Mario All-Stars Limited Edition Game Review

For anyone who grew up with Mario, the thought of him turning a quarter of a century old is daunting. Well, Mario has just hit the 25 year mark and Nintendo have decided to celebrate their flagship Mascot's birthday by rewarding fans with Mario All-Stars Limited Edition game package for the Nintendo Wii. It's a repackaging of an old Super Nintendo game with a few extra goodies, but is it worth your money ?.

If you ever owned the original Super Mario All-Stars then you will know exactly what to expect here. This is a collection of the four NES-based Mario games, from Super Mario Bros. 1 to 3, including the addition of "The Lost Levels" (originally in the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros 2). All of the games come in their SNES form with improved visuals and character designs. For any hardcore Mario fans out there this will sound like heaven, however causal fans might need a bit more to capture their interest.

Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem

The Donkey Kong and Mario rivalry has been responsible for some of the most enjoyable hand-held puzzle games over the past few years, and Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem is no exception. This fantastic little puzzle game for the Nintendo DS is fun, colourful, and fans of both franchises will be delighted with the final result.

The plot is very simple, Donkey Kong has made off with Mario's girlfriend (Pauline) again, and Mario will require the help of Mini-Mario toys to get her back. This is just a simple set-up for what is an awesome puzzle game. You won't care too much about a story when playing a puzzle game but it's nice that they have added something for fans.

Much like the plot, gameplay is extremely simple and straightforward, get the Mini-Mario's from point A to point B (B being the exit area). You never get to control the toys directly, you use you're stylus to set them in motion and provide a safe passage way through any obstacles in their way. If you have ever played the classic game "Lemmings" then this will feel reminiscent of that, just simplified. The game starts off fairly easy giving players only one job, place and replace the red girders we all know from the original Donkey Kong. With each new world, comes new tools for you to exploit, such as warp pipes, conveyor belts, and ladders. The trick here is to use what you have at you're disposal intelligently. You are only given a limited supply so you must choose the correct time to use one of you're valuable tools, otherwise you might find one of you're little Mario's in a pit of spikes.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Game Review

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the sequel to one of the best games you will ever play, this means it has a lot to live up to and i am pleased to tell you it matches the brilliance of the first game, even exceeding it in certain areas. Some of the most creative and Imaginative level designs you will ever see in a video game are beautifully brought to life with the vibrant bold colours. The immense variety of enemies, power-ups, and worlds make this a truly unique expirience and sets this game apart from any other 3D platformer on the Wii, maybe even the world.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 uses the same game engine, same controls, and same basic concept which made the first game such a hit with fans around the world. The developers found out what did and did not work with the first game and they have managed to use this to create another masterful game which offers one of the most fun and fulfilling experiences of our generation.

The original Super Mario Galaxy was a game built on creativity, everything felt unique and looked marvellous. They took the traditional 3D platformer and turned it into a perfect example of what games should be about. Players had the ability to roam standard Mario-style levels to miniature planetoids with their own orbital gravity, while still utilizing the same familiar gameplay mechanics.