Tag: Anniversary
News 8 Years Ago Today, We First Got Our Hands On Nintendo Switch
So how about a 'Switch 2' reveal, eh?
On this day in 2017, Nintendo finally lifted the lid on a little console called the Nintendo Switch, revealing the hybrid's technical specs, price and all-important release date to the world. Eight years on, we're desperate to see 'Switch 2' get the same treatment. To be clear, the 2017 presentation wasn't the...
Anniversary Resident Evil 4, One Of The Greatest Games Ever Made, Turns 20
"2005... I'll never forget it"
It seems funny to think back on it now, but during the early days of Resident Evil – when decomposing zombies were the top dog and Raccoon City was everybody's favourite apocalyptic holiday destination – the idea that the franchise would find itself in the rural outskirts of Europe in which you fight a child-like...
Feature Biggest Nintendo Gaming Anniversaries Of 2025
57 games with big birthdays this year
Throughout 2025, many of gaming's most treasured gems will be celebrating a significant birthday and to remind you of some of the biggest (and of just how old you are!), we've compiled this list of nearly 60 gaming dates for your calendars. What do we mean by 'significant' birthdays? Anything that ends in a...
Feature That Time I Was Invited To Square HQ To Playtest Final Fantasy VI
I was there 30 years ago…
If you’re reading this on October 11th 2024, then 30 years ago today Final Fantasy 3 (aka VI) was released in North America. A lot of memorable games (Super Metroid, DKC, Earthworm Jim, Ridge Racer, and Doom
Soapbox The Trauma Of Giygas & Growing Up In EarthBound
EarthBound turns "adults into kids, and kids into adults"
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Nile celebrates the innocence of youth, the pain of growing up, and the magic of a cult classic SNES RPG, which celebrates its 30th...
Feature Meet Four Developers Making Brand-New Game Boy Titles In 2024
35 years and stronger than ever
The Game Boy turned 35 years old on 21st April 2024. Today, George speaks with four talented individuals keeping the candle burning for the DMG-001 in the 21st century... The humble Game Boy may be turning 35, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing new to look forward to. Far from it, in fact – the homebrew...
Feature Can We Track Down Every Cart In Our Top 50 Game Boy List In One Week?
Collection Quest GB
The Game Boy turned 35 years old on 21st April 2024. Today, George goes on an epic quest to see if he can acquire the 50 finest GB games — as ranked by you — in physical form with just 100 pounds sterling in his pocket... I’ve been enjoying something of a love affair with the Game Boy recently – or more specifically,...
Feature "It's Fun, So It's Okay!" - Celebrating Takashi Tezuka's Astonishing 40-Year Nintendo Career
A look back at a glittering catalogue
Takashi Tezuka seems like a good laugh, the kind of chap who knows how to have fun. Despite all the Master-Sword-waving and PR-related hijinx from fellow Nintendo luminary Shigeru Miyamoto over the years, you still get the impression he's merciless in the workplace — an exacting, intimidating,...
Feature Evolving With Pokémon: How The Games Helped Me Navigate A Confused Childhood
This coping mechanism was super effective!
The Game Boy turned 35 years old on 21st April 2024. Today, Tim thinks back on how Pocket Monsters came to his aid in his formative years, and how the series that started on Nintendo's iconic portable would stay beside him in the years that followed. Pokémon is a clockwork franchise. Its cyclical...
Soapbox 20 Years On, Pikmin 2's Waterwraith Remains Nintendo's Scariest Moment
H2Oh no
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Jim is reliving a childhood trauma to mark Pikmin 2's 20th anniversary... To the casual observer, Pikmin must seem like a pretty relaxed experience. Everything is colourful. The characters...
The sweat, the tears, the evil babies
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mario Kart 8, George enlisted a troupe of willing racers (at least that's what he told us) to tackle every single track in the upgraded, DLC-laden Deluxe version in a local four-player blowout to end them all. What follows is a twisting tale of glory and grief, friendship...
Soapbox Vanillaware's Most Underrated Game Is More Than Just A Pretty Picture
Deserving of a Rebirth
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Alana is talking about a Vanillaware oldie — Muramasa: The Demon Blade, a Wii title that is celebrating its 15th anniversary. And, in the wake of 13 Sentinels and Unicorn...
Poll Okay, It's Time To Ask The Obvious - Will We Get Donkey Kong 64 On NSO?
The game turns 25 in Europe
Donkey Kong 64 — not the most beloved of Rare's titles, but probably the developer's most ambitious 3D platformer — turns 25 here in Europe today, 6th December 2024. DK and friends have a lot to celebrate lately: the Donkey Kong Land trilogy on Game Boy has trickled onto NSO over the past few weeks; the Donkey Kong...
Poll Was The Nintendo DS Prototype Really So Ugly?
Or just misunderstood?
It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since the Nintendo DS launched, yet here we are. It's been even longer since it was revealed too, with the newly-appointed VP of sales and marketing Reggie Fils-Aimé taking to the stage at E3 2004 to showcase Nintendo's vision for the future of handheld gaming. We know now, of...
Talking Point What Are Your Top 5 Nintendo DS Games?
Phat wad
Believe it or not, it's now 20 years since Nintendo launched the DS. Rather than getting caught up in where the last two decades disappeared to, we thought it was worth looking back at our personal top five games for a system with a staggering amount of superb software. From delightful minigame gimmicks to full-blooded games in the...
Feature It's 20 Years Since The Launch Of Nintendo's Most Important Console
The rise to heaven
One of the joys of Nintendo's Switch is how it marries the company's home console heritage with its equally prestigious handheld line. Ask anybody over the age of 30 to name a handheld system and "Game Boy" will likely still be the first answer; that system became synonymous with portable gaming in the same way as all home...
Anniversary Donkey Kong Country Is Now 30 Years Old (SNES)
King K-O-N-G
Believe it or not, Donkey Kong Country for the SNES has turned 30 years old after originally launching in the UK on 18th November 1994. Often regarded as one of the greatest platformers of all time, Donkey Kong Country was the first in an SNES trilogy from developer Rare, and was really the game that properly kickstarted a fruitful...
"If you've got a cool idea for a game, you can pitch your cool idea for a game."
Raise your hand if you haven’t played a Jackbox game… okay, trust us, if this were a real room, this would have created a pretty solid visual for how prolific the Jackbox party games have become over the years. Almost everyone has played one, and this week, believe...
Anniversary 20 Years On, Metroid Prime 2 Represents The Franchise At Its Experimental Best
Crossing worlds
Following up on Metroid Prime was never going to be easy. Although many (this writer included) were sceptical of Retro Studios’ abilities to move Metroid into the 3D, first-person realm, the team not only managed to put its own spin on an established Nintendo franchise successfully, but it also created one of the greatest games of...
Opinion No, Zelda: The Minish Cap's Worst Sidequest Isn't The Kinstones
Go figure
I've banged the Minish Cap drum so many times by this point that my adoration for Link's littlest adventure is old news. With today marking 20 years since this GBA gem landed in Europe, it felt too easy to sit down at my desk and gush over the tight six-dungeon structure, the brilliant puzzle design or the somehow still under-discussed...
Scarf out loud
Sonic Boom was one of the most ambitious projects Sega has ever undertaken with Sonic the Hedgehog. It was a full-throttle attempt at creating a brand-new sub-franchise for the blue blur, complete with new world, radically different character designs, and an accompanying animated series. Nintendo fans certainly had a lot to be...
Anniversary The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap Turns 20 Today
Picori of the bunch
We're used to donning our finest party hats when a big birthday rolls around here at Nintendo Life, but today's celebration calls for a special piece of talking headwear. No cardboard cone will suffice today. We need something green, something intrusive, something with the spirit of an acclaimed mage trapped inside it... and with...
News Level-5 CEO Reconfirms Three Switch Game Releases For 2025
"Three new titles next year"
Japanese developer Level-5 celebrated its 26th anniversary earlier this week and as part of this, its CEO Akihiro Hino shared a message to fans about the company's game schedule for next year. Hino reconfirmed how the plan is to release "three new titles" in 2025. In case you missed the original announcements, this...
Anniversary 8 Years Since Nintendo Unveiled Switch, The World Awaits The Next Reveal
Ha ha ha ha yeah!
20th October marks the eighth anniversary of the day we first laid our eyes on the console previously known as the mysterious ‘NX’, the Nintendo Switch. Revealed in a snappy trailer (teased in a tweet that was apparently controversial inside Nintendo) showcasing the system’s hybrid nature, the video was a dynamic...
Feature 10 Years Ago, Nintendo Launched The Very Best 3DS
Practically perfect in every way
When it comes to Nintendo handhelds, it's standard for the first iteration to get the job done just sufficiently to sell the idea, but by the end of the system's lifecycle there are several upgrades available that, by comparison, make the original feel like a dev unit or pre-release prototype. We love the original...
Anniversary Nintendo Is 135 Years Old Today
Where does the time go?
Here's a big old number for you: Nintendo is 135 years old today. Not on the red-capped platforming front, of course, but it has been 135 years since Fusajiro Yamauchi founded the hanafuda playing card company, Nintendo Koppai, in Kyoto on 23rd September 1889 (at least, that's the most commonly agreed-on starting date). We...
Anniversary Pokémon FireRed And LeafGreen Turn 20 Years Old In The US
Fans would love to see them return
Try not to get too excited, but the official Pokémon social media account has this week acknowledged North America's 20th anniversary of Pokémon FireRed Version and LeafGreen Version. These Game Boy Advance titles originally released in September 2004 in this region, and were remakes of the original Pokémon...
Guide Best Castlevania Games, Ranked - Switch And Nintendo Consoles
Far from a miserable pile
To celebrate the release of the excellent Castlevania Dominus Collection, we're republishing this ranked list of every Castlevania game to appear on Nintendo systems. Remember, this is a reader-ranked list governed by each game's User Rating on our games database. As such, it is subject to real-time change as the ratings...
Guide Metroid Prime: The Story So Far - Everything You Need To Know Before Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
It's just a Phaaze
Metroid Prime Trilogy, the Wii compilation of Retro Studios' first-person take on the Metroid series, launched in North America on 24th August 2009, exactly 15 years ago. In honour of that sparking release (well, a little less sparkling than the originals in some places due to a few missing effects), we're taking the opportunity...
Poll Do You Prefer Fire Emblem: Three Houses Or Engage?
Fight fire with fire
Believe it or not, today marks five years since Fire Emblem: Three Houses launched on Switch. We'd imagine that most of you SRPG fans out there have polished it off by this point — we'd go even further to wager that you have likely done the same for its successor, Fire Emblem Engage, which is now a little over a year old...
Soapbox New Roots - How Pikmin 4 Made My Move Abroad Bloom
Pik up your life
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on Pikmin 4's first anniversary, Alana thinks the half-plant, half-animal creatures known as Pikmin helped her move across the globe... I define many of the biggest moments in my...
Video Mojang Reveals What Goes Into Making A Minecraft Painting
The anniversary celebrations included 20 new paintings
If you've played Minecraft on the Switch or another platform, you're probably more than familiar with the paintings in the game by now. As part of the 15th anniversary celebrations as well as the recent 'Tricky Trials' update, Mojang added 20 new paintings to the game. Five of these were done...
Talking Point Is Shovel Knight Now A Retro Gaming Icon?
Let's dig in
Shovel Knight is the very definition of an indie darling. Bursting onto the scene in 2014, Yacht Club Games’ slick, throwback platformer caught the imagination of gamers both old and new. Its stunning aesthetic, tight controls, and humorous writing made it a must-play, while its ample secrets, tough but never punishing difficulty, and...
Soapbox Game Boy Tetris' True Genius Was Teaching A Generation How To Play Video Games
Building gaming literacy one tetromino at a time
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Tim thinks back on 35 years of Tetris on the Game Boy and considers how it taught a generation — multiple generations, in fact — how to play...
Video Donkey Kong '94 - The 101-Level Sequel To Arcade DK
It's on like (101 stages of) Donkey Kong
14th June 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Donkey Kong for the Game Boy's Japanese release. It's one of the finest games on the system and a hybrid arcade port/spin-off that ushered in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series which recently came to Switch. In honour of the occasion, we thought we'd highlight this...
Anniversary Mario Golf On N64 Is Now 25 Years Old
Par-fect
Believe it or not, Mario Golf for the N64 is now 25 years old following its Japanese release on 11th June 2024. 25 years! A quarter of a century! We need to sit down... The game has received multiple re-releases since on the Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, so if you're a paying member of the higher tier on Switch,...
Talking Point amiibo Were First Revealed 10 Years Ago Today, And We Still Want More
Will they continue with 'Switch 2'?
10th June 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the reveal of Nintendo's toys-to-life line of figures at E3 2014. A stop-gap project for Nintendo to fill a void between the foundering Wii U and the company's next 'NX' hardware, it's hard to argue that the interactive potential of these little Near-Field...
Feature 10 Game Boy Deep Cuts That Aren’t On Nintendo Switch Online
And should be
The Game Boy turns 35 years old today, and we've been running features over the past couple of days celebrating the handheld and its games. Today, Nile digs up 10 lesser-known gems in the system's remarkable library. 35 years ago, the Game Boy changed handheld gaming – not because it was powerful, but because it wasn’t. Premised...
Guide Best First-Party Game Boy Games
Nintendo-developed Game Boy games, as ranked by you
Looking for a list of Nintendo's first-party Game Boy games? Wonder what the best first-party Game Boy game is? We're here to help. Our ranked list of the Top 50 Best Game Boy Games Ever covers every game on the system, but here we're looking specifically at Nintendo-developed Game Boy games...
Press 'A' to dance madly
When reminiscing on Final Fantasy VI, what first comes to mind? It’s possible your answer is Kefka’s iconic maniacal laugh, or a final boss battle that makes you dance madly, or searching for friends in a world of ruin. But somewhere in that mix—and for many, probably foremost—is the majestic-yet-silly Opera House...
Talking Point Should 'Third' Pokémon Games Make A Comeback?
Crystal clear
If you can believe it (and, to be honest, we can't) it has been a whopping 15 years since Pokémon Platinum first arrived on Western shores. It has been a decade and a half since we first met Giratina and co. A decade and a half since we stepped foot in the Distortion World. And, most importantly perhaps, a decade and a half since we...
Poll What's The Best Pokémon Spin-Off Game? Rate Your Favourites For Our Upcoming Ranking
Sideline 'mon
21st March 2024 is the 25th anniversary of Pokémon Snap for the N64, a great little on-rails shoot 'em up from HAL Laboratory where you attempt to catch 'em all in your camera lens. It's available to play on Switch with a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription, and we'd thoroughly recommend checking it out if you haven't...
Soapbox 30 Years Later, Super Metroid's Foreboding Atmosphere Is Still Unmatched
Zeb-easily the best
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, to celebrate Super Metroid's 30th anniversary, Ollie sings the praises of the game's enduring foreboding atmosphere... The Metroid series is perhaps best known for its...
News Triangle Strategy Producer Celebrates Second Anniversary With New Artwork Reveal
Confirms no new announcements this year
Believe it or not, TRIANGLE STRATEGY is now two years old. Yep, Square Enix's brilliant HD-2D RPG was released two years ago today (4th March) and producer Yasuaki Arai has taken to the game's official Twitter account to celebrate the anniversary. In a message thanking the fans for their continued support,...
Anniversary Switch Turns Seven Today, With Over 11,000 Games On The eShop
Thank you, NX
We struggle to remember a time that we thought of the Switch as a 'new' console. Maybe back in 2021 with the release of the OLED and the pandemic popularity of Animal Crossing? Perhaps. For the most part, everyone is keen to jump on the "god, the Switch is sooo old" bandwagon. The thing is, they are right and boy are we reminded of...
Anniversary Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Is Now A Decade Old
Time for a new one?
Just in case you weren't feeling old today, it's now been a decade since Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was released for the Wii U in Japan (13 February, 2014). Yes, the latest platformer in the Donkey Kong Country sub-series is now basically old enough to sneak a tenner out of Dad's wallet and laugh incessantly at toilet...
Anniversary Pokémon FireRed And LeafGreen Are 20 Years Old Today
Can you Diglett?
Get your appropriate ageing GIF at the ready (Matt Damon in Saving Private Ryan, the Tenth Doctor, that Titanic one — the choice is yours) because we have to break it to you that Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are now 20 years old. While we let that sink in, let's run through some facts. Released on the Game Boy Advance on 29th...
Guide Best Ace Attorney Games Of All Time
Every Ace Attorney game, ranked by you
It's been well over two decades since Ace Attorney was unleashed upon the world (in Japan, at least — the English version wouldn't come out until 2005, so you're not quite as old as this news makes you feel). Ten-ish games later, the series has spawned an anime, a movie, a musical, and legions of...
Talking Point Which Feature From Each Smash Bros. Game Should Make A Return?
Smash Ultimate... Ultimate?
The Super Smash Bros. franchise has come a long way since the original launched 25 years ago in 1999. Yes, you read that right — the original Super Smash Bros. is 25 years old tomorrow, 21st January. If we look at the character roster for a start, we began with a humble offering of 12 playable fighters in Super Smash...
News Yes, The Nintendo Switch Showcase Really Was Seven Years Ago
Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and Xenoblade 2 were shown off
On 13th January 2017 in Tokyo, Japan, the Nintendo Switch was fully unveiled to the world via a live stream. Yep, it really has been seven years since we saw the Switch, and we're starting to feel very old now. Geoff Keighley, host of Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards,...
