Nintendo – Page 12 – Tired Old Hack

Nintendo NX: What I want to see

Published on March 17, 2015 by Chris Scullion14 Comments

Today Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata revealed during a presentation that the next ‘dedicated game platform’ from Nintendo was in development.

Naturally, the main response to this should be “no shit”.

The official Nintendo NX logo. Um, probably

Video game hardware doesn’t just appear out of thin air, it takes an extremely long time to develop and perfect. PS4 lead architect Mark Cerny once confirmed that his console, released in November 2013, was in development as early as 2008.

So yes, of course Nintendo’s working on new hardware. We all knew that. What we didn’t know was its (code)name and when it’s coming out.

Today’s announcement at least answers part of that. The new system has been codenamed the Nintendo NX and is due to be properly revealed in 2016, which – given Nintendo’s usual routine – means we’ll probably see it on shelves in 2017.

What we still don’t know is whether the NX is a handheld or a home console… or even the much-rumoured hybrid system that acts as both.

In fact, here’s the full extent of what was actually said about the NX:

Not a lot to go on, I’m sure you’ll agree. Still, that hasn’t stopped the gaming press jumping on it with some deciding, among other things, that it’s a new home console designed to replace the struggling Wii U (i.e. the console everyone who has one loves and everyone who doesn’t thinks is shit).

I’m not about to get into speculation, because that’s just daft and frankly unprofessional, but what I will do is share a list of things I hope the NX implements.

In short, if I was in charge at Nintendo and the NX was my dream system, here’s what I’d want Nintendo to do with it. Continue reading “Nintendo NX: What I want to see” →

The 30 best DS games

Published on March 12, 2015June 2, 2015 by Chris Scullion34 Comments

This is the first in a series of shameful SEO-milking articles that should hopefully still at least be helpful to you.

These articles are also important to me in a personal sense because they mark the first time I’ve ever been able to write my own definitive ‘top games’ lists, rather than contributing to collaborative lists on ONM, CVG and the like.

The eventual result will be a number of platform-specific articles that, when combined, will list my personal favourite games ever, something I’ve never been able to share in such detail.

Because of this, there will be blatant omissions and odd decisions. But I’m not going to add a game I’ve never played just because it’s widely considered a classic. These are my lists, paying homage to the games that I personally had a great time with.

The Nintendo DS turned 10 years old in the UK yesterday. On 11 March 2005 Nintendo’s chunky flip-case handheld arrived in Britain to a relatively muted response.

Many gamers, feeling Nintendo was losing steam with GameCube sales slowing to a crawl, were more focused on Sony’s upcoming handheld, the PSP.

The best handheld ever? That's a debate for another time — The best handheld ever? That’s a debate for another time

Offering significantly better graphics and games that could pass as slightly low-res PS2 titles, the PSP was far more appealing to gamers than the DS’s N64-era visuals and its touch screen, which appeared to be no more than a gimmick.

And yet, a decade later, nobody can deny the DS’s eventual impact on the gaming world. With over 154 million units sold worldwide, it’s the best-selling handheld of all time and was around a million shy of overtaking the PS2 as the best-selling video game system ever.

The first game I ever reviewed professionally as an employee of Future Publishing was a DS game. Granted, it was the abysmal Dragon Booster, but the DS will always hold a place in my heart for that reason regardless.

So, since it celebrated its 10th birthday in the UK yesterday, and since it was where my career began, it’s only fitting that my first ‘best games’ article should celebrate the best Nintendo DS games I’ve ever played.

In the six years I spent at Official Nintendo Magazine I reviewed hundreds of DS games, arguably more than any multi-format journalist (since their publications wouldn’t have touched half the shite we covered). So trust me when I say these 30 must have done something special to get in here. Continue reading “The 30 best DS games” →

New 3DS review: My needlessly detailed thoughts and that

Published on February 13, 2015February 13, 2015 by Chris Scullion10 Comments

I wasn’t going to buy a New 3DS.

I was perfectly happy with my 3DS XL, thank you very much, and I wasn’t too fussed that this new model ran a lot faster and let me load Miiverse during Smash Bros and had NFC support and customisable faceplates and OH CHRIST I HAD TO GET ONE.

In fairness, even though I’m the biggest Nintendo nerd you can imagine, I left it surprisingly late to get hyped for new hardware this time. I only decided I had to have one three days before it came out, which for me is a new record.

Still, I did eventually resist and my shiny new handheld arrived at my flat on 12 February, one day before release. Top tip: the official Nintendo UK online store is fantastic, and with a bundle offering the New 3DS, a faceplate of my choice, a charger and a Mario 3DS holder statue for £159.99, was the cheapest option I could find too.

Today is 13 February, the official launch day of the New 3DS, so I’ve decided to put together this needlessly long article giving my in-depth thoughts on every aspect and tiny detail of it. If you’re still in two minds about whether to buy one, hopefully by the end of this you’ll have made your mind up one way or the other.

Otherwise I’ll have just wasted about 20 minutes of your time. Sorry in advance. Continue reading “New 3DS review: My needlessly detailed thoughts and that” →