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So there was this series of games that came out on Nintendo platforms which featured everyone's favourite cartoon rabbit along with a few other Looney Tunes characters and a few cameos from other cartoon characters. Your basically playing not an exact clone of Super Mario Bros. 2 but the gameplay from that game is very similar here in that you go through many doors and need to reach the goal. Its not a very well known game considering how old it is, but if you like Bugs Bunny, then you'll find some enjoyment in this. 7/10
Monsters Inc.
For the most part, when I was playing games as a child, most of the games I would play, were movie tie in games and among these was Monsters Inc. This had you play through the story of the film in a side scrolling style way and you get to play as both Sully and Mike, each with their own unique abilities. I would say that this is one of those licensed games that is overlooked for what it is and I will say that it isn't very long and some abilities are difficult to master (like the charging ability that Sully has). Still, its an OK game, but if you're after something bigger, then this isn't for you. 7/10
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
So after what I played with Monsters Inc, the next Disney game I got for the GBC was this one. You play through the story of the film and you get to play as not all, but most of the main characters from the film, each with their own unique abilities. There are some parts in this game that weren't present in the film or at the very least, we saw a glimpse of in the film. It can be quite hard and challenging, but if I had to pick over which Disney game was better out of this and Monsters Inc, it would have to be this one. The gameplay, while very basic and straight forward, is OK. The graphics are pretty decent for a GBC game and its less difficult to master than Monsters Inc. is so that's good. 8/10
Harry Potter and the Philosopher/Sorcerer's Stone
To my surprise, I never really thought that a Harry Potter game could work as an RPG and what a shock, EA actually go that very route. It has all the elements of a typical RPG with turn based battles that require spells, potions and whatever else and a chance to find every little collectible out there. What makes this game better than its PC and console counter parts is that it follows the story exactly as it should and combines elements from both the film and the book which is great. One of the few achievements that EA have done that I like. Just a shame that this company likes sports more than anything else. 9/10
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
So like with the first game, this plays out like an RPG as well and it feels like an exact copy of the first game, just with a new story. I don't know, but I have found some enjoyment in this and if you like Harry Potter and RPGs then you will enjoy this and its predecessor. 8/10
LEGO Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge
So during a time where LEGO were moving into the video game business, they thought about making some of their games multi-platform and among the few that are, was this one. Its basically the sequel to the very first LEGO game that came out which was a PC only title where the Brickster has escaped from prison and its up to Pepper to stop him and bring him back to prison. This game is OK, it can be a bit of a hassle at times, but its fun with collectible finding and lord knows what else. 7/10
Shrek: Fairytale Freakdown
So unlike most film tie in games which would effectively be just the film in a playable format, DreamWorks decided to go against this route and released not only a playable version of the film, but also some other tie in games as well and among those that tied in to the first Shrek film, was this one. So the general idea is that its a 1 on 1 fighter where you can play as your favourite characters from the film and battle other characters using a variety of moves and what not. Its an OK game, but once you've unlocked the 3 locked characters through the campaign, that's it. Game finished, move on. Its kind of bad in a way that the game ended like that and if it were worked on more instead of being rushed like most tie in games are, it could've been a much better fighting game than what we got here, but oh well. 8/10
Toy Story Racer
So building on the success of Mario Kart, Disney decided they wanted in on the action and gave us their take on it with Toy Story. Now this game I think would've worked well as a go kart game, but unfortunately, it has nothing to offer that Mario Kart hasn't done which kind of sucks in a way, but take into account that this game was a tie in game and therefore was rushed so if you want a good racing game with go karts, stick with Mario Kart and avoid this. 7/10
So following the success of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, Nintendo decided to released a series of Mario games on the GBA which were ports of Mario games from the All-Stars game and other Mario games on the SNES. This included Super Mario Bros. 2, Yoshi's Island, Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3. All that, plus each game had a newer version of the NES game Mario Bros. which was a welcome bonus too. So if any of you missed out on playing those Mario games or rather play them on the move, then this is the best way to do it. 9/10
Mario VS Donkey Kong
The spiritual successor of the first ever NES game Donkey Kong, came in the form of this game. In this game, Donkey Kong steals a number of Mini Mario toys which prompts Mario to go and rescue those toys from the clutches of Donkey Kong, going through a series of 2D side scrolling puzzles along the way. I'm actually glad that after many games with the same scenario, Mario can actually now do something different for a change and in turn, we get several bits of comedy and fun as we go. I never really got into the series after this game because I felt it was too overrated and lacked any form of imagination, but for this game, I liked it and if you want a break from rescuing the princess all the time, then this is a good game for the job. 9/10
Mario Pinball Land
So with Mario pretty much taking on a wide range of genres, one area he hasn't touched on until now, is Pinball. Now so far, we've had a Pokemon pinball game so how hard can a Mario one be. Very hard, I must say. Its kind of hard to tell how bad this game is so to sum up, its one that uses the same old Mario scenario that we're used too and the world becomes a pinball area so to speak. You just have to beat up all the enemies in order to succeed. Honestly, of all the genres that Mario has been in, I think this was quite an ambitious route which unfortunately, didn't do so well and since then, we haven't had another one since (which is probably for the best I'd imagine). 6/10
Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
So in 2003, the team behind the first Pokemon Pinball game, gave us the sequel which would tie in to the Pokemon games Ruby and Sapphire, whereas the first game tied into Red and Blue. I will admit, I've never really been that keen on the games since I watched the anime, but I am aware of its success and that its one of a few franchises which Nintendo publish and not own (something of which many people aware of its existence, overlook). Anyway, so the game plays out much like the original game which some enhancements to make use of the GBA such as new graphics to make the game run more smoothly than before and a new set of Pokemon to catch and evolve, all coming from Ruby and Sapphire. I would say that it is quite similar to the first game, but I do like the enhancements that this game offers in regards to the improvements that were made and I think fans of Pokemon will love it. Wouldn't say the same for pinball machine lovers, but Pokemon fans, yeah defiantly. 7/10
Rayman 3
So when I first got the GBA SP (my first GBA for those of you who don't know), one of my first games on that platform was Rayman 3. This was the game that got me interested in the Rayman games and despite the Rabbids, it is a very good series in my opinion. So anyway, this serves as a sort of follow up from Rayman 2: The Great Escape and a kind of tie in to the console versions. It plays out like the original Rayman game with plenty of 2D side scrolling action and I have to say, its actually very good. The levels are well designed, the idea of keeping the characters from the second game was a nice touch and a fitting end to the Rayman 2 ear as well and everything about it, just makes it great. I've always enjoyed the works of Ubisoft since this game came along and I hope the Rayman series will continue to be great in future. 9/10
Game & Watch Gallery Advance
So we've had 3 games in this series so far, each one having a selection of games from Nintendo's first handheld, The Game & Watch (which we won't be looking at because I've never played on one, but have heard of its existence and played many ports of its games). Each one gives us the original version of the games as well as a version with a Mario twist. I feel this one is the most packed with there being so many games and so many unlockables which make this game the best in the series. I was gutted when I heard that this series wasn't continuing, but considering that the games in the compilations have been ported for years, it will have a legacy which is great and that's for both this game and the games that it contained. 9/10
Donkey Kong Country 1-3
So the GBA had a number of ported games coming on it and 3 of those games were the original Donkey Kong Country games, all of which play out much like the originals on the SNES with some added extras like minigames, bonuses and enhancements to make the games ever so slightly better than the originals, but not change them dramatically. Effectively, the first game came as a launch title for the GameBoy Player for the Gamecube, but as games they are very good. Don't know if you would call them better than the originals, but they are very good regardless. 9/10
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
This really was the last Harry Potter game I played on a portable platform because soon after this, I played the console versions of Goblet of Fire and Order of the Pheonix and after those, I just felt that EA weren't putting as much effort in them as they did to begin with. But anyway, I felt that this was better than the first 2 because you have 3 playable characters (Harry, Ron and Hermonie) as opposed to only one and each one can use certain spells out of combat in tricky situations and I actually liked it. It keeps the formula that made the other Potter RPGs great while also adding some extra things and I enjoyed playing it. 9/10
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Now I didn't actually get to have a proper playthrough of this game because I wasn't aware of its existance at the time and only got to play it quite recently. Its basically the PS2 game but without all the fancy graphics and instead traditional GBA graphics and It was OK, but not great in my opinion. But if you wanted to know what was the first KH game that came out on a Nintendo platform, this was it. 8/10
Kirby Series
I've never really been that much of a fan of Kirby because I feel like I'm playing the same game over and over again, just with some slight enhancements. I know people may see that differently to me, but that's how I feel about it. Its good, there is no denial about that with the whole 2D side scrolling thing and there is a fun side to it as well, but it just doesn't work for me. I'm sorry, it just doesn't. 7/10
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords
Only three Zelda games came out on the GBA, one was a SNES port and two which were brand new entries in the series. No need to talk about the SNES port other than its got a few slight enhancements and Four Swords is effectively a game that can have up to 4 players play at once and that's it. Not much else to say other than it continues the series well and has some good visuals for GBA standards, but that's it. 7/10
Sonic Advance Series
So when SEGA retired from making anymore game consoles, that didn't mean that they've quit the gaming business entirely. No, they instead opted to continue making games for multiple platforms and among the first of these, was the Sonic Advance series which as the name implies, is for the GBA (and I can't stand films and video games with a number or the console name in its title, its so unoriginal). Your effectively playing a similar but different game from the original Genesis games and you can play as not only Sonic, but other characters as well as you once again, venture to stop Eggman from his plans. Its a good series that has helped SEGA introduce Sonic to a Nintendo platform after years of being rivals and I think Sonic works well on a Nintendo platform more than any other platform out there so give it a try. 9/10
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
The game picks up from where Four Swords left off with a new set of enemies, new set of dungeons and a new set of challenges. I've never really been that much of a fan of the Zelda games, but I do play them when I have the chance to and there is some fun to be had here so yeah I would check this one out. I think any fan of the series will enjoy this one as much as the other ones too. 8/10
Metroid Fusion
Now I know some of these reviews have been quite vague on details about each game, but because there are so many to go through, I have to keep everything to a minimum so yeah, but if you guys do want me to go into more detail with some of the titles, then I will do in a later post. Anyway, so this has been considered by many as one of the best if not, the best game in the Metroid series thus far and I have to say, I can see why. The graphics are great, the gameplay is great and it makes fans and gamers feel satisfied and happy which is great. It mostly mimics the gameplay of Super Metroid which is fine and I actually do enjoy it. If you're a fan of the series, then check this out. You'll regret it otherwise. 7/10
Wario Land 4
So this follows a series of games that have Wario in a 2D side scrolling world which I guess builds upon his character from Mario Land 2 and remains completely separate from the Mario and WarioWare universe. Its fun, continues the gameplay of the previous games in a good old fashioned way and its got some well designed levels, though it didn't really do much to push the GBA forward, but that's OK. 7/10
F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
For those of you who aren't aware of this series, F-Zero is basically the first Nintendo racing game that came around before Mario Kart did and it wasn't as well known as Mario Kart, but it was still pretty fun. The general idea is to go through each course and win each race using things similar to Mario Kart, but not quite like Mario Kart if you get what I mean. I don't know why Nintendo haven't made a game for this since the last game came out in the early 00s, but my guess is that Mario Kart proved to be the more superior racing game and with the release of 8, became in some sense, the spiritual successor of F-Zero. But that's not to say that the franchise has gone, because it hasn't. Nintendo haven't made any claims as to its hiatus and whether or not the franchise will continue, but as long as we get F-Zero in some way like Captain Falcon's Smash Bros. appearances and that F-Zero themed game in Nintendo Land, then we don't need to worry about it. Anyway, so this is a good game that continues the fast paced and sci-fi feel of the series and its worth playing if you're into that sort of thing (and believe me, its the closest anybody will get to playing a new F-Zero game in the future). 8/10
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Let's now complete the GBA list with the 8th game in the Fire Emblem series which serves as a standalone story than a continuation of previous games in the series. Its similar to some of Nintendo's other RPG games like Pokemon, Zelda and Earthbound/MOTHER but takes on the form of a tactical RPG than a traditional one. Its jam packed with a lot of things going on and as a stand alone title, its good in some sense for players who haven't played other games in the series and I will say it is a good game, if not a big one at that. 8/10
Let's kick off the DS list with this game. Now believe it or not, Nintendo had originally planned to release a sequel to Super Mario 64 on well the Nintendo 64, but it never happened. Until now. This kind of is a sequel to that game, if not some kind of successor as it allows played to play as 4 characters each with their own unique abilities. Mario (who can float in the air like in Super Mario World), Luigi (who can turn invisible and transparent like in the original game), Wario (who can turn into an all powerful metal form much like in the original game) and Yoshi (who can breath fire, like in Yoshi's Island). Each ability is triggered by using a power flower. You start of as Yoshi and with him, you are tasked with rescuing Mario, Luigi and Wario from Bowser's minions and then together, work to rescue Peach from Bowser. The idea of changing characters can be done by acquiring the characters' hat so that you change into that character. As you progress, you can unlock a series of minigames that are separate from the main game by getting bunnies in the main game. Each of them follow a theme that can come in the form of card games, puzzles, racing and whatever else. I have to admit, despite being a remake of the first 3D Mario game and a launch title for the DS, its actually very good. The graphics are vastly improved from the original game to match the current character models of each character and its jam packed with all sorts of wonderful things to please all gamers so well done Nintendo. 9/10
Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain?
I know its called something else in the USA, but this is what we call it here in the UK. So this is basically a series of games that as the name implies, tests your brain to make you smarter which as a result, was the pinnacle of the casual gamer side of things that Nintendo opted to make the Wii and DS tailored to more than the hardcore gamer side of things which very much led to the downfall of both platforms with very little third party support on each. But that's not to say that this game is bad, because it isn't. I just feel that this game was the sole reason why Nintendo did very bad in the 7th generation of gaming despite getting good sales of the Wii and DS. 7/10
Nintendo DS Browser
So this was Nintendo's attempt at making an Internet browser for the DS and as a first attempt, they got the concept right, but I think it just too simple. I think after this came along Nintendo tried their hardest to build upon this with their newer consoles and to be honest, I know they mean well and do very good attempts at it, but compared to other devices with Internet browsers, they are just too simple and very limited to what you can do beyond just emails, social networks and information. But hey, its always good to try and do new things, just didn't work here. 6/10
Nintendo MP3 Player
OK so another thing that Nintendo tried to do, was to make an MP3 Player which would be compatible with all consoles that supports GBA games so this included all GBA consoles and all DS platforms except for the DSi. Its uses a unique game pak that an SD card can be inserted in to allow people to listen to music on their Nintendo device with some little sprite animations to add that little Nintendo touch and to be honest, its actually very good and one of Nintendo's ambitious ventures that works better than with the DS Browser. So if you like listening to music and want to do so on your Nintendo device, then this is the way to go. But if you have a DSi or 3DS then it will either be pre-installed on the console itself or you can download it for free on Nintendo's in console shop. 8/10
Rayman DS
So, I'm going to keep this quite short by saying that this is yet another port of Rayman 2 which takes advantage of the DS's dual screens and touch screen, but doesn't do much to make the game any better than it already is and doesn't push the DS any more forward. In all honesty, I think UbiSoft should not continue to do all these ports unless they find something to make the game any better or make proper use of the platform than just minor bits of it. 5/10
Tetris Party Dulexe
So I played 2 Tetris games on the DS with the first being Tetris DS which has been considered by many as the best version of Tetris out there as well as its original interpretation (both of which are all time favourites of mine). The second one I played, was this one which I feel doesn't offer much in the way of things as its just Tetris made for up to 4 players and that's it. It doesn't make the game anymore better than it needs to and doesn't really offer anything new that sense other than some decent graphics for DS standards. 7/10
FlipNote Studio
There are quite a few DSiWare titles out there, but I didn't really play them all as they felt very limited with what the DSi can do (a fault in Nintendo's case with all gamers and the press), but among the ones I played, I felt I should give this one a shout out because even though there were others, I can safely say that I didn't like any of them at all. So FlipNote Studio is Nintendo's attempt to let our imaginations run wild and make some good animation and having seen some of those animations, its actually very good. I really am not happy with how DSiWare turned out and to be quite honest, did anybody really think that putting a big limitation on a service would work? Hell freakin' no. 7/10
So now were onto the last console in this list and let's begin with one of the OK but not great Mario games, Sunshine. So Mario, Peach, Toadsworth and some of the Toads are all going on vacation at this island called Isle Delfino which looks like a promising place to have a holiday at. But that said holiday turns out to be a usual day at work for Mario when he is mistakenly accused for polluting the island with graffiti and is charged with community service of cleaning this said graffiti up. But he isn't alone as Prof. E Gadd (a character of which is properly introduced in Luigi's Mansion) has given him FLUDD, a talking device who can contain water and help Mario squirt that water at the graffiti up. Not only that, but Mario also must find the Shine Sprites which help with bringing the sun onto the island. For the most part, the game plays out like 64 did with you going into different areas of the island to find the shine sprites, but what makes this better than 64, is all the things you can do on this game that 64 didn't have. Now I think the criticism of this game is towards the fact that nearly everybody in this game, has spoken dialogue and I think most of them have good voices, but others like Bowser have just terrible voices. What's worse is that because of Jr., it makes us very confused with the whole Koopaling side of things and it just doesn't work. I will give the game credit for Nintendo trying out something new and apart from the dialogue and the fact that it plays similarly to 64, Its a good game and worth trying out if you like Mario and the summer. 8/10
Mario Party and Sports Series
I'll be honest, I've never really been a big fan of the Mario Party and Mario Sports games because I just don't see how they can work and its pretty clear that the Wii series is far more superior than they are because it doesn't have a theme and it just plays out like a straight forward game whereas Mario Party takes forever to go through each player's turn and the Mario Sports games just being boring and bizarre from the get go. I've never really liked either series and they were the sole reason why I can't stand Nintendo releasing Mario games every year. It just pi**es me off a lot. 6/10
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
In my opinion, this is the best game of the series so far, or at least the best one with Toon Link in. It has some great visuals, its a bit of fun and its actually one of the more enjoyable Zelda games that I have played so far and that's not to say that the realistic ones are bad because they are not. I just feel out of the Zelda games that I personally have played, this is the best one. Can't say any more than that. 9/10
Super Smash Bros. Melee
The second game in the series is actually one that has what I believe to be the best choices for characters. It has the villain and damsel in distress alongside the hero(es) from Mario and Zelda, Dr Mario and Mr. Game & Watch from Nintendo's past as well as a whole range of new things that are the sole reason that make these games great. I think this one in particular is a good one with all the character choices and the amount of detail and effort put it. I like it a lot. 9/10
Donkey Konga Series
So another thing that Nintendo ambitiously tried to do, was to make a bongo controller and make a DK game to work with those said controllers and we get the first of many attempts that Nintendo make into getting a musical game similar to Guitar Hero and Rock Band and I have to admit, they did well here. Its a fun game that makes you smack the bongos to the beat and its worth having a go. They aren't actual bongos as such, but still worth having a try. 7/10
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Completely separate from the Konga series is this bizarre and mad game. I say that because that's what it is. Its one of the most fast, over the top and bizarre games that I have ever played and it actually makes my hands hurt after a while. I wouldn't call this the best DK game out there because of one reason. After a good set of stages, it then starts to recycle those stages and make them harder and more challenging which is something I really hate Nintendo doing as they do that all the time when you can just go the way Sony does and do something new that is actually noticeable than just one new thing and that's it. No, it doesn't work that way. 7/10
Doshin The Giant
After Pikmin came out, this game came along and surprised us a lot. You play as the titular character and you have to help the island's inhabitants which takes many days and when the sun sets, the giant then returns to sea and reawakens again the following day. It has some similarities with the story of the first Pikmin game and the whole work in a day thing so in a way, it can be considered not an entire clone of Pikmin, but a sort of clone to it. In my opinion, both games are different in regards to what's involved, but there is fun to be had here, just don't expect anything ground breaking in this game. 8/10
Wario World
So I complete this list by giving you Wario's first home console game with him in a starring role. And not only that, but this is the only Wario game that has a connection to WarioWare, but isn't entirely WarioWare. It plays out much like the Wario Land games, but with 3D graphics and a more beat em' up style of gameplay with some SM64 like navigating as well. Its fun and the visuals look great, but it is quite short so keep that in mind as you play it. 8/10
More to come in future as I look at non-Nintendo platforms like the PS1, PS2 and maybe even some of SEGA's consoles as well.
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