DSiWare Game Reviews
A small wonder
When it comes to clones, very few genres are more prime candidates than puzzlers. When Tetris hit back in the 80's it was quickly cloned and in fact, is still being cloned to this very day. 7 Wonders of the Ancient World took the match-three idea and attempted to inject a few new twists into the mix but somehow failed to take the...
Review Devil Band - Rock the Underworld (DSiWare)
Ear piercing
If musicians really can save the world — Bob Geldof and Bono would both like you to believe they can — then it's a shame they couldn't do it in a game more interesting than Devil Band - Rock the Underworld. CIRCLE's latest essentially takes Plants vs. Zombies, robs it of its charm and adds in a lot more tapping. You control a metal...
I got 99 problems but time ain't one
Tiny time-waster games like 99seconds really aren't all that dissimilar from the arcade games of old that we now look on so fondly as champions of game design: simplistic ideas with an execution engaging enough to keep the flow of quarters flowing. Here, the concept is a form of extreme keep-away with a slow-down...
Review Snakenoid Deluxe (DSiWare)
In which the word "deluxe" is cheapened enormously
Last year, we reviewed Snakenoid, a Snake/Arkanoid hybrid from Cinemax that answered our question of how one could possibly combine the gameplay from those two games. That answer was, "pretty disappointingly, thanks for asking." We felt it was a bit of a mess, at best, a complete waste of time and...
Review Chronicles of Vampires: Awakening (DSiWare)
Bloody good?
It seems that popular culture's obsession with vampires may be entering its twilight years. If contemporary films, books and TV series focusing on gothic lore ever felt fresh and exciting, that effect has worn off and the bloodsuckers have come to feel a bit bland and tired. Still clinging onto the trend is the second in Teyon's hidden...
Review Curling Super Championship (DSiWare)
Bowls on ice
DSiWare has been home to some interesting concepts and ideas, developing a diverse library of different experiences of varying standards. Despite this, Curling Super Championship is one of the more unique entries, taking a relatively minor winter sport and turning it into a video game. While some may feel the need to dismiss it off...
Review Paul's Shooting Adventure 2 (DSiWare)
Looks like we're having twins
Upon its western release in late 2010, Paul's Shooting Adventure was a pleasant surprise. It starred a flying baby named Paul, also known as The Ultimate Pacifier, who battled evil alien sea creatures because, hey, why not? It was a surprisingly fun game with colourful graphics and an upbeat soundtrack, not to mention...
Purr crazy
“Little kittens are trapped in a well!” yowls Cat Frenzy's press release, invoking worrying thoughts of helpless baby felines in peril. Actually, this sliding block game is a bit more cheery in reality – the background implies they're actually in a house, for starters. Phew. Played with your handheld in sideways book-style, Cat...
There will be bloodstreams
Intrinsic Games has brought some interesting titles to DSiWare so far, with topsy-turvy platformer Divergent Shift and arctic rescue puzzler Penguin Patrol both offering respectable and fun takes on their material. With Amoebattle, whose title is much more fun to read than it is to say out loud, Intrinsic Games looks to...
Review Chuck E. Cheese's Arcade Room (DSiWare)
Cheese Louise
We're not sure why UFO Interactive bothered to get the Chuck E. Cheese license for this mirthless assortment of half-baked minigames, but we can conclusively say that it wasn't worth its time or the effort to do so. Chuck E. Cheese's Arcade Room is, in a word, awful. The first major issue is the stingy number of games available. We're...
Can I bolt?
Held in prison for daring to protect his beloved from an attack, I Must Run!'s nameless protagonist is challenged to break out and run across the city in less than 24 hours for the ultimate prize: his wife's life. Apparently the escape itself poses no problem, as we cut straight to the chase. I Must Run! is a game of the same ilk as the...
Review Anne's Doll Studio: Tokyo Collection (DSiWare)
Goodbye, Dolly
If you were clamouring for a sequel to Anne's Doll Studio: Gothic Collection, it can only mean that you've never played it. Nevertheless, here we are, being punished for whatever hideous, unforgivable sins we must have committed in our past lives. Anne's Doll Studio: Tokyo Collection is that sequel, and while the previous instalment...
Review Penguin Patrol (DSiWare)
Snow major complaints; it's an ice game! Catch our drift?
The charmingly simple story of Penguin Patrol revolves around a young Eskimo who witnesses a greedy walrus slugging along with a sack full of distressed penguins. The walrus is obviously looking forward to a nice big dinner, but it's up to you to prevent him from getting that far. You...
It's pool! In the 90's!
The Berlin Wall has recently fallen, Seinfeld is dominating television and Justin Bieber has just been born. Yes, it's the 1990s and, for some reason, we're playing pool. We'll leave the jokes about the title to you folks in the comments, as 90's Pool doesn't really leave us in much of a mood for fun. And for a video game,...
Review 1st Class Poker & BlackJack (DSiWare)
Show ‘em what you got
Nintendo download services aren’t lacking for casino-style titles, ensuring that you don’t need a pesky deck of cards if you want a game of chance. In the case of poker games, we should be grateful that it means gambling only with fake, electronic money — always a safer way to play. 1st Class Poker & BlackJack is...
Review Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 5 (DSiWare)
The final test
It’s the end of another Successfully Learning series, with mathematics reaching the end of its syllabus. Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 5 is a logical continuation of its predecessors, with Freddy the Vampire appearing for one last time before hanging up his cape. By continuation we mean, of course, more of exactly the...
Review Pirates Assault (DSiWare)
Stealing your money in more ways than one
CIRCLE Entertainment has carved out a fanbase for itself with the DSiWare crowd, due in large part to the consistently excellent Castle Conqueror series. It's had a few misfires along the way — see The Seller — but, by and large, gamers have been able to count on CIRCLE's releases to feature a hefty...
Review Zuma's Revenge (DSiWare)
An expensive addiction
We'll say one thing for PopCap — it sure knows how to transform simple tasks into madly addictive experiences. And from Peggle and Bookworm to Plants vs. Zombies, Nintendo fans have been able to enjoy excellent ports of some of its most popular games. Zuma's Revenge is the most recent PopCap title to make the jump to...
Review Aahh! Spot the Difference (DSiWare)
Spot the indifference
Greetings, fans of two-pictures-that-are-seemingly-identical-but-are-actually-slightly-different-to-one-another! Aahh! Spot the Difference is here to make you happy people indeed — as long as you don't mind the fact that it's short, bland and totally forgettable, that is. Adding another log to the bonfire of similar titles,...
Review Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 4 (DSiWare)
Successfully Testing Mathematics
The Successfully Learning series from Tivola has, it its own way, become the most prolific franchise on DSiWare. That’s not necessarily surprising considering there's a range of subjects to cover, and we’ve now reached Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 4. It’s edutainment with Freddy the Vampire, so we...
You certainly can't claim false advertising
So far, GameOn has made its name on DSiWare with simple games executed well. Box Pusher does nothing to buck that trend, offering a gaming experience that manages to be both vast and shallow, but what this game lacks in personality it easily makes up for with its strong and clever central conceit. Box...
The multiplayer is the real difference
Fans of spot-the-difference puzzles will know exactly what to expect from EnjoyUp Games' latest release, iSpot Japan. Players are presented with two similar photographs, and they must identify any details that differ between them. It's simple, and it's a perfect fit for touch screen gaming. Unfortunately,...
Review GO Series: Undead Storm (DSiWare)
Frighteningly good
To date, the GO Series has been a bit of a mixed bag, ranging from the disappointingly average GO Series: Pinball Attack! to the brilliant dungeon-crawling puzzler PicDun. As such, it's understandable that one might be sceptical of the latest title in the series, GO Series: Undead Storm. We're pleased to report, though, that...
Review Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 3 (DSiWare)
It all adds up
Another week, another dose of edutainment. Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 3 arrives on DSiWare, allowing another generation of eager young pupils to indulge in some mathematics on their favourite handheld. This title is, in form, identical to Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 2, which is no surprise as they were...
Review Lola's Alphabet Train (DSiWare)
On the right track
Lola's Alphabet Train is both a learning tool and a game, but it's quite clearly more the former than the latter. This isn't a bad thing at all, but it's important to know that when setting your expectations. Lola is a chirpy panda bear who, aboard her titular train, presents children with a series of spelling and vocabulary based...
Review Anne's Doll Studio: Gothic Collection (DSiWare)
Doll-orous
Anne's Doll Studio: Gothic Collection is your chance to slap drab Gothic accessories on two dead eyed dolls that look like charmless rejects from the movie Corpse Bride. That sentence is a complete and accurate summation of this title, and it's probably the only thing you'll need to read in order to decide if you want it. Anne's Doll...
Review 40-in-1 Explosive Megamix (DSiWare)
More is less
You’re given a bag of sweets. On the outside they’re a bit misshapen or broken up, but at least they’re brightly coloured, there’s a big variety of flavours and there are plenty of them, right? The first one doesn’t taste quite right. Neither does the second one. Nor the third. Half the bag has to be thrown in the bin when all...
Full of fun or made of cheese?
While many portable games praised for their accessibility and simple controls are often times associated with mobile game platforms, DSiWare is not without its own quality pick-up-and play titles. Games like Reflect Missile, Pop Plus: Solo and the Art Style series offer satisfyingly simple gameplay perfect for short...
Review 101 Pinball World (DSiWare)
Deaf, dumb and blind
101 Pinball World is, quite frankly, confounding on every level. Teyon's latest misguided attempt to cram large numbers of poorly-designed levels into half-baked games has resulted in a broken, hideous, aurally offensive, shambling monstrosity of a game. And that's being polite. Releasing in North America alongside the...
Review Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 2 (DSiWare)
A logical progression
The Successfully Learning series is becoming one of the most prolific on DSiWare, with Successfully Learning Mathematics: Year 2 now the ninth title on the service. Versions of this mathematical matter have previously been released on WiiWare, but Freddy the Vampire’s campaign to teach all young Nintendo gamers through...
