Game #1286: Ultimate NES Remix

 Nintendo's own off-brand Warioware. 

 I wanted to like Ultimate NES Remix, I really did. I love WarioWare, even though I don't own every game in the series, so having a WarioWare clone using Nintendo classic NES games sounded amazing, but it's not half as good as it could've and should've been.

 For starters, and what I felt was a crime, there's no sort of 'Random' mode. You get a list of games such as Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Mario, Kirby, as well as three sets of 25 "quirky" challenges each using those games, and you pick which challenge to try from that list. I know it's not WarioWare, but part of the appeal of mini-challenges like these is playing them back to back, and having them being randomized makes it even more fun. So having to pick from a list feels so dull.

 Well, once you get past that, then the challenges themselves is what you get. And from the boxart, the trailers or even the presentation itself, you'd expect this wacky take on classic games. It's not. There's some merit to it, but challenges are more about relieving iconic moments from the games. To the point, that sometimes it feels like a glorified guide or tutorial. For example, the final Excite Bike challenge is about finishing a lap first without falling from your back, all the previous challenges teaching you how to play. Sometimes they try something a bit more interesting, like having to do the infinite lives trick on the original Super Mario Bros., but for the most part... it's dull. The Remix and Bonus challenges, 75 in all, is where the fun is. For example, in one you have to get to the top of Donkey Kong's maze as Luigi... and once you get to the top, the game asks you to return to your original starting spot! These challenges are the ones that trailers were trying to sell this game off of, and this is easily the game at its best.

 Games and challenges are unlocked as you earn Stars by beating challenges, depending on how fast you go it's how many stars you get. It's hard to really get stuck, since failing a challenge unlocks the next one, at least when it comes to individual game challenges.

 Speaking of those, it's kind of weird how they are divided. Sometimes, just entering a room is a challenge in and by of itself, but sometimes you get a string of 3-5 different, separate objectives making that one challenge. And they have varying difficulty, so sub-challenge 4 might be incredibly hard, while the sub-challenges 1-3 and 5 were easy as pie. It makes the game feel uneven, did anyone care about any sort of consistency?

 Besides all these challenges, the game includes two other modes. Nintendo World Championship, which is a novelty that wears out its welcome after a single playthrough, basically emulating the real Nintendo Championship from the 90s, but using Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bos 3 and Dr. Mario instead of the original games(Rad Racer and Tetris). So it's not even accurate. And then there's Super Turbo Mario which is the entire Super Mario Bros. game at twice the speed... which, once again, is a super lame novelty.

 Ultimate NES Remix is disappointing, since the game was sold of as some sort of Videogame-themed WarioWare, but when it comes to its own merits you'll discover it's lacking any. Despite the presentation, despite the trailers, the game feels very dull and boring, honestly, I'm sticking to WarioWare.

 4.0