Terribly short game reviews

Some games I finished recently.

MEGA MAN 9 (2008, Wii )
Completely unoriginal but very solidly designed. B

GRAND THEFT AUTO: CHINATOWN WARS (2009, DS)
Such stupid, stupid writing but otherwise very good most of the time. B+

BRAID (2008, Xbox 360 )
Stunning visuals, moody music, clever gameplay, with a plot that’s about as clear as a David Lynch movie. A

F-ZERO X (1998, Nintendo 64)
Very smooth racing game, bringing the established F-Zero style into 3D. B+

METAL SLUG: FIRST MISSION (1999, NeoGeo Pocket Color)
Run n’ gun action like its arcade cousins but with deeper elements (prison camp escapes, skydiving, nonlinear progression). B+

NEW ADVENTURE ISLAND (1991, TurboGrafx-16)
I always call this series the “poor man’s Mario” and this one delivers. C

SUPER MARIO LAND 2: 6 GOLDEN COINS (1992, Game Boy)
I’ve beaten this game a few times but I just played through it again at Allison Payne’z house. It’s pretty good but too short and not QUITE Mario-ish enough. B