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

[Cocoa]

Nah.

"Mamma Mia, how-a rude!"

 

[Hooded Pitohui]

I'm not sure there are much jokes directly riffing on Paper Mario's inability to talk.

It's not "inability" to talk, exactly, but I was thinking about the scene where Doopliss and his partners have dinner with Mayor Dour and there's a bunch of comments about Mario talking much more than he usually does.

 

[Goombuigi]

Personally, I'm fine with voice acting, as long as it's not too excessive or annoying. As for dialogue / full sentences, I'm not keen on them in Mario games, especially for characters like Mario and Luigi. SMS's voice acting was hit-and-miss in my opinion - Peach sounded OK, but Bowser was a bit awkward to listen to.

 

[YoshiFlutterJump]

Yes please! I loved it in Sunshine--even with the sub-par Bowser voicing, the other characters' voices made for a very memorable experience, Toadsworth especially. Oh yeah and there's WarioWare Gold too--who could forget Wario's amazing voicing in the intro?

Also while we're here I'd really like Mario to get more lines. Aside from Mario's two super-quiet lines in Sunshine, well..."'It's-a me!' 'Let's-a go!' The only words you know!" Which reminds me, the Phantom's voice acting in M+R was just perfecto.

 

[Teedgee]

i'm ok with voice acting as long as it's tolerable. i wouldn't want a mario game that pulls a sonic boom rise of lyric at us and has the characters talk every 5 seconds. voice acting can work in mario. it was kinda weird in sunshine at times (however it did bring us bowser being mad at mario for disturbing his vacation so thats a yes for me), but i liked it. sometimes there are small samples of voice acting in mario, like jump up superstar if that counts, rosalina saying "Go mario!" in galaxy, and the obvious one, mario saying small sentences like its a me and lets a go. i would like it if some characters actually taked, but it would be better if it was cutscene exclusive like sunshine.

 

[winstein]

The results are up now!

1. Full-on voice acting works for me Votes: 14 (66.7%)
2. Short samples of voice acting are mainly tolerated (no talkative characters) Votes: 5 (23.8%)
3. As long as it's done outside gameplay it would be OK Votes: 2 (9.5%)
4. Voice acting is unnecessary and the lack of it is for the best Votes: 0 (0.0%)

Interestingly, the (relatively small) community is fine with voice acting in a Mario or Mario-related game, as nobody felt that excising voice acting from Mario is an improvement. A lot of folks would love a full-on voice acting game, and while nobody brought this up, Mario vs Donkey Kong is one such game. On the other hand, some people didn't like hearing Mario and company speak too much, therefore a choice of short samples are more suited. Even fewer preferred to play a Mario game without hearing the characters talk, although they are still open to voice acting beyond that.

As of now, no mods are online so I will announce the new poll only after it's changed.

Thank you for reading.

 

[winstein]

The poll is up!

Although Mario started his platforming career from the Donkey Kong arcade, the platforming style from that game was rarely revisited. In fact, after Super Mario Bros. succeeded in ways that could never be imagined, future Mario platformers take after Super Mario Bros and build on its foundation, leaving Mario's platforming in Donkey Kong behind. It did get revisited twice later on in the form of the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong where Mario is given an expanded moveset to compensate for his shorter jump height, and then later on in Mario vs Donkey Kong, which would be the last time Mario controlled in a way similar to his arcade origins. A few notable differences with these games are that Mario's jumps are relatively short, hammers are his go-to weapon of choice and the fact that he is more vulnerable than in Super Mario games.

Even though the Super Mario Bros. series has flourished, Mario's DK-styled platformers didn't do too shabby either. However, the fact that Mario vs Donkey Kong took on a different direction focusing on the Minis instead of making Mario the hero meant that it's sadly left behind. Perhaps its change of direction would be similar to the reasoning that Paper Mario became an adventure game whilst Mario & Luigi continued its RPG duties. The question should be clear: would you be open to a revisit to Mario's DK-platformer mechanics?

Thank you for reading.

 

[MiracleDinner]

maybe, i've never played any of the games which used this gameplay so idk but i guess it sounds interesting

 

[Koopa con Carne]

The Lemmings-styled games were well-designed, but I'll always prefer something more akin to the first Mario vs. Donkey Kong. This one and its Game Boy predecessor lean very heavily on the action side, attributing an acrobatic moveset to the playable character and designing the puzzles around these mechanics.

 

[Mount Wario]

More DK 94 is what I want.

 

[winstein]

The results are in!

1. A new game styled after the Donkey Kong (Arcade) would be great. Votes: 7 (87.5%)
2. The Super Mario series is sufficient; A DK-styled Mario platformer would be redundant Votes: 1 (12.5%)
3. The DK arcade portrayed as a level or world in a different Mario game would be sufficient. Votes: 0 (0.0%)
4. Only elements taken from the DK-styled Mario platformer is enough. Votes: 0 (0.0%)

It appears that the majority of voters agreed that a new Mario platformer in the type of Donkey Kong arcade would be a great idea, no doubt due to how long it's been since the last game of its kind. Not all seem to agree on that part, given that one person felt that the Super Mario series should be the one and only Mario platformer series.

This time, the poll is a bit sparse, given that there's only a single-digit amount of votes. Perhaps the next poll should be more productive, and I hope it is. Next poll will be similar to the Yoshi poll I did earlier, except for a different character.

Thank you for reading.

 

[winstein]

The new poll is up, and it's about Luigi! Coinciding with the anniversary of the arcade Mario Bros., I have decided to put on up for everybody's favourite character (not necessarily mine). I hope the choices are sufficient, but if there's something you like but isn't found in the poll, you can always post it here.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Ray Trace]

The adult version of Baby Luigi what's not to love.

 

[Mags]

There's a lot to like about Luigi.
For one, everyone loves the underdog. Who doesn't love the underdog?
Also, he's not always the underdog with his own chance to shine several times. (Luigi's Mansion, saving Mario in basically each M&L game, the list goes on)
Third, he's green. That's the second best color. (Blue is better, but my Mii looks better in green, hence my avatar)
And it's not like you can easily forget him, he stick out like a sore thumb - and a green one at that. (I mean, so long as he's not in a crowd)
He's got some astounding abilities too, from jumping insanely high, to a harness of electricity, the ability to eat random mushrooms without even checking if they're poisonous, and being able to hide a hammer bigger than Mario on his person.
And he's a total coward, but he does what he has to do anyway, like facing an army of ghosts ready to rip him apart, steal his soul and torture him for eternity, scare the heck out of him. Despite the fact that he's scared to high heavens, his love for his bro trumps that, so actually, he's incredibly brave.
What isn't there to love about Luigi?

 

[Mount Wario]

I forget too often about Luigi's memes (jokish moments as you call em) throughout history.

 

[zel]

voted for being green (as the ceo of green of COURSE), appearance, personality (its pretty well defined for a mario character), jokeish memorable mometnts (not too sure about that one though), and relationship with mario. wish we had more of mario and luigi just being good bros

 

[Mcmadness]

I voted for all the reasons.

 

[MiracleDinner]

(credits to @Zakomander for this)

 

[Teedgee]

so, toad is my favorite mario character (plot twist). but it's simply because i feel like i would be a toad if i was in the mario universe. so in a way, my favorite mario character of all time is my second favorite, luigi. i didn't like him a lot as a kid, i pretty much saw him the way he's supposed to be seen (ya know, being the one behind the shadows and all that). but now that i know everything way better, i like him more. i'll talk about a few luigi iterations because depending on the game, he's pretty different.

i'll start with my least favorite, which is smash bros. it mostly focuses on luigi's coward side, which can be heard with him being pretty quiet in the games. i honestly don't like this iteration because he feels kinda feels like an edgy teenager, which i personally don't think fits him.

next up is paper mario luigi, and since so far the only game where you actually see him do stuff is super paper mario (i cant say much about origami king yet), this is where we can mostly see his character. tbh, he doesn't have a lot of character in that game, as he's mostly "i gotta save-a da princess!" or "i-a need to find-a mario!". does that make paper luigi luigi's worst iteration? well actually no. Luigi's diary in paper mario tells us about how luigi is kinda jealous of mario and also looks up to him and is inspired by him. it's honestly kinda funny that the best way to see paper luigi's character is in a book.

of course i had to talk about the mainline games luigi. i slightly like this one more than PM luigi, mostly because you actually SEE everything he does instead of it being told in a diary. he's kind of a coward, but he's also pretty cheerful in games outside of luigi's mansion (i mean jeez look how happy he looks in mario odyssey). this is pretty much one the best luigi iterations, because it established his character for years to come, and i doubt that they'll ever change it.

i did say that mainline luigi was "one of the best" iterations, which means that one is better and is my favorite luigi iteration.......it's m&l luigi. i mean what did you expect? pretty much most people can agree with this. the mario & luigi series is my favorite mario rpg series, mostly because of the comedy and the characters. basically a mario & luigi game without luigi is like a burger without the bun: luigi plays a huge role when it comes to character interactions and the comedy. his character is kinda like mainline luigi's character, but exaggerated........and i love that! it makes him really expressive and that makes this my favorite luigi iteration by far.

so in conclusion, the thing that makes luigi for me is his character. it's pretty different in every franchise he's in, but he always feels like the same character (except in smash bros. why did they nerf my boy so much!?).

sorry if this post was lengthy, but i couldn't focus on luigi's personality in a single game.

 

[YoshiFlutterJump]

Voted all of the above, but especially the last one. Mario and Luigi are both good characters on their own, but you can tell they're made for each other and they're just better together. That's one of the biggest reasons I love the Mario & Luigi series so much: it highlights the relationship between Mario and Luigi in a way few other games do.

 

[Hooded Pitohui]

Perhaps I like Luigi with a little too much sincerity, but I voted for every option except the first two and the "joke-ish" moments. I mean, Luigi is ultimately, well, relatable, and that makes him a more likable, interesting character. He's cowardly. He lacks confidence. He's always the second banana, and that's despite having his own unique skillset and even being able to outdo his brother in some ways. I'm sure folks can understand times where a lack of confidence has inhibited them from trying to use and develop the skills they have. So, yes, I feel for Luigi, and his personality, his skillset, his flaws, they make me appreciate him even more.

Naturally, when he does accomplish something, or when we do get to see just how much he and Mario care for and support each other, I appreciate that, too. Luigi is the kind of person you can't help but root for, and, when he has a big moment, it makes you feel good, too. If this scared plumber can face the challenges he confronts, you can too!

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

I like Luigi primarily as a combination of two things: first his relationship with Mario which I cannot overstate, that having a pair of twins as a star for a video game series is a very unique trait among video game character demographics and I do really like Mario games that try to take advantage of it like Yoshi's Island (however the Bros are treated like objects in this one, don't appreciate it), Luigi's Mansion, and the Mario & Luigi games. I don't think the Mario platformers really take advantage that well with the possible Mario and Luigi scenarios which kinda sucks because it'll make people like Mario more I guess. I find their relationship the biggest reason I even like the two characters so much because I'm a twin, they're twins. I always gravitated to Mario in the games, and my sister just had someone for him too. I do think two siblings can relate too, but that they're twins just feels super special to me. I never always knew they're twins, but it's so much better learning that they are, even if people say they're fraternal.

Oh god this image from Mario + Rabbids. Just... gives me a lot of emotions right now even if they're just stupid cartoon characters.

Second is his personal traits including voice acting, demeanor, and physical appearance. They all combine very well to create a character you just have to like. I don't believe he's any more "interesting" than Mario other than his personality jiving very well with the target audience of the Mario games. That being said, he's voiced super well as well as delightfully animated in the games, so you really have to thank Charles Martinet for his voice work as well as the developers that really put Luigi to life. In Luigi's Mansion 3, the lead person for Luigi animation is Aric Norine while the animation director is Marie Wyatt but don't forget the rest of the team to think about when you see Luigi portrayed so well and with such charming detail.

I don't think Luigi is a coward. I know what cowards are like in real life, and there are many of them. They usually make me disgusted. Luigi is not one of those. Luigi has one of the bravest souls in the Mario games. He just lacks a lot of confidence, he's just super timid and can't handle pressure. But he does everything he can to stand against the bad guys like King Boo and Bowser. He wouldn't abandon his friends. Yes he might be first to flee from a monster while Mario stands firm, but he'll run as quickly back if he thinks Mario's going to get destroyed or Mario gets captured.

(except in smash bros. why did they nerf my boy so much!?)

Smash Bros has a pretty poor record in depicting a whole lot of Mario characters. I dunno why. Brawl attempted a kinda emo take on him (his Final Smash at the time was the goddamn Negative Zone, not the Poltergust, and the game kept emphasizing how pale and sad he is, see Snake's codec) which would include that voice direction that carried on in the later games. I will INSIST it's the bad voice direction though. If Luigi has a livelier voice, I will say it'll be an improvement. It's weird because Brawl has the best Luigi pose in the series compared to Melee and the next two games where they're just awkward. Otherwise, how I see Brawl treat Luigi is appalling.

 

[zel]

yea i watched a smash vid today and realised i kinda cant stand luigis voice in smash actually.. compare to mario + rabbids where every time you exit a pipe he goes WEE or YAHOOOOO or EBRBEBLIBRLRBL

 

[winstein]

Sorry for the lateness, but here are the results:

1. Personality (cowardice, etc.) Votes: 15 (78.9%)
2. Relationship or contrasts with Mario Votes: 15 (78.9%)
3. Abilities (higher jump, electricity, etc.) Votes: 13 (68.4%)
4. Joke-ish memorable moments (Mama Luigi, death stare, etc.) Votes: 12 (63.2%)
5. Having shades of being an underdog Votes: 11 (57.9%)
6. Appearance/looks Votes: 9 (47.4%)
7. Achievements (saving Mario in Luigi's Mansion, etc.) Votes: 6 (31.6%)
8. Being green Votes: 5 (26.3%)

And thus we get to see which are the most desirable traits of the character. The biggest thing going for Luigi is his personality, which is no doubt a very important facet of the character that differentiates him from Mario. Speaking of that, his relationship with Mario is another high point of the character, and one Luigi can't live without since Mario's always quite supportive in making the character memorable, whether it's bringing him for adventures or giving Luigi a chance to shine in Luigi's Mansion. Since people play games for the character, Luigi's advantages come in handy as well, due to his higher jump. People also love it when Luigi did silly things like insisting that he is a "mama" or when he stares uncomfortably when Mario's gone missing. The underdog aspect of the character is also quite loved, and underdogs are an enduring type of character. The least popular reason for liking Luigi is his signature greenness.

Our next poll will be looking at something that could have happened in the first Super Mario game, but it didn't happen. When the poll is up the topic will be revealed.

Thank you for reading.

 

[zel]

i love how its vague enough so we could speculate a bit before its up... i know smb1 was going to have guns????