MFGG - Mario Fan Games Galaxy

Review Information

Game Reviewed	Yoshi, Dead and Loving it!, by Beowulf
Review Author	N/A
Created	Jul 24 2005, 8:39 PM

General Commentary and Game Overview

If you want to play a weird game, I don't see how you can go wrong with one named after a Mel Brooks movie, and made by some dude who calls himself "Beowulf." But if you wanted to play weird game with good gameplay, just move along.

Pros	Generally artistic. Hilarious in a "WTF" way, at least at first. Mostly good graphics. Excellent sound.
Cons	Some of the graphics clash, but the gameplay is the real stinker. Worst installation ever seen, too. You hardly know where to look for the game once it's installed!

Impressions

Gameplay 3 / 10	BAD! Very bad. It seems like Beowulf made this game without downloading a single How-to. This game is very primitive. Besides jump and walk, Yoshi has no moves. He has absolutely no way of attacking enemies, and a single hit from them sends you back to the beginning of the stage. But if you think that makes it challenging, DON'T! This game is not at all challenging. You may not be able to kill enemies, but jumping over them is very easy. The platforming is easy, as well. THe most adanced thing this guy has is platforms that move vertically, but he has not implemented them in any way that is even remotely challenging. Furthermore, this game's power-ups DON'T DO JACK! Yoshi can wear masks of various people (mostly video game characters), but he gets no new abilities with any of them. He also turns into a werewolf in one level, and is mutated in another, both with no new abilities, either. When he is crushed to death by a refrigerator (no kidding!), he becomes a ghost, who once again has no new abilities. Then, at the very end, the game's final (and only) boss finally gives you some decent gameplay. Because this game is so primitive, you cannot hurt the boss, and the fight is just dodging his many attacks, until he is killed in a way even loonier than Yoshi was, but it is fun enough. If the whole game were like that, the gameplay would probably get a score of five, as it is, however, it gets a three.
Graphics 8 / 10	This is a very artistic game, as I said before. Beowulf is pushing for an aesthetic that parodies horror literature, and he usually nails it. The graphics are both macabre and funny. And these aren't just the same old sprites you see in a bunch of other fan games. This game also features sprites based on photographs, which has admittedly been used before in games, like Wario Ware, but in fan games, it feels fresh. Not everything is good, however. The normally artistic Beowulf seems not to understand the concept of lighting. Therefore, in levels that are supposed to be in dark night settings, he has put in graphics from daytime levels, and thus, they seem glowing and out of place. I could forgive this coming from someone who didn't know how to touch up images, but this game is full of recolors, so it seems unforgiveable that Beowulf didn't think to darken the platforms. Also, the masks (see below) are too big for Yoshi, but this may just be intended, for humor reasons.
Sound 10 / 10	Simply put, astounding. Maybe not something I'd listen to on a CD, but this is by far the best sound I have ever heard in a fan game. The midis are not your usual Mario fangame stuff--well, not most of them, anyway. The game includes midis of songs such as The Monster Mash, The Munsters, and the the theme from Jaws! Sure, you've heard them all a hell of a lot, but in a game starring Yoshi, they suddenly seem fresh again! There are good sound effects and a bit of voice clips, from places like The Simpsons. Lastly, that recurring and annoying problem in most fan games, sound effects much louder than the music, and thus hurting you ears when you turn your speakers loud enough to hear the music, is MIA here.
Replay 3 / 10	Well, this sucks as a game. But there is one reason to play it: it is funny. This game's plot is purposefully so stupid it's funny. It's the most random plot in any game, bar none. The turns in the plot are totally unexpected and utterly bizarre, and hence, hilarious. But random humor, while potentially very funny, has a flaw. Once you've seen this through once, it is no longer random, and therefore, less funny. So given that gameplay has little to offer, either, this game has poor replay.

Final Words

If its gameplay were better, this would be a certifiable classic. As it stands, I still highly recommend downloading it, just for a laugh, but that sort of amusement won't last long.

Report This Submission

Comments

No comments have been left.

Pages: | Last Unread