3DS eShop Game Reviews
Review Dan McFox: Head Hunter (3DS eShop)
I choose you!
When you think of suave secret agents and covert crime fighting, 'Guess Who?' might not be the first thing that comes to mind. The board game classic is the kind of entertainment usually reserved for the occasional power outage or after a boozy Christmas dinner, but for Dan McFox it's his modus operandi when chasing down suspects. The...
Review Super Strike Beach Volleyball (3DS eShop)
The Family that Plays Together
You wouldn't be wrong in thinking that the art in Super Strike Beach Volleyball looks familiar. You also wouldn't be wrong in thinking that the art looks like it was ripped completely from games such as Family Tennis 3D or Family Fishing. Make no mistake, this latest all-ages outdoor sport title is part of the Arc...
Review Pocket Card Jockey (3DS eShop)
Horsing around
Sometimes mash-up concepts can bring us delightful gaming experiences, and occasionally they simply leave us scratching our heads in confusion. Pocket Card Jockey does both, and is in turns fun, irritating, exciting and unfair. Some may have a love-hate relationship with it as hours slip by and, when all is said and done, little in...
Sssimple
Anyone who longs for the days of playing classic Snake on their Nokia phone will be happy to know the game still lives on in EnjoyUp's updated version - Sssnakes. Unfortunately, Sssnakes doesn't offer much that the classic didn't do already, and considering there are a lot of easily accessible games to download, both for console and mobile,...
Review Doll Fashion Atelier (3DS eShop)
Design flaw
Spanning 16 games, anime and manga adaptations, and a near 20-year legacy, the Atelier series is one of the most beloved RPG franchises of all time. With such a wide cast of characters and a charming premise it's no wonder that the series has been beloved by fans for so long. It's great to see such an influential franchise finally make...
Review Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition (3DS eShop / GBC)
First generation Pokéfun. IN COLOR!
Twenty years since the franchise began and after numerous games, TV episodes, movies, trading cards and plush toys, Nintendo has given Pokémon fans a chance to travel back to where it all began with Virtual Console releases of the first Game Boy titles. 3DS owners can purchase the original Red or Blue versions,...
Review Witch & Hero 2 (3DS eShop)
New Witch, new Hero, same old game
Of all the sequels to suddenly burst onto the 3DS eShop, Witch & Hero 2 is undoubtedly one of the least-expected. Arriving three years after the underwhelming original, this has surely provided ample time and a great opportunity to improve on the limited gameplay, dull visuals and annoying repetition that so...
Review Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in suburbs #1 Vol.4 (3DS eShop)
Running out of steam
Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in Suburbs #1 Vol. 4 is – like its predecessors – one of those games that's either loved or hated. That being said, this niche genre is not best represented by this fairly half-baked train sim. The gameplay is mindless and the real world footage is below acceptable quality standards, leaving us...
Review Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in suburbs #1 Vol.3 (3DS eShop)
Quite the trainwreck
The oddly named Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in Suburbs #1 Vol. 3 is finally here, promising more train driving action to all who are interested. For better or for worse, this entry in the series is virtually indistinguishable from its predecessors; none of the flaws have been improved upon, nor have any of its strengths been...
Review Toy Defence (3DS eShop)
Defending with towers once more
The 3DS eShop, as well as DSiWare before it, has had its fair share of tower defence titles. After all, it's a relatively simple kind of game to create. Toy Defence is the latest release in the sub-genre, and as you'd expect it's quite similar to the games it's taking after. As you might glean from the title and...
Review Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in suburbs #1 Vol.2 (3DS eShop)
You're better off walking
Last year, Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in Suburbs #1 came out on the eShop, a game that centered around the concept of being a real life train conductor in Japan. It wasn't very well-received here, but the title gave away the fact there would inevitably be at least one sequel. One would think that Sonic Powered Co...
Review Musicverse: Electronic Keyboard (3DS eShop)
Doot doot doot doot
We're not scientists, but we're pretty confident in our super-accurate theory on how most people use electronic keyboards in their waking life. Namely, the musician-at-heart walks up to one, switches it on, finds the kitschiest beat in its midi library - studies say it's "salsa" 100% of the time - bangs out some nonsensical...
Review My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (3DS eShop)
Master puzzler
Well, we're officially down the rabbit hole, reviewing a game exclusive to a loyalty programme. You can't buy My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (a snappy title), you can only earn it with Platinum Points on Nintendo's loyalty programme. Easily done if you have social media accounts to link and dabble in...
Review Excave III : Tower of Destiny (3DS eShop)
A step backwards
After two Excave titles were released in quick succession early last year, the series disappeared just as quickly as it had sprung up, going on a year-long hiatus. It's back now with a third entry, bringing with it a whole slew of changes, but are they for the best, or are you better off sticking with the previous titles? The basic...
Generica
From old-school platformers like Shovel Knight to the pixel-art renaissance, what's old is new again these days, and retro revivals have made for some wonderfully received games in recent years. The best of these projects leverage clever design, modern sensibilities and plenty of polish to craft experiences that feel like games as we...
Review Blast 'Em Bunnies (3DS eShop)
Cracked egg
Nnooo has released several titles on Nintendo platforms since Pop launched with WiiWare. While not all of its releases have been successes — the DSiWare myNotebook line and Spirit Hunters showed ingenuity but just weren't very fun to play — the studio's nonetheless been consistent in developing new IP with a unique style. Blast 'Em...
Review The Hand of Panda (3DS eShop)
Sad panda
With perhaps a few notable exceptions, such as Harmoknight or Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, the rhythm genre has had something of a slight showing on the 3DS. While it may be a somewhat niche genre, it's one that everybody can easily relate to, as it can be as universal as tapping one's foot to good music. The Hand of Panda does its best to...
Review Parascientific Escape Cruise in the Distant Seas (3DS eShop)
Sail through this story
You receive an anonymous invitation to board a luxury cruise ship… Do you heartily say yes? Do you politely say no? Or do you think to yourself: "Hang on a minute, isn't this like the start of a horror movie?" before running as fast as you can in the opposite direction? Well, our lead character from CIRCLE Entertainment's...
Fated for fun
The name 'Intergrow' might not mean much to most gamers in Europe or North America, but if you've spent much time with a Japanese 3DS it should ring a bell as it's the publisher responsible for bringing Western Nindie titles like SteamWorld Dig and Mighty Switch Force! to Nintendo's home country. Now Intergrow's teamed up with Rising...
Review Mutant Mudds Super Challenge (3DS eShop)
For super players only
One extremely welcome perk that comes with buying a copy of Mutant Mudds Super Challenge is cross-buy; picking up a digital copy of the game on either Wii U or 3DS will net you a free copy on the other platform. Naturally, this makes one wonder: which platform is the better experience? For the purpose of this review, we'll be...
A biscuit on your pillow?
Nintendo's dual-screened line of systems has been finding itself the home for four-legged friends since the release of Nintendogs on the original Nintendo DS. Since then, plenty of other caretaking games have shown up mewing on their doorsteps - you let one into your life and next thing you know your home looks like a...
Review Word Puzzles by POWGI (3DS eShop)
Preferably portable puzzling
Did you know that word games travel in pairs? It's true, and if you've read our review of Word Puzzles by POWGI on Wii U , then you've already got a head start on this review of Word Puzzles by POWGI on 3DS - its portable counterpart. It's a pretty direct port, featuring the same puzzles across the same 6 game modes...
Review Pet Hospital (3DS eShop)
Even healthy pets won't make you happy
No one wants to feel as though they're doing a terrible job of taking care of their pets. Sadly, there are times when you may drop an animal and it gets hurt, or your beloved pet may get old and need veterinary medical attention; that's the real world. In the virtual world, though, Pet Hospital has you covered...
Review RV-7 My Drone (3DS eShop)
An unmanned excursion
We live in an age where cars can drive themselves, robots are slowly preparing to overthrow their masters, and drones can be programmed to do anything from delivering vital supplies to filming botched attempts at BMX stunts. "Drone" in particular is the buzzword du jour, and for all you know this review could have been written...
Your pets are better than mine
If you've ever considered owning a pet, the 3DS game My Pets is a great way to dissuade you. It's not due to the fact that spending time taking care of virtual animals can never truly replicate the warm, fuzzy feelings of a pet's unconditional love. It's that this game highlights a lot of the seedier, dirtier sides of...
Clean cut
Do you consider yourself a samurai among slicers? Do you leave no pizza asymmetrically divided in your wake? Then Slice It! might have a challenge made for you. The goal of Slice It! is straightforward. Each puzzle provides a shape or design that the player must cut into a certain number of separate pieces using full cuts from one side to...
Review The Legend of Dark Witch - Episode 2: The Price of Desire (3DS eShop)
Unbewitching sequel
Episodic gaming isn't a new or very interesting concept anymore. The idea of partitioning a game's release into episodes for the sake of providing better content at the sacrifice of instant gratification is good in theory, but that's just a theory. In practice, this only works when a developer stays true to its promise of...
Review Lionel City Builder 3D: Rise of the Rails (3DS eShop)
A smooth ride
Oddly enough, there's a small trend of train simulator games coming to the Nintendo 3DS. Why developers prefer to put these on the portable console is anyone's guess, but there's a surprisingly large selection in the 3DS library considering the niche appeal of the genre. Lionel City Builder 3D: Rise of the Rails is the latest arrival...
Review Ocean Runner (3DS eShop)
Shallow Waters
Deep within the vast, mysterious waters of our blue planet, the endless-runner genre is surprisingly still alive and well. As the name might suggest, Ocean Runner combines mobile friendly arcade gameplay with a nautical theme, perhaps creating the eShop's first endless swimmer title in the process, but is there enough here to keep our...
Review The Delusions of Von Sottendorff and his Square Mind (3DS eShop)
He's no square
The Delusions of Von Sottendorff and his Square Mind is one of the weirdest - and consequently, one of the most interesting - 3DS titles we've encountered. It has just a single play mode, in which the titular baron must escape the confines of his own home. The trick, however, is that the baron is insane and believes himself to be...
