Mega Man was always one of those series that I reveered as a child but didn’t exactly play a lot. I mean, this series is one of the NES franchises, and as a teen raised by AVGN and those inspired by him, I just always heard about this motherfucker. So much so, that I got Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 on the Wii when the released way back when. A new game with NES graphics, I mean, I ate them up at the time. I got the second volume of the Legacy Collection because it not only had those two that I played a lot of as a kid, but also the 8th installment, which I had seen recently is very coveted among true fans of this series.

However, before moving on to the latter three games in this collection I felt obligated to play this one, and it may have soured me on Mega Man before I even got going! I feel like a lot of people are lukewarm on this installment, anyways, but I think I’m just lukewarm on the whole thing. See, because Mega Man is a series defined by its legacy as a classic NES game, it feels like every new game was designed not to be updated because half of the appeal, according to the designers, are those clunky and old school things that make a game less fun. Mega Man doesn’t crouch because, well, Mega Man doesn’t crouch. It doesn’t matter how nice it would be to have different heights for your attack, Mega Man DOESN’T CROUCH! Also, spikes are an instant death. It doesn’t matter that levels seemed designed without that fact in mind, and there are sections of some levels that seem like they want to launch you in the spikes once just to teach you about a level’s gimmick, but then you get sent back to the beginning. But, I mean, what can ya do? In Mega Man, spikes are an instant death. Because they always were.

Needless to say this game made me angry. Thank god for the Legacy Collection’s “LOAD LAST CHECKPOINT” option. I was clicking that button, plenty. The password system was honestly really funny, because I haven’t played a game that used that in ages, and I figured by the SNES we weren’t really using that for these bigger games. However! Then I remembered, after figuring I would just give up on the Wily’s Castle levels, that I can input a password to get me to the end! So I did, and then the boss kicked my ass, then when the second phases started, I said “actually, forget it.”

When I first gave this version a go I found it a bit underwhelming and I’m over that now, but then am also underwhelmed in different areas. The standard Tetris game feels sooo good here. Maybe the best feeling Tetris I’ve ever played, and if I’m ever getting a twitch for it I’ll definitely be coming back to this one. The thing is the other mini-games aren’t really my jam. The ‘puzzle’ game is interesting, but fuck if I’m gonna do a billion of those, lol. ‘Catch’ is really promising, but I don’t really get it. I just never cracked the nut and figured out what could be really interesting about it. I really, really liked the ‘touch’ game’s concept but it plays so poorly. Rotating and sliding pieces never feels right on the first try, it’s like actually try to move human-sized Tetris pieces. So, like, Tetris is so perfect, and it feels so good here, and I think this is just jam-packed with some extras that range from “alright” to “good,” so, what can ya say? That’s a pretty good Tetris right there, I guess.

I guess I’m just the early-DS library’s biggest defender. Look, I’m not a Super Monkey Ball expert, but I’ve earned my stripes. I was there in the McDonalds’ PlayPlace with a GameCube controller in-hand, running the gauntlet while breathing in the stale air of a public indoor playground. I grew up mostly, though, with this title, and I’ve come back to it in anticipation of the series’ newest entry, only to find the reviews filled with anti-fun losers!

The people who complain about this game’s controls just sound like the same drones who complain about every Nintendo DS game actually integrating one of the console’s defining features into their game’s design. I personally never had a problem with the touch controls, but, also, they are completely optional? You can just use the control pad if you’re skill isn’t up to par to use the stylus, which, obviously requires a little more precision and patience and steadiness that isn’t required of button inputs. Touch controls, though, also allow for a different and more fliud kind of movement because you’re not tied to 8 different directionals. The world is your oyster. I found I was using the control pad for maps that needed speed and the touch controls for maps that needed precision.

Some of the levels here were real gems, too. Had me really under pressure, stressed, frustrated, but that coaster of emotion is, like, the core of this series. While the later levels drove me crazy, the satisfaction of beating them was there at the end every time. Those last two zones are a real doozy, just the last couple of levels took me about half of today. Super Monkey Ball is so fucking exhilirating, man.

Then there’s the party games, all perfect for the DS and its multiplayer functionality. Earlier last year, actually, my partner and I had a bit of a game night with this game and it was plenty of fun with one cartridge and DS Download Play. Remember that? By the time the DSi was rolling around, it basically ceased to be used in any meaningful way in most games, but this era of ‘04-‘07, the DS was really stressing its wireless capability, in a grand celebration of the death of the link cable.

The air hockey and bowling segments are highlights for me, I can definitely see myself getting into heated matches in the hockey game, or trying to get 300 in bowling. The “monkey war” one is just insane, though. That was where younger-me was spending the most time when I had this way back when. Then there’s the credits mini-game which you can’t skip through and are given to play after every zone of the challenge mode. Bad idea, truly, especially since the credits are accessible from the menu. Even in the credits, though, like in some of the party games, the physics isn’t completely there and there could be some tweaks to be made as well.

‘Touch ‘n’ Roll’ is an amazing display of the Nintendo DS’ features, and my reviews of past handheld titles will reveal that a game, especially a DS game, actually utilizing the console its on really reels me in. Admittedly, I guess, more than it does for most. Though, if I wanted to introduce someone to this console I would probably pick this game, honestly. Levels are great, it’s got a great look, perfectly utilizing both sprites and 3D environments.