Yoshi Touch & Go - E

An exciting new way to play handheld video games!

Publisher: Nintendo Category/Genre: Video Games - Arcade Games Platform: Nintendo DS Price: $30 Graphics: Excellent Playability: Very easy to play Reading Level: 1st-up Release Date: 04/11/2005 ESRB Rating: E

Common Sense Note

This video game for the new Nintendo DS changes the way kids play video games. They control the action by drawing items that are incorporated into the video game and as a consequence, the game requires kids to think creatively before they draw.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen

Yoshi Touch & Go for Nintendo DS offers an exciting new way to play handheld video games. Instead of using a multi-directional control pad, kids use a stylus on the system's touch sensitive screen and they blow into its microphone.

Within Yoshi Touch & Go there are two basic games. In the first, a vertical descent game, a stork accidentally drops Baby Mario midflight. Kids draw cushioning cloud puffs to redirect Baby Mario's descent toward point-awarding coins and away from airborne enemies. If they draw circles around these enemies, the baddies become imprisoned inside floating balloons. If kids get carried away and draw too many clouds, they can clear the screen by blowing on the system's microphone.

The second game starts when Yoshi, the dinosaur, catches Baby Mario on the ground. The two careen recklessly over the side-scrolling landscape to meet the stork. With the stylus, the player can again draw cloud paths to protect the two and steer them toward coins. Tapping with the stylus can make Yoshi jump and throw eggs at the enemies.

What works: Initially, kid-testers loved the novelty of the two games. They also prized the frenetic fun of playing the wireless two-person mode (which requires two Nintendo DS systems but only one copy of the game).

What doesn't: While there are five "modes" in which to earn points, there are only two basic games. The novelty of the two games wears off relatively quickly because neither has a compelling story nor progressive levels.

The Bottom Line: Yoshi Touch & Go is rich in originality but light on content. If you own two Nintendo DS systems, the two-player game is perfect for carpools or car trips -- at least for a while.

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