I doubt those little G&W games will ever get tiresome. It’s really amazing. Many of them are more than 20 years old, yet they continue to offer brilliant gaming experiences that many modern games can only dream of. Obviously, the key is simplicity - the fact that they are so easy to understand, combined with an almost flawless difficulty curve. They are perhaps the ultimate proof that visuals and sounds are tremendously inferior elements, when it comes to making a great game. And so, having realised their undying popularity, Nintendo are now ready with the fourth installment of their G&W Gallery series. And with more Nintendo classics included than ever before, this game is almost destined to be good.

Even though G&W Gallery 4 marks the series’ first step into GBA territory, it’s obvious that the structure and feel of the game are more or less exactly like the GBC versions. Nintendo haven’t taken the series to crazy new heights, but that’s probably a good thing. Just take a look at all the terrible Tetris clones that hopelessly attempt to offer ”fancy” new gameplay variants without even getting the original idea right. In G&W Gallery, the only things that keep the games from being 100% faithful recreations are the GBA’s lack of the special dual screen display that some G&W games used, coupled with the slight differences in button layout - hardly something the game can be blamed for. Otherwise, this is completely like embarking on a journey, taking you 20 years back in time. Ahh, the memories…

Anyway, you start out with 6 G&W games. As always, the objective is to gain lots and lots of points. For every 200 points earned, you’re awarded a star, and more stars equals more secrets becoming available. The Museum, which is where you learn about other G&W games from Nintendo’s past, will expand to include more games and, likewise, in the Music Room you’ll be able to listen to an increasing number of tunes. Most importantly, you’ll unlock the remaining 5 games, bringing the total up to 11. They are:

Donkey Kong: Avoid the barrels thrown by DK and make your way to the crane to exit the level.

Donkey Kong Junior: Mario has captured DK and DK Jr. has to grab the key and rescue him.

Donkey Kong 3: Compete against Donkey Kong to send bees to one another by blasting them with your spray bottles.

Mario Bros: Mario and Luigi must work together in order to move packages up the conveyor belts to the delivery truck.

Mario’s Cement Factory: Mario has to use the elevators and empty 4 cement tanks, which can only hold three fillings each.

Boxing: Lean backwards to defend yourself and use a combination of low and high punches to KO your opponent.

Rain Shower: The objective is to keep the clothes from getting wet by moving the 4 clothes lines.

Fire: People are falling from a tall building that is on fire, and it’s your job to rescue them by bouncing them up in the air 3 times, until they reach the ambulance.

Fire Attack: Protect the fort by knocking down enemies, approaching from four different sides.

Chef: Cook up a meal by flipping your frying pan.

Octopus: The goal is to reach the treasure at the bottom of the sea, while avoiding the giant octopus’ tentacles.

Furthermore, in the instruction booklet, it says that if you collect enough stars, the games in the Museum will become playable as well. That would bring the total up even further to a staggering 20. Personally, I haven’t gotten to this point yet, though.

What is perhaps the biggest disappointment is the fact that quite a few of the games were included in the GBC installments as well. To those who own these, the amount of truly new stuff here is somewhat limited. A two-player link-up feature does help a little bit, but only Donkey Kong 3 and Boxing take advantage of this, and since these are among the weakest games included, this option gets boring within minutes.

As in the GBC installments, all 11 games come equipped with Modern Modes as well. (I doubt the ones in the Museum have them). These offer a different take on the original. For example, in Mario’s Cement Factory the cement has been replaced by cookie dough, and in Boxing you’re controlling Luigi and fighting against Wiggler, Boo, and even Waluigi. It’s definitely a fun idea, and there is a vast number of references to old, familiar Nintendo characters to be found, which is very pleasing. Overall, though, I only found the modern versions to be fun, initially. They didn’t quite possess the long-term appeal of the classics, mainly because of their lower difficulty level. In Boxing, for example, just hammer the A and B buttons as quickly as possible to win. It’s a complete button-masher and very unbalanced. Furthermore, the controls aren’t very responsive in the first place, making it hard to quickly switch between high and low punches. It has to be said, though, that this is probably the only case in which I experienced sluggish controls. Mostly they’re spot-on, which is only to be expected of a game of this type.

The modern modes boast somewhat smoother gameplay and, of course, updated graphics, sounds and tunes. I must say I’m really impressed by the wealth of tunes. There are approximately 25 of them, and they’re all catchy and suit the light-hearted nature of the games perfectly. The same can be said about the sound effects. Cute and Nintendo-like are the best words to describe them.

It must have been relatively easy to come up with respectable visuals for a game so simple in design. On the other hand, it’s hard to critizise Nintendo on their work. The classic versions look spot-on (they even have that special liquid-crystal display look) while the modern ones look colorful and vibrant. Compared to its predecessors the difference isn’t particularly noticeable, save for slightly better animations.

In conclusion, this game is a must-have for anyone who isn’t familar with G&W. For those who are, the experience will be considerably more limited. The modern modes with updated graphics and sounds are very good, but, ultimately, they are not what’s carrying this game. What’s carrying this game is that you get 20 slices of pure, classic Nintendo gameplay.