• Yoshi's Island Theme
• Yoshi's Island How Many Levels Last
• Super Mario World 2 Yoshi Island
• Yoshi Island Mario

Yes, you can play with both controllers in Yoshi’s Island and Earthbound, pushing the number of two-player games on the SNES Classicto eleven — about half the games on the system. These are “secret” functions, because neither game is listed as a two-player experience on the SNES Classic dashboard. That’s understandable, because neither game includes a traditional two-player coop mode that you might expect.

Appearance Edit. In the Yoshi series, Yoshi's Island had many different types of landscape including grass, mountains, jungles, and glaciers which had plenty of flora and fauna.In the Mario series, everything was extinct leaving only glass, forests, lakes, and mountains. History Edit. During Yoshi's adventures, this island was disturbed by Kamek when he wanted to kidnap Mario and the other. Sep 30, 2002 Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 Review. So much fun to be had in the game's many different levels that you'll never feel like you're just doing more of the same thing, even though the. Yoshi's Island made Yoshi the main playable character for the first time in a Mario game. At the end of each level, Baby Mario is passed between different-colored Yoshis. All the Yoshis have the same range of moves, such as stomps and tongue-licks. Many of the game's puzzles involve bouncing eggs around the levels or skimming them over.

For Yoshi’s Island, you can input a code to unlock multiple mini-games that you can play head-to-head with a friend. These are the bonus games Yoshi can stumble into while completing levels — normally, you’ll be stuck fighting the AI, but if you input a special code, you’ll unlock all the minigames on a separate menu. From there, you can plug in a second controller and fight your friends.

Earthbound? Well. That’s a little bit different. Check out the full explanations below to learn all about these extra secret modes. For more info on Nintendo‘s tiny retro console, use the SNES Classic Breakdown and see everything this mini-SNES has to offer.

More SNES Classic Edition guides on Gameranx:

2-Player On Earthbound & Yoshi’s Island | Secrets Guide

[Check out the video guide on GameXplain for more info!]

Yoshi’s Island

To unlock the Two-Player Vs Minigames menu, input the following cheat code while in the overworld map on Yoshi’s Island.

• 2-Player Vs Mini Battle Cheat Code:
  • [Hold Select] X -> X -> Y -> B -> A

Inputting the code opens the “Mini Battle” menu, with 5 bonus stages you can play solo and 2 stages you can play with a friend.

• Throw (4) – This pits you and a friend against each other! A large balloon will be thrown from one player to the other. To pass the balloon, you’ll need to input four button presses. Throw the balloon before it pops!
• Seed Speed – You and an opponent must eat and shoot seeds at each other. The first to lower the other’s energy bar to 0% wins!

Earthbound

Earthbound doesn’t involve cheat codes or “true” cooperative play, but it does feature something really funny. If you plug in a second controller at any time, the second controller can also control the game. That means both controllers can control Ness and pals simultaneously.

Use this to annoy your friends, or easily trade gameplay without having to pass around a controller. This is a hold-over from the original SNES version of the game, so we’re happy to see that nothing’s changed.

Found any other awesome SNES Classic secrets? Les us know in the comments!

Yoshi's Island DS

by Aaron Kaluszka - November 26, 2006, 8:27 pm PST
Total comments: 40

The Yoshis are back, and this time they've brought the whole nursery along for the ride.

Yoshi’s Island is easily one of the greatest platformers of all time. After disappointing “sequels' such as Yoshi’s Story and Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, fans were excited to hear about “Yoshi’s Island 2' and then disappointed to hear that one of its flagship games wasn’t developed by Nintendo. Thankfully, however, Nintendo worked closely with Artoon this time around, and if the Artoon logo didn’t pop up when starting the game, you likely wouldn’t have questioned the game being developed by Nintendo itself. While not a superior experience on all fronts, Yoshi’s Island DS does equal or improve upon the original in many ways.

Much of Yoshi’s Island DS was cloned directly from Yoshi’s Island. The rotating island title screen, map screen (and increasingly complex music), bonus games, and level goals are identical except for some graphical alterations. Many of the same enemies are back. The story is similar, beginning with Kamek and his toadies kidnapping babies. The Yoshis still carry the babies on their backs, and the babies still float away with an annoying cry if Yoshi is hit. Yoshi can still eat enemies, lay eggs, and target them at enemies and items. Despite all of these elements, the game is far from a “same look, different levels' type of game, nearly akin to Super Mario Bros. 3 versus the original Super Mario Bros.

Like Sonic Rush, gameplay in Yoshi’s Island DS takes place on both screens. There is a gap in between the two screens equal to the missing portion of the screen. While this works fine for larger boss levels, it’s mostly just disorienting in normal levels where items and enemies may hide in this blind spot, though it isn’t a huge issue. Of course, the Yoshis retain their trademark tongue reaching and egg laying capabilities. Controls deviate slightly from the original, but are generally better once you get used to the timing differences.

The primary new feature in Yoshi’s Island DS is the addition of different babies. Instead of only Baby Mario, baby versions of Peach, Donkey Kong, Wario, and even Bowser come along for the ride. Yoshis can carry only one baby at a time, and the other babies are carried by a stork. Babies are switched at “stork stops.' With Mario along, Yoshi gains the ability to run, and “M' blocks, which act like the traditional “?' blocks become activated. Peach has a parasol, like her previous game, which allows the pair to fly in the breeze. When DK rides, he helps the Yoshis dash charge as well as climb vines. Wario packs a large magnet, which is used for moving metallic barriers and attracting coins. Finally, Bowser can spit fire to melt ice. Eggs also act differently when thrown depending on the current rider. Many levels require the use of multiple babies, if not just to complete the level, then to collect all items. This diversity generally adds to the fun and challenge of the game and rarely feels gimmicky.

Yoshi’s Island DS includes all types of levels from outdoors to caverns, platforming levels in the sky to frozen lands, from Shy Guy-controlled pirate ships to castles with their characteristic giant bosses. Missing from the game are the 3D Super FX polygons (which were out of place anyway) and disappointingly, levels featuring the famous “Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy' LSD trip. Each level includes the familiar five flowers, twenty red coins, and thirty stars that must be collected in order to achieve 100%. Additionally, there is one character coin in each level, which is only activated when a particular baby is riding. Some levels are based on standard platforming, while others are mazes where players must collect certain items in order to escape.

Shy Guys make their return, with an exclamation of “Heihoo!' (their Japanese name) upon entering, as well as many other familiar enemies. There are plenty of new enemies as well, though the newer designs often seem out of place compared to the older characters. Kamek once again sends off giant enemies to square off against the Yoshis after every four levels. Compared to the rest of the game, bosses are pretty easy, though they occasionally require a bit of thinking to figure out how to defeat them.

The levels in Yoshi’s Island DS are much more expansive than those found in most prior Mario games, and they encourage exploration over a straight run to the goal ring. Though the map screen itself is linear, levels often have multiple paths, some of which can only be accessed by a particular baby or after a puzzling sequence of item acquisition. Some levels seem to be made of what would normally be separate smaller levels, punctuated by multiple save-point rings. Some levels are truly ingenious while others are plain frustrating; 100% completion is truly a formidable task. There are also some in-stage bonus levels, which involve events like flutter-jumping the farthest or laying the most eggs in a short amount of time.

Challenge progressively increases across its five worlds. On the first world, it wouldn’t be out of the question to obtain 100% on the first pass through. However, about half-way through the game, the challenge starts to ramp up, and in the later levels, players will become far more concerned about simply surviving the level than trying to get all of the items. The game is harder than the original Yoshi’s Island and, when attempting 100% completion, it is even harder than the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 (a.k.a. The Lost Levels).

Item cards are missing from Yoshi’s Island DS, making it even more difficult in later stages to achieve 100% since players can’t boost their star count using items. Special attack items such as watermelons are also absent, likely due to the character-specific abilities like Bowser’s fire. 1-ups are far, far too common to the point of being worthless; besides the plethora found in-game, bonus games can be played as often as the player likes. I think the only reason they still exist is because of tradition.

Almost taunting players, completion of the game yields five even more difficult levels. 100% completion unlocks yet another five levels. There is also a time-trial mode, where players can perfect their 100% speed-runs. On top of that, there are also bonus games and, in what seems to be the latest trend, an enemy museum, which is a level featuring caged versions of every enemy that the Yoshis have defeated. Yoshi’s Island DS is truly a game meant for Yoshi’s Island fans, and shows how Nintendo is still willing to cater to traditional gamers.

This year has been especially great for those long yearning for classic Mario platformers. Yoshi’s Island DS may not be perfect, but it is still a great game, even by Mario standards, and should leave a grin on your face as big as Yoshi’s.

Score

Graphics

Graphics are generally brighter than those found in the original, and many of the graphics are based on the originals. The style has been changed, however, shunning the crayon-drawn look for something cleaner, yet with less personality. If you’ve played Yoshi’s Touch and Go, you should know what to expect here.

Sound

The single major problem with Yoshi’s Island DS is its sound. Some of the music is okay, but nowhere near the quality of the first game. The music isn't memorable, and far too often the background music doesn’t fit at all with the theme of the level. The sound effects are just plain bad, sounding like either badly resampled versions of the effects from the first game, or hollow generic sounds. And if you thought Baby Mario’s cry was annoying in the original, you’ll want to stab your ears out when you hear Baby Peach’s in this game.

Control

I wasn’t a big fan of control in the original as I felt it seemed a little slow. Control has been improved in this version, making it feel closer to a traditional Mario game. The different babies each bring their own control styles.

Yoshi's Island Theme

Gameplay

Finally, a challenging Mario game. In fact, Yoshi’s Island DS may just be the most challenging Mario game to fully complete. Traditional Yoshi’s Island gameplay, along with the new abilities and puzzles, makes for a very enjoyable experience.

Lastability

Yoshi’s Island DS features 40 regular levels, which is less than the first game, but it also includes 10 unlockable stages. In addition, getting 100% in all of the levels is even more of a challenge than it was in the original. Bonus stages and the addition of a Time Trial mode ensure that even completionists will have something to do long after the game is beaten.

Yoshi's Island How Many Levels Last

Final

Yoshi’s Island DS takes the original game and makes it fresh while maintaining the components that made the original great. With all of the Wii hype, yet lack of any new Mario games, it’s great to see a new Mario game available that provides real challenge and fun. Many fans have long awaited a sequel to Yoshi’s Island, and they should not be disappointed.

Summary

Pros

• Great mix of platforming and some puzzle elements
• Very challenging later levels
• Worthy successor to an all-time classic

Cons

• Gap between the screens can be disorienting
• New additions don’t mesh fully with the old designs
• Poor sound production

Talkback

You can't call this a worthy successor. The game feels inferior in every way. If this came out on the SNES and then the Yoshi's Island we know was released later, it would make sense.
It just felt completely lacking in polish and run of the mill.

Well you're just wrong...The game is equal to the original in every way except the music, which isn't bad but is obviously nowhere near the quality of the original...

As someone who hasn't played the original, I've found it pretty underwhelming so far as well. It just feels phoned in; the level design is flat and unimaginative, the difficulty is all over the map, and the item collection feels tacked on.
There's been some great levels, but for every one great one there's 3 or 4 boring ones you have to get through.

Does it get vastly better?
I am sticking with it, for what it's worth. I give up on games that I find aren't worth my time, so I wouldn't say I hate it. I'm at the end boss on world 3, which I suppose puts me just past the halfway point.
I'm just a little disappointed, given the hype.

Dunno, I was pretty underwhelmed by the first YI (hated that game as a kid, found it way too easy and short and not a worthy successor of SMW) so I'm not sure if I should buy YIDS. Certainly won't take it at full price but I think that pretty much means I'll never buy it since DS games don't get pricedrops.

At least it wasn't as short as the N64 Yoshi game (Yoshi's STory?). I rented that game and beat it in about25-35 minutes.

Actually, I have some disdain for the original Yoshi's Island. Sure, it was certainly an original and great game, but it also marked several negative trends for the Mario series. In particular, the addition of babies and a more kiddy direction (as opposed to just cartoony), the first real destruction of consistency in the backstory (which is a total joke now), and the end of 2D Mario platformers for a long time (I also far prefer SMW). Yoshi's Island DS controls closer to a 'Mario' game, and so I like it more in that sense, even if the presentation doesn't reach the level of the original's.

'Actually, I have some disdain for the original Yoshi's Island. Sure, it was certainly an original and great game, but it also marked several negative trends for the Mario series. In particular, the addition of babies and a more kiddy direction (as opposed to just cartoony), the first real destruction of consistency in the backstory (which is a total joke now), and the end of 2D Mario platformers for a long time (I also far prefer SMW).'
The consistency in the backstory at the time really did bug me but regarding the other stuff I would consider Super Mario 64 to be more the culprit. That's where Mario's Treehouse TV voice started. That's also when Nintendo switched to 3D which killed off 2D Mario. If you're mad about the lack of 2D Mario games go sh!t on Super Mario Advance. Once Nintendo realized they could just resell the old Mario games, that is when they truly abandoned 2D Mario until New Super Mario Bros came out.
I can't get mad at Yoshi's Island because it was such an absolutely awesome game and it still holds up. Plus after that they released Super Mario RPG which was pretty much exactly what I envisioned the Mushroom Kingdom looked like. So at the time it felt like Yoshi's Island was a temporary departure from the usual style. Super Mario 64 bothers me more because since then Mario has never been the same. Stuff like the voice has remained since then. So it wasn't a temporary style change but a permanent one.

I like Mario's voice in SM64, though it's gotten worse since then. In my opinion, Yoshi's Story was the first game that really started the 'kiddy versus cartoony' trend by screwing up Yoshi's character.

Actually, I fault the entire N64 generation as a negative for Nintendo franchises. Nintendo basically decided to rewrite or restart the stories of all of their franchises. On top of that, I don't think they transitioned into 3D as well as they could have. Certainly 3D was neat when it first came out, but in my opinion, their SNES counterparts were more fun in every single case. And yeah, the character voices got way out of hand.

I got this on the weekend and have finished the first world. So far I like it. It's pretty much just more Yoshi's Island but that's not a bad thing per say. So far the 'gap' between the two screens hasn't been a problem and I think the different babies is a fun new twist. It's not a huge innovation but it's a new enough feature that the game doesn't feel like a total rehash. It feels like a very familiar sequel and not just a level pack.
So far so good. I'd recommend it to anyone who liked the original Yoshi's Island.

I love it when I jump in a pipe thinking it leads to a trove of coins, when instead it leads to the next part of the level which arbitrarily won't allow me to backtrack and collect stuff I've missed, or when a whole screen is filled up with flying birds or projectile-launching piranha plants while I comically try and find red coins without getting hit, or the many times I've committed suicide after losing some stars because I want a perfect rating instead of playing the whole level over GARRRRR!

Actually, I fault the entire N64 generation as a negative for Nintendo franchises. Nintendo basically decided to rewrite or restart the stories of all of their franchises. On top of that, I don't think they transitioned into 3D as well as they could have. Certainly 3D was neat when it first came out, but in my opinion, their SNES counterparts were more fun in every single case. And yeah, the character voices got way out of hand.

WHAT!?!? No... you can't... you don't mean... I loved the N64 era, and the Nintendo games from that time... it was my personal golden age... T_T

I don't know. Mario transitioned almost flawlessly into 3D. So did Zelda. Did any other franchise fare so well? I mean, I love Yoshi's Story, but I'm well aware that most people don't.

Yes, Star Fox did. And though hardcore MK players probably disagree, I loved MK64.
Also, don't worry LuigiHann. I'm with you on Yoshi's story.
Edit: Mario Kart, not Mortal Kombat. &P

StarFox started in 3d :P
StarFox's worst venture ever is Command.

Do you refer to Mario Kart or Mortal Kombat? I agree that Mario Kart 64 is fantastic, but I basically consider that part of the 'Mario Franchise.'

Mario and Mario Kart are different franchises, I think. There's 'canonical Mario games' (like Super Mario World, Mario 64, etc.) and then there's Mario Kart games. And then you've got the sports games, which you can safely ignore.
Yoshi's Island DS is great, but it's much more frustrating than the original game, especially the bonus stages.

StarFox's worst venture ever is Command.

That's a pretty crazy typo you made. How could you get 'Command' when you were obviously trying to type 'Adventures'

I liked MK better before the blue shell.

Blue shell was fine in Mario Kart 64. It wasn't until Double Dash that it became game-breaking

StarFox's worst venture ever is Command.

That's a pretty crazy typo you made. How could you get 'Command' when you were obviously trying to type 'Adventures'

See my review of Command.
And Adventures far from a terrible game, i'd say it's good but not great. Command is just not good.
The best Star Fox's ever are 1, 2, the 64 game. Which trump any other out by miles. They are really great. You all need to play number 2, it's amazing.

Super Mario World 2 Yoshi Island

This game is on my GameFly queue, and I'm looking forward to finally playing it. I was never a huge fan of the original Yoshi's Island; it felt like such a huge departure from other Mario games that I couldn't tell what to make of it. The graphics were great, but the gameplay never totally clicked with me. Also, the crying babies are obnoxious.

StarFox's worst venture ever is Command.

That's a pretty crazy typo you made. How could you get 'Command' when you were obviously trying to type 'Adventures'

Don't you mean Assault? Anyway, I haven't played YI2, but if MB is complaining about the original's controls I'm not sure I can take his word on this being a good game...back at the E3 where this was shown, the controls caught me off guard.

I like Assault, it just doesn't touch the others. I enjoyed the on foot missions believe it or not :)

F-Zero X was great. Not as good as GX but still.. Though I guess you could say it's a lot easier to transition a racing game to 3D.

I like how all of the Star Fox games after Star Fox 64 have sucked. On that note, when is Nintendo going to get around to releasing the original SNES Star Fox on the Virtual Console? It's still my favorite. Hell, they could even localize Star Fox 2.

Star Fox is difficult to emulate because of the FX Chip. Also, there's a good reason that Star Fox 2 was never released... it wasn't all that great. And it's not even 100% complete, so that would require some additional programming on code that probably hasn't been looked at in fifteen years. Don't hold your breath.

Star Fox is difficult to emulate because of the FX Chip. Also, there's a good reason that Star Fox 2 was never released... it wasn't all that great. And it's not even 100% complete, so that would require some additional programming on code that probably hasn't been looked at in fifteen years. Don't hold your breath.

'Not that great.'
Your wrong sir. It's really good, I'm not lying. My review here references it and it's superiority over it's distance cousin, Command.
The game was was completed and released by a third party, I bought a SNES controller adapter and completed it on all difficulties. It's short, but is freaking awesome while it lasts. I highly recommend it.

Yoshi Island Mario

Enough small talk, peasants. This thread is supposed to be about whether Yoshi's Island DS is good or not.

Quiet, you! Star Fax uses the FX chip, it's true, but so does Yoshi's Island, and THAT was released onto the VC.

I agree with DAaaMan64, Star Fox 2 is outstanding. It's a travesty that Nintendo didn't finish that up and release it in some fashion.
I must disagree with him on one point though, Command > Assault. I don't think either of them are awful, though both were disappointing.

Quiet, you! Star Fax uses the FX chip, it's true, but so does Yoshi's Island, and THAT was released onto the VC.

No, Yoshi's Story (N64) is on VC. There are no FX Chip games on VC yet.

Yoshi's Island technically uses the Super FX 2 chip.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_FX
But Jonny's right, there are no Super FX chip games on VC at the moment.

I want to go back and clear 100% on level 1-4, but when I get 1/3 of the way through the level I see a flower I can't get because Peach's egg toss doesn't bounce.
There's no character swap in sight without moving irreversibly forward in the level. So I have to hit 'return to map', find another level to swap to mario, and then 'return to map' again but when I go back, peach is still still there! WTF

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