Check out Watch Mojo’s picks for the 20 best Super Nintendo games ever!
Tag: nintendo
Mario Bros. (Nintendo 3DS eShop)
Mario and Luigi were just a couple of plumbers trying to do their job. Unfortunately, monsters live in the pipes. Can Mario and Luigi destroy these monsters before they go above ground?
I finally got to play what people consider the very first Mario game. Donkey Kong may have been Mario’s first appearance, but Mario Bros. is the first game where our hero got his name and title. The first game in the series is nothing more than one long arcade game with Mario knocking monsters on their backs and then destroying them. You go through phase-to-phase collecting points by killing monsters or collecting coins. This game also has a special bonus level where you try to collect all the coins before time runs out.
This game is simplistic yet addictive. I give it 5 out of 10; Mario got off to an okay start.
Donkey Kong Jr. (Nintendo 3DS eShop)
When Mario kidnaps Donkey Kong, it’s up to Junior to rescue him. Can Junior free his father from Mario’s wrath?
That’s right, Nintendo made a sequel to the original Donkey Kong and they switched the roles. Donkey Kong’s the good guy and Mario’s the bad guy. Not much else to say about the plot except for one thing. Instead of a hero rescuing his girlfriend, it’s a son rescuing his father.
The game play is similar to the first one in that you have to jump over minions, collect items for points and get to the top to free the captured victim. The only difference is the final stage where, instead of destroying the construction site, you use six keys to unlock Donkey Kong’s cage. If you care about getting the high score, keep playing the same four stages over and over. If you just want to see the ending, quit after the fourth stage.
This game is addictive yet simplistic. I give it 6 out of 10; something to do when you’re bored.
Donkey Kong (Nintendo 3DS Shop)
When a mad ape terrorizes the city, he abducts a young girl named Pauline and brings her to the top of a construction tower. Can Mario save his girlfriend from Donkey Kong’s wrath?
This is the old arcade game that introduced not one but two of Nintendo’s iconic characters. This game is third in my Art of Video Games book and was the very first game to have a set plot. The game based its plot on the 1930s King Kong movie where an evil ape goes on a rampage in New York City and abducts the blonde leading lady. Before I get comments telling me that I’ve got it all wrong and King Kong is the good guy, I said that it was the 1930s version. King Kong didn’t become the good guy until the later remakes. This being an old arcade game, the plot is very simplistic and enforces gender stereotypes. The man’s the hero and the woman’s little more than a prize. I read an article once that said Donkey Kong was Mario’s pet ape that he abused. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any evidence to support that, so I’m going to leave that fact alone.
The game play is that of your typical classic arcade game. You jump through a construction site in order to get to the top and rescue Pauline. In the third stage, your job is to jump over small bits of the construction site so you can kill Donkey Kong once and for all. You can collect more points by jumping over barrels and collecting items on your way to rescue Pauline. Did I mention that you play the same three levels over and over? If you’re obsessed with getting the high score, go for it. As for me, as soon as I played those levels I was done. One more thing, if you buy the game on your 3DS, you can create restore points so you don’t have to start the game all over when you get a game over.
This game is simplistic yet slightly addictive. I give it 5 out of 10; something to do when you’re bored.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Gamefly.com)
Professor Layton has just received a note from the late Baron Augustus Reinhold. His mission, to discover where the Baron has hidden his fortune. On the way, he has to solve every puzzle the villagers give him.
This game is actually the very first of the Layton series. The plot is about Baron Reinhold’s family and you have to figure out the story little by little. This is also an introduction to the characters and the only one we really get a back-story about is Flora. So, I can’t really say anything about the game without giving away spoilers.
The game play is the same as any other game from the Professor Layton series. You solve puzzles in order to collect picarats. You can find hint coins throughout the game and if you miss a puzzle, you can go to Granny Riddleton. You also have three mini-games you have to solve and in this one you need to assemble a robot dog, put a picture together and create the perfect inn rooms for Luke and Layton. When you’re done with the game, you can solve the puzzles in the bonuses section and unlock plenty of hidden content.
This game is addictive and challenging. I give it 7 out of 10; a good introduction to the Professor Layton series.