Review Hearts Spades Euchre (DSiWare)
A game with a lot of heart
Card enthusiasts searching for quick and casual DSiWare fun are in luck with Hearts Spades Euchre from Cosmigo, the same company that brought us the surprisingly high-quality 505 Tangram. The studio returns here with another above average title with a modest, to-the-point name that risks seeing potential customers...
Review Boardwalk Ball Toss (DSiWare)
Not quite as big a rip-off as the real thing
For as long as humans have stacked milk bottles in pyramid formations, people have yearned to topple them. Salvation for these individuals came by way of the carnival – but what's a toppling enthusiast to do on the walk home, or on the bus the next day? Enter Boardwalk Ball Toss, the perfect solution...
Talking Point The Growing Storm of Operation Rainfall
Is gaming's biggest consumer advocacy movement a noble cause, or does NoA know best?
What you see to the right of this text is a poster for Operation Rainfall. It features screen shots and information on Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story and Pandora's Tower, all of which Nintendo has published in Japan to positive reviews and sales, and none of...
News Pachter to Operation Rainfall: "I Agree"
Infamous analyst shows his support
The ongoing grassroots project Operation Rainfall, designed to convince Nintendo to publish Last Story, Xenoblade Chronicles and Pandora's Tower in North America, has analyst Michael Pachter chiming in via Twitter to voice his opinion. Earlier today, he tweeted: a grass roots movement to convince Nintendo to...
Nintendo Download 30th June 2011 (Europe)
A dreamy download
This week it's fairies, vampires and dreams on the European Nintendo Download, including the first outing of a famous and beloved mascot from the Big N. What games are you dreaming of downloading? 3DS Virtual Console: Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy, UK: £3.60, EU: €4) — Kirby floats onto the 3DS with his first dreamy adventure,...
News NOA: "Never Say Never," But No Plans to Bring Sought-After Wii Games to NA
Xenoblade Chronicles, Last Story and Pandora's Tower still not coming
Nintendo has just responded to the public outcry for the epic RPGs Xenoblade Chronicles and Last Story and the action RPG Pandora's Tower to see localisation in North America via their Facebook page. The company stated: Thank you for your enthusiasm. We promised an update, so...
News Big John Games to Just JAM on NA WiiWare Next Month
Jam out to these screen shots and trailer
On 7th July, Big John Games is set to release a new WiiWare music program called Just JAM in North America for 800 Points. The press release, trailer and screen shots below show off the title's live, in-performance take on aural interactivity, with experience points, downloadable content and "millions...
News RE Mercenaries 3D Save Data Will Not Die
Lives on and on like so many zombies
Once you progress in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, out tomorrow in the US and on Friday in UK/EU, the way you play will forever be changed. That's because the game does not allow you to reset your save data. That's right – if you buy the game used or from a friend, you'll forever remain stuck with the...
Turns out hell is actually pretty fun
Long, long ago, in a place no one remembers, a young maiden was praying to the heavens to bring back her lover, who had perished. All at once, she was surrounded by an infinite number of glittering crystal orbs. A voice from above called out to her, "...These crystal orbs hold the secret to your lover's...
News Bplus Wants your Input in Developing Three 3DS eShop Games
Vektor Tank+ creators open their forums to comments and criticism
Bplus, the developer of such titles as Bit Boy!! and the upcoming Vektor Tank 3D+ wants your help in creating three in situ 3DS eShop titles. Following in Capcom's fan-centred footsteps, they've recently posted the following on their forums: These three game concepts are chosen to be...
Shutterbug fun, or shudder and run?
Two of today's most cherished timewasters are fun with photographs and hidden object puzzles, so it's a wonder that it's taken so long for someone to combine the two. Continuing on their recent trend of porting retail DS titles to downloadable DSiWare, Most Wanted and Subdued Games bring us Hidden Photo – but is...
Features A View from Hyrule Field
We remember why Ocarina of Time is more than just a game
As we move through life, we will at times look back fondly at memories that we hold dear. And, as gamers, many of us merge recollections of the virtual world with those of reality. Some titles simply bring the right elements together in the perfect way, making this feel natural, normal,...
Review SpongeBob SquigglePants 3D (3DS)
Are you ready, kids?
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? So begins the theme song to one of the longest-lasting cartoons to come along in some time, SpongeBob SquarePants, enjoyed by kids and adults alike for 12 years and running. But a license is only as good as the developer handling it, and luckily SpongeBob SquigglePants 3D comes to us...
News Alleyway Bouncing to 3DS VC
ESRB rating outs eShop release
Nintendo and Intelligent Systems's 1989 Game Boy-based Breakout clone Alleyway is making its way to the 3DS Virtual Console, outed by a recent ESRB rating. If you've ever played Arkanoid or any number of brick-breaker games, you should know what to expect here. The ESRB's descripton is as follows: This is an action...
Review Dragon's Lair Trilogy (Wii)
Is Dirk still daring after all these years?
If you were a child of 80's or 90's, chances are you hold a Don Bluth cartoon close to your heart. Though Disney or Looney Tunes may be the first names you think of when it comes to classic hand-drawn animation, at least inside the United States, such beloved films as The Secret of NIMH, The Land Before...
Review Thor: God of Thunder (Wii)
Thundering quest or blundering pest?
The Asgardian warrior Sif has fallen, and Thor, son of Odin, wields his mighty hammer Mjölnir with vengeance. His mischievous brother Loki seizes this opportunity and uses Thor's rage to engineer an attack on their home, resulting in the fall of the Nine Worlds. It's a story well suited to its mythological roots...
News First BIT.TRIP SAGA Screens Incoming
Including one in 3D!
Aksys Games has just published the box art and first four screen shots of their upcoming title BIT.TRIP SAGA, and they've done what we've hoped publishers would do since we first saw the words "2D image of a Nintendo 3DS game" – they've released a 3D image of a Nintendo 3DS game. Hopefully the early June system...
News Disney Universe to Blend Worlds on Wii This Fall
Will your favourite characters make the cut?
Disney Interactive Studios has just announced their next release, Disney Universe, an action/adventure game headed to Wii as well as multiple other platforms this Fall. The fast-paced action/adventure title will feature over 40 classic and contemporary Disney and Pixar characters in costume form. One to...
News Sonic Generations 3DS & New Shinobi Title Confirmed
Two great games that play great together
Recently we've heard rumours of Shinobi 3DS, and those of Sonic Generations have been picking up steam. Just revealed to the 'net, the latest Nintendo Power cover seems to confirm both. You can view the cover in the gallery below. While it's likely that the Shinobi title referenced is the rumoured Shinobi...
Rumour Sega and Griptonite Working on Shinobi 3DS
Get your Shuriken ready
Sega's Shinobi series, which has helped action platformer fans hone their ninja skills in arcades and a variety of home consoles since 1987, looks to be coming to 3DS. An online CV of an environment artist at Griptonite Games mentions Shinobi 3DS as their current project. The resumé states that the artist has: ...created...
News Child Pornography Law TKOs DOAD Release in Sweden, Denmark and Norway
Disqualified!
Much of the world is currently enjoying the hot new 3DS fighter Dead or Alive: Dimensions, but thanks to a child pornography scare, fans in Sweden, Denmark and Norway are forced to miss out. Nintendo of Europe's official explanation for not releasing the game in Sweden, made jointly with official distributor Bergsala, is as follows:...
The rain in this game falls mainly on the lame
The water-based puzzler is an interesting breed – the replication of aquatic physics necessitates a more innovative approach than your average thinking game, the majority of which build on or clone an accepted model like Tetris or Bejeweled. The recent Fluidity is proof that this subgenre can spawn...
Rockin' robot or CPUke?
Innovative puzzle games are few and far between, and TINcan! Escape is up there with some of the more interesting concepts we've seen. While it rests on a quality foundation, however, some uneven spots and lacklustre presentation make this rolling robot wobble on its wheels. Two rival scientists compete to have their design...
Talking Point How 3DS Can Thrive at E3
What the Big N should do at this year's expo
A little less than one year ago, as E3 2010 approached, one question was on everyone's mind: would the 3DS work? Surely our bodies were not ready for the futuristic glasses-free technology Nintendo promised. As we all know, it wasn't long before Reggie put our fears to rest: yes, it works, and it works...
