What Are You Currently Playing? 6.65: Neighbor of the Beast

[talonmalon333]

I've met maybe five people who like Sunshine. I'd say the two camps are the people that call the Galaxy games the best, and the shrinking group of people who call 64 the best. But most seem to call Sunshine a disappointment.

[Foggle]

I actually think the 3D games (barring 3D Land) got progressively better, but I like all of them. I haven't played 3D World yet, though.

[talonmalon333]

Did you once say you weren't a huge fan of Galaxy, Foggle (at least, not as much as most including Spark and I)?

[Foggle]

I don't like how you control the game (give me a good old-fashioned gamepad any day), but I like the game. And I love Galaxy 2.

[talonmalon333]

I personally think it's one of those games where the controller basically disappears into the game, as it should.

[Kiddington]

Well I love 64 and abhor Sunshine; what camp does that put me in? 

[gunswordfist]

The "most people" camp.

[talonmalon333]

I feel like most people say...

1. Galaxy 2
2. Galaxy
3. 64
4. Sunshine

[gunswordfist]

Well, I was just referring to Sunshine and 64.

[talonmalon333]

Well, I was just referring to Sunshine and 64.

I know. I was just throwing it in there. I think most seem to love 64 and the Galaxy games, while reception for Sunshine seems to range from merely liking to downright hating, with only a few in there loving it.

[Foggle]

To be honest, I think Super Mario 64 feels a bit sterile in comparison to later 3D platformers. It lacks the personality and tight controls of many games that came afterward. And the soundtrack is pretty bland/annoying aside from a few standout tunes.

Of course, most people would disagree and tell me to commit suicide for saying that.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I don't agree that it has no personality, but I do kind of get what you mean about it being somewhat sterile in terms of the level design. Still, that's only a result of other games improving on the mechanics that it help set up, which is bound to happen over the years. I mean, Super Mario Bros. 3 makes the original look so basic in comparison that it's almost easy to forget what an achievement it was for its time. However, later Super Mario games wouldn't be nearly as good if they didn't have such solid fundamentals to build off of in the first place.

The same is true for Super Mario 64, in regard to 3D platformers.

[talonmalon333]

To be honest, I think Super Mario 64 feels a bit sterile in comparison to later 3D platformers. It lacks the personality and tight controls of many games that came afterward. And the soundtrack is pretty bland/annoying aside from a few standout tunes.

It's a little hard to go back to after playing Galaxy. But I do think it's full of charm and has a lot of variety and solid levels. I'm also a fan of the music. The castle, save file, Bowser level, wing cap, and water level themes are all classics to me.

[Foggle]

Oh, I don't think it has no personality at all. I just don't think it's as charming as its sequels and subsequent efforts like Banjo (which is understandable, being the genre's progenitor and all). But it's got some still-unique ideas, sliding physics that remain unmatched to this day, and a very nice sense of progression between worlds. The camera and movement controls do feel kind of wonky to me at times, but that's also to be expected from a pioneering game.

I still like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Bros. a lot, by virtue of both nostalgia and timeless design. But yeah, I'd never take them over SMB3 or SMG2.

Really, I only bring this up because I regularly see people who shit on Galaxy and various non-Mario platformers, claiming that SM64 has yet to be surpassed. Which boggles my mind, frankly.

I'm also a fan of the music. The castle, save file, Bowser level, wing cap, and water level themes are all classics to me.

I looooove the themes from the Bowser and water levels, but many of the songs fall flat to me - which is a surprise coming from someone as talented as Koji Kondo.

[talonmalon333]

Really, I only bring this up because I regularly see people who shit on Galaxy and various non-Mario platformers, claiming that SM64 has yet to be surpassed. Which boggles my mind, frankly.

I do think that crowd of people is shrinking. 64 was such a big and groundbreaking game that people were blown away by it. However, now that so much time has passed, many have come to realize that it's not the best in the series. Similar to Final Fantasy VII, which was even more worshiped than Mario 64 in the old days, but has since slipped down behind FFVI for many fans. There are still plenty who prefer Mario 64 to the others, and for some it's probably nostalgia. But I do get the feeling that most would agree that the best games are SMB3, SMW, SMG, and SMG2, and I would never disagree with them there.

I looooove the themes from the Bowser and water levels, but many of the songs fall flat to me - which is a surprise coming from someone as talented as Koji Kondo.

Would you be able to name some of those songs, or at least, the levels some of them play in?

I do think Bowser's boss songs are kind of weak, both his normal boss theme and his final boss theme. Both songs have cool intros but seem to go nowhere afterward, mostly his final boss theme.