Nintendo Life's Scores

  • Games
For 5,854 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 45% higher than the average critic
  • 18% same as the average critic
  • 37% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 8 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 67
Highest review score: 100 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Lowest review score: 10 153 Hand Video Poker
Score distribution:
5862 game reviews
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Sufin' Sam is a disappointing platformer. The controls are floaty, the level design is poor and forces you to take leaps of faith and backtrack, the sound effects are grating, and the game looks like a mashup of mismatched assets. It's playable, sure, but beyond that it offers little redemption; we recommend that you stay away from this one.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    While not a bad game by any stretch, Collateral Thinking struggles to draw players in. Its control issues (which are apparently being addressed in a post-launch update) and uneven music only serve to accentuate the trial-and-error gameplay that will frustrate most casual players enough to make them give up early on. Give it a try if you're looking for a retro arcade experience, but be warned that you'll be replaying the levels a lot.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Psycho Pigs remains an arcade game despite its makeover, and is best played in short and frantic bursts. It is a good example of a simple and fast-paced game to play without too much commitment; this is certainly a reasonable option for quickfire fun.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Armikrog feels like a game for a different era, for good and ill. While point-and-click adventures can play to the nostalgia of some, they can feel mired in traditions that just don't translate to a more mainstream audience. If the former sounds like something you'd be into Armikrog will probably push your buttons. If the latter sounds like something you fear, Armikrog's lack of clear goals and an expectation of excessive patience means it's probably not for you.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    If you enjoyed Gunslugs 2, rest assured that its predecessor offers just as many explosive thrills.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    However you arrive at Zero Time Dilemma, if you're into the series' mix of horror and Hegel you're in for a treat — and you may never look at a snail the same way again.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Check out Poncho if you enjoy puzzle problem solving within a slower-paced platforming game environment, otherwise think carefully before trying it out.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Despite the undue hate it has been subjected to over the past year, Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a very impressive, polished and playable package - the only real grumble we have is that during online play the lack of voice chat can become maddening, and the game's built-in chat function is an inadequate substitute.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    A wonderfully rounded experience. The excellent soundtrack is matched by equally fun gameplay, which can be surprisingly deep for those looking for a challenge. On top of that, the level editor adds a virtually limitless amount of content and replayability to that which is already offered in the main campaign.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The tools on offer may not be of the highest fidelity thanks to outdated hardware, but they are intelligently crafted to be more than adequate for exploring creativity or sparking a love of art.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    It feels clunky and lifeless by comparison, but there's a serviceable game to be found here beneath a layer of modest graphics and awkward controls.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    We'd recommend you pick up Blast Ball in its free incarnation (which is permanent in Europe but not North America) as it's an entertaining mini-game that offers up some mindless fun, but it's not necessarily the best advert for Federation Force.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Vektor Wars is filled with a loving reverence to the "future" that the 80s promised. It's the type of game you'd see on a big screen display with gaudy plastic guns for full effect, but instead is humbly played on your GamePad. If the idea of arcade-style survival games in a neon-soaked, Tron-like world piques your interest, than this might be worth your time.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    It is difficult to recommend this game against a stable of outright fantastic platformers already available on the Wii U, at various price points on the eShop, but patient players looking for something new might find a satisfying game beneath the lack of polish.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Teddy Together is a pleasant little game, and is a great option for children to play with their parents. Although the voice acting is a bit off, there is so much to be explored that it won't matter. A lot of kids' games can be rushed through, but the level of detail and effort put into Teddy Together makes it an solid choice for young gamers that enjoy the likes of Nintendogs and Tomodachi Life.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Puzzle Labyrinth is going to confuse and delight in equal measure. Despite the name, it's less focused on creating complex mazes than it is on testing your ability to decipher clues and explore the environment, encouraging the player to experiment and learn an ever-changing set of rules.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Dragon Skills is far from being the greatest brick break title available. It does not feel anywhere near as refined as a modern kingpin such as Peggle, and it's not half as addictive, either. The optimum level of control responsiveness one would expect from a game like this is also not quite present. In saying this, if you are craving an experience on Wii U that falls under this classic genre, Dragon Skills provides a reasonable experience.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Tumblestone has thought of just about everything to create a fun and rewarding puzzle game experience.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    All told, Jackpot 777 is a game that feels rather useless. It's no stretch to say that there have been Google Doodles that were more entertaining and had deeper gameplay than this.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    3Souls - Episode 1: Nelesa has an intriguing story, character and setting, but ultimately falls short of its full potential as a puzzle platform game.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Chroma Blast has an engaging "cycle-and-shoot" mechanic that can feel at first like rubbing your head and patting your stomach at the same time. It's still very learnable, however, and not frustrating to make the process of doing so.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    For those of you fixated with speed, seek your thrills elsewhere.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Battle Cats POP! is an odd game, but there's no denying its fun factor. If you dream of leading an adorably violent cat army (who doesn't?), and enjoy strategy games this is definitely worth your time. Although the unnecessary energy bar is a bit of an annoyance, there is more than enough good content here to outweigh the bad.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    There's very little reason to purchase SpaceRoads. There are plenty of better games on the eShop, with cheap and poor design at the forefront here; the repetitive freezing bug is also unacceptable. Wurd Industries has an interesting idea here - there's definitely room for quick-fix games like this - but it's simply not ready for primetime.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ziggurat for Wii U is pretty much a bare-bones conversion of the original game with no extra features or clever use of the GamePad (although off-tv play is supported).
    • 63 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    In just a short period of time it becomes a rather tedious experience with little incentive for the player to continue on. Newcomers to video games may be inclined to tolerate the minor stuttering and frame rate issues, but for anyone else out there it's perhaps worth looking around for a superior endless runner.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Dracula's Legacy for the Wii U eShop is a high quality hidden object game, and it feels right at home on the system thanks to the the GamePad. Ideally, this genre is still better suited on the PC platform, with the game already available on Steam for an affordable price.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Futuridium EP Deluxe provides a fresh experience on the eShop, with vibrant visuals, a pumping soundtrack and a neat twist on its genre. It's also reserved for skilful players, with demanding stage designs being at turns exciting and frustrating. For those that are up to the challenge, though, this is a stylish and enjoyable effort that's well worth a look on Wii U.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    Although Hurry Up! Bird Hunter functions, it's just not any good. For a 2016 Wii U eShop release, there is nothing wrong with a player expecting a better quality experience than what is provided here. The 1984 NES title Duck Hunt may have set an exceptionally high standard for the light gun genre, but after 32 years we expect a little more. Stay away from this and buy Nintendo's classic instead.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    As it stands, there's nothing here that justifies the extra few dollars it costs over its smart device equivalents, so we'd suggest you pass this one up. It's a bit too simple for its own good.

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