After Sonic the Hedgehog was a huge success, work began on two sequels at once; one of these was Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the other was Sonic the Hedgehog CD. While it isn’t regarded quite as highly, I personally think that Sonic the Hedgehog CD was a greater sequel than Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

The unique selling point of this game, and the reason that it has “CD” in the title is that it was originally released on a CD-ROM (rather than a cartridge) which made it possible to include a higher quality soundtrack. I was quite pleased with the music used in the game; it was often very good and helped to make the game generally more enjoyable. It’s worth keeping in mind that there are two different soundtracks for the game: one for the American version and one for everywhere else.

The storyline is slightly more complicated this time and it also introduces a couple of things which would go on to be quite important to the series as a whole. One of the main villains of the game is Metal Sonic, a robotic version of Sonic created by Dr. Eggman who has since appeared many times and we are also introduced to Amy Rose (she gets kidnapped by Metal Sonic) and Amy later appears in basically every Sonic game. The whole game takes place on “Little Planet” where Eggman is building robots and highly technological cities for himself; you need to stop this, and you are occasionally able to travel into the future where you can see how things will change… There are good futures and bad futures based on your actions. There’s also quite a cool animated opening cut scene.

Gameplay is the same as it had been in previous entries; you go through a series of side scrolling stages, fighting Eggman’s robots on the way and fighting bosses every now and then. I felt like the level of difficulty was just right this time, with the bits that were hard being hard for fair reasons and everything feeling very reasonable. I actually also have to say that some of the levels are just plain cool (especially one of the boss fights) which is good, since I know that’s what the Sonic series is ultimately aiming for.

On the whole, this is definitely one of the best 2D Sonic games. The gameplay and level design are spot on and while the story might be a little confusing, it’s not really that important to the overall enjoyment of the game. The only real downside of Sonic the Hedgehog CD is that it feels pretty short.

Rating: 8.5/10

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Bonanza Bros. is an old Sega game where you play as two brothers who break into high security buildings and steal highly valuable items as a test for the security systems (or, at least, that’s what they say). It’s a fairly simple premise, but is actually quite fun.

Every level is a different building and all of them are 2D (though you are able to step into the background to hide from guards). You have to steal every valuable item and then get to the roof so that you can escape in the most inconspicuous of getaway vehicles: the zeppelin. However, along the way, you’ll encounter various guards who will attack you in different ways; it’s best to try and sneak past all of them, because you only have a weak gun (which will stun them temporarily) to defend yourself with.

For me, the biggest appeal of Bonanza Bros. is its sense of humour; most of the sound effects are quite comical and I like how the game often seems extremely violent, even though nobody ever really gets hurt. I also find the designs of most of the characters pretty amusing too. It’s fun, it’s silly and I like it. Plus, as a nice bonus, it can all be played in co-op mode, making it even more fun.

Though, as much as I may like Bonanza Bros. I have to admit that it does have its failings. The characters move very slowly, which can be occasionally frustrating and I really wish it was easier to avoid shots fired by guards. I also thought that the music used throughout the game was pretty bad. Perhaps most annoying of all is the fact that the game is always ready to be played in multiplayer mode (player two need only press a button) but because of this it is literally always in splitscreen… I know this ties back to its origin in arcades, but could it not have been changed for console releases?

Overall though, while the game does have some flaws (mostly, perhaps, due to its age) it has enough charm to make it very enjoyable. Rating: 7/10

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I was always fond of the Mario Kart games, but it was with Mario Kart DS that the series, in my eyes, changed from being quite fun to being a real Nintendo classic. To do this day, this is a very enjoyable game.

In terms of characters, some people might be disappointed after Double Dash!! because you start with the usual eight (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Wario, Bowser, Donkey Kong) and then there are only four unlockables (two brand new, two featured before), making the total substantially lower. But while it may be a little lacking when it comes to characters, it is superb in every other sense.

The selection of race tracks in Mario Kart DS is one of the best that has ever been offered. There are four new race cups (made up of four tracks each) providing sixteen new tracks which include an excellent Luigi’s Mansion track, a cool Super Mario Bros. 3 style desert, a Tick Tock Clock level and one of the best iterations of Bowser’s Castle (amongst many others). On top of this, you have an additional sixteen tracks which return from the previous four games and which I was very pleased with. Returning tracks include Frappe Snowland (from Mario Kart 64), Sky Garden (from Mario Kart: Super Circuit) and Mario Circuit 1 (from Super Mario Kart) to list three of my favourites.

The multiplayer experience is especially good this time too. This was the first Nintendo game to provide online play and while you could only race with three online racers at once, it was very exciting. Plus, as long as they had their own DS, you could play with up to eight people with only one copy of the game (although it was only on a limited number of tracks). When you all have copies of the game, you can use all the tracks and it’s a load of fun.

So on the whole, this is an excellent game and one of the best Mario Kart titles. The controls feel pretty airtight and the CPU racers never feel like they are obnoxiously cheating (which is a problem with certain past titles). Plus, for the first time, there are “Missions” which have you fighting against several bosses (from Super Mario 64 DS) while riding around in the karts. Add to that the fact that battle mode can now be played with only one human player and you have a very substantial game on your hands.

Rating: 9.5/10

Buy it here.

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In 1994 Rare revolutionised the Donkey Kong series and took control of it, making numerous entries. In 2002 Rare were bought out by Microsoft, meaning that Nintendo had to take back control of the series and it’s clear that they didn’t know what to do. Over the next eight years, there were several experimental games, all straying far from what Rare had established. Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat might just be the worst example.

Let me start by telling you what I do like about it. Very uniquely, this is a side scrolling game that uses the GameCube’s bongo controller; hit the left bongo repeatedly to go left, the right, to go right and clap to interact with the world around you. The music goes along with your bongo playing and it sometimes feels amazing when you really get into a level and are hitting the bongos just right so that Donkey speeds through the level and you get as many points as possible (high scores are important). Having Donkey Kong’s movements tied to your own in this way is a great way to make you feel immersed.

I also enjoyed a fair few of the new characters; Orco the killer whale is excellent, Hoofer the ram makes for some of the most fun levels and Ghastly King (or Cactus King) is a very cool villain. Levels are often rather beautiful too.

But what I don’t like about Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat is that it seems to completely disregard all of the work Rare did on the series. Donkey Kong maintains his Rare design, but everything else that they introduced has been forgotten. Where are the other Kongs? Who are these evil Kongs? Where are the Kremlings? Why is the world full of freakish abominations? What does Donkey Kong himself actually have to do with any of this? Many of the characters and creatures seem like obvious replacements for things Rare created, when there was no real reason that Rare’s creations could not be used. I’m especially disappointed with the fact that Donkey Kong is portrayed as an insane, violence-loving maniac, rather than the laid back ruler of Donkey Kong Island that Rare had turned him into.

Plus, while I can appreciate the innovation of the bongo controls and the fact that they do work very well sometimes, when they don’t work well, they are very frustrating. There were countless times when I thought to myself “I’d be having a lot more fun right now if this game had normal controls…” and that’s quite sad, I think.

So, on the whole, this is a very mixed bag. When it’s good, it’s fantastic, but when it’s bad it’s irritating and it’s a shame that it seems to change so often. Nonetheless, for such a unique and experimental game, it’s definitely worth a play. I’m sure somebody else might play it and think it the best the series has ever been, so do go ahead and make up your own mind. Perhaps it’s just devoted fans like me who will have an issue with this.

Rating: 7.7/10

Buy it here.

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