|
Scooby, Super Mario good adventures
By ALLY SIKORA
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 22, 2002
Looking to increase your GameBoy Advance game selection? Read these reviews before you press the "buy" button.
* * *
Title: Scooby-Doo the Movie
- Manufacturer: THQ
- Rating: E for Everyone
Object of game: When some creepy ghosts appear on Spooky Island, owner Emile Mondavarious hires the Mystery Inc. Gang to stop the haunting. You play one of five characters in the gang, Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Fred or Daphne. Your adventures take you all around Spooky Island through castles and caverns where you will find clues, talk to suspects and fight enemies to solve the mystery.
My favorite things: I recently saw the Scooby-Doo movie and enjoyed how much this game related to it. Many of the same characters and places in the movie are included in the game, and there are a variety of suspects and places to uncover clues, so there's never a boring moment! You also get some extra information in the game's manual, like a handy map of the Spooky Island hotel where important events happen.
My least favorite things: I was a little disappointed by the music in this game. As Scooby crept through a dark hallway, I was hoping the music would change to something spooky, or that the classic Scooby-Doo theme song would play during the game. Hint: Check your goals from the select menu to stay on task. Your game will only save after you have completed a goal, which makes the game more challenging when you approach the final levels.
Suggested ages: Scooby fans age 8 and up
Price: $29.99
Grade: A
You can find out about other games made by THQ online at: www.thq.com
* * *
Title: Super Mario World 2
- Manufacturer: Nintendo
- Rating: E for Everyone
Object of the game: Welcome to Dinosaur Land! Here Princess Peach and brothers Mario and Luigi are on a fun vacation until Peach suddenly disappears. Mario and Luigi are looking for her when they meet the friendly dinosaur, Yoshi. Yoshi says he has a problem, too. A group of turtles appeared in Dinosaur Land and used their magic to trap all of poor Yoshi's friends in eggs (they are also called Yoshis). Bowser, the king of the Koopas, must be behind the disappearance of Peach and the evil turtles. Mario, Luigi and Yoshi must team up to save Peach and Yoshi's friends. Dinosaur Land has a castle on each island. There, a Koopaling has been ordered by Bowser to guard one of Yoshi's friends inside an egg. You must defeat the Koopaling to save a Yoshi.
My favorite things: I liked all of the cool new items that offer help at the different levels, such as the cape feather. The cape feather is a power-up item that makes you fly and crush enemies when you descend from the air. The cape feather also gives you super mushrooms, another power-up item, reserved at the top of the screen to drop when you need them. I also liked how you can find Yoshis in surprise boxes and ride them. When you're on Yoshi you can eat items (he automatically eats berries but also shells, one of which can make him fly) and some of your enemies. If you find special shells he'll spit fire, fly or kick up sand clouds. You can also play the classic Mario Brothers game in Super Mario World 2.
My least favorite things: Some of your enemies in this game are called Magikoopas. These guys are very hard to get rid of! Magikoopas are sorcerer turtles whose magic wands turn boxes into enemies. Plus, they pop out at you because they can disappear and reappear whenever they want. Super Mario World 2 is very exciting but I wish the levels had more variety. After a while, stomping on enemies and collecting coins gets boring, but I haven't won the game yet, so maybe there's more to it. Grade: B+
Suggested ages: 6 years and up
Price: $29.99
You can find out about other Nintendo games at: www.nintendo.com
-- Ally Sikora, 11, will be in the seventh grade at Coachman Fundamental Middle School in Clearwater and is a former member of the Times X-Team.
Here's the rest of today's Xpress
|
