So far, trying to get Amiibo in North America has been a volatile, bumpy ride.

When Amiibo launched alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U on November 21, I expected a good, fun time looking for the figures over the next few months. That was mostly my experience with the early days of Skylanders, even if some of those early figures were very hard to find. Much like I had a good time searching for Skylanders, I had a blast on my journey through different retail stores on Amiibo launch day.

It’s never been easier to get into the Monster Hunter series than with the latest 3DS game.

After spending a dozen hours with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, the celebrated series finally has its hooks in me. The crazy thing is that, after trying to get sucked into Monster Hunter 3 a few times and failing, I was immediately impressed with the fourth mainline entry. I went from zero to hooked... Read more...

Hint: leave Link out of it.

In the past few months, it’s become clear that Nintendo is very interested in once again branching out into TV and film. The recent Sony hacks revealed discussion about producing an animated Mario movie, while the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that a live-action Zelda series is in the works... Read more...

Two generations after it was popularized, Nintendo still won’t implement full voice chat in its games.

I will never forget the two or so years that I obsessed over Halo 2. Late at night, after work, school, and other non-galaxy saving tasks were completed, I went over to my friend Adam’s house so we could play Halo 2 online via split-screen. With our headsets on at all times, we coordinated plans... Read more...

Xenoblade Chronicles can’t catch a break in North America.

Let’s get right to it: Xenoblade Chronicles is the best RPG of the last console generation. Expertly combining mechanics from MMOs with both Western and Japanese RPG design, Xenoblade’s nearly 100-hour long campaign (give or take depending on your side quest obsession) that stretches across a... Read more...

Neal reflects on his 2009 10/10 review of Punch-Out!!

In May 2009, I reviewed Punch-Out!! on Wii and gave it a 10/10. My logic at the time was that I had an absolute blast with the game and I couldn't think of a way anyone could make a better Punch-Out!! game. For years, that always made sense to me.

Going back and playing Punch-Out!! on Wii for... Read more...

Here's why Phantasy Star would be an incredible addition to Sega's 3D Classics line.

The Sega 3D Classics line has been an absolutely fantastic addition to the 3DS library. If you are unfamiliar with the series, essentially Sega has tasked port kings M2 (whom you may know from their work on the Virtual Consoles and the WiiWare “ReBirth” series) with bringing various arcade and... Read more...

No standard model and no AC adapter? Why, Nintendo? Why?!

Just last week, the Nintendo finally confirmed what those of us in North America have been waiting on for quite some time: the New Nintendo 3DS is coming on February 13. Well, actually, that’s not entirely true, as those of us in United States and Canada will only have the option of purchasing the XL model of the handheld. Meanwhile, every other territory is getting both the standard model in addition to the extra-large option.

Detective Alex is on the case to ask: Why aren't these games on 3DS yet?

We’re almost four years into the system’s life, and most major Nintendo franchises have shown up on 3DS. We have two Pokémon games, two Mario games, three Zelda games (counting the remakes), soon-to-be two Fire Emblem games, Animal Crossing, Kid Icarus, and more. Even otherwise console-exclusive games like Luigi’s Mansion, Paper Mario, and Super Smash Bros. have found a handheld home in 3DS. So the question remains: what’s left?

This Direct had a new Fire Emblem and more Amiibo junk than you can shake a stick at.

Well, that was certainly a fun Nintendo Direct. The North American version was 45 minutes of consistent news, reveals, and announcements that made the past month or so of relative silence from Nintendo almost worth it. At this point, we’ve got a new handheld revision out in less than a month, in addition to several Wii U and 3DS games debuting before the end of March. Let’s round up who were the winners and losers of this Nintendo Direct.

The brave and the bold...and Metroid.

To the surprise of no one and excitement of everyone, a new Nintendo Direct is happening this Wednesday morning, January 14. Some things are pretty much a lock – we’re going to get Majora’s Mask 3D and we’re going to get New 3DS talk for sure. But what about the rest of the announcements? That’s where I come in.

The handheld revision could be coming stateside soon, along with Majora's Mask 3D.

With the New 3DS Ambassador Edition announced for Europe, the only region that hasn't mentioned Nintendo's new handheld revision is North America. So, when exactly is the New 3DS coming out there?

Since we heard the New 3DS wouldn’t hit North America until 2015, my feelings have always been... Read more...

Despite not adoring Canvas Curse, Neal is still jazzed for Kirby and the Rainbow Curse.

I have a confession to make. I was never really that into Kirby: Canvas Curse. I know; it's weird. This is the dude who unabashedly adores Kirby's Epic Yarn. The same guy who considers Kirby Triple Deluxe to be one of the best 3DS platformers. This is the person who has replayed Kirby 64 like at least... Read more...

After playing Ultimate NES Remix, Alex reviews the young series and offers his thoughts for the future.

Ultimate NES Remix is a unique package because it allows us to see the very best of what a series has to offer – a type of compilation usually exclusive to television and music. It includes challenges and remixes of the 16 most notable NES games out of 28 represented in the two NES Remix games on... Read more...

It's all about supply and demand.

I had zero interest in Amiibo from the start, I swear.

I didn’t want to get sucked into the world of Amiibo, but somehow I did. When I first saw them at E3 2014, I didn’t have much interest. I could understand why Nintendo went in that direction, though. After all, the Skylanders toys have... Read more...

That footage from The Game Awards didn't even touch on some questions. Will there be motion controls? Where does it fit in the timeline?

Since the gameplay video of The Legend of Zelda Wii U was released, the reality and potential of the upcoming game has been racing through my mind. You can check out the numerous videos I've been a part of for examples of this obsession with a smidgen of the new footage released recently.

With... Read more...

That Japenese commercial looks mighty fishy!

If you go on NeoGAF, /v/, or pretty much any online community centered around video games, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen this commercial making the rounds, posted a few days ago on Nintendo’s Japanese YouTube channel:

Around the 0:07 mark, pause and look at the man’s hands. You will see this image:

Also, bonus speculation about the New 3DS launch in North America and Europe.

With the release of sales data from November 2014, we now know that the Wii U sold around 250,000 units during the month, up a little bit from 2013, and the Super Smash Bros. games and Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have combined for a little less than 4 million unit sales so far. Wii U software... Read more...

Could Majora’s Mask 3D make the divisive Nintendo 64 gem more appealing to everyone?

I've been rooting for a Majora's Mask remake on 3DS since Ocarina of Time came out. My reasoning might be different than a lot of other people's, though because I wouldn't count myself as a fan of Majora's Mask. Sure, I love the music and the concept, but I've never gotten more than two dungeons through... Read more...

Fear and loathing in Nintendo Land.

Panic set in as the second wave of Amiibo approached. All it took was one little quote from Nintendo to finally make me doubt the likelihood of getting all the Amiibo by just going to retail stores and not pre-ordering.

"We will aim for certain amiibo to always be available. These will be for... Read more...