Review: Super Mario All Stars (Wii)

For many people their first experience of playing a videogame system was with the original Super Mario Bros on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the late 1980’s or early 90’s. Squishing a Goomba, kicking a Koopa shell across the ground, or jumping up to a ‘? Block’ releasing a Super Mushroom. These were the beginnings of a journey that would take people into a whole new world of gaming goodness. I still remember the impact the NES, and specifically Mario had on my life, transitioning from a green screen Amstrad to Nintendo’s 8bit spectacular.

When Nintendo decided to release the original four 8bit Mario games to a new audience in 1993 on the Super NES, I was there waiting. I always preferred the likes of Super Mario 3 to Mario World. Although, today the Big N’s first and only proper 16bit excursion into the Mario universe clearly stands out as being superior. But for me, even now, there’s still something SMB3 delivers over and above any other game in the series to date. So back then having the very best the series had to offer all on one console was like a match made in per-pixel heaven.

Super Mario All-Stars brought over the delights of the original Super Mario Bros and its sequels, Super Mario Bros 2 and 3, whilst making available for the first time in the west the Japanese only SMB2, in the form of Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels. All four games came complete with reworked 16bit quality graphics and sound. Mario now looked recognisably similar in the original SMB as he did in SMB3 – clearly tying in the first and third games together as sequels even more closely - while the backgrounds were given addition polish in the form of parallax scrolling and additional colourings and detail.

The music and sound effects were given an overhaul too, helping to create an atmosphere which brought the Mushroom Kingdom to life in a way the aging 8bt NES never could.


For me All-Stars represented the quintessential collection of Mario games: everything from the basic beginnings to the advanced direction of Super Mario 3 and everything in between. And this is exactly what we have here.

Marking the 25th anniversary of the birth of an entertainment legend (Mario spans far more than just games - toys, TV shows and more have all been persistent over the years) Nintendo has ported over the Super NES version of Super Mario All-Stars exclusively for Nintendo Wii owners. None of the games on this collection are available in their 16bit form on the Virtual Console. And on top of that Nintendo have also included a soundtrack CD and some history of memorabilia, just giving a tiny insight into the development of the series without really providing anything other than basic info. It’s like a fancy timeline with short developer comments for each game.

There’s almost no point in going into any detail on each of the individual titles found here. Most of you know exactly what to expect.

The original Super Mario Bros layed down the blueprint for the modern day platform game, with multiple worlds each with their own look and doppleganger Boweser end boss, the inclusion of power-ups etc, while the sequels expanded on the gameplay concepts found here in SMB: The Lost Levels and SMB3. The US and European versions of SMB2 of course took a different route, being based on the Japanese exclusive platformer, Doki Doki Panic.

All are excellent games, each with their own highlights and plus points. With SMB: The Lost levels, you can also add incredibly high difficulty to that list too.


Out of all the games available on this collection, it is arguably Super Mario Bros 3 that stands out the most. Even now it is still candidate for being the best Mario game in existence, alongside Super Mario World and Super Mario 64. Looking back now, it’s not hard to imagine the level of impact the game had on the world. But suffice to say, it was revolutionary to say the least.

Again, like with the original SMB, you had eight worlds to explore. But this time they were even bigger, with nearly double the amount of stages in each and loads of secret areas and levels to find, all of which were represented with a colourful map screen. You could now also accumulate a multitude of power-ups, thus being able to start off with one of many at the beginning of each stage if you had some in reserve. And there were loads of these to try: Fire Mario, Racoon Mario, Frog Mario etc.

Back in the day the game was also mildly criticised for its slightly high difficultly level, and this is still apparent now. Although by adding a save point midway through each world – the actual levels themselves can be rather hard, but are never unfair - this could be easily fixed.


Moving on, and in terms of the conversion itself, Super Mario All-Stars is on the whole actually very good. It isn’t quite perfect, lacking any option to be played in its original resolution. But otherwise Nintendo have done a great job. The port appears to be a straight up emulated version of the Super NES cartridge, meaning that there are no Wii specific options to be found anywhere, and the front end and all on-screen prompts are exactly the same as they were before. The game has also has been given the full 50Hz PAL optimisation treatment. It runs in full screen, at full speed, but without any widescreen options available.

However, there is no original 240p display mode available like with VC titles. Instead All-Stars runs in 480i when using both RGB SCART and Component cables. The result is a game that looks incredibly flickery when played on SD CRT’s, meaning that trying to view it as intended – or as close to – is largely uncomfortable. It’s such a shame as this was something we, along with most hardcore fans, were expecting. That said, the game does upscale very well in its 480i guise on my HDTV. And with no flicker, making it by far the best way to play given the choice.


The actual core of the collection overall is superb, as expected. Each and every one of the games included on this package is worth the price of admission as separate VC titles alone - sans perhaps SMB: The Lost Levels, which still feels far too difficult for its own good – and the port itself is as solid as they come.

One slight disappointment though, is that Super Mario World has been excluded from the pack. Seeing as the All-Stars package was updated to include it back in the mid 90’s, quite why it is absent here is rather perplexing. While it is indeed obvious that Nintendo would want to sell the first true 16bit Mario title as an added extra via their VC store on the Wii, one can’t help think that SMW - and perhaps the 8bit originals - deserve a recognised chunk of space on the disc. And when you consider how many top-selling Megadrive titles Sega puts on its collections, you can’t help but feel a little short-changed.


Another slight letdown comes with the inclusion of the soundtrack CD and history book. Nintendo could have padded out the book with at least a few pages of more elaborate info and more unseen artwork for each of the four titles. But instead, all we are given is a barebones treatment of sorts. There are some cool photos of level design sketches and concept art to see, along with shots of promo material and developer comments to go with each game. It’s all been nicely arranged, and acts as a rushed, but pretty good companion piece to the package’s excellently produced instruction booklet, but hardly goes the extra mile to please fans despite some neat little touches.

The soundtrack CD contains a range of tunes and effects spanning from the original SMB to Mario Galaxy, coming complete with a small range of signature music and a small collection of sound effects. Altogether, the extras here aren’t bad but seem somewhat lacking for a 25th anniversary re-release spectacular of what are arguably some of Nintendo’s most revered hits.


Still, at £24.99 Super Mario All-Stars can be considered fairly priced. Each one of these titles would have retailed on the VC at a reasonable £5 a piece. So for the extra £5 we get all four games in a box with cool, if shallow booklet and soundtrack CD. The games themselves are as awesome as you remember them to be, gracefully standing the test of time while providing a perfect example of just how to create satisfyingly challenging experiences.

Besides that, little else can be said. Sure the lack of 240p support is a bummer, and the extra stuff merely scratches the surface of what could have been included about the background and development of each title. But don’t let that stop you. Super Mario All-Stars is easily worth picking up to relive a small slice of exceptional gaming history, and for those who have yet to sample these delights. Definitely, more could have been done to make the whole collection worthy of the 25th anniversary banner, although the games themselves still make it worthwhile for fans and newcommers alike.

VERDICT: 8/10

Screenshots and images courtesy of IGN and NintendoLife.

Review: Gunblade NY and L.A. Machineguns Arcade Hits Pack (Wii)

Lightgun games, along with the Daytona’s and Street Fighter’s of this world, were once the lifeblood of the arcade. You only have to look at the likes of Operation Wolf, Virtua Cop, Time Crisis, and House Of The Dead to see how the genre has progressed, and how it also made up many peoples favourite all-time arcade experiences. The simple, bare-bones shooting action of most of these titles provided a quick-fix adrenaline rush, and a way of killing a few minutes of your time loosing a bunch of fifty pence pieces in the process (or quarters if you’re American).

But now that is all gone. The scene, and the genre in general is in steady decline, if not completely dead. I used to love these games, but now they don’t seem to make ‘em anymore. And when they do, they’re just not the same. Just look at Sega’s Rambo - one of the few lightgun games released in the Arcades in 2008. It was positively bad, with low production values and uninspired stage design. These days this is exactly the kind of experiences you’ll get with games of this type.

Although saying that, maybe I’m just looking at all mid-nineties arcade shooters with rose-tinted specs. Outside of the large AAA releases like Virtua Cop and Time Crisis there was a whole lot of decidedly average experiences for your money. With that in mind, you could say that many of the newer lightgun games are simply in the same bracket as the some of those second rate titles we played all those years ago. Not really worse than you remember, but just as mediocre as the ones you hardly ever played.


This is were Sega’s latest Wii lightgun game offering fits in. The Gunblade NY and L.A. Machineguns Arcade Hits Pack is a collection of two relatively low-profile arcade gun games from 1996 and 1998, each delivering the same kind of simplistic, and near-constant blasting expected from machinegun games of the time, with both games being part of the same franchise. But unlike say Virtua Cop, you find your self riding in the back of a futuristic police helicopter, armed with a powerful machine gun and fending off waves of humanoid robots intend on controlling the city.

The first game, Gunblade NY was released in 1996 and runs on Sega’s once hugely popular Model 2 arcade board. It’s age is easily apparent, with blocky graphics, simple special effects, and a world consisting of scant amounts of geometry, with only a few enemies on screen at any given time in order to keep the level of detail up. At the same time this clean, albeit simplistic look works rather well, and the actual conversion itself is arcade perfect. The game runs flawlessly at 60fps and contains all the diffuse reflection mapping of the Model 2 original, along with some impressive texture filtering for a nearly twenty year old game. Dare I say, the IQ is better than the second game in this pack.


Outside of the obvious conversion factor, the gameplay is something of a disappointment. It’s not only really basic – the only thing you do is point, shoot, and occasionally change weapons – but also feels even more like a cash-in on the success the genre had back in the mid-nineties. The camera also feels a little wonky. It’s like its attached to a piece of string being waved around on screen, rather than one of a helicopter circling around, and swooping down on parts of the cityscape. Though perhaps this could be forgiven considering the age of the game and all.

Gunblade NY is just about enjoyable to play. Everything works, with no glitches to offend you. Although the whole thing feels pretty boring to say the least, and a little to ‘barren’ to provide any nostalgic excitement.


LA Machineguns fares a little better. Graphically the game isn’t quite as polished as its predecessor with regards to overall IQ, although texture detail, polygon counts and special effects are all noticeably ramped up far and beyond the Model 2 original. That is because this sequel used the Model 3 board and benefits from the extra power it provides. The standard diffuse mapping returns, but with only small highlights of specular sheen found in most Model 3 titles, though there is far more stuff being thrown around on screen at once compared to the last game.

Like with Gunblade NY, LA Machineguns looks to be arcade perfect, with only a little bit of slowdown, and the slightly darker look of the Wii version separating them apart. Still, visually it’s also a pretty dated affair, failing to hold up compared to other Model 3 arcade games like Scud Race, or Spike Out. Instead, like with Gunblade NY, this sequel also feels like a second rate title developed to keep the number of Sega games in the arcades up.


Where LA Machineguns succeeds however, is by providing a moderately fun, if not all too simple shooting experience. The on-rails nature of the game features a far better camera system than Gunblade which makes it feel more like you are actually shooting down things whilst riding on the side of a helicopter, and the action is more intense, featuring many more enemies on screen at once, with plentiful amounts of blocky explosions taking place.

Both games are hardly pinnacle examples of the genre however, and have very little replay value once you’ve finished them. I’d found the whole package can be completed easily in under one hour, and that the games themselves lacked any kind of challenge on the normal difficulty setting. Seeing as there’s no extras in which to speak of, after you’ve completed both titles there’s really nothing for you to do. You can upload your best rankings online via a leaderboard system, but that’s it.

Despite being a massive fan of Sega arcade games, and lightgun games in general, there’s really not much I can recommend here. Neither game is particularly great, failing to grab your attention positively – even in a cheesy, nineties Japanese-style arcade manner - and requiring very little skill to complete, after which boredom starts to set in. Unlike with the genre’s greats, Gunblade NY and LA Machineguns is less about testing your shooting skills, and more about spraying a load of bullets across the screen, hoping they all hit, and then continuing to the next stage, a full set of credits in hand.


At least both games have been given perfect conversions in the home. Sega could have so easily messed this up like they did with the Wii version of Ghost Squad. Thankfully, sans a bit of slowdown in LA Machineguns, both games have been nicely recreated, and from a conversion point of view, represents just how things should be done. Widescreen support has been included too, which sees both games being rendered in true 16:9 aspect ratio. Although all gameplay is strictly contained within an invisible 4:3 barrier which feels alittle strange.

Obsessed Sega arcade fans will no doubt do well to pick this up and show their support, as this could lead to more Model 2 and 3 hits coming our way, while most people (inc lightgun game fans) should give this one a miss. The Gunblade NY and L.A. Machineguns Arcade Hits Pack is worth a quick rental for an hour or two’s brief entertainment, or for those who need to own every Sega arcade release, but at £20 doesn’t represent a value for money purchase. Maybe as a £10 preowned buy further on down the line this is worth loading up and taking aim for, but certainly not at full price.

VERDICT: 5/10

Eyes-On: Kirby's Epic Yarn

Kirby has always been one of those secondary Nintendo characters, playing the lead role behind the likes of Mario, Link and Samus Aran. But he’s also always been the more unique fellow of the bunch, and individuality as they say will get you far. So far in fact that after nearly twenty years and as many games he’s still going strong, and still playing second fiddle to other Nintendo heroes.

Some things never change, though with Kirby that should be re-written to some things always change, given the character’s unique shape-shifting abilities and power to use these multiple forms in the most unlikeliest of ways. The culmination then is with Kirby’s Epic yarn, a highly stylised platform adventure that is perhaps on first impressions almost as magical as the wondrous Super Mario Galaxy.


But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. This is still a Kirby game, and in many ways closely follows the blueprint laid down for the series way back in Kirby’s Adventure on the NES. However Epic Yarn also looks like becoming one of the most imaginative straight up platform titles to date, which is something that is undeniably represented by the game’s unique art style and all round bubbly, happy feel.

Everything from Kirby himself, to the various foes he meets, the colourful vistas in the background, and the whole environment is covered in a fabric-like look. This look is initially somewhat similar to the paintbrush effect found in Okami, or the hand-sketched appearance of the world found in Yoshi’s Story on the N64. However, rather than being soaked in a lavishly painted or pencil drawn style everything looks like its been created from various types of fabric; a blend of cotton, wool, and other various textiles from cross stitch patterns to knitted designs all make up every single piece of the game’s unique visual appearance.

But this isn’t just an artsy graphical effect, instead this is something that is completely interwoven with the foundations of the gameplay and make up of Kirby’s world. As our squishy little friend bounces around the environment, platforms contract and expand, just like when you sit down on your sofa, or rest on a cushion in real life. This gives the game a kind of floaty feel to it - something that connects the art style to what we experience in reality, and in turn sucks us deeper into the experience.


Another nice touch is the how the use of zips, when pulled, reveals pathways to new areas throughout the stage, or how tugging on a thread dislodged from a piece of the background scenery opens up a door allowing Kirby to teleport into other parts of the level. You can also find openings which seem to take you behind the scenery itself, leading to concealed loot and other stuff to collect. It’s pure genius and just what you’d expect from the minds at Nintendo.

These elements shown off so quaintly in the gameplay footage I’ve witnessed so far really adds to the tangibility of a world made from various fabrics, with everything reacting as you’d expect, but also creating a real vibrancy and magical touch to things. Seeing Kirby transforming into a car for example, and watching him bounce across the screen in a completely un-realistic fashion but in a way so inexplicably natural in the context of the game world that it immediately takes hold of you, makes you almost fall in love with the concept on offer here, even if some of it isn’t particularly original.

Outside of the bouncy environment and beautifully realised fabric-inspired world, Kirby himself also has some neat little textile touches of his own, such as when he attacks enemies by whipping them with an arm made from what appears to be a woollen thread, or how instead he latches onto them before rolling them up into a little ball ready for throwing.

These little abilities make Kirby feel like he is part of the fabric nature of the world itself, and also allows the developers to try out new things in unexpected ways making the your time spent with him equally refreshing. It’s undeniably cool, and is just one of the many inspiring elements the game has to offer.


Like in previous titles Kirby can also once again transform into various objects, changing both shape and size gaining new abilities as he does so. However, unlike before he does this without needing to gobble up the various enemies he encounters instead having these abilities from the get go.

In Epic Yarn these powers are activated with either a single touch of the attack button when in certain areas - such as when Kirby is immersed in water thus immediately turning into a pink submarine - or in others by simply tapping a combination of the d-pad plus the attack button on the Wii Remote when in the air or on the ground. Doing this I’ve seen Kirby change into a car and a helicopter, each providing our pink friend with the means to complete his quest and unlock new areas and secret passages.

Simplicity is the key here, and according to Nintendo all the main actions can be performed by using just the d-pad plus the 1 and 2 buttons on the Wii Remote, with motion control being used just for specific abilities and not as the main way of doing things.


What’s cool about the way this is done is that you now have far more choice as to how you approach certain situations, and how you avoid potentially fatal encounters. Of course, some of Kirby’s abilities are restricted to when he is in certain areas of the environment; for example he can only change into a submarine when immersed in water, or turn into a parachute when falling in the air from a ledge rather than when jumping up off the ground.

Also to make things easier still (though hopefully not too easy) Kirby’s Epic Yarn is said to take a more relaxed approach to difficulty, being more of a smoothly calm challenge than a mountainous struggle for survival. I guess you could say that it is rather soft like its fabric-inspired exterior, which is both pleasing to hear but also faithful to what fans of the series myself might expect.

However, for those looking for something extra to keep yourselves occupied whilst playing through the game – just in case you find it a bit too pedestrian – there should be plenty of hidden areas and secret pathways to find throughout many of the colourful stages, along with lots of cool stuff to collect on the way.


So far it certainly seems like Nintendo, and the guys and gals over at the appropriately named Good Feel Inc are ticking all the right boxes with Kirby’s Epic Yarn, especially with regards to all the subtle touches being added throughout every facet of the game world and all of its characters. It definitely looks like quickly becoming one of the most exciting, and charming titles on Nintendo’s release calendar, whilst also being a fitting follow up to the character’s last home console excursion, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, which debuted nearly ten years ago.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn is due for release on the Nintendo Wii early next year, and as already stated, looks set to be another superb adventure featuring our favourite squishy pink blob. We look forward to hopefully get our first hands-on with the game in the near future, and certainly can’t wait for the final copy to arrive for us to review. In the meantime take a look at the inspiringly cute and rather lovely trailer for the game.

Eyes-On: Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)

The Donkey Kong Country series of games were some of my all-time favourite when growing up. The beautifully rendered 2D sprites based off lush 3D imagery, and the truly moody sound effects and music meticulously complemented the incredibly smooth gameplay mechanics - something which bared more than just a small resemblance to the ‘perfect path’ methodology first found in Sega’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2.

Yessss sir, the DKC franchise was indeed some of the sweetest slices of gaming action I have ever encountered to this day, and now Nintendo, in conjunction with Retro Studios are hopefully bringing it back in style for 2010. Lets go bananas!


After seeing Donkey Kong Country Returns at E3 earlier this year, I’ll admit it; I didn’t really like the new direction the game was heading in at all. For me it lacked some of the charm of the three Super NES instalments, along with failing to completely replicate those games simple but highly addictive gameplay mechanics. There was also no sign of any Kremlins to be found, just a bunch of goofy and angry looking animals reminiscent of some of the poorer critters in DKC 3, and an overall blocky attempt at matching the style of the first game in the series.

If anything I felt that Donkey Kong Jungle Beat better represented where the series should be going, seeing as it not only maintained the series trademark curvy and smooth graphical look, but also some of its magic.


However after an extended exposure to DKCR my views have relaxed somewhat. Maybe it’s the fact that you can’t very well expect a linear continuation of the past, or that when looking back at DKC3, you can easily see a dramatic shifting of art styles in the subtle changes made to the series by original creators, Rare. In fact, I will probably say that DKCR is pretty faithful as a continuation of that game, just set on the original jungle paradise of the first DKC, and without those pesky Kremlins.

Either way I’m more than happy to receive another proper entry in the series even if it feels more like a New Super Mario Bros homage style title. Though that in it self is no bad thing, and we might just actually get the most exciting one of those yet with this latest DK outing.


As already mentioned the familiar faces of the Kremlins are officially out - or so it seems with no sign of K Rool and the old crew of crocodile-esque creatures anywhere to be found. Instead DK and the rest of the gang – in this case Diddy – must contend with the Tikki’s; another bunch of rabid critters who have only gone and stolen our favourite ape’s much loved banana horde. He must really hate this sort of thing, since this will have been the second time that it has actually happened.

Both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong return to the fray in pursuit of said banana horde, with a range of new and familiar set of moves, and a brand-new real-time two-player mode to replace the old tag-team mechanic. This time around you control both characters simultaneously rather than as separate entities.

Our heroes also have most of their old moves from the first two games. DK can still barrel roll over enemies using the attack button, along with gaining extra jumping height and length by using for non-offensive purposes. Diddy does much the same thing, although with a cartwheel rather than a roll. The two friends can also team up once again, with DK being able to throw Diddy up onto usually unreachable platforms to gain access to secret areas and hidden items. Diddy also has use of a little jet pack this time around, in which he can use to briefly hover above the ground, or give a small-extended lift to any jumps DK does when he holds onto his back.


According to Nintendo when playing in single player the two characters are always teamed-up, with Diddy providing his additional skills at all times. When in played in two-player mode however, each player controls just one of the two characters for a more unique experience. This also means that due to the way the level design seems to work from in the trailer, it means than there also has to be some crossover in terms of moves between both Donkey and Diddy. In DKCR the ground pound move for example is no longer exclusive to DK alone, instead Diddy can also use a variant of the very same move.

This streamlined single-player design, with full individual control for two separate players means that the gameplay although very similar to the Super NES games, also has some pretty substantial differences. One of which is how the game’s health system works. In DKCR as you no longer constantly switch between both characters your health is now governed by a series of red hearts at the top of the screen; a return of the traditional energy meter not at all characteristic of the series.

Another, is that if one player manages to die in two-player mode, he or she then can come back if the other player bursts open a floating DK barrel on screen, much like the system seen for multiple players in NSMB Wii. Also, like in that aforementioned title the second player can choose to climb onto DK and take a backseat ride whilst the more skilled of the two players takes full control. After which, or even during, the second player can make a break back to freedom again.


Like with previous games in the series players are once again tasked with collecting bananas along with the four K O N G letters that appear in each level. Hidden bonus areas also make an appearance, but so far from what we’ve seen they remain rather inconspicuous unlike in the second and third DKC games, in which they where marked with a large ‘B’ indicating, yep you guessed it, a bonus area of sorts. Here in DKCR they seem to appear more as a natural part of the environment or as a disguised barrel, rather than the “here I am” type inclusions in later instalments.

In terms of level design and gameplay outside of the various move sets and team-up features, DK’s latest appears to be a direct extension of the classic gameplay featured in his first three games, but with some massive changes and enhancements. Along with the usual platform jumping and banana and item collecting, the game also sees you hop between areas to and from the background scenery adding in an extra depth to the experience. It looks very much like a faster-paced variant on the mechanic used so imaginatively in Sony’s Little Big Planet, with DK getting the same treatment here.

From the trailer we can see that mine cart stages make a triumphant return, as does the vine swinging and barrel blasting sections from previous games. The barrel blasting in particular looks far crazier than before, with both DK and Diddy being shot out at even higher speeds than ever expected. Some of the barrels also feature jet propulsion, whilst also moving backwards and forwards, and up and down, making things even harder to comprehend. And this is along with some moving and rotating at the same time.


It certainly looks a little too OTT at times, although it also fits in with the slightly funkier, more energetic look Retro Studios have created for the game. And it’s this look that both sets it apart from previous games in the series whilst also tying it in together nicely. What we have here is a return to natural jungle paths, dark caves, and lost cities type stages of the first DKC, but filled with creatures that are generally more suitable to populating the world than the heavy reptile influences of the past.

However it is also noticeable that the game has lost a little bit of the series distinctive feel about too, especially when you compare it with the Super NES games. That’s not to say that it’s particularily bad or anything. But I definitely think at present that it fails to live up to being a true DKC sequel, instead appearing to be something more a long the lines of a New Super Mario Bros Wii style reinvention. Then again, the game also looks like being lots of fun too, and Retro Studios have a solid track record behind them.


Visually, DKCR also runs into a few issues. Though it still looks reasonably nice, and represents a good attempt at recreating the style and feel of the original trilogy, whilst updating it for a new audience without alienating too many old fans such as myself. It also looks rather blocky too, and suffers from some ugly jagged edges where the Wii fails to provide any kind of anti-aliasing.

The actual characters themselves – both DK and Diddy, and some of the enemies – lack the smooth curved finish, and impressive fur shading effects from DK Jungle Beat, which is a shame, and sadly the environments don’t fare so well either. Although solid enough in artistic terms, technically they don’t share the same sparkle as the likes of DK Jungle Beat and Super Mario Galaxy, with much of the game currently looking slightly angular in places and a little blocky overall.


Coming from the powerhouse that produced the stunning Metroid Prime series, what we’ve seen so far is a little disappointing and not quite as smooth and polished as it could have been. At least the game does run at 60fps though, whereas all the trailers we’ve seen have been encoded at 30fps highlighting the rough edges slightly more than you’d actually see when seeing it first-hand.

Thankfully the animation itself is first-class, and is full of subtle little nuances packed full of personality. This really gives the characters and environments an organic, living feel to them. It also helps glaze over some of the less impressive parts of the game’s visual make up.


Of course, all this talk of slightly disappointing graphics and more outrageous gameplay mechanics may not make all that much of a difference as long as the game is really fun to play. And case in point, although I rather dislike some of the enemy designs in DKC 3, and found the soundtrack to be nowhere near as engrossing as the first two, I did still find myself having a massively enjoyable experience with plenty of little magical touches to be found along the way.

With DKCR it’s pretty clear that Nintendo and Retro Studios are taking a leaf out from Rare’s book in expanding the formula whilst not loosing sight of where it originally came from. And whilst I don’t like all of the changes, there’s no doubt that every facet of the game looks far better than the mediocre travesty that was DK64, and also appears very much in-keeping with the original DKC games when you start to scratch under the surface. Plus much of DKCR is strictly under wraps at this point.

Despite seeing so much new stuff in the E3 trailer for the game, there are still a few things that go unanswered; such as whether or not we’ll see the return of the map screen and hub world overview from past titles; how the save system will work; and if any of DK’s charismatic buddies will return. So far nothing has been confirmed with regards as to if any of the rideable animal friends will make an appearance, or whether members of Kong’s extended family will play some part in the overall grand scheme of things. Hopefully they will, but please, leave out any of those sorry souls from DK64.


We should hopefully find out about these things, and more, if we get a chance to go hands-on with game, and if not, then Nintendo will certainly drip-feed us with more essential info.

In the end I’ve loosened up quite bit to the game's change of direction and overall art design on offer here, along with the spiced up gameplay adjustments. And well, to be honest, simply appreciate another 2D instalment in the series regardless whether or not it is quite the way it would have been imagined back in the day. If anything DKCR is shaping up to be exactly what DK64 should have been - slight issues and personal disagreements aside, and minus that god-awful DK rap.

Review: Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

The original Super Mario Galaxy was unquestionably my 2007 game of the year. With it’s magical atmosphere, delightful art styles, stunning graphics, and exemplary level design it was one of the best games to come out of Nintendo since the N64 days, and Super Mario 64 itself. This is made even more impressive as during the GameCube generation, with the exception of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Nintendo failed to create anything quite as captivating, or as awe-inspiringly beautiful as their N64 masterpiece.

SMG displayed the kind of wondrous personality and gameplay mastery associated with the company for the last twenty years or so, providing all who ventured into its grasp with some of the most refined and downright amazing platforming on any videogame system to date. It was to many, myself included, beyond just being a sequel to one of the best games of all time, firmly stamping its own mark into a genre long since forgotten amongst today’s mainstream gaming crowd.

The use of gravity as a gameplay mechanic, throwing players around from planet to planet; and the use of switching perspectives, 3D to 2D, and back again, brought forward deviously fresh gameplay which had never been seen before. Not quite like this, and all the more refreshing as a result. Huge bosses, unique level designs and challenges, new and old characters, all contributed even more to the experience. And that’s not even mentioning the whimsical nature of the affair, steeped in a lovingly polished goodness of visual beauty and orchestrated audio delights, quite possibly the closest thing to perfection in a long while.


This sequel in many respects is more of the same, partially streamlined to be more accessible, but more hardcore at the same time, without compromising on the style and gameplay foundations which worked so well the last time around. But it’s more than just a rehash of what has gone before, and the concepts established in the first Super Mario Galaxy. It’s an attempt to bringing together something fresh and altogether familiar at the same time.

At first glance SMG2 is undeniably similar to the last game. The intro sequence in particular being a 2D homage to the opening of the original SMG, with Bowser once again invading Princess Peach’s castle and stealing her away from Mario once more, thus yet again introducing us to the use of space travel and the need to collect those delightful golden stars. From this point on, the mechanics are pretty much identical to the last game, and the use of gravity, the combination of traversing across large and tiny planets are all so familiar. The difference is, that this sequel mixes it up far more than seen in the original SMG.

It’s a testament to the minds at Nintendo’s EAD team that they’ve managed to plunge so much originality in what could be seen as a rehashed, homage title of sorts. Calling it a rehash though, simply doesn’t do SMG2 any justice, as the game is brimming with brand new ideas, excitingly tough and imaginative levels, and perhaps the best orchestral score used in a Mario game to date. It is definitely in many ways a homage title though, more so than the last game.


SMG2 also expands upon the gravitational ideas and shifting perspectives introduced to us in the first game, whilst adding practically a new gameplay mechanic almost in every level. Nintendo have taken onboard what worked, and ditched perhaps what didn’t, or rather what did, but just not as well as it could have. At the same time they have also reduced the number of stages which favour Mario 64’s brand of exploration, instead focusing on obstacle course style level layouts. These stages have a definitive beginning, but the end sometimes feels out of place and strangely positioned into what appears to be the most challenging to reach area in the stage, whether it makes sense of not.

Despite this the game still manages to be an awesome experience through and through - just not quite as amazingly perfect as I would have liked - and this is further upheld up by the inclusion of cool new power-ups, and the return of an old friend from Super Mario World. The finely crafted orchestrated sound track, and magical nature of the game also plays a large part in this too, with the usual Nintendo touch being applied without restraint.


The first thing that you’ll notice has changed in SMG2 is the use of a hub world to serve as entry to one of many galaxies to be found in the game. Instead of featuring a large and expansive hub in which to both explore and to act as a gateway to new stages, you now have Starship Mario, and the return of a traditional map system. This new map system is very much like the ones found in both New Super Mario Bros and Super Mario 3. Levels are clearly marked in order along with the amount of stars possible to collect in each one, and the amount required to unlock the next stage. There are also branching pathways which lead to bonus levels or other normal stages.

The map can also be zoomed in and out, to show either individual galaxies, or simply the stages to be found in each one. It is a far more convenient way of displaying all of the game’s levels, which are now easier to find and keep track of, than to have to hunt around for them in the old hub world. Sadly the map system lacks some of the same charm and magical quality compared to SMG1’s ‘observatory’, although Starship Mario certainly does not.

Starship Mario itself is a smaller version of the hub found in the original SMB, complete with hidden areas, and a cool reproduction of one of the last game’s observatories, which acts as a museum of sorts for displaying power-ups found and artefacts uncovered on your journey. The Starship looks like Mario’s face, and you can run all around it, venturing into unlocked rooms and talking to the inhabitants that arrive at certain points throughout the game. Jumping on the pressure pad in front of the steering wheel (yes, a wheel) takes you to the game’s map screen, in which you browse through, and select your levels.


Outside of the new hub world and map system, most of the changes and improvements are contained within the gameplay itself. The biggest addition to SMG2 is the inclusion of Yoshi, who has been missing in action for far to long in a Mario game. He hasn’t changed much from his debut in Super Mario World on the Super NES, keeping both his tongue grabbing and hovering abilities at the forefront of what he’s all about.

Yoshi is only used in certain stages, most of which have a new mechanic, which uses him in different ways from just running around and doing the usual platform jumping. For example, some stages will require you to keep Yoshi fed with fruits enabling him to walk on otherwise invisible platforms. At other times eating a blue coloured fruit will see him puff up like a balloon and enable him to float up in the air to areas out of reach using the standard Mario/Yoshi combination. Likewise, the game will also test your basic tongue-lashing capabilities by having you swing from objects suspended high up in the air before reaching a specific location.


After Yoshi comes the use of brand new power-ups, including Cloud Mario, Rock Mario, and a funky looking drill that Mario can carry above his head (Drill Mario?). These are awesome, especially Rock Mario, which sees the little fellow take the form of a rocky boulder when waggling the Wii Remote, causing him roll around on screen at speed, much like Morpthball Samus in Metroid Prime.

Cloud Mario has the ability to create a few temporary platforms in which to stand on, allowing you to reach previously out of the way areas. Simply by jumping up and then waggling the Wii Remote creates one of three clouds for Mario to stand on. These clouds can be created in jet streams allowing Mario to glide across the sky, or just to gain a little extra height. After using up all three clouds it simply a case of grabbing another power-up to refill your supply, and away you go.

Like with Yoshi levels are all specifically designed to use these abilities, and in many cases new mechanics are presented for the player to learn and master. The range on offer is pretty incredible, with an almost constant barrage of new, or quirky things coming your way, all of which are done extremely well.


If there is one complaint about an otherwise near perfect experience, it’s that a lot of the levels are very linear in nature, and with little exploration to be had. You never really get to ‘know’ the levels like in Mario 64, or even parts of the first SMG. Instead the levels feel like a design homage to the likes of Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, or Super Mario World, created more in the way of testing your hardcore platforming skills rather than delivering the most intoxicating, and expansive Mario game yet.

However, the challenges set in nearly every world are as imaginative as the last, and a lot of effort has gone into making this one of the most inspired Mario titles yet. It also works beautifully as homage to the old 2D Mario titles, with redone orchestral music, and faithfully styled level designs. Approaching the sequel in this way, rather than putting it on a ten out of ten, revolutionary, and perfectionist pedestal, is perhaps the way to go.

And this is in itself the way that Nintendo views the game – as a hardcore instalment of the series designed for the most experienced, and dedicated Mario fans. In which case the game succeeds with flying colours, earning its Koopa wings, but maybe not in making it the ‘best’ Mario game of all time. Perhaps not quite as sublime as the first SMG either, though that will be debated for years, I’m sure.


Moving forward, there is plenty to do once you’ve finished the game. After getting 120 stars you unlock another 120 green stars to collect, taking the challenge up a notch, and giving you another chance to play through every level once again. Getting stars is only one part of the challenge though. Throughout every level is a hidden comet coin, and picking this up unlocks specific challenges in addition to the main task required to getting a star. So, for example you might have to do a timed run of a specific star challenge, or a race to the end of the stage.

Occasionally I thought that some of the challenges the game has to offer are just a little too frustrating, especially later on when the slightest mistake leads to a lost of life. In these situations it isn’t so much the level design or actual challenge itself that is the problem, but it’s these elements combined with what appears to be occasionally restrictive camera placement that impacts on the overall polished nature of the experience. It’s nothing overly bad, or even enough to tarnish the delights that Nintendo have managed to cram in here, but it does in my opinion make it less of an overall exemplary experience compared to the first game.

So, you could say that while this sequel does much to improve on the original, it doesn’t quite beat it outright, at best matching the original’s brilliance, and at worst not quite hitting the same highs. Either way, however you slice it, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is still one of the best games to be released in the last ten years or so, and well worth picking up, essentially so, even if it’s not as awe-inspiringly fantastical as SMG was.


Overall SMG2 does so much right. The inclusion of new characters and power-ups are suitably inspired as they are superb, as is the streamlined map system and the extra challenges that keep you going after finishing the game, not to mention the beautiful visuals on offer – Nintendo have really pushed the Wii in this regard, shiny and beautifully lit graphics all at a lavish 60fps. That said, this sequel isn’t quite as groundbreaking as the first game, and not quite as finely balanced either. However, you do have to appreciate the fact that Nintendo very rarely makes a Mario sequel, and in this case it’s one of the best they’ve ever made, minor issues aside.

Perhaps, at the end of the day that’s all that matters, because whilst Super Mario Galaxy 2 might not be as revolutionary as the first, it’s still full of imagination, atmosphere, and some of the most impressively creative level designs to date. Sure it can be frustrating at times, and the reduction in larger level exploration is mildly disappointing. But by the same token it is complete celebration of what gaming used to be about, not what it is about now, and with this in mind it is an undeniable success.

VERDICT: 9/10

Review: Sin & Punishment 2 - SotS (Wii)

Ten years ago Treasure unleashed their little known but highly praised N64 classic, Sin & Punishment. It was a game that brought high-octane on-rails shooting to Nintendo’s failing 64bit system in a way not seen since the likes of Alien Solider on the Megadrive. Giant battles, continuous action, and challenging gameplay were all part and parcel of the experience, an experience though very well received, never made it anywhere outside of it’s native Japan.

Since the release of S&P Treasure has had only a few hits to their name. Outside the GameCube smash Ikaruga, and the commendable Astro Boy for GBA, there hasn’t been anything as iconic or sublimely brilliant at Radiant Silvergun, or even the original Sin & Punishment. Perhaps that’s because Treasure work best when investing in fresh new ideas, and not pandering around to its own rabid fanbase. It’s the main reason why, as a studio, they tend not to create sequels and only focus on new IP.

With this Wii sequel to the original S&P however, Treasure have delivered an experience that is in every way superior to the N64 original, featuring some of the most intensely fast-paced hardcore shooting action to be found on any console to date. If you like games that send wave upon wave of beautifully choreographed enemies your way, with some absolutely huge boss battles continuously emerging from the chaos, then you’ll love Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Skies (S&P2).


Like its predecessor S&P2 is an on-rails shooter. Guiding you along a fixed path, the game has you aiming and blasting your way through anything that stands in your way. Frequently your progress will be hampered by some show stopping gigantic creatures, in which the game mechanics and the on-rails nature briefly expands into something more free roaming, though still as tightly restrictive. In fact, right from the beginning it is clear that you have more control over your characters than in the original game, if only restricted to the view on screen. At the most, you can on occasion move inwards and outwards in addition to the standard left and right, giving you a brief moment of extra manoeuvrability.

The Nunchuck controls character movement, whilst the Wii Remote points and shoots at enemies across the screen. Camera movement is fixed, and your path is largely pre-determined, though you can move around the limited space given at any time. Two different characters are playable throughout the game, each with subtle differences adding some extra strategy to the game, and another excuse to play through the whole thing again once it’s finished.


Isa, the main one of the two and usual lead male protagonist, commands control of a jetpack and has the ability to unleash a charging shot of sorts, which explodes in a grenade-like fashion when it connects with enemies or the environment. Kachi, on the other hand, is a little different. The female of the bunch, she uses a hoverboard instead of a jetpack - yes, proper Back To The Future stylie - and features a lock-on charge shot that can target multiple enemies at once. Both characters can dodge, and also fight back with a standard melee attack, which can repel projectile attacks while still being the first choice for close-range combat.

Throughout most of S&P2 you will definitely need to use your entire arsenal, dodging and shooting your way past a multitude of foes, whilst making sure to keep that chain gauge going up. Later on in the game you’ll be faced with having to dodge through laser beams and constantly melee back projectile attacks, whilst at the same time trying to counter a gigantic boss creature’s main method of attack by firing off a well timed charged shot, disabling it for few seconds before repeating the whole process again. It’s pretty intense, and utterly exhilarating at the same time, being the most fun I’ve had with an arcade shooter in a long time.


It’s also a pretty tough ride all round. Though never unfair, the game requires you to simply learn enemy attack patterns and counter them effectively with the right set of moves. Most of the time, a well-planned dodge or some accurately positioned charge shots are all that is required. Whereas later on, you will need to mix it up using melee strikes and rapid gunfire in order to survive. That said there are a plentiful amount of checkpoints on offer, not least of all before every gigantic boss creature and end of level encounter, so you’re never far away from where you last died. Unlike Lost Planet 2, Sin & Punishment 2 absolutely nails down how old school progression should work, keeping things fair but challenging at all times.

The best part is that the entire game is filled with imaginative ideas, from the huge bosses and the smaller cannon fodder, to the level design and overall aesthetics. Sin & Punishment 2 is overflowing with an art style that is as original as it is bizarre, packed with a level of stylised beauty that could only have come from the minds at Treasure. Much of the game bares more than just a passing resemblance to Ikaruga, and at times it feels like this could almost be a spiritual successor to both Treasures much loved GCN shump and the Saturn classic Radiant Silvergun, though obviously unrelated to either.


Along with the unique art style and imaginative designs, the game also looks very pretty impressive from a graphical point of view. Visually, S&P2 is one of the best-looking Wii games, and doesn’t take its time to showcase its abilities. For one, the game runs at a buttery smooth sixty frames per-second almost constantly, with only minor drops in framerate. Bosses and the larger enemies are packed with detailed textures, bump mapping, and feature a liberal use of that next-generation sheen lacking in so many Wii games.

However, if there is one downside is that the game tends to look a little blocky, lacking consistantly high polygon counts, a result of having so much going on at any given time and keeping a smooth framerate. Also, despite featuring some of the sharpest, cleanest edges for a Wii game, S&P2 suffers from plenty of jagged edges, which means that playing this upscaled on a good flat panel HDTV is a painfully ugly process. Thankfully, any CRT owning folks out there can experience this in all its clear 480i/p glory, which really, is the best way to be playing S&P2.


With Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Skies there’s very little to complain about. Treasure have easily delivered one of their finest games of recent years, and one of the best arcade shooters to come out of any Japanese development studio in a long time. With it’s unique blend of imaginative ideas and art design, filled with unmistakably addictive on-rails action, S&P2 is not only an essential purchase, but also the best thing to come from the minds at Treasure since 2002’s Ikaruga. In many ways this deserves to be remembered as fondly as Radiant Silvergun, and maybe even some of their older 16bit hits as well.

What we have here is quite simply a modern classic, and perfect for anyone out there wanting some old-school action - something that you can dive in for a couple of minutes before getting lost into for several hours. Despite being a little short, it perfectly demonstrates what is missing in so many of today’s high profile titles, and shows that a tried and test formula can be equally refreshing as anything that attempts to push forward the boundaries of gaming.

VERDICT: 9/10

Review: Castlevania Rondo Of Blood (Wii VC)

Most of you won’t be at all familiar with Castlevania Rondo Of Blood. The game was released overseas in Japan only, and was exclusive to NEC’s 16bit PC Engine, otherwise known as the TurboGrafx 16 in the USA, or just TurboGrafx for its unofficial and extremely limited release in Europe. A conversion of the game finally arrived in all territories in 1995 on the Super Nintendo. However it was a very different game than Rondo Of Blood despite sharing most of its aesthetics with that title. Levels had been redesigned, and many gameplay elements had been removed, due mainly because of the difficulty in Konami working with NEC in doing a direct conversion.

As a result the Super NES version, called Castlevania Vampire’s Kiss in Europe, had been cut down and simplified, featuring only two alternative routes to play through compared to the PC Engine’s four, as well as less frames of animation and simpler sprites for certain bosses and levels. Although the storyline and much of the graphics were in fact shared between the two games, making Castlevania VK an actual conversion as well as a reworking. Either way it was inferior in every way to the PC Engine CD-Rom original, which thankfully we have here in all its glory, available for the first time worldwide on Nintendo’s Virtual Console.

Rondo Of Blood is in many ways a traditional Castlevania game. It’s still the same side-scrolling action-adventure style platform game you’ve come to expect, which sees you running around as another Belmont, armed with his trusty whip, wading through various stages bringing death to the undead, all the while trying to save as many villagers and innocent citizens as you can. At one point in the game, saving a village maiden known as Maria allows her to become playable later on in the game, adding a slight change in gameplay for the title, which is pretty cool.


Though in Rondo there are no upgrades to your whip, various other weapons can be picked up and used through the game. These include axes, daggers and holy water, which are classed as sub-weapons and can be found by breaking open the torches and candelabra found through the levels whilst exploring. You can only carry one of these sub-weapons at a time, and have the ability to used them in something called an ‘Item Crash’, which basically allows a sub-weapon to be used in a super attack, either directing damage to all enemies on-screen or delivering concentrated blows to one specific area depending on which of the sub-weapons is used.

Like with previous Castlevania titles the game initially directs you down a linear path, allowing you to explore the route it has chosen for you at your leisure. However the middle of each stage is particularly open, allowing for plenty of exploration and some backtracking if need be, which is something not really seen in the series until later instalments. In fact, the overall style of gameplay to be found in Rondo is very similar to that of series favourite Symphony Of The Night, but featuring concentrated doses of multiple routes and branching paths, rather than a whole scrolling labyrinth full of them.

The levels generally start off in a linear fashion before opening up in the middle, and finally closing back up again near the end as you approach the obligatory boss battle. Somewhere in the middle of the stage, the route you go down dictates what the following stage will be. In Rondo there are eight stages in total, but you will only need to finish four of them in order to complete the game. In addition each of the stages also has more than one ‘end’ as it were, just to further expand upon the series growing beyond its original linearity.


In many ways Rondo acts as a bridge between the earlier Castlevania titles and the modern Symphony Of The Night with its non-linear progression and multiple paths. However the style apes Castlevania III on the NES the most, in which players also had a number of routes they could go down each being different linear path they could take. It’s quite interesting to see how the series progressed from straight up platform action, to a Metroid type platform adventure, later coming complete with RPG elements.

While I was playing through the game I also noticed that many of the enemies are the same one found in SOTN, as is the main character for a certain part of the game before taking on the role of Alucard (in SOTN). The visual style, from the sprite work to the overall art design contained within also match up, and act as a continuation of what began right here with Rondo. Most impressively, and this is something I didn’t know, is that Rondo is a direct prequel to SOTN. And when you eventually reach the end of the game, it sets itself up for its sequel, which plays out the same final battle against Dracula found right here. Sadly, I haven’t quite got to the end yet, instead finding my self repeatedly dying somewhere along in the third stage.


Taking all this into account, except the last part about dying, Rondo is not only one of the best games in the castlevania series, but also one of the best side-scrollers of the 16bit generation. It also happens to be, in my opinion the best Castlevania game of that particular era, with some nice sprite artwork, filled with smooth animation and intricate little details, whilst combining the series early flagship gameplay with a taste of the open-worldness yet to come. The game even uses parallax scrolling in the background plane, something not found in too many PC Engine titles.

At four levels long, you might also be inclined to think that the game is relatively short, but don’t count on it. Stages whilst being large, aren’t massively huge in size. They are however, pretty damn tough to clear, with high levels of enemy AI showing no mercy, and with Ritcher himself highly prone to taking damage. Perhaps the biggest thorn in your side comes at the expense of the game’s rather stiff jumping mechanics, which feel more like a throwback to the NES games than later instalments. In addition your attack range is somewhat limited, making combat feel pretty restrictive at times and death that little bit easier to bring upon yourself.


To be honest, this is only to be expected for a game of this age being nearly seventeen years old, and it isn’t something which breaks the game in any way, just something which shows how much of a cakewalk this series has become, and how stiff the series used to feel compared with later instalments. Although I’d like to call it ‘a respectable challenge’ rather than a cakewalk, but hey, frustrating as it can be, the challenge works rather well by providing a much needed sense of achievement.

In terms of music and effects, the soundtrack has been compressed down from its original CD format, although I couldn’t honestly say if it was of a lower quality as a result not having the original version to hand. All the effects however are accurate, and sound exactly like they did on the PC Engine version. That is to say they come across as sounding a little too much towards the 8bit side of things, despite the system being capable of vastly superior audio. Like with the gameplay issues, much less to be honest, they don’t really take a lot away from the experience. And there’s a certain charm to it all, which if taken away wouldn’t represent the game faithfully as intended.


Castlevania Rondo Of Blood in many ways could almost be talked about in the same way that SOTN is fondly remembered. This game was arguably the first to really consider branching paths and open-ended level design in a way that none of the NES titles ever could, providing gamers everywhere with a challenging, but tightly designed and extremely well animated 16bit adventure.

For most of you, this Virtual Console release will be the first time any of you will have had a chance to play what is now a cult classic amongst fans, and one which I think is definitely well worth picking up. Fans of later games like SOTN and later games shall enjoy the combination of old and new elements, and although the difficulty is arguably a little too high, and the animations a little too stiff, that shouldn’t put anyone off from diving in and enjoying one of the most impressive forgotten games from the 16bit era.

VERDICT: 8/10

Like with most Virtual Console titles, Castlevania Rondo Of Blood can be played in its original 240p resolution via an RGB scart lead, or in 480i/480p via component.

Review: Mega Man 10 (Wii)

Mega Man 10 is a throwback to the 8bit games of old, built around the constant repetition of learning enemy attack patterns and level layouts, merciless in its difficulty, and utterly unforgiving to anyone devoid of such prior experience. It harks back to the days where the term ‘hardcore’ referred to as many gamers as today’s mainstream generation, and in which steep learning curves, and the desire to be the best at the game was everything. In short, it could be described as the perfect title to describe what it means to be a ‘hardcore’ gamer, whilst also showing how far removed today’s games have become.

Available for a pretty reasonable £7 on PSN, XBL and Wii Ware, Mega Man 10 is a brand new, rip-roaring, blast from the past platform shooter, based on the same highly-loved design blueprint so finely crafted in the NES classic, Mega Man 2. It follows on from last years 8bit inspired Mega Man 9, continuing in the same style as that title, whilst providing additional extras to extend replay value and keep an air of freshness about the proceedings. It’s also bloody hard, so much so, that many gamers of today just won’t be prepared to face what awaits them. At least there’s an Easy Mode, which although is no cakewalk, provides a reasonable challenge in which to enjoy the game without wanting to throw your controller at the TV screen.


Going through Mega Man 2 for the first time, after opening up the packaging with all the wonderment in the world, as you did when you were still only knee high, was an extremely exciting, and often infuriating experience, despite the fact that most games back then required quick reactions and exemplary gaming skills to play properly. It was a tough trial and error type of gaming, something that coming from the likes of Super Mario Bros, I was completely unused to, but in which I learned to persevere and gain precious enjoyment from.

Fast forward some twenty years or so, and I can barely make it through the first stage of that very same game without dying dozens of times, or without screaming out at how unfair the god damn game is. A little strange then that only a few years after going back to Mega Man 2, that I was blasting my way though most of Ikaruga on the GameCube relishing the challenge. I guess that my opinion of shumps differs radically to what a good platform shooter should consist of, or maybe I’ve just been made a little too soft by the games of today. So when it came to actually buying Mega Man 10 for review, I was somewhat apprehensive as to whether I could garner any enjoyment at all from the game. It turns out my fears were misplaced, as although incredibly tough at times, MM 10 is a vastly enjoyable ride, full of satisfaction when you finally blast your way past ‘that’ initially impossible to beat stage.

Right off the bat you can tell that the level designs and methods of creating a tough, but fair challenge are straight out of Mega Man 2, the most popular title in the series. You are yet again presented with a choice of eight Robot Masters to defeat. Selecting each one takes you to the game’s one of eight selectable levels, after which you are faced with some predetermined end stages. All of these last levels are incredibly tough, much tougher than any of the ones before, requiring both skill and patience to persevere, and maybe a bit of luck too. After finishing a level you are given the option to buy extra lives and other upgrades at a post-level shop, along with the ability to save your progress, including any lives or power ups that you’ve bought. This does make the game a bit easier, and at least means that you don’t have to start over when you lose all your lives, just from the begging of the next level you choose to do.

Like in Mega Man 2, our main hero, Mega Man, is equipped with only his trusty triple shot arm-mounted Mega Buster, and his cool robot dog companion, Rush. Rush has special abilities to help you, such as transforming into the springboard-like Rush Coil mode, and later, the aerial based, Rush Jet mode, available after clearing four stages of the game. There’s no slide option from the likes of Mega Man 3, or the ability to charge up his Mega Buster shots as found in Mega Man 4 either. It’s strictly back to the basics, which tightly held together the highly rated second game. It also means that you have to rely more on raw skill than fancy abilities to get through the game, increasing challenge, but also keeping things straightforward.


However, after beating each of the individual stage bosses, the Robot Masters, you do actually unlock a new weapon, which can help you defeat the boss of another stage. Which stage of course, is a mystery, and it’s only after playing through a variety of stages first, can you see which new weapon works best against which boss. At first I didn’t use any of these powered up additions, instead resorting solely using my Mega Buster, making the task at hand much more difficult. Although, after trying out one of these upgrades I found some of the later bosses much easier to take down, and the overall battles far more rewarding to play through. This is something that Mega Man 10 thoroughly gives you credit for, skill, strategy and extremely quick reflexes, perfectly representing the majority of games from the 8bit era.

For those of you who miss the extra depth afforded by the additional moves Mega Man 3&4 provided, Capcom have included Proto Man as an additional character to play as right off the bat. Playing as this alternative hero adds much replay value to the title, allowing you to go through the entire game again in what seems like a fresh experience, with a greater amount of strategy and challenge.

Proto Man, for those who aren’t versed in Mega Man lore, is actually Mega Man’s brother, created by Dr Light, and first appearing in Mega Man 3 as Break Man, one of the stage bosses found in that title. Proto Man, like Mega Man in the later games in the series, has the ability to both slide along the ground, and use charging shots from his arm-cannon. He also carries along with him a shield, which protects against small shots and certain projectiles, whilst using individual items to simulate Mega Man’s Rush Coil and Jet Rush. In order to keep the game’s difficulty balanced, Proto Man can only fire two shots at one time, instead of three, and is receptive to twice as much damage as Mega Man, at the same time being knocked back twice as far when hit.

In addition to the two fully playable characters, Mega Man 10 also has a few modes to keep you occupied after completing the main game. These consist of a Time Attack Mode, in which players work their way through any unlocked stages, posting their times to an online leader board, and a Challenge Mode, containing 88 different challenges ranging from defeating end bosses without getting hit, to finishing a stage in a certain time. Most of these are unlocked as you play through the game on Normal difficulty, but the ones which are not, can still be unlocked by finishing the game on any of the three, Easy, Normal or Hard Difficulty levels. Suffice to say, the Challenge Mode will certainly provide hardcore gamers with a reason to keep playing Mega Man 10, especially when doing so increases your overall rating at the end. Again it all goes back to having something to show off to the online community, or simply to prove that you’ve still got what it takes.


Visually, you know what to expect from Mega Man 10. The game is done in the same 8bit inspired design as with Mega Man 9, accurately resembling the look and style of the classic NES instalments, right down to the sprite limitations and limited screen movement. There’s also the option of switching on Legacy Mode too, which basically adds sprite flicker to areas of the screen with various overlapping graphics. The style is definitely basic, but charming all the same, and is most representative of the Mega Man character as a whole.

Personally, I would have preferred to see a sequel developed with 16bit graphics and sensibilities in mind, rather than another 8bit instalment. However after giving the game a chance, I have to say that that the NES style does no harm, and only helps enhance that nostalgic feeling when playing through the game.

Another cool touch, this time outside of the actual game itself, is that Capcom have seen fit to create brand new artwork for the title, a parody of the god-awful package art donning those original NES classics, acknowledging the many failed attempts at Americanising the design of the character through much of the late eighties and early nineties. You might have noticed this odd looking piece of artwork used right at the beginning of the review, and is cause for much hilarity at IQGamer, especially as it hardly represents the game or it’s characters accurately in anyway. Good times, and great to see Capcom is having as much fun indulging with it's history, as we are remembering all those horrid cases from yesteryear.

One thing I wasn’t initially so pleased about though, is the resolution Mega Man 10 is rendered in.

Sadly the Wii version of MM 10 doesn’t display in 240p, instead being displayed in either upscalled 480i/p modes, resulting in either a mildly pixelated image, or a slightly blurry one. The 480i mode at least has flicker reduction to prevent the usual interlacing flicker from becoming too noticeable, though 240p would have provided a sharper more stable option, whilst being authentic to how the game would have originally looked. Despite this, the game still looks great for what it is, and I didn’t find the resolution issues a hindrance to my enjoyment of the title, instead being drawn in to the look and feel of what was in offer.


Along with the authentic 8bit graphics, you also have NES inspired theme tunes, sound effects and music. Much of the music is incredibly catchy, and perfectly suits the tone of the game. At many points during the game the high tempo beats, and eclectic electronica, served only to heighten the tension felt whilst trying to blast my way through to the end. It’s particularly nice to have such an effort made to producing these kinds of sounds. Although basic and repetitive at times, there creation is an art form long since lost with the advent of CD-based midi soundtracks.

Overall Mega Man 10 is an awesome retro-styled return for the titular blue hero, packed full of challenging and addicting gameplay that will certainly separate the unsuspecting casual player from the hardcore. It’s a throwback to the pure unrelenting simplicity of the past, and one which works so well today, as it has done some twenty years before. Sure, you could argue that some of the ways the game creates its infuriating challenge is decidedly cheap – for example when the game respawns downed enemies because you’ve moved the screen forwards a little, only for you to return and realise you have to kill them all again – but that’s just part of the limitations of the old NES hardware, and part of the charm in playing a brand new 8bit instalment of a much loved franchise.

My time with Mega Man 10 has been an exciting, fun, and frustrating one, a solid learning experience towards honing back in that skill and determination needed in conquering such a title. At the same time reaffirming what it takes to be a hardcore gamer, and reminding us all that sometimes simple games can be more involving than the latest 40 hour blockbuster. It certainly won’t be to everyone’s tastes, and I’d recommend anyone new to the franchise to download the demo on PSN and XBL first, as the challenge and impact is pretty intense straight on in. However I do feel that most should be able to enjoy the moderate challenge on Easy Mode, and will quickly get used to the cheap, rinse and repeat nature of the game.


As a sequel to Mega Man 9, and the entire legacy cast down by the NES series as a whole, Mega Man 10 is a complete success. It’s perhaps only held back by being yet another sequel based on the design left by Mega Man 2, a title whose blueprint is in danger of becoming slightly worn out. But still, it’s a highly fun, challenging experience, in which fans of the franchise, and aging hardcore gamers won’t want to miss. And for those waiting for a true 16bit Super NES style sequel? I’d say, show your support by purchasing Mega Man 10, as Capcom are currently mulling over taking these retro updates in such a direction.

VERDICT: 8/10