Alex Seedhouse
Return to PopoloCrois: A Story Of Seasons Fairytale is brimming with charm and personality, and amounts to an adventure that will long linger in your memory after its conclusion.
If there is one thing that Metroid Prime: Federation Force is left to contend with, it is consumer apathy. It is undeserving of such disinterest, an enjoyable intergalactic romp that delivers an experience unlike any other on Nintendo 3DS. This may not be the Metroid adventure that many had hoped for, but it is a rewarding blast for those that are willing to see the beloved universe from another perspective.
There is immeasurable depth to Terraria, a 39-strong list of accomplishments helping to objectify the experience that dares to brave it. Richly rewarding at every turn thanks to the developer's unrestrictive design, it excels in freedom - the player let loose on their own adventure to quell the monstrous creatures that inhabit the world around them.
Fragments of the Forgotten Past thrives in its adventurous spirit, an unforgettable quest that finds strength in the memorable collection of short tales that the player becomes part of.
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice successfully builds on the lessons that were learned from identifying Shattered Crystal's faltered mistakes. With flashes of near brilliance, the sense of speed becomes an unrivalled thrill, even if that is best seen in the few Bot Racing stages. Brevity is the game's pitfall, but we expect some would argue that they would rather have a shorter, more polished adventure than a lacklustre, lengthier experience.
It has been three years since Island Tour, and in that time Nintendo has clearly learned more about making the most out of their ageing portable. Mario Party has never felt more exciting, and, especially when friends are in on the chaos, Star Rush shows that the party isn't over for the Mushroom Kingdom.
Paper Mario: Color Splash isn't the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door successor that many still resolutely hold out for, but that day may never come. But, the adventure that unfolds is a remarkable one, and joyously memorable for all the right reasons.
Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon deliver the most striking evolution that the series has ever seen. This is the most ambitious that Game Freak has ever been, and the Alola region's tropical paradise is all the better for it. Basked in sunshine, this is an adventure that celebrates everything that we have come to love about the series, while delivering a truly innovative Pokémon experience that successfully redefines it for a new generation.
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS continues to delight with wacky and unexpected creations. It falters in not looking to foster an online community of its own but remains the perfect construction kit to live out your Mushroom Kingdom dreams.
Packed with content that will constantly wrack your brain, Picross 3D: Round 2 expands on everything that has come before in meaningful ways to deliver an unmissable puzzle experience.
Picross e7 is an enjoyable iteration on Jupiter's Nintendo eShop series and packs enough content to keep players busy for weeks on end. But, it continues to lack new ideas which is a problem suffered by the entries that came before it.
This is the Dragon Quest experience that you have been waiting for, woven around a captivating tale and a wondrous world in which to tell it. This becomes another unmissable addition to the impressive RPG library that the Nintendo 3DS has built, kicking the year off with a jubilant fanfare.
Poochy and Yoshi's Woolly World is the greatest thing to have happened to wool since knitting was discovered by the Egyptians. Aside from the necessary visual downgrade, it comes as a welcome surprise that the unbeatable platformer is so faithfully recreated on Nintendo 3DS. Don't miss it.
Whether munching a sandwich or milking a cow, allow yourself to get lost in the silliness and 1-2-Switch soon becomes the perfect party game with friends. There are clear shortcomings, but there is enough to entertain and the game serves its purpose well in opening your eyes to what potential the Joy-Con and Nintendo Switch have in tandem.
How appropriate it is, then, that Breath of the Wild will be remembered as a legend in its own right and, perhaps, the greatest game that Nintendo has ever created. Never has a world impressed me so much.
Jack of all trades but master of none, Mario Sports Superstars impresses more on paper than when exploring what each sport has to offer. The idea is sound, but, whatever the reason, the result soon meanders away from the road to superstardom.
There is something inherently magical about I Am Setsuna. This throwback to the past is a memorable one, that, despite the game's simplicity, Tokyo RPG Factory's reliance on traditional design results in an experience that rediscovers an age old mastery in the genre.
Never one to be lost in the spectacle of its unbeatable production values, Just Dance 2017 discovers a welcome home on Nintendo Switch. With the console lending the chance to dance anywhere that you like, the Just Dance faithful will be happy with this iteration. But Ubisoft still needs to find more ways to playfully reinvent what we have come to expect from the series.
Quirky as ever, Yo-kai Watch 2 is more iterative in approach than revolutionary, coming packed with the same charming character and wacky moments that many came to love in the first game. The wider world and multiplayer aspects are the key successes, but LEVEL-5 needs to be more daring to make the next adventure stand out.
Graceful Explosion Machine basks in its gloriously vibrant neon bullet hell, delivering a joyously chaotic experience that will often have you panicked but is unendingly gratifying as you destroy the enemies that surround you.