4cr Reviews: EBA & Yoshi’s Island DS

Though Elite Beat Agents & Yoshi’s Island DS have been out for some time now, Nintendo recently sent us copies of each for review. Belated or not, a delivery from Nintendo is always a good thing, and as such I ripped through the two high profile DS games to provide you with my verdict. Read on to find out.

Elite Beat Agents

Let’s start with the negative: When it comes to presentation, I don’t find Elite Beat Agents to be nearly as cool as Ouendan. Don’t get me wrong, the look and feel is definitely okay, it’s just not quite as fresh or quirky as the Japanese original. In the end, however, that’s nothing more than a matter of personal taste, and any way you slice it, the game is packed full of unique personality, charm, and fun.

I’m a big fan of rhythm games, but I don’t think I’ve ever played one as good as EBA. The gameplay is brilliant — simple to learn but tough to master. If you still haven’t played either Ouendan or EBA, you truly owe it to yourself to give them a try.

Actually, I find the frantic pace to be more than a little exhausting, but I mean that in a good way. I feel like I’ve had a heavy workout after playing some of the tougher numbers, and I often want to take a break between sessions, but I can’t resist the urge to give it just one more try.

That’s the game’s brilliance. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be addicted in no time. Without a doubt one of the finest rhythm games ever created.

Verdict: BUY

Score: 9/10

Yoshi’s Island DS

RUMAS: Yoshi’s Island is one of my favorite games of all time. It’s brilliant. It’s wonderful. It’s love personified. In preparing for the sequel, I brought the GBA version of the original along to play on the flight from Seoul to Chicago, and I once again realized just what a gem it is. A perfect 10, no doubt.

Once I got home, I popped the sequel into my DS and started playing. First, the positive: I like the dual screen play. Very cool, even with the ‘dead zone’. The game plays fine, the control is good, everything looks nice (though not as nice as the original, which sucks), and it’s all very, well…Yoshi’s Island.

That’s the problem. The title doesn’t feel so much like its own game as it does like the abandoned ‘lost levels’ of the original, and I can’t help but fault it for that. I wasn’t all-out sold on New Super Mario Bros., but it’s a far, far better title than this.

Is Yoshi’s Island DS a bad game? No way. Is it a good game? Sure. If you’ve played and loved the original, however, you’re bound to be disappointed.

Verdict: TRY

Score: 7/10

Yoshi’s Island DS – Second Opinion

NICK: Like Rumas, I love the original Yoshi’s Island. I would go so far as to call it my favorite game of all time. It is the pinnacle of 2D platforming in every single way. That is why I was both excited and a little nervous when Yoshi’s Island DS was announced.

However, unlike Rumas, I came away from the game with a sense of pure delight. Sometimes more of the same is a wonderful thing. It’s like listening to a great album and wishing that there were 20 more tracks just like it. And with Yoshi’s Island DS that is what Nintendo and Artoon gave us. But not just more of the same, they gave us a few little extra goodies to keep it fresh.

The addition of the extra babies and some fantastic bosses and new levels are enough for me to call this game an instant buy. In fact, I would definitely say that the levels in YI: DS are harder and more puzzle oriented than the original. To me that is a very good thing.

Does the game do everything right? No. Does it match up to the original? How could it? But what it does is offer an extension to my favorite game of all time, and it kept me glued to my DS more than any other game has. In fact, I think this is the first time that I felt as if I was having a full console experience on a handheld. Never before have I been as enthralled with a portable game and truly felt immersed in it like I have been with YI: DS. I’m sure a lot of that has to do with the fact that I love the original, but a big portion of it is also that this is just a great game.

Verdict: BUY

Score: 9/10