Author Profile
- Username
- JakeShapiro
- Articles
- 113 (46 reviews)
- First Article
- Mon 24th, March 2014
- Avg. Review Score
- 6.0
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Review KickBeat: Special Edition (Wii U eShop)
The first Wii U title to feature Papa Roach!
After reviewing the newest tables for its meticulously-detailed Zen Pinball 2, we were in for a totally different experience from Budapest-based Zen Studios when KickBeat: Special Edition hit the eShop. Rather than a realistic recreation of a real-life activity, KickBeat is a zany martial arts rhythm
Review SPIKEY WALLS (Wii U eShop)
Feeling a bit Flappy
It's difficult to review RCMADIAX's new title SPIKEY WALLS in a rational fashion – without any context, one could easily write, "This is a Flappy Bird clone," and it would be exactly correct. SPIKEY WALLS accomplishes everything it sets out to do. You control a flappy bug by pressing the A button to navigate a never-ending...
Review Mega Man 7 (Wii U eShop / SNES)
Bigger sprites, bigger fun?
Mega Man 7 is in an awkward place; while most big NES franchises made huge leaps to the Super Nintendo, the mainline Mega Man series' 16-bit thunder was stolen by its Serious Business spin-off, Mega Man X. Released after X and its sequel Mega Man X2, Mega Man 7 is Capcom's attempt to bring its classic platforming roots to...
Hands On Exploring the Four New Tables of Zen Pinball 2
The Walking Dead! Guardians of the Galaxy! Deadpool! Doctor Strange!
It's tough for comic book fans these days – movies based on superhero comics are more popular than ever, but the comic books themselves are often lost in the shuffle. Everyone loved The Dark Knight, but have you been reading Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's fantastic run on...
Review Teslagrad (Wii U eShop)
Alternating current, direct fun
We seem to love Scandinavian games here at Nintendo Life. We began our glowing SteamWorld Dig review last month by espousing the virtues of the Swedish indie gaming scene, but Sweden's neighbour to the west is not to be forgotten: hot on the heels of SteamWorld comes Teslagrad, an equally impressive Metroidvania-style...
"I get knocked down, but I get up again..."
The Wii U has had a diverse range of artistically-driven download games ported to its eShop lately, from Another World to Master Reboot to the news that the critically-acclaimed Gone Home will be arriving later this year, and Vancouver-based
Review Life Force (Wii U eShop / NES)
Forcefully fun
Konami's 1985 hit Gradius is one of the most influential scrolling shooters of all time, so it was pretty tough to follow up. Rather than make Gradius II right away, the company decided to create a spin-off; Life Force — originally known in Japan as Salamander — hit arcades in 1986 and the NES two years later. Space shooters were...
Review SteamWorld Dig (Wii U eShop)
Groundbreaking!
The two hottest properties in indie gaming right now are Sweden and spelunking. From Amnesia to Hotline Miami to Goat Simulator to that DotA song, a hugely disproportionate number of big independent releases the last few years have come from Swedes; whether it's Cave Story, Shovel Knight,
Talking Point A History of the Sexualisation of Samus
Exploring the long, complicated history of the bounty hunter's public image
Zero Suit Samus' alternate costumes in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Just this week, Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai revealed the new alternate costumes for Zero Suit Samus in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U: “From the ending of
Review Double Dragon II: The Revenge (Wii U eShop / NES)
Double draggin'
There was a period from the late-'80s to the early-'90s when side-scrolling beat 'em up games were all the (streets of?) rage – from Double Dragon to Final Fight to Streets of Rage, we just couldn't get enough of punching hooligans in the face down long straight paths. Perhaps the most fun aspect of these titles was the multiplayer...
Gallery Exploring the Pokémon World Championships in Photos - Day 3
They want to be the very best, like no one ever was
The Pokémon World Championships in Washington, D.C. wrapped up today, with champions emerging victorious in a dazzling spectacle of wit and Kangaskhans. Canadian Andrew Estrada was crowned the winner of the Trading Card Game Masters Division, while Korean Se Jun Park took home the Masters Division...
Hints at a Mega Evolution for Slowking?!
During this weekend's Pokémon World Championships in Washington, DC, we were able to catch up with J.C. Smith, the Director of Consumer Marketing for the Pokémon Company International, to talk about the competitive scene, the Trading Card Game Online, and Pokémon's worldwide appeal. Whether you're here for
Gallery Exploring the Pokémon World Championships in Photos - Day 2
Even more cute hats
After a day of last-chance qualifiers yesterday, the Pokémon World Championships began in earnest this sunny Saturday in Washington, D.C. While the only competitors in attendance were the few who made it through to the tournament proper, the spectators came in droves today, packing the convention center's large ballroom wall to...
Gallery Exploring the Pokémon World Championships in Photos - Day 1
Getting a little furry
Today was the first day of the 2014 Pokémon World Championships, bringing the best players of both Pokémon X & Y and the Pokémon trading card game from around the world to convene on Washington, D.C. in hopes of claiming eternal glory for their Mudkips. While the tournament proper doesn't begin until tomorrow, the Last...
News The Pokémon Company Unleashes Hype Video for World Championships in Washington, D.C.
Catch 'em all right here this weekend with live streaming and coverage!
After grueling national tournaments across the globe, more than 500 players from over 30 countries will convene at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. this weekend for the Pokémon World Championships, competing in both Pokémon X & Y and the...
Review SHUT THE BOX (Wii U eShop)
What's in the box?!
It's strange how little a concept matters as long as the execution is done well; just recently we criticised Dahku Creations' Soon Shine for playing too much like a mobile game rather than a home console title. Yet here we are with SHUT THE BOX (which seems like it's yelling at you), created by one-man studio RCMADIAX of BLOK...
Review Soon Shine (Wii U eShop)
Here Comes the Soon
It's wonderful to see indie developers on Wii U find enough commercial success to produce more than one title for the platform, and two-man studio Dahku Creations has followed up June's Chubbins with a new family-friendly offering: Soon Shine. Our biggest criticisms of Chubbins were its torturous difficulty and lack of visual...
Review XType Plus (Wii U eShop)
The Citizen Kane of Web Framework games on the Wii U
Note: XType Plus was meant to be released on 31st July along with online leaderboards, but due to a bug in the ranking functionality the game was delayed. It was reinstated on the European eShop on 6th August, and is awaiting a North American release. Nintendo has opened up the floodgates to...
Prepare to put on your dunce cap
The Wii U eShop is filled to the brim with low-budget kids' games these days, and Ninja Pig Studios' IQ Test seems like just another to heap on the pile... but looks can be deceiving. Beneath the simplistic exterior, IQ Test is a real mind-bender: a series of trick questions designed to get you to think outside
Review Ufouria: The Saga (Wii U eShop / NES)
A Ufouric experience
Retro-style indie platformers are all the rage these days, so you'd be forgiven for thinking Sunsoft's Ufouria: The Saga is simply another in the long line of 2D NES-inspired modern titles on the eShop like Shovel Knight, 1001 Spikes, and Insanity's Blade. Released in 19
Review My Arctic Farm (Wii U eShop)
Feeling frigid
If you read our recent review of BiP Media's pet management sim My Jurassic Farm, you'll know what to expect with its sister release, My Arctic Farm: the exact same experience, but instead of T-rexes and triceratops (triceratopses?) you'll be raising penguins and polar bears. The long-running "My ____ Farm" series began humbly enough...
Review My Jurassic Farm (Wii U eShop)
Different skin, exact same game
My Jurassic Farm is an exciting concept. Everyone loved Jurassic Park back in the day, right?! It would make a great video game! Sadly, the dino-management genre has been left relatively barren since the wondrous days of DinoPark Tycoon back in 1993. Is BiP Media's My Jurassic Farm the answer? No. No it's not. My...
Review AiRace Xeno (3DS eShop)
Kicking it into Xenogear
The fourth entry in Warsaw studio QubicGames' downloadable AiRace series, AiRace Xeno is a natural progression of last year's AiRace Speed on the 3DS eShop – race three different futuristic aircraft at face-melting speeds through nine tough obstacle-filled tracks and try to beat your high score. It's a stripped-down racing...
Review Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (3DS)
A decent game in disguise
After reviewing the absolutely horrid Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark on Wii U, it would be hard to get our hopes up for the 3DS iteration if it weren't for the name on the back of the box. Unlike every other version of the game, Rise of the Dark Spark on 3DS was produced by the handheld experts at WayForward...
