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

Buy it here.

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

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.

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

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.

(Don’t miss today Finger Puppet Show!)

Free to play games are very popular at the moment, so it wasn’t a surprise when Nintendo and The Pokémon Company came out with Pokémon Shuffle – a free to play Pokémon title.

Pokémon Shuffle has you fighting Pokémon through puzzle-type gameplay. On the bottom screen you’ll have a grid with several Pokémon faces and on the top you’ll have a Pokémon. You are given a limited number of chances to move the Pokémon faces around, and each time you match up at least three of the same kind of Pokémon, it will launch an attack on the Pokémon on the top screen. If you run out of moves, you lose the battle, but if you win the battle, you get a chance to catch it.

You can catch lots of Pokémon as you go along and before each battle you choose which ones you want to bring along. As with regular Pokémon games, you then use the Pokémon with appropriate types to deal more damage to your opponents. The game incorporates the concept of Mega Evolution too and (if you have a stone to activate it) some Pokémon can Mega Evolve in battle and then matching them up will cause even more damage. Plus, Pokémon are even able to level up if you make regular use of them, which I quite like.

The free to play element of the game is the fact that you have five hearts and you use one up every time you do a battle. Once a heart is gone, it will take thirty minutes for you to get another. When all the hearts are gone, you can wait to get more, or you can just spend real money to buy crystals which can be used to buy more hearts (or to buy items which will make the battles easier). You might be happy to wait, but then there are legendary Pokémon which appear for a limited time only which might be frustrating to some. Later levels are also ridiculously hard and clearly designed to make you spend money, which I did not appreciate at all.

It’s a fun and very addictive game and you’ll be pleased as you battle and capture more and more of your favourite Pokémon. The minor RPG elements are appreciated and I think this is the kind of game anybody could enjoy, even if they’ve never played a Pokémon game before. Puzzle and Pokémon fans will enjoy this especially, but generally this is a fun game with a broad appeal.

Rating: 8.3/10

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