September2009
Review Art Academy: First Semester (DSiWare)
Paint Misbehavin'
Much moreso than WiiWare, DSiWare has seen a significant number of non-game releases. Applications, utilities, programs...call them what you will, but they're not games, and they've not been exactly welcomed universally, either. Art Academy may well be poised to change that, not least because they've selected as their focus...
Review Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
Is the third time the charm for the Mario & Luigi series?
After years of hearing Super Mario RPG fans clamor for a sequel, Nintendo put developer AlphaDream to work creating a new Mario-themed RPG for their Game Boy Advance system back in 2003. But instead of copying the same ideas used in the original Super Mario RPG, AlphaDream came up with the...
Review 2-in-1 Solitaire (DSiWare)
Like a deck of cards, only smaller...
As you'd expect from a 200 point version of Solitaire, you're not exactly going to be blown away by all the options on offer here. You've got Spider and Klondike versions of the card game, and they both have two initial difficulty settings to choose from, so once you've made your selections on both screens...
Review Professor Layton and Pandora's Box (DS)
Is Professor Layton's second adventure the worthy sequel fans are hoping for?
After the success of the first Professor Layton release on the DS, it should come as no surprise that we'd get a sequel. The game's unique blend of mystery storytelling and brain-teasing puzzles somehow forms one of the most unique and engrossing gaming experiences...
Review Clubhouse Games Express: Family Favorites (DSiWare)
Another stripped-down retail release for DSiWare
Nintendo seems to have a penchant for taking their DS retail releases and cutting them up into bits and selling them on the DSiWare service. So it should come as no surprise that they're at it again with this second release in the Clubhouse Games Express series. This time around, they're offering up...
Review Dictionary 6 in 1 with Camera Function (DSiWare)
Oh, what's the word? Ah yes - "exiguous"!
First things first – this is not a dictionary in the traditional sense of the word. Not a single entry here comes with a definition or any usage guidelines, just a list of the equivalent words in five other languages. What we have here is more of a word bank, and sadly not a hugely in-depth one at that...
August2009
Is Fossil Fighters a worthy new IP or really just a prehistoric Pokemon?
Nintendo is constantly looking to expand their horizons when it comes to new IPs, and you'd have to think that was their intention when they brought Red Entertainment's newest title Fossil Fighters on board as a first-party release. The game takes fossil hunting and builds an...
Review Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)
A must-play anthology
It took eight years, a group of Texans and a whole new perspective for Samus Aran, space bounty hunter extraordinaire, to return to consoles after Super Metroid. Seven years and three acclaimed games later, Metroid Prime Trilogy puts Samus' Phazon encounters in one slick anthology that newcomers shouldn't miss, but does it...
A decent game sullied mainly by its overshadowing predecessor
Following a critically-acclaimed title like Yoshi's Island, the immediate question that most will ask after learning the existence of Yoshi's Island DS will be: is it better than the original? Actually, scratch that: anyone who has played through the sublime SNES platformer will know what...
Review Pilotwings (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Soar like an eagle
Sometimes games deserve second chances. Let us tell you a story... A long time ago in a television studio far, far away, a member of our team took part in an episode of Games World, Hewland's Gamesmaster clone shown on Sky 1 in the UK. Everything was going great until the semi-final, when the skydiving stage from Pilotwings came...
Review PictureBook Games: Pop-Up Pursuit (WiiWare)
Feeling board? You will be!
If there's one thing WiiWare spotlights so well, it's the beauty of simplicity. Many of its best releases (World of Goo, Toki Tori, Art Style: Orbient) are deceptively deep showcases for simple - yet addictive - concepts. PictureBook Games: Pop-Up Pursuit, however, reminds us all that simplicity without a strong...
Review The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Game Boy)
A treasured classic and the absolute pinnacle of Game Boy gaming.
There were initially some concerns that the gameplay experiences on the Game Boy system might end up being a bit too shallow. Fortunately, that notion was put to rest early on with some of the outstanding releases for the system. Of course no title would shatter that misconception...
Review Sujin Taisen Number Battles (DSiWare)
Swap your Shuriken for a stylus and get ready to play!
Sujin Taisen: Number Battles is a digital rerelease of the Japanese title, Suujin Taisen, which was released on Nintendo DS over two years ago in Japan. The game combines elements of classic games such as Mah-jong and Dominoes and mixes them with strategy elements to create a deeply rewarding...
Review Flipnote Studio (DSiWare)
A DSiWare application that you'll definitely flip over!
It's no secret that Flipnote Studio has been one of the most anticipated DSiWare releases to date. The application has been described as like having your own portable animation studio right in the palm of your hands. Not only can you draw sketches and import photos, but you can then use the...
Review Rock N' Roll Climber (WiiWare)
Does this rock climbing simulation really rock?
When word came down that Giles Goddard, the man who had a hand in creating such legendary game titles as Starfox and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was creating a WiiWare title, speculation began growing as to what type of game it could actually be. So to say it was shocking when it was announced...
Even more fun with numbers!
Mario's Picross was a very nice attempt at making a Mario game based on Picross puzzles (Or nonograms, as they're sometimes called), but there were a few shortcomings - the biggest of which was that most puzzles just weren't really hard. With a maximum size of 15x15, the game's "toughest" puzzles just didn't...
Review Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters (DSiWare)
Brain Age: Arts & Letters manages to capture the brain teasing appeal of the retail releases, just in a smaller dose.
Nintendo's Brain Age releases have already been hugely successful for their DS system, so it should come as no real surprise to see them releasing small groups of these exercises as individual DSiWare releases on their fledgling...
Review City Transport Map Volumes 1 & 2 - 2009 (DSiWare)
Now you have no excuse for getting lost on a city break.
City Transport Map Volumes 1 & 2 contains ten travel maps in total and offers a selection of detailed routes for trains, subways, trams and airport shuttles. The maps vary in size depending on the city and different transport methods and specific lines can be highlighted via the touch...
July2009
Review A Little Bit of... Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training Sudoku (DSiWare)
The best Sudoku experience on DSiWare yet?
The DSi is quickly becoming the place to be for Sudoku fans with three different titles already available on the service – a fair amount considering the overall amount of games currently released. “A little Bit of…Brain Training Sudoku” is the latest game in the genre and is of course taken from the...
Review 3D Tetris (Virtual Boy)
It’s Tetris. On the Virtual Boy. Again.
Perhaps one of the strangest things about the Virtual Boy is that it had two Tetris games. OK there are many systems with multiple versions of Tetris but they were around a lot longer than Virtual Boy was. Interestingly--though this would have changed had the system been around longer--each region only got...
Review Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Super Nintendo)
Perhaps the greatest platformer of all-time.
When remembering the great games of the past, our thoughts tend to drift towards the revolutionary titles; the literal game-changers. And any gamer worth a darn knows that the indisputable king of these wonderful permutations is Shigeru Miyamoto. The man's M.O. is completely altering the landscape of...
Review Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
Is Wii Sports Resort the worthy sequel fans of the original have been waiting for?
When Nintendo needed a showpiece for the unique motion control system of their upcoming Wii console, their developers came up with the original Wii Sports title that was eventually packed in with the system. Needless to say, it's become one of the most beloved titles...
Review A Little Bit of... Puzzle League (DSiWare)
A bit of a rehash, but a good rehash nonetheless.
The Puzzle League or “Panel de Pon” series as it is known in Japan is one of the lesser-known Nintendo flagship gaming series. Over the years the game has appeared under various guises coupling well-known characters from both Pokémon and the Super Mario titles. “Planet Puzzle League,”...
Review Smash Table Tennis (Virtual Console / NES)
Smash Table Tennis delivers a backhand to your wallet.
Sometimes, you just have to wonder who at Nintendo is in charge of the Virtual Console game selection. Perhaps it's one of those people who, when unable to decide what to do, throws a dart at a dartboard with possible "options" on it in order to come to a decision. That almost has to...
Simple name. Simple game?
The Virtual Boy's Golf places you on to an 18-hole course as you compete against 47 opponents to try and win the tournament. That's pretty much it. Compared to, say, the latest Tiger Woods MotionPlus offering it doesn’t offer much, but does the opportunity to tee-off in 3D make it worth a try? Perhaps more than any other...
