Retro News
December2010
Review Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (DS)
Little Mario, big fun
For fans of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, the good news is that Mini-Land Mayhem! is another truly stellar entry in the series. For those who are not yet fans, the good news is that Mini-Land Mayhem! is an excellent place to start. Mario's latest business venture (seriously, when does he ever find time to do any actual...
News We Always Knew The Mario Brothers Were Made Men
Spot the cultural references in this film parody
Back in 1993, Hollywood tried to convert one of the biggest video game franchises into a live action motion picture... and it wasn't that good. What was wrong with Super Mario Bros. the film, wasn't the on-screen talent, but the writing and the concept itself. Nothing wrong with throwing in a bit of...
Review Goemon's Great Adventure (Nintendo 64)
A spectacular sidescrolling sequel
When it comes to underrepresented genres on the Nintendo 64, the humble 2D platformer is perhaps the most neglected of all. Despite forming a cornerstone of the 16-bit generation, the genre suffered a spectacular loss of popularity as the N64, Sega Saturn and PlayStation ushered in an exciting new revolution in the...
Review Darius Twin (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Double the monotony
The Darius series has long taken a backseat to some of the more prominent shoot 'em up series, despite featuring some absolutely amazing releases on the various 32-bit game consoles. Darius Twin still features much of the aquatic-themed shooter action of its brethren, but for some reason the game comes off feeling very...
Review GO Series: D-Tank (DSiWare)
Tank Defence
The GO Series already had a tower defence-esque game with tanks, but there's already another one now in the form of D-Tank. In Defence Wars you got a bunch of turrets, cannons and tanks to defend you against oncoming armies, but D-Tank takes its name quite seriously and only has one of those, the tanks. You control one single tank at a...
Review Jam Space: PocketStudio (DSiWare)
Dance club calibre headaches without the fun
Among the applications that have made it to DSiWare so far is a handful of music mixing and writing programs, none of which are particularly bad. From the mighty Rytmik and its rockin' follow-up to the slightly more basic but still solid Rhythm Core Alpha, DJs on the go have had their fair share of...
Review Super Bonk 2 (Super Nintendo)
Bonk's most enjoyable adventure yet
If you've ever owned a TurboGrafx-16 or PC Engine, chances are you're quite familiar with our little caveman friend Bonk. Once these systems began to lose ground to Nintendo's Super Nintendo and Sega's Mega Drive (a.k.a. Genesis), Hudson decided to bring their prehistoric hero to some of the more popular platforms...
Meet Commander Video's less-confident little brother
There's a reason Gaijin Games, as young as it is as a developer, already has a strong and devoted following, having taken addictively throbbing beats and married them to some of the most intense gameplay we've ever seen. It takes periodic trips to a sunnier, much simpler era of gaming, and...
Review Mickey Mania (Super Nintendo)
Mickey's been epic for years
This December many Wii owners will be delving into the world of Disney Epic Mickey, taking a moment to appreciate Mickey's animated past with 2D platforming sections in that game which allow you to play through his classic cartoons. However, 16 years ago UK developer Traveller's Tales pre-empted Warren Spector's game by...
News Smash Bros. Game Boy Demake is Amazing in Action
Demo out this Friday
Have you ever wished that Super Smash Bros. had seen the green light of day on the original Game Boy? Here to prove that wishes can sometimes come true in some form or another is Super Smash Land, a decidedly not-endorsed-by-Nintendo take on the fighting franchise that aims to condense all its mechanics into just two buttons...
Toilet paper edition
A pen and a sheet of paper. Are there any two instruments on the face of the planet more conducive to unrestrained creativity? Think about it. Take a moment to consider all of the things you can do with either one. Think about the worlds that you can sketch out, or write about; think of the games you can play, think about...
Podcast NLFM Episode 11: A Holiday Season in FLUX
Take a sneak peek at the final BIT.TRIP, sigh at simians, sneak along with a secret agent and get into the spirit of the season
We look to the future here at Nintendo Life. Why, take this episode of NLFM, the little ol' chip and game music podcast we've got going: it's got an exclusive first listen of the soundtrack to Gaijin Games' upcoming...
Review Just Sing! Christmas Vol. 2 (DSiWare)
Another lump of coal for this year's stockings
Last Christmas, the European DSiWare service received the karaoke title Just Sing! Christmas Songs. As you might expect, it featured a Christmas theme and asked you to sing along, but it only included two songs and proved itself as nothing more than a waste of time. Sadly, Just Sing! Christmas Vol. 2 is...
Review Dairojo! Samurai Defenders (DSiWare)
A strong defence, or will it just offend?
Here is it, folks. Yet another entry in the ever popular tower defence genre on DSiWare. With a focus on arcade-style high score achieving rather than plot-driven level advancement, Dairojo! Samurai Defenders makes for a slightly different experience while still retaining the same basic formula. Enemies...
Features Don't Touch My Samus: Metroid's Controversial Turn
Why the latest Metroid game's depiction of Samus isn't a complete departure
Metroid isn't a franchise that is known to rest upon its laurels. While each entry maintains the same basic elements that made the first game successful, one could hardly say that the series has gotten comfortable over the years. Whether it's adding a narrative, introducing...
A tidal wave of fun
WiiWare is no stranger to quirky, innovative games, with the platform delivering such wonderful titles as World of Goo, Lost Winds and the BIT.TRIP series. These titles all take full advantage of the Wii Remote, pairing novel gameplay concepts with smooth, accessible motion controls. Yet such stellar releases don't come along all...
Review Super Bonk (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Bonk moonlights on the Super Nintendo
After becoming a staple and mascot of sorts after 3 platformer releases on NEC's TurboGrafx-16 console, Bonk was given new life on the Super Nintendo system with the release of Super Bonk. The game went unnoticed for the most part, but it's gone on to become a bit of a cult favourite among Super Nintendo fans...
Review SonSon (Virtual Console / Virtual Console Arcade)
A chimp off the old block
Looking for an arcade game that resembles a side-scrolling Ice Climber in which you control a monkey that hurls fireballs at angry dinner plates? Then look no further! Capcom has seen it fit to release 1984's SonSon from its trove of arcade treasures, and while this isn't likely to be the game anybody was particularly...
Review Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando (Virtual Console / Virtual Console Arcade)
Commandon't
General William T. Sherman is popularly credited with coining the phrase "War is Hell", but we don't think he ever got the chance to play Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando. If he had, he surely would have said, "War is kind of dull, and a little crappy." Originally released to arcades in 1985, Wolf of the Battlefield:...
Something to sneeze at
iPhone ports are happening so often these days that they should barely come as a surprise anymore. Sneezies is yet another one of these titles, and like many other games, we can't say the transition has really been all that useful. Sneezies is pretty much yet another arcade-esque highscore game. There are four different game...
News There May Never Be Another Smash Bros. as Hardcore as Melee
So says Sakurai
Super Smash Bros. Melee holds a special place in the hearts of many Nintendo fans, but creator Masuhiro Sakurai regrets aiming the game so strongly towards hardcore gamers, saying it's a mistake he wouldn't repeat again. Claiming to have created Smash Bros. to counteract the industry-wide move towards making the fighting game genre...
Own goal
Icon Games haven't had a good track record with WiiWare games so far, with poor attempts in the form of Stunt Cars and Arcade Sports. This time around, they've attempted to combine one of the world's biggest sports, football (or soccer), with the classic brick-breaking arcade game Breakout, resulting in Soccer Bashi. So is this third time...
News This Safe Sex Video Owes a Surprising Amount to Mario and Mega Man
Game on!
The UK has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Western Europe, and each county council has a role to play in educating its citizens in the best way to bring these numbers down. Leicestershire's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy has decide the best way to do this is with an educational video set in the world of 8-bit video games. Check out the...
Review Rocks N' Rockets (DSiWare)
Rocking rockets
Most people are familiar with arcade classic Missile Command. In it, you control a bunch of anti-air batteries and have to shoot down the incoming enemies before they manage to destroy all of your cities. Rocks N' Rockets can pretty much be considered a revival of sorts of that game, although it does add a few unique twists of its...
Review Disney Epic Mickey (Wii)
A well painted canvas or a thin premise?
The very trademark of Disney itself, Mickey Mouse personifies the company's library of cartoon characters. How ironic then, that over the years Mickey himself has at times teetered on the brink of falling into the “Wasteland” of seemingly forgotten Disney characters no longer in use. In an effort to...
Jedi school dropout
Originally released to arcades in 1984, Space Ace sought to recapture the magic of its predecessor, Dragon's Lair. And by "magic" we mean "ability to eat money." Gameplay was not high on the list of priorities for the team that designed these games, but flashy presentation certainly was. As a result, we are...
IT BURNS!
At last, the do-nothing, poorly-constructed, mindless fireplace simulator of your dreams has come to WiiWare. The only explanation: we've all been very bad boys and girls this year, and Santa's relying on digital download services to distribute his coal. Let's face facts: if you're reading this review, you already know full well whether...
Review Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands (DS)
Farming fun in the sun
Harvest Moon’s power to enthral and entrap gamers is often underestimated by those who have yet to experience the unbridled thrill of growing a crop of healthy tomatoes, but nearly 15 years after the original Super NES Harvest Moon the series continues to sell well to experienced farmers and newcomers alike. Now Harvest...
Review Spot It! Challenge (DSiWare)
Spot It or Ignore It?
Spot It! Challenge, if nothing else, has to be commended for making an incredibly boring idea (that's usually relagated to children's books that you'd find in the waiting room at the pediatrician's office) frantic and fun. At its core this is is still very much a portable version of the Spot It! search-and-find books on which...
Review Karnov's Revenge (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Karnov should stick to side-scrollers
To say that there were a wealth of Street Fighter 2 clones during its reign of popularity in arcades would be an understatement, but none were quite as blatant as Data East's Karnov's Revenge. In fact, the game was so similar in many respects that it drew the ire of Capcom, not to mention a failed lawsuit...
Review The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey & Minnie (Super Nintendo)
Of Mice and Mystery
Isn’t it strange that the same creatures that carry disease and caused the rapid spread of the Black Death in Europe back in the 1340s eventually became the world’s most iconic and recognizable characters? Clearly Walt Disney was doing something right when he thought up Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and Capcom was doing just as...
Review Magical Drop II (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
As intense as it is addictive
We've seen a wealth of "falling object" puzzlers since Tetris hit the scene in the 80's, some better than others. Data East's Magical Drop introduced a few new tricks to introduce a fun puzzler experience into arcades that turned quite a few heads during the time. As a follow-up, the company created two...
Review Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (Wii)
Should you sign up for Tiger’s swingers club?
Tiger Woods’ games, like the man’s affairs, come with a certain regularity. Once a year you can expect an updated game of golf to come rolling out of publishing giant EA’s headquarters. This is no bad thing mind, as in the case of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 the recent introduction of Wii MotionPlus...
Review DodoGo! Challenge (DSiWare)
DodoGo! Hard Mode
A little over half a year ago, Neko Entertainment released DodoGo!, a charming, decently sized puzzle game not unlike Lemmings. Now they're back with a new instalment, but is it worth another go? The basic premise of DodoGo is still here. Your objective in each stage is to safely get at least one of the present eggs safely to the...
Review HB Arcade Disc Golf (WiiWare)
A discontenting discappointment
The sport of "disc golf" (so named here to subtract the more well known trademark, “Frisbee”) is perhaps played more often on the Wii than in real life. Even so, the sport itself is an obvious good fit for Wii owners as the entire sport essentially boils down to players standing in place and taking turns...
Review Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (Wii)
Worthy of a life-long Azkaban sentence
Without doubt, Harry Potter has become a huge cultural phenomenon over the last decade. The series, created by J.K Rowling, spanned seven main books and a successful set of films set around the various adventures of the wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, students at...
FacePalm
We really hope people don't judge the Wii RemotePlus based solely on this, because it's really capable of so much more. FlingSmash is a take on the paddle-and-ball genre that has you assuming the role of Zip, a dull yellow dot creature. Your mission is to liberate Suthon Island from a bad guy named Omminus and yes, the entire story uses...
Review Airport Mania: First Flight (WiiWare)
First class, or terminal illness?
Air travel is well known for many things: overbooking, lost luggage, expensive food, cramped quarters and, most recently, a choice between having your crotch grabbed or letting airport security take naked pictures of you. It's not really the sort of experience that you'd expect to lend itself to a positive gaming...
News Super Everdrive Flash Cart Miniaturises Your SNES Collection
Never get up off the couch to swap a cart again
Although the Virtual Console caters for the vast majority of Wii-owning retro gamers out there, it would be churlish to deny the fact that many, many people still choose to indulge in a spot of emulation every now and then. Modern personal computers (and some mobile phones) have gotten to the point...
Review We Sing! Robbie Williams (Wii)
Somethin' stupid
Over the years, the Wii has seen a lot of karaoke games in the vein of Sony's SingStar series: Boogie, Disney Sing It, We Sing. Published by Nordic games, We Sing: Robbie Williams marks the third entry in the series after We Sing and We Sing: Encore, with the release being timed to coincide with the title star's new greatest hits...
Cave Story on the go
With the release of Cave Story on WiiWare earlier this year, Nicalis gave Wii owners a chance to experience a game that's become one of the most popular indie PC titles of all time. Now it's decided to give gamers a chance to own a portable version of the game that they can take with them on go. And while the game hasn't changed...
Review Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (DS)
Hokey Poké?
There are two types of players in the world of Pokémon: those who enjoy capturing, training and battling with their Pokémon, and gentler, liberal-minded players who assume responsibility for the safety and well-being of the beloved pocket monsters. In Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, the third instalment in the Pokémon Ranger series,...
November2010
Frenzied
We're used to quality from Two Tribes so far, with excellent titles like Toki Tori and Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH available on WiiWare getting good scores all around. With its latest game being an iPhone port for DSiWare, can it keep up this streak of entertaining titles? Frenzic is a fairly simple game, but it can get deceptively hard...
Review Music On: Electric Guitar (DSiWare)
It's electric!
There are distinct advantages to an electric versus an acoustic guitar, such as being able to play for a larger audience using an amplifier. Unfortunately, a title that emulates the instrument on your DSi won’t offer any of these advantages, with the exception of manipulating the sound with various effects. Unlike a real axe, the...
News Miniature Mario Kart Course Will Bring a Smile to Your Face
The course we've all dreamt of
If you're separated from your beloved Super NES and Super Mario Kart, there may be another way for you to get your fix of its speedy charms by following the example of anime association Motsukora. The Spanish group built a real-life Mario Kart circuit for its remote controlled cars to boost around, displaying it at a...
Review Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (DS)
Worth its weight in gold?
When the Golden Sun series kicked off on the Game Boy Advance in 2001, it was lauded for its unique visual style and challenging puzzle elements, but after two releases the series took an extended break, so long in fact that many fans wondered if the series would ever see another entry. Now, over seven years later, Camelot...
News Pre-Order the Midna & Wolf Link Statue From Next Tuesday
The second model in the Twilight Princess "Master Arts" series
About two months ago, First 4 Figures released the first model from the Twilight Princess "Master Arts" series in the form of a 1/4th scale statue of Zant ― the antagonist from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Now, the officially-licensed maker of video game figures...
Review Faxanadu (Virtual Console / NES)
Zelda II's spiritual successor
Not many people outside Japan are familiar with the Dragon Slayer series. Created by Nihon Falcom, the great minds behind Ys, the first game enjoyed a good deal of popularity and got many sequels, though unfortunately, almost all of them remained exclusive to Japan. The second Dragon Slayer game, Xanadu, actually...
Review Snowpack Park (WiiWare)
An ice game or a total flake-out? You get the drift.
A massive snowstorm has struck Snowpack Park, blocking off roads, causing damage and isolating the poor, poor penguins from each other. Only one person can bring them back: you! Or your Mum! Or Dr. Zoidberg, any Mii stored on your Wii. But, still, you get the idea. Snowpack Park is a game of...
Review Call of Duty: Black Ops (DS)
Portable ops
Even though they're wheeled out every year alongside their console cousin, n-Space's Call of Duty games on DS never cease to surprise. From making first-person gameplay work well on the unconventional handheld to pushing horsepower limits, each entry seems to have something new to prove. This year, Call of Duty: Black Ops pushes the DS...
Review Supermarket Mania (DSiWare)
A pretty good sale
There's plenty of games available on DSiWare which are nothing more than glorified Flash games, which you could find playable for free online if you searched for just a few minutes. At first, we suspected that Supermarket Mania would join their ranks, but thankfully it offers a little bit more. As a single player-only experience,...
Ruff
Playing fetch is a great way to bond with a canine companion. There's nothing like going to the park on a nice summer day and tossing a ball for your favorite four legged friend. When you first hear of a DSiWare release based on this you might imagine that you'll be guiding a puppy along with the stylus, avoiding obstacles and retrieving balls...
Review Michael Jackson: The Experience (Wii)
It's good to be the King
Ubisoft struck gold last year with Just Dance, a light-hearted game that didn't really care about hardcore talent as much as it did good times and booty shakin'. Its runaway success explains the improved sequel, Broadway number and kid-centric titles we've seen only one year into the franchise, so it was really only a matter...
Review Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar (DS)
Top of the crops
Harvest Moon games have remained largely the same since the series made its debut on the Super Nintendo all those years ago. You get up, tend to crops, care for animals, get married, raise a sprog, and continue forever. However, the latest title to hit North American shores, Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar, strays from the template...
Review Tetris Party Live (DSiWare)
Online Tetris for people on the go
Let's face it, we've seen hundreds of Tetris releases on various systems over the years, some obviously better than others. Hudson released the original Tetris Party on WiiWare almost two years ago, but with the release of the game on DSiWare, they're now giving gamers a version to take with them on the go. As a...
Review Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (DS)
Flail, you fools!
Released in parallel to the Headstrong Games-developed Wii title, it is worth noting that the DS version of Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest is a separate game, not just a handheld port of the Wii version. It shares similarities with the Wii game, predominantly in its hack-'n-slash gameplay, but it distinguishes itself in the...
See the light
Even a cursory look at Hudson's A Shadow's Tale (known as Lost in Shadow in North America) should be enough to convince you it's not just another 2D platformer. Whilst New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Donkey Kong Country Returns hark back to those series' 2D glory days, A Shadow's Tale is more forward-thinking, combining platforming and...
Review Super Scribblenauts (DS)
Word
We've always had to accept that in video games, there will always be more objects we want to play with than those we're allowed to use. The original Scribblenauts changed all of that, allowing the virtual world to become a malleable, ever-changing playground. You solved simple objectives in search of a Starite, manifesting any object that its...
News Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary is 50Hz Only
Bad news for Europe
If you've been crossing your fingers for Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition in the expectation of it receiving a PAL-optimised conversion, you can unbend them and start using them to type vitriolic comments now – the package will not be 60Hz compatible. Below is the response reader XD375 received when enquiring with...
Review Need for Speed: Nitro-X (DSiWare)
Fast and (mostly) furious
Need For Speed: Nitro-X has a lot going for it. It's a racing game on a download service that's saturated with puzzlers, for one thing, but it's also part of one of the most long-running and successful racing franchises around. Is it a stripped down version of a retail game? Well yes, but it's a stripped down version of a...
Reward this hound or send it to the pound?
For all of those gamers out there who are looking for a shallow, average dog racing simulator, Derby Dogs is the WiiWare game for you. Stripped down to the bare minimum, this game will allow you to train your dog to be the top racer, but that’s about all that’s offered here. Disguising itself as a pet...
News Donkey Kong Stars in the Most Awesome Wedding Video Ever
Bride and groom go head-to-head
Sure, you all thought that Donkey Kong music video we posted the other day was about as cool as moving images could get, but we've unearthed an absolute gem of a video from the mists of time which beats it hands down - heck, it even features a cameo from the great ape himself. The story goes like this: developer Gregg...
Review Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (Wii)
Crash and burn
Until last year, the Need For Speed series on Wii was synonymous with crap from day one. And while Need For Speed: Nitro had its issues, it at least showed that EA’s heart was in the right place: instead of trying to shoehorn a game developed for HD platforms onto the Wii’s lesser hardware to the benefit of no one, it went out and...
Review Triple Running Sports (WiiWare)
Run! No, seriously. RUN.
Every once in a great while, an already great series gets a new entry that not only renews the enthusiasm of fans worldwide, it reinvents and reinvigorates a classic formula. It raises the bar not only for its own series, but for gaming in general. It's the sort of event that has even non-gamers talking, nodding in...
Features Celebrating Super Famicom's 20th Anniversary
Nintendo's Mode-7 machine turns 20
For those who aren't aware, the Super Famicom console is celebrating its 20th birthday today. On this day in 1990, Nintendo released the much-anticipated follow-up to its immensely popular Famicom system onto the eager Japanese gaming world. The Super Famicom became an instant hit in Japan and a North American...
Review Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
Retro Studios resurrects a classic
When Rare created the original Donkey Kong Country titles for the Super Nintendo console, the games basically took the system's visuals capabilities to new heights and also offered up one of the best platforming experiences the console had to offer. Now, having spent the past few years resurrecting the Metroid...
Feature Slipped Disk - The History of the Famicom Disk System
We look back at Nintendo's first misstep in the domestic gaming hardware arena
Given what we now know about add-on hardware for games consoles, the very concept of the Famicom Disk System seems hopelessly flawed. Since this Japan-only system hit the market in 1986 we’ve seen the equally ill-fated Sega Mega CD, Sega 32X and Nintendo 64DD all come...
Review 21: Blackjack (DSiWare)
Strong suit or bad bet?
The time has come for blackjack to take its place among solitaire and Texas Hold 'Em as a card game that can stand alone on the DSiWare service. The objective, as the name gives away, is to get as close to 21 as possible in card value without going over. We've already seen a couple versions of the game in two slightly...
All things wise and wonderful
One lament accompanied 2008’s lacklustre Sonic Unleashed more loudly than others – "why can’t Sega ditch the werehog and make the daytime stages into a complete game?" A few years later and in rushes Sonic Colours with all the usual fanfare and expectation around a new 3D Sonic game, except this time –...
Review Call of Duty: Black Ops (Wii)
Back in black
The Call of Duty series has come a long way from its humble origins as a Medal of Honor competitor, now standing as a world-conquering video game superpower able to clear release calendars with the mere threat of its presence in a month. On HD platforms, that is, with Nintendo's little white box relegated to answering the call in a...
News Watch Rhythm Heaven Played with Lasers and Japanese Swords
Now this is technology
The GameBoy Advance belongs to a simpler time, when buttons were king. That's why it's so great to see a video of GBA title Rhythm Heaven played in a way we're fairly certain the developers never considered. The video below shows a simple circuit involving a laser pointer, a prosthetic finger and, of course, a Japanese sword...
All things bright and beautiful
The portable part of a hedgehog double whammy, Sonic Colours is – you guessed it – a high-speed 2D platformer. But wait, there’s more: this time Sonic is joined by a range of unique power-ups that help to refresh the standard formula. If you’ve played either of the hedgehog’s previous two outings on DS, the...
Podcast NLFM Episode 10: Fear Your Tears
From Kirby to 80's synthpop chip covers, this month's episode is all encompassing
Variety is the spice of life, and thanks to the insane variety of this 10th episode of our chip and game music podcast NLFM you'll be feeling that spice for hours after consumption. It's so spicy that we think we've got flavor for every mood, whether you're in the...
Third-person Bond is first-rate fun
Whereas Nintendo console gamers only get one James Bond shooter this fall, with the first-person GoldenEye 007 on Wii and third-person Blood Stone on HD platforms, DS owners get their pick of the litter with diminutive versions of both courtesy of developer n-Space. Just as GoldenEye on DS did, Blood Stone 007...
Review Spin Master (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)
Not masterful, but still pretty good
With probably about half of the Neo Geo's library of games consisting of fighting games, it's always nice to see another platformer for the system released on VC. In Spin Master, you take control of either Johnny or Tom as you try to recover five pieces of a lost treasure map and rescue Johnny's girlfriend. It's...
Review Mix Superstar (WiiWare)
SCRATCH-ficky-ficky....Wii-mix!
Lately the DSiWare service has received several musical creation tools: Music On series has provided us with a means to play musical instruments on the go, and the excellent Rytmik titles have shown exactly how awesome creating tunes on your DSi can be. Well, now it's WiiWare's turn in the form of Mix Superstar. If...
Review Adventure In Vegas: Slot Machine (DSiWare)
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!
There's a reason slot machines are successful: they tease the player with the chance of winning it big. The idea that you can walk in to a casino with only a few pennies to your name and walk out a rich man has enticed people for decades, and the game remains a staple at nearly every casino in existence. Once...
Review Oops! Prank Party (Wii)
Is the joke on us?
We should all cherish the moments we have with our families. Life is short, and it can get so hectic that we can neglect spending time with the ones we love in favour of work or sleep. Not to mention that some of the greatest Nintendo games are only single player! Thank goodness for the party game craze, right? Problem solved...
News Dropping Tetrominoes Might Help with Post Traumatic Stress
Stacking blocks good for you
Anyone who's played Tetris – i.e. everyone ever – can attest to its soothing qualities as they stack block after block aiming to create those lovely lines. Now a new study suggests that playing the game isn't just good for fun, it may help to reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Scientific journal...
Does it pass Go or should it go directly to jail?
Ah, Monopoly, the classic board game we all know and love, where you attempt to become the dominant force across the market and can become a rich tycoon living the high life in Mayfair or end up in the dumps of Old Kent Road. Starting back in 1903, it has since become one of the most successful board...
Review Rytmik: Rock Edition (DSiWare)
Rock solid
The original Rytmik completely surpassed our expectations of what a portable music studio could do within the constraints of DSiWare. Now the follow-up Rytmik: Rock Edition is here with a very different sound and new features, but crucially more of the same surprising control and musical freedom. If you haven’t dabbled with Rytmik yet,...
Review Disney Guilty Party (Wii)
Crime and funishment
The ideal Wii experience, as advertised, is that of friends and family members gathering around their sets and swinging their Remotes, no matter how old or young, and doing so together. It's unfortunate then that some developers seem content to target the desirable non-traditional players not as a legitimate, equally deserving...
Use the handheld, that's what it's for!
Developer n-Space is no stranger to first-person shooters on Nintendo's technologically humble portable, having delivered three increasingly advanced Call of Duty DS games day-and-date with their console counterparts. That successful core formula hasn't changed all too much for their retelling of James Bond's...
Competition Winners Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary
Is it a-you?
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros. and the North American debut of the NES, we ran a competition to give away a free 500-point NES title for Virtual Console to each of twenty-five winners, the selection of the game being their choice. Almost a thousand users entered, so we'd like to congratulate the 25...
News Miyamoto and Reggie Honour Mario's 25th with Amazing Cake
So emotional even the cake was in tiers
Nintendo's flagship New York store recently re-opened with a brand new Mario-themed design in honour of Super Mario Bros.'s 25th anniversary, and to celebrate it hosted a huge party with two very special guests. Reggie Fils-Aime and Shigeru Miyamoto made appearances at the event to meet fans, cut the cake and...
Not quite gene-ius
Every now and again a really great game comes down the pipe that is fun, engaging and exciting to play. Sometimes, as was the case with Ivy the Kiwi?, it even gets released on multiple platforms to accommodate those players who might not have one or the other. Unfortunately, sometimes the games that get released feel like...
Genetics has never been so dull
Have you ever dreamed about being a mad scientist? Well, how about being a disappointed gamer? The recent release of Gene Labs on WiiWare will finally give you the chance to feel a little bit of both. Just like its DSiWare counterpart which was also released this week, this self-proclaimed “arcade puzzle game”...
Online modes headline the evening's event
Activision might be an easy target for gamers who feel certain franchises have been milked beyond recognition (Tony Hawk: SHRED, we're looking at you) and with DJ Hero's first annual sequel out now, you'd be forgiven in wondering if this will be another franchise we'll get sick of seeing. Thankfully, the...
Review Sleep Clock: Record and Analyse Your Sleep Patterns (DSiWare)
Barely awake
We've seen quite a few DSiWare applications from Nintendo, from stinkers such as Photo Clock to highly praised ones like Flipnote Studio. Now we have Sleep Clock, which works as both an alarm clock as well as a tool for recording your sleep patterns for analysis. Considering that the DSi already has a built-in alarm clock, is this...
The N64 is not enough
Ah, GoldenEye 007. A remarkable game on the ol’ Nintendo 64, no doubt about it. Countless hours of planting proximity mines in Basement and Facility for your friends to run into, scream and punch you on the arm is enough to earn a hall of fame spot in any player’s heart. So when Activision and Eurocom — who first became...
Review chick chick BOOM (WiiWare)
Bursting with goodness
Most people may not know it, but this little game has a bit of history behind it. Around Christmas of 2006, Nintendo of Europe launched a website with a Christmas-themed platform game that could only be played for a limited amount of time. It was quite well liked, so a few months later, developer tons of bits created another...
Review Peg Solitaire (DSiWare)
Does it hit the peg on the head?
Many Americans will probably recognise Peg Solitaire as a variation on what's more commonly as “that weird little game they have at all the tables at Cracker Barrel," but in Europe, Peg Solitaire is just, well, Solitaire (while that one-player card game we're familiar with is known as Patience). So if you feel...
Review GO Series: Let's Swing! (DSiWare)
Not exactly the king of the swingers
The GO Series will be a familiar sight to DSiWare gamers. First seeing release in the West back in September, the quirky series has been a hit among gamers with its emphasis on gameplay over graphics. So from 10 Second Run, Defence Wars and Pinball Attack, we now have Let's Swing, a take on the gymnastic sport...
Review Paul's Shooting Adventure (DSiWare)
Nobody puts baby in a corner!
No two superhero babies develop just alike. Superman, for instance, was mostly helpless as an infant and couldn't even fly until he was sixteen years old. Franklin Richards, the son of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, could warp the very fabric of reality as a toddler. The Powerpuff Girls sprang into existence...
Review Family Party: Fitness Fun (Wii)
Witness fun, but not much fitness
Hang around any Nintendo-themed internet forum, and you're bound to find similar posts over and over, all declaring the same thing: The Wii needs more party games! Alright, obviously that's not the case. The poor little Wii has more party games than it knows what to do with, making it difficult for new entries in...
October2010
Review Super E.D.F. Earth Defense Force ( / Super Nintendo)
Emergency on planet earth
Back in the 16-bit wars, the SNES was unquestionably the comfortable winner when it came to RPGs. Sega's Mega Drive (or Genesis, depending on where in the world you're reading this) was completely and utterly outclassed in this area, despite the presence of brilliant titles such as Shining Force, LandStalker and Light...
Review Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals (DS)
A brilliant retelling of a classic RPG
When the original Lufia 2 was released on the Super Nintendo, it came rather late in the console's lifespan and with very little fanfare. Sadly, this meant that many gamers missed out on one of the true RPG gems to come out of the 16-bit era. Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals is a complete re-imagining of Lufia 2,...
Review The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt (Super Nintendo)
The hunter becomes the hunted
Following their release of the first Super Nintendo Addams Family game, Ocean Software’s programmer, James Higgins, gave an interview to Super Play magazine to promote the development of their second, Pugsley’s Scavenger Hunt. He highlighted the fact that the arcade platforming feel of this sequel was initially...
Review Go! Go! Island Rescue! (DSiWare)
Go! Go! Get this game!
Don't you hate it when you're on vacation at a beautiful island resort and everything suddenly bursts into flames? Then you're in your hotel, trying to escape the inferno, while everyone else is running around like a bunch of twonks who don't know how to take care of themselves? Finally, firefighters eventually rush in and...
Review Silent Hill Play Novel (Game Boy Advance)
Choose your own survival horror
A popular release for the Playstation in 1999, Silent Hill saw players take control of Harry Mason – following a car accident, he awakens to find that his daughter, Cheryl, has disappeared. Naturally, Harry sets off to find her, but it soon becomes apparent that there's something strange about the surrounding town...
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