15th June 2003, 10:17 PM
Wario Land for VB was not merely a port, but a brand new game that never was remade for GB. It was in fact a very fun though short game with some pseudo 3D gameplay involved. As the first Wario game I played, I enjoyed it very much.
Visuals: Well, unlike any game for ANY other system save other 3D goggle systems, Wario Land was truly 3D, though it was still just sprites. That's all it had going though. The sprites looked about SNES quality, minus any color depth (many shades of red, and black, that's it). Everything looked as it should, and the depth was nice. However, adjusting to the real world's greater amount of color and different "depth shrink rate" than the VB game can be a sensory rush, like when you first chew on a bit of tasty food and you feel this rush of flavor fill your mouth when you haven't eaten in a bit. Graphically, it was so-so I'd say.
Sound: The sound quality of the VB is somewhere between the NES and SNES, but with superior voice sampling than either. The music isn't memorable (honestly, I can't remember a single tune from that game, so that's a perfect description), but I remember it got the job done. The sounds however are done quite well. Everything sounds as it should, from springboards to blasting fire.
Gameplay: Being my first Wario game, the gameplay was very fun to me. The levels were ones you felt free to explore, and wanted to, with the lack of any time limit. There were only 13 levels, but they were somewhat long (though even the first Wario game is still far longer). They were though very fun levels, with cleverly hidden special items in each you had to find for highest money score. The game is essentially still 2D play, but they gave the illusion of 3D by having two "levels" of play. There was a forground, and the background. You used springboards strewn across the levels to go back and forth between them. Honestly, a 2D displaying system like the GCN or the GBA could have done the same with no detrimental effects on one's ability to determine what little "depth" there was at all. However, it was a fun gimic. There were also the infamous hats. In the first Wario Land, you had the basic hats that stood alone. In the VB game, you could actually combine the functions of the hats and eventually form the almighty flying dragon helm, capable of letting you fly, shoot fireballs across the screen (capable of destorying anything a dash could), and smash into the ground. The levels also had HEIGHT to them, so you had a lot more to explore.
The bosses all involved the springboarding and being able to see how far away their attacks were from your "depth level". They were good bosses, but again, nothing that couldn't be done on a 2D display.
Replayability: When you beat the game, you got hard mode, with lots more deadly spikes, some more enemies, and "damaged" versions of all the rare items to find. Also, some elements of the ending are determined by the speed in which you beat the game. It's got enough fun quality that you will likely have no frustration at least playing until you have a perfect ending on hard mode. Still though, even being the first one I played, I'll say it's not the best Wario game out there. I will however also say that it would be nice if they ported it (fully colored) to GBA some time in the future.
Overall: Not really much to say. If you've played one Wario game, well, then you have played one Wario game. I think I got that expression wrong, but the meaning was basically that they are all very similar in gameplay so after playing one of them you know what to expect from the rest. Fun enough that if you find it for like ten dollars, it's worth it, but anything more (and it would be if you had to get a VB as well) then just get some other cheap Wario game for the same price.
Score: I don't do scores any more. Reading my review should let you decide how good the game is. Score it yourself.
Visuals: Well, unlike any game for ANY other system save other 3D goggle systems, Wario Land was truly 3D, though it was still just sprites. That's all it had going though. The sprites looked about SNES quality, minus any color depth (many shades of red, and black, that's it). Everything looked as it should, and the depth was nice. However, adjusting to the real world's greater amount of color and different "depth shrink rate" than the VB game can be a sensory rush, like when you first chew on a bit of tasty food and you feel this rush of flavor fill your mouth when you haven't eaten in a bit. Graphically, it was so-so I'd say.
Sound: The sound quality of the VB is somewhere between the NES and SNES, but with superior voice sampling than either. The music isn't memorable (honestly, I can't remember a single tune from that game, so that's a perfect description), but I remember it got the job done. The sounds however are done quite well. Everything sounds as it should, from springboards to blasting fire.
Gameplay: Being my first Wario game, the gameplay was very fun to me. The levels were ones you felt free to explore, and wanted to, with the lack of any time limit. There were only 13 levels, but they were somewhat long (though even the first Wario game is still far longer). They were though very fun levels, with cleverly hidden special items in each you had to find for highest money score. The game is essentially still 2D play, but they gave the illusion of 3D by having two "levels" of play. There was a forground, and the background. You used springboards strewn across the levels to go back and forth between them. Honestly, a 2D displaying system like the GCN or the GBA could have done the same with no detrimental effects on one's ability to determine what little "depth" there was at all. However, it was a fun gimic. There were also the infamous hats. In the first Wario Land, you had the basic hats that stood alone. In the VB game, you could actually combine the functions of the hats and eventually form the almighty flying dragon helm, capable of letting you fly, shoot fireballs across the screen (capable of destorying anything a dash could), and smash into the ground. The levels also had HEIGHT to them, so you had a lot more to explore.
The bosses all involved the springboarding and being able to see how far away their attacks were from your "depth level". They were good bosses, but again, nothing that couldn't be done on a 2D display.
Replayability: When you beat the game, you got hard mode, with lots more deadly spikes, some more enemies, and "damaged" versions of all the rare items to find. Also, some elements of the ending are determined by the speed in which you beat the game. It's got enough fun quality that you will likely have no frustration at least playing until you have a perfect ending on hard mode. Still though, even being the first one I played, I'll say it's not the best Wario game out there. I will however also say that it would be nice if they ported it (fully colored) to GBA some time in the future.
Overall: Not really much to say. If you've played one Wario game, well, then you have played one Wario game. I think I got that expression wrong, but the meaning was basically that they are all very similar in gameplay so after playing one of them you know what to expect from the rest. Fun enough that if you find it for like ten dollars, it's worth it, but anything more (and it would be if you had to get a VB as well) then just get some other cheap Wario game for the same price.
Score: I don't do scores any more. Reading my review should let you decide how good the game is. Score it yourself.