Man, it's really something else to play a game that's made by people who thoroughly understand what it is to make games. Every screen's width of every level is meticulously constructed for flow and challenge, but the building blocks are so simple and the action so effortless that the game seems to have simply coalesced from the collective consciousness of the platform gamer psyche.
Compared to all the artificial and disjunctive RPGs, directionless sandboxes, bloated and glitchy action platformers, and chaotic multiplayer games that make up the bulk of releases these days, playing NSMBW has been a real treat.
I really felt this, too.
I mean, to compare it to another recent game, Torchlight - a lot of people here like it, it's a pretty fun game. But the primary topic of discussion in its thread is what mods to get, how to fundamentally change it, because it just wasn't made that well. It's too easy at the beginning and too hard at the end, it uses an antiquated item identify system, some items are too rare, others are too common, etc. etc.
There aren't enough games that stand perfectly on their own, and don't leave us feeling like it needs major modification.
The reality is that most companies just don't have the time to devote to getting it perfect. I'm sure they'd love to, and ship only perfect games, but only people like Nintendo and Blizzard and Valve can afford that.
I like to think raw experience has something to do with it too. A lot of games that come out now try to bring something new to the table, or to hinge old concepts on some twist, gimmick or plot convention. This Mario had no need to do this, at least in its single player campaign, and that must have shaved down some development time.
Frankly though, it's hard for me to imagine the complexities that must have gone into designing this game. It's just too organic to see its bits and pieces without really trying.
Are there any good online coin walkthroughs online? I have been going through the levels trying to get all the coins and there are a few levels where I have absolutely no idea where they are to begin with, let alone how to get them.
Also, is it worth collecting the coins? I started buying the videos in the castle, but then started hitting the 10 coin cost and was thinking maybe I need to save coins if there aren't enough to purchase them all.
Man, it's really something else to play a game that's made by people who thoroughly understand what it is to make games. Every screen's width of every level is meticulously constructed for flow and challenge, but the building blocks are so simple and the action so effortless that the game seems to have simply coalesced from the collective consciousness of the platform gamer psyche.
Compared to all the artificial and disjunctive RPGs, directionless sandboxes, bloated and glitchy action platformers, and chaotic multiplayer games that make up the bulk of releases these days, playing NSMBW has been a real treat.
I really felt this, too.
I mean, to compare it to another recent game, Torchlight - a lot of people here like it, it's a pretty fun game. But the primary topic of discussion in its thread is what mods to get, how to fundamentally change it, because it just wasn't made that well. It's too easy at the beginning and too hard at the end, it uses an antiquated item identify system, some items are too rare, others are too common, etc. etc.
There aren't enough games that stand perfectly on their own, and don't leave us feeling like it needs major modification.
My biggest problem with NSMBWii is the inconsistency. They brought so many different elements from the different Mario games but they just smattered them here and there. How many times does the Mini Mushroom show up (and is useful)? They brought back Yoshi but he only shows up a handful of times and you can't even take him outside of the levels where he appears. Suits make a comeback but there's only one (two if you count the propeller cap) and it feels like a minor upgrade to the ice flower. The game is meant for 4 players but many levels are nigh impossible to navigate with more than 1.
The Mini Mushroom only shows up in a handful of levels, but it is useful for something in each stage that it appears. It's also typically useful in the very next stage on the map as well. There's a 1up in 4-Fort that you can only get with it.
Ugh. I shouldn't have gone onto those GOTY threads. People think this game is praised because of nostalgia. Heaven forbid it could be its highly polished level design or that it's fun.
Did some googling (imagine that!) and turned up the GameSpot super guide for the coins, which is pretty nice for still pictures and explanations of where to get them. Not perfect, so thank you for the Youtube link as well, I'm sure I'll be exploiting both of these for some of the harder to find ones.
I spent so much time on 2-5...
I've been mainly playing the game multiplayer to actually progress through the levels, and then when I play solo, I grind through the past levels trying to get all the coins. It's actually pretty fun. Progressing with 4 people makes things interesting and challenging and just funny, and then being able to go back and spend some time in each level to get the coins allows me to really appreciate the level design and just great 2D gameplay that exists. Plus, I don't think I could ever find a group of people who would be willing to grind through and collect coins with me.
Oh, did anyone else immediately grab paper and a pen when you saw the matching game? I haven't come across two of the same puzzle yet though, though I've only played the matching game 7 times so far. Still googling to see if it's randomized or if there are a standard set of card locations.
edit: Holy cow
There are six Red Mushroom House match game variants for each of the Worlds 1-9.
I hadn't been keeping my mappings according to each world..
So, I finally got all star coins in all nine worlds without ever making that goddamned hint block show up, and all by myself without any help. However, I've only got four gold stars on my save file. I searched and searched and found that I'm missing four hint movies in the castle. I never used any of the hint movies nor wasted a star coin on them.
How the hell do I get those missing hint movies to show up? If anybody could tell me, I'd be grateful. I wanted to 100% this all by myself, but this is the only possible thing I can think of that isn't completely unlocked, and I'd really love to get that fifth star. Thanks in advance.
I think I lost a part of my soul on that one too. Thank god I never have to do that stage again.
The way I tackled this one was getting as many of the star coins as possible, beating the stage, then doing another run through and focusing on the star coin I missed. I think I wasted about 20 lives before I realized what to do. Other than that, it's actually a really awesome stage where you run and jump like a mofo. It felt like it was actually designed to be played as small Mario 'cause I never got hit as small Mario. Whenever I kept focusing on collecting a power up, I'd just die stupidly.
Yeah, no shining stars for me.. I didn't know about the shining star thing until last night, and I had already died over 8 times trying to get some stupid star coins and hit the green block out of curiosity.
ArcSyn on
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AbsoluteZeroThe new film by Quentin KoopantinoRegistered Userregular
edited January 2010
I had shining stars but then I went and died 8 times on a level trying to get a goddamn star coin. D'oh!
My wife loves this game, side scrolling Mario was her favorite on the older generation Nintendo systems. Glad that there is stuff to unlock to make the game worth playing- that kept Super Mario Galaxy glued to the Wii for an extra few weeks for me.
Big N need to make for Wii games though
My wife also loves playing Super Divorce Bros. It's funny how frustrated she gets. She doesn't understand why, even though we found a warp to world 8, I'm making us play through all the worlds/levels.
...So...Uh....Are stars useful at ALL when you get them from the mushroom houses? I mean, when you occasionally get them in the levels, they're conveniently poised before a relatively large amount of enemies to run over and thus potentially get 1ups from.
If you could at least 'turn it on' at will when you used it from the map, it could be useful; Get to a hard part, hit the star-a-go-go button and cheese it out. But instead, you get to start the level invulnerable.
Which is barely ever useful.
Just like in SMB3, where there were only a small handful of stages where the star felt more useful than, well, pretty much any other item. Hell, the plentiful, easily farmable super mushrooms are usually more worthwhile. Since the vast majority of stages aren't designed with any major challenges in the first 15 or so seconds, I've never been a fan of the stars either. It's kind of odd that there are toad houses devoted specifically to giving you a star in this game.
I do remember a stage or two in world 7 in SMB3 where I liked to use them though because there would be a shitload of pipe-dwelling enemies right at the start.
If I remember correctly, you can stay invincible all through 2-3 if you hit the right boxes and keep popping out another Starman, which is super helpful since it's an underground stage and it's all dark except for the stray fireballs from Piranha Plants. Start the stage with a Starman activated from the map and keep the invincibility streak going through the whole stage to keep it lit.
I had five shining stars but then I wanted to carry a toad to the exit in a level and whoops there goes eight lives
Is there any point to doing this? I know it produces a toad house but outside of that is there any reason to even bother?
I noticed once I got all five stars on my save file, all the mushroom houses became permanent. So yeah, there's no real reason to bother saving Toad anymore other than personal satisfaction. For me, once I saved Toad, I left the house standing so it wouldn't pop up anymore.
So, I've just gotten to World 8, and I only have one question...
How the hell does this game only have an 87 on Metacritic?
I've had an absolute blast playing this game, both in multi-player and single-player. The level design is fantastic - best I've seen in any game this generation. The only real problem I have is the repetitive music, but that's really just a minor quibble. Are critics just whiny bitches, or am I missing something?
pslong9 on
3DS FC: 0817-3759-2788
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
So, I've just gotten to World 8, and I only have one question...
How the hell does this game only have an 87 on Metacritic?
I've had an absolute blast playing this game, both in multi-player and single-player. The level design is fantastic - best I've seen in any game this generation. The only real problem I have is the repetitive music, but that's really just a minor quibble. Are critics just whiny bitches, or am I missing something?
You are not missing anything. Critics are whiny bitches.
I have a lot of small gripes about this game, but they're things I don't care about when I'm actually playing, because I'm having too much fun.
So, I've just gotten to World 8, and I only have one question...
How the hell does this game only have an 87 on Metacritic?
I've had an absolute blast playing this game, both in multi-player and single-player. The level design is fantastic - best I've seen in any game this generation. The only real problem I have is the repetitive music, but that's really just a minor quibble. Are critics just whiny bitches, or am I missing something?
So, I've just gotten to World 8, and I only have one question...
How the hell does this game only have an 87 on Metacritic?
I've had an absolute blast playing this game, both in multi-player and single-player. The level design is fantastic - best I've seen in any game this generation. The only real problem I have is the repetitive music, but that's really just a minor quibble. Are critics just whiny bitches, or am I missing something?
It's a 2D platformer.
I guess we've "evolved" since then and this hampers the experience?
Fuck that shit. It's an extremely fun, groundbreaking experience within the confines of a genre everyone already knows. It's "new" but obviously it's Super Mario Bros.
It's almost perfect and definitely deserving of more praise than it's gotten.
Excuse me while I wipe my spit off Nintendo's cock.
Okay, considering I was the one who bumped the thread, let me really add my two cents:
I really do think this is the best 2D game that Nintendo has released since SMB3. To me, it's honestly a coin flip between this and Galaxy - I think Nintendo did a fantastic job with both games. I wasn't the biggest fan of SMW on SNES, and definitely thought that SMB3 was better in many aspects. I still think SMB3 is the best of the 2D SMB games, but NSMBWii is a close 2nd. NSMBWii didn't get too difficult for me until the very last level, whereas worlds 7 and 8 in SMB3 still challenge me to this day. But as an overall package? I know that 87 is great, but speaking as someone who extolled Little King's Story - which also has an 87 in MetaCritic - NSMBWii provided me with more entertainment as a game. I absolutely loved LKS - but NSMBWii? Fantastic. Definitely my GOTY for 2009.
For those of you who have also played the DS version - should I pick it up? I've heard it's not that great in comparison to this (and I've been late to the DS scene).
So, I've just gotten to World 8, and I only have one question...
How the hell does this game only have an 87 on Metacritic?
I've had an absolute blast playing this game, both in multi-player and single-player. The level design is fantastic - best I've seen in any game this generation. The only real problem I have is the repetitive music, but that's really just a minor quibble. Are critics just whiny bitches, or am I missing something?
Maybe I'm not seeing it, but I don't get how this game does anything we haven't seen before. It's fun, and the levels are well-designed, but the game really doesn't try to be anything more than NSMB with more level gimmicks. The core gameplay is the same as it was 20 years ago. The game is good, and I'd recommend it to people who enjoyed the old Mario games, but I feel I've played this game before.
Skimming through the review excerpts on Metacritic, I can't help but agree with the various negative sentiments surrounding the game.
"lacks the imaginative spark found in past entries"
"its designers drew upon 24 years of familiarity to produce an experience that makes us smile one moment and shrug the next."
"uneven experience that's difficult to score."
"but the rest of the game is nearly inaccessible for four simultaneous gamers."
"It can't help but be good because it's SMB."
Worth noting, I've only played through the game once, in two-player co-op. It's honestly one of the most frustrating co-op games I've ever played. If we play through the game again, I'm considering going back to the old-school way of just taking turns for each level. Nearly every level in the game feels designed with only a single player in mind. Competitive multiplayer is probably great, but as a co-op game, the second player is almost always an obstacle instead of a help, and in some portions of the game, it's magnitudes easier to just have one player "bubble" and sit it out. Co-op in games is fun because you have a helping hand and you get to work together to overcome obstacles. In NSMBW, very few areas take advantage of co-op opportunities and the extra player is usually a hinderance.
Okay, considering I was the one who bumped the thread, let me really add my two cents:
I really do think this is the best 2D game that Nintendo has released since SMB3. To me, it's honestly a coin flip between this and Galaxy - I think Nintendo did a fantastic job with both games. I wasn't the biggest fan of SMW on SNES, and definitely thought that SMB3 was better in many aspects. I still think SMB3 is the best of the 2D SMB games, but NSMBWii is a close 2nd. NSMBWii didn't get too difficult for me until the very last level, whereas worlds 7 and 8 in SMB3 still challenge me to this day. But as an overall package? I know that 87 is great, but speaking as someone who extolled Little King's Story - which also has an 87 in MetaCritic - NSMBWii provided me with more entertainment as a game. I absolutely loved LKS - but NSMBWii? Fantastic. Definitely my GOTY for 2009.
For those of you who have also played the DS version - should I pick it up? I've heard it's not that great in comparison to this (and I've been late to the DS scene).
To be fair to reviewers, the game does rely pretty heavily on nostalgia. You can't tell me some of those block formations or boss fights didn't pander to SMB3 vets. It's going to bother some more than others, which is just fine in my opinion.
On NSMBDS, finally got to it on my backlog. The game is fun, and has a few elements not in the Wii game. It was my first Mario game, and I thought the level design is very solid. My complaints are typical; lack of imaginative boss fights, definitely a cakewalk. Hoping to get all the star coins before the final boss, but...
I think I need a hint how to get to worlds 4 & 7. Thought there would be a cannon in W6, but if there is it's hidden well. I'd prefer a hint to being told directly, but I want this game 100%'d and beggars can't be choosers.
I think I need a hint how to get to worlds 4 & 7. Thought there would be a cannon in W6, but if there is it's hidden well. I'd prefer a hint to being told directly, but I want this game 100%'d and beggars can't be choosers.
The level that leads to the entrance to world 4 is
Ok I've got all my star coins on worlds 1-8 so I've only got world 9 to go. Pray for me.
The DS is the worst 2D Mario. Its a pretty fun platformer but it has some issues. Difficulty is the top one (its very easy), but there are a number of other annoyances like not being able to save outside the castles until you beat the game. You can't even quick save like in NSMBWii which is criminal for a portable game. Also some of the levels don't have item blocks for the mini-mushroom or the shell, but require those in order to find the secret exits. Or if they do its in one of the rotating item blocks so you need to get your timing just right.
I don't know about best but then again I just can't rate NSMBWii against SMB3 or SMW. If I tried to do it objectively and scored the level design etc, NSMBWii might edge ahead but there's too much nostalgia around the other two. Its a great game by any stretch though.
Going through world 8 again last night was an absolute joy. Each level has a gimmick that is only used in that level. I think either the bone-coaster level or one of the later lava levels (8-6 I think) was my favourite. I've only played the first level of world 9 and I'm not sure I'm going to like it as much...
Posts
I really felt this, too.
I mean, to compare it to another recent game, Torchlight - a lot of people here like it, it's a pretty fun game. But the primary topic of discussion in its thread is what mods to get, how to fundamentally change it, because it just wasn't made that well. It's too easy at the beginning and too hard at the end, it uses an antiquated item identify system, some items are too rare, others are too common, etc. etc.
There aren't enough games that stand perfectly on their own, and don't leave us feeling like it needs major modification.
Frankly though, it's hard for me to imagine the complexities that must have gone into designing this game. It's just too organic to see its bits and pieces without really trying.
Also, is it worth collecting the coins? I started buying the videos in the castle, but then started hitting the 10 coin cost and was thinking maybe I need to save coins if there aren't enough to purchase them all.
http://www.audioentropy.com/
My biggest problem with NSMBWii is the inconsistency. They brought so many different elements from the different Mario games but they just smattered them here and there. How many times does the Mini Mushroom show up (and is useful)? They brought back Yoshi but he only shows up a handful of times and you can't even take him outside of the levels where he appears. Suits make a comeback but there's only one (two if you count the propeller cap) and it feels like a minor upgrade to the ice flower. The game is meant for 4 players but many levels are nigh impossible to navigate with more than 1.
ArcSyn: http://www.youtube.com/user/octaneblue#grid/user/C3EB1A1F243E98FB
I've been mainly playing the game multiplayer to actually progress through the levels, and then when I play solo, I grind through the past levels trying to get all the coins. It's actually pretty fun. Progressing with 4 people makes things interesting and challenging and just funny, and then being able to go back and spend some time in each level to get the coins allows me to really appreciate the level design and just great 2D gameplay that exists. Plus, I don't think I could ever find a group of people who would be willing to grind through and collect coins with me.
Oh, did anyone else immediately grab paper and a pen when you saw the matching game? I haven't come across two of the same puzzle yet though, though I've only played the matching game 7 times so far. Still googling to see if it's randomized or if there are a standard set of card locations.
edit: Holy cow I hadn't been keeping my mappings according to each world..
Fortunately: Red Mushroom House Guide
How the hell do I get those missing hint movies to show up? If anybody could tell me, I'd be grateful. I wanted to 100% this all by myself, but this is the only possible thing I can think of that isn't completely unlocked, and I'd really love to get that fifth star. Thanks in advance.
[edit]
I'm a goddamned moron. I forgot a cannon in world 4.
Five shining stars for me!
The way I tackled this one was getting as many of the star coins as possible, beating the stage, then doing another run through and focusing on the star coin I missed. I think I wasted about 20 lives before I realized what to do. Other than that, it's actually a really awesome stage where you run and jump like a mofo. It felt like it was actually designed to be played as small Mario 'cause I never got hit as small Mario. Whenever I kept focusing on collecting a power up, I'd just die stupidly.
Big N need to make for Wii games though
Pirate Baby's Cabana Street Fight
Is there any point to doing this? I know it produces a toad house but outside of that is there any reason to even bother?
Personal Challenge?
A chance to get more out-of-level power ups, I guess
Pirate Baby's Cabana Street Fight
My wife is fully on board now and we are going through the whole game on a new file with two players.
Robots Will Be Our Superiors (Blog)
http://michaelhermes.com
I do remember a stage or two in world 7 in SMB3 where I liked to use them though because there would be a shitload of pipe-dwelling enemies right at the start.
I noticed once I got all five stars on my save file, all the mushroom houses became permanent. So yeah, there's no real reason to bother saving Toad anymore other than personal satisfaction. For me, once I saved Toad, I left the house standing so it wouldn't pop up anymore.
How the hell does this game only have an 87 on Metacritic?
I've had an absolute blast playing this game, both in multi-player and single-player. The level design is fantastic - best I've seen in any game this generation. The only real problem I have is the repetitive music, but that's really just a minor quibble. Are critics just whiny bitches, or am I missing something?
3DS FC: 0817-3759-2788
You are not missing anything. Critics are whiny bitches.
I have a lot of small gripes about this game, but they're things I don't care about when I'm actually playing, because I'm having too much fun.
It's a 2D platformer.
I guess we've "evolved" since then and this hampers the experience?
Fuck that shit. It's an extremely fun, groundbreaking experience within the confines of a genre everyone already knows. It's "new" but obviously it's Super Mario Bros.
It's almost perfect and definitely deserving of more praise than it's gotten.
Though looking at the individual scores reconfirms how fucking awful The Onion AV Club's Video Game reviews are.
I really do think this is the best 2D game that Nintendo has released since SMB3. To me, it's honestly a coin flip between this and Galaxy - I think Nintendo did a fantastic job with both games. I wasn't the biggest fan of SMW on SNES, and definitely thought that SMB3 was better in many aspects. I still think SMB3 is the best of the 2D SMB games, but NSMBWii is a close 2nd. NSMBWii didn't get too difficult for me until the very last level, whereas worlds 7 and 8 in SMB3 still challenge me to this day. But as an overall package? I know that 87 is great, but speaking as someone who extolled Little King's Story - which also has an 87 in MetaCritic - NSMBWii provided me with more entertainment as a game. I absolutely loved LKS - but NSMBWii? Fantastic. Definitely my GOTY for 2009.
For those of you who have also played the DS version - should I pick it up? I've heard it's not that great in comparison to this (and I've been late to the DS scene).
3DS FC: 0817-3759-2788
Skimming through the review excerpts on Metacritic, I can't help but agree with the various negative sentiments surrounding the game.
"lacks the imaginative spark found in past entries"
"its designers drew upon 24 years of familiarity to produce an experience that makes us smile one moment and shrug the next."
"uneven experience that's difficult to score."
"but the rest of the game is nearly inaccessible for four simultaneous gamers."
"It can't help but be good because it's SMB."
Worth noting, I've only played through the game once, in two-player co-op. It's honestly one of the most frustrating co-op games I've ever played. If we play through the game again, I'm considering going back to the old-school way of just taking turns for each level. Nearly every level in the game feels designed with only a single player in mind. Competitive multiplayer is probably great, but as a co-op game, the second player is almost always an obstacle instead of a help, and in some portions of the game, it's magnitudes easier to just have one player "bubble" and sit it out. Co-op in games is fun because you have a helping hand and you get to work together to overcome obstacles. In NSMBW, very few areas take advantage of co-op opportunities and the extra player is usually a hinderance.
In my opinion
From my point of view
My highly subjective take on this game is that ----
If you can't tell the difference between the quality of level design in NSMBW and past entries then you need to turn in your game critic card ASAP.
To be fair to reviewers, the game does rely pretty heavily on nostalgia. You can't tell me some of those block formations or boss fights didn't pander to SMB3 vets. It's going to bother some more than others, which is just fine in my opinion.
On NSMBDS, finally got to it on my backlog. The game is fun, and has a few elements not in the Wii game. It was my first Mario game, and I thought the level design is very solid. My complaints are typical; lack of imaginative boss fights, definitely a cakewalk. Hoping to get all the star coins before the final boss, but...
The level that leads to the entrance to world 4 is
The DS is the worst 2D Mario. Its a pretty fun platformer but it has some issues. Difficulty is the top one (its very easy), but there are a number of other annoyances like not being able to save outside the castles until you beat the game. You can't even quick save like in NSMBWii which is criminal for a portable game. Also some of the levels don't have item blocks for the mini-mushroom or the shell, but require those in order to find the secret exits. Or if they do its in one of the rotating item blocks so you need to get your timing just right.
But yeah it was subpar. In contrast I think NSMBWii is the best 2D Mario - it's all about the level design(and multiplayer helps too).
Going through world 8 again last night was an absolute joy. Each level has a gimmick that is only used in that level. I think either the bone-coaster level or one of the later lava levels (8-6 I think) was my favourite. I've only played the first level of world 9 and I'm not sure I'm going to like it as much...