Super Princess Peach

OK, how do you importers feel about these somewhat disappointing impressions of the U.S. rev which put it on par with Yoshi's Story as far as lack of challenge goes?

http://ds.ign.com/articles/685/685051p1.html

http://ds.ign.com/articles/685/685051p2.html

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Calm: When she isn't on an emotional high, raging out on her enemies, or in a state of constant despair, Peach can chill out and take some "me time" to relax. The Calm vibe allows Peach to gain health back while on the move, clinching this game as a Mario experience rather than a true challenging game. Though this move takes energy from your vibe bar just like each of the others, every enemy can be used to fill the bar back up (by pressing down when holding them) so the game becomes very easy. Players would have to try to die when full health is just a touch away.

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From the looks of it, there aren't any areas that you can really fall and die in either. Perhaps later in the game these areas come up, but if they make an appearance, pits seem to be playing a very small role in this game.

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Some strange control mechanics too:

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Also, the control itself feels a bit weird to me. Peach is in constant run mode, with a "walk" button on either shoulder button. It is strange to not constantly be feathering the run button, though the game's mechanic will work quite well for casual, girl gamers.

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Also, for some reason the A button is used for jump. When holding a DS, my natural habit is to place my thumb across the Y and B buttons, so the ability to not change the button layout may also leave fellow gamers at a bit of a disadvantage. Also, since the B and Y buttons do the game attack move, it is odd that they wouldn't assign the overlap in control to buttons that aren't near each other.

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Don't get me wrong, I still think it at least looks great. I just wish Nintendo would stop dumbing down their platformers. It's as if they now think the challenges which made their original platformers so great are now a stagnant liability. Hmmmm. Oh well, I still look forward to playing it and this will be a fine game to get my sis when I buy her a DS later this year.

Well duh. Princess Peach was originally designed by Mindscape and developed by Phillips Media as the follow-up to Mario is Missing, Mario's Time Machine, and Hotel Mario, with just a little Mario Teaches Typing in there for good measure. Originally, the Hammer Bros. were going to ask you questions about history, like "What was Abraham Lincoln's first name?" and "If George Washington had wooden teeth, was he really human?"
It was supposed to be released for pda's so that you had to actually write the answers in, but it all fell through when Mindscape was purchased in 2001.

That was all a lie

I liked Yoshi's Story. Besides, you couldn't die in at least one of the Wario games. Didn't make it any less fun.

The way I think of it is this: the level design and enemies are not necessarily any less challenging than SMB 3 or 4, but the major change is that that the designers decided to go very Zelda-esque with damage. Instead of 2 hits killing you like old Marios (ignoring Yoshi's Island), you have a life bar with hearts, so basically now you can take at least 6 hits without dying, more if you use the Calm vibe or if you increase your life meter. The other thing is that falling into pits, any pit, will merely rob you of half a heart and restart you on the same screen instead of completely at th beginning of the level.

Does this make the game easy and less enjoyable? Yes, but I think the game is still nostalgic and well-designed enough that any Mario fan should enjoy.

Other than this, my only other complaint is the theme worlds, i.e. in a single world, you'll get 6 straight stages of beach or ice or volcano motifs instead of being mixed up a bit. That, and hidden stuff sometimes just isn't that "hidden" the way it was in YI. Oh, and don't read the hints before fighting a boss.

The game is nowhere near as bad as Yoshi's Story, don't listen to IGN.

Yoshi's Island on Super Nintendo is a really easy game compared to every other Mario game out there, yet it's one of the best games ever because it's a ton of fun and getting a 100% on all the stages is a whole game in itself.

I'm sure Super Princess Peach is not going to be as hard as we would probably like it to be, but as long as it's fun to play I really don't give a damn.
On that note, I also enjoyed Yoshi's Story, even if it should never be compared to any other Mario game because it's nothing like them.

wanting this, badly

Finch, you made my heart sink just for a second there.

For me easy does not always equal boring, so I don't especially care. And that article smacks of "I'd probably disagree with everything this guy is saying." Still, I hope this isn't boring. This and Drill Dozer are duking it out right now for my 30 bux.

The game is easy but almost every great platformer ever made is too so it doesn't bother me.

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Originally Posted by IGN

It is strange to not constantly be feathering the run button

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Automatic dashing is a good thing as it was in Yoshi's Island. Holding down a button to run is more awkward; it's just that everyone's used to it from the old Marios.

The only thing I don't like about the controls is having to switch to the touchscreen for the emotions but I got used to it quickly.

Hmm, I actually thought YI was the toughest game of the series (except for SMB2J), especially if you're trying to get 100% on each level. In any case, SPP is definitely long enough despite the easiness, I still haven't finished off all of the extra stages.

The best part of Yoshi's Island was that little information block that told you how much work the team did to create this wonderful game and add little secrets and they hope you enjoy it. :)

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Originally Posted by Salsashark

This and Drill Dozer are duking it out right now for my 30 bux.

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Drill Dozer?! You should get... DRILL DOZER!

Peach is out at the end of the month, tho. You should get both.