Nintendo Life

• 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.

• 3DS
• 5 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

There are glimpses of really good times in Cubic Ninja but it's far too restrained to let those promises run free. Between the high price tag, cumbersome controls, middling stage design and strangled communication features, there are simply too many barriers to portable shinobi bliss.

• 3DS
• 5 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

After multiple seasons played, and being crowned Super Bowl Champions, we sit on the side-lines tired and disappointed. The core gameplay is fundamentally solid and filled with potential, but it seems like the developers gave up at halftime instead of pushing through to the end. The end result is a featureless title that feels like a demo of things to come instead of a full $40 retail release, and the lack of multiplayer is a glaring oversight. Hopefully EA will take it back onto the practice field, and come back later this year with a fully featured Madden 12 for 3DS that fulfils the potential that they started here.

• DS
• 7 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

The inclusion of regular button controls over Island of Happiness’s touchscreen-only commands helps to elevate this above its predecessor, but even with its neat island-raising idea to expand the game world it feels a little unambitious. It rarely puts a foot wrong, controlling well and teasing you with enough new items and areas to convince you to play through just one more day, and it’s one of the strongest titles in the series on the DS, but don’t expect much to shake up the farming formula.

• SNES
• 7 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

While it's unlikely to be considered as one of the format's finest RPG experiences, Arcana is unquestionably worthy of investigation if you're a fan of the genre but crave something a little more unique than the norm. Fans of Shining in the Darkness are likely to view the game as shameless plagiarism, but even they should be willing to admit that HAL's effort manages to outperform Sega's original in practically every department – although the game can be unduly harsh on the player at times.

• DS
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

There's no denying the nostalgia factor involved in these classic Game & Watch releases and the DSiWare service is the perfect place to make these available as individual releases for those who've longed to play them again. They're not going to set the gaming world on fire with their playability, but for those who can appreciate them they're really cool and still a lot of fun to sit down with when you have a few minutes to kill. Donkey Kong Jr. is easily one of the more enjoyable of the Game & Watch releases and if you've never tried any of the Game & Watch titles, this one is a great place to start.

• WII
• 5 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

• DS
• 7 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Phantasy Star Zero is a brave and bold attempt at an action RPG for the DS, and its online features and size make it an enticing proposition. The inclusion of innovative features such as Visual Chat, the abundance of action, some witty dialogue and the presence of many traditional Phantasy Star elements help to secure this a decent score, and there is a lot to enjoy. After spending a few hours with it you begin to understand and accept its control limitations, but it's hard to shake the feeling that the game's potential is let down by the hardware itself.

• DS
• 7 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Phantasy Star Zero is a brave and bold attempt at an action RPG for the DS, and its online features and size make it an enticing proposition. The inclusion of innovative features such as Visual Chat, the abundance of action, some witty dialogue and the presence of many traditional Phantasy Star elements help to secure this a decent score, and there is a lot to enjoy. After spending a few hours with it you begin to understand and accept its control limitations, but it's hard to shake the feeling that the game's potential is let down by the hardware itself.

• WII
• 7 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

• DS
• 7 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Whilst it’s clear the game engine has received a lot of attention, elevating it way beyond the majority of DS and even PSP in terms of graphical quality, the game flow is mostly every bit as smooth. There’s plenty of variety in missions, both optional and compulsory, and enough touches along the way to distract you, extending the game even further.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Whilst the failure to fully address issues from the original Wii Fit is a bit of a disappointment, Wii Fit Plus is still a good exercise program with a large array of fun activities that will appeal to a broad range of Wii owners. If you already own Wii Fit, it's definitely an upgrade worth getting.

• WII
• 10 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Retro has done a bang-up job in creating a polished compilation of their brand of Metroid games, which are considered some of the best adventures around. If you haven't experienced Tallon IV, Aether or become corrupt, you owe it to yourself to get on this, and veterans can still find enough thrills and upgrades to make Trilogy a worthwhile endeavor. The core games may not have changed at all, but the beefed up visuals and agile controls makes the experience feel new to old-comers, and the tight presentation is icing on an already delicious cake. If you've passed on the Prime series until now, your excuses for doing so have dwindled considerably.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

• SNES
• 7 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Nobunaga’s Ambition is one of the most successful franchises in the Koei library and features game play that is fun and addictive to this day. Although later games in the series added more depth, this original game is still worth checking out for newcomers to the series because it offers so many choices that you can easily get 100 hours of play out of the game. More importantly, there is no easier gateway into the world of Koei than Nobunaga’s Ambition. In comparison, games such as Ghengis Khan II, coming soon to virtual console, feature a similar game design but with vastly more options to overwhelm you if you don’t have some idea of what to expect first.

• DS
• 9 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Every Final Fantasy remake that has hit the Nintendo DS so far has improved upon its predecessor while at the same time retaining the original fun factor. Since these revisits have done very well in terms of sales, it was no surprise that Square Enix decided to take another stab at Final Fantasy IV. It also comes as no surprise that, like the original, Final Fantasy IV is a very challenging RPG that'll appeal to all fans of the genre: the graphics are superb, the soundtrack is great, and the gameplay is top-notch. When everything is said and done, this is a must-have RPG.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is a strategist's heaven. With over 30 hours content, the wide variety of levels, tactics, and missions will more than satisfy your thirst for war. Be warned though, this is no easy game: you will be tried and tested at every turn by the brutal opposition. The presentation of the story is not the best, and there are vast chunks of text to get through, but strategy fans don't really mind that, do they?

• GBA
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

With a comprehensive story mode, tight and entertaining tennis gameplay mechanics and a surprising amount of depth, Mario Power Tennis is a return winner on Wii U. Its visuals look considerably outmoded in some areas, and other aspects such as the exceptionally heavy dialogue initially make it a bit difficult to get into the swing of things. Nevertheless, there’s a deep experience to be found underneath all the waffle, mainly thanks to the sense of progression the story mode delivers from start to finish. Mario Power Tennis remains a very playable game, is without question worth its relatively small asking price and — most of all — goes very well with a punnet of strawberries and cream.