Early word is that Artoon has dropped the ball with Yoshi's Island DS (no shock given the developer's history, but where's the oversight, Nintendo?).  EGM gave the game a 6/6/8 (via GameFront) and Chris Kohler (Wired) implies that the game is dull and that there is a blind spot where gameplay can occur between the two screens even though you can't see what's going on.

I still have no idea why Nintendo would trust Artoon with this after the heap that was Topsy Turvy.

I'll post my impressions after I get the game next week.

That would be a damn shame. The original game is one of my favorites (and I spent months trying to get all the red coins).

Was Topsy Turvy really that bad? Despite it being an original platformer, I didn't pay it much attention, since it seemed like another silly Nintendo gimmick (and the emulated version was useless without the ability to tilt).

Hopefully, the core gameplay of YI2 will be fine even with the various flaws. If not...Eh, at least the sequel for New SMB is inevitable, considering how many copies have been sold.

From what I've heard of the music so far (through vgmtrans) ... it's extremely forgettable.  I kept going to the next track thinking "ok, this is it, this will be good music" and was disappointed.
Of course, it may just be a glitch in the playback engine... but... well, it was a lot of music box sounds and not a whole lot of anything else.  I hope for a review once someone gets to play it on hardware. :)

Yeah, almost everyone who has played the game has called the music a liability. A BIG one.

Game Daily at least seems to like it:

http://ds.gamedaily.com/game/review/?ga … 60&id=1413

.... "Yoshi's Island DS bursts with variety, keeping things fresh while the game progresses. The difficulty also helps the game's replay ability, as the levels are peppered with red coins, special flowers, huge character coins, and jumping stars that are a collector's dream come true. Even after finishing the levels, the draw to getting all those red coins or flowers proves great, especially when accomplishing these goals unlocks bonus levels."

"Yoshi's Island DS is a gorgeous 2D game with vibrant colors and lively animation. Every level has a hand-drawn look that is very pleasing, and this style is coupled with colorful characters teeming with personality.  Instead of going overboard with the new features, Yoshi's Island DS sticks to its roots, never forgetting what made the original such a beloved classic. The game's beautiful visual style is complimented by the personality of the characters, and both combine to form a wonderful adventure that can be enjoyed by any Mario fan."

From what I've played of the game, I think that everything except the music is great.  It really feels like a sequel to Yoshi's Island, with a bit more variety.  The dual screen aspect takes a lot of getting used to, though, especially the big gap between screens (though it would be unplayable if the gap didn't exist, I am sure).  The music is just so boring, though; it really sours the experience.

toastyfrog.com, which is an IGN's reviewer's private blog, seems to indicate that this game is not good.  He says a lot of the graphics seem recycled from the GBA game, and the some levels are copied from the GBA game as well. 

I think any hope of this game being good is slowly dissipating.

toastfrog.com has been around quite a lot longer than Parish has been working for EGM/1up.com, actually (not IGN!).

More positive reinforcements.  They all acknowledge the inherent flaws of the game, particularly the blind spot between the screens, but the rest is sounding very good:

Gamespot: 9.1 out of 10
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/action/yoshi … eview.html

Modojo: 4 out of 5 stars
http://www.modojo.com/reviews/ds/yoshis … 61113/426/

IGN: 8.0 out of 10
http://ds.ign.com/articles/745/745698p1.html

well EGM also complained about the difficulty(too hard for kids) I dont care what they gave it.
of course I'm gonna get it and then will give final verdict, I think that game will be a total blast, and I dont expect it to be as good as original Yoshi's Island.

So I took the first six levels of the first world for a spin today.  Was I the only one getting a sense of deja vu when the levels felt like they were lifted straight from the first Yoshi's Island?  Things do begin to get mildly interesting when the baby-swapping takes place, and it is rather neat how you can interchange between top screen viewing and bottom screen viewing.  That blind spot is..... well, I haven't had a problem with it just yet, but I can see it being a potential hazard later down the line.  I'm thinking proficient use of the screen-changing technique could overcome that problem all together, but we'll see.  Yoshi himself feels.... maybe a hair more floaty than he did in the original.  And his jumping, you have to do a full button hold-down jump to hit most blocks.

The music is.... yeah, it's mellow.   I'm getting that Crash Bandicoot in the jungle stages vibe from it.  And a whiff of the Chocobo theme too, for some reason.

I played the first three levels tonight and I agree.  The music is absolutely terrible.  I stopped playing because I couldn't bear to hear it any longer.  The game itself seems ok so far, but I'll need to play more before I can really judge.

Other than the music, I'm abosolutely *loving* this game!  I don't care if it's "more of the same" - it's just SO FUN!!

"The music and sound effects also tickled the listener's ear with flutes, xylophones, animal noises, and other whimsical jangles that were not typically heard in video games." - Gamespot

Can't be Nintendo. They don't use real instruments (but do overuse the DK/animal noises)!

I beat first world on 100%, its absolutely awesome, music is actually pretty good, I like it.
if you liked first game(who didn't?) I totally recommend this awesome sequel to everyone!

I've only played the first three levels yet, and I'm pretty staggered by how fun this game is. I always liked the first Yoshi's Island, and this game seems to be a very good sequel so far. Granted, I'm only about 20 minutes in, but what a fun 20 minutes those have been. The dead zone in the middle of the two screens bugs me, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. Artoon included workarounds in the way of shifting the screens, so that's good.

The...backgrounds...are...lifted...from...the...first...game (made over 10 years ago) =/

Actually, the opposite has happened. I made it to 4-1, but that dead zone is bugging the shit out of me. I can't even enjoy the game anymore. I know that's how it has to be because of the screens... but, still. I don't like it.

Bought it, played up to W3 and sold it.

I hated pretty much everything about it, especially the music.

Then I bought the GBA port of the original for my DS :,D

Yeah, I'm in World 3 and took it out for Super Princess Peach.  I don't know why, but YIDS is a fairly weak game.

Is there actually a blind spot between the two screens as IGN's review indicated?

Yep. Think of the DS's screens as one big vertical screen, but the space between the two screens is as a small wall that bisects this view. You can scroll up and down as a work-around, but that blind spot bugged the hell out of me. Sonic Rush also had this blind spot, but the level design was set up so that when going between the two screens, Sonic would either be dashing, falling or running up so that there wouldn't be any obstacles in the way. Yoshi's Island DS actually has items and blocks hidden in that blind spot. The forced scrolling sections are a pain in the ass.

Yep, I actually did the same exact thing.  Hurray for Player's Choice prices.  Hurray for crayola-style art.  Hurray for GOOD music.