Banjo-Pilot is a kind of sequel to Diddy Kong Racing. It takes the aeroplane gameplay from the previous game and makes it the focus. So it’s a fun racing game, similar to the Mario Kart series, but where you only drive planes and not race karts.

The game gives you the opportunity to play as Banjo, Kazooie, Mumbo Jumbo, Humba Wumba, a Jinjo, Klungo, Gruntilda, Bottles and Jolly Roger, though not all of them are immediately playable. I think it’s a nice selection of popular icons from the franchise and each of them gets their own unique plane too, which gives them all a little extra bit of character. All of the race tracks are based on locations from Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie and Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge. I was quite pleased to see levels from Grunty’s Revenge included, as that game often gets overlooked, but really I was very happy with most of the stages as they provided a fond reminder of levels I’d enjoyed playing in the past.

Here’s an oddity with the way the game plays. All of the race tracks are completely flat and  could just as easily be raced on by conventional race karts. Even though you’re in a plane, if you go off the road and over the grass, you still slow down. It’s a bit weird, but I guess you just have to put it down to some kind of magic the characters are using to make sure people don’t cheat (and, in reality, technical limitations.) Some people see this as a negative of the game, but items are still in three dimensions, so it’s not like flying is completely wasted. Even though a lot of people don’t like this, I still find it just as enjoyable as either of the Mario Kart games done in this same style.

Fans of the series, and indeed, fans of Rare in general, are likely to find a lot to enjoy about this game. As I mentioned, there are a selection of popular characters who are all full of personality and there are race tracks based on various locations from the main games. I was a little disappointed that Jamjars was not playable and that Mad Monster Mansion was not a race track, but these are minor issues. The race tracks are all full of fun little references too and a few characters make cameos in this capacity. Not only do you get Banjo-Kazooie characters like Gobi, but Sabreman (from the Sabre Wulf series) and Expresso the Ostrich (from Donkey Kong Country) also make appearances! I can’t help but feel very happy about this acknowledgement of the series’ connection to the Donkey Kong games.

Overall, I think this is a great game and I think it’s a shame that it is remembered as being so mediocre. I enjoyed this game very much. Maybe it could have had a few more characters and it’s a shame that they didn’t come up with any kind of story (like Diddy Kong Racing had) but these are only really a few small ideas for improvements over what is already a fun game. There are lots of things to unlock and there’s a multiplayer mode too, so if you give Banjo-Pilot a chance, it’s sure to give you lots of hours of fun.

Rating: 8.7/10

Buy it here.

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Super Mario 3D Land is a bit of good old fashioned Super Mario fun. It takes the standard 2D formula of having you start at the beginning of a course and then having you avoid various obstacles so that you can get to the flagpole at the end, but it brings it into 3D, so you’re moving through very linear 3D courses.

If you already know that you like the series, then you’ll almost certainly have a good time with this. It reminded me quite a lot of Super Mario Bros. 3 just with a touch of 3D gaming involved. It features the return of the Raccoon Leaf, which gives Mario a raccoon tail, which he can use to attack or to make himself fall more slowly. It’s a bit of a shame though, because it used to be able to make you fly but it has lost that power in this iteration. It also includes the return of the classic enemy Boom Boom and even introduced a female counterpart named Pom Pom (which I appreciated.) There’s a nice selection of levels, including haunted houses, air ships, forests and grassy fields and all the other classic Mushroom Kingdom destinations which are sure to make a lot of you feel nostalgic.

The storyline is very basic: Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach and Mario is off to rescue her. It’s a very basic game in that regard. Every established gameplay element of the franchise is reintroduced in this game, meaning that it makes for a good jumping in point, if you’ve never really played any other games in the series. If you’re an experienced fan of the series and you want a challenge, you won’t find it here. This is a very easy game, even when it’s supposed to be hard. Is this disappointing? I didn’t think so. I found that this game was the perfect thing to relax with. It was just about difficult enough that winning a level felt like an achievement, but easy enough that you’re never really likely to lose. Combine the low level of difficulty with the bright and colourful visuals of the series and you’ve got a lovely experience on your hands. There’s plenty of replayability too, with lots of little secrets hidden throughout the game for you to go back and find. Although I guess it is fairly short overall.

I can’t say that Super Mario 3D Land is particularly innovative. The most unique thing about the game is that playing in 3D mode will occasionally make it easier for you to judge the distance when you have a jump, but other than that it’s just the same formula that we’ve grown to love over the years. While I can’t say that it was the case for me, I can imagine that some people might feel bored by this game. It’s lack of originality might also make it feel a little bland alongside the many similar Super Mario games, but I still think of it as a well made and enjoyable game.

Rating: 9/10

Buy it here.

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Vermin is one of the earliest Game & Watches (in fact, it is the third) but it’s one which cemented the formula for future titles in the range. The first two had been rather atypical when compared to the later games, but Vermin was the first to have you doing a simple, repetitive task which becomes increasingly difficult over time – with three lives, you have to keep going in order to get the highest possible score.

So what do you do in Vermin? Well, you play as somebody who is presumably a farmer and you have two massive mallets. There are several vegetables growing on the screen and you’ll see moles burrowing towards them. When they pop their heads out to eat the vegetables, you need to be ready in position to hit them before they eat the vegetables. The moment they stick their heads out, he’ll automatically hit them.

Really, it’s quite simple even by Game & Watch standards, but I still enjoy it. It’s probably one of the easiest Game & Watches and I think that helps to make it quite addictive. It’s a fun way to pass five or ten minutes. Plus, there’s a harder difficulty mode too, where things are just a bit faster. Well worth a look if you’re into older games.

Rating: 6/10

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Game & Watch Gallery is the first game in a delightful series which sees Game & Watch titles remade in ways which incorporate different characters like, Mario, Donkey Kong and Yoshi. I personally adore every installment and consider it one of the best ways to experience Game & Watch games. Not only do you get the remakes, but you also get recreations of the originals, so there’s no chance that you’ll miss out on anything. This first collection, sadly only includes four games, but it’s still very good and they’re all great fun to replay frequently to try and beat your high scores. What I’ll do is link to my reviews of the original games and then review each of the remakes.

Manhole (original review)
The original game had you playing as a regular person who had a single manhole cover and had to switch between four open manholes in order to stop people falling in as they walked by. In this version of the game, you play as Yoshi, who sits in the middle of the screen and uses his hands and long tongue to keep four separate manhole covers up. In this one, the manhole covers fall down after somebody walks over them and it’s you’re job to either hold them in place as people walk by or to put the covers back up after they fall down. It’s much more enjoyable over the original, as it’s a lot easier, the gameplay never feels slow and you have Mario, Toad and Donkey Kong Jr. filling the roles of the people who pass by.

Fire (original review)
Instead of playing as fireman helping people fleeing from a burning apartment building, you play as Mario and Luigi, who are helping out after what looks like Princess Peach’s castle has caught fire. Yoshis, Toads and various duplicates of Donkey Kong Jr. all jump from the building and Mario and Luigi must use a trampoline to bounce them into a nearby carriage. I have to admit that it bugs me a bit to see Donkey Kong Jr. used as if he is a generic Mushroom Kingdom species and not an individual (and Manhole does it slightly too) but this is still very fun. The different characters fall at different speeds and bounce to different heights, but other than that this isn’t all that much different to the original. Thankfully, the original is really good and I enjoy it even more with a splash of Super Mario paint. One thing I should point out is that if you play the original, a new animation has been added of people storming away after they hit the floor. Originally, you just got a picture of an angle near the top of the screen to indicate they had died, but I guess Nintendo wanted it to be more family friendly for this rerelease.

Octopus (original review)
In this game, Mario and Peach have sailed out in search of treasure (replacing the generic divers of the original.) You basically have to move around under the water to collect as much treasure as possible and bring it back up to the ship, while avoiding the dangerous reach of the octopus’s tentacles. It’s not too much different to the original, but it provides you with one disadvantage and one perk. The disadvantage is that the more treasure Mario takes, the slower he becomes, but the perk is that he can throw the treasure at the octopus to temporarily stun it. Of the four Game & Watch titles remade in this collection, this one is probably my least favourite, but I still have fun with it.

Oil Panic (original review)
Oil Panic has always seemed a little strange to me. I never really understood the scenario which was taking place and I don’t really understand it in the remake either. Mario is inside one of Bowser’s castles and there are a few fires on the ground. Oil drips through the ceiling and Mario needs to catch it in a bucket (he has one in each hand) to stop it hitting the floor. Bowser is standing on the roof and I don’t know he’s causing the oil to drip through the ceiling or what, but he is holding a bucket so I think he is supposed to be. Once the buckets are full, Mario needs to dispose of the oil and he does this by tossing it out of the window for Yoshi to eat. Yes, apparently Yoshi eats oil. He must feel kind of weird about it, since he is a dinosaur. But if Yoshi’s not there, you’ll toss the oil onto either Luigi or Donkey Kong Jr. who are just sitting around and minding their own business outside. This will lose you a life, just like if the oil touches the floor. Having two buckets (rather than one) makes the game much more enjoyable and easier. As does the ability to turn around and catch things in different buckets. Two huge improvements over the original.

Overall, this a game I enjoy very much and it would surely make a pleasant addition to the collection of any Nintendo fan. These games are all highly addictive and beating your old high scores can be very satisfying. There is a small gallery of Game & Watches to fill and you get rewarded with them for getting certain high scores in the game, which is a further incentive to replay, if one were needed.

These remakes all improve over the original in small or big ways, but even if you’d rather play the originals first, that option is available to you, since they are all included. As it can be downloaded so cheaply these days, it’s well worth a try.

Rating: 8.3/10

Buy it here.

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