February2018
Review Bayonetta (Switch eShop)
Every witch way
With Bayonetta 3 teased as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, it’s finally time for the sassy Umbra Witch to cartwheel a flurry of bullets onto the hybrid handheld hardware in anticipation. Much like Bayonetta 2, the original instalment in the action-adventure series has been retooled for Switch, and while this isn’t first time the...
Review Dragon Quest Builders (Switch)
Crafting your own destiny
Having spent plenty of time questing, building and defending its virtual settlements on myriad other platforms - including fellow portable, PlayStation Vita - Dragon Quest Builders has finally brought its masonry wares to Nintendo Switch. Question is, can Square-Enix’s genre mashup add anything new to the handheld’s...
January2018
Review Pokémon Crystal (3DS eShop / GBC)
Crystal clear
Akin to Pokémon Yellow's existence to Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon Crystal is the next critter-catching adventure to round-off a generation of main series, handheld Pokémon games – that being Pokémon Gold and Silver. But what could Crysta
December2017
Review Arcade Archives VS. Super Mario Bros. (Switch eShop)
Super Mario Bros. rejigged
Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. in 1985, making a lot of people very happy due to the superb platforming action it provided and selling a lot of NES systems in the process. Numerous sequels have followed, but that first game has remained available on various machines over the years, sometimes adding things like updated...
Expanding the great adventure
Nintendo recently dropped the second DLC pack (and final part of the Expansion Pass) for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the most beloved games. For many it's been the addition we've been waiting for, offering new story content and a fresh dungeon in addition to the now-standard add-ons in the forms of...
November2017
Review Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch)
Is the Switch feeling it?
It seems so long ago now, but the latter half of the Wii lifespan had an overarching tale focused on localisation. Fans in the West kicked off 'Operation Rainfall' when it was clear that three intriguing Nintendo-published games would be Japan-only. Eventually they made their way to the West, and of the three titles...
Review Snipperclips Plus: Cut it out, together! (Switch)
Still a snip to pick up
When the Switch launched in March three games were picked by a hefty percentage of early adopters - pretty much everyone bought The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, plenty purchased 1-2-Switch despite some sensing they were potentially making a mistake, and the most successful download title was Snipperclips - Cut it out,...
Review Nintendo Presents: New Style Boutique 3 - Styling Star (3DS)
We're so style savvy
Paris. London. Milan. Kyoto? That’s right; while fashion industry hotshots and hopefuls tuned in to expos and trade shows in the Big Three, for many others, 2017’s haute couture highlight was delivered in a Nintendo Direct from the heart of Kansai: the announcement of New Style Boutique 3: Styling Star. Syn Sophia’s Style...
Review Mario Party: The Top 100 (3DS)
Relive the friendship ending memories
Just because a game has a great concept, doesn’t mean the end product will be the same. Mario Party: The Top 100 is an incredible idea on paper. With over a dozen titles released and a combined total of over eight hundred minigames, this series has been long overdue for some kind of compilation; it’s...
Review Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (Mobile)
Relax and stay a while
It’s still hard to comprehend a series as obscure yet mundane as Animal Crossing has had so much success since its inception. Apart from minor similarities to The Sims and Harvest Moon, the concept of the original game wasn’t really akin to any other title available on the market at the time of its release. Unlike the...
Review Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (3DS)
Ultra fantastic
Just like games such as Pokémon Emerald was to Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, or Pokémon Crystal was to Pokémon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are intended to be the definitive ve
Review Kirby Battle Royale (3DS)
With added cheese
When Nintendo confirmed a 'multiplayer-focused' Kirby title plenty speculated over the approach it would take, but Kirby Battle Royale ultimately delivers a rather predictable spin-off release. What we have, once you get past an initial introduction that suggests a different style entirely, is a minigame collection, one...
October2017
Review Super Mario Odyssey - A Globe-Trotting Extravaganza You Have To Experience
Odys-sey is what you get
For some gamers the idea of a ‘sandbox’ Mario game is pure retro. Super Mario 64 played a big part in revolutionising gaming, not just 3D platforming, and then Super Mario Sunshine took the idea in some interesting new directions on GameCube. Yet the Wii was a transformative console in taking Nintendo back to the top of...
Review Fire Emblem Warriors (New 3DS)
Nobody gets left behind
Fire Emblem Warriors has already impressed us with its mix of real-time combat and tactical planning on Switch, and given the current popularity of that console it's easy to forget that the game has also come to the New Nintendo 3DS. While you'd be forgiven for overlooking this entry altogether, it's important to...
Review Fire Emblem Warriors (Switch)
Bonded blades
Koei Tecmo's Warriors franchise – also known by its Japanese title of "Musou" – has fans the world over, but we'd be willing to bet that quite a few of the people who picked up the superb Hyrule Warriors on Wii U and 3DS had never played any of the previous entries. Combing the hack-and-slash gameplay of the series with the lore of...
Review Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy (3DS)
A pleasing puzzle solution
The Professor Layton series was an endearing part of the DS and 3DS generation, spawning six main-series titles and a spin-off with Ace Attorney. After that point Level-5 called it a day on the puzzle solving gentleman, no doubt concerned about the IP losing its freshness and a general decline in sales. It was a sad...
Review Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions (3DS)
A classic for the ages
Nintendo's portable gaming has a special place in the industry, a challenge the company will need to tackle in the years to come should it stick with a single 'hybrid' device in the form of the Switch. Nintendo's dedicated handhelds have consistently had games unique to that on-the-go space, with the Mario & Luigi series...
September2017
Review Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters (3DS)
The Boos are Back in Town
Level-5’s Yo-Kai Watch drew plenty of comparisons to Pokémon when it first came West, thanks to its monster-gathering mechanics and playground appeal, but it really started to resemble Nintendo’s Pocket Monster powerhouse with the split release of its 2016 sequel: Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy...
Review Arcade Archives Mario Bros. (Switch eShop)
Sibling rivalry
While we Switch owners continue to cross our arms and stamp our feet as we wait impatiently for the merest sniff of news regarding a Virtual Console service, it’s worth noting that Nintendo has given the nod for something that could be of greater importance to those with a keen interest in the company’s past. Hamster...
Every McCloud has a silver lining
It's hard to believe that sat here in 2017, we're actually getting the chance to review Star Fox 2. The Super FX-powered SNES swan-song has gone down in gaming folklore as a perfect example of Nintendo's ruthless approach to the video game business. When faced with the possibility that it could be compared...
Review Pokkén Tournament DX (Switch)
Nintendo used Double-Dip!
The unholy lovechild of Tekken and Pokémon, Pokkén Tournament caused quite a stir when it was first announced, yet Bandai Namco's one-on-one fighter exceeded expectations when it eventually arrived on the Wii U last year following a successful run in arcades. Given that almost all Pokémon games focus on...
Review Monster Hunter Stories (3DS)
Pocket Monsters
Capcom’s Monster Hunter series has become something of a runaway success since its 2004 debut on the PlayStation 2, reaching millions of players on various platforms, and spawning an explosion of similar games in the ‘Hunter’ mold. Action RPGs with a focus on multiplayer teamwork and lengthy battles against massive monsters,...
Review Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)
Welcome back
You know, there’s a reason why they call it 'Metroidvania' and not 'Castletroid'. As much as the Castlevania series took the whole ‘interconnected 2D map’ ball and ran with it over the past decade while Metroid fans had to do without, it’s Nintendo’s series that first defined the rules and, when handled properly, did it best...
July2017
RPMii Maker
Nintendo’s endlessly endearing Mii characters have been one of the most enduring creations of the Wii era; from their earliest days as Wii Sports athletes and player avatars, they’ve gone on to star in StreetPass and Nintendo Land, soar through the air in Pilotwings Resort, race in Mario Kart 8, and even battle it out in Sup
Throwing the game
Pikmin, as a franchise, is arguably a mid-tier IP for Nintendo - perhaps not in terms of quality, but it is nevertheless refused the same priority and release frequency as other highly successful and profitable Nintendo brands. The Wii / DS generation passed with nothing but re-releases, before Pikmin 3 gave us a timely...