15th anniversary of LostWinds in North America, a launch title for WiiWare and (in this writer's opinion) one of the console's finest bite-sized games. The title was developed and published by Frontier Developments out West, though Square Enix took care of publishing duties for LostWinds' Japan release in...
Poll One Year On, What Other Events Should Be Added To Nintendo Switch Sports?
Was golf really enough?
If you can believe it, it has been one whole year since we first got our hands on Nintendo Switch Sports and immediately decided, "Huh, it's just like Wii Sports. Only smaller. And £50." Of course, some of these impressions were improved somewhat by the free addition of Golf in November of last year, but for the most part,...
Anniversary Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade First Launched 20 Years Ago Today
The West's first Fire Emblem game
Today marks the 20th anniversary of Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, the seventh entry in the Fire Emblem series, in Japan. But what makes this title extra special is that this was the game that brought the tactical RPG series to the West. A North American release followed in November 2003, with Australia and Europe...
Anniversary Five Years Ago, Nintendo Unboxed Its Most Joyful, Harebrained Experiment
A Labo of Love
Five years ago today, Nintendo told the world to get creative and create pianos, fishing rods, and — eventually — a giant cardboard VR headset. That's right, Nintendo Labo is half a decade old, and as we look back, we're feeling a little bit fond. Debuting in April 2018, this quasi-toys-to-life creation may have essentially been...
Poll Did You Use Motion Controls In Mario Kart Wii?
Wii Wheel, Wii Wheel rock you!
Picture the scene: the year is 2008 and you, a massive Nintendo fan, are gearing up for the next instalment in the Mario Kart series after the incredible online experience of Mario Kart DS and having poured many, many hours into the former home console endeavours on Mario Kart: Double Dash!! But something is different...
News Nintendo Is Officially Done With Kirby's 30th Anniversary Celebrations
NEXT!
We're not entirely sure if this one needed to be announced, but it has been... and it's the confirmation on Nintendo's end that celebrations of the pink puff are now officially over! Yes, don't even try to celebrate his 30th anniversary past this date, because according to a message on social media, Nintendo is moving on - just like it did...
Anniversary Capcom's Breath Of Fire Series Is 30 Years Old, And We Miss It
Come on, Capcom...
Today marks a milestone anniversary for Capcom's very first traditional RPG series. Breath of Fire launched on the Super Famicom on 3rd April 1993, kickstarting what would become a beloved franchise for many turn-based RPG fans. While North America would have to wait until the following summer to get their hands on Capcom's first...
Anniversary Soulcalibur II Is 20 Years Old, And So Is Nintendo's Best Cameo
A tale of souls and Master Swords, eternally retold
Bandai Namco's Soulcalibur II turns 20 in Japan today. The classic fighting game — a sequel to what many already considered one of the best fighting games ever, Soulcalibur on Dreamcast — launched on 27th March 2003 in Japan on GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2. But, c'mon, we all know the...
News Konami Teases "More" Bomberman On 6th Anniversary Of Super Bomberman R
A sequel is arriving this year
It's been six years since Nintendo launched its hybrid device known as the Switch. While many fans of the system remember the launch for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there were some other unique offerings available. One of these other titles was Super Bomberman R. Konami at the time launched the game...
Poll Six Years On, Which Was Nintendo Switch's Best Year So Far?
Which brought you the most Joy(-Con)?
The Switch has been out for a whopping six years today! Can you believe it? We're not sure what the more mind-blowing fact is here, the idea that we haven't had anything new from Nintendo for over half a decade or the realisation that 2017 was six years ago... Either way, making it to a sixth birthday while...
Soapbox 1080° Snowboarding Is The Coolest Nintendo Ever Got
Work your body, w-work your body
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on its 25th birthday, Gavin recalls an atypical Nintendo first-party game where the only goofy thing is your stance choice in the lodge at the start... Tuesday...
Guide Best Star Fox Games Of All Time
Every Star Fox game, ranked by you
21st February 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of Star Fox on Super Famicom in Japan. To celebrate, we're republishing this reader-ranked list of every game in the series. Remember, this is a dynamic ranking that changes in real time according to each game's User Rating in our database. If you haven't...
Talking Point 20 Years Of The Best Game Boy Ever - How Did You Get Your GBA SP?
Love letters to our SPecial ones
On 14th February 2003, Nintendo gave Japanese gamers a Valentine's to remember when it released the Game Boy Advance SP. Those outside Japan would have to wait until March to get their hands on this gorgeous clamshell redesign of the GBA which came — mercifully — with a front-lit screen (the back-lit AGS-101...
