Tag: Nintendo - Page 136
News Wii U Becomes Profitable With One Game Sale
Buy a game, make Mario say wahoo!
It was confirmed in late October that Wii U will be sold at a loss, which gave the retail price some context and perhaps made some supporters nervous about the financial impact on the company. According to comments from Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime, however, the loss on each console is evidently small...
News First Image of Wii U eShop Surfaces
Mario and Luigi have never looked better
While Nintendo has been keeping the Wii U's download retail system under wraps, the first picture of the console's eShop has now been released on Nintendo of Japan's website. The lone image shows off the system's interface, which looks similar to the 3DS' online storefront, and Nintendo is also promising...
Developer Interview Pwnee Studios Talks About Cloudberry Kingdom and Wii U
"We have learnt to expect bizarre events"
With all of the excitement surrounding the upcoming release of the Wii U console and its retail launch titles, it’s easy to forget the assortment of potentially fantastic Wii U eShop titles also heading our way. One of which is Cloudberry Kingdom, a platformer which promises to supply the gamer with...
News Paper Mario, Fire Emblem and Rayman Legends Get New Trailers
Now with 100% more Lums, goats, and arrows!
Yesterday, Nintendo of America broadcasted a new Nintendo Direct, which focused specifically on upcoming 3DS titles and software. We already posted the brand new trailer to the newly-named Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but Nintendo also released fresh trailers for
News Nintendo Download Sales Increase With 3DS
Online connectivity rate also on the rise
With plenty of information coming out of Nintendo's recent financial results and briefings, one particularly positive outcome is confirmation that the company's download sales are increasing for the first time since 2010. Considering the fact that Wii and DSi are on the decline due to newer systems, the...
News North American Nintendo Direct To Air on 25th October
Come and spend some time with Reggie
It might be a little late for the announcement, but Nintendo of America has announced a new Nintendo Direct broadcast, which is set to air tomorrow at 7am Pacific / 9am Central / 10am Eastern / 3pm British Standard and 4pm Central European time. As posted on its Facebook page, the stream will focus on upcoming...
News Nintendo Issues a Statement on Its Foxconn Under-Age Workers Investigation
Confirms violation and further on-site inspections
Last week there was some unpleasant news that Nintendo was forced to confront, with the revelations that manufacturing partner Foxconn employed under-age interns to manufacture Wii U. Foxconn accepted responsibility and admitted that under-age employees had been hired and subsequently released,...
Talking Point The Message in "I'm Not a Gamer" Commercials
Word-play, or hiding from being a gamer?
A little over a month ago we mentioned a new series of commercials that Nintendo was planning to run, which it described as the "Play As You Are" campaign. The goal of these adverts was to show "how all kinds of women and young girls can explore their interests and express their individuality using the...
News Nintendo Cuts Profit Projections After Half-Year Results
Losses continue to fall despite weaker than expected 3DS sales
Despite all of the hype and excitement currently around Nintendo and the upcoming launch of Wii U, in addition to its efforts to improve its download platforms and more, the company's been working against a backdrop of difficult financial results. Earlier this year Nintendo had to report...
Interview Braxton Burks - Pokémon Reorchestrated: Kanto Symphony
Pokémon musical
Clearly we're not the only ones that love orchestrated game music, as Pokémon Reorchestrated: Kanto Symphony has just been released to a positive response. The fan project reinterprets the 8-bit music of Pokémon Red / Blue in full orchestral form and has been cleared by Nintendo through Joypad Records, a company that specialises...
Talking Point Affordable Consoles Come at a Cost
There are no easy answers
Earlier this week we reported on the news that Foxconn, manufacturer for many of the world’s biggest technology companies, employed under-age interns to work on Wii U manufacturing. Foxconn admitted that it had employed 14-16 year old school attendees and stated that it had “apologized to each of the students for our...
News 5th Cell Explains Lack Of Nintendo Characters In 3DS Scribblenauts
It all comes down to 'timing'
Just yesterday, Warner Bros. Interactive announced that a handful of characters from the Mario and Legend of Zelda series will be featured in the upcoming Wii U version of Scribblenauts Unlimited. However, the 3DS version of the game won't be getting in on the action. While an official explanation for this discrepancy...
News Pokémon Reorchestrated: Kanto Symphony Released into the Wild
Catch it now
A few months ago we brought news that Braxton "Skotein" Burks was working with Joypad Records on a collection of orchestrated Pokémon music, and now we're pleased to tell you that Pokémon Reorchestrated: Kanto Symphony has been completed and sent out into the world. The 35-track extravaganza covers the soundtrack of Pokémon Red /...
News Reggie: "Certainly Possible" Wii U Consoles Could Be Sold By Cable Providers
Nintendo of America president hints on the future of Wii U
In an interview with the Seattle Times, Nintendo of America President Reggie-Fils Aime left open the possibility of selling Wii U consoles through cable providers. While this might seem pretty far-fetched, it's well-known that Nintendo is hoping for big things from its Nintendo TVii...
Talking Point Nintendo's Focus on the 3DS eShop
Gaming on a budget
This week’s European Nintendo Direct prompted the usual range of predictions before the event, ranging from optimistic but unlikely hopes to pessimism and predictability. What Nintendo of Europe boss Satoru Shibata gave us, surprisingly, was a broadcast heavy with eShop exclusives, some new and surprising and others with...
Talking Point The Possibilities of New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC
More Mario per system
We’re well aware that some of you may read the headline and tagline for this article and immediately think that we’re losing our minds, foolishly allowing ourselves to be suckered into paying more and more for our Mario fix. That’s a danger of course, which we’ll come to, but with this week’s first batch of New Super...
News Voice of Mario Was Inspired by a Shakespearean Character
Yes, really
Younger gamers may think that Mario's always had a voice, gleefully exclaiming phrases such as "Wahoo" and "Yippee" for all time, along with the occasional sentence. The voice fits the character, and it seems like Mario wouldn't be the same without his famous catch-phrases. It's easy to forget, then, that Super Mario 64 was the first...
Rumour Kid Icarus Planning a Wii U Uprising?
Too good to be true? Not according to Amazon
While Kid Icarus: Uprising lead designer Masahiro Sakurai has stated that he has no plans to make a sequel , it looks like a console port may be in the works, depending on how optimistic you happen to be. Earlier today, Amazon France put up a listing for Kid Icarus: Uprising, except the game is being...
News Nintendo Shares Two Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Demo Puzzles
"Just a dash of puzzle solving here"
Have you ever found yourself in that situation when a nearby clown is tangled in balloon strings, and you have to free him in precisely three moves? Well our good friend Hershel Layton is here to help with his latest puzzle-solving adventure, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. To get you in the mood for the...
News Shigeru Miyamoto: Mario and Luigi Don't Have Last Names
So stop saying he's called Mario Mario
When it comes to Mario, Nintendo's number one icon, there are plenty of myths and stories that can be debated by gamers until the moo moo cows come home. One of these, thanks to the Super Mario Bros. movie that wasn't particularly good, is that Mario and Luigi's last name is actually Mario, meaning that the...
Playing together and going solo
Nintendo Land is going to be played by a lot of Wii U owners, which we know thanks to pre-orders for the system's Premium Set being practically sold out in the U.S., for example. We were able to try a number of its titles in a post-E3 London event, where we gave you first impressions of Nintendo Land's multiplayer...
Not a bad effort, Nintendo
On Thursday the Nintendo Life team watched the various broadcasts and events held by Nintendo to unveil Wii U launch details. After soaking in all that was said and the news that's come out since, a couple of our editors decided to provide some brief thoughts of their own on what Nintendo did right, as well as areas that...
News Nintendo Confirms UK Wii U Showcase Tour
Your chance to go hands-on
With the Wii U launch only two-and-a-half months away, Nintendo UK has today confirmed details for the Wii U showcase tour. It'll take in 13 events, appearing first at the Eurogamer Expo 2012 and then at a variety of different shopping centres and venues. The tour will give you the chance to try out New Super Mario Bros...
News Feast Your Eyes on Nintendo's Wii U Launch Hits
Looking good
The dust is starting to settle on Wii U day and we're catching our breath, so we thought it may be a good time to catch up on some juicy new footage of Nintendo's launch day titles, New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land. As part of what's looking like an increasingly encouraging launch line-up day, these titles represent Nintendo's...
News Wii U Arrives in Japan on 8th December
Two bundles, pricing and hardware details confirmed
The Wii U preview event in Japan was 20 minutes of flat out information on the Wii U concept, and then a lot of details about the hardware and release details. So, let's get to it. First off, Wii U's release date in Japan is 8th December, and will arrive in two bundles. There's a basic white model...
News Watch the Japanese Wii U Announcement Here
And we're off
And so it begins, the first event of this Wii U preview day. It all starts in Japan, appropriately, and this presentation is only set to last 20 minutes. We expect basic details in this one, such as the hardware price, release date, maybe Miiverse info and the possibility of bundled software like Nintendo Land. It'll also be in...
News Nintendo of America Wii U Event Will be Live Online
Reggie also gets chatty with the Mario brothers
We all know that Nintendo of America is hosting its big Wii U event tomorrow in New York, with Europe and Japan each weighing in with Nintendo Direct broadcasts as well. We thought it'd be worth giving you all of the important details in one place, so that you won't miss a thing. To make sure you see...
News Nintendo UK Calls a Race For The Fastest Mario Kart 7 Players
Lights are green
Nintendo UK has been encouraging gamers to play a lot of Mario Kart 7 recently, with a number of heats completed in the quest to find Britain's Fastest Family. It's now confirmed that the grand final of that contest, 27th October in Birmingham, will be combined with the final of a new event to find the "Best Mario Kart 7 Player in...
News Rodney Greenblat: Nintendo Works on Creativity and Originality in Games "24/7"
"Playstation and XBox have little incentive to do that"
Rodney Greenblat is a name likely to be familiar to Sony gaming enthusiasts, as he was the designer and artistic creator for PaRappa the Rapper on PS1, as well as the sequel on PS2. Even those who've staunchly stuck with Nintendo all of these years have probably encountered these rhythm games...
Talking Point The Importance of the Wii U Press Event
Battle for the limelight
This Thursday’s Wii U press event is a big deal for Nintendo. Well, let’s assume it is, as a loose teaser for future reveals may cause too much fan anguish to control: we’re talking mass hysteria and riots on the streets. Joking aside, we’re 99% confident that Nintendo’s going to hit us with at least two big pieces...
Talking Point Wii U and the Next Generation of Consoles
Getting there first
Wii U is getting ever closer, with a press conference scheduled for this week that’s expected to include details such as the system's price and a launch date. It’s possible to argue that Nintendo has been playing it too slowly in terms of building hype for Wii U, but that’s the company’s style in recent years when...
Talking Point Miiverse and Social Networking
Bringing gamers together
In the past week, two particular news items and events have made us think about the future role of Miiverse on Wii U, and why it could be vitally important to the system. On the one hand, Satoru Iwata spoke to Kotaku to explain that Miiverse will be a ”social graph” for gamers, highlighting that the service will aim to...
News Nintendo's Hardware and Related Software Hits 70% Market Share in Japan
The highest in five years
Earlier this week we brought you the news that Nintendo was not only continuing to enjoy a good run with 3DS hardware sales in its homeland, but that the top ten in the software charts were all on Nintendo systems. Chart masters Media Create have now produced some follow-up information that makes even more good reading for...
News Mario Kart 7 'Fastest Family' Contest is in The Final Straight
The last chance to qualify
In recent weeks we've brought you regular updates on Nintendo UK's Fastest Family competition, which aims to seek out the quickest Mario Kart 7 racers from around the country. Throughout August regional heats have been taking place at HMV stores, with the winners securing a place in the grand final in October; there'll be...
News Take a Sneaky Look at The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia
In English, hurrah!
It's been a good month so far for Zelda fans. Not only has the monumental book, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, been translated and confirmed for the West next January, but this week we also had the smug satisfaction of knocking off E. L. James' infamous Fifty Shades of Grey from the top spot on amazon.com's best-sellers...
News Nintendo Only Plans to Make One 2D Mario Per Platform
Plumber deal
The idea of Mario fatigue has been wafting through the air recently, thanks to New Super Mario Bros. 2 launching on 3DS this weekend as another 2D Mario, New Super Mario Bros. U, is being prepared for release in a few months at Wii U's launch. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata insists that this won't be a regular thing, however —...
News Team Ninja Interested in Another Nintendo Collaboration
Another M
Metroid: Other M divided fans of Samus Aran, but Team Ninja wouldn't mind giving the series another go — if Nintendo is up for it, too. At Gamescom, VG247 asked Team Ninja studio head Yosuke Hayashi about the possibility of a sequel. Hayashi expressed an interest in working with the Kyoto company again in the future, in particular...
News Iwata: Nintendo Won't Deceive With DLC
Still getting the complete package
Downloadable content has, probably deservedly, earned a bad reputation thanks to some publishers' actions with paid add-ons, so it's quite understandable if you're worried about Nintendo's own upcoming attempts at the model. Try not to get too worked up — Nintendo president Satoru Iwata wants to assure us that...
News The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia is Coming to the West
Link to the past
Good news — that lovely looking Zelda book that came to Japan earlier this year, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, is being released in North America at the start of 2013. Dark Horse Books will be publishing the 272-page hardcover art book, which contains bundles of concept art, the complete history of Hyrule and, of course,...
Preview Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Cleaner and better
We recently had the chance to sit down with a more recent demo of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. With three stages to sweep clean rather than the single one on offer when we played it last year, we got to see just how much work Next Level Games has put into the game since then. The three mansions that we were able to pick this time...
News Who's New Super Mario Bros. 2's Mystery Celebrity?
Guess who
Nintendo of Europe is having a little fun with the advertising campaign for New Super Mario Bros. 2 before the game is released on Friday. Can you guess which mystery celebrity is wearing Mario's famous moustache? The answers have been flowing in all day on Twitter, but apparently nobody's got it right yet. Frankie Sandford, Emma Watson...
Rumour Wii U European Launch Could be Delayed
Manufacturing problems with the GamePad
At present there are some rumours swirling around the internet about potential launch dates for Wii U, with most agreeing that Nintendo is aiming for early-mid November. That's in North America, but industry sources seem to be suggesting that there may be delays in Europe, with some speculating that it'll...
Round Table Let's Talk About Super Mario
Get a comfortable seat
We've already unveiled our favourite Super Mario games, but it's a series with plenty of talking points. We're in the middle of the busiest spell of new Super Mario games in the history of the franchise, with two 'New Super Mario Bros.' titles arriving this year, which will mean that three new entries will have arrived within...
News Original Freakyforms to be Removed From European eShop
Oh dear
Earlier today we shared the news that New Art Academy and Freakyforms Deluxe will be retail downloads in Europe, arriving on 17th August alongside New Super Mario Bros. 2. Of course, that meant that there could potentially be two Freakyforms titles in the eShop, with the original download version including less content but coming in at a...
News Dragon Quest X Storms to Number One in Japan
3DS and Wii sell big, too
Last week's Japanese charts brought big sales for New Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3DS, with the XL model contributing over 190,000 sales on its own. The good times keep coming for Nintendo in its homeland this week, with the latest results from Enterbrain showing strong performances in both software and hardware. The big...
Talking Point 3DS eShop Deserves Big Franchises
Boosting digital downloads
For many Nintendo gamers, we suspect, the release of New Super Mario Bros. 2 looms large as the highlight of the next gaming month. Even if the game doesn’t innovate the plumber’s series in any major way, the purchasing options do just that. For 3DS owners it’ll no longer be a case of simply picking up a boxed game...
News Check Out These Cool Star Fox Facts
Cunning
NASA's Curiosity touched down on Mars today, which in our eyes is a perfectly good excuse to hear some interesting facts about Nintendo's premier space series, Star Fox. Did You Know Gaming? has pulled together some facts that'll make you want to barrel roll. The YouTube clip notes the multiple cancellations that have plagued the franchise,...
News Mario Kart 7 'Fastest Family' Competition Hits The Road
UK contest teams up with HMV
You may have been aware in recent weeks of Nintendo's build up for its Mario Kart 7 Fastest Family contest in the UK, with celebrity Rufus Hound starring in videos to advertise the event. For those interested in entering with their families, the time to put that practice to good use has finally arrived. Nintendo has...
News Matte Red and Matte Blue DSi Models Hit North America This Week
Why wait?
The 3DS XL may have arrived in Europe and Japan merely weeks after it was announced, but it's got nothing on the new Matte Red and Matte Blue DSi systems hitting North America. Set to start hitting stores this week, the colours look remarkably similar to the 3DS XL equivalents, suggesting that Nintendo may have had a bulk discount and...
News Nintendo: Indie Developers are 'Definitely Important' on 3DS
Independently speaking
Nintendo 3DS's eShop has seen quite a lot of action from independent developers since its launch, with the likes of VVVVVV, Bomb Monkey and Zen Pinball 3D gracing the service so far, to name just a few. It's a trend that Nintendo is keen to continue. Speaking to VG247, Nintendo UK marketing manager Ben Tayl
