Wii News
Poll Box Art Brawl: Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii)
"Pa pi pu pe po!"
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last week, we looked at Diddy Kong Racing for the N64, pitting North America and Europe against Japan in a good ol' duel. Japan won the battle this time, netting 66% of the vote. Well done! This time, we'll be heading over to the Wii to check out Rhythm Heaven...
News Nintendo Music Adds The Wii Sports Resort Soundtrack Today
Get ready for Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
Wuhu Island is back later this year in Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, and to get everyone ready, Nintendo has today added the original Wii Sports Resort soundtrack to Nintendo Music. This soundtrack contains a total of 99 tracks and has a run time of 1 hour and 37 minutes. To listen to this album, you'll...
News Reggie Fils-Aimé Recalls The Phone Call That Broke Nintendo And Amazon's Relationship
"You're not going to push me around"
Nintendo of America's former president, Reggie Fils-Aimè, has described how a request for "an obscene amount of support" from Amazon during the Wii and DS era ultimately led to the withdrawal of both systems from sale on the site. Speaking at the NYU Game Centre lecture series (thanks, Eurogamer), File-Aimé...
News Hideki Kamiya Marks Okami's 20th Anniversary With A Special Message
"I still can’t believe we got it out the door"
Capcom has commenced celebrations for Ōkami's 20th anniversary, so naturally, director Hideki Kamiya has shared a heartfelt message to commemorate the occasion. Over on the official anniversary website, you can check out the first celebratory events for yourself. Capcom has invited fans to share...
Anniversary 'The Last Story' Helped The Wii Go Out On A Real-Time High 15 Years Ago
Zael-ous advocates
Back at the tail-end of the Wii's run as the hottest console ticket in town, so around about 2011 to be precise, there were a few special RPGs that released in rather quick succession to give Nintendo's magic box a surprisingly exciting last hurrah. Indeed, casting my mind back now — and unaided by AI, I'll have you know — I...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
"Your right hand comes off?"
Hello folks, and welcome to the first 2026 edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we looked at the iconic, if under-appreciated Ice Climber for the NES, and would you believe it, we had a tie! North America and Japan achieved a total of 38% each, with Europe trailing at 24%. In our opinion, the Japanese design is slightly...
News Nintendo Music Revives A Wii Banger In Final Update Of 2025
Wii like, Wii like to party
We're nearly done with 2025, and in the final update for 2025, Nintendo Music has this week added the Wii Party soundtrack. This party game originally debuted on the Wii in 2010 and the soundtrack comes loaded with 105 tracks and has a run time of 2 hours of 21 minutes. It's got some smooth and funky tracks in it like...
News Wii Fit Plus Album Added To Nintendo Music In New Update, Here's Every Song Included
Workout to 90 tracks
2026 is just around the corner, and if you want to get the jump on your exercise routine for the new year, Nintendo is here to help with its latest Nintendo Music app update. This week sees the arrival of the Wii Fit Plus soundtrack, which originally made its debut on the Wii in 2009, and was an upgraded version of Wii Fit...
Anniversary Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water Still Scares The Pants Off Me Ten Years On
Can I have them back please?
Of all the horror franchises I've subjected myself to over the years, Fatal Frame is the one that sticks in my mind most as properly, actually, scary. It's the answer I'll give every single time to the question of what game series has scared me the most, and it's all down to one very simple reason. As today is the 10th...
News Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective Digital Sample Available For Free
A 35-page appetiser
Nintendo has released a 35-page digital sample for its upcoming Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective book ahead of its official release on 28th October 2025. The sample shows off some gorgeous concept art from the original Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. We get a glimpse at Samus'...
Random The Super Mario Galaxy Games Are Full Of Secrets, And This One Is "Horribly Inefficient"
Full credit
Yes, as we all know, Nintendo does like to hide fun little secrets and easter eggs within its adventures, especially when it comes to stuff like the Mario Galaxy games. You know, things like the part of Buoy Base Galaxy that looks like a Poké Ball, or Captain Olimar's S.S. Dolphin floating about in the Space Junk Galaxy. Yes, we love...
News The Superb 'Mario Galaxy 2' Soundtrack Has Been Added To Nintendo Music
Sequel lands on Switch in October
Nintendo has updated its Nintendo Music app, adding in the soundtrack to arguably one of the greatest games of all time: Super Mario Galaxy 2. The full OST contains 70 tracks from the Wii original, including the likes of Sky Station Galaxy, Yoshi Star Galaxy, Throwback Galaxy, Hightail Falls Galaxy, and more. The...
Opinion An Ode To The Fallen Arm, Xenoblade Chronicles' Best Map
How revenge falls
Among all the Switch 2 excitement, we didn't want this to get lost: Xenoblade Chronicles is now 15 years old! To celebrate, Alana recalls something which turned the game from a great one into a special one. Warning: This article contains spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles, so be wary if you haven't at least made it to the final...
Quiz How Well Do You Remember Super Mario Galaxy 2?
Flex those sequel skills
We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but Super Mario Galaxy 2 is 15 years old today. Fifteen. That also means it's been five years since it was omitted from the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, but we won't touch on that sore subject right now. A decade and a half of one of Nintendo's finest sequels is worthy of a...
News Two Samus Figures Based On Metroid: Other M Are Making A Return In 2026
The Wii adventure lives on
Good Smile Company has announced it will be bringing back a pair of Metroid: Other M figures, which were originally released in 2012 and 2016. This includes figma of 'Samus Aran' and 'Samus Aran: Zero Suit ver'. These listings are only for Japan at the moment and are due to ship early next year in 2026. Here's a look,...
News Val Kilmer, Acting Legend And One-Time Video Game Voice Artist, Has Died
Kilmer voiced Walker Sloan in Spider-Man: Edge of Time
The legendary Val Kilmer, who lit up the screen in so many amazing movies such as Heat, Tombstone, True Romance, Top Gun and Batman Forever, has died at the age of just 65. The star, who recently recovered from throat cancer, succumbed to the effects of pneumonia on Tuesday night in LA...
Random This Robot's Wii Bowling Skills Put Our Best Efforts To Shame
Spare time
We challenge any one of you to admit that at some point in the mid-2000s, you didn't try to get a perfect game in Wii Sports bowling. Of course you did! The console's pack-in title had all of us swinging, punching and putting like there was no tomorrow, and the bowling mode might have been the most approachable of the bunch, making that...
Random This Unofficial Sonic Unleashed PC Port Has Us Dreaming Of A Switch 2 Remaster
Werehogs, not swearhogs
Like all big pop culture moments, time has done weird things to the public perception of Sonic Unleashed. What launched in HD on Xbox 360 and PS3 (and in SD on Wii and PS2) back in 2008 to the lukewarm reception of "oh, it's like Sonic only slower... and greyer" has developed into something a tad more nostalgic, particularly...
Random A Kirby Board Game? This Fortune Street Mod Brings The Dream To Life
Planet Robo-what?
Looking back on 2011's Fortune Street (or 'Boom Street' for those in Europe) today feels like a fever dream. A Wii board game starring Mario & co. that isn't Mario Party? One that's published by Nintendo but developed by Square Enix? And also features a handful of familiar faces from the Dragon Quest series? Sounds like...
Random Hideki Kamiya Would Rather You Not Play Okami On The Wii
The Switch version is fine, though
Hideki Kamiya has stated on social media that he would rather players not experience Okami via the 2008 Wii port (thanks, Automaton). Originally released on PS2 back in 2006, Okami's move to the Wii was handled by the now-defunct American studio, Ready at Dawn. When creator Kamiya was approached by a fan and...
Random No, That's Not Wii Sports, That's Live Tennis On YouTube
Quiet, please
Tennis fans hitting YouTube to see live matches from the Australian Open could be forgiven for thinking they've accidentally clicked on a channel recreating the tournament in Wii Sports, but no. It turns out the event's official channel has taken a novel approach to getting around broadcast rights issues. As noted by Kotaku, the...
News Yes, We're Getting A Brand New Guitar Hero Controller For Wii In 2025
Pinch yourself
No, you're not misreading the headline — video game peripheral maker Hyperkin has released a brand new Guitar Hero controller. In 2025. For the Nintendo Wii. Announcing the news on New Year's Day (spotted via GameSpot), the Hyper Strummer is a retro controller that's based on the company's previous model and compatible with all Wii...
News Nintendo's Punch-Out!! Series May Be Dead And Buried For Good
All punch'd out
We don't know about you, but amongst all of Nintendo's game series, Punch-Out!! rarely sits at the top of our revival wishlist. Don't get us wrong, we'd absolutely bloomin' love a new entry, but we'd honestly rather see the likes of F-Zero and Chibi-Robo! make their grand return on the Switch or its upcoming successor. Regardless of...
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...
News Wii Build Of Free Radical's Cancelled 'Star Wars Battlefront 3' Has Been Discovered
The build is from a week before cancellation
After almost ten years of research and internet digging, a brand new build of the Wii version of Radical Forge's Star Wars Battlefront 3 has been discovered. Footage of the build has been shared on YouTube by modder iamshaymin as well as on r/GamingLeaksAndRumours. According to the footage, the build is...
News 'Nintendo Music' Adds A Huge Zelda Soundtrack, Here's Every Song Included
186 tracks from Skyward Sword take flight
Nintendo's weekly music app updates continue with the company today adding The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword soundtrack. This title originally made its debut during the Wii generation in 2011 and made use of Wii Motion Plus controls. The game was more recently re-released in HD on the Switch in 2021. This...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Okami
AwoOooOo
Get your paintbrushes ready, because it's time for another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last week, we matched up a trio of covers for Wario Land 3 on the Game Boy Color and after a weekend of voting, we were left with a clear winner. It was the European variant that walked away with the win, taking 42% of the vote and leaving the North...
"If you're not directly working on the game, go away"
We know that Nintendo can be a little protective of its intellectual properties (now there's an understatement), but it turns out that the company's micromanagement was enough to make one artist on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption leave his position at Retro Studios. That's according to a recent...
Random This Awesome Pokémon Build Transforms Porygon Into A Working Nintendo Wii
"PorWiigon"
We've covered the sweet work of tech wizard BigRig Creates on Nintendo Life in the past (this is the designer behind the world's largest working DS and its 3D counterpart), and this week he has caught our eye again with a colourful Pokémon-inspired build that has us looking at our bland Wii consoles i
Random Have You Ever Triggered This Rare Super Mario Galaxy Dialogue?
Bro, c'mon
If you're anything like us, then chances are you've played Super Mario Galaxy to death. After all, even 17 years (!) after its release on the Wii, it's still considered to be one of, if not the best 3D Mario game. When completing some of the tasks in the game, we have to admit that once that irresistible Power Star pops up, we tend to...
News 'Nintendo Music' Update Adds Wii Sports Soundtrack, Here's Every Song Included
Relive the glory days of Wii
The new Switch Online music mobile app Nintendo Music has today been updated with 30 tracks from Wii Sports. If you boot up the app, you can now listen to songs like the game's theme, the main menu song, the catchy Tennis player selection, training and results music, the bowling soundtrack, and much more. All up, this...
Rumour More Evidence Of 'MySims' Switch Revival Surfaces Online
"The Switch port of MySims is real"
Earlier this week, a rumour popped up about The Sims spin-off 'MySims' possibly making a return, after listings for a Switch version of the game appeared on two European retail websites. It seems there's now mounting evidence of the game's return, with reports EA's official Switch webpage has now been updated...
Rumour Wii & DS Favourite 'MySims' Could Be Coming To Switch Soon
A blast from the past
Who remembers MySims? The spin-off to Maxis' hugely popular The Sims series, MySims saw you play as a cute little avatar attempting to restore and redevelop a run-down town. It launched on Wii and DS in 2007 before making the jump to PC and phones the following year. Well, it sounds like MySims could be making a comeback...
News According To Hideki Kamiya, Ōkami's Development Team Was 'Weak'
"This team was the worst!"
Clover Studio's Ōkami was one of the most critically acclaimed games of its day when it launched on PS2 in 2006 and Wii in 2008. Despite this, Hideki Kamiya has revealed that its development team was, on the whole, pretty weak. This comes via a new video from 'UNSEEN' on YouTube in which Kamiya and Ikumi Nakamura sit...
Random Golden Wii Intended For Queen Elizabeth II Will Be Shown At Gamescom
"One shall be player one"
It's fair to say that the late Queen Elizabeth II had her fair share of bling during her 70-year reign; you know, the Imperial State Crown, the Sovereign's Orb, the Kokoshnik Tiara... rather expensive stuff, a few notches above the kind of tat you might have found at the bottom of a box of Coco Pops. Given her status,...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Primed for battle
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we get cracking with this week's battle, let's see how things panned out last time. We looked at Turok 2: Seeds of Evil for the N64 and golly gosh, was it a close one. It seemed many of you weren't too keen on either design, but ultimately, it was the...
News 2004 Satoru Iwata Interview Has Been Remastered And Presented In Full
Legendary CEO discusses Miyamoto, 'Revolution', and more
A previously unpublished interview with the late, great Satoru Iwata has been remasted and presented in full by Adam Doree on YouTube (thanks, Time Extension). Conducted by Doree's website at the time, Kikizo, the interview was originally only available partially back in 2004. The new...
News Horror Game Doc 'TerrorBytes' To Include Interviews With 'Eternal Darkness' Director
Pre-orders available now
An upcoming five-part documentary celebrating the history of horror gaming has added Eternal Darkness director Denis Dyack and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories designer Sam Barlow to its growing list of industry experts. TerrorBytes: The Evolution of Horror Gaming will contain five hour-long episodes delving into the storied...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Inazuma Eleven Strikers
Cover goals
It's the weekend and that can only mean one thing, it's time for another edition of What Are You Pla- wait, no, not that one. It's time for another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we kick off this week's match-up, let's take it back to last time when we looked at the Virtual Boy's Jack Bros. For such a rare game, this was a pretty...
Feature The One Thing Wii Did Much Better Than Switch
Point taken
The Sensor Bar. Flimsy little plastic box with the world's longest, spindliest cable. An irritation to every Wii owner who has ever had to move their console. What was it good for? There's not a lot to the Sensor Bar. A little device that emits some infrared light. If the Wii Remote is pointed at one, it recognises that's where the TV...
Random Mario And Luigi Have Spin Jump Control Preferences In Super Mario Galaxy
And it all comes down to which controller you shake
It's no secret that we at Nintendo Life love Super Mario Galaxy. Since its release in 2007, we have played through this planet-hopping adventure several times with both Wii remote and Joy-Con (thanks to its re-release in Super Mario 3D All-Stars), but every day is a school day and we have just...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Wario Land: Shake It!
Shake it off, shake it off, woo-ooo-OOO!
Welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl, folks! Naturally, before we see who we've got entering the ring this week, let's see how things went down last time, shall we? Professor Layton and the Unwound Future was our pick of the week and we had three variations battle it out to claim victory...
News Another Code: Recollection Remakes Two Cult Classics On Switch in January 2024
Tracing memories
Cing's classic point-and-click adventure series Another Code is getting remade on Nintendo Switch in the form of Another Code: Recollection, which launches on Switch on 19th January 2024. This remake contains both Another Code: Two Memories (known as Trace Memory in North America), which launched on the DS in 2005, and the 2009 Wii...
News Nintendo Switch Has Surpassed The Wii's Lifetime Sales In The US
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom played a huge part
Nintendo's Switch has just achieved another sales milestone. Although worldwide hardware sales of the hybrid system surpassed Wii sales some time ago, there's been an update in the US. According to new data from Circana (previously the NPD), US lifetime sales of Switch hardware have "finally" overtaken...
Guide Best First-Party Wii Games
Nintendo's Wii games, as ranked by you
Nintendo's Wii opened up the door to millions of people who had never tried a video game before, and its software library boasts some of the most varied and approachable gaming experiences of any of Nintendo's consoles, including many stone-cold classics in both the 'casual' and 'hardcore' categories from both...
News The GameCube And Wii Emulator Dolphin Is No Longer Coming To Steam
"We are abandoning our efforts"
The team behind GameCube and Wii emulator Dolphin has announced it is "abandoning" its efforts to release the product on Steam. Valve's requirement is for the Dolphin team "to get approval from Nintendo" for a Steam release, and this is believed to be "impossible". "Valve ultimately runs the store and can set any...
Random Fan Makes Wii Menu Animations For Switch Games, And The Results Are Brilliant
Wii miss you
We all remember the start-up animations from the Wii home menu, right? You'd select a game, see the icon fill the screen and then watch a short animation (accompanied by music, of course) while you chose whether to start the title or head back to the home page. We miss them. For many of us, these menu animations are deeply ingrained in...
Soapbox The Shame Of Revisiting My Abandoned Pokémon Ranch
See you, PokéCowboy
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 the 15th anniversary of the game's release, Ethan heads back to the ranch... It’s a guilty feeling that Animal Crossing fans know all too well — the shame that comes...
News Valve Confirms It Contacted Nintendo About Dolphin Emulator Coming To Steam
"We brought this to their attention proactively"
Towards the end of May, the team behind Dolphin Emulator revealed its release on Steam had been "indefinitely postponed" after it was contacted by Valve. Valve spokesperson Kaci Aitchison Boyle has now issued a statement (via The Verge), confirming Valve originally reached out to Nintendo: Given...
News Dolphin Emulator Steam Release "Indefinitely Postponed"
Update: Nintendo responds with statement
Update #3 [Sat 3rd Jun, 2023 01:35 BST]: Valve spokesperson Kaci Aitchison Boyle has now issued a statement (via The Verge), noting how Valve was the one to inform Nintendo: Given Nintendo’s history of taking action against some emulators, we brought this to their attention proactively after the Dolphin...