May2009
Review Teleroboxer (Virtual Boy)
Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots
Teleroboxer is a boxing game that puts you in control of a giant fighting machine as you face a series of weird and wonderful opponents in a bid to become the champion. The game uses a first person perspective with your fists visible on screen. The left d-pad and L control your left fist and the right d-pad and R control...
Review Virtual Boy Wario Land (Virtual Boy)
The Virtual Boy's best game?
It's hard to talk about the Virtual Boy without mentioning Virtual Boy Wario Land; the ill-fated system only experienced 22 games throughout its short lifespan and this lack of software has resulted in some VB games getting a better reputation than they deserve purely because there's so little else to play on the...
Review Animal Crossing Calculator (DSiWare)
The Animal Crossing theme adds charm to this basic application - but is it ultimately enough to justify the cost?
With the popularity of the applications available for Apple's iPhone, it comes as no real surprise to see Nintendo releasing apps for their DSi system. Animal Crossing Calculator takes the standard calculator function and builds an...
Review Excitebots: Trick Racing (Wii)
Excitebots is everything a great sequel should be - and then some!
When Excite Truck launched alongside the Nintendo Wii console it was the perfect showpiece for showing off the Wii console's motion controls while still providing a true arcade racing experience for gamers to sink their teeth into. While the game lacked the real-life physics and game...
April2009
Review Clubhouse Games Express: Card Classics (DSiWare)
Call Nintendo's bluff or fold.
In the vein of the previously released Express titles, Clubhouse Games Express: Cards Classics offers a very slimmed-down, bite-sized version of its full-featured cartridge release. Whether this package offers enough to warrant a purchase is the question, and although this is a strong hand, ultimately there's no real...
Review Red Alarm (Virtual Boy)
Should Fox McCloud be scared?
Red Alarm is a 3D shooter where you take your Tech-Wing Fighter and battle through five enemy-filled levels, each ending with a showdown with a boss character. When it was originally released the first thing people noticed were the wire frame graphics, bringing to mind games such as Battlezone and Elite; although these...
Review Pokémon Red and Blue (Game Boy)
Catching them all never felt as good as it did back in 1998.
To say that Pokémon has made its mark on the video game industry would be something of an understatement. While many claimed the franchise to be a fad when it first made its debut in each of the world’s four major video game regions, over time those people have been proven wrong. Even...
Review Sutte Hakkun (Super Nintendo)
Sutte Hakkun might just be one of the most unique video game experiences ever crafted.
Every so often a game comes along that makes you take your thumb off the fire button and don your thinking cap. But who wants to have to spend a lot of time thinking just to get through a game, you say? Well one thing that stands abundantly clear from playing...
Review Dr. Mario Express (DSiWare)
Dr. Mario Express retains all of the addictive charm of past releases and proves to be a great fit for the DSiWare service.
Over the years, Dr. Mario has become one of the most beloved Tetris clones available for any game system. From its original inception on Nintendo's NES console to the more recent offering on the WiiWare service, Dr. Mario has...
How does Nintendo's ball-flicking puzzle game stand up to their other efforts?
Some games are destined to sink into obscurity, and unfortunately, Nintendo’s ball-flinging puzzler Magnetica was one of them. When the game was first released it was met with rather positive reviews but even such high critical praise wasn't enough to make a dent in the...
Review Master of Illusion Express: Deep Psyche (DSiWare)
Master of Illusion: Deep Psyche proves to be yet another tiny segment of average magic tricks taken directly from the DS retail release.
Master of Illusion: Deep Psyche is essentially a small selection of magic tricks from the DS retail release packaged into a tidy little 200 Point DSiWare release. While the two new tricks are fun enough, once...
Is Trace Memory worth remembering?
Ten years after her parents’ presumed deaths, thirteen year-old Ashley Robbins receives a mysterious package – apparently sent by her father – that contains a small device coincidentally resembling a Nintendo DS. Tracing this package to the deserted Blood Edward Island, Ashley sets out on an adventure to...
Review Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS)
Can Kirby prove that his latest DS adventure is a super offering?
It’s not at all hard to love Kirby – after all, he’s an adorable little puff ball! Nethertheless, despite being cute and on the short side, he packs a powerful punch and is not scared to dish out pain. This gives Kirby the appeal to satisfy young and old gamers alike, which has...
Review Kirby: Canvas Curse (DS)
Paint the town red. And orange, and yellow, and green, and blue...
Creative freedom has become an essential element of game design. Without it players are left following the path developer have set, and where is the fun in that? Worry not however; Kirby: Canvas Curse allows players to express themselves in ways you probably wouldn't expect. Forget...
Review Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (GameCube)
Change is good.
After first being officially announced on December 21 at the 2003 Jump Festa event in Japan, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles marked the dawn of a new era for Nintendo fans. After Square Enix packed their bags and left Nintendo’s consoles, the state of the role-playing genre on Nintendo’s consoles was questionable; developer...
Review Pokémon Battle Revolution (Wii)
There’s a lack of evolution in this revolution.
Pokémon Battle Revolution was first announced back in June of 2006, and it sounded as though it was going to be the ideal console Pokémon game: destructible environments, Wii-DS connectivity, online battling – everything we wanted from the franchise. Satoru Iwata lived up to his promise of...
Review Master of Illusion Express: Shuffle Games (DSiWare)
Does Nintendo's second Master of Illusion DSiWare release stack up any better than the first iteration did?
While the retail version of Master of Illusion was an interesting package, it didn't exactly light up the DS sales charts, nor did it get much love from the media either. So how exactly does a second stripped down version of the game fare as...
Review Nester's Funky Bowling (VB)
From comic strip to bowling alley.
After a few years' absence (spent as a struggling actor according to the instruction booklet) former Nintendo Power comic strip star Nester returned in this bowling game, featuring three modes of play and some “funky” animations. Before the Wiimote provided a natural way to play bowling, video games had to find...
Review Game & Watch Collection (DS)
A blast from the past or something best left forgotten?
If you are a Nintendo fan living in North America, you probably remember the heavily publicised launch of the Club Nintendo program last December. Additionally, if you were a big investor at the time, you were probably hoping that you had enough recent Nintendo products to afford the coveted...
Sticking him in a go-kart worked out well. What else can we try?
Mario’s Tennis does exactly what it says on the cartridge. It takes Mario and six other characters and places them in a Tennis game. Singles and doubles matches are available as either one-off matches or a Tournament, and standard tennis rules apply. A launch game in Japan and the...
Can Captain Rainbow save the day in this quirky action title?
Let's face it; whenever Nintendo announces a new project, we all grow a little skeptical. With Nintendo creating games that are more accessible and aimed at casual gamers, hardcore types end up feeling more and more sidelined. It's for this reason that when Nintendo of Japan announced in...
The mightiest weapon of the medieval battlefield is at your disposal.
Towering over your soldiers, the mighty Odama rolls a path of destruction over all it touches - friend or foe. Direct your soldiers with voice commands, and guide them out of harm’s way on to victory. Let the battle begin! This is a pretty epic game, so allow us to set the scene...
Take a trip to heaven, Nintendo style!
Simplicity in game design is often a double-edged sword. On the positive side, the player is provided with a sleek and easy to understand interface. However, this often has an equally negative impact on the depth of the experience and what you’re left with is a quick 'pick up and play' variety of game. With...
Review Brain Age Express: Math (DSiWare)
It may be a stripped-down version of the original retail release, but Brain Age Express: Math retains much of the charm and fun from past titles.
Nintendo's Brain Age DS releases were very successful titles, so it comes as no real surprise to see them releasing a trimmed-down version of the games for their brand new DSiWare service. Whereas the...
Review Nintendo DSi Browser (DSiWare)
Almost three years after the release of the original Opera Browser for the Nintendo DS, does this new iteration meet expectations or are we once again plagued with loading times from a decade long past?
The Nintendo DS Browser was released around three years ago on October 6th 2006 for the Nintendo DS and the then newly released Nintendo DS Lite...
