3DS eShop Game Reviews
Review 3D Streets of Rage 2 (3DS eShop)
Grand Upper
There was a time when playground arguments didn't revolve around resolutions, framerates or what PewDiePie's favourite toast topping is. In the early '90s it was simple; which is the best: Final Fight or Streets of Rage? Final Fight was, for a time, exclusive to Nintendo and jealous Mega Drive owners glared with envy at their smug...
Review Glory of Generals: The Pacific (3DS eShop)
War never changes
Whether fighting in fantasy worlds or gritty reality, 3DS-owning strategists have had a steady stream of wargames to keep them busy since the system's launch. CIRCLE Entertainment has been responsible for a particularly prolific eShop invasion, with World Conqueror 3D, European Conqueror 3D and Glory of Generals all joining the...
Review Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in Suburbs #1 (3DS eShop)
Yes, that's actually the title
Every once in a while you play one of those games where it just makes you ask, "Why?" This isn't necessarily because the game is bad, as such, but occasionally one wonders what compelled the developer to make a game so decidedly perplexing. Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in Suburbs #1 is one of those games. While it more...
Review Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures (3DS eShop)
Nerd in My Pocket
As the Angry Video Game Nerd might tell you, the context of a system can matter a great deal toward the quality of the game. A title that isn't so bad on one console can be a putrid pukefest on another. Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures, which hit Nintendo first on the Wii U, has shifted to the portable 3DS. So what can you expect?...
Review My Zoo Vet Practice 3D (3DS eShop)
My Zoophobia 3D
It's fair to say that we get our fair share of games to review over here at Nintendo Life that don't necessarily appeal to our core audience of readers. It's just as fair to say that Treva Entertainment's clumsily named My Zoo Vet Practice 3D certainly falls into that category, definitely having a definitive (if somewhat niche)...
Review Comic Workshop 2 (3DS eShop)
Back to the drawing board
With its built-in touchscreen and dual display, it's no surprise that the Nintendo 3DS is host to a plethora of applications and games based around drawing and creating. Comic Workshop, an application focused on the premise of creating pages for manga comics, is just one example from the selection of well-received products...
Review Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure (3DS eShop)
The cure for boredom
Nintendo seems to have been following a pattern with Dr. Mario in recent years. First, it releases a new title in the series for its current console which adds a new gameplay mechanic. Then, sometime later, it releases a new handheld entry, which plays it a bit more safe and doesn't really do anything new. The latest game, Dr...
Review Samurai Defender (3DS eShop)
Five Samurai
CIRCLE Entertainment and the Nintendo 3DS eShop go hand in hand. Boasting nearly 50 titles with its name attached as either a publisher or developer, seeing a CIRCLE game pop up on the eShop update list has become the norm. With so many to its name, it's no surprise that CIRCLE's games run the gamut from top-notch to downright terrible...
Pulling the blocks into place
It's arguably one of the key gaming experiences to indulge in some light puzzling on a handheld system. Whether it's Tetris or Picross, nothing makes a morning commute or quiet evening more relaxing than letting grey matter and opposable thumbs work together to solve a problem. Pullblox / Pushmo is one Nintendo 3DS...
Review 3D Thunder Blade (3DS eShop)
Get to the chopper!
There was a time in the late '80s when Thunder Blade machines were a fairly common sight in amusement arcades. Yet even with a decent amount of distribution it was never in the same league as its close cousins; the instant visual assault from Sega's flashier and more exciting looking games such as Out Run, After Burner and Space...
Review Johnny Dynamite (3DS eShop)
Defused
Imagine a 2D game with a simple premise: collect all pieces of dynamite in each stage without taking any damage. Instead of running and jumping around like you would in a traditional platformer, you thrust freely throughout the bite-sized stages with a trusty jetpack. With unlimited use of this ability, along with an endless supply of...
Doesn't make us feel bloo
Originally developed for mobile platforms, Bloo Kid 2 was well received back in 2014; indie developer 'winterworks' delivered a solid 2D platformer with responsive touchscreen controls. Although still a decent choice for the discerning mobile user, Bloo Kid 2 clearly becomes a much tougher proposition on the Nintendo 3DS...
Sunny side up
Budget-priced titles are a tempting option for consumers: for less than the price of a coffee you can get a video game. Unfortunately, not every game is up to the standards of indie gems like Gunman Clive, and sometimes even the most inexpensive titles can leave players feeling ripped off. Thankfully, Runny Egg joins a growing...
Review Titanic Mystery (3DS eShop)
My heart can't go on
If you aren't some form of malicious AI bent on revenge against humanity, then the idea of mixing puzzle gameplay together with tragic events might not make very much sense. It's a strange combination that has "honoured" the RMS Titanic in particular with several different examples, and we've pondered both the implications and...
Review Best Friends - My Horse 3D (3DS eShop)
Put this one out to pasture
It seems as though publishers just can't get enough horse related games released on the 3DS, with Best Friends - My Horse 3D being the sixth one; you'd think by now that horse racing simulator games would have been mastered, but you'd be sadly mistaken. Best Friends - My Horse 3D does absolutely nothing to improve on...
Review Karous -The Beast of Re:Eden- (3DS eShop)
Not exactly the beast
The "shmup" genre is relatively niche but is also, among its devoted fans, one of the great pleasures in gaming. It's a difficult genre to create games for, however, as the nature of the gameplay is rather limited and simple, with innovations being hard to come by. After all, there's only so many ways one can pull off...
Review Heart Beaten (3DS eShop)
Be still my beating heart
Originally created and developed during the Global Game Jam of 2013 in a little over 24 hours, Heart Beaten has been available on Android and iOS platforms for a couple of years. The newly released Nintendo 3DS version expands on the mobile version with structural changes, brand new mini-game types and a new soundtrack...
Review Pokémon Rumble World (3DS eShop)
Diamonds and Pearls
One of many spin-offs to come out of Nintendo's Pokémon phenomenon, the Rumble series takes toy versions of Game Freak's famous monsters and throws them into simple, action-packed beat-'em-ups. The 3DS has already played host to Pokémon Rumble Blast, but following in the free-to-play footsteps of the recently released Pokémon...
Review Cube Creator 3D (3DS eShop)
A proper substitute for Minecraft?
It's a rather unfortunate reality that Minecraft has never made it to Nintendo platforms. The multi-billion dollar franchise has reached millions of people all over the world in the course of its run and it would seem to be a good fit for Nintendo platforms given its extremely approachable, yet deep gameplay...
What are the scores on the DOOORS?
Imagine this: you wake up one morning and find yourself in a windowless, white room with nothing but a screwdriver in your pocket and a scrap of paper that contains a bizarre sequence of numbers. Upon closely examining the only door, you find it locked and there's no obvious keyhole. What do you do? If problem...
Review 3D Fantasy Zone II (3DS eShop)
Let me be your fantasy
Fantasy Zone II was developed and released for the Sega Master System back in 1987. Unfortunately the limitations of the console (the original Fantasy Zone was built on Sega's more powerful System 16 arcade hardware) crippled the design aspirations; admirable attempts to include new gameplay elements weren't successful and...
Review Word Search by POWGI (3DS eShop)
No explanation needed
If you've read our review of the Wii U version of Word Search by POWGI, you'll know that this download takes a no-frills approach to translating a very popular paper-based puzzle to a screen. However, while the Wii U version at least tries to add a tiny bit more variety with a very limited multiplayer mode, this portable...
Review A-Train 3D: City Simulator (3DS eShop)
Chugging uphill
In the 3DS library, there is a rather unsurprising gap of management sim games. The niche genre essentially revolves around placing the player in the chair of a person in charge of a large city or company, tasking them with running it and maximising profitability. This is something of a double-edged sword; patient gamers will find...
Review Music On: Electric Guitar (3DS eShop)
While my 3DS gently weeps
If someone were to come up to you on the street and loudly proclaim "My 3DS is an electric guitar!!", you'd probably just smile politely and try to put as much distance between the two of you as possible. Their boasting isn't total insanity however, as Music On: Electric Guitar is an ambitious little app that aims to...
Review My Pet School 3D (3DS eShop)
Plays dead
Do you get the feeling we've barked up this tree before? My Pet School 3D is much like other entries in TREVA's bloated stable of pet sims, such as Me & My Pets 3D and Life with Horses 3D. Each successive instalment comes with the desperate hope that some new tricks have been learned this time around, only to have it stare back at you...
Not pants-uru
Nintendo handhelds have been graced with many great puzzle games over the years, from the wonderful Tetris on the original Game Boy through to the present day; the Picross series, Pullblox and the Professor Layton titles all being notable recent examples. In fact, a quick filtered search of the 3DS eShop by 'Puzzle' genre reveals no...
Review Excave II : Wizard of the Underworld (3DS eShop)
Dungeon crawling on a higher budget
Not long ago, the budget-priced dungeon-crawler Excave hit the 3DS eShop, and our review found the experience a technically sound and overall enjoyable experience, despite some minor flaws. This sequel follows a bit more than a month later, and promises more polished hack and slash gameplay, though at an increased...
A bit ruff
Here's a quick generalisation: There are huge differences between mobile games and Nintendo 3DS games. The best mobile games take advantage of the host platform with regards to touch controls, usage of the screen and gameplay. It's also fair to say that for every great mobile game, there's a shed load of dross, but at least they're...
Review Iron Combat: War in the Air (3DS eShop)
Altitude, don't forget to watch altitude...
Making an immersive 3D shooter on any platform is quite an undertaking, but this is especially true on the 3DS. There are some of these titles available on the platform, but they aren't as popular as many other genres. This makes the elusive quality shooter on 3DS even more valuable, and as a result, games...
Review Best of Arcade Games - Tetraminos (3DS eShop)
Line 'em up...again and again
It's safe to say that developer Bigben Interactive has been hard at work, relentlessly churning out adaptions of all manner of board and arcade games as part of a range of "Best Of" titles. While it might seem redundant to try and recreate the mighty Tetris on a Nintendo handheld of all places, Tetraminos is arguably...
