Review: Super Mario World

Back in the 80s and 90s, when you bought a new game system, it came with a freaking game. The NES came with Super Mario Bros, the Genesis eventually packed in Sonic the Hedgehog, and the Super Nintendo bundled Super Mario World with every console. Not only is this a masterpiece of a game and perhaps one of the best games Nintendo has ever made, it came free! The fact that a game of this level was just given to everyone is staggering.

Super Mario World was built on a foundation of one of the most established and respected set of game mechanics in the biz. Everyone who picked up that shiny new SNES controller on Christmas morning knew exactly how fast Mario could run, how high he could jump, what a Mushroom did and what happened when you stepped on a turtle. So Nintendo took that established formula and added a few major, tasty layers.

The first major addition was apparent before you even started the game:

Yoshi.

Now in addition to the the tried and true run and jump mechanics, a ride-able dinosaur enters the picture. Let me just take a moment to emphasize the significance of this. You're an 8 year old boy - what's the coolest thing in the world? Dinosaurs. What's the second coolest? Mario.

"Hey did you hear? Super Mario World lets you ride on dinosaurs!"

The addition of Yoshi isn't simply a powerup, it changes the way the game is played. Yoshi gives you extra height in your jump and uncovering secret areas and powerups will allow Yoshi to adapt all sorts of abilities. On top of the technical additions the green dino brings, it also adds another layer of happy to an already whimsical game. Seeing a Yoshi egg hatch always brought a smile.

Hidden exit.

The other major addition is the "hidden exit" mechanic. About 75% of the levels have 2 or more ways out. Whether it's finding a key and walking through a giant keyhole (always exciting when that happens) or locating an additional end gate, Super Mario World doesn't simply ask you to go from left to right and avoid obstacles on the way. This game forces you to think logically and creatively to discover these hidden secrets, and this is what endeared me to the game so strongly.

These secret exits would either provide you with a valuable shortcut or lead you to a super challenging bonus level. This was the game where Nintendo absolutely mastered the difficulty curve - here's what I mean: Pretty much anyone could make it through the first world or two and feel accomplished. Then, more seasoned players could likely finish the game along the critical path - I beat Bowser on my first attempt. But it takes some real precision, patience and practice to unlock and beat all 96 levels included in this game. There are some SERIOUS challenges included here if you can find them. Needless to say, I did not achieve that goal, but that's the genius of this design philosophy: I chose how deeply I wanted to go and I'm fully satisfied with what I got out of it. 

Regular exit.

Nintendo transcends the genre they created in Super Mario World. The addition of Yoshi and the hidden exits make it feel like a huge step in the right direction to evolve the series. Here's hoping for this level of innovation for the first 3D Mario game on the Wii U.

Finished: Super Mario World

This feels like a major accomplishment. Yes, it's one of the easier game in the Mario series but finishing any game of this caliber with this level of craftsmanship can only leave the player walking away with a smile on his face.

And I have an ear to ear grin on my face right now.

Still Playing: Super Mario World

Holy crap is this game addicting! Addicting in a way I never thought a 2D platformer could be.

The game is laid out similar to Mario 3 and all the New Super Mario Bros games after that, where you have selectable levels within worlds, usually capped off with a trek through a castle. What makes the game addicting is the fact that most of the levels have multiple exits - meaning you can beat the level in several different ways. Taking the obvious exit will lead you on the critical path, but snooping out the hidden exits will lead you to bonus levels, super-hard challenge levels and magnificent shortcuts. 

The world.

And the path to these hidden exits aren't so obtuse that you need a strategy guide, nay nay. They are cleverly disguised in a way that if you know you're looking for something, you can logically figure out what to do. It's somewhat reminiscent of the hidden stars in Mario 64 - where there's an obvious path to the major star, but doing a little snooping will lead to a coveted secret.

Putting this pseudo puzzle element into a platformer with razor-sharp mechanics is what makes it so addicting. And it's hard - in a good way. Old school hard. I complained in the first post about the overload of 1Ups, but they get drained real quick if you hit a tough level. I've never had this much motivation to play a Mario game, nor have I had a game take hold of my daydreams so strongly - figuring out the secret exits is on my mind almost as much as sex. Almost.

It's surprising that the hidden exit mechanic hasn't made into the recent rash of 2D Mario platformers. It is such a great cerebral addition to the normally twitch-based gameplay. Here's hoping it makes an appearance in New Super Mario Bros U. Or even better, here's hoping for New Super Mario World.

Enough Crappin Around: Up Next: Super Mario World

Yes - I have been neglecting my backlog lately. I was about to start up a borrowed copy of Resident Evil 5 when I realized I hadn't put a dent in the old stuff in a while. Well it's time to do that with one of the best games in my collection: Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo.

Being a Genesis kid, I never had a chance to experience the fullness of Mario's first 16-bit outing. The few kids I knew who had a SNES were so bored with the game by the time I got to play it that I was only given a few minutes with the game until they got impatient and demanded we played Street Fighter or Bart's Nightmare.

My first ownership of this game wasn't until it was made available on the Wii's virtual console, and for some reason I never got the motivation to see it through to the end. Well now is the time. I'm ridiculously excited for this one - not only because it's one of the finest games in Nintendo's catalog, but it's focusing my efforts on the primary goal of this blog: to beat the original Super Mario Bros. This will serve as a major stepping stone to realizing that dream.

This was the pinnacle of graphics in 1991. It still holds up.

I've already made it through the first two worlds, and here's some observations:

• It's incredibly disturbing that Mario punches Yoshi's head to make him stick his tongue out. Anyone else bothered by this?
• 1-Ups are rampant and way too easy to acquire. This must have been the origin of Mario games giving you way more lives than you could ever need. 
• Sometimes those guys dressed in football gear throw baseballs. What's up with that? 

 Pumped for this one. Let's do it!

LINK'D FOREVER: Be Here Now & Link's Awakening

The human senses are amazing - I think everyone can agree on that. One of the most interesting things about them is their ability to link together. This is usually more common with something traumatic or unpleasant - like one time I ate KFC while I was sick and from then on I couldn't smell the Colonel's original recipe without gagging. The more pleasant side of this phenomenon is a smell reminding you of your childhood, or a piece of music reminding you of an old friend. In my case, Oasis' "Be Here Now" will forever remind me of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Here's that story.

One of the most reliable constants in my childhood was the annual trip to my visit my grandparents. A two hour plane ride separated our New Jersey home with theirs in Georgia and whether is was during Winter or Summer break, I always looked forward to that trip. Spending time with my Grandparents and various extended family members, eating awesome southern food, and hanging with those seasonal friends I had made down South. But there was one other element I always looked forward to: the plane ride itself. That two hour window where nothing was expected of you other than to be quiet and let your parents sleep; "entertain yourself"in other words. Entertaining myself had never been a problem, especially with a GameBoy in hand.

Those numerous two-hour-trips over the years were home to some of my most intense gaming sessions. The lack of any distraction, coupled with the constant hum of the engine and the requirement of headphone usage created an extremely immersive, intimate gaming environment. You and the game begin to fuse together and the rest of the world melts away in a way that is impossible when gaming at home.

In 1997, we took our trip in the Winter - the day after Christmas. I couldn't wait to get through security, board the plane and unload the contents of my carryon. Next to the requisite sweater, pack of gum and snack bag were my two favorite gifts from the day before: Zelda: Links Awakening and a copy of Oasis' "Be Here Now". Once I nestled into my window seat and was "allowed to turn on my electronic devices", I booted up the Gameboy and the discman simultaneously. Blasting the Brit-Rock album through my tinny headphones while playing Link's first major handheld adventure permanently and inextricably linked the two pieces of media in my brain.

Every time I hear "D'ya Know What I Mean" I think of trying to find a bow for the baby Chain Chomp. Every time I start a new quest and find that sword on the beach, I think of "All Around the World". They're certainly not two things that blend well together - a Beatles inspired rock band with a island-based adventure game - but no matter what I do, I can't think of one without the other. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Listen to this. 

While watching this. (Mute the sound on this one)
 

So I Think I'm Done with Xenoblade...

This is a real shame - a unique, well developed, non-shovelware game developed by a company OTHER THAN Nintendo comes out for the Wii and I can't get into it. I'm about 35 hours into Xenoblade Chronicles and it's just not workin for me. I haven't touched it in over a week, chiefly because I'm at a boss that's a few levels higher than my party so I need to go around and grind up a few levels. Never fun, even with Xenoblade's excellent battle system, it's not something I can sit myself down to do.

Although I feel like I would have the motivation to grind if the game had gotten it's hooks in me a little earlier. Granted, the story is fairly unique for the genre and the characters tend to be less archetype-y, but everything is delivered with such blandness that it takes a real effort on the part of the player to become invested in the world.

Behold - serviceable, but ultimately bland and uninteresting voice actors.

As I've said with many reviews on this blog, the graphics, sound, voice acting etc. are only as good as their ability to keep me in the fantasy, and this is where Xenoblade fails. It seems like it is actively attempting to take me OUT of the fantasy of it's tale. The graphics are muddy, voice acting - while better than a lot of games - is delivered with such stiffness and with such little emotion. The character animations are extremely awkward and the inventory/character management system requires hours of trial and error to use effectively. Xenoblade is a real hard pill to swallow after coming off of playing Uncharted 3, which kept you almost literally chained to the fantasy.

I don't think I'm gonna sell it just yet. It will probably end up being pretty rare, and I may come back to it one day, but for now I'm shelving it.

See you later, Shulk.

Review: Super Smash Bros Brawl

Fighting games can really only evolve so far. In the end, you can't avoid the fact that you're just hitting each other until one person dies. That said, Smash Bros Brawl still feels like an incredibly deep, layered and intensely competitive addition to the genre.

..gameplay..

The Smash Bros series works like this: When a match starts, everyone's health is at 0%, as you take damage, your percentage goes up. The higher your percentage, the farther you'll fly when you're hit. If you get knocked off the screen, you lose a life. What makes it great though is that there's no combos to learn - press a direction on the stick and either A or B and you're doing a special move, so newbies can jump in and start doing cool stuff. But the more you play you realize that there are very minute and subtle things you can do to give yourself a huge edge.

Each character has their own nuances and anomalies. Some are very strong, but super slow. Some can recover great distances to avoid death time and time again, while others may be rock solid damage sponges. Some characters are extremely easy to use while others may seem impossible (like Ice Climbers) but every character, in the hands of someone who can use them properly, has the potential to be a walking death machine. That balance is what's great about the game.

In Brawl, Nintendo added a heap of new characters, all new levels, and new items. However, the biggest game-changer to the time tested Smash system was the addition of the Smash Ball.

Smash Ball.

For most characters, getting this coveted item will give them the ability to unleash their Final Smash - a devastating move that can take out one or all characters on the screen. The genius of this item is that you can't just touch it and activate your Final Smash, you have to attack it, and every time it appears it takes a different amount of hits to activate it. So when it shows up, its a mad dash to get this thing and it really changes the way the game is played.

The main attraction in Brawl is obviously the 4-player mayhem of fighting your buddies. However, Stadium Events, Classic Mode and Training Mode all return for you to enjoy the game on your own, but they also added a mode called "Subspace Emissary" which is a full fledged, side scrolling single player adventure. It's a nice addition, but in the end, its not very compelling. Bland story, simplistic level design and while the moves each character have are great for fighting, they feel clunky in side scrolling stages.

Ah. Simplicity.

On a personal note, I'd like to do a quick comparison between Brawl and the N64 original. Obviously the games have to grow with each iteration, but while I was training for the tournament, I played the original game on N64 and found it so much simpler - in a good way. A full cast of only ten characters, simple stages, time tested items - it's just perfect. There isn't a pixel wasted in the entire game. Going back to Brawl felt like a bloated mess of A.D.D. - so much was happening. Stages were moving and actively attacking you, the Smash Ball makes the game almost completely different, extra moves were added to every character - it's just a little too much. Between the three games in the series, I think the utter simplicity of the N64 version wins out and makes it the best of the bunch.

 ..presentation..

One thing that cannot be argued is the quality of the presentation. This is not only one of the best looking and sounding games on the Wii, it runs at a constant 60 frames per second - vital to a fighting game where two pixels makes the difference between life and death. Tech stuff aside, this game really is gorgeous and in fact, wouldn't look out of place on an XBOX 360 or PS3. It makes you wonder why so few games on the Wii were capable of this level of polish. 

The music is also phenomenal - offering hundreds of remastered tracks from Nintendo's rich history, all fully orchestrated and beautifully executed. And if you don't like a song, there are customization sliders to allow you to choose which pieces of music you hear on which stage - it even lets you customize the main menu screen. 

Smash Bros Brawl is really the ultimate love letter to Nintendo fans. Including music, levels, characters and unlockables that reach back far into the history of the company, even before they made video games. If you loved Nintendo as a kid, and can handle a quick paced fighting game, you owe it to yourself to invest a month of your life into this game. Even if the first one was better.