I had somewhat enjoyed Mario vs. Donkey Kong on the Game Boy Advance and I remember being quite excited when I heard that it was getting a sequel for the Nintendo DS. I was curious to see how they’d improve the formula on superior hardware.

As it turns out, they did not improve the formula. They didn’t worsen it, either. They actually just made something completely different. While the first game had been a sort of successor to Donkey Kong for the original Game Boy, this game had you guiding Mini-Mario toys to the exits of little 2D levels. On paper, it might sound like a change for the worse (and I know some people were unhappy with it) but I actually like it more than those previous two games.

The Mini-Marios actually made their debut in the previous game, but I found them quite annoying in that one, since you just had to lead them to safety with Mario and they often died because of things which felt like they were out of your control. This time, you do feel in control. You can turn the Mini-Marios on and off by tapping them and swipe them left or right to make them go in certain directions. Along the way, they’ll encounter Shy Guys, Piranha Plants and other enemies trying to destroy them. They can’t really defend themselves (unless you lead them to a hammer) so you need to keep an eye on all of them to keep them safe.

Winning a level feels very satisfying and it’s one of those DS games which made good use of the touch screen controls. It wouldn’t really work without them. You go through several worlds along the way and they’re all styled after famous Mushroom Kingdom locations (and one is styled on Donkey Kong Island.) Very nicely, you get remixes of famous Super Mario and Donkey Kong tunes along the way (though I wish they had more Donkey Kong music…)

I also appreciate this game from a story perspective too, which I can’t really say for its prequel.  It starts with Mario opening a theme park based around Mini-Marios and he has Pauline there as a special guest. For the first time, she has a 3D model and it’s pretty cool that they brought this retro character back after all those years. Donkey Kong gets mad when she favours a Mini-Mario over a Mini-Donkey Kong, grabs her by the arm and drags her away. Cue Mini-Mario based chase. There’s a wonderful twist ending to it all and I shan’t spoil it, but let’s just say that I enjoyed Donkey Kong’s characterisation here.

It’s a nice, simple game and it doesn’t have too many problems. I will admit though that one or two of the game’s levels were on the frustrating side and, to be honest, the concept as a whole might not be “meaty” enough for some players. Plus, I do wish that they had incorporated more elements from the Donkey Kong series – other than Pauline and DK himself, it feels more like a Super Mario game which just happens to feature Donkey Kong, rather than a merging of the two series.

Nonetheless, it is an enjoyable puzzle game and something which I would recommend adding to your DS collection.

Rating: 8.6/10

Buy it here.

(Don’t miss today’s Finger Puppet Show!)

Rayman is a fondly remembered gaming icon of the 1990s and early 2000s and while he might not be considered as much of a big deal these days, his games are still fun to play. The original Rayman was released in 1995 and it’s an enjoyable 2D platformer which has aged quite well.

The story isn’t really much of a focus (even less so than other games in this genre.) All you really need to know is that he’s travelling through a strange and surreal world in order to rescue something called the Great Protoon from somebody named Mr. Dark. It sets up the game and it’s really all you need.

What I like so much about this game is that the worlds all look very beautiful (the art is very nice, especially for its time) and there’s a great soundtrack to accompany it. The music is often quite ambient and I sometimes get the impression that a lot of the strange and bizarre things I’m seeing are supposed to symbolise something more meaningful, though they’re almost certainly not.

Sometimes you’ll be going through jungles and caves, which are obviously fairly standard video game locales, but they’re portrayed really well here. Other times you’ll be walking through levels made of art supplies or musical notations, which is very unique. I have a personal preference for the ones which are grounded in reality (they have a certain fairy tale charm to them) but I basically like them all.

There is one main area where the game could be improved, however: the difficulty. It’s far too hard. Now, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate finely tuned platforming which is tough, but fair – it can be nice to really perfect your approach to a level so that you can win. Sadly, a lot of the tough sections in Rayman don’t feel fair to me. There’ll be obstacles flying all over the place  and everything that hits Rayman, pushes him back, often into deadly bottomless pits. It’s really infurating sometimes, especially near the end.

Speaking of the end, you need to find all of the collectables hidden in each world to access the final world… considering the difficulty in finishing some of them even once, this was not something I was willing to do. I usually like to complete every game I review but, sadly, finishing all but the final world will have to count as “completing” in this case.

But, overall, I’d hate to leave a negative impression of this game. The difficulty can get frustrating, sure, but I still had a good time with this game and genuinely enjoyed many of its levels. Plus, it was the game that gave us Rayman: iconic and limbless creature that he is. I’d say it’s worth a try.

Rating: 8.1/10

Buy it here.

(Don’t miss today’s Finger Puppet Show!)

I was quite excited when I saw a cheap copy of Tetris DX in a local pre-owned games shop. I’d wanted it for quite a while, although, strangely, I didn’t really know very much about it. To be honest, I had the impression that it was just the same as the earlier Game Boy Tetris, just with added colour. In reality, it’s actually quite a different game (or as different as two version of Tetris can be.)

The first change is something that you’ll notice as soon as you turn the game on. It has save files. The original could not save at all, which is very annoying for a game like this. But this time, you register your name and then it automatically adds you onto the score boards when you do well and it keeps track of the total number of lines you’ve cleared, which is pretty cool. Essentially, you can have several different “accounts” and then whoever is playing will always have their high scores attributed to them.

Aside from the classic Marathon Mode (which continues to be endlessly enjoyable to this day) they’ve also added Ultra Mode, 40 Lines and Vs. Com. Ultra Mode has you getting as many points as possible within a three minute time limit (good for when you know you have limited time.) 40 Lines has you clearing 40 lines as quickly as possible and Vs. Com has you playing against a computer player in the same way that you might play against a human player (which is also an option.)

But this game has one big problem. It’s going to sound so petty when I say it, too. Anyway, I’m sure you know the what the Tetris Theme A music is, don’t you? That classic piece of Russian folk music (otherwise known as Korobeiniki) which is really catchy and which everybody associates with the game? The music that you love listening to while you play Tetris? Well, it’s not really in this version. You have a choice of music tracks for when you play and they’re all quite boring and forgettable. The tune does make a very minor cameo in one of the little animations you get when you get a high score… but that’s not good enough!

Honestly, I feel bad saying this, but even though this game has added nice colours and and new modes, I can’t say that I enjoy it more than the original, because it’s lacking the original’s excellent soundtrack. Music plays a big role in my enjoyment of a game. If it weren’t for the fact that this one can actually save (which is a big plus) I’d probably have to say that it was worse than the original. As it stands, they’re about even.

Rating: 9.4/10

Buy it here.

(Don’t miss today’s Finger Puppet Show!)