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When effectively utilised, the Wii U GamePad is a great way to entertain a crowd of friends or family. Bear Box Media has been able to capture the unique controller's brilliance by adapting the classic word guessing game, Pictionary. Admittedly, Scribble is unlikely to win over anyone seeking a more traditional video game experience, while its appeal is perhaps a little limited by its genre. What is on offer, though, can be enjoyed by everyone.
Despite being advertised as a cinematic platformer, Exile's End is really a Metroidvania-style outing. It contains great graphics and sound, and does a fine job of allowing the player to explore and become more powerful without holding their hand. However, the game suffers from a tedious opening sequence, occasional camera and combat control stumbles, and a lackluster map.Those who absolutely love to explore every bit of a game's world without any direction at all will love Exile's End. However, a few places don't give the player enough guidance, which leads to brute-forcing every possible path until you uncover the solution. This is a solid action exploration game, but needs a few improvements to be a smash hit for everyone.
Hyperlight EX is a fun shoot-em-up high score chaser with an interesting hook. It's recommended for fans of the genre, but for those who aren't used to extremely challenging games like this it may prove to be too intense. Still, Overall it proves to be a worthy new entry in the 3DS library.
The Unlucky Mage lives up to its name in some ways — especially in its generic, subpar presentation — but it has a few tricks up its sleeve as well, with quality writing and a distinctly appealing cast of characters. In-between those extremes sits a gameplay template that delivers on exactly what it promises without really excelling: this is a no-frills, turn-based RPG in the 32-bit vein from start to finish, and how much you'll enjoy the experience hinges on how much that describes what you want to play. On a system like the 3DS, there's no shortage of top-shelf RPGs to choose from, but if you've played the best and are looking for a solid mid-tier effort, you might just be in luck.
Octocopter: Super Sub Squid Escape is an enjoyable budget title. Admittedly it requires a bit of patience before it all clicks, but once you get the hang of the challenge it's rather fun to perfect each run. If you also happen to be craving a sea themed game, Ocotocopter is one to consider - despite the intensity from time to time. If you've always dreamed of guiding an octopus submarine to safety, this could be the game for you.
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS doesn't match the Wii U original in terms of visual polish or amiibo support, nor does it have the vibrant online scene that defined that title. Despite this, there are smart design choices that compensate for these inevitable shortcomings, with additions that enable quicker and more educated level design, along with Super Mario Challenge, a large set of official levels that's more structured and enjoyable than equivalent modes in the HD iteration.For those without a Wii U, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is a no-brainer, as it's a lot of Mario on one cartridge and a terrific creative toolset. For those with a Wii U it's a tougher call, as the HD original offers smart online features and sharing, even though the portable iteration offers a strong offline and solo playing experience. On its own merits, however, avoiding those comparisons, this 3DS version of an elite Wii U title deserves plenty of credit - it's a big success for small screens.
Overall, Ninja Usagimaru: The Mysterious Karakuri Castle comes off as a very middling experience. When the difficulty isn't wildly ratcheted up, the puzzles can be quite fun to solve, and the presentation is quite charming. Unfortunately, you'll probably be spending a large portion of your time with this game on a handful of levels that present a disproportionately high difficulty that prevent you from playing the rest of the game. We'd give this game a recommendation, but only to those of you who are very patient in your approach to puzzle games.
There's not much to say about Ice Station Z, other than that it feels like a prototype or a proof of concept more than a final game. If there's hidden depth to be found, we certainly didn't come across it, and if things pick up later in the game very few are going to stick around for the experience. Ice Station Z, unfortunately, is not worth your time or money.
If dragons existed, they'd probably feel sadness and anger to be portrayed so poorly. Magloryx could be a fearsome dragon in a fun game but, unfortunately, uncooperative controls and unnecessarily brutal gameplay make for a painful experience. The peasants and gold in this game will wither away to the forces of evil, in the end, because Wings of Magloryx just isn't compelling enough to play.
The cross-buy option makes Futuridium EP Deluxe an easy choice for Wii U and New 3DS owners. If you only have the portable, however, then it's well worth a purchase - it's one of only a small number of downloads on the updated hardware that truly shows what it can do in unison with Unity. It's fun, flashy and just occasionally frustrating, and also a welcome part of the New 3DS library.
Simply put, Sun and Moon are best Pokémon games that Game Freak has ever produced. Poké Pelago, the side quests, the absolutely stunning nature of the presentation, it's all a sheer joy from start to finish. Game Freak hasn't missed a beat and has managed to carefully balance the inclusion of new mechanics without totally ruining things for the most hardcore fans. It's got content coming out of its ears, a much more interesting story, and rewards exploration in a way no other title in the series has. Whether you're a Pokémon fan new or old, this is an absolutely essential purchase.
Blasting Agent: Ultimate Edition is like a little trip back in time to when graphics were blocky, gameplay was simple and story was almost non-existent in video games. It's got the look of a retro game, the feel of a retro game, and due to its repetitious nature, some of the shortcomings of the era as well. Without any particularly interesting mechanics or set-pieces to mix things up mid-game, it has to rely on its admittedly solid foundation of run & gun gameplay, which wasn't quite enough to consistently hold our attention throughout. That being said, what's there is still an enjoyable romp in its own right, and well worth checking out for fans of the genre.
Gravity+ is surprisingly functional and delivers a solid experience. The overall design and presentation does feel a bit rough around the edges, but when you develop a tempo the levels slowly become addictive. The limited content on offer in the base game is probably the biggest criticism, however taking into account the purchasable level design tool gameplay is potentially unlimited. If you would like a solid game on the Wii U that comes with its own level design tool, Gravity+ is one to consider - provided you're cool with paying a bit extra to unlock it.
PONG released in 1972, and BLOC might as well have launched in 1973. It's PONG for four players, and nothing more. There is nothing of significance here that is worth your time; it's an entirely forgettable clone that feels like a cheap online flash game. If you feel like playing PONG or a similar game, save yourself the money and go play one of the many clones available on the internet for free. It won't have to do much to be more feature heavy than BLOC, and you won't be upset with yourself because you wasted money on it.
All told, EctoPlaza is a simple and wonderfully crafted couch multiplayer game. All of our complaints ultimately boil down to the fact that we just wish there was more of it; much of this game is ripe for expansion and feels a bit unfulfilled as a result. That being said, what is here is a joy to play, and we would recommend it to anyone who has a group of friends that still like to get together from time to time for a game night. Ectoplaza does a great job of offering a competitive and easy to pick up multiplayer experience, and it's one that no social Wii U owners will want to miss out on.
Twisted Fusion misses its potential. The skeleton of a solid game is here, but it falls short in various regards and is plagued with issues. What fun you might have from searching for secrets and gaining new abilities is completely marred by tedious combat, a shaky camera and movement, a lack of navigational help, and overall boring gameplay. The variety of technical issues suggest that perhaps this game could have used some more time in development.If you really like action platformers and don't mind a game that's rough around the edges, this isn't the worst game on the eShop considering the price. However, most people should look elsewhere. Twisted Fusion's ultimate fate is that it feels incomplete, not plain awful, and that's sad considering its origins.
Fire: Ungh's Quest is functional, and has classic cartoon graphics and quality audio, but is ultimately an insipid offering. Right down to the name, it makes little effort to stand out from the crowd. This is definitely a title for a younger audience - although it may even struggle to hold their attention.
Slapping a score or a definitive verdict on a title like this is a particularly tough challenge. Does the Just Dance series deserve high praise? Yes. This particular entry? Maybe. Is the series innovative? Yes. This entry? Not really…Just Dance is brilliant at what it does – serving as a surprisingly jam-packed offering for solo players as well as being a great addition to parties, sleep-overs and gatherings of friends. Naturally, Just Dance 2017 is perhaps the best of the lot – simply because it offers the most diverse library of songs (when including Just Dance Unlimited) and an almost perfected offering of modes, but doesn't really feel like an essential upgrade if you have an entry from the past couple of years. If you are new to the series or are a diehard fan, willing to splash out for the extra features, then Just Dance 2017 is definitely the way to go. If you're happy with older versions of the game however, there is no need to rush into another purchase just yet.
True to its price tag, Fairune 2 offers far more content than its predecessor, feasibly taking more than twice the amount of time to beat. While we'd love to label this game as being outright superior, the fact getting stuck is so easy can be a serious damper to one's enjoyment - wandering around aimlessly for hours is not our idea of fun. If you enjoyed the first game, we'd still heartily recommend this one, just be careful not to miss anything!
Pixel Hunter is a great concept that unfortunately falls flat and fails to deliver. Bland level design, average gameplay, an unmemorable soundtrack and a lack of any interesting narrative or purpose combine to make a game that's likely to be a pass for most 3DS players. If you would like to play an engaging sidescrolling shooter, we highly recommend you check out the great options on the Virtual Console instead.