It looks like a modest little puzzle game. It waits for you, secretly chuckling. You have no idea how much fun you’re about to have.

When you start Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem, it immediately hits you with classic  first-party Nintendo polish and charm: Great music, crisp animation, perfect play mechanics and Donkey Kong acting like a complete jerk.

As you play, the game’s insane attention to fun little details becomes clearer. For example, when you need to leave the game for a moment and you close the DS cover, Mario yells, “Hey! You! Get back here!” You open the cover. “Okey Dokey!” You might spend a minute just opening and closing your DS; Mario’s got a lot to say. This feature even works in jukebox mode. Yes, there’s a jukebox, and the music is awesome; It’s like having a tiny German Beer Garden Nintendo Tribute Band at your beck and call. (more…)

Nintendo games are about to get a whole lot easier.

In an interview with USA Today, chief creative designer Shigeru Miyamoto announced that the upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii would be the first game to support an optional auto-pilot mode to bypass difficult parts of a game.

(more…)