Yoshi!! Who doesn't love Yoshi? (Yoshi's Island (DS))

Member Name: mchitty

Product:	Yoshi's Island (DS)
Date:	26/10/08 (107 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun gameplay, Yoshi has lots of abilities, interesting levels

Disadvantages: Graphics aren't great, no real touchscreen use

Now, EVERYONE loves Yoshi. How can you not? Yoshi has to be one of the cutest video game characters ever to grace our screens. This bouncy little green fellow has long been a favourite for Nintendo lovers everywhere... and in the early 90s, the envy of those who sat on the Sega side of the fence.

My first experience of Yoshi was Super Mario World - I'd be absolutely delighted seeing that little green egg, looking forward to gobbling up baddies and the odd piece of floating fruit, and then spitting out shells all over the shop. I'd then be equally disappointed when Mario was dismounted by a pesky passing Koopa, and Yoshi would scuttle off into the distance...

Now Yoshi's island was great when it first came out on the SNES, because there was no chance of Yoshi running away - in fact there was more of a chance of Mario being taken away and Yoshi being left behind! You could play as Yoshi, all the time!

In Yoshi's Island on the DS, the gameplay has barely changed. This is ace though, because 1) The gameplay was great and 2) It's HANDHELD, baby!

In Yoshi's Island on the SNES, the game is not about Mario and Yoshi - it's about Baby Mario and Yoshi. Yes, Yoshi has a baby Mario on his back, and it is crucial that he is kept safe. When Yoshi is hit, Baby Mario floats away (a bit like Sonic's rings, I guess) and Yoshi has to recover him.

The difference with Yoshi's Island on the DS is that Mario isn't the only baby that Yoshi has to protect - I want to hear a warm welcome to the rest of the Super Mario 'Rugrats' - Baby Donkey Kong, Baby Wario and Baby Peach... and even the fire-spitting Baby Bowser! This party of heroes is assembled as you progress through the game, to the final goal of rescuing the kidnapped Baby Luigi (bless 'im...).

Yoshi can do more than just gobble up enemies and fruit. Eating enemies gives Yoshi a supply of amazing floating eggs, that can be flung in any direction to slay baddies, or even to solve puzzles. Depending on the baby that is on Yoshi's back, Yoshi has extra abilities - for example, Baby Mario gives Yoshi extra speed, whereas Baby Wario (greedy get that he is) has a giant coin-attracting magnet!

Yoshi's Island is as fun a platformer as any, and is a worthy conversion of the old SNES game. The addition of multiple babies adds a bit of an extra challenge and puzzle element, as many situations demand that you choose the right baby for the job.

The graphics are nice, fun and colourful. Unfortunately, compared to the SNES version, they are pretty much the same. I have to say though, this really doesn't bother me a jot.

There are some particularly cool DS touches - for example, boss fights that span across two screens. However there is little other use of the DS's capabilities, i.e. the touch screen. This doesn't bother me either though - just because the DS has the touch screen, doesn't mean every game has to be gimmicky.

So yes, Yoshi's Island is a great retro hand held platformer. I heartily recommend it to Yoshi fans and platform-lovers everywhere. COME ON, YOSHI!

Summary: A great platformer for the DS, one of the best. Great for kiddies, too!