Retro News

September2007

  • Review World Class Baseball (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Batter up!

    This game began life known as Power League on the Japanese PC Engine and spawned many sequels due to the popularity of Baseball in Japan. The game offers a comprehensive range of options to fine tune your game. For instance you can switch the players in your roster and play a quick game or play in pennant mode. It’s really as...

  • Review Super Thunder Blade (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    In this follow-up to Thunder Blade, you'll fly a new and improved attack helicopter in a series of attacks against guerilla armies that are bent on taking over the world.

    One of the very first Megadrive/Genesis releases, Super Thunder Blade is a pretty underwhelming action title that failed to get pulses racing when it was converted to the 16-bit...

  • Review Mario's Super Picross (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    You won't pi cross buying this

    Ask anybody to name some Mario puzzlers and you'll most likely hear Dr. Mario, maybe Wario's Woods, Yoshi or Yoshi's Cookie. They never name the best of the lot though — Mario's Super Picross, or its predecessor, 1995 Game Boy title

  • Review Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Virtual Console / NES)

    For the first time outside of Japan – experience the original sequel to the best-selling video game of all time!

    Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is a bit of an oddity. "The Lost Levels" isn't even it's real title - This is actually the real version of Super Mario Bros. 2. Japan got this game (As SMB2), but when Nintendo realized...

  • Review Worms: Open Warfare 2 (DS)

    Worms kinda lost it’s way big time. Some games welcomed the switch into 3D, making them feel fresher, fuller and on the whole a lot more enchanting. Worms was not one of those games.

    Last year, Team 17 decided to bring the series back to it’s routes. DS and PSP iterations of the game reminded us why the game was so crudely popular on the PC way...

  • Review Boogie (Wii)

    It's time to grab the mic and shake your money-maker, because EA's Boogie is about to hit the dancefloor...

    Music-based games – often assigned the rather auspicious genre title of ‘rhythm action’ – are big business these days. Titles like SingStar, Dancing Stage and Guitar Hero are massive sellers, attracting thousands upon thousands of...

  • Review Neutopia II (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Some years have passed since the brave hero Jazeta destroyed Dirth, the Emperor of Darkness.

    Looking very much like it predecessor, Neutopia II plays more like an expansion pack than a fully-fledged sequel. Shamelessly stealing ideas from Nintendo’s Zelda series, this action RPG trundles along quite amiably but never really reaches the heights of...

  • Review NES Play Action Football (Virtual Console / NES)

    Ready! Hut hut hut…

    Coming quite late in the life of the NES - 1990 to be exact - Play Action Football was Nintendo's attempt at creating a realistic gridiron game for their aging, yet still popular console. The diagonal viewpoint is 'fake 3D' which looks a little pathetic by today's standards but was pretty impressive back then. At least it looks...

  • Review Madden NFL 08 (Wii)

    We Brits may see it as 'Rugby with padding' but American Football is as popular as ever and the latest Madden release from EA Sports is promising big things. Does it deliver?

    Devout patrons of NintendoLife will no doubt recall that we quite liked Madden NFL 07; the unique use of motion-sensitive gestures lent the game an incredibly intuitive and...

  • Review Crack Down (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    The situation is critical. The evil Doctor K has created an army of deranged replicants in order to take over the world, and only two can stop him - Andy Attacker and Ben Breaker - the top soldiers of the CIA's special Crackdown force.

    No, this game is not related to the Xbox 360's Crackdown! Hardly anybody seems to know this game, despite it being...

  • Review Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Sonic and Tails are back for another adventure as they again battle the evil Dr. Eggman (AKA Dr. Robotnik), who is desperately trying to collect all the Chaos Emeralds in order to rebuild his Death Egg.

    After the sublime Sonic 2 Sega decided to stick with the same tried and tested formula for the sequel – a move that disappointed many fans that...

  • Review ESWAT: City Under Siege (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    All is not well in Cyber City. Criminals are running amok - looting, pillaging and raping the city of all its worth.

    This was one of the first games I ever loaded into my Megadrive and it still sticks in my memory as one of the best action platformers for the machine. Although it isn't a conversion of the arcade game of the same name (neither was...

  • Review Tamagotchi Party On! (Wii)

    Bandai's virtual pet franchise has now made the leap to the Wii and is attempting to steal Wario Ware's mini-game crown...has it succeeded?

    Exploitation of children is a terrible thing. It’s a sad fact that in some parts of the world nefarious employers will think nothing of paying youngsters a pittance to work in poorly ventilated sweat shops in...

  • Review Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)

    Samus' gunship finally lands on Wii, should you believe the hype? Are the controls as good as we hoped?

    Samus is finally unleashed on Wii. Originally a title pegged for launch, Metroid fans have been drooling almost a year longer than expected. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is billed as the final part of the Metroid Prime trilogy and somewhat carries...

  • Review SimCity (DS)

    The big city is here... on the little DS.

    Sim City is arguably one of the best simulation games out there: it practically wrote the book on the genre. On the PC it's a tried and tested formula. But, never before has it made a comfortable transition to any other format. So, has Sim City DS achieved the grandeur of modern day society, or does it bear...

  • Review Adventure Island (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    An island of adventure

    Adventure Island is somewhat of a Mario clone - you guide Master Higgins to the end of every level (8 worlds with 4 levels each, sound familiar?) dodging wildlife, boulders and fire in order to defeat the witch doctor at the end of each world (also familiar?) who has captured your beloved bride-to-be Tina. Things aren't as...

  • Review Landstalker (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    After hearing of the legendary treasure of King Nole, the elvish treasure hunter Nigel undertakes a quest to gather various pieces of the famed loot.

    Landstalker is an action RPG released in 1993. It's got an isometric view, something which is quite rare in games, and sounds a bit dated. So does it still hold up? In the game you are Nigel, a...

  • Review Vegas Stakes (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Always bet on black

    Here's an odd offering for the VC - a gambling game! In Vegas Stakes, sequel to Vegas Dream on the NES, you head to Vegas with a group of friends to try to make it rich. There are four casinos to go to, ranging from the-run-down Hideaway, which only allows small bets, to 2020, a futuristic-looking casino that allows high bets...

August2007

  • Review Guilty Gear: Dust Strikers (DS)

    The cult 2D fighting game series makes its debut on the Nintendo DS, but has the magic of the previous titles been retained?

    The Nintendo DS often represents a rather difficult proposition for developers. The unique nature of the hardware can sometimes pose a significant stumbling block when it comes to porting existing franchises to the popular...

  • Review Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    The hard-headed hero is back for more side-scrolling action in the third installment of the popular Bonk series.

    Bonk 3 was the final game in the original trilogy of Bonk games. As it was the last game, Hudson seemingly decided they had to cram as much into it as they could in order to make it the best game yet - They succeeded. First off, pretty...

  • Review Super C (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Super Charged

    After Konami's maddeningly hard Contra/Probotector proved immensely popular, obviously it wasn't going to sit around and not make a sequel. Super C/Probotector II puts you in the role of the same heroes once again as you try to take out alien scum. This time they're possessing humans to attack you. The game's got practically the same...

  • Review Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Arthur must go forth to save his beloved Princess and destroy the root of all evil!

    When you look at this game today, it's hard to believe that it was one of the very first Megadrive releases. Sega did an amazing job of reprogramming the Capcom arcade original for their 16-bit console - the port isn't quite arcade perfect but you have to look...

  • Review Wrecking Crew (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Wreck, not dreck

    Wrecking Crew's a bit of an oddball. Despite starring Mario, it flies under many peoples' radars, partly because it launched simultaneous with the legendary Super Mario Bros. and several other titles, thus meaning it was quickly overshadowed. Wrecking Crew's genre is hard to nail down, but is essentially a mix of a platformer and...

  • Review Lunar Pool (Virtual Console / NES)

    Unique and futuristic flair

    The humble pool simulator has never made for the most exciting game, so a futuristic version of the classic pub game set on the moon is an intriguing proposition. It is worth noting that Lunar Pool is based on American pool, which is very different game from what the British play. This game is more similar to billiards in...

  • News Hardware Focus - Super Nintendo

    Though Nintendo's domination of the 8-bit era - attained through a combination of the company's business acumen in entering the market when most other were hesitant at best and the practices employed post-success to ensure the monopolistic domination of said market - had, in terms of units sold, been their most successful, the 16-bit era brought...

  • Review Super Metroid (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    A true classic

    Metroid was very popular in the late 80s and early 90s. Despite only two games being released, players loved it for its unique atmosphere and construction: the whole game consisted of one gigantic overworld with many places to explore and items to find. On top of that, there were plenty of secrets: who can forget the fact that you get...

  • Review Neutopia (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    You play as a young warrior named Jazeta. The princess Aurora was kidnapped by the evil Dirth, and the king send you on a mission to rescue her.

    If you've glanced over the screens and video you might've already seen - This game is extremely similar to the original The Legend of Zelda game. The overworld is similar, the gameplay is similar, what you...

  • Review Cratermaze (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Cratermaze is a comical action game set in a parallel world

    Cratermaze started out life as a Doraemon game but presumably because the franchise wasn't known so well in its native Japan then Hudson thought that changing the sprites might make it make it more attractive to the American audience. So basically you play a little chubby dude who floats...

  • Review Shining in the Darkness (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Dark Sol has vowed to reign over the enchanted Kingdom of Thornwood, and only you can stop him.

    Anyone who has played the Atari ST classic Dungeon Master (or one of the many clones that appeared in its wake) will know full well that first person RPGs can be a hell of a lot of fun. Back when Sega first announced Shining in the Darkness (often called...

  • Review Volleyball (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Not volley good

    Volleyball represents yet another of Nintendo’s dated sport sims. Comparing to Soccer, Baseball, Ice Hockey, Tennis on the NES this game is the worst of the bunch.  Considering it was released in 1986 it is understandable that the graphics and sound are nothing to write home about. The players continually bop up and down all...

  • Review Breath of Fire II (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    A breath of fresh air

    Capcom’s Breath of Fire series isn’t really respected that much these days. The last instalment — the underrated Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter for the PS2 — was a bit too different from previous games and didn’t really make the impact Capcom possibly hoped for. Compare this to the fanfare that followed the release...

  • Review Wave Race 64 (Virtual Console / Nintendo 64)

    Splash wave

    Given that Wave Race 64 was a launch title for the N64, and that it has now been over 10 years since that launch, it is all the more baffling to play it today. Comparison with modern games tends to put the graphical and physics achievements of older titles into stark relief, but Wave Race is the exception to the rule. In the years since,...

  • Review Transformers: The Game (Wii)

    Is there 'more than meets the eye' when it comes to Activision's latest movie tie-in, or does it replicate the slightly disappointing feel of the big-budget movie it's based on?

    If you happen to be a child of the 80s then the appeal of Transformers shouldn’t need any explanation. The seminal early morning cartoon series - coupled with a...

  • Review Galaga '90 (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Galaga in the 90s

    This game started out life as Galaga ’88 in the arcades and saw a conversion to the Japanese PC Engine under the same name. Understandably in the two years it took to get released in North America the name needed incrementing so it didn't appear too out-dated but the excellent gameplay remains intact. Sequels to classic games...

  • Review Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (Wii Virtual Console / Mega Drive)

    The ninja master returns

    Nasty Neo Zeed is back causing trouble again, and it’s up to our hero Joe Musashi to teach them a lesson they won’t forget with his supreme ninja skills. Unlike the original arcade classic, however, there are no hostages to be rescued and you now have an energy bar to spare you from one-hit kills. You have a limited...

July2007

  • Review Drop Off (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Brave five rounds of haunting, nightmarish dreams

    Drop Off is a paddle and ball game like Atari’s classic, Breakout. There is nothing bad about making a game like Breakout, games like Arkanoid did an excellent job of just that. The innovations in that game made for an addictive game experience. It’s a shame that the same cannot be said of Drop...

  • Review Star Soldier (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Not quite a super star

    We’ve already been blessed with the sublime Super Star Soldier and Soldier Blade but now it’s the turn of the game that started it all as the NES classic Star Soldier hits the Virtual Console. Released on the NES way back in 1986, Hudson’s shooter went down a storm in Japan but failed to replicate this success in the...

  • Review Dynamite Headdy (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Headdy, the central protagonist of the game, is the star of the Treasure Theatre production of Dynamite Headdy.

    Treasure has already secured its place in history as a purveyor of "gamers' games", encouragingly flying in the face of the accepted practice of style over content to provide such stone-cold classics as Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga...

  • Review Kirby's Avalanche (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    The call has gone out throughout Dream Land – the First Annual Ghost Trap Competition has begun!

    This is basically Puyo Puyo given a lick of paint, but... wait a minute, isn't that exactly what Damo typed for Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine? Well, it holds true for this game as well. Only this time, instead of Dr. Robotnik and various robots from...

  • Review Devil's Crush (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Shoot the ball onto the board with the Devil Shooter

    After the wonderfully wacky Alien Crush you would have thought developers Compile would have struggled to create an even more unhinged pinball simulation - but you’d be wrong! Devil’s Crush improves on its spiritual predecessor in almost every way possible. Firstly, the ball physics –...

  • Review Shining Force (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    In ages long forgotten, Light fought Darkness for control of the world.

    Although Shining Force takes place in the same universe as fellow Megadrive/Genesis epic Shining in the Darkness, the games themselves couldn’t really be more different. Whereas SitD is a first person dungeon crawler, Shining Force is a turn-based strategy title more akin to...

  • Review Metroid (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Where it all started

    More than 20 years have past since Metroid first blew away NES owners with its clever mixture of platforming, exploration and character upgrades. It went on to become spawn many sequels over the years, becoming a much-loved franchise for Nintendo fans – but nostalgia aside, is Metroid still high-quality by today’s standards?...

  • Review Silent Debuggers (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Oh bugger

    'Silent Debuggers' has to rank as one of the greatest names ever for a videogame. The first few minutes might convince you that this is a great game too. The funky intro music really sets the scene with style along with some nicely drawn anime style scenes. Welcome to the world of the debuggers, a duo of fearless bounty hunters tasked...

  • Review Paper Mario ( / Nintendo 64)

    A two-dimensional adventure which is anything but thin!

    Remember Super Mario RPG? It was basically the swansong of the SNES, and though sales for it were fairly poor (Since people had moved on to new consoles and all), the games managed to build up quite a fanbase, and is, nowadays, one of the most popular Mario games ever made, despite not being...

  • News Hardware Focus - TurboGrafx-16

    It's Turbo time!

    The history of the TurboGrafx-16 system is basically a tale of two countries. Electronics giant NEC and game developer Hudson joined forces in 1987 to design and release the PC Engine game console to compete head to head with Nintendo and Sega's 8-bit systems. Offering a nice step up in terms of visuals and audio capabilities, the...

  • News Soul Calibur Legends Details

    Controls detailed

    Namco release information about the control system on Soul Calibur Legends along with a new trailer of the game. According to GameWad the game will feature "motion capture" from the Wiimote which is then represented on screen. "By swinging the Wii Remote as players please, in-game characters will perform the exact sword actions...

  • Review Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Wii)

    The Boy Who Lived makes his debut on the Nintendo Wii. Has the shift to new hardware reinvigorated the young spell caster or will this movie tie-in share the same lamentable fate as previous instalments?

    Since the very early days of videogames, publishers have seen the advantages a popular movie license can bring. Throughout the years we’ve...

  • Review Air Zonk (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    A fun shmup

    Air Zonk is a horizontally scrolling shoot-em-up with the cuteness factor cranked up to 10 in much the same way as Konami's Parodius. Hudson essentially took the Bonk character and renamed him Zonk for this one which makes the game even stranger. Perhaps they felt it wasn't appropriate for a caveman to be jetting around in the sky...

  • News Hardware Focus - Nintendo 64

    Since the 80's Nintendo's name has been synonymous with gaming, the company's current market dominance highlighting how attuned they have become to the requirements of the market, and providing the buyers with the very things they need.

    However, given the current success of the DS and Wii, it is perhaps too easy to forget that it was achieved...

  • Review Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (DS)

    Can EA atone for the shameful lineage of Harry Potter games with their latest instalment on the Nintendo DS, or will this particular spell fizzle out like the rest?

    If you’ve had the forethought to read our recent preview of the Wii version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (let’s compress that down to HP:OotP from hereon in) you’ll...

  • Review The Sims 2: Pets (Wii)

    Big Brother; noun. (1) an authoritarian leader and invader of privacy; (2) an older brother; (3) a dire commercial television series fuelling Channel 4 with ample funds to screen “Top 100” countdowns for the remaining ten months of the year when the show isn’t airing.

    I think my loathing of Big Brother rubbed off on my will to play such games...

  • Review Ecco: The Tides of Time (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Flipper the video game

    Good old Ecco the Dolphin, after saving his dolphin chums from an invading alien race you would have thought he could have just spent the rest of his life in peace spinning a ball on his nose! These plans were shattered when the queen of the Vortex took it upon herself to travel back in time to start her trouble again. An...

  • Review Dragon Spirit (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    A fantastic world of adventure unfolds in this vertical-scrolling shooter.

    Throughout the history of shooting games we've faced a hell of a lot of alien rebels and futuristic baddies. The 2D shooter seems to lend itself to these situations - but it's always nice to see a company try something fresh and new. The PC Engine/TG-16 blast-a-thon Dragon...

June2007

  • Review Kirby's Dream Course (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    A new spin on crazy golf

    Kirby much like our friend Mario has never been afraid to offer his own take on another genre. In this case the world renowned sport of mini golf. Unlike other pitch and putt games like EA’s Zany Golf on the Megadrive Kirby has a few tricks up his sleeve. To destroy enemies in your path you roll into them rather than...

  • Review Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Time to get hyper

    If there's one thing the Virtual Console service has taught us, it's that some games have aged better than others. Playing the original Street Fighter II after all these years is a real eye-opening experience - it is almost too slow to be playable (especially for PAL gamers). After years of Street Fighter updates from Capcom, it...

  • Review Mega Man (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    The Blue Bomber's debut

    The Mega Man series will need no introduction to most gamers; this game spawned five sequels on the NES, not to mention numerous games on other systems over the years. Mega Man has come a long way since his début way back in 1987. This originally story spins the yarn that Dr Light created six master robots for industrial...

  • Review China Warrior (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    China Warrior is a side-scrolling action game that was released around the same time as the TurboGrafx16 in Japan.

    When the PC Engine was first released in Japan, China Warrior (or 'The Kung Fu' as it was known in the Land of the Rising Sun) was put forward as a showcase for its graphical prowess. Technically the first game on the system (it was...

  • Review Bloody Wolf (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Rambo on the TG16

    Anyone familiar with Ikari Warriors, Mercs or Capcom's Commando will instantly recognise this style of run n' gun action. Yes it's another Rambo clone! That's not such a bad thing - guns, explosions and death is what we all want from our retro games right? The action is viewed from a pseudo overhead / side-on perspective which...

  • Review Mercury Meltdown Revolution (Wii)

    Bored of companies cashing in on the Wii craze by lazily tacking on motion sensing control? So are we. However, Ignition Banbury buck the trend in spectacular fashion by giving us a title that is so perfectly realized it’s hard to imagine it was ever available on any other machine.

    Even the most stubbornly loyal Sony fanboy would admit, albeit...

  • Review Lode Runner (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    A lode of rubbish or not?

    The timing could have been a bit better for this as the far superior Battle Lode Runner for the TurboGrafx became available on the Virtual Console only two months ago. Is there a reason to bother with the NES original when for just 100 more points you could be enjoying better graphics, music and a whole host of new gameplay...

  • Review Golden Axe II (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Not long after the malign reign of Death Adder has ended, another evil rises.

    When I first clapped eyes on Golden Axe 2 as a lad I was over the moon. Being a massive fan of the original I simply could not wait to play this. Graphically, it looked even better than the original and promised to be the sequel I was waiting for. Sadly, it actually turned...

  • Feature Hardware Lookback: The Virtual Boy

    Headache-inducing monstrosity or misunderstood classic? Whatever the answer, the Virtual Boy represents Nintendo's biggest cock-up. We investigate the history of this strange console.

    ‘Failure’ is not a word you’d usually associate with Nintendo. Sure, there have been some crushing disappointments in the company’s illustrious history – the...

  • Review Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik) is searching for the Chaos Emeralds to fuel his new Death Egg engine.

    Any gamer worth his or her salt will remember the day Sonic 2 was released. Cheekily dubbed 'Sonic Twos-Day' (it was released worldwide on a Tuesday, you see) it became a massive seller for Sega and cemented Sonic's position as one of the most popular...

  • Review Balloon Fight (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Balloon Light

    Before games like Metroid and The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo's NES console relied on simple arcade titles to keep itself afloat. Balloon Fight used an already-successful gameplay mechanic similar to that of William's Joust arcade release, and while it offers up some simple arcade enjoyment, the repetitive gameplay keeps it from lasting,...

  • Review Trioncube (DS)

    The DS certainly isn't short of puzzle games. Does Namco Bandai's latest release have enough charm to stand out from the crowd and represent a worthwhile purchase?

    Handheld consoles and puzzle games go hand in hand. Through the history of portable entertainment every major machine has played host to at least one truly ‘essential’ puzzler. The...

  • Review Adventures of Lolo (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Run Lolo Run

    Before HAL labs created our favourite pink puffball named Kirby there was a blue blob by the name of Lolo. In 1989 when Adventures of Lolo was first released it got modest attention due to the quality of the game but as a brand never really made it big. However Lolo has been known to surface as a bad guy in some of the Kirby games so...

  • Review Milon's Secret Castle (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    A musty old place

    Milon’s Secret Castle is one of those games you’ve never heard of, but when you do finally acknowledge its presence you realize that it inexplicably has an enormous following. A minor classic in the Hudson library, Milon was originally published in 1986 to fairly lukewarm critical response. To be perfectly honest, time has...

  • Review Dead Moon (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    This side-scrolling shooter includes a total of six scenes spanning areas from Earth to the moon.

    Those naughty aliens! At least this time they had the sense not to try and invade the planet Earth. They are just intent on wrecking the moon instead rather annoyingly! As a solo starfighter pilot it is your job to put an end to this intergalactic...

  • Review World Sports Competition (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Feeling sporty?

    There won't be many gamers out there that remember this one most likely. World Sports Competition is a game based on the Olympic Games, but without the official license. As to be expected the games are represented as a series of mini-games which you and up to four other friends can take part in. All the usual Olympic events are...

  • Review ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Funky!

    The original ToeJam & Earl was a quite a big hit for Sega at the time so it was a no-brainer than a sequel should be released. With the success of Sonic the Hedgehog it must have seemed like a logical step to reinvent ToeJam & Earl to be a 2D side-scrolling platform game as well. The exploration of an almost open-end world and long...

May2007

  • Review Mario Strikers Charged (Wii)

    Another frantic season of arcade style football action

    Some of you will remember Mario Smash Football on the Gamecube, Mario Strikers: Charged Football simply builds on that original concept, adding a few new features and ideas but is generally the same game updated for Wii. One of the big additions that has been heavily promoted by Nintendo is...

  • Review Kid Chameleon (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon.

    The first thought that enters your head when playing Kid Chameleon is probably 'Mario Clone'. The game steals ideas from Nintendo's finest, such as jumping on the heads of enemies and bashing item boxes from below. It's not the first game to copy Mario and it certainly won't be the last, but back in the early...

  • Review J.J. & Jeff (Wii Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Two bungling detectives on a crazy adventure

    The PC Engine (Japanese name for TurboGrafx-16) has always been a console to attract weird games. If you've ever played Toilet Kids and Photograph Boy then you will know what I mean. This particular game started out life as Kato Chan & Ken Chan in Japan, aside from the characters being changed to...

  • Review Mach Rider (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Return of the Mach

    The action is fast and furious in this crazy motorbiking game. You have to blast your way through enemy vehicles and barrels on the track in addition to avoiding oil slicks. The pressure is always on to keep going fast to avoid enemies ramming into you from behind! Getting to the end of each course before the timer runs out adds...

  • Review Super Mario Bros. 2 (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    A strange, but entertaining dream

    It should be no secret by now, so let's get it out of the way first - Yes, the Super Mario Bros. 2 that most of us know, that is, this one, is technically not really a Mario game. Originally released in Japan as Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (Dream Factory: Heart-Pounding Panic), it was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto,...

  • Review Medal of Honor: Vanguard (Wii)

    Surprisingly still playing it months later, we decided to revisit this war game to see what lessons can be learnt for furture first person shooters.

    What to say about the game that has already been extensively put through the media machine. As a major Wii title, you will find tens of reviews about the game all over the internet and popular game...

  • Review Streets of Rage 2 (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    The best one

    For many of our readers this game will need no introduction. If you haven't yet played Streets of Rage 2 then you are in for a treat. Simply put this is probably the best scrolling beat-em-up available on any console. Yes it is that good! Sega didn't do just a lazy update of the original - this sequel got the full treatment. So what's...

  • Review Blazing Lazers (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Blazing Lazers is a vertical-scrolling shooter that was praised for surpassing the limitations of the hardware of its time.

    Originally released in Japan as Gunhed, Blazing Lazers was one of the most heavily featured titles in the original TurboGrafx-16 adverts, and with very good reason. Considering the age of the title (it was originally released...

  • Review Yoshi (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    An eggciting puzzler?

    In the early 90s, presumably following the success of Tetris, Nintendo went through a phase of releasing one falling block puzzler after another. Dr. Mario, Yoshi’s Cookie and Wario’s Woods are key examples of this. Many gamers will no doubt have forgotten this puzzler simply known as Yoshi in North Amer

  • Review Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    More monkey business

    For anyone familiar with the original DK Country game this is more of the same. This is a good thing as the original was almost perfection in every way and this game manages to build on the franchise even more! For a 16-bit console the graphics are amazing. The smooth animation and wonderful artwork create a 3D feel which works...

  • Review Ninja Gaiden (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    The nimble ninja

    Ninja Gaiden ranks as one of the finest 'ninja' style games ever made, right up there with The Revenge of Shinobi. When it was first released it amazed gamers with the degree of control it allowed over the main character, Ryu. He felt so quick and mobile - just like a proper Ninja should - and within seconds of picking up the pad,...

  • Review NES Open Tournament Golf (Virtual Console / NES)

    Tee off with Mario in this classic sporting simulation from 1992

    Mario is no stranger to appearing in sports game crossovers these days; he’s virtually done it all now from baseball to soccer. This sporting career began of course with his appearance in NES Open Tournament Golf, which is something of a sequel to the original NES launch title...

  • Review Ninja Spirit (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Ninja Spirit is a side-scrolling action game that amazed the gaming world with its precision graphics and quality game play.

    While it would be easy for someone to dismiss any ninja action title that doesn't have the name Ninja Gaiden or Shinobi in the title, doing that would cause you to miss a little-known, but outstanding ninja action title...

  • Review Super Swing Golf PANGYA (Wii)

    Super Swing Golf. A hole in one, or a double bogey?

    [screenshot=45ed93df615da]Now Lads, Keep Your Eye On The BallIt is inevitable that we have started to see a large amount of interactive sports games on the Wii- Wii Sports ensured this. Naturally it will be the case that some of these games will be fantastic, while others will be shameless...

  • Review Metal Slug Anthology (Wii)

    Wooden Snail. Concrete Spider. Papier Maché Butterfly. Metal Slug. One of these is the moniker of a near-legendary platform-action series that is celebrating a glorious decade in the spotlight. The others are nonsense names made up merely to justify this rather pointless opening paragraph. Can you guess which is which?

    Give your average next...

  • Review Ordyne (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    A colourful shmup

    For those who have never come across this gem in Namco's history Ordyne is a cutesy horizontal scrolling shoot-em-up in the vein of Konami's Paradious. It's a lot more obscure than it ought to be as in fact it was quite a novel game at the time. You're cast as Dr. Yuichiro Tomari, a brilliant and eccentric research scientist who...

  • Review Final Fantasy III (DS)

    The 'lost' Final Fantasy is at last made available to the English-speaking world. Is it a glorious reinvention of a genre classic, or merely a pointless step back in time?

    Given the stature of the Final Fantasy series, it’s somewhat surprising to think that only very recently has the entire franchise been made available to a worldwide audience. Up...

April2007

  • Review Shockman (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    It's been two years since Arnold and Sonya were made into Shockmen.

    Shockman is actually the second game in the Japanese ‘Schbibinman’ series. The first title never saw the light of day outside of Japan sadly, it was basically a fun platform action game along the same lines as Mega Man. It’s sequel Schbibinman 2 was released in North America...

  • Review Pokemon Diamond & Pearl (DS)

    Was it worth the long wait? (Yes!)

    Pokémon fans have received three lackluster Pokémon Games since the Nintendo DS launch over two years ago. Pokémon Dash, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, and Pokémon Ranger were poor offerings, almost as if Nintendo had simply slapped Pokémon on some generic games. Finally, four years after Ruby and...

  • Review Final Fight (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Oh my car

    Final Fight is one of those coin-ops that defines a generation. It was simply the only arcade game to be seen playing in the late 80's/early 90's. When the SNES conversion was confirmed, I was heartbroken - being a Mega Drive owner, I had hoped that the (false) rumours of a Sega port were true (Sega fans had to wait until the Mega CD...

  • Review Mighty Bomb Jack (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    Jack bombed

    The original Bomb Jack arcade game was a big hit when it was released. It featured a screen with 20 bombs which had to be collected in a specific order if the player was to achieve the highest score; players would play religiously in an attempt to find the best route around the baddies and to get the perfect chain. Arcade perfection! So...

  • Review Dead 'N' Furious (DS)

    Dream On Studio’s tribute to Sega’s ‘House of the Dead’ hits the DS – is it the sleeper hit of the year or as sad and shambling as the flesh-eating zombies contained within?

    Zombies, eh? They seem to be everywhere these days. After starring in a seemingly endless flood of low-budget gore fests in the seventies, the festering undead enjoyed...

  • Review Battle Lode Runner (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    This upgraded edition to the famous Lode Runner series includes a 5-player versus mode.

    Lode Runner is strange little title - it's been around for ages, has a cult following but never really seems to break through to the mainstream. This Turbografx 'Battle' edition was produced by Hudsonsoft and graphically is a step up from previous versions, which...

  • Review Gradius III (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Vic Viper is back to rid the galaxy of evil.

    Gradius III was one of the first SNES shooters and to be perfectly honest, it shows. Graphically the game is fairly bland (although the same could be said of the coin op original), the sound is nothing special and when things get hectic there's some terrible slowdown. Regardless of these points, the...

  • Review Wonder Boy in Monster World (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)

    Monster World was a peaceful, happy place until one dark day when an army of BioMeka monsters invaded.

    If you have played Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap on the Master System you will know exactly what to expect here. The Wonder Boy series is famed for its confusing naming conventions; to clear it up this is the last Wonder Boy game on the...

  • Review Theme Park DS (DS)

    Resurrected from the PC original released in 1994, Theme Park on the Nintendo DS places you as the designer, developer and manager in a realistic and believable finance-based simulator.

    Created by video game legend Peter Molyneux, Theme Park has a very simple concept on the surface but when you persevere with the title you will find there is a great...

  • Review Need For Speed: Carbon (Wii)

    Need For Speed comes to the Wii, does it rush into pole position as the Wii's first real racer?

    I must admit I was pretty skeptical about how well this game was gonna play before I'd even opened the box. I'd never played any of the Need for Speeds before, and have never been the boy-racer pimp-my-fiesta type. But I do love a good driving game, and...

  • Review Meteos: Disney Magic (DS)

    Arguably the best DS puzzler in existence returns with a brand new appearance – but has this alliance with the House of Mouse sullied the game name of the series?

    It’s never pleasant watching someone you admire sell out. Be it a band, sports personality or comedian, many of our heroes fall victim to the irresistible allure of cold, hard cash...

  • Review Donkey Kong Jr. Math (Wii Virtual Console / NES)

    10 minus 9 equals?

    'Edutainment' titles are a strange lot. They're usually poor attempts to shoehorn some 'learning' in videogames, possibly out of fear that games rot the brains of kiddies. Donkey Kong Jr Math is no exception. The game features one player and two player modes. In the one player mode, the objective is to enter math answers in order...

  • Review Puzzle Quest (DS)

    Tetris meets Final Fantasy? That can't work, surely? We lift the lid on one of the most interesting DS releases of the year.

    When developers mix widely opposing game genres it usually results in a bit of a mess. This is the main reason why I initially gave Puzzle Quest a fairly wide berth when I saw it in my local videogame store a few weeks back...

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