Wii U Features
Feature The Biggest Wii U Games of 2014 - Summer Edition
E3 has shaken things up
You should now be fairly familiar with our quarterly tradition of looking at the biggest games coming to the Wii U. Our Spring edition had some games that have since fallen out of a 2014 release, as it was pulled together at a time when 'TBC' was far too common as a release window on Wii U games — alternatively, some...
Parent Trap Amiibo Charts A Fresh Course In The Toys To Life Sector
Wallets are going to suffer this Christmas
Seen one toy-video-game craze and you’ve seen them all, right? Counter to first impressions Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Angry Birds Telepods each offer a distinct experience. Nintendo’s amiibo characters offer another new way to combine toys and video-games, but how different is it to these other...
Hands On Bewitching Bayonetta 2 Brings Action Gaming To A Climax On Wii U
We spend some time with Bayonetta 1 and 2
It’s hard to overestimate just how much buzz Bayonetta 2’s Wii U exclusivity garnered back when it was announced in 2012; the first game in the series - from Platinum Games and Hideki Kamiya - was critically acclaimed and a big hit with fans, though since it only ever appeared on the Xbox 360 and PS3,...
Talking Point New Ideas, Not New IPs, Are The Key for Nintendo
Splatoon and Code Name S.T.E.A.M are joined by Captain Toad, after all
Earlier today we reported on an interview given by two of the developers behind upcoming Wii U third-person shooter Splatoon, in which they outlined the creative process that brought us human / squid hybrids rather than macho men with guns, with existing brands such as Mario also...
Feature Braving the Queue At Nintendo's Best Buy Smash-Fest
An account of Nintendo’s second foray into digital demonstrations
Not one to keep its ideas safely inside of the metaphorical box, Nintendo decided once again to forgo the standard E3 press conference this year and instead broadcast its own "Digital Event" directly to the consumers. While this caught many off guard last year during the first...
First Impressions Taking Sonic Boom for a Spin on Wii U and 3DS
Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)
Back in May 2013 Nintendo announced that it had entered into a partnership with Sega to bring a series of three Sonic games exclusively to its systems. Sonic Lost World and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games were the first products of that arrangement, and the upcoming Sonic Boom games —...
Video Watch Our Handy Highlight Video To See How Nintendo Silenced Its Critics At E3 2014
Zelda! Amiibo! Splatoon!
It's fair to say that many people in the industry who are deemed to be "experts" didn't give Nintendo much of a chance at this year's E3. The company's decision to not hold a traditional press conference for the second year running — coupled with the well-publicised struggles of the Wii U — resulted in many dire...
Talking Point Nintendo Should Beware the Slippery Slope of Sponsored DLC
A harmless way to make money, or guaranteed alienation of fans?
This week Nintendo confirmed the inevitable, and that was Mercedes DLC coming to Mario Kart 8 in the West, after it had previously been announced for the Japanese market. It'll be free in Nintendo's homeland and, we expect, everywhere else in the world, though Nintendo's refusal to use...
Talking Point Keeping It Simple Helped Nintendo Triumph At E3
The Nintendo Difference
E3 — the busiest week on any gamer's calendar — has been and gone for another year, but how has the Big N fared against the onslaught of the competition's 'next gen' power? We saw some very impressive stuff from rivals Sony and Microsoft, and many would argue that Nintendo's Wii U, with technical specs below PS4 and Xbox...
First Impressions Moulding Clay With Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
Rainbow Country
Kirby has always been a flexible little guy; from his humble beginnings as a placeholder sprite, he’s been moulded into a pinball, a golf ball, and an animate collection of yarn - not to mention the many hats he wears as part of his trademark copy abilities. Kirby’s workable versatility is a huge part of his identity as a...
Talking Point Nintendo Successfully Wooed Some Wii U Doubters at E3
Its message of fun and innovation gets through
As a Nintendo-centric site, it's pretty obvious where the interests of our team and the community lie. While we'll be critical of Nintendo, its games, systems or policies when we feel such a stance is warranted, we are inevitably 'rooting' for the company. To nick the big N's slogan of choice right now,...
Guide The Biggest Wii U and 3DS Retail Games Coming In 2014
With apologies to your wallet
We're rapidly approaching the second half of 2014, and before this year's E3 shenanigans Nintendo system owners would have been forgiven for some nerves about the volume of games on the way this year. The show did reveal a host of release dates and new titles, however, though keeping track of those coming in the near...
First Impressions Getting Creative With Mario Maker
Make Mine Mario
Mario Maker may have been inadvertently revealed a little earlier than intended at E3 this year, but with the allure of what was on offer — a new Wii U title which lets budding Miyamotos create and play their own Mario levels — we’d argue that the effect was less like ruining a surprise and more like knowing you’re getting...
First Impressions Solving the Puzzle of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Toad Captain! My Captain!
Sometimes games play host to smaller experiences so fun they could easily stand as full-fledged titles of their own. Kirby games are famous for this, of course, with Kirby Fighters & Dedede’s Drum Dash on offer in the pink puffball’s latest outing, though Mario’s also been known to get in on the act — Super...
Feature Catch Up With Ten of the Nintendo Treehouse E3 Demonstrations
Essential viewing
Nintendo's multi-faceted approach to E3 this year did much to earn praise, as it ignored convention and produced a series of videos and events that played up to its strengths. The Digital Event was stylish, the Super Smash Bros. Invitational was raucous fun, and there were two roundtable events that generated plenty of buzz. That...
First Impressions Enjoying the Craft of Yoshi's Woolly World
A purled gem
For fans who have been anxiously awaiting news of Yarn Yoshi since it was first announced in January 2013, seeing Nintendo’s Takashi Tezuka and Good-Feel’s Etsunobu Ebisu walk into a yarn shop during the E3 Digital Event was enough to send hopeful hearts flutter-jumping in anticipation. Now sporting a new name and a launch window of...
Poll What Did You Think of Nintendo's E3?
It's actually finished, you know
E3 is over, finished, done for another year. It was three days (four if you consider the 'day zero' press conferences) of gaming madness, with information overload and the main console manufacturers, publishers and developers doing the equivalent of jumping around screaming "look at me, please!" for a sustained...
Talking Point Nintendo's GamePad Bet Could Pay Off
It's all about Amiibo and Nintendo's unique charm
The Wii U, through its troubles in its first 18 months-or-so, has been the subject of a lot of analysis and opinion around its GamePad controller. Its presence with the system adds to its cost and, as the hardware has struggled to grab the public's attention in the same manner as its predecessor,...
First Impressions Taking Aim With Nintendo's New Online Shooter IP, Splatoon
Colour us ink-pressed
Whatever your expectations for Nintendo's Digital Event at E3 this year, it's safe to say that they probably didn't include squid-girls flinging ink at each other across a cityscape in team-based battles. A surprise in every sense of the word, Splatoon came out of nowhere to significant fanfare as one of Nintendo’s flagship...
Talking Point Nintendo's Innovative E3 Approach is a Breath of a Fresh Air
Going its own way
As this article goes live Nintendo's Treehouse team will be well into its second day of live demonstrations, showing off projects and titles revealed in the Nintendo Digital Event. It's an approach from Nintendo to offer rolling coverage and continually seize attention, while the company has fulfilled an obligation for a major live...
Feature All Of The Vital Super Smash Bros. Roundtable Details, As Pac-Man Joins The Fight
Our man at E3 on Mii customisation, Amiibo and more
Below is a detailed summary from the recently held Super Smash Bros. roundtable, presented by Masahiro Sakurai, as we highlight the most important details and question answers. Once Masahiro Sakurai took to the stage to begin the roundtable, it didn't take long for him to drop the biggest news...
Poll Your Favourite Showing from Nintendo During E3 Day One
So many choices
Day one of E3 has drawn to a close, with the exhibitors and press heading off to an evening of writing — yes, including us — and 'after show events'. It's been an exciting day, as Nintendo kicked it off with its Digital Event, followed it with hours of live demonstrations from the Treehouse team and then, finally, the rather...
Talking Point What We Expect From Nintendo at E3 2014
Hype train incoming
The Nintendo Digital Event is just hours away, which means forged MK8 DLC images and many more besides that we've ignored will be consigned to another year of irrelevance. Nintendo will lay out its major projects for the remainder of 2014 and, we suspect, one or two of the biggest titles of 2015. With its current gen rivals in a...
Feature Our Hopes and Dreams for E3 2014
Let's be optimists
With E3 mania well and truly underway, it's time to get some predictions out of our systems. We'll be pulling together a 'realistic' set of expectations before the main event, but in this article three members of our team based in HQ share what they want to see from Nintendo this year. Some of these hopes are realistic, others...
Talking Point The Legend of Zelda on Wii U Can Wear Many Masks
Time for the Majora's Mask concept to return
"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" the enigmatic Happy Mask Salesman says. His immortal words mark the true beginning of one of Link's most bizarre adventures; one that arguably took the series' portrayal of love, fear, death and despair to new — and so far unsurpassed — levels. Though...
Feature Our Top 10 Wii U Retail Games - Summer 2014
Our favourites so far
With E3 2014 right around the corner, Nintendo seems set to prioritise the Wii U in its Digital Event, subsequent coverage and, of course, the Super Smash Bros. Invitational. The 3DS will have a role to play, of course, but many eyes are on Nintendo's home console to see how it'll capitalise on the recent success of Mario Kart...
Play Mario Kart 8 in the NLife Community GP - Today!
Get your boosting going
We may have the Nintendo Life GP on the go around the clock, but we thought it was high time, a week after release, for a good old-fashioned community race day in Mario Kart 8. Yesterday we asked for your votes on the tournament criteria, which has left us with the following: 150cc Grand Prix
Play Mario Kart 8 With Nintendo Life in a 10 Hour Community Tournament
Bring it on
As you may have seen recently, we've opened the round-the-clock Nintendo Life GP in Wii U racer Mario Kart 8, and since its launch two days ago hundreds of players have jumped in for some races. That's a rolling tournament with no real rules or winners, it's just for fun. We've decided that an old-fashioned Community session is needed,...
Talking Point Nintendo's System Updates Bring The Wii U to Another Level
A major leap from day one
For those that owned the Wii U since day one, cast your mind back to its UI (user interface) and OS (operating system) when you fired up the system for the first time. It was, to be rather blunt, a mediocre experience, mainly due to its excessively slow performance. Don't forget that a popular video of a Japanese fan...
Mario Kart Month Clones And Alternatives to Nintendo's Classic Series
Lagging behind?
Every time a Nintendo device is released, it’s a pretty safe bet that Mario Kart isn’t far around the corner. Each new addition to the series further solidifies its well-earned reputation as the party game of choice, bringing together both the masters and the first-timers to join in on the madness and enjoy it regardless of their...
Mario Kart Month Nintendo Life's Team Shares Its Early Thoughts on Mario Kart 8
Share your impressions, too
Mario Kart 8 is now well and truly settled in on plenty of Wii U systems around the world. It seems that Friend Lists have never been busier, too, as a quick glance at almost any time of the day shows most are actively blasting around tracks. If you're a Wii U owner, there are decent odds this applies to you. That's also...
What about those other items?
Whilst core items such as the banana, shell and mushroom have carried the traditions of the Mario Kart series over the past 22 years, there are many other forgotten, reinvented, and even untouched items that arguably contin
Talking Point The GameCube Controller Adapter for Wii U Should Open Some Doors
Such a simple idea, but perfect for pleasing dedicated fans
Let's kick this off with a remark that may, when read with fire in the belly, be interpreted as a tad controversial. The GameCube Controller Adapter for Wii U, unveiled by Nintendo in a video advertising its upcoming Super Smash Bros. E3 Invitational event, is unlikely to excite or even...
Guide Getting Started in Mario Kart 8
Don't drive into the deep end
As some of the Nintendo Life team still like discs that come in boxes, our original plan was to release a getting started guide on 30th May; then we remembered some of you trendy types may download the title as soon as it pops up on the Wii U eShop, which may or may not be at midnight. You just can't wait, right? So...
Mario Kart Month Expanding the Universe of Mario Kart
Nintendo Kart?
Back in December, Nintendo showed off a cleverly deceptive trailer for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS that briefly showed Kirby pulling off some audacious Warp Star moves in Mario Kart's Rainbow Road. Of course, that trailer turned out to be the reveal of Rosalina and Luma for Super Smash Bros., just another fun jok
Play Mario Kart 8 With Nintendo Life in our Launch Party
Watch our chums at Eurogamer play it live today, and us on launch day
Mario Kart 8 is extremely close now, and aside from some cheeky people that have found gullible retailers the vast majority are eagerly awaiting delivery or to hit up the eShop on launch day. We figured now would be a good time to let you know of some of our plans to enjoy the new...
Mario Kart Month A Brief History Of Mario Kart Item Evolution: Mighty Mushroom
There’s a shroom for every occasion
You wouldn’t normally associate a mushroom with speed, but just look at Toad with his white and red polka dot head – he’s always zipping about. Clearly he’s got a need for speed after excessive use of the mighty mushroom out on the track. Actually, it’s hard to imagine what’s even under that...
Poll A Tale of Two Blockbusters as Mario Kart 8 and Watch Dogs Arrive This Week
How will you spend your cash?
A gaming year is often summed up by crowded, high-profile release windows, typically in November as Holiday shopping and Black Friday insanity sweep stores in multiple territories. While this week isn't quite on that scale, it does see the rather brilliant Mario Kart 8 on Wii U go up against Watch Dogs on, well,...
Interview Mario Kart 8 Director, Kosuke Yabuki, On Key Features of the Wii U's Blockbuster Release
"Not ruling out the possibility" of a Smash Bros. roster approach in future
For Wii U owners this week is about one game, Mario Kart 8. A new arrival in the franchise is always an exciting occasion, and in some respects this entry takes the series forward in more ways than its predecessors — it brings HD visuals to the franchise for the first...
Feature A Week of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Screens - Issue Thirty Nine
Assist Trophy Capsule! Mirrored characters! Ike! More!
E3 creeps ever closer, which should mean more information on Super Smash Bros. isn't far away. The past week was actually fairly eventful for the titles, however, with loose comments from Nintendo's French division suggesting that the Wii U version will utilise the NFC Figurine Platform, with...
Mario Kart Month Keeping the Mario Kart 8 Race Going With DLC
Are you thinking what we’re thinking?
As we’re all aware, Mario Kart 8 is just about to zoom around the corner and handbrake turn into our shiny Wii U consoles, which makes it pretty difficult to think about anything else at the moment. With the recently released Mario Golf: World Tour offering paid DLC packs – including additional courses,...
Mario Kart Month Mario Kart's Best Weapon Isn't What You Think
Green Shells For Pride and Honour
Games in the Mario Kart series — including the forthcoming Mario Kart 8 — are usually referred to as racing games, but we all know that's only half the story — the other half is gladiatorial combat on wheels, battles fought between competitors using whatever Super Mario-themed objects of destruction they can...
Talking Point It's Not Too Late for Nintendo to Join the Minecraft Party
The blocky horse hasn't bolted, yet
If Minecraft was a conventional video game, its time in the sun would have passed by now, or we'd currently be playing Minecraft 4 and questioning whether Mojang was going 'a bit EA' with its annual releases. That's far from the reality, however, as this is a game that has ignored convention to establish itself as...
Site News Check Out Nintendo Life's eShop Picks On Your Wii U And 3DS
Recommended viewing
Those of you with especially good memories will recall that Nintendo Life has been featured on the eShop twice in the past few years — back in 2011, we were asked by Nintendo of Europe to contribute a list of our favourite eShop titles, and a year later we supplied our red-hot summer picks for the North American eShop. We're...
Preview Ripping It Up With Wii U eShop Action Title Insanity's Blade
Armless fun for all the family
While Capcom, Konami and many of the other games companies which forged their reputations during the 8-bit era have since moved on to creating next-gen experiences, they have left a rich legacy of retro gaming brilliance which is proving to be particularly fertile ground for indie studios — one of which is Causal Bit...
Talking Point For Better Or For Worse, The Wii U GamePad Is Here To Stay
Don't expect a Microsoft-style U-turn from Nintendo
The brief lifespan of Microsoft's Xbox One has been overshadowed by a series of embarrassing turnarounds. First, the company was forced to bow to popular opinion and alter its policy on having an "always on" internet connection, then it quickly changed its stance on indie self-publishing. More...
Talking Point The Nintendo Figurine Platform Could be a Vital Money-Spinner
A '90s approach that can still work
The Nintendo brand used to be everywhere. In the late '80s and early '90s the big N's brand, particularly in North America, was ever-present and dominant in the market. Mario and his fellow mascots had TV shows, cereal brands, toys and assorted paraphernalia all over store shelves. If you grew up in that era and...
Interview Yanim Studio on its Kickstarter-Funded Wii U Adventure, Red Goddess: Inner World
"Nintendo's audience will love what this game has to offer."
On Tuesday we reported on Red Goddess: Inner World, a beautiful new Kickstarter-funded Metroidvania-style title headed to Wii U, PS4, PS Vita, and PC next year if the campaign reaches its funding goal. If you haven't checked it out yet, take a gander at the Kickstarter trailer:
Mario Kart Month Mario Kart 8 Character Profiles: Koopalings Galore
Our profile series concludes with the new MK8 contestants
With Mario Kart's ever-expanding roster of eligible drivers, it can be tough to keep track of them all. When you're out there on the crowded raceway, how are you supposed to tell your Birdos from your Koopa Paratroopas? Have no fear: Nintendo Life is here to help you with handy character...
Mario Kart Month Mario Kart 8 Character Profiles - The Veterans
It's a Mario (Kart) Party!
With Mario Kart's ever-expanding roster of eligible drivers, it can be tough to keep track of them all. When you're out there on the crowded raceway, how are you supposed to tell your Petey Piranhas from your Ludwig von Koopas? Have no fear: Nintendo Life is here to help you with handy character profiles on every racer in...