Latest Reviews - Page 16

Escape The Virus: Shoot 'Em Up! (DSiWare)

Escape The Virus: Shoot 'Em Up! (DSiWare)

Not hugely contagious

Escape the Virus: Shoot 'em Up! is a top-down twin stick arcade shooter without the twin sticks. As a tiny bit of friendly bacteria, you zoom about firing out rounds of red and blue pills at an endless onslaught of nasty-looking viruses, shooting in whichever direction you're moving. The viruses always eventually win, so the...

Crazy Chicken Pirates 3D (3DS eShop)

Crazy Chicken Pirates 3D (3DS eShop)

This poultry is paltry

There's a story in Crazy Chicken Pirates 3D, but believe us, you won't need one. The game — whose title reads about as gracefully as magnetic poetry — sees you gunning down chickens for 90 seconds. Then, we guess, you can do it again. If you'd like to. You may not, but the option to play again is about the only option the...

SpeedX 3D (3DS eShop)

SpeedX 3D (3DS eShop)

Speed demon

There's always the temptation to be a bit snobbish about games that are ported to traditional consoles from smartphones. Given the enormous success of "casual" experiences on mobiles, many dedicated gamers view even the best titles as vapid, shallow experiences — a perspective which is reinforced by the hordes of clones and rip-offs...

The Lost Town - The Jungle (DSiWare)

The Lost Town - The Jungle (DSiWare)

Lost in translation

It’s rare for a sequel to a well received game to be released with little to nothing in terms of new content. Usually, a sequel calls for a fresh plot which ushers in new characters and gameplay elements to keep the familiar franchise fresh. Sometimes though, a sequel gets released that is essentially just a re-skinning of the...

Touch Battle Tank 3D (3DS eShop)

Touch Battle Tank 3D (3DS eShop)

Bad touch

Good intentions most certainly pave the road to disappointment in Touch Battle Tank 3D. While it's clear that the 70 levels of non-stop blasting are meant to feel like frantic, satisfying plunges into arcade-style madness, it's also clear that the components simply don't come together the way they need to. Touch Battle Tank 3D simply feels...

Toki Tori (3DS Virtual Console / Game Boy Color)

Toki Tori (3DS Virtual Console / Game Boy Color)

A good egg

Many will be familiar with Toki Tori on WiiWare, released a few years ago and since on several systems; it's been quite the popular game, but not many people are familiar with the original entry in the series. This is understandable, because it was released at the tail end of the Game Boy Color's life cycle back in 2002, but now has a...

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)

Going for gold

At the time of writing, the 2012 London Olympics are in full swing. A global expression of unparalleled sporting excellence, the Games feature hordes of top-class athletes attempting to grab gold glory by taking part in events which are steeped in history and tradition; ultimately, the objective isn’t to be innovative in your...

World Heroes Perfect (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

World Heroes Perfect (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

Not quite perfect

When World Heroes was first released on SNK's Neo Geo arcade and home console system, it was yet another attempt to capture the popularity of Capcom's Street Fighter, this time by developer ADK. While the game featured some unique gameplay and visual features, it was still regarded more as a nice attempt at the genre than any type...

Decathlon 2012 (DSiWare)

Decathlon 2012 (DSiWare)

Torch it

Well, the London 2012 Olympic games are officially underway, and the eShop now has its equivalent of those ubiquitous bootlegged t-shirts in the form of Decathlon 2012, a digital souvenir that hopes to coast on the excitement of the Olympics without shelling out for the rights to refer to them by name. Already we're off to a great start,...

Planet Crashers (3DS eShop)

Planet Crashers (3DS eShop)

Crash and burn

On first inspection, Planet Crashers is the cute, warm and whimsical RPG world you would expect from Mutant Mudds developer Renegade Kid, providing a shot of humour, quirkiness and style to an already crowded and tired genre. However, much like other adventure RPGs lining our shelves at the moment, Planet Crashers is very much a case...

Mole Mania (3DS eShop / Game Boy)

Mole Mania (3DS eShop / Game Boy)

Dig in

Poor Muddy Mole has returned home to find his family kidnapped by the evil farmer Jinbe. That's the entire plot, and we're happy about that. After all, Mole Mania isn't about storytelling; it's about a massive gauntlet of clever puzzles, and that's exactly why we like it. Divided into eight very large levels, Muddy's adventure finds him...

Dot Runner: Complete Edition (3DS eShop)

Dot Runner: Complete Edition (3DS eShop)

On the dot or a runaround?

Dot Runner: Complete Edition is the latest release from Intense, developer of unique DSiWare RPG GO Series: Picdun. This outing shares the dual perspectives of that title but little else; here you collect dots as a futuristic man-on-a-mission named BOLT in a chase puzzler that's fast and fun, but seriously flawed. While...

New Art Academy (3DS)

New Art Academy (3DS)

A flawed masterpiece

New Art Academy’s arrival on 3DS comes as no surprise, as the original DSiWare titles and the retail compilation on DS further boosted the handheld’s appeal, particularly to those who wanted more from a gaming machine. As part of a group of ‘bridge’ titles from Nintendo, designed to attract new audiences, it served its...

Rabi Laby 2 (DSiWare)

Rabi Laby 2 (DSiWare)

Return to Wonderland

Remember the old adage “less is more"? Even if you don’t, Agetec certainly does, as is clearly reflected in Rabi Laby 2, its most recent DSiWare release. While it’s true that not much has changed from the first instalment, the original Rabi Laby was pretty good, so there’s not much to find fault with here. Much like its...

Successfully Learning English: Year 2 (WiiWare)

Successfully Learning English: Year 2 (WiiWare)

Back to the classroom

If you combine DSiWare and WiiWare, Tivola’s Successfully Learning series has been one of the most prolific franchises available for download. Just when we thought it was all over, Successfully Learning English: Year 2 makes the transition from DSiWare to WiiWare, and young pupils can breathe a sigh of relief. The question is...

Petit Computer (DSiWare)

Petit Computer (DSiWare)

Massive potential, minor headache

There are few better places to learn programming than within the BASIC family — heck, it's in the name — which offers general-purpose, relatively simple environments in which to learn the ropes and concepts of coding. Petit Computer is a powerful BASIC coding environment, a type of homebrew application seldom...

Masyu by Nikoli (3DS eShop)

Masyu by Nikoli (3DS eShop)

Circle gets the square

The ...by Nikoli series is nothing new to the eShop, but Masyu by Nikoli stands out for being a puzzle of Nikoli's own creation. This means that if you'd like to play it, more than likely this will be your only option on the service. Therefore the question really boils down to whether or not that puzzle is worth seeking out on...

The Phantom Thief Stina and 30 Jewels (3DS eShop)

The Phantom Thief Stina and 30 Jewels (3DS eShop)

Hidden gem or a kick in the jewels?

The Phantom Thief Stina and 30 Jewels is an arcade-like game that has you breaking into an assortment of stages, grabbing keycodes, deactivating security systems, and escaping into the night with shiny jewel in hand. As a concept, Phantom Thief is intriguing, but while it can be fun, it's ultimately let down by...

Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive! (3DS)

Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive! (3DS)

Get your freak on

When it was released on eShop, Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive! was a thoroughly charming and cheerful creature creation tool, tailored to entertain kids and big kids alike. Its positive sales on the digital platform were clearly enough to convince Nintendo to expand the package, with Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive!...