Tag: Anniversary - Page 4
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...
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-Stars.
Every Virtual Boy game ranked
Nintendo is an odd company in many ways; deeply conservative 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 frivolities turn out...
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...
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...
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 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...
News Happy 130th Birthday, Nintendo!
Time flies when you're creating fun!
Today, Nintendo celebrates its 130th anniversary. The Japanese gaming giant was founded on 23rd September 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, when it originally served as a hanafuda playing card company. A fair few among you reading this will likely know the story already, but let us take a very brief trip down memory...
Anniversary Game Boy Turns 30 Years Old In North America
Three decades of playing with portable power
Back in April we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the one handheld to rule them all - the humble Nintendo Game Boy. We ran a series of features on the all-conquering lump of grey plastic and had fun reminiscing about green screens, AA batteries and some incredible games. Well, that was in celebration...
Anniversary Pokémon Snap Turns 20 Years Old Today
And we still don't have a sequel
Twenty years ago today, on 21st March 1999, Pokémon Snap was first released in Japan. A Nintendo 64 exclusive, Pokémon Snap follows the adventures of Todd Snap, a Pokémon photographer who is tasked with taking perfect shots of the adorable critters and showing them to Professor Oak for inspection. It features 63...
Anniversary Nintendo Switch Launched Two Years Ago Today
Happy birthday!
Two years ago today, the Nintendo Switch was first released into the world. And what a ride it's been so far. Yes, 3rd March 2017 saw Nintendo's latest console hit store shelves, a home-handheld hybrid launching alongside games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Snipperclips, Just Dance 2017, Fast RMX, and more.
Anniversary Super Mario Bros. 3 Turns 30 Years Old Today
Feel old yet?
Thirty years ago today, on 23rd October 1988, Super Mario Bros. 3 launched in Japan. Following the traditions already put in place by previous Mario games, Super Mario Bros. 3 had players controlling either Mario or Luigi as they went on a quest to save Princess Toadstool from the dastardly claws of Bowser. There were enemies to stomp...
Video The First 30 Years of Mega Man
You can’t stop the rock!
17th December is a big day for Capcom, as one of its top series and characters - Mega Man - celebrates its 30th birthday! The company started the party a bit early by announcing Mega Man 11, coming next year! But, it all began thirty years ago, when Capcom put forth a plan to create its first non-arcade port for the...
Anniversary The Super Famicom Is Now 27 Years Old
It's got a mortgage and two kids as well
To many retro gamers it doesn't get much better than the Super Nintendo, otherwise known as the Super Famicom in its native Japan. This year Nintendo celebrated this 16-bit wonder with the release of the SNES Classic Mini, which was a timely reminder of how great the console was. It was on this console that...
Anniversary It's One Year Since Nintendo Showed Us The Switch
NX level stuff
Incredibly, it's now one year since Nintendo lifted the lid on the Switch - and Nintendo Karen. Leaked many months ahead of the official reveal, the hybrid nature of the Switch - then known as "NX" - left some unconvinced. Even the announcement video itself - which focused on the system's ability to t
News Nicalis Unveils Snazzy Website to Celebrate Its 10 Year Anniversary
Promises "some very cool announcements" in the coming months
Nicalis was a familiar name to Nintendo gamers in the Wii, Wii U and 3DS eras, but it's risen to prominence in the short lifespan of the Switch. It's been active in bringing out budget retail titles in particular, with the physical editions for the likes of Cave Story+ and The Binding of...
Video Celebrate Kirby's 25th Anniversary With This Special Trailer
Including a reminder of the 2018 Switch release
As we've seen over recent weeks with themed discounts and promotions, Nintendo's been celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Kirby. Nintendo of Europe, for its part, has now published a rather nice trailer celebrating the landmark. It works through 25 years of Kirby games, ending with a few snippets of...
News Nintendo's Been In The Video Game Business For 40 Years This Month
Humble beginnings
Time flies when you're having fun, and it's crazy to think that it's been 40 years since Nintendo started making video games. It feels like there is a anniversary for something every other day at the moment, but this is a big one. According to Nintendo's own records, the Color TV Game 6 and Color TV Game 15 in July 1977 in Japan...
News Congratulations Nintendo 64, You're A Proper Grown-Up Now
The classic system turns 21 today
It's a day of anniversaries today it seems, not only does Sonic The Hedgehog turn 26, but it is also a whopping 21 years since the Nintendo 64 was released in its native territory of Japan. Launched on 23rd June 1996, the N64 served as a landmark moment in Nintendo's history as a video game manufacturer, mainly...
News The 3DS is Six Years Old in the Americas, How Time Flies
It's still going, too
There was a period, in the Summer of 2011, when 'Nintendoomed' was a theme as plummeting sales for the 3DS were interpreted as the end times. As always there was a lot of exaggeration, but there were valid problems too. At the time the Wii was losing steam, and following the phenomenal success of the DS family of systems the...
News The Nintendo 64 Is 20 Years Old Today In Europe And Australia
That's right, you're old
Here's another anniversary to make you feel older - the much-loved Nintendo 64 is celebrating its 20th birthday today in Europe and Australia. Released in June 1996 in Japan and September 1996 in North America, eager Euro gamers would have to exercise patience once again as the N64 launched on 1st March, 1997 in Europe...
Video Happy Birthday Pit! - The 30th Anniversary of Kid Icarus
Another NES classic marks three decades
Mark your calendars, because on Monday, 19th December, another classic NES game has an anniversary. In 2016 there have been a long list of games that turned 30, including the likes of The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest and
Music Behold the Majesty of The Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert CD
Japan gets all the best stuff!
Remember CDs? They were those shiny discs you can still play in most car stereos. We jest, the Japan-exclusive The Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert CD looks seriously cool. Out on 15th February 2017, this lovely 2-disc release will set you back ¥3,000 (around £20 / $25) plus tax; Amazon Japan is listing it...
News A Special Kirby 25th Anniversary Broadcast Will Air Tomorrow in Japan
Pinch me, I must be dreaming
Earlier this summer, the Kirby series saw its latest entry with Kirby: Planet Robobot, the sublime mech-centric platformer that more or less concluded a trilogy of Kirby games that have come out over the past few years. As it would happen, Kirby's 25th anniversary is due to occur in 2017, and while there haven't been any...
Reminder There's Another Chance to Pick Up Arceus for X, Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
It's time for judgment
It's been a year of awesome Anniversary Legendary distributions in the last-gen Pokémon games (as they are now), with some neat 'mon given away for X, Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Most were distributed via the Nintendo Network, but some were more awkwardly tied to store distributions. One of these was Arceus in August,...
News Mythical Pokémon Genesect Confirmed for Anniversary Distribution in November
That doesn't bug us at all
With Pokémon in its 20th Anniversary year we've been getting one Mythical Pokémon every month for the current-gen games, each available for a few weeks. The November offering will be Genesect, which will arrive on 1st November and be available until the 24th of the same month; it'll be a store distribution, with the...
News Mythical Pokémon Keldeo Confirmed for Anniversary Distribution in October
An inclusion that's definitely justified
With Pokémon in its 20th Anniversary year we've been getting one Mythical Pokémon every month for the current-gen games, each available for a few weeks. This month's offering is Keldeo, which will arrive on 1st October and be available until the 24th of the same month through the Nintendo Network; it...
News Nintendo is Now 127 Years Old
That's 889 in Duck Hunt Dog years
When most people think of Nintendo they likely picture things like Mario, Legend of Zelda, Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario again, and then Pokémon. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that none of those existed when the company was founded on 23rd September 1889; back then Nintendo specialised in hanafuda playing cards,...
Anniversary The Super Nintendo Is 25 Years Old Today
Happy birthday, you boxy thing
25 years ago, the Super Nintendo - or Super NES (or even SNES, if you're in a rush) - arrived in North America to critical acclaim and great fanfare. Following on from a successful launch in Japan - where it was named the Super Famicom - the console recieved a rather drastic facelift for its North American debut,...
News Metroid is 30 Years Old Today
Happy birthday, Samus
Despite the sad reality that Metroid has fallen on hard times recently, the series has been a tentpole Nintendo franchise for nearly as long as the company has been in the gaming business. Many Metroid games still stand as some of the best available on Nintendo platforms, which makes it that much more of a sting that the series...
Live Blog It's Time for Sonic the Hedgehog's 25th Anniversary Party and Game Reveal - Live!
Hopefully not Boom and bust
Oh Sonic the Hedgehog, we love you and we fear you. The Blue Blur's games over the past decade have varied from promising and solid efforts to atrocious disasters, with some 3DS and mobile games in between. Now SEGA is throwing a 25th Anniversary bash in which a new game will be announced; we're watching and hoping for...
All gearing up for a reveal (hopefully) on 22nd July
For Sonic the Hedgehog fans there's hopefully some excitement around the corner - a celebratory Anniversary event in San Diego on 22nd July looks likely to reveal a new Sonic game for 2017. The event is even getting streamed online, so we'll be giving it the full live blog and stream treatment in...
Anniversary Donkey Kong is Now 35 Years Old
When Mr. Video rescued Pauline
We suspect that Shigeru Miyamoto and some veteran colleagues in Nintendo will be raising a glass this weekend in honour of Donkey Kong, as the arcade arrived in Japan on 9th July 1981 - 35 years ago. It was its impact in North America when it landed at the end of that month, however, which proved particularly vital to...
Video SEGA Commissions Neat Sonic the Hedgehog Street Art, Though Some Focus on Blue Arms
Boom...
In just a few weeks we should get a look at the next major Sonic game, with a live stream promised of a 25th Anniversary event in San Diego on 22nd July. After quite a bit of waiting fans will no doubt be pinning their hopes on a return to form for the series. The official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel has been warming up with a few...
News New Sonic the Hedgehog Game is Coming in 2017
July San Diego event will be streamed online
There's been a lot of chat around Sonic the Hedgehog this week, but we appear to finally have the real confirmation that we've been waiting for. At a 25th Anniversary bash in Tokyo Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka confirmed that a new Sonic game is coming in 2017, and also showed off the following artwork /...
Anniversary Sonic the Hedgehog is Now 25 Years Old
Happy Birthday old chum
Sonic the Hedgehog is 25 years old, with the original game coming out on SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive in North America on 23rd June 1991, kicking off one of gaming's most iconic early rivalries. The 'Bit Wars' between SEGA and Nintendo, Sonic and Mario, were integral to many childhoods of gamers that are now typically over 30...
Anniversary Super Mario 64 is Now 20 Years Old
A vital part of gaming history
2016 is a year with plenty of notable anniversaries, and now one of the most influential games in the industry's history is 20 years old. Super Mario 64 - hat-tip to this NeoGAF thread for the reminder - arrived in Japan on 23rd June 1996, and thanks to time zones that landmark has now been reached in Nintendo's...
News Nintendo of Europe Unveils Over 40 Discounts for eShop 5 Year Anniversary Sale
Two weeks and plenty of choices
As you're more than likely aware, the 3DS eShop - and 'eShop' as a whole - has passed its five year anniversary. It's a notable landmark, and while major discounts have been rolled out in Japan some in the West wondered if a similar promotion would arrive globally. Nintendo of Europe has now pitched in with details of...
Talking Point In Praise of the 3DS eShop, Which is Now Five Years Old
A vital landmark for Nintendo's modernised download sales
Today (6th June) brings a notable landmark for fans of download games - the 3DS eShop has turned five years old. Five years with hundreds of game releases, most of them by CIRCLE Entertainment and EnjoyUp Games - we're joking, of course, but both of those publishers and more deserve a hat tip...
Anniversary New Super Mario Bros. is Now a Decade Old
Forever 'New' thanks to clever (or not) branding
When you put 'New' in the name of something, it's inevitable that around a decade later someone will smarmily say "it's not new any more", and you just have to accept that putting an adjective like that in a name isn't a long term solution. Yet, when New Super Mario Bros. was released on DS it was...
Feature Five Reasons Why We Love Animal Crossing
Happy Anniversary Mayor!
Animal Crossing turned 15 this week, and we're certainly feeling plenty of nostalgia for the series. What makes Animal Crossing such a successful franchise? We've put together some of the points that we think have propelled the series to being one of the most successful ever. The characters: Animal Crossing would be...
News Atlus is Now 30 Years Old
Well, the pre-takeover Atlus, it still counts...
Atlus is a publisher and developer that's rather well-known and much loved - the Japanese company has brought us a number of iconic franchises, while Nintendo gamers in North America (and to a lesser extent Europe) have enjoyed a high number of exclusives over the past two generations. Atlus was...
