davyK wrote:

SMW - that over world map is a thing of beauty

 
That's true. Much of the atmosphere in that game could be found in the map.
YI though. 

Where to start?

mk64 wrote:

yes, i remember egg firing and it being a bit fiddly no?

It almost put me off the game when I first saw it, and did take a while to get used to.
But when you do...

Fortnight twenty seven: Yoshi's Island (SNES, GBA, various downloads)

Ladies and gentlemen.....welcome to the zenith of 2D platforming.  The upper echelons.  The top of the pile.  The peak of what was once the most popular genre in console gaming.  Although some may disagree that this is the very best platformer the world has ever seen, few will dispute its greatness; the plaudits are most certainly well deserved, and it would take a brave gamer to suggest otherwise online. 

Produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, and directed by Takashi Tezuka, Toshihiko Nakago, Shigefumi Hino and Hideki Konno, with music by Koji Kondo, this was released as a direct sequel to Super Mario World on the SNES.  The twist being that this is a prequel to all previous Mario games, and the player has direct control of Yoshi rather than the eponymous plumber, who sits on the dinosaur's back in the form of a (mostly) helpless infant.  If Yoshi is struck by an enemy or obstacle, baby Mario will float around in a bubble which must be popped before the timer reaches zero, or a player life is lost.  Instant death hazards also exist, so be cautious.  Unlike the adult Mario in other titles, Yoshi has the ability to flutter jump, enabling him to cross wider gaps (much like a more advanced version of Peach's hover move in Super Mario Bros 2/Super Mario USA), and possesses the ability to fire eggs in multiple directions that really separates this from conventional platformers.  In certain areas, a Starman pick-up can be collected, which switches player control to Super Baby Mario, who in this guise is invincible, has the ability to run up walls and across ceilings, and can glide with his cape. 

Obviously, there's more to the mechanics than this, but just as obviously, Nintendo worked miracles with the level design in order to exploit every nuance of the control scheme.  Those who have played it, stop grinning and pick up a pad.  Those who haven't played it....I'm actually envious of the fun you're about to have.  Good luck!




Play and discuss, or simply reminisce.

Schedule:

Fortnight twenty eight: (29/04): Midnight Resistance (arcade, Megadrive, Amiga etc)
Fortnight twenty nine (13/05): Rub you own Rhubarb: Retro Batman week (various)
Week thirty (20/05): Action Fighter, Teddy Boy and The Ninja (Master System)
Week thirty one (27/05): Battletoads (NES)
Fortnight thirty two (03/06): Toki (Arcade, Megadrive, Amiga)
Fortnight thirty three (17/06): Castlevania IV (SNES)
Week thirty four (24/06): Free choice Parodius (various)
Fortnight thirty five (01/07): Scrolling beat 'em up free choice (various)
Fortnight thirty six (15/07): El Viento (Megadrive)
Fortnight thirty seven (29/07): Atari 2600 fortnight returns

I have the GBA version still I'll fire it up if I get the chance.

Don't think I've ever got all the stuff on it, unlike SMW - it's tougher in that respect, although not too tough just to complete.

didn't get to play last night but definitely will tonight. 

How big is the game? Is it 96 levels+?

Also the fluttering thing was continued in that yoshi game for the original DS. Where you shot eggs at stars or something.

.....and SMW didn't have 96 levels - it had 96 level exits. Quite a few levels had two exits. SMW and YI are probably similar in size though you can get to the SMW finish completing less levels.

Yoshi's flutter jump was retained in Yoshi's Story and Mario Galaxy 2. It's a bit weird going back to SMW with his first appearance and not have the flutter jump.

The trickiest part about getting 100pts in a level is making sure you retain all the stars. You lose a star for each second it takes to get baby Mario back after taking a hit...it's the one part of the game that can be annoyingly tough.

Ah, Yoshi's Island. Can't argue with the sentiment that its the best 2D platformer out there.

Was really stoked about this one when it was announced in Super Play or wherever I read about it first....got it day of release (£40 back then) and it had me in its vice-like grip until I completed it.

However getting to the finish isn't the end - scoring 100pts in each level in a world unlocks new levels - never got to sample all of those.

Control, graphics, music, level design in harmony - dare I say it - a work of art.

Isn't there a mini-game unlockable with each world? Are they 2 player? I think the melon seed spitting battle game might be...

I still have a sealed copy of the game that I rescued from Toys 'R Us for a fiver back in 1996. SMW too, but I opened up Zelda and Super Metroid.

hylian_elf wrote:

I still have a sealed copy of the game that I rescued from Toys 'R Us for a fiver back in 1996. SMW too, but I opened up Zelda and Super Metroid.

Your lucky, I got mine in Aug 1996 for £49.99 from Woolworths

It might have been slightly later, it was definitley when the Playstation took over the world and Toys 'R Us no longer were selling SNES games so they went in the literal bargain basket.

Only opened up Zelda and Super Metroid 'cos I played them again. I had previously sold the vast majority of my games to fund the Playstation purchase. Including Vampire's Kiss and Sunset Riders.

Does anyone know before I start this , I've got this thru the ambassador thing on my 3DS , do the games save now ? As I'm sure I've read somewhere that they don't save and it was gonna be updated .

They don't have save states and you have to save them in game and I guess it creates a virtual battery save as if it was the cartridge. It will save the game.

retroking1981 wrote:

Sunset Riders will have to go on Moot's list... 

Already been done, way back in week 2.

 
Ah...

retroking1981 wrote:

The PS3 perhaps? The Gamecube? Neo Geo?

Really? They're all horrible imo. Mega Drive mk1 and N64 are my personal favs, as far as handhelds go the PSP was super slick and the GBA clamshell design was great, made it tiny and protected the screen really well.

Were I to cite the original Megadrive, it would be a concession to fond memories of the console, and wouldn't at all be based on merit. Just comparing the Megadrive to the SNES exposes it a cheap and blocky wodge. And I'm not being a Nintard here... I was a big Sega owning fanboy back in the day.

The N64 was no better either, though the joypad might get some props (even though the thumb stick left that awful chalky residue in the socket, and degraded quickly). The Playstation 1 and the Dreamcast felt much more durable (reckon they looked better too, but I'm not going to argue a subjective case in this instance).

@Kernowgaz - PS3 "bread bin"? Ha! Maybe... And that crap Spiderman logo didn't help it either. Nice solid item though. The touch panel power button was a nice (*ahem*) touch too.

retroking1981 wrote:

hylian_elf wrote:

I still have a sealed copy of the game that I rescued from Toys 'R Us for a fiver back in 1996. SMW too, but I opened up Zelda and Super Metroid.

Your lucky, I got mine in Aug 1996 for £49.99 from Woolworths

Jesus - £50? Maybe that's what I paid for and can't remember - I got mine in Electronics Boutique on release day.

I paid £50 for a few SNES games - think I paid that for Buster Busts Loose....quite a few dropped to £40 after a while.

£64.99 for World Warrior on SNES was my most expensive.

N64 games were all £59.99 new (not sure how long for but 1997 at least). That is apart from Turok which was a whopping £69.99 and REQUIRED a memory card which were £14.99 I believe.