Yoshi's Island 2. Wi-Fi. Yes.

I don't get the last sentence. I have no idea what you're implying.

Nintendo has done pretty well making sure 3rd parties keep the quality standards of it's franchises. Many of them were unknown before Nintendo game them a name.

1. Flagship (Zelda Oracle games)
2. Camelot (Mario Golf and Tennis games as well as Golden Sun)
3. And of course.....Rare (Donkey Kong and many others)

So please....explain to me in all seriousness why we should impulsively worry?

Oh, what? Artoon? I thought this was in-house!
Artoon happen to have been responsible for the yawn-fest that was Yoshi's Universal Gravitation/Yoshi Topsy-Turvy. All of a sudden, I'm not very encouraged. Prove me wrong, people.

Uh...proven house Treasure mucked up Wario World just fine (the game was fine, but not nearly worth the original $50.00 asking price), and the list of duds by established houses is nice and long. I put no more/less faith in Artoon than any other developer, and I'll judge the final product as it is.

Artoon also developed... drumroll... Blinx. *shudder*

"Artoon happen to have been responsible for the yawn-fest that was Yoshi's Universal Gravitation/Yoshi Topsy-Turvy"

oic.....

Ok.....the article makes more sense now. Thanks. :)

What is more exciting from the box are baby Wario and baby Bowser, which were not in the E3 version... and they are riding on Yoshis! Does this mean they'll be playable characters? C'mon! Baby freakin Wario!

Why does it take yall so long to post this up.

Looking at that picture...Nintendo is trying to drop the kiddie persona?

Cage, have you ever played Yoshi's island? What, it has a baby? It must be a baby game! I can't play this! Seriously, grow up.

I'm just sayin. Its too kiddie. I cant play this on my way to work. I can't play this with a group of friends. Its not a bad thing. My kids (when old enough) will probably love nintendo.

PS. There really is no way to win this argument Paul. People believe what they see. Me? I see kiddie.

@1
You cite two examples of how third parties can really help out in Nintendo franchises. I'd say Donkey Kong doesn't quite work with what we're talkin' about here. I think what James Ransom-Wiley is getting at here is the case that Nintendo has built up these really fun and powerful series and then passed them off for third parties to 'just make a game.'

Like F-Zero GX: the older F-Zero (and especially the first) games were amazing experiences (well, to people that liked F-Zero). It's my understanding that Sega and Namco also had a hand in that latest rendition of the races. It was a decent game and it looked really great but it didn't really capture the Nintendo 'feel' of the earlier ones.

The StarFox series is a really good example: StarFox Dinosaur Planet, by Rare, was not even really Starfox. It played more like a lighter version of Ocarina of Time. People are looking for an upgraded and newer version of StarFox 64 but StarFox Assault, by Namco, didn't come close.

This is all to say that the first Yoshi's Island was amazing and really well made. It felt like a Nintendo game and hand the Nintendo feel to it. It's a game you can go back anytime and play (much like the first f-zero and previous two starfox titles). Will this new game do the same?

And me?

I see "What's wrong with being a kid now and then?" Must you be a kid to have fun? I thought that was the goal of ALL games...regardless of the age demographic.

Besides, who WANTS to get old?

Therefore I, personally, reject the "old" argument that all non-violent mediums are designed for the prepubescent.

But then again, I like cartoons too. /shrug

Yawn...PS3 can't come soon enough!

I will win the argument by saying I'm not so worried about trying to overcompensate for my small penis that I'll play whatever the hell game I want on the way to work or in a group of friends.

Yeah, you've got a point Cage, I couldn't play this around my friends, but I'd recommend you give the SNES version a shot, gameplay mechanics and level design are nothing short of genius, by far the greatest platformer I've ever played.

Man did I ever hate having to launch eggs in Yoshi's Island by holding the button down, waiting for the trajectory meter to wobble its way to where I wanted it, and releasing the button. That kind of play mechanic might be fine for a golf or bowling sim, but it was way out of place in an action platformer.

The stylus and touch screen seem like a much more intuitive way to do egg launching. I hope Nintendo offers a demo of this title at its DS Download Stations, I'm eager to give it a try.

" Man did I ever hate having to launch eggs in Yoshi's Island by holding the button down, waiting for the trajectory meter to wobble its way to where I wanted it, and releasing the button."

I never had to hold the button down. I hit it once to start the cursor, and hit it again to throw. I think that's much much easier and it got very intuitive before very long. I think it's an option you can set.

By the way, "Its too kiddie. I cant play this on my way to work. I can't play this with a group of friends" is fucking LAUGHABLE. You must have some fucking idiot friends if image is that important to them. Yoshi's Island is probably the best 2D platformer I've ever played.

"Its too kiddie. I cant play this on my way to work. I can't play this with a group of friends".

Because hunching over on a train playing the latest M-rated game is so much cooler than a "kiddie" title. I suggest getting some new friends or some more self-esteem if you actually worry about things like this.

Why can't you play a fun game with a whimsical theme among your friends? Do you have a false image to maintain?

This reminds me of a recent post on CAG. The OP had a list of 50, yes 50, Xbox games he required to be backward compatible on the Xbox 360 before he would consider buying one. As you might assume of someone who already owns so many Xbox games, he already owns an Xbox. His stated motivation was his fear that if he had more than one game system visible and by some improbable turn of events a woman willingly entered his home, she would be repulsed by this indicator of his gaming geek nature. Apparently the multitude of green boxes wouldn't be a dead giveaway along with any number of trait displayed by his own self.

If you have to deny yourself a good game for the sake of how your friends may perceive you, they probably aren't really your friends.

A friend will help you move. A real friend will help you move a body. A true friend won't be concerned about the body being oddly costumed or having no clothes at all.

Remember that if you tend to get angry at cosplayers.

This box art also appears to indicate the appearance of Baby Wario. Anybody else notice this for the first time or has that been known before now? Looking forward to this game. the SNES & GBA versions of the original are great fun.

"I will win the argument by saying I'm not so worried about trying to overcompensate for my small penis that I'll play whatever the hell game I want on the way to work or in a group of friends."

You gave away your age. Now I can't even argue with people anymore about Nintendo because the fanboys are 15 and younger? I've got big balls my friend. (I hope there arent any child molester cops on here. I'm really not trying to friend up with a 15yr old.)

Grant- Its easy to say its "LAUGHABLE" when you probably dont hold a job where you dress up each day and are taken seriously. Brain Age is a cool game to play. Enjoy it. Play it. Say this game carries a kiddie image and my comments seem to take longer to get on here (C.Grant have anything to do with it)? Huge backlash? Nothing against Nintendo (again...love BrainAge). The cussing and name calling make it seem like my statements are true.

At the risk of beating this dead horse yet some more... it's unfortunate that there is so much stubbornness and closed-mindedness in the gaming community still, and that people will willingly assert a game to be void just at the sight of its box. And he sequel to perhaps gaming's most beloved platform title, no less! I hate contrived cookiecutter gangster murder games, but if I dismissed them all just for the box art, for Christ's sake, I would have never played Grand Theft Auto.

Small penis... BAHAHA!

What the hell kind of pathetic person are you to have to hide the games you play from your friends? What do they care, are they all of a sudden going to JUDGE you? make fun of you? then those arent friends.

if you are that concerned about image just stop playing games altogether please.

back to the topic.. Yoshi's Island is by far one of the best platform games ever made, and my personal favorite. Artoon better not botch this up or I'm going to piss on their HQ. I personally don't really like any of their other games. they better not F this up.

ANYONE that tries to justify their point by saying that a game is "kiddie" and it's a reason to not play it has..._NO_ credibility.

If you _R.E.A.L.L.Y_ think that playing a mature rated title will make you look "cool" then you are an (say it with _me):

I_D_I_O_T_

I'm holding my judgement on Artoon until the game comes out. However, the only thing I know is that Miyamoto was heavily involved in the original Yoshi's Island (I think he created it) and was rated a masterpiece by many pundits.

I just hope Miyamoto is involved somehow with this version too.

Ted D. Moncrief: "[F-Zero GX] was a decent game and it looked really great but it didn't really capture the Nintendo 'feel' of the earlier ones."

You're kidding me right? F-Zero GX was the best game in the series in my honest opinion (yes, I've played F-Zero, F-Zero X, and Maximum Velocity, and I even have GP Legend). F-Zero was never such a deep experience as it was in GX and I applaud Sega and Amusement Vision for their great work with it.

I've never played Yoshi Topsy Turvy, but with its poor reviews, it makes me worry about the sequel to what is one of my favorite games of all time.

And @ Rootbeer, I personally loved the egg shooting mechanic in Yoshi's Island, especially over Yoshi's Story's shooting mechanic, or even Yoshi Touch & Go's "touch to shoot" mechanic. I was able to move pretty well while shooting eggs.

You know what I REALLY want back... those mini games in Yoshi's Island where you go against bandits. I would LOVE it if they created a WiFi 4 player watermelon seed/fire shooting vs. mode. Brings back memories of holding Select and pressing XXYBA.

Sorry for the double post, but...

@ JRM

Actually, the original Yoshi's Island on SNES was created by Takashi Tezuka (Miyamoto's right hand man basically). I'm not sure how big Miyamoto had an influence on Yoshi's Island, but I'm pretty sure there's some. Miyamoto did produce Yoshi's Story though, so I don't know if I'd want a Yoshi's Story feel to Yoshi's Island 2. On a side note, Tezuka was also responsible for a lot of New Super Mario Bros.

And lastly, I am in the age 18 or older category, and this is one of the few games I'll proudly play in public on my DS. Even if this game does not yield great reviews, I'm sure to pick it up for the experience.

@ 24, metayoshi
I tried to leave opinion out of it and I goofed. I really like F-Zero GX as well but that doesn't change that it doesn't play like a Nintendo game. Little things like not being able to go back to the menu after selecting a race and the *painfully* cheesy and uninformative interviews with the pilots are a constant reminder that the game is third party.

I'll give Artoon a chance with this and reserve judgement 'till I play it. But they better do a DAMN good job or I'll probably never buy another one of their games again. I consider the quality of Yoshi's Island second only to Ocarina of Time, so they've got some pretty huge standards to live up to.

Oh please. Adult doesn't just mean violent - and it is more than reasonable to find the lack of humor or complexity of plot, the rewards being glittering baby stars, etc. as less interesting as you get older. It isn't the embarassment factor, it is the boring factor.

Our gaming trends are really just influenced by the different ways in which the Japanese are balls-out crazy. Their teenage wacky-haired angst in the face of apoclypse (Akira, for example) is what you get in, say, the Final Fantasy series...meanwhile, their penchant for all dressing up like Hello Kitty (which epobirs apparently shares, or at least admires enough to write a tearful salute to) is what influences the absurd fluffy cuteness that is basically every nintendo game not called Metroid. Some people enjoy that past the age of 12, some don't.

@ 26 Ted D. Moncrief

I completely agree that the whole pilot interviews thing was unnecessary and that it really was pretty annoying that you could not go backwards in certain menus, but I don't really see them as major things. I personally am only reminded of it being a Sega game with the opening that has the SEGA logo.

But truthfully, I don't understand when you say "like a Nintendo game." I'm pretty sure its a matter of personal opinion when it comes to this, so you're not wrong or anything, but I personally believe that Nintendo has such a variety of styles, such games like Star Fox, Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, even Nintendogs, that I think it's hard to really say how a "Nintendo game" plays. I personally, again no offense, could care less if a game "feels" like a Nintendo game. A great game is a great game to me.

Oh christ, I was gonna write a long ass post here, but I lack the motivation anymore. Instead I'll just tell Socrates that he is a silly little retard and I hope he'll grow out of it soon. Same for Cage, btw.

Although Artoon are unproven, let's not forget what Retro
Studios did with Metroid, and save Super Metroid, turned it into the greatest iteration of the series.

Glittering baby stars aren't a reward by the way. They're a thing you want to end the stage with 30 of, in addition to other items, to earn points. Earn 100 points on each level and your reward is extremely difficult bonus levels.

Yeah... have you played Yoshi's Island, socrates? As far as I'm concerned, "mature" means smart, complex, interesting gameplay, which Yoshi's Island has in spades. Who gives a shit how colorful the sprites are? Are you embarrassed to play Super Mario Bros. 3 too?

Also Cage, get back to me when you know me, thx.

As soon as I get some New Super Mario Bros WiFi I will be happy. This WiFi experience had better be something like that, but with eggs and stuff... OMG that would be awesome. New Super Mario Bros Multiplayer (not the mini-game crap) = the best multiplayer experience on the DS, and it's single cart download... Incredible.

Arttoon developed Yoshi Topsy Turvy... and it was pretty mediocre. I have no idea why Nintendo let them do this, but one theory holds that it was actually due to a memo Iwata sent out as a sarcastic joke that was taken seriously. I really hope this game doesn't suck but so far I'm not swayed. The multiple baby idea is stupid and the game would've been much cooler if they'd just used a flat out different baby (such as DK) and focused on their abilities.