Mario vs. Donkey Kong
"Mario squares off against his original foe!"
Seeing the new Mini-Mario toys on TV, Donkey Kong rushes to the store to buy �em all. But when he gets there, the Mini-Marios are sold out. Obsessed with getting them, DK rushes to the toy factory and steals the toys there, puts them in a bag, and runs off. Mario pursues DK, and the game begins.
�Yeah this game pretty much screws up the entire Donkey Kong storyline that's been going on since Donkey Kong Country on the SNES.
Visuals:
The 3D graphics in MvDK look great. Mario and Donkey Kong are animated very well. The stages look cool, and the cut scenes look amazing, especially on the GBA.
Sounds:
The background music in MvDK is fairly good; it�s not bad at all, but it�s not outstanding. Mario, DK, and pretty much all of the other characters and baddies in the game have a lot of sound bytes (especially Mario). They�re a welcome addition.
Gameplay:
The gameplay in MvDK is ripped straight from Donkey Kong for the Gameboy. You�ll notice a ton of similarities here if you�ve played the game before. If you haven�t played Donkey Kong for the original Game Boy (dubbed Donkey Kong �94 by fans), your goal is to avoid baddies and obstacles in an enclosed stage and grab the key so you can exit the stage. In some stages, instead of grabbing the key, you have to pick up a Mini-Mario. In DK �94, you could collect Pauline�s hat, parasol, and purse. But since Pauline isn�t in here this time around, you collect three different presents instead. Collecting all three, like in DK �94, will take you to a bonus stage.
In the game, you earn points based on the time you completed the level, the presents you collected, and the number of enemies you defeated. If you beat the Hi-Score on each stage, you�ll unlock the Challenge Stages. However, there is a problem. Since the first six levels in each world have two stages each, the time portion of the high score will be tough to beat. If you die in the second stage, then you�ll start that stage again, but with much less time. So, you�ll have to turn the game off then on again to replay the level so you can beat the high score without any time deductions. Despite this, the game is still really enjoyable.
Replayability:
MvDK is a fun game to play when you�re on the go. Beating the game won�t take too long, but unlocking the Challenge levels will be rather difficult and should take some time.
Bottom Line:
While a little frustrating, Mario vs. Donkey Kong is still fun and is worth picking up for your GBA. I can�t recommend it over Donkey Kong for the original Gameboy, though.
Final Score: B-
Also recommended...
Donkey Kong (GB)
Donkey Kong Jr. (NES)
Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
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Developer: NST
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer
Year released: 2004
Number of Players: 1
ESRB: Rated E (Mild Cartoon Violence)
Save: Game Pak
Misc: N/A
Last Updated ::
5/27/2005