Yoshi's NEW Island

[-Dem0-]

This game never really 'caught' me since its reveal. I'm more than happy with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island on my 3DS. A timeless classic right there.

 

Probably one for the backlog.

[Sheikah]

I'm getting from reviews that the gameplay is pretty bad/unchallenging.

[tapedeck]

The original was AAA at the time, this is Arzest with Tezuka's support. It's a shame it isn't as good as the SNES title but Yoshi's Island was Miyamoto trying to best DKC back in 1995. Thus it was smokin' hot with ideas and pitch perfect gameplay.

Every Yoshi game since has diluted the initial excellence of that title. When you start off being amazing you are at risk of going down...something we've seen with numerous Nintendo franchises over the years.

Just shows how good Nintendo's in-house development teams really are in my opinion.

 

Some info on the game...

 

- game was created by Arzest, which is made up of former Artoon employees

- Arzest has a lot of former SEGA employees, including Sonic co-creator Naoto Oshima

- Oshima is a producer on Yoshi’s New Island

- Masahide Kobayashi is the director

- Kobayashi was first credited on Asterix on the Master System

- he was also a planner on Shinobi on the Game Gear

- Kobayashi later directed Knuckles Chaotix and Metal Head

- Kobayashi went unaccredited for nearly 10 years, only to resurface on Yoshi Topsy-Turvy

- his next projects were the Xbox 360 RPG Blue Dragon and the 2010 Wii MotionPlus title FlingSmash

- this lead him to his position on Yoshi's New Island

[Ronnie]

I've never played a Yoshi's Island game so I'm intrigued. Will pick this up tomorrow.

[Serebii]

I'm getting from reviews that the gameplay is pretty bad/unchallenging.

Na, it's not bad and hunting every collectable is challenging

 

It's just...uninspired. For lack of a better term.

 

We have the GBA Yoshi's Island coming to the Wii U next month, though, so it's all good :p

Edited March 13, 2014 by Serebii

[Sheikah]

Na, it's not bad and hunting every collectable is challenging

 

It's just...uninspired. For lack of a better term.

 

We have the GBA Yoshi's Island coming to the Wii U next month, though, so it's all good :p

 

If the general gameplay is easy and diluted down, why bother? It's a shame that they're not creating much from scratch these days.

[Mandalore]

Does this game have time trial or high score mini games?

[nekunando]

The reviews are generally what most of us probably expected

 

I was hoping the game would somehow come out and be the Yoshi's Island I want it to be, not necessarily the game that everyone else wanted it to be..

 

I never experienced the original Yoshi's Island until getting the GBA version a few years ago to play on my DS Lite but never found it to be as amazing as everyone who had played it back in the SNES days would have me believe. I gave the game another try on 3DS, which presented similar feelings, though it looked really washed out when stretched across the 3DS screen, something that managed to take even more of the charm away

 

A couple of years ago, I also picked up Yoshi's Island DS in an attempt to perhaps make me appreciate the original more but, again, it all felt pretty similar and things I didn't like about the first game were still things I didn't like in the DS instalment.

 

Given how Yoshi's New Island has looked since it's reveal, I expected more of the same again but actually kinda wanted things like the gyro controls to add something different to help enhance my experience.. and who knows, maybe they will when I perhaps pick the game up further down the line when the price is considerably down

 

The reviews have just highlighted that I shouldn't really be thinking about this game at the moment, however much I want my 3DS to be sparked into life. With the recent purchase of A Link Between Worlds and a desire to finally embrace the world of Snake Eater in 3D, having only played the game on PS2, I feel that I'm currently in a position to enjoy the system again without necessarily needing this.

 

It's a shame, though, as there isn't much else on the 3DS horizon that is particularly appealing With all the praise the console has been getting for the releases over the last year or two, I've probably never had as much fun with the 3DS as I did with Pilotwings Resort right at the very beginning of it all.

 

The DS kept delivering throughout its lifespan with a range of superb games that incorporated diverse and exciting ways to play. Even games like Yoshi Touch and Go were great, if a little limited, but showed the potential for what sort of elements could be injected into beloved franchises, mainly thanks to the touch screen. I never get this feeling with the 3DS as the importance of the touch screen has been relegated and any games that I do have, however good they are, always seem to fall short of being special. There are, of course, a few exceptions but Yoshi's New Island appears to be the latest dissapointment with a console that continues to frustrate, much like the Wii U.

 

It's not that the Wii U and 3DS don't have the potential to be amazing, but compared to their predecessors there is a continuing lack of creativity with many games failing to make use of the myriad of features incoroporated into each device. It also astounds me that games such as Mario Tennis Open and Mario Golf World Tour are on 3DS when the Wii Remote is screaming out for them to be on Wii or Wii U, but there are certainly more examples of Nintendo games that appear to have been placed on the wrong platform or would make more sense elsewhere

 

Yoshi's New Island probably doesn't quite fit that category, but when I think of the potential a Yoshi's Island game could have had on Wii with pointer controls for shooting eggs, amongst other things, it further emphasises how lacklustre the approach to this game seems to have been..

 

I'll certainly get over it if this game isn't that fun when I play it, but it's becoming more difficult to get over the irritation of what Nintendo are doing these days.. or not doing, as the case may be!

[Grazza]

I never experienced the original Yoshi's Island until getting the GBA version a few years ago to play on my DS Lite but never found it to be as amazing as everyone who had played it back in the SNES days would have me believe. I gave the game another try on 3DS, which presented similar feelings, though it looked really washed out when stretched across the 3DS screen, something that managed to take even more of the charm away

 

I'm not a fan either, and I completed it 100% on the SNES. Was OK back in the day, but there's something about it that just irritates me. I don't know whether it's the weird gameplay/controls (eg. the awkward aiming system) or the way levels are collect-a-thons that are so easy to screw up. Probably both.

 

It's a shame, though, as there isn't much else on the 3DS horizon that is particularly appealing With all the praise the console has been getting for the releases over the last year or two, I've probably never had as much fun with the 3DS as I did with Pilotwings Resort right at the very beginning of it all.

 

I pretty much agree (although technically I think some of last year's games - Fire Emblem, Zelda, maybe Animal Crossing - are 10/10). What's lacking now is ambition. The 3DS showreel from 2010 was staggering. It was like they were saying "Here's our new handheld; look at what we're bringing to it." Nowadays, though, even Nintendo doesn't seem excited by the 3DS. They don't seem to care how cool a new F-Zero could be, or what the system could do for Samus and her Ice Missiles.

[Dcubed]

I get the feeling that it's not a bad game per say (not like Yoshi's Island DS or Yoshi's Topsy Turvy or most of Artoon's own games outside of Flingsmash), but rather that it's just not a great one. It looks like a competent platformer but nothing more.

 

The criminal part of it is that it just fails to live up to the legacy of the original SNES game and it's just getting crushed under the expectations that are placed on it as a result.

 

I feel a bit sorry for the guys at Arzest in this case. They're clearly much better at making games than the team at Artoon were (nor are they the same developer or share all of the same staff as some people seem to believe...) and they don't deserve to get crushed like this. They did a great job with Streetpass Quest 1 & 2 and Flingsmash was a good game (a fitting end for Artoon I guess as they finally managed to put out a legitimately solid game, right before were shuttered).

 

It no doubt isn't up to the same standard as the original SNES game, but I'm sure that if you compare it to YIDS, you'll see that it's leaps and bounds ahead.

Edited March 13, 2014 by Dcubed

[Ike]

Well we don't really know about any software from May onwards. Hopefully Nintendo are holding back on announcing them, possibly for E3 (are Nintendo going to E3 or are we getting a Direct?). Third party support seems to be drying up on 3DS as well worryingly.

 

At least Kirby looks great.

[Dcubed]

Well we don't really know about any software from May onwards. Hopefully Nintendo are holding back on announcing them, possibly for E3 (are Nintendo going to E3 or are we getting a Direct?). Third party support seems to be drying up on 3DS as well worryingly.

 

At least Kirby looks great.

 

We know that Tomodachi Collection is coming, so that's one...

 

Fantasy Life, Theatrhythm Curtain Call, Inazuma Eleven Go, Harvest Moon CTANL, SMT4 and Yo-Kai Watch will probably hit this year as well... (Maybe Persona Q in Europe as well if we're lucky)

[Serebii]

Well we don't really know about any software from May onwards. Hopefully Nintendo are holding back on announcing them, possibly for E3 (are Nintendo going to E3 or are we getting a Direct?). Third party support seems to be drying up on 3DS as well worryingly.

 

At least Kirby looks great.

Nintendo are going to E3. They have confirmed that.

[Retro_Link]

Nintendo are going to E3. They have confirmed that.

Tbf Nintendo went to E3 last year too. Have they confirmed they're doing a press conference?

[Cube]

I don't think any E3 press conferences have been confirmed yet.

[Ronnie]

Last year would have been the better one to have a press conference IMO. How often do we get: 3D Mario, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Donkey Kong, 2x Zelda, Pokemon + things like Bayonneta 2 and X all shown off in the same E3? This year's has a lot to live up to. Ok we'll get Zelda U but what else can possibly live up to all those big hitters?

[Serebii]

Last year would have been the better one to have a press conference IMO. How often do we get: 3D Mario, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Donkey Kong, 2x Zelda, Pokemon + things like Bayonneta 2 and X all shown off in the same E3? This year's has a lot to live up to. Ok we'll get Zelda U but what else can possibly live up to all those big hitters?

If they merged the Developer Directs (condensed a little) into the E3 Direct and had it as a press conference, nobody would have claimed Nintendo had "lost" E3.

 

===

 

Back on topic:

 

I've nearing the end of World 2 now and feel this game is being unfairly judged somewhat. Yeah, it's nothing new, but what it does is done well. I liked one level:

Where a duplicate Yoshi came in various rooms and you controlled both you and it. That was clever and well done

 

[nekunando]

I've nearing the end of World 2 now and feel this game is being unfairly judged somewhat. Yeah, it's nothing new, but what it does is done well.

 

I've watched a couple of video reviews since my previous post and they still kinda make me want the game when I see the footage as there's something about the visuals that I find appealing. I'm sure it would look even better on my 3DS

 

I'll certainly wait a while before I get it, though, as I still need to get Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on Wii U and am working my way through a variety of other games, including Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater, Gitaroo Man and, as of yesterday, the wonderful Pikmin 3

 

There's also the small matter of wanting 2014 to be 'The Year of Tooie', where I finally bury the hatchet with Banjo Tooie and force my way through the mediocrity to hopefully emerge on the other side where enjoyment will await..

[khilafah]

We know that Tomodachi Collection is coming, so that's one...

 

Fantasy Life, Theatrhythm Curtain Call, Inazuma Eleven Go, Harvest Moon CTANL, SMT4 and Yo-Kai Watch will probably hit this year as well... (Maybe Persona Q in Europe as well if we're lucky)

 

We will be lucky to get SMT4 and persona Q in Europe. I have seriously accepted that these games are not coming and the only way is to import a NA 3DS

[Agent Gibbs]

Well, i actually like this game a lot, but i do get the criticism

Yoshi looks like an N64 model on a painted background, but when you look closelly he's meant to look watercoloured, but thats the thing, he's so low rez it looses the painted effect

He also seems slow, on the SNES masterpiece you go to launch an egg and your instanly holding it, aiming, in this theres too much animation of yoshi going for the egg before you can fire, so i think that gives the impression of the character bieng slowed down

those issues could have been solved with having Yoshi more flat like a paper mario or sprite design

 

but overall its a great game....and feels like DLC/an expansion for Yoshi's island

 

half the problem is Yoshi's island is considered a top tier platformer and arguably one of the best games released for the SNES, so comparing New Island to it, when its really a tarting up of the same game looses something as its just more of the same.

 

The only proper problem with this is the music is terrible, its like they remixed the SNES soundtrack using modern instaments and added in extra sound effects and it doesn't work - the title music is endemic of this and is dire, where as the original yoshi's island tropic theme music, the breeze then the sort of pan pipes worked amazingly, this is just electronic crap

 

could they patch the soundtrack to use the original soundtrack? that would be awesome and improve this game tenfold

 

I'd give it a 6 or 7/10

[Ike]

I think the game does look better on an actual 3DS I don't notice Yoshi's giant feet/shoes as much and the backgrounds are nice.

 

Controls are fine for me, wish egg throw was on Y though as my finger seems to naturally gravitate over there.

 

Music is terrible, will be the first 3DS game I play with the volume turned all the way down.

 

I played a little bit of the SNES game recently and they feel the same to me, neither game really grabs me and makes me want to play more. I don't really feel like replaying a level to collect all the missing items.

[yesteryeargames]

It's easy to play through and rush as I except most reviewers did , it's hard to find all the collectable items and that's what true fans will enjoy . I think it has some charming ideas and the controls feel fine to me . A solid 7/10 in my opinion .

 

I would rate the snes one 10/10

 

The ds sequel 8/10

 

Yoshi story n64 8/10

 

Yoshi topsi turvy 5/10

Edited March 14, 2014 by yesteryeargames

[Ronnie]

I'm quite enjoying it, getting all the collectables is a challenge and what's frustrating is a lot of them are missable. Controls are fine and it looks a lot better on the 3DS than I expected. Sound is pretty terrible though yes.

[nekunando]

I played a little bit of the SNES game recently and they feel the same to me, neither game really grabs me and makes me want to play more. I don't really feel like replaying a level to collect all the missing items.

 

That's basically how I have felt with previous Yoshi's Island games

 

I always feel compelled to go after everything in 'traditional' Mario platformers, such as Super Mario World and Super Mario Galaxy, but never once felt interested enough to hunt out all the red coins, flowers and stars in Yoshi's Island. I feel that a large part of the problem is that I rather dislike things like the red coins being hidden behind the standard yellow ones, basically meaning you have to collect them all, and I've never been a fan of having random walls that you can walk through without any indication whatsoever. That criticism can also be levelled at the New Super Mario Bros games, though

 

Then there's the wee stars that just burst out and jump around.. they can be frustrating to collect The lack of strength of the actual platforming and the erratic flutter jump therefore can't compensate when there's no desire to take your time and hunt down all the items.

 

When I write it all down, I probably have to question why I even want to pick it up at some point..

[Miharin]

We will be lucky to get SMT4 and persona Q in Europe. I have seriously accepted that these games are not coming and the only way is to import a NA 3DS

 

I'd guess that NIS America will pick up Persona Q for Europe, the reason why SMT4 is still stuck in limbo is because Nintendo was supposed to release it here. Maybe Nintendo didn't like the theme of the game or something, and decided not to risk it.