Featured Reviews
Latest News
Feature: 3DS and the Trend of Colourful Handhelds
Who needs rainbows?
It’s been on the market for less than a year, yet the 3DS is already available in five distinct colours, with multiple limited edition console designs also in stores or on the way. The reaction to new colour announcements is always interesting: while some bemoan yet another ‘new’ 3DS hitting the market, many seem to accept it as an inevitability. Looking at Nintendo’s..
News: Game Expo East Kent GEEKs Out in February
Their words, not ours
The UK retro gaming meet-up scene is thriving, with Game Expo East Kent — GEEK — the next event on the 2012 calendar. Taking place from 15th – 19th February in sunny Margate, attendees can take part in tournaments on classic games like Super Mario Kart and meet like-minded gamers, while the Queen's Hall will hold industry talks and business and learning sessions. Day..
News: The Origins of the Konami Code Revealed
All together now...
The Konami code is one of the most famous video game cheats of all time, but how did it come about? According to a translated chat between Konami's Kazuhisa Hashimoto and Shigeharu Umezaki, it all started with the NES port of Gradius. Hashimoto, the code's creator, explains: I had one guy under me, and he played through the coin-op version. That one’s really tough. I hadn’t..
Review: Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island (Game Boy Advance)
Drawing you in
Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island joined a Nintendo tradition of re-releasing classic titles for a new audience. Bringing an iconic Super Nintendo platformer to the Game Boy Advance seemed perfectly apt, with the handheld more than capable of 16-bit standard visuals. The question remains, is this port worth playing today? There’s no need to skip to the conclusion for the..
Review: Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Game Boy Advance)
A worthy successor
The Mario vs. Donkey Kong series has been going for quite a while now, with four entries under its belt. If you've never played the original, you'd be forgiven for thinking that it's not much more than a fun Lemmings clone, but that's actually not true. In fact, Mario vs. Donkey Kong is closer to the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong, which took the basic formula of the original..
News: Turn Your Retro Cartridges Into ROMS, Legally
Conscience intact
One thing that we positively don't support here at Nintendo Life is illegally downloading and playing retro games through emulators. As a result it's with a deep breath that we say this, but there's now a way to transfer your retro cartridges legally. A new gizmo called Retrode is on the way to market that allows you to plug in your actual Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo..
Competition: Win "A History of Nintendo: Volume 1" (5 Copies)
Brush up on your history
If you want to learn more about where it all started for Nintendo, we've got very good news for you. We've teamed up with Pix'n Love Publishing, the company behind some of our favourite gaming-related tomes, to bring you this exclusive competition to win its superb History of Nintendo: Volume 1. You can read our History of Nintendo: Volume 1 book review to learn more about..
Hands On: Analogue Interactive CMVS Slim and Arcade Stick
A different class of console
When we went hands-on with Analogue Interactive’s amazing 100% walnut consolised MVS a few months back, we were amazed at both the workmanship involved and the mind-blowing retro gaming possibilities. The company managed to break into an extremely niche sector of the console hardware market with a machine that looked as good as it performed, and the launch enabled..
Feature: Staff Memories of Nintendo at Christmas
Merry Christmas, one and all
Christmas has arrived, the festive period of giving and generosity, and also a time when loved ones shower each other with thoughtful gifts. For many gamers it's a holiday full of nostalgia and memories of shiny new consoles, games and fun with the family. We couldn't let this holiday pass without sharing some of our treasured Christmas memories, covering different..
News: The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary T-Shirt Due Soon
Pre-orders open Christmas Eve
Premium t-shirt brand The King of Games has just revealed the official commemorative t-shirt for The Legend of Zelda's 25th anniversary, with pre-orders due to start on Christmas Eve. The shirt is available in black or green and features an image of Link's shield and Master Sword surrounded by his other famous items — boomerang, Rupees, heart container and more —..
News: How Was Super Mario Bros. 3 Made?
Origin tails
The Tanooki tail is back in a big way this year, but it's time to take a look back at when and how it entered the Mario canon way back in Super Mario Bros. 3. Chris Covell's website has a translation of The Stars of Famicom Games, a 1989 book taking a sneaky peek at how Mario's greatest 8-bit adventure was created, from ideas to manufacturing. Shigeru Miyamoto, Koji Kondo, Takashi..
Feature: Further Adventures in Scanlines: The SLG SCART
Reading between the lines
Not so long ago we reported on an awesome piece of tech which imbued your HD TV with the power to display authentic retro-style scanlines. The SLG3000 has since gone on to become a highly sought-after piece of kit in vintage gaming circles, so much so that Arcade Forge - the company behind the unit - have come up with a more streamlined version, dubbed the SLG SCART..
Feature: Celebrating 10 Years of Animal Crossing
Population: glowing
Here's a fun game next time you're at a boring social occasion: try explaining the point of Animal Crossing to an elderly family member. Nintendo's genre-defying life series first appeared in Japan in April 2001 as Dobutsu no Mori ("Animal Forest") on Nintendo 64, but it was the enhanced Animal Forest+ for GameCube — released in Japan on 14th December 2001 — that..
News: NES Bit Magazine Powers Up with Issue Two
8 bits of glory
In September we reported on the first issue of NES-Bit magazine; originally intended as a one-off, it performed well enough for editor Lorfarius to start work on issue two. Available as a PDF at first before getting a print release, the next issue covers a range of topics, with a special feature on the much-loved Castlevania series as well as articles on religion in NES games, a..
News: These Cut Scenes Never Made it Into Majora's Mask
Yet here they are
It's always fascinating to see what gets left out of games before they make it to players, and while these two cut scenes from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask aren't the most exciting we've ever seen they do show Link doing press-ups, so that's something. The clips below come from a beta version of the game, but we won't spoil things by telling you what relevance they have to..
News: Skyward Sword's Music Sounds Even Better When SNES-ified
Who needs an orchestra?
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword's music is up there with the best of the series, and made all the more powerful by its use of a real orchestra. But how do the melodies themselves hold up when taken back to something a little less realistic? "Very well indeed" is the answer. YouTube user MischievousMusings has posted a so-called "demake" of the game's..
Feature: Memorable Zelda Moments
The wonderful world of Hyrule, and beyond
The Legend of Zelda is one of the best loved Nintendo franchises, over 25 years old and still finding new ways to thrill gamers. The significant number of Zelda releases means it boasts an incredible history and reputation, with each new entry’s adventure contributing its part to the lore of the series. The recent launch of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward..
News: SupaBoy Is a Portable Super Nintendo for $80
And it's out now
After last year's pleasing Retron2 console from Hyperkin, the manufacturer's back with a brand new toy: the SupaBoy. A portable Super NES with a built-in 3.5" screen, the machine takes Super Nintendo and Super Famicom cartridges and features TV out and two controller ports, perfect for settling scores on Super Mario Kart. It also works with the Super Scope, Super Multitap and..
News: HandyNES Is a Portable NES and That's Cool Enough
And we want one
Getting ten free NES games as part of the 3DS Ambassador program is good, but for some inexplicable reason the 3DS doesn't take original NES carts. This baffling oversight may never be corrected, but at least talented modder LovableChevy has created a portable NES to give 8-bit gamers on the go a reason to be cheerful. The HandyNES is just that: a fully functioning NES that fits in..
News: Game Paused Shares Classy Mario and Zelda Shirts
Boldly going
Your wardrobe is probably missing shirts showing neon Mario leaping over a Super NES pad, not to mention garments depicting 112 icons of moments from the last 25 years of The Legend of Zelda. Your wardrobe shame could end soon though, with two new shirts from Game Paused. The classic Mario and anniversary Legend 25th t-shirts sell for £24 each, with free shipping anywhere in the..
Read More: News | Reviews | Screenshots
