Although this game may seem geared towards 8 year olds at first -- it truly is a great platformer once you actually take the time to get into it. This review will explain just that.
Story -- (8/10)
The story is a very simple, childish story line. Pretty much, the Yoshi's had their happy tree stolen, and their goal is to now get it back from Baby Bowser so they can once again be happy. Yeah. It's pretty laughable, but, whatever. The events that happen throughout the re-obtainment of the happy tree are interchangeable depending on the course you choose in each page. For example, if I choose Course 2 in Page 1, and Course 4 in Page 2, then the story would be a bit different than if I completed Course 4 in Page 1, and Course 1 in Page 2. It's hard to explain, but, if you try the game, you'll understand. That compatibility really makes the story kind of fun to change around, and gives it some good replay value.
Graphics -_ (9/10)
The graphics are certainly cute, and completely beautiful looking for a Nintendo 64 game. I love the way everything looks -- from the big scary bone dragons, to the adorable little dog Poochy, the game is graphically great, with only very few errors/quirks, which you don't really notice until you get frustrated with it.
Sound -_ (10/10)
The music in this game is fantastic, absolutely perfect, by far my favorite on any Nintendo game (After Ocarina of Time and Mario Sunshine, respectively). The sounds that the characters and objects make are fitting and nice, but get annoying and repetitive at times.
Addictiveness/Depth (8/10)/(7/10)
This game is so much more complex than everyone seems to think. There are unlockables (Black & White Yoshi, White Shy Guys, and 24 maps to unlock in Trial Mode). There's also the difficult task of collecting EVERY melon in the game. It may only take an hour or two to get through all 6 pages of the story, but, taking the time to unlock each and every course in the game, collect all the melons, collecting all the white shy guys, and to unlock the Black & White Yoshis, really shows how complex and difficult the game can really be. The game just has so much hidden potential that too many people seem to overlook. It's kind of sad. As I mentioned before, there are just so many hidden secrets and unlockables in this game that you won't be able to stop playing. This game will have you playing for years-- from all the unlockables to the interchangeable story line. I've had the game since I was VERY young (5-7) and I'm still enjoying it today. It's just so much fun to visit all the courses, and collecting everything is just so exciting, and it still holds up.
Difficulty -_ (4/10)
I haven't really found this game to be hard in any way, it was overall fairly easy, collecting 24 fruits to pass the level is a pretty easy objective, the bosses were easy overall. The only sort of difficulty I faced was the final stage. The objective was easy to do, the controls were really easy to get a hold of, once you learn them, they stick to you. I died quite a bit during this game, and I absolutely hated seeing a Yoshi die and go away forever, so I'd reset the game immediately after dying before the autosave, so that my Yoshi would still be there.
Overall Score -_ (8/10)
From the amazingly cute and polished graphics to the addictive gameplay, this game is one of the best works Nintendo has done. The story was easily changeable, the unlockables were simple, but tricky to get at times. It's easy to control, easy to play, and overall a blast to play. I recommend this to any N64 enthusiast. Although this game may seem geared towards 8 year olds at first -- it truly is a great platformer once you actually take the time to get into it. This review will explain just that.
Story -- (8/10)
The story is a very simple, childish story line. Pretty much, the Yoshi's had their happy tree stolen, and their goal is to now get it back from Baby Bowser so they can once again be happy. Yeah. It's pretty laughable, but, whatever. The events that happen throughout the re-obtainment of the happy tree are interchangeable depending on the course you choose in each page. For example, if I choose Course 2 in Page 1, and Course 4 in Page 2, then the story would be a bit different than if I completed Course 4 in Page 1, and Course 1 in Page 2. It's hard to explain, but, if you try the game, you'll understand. That compatibility really makes the story kind of fun to change around, and gives it some good replay value.
Graphics -_ (9/10)
The graphics are certainly cute, and completely beautiful looking for a Nintendo 64 game. I love the way everything looks -- from the big scary bone dragons, to the adorable little dog Poochy, the game is graphically great, with only very few errors/quirks, which you don't really notice until you get frustrated with it.
Sound -_ (10/10)
The music in this game is fantastic, absolutely perfect, by far my favorite on any Nintendo game (After Ocarina of Time and Mario Sunshine, respectively). The sounds that the characters and objects make are fitting and nice, but get annoying and repetitive at times.
Addictiveness/Depth (8/10)/(7/10)
This game is so much more complex than everyone seems to think. There are unlockables (Black & White Yoshi, White Shy Guys, and 24 maps to unlock in Trial Mode). There's also the difficult task of collecting EVERY melon in the game. It may only take an hour or two to get through all 6 pages of the story, but, taking the time to unlock each and every course in the game, collect all the melons, collecting all the white shy guys, and to unlock the Black & White Yoshis, really shows how complex and difficult the game can really be. The game just has so much hidden potential that too many people seem to overlook. It's kind of sad. As I mentioned before, there are just so many hidden secrets and unlockables in this game that you won't be able to stop playing. This game will have you playing for years-- from all the unlockables to the interchangeable story line. I've had the game since I was VERY young (5-7) and I'm still enjoying it today. It's just so much fun to visit all the courses, and collecting everything is just so exciting, and it still holds up.
Difficulty -_ (4/10)
I haven't really found this game to be hard in any way, it was overall fairly easy, collecting 24 fruits to pass the level is a pretty easy objective, the bosses were easy overall. The only sort of difficulty I faced was the final stage. The objective was easy to do, the controls were really easy to get a hold of, once you learn them, they stick to you. I died quite a bit during this game, and I absolutely hated seeing a Yoshi die and go away forever, so I'd reset the game immediately after dying before the autosave, so that my Yoshi would still be there.
Overall Score -_ (8/10)
From the amazingly cute and polished graphics to the addictive gameplay, this game is one of the best works Nintendo has done. The story was easily changeable, the unlockables were simple, but tricky to get at times. It's easy to control, easy to play, and overall a blast to play. I recommend this to any N64 enthusiast. |