"An outstanding sequel of a classic game"

Introduction:
Yoshi's Island DS is the sequel to the underrated Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for the SNES and the recently ported version, Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island. The game plays as a side-scrolling adventure, in which you control Yoshi. The storyline is fairly simple. The evil Kamek is trying to capture babies, and it's up to Yoshi and Baby Mario to stop that from happening.

Presentation: 9/10
From the moment you turn on the game, the game will instantly bring a sense of nostalgia, with the same main menu navigation style as its predecessor. The level designs are absolutely outstanding. A minor gripe would be that Nintendo played it safe, presentation-wise, with no major deviation from the first title.

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics in Yoshi's Island DS are absolutely beautiful. Though the game does not push the DS's capabilities to its full potential, the art style that this game boasts displays the unique sort of charm that its predecessor had. The game displays bright, vivid colors that look stunning on the DS Lite handheld. Overall, a beautiful 2D side-scroller.

Sound: 8/10
In the sound department, Yoshi's Island DS holds up fairly well. The music, though not as memorable as it was in the first title, still boasts some fairly catchy tunes. The sound effects in the game are done very well. Unfortunately, the constant cries from the different babies can be very bothersome at times.

Gameplay: 8.5
On to the gameplay, the most important part of the game. Don't let the score fool you, the overall gameplay featured in Yoshi's Island DS is almost as enjoyable as its predecessor. This game boasts 50 unforgettable levels that should last the player quite a while. This game deviates from the first Yoshi's Island in which the player is allowed to controller Baby Peach, Baby Donkey Kong, Baby Wario, and Baby Bowser. Each character has his/her own special abilities. Baby Mario gives Yoshi the ability to run. Baby Peach has the ability to use an umbrella, allowing Yoshi to float in windy areas. Baby Donkey Kong can climb vines and smash certain objects. Due to his weight, he limits Yoshi's ability to run and jump high. Baby Wario and Baby Bowser are temporarily available for use (and rightfully so). Though clever, the constant switching of characters in levels can be frustrating at times, though it adds a bit more depth to the overall gameplay. Each level has the same scoring system that was present in the first game. The scoring system is based off of how many red coins, flowers, and health that the player collects throughout the level. Overall, the gameplay is basically the same as Yoshi's Island, barring a few minor gameplay tweaks.

Lasting Appeal: 8/10
The game is surprisingly long. It would last the average gamer at least 10 hours for the story mode. After the story is completed, there's not too much of a reason to go back and collect everything. Raising your level scores and collecting the character specific coins can be nice, but an extra effort to add some new game modes would have been nice.

Conclusion: Overall, Yoshi's Island DS is a fantastic sequel. Fans of the first game should automatically pick this up. Casual gamers should get a kick out of this game as well. The game certainly plays true to the original. The game is every bit as enjoyable as the critically acclaimed New Super Mario Brothers, another big Mario platformer on the DS handheld.

Overall Score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/06