Wii U eShop - News
September2013
News Ubisoft's Child of Light Set to Shine on the Wii U
Slated for a 2014 release
During GDC Europe Ubisoft's Patrick Plourde, the director of Far Cry 3, announced that his next project would be a downloadable title called Child of Light. It's a sidescrolling RPG that utilises the exceptional UbiArt engine, which was most recently used in Rayman Legends; it promises to be the perfect tool for a fairytale...
Review Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
Worth the wait?
After several delays and well publicised development issues, Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara has finally launched on Wii U; while it’s not without issues, the wait was worth it. Developed by Iron Galaxy Games, Chronicles of Mystara is a HD remastering of Capcom’s arcade brawlers Dungeons & Dragons:...
News WayForward Hopes To Release Wii U Version of Mighty Switch Force! 2 in October
Will be more than just a typical HD port
Last month, WayForward confirmed Mighty Switch Force! 2, the 3DS eShop title that emerged in June, will be coming to Wii U in the future. However, the developer did state it was a "backburner project" and considering it is pretty busy at the moment, what with the unveiling of the Kickstarter project for
Nintendo Download 12th September (Europe)
Dungeons & dragons, classic Mario, Toki Tori 2 with a + and more
It's Monday, which means Nintendo Download news for Europe. This week brings a modest number of titles, though they do include a long awaited Wii U download from Capcom, classic Mario, a major Toki Tori 2 update and the download arrival of the blue blur's most recent adventure on 3DS...
Review Spot the Differences: Party!
Spot a different party
Spot the Differences: Party! will hand you photo after photo, politely asking you to identify the inconsistencies between their lookalikes until you either pass out from unrelenting boredom or stare at each and every one of the 300+ pictures on display. Go it alone or rope a friend or three into the monotony, but unless...
Talking Point Nintendo's eShop Policies Deserve Both Praise and Attention
We break down the known details of eShop publishing
Just recently we reported on announcements made by Nintendo of Europe's Business Development Manager, Ed Valiente, who gave a presentation on eShop publishing at The Indie Games Collective event at the UKIE HQ in London. We picked up on a couple of notable revelations, relating to Miiverse coming...
All part of an indie-friendly approach
Earlier today we shared reports that Miiverse is set to come to the 3DS "soon" and, in the future, receive dedicated smartphone apps. That information was from attendees at The Indie Games Collective event at the UKIE HQ in London, where Nintendo of Europe's Business Development Manager, Ed Valiente, gave a...
News Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams Director Pleased with Early Wii U Sales
Patch for GamePad music also said to be on its way
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is still a fresh arrival on the Wii U eShop, with just over 2 weeks’ exposure in Europe and a release only yesterday in North America. But it’s never too early to talk about sales expectations, right? Adrian Goersch, managing director at developer Black Forest...
News Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths Will Officially Be Made in English
We catch up with Fleur Marty to find out about the new stretch goals
Ynnis Interactive has been running a Kickstarter campaign in order to bring Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths, the puzzle adventure game based on the Japanese-French animated series of the same name, to other nations in English. It has now reached its goal and international...
News Assault Android Cactus to Feature Off-TV Play and Wii Remote and Nunchuk Controls
Dual stick controls will also be included, naturally
Not long ago we told you about Assault Android Cactus, an action shooter from Australian developer Witch Beam that's targeting a Q1 2014 release on the Wii U eShop. With a top-down perspective and plenty of twin-stick mayhem potentially on offer, it looks like it could be a stylish slice of fun...
News CommanderVideo to be a Playable Character in Aban Hawkins & the 1,001 Spikes
Still planned for release on Wii U and 3DS this year
Aban Hawkins and the 1,001 Spikes was announced for the Wii U and 3DS eShop platforms way back in April 2012, with the original target being to release the title on both systems that year. It's a project that's fallen largely silent, however, though publisher Nicalis has provided updates on...
News Sword 'N' Board Confirmed For Wii U
Kickstarter-funded adventure RPG is on the way
Just short of a month ago independent games developer Robert Busey opened up a Kickstarter page for his new game Sword 'N' Board. Essentially, it's a puzzle-based adventure RPG that sees you battling through imaginary monsters, cardboard forests and dark pillow fort dungeons all in an attempt to find...
News Over 61% of Q2 Game Sales in the U.S. Were From Download Products
That'll be why Nintendo's pushing the eShop platforms, then
It's been reiterated enough times that, despite the desire of many to maintain physical retail collections of games, the rise of download platforms and products nevertheless continues to gain momentum. While Nintendo weighs in with the eShop platforms on Wii U and 3DS, there's also...
Start your engines
TNT Racers: Nitro Machines Edition is a high octane battle racing game developed by German studio keen games. It draws on inspiration from classic titles like Micro Machines and features an isometric viewpoint with all drivers competing on the same screen. Previously released on WiiWare, this updated version on Wii U crams in...
Nintendo Download 5th September (North America)
Dungeons & dragons, twisted dreams, rare retro shooting and much more
It's Nintendo Download update day, North America, and there are some real goodies on offer this week. We have long awaited Wii U eShop games, a rare NES shoot 'em up on the 3DS Virtual Console and various other treats. Without further ado, here are the details. Wii U eShop:...
News Ghost Song: A Journey of Hope Misses Wii U Fundraising Target But May Still Arrive
"I'm working to make this happen anyway"
In August we brought you details of Ghost Song: A Journey of Hope, a crowdfunded project with stylistic references to Super Metroid, in particular. With bold plans to incorporate ideas from the likes of Dark Souls, its setting and storyline was promising to the extent that it quickly reached its funding...
News Nintendo: We Need To Do A Better Job Of Attracting Indies To The eShop
"We've learned a lot of lessons over the past five or six years"
If there's one thing you learn from speaking to indie developers working on the Wii U and 3DS eShops, it's that Nintendo is a much easier company to work with these days when you're a small-scale studio. The nightmare days of WiiWare are long gone, but that doesn't mean that the...
Review Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers
Work in progress or fighting masterpiece?
Street Fighter II hit arcades in 1991 but amazingly, by the time 1993 rolled around, players had already experienced three upgrades to the core game: Street Fighter II': Champion Edition, Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting and Super Stree
News Mighty No. 9 Wii U Stretch Goal Has Been Reduced
It's now set at a cool $2,200,000
The Kickstarter campaign for Mighty No. 9 kicked off over the weekend and it has already smashed through its original $900,000 goal, meaning the game will definitely be coming to PC. When comcept USA revealed its new project it stated a home console version for Wii U, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 would be made should...
News WayForward Launches Kickstarter Campaign for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
Wii U listed as a platform
Late last week WayForward began a countdown to a Kickstarter project, prompting fans to speculate on what it could be. Perhaps unsurprisingly it's for a new title in one of its most adored original IPs — Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. If funded it'll be a multi-platform HD adventure for the character, with the Wii U listed...
News Super Castlevania IV Is Whipping The Japanese Wii U Virtual Console Next Week
A 16-bit classic to get your teeth into
Japanese Wii U owners will be able to enjoy what is arguably Simon Belmont's best adventure next week as Super Castlevania IV (or Akumajō Dracula as it's known over there) hits the Virtual Console in that region. The first 16-bit outing for Konami's esteemed vampire-hunting series, Super Castlevania IV was...
News Keiji Inafune Thanks Mighty No. 9 Backers in New Video
Former co-workers and employers also appreciated
A very happy and slightly exhausted-looking Keiji Inafune has taken to YouTube to thank everyone who has helped his Mega Man-influenced Kickstarter project, Mighty No. 9, reach its initial funding goal in blinding speed. An update from the development team was also posted to the project’s...
News Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition Update Now Live in Europe
Fixes "a few bugs"
A new patch for Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition is now available to download from the Wii U eShop in Europe. Players won't need to do anything as the update will be applied automatically once you're connected to the internet. Matt Bozon, creative director at WayForward, made the announcement on his Twitter page, where he...
News Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara Battles to North America This Week
European release set for 12th September
Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara has been a frustrating release for some Nintendo eShop gamers. After arriving on rival platforms earlier in the summer, issues with the Wii U build caused a rather late notice delay and then multiple weeks of silence and, we imagine, failed submissions. Just over a...
News Eurostyle Neo Geo Shooter Gunlord Is Blasting Its Way To 3DS And Wii U
Indiegogo campaign started to fund development
UPDATE: Since this news item was written the original Indiegogo page has been removed and a new one has risen up in its place, with a lower goal of 40,000 Euros. We have updated the links to reflect this. The flexible funding option has now also been removed, meaning that NG:DEV.TEAM will only get the...
Interview Designer Luc Bernard Talks Wii U And Crowdfunding His Vision
The man behind Eternity's Child is back
Remember Luc Bernard? He's the guy behind Eternity's Child — the WiiWare title that never was — and has since produced a string of titles such as Mecho Wars and SteamPirates on iOS and Android. A long-time fan of Nintendo, Bernard has been watching the recent developments on the Wii U and 3DS with...
News Moving Player Reveals its 3DS and Wii U eShop Lineup
Education, fishing, strategy and a mash-up called Triboo
Moving Player is a development studio that's recently began its moves into Nintendo download projects, having been founded in 2010 and produced a number of smartphone games. Its first entry onto Nintendo's systems was Tangram Style on the 3DS, and it's now announced four new games due to...
News Nintendo Has A "Continuing Relationship" With Minecraft Studio Mojang
But there's no news of a Wii U or 3DS version
Minecraft is massive — but you surely don't need us to tell you that. The indie game started life as a PC title but has since made the jump to Xbox 360 and smartphones, picking up millions of new players as a result. The question of Minecraft coming to Nintendo platforms has been asked before, but...
Review Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting
The need for speed
Although many will accuse Capcom of flogging the Street Fighter license within an inch of its life, the company wasn't solely to blame for the production line of incremental updates which appeared after the release of the original Street Fighter II. Unscrupulous arcade owners would "hack" arcade boards to increase the speed of the...
Nintendo Download 5th September (Europe)
Explosive racing, a legendary titan, cheaper Mickey and more
Monday mornings are, perhaps strangely, relatively happy times for some Nintendo gamers in Europe. The download delights due this week have been revealed, and this time around there are two new Wii U download-only games, a long awaited 3DS RPG and much more. Let's get right to the details,...
August2013
News We're Getting Digital Right On 3DS And Wii U, Insists Reggie
"The consumer is voting with their wallets"
Plenty of people will happily tell you that Nintendo doesn't understand digital, and that the Japanese giant is late to the party and has been outpaced by rivals Microsoft and Sony, who put their respective weights behind online content much earlier and more effectively. Nintendo certainly has some things...
News Mighty Switch Force! 2 Aiming to Bring the Heat to Wii U in October
Wayforward is also counting down to a Kickstarter campaign
A few weeks ago WayForward confirmed that it would be bringing its latest 3DS eShop release, Mighty Switch Force! 2 to the Wii U. It has previous form in bringing its handheld titles to the home console with an extra HD sheen, of course, with Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition. It...
News Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams Dated for North America
Arrives on 5th September for $14.99
The arrival of Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams on the European Wii U eShop was another welcome signal of more multi-platform downloads making their way to the platform, and developer Black Forest Games has now confirmed details for its arrival in North America. [tweet The price of $14.99 will tie-in with the...
A Link from the past
When The Legend of Zelda was released in 1986, it was at least as much an eye-opening experience for gamers as Super Mario Bros. had been. Whereas that game expanded and solidified the left-to-right nature of platformers for generations to come, The Legend of Zelda opened sprawling worlds before us, and allowed us to go wherever...
Exclusive Exploring The Mysterious Cities of Gold With Fleur Marty
We chat about the title's new fundraising campaign and more
About a month ago Neko Entertainment and Ynnis Interactive announced they will be bringing Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths to Wii U and 3DS this October. It's based on the cult Japanese-French animated series of the same name, which aired in the early eighties and it has recently...
News Nintendo Has "Nothing To Announce" Regarding Mother 3 Localisation
Earthbound Wii U release won't pave the way for future ports
Earthbound coming to the Wii U Virtual Console was quite an event — fans had been asking for the game since the days of the original Wii. Given the tremendous exposure surrounding the launch of the game, you might assume that Nintendo would want to explore the possibly of bringing other...
Review Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams
A real dream game
When The Great Giana Sisters was released way back in 1987, it quickly became notorious for its remarkable similarities to Super Mario Bros. So much so, in fact, that it attracted the legal attention of Nintendo and was swiftly withdrawn from sale. The franchise later re-emerged in the form of a DS sequel in 2009 and while it...
Review Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
The original, but sadly not the best
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was nothing short of a phenomenon. If you're old enough to remember when the game hit the Super Nintendo two decades ago then you may recall it as all you ever thought of or spoke about for weeks on end. The gaming world seemed to gravitate around Capcom's seminal one-on-one...
Nintendo Download 29th August (North America)
Pokémon get rumbling, Rayman and Zelda get legendary, Wario and more
It's that time again, North America, as more downloadable goodies arrive on the Wii U and 3DS eShop platforms. There's a new Nintendo-published Wii U eShop title, a return to legendary beginnings and an all new legend with Rayman, while Wario and a discount grace the 3DS. Check...
News Assault Android Cactus Will Blast Its Way to the Wii U eShop
It looks rather cool
On the Wii U launch day Shin'en Multimedia brought us Nano Assault Neo on the eShop, which give fans of twin-stick shooters plenty to enjoy. As a genre it's been absent since, but Australian developer Witch Beam has now confirmed that its take on the top-down twin-stick shooter is coming to the Wii U — Assault Android Cactus...
News Armillo Targets Q1 2014 Release on the Wii U eShop and Will be a Timed Exclusive
The latest trailer keeps rollin' rollin' rollin'
At the start of the year we were pleased to share the news that Fuzzy Wuzzy Games is bringing Armillo to the Wii U eShop, and it was among the first group of titles confirmed for the platform post-system launch. Development has been ongoing since, though recently the team has been active once again in...
Exclusive Talking Tengami With Nyamyam
We go hands-on with the Wii U eShop version
Not so long ago, we broke the news that Tengami was headed for the Wii U eShop. Since then creator Nyamyam — made up of former Rare staffers Phil Tossell and Jennifer Schneidereit — have been hard at work finishing the iOS version as well as porting the title over to Nintendo's hardware. The duo are...
News Pure Chess Developer: Wii U Is "Quite A Beast Of A Machine"
Bringing the game to the eShop was a "no brainer"
Chess is a game of incredible depth and tactics, and thankfully Wii U owners will be getting a digital version in the form of Pure Chess very soon. Mark Williams of developer VooFoo has been chatting with Official Nintendo Magazine about the forthcoming release, and had some glowing words of praise...
News Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams May Get A Patch To Solve GamePad Audio Problems
Black Forest Games is aware of the issue
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams was finally released into the Wii U eShop last week in Europe, while North America is still waiting. Unfortunately, some of the people who downloaded the game have reported sound issues with the GamePad when taking the gameplay off the TV. Fortunately, the developer Black...
News DuckTales: Remastered Update to Target Leaderboard Issues on Wii U
A spit and polish is required
We're fans of DuckTales: Remastered here at Nintendo Life, especially those of us old enough to have first-hand nostalgia for the NES original. Despite its strengths it isn't quite perfect, including the odd technical issue that'll require an update to patch over the cracks. In the case of the Wii U version there are...
Weirdness If You Always Wanted a Gold DuckTales NES Cartridge, Now's Your Chance
Sing or draw to win, it's up to you
DuckTales: Remastered is now gracing the Wii U eShop, giving the NES classic a HD makeover and the odd extra feature. Capcom isn't quite finished promoting the multi-platform release — mainly due to the fact it's yet to arrive on the Xbox 360 — so has launched a rather intriguing contest for eager collectors...
Nintendo Download 29th August (Europe)
Legendary Zelda and Rayman tales are told, Ninja-tough NES action and more
Another Monday is brightened up by the Nintendo Download Update that brings a mix of Wii U and 3DS titles, while a DSiWare release also sneaks in. It's a true mix of the old and new once again, so let's get to the details. Wii U Virtual Console: The Legend of Zelda...
News Armillo Set To Support Off-TV Play
Fuzzy Wuzzy Games could implement touchscreen support too
Fuzzy Wuzzy Games is currently developing Armillo, a 3D platformer with levels designed around a set of obstacle courses, and it's expected to roll into the Wii U eShop at some point this year. The developer has now revealed on Twitter it has integrated off-TV play to the current build of...
News Shadow of the Eternals Fails To Meet Funding Goal
Precursor goes back to the drawing board
Last month Precursor Games relaunched its crowdsourcing campaign to get its first ever game Shadow of the Eternals off the ground, but unfortunately it has failed to obtain the necessary funding. The campaign, which ran on Kickstarter, achieved $323,950, which is not even half of the $750,000 target...
News Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara Delayed Again on Wii U
Release pushed back to September
Capcom has announced that the currently unavailable Wii U eShop version of Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara has once again been pushed back, with the title now being projected for a September release. It was released in June for the PS3, Xbox 360 and on Steam. However, gamers waiting to experience the...
News Marcus Lindblom - Writing the English Script for EarthBound Was a Giant Step
But it was worthwhile
Writer and EarthBound designer Shigesato Itoi is a cultural icon in Japan and a name well known among longtime fanatics of the game. But the text from the English version of the game came from other, mostly unsung sources. Marcus Lindblom, who chiefly shouldered EarthBound’s localization writing, has had a chance to shine on...
News New Trademarks Hint at Pokémon Tretta Localisation
Pokéfigure Arena could be a thing, too
Some of you may recall our reports on the 3DS download Pokémon Tretta Lab, an app in Japan that mimics Tretta arcades. These are Pokémon battling games that require collectible plastic discs, which are detected by a reader and turned into a 'mon on screen. In the case of the arcades winning a battle awards...
News Monochroma Hits Funding Target to Confirm Multi-Platform Release, Including Wii U
Put May 2014 in the diary
Love it or loath it, Kickstarter has brought us some promising projects to date, with Shovel Knight the next in line that originated on the platform and is due in the coming months on the Wii U and 3DS eShop stores. Another game full of potential is Monochroma, which came to the crowdfunding platform with a lot of its...
Review Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV
Depth incarnate
If there's one thing that you could pretty much be assured of when it came to a Koei game back in the day, it was getting a lot of depth to your gameplay experience. Not only were you generally treated to a very high production value visual experience, but the attention to detail and historical accuracy was always of high quality...
Nintendo Download 22nd August (North America)
Retro fighting and ninja skills, soothing portable puzzles and more
It's Nintendo Download Update time, North America, and this week serves up plenty of new and old games on 3DS, alongside some discounts, as well as a lot of 16-bit fighting on the Wii U. Let's get right to the details. Wii U Virtual Console: The Wii U Virtual Console is offering...
News Wii U Unity Development Tools Explained Further at Gamescom
Quick and easy development is possible
Earlier this week Nintendo delivered a presentation on the Web Framework service, outlining how it can enable developers to easily port HTML5 and Javascript games. That was the first of two sessions, and there's now been an equivalent to outline the benefits and ease of using the Unity engine on Wii U...
News EnjoyUp Games Bringing Shmup, Codenamed Project Aguraki, to the Wii U eShop
Shoot everything
EnjoyUp Games has been a prolific developer and publisher on Nintendo's portable download platforms, and also notably brought the long awaited La-Mulana to WiiWare in the West. The company announced earlier in the year that it was working on unannounced projects for Nintendo's current home console, and has now given us a glimpse of...
News Chasing Aurora Began as a Prototype Based on Secrets of Raetikon, was Developed in Five Months
"We rushed Chasing Aurora for release"
Chasing Aurora was a launch day release on the Wii U eShop, but failed to reach the heights of games such as Trine 2: Director's Cut and Nano Assault Neo. The studio's Martin Pichlmair told us after launch last year that it was having
News Ludosity's Ittle Dew Was Pitched to Nintendo as a Zelda Game
Were told they were welcome to "release as is" for themselves
Earlier in the Summer Ludosity confirmed that it's bringing its title Ittle Dew to the Wii U eShop. It's often been described as a "Zelda-inspired" game, and not in the usual practice of listing popular franchises that have had some minor influence on a game. This really is a game with a...
News Ubisoft Reveals JRPG-Inspired Child of Light at GDC Europe
No news on platforms, will it come to Wii U?
Ubisoft has revealed Patrick Plourde, the director of Far Cry 3, is working on a much smaller downloadable title that is set to pay homage to classic JRPGs of yesteryear. It's called Child of Light and Plourde made the announcement during his panel at GDC Europe, where he explained the game will be a 2D...
News Beatbuddy Brings the Rhythm to the Wii U eShop
Dev tells us they're "excited to develop for Wii U"
The Wii U eShop is on a bit of a roll right now, with some high profile download-only releases in the last couple of weeks and another on the way this week, and beyond that there are a host of intriguing titles confirmed for later in 2013 and early 2014. Nintendo's also currently on the networking...
News Wii U Web Framework Tools Outlined in Detail at Game Developers Conference
As easy as 1, 2, 3
Currently underway in Cologne, Germany, GDC (Game Developers Conference) Europe 2013 is bringing together hundreds of companies and studios for various presentations, demonstrations and networking opportunities. As we've reported before, Nintendo is in attendance and also hosting two developer sessions to promote the Nintendo Web...
Video The Wii U Difference Ad Campaign Continues With the "eShop Sandwich"
Nintendo releases the Hound
A couple of weeks ago Nintendo launched a new Wii U ad campaign to promote the system with a bit of humour, employing UK comic Rufus Hound to explain the Wii U difference with the GamePad. A new trailer has emerged onto the scene to show off the Wii U eShop, outlining it as a delicious sandwich of three parts. The...
News Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD Confirmed, But Not For Wii U
Oh Konami, you little scamp
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate divided fans of the famous Konami franchise, perhaps because of its clunky name, or more likely due to its different take with a 2.5D camera and more measured, combo-driven combat. For our part we were fans, awarding 8/10 in our review. In any case, Konami's Dave Cox had...
Nintendo Download 22nd August (Europe)
A Wonderful download, Giana Sisters, Street Fighting and much more
It's Monday morning, but shake off those new week blues, Europeans, as the Nintendo Download update news is here. We have two major retail releases on Wii U, a new download-only game, retro goodies and a lot of new offerings on the 3DS, so let's get right to it. Wii U eShop: Giana...
News Capcom Reiterates Stance On Further Disney Remastering
If DuckTales: Remastered sells, more could be made
When DuckTales: Remastered was announced by Capcom earlier this year, speculation that the publisher may create HD adaptations of its other classic Disney titles naturally emerged. This anticipation for another has been snowballing ever since and was fueled when the game's producer Rey Jimenez...
Interview Denis Dyack on Shadow of the Eternals, Community Engagement and Eternal Darkness
Precursor's chief creative hopes to give players the power of development
Silicon Knights' Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was hands-down one of the Gamecube's most memorable gems. Its tale of unimaginable death and woe through the ages was all well and good for a horror game in the style of author HP Lovecraft, but the title really carved a name...
News Zombie Title How to Survive Confirmed for the Wii U eShop, Without Online Multiplayer
Of course...
Earlier this month we reported on ratings suggesting that zombie title How to Survive — from 505 games — looked set for the Wii U eShop. That was good news for keen zombie-slayers, which is now excellent news with confirmation that the rating was correct; it'll hit the eShop as well as PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Of course, with this...
That man is playing Galaga!
Galaga is old. It may well state 1988 on Galaga’s NES title screen, but that refers to its European and US release date, the Japanese Famicom conversion was released early in 1985 and they are all based on a port of Namco’s 1981 coin-op. This means that with any Wii U Virtual Console purchase you must consider if you...
Wind me up
Nintendo has never been afraid to spin one of its biggest money makers, Pokémon, off into various weird and wonderful directions in between the mainline RPGs that are the franchise's bread and Butterfree. There have been puzzle games, the delightful safari of Pokémon Snap and, perhaps strangest of all, a crossover with Nobunaga's...
News Small Developers Coming to the Wii U eShop Outline Positives and Negatives
Wii U "has a veritable toybox of controller options to play with"
With last week's reveal of a series of new titles coming to the Wii U eShop later this year and into 2014, we've seen the first wave of what could become a steady stream of new developers and projects for the platform; in a lot of cases these are multiplatform titles, with some coming...
News Momonga Pinball Adventures Heading To Wii U
Another mobile game makes the leap to Wii U
Update: Paladin Studios has been in touch to say it has incorrectly stated Nintendo will be making more official indie announcements next week. Original Article: Paladin Studios has confirmed its mobile pinball game Momonga Pinball Adventures is heading to Wii U and will be shown off during Nintendo's...
Interview Ripstone on Pure Chess, Knytt Underground and Joining the eShop
Pushing cross-platform play and planning for the future
After a spell of silence and mystery beyond games confirmed earlier in the year, we're now getting a better idea of the range of titles coming to the Wii U eShop in the rest of 2013 and into 2014. More from North American developers is likely to emerge in the coming weeks and months, while...
News Denis Dyack - "Actions Will Speak Volumes" as Precursor Games Seeks to Build Trust
Dyack tells us about the role of the community in Shadow of the Eternals
On paper Shadow of the Eternals has a lot going for it — it's a spiritual successor to iconic GameCube title Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, and key figures from developer Silicon Knights are part of Precursor Games, which is developing the new game. As with anything in...
Nintendo Download 15th August (North America)
Sam Fisher returns, retro shmup action, DLC, discounts and much more
It's Nintendo Download time, North America, with a variety of goodies arriving on both the Wii U and 3DS eShop platforms. There's a blockbuster retail release, some discounts on top-notch download titles, retro goodies and some new titles on the 3DS eShop. Without further ado,...
News Pokémon Rumble U Figurines and Special Edition Available From GAME in the UK
Uh-oh, the figurines are blind packs
Update: Having checked the product pages for these items once again, it seems that both the collector's edition and figurines outlined below are now showing as "out of stock". We'll post further updates as we have them. Original Article: Pokémon Rumble U arrives on the Wii U eShop in Europe today, but those...
Tales of derring-do
It’s difficult to determine exactly who video game remakes are geared towards. On one hand you have generations worth of gamers who played the original and would love to experience it again on a modern console with updated graphics. It’s possible, however, that these people are no longer playing video games or don’t own...
News Call of Duty: Ghosts Multiplayer Outlined in Lavish Presentation
Riley the dog steals the show
While Nintendo fans enjoy regular doses of Nintendo Direct goodness, FPS enthusiasts had an equivalent tonight with a Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer reveal, which clocked in at just 56 minutes. The crowds came for details on new modes and weapons, but they stayed for the new series mascot — Riley the dog. The...
Exclusive Pure Chess eShop Releases To Feature Cross-Platform Multiplayer
Wii U and 3DS playable with each other and smartphone / tablet players
Earlier this week Ripstone confirmed details of both Knytt Underground and Pure Chess coming to the Wii U eShop, with the latter also on its way to the 3DS eShop. Ripstone works with various small developers to bring their titles to multiple systems, and is one of a solid number...
Interview Capcom on Remastering DuckTales, The Perils of GamePad Maps and Reaching a New Audience
Aiming for big bucks
The release of DuckTales: Remastered is certainly a notable event for some retro gamers, for whom the 8-bit original is likely to be regarded as an all-time classic. A tough challenge, fun action and an awesome soundtrack are some of the features often cited, so this HD re-release — with some other modern touches applied —...
News DuckTales: Remastered Soundtrack "Deserves a Release Outside of the Game"
Capcom Producer shares his hopes with us
DuckTales: Remastered arrived on the Wii U eShop in North America on 13th August, with the European release set for 15th August, so gamers young and old have a chance to revisit one of the most iconic games to grace the NES. It created a lot of buzz when in was announced earlier in the year, of course, with...
Review Spin the Bottle: Bumpie's Party
You spin me right 'round baby, right 'round
If there’s one unique selling point that the Wii U truly has over other systems, it’s the potential that it has for local multiplayer. Up until now, asymmetric multiplayer has been a pretty big deal to Nintendo, with the GamePad being the key to unlocking these new kinds of gameplay experiences...
News Runner 2 Good Friends Character Pack DLC Dashes Onto Wii U on 15th August
Six new characters for $3
BIT.TRIP Presents: RUNNER 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien may have a mischievously long name, but it's a game that nevertheless delivers straight-up fun. We're big fans here in Nintendo Life HQ, and messing around with the character skins is one of the fun extras that helps give this title even more charm. Earlier in the...
News Giana Sisters: Twisted Dream Coming To Europe and Australia Next Week
Features off-TV play and a new easy mode for newcomers
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dream has been available on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade for a few months now and almost a year on PC. Black Forest Games gave the Wii U version a tentative release date of August and it has stayed true to its word, confirming the sisters will be in the European and Australian...
News Candle To Be Given Its Time To Shine On Wii U
Teku Studios given Wii U developer status
Teku Studios has been hard at work on its innovative adventure puzzler Candle and has been running a Kickstarter campaign to bring the game to PC, while set up a Wii U stretch goal for good measure. The developer has now reached its goal of $40,000 but is still some way off the $85,000 needed for the Wii U...
Video DuckTales: Remastered Celebrates Launch With a "Moon Postcard"
It's THAT level
DuckTales: Remastered is released today on the Wii U eShop in North America, and arrives in Europe on 15th August. Eagerly anticipated since launch, particularly by those with fond memories of the NES original, its arrival is sure to put Nintendo's servers under a little strain. It's a treasured NES title not just for its gameplay,...
News Ripstone Confirms Details for Knytt Underground and Pure Chess on the Wii U eShop
Pure Chess gets the 3DS eShop in Check, too
Last week's Nintendo Direct "Indie Showcase" sizzle reel included a good number of new releases confirmed for the Wii U eShop. Two of these are being published by Ripstone, Knytt Undergound and Pure Chess, and the publisher has now confirmed that both are targeting a release of late 2013/early 2014. Pure...
Talking Point The "Indie Spotlight" Was A Bright Point of Nintendo Direct, But More is Needed
Both sides of the Atlantic should make noise for the Wii U eShop
Last week's major Nintendo Direct, by which we mean the full-fat multi-game broadcast on 7th August, served up the odd surprise and some release dates, with plenty also left in the tank for future presentations. What was certainly surprising, and one of the most popular news articles...
News WayForward Confirms Mighty Switch Force! 2 For Wii U
"It’s kind of a backburner project right now"
Since its release on the 3DS, many assumed early on that WayForward may bring Mighty Switch Force! 2 to the Wii U, having already become familiarised with the system when producing Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition. The prospect of the latest entry transitioning to the home console became...
A masterpiece or sketchy at best?
One of the most fascinating things about Miiverse is how Nintendo is paying such close attention to it. Not just in the sense that it is regularly updating it, but rather the company is actually listening to what its consumers are saying on the platform. It's remarkably unusual for a company that until now had been...
Nintendo Download 15th August (Europe)
DuckTales returns, 'mon rumble, extreme bike riding and much more
It's time for the European Nintendo Download news to wipe away our Monday morning blues, and this week is one of the most packed line-ups in recent memory. There are two heavy-hitting Wii U releases, and plenty of others spread throughout the 3DS, DSi and Wii. There are some discounts...
News Ghost Song: A Journey of Hope Could Come to Wii U if Kickstarter Stretch Goal is Met
The Metroidvania-style title has already hit its original goal
Ghost Song: A Journey of Hope is an interesting-looking sidescroller that takes much influence from the classic Super Nintendo title Super Metroid. Only a few days ago its developer Matt White set up a Kickstarter campaign for the project and aimed to obtain $15,000 to bring the title...
News TNT Racers: Nitro Machines Edition Screeching into The Wii U eShop Next Month
Start your engines
The Wii U is currently in short supply of racing games but that's all set to change next month when TNT Racers: Nitro Machines Edition drifts into the eShop. Essentially, it's a battle-racing game not too dissimilar to classic titles like Micro Machines and R.C. Pro-Am and looks like a perfect excuse for some high octane...
Out Now Art Academy: SketchPad Arrives, Right on Time, in North America and Europe
Not a drawn out release after all
Earlier in the week, as part of a Nintendo Direct broadcast, it was confirmed that Art Academy: SketchPad would be coming to the Wii U eShop today, 9th August. It's a drawing app that incorporates some of what will eventually be a full Art Academy title for the system, and includes various tools and full Miiverse...
News Nintendo's Digital Sales Revenue Continues Upward Trend With 3DS and Wii U
Still room for improvement
In recent months, whenever Nintendo's financial figures and sales have been making the news, a common thread has been an emphasis on the continuing growth of the company's digital revenues. What began with encouraging but flawed platforms on the Wii and DSi has progressed to more rounded, impressive offerings with the Wii...
Nintendo Download 8th August (North America)
DuckTales returns, Bumpie has a party, Mario & Luigi are dreamy and more
It's that time again, North America, with some juicy Wii U and 3DS options coming your way in this week's Nintendo Download update. There's some nice variety, too, with a platforming remake, quirky mini-game collection and a bonkers RPG among the options. Let's get to the...
News Classic Retro Titles Coming To North American eShop Later This Year
Super Mario Bros. 3 will be on both Wii U and 3DS
During today's Nintendo Direct it was announced that North America will be getting some timeless classics made available on the eShop. Broadcasting from the Nintendo Treehouse - we're not sure if it's actually a real treehouse - Erik Peterson confirmed five titles will be coming later this year...
Over 4000 user-generated levels, too
As part of today's European Nintendo Direct presentation Nintendo showed a rather impressive Wii U eShop sizzle reel of upcoming releases. Some were already known, but quite a few made their debut and therefore came as surprise announcement. One of these is
News Art Academy Sketchpad App Coming To The Wii U On 9th August
Picasso who?
Since the launch of the Miiverse community on the Wii U, we have seen an incredible amount of artwork from talented artists across the globe; you can catch a small glimpse of the amazing illustrations in our Miiverse feature. Last month, Nintendo announced it'd be releasing an Art Academy app for the Wii U this summer; sticking to its...
News Nintendo Unleashes an Awesome Sizzle Reel of Upcoming Wii U eShop Titles
There are a lot of them
Not too long ago Nintendo of America's Dan Adelman stated that 20-30 "new Indie games" could come to the Wii U eShop by the end of the year. Based on a sizzle reel released by Nintendo of Europe and broadcast as part of today's Nintendo Direct presentation, that number seems entirely feasible. Below are all of the games that...
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