Nintendo

It has been a long wait. It seems like years since we received our first screens, months since that detailed, energetic Nintendo Direct... Now, it will only be a little over a week before we can all play it. It's almost Mario Kart time, and it just cannot seem to come fast enough. I had zero desire to sit down and write this up. I don't want to tell you about Mario Kart, I don't want to discuss Mario Kart, and I definitely don't want to waste valuable time editing anything about Mario Kart.

The tune many are singing right now is that Mario Kart 8 is a make-or-break title for the Wii U. While I originally agreed, a brief conversation with GamesReviews' own Mat Growcott made me change my mind, slightly. My take on the situation is that one game does not save a system, but, if released at a crucial time, it can be the catalyst that changes everything.

We've all been waiting a long time for a new console entry in the Legend of Zelda franchise, and while Hyrule Warriors probably wasn't what the majority of us had in mind, it's in no way a bad thing. It'll offer a fresh look at Zelda's kingdom, and will probably benefit quite a bit from the Dynasty Warriors style. Despite all that, there's still a lot we don't know about the game. This is especially surprising when you realize that it's only a few months away from release.

Nintendo succeeded in impressing an awful lot of people with Mario Kart 8. Not only does the gameplay look strong and original, but the addition of a bonus digital title with every purchase makes it a bargain on any level. Not to waste even a small part of that excitement, they've today released a brand new video showcasing the biggest change coming to the franchise: anti-gravity racing.

It's not unusual for the crafty sort to paint controllers or even consoles, and there's some really amazing stuff out there. The Legend of Zelda is a regular source for fans, and we've all seen custom Wiis, Gamecubes, controllers and Gameboys masked with Gorons, fairies and Zoras. Less usual is to find Zelda-releated fan art on PlayStation products, but one person has bucked expectation.

Nintendo have today announced Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, a set of remakes for both the 2DS and 3DS. There's been a lot of hints in recent months that new and fresh versions of the GBA classics would be on their way - including references in Pokemon X and Y - but it's great to see that it's finally official.

Yoshi has appeared sporadically throughout the Mario universe, playing major roles in numerous games, and providing cameos in others. In 1995, Yoshi was deemed important enough to be given his own game, and little has changed in the spin-offs and sequels since. Yoshi's New Island, available now for the 3DS, is a familiar platform adventure on a new handheld. Although the core of the game is the same, a few new implementations are less than spectacular, making Yoshi's latest adventure feel like a broken version of the older titles.

So how can so little come out of a 11 minute Nintendo Direct? If you find life simulators incredibly dis-interesting, take the 11 minute plunge anyways. The witty banter throughout the Nintendo Direct make the time you spent watching well worth it. The entire 11 minutes is very comical. Want to see a Iwata playing with a cat or trying on a Dinosaur suit? Want to see a number of Nintendo executives attempt to pick up Samus Aran on a beach? Of course you do!

Yesterday was the official Super Smash Bros Nintendo Direct. The goal was to lay the final foundations for both the 3DS and Wii U games before their launches in Summer 2014 and Winter 2014 respectively. Below is the full Nintendo Direct. Today we're going to look at what was announced.

April Fools Day always provides a number of fun Internet gags. One of the most high profile jokes this year was from Google, and it involved Pokemon. Using Google Maps, players could search for all original 150 Pokemon and become a Pokemon Master. They even went as far as to 'promise' a position in the company for anybody that could Catch 'em all. Although the job was a farce, the game was real and playable. This prank from Google made me think about where Pokemon is at and where it is going.