It's a pity this gets disturbed by excessive loading times which drag themselves for far too long and that too much repetition of its ideas can make it dull and uninteresting after a short amount of time.

Zombie Defense is not the most ground breaking RTS and it does not assume the role of a revolutionary trailblazer as far as zombie narratives are concerned. That said, it's a competent work with well-implemented mechanics, a good upgrade system and can provide hours of addictive fun for those who invest in it, including a solid and challenging lifespan.

The Rivers of Alice is a rather linear visual adventure that while exhibiting well-crafted artwork and sound atmosphere, can become too slow paced and inaccessible to be considered as a groundbreaking game. It also has a rather short lifespan, which should be kept in mind by the players at the time of making a choice, even if it still features enough contents to be appreciated by those who enjoy the genre.

Praise for Level-5, as it was about time to bring Little Battlers eXperience to the European market. Its fluid and fun combat, along with the degree of robot customization will bring many hours of fun, which could only benefit from an online multiplayer mode and from a more elaborate plot.

Translating M.C. Escher’s mind-bending works into a game leads to The Bridge, a game whose puzzles, mechanics and visual presentation fit perfectly into the artist’s legacy. It does exaggerate on its difficulty level, which can make progression too demanding for many players.

Gotcha Racing is a fluid racer which was designed for a handheld format and which rewards those who invest into its mechanics. Its flaws lie on the lack of a more involving multiplayer mode and on its slow sense of progression, which can put many players off.

Extreme Exorcism is a delightfully fun and charmingly chaotic experience which renovates itself with each round of play. Boosted by a visual and sound environment that fit its concept perfectly, it would gain even more if only it featured an online component.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes follows the footsteps of Four Swords Adventures and brings forth a very well designed multiplayer experience, whether local or online, and a significant degree of challenge, even for experienced players. While it seems odd that a Zelda title dispenses with the eponymous princess and with Link, Tri Force Heroes does its job in an irrepressible manner.

Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is a beautifully-crafted horror game that makes use of a perfect formula of fear and stress to immerse the player into its atmosphere. One of the best horror games in recent times and a compulsory element in the collection of anyone willing to be plunged into a world of fear where they have nothing to rely on other than their wits and a camera.

In the line of fan service duty, Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden is a well-designed and visually appealing game that is bound to be appreciated by the series' fan base. It risks falling out of touch with the rest of the audience, though, as its cast needs to be enlarged and the lack of an online mode and of a training mode make the experience much more limited than what is usually expected from a fighting game.

Race the Sun offers a simple yet addictive and frantic-paced old-school racing action. The level design fits perfectly with its style and the ever-changing shape of the levels in 24-hour cycles adds a very welcome touch of challenge. Shame for the lack of a multiplayer mode, given the means available.

Star Sky manages to set up a soothing and relaxing atmosphere thanks to its soundscapes and visual environment but its interactive dimension is too absent and the lack of a proper narrative make this a very difficult title to captivate the players.

While Stone Shire has drawn inspiration from Minecraft regarding its mechanics and aesthetics, it seems to have failed when it comes to everything else. There’s no sense of purpose and no incentive to move forward on this game, where the lack of life and a flat experience prevail over everything else.

Gunman Clive’s transition to the Wii U brings virtually the same two games that were previously released on the 3DS with almost nothing else to present other than a technically competent HD conversion and remarkable sound upgrade. Beyond that, there’s nothing else to point out: a simple compilation, that’s what Gunman Clive on the Wii U is all about.

It’s true that Mercenaries Saga 2 is not a trailblazer and does not reinvent the wheel of tactical RPGs, its main virtues lie elsewhere: it acts as a very welcoming starting point for those who have just awakened to the genre and its battles offer a wide variety of interactions that are certain to satisfy the enthusiasts who like to fully explore their games.

Badland: Game of the Year Edition is a successful example of how a game designed for mobile devices can be interesting to play on the Wii U. Despite its inconsistencies and the lack of a solid plot, its gameplay provides some brilliant moments and the game is full of content and compelling ideas.

Q.U.B.E. Director’s Cut may have its flaws but they don’t stand in the way of a game with well-designed challenges and a simple but compelling narrative. Each puzzle solved gives the player a unique feeling of satisfaction and an incentive to stride forward.

Etrian Mystery Dungeon is a tough as nails RPG which demands a good level of strategic thinking when tackling the adversities ahead. Featuring lush and beautiful environments and a majestic soundtrack, it's a fun and compelling experience for RPG fans who like going deep into their endeavours. Those who prefer a light-hearted approach should be careful though, as this game will not show any mercy.

Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians does not follow the standard formula of most rhythm games but rather adds rhythm to a platformer. However its potential feels lost in a rather repetitive gameplay and poor technical execution, despite its very rich visual environments.

Animal Crossing's in-game social component seems to be growing at a never-ending rate. Happy Home Designer keeps treading that path and its main activities focus on one of the players' favourite aspects of the series, home decoration. With an enormous wealth of resources and its simple, intuitive controls, this is a perfect introduction to the series and a potential major influence to its next chapter.

Runbow is a delightfully fun multiplayer experience that brings together racing and platforming and where the gameplay is centered around colour. The execution of its mechanics is laudable and its unlockable content will provide fun sessions for long hours. It does miss out on its single player mode, where the experience feels much lonelier and its online mode could use some more appeal.

3D Gunstar Heroes is a conversion that excels in every possible way. Not only it brings the original game in a perfectly playable way and without any traces of aging but it even improves it with its exquisite 3D effect. A real 16-bit classic that can be played again and again.

While its platforming mechanics are overall competent, there's virtually no improvement whatsoever over the original and the visible result is that of something which stopped in time one decade ago, even in the visual component. Having some new elements would be welcome too, but that has also been left out of this anniversary edition.

Funk of Titans brings forth a very simple control system and some elements which if explored better, could make a more interesting experience. Unfortunately, the overall impression is that its mechanics are far too repetitive and its level design is flawed, which alongside an irregular frame rate contribute to make this a frustrating and unappealing work.

Picross e6 brings a significant increase of the amount of puzzles to solve and while in many games, bringing more of the same can make them dull, in the case of Picross it's actually welcome. On the downside, the innovation that was present in previous titles seems to be less prevalent on its sixth iteration.

Super Mario Maker is where fanship turns into craftsmanship for those who for years have wished to design their own Mario levels. The game is intuitive and perfectly accessible for experienced players and newcomers alike. The lack of multiplayer is difficult to understand, though, as is the nine day timeframe needed to unlock all contents of the level design tool.

Canvaleon could be an example of a fine idea and concept which suffer from its implementation. Its platforming mechanics and controls are very well executed but the cumbersome details which impose endless grinding and the need for drawing skills beyond what is expected in the videogaming medium make this a work that is very difficult to enjoy, not to mention redundant.

3D Streets of Rage 2 is the best conversion that could be made of Sega’s classic beat’em up. Everything that was good about the original was enhanced for the sequel and this new version for the 3DS eShop is nothing short of a near-perfect conversion of the beloved and iconic early 90s game.