Great review Dave. And I agree with this: "If there’s one major downfall of Columns, it’s that things often get unmanageable too quickly."

The Tetris ramp-up seems more gradual and fair, allowing for longer play sessions. Here I feel like I only get a few minutes before a switch flips and it's suddenly luck based. Not a huge complaint, it's still a fun game, but certainly noticeable and I'm glad you brought that up.

@RayGabriel64
Not sure why you're coughing. The intention of both features seems quite a bit different...

He's got a point but...what so bad about WiiU owners getting a second console?

Thanks @hydeks I think I will! Hope you enjoy the Zero collection...I'm jealous of people who get to play these games for the first time. They're brutal, but so satisfying.

You're making me want to replay the whole series!

Then my work here is done. Have you picked up the ZX games? A lot different, and maybe I'll review those too, but if you liked Zero you should find a lot to enjoy there as well.

Great review Morgan. I passed on this one because I remembered hearing bad things, but on second thought I might have been thinking of the sequel. I'll grab this soon to tide me over before the 3D Classic Sonic.

To be honest I don't see how this is an issue at all. Renegade Kid was broadening its audience by allowing checkpoints, and placating hardcore fans at the same time.

It's a review so we provide our opinions on the features of the game, and that's all we did there. It wasn't a major factor in the scoring, and that issue in itself wouldn't have warranted a 7. But other issues, particularly the lack of 3D leading to a problem with the gameplay, did.

If I'm looking to get just one game in a series, I'd like to see objective opinions on which one is best.

There's no such thing as an objective opinion, silly. I can only provide mine, which is subjective, and in return you can only provide yours, which is equally subjective. Likewise, no one piece of media can be "objectively" better than another...it all comes down to preference, which is why the review above the score is always the most important thing. It's an explanation of how I arrived at my score. If the things I'm discussing would cause you to arrive at a different score, that's what you go with.

Having said that, of course the game was reviewed based on its own merits.

@Extremist:
So you're saying this probably would be a 9 with a more old-school (better) oriented reviewer?

I'm saying Corbie played the first game and wrote a review that explained how he felt about it, and I played the second game and wrote a review that explained how I felt about it.

If only they had announced some mandatory camera attachment that was always on, and a requirement that the WiiU phone home regularly so its parents don't worry.

Doesn't this mark the first time Mega Man 6 has been released in Europe?

According to the article you just commented on, yes.

Whichever goes on sale first.

if you're an old school gamer, you understand the idea.

I'm an old school gamer, and I understand that idea. That being said, not all sequels are created equal, and the fact that there were loads of them doesn't imply that they were all equally worth having.

As I state in the review, the main problem isn't that the game feels similar...it's that so many of the puzzles feel like straight recreations of those from the previous game. And with such a small batch of levels in each game, the overlap is a problem.

Side note: I don't understand how they gave this a 7 and the original a 9. If it's more of the same, wouldn't one give it an equal or just a bit off score?

Two different reviewers.

@Bass_X0 Just checked...it's not in NA yet. Dang, I got excited.

Thanks @WindWakerLink

Stick around, I'm reviewing the entire series and I hope you continue to enjoy them!

Anyone who can S Rank these games reliably should be reported to the government immediately, as they're obviously part of a plot to breed superhumans. In the first and second games I can do A ranks as long as I don't pop open any cyber elves though. I need more practice with 3 and 4.

@Retro_on_theGo I know it baby.

If blasting through over 30 repetitive stages with awful physics, stiff controls and abysmal visuals is your idea of fun

It sounds like my weekend whenever I get an email from Dazza.

Good review! Thanks for taking this so I didn't have to.

Please let these Game Gear games come to the US as well!

@LittleIrves Wow, I didn't realize it was you! I genuinely can't wait to get my hands on these.

Quick review and score for ZZT? That's tough! Back in the day it'd have been a solid 9, if only for the ZZTOOP programming language and the endless things you could do with it. It was an ASCII Minecraft / RPG Studio long before that sort of thing became commonplace. It's been ages since I've played it so I don't know how well it would hold up today...but I bet if I did pick it up again, I'd remember more of that language than I realize. Can't wait to read that volume!

These are going to be great. Congrats on hitting your goal!

I loved ZZT! Man I want these.

@Grubdog:
Any word if MSF2 will have leaderboards?

In the process of playing through it right now for review. No leaderboards.

I also like Battle Network series so like SnackBox said: "I wish we had more talk on the Battle Network series!"

I have a pretty small amount of experience with that series, so I'm hoping for VC releases eventually. Not holding my breath, but it sure would be nice.

Still on MMZ1, but looking forward to enjoying this 'new' series.

I hope you enjoy! The Zero series doesn't quite hit the heights of some other Mega Man games (IMHO of course) but overall, if you take all titles into account, it's probably my favorite. Having only four games really helps it retain a nice focus, and it prevents the quality from dropping off.

X5 was so nowhere near as good as X4, but it is god compared to the ones that came after.

My friend, I couldn't have said it better myself.

Disappointed this wasn't mentioned since it has all four Zero games in one place.

And a great collection it is too. I'm working my way through it again right now...I was tempted to review that, since we missed it the first time around, but thought it would be better to review the four games independently, so stay tuned! The collection adds an easy mode (I call it the "too easy mode") and some wallpapers and such, but apart from that it's a pretty standard port.

Now's the time to get Trine 2 it looks like! Half price, woo!

I kinda want to see footage of Katy screaming profanities while playing this game.

Also, skip the buster upgrade. The one you get in Sigma Fortress is way better.

Pretty sure it's identical to the one you get in the capsule. Unless I'm not seeing the difference. By all means let me know!

What makes X5 so awful?

Maybe one day we'll get the chance to review it. As it is, the comments section isn't big enough. hah

Final boss easy? Are we talking the final form of the boss here? It's the hardest "thing" in the game!

I can no-damage the final form of the final boss...it's not easy, I admit, but if you can get the hang of standing on the very edge of his hands it's not so bad. Bospider though? EEK.

These were previously Wii ware games.

Even better, Wii retail.

The good thing? When you put ten games here and tons of people ask why their favorites are not in the list, it goes to show the handheld has a lot of great games to choose from.

Word.

I'd say the "easiness" only exists once you're farther into the game. It then serves a very good purpose: To make you feel stronger.

Agreed, but there are ways to balance challenge with a feeling of empowerment. IMHO this game doesn't succeed there, erring heavily toward the latter instead. It's still great, and the fortress stages are fun, but it's also very easy unless you self-impose a challenge, which itself undermines the sense of empowerment.

That reminds me, where are all of the other Xes at?

X 1-3 were SNES, 4-6 were Playstation, 7 and 8 were PS2. There are also PC ports but I really don't know which games were ported where. There are also some pretty dreadful Gameboy Color games.

Also, X4 desserves recognition as it's probably the best sequal in the entire X series for Sooo many reasons.

I love X4, and I expected to hate it. It's actually one of my favorite MM games in any series. X5 on the other hand...shudder.

I didn't even realize these existed. Which...sucks because this would have been the first thing I bought in a long time!

@StephenKelly180 Mario Golf 3DS will be quite a bit more expensive than this, so the answer is obvious: buy this many, many times.

Gummy Bear Bowling plz

I've been stuck against Ridley for like 5 years now.

Stock up on energy tanks and then just shoot him. Seriously. Like, don't stop shooting him. I'm sure you can see people defeating him more gracefully on youtube, but unlike the other bosses I just brute forced my way through him.

Let's just stop pretending that the MM Collections are worth a damn.

Preach it brother.

Whoa! Great surprise.

...even better would be if they somehow released X4, 5, 6, 7 and / or 8, but we know that's unlikely.

Of course I want X3, too, but I'm being optimistic and assuming that's a given.

I'll have what she's having.

(The treat in the picture. OBVIOUSLY.)

@Adam
Who let you in here?

@Kaze_Memaryu
Actually, I would say he has a point... well, half point. Nintendo is well-aware of its loyal fanbase, so they use backwards compability to boost interest for people who like the new console, but not the current line-up.

Hmm? My concern isn't with anything but his 5% statistic, which I know first-hand is false. I'm not thinking about Nintendo or any outside factors at all...I'm reacting to his comment that backwards compatibility is a concern for only 5% of Microsoft customers. He doesn't have a point there at all. It's bunk.

I read this as "50%," and I thought, huh, that sounds a bit low, but maybe.

Then I noticed it was 5%.

And the comment could only have been made in a fit of madness. With all due respect, Mr. Mattrick, that's a lie.

Haha! I wanted to take a step back...some folks were concerned that I was reviewing all the MM games!

But yeah, as much as I like this one (and I do like it a lot) I effing HATE this version of the Rush Coil. Yuck.

The only game that lets you re-fight defeated bosses in their actual stages is MM1. In all of the others you have to wait for the capsule room.

I still believe there are many mediocre retro games that are overrated but if you all want to defend Nintendo Life so much is okay but it is pointless and the comments are to express our opinions!

I think you're somehow failing to realize that reviews are also to express our opinions...

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

The game sounds pretty much unplayable, shouldn't it get a 1?

It's not unplayable. Just unenjoyable.

Toad is my favorite character. I use him for every level, except for world 4, where I use Luigi.

I don't think I've ever seen someone else agree that Toad is the best! We might be soul mates.

I just can't believe Nintendo hasn't even thought about a platformer between these two.

I'd be surprised if they haven't thought about it. More likely I think they haven't found a way to make the two vastly different styles work together in a way that would please both sets of fans.

Speaking as someone who does a lot of Nintendo LPs (and other videos), I'm all for it. If it's their intellectual property then I feel like they're being more than fair by letting me put together my silly videos in the first place. They never got anything in return for that. If now they decide that what they want in return is a few pennies that don't come out of my pocket OR the viewer's pocket, then I think that's perfectly reasonable.