Wii U Game Reviews
Review Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water (Wii U)
Focusing on fear
Like the lashing of rain against a bedroom window, or the sound of a damp footstep outside your door - Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is coming for you. Also known in North America as Fatal Frame, this latest entry in the cult horror franchise has set its sights on Western shores just in time for Halloween, and while some might...
Review LEGO Dimensions (Wii U)
LEGO loans required
If ever there was a time for parents to put their collective foot down and tell their young ones to choose one favourite toy to buy, this may be it. The toys-to-life market has never been busier as three huge brands go head to head, and LEGO Dimensions arguably - or factually, in terms of the toy market - has the biggest brand of...
Review Skylanders SuperChargers (Wii U)
Articulation, That’s What You Need
While other toy-game hybrid makers are moving on from older Nintendo hardware this year, Activision has doubled down on Wii, 3DS and Wii U Skylanders with bespoke versions and cross-over dual action Skylander-amiibo. This year's Skylanders Superchargers novelty is a good one. The articulated vehicles not only...
Review Disney Infinity 3.0 (Wii U)
The Force is with it
This year's Disney Infinity game has a trump card in play, Star Wars. This, along with some triple-A development assistance from the likes of Studio Gobo, Ninja Theory and Sumo Digital adds up to an impressive overall pedigree. The game itself comes in the now-standard Starter Pack, although this year if you already have a...
Review Super Mario Maker (Wii U)
Pixel perfect
In the year of Super Mario's 25th Anniversary Nintendo released Super Mario Galaxy 2, a terrific sequel, and the rather uninspired Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition. Not bad, but a continuation of the norm - an accomplished (almost perfect) slice of platforming heaven and another release designed for little more than...
What devilry is this?
Devil's Third has had a protracted and curious road to the Wii U, with notable gaps between regional releases and the peculiarity of an upcoming free-to-play online version for PC. With its arrival in Japan and Europe we get to see whether it's seductive and alluring or, alternatively, a devilish disappointment. With much...
Review Legend of Kay Anniversary (Wii U)
Legendary or just o-Kay?
Having never actually owned a Sony console besides a PSP that has rarely seen the light of day, this writer had never heard of Legend of Kay before this new HD re-release, so this review is coming with absolutely no expectations. Can it still hold the attention of a complete stranger a decade after its release? If you tried...
Review Land it Rocket (Wii U / Wii U eShop)
A crash landing
With the gaming world becoming more and more in love with storylines, deeper monologues and character building, simpler experiences are sometimes needed. These can come in any shape or size, on any system, and that is what Land it Rocket sets out to provide. Land it Rocket is a simple single-button game that pushes you into a world...
Review LEGO Jurassic World (Wii U)
Fun but lacking InGen-uity
A whole lot of chaos has ensued on the islands of Isla Sorna and Isla Nublar. Since 1993 we've seen two state-of-the-art theme parks abruptly go defunct and two rescue missions disastrously unfold on these isolated chunks of land. The crazy thing is, we relish in the spectacle that results from these unfortunate events...
Review Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)
Knitting ideas together
Nintendo has long been the leading light in the platforming genre, a part of that legacy being the focus of Super Mario Anniversary celebrations this year. It's a genre with plenty of scope for variety, however, which is something Nintendo pushed forward with the superb Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island on Super NES,...
Review Art Academy: Atelier (Wii U)
Magnum opus
By its very nature, inspiration often strikes when we least expect it to. A random walk through city streets might spark the idea that forms an entire novel, just as the sound of rain lashing against a bedroom window could help to shape the mood of a composition. The Art Academy series has always respected and encouraged the creative...
Prepare to dye
Nintendo is generally relatively circumspect and cautious when introducing new IPs, but considering the pedigree the company has to uphold it's understandable that it doesn't wish to dilute its iconic brand with a torrent of forgettable franchises. Splatoon is unusual in that sense, then, and it's a game that brings a huge amount of...
Let's get this party started!
It's commonly accepted that partying too hard can be a bad thing. However, that doesn't appear to be a concern for Mario and friends, who since 1998 have appeared in 10 home console Mario Party games and even a few portable outings, too. While Mario's virtual board game gatherings are now a far less common occurrence...
Review Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U)
Clay achin'
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is a sequel of sorts to 2005's Canvas Curse, which is considered to be among the top titles the pink puff has ever starred in. That's pretty high praise and a tough act to follow — but 10 years on, Nintendo and developer HAL Laboratory are giving it another whirl. The result is a video game equivalent to a...
Two for the price of two?
Nintendo's NES Remix Pack, a retail compilation of eShop titles NES Remix and NES Remix 2, contains two great games but feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. While both games are quite good, Nintendo has opted to simply package the two together and not made an attempt to make them feel like a cohesive whole. We didn't...
Review The Voice: I Want You (Wii U)
Desafinado
Since American Idol first graced the airwaves back in 2002, a number of similar shows have stepped up to deliver the singing superstar search process season after season, including - since 2011 - NBC's The Voice. In this Wii U title based on the show, The Voice translates into a karaoke game with a tournament structure, a soundtrack split...
Review Penguins of Madagascar (Wii U)
Un-tactical Espionage Action
The Penguins from the smash CG hit Madagascar were so popular they received their own film in the form of Penguins of Madagascar, so it was inevitable that the four feathered friends would also receive their own video game adaption. Publisher Little Orbit - which is certainly no stranger to adaptations of movies -was...
Review LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Wii U)
Bricks, Bats and Beyond
With a steady schedule of semi-annual releases, dependably decent (and sometimes downright excellent) gameplay, and an ever-expanding stable of licenses, LEGO games are fast becoming the comfort food of family-friendly gaming. The Wii U alone has seen a half a dozen of the titles in the two years since its launch, and the...
Review Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U)
Another treasure to track down
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker has been Nintendo's greatest 2014 surprise, announced at E3 and rapidly turned around for a Holiday release — in North America, at least. In theory it's a new IP, too, taking the cute but minor Captain Toad character and providing him with his own game; the whole concept is a spin-off...
Review Disney Planes: Fire & Rescue (Wii U)
Take Off Aborted
Movie inspired video games have often taken the liberty of deviating from the plot, throwing in events and scenarios that may be considered out of "canon" with the film's storyline and universe; a lack of faithfulness to the source material has been a frequent criticism throughout gaming history. Little Orbit's Disney Planes: Fire...
Hack job
The Wii U has had a chequered history with third-party support, particularly from Ubisoft, and the belated arrival of Watch Dogs feels a little like a final hurrah — whether we'll see many more big-budget multiplatform mature titles on Nintendo's system is certainly a cause of doubt. This title is here, however, and a viable option for...
Review Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U)
Sonic Doomed
Sega's once-venerable Sonic the Hedgehog series has become a bit of a punchline in the gaming industry in recent years. With entries ranging from decent to mediocre to horrible, each new release is met with trepidation and well-earned cynicism. Sonic just hasn't been fully on top since his 16-bit heyday, and while his original 3D...
Review Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U)
The gloves are off
There is a laundry list of things to love about Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, one of two prongs that make up the fourth generation of Smash Bros. games, and top of the list is the game’s confidence that allows it to cater to anyone who might be interested in its brand of mascot mayhem. This new Smash Bros. is perfect for those...
Review Skylanders Trap Team (Wii U)
Knaves in Toyland
As the original ’toys-to-life’ video game concept — inspiring both Disney’s Infinity and Nintendo’s upcoming amiibo line — Skylanders has an impressive legacy to live up to. The series’ first release, Spyro’s Adventure, took the world and characters from the classic Spyro the Dragon games and crafted an enjoyable...
Review Just Dance 2015 (Wii U)
Just the ticket
Despite its name suggesting otherwise, Just Dance 2015 is in fact only the sixth entry in the main series of Just Dance games, and the aim is as simple as it gets; you have to replicate the dance moves that the on-screen dancers perform in time with the music and as accurately as you can. The ethos is simple, but can it provide...
Review Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (Wii U)
Pac is back! .....again
There's a moment during the opening cutscene of Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 where the series' villain Lord Betrayus delights over his giant robot being ready to ''unleash on Pacopolis. Again!'' It's just a throwaway joke that's fitting of the Saturday morning cartoon vibe, but while it may have raised a slight smile...
Review Disney Infinity 2.0 (Wii U)
Marvel and the House of Mouse combine
Disney Infinity is back on Wii U with Marvel toys and adventures, expanded upgrades and harder difficulty levels. Less positively, Disney Infinity 2.0 drops Wii support and forces existing players to purchase another Starter Pack to access new Play Sets. The big ticket this year are the three headline Marvel...
Spellbinding and brutal
The Wii U library is small, but also diverse and exciting; Bayonetta 2 from Platinum Games arrives as a system exclusive to forge its own brilliantly destructive path. Its arrival with a port of the original Bayonetta gives Nintendo gamers an opportunity to dive into this developing franchise in full, and also illustrates the...
Review Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)
Warriors, come out to play
There's a very good reason why Hyrule Warriors is the first major Zelda release not to have the "Z" word in its title. As we've suspected since that surprising reveal in December of last year, this is much more a Warriors (or Musou, if you prefer) outing than it is a Zelda one, and that news will trigger mixed feelings for...
Review One Piece Unlimited World Red (Wii U)
Not unlimited, but not bad
Eiichiro Oda’s anime juggernaut isn't short of games on multiple systems, and quality can be distinctly variable; the unimpressive One Piece: Romance Dawn on 3DS, with its repetitive gameplay and questionable production values, is one at the wrong end of the chain. In that sense it's tough to know what to expect from the...
