This is a classic example of Nintendo releasing something silly and fun that nobody cares about.

I mean, come on. We all knew that the DK Bongos would not be used for f-all else but this one line of rhythm games (We got two of them; I think Japan got three.) Nintendo managed to squeak out the innovative Jungle Beat in a surprise move, but, like the eReader before it, the Bongos' future strength was decided by the lack of present sales.

The Konga project was actually done by Namco, not Nintendo, who would later sideline a PS2 version (Taiko Drum Master) without any pretense of ever using the drum peripheral again. Donkey Konga and Taiko Drum Master are therefore bizarrely identical games, with Taiko just edging out with a better song list. Both games, however, include a terrible version of Love Shack.

Donkey Konga's biggest failing - apart from killing your arms in 20 minutes - is the decidedly low-fi presentation. The backgrounds are filled with Donkey Kong Country renders that amount to animated gifs, and the menu structure is obnoxious thanks to the Bongos' lack of a d-pad. Nintendo could have gotten a lot more mileage out of this one had they just worked with Namco to amp up the look to something more than SNES levels. (Perhaps not ironically, Taiko Drum Master arrived with a stylized, cartoony look far superior to DK's 3D renders of dancing banana chickens.)

Memory Score: Be fair... that "konga" pun was pitch-perfect.

It's one of the strongest Mario sub-brands, but the Paper Mario series doesn't seem to get the respect it deserves. I don't know anybody who played either game, on N64 or the Cube. And I almost never see anybody talking about it. Both games probably arrived too late in their respective console's life cycle to create much impact.

Whereas on the N64, where the case could be made that everything is made of flat "paper" because the cartridge could more easily handle the 2D graphics, the Cube sequel took the flat look and OWNED it. Mario was given abilities befitting a two dimensional character - rolling into a tube, folding into an airplane - and bosses showed up as complex origami-esque constructions. Paper Mario 2 also took advantage of the GameCube's power to spotlight sequences featuring hundreds of flowing and thronging sprites.

All around, it's a terribly clever game. The turn-based combat never gets boring; the RPG stat elements are streamlined and intuitive; the adventure offers a linear path but plenty of free-roaming sidequests. And for some reason, Nintendo allows this franchise of the Mushroom Kingdom to have a self-deprecating, inwardly sarcastic vibe... resulting in gags like Luigi fabricating his own amazing adventure because he usually never has anything to do.

Memory Score: I love the character designs on this series!

A letdown saved only by virtue of the easy-access multiplayer.

We're getting closer to the mythical Great Super-Hero Game, but X-Men: Legends is too similar to all of those awful arcade games where you fought endless streams of palette-swapped bad guys. Except now it has a worse camera angle.

The hook here is that you can CREATE YOUR OWN X-MEN TEAM from A ROSTER OF YOUR FAVORITE COMIC GREATS. But they're mostly the same, functionally. Wolverine punching with claws equals Colossus punching with fists. There's a half-assed RPG mode where you can push powers and stats by increments, but by the end of the game everybody is going to be maxxed anyway, so why bother. There's even an Auto toggle that pluses the skills for you, so that should reveal just how important it is.

The coolest feature is using the shoulder button as a shift to access a second set of attacks - your MUTANT POWERS - but even those are all samey. Toss in the usual nonsensical labyrinth level designs and typical boned camera motions (including dragging other players to their death), and you've got a nicely mediocre multiplayer game.

But when you're scrabbling for multiplayer co-op, you'll take what you can get. Why is that still so rare? Are we still beholden to the unfair characterization that video gamers are solitary beasts? I would have thought that online play and, you know, marriage would have killed that by now.

Memory Score: It just takes a few Morlocks to kill off every X-Men. Remember that.

Next time: another N64 sequel (not so great this time), a party you can talk to (a good attempt at innovating), and the GameCube's final trump card (you know what I'm talking about)