2000s Critics Review Wario Land 4 on Game Boy Advance (Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack)

[@TacoDiceCosas]

Mario steals the spotlight from Donkey Kong and became the hero of his franchise. Wario steals the "Land" series from Mario. Mario: So that's how it feels like.

[@DefunctGames]

That's a really good point and one I had not considered. I guess it's fair play in the end.

[@gligarguy4010]

Wario Land 4 is one of the greatest achievements ever made by mankind.

[@ilbroducciore]

Look guys look.

[@guillaumechau6082]

@@ilbroducciore It's one of my greatest achievements

[@benjaminhould627]

I was addicted to this game as a kid

[@HybridAngelZero]

EGM constantly saying Wario Land 4 is "exactly like" the previous games is so weird, since it really feels nothing like the previous games. To my observation, Wario Lands tend to come in pairs: 1 and Virtual, 2 and 3 and then 4 and Shake It/Shake Dimension. As for my fave? The original on Game Boy, for sure. The twist on the classic Mario formula, with Wario having his own power-ups and an even deeper focus on exploration is just a joy. And yes, I am kind of irritated that we still don't have it or Wario Land II on NSO yet xD

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

Honestly WarioLand 3 feels different enough from 2 thanks to its wholly different t structure

[@jyllianrainbow7371]

I'm guessing they'll probably add Wario Land 1 & 2 next after Wario Land 4, like how they added Donkey Kong Land 2 & 3 shortly after adding Donkey Kong Land 1.

[@DefunctGames]

@jyllianrainbow7371 I think you're 100% right. We'll definitely get Wario Land 1 & 2 before the release of the Switch 2.

[@promaster424]

Weirdly I didn't hear them talk much about the escape mechanic in WarioLand 4. I like it because it test your knowledge on the stage you just went through and it just makes the game feel a lot more unique, both from the other WarioLand titles released by then and any other platformer. That's why it's probably my favorite WarioLand game

[@Rubberman202]

It's particularly odd considering that's probably it's best-known legacy, or at the very least, it's something certain indie developers picked up and iterated upon.

[@rayminishi689]

I think because during the 2000s, countdowns were a standard especially with the amount of Mario games at the time, especially 2D and platformers still having them. So with so many escape scenes or pressuring time limits, it might have felt another gimmick Nowadays, countdowns arent so common, not even in Mario Wonder has a timer for stages. So looking back it certainly has a charm in Wario Land 4

[@promaster424]

@rayminishi689 Yea, but usually countdowns were used every time you went through the stage, not when you have to go back to the start. In my opinion WarioLand 4 did a pretty good spin on the platformer genre.

[@DanTheMan33088]

One of my favorite GBA games of all time

[@Joe_334]

Playing a Wario Land game and seeing how drastically different it was from a typical Super Mario Game, is like trying a different flavored candy...

[@kitestar]

wario’s greatest achievement, wario land 4 …when I was a wee lad i used to be spooked by wario land 4’s escape sequences, but now that pizza tower and Anton blast exist, I gained new respect for the idea of escape sequences QOTD: if I were to pick just one wario game, it’s gunna be a tie between Virtual boy wario land and wario world on the GameCube

[@DARKDERD5854]

Intro is perfect!

[@billbruns1628]

EGM was on some hard drugs. Wario Land 3 is quite different from Wario Land 4. Wario Land 3 is basically a straight puzzle game with ability gating. It's a Metroid adjacent game. Wario Land 4 leans far into action, especially the escape sequences and bosses. Both are great games. My taste leans a more towards Wario Land 3 for its puzzle focus.

[@looney1023]

This game is a fucking fever dream

[@ivanzoneBR]

Wow already? Didnt expect this video to be so soon

[@DefunctGames]

Even when a game is announced a week ahead of time, I like to have the Review Crew episode up the day after the big reveal.

[@UndeadEggmiester]

Honestly i like how Nintendo is now doing this one game a week or every few weeks. It makes it feel better compared to three ir more games every few months. My favorite wario game is the original one in gb than followed by shake it

[@RayMareach]

We haven’t gotten many Mario games though. We still need some really good ones.

[@RayMareach]

We still need Wario Land 1 and 2! Donkey Kong 94 and Mario Vs. Donkey Kong would be cool too.

[@matthewbankey5547]

I’ve been consumed by the love fans and gamers have for Wario Land 4, with all the videos I’ve seen not only praising the gameplay, level design, and boss battles, but also the artistic merits of the game, with the developers even saying they were allowed to get away with stuff they’d never put in a Mario game, just because it’s a Wario game. The soundtrack, in particular the Sound Room music, is some of the most avant garde stuff Nintendo has ever put in any of their games, and that’s not a joke or exaggeration! Maybe it’s because of all that stuff that I’m a little taken aback by critics of the time saying Wario Land 4 is just “more of the same”, even from people praising the game. I love all the Wario Land games, and while they have their similarities, I feel like there’s a world of difference between Wario Land 4 and it’s comparatively slower-paced, exploration-focused predecessor Wario Land 3. If nothing else, I hope when Wario Land 4 is added to NSO, people will finally see how brilliant and fun this game is!

[@electricturbodata9368]

Yeah, nothing wrong with the video, but these old reviews were tripe. Seemingly they didn't understand almost any of the many aspects that makes Wario Land 4 such a fantastic game.

[@DefunctGames]

@electricturbodata9368 That's what makes looking at these old reviews and classic magazines so interesting. It's both a snapshot of where people's opinions were at the time, but also a way to chronicle how games journalism has changed and evolved over time.

[@AmoralTom]

Got this for Christmas 2001. Countless AA batteries were used.

[@SAsaiyajin]

That advertisement was genius!!!😂😂😂 Those were worth it to watch the commercial breaks.

[@DefunctGames]

It's so much fun looking up the different commercials and including them in these Review Crew episodes. Some a really funny (and weird).

[@garfreeek]

It's way too short, but what's there is so much fun! Great pick up and play games and loads of fun to replay, speedrun and 100%

[@cyberpunknut1099]

Love this game. Played it on the 3DS ambassador program. QOTD, Favorite Mario game is virtual boy Mario land. Hopefully Nintendo brings some of those virtual boy games over.

[@Austinator0630]

The Virtual Boy was far too much of a failure for Nintendo to care.

[@aaronsarchive82]

HURRY UP! WAAAAAAHAHAHAHA! OKAY! OHOHNO!

[@giornothepastaboss285]

I went to a convention last summer. I got the game for $37. Holy shit. It’s amazing to hurry up and the soundtrack so good.

[@CCJRetro]

Warioware for the GameCube is my favorite Wario game.

[@Rubberman202]

Mega Party Games?

[@Melonposting]

@@Rubberman202 No, the other Gamecube WarioWare

[@SataniaMcDowel]

The ADS lolololol

[@LilithMoonxx]

these critics were so lazy back then, warioland 4 is so different than the other entries in the series. so many masterful things about its presentation and pace were very far ahead of its time and they don't make anything like it today play pizza tower

[@MrJamess1982]

I’m always happy to see more games added but where are Wario Land 1 and 2? Seems weird that so far we only have Wario Land 3.

[@pdaigle531]

This is pretty cool considering how Wario Land 4 is considered the best of the original games. I also think it’s neat this game inspired the creation of Pizza Tower (another really good game). 👍🏻

[@chilly6470]

Never played it before so, just checked to see if it's on my Trimui Brick and yes it is. I've been enjoying it for the past hour or so....

[@superplush9987]

I wish Nintendo made more games like virtual boy wario land. It has incredible physics that I haven't seen in any other game

[@Rubberman202]

QOTD: Favorite Wario game? Well, I guess it'd have to be Wario Land 4, though I also played a lot of Wario Land 3 back in the day. Wario World also is a good embodiment of my ideal Wario, really weird and wacky, but also a total badass! It's hard to pick just one Wario game for me, since he's my favorite video game character! As for Wario Land 4 specifically, it's another game I played quite a bit as a kid when I first got a Game Boy Advance. While I like Wario and Wario Land as a whole, I can't deny that Wario Land 4 specifically is something special, something I don't think a lot of people appreciated at the time. I truly believe it's one of the best 2D platformers ever produced under Nintendo, right up there with Yoshi's Island and the Donkey Kong Country series. The recent resurgence in love appreciation for Wario Land is, I think, done in part due to the memetic status of that "Wario's Greatest Achievement" quote from Living With Wario Episode 2, but also mostly thanks to the increase in indie games directly inspired by Wario Land 4, most notably Pizza Tower and ANTONBLAST. While I'm always happy to see games I love added to Nintendo Switch Online, this addition got me more hyped than most, specifically because I love to see people who've never played Wario Land 4 finally try it out and see what all the fuss is about. Perhaps then Wario and his series of side-scrolling platformers will finally get the respect they deserve! (and maybe Nintendo will finally make a new one?)

[@superbros64deluxe]

You're on the ball defunct 🏀, on schedule per usual to put this out, Also quick question but have you played any of the recent "Wario-like" trending games? (Pizza tower, Antonblast) and if so out of the two which do you think does a better job of capturing that land 4 magic?

[@DefunctGames]

I haven't played Pizza Tower, but I have covered Antonblast in two different videos. Antonblast (Review): kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXTWpmqgdrBmpLM Top 10 Games You (Probably) Didn’t Play in 2024: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2q8c2ybrZpqp5I

[@Mer.Saloon]

@@DefunctGames Now that all 3 are on Switch you should do a fun video comparing them.

[@superbros64deluxe]

​@@Mer.Saloon agreed

[@superbros64deluxe]

​@@DefunctGamesi did see "games you probably didn't play" forgot it was featured there to be honest

[@Austinator0630]

Pizza Tower & Antonblast are pathetic attempts to uphold the legacy of a series whose reputation has been tarnished permanently by Nintendo.

[@poil8351]

now all they need is wario land 1 and 2 since they have 3 and 4. and i hope they finnish off the remaining donkey kong games soon since their is like only about 2 or 3 left.

[@DefunctGames]

I agree, they definitely need to finish out the Donkey Kong series. And I'm not just saying that because I already have those episodes written and prepped. I swear.

[@emilyadams9986]

I really like Wario Land 2. Wario Land 4 is beautiful and colourful, but I got stuck in the first level; unable to break through the first supposedly breakable block.

[@wesleyhelmick5483]

They picked WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOO

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

I Love WarioLand 4, but 3 has to be my fav. It’s structure is so unique and satisfying

[@Jill-ql5sr]

I agree I prefer 3 over 4.

[@EWOODJ]

I prefer 2

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

@@EWOODJ That one also works, a bit basic imo tho

[@JenMistress]

Guess if you think about it, he's getting the coins for the one who he loves the most. Sure, it's himself, but still love there. 😉😂🤣 I looked, have a ROM of this, so even though never played it, I could check it out. As for the question, I've not played any of them, so can't say that I have a fav. And Question B, yeah, mostly for a visual stand point, seeing the missing games I'm sure is annoying.

[@flamingsword2548]

Reminder this game inspired pizza tower with its run to the beginning of the level to escape mechanic the star mechanic which none of the reviews mention :/

[@kaosblack8801]

Antonblast

[@flamingsword2548]

@kaosblack8801 yes but pizza tower released first and it's the one I have played so I'd thought I'd mention it

[@wariodude128]

Wario Land 3 is my favourite of the series and is my top game of all time. Also consider Metroid Fusion more of a successor to it than 4, especially after learning it was called Wario Land Advance in Japan.Actually wrote an essay awhile back about why Wario Land 3 is the most unique metroidvana ever made, then did a reading of it on my channel. Really hoping one day to make a game just like it but better, which could become a reality now with the tiny genre called Wario-like existing.

[@Joker22593]

I'm sure you knew, but Wario Land 4 and Metroid Fusion run on the same game engine.

[@wariodude128]

@@Joker22593 Not surprised, since Wario Land 4 assets can apparently be found within Metroid Fusion's code.

[@retrovideogamejunkie]

It has vibrant colors cos the gba og dark screen?

[@DefunctGames]

I think it's more that the game is so bright and vibrant that they still manage to show up, even with the GBA's dark (unlit) screen.

[@Jensofgens]

even in the 2000s critics were bitter miserable little morons, damn

[@leguy5662]

Waiting for Wario Land 5

[@RayMareach]

I want a Wario Land: Shake It! port before we get that. I never played it.

[@Rubberman202]

If you want to be technically, Wario Land 4 IS Wario Land 5. That's because, in release order, the Wario Land games include: 1.) Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 2.) Virtual Boy Wario Land 3.) Wario Land II 4.) Wario Land 3 5.) Wario Land 4 6.) Wario Land: Shake It!

[@RayMareach]

@@Rubberman202 you can stop talking now

[@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC]

All we have to do now is wait for Wario Land 1 and 2 for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color... and that weird Mario and Wario game where Mario has a bucket over his head, and players need to use the SNES Mouse to guide him safely to the other side. That game will most likely be on the Switch 2 because of all the mouse Joy-Con capabilities of that console.

[@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC]

If anyone is curious, the game that uses the SNES Mouse is called Mario and Wario and was only available in Japan on the Super Famicom. SNES Drunk reviewed the game a few years ago.

[@DefunctGames]

Here's hoping that the Switch 2's mouse functionality will open up the possibilities of games like Mario Paint and Mario & Wario to show up on the NSO. Maybe even some of those Super Scope 6 games that no longer work on HD/4K TVs.

[@poil8351]

I guess there are few of those weird tilty games and ones that used a mouse that will most likely release with the switch 2.

[@jyllianrainbow7371]

I'd bet that Wario Land 1 & 2 are next.

[@Ag3ntW1nd3x]

The best gba game!!!

[@HunnysPlaylists]

this game is totally disturbing.

[@Makeshift_Mulder]

I feel like Wario is constantly restating Nintendo's corporate ethos.

[@gligarguy4010]

You say that like it's a bad thing. If anything, more evidence Wario deserves the spotlight over Mario.

[@CCJRetro]

That is a bad thing... I agree, though, Wario is a much better mascot for modern Nintendo.

[@Mer.Saloon]

@@CCJRetro You really don't know your history if you think modern Nintendo isn't a reflection of their past.

[@Melonposting]

@@Mer.Saloon If that were true, their modern remasters of their old games would actually be good

[@Mer.Saloon]

@ Aside from Donkey Kong, I don't know what you mean. The rest of them are really good.

[@RayMareach]

Why do you say Mario Land 1 and 2 are flawed? 1, I get, the physics aren’t good, but 2 is really fun. It feels like a downgraded version of Super Mario World but the carrot is as awesome as the cape feather. Wonder was missing a flying power up now that I think about it so it was pointless to add the top speed P run.

[@EWOODJ]

Wouldn’t called it “downgraded”, more like a different take.

[@RayMareach]

@ well the game is super short, but that doesn’t stop it from being good! Some games are so fun I wish they weren’t so short, like Braid.

[@Real_The_Goof]

I hate how washed out GBA and GBC games are on the Switch online

[@gamesthatiplay9083]

It was the first Wario game worth playing.

[@RakoonCD]

Honestly I enjoyed the other games more than 4

[@UnovaKing48]

Vore