Metareview - Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 (DS)
by Blake Snow 
{ Sep 28th 2006 at 10:00AM }
As a sequel to 2004's Mario vs. Donkey for the GBA, Nintendo's wifi enabled Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis puzzler is getting some solid reviews sans acclaim. The main premise of the game is to direct Mini Marios through a series of puzzles using the touch screen Lemmings style. With a current average review score of 76, here are what some of the critics are saying:- Gamepro 85% - "As a sequel, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: March of the Minis surpasses the original by leaps and bounds backed by the capabilities of the Nintendo DS, however the new control scheme does take some getting used to."
- WHAM! Gaming 80% - "With each level presenting it own unique challenges to overcome, what you have with Mario Versus Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis is not only one of the longest game titles of the year but an accessible and thoroughly addicting puzzle game for thinking gamers of all ages."
- Games Radar 70% - "By hooking up with other players via Wi-Fi, you're also able to play levels that other players create, giving you a virtually endless array of levels to puzzle over even after you've completed the main game."
- GameSpy 70% - "A mixed blessing. It's got some fun and elaborate puzzles, although some get a tad too elaborate to manage at once. Also, certain parts of the gameplay mechanic, such as the responsiveness of the touch screen while steering Mini-Marios around, don't function as well as we would have liked."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
=['] @ Sep 28th 2006 10:44AM
first post?
I like the sound of it
Daniel @ Sep 28th 2006 10:48AM
This is bound to be one of those 'buy next summer' titles methinks. Don't get me wrong, I loved the original and this one looks great too, but with so many other big titles starting to make their way to stores, this one is being pushed to the wayside. I know I'll enjoy it, but likely moreso when my gaming schedule clears up (man, that last sentence sounded lame).
Null Infinity @ Sep 28th 2006 10:44AM
When I saw the ad for this game on TV, it reminded me of Lemmings. Is the gameplay similar to that, or are the mini-Marios the extent of the similarities.
Anticrawl @ Sep 28th 2006 10:50AM
This game was great simple fun. A perfect portable title. After you buy it you may feel a little screwed at first because of the ease of the game at the start but it gets better, increasing in difficulty, plus you can play custom maps. I want a mini Mario for myself.
Anticrawl
mykie @ Sep 28th 2006 11:17AM
I bought it, I like it.
The analogue between Mario & DK2 and Lemmings is definitely there, but for some reason it still feels like its own game.
The graphics and sounds are incredibly polished and the whole presentation is a kick to experience.
Although, I've only made it through the first three floors, I haven't had any touchscreen issues where the Minis didn't do exactly what I wanted them to do. In many cases, I felt like the connection between my brain and the game was seemless.
My only complaint so far is the Wifi connectivity, as I don't have any friends with this game yet. :( I do like that Nintendo is on your friends list by default, not unlike Tom from Myspace. At this time, there wasn't any new levels to download.
All in all, 8/10
Riggy @ Sep 28th 2006 10:55AM
The game is fantastic. The first few levels are easy, unless you are trying to get a gold star on each, then they become pretty darn tough. The create-a-map feature is fantastic, and if you get enough people on your friend list, you will all have enough custom maps floating around for quite some time. You can unlock special tool sets for map making as well. Totally worth the $30.
naib @ Sep 28th 2006 11:07AM
I don't think the average score does this game justice. I sacrificed a good chunk of beauty sleep playing this last night. It's quite addictive.
I've yet to start digging into the editor, but I forsee plenty of usurped time. Heck, the editor was the only thing that kept me playing FarCry[ex-box] for more than a week.
The puzzle trading works really well, and will surely extend the life of this one for me. Two thumbs up. :)
Korexz @ Sep 28th 2006 10:58AM
This game is part of the Series 3 downloads from the DS Download stations at Wal*Mart... Elite Beat Agents is also in Series 3 ;)
Very Lemmings-esque, but I enjoyed the demo immensely. I did not play the first game in the series. I really liked the visual style, something familiar but separate from the other Mario titles. I thought the DS control scheme was more than responsive and well implemented.
I would say it is worth the $30 USD. Get a community of friends in on this game and I would imagine the total value of the game would extend indefinitly as you try to out puzzle one another.
Now E.B.A. ... I MUST HAVE THAT GAME. It's like Space Channel 5 with a stylus... very very very cool.
Player1 @ Sep 28th 2006 11:27AM
Those mini Marios are like little marching Nintendo fanboys.
whitefinger @ Sep 28th 2006 5:53PM
I loved the original and spent many hours on it. However, just like someone mentioned above, my gaming schedule is going to very busy and I'm afraid this game is just going to have to wait.
HaloBreaker @ Sep 28th 2006 11:59AM
Wow did you make that one up by yourself Player1? Or did you have a team of monkeys working round the clock on type writers?
shivr @ Sep 28th 2006 12:00PM
"I don't think the average score does this game justice."
-- 76 is above average, 50 would be average ;)
JodyAnthony @ Sep 28th 2006 12:13PM
shivr, actually 50 would be the median on a scale from 1-100. 76 is an average of all the scores given.
/math
Player1 @ Sep 28th 2006 12:14PM
You leave my monkeys out of this.
DCFC Fan @ Sep 28th 2006 12:18PM
Bought it, like it. Very challenging in parts as it gets a bit frantic. They are pushing the user driven content on this title as well.
My favorite part of the game is the different phrases Mario says as you close and open your DS, putting it to sleep and waking it up. Hilarious, and there are about eight that cycle continually. Lots of nice touches to the game making it feel pretty polished.
I take most game review scores with a grain of salt, just like this 8/10 score I'm giving this game now.
shivr @ Sep 28th 2006 12:24PM
"shivr, actually 50 would be the median on a scale from 1-100. 76 is an average of all the scores given.
/math"
>_>
/terms
What I mean is, I support the idea that the median score should indicate medium quality for a game a la netjak, 1up (sorta), and some other sites... thus a score of 76 is "above average" in an indication of quality sense.
Derbeste @ Sep 28th 2006 12:50PM
"thus a score of 76 is "above average" in an indication of quality sense."
Not really.
Why is it when Baseball players are batting .300 they are doing GOOD! Why isn't .500 average?
In my Advanced Physics class in Highschool, 40% correct would get you an A.
In other classes, 70-80% will get you a C. Again "C" usually denotes an "average" student.
Finally, in computer quality numbers, 97% non defective components is considered industry "average".
Different industries have different standards of quality.
In the Videogame industry, the mid 70s seem to be a ruff estimate of "average" - Meaning a typical game can reach this level of quality.
Clearly some reviewers thought this game was typical but not a real stand out, while the poster above felt it WAS stand out.
J B Cougar @ Sep 28th 2006 12:51PM
In that case, I give Player1's comment a 50.
Half kidding ;-)
dvddesign @ Sep 28th 2006 12:59PM
Okay, now I think this'll be one I pick up the next time I have to board a plane.
naib @ Sep 28th 2006 1:02PM
You guys know what I mean. 9_9
The average score on Gamerankings does not do it justice.
A few haters sandbagged it[the average score].
As of now this is my favorite DS game. Period.
Brian @ Sep 28th 2006 1:07PM
I got this game as a present a few days ago and haven't been able to put it down since. Even if you get frustrated with a few levels, you can always just play around with the level editor and make your own little neat chain reactions and experiments. Well worth the money.
BusterSpace @ Sep 28th 2006 1:55PM
This game deserves more than a 7.0 for sure. It's a wondeful game. The main quest is fun, but I think the real meat of the game is the level editor. There's so much to do. I've spent the majority of my time with the game in the level editor. It's great. The inclusion of WiFi trading is incredible, infinite replay value.
I highly enjoy the title.
fawazr @ Sep 28th 2006 2:11PM
I wasn't too interested in this game at first, but all the glowing comments that I've read here changes that. You guys genuinely seem to like what seems to be a very fun game. I'll take earnest praise over jaded industry criticism any day.
Joe @ Sep 28th 2006 3:20PM
I'm probably one of the few people disappointed with this. I've only played a couple levels, but already I miss the direct control of Mario that the original had. While I'm sure its a good game, I just greatly preferred the original, and the Gameboy one that it spawned from.
alex @ Sep 28th 2006 6:12PM
i can vouch for it getting much, much better by the time you reach the end of the second world or so
also, you can use the d-pad or buttons with your off hand to scroll the screen. i didn't realize this for the first few levels and it makes it much much much more playable.
it.. doesn't feel very nintendo. but it's good. B game.
rockintom99 @ Sep 28th 2006 6:12PM
I played the first one, and didn't really like it much. It couldn't *compare* to the origional donkey kong for the gameboy (best gameboy game ever!).
However, this one looks pretty interesting... Too many other good games to get first though. Starfox, mario hoops, contact, etc.
BM5k @ Oct 6th 2006 5:18AM
I bought this game today. Great game. Fun, simple, addictive. The first floor is easy enough to get you into the game. Haven't cleared the second floor yet. Nintendo made a few good decisions regarding the sharing of designed levels. First off, you can upload your levels to the server, and any friend can download it, if you're online or not. You can also download directly from Nintendo.
I bought the game, and within a couple hours, my wife and my buddy's kids had downloaded the demo from me and were playing as well.
Gameplay is slightly lemmings-esque, but there are limited abilities that you can pick up for your minis. So far the only item I've seen is the hammer.
Harukio @ Oct 9th 2006 3:00PM
I beat the game and I must say, some of the later levels can get quite frantic and hard (but not always both). Fear the flashing new help button, FEAR IT!
Another bonus is for each floor you clear (which has a different theme) you open up the construction kit for it from which to build. Each time I cleared a floor, I'd jump to the editor to play with my new toys :D. Nice reward system (and DK boss battles & minigames help break up the puzzle pace).
I give this game a 9/10