Yo! Noid 1990 By: Capcom

Overview:

For those that are new to this game, I know what you're thinking: "The mascot for Dominoes in his own game? A recipe for disaster." This one was made by Capcom as well, and you know what else they made? Mega Man. And before you get any negative thoughts, let the word be known that Yo! Noid is not a waste. Despite this game being nothing more than an advertisement for Dominoes, Yo! Noid is actually a pretty fun game.

The game play, the most important aspect, doesn't fail in being enjoyable. The levels are in a linear aspect like many sidescrollers for the NES. There are also pretty unique boss battles, fights which are played in a pizza card type system. I'll explain this later in the Directions.

The music, despite being under the guidance of Capcom, isn't what I'd expect from the people that made Mega Man. It isn't annoying to the point where you want to turn the sound down, so it's bearable at the most.

Yo! Noid's graphics are what you'd expect on the NES and everything looks like it should. The Noid, you can tell who he is right away. The enemy design is cartoonish and fits the mood of the game, and everything moves pretty well.

A little known fact about this game is that it was originally a title in Japan called "Kamen no Ninja Hanamaru", translated as "Masked Ninja Hanamaru." Released for the Famicom during the same year as Yo! Noid by Capcom as well, many a hardcore gamer is aware of this fact. While the overall look is different from Masked Ninja Hanamaru, none of the game mechanics had gotten an overhaul while making Yo! Noid, or any real changes at all. Card battles turned pizza eating contests and slightly altered tunes, a semi-new gamer would be surprised.






There have been many a cheap game made just for the sake of seeking a monetary value. But a few games of these games have been enjoyable to an extent, such as M.C. Kids and 7-Up Spot. Yo! Noid fits into this category and everything seems right about it, despite the fact that the Noid isn't what a lot of people would consider "right" in the first place. This game offers a good challenge and I recommend it to those gamers who are thirsty for something new. Oh, and a little fun fact for you: if you looked at the back of the physical game manual, you'd find a $1 off Dominoes coupon.

Directions:

Yo! Noid is a game of challenge, and the first indication of this is the lack of a life meter for the Noid. This means that if he's hit by an enemy, only once, he dies and you lose a life. So at times, you'll find yourself memorizing certain spots in order to overcome them easier. But you'll need to move hastily; you have a time limit.

The Noid has a very unique means of offense to the enemies coming at him: his trusty yo-yo. With one whip of this yo-yo, he can attack enemies and cause them to fly off of the screen. Also, by collecting the scrolls in the levels, you can heighten the Noid's magic meter or find power-ups, the latter of which are found by opening large scrolls with the yo-yo.

Speaking on the magic abilities of the Noid, he can use them but at a cost. Using magic depletes the magic meter at the bottom of the screen and must be replenished with the use of scrolls: small ones filling one unit and large ones filling five units. These large scrolls could also contain the magic abilities. Amongst these are the Light Burst which kills all enemies on screen and the Dark Noid which gives our hero temporary running and jumping boosts.

What really separates this title from the rest in the NES library, or the whole video game spectrum for that matter, is the pizza-eating contests you'll find yourself in. Taking place at the end of every odd numbered stage, these serve as your bosses. The object of these card game battles is to eat more pizza than your differently colored Noid opponent. In order to win, you have to fill your pizza meter completely before your opponent does, and choosing your pizza cards wisely is how you do it. You have to choose a number of pizzas, and try to choose more than your opponent: if you choose a greater number than he does, you win the difference. To tilt the odds more in your favor, bonus cards can be found in the levels and can be useful, the pepper cards making your opponent lose a turn and the roman numeral cards multiplying their value double or triple.

Like with many games, Yo! Noid gives you the opportunity to compete in bonus levels. By access of invisible portals, you'll find yourself in games that resemble "Whack-A-Mole." You walk around an area with either 10 or 12 holes and you have to strike the moles as they pop out of their hiding places. If you hit enough during the elapsed time of 30 seconds, you get an extra continue and, if you're in an odd numbered stage, lets you skip the pizza-eating contest. Keep in mind, though: these bonus levels are nothing short of a challenge, and failure to clear these bonus levels results in the loss of a life and going back to the beginning of the level.