Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

The Good
Imagine Super Mario World with better graphic's. Okay, so that's all this game has on the original. You play as Yoshi and must take baby Mario back to his parents. You must fight through tons of levels, including cool castles, and make your way to baby Bower. Yoshi gets a lot of cool attacks and the levels are really challenging!

The Bad
When Yoshi gets hurt and baby Mario cries it's super annoying, but I guess then at least you realize Mario fell off. And what's up with turning into a train, that's super annoying and the music sucks!

The Bottom Line
Well, the train's annoying but still, it's worth it to get this game!

The Good
Of all the games I've ever played, this to me is the first that felt like the creation of an author, mindful both of his artistic vision and his audience. The game is a success in every sense:

• The introduction introduces the gamer to a compelling story, and that story is told successfully by the characters and gameplay. By the end of the game, you've felt like you've participated in a narrative due to the simplicity of the story and the manner in which it was told.

• The graphics are the first I've seen that intentionally avoided using the "State of the Art" to create its game. You'll find the latest and greatest graphics in terms of technology only in the menu screen. The levels are drawn in a crayon/pastel look that enhances the "feel" of the game. The look is a testament to the creator's intent to remain true to the idea of the game and story. The graphics are to me the element that truly immerse the gamer in the story and surroundings.

• The gameplay is very involving and adds a new idea to the platformer: you're no longer worried about losing lives, you're worried about losing your baby. It's a simple idea that gives the game the feeling of "something new." Also added to augment the typical jumping of a platformer is Yoshi's egg throwing, which fits surprisingly well.

• The music is some of the best I've heard in the Mario series, which includes the largest selection of hummable songs you'll hear. The Cave and Jungle ditties are outstanding level music, and the sonata from the introduction and ending is a fantastic piece.

• Game control is sharp, and that's saying a lot seeing as how there's so much that could be off, but isn't. From egg tossing to tongue spitting to jumping and "hanging" in midair, everything about the game control is on spot.

• The replay value is outstanding with the addition of red coins, stars, and flowers to challenge the gamer to truly complete each level. A great idea, and a great addition to the platformer.
  
  The Bad
  The graphic design and feel of the game prompt "kiddy" comments from many of the more superficial, less critical gamers. I don't know what Nintendo could have done to market this game differently so more gamers were willing to try it. I think part of the problem is that the game came around right when the PS showed up and so many gamers were concerned about so-called mature titles instead of honest-to-goodness gameplay.

I guess "the bad" of the game is its timing: had it been released two years earlier, I think far more people would recognize the artistry and outstanding gameplay of Yoshi's Island.

The Bottom Line
Among the many games I've played, from great "old school" arcade shooters to console/PC platformers, RPGs, etc, Yoshi's Island is easily my favorite game of all-time.

I see this game as a truly exceptional accomplishment in gaming, and one that should be remembered as being the first game to recognize that "pushing the graphical envelope" isn't necessarily the only way to craft a graphically compelling game. In an industry obsessed with so-called innovation, Yoshi's Island's use of graphics is truly innovative.

If you have a chance to own this game, whether in its SNES or GBA format, own it. Give this game a chance and it will reward you in so many ways for having done so.

The Good
Okay, so I'm male, but big deal. I've got a weakness for cute. Not only is Yoshi's Island sickeningly, ridiculously cute, but there's one thing it's got in that cute undercoating: a fun as hell, challenging platformer starring Mario's dinosaur buddy, Yoshi!

The game opens with a cute little story of two babies being carried in the early dawn hours to their parents by the stork, when the evil MagiKoopa, Kamek, zooms by and snatches one of them. The other baby drops to the ground, landing on Yoshi's back. When Kamek realizes he only caught one baby, he sends his goons out to find the other! Meanwhile, Yoshi brings the baby to his friends and discovers a map the baby has with him. Yoshi and his friends decide to reunite the two brothers, and they set off to bring them together!

So in every world, you have eight stages, with one different color Yoshi per stage. The gameplay is basic platformer stuff: walk, run, jump, you know. Yoshi can lash out his tongue and swallow enemies, and either turn them into eggs to hurl at more enemies or parts of the stage, or just spit them out again. He can also transform into different forms (a sub, a borer, a helicopter) to get through various stages as well! But his one big concern is Baby Mario, who quietly sits on his back throughout the game. If Yoshi gets hit by an enemy, Mario gets knocked off his back and starts wailing, and if Yoshi doesn't get him back quickly, Kamek will come by and snatch Mario, costing Yoshi a life.

So what also makes this game a winner? One word: secrets. Yoshi's Island is so chock full of secrets that it's almost insane. You can spend an eternity searching out every single nook and cranny, and to make it even better, you can constantly go back through stages and attempt to beat them with a perfect score. With 60 stages to play through, I don't think anyone's gonna get too bored anytime soon!

So, onward to graphics, sounds, and music. The graphics in YI deserve special mention. They are absolutely BEAUTIFUL! The SNES version of the game is powered by the SuperF/X2 chip, making for a TON of wonderfully animated effects, especially the morphing effects of Yoshi's transformations and parts of certain stages. The colors and styles of the backgrounds and foreground make the whole game look like a giant picture book, and definitely have their own unique style to them. The music is simplistic, but very cute and fitting. Thanks to Koji Kondo's score, YI is made double cute. And the sounds are for the most part very well done, save for one...

The Bad
Hearing Baby Mario wail when he gets knocked off Yoshi gets really grating after a while.

The Bottom Line
Yoshi's Island is great for girlfriends, old-time Mario fans, or people who just want a wonderfully crafted platformer from one of the greatest game companies to exist in this modern world.

Now you wonder why the name Nintendo was chosen: "acsend to heavenly temple"!