Posted August 18, 2012 Woah, hang on... Mario is COD-ified: 2007 Mario Party 8 Mario Strikers Super Mario Galaxy Super Paper Mario 2008 Mario Kart Wii Mario Sluggers Super Smash Bros Brawl 2009 Mario Tennis New Super Mario Bros Wii Mario and Luigi Bowsers Inside Story 2010 Super Mario Galaxy 2 Super Mario All-Stars 2011 Mario Sports Mix Mario Kart 7 Super Mario 3D Land 2012 Mario Party 9 New Super Mario Bros. 2 New Super Mario Bros U Aside from the expanded universe of weird characters Mario has a major title out every year, and at least one 'mascot' title. That's pretty COD to me, actually its far worse - a Mario title, on average, once every for months?! Many of these are not that great, and certainly not a great use of Mario anyway. Poor Mario must have a red raw prostate the way Nintendo have milked him over the past 5 years. Retool most of the mascot/Sports games as Mii titles and they'll sell just as well without watering down your key IP. Back to NSMB2; I have to say I fully appreciate the criticism; its fair criticism. Its a downright lazy follow up to the first two; some levels have great design, others are pretty poor. Many music tracks are just ripped from the original. Aside from the OCD coin collecting, which is a great addition, there's not enough content. But... I love the game, its as joyous and fun as any NSMB game. Not quite. The difference here is that the Mario name lends itself to a variety of franchises and genres. You cannot take things like Mario Party 9 and Super Mario 3D Land and keep it in the same thing. That's like taking Activision's franchises and including them together. It's not how it works. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 @Serebii But COD also has a clear split between its Infinity Ward and Treyarc games; different titles, different sub-genres; so could we argue that Activision has a two-year cycle with Modern Warfare and Treyarch? I don't I consider it all one franchise and all an annual (and rather overrated) event. Fair enough, those mascot games are a huge leap but look through that list point stands: main-game Mario is an annual release. As a gamer, that frustrates me. I am far from a fan of the mascot stuff, Smash Bros and Mario Kart aside (I'd retool all those sports games as Mii and have them as DLC to MiiSports). The focus on Mario doesn't let IP get a look in - and that's something I am desperate for from Nintendo. But Nintendo are a business and they need whatever they do to bring in the dollar, so their choice is understandable but regrettable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 @Serebii But COD also has a clear split between its Infinity Ward and Treyarc games; different titles, different sub-genres; so could we argue that Activision has a two-year cycle with Modern Warfare and Treyarch? I don't I consider it all one franchise and all an annual (and rather overrated) event. Fair enough, those mascot games are a huge leap but look through that list point stands: main-game Mario is an annual release. As a gamer, that frustrates me. I am far from a fan of the mascot stuff, Smash Bros and Mario Kart aside (I'd retool all those sports games as Mii and have them as DLC to MiiSports). The focus on Mario doesn't let IP get a look in - and that's something I am desperate for from Nintendo. But Nintendo are a business and they need whatever they do to bring in the dollar, so their choice is understandable but regrettable. But, though it switches developer each year, it's still the exact same genre, and that's not the case with the games you listed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 W1-1 NEW RECORD! Pretty sure that's my limit. Although it wasn't a perfect run... My overall coin total is now well over 100,000. And I've still got 2 worlds to play through! At this rate I'll hit 1 million before the DLC comes out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 @Serebii But COD also has a clear split between its Infinity Ward and Treyarc games; different titles, different sub-genres; so could we argue that Activision has a two-year cycle with Modern Warfare and Treyarch? I don't I consider it all one franchise and all an annual (and rather overrated) event. Fair enough, those mascot games are a huge leap but look through that list point stands: main-game Mario is an annual release. As a gamer, that frustrates me. I am far from a fan of the mascot stuff, Smash Bros and Mario Kart aside (I'd retool all those sports games as Mii and have them as DLC to MiiSports). The focus on Mario doesn't let IP get a look in - and that's something I am desperate for from Nintendo. But Nintendo are a business and they need whatever they do to bring in the dollar, so their choice is understandable but regrettable. What a load of shit. Mario being in tennis golf party the 3d platformers and 2d platformers is NOTHING like cod? They're all completely different games, they just happen to have mario in it. And there's BARELY any difference between the blops and modern warfare, I bet most gamers don't even know. How many proper mario games get released? There's been more cod games than mario and Mario is 3 times older! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 W1-1 NEW RECORD! Pretty sure that's my limit. Although it wasn't a perfect run... My overall coin total is now well over 100,000. And I've still got 2 worlds to play through! At this rate I'll hit 1 million before the DLC comes out. Oh it is on :p I was just going to leave it, but now... :p Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 Oh it is on :p I was just going to leave it, but now... :p Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 My point is - and we're massively off topic here (apologies to anyone expecting pictures and challenges!) - that as a brand Mario is out there far more than COD. As a product Mario is in the market place every few of months; I honestly don't feel I can fairly criticise Activision for its annual COD-athon when Nintendo are as guilty of the exactly the same (but also wheeling the brand for any sub-par sports idea they happen to shit out). Even when @dazzybee suggests "proper Mario games", its still pretty much an annual thing 2007 Mario Galaxy, 2009 NSMBWii, 2010 Galaxy 2, 2011 Mario 3D Land, 2012 NSMB2 and U: I class each one of those main line "proper" Mario, ie adventure/platformers. I think Dazzybee is absolutely wrong - I think 99.9% of gamers know their IW COD from Treyarch COD, but it's COD and they don't care. A little like us knowing our second tier New Mario to our top tier Tokyo stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 I thought the complete opposite, which is why mine is 120,000 on completion. Undecided if I'm going to push forward to get 1,000,000...that's grinding that's even more brutal than Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver The one thing I dislike about this game? How little the Mega Mushroom was used All of that is there in place for the DLC I bet we'll be seeing downloadable levels that make more use of the mini and mega shrooms, considering how they go largely unused in the main game. As for the 1,000,000. I'm probably not gonna really go out of my way to grind for the million mark, so much as I'm just gonna let myself naturally reach it as I play more of coin rush and the DLC levels. If it weren't for those factors, no way would I ever even think about going for the million. It's like with Pokemon; B&W was the first game since G/S/C when I finally went and Caught Em All, thanks to the new online trading features and game setup (just couldn't bring myself to do it in Gen 3 and 4!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 My point is - and we're massively off topic here (apologies to anyone expecting pictures and challenges!) - that as a brand Mario is out there far more than COD. As a product Mario is in the market place every few of months; I honestly don't feel I can fairly criticise Activision for its annual COD-athon when Nintendo are as guilty of the exactly the same (but also wheeling the brand for any sub-par sports idea they happen to shit out). Even when @dazzybee suggests "proper Mario games", its still pretty much an annual thing 2007 Mario Galaxy, 2009 NSMBWii, 2010 Galaxy 2, 2011 Mario 3D Land, 2012 NSMB2 and U: I class each one of those main line "proper" Mario, ie adventure/platformers. I think Dazzybee is absolutely wrong - I think 99.9% of gamers know their IW COD from Treyarch COD, but it's COD and they don't care. A little like us knowing our second tier New Mario to our top tier Tokyo stuff. Just mental. They're still not out as frequently as cod, and there is a HUGE difference between the 2D and 3D mario games. Much more than the different versions of cod, which actually aren't that different at all, in any way shape of form, bar the setting. Never mind the fact you're also mixing console and handheld games, and it's still not on par as cod. I can't believe you're still running with it. It's not even close. Mario as a character is in more games yeah, but radically different games from each other. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 Mario as a character is in more games yeah, but radically different games from each other. Well apart from NSMB, NSMBWii, NSMB2 and (probably) NSMBU that are practically the definition of rehashed and unoriginal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 I don't think anyone can deny Mario's been whored out over the last few years. Doesn't mean a decent game doesn't come along every now and then; although waiting for a new Mario game used to mean much more than it does now. It's been Mario overkill, I for one am bored of him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 Well apart from NSMB, NSMBWii, NSMB2 and (probably) NSMBU that are practically the definition of rehashed and unoriginal Completely agree and I think nsmb2 is dull. But they're still on two different devices and still over a period of 6 years Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 All of that is there in place for the DLC I bet we'll be seeing downloadable levels that make more use of the mini and mega shrooms, considering how they go largely unused in the main game. The mega mushroom was almost completely unused in the first New Super Mario Bros. too, though, so I wouldn't get my hopes up just yet. :p Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 Bring back Giant World, where you start off with a Mega Mushroom and have to progress through with limited view on the screen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 18, 2012 Any original 2D worlds that go beyond green fields > desert > tropical > ice > forest > sky > mountain > lava zzzzzzzzzzz... would be good. (not played NSMB2 yet but I can't imagine it's much different to that (I'm not asking thanks )) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 19, 2012 Why would anyone play this over the sublime Mario 3D Land? WHAT POSSIBLE REASON COULD THERE BE? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 19, 2012 While I agree that NSMB2 does subscribe to a certain template with regards to world structure it's not as if they didn't try anything new for the whole game, there are several moments of 'oh that's pretty awesome!' regularly spread throughout the game. It kind of feels to me like a lot of people are being 'down' on Mario for being a platformer that subscribes to a certain age-old template, much like Sonic really... ... yes I went there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 19, 2012 Woah, hang on... Mario is COD-ified: 2007 Mario Party 8 Mario Strikers Super Mario Galaxy Super Paper Mario 2008 Mario Kart Wii Mario Sluggers Super Smash Bros Brawl 2009 Mario Tennis New Super Mario Bros Wii Mario and Luigi Bowsers Inside Story 2010 Super Mario Galaxy 2 Super Mario All-Stars 2011 Mario Sports Mix Mario Kart 7 Super Mario 3D Land 2012 Mario Party 9 New Super Mario Bros. 2 New Super Mario Bros U Aside from the expanded universe of weird characters Mario has a major title out every year, and at least one 'mascot' title. That's pretty COD to me, actually its far worse - a Mario title, on average, once every for months?! . That is a terrible argument. I've colour-coded the games that you've mentioned, just so you get a clear picture of what you're saying. Even Mario Party, which is now in its 9th iteration, has seen two Wii games, but these span 5 years. Mario Sports titles, which differ greatly from each other, are not a yearly release. I'm quite reluctant to put Mario Sports Mix in the same category as Mario Strikers. Strikers was a fantastic game and still holds up very well now. As pointed out, there are two tiers for Mario platformers. You have the genre-pushing/boundary pushing likes of Mario Galaxy, and then you have NSMB, which is much simpler, but also has its own crowd. I've marked Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 as red. 3 years apart is more than acceptable, especially when both are clearly inspiring games. I've also marked 3DLand as red, because it is also boundary pushing, but are you really going to compare this to the likes of COD when this is a completely different style of game, on completely separate formats? Brawl is fantastic, and to be lumped in with the likes of CoD is just wrong on so many levels. Years of innovation and content have been put into this game. It has so much depth and further served to push the series forward. I've only pumped something like 50 hours into the game and I have barely seen anything. Not even finished the subspace emissary or unlocked every character or stage. As much as I dislike what Mario Kart is becoming/has become, we only get one per console/handheld, and they are usually well-spaced apart, offering something different between each iteration. I'd like Nintendo to change it up, but again, I'm not going to say it's anything even remotely like a yearly update, because it's not. The only thing I will agree with you on is NSMB2 and U. I disagree with how Nintendo are bringing virtually the same game to two separate formats. I don't agree with it, I don't like the look of either U or 2. But, everything else that you have said, I've disagreed with. Mario spans so much more than a simple platformer. It has been this way for years. Were you one of those people complaining when Super Mario RPG came out, or Mario Tennis? Or Mario Kart? Or Mario Party on the N64? Or perhaps you didn't like the look of the original Smash Bros? It's been this way for years and Nintendo have done very, very well to differentiate between each genre and each experience. Nobody else could do it and pull it off this successfully. Note: I've not mentioned Inside Story or Super Paper Mario, because I haven't played them. Again, totally different experiences to other stuff that's out there, and I'm not going to complain about getting new and exciting games. CoD is taking place in a single, stale, over-saturated and over-produced genre. It's boring and has been for years. A yearly update doesn't change that fact, the original premise wasn't very good to begin with. If we're going to seriously go down this route and claim that Mario is a yearly update, then please sign me up for a yearly update which spans multiple genres and offers something different each time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 19, 2012 Why would anyone play this over the sublime Mario 3D Land? WHAT POSSIBLE REASON COULD THERE BE? Everyone finished Super Mario 3D Land months ago? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 19, 2012 Everyone finished Super Mario 3D Land months ago? Yeah, but if I'm going to play the same game over again I at least want it to be a good game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 19, 2012 I know that people have probably already covered this but doesn't anyone else think the digital download price is a fucking piss take? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 19, 2012 I know that people have probably already covered this but doesn't anyone else think the digital download price is a fucking piss take? The only thing that's truly a pisstake here is the lack of download cards in retail stores. Otherwise we could be getting the DD version for £24.99! Their strategy is sound, but NOE and NOA have completely fucked up the execution. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 19, 2012 Digital downloads are a great idea, but places like Tesco, Asda, and Amazon have incredibly strict rules you have to adhere to just to get a product on their shelves/listed on the website. One of which is the manufacturer cannot offer a product at a discount via their own channels. I'm sure Game/Gamestation would get pretty pissy too if Nintendo set the downloads at a lower price than the RRP. Remember - retailers are buying copies for £25-ish, then placing a mark-up on top, so they could list the game at £39.99 if they wanted, but they don't because they have to remain competitive. The same issue hurts Xbox & PS3 digital downloads, I can't understand how anyone would think Nintendo would be any different. The download code thing is a different kettle of fish entirely; I imagine Nintendo give some kind of commission on every sale. Retailers can set a lower price because they won't have inventory costs but again, that's only if they want to. I'm sure Game won't push DD too much because they make so much more on reselling 2nd hand copies than they do on a new one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 19, 2012 It wouldn't make any sense whatsoever for the people who set the RRP to sell the game at a lower price, anyways. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
