"Wario is fat. There, I said it."

Wario Land II is one of the best for GB, and there are many, many, MANY reasons why. Here's a review showing that. Why read this when I just told you this game rocks? Because you're bored, that's why! Okay, on to the review...

---Story (8/10)
Hey, it's pretty good. Captain Syrup and the other guys steal Wario's treasure, flood his house, and do some other nasty stuff while he's asleep. There's an opening cinema, but it's not of high quality. Whatever.

---Graphics (9/10)
The graphics are the standard 2D fare, but they sure do look nicely done, and so are the enemies, and Wario's many forms, and when he gets shocked, well, you get the idea.

---Audio (8/10)
So it's a GB game, what do you expect? The music is all right, if kind of bad because there is little, but it fits in okay. The sound effects work pretty good and are not annoying, which is good enough for me.

---Control (10/10)
Wario does stuff when you want him to, and his various forms do as well. No problems here!

---Gameplay (10/10)
This is where the game is found. There's a lot of levels, but there are even more once you find the secret ones! Yes, there are secret paths, and this just adds to the game. It also helps to find the easiest one and beat the game there (yes, there are multiple endings!) You then get the map to see where the other secret places are! Another innovation is that Wario is invincible. That's right, he only loses coins when hit! Of course, some enemies take him backwards, and so do all the bosses, but whatever. Wario can also change forms with help, like becoming Pancake Wario from an anvil! Plus there's treasures and pieces of this puzzle to make the game even more longer to finish. You get treasure from a match mini-game, and pieces from a number game at the end of each level. There's more, but I think I've explained enough that the platform game (my favorite kind of game besides action, see GTA3) is perfect!

---Challenge (6/10 if blasting through, 9/10 if getting everything, 12/10 for the last level)
Yes, blasting through makes the game quite easy, except for the final boss to an extent. If you plan on getting everything, it becomes hard because treasures and new paths are hidden well for the most part. The true last level (you need to get everything!) deserves its own challenge level, for it is HARD! VERY HARD! INSANELY HARD! It took me 30 tries to get through this one part, and the final boss took almost as many.

---Replay Value (6/10)
The only faltering part is that the replay value is kind of small. Unlike a game such as DKL3, it just isn't all that fun to play through again, because you have to ERASE your file! The mini-game at the end is only average. Oh well, the hours spent on this game were fun while it lasted.

GOOD POINTS
Wario is invincible!
Graphics are good for the GB standards
Challenge is nicely rounded
Lots of stuff to do
Control is not flawed at all
Fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun

NOT SO GOOD POINTS
Music is not heard a lot
Replay Value is kind of low
THE LAST LEVEL IS HARDER THAN MY GRANDMA'S STARCH!

---Overall (10/10)
You must experience this, whether it be rental, or obvious purchase. Actually, you SHOULD buy this. Forget about the rental part, just go buy and be happy you didn't pay money for a 30 dollar McDonalds meal, or something like that.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/09/02, Updated 02/09/02