Tag: History
Feature The History Of SaGa, Square's Weirdest, Bravest RPG Series
A saga of SaGa
Final Fantasy. Kingdom Hearts. Mana. Dragon Quest. Chrono. Star Ocean. Valkyrie. Bravely. Square Enix has no shortage of RPG franchises under its belt, from those it's developed in-house to beloved classics that it's acquired over the years. But among all the space-faring
Feature The History Of Monolith Soft - From Baten Kaitos To Xenoblade And Zelda
A monolithic tale
Monolith Soft has become one of the most recognisable of Nintendo's first-party developers in recent times. Led by legendary RPG writer and director Tetsuya Takahashi, the studio is renowned for the monolithic (pun intended) Xenoblade series. Combining MMORPG-style, memorable worlds, stunning music, and philosophical writing, the...
News Yamauchi Family Looking To Redevelop The Area Around Original Nintendo HQ
Though it might take a while
Nintendo's founding Yamauchi Family still seemingly has a great deal of fondness for the video game company. In a significant move, it has acquired around 3000 square metres of land in Kyoto, specifically surrounding Nintendo's original headquarters in the city's Shimogyo Ward. The headquarters itself has already been...
News Historic Village Remains Found On Nintendo Museum Construction Site
Now THAT is history
Last Summer Nintendo announced plans for a Nintendo Gallery, a museum of sorts that will "share Nintendo’s product development history and philosophy with the public". It's using the site of a now out-of-use manufacturing facility, which was also used for product repairs before seeing its workload shifted elsewhere; you can see...
Random Nintendo Might Not Be As Old As You Think
Or it could be even older
There is plenty of Nintendo's history that is well established, especially the more recent period of its video game business. Of course, the company goes much further back with an assortment of previous business ventures, with the original and most famous being Hanafuda and playing cards. It would eventually establish...
Soapbox I'm Looking Forward To Going To The Past With Pokémon And Ace Attorney
Super-nostalgia
My knowledge of "the past" is relatively limited to specific periods of history. I have a degree in Ancient Greek and Latin, so I could tell you all about Suetonius' account of Claudius' imperial reign in excruciating depth, although I doubt you'd want me to. I know a lot about the Tudors, because I went to school in England, and...
Gallery Here Are Some Gorgeous Images From Inside Nintendo's Old Headquarters
Before it's reborn as a hotel
Back in early 2020 it was announced that Nintendo's iconic previous headquarters in Kyoto would be converted into a hotel. Owned now by the Yamauchi family, it's the HQ from the period of Nintendo's extensive growth in selling playing cards, and was also its home as it started to explore moves into children's toys and...
Watch Video Game Historians Are About To Unbox 600 Rare And Retro Game Magazines
Oh god, the papercuts
Are we not all fans of the past? We were all there, after all. And sure, sometimes the past was hard - but it had its great moments, too. Anyway, prepare to crumble into dust as we tell you all about these "vintage" game magazines that are about to be revealed to the public! That's right, your childhood is vintage now! The...
Feature The Brightly Coloured History Of The Yoshi Series
Green is the new black
When asked to name a key Nintendo franchise, most people's first thoughts would likely turn to Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. However, over the years Nintendo has consistently made games with Yoshi as the star. These titles have fleshed-out Nintendo's release schedule nicely across various console generations,...
Feature The History Of The Civilization Series
From PC to Switch: How Sid Meier's world-beating franchise has evolved
It’s four minutes ‘til bedtime and you’ve got work/class in the morning – time for one more race, one more round, one more turn. We’ve all been there. Before you know it, forty-five minutes have slipped by and your self-imposed time limit has come and gone. And the...
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...
Video The Complete History Of Mario Kart
From SNES to Switch in 25 years
In light of the recent launch of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, we at Nintendo Life have been reminiscing about the celebrated history of the Mario Kart series. From the SNES to the new Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart has provided players around the globe with countless hours of shell-tossing entertainment. In this...
Random Fan Finds a North American N64 DD Development Unit
"Nintendo Ultra Disc unit #1 for the USA"
Many of you will no doubt be familiar with the N64 DD, Nintendo's ill-fated first attempt at using disc-based media in consoles. Many big-name titles, such as Super Mario 64 2 and the original build of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, were destined for launch on the add-on, but were eventually canned or...
Video Learn How Nintendo Overcame Rampant Xenophobia To Own The Seattle Mariners
Batter up!
Recently Nintendo announced the sale of their majority stake in the Seattle Mariners, which is a shame as the story of how the Japanese company came to rescue Seattle's baseball team is a fascinating one. In 1992, the Seattle Mariners were on the verge of moving to Florida. When a group of investors led by Nintendo stepped in, it sparked...
Feature How One Man Saved Kyoto - And Video Games - From The Atomic Bomb
Nintendo fans have a lot to thank Henry Stimson for
As we all know, Nintendo's history stretches back quite some time - over 125 years, in fact. The Kyoto-based firm started out manufacturing playing cards and moved into other forms of entertainment - including toys and eventually video games - much later on. However, Nintendo might not have...
Taking a look at a genuine piece of gaming history
It's tempting to look back and think of Nintendo and Sega as long-standing rivals, and that was certainly the case during 8-bit and 16-bit era until the shock announcement that Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was coming to the Wii. However, this wasn't the first time the two companies had...
Right from its original with a fan magazine
Game Freak is one of the world's most successful developers, accumulating millions of sales on an annual basis through the main Pokémon games. As a result it's a major success for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, too, and integral to the franchise and its ongoing success. Many great things have humble...
News The Nintendo Game Plan - How the NES Slowly Won Over the USA
A Tale of Two Cities
Lots has been written on the video game crash of 1983; needless to say after events with Atari, North American retailers were left with their hands burnt, so launching a new console was a risky proposition. We recently took a look at the baby steps which Nintendo took at CES in 1984, which provided usefu
The Advance Video System was a more literal family computer
This week has brought us the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, which has been particularly light on gaming goods. It's an opportunity for companies big and small to show off their technology, ranging from expensive high-end gear to slightly quirky or silly 'innovations'. For...
News This Ancient Promotional Calendar Is Filled With Rich Nintendo History
Could this be one of the oldest pieces of Nintendo merch ever?
Nintendo’s beginnings started out in Japan in late 1889 when the company produced a playing card game known as Hanafuda. Since then, the Big N has dabbled in all forms of entertainment including video games, bowling alleys and even love hotels. With such a rich history, it comes as no...
News This Rather Attractive Nintendo Complete Guide Book is Coming to Japan
Nearly 200 pages of images charting the big N's history
It should be said that, overall, the gulf of attractive collectibles available in Japan compared to the West has probably shortened. Localisation and an increasingly globalised world — not to mention various import retailers — make it easier for fans of Japanese culture to keep up with...
Month of Yoshi The Brightly Coloured History of Yoshi
Getting to know the green one
We all know and love Mario’s sidekick, Yoshi — he’s the loveable green creature (also available in other colours) who likes nothing more than to gobble up a Shy Guy, flutter gracefully to higher ground or partake in go-karting competitions in his spare time. With Yoshi’s New Island gracing the 3DS this coming...
