Mario vs. Donkey Kong

The Good
Mario vs. Donkey Kong has the essence of the arcade classics mixed with the genre of puzzle games. It's not an original concept and we've seen it a lot of times, but it works really work in a system like GBA. The game is long and hard enough to suppose a challenge for you, but it's not impossible, so, the difficult is really well adjusted and you'll need some time to solve some levels (especially the expert levels). Pre-rendered graphics are good for this game, with some good animations and variety of enemies. The sound is good too, with a really funny main theme in the tittle screen combining songs of Mario and Donkey Kong.

The Bad
Gameplay is not as good as it should be in a game like this. Jumping is easy, but trying to do the somersault is harder because the controls don't response so good. You'll die many times because of that, you'll need patience.

The normal levels are easier than the + levels, but if what you want is to unlock the expert levels by taking all the stars, the normal levels are harder than the +, that's because normal levels have two sub-levels, and you have to do it perfect two times. In the + levels there's just one level, no sub-levels, so, it's easier to achieve the top score and gain the star.

The Mario-Toys are really stupid, they won't never hesitate and they'll always throw themselves to the enemies. You can finish the level with just one of the, but if you want the star you'll need all of them alive, so, sometimes it's a bit frustrating.

The Bottom Line
The arcade essence of Donkey Kong is here, improved with lots of levels and bonus as well as secret expert levels. If you enjoyed arcade classics this is a good one, if you like puzzle games this is a good one... if you like videogames, this is a good one!

The Good
First off, the game's sound and graphics are excellent, similar in style to that of Donkey Kong Country, but less muddy and more colorful. Mario is surprisingly agile and there is nothing wrong with the controls at all; he jumps, he runs, he climbs and he somersaults just like he's supposed to. The level design is very good, some of the levels are damn hard but at the same time they're not impossible. If you die or otherwise fail, it's your own fault.

The Bad
Actually I can think of nothing to complain about, this is one of the few essential games for the GBA. Maybe, just maybe, it's a tad too short. And even though I personally don't care much for the pre-rendered style graphics, it's no biggie.

The Bottom Line
As far as GBA puzzle/platform gaming goes, this is the shit. It's perfect for playing on the subway, in bed or on those long transatlantic flights, just like a good handheld game should be. Top notch!

The Good
This game essentially is a continuation of the original Donkey Kong series which manifested itself on the original gameboy in 1994 as Donkey Kong '94. It does well at blending the puzzle and side-scroller genre.

The first thing the player will notice is the pre-rendered graphics which are a nod to Donkey Kong Country's similar style. All-in-all, the graphics work well. The colors are pleasing to the eye and the animations are well done.

The puzzles are relatively challenging in this game and a few levels kept me scratching my head for quite some time. The player is led to believe that there are a mere six worlds in the game, but after defeating Donkey Kong in the last, you are sent to the + world where the difficulty is greatly increased.

The Bad
Leading around the rescued mini-Mario toys can be frustrating! This isn't a bad thing in regards to difficulty, but sometimes you will find yourself really tearing your hair out!

The sound effects aren't bad, but the music isn't quite up to par with Koji Kondo's work.

The Bottom Line
With all the infamous ports of older Mario titles available on the Gameboy Advance, it's nice to see some original material of this caliber. Do yourself a favor and play this game - it may be a sleeper hit, but it will not disappoint you!