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0:35 "Domino alley" asks us to hit the correct button to make it to the next domino. My time spent memorizing SNES-style button layouts years ago pays off with a big win.
0:36 "He literally jumped in a tube and got the star. We are getting absolutely cheated," says Bruce, summing up the state of the game quite well as we go down by two stars again. Then, Waluigi gets 10 coins for rolling doubles and uses them to buy ANOTHER star. ARGH!
0:37 Finally some luck...landing on a green space bounces me right next to a star.
0:39 A two-vs.-two game: Each player controls a wing in a side-scrolling, flying, coin-collecting game. Not much teamwork is required...although a bad partner could screw things up, I guess.
0:40 Whoo! Bowser takes a star from the Bad Guys. Does that make him a good guy? "Wow, we're back in the game, just like that," say Bruce. "This game is no less random than any other Mario game."
0:41 Another one-on-one duel, this time for a star. Hoo boy. "This is huge," Bruce points out. It's a rhythm game...but not a traditional one. I have to tap the right button on the touch-screen when a spotlight shines on random beats. There's barely any rhythm to it. Still, I win and suddenly our team is tied with theirs. The crappy random luck finally evens out.
0:47 "Hedge Honcho" is the least masculine game I've ever seen, especially given the "honcho" in the name. The game involves sliding around on leaves and rubbing ladybugs off of them. SECURE in our masculinity, I say!
0:51 We lose coins because we don't know what counts as a space on the tiny top-screen map, leading to a wrong decision. Grumble!
0:54 A hammer-throw game involves essentially spinning the stylus on the screen as fast as possible. No real strategy...pure physicality -- like a real hammer throw!
0:55 Bruce gets roped into another one-on-one duel -- over a star. This could well determine the outcome of the game. "They know I suck," he says of why he was picked. "You can do it, Bruce," I encourage. The game involves circling ghosts and avoiding bombs on the touch-screen. He wins the practice round 20 to 1. "Guess I won't have to practice again," Bruce says confidently -- and with good reason...he wins.
0:56 Yet ANOTHER duel...but this time it's for two stars. Bruce is full of confidence. "Bring it on!" Just as it's about to start, though, the batteries in Bruce's DS run out of power. "A communication error has occurred. You will now return to the main menu," says the game. Bruce: "This game is rigged, and Lauren's Game Boy [sic] did the only sensible thing under those circumstances."
Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes
Why? Despite the overwhelming luck factor, the game is fast-paced and a blast with buds.
This column was based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
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