Welcome to another edition of For What it’s Worth where bargain titles are examined to see if they really are worth your bottom dollar. Here at For What it’s Worth, the celebration of the release of Super Mario Galaxy 2 continues with a double review. This time the focus is on two handheld…wait. I think portable would be a better term. OK, let's go with portable. This article will be a look back at two portable Mario titles that could be purchased for a fair price if you happen to find the right speciality shop or bid on a used version of the item on eBay. Tonight we take a look at Super Mario Land 2 on the classic Game Boy and Mario Clash for the (not so classic) Virtual Boy.

Super Mario Land 2:
 

Story: It turns out that Mario’s evil counter part Wario was the mastermind behind Tatanga’s plan to kidnap Princess Daisy in the original Mario Land. During Mario’s time in Sarasaland, Wario has managed to brainwash the citizens of Mario Land (what happened to the Mushroom Kingdom?) into thinking that he is their king and that Mario is their enemy. Mario must now regain control of Mario Land by retrieving six magic coins so he can regain access to his castle and take back the throne. The classic Game Boy series has a different continuity but I guess it isn’t a bad thing.    

Graphics & Design: The graphics seem to be a mix between Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. This came out around the same time that Super Mario World was released on the SNES and because it was incredibly popular, this game tried to turn into SMW’s Game Boy equivalent. Much like Mario is Missing and Mario’s Time Machine on the NES. Mario Land 2 takes the Game Boy to its graphical limit making it one of the best looking on the portable console. Mario’s character model looks similar to one used for Super Mario (although in an 8-bit form) but due graphical limitations the backgrounds, enemy models, blocks and map screens share a closer resemblance to Mario Bros. 3.        

Sound: The sound effects are basic Mario fare, which is always good and just like every other Mario, the music is light hearted and catchy. However, the Star Maze level stands out above the rest of the tracks because of its techno beat. It is interesting and I have to say that I like how the track adds something new and Hell, its an all round classic. 

Gameplay: What is there to say? It is the classic, tried and true Super Mario Bros. gameplay. Mario runs from one end of the level to the other while jumping on enemies, smashing blocks to collect power ups and gold coins. Plain, simple, to the point and always fun. However, one gameplay factor that separates this game from the other early entries in the series is the ability to not only choose which world you want to play in but you also have the option to exit each world and try another if you so choose. This feature is actually very interesting because it pretty much means that you can play the game in any way that you choose.  

Extra Features: None.

Replay Value: It’s classic Mario gameplay that you can take with you on the go, so you tell me? I’m going to guess that you are going to tell me that you would replay it every so often. Am I right?

Over All Value: Retail price- $10 (used) $124 (new on eBay) Sweet lord! No game is worth that much!
                           What it’s Worth- $20
 

In 1995 the 16-bit era was drawing to a close. Systems like Sony's PlayStation, the Sega Saturn, and the N64 were poised to be the wave of the future but something had to fill the void before their arrival. Sega launched the Sega CD and Sega 32X in an attempt to increase the life span of the Sega Genesis but both turned out to be huge flops. Nintendo also tried to fill the gap with a new portable system that they claimed would be a revolutionary step forward for the gaming industry with a bold new virtual reality concept. This concept was the Virtual Boy.

Was it the gaming revolution that Nintendo promised? Not by a long shot. In fact, it became an even bigger joke than the Sega CD and 32X. Why? Because it, well, look at it. Does that even look portable? I can tell you from personal experience that it is the most ackward and uncomfortable gaming experience in existence. The game is literally shoved straight into your eyes, while you try to work the controller without knocking the stand over and it makes you look like a jackass. So that's strike one. Strike two is that it has a pathetically small library of games that are mostly underdeveloped and lack any kind of structure. And on top of all this extended play causes eye strain. And that my friends is strike three.

Say what you will about the Sega CD and 32X but at least they have a cult following, are actually playable and have more than one or two good games. The Virtual Boy was just an over hyped piece of junk. Want to know more? I'm not in much of a position to tell you so watch this AVGN video. 

However, what I can tell you is the story of first and only experience I have playing the Virtual Boy. It was just another day in the cafeteria of Cape Breton University (this was a couple of years ago) and I was chilling at my usual table with a group of friends to kill some time before my Old English class. Suddenly one of them pulls a Virtual Boy out of his back pack and asks if anyone wanted to play? Me being, well me, jumped at the chance to play a piece of gaming history and to look like a jackass for a few laughs. I shoved my face right in there and it sucked. The game was boring and I had a headache after 10 minutes of play. But I had a good laugh with my friends, even if the system acted as girl repellant. cough. cough. Anyway, here is my review of.....

Mario Clash:

Story: None.

Graphics & Design: The game is in the 32-bit and actually looks pretty decent with some impressive looking Mario and Koopa sprites, as well as some neat 3D effects with the interactions of the background and foreground. Or at least it would look impressive if it wasn’t for the incredible lack of color. The Virtual Boy’s limitations of only using red and black makes it look horrible and completely covers up all of the hard work done by the developers. A feast for the eyes it’s not. I mean it doesn’t get much more visually unappealing than that.  

Sound: Audio dreck. It tries to offer the same light-hearted fare of other Mario titles but it seems that the game’s composer constantly had some jackass come up and start pressing random keys on the keyboard. There is just too much going on in each track.  
 

Gameplay: It is basically a re-vamp of the classic Mario Bros. arcade game. It is the same style of gameplay but with one key difference, that you have enemies in both the foreground and background to worry about, giving the game more of a 3D feel to go with the systems virtual reality gimmick. The goal of each level (much like in the classic arcade game) is to knock out all of the enemies on screen. You jump on the regular Koopas and throw their shells to knock the spiked-shelled Koopas off the screen. However, the tri-spiked Koopas need to be killed from a distance, so in order to do that you need to knock out a regular Koopa and throw its shell from the background to the foreground or vice versa to land the hit. To enter the background, all you have to do is use the pipeline. You use it again to get back to the foreground. Pretty straight forward. There is also a bonus level but you’re only collecting falling coins so it’s nothing special. The gameplay is actually ok but it does a get a bit boring and monotonous after awhile. It could be a fairly decent game if it wasn’t on the Virtual Boy. It has an interest idea with the use of both background and foreground and the gameplay mechanics offer a good foundation for what could be a promising title but again the Virtual Boy prevents that from happening. Why blame the system? Because with its stupid ass design, the game is being literally shoved into your eye sockets and can and will cause strain within ten minutes and the fact that the game has a lack of color and visual structure doesn’t help much. Speaking of not helping much, this game is a whopping 99 levels. Let’s forget about the incredible dullness caused by level repetition and remember the fact that this friggin system causes eyestrain after 10 minutes of play. Did they honestly expect someone to try and finish this thing? No nerd worth his salt would chose to go blind in an attempt to beat the game. But the developers do give some help, allowing you to start the game anywhere between the first 40 stages. Even starting at level 40 means you have to play another 59. Screw that!       

Extra Features: None.

Replay Value: Once the novelty of looking like a complete and utter tool wears off, playing Mario Clash and the Virtual Boy in general will loose all of its lustier really quickly. Or your head will explode from a massive migraine. Which ever comes first.  

Over All Value: Retail price-  $15-25 (used on eBay) Although some eBay prices go as high as $85.
                           What it’s Worth- $2 (more because of the system than the actual game)

Mario Land 2 was a great and worthy sequel to a classic Game Boy title and was perhaps even better than the original. Mario Clash sucks, the Virtual Boy sucks and whoever green lighted the system for consumer purchase sucks.

Until next time: Happy Hunting.

Next on the docket: Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga.