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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.
FAST RMX is a game that you have to get if you like your futuristic racers, and even if you don't. While sometimes in the single player it feels like the AI is completely stacked against you, it's a fun game - especially with friends. If Nintendo doesn't bring F-Zero back but Shin'en continue with this series and keep quality at this level, I'd be very content.
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.
Overall, this game is a decent swansong to the BOXBOY! series, if it is indeed the end. While its puzzles aren't as revolutionary or unique as the original game, they're still a lot of fun to play through and it's nice to bring the story of Qbby to a close. It's definitely worth a play for puzzle fans, platforming fans and BOXBOY! fans alike.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Rhythm Paradise Megamix is a fun pick-up-and-play title that will have you humming the tracks long after you have finished playing. But unless you're willing to go back and get high scores for every game, it doesn't offer much more.
Disney Magical World 2 continues the magic experienced in the original title, with hundreds of collectables available that keep you wanting to go back for more.
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.
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.
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.