3DS Game Reviews
Review Lord Of Magna: Maiden Heaven (3DS)
Domestic Bliss
When Rune Factory developer Neverland sadly shut up shop in 2013, there was still one project left on the table - a brand new story-driven SRPG named Lord of Magna. It lay unfinished until Marvelous miraculously reassembled part of the original team to finish the game, and we're lucky they did; it's not perfect, but with fun battles,...
Review Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 (3DS)
Live by the sword, grind by the sword
Koei's hack and slash franchise returns to Nintendo platforms with Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 – a title that provides a more personal touch when it comes to retelling the events of Japanese history. This is a game that's largely about your own custom made character, as you follow a mostly historically...
We'd prefer Lasagne Sim 2016
Mario Kart has gone from strength to strength over the years, and many of us have our own personal favourite entries in this superb series; as Mario Kart has evolved, so have rival Kart games from other developers. There have been some notable successes; Diddy Kong Racing and Crash Team Racing spring to mind, but head...
Review Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains (3DS)
Sie Sind Das Spiel, Und Wir Sind Die Spieler!
When Attack on Titan hit the anime airwaves in 2013, it became an instant phenomenon. Originally a manga by Hajime Isayama, its popularity spawned several spin-off series, light novels, an upcoming live-action film, and even a rather creative photography trend. With intense action and a dystopian,...
Review Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (3DS)
Enter the dragon
At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking that Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition is no more than a colour-matching puzzle game with fancy visuals, and whilst there is certainly a level of truth to that, the grander picture is something quite different. To start off with Puzzle &...
Review Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker (3DS)
Dial D for Demons
The original Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor - a game in the grand tradition of titles cleverly acronym'd to reference Nintendo's dual-screened handheld - represented a new take on Atlus' long-running Shin Megami Tensei games, combining the series' modern setting and demon-taming mechanics with tactical, strategy-RPG gameplay...
Review LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin (3DS)
Left in the dark
At this point, "Oh, look! Another LEGO game!" is a phrase that can only be said with genuine excitement or seething, bitter sarcasm. Regular releases in the LEGO series of video games have become such a constant in the industry that these action-adventure titles are on the verge of becoming a genre of their own. Not to leave the...
Review Etrian Mystery Dungeon (3DS)
Sharing the Wonder
Since its début back in the DS days, ATLUS' Etrian Odyssey series has been well-represented in the West, with every main entry, an ongoing run of 'Untold' story-driven remakes and the magnificent mashup Persona Q all making their way to eager European and American gamers. The Mystery Dungeon games - while equally well-known in...
Review Fossil Fighters: Frontier (3DS)
Adventure's right around the bend
On paper, Fossil Fighters might appear to be little more than a Pokémon clone. It's a series about reviving dinosaurs — called vivosaurs — from fossilized remains and pitting them in turn-based battles against other dinosaurs. But even though the formula is undoubtedly similar, Fossil Fighters makes a solid...
Rewriting the story
Have you ever wanted to leave it all? Just pack your bags, move to a completely new place and start a brand new life? If you've ever wanted to see what it's like to start fresh, now is your chance with the release of Marvelous' latest farming simulation title, Story of Seasons. As was outlined in our recent review of
Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube764k Watch on YouTube Review Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (3DS)
Lost, but not missed
The Harvest Moon series has had a bit of a confusing production history, but the good news is that we're here to help you out with the basics. Originally created and developed by the now defunct Victor Entertainment Software until its acquisition in 2003, the Harvest Moon series has since been produced by Marvelous AQL. Though...
Review Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)
Join the steam team
Nintendo is known for its extensive library of beloved characters, most of which appear in multiple titles on a regular basis; so when an internally developed new intellectual property comes along, there's reason to be excited. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., a third-person shooter/turn-based strategy title by Intelligent Systems - best...
Review Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends (3DS)
Wilted beyond saving
The 'Mama' series is renowned for being a huge success on the more casual side of the gaming market, most famously for the Cooking Mama series which doesn't actually involve preparing the titular character for consumption. It's inevitable then that Mama would take additional avenues in her quest for motion-controlled dominance,...
Review Jewel Quest: The Sapphire Dragon (3DS)
Mountainside match-making
The simplicity of the Match-3 genre is both its blessing and its curse. Its easy learning curve and ability to pick up and play can open it up to a wide fanbase, but only a certain few clever or lucky titles are able to stand out amongst a sea of copies. Jewel Quest: The Sapphire Dragon is the sixth installment in the...
Review Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+ (3DS)
On Cruise control
Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+ is a slightly peculiar release - it's an arrival with little to distinguish itself from the original aside from New Nintendo 3DS-only features, yet it's naturally being marketed for the original portable models too. The additions are minor yet fun, so it feels rather like an update of content...
Review Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS)
Digging its claws in
Monster Hunter is a pivotal franchise for Capcom, consistently delivering the company's biggest sales and securing its profits; it's a phenomenon in Japan. Elsewhere, however, it's a respectable success without truly flourishing, succeeding in capturing a relatively small, dedicated audience but struggling for mainstream...
Review The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS)
You’ve had a terrible wait, haven’t you?
The wait for The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D has felt a lot longer than it has, in reality, been. Although it was only officially announced for the first time during last November's Nintendo Direct presentation, it needed little time to build up a considerable buzz ahead of its release. Of course,...
Review Penguins of Madagascar (3DS)
Likely to ruffle a few feathers
Everybody loves penguins, right? Well, judging by the success of the Madagascar movie spin-off Penguins of Madagascar it would seem so. The success of a family CGI movie almost certainly results in two things - more movies in the same vein, and a video game adaption for the franchise. Penguins of Madagascar is...
Review Big Hero 6 Battle in the Bay (3DS)
From hero to zero
Let’s not talk about video games that are tied-in to major motion picture releases. Let’s not talk about the stigma that comes attached to video game tie-ins that implies they’re all terrible. Let’s not talk about the assumptions we make about video game tie-ins before we play them or before they’re even released...
Review Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom (3DS)
"I love you everything burrito"
Despite the universal praise for the main cartoon, Adventure Time hasn’t been able to truly gain the love of the public in the gaming vein. Its first stab on a Nintendo system was the snappily-titled Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?! and played very similarly to Zelda 2: The Adventure of...
Review Disney Planes: Fire & Rescue (3DS)
Flying on Empty
When a video game title receives both a console and handheld iteration, it's fairly common for them to feature unique gameplay, different art styles, and generally offer a fresh experience across the platforms. Instead, Disney Planes: Fire & Rescue for the 3DS is almost identical in every aspect to its Wii U counterpart...
Review Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (3DS)
Not as Sonic doomed
Unlike its Wii U counterpart, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal on 3DS is an experience that is much more reminiscent of a traditional Sonic game. It takes place with a 2D perspective and your goal is to get to the finish in typical Sonic style — unlike traditional Sonic games however, it's not quite as simple as that. Sonic Boom:...
Review PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (3DS)
Pac-ing on the problems
In June of 2013, a television series premiered in the United States titled Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. The show took the classic Pac-Man and ghost arcade characters and restyled them as CGI mascots with an appeal towards young viewers. Less than six months later, a video game based on the show was released on most...
The ultimate Tetris?
Tetris has been around since 1984, where it was developed in Russia for the DVK, a Soviet computer, but most people remember either the Game Boy or the NES version as being the breakthrough for the title. To say that Tetris is successful is an understatement; the gameplay is just as enjoyable as it was thirty years ago and...
Review Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS)
Mapping your psyche
Atlus’ Megami Tensei series has been an RPG institution for over two decades, but to Western audiences it’s perhaps best known in connection with a numbered pair of revolutionary PlayStation 2 titles: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 and Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4. Starring modern Japanese high school students and integrating...
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 Power Rangers Super Megaforce (3DS)
Dull as dishwater
Games that are tied in to TV shows are often little more than a quick cash-grab used to dupe unsuspecting parents into buying a sub-par game because their child will recognise the characters. No truer is this statement than when referring to Power Rangers Super Megaforce. Once you load up the game, you'd be forgiven for letting...
Review Ultimate NES Remix (3DS)
Not as ultimate as you'd think
Almost a year ago, the Wii U received some excellent download titles in the form of NES Remix and NES Remix 2, each taking a set of classic (and not so classic) NES games and making short challenges based on sections from each game, or in some cases creating entirely original scenarios. Curiously, the producer of the...
Review Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle (3DS)
Tenkai toy, fivekai game
Games aimed at children are an interesting beast – often you’ll find them less challenging than other games, and if it contains a plot it’s a simple, easy-to-follow romp through a colourful and engaging journey. Unfortunately, Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle doesn’t quite measure up to these expectations. The game...
Review Cooking Mama 5: Bon Appétit (3DS)
M-I-X the flour into the bowl
Majesco’s Mama is nothing if not prolific; with nearly a dozen main titles and spin-offs on DS, 3DS, Wii, and iOS, spanning genres as diverse as gardening, babysitting, and crafting, it’s easy to forget that it all started with a whisk in 2006’s Cooking Mama for the DS. Mama may have branched out since then, but...
