But what the title does provide is an amazing package and an excellent introduction to the world of game making. If you have a creative bone in your body, you'd do well to give WarioWare D.I.Y a try. [Apr 2010, p.82]

There's nothing else like it on Wii or any other platform, and I'm eager for more. [May 2010, p.84]

For better or for worse, it makes the player the master of his own destiny. As it turns out, that's a heck of a challenge, but the challenge is worth it. [Apr 2010, p.87]

A bit more story or presentational flair would've been appreciated, but even as it is, Rooms offers a unique and worthwhile challenge for portable-puzzle junkies. [Apr 2010, p.88]

This is a game for those of us who always wanted to be Captain Kirk or, better yet, to design the Enterprise. [Apr 2010, p.86]

The developers have accomplished a rare feat in producing a game that is legitimately thought-provoking, original, and visually distinctive. Too bad they couldn't find a way to make it fun. [Apr 2010, p.88]

Even when the gameplay occasionally wears thin, the excellent characters and intense strangeness ultimately prevail. [June 2010, p.87]

With its bevy of new features and improvements, old-school Pokemon fans will love this return to Johto, and if you've been dismissing this series as "kids stuff" all this time, this is an ideal opportunity to redeem yourself and see what all the fuss is about. [Apr 2010, p.84]

With its bevy of new features and improvements, old-school Pokemon fans will love this return to Johto, and if you've been dismissing this series as "kids stuff" all this time, this is an ideal opportunity to redeem yourself and see what all the fuss is about. [Apr 2010, p.84]

If you really liked Ju-On, Calling might be for you; just don't expect its story or overall presentation to grab you the way its ghosts do. [Apr 2010, p.83]

Still, Racquet Sports is fun, especially when playing with up to three friends. [Apr 2010, p.87]

Though it's not quite all-star material, MLB 2K10 is a significant improvement over its predecessor. [Apr 2010, p.88]

Still, if you want some old-fashioned Sonic speed on the DS, this collection will do you: it comprises Sonics 1, 2, and 3, Sonic & Knuckles, plus the Knuckles-ized versions of Sonic 2 and 3(without any Lock-On Technology). [Apr 2010, p.87]

Deca Sports DS gives you a few different ways to experience its 10 sports, including tournaments and quick challenges, but aside from a couple of winning events, it's doubtful you'll keep coming back for more. [Apr 2010, p.87]

It isn't quite the fan paradise it could have been, but it's a very good racer that makes great use of classic Sega franchises. We wouldn't mind a sequel with more franchises and tracks included. [Mar 2010, p.86]

Just middle-of-the-road material. [Mar 2010, p.87]

A significant step up from its predecessor. [Mar 2010, p.89]

More options would have been nice, however, and it's a shame that legit classic Karnov isn't included. [Mar 2010, p.91]

Fans of the Ace Attorney series and graphic-text adventure games in general will find little to object to in this excellent title. [Mar 2010, p.89]

Yes, it sounds like Phoenix Wright in that respect, but Crime Scene has none of the charm, character, or creativity of Capcom's courtroom series. [Apr 2010, p.89]

It tends to feel more like running in place - as the man says, there's not much point to it. [Mar 2010, p.91]

Ultimately, your take on this game will depend on whether you see constant setbacks due to horrible flaming death as an irresistible challenge or as a frustrating waste of time. [Mar 2010, p.91]

Somehow, this barrel of monkeys isn't nearly as much fun as its predecessors. [Mar 2010, p.90]

Improves upon its already-excellent predecessor in pretty much every conceivable way. [Mar 2010, p.88]

One of the best fighting games on Wii - or any other current-gen console. [Feb 2010, p.88]

Though Glory of Heracles may not be revolutionary, however, it's still ultimately solid fun. [Feb 2010, p.90]

A perfect pick for pocket puzzling. [Feb 2010, p.91]

It's a colorful, splashy fantasy role-playing game--no less, but also no more. [Jan 2010, p.89]

The best thing about The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is that it makes you feel like a badass ace pilot. [Jan 2010, p.87]

You have to admire the courage of this development team. It took a lot of bold risks with the Final Fantasy name and delivered a weird, wonderful adventure unlike anything else out there. You'll get the most out of the game if you go into it with the same experimental spirit. [Jan 2010, p.86]

So though it may not be the unqualified success we were hoping for, Shattered memories proves an audacious and ultimately compelling experiment. [Holiday 2009, p.84]

If you like Zelda games, you were going to buy Spirit Tracks no matter what. But rest assured that you will not only be getting another fine Nintendo DS installment, but one of the series's best handheld titles to date. [Jan 2010, p.82]

Ultimately, how big of a pinball fan you are will determine how much enjoyment you get out of this title. [Feb 2010, p.91]

The title is worth playing once because of the compelling world in which it's set, and being able to kick human butt cooperatively with a friend is a welcome touch, but Avatar ultimately feels like yet another middling licensed game. [Jan 2010, p.88]

I suggest you spend your Essence Seeds elsewhere. [Jan 2010, p.87]

The clever puzzle battles and fast-moving story makes Clash of Heroes easy to pick up and tough to put down. [Nov 2009, p.90]

This lighthearted, brainy puzzler manages to make word searches fun again. [Holiday 2009, p.87]

If you want to sing recent Top 40 hits and/or The Jackson 5, you'll probably be happy, but if you have more diverse interests, you'll probably find only a few songs to enjoy. [Dec 2009, p.86]

It's no fun facing monsters that are suddenly too tough to kill. [Dec 2009, p.89]

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, on the other hand, is just level after level of old-school point-and-shoot. [Holiday 2009, p.86]

The game is structured very well; each game section has its own massive hub world that ties everything together, and exploring every nook and cranny to find all the goodies can be pretty addictive. Too bad the actual gameplay isn't as compelling. [Holiday 2009, p.87]

Finicky touch-screen controls slow down the action occasionally, but mainly Indy 2 just lacks the charm of other LEGO titles due to a poorly adapted story and humor that falls flat most of the time. [Holiday 2009, p.90]

Assassin's Creed II: Discovery does an admirable job of tying together platforming, combat, and stealth without having any of those game styles feel like a particular weakness. [Jan 2010, p.89]

Like its predecessors, Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 is good fun--the fighting is fast-paced and has easy-to-learn controls--especially when playing against your friends. [Holiday 2009, p.88]

Jambo! Safari might have some merit as an educational tool(the animal facts you unlock are interesting), but as a game, not so much. [Jan 2010, p.89]

As a lifelong Mario fanatic, I could talk endlessly about all of the game's little details, but all you really need to know is that the classic Mario formula is back and is as fun as ever. [Holiday 2009, p.78]

Fans of the Harvest Moon series will feel right at home, and the traditional overarching goals of improving your ranch, marrying, and raising a family are still in place. [Dec 2009, p.87]

Fortunately, Sunshine Islands has a better understanding than previous handheld Harvest Moons of how to efficiently use the DS platform. [Dec 2009, p.85]

It's a shame that the developers squandered the chance to really build upon Phantasy Star Online, but there's no denying that when you have a few friends at your side, Phantasy Star 0 is just as much fun as its grandpa used to be. [Dec 2009, p.82]

What it is, though, is about as good a Dragon Ball Z game as anyone's going to make. [Dec 2009, p.87]

Given the youthful glow of PES 2009, the 2010 offering predictably offers little broken ground. [Jan 2010, p.89]

It’s been two years since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare dropped onto the PS3 and Xbox 360, making the Wii entry very late to the game. But Treyarch, the developer of the solid Call of Duty: World at War, has made it worth the wait. [Holiday 2009, p.85]

There's no platforming, no puzzle solving, no backtracking, no nothing: you just work your way across the stage until it abruptly ends. [Dec 2009, p.89]

On the gameplay front, NBA 2K has a lot of work to do before its sophomore season. [Nov 2009, p.84]

Snowboarding stood out on Wii by taking a different approach to style, content, and (obviously) controls compared to other platforms. Unfortunately, not much has changed in this iteration, despite Wii MotionPlus support and a career mode in which you slowly climb the ranks to become number one. [Holiday 2009, p.85]

Unfortunately, the gap between the DS's two screens can be a hindrance, and the frustrating camera controls will often have you blindly shooting offscreen. [Holiday 2009, p.89]

LEGO Rock Band can pretty much be summed up as Rock Band with LEGO aesthetics. [Holiday 2009, p.89]

The film-score-inspired soundtrack will also get the blood of any Star Wars fan flowing, even when the gameplay itself does not. [Holiday 2009, p.88]

There's a story to hold the action together, but not a very strong one. [Holiday 2009, p.89]

Obviously, Academy of Champions: Soccer is not a game for hardcore footie fans, but those looking for a pick-up-and-play soccer game should give it a try. [Dec 2009, p.86]

Still, racing around is enjoyable and can be challenging, even if the Career mode can feel repetitive due to the unfortunate lack of track variety. [Holiday 2009, p.87]

Difficulty issues aside, this is a definite step in the right direction for the Rabbids, and I hope to see them continue this way. [Holiday 2009, p.88]

It's the perfect style of puzzle for touch-screen controls, and there's an edit mode for designing your own custom challenges, which adds a lot of replay value to this latest exercise in Rabbid abuse. [Holiday 2009, p.89]

It's not overly difficult, so younger players might get the most of it, but the novelty of seeing your creations come to life is a treat for all ages. [Dec 2009, p.88]

Fortunately, nifty level-specific gimmicks (a tail hook, wings, ice skates, climbing claws, etc,) and the ability to draw on-the-fly interactive platforms in select parts of each stage keep things interesting, if unspectacular. [Dec 2009, p.83]

Admittedly, playing the game can be more than a little overwhelming at first--not unlike patting your head while rubbing your belly--but it's extremely gratifying when it clicks. [Holiday 2009, p.90]

Unfortunately, the game still isn't terribly compelling. [Dec 2009, p.84]

It all functions adequately and adds welcome variety, but it feels like a novelty compared to the tried-and-true dance mat (which you can still use, thankfully). [Dec 2009, p.84]

Given that it's certainly no epic, globe-spanning adventure, you'd be surprised how absorbing Atelier can be. [Dec 2009, p.85]

The gameplay is extremely typical of the genre, and the story is so derivative that you stop caring about it after a few hours. ]Dec 2009, p.86]

It's a shame that Revenge of King Piccolo becomes essentially a mediocre fighting game in the latter part of the adventure. [Dec 2009, p.88]

There's a lot of good stuff in SmackDown vs. Raw 2010, but more attention to detail could have made it great. [Dec 2009, p.85]

The 2010 edition of SmackDown for the DS plays more or less like you'd expect it to play on any other system, which is to say that it ain't half bad. [Dec 2009, p.86]

FIFA 10 is definitely snappier than previous installments as a result, but it doesn't go far enough. [Dec 2009, p.84]

Cooking Mama serves up another stew of culinary-themed, touch-controlled minigames in its third course on the DS, but the recipe needs more spice. [Dec 2009, p.87]

Genre fans should still give this Saga a look - it has some very well-designed stages, and a fine English script by Aksys - but be warned that your best-laid strategies might go south at the worst possible moment. [Nov 2009, p.84]

Look past the rough exterior, however, and you'll find a fun game with retro appeal. [Dec 2009, 83]

Not radically different from last year's Space Invaders reboot, Extreme 2 offers new enemy formations and bosses, a Time Attack mode, and branching levels. [Dec 2009, p.88]

It's a magical adventure full of mesmerizing sights and compelling gameplay, held together by whimsical characters and a simple but surprisingly powerful story. [Nov 2009, p.85]

A solid title. I'm still waiting for the series to live up to the full potential of both the top-class team-up of its stars and the companies behind it, but in the meantime, there's still good fun to be had. [Nov 2009, p.80]

Mario and Sonic's second portable outing together is a good time. [Nov 2009, p.88]

It deserves credit for delivering some of the most genuinely scary gaming moments ever. [Nov 2009, p.79]

As cute as A Witch's Tale is, its weak gameplay and slopped-together feel aren't to be appreciated by anyone. [Nov 2009, p.86]

If you're the type of player who milks a game for all it's worth, then you'll likely enjoy Explorers of Sky's new content, but more casual players might wonder what all the fuss is about. [Dec 2009, p.84]

The game may be too easy for some, but this spin-off adventure made it to Wii mostly unscathed. [Nov 2009, p.86]

Though spawning new Spores is as fun as ever, you're left to wonder, "Well, then what?" [Nov 2009, p.88]

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes, the latest faceplant for the once-storied franchise, obviously and shamefully relies more on name value than actual value. [Holiday 2009, p.90]

It's a shame that Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga has such a slow pace, clunky interface, ugly graphics, sluggish combat, dumb AI, and lackluster overall presentation - there are actually some neat ideas in this action RPG. [Oct 2009, p.89]

Kudos to EA for bringing this Mature-rated franchise to the Wii and for putting some real effort behind it. Don't let the "guided experience" label scare you. [Nov 2009, p.84]

Chatting with characters can get tiresome, too; it's entertaining when they have funny dialogue, but the humor isn't as consistent as I'd like. [Nov 2009, p.89]

FFF starts simple and later becomes boring and monotonous. [Nov 2009, p.89]

For all its intricate plot threads, the game is at its best during these little character moments. [Nov 2009, p.78]

A cinch to pick up and play, but will be just as easily forgotten. [Oct 2009, p.90]

A pretty shameless knockoff of Namco Bandai's Katamari Damacy series, conceptually speaking, but as far as knockoffs go, this one isn't bad. [Nov 2009, p.88]

Spyborgs may not revitalize its genre, but it makes a respectable effort. [Nov 2009, p.79]

It's a must for fans of the turtles and a good bet for anyone who enjoys a fun multiplayer game. [Nov 2009, p.82]

It improves upon its predecessor in every respect. [Nov 2009, p.86]

Stays firmly in the for-fans-only bin. [Oct 2009, p.89]