A fairly tepid music sim. [Christmas 2014, p.95]

A desperate struggle for survival makes a smooth transition into a compulsive chase for a high score. [Christmas 2014, p.95]

Probably best left for Zen Pinball diehards and Guardians of the Galaxy fanatics. [Christmas 2014, p.94]

Neat concept. [Christmas 2014, p.93]

Worth a few hours of uncynical fun. [Christmas 2014, p.92]

One of the finest action games ever, spruced up in small but worthwhile ways for Wii U. A fabulous addition to the Bayonetta 2 package. [Christmas 2014, p.90]

Not quite the landmark the original game was, but a thrillingly absurd, deep and beautiful brawler. Soul-bursting sorcery for devotees of the combo. [Christmas 2014, p.86]

Thoughtful, pretty and just strange enough. [Christmas 2014, p.85]

Not just a technological achievement, but a design one. There's never been a Smash Bros. with more see or do. How they've done it is anyone's guess. [Christmas 2014, p.74]

It's tough to balance clever, accessible and hard as diamond nails, but Stealth Inc. 2 does it - with a fantastic genre twist and buckets of charm to boot. [Dec 2014, p.82]

If you've never brought a Black Frost demon into existence, you're in for a treat. [Issue#116, p.92]

This gem is worth picking up again, even if it's just to gawk at the HD revamp. [Issue#116, p.90]

This game is absolutely charming and a lovely surprise. [Issue#116, p.84]

A new and promising hybrid that could lead the way for more collaboration. [Nov 2014, p.78]

A new spin on an old idea, with enough creativity and charm to keep Breakout fans amused. Peddlers of cynical arcade clones: hang your heads in shame.

This is the kind of bizarro indie creativity we like to see on 3DS, but the gameplay itself is a little on the duff side. [Aug 2014, p.87]

If you're happy to keep paying for very similar Picross games, you'll get more than your money's worth out of this. [Aug 2014, p.87]

It's frustrating to see such smooth controls wasted in a game that doesn't know how to keep you playing. [Aug 2014, p.87]

No ambition, love or visible original thought has gone into this miserable shell of a game. [Aug 2014, p.86]

Lacks depth. [Aug 2014, p.86]

Beneath all the psychobabble lies yet another generic RPG obsessed with ogling young girls. [Aug 2014, p.84]

It's hard for a game to win hearts when it keeps kicking you in the shins. [Aug 2014, p.82]

You'll struggle to find a tactical eShop game that offers more bang for your buck. [Aug 2014, p.76]

Combat can be summed up as: press Y until your head goes red, then press X. [Aug 2014, p.74]

Stop reading and play: you'll have more fun if you don't know what's coming. [Aug 2014, p.68]

A botched attempt at survival horror, but not a bad little shooter, nonetheless. Wait for an eShop sale, perhaps. [Sept 2014, p.90]

Underwhelming. [Sept 2014, p.90]

Bearly enjoyable, bearly funny...[Sept 2014, p.90]

A sweet, inventive mix of interactive screensaver and puzzle game, offering only minimal challenge. [Sept 2014, p.90]

A (relatively) speedy time trial title that may satisfy racing fans for a while, but hardly a precision-engineered gem. [Sept 2014, p.90]

A robust package that oozes colour and charm, but lacks the variety necessary to maintain excitement and appeal beyond its dedicated fan base. [Sept 2014, p.88]

The game never misses a trick to punish recklessness and complacency. [Sept 2014, p.87]

It looks good, it plays good, it probably even tastes good. You fingers will dance across the pad like tiny digital ballerinas as you suplex your way to victory. [Sept 2014, p.86]

There's no need for Rise of the Dark Spak to be as dull as it's turned out. [Sept 2014, p.84]

This game is all about trial and error. You will die frequently and tragically. [Sept 2014, p.82]

Old and new in almost the best ways. [Sept 2014, p.78]

A superior selection of 8-bit hits makes Remix 2 a fine sequel. [July 2014, p.84]

An aesthetically pleasing wonder for the eShop. It might be a short game, but it's definitely worth the asking price. [July 2014, p.82]

As magnificently, defiantly old-school as ever, Millenium Girl introduces enough new elements to come away feeling fresh and rarely compromised. [July 2014, p.81]

It's a genuine opinion-splitter. [July 2014, p.80]

Though it re-treads some of the same ground as the original, Pullblox World is more of what we loved on 3DS: challenging yet simple and a joy to play.

Though the game varies from too restrictive to too free, it's an excellent little sandbox for learning to draw your favourite Pokémon.

Level-5 successfully overcomes our Inazuma fatigue with a cheery addition to the series that is a great hopping-on point for newcomers. Good stuff.

Though the tempo is rather tricky, Fun Unit's offering takes the cube route to a decent eShop game. [June 2014, p.89]

Not bad, as far as hidden-object games go, but utterly unnecessary on the 3DS. Get it on PC, if you must. [June 2014, p.89]

The rendering of the chess pieces is superb. [June 2014, p.89]

Fun and sweet at first, but overall a bit of a cat-astrophe that would make more sense as an endless runner. [June 2014, p.88]

It's hard to care about villagers when they are all generic-faced repetition bots. [June 2014, p.86]

Released somewhat prematurely, LEGO The Hobbit feels like more of a promotional tie-in than a proper standalone game. Still: lots of fun to be had. [June 2014, p.78]

Lack of tactical options makes you feel powerless. [June 2014, p.76]

Kirby is more at home on 3DS than he ever was on Wii as HAL cooks up a delightful adventure that is perfect fodder for the young and young-at-heart.

It's that confidence that encompasses everything here - Mario Kart 8 steps boldly out of the shadows of its predecessors, using their systems, ideas, even tracks, but adapting them to fit its own vision of a truly skilful game that people will obsess over, learning lines, kart set-ups and tricks, but never abandoning what it is people loved about the series.

Short, but never quite sweet, Wii U's first budget game does exactly what you'd expect, good and bad. [May 2014, p.91]

This is surely one of the most intensely frustrating games ever, but is not rewarding enough to be worthwhile. [May 2014, p.90]

An undeniably unique concept is all but irretrievably marred by some stern presentation and a lack of basic utilities. [May 2014, p.90]

Vibrant, simple stuff aimed squarely at a generation who know Pac as a superpowered teenage hero, rather than the characterless, quip-free globe of old. [May 2014, p.89]

Not worth the exorbitant eShop price. [May 2014, p.88]

A strange, excellent new take on the genre. [May 2014, p.86]

Its difficulty curve may frustrate younger gamers, but Squids Odyssey is a fun and unique, turn-based action game that's worth spending a few squids on. [May 2014, p.85]

Zen captures the weight and feel of a pinball table as well as a game is ever likely to. [May 2014, p.84]

Lacks the oddball charm of the original. [May 2014, p.81]

As fun as it is tough and cute to boot, there's nothing else quite like Scram Kitty And His Buddy On Rails on Wii U, or anywhere else, for that matter. [May 2014, p.76]

With six fantasy courses, Mario isn't taking his golf that seriously, but tournaments and challenges ensure there's plenty for serious sports fan to enjoy.

Less fun to play than it is to watch. [Apr 2014, p.91]

It's cruelly authentic in places, but the bombastic immediacy, improved balance and reverence for the source material are a great fit for 3DS. [Apr 2014, p.90]

Most will find something to like, but it's not even close to the classic it apes. [Apr 2014, p.84]

Its measured pace is precisely what makes it such a fresh twist on the shooter. [Apr 2014, p.82]

One of the funniest, most interesting games on 3DS, but also one of the most bloated. There's nothing else like it, which is both to its credit and its detriment. [Apr 2014, p.81]

While far from perfect, there are more than enough ideas here for Upper Byte to build into something special. For the time being, wait for an eShop sale. [Apr 2014, p.80]

A step back from the grand games we're used to. [Apr 2014, p.78]

Wright benefits slightly more from the fresh coat of paint, but Layton more than holds his own in this hugely enjoyable slice of comic mystery.

Just like a catapulted boulder, this arrived suddenly out of nowhere and knocked us off our feet. Great fun. [March 2014, p.89]

We're not sure we'd even pay 69p for this great big pile of Sith (sp?). Search your feelings, you know this to be poo. [March 2014, p.88]

Increasingly tired tactics. [March 2014, p.84]

Medicine that most of us can do without. [March 2014, p.82]

Requires a forgiving gamer to see it from start to end. [March 2014, p.78]

A moderately successful blend of familiar genres. [March 2014, p.76]

Never mind the uncomfortably dubious gender politics, the biggest offence here is the inability to capitalise on rock-solid action foundations.

Retro's starting to pull the same trick it managed for Metroid - Tropical Freeze draws on decades-old ideas and punches them into excellent new shapes.

This is as lazy a use of a license as we've seen recently and this is from the company that made the Smurfs 2 game. [Feb 2014, p.91]

It takes a genuinely profound kind of idiocy to turn such a romping good series into something so leaden. [Feb 2014, p.91]

The other 3D classics are great. This is not. [Feb 2014, p.91]

This is flaky, but undeniably fun on 3DS. [Feb 2014, p.90]

Few 2D games have this much atmosphere, but Ecco's unforgiving gameplay hasn't aged well, unfortunately. [Feb 2014, p.90]

A fun, but ultimately rather shallow package. [Feb 2014, p.90]

Plays brilliantly, but is slightly hampered by its reliance on the original code. [Feb 2014, p.87]

Few thrills, but bags of challenge. [Feb 2014, p.86]

It isn't terrible, it's just dull. [Feb 2014, p.84]

Slick and well made, but a little too complex for its own good. [Feb 2014, p.83]

A brilliant idea, handled carelessly. Some of these oldies are far from golden, but with some fine-tuning, a sequel would be very welcome indeed.

There's fun to be had in the bits in which Nd Cube clearly enjoyed itself. It's by no means a party starter, but the nibbles are tasty enough to stick around for.

Incredible to behold, but unlikely to inspire, Jett Rocket II is an engaging, if slightly wobbly budget treat that's more for the yes than the heart. [Jan 2014, p.89]

Korg M01D achieves what it sets out to, but its insistence on being so precise a simulation closes the door to regular users looking to have some fun. [Jan 2014, p.88]

A classy, thoughtful update that packages the best of the previous Wii Fit games with some ace new mini-games. A genuinely fun flab-shifter. [Jan 2014, p.84]

Accessible, fun and curiously satisfying, Coaster Crazy Deluxe makes the most of its narrow scope to provide a decent afternoon's entertainment. [Jan 2014, p.83]

Fall for it and you'll fall hard, but its challenges left our fun glands untickled. [Jan 2014, p.82]

The multiplayer pillar is wobbly, but a lightness of touch elsewhere keeps the game steady. Not a stellar year for Call of Duty, but solid enough. [Jan 2014, p.78]

A good idea, wasted. [Jan 2014, p.75]