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Virtual Console Reviews: Super Mario RPG, Clu Clu Land

Sep. 2 9:19 AM by Sardius

It's a special, non-sucky week for the Virtual Console, and I'm going to try something different with this week's games. I'm going to review them.

Shocking, I know! I've got this stupid idea, though -- rather than giving an arbitrary score and writing something like "this was great back in the day, and it's still great!" I'm going to try and supply some context by simulating a review from the year of each game's release, followed by an analysis of how it holds up today. Some games that may have once earned perfect scores could seem like total crap nowadays, for instance, while underrated classics might seem more interesting and worthwhile in the current gaming climate.

I won't be doing this alone, though. I've enlisted help from some old friends. You may even recognize them.

Super Mario RPG

1996:

Mario is back in his biggest adventure yet! You'll see koopas, troopas, the Princess and the others in this RPG (Role-Playing Game) team-up between Nintendo and Square, creators of recent Super NES hits like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Evermore. Mario's first RPG boasts a memorable cast of characters, eye-popping prerendered graphics, and an expansive storyline that will keep you playing for months. It's like someone put Donkey Kong Country and Final Fantasy III in a blender and magic came out!

2008:

Super Mario RPG has held up surprisingly well, considering that many of its component parts are pretty dated. Its prerendered graphics, once regarded as the Super NES' secret weapon against encroaching CD-ROM technology, now look ugly and garish, and much of the game has a fake, plastic look to it. And as clever as a Mario-related role-playing epic seemed back in the day, Super Mario RPG's (admittedly well-written) script is beaten to a pulp by the unceasingly self-aware Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games.

Still, Super Mario RPG's gameplay is varied enough to keep you entertained from beginning to end. The timing-based combat system makes every battle fast and involving, and though the Square-introduced characters are hit-and-miss (oh hey, it's a frog that looks like a marshmallow, and it's in my RPG party), the storyline is well-paced and contains a surprising amount of depth and coherence for its era. It fills a needed niche in the Virtual Console's library, and at only eight dollars, it's one of the best buys the Wii has seen in months.

Plus, it's got Culex. You can't disagree with Culex.

Try these too: Paper Mario (N64), Phantasy Star II (GEN), Breath of Fire II (SNES)
Don't bother with: Phantasy Star III (GEN)

Clu Clu Land

1985:

Trouble is bubbling in the undersea world of Clu Clu Land! Enemy urchins have hidden your coins, and it's up to you to find them! Equal parts action game and puzzler, Clu Clu Land challenges you to unearth invisible coin patterns with an unconventional rotation gimmick that never quite gives you full control over your character's movement. The controls aren't the best in practice, but a unique theme and a cooperative two-player mode could satisfy players in search of something to play once R.O.B. breaks down after too many rounds of Gyromite.

2008:

Twenty-three years (oh, Jesus) later, I'm still no better at Clu Clu Land's controls. Many of the best games from the NES era feature simple control schemes that can be quickly mastered in order to prepare for a series of increasingly difficult challenges. Clu Clu Land offers plenty of challenge, but fails to provide a workable control setup to even the odds in your favor. At best, you'll come away with some basic knowledge of how to move your character around the screen, but once the pace starts to pick up in later stages, you'll lose lives quickly as you careen off walls and bounce into enemies and deadly pits.

I like the concept, though. If not for the controls, Clu Clu Land would be a fun two-player race to unearth treasure, in a typical early Nintendo mix of cooperation and competition. As it is, though, it's much less intuitive and fun than it should be.

Try these instead: Adventures of Lolo (NES), Wrecking Crew (NES)
Don't bother with: Pac-Man (NES), Donkey Kong 3 (NES)

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