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Dave Frear

Dave Frear

Contributor

Navigation: Home / Nintendo Life Team / Dave Frear

Author Profile

Username
daveisbored
Articles
173 (171 reviews)
First Article
Wed 8th, April 2009
Avg. Review Score
7.0
Find Them On
Twitter/X • YouTube
  • Latest
  • Most Read
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Mario Party DS (Wii U eShop / DS)

    19

    Review Mario Party DS (Wii U eShop / DS)

    Partying alone

    For gamers seeking fun with friends Mario Party has long been a good series to visit. Although multiplayer is preferable for the games, there are occasions where you may play alone whether just for practice or because everyone's avoiding you after you mistook that drinking fountain for a bidet. For Mario Party DS (on Wii U at least)...

    • Sat 14th May 2016
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Mario Party DS
    • Retro
  • Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition (3DS eShop / GBC)

    35

    Review Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition (3DS eShop / GBC)

    First generation Pokéfun. IN COLOR!

    Twenty years since the franchise began and after numerous games, TV episodes, movies, trading cards and plush toys, Nintendo has given Pokémon fans a chance to travel back to where it all began with Virtual Console releases of the first Game Boy titles. 3DS owners can purchase the original Red or Blue versions,...

    • Fri 29th Apr 2016
    • 3DS eShop
    • Reviews
    • Pokemon
    • Game Boy Color
    • Retro
  • Pilotwings (New 3DS / SNES)

    20

    Review Pilotwings (New 3DS / SNES)

    Enjoyable flying fun

    Just as Pilotwings Resort was a good demonstration of the glasses-free 3D visuals offered by the 3DS, the original Pilotwings showcased the impressive (for the time) Mode 7 capabilities of the SNES. This first game in the series is now available as a Virtual Console release for New Nintendo 3DS owners, offering a number of fun...

    • Sat 16th Apr 2016
    • New Nintendo 3DS
    • Reviews
    • Pilotwings
    • Retro
  • Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (New 3DS / SNES)

    43

    Review Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (New 3DS / SNES)

    Monkey magnificence

    After the success of Donkey Kong Country it wasn't particularly surprising that sequels appeared; the first SNES follow-up is now available to New Nintendo 3DS owners, allowing them to enjoy this wonderful platformer on the go. Donkey Kong has been kidnapped, so this time around Diddy has teamed up with Dixie Kong for the...

    • Thu 7th Apr 2016
    • New Nintendo 3DS
    • Reviews
    • Donkey Kong Country 2
    • Retro
  • Donkey Kong Country (New 3DS / SNES)

    48

    Review Donkey Kong Country (New 3DS / SNES)

    Great Apes

    Rare's series of Donkey Kong games mixed impressive visuals with some brilliant platforming action as you ran, jump, swung and swam through a variety of locations defeating those nasty Kremlings, collecting bananas and finding secrets. The Game Boy's three Donkey Kong Land games have previously been re-released via the 3DS Virtual...

    • Wed 6th Apr 2016
    • New Nintendo 3DS
    • Reviews
    • Donkey Kong Country
    • Retro
  • F-Zero (New 3DS / SNES)

    25

    Review F-Zero (New 3DS / SNES)

    Retro future racing fun.

    A launch title for the SNES, F-Zero is a game that showed off the system's Mode 7 visuals, provided great racing action and is now available for New Nintendo 3DS; now you can enjoy the high-speed thrills at home, in the park or in the bathroom. There's a lot of love for the futuristic racing series, but not from Nintendo;...

    • Fri 25th Mar 2016
    • New Nintendo 3DS
    • New Nintendo 3DS
    • Reviews
    • F-Zero
    • Retro
  • Super Mario Kart (New 3DS / SNES)

    33

    Review Super Mario Kart (New 3DS / SNES)

    Classic karting on the small screen

    Many Mario Karts later it can be a little disorientating to go back to where it all began. Each cup has five races. Laps are short, but there are five of them. Item boxes are squares laid flat on the ground and put out of use after you've run over them. The CPU characters don't collect items at all, but have a...

    • Wed 23rd Mar 2016
    • New Nintendo 3DS
    • Reviews
    • Super Mario Kart
    • Retro
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (New 3DS / SNES)

    34

    Review The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (New 3DS / SNES)

    A gem from the past

    With A Link Between Worlds, 3D versions of the Nintendo 64 games and a number of other titles available via the Virtual Console and backwards compatibility, 3DS owners are not exactly short of main series Zelda games to play on their machine. For those with one of the New Nintendo 3DS models The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the...

    • Mon 21st Mar 2016
    • New Nintendo 3DS
    • Reviews
    • Zelda
    • Retro
  • Super Metroid (New 3DS / SNES)

    53

    Review Super Metroid (New 3DS / SNES)

    Superb Metroid

    Nintendo has certainly brought out the big guns for the opening salvo of SNES games on the New Nintendo 3DS, with classic game after classic game arriving on the portable. It won't last and there may even be mediocre spin-offs or complete dross in the future, but for now New 3DS owners should enjoy the brilliance that is Super...

    • Mon 21st Mar 2016
    • New Nintendo 3DS
    • Reviews
    • Super Metroid
    • Retro
  • Advance Wars: Dual Strike (Wii U eShop / DS)

    27

    Review Advance Wars: Dual Strike (Wii U eShop / DS)

    War has twice before been this much fun

    Intelligent Systems' long-running Famicom Wars series didn't arrive in the west until the release of Advance Wars on the Game Boy Advance, but the colourful turn-based tactical gameplay quickly acquired many fans. A GBA sequel arrived, followed by this DS entry. Like the two proceeding GBA instalments Advance...

    • Thu 17th Mar 2016
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Advance Wars
    • Retro
  • EarthBound (New 3DS / SNES)

    77

    Review EarthBound (New 3DS / SNES)

    This game smells lovely

    Well here's a treat for New Nintendo 3DS owners: EarthBound! Back on the SNES, this second instalment of Shigesato Itoi's much-loved Mother series only received a western release in North America (where it sold poorly). Buying a second-hand copy for silly money was most people's only option until the Wii U came to the rescue,...

    • Sat 12th Mar 2016
    • New Nintendo 3DS
    • Reviews
    • EarthBound
    • Retro
  • Super Mario World (New 3DS / SNES)

    66

    Review Super Mario World (New 3DS / SNES)

    Same great adventure, smaller screen

    As everyone knows, the best use of your latest piece of gaming machinery is to play games from yesteryear. Should a Nintendo Direct mention a 'new old' system is joining the Virtual Console line-up there is much excitement, and so it was when it was revealed that SNES titles were going portable. Though limited to...

    • Thu 10th Mar 2016
    • New Nintendo 3DS
    • Reviews
    • Super Mario World
    • Retro
  • Pokémon Ranger (Wii U eShop / DS)

    26

    Review Pokémon Ranger (Wii U eShop / DS)

    Gotta circle ‘em all!

    Welcome to the Fiore region, a relaxed place where Pokémon are free from Poké Balls, able to roam around in the wild or stay as someone's pet if they've taken a liking to a particularly snug blanket. You are the newest recruit to the Rangers, a group of dedicated (but often dull) individuals who provide help to citizens or...

    • Tue 8th Mar 2016
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Pokemon
    • Retro
  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (Wii U eShop / DS)

    19

    Review Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (Wii U eShop / DS)

    Pokécrawler: Blue

    Many Pokémon are finding themselves in trouble and it's up to you and your rescue team to go and save them in this dungeon crawling spin-off from Chunsoft. Released for the DS in 2006, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team sees you fighting ill-tempered Pokémon as you search a randomly generated floor for the staircase that...

    • Mon 29th Feb 2016
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Pokemon
    • DS
    • Retro
  • Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    26

    Review Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Tactical Fantasy Action

    It wasn't that long ago that things were going so well. With just one member of the opposing clan left against the three on your team, wrapping up this mission seemed to be straightforward enough. Then he took out your mighty Bangaa warrior and is now causing your sword guy plenty of trouble on account of the fact he returns...

    • Sun 7th Feb 2016
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Final Fantasy
    • GBA
    • Retro
  • Drill Dozer (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    24

    Review Drill Dozer (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Not likely to make you doze off

    Game Freak is a developer known for its work on titles such as Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and Pokémon Black and White. It does occasionally put out games that don't feature the pocket monsters, however, and one of those is Drill Dozer, a Game Boy Advance action platformer set across six...

    • Mon 11th Jan 2016
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Drill Dozer
    • GBA
    • Retro
  • Game & Watch Gallery Advance (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    18

    Review Game & Watch Gallery Advance (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Nintendo's Portable Hits: The Early Years

    In the 1980's (before the Game Boy was released), Nintendo's series of Game & Watch handhelds provided people with portable gaming excitement. As LCD games they provided a stripped down gaming experience that Cranky Kong would approve of - basic sounds, none of those pointless fancy graphics and only a...

    • Mon 4th Jan 2016
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Game & Watch
    • GBA
    • Retro
  • Polarium Advance (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    8

    Review Polarium Advance (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Black + white = fun exercise for the old grey matter

    Draw a line. OK, you'll have to give it a bit more thought than that as you won't be passing through all the squares on screen, but Polarium Advance is a simple game to play. Each puzzle consists of white and black tiles and once you've picked a start point you must draw a single line, moving...

    • Thu 24th Dec 2015
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Polarium Advance
    • GBA
    • Retro
  • Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (Wii U eShop / NES)

    5

    Review Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Nice videogame, shame about the plot

    After dealing with that dark sword business Ryu Hayabusa might have hoped to put his feet up, but more evil schemes are in motion and so he must do his ninja thing once more. The powerup from the previous game that could provide duplicates to help in his quest has gone, but it turns out there is still another Ryu...

    • Tue 15th Dec 2015
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Ninja Gaiden
    • NES
    • Retro
  • Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (Wii U eShop / NES)

    26

    Review Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Tough but fun Ninja action - Part 2

    For the first NES Ninja Gaiden game, Tecmo created a tough but fun action platformer. It was very different to the scrolling beat 'em up action of the arcade game, but people liked it; sales must have been good too, because Ryu Hayabusa returned for a second NES outing. Gameplay in Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword...

    • Sat 12th Dec 2015
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Ninja Gaiden
    • NES
    • Retro
  • Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones (Wii U eShop / NES)

    16

    Review Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones (Wii U eShop / NES)

    A tough but enjoyable adventure for Bimmy and friends

    Bimmy. If there's one thing people know about Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones, it's Bimmy – a typo during the game's (multiplayer) intro that humorously renames the main protagonist. There's more to this third NES entry in the Double Dragon series than a small chuckle however. There's a...

    • Thu 3rd Dec 2015
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Double Dragon
    • NES
    • Retro
  • The Adventures of Bayou Billy (Wii U eShop / NES)

    27

    Review The Adventures of Bayou Billy (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Billy's swampland slog

    In 2014 Nintendo suddenly realised that it could recreate the experience of a light gun game by using the pointer controls of the Wii Remote. Duck Hunt arrived on the Wii U eShop that Christmas and a few other NES Zapper games have followed since. Now we have Konami's The Adventures of Bayou Billy, although it should be noted...

    • Sun 29th Nov 2015
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Bayou Billy
    • NES
    • Konami
  • Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    24

    Review Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival (Wii U eShop / GBA)

    Ryu on Wii U (again)

    1991's Street Fighter II is a game that got people very excited and led to a surge of interest in the fighting genre. It's also a game that got updated a lot — new moves, new characters, new speeds... — while being ported to numerous home consoles and computers. Several of those ports have seen a Virtual Console release...

    • Fri 17th Jul 2015
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Street Fighter
    • GBA
    • Retro
  • Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight (Wii U eShop / NES)

    20

    Review Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight (Wii U eShop / NES)

    Planet Hopper 1990

    Capcom's Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight is an interesting game, arriving on the NES after the release of the first Street Fighter, but before its sequel hit arcades and caused an explosion of interest in one-on-one brawlers. The game's story was changed for the western release to at least try and justify the use of the name...

    • Thu 22nd Jan 2015
    • Wii U eShop
    • Reviews
    • Street Fighter 2010
    • Retro
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