Review #03: The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Bombs

Review by juniortennis7 on Saturday, July 26th 2014
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I've never seen the Sound of Music before, but the above title just sounded so good that I just HAD to use it. Aaaaaaaaaaand wow, I'm getting off topic again. This is literally turning into my last review, where I ranted about Mario Kart 8 and the evolution of racing games. Then a discussion about the rankings of racing games started up, and before I knew it, I had a long introduction focused on how good Nintendo and Sega made their racing games! Ridiculous! But now that I'm no longer writing long, ranting introductions in my reviews about long, ranting, introductions, it's time to get into the game we're reviewing!


Introduction


So originally, I didn't want to review this game because it seemed way too much like Super Mario Bros in gameplay. Later on, I changed my mind - because Tristan begged me to - and I also realized that he actually DID improve in this game. So, I thought I'd talk about what Tristan improved on in this game over his last. I'm going to be frequently comparing this review to my first one. If you haven't read my first review, the one about Nintendo starting life as we know it, go ahead and check that out now for maximum comprehension of this review...Well then, in the famous words of Super Mario...Let's a-go!


Gameplay


As I've said before, the gameplay in this game is much the same as Super Mario Bros, in which the levels consist of basic platforming. However, in this game, the player gets to choose between five characters to control from the start of the game: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, and Toad. Kind of a random character selection if you ask me, but I guess it doesn't matter. Anyway, most of the level objectives are to get to the power star, while some of them require you to collect red coins in order to unlock the power star. Still other objectives entail you to to collect silver stars in order to unlock the power star. All in all, there ARE quite a few ways to get a power star...(Strokes beard)


Level Design


Oh boy...I've got a lot of things to say about the level design in this game. Specifically on Level 4. While the platforming in this game is generally simple and easy to master, Level 4 doesn't really get that memo. For one thing, this level is plagued with really narrow platforms that are hard to land on due to Mario's physics. There is also a copious number of Bob-Ombs in this level that require you to time your jumps to get to the next platform. While difficulty in a level is generally a good thing, it seems out of place in this somewhat casual game. And while we're talking about difficulty, let's move on to enemy placement. There were several more enemies in this game than in Super Mario Bros. Most of them were just Goombas (They could be annoying and a little difficult to step on) and Bob-Ombs. The Bob-Ombs immediately give you a game over, so avoiding them would be nice...Nevertheless, the enemy placement in this game was flawed in the fact that there were some instances to where you wouldn't see an enemy coming until you had run into it. This is probably the fault of the camera, but still, it detracted from gameplay. Despite all of these setbacks, though, the level design was at least more interesting and was a definite improvement to Super Mario Bros.


Visuals and Scenery


Remember how I said that the scenery in Super Mario Bros was kinda 'meh'? Well, I definitely can't say that for this game. The visuals in Bob-Omb Battlefield are amazing. Each level contains an abundant amount of background graphics, and there are even some humorous scenes in the back, if you pay close attention. Even the sky has something to look at. Other than really good-looking clouds, there are distant hills and trees that provide a sense of depth to the game. Not 3DS depth, of course, 'cause Tristan ain't Nintendo. Nintendo is Nintendo. Still though, Tristan has definitely 'lived and learned' from his last game. Bob-Omb Battlefield has definitely taken a step up in visuals.


Feature Worthy


Ugh...too bad. After going on about how great this game looked, I STILL have to be a gloomy two-shoes and say that this game isn't feature worthy. The game is really fun to play, and Tristan definitely improved since Super Mario Bros, but it still wasn't the kind of game that would rival, say, a Glass of Coke (Haha, see what I did there?...Uh, never mind). Nevertheless, this is a great game, and people who enjoyed Super Mario Bros will get even more enjoyment out of this game. I know I did, although I can't say the same for the goombas.


Ratings


Gameplay: 7/10

Level Design: 5/10

Visuals and Scenery: 9/10

Overall Rating: 7/10


Final Words


This was a good game. Not gonna lie. However, it still kept some of Super Mario Bros's flaws, which didn't help it in the end. This game is like an extra-large pizza that's just gone a little bad...But anyway, I hoped you like the review! I know I kind of put it off for a little while, but at least I've finished it! Anyway, stay tuned for my next review! If all goes well, we'll be discussing the pros and cons of Escape Madhouse when it comes out...Well then, JuniorTennis7 out!

 
 


Super Mario 64 Bomb Omb Battlefield Reviewed by juniortennis7 on Saturday, July 26th 2014. Review #03: The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Bombs - A game review written by juniortennis7 for the game 'Super Mario 64 Bomb Omb Battlefield' by theundead101. Rating: 3.5