Mai Valentine
Moderator
I played a little bit of it at work (while I was on break) and it seems pretty cool. I was wondering if anyone has it, and if so, would you recommend it? What are some pros and cons of the game?
Does anyone have Mario Vs. Donkey Kong?
- Thread starter Mai Valentine
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SpartanEvolved
SpartanEvolved
I am also curious. I want to know if this game have replay value, any multiplayer, etc
SpartanEvolved
SpartanEvolved
Heres a review I found
Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/15/2004
This game was a surprise for me. It's a Nintendo product with Nintendo characters, so you know it's going to be atleast decent. But I just completely ignored this game. Then one day I play it at a store just for the heck of it. Surprisingly, I'm having a great time, then the timed demo goes off on me and I scream in agony because I must play more! So I buy the game, rush home, and have a good ol' time.
Gameplay: 9.9
The game is a pretty good sized one. You get the six different worlds, each with it's own unique design (City, Jungle, etc.), filled with six levels, a Mini Mario stage, and a battle with Donkey Kong. The six levels have two stages each. In the first stage, you must grab the key from it's location and bring it to the door and unlock it, giving you access to the second stage. In this one, you must get to the Mini Mario and free it from it's case. Which you do by simply picking it up. Mixed through out each stage are colored presents. A Blue, Yellow, and Red one. Picking these up gives you more points than you would normally get by skipping them. One Up Mushrooms are mixed through out various stages, as well as the most important feature to this game: Colored Switches. You use these to navigate through the levels. For example: In all levels, you have Blue, Red, and Yellow blocks as platforms. Jumping on the yellow switch makes the yellow blocks appear. Jumping on the red switch makes the red ones appear. Etc. Later in the game, the switches are used to control colored electrical currents that block your way. The way the blocks and electrical currents are located through out the game are very cleverly done, and will require atleast some brain power to figure out the way to navigate through the level.
There are still other level devices I haven't even mentioned yet. Some levels have ropes that you climb up and down, and jump from. If you want to slide down fast, stay on one and go down. If you want to go down slowly, have Mario grab onto two of the ropes at the same time and slowly work your way down. Climbing up one rope makes Mario go slow, but having him grab onto two of them makes him climb up much faster. Jumping from rope to rope is a lot of fun, looks really cool, and is easy to do. One small feature in the controls that I really love is tapping on the D-Pad in whichever direction makes Mario hang off the rope half way, so he will automatically grab onto an incoming Monchee creature. A small feature, but one that you will find to be pretty important once you play the game for yourself.
Levels are filled with plenty of different bad guys as well. Bob-ombs, which you can use to blow out some walls. Monchees are a monkey-like creature, which you can grab onto their tails and ride over gaps. Ramrams are Rhino like creatures. Boos are the classic ghosts found in other Mario games. Look away and they will come after you, so keep your eye on them. Shy Guys are back. And Sir Shovalot is one of the creatures as well. You can use them to push you through small areas that Mario wouldn't normally be able to fit through.
One thing that makes this game so enjoyable, though, definitely has to be the moves that Mario has in his arsenal. Besides the basic jump, he can also do a triple jump. Pressing down + A makes Mario do a hand stand. Pressing A while in this stance makes Mario jump much higher than normal, and then pressing it again after he lands from that jump makes him jump even higher. It's a great ability. There's also the back flip jump. Example: Say you're running right, then stop by pressing left and jump and he will do a back flip. And vice versa. Mario can duck as well. Also, while in the hand stand stance, Mario can deflect objects with his feet.
Early in the game, grabbing the three presents along the way is used basically for unlocking the mini game after you successfully finish that level. In this, you can obtain extra lives for Mario. One of the mini games is to stop the quickly moving arrow on one of the three boxes. One has Donkey Kong in it, which gives you 0 extra lives. The other two will contain anywhere from a One Up to a Five Up. The other mini game is to move the boxes around, avoiding the punching arm of Donkey Kong. The mini game played is randomly chosen. Later on in the game, once you finish the basic adventure, you can un-lock "Expert Levels" by going back into the levels and obtaining a star. As you gain stars for the levels, more and more Expert Levels become available to play. You do this by beating the high score. Picking up all three presents in each level becomes needed if you want to beat the high score. Time is a factor as well. You must find ways to get through the levels as quickly as possible.
But that's not all. In addition to the six worlds and the twelve Expert Levels, you get the six "Plus Worlds". Completely original levels. Except this time you have to guide a single Mini Mario to the door so he can un-lock it. The same design is here as in the other worlds. Two stages, each filled with the presents and One Ups. As well as a Donkey Kong battle at the end of each world.
The levels in the beginning of the game are pretty basic, and are just there to get you into the flow of things. But as you move along in the game, they gradually get more complex and challenging. Not only to the hands and eyes, but to the brain as well. So anyone looking for a decent challenge will find it. Anyone looking for a very good challenge can find it by going for 100% in this game.
The story in this game is not going to blow you away at all. Mario becomes so popular that he starts his own toy company, with the Mini Mario action figures flying off the shelves. DK goes to buy himself one, but they are all gone. So he goes to the factory and steals them all for himself. Mario chases him down through out the game and tries to get them back. It's a fun story for this type of game, and just about what you would expect. It's very basic, but enjoyable.
Graphics: 8.2
Not the greatest at showing what the GBA can truly do, but it's good. The backgrounds in each level are good, but not amazing. Mario, Donkey Kong, and the enemies models look very good. The colors are nice. The movie scenes through out some parts of the game are very good looking as well. But you won't find any eye popping graphics here. They get the job done well in a game that is really all about gameplay, though.
Replay Value: 8
There are no extras to unlock here to add replay value to the game. But the good, fun control, and the clever, often brilliant, levels will make you come back for at the very least one extra play through.
Overall: 10
It might not be the most talked about or popular GBA game. And it's release might have gone by without too much excitement. But if this is your type of game, then go out and get it right now. Even if it isn't your type of game, go out and rent it and give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised. I definitely was.
Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/15/2004
This game was a surprise for me. It's a Nintendo product with Nintendo characters, so you know it's going to be atleast decent. But I just completely ignored this game. Then one day I play it at a store just for the heck of it. Surprisingly, I'm having a great time, then the timed demo goes off on me and I scream in agony because I must play more! So I buy the game, rush home, and have a good ol' time.
Gameplay: 9.9
The game is a pretty good sized one. You get the six different worlds, each with it's own unique design (City, Jungle, etc.), filled with six levels, a Mini Mario stage, and a battle with Donkey Kong. The six levels have two stages each. In the first stage, you must grab the key from it's location and bring it to the door and unlock it, giving you access to the second stage. In this one, you must get to the Mini Mario and free it from it's case. Which you do by simply picking it up. Mixed through out each stage are colored presents. A Blue, Yellow, and Red one. Picking these up gives you more points than you would normally get by skipping them. One Up Mushrooms are mixed through out various stages, as well as the most important feature to this game: Colored Switches. You use these to navigate through the levels. For example: In all levels, you have Blue, Red, and Yellow blocks as platforms. Jumping on the yellow switch makes the yellow blocks appear. Jumping on the red switch makes the red ones appear. Etc. Later in the game, the switches are used to control colored electrical currents that block your way. The way the blocks and electrical currents are located through out the game are very cleverly done, and will require atleast some brain power to figure out the way to navigate through the level.
There are still other level devices I haven't even mentioned yet. Some levels have ropes that you climb up and down, and jump from. If you want to slide down fast, stay on one and go down. If you want to go down slowly, have Mario grab onto two of the ropes at the same time and slowly work your way down. Climbing up one rope makes Mario go slow, but having him grab onto two of them makes him climb up much faster. Jumping from rope to rope is a lot of fun, looks really cool, and is easy to do. One small feature in the controls that I really love is tapping on the D-Pad in whichever direction makes Mario hang off the rope half way, so he will automatically grab onto an incoming Monchee creature. A small feature, but one that you will find to be pretty important once you play the game for yourself.
Levels are filled with plenty of different bad guys as well. Bob-ombs, which you can use to blow out some walls. Monchees are a monkey-like creature, which you can grab onto their tails and ride over gaps. Ramrams are Rhino like creatures. Boos are the classic ghosts found in other Mario games. Look away and they will come after you, so keep your eye on them. Shy Guys are back. And Sir Shovalot is one of the creatures as well. You can use them to push you through small areas that Mario wouldn't normally be able to fit through.
One thing that makes this game so enjoyable, though, definitely has to be the moves that Mario has in his arsenal. Besides the basic jump, he can also do a triple jump. Pressing down + A makes Mario do a hand stand. Pressing A while in this stance makes Mario jump much higher than normal, and then pressing it again after he lands from that jump makes him jump even higher. It's a great ability. There's also the back flip jump. Example: Say you're running right, then stop by pressing left and jump and he will do a back flip. And vice versa. Mario can duck as well. Also, while in the hand stand stance, Mario can deflect objects with his feet.
Early in the game, grabbing the three presents along the way is used basically for unlocking the mini game after you successfully finish that level. In this, you can obtain extra lives for Mario. One of the mini games is to stop the quickly moving arrow on one of the three boxes. One has Donkey Kong in it, which gives you 0 extra lives. The other two will contain anywhere from a One Up to a Five Up. The other mini game is to move the boxes around, avoiding the punching arm of Donkey Kong. The mini game played is randomly chosen. Later on in the game, once you finish the basic adventure, you can un-lock "Expert Levels" by going back into the levels and obtaining a star. As you gain stars for the levels, more and more Expert Levels become available to play. You do this by beating the high score. Picking up all three presents in each level becomes needed if you want to beat the high score. Time is a factor as well. You must find ways to get through the levels as quickly as possible.
But that's not all. In addition to the six worlds and the twelve Expert Levels, you get the six "Plus Worlds". Completely original levels. Except this time you have to guide a single Mini Mario to the door so he can un-lock it. The same design is here as in the other worlds. Two stages, each filled with the presents and One Ups. As well as a Donkey Kong battle at the end of each world.
The levels in the beginning of the game are pretty basic, and are just there to get you into the flow of things. But as you move along in the game, they gradually get more complex and challenging. Not only to the hands and eyes, but to the brain as well. So anyone looking for a decent challenge will find it. Anyone looking for a very good challenge can find it by going for 100% in this game.
The story in this game is not going to blow you away at all. Mario becomes so popular that he starts his own toy company, with the Mini Mario action figures flying off the shelves. DK goes to buy himself one, but they are all gone. So he goes to the factory and steals them all for himself. Mario chases him down through out the game and tries to get them back. It's a fun story for this type of game, and just about what you would expect. It's very basic, but enjoyable.
Graphics: 8.2
Not the greatest at showing what the GBA can truly do, but it's good. The backgrounds in each level are good, but not amazing. Mario, Donkey Kong, and the enemies models look very good. The colors are nice. The movie scenes through out some parts of the game are very good looking as well. But you won't find any eye popping graphics here. They get the job done well in a game that is really all about gameplay, though.
Replay Value: 8
There are no extras to unlock here to add replay value to the game. But the good, fun control, and the clever, often brilliant, levels will make you come back for at the very least one extra play through.
Overall: 10
It might not be the most talked about or popular GBA game. And it's release might have gone by without too much excitement. But if this is your type of game, then go out and get it right now. Even if it isn't your type of game, go out and rent it and give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised. I definitely was.
Mai Valentine
Moderator
I'm really considering buying it. I had a lot of fun playing it even with the somewhat broken floor model GBA I was using (where you had to press really hard on the right and down parts of the d-pad for it to even move a little). It would probably rock on a working GBA SP! :lol
[Edited to add]
I just got it, so I'll let you guys know what I think once I play it a little.
[Edited to add]
I just got it, so I'll let you guys know what I think once I play it a little.
Not out here yet, but i'll get it cos it sounds cool.
Mai Valentine
Moderator
I am really enjoying it. It's one of those games that is easy to learn but hard to master. I mean you can blaze through each level pretty easily. But if you want to get the highest scores, you have to take a little more time. I keep the volume up because I love the music and sounds, although Mario gets kind of annoying at times.
I don't think you'll be disappointed, Retro.
I don't think you'll be disappointed, Retro.
Cool, I don't think I will be either! ;D
Mai Valentine
Moderator
Yeah, it does seem a bit short. I've only gotten up the third world so far, but that's mostly because I keep going back to the first world to get more free men and to try and get stars for every level.