I won't deny it...I'm a Nintendo girl. That's why when Monkeboy1916 wrote to inform us here at QJ that he's come up with a Nintendo Style mod for PSP Revolution, I knew I just had to check it out. The problem is, I suck at any Revolution game (call it two left feet and butterfingers!)...but since I've always harbored a great love affair with Ninty characters, I set out to try this game.

PSP Revolution Nintendo Style v1.0 was co-developed by ForScythe. As the name suggests, songs and themes are all taken from popular Nintendo games - Yoshi, Tetris, Star Fox, Pac Man, Kirby, Donkey Kong, and of course, mario. Arrows and menus have also been modded in this 'brew. Currently, there are 18 songs included in this game.

Monkeyboy1916 would like to thank Person917 for providing him the idea to create this mod and RomStampede for the Mario and Donkey Kong backgrounds. The developer is still undecided as to whether he'll be continuing this project so if you like this mod and you think there should be a second version, don't forget to show Nintendo Style v1.0 some love by leaving your comments below.

Now on to the songs...

Zelda

The Legend of Zelda series is an action, adventure, role-playing, and puzzle-solving title that became a big hit with gamers, once taking the number one position in G4's "100 Greatest Games of All Time".

One of the most popular titles in the series is Ocarina of Time, selling a total of 7.6 million copies worldwide. In this game, Link has to learn how to play a certain music to move along the game. As it's the Zelda title where music is an integral part, it is not surprising for Monkeyboy1916 and ForScythe to choose two songs from it. Mash your fingers to Saria's Song and Hyrule Castle in the Zelda portion of this mod.


Yoshi

Who doesn't know Yoshi, that fictional dinosaur who was first introduced as Mario's primary mode of transportation? The cute and happy dino has been featured in a couple of Ninty titles, including his own Yoshi's Story. Although highly-criticized for being too short and too easy, Yoshi's Story was still a big hit and was even re-released under Nintendo's Player's Choice branding (meaning it had sold over a million copies).

As Yoshi is all about color and happiness, it was just a bit disappointing seeing the very green dino in a very white background. And although I'm not a big techno fan, the techno remix was fairly easy to "dance" to...compared to the original Yoshi theme which have been dubbed by some reviews as "irritating".


Tetris

I'm happy, my favorite Tetris music was used in this mod. Music A - which was based on the Tchaikovsky-composed Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - was given a techno feel in Nintendo Style. If future versions appear, I'd also like to see Music B and Cmake its way to the list.


Star Fox

Okay, I haven't really heard of Star Fox, and that's because I wasn't really big on shooter games when I was young. This 1993-released game was a big hit due to its being the first 3D-esque title to ever hit home consoles. The musical compositions of Hajime Hirasawa also helped spawn this game to popularity. Hear the Star Fox theme again on a techno remix and see if your fingers can move along to its beat.


Pac-Man

If you haven't heard of Pac-Man, I don't know where you've been to. This one's a classic, come on! Now if you think you've
heard the song enough to be able to conquer its finger-mashing combo in this PSP Revolution mod, then give the techno remixed song a try. Don't be too confident if you get the first five hits, it gets harder...I promise.

Note: This had the best background in this mod!

Mario

I'm not shy of admitting it: I've had a huge crush on Mario eversince I was five. Not that he's cute, he was just the first guy I played with...and despite his being a videogame character, I grew fond of him. So it was but natural that I zro in on the Mario part of Nintendo Style before trying out the other songs.

Being one of the biggest Nintendo franchise, there were a lot of songs for Monkeyboy1916 and ForScythe to choose from; eight Mario themes are included in this one. Although three were remixes (Super Mario World Matrix Mix, Super Mario Bros. 3 Re,ix, and Mario Techno Theme), I was still happy to see the Mario Bros. Original theme find its way into the list.

Most of the songs (others included are the Mario Bros. 2 Theme, Koopa's Theme, Flying Mario, and Dr. Mario Theme) have really slow starts but they do speed up resulting to a more enjoyable game. Koopa's Theme was hard...period.

With a huge number of Mario backgrounds available, it was just a bit sad seeing Mario characters set against plain white backgrounds. Hopefully, the next release (if there will be one) will have more colorful backgrounds.


Kirby

After trying out the Mario songs, Kirby was next on my stop. I just love that typical kawaii look - stubby arms, red cheek-blushes. On to the songs...

Kirby's Dreamland started out a bit slow. Don't let that dreamy tune deceive you though - after a series of slow arrow combos, the arrows will soon fly faster than you can say "Kirby!" Kirby Theme starts out with a flurry of lefts and rights making it seem easy. But just like Dreamland, things get harder. Kirby Techno Remix took so long to start (20 seconds?), I thought it wasn't functional.


Donkey Kong

The music included is the one from Donkey Kong 64, James Norwood Jr.'s Donkey Kong Rap.


If you enjoyed this one, and Monkeyboy1916's previous releases, you would have another PSP Revolution od to look out for - Pokemon style (I hope, Chansey makes an appearance!!!). When that is completed, another Anime Style mod may also come our way. Remember, if you want to see a second version of the Nintendo Style, let Monkeyboy1916 and ForScythe know about it. For now, the download's below, have fun!