E3 2006 was big on surprises, especially on Nintendo’s end. One of the most pleasant surprises in the DS line-up this year at E3 was Yoshi’s Island 2 -- a game that nobody could have predicted, and by a developer nobody would have guessed. If this build is any indication, the game is well on it’s way to being every bit as good as it’s SNES based predecessor, a game which some people consider the greatest platformer of all time. It would also be a beautiful feather in the cap of developer Artoon, who’s famous for their work on Microsoft’s Blinx series.

Yoshi’s Island 2 retains all of the audio/visual charm of it’s forbearer. Everything has definitely been upgraded though, as this was one of the prettiest looking games in the crowd of DS games offered. Either way, anyone who’s played the previous game will know what to expect here, and sorry to those of you who hoped they’d do something about that awful sound Baby Mario makes when crying. You will be disappointed to hear it’s back and as grating as ever.

The good news is that Baby Mario won’t be alone on this adventure. Baby Princess Peach will be playable, as will Baby Donkey Kong, so now there’s at least two more annoying crying babies to hear. Each baby offers a new ability for Yoshi to use. Baby Mario makes Yoshi run quickly; Baby Peach has a parasol which she uses to propel Yoshi skyward if there is an air current beneath them, and Baby DK lets Yoshi use a powerful shoulder charge ability. Yoshi can switch between them on the fly, so you can bet the puzzles and levels will require the use of all of them.

The rest of the basic gameplay remains the same as the original. Yoshi can eat enemies and create eggs with them, eggs which are then used as weapons to be thrown by Yoshi. If Yoshi is hit by an enemy or obstacle the baby on his back will fly off and must be regained in a limited amount of time or you’ll lose a life. Yoshi’s flutter jump also makes a triumphant return. The game handles just as well as it did on the SNES, so any worries about the controls should be put to rest.

The top screen is used, but only to display more of the level. Sometimes a gust of air will propel Yoshi onto that screen, or he’ll have to fire eggs cross-screen to knock enemies down. The touch-screen at this point doesn’t seem to be used at all. It doesn’t seem to matter though, as Yoshi’s Island 2 plays amazingly without it. Keep your eye out for more details on this game as time goes on.