Game Reviews scoring 9/10
Review Pirate Pop Plus (Wii U eShop)
Let's rumble, bubble butt!
In an industry focused on creating increasingly complex games and pushing the boundaries of what can be done with the gaming medium, it can be nice sometimes to take a step back and play something that's just… simple. Pirate Pop Plus is one such game; there's not much to it on the surface, but it's one of the most...
Review Super Castlevania IV (3DS eShop / SNES)
The (Belmont) Boys Are Back in Town
The Super NES is, for many, Nintendo's greatest console. It boasted a software library that was an envy of competitors and had more than enough power to stave off unfavourable comparisons to arcade games of its age. Unlike many of Nintendo's more recent home consoles, the SNES is remembered just as much for its...
Review SteamWorld Heist (Wii U eShop)
Now in steamy HD
Though Image & Form's most notable sales and critical breakthroughs have been on the 3DS, its games often cry out to be played in HD. The SteamWorld titles evoke an utterly charming steampunk aesthetic, with clunky and scrappy robots shining at full resolution on a TV. SteamWorld Heist was another hit for the studio on 3DS, but...
The game touch screens were made for
A little while after the Metroidvania-esque Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition, developer Drinkbox Studios has returned with its latest title, SEVERED. Released earlier this year on PlayStation Vita, does this unique title reach must-buy status on the Wii U eShop? The story of SEVERED is light. You...
Review Gotta Protectors (3DS eShop)
You've gotta download this
Here's a typical snapshot of a battle in Gotta Protectors. Hundreds of enemies are hammering on the defenses from four different sides, the turrets and barricades are slowly but surely succumbing to the hordes, you and the Princess desperately attempt to beat them back with magic and arrows, and for every felled enemy four...
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 Jotun: Valhalla Edition (Wii U eShop)
The Gods are definitely pleased
Quietude is not a word synonymous with videogames. Most of the time there are peaks and valleys - an ebb and flow of exuberance and bombast, quickly followed by a period of downtime filled with storytelling and world building. Sometimes they eschew one focus for the next, either by being filled with a constant barrage...
Review Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice (3DS eShop)
Turnabout Traveller
There's never been a lawyer who's captured the hearts of gamers quite like Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney. That's not only because Capcom's Ace Attorney is perhaps the only Bar-based game to hit the big time, but also because of the excellent writing, memorable characters, satisfying gameplay, and fast-flying 'Objection!'s that...
Review Tadpole Treble (Wii U eShop)
Pretty sharp
Fans of video game-themed webcomics have no doubt seen or are familiar with the Nintendo-inspired Brawl in the Family strip. Though the comic has concluded now, its creator – Matthew Taranto – went on to create a music themed game featuring the art that made his comic so popular. Tadpole Treble is a wonderfully charming experience...
Review Tallowmere (Wii U eShop)
Deeper into the dungeon we go
Roguelike games — where you journey through procedurally generated levels with the risk of losing everything if you die — can be a hard sell to some players. While some gamers live to get just a bit further in each subsequent playthrough, others are turned off by the idea of having to start from the beginning every...
Review R-Type (Wii U eShop / TG-16)
More like our type
You can't have a conversation about shoot-'em-ups, or shmups, without mentioning R-Type. Back in the late '80s and early '90s the game was synonymous with the genre. Unfortunately for Nintendo fans at the time one of the best ports of the arcade classic was on the TurboGrafx-16, an also-ran console that never found its place in...
Review Tumblestone (Wii U eShop)
Block party
A few generations ago, puzzle games had a prominent presence on home consoles. Brimming with individual personality, many could be relied upon to offer some fun single- or multi-player play. You don't see as many of these games any more. Puzzle games have migrated more towards mobile platforms, a large number swirling together into a...
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 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 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 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 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 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...
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 Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (Wii U eShop)
Risky business
Late in the life of the Game Boy Color, the world received Shantae, the first in WayForward's flagship series. A love letter to fans of 16-bit action platformers, the game was highly praised and developed a cult following, but it didn't do terribly well due to being released after the launch of the Game Boy Advance. Eight years later,...
Review Mutant Mudds Super Challenge (3DS eShop)
For super players only
One extremely welcome perk that comes with buying a copy of Mutant Mudds Super Challenge is cross-buy; picking up a digital copy of the game on either Wii U or 3DS will net you a free copy on the other platform. Naturally, this makes one wonder: which platform is the better experience? For the purpose of this review, we'll be...
Review Mutant Mudds Super Challenge (Wii U eShop)
Git gud or get rekt
Way back in 2012 when the eShop was still in its earliest stages, Mutant Mudds was released to general critical acclaim. Indeed, it was one of the earlier original titles released for the eShop, and paved the way - in a sense - for what would go on to become a very prolific service. Now, four years later, does the follow-up live...
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...
