Matt Welsh
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Super Mario World
- Banjo Kazooie
This skater not only fails by today's standards, it wouldn't even be passable during Tony's heyday. Lousy controls, bland visuals, and an abundance of bugs make Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 a broken mess.
Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival retains the charm that the series is known for, but is uneventful and boring. Move out of this town.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan’s charming visual style doesn’t make up for repetitive level design and combat that would leave even Master Splinter frustrated.
Mario Party 10 is fun at times, but the experience is often dampened by its reliance on luck. The game may have a few redeeming qualities, but its strong random element and lack of compelling minigames makes this installment feel like a step back rather than the gameplay revamp that the series needs.
ARMS is a shallow yet approachable experience that could have used just a bit more depth, detail, and personality.
Metroid Prime: Federation Force succeeds at carving out its own identity, but loses a few elements in translation. It’s still Metroid at its core but lacks the masterful execution that the series is known for.
Star Fox Guard’s mechanically sound gameplay is frantic and fun, but its two-screen display adds to its chaos and brings down the experience.
Nintendo's best competitive sports title is just as thrilling as ever, but feels a little too familiar and light on content.
Armello presents an imaginative backdrop to a fantasy board game with deep mechanics. The steep learning curve and balancing issues may put off some players, but those who put in the time will be rewarded the most.
Star Fox Zero revisits on the series' best days, while recapturing its great ship combat, but motion controls and too many recycled elements dampen the experience.
Oceanhorn is unashamedly a Legend of Zelda clone, but feels more like an homage than a copycat. There are few original ideas, but old-school adventure game fans should love Oceanhorn's bite-sized interpretation of Zelda's classic formula.
Chariot is a fun, albeit slow-paced platformer with a refreshing art style and interesting concept. The puzzles are clever and require a strong balance of both planning and skills. However, the game's challenging difficulty, demanding precision, and emphasis on multiplayer may prove to be frustrating to some. Still, if you can look past these flaws, Chariot is an entertaining game that platforming fans should enjoy.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's first DLC pack, while not essential, tremendously capitalizes of the game's fantastic mechanics.
Yooka-Laylee is a fun platformer, despite some technical issues and outdated mechanics. If platforming wasn’t your thing in the ‘90s, there’s little here to change your mind now, but fans of the genre – and the Kickstarter backers that brought it back to life – can rest assured that they’re getting exactly what they wanted.
BOXBOXBOY! ultimately feels like more of the same, but when a game is as charming and approachable as this is, that’s perfectly fine. Having a second set of boxes shakes up the formula just enough to squeeze even more life out of this simple and excellent concept.
BOXBOY! is a fun puzzle platformer that gets a lot of mileage with a simple concept.
Pokkén Tournament retains the spirit and charm of Pokémon, while still a fun fighter that excellently caters to all skill levels.
Familiar series hang-ups lead to signs of aging, but Resident Evil 0 HD's core gameplay and horror element hold up remarkably well. Updated visuals and controls make the return trip to Raccoon City worthwhile.
Affordable Space Adventures is a great example of a game that takes advantage of everything Wii U has to offer. There are a few drawbacks but this is the best use of the GamePad to date.
Adventures of Pip is a charming experience that embraces its pixelated appearance. The platforming can feel occasionally stiff, but Pip succeeds the most when it's not afraid to have fun with its theme.