Unpopular opinions about the Mario series

if @Scuttlebug doesn't like it he doesn't like it but:

Super Mario 3D World

Well, I guess it's customary to do a review afterwards, so here goes. I'm going for the divide and conquer approach which I usually use when judging the main series games - gameplay/levels/presentation. I'm going to try and do an "objective review" but as always, remember that I can't judge anything without at least a little bias.

As a side note I use numbers as follows:
1/10 - terrible
2/10 - very bad
3/10 - moderately bad
4/10 - a little bad
5/10 - mediocre
6/10 - decent
7/10 - good
8/10 - great
9/10 - excellent
10/10 - excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some people have like 5 being bad or 7 being average but I use like this because 5 is the middle point of 1 to 10.

So first up is the gameplay. This is overall great. The controller selection and character selection are a great addition. The GamePad mechanics were kind of cool but they also felt a bit gimmicky and I was never really motivated to use the GamePad's special abilities outside of levels which required it (especially since the game isn't that hard anyway.) Something about the whole physics didn't really feel as right as in the 3D platformers between SM64 and SMG2 inclusive, such as backflips having to wait and long jumps feeling underpowered. The controls also got a little awkward in some parts, and I'm not a fan of the dedicated dash button thing rather than actually making use of analogue controls etc. Cat suit and double cherry didn't feel perfectly executed either. But overall, it's a fun and unique style, and represents a great execution of the idea of bringing 2D Mario into 3D. Cat suit was creative as much as it was a little awkward, the different abilities made it great too (admittedly they weren't fully balanced), double cherry was fun, clear pipes were good, generally a great execution. Score: 8/10.


Next: level design. Some criticise this for being too linear but actually I think that was sort of intentional. It was great how getting to the flagpole was linear but getting the green stars and the stamp meant going out of your way. Sometimes it was obvious, other times it was not. At first I was skeptical of its difficulty but as I progressed it got decently challenging. Some of the levels were really creative and there was an interesting range of styles from open world like sprawling savanna and revolving around those panels that flip every time you jump. 3D World's level design thus achieved its well-placed aim nearly perfectly, my only real gripe being that it was still a little too linear and easy. Score: 9/10

Presentation: Story was quite disappointing as it had very little content at all. I don't think that's essential given the style of game 3D World was intended to be, but I think a lot of fans would have appreciated it whilst it would not have done any harm. I do credit however, the fact that the Sprixie Princesses got kidnapped instead of Peach, the latter of which takes an active role unlike most Mario games (this is also something I love about Super Paper Mario; I haven't played Super Princess Peach or Super Mario Bros 2). Another thing that I feel was well-executed was
The fact that they made World 7 look like it was the final world only to have Bowser come back and capture all the Sprixie Princesses a second time and you find out that there's a whole other world for you to beat before you save them for real.
There's no dialogue in the game at all, which I think was a mistake as even in games which are light on story such as SM64 having some dialogue can be beneficial. Then come the graphics. These are divine. Everything feels very well defined, the natural lighting feels amazing, every scene feels crafted to perfection. Admittedly this is my first native Wii U game and I don't have a Switch, so I can't really compare it to others, but on its own I'd definitely call it great. As for the music, well it's quite hard to judge to be honest, but personally it's great too, though not so much as SMG1&2, and a lot of people seem to like the OST as well. Overall the presentation could have been worthy of calling excellent 9/10, but just the sheer lack of story and dialogue means I'm going to have to make it 8/10.

In conclusion, Super Mario 3D World as a sequel to Super Mario 3D Land strove to fully polish the formula of 2D Mario style brought to 3D. All in all it did this very well. I would say that as a whole it's nothing divine barring its graphics, and it certainly has its flaws, but overall it's still very good and I'd certainly give it a recommendation. Final score: 8/10.
 
I've already explained why I dislike it so you can go and read that. https://www.marioboards.com/threads/38577/page-37#post-2145871

Also I've only said it twice, so I don't understand why your getting so annoyed.
The reason I'm annoyed is simply that saying "3D World is bad" is incredibly blunt especially if you have no support for it immediately visible, and it almost looks like trolling when put that way. It's perfectly fine to dislike a popular game; I'd just be careful how I expressed that opinion.

After reading that linked thread I respect your opinion even though I haven't the slightest clue why you hold it.
 
Yoshi is a bad character.
 
Pink is Kirby's worst color.
 
Sprawling Savanna is overrated, the open part that everyone goes on about is just a long, flat, square area with a bush here or tree there, far from the peak of level design.

also 3D World is still bad
Yeah this is kinda of a example. (No offense though).
 
I'd say it's pink to fool you into thinking Kirby is for little girls or fights like a little girl or some crap while in reality he's super powerful.
This is the reason I used to not like Kirby, he's a pink character for kids. How dare they make a game for Babies and Girls, that's a terrible idea. I hate Kirby.
 
Nah.

We need a Dr. Pink Gold Peach before we can make that claim.
 
Honestly mybe that's not as that far off from the truth as it seems.
 
Fire Dr. Professor Baby Pink Gold Peach.

This is peak Mario character design.

Not only is the character Pink Gold Peach, but it's PGP able to shoot fire, can cure diseases, is blessed with knowledge, is eternally young ON TOP OF being encased in an expensive metal. And she has Peach's looks.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have actually lowkey created god.
 
Sounds like a Mary Sue to me.
 
I bet Mario is even more into her than he is into vanilla Peach.
 
I don't like the music in Mario Kart 7 and 64's Rainbow Road. I think the compositions are fairly good, the music in Mario Kart 8's version of N64 Rainbow Road is one of my favourite Rainbow Road songs in the series, and I think the part of Rainbow Road Medley in Smash 4 that was from MK7 worked and was better then the original (though I feel it's the weakest part of the medley). I'm not a fan of the music for Rainbow Road being a slower, more simplistic song that attempts to give off the vibe of "the game is ending, this is so sad", as I feel they often end up failing and become rather forgettable. This is also part of the reason I don't like MK7's Rainbow Road, alongside the fact I'm not a fan of the track design of MK7 in general.
 
Rainbow Road music never stood out to me, as they all had the tendency of sounding the same as each other.

I do think 64's was pretty decent though because I like the peaceful nature of it, but the track itself is...it's not well designed. It's a long repetitive slog but considering it's from the game that thought Yoshi Valley was a good, fun idea, I'm not surprised.
 
mario kart wii's rainbow road things is one of the few things i like about the game. it clocks in at XLVIII on my list
 
thank you for using the commonly understood modern standard for counting that is not in any way annoying: roman numerals
 
  • Like
Reactions: zel
Back