BIT.TRIP FLUX is a great example of how old-school video gaming can be every bit as relevant today as it was 30 years ago and provides the perfect ending to one of the most unique and engaging video game series ever created.

Black and White are certainly up there with the best of the series: unlike HeartGold and SoulSilver they don't have nostalgia as their main attraction, but they come closest to recreating the sense of discovery felt when embarking on that first journey with Pokémon.

Black and White are certainly up there with the best of the series: unlike HeartGold and SoulSilver they don't have nostalgia as their main attraction, but they come closest to recreating the sense of discovery felt when embarking on that first journey with Pokémon.

Capcom has somehow been able to miraculously squeeze every bit of bone-crushing fighting action onto the portable screen of the 3DS and still managed to toss in a staggering number of added features and options to go along with it. Even losing a few frames of character and background animations is a small price to pay for the stunning 3D visuals.

Okamiden is an epic adventure in every sense: well written storyline, a huge over-world and gorgeous visuals and sound. It is an experience that, even if rushed through, will take more than 15 hours to complete.

The negatives are few and relatively minor: the storyline and characters are forgettable, the multiplayer is a little clumsy and the visuals could be better. However, the developers have done a superlative job of creating a turn-based strategy game that can, conceivably, be appreciated by newcomers to the genre as well as experienced strategists.

The wealth of powerful animation tools and functions make it even more potent than Flipnote Studio, but with that added functionality comes a slightly higher learning curve if you want to get the most out of the package.

It might not be the true Mighty Flip Champs sequel some were hoping for, but it's every bit as addictive and a game absolutely no DSi owner should miss.

It's another amazing accomplishment for WiiWare graphic-wise, but like its previous games, it has the gameplay content to back it up.

A game that we highly recommend. It has been crafted with care and in painstaking detail, incorporating a lengthy, well-written story with engaging battle mechanics and an impressive variety of quest styles.

Although the developers have done a terrific job of incorporating daunting detail with intuitive controls, this title is still best suited to gamers with the strength, diligence and passion to see it through. For them, this is an experience that must not be missed.

It would have been amazing enough just to be able to own all six BIT.TRIP titles on one Wii disc, but getting 20 new challenges per game, not to mention a wealth of bonus content, makes this the definitive collection of BIT.TRIP goodness.

There will inevitably be Kirby purists who will baulk at the rather unorthodox gameplay concept behind Kirby Mass Attack, but if they do they'll be missing out on one of Kirby's most unique adventures to date.

With an almost limitless number of monster and skill variations, you'll find plenty to do even after the credits roll.

Colourful, challenging and most importantly a great deal of fun. You may well have missed it the first time around, but the game's second chance is also yours. Don't miss it.

A terrific new version of the Four Swords adventure, lovingly crafted and full of content.

Fantastic. Brilliant visual design, unforgettable music and addictive, challenging gameplay all come together to create what is easily one of the finest experiences WiiWare has ever seen.

There may be no lack of dance games on shelves but there has yet to be one as polished, approachable and with such joie de vivre as Just Dance 3.

Another top-quality game in a truly brilliant series. It challenges your mind in a way very few games seriously attempt to do, and the feeling you get when you solve a particularly difficult puzzle is less one of relief than it is a desire to leap ahead in the game and find the next one. Playing this game is its own reward, and we'd have it no other way.

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.

Kirby fans have been waiting a long time for a return to the classic Kirby experience, but after playing Kirby's Return to Dreamland, it's perfectly clear that the wait was well worth it. Not only are the colourful visuals absolutely stunning, but the classic gameplay, although a tad on the easy side, has never played better or featured more variety.

It's impossible not to be impressed by the vast number of classic Super Mario elements that have been squeezed into the package, especially given how fresh they all look and feel in their new 3D presentation. If you've been looking for a reason to pick up a 3DS, you've just found it.

No one does kart racing quite like Nintendo and this seventh release in the beloved series really shines with its masterful track selection and impressive online package.

Up to this point, there haven't really been any breakout 3DS download titles; of course, the 3D Classics games are nice, but they're not completely original. Pullblox, deceptively simple as it may seem, features great gameplay, a lengthy main game, a simple to use level creation and sharing tool and, best of all, comes at quite a low price. It's far and away one of the best downloads available at the moment and a recommended purchase for anybody.

Mighty Switch Force is easily one of the best games WayForward has crafted and just the type of top-tier 3DS title Nintendo's eShop has been in dire need of.

With its crafty level designs and unique visual style, Mutant Mudds offers up the best of both 8-bit and 16-bit worlds, all the while giving fans of the genre a classic 2D platformer. Mutant Mudds might very well be the best eShop game to date, and one no platformer fan should miss.

A truly impressive achievement, and the definitive 'mature' title on the 3DS. With production values worthy of a home console release, a significant volume of content, a blend of the series' different game styles and a subtly evolved control system, this title feels like a tribute to and progression of the franchise. There are some downsides though, including spikes in difficulty and drops in frame rate that are occasionally jarring in contrast to the rest of the title.

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.

One of the most attractive, exhilarating, entertaining and outrageously fun titles so far on 3DS. While Mario has recently brought his style of gaming bliss to the handheld, Uprising provides a substantial amount of content, its own brand of adrenaline pumping set pieces and wonderful humour. It sweeps you along at breakneck speed, and is a must-have title for that very reason.

Though lacking in any type of structured play, Colors! 3D's robust free drawing system and unique ability to let anyone create their own three-dimensional artwork more than make up for this.

Theatrhythm's varying difficulties make it easy to enjoy for players of all skill levels with the RPG mechanics an extra bonus for those who desire it. It absolutely does justice to the Final Fantasy brand, presenting its characters and, most importantly, music with love and respect that makes it feel like a tribute as much as a standalone video game. There are so many songs to play, items to find and characters to level up you'll find yourself struggling to put it down.

It may not be as gleefully experimental as Super Mario Land 3D, but New Super Mario Bros. 2 intelligently recycles past glories and consequently offers the comfort of what is arguably one of the most enjoyable video game franchises ever.

The cumbersome title and suspicious cuteness of The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave may scare off a few gamers, but those who give it a chance will find themselves immersed in a genuinely creative and surprisingly challenging world. The animation is charming and smooth, the soundtrack passively gorgeous, and the experience long and rewarding.

Cave Story may come from humble PC beginnings but it feels most in its element in this slick portable package. Nicalis has put together the definitive Cave Story compilation, but without any earth-shattering changes or additions it's ultimately just another way to play an all-time classic on familiar hardware. Granted, that's still a rather excellent thing, as the game is so pleasing to play that we're more than happy to delve into it yet again, and again.

Pokémon Black and White 2 are easily the best in the series to date and an absolute must-buy for fans. Even if it's been ages since you've picked up a Poké Ball, there's no better time to jump back in and start catching them all.

Pokémon Black and White 2 are easily the best in the series to date and an absolute must-buy for fans. Even if it's been ages since you've picked up a Poké Ball, there's no better time to jump back in and start catching them all.

The broad range of characters, the emotional tone of the storyline and the teasing promise of more makes for an utterly engrossing experience. The question is whether this is worth your money; if you enjoy puzzles and charming tales of adventure, then you should already know the answer.

This is the rare kind of game that seamlessly blends classic brawler gameplay with RPG elements while still managing to remain simple and fun, and is one of the most appealing games we've seen on the 3DS so far.

Mallo's second outing is another massive success; Fallblox constantly surprises, impresses and challenges in equal measures. Even in its difficult moments – and there are plenty – it encourages players to have fun and never significantly punishes errors. Fallblox boasts level design and creativity that many games can only dream of; developer Intelligent Systems' name has never seemed more appropriate.

Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition is just as fantastic as its 3DS predecessor. The controls are flawless, the graphics amazing, the music some of the best we've heard in any video game. It all really comes down to which D you prefer, 3D or HD. The Wii U's graphical muscle is the perfect partner for WayForward's art gods, so even if you've already had your fill of the original there's some pretty big incentive to double dip.

New Super Mario Bros. U may not offer the cataclysmic genre shift that many badly crave, but it's the gem of the Wii U launch lineup and a must-have purchase.

Nintendo Land is both a wonderful celebration of Nintendo's past and an exciting glimpse into its future, but more importantly it is incredibly, riotously fun. It's one of the best local multiplayer experiences ever crafted, and playing with friends is a guaranteed great time. There's also a surprising amount of depth to the single-player offerings, and Miiverse integration means you're never really on your own. It definitely taps into the nostalgia vein - and this is fan service par excellence - but it's also just pure entertainment.

The result is a game which is far more focused and entertaining than the original Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.

As an RPG that digs into the table-top history of the genre, Crimson Shroud is both a great deal of fun and an artistic triumph.

It doesn't mean much due to it having no competition the past couple of years but NBA 2K13 continues the series' dominance in the basketball sim genre.

The 3DS eShop is home to some truly amazing titles, and Hydroventure: Spin Cycle is another upstanding addition to that stellar selection. It successfully builds on the foundations laid down by its WiiWare parent and delivers a physics-based puzzle experience which challenges the very best the genre has to offer.

Make no mistake: escapeVektor is a great game. It's not without its flaws, but they're extremely minor when compared against everything the game gets exactly right.

Despite the rare occurrence of frame rate drops, and the stunted online play, Mass Effect 3: Special Edition is a love letter to video game and science fiction enthusiasts everywhere, as it does all it can to please the fans and engage newcomers to its immense and beautiful universe.

Fire Emblem: Awakening's masterful tightrope walk between luring in curious onlookers and appealing to the hardest of cores is a sight to behold.

A real sense of exploration and wonder, deeply customisable characters, engaging combat and the sublime satisfaction that comes from proceeding through an adventure using your own, handmade maps — Etrian Odyssey IV wraps all these up in a beautiful, pastel package that dungeon crawling fans will absolutely love.

Both love letter to the purist gameplay ideals of yesteryear and free-spirited embrace into what the future may yet hold, RUNNER2 is the rare breed that wants to grab you by the hand and lead you on an earnest, cheerful adventure.

Nano Assault EX basically offers up exactly what you'd expect from an eShop upgrade release — better controls, more options, and a brand new mode.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is the perfect name choice, as this takes the already exceptional Wii title and adds a daunting amount of new content and a HD sheen. It's also not a game for everyone, and those that go in with eyes closed may be in for a nasty surprise at the level of commitment and skill required.

It's one of the best games yet for 3DS, and evidence that 2013 is very much the "Year of Luigi".

Delivers on every level. It's fast, fun, and absolutely beautiful, with an open-world design that creates a real feeling of freedom to go with the sense of speed. There's a staggering amount of content, with races to run, cars to find and mods to unlock, and the unique online multiplayer adds heaps of replay value.

For Shin Megami Tensei or Persona fans, this is a no brainer — Soul Hackers is a fantastic entry in the series and you won't be disappointed.

The 3D effect has arguably never been better used in a platformer on the system — ironic as it wasn't originally designed for the hardware — and it's a technically sound iteration of one of the Wii's very best games.

Putting aside a few jumps in difficulty and a rather disappointing multiplayer mode, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is without a doubt the best attempt at capturing the thrill of the movies in digital form to date and a real service to fans who grew up watching the films and cartoons.

There is a lot of replay value to be found here and the gameplay is both fun and varied. If frantic stylus action is your thing, then don’t miss this game.

It's encouraging to see despite the depressing flood of casual 'me too' titles the DS is afflicted with some developers can still use the machine to create a suitably hardcore experience.

BlastWorks provides a good amount of shooting action out of the box, but the ability to create your own designs and easily share them with others is what really makes this title shine.

Developer Nnooo has certainly balanced the title well and while it's unlikely to withstand prolonged play, it offers enough depth and enjoyment to keep you coming back for short bursts.

With well over forty hours of gameplay, multiple endings, online battles, great music and a solid battle system, Luminous Arc II is recommended to anyone after a strategic RPG built to last.

Despite its flaws, Infinite Space will provide many, many hours of epic entertainment for anyone with the patience to plumb its greater depths.

Cursed Mountain is a game of considerable quality, with no shortage of commendable assets - an intelligent story, well-crafted immersion into a foreign world and a high standard of audio and visual presentation mark it out as a game well worth a buy.

Rune Factory Frontier is both the best Harvest Moon game of this generation and an enjoyable dungeon-crawler too.

For everyone from casual gamers who want something to fire up and play that won’t run away from you when real life intervenes, and for serious pool sharks who want to play pool even when they’re not playing pool, this game should satisfy. And for the price of about four games of real pool at your local pub, this game is a steal (not to mention a lot longer lasting than your 800 Wii Points would normally buy you on WiiWare).

My Aquarium is not a game, so we're not reviewing it as such. If you are happy that in downloading this you’ll be getting a virtual aquarium, then you really can't go wrong here.

A refreshing entry into the rhythm action genre and, without a doubt, one of the more worthwhile additions to WiiWare.

A very strange and unique game. Perhaps it is not one that will keep you glued to the screen for hours at a time, but it really is addictive and will have you coming back often to try and better that elusive high score which you set the day before. With friends around the proposition is even more attractive.

Bomberman Blast captures mostly everything Bomberman Live has, and adds some excellent new content into the mix. It’s been a long time since we got some classic Bomberman action on a Nintendo console, but it’s back now, and possibly better than ever.

Tenchu: Shadow Assassins is a game that will be welcomed by many: good attention to detail and largely well-implemented controls combine with a compelling story to create a terrific cinematic gaming experience.

Putting our incessant nitpickings aside for a moment (and to be fair they are really observations as opposed to complaints) this game rocks. Many WiiWare games lack depth, but Orbient nips that stereotypical quality in the bud. The game may be conquerable within a matter of hours but after a few levels the genius of the gameplay really starts to shine through.

While it may have some niggles with backtracking, lame endings and button-mashing combat that hold it back, overall the game is as engrossing as they come and certainly one worth investing a chunk of time into.

Despite its basic presentation and superficially simplistic gameplay, Cubello is the kind of game that delivers an engrossing experience every time you pick it up.

Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ may be a rather simplistic shooter, but the game offers plenty of depth.

Playing against friends is incredible fun and for this we can recommend the game wholeheartedly, but if you're not able to round up anyone you might think twice before a purchase.

Not only is Rotohex extremely well executed, but it has this certain addictive quality that makes it a lot of fun to play in quick bursts.

With Alien Crush Returns, Hudson has somehow managed to retain all of the unique and addictive elements of the original game while simultaneously adding in enough fresh game play ideas to bring the cult classic properly up to date.

Space Invaders Get Even is a wonderful new take on the franchise. Reversing the roles was a stroke of genius. Blowing up buildings never gets old and it’s fun to be the bad guy every now and then.

The puzzles are varied and enjoyable whilst remaining genuinely challenging, the range of modes on offer are interesting but not overwhelming and the stats are detailed and accurate. However whether or not you should buy a game like this is entirely subjective.

With lots of funny dialogue and memorable moments, such as thwarting the invincible Killingyouguy in a car chase and defeating an amazing CGI monster, this is easily the best episode yet in the series.

Although the shooting sections are fun, and some of the game’s boss battles are very impressive, there’s not a huge amount of variety in the standard levels or the enemies that inhabit them, so although the story is compelling be aware you’ll be doing a lot of the same between the start and the game’s climax.

Episode 5 is about videogames – that can really only mean good things! It’s not longer than any of the other episodes, nor is there more to do, but it’s got more jokes than any other entry in the series, plus we finally get to see Trogdor in 3D – what more could you want?

The game is still a blast to play.

Bplus has succeeded in creating a very fun little action-platformer with Niki – Rock ‘n’ Ball. The simplicity of the game and its fun gameplay structure makes it perfect for a quick play now and again, despite the unforgiving learning curve after the first few worlds.

Pikmin is a quirky, innovative, colourful, charming, and addictive game- epitomising exactly what Nintendo are all about. Sure, it’s just a GameCube port with Wii controls slapped on, but it works well.

SameGame is deceptively simple and one of the most incredibly addictive puzzle games ever, Hudson have done an excellent job of bringing the classic game up to date on WiiWare.

An excellent addition to the Activision's best-selling franchise. The fusion of game concept and band results in a match made in heaven and even if you're not a massive fan of Metallica's work, this update does a good job of catering to the needs of fans of the series.

Far exceeding its DS and Gamecube ancestors, as well as a huge portion of the DS's catalogue, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is a superb game for fans of RPGs as well as anyone eager to explore the unique Wii to DS connectivity offered here.

Despite the few minor gameplay complaints, it's still difficult to fault the well-thought-out design that the game makes use of.

The versatile and responsive controls are the star of the show, giving these simplistic minigames much-needed longevity.

Those of you willing to take the challenge will find a beautiful, genre-bending game with near-endless amounts of strategy, customisation and content. Truly, Knights In The Nightmare is a game worthy of the title "hardcore".

Rogue Trooper stands out for two big reasons: it's one of very few decent third-person 3D action games on the Wii and it's a good quality game based upon a licensed property.

While the game's play control system can be a tad loose in feel at times, the overall experience is still solid and proves that you don't have to have a lot of bells and whistles in your play control design to make an involving and enjoyable game.

The main thing about this game is that nearly all the mini-games are enjoyable which, when you consider there are 50 to choose from, is an excellent achievement.

One of the most unique titles available on the Wii Shop Channel. The game overflows with personality and substance and does a stellar job of creating a real-life barber shop atmosphere.

It's pure, mindless fun.