Graphics: **1/2
Well, really, what do you expect out of a Game
Boy Color game? Nothing fancy, just enough to understand
the difference between Mario and Toad. Of course,
the Classic graphics stink, but they’re supposed to.
Sound: ***1/2
Great music, better sound effects, the only complaint
being they didn’t at least add some music to the
Classic games. The music does get repetitive,
and only maybe a few tunes are enjoyable, but it’s still pretty
good, and the sound effects are perfect!
Difficulty (for Modern Modes, Classic Modes’ difficulties
explained below):
Parachute: ***1/2: Probably the hardest game
of all.
Vermin: ***: This one’s pretty hard too.
Chef: ***: Same goes here.
Helmet: *1/2: Easy one; only time it gets hard
is in later levels.
Donkey Kong: *: The easiest; gaining points is
as easy as jumping on a vine, jumping off, and jumping back on again, until
the batteries run out.
Ball: **1/2: Pretty tough at times; at other
times it’s as easy as Donkey Kong.
Characters: ***
Pretty good characters- includes Mario (who else?),
Luigi, DK, Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Wario, Bob-ombs,
Hammer Brother... the list goes on and on. Good
thing there’s no Waluigi to spoil it. (Actually he didn’t
exist back then- oh, I almost forgot- he doesn’t
exist for real anyway!) The Classic modes are the bad point
of this, having losers. But they’re supposed
to be there.
Controls: ***1/2
All-star controls: Every control is easily explained
and easily used. Only complaint: double-screen madness
on Donkey Kong. It’s... crazy!
Parachute Classic Mode: *1/2
Pretty boring, and also pretty hard, taking away most fun.
Parachute Modern Mode: **
Still pretty boring, although different Mario characters spice it up.
Vermin Classic Mode: *
Easy as heck, and boring as heck too.
Vermin Modern Mode: ***
Hey, when you see Yoshi in a game, it makes everything... *cuter*.
Chef Classic Mode: *1/2
Pretty hard, and pretty boring too.
Chef Modern Mode: ***
With the pretty Princess Peach, smarter but still
dumb plumber Luigi, and Yoshi eating table scraps, you’ve
got a much better mode.
Helmet Classic Mode: **
Uh, I don’t even remember ever playing this mode, but I think it’s pretty dumb.
Helmet Modern Mode: ***1/2
One of the most straightforward games, this mode
offers not only three different levels with different music, but it also
offers Wario (simply get the three misses with Mario and get Wario to use
the next time
instead).
Donkey Kong Classic Mode: no stars
Near impossible, and the only game with difficult controls, this doesn’t even resemble the arcade version, and moreover, it stinks!
Donkey Kong Modern Mode: ****
The best game of all, it includes not just Donkey
Kong, Mario, Peach, and barrels, but also Koopa Troopas, Koopa Paratroopas,
and Bullet Bills. It has the most fun, most catchy music, most point to
a game, and the most adventure to a game. It’s easy to cheat (simply jump
up and down off a vine when barrels and Koopa Troopas come; five points
each time, no lives lost), but also makes for much fun and excitement and
enjoyment!
Ball Classic Mode: *1/2
Boo! What kind of reward is this?! Boredom, that’s what!
Ball Modern Mode: **1/2
Well, you get to see good ol’ Yoshi again, but
you can also see some difficulty at times and some easiness
at times. A very fickle game.
Note Board Mode: **
Here you can find some secret hints, and also some tips on the games. Not bad, but not too good either.
Music Room Mode: ***1/2
Same score as the sound, because that’s basically
what this place is! However, Game and Watch Gallery 3
improved on this; it had tempo changes and some
sound effects.
Museum Mode: **
Here you can see some classic games. Nice music, but repetitive, of course, and kind of boring after a while. Not just the music, but the place itself!
Fun Factor: **1/2
Well, when I actually first saw this game in stores,
I thought it was a Game Boy version of Mario Party.
Imagine my disappointment when I found out it
was only 5 (and eventually, 6) mini-games. It’s still pretty fun, but nothing
like Mario Party.
OVERALL: **1/2
Sure, it’s pretty good, but, I mean, this game
is not Mario Party, it’s doesn't have much to offer, and although the music’s
great, you may want to skip this one if you want an adventure. This is
a great time-killer though, so if you’ve got the time to kill, and don’t
mind playing the same mini-game over and over again, this one’s for you!