Nintendo Life

• 3DS
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

It's clear when playing on Nintendo 3DS that OlliOlli was designed to be convenient to play in short bursts. It's a great game to pick up and play for just 5 minutes making it ideal for short journeys, but equally it's unnervingly easy to sink a few hours in due to that one-more-try sensibility.

• SNES
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

There’s not much to say about Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! that hasn’t already been said about its predecessors. It’s an immensely well-polished game with an excellent atmosphere and hugely enjoyable levels. It’s just that the game had so much to live up to it would have almost been impossible to succeed Donkey Kong Country 2, particularly. This game doesn’t bring an awful lot of new ideas to the table, but rather feels like an extension of what came before — that should, nevertheless, be reason enough to download it and complete your Donkey Kong Country Virtual Console collection. If you’ve not played the second entry in the series, play this one first so your experience ascends in the most pleasing manner possible.

• 3DS
• 9 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Overall, Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire seem very similar to Pokémon X & Y, as you might expect, but the story and the environments you encounter feel – despite the fact that they are remakes – very fresh and unique. They’re not an extensive upgrade from their other 3DS counterparts, but any Poké-fan who’s played one of the series remakes in the past knows that expecting an enormous upgrade is a fool’s errand. These titles should be considered as games that belong alongside X & Y, rather than successors; they've successfully surpassed X & Y, however, by building on the tremendous features available on the 3DS and pushing new ideas such as the Soar ability. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are a must-buy for any Poké-fan, even if you already own X or Y.

• 3DS
• 7 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Cooking Mama 5 isn’t the deepest or freshest experience around — it’s an iterative rather than innovative entry in a series whose core concept of stylus-based cooking gameplay remains the same as ever — but for the right audience it’s a whole lot of fun. Master chefs looking for a challenge won’t find much to satisfy them here, but series fans, younger gamers, and anyone with an appetite for fine food, cuteness, and simple mini-games will definitely enjoy what Mama’s got cooking.

• WIIU
• 2 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

The biggest disappointment with Luv Me Buddies Wonderland is that its source material seems perfectly harmless in itself. It has a decent foundation that, with the right guidance, could become a positive franchise for kids. Wonderland, however, is tone deaf toward its intended audience, failing to make often basic choices that would have made it more appealing, engaging, or even playable. This game does no favours whatsoever to its brand, its players, or other creators who would demonstrate more consideration in making children’s games. A real shame.

• 3DS
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Like all soccer management titles, Nintendo Pocket Football Club isn't about immediate action, but instead hides its long-term appeal behind a deeper and more involving style of gameplay. If you're willing to invest hours of your time in building the right team, observing the unskippable matches and training up your rag-tag selection of players, then you'll find it an engaging experience which is hard to put down. However, for all its charm, there's no escaping the fact that Nintendo Pocket Football Club will be compared to rival titles in this genre, and in that regard it falls short; there are no official teams, players or leagues — a massive part of the appeal of soccer management games — and the cute visual style is perhaps better suited to a release which doesn't take itself quite as seriously, like Kairosoft's Pocket League Story series. Still, its earnest approach — combined with impressive multiplayer options and a fantastic English localization packed with amusing dialogue — means that it gets further in the competition than you might expect, and those willing to put in the required time will be handsomely rewarded.

• 3DS
• 5 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

It's obvious that Frozen: Olaf's Quest is aimed towards younger gamers, and it's a decent level entry into the world of platformers. For some it might feel quite short and limited, but collecting each and every treasure will take some time, therefore extending gameplay. Want to keep the kids happy for a while? Not concerned that it has very little connection with the hit movie? Then Frozen: Olaf's Quest isn't a bad option — but don't expect it to be demanding enough to keep adult players entertained.

• 3DS
• 4 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

• NES
• 5 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

As one of Nintendo's earliest NES games, there's still a decent amount of fun to be had out of Clu Clu Land, but, unfortunately, the finicky controls and steep difficulty curve result in a game that can only be recommended to the most skilled of retro gamers.

• 3DS
• 9 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Once again, Game Freak hits the nail squarely on the head, making Pokémon X and Y an excellent new addition to the series' expansive library. Thanks to the simultaneous multi-region release date more players than ever before will be able to experience first-hand that indescribable sensation of unearthing brand new Pokémon that have nimbly avoided the dreaded internet leaks.

• WIIU
• 9 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Rayman Legends is so close to perfection that its minor missteps are all the more noticeable. Single players will likely tolerate but not love the mandatory touch-screen Murfy levels, while we're left wanting more, with the main story levels being over in a flash at well under 10 hours. Clearly aware of this, the developers made those hours utterly glorious, and then threw in enough extra content, challenges, remixes and collectibles to conceivably more than double that play time.

• NGC
• 5 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike is a disappointing title, as a result of a number of issues that could have easily been avoided. Factor 5 chose to mix up the series' tried-and-tested gameplay formula by shoehorning in on-foot segments that simply don't work. Moreover, these sections — as well as the poor plot and cut-scenes — detract from the game's few great moments. The exciting and fast-paced aerial/space combat that the series is renowned for is woefully underused, despite the fact that this is when the game is at its most fun. The inclusion of a cooperative mode which allows you and a friend to play through nearly all of the second game is this title's saving grace and should be the main reason for anyone considering it. Otherwise, this is a mostly passable affair, which is a great shame given the series' impressive legacy.

• 3DS
• 9 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Cave Story has always been an extremely charming and engaging experience, but never before has the game come alive with the type of depth and realism that the 3D visuals and lighting effects provide. When you couple all of this together with the classic high-quality platforming and shooting action of the original, not to mention an amazing remixed soundtrack, you end up with what has to be one of the most impressive video game remakes we've seen in recent years and a title you absolutely should not miss.

• 3DS
• 3 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Shifting World certainly contains the germ of a great idea but it execution leaves a lot to be desired. Uninspired level design, a useless map, poor responsiveness and inexplicable slowdown all come together to make Shifting World feel like an unfinished beta version released at retail. Shifting World had potential, but in its current state, you're not missing much by passing on it.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

There will inevitably be Kirby fans who will complain that more Kirby games weren't included or that none of the titles got any type of visual makeover, but it's difficult to complain too much given how many amazing Kirby titles have been collected onto one Wii disc, not to mention the fun bonus items and mini games that are also included. No doubt most Nintendo fans will have already played these games many times over, but it's still nice to see Nintendo giving their fluffy protagonist a little fanfare for 20 years of charming gaming magic.

• 3DS
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Heroes of Ruin does have a few rough edges and areas where greater refinement would have been welcome, but they don’t detract from an accomplished effort on 3DS. A short campaign is offset by four separate characters to develop, and the experience feels entirely suitable for a fully-tooled handheld action RPG. It’s the online structure that truly raises the bar for the platform; crawling through dungeons is a lot more fun with others to share the glory, and the inclusion of voice chat in particular is a highlight. In many respects this is a by-the-numbers title, but the end result does bear the resemblance of a masterpiece, even if it can’t quite survive the closest of inspection.

• 3DS
• 9 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D may not be the definitive version of Snake’s Cold War escapades but that doesn’t stop it from being a clever, well thought-out and simply great game — frame rate hiccups aside, the impressive and intelligent use of stereoscopic 3D makes the game an absolute joy to look at as well. It's not often that games as dense and exciting as Snake Eater see the light of day on any platform, which makes the 3DS version all the more worthwhile whether it's your first romp through the jungle or just to see an old friend in a new perspective.

• 3DS
• 6 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

The Mario & Sonic games were once a shining example of how minigame collections should be developed. However, while Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is technically no worse than its forebears, its events are too much of a mixture when it comes to quality and after four years the blemishes and inconsistencies are beginning to wear thin. It's by no means a train wreck and a valiant first effort for the series in its jump to 3DS, but with the next inevitable release due in two years it's imperative that Nintendo and SEGA use that time to iron out the wrinkles and make this the all-star collaboration it truly deserves to be.