January2022

August2021

August2018

  • Review Picross S2 (Switch eShop)

    If it ain't broke, don't fix it

    Nintendo’s Picross series has been around for almost as long as the company has been making video games and it’s largely remained the same over all that time. What’s remarkable is how long this technique has worked, as the core gameplay is so simple - yet so addictive - that it doesn’t really need too much...

October2017

  • Review Picross S (Switch eShop)

    The S is for 'Safe'

    One of the constant presences on the 3DS eShop was that of the Picross e IP, the latest in a long running puzzle series. With close to ten releases on the 3DS eShop (including a few fun spin-offs) there were certainly plenty of entries for one console, though some releases were really more like DLC packs than fully-fledged...

February2017

  • Review Picross e7 (3DS eShop)

    The numbers are adding up

    We have once again been blessed by a new Picross e game, and you know what that means: new puzzles and, erm... some more new puzzles? By now you should honestly know what to expect with these titles, but here's a quick rundown again! Picross is a classic type of puzzle game that has featured on Nintendo systems since the...

December2015

  • Review Pokémon Picross (3DS eShop)

    Pika-p and play

    During the Nintendo Direct in November one of the surprise announcements was Pokémon Picross. It seemed like a bizarre idea, but crossing over the Pokémon franchise with the quirky Picross series is precisely what the somewhat stagnant puzzle series needed, adding a considerable amount of replayability and strategy onto the...

August2015

  • Review Picross e6 (3DS eShop)

    Continued conundrums

    The Picross e series seems to have settled in its ways now, not choosing to add any more additional features and simply having new sets of puzzles with each release. Picross e6 is no exception, once again playing it very safe and just giving you more pictures to unveil. Again, the three available modes are Picross, Micross and...

December2014

November2014

  • Review Picross e5 (3DS eShop)

    Another pack of Picross

    While the first few Picross e games mixed things up a little with slightly different modes each time, the previous game in the series — Picross e4 — didn't do anything unique; it simply brought back all of those previous special modes. Picross e5 also plays it safe and is essentially an expansion of the previous game,...

May2014

  • Review Picross e4 (3DS eShop)

    Cross your pis and mind your queues

    As its title suggests, Picross e4 is not Jupiter’s first trip to the intellectual rodeo. The developer has been releasing collections of the classic puzzle at a steady pace, adding small tweaks to an already reliable formula. This latest instalment identifies itself with sunny hues, and fans of the series may...

October2013

  • Review Picross e3 (3DS eShop)

    Fun and repetition Picross paths

    There’s a question you must ask yourself before proceeding: do you want to play Picross? There’s been ample time to give the pastime a try, what with all the previous games put out by Jupiter, and the next step in this journey is remarkably similar to the last one. Picross e3 is a finely crafted puzzle game worth...

May2013

January2013

  • Review Picross e2 (3DS eShop)

    More picture crossword goodness

    A few months ago, Nintendo released Picross e on the eShop, the first new Picross game in a while and quite an enjoyable - if rather short - package. Thankfully, if you felt a little short-changed you can delve straight back into puzzle-solving with the sequel, Picross e2. Is it anywhere near as good as its...

September2012

  • Review Picross E (3DS eShop)

    Almost picture perfect

    By now, most of you should be familiar with the concept of Picross. First appearing on the Game Boy with Mario's Picross and most recently in slightly altered form in Picross 3D, Picross has always been a bit of an unassuming, almost low-key affair, but those who invest their time into it tend to discover an incredibly...

July2011

  • Review Mario's Picross (3DS eShop / GB)

    Fun with numbers

    Picross has always been one of the weirder puzzle games at which Mario has tried his hand. It seems very boring to slowly create a picture using nothing but numbers, but once you get the hang of it the time simply flies by and you'll find yourself playing for hours on end. Mario's Picross was the first game in which Mario attempted...

June2010

  • Review The World Ends With You (DS)

    Animazing

    Tearing up many RPG conventions that its publisher Square Enix put into place, The World Ends With You is vibrant, energetic and an absolute blast to play. You play Neku Sakuraba, a young Japanese kid who wakes up with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. So far, so standard, right? It would be, except for the fact he wakes up...

  • Review Don't Cross the Line (DSiWare)

    Simple fun when you're low on funds

    If you've ever been a child, you've probably encountered your fair share of activity books. Within these collections of mazes, word searches and other such sources of momentary amusement, arguably the most forgettable of the bunch is the "don't cross the lines" puzzle. It's so underwhelming that if...

August2009

  • Review Picross 2 (Game Boy)

    Even more fun with numbers!

    Mario's Picross was a very nice attempt at making a Mario game based on Picross puzzles (Or nonograms, as they're sometimes called), but there were a few shortcomings - the biggest of which was that most puzzles just weren't really hard. With a maximum size of 15x15, the game's "toughest" puzzles just didn't...

November2007

  • Review Picross DS (DS)

    Nintendo's latest in the 'Touch! Generations' series hits the DS. Is this the puzzle game to beat all puzzle games?

    I'm not sure about you, but I love a good puzzle. Have done for years. When I was a kid, I used to love jigsaw puzzles. Nowadays, I don't like to do anything on a Sunday before finishing the Daily Mirror's Sumdoku puzzle. It's like...

September2007