Reviews

Wii U eShop Game Reviews

  • Review Advance Wars: Dual Strike (Wii U eShop / DS)

    War has twice before been this much fun

    Intelligent Systems' long-running Famicom Wars series didn't arrive in the west until the release of Advance Wars on the Game Boy Advance, but the colourful turn-based tactical gameplay quickly acquired many fans. A GBA sequel arrived, followed by this DS entry. Like the two proceeding GBA instalments Advance...

  • Review Inside My Radio (Wii U eShop)

    Inside my '90s accessory

    Inside My Radio is yet another heavily stylised 2D Indie platformer with a little twist of rhythm added into the mix. The player is tasked with journeying through the insides of a dying Boombox in order to resurrect it back to life through tuning dials, jumping gaps and defeating the occasional boss. There's a basic slice of...

  • Review Steel Rivals (Wii U eShop)

    Steel your nerves

    The fighting genre has been around since the glory days of the arcade, and while it may not be quite as popular today as it's always been, there's still quite a following for this rather technical type of game. Though fighting games may initially seem to be quite simple, they usually have a fairly deep combo system that requires...

  • Review Star Ghost (Wii U eShop)

    Spirited away

    Star Ghost's arrival on the Wii U eShop might appear to be fairly sudden - the game was announced mere weeks ago - but its inception and gestation have actually taken quite some time. Based on the 2015 iOS release Star Drift, this unique take on the old-school arcade shooter concept is notable for the fact that its developer -

  • Review Joe's Diner (Wii U eShop)

    Scary bad

    Joe's Diner sounds compelling on paper: you're a new employee at a lonely diner on an abandoned stretch of highway. The diner is set atop an Indian burial ground and is rife with other-worldly activity; your goal is to survive through the night and by keeping the spirits at rest. Unfortunately, ideas don't always come out the way one might...

  • Review Pokémon Ranger (Wii U eShop / DS)

    Gotta circle ‘em all!

    Welcome to the Fiore region, a relaxed place where Pokémon are free from Poké Balls, able to roam around in the wild or stay as someone's pet if they've taken a liking to a particularly snug blanket. You are the newest recruit to the Rangers, a group of dedicated (but often dull) individuals who provide help to citizens or...

  • Review SMART Adventures Mission Math: Sabotage at the Space Station (Wii U eShop)

    Space Case

    There's a distinctive feel to many educational games that makes their genre immediately identifiable. If you grew up with the likes of Spy Fox and Pajama Sam, you likely know what kind of style we're referring to. SMART Adventures Mission Math: Sabotage at the Space Station fits this bill rather well, which has both positive and negative...

  • Review 6180 the moon (Wii U eShop)

    You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

    Many games are based around a quest to restore the light. Normally it's a kind of metaphorical light used to symbolize peace and hope; an attempt to fight back against the darkness and restore balance. 6180 the moon does away with pretense and sets up the most universally pivotal journey of all - bringing the...

  • Review Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (Wii U eShop / DS)

    Pokécrawler: Blue

    Many Pokémon are finding themselves in trouble and it's up to you and your rescue team to go and save them in this dungeon crawling spin-off from Chunsoft. Released for the DS in 2006, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team sees you fighting ill-tempered Pokémon as you search a randomly generated floor for the staircase that...

  • Review Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Pokécrawler: Red

    As well as the regular series of Pokémon RPGs, a number of spin-off games have appeared over the years. Developed by Chunsoft, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team arrived on the Game Boy Advance in 2006 and (like a number of the studio's titles) takes the form of a dungeon crawler that has you battling against numerous enemy...

  • Review Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty (Wii U eShop)

    Hello. Everybody.

    For gamers of a certain age that owned a PS1 (or just 'PlayStation'), Abe the Mudokon is a familiar character, famous for some of the cleverest puzzle-platforming gameplay of the age. With Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty we have a remake of Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, though it's actually more a refresh than remake. Make no mistake, this...

  • Review Word Puzzles by POWGI (Wii U eShop)

    Pretty passable puzzles

    In an attempt to better suit the subject matter at hand, we briefly considered publishing this review with fiendish word jumbles sprinkled throughout. After more than a few sloppy attempts, we'd given in to frustration and decided it was best to leave that kind of thing in more capable hands. For the verbose and the...

  • Review TAP TAP ARCADE (Wii U eShop)

    2 Games, 1 Button

    Package deals are always worth considering to save a bit of coin or reduce the footprint of buying everything separately. Even small things can come in smaller packages when bundled, which is the case with RCMADIAX's TAP TAP ARCADE. Unfortunately, the combination here doesn't really feel any greater than the sum of its parts. TAP...

  • Review Outside the Realm (Wii U eShop)

    Affordable Space Puzzles

    There's plenty to do out in space, and the Wii U eShop likes to emphasize how you can do so for low, low prices. Outside the Realm from TreeFall Studios aims to provide puzzling action for a bargain, and players will more or less get what they pay for it. Players use the GamePad and its touch screen to guide an astronaut to...

  • Review Space Hulk (Wii U eShop)

    Table(top) for two

    Space Hulk is a relatively straightforward game. If you like more mature, dark themes in your titles, it may be for you. The same could be said if you're the type of gamer who wishes the Wii U had more thrillers. If you're a fan who mostly enjoys more colourful, first-party-style fare, this may not be for you. If you're the type...

  • Review FreezeME (Wii U eShop)

    A blast from the past

    FreezeMe is an outstanding blast from the past. It borrows so many ideas from Super Mario 64 that the resemblance is almost uncanny, but ultimately there's enough new content here to constitute its own quality experience. The game isn't as polished as it could be, but FreezeMe provides an enjoyable romp through the format of an...

  • Review Shütshimi (Wii U eShop)

    You'll be hooked

    Choice Provisions has established a reputation for putting out some high quality, but weird games such as the BIT.TRIP Saga and Woah Dave!. Shütshimi is the latest title to be published by the studio, and while there are some issues with shallow gameplay, the retro-inspired strangeness of the whole affair makes for an entertaining...

  • Review Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar / Gregar (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    One last network battle

    Mega Man Battle Network 5 changed a few things around for this series, but was mostly quite similar to its predecessor. Deciding to go for one last hurrah on the Game Boy Advance, Capcom created a sixth Battle Network game. Don't expect any big surprises though; it's still quite similar to its peers. After spending the...

  • Review Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Tactical Fantasy Action

    It wasn't that long ago that things were going so well. With just one member of the opposing clan left against the three on your team, wrapping up this mission seemed to be straightforward enough. Then he took out your mighty Bangaa warrior and is now causing your sword guy plenty of trouble on account of the fact he returns...

  • Review PEG SOLITAIRE (Wii U eShop)

    Solo Noble, anyone?

    Ever been to a restaurant or doctor's office and found one of those wooden Peg Solitaire boards just lying around? The little triangular board where you hop pegs over each other? The degree to which you compulsively feel a need to pick it up and play it rather than fiddle with your phone is indicative of the interest you'll have...

  • Review Level 22 (Wii U eShop)

    Avoiding the boss

    Some of the best games involve relatable experiences. Level 22 tells the story of Gary, a frequently tardy employee who just overslept yet again after a night of drinking; even if due to other factors, most of us can relate to being late for work and wanting to sneak in unnoticed. We can't necessarily relate to the need to use...

  • Review Mini-Games Madness Volume: #1 - Hello World! (Wii U eShop)

    Uh... hi...

    The first time you start up Mini-Games Madness Volume: #1 - Hello World!, you might wonder if it's one of those "haunted" games that try to pass themselves off as normal but are actually scary. The loading screen is accompanied by an inexplicable clicking noise and the game selection screen is, for some reason, an intentionally(?)...

  • Review Super Mario 64 DS (Wii U eShop / DS)

    D-Pad D-Bate

    Super Mario 64 is undeniably one of the most influential games in the industry's history, so it's only natural that Nintendo would attempt to capitalise on its success with a re-release. What nobody expected at the time was for it to not only arrive on a portable console, but also feature Yoshi as the initial protagonist. Super Mario 64...

  • Review Shadow Puppeteer (Wii U eShop)

    Missing the light touch

    The Wii U eShop, courtesy of its support for Unity and web framework technology, has become home to a broad range of titles. There are some exclusives that put the hardware's unique capabilities to work, while there's also a significant percentage of titles that are multi-platform, helping Nintendo gamers get a sense of the...

  • Review Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 1: The Order of the Stone (Wii U eShop)

    Gather around

    While it's a fairly common trend for Nintendo games to be focused around the gameplay first and foremost, there are other games that go in a completely different direction. Some aren't so much about the gameplay as they are about the story or the experience, and while this is certainly different from a conventional video game, it's not...

  • Review Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    It's a'me, Mario 3! (again)

    We all know about Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES. It was a fantastic game worthy of all the praise that it received, and that remains true to this day. So, this review won't discuss all the merits of the original game. Instead, it will focus on the unique features of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, released...

  • Review SKEASY (Wii U eShop)

    White noise

    This is not meant to be taken as an insult, but SKEASY could be a good game for winding down before bed. As with many titles from RCMADIAX, the design of SKEASY is very simple: guide your little skiing icon left and right down a never-ending slope, avoiding trees to last as long and attain as high a score as possible. There are no...

  • Review Bigley's Revenge (Wii U eShop)

    Best not served at all

    Ninja Pig Studios, known for its infamous release Meme Run and some of its accompanying controversy, is back with another title for the Wii U eShop. Bigley's Revenge is - dare we say it - slightly more competent and tempered than its headache-inducing predecessor, but that's not saying a great deal. While this game - also...

  • Review The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Wii U eShop / DS)

    Choo-choo-choose the original format

    No doubt partly driven by necessity as much as strategy, Nintendo's Virtual Console efforts on Wii U have been notable for including not only Game Boy Advance titles, but also various releases from the DS library. With the latter only possible courtesy of the Wii U GamePad questions of practicality are fairly...

  • Review Island Flight Simulator (Wii U eShop)

    Plane boring

    Occasionally you can get a feel for how good (or bad) a game is going to be from the very moment you begin. This is one of those games. After selecting a profile (which you can't rename) Island Flight Simulator begins with a wonderfully impersonal piece of text: 'Welcome Profile 01!' If at this point you've also decided to utilise...