February2010
Review Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic (NES)
Super Mario Bros. 2, minus the Super Mario Bros.
Depending on who you ask, you're likely to hear quite a few different variations on the story of how Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic came to be. Some say it was originally intended to be a Super Mario Bros. game but ended up taking on a life all its own at the hands of video game developer extraordinaire...
Review Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (DS)
Once you start, you'll need to call on the Ouendan to help you stop playing this game
In 2005, iNiS crafted Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan for DS. Rhythm games were hardly being made for the system, but they instantly proved that it could have amazing results when done right. People spoke so positively about it that it was popular both in and outside Japan,...
January2010
Review Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep (Wii)
What lurks beneath?
2007’s Endless Ocean was a true original: a diving game that made little attempt to be a game, basing most of its gameplay around just touching fish. As part of the Touch Generations range it clearly appealed to enough aspiring divers to merit a sequel, but it’s certainly changed from the inviting warm waters of the Manaurai...
Herculean effort or Greek tragedy?
Role-playing game fans have to be excited to see the number of RPG releases appearing on the DS system continuing to grow. And while we've seen some very unique gameplay elements in many of the titles, we've seen almost as many titles take a much more traditional approach, choosing to stick to many of the familiar...
Review Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (DS)
Kooloo-limpah!
When it was announced Japan would be getting a game starring the Zelda series' strangest character, Tingle, everybody pretty much agreed on one thing - it would never leave Japan. But, in a very surprising move, Nintendo decided to take the gamble and localise the game. Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland takes place before every Zelda game he's...
December2009
Review A Little Bit of... Magic Made Fun: Psychic Camera (DSiWare)
It doesn't take a psychic to figure out this isn't worth your time.
Although Nintendo started off by releasing a few tricks directly taken from the retail game Master of Illusion/Magic Made Fun, they've also developed a few new ones that take advantage of the DSi's single big new feature — the camera. This particular trick will allow you to take a...
Review Eco Shooter: Plant 530 (WiiWare)
A shooter with can-do attitude!
Without question, lightgun games have become a Wii staple. Between standalone disc releases, original WiiWare titles and mini-game compilations you've really got your pick when it comes to games you can play whilst pretending your remote is a gun. Now developer Intelligent Systems, of Fire Emblem and WarioWare fame,...
Review Crossword Collection (DS)
Cryp-ticks all the right boxes.
It's very rare for Nintendo to be beaten to the punch by other developers, but some of their recent DS releases certainly seem to be playing catch-up to the wealth of third-party support on the machine. Style Boutique (known as Style Savvy in the US) resembles any number of other titles, and now with Nintendo...
Review Starship Patrol (DSiWare)
Q Games has another hit on its hands.
Tower defence games haven't exactly been a popular genre for long, but they're already starting to become boring to most. After all, fending off endless waves of enemies by strategically placing turrets is fun the first time, but any more than that and it might start to get annoying quite quickly. With Starship...
Review The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
On the right track or running out of steam?
Link's last outing, 2007's Phantom Hourglass, was a piece of portable paradise, showcasing all the DS's features with some wildly imaginative puzzles and unforgettable moments, and still remains one of the console's best titles. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks takes all that was good about Phantom...
Review A Little Bit of... Magic Made Fun: Matchmaker (DSiWare)
A match made in heaven?
The retail release of Master of Illusion (known as Magic Made Fun in Europe, as if magic was inherently boring) came with a special deck of cards to perform many of the game’s tricks. Obviously with the series heading into download territory via the DSiWare service, it’s had to find some new tricks up its sleeves, two of...
Review Stunt Race FX (Super Nintendo)
Racing: Super FX style!
In 1993 the Super FX-enhanced Star Fox brought 3D visuals to the SNES with great effect, so it was a no-brainer that further games would follow. The second game to use the wonder chip came a year later in the form of Stunt Race FX, a cutesy 3D racer from Nintendo that featured a variety of tracks with slopes and bumps across...
Review Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe (DSiWare)
Prepare your mind for a mind explosion!
Hey kids! Do you like magic? Do you like pressing buttons?! Golly, do I have a great game for you! That'll be 200 DSiWare Points, and when we're done here I've got a couple bridges I want you to look at! Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe continues Nintendo's sinister scheme to sell bits and pieces of old...
Review Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)
Lurking in the shadows lies a foreboding adventure
The anticipation surrounding the launch of a new console is among the most exciting moments in a gamer's calendar, and one of the most notable hardware changeovers was between Nintendo's SNES and N64. The significance of the N64 generation is not only the enhancements afforded by an extra 48-bits of...
November2009
Review Reflect Missile (DSiWare)
Bub and Bob would be jealous
When Q-Games boast about their games, it always seems to be PS3's PixelJunk series hogging the limelight, with almost no mention of their other projects. That's a shame, because with their recent remake of Bit Generations title Art Style: Intersect, and now this, they've already got two great download games on Nintendo's...
Review Electroplankton Luminarrow (DSiWare)
Last, but certainly not least.
Electroplankton is a group of unique sound-manipulation applications all bundled together as one DS title. Designed by exhibition artist Toshio Iwai, it is a collective work of art disguised as a game. The title itself has gone on to become a cult hit. With the advent of DSiWare, Nintendo has seen fit to separate the...
Review Electroplankton Marine-Crystals (DSiWare)
Don't eat the yellow plankton.
Electroplankton is a group of unique sound-manipulation applications all bundled together as one DS title. Designed by exhibition artist Toshio Iwai, it is a collective work of art disguised as a game. The title itself has gone on to become a cult hit. With the advent of DSiWare, Nintendo has seen fit to separate the...
Review Electroplankton Varvoice (DSiWare)
Repeat ad nauseum.
Electroplankton is a group of unique sound-manipulation applications all bundled together as one DS title. Designed by exhibition artist Toshio Iwai, it is a collective work of art disguised as a game. The title itself has gone on to become a cult hit. With the advent of DSiWare, Nintendo has seen fit to separate the games and...
Review Electroplankton Sun-Animalcule (DSiWare)
Planting pretty plankton, cultivating undersea chaos.
Electroplankton is a group of unique sound-manipulation applications all bundled together as one DS title. Designed by exhibition artist Toshio Iwai, it is a collective work of art disguised as a game. The title itself has gone on to become a cult hit. With the advent of DSiWare, Nintendo has...
Review Electroplankton Lumiloop (DSiWare)
Harmony without rhythm.
Electroplankton is a group of unique sound-manipulation applications all bundled together as one DS title. Designed by exhibition artist Toshio Iwai, it is a collective work of art disguised as a game. The title itself has gone on to become a cult hit. With the advent of DSiWare, Nintendo has seen fit to separate the games...
Review Super Mario Kart (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Back to the good old days before the blue shell from hell
Less than a year after the Super Nintendo was launched, our pals at Nintendo had the bright idea of taking the Super Mario World universe and squeezing it into a kart-racing game. It sounded like a crazy idea at the time, but they managed to pull it off with style and create an almost...
Review Pokémon Rumble (WiiWare)
Rumble or fumble?
One thing we've learned time and again (sometimes painfully) is that when it comes to WiiWare there's no necessary correlation between quality and cost. Of the most expensive games available, for instance, one of them is arguably the best game on the service, and another is ...not. And so when a new release scurries into view...
Review A Little Bit of... Nintendo Touch Golf (DSiWare)
A hole in one or simply par for the course?
Nintendo's "A Little Bit of..." series of DSiWare releases has received criticism in some quarters for offering severely cut-down versions of full titles at barely reduced prices. Well, A Little Bit of... Nintendo Touch Golf survives the transfer from cartridge to download pretty much intact,...
Review New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
The Super Mario Bros. experience long-time fans have been waiting for
Nintendo has been making Super Mario Bros. games for as long as they've been making game consoles, and after the mammoth success of New Super Mario Bros. on DS, it comes as no real surprise to see them continuing that tradition on the Wii. And while Nintendo have made it clear...
Review Excitebike: World Rally (WiiWare)
Will this remake kick the tires out from under the competition?
Nintendo’s often-overlooked Excite racing series kicks in the turbo and has released not one but two new games this year. This time, the series returns to its roots with a remake of the original NES classic. But with so many other “excite”-ing options to choose from on the Wii, is...
