Nintendo 3DS Reviews

Mario has long enjoyed a wide variety of spin-offs. Best known is Mario Kart, although the little plumber that could has never been completely tied to to the racetrack. This tradition of allowing an untrained fat man to star in various sporting events continues with Mario Tennis Open for the 3DS.

Project X Zone should perhaps win the award for the most exciting game with the least descriptive, least exciting name. It sounds like a fantasy extreme sports simulator, like Dead Ball Zone or something of that kin. And yet, behind the name there lies not only a cross-over project perhaps unrivalled in gaming - only beat perhaps by The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen elsewhere - but a decent tactical RPG that will suck you into the genre whether you have prior experience.

With a library that contains JRPGs like Etrian Odyssey, Fire Emblem, Soul Hackers and Kingdom Hearts, it's no surprise that Shin Megami Tensei IV found its way to the Nintendo 3DS. It's becoming the go-to system for JRPG fanatics – which is a blessing considering how few are released for home consoles – and SMTIV is a welcome addition.

If you haven’t played any of the Mario & Luigi series, I strongly urge you to do so, as they are some of the most thought out, inspired and creative titles Nintendo has ever developed. From exploring the Beanbean Kingdom in Superstar Saga to Mario & Luigi trying to communicate with baby versions of themselves in Partners in Time, the series stays true to its tried and tested gameplay, with the addition of a few new features in Dream Team.

Ever since its first global release for the Nintendo Gamecube a decade ago, Animal Crossing has amassed a very large and devoted fanbase. Its Sims-meets-Harvest Moon real-time gameplay is notable for its charm, depth and accessibility. This fact alone easily makes Animal Crossing one of Nintendo's most popular franchises. Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the latest iteration of the series, this time finding its home on the 3DS. For many, this was a highly anticipated game, especially after it was revealed that the Japanese release last September was an instant ...

Since the original ‘Luigi's Mansion’ released for the GameCube in 2002, fans and enthusiasts have been yearning for another opportunity at ghost hunting. Nintendo’s E3 conference in 2011 left gamers in awe after the unexpected but welcome announcement of Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon, a sequel to the original game, for the 3DS. Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon does a great job, not only with improving the ghost hunting mechanics but also by adding quirky personalities to ghosts and allies alike, making for an incredibly charming experience.

It's not unusual for a fan of video games to believe the industry is going wrong somehow. Through the use of DLC and the like, they feel the industry is losing what is most important to it: the games. With the likes of Game Dev Story giving these same fans the opportunity to do things differently, a new subset of the "Tycoon" genre has been born. Publisher Dream, a new title recently released for DSi and 3DS (via DSiWare), is one of those games, but how effective is it in allowing you to make your publisher dreams come true?

When Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater came out in 2004 the world had gone past fear of a Third World War and shifted its focus to the War On Terror. Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles were passé, replaced by thoughts of Dirty Bombs. So instead of setting Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater in the near future, Kojima Productions chose a Cold War setting filled with quaint talk about the good old days when people only feared mutually assured destruction. Now, nearly ten years later, the notion that Saddam Hussein will unleash his dreaded Weapons of Mass ...

We have seen various changes to the Paper Mario franchise over the past decade. Having started with turn based battles for the first few installments, then switching over to more dynamic combat in Super Paper Mario Wii, I’m happy to say that with Paper Mario: Sticker Star for the 3DS, the series has gone back to its roots and makes for an immensely adorable and memorable adventure.

Kingdom Hearts is a franchise well-loved by RPG and Disney fans alike, not surprising considering its impressive blend of animation-based nostalgia and slick gameplay. The first two games were met with critical acclaim, but it was spin-off after spin-off that has caused some to abandon the series, waiting for the holy grail that is Kingdom Hearts 3. Dream Drop Distance, for the 3DS, is about the closest we’ve ever come to a full Sora-and-Co sequel, but is that enough to look over the fact that this is, effectively, just another spin-off?