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Metareview: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Everyone expects a Mario game to be good -- and it's even easier to expect quality when the new game is a direct follow-up to a game as universally adored as Super Mario Galaxy. However, even given the high expectations, the reception Super Mario Galaxy 2's getting is startling. There are, as of right now, eight scores equivalent to 100 percent on the game's Metacritic page, a range befitting the title our own Randy Nelson called "the best Mario game ever." We've only quoted one of the 100-percenters below, in the interest of variety. Edge (10): "This is a game that refuses to bore you, that can take you to the 60-star mark before asking you to do the same thing twice. It reuses assets, but almost never recycles ideas; you'll never see another title so thrifty, or so gratuitous." Game Informer (93/100): "Sure, it's not the total reinvention of the genre we've come to expect from a new Mario title, but as a platformer fan I'm happy to get more Mario to tide me over. This game is a testament to the enduring appeal of the genre, as well as Nintendo's ability to create fresh new gameplay out of a decades-old formula." Game|Life (9/10): "Super Mario Galaxy 2 is thus simultaneously more and less than its predecessor. It expands and elaborates on the gameplay in unpredictable ways, but the last one felt like a bigger, more complete adventure. That said, better core gameplay with less window dressing is infinitely preferable to the reverse." %Gallery-64834%
Review: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the best Mario game ever. There, I said it. What Nintendo's EAD Tokyo team has managed to pull off in this game is astounding, especially when you consider just how good the original Super Mario Galaxy was. Like expert craftsmen, they've improved upon an already excellent product and delivered a seemingly endless volley of fresh ideas -- be they in level design or game mechanics -- that are every bit as polished as those in the first game and, most importantly, just pure fun. Since the sequel was first announced and up until, well, now, there's been a lingering question: Is it just Super Mario Galaxy 1.5? Despite what the original plans for the sequel may have entailed, one thing is clear: SMG2 is its own game. It shares the basic mechanics of its predecessor yet brings so many new experiences to the playing field that it stands alone. Even more, it features enough challenges to keep the most hardcore Mario player engaged for weeks. %Gallery-64834%
Joyswag: New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat [update]
Update: The contest has come to an end. Keep an eye on your email to see if you won! It's time for another Joyswag giveaway, and this time we're giving away the New Play Control! version of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Like rhythm-based games? Like big gorillas? Like leaders of the bunch? Then see how you can enter the giveaway below! Leave a comment telling us what your favorite game featuring Donkey Kong is You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 3:59 pm ET onTuesday, May 11 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive the "New Play Control!" version of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat ($30) For a list of complete rules, click here
Watch how Jungle Beat (Play on Wii) plays on Wii
Click image for more comparison pics Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (Play on Wii) released today in Japan. As such, first footage of the game has hit the internet. We hear you like that sort of thing? Well, after watching the stage above, we're excited for the game. We've had our fair share of qualms with Play on Wii, that's for sure, but Jungle Beat looks so fun. We'll keep an eye out for other videos showing off the new game, so you keep an eye here for those as they make their way onto the intertron. Because we can't resize the embeddable player, you'll have to head past the break for the video. Oh, and it should be noted that the game apparently released with a reversible cover, providing Japanese consumers with a chance to improve on that fugly boxart Nintendo went with. You may also check that out past the break. %Gallery-38147%
Counterpoint: Foul Play on Wii
It's pretty simple to figure out why Nintendo would choose to rerelease GameCube hits on the Wii. There are a few reasons, including exposing great games to a larger audience, adding fun Wii controls, and, to be cynical, artificially inflating the first-party release schedule with "core" games. Every one of us would agree, I'm sure, that the last goal is misguided, but it is my belief that they won't achieve significant success with the other two either. First off, yes, the Wii audience is a lot bigger and more varied than that of the GameCube. But the kind of games Nintendo has chosen to remake for Wii -- Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the Pikmins, Chibi-Robo -- won't sell that many more just because there are more people to buy them. I will be pilloried for saying this, but these "secondary" Nintendo franchises appeal mostly to one group: not just the "core," but the "Nintendo core." The kind of people who know who Shigeru Miyamoto is and create online petitions about Kid Icarus sequels. These people already have GameCubes, and they already bought these games. As for the updated Wii controls, Pikmin may benefit, as will the "unofficial" Play on Wii remake of Resident Evil, but not everything is improved with the addition of motion. Especially when that game was designed specifically for a different controller. Especially especially when it was designed specifically for a different specialized controller. I am speaking, of course, about Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, which was built around the idea of controlling DK's movements with the Donkey Konga drums. The new controls, which replace hitting the drums with swinging the remote and Nunchuk like drumsticks, will replace the precision of the drum hits with the whooshing of sticks against air. I can't see how this is going to add any value. Really, without the drums, the controls are abstracted to the point where the only way they make sense is if you know that there used to be drums. You'd get more out of a cheap used copy -- which you can play on Wii! Finally, there's the fact that, at a probable $40, you're paying more for these remakes than for the originals (with the exception of the ridiculously eBay-speculated Pikmin 2). A $40 copy of Chibi-Robo won't bring in any more takers than a $12 copy. Side note: if you haven't, buy Chibi-Robo already, seriously. I don't want to put forward the idea that I dislike these games. In fact, my displeasure stems from the fact that they are all very good games -- some are great, groundbreaking, unique games. I'd rather see them remembered as successful GameCube games rather than failures on Wii. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } << BACK COMMENT NEXT >>
Play on Wii: New videos of old games
Nintendo has released the first (silent) videos of the Wii de Asobu (Play on Wii) series, and, well, it's a nice feeling to know ahead of time that a Wii game is going to look just like a GameCube game, and for that to be okay. We have video of the first two games in the series: one of which is a shining example of the potential of pointer control to rejuvenate a GameCube game, and one is a mistake. In the Pikmin video above, you can see the pointer-controlled cursor in action, looking pretty much like it was always supposed to be there. After the break, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, the equivalent of rereleasing Guitar Hero as Hero.
Nintendo dates Pikmin port, names other Play on Wii titles
IGN has confirmed that the "Play on Wii" Pikmin port is more than just a repackaging -- it and the other Play on Wii GameCube games will have updated Wiimote controls. Pikmin is actually the second of these to be released, and it'll hit Japan on December 25 of this year for 3,800 yen ($36). It'll be preceded on December 11 by the game we officially nominate Least Likely to Benefit from New Controls: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. If these games are released here, we would expect them to be slightly cheaper than the Japanese price (like all games). Titles announced for 2009 include Mario Tennis, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, Pikmin 2, and -- best of all -- Chibi-Robo! It'll be interesting to see if Skip makes it a point-and-click like it was originally. [Via Joystiq]
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat screenies
There are some new screenshots posted at ToTheGame of the upcoming Donkey Kong title, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. The game will let you use your conga drum controller to move through the action, ensuring some exercise for us kiddies. Look at all the shiny things!
