Gauging Popular Opinions (Current: DiC's Mario Cartoons)

[Goombuigi]

While Super Mario Bros. 2 introduced some new ideas, it felt out of place in the Mario series, and I feel that SMB3 is the true sequel to the original Super Mario Bros. if SMB2 would be branded as a new series, it would make a lot more sense. I also wonder why Nintendo just didn't make a game like SMB3 as the first sequel (other than that they wanted to put out a sequel ASAP), it would make a lot more sense to me.

So Option 2 for me.

 

[Vivian]

Voted impartial.
I'd like a throwback to the dream land known as Subcon, as a World rather than an entire game. It'd be really neat to see it in detailed HD.

 

[Ray Trace]

I love Super Mario Advance: Super Mario Bros. 2 a lot and I want the mechanics seen in a new game!

 

[zel]

im not sure id want another game with that sorta gameplay style but another game actually taking place in subcon or somethin like that? Hell yea
i was OBSESSED with smb2 back when i first got into the series for some reason so it getting some appreciation would be nice

 

[Mcmadness]

I don't mind if items and characters show up from it but I'm not huge on the whole "enemies don't die from being jumped on" thing.

 

[Marioro]

I'm blind of nostalgia by this game. I even used to watch that terrible cartoon for the sake of getting more out of it. It's a lot better than the first one (even if the third one just destroys it). Sequel please.


And yes ok Wart is a lot more expendable than the other enemies thanks to Bowser, but it'd be cool to see him anyway I guess.

 

[Koops]

I like the game. It's cool, and I wouldn't mind some elements making it into other games (Phanto especially). That said, it has its own bs design philosophies that I don't agree with (such as all the vases in one level containing the exact same things which defeats the exploration aspect although you could argue exploration was never the point to begin with). I haven't beaten the game yet but I feel the throwing physics could use work. Also yeah, not damaging any enemy by jumping on them... not a big fan. Would be cool if we had ONE type of enemy like ythat in mainstream Mario but not a whole game with those.

Still, I enjoy the game itself.

 

[Czario]

SMB2 has always been a game that I don't know how to feel about. It's a rather unique game historically and is at least of decent quality, but I just don't have any strong feelings towards it. I wouldn't mind another game like it or some elements from it being used as long as it doesn't infringe on the main Mario formula too much. Shy Guys in main Mario games would be cool at least. So yeah, option 4.

 

[Toka Hebizuka]

While I don't like SMB2, I do thinks it's mechanics were interesting, and I'd like to see how they would be used if they were to return in a newer Mario game.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

I'd want to see a new take on this style of game. It's my favorite of the Mario Advance titles. But who knows if they'll retain the hilariously cheesy voice acting.

 

[winstein]

The results are in, and this time, this is how it's ranked:

1. I would love another Mario game like it! Votes: 6 (35.3%)
2. I would love its elements to be implemented in a traditional 2D Mario game. Votes: 4 (23.5%)
3. I am impartial on it, but wouldn't mind its gameplay or its elements. Votes: 3 (17.6%)
4. I am not fond of how different it is from the traditional 2D Mario game. Votes: 3 (17.6%)
5. I would love another game like it, except not as a Mario game. Votes: 1 (5.9%)
6. I am indifferent on it, but would prefer that this game's elements aren't called back. Votes: 0 (0.0%)

As we can see, Super Mario Bros. 2 is generally remembered fondly here, and many would like it return in some form, whether it's a proper follow-up utilising the same gameplay style, or just to see the unique elements from that game make a return. On the other hand, a very few people aren't fond of what that game achieved, although none expressed it in a slight sense (nobody is indifferent on it, as opposed to being impartial).

Unlike the last poll, I didn't regret the poll choice with zero votes because it is different enough to warrant a separate choice, even if nobody picked it.

I have considered several possibilities for the next poll, but I am concerned about how interesting they are since activity is not very high. Therefore, I settled for a certain "rivalry" to be next (hint: it involves a blue hedgehog). Even when you were not there to experience that sort of rivalry that drove the conversation on video games back in the 90's, perhaps you can still have an opinion on it. Watch out for the next poll when it appears. (Forgive me if the choices are a bit lacking: it's difficult to come up with suitable choices)

Thank you for reading.

 

[Jackie Frost]

mario is my favourite video game franchise hands down and i've never played a sonic game in my life unless you count london 2012

 

[Toka Hebizuka]

I don't see any reason for these series to be compared anymore. While it's good to have competition, there's no reason to specifically keep up the rivalry between these two series when most of the time they aren't even trying to compete anymore, especially now that SEGA is somewhat close to Nintendo and can be seen more as a "friend" of sorts to the company, more then a rival. The whole rivalry just boils down to the console wars from '90s, which is a long dead thing, alongside console wars as a whole for the most part.

 

[Superchao]

whoops forgot to reset the votes

and there

 

[MetaWeegee]

The competition was certainly an iconic chapter in gaming, and it did spawn some entertaining debates, but from a personal perspective as a fan of both series and many others, I just never saw the need for competition.

 

[zel]

mario and sonic are friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my opinion on the rivalry generally though is. i dont know! that sure was a thing!
it do be kinda annoying when some people seem to pretend the rivalry still exists though.. as far as i can tell even the fandoms are friends with each other so like.

 

[Marioro]

Sonic has no need of trying to dethrone Mario now especially because Mario's so much better he'd never win. I guess some sort of friendly rivalry every once in a while is alright, but that's about it.

 

[Ray Trace]

We still have rivalry in the form of tribalist console wars today where a toxic atmosphere broods on Playstation vs Xbox and the game publishers exploit that for their own benefit by fondling the rivalry and instigating the other side. So you can guess my stance on the Nintendo and Sega wars.

 

[Mcmadness]

I never really got into the rivalry even during it's height. I liked both, always have, always will.

 

[YoshiFlutterJump]

I love Mario, and I love Sonic. The two can battle all they want but I'll always be invested in both franchises.

 

[Vivian]

I'm glad they made up and became sport buddies, their newgrounds who would win era didn't really make much sense. Though some of those flash videos were made well.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

I like the times they hated each other because I hated Sonic and like to make him lose to Mario, so I guess I stand alone here.

that being said I don't hate Sonic as much as I used to and in reality they'd buy each other a hot dog but I still think Sonic is funny when his games are bad.

 

[winstein]

Results:

1. Disliked the idea that there is a need for competition between the two series. Votes: 9 (64.3%)
2. Didn't understand the point of this rivalry, nor do I have an opinion on this. Votes: 4 (28.6%)
3. It's refreshing that there was some rivalry for Mario, even when not invested in this type of tensi Votes: 1 (7.1%)
4. Loved how fierce the competition and comparisons got between the two series, even till now. Votes: 0 (0.0%)

So the ranks are in descending order, where the idea of a competition between both Mario and Sonic is generally detested. This can probably be attributed to a few reasons. First, Sonic's parent company is not in the console business any more, so the idea that Sonic is still competing with Mario was an idea from the past. Fueling this is that Sonic's games aren't considered as great as before with few exceptions, while Mario's games are still setting records even from his spinoffs like Mario Kart and Mario Party. Having a series of games where both of them cross over in the Olympics goes a long way in showing that they are way past the idea of being competitive. That would partly explain why some people felt that that sort of competition is pointless. Still, there should be some people who liked the idea that Mario has a game rival, since Sonic's purpose was to stand out from Mario (and also to be a new SEGA mascot). Probably not many people held onto the idea since it's already the past. Personally I disliked this type of competition because both of them can co-exist, even back in the 90's.

The next poll will be related to sports, but we will have to wait for the mods to update it. Just to tell you now: Mario Kart is not part of the options as it's a league of its own.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Jackie Frost]

the only mario sports game i have played is london 2012 - it was alright but it doesn't come close to the rpgs or the main series.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

I have several sports I do like a lot.

Mario Tennis is probably my favorite of the recurring sports, probably the one I play the most. I was really disappointed by the recent output from Nintendo being Mario Sports Superstars, Mario Tennis Ultra Trash, and Mario Penny Asses because they offered superior core gameplay than the rather sluggish and spammy Mario Power Tennis or the awkward "I keep getting out... why" from Mario Tennis 64. It's the sport most easily accessible: you just smack a ball and mash the A button, but there's a bit of an intricacy where ball elevation and racket placement is important, and you really need to learn the difference between a topspin, a slice, and a flat, and know how to do lob shots and drop shots as the back of your hand.

Mario Power Tennis also offers the wacky cutscenes that everyone loves (or hates if you're a dual Luigi fan/Mario hater)

I miss item battle from Mario Power Tennis where you not only smack the ball around but you can grab item boxes by hitting them with the ball and toss items at people, Mario Kart-style, and I keep wondering how the hell they keep failing to return a mode that helps define Mario's sport as, well, Mario's sport.

Strikers I enjoyed but it's mainly one game, Mario Strikers Charged, and the voice acting of the previous game. There's not many games to it and I'm kinda dying for a new one, but the single offering I really liked was something, well, I really liked. Was legitimately difficult too, tough as nails, not something you'd expect from a Mario game. Anyhow I love the weird amount of edge and sci-fi Strikers Charged has, and they don't take it seriously at all. The game has a lot of techniques involving chipping, though I mostly just stuffed my team full of agile goalie hoppers and Mario since I don't have the patience to pass the ball around). I don't mind Next Level Games churning out another Punch-Out, since that'll be excellent too if we had it for Switch, but my selfish priorities would be a new Mario Strikers.

I also liked the sports compilations a lot, just less so in Sports Superstars since their offerings, while full games, don't have much beyond the gameplay. Sports Superstars is horrifically lacking in the stages and options (seriously no team co-op in soccer???), which is a bummer because each sport is really a full sport and probably worth playing. Mario Sports Mix has a constantly pesky issue with its character roster on the other hand, but it isn't as severe as the stage roster, and Mario Sports Mix has sports on par with Sports Superstars AND it includes some wacky side mini-games that Mario Power Tennis has offered.

The other options are also worthy to think about such as DDR Mario Mix and its fantastic plot (however this game is inaccessible given the peripherals it requires on top of the inherently restrictive state of GCN games) and excellent music, Mario Baseball with its huge playable roster and the fun of baseball where every hit you make is a terrible fly ball, and Mario Golf which is just a really good golf game and hard to NOT recommend barring maybe Mario Golf World Tour (mostly for having a huge chunk of a mode where you don't even use Mario characters in favor of Miis) but Mario & Sonic are my least recommended set of games. They have a few worthy minigames to try out, but they're hard justifying such a steep price.

The sports games in general these days are just really lacking. I wish Mario could step in and fill that hole of the cruddy garbage Madden and FIFA has cratered with. The past few years have not been kind to sports games and Nintendo's in a really good spot to provide that since people want Mario Golf, Mario Strikers, Mario Baseball, but maybe those sports games are just an experimental blip on Mario's history. I don't want it to be that way, especially since Mario Pennis Arses sold pretty well but had a short-lived online scene, but what I want and what reality is doesn't align.