Too many games have genre envy.
One game wants to be the next first-person shooter like “Doom,” while another one hopes to reinvent the real-time strategy game like “Command and Conquer.”
This title plans to follow in the footsteps of role-playing success of the
“Final Fantasy” series, and everyone wants to launch the next massively multiplayer online game like “World of Warcraft.”
Then along comes a goofy little title for the Nintendo DS and shows that a little genre-bending is good for the soul.
If you insist on a specific genre, “Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: The March of the Minis” might get labeled as a real-time, constructible-puzzle, action platformer. But that’s only because this game’s designers have so willfully disregarded genre conventions in an effort to put together an entertaining and charming bit of entertainment that they’ve ended up coloring a bit outside the lines.
This innovative fiddling takes place in a cozy and familiar framework inside the Nintendo universe. Once again, Mario races through level after level to stop a menacing Donkey Kong from taking things that don’t happen to belong to him. Only this time, Mario doesn’t get his hands dirty. Instead, he delegates the chore of chasing down DK to a set of tiny Mario toys – the Mario Minis.
These windup dolls march mindlessly when the player flicks the DS stylus across the touch screen and continue to waddle robotically until an obstacle, or a new player command, redirects them.
The levels hearken back to the classic 2-D Mario games, and many familiar foes return to harass the Minis. A deft move of the stylus here, and a Mini will hop on top of an enemy for a ride; a tap there, and the Mini will lurch to a halt. Mindless Minis will march to certain doom without constant attention and direction. With multiple Minis on the screen at any point in time, coordinating your windup corps of heroes adds strategic planning to the arcade fun. As the levels get harder, the play feels like a mix between the thoughtful reflection of a crossword puzzle combined with the thrill-a-minute antics of attending to toddlers in a china shop.
Just as charming and challenging as the main game, “March of the Minis” also provides a level-contraction set. Simple to use and powerful enough to build most anything you’ve seen in the game, players can expect to spend half their time inventing and testing out their own brand of “Mini” mayhem. Using the built-in WiFi capabilities, “Mini” level maestros can share their designs with friends.
A sequel that goes beyond its original and an innovative game that pays respect to the classic games that have inspired it, “March of the Minis” leads the parade of game development in the right direction.
“Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis”
VIDEO GAME|For Nintendo DS|$29.99|Rated E for everyone
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Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, PS2, Midway Games; Bully, PS2, Rockstar Games; Tales of the Abyss, PS2, Namco; Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, PS2, Atlus Software; Battlefield 2142, PC, Electronic Arts; Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade, PC, THQ; Star Wars: Empire at War – Forces of Corruption, PC, LucasArts; God Hand, PS2, Capcom; World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, PC; Blizzard; Justice League Heroes, Xbox, Warner Bros. Interactive; Blitz: The League, X360, Midway Games|Source: Gamermetrics.com
