Wii U eShop Game Reviews
Review Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Waka-waka, or just plain wak?
If you were to download recent Virtual Console release Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures to your Wii U with no prior knowledge of what to expect, you'd be forgiven for anticipating a spot of maze-based pill-munching entertainment. In reality, this 'sequel' to arcade classic Pac-Man is a bizarre take on the point-and-click...
Review Totem Topple (Wii U eShop)
No strategy, depth or appeal
In Totem Topple you have to drop heads down on top of a totem pole while weird spiny things idly float into it as they try to knock it down. It's hard to know what these spiny things' problems are, but they will never give up, only giving way to more persistent, different coloured spiny things until they eventually take...
Review Lucentek - Activate (Wii U eShop)
Time to Deactivate
There are games that need some work, and then there are games that need a complete overhaul. Then, there are games that feel so unfinished that they never should have been released in their current state. Lucentek - Activate falls in the last category. You can tell this is a budget game as soon as you see the first title screen...
Man of letters
Many writers daydream of their words having a powerful impact on the world; effecting change against evil and oppression. Developer Brainseed Factory has sought to adopt this concept quite literally in the form of Typoman. The bleak yet somehow achingly beautiful world of Typoman is one where letters take form and serve functions...
Review Test Your Mind (Wii U eShop)
Better stick to Brain Age
Brain teasers and Nintendo consoles have long enjoyed a fruitful partnership; the Brain Age series proved that games could give a great mental workout while still being fun. Unfortunately, Test Your Mind doesn't fare as well. Test Your Mind is a simple title with three single-player modes and one multiplayer mode. The...
Review Girls Like Robots (Wii U eShop)
Happy happy, joy joy!
Girls Like Robots. They also like pie. They don't like nerds, but nerds like girls. And nerds also like corners. They don't like other nerds. But cows like being near people who are beside things they don't like. And sometimes, everyone is just being attacked by the bug king and no one really likes it. Girls Like Robots'...
Review Bike Rider UltraDX - WORLD TOUR (Wii U eShop)
Not so ultra
Part racing game, part platform game: Bike Rider UltraDX - WORLD TOUR is the latest title to enter the eShop, this time moving from 3DS to Wii U. At first glance it's easy to mistake Bike Rider as a side-scrolling racing game, but take a further look and it becomes apparent that it has more in common with a traditional 2D platformer...
Review Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Farm Fatale
If you're familiar with the original Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, released on the Wii U Virtual console earlier in 2015, then you know just about all there is to expect out of its follow-up, Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town. In fact, you should probably skim the review of the first title if you want a rundown of the...
Review Stinger (Wii U eShop / NES)
Cute, creative and cruel
Most shmups ask you to shoot your way through hordes of enemy ships while dodging gunfire. Stinger asks you to do this while juggling. The cute, goofy exterior of the game hides just how challenging it can be, as while it may be hard to take smiling shoes, flying phones and whirling donuts seriously, they're all highly...
Review Wild Gunman (Wii U eShop / NES)
You mean you have to use your hands?
Just like Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley, Wild Gunman was one of the first games released to take full advantage of the NES Zapper, and can now be played on the Wii U by using the Wii Remote's pointer instead. Based on Nintendo's light gun arcade machine, you might even remember seeing it in the Cafe 80's in Back to...
Review Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II (Wii U eShop / NES)
Time for Mike to make his return
For banana fans and island hoppers alike, the original StarTropics stands to this day as an under-appreciated classic of the NES library. It's the kind of imperfect gem that sadly went a little under the radar at the time of its release, but has endured as a cult favourite thanks in large part to its distinctive...
Review Octodad: Dadliest Catch (Wii U eShop)
Octo-Sad
Back in 2010 a little known freeware title by the name of Octodad was developed by a group of students. Built using the ever-evolving game development software Unity, Octodad was a fine example of what small development teams could conjure up just by using their home computers. Since then a sequel was born, with its appearance on the...
Review Electronic Super Joy (Wii U eShop)
Get out the glow sticks
A key question often lobbed at reviewers is "did you completely finish the game?" We'll answer that one straight away here - no. The reason? Because we can't, but the fact we'll keep trying says much about why we're happy to recommend Electronic Super Joy to Wii U owners. Originally developed by Michael Todd Games and ported...
Review Wicked Monsters Blast! HD PLUS (Wii U eShop)
MASH, MASH, MASH, MASH, MASH…
Party-style mini-game compilations can sometimes be a treat. Many of us will have spent countless hours on games such as Nintendo Land and Mario Party, laughing uncontrollably as the same person fails over and over, or screaming hateful abuse towards those we held closest to our hearts only seconds before. These games...
Review Konami Krazy Racers (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Super Konami Kart
Konami Krazy Racers (AKA Konami Wai Wai Racing Advance in Japan) is a largely forgotten Mario Kart clone that was also one of the original launch games for GBA. If you can imagine Mario Kart Super Circuit with Konami-themed characters and courses, you'll be on the right track with what to expect from this decent little kart racer...
Review PictoParty (Wii U eShop)
Bad drawings are funny
Drawing with a time limit is a great recipe for laughter, especially among friends. PictoParty channels your inner terrible artist, letting you poorly draw cupcakes, skyscrapers and lamps as your friends desperately try to guess what it is you're trying to create. It's a simple party game that you may have seen before and is...
Review Hogan's Alley (Wii U eShop / NES)
Not exactly a bullseye
One of the earliest NES games released, Hogan's Alley is also possibly the most well-known Zapper game after the classic Duck Hunt. But does it hold up as well as its lightgun game partner? The premise of Hogan's Alley is fairly simple. You are (seemingly) some sort of police officer or soldier doing shooting practice, with...
Review Human Resource Machine (Wii U eShop)
Conundrums for coders
If you thought Human Resource Machine would be about a robot who hires and fires people, nobody would blame you, but you'd be wrong. Instead, you're put in the shoes of a drone at a mega corporation, helping to sort their mail using the unlikeliest of methods: computer programming. Human Resource Machine features a single...
Review Ascent of Kings (Wii U eShop)
A quick burst of old-school adventure platforming
Although Ascent of Kings, developed by Nostatic Software, has been available for a few years on other platforms (Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Xbox Live), it has only recently graced the Nintendo Wii U. It's built as a side-scrolling adventure-platformer (in the vein of Metroid or Castlevania) and...
Review COLOR BOMBS (Wii U eShop)
Bombs away
It can be disappointing to realize that you've just lost precious time that could've been spent in a better way. If you would like to avoid experiencing this feeling, we would recommend that you stay well away from COLOR BOMBS. This title is excessively simplistic in all ways, and while it may be available for dirt cheap you're getting...
Review Slender: The Arrival (Wii U eShop)
Scared, lost, alone (and maybe annoyed)
Slender: The Arrival is either going to wind you up so tight with tension that you'll feel like you'll implode from fear, or make you so angry that you split your entire game room in two. There's really little middle ground between the two. Why? Because a teleporting monster that can appear anywhere around you...
Review Cutie Pets Pick Berries (Wii U eShop)
Mandeer is Indifferent
Cutie Pets Pick Berries is a far more innocent game than its smouldering mandeer hunks might have you believe. Sure, they'll be up there posing on your tv screen the entire time you play the game, but this isn't anything like Bubble Bath Babes or Peek a Boo Poker - don't expect some sort of saucy, torrid forest affair. Just...
Review VoxelMaker (Wii U eShop)
For display purposes only
It's rather difficult to judge a game / app such as VoxelMaker. On one hand it features an extremely in-depth and detailed suite for making 3D models out of a large collection of blocks. On the other hand the overall experience feels limited due to its omissions of any sort of interactivity with the models that are created...
Review Ninja Strike: Dangerous Dash (Wii U eShop)
These ninjas should stay hidden
Ninja Strike: Dangerous Dash is a perfect example of what sounds like a great idea being held back by poor execution. Published by Natsume, Ninja Strike: Dangerous Dash is a formulaic endless runner; in it you initially take control of Blue Shadow, a blue-clad Ninja with a red scarf. The art style is simple but...
Review The Ignition Factor (Wii U eShop / SNES)
A reality show about the lives of hot and steamy firefighters
This is the scripted story of six strangers that are picked to become firefighters, work together and have their lives played by a total stranger with a controller. Find out what happens when they stop being polite... and realize their lives aren't real. There was a time in gaming...
Review Dig Dug II (Wii U eShop / NES)
Dig in
The original Dig Dug was fairly popular, so naturally a sequel had to follow eventually. Dig Dug II ended up being not nearly as widespread as its predecessor, only seeing release in arcades and on the NES, so you'd be forgiven for not even knowing it existed! Dig Dug II takes a massive departure from the first game. True to its title that...
Review Momonga Pinball Adventures (Wii U eShop)
He’s a pinball squirrel, there has to be a twist
Pinball may not be the first activity that comes to mind when thinking of possible pastimes for a squirrel, but nevertheless in Momonga Pinball Adventures we see exactly that. You take control of Momo, a Japanese dwarf flying squirrel whose preferred method of travel seems to be being whacked around...
Review Whispering Willows (Wii U eShop)
And oh yes, she sees ghosts
An adventure game needs a fitting atmosphere, and Whispering Willows sets its tone well. An undercurrent of desolation and vague unease runs through the grounds of the old mansion in which the game is set. It's a set piece worthy of exploration, but the act of doing so doesn't seem to share the same level of...
Review Pocky & Rocky with Becky (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Plain & Repetitive with Boredom
There's real promise behind Pocky & Rocky with Becky, far more than the unimaginative title might suggest. Bite-size levels quickly give way to intriguing boss battles, and speedy pacing helps hold your interest throughout the campaign. However, these positive aspects quickly fade in the face of bland enemies,...
Review Pumped BMX+ (Wii U eShop)
Coming in hot with a 1080 backflip kickout… and it sticks the landing!
Released at the beginning of October on the Wii U eShop (and a slew of other consoles), we've spent lots of time mastering all sorts of BMX tricks and techniques in Pumped BMX+. Originally seeing success in the mobile market, developer Yeah Us! worked closely with publishing...
