3DS Game Reviews
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...
Review Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop (3DS)
Crack crack crack the egg into the bowl
Of all the heroes of the DS’ Touch Generations era, Office Create’s Cooking Mama has been one of the most enduring — and prolific. Starting out from her humble beginnings as a short-order chef, using quick WarioWare-style touchscreen minigames to simulate the in-kitchen experience, she’s expanded...
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 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 Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns (3DS)
A tale of three cities
In recent times the legal environment of the Harvest Moon series has become a bit muddled. Starting in 2014, XSeed Games began localizing the latest games in the series under the name Story of Seasons, due to the fact that Natsume owns the IP rights to the Harvest Moon franchise. So, although the Harvest Moon series continues...
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,...
Review Dragon Ball Fusions (3DS)
Better together
There have been many Dragon Ball games over the years, and one universal truth exists: they seem to get better as time goes by. Early efforts on the SNES, Mega Drive, PlayStation and Saturn left a bad taste in the mouths of series fans, but lately Bandai Namco's Dragon Ball Xenoverse sub-series has redressed the balance neatly...
Review Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (3DS)
Return of the King
In addition to a steady stream of top-quality games, the 3DS' RPG library is filled with the sort of lifetime achievements most consoles can only dream of: a hat trick of Monster Hunters, two to four Fire Emblems (depending on your perspective), scores of Shin Megami Tensei titles, and enough Etrian Odysseys to field a curling...
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,...
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Corpse Party is one of those experiences that's an acquired taste; you won't be entirely sure if you like it or not at first, but keep trying it. A game such as this is less about raw gameplay and more about an engrossing story and atmosphere, which it has in spades. There may be some frustrations in the gameplay formula that can rip...
Review Disney Magical World 2 (3DS)
Disney World in your own home... sort of
What happens when you combine life in a fantasy world, lots of the most recognisable fictional characters on the planet, some bonus magic, sparkles and cheery songs into a tiny 3DS cartridge? Theoretically, the answer you're looking for is "success". Luckily in the case of Disney Magical World 2 this is also...
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 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...
Review River City: Tokyo Rumble (3DS)
Straight out of the '80s
River City Ransom was a fantastic NES brawler that - in many ways - was a pioneer for the then-fledgling genre, and has gone on to achieve something of a cult following. It was actually part of the much larger Kunio-kun series, though this perhaps wasn't so easy to keep track of due to spotty localization and a lack of...
Review Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (3DS)
Lukewarm
Sonic the Hedgehog is a mascot still loved by many, but which is continually fighting to hit top form once again. The Sonic Boom spin-off franchise is an interesting case and point - despite a successful animated series and a reasonable 3DS platformer, in the eyes of some it'll remain tainted by a shoddy Wii U game. That's not entirely...
Review Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse (3DS)
Waiting for the End of the World
Whether you know it from its earliest Famicom days, the immensely popular PlayStation-bound Persona spinoffs, or crossover efforts like Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, ATLUS' Shin Megami Tensei is one of gaming's most enduring and recognizable series, full of top-shelf JRPGs with deep combat systems and intriguing...
Review Picross 3D Round 2 (3DS)
Pleasantly puzzling
A wise gentleman once said that every puzzle has a solution. In Picross 3D Round 2, finding those answers may have players tearing out their hair while simultaneously cracking a smile. Picross 3D Round 2 is a game that is as addictive as they come. Like its predecessor puzzles are in 3D (as the name so helpfully points out) and...
Review Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (3DS)
Islands in the Sun
Whether you know it as Dragon Quest or Dragon Warrior, Yuji Horii's enduring role-playing series has been delighting fans and inspiring adventurers consistently since 1986. Like its Square-Enix stablemate Final Fantasy, each Dragon Quest is a standalone story, with shared elements and lore connecting it to other entries; in...
Review Zero Time Dilemma (3DS)
Closing time
Imagine you're out jogging, near home, on your usual route. You come to a fork in the path where you always turn right, but just before you do you spot a snail making its way across the sidewalk. You swerve left to avoid it, and head down the left route for the first time. What would you find there? What could happen to you? How could...
Review Metroid Prime: Federation Force (3DS)
Samus Who?
For the past three decades Nintendo's Metroid saga has given players the chance to explore a vast science fiction universe filled with lore, wonders and hazards from the perspective of the one and only Samus Aran, the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter. As such, it's easy to forget that all her struggles form but a small part of a huge,...
Review Disney Art Academy (3DS)
Whistle while you work
If you're an artistic soul, there's a good chance the Art Academy series has something to offer. These titles have been a great resource for learning artistic techniques and offer a digital atelier for you to explore your creativity. Years of entries have allowed the series to hone an already strong foundation upon which to...
Review Metroid Prime: Blast Ball (3DS)
Dropping the ball
Ever since its initial announcement, Metroid Prime: Federation Force has been fighting an uphill battle. After a hiatus for the Metroid series, some fans were expecting something a bit more back-to-basics than a co-op shooter with a chibi artstyle set in the Metroid Prime universe. While there's still a week left at the time of...
Review Langrisser Re:Incarnation Tensei (3DS)
Languid
With a string of well-loved strategy RPGs spanning the glory days of the Mega Drive, Super Famicom and Sega Saturn, Masaya's Langriser is a storied series. Its unique art style, large-scale battles and Germanic-inspired lore earned it a passionate following; now, nearly two decades after 1998's Langrisser V, Aksys has delivered a new entry...
Review Monster Hunter Generations (3DS)
One to sink your teeth into
Monster Hunter Generations is, at its core, a celebratory release. With the franchise now past a decade old and starting to make notable sales progress in the West, this entry combines areas and characters from across those ten years with some new ideas. Nintendo gamers that have been following the series since Monster...
Review 7th Dragon III Code: VFD (3DS)
Very Fine Dragons
3DS owners have watched the pocket-sized portable become something of a treasure trove of JRPGs over the past few years; ATLUS in particular has showered the system with Etrian Odyssey and Shin Megami Tensei titles, Square-Enix introduced the Bravely series, and Nintendo's stepped back up to the plate in helping to publish...
Review Mike the Knight and The Great Gallop (3DS)
The Modest Trot
Mike the Knight and the Great Gallop is unashamedly a game for the young 'uns. Based on the animated TV show it consists of an original storyline played out over nine mini-games; these are interspersed with cut-scenes depicting Mike's adventure complete with a whimsical narrator. Jumping straight in, our story centres on young Mike...
Review Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)
A new technological age for Kirby
While some franchises have a 'one per generation' rule, others seem somewhat more spontaneous - factors such as development progress and sales can be more important to their fate. So when Kirby: Triple Deluxe provided a strong 3DS début as a fairly traditional adventure with the Pink One, HAL Laboratory seemingly...
Review SEGA 3D Classics Collection (3DS)
New Age nostalgia
For millions of kids around the world in the late '80s through the '90s, there was no greater debate than SEGA vs Nintendo. Schoolyards were home to impassioned debates about which company's box was the best. Everyone knows who won the war long term, but few know of some of the truly classic titles SEGA fans enjoyed during those...
