Pokémon Reviews
Review Pokémon Gold And Silver (3DS eShop / GBC)
Golden oldies
Pokémon Gold and Silver are the second generation instalments in the Pokémon series; released at the turn of the millennium, the games arrived just a few short years after their predecessors, Pokémon Red and Blue. Boasting a whole new world to explore, 100 new monsters (bringing the total to 251), and an entirely new cast of...
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 Pokémon: Magikarp Jump (Mobile)
Super weak or beloved Pokémon?
In one of the more unusual turns for Pokémon, the new mobile game Pokémon: Magikarp Jump has been released on mobile devices in a gradual international rollout. This game is developed by Select Button and is a Pokémon-themed spin on its game Survive! Mola Mola. The task? Raise a Magikarp to be as strong as it can...
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...
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,...
Review Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS)
The sky's the limit
Though the core series still delivers by far the most popular kind of Pokémon games, the Mystery Dungeon series has still done a good job of establishing its own identity and setting itself apart. As the third and final game in the DS set of games for the series, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky provides a charming...
Review Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (Wii U eShop / DS)
New features and more circle-capture adventures
The Oblivia region has tidy beaches, clear seas and lots of sunshine; it's a pleasant place to be whether a human or one of the many free-roaming Pokémon. Things have changed recently, however, with many Pokémon abducted by a villainous gang known as the Pokémon Pinchers (no, really) and it's up to...
The very best?
We might as well come right out and say it: Pokémon GO is a genuine phenomenon, one of those rare moments in video game history (think Pac-Man, Donkey Kong or Tetris) where the entire population of the planet seems to be hooked. That might sound like the most extreme hyperbole imaginable - especially when you consider that the...
Review Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (Wii U eShop / DS)
New region, new Pokémon, similar circling action
During the Pokémon Ranger games you spend a lot of time wandering around catching Pokémon. Captures are different from the main series, however, as Poké Balls are ditched in favour of Capture Stylers, requiring you to use the touch screen to draw circles around the Pokémon with your stylus. The...
Review Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition (3DS eShop / GBC)
First generation Pokéfun. IN COLOR!
Twenty years since the franchise began and after numerous games, TV episodes, movies, trading cards and plush toys, Nintendo has given Pokémon fans a chance to travel back to where it all began with Virtual Console releases of the first Game Boy titles. 3DS owners can purchase the original Red or Blue versions,...
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Review Pokkén Tournament (Wii U)
Nintendo used Smash Hit. It's super effective!
Pokkén Tournament: it's not quite what a select few may have imagined when they dared to concoct a Pokémon / Tekken crossover game in the recesses of their wildest dreams, but few had even considered such a ludicrous idea until it actually came to fruition. Nevertheless, it's a real thing that...
Review Pokémon Ranger (Wii U eShop / DS)
Gotta circle ‘em all!
Welcome to the Fiore region, a relaxed place where Pokémon are free from Poké Balls, able to roam around in the wild or stay as someone's pet if they've taken a liking to a particularly snug blanket. You are the newest recruit to the Rangers, a group of dedicated (but often dull) individuals who provide help to citizens or...
Review Pokémon Red and Blue (3DS / GB)
Twenty years ahead of their time
When these games were released back in the late nineties, the air around younger Game Boy owners was one of excitement and rivalry. Nintendo is clearly trying to capitalise on the nostalgia factor for all of us who were within the target age group (and some who weren't) when these titles were originally released,...
Review Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (Wii U eShop / DS)
Pokécrawler: Blue
Many Pokémon are finding themselves in trouble and it's up to you and your rescue team to go and save them in this dungeon crawling spin-off from Chunsoft. Released for the DS in 2006, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team sees you fighting ill-tempered Pokémon as you search a randomly generated floor for the staircase that...
Review Pokémon Picross (3DS eShop)
Pika-p and play
During the Nintendo Direct in November one of the surprise announcements was Pokémon Picross. It seemed like a bizarre idea, but crossing over the Pokémon franchise with the quirky Picross series is precisely what the somewhat stagnant puzzle series needed, adding a considerable amount of replayability and strategy onto the...
Review Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon (3DS)
Gotta recruit 'em all
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon is very much a rollercoaster ride, frequently oscillating between highs and lows. Just when you think you can't bear the tedium any longer something interesting happens that pulls you right back in. On the other hand, just when things are starting to get good it levels off and you're forced to...
Review Pokémon Rumble World (3DS eShop)
Diamonds and Pearls
One of many spin-offs to come out of Nintendo's Pokémon phenomenon, the Rumble series takes toy versions of Game Freak's famous monsters and throws them into simple, action-packed beat-'em-ups. The 3DS has already played host to Pokémon Rumble Blast, but following in the free-to-play footsteps of the recently released Pokémon...
Review Pokémon Shuffle (3DS eShop)
Hoenn Hustle
Pokémon have been puzzling ever since the Johto days, when Pokémon Puzzle Challenge married the block-flipping gameplay of Panel de Pon with Game Freak's charming, collectable characters. It's a formula that's stuck, with Denpa Men developer Genius Sonority heading up the most recent series of Poké-puzzle combinations, including...
Review Pokémon Puzzle Challenge (3DS eShop / GBC)
Pokémon! Blocks! What more do you need?
The eShop is rife with puzzle games, and it’s understandable as to why; they’re fairly simple in design and can provide a huge amount of entertainment to an incredibly broad audience. Some of them can be a little bit monotonous or shameless clones of another game, but you’ll sometimes find something...
Review Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Not just a load of balls
Following on from the highly enjoyable Pokémon Pinball on the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color, Nintendo released a successor to coincide with the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Now, with Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire firmly secured by many a 3DS owner, Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
Review Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (3DS)
A Mega Evolution
When Nintendo announced that the third generation of Pokémon games would finally be getting re-made for the Nintendo 3DS, many fans could barely contain their excitement; yet after the truly excellent Pokémon X & Y, what could Game Freak do — besides feed nostalgia — to possibly improve upon it? It seems the Poké-dev...
Review Pokémon Art Academy (3DS)
Make Smeargle proud by sketching Fletchling
Since we first put stylus to touchscreen on the original DS, Nintendo's handhelds have made full use of the unique interface by allowing us to interact with games in a whole new way. Some ideas have worked better than others, but the natural act of scribbling or doodling shapes, in particular, has never...
Review Pokémon Link: Battle! (3DS eShop)
Match maker
DS title Pokémon Link — known as Pokémon Trozei in North America — was a fine example of how Nintendo has been able to diversify and expand the franchise in different directions. This download-only sequel — once again developed by Genius Sonority — continues that trend, but has more monsters to catch, locations to explore and...
Evolution or revolution?
Do you remember that first time you rushed home with the latest copy of Pokémon, gleefully slotting it into your handheld and dreaming of becoming the next Pokémon Master? Everything was new, fresh and exciting. Every time that pixelated grass flickered and you encountered another never-seen-before monster you held your...
Review Pokémon Rumble U (Wii U eShop)
Wind me up
Nintendo has never been afraid to spin one of its biggest money makers, Pokémon, off into various weird and wonderful directions in between the mainline RPGs that are the franchise's bread and Butterfree. There have been puzzle games, the delightful safari of Pokémon Snap and, perhaps strangest of all, a crossover with Nobunaga's...
Review Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (3DS)
Neverending story
With the Pokémon series nearly ready to celebrate its 18th birthday next year, some of its many spin-offs have become enduring gaming traditions in their own right. The Mystery Dungeon games are a prime example, combining classic roguelike dungeon crawling with the endless appeal of playing as Pokémon, and as the series' first...
