April2016
Review Maestro! Jump in Music (DS)
I am the music man
We originally saw Maestro! Jump In Music on DSiWare where it went by the name Maestro! Green Groove. However, you might not be aware of the fact that this digital offering was actually a republished version of the original European physical retail release, which can be hard to come by these days. Despite some notable flaws and the...
March2016
Review REPLAY: VHS is Not Dead (Wii U eShop)
Taking it to the Betamax
'Going retro' is all the rage in modern download gaming. Pixels and chiptunes aren't hard to find in any download store, from the eShop to PSN to Steam and beyond, as gamers of all ages embrace titles that offer an enhanced twist on gaming's past. REPLAY: VHS is Not Dead aims to distinguish itself with retro-styled visuals...
November2014
Review Tetrobot & Co (Wii U eShop)
Acute brain-bending pleasure
Many puzzle games – particularly on mobile devices – can be argued as being insultingly easy or too mind-numbingly obtuse to even be comprehended by human minds. Luckily *Tetrobot & Co. doesn’t fit into either of these categories. The story of this game revolves around an intelligent young lady who spends her...
August2014
Review Wooden Sen'SeY (Wii U eShop)
More training required
The Wii U eShop, unsurprisingly, isn't short of options when it comes to platformers, especially as it's a genre typically associated with Nintendo systems and their gamers. Wooden Sen'Sey, published by Neko Entertainment, aims to capitalise on that popularity and remind gamers of old-fashioned difficulty; these are noble yet...
March2014
Review Kung Fu Rabbit (3DS eShop)
Kung Fu-cious says hop
Today’s games industry has become infamous for its endless copycat efforts and yearly sequels, which tend to stick to a very specific template and only offer a modicum of improvement. Nevertheless, while it’s easy for us to call out these games for their lack of innovation (only for us to all then go and buy them anyway),...
January2014
Review Cocoto Magic Circus 2 (Wii U eShop / Wii U)
Look ma', I shot that lizard!
Nintendo, the pillar of family friendly gaming, once made a good amount of money by selling kids plastic guns. OK, it was a Zapper, but the point stands; we may bemoan some mature, modern shooters for the violence they promote, but more fantastical and cuddly violence has always been part of the gaming landscape. Cocoto...
April2013
Review Kung Fu Rabbit (Wii U eShop)
Hop to it
When Rabbit's dojo is raided by Ultimate Evil, it's time to buck up and get even. The hungry aliens kidnap all of the temple's disciples with a view to hold a great bunny banquet, but they make one huge mistake – they leave the master behind. Now our long-eared hero has to put all his martial arts training to the test to stop the...
January2013
Review Cocoto Alien Brick Breaker (3DS eShop)
Devil vs Alien
In 2008 and 2009, Neko entertainment's would-be mascot Cocoto made two appearances on the WiiWare service. Cocoto Fishing Master and Cocoto Platform Jumper weren't total write-offs, but neither were they particularly impressive. They were competent but unmemorable dips into genres revealed by their titles. Cocoto Alien Brick Breaker...
December2012
Soak it up
Puddle was originally released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network earlier this year to decent reviews, and after looking at feedback from the previous versions Neko Entertainment has released what it claims to be the best edition of the game at Wii U launch. The Fluidity (Hydroventure)-like game isn't quite a super soaker, but...
June2011
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...
May2011
Ahoy, mateys!
So, you’re already thinking “really? Another puzzle game? Really?” But wait! Ikibago, the latest DSiWare title from Neko Entertainment, has got pirates in it! It may be lacking in the ninja, robot, zombie and unicorn territories, but there are plenty of pirates in this fun and addictive puzzler to go around. In the...
April2011
Domo arigato, DodoGo! Robo
With two games already available on DSiWare — DodoGo! and DodoGo! Challenge — you'd be forgiven for thinking that each DodoGo! game is simply a level pack expansion to the previous game. This was true for the second title, Challenge, but things are a bit different here, as while the first two titles were very similar...
February2011
Review Faceez: Monsters! (DSiWare)
Faceez of evil
After last year's photo-fiddling app Faceez, Neko Entertainment has returned with a sequel of sorts, with a new twist. The question is, is this series worth revisiting? You wouldn't expect this to be anything but a short, fun experience for 200 Points, and thankfully it turns out to be just that, making great use of the DSi camera in...
December2010
Review DodoGo! Challenge (DSiWare)
DodoGo! Hard Mode
A little over half a year ago, Neko Entertainment released DodoGo!, a charming, decently sized puzzle game not unlike Lemmings. Now they're back with a new instalment, but is it worth another go? The basic premise of DodoGo is still here. Your objective in each stage is to safely get at least one of the present eggs safely to the...
June2010
Review Maestro! Green Groove (DSiWare)
A medley of musical mayhem
We've already seen several companies break their past retail releases down into pieces and sell them off as individual DSiWare releases, so it really comes as no surprise to see Neko Entertainment following suit with their first DSiWare release Maestro! Green Groove. The good news is that this release comes from a game...
April2010
Does it crack under the pressure?
For anyone that's even played Lemmings or Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect from DodoGo!. Your goal in each level is to guide at least one of the eggs back to the nest safely. If you want to earn medals, however, you're going to have to get all the eggs...
February2010
Fun with friends
The DSi has been getting some love lately in terms of games that take advantage of its onboard cameras, but applications geared toward straight-up photo manipulation are still somewhat sparse. Neko Entertainment has come forward to help fill the gap with Faceez, a quirky little application promising plenty of ways for you to...
July2009
Review Heracles: Chariot Racing (WiiWare)
Will Heracles slay the Titan of Nintendo racing games?
Due to the space constraints that Nintendo places on WiiWare games, most games on the service are short, simple, and lacking in the graphics department. One certainly would not expect a complete port of a PlayStation 2 game on the service. But that is exactly what developer Neko Entertainment...
April2009
Review Cocoto Platform Jumper (WiiWare)
Will Cocoto have you jumping for joy or off a cliff?
It's no big secret that WiiWare could use more platformers, . Cocoto Platform Jumper may count itself lucky then that this genre is relatively underrepresented at this time. Is it worth enough to spend your hard-earned cash, though? It just might be. The player is represented by the whimsical...
June2008
Review Cocoto Fishing Master (WiiWare)
Is this fish a keeper, or should it be thrown back in the water?
The Cocoto “franchise” is a strange one. After cluttering game aisles everywhere with rather generic sounding titles like Kart Racer, Platform Jumper and Tennis Master, the series has come to WiiWare with a bizarre take on virtual fishing. Developed by Paris-based Neko...
