Nintendo Life

Nintendo Life

Louisa Bhairam·Apr 11, 2016

Critic70/100

Agreement—

The Beggar's Ride is a cool little game to play if you just fancy a few hours of escapism. The shortcomings lay in the execution of some of its puzzles, within the slow pace of the protagonist and its basic platforming aspect. Despite these niggles, it is a solid and clever game with colourful graphics, a charming story and pleasantly challenging game play which will appeal to both experienced and casual gamers. The coins are a good option for anyone looking to play longer, and the narration is a smart touch. Definitely one to enjoy on a rainy afternoon.

Nintendo Life

Conor McMahon·Mar 31, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

We'd almost want to recommend Dreamals on the concept of three adorable, bickering animals alone, but unfortunately the waking world didn't quite live up to expectation. Once the initial burst of cutesy charm wears off it's still a decently satisfying puzzler with a steady difficulty curve that starts off tough and slowly implements new mechanics as you progress. There isn't enough within the story or characters to keep the player interested beyond that however, so make sure you're up for a challenge and want a simple little distraction before diving in.

Nintendo Life

Lee Meyer·Mar 26, 2016

Critic30/100

Agreement—

Blast 'Em Bunnies is not worth your money or your time. The cute exterior can't hide the gameplay problems and ridiculous pricing structure, and the DLC is not worth it. While it's always nice to see a new IP, Nnooo is going to have to go back to the drawing board if it wants this property to succeed in the future. Unfortunately, Blast 'Em Bunnies just doesn't earn a recommendation.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Mar 24, 2016

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Even if the old movie jokes and spoof characters aren't to your taste, REPLAY: VHS is Not Dead nevertheless offers a clever, enjoyable puzzle experience. It can be a mind-bending challenge to set three characters on carefully timed movements to clear stages full of contraptions, and figuring out those machinations requires patience and practice. For those up to the challenge this offers great value and interesting playtime; this is one to enjoy rather than overwrite.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Mar 17, 2016

Critic90/100

Agreement—

All told, Mutant Mudds Super Challenge is a worthy sequel to its popular predecessor; it's everything fans loved about the original and more. That being said, describing this game as easy could not be any more inaccurate. If you struggled with the original game, or aren't very good at platformers to begin with, you will probably find very little to enjoy in this game. We give Mutant Mudds Super Challenge a very strong recommendation – it's an incredibly well designed and challenging game that stands as one of the best things to come out of Renegade Kid – but it is certainly not for everybody. This is for super players only.

Nintendo Life

Jonathan Town·Mar 16, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

In conclusion, Inside My Radio is a fairly novel, robust rhythmic platformer that's fun for a few hours; you'll soon be moving on to other things. Worth picking up for a Sunday afternoon blast if you fancy something a tiny bit different.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Mar 11, 2016

Critic20/100

Agreement—

Steel Rivals is a game that tries to fill the gap of fighting games in the Wii U library, but ultimately does very little to do so in a meaningful way. The bland characters, shoddy presentation, and awful gameplay make this one of the worst fighting games we've seen; it's barely playable, but the few positive things that can be said about it are drowned out by the crushing mediocrity of the package as a whole. We would absolutely recommend that you do not buy this game; especially considering the price, just go pick up a Street Fighter game off of the Virtual Console for your fighting game fix.

Nintendo Life

Damien McFerran·Mar 10, 2016

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Star Ghost is an assured eShop debut for Squarehead Studios, and shows that quality breeds quality; the combination of a former Rare and Retro staffer with one of the most iconic video game musicians of all time has resulted in a game which initially seems quite simplistic, but has a surprising level of depth, replayability and charm. While it's true that the core gameplay doesn't possess all that much variety, the stern challenge calls for a level of concentration that is rarely asked for with modern games; merely surviving is tricky enough, but when you add in the allure of improving your score, it's easy to become hopelessly engrossed. Having said that, if the notion of tirelessly striving to improve your own personal best doesn't appeal then you might find your interest in Star Ghost is fleeting - especially as bragging rights are hard to enforce with this title, as an online leaderboard isn't included at launch.Still, this is a minor point in the grand scheme of things, and fans of old-school shooters will lap up the nostalgia - both from the gameplay and the presentation - while those players who weren't around during the 'golden era' should surely appreciate the unique control mechanics which reward perseverance and skill.

Nintendo Life

Steve Bowling·Mar 9, 2016

Critic30/100

Agreement—

Joe's Diner is a bad game with a good premise. What could have been a spooky supernatural thriller is instead a time management game trying to be something more. Bland graphics mixed with poor performance and failed attempts to induce fear make Joe's Diner a game that isn't worth playing. Save your hard-earned cash for a truly spooky Wii U game folks, because this one isn't it.

Nintendo Life

Lee Meyer·Feb 21, 2016

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Mega Man Legacy Collection is a great package with a lot of content and stuff to do - for newcomers it's worth acknowledging that each game is very challenging, and could be too much for someone who isn't used to the steep learningcurve. With that in mind the wealth of extras, the challenge mode and the sheer scope of six games nevertheless make Mega Man Legacy Collection a great option for anyone who's looking for an old-school treat.

Nintendo Life

Thomas Whitehead·Feb 16, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

LEGO Marvel's Avengers is a mixed experience on Wii U. In solo play there's plenty of content and typical LEGO-style fun to be had, with the extended Avengers cast well used for a variety of gameplay styles, combat moves and environmental puzzles. The Wii U version suffers from poor performance in co-op, however, with some dips and rough edges also to be found in solo play; these factors take some of the shine away. Fans of LEGO games and the Avengers movies will find plenty to like, but technical shortcomings mean it falls short of its full potential.

Nintendo Life

Jonathan Bee·Feb 3, 2016

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Despite some clunky controls and some glitches, Level 22 is an fun stealth game that adds some quirkiness to a genre that can feel stale at times. It's just the right length to avoid overstaying its welcome, and humorous aspects help the player see past what - at the end of the day - is a fairly elementary, albeit relatable, story.

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Jan 27, 2016

Critic80/100

Agreement—

All told, Minecraft: Story Mode is a wild ride from start to finish, telling a riveting tale filled with plot twists and interesting characters. That being said, not everyone will be impressed with the fact that it's essentially an interactive movie. If you're the type of gamer who skips cutscenes and prefers satisfying gameplay, steer clear and look elsewhere for your gaming fix. If you're the type of gamer who appreciates listening to a good story (and don't mind stumping up the cash to hear the whole thing), then we would highly recommend this. Minecraft: Story Mode does an excellent job of breathing life into the somewhat anonymous world of Minecraft; this is one tale you'll want to hear.

Nintendo Life

Ryan Craddock·Jan 18, 2016

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Kung Fu Panda: SLL has many strong qualities, including a great amount of loyalty to the franchise and real thought for how the characters would fight and move, but suffers from an overall lack of gameplay content. The fact that it draws so heavily from the Super Smash Bros. series is both a blessing and a curse. It would be easy to think of this as a negative; if you want to play a fighting game of this type then there is no reason to choose this over Super Smash Bros. itself. But Kung Fu Panda: SLL isn't trying to compete with a genre defining game – it's bringing that style of play to a brand new audience. Fans of the film franchise that want this game purely because it has their favourite panda in it will be treated to an experience way beyond what is usually expected for a movie tie-in, and one that can provide a fun time.

Nintendo Life

Jonathan Town·Jan 16, 2016

Critic30/100

Agreement—

There is a never-ending supply of drudgery to keep you flying in straight lines forever; in fact, there's very little to recommend here - as a simulator it fails by not being sim-enough in both physics execution and pilot involvement, but equally it's not arcade-y or fun either. With very little to actually do and way too much repetition we'd advise you to look elsewhere. To end on a positive note, the loading screen is quite nice.