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Mediocrity, thy name is Mario...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: October 02, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This goes along with Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time as the two most disappointing Mario games for the DS. It's not terrible, by any means; in fact, it usually is passably fun. However, it's not nearly as fun as the original. I'm not going to fault the story; neither this or the original MvDK had a particulartly engrossing story, and, really, it didn't need one. I'm going to outline firstly the negatives and secondly the positives and allow you, the reader, to decide whether it is worth thirty bucks.

The Bad:

Someone should really remind Nintendo that the DS does have other input besides the stylus. It is an interesting and unique controller, yes, but frankly, I think it is ill-suited to games like this. Ideally, it should be used to select a Mini-Mario, and then it should be OPTIONAL to either control him with the stylus or with the Directional Pad. I find the Minis sometimes being unresponsive to my controls, which leads to them falling off a cliff and me restarting the level.

The Boss fights are just bland and incredibly repetative. Again, the stylus becomes a hindrance, as sometimes rotating the gear that moves your cannon from side to side will sometimes barely move your character, sometimes whip him across the screen, sometimes start to roll back the other direction once you let go, and if you aren't extremely careful, sometimes prematurely launch your Mini-Mario, leading to its demise.

The final Boss fight is just horrid. Rather that the 20-30 "lives" you have in the regular Boss fights, you have a whopping SIX! The same amount as DK has. This means you must be extra careful when scaling the Donkey Kong retro-stled level. My main issue with this fight is when more than one Mini-Mario is onscreen. Controlling multiple Minis in unison is never particularly enjoyable, as they bump into each other (reversing their directions) and often end up causing the death of their fellow toys. I found myself losing Minis extremely easily, which means I had to restart at least, oh, twenty or so times in order to beat the Boss. I don't mind a challenging Boss fight in a game, but frankly, I'm tired of games just using frustrating control schemes as a method of challenge.

**incorporated from my seperate post**
If you are a perfectionist, don't bother with this game; I managed to get a gold star on every single level of Mario Vs. Donkey Kong, but I did not get a single gold star in this game. I tried four or five times on several easy levels, and I can only guess that to get a gold star requires razor-edged timing and possible the help of The Force. If you are trying for all Gold Stars, you will very quickly either want to kill yourself or kill the developers. You'll feel those strangling instincts welling up.

The Good:

The level editor is a great addition. I enjoy being able to design my own levels in any puzzle game, and I really thought that this would have been great if it had been incorporated in the original MvDK. Frankly, the editor provides the only real incentive to keep playing the main game, as you have to beat a floor in order to unlock its tileset (which includes unique triggers and enemies).

Most of the levels do manage to keep a good balance between challenge and fun. Only a few times (prior to the final Boss, anyway) did I find myself so frustrated with a level that I just turned off the system and left it be for a few hours.

Visually, the game is quite nice to look at. It is colorful, cheerful, and presented in a cartoony manner.

Uh... It costs five bucks less than most DS games...

Overall, it feels like an inspired effort. If not for the unpleasantness of the controls, I would give it four stars.

Great Fun, but very easy for single player (and no local wireless)

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The game has 8 floors with 9 main levels each, a mini-game and a boss level. Plus 3 major boss levels. I found all of the main levels very enjoyable, and the 2 major boss levels fun too. The mini-games are cute, but if you've got the Mario 64 port or Super DS Mario it's basically variations of the whack a mole game.
Given that, 72 levels seems a lot. It isn't. Most of them I got at least one Mario through first time and they take about a minute each. So call it three hours of gameplay, being generous. There is some lasting appeal in that you can go back and get a higher score on levels (this is needed to unlock the major boss levels). But even that much isn't hard to do.
Also, the total use of the stylus can get annoying ... a lot of the game controls would have been much nicer (and not changed the game mechanics) with button usage.

You can't play multiplayer with one game and multiple DS. In fact I don't think there is a vs. mode at all, although you can swap levels with friends (assuming you both have games and one of you makes a level worth swapping :).

In summary, it's worth a rental but don't buy unless you and some friends are planning on making a lot of levels.

Dissapointment if you are expecting Mario vs. Donkey Kong I GamePlay!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: October 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I was really into the first MvsDK game! I preorded this but was disappointed when I started playing. It's annoying to use the stylus... and where's Mario? You just have the little wind up guys to push around... and they're not even cute like they were in the first game. A disappointment all around. I quickly sold it. I love Nintendo games but like Metroid for the DS it's too much to hold the DS in one had and push the stylus around while squinting into the screen. I like progress in gameplay and commend Nintendo for being creative but it's just annoying. Why can't I just play with the control pad while I'm laying down? I love to lie on the couch and play the DS but the way the control system is set up it's impossible. I would almost say this game sucked because the first one was so fun. Why mess up the formula?

Fun but simple

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: November 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is fun, and if you like solving puzzles this game is for you. My only complaint is that even at the highest diffulty setting it really is quite simple.

Good game, low replay value.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

There isn't really anything to do after you beat the game, which is the only negative. Very fun use of the stylus and touchscreen, very fun puzzle game overall.

My 6 yr old and 3 yr old enjoy this game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: November 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game feels a bit like a Tetris or other puzzle games. To win you navigate the Mini Marios through increasingly complex mazes. The catch is the Mini Marios are simulated wind up toys who can only walk in straight lines and jump. You have to intentionally bounce them off walls and jump onto platforms to move them around. It turns out to be very fun navigating all the Marios through the board and trying to successfully get all the Marios safely home.

I have 2 young sons (6 & 3 yrs.) both enjoy this game. The six year old can do most of the levels. The 3 year gets the concept and can moves the Marios around but doesn't win nearly as much of course.

The level creator is also very cool. I am addicted to making my own levels and my 6 yr old has made some very simple levels.

The graphics in this game are good.

There are 8 levels with 10 sub-levels each. This plus the level creator should make the game last a while.

I also like that the boys have to assess the board and then make a plan on how to play through a level before they can be successful.

I give 4 stars simply because this game while great is not up to the level of New Super Mario Bros.

Nintendo Icons Deliver One of the Best DS Games of 2006

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: December 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

While the DS is not short on innovative games, I've always felt that the vast majority of them always have had some flaw that prevents them from being games you want to come back to and play again. That is why I'm pleased to say that Mario vs. Donkey Kong: March of the Minis is both fun and innovative. This platformer/puzzle game hybrid sees Mario attempting rescue a woman in distress from the love-sick ape, Donkey Kong. Instead of going himself, Mario uses an army of wind-up toy replicas aka the mini marios.
The minis have to navigate through eight treacherous levels with ten sub-levels each before catching up with Donkey Kong on the roof. In each level, the player has to guide a handful of Mini Marios to a golden door. Each level is full of traps and puzzles that the stylus controlled Minis have to get through to arrive safely. As long as the player can get one Mini through the door the level is cleared, however, clearing the level with all Mini Marios is not enough to get high star rankings. To get a gold star, it is necessary to devise away to clear the level faster, collect more gold coins for points, and to get the Minis to walk through the door all together as a chain.
The one fly in March of Minis ointment is the boss battle that takes place at the end of each level. Here the player must successful lauch the Minis out of a cannon and into Kong while dodging obstacles. The cannon is controlled by an overly sensitive pulley system that makes it really hard to quickly line the cannon with Kong. You'll usually end up going to far to the left or right.
The final confrontation with Kong plays well, however, as it is a homage to the original Donkey Kong game.
In the end, Mario Vs Donkey Kong 2 is a great title to add to anyone's DS library. It nearly strikes a perfect balance between using the system's capabilities to the fullest, being fun to play, and offering something to come back too.

March of the Minis

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: January 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game becomes increasingly harder as you play through. I wouldn't suggest it for younger players because it might become frustrating. For those who like strategy its great.

Very fun puzzler with Mario and Donkey Kong

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: February 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The rivalry between Nintendo icons Mario and Donkey Kong is older than most modern gamers. A sequel to the GBA hit, Mario VS Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis for the DS takes a different approach to the gameplay elements found in the original GBA game, but is still a very well done and quite addicting puzzler in it's own merits. This time around, you control a horde of Mario's "Minis"; miniaturized mini-Mario's that you control using the touch screen in an effort to save Pauline (yes, Pauline) from the clutches of Donkey Kong. Traveling throughout the game's 80 stages, Mario VS Donkey Kong 2 offers great fun throughout the game while throwing plenty of challenge in to boot. The game has a great look with fluid graphics and great sound effects, rounding out a pretty good package. If there's any negatives to Mario VS Donkey Kong 2, it's that the main story mode is kind of short, and while the game offers some challenge, there is a steep learning curve as you'll come across some easy stages, followed by some incredibly hard ones. That being said, while Mario VS Donkey Kong 2 isn't the best puzzler to be offered for Nintendo's dual screened system, it still offers up plenty of inventive fun that fans should most definitely check out.

Very fun game, a bit too short though.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Despite the fact that I only ever finished 2 levels with a gold star (silver for the rest) this was quite an easy game. I took it on holiday with the intention of it being decent fodder for downtime but I finished it all in 6 days.

Asides from that it's very cute and colorful (as with most Mario games) and has some great gameplay and tunes. It's a lot like the Lemmings games crossed with a little bit of snakes and ladders. The puzzles are clever and fun to solve and it's never boring. I did find the lack of response (only sometimes) from the stylus pen to be a bit annoying, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

Perfect for kids, a decent distraction for adults.

Graphics A
Sound A
Gameplay A
Lasting Appeal B-

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