Reviews

Retro Reviews

  • Review Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (Wii U eShop / DS)

    A toy story

    Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis is the Nintendo DS sequel to the original GBA classic and a new recruit to the ever-growing Wii U Virtual Console library. Rather than being more of the same platforming puzzle action, Nintendo chose to focus this entire game around what is but a small percentage of the previous game - the...

  • Review Car Battler Joe (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    One cup of Speed Racer lore. One cup of Mad Max universe...

    Car Battler Joe tells the cliched story of how Joe Todoroki went out of the comfort of his bedroom to drive through the wasteland of Galacia in pursuit of his estranged father. Rumour has it that he joined a band of misfits in order to destroy the same sport that made him the most famous...

  • Review StarTropics (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Sun, sea, sand, and aliens

    Winter is slowly creeping up on us, so it's as good a time as ever to explore warmer climates and take your mind off of the bad weather. For some NES-filtered beams of sunshine, why not step into the shoes of young Mike Jones, an American kid who's headed for an alphabetic island on the tropical adventure of a lifetime?...

  • Review Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Prophesizing the amiiboom

    Mario vs. Donkey Kong is interesting in that it's the only game in the Mario vs DK franchise (to date) that actually allows the player to control Mario; indeed this was originally planned to be a sequel to 1994's Donkey Kong on Game Boy, so arguably those two have more in common than the other games in the series. Mario vs...

  • Review Tecmo Bowl (Wii U eShop / NES)

    ​Move over Madden 16, Tecmo Bowl is back and stealing the NFL spotlight

    1989 wasn't just an amazing year because that's when this writer was born. It's an also amazing year because that's when Tecmo Bowl received its home console release on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Boasting an impressive roster from the 1988 NFL season, players could now...

  • Review Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Wii U eShop / DS)

    Emerging from the shadows

    Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a Nintendo DS remake of the first Fire Emblem game (originally released in 1990 for Famicom in Japan) that's now available to download in Virtual Console form for Wii U. The series staple of strategic turn-based gameplay along with the perma-death possibility for characters would form the...

  • Review Mario Golf (Wii U eShop / N64)

    Serious Golf for Serious Plumbers

    You could argue that the best part of many of the Mario sports titles is that they bring goofy, lighthearted aspects to those pastimes. Games like Super Mario Strikers and Mario Hoops: 3 on 3 all make dramatic changes to the sports they're portraying, capturing the attention of players who might not be interested in...

  • Review VS. Excitebike (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Enjoyable interlude

    It's undoubtedly a good thing when Nintendo starts releasing older titles on the eShop that are otherwise fairly difficult to find or play. But does VS. Excitebike, originally only released on the Famicom Disk System in Japan in 1988, offer enough extra content compared to the original to justify a purchase? As the core of the...

  • Review Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf (Wii U eShop / SNES)

    Who knew that Genghis Khan was so cool, calculating, and complex?

    Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf was originally developed by Koei and released for the PC-8801, PC9801, and the MSX in 1992. The following year, Genghis Khan II saw releases for MS-DOS, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, PC Engine CD, NES, and SNES. Five more years later, and the game would...

  • Review Sin and Punishment (Wii U eShop / N64)

    On the rails and off the hip

    It's no secret that many Japanese titles never see the light of day overseas. Countless games have been unreleased for fear of lack of public interest and fear of bad. This was the initial reason Sin and Punishment, released in 2000, never surfaced on the Nintendo 64 outside of Japan. The hectic shoot'em up only made...

  • Review Wario: Master of Disguise (Wii U eShop / DS)

    Master of Mediocrity

    After WarioWare took off, it seemed like that was all everybody's favourite antihero was up to, save for a Wii instalment of the Wario Land series. In truth, there was also an attempt at a Wario platformer on the DS, though it is quite easy to see why not many seem to remember this outing. Developed by Suzak, the company...

  • Review G.G Series VECTOR (DSiWare)

    Low magnitude

    The last title in the G.G Series has come to pass at last, and it concludes the series in a rather anticlimactic and slightly disappointing manner. G.G Series VECTOR attempts to yet again take a crack at the falling block puzzler and it does so with mixed results. While there's an interesting original idea that's executed in a...

  • Review G.G Series ENERGY CHAIN (DSiWare)

    Off the chain

    The next title in the G.G series takes us back to the puzzler genre with yet another take on the tried and true block puzzler. Amazingly enough, this is pulled off with a surprising amount of success and is as enjoyable as it is original. If there's any complaint to be levelled against G.G Series ENERGY CHAIN, it's that the overall...

  • Review Runbow (Wii U eShop)

    Colourtastic! Colourrific! Colourawesome!

    In the words of the late Satoru Iwata - "Above all, video games are meant to just be one thing: Fun for everyone". Runbow embraces this philosophy and runs away with it. The result is a game that is simple in concept and execution, yet it radiates personality from every shade of its palette. In short, Runbow...

  • Review G.G Series SCORE ATTACKER (DSiWare)

    The name says it all

    The next title in the G.G series opts to return to the bullet hell genre with generally positive results. Due to the fact it makes little to no effort at creating its own identity, G.G Series SCORE ATTACKER is rather forgettable. That being said the controls are solid, the visuals and sound are suitably old-school, and the...

  • Review G.G Series NYOKKI (DSiWare)

    Snake charmer

    The next title in the G.G series aims to remix a classic arcade game, and it mostly succeeds in achieving that goal. While there are some issues with the way that the main character responds to your controls, there really isn't much else to complain about. G.G Series NYOKKI is a good example of how to pull off a budget arcade game; it...

  • Review G.G Series AIR PINBALL HOCKEY (DSiWare)

    A missed opportunity

    Thought the G.G Series was done, did you? Well it's not, and – after a brief hiatus – we're back to giving you our two cents as to which of these numerous mini games are worth your time. This time around, G.G Series AIR PINBALL HOCKEY is in the hotseat and it manages to provide a beautifully divisive experience that manages...

  • Review Onimusha Tactics (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    The Oni put the feud in feudal Japan

    Onimusha Tactics was originally released 12 years ago, in 2003, for the Game Boy Advance. Developed and produced by Capcom, the same company that made the Onimusha series on the PS2, Tactics's gameplay and individual story deviates from the originals but retains a similar plot (involving the Onimusha and battling...

  • Review DK: Jungle Climber (Wii U eShop / DS)

    Aping the King of Swing

    What do you get when you throw away an established series' playbook and try for something new? You get DK: Jungle Climber. Unlike previous entries in the venerable Donkey Kong franchise, DK: Jungle Climber takes a fresh look at the series by focusing on swinging and timing more than precise platforming. The problem? It gets...

  • Review Mario Tennis (Wii U eShop / N64)

    Love All

    Some people would say Mario Tennis is worthy of praise solely for the fact it introduces the glorious specimen known as Waluigi into the Nintendo World. These people are right, but you can't write a full review out of that. In all seriousness, Mario Tennis marks a highlight in Nintendo's adaptation of the sport into a fun, casual style...

  • Review G.G Series THROW OUT (DSiWare)

    ​Throw this one out

    We return to the G.G series with the sports genre, this time looking at a soccer game with combative elements reminiscent of the Mario Strikers series. It somewhat succeeds in this attempt, but matches are seldom challenging and consequently feel dull. While the game mechanics themselves are solid enough, one can't help but...

  • Review G.G Series THE LAST KNIGHT (DSiWare)

    Hopefully this really is the last knight

    The G.G series has grown a great deal in recent weeks, and another addition is an action adventure game that bears more than a passing resemblance to dungeons from The Legend of Zelda. Unfortunately, G.G Series THE LAST KNIGHT doesn't hold any of the same magic and fails to deliver entertainment that has much...

  • Review Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Tending to the roots

    If you're a fan of the Harvest Moon series, you know that a faithful instalment will leave only two questions: who do I get to marry and just how much free time can I afford to sacrifice over the next month or two? Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town sticks closer to this original formula than some of its more modern cousins,...

  • Review Final Fight One (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Still the One?

    It's fair to say Capcom was on a roll in the late '80s and early '90s. During this period it pushed out some bona-fide classic pieces of software, including 1989's seminal coin-op brawler, Final Fight. Indisputably one of the finest side-scrolling beat-'em-ups ever created, it joined a rush of similar coin-guzzling titles including...

  • Review G.G Series VERTEX (DSiWare)

    A bit too one dimensional

    The next game in the G.G series is here, and this one is yet another unique take on the puzzler genre. While G.G Series VERTEX starts out strong with an interesting shooter-puzzler hybrid, it quickly peters out when this concept fails to develop into anything further. Pair this with lacklustre visual and sound design, and...

  • Review G.G Series RUN & STRIKE (DSiWare)

    Double fault

    The next entry in the G.G series opts to branch out a bit and little something in the sports genre. While this works relatively well initially, the novelty of the gameplay soon wears off and it quickly becomes rather boring. G.G Series RUN & STRIKE is a decent arcade game, but players looking for anything more will be sorely...

  • Review Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Ryu on Wii U (again)

    1991's Street Fighter II is a game that got people very excited and led to a surge of interest in the fighting genre. It's also a game that got updated a lot — new moves, new characters, new speeds... — while being ported to numerous home consoles and computers. Several of those ports have seen a Virtual Console release...

  • Review Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Just like a black hole, it'll suck up hours of your time

    With the first Advance Wars being a hit on the GBA not long after the system launched, it was no wonder that a sequel would eventually follow. Released about two years later, Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising feels very much like an expansion pack, but one that is still more than worth the...

  • Review G.G Series DRILLING ATTACK!! (DSiWare)

    Rock solid

    The next title to look at in the G.G series is yet another action platformer, but it manages to feel distinct from the others in more ways than one. Unlike every G.G game up to this point, G.G Series DRILLING ATTACK!! focuses less on being an arcade-focused game best suited for quick playthroughs, and more on being an experience that...

  • Review Star Fox Command (Wii U eShop / DS)

    Command and conquer

    Fox McCloud and friends are coming back in a big way this Holiday season with Star Fox Zero for the Wii U, and while the jury's still out on whether the title will live up to expectations, Nintendo has given fans a refresher course in barrel rolls by releasing Star Fox Command on the system's Virtual Console in North America...