June2012
Finger-licking good
When it comes to real-world occupations that double as compelling experiences in gaming, the list is pretty short. Soldier, of course. Taxi driver. City planner. And, surprisingly enough, restaurant manager. Order Up!! isn't the first game to tap into that particular well of gainful employment, but it certainly is one of the...
July2010
Review Arc Rise Fantasia (Wii)
A bit too typical for its own good
To say that the Wii has been a bit lacking in the role-playing game department would be a gross understatement. Not only have there been very few releases for the genre, the few we have seen haven't exactly offered much to get excited about. With Arc Rise Fantasia, Ignition Entertainment are looking to change all...
October2009
One of the most unique and enjoyable DS RPGs to date.
The developers of Nostalgia have repeatedly stated that they've been putting the game together for the better part of a decade. While this might seem like an exaggeration at first, when you begin playing the finished product you'll quickly see the many different eras of RPG influences that make...
September2009
Review Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)
Gorgeous, engrossing, flawed.
A lot of Muramasa: The Demon Blade's pre-release hype hinged on its art; while you could get a good impression of the beauty of the game, it isn’t until you have it in motion on your own screen that it hits you. Vanillaware has delivered a visual and aural feast in its portrayal of feudal Japan; Muramasa is truly a...
April2009
Review Samurai Shodown Anthology (Wii)
Victoly!
You certainly can’t accuse SNK Playmore of ignoring its past. Recently we’ve been blessed with the retro-themed duo of King of Fighters Collection and SNK Arcade Classics, and the Japanese veteran is now following up with yet another compilation of top-notch vintage action. Samurai Shodown Anthology contains six slices of weapon-based...
Mistwalker gives their Blue Dragon franchise a real-time strategy makeover and the end result is one surprisingly entertaining DS title.
When the original Blue Dragon title was released on Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, it became one of the system's first traditional RPG experiences. Blue Dragon captivated the gaming audience with its unique charm...
March2009
Review SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 (Wii)
One of the arcade world's most respected brands touches down on Wii with a 16-hit combo of a collection
Back when it was first released in the early ‘90s SNK’s Neo-Geo Advanced Entertainment System (or AES for short) was the undisputed Rolls Royce of video game consoles. Because the Japanese firm had decided to base the machine on the exact same...
Review King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga (Wii)
Five legendary fighting games for the price of one - surely too good to be true?
Born out of the union of two of SNK’s notable coin-op series – Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting - King of Fighters has always had to live in the shadow of the illustrious Street Fighter franchise here in the west; although it has a cult following, it’s never been...
February2009
Europe has had to endure a painful wait for the seventh entry in SNK's epic 2D blaster franchise - but has it been worth it?
As you may already be aware, we’re massive fans of SNK’s Metal Slug series. The Wii Anthology went down a storm in the Nintendo Life office and when we became aware of plans for a seventh instalment we became very animated...
April2008
Review Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys! (DS)
Brains. Yum.
Picture the scene; you’re happily going about your business one day when suddenly a vast armada of evil alien Brain Thingys descends from the sky and rapidly proceeds to zap your friends and relatives with deadly lasers. Those they don’t fry to a crisp they turn into mindless robots via malevolent mind-control, and order them to lay...
June2007
Review Mercury Meltdown Revolution (Wii)
Bored of companies cashing in on the Wii craze by lazily tacking on motion sensing control? So are we. However, Ignition Banbury buck the trend in spectacular fashion by giving us a title that is so perfectly realized it’s hard to imagine it was ever available on any other machine.
Even the most stubbornly loyal Sony fanboy would admit, albeit...
May2007
Review Metal Slug Anthology (Wii)
Wooden Snail. Concrete Spider. Papier Maché Butterfly. Metal Slug. One of these is the moniker of a near-legendary platform-action series that is celebrating a glorious decade in the spotlight. The others are nonsense names made up merely to justify this rather pointless opening paragraph. Can you guess which is which?
Give your average next...
