July2015
Review My Zoo Vet Practice 3D (3DS eShop)
My Zoophobia 3D
It's fair to say that we get our fair share of games to review over here at Nintendo Life that don't necessarily appeal to our core audience of readers. It's just as fair to say that Treva Entertainment's clumsily named My Zoo Vet Practice 3D certainly falls into that category, definitely having a definitive (if somewhat niche)...
April2015
Review My Pet School 3D (3DS eShop)
Plays dead
Do you get the feeling we've barked up this tree before? My Pet School 3D is much like other entries in TREVA's bloated stable of pet sims, such as Me & My Pets 3D and Life with Horses 3D. Each successive instalment comes with the desperate hope that some new tricks have been learned this time around, only to have it stare back at you...
December2014
Review My Life on a Farm 3D (3DS eShop)
E - I - E - I - NO
My Life on a Farm 3D is standing proof that you can take a poor game concept and, with the proper lack of care and ingenuity, rework it into something that is just as poor as — if not potentially worse than — its source. Life on the farm feels a lot like life in a previous TREVA title, Me & My Pets 3D. This is because the...
October2014
Review Riding Star 3D (3DS eShop)
Fault!
Horses are supposed to be noble, herd-based creatures with personality and spirit. A simulation of caring for and riding one should be an intricate, rewarding experience as a bond is formed between rider and animal. Riding Star 3D does not worry itself with any of this. It botches the majesty of the horse so badly that one starts to wonder...
Review Horse Vet 3D (3DS eShop)
Horse pucky
Two things became apparent during Nintendo Life's time with TREVA's Horse Vet 3D. The first is that, apparently, everyone owns a horse; the second is that these horses needed a lecture in safe mating, as nearly all the horses treated had scabies at one point or another. Horse Vet 3D, like TREVA's recent offerings Top Model 3D and Outback...
September2014
Review Top Model 3D (3DS eShop)
Not so style savvy
There are going to be many unhappy customers in the eShop thanks to Treva's Top Model 3D. The misleading title would suggest an affiliation with any number of popular reality television series, such as America's Next Top Model, but there is no branding to be found. The atrocious presentation is going to turn off anyone expecting a...
Review Outback Pet Rescue 3D (3DS eShop)
Lost in the bush
Treva Entertainment's Outback Pet Rescue 3D is an attempt at an "edutainment" title that doesn't succeed at being a quality learning experience or a fun game. While there's nothing wrong with the idea — see animals found in Australia while learning about animal care and responsibility — the execution is atrocious, with horrible...
July2014
Review Me & My Pets 3D (3DS eShop)
Pet-thetic
First thing’s first: the pets in Me & My Pets 3D are not yours. You are running a pet hotel, so they belong to others. Second, things are not in 3D as much as a flat, albeit layered, pseudo-3D. Third, the pets do not resemble real pets as much as colourful rocks that have been given GIF animations. For a game that seems to scream...
April2014
Review Me & My Furry Patients 3D (3DS eShop)
Diagnosis: a little hairy
There's a certain nostalgic charm to Me & My Furry Patients 3D's early-1990s PC game aesthetic – the rudimentary isometric 2D graphics, crude character models, heavy reliance on walls of text and menus resembling Windows 95 pop-up boxes are a nice change of pace from the ubiquitous FarmVille-esque cartoony graphics we...
December2013
Review Life with Horses 3D (3DS eShop)
Say neigh
Horses are magnificent creatures. Whether humble labourers or prize-winning performers, each is a complex creature that can be both challenging and rewarding to care for and understand. Life with Horses 3D manages to portray the aspect of hard work in raising horses, but puts the whole “rewarding” part out to pasture. Players in the...
November2013
Review My Baby Pet Hotel 3D (3DS eShop)
A pile of shih tzu
We'll say this at the outset: pet sims are not for everybody. We know that much, and while the popularity of certain genres might baffle us at times, we'd never dream of holding a game's genre against it. While we may or may not get swept up in any particular enthusiasm ourselves, we'd like to think that we can distance ourselves...
September2013
Review Mahjong 3D - Essentials (3DS eShop)
Mahjong 3D Lite
A while ago, TREVA released Mahjong 3D: Warriors of the Emperor on the eShop, which surprisingly wasn't "just another" Mahjong game but, instead, a rather unique and fun take on the genre, featuring characters and a campaign mode. As is frequently the case with Mahjong games, the title might be a bit misleading — this is not the...
March2013
Top dog, or just plain ruff?
It's that special time of the year again, when the world of casual gaming throws fluffy puppies and wide-eyed kittens at things and hopes to make a profit. This time Neopica has stepped up to the challenge with Pets Resort 3D. In the latest Nintendogs + Cats clone, the player takes command of a rather suspicious...
January2013
Review Riding Stables 3D (3DS)
How about a lovely horse?
One genre that absolutely feels underrepresented on the eShop is the pet sim. This is at least somewhat surprising, as the 3DS is not only portable, but it encourages gamers to take it with them everywhere, regardless of whether or not they intend to play anything. It accomplishes this through puzzle and Mii sharing, Play...
December2012
Review Mahjong 3D - Warriors of the Emperor (3DS eShop)
Not your 奶奶’s Mahjong
If you’ve ever played any iteration of Mahjong before, then there’s a good chance that you know how the tile-matching gameplay works. While the core experience remains unchanged, it’s what Mahjong 3D - Warriors of the Emperor does with the system that makes this one stand out. Rather than simply finding all of the...
