Find Games

Go

• Channels
• Home
• Mobile Gaming
• Nintendo DS

1. News
2. Games
3. Reviews
4. Previews
5. Cheats & Tips
6. Features
7. Blogs
8. Tags
9. Forum

• Sony PSP
• iPhone
• Game Boy
• N-Gage
• myMO
• Forums
• Modojo Biz

• myMO
• Register

• Tools
• For Developers/Publishers
• Private Messaging
• Search Forums
• New Forum Posts

• Modojo Partners
• 
• 
• 

Yoshi's Island DS Preview

So much fun that we went to the supermarket and threw eggs. At the clerks.

Way back in 1993, when gaming was still enjoying the simple days of 16-bit heaven and polygons were barely even being manipulated, Nintendo had a clever little platforming game making the rounds called Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Instead of just being another adventure where you were in control of Mario, collecting coins and such, you instead played the role of Yoshi, his young dinosaur buddy, as he carried a Baby Mario on his back, taking on dangers by throwing eggs and eating enemies. The game also took a drastic turn in graphic design, with more complex level achievement, mixed in with watercolor-ish backdrops, smiling faces, and cuteness out the wazoo. Despite the game's change in formula, it still remained just as fun as always, and was a big hit with many people.

The game found its way to the Game Boy Advance years later in the form of Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island, and continued to maintain a strong audience. But then the question arose that many were expecting to be asked- "So when can we expect some kind of sequel?" Well, your prayers have been answered, and emerging right in the middle of Nintendo's E3 booth display was Yoshi's Island 2, the long-awaited follow-up made exclusively for the Nintendo DS.

In the game, you once again take control of Yoshi as he discovers a new island that has recently appeared on the outskirts of his home. He soon learns that many children have been kidnapped by an evil force, with only three kids managing to escape its dark clutches. The triad of escapees happens to be baby Mario, baby Peach, and baby Donkey Kong, and all three agree to help Yoshi find the other kids and destroy the evil island.

By adding two additional characters that can be switched out in the middle of the game by finding magic switches, players can gain new abilities that will allow Yoshi to continue further on his quest. When you're carrying Baby Mario, you're able to maintain high speeds for outrunning dangerous objects and getting to the goal in plenty of time. When you're playing with Baby Donkey Kong, you'll find yourself able to be carried across girters and other pits with the helps of rungs on the roof, which DK happily grabs and carries you across. Then there's Baby Peach, who packs a cute little parasol that allows you to pick up on wind gusts to shoot you into higher areas.

The game's design is very similar to the first game, featuring hand-drawn levels and animations that are faithful to the nature of the classic Yoshi's Island. The difference here, however, is the use of both screens, so you can see Yoshi dodge dangers both high and low, expanding the level terrain greatly. He can still shoot at coins and other enemies out of the air with eggs, all while collecting such items as sunflowers, red coins, and other goodies. He'll also need to keep a close eye on the baby he's carrying, as they can easily be knocked off by an enemy and dragged away if time runs out. Fortunately, Yoshi can pick up little star men to gain extra crucial seconds to keep them in play. Getting the most sunflowers, red coins, and seconds will result in the opportunity to play more bonus games, to earn special 1-ups and other power-ups.

Yoshi's Island 2 looks to be just as much fun as the original game was, and was a sheer delight to play at E3 (we named it our Game of the Show). Now comes the waiting period for the game's arrival on shelves later this year. It'll be a tough wait but the cool part is that our hands-on with the title tells us that the wait will almost certainly be worth it.