Latest Articles
A New Era for Club Nintendo
Club Nintendo, which launched in North America in 2008, has been the go to place for Nintendo gamers to get their hands one exclusive Nintendo themed items otherwise not available to the general public. It is also a way of rewarding loyal Nintendo fans. These rewards have always ranged form the practical - a WiiMote holder capable of holding 4 WiiMotes vertically - to the useless. However the rewards have almost always been exclusive, which makes them oddly attractive regardless of what they are.
Rise of the Tomb Raider’s Exclusivity will Kill the Franchise
Tomb Raider was a heavy hitter once, a long time ago. The first three games are almost synonymous with PlayStation nostalgia, but that was years ago and the time since has been filled with mediocre sequels and disappointing attempts of modernizing the franchise. Tomb Raider, the second reboot for the first lady of gaming, was a step in the right direction, but today’s announcement that its sequel will be “100% exclusive” to Xbox One is going to kill off the…
Pokemon Art Academy Hands-on Preview
It's nice to get some hands on time with a game that can be fully appreciated in just a short period. Late last month, I was able to play a number of Nintendo's E3 titles in Toronto, Ontario. Most games would require thirty or forty minutes of playing to fully appreciate, but Pokemon Art Academy was great, even with just a small window of opportunity to try it out.
Yoshi’s Woolly World Hands-on Preview
As its own franchise, Yoshi's Island has become incredibly dull. Nintendo has, however, figured out a way to revitalize the franchise with their 2015 upcoming release, Yoshi's Woolly World. Yoshi is back on console, and the game not only looks great, but it plays great too.
Are Nintendo Directs Beneficial?
I've always been a firm believer that when Nintendo releases one of their Nintendo Directs, the content is interesting, and generally, will sell me on one of their products. However, I heard an alternate opinion today that made me rethink these videos. Is there such thing as too much information when it comes to Nintendo Directs?
Bioshock iOS could change the face of Mobile Gaming
The announcement that the original Bioshock would be coming to iOS was met with mixed reaction - people either hated it or wondered why it wasn't coming to Vita (although the answer is obvious: nothing is coming to Vita). It's such an odd reveal, one that nobody asked for and that few people can get their head around. Hardcore, premium priced mobile games can work, XCOM proved that, but Bioshock isn't a turn-based strategy game, it's an action heavy shooter. The truth is, the team porting the title have everything to prove and not much in the way of fan confidence, but, if they can pull it off, they might just change the face of the entire mobile industry.
Hyrule Warriors – Hands-on Preview
The new Legend of Zelda adventure game is not due out until 2015 (potentially 2016!?) and it appears as if Nintendo did not want such a lengthy departure from the series on its console. Cue Hyrule Warriors. If you have played any of the Dynasty Warriors games, you are essentially looking at Dynasty Warriors: Hyrule Edition. If you haven't played any of the Dynasty Warriors titles, imagine yourself, along with a few armed friends, attacking hundreds of enemies in an open area. One could imagine that a series as popular as Dynasty Warriors, coupled with the much loved world of Zelda, should be a major hit.
Nintendo Posts Quarterly Loss Despite the Success of Mario Kart
Nintendo posted a quarterly loss if 97.2 million dollars despite the success of Mario Kart 8. As I have iterated before, this is further proof that a single title cannot save a console, especially in today's environment. Despite being happy with the success of Mario Kart 8, Nintendo noted that more copies o the game were sold to consumers who already owned a Wii U, and that they sold less new Wii U's than expected. However, Nintendo still hopes to reach their yearly goal of 3.6 million Wii U's.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – Hands-on Preview
Nintendo has a new character. Well, they actually have a new variation of an old character. If you've been a lifetime Nintendo fan, you might remember Toad as that annoying guy who was always scared in Super Mario RPG on the SNES, or the fellow who just stood around in the castle offering up stars and advice in Super Mario 64 on the N64. Toad has come a long way over the years, and despite maintaining his reputation for being frightened, he's even been given his own title to gloat about.
Nintendo Believes in Local Multiplayer. Do you?
Earlier this year I snagged a copy of Plants Versus Zombies: Garden Warfare for the 360. I bought it with one purpose in mind: Local multiplayer with my wife. My wife enjoys video games, but is not passionate about them. She is, however, a big fan of Plants versus Zombies; this seemed like the perfect title. Except it wasn't. To my dismay, Garden Warfare did not ship with local multiplayer, or even a way to play with a friend online in competitive play. It was a disappointment for sure, but it did have one benefit. I realized right then why I love my Wii U so much. I know for a fact that if Nintendo releases a game on Wii U with any type of mulitplayer feature, local couch play will definitely be an option.