Retro Reviews
Review Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (New 3DS / SNES)
Move over, Maximo
These days, it's in vogue to bemoan Mega Man's absence from the gaming scene. Mega Man, however, is not the only franchise Capcom has forgotten; one of its more egregious crimes is leaving the mighty Knight Arthur himself by the wayside. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts is a classic SNES title and one of the hardest games on the platform...
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...
Metroidless Bounty Huntress
Banpresto always boasted a healthy lineup of anime and manga licensed video games. If you had a favourite series, there would be a good chance if there was a video game counterpart made for your video game console of choice, it was probably released by Banpresto. Of course, getting a western release was easier said than...
Review Mega Man 7 (New 3DS / SNES)
The worst Mega Man is still good
Mega Man 7 is a game that came at the wrong time. By the time of its original 1995 release fans were a bit beleaguered by continued rapid-fire releases, and interest had shifted from the portly robot that could to his slimmer, cooler younger brother - Mega Man X. If you've played one Mega Man game, you'll be...
Review Kaite Tsukutte Asoberu Dezaemon (SNES)
Super shmup construction kit
How would you like to make your own video game? The incredible Super Mario Maker was not the first time a company gave players the tools to produce their own interactive entertainment. In fact, such titles predate the online infrastructure which modern examples of the genre rely on for growth, idea exchange and level...
Review Mario Hoops 3 on 3 (Wii U eShop / DS)
Going for a slam dunk
From his first venture into Karting through to competing in the Olympics, Mario has been spending plenty of time taking part in activities other than Princess saving. In 2007 (European release) Mario and his mates tried their hands at shooting a few hoops on Nintendo DS in Mario Slam Basketball (aka Mario Hoops 3-on-3 in the...
Review Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (New 3DS / SNES)
Awesome ape action
Well, here we are again – ape platforming shenanigans from Rare in a game bearing the lengthy packaging title of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. Thanks to previous Virtual Console releases, all six of Rare's 2D Donkey Kong titles are available on New Nintendo 3DS; with the changing Kong lineup helping to keep...
Review Rendering Ranger: R2 (SNES)
Shoot or Die
Are you familiar with the name Manfred Trenz? How about a company called Rainbow Arts? Perhaps the name Turrican will be more relatable? It all depends on how far back you started playing video games, especially in Europe. All three names warranted attention for Commodore 64 and Amiga owners, since they were synonymous with arcade...
Review Contra III: The Alien Wars (New 3DS / SNES)
Portable blockbuster
The year is 2636 and some aliens have popped over to earth for a visit. At first it seems they are putting on a fancy light show but then buildings start exploding and the alien wars begin! Contra III: The Alien Wars is a run and gun classic full of action as you "attack aggressively" in an attempt to defeat those pesky...
Review Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (SNES)
Never Cling Alone
There are some video games that show up late in a console generation that push boundaries and defy preconceptions on what was considered possible. Resident Evil 4 immediately springs to mind, not only pushing the series to a point Capcom that hasn't been able to match since but also serving as a template to every other game in...
Review Super Punch-Out!! (New 3DS / SNES)
Thinking with your fists
Thanks to the standard Virtual Console suspension and restore point functions any SNES re-release on New Nintendo 3DS can be played in whatever sized chunks are allowed by your free time and battery life. There are, however, some that work particularly well as a handheld title, such as this game - a game so exciting it needs...
Review Midnight 2 (Wii U eShop)
Another round with a square
It's not easy to mix chill with challenge, and yet the Midnight series somehow manages to do a quite decent job of it. Petite Games has brought the twilight golf-like back for another go, providing another round of stages with next to no changes in the formula. Midnight 2 should feel right at home to those who played its...
Review Mario Party DS (Wii U eShop / DS)
Partying alone
For gamers seeking fun with friends Mario Party has long been a good series to visit. Although multiplayer is preferable for the games, there are occasions where you may play alone whether just for practice or because everyone's avoiding you after you mistook that drinking fountain for a bidet. For Mario Party DS (on Wii U at least)...
Hell is the impossibility of reason… but it's very pretty
The Super Nintendo (even in Japan) was marketed as a family friendly system, something easily proven by taking a glance at its excellent game library. Despite that, you can find yourself a few horror gems targeted at a more mature audience that naturally never made it out of Japan. KSS...
Review Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie (SNES)
Now that Star Fox Zero has made transforming space fighters cool again (as if they could be anything but cool, we hear you cry) we take a break from the relentless war raging in the Lylat system and go back to the classic shmup formula on a console that is not all that well known for the genre. Produced by Winky Soft – a studio responsible for a...
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,...
Review Maestro! Jump in Music (DS)
I am the music man
We originally saw Maestro! Jump In Music on DSiWare where it went by the name Maestro! Green Groove. However, you might not be aware of the fact that this digital offering was actually a republished version of the original European physical retail release, which can be hard to come by these days. Despite some notable flaws and the...
Review Pilotwings (New 3DS / SNES)
Enjoyable flying fun
Just as Pilotwings Resort was a good demonstration of the glasses-free 3D visuals offered by the 3DS, the original Pilotwings showcased the impressive (for the time) Mode 7 capabilities of the SNES. This first game in the series is now available as a Virtual Console release for New Nintendo 3DS owners, offering a number of fun...
Review Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (New 3DS / SNES)
Monkey magnificence
After the success of Donkey Kong Country it wasn't particularly surprising that sequels appeared; the first SNES follow-up is now available to New Nintendo 3DS owners, allowing them to enjoy this wonderful platformer on the go. Donkey Kong has been kidnapped, so this time around Diddy has teamed up with Dixie Kong for the...
Review Donkey Kong Country (New 3DS / SNES)
Great Apes
Rare's series of Donkey Kong games mixed impressive visuals with some brilliant platforming action as you ran, jump, swung and swam through a variety of locations defeating those nasty Kremlings, collecting bananas and finding secrets. The Game Boy's three Donkey Kong Land games have previously been re-released via the 3DS Virtual...
Review F-Zero (New 3DS / SNES)
Retro future racing fun.
A launch title for the SNES, F-Zero is a game that showed off the system's Mode 7 visuals, provided great racing action and is now available for New Nintendo 3DS; now you can enjoy the high-speed thrills at home, in the park or in the bathroom. There's a lot of love for the futuristic racing series, but not from Nintendo;...
Review Shodai Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-Kun (SNES)
16-bit barf
If you were to ask kids in the late '80s and early '90s for iconic NES video game characters, alongside the usual gang of Nintendo, Konami and Capcom regulars, you would often hear the name "Alex". No, not our own Alex "Lovely People" Olney - this Alex was none other than the western version of Kunio, the short-tempered high school...
Review City Connection (Wii U eShop / NES)
Missed Connection
If you don't remember City Connection, we wouldn't blame you. In 1985, arcades in the U.S. and elsewhere were booming in popularity, and as a result that particular industry was rather strong. This title came to NES owners a little later, however, releasing in the middle of 1988. It looks and feels like a relic of a bygone era, and...
Review Super Mario Kart (New 3DS / SNES)
Classic karting on the small screen
Many Mario Karts later it can be a little disorientating to go back to where it all began. Each cup has five races. Laps are short, but there are five of them. Item boxes are squares laid flat on the ground and put out of use after you've run over them. The CPU characters don't collect items at all, but have a...
Review The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (New 3DS / SNES)
A gem from the past
With A Link Between Worlds, 3D versions of the Nintendo 64 games and a number of other titles available via the Virtual Console and backwards compatibility, 3DS owners are not exactly short of main series Zelda games to play on their machine. For those with one of the New Nintendo 3DS models The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the...
Review Hyrule Warriors Legends (New 3DS / 3DS)
A Link in your pocket
The original Hyrule Warriors was a solid if slightly forgettable attempt at fusing the worlds Zelda and Koei Tecmo's Musou series, and despite its occasionally repetitive gameplay managed to alleviate fears that it would be little more than a shameless cash-in. Now, with the 3DS badly in need of top-drawer software as it...
Review Super Metroid (New 3DS / SNES)
Superb Metroid
Nintendo has certainly brought out the big guns for the opening salvo of SNES games on the New Nintendo 3DS, with classic game after classic game arriving on the portable. It won't last and there may even be mediocre spin-offs or complete dross in the future, but for now New 3DS owners should enjoy the brilliance that is Super...
Review Advance Wars: Dual Strike (Wii U eShop / DS)
War has twice before been this much fun
Intelligent Systems' long-running Famicom Wars series didn't arrive in the west until the release of Advance Wars on the Game Boy Advance, but the colourful turn-based tactical gameplay quickly acquired many fans. A GBA sequel arrived, followed by this DS entry. Like the two proceeding GBA instalments Advance...
Review Fire Emblem: Mystery Of The Emblem (SNES)
All Hail Prince Marth! (Yes, that Marth)
Ask any western gamer who Marth is and they will quickly reply something along the lines of "That cool sword-wielding guy from Super Smash Bros." - something that is understandable since the Fire Emblem series that began all the way back to 1990 on the Famicom only reached the West in 2003. But behind his...
Review EarthBound (New 3DS / SNES)
This game smells lovely
Well here's a treat for New Nintendo 3DS owners: EarthBound! Back on the SNES, this second instalment of Shigesato Itoi's much-loved Mother series only received a western release in North America (where it sold poorly). Buying a second-hand copy for silly money was most people's only option until the Wii U came to the rescue,...
