The Retro Gaming Thread

[Spark Of Spirit]

I've been playing Super Mario 64. Not sure why. Maybe I just wanted to get used to the old formula before Super Mario Odyssey drops.

The camera is still annoying, the controls are not that tight (you can die by being pushed or hit a second time because Mario won't GET UP ALREADY), and the level design is still a mixed bag. The game is never going to be a favorite of mine.

I would be one to call Super Mario 64 Nintendo's most overrated game, but I mean that in what the term actually means. It's simply a good game with tremendous influence which has its flaws painted over and ignored. Its formula was improved in games that came later like Banjo Kazooie and Jak & Daxter, which also had better controls and level design, and also didn't do the annoying thing of kicking you out of a level for reaching one objective and being unable to complete others. So much for "non-linearity" when you can't take full advantage of it. It has 15 levels, which is more than those other games, but a bunch of them are really no fun at all.

As for levels that are fun, well, there's Bob-Omb Battlefield, Whomp's Fortress, Cool Cool Mountain, Big Boo's Haunt, Lethal Lava Land, Dire Dire Docks, Tall Tall Mountain, and Tick Tock Clock. These are all rather tightly designed where every challenge involves platforming or scaling the environment in some way that is unique. These levels also work with the controls and camera instead of against them and have some fairly inventive goals.

All the other levels waver between decent at times (Shifting Sand Land) to outright annoying due to camera and controls (Rainbow Ride) to some with just empty and barren level design (Jolly Roger Bay) that offer little to the player.

So while I still am not crazy about the game, it is fairly good at what it does. Most of the time.

It's still better than Sunshine though.

[Foggle]

I feel the same way about Mario 64, though I probably like it a bit more than you do. It's definitely a good and important game, but the controls haven't really clicked with me since the early 2000's, and it just isn't as engaging as the Banjo games or J&D to me. You should see the people on NeoGAF who claim that it has "perfect controls and camera" and "the best 3D platforming physics to this day." Dear lord.

As for Sunshine, I love everything about its presentation - the graphics, the colors, the music - and I think the core level design is excellent. Unfortunately, most of the objectives simply aren't fun, with some being ridiculously difficult for no reason.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The perfect camera that you have to adjust all the time and constantly gets stuck behind scenery, and the perfect controls that won't let you jump if Mario is on a slight incline and decides to slide you down it instead. Right. Even wall-jumping is really finicky.

The physics I especially don't see. I've died many times because Mario decided to bump into a wall instead of grabbing a ledge or the sluggish start up time on his run randomly locking me out of the triple jump. That boulder part in Hazy Maze Cave drained my entire health bar because I got hit by one, and every time I finally stood up, I got knocked down again by another boulder without being able to move. That never happens in the other 3D Mario games.

As I said, it's a fine game that can be fun a times, but I wasn't big on it when it came out and, unlike BK and J&D, I haven't come around on it. I think higher of it now, but it's never going to rock my world.

What's weird is that despite my feelings on 64 and Sunshine as not as good as the other 3D Mario games, I'm actually really hyped for Odyssey. Nintendo has perfected 3D Mario controls, camera, and level design, to the extent that they hadn't quite gotten in the old days. I'm really eager to see how they take that old formula and improve on it. Same reason I'm hyped for Yooka Laylee.

[Foggle]

Yeah, I gave up on my most recent playthrough because I kept falling to my death on this one particular jump that the physics seemed outright determined to not let me make. I have no idea what these folks are thinking.

Mario Odyssey is going to be amazing! I'm not completely sold on the Switch yet (though I'll definitely be getting one somewhere down the line), but that game looks like exactly what I want from a 3D platformer. The concept and levels look like they're going to inject new creativity and life into the genre even more than the Ratchet & Clank remake and Yooka-Laylee. With how well these games are being received, I really hope we start seeing a lot more stuff like them in the coming years.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The Switch is going to have a slow start, but I can't help but be excited. Especially if they do what they need to and merge their console and handheld development into one system. Imagining a system with the combined library of the 3DS and Wii U is exciting to me.

But to keep it on topic, I do like that Nintendo seems to be going back to basics with their franchises recently. 3D Mario going back to the 64 formula and Zelda going back to the Zelda 1 formula were great ideas. I hope Nintendo uses this as a chance to do the same with other series like Paper Mario or Mario Party in the future.

[Foggle]

A new Mario Party like the N64 games would be a dream come true for me. My friends and I always bust out 2 & 3 when there's four of us hanging out and they're still a great time to this day. Another Paper Mario like the first two would also be wonderful, but I really do need to give Color Splash a shot, as I've heard a lot of good things about it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I've heard it's basically Sticker Star done right. I haven't tried it though.

Rumor is Nintendo made it before even hearing the reception to Sticker Star so I'm pretty sure the next game will be entirely different. I do hope they finally go back to basics. It's been a long time since TTYD and fans have been begging for another for years. Now with the Switch is their chance to really go all out.

[Avaitor]

Part of the reason that I didn't get a Wii-U during its time is because we didn't get a proper Zelda nor a proper Animal Crossing, nor a Mario platformer as I'd like from the franchise. And we're getting two out of three by the end of the year for the Switch, which is really enticing me to go for it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Well, if you also don't have a system to play smaller games portable like the new Bomberman game, Sonic Mania, Yooka Laylee, Monster Boy, Puyo Puyo Tertris, or the Wonder Boy 3 remake, it's pretty good to have too.

Keeping on topic, Nintendo is the only reason Super Bomberman R is even getting made. Is anyone else hoping they would just buy these properties from Konami? It's not like they're going to do anything with them otherwise. Bomberman, Adventure Island, Star Soldier/Blazing Lazers, Bonk/Zonk, Shockman, Milon's Secret Castle/Adventure, Bloody Roar, Kororinpa, and Lost in Shadow, are all good franchises that don't deserve being smothered by Konami. I mean, it would even allow NDCube to do something other than Mario Party (they were actively involved in Super Bomberman R) since they are former Hudson Soft employees.

Heck, Nintendo specifically requesting Bomberman might open the door to being a Smash character one day.

PS: While we're at it, someone get Contra, Castlevania, Goemon, Gradius, Silent Hill, and everything else away from Konami.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap remake is looking quite great. I really dig the artstyle.

[Spark Of Spirit]

WHAT!

That's right, the Disney Afternoon collection is on the way! Six games including Duck Tales 1 and 2, Chip n' Dale 1 and 2, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck, with new modes.

So hyped! FINALLY. 

[Daxdiv]

Neat. Mostly looking forward to replaying Darkwing Duck. Now to figure out if I'm gonna enjoy playing it on my PC or PS4

[Spark Of Spirit]

In even more news, Factor 5 is alive, and they have the rights to Turrican again.

Great day for retro gamers!

[Avaitor]

I'm stoked for the Disney Afternoon set, except I don't have anything to play it with.

I do hope that they fix TaleSpin and make it, y'no, fun, though.

[gunswordfist]

My Steam account is going to love this. Funny how here's no Nintendo release