"A superb sequel to a proven classic!"

In 1991, we were all introduced to a friendly green (or blue, red, or yellow) dinosaur named Yoshi that would prove of great help during Mario's quest to save Princess Peach in Super Mario World. That game, itself one of the most successful and best loved video games ever made, would produce a sequel of sorts that itself would go on to become one of the best games available for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, or simply, Yoshi's Island, is widely considered one of the best platforming games ever made. Despite the fact that it came several years after Super Mario World, it was actually a prequel of sorts as it followed the Yoshis in their quest to reunite a very familiar baby plumber with a red hat with his brother (who had a green hat of course). The brother had been kidnapped by the Magikoopa Kamek, who worked for a young tyrant named Baby Bowser. The game of course when beaten saw the brothers reunited. Well, it seems not long after, Kamek, up to his usual nefarious doings decided to kidnap multiple babies (including Baby Luigi yet again). This time, the Yoshis set out to stop him although they have additional help in the form of Baby DK, Baby Peach, and oddly enough, Baby Wario and Baby Bowser (for a few levels each anyway).

Story 8/10: The story for this one is rather what you'd expect from a Nintendo platformer. Somebody gets kidnapped and you must save them. The creativity comes in the fact that it takes place when Mario & company are much younger, and you see young versions of several characters that you've never seen before. The story itself is very similar to that of the first, with Kamek giving you trouble as you take on each of the game's 8 boss characters, although the difference is that the various levels are tailored for the abilities of certain infants so you must switch as you go, and this is sometimes reflected in the story (i.e. you get a clue as to what baby you will need to use next).

Controls 10/10: I felt the controls were a strong hallmark of the original Yoshi's Island, and this one doesn't disappoint. The buttons are all as you'd expect, and with the DS (or DS Lite in my case) control layout resembling that of the SNES control pad, it doesn't feel much different to a veteran gamer such as myself. Jumping, running, climbing, floating, shooting eggs, etc.......it's all there and all easily accomplished.

Graphics 10/10: I really loved the art style of the first game, and this one doesn't not disappoint. In fact, with the more powerful DS hardware, this game actually looks better than the original by a little bit, at least in my opinion. The colors are vibrant, the variety of locales you traverse throughout the game's whopping 40 levels (plus 10 unlockable bonus levels) is immense ranging from jungles to castles to the night sky. Yoshi himself is very well animated and really comes to life. The variety of enemies is mind boggling with several creatures returning from the original as well as some new ones. All, in all this game is very pleasant to look at, and very enjoyable to watch in action.

Sound 7/10: One area where this title slightly disappointed me was in the sound department. This is not to say the sound is bad because it isn't. Most of the music goes very well with the various levels in which you go through, and the sound effects serve to really bring Yoshi himself to life. Aside from the GBA remake of the original, these sound effects for Yoshi himself weren't around for the SNES Yoshi's Island, and thus they serve to give Yoshi a very entertaining personality. If you thought Baby Mario's crying was annoying in the first one, I can tell you that you haven't heard anything yet. Baby Mario retains the same annoying cry, but he's rather overshadowed by Baby Wario and Baby Bowser, the former of which quite possibly makes the most irritating sound to ever come out of any video game I've ever played. Baby Peach is fairly irritating although I must say Baby DK's cry is much lower in volume and intensity and thus less annoying. You'll want to avoid getting hit though, that's for sure. The bad part about this game though as far as sound goes is because none of the music is as catchy as it was in the original. The musical score for the original was some of the best I've heard in any game ever. This one, just felt a bit lacking in the musical department although all in all the music does fit the game well and certainly doesn't feel out of place. The sound effects are even better than the original though.

Gameplay 10/10: The most important aspect of any game is of course its gameplay, and like its predecessor, this game does not lack in this area in my opinion. The mechanics of controlling Yoshi are very similar including the ability to control how you through your eggs. You can still stop (or lock) the moving aiming cursor, and you have the option to either hold the button after initially pressing it upon which releasing it shoots the egg or you can set it to a toggle mode of sorts where you hit the button once to turn on the targeting cursor and hit it again to shoot the egg. The various babies add a neat degree of strategy to the game, with Baby Mario providing the ability to run and use eggs for bank shots. Baby Peach uses here parasol to increase the amount of time you can remain aloft by fluttering or additionally you can ride wind currents upwards as long as she's on your back. Baby DK can climb vines, chains, and other things of that nature. His eggs are also explosive which comes in handy in clearing out enemies or spikes that may get in your way. You can also perform a dash attack to take out enemies and cracked rock that impedes your path. Baby Wario has a magnet which you can use to pull in nearby coins or move metal boxes and platforms. Baby Bower has the ability to shoot fireballs which gives you additional firepower although for some reason you cannot stick out your tongue with him on your back. As you can see though the babies all give you different abilities, and each level can be tackled many ways as a result. It must be noted though that some portions of certain levels can only be cleared with a certain baby so make use of the various Stork Stops in each level to switch to the necessary infant for the job at hand. The morph bubbles make a return appearance although only about half of the previous vehicles are available. The mole tank, helicopter, and submarine are the only morphs in this one, and they are far fewer in abundance than last time around although I'd say this is neither bad nor good. It's just how the game is designed. Another key difference is the fact that there are far fewer items and you have no ability to store up items on the pause screen as you did before. This makes beating a level with the full 30 stars much more difficult than last time around. Finally, the two screens of the DS make for some interesting situations, and I think for the most part they are well used. You have the ability to toggle the view so that it extends upwards or downwards, and in various levels this is a vital tool. The blind spot between screens is a bit annoying at times, but it could be said that it simply adds to the challenge.

Overall 9/10: What can I say? If you like the original or you enjoy platforming games in general then you cannot go wrong with this title. There is no multiplayer or online component....just a great (and long) platforming adventure with some great gameplay moments, good graphics, and even some fun minigames and bonus games to play along the way. I can't stress enough just how much fun I had with this game, and how much it made me yearn for the days of old when Yoshi's Island was king of the platformers on the SNES. It's easily one of the best titles available for the DS, and I highly recommend getting a copy. The full 30 bucks you will likely pay is well worth it. I hope you'll follow my advice if you're thinking about getting this game because I think you'll have made the right choice if you do. Thank you Nintendo for doing what you do best....making great games!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/07