All in all, Starwhal is an excellent couch multiplayer game that'll doubtless be a house favourite in many establishments. The frantic yet simple action keeps the game accessible to newcomers, but is chaotic enough that it will take a lengthy amount of time to get stale.
All in all, Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon is a game that never quite manages to escape bouts of tedium. Repetition that's present in nearly every aspect makes for a game that can sometimes feel like a chore rather than a form of entertainment. All the same, the amount of things to do is staggering and the new form of recruitment through missions makes for a streamlined means of achieving the goal of catching 'em all. We'd recommend this to those of you who don't mind a lot of grinding in RPGs, as there's plenty to enjoy here if you can push on through the copious amounts of padding. If that doesn't sound up your alley it may be best to pass and wait for the next Pokémon game.
Ultimately, Pokémon Picross is a very satisfying experience, but it can come at a great cost. The introduction of missions, skills, and achievements greatly expands upon the base of number puzzles, but the stingy free-to-play aspects do hold it back from its full potential. If you're looking for a game that you can play casually without paying, look elsewhere. If you're willing to pay up, this is the best entry in the Picross e sub-series yet.
All in all, Mojang has done a wonderful job of porting the full Minecraft experience over to the Wii U. A game such as this feels right at home on the system, it's just a pity that it didn't arrive sooner. The open-ended nature of the gameplay means that virtually endless hours of fun are possible, and it can be tough to put it down once it's really gotten its hooks in you. That being said, there's little here to justify a double dip; world size aside, it's pretty much the same experience you'll find elsewhere. We'd definitely recommend Minecraft: Wii U Edition on its own merits, but if you've already bought it or played it on another platform think carefully before you buy it again.
Ultimately, AVOIDER is a game where you'll get what you pay for; no more, no less. While the gameplay is relatively fun at first, it quickly gets tired when you realize it's a one-trick pony that doesn't have anything more to show you. For such a cheap price it's difficult to expect too much more from this kind of game, but it still feels like this could've used some polishing before being pushed out. We'd give this a general recommendation, but just bear in mind that your mileage will vary greatly.
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.
Ultimately, Shütshimi is a fun game that's both flashy and engaging. The breakneck pace of endless waves of enemies combined with a quirky and bizarre sense of humour make for a good time whether you're playing alone or with a couple of friends. While the gameplay isn't terribly deep and it gets repetitive in longer sessions, there's plenty here to keep gamers coming back for more. We'd recommend that you pick this game up, it's a great retro shooter with a neat twist.
All in all, Project X Zone 2 is an enjoyable experience that improves upon some faults present in its predecessor, while adding in some interesting new features. The storyline may fall a little flat, but the amazing presentation and engaging gameplay will be more than enough to keep you hooked. Naturally, a game such as this will be more appreciated by those who are more familiar with all the different franchises being represented, but don't let that scare you off if you're new to most of them. Overall, we'd highly recommend that you pick up Project X Zone 2 - it's a colourful, crazy and fun SRPG that will likely entertain gamers of all skill levels and interests.
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.
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.
Ultimately, The Hand of Panda is a rhythm game that almost manages to achieve mediocrity. Its campaign lacks both depth and longevity, and while the soundtrack is actually pretty good it's not enough to save this bite-sized game. We'd recommend that you skip this one; there may not be a ton of rhythm games to choose from on the eShop, but there's little reason one should settle for this.
All told, Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut is a solid update to the DSiWare classic. While there may not necessarily be enough here to justify a double dip for those of you that picked it up the first time around, there's never been a better way to experience this game. For those of you that have never played it, we'd give this game a strong recommendation; it's creative, clever, and colourful. This is a retro action game you won't want to miss out on.
All told, Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in Suburbs #1 Vol. 2 is a disappointing and uninteresting experience. While the idea behind it is solid enough, the execution is so poor that we couldn't recommend this to anyone. The trivia included is interesting enough, but it certainly does not compensate for the mindless gameplay and poor camera quality. Do yourself a favour and don't get on this train.
Essentially, Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in Suburbs #1 Vol. 3 is exactly what its predecessors were, nothing more, nothing less. If you enjoyed any of the previous ones, you will also enjoy this one, as it's virtually just a glorified DLC pack. If you were put off by the previous games, then we'd advise you to stay well away from this. Ultimately, we wouldn't recommend you pick this one up as both the footage and gameplay are severely lacking, which gives one little reason to invest a significant chunk of time into this. It's best you just let this train roll by.
All told, Japanese Rail Sim 3D Journey in Suburbs #1 Vol. 4 is a noble attempt at educating players on a different part of the world while also giving them a look at what it's like to be driving a train. Unfortunately, its barebones gameplay and low quality footage of the surrounding environment overshadow the interesting trivia that can be learned. While fans of previous entries will find plenty to love, we'd recommend you pass this one up. Leave this train in the station.
Ultimately, 6-Hand Video Poker is a poor attempt at bringing the video poker experience to the home. The game makes absolutely no attempt to motivate the player to continue playing, so mileage is entirely dependent upon how much you enjoy winning meaningless hands of cards against a few randomly generated opponents. Couple that with the barebones presentation and you have a game that has little to no appeal. Unless you absolutely must play poker on your Wii U, we'd recommend you skip this one. You can probably easily find a free equivalent online, and it wouldn't have to do much to be more feature heavy and exciting than this.
We give this game a recommendation - 16-bit RPGs don't get much better than this and it's one that RPG fans won't want to miss out on.
All in all, Pharaoh's Riches is a shoddy shot at providing gamers with an interesting or meaningful gambling experience. While we can't speak to the legality of a gambling game on Wii U where real money could be exchanged, the lack of any consequence being enacted regardless of whether you've gained or lost money means you are simply pulling a lever to watch some symbols spin. Considering that this is going on the eShop for $9.99(!) at launch, we would absolutely recommend that you go elsewhere for your gambling fill.
Ultimately, 153 Hand Video Poker is one of the worst games we've played in recent times. There are almost no redeeming qualities to it aside from the fact that is technically playable. Mindless gameplay and careless presentation are once again the downfalls of Skunk's second attempt at a poker game. 99 cents isn't typically a lot to ask for, but it sure is with this release. We'd highly recommend that you pass this one over; instead, go out and buy yourself a nice stick of gum. It costs the same, and you'll get way more enjoyment out of it.
All told, Educational Pack of Kids Games is a rather middling affair. For its part it is an educational pack of kids games, and it's got a variety of games that's about right for what you're paying. However, the games included are all quite shallow, and not all of them feel as though they're really teaching young players.