July2017
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...
Totally off the hook
Going into Splatoon 2 after the excellent first entry in the series, expectations were high; arguably too high to be properly realised. The original showed an incredible level of ingenuity, clever design, and almost boundless creativity, so could the sequel match up or suffer from a case of the Final Fantasy IIs? First off,...
Review Kirby's Blowout Blast (3DS eShop)
A Past from the Blast
After 25 years, the Kirby universe has enough material to fill a Hyrule Historia-like compendium (hint, hint). Many games along the way have added little quirks and abilities to shake things up, but Kirby’s Blowout Blast takes a decidedly throwback approach by channelling the veteran hero’s first game. Blowout Blast strips...
Review Flip Wars (Switch eShop)
Bomberman meets ChuChu Rocket
Flip Wars began as a little project by the name of Project Mekuru, a game developed with the Unity Engine in which players could duke out a war for tile-based dominance while using their own Mii character. Since then its brand has naturally evolved in localisation, but the Miis have been replaced with characters...
June2017
Happily Ever After
Ever Oasis might be a new IP, but it comes from a long and storied pedigree: the brainchild of Secret of Mana creator Koichi Ishii, and developed by Grezzo (of the 3DS Zelda remakes and StreetPass Garden/Flower Town fame), while it certainly reflects the influence of its creators’ earlier works, as a full package it feels fresh...
Mostly armless
For a company that is so often accused of relying too heavily on its existing franchises, Nintendo has been refreshingly open to creating new intellectual properties of late. Splatoon famously came out of nowhere back in 2015 and established Nintendo as a key player in the online shooter genre, and now ARMS is attempting to perform...
May2017
Review Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS)
Alms for the War
Nintendo has a habit of switching things up in sequels, and especially in the NES days that tendency resulted in some gloriously divergent sophomore installments. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link famously swapped overhead adventuring for side-scrolling action, Super Mario Bros. 2 (in the West, at least) exchanged running-and-jumping...
Review BYE-BYE BOXBOY! (3DS eShop)
A fond farewell
Nintendo has been on something of a roll with surprise announcements lately, and one of them was the localisation of the third and final game in the BoxBoy trilogy, BYE-BYE BOXBOY! If you’ve already played the first two games, then this should come as no surprise — BYE-BYE BOXBOY is excellent. If you haven’t played another...
April2017
Review Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Hitting top gear
Opting for enhanced and expanded deluxe / director's cut / remastered / Game of the Year editions of last-gen games is a well-worn tactic in the early days of a new console. Some of the most enjoyable games on PS4 and Xbox One are high quality re-releases, taking a top-notch title and sprucing it up for a new generation with all of...
Review Tank Troopers (3DS eShop)
Destroy everything
Where would video games be without Tanks? Strong and durable, able to blast incoming enemy threats into oblivion and completely flatten any landmark in sight. The sense of fearlessness a tank provides is arguably unrivalled; games about tanks have been prominent throughout the ages. Anyone who has ever played a video game will...
March2017
Review The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U)
Link's latest adventure in its natural home
We've been playing a lot of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, mostly on Nintendo Switch. Yet not everyone is buying into Nintendo's latest hardware yet, and there have been plenty of fair questions around how this game shapes up on its original home - the Wii U. After all, this title was announced...
Review Mario Sports Superstars (3DS)
Jack of all trades, master of none
Ahh sport, the great equalizer of the Mushroom Kingdom. Whether you're a red Toad, a blue Toad, or made entirely out of metal, athletes of all kind are welcome to set aside their differences and gather together in the name of friendly competition. From kart racing to hurdle hopping, Mario and company have had...
Review Snipperclips - Cut it out, together! (Switch eShop)
A snip to pick up
As Nintendo is still in the business of 'concept' hardware, early adopters will have been scoping out what launch games best represent the Switch and its capabilities. 1-2-Switch showcases the Joy-Con controllers rather well, but in our review we shared reservations on whether it's worth the asking price due to questionable...
The Switch's Wii Sports?
Would the Wii have sold over 100 million units had it not come bundled with Wii Sports? It might be a pointless question to ponder more than a decade after launch, but there's no denying that the famous collection of motion-controlled sports titles convinced many a punter to part with their hard-earned cash. It was the ideal...
Review The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
A breathless experience
The Legend of Zelda has always been a franchise that best typifies Nintendo's desire to create memorable, substantial adventures. If Mario is all about precise mechanics and pure enjoyment, Zelda is a series that focuses on storytelling, world-building and classical tropes of good against evil, Hero against returning villain...
February2017
Review Fire Emblem Heroes (Mobile)
Gacha collect 'em all
Nintendo's relationship with mobile games and apps has been slightly awkward to date, as a prolonged period of resistance to the sector eventually turned into a necessary embrace. In its previous efforts on mobile - Miitomo and Super Mario Run - Nintendo has either retained noble intentions (as per the former) or tried to stick...
Review Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World (3DS)
Spinning a good yarn
There have evidently been occasions in recent times when Nintendo started looking at sales figures and picking out projects that deserve a second chance on the 3DS. Yoshi's Woolly World, for its part, is one of a few elite-level 2D platformers on Wii U that stand out as top-notch exponents of the genre. Gorgeous visuals,...
January2017
Has the Pokemon Co. mastered it?
Following on from the amazing success of Pokémon GO comes the next mobile Pokémon game release, with Pokémon Duel - technically, though, this game came out before Pokémon GO due to its release in Japan in April of last year as Pokémon Co-master. We've actually been playing it ever since that original release and...
December2016
Review Super Mario Run (Mobile)
Gives you a run for your money
The news that Nintendo's globally-renowned mascot Mario would be starring in his own smartphone title was, for some, as earth-shattering as learning that the Easter Bunny isn't real. Nintendo entering the mobile arena was hard enough to stomach, but offering up its most famous son as a blood sacrifice for the baying,...
November2016
Review Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS (3DS)
Super Mini Maker
Though it never had much of a chance of matching its predecessor in sales, the 3DS has nevertheless proven to be a valuable hardware hit for Nintendo. Its solid sales have not only defied many gloomy early expectations, but has ensured that it's been a strong platform for vital franchises, from sure-fire hits like the Pokémon main...
Review Pokémon Sun and Moon (3DS)
The difference is night and day
The Pokémon series has been through a lot, and a casual observer would be forgiven for assuming that the developers must be out of fresh ideas after twenty long years. Thankfully people who spend far too much time playing video games, like us and many reading these pages, know better. Enter Pokémon Sun and Moon,...
October2016
Review Rhythm Heaven Megamix (3DS)
One, two!
Things get pretty wacky in Nintendo's Rhythm Heaven series of music games, a proud tradition carried on with splendor in Rhythm Heaven Megamix. You've got lumberjack cats chopping wood, seals rolling around in lovely synchronicity, and an onion in need of facial hair grooming, to name but a few bizarre scenarios served up and played out...
Review Yo-kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits & Fleshy Souls (3DS)
Yo-kai to the past
When Yo-kai Watch arrived in the West (initially North America) in November 2015, it charmed us with its dense and detailed world, frantic touchscreen battle system and off-kilter personality. Although the similarities to Pokemon were overt, Yo-kai Watch still managed to carve out a unique identity and take us on a surprisingly...
Review Paper Mario: Color Splash (Wii U)
Colour us impressed
For any long-running series, innovation is key to keeping fans coming back for more without getting too bored. Gameplay tweaks and changes to the setting can work wonders in refreshing a stale format, but some might argue that if an idea ain't broke, then don't keep trying to fix it. The Paper Mario series has been no stranger to...
Review Mario Party: Star Rush (3DS)
Fall out with your friends on the go
Perhaps indicative of its stature in the grand scheme of things, Mario Party: Star Rush was initially revealed by a throwaway line in a press release at the end of E3 2016's first day. A series more readily associated with home consoles, Star Rush is the second entry in the IP to arrive on 3DS. That may suggest...
