Game Reviews
Latest Reviews
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Latest Reviews
Review: Let's Catch (WiiWare)
Is this one ball you're going to want to catch or is it best to let it go on by?
The whole idea of building a video game around a simple game of catch may make some gamers a little nervous at first, mainly due to the fact that it is an activity that is difficult to convert into a video game. That being said, catch-based mini-games have appeared in many other video games, most notably party-style..
Review: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (WiiWare)
Does this title retain the magic of the original 16-bit release?
We've already seen companies like Capcom and Konami resurrect classic franchises on the WiiWare service, many using the classic 8 and 16-bit visuals found in the original titles to give them even more retro appeal. So it should come as no surprise that Square Enix has also seen fit to bring back their classic 16-bit era Final Fantasy..
Review: Fish'em All (WiiWare)
A game about fishing that isn't actually a fishing game. A worthwhile catch or the one that got away?
WiiWare's already got a fishing game - Cocoto Fishing Master, which isn't exactly very exciting. So when another one was announced, we couldn't help but hope it'd be a bit better. It seems like our prayers fell on deaf ears though, because although Fish'em All is about fishing, you don't actually..
Review: Crystal Defenders R2 (WiiWare)
Does this second Crystal Defenders release bring enough new material to the table to warrant a look?
Whereas the Xbox Live Arcade and iPhone releases of Crystal Defenders came in one package, Square-Enix has chosen to split the WiiWare release into two separate parts. We've already seen Crystal Defenders R1 released on the service and now we've received the second part in Crystal Defenders R2. The..
Review: Silver Star Chess (WiiWare)
A silver star for a second rate Chess game.
As the world’s oldest game (except perhaps bowling...see the Bowling Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Missouri for a compelling argument that Bowling was invented by cavemen), Chess is the ultimate in public domain properties. Amazingly, Silver Star Chess is the first variant of the pastime on WiiWare and so wins the race to the easy cash in. But is it on par..
Review: Swords & Soldiers (WiiWare)
Has this much-hyped title been worth the wait?
The strategy genre has gone quite ignored on WiiWare. Aside from the launch title Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King the only other game was the recent Crystal Defenders R1. With Swords & Soldiers, Dutch developer Ronimo Games has taken a stab at bringing the RTS (real-time strategy) sub-genre into the mix. One of the things you're..
Review: Family Pirate Party (WiiWare)
Does this new party title set sail for glory or is it forced to walk the plank?
Although some would argue that it flies in the face of common sense, Aksys Games has decided to continue their "Family" franchise with the release of Family Pirate Party. Previous games in the series received unanimous criticism. Unfortunately, Family Pirate Party does little to differentiate itself from its..
Review: Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure! (WiiWare)
Is there a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow?
So there you are, transformed from a bubble-blowing dinosaur into human form again, ready to start your life afresh – maybe get a flat, a new car and settle into a good routine. But then, before you can say "9 to 5", you gain the ability to fire rainbows and have to use this skill to climb a huge multi-coloured tower.That’s basically..
Review: Penguins & Friends - Hey! That's My Fish! (WiiWare)
Cool as ice or a bit fishy?
What does a short supply of fish, a continually sinking ice float, and a bunch of greedy penguins have in common? They all star in the board game 'Hey! That's My Fish!' which was originally brought to the gaming scene by Phalanx Games and which is now available for WiiWare under the moniker Penguins & Friends. This abstract strategy title delivered in a deceptively..
Review: Cocoto Platform Jumper (WiiWare)
Will Cocoto have you jumping for joy or off a cliff?
It's no big secret that WiiWare could use more platformers, . Cocoto Platform Jumper may count itself lucky then that this genre is relatively underrepresented at this time. Is it worth enough to spend your hard-earned cash, though? It just might be.The player is represented by the whimsical devil Cocoto who's out to rescue his friends from the..
Review: Adventure Island: The Beginning (WiiWare)
Higgins is back after a 15-year break. Is he still the master?
As you might know, Adventure Island is a bit of an odd series. The main character Master Higgins is actually a real person, although he's only well known in Japan. Ask anybody there about Takahashi Meijin (Master Takahashi) though and they'll know him for sure - he's a legend over there, down to his ability to press a button 16 times a..
Review: Crystal Defenders R1 (WiiWare)
Break out the safe box.
Trailing off the coattails of Final Fantasy Tactics comes Crystal Defenders, Square's take on the incredibly popular 'Tower Defense' genre. Instead of methodically leveling units, using items, and strategizing your way through battle, you’ll be tasked with defending a set of crystals by means of brute force. Some may be familiar with the name due to its counterpart on the..
Review: Bubble Bobble Plus! (WiiWare)
Space Invaders Get Even proved that drastically changing a classic Taito franchise works very well. Bubble Bobble Plus, however, is more of a flat-out remake - is it a good one?
Bubble Bobble's one of the most well-known arcade games - If you so much as hum the theme song to someone it's very likely they'll recognize it. As such it's really a no-brainer to have on the Wii Shop. But wait a minute -..
Review: Equilibrio (WiiWare)
Equiibrio might not have the flash of a Kororinpa, but you're still getting an enjoyable game at a much cheaper price.
While we've already seen several 3D ball-rolling titles like Sega's Super Monkey Ball and Hudson's Kororinpa put the tilt function of the Wii Remote to good use, Equilibrio marks the first time this unique gameplay experience has been used in a 2D environment. But while Equilibrio..
Review: Bonsai Barber (WiiWare)
Has Zoonami assembled the perfect hairstyle for all ages?
If you were randomly asked which developer had the most well-known franchises under its belt, you’d likely respond by saying Nintendo. With series such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon, it isn’t difficult to see why. It should also be noted that they’re the publisher who’s released some of the greatest new IPs,..
Review: Texas Hold'em Tournament (WiiWare)
Does Digital Leisure’s latest WiiWare offering fold or make a clean sweep of the table?
It’s no lie that video game conversions of popular poker card games are few and far between nowadays as online poker has become increasingly more popular and widely regarded. WiiWare developer Digital Leisure has decided to try its luck with an adaption of arguably the most popular variation of poker, Texas..
Review: Bit.Trip: Beat (WiiWare)
Gaijin Games brings the classic ‘Pong’ up to date in style in the first in the series of Bit.Trip games
It seems nowadays if you want to revive a classic videogame idea, you only need add in some pulsing musical beats and some flashy background visuals in order to do so. The creators of Lumines managed to revive the stale "falling blocks" puzzler of the 80's with this formula, so..
Review: Gradius ReBirth (WiiWare)
Does Konami's old-school Gradius formula still hold up all these years later?
The original Gradius arcade release was one of the first truly great side-scrolling shooters and, along with R-Type, spawned a legion of copycat video games back in the 80s and 90s. The Gradius titles have been copied and cloned more times than can be counted and, much like other popular shooters over the years, the..
Review: Family & Friends Party (WiiWare)
Will WiiWare newcomer Gammick Entertainment get this party started?
The Wii is no stranger to party games or mini-game compilations; in fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that the machine’s success is largely due to the brilliance of multiplayer titles like Wii Sports and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. However, familiarity breeds contempt and Gammick Entertainment's first offering..
Review: Evasive Space (WiiWare)
Will Akinai Games’ WiiWare debut live up to expectations, or is it better off being lost in space?
Let’s face it, when we first saw Evasive Space, we all thought it was going to be something quite special. Developed by High Voltage for Akinai Games, many gamers were expecting this WiiWare release to be nothing less than fantastic, and for good reason too. With some reasonable WiiWare titles..
