The original Yoshi's Island is a beloved platform game that has managed to remain fresh and enjoyable for more than a decade. In fact, the staff is so enamored with it that we proudly named it the number one greatest Mario game of all time and rightfully so. Not only does it feature tricky puzzles and classic play, but its colorful pastel style is strikingly unique. So with that being said, the upcoming DS sequel, Yoshi's Island 2 has a lot to live up to. However, based on what I've seen, Nintendo and developer Artoon are on track to deliver one of the most entertaining titles of 2006.

Once again, the sequel takes place (where else?) on Yoshi's island, except this time around, a new menace has invaded this peaceful land and wrecked havoc on the unsuspecting populace. A humongous, menacing cloud (that I'm sure will appear dark and sinister) has floated into paradise and set up shop directly above the island. And if that's not horrible enough, it's somehow found a way to kidnap lots of children except the ones that really matter. Baby Mario, baby Peach, and baby Donkey Kong have managed to escape capture, and with the help of Yoshi (or multiple Yoshis, seeing as how they come in various colors), the pint-sized platform heroes set out to not only rescue their fellow island dwellers but destroy the mysterious cloud.

The last time I saw this game was at E3 2006 and Nintendo revealed a few of the new features, the most striking being the number of babies. The original Yoshi's Island is all about Mario, but this time around he's got to share the spotlight with DK and Princess Peach. Actually, considering how very little I've seen, it's possible that there's lots more, so don't rule out baby Toad, baby Luigi, or (and this would be a sight) baby Wario.

Similar to the original, you take control of Yoshi and use his special abilities to defeat the bad guys and clear the game's levels. You can jump into the air and make use of Yoshi's special flutter maneuver, or you can just eat everything in sight, then poop out an egg that can be tossed at enemies or used to solve puzzles. However, unlike in the original game, the babies actually give Yoshi special powers. With Mario in tow, you'll be able to deliver a powerful stomping maneuver on your foes, but the other babies are equally useful. DK lets you lower your shoulder and charge into bad guys, and Peach whips out her umbrella, which allows Yoshi to float for a limited period of time; the floating is especially important because it'll enable you to reach parts of levels that are inaccessible while using Mario and DK.

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