Featuring...

• Dr. Mario Express (Jan 12)
• Kirby's Dream Land GB (Jan 12)
• Mario vs Donkey Kong Minis March Again (Dec 11) Xevious 3D Classics (Dec 11)

Score - Between 2 to 5 out of 5

Up until a month ago you probably were just a member of Club Nintendo just so you got the full benefit of your purchases by racking up Nintendo Coins... even if you didn't know what to spend your points on... until now.

Now every month Nintendo is going to roll out two games apiece for their Wii and 3DS eshops, giving you something to spend your saved Nintendo Coins on.

Pretty nice. And, as it turned out I ran out of coins before I ran out of options, so I have to pick up new stuff (both dlc and physical) and restock my coins. Only downside is that these are a one time offer. Unless they reoffer these again you'll have to buy these off the eshop with money (or prepaid 3DS cards like I do) to get them.

As for the first two months? Here is what I think is worth spending real money on.

December 2011

Xevious 3D Classics
2 out of 5

If you remember the classic top down shooter then you might have played it, like I have, and while for me it is not my favorite of the classic coin munchers, I had more than enough fond memories of the game that I wanted to pick it up.

It's a straight translation, and while that is OK it also isn't going to appeal to many except fans of classic arcade games. And even then... well, its the last hoorahs of 3D Classics, the line of games for the 3DS just never taking off since each game took far too long to convert into 3D to justify the expenses.

Still, it's OK if classic old school top down shooters is your thing.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong Minis March Again
4 out of 5

There aren't many games right now on the 3DS eshop that I can recommend to just about any and every gamer, this is one of those games.

If you played the original Game Boy Advance Mario vs. Donkey Kong, which I talked about last month, then you know the drill. Donkey Kong sees minis, Donkey Kong wants minis, Donkey Kong gets cranky and steals something when minis are not available. Only this time he steals Mario's old pre-Princess Peach ex-girlfriend Pauline this time out.

There are a few problems with the game as opposed to past Mario vs Donkey Kong games:

• You have absolutely no control over Mario this time out. Instead you do some sort of god mode as you control the environment either setting it up before launching the minis or on the fly as they march.
   
• Because of this and the overall setup some say this version is easier than past versions, but for my two bits I have to say neither game is harder or easier in comparison. Each have their own quirks making them easy, and challenging in their own ways. But that is, again, my opinion.
   
• After you play through the basement world which opens after beating the game the first time, you can unlock several different minis to use through the game. Though there is no difference between each mini, they're all nice. And you can unlock Princess Peach as a mini.
   
• The biggest thing about the game is the level creator, and the server at Nintendo where you can upload your custom levels for others to play, and download their levels for you to try out. This is probably the best part of the game and expands gameplay, which is good, since story mode, even with the Basement and Roof levels and the second play-through with different game mechanics will only last you so long.

If you don't own this yet you should. A 4 out of 5.

January 2012

Dr. Mario Express
3 out of 5

By the time this comes out the game is no longer available for coins... hopefully one day a section is made on the Club Shop for archiving x amount of months of game offers... but if you missed it on the coin offer you should grab it up... if you are OK with the game's shortcomings.

Haven't played past iterations of Dr. Mario? First thing you have to do is go through the how to play section, because first order of the day is to unlearn what you learned in the past.

Game looks like a Tetris clone, but it is a completely different beast with its own addictive qualities all its own. Instead of match 3 its match 4, and you have to contend with matching single or double color pills in order to eradicate the germs... sometimes not always making a match in order to clear away germs before you end up becoming backed up and losing.

It's addictive once you get the hang of the game mechanics, but game modes are a bit light. Classic and versus the game's AI and that seems to be it... what? No multiplayer?... double checking... nope, no multiplayer.

So why is it we gravitate quickly to Tetris Party Live but not so quickly to Dr. Mario Express when both have the same addictive qualities of gameplay, each in their own right, even if by game modes Tetris has more than Dr. Mario?
Multiplayer! It's all about the Multiplayer! Because of that it doesn't hurt Tetris one bit that it sports both multiplayer and online multiplayer while Dr. Mario Express is single player only. Still, if you are willing to embrace the limitations of Dr. Mario Express you'll enjoy the game immensely. A solid 3 out of 5.

Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy)
4 out of 5

The first Game Boy port offered up for coins, its Kirby and that's OK by me since we got quite a bit of Kirby last year all over... reminds me I need to get caught up on my Kirby gaming.

Speaking of which, I need to fill out some surveys and refill my coins so I can review this (February on I need to actually buy the games until I restock my coins).

...took awhile to fill out all the surveys... I should do this the minute I get them so they don't back up like this... sigh.

When I finally started playing the game I remembered why I wasn't plunking down cash for classic Game Boy games yet... unless we are talking Poke'mon Red/Blue/Pikachu Yellow (which I played) then these games are rather
simple, straight forward, and a tad short... but in regard to games like Kirby that is a good thing.

A simple straight forward addictive side scroller, you just have to get Kirby from point A to B. Simple. It might take you a little time to get used to making Kirby fly in some areas to progress, and swallowing enemies does not imbue their abilities onto you, that is in later games, but the game is easy to pick up and play without a hitch.

So if you are looking for short stacks of Kirby goodness this is a good game. Nice for getting a quick munch on Kirby on the bus, waiting for a plane, or whatever. Now all we need is Kirby's Dream Land 2 and we are golden. A 4 out of 5.

Next Month?

Hard to say. I dropped an inquiry in with Nintendo's Public Relations about review material requests as I finished up this article... hope to get a response soon... stay tuned.

In the meantime I'll have something to review next month. Either from Nintendo or from my purchasing a 3DS pre paid card or 3DS stuff from Amazon. Stay tuned to my blog at http://bignopoly.blogspot.com/ for updates on my reviews and my new podcasts!

See you next month!