Yoshi's Safari

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Yoshi's Safari - by Lord Nazerous

Note: Yoshi's Safari requires the use of the Super Scope, the "gun" for the SNES. The game will NOT work without it.

Introduction:

Mario and Yoshi were going to visit Princess Peach (Toadstool) when they got there, she wasn't kidnapped! (I'm still getting over from the shock;) Instead she told them about a world named Jewelry Land. Her friends King Fret and Prince Pine had been kidnapped! And even worst the Twelve Jewels of Jewelry Land had been stolen. So Mario and Yoshi, fearing that Peach would unleash her wrath upon them ;) , left for Jewelry Land. Mario, being the Slave Master of Yoshi, (Kidding) rode on Yoshi, holding what appears to be a Super Scope. Yoshi's Safari is a 1 to 2-player Shooter/Action game.

Graphics [9/10]:

The view point of the game is a first person 3-D view. It almost looks like Nintendo got some Ideas for Mario 64 off this game. You play as Mario, riding Yoshi. (Whose head is in the middle of the screen. The levels are 3-D but the enemies and Yoshi's head, for the most part, are 2-D and flat. The levels are bright and colorful. The backgrounds go on for a while, which adds to the 3-D effect. The enemies are pretty much the cast from Super Mario World. Goombas, Koopas, and many more enemies all inhabit the world. Each looks different and has a distinct look. Most of the enemies and bosses are detailed very well. Unfortunately, though, the characters are all 2-D. I think it would have been good to see all of them 3-D. The opening and ending scenes are done in side-views, and they look pretty cheap.

Music and Sound [8/10]:

The music is nice and there are several tracks. But there is only two boss track, which get old fast. The music sounds very 'Mario-ish'. A blind man would know that it was Mario. The music is familiar but different. That's one good thing about the entire Mario series, It all has the same music 'sound', but they don't use the same songs over and over again.
The Sound effects are 'Mario-esque' as well. Even though Mario has never had a Bazooka before, the sound of it firing and hitting enemies sounds just like a Mario game should.

Game Play [9/10]:

Yoshi's Safari is a very fun game. You can play 1 or 2-players. On 1-player mode, you (Mario) rides on Yoshi, and shoots down enemies that are coming at you. Yoshi walks and runs on his own. You control Yoshi's jumping, though. In 2-player mode one person does the shooting, the other can move Yoshi and jump. 2-player mode is really fun to play. You have more control and maneuverability on 2-player. At the end of every level there's a Boss. Usually one of the seven Koopa kids from Super Mario World.
The game takes place some time after SMW but before Mario64. Many aspects of the game are from SMW, but the game has a healthy dose of originality. You have a health meter and a Ammo Meter, which can be increased. You have infinity ammo, but your gun must 'recharge', so don't use it too much. Also while playing you need to be self conscious about where your shooting...you can shoot Yoshi's head! Now before everyone goes out and buys this game, just to shoot Yoshi's head, let me say that when you shoot his head YOU loose life ;)

Challenge and Replay [7/10]:

The game is easy. So simple. It's fun but easy. There is a little challenge, and it gets tough in spots, but it's pretty straightforward...that is until you beat it and enter the 'Code'. The code makes it more difficult, and you actually get a different stroy. The story is not too different, but it gives you the sense that your playing a slight sequel. With the code, the game is VERY hard. It takes skill and precision to beat this game. The gun charges slower, the enemies are faster and stronger, and your gun is much weaker. Unfortunately there is very little replay value in this game. The 2-player mode adds a lot of depth to game. But once both of the difficulties are beat, that's it. There's no level codes or game save feature. The game is sort of short too. There's twelve levels on each difficulty, they're long levels, but once you finished them...

Conclusion/Overall [8.2/10]:

For anyone who owns the Super Scope, This is a must have game. But I don't suggest you buy the Super Scope, just for this game. It's a good game, but it's also a little short. If you want a Super Scope...Well this is a great game for it, and so is a bunch of other SS games. Just a little tid-bit: Yoshi's Safari is the first game to introduce Princess Toadstool as Peach. Despite popular belief of the name being introduced in Mario 64.

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