Wii U eShop Game Reviews
In Space Nobody Can Hear You Point-and-Click
With the introduction of Telltale's The Walking Dead a few years back, the long dormant adventure genre came back with aplomb. Telltale took a curiosity of yesteryear and brought it back with the necessary accoutrements to make it more palatable for a broad range of modern day gamers. It worked out so...
Can one robot bring humanity back to life?
Poncho is a puzzle platform game by Delve Interactive (published by Rising Star Games) that explores what life would be like without the existence of humanity. Players take on the role of Poncho, a robot wearing a poncho (naturally), who wakes up to discover humanity has been extinct for several centuries...
Review Vektor Wars (Wii U eShop)
Explosive robot annihilating fun
When you hear word that a game is retro-inspired, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Pixelated homages to platformers long past? The type of title that takes stalwart mechanics and filters them through decades of proven formulas to make them palatable to today's gamer? Something that straddles the line...
Review Rynn's Adventure: Trouble in the Enchanted Forest (Wii U eShop)
You Rynn some...
Nintendo is certainly no slouch when it comes to platformers. Mario, Kirby and DK all provide superlative experiences, but there's still plenty of room for newcomers. Rynn's Adventure: Trouble in The Enchanted Forest has the colour and whimsy to fit in with a top class of platformers at first glance, but could stand to be a bit more...
Review R-Type (Wii U eShop / TG-16)
More like our type
You can't have a conversation about shoot-'em-ups, or shmups, without mentioning R-Type. Back in the late '80s and early '90s the game was synonymous with the genre. Unfortunately for Nintendo fans at the time one of the best ports of the arcade classic was on the TurboGrafx-16, an also-ran console that never found its place in...
Review Metroid Prime: Hunters (Wii U eShop / DS)
A bit past its Prime
The year was 2004. The Metroid series had been brought roaring back to relevance a couple years prior with the excellent Metroid Prime, and its sequel was due out soon. At E3, Nintendo opted to unveil its newest platform, a bizarre device that featured two screens. Many were skeptical as to whether or not the device would be...
Review Dragon Skills (Wii U eShop)
A brick break game like no other?
Brick break games aren't all that common nowadays. One of the modern standouts with a fantastic twist is PopCap Games' long-running Peggle series, which is exceptionally addictive and sets a considerably high standard for the classic genre. Like Peggle, Dragon Skills draws on arcade gameplay inspired by well-known...
Review New Adventure Island (Wii U / TG-16)
An old-school endless runner
It's often said that there's no such thing as a bad idea, that it just needs the right moment to shine. More than any other medium video games like to rehash what's come before, retrofitting old concepts into new titles for something that can feel wholly unique while paying tribute to what's come before. For instance,...
Review JACKPOT 777 (Wii U eShop)
More like 666
It seems that many developers have a difficult time translating casino games to a video game format. When you take away the stakes of having your own hard-earned cash on the line, the experience can come across as feeling hollow and pointless. One would think that this could be easily sidestepped by introducing some kind of in-game...
Review Tumblestone (Wii U eShop)
Block party
A few generations ago, puzzle games had a prominent presence on home consoles. Brimming with individual personality, many could be relied upon to offer some fun single- or multi-player play. You don't see as many of these games any more. Puzzle games have migrated more towards mobile platforms, a large number swirling together into a...
Review Style Savvy (Wii U eShop / DS)
Retro Chic
If there's one thing that's true in style, it's that what's old is new again. That's as true in fashion games as it is on the runway, and now, after two excellent turns on the 3DS in Style Savvy: Trendsetters and Fashion Forward, Nintendo's going back to basics by bringing the DS original Style Savvy to the Wii U's Virtual Console. Style...
Welcome to the world of Mustland
One of the biggest criticisms the Wii U has faced during its lifespan is that not enough games released on the system have utilised the full potential of Nintendo's unique GamePad controller. Red Column's three-part episodic game 3Souls aims to fill the void, providing an inquisitive 2D puzzle platform experience...
Review Chroma Blast (Wii U eShop)
Palette swap
If you want colourful battles, video games have long been a good place to find them - at least in many cases. Colour has long shown us which barrels explode, which enemies take more hits, and where exactly our turf is. Chroma Blast takes the colour of competition and strips it down into a simple, abstract package. Players control a...
Review Hot Rod Racer (Wii U eShop)
A complete write-off
In Hot Rod Racer you take on the role of a reckless driver with the need for speed. Selecting from a car or a motorbike as your main mode of transport, you put the key in the ignition of your vehicle of choice and take to the track with the intention of speeding along until you run out of gas. Hot Rod Racer seemingly aims to...
Review SpaceRoads (Wii U eShop)
Take a higher road
How do games like this get released in 2016? Wurd Industries' SpaceRoads is a mess. From the Microsoft Office-style Word art "Wurd Industries" logo to the horrendously optimized introduction video, to the amateurish visuals and loose gameplay, everything about SpaceRoads recalls the worst of 1990s shareware. There is no reason to...
Review Minecraft: Story Mode - Episodes 2-5 (Wii U eShop)
Once upon a time...
After months of waiting, Telltale Games has finally gotten around to releasing more episodes of Minecraft: Story Mode content on Wii U. The question on everyone's mind, then, is whether or not it was worth the wait. Overall, the storytelling has some pacing issues and the performance sometimes isn't up to snuff, but it's...
Zig-a-zig-ahhh
We open into a tale of a young wizard apprentice readying up to take the challenge of the Ziggurat, a rite of passage consisting of a series of tests inside a multi-floored labyrinth. As usual, many have tried but most have failed (and died in the process). Now it's your turn to prove your worth and earn the right to become one of the...
Review Buddy & Me: Dream Edition (Wii U eShop)
Is this endless runner a dream to play?
Imagine as you're nodding off to sleep one night, you realise there is a big furry creature with long ears outside your bedroom window staring at you. Why didn't you purchase curtains? This is pretty much the premise of Buddy & Me: Dream Edition. The "Dream Edition" part of the title is derived from the...
Review Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (Wii U eShop / DS)
New features and more circle-capture adventures
The Oblivia region has tidy beaches, clear seas and lots of sunshine; it's a pleasant place to be whether a human or one of the many free-roaming Pokémon. Things have changed recently, however, with many Pokémon abducted by a villainous gang known as the Pokémon Pinchers (no, really) and it's up to...
Review Dracula's Legacy (Wii U eShop)
This one' s got bite
Dracula's Legacy doesn't waste any time in getting on with proceedings - thrusting the player straight into a spooky hidden object adventure. The story focuses on a young woman named Isabella who is haunted by frightening dreams about her forgotten past. With an eagerness to find a solution to her problems, she travels to an old...
Review Futuridium EP Deluxe (Wii U eShop)
Psychedelic shooting
If you blend on-rails conventional Star Fox action with the Death Star run from the first Star Wars, then drop in some psychedelic visuals, you're starting to get a feel for Futuridium EP Deluxe. MixedBag makes its Wii U debut with its colourful shooter that's done the rounds on multiple platforms, and it's a welcome slice of...
Review Hurry Up! Bird Hunter (Wii U eShop)
One dead duck
Let's be upfront about this, Duck Hunt knock-offs never do very well. Hurry Up! Bird Hunter is disappointingly no different from the rest. The title by EnjoyUp Games aims to recreate the practice in a fun arcade manner, and all it does is fall flat on its face. It's hard to tolerate what is presented in this game, because every aspect...
Review Bonk's Adventure (Wii U eShop / TG-16)
The third (stone) wheel
Woe is the child who grew up with a TurboGrafx-16. Whereas battles of words and wills cropped up endlessly in the schoolyard by stalwart Nintendo and Sega fans in the great console wars of the early 90s, anybody with NEC's home rendition of the PC Engine was the gaming equivalent of Switzerland, a neutral entity that was more...
Review Prism Pets (Wii U eShop)
Find your zen
Those of you who enjoy playing the odd puzzle game on your smartphone will no doubt remember 2048. The viral "It" game of 2014, 2048 was centered around the very simple idea of consolidating like numbers on a grid by swiping in any direction. Naturally, dozens of clones began to arrive on digital storefronts shortly after, hoping to...
Review Blackjack 21 (Wii U eShop)
Bust
Skunk Software seems to have a thing for making casino-style games for the Wii U eShop, and unfortunately they're not strong releases. After two shoddy attempts at poker games and a similarly unappealing slot machine title, the studio has opted to make a Blackjack game. For what it's worth Blackjack 21 stands as the best casino game to come out...
Review Educational Pack of Kids Games (Wii U eShop)
What an apt name
Skunk Software is a studio that's released a handful of disappointing games on the eShop; its releases typically consist of sophomoric and barebones approximations of gambling games and educational games. Still, you have to hand it to the developers for trying to fill a gap in the eShop's library, as there aren't too many games in...
Review Bit Dungeon+ (Wii U eShop)
Devilish fun
As fast as video games have developed over the past few decades, when it comes to value for money the amount of replay value within a title remains an important factor when deciding whether or not to make a purchase. This is where Bit Dungeon+ excels, offering a one to two player roguelike endless adventure. Starting out as a free web...
To be a 'noid
Classic arcade styles have stood the test of time, making them ideal subjects for experimentation. Combine two in a certain way and you might just make a delicious chocolate/peanut butter combo of fun. The retro concoction of INVANOID, however, is a different matter. INVANOID combines the downward travelling foes of Space Invaders...
Review Rubik's Cube (Wii U eShop)
The '80s are back...
Cypronia's take on the original rage quit toy, the Rubik's Cube, is now available on both the Wii U and 3DS eShop. Does this game differ a great deal from a physical Rubik's Cube? No, not really. Like with releases such as Epic Word Search Collection 2, it's down to personal preference whether you opt to have a physical,...
Review Twin Robots (Wii U eShop)
Definitely not scrap metal
At first glance you would be forgiven for thinking Twin Robots was a copycat of Nintendo's very own Chibi-Robo!: Zip-Lash on the 3DS. This is not the case. Originally developed and released by Thinice for the Ouya game system in 2013 and later made available on multiple other digital platforms including Android and Steam,...
